Whoops! Blast you real life!

So much has happened since the 19th I hardly know where to begin.  As for my goals from last week - a quick round up...

1. Finish C25k Week 1 and continue with week 2. Have completed W2D1 and W2D2 is tomorrow.  The first day of week 2 kicked my butt! I love it!

2. Drink a minimum of 100oz of water a day. So done... I am still on track with this and I float through my days.  Woohoo!

3. Try another new fruit or vegetable. Yep. I tried to conquer white asparagus... not a fan.

4.  Set aside some time to do something "nice" for myself this week.  Eyebrows got done but my hair is looking too good to cut right now LOL. 

5. Spend at least 10 minutes each day on new choreography. My brain is flooded with new choreography!

Ok.  So, the reason why you guys didn't get these updates on the 20th, or 21st, or well.. any of the days before now is that real life swallowed me whole.  In the best of ways. 

The 21st was the first official event for Trio Fitness. A Zumbathon for the Connor Wayne Combs Foundation. It was a great, sweaty, success.

The Trio Fitness Ladies... gettin ready...

Yeah... we're kind of like the Charlies Angels... of fitness.

Me rocking the Ella Me Copia

All three of us poppin them hips!

The aftermath... a sweaty mess!

Yeah, it was a good day!.  3 hours of Zumba followed by a carbohydrate heavy lunch and a workout hangover and an insane Sunday lead to a week of craziness in work, in Zumba and personally as well.

This time on phentermine has made me realize how addicted I am to food.  The cool thing about the appetite suppressant to me right now is that it makes me only really want to eat 3 times a day...

I've been listening to doctors for so long and all of them have had different ideas about what I needed to do to get the weight off and I've tried to listen to each of them in turn to give their hunches a try. What wound up happening is I wound up being addicted to the constant flow of food and when I tried to change my eating to more calorie dense, lower volume foods it got harder to stay within my calorie range.

But I'm addicted to eating like every 2-3 hours now and the phentermine has killed that addiction because I don't get the hunger signals and even when I do give in and snack on something I eat two bites and my stomach says NO, NO ROOM AT THE INN.  Today I had a bit of an upset stomach (forgot my acid reflux meds) and I snacked on 2 hard pretzels in little bites through the whole day.  That was the extent of my snacks. 

Only eating 3 meals a day I'm eating well below 2000 calories a day unless I force myself to eat something more calorie dense to ensure that I'm not eating too little on my heavy cardio days. 

I have seen a total difference in how my body feels before, during and after my workouts.  My sleep patterns are more even and I feel more rested.  AND today I weighed in 12 pounds down from where I was 2 Thursdays ago.  That's INSANE.  I hadn't lost 12 pounds in the last two months.  Such a huge change.

Aside from all of that I'm enjoying my 5k training, I'm getting psyched up for my Basic 2 Zumba License class this Sunday and the National Dance Day flash mob AND the Zumba convention in 2 weeks. 

There's so much going on that I feel like I'm going 24/7 but I feel more rested and relaxed than I have in a long time.  I love that things are just happening.  It's stressful as hell some days but, overall, life is taking care of itself.  I do have bad days and feel like I can't handle it bit I'm surrounded by love and friendship and some of the best coworkers ever so I KNOW I can get through anything. 

Weigh In and Adventures in Tropical Shakeology

I finally got my Tropical Shakeology in Thursday and I was so extremely excited to get to try it. 

Friday morning I blended up a smoothie that was Tropical Shakeology with the Shakeology Fiber Boost, V8 Strawberry Banana Fusion, a frozen mixed berry blend (strawberries, bananas and peaches) and ice cubes.

Tropical: Take 1! Strawberry Banana!

It was super tasty and almost overly filling!  Towards the bottom there was a bit of a gritty taste/mouth feel but I was overall very pleased! So yummy, yummy!

Today I went back and did another Shakeology concoction that was similar but even better!

Tropical: Take 2 - Cranberry Yums!!

Tropical Shakeology, Shakeology Fiber Boost, V8 Cranberry Blackberry, Dole Mixed Berries with Cranberries and ice. It's delicious and filling and I blended it extra long and it's far less gritty than the first round. 

I can't wait to try some more creative recipes to see what other tasty things I can enjoy for breakfast!

Today was also weigh in day and I weighed in at exactly 313 pounds.  That's 2.8 pounds down from last week.  The weekend after next I'll do measurements and pictures too and I'm nervous and excited too.  Right now I'm down a little more than 7 pounds in 2 weeks so I think it'll be a good weigh in/measurement/picture experience. 

I'm just so excited to have found something to add in to my weight loss routine that seems to really be helping. 

Weigh in GLEE

4.8 pounds. I lost 4.8 pounds this past week.  I am on cloud 9!

I know that's not normal and I will likely have a slight gain in next weeks weigh in but it was great to see that change when I hopped on the scale this morning.

Today I spent some quality time learning new Zumba routines.  The new ZIN release is AMAZING.  I taught Mr. Saxobeat today and am hoping to feel comfortable enough with If You Wanna Dance to do it tomorrow night. Loveeeeee it.

Tomorrow I'm off work and fully intend on getting up at my normal time and getting in some Zumba learning time, a TurboJam workout and a Rockin' Body workout and my Shakeology shake before we head off to Raleigh for a day of shopping.

I'm finally going to go shopping for shoes... get some lift to my heel and maybe get this silly Achilles tendon to heal!

It's important to stay on routine even if the day is anything but!

I'm hoping to wake up to a little bit of snow tomorrow.  We'll see though!

Weird Weather Blues and a Zumba High

This morning I slept in.  It was glorious... I woke up at 7am and stayed in bed until like 10:30.  My face felt heavy and I just didn't want to stand up.

This wonky weather is going to be the death of my sinuses.  It all started Friday...

Friday I felt okay when I woke up - then I stepped outside. I sneezed my way through my morning routine, got to work, took my claritin and hoped I would feel better.  So not how it worked.  Walked outside to head out to lunch and felt like I got hit in the face with a baseball bat.  I sneezed and hacked through lunch.  After lunch I took a second dose of claritin still no relief.   Taking the second dose of claritin early made my blood pressure go sky high.  I felt awful and wound up leaving work a little early to take a short nap before heading out for my evening plans.

I threw a dose of Benadryl on board to help with the sneezing fits from hell, took a cat nap, and headed to Apex for a master class fundraiser with Matt and Sarah.

Matt and I get scandalous!

Gratuitous cell phone self portrait of the two-headed Zumba monster - Sam and Sarah!

Being in a room with Loretta Bates,  Erica Dixon, or Renee Picket is humbling when it's just one of them.  Any combination of the two? Beyond amazing.  Back in November I went to a master class with Renee and Loretta and I thought I was going to die from the intensity.  Friday night it was Erica and Loretta and again my tail was properly whooped.

Renee & Loretta - Double Trouble MC 11/4/11

Erica and Loretta - Double Trouble MC 1/20/12

The above pictures were taken only a little over 2 months apart and I can gladly say I see a difference in how I look.  (Totally sad I didn't get a pic with Erica this time around! Next time!!!)

I had an amazing time dancing, got to see a few faces I hadn't seen since my B1 certification last June and just enjoyed getting my tail kicked by two utterly fantastic instructors! I am so inspired by their presence.  Every time I get to take class with any one of them I am reminded why I fell in love with Zumba to begin with and I feel the need to up my game and bring the fire back to my classes.  

Saturday morning I got up and I was so horribly sore I didn't want to move but I was excited to bring that passion from the night before to our class at the studio.  It was hard to get going but once I got class under way I felt on top of the world.

I spent Saturday afternoon walking around Raleigh with Marsh, Matt, Chip, Ryan and Katie.  We had dinner at a fantastic Irish pub and it was fantastic.  I was snotty the whole time and 3 doses of Benadryl were required to keep me functioning.  Dinner was a scandalous mix of carbohydrates and I even had a beer! Naughty!

Today when I woke up I could feel my face was heavy from snot and I didn't want to move.  "Sleeping in" helped.  I may have been awake but I was lazy and in my bed warm under my blankets.

When I finally got up we went out to lunch and I ate all the protein! At El Tap, our local Mexican joint, I got ChoriPollo.  Two chicken breasts covered in red sauce, a smattering of cheese, and spicy chorizo.  I got it was refried beans and bypassed all the tortillas.  I was full all day! I had to force down a snack before Zumba. I'm still not even all that hungry.  I'm only eating so that my meds don't make me sick!

Class this afternoon was fantastic! 75 minutes, 32 people, lots of giggles! I swear, no matter how bad I feel, I always feel better after a good class. The energy of the students, the sweat, the general atmosphere - it's therapeutic!

About to try out the base Rockin' Body workout after I hang up some laundry and get to bed early.

Wednesday is my big appointment with Peak Health - hoping the nurse will be pleased with my weight loss progress.  If not I may have a nervous breakdown!

Who, other than me, has the worst allergies in the late fall and winter?  I can't be the only one who suffers like this!

Week One on Weight Watchers - Vacation, GO!

I had my week one weigh in yesterday and *drum roll* I lost a little over a pound and a half.  I went from 328.8 to 327.2.  I'll take that.  After the plateau from Hades I'll take any weight loss at this point. 

I think I've decided after I get back from vacation I'm going to set my Weight Watchers settings to only swap Activity Points.  Last week I didn't use any of my Weekly Points but used almost all of my Activity Points.  I know that I'm not going to be getting in a lot of exercise between Thursday and Monday so I know I will probably need to dip in to those while out of town.  (Beer costs points, yo!)

As for today and tomorrow I have two hours of Zumba tonight to look forward to plus all the house cleaning and packing and errands to run. Then tomorrow I'm taking a last chance Turbo Kick class right before we leave for Kentucky. Class is at 9:30, home, shower, out the door!

Right now the plans are as such - arrive in Kentucky late Wednesday.  Thursday a lazy day in and around the house with yummy dinner and a special dessert with my Kentucky momma!  Friday, a trip to the aquarium in Ohio and lunch at Skyline chili! Saturday some sight seeing and dinner and Festivus celebration with my other family in Indiana.  Sunday some more rest and relaxation and some sight seeing.  Monday the long drive home. 

Tuesday it's right back into daily life getting laundry done and quality time with the kitties before hopping back in to Zumba classes Tuesday night!

We're actually taking a break from Zumba at the studio from Thursday this week until the start of 2012 so I am excited to get to take some new and different classes at the Y during the break.  I'm also stoked to learn a bunch of new choreography so we can retire some of the old tunes that I'm just burned out on. 

At least one of the days on vacation that we're jut chilling out will be spent with my ZIN DVDs learning routines I wanted to but never had the time and refreshing on routines from master classes Sarah and I never had a chance to work in.  It's going to be hot, hot, hot Zumba once we get back in January!

Big changes are a-comin'!

First off, let me say how absolutely awesome this week has been.  It's been a wild ride full of stress and insanity but I can genuinely say that 2011 is going out with a bang.

Let's start with Weight Watchers stuff though.  I'm loving the ease of the Points Plus program.  I love not feeling guilty for indulging in fruits that I love and I'm digging on the new power foods listing.  It is making it easier to get an idea of where I am without having to do calorie, fat and carb math which is nice. 

The one thing I have issues that with is the extreme amount of exercise I do, I just don't know how to handle the Activity Points and the Weekly Points system.  I can swap activity points by the day, by the week or not at all.  I can also choose not to use the weekly points at all.  I just don't know what to do.  For the moment I'm doing both weekly and I haven't had to touch the Weekly Points at all.  I'm thinking I may just swap Activity Points weekly and not touch the Weekly Points.  We'll see though. 

It will be a bit weird over the next two weeks since I'm going on vacation but I will solidify the plan once the new year gets here.  For now, I'm not concerned with loss - just maintenance.
 

As for vacation - it can't get here soon enough!  I only need to work Monday and then I don't go back until Wednesday the 21st.  HOORAY!

Where I work we have to take 5 consecutive vacation days once a year and this is my sabbatical. For that week, work can't call me, I can't check email, I'm actually locked out of the buildings.  Last year I only had 4 days and coming back was rough... this year I'm actually taking 6! That's going to be hard to get back in to the swing of things after. 

And speaking of work! Big changes on the horizon! When I get back from vacation I need to start training some of my direct team members on how to do various tasks that are currently being done by the temporary employees on our team.  I'm also getting some additional tasks around our procurement application and will be getting to work with our category managers directly on tasks related to suppliers and supplier activity. That's pretty cool stuff. 

Big changes are coming in 2012.  I can feel it!

The countdown to vacation... and Weight Watchers.

I am now in the downward slope towards vacation.  4 more working days till vacation.  Glorious, glorious, vacation. 

Work has been great the last few days.  The meeting in Winston went awesomely and I am so glad we went. 

My voice is still coming and going whenever it pleases but the strep is going away.  My throat still yells at me when I drink carbonated drinks or eat anything with a rough texture but I'm getting there.  I will be healthy by the time we leave on vacation!

Yesterday I took the leap and rejoined Weight Watchers.  I know how terribly hard it is to track my calories and macronutrient breakdowns when I'm out of town and this was a good stop gap measure to assist in that.

I first did Weight Watchers back in 2008 and I lost 30 pounds using their tools.  Then money got tight and I couldn't afford the membership.  I am loving some of the newer tools they've added in the time I've been gone and I'm excited about putting them to full use.  Things like the pizza slice designer that gives you the point total or the sandwich maker that populates the totals.  That's really cool!

Today I taught back to back Zumba classes and at each location someone commented on the fact I look smaller even in just the last few weeks. Talk about an ego boost! I'm actually even starting to really feel smaller, especially in my chest and arms.  I'm excited for my weekly weigh in on Monday. Maybe the plateau has finally been broken and I'll continue to see a good downward trend!

This week could not POSSIBLY get better...

This week has been sufficiently insane and I couldn't love it more. Here's the skinny on what's been going on this week.

Monday: Work was incredibly busy, fulfilling and made me kind of high on the rush of deadlines.  I had a fantastic class at my senior center location.  A new student showed up who wound up being an old friend from my previous job! We had lost touch when she left about a year before I was laid off.  It was really exciting to see her and catch up a bit! This class planted the seeds of fun for Tuesday!

Tuesday: Run, run, run! Work was a whirlwild of getting ready for this meeting next Monday in Winston.  My eyes were about to BLEED from staring at PowerPoint all day.  Zumba double class fun ensued after work.  After class on Tuesday someone commented that she wished we did Shake Senora at the start of class rather than at the end.  I asked why and she said it helped to make her feel more comfortable.  It's a silly dance and makes you face your class mates so I can see her thought process.

So we tried it! It really did change the energy of the class.  Normally the first 2-3 songs are warm up.  I tossed Shake in as the end of warm up.  It's silly but it's still a good cardio song so it fit in the flow.  It was really cool everyone was off to the races with laughing and joking and just giving it their all.  It worked out well in both classes and tonight I'm going to try it with Big and Chunky or Drop it Low which are two of our other fun songs.

Wednesday: This day shall be known as the day of incredible awesome.  First off - my month end weigh in.  Down to 328.  Huzzah! Progressive weight loss! The scale keeps moving downward in a slow, but mostly steady, pattern. This starts my day off on a happy note.

I had an awesome meeting with the team for the Monday meeting in Winston.  The PowerPoint was well received and the edits were minimal.  Then I had a good talk with my boss about some other job related stuff and I'm really excited for things yet to come.

After work one of the temps on my team said something that just made my heart break that we're losing most of them at the start of the new year.  I love working with all of them and I really wish we could hire them all on permanently.

Then dinner with Marshall and his folks for his birthday.  My beloved turned 32 yesterday and we had a tasty meal out at Ruby Tuesday.  Nice and calming.

Later in the evening I taught at the YMCA and class was incredible.  Firstly, it was my first 20+ student class at the Y on my own.  Very cool.  Secondly, using Shake Senora at the start helped to bring in new folks and let them just have fun and not feel so nervous.  Thirdly, I got an amazing compliment after class.  One of the new students caught me after class and told me she loved class, said it was a fun and joyful class, she loved it and she would be back. She also honked and told me I rocked as I walked to my car. 

At this point the outside was suffering from a sudden dust storm.. because that's the only excuse for my eyes getting so watery.  I rarely get compliments so three big ones in a day is like hitting the lottery for me.  I felt so loved, so appreciated and so grateful.

After class the lovely Miss Sarah surprised me with a very thoughtful gift - a "Christmas bonus" of sorts - for all the help I give her.  It was completely unexpected and incredibly sweet. She is so awesome and never fails to remind me how much she appreciates my help.

Then we met Marshall and Matt for a birthday drink at the local bar.  It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.


Thursday:  Already a great day.  Lots of good news all around. Marshall should be finishing up this thesis defense shortly so hopefully more awesome to come!

471 vs. 329

Take at look at these two pictures of me:

May 2006

October 2011

See a difference?  

I don't.  I mean... I do when I look at them for a really long time, but I still feel as fat now as I felt in the first picture.  

Objectively, when I stare at these pictures for a while I notice I now have a neck, that my shoulders are smaller and my face so much thinner. I can see how much smaller my cheeks yave gotten and much more pronounced my chin and cheek bones are. 

Then I look in the mirror and I still see my face from May 2006.  

So who is the real me?  How do people see me now?  Do people really notice the difference?

Yes.  I know this because in the last week I've had three people comment on how much my shape has changed.  Matt and Chip both commented on how "tiny" I've gotten and how they can wrap their arms all the way around me when they hug me.

Will I ever start to feel smaller, thinner, tinier? Or will I always be 471 pounds in my eyes? 

Feel the Burn(out)

The last few weeks have been utterly exhausting.  This week especially so!

Physically demanding

Today was my 19th consecutive day doing Zumba.  The last day I didn't work out was October 30th.  In those 19 days I've taught/co-taught/participated in 25 classes.  That's over 25 hours (there were a few 75 minute classes tucked in there) of cardio in the last 19 days.

Tomorrow I have my normal Saturday morning class and then a master class and Jam session.  That's 5 hours of Zumba tomorrow.  Then class on Sunday and Monday (both of which I'm teaching solo) and then two classes on Tuesday and then I have a 4 day break.  FINALLY. 

My body is in agony and some of it is not so delicious anymore. My calves are rock hard and achy all the time. Oh and my shoulders, chest, and abs hate me right now.

At the same time - that hour or more of Zumba has been my solace on more than a few days with everything else that's going on.

Mentally taxing


This week I've been involved in multiple meetings that were very in-depth and required me to push my problem solving skills. The follow up work from the meetings have been piling up and piling up and it has been a big weight on my shoulders. 

Today was the first time this week I was in my own office for an entire day this week.  I spent half of it just following up on emails.  I still have phone calls to return on Monday and more meetings to schedule.  So much stuff!

I'm grateful that I have the flexibility to bring work home and work on my own schedule.  If that weren't the case I'd be at the office every night till 7 or 8 for the next week or so getting everything back in order.  Maybe it'll all fall in to place quickly but there's a lot to do.

Emotionally draining

It hasn't been a particularly good time to be working in the financial industry.  Fears about lay offs, staffing issues with temp labor, all scary stuff.  It's been scary and I know I've been hiding in Zumba and sweating out my stress but my brain is constantly going round and round with all the worst case scenarios.

Plus it's also a weird time of year for me.  I tend to have a hard time adjusting to the shorter days to begin with but it's been especially rough this year.  I've had to start taking more B and D vitamins to help try to keep me even. Even with my anti-depressants and my exercise plan and my normal vitamin regimen I've been overly anxious because of all the other stress.  It's just... draining.

I can honestly say that things are okay now but I am totally, absolutely, 100% ready for a break.  A good, solid, break.  I am going to lounge, read books and watch movies as much as possible Wednesday night, Thursday and all day Saturday and Sunday.  I wish I had snagged the day off on Friday but at least I know it'll be a semi-quiet day and a good chance to catch up on whatever work I'm behind on in peace and quiet. 

On the weight loss front I actually showed several days of weigh ins under 330 pounds in the last 2 weeks.  I'm going to be doing my official weigh in and measurements on the 21st.  We'll see if the scale is nice to me then!