Yay! The Biggest Loser last night was finally a gal. Ali took home the $250,000 prize. Bernie was the runner-up with the $100,000 biggest loser from home prize. I wished my boys Mark and Roger had at least gotten some sort of payoff from all that effort. I guess really they got the best payoff they could possibly hope for...their lives back. And that makes it all worth it.

I hate reality shows. Sorry, I do. But this one caught my attention and I had fun watching their progress all season long. What a fun show to watch!

Friends are good to have. They are not only fun to hang out with, but are supportive as well. I got to catch up with some of them this week. They always ask how the "weight loss thing" is going. I had to tell them about my set back last week. Most of them confessed that they hadn't been doing so well lately either. Hopefully my workout buddy is back in the game. But I've given up on the two boys that are supposed to be with me on this. Lance with working all that overtime and the new baby, and Dwayne with work and school, have both been stretched so thin. So, I'm going to cut them loose and remove their blocks from the blog. I'll bring them back when they are ready.

I also caught up with a friend that just came back from a fabulous trip to the land down under. Akshay surprised me by telling me he reads this blog...yikes! He's a good guy and I'm so proud of all he's accomplished. It was good to see him.

And it reminded me that people do listen and hear what I say, hopefully inspiring some, while just entertaining most. And I guess as long as I'm still having fun, it's a good thing.

So far, this has been a pretty good week.
Plus a bonus...tonight is the finale of the Biggest Loser!
Woohooo!

Geesh! I'm so disgruntled today. I just have to vent. This weight loss and fitness thing is like a never ending game of chutes and ladders. This past week I feel like I fell down one of the really long chutes.

It's my own fault, of course. I was hoping to hit 230 by this week, but because of some serious diet neglect, I think I've put on a couple pounds. It's so hard to remain focused when the "bad" food temptation seems to always be right in front of me. I know it's all about self-control. I seem to be lacking in that area the past couple weeks. What is this, like my 3rd fall off the wagon? Argh. I feel so hungry all the time. This stinks.

Then there's the other half. I've still been to the gym, but my workouts have been lazy at best. Maybe it's just spring fever. But this time is the best time to really start tightening up my workouts. I'm so disappointed. My workout buddy has disappeared and my spousal unit is too busy with school to get to the gym. I have no encouragement to go other than pure will power, and as I said, that seems to be waning this week. I think I'll kick myself a couple more times...and then get over it.

Just had to blog about it. Thanks for listening. Blah!!!

As the weather gets warmer, I'm getting the itch to get outside more. Everyone else is too,I'm sure. Well, except Dwayne. I've always loved the outdoors, camping and hiking, working in the yard and so on. Dwayne, not so much. He was raised on a farm and believes he's spent enough time outside already. LOL. Me, I'm just too pasty-white to be outside too long, thank God for sunscreen! But that's another blog...

I have a perfect one-mile track on the roads around my house. Just right for calculating however many miles I wish to knock out that day. It will be nice to get off the treadmill for a while and walk for real. I plan to amp up to a 5 day a week workout plan this spring. Mixing cardio/walking days outside with cardio/weights days inside. I'm looking forward to a more solid routine for a while and then mix it up again when it gets too hot outside.

As for hiking and camping, I love it! And it's great exercise. My siblings and I used to go all the time. I plan on hiking Guadalupe Mountain again this year. My sister, Krissy, and I went several years ago when I was still a smoker (yes I smoked, a lot...I quit 3 years ago now...yay! But that's another blog too!) I remember it was really HARD for me to get up that mountain. I was in better shape, but couldn't breath well at all thanks to the smoking and the altitude change. Plus, the switchbacks were so sharp and hard on the knees. What a mess. Our goal was not only to make it to the top in one piece, but we also planned on staying overnight at a primative campsite 3 miles up. That meant bringing everything with us. Tents, food, clothes, entertainment, and of course, a gallon of water a piece. I have no idea what I weighed at that time. I think I was a lot thinner than I am right now, maybe in the 190's. I haven't been hiking in years. I believe that I quit because I became so heavy that it was just too hard to do anymore. What a loss for me. I've missed it so much.

So this should be an interesting experience, better breathing but more weight to carry along? I'll probably start with some place a little easier maybe, just to test where I'm at physically? We'll see...

Just a little while longer and it'll be warm enough to go! Yay! So I better start working on a sharper incline on that treadmill for now, get those quads ready! I hope to be at least in the 220's by time I go.

I was at my 3rd attempt at a step aerobics class again yesterday. I was feeling good and energetic. So I really threw myself into it. About 40 minutes in, I paused and thought, "I don't feel so good". I thought I was going to either throw up or pass out. Yuck. I was definately overheated. I stepped out of the classroom for a minute and found it wasn't any cooler on the other side of the wall. I felt better after a couple minutes and went back in to finish the class.

But that was not what I was going for. I guess I'll just have to pace myself better next time. I don't want to be scared or discouraged about continuing the class, it's great cardio, but I don't want to be foolish either.

Well, I hit 235 this week. Yay!!!

Then I went and ate out...twice. Yikes!

It was not only laziness..that I just didn't feel like cooking those couple of nights, but also this craving for anything that wasn't good for me. This resulted in a certain fish joint on Friday with a really large colada and a buffet on Saturday...followed by ice cream. OMG...it was soooooo good!

I didn't overdue it too bad, I didn't eat so much I felt sick or anything, certainly not a TRUE binging. Why is it that we always feel so bad about cheating just a little? I always feel like I'm on a time schedule and that I have to loose all this weight by December or something. But why the rush? It'll probably take me until next May easily to get down to 175 anyway. I guess it's the fear that a little cheating is the start down the pathway of flat-out quitting and going back to the old ways. Luckily, that won't be today. Back to the gym and the grocery store this afternoon.

Well, that ice cream had better have been good. Cause that's it for a while!

It's well into March already. I remember earlier making a comment about how it's so easy to start but so hard to keep going and that I had hoped to still be hitting the gym by March or April. So what I want to know is...how about you? How are those New Year's Resolutions going?

I've not too much to update this week. I've finally started weight training. On the treadmill, I've slowed that cardio pulse down to a fat burning 135 instead of that 165 I was overdoing it with. Maybe that will move some fat!

So how about it guys? Enough about me this week, how about you? Good or bad, I'd love to hear it. Has life just been too hectic and you've thrown in the towel, or are you still in the game? Are you meeting your goals, or are you like me and every little set back drives you nuts! Let's hear about it!

I have my second headcold of the year already. This isn't fair. I've missed two gym days and not very likely to make it today. Blah.

But is it really a good idea to work out when you are sick anyway? Besides all the yucky germs you would be spreading, can it make you sicker, or should you just stay home and rest?

According to an article at Bodybuilding.com, in most instances of a simple "cold" you can still work out just fine. Here are some of the examples of when and when not to continue your workouts based on a recent study by the American College of Sports Medicine ...

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maia20.htm

Of course, always check with your doctor if you are really sick or just not sure. Better add some vitamin C to my new vitamin list.