What does 'fat' mean anyway?

Conversation on Twitter last night:
Someone Else: who's watching I used to be fat??
Me: Every single day. In the mirror. ;)
SE: Cant wait till I get there!
Me: Start with the spinoff, I used to be fatter. ;)
SE: did you just call me fat?! lol

I really wasn't and I'm pretty sure he knew it. But it got me thinking about what 'fat' means, anyway. It really is more of a state of mind than a physical state of being.

This One's For The Girls

That's right, girls only.

More specifically, girls between the ages of puberty and menopause who are not on a type of birth control that completely gets rid of your period.

Everyone else: consider yourself warned.

The Dark Side of Weight Loss

People tell you all the wonderful things that happen when you lose weight but they fail to mention this one deep, dark, secret that I'm now going to share.

Skinny people live in a cold, cold world.

Literally.

I'm the girl that was never cold, well, hardly ever. I skied in single digits. I camped all winter. I went swimming in various rivers and lakes in Kentucky and Tennessee in November. I loved everything about winter.

Since last November, however, I have lost 30+ lbs and I am cold. I am freezing. I've been wearing sweatshirts since September. Before I go anywhere I put all my clothes in the dryer so they'll be warm when I put them on. I've added blankets to my bed and find excuses to use the heating pad.

But, you know what? It's so worth it. :)

The Dollhouse

Netflix informed me recently that Dollhouse: Season 2 is now available for instant viewing so I'm working my way back through Season 1.

Whenever I watch Dollhouse (or The Matrix, or any other show dealing with 'altered reality') I start thinking about the debate over whether or not such a thing is morally ok.

My views?

Back on Track

This week I returned to the YMCA after about a 3 month hiatus. Other than a couple of Zumba parties and a few random workouts, I haven't worked out since school started the end of August. The bad news? I haven't lost anymore weight these three months. The good news? I didn't gain any. By just adjusting my food intake, I was able to maintain my 148 lbs for three months. And yes, that makes me very happy.

I probably should've eased back into it instead of jumping right in to my former schedule (12+ hours/week) but the soreness will work itself out. :) And I'm very happy to be back.

Daily Dose of Doctor Who

The Doctor: A house for geniuses? Wouldn't mind going there. I get lonely.

Season 4

Episode 5- The Sontaran Stratagem

10th Doctor David Tennant

Daily Dose of Doctor Who

Mickey: You're just making this up as you go along.

The Doctor: Yeeeeep......but I do it brilliantly.

Season 2

Episode 7- The Age of Steel

10th Doctor David Tennant

Daily Dose of Doctor Who

Ian Chesterton (speaking of The Doctor): We'd better keep an eye on him. He seems to have a knack of getting himself into trouble.

Season 1

Episode 2- The Daleks

1st Doctor William Hartnell

brick wall

Last night, I hit a brick wall. I sat in the chair staring off into space (and possibly drooling) for an indeterminate time. My brain absolutely would not function. This is when I realized that there's a reason everyone who has done polyphasic sleeping recommends starting it when you have minimal requirements on your time. I couldn't remember my name much less how to multiply trinomials.

So I went to bed and slept for about 5 hours.

I have decided to back off to a less drastic schedule of a 4.5 hour core and 2 20-minute naps. When I am off work for Christmas break I will probably transition back but it's not going to work right now.

If you are considering trying a polyphasic sleep schedule I highly recommend reading as much as you can find on the subject and listening to how others have made it work, or not. I'm a little hard-headed sometimes though.

Day 1 continued...

This morning I had time to read facebook, twitter, the usual webcomics and blogs, blog a little myself, watch 3 episodes of Battlestar Galactica, talk to a few other-time-zone friends, take a nice long shower and still get to work early and not-rushed. I am loving the extra time!

My 7:30 nap didn't go great but it was ok. I'm sure I'll get better at passing out quickly as my body adjusts.

I am going to adjust my schedule though so it works for me now and will still work when my schedule changes for Spring semester. I'm going to switch to a 1.5 core at 2am + 4 naps at 7:30, 12:30, 5, and 9:30.

I also need to get my food intake back on track so I'm going to plan a meal after each sleep period except for the 5pm...I'll need to eat around 4 so that I can get back to the Y for the 5:30 classes.

As always, I'm a work-in-progress.

Day 1

Polyphasic sleep schedule update at 4:30am. I just slept for 3 hours and I'm not as tired as I thought I would be. My plan is to drive to work early and take my 7:30am nap in my car...I'm sure I'll have no trouble sleeping then.

So far this morning my thoughts are a bit dis-jointed.

I think I'm going to count midnight-1am as still the night before and my next day starts when I wake up at 4am.

I now have 2+ extra hours in the morning before work....will I use them to be responsible and productive or to watch sci-fi?

It's too bad there isn't a 24-hour gym near here, I'd love to go work out right now.

One reason I wanted to try this is that I have friends in time zones all over the world that I rarely get to talk to and I've already had conversations with two of them because I'm awake at an unusual hour...so that part is a success.

polyphasic sleeping

I heard about polyphasic sleeping (sleep hacking) this week and the more I read about it the more I want to give it a try.

I'm not going to get into a detailed description of polyphasic sleeping because there are tons of blogs already out there that describe it (try google-ing it)...I'm just going to chronicle my experience.

I am beginning today with an 'Everyman' schedule of core sleep from 1-4am and 20-minute naps at 7:30, 2:30, and 9:30.

I begin work at 8am so I am going to get to campus at 7:30am, sleep in my car for 20, then walk in to begin work. I also have a feeling I'll be making daily trips to Wal-Mart at around 5am.

Why am I doing this? I have many reasons not the least of which is I want to be able to get all my work done and still watch 6+ hours of Doctor Who.

So let the experiment begin!

just geek - Doctor Who

Today I decided to write about what has become my favorite tv series--Doctor Who.

Several months ago I was sick with a massive allergy attack (sinus/ear infection, hives, etc.) and I discovered Doctor Who on Netflix. I spent about a week with the Doctor and was hooked...even while not under the influence of medication.

The Doctor Who series ran on the BBC from 1963-1989 with 8 different incarnations of the Doctor. The series was revived in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston playing the ninth Doctor and this is where I started watching it.

I seriously love everything about this series. The actors, the accents, the storylines, the dialogue, the accents, the aliens, the technology...did I mention the accents? Every episode has me laughing and a couple have made me cry. They also frequently visit the question, does the good of the many always outweigh the good of the one? Is there a sacrifice too great, even for the protection of the entire human race?

I have watched every episode featuring the ninth and tenth (David Tennant) Doctors and so far...
-my favorite doctor is David Tennant
-my favorite companion is Donna (Catherine Tate) even though I love the Doctor/Rose romance
-I don't have a favorite episode but I also don't have a least favorite episode. I love them all!
-one of my favorite quotes is 'are you my mummy?' (especially when #10 says it in The Poison Sky)


I recently requested the original series from Netflix and I'm working my way through season 1. So far I'm not terribly impressed but I like getting back-story so I'll probably keep it up.

I'm also looking forward to when I can get the new episodes with Matt Smith playing the eleventh Doctor.

Even if you're not a sci-fi junkie I recommend this series if you like some action, witty dialogue, and very little drama. Plus the aliens are pretty cool.

a little fit, a little geek

a little fit...

My exercise regime at the moment is running when I get off work at noon. I wasn't a runner until a friend of mine asked me to do a 5k with her this past Spring. Then I discovered c25k and I was off!

If you're unfamiliar with the program, you can get the schedule here. I also recommend these podcasts. It's a lot easier when you don't have to watch the clock for the timing.

Since I finished the program, I just combined my favorite songs from the podcasts and run for 30 minutes. I like being able to work out anytime and anywhere. Plus the weather right now is perfect for running and there's a nice park with a trail around the lake near where I work.

a little geek...

Tomorrow is the premier of Sanctuary Season 3!!

I found Sanctuary on Netflix a few weeks ago. It stars Amanda Tapping (Stargate) as 'someone who has chosen to embrace the full spectrum of our reality'. The group of scientists running the Sanctuary find and care for (or lock up) 'abnormals'. I've now watched Seasons 1 and 2 and I'm super-excited about Season 3 starting tomorrow!

I admit that occasionally the CGI gets a little clunky but if you like a show with good (and good-looking) actors combined with a lot of action, alien-type beings, technology, and history then I definitely recommend this show.

More Fit, Less Geek

All summer I was in a great routine, morning classes at the YMCA, evenings watching sci-fi on Netflix.

Then the school year started and I went back to work in the mornings. Now I'm getting less fit and more geek. (Skipping evening classes at the Y to watch Doctor Who. And Torchwood. And Firefly....you get the picture.)

I need to find my balance again. So I'm thinking about my new routine ... when I get home from work, I change clothes and sit at the computer to work on one of my other jobs and for some reason it is VERY difficult for me to get back out of the house. Even for Zumba, which I LOVE. So there's the problem...I don't like getting out of the house again after I'm home.

Unfortunately, the Y doesn't have classes midday when I'm getting off work. Fortunately, I know how to run. :)

So today I packed my clothes and shoes and I'm going to the park to run after work.

Are you in a routine that is not contributing to a healthier you? Step back and see where your problem areas are and try to work around them. Get creative, it CAN be done!

Exposed

This post is in response to this blog.

Do I love my body right now? Yes

Is it everything I want it to be? No

Am I working hard to improve it? Yes

Check out #exposed on Twitter for more.