Trouble with the Curvy

The weekend is so close I can taste it and it tastes like pancakes! Typically I'm not a weekend fanatic because I have a job I really love but it is healthy to have a break. This weekend there is a coffee date with an old friend, a wedding, perhaps a trip to the drive-in, and all kinds of other things that summer should include. This morning I kickboxed again and it made me feel like a ninja! One of the things I love most about Anytime Fitness is the on demand class room they have. Early in the morning I get the whole room to myself and they have so many classes to choose from. The class plays on a projector screen that is the size of the wall and it feels like a real class only there aren't a whole bunch of super fit people being all judgey. They even have a variety of classes in the same category. Today was a different kickboxing class and I liked this one more. When I was done I was sweating like mad and felt like I could take on a yeti. I've been getting all kinds o

The first thing I have to talk about tonight is Ben's killer ham Italian sandwiches. I came home a little worn out tonight after a mentally taxing day at work and grocery shopping so Ben told me to relax and he'd make supper. With thinly sliced ham, one slice of American cheese, a perfect pickle, fresh green peppers and onions, and black olives he crafted a perfect sandwich on a whole wheat roll. On the side? Pita chips and hummus (thanks to Julie Collins who recommended them and now I'm totally hooked). It "hit the spot" as they say. It was fantastically delicious. The best part of all of my changes is that I don't feel like I'm forced to eat rabbit food. I think I am going to just discover all kinds of things I haven't thought to try yet. I have a completely open culinary mind. In the last 2 years or so I've developed a wicked diet soda habit. I like the carbonation. There is something so refreshing about a cold soda. I knew I needed to drink

Tonight I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I'm on a roll. I've been at this for 2 weeks now and they say that makes it a habit. I haven't eaten fried food in the past 2 weeks, I have worked out every week day despite my work schedule and other things that have traditionally made fabulous excuses not to stick with my plan. I am finally starting to feel the changes sinking in and I've noticed that my workouts are not as daunting as they used to be. I have been pushing myself and I'm feeling like this is all worth the sacrifices I complained about on Thursday. There is more work to do and more to accomplish and I am ready for it. Since my storytelling skills are not on a roll tonight I thought I would share a "Snap Judgement" story I heard and really loved. It is about a boy and his cat and how they quite literally complete each other. Fun fact: the Cat's name is Ben. I can relate with the boy in the story because I have a Ben that completes me

Today I feel like a whole new woman. Even though I worked all weekend I feel rejuvenated. I also have a particular milestone to celebrate. After not weighing myself all weekend I stepped on the scale today and it said 200lbs. I could barely believe it and had to have Ben come in and tell me if I was just delirious from my workout in the 86 degree heat. I was not. I wanted to include my weight in each blog post so I could have a tangible way to track my actual weight. I bought a scale for the first time in my life when I started "Project Curvy" and tonight it said 200lbs. On Thursday I reported in at 209. Today I'm reporting in at 200. I, however, did NOT lose 9 lbs over the weekend. Not to worry, I am not starving myself. So how do I account for this? I don't have a digital scale. On the day I bought the scale I set it a little ahead so if it said 212 as I did when I started I was probably around 210 or 209. Today the scale was set back to the true 0 so these 12 lbs

I am quickly realizing that the hardest part of this whole journey is going to be sticking to it. That's probably not news because that's why I haven't succeeded before. Typically exercise and eating right takes more time and when life gets busy it is the easiest thing to throw to the dogs. I am no exception to this and I have given it up before because I have to go in early for work or because of whatever else seems like a better way to spend the time. Simply put these are all excuses and if it is important to me then I can make time for it if I try. The sacrifice of all of this is starting to sink in. I have trouble with the curvy because I like the way my life it when I am not giving up time with Ben and when I get to eat anything I want. I like things to be easy because it is so much harder to maintain a sunny disposition when things are hard. At the beginning of this week I wrote about how I am going to be a Monday-Thursday blogger because when Sunday night comes,

I had a very excellent morning. Ben had to be up early too so rolling out of bed at 6a was so much easier! I tried my hand at interval training today. I did my usual walking route but instead of just power walking, I alternated running and walking between phone poles. I was incredibly exhausted afterward but it felt great. I figured that running for a whole route is not something I can sustain but using the phone poles makes it easy to motivate myself because it is a short distance then I get a little recovery time.  I did this while beginning to "read" (I listen to audio books religiously because I can't sit still long enough to actually read a whole book) The Girl Who Love Tom Gordon. I find that it makes the workout less painful because I focus on the story instead of how my body feels. I just finished Stephen King's newest novel Joyland, so I'm going back in the archive and I have to say that I really love his writing style and everything seems so familiar

Today was good but nothing really insightful to share. I still didn't feel well this morning so I didn't attempt kickboxing again. I chose a lower impact workout and after a half hour on the bike I felt good as new. I took a nutrition class in college and learned a lot of things. One of the only things I really remember though are portion control, everything in moderation, and that pizza isn't really that bad for you. Keeping that in mind I set out to make a pizza that wouldn't blow this morning's workout. I had some basil dough and used that for the base. I probably should have chosen a light sauce but I wanted to find a way to make a low calorie version of a chicken alfredo pizza I've been craving. Cravings have been my enemy in the past but I'm dedicated this time so I set out to find a good compromise. The sauce is the hardest part to pull off. Here's what I did: Alfredo Sauce 8oz fat free cream cheese 2 tbs olive oil 2 tbs milk 1/4 cup gouda

So where was I yesterday? Enjoying my weekend without blowing my week :) I've made an executive decision that Trouble with the Curvy is going to be a 4 day blog. Friday through Sunday posts will be done if I am inspired. Otherwise I'm a Monday-Thursday blogaholic. I hope that's not a deal breaker. Friday and today I walked around my neighborhood instead of going to the gym. Not only am I getting to know my new neighborhood but it is a hell of a walk. I went about 2 miles each day. A walk around home was a good idea because I got to shower at home. Showering at the gym (even though the bathrooms at Anytime are really pretty great) has set me up for failure before. This time I have a solution ready for when I try to talk myself into skipping my workout because I want to shower at home. Now I have a genuinely good workout in my backyard and on the days I am trying to tempt myself into failure I'm going to have a go to plan that I actually enjoy. Score Ladies and Gentleme

Because this is an honest blog I have to begin tonight's post with the truth: I'm sore as hell. I went all out this week and I feel good about my progress and effort but pain is still a finicky bugger. The kickboxing did a number on me... I used all kinds of muscles I didn't know I had. Tomorrow is going to be a challenge but I'm happy to say that this blog is going to keep me on my game. I got this.... sore ass or not :) Things are great on the food front too. I'm forcing myself to break my cooking habits and think outside of the box. I made a dish last night that was deeeelcious. I coated root veggies (green onions, shallots, garlic), artichokes,  broccoli, tortellini and chicken in olive oil, added some spices and roasted it in the over for 45 minutes. The result was astounding. I highly recommend it. A friend heard about the blog today and asked what kind of diet I was on. She made me realize I haven't really talked about a diet specifically and I think

One of the most important things about Project Trouble with the Curvy that I haven't talked about yet is the playlist! A good playlist... especially when you get up early to go to the gym... is vital. My song of choice for the first week is the new Sara Bareilles, "Brave." This song makes me feel invincible. It has taken me the better part of almost 3 decades to figure out that you are better off standing your ground and I love the way Sara writes a song AND she's got pipes. There is a line that says "Show me how big your brave is." When I hear her sing it, and I can feel the sweat pouring out of me and my heart pounding I feel like I could take on the Hulk. I have something to prove with this project and the past has shown me that doubt is as strong as the Hulk. I have lead all my works outs so far with this song and if you haven't heard it, follow the link above and watch the video.  I'm not quite at the point where I am looking forward to my wo

Day two, COMPLETE! I'm started out strong! Began the day with interval running on the treadmill, then 75 reps on the leg pusher thingy*.... just because I'm totally dedicated to this doesn't mean I'm going to learn the lingo on day 1..... and ended out with 4 miles on the bike. I rocked it.... :) I'm a big fan of celebrating even the smallest of victories with a happy dance. Today's first little victory was going to a restaurant and not ordering french fries. Instead I had a spinach feta quesadilla and it was veggie packed and wicked yummy. I made good choices and I don't feel robbed because I didn't have something fried. The other thing that made today easy to be successful is the support I got from so many people after posting yesterday's entry on Facebook. Knowing there are people in your corner really makes a difference. I want to send a special shout out to Dave McLaughlin for reminding me of a very important fact. Just because I have trou

I have accomplished some cool things in my life. I own a home, I have a loving relationship, I love my job and I am looking forward to my future. These are things I am proud of. There is one thing in my life I have struggled to keep in balance. My weight has fluctuated over the years and I have never hit my goal weight of 150lbs. Today I am setting out to change that. This blog is an important part of my mission because I tend to get wrapped up in the everyday of my life and lose the structure that is vital to success. This blog is going to be my "goal buddy" by giving me a platform to sound off on the process and keep me accountable. My hope is that I will be able to go back and read these entries on days that are difficult and reinvigorate myself so that I can stay on track. If my journey can help someone else on theirs, I hope that this blog will serve as the link between me and anyone else that is working on becoming fit.  My "Trouble with the Curvy" stems p