Weak 4 (yes, I meant to spell it that way)

Well, last week concluded on a very lazy note. I never did make it back to the gym. I had piles of laundry stacked up that I was trying to get done on Thursday night and pack for the weekend as well. All of this kept me up until 12:00, so that by 4:15am when I tried to wake up to go swimming, I wasn't feeling the magic. I did stay within calorie range for all my meals, so I had that going for me. Lesson learned: don't wait 'til the last minute to go work out....or do laundry.

Thankfully, Scott also is on a diet and workout schedule, so Saturday we went Hiking around Oak Mountain which is a park just south of Birmingham. Scott knows his way around, so it was fun getting to see all sorts of stuff around the area and getting a good day's hike in. I have to admit, at the time I wasn't really excited about going. We had woken up early to get Abby's nails trimmed and get my oil changed and I guess I was still tired and cranky for not getting to sleep in on my weekend, but once I was up, I was up. We got a couple of turkey sandwiches, granola bars, and apples to kind of picnic after hiking a little bit. Lots of hills, especially at the end. And I so lost the Sprint to the car in the parking lot even though he was carrying the backpack. So embarrassing....but it really was fun and nice to get to walk around in the nice cool air. The shoes Trent gave me for my birthday were AWESOME, too.

Then on Sunday afternoon we went to the Student Activity Center in Montevallo. There we played Racquetball for a while. I'd forgotten a lot of the rules so we just volleyed for the most part. I forgot how tiring that was! It was a lot of fun, though. Then he showed me how to use some of the Weight Machines to work out my arms and chestal muscles. That was very helpful.

Speaking of chests, I just learned that one of my co-workers can see her Xiphoid Process. She says that it has always hurt after she exercised. We researched it and it was interesting. We also learned that she can't have chest compressions in CPR because it might drive the XiPro into her heart muscle. How crazy is that?! Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiphoid_process. They should make wristbands for that so people know when not to do chest compressions.

As for the running and listening to Sarah Palin, it's not working too well. Sarah reads her book slow and steady and it's not meshing well with my pace, though I have enjoyed listening to it driving to and from Birmingham and to Atlanta to work this week. DEFINITELY helps my driving pace. Monday I ran 2.75 miles on the Elliptical in 30 minutes, and let's be honest, I couldn't run that for real, but I'm working up to it. Tuesday I took a break.

Wednesday I went to go Cycling at the evening class, but did not know until I got there that you had to sign up for a bike up to 30 minutes ahead of time. So I had to miss it, but looked at the schedule and saw that there was going to be a Hip Hop class starting in 15 minutes. I jogged a little on the elliptical while I waited and then figured I might as well go if I'm going to try all the different classes to decide which one best fits me. Should have known dancing would be a bad idea. Dancing is always a bad idea for me! I walked in and met the Russian drill instructor that taught the class. At first it seemed ok, but overall, I never felt like I really exerted myself. I sweat a little bit, but I still don't know if it was from the work out or the instructor yelling "KEEP MARCHING" and "Da?" I did learn some moves to bust at the club sometime when I get krunk! (Yeah, I looked it up.)

It had been a week since the last time I went Swimming, so this morning, Thursday, I woke up early and went back to get a good swim which had me to work early enough that I could leave and finally make it to a Cycling class this evening. OMG. Cycling sucked every bit of energy I had in my body. Good GOD. It was intense. I made a new friend, Veronica. She was great. She helped me set the cycle so that the seat and everything was where it needed to be. She, and other people in the class, were very encouraging. When I thought I was ready to quit, Veronica told me there was only 25 minutes left and I thought, "If I can make it over halfway through class, by God I can finish." Then during the guys vs. girls sprint I was sprinting and the guy next to me was like, "Push it! Yeah! That's what I'm talking about." He was definitely being nice. And I didn't realize this until I got home, but it wears out your hands, too, gripping on those handlebars. This came to my attention when I tried to open a particularly stubborn jar of pimentos, which seriously pissed me off. I mean, come on, what kind of asshole screws a lid on the jar that tightly? COMPLETELY uncalled for. After doing my frustrated dance I finally got it open.

My plan for tomorrow is to go and actually start running on pavement, though after tonight, I might have to take tomorrow off.

My friend Julie suggested trying the Weight Control Quaker Oatmeal for breakfast and I got to Publix this week and it was a BOGO (buy one get one free) item. I was excited and grabbed a box, not realizing that Julie suggested the one with High Protein. Sorry Jules! The only one I noticed that was different was the High Fiber and I steered away. Completely overlooked High Protein. Anyways, if you like oatmeal, this stuff is fabulous. It tastes like the same good instant stuff I grew up and survived college with. Yummy! They have some good flavors, too (banana nut, cinnamon, and maple and brown sugar).

Nutri-Grain bars (another BOGO item), on the other hand, did not keep me full when I ate them for breakfast, but acted as a fairly decent guilt-free snack. Though almost every brand of yogurt has coupons that make them all $1.50 for 4-6 containers, I decided to give Dannon Light & Fit a try. I also had a coupon for Truvia, it's a zero calorie "natural sweetener." ("It's a non-nutritive cereal varnish. It's semi-permanent. It's not osmotic."-Christmas Vacation) There was also a coupon for Kraft cheese which I got two bags of the fat free mozzarella and cheddar. I'm looking forward to putting those to good use.

I think I should add here, that I'm trying to do this diet and exercise thing on a fairly modest budget. After Anna and her husband Andrew gave a good briefing on how coupons work and the best ways to save money, I was convinced I could pull this off and it's been working out fairly well. However, it's sometimes embarrassing being that person who always has to have a coupon for everything, but when you pay and get your receipt, it's a beautiful thing. My best so far was spending about $50 with a savings of $32 at Publix. That food lasted me at least 2 weeks, and some of it I still have in the cabinet and freezer. Loving it!

Mom suggested something I hadn't thought about. She went to a nutrition class in which she learned that if you keep your calorie count really low for a few weeks, your body starts shutting down and retaining more fat because it's going into survival mode. She suggested that I start upping my calories a little bit to keep my body from doing that, which actually doesn't sound like that bad of an idea (and I'm not just saying so I can eat more). I'm slightly nervous about this type of schedule because I'm very bad with keeping up with irregular schedules. Even regular schedules sometimes. I'm just not good at it, and the point of all of this is to try to be consistent. So I'm thinking about giving it a shot.

A co-worker also suggested a different kind of work out to intertwine with what I'm already doing. Basically, all you do is work hard to meet the standards of the FBI's Test Scoring Scale (http://www.fbijobs.gov/11131.asp) which they expect people applying to be Special Agents to meet, and which Special Agents in training must maintain. They even provided a Training Guideline to follow to prepare yourself: http://www.fbijobs.gov/11134.asp. So I figure, what the hell. Can't hurt. And at least I'd be qualified for that job when this one ran out if I decide I want to do it. So yeah, we'll see. She and I tried to do push-ups at work to stay awake. I sounded like a deflating balloon as I started on my slow descent from which I did not rise, at least not gracefully. That told me it's been a long damn while and I need to do something about this. So I will be working extra arms and chest next week while still attempting to do push-ups at home.

I got in a little trouble at work this week. I was craving a little bit of chocolate toffee, so I made some and broke off a little piece to eat to satisfy my craving and brought the rest to work for everyone. Within an hour of sending out the e-mail telling everyone to eat some, I got an angry phone call from a dieting archivist (which they can be comparable to charging rhinos). It was all good. I told her she should break off just a little piece and to park her car in the back of the parking lot and take the stairs and she should be fine. I think she took my word for it.

I am making some progress, though! My clothes are feeling bigger and I'm having to tighten some things in order to keep them on...I'm being deliberately vague here. I'm still holding out before buying a belt, though.

And on exciting note, Abby, my dog who has steadily gained weight along with me, has been losing a little weight herself. We've been going on more walks and for longer amounts of time, thanks to the days lasting a little longer.

A couple more things I found at the grocery store: 1. bleu cheese made with yogurt (not bad) and B. polenta - I didn't actually buy any, but wanted to know if anyone has heard of it and if it's any good?