Skinny girl to fat girl and back to skinny girl - for life page 38

[jenn26point2]

Glad to see an update. I'm glad you're really enjoying your job. I'd love to work from home.

[June68]

thanks Jenn.

Working from home is a new experience for me. Always drove to a building and sat in an office/cube. Mostly cubes. Ugh. Sometimes the upside was the people I worked with and sometimes it was the downside. The company I work for now is mostly virtual. We have an office suite in Ohio and one in Virginia, but I think they're just some of those open plan/shared reception type deals and not more permanent. Only a few people a day actually use the offices, everyone else works from home or on the road. For example my team is 4 people including myself and we're all in different states. 2 time zones. It's so funny. But it works. All of us take our jobs seriously, are adult, professional types and we get it done. We also laugh a lot, but that's part of getting it done. I love it when I'm on with my inside rep and her dogs start barking at something in the road. Or when my engineer's son comes to see how daddy's doing. It makes the connection more personal.

It also has its challenges, too. Sometimes I feel isolated. There's no hallway chat or lunchroom gossip. Like an email went out about someone being let go. In a normal office environment the talk would be rife with speculation. Alas I just got a little tidbit from my engineer as to why the guy was fired. Stuff like that. We have IM and other tools to talk so it's not like I can't, but it's not the same as bumping into someone in the hall.

I do like it though.

[jenn26point2]

Those types of environments both come with their pros and cons. I remember feeling isolated when I worked from home too. But it definitely had it's perks, like swapping laundry at break time.

[June68]

A quick update and confession -

With my new job and disrupted routine I find I haven't been exercising very much at all. That combined with eating restaurant food several days a week has made me feel a bit off. Digestion issues. Bloating. Sluggisness. Inability to focus. Not good.

So I think that while I'm in my home office I need to be extra careful about what I eat and how much. I also need to just put exercise into my calendar and stick to it. Being lazy about it seems to make me less sharp mentally. I think the inactivity has dialed my metabolism down as it should, but I'm still eating like I was still fueling activity and that's made me gain some weight. At least I think I have. No scale means it's the clothes test and a pair of pants that was a bit tight a couple weeks ago is now unwearable. Not good.

Mark is right. You have to do the whole plan and not just some of it. By leaving off exercise I've upset how my body is supposed to work. Just when it got used to burning off most of what I eat, now its back to storing it. I haven't gained a lot, but it's noticeable to me. Not good.

Another piece I've been ignoring is play. While my camera has been in the shop I haven't been shooting and thus I haven't been outside much at all. All I do is work and errands and chores. Ok, yeah, I went to a party in Ohio this past weekend, but that's about all the recreation I've had for a month or so. Not good.

Getting my shit together is top priority. I got lazy. I thought I could cheat. I can't. Lots of people talk about cheating here on MDA and mostly they mean eating something that isn't Primal, but for me it's about leaving out pieces of the plan. The Primal Blueprint only works if you're doing the whole thing, at least for me that is. So here's what I'm going to do -

1. Tighten up clean eating when at home
2. Schedule excercise 3X a week
3. Get out and play 2X a month

That seems doable to me. And I think I'll feel the results pretty quick. Very good.

[jenn26point2]

I have to schedule my workouts for my lunch period at work or I don't get to them. Too many demands outside of work with two young kids, a husband, grad school and maintaining a household. Lunch is my only respite.

Would it be possible for you to take 15 minutes a day for some kettle swings? Or a quick set of pushups? Maybe a swing around the block a couple times a day? You could set a timer for 2 hours, work hard, and then take 15 minutes to move your body. And then definitely schedule the play time. I don't play enough either.

I put on 6 lbs over Valentine's Day... Oy. 6 pounds from one freaking meal!! Ridiculous! It's so incredibly hard to get rid of too. One would think that if you could put it on in one day, you should be able to take it off in one day, right? WRONG!! So very wrong and incredibly unfair!

[June68]

Sorry about the weight gain, Jenn. A bit more vigilance and I bet it won't happen anymore. I know I paid for my slip. Not again.

Things seem to be back to where I was before the no-exercise/restaurant food period. Ugh. I was so bloated and just felt gross. The unwearable pants are back to just being tight now. Another 5lbs gone and they'll fit. Had on some of my size 10 Eddie Bauer cords from years ago and they were actually loose. My stomach was as flat as it has been in recent memory. I was out seeing customers and felt very good.

As I thought it might happen, I ran into my old boss at one place I was at. I've known this guy since 1993 when we were both in our 20s. We've worked together at a couple of companies, but I haven't seen him in 4 years or so and boy, did he get fat. Like pretty much everyone on a SAD diet, his weight has been creeping up. Mine did, too. His wife is a vegetarian (at least she was the last time I knew) and so he probably has a SAD diet combined with vegetarian soy substitutes plus covert burger-scarfing going on. Result? Big soft face, moobs and a gut. And he used to be pretty hot.

I'm basically the same weight I was the last time we worked together. Maybe about 10lbs lighter now I think of it. I was at my size 12 days then and now size 12 is too big. So I'm really back to a weight from the late 90s/early 00s. Nice. I know it's vain, but dammit I look good. Gray hair and all. At least he didn't go back home, talk to Jen about running into me and say how fat I got.

[jenn26point2]

At least he didn't go back home, talk to Jen about running into me and say how fat I got.

That does feel good, doesn't it?

I saw someone yesterday that I haven't seen in a while and she asked if I'd lost weight. I didn't expect her to say that b/c when I worked with her, I was still over 200, but wearing the same clothes I am now (except now they're loose rather than tight). We talked a bit about weight loss, but not about technique (thankfully b/c I don't like sharing how I do it b/c it always leads to a close-minded discussion).

Congrats for being able to wear pants from so many years ago!!

[June68]

It does I must say even though it's kind of vain. But having other people notice your hard work is so rewarding...congrats on turning some heads.

Basically I just popped in to put this video somewhere. It's so hilarious. Esp that when she asks what's the worst thing that can happen to a person, she's reading The Trial. In.fla.mation!



So it's March and March makes me start to think of my cold, frozen, lonely motorcycle. With a bit of trepidation I tried on my leathers remembering that the last time I rode I couldn't button the pants and had to ride with them unbuttoned. And that they were so tight in the thighs they were uncomfortable. Oh and even my boots I could barely strap around my calves (granted, they are men's boots and men usually have way skinnier calves than women). Well what do you know...I can almost take them off while zipped and buttoned now. Holy shit. I mean...how the hell fat was I when I bought them? Leathers have to be a bit roomy in order to ride, move and be comfortable. When I first wore them I needed suspenders to keep them up because they fit everywhere except the waist, now even with suspenders they're ridiculous looking. The jackets still fit though so that's good and maybe I can sell them since they're not really beat up.

sigh.

Vanson, here I come.

[June68]

So in the interests of doing new things and keeping life fresh and vibrant, I did two of them today.

First I went to the gym. I'm not a stranger to the gym, but we have become estranged if you know what I mean. From about 1994 to 2006 I was very active at the gym. I went 5 days a week to do cardio and weights. My husband and I met at the gym. Eventually I got pretty strong, but also kept putting on weight no matter how much cardio I did. You know the story...and I quit.
Now I'm back and am going to work in 2-3 days a week doing major movement lifts like squats, chest press, deadlifts, bent rows and hanging knee raises. Just the little I did of each of these today made me miss it and realize just how out of condition I really am. Mark says that we should train so we can play and that's exactly what I have in mind.

The other new thing I did was to sign up for a 7-hour beginners' kayak class. It's been ages since I've been in a kayak, but the times I have are great memories for me. I love the peace and serenity of being on the water. And my woodland photography is beginning to bore me so I think I'll see what I can do from the water. My plan is to take the class in early May and see if I can find a decent used boat and paddle. If I can get the rest of the gear used, too, so much the better. And because everything gets pretty wet in a kayak seat, I'm going to look into finding a weather-sealed camera, too. Probably a used body to go with the weather-sealed lens I already own. Summer nights are long and so I hope I can get out in the afternoons a few days a week and paddle. I live near a biggish lake and a lot of smaller lakes, too, so I should be able to. I'm pretty psyched to be able to afford to do this now.

[jenn26point2]

That video was hilarious!! So many one liners! Thanks for sharing.

Glad to hear the leathers are no longer fitting.

Welcome back to the gym! I need to hit the gym too. Haven't been there in a couple of weeks.

Kayaking sounds fun! Not sure I'd want to go with a camera though - I'm a nervous nelly and would be constantly freaked out that it would get ruined. Would probably be just as nervous with a waterproof camera. lol