Weight Loss, Revisited

I am getting back into the habit of eating sensibly (which is a big struggle for me). I'm hoping to be able to do another figure competition this year, but I don't know if I'll be ready to or not. Possibly by the fall. I'll have to see how I do on my current workout schedule and diet.

I've somehow managed to drop 5 lbs. in the last three days. I'm thinking most of it is probably water weight, so I'll likely see some of that reappear the next time I get on the scales.

I've had a rough year and a quarter as far as my fitness goals go. Since I had my car accident, which gave me whiplash and a bulging disc in my lower back, I was unable to do many kinds of exercise and I was only able to exercise at a lighter intensity. Then I began taking Abilify a few months ago and I promptly went from about 155-160 lbs. to 175 lbs. I haven't weighed this much since I was nine months pregnant with twins (I topped out at 179 when I was pregnant, which was a total gain of 44 lbs.).

Anyway, I'm hoping that I stick with things this time and don't allow stress and depression to distract me from eating right and kicking a** in the gym. :)

Tosca Reno

I went to the Arnold Classic yesterday for a little while and was able to watch the bikini competition. I wanted to see a friend compete in the figure competition, but my back hurt from standing and watching.

Anyway, I was also able to meet with the people from Oxygen. I saw Monica Brant, Robert Kennedy (the publisher/owner), and some other buff people at their booth as well.

Anyway, I also got to have my picture taken with Tosca Reno. She also signed her book for me. She was really nice and just as buff in person as she is in her pics in the magazine. : )

I look like a frumpy couch potato in this pic! Still, I figured that I'd share it. (Besides, I started working out again and doing Crossfit classes, so I don't think I'll be looking like a frumpy couch potato for long!)

Back to the Gym- Finally!

I have finally gotten a new gym membership. Having been mostly non-exercising or only doing very light exercises since December of 2009, I am really out of shape. I was in the best shape of my life in October/early November of 2009. I had just competed in a figure competition (the Monster Mash in the Cincinnati area). I didn't place well, in part due to being nervous and not posing well and in part because there were some awesome, buff competitors in my class. Still, I was psyched about trying another competition in early 2010.

Those dreams went out the window when I was rear-ended in a seemingly mild car wreck. The following day I was nauseated, sore, had a migraine, and had low back pain. I was so dizzy that I didn't want to move. Maybe this was karma getting back at me for thinking that whiplash was something people claimed to have in hopes of getting pain and suffering money. Now I know that anyone who has whiplash deserves pain and suffering. It caused me to have daily headaches for about 4-5 months, and in addition I had a migraine roughly ever week to every other week.

Even packing groceries to the house from the car caused pain to radiate from my neck down to my upper arms. My low back pain causes sitting for extended periods of time to be painful to this day. Doing lunges and squats causes a tight, mildly painful sensation in my low back and butt. Fortunately they don't appear to cause post-workout pain or problems though.

I am on the track to getting back in shape, and I am very excited about it. I hope to lose thirty pounds, which will put me about 5 pounds heavier than I was the day I got in the car wreck. I know it will take time, but I am excited to get back in shape!

My Diet and Exercise Must Be Showing...

I asked one of the employees at the gym to measure me, since I have been on a pretty strict diet for two weeks now. I wanted to see if anything had changed noticeably in that time. When she was done she asked me, "Are you trying to gain or lose?"
Yay! I think. As long as she didn't think I was scrawny. Hmm... I'll stop overthinking it and take it as a positive thing.

The Hidden Dangers of Fat Burners

No, I'm not talking about heart palpitations, dizziness, nausea, and insomnia. I'm talking about ambition and euphoria. For instance, about a month ago I was going to pick up around my room. My room is a hot mess, since my daughters like to stay up all night and get into things. Anyway, I began by picking up toys and throwing away junk we don't need. About three hours later I am painting my walls with an oil-based primer. (by the way, if you've never used an oil based primer I don't suggest it unless you absolutely must; that stuff does not come off of clothes or flesh! I had white flecks of paint on my forearms for about a week even after I scrubbed them with mineral spirits...)
Of course, the fun must end, and the energy runs out. You don't get those awe-inspiring bursts of energy with every dose. My room is still in a state of disrepair. My walls are a nice shade of Azure Afternoon though...

Weight loss

I'm back on a wonderfully dull high protein, low everything else diet. My body feels so weak and tired as it is adjusting to the lower carbohydrate level. I can't wait for this adjustment period to be over.
However, when I am done it will be worth it (come on, don't interrupt! I have to make myself believe this!).
Here are some pics of crazy-buff chicks that I would like to get as buff as:

Supplements

I've gotten a little swept up with supplements more than once in my life. I do copywriting as well, so I should be immune to colorful ads pitching vitamins, but I'm not. I'm a sucker for good packaging (and lists- list the many "benefits" and I get all excited thinking about how this or that vitamin is really essential to my fitness goals). I've weened myself down quite a bit, mostly because I can't afford them.
The biggest difference I've noticed is in my belly fat. I seem to pudge up there a little more than I used to. I don't think it necessarily has anything to do with supplements, but they might contribute to it. I've managed to lose weight from my lower body and keep it off while regaining weight onto my belly; this usually wasn't the case. I'm a "pear" (see page 68 of this book for a full description:Everything is wrong with you).
Weird...