Thursday, January 10, 2008

Walking

One of the great things about my new job is that it's only a couple of miles from my house. When I worked in downtown Boston and lived in Cambridge, I used to walk the 3 miles home some nights. It was a great way to get outside after a long day of being cooped up in the office in front of the computer. Hopefully I'll be able to walk home most days from this job, I just need to find a safe way home. There are patches of seediness in between work and home, although I really think some of the wide-eyed warnings are from people who aren't familiar with cities. I've never felt unsafe in my neighborhood, but then I don't seek out the park where all the drugs deals go down because I'm not stupid.

4 days in a row now I've made it to the gym! This morning when I woke up, the cat was snuggled up on one side of me and Jason was snuggled up on the other side and it was just really hard to pull myself away from that. However, Jason and I are traveling to India next week and I have promised myself that I will work out every day (except Sunday) until we leave. So far, so good.

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

I Win!

Another 35 minutes on the elliptical today. The Y I go to has no TV's with closed captioned text like every other gym I've ever gone to and I realized yesterday that without TV's to stare at, my music gets boring. Apparently I need two multimedia distractions to get through a workout. Hello, Generation ADD!

So I downloaded a ton of Dr. Fitness and the Fat Guy podcasts last night, which I read about on Pasta Queen's blog. So far I like them ok and they're making the workout go pretty fast. Just like with my massive commute, for me listening to people talk makes time go more quickly than listening to music.

I would also like to note with much acclaim and fanfare that my husband Jason went to the gym last night! He hasn't been to a gym since 1994*. However, with me getting back into the groove and one of his close friends being an insane runner he's finally getting peer-pressured into it. I think he's also intrigued by the fact that his friend can eat ANYthing and he never gains weight because he works out so much.

Not only that, but I've signed Jason up for a SparkPeople account and I'm keeping track of everything for him. He said, and I quote, "Just tell me what to do." Well, for starters, eat 1700-2100 calories a day instead of the 6000 he usually eats.

If any of you knew Jason you would all know what a coup this is on my part. I'm thrilled.


*And that time I think he probably just showed up for an orientation and a free T-shirt.

Monday, January 07, 2008

Possibly TMI

I went to the gym this morning. Aren’t you proud of me? I’m proud of me. It only took 35 minutes on the elliptical and my body is flowing with endorphins. I always forget how much I actually like exercising – or rather, how much I like the results of exercising.

This weekend I had a thought that I wanted to get people’s opinions on: could I be gaining weight from my birth control pill?

Let me lay this out for you. I readily acknowledge that I haven’t been eating great since I stopped my regular program 7 months ago. However, the last time I put some weight back on it took me about 15 months to gain 18 pounds, and this is with regular excursions to McDonald’s to feed my disgusting McNugget addiction (yes, I realize it’s gross, but there it is).

From June through October of 2007, I gained between 3-5 pounds. I started on the pill in September. I have gained 10 pounds in the past 2 ½ months. And 5 of those have been in the past few weeks.

Seriously?

So either I’m completely deluding myself with how much I’m eating (it’s happened before, but I was neck deep in depression at the time), or something has triggered the weight gaining part of my body. Something that wasn’t there before.

Based on the message boards I read last night, it seems like a complete crapshoot as to whether you gain weight on the pill or not. There are many people complaining about having gained weight despite not changing any of their habits and not being able to take it off, even when they increase their exercise. There are a few people who say they haven’t had any problems, but not many. (However, I realize if someone is looking for information on gaining weight from the pill and happen upon those message boards they’re more likely to have experienced weight gain and to post about it. Why would you go searching for such a thread if you’re not gaining weight? The real stats could be 50/50 or maybe 30/70, with 70% not gaining weight, for all I know.)

Some of the people on the boards said things like, “Of course you gain weight on the pill. Your body thinks it’s pregnant.” I don’t know if that’s strictly true, but it does mess with your hormones and prevent you from ovulating.

I have just switched to a new pill because of other issues I was having with the old one, and I’m hoping that maybe if it was the pill, this one will be better. I figure if I work out and eat well and don’t see a change (or worse, gain more!) after 2 months, then I’ll have a little chat with my doctor about it.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Ahem

So, hi. I'm back. After 7 months off the wagon, I'm back. You know it's bad when your brand spanking new husband admits that the regaining of the weights is not as invisible as you had hoped.*

New Year's Resolution: work out, eat well. Simple, right? Never mind the fudge on the table in the office kitchen. Never mind the decadent chocolate bars that my in-laws shoved in my stocking. I need boundaries or I will weigh 200 again in no time.

Here are my plans:

1) Purge my house of bad-for-me food. More difficult now since I am married. However, as I said to him last night, "We have GOT to get this crap out of our home!" I will allow a candy bin, however I will only eat from the candy bin once a week at most (maybe a Sunday treat) and then it will just be a square of dark chocolate or a Peppermint Patty. I have proven in the past that I'm capable of setting those limits when I'm focused.

2) Join the gym. I've lived across the street - ACROSS THE STREET - from the Y for 2 1/2 months now and apparently my legs are broken or something and can't seem to make that big walk of fifty feet to officially sign up.

3) (and this is key) GO to the gym. Should be simpler now that I'll most likely be working 3 days a week in Providence.** I plan 3 days of cardio, alternating with 2 days of weights, with a Saturday thrown in if I make it over there. I got a Nano for Christmas so I am all ready to take that elliptical machine down to the pounding of heavy bass. I will also swim in a few months, but in the middle of winter my swimming urge just isn't there. Hopefully by starting off thinking that I will go every day, it won't be so easy for me to say, "Yes, but even if I don't go this morning, I can still get in 3 workouts this week." Because that's really easy to say when my alarm goes off.

4) Plan my meals. This is also key. I get in trouble when dinner becomes, "I don't know, what do YOU want?" and lunch is whatever I can grab from some fast food place near work.

5) Eat at LEAST one fresh fruit and one fresh vegetable a day.

6) Water water water. My water intake has been way down lately in favor of Diet Coke with Lime or Diet Dr. Pepper (see #7).

7) Cut down my soda intake. Last time I did this, I was drinking one Diet Coke with Lime per week as a Saturday or Sunday treat. Because I don't want to wind up laying on the floor from an incapacitating migraine, I'm gradually weaning myself from the caffeine.*** Today instead of bringing 2 cans of DCL to work, I only brought one. I'm drinking it right now with my lunch. I won't have any more today. Monday I'll start the no soda thing and will only allow one soda per week.

All the details, like what to eat and how much, I already know. I just haven't been putting my knowledge to any use, but have been letting it sit on a shelf all shiny and pretty while I eat lots of cheese and bread and chocolate.


* Before you smack him or tell him he's a horrible, horrible person, this followed a conversation where he said his belly was getting too big and in the way and I said, "Yep." Then I pointedly asked him if he had noticed my regained weight. He hemmed and hawed, but yes, he has.

** Yes! More details on that once I know all the details myself.

***Besides, I'm going to India in a couple of weeks and I don't really know what my access to caffeine will be and I would rather go through withdrawal here with my down comforter and teddy bear.