cynthia’s body blog

After a tour in Iraq, it is very common for soldiers to slack off a bit when it comes to working out and eating right. I tried so hard to not fall into that trap this time. Sadly, I did slip in there a little bit, but I didnt fall to the bottom. I tried to eat healthy when I came home, but still allowing myself the occassional treats. If you’ve read my previous blogs, you know that I was staying with my parents who had awful awful eating habits. I tried to make healthy dinners a few times, and Dad just turned his nose up. I ended up giving up on cooking healthy for all of us I shouldve been more persistant. They kept so much junk in the house… and my awful dark secret of sleep eating came back. I would wake in the morning to find I ate a cupcake over night!! so not good!
I was going to the gym in an effort to combat some of this. My gym was not exactly the most inspirational gym on the planet, so it took a bit extra to want to go and get a good work out in.
And then I moved out of state. The process of packing up your whole life and moving that far can most certainly wreak some havoc on eating and exercise! There were quite a few meals out, and not much of any gym time. so yup, I packed a few pounds back on
But my boyfriend and I have been eating very healthy since we moved into the apartment. Most of our meals have been made from scratch. Lots of good protein, good carbs, and a new veggie every night. He has been really good about taking his lunches to class too. Lunch for both of us is usually just a lunch meat sandwich on whole grain bread, some almonds, carrots, and another piece of fruit to munch on during the day.
I also joined a new incredible gym called XSport Fitness! they have everything! I also decided to get a few sessions with a real live in my face trainer. I’ve had two sessions with him so far, although the first was just like an in-take. BF%, weight, some stress testing, etc. yesterday, we used mostly body weight and some resistance bands. he wanted to see what were my strengths and weaknesses so that he could devise a plan for me and start to balance me out. upper back and butt are crazy strong. lower back and quads need some real work. arms could use a little more help too.
so let’s see what kind of changes can happen now!

while i was at the gym today (cant believe i forgot to post this) the ladies working at the front desk ordered pizza! this is a very small gym! the whole place was filled with the aroma of cheese pizza! you try doing squats with that delicious-ness in the air. not easy! i wanted to open all the doors!
my new workout has me doing a few minutes of HIIT in between lifting. so i left my workout (in a plastic protective sleeve) and my half full water bottle on this little counter thing. well, while i was upstairs doing my little bit of HIIT, one of the women came and threw my water bottle away and threw my workout in their pile of stuff to be shredded! i came back down stairs and was freaking out! i was one of three people in the gym at the time. luckily, i was able to get my workout back, and they gave me a new, free bottle of water.
while i was doing my crunches and leg lifts, there was a heavier woman on the abductor behind me. when i got up, she looked at me and said "i felt every single one of those you just did" omg. if it were that easy, we’d all get fit just WATCHING workout DVDs! sorry sister, thats not how it works. you gotta get on the floor and do them yourself!
what a day

a few days ago, i got on the scale and was midly suprised to see that i had gained 5lbs since my return from Iraq. There have been more dinners out, some alcohol, and a rather delicious box of Godiva Chocolate! (Godiva is my BIG splurge - i get a small box maybe twice a year and make it last a couple days) While visiting my unbelievably sweet boyfriend in Illinois a few weeks ago, every time i turned around, he was popping a chocolate into my mouth! It was funny and sweet for a little while, but I did have to ask him to stop. I had kept up with going to the gym since I returned, maybe lacking some intensity some days, but trying different things other days. I had already mentioned in previous blogs that my cardio had dropped off since no longer logging those miles in Iraq back and forth to work. the weight gain was starting to become apparent to me, so I finally got on the scale. I really wanted to cry. Luckily, I managed to maintain my muscle, I just now have an even bigger layer of chub covering it.
I started a new workout routine this week, and I know its going to take more than one week to undo a month of damage. But this week has been a little tough, like a slap in the face. I started to lose a little motivation at the gym today and almost wanted to stop myself!! But I had a little internal dialogue and reminded myself that if I do the work, the motivation will come later. AND so will the results. So I put a bit more heart, soul, energy, and sweat into it and had a great workout!
I was still feeling a little blah when I came home (you’ll see why when I post today’s progress pics). Instead of coming home and eating or continuing to feel miserable, I decided to treat myself with some time of pampering, and things that would provide instant results! LoL! Hopped in the shower, shaved my legs, put a gloss on my hair, gave myself a mini facial and while the face mask was drying, I got out the foot file and went to town on my heels and gave myself a mini pedicure.
I’m feeling a little better. Now, I’m gonna go have a nice clean lunch!
Hope everyone else is having a good day!

in an effort to be really strict in my eating, i was actually doing myself some damage. i had cut out refined sugars and excess carbs (i was still eating some, i know i need them) that i was actually making myself hypoglycemic. every night, like clockwork, between 8-9pm, i would get a massive headache. my doctor just wants me to add in a little whole wheat pasta at dinner and/or have a power bar (or something similar) at about 7pm, regardless of when i eat dinner. tylenol and other over the counter headache relief was only offering some relief. and i was getting very concerned when i noticed that the headache was every night around the same time. it didnt matter where i was or what i was doing. only sugar was helping the headache a little bit. i knew had something had to be wrong with my sugar levels, so i thought it was best that i go see my doc.
while visiting with my doc, i brought up my terrible little secret. sometimes i eat at night, and i dont even know it! at least not until i wake up in the morning and see something half eaten on the night stand or kitchen counter. this doesnt happen all the time, and it happens the most when i’m staying with my parents. it even still happens if i have something before bed hoping that it will combat the situation. the WORST part is, my parents keep ALOT of junk food in the house, and thats what i tend to reach for. but i’m not awake enough to stop myself. the doc suggested melatonin to help put me in a deeper, more restful sleep so that hopefully i stop getting out of bed like that. he also gave me a prescription for ambien, just in case.
so between those 2 issues, its no wonder my weight loss has completely leveled off!!!
it also hit me yesterday after the gym, that i was doing alot more in iraq. my workouts at the gym are still just as tough, but in iraq, i used to walk over a mile to work, and then back again at the end of the day. so at least 2 miles of walking in addition to my lifting and occassional cardio at the gym. so i am going to try to add a little more cardio into my workouts and see if that helps at all. wish me luck!

my niece is a little chunky. ok, thats being nice. she is fat. everyone always tiptoes around the subject of her weight because she is only 11, and no matter her size, she still needs to have good self esteem.
she is 11 years old, and a size 14. her belly hangs over her pants. so unhealthy!
i find myself wanting to say things, about eating habits, about the garbage (bad bad foods) that my sister keeps in the house, but its hard, because i dont want to overstep my boundaries. she’s not my child. and then of course, my sister gets protective her child (makes sense) and then she wont speak to me for a few days (my sister can be kind of childish herself) my sister *used to be* one of those women that could eat whatever she wanted, never workout, and not gain a single pound. her house is always FULL of cookies, cupcakes, chips and other junk of the sort. well, my sister is now past 30 and slowly packing on the pounds. you would think that would be enough of a scare, and the size of her child, to clean out the junk. i can’t remember the last time i saw fresh fruit in the kitchen. if you make a suggestion to my sister, she’ll do the exact opposite. so any effort has to be towards the kids, but thats the tough part.
with my niece, you can make small suggestions, but its still challenging. gotta be careful not to damage self esteem and to keep mama bear at bay (lol)
tonight i saw a small improvement. i took both nieces to get some school clothes and for dinner. in the past, at dinner, my niece would choose mashed potatoes AND mac and cheese with her protein choice. no veggies. tonight i was impressed, she ordered mashed potatoes and broccoli with her chicken. i was really bummed when her meal came out and there was rice under the chicken along with her sides (did not mention that in menu). i almost wanted to tell her to only eat one, but i couldnt do it. if it was in the menu, i would’ve suggested two veggies. c’est la vie.
her mother and grandmother (my mom) told me that she would be in a size 12 and there are only certain stores that she can shop in because she is so short. the 12s were all too small. we had to move up to the 14s, and at these particular stores, it greatly limited her choices. it was really upsetting. she tried not to let it look like it bothered her, but i knew better.
she had made comments through the evening that she wants to lose the weight, she wants to workout, but she doesnt know what to do and she doesnt get the encouragement she needs at home. she told me she wants to run around the block, but her sister wont go with her. i told her to take one of her dogs and go by herself (she lives in a safe neighborhood - but one of her pitbulls at her side wouldnt hurt!!) she had a pilates video, but its lost in the house….
so tonight, after the shopping, i took her to target to the workout videos. i showed her the Biggest Loser workouts and the Jillian Michaels workouts. when she asked me which one would work best, i told her the one that she will actually use will work the best. so we picked out a Biggest Loser sculpting dvd and i got her some *pink* weights. i bought her a set of 3lbs and 5lbs. (they are actually blue lol) i dont know how this community feels about those types of workouts, but i thought anything to get her moving has to be good.
i know that diet and nutrition are key, but this has got to be done in small steps, especially since i wont be in the house to look after her everyday.
if anyone out there has any tips for working with kids (not your own) PLEASE feel free to share!

http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2009/08/on-the-cl-the-picture-you-cant.html. check out this article. share your thoughts. i’m curious to see what people in this industry think. i know what all of my not uber-skinny friends think.

Ladies, why do we do what we do? Why do we hang onto clothes that don’t fit us properly? Why do we keep these garments in our closets, taking up too much space, cluttering our view of what does fit and makes us look and feel amazing in the body that we currently possess? And then of course, every morning, we open the closet door, stand back and say "Ugh. I have NOTHING to wear!"
We keep clothes that are too small hoping that we will one day fit in them again. If you have a truely amazing, classic type of piece, sure hang onto that as a goal - but get rid of everything else! it might not even be in fashion anymore! And clothes that are too big?!? Get rid of them! Thats just too much negative ju-ju to have around. I doubt you ever want to fit in them again, so let them go! Toss ‘em out if they are worn out and faded, if they are still in good shape - donate them, or give them to a friend who is making progress on the fitness/weight loss track.
I just started going through this process myself. Last night I took a huge bag of jeans that were all in good shape to the salvation army. its back to school time, and winter is coming, someone else can benefit from those clothes. Today I started going through some of my work/dressier clothes. I had two pair of black pants that fit (they were of the smaller size {one pair even smaller than my current jeans size}) but they were so faded and yucky, they had to go! Why was I hanging on to them??
I’m dreaded going through my bras… i lost so much weight that i went down a cup size *pout*, and thats alot of VS that I wont have a use for. it’s gonna be a little pricey to replace it all - but hey, i’ll be stimulating the economy, and I have to dress my body AS IT IS, not as it was.
Any thoughts/insight ladies?

Ladies, why do we do what we do? Why do we hang onto clothes that don’t fit us properly? Why do we keep these garments in our closets, taking up too much space, cluttering our view of what does fit and makes us look and feel amazing in the body that we currently possess? And then of course, every morning, we open the closet door, stand back and say "Ugh. I have NOTHING to wear!"
We keep clothes that are too small hoping that we will one day fit in them again. If you have a truely amazing, classic type of piece, sure hang onto that as a goal - but get rid of everything else! it might not even be in fashion anymore! And clothes that are too big?!? Get rid of them! Thats just too much negative ju-ju to have around. I doubt you ever want to fit in them again, so let them go! Toss ‘em out if they are worn out and faded, if they are still in good shape - donate them, or give them to a friend who is making progress on the fitness/weight loss track.
I just started going through this process myself. Last night I took a huge bag of jeans that were all in good shape to the salvation army. its back to school time, and winter is coming, someone else can benefit from those clothes. Today I started going through some of my work/dressier clothes. I had two pair of black pants that fit (they were of the smaller size {one pair even smaller than my current jeans size}) but they were so faded and yucky, they had to go! Why was I hanging on to them??
I’m dreaded going through my bras… i lost so much weight that i went down a cup size *pout*, and thats alot of VS that I wont have a use for. it’s gonna be a little pricey to replace it all - but hey, i’ll be stimulating the economy, and I have to dress my body AS IT IS, not as it was.
Any thoughts/insight ladies?

Those are the words my father just uttered to me as he was rummaging through the refridgerator for something to eat. At that same moment, I was at the counter, measuring out some broccoli to steam. I was making a perfectly clean lunch of a chicken breast (cooked on a George Foreman grill), steamed broccoli, and some brown rice. I offered to make some extra for him, and he said "No thanks". I was not surprised. I have a whole bunch of healthy things pre-packaged in the refridgerator that just need to be cooked. Some don’t even need that - just open it and eat it! My Dad is an old fashioned steak and potatoes kinda guy. He likes pizza, he likes potato chips, he likes ice cream. (Thank goodness he’s not also a beer drinker!) He is 48 years old, a little overweight and has high blood pressure that resulted in a small heart anurysm that needs to be monitored. When he first found out about the heart anurysm, he did a *little* better with his eating, and began doing sit-ups every day. I was impressed! And he was starting to look really good too! But, he didnt keep up with it
Mom is also 52 and overweight. She suffers from sleep apnea, and she’s chronically tired and worn out. The doctor said her sleep apnea could start to fix itself if she lost about 20-30 more pounds. Following a recent surgery, she has lost some. She said she feels full faster and ‘picks’ alot less during the day. But she still eats alot of garbage too. The weight would fall off if she would just clean up her eating, and of course, we all know, she could reshape her body with a little exercise! I don’t think I’ll be able to get her to pick up the weights at all, but even if she would do some cardio! It would be better than sitting on the couch after she gets home from work.
Two nights ago, Mom was scooping herself some ice cream, looked right at me and said "I’d offer you some, but I know you are trying to be good"
I love my parents to death and I would certainly love to keep them around for a long time. I’d like to give them grandchildren, but I want them to be around to see them.
Tonight I am going to cook dinner for them and try to get them to slowly eat a little healthier. In a few minutes, I am also going to cut up some fresh watermelon and see if Dad continues to say that there is nothing to eat in the house.

My deployment is just about over! w00t!

A few nights ago, we had an accountability formation and were just kind of goofing off. The commander decided to call one of our soldiers forward who lost 55lbs!!! he looks great!! he looks like a completely different guy. then they called up another guy who lost 35lbs, and then my Doc, who lost 25!

Then they decided to call up 3 females. the First Sergeant went on a little bit about it can be harder for females to lose weight than it is for guys. He called up one of my female soldiers who lost 35lbs, another soldier who lost 15lbs, and then me - i lost 25lbs. there was no award or anything like that. but just being recognized for our hard work was worth it. it was kind of nice to gloat for a little bit.

i do need new uniforms when i get back to the states though - mine are all way too big!

definitly want to send a thanks to stevep78 for his awesome plans and motivation - and the rest of Team Poynter for all of their encouragement!