Still working at it

I haven't gone over my calories.

I'm still doing that disgusting seven-day cleanse; thank God it's over tomorrow. I would be done today, but I missed a day. Tragic!

All things considered, I'm feeling pretty good. There are moments when I miss mindless eating - being able to go get a pack of M&M's just because I want them, and not worry about the calories. But that's just not my life any more, is it?

Nope. My body is a temple.

Stop laughing!

A smaller loaf

I got dressed this morning. I know, I know - what an accomplishment! But the really exciting part was that it was easier.

My clothes are sliding on with little or no effort.

I realize I'm only down 8.5 pounds. Miles to go before I sleep, ya know? But that 8.5 has made a huge difference. My jeans look fabulous right out of the dryer, instead of two hours after I put them on (and painfully wait for them to stretch out.) And my t-shirt; today, I noticed a huge t-shirt change.

I'm wearing this super-soft 3/4 sleeve heather gray t-shirt from Old Navy. I don't wear it very often, and I usually only wear it under a jacket, because that loaf of French bread that sits atop my waist band makes it look horrible. This jiggly mass of Maggie is not what I want to show the world! And yet, today ... I sure as hell notice less of it. 8.5 pounds makes a HUGE difference.

Which shouldn't come as a big surprise. After all, 8.5 pounds of fat is 36 sticks of butter. That takes up some serious real estate! And now ... it's just freakin' GONE.

The loaf is still there, but it's a much more manageable size. More like demi-baguette.

Weekly weigh-in

So I changed my weigh-in day to Thursday instead of Friday. Last week I weighed on Thursday, because "vacation" started on Friday, and this morning I couldn't resist. I'd waited a week ... isn't that enough?

I expected to maybe go up a pound. I hoped I would stay the same. After all, on my birthday, I didn't track a single calorie, and I only went to the gym twice last week.

Turns out, I didn't need to worry. I lost three pounds.

For those of you keeping track (which is pretty much just me, although I have this illusion that I have tons and tons of readers) that means I am down 8.5 pounds in the last three weeks.

Through all of that, I have celebrated a birthday, gotten injured and had to pull back on the gym schedule, and been tempted by all sorts of delicious food. I will not be deterred. I am keeping my eyes on the goal: Overall good health (and a toned bod.)

I will run again

Unlike Chicago's Mayor Daley, I will run again.

No, not for mayor, nor for any public post. However, I will physically put one foot in front of the other and hot-foot it to my destination. I will actually run.

You see, over the weekend, I injured my knee. Again. I'm relatively certain it's a ligament sprain, and I'm not going to the doctor. I've seen enough doctors this year, thank you very much, and I know what he'd tell me. Rest; Ice; Compress; Elevate. So, I'll just do that and eliminate the middle man.

Except I still have to go to the gym, which I did last night and encountered only a minimum of pain. And it was totally worth it; Donna invited me on to the stage during the cool-down, which was to Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", a song I requested in the summer of 2009. The song is perfect for Salsa/Funk, because they lyrics just work - "Listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing, we're just one big family ... " Yeah, that's us. Love it.

So after class I'm limping my way toward the stairs and I tell Linda I'm frustrated, because I'm not sure I'll ever run again. And she tells me to basically knock it off. "When that thought creeps in," she said, " tell yourself you will run again." So I'm working on that.

I'm also working on not kicking that weird half-shirt-wearing guy in the nards. He creeps me out.

Anyway, I will run again. Just thought you should know.

In other news, I am doing the "Cleanse Away 7-Day Renewal" cleanse from Rainbow Light, in an attempt to get the toxins moving and clean out my innards. So far, it's just a little disgusting, but I'm on Day One. I keep assuring myself that it will be worth it when I get to the end of the week; I promise to let you know how it goes!

Post-birthday post

I did not count my calories on my birthday.

However, I did count them the rest of the weekend. I went over a little one day, but other than that, we're on target.

I'm a little worried about my workout regimen, because I have tweaked yet another part of my knee and will not be able to do my "normal" stuff, but I'm determined to do what I can and continue burning the calories. I allowed myself to take a pass on a lot of workout opportunities in the weeks leading up to the birthday, knowing that once it passed I'd have a lot fewer scheduled events and a lot less temptation. So, I can't just take time off.

All things considered, I made pretty good choices with my food over the weekend. Homemade crab quiche, only one piece. Lots of raw veggies. Yogurt. Organic roasted vegetables with my eggs. Turkey breast. Multi-grain bread. Yeah, not bad.

Looking forward, with some trepidation, to weighing in on Friday. I'm a little nervous, and every now and then I get this intense desire to jump on the scale and see where I am ... but no. Once a week is enough.

Weigh in, one day early

Got on the scale this morning. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, seeing as last week's loss of four big ones was so dramatic. Maybe I wouldn't be down at all, what with the water retention and all (thank you, hormones) ... but TADA! Down 1.5 ... for those of you playing the at-home version of our game, that's six sticks of butter.

A major accomplishment, in my opinion.

So, what am I doing differently? Here's the major change, in my opinion: I'm focused on it, but I'm not stressed about it. I'll only make it to the gym twice this week, and I only walked three times, but that's okay. Some weeks are easier than others. I'm watching everything I eat, and I'm making sure I enjoy my food.

Now for the hard part: I'm giving myself a bit of a weekend vacation, and I'm a little scared about it. I'll be offline, so I won't have access to my online food diary. And I will be surrounded by delicious food. And beer. So I'm making this commitment right now: I will take a walk or a bike ride both Saturday and Sunday. I will be careful with what I eat, but I will not be psycho about it. I will drink plenty of water. In short, I will be good to myself.

And when I get back, I'll letcha know how it goes.

Birthday Celebrations Begin

Our Salsa/Funk instructor, Donna, has this tradition where she invites people who are having a birthday in the coming week to join her on stage during the teaching of one of the dances. So technically, last night I started celebrating my birthday with Donna, Shakira and a room packed with dear friends.

Donna always makes me feel capable and strong. It's a wonderful feeling, approaching age 45, to just dance and let your troubles (and, hopefully, your dimpled ass) melt away.

Needless to say, last night was wonderful. It didn't start out that way. The meds I'm on (thank you, dentist from hell) make me a little blechy in the belly and I was cranky, but things quickly turned around. That happens when you're around friends.

I powered through Strictly Strength (and tried not to laugh at poor Linda, who was feeling the effects of the previous day's personal training session) and was ready to dance by the time 6:45 rolled around. And did we ever dance! Even with a narcissistic Clydesdale dancing next to me, we had a blast. So when Shakira's "This Time for Africa" came on, I jumped onto the stage for my birthday dance with Donna, and boogied to my goofy heart's content.

Later that night, workout friend Nicole told me that, during the song, she was thinking how the lyrics were perfect for me that night:

Today's your day
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it
If you get down get up, oh oh
When you get down get up, eh eh ...

And yeah, I think she's right. Salsa/Funk is my way of getting up when I'm down. And it works, damn near every time.