Drum roll please.....
So my goal for this Monday's Week Four weigh-in was 142.....and I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm 140!!!! Wowza, even with Thanksgiving in there I managed to lose 3.5 pounds last week!! I'm feeling pretty damn awesome about that. I think the nutrition plan is really helping...at first when I started I think I wasn't used to eating that much and I felt like I was eating a LOT...but it's totally the combination of eating the right things throughout the day depending on time of day/activity, and eating small amounts every 2-3 hours that really does the trick. At some point over the week it all seemed to kick in and start working for me...maybe my metabolism was jump-started back to life or something!! Anyway, I was really good this week on both accounts, and it shows.
This also means that after four weeks, I am down ten pounds! Which is halfway to my goal already!! I know the next ten are not going to come off as easy. My goal for this week then, since I have already met the end of week five weigh-in goal, is to maintain that loss and maybe lose an extra pound or so. I would LOVE to be at 138 by next week but I'm not sure how long I'll be in this phase before I plateau..I'm going to just keep working my butt off and being steadfast to my eating plan and hopefully that won't happen for another ten pounds :) If I keep going at the two pound a week rate over the rest of the 9 weeks, I will be at 126 which is actually I think my optimum weight. I would be delighted with 130 (my original goal) but thrilled with 126!! Or maybe I can get the rest of my goal weight off over the next four weeks and work the last four on maintenance and building muscle/stamina and toning up certain areas. I will just see as I go I suppose.
If I continue to lose at the rate I am (avg. 2.25 lbs. per week) I could theoretically be down to 123 even at the end of week 12. But I think that will probably average out to two lbs. per week as I get leaner and am building more muscle. We shall see!
It is kind of funny how much this little project is providing a lot of focus for me in this 13 week period without Eben. It is really teaching me the value of taking things one day at a time...because if I set out at the beginning thinking that I can never eat carbs or sweets again, or that I have to lose twenty pounds, and have to go to the gym EVERY day, it would get really discouraging. Just like the best way to cope with not having him here is to just take it one day at a time, and do the best I can with each day in front of me. It has also been wonderful to devote this time to myself, because I really needed that I think. Not only am I getting in better shape physically and starting good habits (and weeding out the bad ones) for my future, but I'm thinking a lot about what I can do today to improve myself in lots of different areas, for example, looking hard at how I spend my money and figuring out little, everyday ways to alter my spending habits to save for our future. Making little changes each day, in lots of different areas, that add up to something much bigger. Just like those measly two pounds a week will add up to 24 pounds before I know it!
I think from here on out I am going to abandon the grading thing and just keep a running tally of my workouts in three categories for the week; cardio, weights, and yoga/pilates. My goal is to do 3 each of weights and yoga/pilates and 4 cardio. If I start to stray with the eating thing I will just 'fess up here and that will be punishment enough :) Though maybe I will keep grading my eating. Total transparency is my thing here....and so far I have been real honest and that holds me more accountable! For old times' sake though, here were my GPA's for the week!
Exercise: A-
Nutrition: A-
(funny how the best ever averages correlate with this week's loss though, huh?)
Oh, and if you are reading this (I only have three followers, sad, but lots of people have mentioned to me in person that they have been reading it) please leave a comment! The whole idea is that you can cheer me on and motivate me here :) Just click on the blog title and it will take you to a separate page where you can comment. Or just say hi so I know you're out there! And thanks to Joey, Krista, and Jennifer for following :) If you want you can all do that too!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Week Four, day six and seven.....dancing is the best workout ever :)
Day Six, Saturday....today I went to the gym to do weights and cardio....For weights I did a combination of the machine stuff I did with my trainer on Wednesday, and some other body resistance stuff we had done in our sessions (squats, abs, pushups, etc.) Then I ran for a half-hour on the treadmill doing the 1 minute intervals with 30 second rest. Next week is actually the beginning of the next "phase" in my running program so that is going to change up a little which will be good...I like variety and it's better for keeping in shape to change it up on your body as well. I am sticking generally to the running program, but also doing some other cardio stuff here and there as well like the stair mill and elliptical, or doing intervals on the treadmill with high elevation.
I like going to the gym and seeing really amazingly fit and buff women there...it's inspiring to me that I could be like that someday if I keep fitness and wellness a #1 priority in my life like I have been the past four weeks. It's also cool too to see the people who are not in such good shape, because they are there sweating it out too and god knows we all have to start somewhere! I think taking those first steps when you are already in not-so-good shape are the hardest, mentally and physically. Once you've started it gets easy and enjoyable, and once you're "there", maintaining it just becomes a part of your daily routine and lifestyle. But at first it can be really daunting. I know, because I was there once. I think the first time I went to a gym was in college, when I realized that my fast teenager metabolism had ground to a halt and I got lazy with what I was eating (a lot of junk, ick) what with being busy with school and work and non-stop choreography/performing projects, and before I knew what had happened I had gained a bunch of weight. I was starting to feel really gross about myself and knew I had to do something about it, so I cut out the crap and started doing pilates and yoga and doing the elliptical a couple of times a week. I lost about ten pounds over that summer and have stayed at that weight more or less ever since.
The measures I am taking now and the level of commitment I am at with this now are much higher, but they have to be because my goals now are much higher too. But so far I am right on track and I am so glad that I took this step...it is even making me consider (something that was actually in the back of my mind before for some reason) getting certified to be a personal trainer. Having an active, varied, flexible-hours and interpersonal job where I could help and teach people was always my ideal....I just never thought of it being this! But the more I think about it, the more it fits really well. I could see myself, before, teaching pilates or yoga, because that fits in with what I have been doing teaching dance and stuff....but I never thought of myself as "fit" enough to be someone's trainer! But now I see that I for sure can be that!! I just have to work hard and have faith that I can do anything I set my mind to!
So to recap, I give myself an A in both areas again :) I also got a little extra workout Saturday evening as it was my good friend Dustin's birthday and there was a gathering at one of our favorite dance spots. I was totally tee-totaling (ha ha say that three times fast!) and that felt good (especially since it was gonna be a late night and I had to get up early for church the next morning, which is hard enough as it is) and we danced our butts off! I haven't had such a joyous, fun, raucous time like that in a long while. It was great :)
Also, I got TWO letters on Friday and one Saturday!! Now that the letters are going back and forth regularly and there is only about a four day turnaround both ways, this is getting easier :) He is doing well but had to go to the doctor because he is having some IT band problems. But thankfully it is nothing that will set him back, he just has to use a brace for now and had to have a "light duty" day to recoup. After this coming week he will be done with Phase I already and on to Phase II which is a lot more hands-on stuff (hiking, survival/camping, rifle qualifications, etc.) So hopefully it will get more exciting for him and the time will continue to go by faster for both of us!
Day Seven, Sunday (rest day). Since it is my day to cheat (just a little) I had a small plate of Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch! YUMMY. Then it's off to work for me...results tomorrow!!
Day Seven, Sunday (rest day). Since it is my day to cheat (just a little) I had a small plate of Thanksgiving leftovers for lunch! YUMMY. Then it's off to work for me...results tomorrow!!
Friday, November 27, 2009
Week four, days three, four, five.....
Ok so I guess I haven't been good about updating this week! Here's a recap:
Day three: I had another training session with my PT, and we did more stuff on the machines this time. I told her she thoroughly kicked my ass last time, and she said that most people are really sore after the first time, but their bodies adapt pretty quickly and they don't have as much soreness after that. (She was right, and I'm only a little sore now!) I am going to see her again next Wednesday and hopefully make it a weekly thing...she is really great and wants to make sure I see results and is good about keeping me on track and giving me ideas about how to get the results I want :) After my training session I did a half hour of cardio on the treadmill! My nutrition for the day was really good as well, so an A in both areas for Wednesday!!
Day four: THANKSGIVING!! I am not counting this day, eating wise (duh). As far as food went, I did eat what I wanted but smallish portions and no seconds and I didn't feel too stuffed at all! In the morning I went to a special yoga class they offered at the gym and it was awesome, it was kind of a Tai Chi-inspired class with lots of deep bends and stuff, and then some meditation time at the end. After that I tried to do some cardio but my ankle was giving me a hard time so I pretty much walked/ran for a mile. All in all, not too shabby! I'm gonna give my workout an A- for the day.
Day five: Today I did some pilates, my upper body weights, and also some stuff that I had been doing with my trainer to focus on my thighs/butt (all while watching High School Musical 3, which is a surprisingly good workout background). A!! It was a really good workout! Eating wise I did pretty well too, I did eat a little bit of a sandwich at work later in the night because they had provided food for us as it was a busy Black Friday at Big Bowl! I only ate half of a half of a sandwich though. The rest of the day I did really well. So, A-.
So, with my work schedule sort of evening out of late, I have decided to revamp my workout plan a little. Instead of having it set in stone to do running/cardio MWF and weights/pilates T TH S, I am just going to try to do cardio three times a week minimum, weights three times a week, and yoga/pilates three times a week and have some freedom as to when I schedule workouts. That way I can double up on days I have more free time and do weights/cardio or cardio/pilates at the same time. Since Sundays and Mondays are too busy with my work schedule to reliably get any workouts in, and I seem to have lots more time Tuesday-Thursday, I think this works better. And it's good to do multiple things at once anyway. This will also allow a day off if I need some rest or if I have soreness or pain in any area....I have to remember that the time off to heal is just as important as the working out!! This may mean I have to stop the grading because I don't really have an "assignment" some days now for working out...but that's ok since I seem to keep pretty motivated anyway. We'll see.
Day three: I had another training session with my PT, and we did more stuff on the machines this time. I told her she thoroughly kicked my ass last time, and she said that most people are really sore after the first time, but their bodies adapt pretty quickly and they don't have as much soreness after that. (She was right, and I'm only a little sore now!) I am going to see her again next Wednesday and hopefully make it a weekly thing...she is really great and wants to make sure I see results and is good about keeping me on track and giving me ideas about how to get the results I want :) After my training session I did a half hour of cardio on the treadmill! My nutrition for the day was really good as well, so an A in both areas for Wednesday!!
Day four: THANKSGIVING!! I am not counting this day, eating wise (duh). As far as food went, I did eat what I wanted but smallish portions and no seconds and I didn't feel too stuffed at all! In the morning I went to a special yoga class they offered at the gym and it was awesome, it was kind of a Tai Chi-inspired class with lots of deep bends and stuff, and then some meditation time at the end. After that I tried to do some cardio but my ankle was giving me a hard time so I pretty much walked/ran for a mile. All in all, not too shabby! I'm gonna give my workout an A- for the day.
Day five: Today I did some pilates, my upper body weights, and also some stuff that I had been doing with my trainer to focus on my thighs/butt (all while watching High School Musical 3, which is a surprisingly good workout background). A!! It was a really good workout! Eating wise I did pretty well too, I did eat a little bit of a sandwich at work later in the night because they had provided food for us as it was a busy Black Friday at Big Bowl! I only ate half of a half of a sandwich though. The rest of the day I did really well. So, A-.
So, with my work schedule sort of evening out of late, I have decided to revamp my workout plan a little. Instead of having it set in stone to do running/cardio MWF and weights/pilates T TH S, I am just going to try to do cardio three times a week minimum, weights three times a week, and yoga/pilates three times a week and have some freedom as to when I schedule workouts. That way I can double up on days I have more free time and do weights/cardio or cardio/pilates at the same time. Since Sundays and Mondays are too busy with my work schedule to reliably get any workouts in, and I seem to have lots more time Tuesday-Thursday, I think this works better. And it's good to do multiple things at once anyway. This will also allow a day off if I need some rest or if I have soreness or pain in any area....I have to remember that the time off to heal is just as important as the working out!! This may mean I have to stop the grading because I don't really have an "assignment" some days now for working out...but that's ok since I seem to keep pretty motivated anyway. We'll see.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Week four, day two....getting back on track!
Today I felt almost back to normal in my legs. I was feeling kind of itchy to get back to the gym since I've been slacking the past few days, so after doing my pilates and weights stuff I actually went to see if I could do some cardio....And I ended up running over 2 miles! I still have a little soreness around my knees but it didn't hurt too bad....if it did I would have stopped. So that's a definite A for the day in that area! It felt really good to get back to my workouts!! I have another session with my trainer tomorrow morning, I am a little afraid this time, ha ha! Maybe we can concentrate on abs or something to give my legs a break!
As for eating, I was also really good today, so an A there as well. :) I made my first smoothie of my very own today (Eben usually makes them for me) and it turned out pretty darn good even though I kinda made it up as I went along! I've gotta be REAL good tomorrow too because I'm gonna eat what I want on Thanksgiving :) Well, within reason of course. I'm gonna stick to small portions otherwise my insides will probably feel awful! Just gotta keep my eyes on the prize.
As for eating, I was also really good today, so an A there as well. :) I made my first smoothie of my very own today (Eben usually makes them for me) and it turned out pretty darn good even though I kinda made it up as I went along! I've gotta be REAL good tomorrow too because I'm gonna eat what I want on Thanksgiving :) Well, within reason of course. I'm gonna stick to small portions otherwise my insides will probably feel awful! Just gotta keep my eyes on the prize.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Week Four, day one....Busy busy Monday!
So today I didn't get a workout in but I still can't really walk so that's to be expected. I'm going to hit the gym tomorrow and hopefully get back on track for the rest of the week! I am feeling a lot better today and can walk without too much pain but I'm still not in any shape to be running or doing anything strenuous. So I'm gonna give myself a C for the day in that area.
Eating wise I did just ok today. I went to see New Moon with a bunch of folks this afternoon and had lunch at our movie-lunch spot, but ate very healthy considering I was eating out (Mediterranean grilled chicken breast with balsamic and sauteed tomatoes and steamed broccoli on the side)....but I did cave and have some popcorn at the movie!! I wasn't very hungry for the rest of the day but I forced myself to snack on some carrots and nuts later in the day before my evening shift. I ate a couple of bites of an extra Pad Thai and it felt so heavy in my stomach I almost felt sick for a minute! I guess that's what happens when you don't eat any carbs for a week! Then for dinner I ate the other half of my Mediterranean chicken breast, yum yum! So I think that's a B for the day :) Tomorrow is a new day and I will be getting back on track after a crazy weekend of nonstop work and sore muscles!!
Extra, extra.....I got my third letter today!! As of last Wednesday he still hadn't received any mail from anyone yet. That makes me sad :( But just think, after this week is over, our period of separation will be almost 1/3 over! That makes me feel a little better.
Week Three results!!!
I can't believe it's been three weeks already!! So my goal for the end of week three was 144 lbs. I weighed myself first thing this morning (every Monday morning is like Christmas Day now, ha ha) and....I reached my goal!! On the scale I am a little under 144, so approx. 143.5. YAY!! Which I'm glad of because I didn't really get to do all my workouts later in the week on account of my uber sore legs. They STILL hurt today :( Hopefully tomorrow I can get back to the gym and at least do some walking or elliptical with my weights/pilates. Today is going to have to be another rest day. As much as it kills me, I know I need it and in the meantime I'll just concentrate on eating well and make it up later in the week.
I did some calculations, and the six pounds I have lost so far is 4% of my original weight! And I'm about 1/3 of the way to my goal weight already!! I have a feeling that once I get under 140 it's going to come off slower though and take a little more work. But I'm glad I have a trainer to help me, even if she does kick my butt and temporarily disable me.
Here are my grade averages for the week:
Exercise: B
Eating: B+
I did some calculations, and the six pounds I have lost so far is 4% of my original weight! And I'm about 1/3 of the way to my goal weight already!! I have a feeling that once I get under 140 it's going to come off slower though and take a little more work. But I'm glad I have a trainer to help me, even if she does kick my butt and temporarily disable me.
Here are my grade averages for the week:
Exercise: B
Eating: B+
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Week Three days six and seven....I think I just hit a wall! WOOF.
Day Six....today I woke up and literally could not put weight on my legs. My thigh muscles were SO SORE my knees were shaking when I walked. My trainer really did a number on me apparently! I sucked it up, took some painkillers, and went to work my lunch shift at the restaurant. Being Saturday afternoon, it was crazy busy which might have been a good thing because I didn't even have a chance to think about how much it hurt to walk/stand. I have spilled a tray maybe once in my entire serving career, and I spilled TWICE today because I just had no control over any of my muscles. (thankfully not on anyone or by my tables and I didn't break anything, and I actually ended up containing most of the spills so I only had to remake like one of the drinks on the tray. But embarrassing nonetheless)
My trainer told me it would be a good idea to take today off for working out....yeah, couldn't have worked out even had I wanted to or had time to today!! So I'm just not going to count this day in my workout plan...I have a feeling my plan is going to modify a little in the coming weeks anyway. I hope my next training session is not going to put me out of commission like this!!
After work I made a nice healthy dinner and got ready to go see Fiddler on the Roof that my parents directed, with Eben's mom. It was a wonderful show!! Afterward we went and got some dessert and I had a beer, so I cheated a little there...but overall I was good at remembering to eat good stuff during the day and during my shift so I'm gonna give myself a B+ for the day for eating. I'm pretty firmly in the "don't deprive yourself" camp when it comes to dieting...everything in moderation. So then when I do decide to have some carbs, my body remembers how to process them and doesn't go nuts. I have heard that people who follow high protein/low carb diets do lose weight pretty rapidly and healthily, but the minute they "fall off the wagon" and introduce carbs/fats back into their diets they gain weight right away. I'm hoping that if I just moderate these things that won't happen, and I won't be tempted to "fall off the wagon" since I'm not depriving myself in the first place.
Day Seven....luckily this is a rest day!! And boy do I need it. I decided to skip church this morning because I am just exhausted, and still really sore, and have to go to work a long shift this afternoon/evening. So I slept in til' almost noon and am just hanging out until work! It's nice. I've been so busy lately I feel like even my down time has been "scheduled" so it's nice to just hang out and let my body and mind get some rest. Hopefully tomorrow I will not be so sore and can do some sort of workout. Although it is Monday and that means I have a busy day, and am planning to go see the new Twilight movie between my two shifts!!
By the way, I am in love with Pandora. It's an online radio station that creates a personalized station from the music you say you like and selects other similar music based on a bazillion qualities it measures in songs. You can create multiple stations based on your mood, too, which is great for me because my music tastes are kind of all over the map. Right now I'm listening to a station I created by entering a few indie/folk groups and some old jazz/blues singers I like. It's awesome that it's played some of my favorite obscure songs already and also some cool songs I've never heard by similar artists! Also you can rate the songs as they play, and if you click that you like a certain song it picks the following songs with this new information in mind. Pretty cool technology. Check it out! It's free!!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Week three, day five.....I got my butt kicked today.....
....and it felt GOOD!! Ha ha!
I had my second personal training session today and we got into exercise stuff. And she schooled me! It was starting to feel pretty hard and toward the end of our session I felt all weak and shaky...but pushed on and even did my cardio afterward. I did the stair mill...which is straight from the devil. It's like an escalator sort of thing with steps on a loop so it is more like actual stair climbing than a stair master. I have never seen such a contraption, it looked sort of old-school but she recommended it in particular to tone up my butt/thighs so I tried it....and lasted all of 3 minutes. YIKES. By this time I was feeling pretty done for but I did a solid ten more minutes on the eliptical. Then went off to work my busy Friday night shift at the restaurant! Boy are my legs sore :( So that's a definite A for the day! She recommended I take the day after training off or to do light walking/yoga but let my muscles recover. So that's what I'm planning on doing tomorrow...maybe some yoga after work in the afternoon.
Eating wise I'm also doing very well....sticking to the new guidelines. I have found it's a lot easier for me to do this if I kind of plan out what times and what in general I am going to eat for the next day the night before...that way I know if I have to prep lunch and dinner together according to how my work/workouts/etc are arranged in my day, or how many snacks to bring to get through a long shift at work. And if I plan certain times to eat during my shift I am much more likely to find a minute to sneak a snack in than if I don't conciously make that decision before hand. So I think this planning a day ahead thing will make this a lot easier to work with my weird, ever changing schedule. Again, an A for the day!
I had my second personal training session today and we got into exercise stuff. And she schooled me! It was starting to feel pretty hard and toward the end of our session I felt all weak and shaky...but pushed on and even did my cardio afterward. I did the stair mill...which is straight from the devil. It's like an escalator sort of thing with steps on a loop so it is more like actual stair climbing than a stair master. I have never seen such a contraption, it looked sort of old-school but she recommended it in particular to tone up my butt/thighs so I tried it....and lasted all of 3 minutes. YIKES. By this time I was feeling pretty done for but I did a solid ten more minutes on the eliptical. Then went off to work my busy Friday night shift at the restaurant! Boy are my legs sore :( So that's a definite A for the day! She recommended I take the day after training off or to do light walking/yoga but let my muscles recover. So that's what I'm planning on doing tomorrow...maybe some yoga after work in the afternoon.
Eating wise I'm also doing very well....sticking to the new guidelines. I have found it's a lot easier for me to do this if I kind of plan out what times and what in general I am going to eat for the next day the night before...that way I know if I have to prep lunch and dinner together according to how my work/workouts/etc are arranged in my day, or how many snacks to bring to get through a long shift at work. And if I plan certain times to eat during my shift I am much more likely to find a minute to sneak a snack in than if I don't conciously make that decision before hand. So I think this planning a day ahead thing will make this a lot easier to work with my weird, ever changing schedule. Again, an A for the day!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Week Three, day four....I'm soarin', flyin'...
Day Four....sorry for the High School Musical reference there :) but really, after my meeting with the trainer I am feeling really good about my plan!
Today I went to pilates at the gym and it was awesome! 45 minutes, pretty hard in places, but there were plenty of older ladies doing it pretty damn well so that was inspiring in an odd way, even if sometimes I wasn't as good at plank position as the 70 year old across from me. It just shows me that if I keep going like this I could someday be that awesome to be 70 and in good health and making twenty-somethings feel slightly inferior. Then I came home and made a tasty lunch (made dinner ahead of time too so I could eat it right when I got home from teaching this evening) and then did my weights. Sooo....I'm gonna be generous and give myself an A in both areas today! WOOHOO!! Tomorrow I'm meeting with my trainer to do some actual exercising stuff. She will most likely kick my butt. I'm gonna plan to get to the gym early to do my running/cardio. And then later work a long busy weekend shift at the restaurant. But it's money in my pocket to spend in CA in a few months!!!
Speaking of...got my second letter today from Eben! He is kinda bored at boot camp. This does not surprise me. I just hope it gets more interesting for him or else it's gonna be a really long ten weeks (I get to see him ten weeks from today!!!). He is, as always, wonderfully sweet and touching in his letters. I love him so much. If I get two letters a week this isn't gonna be so bad....and I'm sending him letters basically every other day so he should have something to look forward to at the end of the day at least.
Today I went to pilates at the gym and it was awesome! 45 minutes, pretty hard in places, but there were plenty of older ladies doing it pretty damn well so that was inspiring in an odd way, even if sometimes I wasn't as good at plank position as the 70 year old across from me. It just shows me that if I keep going like this I could someday be that awesome to be 70 and in good health and making twenty-somethings feel slightly inferior. Then I came home and made a tasty lunch (made dinner ahead of time too so I could eat it right when I got home from teaching this evening) and then did my weights. Sooo....I'm gonna be generous and give myself an A in both areas today! WOOHOO!! Tomorrow I'm meeting with my trainer to do some actual exercising stuff. She will most likely kick my butt. I'm gonna plan to get to the gym early to do my running/cardio. And then later work a long busy weekend shift at the restaurant. But it's money in my pocket to spend in CA in a few months!!!
Speaking of...got my second letter today from Eben! He is kinda bored at boot camp. This does not surprise me. I just hope it gets more interesting for him or else it's gonna be a really long ten weeks (I get to see him ten weeks from today!!!). He is, as always, wonderfully sweet and touching in his letters. I love him so much. If I get two letters a week this isn't gonna be so bad....and I'm sending him letters basically every other day so he should have something to look forward to at the end of the day at least.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Week Three, day 2 and 3....new and improved plan!
Day Two was pretty uneventful....did my usual pilates and weights and it was feeling kinda harder than normal which I attribute to being later in the day, but I got through it. Let's say that's a B for that.
Diet wise I did pretty well....though I did go out to lunch and had some amazing shrimp tacos....saved some for dinner later. Then I went to a movie and passed up the popcorn and all that jazz. Such discipline!! I LOVE popcorn. So I was pretty proud of myself. All in all nothing fabulous, but not so bad either. I'm gonna give it a B as well.
Day Three....today I had my first training session with a trainer at the gym who happens to train with my mom (and she really likes her, talks about her all the time...also teaches yoga/pilates/strength training classes there). Basically all we did today was talk about nutrition and take my measurements, etc. Which was REALLY great because that was the area where I was feeling a little lost in the woods so to speak.
So she asked me what I normally eat in a typical day, and I try to describe it but it's hard with my server's schedule to really have a "typical" day. Which is a double edged sword....it's one of the reasons I like my job, but it can also be hard to plan life around. But she said she has worked with servers and nurses (who have similar wacky hours) before and was really cool about coming up with a specific-to-me plan that would accommodate my hours and give me the right kind of nutrition at the right times in the day to give me energy to work the long hours w/o breaks. She actually looked at what I normally eat in a day and was like, "do you ever feel FULL in the course of a day??" So I guess I haven't been eating ENOUGH (which I definitely know is the case on days I have long shifts) and could do a lot better at eating specific "good stuff" to give me the correct energy and nutrition without a lot of fats and carbs. So we came up with a plan, and I went and bought a bunch of groceries this afternoon and made a yummy low-fat, high protein dinner for myself! So in this area, A for the day!! And hopefully more As to come now that I'm well stocked and have a plan to follow.
She also did some measurements and calculated my BMI with some instrument designed for that purpose and it is 25. Which for my height and age, is just on the verge of being overweight (!) I also found out that I have around 30 lbs. of fat. YIKES. Let's get rid of that, shall we?
You can find your own BMI with this calculator. This one is actually pretty good because it adjusts not only for weight and height but for age and gender as well.
So we also talked a little about exercising (but will get into more of that stuff when we meet next on Friday) and she suggested that for my cardio today I run sprint intervals on the treadmill with a pretty steep incline (5). Which I did and it kicked my butt! I only did around 25 minutes which included a little warm up/cool down. But I went about a mile and a half and it definitely got my heart rate way up! So I guess that's a B+ for the day.
I'm excited to really get going on my new nutrition plan because it should help me see results in combination with all the other stuff I'm doing.
Coincidentally, I was originally scheduled to meet with someone else to train today but he couldn't make it and asked my (now) trainer to take the appt...which is awesome, because I know my mom really likes her and after working with her I think she will be really good for me. Strangely enough, her husband is in the service as well (National Guard) and was deployed to Iraq in 2004 so we had a lot to talk about there. She's been the "military wife" and already gone through deployments and all that stuff so it's good to have someone like that in my life!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The kindness of strangers....also the ass-hole-ness of strangers....
Today I was closing lunch at the restaurant, which means that I was the last person on until the dinner crew comes in at 4. Lunch started off pretty slow so they cut the rest of the servers and left it to me and the other closing server around 1:00. It ended up getting pretty busy with just the two of us and no more bussers or expo (the person at the window who preps and in some cases brings the food to the table) and the managers AWOL (probably hanging out in the office on their iPhones because it was "slow").
Anyway, one of my first tables of the day was extremely rude to me for no apparent reason. When I greeted them they were very unfriendly, and when I asked them clarifying questions about their order they were very short and dismissive with me. At this point in the day all the servers were on and I probably only had one other table at the time, so they were getting my FULL attention and were being well taken care of. I could tell right away that they just weren't very pleasant people. So I made a mental note to get them taken care of quickly and expediently with as little interference as possible. I printed off their check straight away and kept it on me so I could deliver it at precisely the right moment, which I did. I stood it up at the end of the table and told them it was ready whenever they were, to let me know if there was anything else I could do for them, and thanked them.
I had gotten sat another table in the booth next to them (separated by a small divider but you can still see over it) and was greeting these new ladies (who were very chatty and pleasant and fun) and showing them through the menu and answering their questions when I noticed my cranky table glaring at me over the median as I was doing my job at this other table. I quick glanced to where I had put their check presenter...it hadn't been touched. I wrapped up with my nice ladies and went over..all in all probably 5-10 minutes from when I first set the check down and after I had walked by at least three times to see if they had put a card in or even picked it up (we set the presenters upright so that when you look at your bill we can tell it's been moved. Usually people set it back down flat with the card sticking out or put their card in the little slot at the top so it's sticking out and then prop the presenter up. Either way, we can tell from a glance if it's been moved from across the restaurant. That's why we do it, so we can see when you have readied your payment without having to come bother you).
I walk over to them and the woman barks at me, "We need our bill??!?" I pointed to the check presenter and said, "It's right there". It's pretty obvious that when I dropped it off before and SPOKE to them they hadn't even acknowledged my presence. "Well, we need to pay NOW then," she commanded, all flustered and annoyed. The man was holding his credit card in his hand and the check still hadn't been touched. Yes, I can see how I should have gathered from that that they were ready to pay me. I grabbed their card and as I was processing it another server who had overheard that little exchange came up and commented on how incredibly rude my table was. Yes, indeed, and for no reason.
For some reason, it really shook me up and I had to take a second to calm down. I usually don't let rude people affect me (and by and large, you really don't see that many. The majority of customers are nice, decent people) but I was really insulted that she talked down to me like that. I can understand if you are short with a bad server, or if your food was wrong, or even if it is busy and you are not getting the service you expect because it is just not possible...but NONE of these applied. I have seen some pretty strange/cheap/ungrateful customers, but none like this. I had to come to the conclusion that some people are just kind of awful, which was depressing.
I dropped off their card and politely informed the woman of the little signal I mentioned above with putting your card in the slot so it is visible to us when we walk by (3 times!!!) I did not mention to her that I thought she was an asshole and thank her for ruining my day.
So from there, things got pretty busy and I felt like none of my customers were really very nice to deal with.
Later on in the day I had a table that was an Air Force serviceman in uniform with his girlfriend or wife. I was putting in their drinks and appetizers in the computer when the bartender came over and informed me that he had a customer at the bar that wanted to pay for my tables' meal. I told him I would give him the ticket when it was all rung in.
As I was running drinks and stuff, the customer at the bar flagged me down. She said she wanted to take care of their meal, to just bring her the tab. She made it clear that she didn't want to make a big deal of it or be recognized. So I thanked her on their behalf and mentioned that I really appreciated it personally as well as I have a fiancee who is training for the Marine Corps. She wished me the best of luck and I gave her the tab. It was around $25. She gave me three twenties and said, "the rest is for you", and left. I was close to tears, touched by her selfless kindness and generosity toward two different sets of strangers.
When the couple neared the end of their meal I noticed the gentleman had put his credit card on the table. I went over and informed them that another customer had noticed them and took care of their meal today. They asked where this person was so they could thank them but I told them she had left. They were so shocked and the girl said, "that just doesn't happen!" and I said, "people surprise you...." They asked if they could leave me a tip and I told them that had been taken care of as well.
I thanked the man myself for his service and wished them both the best. It's weird how I looked at this other girl with completely different eyes now...I know how strong she probably has to be inside. I hope I can get there someday.
A few minutes after they left I went to clear off their table and saw that they had left me a tip anyway.
I work the rest of my shift, thoughtful about the events of the day and thinking of my own serviceman who I have yet to hear from, and I'm feeling pretty heavy. As I take my half hour break before I begin the dinner shift, my fellow closer (who I hadn't actually seen much at all since we were so busy and she was on the other side of the restaurant) comes over and offers out of the blue to stay and work my night shift for me. She says I look like I could use the night off and she wasn't doing anything in particular anyway....she says to go home, get comfy and relax, and she gives me a big hug. Yes, people surprise you indeed.
Anyway, one of my first tables of the day was extremely rude to me for no apparent reason. When I greeted them they were very unfriendly, and when I asked them clarifying questions about their order they were very short and dismissive with me. At this point in the day all the servers were on and I probably only had one other table at the time, so they were getting my FULL attention and were being well taken care of. I could tell right away that they just weren't very pleasant people. So I made a mental note to get them taken care of quickly and expediently with as little interference as possible. I printed off their check straight away and kept it on me so I could deliver it at precisely the right moment, which I did. I stood it up at the end of the table and told them it was ready whenever they were, to let me know if there was anything else I could do for them, and thanked them.
I had gotten sat another table in the booth next to them (separated by a small divider but you can still see over it) and was greeting these new ladies (who were very chatty and pleasant and fun) and showing them through the menu and answering their questions when I noticed my cranky table glaring at me over the median as I was doing my job at this other table. I quick glanced to where I had put their check presenter...it hadn't been touched. I wrapped up with my nice ladies and went over..all in all probably 5-10 minutes from when I first set the check down and after I had walked by at least three times to see if they had put a card in or even picked it up (we set the presenters upright so that when you look at your bill we can tell it's been moved. Usually people set it back down flat with the card sticking out or put their card in the little slot at the top so it's sticking out and then prop the presenter up. Either way, we can tell from a glance if it's been moved from across the restaurant. That's why we do it, so we can see when you have readied your payment without having to come bother you).
I walk over to them and the woman barks at me, "We need our bill??!?" I pointed to the check presenter and said, "It's right there". It's pretty obvious that when I dropped it off before and SPOKE to them they hadn't even acknowledged my presence. "Well, we need to pay NOW then," she commanded, all flustered and annoyed. The man was holding his credit card in his hand and the check still hadn't been touched. Yes, I can see how I should have gathered from that that they were ready to pay me. I grabbed their card and as I was processing it another server who had overheard that little exchange came up and commented on how incredibly rude my table was. Yes, indeed, and for no reason.
For some reason, it really shook me up and I had to take a second to calm down. I usually don't let rude people affect me (and by and large, you really don't see that many. The majority of customers are nice, decent people) but I was really insulted that she talked down to me like that. I can understand if you are short with a bad server, or if your food was wrong, or even if it is busy and you are not getting the service you expect because it is just not possible...but NONE of these applied. I have seen some pretty strange/cheap/ungrateful customers, but none like this. I had to come to the conclusion that some people are just kind of awful, which was depressing.
I dropped off their card and politely informed the woman of the little signal I mentioned above with putting your card in the slot so it is visible to us when we walk by (3 times!!!) I did not mention to her that I thought she was an asshole and thank her for ruining my day.
So from there, things got pretty busy and I felt like none of my customers were really very nice to deal with.
Later on in the day I had a table that was an Air Force serviceman in uniform with his girlfriend or wife. I was putting in their drinks and appetizers in the computer when the bartender came over and informed me that he had a customer at the bar that wanted to pay for my tables' meal. I told him I would give him the ticket when it was all rung in.
As I was running drinks and stuff, the customer at the bar flagged me down. She said she wanted to take care of their meal, to just bring her the tab. She made it clear that she didn't want to make a big deal of it or be recognized. So I thanked her on their behalf and mentioned that I really appreciated it personally as well as I have a fiancee who is training for the Marine Corps. She wished me the best of luck and I gave her the tab. It was around $25. She gave me three twenties and said, "the rest is for you", and left. I was close to tears, touched by her selfless kindness and generosity toward two different sets of strangers.
When the couple neared the end of their meal I noticed the gentleman had put his credit card on the table. I went over and informed them that another customer had noticed them and took care of their meal today. They asked where this person was so they could thank them but I told them she had left. They were so shocked and the girl said, "that just doesn't happen!" and I said, "people surprise you...." They asked if they could leave me a tip and I told them that had been taken care of as well.
I thanked the man myself for his service and wished them both the best. It's weird how I looked at this other girl with completely different eyes now...I know how strong she probably has to be inside. I hope I can get there someday.
A few minutes after they left I went to clear off their table and saw that they had left me a tip anyway.
I work the rest of my shift, thoughtful about the events of the day and thinking of my own serviceman who I have yet to hear from, and I'm feeling pretty heavy. As I take my half hour break before I begin the dinner shift, my fellow closer (who I hadn't actually seen much at all since we were so busy and she was on the other side of the restaurant) comes over and offers out of the blue to stay and work my night shift for me. She says I look like I could use the night off and she wasn't doing anything in particular anyway....she says to go home, get comfy and relax, and she gives me a big hug. Yes, people surprise you indeed.
Week Three, Day One....Mondays aren't working out so great for me.
Today, like last Monday, was a bust :(
I was wanting to get up before work to go to the gym, but when my alarm went off this AM I just wasn't feeling it. I was achy from Saturday and Sunday at work, and didn't sleep well at all. Something just wasn't right...maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
Yesterday was the first time I have cried in the two weeks since Eben left. I don't know what it was, nothing in particular happened. It just started to weigh on me, and continued to do so throughout the day. I had a long busy, interesting day at work which I wrote to in detail to Eben and might just post separately here...it explains a lot about why I was in no shape to work out, and why when I got the night off and got to go home at 5 instead of 10 I didn't go straight to the gym. I am just DRAINED today. I needed another night to relax and recoup. But I did come home to my first letter from him which was amazing!!! He is doing as well as can be expected!
So instead of hitting the gym I worked on a couple of projects and read a little, and wrote another long letter to him and printed out a bunch of wallet sized pics to send him now that I got the ok from him to send pictures.
So to recap: Workout I'm gonna give myself a D because I did run my ass off all afternoon but no technical "workout"
Diet I'm gonna say C-....I didn't feel like eating much today and what I did eat wasn't that great, and was so busy throughout the day at work that I went a really long stretch without eating anything which isn't good either.
So I have one more shift tomorrow morning and then a couple days off from the restaurant to get back on track. Tomorrow is a new day!
I was wanting to get up before work to go to the gym, but when my alarm went off this AM I just wasn't feeling it. I was achy from Saturday and Sunday at work, and didn't sleep well at all. Something just wasn't right...maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
Yesterday was the first time I have cried in the two weeks since Eben left. I don't know what it was, nothing in particular happened. It just started to weigh on me, and continued to do so throughout the day. I had a long busy, interesting day at work which I wrote to in detail to Eben and might just post separately here...it explains a lot about why I was in no shape to work out, and why when I got the night off and got to go home at 5 instead of 10 I didn't go straight to the gym. I am just DRAINED today. I needed another night to relax and recoup. But I did come home to my first letter from him which was amazing!!! He is doing as well as can be expected!
So instead of hitting the gym I worked on a couple of projects and read a little, and wrote another long letter to him and printed out a bunch of wallet sized pics to send him now that I got the ok from him to send pictures.
So to recap: Workout I'm gonna give myself a D because I did run my ass off all afternoon but no technical "workout"
Diet I'm gonna say C-....I didn't feel like eating much today and what I did eat wasn't that great, and was so busy throughout the day at work that I went a really long stretch without eating anything which isn't good either.
So I have one more shift tomorrow morning and then a couple days off from the restaurant to get back on track. Tomorrow is a new day!
Week Two Results!!
Here we are at the end of Week Two! It's gone by pretty fast actually! So I weighed myself this morning before work...and....145!! So I lost two pounds last week and am still below my target! YAY!
Here's how I did for the week:
Workouts: 3.11 = B
Diet: 2.99 = B
That's better than last week!! But I'm gonna have to kick it up a notch soon if I wanna start losing those pesky inches that are left.
Here's how I did for the week:
Workouts: 3.11 = B
Diet: 2.99 = B
That's better than last week!! But I'm gonna have to kick it up a notch soon if I wanna start losing those pesky inches that are left.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Week two, day seven....Rest day!
Today I took my Sunday day off....but still did really well on the diet thing so I'm gonna give myself a little extra credit :) Results tomorrow!! And then it's Week Three already!! Just to recap, I'm aiming to be at 146 tomorrow...stay tuned :)
I'm going to attempt to get up early and work out before my double shift tomorrow...cause God knows I won't want to do it after working 11 hours straight....this working out before work thing is stretching it for me. We shall see how motivated I am when my alarm goes off at eight tomorrow.
So after my rather disappointing night at work last night, I seemed to have a store of good server karma stored up....tonight I had a really great night at work and had a party of 17 that was easy, nice, and uncomplicated--and tipped me over the added gratuity. Funny how those things go together. Anyway, I can say that in my whole serving career I have never had the luck I had tonight. Everything seemed to be going RIGHT for once! In the words of Curly, "everything's goin my way"! And I was out by nine o'clock. Karma is real, folks. Remember that when you tip your servers, among other things ;)
And dammit, there'd better be a letter waiting for me tomorrow when I get home. I feel like I'm living in the stone age. Who'd have thought I'd be using snail mail as my lifeline???
I'm going to attempt to get up early and work out before my double shift tomorrow...cause God knows I won't want to do it after working 11 hours straight....this working out before work thing is stretching it for me. We shall see how motivated I am when my alarm goes off at eight tomorrow.
So after my rather disappointing night at work last night, I seemed to have a store of good server karma stored up....tonight I had a really great night at work and had a party of 17 that was easy, nice, and uncomplicated--and tipped me over the added gratuity. Funny how those things go together. Anyway, I can say that in my whole serving career I have never had the luck I had tonight. Everything seemed to be going RIGHT for once! In the words of Curly, "everything's goin my way"! And I was out by nine o'clock. Karma is real, folks. Remember that when you tip your servers, among other things ;)
And dammit, there'd better be a letter waiting for me tomorrow when I get home. I feel like I'm living in the stone age. Who'd have thought I'd be using snail mail as my lifeline???
Week two, days five and six....staying solidly above average :)
Week Two, Day Five:
Today I went to the gym and did my day five running routine (the one with the awkward treadmill button pushing sequences) and finished up with some crunches. Solid B+ work there.
Eating wise I did really well, I'm doing pretty good at eating frequent, smaller portions and I can tell because I never really feel full but I do feel satisfied, and then I start getting hungry more often (even though I am technically eating more or about the same) so I guess that's my metabolism staying fired up from a combination of the exercise and constant re-fueling. I did cave and have a little late night sweet snack after coming home from seeing The Scarlet Pimpernel at BCT and going out to Nye's with the cast. And I did have two drinks. So I'm gonna give my diet a B for the day...started out really well but went downhill :(
Day six.....I did another new pilates routine and it was feeling kinda challenging, in a good way. Then I did my weights...my arms are sore from all those push-ups on Wednesday! So I got through it, but it did feel a little hard. So I guess that's a B+.
Diet was good...it is just hard on days where I leave home at 2pm for work and don't get home (or get a break) until midnight. I brought a couple snacks so I could refuel quickly (and I did get real hungry several times throughout my shift which I take as a good sign) but by the end of the night I was starving and my manager bought me dinner since I had to stay real late (see previous post, ha!) so I ate some heavy-ish food a little late which is not great. But all things considered, I'm gonna give it a B+ for the day.
So tomorrow is my day off and I'm gonna have to be good because it's almost weigh-in time! So far this week I have been on track so let's hope Monday morning shows it :) Still no letter from boot camp....I think he forgot about me already :( Fourteen days now and no word!!
Today I went to the gym and did my day five running routine (the one with the awkward treadmill button pushing sequences) and finished up with some crunches. Solid B+ work there.
Eating wise I did really well, I'm doing pretty good at eating frequent, smaller portions and I can tell because I never really feel full but I do feel satisfied, and then I start getting hungry more often (even though I am technically eating more or about the same) so I guess that's my metabolism staying fired up from a combination of the exercise and constant re-fueling. I did cave and have a little late night sweet snack after coming home from seeing The Scarlet Pimpernel at BCT and going out to Nye's with the cast. And I did have two drinks. So I'm gonna give my diet a B for the day...started out really well but went downhill :(
Day six.....I did another new pilates routine and it was feeling kinda challenging, in a good way. Then I did my weights...my arms are sore from all those push-ups on Wednesday! So I got through it, but it did feel a little hard. So I guess that's a B+.
Diet was good...it is just hard on days where I leave home at 2pm for work and don't get home (or get a break) until midnight. I brought a couple snacks so I could refuel quickly (and I did get real hungry several times throughout my shift which I take as a good sign) but by the end of the night I was starving and my manager bought me dinner since I had to stay real late (see previous post, ha!) so I ate some heavy-ish food a little late which is not great. But all things considered, I'm gonna give it a B+ for the day.
So tomorrow is my day off and I'm gonna have to be good because it's almost weigh-in time! So far this week I have been on track so let's hope Monday morning shows it :) Still no letter from boot camp....I think he forgot about me already :( Fourteen days now and no word!!
I'm gonna go off topic for a sec....
It's 9:45 pm on a Saturday night and I'm working the closing shift at the restaurant. We were abnormally slow-feeling but I don't think we were actually slow per-se, we just had a lot of servers on and a lot of support staff so we weren't running around like crazies. Anyway, I had had a so-so night and I had one last table finishing up their dinner, the rest of my section was clean and reset and I was starting on my closing side-work.
In walks a couple and their two small children, and guess what, they get seated in my section. I am a little annoyed at this since it's so close to closing time, but it's to be expected as a closer. You expect to get one or two late two-top tables in the last half hour before close, but they are usually pretty quick. I'm more perturbed by the fact that these people are bringing their young kids (both under 6 I am guessing) out to dinner at ten o' clock at night. Shouldn't they be in bed, or getting ready for bed?
As a co-worker and I are discussing this (she has kids of her own) in strolls a walk-in party of TEN with four adults and SIX CHILDREN under eight. At 9:55 pm, five minutes til close.
The second I see them I know it's gonna be an even longer night. I overhear the hosts say that the only place to fit them is in my section. UGH. Of course.
Let me just lay down some really basic things you should know if you ever eat out at a restaurant. Let's call it customer etiquette:
1. If your party is over 4, odds are the restaurant is going to have to make special seating accommodations for you as the majority of tables in a restaurant seat four people max. So make a reservation. Even if it's a Monday afternoon at 3 o' clock. Even if it's the same day and you can only call a few hours ahead of time. It's just common courtesy. You wouldn't want fourteen people showing up unannounced at your doorstep at dinnertime (or bedtime) would you? Neither do we.
2. I know our hours say we close at ten. That means the kitchen should shut down AT TEN. If we wanted to stay open til 10:30, or 11, we would have those be our hours. However, if you are seated before then we technically have to stay open until you order and your food is made, and until you leave so we can clean up. As a server on a busy night we are usually in the eighth straight hour (at least) of work with no break when you come waltzing in five minutes before close. To take that one last table means that we have to stay what usually amounts to an extra hour and a half. This means the kitchen staff, wait staff, cooks, bussers, managers, etc are on the clock for an extra 60 to 90 minutes. Take the hourly wage for all those people and add it up. Then compare it to your $40 tab. You are, quite simply, wasting the restaurants' money. So just don't do it. If you are desperate, order quickly and pay and get the heck out. Respect the restaurant and the server's time. More often than not your measly tip on top of their even more measly hourly wage just doesn't make it worth it for anyone involved.
3. And finally, be aware that the staff is going out of their way for you. Make it worth their while. I know a lot of servers grumble about tips, but the majority of the time it is not really the actual amount of a tip that makes or breaks the night for us. It is what it symbolizes. To us, there is a big difference between 10 and 20 percent, even if monetarily it is only a few bucks. If I give you good service and you recognize that I went out of my way for you after hours (and your six children who are driving down my check average and my gratuity) leave a couple extra dollars. Honestly, five more dollars added on to your 18% automatic gratuity (on your pathetic check because of all the kids meals and all those waters and free kids drinks you had that you made me refill three times--because really who wouldn't want their kids to have three sodas at eleven o'clock at night) isn't going to make or break my night....or YOUR wallet for that matter.....but it's the gesture and the principle of the thing.
(And you'd better believe that as pissed as I was about the situation, I gave them excellent and prompt service with a big old smile because that's how good an actor I am :))
So, at the end of the night, around 11:30 pm, after they have left and I have bussed and cleaned and reset the tables I go to cash out my remaining open checks. The party of ten? Their tab came out to under 90 dollars making my %18 gratuity a mere $16. Did they leave A CENT over 18%? You'd better believe they didn't. And the kicker? The family of four, who didn't have automatic gratuity added, left me $5 on a $50 dollar check. But, I guess it's to be expected...the fact that you are even there at all in that situation tells me you are socially retarded. And congratulations, you just proved it to me.
It's like how every server knows that on "special occasions" like V-Day and New Year's they are going to have lots of tables of crazy people who are bad tippers. People who only come out from under their rock once or twice a year and clearly don't know how things work. That's how we know that when you walk in the door five minutes before close our night just got a whole lot longer and a whole lot crappier. I knew it, all the other servers who were shooting me pity looks knew it, and my manager who graciously bought my dinner because he felt bad for me knew it.
So yeah, next time you get hungry and your favorite place's dining room is closing in fifteen minutes? Skip it and go to McDonalds.
In walks a couple and their two small children, and guess what, they get seated in my section. I am a little annoyed at this since it's so close to closing time, but it's to be expected as a closer. You expect to get one or two late two-top tables in the last half hour before close, but they are usually pretty quick. I'm more perturbed by the fact that these people are bringing their young kids (both under 6 I am guessing) out to dinner at ten o' clock at night. Shouldn't they be in bed, or getting ready for bed?
As a co-worker and I are discussing this (she has kids of her own) in strolls a walk-in party of TEN with four adults and SIX CHILDREN under eight. At 9:55 pm, five minutes til close.
The second I see them I know it's gonna be an even longer night. I overhear the hosts say that the only place to fit them is in my section. UGH. Of course.
Let me just lay down some really basic things you should know if you ever eat out at a restaurant. Let's call it customer etiquette:
1. If your party is over 4, odds are the restaurant is going to have to make special seating accommodations for you as the majority of tables in a restaurant seat four people max. So make a reservation. Even if it's a Monday afternoon at 3 o' clock. Even if it's the same day and you can only call a few hours ahead of time. It's just common courtesy. You wouldn't want fourteen people showing up unannounced at your doorstep at dinnertime (or bedtime) would you? Neither do we.
2. I know our hours say we close at ten. That means the kitchen should shut down AT TEN. If we wanted to stay open til 10:30, or 11, we would have those be our hours. However, if you are seated before then we technically have to stay open until you order and your food is made, and until you leave so we can clean up. As a server on a busy night we are usually in the eighth straight hour (at least) of work with no break when you come waltzing in five minutes before close. To take that one last table means that we have to stay what usually amounts to an extra hour and a half. This means the kitchen staff, wait staff, cooks, bussers, managers, etc are on the clock for an extra 60 to 90 minutes. Take the hourly wage for all those people and add it up. Then compare it to your $40 tab. You are, quite simply, wasting the restaurants' money. So just don't do it. If you are desperate, order quickly and pay and get the heck out. Respect the restaurant and the server's time. More often than not your measly tip on top of their even more measly hourly wage just doesn't make it worth it for anyone involved.
3. And finally, be aware that the staff is going out of their way for you. Make it worth their while. I know a lot of servers grumble about tips, but the majority of the time it is not really the actual amount of a tip that makes or breaks the night for us. It is what it symbolizes. To us, there is a big difference between 10 and 20 percent, even if monetarily it is only a few bucks. If I give you good service and you recognize that I went out of my way for you after hours (and your six children who are driving down my check average and my gratuity) leave a couple extra dollars. Honestly, five more dollars added on to your 18% automatic gratuity (on your pathetic check because of all the kids meals and all those waters and free kids drinks you had that you made me refill three times--because really who wouldn't want their kids to have three sodas at eleven o'clock at night) isn't going to make or break my night....or YOUR wallet for that matter.....but it's the gesture and the principle of the thing.
(And you'd better believe that as pissed as I was about the situation, I gave them excellent and prompt service with a big old smile because that's how good an actor I am :))
So, at the end of the night, around 11:30 pm, after they have left and I have bussed and cleaned and reset the tables I go to cash out my remaining open checks. The party of ten? Their tab came out to under 90 dollars making my %18 gratuity a mere $16. Did they leave A CENT over 18%? You'd better believe they didn't. And the kicker? The family of four, who didn't have automatic gratuity added, left me $5 on a $50 dollar check. But, I guess it's to be expected...the fact that you are even there at all in that situation tells me you are socially retarded. And congratulations, you just proved it to me.
It's like how every server knows that on "special occasions" like V-Day and New Year's they are going to have lots of tables of crazy people who are bad tippers. People who only come out from under their rock once or twice a year and clearly don't know how things work. That's how we know that when you walk in the door five minutes before close our night just got a whole lot longer and a whole lot crappier. I knew it, all the other servers who were shooting me pity looks knew it, and my manager who graciously bought my dinner because he felt bad for me knew it.
So yeah, next time you get hungry and your favorite place's dining room is closing in fifteen minutes? Skip it and go to McDonalds.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Week two, day four...I'm on a roll baby!
I am happy to report that I have been solidly above average today! I didn't take the pilates class at my gym this morning, I decided to sleep in instead as I had kind of a late night last night. But I did 20 minutes of pilates (a new set of exercises) and my weight circuits, and 50 crunches, AND started doing push-ups with the playing cards....Disney princess playing cards! I didn't get all the way through a suit which was sad, but after I added up how many I did do it was over 50!! Yikes! And then I went and taught little kiddos dance for 4 hours. That's a solid A for the day!
Eating wise I was also pretty good...I got stuff after class to make yummy smoothies at home :) I'm gonna give eating a B+ for the day since I did eat a couple leftover wings from last night. What, I had to or they would go bad!
Also...I bought a dress a few weeks ago that I might wear to Eben's graduation...I tried it on at the store (he was with me) and it was a little tight but I could tell that if I was at my target weight it would look awesome! It was on sale and only in that size, so I bought it (at his urging--and it is REAL cute). So anyway, I tried it on today and it already fits better! Almost good enough. Oh, and I got his address today but still no letter....just the form letter the Marines send to the parents. So now I can send him my letters but I'm still waiting to hear from him! It's weird that it's now been 12 days and I haven't been in any contact with him :( Hopefully soon....
Eating wise I was also pretty good...I got stuff after class to make yummy smoothies at home :) I'm gonna give eating a B+ for the day since I did eat a couple leftover wings from last night. What, I had to or they would go bad!
Also...I bought a dress a few weeks ago that I might wear to Eben's graduation...I tried it on at the store (he was with me) and it was a little tight but I could tell that if I was at my target weight it would look awesome! It was on sale and only in that size, so I bought it (at his urging--and it is REAL cute). So anyway, I tried it on today and it already fits better! Almost good enough. Oh, and I got his address today but still no letter....just the form letter the Marines send to the parents. So now I can send him my letters but I'm still waiting to hear from him! It's weird that it's now been 12 days and I haven't been in any contact with him :( Hopefully soon....
Week Two, days two and three.....moving right along!
So, I have been a whirlwind of productivity the past few days, I'm not sure where these bursts of productive energy are coming from, but I'll take em!
Day Two, Tuesday, I worked the lunch shift and was outta there by 1:30 and made more in tips with my four tables than I did the day before when I got out real late. That's serving for ya, gotta love the unpredictability :) I had an appointment at 3 to meet with a guy at the gym I have had a trial guest membership for, to talk about possibly joining. So I went home from work, did a good 20 minutes of pilates AND my weight circuits before meeting up with him. And I joined! I am now a member of a gym, something I have been putting off for a long time because I didn't think I could afford it. I'm gonna make it work. Then I was off to Eden Prairie to make dinner with my good friend Tom. We made enchiladas, and they were delicious :) Not too unhealthy....right?? Hmmmm... So, all things considered, I'm gonna give my workout for the day a B+ and my eating a C-. Did I forget to mention we also made these warm delicious chocolate chip cookie dessert things? No? Well....yeah. Hence the (-).
Day Three, Wednesday....a full day off!! I went to the gym in the AM and swiped my card for the first time...oh yeah! I did my running day three routine and finished up with 50 crunches. Then I went to lunch with my Mom and had yummy and healthy soup and salad from Panera. Then went and got my oil changed/headlight replaced that's been out for months (whoops) then went home and went gonzo on my old room....did a ton of weeding out stuff to be donated, thrown away, and condensed the rest to store/save. All the time thinking...only keep what you could move across the country in your car if need be.....
Took a break to watch SYTYCD and Glee (yay for its return!) and then had a long phone conversation with my wonderful sister...I love her so much and love that I am lucky to have her as my sister. I read once that your sibling relationships are the most important ones in life because they are actually the person that you know for the longest extended period of time...well I'm so blessed to be going through this crazy ride they call life alongside her in that case.
Then as luck would have it, my lovely friend Jake calls me up asking if I am "in for the night"....on a whim I decide to head out and we have some drinks and eat some crappy bar food. And by crappy I mean delicious. Jake actually teared up from eating the blazin wings at BWW. But he continued to eat them and I admire him for that. That's ballsy.
So.....long story short, I give my workout for the day a B+ and eating....C-. I think I'm beginning to see a trend..
PS: As part of my gym membership I get three personal training sessions, my first is next Wednesday...I can't wait! Tomorrow morning I'm gonna try out the pilates class they offer. FUN!
Day Two, Tuesday, I worked the lunch shift and was outta there by 1:30 and made more in tips with my four tables than I did the day before when I got out real late. That's serving for ya, gotta love the unpredictability :) I had an appointment at 3 to meet with a guy at the gym I have had a trial guest membership for, to talk about possibly joining. So I went home from work, did a good 20 minutes of pilates AND my weight circuits before meeting up with him. And I joined! I am now a member of a gym, something I have been putting off for a long time because I didn't think I could afford it. I'm gonna make it work. Then I was off to Eden Prairie to make dinner with my good friend Tom. We made enchiladas, and they were delicious :) Not too unhealthy....right?? Hmmmm... So, all things considered, I'm gonna give my workout for the day a B+ and my eating a C-. Did I forget to mention we also made these warm delicious chocolate chip cookie dessert things? No? Well....yeah. Hence the (-).
Day Three, Wednesday....a full day off!! I went to the gym in the AM and swiped my card for the first time...oh yeah! I did my running day three routine and finished up with 50 crunches. Then I went to lunch with my Mom and had yummy and healthy soup and salad from Panera. Then went and got my oil changed/headlight replaced that's been out for months (whoops) then went home and went gonzo on my old room....did a ton of weeding out stuff to be donated, thrown away, and condensed the rest to store/save. All the time thinking...only keep what you could move across the country in your car if need be.....
Took a break to watch SYTYCD and Glee (yay for its return!) and then had a long phone conversation with my wonderful sister...I love her so much and love that I am lucky to have her as my sister. I read once that your sibling relationships are the most important ones in life because they are actually the person that you know for the longest extended period of time...well I'm so blessed to be going through this crazy ride they call life alongside her in that case.
Then as luck would have it, my lovely friend Jake calls me up asking if I am "in for the night"....on a whim I decide to head out and we have some drinks and eat some crappy bar food. And by crappy I mean delicious. Jake actually teared up from eating the blazin wings at BWW. But he continued to eat them and I admire him for that. That's ballsy.
So.....long story short, I give my workout for the day a B+ and eating....C-. I think I'm beginning to see a trend..
PS: As part of my gym membership I get three personal training sessions, my first is next Wednesday...I can't wait! Tomorrow morning I'm gonna try out the pilates class they offer. FUN!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Week two, day one......work sucks.
Oh my, I'm afraid today was somewhat of a fizzle.
I basically worked from 11am-10pm....and was very very busy. So I made some good money, especially considering it's Monday, but I was already tired from my Saturday and Sunday night hell shifts so my legs are really hurting. On top of that, my lower back is killing me in one particular place since my last chiropractor visit. It actually got a little better as the day went on, but yikes it feels like I have a pinched nerve or something.
So, I was planning on hitting the gym after work this evening, seeing as I was in a first cut section and that usually means you are outta there around 8:30 on Mondays. But by the time I got out at ten I wouldn't have made it before closing time even if I still had the motivation, which I did NOT.
But, I'm not going to give myself an F for the day because I'm sure I walked the equivalent of 5 miles in my eleven hours of serving today. I'm going to try to make up the running session this week too. So, I'm gonna say I get a D+. :(
Eating wise I did ok....didn't really have much of a chance to eat but I tried to sneak something in when I could. I had to eat at work (and hey, it was FREE) so I had the Chicken Pad Thai which is one of the lighter things on the menu, but still lots of noodles. I also lucked out and got a free brownie which I shared with a co-worker. YUM :) So...I'll say a D+ for this area today as well.
I am looking forward to later this week when I'm not working back to back shifts and have some days off. When you're a server, your weekends consist of work and your mid-week is more like the weekend for normal people. It's all topsy-turvy. Just one of the many strange ways of the server lifestyle. Speaking of which....there is a great blog called Waiter Rant that really says it all. He's an amazing writer and had a book published based on his blog about a year ago. I highly recommend checking it out...start at the beginning. Here's one of my favorites:
http://waiterrant.net/?p=88
I basically worked from 11am-10pm....and was very very busy. So I made some good money, especially considering it's Monday, but I was already tired from my Saturday and Sunday night hell shifts so my legs are really hurting. On top of that, my lower back is killing me in one particular place since my last chiropractor visit. It actually got a little better as the day went on, but yikes it feels like I have a pinched nerve or something.
So, I was planning on hitting the gym after work this evening, seeing as I was in a first cut section and that usually means you are outta there around 8:30 on Mondays. But by the time I got out at ten I wouldn't have made it before closing time even if I still had the motivation, which I did NOT.
But, I'm not going to give myself an F for the day because I'm sure I walked the equivalent of 5 miles in my eleven hours of serving today. I'm going to try to make up the running session this week too. So, I'm gonna say I get a D+. :(
Eating wise I did ok....didn't really have much of a chance to eat but I tried to sneak something in when I could. I had to eat at work (and hey, it was FREE) so I had the Chicken Pad Thai which is one of the lighter things on the menu, but still lots of noodles. I also lucked out and got a free brownie which I shared with a co-worker. YUM :) So...I'll say a D+ for this area today as well.
I am looking forward to later this week when I'm not working back to back shifts and have some days off. When you're a server, your weekends consist of work and your mid-week is more like the weekend for normal people. It's all topsy-turvy. Just one of the many strange ways of the server lifestyle. Speaking of which....there is a great blog called Waiter Rant that really says it all. He's an amazing writer and had a book published based on his blog about a year ago. I highly recommend checking it out...start at the beginning. Here's one of my favorites:
http://waiterrant.net/?p=88
Week one results!!
Alright, here is the moment of truth...so this morning I stepped on the scale hoping to have accomplished my two pound goal......and I did! And then some!! So my goal for this Monday was 148 and I weighed in at 147! YAY! Three pound loss still within healthy range. So really this coming week I have to lose and keep off just one more pound to keep on track for next Monday's weigh-in. I think that's easily within reach. These are the "easy pounds" that my body doesn't really mind getting rid of...basically what I put on in the past two months since Thoroughly Modern Millie closed and Eben and I were eating crappy and basically hibernating. The last ten will be the real tough ones.
And here is my average grade for the week:
Fitness: GPA = 2.667 = B-
Diet: GPA= 2.722 = B-
And here is my average grade for the week:
Fitness: GPA = 2.667 = B-
Diet: GPA= 2.722 = B-
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Week one, day seven....taking a well deserved break!
Well the title says it all...Today I'm taking a break from working out and not being quite so strict with my diet. Maybe I'll do some yoga after work but nothing strenuous. For lunch today I ate at a really yummy Indian restaurant with Eben's parents...delicious food but I actually don't feel stuffed so that's good. I've decided that Sunday is a good day to do my "free day"...since it is the day before weigh-in (and possible photo documentation, oh my!) I probably will not feel at liberty to go too crazy :)
So...while figuring out my grade point average I decided that Sundays would be a little extra credit opportunity. So if I decide to work out I will gain a half grade but won't be penalized for not. Likewise if I eat horribly or go on an alcoholic bender I will knock a half grade off for the week. So no more Sunday afternoon benders in my future, ha ha ha!
So G.P.A. tallies for the week to come tomorrow with the official weigh-in. The excitement mounts. Please remain in your seats.
So...while figuring out my grade point average I decided that Sundays would be a little extra credit opportunity. So if I decide to work out I will gain a half grade but won't be penalized for not. Likewise if I eat horribly or go on an alcoholic bender I will knock a half grade off for the week. So no more Sunday afternoon benders in my future, ha ha ha!
So G.P.A. tallies for the week to come tomorrow with the official weigh-in. The excitement mounts. Please remain in your seats.
Week one, day six...oh my aching legs!
Day six, Saturday....sticking to the plan pretty well. I did my regular 20 min. pilates circuit and then did the weights but it was feeling pretty hard. My arm/chest muscles must be building up because they are real sore! So I had to switch to the three pounders for most of my second circuit. Hmmph. 60 ball crunches, not too shabby. Next week along with adding more push-ups I want to get a different pilates routine worked up that is a little more challenging to push me on the days I'm not running. So....I'm gonnna give it a C for the day. Just average.
Eating wise I was good today...actually probably didn't eat enough for the amount of activity I was doing. Had a long LONG crazy shift at work tonight and now my legs are extemely sore! I swear, there is something about serving that is just vicious on your legs/feet. More so than working out, long dance rehearsals, any of that. After work I refrained from snacking even though that is usually when I stress eat, ha! I just repeatedly counted my money instead, kinda the same effect but a LOT less late-night calories :) Gotta love the feeling of cash in your hand. So....B+ for me today! In the coming weeks I want to start moving away from just cutting out the bad stuff and toward incorporating more good stuff. Then maybe I'll get that elusive A.
Oh, also, I thought today that I should probably take some before/after pictures on Monday when I record my weight just so I can see if I'm making any visible progress. Not that I will probably post them here, no one needs to see that. Well, maybe the after ones :)
I think tomorrow is going to be a rest day. If I feel incredibly motivated after work and it's not too late I might go to the gym but we'll see about that. I might just do as the big guy upstairs says and declare Sunday an all around day of rest for the remainder of my thirteen weeks. If I can run on days 1, 3, and 5 as my running program prescribes and do pilates/weights/etc on 2, 4, and 6 that should be pretty good.
Now it's off to bed to rest my weary bones.
Eating wise I was good today...actually probably didn't eat enough for the amount of activity I was doing. Had a long LONG crazy shift at work tonight and now my legs are extemely sore! I swear, there is something about serving that is just vicious on your legs/feet. More so than working out, long dance rehearsals, any of that. After work I refrained from snacking even though that is usually when I stress eat, ha! I just repeatedly counted my money instead, kinda the same effect but a LOT less late-night calories :) Gotta love the feeling of cash in your hand. So....B+ for me today! In the coming weeks I want to start moving away from just cutting out the bad stuff and toward incorporating more good stuff. Then maybe I'll get that elusive A.
Oh, also, I thought today that I should probably take some before/after pictures on Monday when I record my weight just so I can see if I'm making any visible progress. Not that I will probably post them here, no one needs to see that. Well, maybe the after ones :)
I think tomorrow is going to be a rest day. If I feel incredibly motivated after work and it's not too late I might go to the gym but we'll see about that. I might just do as the big guy upstairs says and declare Sunday an all around day of rest for the remainder of my thirteen weeks. If I can run on days 1, 3, and 5 as my running program prescribes and do pilates/weights/etc on 2, 4, and 6 that should be pretty good.
Now it's off to bed to rest my weary bones.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Week one, Days Four and Five...Gettin' in the groove!!
Well I'm nearing the end of week one and just building up momentum! So far this has been great...here's how the days have gone.
Day Four: Thursday I did 25 minutes of pilates, 60 crunches, and then did my weights (2 circuits) still around 30 reps. My arms were (and still are) pretty sore from Wednesday!! Yikes. I wussed out a couple times and switched to the three pound weights toward the end of my reps. BAD HEATHER. I really blasted my pecs on Wednesday I guess. Next week I'm gonna try doing a push-up exercise where you use a deck of cards...turn them over one at a time, and do the number of pushups on the card, for face cards you repeat the last number. I think I can probably get through one suit. We shall see next week. I really hate push-ups. But alas, I am getting ahead of myself....
So for fitness I give myself a solid B. A little above average but nothing spectacular.
As far as diet, I did ok...ate pretty light throughout the day. After teaching some dance/theatre classes that evening I went out and joined some lovely ladies for drinks. There I had a really yummy martini concoction and we all shared a delicious chocolate chip cookie/ice cream dessert thing. So....in the circumstances, I did pretty well. But I'm gonna give it a C+ for the day.
Day Five: Today (Friday) I stuck to the running plan and did the day 5 routine. This one is kinda annoying because you have to run for a minute and then walk for 30 seconds and keep repeating this cycle for like 30 minutes. It amounts to about 3 miles. It's good b/c it keeps your heart rate up, I guess. But it was much easier to do on the trail this summer than on a treadmill where you have to keep adjusting speed all the time. Now they should make a treadmill that adjusts to YOUR speed, that would be a worthwhile invention! I'm sure they could.....why you holding out on us, treadmill making people??? Awkward button pushing aside, I actually felt this was easier for me now than it was when I did it a few months ago. Maybe because now I'm actually sticking to the every-other-day thing and before it was harder because I was doing a show and trying to coordinate workouts with Eben. Anyway, it was a good hard workout but not hard in a bad, I'm-gonna-keel-over-I-can't-breathe sort of way. And then I finished off with 60 crunches! Yay! :)
So, fitness for the day...I'm gonna be generous today and give myself an A-! woohoo!
As far as diet is concerned....started off a little rocky but here's why. I met my good friend Jake for lunch and movie which is, coincidentally, one of the best things ever. Considering past lunch/movie dates, we BOTH showed commendable restraint. I had a cup of soup and a coffee with Bailey's (it's ok to drink before noon if it is in coffee, because that's a morning beverage) and half a soft pretzel at the movie...and got a coke but ended up not really drinking much of it. You have to understand that for us, this is SPARTAN I TELL YOU. Then I went to Panera and got a salad that was as big as my head and ate half while I killed time before work. Quite enjoyable afternoon if I do say so myself. Plus the fact that I got off work and got to do aforementioned awesome workout and be home by 8:30 to enjoy an evening of solitude. Freakin sweet.
So: Fitness (A-), Diet...I'm gonna give it a C+.
And because I'm a dork I'll probably start calculating my wellness GPA for the week soon. Oh my.
On a personal note...I am missing my fiancee something fierce but have realized that this is actually not half as bad as I made it to be in my head. Now that it is here, I am taking advantage of what this period of time has to offer to me...which is a chance to really focus inward on making myself better as well as focusing outward on my friends and family. I feel like I have had tunnel vision the past few months and everything was about him, and him leaving, and us, and now that that period is over I can turn more outward and build relationships with those who are important in my life. It is also really showing me how amazing and supportive the people in my life are, and I am so thankful for these wonderful people. You know who you are.
Now to just wait for that first letter.....
Day Four: Thursday I did 25 minutes of pilates, 60 crunches, and then did my weights (2 circuits) still around 30 reps. My arms were (and still are) pretty sore from Wednesday!! Yikes. I wussed out a couple times and switched to the three pound weights toward the end of my reps. BAD HEATHER. I really blasted my pecs on Wednesday I guess. Next week I'm gonna try doing a push-up exercise where you use a deck of cards...turn them over one at a time, and do the number of pushups on the card, for face cards you repeat the last number. I think I can probably get through one suit. We shall see next week. I really hate push-ups. But alas, I am getting ahead of myself....
So for fitness I give myself a solid B. A little above average but nothing spectacular.
As far as diet, I did ok...ate pretty light throughout the day. After teaching some dance/theatre classes that evening I went out and joined some lovely ladies for drinks. There I had a really yummy martini concoction and we all shared a delicious chocolate chip cookie/ice cream dessert thing. So....in the circumstances, I did pretty well. But I'm gonna give it a C+ for the day.
Day Five: Today (Friday) I stuck to the running plan and did the day 5 routine. This one is kinda annoying because you have to run for a minute and then walk for 30 seconds and keep repeating this cycle for like 30 minutes. It amounts to about 3 miles. It's good b/c it keeps your heart rate up, I guess. But it was much easier to do on the trail this summer than on a treadmill where you have to keep adjusting speed all the time. Now they should make a treadmill that adjusts to YOUR speed, that would be a worthwhile invention! I'm sure they could.....why you holding out on us, treadmill making people??? Awkward button pushing aside, I actually felt this was easier for me now than it was when I did it a few months ago. Maybe because now I'm actually sticking to the every-other-day thing and before it was harder because I was doing a show and trying to coordinate workouts with Eben. Anyway, it was a good hard workout but not hard in a bad, I'm-gonna-keel-over-I-can't-breathe sort of way. And then I finished off with 60 crunches! Yay! :)
So, fitness for the day...I'm gonna be generous today and give myself an A-! woohoo!
As far as diet is concerned....started off a little rocky but here's why. I met my good friend Jake for lunch and movie which is, coincidentally, one of the best things ever. Considering past lunch/movie dates, we BOTH showed commendable restraint. I had a cup of soup and a coffee with Bailey's (it's ok to drink before noon if it is in coffee, because that's a morning beverage) and half a soft pretzel at the movie...and got a coke but ended up not really drinking much of it. You have to understand that for us, this is SPARTAN I TELL YOU. Then I went to Panera and got a salad that was as big as my head and ate half while I killed time before work. Quite enjoyable afternoon if I do say so myself. Plus the fact that I got off work and got to do aforementioned awesome workout and be home by 8:30 to enjoy an evening of solitude. Freakin sweet.
So: Fitness (A-), Diet...I'm gonna give it a C+.
And because I'm a dork I'll probably start calculating my wellness GPA for the week soon. Oh my.
On a personal note...I am missing my fiancee something fierce but have realized that this is actually not half as bad as I made it to be in my head. Now that it is here, I am taking advantage of what this period of time has to offer to me...which is a chance to really focus inward on making myself better as well as focusing outward on my friends and family. I feel like I have had tunnel vision the past few months and everything was about him, and him leaving, and us, and now that that period is over I can turn more outward and build relationships with those who are important in my life. It is also really showing me how amazing and supportive the people in my life are, and I am so thankful for these wonderful people. You know who you are.
Now to just wait for that first letter.....
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Week one, days two and three...
Day two was kind of a free day....didn't work out but I did hang out with my good friend Tom and we went to a really yummy and classy restaurant (yummy and classy, my two favorite things!) So, though I tried to keep my portions small, the food was real rich. I had probably the best french onion soup ever created, and a mini (and I do mean mini) pizza. And half a bottle of wine. So I indulged a little but definitely within reason! I'll give myself an F for working out, and a C for eating, ha!!
Day three...did 40 minutes of running (day three training). Weights after work. I am using a program that Eben worked up for me which consists of two circuits of various exercises and I am doing anywhere from 25-40 reps. Plus crunches, push ups, and stuff on the ball. As of right now, I am getting pretty maxed out using the five pound weights at 25-30 reps. 50 crunches were pretty easy, and I can crank out about 15 push-ups (girly style) fast in a row. That's a solid A for the day :)
As for eating, I did pretty well...I give myself a B+ for the day. It's hard when you go to work and some days there is just dead food sitting there begging you to eat it, or we have tastings before shift...I did eat a bit but I just counted it as my dinner :)
Day three...did 40 minutes of running (day three training). Weights after work. I am using a program that Eben worked up for me which consists of two circuits of various exercises and I am doing anywhere from 25-40 reps. Plus crunches, push ups, and stuff on the ball. As of right now, I am getting pretty maxed out using the five pound weights at 25-30 reps. 50 crunches were pretty easy, and I can crank out about 15 push-ups (girly style) fast in a row. That's a solid A for the day :)
As for eating, I did pretty well...I give myself a B+ for the day. It's hard when you go to work and some days there is just dead food sitting there begging you to eat it, or we have tastings before shift...I did eat a bit but I just counted it as my dinner :)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Week one, day one
Weight: 150
I plan to only weigh myself and record it every Monday morning. I figure if I lose two pounds a week which most experts agree is a safe and realistic goal and easily attainable with the methods I will be using, I should be down to my goal within 13 weeks.
Workout: I plan to use a combination of running, strength training, and pilates/yoga. I have a modular running system from the book Daniels' Running Formula that gradually builds up your body to run distances...now I am not at all a runner, but I started using this system along with my fiancee Eben this summer (he was trying to switch his body from speedskating to running in preparation for the Marines) and I actually quite enjoyed it. So it is basically a 7 day plan, with optional days off on days 2, 4, and 6. I am on "White level" (which is the second 16 week chunk) week one. Weeks one through four are the same and then it switches up for the next four, and so on. For strength training I am doing a set of excercises that Eben (who was a personal trainer) set up for me that use 3, 5, and 8 pound weights and an exercise ball.
My plan is to run the prescribed days according to the plan, and on days off do strength training and/or yoga and pilates.
Today I ran the week one, day one plan but had to cut it from 40 minutes to 30 as I am still recovering from the flu and have a persistent cough...once I started hacking I thought I should probably leave so people didn't freak out about the spread of swine flu and all that.
I also did 20 minutes of yoga and 40 crunches on the ball.
Eating wise, no major infractions to report. I am trying to eat smaller amounts more frequently and I did today, but that is always easier on days I don't have to work. Hope to get a cookbook soon and try some tasty healthy recipes...
Fitness= B+
Diet=B
So.....so far so good! I am feeling good and ready to get into shape. I am liking the idea of having a project that will keep me busy while Eben is away and I can't talk to him outside of letters...and the end result will be so worth it!!
I plan to only weigh myself and record it every Monday morning. I figure if I lose two pounds a week which most experts agree is a safe and realistic goal and easily attainable with the methods I will be using, I should be down to my goal within 13 weeks.
Workout: I plan to use a combination of running, strength training, and pilates/yoga. I have a modular running system from the book Daniels' Running Formula that gradually builds up your body to run distances...now I am not at all a runner, but I started using this system along with my fiancee Eben this summer (he was trying to switch his body from speedskating to running in preparation for the Marines) and I actually quite enjoyed it. So it is basically a 7 day plan, with optional days off on days 2, 4, and 6. I am on "White level" (which is the second 16 week chunk) week one. Weeks one through four are the same and then it switches up for the next four, and so on. For strength training I am doing a set of excercises that Eben (who was a personal trainer) set up for me that use 3, 5, and 8 pound weights and an exercise ball.
My plan is to run the prescribed days according to the plan, and on days off do strength training and/or yoga and pilates.
Today I ran the week one, day one plan but had to cut it from 40 minutes to 30 as I am still recovering from the flu and have a persistent cough...once I started hacking I thought I should probably leave so people didn't freak out about the spread of swine flu and all that.
I also did 20 minutes of yoga and 40 crunches on the ball.
Eating wise, no major infractions to report. I am trying to eat smaller amounts more frequently and I did today, but that is always easier on days I don't have to work. Hope to get a cookbook soon and try some tasty healthy recipes...
Fitness= B+
Diet=B
So.....so far so good! I am feeling good and ready to get into shape. I am liking the idea of having a project that will keep me busy while Eben is away and I can't talk to him outside of letters...and the end result will be so worth it!!
Why hello there....
Well, here goes nothin'.
A blog, you say? Isn't that kind of self-indulgent? Who wants to hear what I have to say and why would I think it was important?
I guess I am doing this as more of a way to put what I am doing into writing, to be held accountable...I saw a show tonight, Biloxi Blues, and the Neil Simon character realizes that what he puts into writing somehow becomes truth in peoples' eyes, even if it is just his personal musings and ideas. And that gives him, as a writer, great responsibility. So along those lines I'm hoping that what I put into writing becomes truth and that it also holds me responsible. That by keeping a record and putting it "out there" I will be held to it in some way..even if no one is out there reading it, that I know of....there could be.
So, my mission, ostensibly, is this: lose twenty pounds in thirteen weeks. I plan to do this the old fashioned way, good old diet and exercise. Simply watch what I eat and remain consistently active. I will use this forum to record my progress and will strive to be open and honest about my successes and failures. Again, not that this is in and of itself, that interesting. Just a way for me to keep track.
I chose thirteen weeks because my fiancee left for US Marine Corps boot camp yesterday and he will be there for thirteen weeks. At the end of this insanely trying and physically testing period, he will be a Marine and I will go to San Diego to see him graduate. And I want to get in the best shape of my life and amaze him so that the first time he sees me after three months he won't even recognize me! Because I know he will be likewise very very changed. I have been wanting to do this for a long time and this is the best motivation I can think of, plus I will have a lot of extra time on my hands, and I want to use this time apart to really better myself in a few different areas (more on that later).
So stay tuned...more to come soon..
A blog, you say? Isn't that kind of self-indulgent? Who wants to hear what I have to say and why would I think it was important?
I guess I am doing this as more of a way to put what I am doing into writing, to be held accountable...I saw a show tonight, Biloxi Blues, and the Neil Simon character realizes that what he puts into writing somehow becomes truth in peoples' eyes, even if it is just his personal musings and ideas. And that gives him, as a writer, great responsibility. So along those lines I'm hoping that what I put into writing becomes truth and that it also holds me responsible. That by keeping a record and putting it "out there" I will be held to it in some way..even if no one is out there reading it, that I know of....there could be.
So, my mission, ostensibly, is this: lose twenty pounds in thirteen weeks. I plan to do this the old fashioned way, good old diet and exercise. Simply watch what I eat and remain consistently active. I will use this forum to record my progress and will strive to be open and honest about my successes and failures. Again, not that this is in and of itself, that interesting. Just a way for me to keep track.
I chose thirteen weeks because my fiancee left for US Marine Corps boot camp yesterday and he will be there for thirteen weeks. At the end of this insanely trying and physically testing period, he will be a Marine and I will go to San Diego to see him graduate. And I want to get in the best shape of my life and amaze him so that the first time he sees me after three months he won't even recognize me! Because I know he will be likewise very very changed. I have been wanting to do this for a long time and this is the best motivation I can think of, plus I will have a lot of extra time on my hands, and I want to use this time apart to really better myself in a few different areas (more on that later).
So stay tuned...more to come soon..
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