New Elliptical

Recently, we got an elliptical machine so that I can work out even when going to the gym isn't an option. Man this thing is fancy! It's made by Nordiktrack and it really gets me working up a sweat. It has both an adjustable incline and adjustable resistance levels which really seem to help me work out. I do get a little discouraged because it doesn't seem like I am burning many calories but it is keeping me moving which is the most important thing.

Today, I did a 20  minute workout that burned 126 calories. After, I came down and did some crunches and some flutter kicks. I also did some weights using dumb bells that we have kicking around the house. I was at the gym a couple of days ago and worked my upper body so things are still recovering a little but I feel like I got a good workout in.

I've kind of plateaued which is frustrating but I am hoping that now that I am using the elliptical almost every day and doing weights and crunches that things will change. I had also let my diet get bad again. A few fast food meals here and there and some poor choices have kept me right around the 180 pound mark which seems to be the weight that my body wants to sit at. I want to be at least 15-20 pounds lighter so something is going to have to give.

On a positive note, my clothes are fitting better which is giving me massive amounts of peace of mind even though the scale is not being reassuring. It means that there are positive changes going on somewhere even if it isn't reflected on the scale. I am currently wearing a lovely pair of running shorts that I haven't felt comfortable wearing because they were just a little TOO tight. Now, they fit just right.

I know that I am just going to need to refine my diet and recommit to what I want to achieve. I also know that it's going to be a gradual thing and that I shouldn't get upset if things don't get where I want them to be overnight. If I lose it slowly I will have done it in a more healthy way that will allow my body to adjust. It will see being lighter as a new normal rather than going into survival mode the way it would if I dieted too drastically or pushed myself too hard with exercise.

Getting Back on Track

Getting back on track has been harder than I anticipated. I keep intending to start eating "clean" again. For me, that means fewer fast food meals, less nutritionally empty snacks, cutting back on the amount of alcohol that I am drinking and generally trying to eat fewer calories. I've done it before and I should be able to do so again but it is really, really hard.

There have been a few celebratory meals that have been eaten. That has often meant eating at a restaurant and has involved alcohol being consumed. Also, even when I was eating at a friend's place instead of at a restaurant, the meal was not exactly light on calories or fat. So, as a result, my weight has continued to plateau. It's not going up much higher than it was, but it sure isn't getting any lower, either.

I've also been fighting a cold for a couple of days and this has ended up with me wanting to eat all the things. Comfort food is wonderful but it isn't light on fat or calories, that's for sure. It's also made it difficult for me to be able to work out as well. I'm still committed to exercising on my new elliptical, this has just been a temporary setback.

I'm trying really hard not to get discouraged or upset or even give up. I know that the changes I am trying to make are really long term and so small hiccups shouldn't really make me feel like a failure but it does sometimes. I guess I just need to push through and find a new motivational source instead.

Plateauing

Lately, I feel like I have been a bit stuck with everything. I've been stuck right around the 180 pound mark. Sometimes I am a bit lower but it seems like I do the least little thing "wrong" and end up popping right back up again. I eat out? Bam. 180. I don't walk a bajillion kilometers a day? Bam. 180. It's like this weight is my nemesis.

Now, to be honest, I know that I can do better. I know that I can eat better than I have been. I've been taking in quite a few calories and then relying on exercise to get below the magic number that my fitness app says equals weight loss and I haven't been eating food that is nutritiously dense. I've been slipping back into my old ways and acting as though going for a long walk is going to get me where I want to be fitness-wise.

Recently, we had an elliptical machine delivered to the house. By recently, I mean yesterday. I went on it for about 20 minutes yesterday and planned to go on it today but have not yet done so. I did get some sit-ups in this morning and did front and side plank positions. I really want to try hard to tone up my abdominal region and this should help.

I want to tone and strengthen my core for a couple of reasons. The first is that I want to look better in a bikini next summer. The next is that I have a bad back and it has been bad for years. My hope is that if I tone and strengthen my core, that will disappear. Its a good plan but, like everything else, I've been kind of slacking. So my plan is to do crunches, front planks and side planks as often as possible, preferably every day.

So. I'm recommitting to my plan to eat better and committing to doing some core exercises in order to tone up and strengthen. I'll let you know how it all works out.

First Trip Back to The Gym

Today I headed back to the gym for the first day in a long, long time. Today was actually a fairly active day for me from start to finish and included a few really awesome firsts.

I stared the day doing yoga with my eldest daughter. I asked what she wanted to work on and she said her core, so we did a bunch of stuff to work on that would help her strengthen her core. We did a lot of plank position, bow pose, boat pose and a few other ones as well. It wasn't quite as relaxing as doing it alone but I do like working out with people rather than doing it by myself.

After doing yoga, I decided that I wanted to try doing a handstand. I found some great tips for doing a  handstand and working up to being able to balance independently and decided to go for it. All my life, I have had arms that were too weak to support my body. I have tried to go upside down either on my hands or my head and have always crumpled and fallen over. Today, though, today I went for it:

I know I'm not very close to vertical and I am really relying on the wall a lot. But its a start. I was able to repeat it a few times and hold it for a half decent amount of time. I also was able to do a shoulder stand as well but I think I liked the handstand better. I'm planning on getting closer and closer to the wall and working on arm and core strength to make it easy to balance on my own.

Later, my husband and I decided to go to the gym. We started off by doing some cardio. I used the elliptical machine since I find it easiest on my joints. After that, we did some weights. I did leg work so I am wondering how I will be feeling in the morning.

Tonight, we took the dogs for a walk. We ended up going about 5.55 km and the weather was amazing. Its starting to get cooler now and the dogs really love that. Hopefully the weather stays like this for a while. Its a nice break from the super hot weather we have been having.

Another week or two on

It's been a little while since I have been posting but life got busy for a little while. My husband and I had his son come for a visit, work has been very hectic and things in general have suddenly seemed to go into overdrive. I've still been trying to eat well and keep my alcohol consumption as low as possible and am really feeling good because of it.

My weight has fluctuated quite a bit. I've been finding it hard to get below (and stay below) 180 lbs. A couple of meals at my favorite restaurant have mostly been to blame for that. I love crepes and there is an amazing restaurant in town that serves up some delicious ones. My favorite is filled with asparagus and is topped with crumbled bacon, scallops and black tiger shrimp along with copious amounts of cheese. Its amazing but it really packs on the pounds for me.

I've been trying hard to make sure I walk my dogs every night. They love it and I also enjoy being active as well. We normally walk at least 2.5-3km every day which really has helped me slim down. I may not be massively smaller but I feel better and that's also an important reason why I am doing this whole getting in shape thing.

Currently, I am sitting at around 179 lbs. I was down as low as 178 about a week and a half ago. Here's hoping I get back to that and resume my downward slide.

What do you do if you find that your weight loss has plateaued?