Embellished Truth & Polite Fiction

I’m going swimming today! That automatically puts me in a good mood. Or a better mood anyway.

So I was reading more articles a couple weeks ago, and I noticed that a couple of them said ‘running is the best way to lose weight’. I thought, ‘Really? Then perhaps I ought to try that!’ So I am. I am now running 3-4 times a week. I do need new shoes though. Because my Sprints:

… are getting quite worn out. I would really like to get a pair of Bikilas:

… to replace them. Since, you know, they’re designed for running and all. But I may just go with the KSO Trek:

… since I can buy them online or in the store. I’d be a happy girl with either. Yes, I did post about my funky Vibram 5 Fingers foot wear over a year ago when I got my first pair of Sprints. I have LOVED them. Best shoes I’ve ever worn! I wear them everywhere and anywhere. The only time I didn’t use them much was during winter (though I did occasionally slip them on over toe socks and wear them around the house). In fact, I’ve worn them so much, that I’ve nearly worn all the way through the sole.

The second time I went for a run, Lisa and I went to the high school that we swim at and used their track. WHY is the track made with BLACK rubber? Seriously. It was SO HOT. So hot that I burned my feet through my shoes and got some *lovely* blisters on the balls of my feet. It was joyous. NOT.

Overall, I’m enjoying running. It’s been a nice challenge. I liked using the Gazelle when I first started, but aside from the sweating, it wasn’t really very much of a work out. I didn’t really get out of breath, and I didn’t really get sore past the first couple of days. It’s a little too easy, I guess. Maybe I’m doing it wrong. I don’t know. But my swim work outs have been awesome, I always manage to get some anaerobic exercise in and really start to feel the burn in my whole body, so I know it’s doing me some good. And of course, running is strenuous. It hurts. It hurts my lungs the most. Don’t get the wrong idea here though.. I may say ‘I ran 2 miles this morning’.. but I actually walked about a third of it. I’m not that good yet.

When I ran on Monday, I conveniently forgot that I had twisted my ankle by stepping on one of my darling children’s toys. Well, said ankle reminded me as soon as I started running. Ow. Still, I managed to get through it and do my 2mi (3.3K) in 27min which was only 2min longer than when I was not ‘injured’. So that’s not too bad. I’m getting cozy with an ice pack right now in hopes of getting it to settle down before swimming tonight. Then, perhaps, I can go for another night run after the kids are in bed. We shall see.

So… progress? Well, the husband and I have been eye balling my body and waiting for changes to appear. They have. They are small, but they are there. My arms and legs look leaner and I look a little slimmer through my rib cage. All my blubber is gravitating toward my belly area. I still have plenty around my hips and thighs and some on my back and arms as well, but it’s slowly working it’s way to my mid section. The last time I measured my hips, waist, bust, and arms there was no change. That was a couple weeks ago, I think. Maybe less. But I can’t measure today because my adorable little people have misplaced my tape measure again. Joy.

BUT. I stepped on the scale yesterday and it read 171.5! I almost threw a party right there in the bathroom. But I know better. It will likely go back up in the next day or two. Which is why I have sworn off the scale until next week. I started out at 175. In the first 2 weeks I went up to 178 – which I think had more to do with what time of the month it was than anything else. Especially considering during the next 2 weeks I went back down to 174-175 and stayed there for nearly 3 weeks. The lowest number I had seen on my scale in the last 6mo up until yesterday was 173.5.

So now part of me is looking forward to seeing what it has to say next week.. and a much bigger part of me doesn’t even want to know. Honestly, though.. I’m much less concerned with what number comes up on the digital platform than I am with how my clothes fit and how I look. If I could start fitting into some of my smaller clothes, now THAT would be PROGRESS. And then I WOULD have a party in the bathroom. Or maybe somewhere else. Perhaps  I should stay off the scale for 2 weeks. Or more.

Those of you who’ve been with me, aka reading my blog, for oh… more than a year, might remember Operation Hot Chick. My wildly UNsuccessful attempt to shed some pounds. I gave up after about 7 or 8 weeks. During that time I managed to gain some weight which required me to go out and buy some more fat pants. Not generally the result people are going for when they start trying to lose weight. Or maybe that’s just me.. I don’t know.

Anyhow. I’m still at the same weight that I was after that little spectacle. And, once again, I’ve decided to make another attempt at this whole slimming down thing. You know, now that all the BMI charts and body fat graphs and hip to waist ratios are all pegging me as ‘obese’. Many of you, like me, probably consider all those little calculations to be a bunch of BS. However, needless to say, I could stand to lose a few. Like say, around 50lb or so. Ideally 50, realistically 40. We’ll see how it works out.

Those of you who have been keeping in touch with me on Twitter and Facebook are up to speed on my efforts and frustrations… and probably sick of hearing about it, quite frankly. Whatever.

Let’s rewind to Memorial Day weekend, shall we? My friend Lisa (many of you know who I’m talking about) had just recently joined SparkPeople.com and had embarked on the Couch 2 5k program. She mentioned getting a treadmill so she could continue her efforts in the colder months (you know, that half of the year where the ground is frozen and covered with oodles of snow? yeah that.). I thought, ‘Hey, I’ll browse Craigslist and see if there’s anything on there that might help her out’. So I did. And I ended up getting myself a stationary bike for $10 and one of Tony Little’s Gazelles for $20. FINALLY. I had a way I could work out during the day in a manner that my children can’t interrupt or stop or prevent that I can do year round. SCORE.

I totally look that happy on my Gazelle too. Totally.

My daughters promptly broke the chain on the bike. My husband fixed it. They broke it again. I still have not used it even once. It makes me sad. But it was only $10. So there.

I began using the Gazelle 6 days a week for an hour a day and also added in some strength training exercises and started tracking my calories to make sure I was consuming the right amount. I was. Yay me. I worked out on the Gazelle for 2 and a half weeks straight. Then Lisa mentions she’s getting a family pool pass and that she could add me on it and would I be interested.. WOULD I!? HELL YES.

now we just need to find a pool like this one

And only the one or two of you who’ve been reading this blog since the beginning are now nodding your heads because you remember about my love of swimming. High 5′s to you.

I’ve added swimming. I still use the Gazelle if I go more than a couple days without swimming. I know that many people have read all the ‘you can’t lose weight by swimming’ articles, and I realize that it’s probably true. Especially if you’re hoping to lose more than a few pounds. I am hoping to actually start running as well, mostly because I hear it’s the best way to lose weight. Count me IN.

Because after 5 weeks straight of using the Gazelle for an hour, or swimming 1500-2000m, nearly every day of the week, I still have not lost a single pound OR inch off of my flabby ass body.

Momma not happy.

Momma frustrated, y’all.

I took the time to map some routes around the neighborhood – .75mi, 1mi, and a 1.5mi – and am hoping that soon I can start adding running in to my day. Somehow.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m very glad that I don’t have to make drastic changes to my diet and eating habits. I eat healthy foods, keep things as natural as possible, and tend to consume less calories than I supposedly need. But it is very frustrating to be ‘doing everything right’ and have NO progress whatsoever.

So. That’s that. I plan to keep things going for at least 4 more weeks before I make any changes. Let’s hope I start to see some progress in those 4 weeks. I’m tired of looking like this.

picture from June 16 with Kiros