Dress Quest

So I’m day two into trying my damndest to fit into That Dress. So far, so crazy. I’ve gotten in some decent exercise both days. My biggest difficulty will be resisting food cravings when they sprout up, and I’ve got more triggers than a Lone Ranger conference (thank you, I’m here all week). Boredom, anxiety, sleepiness, sadness and frustration all make me want to eat. So do daily associations (i.e. I regularly snack while playing on my computer) and I’m a sucka’ for the power of suggestion (I’m a marketing guy’s wet dream; I see an ad for ice cream, I want; drive by a sushi place, I want; read about food on someone’s blog, drooooool…)

I have a couple of strategies. The biggest one in my arsenal is to get up early to hit the gym, thus forcing me to go to bed early as nighttime = snacktime. I’ve also been chewing sugar free gum and swilling gallons of tea anytime a craving kicks in.

I'm hoping to get in a lengthly walk with the puppy tonight, and then hit the hay early.

Commence pounding head on desk

I was totally going to stop the whole dieting madness. Because, although I’d deny and claim it was all way of life, living healthy blah blah blah, the reality was that I’ve been trying to diet for the past few months with various goals spurring me on. I say trying, because I have been resoundingly unsuccessful in sticking with anything for more than a few days. I’ve not lost an ounce, and may have in fact gained some weight.

And the “may have” is the reason I’m back here today, jumping back on the bandwagon. I tried on the bridesmaid dress that I’m going to have to be wearing for about ten hours, an unforgiving satin horror in teal that I’m currently struggling to zip up. Oh, and PS, the wedding is in ELEVEN days.

!!!!!

I’m so upset right now. I realize that this may sound frivolous, moaning about a dress, but I’m dreading the potential humiliation of not zipping the damn thing up. To make the stress worse, I’m going to be bloated from PMS at that time.

I also realize that it’s kinda silly to be getting to this point at the last minute, but I kept pushing of my weight loss (inch loss) goals… there was always a holiday or a barbeque or an ice cream cone, and the wedding seemed so far away. It was so easy to tell myself that I’d “get serious about losing the inches after this one last indulgence”.

So here I am, eleven days from my best friend’s wedding, hoping to drop an inch from my middle. I’m going to go low-ish carb (under 100 g/day) and mildly restrictive in the hope that I can at least lose the water weight.

Dammit.

7 days

I’ve been doing well in working out, but the eats?? Not so much. In fact, I’ve been sucking hard. I’ve been giving into my desire for emotional satiation on these evenings when I come home exhausted and wanting nothing more than to crawl into a nice safe warm cave made of cinnamon rolls.

But today I’m going to make a promise to myself. Not a big grandiose declaration, just an itty-bitty promise. For one week I will eat sensibly, avoiding sugar and other simple carbs (that make me crash and be moody), and I will eat protein with every meal.

If I do this for ONE week, then I will buy the pair of red mules that I have been coveting.

If I, by some miracle or act of god, do this for TWO weeks, then I will fall down in shock. But then I will pick myself up and go forth and buy something just luscious (and will have so much fun seeking out this prezzie to myself that it's almost a reward onto itself).

Alright. Starting…… NOW!

Progress

Another weekend here and gone. I'm going to be so glad when I'm done this session of coaching. It's too much to be playing and coaching at the same time!!! Aside from the general lack of time, my anxiety is slowly but surely rising because I feel like I don't have enough time in a week to get through all the necessary tasks. The housework, the yardwork, the puppy, my friendships have all been neglected as of late and it's making me fretful.

A quick recap of the weekend:

Friday night was a pub-based fundraiser for the women's team. I skipped the pub food and had a virgin Caesar, followed by two club sodas.

Saturday morning I had some quality time with the puppy (walk to the park about 30 minutes of catch, then another 30 minutes of him exploring while I read, then a walk home), then off to the boys' football practice, then off to a conditioning session with the women, then home to TRY and force my backyard into some semblance of order, and then a quick shower and off to a friend's house for a wee party. I had one vodka based drink and some sort of brie-on-toast yummy appetizer (10% meal).

Sunday walked the pup and then went out for an early brekkie with Nick - veggie omelet with eggbeaters and very little cheese, and one multigrain pancake (10% meal #2). Then we got packed up, dropped the pup with Nick sister and headed out of town for the boys' football game (the won again!!!! They're obviously well coached....). Got home, took puppy for a walk, and then had a shrimp and vege stir-fry. After a fairly low-key evening, I realized around 9ish that I was STARVING... checked the stats on what I'd eaten that day and realized it was way too low. Had a substantial snack of oatmeal, cottage cheese, blueberries, nat PB and crushed almonds. It was AWESOME!! Ever notice how good basic food can taste when you're really hungry???

I've been terribly pressed for time, but stayed on track for the most part. If I'm following the 10% premise, then all of my 10% meals occur on the weekend. I go longer between meals and the macro splits are often not quite right. However, I do feel that overall things are looking good in regards to my nutritional compliance.

71 days left to kick ass!!!!

Day 3

I’m on Day 3 of an 84 Day (12 week) commitment to myself. I’m following Turbulence Training and have entered the transformation contest as a member of the Breakthrough Challenge.

I’ve had two days of moderate success – I’ve almost completely finished my training regime (got a little gassed and didn’t finish every rep of the last set, but , I killed my muscles), and had pretty good eats (although nighttime snacking has GOT to stop. NOW.)

I might really do this!

Eeep!!!

Slowly but surely....

I am now a mere two pounds away from where I was right after I got back from Trinidad, the point when I officially went off the rails.

Given that it only took me about 3 or 4 weeks to put on the nine pounds that I gained, the progress has been slow to say the least. However, it's been steady forward progress for the most part and I feel really comfortable doin' what I'm doin', so I think I can stick to my healthier eating and tougher workout regime for the long haul and lose the weight.

Support

I’m feeling very excited. And a little nervous. But a whole lot excited. I’ve decided to join the ranks of fitness fanatics on the Turbulence Training bandwagon. And because I’m not so good with the half-ass, I’m also joining a group initiated by the very-inspiring Sara of Sanaworld fame.

I just bought the slew of e-manuals from the TT site, and am just starting to browse through them, hence the excitement. However, there’s an ugly little voice asking why I’m going to commit to this given that I’ve been withering about for the past year or more. Hence the nervous. I have an answer, to that ugly little voice, though, and that is because this time I have a plan, man!

Even more importantly, I’ll have a support system, which is something that I’ve never really had before. It’s funny because while Nick is never outwardly negative about new things that I decide to throw myself into, he’s not particularly supportive either. This is furthered by the fact that I tend to treat attempts to lose weight as a private struggle. This will be a very new experience for me, and one that I’m looking forward to.