still an uphill battle... but i'm still climbing

Well, the last week or so has been incredibly hectic. I just experienced my first Navy move-- movers came at the beginning of the week and then we got to camp out in my in-laws guest bedroom with the dog. The movers delivered our stuff at the end of the week-- and somehow I still stayed true to my workouts and clean eating! In fact, my MIL is now following the "diet" and is beginning her own workout routine.

As if the exhaustion from unloading box after miserable box wasn't bad enough, as soon as we got to our destination, I insisted on hoping right back on the treadmill (literally). 2 workout sessions a day for 4 days (mix of cardio & weights); 1-2 days of one session (sometimes light cardio, sometimes weights). I have to admit that I'm very lucky in the sense that I'm within walking distance of the base gym and across the street from the health club facilities at our complex. Honestly, unless its a rest day or I'm dead-- as long as I'm home, I really don't have any excuse to skip a day at the gym! *sigh* Nothing spells success like access + accountability.

The good news is that my body has really transformed. There really aren't any bulges anymore-- and the hideous muffintop (that oh-so-many people around our area are sporting nowadays)-- is under control. Of course the down side to not having any real big "issues" or "trouble areas" is that progress is slow. Before you comment, let me just say I can hear my mom now: "Of course you're not going to see huge progress-- you're polishing the diamond now, not cutting it out of the mountain." Ahh Mom, you always have a way with words. *giggle*

My Workout Schedule

In case anyone is interested in how I am breaking through my plateau, here is my workout schedule:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday mornings:

30-45 min of moderate intensity cardio (aka:  elliptical machine)

- eventually i'll have to step it up in the AM, but right now since I'm doing this before work, just the fact that I'm there and moving gets a big *thumbs up* from me.

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday evenings:

45-90 min of high intensity cardio (aka: treadmill) 

-at least until hubby and I PCS and I find out what the cardio classes are on base!  

Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday:

active resting days 

- what does this mean?  well basically it means that I'm taking the dog for walk(s), and then lifting weights -- rotating muscle groups, and sometimes popping in my Carmen Electra "Fit to Strip" DVD that has lots of great toning moves you can do at home-- no really! I was surprised too!

So yup... that's about it for now.  

A Battle of Wills

So... where do I begin?  I've struggled with weight for years and I do mean just that-- years!  And this struggle has been much to the chagrin of my mother who, as a registered nurse and personal expert on nutrition, set out to raise me with a "healthy relationship with food".  I have to admit that she probably did a really great job when I was a kid.  I was lanky, if anything, and always athletic-- playing sports like softball, skiing, tennis, golf and eventually my passion-- field hockey!  Everything was great until I hit 8th or 9th grade.  If those years aren't the suckiest years of one's life, well... I don't know about you, but they were definitely the worst for me.  Being an only child, I was a natural at being a total spazz around my peers.  And if battling my daily social gawkieness everyday wasn't bad enough, my parents went through the most hateful venomous divorce one could imagine-- believe me, hollywood couples had nothing on my parents-- minus a coke habit, of course.   And that's when it started-- I turned to food.  I didn't even realize I was doing it.  And I never compared myself to the other girls.  Heck, my mom had spent long hours telling me not to-- and being the blissfully compliant daughter that I was, I never stopped to see that while other girls were shopping at abercrombie, I was in the women's department of JC Penny's (excuse me while I go throw up!).  It would be all too easy to blame my mom for not noticing my expanding waistline, but lets face it-- she had her own problems to tend to.  And considering I wasn't a "bad kid", I guess my emotional eating was able to slip more and more through the cracks.  My sophomore year of HS is when I hit my all-time high of 165.  I wore a size 14 to my Confirmation.  One-hundred and sixty five pounds on a 5-foot 2-inch body, I assure you, is NOT a pretty sight.  And its definitely noticeable!

I wish I could tell you how I lost the weight, but honestly, it was 10 yrs ago and I truly don't remember.  I do remember that when I graduated HS about a year later, I did so at 135.  I think that had something to do with the fact that after so many years-- I FINALLY landed myself a varsity letter wearing boyfriend.  (Its amazing what at little male attention can do for a girl!) Thank God! I wish I'd stayed that way longer.  To make a long story short, HS boyfriend and I broke up, and I bounced up and down the scale somewhere between 135 and 155 all the way through college and graduate school.  Once or twice I got into the groove of running a lot and whittled my way down to the low 120's.  I believe I was 122 for one blissful day.  And of course, shortly thereafter my college boyfriend and graduate school boyfriend and I broke up (respectively) and I reverted once more to eating my emotions.  Eww! Seriously, what is it with me and men?  Needless to say I'm not getting nominated for any feminist of the year awards anytime soon!

So now what?  Well, my mid-twenties have been much more kind to me than probably all of my tween and teen years combined.  I moved away from home (HUGE positive change), took control of my own life (*insert thumbs up here*) and met the absolute love of my life-- and if that wasn't good enough-- then I went and married him!  (I know what you're thinking... omg, not another guy!  She'll end up a mountain if this doesn't work!)  Yeaaaaaahhhhh, I know... I earned that one.  But I think the difference between my Mr. Amazing-for-Life and all the other guys is that I met my husband at a time in my life when I, as a person, was already complete.  His companionship is simply a bonus-- (understatement of the year).  In short, life is good... save for one little miserable thing:

the plateau!

yes, that's right... I'm back on the fitness wagon and standing before you (okay, sitting in front of my macbook) at 121 lbs.  I'm running, lifting, stretching and eating more cautiously than ever.  And I look at feel better than I have in a really long time-- in fact its been such a long time that I dont know if I actually can recall ever feeling or looking better! Of course this isn't my final destination.  My ideal is somewhere between 110 - 112 lbs.  And right now, I feel as though I might as well be saying that from 160 lbs.  That's how stalled I am.  And I'm not sure if anyone can understand or empathize with my frustration. 

As I go, I'll be sure to post more about my routines and eating habits.  I know that what I'm doing is healthy and I'm fairly confident that right now there is absolutely nothing more I could really be doing.  But in the mean time, this will keep me accountable and keep me from talking my dear husband's ear off about the same. damn. thing. all. the. time.