4 Posts-In-One

I.

Remember I blogged about Celly playing tag with my mini-pug statue? And how I thought that was so special because she only does it with other dogs or Babs?

I saw her doing the exact same thing today with a little branch that had fallen into the patio.

Yeah.

Maybe I just have a dumb dog.

II.

So, I have these cookies I absolutely adore. They're made by Potbelly, the sandwich fast food chain. And today I went to get a massage, and right next door there's a Potbelly. And since I haven't had those cookies in MONTHS, and I hadn't eaten all day (and by that time it was already 5:30), I stopped in and got myself the little bag of a dozen mini chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. And they had just come out of the oven so they were warm and gooey and just so amazingly beyond delicious. And I ate the entire bag on the drive home. Because I clearly want to gain 500 pounds. I got home and I was feeling kinda sick. So I made myself a cabbage salad (just lemon, a little olive oil, and salt) and felt much better. Lesson? Don't eat an entire bag of chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. Even if they are from Potbelly. And just out of the oven. And freaking delicious.

And why the hell do we eat stuff when we know full well we'll feel ill minutes after eating it? I'm telling ya - I don't think our ancestors were so stupid about food. It was all about survival, not cravings. Or at least I'd like to think so.

III.

So that massage I mentioned? "Aaahhhhhh" (that's a heavenly chorus singing). Yep - it was just beautiful. This time, I asked her to please do it with a light touch - I wanted to relax, not get my kinks worked out. And even though it was only 30 minutes long, I fell asleep about 5 times.
Then I thought - how fantastic would it be to have someone massage you to sleep every night? I might even permanently give up ice cream for that. And then I thought - how awesome would it be to have someone on call 24/7 to give me a massage? After the gym, "Bob! Massage!" After a particularly long day, "Bob! Massage!" Although that wouldn't work out so well in this society. Even the richest person can't have a massage-slave. I think I'd have to be rich and live hundreds of years ago to have a massage-slave (and have it be perfectly PC).

*sniffle* I want a massage-slave. *sniffle*

IV.

Last, but definitely not least, an update on my workout program. Well, less update, more squealing with glee. So, last December, I realized that my significant weight gain (and near impossibility of losing weight) was due to the particular type of happy pills I was on. So I quit (with the "okay" from the doctor), and since then, just by eating normally and working out occasionally, I've gone down to the size I was back in December 2006. But that's still not my ideal size - I want to lose another 2/3 pant sizes, or 27 pounds. Whichever looks better.
So, since the end of April/beginning of May, I've been taking boxing classes. I was going pretty regularly, then I took two weeks off during graduation, and then I started going back. I have lost some weight just doing the boxing - it does completely tire me out and make me sweat like crazy. I just haven't lost as much weight as I would like. For the past two weeks, I've been going every day, and for the past week, I've added an hour in the gym doing weights. And no, before you ask, I'm not trying to bulk up like a bodybuilder. But it's a common known fact that muscle burns calories much more efficiently than fat, and so, the more muscle I have, the faster I'll burn calories. Plus I'll already be burning calories working out, so it's an added bonus. Also, it's really very hard for most females to develop those steroid-y looking bodies. Usually when women work out with weights, they lose weight and tone - NOT bulk up. Even if you're doing heavy weights and little reps. I talked to a couple trainers and they suggested few reps (8-10), only 2/3 sets, but enough weight that you can barely complete the sets. It's more efficient, works your muscles better, and takes less time.
So that's what I've been doing. And my gym just bought all new machines. Yay! And, the upstairs floor is always empty whenever I'm there, so I have all the machines to myself. Double yay! So, like I said, it's only been a week that I've been doing the weights, but, BUT! I can already see improvement. If I flex my arms in front of the mirror, I can actually see my biceps pushing up. Me! With visible muscles! Visible even through the excess fat! Which means they'll look MUCH bigger when I actually lose that fat! And what's really the most important thing here is: there's visible improvement in only a week. ONLY a week. And my deadline for losing weight/toning is 7 weeks from now. And now, I officially have hope of getting very close to my target size. Triple yay!