Does This Post Make My Ass Look Fat?

So, 10AM didn't happen today.  My sleep was interrupted, which allowed me to experience the side effects of my medication that I usually sleep through (we'll talk about that in the next post).  But I didn't wuss out!!  I just called the gym and rescheduled with a different trainer, later in the day.

Since Jay has a weight lifting plan for me and he wasn't in when I got there, I didn't lift today.  I'll meet with Jay tomorrow, and we'll get into the lifting.  But Jake - what the hell, with the J names? - did the weigh in and measuring and looked over the MS bike training plan...and then wanted to talk about my weight loss goals.

Arrgh!

What the hell is it with health and fitness professionals who assume that when you want to get fit, your primary goal is weight loss?  This attitude is what kept me from being diagnosed with (and treated for) Major Depressive Disorder.  I'd tell the doc I felt like hell all the time, and I'd get quacked at about losing weight and how I'd feel so much better if I just did that!  Ugh.

But I digress.  That is also something for the next post.

Anyway.  I explained to Jake that my goals had nothing to do with the scale, that I expected that I would lose some weight, but that was not going to be my primary focus.  The Vita Guru talked recently about not training for the scale, and he's right, though not for the reasons he thinks.  It's not just vague goals that cause failure, it's complete lack of motivation when your only goal is a number on the scale.  I could drop a hundred pounds, and still not be able to complete 100 miles on my bike over 2 days.  That said, some numbers are a halfway decent indicator of progress.

So, let's get to it.  I SAID I was gonna let it all hang out.  Here's how I'm looking right now:

Upper arm:   10"
Thigh:  23.5"
Bust:  43"
Waist:  36"
Hips:  48"

Weight:  234

Who is just the most ADORABLE little pork chop?  Ms. Fat Bottom is!  (I forgot to take a picture!  I'll do that tomorrow.)

Actually, I'm not upset with those numbers.  The weight is 11 pounds less than it was the last time I saw my (new) doc, and my curvy measurements are pretty proportionate.  I'm fluffy, and it's a cute looking fluffy!

That said, it's also fluff that I cannot be dragging around on my bike.  The more weight you're dragging, the more you have to work to drag it, so the fluff needs to go and the muscle needs to be built up, and I need to increase my stamina and lung capacity.

I like to start workouts with a bellydance warmup.  It's a good way to stretch everything and get moving and motivated, and it keeps me on top of the moves I worked so hard to learn over several years.  KayLouise developed a great warmup choreography to the first selection, designed to be done once for a short warmup, or twice for something more substantial.  I always opt for twice!  My warmup music today:

Omar Faruk Tekbilek - "Shashkin" (Hefner Remix) (YouTube)
Naked Rhythm - Deep Lotus (4Shared Streaming)

...and then?  SEVENTY-FIVE MINUTES on the bike.  Which doesn't sound like a lot if you've got stamina, but I don't have much of that yet.  Thankfully, I'm piecing together some good riding music!

And now?  My ass hurts, boys and girls.  Not as much as if I'd been out on the road, but I'm still a smidge tender, and ibuprofen and I are getting on really well today.

--Missy, the Fat Bottomed Girl