vegetarius maximus

Oh Lord. Its finally happened.

I've gone vegetarian.

For a month.

Stop! Stop!! Don't run away! WAIT!! Here me out!

I'm not a "Meat is Murder" kinda gal. (Although I do think some of the U.S. meat industry's standards are extremely sub-par and unhealthy) When you get to the point that your "fat pants" are now too tight, its really time to do something. A few months ago I was on a exercising kick, which I fell off that wagon with an earth shattering THUMP! So I need to take some drastic measures and get my life on the right track. This includes eating better and smarter. Here's where the vegetarianism comes in...

Everyone always says to stop drinking to lose weight. Now I don't generally drink a lot but I do really loves my beers. I'm a beer afficionado, and I just love beer. Not the Natural Light, Coors, or Budweiser kind, but the craft brew ultra delicious kinds. Can't get enough of 'em. Soooooooo... I've decided to keep my beers, and cut out meat. Mostly red meat, but I'm going to try for all meat except for fish for one month. Hamburgers are the real culprits. Those and chicken wings (soooooo good) so I'm going to give it a whirl. Don't worry, I'm not going to become a tofu/garden burger junkie (no offense to those of you who are *winks*) cause that's just not my style.

I've been doing good so far, almost been one week. What's really funny is, I haven't even had any beer this whole time either, hahhahaa! Double whamey! I'm also doing pretty good with my workouts. Haven't missed any yet, and am trying really hard to stay active even when not working out. Less couch time for me!! I mean seriously, I've been unemployed for about a year now, and have put on about 15 pounds. This is not a coincidence. For serious.

All of these things, on top of the fact that my mom was recently in the hospital for Congestive Heart Failure. Yeah, for serious. She goes on her "Vacation of a Lifetime!" trip to Greece for 3.5 weeks and one week in, she is hospitalized. So not only is she in the hospital for heart problems (scary enough) but she's in the hospital in ATHENS GREECE! So I can't go visit her, she's 10 hours ahead and its virtually impossible to get a hold of her.

She's doing much better now, is home and looks good. There's no damage to her heart muscles, arteries or veins and is on heart medication now. Mom was in relatively good shape and has never had any heart troubles before, so you can see how this was a little unnerving.

So the point of this story is, its time for me to start taking better care of myself! Exercising and eating better. GO ME! I'm hoping I can shed some of this "unhealthy belly fat" and get into a little better shape so that if I need to go for a hike or a bike ride, I won't be passing out after the first half mile. Plus I'm getting old enough that when I get out of bed in the morning I have to hobble myself to the bathroom because my joints are all stiff and seized up. How fun it is to get old!!

Wish me luck! And thanks to everyone for the well wishes for my mom (here, and in person).

scale be damned!

What the fuck exercise? Seriously? Why have you failed me so?!

For the last 3 weeks I've been working out for about an hour a day (this includes weight training) for about 4 days a week. What is really pissing me off is, for the last fucking week, I've been GAINING a pound a day! I shit you not! I'm so irriated at this, and of course have stopped getting on the scale... but really?! Man oh man, nothing deters you from going to the gymnasium like packing ON pounds when you're trying to be good.

Now I havn't been "super" dieting or anything. My goal honestly is to get healthier, and to fit into my favorite pants, not to necessarily be lighter. Well, I guess I have to work on the diet too, fuckers! Ahhhh well, shoulda known it would come to this.

Basically I've been putting on weight for about a year now. Slowly but surely. The unemployment really didn't help matters either. Sitting on the couch for roughly 6-7 hours a day is horrible for the metabolism. I try to get out, and as I said before, exercise. That's why I spend usually an hour a day, as opposed to the "doctor recommended 30-40 minutes". Whatevs. Stupid metabolism.

I've cut a few things out of my diet entirely (for now):

• No more french fries until the scale starts to cooperate. NONE! *sigh*
• No more soda either. This includes diet. I don't need that much sodium or sugar.
• No eating after 8pm

That's about as far as my "dieting" goes. Except severely increase the intake of fruits and veggies, decreasing the red meat and other obviously fattening foods. (reading labels people!)

I have a few other inspirations to help me. I've been watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on abc.com. Its CRAZY! I love what he's doing! (In a nutshell, he's a famous chef, who has gone to America's "fattest and unhealthiest" city Huntington West Virginia, and is teaching people how to be healthier, cook for themselves, and make them all around smarter about their food habits) Its really startling to see how little some people know about actual nutrition or how horrendous the school lunch system is. Really check it out!

I also just watched the movie Food Inc.

Wow. Wow. Wow. All I can say is watch it. You'll never look at your food the same way again. Let me prefact this by saysing it isn't full of PETA videos showing cruelty to animals. I didn't have any "look away" moments. Its just extremely inforative about the status of our food industry (meat and vegetable), and how a few large corporations are really the ones in charge of everything. Now, I'm no conspiracy nut or anything, but the basic message I took away was, BUY LOCAL, and ORGANIC. And I may never eat a hamburger again. Add it to your NetFlix queue!

Finally I'm reading a book called "French Women Don't Get Fat."

I actually read a different book from this author, and I didn't realize it was her who wrote this particular book. I've picked up this one at Borders on several occasions, but just never purchased it for one reason or another. But this time I checked it out from the library and am really enjoying it. The author has some great ideas, all from personal experience, about changing the way you think about the way you eat, while still enjoying the things you love. Moderation, moderation. Right? But she includes lots of great little recipes and stories to drive the point home. And really... has anyone seen a fat French woman? Non!

Do you have any other ideas or tips? How do you stay motivated?

working on my fitness

McGriddle Pants on going to the gym...

After having belonged to many gyms, I'm used to the grunting/heaving/sighing weird noises coming from the weight lifting area. Who can forget the Jersey Shore like "WHAAAAAT!?" dude from My New Haircut. However, I am not okay with the moaning noises coming from that area last week. I swear to ba-Jesus that it sounded like someone was having sex. Uuggghhhhh. Uuugggghhhhhhhhhhhh. Ahhhhhhhh. Uuughhhh. Gross! Stop that shit!

You there! 6' tall, stick-figure super model look alike, 20 year old girl!! Ya you, in skin tight pants and top. Get out of the gym! If I wanted to feel bad about myself I'd sit at home and watch America's Next Top Model. I don't need to see this shit at the gym. Go home and eat a bag of Doritos!

Never, ever go to the gym when the trainer is doing his own work out. It will make you really feel like complete shit about yourself and your own work out. He was balancing, and stretching, and lifting all over the place. Then he gets on the tread mill next to me and starts jogging backwards. I seriously couldn't help but secretly hope that he trips and falls. Showoff.

WHY IS THE FOOD NETWORK ALWAYS ON?! Seriously. When trying to be good with your diet, and on minute 47 pounding away on the treadmill, why oh why is Paula Dean on the TV making some fatty, buttery deep-fried dish y'all?

--

In the mean time I'm enjoying my new black Columbia fleece pants that I picked up from the outlet mall at the beach. As my friend Adri says, they "reek of unemployment!" I love it.



Mr. Man and myself catching up on some Dexter. I love that too.

why is my butt so sore?

Well kids... I'm really starting to think there's more work and torture just getting INTO grad school, than the actual school work itself.

I had a meeting with an advisor at my Alma Mater today regarding my un-exceptional grades during my undergrad years. We discussed a few options about taking some accounting and finance classes this spring and summer and retaking that regretful CSS 205 Soils class that I failed in the summer of 2005. Funny how when you "forget" to drop a class, they fail you. Sonofabitch!

Nevertheless, I'm hoping to get some grades up, and *fingers crossed* get an absolutely mind-blowing score on my GMAT to enter the one-year MBA program at Oregon State. We'll see... this could cost me a whole lot of money just to get turned down. You live and you learn, right?!? Wish me luck!

On a different note... yesterday I finally popped in this DVD that I had netflix'd:



and OH DOGGY! Am I sore today! But a good sore. Like... sore in all the spots you want to be sore (butt, thighs and arms). She's a little cheesy, as all DVD exercise instructors are, but I liked it. I'm going to try it for a week, and maybe get a different Yoga DVD. Or something.

Well I'm off to Schwab's to get my tires rotated, so that should be 3 hours of my life I'll never get back, forcibly watching Fox News, whilst eating stale popcorn in the waiting room. WHOOOO!

swan dive

My pilates teacher today:

"If you don't squeeze it ladies, nobody else will!"


I love it.