Monday, May 4th 2009

The "prodigal daughter" returns...

Hola dudes & babes! Greetings from sunny, spring-like Mississauga! Another glorious day after a great weekend...lovin' it!!!

Well, it's been a while...again! Don't know what my problem is, perhaps I'm just a lazy git. But I think you're getting the picture not to expect an update every day. It's probably best this way as there isn't alot of excitement that's been happening daily. Soooo, as Pink would say (or was it The Black Eyed Peas)...let's get this party started!!!

I'm happy to say that I'm back on track, following my modified "Caveman Diet" and doing the whole suffering-for-the-cause thing in the eating department. It's been much tougher since I fell off the wagon on the 18th. I guess that's what happens. History has proven that it takes ME at least 65,000 weeks of no sugar/carbs to get rid of the cravings and I haven't quite hit that mark. I find myself still desiring anything chocolate. I resorted to having a "Swiss Chocolate" coffee yesterday, but it just didn't cut it. Once again, I'm tormented by these philosophical questions..

* "Is it wrong to push over a chubby child eating a Snickers bar? I mean, he's chubby and, if I steal his Snickers, wouldn't I be actually saving him from a future of torment & temptation ?"
* "If dark chocolate is actually good for me, wouldn't that make a dark chocolate Mars bar good for me?"

I need help, people, serious help...

I am supposed to be on this modified diet for 21 days, which started on April 13th. However, given my ... um ... fall from grace ... I've restarted the clock as of the 19th. This means my 21 days are up May 10th...less than a week. Yippee!! Does that mean I'm going to be able to eat "normal" foods again? Not ruddy likely...not according to The Evil One. What it DOES get me, is a "free meal"...a meal where I can eat whatever the hell I want to eat. AND, adding icing on the soon-to-be-eaten gooey chocolate cake, Evil One will pay for it! Truly a "free" meal. Of course, it means that I'll actually have to talk to him through the meal. Perhaps I'll turn the vice grip of torture in his direction and make him talk about his feelings...heh, heh....

So, I've been "strategizing" on what and how to eat...do I take up valuable stomach space with bread or do I blow that off? Do I waste time on alcohol or save myself the embarassment of getting drunk after 1/2 of the fru-fru umbrellaed drink? There is one thing that is clear...I need room for the most decadent dessert on the menu. So, I'm thinkin' I start with dessert and an appetizer (maybe something with bread and kill 2 birds with one stone), then see if I have room for something else. This, so far, is my best strategy. I'm open to suggestions, though, so please feel free to comment if you have any other suggestions. My objective...eat as much as I can of the food I won't see again until I reach my goal weight. Note, I don't care if I will be buzzing from a sugar high for days or if it will make me toss & turn for the entire night. I'm willing to forego that long-term pain for the shorter-term pleasure of taste bud satisfaction. I can't believe my life has come to this...fantasizing about one meal...sigh...

I've been continuing my workouts 3x/week. When I'm on my own, I still do the sandbag-over-the-shoulder thing, but I'm happy to say I haven't had to venture outside again. I'm guessing it was the "I'll kill yo momma" look I gave Evil One when he opened his mouth to suggest modifying my routine. Instead, I have added extra "drops" to the routine. Here's my latest workout:
- 15 minutes on the @!*! bike
- I pick up the bag at south side of the gym
- drop the bag in the middle of the gym, & pick it up
- drop it again & pick it up
- walk to the north end, drop the bag
- pick it up, walk to the middle of the gym, drop the bag & pick it up
- drop it again, pick it up
- walk to the south end, drop the bag (get it, 4 drops & pick ups)
- start the friggin' routine again
I do this 10 times. By the end of it, my entire middle & upper body is aching and I'm sweating profusely. Not to mention that I've inevitably broken at least one of my nails. Seriously, this whole self-improvement thing is NOT pretty!

I've set another goal for myself, having exceeded the last one by 2 lbs. OK, so I didn't "blow away" the 15 lbs-by-the-end-of-April goal, but I did lose 17lbs in total, which I'm very happy about. So, my next goal is to lose 22 lbs. by the end of July.

For those of you who don't know, we're planning a big party for my brother's 50th bday in Phoenix in the middle of July. I will be down there starting June 30th. So, basically, I must lose the 22 lbs PLUS before June 30th in anticipation of the weight I may gain when I'm on vacation. I'm not saying I'm GOING to gain weight, I'm just sayin' I need to prepare for it. Proactivity combined with acute self-awareness will get me to my end state goal...climbing the Inca Trail at my optimal weight. ONE YEAR BABY!!!

I did 40 minutes on the treadmill yesterday and then went over to Vincent's to pick up my new bike. Bless his wee heart. He gave me a bike, helmet and a bike rack for my car...nice guy, eh? I took the bike for a test run and realized I'm really uncoordinated. OK, I've always known I'm uncoordinated, but riding the bike hammered home the point. "They" say that you never forget how to ride a bike, but I think "they" are filthy liars as clearly, I've forgotten how to a) balance upon and b) ride a damn bike! Clearly, I need to "refresh my memory". Fortunately, there is a gel seat on it, so my delicate derriere will be protected. I told my friend, Andrea, I was getting a bike. She invited me to join her and her hubby Mike on their next 40 KM bike ride. I nearly threw up. I'm guessing I need to work my way up to that goal.

So, newfound goals:
- 22 lbs. by the end of July
- treadmill once/week
- bike ride as often as I can

On the career front, lots of good stuff has been going on. I now have two coaching clients..yeah! Plus, I had a great interview with the head of Transition Services for Felix Global Friday. He thinks I'm ready to do onsites, with the possibility of it moving into one-on-one transition coaching. WAY cool!

Well, it's time to go and start my day. Off to meet financial advisor extraordinaire, John, then to workout then to a comedy show tonight. I'll get to see old improviser friends, Aurora & Herbie. Should be lots of fun.

Thanx for sticking with me, poppits! You guys ROCK!!!
(a) yt xox