My CrossFit Kicks your Zumba's Ass!

 

Zumba or CrossFit? You Decide!

Week 4! Wow…Can you believe it? It flew by and I can say I am officially addicted!  I only have 2 more On Ramp classes until I start CrossFit classes with the masses. I talked to Charlie and he is going to be doing the psycho 6:00am classes and Janel and I are going to do the 4:30pm class. I must take a minute and tell you all what an amazing ROCKSTAR Janel is. This woman not only wears the cutest shorts every class, but has the most infectious smile. When she smiles, everyone around her is a little happier. I am thrilled we are going to continue this journey together. On Thursday, she had a 102 degree temperature and still kicked ass in class. She smiled less on Thursday, but she was back stronger than ever last night. I have decided that back extensions are in fact my least favorite CrossFit activity, mostly because they make me want to vomit. Janel and I were able to commiserate yesterday during the warm-up and maybe it’s my dark side, but it made me feel tons better that the back extensions made her want to vomit as also.

 This weekend I was invited to a get together at my girlfriends’ house. She is an amazing hostess and a triathelete. I knew the food would be healthy and delicious as she’s also the Home Economics teacher at Mariner High school.  I am used to being the biggest woman in the room and this party was no different. What was different was my attitude. I didn’t care and I didn’t obsess about my weight all night. I knew I looked hot and I was thrilled I had to wear the belt I just bought. I walked in and the party was divided by gender. The men were in the man-cave (garage) and the women were in the kitchen. The conversation, as usual was on diet and weight loss. Two of the women were talking about Zumba and asked me if I had ever danced my ass off. Heck yes I have! I’m not sure there is a woman alive that hasn’t been drug to one of those sweatin’ to the music, shake your groove thing classes. Zumba is a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong…but the conversation droned on and on and on…until I had to interrupt and say I’m doing Crossfit. The looks on their faces were priceless.

Super skinny blonde chick said “Isn’t that like bootcamp? Uhhh…No Thank you! I don’t want to look like one of those gross body builder women!”

I might have become a tad defensive about my beloved CrossFit because my response surprised even me.

 “Yeah…um…My Crossfit kicks your Zumba’s ass!”  I said trying to keep the conversation light, but the battle lines had been drawn. I then went on to explain that in three short weeks I have lost inches, developed calf and thigh muscles, and can do push-ups and assisted pull-ups with ease. One of the peacekeeper ladies in the room said she needed to do something like that to get rid of her little poochy belly. I told her that Crossfit would burn that off in no time and we started having an amazing conversation.

The focus was not on Super Skinny Blonde Chick for a moment and she was having none of that. She said that she was looking in the mirror at her Zumba class and she swore she looked pregnant. We women knew exactly what she was doing and I couldn’t resist…Lord forgive me… I pointed to her fleece jacket and asked if she was wearing that at the time because fleece always makes people look bigger.

She then announced with out prompting that the one ounce of liquor I was having in my ONE margarita would stall my fat burning by 60%.

I looked at her blankly …and she continued.

“Jillian Michaels said that in her book I just read.”

 Me, being a stickler for numbers and statistics asked “How long is your fat burning affected for? Is it only while you’re sipping a margarita on the treadmill or does the liquor have lingering affects?”

 She responded with “Jillian said one ounce can affect you for up to three days! Have you read her book?”

Another blank look from me and I turned around and walked away…I had to escape to the man-cave. I know it was rude…but a girl can only take so much. We avoided each other for the rest of the party and I had a really good time after that.

I will say this. CROSSFIT IS AMAZING! I have a severe case of ADHD and get bored easily. Typically, week three is my give up point on any diet or fitness routine. I seriously can’t imagine a week in my future that doesn’t involve CrossFit.

Oh yeah…I almost forgot! I am using the 20 lb bar and doing Squats and Snatches and Cleans! That was my three month goal that I met in three weeks. The bar is still heavy as hell, but I am doing it. CrossFit is not only changing my outside, but my inside also. My self esteem and pride is increasing as my waistline is decreasing

It's Simple Math!

I love math. Maybe it’s my engineer mind or the fact that a person can use a proven formula to get the correct answer…math is logical. Weight loss, even though it’s all about numbers, absolutely boggles my mind. How can something based on numbers have so many different formulas and so many different outcomes?

I have been forbidden from weighing myself until May 3, 2010. We all know what happened last time I weighed with out permission, so of course I would never directly defy an order. That being said, I went to see my nutritionist today and of course had to step on the scale. I didn’t look but when the medical assistant called out my weight I nearly fell over.  Are you sitting down? 230 pounds! I have gained 8 pounds in a week.

This is exactly why Cameron did not want me weighing myself for a month. I burst into tears, just like Cameron said I would. I wigged out when the doctor came in. He asked how I was doing today and I responded with “What the Hell…8 pounds?”  I went from anger to frustration to sadness in about 30 seconds. I explained what I was doing, what I was eating and I showed him that I had to fold the waist band of my jeans over because they were falling down. I tugged at the loose fabric around my thighs and the unsightly butt fabric that was gathering on my rear. I thought for sure I had lost weight…I would have bet money on it.

Doc L. was just nodding while I finished freaking out then he handed me a tissue to indicate I should calm down. I sat back down on the paper sheet and just looked at him, waiting for a medical explanation to this very obvious slap in the face by my metabolism. I wanted a logical answer. I wanted the numbers to add up. I did not want to hear that muscle weighs more than fat. That illogical answer has always irritated me. That’s like saying a pound of lead weighs more than a pound of feathers. IT’S STILL A POUND!

 After going into more detail about the type of workout I was doing, he said it made perfect sense. I was building muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, therefore, my body is getting smaller. The weight is going up because I am working the largest muscles in my body the most, causing those to become bigger.

He asked for my food journal and asked me about my water intake. I admit, I have only been drinking maybe 20 oz of water a day. That was slowing down my ability to flush the “something” from my muscles after I work out and that water is critical in burning fat. He told me as long as I continue to dehydrate myself; my body will continue to retain every ounce I consume. He also noticed my sodium intake was way too high.

So…new formula this week and I am hoping it leads to subtraction. I am going to drown myself in water…or at least drink the 5 water bottles a day I was supposed to be drinking in the first place. I also have to divide the two slices of toast at breakfast in half, add a protein drink after I work out and multiply my servings of fruit by two.

I am getting tired of doing the math, showing my work and still getting the wrong answer. This week I will follow the instruction the teacher provides!

The Kettlebell

HA HA HA…oh Cameron is just a funny, funny guy! I missed Wednesday’s workout due to an unfortunate Broccoli incident, and Cameron thought it was hilarious! He laughed and laughed…and made “Gas” jokes during the entire workout. My buddy Charlie even got in on the fun! It’s unreal how much fun we have during the most intense workouts of my life! I really am starting to bond with my classmates and I seriously think I may be starting a new addiction. I can’t wait for my next Crossfit fix!

That being said, I was introduced to Kettlebells last night. I am convinced Kettlebells may kill me. I have two pronounced bruises on my forearms where I just could not grasp the concept of the corkscrew type movement Cameron was trying to show us. I repeatedly slammed the iron weight into my arms and kept saying “ouch!”

Cameron kept saying you’re doing it wrong! Really? Thanks for clearing that up, because I thought I was supposed to slam heavy weights into my arms. Here’s the part that troubles me. I’m not sure if it is age or weight or what, but back in the Glory Days when I was a cheerleader, I could learn new choreography in a matter of minutes. Not anymore. Trying to lift something over my head and squat at the same time was just baffling my stressed mind and body. Cameron actually told me I was thinking too much…he said he could see my gears turning. I actually saw little veins popping out of his forehead…I could tell he was getting irritated. He yelled “Stop!” during one of my more uncoordinated movements so I tried to correct it. That sent him over the edge.

 “Your going to hurt yourself…just put it down” he said.

So I bent over and set the evil kettlebell down.

 “Not like that…you’ll hurt your back”.

 I started to laugh. “WHAT???” I screamed back.

He must have shown me the movement 17 times before I finally got it correct. My mother claims I am the only person that could piss off the Pope. Now Cameron is far from Pope status…but she might have a point!

We didn’t get far with the kettlebell last night, but I definitely got a workout on my arms. Driving home was a chore and I wasn’t sure if my shaky arms would keep the car in my lane. I woke up this morning with two painful reminders that I am just not as young as I used to be. On the plus side, I showed the class the little lines in my biceps where the muscle is trying to fight it’s way through the fat to the surface. After just two weeks, I see the faint trace of muscle. If that isn’t enough proof that this works, I don’t know what is!

      

Fun in the ER!

Here’s a tip from me to you…free of charge.

Just because Broccoli is nature’s miracle food, full of antioxidants, vitamins and is powerful medicine to help keep your intestines healthy does not mean you should ever…I mean EVER mindlessly nibble  two full Ziploc bags of cut up broccoli at your desk in one sitting. Another awesome side effect of broccoli would be gas. Painful gas…the kind of pain that makes you strip your clothes off naked because you’re sweating so badly and curl up in the fetal position. The pain was so intense I thought my appendix must be bursting and drove myself to the ER. I, being a genius, did not associate the pain to the broccoli.

After undergoing a CT scan and an abdominal ultrasound, the doctor came in and said they could not find any signs of appendicitis. That’s when the doctor started asking the detail questions. I think he skipped this part in the beginning because I was writhing in pain and the doctor wanted to run the tests immediately.

“What did you eat today?” he asked

“Oatmeal and a hard boiled egg for breakfast, an apple, cottage cheese and tuna for lunch…oh and two baggies of raw broccoli” I announced proudly.  I thought for sure he would be impressed with my wise food choices. He started laughing. He said “You have a severe case of gas.”

If there was a way to crawl out of the ER unnoticed at that point I would have. I was mortified. I had already called Cameron and told him I could not make my workout because I was in severe pain and I thought my appendix was bursting. He is the one that told me to use my Boeing medical insurance and get my butt to the ER. How was I going to tell him I just had gas. I had even called my ex husband to come over and watch the kids...for GAS!!!

I was discharged from the ER and told to go to the pharmacy and buy some Gas-ex and to not eat more than a cup of broccoli at a time.

Moral of the story: More is not always better!

Trouble!

I arrived at 7:20 pm tonight ready for my workout. I was hydrated, had a slice of wheat bread with a tablespoon of peanut butter for a little protein kick, and came bouncing inside waiting for Cameron to congratulate me on my 5 pound loss this week.

Nope. He asked me how I was doing, and I twirled around like a 4 year old girl in her new princess dress, and said “I lost 5 pounds!”

Cameron said that will be 10 Burpies. “What?...WHY!”

“I told you at least five times last week not to weigh yourself for four weeks!” I guess he read this mornings post.

My face fell. I did remember him telling me that, but honestly I thought it was more of a suggestion…not a rule!

It’s a rule. He told me to get started on the Burpies. I told him I didn’t remember how to do them…he said “Get Going!”

He further explained that weighing myself told me nothing, that weight doesn’t matter. It’s about how my clothes fit. That I will be building muscle and some weeks I won’t lose anything and he doesn’t want me coming in crying. Like I would come in crying…please! Ok…yeah…there would be tears shed!

Cameron has agreed to let me to post my weight once a month from here on out after I argued that the readers are going to want to see progress. I completed my punishment and went to join the rest of the class. I whispered to Charlie, another CrossFit newbie if he weighed himself, and he responded “NO!” There was no way he would admit it even if he had. Class started and we were all laughing at that point. Tonight was Napoleon Dynamite quote night. I’m not sure if my abs hurt from laughing or the sit-ups!

This class is so much fun. It’s tough, but I feel really proud of myself! I ran tonight and did Snatches. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlabYlMkJyw&NR=1

We were using 20 lb bars and I lost my balance and fell backwards. Cameron casually reached over and pointed to the PVC pipe. We both set a 3 month goal for me to use the 20 lb bar.

At the end of the class, I was in this human origami stretching pose and looked up on the wall and saw squares. I made the mistake of asking what those were for and apparently we are going to take medicine balls and throw them at the squares and catch the ball in a squat position. Why not! I have already done so many things I never thought I could!

Monday Weigh-in

Just a quick weigh-in update

I can’t believe it’s been a full seven days since I started cross fit! Short of a small set back, this has been a great week! I did my super official Monday morning weigh-in today and according to my brand new, cost more than my children are worth, fancy glass top scale, I am down 5 full pounds! Let me repeat…5 POUNDS!

I have been focusing on my nutrition and staying active and stretching on my off days. Cameron has me keeping a food diary and that helps to see exactly what I am eating. I have noticed a trend. I tend to eat something around 9:30 am everyday. I didn’t have an AM snack scheduled and felt guilty about the extra food. After discussing this with my nutritionist, I was supposed to be eating an AM snack. HUH? No more guilt? I may not know what to focus on in the future. I am eating an apple as I type this instead of my lunchtime chocolate pick me up. I guess it’s true…small changes add up!

I am super excited about the work out tonight.   

My Current Stats:
Goal Weight:                150 Pounds
Starting Weight:            227 Pounds
Current Weight:            222 Pounds
Total Weight Change: -5 Pounds

Bad Day

Cameron told me when we first starting talking about me writing for him that CrossFit was a family. He repeated that sentiment on our first night, when he explained further that we are part of the family tree, each of us little branches. I guess as he was talking both times, my mind wondered to my previous gym where I would walk in and people would say hi. We would exchange “I’m fine’s” and then I would hop on a machine and complete my workout alone plugged into my IPod or maybe chat with a friend. I knew I was part of a group…but a family? I had not experienced that until tonight.  

My Day…

Have you ever just had one of those insane, horrible, shitty days? I mean a day that begins with snoozing your alarm too long, hitting traffic and finally showing up 45 min late to work, only to arrive to a cluster of chaos. I sat down in my chair and logged on to my computer. Not 15 minutes into some very important documentation, I got the big, red Fatal Exception Error which quickly turned into the Blue Screen of Death. I sat there, just staring at my blank computer screen, the little white curser blinking in the upper left hand corner…like I was going to provide some DOS based direction.. My cubicle mate asked me what was wrong and I said very calmly “I’m screwed” (I may have used a synonym that started with a “F”.) I knew I was facing 2-4 hours at the Boeing Laptop Service Center. My day just kept getting better and better.

After finishing my reports, my Boss came around the corner. He started telling me he would like me to present a project at a meeting to over150 people and to start working on the presentation. No problem. My lead needed me to find him a conference room. I was on it. My co-worker needed performance reports ASAP. Sure, I could help her with those. Until finally it was 3:00 and it was time to head out to my first counseling appointment since my release from the Moore Center. I drove around until I arrived at the address 15 minutes before my 4:00 appointment.  I found parking downtown, searched for the suite in the office building maze and waited patiently for my appointment. My new counselor came out and asked my name. She told me my appointment wasn’t until 5:00pm. I said I entered the appointment in my calendar when I was on the phone scheduling it, and she kinda laughed and said she must have input it wrong in her calendar. She asked if I could wait an hour since her patient she had double booked drove over an hour. Absolutely! I would be happy to. After the door closed I left.

I started to feel hungry. I knew it was my emotional monster creeping in. Then the justification started. The little voice in our head that gives us permission to commit food sins.

“Come on Lacie, you’ve been working hard…GAWD a KFC heart attack bowl sounds so good!”

“OK then…yeah that’s way too many calories, what about a cheeseburger? That has protein and carbs”

“No…good point, the bun is made with white flour…and that is terrible and not on the plan”

“How about a subway…but the line is always sooo long”

I was consumed at this point, trying to figure out how to feed my emotional monster and not sin too badly. The problem was I waited too long to eat and I was starving. Logic was gone and my irrational mind took over.

“Safeway Chinese!” Yes!

I came home, turned on the T.V. and began to eat. I ate the Giant fried eggroll, the giant helping of Chow Mein and two servings of Orange chicken. I topped it off with a Large Pepsi. After I cleaned the little plastic tray I looked down and could not recall a single bite. I had food amnesia. I had just binged. Damn it! My emotional eater voice started in again.

“Oh come on Lacie, you already binged, you might as well purge. Get it out…You’ve been working so hard…you can’t let these calories stay in…it will show on the scale. People are going to expect to see some weight loss”

I tried to fight it. I tried to use the skills I learned. I was too far gone.

“Lacie…get it out” the nagging voice kept repeating. I knew I only had a few minutes to make up my mind, or it would be too difficult to purge.

I caved…I purged. Then felt horrible. I was consumed with guilt. I had been purge free for weeks. I thought I had beaten it. The shame was overwhelming. I could not go to Crossfit. The voice…that strong voice kept saying “you don’t feel good, just stay home…tell Cameron your sick today.” I agreed, I was in no shape to work out. I picked up my phone and searched on the browser for RiverTown CrossFitt for the phone number. I arrived at the website and what slapped me in the face? My LessLacie Blog! Bam!

I found my shoes, grabbed my keys and drove. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw two women lifting weights over their heads. I got out of the car and Cameron asked what’s wrong? I started to tear up as I told him what I had done. He told me I need to sweat it out. Then another woman came up to me and told me she read my blog, then another. Pretty soon I was talking to a whole group of people. I was laughing and getting ready for my workout. My whole mood shifted from feeling sorry for myself, to taking care of my self. The work out was amazing. I am far less sore than I was just two days ago and I felt so strong and powerful tonight. I am enjoying this! The physical demands on my body felt energizing, where as my binge earlier in the evening left me feeling powerless.

Cameron has been modifying the workouts a bit since I have a little ways to go before I am able to lift my body weight into a pull-up. He is encouraging, full of compliments and tough when he needs to be. He wouldn’t let me quit and made sure my form was perfect as I was doing dead lift squats. Yeah…Me…doing dead lift squats!

Thank you to my new CrossFit family. Thanks for the high-fives and the laughter. It was a great class and I am counting the days until my next workout on Monday!

PAIN

Pain would be the Word Of the Day. I thought I was ready. I watched all the CrossFit videos on You-Tube, I’ve read blogs and seen pictures posted...Oh My GAWD I was wrong! I can’t move my arms and my thighs feel like they were beaten with a baseball bat.

Cameron gave me the option of not completing the workout on my first day…he told me I would be sore and I might want to hold off. Noooo…not Lacie…not Ms. I have something to prove. I should have listened…I should have heeded the warning of the professional, instead I had my superwoman cape on.

My first day started with the speech. I walked in at 7:26 pm and he was waiting…holding a stopwatch.

He said “Your Late!”

I agued...because that’s what I do, and said “No I’m not, class doesn’t start until 7:30 pm”

He kinda chuckled and I thought he must find me incredibly funny. Nope.

He said “If your not early your late…and your late. Being On-time is late, come in late again, and it will cost you some pain!”

Ouch…I know for a fact I will be there at 7:15 on Wednesday night. If I am experiencing pain from a light workout, I never want to find out what Cameron based pain feels like.

            After the “Welcome to CrossFit” speech I was feeling excited. I have been looking forward to this moment for two weeks. I had my new shoes on, my super cool, eco-friendly water bottle filled with purified water and my desire to lose weight. I thought I was ready…I thought wrong. The squat demonstration nearly did me in. I didn’t know anyone other than limber toddlers could squat in that position. I think Cameron was messing with us…he would say “Down” then start a conversation with another first day person…leaving us in that position…until someone screamed.

“Up” he would then say with a smile. Oh he was having fun alright! We learned Squats, pull-ups with rings, push-ups, then this super horrible, make me want to vomit, lay on a triangle on your stomach, and lift your body thing. When we were finally finished with all of those Cameron asked how I was doing.

“Super-duper!” I replied.

He grinned that smile and said “Excellent- that’s what I like to hear…Lets do it again!”

And that is exactly what we did. After the second round he said “Great job on your warm up everyone!”

WHAT? Warm-up? That was a warm up? I don’t understand…I was dripping with sweat. I haven’t perspired this much after 45 min on a treadmill. He said it was time for the workout. Oh Dear god! This is the point where Cameron gave me the option of not working out. hmmm....I might listen to him next time!

Now that the shock is over and I can think clearly; I can’t wait to go back! Sure…my daughter had to brush my teeth for me this morning because I can’t lift my own arms…and I wore slippers to work because it hurt too badly to bend over to tie my shoes…but I keep imagining all this pain as fire. An inferno that is burning the fat, I am the kindling and Cameron is the match. My fire is blazing…my desire is strong and raging. Thank you to all my friends who are my little fire pokers…all of your encouragement has kept my fire stoked!

I am a little nervous about Wednesday night. Not sure how bad the pain will be…but as Cameron quoted “Anything worth having …is worth fighting for.”  I am fighting for my body back…and I know I will win.