Kicking Bags and Taking Names

A while back I got a coupon for $19 for one month of unlimited Kickboxing classes. I have a tendency to get bored easily if I do the same workout for too long so I figured this would be a good way to mix things up. I went to my first class on Wednesday morning.

I arrived at the facility 10 minutes earlier so I could give them my coupon and fill out any paper work. I got in  and the filled out a short form which was pretty nice because usually when you start at a gym you feel like you're signing your life away. The instructor wrapped my hands and gave me a pair of boxing gloves. He told me to remove my shoes, which seemed a little weird at first, and go stand next to a bag.

We started out running laps around the mats. I found running barefoot actually quite enjoyable. After we ran several laps we did several jump jack type exercises and push-ups. Once we completed that we stretched and got right into the boxing. Punching and kicking the bag was actually really fun. It would probably be a great class to go to after a stressful day at work. The instructor came by once and told me to "Pace myself" which I found rather humorous. I think he figured I was a workout newbie. It was a really fun class and I'm excited to go back Friday morning.

I woke up this morning to find that almost every part of my body hurt. I was fairly surprised because I workout pretty regularly but I guess since this was a different type of work out that accounted for the soreness. I find these days I'm usually happy to wake up sore because I know I got in a good workout.

I had another visit to my doctor today for a blood work re-check. I had been taking the thyroid medicine for  30 days and I just finished it up so they wanted to come back by to see if that resolved the issue. I guess if it hasn't I'll probably have to continue taking it. I'm hoping that everything will be back to normal and I won't have to do that. I really hate taking medication (though who doesn't, right?).

*Sigh* Some days I feel like bedtime comes so quickly. Well, it's time for me to pack my bag for the morning and get to sleep. Got to get up early and hit the bags.

Whirlwind Week ... or weeks

Whew, why is it that you always feel like you need a vacation after your vacation? I had a great trip to Michigan though. I got to see my little sister get married and my other little sister's brand new baby boy. He was so tiny and precious. I also got to spend time with my dad, mom, grandparents, siblings, and nieces and nephews. I got so see a bunch of family friends I hadn't see in forever and my best friends from high school which was so great. My family is so awesome too because I came home with a whole carload of stuff; new kitchen table, end tables, lamps, my childhood dollhouse.

Upon my return from my trip Ken and I took a day trip to Nashville to see a live taping of my favorite podcast "Doug Love Movies" with Doug Benson. It was so fun! Unfortunately Nashville is 3 hours away so it was a day of 6 hours in the car which may not be that bad but I had just spent 14 hours in the car just 3 days before. At least the show was fun though and I got to meet Doug Benson.

The next day it was back to work and there was no easing back into things. I had to play catch-up quick as we had a system upgrade scheduled for the very next day. Then Friday I started my week of on call duties. It wasn't really bad but it was a busy week.

On top of playing catch-up at work I was trying to get back into my routine. My sleep schedule was totally off kilter from being on vacation and I had only worked out twice the whole time I was on vacation. I didn't eat super healthy either while I was out of town. I ate more cake and pie than should be humanly possible. Surprising though upon my return home I found that I'd lost 7 pounds putting me 2 pounds away from being under 200. Woo-Hoo!

I think the weight loss has more to do with the side effects of the thyroid medicine than anything else. The pamphlet said it could cause weight loss or gain. I assumed I'd have the weight gain but I've been pleasantly surprised. I'm sure as soon as I go off it I'll probably gain 10 pounds. I have managed to get to the gym at least 3 days a week since I've been back. It's not great but it's better than nothing and I'm slowly getting back into my routine though.

-------------------------------If your a man you may want to skip this section-----------------------------

I finished my prescription of Norethindrone upon returning home. My doctor said, "You probably won't have a period for a while after taking it." Guess again, one day it was over aunt flow came to visit. To my pleasant surprise though it was a totally normal period. It only lasted 5 days. I know a weird thing to be happy about but...

I was told to call the doctor on the first day of my period and they said they wanted me to have a Hysterosalpingogram. I had no idea what that was or even how to spell it so I couldn't even Google it. It was probably best that I didn't. They scheduled it for Wednesday. Upon arriving for my appointment I found out that this test was not cheap. $847 not cheap. This was a very unexpected surprise and not a good one. They gave me an envelope and said I could pay later luckily. Turns out the test is to check my tubes to ensure there are no blockages. They inserted a catheter and shot dye into my uterine cavity and then took x-rays. I read later that it can be a painful procedure but for me it wasn't that bad. I guess I'm just tough.

--------------------------------Okay men, you're safe to start reading again--------------------------------

Since I finished my on call week yesterday I am focused now on getting back into my routine. I'm going back to my schedule of exercising every morning before work and eating better. My doctor asked about my further weight loss goals and I told him I'd like to lose another 50 and he said he thought I would be okay just to lose another 30 so for now I've got a goal of 30 and I will re-assess when I make there.

Do you think they would let me exchange this thing?

Man, talk about kicking a girl while she's down. I got a call from my new doctor's office today to let me know that I have high thyroid levels. So I guess this is one more thing that I can add to the list of things wrong with me. I wish there was some sort of option for body exchange. This one is defective, can I have another? Maybe a robot body? That would be sweet. Okay the one pictured might be too creepy.

So they sent me a prescription for Levothyroxine. I really should quit reading the pamphlets that Walgreens provides with the medication. All those pamphlets seem to do is freak me out about what this crazy stuff is that they want me to take.

Switching topics, I was really excited because I weighed myself Monday and I lost 2 pounds. Woo-Hoo! I was starting to think I would never lose another pound with the weight loss drought I was having. I've been going to the gym at work this week. I am missing the usual faces from my gym but I've also been early for work everyday this week and I've already saved money on gas considerably. It is going to be a tough decision whether I will go back to 24 hour fitness. I've met some really great people there and they have more equipment and amenities than the work gym but the work gym is free. It's a place I'm already going to and it saves me time and money and I can even sleep a little longer in the morning. I don't know, I might have to make one of those pro and con lists cause this one is a toughie.

I am a week a way from my trip home. I am getting pretty excited to see family and friends and to see my little sister get married. It's really weird to see your younger siblings get married. It makes you feel old. Seriously, you guys gotta quit doing that. I'll probably start catching myself saying things like, "Back in my day we didn't have the Internets" or "We had to walk to school in the snow, up hill, both ways." It's really only a matter of time.

Second Opinion

I know I'm horribly behind on my blogging, as usual, so here it goes...

I've been in a bit of slump. I was down to 207 at my lowest weight. Then I went back up to 210 and I was pretty mad at myself. I told myself I was not going to let myself go back up. I'm now back down to 208 so I'm back on the right track but I have to say the first 40 pounds I lost wasn't that hard but I've really been struggling to lose every pound since then. I feel like I've just been in a bit of a funk.

I've been having a really hard time waking up early again. For a while I had no problem going to bed at 9 and getting up at 4. I'm still going to bed at the same time but for some reason I struggle to be awake by 4:30. This has cut my workouts from 1 1/2 - 2 hours every morning to 1 - 1 1/4 hours. I am feeling like I'm in a bit of a rut with my workouts. When I get back from my trip this month I'm going to start Kickboxing for a month to change things up a little. After that I'm going to do Cross-fit for a month to try that out and then figure out what I'm going to do from there. I just feel like I do better when I have someone telling me what to do when I work out. I can't really afford a personal trainer either though I got a free session recently and it was awesome.

On another topic I had a visit to the doctor this week. My lady doctor told me she thought I had PCOS but I wanted to get a second opinion. I took my test results to another doctor this week and it was very informative. He read through all of my tests and talked to me about the results. He confirmed that I do indeed have PCOS, which sucks because, if you don't know, it can come with some really crappy symptoms;

• Irregular menstrual periods
• Decreased breast size
• Deepening of the voice
• Increased body hair on the chest, abdomen, and face, as well as around the nipples
• Thinning of the hair on the head, called male-pattern baldness
• Infertility
• Dark or thick skin markings and creases around the armpits, groin, neck, and breasts
• Insulin Resistence
• Obesity

The doctor also confirmed that I do have an insulin resistance, vitamin D deficiency, and Anemia. It really put a damper on my week but I'm trying to not let it get me down too much. It's not the worse thing ever and I just need to treat it like another challenge. The doctor was very proud of my weight loss and suggested I at least try to lose another 30. So I have a new goal and I just need to put my mind to it and do my best to achieve it.

Close but no cigar

Well I'm one day away and 10 pounds away. I was really hoping to be in the under 200 club by my birthday but I've really been struggling with eating well and I gained 3 pounds back this last week. I was really disappointed in myself but I'm trying to not let it get me down. I try to keep it in my mind that last year at this time I was 50 pounds heavier. I just have to try to get back on track.

I'm on call this week for work but after it is over I think I'm going to try 30 days of crossfit. I got a coupon for Bartlett Crossfit. I'm still going to do my regular workouts on Monday and Wednesday morning but I think it might be a nice change up for me. I feel like I could use a change of pace even if it's just temporary. Hopefully I will find some good exercises and techniques that I can add to my workout repertoire.

I've been thinking more and more about the Warrior Dash. It's still a ways away but I've watched several videos online and I'm excited. I really think I have a shot at completing it. Plus if I do the one in Nashville in September it will be a great one year exerciseversary.

I've also been looking into the Tough Mudder. I don't know that I will be ready for it by October but maybe next year. It looks really crazy but also fun. The only part that makes me hesitant is the forest of electrically charged wires...YIKES! I might be tough but not that tough. I feel like it is good to have a goal. Maybe I've watched too many episodes of Ninja Warrior :)

I guess that's all I have for now. Hopefully I'll have better news by my next post.

Recipe for Success

I've been at a bit of a stagnant point the last few weeks with my weight lose; half a pound here, a pound there but no significant loses. I have been exercising regularly still but I hadn't been eating as good as I had been. I decided if I wanted to reach my goal of under 200 by my birthday I was going to have to step it up (I was only 13 pounds and 4 weeks away).  So I sat down and began planning.

My biggest problem lately is that I hadn't really been making meal plans like I was in the beginning. I was falling back in the old habit of going to the grocery store and just picking things out without specific meals in mind. I had also been in a dinner funk. I was just making the same old stuff all the time.

So I sat down last Saturday and started looking up recipes. I put together an excel spreadsheet. The first tab was ingredients I needed for the recipes  (sorted by grocery store section) and the second tab was recipe links (sorted by meals).

Once I had this plan in place I set out for the stores. I hit up Whole Food first for the harder to find things on my list. I did pretty well and didn't stray too much from my list (which is hard for me in Whole Foods cause everything looks amazing).

Next I went to Aldi. I know it can get a bad rap sometimes but I love Aldi. Even though it is cash or debit only it's a great store if you're looking to save some dough on groceries. For example, Ken and I like to use ground chicken for tacos instead of ground beef. At Kroger the ground chicken is over $5 but at Aldi I get it for $2.49. Their vegetables are also a lot cheaper too, Kroger mushrooms $3.49. Aldi $0.99. Need I say more?

Any items I couldn't find at Whole Foods or Aldi I went to Kroger for. I know it seems like a lot of running around but the Kroger and Aldi are pretty close to each other. I went home after the store and put everything away and then started cooking. I made up my pre- and post- gym breakfasts for the week and made some homemade soup for lunches.

I weighed myself the next morning at the gym and I was down 4 pounds, which is funny since I was only just starting into my first day of planned meals. So I'm just 9 pounds away already. I will weigh myself Monday and see how I have done after my first week.

Meal Plan

Monday:
Pre-gym Breakfast: 1 Pumpkin Muffin
Post-gym Breakfast: 1 - 16 oz Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Lunch: Homemade Soup, apple, almond butter
Snack: Greek Yogurt (I had Chobani lemon)
Dinner: Taco Salad

Tuesday:
Pre-gym Breakfast: 1 Pumpkin Muffin
Post-gym Breakfast: 1 - 16 oz Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Lunch:  Homemade Soup , apple almond butter
Snack: Green Yogurt
Dinner: Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice

Wednesday:
Pre-gym Breakfast: 1 Pumpkin Muffin
Post-gym Breakfast: Apple and almond butter
Lunch: Cobb Salad
Snack: Greek Yogurt
Dinner: *Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes
*I made my meatloaf with ground chicken instead of beef and my mashed potatoes with coconut milk instead of cow's milk
Snack: Grain-free Chocolate chip cookies

Thursday:
Pre-gym Breakfast: Grain-free Chocolate chip cookies (I should have had a muffin but ate cookies instead)
Post-gym Breakfast: 1 - 16 oz Banana Almond Butter Smoothie
Lunch: Left over Asian Cauliflower Fried Rice
Snack: Apple and almond butter
Dinner: Spinach, Mushroom, Artichoke Pizza
(toppings: Pesto, Mozzarella, Mushroom, Fresh Spinach, Artichoke Hearts)
Snack: Fresh Pineapple

Friday:
Pre-gym Breakfast: Grain-free Chocolate chip cookies (I know, I know, more cookies for breakfast)
Post-gym Breakfast: Apple and almond butter
Lunch: Salad w/ Chicken and Broccoli Cheese Soup
Snack: More Grain-free Chocolate chip cookies
Dinner: Scrambled eggs

Saturday:
Breakfast: Pineapple, Omelette with Mushroom, Green Onion, and Cheddar Cheese
Lunch: Probably Salad
Dinner: Probably Turkey Burger and Homemade Sweet potato fries (going to attempt anyway)

My first 5K

Well I survived running my first 5K. It was the Daffodil Dash 3 miler at the Memphis Botanical Gardens. It was a gorgeous day. We couldn't have asked for nicer weather especially considering there was a chance of rain. It in the 60s though and sunny.

I didn't run as much of it as I would have liked to and my time wasn't great (41 minutes) but I had fun and that's all that matters to me. I made a friend pretty early in the race. We started near the entrance of the gardens on Cherry Road and ran towards Poplar. 

I started out pretty strong. Just after I rounded onto Poplar Southern I noticed a little boy running next to me (probably about 9 or 10 years old). I had my headphones in so I hadn't realized he was talking to me. I took  out one headphone to hear him tell me he was there with his grandma who was way behind us and Suzanne who was way ahead of us.

They had one lane of Poplar closed off for us to run in but the other lane was open for traffic. My running buddy started jumping over the cones that were straddling the open and closed lane. I tried to warn him that there might be cars coming so he should move away from the line. I looked around to see if I could see if there was anyone close that might be with him but didn't see anyone that seemed to be looking for him so I decided to stay close to make sure he didn't get run over.

It turned out he was a fun running buddy. He had asthma so periodically when he would start coughing we would have to take walking breaks. He told me all about his family and school and he pretty much talked my ear off the whole race but it was kinda nice to have someone to walk and run with.

As we rounded back into the gardens we caught up with my friends from the gym. Danielle had been just ahead of me most of the race and April had already finished (in under 24 minutes, 1st in her age group, way to go April!) April came back around to run in with me which was really nice so the 4 of us ran (with some walking) in together.

I never got the name of my running buddy. I think he found his family right after we crossed the finish line which was good. We had a good time. I enjoyed the exercise, weather, and the company of some great people.