Confessions of a Wayward Diet Goddess

Went to the gym tonight for my CrossFit class, not knowing what to expect for a workout because the CrossFit website listed today as a rest day. Much to my...delight...today's plan called for another visit with my old friend, Tabata This! You can click on that link and refresh your memory on what I did last time (Sept 5). I'll wait.

Back?

Ok, as you'll notice, last time, I only did 6 rounds of each exercise. This time I had to the full 8 rounds that the workout calls for. Here's how that worked out for me:

Jumping pull ups 30-32-29-22-20-22-17-20
Push ups 19-17-15-7-10-10-11-9
Sit ups 6-6-6-5-6-5-6-6
Squats 15-10-10-10-10-9-10-10
Score: 38

Previously, the score was 40, so I went down...but I also did more, so there's that. I did get a high-five from one of the weight lifters when I finished my jumping pull ups, so that made me feel good. That's the best part about my gym, everyone encourages one another, regardless of what workout you are doing. It is awesome and I think that's why I love it so much.

Posted by ~Diet Goddess~ at 9:13 PM | 1 comments  

Labels: CrossFit, Tabata This, workout

I was contacted last Friday by the mayor's wife, indicating that they needed a picture of me for the Exercise Mytown program that ran over the summer. I didn't think too much of it, knowing I had gained over the course of the program, and I wasn't too concerned with it. I figured they wanted a picture of the participants that finished. No biggie.

When I got home Friday, I saw that I had a call from one of the gentlemen, Tim, that was in charge of the program. I thought that he was calling for the same thing that the mayor's wife had emailed me about so I didn't bother listening to the message.

Yesterday I finally listened to the message. He said he needed a pic because I had won an award and they wanted a picture for the paper. I called him back and expressed my disbelief. He reminded me that they had a "Most Hours Exercised" category and a "Most Weight Lost" category, which is what they had last year as well. I joked that I knew I hadn't won the weight loss part of the contest because I had gained. He said that actually, that's the category I had won in. I was too shocked to say anything. I couldn't even formulate a response. He said they would schedule a time for my picture and get the plaque to me and we hung up.

I stood with the phone in my hand, puzzling over what had just transpired. I won an award for losing weight, but I had actually gained a few pounds. Hmmmm...this isn't working for me mathematically.

However, a part of me felt vindicated for the royal screwing I got during last year's "competition." Last year's contest was done on the honor system. This year you HAD to weigh in at the gym by a gym employee. Last year the people that won - my hateful next-door neighbors who are in their 80s and as sour of people as you'd ever meet - claimed to have lost over 30 or 35 lbs each. Funny thing, they both lost the exact same amount of weight. Have you ever seen a husband and wife lose exactly the same amount of weight? Me neither. They also both claimed to have exercised enough hours that it averaged out to over 90 minutes of exercise each and every day for 4 solid months - with no days off. Strangely enough, my husband, my kids, nor myself ever saw them in exercise-type clothing, never saw them take a stroll through the neighborhood, ride a bike, or anything else you might see people do for exercise. I've never seen any treadmill, elliptical, or bike being taken into their house. And they darn sure didn't go to my gym...so I have no idea where they did their imaginary workouts.

But, like I told my gym owner, Andy C, even though I didn't get a plaque to hang on my wall, I still won over them because I continue to go to the gym. They stopped whatever they were doing and any weight they've lost has DEFINITELY come back, along with some friends. I'd rather win my way than by cheating anyway. I would feel terribly guilty every time I saw that plaque hanging on my wall, reminding me of the lies I told to our community, just to win the crummy thing.

Anyway...I was torn over what to do about this award for this year. Part of me - ego perhaps? - wanted that recognition. Wanted the shiny! Wanted people to know that I worked my butt off! But the bigger part of me just was not comfortable with accepting a false prize.

So I turned it down. It was not an easy decision, and truth be told, it hurt to do it. But I know it was the right thing for me.

Last Thursday I finally got into the doctor to get my TSH drawn again to see how my thyroid meds are doing. They got the results yesterday but wanted to consult with the doc before giving them to me. They called this afternoon and said my results were within normal range and to continue on the same dose for 6 months and then we'll recheck.

I got mad. I'm still having symptoms - lack of weight loss, extreme fatigue, aches/pains, forgetfulness, mental fog, etc. Basically, I don't feel like ME!

But the nurse wouldn't listen and argued with me that they had been doing these medical tests for many, many years and blah, blah, blah...basically this piece of paper knows more about you than you know about you so shut up. OMG! I was seething. I tried to calmly ask her why I was working my butt off at the gym but having no results. She told me I needed to change my eating habits. Oh HELL NO! I told her that I had had my diet examined and, while it isn't perfect, I am not eating 3000 calories a day and should have pounds dropping off of me from doing CrossFit. I invited her to look up the CrossFit website so she could see just what I was doing!

She suggested I look into Weight Watchers. OMG HELL NO! She did NOT just go there, did she? I politely declined and told her that I felt Weight Watchers was worthless (it may work for some, and I'm glad for those it does, but it is NOT for me...sorry, no offense). She then tried to suggest that I just needed to drink more water. WTH? MORE WATER? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I am having all the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism and you think I need more water?

Thank God above I had to leave to take Nick to football practice. I said I would do what the doctor said, but I wasn't happy about it.

What I told Mike was that I would talk to my guys at the gym and work harder on the eating and working out and see what happens. If I'm not getting results by Christmas, I'm going to ask - no, DEMAND - to be referred to an endocrinologist. There is something going on and they aren't finding it. And I'm pretty damn sure that water isn't magical enough to cure it.

And that, my friends, is the end of this tale. It is time for my butt to hit the hay. Good night!

Posted by ~Diet Goddess~ at 11:12 PM | 3 comments  

Labels: CrossFit, doctor, eating, exercise, gym, rant

Tonight I had to do one of the hardest things ever. I would rather do 100 CrossFit workouts, one right after another, than to ever, ever do what I did tonight. This evening I walked into a local funeral home to pay my respects to my friend, who will be burying her 22 year old son tomorrow.

He was killed early Saturday morning as the result of a drunk driving accident. There are many nasty rumors surrounding his death, most claiming that that driver waited 45 minutes before calling 911. The reason the driver waited so long was that he supposedly called his friends to clean up the scene of the accident so he didn't "get into trouble." Both boys were in the same vehicle and my friend's son was thrown from the vehicle...to help clarify. I don't know if these rumors are true or not, but it has made an extremely difficult situation even more volatile than you can imagine.

Ryan leaves behind a 2 year old son and another baby on the way. He had no life insurance, so there are even more struggles looming on the horizon for the family.

Please think of my friend, Kathy, and her family, as you say your prayers tonight. She is living every mother's absolute worst nightmare and there's nothing I - or anyone - can do to help. Also, hug your children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren, etc. Tell them you love them and talk to them about the dangers of drinking and driving, including the dangers of getting into a vehicle with a driver that has been drinking. Teach them by example as well -- no matter how well you think you can "hold" your alcohol. Driving after even one drink is too many in my opinion.

Love to you all,
angie

Posted by ~Diet Goddess~ at 8:49 PM | 2 comments  

Labels: hard things

Just got back from my workout and needed to post while I still have strength. Today's workout wiped me out more than any other so far. Not sure why, as it wasn't particularly difficult, but it may be because of this upper respiratory nonsense I'm fighting off.

Anyway...here's what I did:

20 minutes, as many rounds as possible:
3 power cleans - 70 lbs
10 jumping pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

I got 9 rounds done in a time of 20:07. When the trainer called time, I still had 5 squats to do and I couldn't stop without finishing, so I did. I think I could have gotten 10 rounds if I had pushed a little harder, but for some reason, this really took a lot out of me today.

The nice part about the workout was having my brother, Aaron, working out with me. He was doing a different workout, but it was nice to spend time in pain and sweat with him. He's 7 years younger than me and in considerably better shape, but when it comes to CrossFit workouts, it's a level playing field because you're only "competing" against yourself. Plus it's nice to have someone in my family that understands what you really accomplish when you complete a CrossFit workout!

Posted by ~Diet Goddess~ at 12:08 PM | 1 comments  

Labels: CrossFit, gym, workout

The workout du jour was Helen. I did Helen back in late July...and I'm too lazy to link. Sorry. Here's a breakdown of Helen:

400m (0.25 mile) run (or run/walk in my case)
21 kettlebell swings
24 jumping pull ups

In late July, my time was 18:02 and I used a 15 lb kettlebell for the swings. My goal tonight was to beat that time, if only by 1 second. I wasn't sure if I would be able to pull it off or not because I was using a 35 lb kettlebell.

However, I met my goal and then some. My new personal record for Helen is 15:56! WOO!

Posted by ~Diet Goddess~ at 9:58 PM | 2 comments  

Labels: CrossFit, exercise, Helen, workout

Sorry for my absence. Life kind of got in the way for a while. Both boys are playing football now, and I'm taking a math class this semester, so it's getting a little hectic. Although I have to say that I compose some really awesome posts on my 45 minute drive home from work. I need a dictation machine so that I can actually remember them so I can share!

I've also been continuing to do the CrossFit thing and have had some really great workouts. Today was no exception. Today I got to do the workout that shares my name - Angie. I've read about Angie. I've seen others do Angie. I've heard some very, very nasty comments made about Angie. But somehow I never managed to DO Angie. But after this morning, I can join the ranks of the many, the proud, the strong - those that have conquered Angie.

Here's what Angie consists of:
100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats

You do them in that order and you do not move to the next exercise until you have completed all 100 of the previous one.

I had to make some modifications, though, so this is what I did:
200 jumping pull ups
10 boy push ups/90 girl push ups
35 sit ups/135 crunches
100 squats

My final time was 26:46.

I'm going to feel this tomorrow, for sure. But I am so proud of me for finally doing it! And living through it! And my trainer was happy because he kept telling me that he wanted me to finish in less than 25 minutes. I apologized to him when I saw my final time, but he was really happy. See, he was SAYING 25 minutes to me, but he was THINKING 32 minutes or less. He apparently knows me well enough to know that I sometimes need these little psych games.

I'm disappointed that I couldn't do all of the sit ups. I have no problem doing crunches and can do them all day long. Ok, I might need to take some breaks, but you know what I mean. Full-on sit ups are a struggle. And most of the struggle is because of my big, fat gut being in the way. It just makes me angry that my body won't comply with my brain sometimes. I did get 35 sit ups, but it really hurt my time - and I KNEW that would be the hardest part of the workout. And it was. I've done at least the same number of any of those exercises in several workouts. No, not all at once, but in small groups, broken up by other exercises...but I still knew I could do them. Except for the sit ups! Gives me something to work on though.

Now I have the rest of the day to do what I wish. I think I wish to take a nap.

Posted by ~Diet Goddess~ at 12:32 PM | 2 comments  

Labels: Angie, CrossFit, exercise, gym, workout

It's been an exciting couple of days for me in the gym! Thursday night, the workout was to run a 5K. I ran about 2 1/2 miles of it and the treadmill shut off on me twice, so I decided that it was time to quit. My right knee was hurting and, due to compensating for it, my left hip was also hurting. That's the first CrossFit workout that I've chosen not to finish and I don't like it. But I still ran/walked 2 1/2 miles, so there's that.

Yesterday was my scheduled rest day because of Alex's football games. This is his first year of playing varsity, so he's not getting a lot of field time. He's second string something or other, but I cannot tell you what. I know enough about football to understand what's happening on the field and what some of the calls mean, but I'm clueless about most of the positions and what they do. But he did a great job last night even though we were massacred. Hopefully the next game will be better!

This morning I went to the gym for my CrossFit class. I was the only one that showed up. So Tyler had me do a partial "Tabata This." Now, I have no idea what is involved in a full "Tabata This" and, after doing the partial one, I am terrified to find out.

The thing I love about the CrossFit workouts is that they SOUND so deceptively simple! And then when you get into them, you realize you are going to get your ass kicked and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Well, you can always quit, but that's not really an option (unless there's a 5K involved and your treadmill is possessed....shut up). So you have to dig deep and find that...something...that pushes you a little further. And for the next round, you dig even deeper! And you keep going until you think you cannot dig any further, but then your trainer yells at you to give him ONE MORE! JUST ONE MORE! YES! And you find that there's more there to dig and you DO IT! And when you are finished, you look back and realize what you have accomplished. There's such a feeling of pride and amazement at how far you can push yourself. Unless you've done it, it's hard to explain.

Today's workout was one of those "easy" sounding ones. Do squats, jumping pull ups, sit ups (not crunches, but full-on sit ups...blah), and push ups. For each exercise, you do it for 20 seconds, as many reps as possible, and then rest for 10 seconds. Do this for 6 rounds and then move to the next exercise. Once finished, add up the lowest number of reps for each exercise to get your score.

Simple. Right?

I am going to tell you right now that 20 seconds can be a very, very, very long time. And ten seconds can speed by in less than the amount of time it takes to blink.

Here are my numbers:
Squats - 15, 14, 12, 11, 11, 10
Jumping pull ups - 30, 18, 19, 20, 18, 18
Sit ups - 7, 6, 7, 6, 4, 4
Push ups - 18, 13, 12, 11, 8, 8

My partial "Tabata This" score was 40. There is no way to compare it to anyone else because it's meaningless when put up against someone else. It is only there for me to improve on. I'm struggling with this concept because I want to find a chart and see where I stand against other CrossFitters. No chart exists because that's not what CrossFit is about...and I'm slowly "getting it!" It's about ME improving MY level of fitness, agility, endurance, strength, etc. All about ME, ME, ME...so to speak.

And I have to add a couple of comments on my numbers. I wasn't counting my reps, because that was Tyler's job. I was concentrating on form, breathing, and not keeling over. On the jumping pull ups, he told me that I did 30 on the first round and I was so shocked because I've NEVER been able to do more than 12-15 in a row. I have no idea how I pulled off 30 in a row. I just got up there and started jumping and pulling myself up...and didn't stop until he said so. And then I let that 30 get into my psyche. I couldn't keep up that pace and psyched myself out. Dang!

And during the sit ups, I was struggling with some, uh, intestinal air issues that I was trying to keep from escaping and creating a disruption. Ok, I had gas and didn't want to be doing farting sit ups. Geesh. I know it's a bodily function that EVERYONE does, but I don't care to demonstrate my abilities for my trainer and anyone else that happens to be at the gym. Have mercy.

I think I'll end on that note.

Posted by ~Diet Goddess~ at 1:56 PM | 4 comments  

Labels: CrossFit, exercise, gym, Tabata This, workout