Wednesday Whine-fest! (Yes, yes, I WOULD like some cheese with that whine!!! ...No, seriously. Give me the damn cheese, and nobody gets hurt.)

When I was a young slip of a girl, I was a powerlifter.

I weighed 125 lbs, could bench-press 155 lbs and squat with 240. It was insane how much time I used to spend in the gym! Three hours a day was not unusual for me. This was at age twenty-two.

It was great. I was HIGH ON ENDORPHINS and LOVING IT! (I only stopped because I realized, eventually, that working out was taking up every minute of my free time.)

Now I am age 40. I weigh 144 lbs. I am working out on exercise machines instead of freeweights, doing fast, light, swimmers' workouts instead of pushing my max on everything. I am spending fifteen minutes in the gym and then walking/running a mile on the track.

And I HURT.

Ow.

(I am also a huge flaming wussbag and do not hurt nearly as much as I would had I overdone the weights yesterday, so hush up and count your non-achy muscles, Perky!)

As you may have gathered, I started my LIFESTYLE CHANGES. Low cholesterol! Lots of exercise! Eat right! Limit those calories!

Well... that SUCKS! I'm hungry all the time, and sore! And, and, and... yeah... really, it's not so bad. Honestly, I'll probably be used to this within a couple of weeks to a month, and life will be normal again, only I'll be in a very healthy routine instead of a mildly lazy, eat-like-my-five-year-old routine. I can do this!!!

May I just take the opportunity to give a round of applause and my personal STANDING OVATION to anyone reading this who is actively trying to lose weight! I have a relatively fast metabolism and a background of lifetime exercise to fall back on, and STILL my efforts to cut calories drove me INSANE for-- well, they still kind of are. I'm eating a lot of oatmeal so I'll feel full. So those of you, including my close friends and family, who have been doing the hardcore weight loss thing, my hat is OFF to you! It is HARD to change eating habits.

One thing I have discovered-- a bag of salad can be munched on like potato chips ALL DAY LONG. This is helpful to me. I can TRICK my body!!! I can EMULATE unhealthy habits, but STILL be eating HEALTHILY!!! I AM SO STEALTHY!!! I'm like a HEALTH NINJA!!!!!!!