Day 1

On weekdays, I'm typically up between 4:30 - 5am so I can take The Man to the train station, then back home for some quiet time until around 5:50 or so when I drive back over to the gym, which opens at 6am.  I've decided that morning workouts will be cardio since I know myself and if I get too far into the day, it won't happen.

I'm a big fan of the elliptical trainer. I'm doing a pyramid (resistance levels 1, 3, 5, 7, 5, 7, 5, 3 ,1 ,3). I start out on level 1, which is sort of a warm-up, then change levels every 3 minutes, going up in resistance on the front end to 3, 5, 7, flexing a little bit between 5 & 7 during the middle, then back down the stack on the back end of my workout. This is a 30-minute pyramid, with an extra 3 minutes for cooling down (grand total is 33 minutes).  And during those 3-minute blocks, I pedal/run forward for 2 minutes, then backwards for 1 minute.

Gotta say, I really don't know how people make it through elliptical/bicycle/treadmill without some distraction;  cardio machines are boring.  For me, it's my iPhone and my Pandora app. For those of you unfamiliar with Pandora, it's fantastic, almost like satellite radio, except that you can sort of customize what you're listening to by artist, songs, genre, etc. For example, one of my stations is "Led Zeppelin" and what Pandora does is play songs not only from Zep, but from other artists of like kind/era/style, so today was a mix of Zep, Pink Floyd, Lynyrd Skynyrd & I think Creed.  I also have some other "stations" for 90's Hip Hop and Big Band.  Check it out at www.pandora.com.

So what did I eat today?

• 33.8oz of water (and I'll have another 16.9oz before I go to bed).  I'm pushing to get my water intake up to a gallon a day.
• Multigrain oatmeal - this stuff is delicious.  I get it from Trader Joe's and it's oats with barley & some other grains, so it has texture to it.  A little bit of turbinado sugar and some evaporated milk . . . yum.  With my coffee, about 300 cals.
• Thai noodles with chicken & shredded carrots (also from Trader Joe's).  About 600 cals.
• Nut & berry snack.  About 170 cals.
• 1/2 a protein bar.  About 150 cals.
• Baked chicken with a medley of baby potatoes, baby bella mushrooms & baby spinach (do I have a theme going on?).  I'm guessing around 600 cals.

I'm ballparking around 1900 cals for the day.  Minus the 330 I worked off this morning, net 1570 cals.

Obviously, I need to up my veggie intake, so tomorrow I'll take a salad with grilled chicken for lunch & skip the noodles.  And concentrate on increasing my water intake.

Yes, I did weigh in today, but I'm still not going to tell you what the scale said.  And you're probably wondering how you'll know my integrity is intact when I make these posts?  Good question.  For those who know me, they know that whatever I say it is -- it is.  For those who don't, I'm going to enlist a friend to be the Keeper of the Weights.   

Because I can't fully expect you to support me and take this journey without some reward, I will reveal ALL the weights -- every weight from now until the end -- on May 29th, as well as whatever dress size I happen to fit at that time.  This I promise, even if I somehow go astray and gain weight.

Swimming, Shooting Around & Anxiety

I'm sure you remember I told you I joined the Y because they are the only pool in town.  Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved the water and amazingly, that hasn't changed one bit over the years.  I will still stay in the water until I prune up & my eyes look like they're on fire.

Went swimming today for about an hour with The Man and it was glorious.  By swimming, I mean we were in the pool.  I did a few laps, but mostly just enjoyed the warm water. We had a 20 mins left before the Y closed and The Boy was playing basketball in the gym, so we went in for a little shootaround.

I'm terrible.  I haven't played basketball for at least 9-10 years and it was obvious -- airball after airball.  Then I remembered I needed to take off my glasses (because who doesn't play better when they can't focus?) and lo & behold, I actually starting making some shots, catching all net.  I didn't make them ALL, but enough to feel better about taking off the glasses.  I'd probably have tried some jumpers, but I'm a genius and forgot to pack a bra to change into after swimming.

Tomorrow's the big day.  I'm full of anxiety about the whole business, mainly because this is a public adventure and if I screw up, you'll all know it.  Simultaneously, I'm excited and ready to kick ass.

All right y'all, this 90-day train is about to leave the station . . .  LET'S GO!

The Beginning

My big boy, Danny, used to be a BIG boy and decided in his teen years to lose weight and get healthy, which he did.  He's been on my (and his dad's) case pretty hard for the last year or so to do the same.  I tease him a lot about being a tree-hugging organic hippie, but he's right, so I told him that I would, and that I would blog about it.

My husband and I have gained a lot of weight over the years and after much of the aforementioned nagging and our own personal unhappiness with the weight business, we made a decision earlier this year to try to lose some weight, get in shape, and eat better. We joined the local Y (mainly because it has the only indoor swimming pool in town) and started working out about 3 weeks ago (3x/week).  I'm down about 4.5 pounds.  HE is down 10 pounds.  I hate him.  I don't really hate him.  But I hate him.  You know what I mean.

Slowly, but surely, we're replacing some of the things we like to eat with healthier alternatives, cutting down on other things, or just outright eliminating some stuff.  So far, hasn't been too bad, particularly since I've discovered the joy of Trader Joe's (I know I'm late on the scene, Danny).  Let's keep it real, though:  there is no substitute for buffalo wings.

Monday (2/28/2011), I'm starting a 90-day challenge, which will officially end the day before my birthday.  It's not a fitness guru challenge or anything fancy, just something I have in my own head.

The goal:  drop 3 dress sizes.

The caveat:  I'm not telling you readers what my size or weight is right now.  I  don't have enough balls for that level of disclosure just yet.  I will, however, disclose that I am plus-sized.  And I do promise to keep this blog honest.

Why Mommy Go Hard?  'Cause I'm going in hardcore.  And I sort of stole the idea from Danny. Danny's an artist, hardcore.  It's what he's always done, was always meant to do, it's what he lives & breathes.  Check him out at http://www.etsy.com/shop/dannygohard.

Banana, this is for you.  Well, the blog is for you; the rest is for me.