Less Lisa

This is going to be a long one, have a seat  

Uncle D came over yesterday afternoon, later than I think the both of us had planned as we were all at a party Saturday night that made for a late night.  Too much alcohol for him, Clint and most others, and me??  I only drank 1/2 of one Mike’s Hard Lemonade light, that is low in calories and carbs, and a couple of sips of a amaretto sour that was so good…water the rest of the night and never had ONE munchie.  That was good.

 Ok, so first my eating for the weekend.  This is the first time in nearly 3 weeks that I had something I shouldn’t have.  I had 2 pcs. of homemade pizza on Friday night.  Not a big deal, but after having the carbs, it turned into a big deal…all of these cravings came crashing back.  Even though I still ate limited amounts of any foods this weekend (can’t kick this chest thing STILL, and not feeling 100% at all) I still feel like I did horrible.  Today, though, I have my lunch packed with all good things.  I’m craving salad badly, so I think my body is begging for the healthy foods again.  So I’m back on track…one slip-up in 3 weeks isn’t so bad, could be worse and I could still be eating badly…so that is a plus for me!!

 Now for the training.   It was more fun than I could have imagined.  Uncle D is awesome.  He’s so easy to be around and he’s so patient.  I caught on fairly quickly if I do say so myself.  He said I was doing really well…he will be over once a week, on the weekend to check my progress, and if I’m comfortable enough with what he taught me the previous week, we will add more to my routine.

Yesterday I learned jabs, and 1-2 punches, and moving.  We got the heavy bag hung at the correct height and got started.  He taught me how to keep my jaw protected at ALL times.  Even when you throw a jab, you keep your head somewhat down and the shoulder of the arm that you are extending out is to cover your jaw, while the opposite hand is constantly at your jaw to protect.  It was so much fun to punch…I can see where this is going to be awesome when I’m stressed…I can beat the shit out of the bag.

He only wants me focusing on my speed at this point.  How fast I can get my punches to the bag and back to original position.  The strength, he said, will come on it’s own as I build muscle and stamina.  I also have to work on moving.  If you have ever seen a heavy bag, you know how the name of the bag is printed on the bag around eye level all the way around the bag, in my case it’s Everlast.   So I pick one everlast box to keep my eye on and you envision that being your opponent.  He wants me working on following that one spot when it spins around and get comfortable moving while throwing a jab once in awhile at it.

New exercises have also been added to my routine.  I’m still to do at least 1 mile on the elliptical each night and the broom twists are still incorporated and I still need to build up to 200 per night.  I’m at 100 per night right now.  The only thing is, I’m no longer using a broom stick.  My arms are too long.  I knew the pole was too short, but I wasn’t sure what else to use.  Well, we found some aluminum poles out in the shop that are the perfect length for me.  I can stretch my arms out like they are supposed to be and the stretch feels completely different and much better.

What we are adding in arm circles with low weights.  You hold the weights (I’m using 2 lb. hand weights which he thinks is too much, I need to find 1 lb. ones) and stretch your arms all the way out to the side and do small circles forward and then small circles backwards, and then punches out to the front.  I’m also to work up to 5 sit-ups per night.  Doesn’t sound like much, I know.  But these are a tad different.  I have to have Clint holding my feet, knees bent, and with my hands behind my head, do a FULL sit-up (not just a crunch) and once I am all the way up, I am to twist, touch my right elbow to my left knee and then twist and touch left elbow to right knee and all the way back down.  He said he doesn’t care if I only do one per night, but build up to 5 per night.  I’m also going to be doing jump rope.  Just simple single jump jump-rope.

Here’s the thing I like the best.  Excluding the sit-ups and broom twists, no other part of my routine is based on the NUMBER of repetitions…so no having to COUNT and lose count and all that good stuff.  The actual boxing part of it is going to be 3 rounds of 3 minutes each.  I do 3 minutes of jabs and moving, then rest for 1 minute, then do another 3 minute round.  I have to work up to the 3 minutes total though I’m sure.  With my arm circles and punching exercises, I do them for 1-1/2 minutes rest 30 seconds, then another 1-1/2 minutes…for a total of 3 rounds of those as well.  I will build those up to 3 minutes as well, but to start I will push for 1-1/2 minutes.  Jump rope I will also build up to 3 minutes of straight jumping.  Right now, if I could do 30 seconds continuously, I would probably be proud of myself.  So I have to build up to 3 minutes straight.

 I do my whole routine Monday through Saturday.  6 days per week.  I’m gonna be a tired puppy.

What I can see just by re-reading this, is I’m definitely going to create some calorie deficit daily which will definitely give me the weight loss and muscle definition that I’m looking for.  Uncle D told me last night that he wants me to devote myself to this for just 3 months.  He said if I can devote myself to his training and the self-discipline it’s going to take to do this, I will have amazing results at the end of the 3 months. 

I was *this* close to going on a scavenger hunt for my scale this morning.  Seriously.  It was almost a panicky feeling that I needed it NOW.  HA!  I think the withdrawls from it are setting in.  I even called Clint on his cell phone, who was on his way to work, and he goes, so what’s up?  And I said, ‘um, I was thinking I could weigh in this morning, you know, just to see??’ in a *HINT HINT* TELL ME WHERE THE FREAKING SCALE IS BEFORE I REACH THROUGH THIS PHONE AND DO THE UNTHINKABLE TO YOUR FACE kinda tone…know what he tells me??  ‘Huh, I forget where I hid it!’…and I had a flash of him evil laughing uncontrollably…when in reality all I said was ‘REALLY!’ in a ‘you KNOW where it’s at’ kinda tone…he just laughed…he really wouldn’t tell me.  He goes ‘Isn’t this what you WANTED me to do??’ and I agreed and was no longer envisioning his eyeballs under my fingernails.  He got to work safely.

I updated my Daily Log with my exercise for today.  Last night, Lippy did not happen, I was having too much trouble breathing…

 Today was still a struggle and I came in a just a *tad* under one mile, but I really couldn’t do anymore because of my chest and breathing. 

Nice thing about tonights Lippy session, I broke it up in 3 times…10 minutes the first time, 7 minutes the 2nd time and then just over 2 minutes the third time.  It was easier on my lungs, and the best part?  My feet NEVER went numb.  That felt really great

Alright, I’m gonna crawl into my cozy bed and rest this pathetic-sick body. 

P.S. ~ Almost forgot, official boxing training is going to begin on Sunday.  My Uncle D has been working alot of overtime lately, so this weekend is the best for him to get started, so he will be over sometime around noon on Sunday to get started with the bag and all…he said he has another workout for my arms / shoulders that will tighten up the backs of my arms…he has a routine all drawn up for me and will go over it all when he comes over.  I’m SOOO excited!!!!!! 

Well, the last time I posted, was the last time I did any work on Lippy…here’s the rundown on why. 

 Saturday morning, we got up early and took Abbie to her riding lesson, then left there and headed straight to the Cleveland Zoo.  We walked around there for close to 5-1/2 hours.  Lot of walking that day.  So when we got home, we got the girls a bag packed and took them to my parents house where they spent the night. 

 Clint and I decided to go to dinner alone for the first time in forever, so we went to BW3’s and sat in the bar and had a drink with dinner.  Well, I ordered boneless wings with sauce on the side so I could just dip a tiny bit, and I ordered one long island iced tea, which I only drank half of, because I was so stinkin’ giggly off the one half of the drink…I downed a bunch of water so I could drive and Clint had a couple of tall beers.

 Came home that night (it was already late), and Clint and I went out back and built a bon-fire.  Had a Raspberry Smirnoff and sat by the fire for a couple of hours together…it was awesome.

 So no Lippy Saturday, I figured it would be my one day off this week.  Then Sunday came.  Mom called me early Sunday and said she wasn’t feeling so good, and wanted me to get the girls early.  I went and got them and took them to the playground at the elementary school near my parents house and we played for about an hour.  Came home did a bunch of yard work, but didn’t get on Lippy…because…I FREAKIN GOT SICK.  I was so sick Sunday night, missed work Monday and today.  I know what caused it, something in the air at work, long story, won’t bore you, but I’m going back to work tomorrow and hoping it’s better.

So, three days, no Lippy…good news is, I WILL be doing it tonight.  More good news, I still have no idea where my scale is, and haven’t even attempted to find it, but the BEST news of all???  I can see a difference in my body!!!!!!  I am actually SEEING changes!!!  I KNOW I have lost weight this past week.  Yeah, being sick probably helped that a bit, but I have been doing SOOOO GOOD on my eating.  I have no cravings at all for carbs / starchy stuff…I’m actually craving peanut butter! 

I made THEE best snack yesterday and have to share it.  I take 2 of my chocolate sugar free popcicles (40 cal. each) and put them in a bowl and put them in the microwave and defrost (make sure it’s DEFROST and not regular COOK time or your will have chocolate water) them for about 25 seconds and them I scrape them off of the popcicle sticks into the bowl, mash em up just a bit and add about a TBSP of natural peanut butter and mix it all together.  It reminds me of Baskin-Robbins chocolate peanut butter ice cream that was my FAVORITE. 

So that’s the rundown on me.  I will be back here later and update my activity page.

Day 4.  I’m going strong.  I have NO cravings left for sweets / bread / bad carbs.  That is THEE best feeling.  I had a few M&M’s today and after I ate them, I had that crappy ‘I have something in my body that I shouldn’t and now I wanna sleep and/or puke’ feeling.  I don’t miss that a bit.

 I wasn’t able to get in my 2 mile walk on my lunch break today, as I didn’t have a lunch break.  Abbie and Megan’s last day of Bible School was today and they put on a program, so I got to leave work at 11:15 a.m. and go to the program, leaving there at 1:00 p.m. with both girls coming back to work with me (which was awesome…I miss having them there with me) and finishing up so we could leave right at 4:30. 

 We took the girls to the opening night of ‘Cars’ tonight.  They each got a pack of ‘Cars’ cards, which Clint refuses to open.  Collector thing.  The movie was awesome.  The girls got kid pack snacks before the movie started which was a small popcorn, pop and a candy, each.  Clint and I just got drinks (mine, diet, of course).  The three of them shared the snacks and I never had one bite or even the WANT for a bite.  I did so good.

 We left there and went to a local pizza place for dinner.  We were going over the menu and I was like ‘there’s nothing I can have here’…then I spotted the salads.  Clint was like, ‘ you’ve done so good, one night isn’t gonna hurt.’ and I was *THIS* close to agreeing…but I know what that crappy guilty feeling is after you fall off and give in like that.  One time and I’m doomed.  So I ordered the Chicken Salad.  Lettuce, chicken, cheese, tomatoes and onions, with a tiny bit of light french dressing. 

So no 2 mile walk, but at 10:00 p.m. tonight, even though my eyes are sticky tired, I forced myself to work out.  I updated my Daily Log with my activity.  I’m so relieved that I didn’t sit on the couch and feel guilty that I skipped tonight.  I got my butt up and did it.

 I’m proud of myself.  Even though, sitting at the table in the pizza place, I felt HUGE and uncomfortable eating in front of people, I’m still proud of myself, because even if people think I’m big, or I think that people think I’m big, I still know what I’m accomplishing.  I know what I am focused on and what I’m doing for ME.  THAT is what matters.

Wow, I have tackled day 3.  I have changed my Daily Log page (link above) and will be tracking my activity and all for one month.  It is only going to show the date and activity that I am doing.  I don’t get much time here at night, so if I don’t update nightly, it’ll be ok.  I keep track of everything that I do, then post it all here every couple days or so.

 Can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE my scale-hiding-hubby?  I have asked him before, and he kinda laughed like I was wacko (well, that’s besides the point), but I do believe he finally is taking me serious and seeing how much effect the scale has on me and my motivation.  I came home today, went in and changed clothes to get on Lippy, and when I walked into the bathroom, there was a nice empty spot where the scale USED to sit and call me.  He hid the thing!!  HA!!  I can’t even hear a whimper of any muffled scale voice calling for me.  It is the nicest peace and quiet I have had in a long time.  It no longer runs me!!!!

 Another great thing that happened today, we went out and I got my boxing supplies.  I’m SOOO freaking excited.  I got a 60 Lb. Everlast heavy bag, bag gloves that came with it, the speed bag and the rack that it hangs from.  We hung both bags out in the shop.  I was going to hang them in the basement, but was told that hitting the heavy bag will shake the house.  This way, in the shop, I can blare the stereo and have a nice quiet workout / training session.  I did a little punch throwing tonight, and worked on getting a rhythm on the speed bag, which is MUCH harder than pros make it look.  Just for future reference, Me+activity(does NOT)=coordination.

 So, now I’m on day 3 of activity, I have my measurements ready for the next measure, pictures are anxiously waiting to be uploaded to my computer for next month’s comparison, and my scale is GONE!!! 

Yesterday. Training began ‘unofficially’…I called Uncle D (who is the one to train me in boxing) and got a rundown from him on what to look for in my heavy bag and speed bag and gloves. I’m going this week to get them all.

Just a heads up, whenever I get awesome tips from him, I will be posting them here.

Here’s tip number one he told me last night. I was telling him about how much trouble I have losing weight, and therefore that reason is pretty much near the top of the list as to why I want to start boxing. He told me that when he was boxing a few years back, and has even heard this from a trainer in the gym that he works out in now, that he was told that if you do NOT want to lose weight while trying to bulk up, do NOT run at night. To lose weight, run at night. He said it literally fell off of him before he knew it. I know, he’s a guy, and guys suck cuz they lose weight quick, but STILL…there has to be some truth behind it when trainers are using it as part of their training. I asked him if my elliptical would suffice, as I run like a girl. I really feel clumsy and sloppy when I run, not to mention my boobs need something that flattens them to my chest to make that hurt stop and prevent the black eyes and all.

He said the elliptical is perfect. Trick is, you eat dinner (light and healthy, of course) and that is the last time you eat for the day. So that goes back to my don’t eat after 6:00 p.m. Give your dinner some time to settle, and that’s when you run. He said do at least a mile a night, possibly 2. I already do one mile each time on Lippy, so instead of going for longer time, I’m shooting for a longer distance, even if it’s just 1/10 of a mile each night more…

He also told me that the best thing to trim your waistline, is this: Grab your broom. No, we don’t go and clean. Use a broom or broomstick and lay it across your shoulders (going behind your neck) and let your arms outstretch up and over and hang over the bar slightly. Stand in front of a mirror, if possible, to watch your movements, keeping your feet about shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, hips straight ahead and still, and twist at your waist. He told me to start these nightly, doing 50 each night. When you twist left, then right, that is one. He wants me to start out with 50 and gradually build myself up to 200 per night, and he said even though they seem easy, you still have to watch because you can pull muscles this way. Last night I did 75.

I took my measurements yesterday and actually got Clint to take pictures of me, can you believe it?? I wore some light gray spandex kinda bike shorts and a short tank top that comes to the top of the shorts…VERY unattractive, but I wanted something light colored to show any bulges. I can hide most with black, so I didn’t want that. I want to SEE my progress in a month. I will wear the same outfit for the next pictures and see what changes…oh and I won’t post this set until then either…I was SO, um, gaggy, when I saw myself. I don’t feel as big as I look in those pictures. Sucks. My measurements have all dropped, except for my waist. I gained 2 inches there. LOL…I do believe my last measurement couldn’t have been correct, as my hips and abdomen have gone down. So we’ll see in one month. Oh, that’s another thing. I am ONLY weighing myself now once a MONTH. I weighed in this morning at 253. That is awesome, as it’s been up and down 6 lbs. or better. I saw 260 at one point and avoided the scale, it was too discouraging and really bringing my motivation down. So 253 was nice to see.

So now the scale gets to be deprived of my weight on it for another month So once a month, I’m going to weigh in, take measurements, and take new pictures.

I’m going to make a page as soon as I can to track my workouts, weight and measurements as soon as I can. I want it all documented, and I’m sooo tickled to see the first month’s results.

I have been eating so well, very low carb, no processed foods, veggies, cottage cheese (mix it with some cinnamon and splenda and it ’s AWESOME for breakfast), pepperoni chips with cheese, that kinda stuff, and I feel SO good. I don’t feel all bogged down after I eat. It feels great I’m doing it healthy

Now that I have taken up an hour of your time, I need to run…I will post more after I get the page done and more workouts

Who could have ever guessed that when I woke up this morning, today would be so different from any other.

My brother, who lives in Booneville, CA called me today from a bar his best friend owns. He says ‘I have a message to deliver to you.’

Before I could even take a guess, he blurts out ‘Todd Snider says to tell you HI !!’

Oh my gosh, if you don’t know, Todd Snider is a folky-country-kinda singer. I have LOVED this man’s music since the early 90’s…he’s amazing.

My brother (Laddie) was in the bar and he and his BF who owns the place recognized him and Laddie gave him about an hour in there without ’stalking’ him and finally went over and explained that I had turned him onto Todd’s music years ago, and he just wanted to say Hi to him. He tells Laddie to tell ME hi as well!!! Todd is in town to perform in Booneville at The Wild Iris Music Festival tonight.

Laddie walks outside the bar and calls me on his cell. After I freaked out that Todd was still in there and all, I hear Laddie saying Bye, figuring it was a friend leaving or something. NO. It was HIM. He said bye to my brother and Laddie told him I was on the phone, thinking he would yell Bye to me or something.

NO…..

He grabs the phone and introduces himself to me!!! I FREAKIN TALKED TO HIM ON THE PHONE!!!!!!!!

ROFLMBO

I’m still flying high…aaaahhhhhhhhh…He asked me where in Ohio I lived, and I told him in Ashtabula, and he goes ‘Bob Dylan mentions that town in one of his songs’…I said ‘yes he does’…and I think I giggled a little and couldn’t stop telling him how much I enjoyed ‘meeting’ him…I probably sounded like a freaking high school girl, but he was laughing while I was rambling…no clue what all I said to him…it’s all a fog now…ROFL

Here’s his website if you wanna go hear a bit of his music Todd Snider & Another Todd Snider

For my very first celeb actual ‘meeting’, this one was awesome…sorry if I’m rambling…I’m so freaking tickled.

Ok. So. Now that my scare is behind me (By the way, Dell, you were completely right, as I am looking at that as a wake-up call to have my annual pap done now, and it very much so was an eye opener…scary friggin time, let me tell you)…things are moving along.

Scale? Sucks. Motivation? Still VERY much there and actually surprised at myself that having the scale not budge (or at least playing mind games with me) hasn’t had me lose motivation or gotten me discouraged in any way. I am STILL having days where I am down a few pounds, then up 6 the next…then the next day?? Those 6 are gone. I am FINALLY starting to believe that you seriously cannot go by your weight alone.

I walked 2 miles at lunch today in 34 minutes, so I averaged 17 minute miles…not terrible. I have been keeping busy with Clint outside still, in the yard, garden, you name it. And although scale and I do not get along at the moment, I got out my summer shorts from last year to wear seeing as how it’s been in the 90’s and so damn muggy, and guess what?? I have ONE pair of shorts that fit me. ALL of them are baggy, one pair I even had to safety pin to make them smaller. And the one pair that do fit were the one pair of jean shorts that I couldn’t even get NEAR zipped last year. Progress?? I think yepper!

Now to the ‘new’ news. Boxing. Yes, I’m going to start boxing. Not to get the crap beat out of me, but just recreational boxing. I have 2 uncles that were very popular boxers in our area and one even had a shot at going pro. Well the one that didn’t have that shot is the one that will be my trainer. How cool is that?? They are both amazing at boxing, in great shape, and you would NEVER guess their ages by looking at them, but I do believe that the uncle that I have asked to train me will have more patience and be reliable and motivating to get me going. I’m looking at a 40 lb. heavy bag, speed bag and gloves, and once I can get those items, we should be able to get moving. Boxing is an incredible all over workout. I’m not a wimpy girl by any means, and have had a couple of fights when I was younger, and hit someone else, but I have never been hit. That scares the bejeebers outta me. I don’t ever wanna get punched. Maybe after training and all, that could change and I may want to do some ’sparring’ we shall see. For right now, I’m SOO friggin excited to try boxing and starting the training with my Uncle (I will call him Uncle D from here on out so you know who I’m talking about) and see how it all goes. I need something to shake up my workouts and routines and I think this one will be fun!!!

!!!! NEGATIVE !!!!

We are so excited and relieved right now…I have alot to talk about, but dont’ feel much like being online right now, so I just wanted to post the results of my tests

Next post should include…falling off wagon…climbing back on wagon…friendly scale…shitty scale…oh, and boxing.

Thank you once again for all of your prayers…

I am still waiting on test results as of today. The Dr. office is calling the lab as we speak (well, read…) and the Dr. will call me this afternoon.

I just wanted to clarify on a couple of the comments that were made. First, thank you ALL for the positive thoughts, prayers and everything. They mean the world.

The reason I was so upset (now doing much better) after getting the abnormal test result is…

It has been 3 years since I have had a pap test done. So from that I was already a nervous wreck that something bad would be going on and it would be my own fault, and then of course thinking that whatever is wrong is serious because I neglected to have the test done yearly. So I already had myself pretty emotional.

About the missed periods being a sign of the HPV, that’s not what I was trying to say. I was told by a doctor a while back (who I never went back to again), that told be because of the PCOS and my erratic periods (none for 6 months and then bleed for 3 weeks straight, stuff like that) that it greatly increased my chances for cervical cancer. Then when I found out my tests came back abnormal and they were waiting on the HPV test results, I freaked. That is the virus that can cause cervical cancer. So with both things able to lead to cervical cancer, I have been pretty worried.

I have calmed down quite a bit and have realized that there’s nothing I can do about it until the results come back. He will be calling me after 1:00 p.m. today to give me the HPV results, so hopefully, I have everything crossed, that it is negative. Then we can resume life as normal, with a follow-up pap done in a few months probably.

When I did some research on the HPV thing, it says that HPV is a group of approx. 100 viruses that are all characterized in the ‘HPV’ category…not real clear on that. 30 out of the 100 are STD’s. Well, I’ve been married now for almost 14 years and with him for 2 years prior to marriage, and I KNOW I’m faithful and I have no doubts that he is…so I highly doubt that it’s an STD portion of the group of viruses.

Anyways, I am feeling better, just want the phone call to come now (about an hour from now he should call) and hear all good news. That’s gonna relieve alot of stress Thanks again to you all for all of your comments, thoughts and prayers.