mikesgirl

I just got back from the gym and I have to say I havent felt this worked out in awhile.  I guess I got used to the workout and was really just cruising through it.  But I recently read a fellow buddy’s blog about interval training and decided to give it a whirl.  I like the eliptical and the program I like is broken up into sections so it was easy to split up the workout.  The first five minutes movin and groovin, then the second five minutes really going hard, then back down to steady moving and so on and so forth.  I feel fantastic right now, I really do. So thanks buddy!  I have heard that this kind of work out busts belly fat which is really my problem area so I will certainly keep you guys posted on where this interval training takes me.

 In other news,  tomorrow marks three years that Mike and I have been together!  We have both taken the day off work and he claims to have some big thing planned.  I am not sure what I am more excited about, having a day off work or the anniversary!  JK… actually I am pretty excited about his gift.  We usually get each other these extravagant fantastic gifts, but after three years that is really not necessary (and its pretty expensive!)  So we agreed nothing crazy.  Mike is making me something at work (he makes custom furniture for a living), so that should be fun, to get something he actually made for me himself, and I sort of broke the promise.  Actually I straight up broke our promise,  I went out and got him an xbox360.  He has been DYING for this (something about the new grand theft auto) but i just cant stand video games.  Everytime he talks about wanting the xbox I tell him, you know, we just bought a house, that is like the worst thing to do with your money right now.  He is going to be totally blindsided by this, no way he suspects so I am quite excited to give it to him, though I am sure I will ruin the anniversary by doing so.  I can’t give him a toy then tell him he has to wait to play with it!  Oh well, as long as he is happy, right? I am actually kind of impressed with myself right now, this is totally a self-less gift, which frankly is quite unlike me.  Maybe the new, healthy me is selfless and wonderful.. haha.  But seriously, I know I am a GIANT pain in the ass and he puts up with me and I love him for it.  Aways knowing just what I need and taking care of me during my quarter life crisis now officially gets you an xbox people.  I know, I know, now you all want to date me..haha…anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend and stays on track!

Well I have good news and bad news today.  The bad news first, I went for my weekly weigh in and I didn’t lose any poundage.  I didn’t gain either but I have a feeling this has to do with my gym being closed every other day due to construction and my workout schedule being disrupted is causing me to plateau rather than lose.  This is rather annoying.  I just went through a month where I lost NO weight, I lose two pounds and now I am back to staying at the same weight.  I know, I know, it could be worse, I could be gaining, but when I work this hard at something it is difficult not to see any results what-so-ever.

 The good news is I have a job interview tomorrow!  I have been going NUTS with the company I currently work for as they have changed my job description (without consulting me at all) and have completely ignored the fact that I am a month overdue for my yearly review (ie raise) no matter what I say, nothing here is going to change.  So I went out and made some changes myself, changes to my resume that is!  While I am well aware I may not get this job I am interviewing for tomorrow, it is something I can really do, something I am qualified for, and it is out of this heinous industry!  I am just happy to know that I am marketable in this decreasing job market and that there is hope for me yet! I am quite excited and I keep thinking about it in regards to my weight loss.  When you work extra hard, you will see results, so keep it up! (and wish me luck tomorrow!)

So turns out my boyfriends childhood best friend moved around the corner from us (which is most bizarre considering we are all originally from the New York area) so we went over to his place last night to catch up.  There was beer involved (obvi) and I got to thinking…It is really ok for me to drink this beer cuz I really didnt have a lot of calories today and this will take me up to the amount of calories I am aiming for.  Now I am wondering if this is a bad school of thought to follow.  Something tells me it is, but you never know.  If I know I am going to be taking in extra calories from beer or alcohol, whatever…is it ok to plan for this and not eat as many calories as I normally would that day? Does that even things out?

Anyway, hoping to get some responses on that, but also hoping to stay on track this week.  My gym is still going through construction so I only get the locker room on Tuesday and Thursday, but I think I can pull off going the gym on my lunch break and just changing in the office.  It is somewhat irratating that I can not go to the gym after work on Monday and Wednesday but I think I will be able to use that time productively, and frankly if I REALLY feel bad about it I can always hit exercise on demand and do a quick at home workout.  So here is to staying on track folks!  Let’s make this a great week!

After a month of not losing any weight I am now on a slow but steady losing streak.  This is actually quite encouraging.  I obvi did not expect to lose it all at once, but after not losing anything for awhile a pound a week loss is like music to my ears.  I was set back a bit by this construction situation at my gym but after some good advice from my buddies (thanks guys!) I have decided to be proactive about this whole thing and make a plan for my work outs.

I went to the gym at lunch on Monday, but after falling asleep at my desk I opted out of going after work, deciding to actually listen to what my body is telling me for once and go home and get some much needed rest.  I did not go at lunch yesterday, instead went out and bought my boyfriend an anniversary gift (3 years next Friday!)  He has been quite supportive through all this so I went way above and beyond here and bought him the xbox 360 and grand theft auto IV, which he has been dying to get, but unwilling to dump the money on it, trying to be responsible with our new house and whatnot.  I made plans to go walking along the water with a girlfriend last night but the impending rainstorm (which never happened) scared us off and with her uncle in town (from England!) we decided to go meet him for some grown up advice and drinks.  It was really nice to hear some sound business advice in this hard work moment in my life.  I also need to buy my brother a birthday gift on Thursday on my lunch break since I will be seeing him this weekend, so any advice on what to get the 18 year old who has everything would be much appreciated.

Today I went to the gym on my lunch break and I plan on going again after work.  I saw the loss when I weighed myself, and was encouraged to come up with a plan.  When the gym is available to me, I will go, no excuses.  On the days the locker room is closed to me, I will go on my lunch break as I can leave my things in the office and walk over in my work out clothes, but after work I will go home and apply for new jobs.  It really is important to get my name out there, and this gives me the perfect opportunity to skip the gym and not feel bad about it.  I am excited that I was able to take control of this annoying situation and use it to my advantage.  You guys must be rubbing off on me!  Have a great day!

My gym decides it needs to be under construction for a month.  Are you serious right now?  I finally make it down to my own personal mini goal, totally dedicated to keeping up this winning streak I have been on, and the gym decides construction is the way to go.  Now the gym isnt closed, but the locker rooms are.  I guess they are redoing the locker rooms cuz the men and women will have to share.  For the next month, women get locker room privileges on odd days and men get locker room privileges on even days.  It is just sort of annoying.  I can go to the gym as usual on any odd days in the month, like today.  But on even days, I will either have to change in the office and just bring my bag with me to each machine I use, or I can just not go.  For awhile I was thinking this was a silver lining situation, where I could just skip the gym on even days and go home and apply for jobs to get myself out of this bad work situation I am in, but now I am a little irratated that my gym schedule is getting messed up.  I am not quite sure what I will do, I am sure I can  just change here at the office and go on my lunch break and just carry my bag around with me, but now I am wondering if they will have some sort of rule about bags in the work out area, since you are not really supposed to have your bag out there to begin with.  If I go on my lunch break I can leave my bag in my office, but then the entire office sees me walking around in my workout clothes, not exactly professional.

 I am excited that this will once again force me to watch what I eat.  If I am going to the gym less I can’t really rationlize those french fries I like to order so much.  Lately I have been really good when ordering in.  My boyfriend LOVES to order in and I have been making a habit of ordering salads or a tuna wrap or something healthy, when I would much rather grab a cheesesteak.  At least I am not starting from total scratch here.  I do feel pretty sick today though.  Debating if I should go home early from work.  Not sure how well that would go over.  Anyway, have a great Monday everyone!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who kept my grandfather in their prayers this week.  He has officially woken up from his coma!  He does have some movement in his limbs which the doctors were not at all expecting, but he still has not had the ability to speak yet.  They expect that to come back within a few months, but he is awake and breathing on his own, and will be able to fly home in about two weeks. 

 You all have been such a support system throughout my weightloss, I can’t begin to thank you enough for that, and on top of that keeping my grandfather in your prayers you have helped me through yet another hard moment in life.  Thank you so much everyone, each and every one one of you has my eternal gratitude!

Which is a GOOD thing according to my BMI!    Until this week my BMI catogorized me as being “obese” which as I am sure most of us know by now is a hard pill to swallow.  I mean really, how harsh.  Well I have been just one pound away from being “overweight” for about four weeks now and finally, I dropped that stubborn pound and you can BET he is NOT comin back!  That pound is soooo dead to me.  I am not sure I have ever been this pleased to be overweight!  On the upside though, I am on the right track and I plan on sticking to my diet like nobody’s business to ensure I do not get back up to that “obese” level I was at.  (REALLY hating labels right now)

 It had been so long since I dropped anything on the scale I was really starting to go nuts.  When I weighed myself at the gym today I acutally squeeled with glee, which is interesting to do in a women’s locker room.  Anyway, this was my own personal mini goal and I am so proud of myself for getting there!  I know my body was feeling and looking different but it just not the same as seeing the pounds go down on the scale.  I have a feeling I will work that much harder now to keep up the work, but I am just so excited right now! 

 In sadder news, I found out last night that my grandfather was in a car accident and is now in a coma.  At 80 years old, they are still hopeful he will wake up as he is pretty healthy for his age, but with the bleeding in his brain as a result from the accident, one never knows.  Anyway, there is not much I can do but wait to hear if he wakes up or not.  My dad flew out to CO yesterday to be with him and my grandmother, but again, being here in Philly, not much I can do.  I am actually pretty freaked out right now, but trying to hold it together.  Anyway, if anyone out there prays, I would appreciate it if you could include him in with your blessings.  Every little bit helps!

I was walking to work this morning thinking about the hand I have been delt.  It is pretty clear I am really more of a “woe is me” type gal, I mean, that is prolly why it took me so long to get off my fat butt and really get serious about losing weight.  At this point I am having a “woe is me” moment regarding my job situation.  I am not doing what I signed up for, infact I am now doing what they know made me leave my last company.  Regardless of their reasoning, it is not helping me to be depressed about this.  Am I going to let this get to me like I let the extra weight get to me?  Get to a point where I am so depressed I don’t want to do anything positive at all about the situation?  I hope not!  This is my lively hood, I am spending at least 40 hours a week at work,  I should take the reigns and find something I want.  Am I afraid it is going to take awhile? absolutely, but I also KNOW that losing this weight will take awhile and yet I come on Buddyslim almost everyday, I go to the gym twice a day, five days a week, and exercise on the weekends.  I am going after my weight loss journey at full force at this point, even though I have not seem any progress on the scale in awhile.  I am seeing the difference in my body and my attitude and who knows, maybe this job hunt thing will turn out the same.  It may take me awhile to find a new job, but I bet my attitude with improve just knowing I am applying to positions online, maybe even getting interviews here and there.  True the market is bad right now, but that is no excuse to sit home and sulk.  If I did that with my exercise journey I would still be chowing down on cookies and thinking, woe is me, im so fat, im not leaving this couch.  Thus far all I have done is perfect my resume, and applied for a few jobs online.  I am expecting my review soon, however I do not expect a positive outcome there, being that the company is not doing well in general.  Why would they give me a raise if they are laying people off?  I need to pull myself together and get with the program.  If I can keep up this weight loss program, I can certainly work hard enough to find a new job.  And I really can’t let the demise of my company get me down.  I have only been here a year, I am sure it is not all about me.  Time to move on to bigger and better things, but once again, I have to get off my fat butt and JUST DO IT!

In order to break up the monotony of going to the gym everyday, my girlfriend and I go for walks along the water every so often.  We used to go once a week when the weather was nice but what with my recent move and all, yesterday was the first chance we have had to go in a couple months, and I had no idea how much I missed those walks!  We both had bad days at work yesterday and needed to vent like nobody’s business.  Without realizing it we speed walked 7 miles yesterday burning a total of 665 calories!  I have to say it brightened my day to get out my frustrations and do something good for my weightloss journey at the same time.  I encourage everyone to break their usual routine and mix it up on the exercise front!

In other news, my company is definitely failing.  Today marks my one year anniversary with this company at which point one receives a review and a raise.  So when the CEO called me yesterday I assumed it was to set up a time for my review.  No such luck.  She called to tell me that she is changing my job description from general human resources responsibilities to making cold calls, all day long.  The reason I left my last job is because all we did all day was make cold calls and after a year I had enough!  She knows this is why I left my last company and what with the lack of business in this office, I have a feeling I am being set up to either be fired or she is trying to make me miserable enough to quit so I do not get my raise and she saves money on my salary in general.  Well she has met her match my friends.  I called her assistant as she is out of the office today and made sure she knew today was my anniversary and I expect a review when the CEO gets back into town.  I will make these cold calls for her, but I still expect my raise.  I have a feeling she will try to weasle her way out of it, and how I wish I could just give my notice when she tells me I am not getting a raise, but with a mortgage to pay that is really more of a fantasy.  Looks like its time to get this job search in full swing.  Have a great day everyone!

You would THINK i would be super careful about what I am putting into my mouth being just one pound away from my own personal mini goal.  I have not made it past this number for the past four weeks and it is really starting to grind my gears.  I am currently weighin in at 180lbs and if i make it to 179 I will officially no longer be “obsese” as my BMI so frequently likes to remind me (harsh)  Anyway, there was a vacation in there where I gained weight  and I did lose track for a minute but I have been back on track for two or three weeks now and I am really workin my butt off so-to-speak.  The thing is I am so close to this little mini goal, you would think I would be working extra hard to stay on track, and then my old friend comes along and I just have to say hi, the night snacking demon.

 I have been thriving in my routine, eating right by packing my lunch and cooking “good for you” recipes for dinner, going to the gym on my lunch break and again after work everyday, then walking for a good two hours or so on the weekends, you would think I would be losing the weight pretty steadily.  Well my body def looks different, but the scale remains the same.  So much so I am about to speak to the good people at my gym to have it checked out! (JK)  Anyway, it seems when I break my routine, i REALLY break it. 

 Take this weekend for example, being that Friday was a holiday, boyfriend and I go out to dinner, I tried to order sensibly but I can never say no to my beloved french fries, nor the gourmet beer they have on tap.  Plus Friday was off kilter with no work and the excuse to celebrate, which then made my usual Sat/Sun routine fall out of place.  And thus begins the night snacking.  Waking up late leads to brunch then not being hungry till dinner and of course then getting hungry again around 11/12 at night.  100 calorie snacks and special k bars will still park on your hips if you eat them that late, not to mention the half a bagel and cream cheese i topped ever so lovingly with tomato slices late Saturday night (ok ok early sunday morning) when I woke up hungover.  Something tells me its time to curb the drinking and get serious about this weight loss business.  Oh but I do love my friday night happy hour beer, nothing quite like that first sip.  I think what we have learned here today is if i was in my right mind (not my drunken one that is) I would be able to curb the late night cravings, and who knows, maybe even sleep through the night!  Ok so here goes, setting yet another goal, to watch everything I put in my mouth, and actually sticking to it this week!