February already?

Yes it is..and I am glad. I am glad to be away from December and January..collectively the last two months have been some of my worst ever on so many levels.

So to start off the month I decided to cut sugar out of my diet...just the refined or added. How hard could that possibly be?  I mean heck..girl scout cookie season is here..and Valentine's day is not far off...it's not like there will be anything extra sugary around the office.  This is something interesting I learned..everything in the grocery store has some sort of sugar in it.  Try to find bread without it.  Seriously, we had to look and look to find bread without sugar. We found out the french bread and other "artisan" breads in the bakery do not have added sugar..so that is what we have been eating.

Actually the no sugar thing has been fairly easy.  It definitely keeps me away from processed foods and I am down 3 pounds this week.

And if you notice the training log on the side of the page..it actually has colored bars. Not only have I been doing my workouts..but also logging them.  The workouts have been less than stellar..my two month hiatus has taken a toll. My heart rate is extremely high and my endurance extremely low.  The only bright spot is that my swimming has not suffered all that much from the layoff.

I took some before pictures of my fluffy self..which are absolutely hideous and I will not be posting..yet anyways.  I also took my body measurements..needed to use two measuring tapes to get around my fat rear.  Actually I may post all of this..on a separate page of course..I'll probably have to mark it adult content.

The gout is under control. I finally gave in and went on a daily med. So far so good. There was a night where I felt a flare up..but it was gone by mid-morning. And honestly the last couple of runs I have done I have had phantom pains in my feet afterward..but I think I am good.  Setting a physical up the beginning of March so I'll have all my blood levels looked at.

Besides actually training...I signed my daughter up for a climbing class.  She is a natural.

Then the instructor thought it would be funny for me to get my fat ass on the rope..Wow is my butt big..but the calves are looking pretty good.  It was actually pretty fun..but it is amazing how tired your hands and forearms get..not to mention the stress on your feet. Plus I tried climbing with my size 13 shoes..yeah..most of the"holds" are not compatible with huge feet..which apparently are still growing..WTH?  I was up on the wall for two minutes and my limbs felt like they were shaking.  Man do I look old an out of shape in this video..probably because I am old and out of shape.  And it looks like I tucked my shirt into my shorts..which I did not!!  The climbing is  definitely something I want to continue to do.  Obviously losing weight is going to be huge in this endeavor.

Before I forget..make sure you check out my friend Angela's blog Another hole in the head..  She said she failed training last week..but really neglects to mention that she was shooting a television show for the DIY network...read about it here.. and this week one of her documentaries debuted...Check it out Happy on the Ground.  Jen Roe also was one of the producers of the film so I should mention her too..I don't want a NJ chick ticked at me.  As you are probably aware Angela is going to do the Olympic distance race at Rev 3 Knoxville this year.

I am also trying to make it to Knoxville for the race so I can kick Angela's butt.  I just hope she stays busy and doesn't have time to train.

Take care everyone!