Long time!

I kept putting off posting until I had something to report. The entire month was spent gaining and losing the same 6 pounds. It's infuriating! Currently I'm down 4 for the month, and have been for two consecutive days, but the scale is a cruel mistress. For reals.

I haven't eaten perfectly, but I've logged every single thing I've eaten, and when I've eaten more, I've exercised more to compensate. But the hip kept me from trying to run again, and the back/neck thing kept me from trying to lift any weights (except for the 5-pounders I have at home). I had two decent adjustments at the chiropractor, so I've been easing my way back into the gym routine. And by easing, I mean, I've been twice all month! Once last week and once today.

Besides general walking around, making a more concerted effort to get up frequently from my desk at work, and taking the stairs, I got a trampoline. At first I got a cheap model from Walmart, but then I took it back when  friend generously lent me the use of hers...a much nicer model. Pretty much anytime I want to watch trashy television shows, I just bounce around on that thing. It helps me get all my steps in at home, no matter what the weather and it's pretty low impact, so no hip problems or shin splints or anything. I pretty much just bounce, do jumping jacks, throw punches, twisty type things, jog in place--whatever I feel like doing. It came with actual workout routines, which I may or may not attempt. We'll see!

Also, I got a Kinect for the X-box, and that allowed me to get this game. It's pretty awesome. It's got yoga, different kinds of dance, strength training, and different activities. You can set goals and work toward them, and it gives you pointers for your form or if you're not doing a move properly. I love it.

So even though I've been to the gym less, I haven't exactly been slacking off. Unfortunately, the scale just doesn't care. I think part of it is that I do have to watch what I eat more carefully. One fattening, high sodium meal sets me back a week. It's not fair, but it's just what happens. So I have to stick with the plan. Portion control, make as much of my own food as possible and eat every 4 hours. Another part is probably that I traded a workout routine that included some pretty intense strength training for one that's very heavy on the cardio. Cardio just takes a lot longer to see good results.

I think that's about it. There's another week left in the month, so there could still be a little progress, but even if I end up with 4 pounds, it's 4 in the right direction.

Whoops!

I stayed away for longer than I intended! Usually that's what I do when I'm falling off the wagon, but that's not the case. I've been steadily going to the gym, walking and eating right (with an exception here and there).

I got a fitbit, and that's really helping a lot. Previously I had been logging all my working out/walking and eating in a paper journal. This worked great for me, being able to see everything in one place, but the fitbit keeps track of most of the fitness stuff, and it's very easy to log food. (My biggest concern was that it was going to take a while, but it keeps track of food you eat regularly, and it's easy to just pick that thing out of that list.)

I mentioned last time that I started back with the running. That was actually the last time I ran, because that hip thing still hasn't resolved. No fun. I actually stopped doing leg workouts, too (although, I might resume these soon), because I'm thinking I overdid it with them, and the the running just made something worse.

So for now, the modified plan is to use the fitbit to log the walking. Anything over 12,500 gives me a free pass on the cardio for the day, and I'll alternate days at the gym, doing arms and legs. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to fold the running back into the mix. Also, the fitbit tracks flights of stairs, so I was up to 35 flights yesterday. Technically, I was tricked...I thought I would get a new badge for 35 flights, and as it turns out, I did not.

I'm hoping to take a super-extended walk this weekend (10 miles) to kind of push myself some, but that may or may not happen.

Oh! I almost forgot...down another 4 pounds for a total of 13. So that's 181. That's pretty exciting. I had actually seen the scale dip down to 178 before Super Bowl Sunday and the cake debacle! (I had two pieces of cake, and about a quarter pound of cheese. Scandalous!)