A Story of Weight Loss

About Cycle Bar and Holrich. Seriously. I don't get to see Holrich as much as I like, but when I do, he kicks my butt. And Cycle Bar? I literally can't wait to go back every week. A student asked me what I wanted for the end of the year? I said, "A Cycle Bar gift card!" Both of these are expensive but the older I get, the more I understand that you honestly get what you pay for. I'd rather spend money on a trainer and an activity that moves me than just a gym. Just yesterday someone remarked about how I looked like I was losing weight. While I don't feel like that at all, I'm glad it was noticed.

Monday I started off the week by going to Cycle Bar for Boyband Mashup Night. You can probably guess I LOVED it and had a blast listening to my favorite songs and cycling. Tonight is Wine Down Wednesday and I can't wait. Eating this week has been up and down. I always find that when I'm about to start my period it's harder for me to want to eat healthier. Last night I made salmon and spinach and then ended the night with Turmeric Tea. Which, really isn't tea at all. Instead it's a concoction of cinnamon, turmeric (obviously), almond milk, ground pepper, coconut oil, and honey. You can get the recipe here It was really delicious and the benefits of turmeric are great! Especially for inflammation of joints, which, I hate to say, my left hand has started to feel tighter and tighter. I don't know how often I'll do the Turmeric Tea, because it can stain your teeth worse than coffee, but it's nice to have an option of something sweet and healthy to drink...

Ok let me just be completely honest... I have no willpower. None. I used to, but I don't know where it went. Today was our cast party for A Midsummer Night's Dream  and they had a catered BBQ dinner. Now, I know I could have watched it and eaten a piece of chicken, some green beans, veggies, and a salad. But noooo. I opted for the brisket, pork, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, green beans, cornbread, and topped it off with a Misha's cupcake. UGHHHHH. I kept saying to myself, "I worked out hard on Thursday and I'm doing Cycle Bar tomorrow." NO NO NO NO. That's NOT going to get the fat off! I have to do this balanced eating thing and it sucks because food is so good down here. Ok friends - I need prayers for WILLPOWER. Or at least confidence to rock the body I'm in right now. Sigh.

So I haven't updated in over a week because I moved (YAY!) and have been settling into a new apartment and trying to get on a new routine. Not to mention I've been sick since last Friday. Last night I worked out with  Holrich  and he warned me I was going to hate the workout. This is what we did: 10 sets of 10 chest pressesear 10 sets of 10 pulldown presses 10 sets of 7 squats with 20lb weights in each hand (yes...so a total of 40lbs OUCH!!) 7 sets of 7 dead lifts with 20lb weights in each hand (see above parentheses) This morning I feel as though my whole body is jello. I am a little irritated at myself for not having better will power this year. I keep thinking "If only I had stuck with this when we met up in August..." but I know I can't beat myself up about it. There's no use because this was yet another year of transition. I'm riding at CycleBar again on Monday. It's boyband night. Needless to say, I won't need much motivation to cy...

Val did cycle with me at CycleBar last night. The instructor was SUPER intense but really challenged me. At the end of the class she told me she was impressed with my stamina. I cannot begin to express how much I love this place. In the midst of packing and moving, I have scheduled two more cycle classes. One on Saturday morning at 9:30 and then another one next Wednesday. Still hoping to get on more of a healthy eating routine once I'm settled next week. I'm trying to update this blog everyday so that I'm able to go back and look at my progress, even if I don't have much to say. Thanks to all of you reading who have been so encouraging :)

I decided late Friday night to do a Saturday morning spin class at CycleBar. This is when I made my decision to bite the bullet and join. They give a 20% discount to teachers/Nova employees and so I am configuring finances and all that. Brunch on Saturday and I had 2 Bloody Mary's after the spin class. I know, I know - not smart. But really, I didn't eat the rest of the day b/c I was so full from brunch. Brunch will be the death of me. It is my vice. I love it so much. I'm moving on Friday and once I get settled, I fully plan on being on the meal plan that Holrich set me up on. It's been difficult b/c of not having a routine. Maybe having my own space will actually allow me to get set up on a routine of normalcy. There's not much else to say right now but I want to update this as much as possible, so there you go.

I took another spin class last night at CycleBar. First of all, let me just say what I LOVE about CycleBar besides the workout: -they give you free water bottles -they give you a (new) free hair tie if you've forgotten yours -they have fresh, clean towels waiting for you on the bikes -you get a pair of clean cycle shoes that clip into the pedals so your feet don't feel like you're trapped in a cage Not to mention it's shiny and new and makes me want to go everyday. But last night something kind of cool happened. I went to the Throwback Thursday Class (every class is themed which I LOVE) and when you sign up, they take your info and put your name up on a screen in front of the class. You can opt out of this if you want, but I like to see my stats so I opted in. The instructor would show us our results every few songs and I kept seeing my name next to the #3 slot. I kept thinking it would change the longer the class went on -and at one point I dropped to #14 dur...

It's Teacher Appreciation Week and I have had no will power whatsoever. Yesterday I consumed three mini cupcakes. Yes, three. Today one of my students brought me gourmet chocolates and I snacked on them. Seriously. NO WILL POWER. BUT there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I joined CycleBar which is this awesome spin gym with nothing but spin classes. I don't think I've ever been in a spin class before where I didn't look at my phone or my watch because I kept moving and going. Not to mention, the instructor is all about Nsync and 90s music. Hello, soul mate. I had to text Holrich today and tell him I couldn't come back until the end of the month. With moving a week from tomorrow, I just really need to save all the money I can right now. I'm already a member at YouFit Gym and with that and the CycleBar classes, I feel I'll have motivation to work out while I'm not seeing him. He really is the best trainer, though, and I told him that I'd pref...

There's a juice bar down the street from school and I've become a regular visitor. This morning I was running late and instead of making my usual eggs, stopped and picked up Raw Oatmeal. It's cold oats with coconut milk, strawberries, blueberries, cinnamon, and some other healthy stuff that makes me feel better about having to purchase breakfast on the go. There were bad storms last night throughout Ft. Lauderdale and even some tornado warnings, so I stayed inside and didn't go work out with Holrich. Instead I sautéed asparagus and grilled a chicken sausage from Trader Joe's. Tonight I'm trying out Cycle Bar Davie and tomorrow I've rescheduled with Holrich. And since I'm being completely honest here, I caved and bought Peanut Butter cups from Trader Joe's yesterday. I had five of them. It doesn't matter that they're small and covered in dark chocolate (supposedly the better chocolate), I know I shouldn't have given into temptation. So...

I think routine has a lot to do with why it's been so difficult for me to lose weight. My routine is constantly changing. For two weeks I will do really "good" and then something happens to uproot everything going on and once again I'm back at square one. I keep thinking "Once I settle into my apartment I'll get into a routine..." or "Once summer is here, that will be my routine." But I've got a busy summer and just because I'll be in my own place doesn't mean the routine will be any easier. I HAVE to force myself to eat what I know is good for me (there again with the "good") and not give into constant temptation of the carbs. Tomorrow night I'm trying out Cycle Bar Davie for the first time. Tonight I work out with Holrich. I already know he's going to kill me with a work out because I haven't seen him in so long. But, I'm hoping this will all boil down to a new routine and one that is easier for me ...

Breakfast - coffee, half thin bagel, one egg and egg white. I purchased a Groupon for Cycle Bar in Ft. Lauderdale. 4 rides for $39 which is a great deal. I'm already a member at YouFit Gym and I take a cycle class there, but this deal was too good to pass up. I also signed up for a free ride at Cycle Bar in Davie (Note: for those of you not in the South FL area, Davie is a suburb of Ft. Laud and is the city where I work. The Groupon was only good for the Cycle Bar in Ft. Laud, but if I like it, I might look into membership). I'm supposed to work out with Holrich tomorrow night (Holrich is my trainer) and I haven't seen him in over 3 weeks because of Spring Break and my kids' show. I'm nervous because I want him to think I've lost weight and I know I've gained it since I've seen him last. I went to Memphis on Spring Break and ate BBQ (b/c hello it's Memphis) and snacked on a lot of stuff that I would deem "bad." So why is food "go...

Since I was six years old, I've been in a love/hate relationship with food. My parents, both of whom also had their own struggles with weight, put me on a diet. I'm not sure if it was really a diet per se, but I distinctly remember in first grade that all the other kids would have Little Debbie's for snacks and I would have an apple. In high school I was a healthy size 10, but because most of my peers were in 2's or 4's or 6's, I always felt fat. I would feel guilty if I went for the dessert because I can hear my mother saying, "Do you need that?" or "A minute on the lips, forever on the hips." I have of course forgiven mom for saying that. She was only going off of what she'd been taught as a kid. And then college happened and all thoughts of weight went out the window. Not only did I gain the Freshmen Fifteen, but I doubled that and gained thirty. Throughout college I tried to get to the gym, but because I was so involved in theatre...