Be a good girl...

Okay, I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted something. I feel so guilty, BUT, I've been a good girl all week. I even worked out on Thursday. My arms and abs are feeling a little sore. It's Saturday evening, and I'm having a craving for pasta, but I know I should just be good. I've lost a few pounds and some of my family members have noticed. Good lord! I want to lose weight, more than anything in the world. Hopefully I will post something in a couple days about how good I've been.

Motivation is Good

I want to do 10,000 things. I'm so excited. I don't know if I've lost any weight yet, but because I am moving up this road of progress, I feel good. (I mean, secretly, I wish I could lose like 2 pounds a day.) It's only the third day in a row that I've worked out. Yesterday, I went to the gym; I did cardio and weights (both upper and lower body). This morning, I did a quick ab workout. This evening, I began my Commit To Fit class. It's pretty fun because each class is different. My legs are tremendously sore from yesterday so I was a little slow during today's class. We did basic step aerobics, then some light weights and we ended the class with meditation.
I'm also better with my eating. (No junk food, nothing with too much fat or sugar, low carb)
I'm optimistic about my journey, but I know it's a long road. I just hope for the willpower to be consistent and not falter in my efforts. It's all under my control.

Back in the Saddle again

I know it's been a while, I sort of went off track. But today...was fantastic. I joined a cycling club earlier this week and today I participated in a training ride. 40 miles! Not bad considering that the longest distance I've ridden this year is 16 miles. I'm not only excited about the distance, but also the group that I rode with. I stayed with the Experienced group (16-18 mph). We hit 21 mph at one point - tailwind of course.
When the ride first started, there was a little bit of confusion regarding the groups. A lady rode up to me and asked me which group I intended to ride with and I told her, experienced. She informed me that I was riding with the intermediate group (14 - 16 mph) and that my group was way up ahead. She also added that I would most likely end up riding with them. Hmmph!!
I broke away and hustled to catch up with my group and I'm proud to say I stuck with them. It was a challenge but it wasn't brutal. After the ride, I was invited to breakfast but I declined because I didn't want to cancel out all the calories I had burned with a stack of syrup-saturated pancakes.
I'm so glad I rode today, and I look forward to riding with my new group again.
On a side note, I'm enrolling for a fitness class at a local community school. They do all kinds of exercise like yoga, pilates, walking, aerobics, etc. I hope it's fun. Classes are twice a week, so I know that I will workout at least twice during the week. (Hopefully more!)

Day 2

I look forward to the moment that this whole plan and effort becomes a habit.

Today I contemplated not going to the gym and staying home, but I changed my clothes and went anyway. I did 30 min. on the elliptical, but the more difficult one where you move your arms as well. (See image on the left.*) I then rode the stationary bike for 30 min. I think my total calories burned was 422. (A few less than yesterday, but I get an A for effort.) I don't thoroughly enjoy the gym because I feel like I'm the biggest one there. I know that's not true, but I see these 18 year old girls in these skimpy outfits as I wobble around the cardio machines. One thing I do enjoy is listening to my MP3 player and having a little dance to my step. Yesterday I was walking on the treadmill and I clapped out loud like a freak.

I know I should have a positive attitude. Like yesterday, I saw this girl that looked so fit and trim, you could tell that she worked really hard at it. She was muscular, but not like a linebacker or anything. I wanted to tell her that she is an inspiration, but she probably would have thought that I was either a big wierdo (which I am) or that I was hitting on her (no, thanks.)
I didn't eat so well today, but I'm skipping dinner. Tomorrow, I have yoga class. I should then really go grocery shopping and buy foods that are both tasty and nutritious. I need to drink more water, too.

*Disclaimer:That's not me in the picture. But this is what I did today, and I practiced my photoshop skills by placing my face on the model. Besides, the model looked too happy to be on the elliptical.

Before - Before

So, I may never be a size 4 again, but a 6 or 8 would be respectable, I think. I know I won't look like I did when I was 18. But I am posting these "Before-Before" pictures as a reminder that I do have a nice figure hiding underneath all this chunky goodness. Look at the collarbones in my first picture. The second one (in the dress) shows how small my waist was. The one of me in the suit was taken on my graduation day. I like the blue shirt because I like the way I look in the clothes I'm wearing. These are the kind of clothes I would look forward to wearing when I'm relaxing on the weekends, taking a road trip, or just going to the store. (I was a size 7 back then, weighing around 135)

Day 1 or Tuesday 2/21/06

Okay, so this is what I look like now. Not my best right? Since I don't have NBC knocking down my door to be a contestant on the Biggest Loser, I've decided to start a blog about my personal quest for fitness. Perhaps it will compel me to be consistent about my efforts to work out, eat right, and live a healthy lifestyle. I haven't always been this big, I started gaining weight about 5 years ago when I moved out on my own. (blech!) I've been yo-yo-ing this same weight give or take 5 or 10 lbs. Last year I lost 15, but I gained those back and then some. I am going to document some of my exercising, my progress (hopefully) and my frustrations. If you have any tips or comments, I would welcome them. Wish me luck on this journey.

Today is the third day in a row I've exercised. For the last two days, I've ridden bike. (Sunday - 15 miles and yesterday 14.) I went to the gym this evening and concentrated on cardio. First, a half hour on the elliptical, then a half hour on the tread mill and last but not least, 15 minutes on the stationary bike. I think I burned a total of 460 calories. Pretty good, huh? Luckily, the three days of working out and eating heathier has already started paying off. It took the edge off of the 5 pounds I gained recently.
My eating wasn't the greatest today. I had a big lunch, but I didn't eat all of it. I'm just going to eat something light for dinner, like a hard-boiled egg or something. (I love them!) I really do need to go grocery shopping. So there's my official "before" picture. The one on the right is of my friend and I taking a break from riding bicycle in the everglades. (I saw 101 alligators that day!)

I think this alligator could start a fitness plan too.