Category: Insanity

Comeback and the A

dbbe5cc39915438c71624b7f243ca3fbSeeing the gain on the scale Saturday morning really pissed me off.  It sparked a fire under me and lit me up.  I have not come this far to fall down now!

Consider me back…100%, firing-on-all-cylinders, full-speed-ahead back!

Last night I did an Insanity Max 30 workout, and I was dripping with sweat by the time I finished.  It’s the kind of workout where my stepson likes to inform me that I stink, ha ha.  Hell yeah, the sweet smell of hard work and fat cells dying 🙂

I am back to logging my food too.  No more assuming I am staying under calories.  I want to see it in black and white and stay accountable for what I am eating and drinking.

No more screwing around, no more half-assing, and certainly no more gains.  I won’t tolerate it.  I am moving forward at top speed and not stopping until I have reached my goal.

More good news, not weight loss related, but important to me: my younger stepdaughter has been struggling in one of her classes, and she has gotten Fs on her last few quizzes.  This past weekend, we spent quite a bit of time preparing for her test this week.  I explained the lessons, and we reviewed until she seemed comfortable with the material and could answer questions about it easily.  Well, she took her test yesterday, and she got an A!  I practically jumped up and down when I saw her grade.  I knew she could do a lot better than she was.

As happy as I was, I also felt sad.  There was nothing magical about my teaching, as much as I’d like to pat myself on the back and pretend I missed my calling as a teacher.  It was simply someone taking the time to sit down with her and help her understand the class work.  I have no problem at all working with the kids on school work, and I know my husband doesn’t either.  He has sat at the table, helping with projects and assignments, as much as he can.

That is the problem.  As much as we can is maybe a few days a month, tops.  We are not with the kids every night, following up on school work, helping with homework, explaining what isn’t being understood.  Unfortunately, neither is anyone else when they are not with us.

Helping my stepdaughter with her school work was not a chore, or drudgery, or punishment.  I enjoyed helping her learn and understand, and seeing her 100% on that test made me so proud of her and happy.  She worked hard, and she earned every bit of that A.

It makes me sad that other people in the kids’ lives don’t feel the same way.  What else could the kids accomplish, dream for, and reach for, if they were encouraged and pushed all the time, not just when they are home with us?

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Shrinking

This morning, a co-worker said to me, “You’re shrinking!”  It was the first time someone at work has commented on my weight loss this time around.  I assume it’s because I have lost weight before, then gained it back, so no one wanted to say anything, sort of like, “Here she goes again.  Wonder how long it will last this time.”  Either way, it felt good to start the day with a compliment about my weight loss.

The day after my long run, I gave my body a break and skipped a workout.  Instead, I did a face mask, then got into comfy clothes, wrapped up in a blanket, and cuddled up on the couch with my husband.  I look forward to that all day!  Call me boring, call me tame, call me old, I don’t care: my favorite part of the day is finally getting to snuggle up next to him and relax.  I don’t even care what we’re doing.  I am not a big TV watcher, so much of the time, I read while he and my stepson have the TV on, or we all talk and make smartass jokes.  I am just happy to be at home, cozied up with him.

Last night, my break was over.  I did a plyo Insanity workout, then added on a weighted abs workout.  My stepson teased me about being stinky.  Well, that’s what happens when you get crazy sweaty!

Speaking of Insanity workouts, something funny happened.  When I finished my first round of Insanity workouts last year, I sent in my before-and-after stats and pictures to get my t-shirt.  It is one of my most beloved and cherished articles of clothing, because I most definitely earned it!

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When I gained weight back, I decided I wouldn’t let myself wear this shirt again until I got back down to the 150s, the weight I was when I got the shirt in the first place.  When I finally hit the 150s again, I was so excited to yank this shirt out of my dresser…only to discover it is too big!

I don’t remember it being too big when I first got it.  All I can think is, since I have been weight training more, I am smaller even at the same weight I was before, if that makes sense.  All the more reason for me to use clothing size instead of weight to determine when I have reached my goal.

Sports Bras

This week has gone by quickly.  I’ve been doing much better this week, not struggling with my eating nearly as much, and diligently sticking to my workouts.  After skipping weigh-in last Saturday, I want to do all I can to make sure I have a good weigh-in this Saturday.

Browsing a department store yesterday during my lunch break, I discovered Champion sports bras at 20% off.  Score!

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When I started running and doing Insanity workouts again, I quickly appreciated the value of a good sports bra…and how most of the ones I had just weren’t cutting it.  I found a maximum support one yesterday and practically shouted, “Take my money!” from the middle of the store.

It got a chance to show me its stuff when I did another Insanity workout last night, and I am pleased to report that it impressed me and has officially earned its spot in the lingerie drawer.  When I get to goal weight, I will buy more.  I’m afraid the ones I have right now will end up too big to do me much good when I lose more weight.

Today I am wearing a top I bought for our board meeting about two months ago, and as soon as I put it on, I realized its days are numbered.  It’s not huge or baggy just yet, but it fits way looser than it did when I bought it.  I really like it, but quite frankly, if I have to buy another one in a smaller size soon, then so be it.  I’m not complaining!

I Want My Reward!

To help motivate me along this journey, and to add some fun, I decided to reward myself for every 10-pound loss.  Nothing wild and crazy, no Maserati’s here, just little things I usually wouldn’t spend the money on, like a salon manicure.

Last Saturday, I was 0.6 pounds away from my next 10-pound reward.  Besides not earning the reward yet, I was just very disappointed with losing 1.4 pounds when I worked so hard last week.  I am determined to reach my next mini-goal (and get my reward) this Saturday, so I decided to shake things up again and switched last night’s Insanity workout to Insanity Max: 30.

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Insanity Max: 30, led by my boy Shaun T, is basically Insanity condensed into 30 minutes.  No stretching to catch your breath after the warm-up, no breaks, no chit-chat, just hard-core go-go-go for 30 long minutes.  So it’s harder than regular Insanity because there are no breaks to look forward to, but it’s also over faster (since Insanity workouts range from 40-60 minutes).  And trust me, I watch that clock on the screen, counting down the minutes to the end!

Last night I was straightening up the top shelf of my closet, which tends to slide into a jumbled mess because I really can’t reach it and end up slinging things up there instead of neatly placing them there.  I pulled a stack of sweaters down to refold and put back neatly, when I discovered that two sweaters had been shoved behind all the others. I completely forgot I had them!  I tried them on, and they both fit.  I couldn’t wait to wear one of them today to work.  It was like going shopping but not having to spend any money, ha ha.  Oh, and it was a reminder to straighten that shelf more often!

Rest Day

It’s hard for me to take rest days.  I know how easy it is for me fall off the wagon, and one rest day could quickly turn into two days, three days, then weeks.  I panic at the idea of not working out and opening up the possibility of losing my momentum.  But after the dismal run on Monday, I felt like my poor body was frantically trying to tell me something, so I gave it a much-needed rest on Tuesday.

Instead of working out, I went out to dinner with my husband and my stepson.  (I stuck to unsweet tea and a chicken salad.  Rest day didn’t mean pig-out day!) Both of them are certified smart-asses, and they were raring to go that night.  I was laughing so hard at the two of them that I was sure we would be asked to leave.  It was a lot of fun.

Last night, the break was over, and I did an Insanity workout.  I was sweaty and wiped out afterward, but I added on a 10 minute ab workout for good measure.  Today my shoulders are sore, which surprised me, but then I remembered the move with push-ups that move side to side.  Yeah, they are just as much fun as they sound (withering sarcasm from someone who despises push-ups).

Tonight I will hit the weights, then tomorrow will be an early morning workout, since we are heading to my younger stepson’s football game tomorrow night!  I will be disappointed when the season is over.  I really enjoy watching him play.

I am kicking around the idea of doing an Insanity workout tomorrow morning…I’m not sure I have the energy for all that mess so early in the morning!  Then again, maybe pushing myself through a crazy tough workout before I’m completely awake is actually quite clever 🙂

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My plan
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What might really happen instead 🙂
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