Moving!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm moving my blog over to a new site so I hope that those of you who have followed me here will follow me over there! I promise to have posts up soon :) 

http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/diaryofaffg

What does it take?!

How did my 3 day weekend disappear so fast? I'm not really sure how that happened. These recent weeks have all felt like one blur after the other. This week was my favorite... weigh-in week so let's get to the results before anything else. Last month's number are in parenthesis.

Weight: 152 (152)
Waist: 30 (30)
Hips: 38 3/4 (38 3/4)
R Thigh: 20 3/4 (21)
R bicep: 10 1/2 (10 1/4)
Shoulders: 38 3/4 (39)
Body Fat: 26.2% (26.4%)

Obviously there hasn't been much of a change so I was pretty upset on Tuesday. I am convinced that once I hit that 152 bench mark my body says, "STOP! Sorry, you're not allowed to weigh any less!" It's just unfair. Joe tried to be positive and remind me that I lost a pound of fat & about an inch, but somehow that still didn't make me feel better. What kills me is I'm so particular about my food! I prepare most of my own stuff & I limit my carbs, I don't eat fatty foods & my weight still refuses to move down! Maybe the fact that I eat pretty much the same food week in and week out has something to do with it? Maybe my lack of sleep during the week is effecting my body? Maybe I could do more cardio? I really don't know, and unfortunately Joe didn't have many more answers for me.  So he proceeded to kill me with a primarily upper body/core work out... 4 days later my arms were still sore!

I felt so defeated Tuesday night I just wanted to cry. When you struggle with something and then work really hard and nothing changes it's hard.  I understand that I have less weight to lose now so I'm not going to drop a lot each month, but I am not content at 152.  

I realize this is an issue I've gotta work out with myself. How thin is thin enough? I look at myself & think 8 more pounds & I'd feel more comfortable, but I just don't know how realistic that is given how much trouble I'm having right now. I can recall feeling this way when my weight woes began to pile on when I was about 15. I noticed I'd put on a few pounds & tried to get my eating under control so I would get on track, but somehow that never happened. My friend Ryan & I were talking just the other day about the lunches we used to eat in high school. I won't disclose his former lunches (HAHA) because this is about my past faults & current path but I can remember eating pepperoni & cheese sandwiches & on some days getting a side of fries or a cookie or some ice cream. Then there were days that I ate a turkey sandwich & I'd have some frozen yogurt & I thought I'd had a good day. Just goes to show that when you're uneducated about what food you're putting into your body what you think is "healthy" is just not. I wouldn't touch half of the stuff I used to eat with a 10 foot pole! I won't even go into what my work outs were like back then because compared to what I do now, I don't think you could even really call them work outs. I guess that's the thing about hindsight. Looking back it all seems so much clearer & you just have to hope not to repeat the mistakes.

The 3 day weekend was fantastic! It was so nice not having to go to work today & having a 4 day work week is pretty awesome too. Naturally I ate & drank a little more than normal, but I did hit the gym Saturday morning before the holiday weekend eating began so I wasn't a total waste. Tomorrow I will get back into my routine, which is always a good thing. I've gotta figure out how I'm going to attack this problem & hit it head on. My first thought is shake up the food. The body always responds better to shock than habit.

Before I go I figured I'd show a few comparison pictures to show where I'm at. I'm not gonna give up because I just don't have it in me to quit, so now it just means I've gotta work a little harder & I can do that. The other alternative is to go back to what I used to be & for me that's not even an option. Happy Memorial Day & thank you to all of our troops & veterans for their service!

March 2011...

May 2011...rocking leggings & a shirt I wouldn't have been able to wear 20 pounds ago. 

This past week...trying to focus on the positive & keep at it. 

Until next time... 

Marisa

Keep Moving Forward...

I feel like it's been forever since I've posted! The last 3 weeks have been hectic to say the least. My cousins were home from medical school, which is always a lot of fun, but it usually means lots of nights out and activities planned. Some of the fun things we did were go to a Yankee game followed by a trip to the best wings place on the Upper East Side (ate the HOTTEST wings of my entire life!!), went out for Cinco de Mayo, saw Thor, & had some awesome dinners. John headed back to the island last week & Chris headed to Texas for a 7 week course this morning. It's always sad when they go & I just hope the time goes by fast.

I also finished school for the semester last week & I can't even express how happy I am! My 2 take home finals zapped so much energy out of me that I'm still trying to recoop from them. It's just good knowing that I have 3 months of not having to drive to school & do homework. GLORIOUS.

My body feels like it has been put through the ringer. I haven't taken a week off from the gym since the last time Joe gave me permission to do so which was early February. I think soon it may be time for another one of those weeks. I'm afraid I'm hitting one of those God awful plateaus and my body needs some sort of a shock.

Of course Joe's idea of shocking the body is making me do 4 sets of an exercise with at least 20 reps instead of 15. I know that he knows what he's doing, but I was having a hard enough time with 15 reps and now I've gotta do 20 on most exercises. And then last week, after I could barely keep my eyes open due to several late nights of working on my finals, Joe decides to make me do the dreaded plyos work out. I literally wanted to cry. I'm sorry, I don't care what any of the fitness people out there say, I have NO reason to be doing that type of work out. I am not training for any sport or endurance type of event. I don't care how many jumping squats I can do in 1 minute. There is challenging & then there is unnecessary & to me, that is completely unnecessary. Joe's response, "Well, you don't have to do crazy cardio after." UGH. Let us hope that work out doesn't come about any time soon.

I'm pretty bored with my food, but luckily the warmer temperatures mean more grilling! Oatmeal & I are on a break right now & I'm trying to eat a half of a grapefruit or yogurt on the days that I don't eat eggs for breakfast. Lunch most days I try to avoid carbs when I can, but I do allow myself at least one sandwich to break it up a bit. Dinners are usually protein and veggies & every night before bed I have some green tea & usually some Greek yogurt. I'm not sure what it is about night time, but I LOVE late night eating. I don't need to eat pizza or anything greasy at night, but I love to eat cereal or popcorn or some ice cream or a few cookies... obviously I avoid those things, but the late night eating urge is very hard to ignore.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my younger self. I've been thinking about how being over weight made me feel like I needed to constantly cover myself up. I was content to just blend into the background because that's where I thought I belonged. I never felt like the "pretty girl" I was just the tom boy who blended in as one of the guys. I guess It's funny how things like that really stick with you. Even though I'm not the same body type I was back then or the same person I was, I feel like that stigma doesn't just vanish. The thing that I've realized over the last couple of weeks is that I've gotta find a way to make my peace with it. I am who I am now & of course my past has shaped me but it doesn't have to necessarily define me.

I can't believe tomorrow is already Monday! The weekends just go by too fast! I've got a full week ahead, but the fact that I have no homework to do & I can relax, read the books I want to read, work on my own book & catch up on stuff I've had to put off makes me very happy. I've got one more week to go before weigh in so I'm hoping for some better results this time around. Maybe all those damn salads will actually pay off! Had to throw these pictures in before I signed off...

Me at age 4... unfortunately that baby fat lingered for a lot longer than it should have... 

A few weeks ago at the Yankee game... embracing the "new" me :) 

Until next time... 

Marisa

Am I Standing Still?

Happy Friday to everyone! I feel like this week flew by, which in many respects is a very good thing. It was the LAST week of classes for the semester & I couldn't be happier. Sure, I still have 2 take home finals to complete & a paper to finish before I'm officially done for the semester, but at least I don't have to sit through class anymore. I am most definitely looking forward to a 3 month hiatus from school. Not to mention, I'm looking forward to saving my gas tank a little from all the back and forth.

I actually took off from work today so that I could get my paper done that's due on Monday. What a joy it was to not wake up at 6:15. No, I wasn't one of the many people that woke up at 4am to watch the Royal Wedding... I did what most people of this generation do... I Tivoed the event. I woke up at 8:30 and got to see the happy couple on the balcony at the palace & saw their two (gasp) kisses. Kate looked absolutely beautiful & she seemed so calm! I don't know if my wedding was on display to the entire world if I would be that calm, but kudos to her. I think what I loved the most was just how happy & in love Kate & Will looked with each other. Ahhhh...

Okay, back on topic... this past Tuesday was weigh in so without further adieu I will give the results. Last month's numbers are in parenthesis.

Weight: 152 (152)
Hips: 38 3/4 (39)
Waist: 30 (30)
R Thigh: 21 (21)
R Bicep: 10 1/2 (10 3/4)
Shoulders: 39 (39)
Body Fat: 26.4% (27.4%)

As you can see, there isn't much of a change... I did lose 2 pounds of fat based on the BMI calculations that Joe does so I'm happy with that & I lost 1/2 inch. I was also glad to see my body fat go down after it seemed to just kind of hover in the same place for the last several months. Like I've said, it seems that when I hit near this weight my body just stops working, which is obviously a concern for me. Joe told me to keep in mind that you could take two people that both weigh 150 pounds and one of them is 50% body fat & the other is 25% body fat & the 25% body fat person doesn't look like they weigh THAT much. He said by looking at me there is no way that anyone would say that I weigh 152, so I guess that is a good thing.

But in all honesty, I don't wanna be stuck here. I would feel more comfortable at 145. I don't know how realistic that is considering the muscle that I've put on, but it's worth entertaining. Speaking of muscle, I couldn't help but think during our work out on Tuesday that Joe is trying to lean me out with muscle. Normally we do 3 sets of most exercises of 15 reps & then reduce to 12 or 10 reps depending on how I'm feeling, but on Tuesday we did 2 sets and at least 20 reps on all of them. I never wished for 15 reps more in my life! Maybe that's going to be part of our new regime? If it keeps me from settling at this plateau, I'll suck it up.

I am getting increasingly bored with my food. I eat pretty much the same thing all the time... not every day but within a week there are many of the same things. I think I am in need of some new recipes to shake things up. Luckily, BBQ season is upon us and I can start using my grill again, which I love. Still, one of my biggest struggles is being a late night eater. I'm not sure what it is, but I LOVE to eat late night. Around 10, I feel that little bit of hunger creeping up in my stomach & I usually end up peering into the fridge hoping to find something. I end up fighting with myself for several minutes because what I really want is a bowl of ice cream or a bowl of cereal or some cookies, but I realize those aren't the right choices so I usually settle for some Greek yogurt or peanut butter on a graham cracker with my cup of green tea. So boring. I'm thinking that my body is in need of some kind of shock in an effort to kick start my metabolism a little bit more. I'll have to see what I can come up with.

Unfortunately, much of the next few days are going to require me to spend time with this paper, but at least by Monday afternoon I'll never have to look at it again. Tomorrow is supposed to be another beautiful spring day, which is perfect because I'll be heading to Yankee Stadium for the first time of 2011 with my cousins :) Most definitely looking forward to that! Before I go, here's comparison picture that made me feel better about my progress...

June 2010...yes, I'm sitting down, but that roll still existed.

April 2011...holding out my size 10 skinny jeans which are now too big on me. I like the number 8 better anyway!

Until next time...

Marisa

Fat Bottom Girls

First off, let me apologize for the delay in posts. Things have been busier than normal the past two weeks. My grandma fractured her hip & ended up having it replaced so after all the hospital drama, getting her into a rehab center, & then getting her out, it’s been lots of long days. Thankfully, she is recovering nicely & will be back to her jovial self in no time!

This Tuesday was supposed to be weigh-in week, but Joe had to cancel and we couldn’t get together another day this week, so I’m stuck waiting until this coming Tuesday. Normally that’s not a big deal, but I would’ve preferred to get weighed BEFORE Easter.  

I don’t feel much different from last month, and it’s not because I’m eating whatever I want or anything like that, but I fear that I am inching toward one of the things I HATE the most… a plateau. It’s as if when my body nears a certain weight, it just says, “Sorry, you’re not going any lower than that!” How incredibly unfair is that? 

My other concern is that I’ve been hungry more often than I was a month or so ago. I’ll eat breakfast, maybe have a banana or something like that before lunch & I’m fine. Then I eat lunch & it seems that for the rest of the day I just feel hungry & it’s really getting on my nerves. I eat protein at lunch so it’s not like I’m eating a bunch of carbs, which burn up quickly & then I’m hungry. I was talking with my friend Ryan about it & we concluded that my work outs, which have me putting on more muscle, are probably to blame for my added hunger. Yes, I realize that’s perfectly normal, but as a former fat girl the added hunger & possible weight gain don’t sit well with me.

Before you go & think that I’m a psycho for thinking this way, you have to understand that when you’ve battled your weight your entire life, being hungry more often & the number on the scale going up are two things you NEVER want. I know that any added weight would likely be due to the muscle, but I have a very hard time with the number going up. I’m well aware that this is my issue that I’ve gotta find a way to work through it, but I’m sure a lot of people can relate. That's why the title of this week's blog is the great Queen song that Glee is re-popularizing (Fat Bottom Girls). The song sort of glorifies "bigger girls" if you will, but really what girl wants to be known as a fat bottom girl? Not this chick... 

I’m sure a lot of people can also relate to having a family (especially my fellow Italians) that is obsessed with food… cooking it, eating it & talking about it most of the time. We’re always talking about things we want to make, the place where we ate something really good, or we were watching a show & they were making blah blah & it looked so good. How is anyone, especially someone with a naturally slow metabolism supposed to stay thin in that kind of atmosphere? I mean, I could start another whole blog on food alone! Food is great… I love my heritage, I love my family’s traditions, & I love cooking, but I’d be flat out lying if I said that sometimes loving food like this can be problematic.

On a positive note, all of my clothes are too big so I guess that's a sign that I'm doing something right. However, that leaves me loathing everything in my closet & taking forever to get ready because I can't find anything that I'm not swimming in. The other thing about losing weight & your clothes not fitting is that those clothes represent the "old you"... the stuff you had to wear to cover up what you didn't want everyone to focus on. Sure, there's a whole new world of clothes out there for the "new you", but it takes a while to build up a closet so for now I'm just hating my clothes. 

I've made it to the gym twice this week & am definitely going to try to get there tomorrow morning. I'm cooking Easter dinner so tomorrow is prep day. The BEST part of this week has been the return of Chris & John from the island! I LOVE having them home! I'm definitely looking forward to them being around for the next couple of weeks! I will be sure to report back with the results of weigh in! I hope that everyone has a great Easter! 

Marisa

Time...

One of my favorite Hootie & the Blowfish songs (Time) reminded me just how fast the time goes by. Also how I never seem to have enough time to do anything...not enough time to read my books, get to the gym, SLEEP, work on my book, make new recipes & did I mention sleep? Somehow it's already April! I have about 3 weeks left in my semester & I can't wait to be done! Chris & John return from the islands in less than 2 weeks which I'm very excited for!

The past 2 weeks of working out have been a bit of a struggle. Joe hasn't put me through any crazy work outs since the plyos work out from hell, but the lifting work outs have just been painful. It's rare that I wake up and something or several things don't hurt or ache. At this current moment, I have an ice pack on my bad shoulder but the rest of me is pretty sore too. I feel like I should be covered in lidoderm patches from head to toe. Or I'm just in serious need of that massage package I got for my birthday...

So this week's work out was another modified man work out, which I like just fine for the most part. I did full dead lifts with a 40 pound barbell, bench press, squat & single arm row, wood chop, tricep presses on a bar, & then this ab exercise where I had to lay down & keep my feet straight out in front of me raised off of the floor while holding a 20 pound barbell and bring my legs to the right, down, to the left and down. AWFUL. All I kept thinking was please don't let my sweaty hands drop this bar on my face. Luckily Joe was right above me so he had it covered.

Part of me has to laugh because Joe doesn't know my spazzy side. Sometimes when he asks me to do a certain exercise that's somewhat complicated I have to really force myself to think about what I'm doing so I don't look like a bumbling fool. Tuesday my spazziness came out a little bit even though I tried to cover it up, I had to just say, "I'm a bit of a spazz". He got a kick out of that & told me the better my core gets, the less of a spazz I'll be. I don't know if that's completely true, but it's definitely a nice thought.

Food... I'm starting to get very bored. I try to shake things up and spread it out so I  don't have too many carbs on one day. Still, it's mostly the same stuff all the time... chicken and salad, oatmeal, eggs, yogurt. I think I need a few new recipes and that might help. 2 more no meat Fridays to go and I think I will make it without putting myself in a total carb coma. I've had a massive craving for soft chocolate ice cream on a cone & I have to give myself kudos for suppressing the urge, but I feel that sooner or later I'm gonna have to satisfy the urge otherwise I'll go crazy.

Tomorrow it's back to the gym before game 2 of the Yankees/Red Sox weekend series. I dragged myself to do some cardio today even though I'm sore and exhausted. Luckily, the Yanks/Sox had an afternoon game so I caught the end of it which kept me entertained on the treadmill.  Unfortunately, the Yankees pitching couldn't hold it down today nor could the offense back them up so I was feeling more anxiety while walking at my 10 degree incline than normal. Going to try to pick it up a notch despite my aches & pains because in 2 short months summer will be here & I've gotta be prepared!

Until next time...

Marisa

Getting to the Dance...

It is officially one of my favorite times of year... March Madness! This year's tournament has been full of big upsets & nail bitting games. VCU is the 2011 Cinderella team & they just advanced to the Elite 8 for the first time in their school's history which is pretty exciting. BYU was also fun to watch especially Jimmer Fredette & it was kind sad when they got eliminated Thursday night. Luckily, 2 of my Final 4 teams are still going strong... UNC & Kansas. UNC is my team so I'm always happy to see them do well. Today it gets down to the Final 4 so I'm crossing my fingers!

This week was weigh in week so naturally I was a nervous wreck all day Tuesday. I don't know why I get so crazed about weigh in, but that number on the scale messes with my head so bad, but our culture is obsessed with numbers & females are just conditioned to think in the case of weight less is always better hence my panic. Here are the results with last month's in parenthesis...

Weight: 152 (153)
Hips: 39 (40)
Waist: 30 (31.5)
R Thigh: 21 (21)
R arm: 10 3/4 (10 3/4)
Shoulders: 39 (39)
Body Fat: 27.4% (27.6%)

That's 2.5 inches & another pound this month for a grand total of 9.5 inches & almost 16 pounds since October! I was definitely feeling pretty good after that, but I can't lie, I would have liked a little more loss on the weight. Joe reminded me that now is when it's going to start to get hard because I don't have that much more to lose, but for my own personal comfort, I would prefer to be no more than 148. Maybe that's a bit of a reach, but I'm gonna give it a go. Just to show how much has changed since the end of the summer check this out...

End of summer 2010

March 2011 w/Stella

I guess I don't really notice the difference because I'm looking at myself, but just looking at these 2 pictures was a huge lift for me. People have started referring to me as "skinny" which I have to say almost makes me feel uncomfortable. That adjective isn't one I'd ever use to describe me. Someone else said that I've gotten "tiny" & I was like, "No way." There is nothing "tiny" about me. I'm a 5'7" girl that wears a size 10 shoe so tiny just isn't me. I think it can be hard to feel comfortable in your own body, but I'm trying to get there... 

So Joe thought it would be a good idea to focus on core this week & I should've known that was going to be a problem. However, what I ended up getting was a plyometrics work out! AWFUL! I had to jump onto a platform and squat down & do that for a minute, girl push ups with my hand on a sand bag ball & as I go down had to push the ball to the other hand for a minute, one handed swings with a medicine ball for 30 seconds each, jumps side to side & touching my foot to the sandbag ball for a minute & last but not least the inch worm (Not to be confused with the dance move). You start standing straight up & then walk your hands all the way out so that you're in a push up position & then walk your feet to your hands & repeat. HORRIBLE. 

I've had some rough lifting work outs a.k.a. "the man work out", but this work out actually made me want to cry because I was so upset that he would make me do that. I am not training for a sport so as far as I'm concerned my speed & agility are not high on my list. Sure that kind of work out burns a lot of calories but I was really annoyed that I had to do that. My goal is to sculpt my body & be fit, not be able to jump side to side really fast to impress the soccer scouts. Hopefully next week, he will get back to lifting. 

Food has been good lately. I'm trying to inject some more protein into my diet, which is kinda challenging with Lent. I would like to say that I have cooked fish 2 out of the 3 Fridays... that's right I cooked it. I hate it, but I cooked it. We had swordfish this week, which I have to say is the fish I tolerate the best. Lunch on Fridays is tough because I don't want to just eat carbs, so this week I settled on a salad and some Greek yogurt. I know there are only 3 more Fridays to go, but it's not easy when you aren't a fish fan. 

Well, I've got a busy couple of weeks ahead. I've gotta try to make it through school in one piece & then I will have 3 glorious months of not having to report to Seton Hall woo hoo!! And next week baseball season officially gets under way, which is the best part of spring! Did my fantasy baseball draft last night & I need a serious bounce back year so cross your fingers I get off to a good start! 

Until next time... 

Marisa

Take You Back...

Happy Hump Day to all! This week is spring break for many college/graduate students. How am I spending my spring break you ask? Oh why I am staying in New Jersey waiting on the massive rain storms that are supposed to hit & flood the area over the next 3 days & working. I LOVE not having to drive to school, but since I can't be on a tropical island drinking really high calorie fruity drinks while getting a tan I'm just going to pretend that I'm on a beach somewhere really amazing. 

I spent most of the weekend cleaning out my computer room so that the rug could get ripped out & while doing that I stumbled upon lots of stuff that has been collecting dust on shelves and in drawers. Some of what I found was old pictures & all I could think of was, "Why did I think it was okay to go around looking like that?" In the last edition I mentioned about being a chubby kid... well here it is...

Yeah that's 4 year old Marisa...

Sometimes it's really hard to look back on how I used to be because I'd like to just kick myself for letting things get so out of control. I can't help but think maybe it wouldn't be such a challenge right now if I had started taking better care of myself younger? Grammar school & middle school were pretty bad, but those pictures are deep in the archives so this is the next best thing. Ready for another one... 

And it just kept going... me at 21

But I think all we can do as people is try to learn from our mistakes and not repeat them. Maybe the constant battle is a reminder of why I don't want to repeat any of those mistakes? I have to have some kind of reason to justify all of this pain, right? Ha! 

Okay so onto the work out routine... I think Joe gets such a kick out of the "man work out" that he enjoys making modified "man work outs" now. My first exercise was climbing up onto this squat machine with shoulder rests and weights on the sides and I was up on a platform. I should've known that was a bad sign... that lead to hammer curls/shoulder presses, chest press laying down on a bench w/my feet elevated, the DREADED unassisted bench dips, assisted reverse grip pull-ups, lunges with a 10 pound weight that I had to rotate every time I took a step, finished with  supermans/bananas. If you don't know about supermans/bananas they are incredibly challenging core exercises that I'm sure some man came up with just to torture women with. When it was time to start another set, Joe kept referring to it as "going back into the gauntlet" & I couldn't help but laugh because the gauntlet is EXACTLY what it felt like! I was totally spent when I left there, but at the same time I felt really accomplished. Sure, I feel beat up all the time, but I'm proud that I can make it through these difficult work outs. 

I'm in such a different place now than I was even five years ago... I want to challenge myself & I'll deal with pain because I know it's necessary. So I'll sit with an ice pack on my shoulder like a pitcher that just threw 8 awesome innings & keep going. I'm also really focused with my food right now & that helps a lot. However, now that Lent has set in, I'm up for even more of a challenge because fish & I aren't friends & I obviously can't eat pizza/pasta THAT much. I think I'm going to have to (gasp) cook the occasional swordfish over the next 6 weeks or so. I can tolerate that, but man do I hate cooking fish! I'm gonna try not to think about it for the time being... 

Well, my bed is screaming my name right now so I'm gonna try to fall asleep before midnight. These weeks just keep flying by & they're all starting to blur together. One more picture before I go... 

26...healthier & wiser :) 

Until next time... 

Marisa

How Winning Is Done...

It's hard to believe I'm actually 26! It was an a good weekend of celebrating & I just want to thank everyone that came out to celebrate & to those who couldn't be there you were missed! Also, all the Facebook messages, texts & calls also really made my day which may sound lame, but it really did.

Ok so birthday celebrations aside, everything has been really busy, but before anything else, I must report on the weigh in and measurements from last week as I promised... The previous month's results are in parenthesis.

Weight: 152.5 (154)
Hips: 40 (40 3/4)
R Thigh: 21 1/2 (21)
R arm: 10 3/4 (11)
Waist: 31.5 (31.5)
Body Fat: 27.6% (27.6%)

That's 2 more inches down & almost 2 more pounds for a grand total of about 7 inches & 14 pounds since October! Joe was happy with my results & I have to say it's nice to see that all the hard work is paying off. I would've liked a little change in the waist & body fat, but Joe told me not to get hung up on that. Good results are good results. Still, that doesn't mean the work outs slow down. My biggest challenge that night was doing a girl push up & with one hand on the ground & one hand on a ball filled with sand and as I pushed up i had to shoot the ball over to my other hand before going down again. UGH. While the weight lifting and core exercises cause the most pain, for me, cardio is the biggest torture.

It really is a struggle to get myself to stay on the treadmill for at least 15 minutes especially on the days that I don't lift, because I just find it unfulfilling. Although, the other day I had the pleasure of watching Jake Gyllenhaal in "The Prince of Persia" while I walked at an incline so that was a very nice distraction that made the time go fast, but on the whole it's awful.

Last night, we did a modified "man work out" which was just about as challenging as the man work out... bench press on an incline, single leg presses, arm flections kneeling on one leg on a cable machine,  dead lifts with a curl, tricep extension with a barbell over my head while laying on a bench with my feet raised & the final one... squatting all the way down to the ground so my butt was on a bosu ball while holding a medicine ball, extending over the back, coming up all the way and throwing the ball back to Joe. I really wanted to know if he had something against me. Almost every muscle hurts today... but no pain no gain, right?

During my cardio last night, I noticed a girl about 4 treadmills down from me... she must've been about 10 and I saw her walk in with a woman I'm presuming was her mom. The girl reminded me of a younger version of myself. She was a little chunky and I'm guessing she was trying to get a head start on a weight problem no doubt other people had pointed out to her. I can remember being that age, being told I was chunky and wanting so much to not be. I tried different things... I would go for walks around my neighborhood, or ride my bike, & then for one Christmas I asked for the Fast Track (it was a machine that you powered yourself by sliding your legs back and forth on somewhat of a slope... but like many kids, after awhile I got bored or distracted and my weight loss path got lost. The real problem was my head wasn't in the right place. How could it be? I was a kid & I didn't think about how much harder it would be to lose weight as I got older. I guess a part of me felt like it would just go away on it's own. Part of me would love to go back in time & tell that little girl not to worry and that it would all work out when I was ready. Since it's impossible to go back, all I can do is keep moving forward.

Well, it's about time I call it a night... the Yankees have started playing spring training games & that means that spring really is creeping up so there's no time to slow down! Back to the gym Friday & Saturday. Hopefully next post I'll have some updated pictures to share. Until next time...

Marisa

Something For the Pain...

I am happy to say that it is officially one of my favorite times of year... the start of spring training! By next week all players will have reported to camp and baseball will be underway! It has always been one of my biggest dreams to go down to Tampa & go to the Yankees' spring training facility and see all of my favorites (especially #2) up close & personal, but unfortunately I haven't made it there yet. I am determined to go in the next 4 years (before Derek Jeter's contract is up!)

Currently, I am sitting on my bed watching "Grey's Anatomy" with an ice pack on my left shoulder & a lidoderm patch on my lower back & that is because Joe decided to put me through a man work out on Tuesday. Now, I'd like to consider myself a fairly tough chick when it comes to my work outs. I enjoy lifting more than just standing on a cardio machine, but this pain is just unnecessary. The work out started with full dead lifts with a 40 pound barbell & since my form was so great Joe decided to bump it up to 70 pounds (3 sets), then I got to do a bench press with the 35 pound barbell & thankfully he didn't throw any extra weight on that (3 sets), squats with the same bar behind my neck so it was resting on my shoulders (3 sets), half dead lifts with a bicep curl (3 sets), lateral extensions (3 sets) & to finish it all off... UNASSISTED DIPS (3 sets). I can't wrap my head around WHY a girl would ever need to do unassisted dips? Assisted dips sure, but having to hold my whole body weight up on the edge of a bench and drop down and come back up after everything else is just awful. And 3 sets of everything! I literally feel like I've been hit by a truck. I don't know if ALL of those exercises were necessary in the same work out. Muscle soreness is fine, but I'm going on day 3 tomorrow & I doubt I won't still be sore.

I try to remind myself that it'll all be worth it, but when my body is screaming I can't necessarily think about the big picture. Tuesday is weigh in and measurement day so naturally I'm nervous for that. I've been trying to get more protein in my diet so I've been alternating oatmeal and eggs in the morning and salad and half a sandwich at lunch. I'm just so bored with my food! I think this weekend I'm gonna check out some recipes and see what I can find. I need a little something different or I'm going to go crazy. Until Tuesday I'll be drinking as much green tea as possible & loading up on asparagus to help flush all the toxins out of my body. Tomorrow is cardio day & Saturday I'll get in another round of lifting. I like how I've been looking even though I'm not completely happy yet and that's why I'll keep on pushing myself. When you're a former fat girl, there's just no other way.

I will definitely report back with the weigh in & measurements after Tuesday. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for me & hope for good results! Until next time...

Marisa

Summer's Just Around the Bend...

Another long week is almost in the books! I hope everyone is surviving the cold, snow & ice that winter has been giving us an abundance of. This weather just makes me want to stay under the covers, watch movies and eat... but obviously that can't happen. All I can do is throw on a bunch of layers of clothes and head out to the gym and get my body ready for summer!

Unfortunately, the change in my school schedule makes getting to the gym a little bit harder, but I'm still doing it. Sure I feel like falling on my face, but no pain no gain, right? Tuesday is my day to train with Joe & then I'm left with Friday and Saturday to go on my own. The other day while I was on the treadmill there was this girl with a PERFECT body running of course and all I could think was that some people are just blessed to be born with amazing bodies. I am not one of those people, but they do exist! Those are the people that LOVE doing cardio and eating really healthy food and I would like to just force feed them cheeseburgers!

The food can be even harder than the working out in my opinion. We tend to fall into patterns with food and eat basically the same thing ALL the time. Almost every morning I eat oatmeal... not because I enjoy it, but because I know it's good for me. Occasionally I'll switch it up with eggs or some Special K but for the most part, oatmeal is my breakfast date. Lunch is usually some form of chicken either over salad or with veggies...although occasionally I'll have a half of a sandwich or something left over from dinner the night before... dinner can vary but I end up cooking a lot of chicken. Chicken, chicken, chicken! Sometimes I just want to throw the chicken across the room, but I know I've got goals so I've gotta eat the it.

I'm still feeling the pain from Tuesday's work out, but more than just regular muscle aches, the pain in my shoulder has not been fun times. Joe decided it would be a good idea to do an upper body work out. Ugh. If my left shoulder didn't get tired so quickly it wouldn't be so bad, but since it does it makes 15 reps feel like 40. Reverse pull ups should be outlawed. Chicks don't exactly have a ton of upper body strength as it is and when you have to hold up your entire body weight and pull your chest up to a bar you are reminded why girls suck at doing those kinds of things. Today I did some cardio and tomorrow I'll do full body work out.

I started thinking about how tight my muscles are and how yoga would probably benefit me A LOT. 2 years ago I started doing yoga (purchased one of those cheesy DVDs) and it helped me get out some of those unwanted knots and actually relax a little bit, but I haven't done it in such a long time because trying to do yoga at home never works out well because I always get interrupted. I wish they had it at my gym, but maybe one of these days I'll get back into it. If you're thinking it's just a bunch of deep breaths and weird positions with weird names while that's kind of true, it's actually really good for the body.

Well, it's time for me to call it a night. I hope everyone has a great weekend & a Happy Valentine's Day. For those of us in the Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band... here's to better luck next year! But until then, I'll just imagine that I'm snuggling up with this...

Joshua Jackson... my first celebrity crush & even better looking now!

Until next time... 

Marisa   

Getting It Done...

It's been a little while since I've posted so I figured now was a good time. Work has been absolutely insane & as my responsibilities grow every day, I know it's only going to get more and more crazy. I also started school again last week so adding classes to my craziness is sure to be a fun time.

So last week was supposed to be weigh in and then we got hit with a nasty snow/ice storm so Joe had to cancel, which I was completely bummed about because I was SO ready for it. I decided that I would just weigh myself when I went to the gym and then Joe could just do my measurements the following week. Well, I sent myself into a panic because it appeared that the number stayed the same from the previous month. Naturally, I flipped out. I couldn't believe there was NO change... my clothes are big on me and I can feel the difference so how is it possible my weight didn't go down?

Yes, I realize that muscle weighs more than fat, but I couldn't help but be obsessed with the number. What is it about the number that gets us all into a tizzy? Society seems to be a fan of people who are smaller sizes etc and that gets into all of our heads. Especially if you're someone who has battled their weight... the numbers basically rule your life. It's borderline crazy, but if you've been there you know exactly what I'm talking about.

I spent the rest of the week really watching everything & I went to the gym almost every day. So today was the day of truth... Here are the results:

Weight: 154.5
Body fat: 27.6% (28)
Hips: 41 1/4 (41 1/2)
Thigh: 21 1/2 (21 3/4)
Waist: 31 1/2 (32 1/2)
Shoulders: 39 1/2 (40)
Bicep: 11 (11)

WAHOO!! In 3 months time I'm down 13 pounds, lost a total of almost 7 inches, and dropped my body fat 8%! Apparently all that chicken and veggies are paying off! Not to mention all those awful cardio sessions! Joe talked to me about my food to see if I've really changed anything in the past month, and I really haven't. He is concerned that I am not eating enough calories in a day. He is probably right... actually I know that he is right, I don't eat enough in a day.

I'm not fool enough to think that you can consume a whole bunch of extra calories and expect to just lose weight, but I do know that when you're weight training you have to feed your muscles and I'm definitely not doing that as often as I should. So I have to keep a food journal for 2-3 days and then Joe will come up with some ways to interject a couple hundred extra calories in a healthy way. I have to get past the number obsession and realize that as long as my measurements and my body fat continue to drop, then if my overall weight isn't quite as low as I would prefer, I'm still getting the job done.

I have been ordered not to work out until next Tuesday as part of the rest my body so I don't hit a plateau  and so I don't feel like I've been hit by a truck on a daily basis. I do feel kind of guilty about not working out for a week, but Joe insisted it has to be done.  Maybe it really will do me some good.

I'm feeling really focused, which is a good thing & I've got my goal in sight. Jessica Biel body here I come!

Until next time... 

Marisa

Falling Apart?

I hope everyone in the tri-state area made it through the second snow storm of the season all right. I HATE snow & will be happy when spring rolls in. Sure the snow looks pretty while it's falling, but after that it's just one big mess. Especially when there's too much snow and no where to put it. Trying to park is absolute hell because the snow covers up too much of the space so perfectly good parking spaces can't be utilized. AWFUL.

Okay, enough of my snow bitching. The start of the week was definitely sad because Chris & John headed back to the caribbean & don't come back until April. It's just not the same when all 4 of us aren't together, but I'm hoping the time will go by fast.

I would like to say that after almost 4 months of serious working out my body feels great, but it feels anything but that. I literally feel like I've been hit by a truck and everything hurts, my left shoulder in particular. It's so incredibly frustrating because I can't lift the way that I want because my shoulder gets tired so quickly and then starts to hurt. My right side feels perfectly fine, but then there's my left shoulder not holding up its end of the deal. The pain is pretty intense at times & I've tried everything from ice packs to heat packs to anti inflammatories and nothing is doing the trick. Joe said that since I haven't really taken a break since we started training back in October, it's time I take a week off.

A WHOLE WEEK?! I couldn't believe my ears, but apparently it's good to rest your body completely every 12 weeks give or take. The body gets used to doing certain things & then hits a plateau & plateaus are the WORST. You feel like you are working hard, but the numbers aren't changing. Joe explained that by allowing the body to rest and recover when it's time to start up again, it's almost like a shock and the body will respond better. I'm all for a positive response & there's no doubt that these muscles could use a break, but considering I am after all a former fat girl, it makes me a little nervous to shut down even for only a week.

Then I thought about it... one week isn't really THAT long in the grand scheme of things & considering I've been doing well with my portions and what I've been eating I should be able to keep things under control while resting my body. The plan is to do weigh in and measurements on Tuesday & then rest up until the following Tuesday. I've been trying to get a little more cardio in the past couple of weeks due to the holidays & I wish I could say at this point I was starting to tolerate it a little better than before, but alas I loathe cardio. There was a girl on a treadmill next to me the other day running at full speed like it was absolutely no big deal. Meanwhile, I'm sucking wind after a 30 second sprint. She looked like she could go all day on that treadmill & I just couldn't wait until my time was up.

Today I enjoyed a long overdue day off that wasn't a national holiday or a state of emergency! I treated myself to an upper body massage to try & get my shoulder fixed. Turns out my left scapula (basically the whole shoulder blade) is not only inflamed but full of knots that aren't easy to get rid of. LOVELY. The massage therapist advised that I have it worked on again soon. Considering how long it took me to get this day off I can only hope it doesn't take as long for another one.  

Tomorrow I'll be hitting the gym again & then Tuesday is the big weigh in. I will make sure to report back with the results. I'm hoping they'll be really good & just maybe I can snag myself this guy...

The one & only Tim Tebow <3 I'll keep working hard. 

Until next time... 

Marisa

Push...

Happy 2011 everyone! I hope that everyone enjoyed the holidays. I definitely did which is why there has been such a delay in posts. Santa was very good to me... I got my very own punching bag & a kick ass set of boxing gloves that I can't wait to use! Danny has already headed back to his base in California & in less than 5 days Chris & John go back to the caribbean so I'm trying to make the most of the time.

Despite the extra opportunities for eating non healthy food & drinking, I have to say I've been pretty solid on my program. I even went to the gym on Christmas Eve to get a last minute cardio session in before two straight days of eating. Portion control has been something that I keep in the front of my mind at all times. Since there was so much food, I decided to break things in half or eat a small amount at a time. My aunt makes this killer pepperoni bread & on NYE I had to remind myself eating half of it was enough. It's really difficult when something tastes SO good to just have a little bit isn't easy. Still, I have to remind myself the ultimate goal & stick to small portions.

My work outs have been going well even though Joe's obsession with the number 15 is starting to get to me. It's always a good sign when you're dripping sweat, right? Unfortunately, my shoulder has been bothering me for several weeks now & I've kept that from Joe because I didn't want to seem like I was being a wuss. I hate looking weak & saying I can't do something because of a nagging pain. I know structurally there is nothing wrong my with shoulder... my bones are all where they're supposed to be & nothing is torn, but despite that, it still hurts. It very well could be a very big knot or a pinched nerve or both, but either way it's hanging around a lot longer than I would've liked. I've been spending a lot of time with the heating pad & Icy/Hot patches are my new best friend.

Yesterday, I finally broke down & told Joe that my shoulder has been giving me trouble so rather than do the regularly scheduled focus on upper body work out, we did a full body work out & tried not to aggravate my shoulder too much. It seems right now just about everything aggravates it, but I'm determined to push through & keep going. Joe advised that I try to go for a massage to maybe work out whatever has tightened up within my shoulder blade. There is nothing more I would like right now than a day at a spa, but I really haven't had the time to do that. I'm thinking of taking a day off next week before the semester starts up again & a massage just might have to go on the agenda.

Tomorrow I'll hit the gym & probably again on Saturday. The weekend will be full of birthday & farewell celebrations aka lots of food & alcohol, but I'm determined to remain controlled. Weigh in is less than 2 weeks away & I won't get off my path. Jessica Biel body here I come!

Until next time!

Marisa

It's the Holiday Season...

Happy Holidays to everyone! Sorry for the delay in posts but I was finishing up school for the semester and work has been exceptionally busy. At long last I am done with school until the second week of January & if I pass my finance final I will be a very happy girl. I'd also like to give a huge welcome back to my cousins who are back from med school in the caribbean for 3 weeks! And my best friend Danny, a CECB in the US Navy was granted leave for Christmas & got home this morning! Santa out did himself already!

Well, last week was my weigh in & here are the results with November's numbers in parentheses.

Hips: 41 (42)
R Thigh: 21 3/4 (22)
Waist: 32 1/4 (32 1/2)
R Arm: 11 (11 1/4)
Shoulders: 40 (40)
Body fat: 28.1% (30.8%)

In two months I'm down about 10 pounds, my body fat went from 34% down to 28.1% and I've shed around 6 inches. I have to say I'm pretty happy with those results. When you are overweight, you can feel like you will never lose that excess weight. Once you start to lose it, you feel pretty incredible, but most of us know that once you see results, that doesn't mean you can slack off.

Joe was concerned that perhaps I'm not enjoying my food as much as possible, but instead of sounding like a psycho I just said it wasn't so bad, when the real truth is I have to be tough on myself with my food otherwise I'll start to slip. When you're watching what you eat, the food can get boring after awhile. Joe suggested that maybe I try some new recipes, which I'm always up for and even offered some suggestions. For example, for lunch or dinner he recommended having a piece of pizza with a side of chicken and vegetables or salad. It basically hits all of the food groups and is a nice change of pace from the standard turkey or chicken and salad.

Now for anyone who has struggled with their weight, you know how your wardrobe changes throughout the battle. When you're overweight you wear things to hide yourself and not draw attention to your problem areas which to you usually feels like everywhere on your body. Once you start to lose weight you hate all of your old clothes because they don't fit you right or they make you look bigger than you want to look. Getting dressed becomes a problem not because you're trying to cover yourself up, but because you are trying to show off a little more of yourself so you just hate everything in your closet. Then there's the whole idea of "getting a new wardrobe" but how realistic is that? Most of us spend a long time piecing together the clothes that make up the closet, we can't just go out and purchase a whole new wardrobe.

My work outs have been full of sweat & pain. 15 is officially my least favorite number right now. Joe loves to make me do 15 reps of some of the most challenging exercises. Whatever happened to 10 or 12? Why should they be neglected?

Yesterday was no different. 15 reps on a chest press with my legs extended in the air, 15 on the bent over rows with the barbell and so on. The good thing is Joe does tend to decrease the reps in some of the sets, but needless to say by the 3rd exercise and all those reps my arms were shot. Then came the worst part... Joe thought it would be a good idea to do some core exercises with the upper body, which I figured wouldn't be so bad. WRONGO! I had to do forward AND side planks! No one should have to do forward & side planks in the same work out! I was shaking so much I could hardly hold myself up. My shoulder has been bothering me lately and I haven't said anything, but after you've had one cortisone shot it kinda lingers in the back of your mind that another one could always be necessary. I don't think I'm at that point, but one thing is for sure Icy/Hot patches are my new best friends.

I hope that everyone has a fantastic Christmas & enjoys good food and family and friends! I will probably post before the New Year after the Christmas feast. Until next time...

Marisa

The Great Escape...

As the week is winding down, I am feeling extremely burnt out. I'm used to being tired, but my energy level has pretty much bottomed out. I haven't been sleeping all that well & I know that is never good for the whole health crusade. It's the last 2 weeks of the semester, which means getting ready for finals. The thought of my finance final actually gives me chest pain. It is take home, but he has made it clear that it will be the entire semester worth of material and that it won't be easy to figure out. LOVELY.

Work has been busy to say the least & we've been down a man here & there which makes it even better. (That's sarcasm in case you were wondering) The other night in my community health care class my professor asked how we handle stress... some people said they go for a run, or they sleep, or they read the Bible... my reply : Red wine (& baseball when its in season). Since drinking large quantities of red wine isn't good for my weight loss plan, I've gotta try & deal in other ways. What I'd really like to do is take a bunch of books & my notebook, go sit on a beach for a couple days and just veg out. I wouldn't mind throwing a few massage treatments in there too :)

The whole stress thing got me thinking... so many people (myself included) turn to food in times of stress. When you're stressed all you want to do is feel better. Food tends to be a quick relatively non damaging fix that can make you feel better. How many of us have drowned our sorrows at the bottom of a pint of Hagen Daaz? Or demolished a plate of fries or cookies in the blink of an eye?  It temporarily makes us feel better & eventually we're left with extra weight that somehow makes us feel worse. Logically, most of us know that eating out of stress is only gonna do more harm than good, yet we rationalize that it's okay to feel better for a little while and pay for it later. Too many "pay for it laters" & all you're left an awfully high bill.

Okay, onto the good stuff. Tuesday was my first day back in the gym after the Thanksgiving festivities. Joe came up with a new combination of stuff for the full body work out. 15 reps is honestly his favorite thing. Damn me for having good form! I can't help but think back to a time when I had terrible form. I had a hard time doing more than one thing at the same time. I could barely do a squat, I had terrible balance & my core strength was non-existent. It makes me feel pretty good to see how far I've come. I was sweating like a whore in church and I felt like I was going through a detox. It was definitely a good, worth while feeling. Tomorrow I'm going in for another full body beating & then will return Saturday for some good ole' cardio.

While I was on the treadmill on Tuesday, I saw someone boxing with one of the other personal trainers and I found that I was staring at them. I never thought I would get into boxing considering it all started out as a joke. I REALLY miss it. I loved the challenge of it, and it was a great release. I'm hoping Santa brings me a punching bag and some boxing gloves for Christmas :)

Hope everyone has a good weekend!! Until next time...

Marisa

Thanksgiving Edition...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope that everyone enjoyed time with their family & friends & of course some good eating! Clarence, our Thanksgiving turkey was a very good bird. Yes, I like to name the turkey. After you spend time seasoning & stuffing the turkey you bond with it (mom cleans it not me) & therefore I kinda feel like it deserves a name. He cooked perfectly & I couldn't have been happier with the taste.

Before I forget, I promised a review of Rascal Flatts new CD & the new Harry Potter movie. Rascal Flatts new album "Nothing Like This" is pretty awesome. I can't say it's my favorite... I think "Unstoppable" probably wins that title. However, it's a very solid album. "Easy" which features Natasha Beddingfield is probably my favorite track with "Sunday Afternoon", "Nothing Like This" & "Red Cammaro" as my other favorites. If you're a country music fan I recommend downloading the album.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. WOW was all I could say when I walked out of it last weekend. They did an amazing job sticking to the book, and it really was exactly how I imagined it in my head. This movie is by far the most intense and the darkest of the saga. It definitely had me at the edge of my seat & made my sister jump a few times. Really, really well done & I can't wait for part 2 in July!

Okay, so onto the quest... I currently feel like I got hit by a truck. Joe decided to change things up a bit on Tuesday & I am feeling it everywhere. We did a full body work out with a little more focus on upper body... He had me do a kneeling chest press, an alternate pull up (I had to walk my feet out in front so my legs were straight, arms were straight on a bar that was on a bench press bar & had to pull my chest to the bar), shoulder raises and bicep curls while kneeling on a bosu ball & triangle planks (hold yourself in a plank position on your forearms and then push yourself up one hand at a time and back down on your forearms). The last one in particular was absolutely awful. By the 3rd set I could only crank out 5. I pretty much dropped right on my face. Trying to do that after doing the majority of the other exercises was rough. As I went to do my cardio afterward, I couldn't help but think of how sore I was gonna be the following morning. Still, I reminded myself that you're supposed to feel that muscle soreness after working out, which was something I had missed for a long time.

Carrying Clarence fully stuffed in a heavy pan down two flights of stairs with sore arms certainly was a challenge but it was worth it. The shin splints however, were NOT worth it. I was very proud of the dinner I put out with mom's help, but I was constantly hearing Joe's voice in my head saying, "Eat small portions!" When you're the one cooking the dinner you are usually inclined to eat less because you've already spent so much time preparing the food, worrying about how it'll turn out that by the time it hits the table you don't really wanna look at it anymore. I definitely enjoyed what I ate, it was just less than everyone else at the table. Portion control is a big issue for those of us who like to eat. You tell yourself you're just gonna have a little bit of something, and then you find you're staring at it so you decide you'll just have a little bit more, and all of a sudden you've eaten way more than you intended to. That is how the vicious cycle of over eating starts. It is difficult to remind yourself that eating that little bit extra is damaging and will only make things worse. Realizing that is probably the hardest part.

Unfortunately, the rest of the week & weekend were full of activities so I didn't make it back to the gym. (Friday night saw Michael Buble <3 & Saturday hit NYC with dad & my sisters to see Promises, Promises--which I highly recommend & have dinner) Next week I'll be back in my normal work out routine so I can step it up before Christmas rolls in. Weigh in should be next week so it'll be good to get that out of the way before Christmas. Joe told me Tuesday that I look like I'm losing weight so that's definitely a good sign!

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving & a great weekend! Until next time...

Marisa

Start Me Up...

First order of business... there are a few things I need to bitch about. Last week was absolute HELL. The office was insanely busy, which meant cranky patients, cranky staff all of which wasn't helped by the fact that we were short staffed. I'm just curious if people think coming up to the window 5 times to be rude to the receptionists is going to help anything? It just felt like we couldn't do anything fast enough, couldn't get ahead with anything... by Thursday night I wanted to take a big straw & stick it in a double magnum of red wine. Factor school into this equation & I wanted to scream. The end of the semester is full of the nonsense professors try to cram in before classes wrap up & then there is the annoyance of trying to register for the next semester.

Although the icing on the cake happened this morning. I was at the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts waiting patiently to order my coffee & as I approached the window I noticed my order was waiting at the window. This wouldn't seem strange except the person in front of me decided that she wouldn't use the standard talk into the box to place your order method. She waited until she got up to to the window so the cashier would be unprepared for her to place an order. This held up the line even more. I was absolutely enraged! Who goes to a drive thru and does something like that? There should be a sign displaying drive thru edict because clearly some people have no idea how to properly utilize a drive thru!

Okay... rant is over. So after putting up some good numbers at the weigh in last week, I was feeling pretty determined to improve for next month. I got in the newly revised full body work out on Thursday & then did a cardio work out on Friday. Yesterday we went through a core work out. For those of you who have never done a core work out do not for one second think because you aren't lifting heavy weights that it is easy. Personally, I think core is much more difficult than weight lifting. I had to put my forearms on a bosu ball (that's half a stability ball with a flat hard rubber bottom) and hold up my entire body weight for a minute. Doesn't sound so bad? I dare you to try it. Next I had to hold myself up on one arm... and since I was reminded we have two sides I got to do it on the other side next. Absolutely awful. There is no satisfaction in doing those. Talk about dripping sweat. There were a total of 5 core exercises followed up by some treadmill time. By the time I walked out of there, every part of my clothes were sticking to me. I suppose that's a sign that the mission was accomplished.

Today my entire body hurts, but it's the good kind of hurt. I won't get back into the gym until Friday, & I'm planning on doing a full body work out with some core added in. Saturday will probably be a cardio day... yay. I miss boxing so much that I asked for a punching bag for Christmas :)

Food has been good although I am so fed up with oatmeal, chicken, salad, chicken, oatmeal, & did I mention chicken? I probably should be eating a little more than I have been, but I've been so busy I usually just postpone it. It usually takes me more than the morning to finish my coffee so that's just an idea how the rest of the day goes. Food gets boring & sometimes it's hard to come up with new & exciting HEALTHY alternatives. While I'm on the hunt for some new stuff, I will deal with having to eat the boring healthy stuff because it helps the whole process along. Why couldn't there be no calories in bagels? Or cream cheese?

I still can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. I finalized my menu on Monday night and pasta making commences on Sunday. I've always loved Thanksgiving... we get to combine our Italian traditions with a classic American holiday. Even though it's a lot of work, I really do enjoy cooking for Thanksgiving. I do not enjoy having to go to work the day after though. Back in the day, mom & I used to hit the mall & do a bulk of Christmas shopping on Black Friday. Believe it or not, we always hit it just right & never got caught in any kind of rush. I would definitely prefer to be doing that than be at work, but this is all part of being a grown up... ICK.

I'm glad tomorrow is Thursday... that means the week is almost over! The other night I purchased my Harry Potter tickets for me, dad, & 2 of my sisters! So excited! Deathly Hallows was my favorite book in the Potter saga. Also gonna preview the new Rascal Flatts cd tomorrow. Definitely looking forward to that. I'll report back on both. The one thing I've been thinking about the past few days other than Derek Jeter's contract negotiations is the spa in the Borgata hotel in AC. It is like a little piece of paradise. After an amazing massage they have this room with 2 big jacuzzis, a steam room & lounge chairs all around as if you were sitting at a pool. Total relaxation. I'll just keep pretending I'm there instead of here.

Until next time... 

Marisa

Hips Don't Lie...

It's pretty hard to believe this week is almost over already. Last weekend is kind of a blur with all the sadness of Bill's passing. Mom & I headed out to Long Island on Saturday to pay our respects. I still don't believe that he's gone, but there is one thing I do know & that is that I'm so lucky to have had him in my life. There's that quote about how people come into your life & you know right away they were meant to be there... that's how it was for me with Bill & probably everyone else in the Wildwood crew. He won't ever be forgotten.

Well this week was the week of truth... my first weigh in and measurement check since I started my new work out regime. Scales make me nervous... It's easy to say the numbers don't matter, but in this present society when you're a female more when it comes to weight is definitely NOT better.

The first round of measurements were done on October 5th and the second were done November 9th. The October numbers are in parenthesis.

Body Fat 30.8% (31.8%)
Hips 42 (42 1/2)
Thigh 22 (22 1/2)
Waist 32 3/4 (33 1/2)
Right Bicep 11 1/4 (11 1/2)
Shoulders 40 (41)

After BMI calculations etc turns out I lost a total of 3 inches and over 2lbs of fat!! My weight is down 5 pounds, which goes to show despite putting on some muscle, I'm still shedding the unwanted pounds. I was definitely very pleased with the results. I know that I still have a long way to go, but it's nice to see that the hard work is paying off. A girl has to eat a lot of chicken to achieve those numbers.

Tuesday's training session was a full body work out, but modified from the first time Joe put me through it. I made it through round 2 a lot better than round 1. Cardio after that was not so fun, but I forced myself. It feels really good to be going in the right direction again. Clothes are starting to feel better, so that is usually a tell tale sign that something is going right. It's still a battle every day when I force myself to eat oatmeal instead of picking up a bagel with cream cheese on my way to work. I know this whole thing would be easier if I didn't have such a deep love for chocolate, but alas it's a flaw I just can't shake.

Through all this though I find that while I feel extremely motivated I most definitely miss boxing. It was such a big accomplishment for me to get coordinated enough to punch and move at the same time that I really looked forward to the challenge of doing harder punch combinations. It's been nearly 3 months since I've put the gloves on, and the urge to hit something is pretty strong. I've been told I have a lot of pent up rage, but we all have to find out outlets so I think I'll be asking for a heavy bag for Christmas :)

Tomorrow I'll be back at the gym and I plan on getting in there over the weekend. My short term goal is to drop at least another 5 before Christmas, but I think I'll be a little greedy and hope for a little more! With a lot of hard work & a little luck I just may get the Jessica Biel body I've been hoping for.

One final note... I heard this on the radio today & I thought I was hallucinating because I was half asleep but apparently the New Kids on the Block & the Backstreet Boys are teaming up for a concert?! Turns out... it's the truth..

The Right Stuff & I Want It That Way at the same concert?! Heaven for a boyband lover. I do hope they come to NJ or NYC :) 

Until next time! 

Marisa

Hello/Goodbye...

It's good to be back! Sorry for the delay in posts, but the past 2 weeks have been kinda crazy. Between midterms, the gym, and work and the baseball playoffs I've been going non-stop. I'm sad to say my Yankees didn't make it past game 6 of the ALCS, which naturally didn't sit well with me. They got outplayed by Texas, & it was good to see two really deserving teams like Texas & San Francisco make it to the World Series. I will say though that the high light of the ALCS for me at least was sitting and watching Game 5 with my dad. Yankees played awesome that night & I felt like a little kid again just sitting there with him even though I know more about baseball now than he does :)

I made it through midterms... by some miracle I passed finance & I rocked my community health midterm! I wish I could say I had a bit of a break until finals, but that would be highly unrealistic. It's flu season at work, which means a busy office which is a good thing but sometimes the chaos is overwhelming especially when the next day off in sight is Thanksgiving.

Workouts have been going well. Last week I was on my own because my trainer had an event to go to the night of our normally scheduled session. I definitely feel like I am pushing myself more than I have in awhile. Joe suggested that I do my cardio after I lift, which normally would've been the last thing I wanted to do & even though I LOATHE cardio, it's honestly not so bad. I definitely think that is helping me.

Tonight we focused on the lower body. I'm not gonna lie... I was kinda nervous for it. Considering after my upper body work out I couldn't put my hair up in a pony tail for almost 2 days, I was imagining that I wouldn't be able to sit for almost 2 days. Luckily, it wasn't quite so bad. I did squats with a 20 lb straight barbell across my chest, one leg leg presses, straight leg dead lifts with a 20 lb barbell and hip extensions on a stability ball. I was very thankful that Joe realized that any more exercises than that would've completely killed me. I was just glad that my knee held up through it all because that was another worry in the back of my mind. He had me finish up with some cardio, but reminded me to take it easy due to the fact that my legs were feeling like jello. Needless to say, that was one of the most challenging treadmill workouts I've had in quite awhile. When you feel like you can't get your legs underneath you, it makes it pretty difficult to feel like you are in a good stride. I was able to walk off the treadmill in one piece which is really all I can ask. There was a guy next to me on the treadmill and he was running with such ease and I have to say I just wanted to smack him. How do people do that? Just looking at him made me feel tired and he was running like it was nothing at all. I have accepted that I will never be one of those people, but kudos to him for doing it so well.

Food has been good. This time of year is when it really starts to get hard. We do a lot of pre-holiday baking in my house to try things out before the holidays and it is very difficult to steer clear of the sweets. Still, I have been really good and watching my carb intake. Lots of eggs and veggies! Although I have to say, I'm at the point where I'm ready to divorce oatmeal. I can barely get it down these days, but I keep reminding myself it's all for the greater good. I've also had it with chicken, but I know for my best interest I can't give it up. Next week should be time for remeasuring and a weight check so I'll have a better idea of where I'm at. Clothes are feeling good. Pants that felt a little snug a few weeks ago are feeling great now. I guess that has to be a sign that I'm doing something right.

Before I sign off, I would like to mention the loss of a truly amazing man who touched so many lives just by being a part of them... Bill Waldron. You were such a big part of my childhood & you made all of us in the crew feel like one of your own kids. I am grateful that I had the pleasure of spending so many summers around you.  You will never be forgotten by me or by anyone else who's life you touched. We will never be the same without our fearless leader, but we will do our best to keep alive what you helped create... a group that loves spending time together & comes together when it matters the most. R.I.P. <3

Busy next couple of days... how is it November already? I'm definitely going to be looking forward to gaining an hour of sleep this weekend. Until next time...

Marisa