“You just weren’t built for that kind of thing.”
As much as I hated to admit it, the Dork Lord was right. I was not built for this kind of thing. We’d worked out in the cold rain that morning, and by late afternoon I was in bed with a chill. Knee socks, heating pad, hot soup and clinging to the down comforter for dear life. Boot camp was going to be the ruin of me. It was only Friday that I took a header during the relay races and tore the ever-loving heck out of my hands. Sure, I fell. But did I get back up and finish every single race with scraped up palms, blood running down my arm and a skinned knee? Oh, yes. Yes, I did. And we won, too. Because I may be sickly and accident prone, but I am a friggin’ champ. Also, I really didn’t want to look like a quitter in front of those people, most of whom are actual athletes – you know, the kind who come without FRAGILE stamped on their hind ends.
Fra-gee-lay. It must be Italian!
Having not lost a single ounce, I’m not sure what I’m getting out of camp, other than out of bed at god forsaken o’clock in the morning and sore. But it is serving as a good motivator and I have every faith that one day — one sweet, sweet day — my jeans will fit again. And all the peasants will cheer.
Speaking of cheer, you guys are really effing fantastic. The in-the-mail thank you notes will come as promised, but I’d feel remiss if I posted today and didn’t mention how thankful I am. There aren’t enough words. There just aren’t.
My boyfriend turned me onto a new way of working out that I actually enjoy, doesn’t take forever, and is effective. I am pleased to introduce you to crossfit, the friendly alternative of boot camp. Honestly, I don’t know how you were expected to enjoy and look forward to something called boot camp. Crossfit has a website with all kinds of tips and workouts and anyting you can want to know. It’s a cross between cardio and weights. I usually do 3 or 4 different exercises for 3 rounds and you do them as fast as you can. For instance, yesterday I ran up and down the hill outside of my house, ran inside and did incline push-ups (since I’m a girl and can’t do real push-ups, I lean up against my kitchen table and place my feet a few feet away from the table), and then leg lifts (I lay on the floor and hold onto my boyfriends ankles while i lift and lower my legs without letting my feet touch the floor).
I am an inherently lazy person who has been lucky enough to stay skinny for 25 years without much effort. I am finding the older I get the tighter my pants were becoming and needed to do something before I was forced to buy bigger clothes. Three months into this, I never developed that desire or high that people get that make them want to continue to work out, but luckily my boyfriend can reason with my attempts to avoid working out. I can honestly say that I am stronger than I have ever been and probably a lot healthier than I have ever been. The best part is, my pants fit comfortably again.
So if you want to continue to try to stay fit without killing yourself, cutting up your knees or get up at the crack of dawn, give this a try.
No matter what I do (unless I get miserably ill and can’t eat a thing – which I do NOT recommend…) it always takes 3 weeks before any kind of weight loss shows up. Pounds, inches, any other measurement you can think of. It sucks and is super de-motivating. But if I keep going until the 3rd week, it’s always a pleasant surprise. No idea if that’s what’s going on with the whole boot camp thing. But just in case – you are not alone!
You are a true, TRUE inspiration!
I pray that your jeans not fit well, but instead fall off
If your metabolism is anything like mine (or Jen’s), it could take three weeks before the pounds start to fall off. Usually, by that point, I’m like, “Screw this. Time for a drink.”
Of course, drinking not only packs on the calories, it makes it nearly impossible to drag your ass out of bed in the morning.
well you are doing much better than i am. at least you are getting out of bed to work out! i finally got the 30 day shred after i read about you trying it but unfortunately my dvd player is broken so thats my pathetic excuse to stay lazy. way to stay tough though! kick all those athletic peoples butts!
Be persistent and the weight will come off. Just make sure you are eating enough! I know that might sound crazy, but I’ve lost 50 lbs through just working out and eating right (I followed the zone diet) but I incorporated it into my life so it wasn’t just a diet I stopped when I lost all the weight I wanted but something that I could just be able to do it forever. My biggest thing that I wasn’t eating enough as opposed to eating too much and my body was just holding everything instead of letting it go.
The other thing I noticed was that I could not lose anything for a week or two and then drop 4 lbs. I chalk it up to a female thing and certain times of the month. But like I said, be persistent and it will come off
“It’s a major award.”
You can track your daily amount of calories along with how many calories you are burning by registering at: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate
It is a great way to track everything all in one place, plus set goals.
I love it and I have been able to see that even if I run 3 miles a day, I was still eating too much and therefore not losing any weight.
After working out 2-3 times per week for 2 months I didn’t lose anything..Then I spoke to a trainer who explained that by not working out Friday-Monday every weekend I was gaining back what I had lost during the week. Sigh. Now I work out 6x week and am losing 1-2 pounds consistently. It sucks ass.
I would die if I attempted boot camp. I recently started Jazzercise and I have been in continuous pain from that. But Jazzercisin’ to hits from Lady GaGa and U2 with gay men and middle aged women is really pretty fun and a surprisingly effective work out.
As most everyone else has said, sometimes it takes a little time to notice the pounds falling off. Also depending on how much you’re working out you may not actually lose much weight and may instead just lose inches. But honestly, what does weight matter if you fit in your jeans and look hot as hell?! Just keep it up, and you’ll see the benefits eventually and never want to quit…ok maybe you’ll still have the urge to quit from time to time.
You’re doing a great job!
Have you tried Bikram yoga? My body freaks out when confronted with extra strenuous exercise and so I cannot say enough wonderful things about hot yoga. The first couple times are miserable but it is totally worth it–the third class is magic. It is the only workout I have found that GIVES you energy at the end of it. You sweat out water weight at first but build long, lean, toned, dancer’s muscles. And it’s excellent for runners! Just make sure you stay super hydrated and fuel well. Another neat perk is that is seriously is the most challenging thing you will do all day–it makes anything else life has to throw at you seem like a piece of (well-deserved) cake.
One of the most painful truths that I’ve had to accept as an adult is “you can’t out-train a bad diet.”
I’ve cut out pretty much all processed foods, white sugar and flour. I eat 1500-1700 calories a day, most of which are vegetables and lean protein. I work out six days a week. And I lose *maybe* half a pound a week. It’s a painfully slow process, even doing it the right way.
I don’t know if anyone is really built for boot camp stuff. I did one for about 3 months and it was hard for me too. I did get a lot stronger and more toned. I have obviously since moved on to running. Which I recommend for those of us who don’t like scraping our faces!
I say keep it up for a little longer and you’ll see results. If not, try some other forms of exercise and on your terms. (ie – not at o’dark thirty in the AM!)
Love the Fra-gee-lay reference! Screw the boot camp.