Vacation

Back from a Florida vacation! It was a blast, we went for my Aunt's wedding and it all turned out amazing.

I finished up my personal training last week before I left. Overall, I would grade it a solid C. My last day was supposed to be the Friday before I left, but I showed up and my trainer never did. I didn't hear from him until about noon that day after I had texted him a few times, and he said we would reschedule for Monday, and then he was going to give me two free sessions because he canceled on me so many times. So we worked out Monday and that was good. Then he canceled on me both Tuesday & Wednesday mornings. So, those sessions didn't really work out. I would say over the whole 12 sessions I paid for, he probably canceled and rescheduled at least 5 times. I don't really mind rescheduling, but there were several times I showed up and didn't hear from him until well after designated times. Other times, I would get a text right before I was leaving the house to go.

I really like him as a person, and I really like the way he markets his company and the workouts were great. I just think he has some things to work out. I found it incredibly frustrating trying to get together with him. He just had his first baby, and I'm not denying that that is hard, but new dads aren't calling in to work everyday all over the country. I have to work 4-5 hours to pay for 1 hour of his time. I was also a little frustrated, because a lot during our sessions he would be on his phone or texting. There was also one time, I showed up for my session and he was training another person at the same time. He offers group sessions, but I was paying for individual and so I paid him the full price for that session and did not get all the attention. Now, there was one time when I requested that someone else work out with us, It was a woman I had really been wanting to meet and that was great. I just felt weird about not even being warned and just expecting that it was okay. I was pretty shocked when I showed up. Like I said, for almost $50 an hour, I just feel that all of your attention should be on who you are training. I certainly don't get paid $50/hour.

So, since he canceled Wednesday, I decided to do weights on my own and I did really well! I even went into what I call the big boy weight room and did squats on the machines. I was pretty sore the next day, but it was good that I knew what to do with the machines and how to do them safely. That was my main goal from training was to learn how to use the gym and feel confident on my own. So, that goal was definitely accomplished.

Now to vacation time....

It was wonderful. The weather was great. The wedding was perfect. It was really fun. My grandparents live in Naples, FL, so my Aunt decided to get married there at the Ritz Carlton. We left Thursday morning and came back Sunday.

I ate so much more than I have been. My stomach was not happy. I felt really bad one day and I know it was because I was putting all this junk in my body again. My body is so confused, junk, healthy, junk. LOL. It reminded me of how I used to feel all the time, and I did not like it.

So now its back to healthy menu and back to the gym. Somehow I still managed to lose 2.5 lbs last week. We'll see if it catches up to me this week.

The wedding was so fun. They got married on the terrace at the Ritz and it was beautiful. Right when they said I do, thunder cracked and a downpour began but at least we got the ceremony through before that! We then went into a private dining room and ate a huge meal. It was delicious! Halfway through the fire alarm went off and the entire Ritz had to evacuate! It was lots to laugh about. It was so great to see my Aunt so happy!

Here are some pictures from the trip!

Pumping & Squeezing

Yesterday was a big day! I had my echo cardiogram which I was nervous about because it is the test that will tell me if there was any damage from my heart attack and if my heart is doing okay.

They just called with the results and everything is good! She said my heart is pumping and squeezing as it should and there are no valve issues! Woo hoo! That is a HUGE relief.

I also chatted with the nurse a little bit, because lately I have been getting light headed every now and then when I stand up. It kept happening a week or so ago and I took my blood pressure and it was 100/68. I asked her if that was low and she said its right on the borderline, if it drops into the 90s I definitely need to call. But she said that since I'm losing weight, etc...we may need to adjust my meds and lower them. So that would be amazing because one of my main goals is to get off a lot of these medications!

After I did that yesterday, I went to the gym to workout with my trainer. This is my last week. I'm a little nervous because after this week I will be totally on my own. Up until now I have constantly had someone to be held accountable to, from rehab to training. But now its just me, so gotta keep it up!

I worked out with someone yesterday who is super motivating though! She works with my trainer and writes a blog as well, her journey is really inspiring. You can read it at http://gfitkc.com/category/real-life-loser/. It was nice to be able to chat and it really made the workout fly by. She has completely changed her life as well with how she eats and working out, so it makes me feel like yeah I can do this too!

Last night I made a really yummy salsa recipe that my Mom sent me. I'll copy it below. I also made my own tortilla chips which was SUPER easy. I just bought some corn tortillas, lightly brushed them with extra virgin olive oil, cut them into eighths and lightly salted them, then I baked them at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them though, because they burn quickly! Even Jason approved.

I just got two dresses in the mail to try on for my Aunt's wedding, they are two different sizes, so I'm hoping one of them works! It's always fun to buy new clothes (if they fit!).

So until I go to Florida, I'm trying to be more strict with myself. It's been awhile now since I've really lost weight. My trainer researched my meds and there is one we think is not helping the cause, but we also talked about how even though I'm doing cardio 5-6 days a week, I may not be getting my heart rate high enough. I was taking my Ipad and reading while I worked out but I think that was slowing me down. So I'm trying to work a little harder.

I also have not been being as good with food as I should. I definitely still eat waaaay better, and I probably shouldn't be so hard on myself. When I eat something not so great, I beat myself up about it, so I just need to be better with portion control. But I went to the store Friday night and planned out some meals for this week.

I've been looking for a way to show weight I've lost without posting pictures of myself (sorry, still insecure here) and I finally found an idea I liked on pinterest, so I'm copying it! The funny thing is, the images on pinterest had the glass things mostly filled so I bought big ones and once I filled them, I was like oh, I probably could have gone with slightly smaller. But its nice motivation to see and want to move the glass beads from one to the other (one direction only!). So here's where I sit currently.

Here is the salsa recipe and the link where it came from! She has other things on her blog that look yummy too!

You can change ingredients as desires, I didn't put Cilantro in mine.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/restaurant-style-salsa/

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• 1/4 cup Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• 1/4 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 cup Cilantro (more To Taste!)
• 1/2 whole Lime Juice

Preparation Instructions

Note: this is a very large batch. Recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like---I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

Posted by Ree on January 27 2010