Rednecks & Arms.

Today was that party I told you guys about last week.  For the attorney that didn't even want this shindig.

Last week, he went into the office manager's office, and I heard him tell her flat out that he did not want this party to happen.  He told her he thought it was foolish.   But it was already too late, because things had been planned - against his better judgement and against his wishes.

How terrible, right?  Poor guy didn't even want it.

At least he tried to make the best of it.  He showed up, as did everyone even though no one wanted to, and the whole thing lasted about 35 minutes or so.  The odd thing is that the Boss sent out an email saying the office would be closing at 4, in honor of the guy's birthday.  I just hope this doesn't mean we won't get out early on Friday now.  I'll find out on Friday.

I was able to hit up the 5PM Bootcamp class instead of the later 7PM one, and I'm so glad I did!  It was tough as hell, and I am so glad I got that crap over with earlier than usual.

He had us doing an obstacle style circuit today.  Push muscles day.  Oy.  I will not be able to lift or move my arms at all tomorrow.  I love working my arms, but this workout today was just insane!

Lots of chest flys, push ups, weighted punches, shoulder presses, arm shuffles using the Equalizer, tricep dips, bicep curls, and tricep kickbacks.  And of course, insane cardio thrown in just for shizz & giggles.

My shoulders are on FAHRRR!

I look worn out here.  It was so hot inside Bootcamp today.  I have a feeling he kept the AC low on purpose.  It was already 90 degrees out, and like a maniac, I decided to walk and not drive there today. Considering how close I live to Bootcamp, it's practically a sin to drive.  So I hoofed it there and back.  Sweet Jesus.  The front of my tank is completely drenched in my funkiness.

Ooh, do you notice something else?  My freaking awesome camouflage weight lifting gloves!  They arrived today, and I jumped at the change to flaunt them.  This is them up close.

Redneck transformation in progress.  I love them.  LOVE.

Why I am suddenly in to all things redneck, I am not certain.  Why I suddenly want things in camo, I do not know.  (Well, maybe I do.)  But there ya go.

I'm not sure if I have redneck arms though.  Is there such a thing as redneck arms for a girl that was born & raised on Long Island?  Meh.

Last night's post had been rattling around in my noggin for a while.  It was just a matter of being able to transcribe rambling thoughts into a coherent post on screen.

Paleo works for me.  For now.  I always have maintained my right to tweak, and to change food intake as I see and feel necessary.  Right now, I feel good about it.  Six months from now, who knows how I'll feel.  Tis good.

If you want to lose weight...

Please do not look to blogs.  Do not look to weight loss bloggers.

They've got no clue.  No, seriously.

They can only tell you what works for them.  They know absolutely nothing about you or your life or what's going on with you.

I can only tell you what it has been like for me.  And I can tell you that it has sucked.  And it has been great.  It has been hard.  And lately, it has been easy.

I am a much different person now.  I have grown.  Albeit kicking and screaming, but I have grown.  I've turned to new things.  Even when I didn't want to.  And especially when it meant changing everything I thought I knew about my own weight loss and what I thought was healthy food.  (Good bye for now, whole wheat pasta and steel cut oats.)

I had to accept I was never going to be one of those lucky people who lost 100 pounds in a year.  Nope, not even close.

I had to stop making excuses.  (You mean I can't blame my upbringing/cultural background/school bullies/being called names?  That is some BS, yo!)

I had to start eating differently.  (Dude, I'm not doing Paleo!  I'll never be able to give up cheese!)

I had to start doing new things.  (I freaking HATE Bootcamp.  The scale has barely budged since I went Paleo.  But I'm down 2 dress sizes since February.  So obviously, it must NOT be working.)

I had to grit my teeth and do the work.  (I do not want to be on plan this weekend.  Weekends are hard for me.  But how much more do I want a great WI next week?  Sigh.)

I had to accept I was wrong.  More than once.  About a lot of things.  I'm still finding how wrong I've been about what I thought was right.  This one hurts what little pride I have left.  I'm NEVER wrong.  (Woman, please.  Even I want to smack myself upside the head after reading that last one.)

But.  It is so, so so so so so freaking worth it.

First Responders in Oklahoma - you guys rock!

Note to Self.

Note to self: If you're going to sign up for an 8AM Bootcamp class, do NOT wake up at 7:45.  Set your alarm the night before.  Make time for coffee, at least.

Apparently, I am a total asshat without morning coffee.  A real snot, if you will.  I got up, saw the time, and got dressed and ready with the quickness.  No coffee.

You do the math.

I walk into Bootcamp, and people are saying good morning to me.  The look on my face is one of still being half asleep, I'm not kidding.  One of the guys, John, said, "Man, Kel, you're a real pleasure to be around in the mornings."

Oh, the snideness.  How I love, even though it was directed right at me.

"Bro, I ain't had coffee yet."  (Said in total bitch ass, whiny tone.  God, I am just awful.  Shame.  I feel shame.)

John:  "I haven't had coffee yet either, and I'm just happy to be here.  Happy to be awake to see another day!"

The snideness.  I mean, what's not to love about it?  He said it in the kind of way that you could only laugh at, because it truly wasn't mean spirited at all.  So I smirked and loosened up.  I mean, honestly, I'm not getting anything good out of being such a snot.

Workout was tough.  I think the trainer felt bad about how he phoned it in with us yesterday.  Trainer dude also noticed my horrible demeanor this morning.  Sorry man!

Lots of pushups, lots of jump squats, suicide runs, boxing drills, burpees, and way too many planks.

Went straight to Dunkin to rectify caffeine situation and to pick up breakfast for Dad.  He's a fan of everything bagels - I just wanted a fresh cup of hot coffee.  Situation rectified, and not a second too soon.

Note to Self:  Do not put stuff on FB where your SIL can see it, tell your brother about it, who in turn tells Mom about it when they visited her yesterday at Shady Pines.

Sigh.

I made the asinine mistake of saying something on FB about Lika getting out.  My SIL saw it, and you already know the rest.  So Mom knew about it when I called her today.  I didn't tell my brother about it,  so the only way they could've known about it is thru FB.

So much for avoiding that coronary.  Well, can't do anything about it now.  Lesson learned.

The lemon chicken from yesterday came out bland.  It called for a packet of dry Italian dressing mix, which I didn't use.   It had sugar and xantham in it - what the heck is xantham anyway?  So I just substituted all the spices for garlic & onion powder, salt, pepper & Italian herb seasoning.

I think I'll just stick to the recipe word for word next time.  I'll just add a dash of sea salt to the chicken and call it a day.

Today I whipped out the crock pot and the liner again (love those crockpot liners!) and made meatballs & Italian veggies in tomato sauce.  I added fresh chopped garlic, onions, green and red peppers, black olives, artichoke hearts, and chopped zucchini.  A little salt and pepper to the tomato sauce, but no bread crumbs in the meatballs (93% lean beef with olive oil, garlic & onion powder, salt & pepper.)  I wanted to keep it as Paleo as possible.

The result was delish.  Mmm, so much better than the chicken.  Lots of veggies to bulk it up.  It was enough for 3 servings.  Mmm...

I need to use my crock pot more.  Karen tweeted some great Paleo friendly recipes today, and I'm totally checking it out.  Thanks lady!

Ooh, and I saw one for low carb, Paleo friendly General Tso's meatballs on Pinterest, but I'll just substitute chicken for the beef.  They give Paleo friendly substitutions for the soy sauce and sugar, so I'll definitely be doing that this week.  Or this weekend.

Laundry needs to be folded and put away.  It never ends.

WI Results.

Last week's weight:  151 lbs.
This week's weight:  151 lbs.

No loss.  No gain.

I'm zen about it.  Wasn't great, but it doesn't suck either.  In reality, I phoned it in this week.  Sunday was the salt fest and going off Paleo did not help.  No binges, nothing like that, but after Sunday, I phoned it in.  The one good thing is that I realized it that when I do phone it in, I can still maintain.  So, there's that.

The plan this week is to do what I had been doing the last 3-4 weeks, excluding this past one.  Paleo.  Eating fresh, nutritious meals and snacks.  Tons & tons of water.  And not doing Bootcamp all half ass. Not doing anything half ass, come to think of it.

Speaking of Bootcamp, trainer dude was not his usual, over the top workout self.  I think he left it on the floor of the 9AM class, and had nothing left for the 10AM class.  I sweated a whole lot more than yesterday and put it in a really good effort, but I noticed people commenting about the difference in him.  Eh, we're all allowed an off day every now and then.  He can't always be "on" I suppose.  None of us can be like that 24/7.  Still a pretty good workout, just not as intense as it usually is.

Ileana, that cranwater drink you told me about is doing wonders for my skin.  I add the juice of one lemon to it, and a bag of decaf herbal tea in a 64 ounce water container and drink that all day.  On top of my usual water intake.   Seems to be working for me.  :-)

Went to check in on Dad, heat him up some lunch and check on the dogs.   Dad and fur creatures were doing fine.  It's just not the same without Mom there.  Another week and a half until she gets out of Shady Pines, I believe.  She's getting better every day, thank goodness.

Oh, and Paula, I didn't mention this, but yesterday on the drive back to work, after I had dropped Lika off safe & sound back at the house, I cried.  In the car.  Because I was just so relieved that she was safe and back home.  They really do become family, don't they.

After lunch, I decided to do some shopping.  Apparently, I never hit the "submit order" button on my online order like a dummy, so it never went through.  Only me.  No biggie, I just went to the NY & Co. store in the plaza a few minutes from me.

I scored these in a size mother fucking six:

Royal blue cropped pants.  Please excuse the color combination.  It looks like rainbows mated with Skittles and this is their love child.

Ask me if I give a fuck about it right now.  I'm in a size freaking SIX!!!!!

They are a bit tight around the thunder thighs and the child bearing hips.  Ask me if I care.

So I didn't lose an ounce this week.  Ask me if I care.  :-)

I bought tops in a size small, in nice pretty colors which I didn't take pictures of, but I will at some point.

I love color now.  I love lively and vibrant prints.  I never used to.  Now that I'm smaller, I want to dress in clothes that have splashes of color.  I still LOVE me some basic black, no doubt about it.

I'm experimenting with my crockpot this weekend.  Tonight, I made lemon herb chicken from a recipe I saw on Pinterest.  I changed it a little, using garlic & onion powder, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper instead of the dry Italian dressing mix it originally called for.  And a tablespoon of butter.  You can find the recipe here, in case anyone is interested in trying it out.

Tomorrow, I'd like to make meatballs in sauce.  I have 93% ground beef, so now I'm just searching for a decent recipe to add some flavor to it.  I have diced tomatoes, and a small can of regular tomato sauce.  I'll probably sautee up some peppers and zucchini to give it some bulk.  We'll see.

I need to use my crockpot more.  I'm scouring recipes as we speak.

My Bootcamp is having a special 8AM class tomorrow and they're donating all proceeds to a local AIDS charity.  I'll barely have time for coffee.   But at least I get the workout over and done with early.  This should be interesting.  Hope he's more on his game tomorrow.

Heart Attacks and Shoulders.

Fridays are supposed to be the most awesome day of the work week, can we agree on this?

This morning, I get a phone call at work from the local shelter close to Mom & Dad's house.

"Hi, Kelly?  This is so-and-so from the shelter.  Do you have a dog named Lika?"  Pronounced Like-a.

Pit in stomach.  "Yes, I do.  What is this about, exactly?"

Dude:  "Well, two ladies found her in the middle of the street and brought her here to the shelter.  We got your phone number from the microchip information you registered when you had her chipped.  Now, she's fine, she's actually playing with the volunteers, but we do need you to come over and pick her up."

Sweet Jesus.

Heart attack narrowly avoided.  Not by much.

If anything had happened to the dogs, here's what would've happened:  Mom would've left Shady Pines when she's got about 10 days left, or she would've had a heart attack.  Possibly both.

Those dogs are her babies.  She asks about them MORE than she asks about Dad.

SMH.

The shelter is less than 10 minutes from my firm, and I had to tell the Boss (who was in a much better mood today, thank God for small miracles) how I had to step out for a few minutes.  The bemused look on his face was priceless.  Dude, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

When we got the dogs, I still lived at home, so all the owner information is under my name.  Good thing too, because the shelter would ONLY release her to me, and I had to show them my ID.  The lady/aide looking after my Dad went to the shelter to pick her up, but they wouldn't release Lika to her because she's not the owner.

This is the damn puppy dog that caused all the rucus this morning.  We have Yorkies, and the cartilage in Lika's ears never fully developed, which is why they are not pointy.

The "puppy ears" make her more cute.  One of the volunteers was playing with her when I got to the shelter.  Lika perked up when she saw me, and that tail started wagging like crazy.

The volunteer admitted that she would've adopted her if I hadn't shown up.  That's when I realized a few things.  1. We got really lucky that nothing happened to her - like an accident, like someone absconding with her.  2.  There are still some good people, good samaritans still left in the world.

She must've manuevered her way out from underneath the gate.  I stacked a few bricks to close up the gap.  Luke stayed put, luckily.

Damn dog.  Nearly causing me to hemmorhage.

We've decided Mom never needs to know about this.  Like, ever.

I was disappointed in my Bootcamp performance tonight.  I got there 10 minutes late, missed the most intense part of the warm up, and sweated just a bit.  I wasn't drenched like I normally am.

Part of the circuit tonight included buddying up  to do opposing biceps/triceps.  My partner was a nice lady.  She said she noticed my shoulder muscles were popping.

No pic, just wasn't feeling it.

WI tomorrow, and I feel ok about it.  Not concerned, not super confident either.  I'm not sure that's a good thing.  We'll see.  I have a feeling I'll be down a little, nothing spectacular.

And with that, I must hit the sack.

Random Thoughts.

STRENGTH TRAINING. SINCE DAY 1.

Broken record now ending.

So, today started out really great, then it kinda sucked in the middle, then it ended better.

I had this $25 gift from Amazon that I decided to use this morning.  I'm suddenly a huge fan of all things camo (this Long Island girl is bringing out her inner redneck), and I scored an awesome pair of camo & pink weight lifting gloves.  For free with the card.  Can't wait for them to arrive.

It is becoming painfully obvious that the clothes I have now don't fit me right.  Too big in the waist, they sometimes fall low on my hips when they're not supposed to do that.

So I decided to do just a bit of shoppy shoppy.  Just a bit.  I love NY & Co.  Specifically, I love shopping their online clearance section.  And using promo codes to keep the price of my shopping cart down.  But the best part?

Getting shit in a size motherfucking 6.  SIX.  I'll say it again.  SIX!!!!

And small.  Tops in a small and pants in a 6!  Holy Jesus.

It feels so great.  Greater than the taste of any cupcake or alcoholic beverage of your liking.

Boss Man was in a foul mood.  And he gets super nasty to people when he gets like that.

Everyone played the "let's avoid him at all costs" game.  Kinda sucks when you actually do need to work for him and interact with him.  I'm not exactly certain what the issue was.  Something about the new billing system implemented in January all of a sudden not working properly.  He went off on one of the attorneys in front of everyone, which is so rude and uncalled for.  So awesome having to walk on freaking eggshells at work.

Whatever.

Bootcamp was more randomness.  The trainer likes to be a little too touchy feely with the ladies.  Not inappropriate, just more annoying than anything.  But, he's a nice guy, and his workouts are awesome.  I was putting on my fitness gloves and I'm wearing a tank top, which shows the guns.  He walks over to me and says, Looking good, nice arms, and your waist is shrinking!  Something along those lines.  It was nice, I thanked him, then as I'm struggling to open my water bottle, he says:

"Here, let me help you with that.  You're not strong enough yet."  It was a joke, no biggie.  Total smart ass, which I can appreciate completely.  Because, I'm a smartass, too.

More legs.  More core, and some shoulders for good measure.  Glutes & thighs were screaming today.  Holy hell.

Beads of sweat along my forehead.  Love.

I'm also loving rainbow/Skittles colored sneakers lately.  They're everywhere, and I love colorful things.  I must have them.

I also must master the crow posture.  Balancing your body weight on your hands requires a strong core (which I don't have) and upper body strength like there's no tomorrow (which I'm working on.)

Lots of randomness today.

No rhyme or reason to it.

Oh, and if you're new here - the name is Kelly. That is the name that appears on my birth certificate.  Or you can call me Kel.  That works too.  Miss CurvyFitGirl if you're nasty. (Don't mean a thang...)

Be good!  Lift heavy!

LOLS and Jello Legs.

LOL of the day:  Today at work, the office manager passed out an "invite" for next week.  Apparently, one of the attorneys is having a milestone birthday next week.  He's turning 50 or 60, I'm not sure which.  So there will be an office party in the conference room.

And here's the kicker:

"Cupcakes and pizza will be served."

Seriously?

Seriously.  Is the party for a 5 year old or for a grown ass man?

My reaction was this:

Are you kidding?  Will there also be a magician?  Perhaps a puppet show later, or balloon fights?

I do happen to love most things redneck nowadays, but my dry, sarcastic NY sense of humor was in full swing at this particular moment.  I said that to Robin and Tara (2 girls I work with who also thought the "menu" was ridiculous) and they both promptly burst into laughter.   Tara suggested getting a clown with an obnoxiously big red nose.  But seriously, why not get a cake instead like everyone else in the world gets for a "birthday party."  They're probably going to get pizza from that awful joint right next door to the office, and cupcakes from Crumbs, which opened close by last year.

Pizza and cupcakes.  Heavenly menu for some.  This is for a 50 or 60 year old man.  Way to be classy and mature.  Honestly.

The attorney is one of my firm's partners, so we're all obligated (required) to go.  We have to freaking go.  Oh, and the start time for this little shindig is 3PM.  Right after most of us have lunch and have already eaten.  Weird, right?

I'm still rolling my eyes.  So I'll just do what I always do anytime the office has a "party."  I'll go, stand outside the conference room, and just pretend that I'm there.  Most of us do that since none of us want to touch the crap food the office always winds up getting.  Office etiquette dictates some kind of appearance, and I do happen to like the attorney.  He's a nice man.

Leg day at Bootcamp tonight.  Sweet Jesus, I cannot feel the lower half of my body.  My hamstrings are already sore as fuck, and my nalgas are in pain.  I won't be able to walk, sit down, or get back up without looking like a total fool tomorrow.  Stupid trainer with his tough ass (literally) workouts.  My legs are jello right now.

He played a lot of old school 80s hip hop & freestyle music tonight.  God, I love TKA & Lil Suzy.  Their jams were underappreciated and off the hook.

And, you cannot go wrong with a lil Rob Base (the one who knows about things!) & Salt n Pepa.  Just sayin.

Pizza & cupcakes.  I can't even right now.

Lists.

Meh, lists.  I'm choosing not to make it bigger than it should be.

Would've been nice if someone from that company had contacted me before using my image though, but I digress.  Anywho.

My back, biceps and glutes are only just starting to not be sore anymore.  From workouts on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week.  Unfreaking believable.

Today was more upper body.  Push cardio.  Kill me now, please.

Core work, Russian twists, boxing drills, agility training, and more upper body.  Bicep curls, upright rows, using the resistance cord, and kettle bell work.

My biceps and shoulders will be rocking tomorrow.

Not much of an appetite today.  I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  At least the cravings are lessening now.  I'm about 48 hours removed from the crapshow that was all that salty junk on Sunday.  So, it is getting better in that regard.

I've been getting asked a lot about my arms.  I feel like a broken record.  People, I've been strength training since Day 1.  It's not rocket science, I honestly have been using weights since Day 1.  Cross my heart.  Small ones, then I pyramided up as I lost more weight and got stronger.

Lately with Bootcamp, I've been using my own body weight (gasp!) for strength, and he will make us use weights on occasion.   Speaking of the trainer, today when we were doing upright rows with the band, he came over to me and said, "C'mon now, you can get that elbow higher."  Leading with the elbows is the first rule of thumb when performing upright rows correctly.  I think.

He pushes us even when we think we've reached our limit.  He's kinda annoying in that way, but I know he's supposed to do that.  That's why we pay him.

That's why I've been seeing the results lately.  I so hate admitting that.

And with that, I must hit the hay.

More tomorrow.

Cravings and Dead Weight.

Today started earlier than usual.

The appointment to get my car's bumper replaced and repaired was today, at 8 AM.  And as usual, I was running late.  Again.

I swear, I'll be late to my own funeral.  I got there at 8:30.

Not a big deal, but I had planned on getting to work a little earlier than usual today.  It is ridiculous how crazy busy I've been lately.  Well, better busy than idle, right?

It'll be at least a week until I can get my car back.  Hopefully, it'll go by quickly.  I already miss my girl!  LOL.

I was feeling very snacky today.  I just wanted everything in sight.

I wanted chips.  No chips.

I wanted cheese.  No cheese.

Ditto crackers with cheese.

Damn cravings.  I know where it's coming from.  I know it's from yesterday.

I'm internally rolling my eyes at myself.  It's just so...... stupid.  Because I knew and I do know better.  All that salt, no wonder it's cravings central over here.

It will pass.  But not soon enough for me.  The cravings are hell, and they suck major donkey balls.

That's what I get for grazing on trigger foods.  But, no mas.

Speaking of trigger foods, have you seen how Oscar winner Mo'nique has completely transformed herself by laying off the garbage and trigger foods?  Damn, girl!

Saw it on FB, and I couldn't believe it.  Good for her!  

I bet she feels great letting go of dead weight.  That was something else I was thinking of today (I swear my mind goes 100MPH all day long.)

Losing dead weight.  Relationships change, friendships change, friends come and go, and it's unfortunate.  But it happens.  Happened to me.  And I saw it happen with my old, former super obese boss that I had in high school and college.  She lost weight and "lost her mind," as one former co-worker put it.  Ditched the husband, took the cats, and moved on with her life with a new guy, new husband, had kids - and finally became a dog person.  (Because, that's the most important thing, not the fact that she lost more than 100 pounds all on her own and completely turned her life around.  She's a doggy person now.  Hehe.)

Dog people are good people in my book.  :-)

Bed be calling, yo.

Mother's Day.

Hope you all mommas had a special day.

I spent today with mine and the rest of the family at my brother's house.

I started the day with the 60 minute Bikram session this morning.  Felt great.

Then onto to my bro's, where they had quite a spread.

I broke Paleo today, with some grazing that included pita bread and tortilla chips (gasp!)  Not great at all.

Why?  I have no answer.  I did some mindless grazing today, which is not acceptable.  Nothing close to a binge, but definitely not even close to being on program.  Some chips here, pieces of pita bread there. There was grilled chicken, beef kebobs, roasted baby lamb, rice, salad, grilled asparagus and eggplant.  I had chicken, salad, asparagus, and 3 bites of the baby lamb that was awesome.  I picked up lunch at the Persian Grill in Roslyn Heights and then schlepped it to Westchester.  Mediterranean food is the bomb.  I don't know how they make the lamb taste so good.  It's probably slathered in butter or something.

And yet, I still grazed mindlessly.  Sigh. Done & over with now.  I'm not wallowing or looking for attention.  I'm just writing about it, letting it out, and accepting that it's done & over with now.

I will not allow one bad meal to derail me from getting to my goal.  I will not start Monday.  All fat girls start on Monday.  I am starting now.

It was so great to see Mom, and see her doing so well.  She's coming along pretty well in her recovery, and I'm grateful for that.

She seemed to be in better spirits, which she'll need to be in if she wants to heal as quickly as she can.  It was good for her to get out of the recovery center.  A change of pace seemed to do her a world of good.  :-)

Back to the grinding work week tomorrow.