A Day In The Life Of Me

I’m so glad I switched to the machines at the gym.  Every day after, I’ve been sore in all the right places.  I guess the free weights scared me so that I wasn’t putting on enough weight?  Anyway, my butt cheeks hurt today! YAY! hehe.  (Legs/glutes/abs workout yesterday).  I want to firm up my butt, so I know this soreness is a good thing.  And when I "make a muscle" in my gut, I like what I see.  So I know that when the fat goes, and my stomach muscles tighten up, that pooch that’s left over from my hernia/surgery will go away.  That’s a big mostly-what-I-care-about anyway, so I stop looking pregnant.  I don’t care about bikini-ready, I just want to look good in my clothes!!   I’m sure the rest of my legs will start hurting later…  yeah!

Ok, I’m not sure where to post this in the forum, I looked around, but didn’t feel comfortable, so I’m posting this here. 

How important is balancing each meal to your protein/carb/fat ratio?  My menus balance out at the end of the day, but each meal is kind of hit and miss.  Does this make a difference?

Also, I’m afraid of working my quads too hard.  I do my Gazelle every day, sometimes twice a day, and besides getting my heart rate up GOOD and sweating BUCKETS, my quads take a beating.  Now, I love to do squats, but I just can’t do them and my Gazelle in the same day without feeling like my legs are going to explode.  And I sure can’t do my Gazelle if I’ve already done squats.  If I cut out the squats, and just do all the other leg and glutes exercises (leg presses, cable pulley with the ankle cuff, leg ext and leg curl, ab/adductors, calf raises - did I forget any??) is that ok?  I really want to work on my butt, and I know squats are the best thing for that, but I’m afraid of overworking my quads.  Any opinions on this?

Thanks for any replies!

diane

Tonight was the first night of actual workout time at the Gym I joined.  There were only 4 people there besides me, one guy, a girl trainer and her client, and the girl who works there.  So I had plenty of time to fumble around finding the right weight for me.  And on one machine I was trying to figure out what exactly was on there, because they weren’t marked real well, and the girl who works there came over to help me out.  She said "you might want to put real heavy weights on that one, you look like you’re really strong."  WOO-HOO that made me feel GREAT!  Then she said "I’m sorry, I was watching you."   I said thank you!!!

I feel really good.  I know my triceps will be screaming at me tomorrow, but I don’t care.  It felt good to work with heavier weights on a familiar platform.  And my new ‘do cooperated well! hehe.  Got all sweaty and still looked good. LOL!

Well, after hemmin’ and hawin’ for several months, I did it.  This will go good with my new body and my new clothes!

Hi, my name is Diane.  I am an emotional eater.  HELP!!!

argh.

I’ve decided to try something.  There is a small health club near where I work, and my sister-in-law goes there on occasion.  I’ve talked to the club owner, and he’s going to let me get a 3 month membership, and my sister -in-law is going to come with me 3 days a week.  Well, she’s promised to, said if I go it will get her going back there. 

I thought maybe I could do some things on weight machines that I can’t do at home with the free weights, and maybe that will help me with my motivation, and some results.  I do like the free weights, but I’ve admitted to Dave, they do scare me a little bit.  I’m used to the machines.  So I’m going to try out the club for awhile, and see if I get any better results.  I’m going to go tonight after work to get a refresher course on what the machines do, and then I’ll start a workout there tomorrow.

I apologize in advance if that sounds, um, well you know.

This morning, just for the heck of it, I decided to try on my capri pants.  I ordered these pants from Newport News in April, in a size 12.  They are very pretty, a light orange sherbet colored floral pattern on a white background.

Well, they have a side zipper.  So when I tried them on at the beginning of May when I got them, I couldn’t get the zipper up more than halfway.  I said oh well, and tossed around the idea of returning them for a size 14.  But I didn’t.  They’ve been sitting on my dresser for a month now.

Until this morning.  I pulled them on, and OMG, I GOT THE ZIPPER UP ALL THE WAY!!!!  They actually fit comfortably around my waist! I WAS SO EXCITED! I ran out and showed Dave, he started laughing. They did feel a little tight across my butt and thighs, so I asked him if they were too tight. He said ? no, I guess not.  Then I asked him if I could wear them to church.  My sweetie, so supportive and tactful, xoxo, says I wouldn’t just yet…  hehe!  BUT HEY! I GOT THEM ZIPPERED ALL THE WAY UP!!

This is a BIG little thing!!

In Feb 2006 my mom gave me a pair of jeans.  They were a size 12 petite, full cut (=extra roomy).  Now, I had been wearing size 12, cramming myself in them, but was more comfortable in a size 14.  But because they were ‘extra roomy’ they felt good, and I wore them.

Well, since the beginning of May I’ve been very comfortable in my classic cut size 12 jeans, and I’ve been wearing them.  Today, sleepy, Monday, and all that, I grabbed those jeans from my mom.  Whoa.  That ‘extra roomy’ is now WAAY too roomy!  They are too big on me!  I have them on anyway, I didn’t have time to change, but it sure feels good to know I can give them away and never wear them again!

Yeah!  Can’t wait to do more squats tonite!!

Well, I decided I need some color, so I went to Wal-mart and bought a chaise lounge and a cheap-o bikini.  Not that anyone is going to SEE me in it, (I hope), but I’m going to sit in my backyard for about 15-20 mins and see if I can get some color!  I must say, even though I still thought YUK in the dressing room mirror, I can see some improvement.  That was a little uplifting.  Like John Kruk says in that commercial, "not as disgusting as I used to be" har har.

 I did do my cardio this morning when I got up, felt real good about that.  I hope to get in another session this evening.

Maybe some pictures later.

 Oh no, I hear a lawn mower…

Ok, I’ve been reading everyone elses blogs, guess it’s only fair I write something too.  I have a new short term goal, to lose 10 lbs by July 1.  I’m stuck on my current weight, and it’s frustrating the heck outta me.  I use a Gazelle for my cardio, I love it!  I lift weights, not staggering weight, because I pretty much just started, but I am going to increase on a few exercises next week.  I do my Gazelle in the mornings when I get up, and for a little while I’m going to do it in the evening after my weight workout too, if I have the energy.  I broke up my weights from a M W F schedule with alternating weeks, I guess it’s kind of a basic schedule? where M and F are the same muscles and then W is a different group, then you switch for the next week, to a 5 day M-F schedule, where each day is a different group.  I guess that’s the long way to say that each group gets a whole week rest!!  I had to try it this way because I was getting burned out the other way, blowing of the last one or two exercises because I was so freakin’ tired.  So far it’s working well, I have energy, and I’m not in the weight room for AGES.

I eat 5 times a day, and my calories are 1600 - 1700 per day, balancing protein carbs and fat.  I force myself to drink between 64 and 80 oz of water a day, and I limit myself to one diet soda a day, if I want one.  Sometimes I don’t.  Which is a good thing, considering I was a Coke-a-holic for a long time!

I had abdominal surgery 3 1/2 years ago, because I was unbelievably stretched out from my last 2 pregnancies, and no amount of work would get those muscles back.  I also had a hernia that was repaired.  So I dont’ know if I will ever have a flat stomach, since I still have a little bulge between my chest and belly button (hey, I didn’t have a belly button when I was stretched out!! ACK!) but I’m hoping losing the fat will at least "deflate" it.

I get discouraged easily, so if anyone wants to offer ANY encouragement, advice, whatever, please feel free!  I am on a mission, though, and I know I can’t give up, even if I don’t see the results I want, or fast enough.  I’ve made the commitment that this is for life, and I want to be around, strong and healthy, for as long as I can!!

Thanks for reading!