4 Ps: Plateau, Portions, Pumpin' It Up + Playlist

Hey y'allll!  I'm checking in tonight as I passively absorb some of the first plays of college football this season.  What a wonderful time of year...really wanting it to be Monday night.

The purpose of tonight's post is this: I had a not-so-great weigh in earlier this week with a 2lb. gain.  Ugh.  I have been faithful gyming it up, but had started straying on the whole no drinking thing and no eating when you get stressed out thing.  Honestly, straying.. but not that much.  Not two pounds much. So I am speculating that I might be hitting my first plateau in my loss.  Or maybe it just feels better to call my lapses in progress a plateau.

And what a better time to hit a plateau than when I am about to kick my life into the highest gear (sarcasm)?  Student teaching officially starts Tuesday.  What does that mean for me and my fluffy badonkadonk?  My thoughts are this:  the routine of school will help the diet portion.  I control my packed lunch and do not have spare time in which to inhale too many whole grain crackers dunked in hummus as a "snack".  That's my thing.. it's not that I don't eat what I should, but if I have too much time of my hands, portions become the issue.  I know I am not alone in this struggle.  I think portion control is one of the hardest aspects of healthy eating.  Now,  I am taking a moment to remind myself that this is an area I need to focus on.  And although this sounds insane, but just typing that out does something special to keep me accountable to myself.


Secondly,  I cannot let myself pass over Brambleton on my way back from Salem in the afternoons without next taking the next left to roll into Gold's.  I plan to pack my gym bag every night in order to make this happen.  If I go home, it's over and my ass is on facebook and scheming over some trial run recipe for dinner, likely pantless and lifeless.  This is the perfect time to pump it up!  It's time to up the ante of my exercise routine.  Typically, I do 50-60 minutes of cardio + 10-20 minutes of weights/abs, depending on my time...  I think the cardio times are okay.  I can't see any sense in more than an hour of cardio.  My attention span could not hang and my cardio is ass-bustin' cardio and sometimes most efficient kept to 50 minutes, if I have pushed myself hard enough.  It's the weight routine I plan to keep extended.  I have been trying to focus on abs more, incorporating the ab machine into each workout.  However, I have been neglecting my lower abs.  This area has plagued me, possibly more than any other body part, pretty much since I can remember being pubescent and probably before that if I had any thought of body image.  It's not that that I don't work the lower abdominals, but that I am not doing it every time I go. That is about to change.  On a lighter note, I have fallen back in <3 with the hip adduction/abduction machine.

What's pumpin' it up without a positively perfect playlist?!


Bossy by Kelis
Buttons by the Pussycat Dolls
Naughty Girl by Beyonce
Girlfight by Brooke Valentine
Enter Sandman by Metallica
My Prerogative by Bobby Brown
Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes
Get Low by Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz
Like a G6 by Far East Movement
Break My Bank by New Boyz
Back that Ass Up by Juvenile, etc.
Another Night by Real McCoy
Don't Stop Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson
Shake me Like a Monkey by Dave Matthews Band
Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul


XOXO,

A good report

I am excited to report that yesterday's weigh-in with the doc went really well.  As in, much better than I could have hoped for.  I lost another 10 pounds last month, bringing my total loss from my heaviest weight a pound and eight tenths shy of 40 total pounds lost. Yay!

As I lose weight I think I am kind of losing sight of what my body looks like at all.  Basically I have no idea what size I am.  Dr. Floyd says this is normal, especially for where I am in the overall journey and that as I get closer to my goal, those feelings will likely go away.

She also challenged me to lose ten more this month.. which is going to be work, but I know I can do it because I just did it. I am especially motivated knowing that ten more pounds puts me very close to 50 pounds lost.

New playlist coming soon!

XOXO,

Weighty Thoughts

Good morning!  The sun is shining and it's going to be a hot one.

Procrastinating getting dressed and heading to the gym for my morning routine, I have been sitting here thinking about weight loss.  I'm certainly not at a loss for motivation, but I just started thinking about the way people process their weight and weight loss goals.

Recently I have found all kinds of weight loss blogs that I like to read and follow.  It's nice to read about the journeys of others.  Some of them are where I am, in the middle somewhere moving towards their goal.  Some of them have lost insane amounts of weight and are already sitting pretty at their goal weights.  Reading these make me think that maybe I need to better define my goals and reward myself for reaching them.

People like to throw this statement around, but I want to be clear:  Losing weight is not an easy thing.  However, it really isn't an easy thing to have to lose more than 50 pounds.  People who only have ten or so pounds to lose have never grappled with what I grapple with.  When your goal is a lofty one, even when you are succeeding and losing weight, you wish you could do it more quickly.

So far, I have been succeeding.  Working my ass off, but succeeding.  I will be reaching the 30lb. mark sometime in the next week or two.  I just decided this morning rather than getting overwhelmed by long-term goal, I want to set up marked incentives for myself.  My blog seems like a good place to record these.  When I have lost 70 more pounds, I will be entirely happy.  So for all you mathematicians out there, 30 lost + 70 to lose = 100 total pounds lost by the time I reach my goal weight.  Holy shit!  See how it might be easy to get overwhelmed by that?!

Aud's Reasons to Lose 100 Pounds
1. Less risk of developing health issues
2. Healthier pregnancies
3. More energy
4. Cuter body for clothes
5. Be better than just "a pretty face"
6. Smaller boobs (YES!)

Here is my Rewards Plan, just devised.

30lbs= New bathing suit This is mostly out of necessity, but I will be happy to hit this mark.  Most of my current swim bottoms look like I shit my pants because the butt is too big.  This summer's suit will need to be a cheap one because I don't think it will work for next summer.
50lbs=  Mani/Pedi/Facial or Massage Pampertown!  I used to do mani/pedis for myself a lot more often, but we have been cutting back a lot this year.  A couple of spa treatments would truly be a treat.
75lbs= Expensive Handbag Enough said.
90lbs= Some personal training sessions I think I might need these as I get closer to goal to increase the effectiveness of my workouts to shed those last ten.
100lbs= New wardrobe My Dad promised me a new wardrobe on him when I hit my goal.  Buttttt, I imagine my idea of a full wardrobe and his idea of a full wardrobe might be different.  I am going to save up as I approach this marker to make sure I get a good variety of pieces in addition to my staples.

Okay.  Time to go make it happen!

XOXO,