We Went, We Saw, We Ate Chinese

Just to remind you, one of our second year marriage resolutions is to kick our fitness schedule up a notch. And by "up a notch" I mean getting up off the couch and doing some sort of physical activity. As all of you know, I was a proud (if semi non-active) Jazzercise member since April and it was costing us $42 a month (not that bad). The only downside was the scheduling - I would only be able to make it to classes at 6:30, be done at 7:30 and not get home until 8:00. When you arrive at work by 7:30 in the a.m. (or 7:45ish, in my case), that is what I consider a REALLY. LONG. DAY.

So hubby suggested that we start going to his university's wellness center together. And it would only be $25 a month for me to join. SO...let's just weigh our options...getting to spend more time with my hubby (check), almost HALF OFF what we were normally paying (check), having to work out among mere children who have yet to see the appearance of  fine lines around their eyes (not so much a check)....anyway, the point is, the pros outweighed the cons and we decided to be like Nike and just do it, so I canceled my Jazzercise membership.

On Monday evening, I drove home to meet Chad, changed into my work out clothes, and we were on our way to the wellness center. We drove up and went in and signed up. The people helping us were obviously college kids, probably wondering who the uncool married couple was wanting to use the facilities. I already felt tired. And a little embarassed because every person I had seen up until that point was under the legal drinking age.

Hubby was excited to show me around, and, I must admit, it is one heck of a wellness center. Three stories, with a pool, steam rooms, and work out machines with TVs attached. And heck no, I'm not kidding! Hopefully I will be able to get some quality television time while working out! I just love killing two birds with one stone. It took both Hubby and me some time to figure out how to work the machines and we still couldn't figure out how to turn the little attached TVs on. No matter. I'm sure it's just technology that we old folks aren't aware of yet.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel the pressing need to get my fitness on (I think my yoga pants were too tight), so, after touring the facilities, wondering why the raquet ball rooms were closed for construction, and being completely intimdated by the pool and wondering how in the world I would get in without some 19 year-old svelte girl staring at me in my tankini, I turned to hubby and said "Can we go now? I'm starving." Because he is the sweet man God created just for me, he nodded happily in agreement and away we went - not to a healthy place for a nice salad, but to a local Chinese buffet - you know the kind...frog legs beside lo mein, steamed crawfish next to the Jell-O. A real classy place where they never run out of egg rolls and trust me, you don't EVEN want to try the sushi.

So I have actually seen and set foot in the wellness center. That's one thing down. And I'm not concerned. I'm sure it will be there next week.

Suck It Up (And In)

Because my husband loves me and is awesome, we are doing something new...getting in shape. Since the church thing is going so well (EARLY again on Sunday - what?!) AND we cleaned out my Jeep and took a load of stuff to the Goodwill, we are prepared to tackle the next thing on our lists - the big one. And I don't mean the credit cards we're paying off.

Let's just say that both hubby and I have, ahem, changed since we first laid eyes on each other and fell madly in love. Okay, that last sentence most certainly didn't happen, but the point is, neither one of us is especially happy with our current physique and we are FOR REAL going to do something about it. I lost almost 25 lbs getting in shape for our wedding but every single one of those pounds have come back home to roost. Which is lovely. And I complain about each individual pound daily. And I hear hubby keep saying that he has "moobs" - which he doesn't, but is convinced that he does. So my ex-Marine and I are joining the Wellness Center at his university. And we start our fitness plan of attack tonight. I can already feel that I am going to pass out and possibly smack my adorable husband if he starts pulling some Marine training crap on me.

So, ladies and gents, here is my plan of attack. I am using SparkPeople again, which, if you haven't tried it, is actually a cool and free way to track your fitness and nutritional data each day. Go to http://www.sparkpeople.com/ to check it out and sign up. I will be using it to track everything that enters my mouth and all the exercise I will be doing. It helps keep you accountable and shows you where you mess up. It helped me lose the weight to walk down the aisle and it will most definitely help me lose the weight to attend my husband's 10 year reunion, which is in one year, and will have Baby Mama in attendance. If THAT is not a reason to become anorexic and get a boob job, I don't know what is. Kidding, y'all, kidding.

In other news, I don't have gall stones. The pains are gone and my blood work came back completely normal. I blame the Mexican food.

Thanks for the prayers!

Going Back...(and a late Father's Day shout out)

Yeah, I know. Father's Day was two days ago and I didn't post anything cutesy. Sorry - I was busy spending time with my two dad's. We had an excellent Father's Day - first with my step-dad, David, and then lunch and a movie with my dad, Mike. The lunch was cheeseburgers and the movie was the fabulously violent "300" starring the incomparable Gerard Butler. Normally, I don't like movies involving the art of warfare, but "300" is just good stuff. Maybe it's because my husband is a Marine. Who knows? And shout out to all you divorced kids out there - isn't having two dads awesome? I wasn't sure I'd be a fan, but it's turned out well. Love them both.

So tonight, after a brief (not really, it's been three weeks) sabbatical, I am going back to Jazzercise. There is a strong possibility that this will kill me or else leave me so sore tomorrow that I must crawl into work. I am willing to take that chance because I'd rather Jazzercise than face Ms. Jillian Michaels and her 30 Day Shred. Also, sources (my mom) told me that some of the instructors at Jazzercise were plotting to send me a "nasty gram" for missing class. I'm fond of mail, but not the nasty kind, so I am going back and plastering a big fake grin on my face while chasseying until I drop. Oh boy.

1, 2, 3, 4....

Counting. It's becoming my life. How many points? How many calories? What's left for the day? UGH. Fighting the good fight to lose the weight and feel GRRREEAATTT is truly frustrating. I look back and think about the good 'ole days when I didn't have to worry and I could kick myself. I should have just moved right into Chick-Fil-A and enjoyed the heck out of those Brownie a la modes when I had the chance!

My second doctor's appointment was yesterday in the quest to wean me off the "wonder" drug, Cymbalta. I have been really encouraged because I have had no crazy side effects with my lower dosage. Now, the plan is to take 20 mg every other day. I have to admit...I'm freaked. If you aren't familiar with Cymbalta, stay that way! Withdrawals from this drug are awful - brain "zaps" (which are really hard to explain, but if you have one you'll know it), fatigue, nausea, upset tummy...the list goes on and on. I have experienced some of these side effects personally - like on the days when I missed taking my pill. It wasn't pretty.

The point is though, ya'll, I am past phase one. That is reason to celebrate! Which is why I am now drinking my new favorite dessert...an Acai Allure from Keva Juice. All you Greenvillians - head on over to Keva on Woodruff Road (in the Whole Foods shopping center, beside Chipotle). This particular fabulousness that is hitting my taste buds as I type, has only 166 calories and 1 gram of fat (12 oz). Can't beat it. And it's healthy for you! Hubby is fond of the Bananarama.

Speaking of hubby, can I just get an amen for wonderful husbands? Today he is down at the lake house in Fairplay doing some work on the house, yard, and getting the pontoon up and running. It will be nice to be back down at the lake with my own little family later this summer and hopefully eatin' some boiled peanuts while ridin' down the lake! (I wonder how many points/calories are in boiled peanuts...???)

Should I Shred?

I have been hearing a lot of Internet buzz lately about a woman I equated with a school yard bully: Ms Jillian Michaels. Oh you know her. She makes the Jazzercise Nazi look like June Cleaver with cookies. She is scary and ruthless and she yells - through her teeth. I'm serious when I say that she really makes me uncomfortable. But she has a seriously hot body (yes I just said that, come on ya'll, she does) and obviously knows something about weight loss. Duh. She was on Biggest Loser. And the buzz surrounding Ms Scary concerns her "30 Day Shred" DVD. Now, I know that this thing has been out for a while, but pardon me, I have been busy chasseying at Jazzercise to take notice.

Luckily, Big Mama took notice for me. This is why I blog people, I get useful information from my fellow writers. And trust me, I take Big Mama's advice to heart. In fact, her suggestion on Fashion Friday of a dress from Francesca's led me to, well, purchase said dress. And I got it yesterday and it's cute. I heart Francesca's. They have such good prices. Anyway, I digress. As usual.

The question is: should I shred? The DVD is cheap. The results have been good - just take a look at the reviews on amazon.com. It's crazy! 20 lbs in 30 days? I know I'll probably keel over from the work out and be petrified that 'ole Jillian is going to hop through my screen and beat me up, but I may just try it. So if you need me at lunch, I'll be over at Target, debating.

The Jazzercise Nazi

You may see her right before class, in her tiny black dance pants with the crazy designs down one leg and a teeny tiny workout tank. She is adjusting her Jazzercise belt and straightening her ponytail. She does a little neck roll and boxer step in her Rykas. She has a hard glint in her eye and a 200 calorie lunch to burn off. She is the Jazzercise Nazi and she is here to make your Jazzercise experience a worthwhile, yet hellish one.

I have my favorite teachers at Jazzercise. Well, one favorite teacher. The Nazi is not her. Not that she's not good - she's almost too good. She doesn't stop between songs, she can carry on a full conversation about Dancing With the Stars while chasseying and side stepping and hopping at the same time. While the other members of the class are dripping sweat and trying not to pass out, she glistens and continues to grin manically as she steps into the first beats of a Beyonce song.

Can you tell that I had a hard time at Jazzercise last night? Not that it wasn't fun and not that I didn't feel incredible after it was over. That whole endorphin myth is actually a reality. The JN's class is just the hardest one I've ever taken and she never stops! She never seems to get tired, even at the end of class when all anyone wants to do is stretch and then possibly lay there for thirty minutes and chat about the work day.

Oh well, today is a new day, with another class and another instructor tonight. We'll see how that goes.

Another day, Another diet

I'm sure there are a lot of women out there who want to lose 10 lbs, so I know that many people will relate to this story:
I was always the skinny one. I could eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight. I was a size 4-6. However, in the period of about one year, I went from a size 6 to a size 12. Kid you not. I had no clue that you could gain weight that fast, but evidently, my metabolism shut down and my calorie storage went into overdrive. It was so disconcerting that I went to a couple of doctors, begging for answers. My doctor who did my annual physical in 2007 said I was borderline diabetic, had horrible cholesterol (at 24), and basically needed to get the weight off ASAP. Shocked? Very much so. My doctor also mentioned a term called "Metabolic Syndrome" that I just took as "you are way too fat and this is a nice way to put that you are plain lazy."
I didn't really think much about the metabolic syndrome thing and went my merry way, determined to get the weight off.
I started with the South Beach Diet and lost a few pounds. Then, I got engaged and kicked it into high gear, working out and counting calories and fat grams. After working my tail off, I lost a big 'ole total of 23 lbs in 8 months. Not that great, to be honest. Yes, I was down a size, but 4 months after my wedding and not working out, I had gained almost all my weight back. When they weighed me last week, I was devastated, and more than sure that all this was due to hypothyroidism. I got my results back on Thursday. I don't have hypothyroidism. Duh.
Anyway, at the end of my rope this weekend, and more depressed than I have been in a really long time, I went searching for SOMETHING to help me, something beyond the diet pills and semi-bulemia that I inflicted on myself in order to fit into a wedding dress. It just so happened that I found a book based all around that crazy medical term, metabolic syndrome, that my doctor had mentioned to me over a year ago.
Long story short, I am now on a new diet and feel good. I can't have coffee, though, unless it's plain because sugar (even if it's aspartame) can raise my insulin levels and cause them to spike, which is the culprit in all this. I am eating (or trying to eat) at least 5 small meals a day. I'm hoping I can stick to this because it's almost spring, my favorite time of the year. I want to feel good in spring and summer clothes again. I know I have a long road ahead, but my goal is 40 lbs. Keep me in your prayers and I'll keep you updated!