Operation: Bikini Bombshell

and the rest of your life to keep it up.

ok, so tomorrow (or is it tuesday…i started on 11/2) is the end of round 1 of my clean eating journey. it wasn’t as hard as i thought it would be. normally, i only last a week or so on any diet before i would cheat….and that one cheat would lead me back to my old ways of eating. it was never stuffing myself constantly….more like the opposite. i never ate breakfast (unless i was doing brunch with someone or eating with my man….and even then, i would mostly opt for coffee, maybe a croissant and conversation), lunch was a maybe…sometimes yes, sometimes a salad (though i loathe iceberg lettuce), sometimes a sandwich, but normally nothing at all. by dinner time, i was starving (of course) and too hungry to cook so i resorted to fast food on the drive home. i am pretty picky so it was almost always the same things - either fish and chips or tacos. mexican food is my my absolute fave.

working out was sporadic once i was over my goal weight. i never really used weights until i had a trainer. cardio was on either the treadmill or maybe a video tape…i can remember doing the 30 minute workouts with gilad on summer breaks when i was in high school and college (i thought i was was fit then…i was fairly small and all i wanted was a little muscle tone, not to lose any weight).
at any rate, this is not meant to reminisce on the loss of any particular food or old habits…just to say that sometimes it takes a little bit to move on (and keep moving). i am impatient and my results are a bit discouraging (snafus with me changing my diet and not including enough calories, aggravating my old injuries), but i am still determined. failure is not an option.
now, if only i could blast off excess body fat quickly….then, i would be a happy chica.

ok, eating clean is going well (though i did sneak a taco about a week or so ago, i hopped right back on the clean eating wheelbarrow the same evening for my last meal - a casein protein shake). i had already planned to have thanksgiving as my cheat day, but it ended up just being a cheat meal. honestly, i think i had more wine than food because all the things i thought i wanted to pig out on were not as appealing once they were in front of me.

i baked bread (rustic whole wheat and oatmeal), but i didn’t eat it. i was pining for dessert but only took a bite or two….i was really looking forward to some sweet potato pie, but there was sooooooo much sugar in it, it destroyed the taste of the sweet potato for me. when i got home, i still wanted some, so i just chopped up a sweet potato and baked myself some sweet potato faux fries.

i think the lesson that i have finally learned is that one mis-step does not have to derail you. oddly enough, i’ve always applied this in work, etc….but never while dieting. i guess you have to learn some lessons the hard way.

enjoy the holiday weekend, everyone…and let your goals be your guide.

if you can tell me what song this line is from, you will win a lame virtual prize.

at any rate, my session with ava today was all above evaluation - diet, body fat, etc…and regarding my diet, she told me i was doing it all WRONG - not enough calories and not enough carbs in the AM to sustain my workouts. now that i know, i fell better. but damn, i wish i had not put this off a few weeks ago. i could have already corrected my mistakes and have blasted off some fluff in the meantime. but, the past is the past and….moving right along. i plan to keep at it til i get what i want.

hmmmm, i’ve read other people’s blogs about their friends, loved ones and parents not understanding their diet, training schedule and goals, so now i guess it’s my turn.

my friends are pissed that i blew off last night’s dinner and drinks even though i told them i was not going yesterday afternoon. i have no guilt (such a useless emotion when you’re not wrong), but damn, today i had to read one of them the riot act and let her know again - i have a goal that cannot be reached by eating fatty food and multiple cocktails. sure, i’d like a glass of wine or champagne (or 2 or 3…champagne is my absolute favorite thing to drink). but, as i said before…i have a goal that does not mesh well with either of those things. now, i may be dropped from the invite list…which i don’t really care so much about since i never rsvp to most of them anyway, BUT invite me to events, not nights out at some dive. i want to see corteo. i’m going to the freaking ballet by myself caz no one else wants to go.
they’ve accused me of being high maintenance again….i am really more like medium maintenance, which means i know what i like/don’t like/want/don’t want and i’m not afraid to articulate it.

soooooo, anyway. yesterday (and last night) were both filled with clean eating bliss. i have not noticed any weight loss on the scale (my # went up last week and down a bit this week) but i have noticed a loss of inches elsewhere. i still need to post progress pics, but i need a tutorial on the digital camera i got for christmas in 2006. i know the basics, but it’s a little complicated when i have to go beyond point & shoot.
i am tweaking my cardio a bit more….not so much tweaking, just adding more. what i’m doing now seems to be just maintaining my current weight (blah). i need to blast off some fluff. today was a long cardio day - 60 minutes on the elliptical/crossramp (is that what it’s called??):

5 minute warmup at intensity 3

6 minutes at increasing one minute intervals of intensity 4-9

back down to level 3 and repeat the one minute intervals

ditto for returning to level 3

the remaining time was steady - level 4 until the last 5 minutes (level 3 intensity)

i know i should write this down to track it before i leave the gym, but i forgot the number of miles (4′ish) and calories burnes (470′ish).

why is it that the manual setting always shows the least number of calories burned? completing the pre-set intervals burns over 400 calories and that’s only for 20 minutes. i wonder how accurate those numbers are…

this will not be a whiny post, BUT geez louise, eating clean does not mesh well with going out. food is not the issue because i make sure i eat beforehand. i started on 11/4 and now i don’t really crave anything anymore. my issue is cocktails. i have not had a glass of wine since i started even though i have (as a habit) almost opened a bottle.

my goals are always in the back of my mind, on my fridge, in my email, and peering at me from my laptop’s screen, so i had to turn down an invite for dinner and drinks tonight…partially because the restaurant of choice was a dive and dives are known for a few things - greasy food, lots of beer (which i can’t stand) and great music (this i love)….and i didn’t go to boxing this morning (still have not made the 6am class) but there is one at 6pm that i will not miss.

ok, today was officially day 7 of my eating clean journey. everything is on track but i am too busy and preoccupied to enter my diet again (i wrote it in my little journal). i did start using fitday to track calories, carbs, fat, etc…and now, i have to get rid of these freaking almonds. it’s amazing how many calories they have.

ava’s on the road so i have to work out alone on wednesday and friday….and i still have a bit of gymphobia. i think i’ll work out with one of my friends to take up the slack. so i won’t be all weak and whiny and once again unable to do 6 pushups in a row when she gets back next week.

on another note,  i cannot sleep tonight. i think i work in one of the few places in real life where laziness and stupidity are rewarded, but if you are actually good at your job or have the audacity to actually DO your job, then you get your ass ridden like a mini pony at the state fair…well, til you bite a mofo, then they run and scurry about like rats (and call you a bitch behind your back).
it’s a bit stressful, but only because i haven’t yelled at anyone yet. once i can do that, i’ll be fine….and i’m not talking about misplaced aggression, i mean i need to yell at some lame-o, back stabbing idiot so he will remember to back the f*** up, stay out of my deals and my business, and leave me alone.  then, everything will be hunky dory - for 3 months, til they forget again or he gets fired AGAIN.
oh well, gotta get some zzzzz’s, and try to fit in some early morning writing. i think i just needed to vent. ciao,

hahahaha, if you can tell me what movie this quote is from, you will win a prize. i will give you a hint. the american original was better, the sequels sucked and the genre is japanese horror.

ok, on to my point. tuesday will be the 1 week anniversary of my quest to eat clean. i stocked up on everything possible….though i have to break out the green bags, cook for some friends and freeze some pre-made meals or quite a bit will spoil.

once i started (well, re-started caz the actual start date was before all hallow’s eve and that ended with me eating a reece’s peanut butter cup the size of my head for breakfast), i set a few mini-goals…and voila! i haven’t had any cravings at all. i did add fruit because without it, i thought i would crave sugar. the only thing i overdid, i think, was almonds….it’s been a while since i had any so i was absent mindedly munching like a chipmunk out of the bag. i adjusted my calories for the remainder of the evening (last 2 meals) and divided them up into portion sized servings so i will think twice before i pop open another bag.

this made me think about plastic….well, recycling and all. i don’t think anyone makes recycled ziplocks, do they? i know you can re-use them (a bit), but there has to be a greener alternative.

at any rate, i on still on bed rest (the "good" knee) until i see the orthopedist tomorrow…i had to yell at someone and ask for their supervisor, the office manager, and the doctor’s assistant to get an appointment. customer service seems to have gone to hell and will never return, but that is a story for another time. BUT, my knee already seems to be better. i am no longer limping and it doesn’t hurt every time i move. i may be back on the elliptical as early as tomorrow. wish me luck…ciao!

ok, so a minor snafu on thursday night has changed my cardio plans (5-6 days a week on the elliptical). not de-railed, mind you, but i was walking down the stairs at home the other night and my "good" knee slipped…and i’ve been in pain ever since, so no more elliptical for now. i am back to RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) until i see the orthopedist on monday, who will probably tell me the same thing.

since i finally made the mind-body connection, i cannot let this stop me so i was puzzling my little brain to try to find cardio alternatives….and yes, i did make my standing MWF training session with ava (lol, now i know that i am a warrior in training caz my freaking knee was killing me…standing is the only position where it did not hurt). so, what i came up with was something i wanted to do anyway, but just had not yet.
there’s a boxing gym close to where i live that has an amazing, kick ass class. the only modifications i would have to make are to limit the warm up (caz they run) and leg work/pivoting when i’m working the bags (but they already told me this is limited since you mostly pivot from the waist).

so, once again, i am excited. now, if i can only get my ass up early (i am so not a morning person), but they have a 6 or 6:30 am class…and if i did that one, i could knock out my cardio early and actually start work on time (even though i work from home, i still only start around 9ish…unless my little dog is sick and crying to go poo in the wee hours of the morning. here’s his glamour shot - no one can resist that little face). but that would work perfectly. other than that, i would have to do the tues-thurs lunch class and then evening classes on the other days.

my goal is to kick some ass, drop some flab and lose the sarong by spring (i still do love the beach).

ok, so i am stubborn and hard headed (a little bit like my flabby, except it does not have a head). i need to increase the number of days i do cardio. my trainer told me this about 2 weeks ago (and also chicana peach told me the same thing….5 days a week would melt the fluff), but i had to learn the hard way….slow and at my own pace.

what’s the lesson? must increase cardio (and be consistent). my flabby requires drastic measures, which means 5-6 days/45 minutes of cardio. i have already been doing this since my knee is now cooperating with cardio, but only for 3 days a week. the combination of little cheats on the diet, skipping the occasional meal, and not eating enough still leaves me with some extra fluff that i must eradicate.

i even went to the other gym i joined pre-injury (and loathed…even though i can’t get out of the membership). olympia….and it wasn’t bad at all. i think because of the area i live in, i thought it would be filled with cheese and geezers, but it was just like any other gym. they are always going for the up-sell (which i can’t stand…i work in sales and i know what i want to buy/not buy and i’m not afraid to say no and just walk away).

sooooo, now i get it….but i had to learn the hard way. now, i am on to creative visualization.

eating clean is going well, though i had a talk with ava (my trainer) yesterday about fruit in my diet. somehow, just the word diet makes me crave things i normally don’t even eat. not so much today, but after the 5th day or so, this chica goes a little loca.

anyway, i started keeping a food journal again yesterday so i could accurately track every little morsel that slips past my lips. and, while i was trying to recollect the past  few days to record them, too….i think i discovered part of my problem. i still skip meals and i have portion issues (not too much…actually the other way around…though ava told me that no one ever got fat from eating baked chicken breasts or a protein shake). so, i have to release my control issues and just do it - 5 or 6 meals a day…clean food only. no skipping meals and remember to pop a pre-mixed protein shake in my giant ass purse to help me along.