Monday, July 27, 2015

The post about loose skin, my clothing size and jerk salmon...

Sunday refelections via Instagram...

It's #coffeetime and either my body's shutting down or it needs rest. Slept from 11-6:30? What? I never sleep that long unless I'm sick. And now I feel groggy. So I have to get this java into me. Then I gotta do some HIITS (high intensity interval training) up the mountain. Looking forward to my ride today. And later I'm on a mission to find some kettlebells and free weights. I'll check out that gym equipment place on Ottawa Street, but there's also a Play it Again Sports in Burlington. Yesterday I bought a ton of produce. Today I get a ton of protein. I need to have protein on hand so I can snack in between meals. My biggest problem is I'm not eating frequently enough. You need to eat (quality calories) to burn fat. And I've got fat to burn. Tomorrow morning I have my sports nutrition appointment. I'm open to change if it will help me reach my goals. I know nothing about proper eating for strength training. And knowledge is power...

Doing HIITs up the escarpment on my bike is no joke yo! Today I managed 15. That brought me right to Limeridge Road. My legs are jello. But that's a good thing. I was nothing but a giant drop of sweat when I got to the top. Sweating in a bike helmet is pretty annoying. I need to scratch but can't. When I got home I ate all the protein. That mess on the bottom right is BBQ'd pork chops from the other day. And I had 4 perfectly hard boiled eggs. I've been craving protein like crazy this past week. It's a good thing I'm an enthusiastic carnivore. Drinking tons of water than hitting the shower. Gonna get my weights and a new bike for Julien. He's outgrown the one I bought him last year already. The kid grows like a weed...

It's #watertime and I cannot get enough water into me today. I'm just parched. And I've failed at finding kettlebells. Who knew that they cost so fecken much? I'm going to consult with Tony on Tuesday about what weight I should buy. I'm just going to have to suck it up. No one on Kijiji seems to want to part with theirs. Bastards!!!! On a positive note. I was able to get Julien a bigger bike. It has shocks and he loves to bounce along while riding. Tonight feels like a salmon and broccoli kinda night. I'm gonna try my hand at jerk salmon:-)

The most asked question I get via my blog's comment form is do I have #looseskin on my abdomen and have I had a #tummytuck. Short answers are yes to loose skin, and no to the tummy tuck. I have some lower abdominal chub. Right where my c-section scar is. The plastic surgeon I consulted with at the beginning of the month was confident I'd get rid of it at the gym. My tummy is soft. That's why I'm certain losing more fat will help along with all the strength training and core work I'm doing at the gym. I am very lucky.

I'm not sure why I fared so well on the loose skin department. I just started strength training on June 11th and I'm in my 3rd year of maintenance. But I did start running at 230 pounds and you use 5 abdominal muscles when you run. Not sure if that had anything to do with it. My highest recorded weight was 310 pounds. My highest probable weight was around 330 pounds or more. I didn't weigh myself at my heaviest but my pictures at that time confirm I was noticeably bigger. And I've spent the majority of my life morbidly obese.

Bottom line is this. Even if I don't end up with a tight hard one pack (which is all I aspire for) when all is said and done, I'm happy to be in the skin I'm in. I'm 45 and I'm half the size I used to be. Which is the other most asked question...

What size am I? Depending on the label, I wear anything from a size 6 ("Sweet Heart" Old Navy jeans ) to a size 10 (American Eagle, Aeropostale). Because you know, I've a giant butt and hips. All the junk is in my trunk. So things will fit in the hips fine but be huge around my waist. Curvy girl problems. Those shorts are Reitman's size 10/30 and I coulda/shoulda sized down. I'd have to say I'm a solid size 9. Size 9 always fits, unless it's "skinny" cut. Then I need 10 for sure because not only are my hips and butt large, but my legs are thick too. And I wear a medium/large. Sometimes I'll need a large blouse if it goes down past hips because, you know, large hips. But then it's big in the shoulders. Life as a pear shape is hard yo! Notice how white my stomach is compared to the rest of me. It never sees the sun:-)

Today's final countdown. A picture of my pretty kitty Baby, just because. She's self cleaning. My jerk salmon that was done on the BBQ. I just added a bit of Diana's Marinade and let it sit for about an hour before throwing it on the heat. A little marinade goes a long way. It was really tasty. And my war wound from my fall on the trails yesterday. Julien thinks this boo boo is horribly bad. He doesn't understand why I don't have a Lightening McQueen bandage on it. I'm so fecken #badass right now that Lightening McQueen won't give me the kinda cred I'm looking for. I think that I'm definitely hardcore enough to pull off the waterproof Tigger and Pooh tattoo bandages in the first aid kit. Hopefully they still have stick left to them. They've been there for a while.

In the morning I run to the Wentworth stairs. I'm gonna do HIIT up them. And I'm gonna do a couple sets this time. My nutritionist appointment has been moved up to 9:30am so I have to be out running by 7:30am. If I don't make the 7:30am start time, I'm running very late morning. And it'll be a hot one. That's some motivation to get started early. Therefore, I'm heading to bed...