Up Up and Away!

So, I splurged last week and got myself an UP by Jawbone.

It's a simple band that I wear around my wrist all the time, and it tracks my movement and sleep. Then, I plug it into my iPhone, and it can do so much more! I can use it to track what I eat, my mood, how many calories I burn and how, and what is so cool is that I can use it as an alarm so it'll wake me up at the optimal point during my sleep cycle... I promise I'm not being paid anything to write about the UP, I just really love this gadget!

ANYWAY.

The most important news is that I begin a new job tomorrow! The key is to not slack off on the workouts, while I'm now working for numerous hours per week. It was easy to go to the gym once or twice per day while I was unemployed, but I think I'll have a good system. I'll just plan on going to the gym after work each day, NO EXCUSES!

The other news is that, after over a month of waiting, my appointment with Dr. Posner's office is this Tuesday. As in, 2 days away. I'm not nervous, just excited, I think. But I'll let you know how it goes!

Happy new week, everyone!

Nothing much going on...

Just going to the gym every day...

Nothing much new...

Kim and I started working on legs yesterday. THAT was fun. NEVER thought I'd say that.

I've figured out that cardio is so much easier when I've got something good to watch on TV. Or perhaps a Sabres game to listen to. Because then I can just keep going and going and going... and suddenly it's been 40 minutes or so and it's like WOW where did the time go?

The only thing is that I was supposed to do chest/back weights today, and by the time I got done with my cardio I was too exhausted to do anything else. So everything else gets pushed back a day, I suppose.

I hope I'm not slacking on weights in order to do cardio. Cardio is important, but so are weights. I just don't feel quite as comfortable doing weights without Kim there.

I weighed myself the other day. I went up 0.4 lbs. It's not worth mentioning. I should have listened to Charles at LA Fitness when he said to not weigh myself for at least a few weeks.

I know I'm eating healthy. I know my portion control is better. I know I'm working out. But my body doesn't know what to do with all of this, so it's kind of freaking out on me. Especially with the weight training. I'll have to see what the scale says at Dr. Posner's office on Tuesday... that's the ultimate test. It'll have been about 2 months since the original weigh-in... we'll see where I'm at!

GO SABRES!

Well, Sabres season started today... and we WON! No better way to start off the season :-)

I spent the last period of the game on the bike at the gym. Yes, the entire last period... that'd be about 40-ish minutes. (I was babysitting for the first 2 periods. HI JULIE! Thanks for letting me babysit your beautiful girls)

I figure if I can do that every other game or so, spend a period or two on the bike watching or listening to the game (haven't figured out if they have MSG on the TV's at LA Fitness) then that's a good thing.

I didn't post yesterday, but I had another absolutely amazing session with Kim (the trainer). We worked on what seemed like everything that had to do with chest and back. She showed me how to do a bunch of things both on and off machines. I'd tell you what they were, but I left my booklet in the car and I am entirely too exhausted to go out in the cold and snow and get it now, hahaha.

I've been dying to get on the scale again, but I'm not doing it until it's been a week. I'm so curious though! I feel my clothes getting looser. I have more energy, and just overall feel better. I love this.

And because I said I'd mention her in a blog post:

Jorie leaves for Geneseo tomorrow so that'll be sad, because I've liked having her here :-(  But I'll think of it this way... next time she sees me, I'll hopefully look smaller!

Guilt.

I needed to take a break from the gym today, because I hurt.

So I did.

And now I feel guilty.

I'm going to have to work twice as hard tomorrow with my trainer to get this guilt out of my head.

I don't like feeling guilty about this. This is my deal, not anybody else's. Why do I feel guilty? Who do I feel guilty to? Myself? This is ridiculous.

I can't believe I'm so upset over missing one day out of what... like 10?

I just feel so lazy today...

Laziness and overwhelming guilt. Not a good combination.

It'll all be better when I go back to the gym tomorrow. I'll have to get there extra early for extra cardio time to make this feeling go away!

What do you do...

What do you do when you have absolutely no motivation to go to the gym, are feeling tired and a little sick, and just want to climb into bed and take a nap?

Lace up the sneakers and go to the gym anyway.

At least that's what I did.

Because today I ate a cupcake. I'm not going to feel guilty about the cupcake, I'm just going to do something about it.

And today I did something I've never done before... 5 minutes on the elliptical WITHOUT PAUSING. I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my life. (ew, gross.)

And then I did my weights workout that Kim taught me to do the other day when I met with her.

And then I figured that was enough for one day... because I do actually feel a little bit run down and I don't want to over-do anything.

And now I'm gonna make healthy mushroom burgers (again) for dinner. Because they were delicious last time I made them (which was what... 3 days ago?)

Healthy burgers along with a protein smoothie. (I had fun at GNC today too...)

A Short Update

If you hadn't seen up top... I lost 3 pounds as of yesterday :-)

I also began with my trainer, Kim, yesterday! It was fantastic. She is great, I think she'll be exactly what I need.

Honestly, right now I'm exhausted. I think today will be my break day, because I can barely move. I also overslept last night, so I'm groggy. But I'm still thinking of ways to get in some exercise today. Or maybe I'll just go to the gym later. I'm scared that if I miss a day, I won't go back.

That's it for now. See y'all later.

Can you tell what I'm doing?

Buh Bye Black Forest Cheesecake! I don't need you!

Thanks Stephanie!

Gotta write this now while it's still fresh in my mind. And while I still feel the burn, hahahaha!

I went to the gym this morning (early afternoon... whatever... don't get specific with me please lol) to work out with Stephanie, who is one of the trainers. She is the one who did my initial fitness assessment last week, and we bonded pretty quickly. Anyway, I got there kind of early, so I started with 10 minutes on the treadmill to warm up. Then she got there. What I thought was going to be an easy-peasy cardio workout turned into a grueling free weights workout, and WOW did it feel fantastic!

I wish I knew the names of some of the stuff we did, but I'll do my best to explain what she had me do.

First.... using a bar weight. I forget the weight of the weight (hahaha). Starting with picking it up from the ground, bringing it up to my chest, up in the air, and back behind my neck, then back in the air, back to my chest, and back down. That times 23. (I like 3's. You'll begin to notice 3's and 13's in my numbers)

Then to the wall. Using an exercise ball and a 7.5 lb weight, squats against the wall holding the weight. That times 13.

To the mat on the floor, lying down on my back and grabbing her ankles, lifting my legs up and down (without touching the ground in between! That's the tough part!). I did that 7 times first, then took a break. Then 8 more times. Then 9 more times. Then 10 more times.

Lastly, the plank. I managed 7 seconds. Then 8 seconds. Then 9 seconds. Then.... wait for it... 13 seconds!!!

Then we took a break and did it all over again.

I have to remember how good this feels. I love this feeling. The feeling of accomplishment, the feeling of... burn?

Something she did mention to me is the fact that I may have asthma. I should go get that checked out, I'll do that this week, it's better to know that then not to know that.

Is it wrong that I want to go back to the gym now? I need a break though, and I know that. Maybe tomorrow, because I work out with my new trainer on Tuesday. But who woulda thunk that I, Anna, Me, of all people, would become a gym rat? (No offense to all the gym rats out there)

Another day, another trip to the gym...

Today was my gym's big "Grand Opening" event, so it was a big deal. I got there and was greeted by Kiss 98.5, balloons, giveaways, tons of stuff... I won a t-shirt! I wanted the Les Mis t-shirt but it only came in a Medium, so I went with this shirt instead:

It says "Fashionably Late" for those who don't read backwards ;-) Although I realized later that I could have gotten the Les Mis shirt and kept it for when I could fit into it! Oh well.

Anyways. 

I like that I feel so comfortable at the gym. That was something that I never felt at any other gym... probably because (no offense to those who go there) but I know too many people at the other gym I used to go to. I always felt too hesitant, but at LA Fitness I can start anew. Most people don't know me there, so I can get all sweaty and gross and not have to worry about seeing people I would see at, I don't know... anywhere else. And for me the gym is a judgement-free zone. I don't judge you if you don't judge me. That's all I'm asking for. 

I wonder how this blog fits in... you guys mostly know me, and you'll see me going through some pretty awful stuff (I'm assuming. That's the only way to get anywhere). Who knows. We'll see how it goes. 

People are starting to get to know me at the gym, but in a good way. The employees are starting to know me as the girl who comes in to work out twice a day. Which is a good way to be known, I guess.

Why do I go twice a day? Simple... I can't handle a full workout yet. So I cut it in two. That way I don't have to feel bad if I only do 25 or 30 minutes of cardio in the morning, because I'll do more later that day. Right now I'm pretty much doing as much as I can, which is usually anywhere between 17-30 minutes, at least in the morning. I can usually do more than that my second time around.

OH! I start with my personal trainer this week too! I'm psyched. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.

Okay, I've gotta go get ready for gym trip #2.

Today (So far)

15 minutes on the bike (level 20-23)

10 minutes on the treadmill (incline at 7, 2.0 speed)

Does walking around Wegmans and Target with Dad and Jor count? hahaha

The beginning. Kind of.

I was going to call this post the beginning. But it's not the beginning. The beginning started a LONG time ago... before I can remember. But honestly, I don't want to think about that right now... that's a discussion for another post. This is going to be a NEW beginning. A new beginning... of a new me.

So why start a blog? Why am I willing to share this with... PEOPLE? The answer is simple, in my mind. It's because I have failed so many times, I need accountability. I need people to answer to. Otherwise... why is this time different from any other time? (ma nishtana... hahaha)

So. Here it is. What I've been dreading... the BEFORE:

There it is. There's me. All... gulp... 297 pounds of me.

Before I let you go... I'll give you some information as to what's going on, and how I'm planning on changing my life.

This all started in November when my dad suggested (not for the first time) that I check out Bariatric surgery. I went to a session held by Dr. Alan Posner's office at Buffalo General Hospital, and the following night my dad and I went to a session together (again by Dr. Posner). I've done a TON of research, and have decided that the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is the right fit for me.

HUH?

Yeah, I know. That was my first impression too. Long story short, it's a surgery where they permanently remove about 80-85% of a person's stomach, therefore promoting weight loss.

Why this and not the Gastric Bypass? Many reasons, which I could get into in another post, but mainly I don't want to have to deal with dumping syndrome. (If you don't know what that is, you can look it up or ask me about it.) Among other reasons.

What is the timing on this? I honestly don't know. What I do know is that I have a LOT of doctor's appointments ahead of me, and I'll be sure to keep you updated!

The other thing I'm doing NOW is going to the gym and eating healthfully. I joined LA Fitness this week, and am already noticing a difference in how my clothes fit and in the size of my stomach. Is it too early to notice? I don't know. But what I do know is that I've been going twice a day to work out (given, it's not for a whole lot of time, because I just can't handle it yet) but it feels amazing whatever I am doing. I'll hopefully have a personal trainer once a week too, starting next week.

As for eating, right now I am semi-on South Beach diet. I'm not following it strictly, but I AM eating much more healthy than I have in YEARS. And it's making me feel great.

So. I think that's a pretty good blog post for now. I'll keep y'all updated on my progress, as that's the whole purpose of this blog anyway!

TODAY: 
10 minutes on the bike (level 13)
5 minutes on the elliptical
10 minutes on the treadmill (incline at 7, 2.0 speed)