SSSD Update!

Weigh in: 293 (-2)

Measurements
Waist: 44"
Below Waist: 53"
Hips: 60"

I did much better with eating this week. Not so much with exercise with the twelve hour days. But the long days definitely kept me busy and not putting things in my face. And I've been making an effort to make better choices. Salads for lunch. No cream based dressings, lemon herb and oil and vinegar. No pad thai for dinner. No pizza. No spending. Well a little. I went to subway twice. But the rest of it I cooked at home. And I don't feel like I was being very cautious at all...   burgers, spaghetti, a lot more veggies.

We had a house party on Friday. Cheetos, oreos, freezer pizzas, booze, mixers and tortilla chips. I had some diet soda and a little of each. Still seeing the lower scale number. I think it has to do with better sleep patterns and a concerted effort to stay hydrated.

Anyway... I'm trying to cancel my gym membership. The three months that Wendy paid for are nearly up and I know that I need a little squishy room in the timeframe to be able to quit.

Be forwarned. Quitting a gym is like passing a bill through congress. Remember the paperwork that they gave you on the first day and said "oh don't worry, it's all online..." It's not. You signed away your first born. If you haven't had it yet, then you are indebted to the gym and you must pay $30 a month until that child is born.

I picked a non-contract membership. I paid with my debit card. But I'm still stuck in the spiral of pay $15 to get a copy of your contract. You are cancelling too late (9 days instead of 10 days notice), you will still be charged $30 for the month of august. Yearly dues are due in August. You will also owe us $39.95. Your cancellation must include A, B, & C (stated in the contract they will MAIL you - thus elongating the process) and it must be submitted in the mail also. No faxes will be accepted. No digital copies emailed.

They have my debit card on file. So they can go ahead and charge those things. So methinks I'm going to have to call my bank and do a stop payment or report a lost/stolen card to prevent those charges from happening. I was thinking of switching banks anyway. Isn't now a good time? Especially since I just signed a lease, was fronted $1000 to help pay for the deposit costs and now am paying that back while only working part-time. Things are tight. Bally's can suck it. Plus there's not a gym close to the new apartment. But there IS one within 25 miles of my location, so I can't cancel based on location changes either. 25 miles in NY land is like... 3 hours away.

Another reason to work out at home. Another reason to stick to body weight and couch to 5k. I will never sign up with a gym again. Ever. I will build my own home gym and stuff before even THINKING about signing another contract with ANYONE. Unless of course, I'm wealthy enough to have a monthly cheese budget and am able to whimsically buy sparkly things I see in windows without having to worry about rent, utilities or debt.

Lesson: Never get a gym pass, especially not with Bally Total Fitness.
Also, eat more salads. You'll poop off weight.

Big Fat FURIOUS Love,
Nanette

Trying out Insanity + Another Cool Find

Hey guys!

I just got back from my work out with trainer today. Literally. I'm still in my damp work out clothes (raining sweat, yeah)! On wednesdays we try new things. We try different work out videos. We try harder work outs. Wednesday is the big push day. Today we did Insanity. I don't remember which video. Explosive cardio? Something like that.

There was a bit of jumping. I modified to squats (squat down then raise to toes when you come up so you hit the calves too). I got a little behind in spots. I had to take breaks. I had to modify. But the absolute best thing? I didn't stop or give up. I didn't feel like a fat lump (like I did with R.I.P.P.E.D). The guy on the video is encouraging and smart. He's tough, but reminds you that form is more important than speed and to keep going.

I guess what I really look for in a work out video is that the person instructing is struggling their way through it too. I hate it when I'm watching a pilates video and it seems like gravity doesn't affect the instructor. Or doing some plyometrics (jumping all over the place) and the instructor seems to be doing it on a trampoline or doesn't even get winded. Oh, even worse, when they try to kick up some jokes and witty banter with the other people in the "class" behind them. Form suggestions and "notice how" stuff is great. But don't make me feel like this work out should be so easy that I have the wind, let alone the excess focus to tell jokes and get distracted. ... meanwhile I've collapsed into a sweaty, lardy lump on the floor - THAT makes me feel like a failure.

I like to see the video personality BE A PERSON. I like to see them sweat. I like to hear them breathe hard. I like to know that my muscles quaking are NORMAL and it's not that I'm fat. It's that this work out is so hard it makes Mr. Beefcake quiver. And yeah, I can modify and it doesn't make me a sissy. It means I'm being safe. I like the person to encourage and show modifications because it makes it accessible. I can come up with my own, but it's nice to know that they've thought of those just starting out.

Insanity doesn't show modifications. So I had to make up my own. But it never talks down to you. It doesn't act like a cheerleader. It's more like a coach. They give you imagery as you're going along to help with form. They give you reminders about form constantly. Reminders to hydrate. During the breaks they SHOW you some of the more complicated movements that are coming up. It's really awesome.

I left feeling really pumped and that I want to do it again. That I want to improve. That I want to do better than I did this time. THAT IS AN EFFECTIVE WORK OUT DVD.

34 oz of goodness. Perfect size. 

Internal Screen. 

Shifting gears, the cool find. I found this water bottle last night when I was grocery shopping. It's called a "water tracker" water bottle. It's got this nice little screen inside the top so you don't get poked in the face with ice. It also has this neat feature on the top. It's a knob. The knob has three options: 1, 2, 3. I thought it would control water flow or something... No. It's just there so you can track how many water bottles you've consumed for the day instead of trying to remember. I LOVE STUFF LIKE THAT! Plus it was only like... $6 and BPA free.

Drink counter... on top of the lid. 

So despite all my good intentions to not buy things I don't NEED. I went ahead. I don't think I'll regret it. I lost my nalgene bottle last week and I've had some hydration issues since. In a way I could still call it a NEED. But I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Today...
Menu
B: 1/4 c cottage cheese
S: Baby carrots.
L: tuna salad w/ avocado & sunflower seeds.
S: String cheese.
D: Chicken strips on salad.
S: sliced turkey.

Work out
Insanity - 45 min.
INTERVAL RUN?!?!  

I'm needing some serious motivation to do the interval run today. I've got a meeting (nonformal) with an old department I worked with to transfer over some of my files at 1:30p.m. And I've got to get the piano practice in before I go to work... And I just finished a tough work out. I need a little down time. Maybe after my shift. Maybe a 10pm run. There's no swim class tomorrow morning. Just HIIT and piano. So yeah... I think a 10pm run would be in order.

Here guys. Making you a promise. I will run after work today. I will go right after I finish my shift. I have to keep running so I don't lose my progress.

The Allan Challenge is tightening down. We're supposed to do 1200 calories from today until Sunday and up our water intake by 24oz. Gotta do it! Gotta do it!

Big Fat Insanity Love,
Nanette