Adding to the mix

So I am at the 9 week mark of working with a dietician and I am beginning to grasp a new mindset.  I am starting to think in terms of food groups and portion sizes.  I still have to measure things in order to be absolutely sure that I am having the right amount.  The areas where I do the poorest at this are with creamer in coffee, full fat dressing on salads and popcorn.  The areas where I do the best with measuring is with ounces of lean protein and with how much of each grain I should be eating.  And I must say that I am incredibly awesome with measuring my veggies (that is when I eat them).  Sometimes my weekends do not include veggies.  I will get better at that.  I just know I will.

I am embarking on week 2 of going to the gym!!  I marched in there last week and plopped down some money for a membership and for 4 personal training sessions.  I think starting with the trainer was the BEST thing I have done for myself since increasing how much water I drink each day.  I realized that I could probably have lost another year by thinking that I was ready to go back to the gym and I would just know what to do when I got in there.  I think what stopped me from committing to exercise was just that; I did not know where to start when I got in the gym.  I am good at reading a map and at following directions.  So, when I got a written out plan of what to do each day that I go in the gym, I was relieved and empowered to move forward.  Next thing was to get my body on board.  So, in order to make sure that I have no conflicts with working out, I am going to the gym at a crazy early hour of the day like 6:30am.  I have to eat 30 minutes before I work out (which is 6am).  And I have to wake up and take medication that requires no eating for 30 minutes after taking it (so that's 5:30am).  Needless to say, my body clock was not very happy with this turn of events.  And I spent all of last week a little drowsy and cranky by the end of the day.  I started going to sleep a little earlier and consistently getting up early.  The only day that I didn't was on Sunday.  I slept in 2 hours later than I had for the rest of the week.

I did really well with my assessment and my first workout.  And by "well" I mean I didn't pass out or need the bucket like on The Biggest Loser".  I went home each day and got back in the bed for another hour after the workouts!  My muscles were really sore towards the end of the day.  I was not sure if I was going to be able to complete two more back-to-back days with that level of soreness and stiffness.  I massaged my muscles and took a hecka hot shower, took some Aleve and went to bed.  The next morning I was still sore and apprehensive about whether I was going to be able to support my own body weight doing things like planks, push-up's and lunges.  But I was able to.  And I found that my muscles, while engaged, were less sore.  They went back to aching when they were at rest.  And by my 3 days off for the week, the soreness went away.

I just started my second week and I feel that I did a lot better today working with the trainer than I did last week.  I was not defeated by any activity.  I was able to do them all and I had a challenge with each set I completed.  I think I am going to enjoy this new addition.  I am going to work with the trainer once a week for 12 weeks (10 more to go) and see where I land.  Hopefully, I will have a new habit established by then.

This week, I am going to be more diligent about measuring.  I am hoping to see some good results on the scale by week 3.  I know it takes a little while to balance out.  Muscles are expanding before they contract and they weigh more than fat.  Also being better hydrated makes it look like you are gaining but that's false.  So, I will stay the course, trust the process and put the work in.  HERE WE GO!!!!