Carbs are the devil!

I know it's been awhile since I posted, but I've been busy.  With the weather finally getting nicer, and some days even Summer-like, I've been trying to not revolve my life around the computer as much.  Today, however, although the weather was amazing, I had to get some of my thoughts out there in hopes that it will keep me accountable.

After realizing that no matter how much I change up my workout (I just finished week 4 of C25K by the way), I seem to be stuck in a constant plateau.  I've been at the same 41 pounds lost for about a month and a half now.  It's really getting frustrating.  I tried going from a combo of cardio and strength training to just strength training, then to just cardio and it seems like regardless of my exercise combo, I'm still stuck at the same 41 pounds lost (give or take a pound that seems to fluctuate).  It's really putting a damper on my weight loss progress and my overall motivation to keep going.  I'm someone that once my motivation is lost, it takes a LOOOONG time for me to get that motivation back, so that's the last thing I want to lose.  With that said, I'm refusing to lose it if all possible.

I was thinking about what I could do to change my routine that could get me out of this terrible plateau.  Since changing up my workout isn't making a difference currently, I figured I have to move onto my eating habits.  Although I overall eat pretty healthy, I do throw in some unhealthy things here and there (sometimes more often than I should).  It hasn't been a hinderance to my weight loss progress up until I hit this plateau, but I figured there is always room for change.

I watched an episode of "The Dr. Oz Show" when I was working from home one day a couple weeks ago about carbs being the new cocaine (there are 5 parts to that video I linked if interested) and I couldn't believe how much sense it made.  After watching that episode, I started to look at my meals and snacks over the course of the past couple weeks and I've noticed I'm seriously a carb-aholic.  I decided that the carbs have to go!  They don't have to go completely since our bodies run on carbs in many ways, but I definitely need to cut down...A LOT.

I didn't realize how many carbs (good and bad) I take in on a daily basis.  I eat everything from breads to pastas, potatoes, rice to low-fat potato chips, breakfast bars, cereal, oatmeal, etc.  It's ridiculous!  Some of those meals and snacks can definitely be changed to reduce my carb intake a lot, but I never really thought of it as a problem since lots of my carb intake were healthier options.  I try to stick with whole grains when it comes to breads, pasta, and rice, but I'm definitely guilty of having the unhealthy carbs outweigh the healthy carb options and also have carbs as part of a meal when it's not necessary.  I don't need low-fat potato chips with my sandwich at lunch.  I could have a lettuce wrap with a side of hummus and veggies.  I love hummus, veggies, and lettuce wraps, but I don't make that choice, I choose the carby direction.  It's like I love the taste of the healthier options, but my body still chooses the unhealthy or carb-heavy options.

To get myself even more into the mindset of reducing my carb intake, I've re-read the South Beach Diet books I have.  I don't plan on following that diet specifically, but I do plan on using it as my mindset and guide for some low-carb/healthy-carb options.  Since I don't currently live on my own, I don't do my own grocery shopping (it gets eaten by everyone but me when I do), so I will work with what I got.  There is a diabetic living in the house, so we do have a decent amount of whole-grain and sugar-free options, so it shouldn't be impossible.  I do think I'm capable of this though.  Although I love my carbs, I think I can cut back drastically enough to hopefully break this plateau.  I'm not saying that my carb intake is 100% to blame for my month and a half plateau, but I wouldn't doubt that it is a contributing factor.  I think starting this week I will begin my low-carb journey.  I'm sure I'll struggle in the beginning since I LOVE sweets and carbs, but I will make it work.  My goal was to be another size smaller by the time I leave for my vacation and at this rate my goal won't be reached.  If I can get on track asap, I think I can still have a chance to lose another size in 6 weeks.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.  I will be crossing my fingers and my toes that I have the willpower to stick with this.  I just don't want to lose anymore motivation than I already have because I'm afraid getting it back will be a bigger challenge than reducing my carbs will be for me.  Wish me luck!

Pumped up!

Although I've been working out and watching what I eat for the past 6 months or so (down 41 pounds so far), I found that this week I've been overly pumped about working out.  It's almost like a second wind with my workout routine.

Last week I started C25K and I've been sticking with it.  Today will be day 3 of week 2, which is also the last workout for the week on C25K.  I'm not stopping there though, I plan to keep running and mixing in some yoga as well this week.  It's like I don't feel like I can get enough.  Maybe I'm just really overly motivated because my vacation is 2 months away and I'm standing up in one of my friend's wedding in 4 months and being my current weight for both of those events isn't acceptable to me.  Not to mention, I have no idea when I will hear back to take the physical exam for the police department I applied for.  I have to be as prepared as possible for that.

I've also found that when it comes to working out and losing weight, I can be mighty competitive.  I don't have to "win", since any loss of weight is a win, but it's like I can't have people around me pushing themselves hard for something I equally want and then me slack on it.  My best friend this past week got on the workout bandwagon and that might also have pushed me to push myself harder.  It's like I want to make sure that I continue to lose while she's losing.  I want both of us to be successful and not be left behind because I suddenly start to slack.  Sounds dumb, maybe, but that's just me.  I'm a competitive person in a lot of ways and this, oddly enough, happens to be one of the things that brings out my competitive nature.

With that said, I'm counting down the time until I get out of work so that I can get home and do my week 2 day 3 C25K workout.  I find it wierd how psyched I am to workout when this time last year working out to me was a chore and I hated even the thought of it.  I love when my mindset changes for the better.

Take my money...please!

I've come to the conclusion that stores like Target and Walmart were started by brilliant people.  You can't walk into these stores with the plan to pick up one or two things you need and then walk out with just those items.  Not happening!  When you walk into these stores, you walk out with exactly what you need and only like ten other items.  I'll go there with the intention to buy shampoo and conditioner, but I come out also with a candle, a cute shirt on sale, maybe some yoga pants, some snacks, a lint roller, a DVD season of a show I like and who knows what else.

Maybe I'm a sucker for shopping.  I mean, I am a female so it's sort of in my blood to shop, but these stores seriously suck me in beyond belief.  It's like I can get all my bare essentials and then just about anything else I happen to come across that would be nice to have "just in case".  It's like money isn't an object in these stores.  I just grab and grab until I have a basket full of misc crap.

I know I'm nowhere near the only person that does this in these stores.  In fact, I can bet MOST people do this in these stores, which is why the people who came up with the idea of stores like Target and Walmart are brilliant...and rich.  With that said, Mr. Target or Mr. Walmart, can I borrow $4 for lip gloss I found in your store?

Chicago has only 3 seasons

Anyone not from Chicago may not know this, but Chicago definitely doesn't follow the normal 4 seasons a year rule.  Well, if you can call it a rule.  We have only 3 seasons here: Summer, Winter, and Construction.  Right now I can see my fellow Chicagoans nodding their heads.  We go from having freezing temps with constant snow day in an day out to warm weather that's so warm we're in shorts and tank tops in no time.  As for construction, well that's a season in and of itself.

Although we do have construction year round it seems like it takes place more often during the time that we're supposed to be having Spring and Autumn weather.  Hence, the reason "Construction" is its own season that replaces these two.  Every street you turn down there's construction.  2 lane streets become 1 lane, you drive over "patched" holes that make your car shake so bad that it feels like your driving off road, and traffic looks like a mall parking lot during the Christmas season.  This city is defintely hell when it comes to driving.  If I could, I would sell my car and walk everywhere; unfortunately, walking everywhere isn't doable over extremely long distances.  And don't talk to me about public transportation.  That's a can of worms you don't want to open up.

Back to the semi-normal seasons though.  This week has been an example of "Summer" weather.  It's been warm enough that I've been in flip flops, capris, and a light t-shirt the past couple days and still sweating.  The day before those days, I was wearing a tank top outside and was feeling pretty damn toasty.  Most of last week though, I had to wear long pants, fully covered up feet, a sweatshirt, and I was still pretty chilled.  Hell, I was able to see my breath at least one of those mornings on my way to work.  Gotta love the backwards weather of this city.

With that said, I will be moving out of this city at some point.  I'm all about the summer weather, but the winters here I could live without.  I wouldn't miss having a "White Christmas".  Not in the least bit.  As far as I'm concerned, snow is over-rated...except when you're a kid.  I loved the snow as a kid because snowball fights, making snow angels, and building igloo-like forts were awesome.  After I grew up though, snow was just an inconvenience to me.  You have to clean your car off everytime you want to drive it, you have to shovel and salt the walkways to avoid falling and breaking your neck, and driving in it is hellish too.  People literally drive like 15 mph to avoid slipping and sliding on the road, which is fine for safety, but it makes getting to and from your destination hair pulling.

Ugh!  Enough about snow though.  It's "Summer" here in Chicago and I'm doing my best to enjoy the days.  I'm wearing my fave shoes (flip flops) and I'm taking in the heat of the sun.  I love this weather and until that terrible snow comes back, I'm going to continue to enjoy it.

Nerd Alert!

Yesterday, I was in a major nerdy mood.  All I wanted to do from the start of the day to the finish of it was game.  I wanted to game like no other gamer out there.  That was my plan for the day too.  Just chill out, game it, have some fun, some snacks, maybe an iced coffee and just be a geek.  Well, then I remembered, I had a friend's birthday dinner to go to.  So, I figured, I'd release my geekiness another way.  I'll wear my geekiness!  So, I pull out my Priest class WoW baby tee, my +20 Frost Resistance hoodie on, a pair of cute jeans and sneakers and I'd be in casual gamer mode, even if I couldn't game it all day as planned.

A phone call then comes in a my boyfriend and I find out that the dinner plans have been cancelled due to our friend's parents kidnapping him for their own birthday dinner plans and we'll have to take a rain check.  Great!  Time to geek out!  Then we do just that.  We open up our laptops and geek out for most of the evening.

It's sad how easily I'm pleased by something as simple as just spending a day being a gamer geek.  Sometimes you just need to have a day to veg out and yesterday was definitely my day.

That brings me to today.  I plan on geeking it up again.  I did spend some time with my mom and we went shopping together, which was all she really wanted to do.  I did get in my workout (I did day 1 of my C25K.  Yay!) and after a filling lunch, I'm now in gamer mode.  With that said, I should get back to my gaming.  I'm so proud to be a nerd!

Keep the energy coming!

I wake up this morning at 5:45 am.  My eyes are barely open, but I know that I need to get my butt in gear.  I force myself out of bed because I know if I lay there, I will only re-close my eyes and go right back to sleep.  I get my yoga mat laid down, get the DVD player going, and I get in my yoga workout this morning.  I feel amazing now and I'm beyond ready to start my day.

This is the feeling I get every morning when I workout before work, but most of the time I just can't get myself to do.  I end up pushing it off until after work when all I want to do is go into veg mode.  You would think that amazing feeling I have after my morning workout that carries throught the entire day would be enough to get me to do it every morning, but my body just likes to do what it wants and ignores what my brain tells it to do.

Speaking of working out, I'm trying to get myself in gear to start running.  This coming from me is a shock since all my life I've hated running.  I was always that kid that dreaded gym class in school when it was that time of the year when running was the main workout/sport.  Oh, how I dreaded it more than exams in my other classes.  Unfortunately though, as an adult, I have resposibilities and I've got physical's to pass for my future career which running is a big part of.  So, I'm going to attempt this C25K thing that has been the discussion on so many weightloss message boards.  I think I'm willing to give it a try.  I've been trying to get my boyfriend to do it with me, but everytime he agrees to do it with me, he pushes it off another day.  I'm going to take the hint that he's not interested in running.  No problem.  I can relate to that, trust me.  I will do it on my own.  I'm an independent person.  I just wish my iPod was working so I had some music to go with the run.  Regardless though, I will tough through it.  Maybe I'll start fresh next week.  I will keep you updated!

Some managers are just inappropriate!

Mine is a perfect example of this statement.  She has a permanent attitude regardless of what you say or ask for.  It's like pleasing her isn't possible.  She only points out flaws, not the positives of your work and you get yelled at for doing your job (yes, you read this right!).  Let me give an example.  She's on a phone call and I take a message from a caller that bounces to me due to her being on a call already.  I write down the message fully and give it to her.  She yells at me that she doesn't want to speak with that person.  Okay...that's nice and all, but you're not speaking with the person.  It's a damn message!  You choose to return the call or not.  How is it that me taking the message (as I'm supposed to for my job) isn't what you want?

She's also known to talk badly about her employees to their peers and sharing private details about them (I've been a victim of this).  Should she be fired for this?  Absolutely!  The problem is she's related to the CEO of the company making her pretty much untouchable.  Yeah, she's a pretty terrible person.  I'd love to see karma bite her in the ass one day, but I'll leave that for a much higher power to take care of.  To simplify it though, it's her picture that's in the dictionary next to the word "Bitch".

She's just one example of many managers that I have worked with or around that are inappropriate.  I've had numerous jobs and it seems like you can always find a good manager here and there, but unfortunately there are far too many that are very much like my current boss.  They may not necessarily do the exact same things as she does, but they have their flaws that are highly inappropriate for manager material.  It's like when these people inview for the manager position, they put on this sweet and professional persona.  They pretend to be anything other than what they really are.  The interviewer loves them and hires them.  The newly hired manager then acts exactly as they are expected to act for at least the first 90 days (gotta love probation periods), then as time goes on, their true colors show and out comes Lucifer himself.  It's like these people are amazing actors/actresses.  Can we get an Academy Award for these people?  Seriously!