Thursday, September 3, 2009

skinny genes and skinny jeans


I only vent about my vexxing struggles with the scale maybe once, twice per year. [Eighteen times tops]. I don't like to dwell on the topic, and frankly it's boring. But sometimes it's like trying to avoid the elephant in the room {pun intended}.

It's been a fantastic summer. When you adopt laissez-faire eating habits, it's always a fantastic summer. As a direct result, my adipose cells proliferated faster than nukes under the Reagan Administration.


How could I have gone from "tri" to "pie" in three months flat? I'll tell ya how. My summer wardrobe of maxi-dresses and elastic waist flouncy skirts left me utterly unaccountable for my expanding waist-line (hey it still fits!) Baking in the kitchen almost daily didn't do me any favors, either. I just can't have that stuff around the house.

I always need some kind of ridiculous gimmick to jump start things. I tried the HcG diet for a few days but seemed to get stuck on the "load" days and never got around to the 500 calorie per day part. So I'm copying this idea from a friend. I'll do something NEW every day for 10 days. NO REPEATS.


Monday, day 1: I laboured on the elliptical.

Tuesday, day 2: Floor Pilates. Can't wait to try the Reformer.

Wednesday, day 3: sick kid at home. nada.

Thursday: day 4: ran on the treadmill. Literal tears of boredom running down my face.


open to ideas.

17 comments:

The Reillys said...

I like kick boxing and do the tae bo dvd's at home. I continued to do them until I was in my 3rd trimester and almost fell over. But I'm still carrying around my pregnancy weight so who am I to say.

Logan

Karen said...

I just started P90X...Alice suggested it at the family reunion. :)

lawtrix said...

EA Sports Active for the Wii Fit. (Harder than the original.) You can borrow mine. It hasn't seen action in a while...

Christina said...

You GO GIRL! My sore, sorry (too large) behind is with you all the way!

-T

Jared and Delia said...

I need advice too. I keep telling myself I will start working out but it doesn't go past that. Good luck!

The Good Life on Less! said...

I'm right there with ya sista'! What happened this summer!? My sis is doing HCG & has dropped 22 pounds in what seems like three weeks. (Has the ol reunion coming up!) I just couldn't eat 500 calories a day .... There is no way I could be nice to my kids when I was so hungry I could eat a limb.

Anonymous said...

hi kare~
kristi here...i stopped eating sugar (no coke, or any diet crap, splenda, no cookies, chocolate, donuts,etc.)
fruit ok.
my lovehandles are almost gone.
i am still trying to give up french fries, cheeseburgers...sunday is my cheat day.

Janet said...

If you want my two cents worth, I think you should find something you love. If you don't love it, it will make it that much harder. (Like tears of boredom from the treadmill). Sometimes working out (whatever you choose) with other people is much more satisfying. Perhaps there is a community league sport you could play on a team. (Once I tried indoor soccer with some friends--it was so much fun and I was surprised at the positive results). Also I'm telling you as a friend and someone whose taken a few exercise physiology classes, steer clear of any diet that makes you eat 500 calories and take drops of a hormone that your body produces when you're pregnant. Not good, not healthy at all! I have to be honest, since trying a mostly gluten and dairy free diet because of Kenzie's eczema I have felt much better. Anyway, that's probably more than 2 cents, sorry. I don't mean to sound preachy, it's just something I'm kind of interested in. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good Luck!

Garrett and Heather Wood said...

Have you considered writing a book?--you're hilarious. Summer wardrobes are infamous for packing on the pounds, just ask my closet full of elastic waist skirts, knit gauchos pants and sweat shorts. I think those of us wanting to lose weight should all put 5 bucks in the pot and by a certain date, whoever has lost the most wins the lottery. It's not really gambling if we all benefit, right?

The Weeden Family said...

I have friends that are doing dance classes at the gym....I guess when you're in a class it kind of forces you to keep going. Personally....I can't lose a pound. I have 30 pounds to go and I find that everytime I TRY to diet or exercise, I end up exercising less and eating worse than ever. We should start up a "mommy" group and meet a few times a week and really support each other. Like AA. HAHA

karen said...

Am I loving these suggestions or what? thanks for all who contributed--I enjoy every comment and idea. I agree with my darling (and yoga-gifted) cousin Janet when she said I really have to love it to maintain it. Can't wait until it cools off b/c I DO love doing stuff outdoors. And I love yoga! I think I'll try P90X (thanks cousin Karen). thanks for the offer of the Wii Steph, I might take you up on it...

Ashley said...

Good luck Karen! I think you always look great. How is it that not one pound ever ends up on your face?! That is really unfair. The first pound I gain with each pregnancy always goes straight to my nose. The second to my eyelids and third through tenth to my chin. As long as your face looks great, just keep the maxi dresses on, and who gives a rats?

all kidding aside though: portions, and no family style.

Chelle said...

I feel your pain. The past three months have done me in as well, and I can no longer fit into my spring clothes. I wish I could drop my jaw in awe and be genuine in my wonder of how it all happened, but it all comes back to that rotten accountability stuff, doesn't it?

I wish I had some good suggestions for you, but I'm in need of reading the comments on this post for myself! Good luck :)

[BrookeO] said...

I'm just laughing my A off!!!!!!!

Fletch said...

I think you need to give yourself a break. Come on, you know you're gorgeous!

But of course I've got to weigh in, too. Not that I've got a hot bod or anything close to it, but I always struggled with my weight (I was really chubby in high school. And dateless. And depressed. Which made me eat more. Which made me chubbier, etc.) and then I discovered I was gluten-intolerant. I was forced to change my entire diet. I realized in those first few pizza-less years that I needed to find other ways to comfort myself than eating. It's been nine years since then, and most days I forget to eat unless my stomach growls (contrast that to my high school days when I was planning my next meal while chewing and swallowing my current meal). The key for me (note: everyone is different) was to create a life I liked with as little stress as possible (hence, less need to comfort eat) and a back up of fun projects or books to get excited about whenever the doldrums reared their ugly head.

I also learned that (for me) exercising for the sole purpose of losing weight just made me want to eat more. I learned to only exercise to keep my heart healthy and my energy up.

Oh...and, also, if I remove dairy (I shouldn't eat it, it makes my asthma worse, but I love cheese sooo much, gotta cave occasionally) I drop five pounds within a week.

This is so long. Sorry.

Becky said...

Just eat the pie. Somehow you always manage to maintain it. No help right now, am I? Blame it on the pregnancy. I'll be asking these questions in oh...7 weeks.

Teri Lindsay said...

I think you should pick up tennis. If I recall back in the day, you were really good! Now, if you do pick it up again, start with singles rather than doubles because you burn so many more calories and it is FUN! Also I recommend not getting so into it that you stop lifting weights because I have put back on ten pounds since I started playing all the time. (I know sounds bad, which is why I started with DON'T PLAY DOUBLES- and I end with again, KEEP UP THE WEIGHTS cause the more muscle you have the more calories you burn. And that's the deal right Burn Baby Burn. Having said that, I so need to join you but honestly I am totally eating comfort food right now as my house is in a constant state of chaos with no end in sight. We move November 1st to Santa Maria and there are boxes everywhere. So if you have any advice on how to get through a move without gaining even more weight, send it my way!