Minor Failure But Back in the Saddle

Well the knee problems really messed me up. I took a whole week off of exercising because of it. I started to feel better on Sunday the 24th but didn't want to push it. I have a feeling I did something bad when I was doing the Kettlenetics and that set my knee off. 

The surgeries I've had on it were less painful than what I endured that week. 

I weighed myself on Monday the 25th and was horrified at what a week of being a lazy slob can do. I'm not going to get into it but it wasn't good. I've since vowed that I am going to stick to a proper diet. Somehow. Maybe I'll train Bailey to bite me every time I reach for the Jelly Bellys.

So back at it I went. On Tuesday I did the EA Sports Active for 17 minutes and a total of 115 calories burned. Not much but I wasn't about to overdo it my first day back after all that pain.

I skipped Wednesday. I have no real excuse other than I quite frankly didn't feel like it. Like I said, no excuse.

So Thursday morning I did 35 minutes on the elliptical for a total of 317 calories burned. Not bad and I got to watch an episode of NCIS while doing it. Entertainment and exercise; good combo! I felt pretty good after doing that, although my leg muscles sure twitched and spasmed for a good 10 minutes after! I worked that afternoon so I didn't do any other exercises.

Friday I didn't do anything again. Bad me I know. Not even sticking to my own regimen. But, I did do the grocery shopping so that's about an hour of walking plus some lifting with carrying things into the car and the house. Actually, more than an hour because I went to a lot of places. Yeah, I know, trying to justify my laziness. Bad me.

But I made up for it on Saturday! I have no idea what got into me but I decided to work out like mad yesterady. I did 20 minutes with the EA for 146 calories and then took about a 15 minute break. I then decided to jump on the elliptical for a while. Another 35 minutes for 304 calories. Grand total of 450 calories in basically an hour. I'm quite pleased with that and actually wasn't too wiped out from it. 

Although I have to admit the last 5 minutes of the elliptical were TORTURE. Longest 5 minutes of my life. I didn't think I was going to make it but I just kept telling myself I could quit in "1 more minute" and then that minute would pass and I could quite in "1 more minute" again.. over and over until the 5 minutes were up. I collapsed on the couch for a few minutes after but once I recovered I had really good energy.

I actually even planned to use the Wii Fit's step aerobics program last night but I kinda hit the wall at 7pm and gave up on that idea.

Today I did the EA for 18 minutes for 142 calories. I won't be doing anything else this morning. I had very little sleep last night and am having a somewhat depressed, emotional day and just don't have the energy, oomph or heart to do any exercises at the moment. Although I'm hoping to get on the step aerobics tonight while I watch the Simpsons. 

I'm trying. Failing right now more than succeeding but really when you think about it I am succeeding in a way. I'm already getting more exercise than I used to. I'm not getting as MUCH as I want but I'm at least getting something.

Thanks to those who gave me support while my knee was really bad. Many suggested that I go swimming. I love swimming! I think I was born to be in the water.. but there's 2 problems with swimming right now. One is I don't have a bathing suit and two is I don't have the money to go to a pool or buy a suit. Money is really really REALLY tight right now. It is a great exercise for both my lungs and my knees as it's literally no impact. The horizon is looking a bit better financially (I hope..) so I may look into it more seriously when I'm more financially stable. 

I've also started really watching my calories. I'm eating oatmeal every morning as it fills me up and is super low cal for a breakfast. Lunch is fruit or soup and Dinner is really just about anything I want but in smaller portions. I even bought a kitchen scale so I can measure some of the things I eat to be sure of the caloric content. But I'm allowing 1 day a week to be my treat day where I'm allowed to have one thing I've wanted all week like cereal (cause I like Frosted Flakes and Mini Wheats.. such a kid!) or something greasy/bad but within moderation.

I've been dreading writing this week's entry because I don't feel I've done as well as I could have. I refuse to do any sort of measurements this week as I know there will be no change for the better. However, I do feel the blog is really giving me a feeling of I HAVE to do this. Even if nobody ever reads it (and I know some do), I still would feel accountable. Like it was a requirement of me. I'm hoping that I can keep some sort of momentum up and keep going with this. I've failed at just about every other thing I've done or tried in my life, I can't fail with this.

Torture and Pain

Well the next few days of the exercise routine weren't as productive as I'd hoped they'd be..

I worked on Monday the 18th and by the time I came home my knee was just screaming at me. I hardly sat all day and then the teacher's bookshelf just like collapsed a bit so I had to get on the floor on my hands and knees to try to fix it. Not good for the knees. So I had to skip my workout. I knew there was no way that I could do the kettlenetics with a knee that was just screaming at me that I was an idiot.

So I worked out on Tuesday. I did my time on the EA Sports Active but it was a short one again today. Only 18 minutes and 133 calories burnt. What a waste. I mean really for the amount of time I was doing it the calories are alright but the pain my knees and legs are in from JUMPING SQUATS... oh my lord.

One of the many things my physiotherapist told me after my last knee surgery was I was "not allowed to run, walk long distances, stand for a long time, hop, jump, do a lot of stairs, crouch or squat". and here this stupid EA thing wants me to be in a squat position and then jump in the air and land in another squat? Can we say brutal on the knees? I kinda did them, I more did what the kids at the schools call "burpees" more than jumping squats. Not as much extension on them.

I was feeling the burn but thought only 18 minutes definitely wasn't enough for the day. So I popped in the Kettlenetics dvd.

Holy HELL. I'm now crossing that off my list of things I'm going to be doing for exercise for at least 6 months! I'm definitely not in any sort of shape to do this! Basically it's dance aerobics with a 4 pound weight that you swing around with you when you do it. It looked fun on the infomercial and looked like something I could do. I've always enjoyed aerobics. Yeah. Except I can't do this. It's far too intense a workout and far too hard on my knees at the moment. After about 10 minutes I was dripping with sweat and swearing just as profusely at the tv. There's the instructor, lil Ms. Perfect with her 8 pack abs saying "You can do it! Swing a bit farther! Extend that squat!" and here I am the blob that I am, trying desperately to keep up while my body says "you moron, you're too fat and blubbery for this stuff!" Cripes I couldn't even keep up with the girl who was doing the 'modified' version of it. Oy. I enjoyed the moves and can see how it would work but I definitely think I'm not up to it.

So I figure now that I'm scratching Kettlenetics off my list of exercises, I'm going to do 30 minutes on the elliptical on my days off from the Wii. I HATE the elliptical but 30 minutes on it usually means about 300 calories or so and it is a good lower body and cardio work out. Last time I worked out I lost 15 pounds doing just the elliptical 30 minutes a day and watching what I ate. Granted it all came back when I stopped but dangit that aint happening again.

Wednesday was another write off. I don't know what happened but my knees gave me hell again. I could barely walk, couldn't find any position that was comfortable and didn't cause large amounts of pain and I was swollen like a balloon. I ended up having to borrow Dad's cane to walk around the house (reminder to self, buy a set of crutches). I was even seriously thinking about going to the hospital the pain was that bad. But I knew if I went I'd be waiting 8 hours to see some doctor who would just poke my knee and write me a prescription for Tylenol 3; which have no effect on me what so ever. So I suffered through. I didn't sleep well last night at all, again, issues with comfort. This morning (Thursday) I'm still fairly sore but I can at least maneuver around the house under my own power. So there will be no exercising today either. Dang. This has not been a good start to this experiment. I feel like I'm failing miserably this week.

The thing I find most amazing is I'm actually enjoying this. I've always hated exercise. Gym class was torture for me growing up. I was always the fat kid with bad asthma. I was never good at any sports and always the last picked. Heck when I was in elementary school I had to take remedial gym because I apparently had no sense of balance! My elementary school gym teacher was a wonderful Scottish man. I adored him so much. He knew I was trying all the time and knew my limitations. I had hoped that would continue in junior high but nope. I got the gym teacher from hell. The gym teacher who wouldn't let me go home to get my inhaler because I forgot it and was in the middle of a moderate attack (I lived about 3 minutes away). The gym teacher who tried to fail me because she felt I wasn't trying, especially when it came to the like 5km run we had to do 3 times a year. I'm sorry, you want a fat girl with bad asthma to RUN (we weren't allowed to walk) 5km in 15 minutes? Oh hell no.

So thus began the hatred with exercise. Not to mention I hate getting dirty and sweaty and have a paranoia of having body odor.

Which is why I'm finding it so amazing that I'm enjoying the workouts now. Perhaps it's because I feel I can do them, that nobody's judging me, and the wii does it at MY pace. Yes, now and then it yells at me to pick up the pace when I run, but for the most part it does it at my pace. I also don't have a lil Ms. Perfect with 8 pack abs showing me what to do. As the wii thingy screams at me several times a workout, "You OWN this exercise!". I feel like I do. I own it, I can do it, and I'm going to be able to keep up with it. Heck, today I was thinking how hopefully soon I'll get my stamina and strength up enough to do the 30 minute workout on the EA. I tried it once and nearly died. But I think as I progress and get stronger and fitter I'll be able to handle it. I just keep trying to tell myself that I have to take baby steps. That this isn't a race.

I know I have to eat better too. I'm working on that as well. I also know that doing just a 180 calorie burning exercise isn't enough, which is why I'm incorporating other exercises. As well I also run around after Bailey a lot during the day playing with her.  I know I have a long way to go and a lot to do to get there but I am determined.

The First Few Days

So I started a few days before I started the blog and I have to admit I'm feeling a bit better than I was before I started. I've really only done a few workouts but it feels good to be active again and oddly enough doing the exercises on the Wii is entertaining!

On the EA Sports Active I'm doing the 30 day workout challenge. You do 2 days on and 1 day off. It has a set of predetermined exercises that you must complete. Seems to average about 20-30 minutes on it. You're doing everything from playing tennis, doing lunges, arm raises, squats, running/walking to basically anything you can think of. It does really work you as I can truly feel it in my legs and butt when I'm done.

I did one workout on Thursday with the EA Sports Active. I didn't do the Wii fit as my knees were screaming at me from copious amounts of lunges and squats. According to the system I did 22 minutes of exercise and burned 184 calories. Not too bad for a start.

I skipped Friday cause I was a lazy ass and did EA again Saturday. I did 26 minutes with it and burned 172 calories. Seems the calories burnt depend on the exercises they give you. There was a TON of running on this day and that's something my knees hate with a passion, not to mention my asthma. It was harder but I survived.

Today I did the EA again. I did 19 minutes and burned 112 calories. It was an easy day on it. Only had to run once, although those bastard lunges came back about 3 times. A lot of arm work which was a nice change. Got to do their version of step aerobics. Not bad but the wii fit has them beat on that. I couldn't understand what to do for half of it so I just kinda stepped on and off. Whoops.

Then I moved to the wii fit plus. I did the basic step aerobics and then the free step. I LOVE the free step! What a fabulous feature! Too bad they didn't have that in the original Wii Fit, at least not that I "unlocked". Free step is basically you can switch the tv from the input it's on for the wii to the regular channels and watch tv while the remote tells you when to step on and off the board. Yes the remote. It actually counts for you 1,2,3,4 so you can hear it while you watch Paula Deen bake something with 4 pounds of butter and a 1/2 pound of sugar.

It's great! I barely noticed I was doing it until the end of my 10 minutes and I could really feel the burn in my butt and legs. I can see myself going downstairs to do that while I watch Law & Order or something.

Unlike our elliptical which I found watching tv with tedious because I kept looking down at the counter to figure out when I was going to be allowed to step off the damned contraption... the basic step on the wii was fun and I really didn't feel bored doing it.

So I supposedly burned 50 calories with the Wii Fit doing the aerobics today. Although I have to admit I'm more than a bit skeptical because the stupid thing said I gained 13kg(28lbs!) from Christmas Day to today. If I somehow gained almost 30lbs in 3 weeks I think I'd notice! So I may take the Wii Fit's calorie count/weight/BMI with a grain of salt.

So there's the first 3 days. I'm on a "rest" day from EA tomorrow so I'll be doing a 1/2 hour of kettlenetics.

Here's hoping this all pays off. I'm tired of being the Plump Princess!

So here we go

I stand on the scale one day and cringe. At 26 I'm obese and tired of it. It's time for a change.

I never have been tiny but I did gain over 60 pounds during my last relationship (which of course was 6 years ago!). Bugger wouldn't let me cook despite my being a decent cook,  and never cooked for us. So we ate out or ordered in a lot. 60 pounds later here I am.

Ugh.

So I've decided on a change and I figure the only way to make me stick to exercise and eating better is to have a blog about it. Then I'll have some personal accountability. I figure it'll force me to keep with it (here's hoping!)

So the plan is:

2 days of doing EA Sports Active on the Wii (approx 20 mins a day)

and the Wii Fit Balance Board for approx 20 minutes a day.

On my "rest" days from EA Sports (you do 2 days on and 1 day off) I'm going to do Kettlenetics. Kettlenetics is basically aerobics with a 4 pound kettle ball. I got suckered into it from an infomercial but only because I can truly see the science behind it working. I figure aerobics with a weight has got to do SOMETHING for you.

The only way I will not do exercises for a day is if I have too much knee or back pain. I suffer from patella-femoral syndrome .  Basically  my knees hurt all the time but if I'm having a flare up of pain I can barely walk let alone do any sort of exercise. I've had surgery twice on my knees but the surgeries have never taken and I still have pain.

I also suffer from facet joint syndrome in my back. It's essentially a form of arthritis. When it acts up I'm in severe pain.

So if those two aggravating conditions flare up I won't be doing my exercises that day. Otherwise I have NO excuse. I'm only working 1-2 days a week right now so I can't say I don't have the time!

Couple all this with a refusal to eat anything candy or chocolate related, which will probably kill me. And no snack foods. I otherwise eat fairly healthy I'm just a horrible, horrible HORRIBLE candy/baking/sugarholic. Carbs and refined sugar are my best friends right now and that's got to change.

So here are the *sigh* disgusting awful stats on me. I'm posting them so I have to be ashamed of them to force myself to get better!

Age: 26

Height: 5'3"

Weight: 204lbs

Measurements:

Calves: 17" (though I have to say they may be big but they're already solid muscle)

Thighs *UGH*: 31"

Hips: 47"

Stomach:46"

Waist: 36"

Chest (bust): 42" (the only part of me I'll be sad to see go!)

Upper arm: 13"

Lower arm: 9.5"

So basically I carry all my weight in my stomach, butt and leg areas. They're massive. I keep having students ask me when my "baby" is due. So it's definitely time for a change. I figure I'll re take the measurements every 2 weeks to see if there's any progress.

There damn well better be seeing as I'm posting all this online!

And the dreaded, never posted online before full body shot. I never can take a good pic and full body shots are ALWAYS soooooo flattering. uuughhhhh. Sad thing is I don't feel like I look this big but apparently I do. I don't subscribe to the camera adds 10 lbs crap.

Yeah I know, I'm wearing a heavy sweater but it is showing what I look like on a daily basis.

So here's hoping my exercise plans and dreams work and I can become a slimmer, better, much more attractive me although I do think it'll take much more than weight loss to fix the last one lol!