Level 1 DONE

I did it! Level 1 of 30DS is complete, and tomorrow I begin level 2.

Crossing off day 10. Only 20 more to go!

I am so excited about finishing Level 1, but dreading Level 2. As boring as Level 1 got, I did like knowing what to expect. Not sure WHAT tomorrow will bring...

Actually, I take that back, I know what most of tomorrow will bring. Job hunting. Ugh.

There are a lot of frustrating things about job hunting, but one of the biggest is that places want specific industry experience. For example, an administrative assistant position at a college doesn't just want an applicant with administrative assistant experience, they require the administrative assistant experience to be in a university setting. Because of this, I think I'm going to have to start looking at entry-level positions.

Since entry-level jobs pay even less than the jobs I have been looking at this month, I'm seriously considering becoming a nanny. After all, my dream job is to be a stay-at-home mom, and this seems like the next best thing. Believe it or not, nanny jobs are very comparable in pay to jobs I have a shot at around here. If I have to start from scratch in an entry level position anyway, why NOT nanny. It could be fun!

So... Joe Confiscated My Laptop

What happens when you are constantly looking up jobs and getting stressed over the lack of opportunities, angry about getting no response from jobs you have applied for, and (for a "break") you play the same level of Candy Crush over and over and get more frustrated because you can't seem to beat it? (Oh, and it's your TOM so you aren't the sweetest soul with this stress, anger, and frustration.)

Your husband hides your laptop.

But I have it back now, with the strict instruction that I can't look for jobs again until Monday. I think I can handle that.

Yesterday was the one month mark until Joe starts dental school. We're getting really excited - especially him. Though, if I were in his shoes and knew all the work I was in store for, I don't think I could muster up much excitement. I guess it is a testament to how much Joe wants this.

The closer we get to school starting, the more nervous we are getting about loans. Attending dental school (especially an Ivy League one) is not going to be cheap, and Joe already has a ton of student loans from undergrad and his post-bac program. We are hoping beyond hope for the NHSC scholarship, but the odds are pretty slim.

With this growing concern over loans and my realization that I will be lucky to make half of what I did in San Francisco (even though the cost of living isn't much of a difference), I had a diet slip on Thursday.

I didn't work out (though I decided that I will allow myself one day off per level of The Shred to let my body recover and hadn't taken one yet) and I drank.

However, this slip brought to light how serious I actually am about changing my life and losing weight. The biggest illustrations:

(Exhibit A)

When I slip, I usually REALLY slip. As in, I eat a ton and really take advantage of the diet "break." But on Thursday, I still stayed in my calorie limit (if you don't count the alcohol). I did seek out some kind of food to make me "feel better" - which was a small handful of chocolate chips. Usually I'd go to the store and buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's (especially since we saw them on sale earlier in the day). For an all-or-nothing personality like me, I consider this a win.

(Exhibit B)

When I woke up the next morning with a hangover, I still pushed myself and did The Shred. This is something I NEVER would have done in the past. Like, ever. Not only did I still do it with a headache, but a lot of times when I take one day off of exercising (as I did Thursday), it is a domino effect and I take multiple days off. So, another win.

Speaking of food, it's lunchtime and I am starved. Plus I still have to do The Shred today. Only 2 more days at level 1 and then I move on to level 2. I am both excited (because the repetition is so boring to me) and scared (because when I did The Shred in the past, I did level 1 for 30 days and only tried levels 2 & 3 a couple times. I remember them being harder...). 

Not a Gym Member... Yet

So... I didn't join the gym yet.

I know, I know. But hear me out.

The 30 Day Shred has basically been killing me. I feel pathetic saying that, since it's only 25 minutes, but facts are facts.

It's not that I can't make it through the workout. I can. (I may be sweat-drenched and cursing Jillian, but I can do it.) It's the fact that my legs are aching not just while I am Shredding, but every waking hour of the day.

I don't blame Jillian entirely. I blame our stairs too. I HATE stairs, and we live in a two story apartment on the third floor of a building without an elevator. Now that we have Buster, I'm hiking up and down the stairs several times a day. Plus, Joe and I are trying to walk him at least 30 minutes a day and I've made stupid shoe choices for each excursion.

***Side Note*** Joe has been doing most of the taking-Buster-out duty, bless his heart, so I definitely want to give him credit. I think he senses I am about to cry every time I approach a stair ***End of Side Note***

So, long story short, I've been less than motivated to add more exercise to my day until I get a bit more acclimated to this new, active lifestyle of mine. Perhaps tomorrow or Wednesday (Zumba day!) the motivation will be there. We shall see. I don't want to injure myself or get burnt out.

Today I certainly wasn't going to make it to the gym for the first time, because I spent hours applying for jobs.

Ugh, job-hunting is truly awful. I applied for a few things last week, and only heard back from one: an e-mail that people more qualified than me applied, so they were passing (ouch). I know the job market isn't great, but this is the first time I've experienced that firsthand. I was absolutely qualified for the job, so the fact that they had better candidates freaks me out a bit. Jobs in Philly don't pay well, and the cost-of-living isn't that much better than San Francisco. If I have to shoot for lower positions that means I may be looking at a $30k drop from my previous job.

The whole thing is freaking me out.

Today I cast a wider net, applied for twice the jobs I did last week, and re-jiggered my cover letter (I customize for different jobs, but the basic skeleton is the same). Hopefully I get some news soon. My fingers are definitely crossed.

Any advice out there? Or, better yet, job leads in Philly ;)

Weigh-In Wednesday

Now that I have done the (potentially CRAZY and later regrettable) act of admitting my weight for anyone to see on the ole bloggity blog, I feel like I can be honest about my progress from now on since I fully intend on never seeing 205.6 again.

I don't want my blog to be all weight related, so I decided that I'll do a once a week segment on my progress. This will keep me accountable AND keep this blog from becoming too narrowly focused.

And now, without further adieu: the first edition of "Weigh-In Wednesday."

Woot Woot! Down 2.2 pounds from yesterday. I weighed myself a few times since Linda is always so erratic, but she stayed consistent so I'll trust her (cautiously).

This might seem like pretty rapid weight loss, but that's how my body always is. The first couple days I lose a lot and then things kind of even out and it's a lot harder to drop weight. That's typically when I get frustrated and quit.

But I refuse to quit this time. That's why I am being so honest - because I am fine with disappointing myself (obviously), but I don't want to disappoint other people. Not only am I forcing accountability by blogging, but I also joined MyFitnessPal. I really like MFP so far. I've never enjoyed tracking calories, but the app makes it super easy because you can just scan the bar-code of whatever you are eating and it will instantly appear in your log.

Now, obviously, if food has a bar-code it is processed and the big thing right now in weight loss is clean eating. I can't do that yet. It will be a goal I work toward, but I need to start out easy and work my way up.

Speaking of starting, this morning I officially started The 30 Day Shred! So day 1 of 30 is complete. I don't know why I always dread doing it, the DVD is like 25 minutes. Sure, Jillian is a tough cookie, but I can be too (says the girl who probably won't be able to walk up stairs tomorrow).

Of course, I had to make trackers:

30DS sometimes doesn't shed a ton of weight, but it does shed inches. Gotta keep track :)

Doesn't look un-doable

1 down, 29 to go

  


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Diet Delay

After the disappointing realization that Insanity won't work on our 114-year-old apartment floors, I decided that I'd go back to the tried and true Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.

I've started 30DS about 8 times, and only finished it once (it gets a little boring for me, and my commitment to anything weight-loss seriously sucks). The time I did finish the whole 30 days was a few months before our wedding and it worked wonders. In fact, the alterations lady told me that I'd need to start drinking a few milkshakes before the big day because otherwise my wedding dress wouldn't work without some major reconstruction.

 ***Side Note*** Of course, her recommendation to drink milkshakes turned into a junk food free-for-all lasting until the big day, and I was not as small on my wedding day as I was after finishing the Shred. ***End of Side Note***

***Additional Side Note*** PLEASE do not think that 30DS is a miracle worker. It's a great program that made a big difference. How big? I'm not sure, because I didn't weigh myself before or after - just took measurements which I have since lost track of. I also did the elliptical for 30+ minutes 5x a week, didn't drink for 30 days and I ate like a saint. Few things will motivate a gal to finally shed pounds like a wedding. ***End of Additional Side Note***

Given that yesterday was the first of the month and a Monday (my two favorite days to start a diet), my plan was to start the Shred on July 1. However, Joe made biscuits and gravy the other day and I was jonesing for leftovers. Probably not the best breakfast on the day one decides to get serious about losing weight. So I told myself, "Self, July has 31 days. If I start on the 2nd, then I will finish the Shred on the last day of July." Made a ton of sense - so I had some cookies and a burger for dinner.

And then I banged my toe on my new desk. HARD. Like, so hard perhaps my right baby toe is broken. Dang Ikea furniture ALWAYS beats me up.

I had no idea one little toe could cause so much pain. It has been constant and I can barely make it up and down the stairs to our bedroom. So that kills the plan to start exercising today. And, given the level of pain, maybe even tomorrow.

But, unlike my typical diet delays, just because I can't exercise doesn't mean I can't start eating well. And with that, I'm off to enjoy my SmartOnes.

It must be delicious, as I accidentally dropped a few noodles on the floor and Buster went crazy for them.

 



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