Dear diary, I love the gym again.

Today I got a different sort of comment when stopping by to grab an unsweetened iced tea after my workout — instead of being asked if I were “expecting” I was told, “no offense, but you’re looking in shape!” Erm, I’m not really sure how that was supposed to offend me… unless he was implying (and obviously was based on the previous question about a baby bump) that I had let things go in the way of fitness *cough* Whatever! I am getting back in shape, so I’ll take it!

The gym has been an absolute delight. We’ve been doing our usual mix of free weights routines, with abs during our “rest” between sets, but we’ve now vowed to end each session with a big cardio finish in the form of the elliptical machine. I find myself surprised at my improving endurance and the sheer amount of sweat I’m producing. Back when I was playing DDR on the regular it took awhile, even in the summer, before there was any sweat. The elliptical and arc machines are devistating in the best possible way, though! I used to cringe at the thought of more than ten minutes on one of those things, but we’re now ending each session with 20 minutes of awesome sweat producing action and my body is already thanking me for it. There is no such thing as taking it easy on there, either – we alternate our resistance and make sure to keep the pace up, up, up!

Meanwhile, I’m still dedicated to logging my food intake and it is a life saver. My appetite / stomach capacity are back to where they were before I began being a bit gluttonous and lazy, lol. It’s crazy how quickly your stomach reverts when you’re only allowing yourself proper portions and spacing your food out correctly. It’s nice being hungry (rather than “starving”) before a meal and then feeling comfortably full (rather than stuffed) after one. I dig it!

Menu

• Super lean homemade hamburgers w/Salads
• Grilled chicken w/homemade BBQ sauce, roasted asparagus and homemade whole wheat poppy seed rolls
• Vegetarian Paneer & Spicy Mixed Greens w/Samosa mashed potato pancakes
• Cajun Catfish w/homemade cornbread and green beans