Jen from nowhere @ 12:53 AM

I was supposed to go wedding-dress shopping yesterday but I didn't feel like it. I scheduled an appt. with a consultant at David's Bridal today, which is this really big wedding dress superstore on the north end of town. My colleague Deann has agreed to go with me, so at least I'll have a second set of eyes this time. We're also signed up for Engaged Encounter, which is basically this weekend retreat that most Catholic couples have to go to before they can get married.


Anyway, I went to yoga last night. I didn't leave in time to do any cardio though. It was a good workout, but my only problem is that this is the only class that really fits my schedule - and it's a beginners' class, so I'm not being challenged enough. When I was new to yoga, yeah, it was difficult, but my muscles have adapted and I feel that I'm ready to get tougher. So I'm thinking about trying this other guy at another gym, who is a real taskmaster. I was sore for 2 days after working with him. I'm also thinking about starting to go to Body Pump classes, which are anaerobic strength training classes that help build your muscles. I know that I've said in the past that I wanted to concentrate on just cardio for now, but I honestly don't think I'm going to see any sweeping improvements until I start working those muscles again. My stomach is still flabby and I'm either going to have to run for 2 hours a day to get rid of it, or start doing some sit-ups. So Body Pump sounds like the right thing for me. There's also this boot camp class that I'm interested in, but it's only offered at 5:30 a.m. and I don't want to do it that bad. I need my sleep.


Anyway, more later.

Jen from nowhere @ 11:13 AM

For Those of You Who Come Here to Read About Dieting and Not Weddings


OK, onto the fitness stuff. I did 40 minutes yesterday at the gym with Mark. We went a little out of our way to this gym location that is always deserted. No waiting for treadmills or having to wipe someone's sweat off the bike seat. It was really nice, but I didn't push myself as hard as I should have. I never do when I bring Mark with me, mostly because he gives me the Evil Stare of Death from across the room whenever I try to go a little over 45 minutes. I really should just go by myself, but if I did that then he'd never go. But he won't let me cancel his membership (which comes out of MY paycheck BTW) because he swears he's going to use it. Bullshit.


Anyway, tonight is yoga and a little cardio at around 7:30. I'm not going to do the two classes in a row like I said before, because I don't want to risk injury and then have to sit at home and get fat waiting to heal. I'm toying with the idea of going to a Bikram yoga class this weekend, but I don't know if I'm up for all that sweating.


I've decided I really need some more definition in my arms. I was trying on all those sleeveless gowns yesterday and my arms above the elbows just look kinda untoned. I don't have that "chicken fat" swinging around or anything, but they don't look great and I'd like to change that. If we end up having our wedding in May then I am definitely gonna start doing some weight training for my arms.

Jen from nowhere @ 11:25 AM

So I went shopping for a wedding dress yesterday. I have no idea why, but I was so nervous! I've never been in a bridal shop my whole life, and it just seemed daunting. Maybe it's all the lace and stuff, I don't know. But as soon as I went inside, this very nice lady started helping me with dresses and telling me about their prices - which actually weren't bad. Most of the gowns I liked were anywhere from $250 to $700, which was nice.


The inside of the store was very ... feminine. The walls were all cotton-candy pink and they had these little dressing rooms with pink tulle for curtains. Not somewhere you could take a guy, ever. And I didn't know this, but the salesgirls don't just carry your dresses back to the fitting room - no, they want to help you put them on. It was a little weird, standing there in my underwear while this strange woman puts a dress over my head. But in the end it actually made sense, because a lot of dresses have these buttons and zippers and all sorts of fastenings, so you'd have to be a gymnast to put it on yourself.


Bottom line? I found a couple of dresses I liked, but most of them just weren't me. As much as I like the idea of wearing a white dress with a six-foot train and a skirt that can barely fit through the door, I looked ridiculous. Like some kind of Jen confection - me, with frosting. And 99.9 percent of this shop's dresses were poofy, so I didn't have much luck. But there were a few that I sort-of like, so I had the girl write them down and maybe if I don't find anything better I'll come back. I plan to go to one of those "bridal superstores" after work today, so maybe there will be more luck there.

Jen from nowhere @ 11:18 AM

I worked out yesterday, for 50 minutes. I am proud of myself. Did 35 minutes on the treadmill and 15 on the bike. I really should start doing more on the bike and less on the treadmill. Running, I don't know, it does something to your joints...all that pounding makes my knees and ankles hurt, not to mention that "trick calf" that I've had so much trouble with.


I'm really going to start doing more workouts now that we have a date tentatively set for the wedding. Tomorrow there is a flexibility class at 7, and then there's my usual yoga class at 8:30. Both last an hour. I am tempted to go to the flex class at 7, get out at 8, and then do some light walking on the treadmill before the 8:30 class. I don't know if my body could handle all that, though. Maybe if one of the classes was aerobic then it would be OK, but I'm afraid of putting too much strain on my muscles.


The 2- or 3-pound gain that I clocked this week is mysteriously gone. I'm relieved. It was probably just water weight. So for now I am holding at good old 130 again.

Jen from nowhere @ 9:26 AM

I spoke with the padre at the little iglesia in Lajitas (I am so down with the Spanish thing), and through broken English he said there would be no problem with marrying us, as long as our priest in Austin completes all the necessary paperwork. To marry in the Roman Catholic Church, you have to fulfill all these requirements, including either a 6-week counseling session with a married couple in the parish, a series of sessions with the priest, or an Engaged Encounter, which is an intensive weekend course in preparation for marriage. It sucks, but all my life I've known that I wanted to be married in the Church, even though I'm not patently religious.


So over the next few months this will be a diet/wedding blog. Sorry if that bores you.

Jen from nowhere @ 3:59 PM

Well, add another stressor to my life. Mark and I are finally starting to plan the wedding.


I'd been resistant to begin planning from the get-go. It just seemed like too much work. Invitations, guest lists, flowers, receptions, all that had to be decided. I wasn't ready to dive into such a big thing. But then I got this flash - what if we made it a small wedding? Like REALLY small. Like just us and the priest. So I began thinking, and all of a sudden Mexico seemed like the perfect place. Not Cancun or Cozumel, but one of those dusty little towns on the border with a mission-style church and lots of shrines to Mary, like Ojinaga. It would be perfect.


So next week we begin talking with a priest here in Austin. After we do marriage counseling with him he'll work it out with the priest in Mexico to marry us. We're not going to tell anyone (except my aunt, who is sworn to secrecy). We'll just call everyone afterward and then they can have a big party for us when we get back, if they want.


I'm currently trying to call the little mission church in Lajitas because that's our second choice location. At least if we do it within the U.S. there won't be all that crap to contend with, paperwork and everything. I would call the church in Ojinaga, but I don't speak a word of Spanish and there's no telling if there's any English speakers there.


And of course, all this means I have to really get to work on losing weight. Ain't no way I'm taking wedding pictures wearing a size 10. I'm going to start shopping for my gown soon, but hopefully they will have to take it in before the ceremony. We're thinking either mid-March or late May (his spring break or end of semester). I think late May is more realistic.


I know I want a ball-gown-type dress, but I'm not sure exactly which one yet.

Jen from nowhere @ 9:49 AM

Congratulate me. I challenged myself fitness-wise this weekend, and I think I'm a better person for it.


On Saturday I went here for a session of Bikram yoga. For those of you who don't know, Bikram yoga is also known as "hot yoga." Meaning, it's regular yoga with the stretching and the poses, but it's all done in a room heated to 105 degrees. Supposedly the heat makes your muscles more flexible and the sweat removes toxins from your body.


Anyway, the first few minutes of the class were stifling. I felt like I had to get out of there ASAP. But I stuck it out, sipped on my Gatorade, and soon the 1 1/2-hour class was over. My tank top was sopping wet and my face was red, but I did it. Something I had been wanting to do, ever since I got into yoga a few months ago. I'm definitely going back soon.


I won't lie. It's a tough workout. You sweat. Your muscles are challenged. But you emerge stronger than you were before. I don't recommend Bikram yoga to anyone who is a fitness novice, or who hates to get hot. Stick with regular hatha yoga if this is you.


This weekend I was bad. We went to Texas Land & Cattle after I went to do some research for my next freelance piece, and I ate a ribeye. Yeah, I know, bad. But what's worse is that I didn't make up for it on Sunday by eating light. No sir, we ate those beef brisket sandwiches that we had planned on making. When I weighed last night, the scale showed 132 pounds, which is a 2-pound gain from that morning. But I think it's mostly water weight. I did have a lot of salty foods that day - movie popcorn and ramen, to be specific.


This weekend I also went to see The Hours. It was okay. But it wasn't some great emotional experience like a lot of people have been making it out to be. Truthfully, it was a little too Oprah Winfrey for me, even though it was well-done and the characters were well-developed. I prefer movies like Reservoir Dogs, so you can see why this film isn't my favorite. But it wasn't a bad way to spend a few hours.


Actually, I more enjoyed the film that I watched on Bravo Friday night - Midnight Express. It was SO hard to watch, but it makes you think - maybe your little problems aren't so important when you think about the fact that some American, somewhere, might be stuck in a Turkish prison for a relatively minor crime. Hmm. Anyway, I highly recommend it.


I must do better this week foodwise. I'm having a Zone Perfect bar for breakfast, even though I don't do the low-carb thing. The bar is not bad, but I wouldn't recommend it as an indulgent snack or anything.

Jen from nowhere @ 9:02 AM