Day 1

Hi fellow PCPers!

Ramiro & I have decided the simplest way to do this shared blog is to write as individuals and then shove it together. It's probably not the most entertaining form to read, but it's a start. It makes sense for now since we'll each be going through our own personal struggle as Ramiro's looking to bulk up and I'm looking to slim down.

Ever since we made the decision to do this program, I keep thinking of myself as one of those little terrifying garden creatures in The Little Mermaid who sold their souls to Ursula.. Towards the end of the film (after Ursula is killed and the souls are released) you catch a glimpse of mer-couple made up of a chubby mermaid and a skinny merman (a little like Ramiro & I) who presumably were unhappy enough with their self-image to sell their souls. My low self-image has brought me to this step, akin to selling my soul -- DIETING. DUM, Dum, duuummmm! The horror.. (j/k - lol)

Surprisingly (considering the set-up) the eat-only-half diet didn't go so badly today. I think the months of calorie-counting in my last failed weight-loss attempt helped me through today. I was curious enough to go to my old favorite website for calorie-counting and learned that eating 1/2 of what is normal for me is actually me eating on-track for weight loss. (Way to call it, Patrick!)

The hardest part was that I enjoyed a picnic dinner at an outdoor concert, so measuring 1/2 wasn't quite as simple as splitting a breakfast sandwich and a quesadilla lunch with Ramiro. But, I was lucky to be eating with a dietitian-in-training who was kind enough to put the baguette and butter away after I had enjoyed my share.

Day 1 exercise wasn't so bad, actually. I impressed Ramiro with my jump-rope abilities, but struggled through the press-ups. I've never in my life been able to do a single one (or pull-up, for that matter), so Ramiro suggested I start against the wall and work my way to a full push-up, but then the wall version was a little too easy! The next step up (or down?) was to use a table, but that was too hard, so I could only do a kind of half-assed version of the "box press-up". Anyways, I'm working along and hopefully Patrick will have some additional guidance and words of encouragement. (If anyone's interested, here's a link I found on working your way up to a full military-style press-up.)

Alright -- I've probably bored you by now. Thanks for being a good audience. Up next, the hubby:

Ramiro:
Day 1.....WoW, I knew I was out of shape but this is scary. Firstly, jumping rope is surprising tricky. Took me forever to skip ten times in a row. Afterward it felt like my heart was pumping maple syrup(awesome). Push ups were easier although disappointing, I remember being able to do like 60 in high school, today I barely finished the recommended number. Squats were actually easy going. My ass muscles definitely let me know that they didn't like being bothered unnecessarily. Over all today was a wake up call. I'm in a lot worse shape than I thought. This realization just makes me want to work harder and im looking forward to the rest of the week. I'm so proud of naty by the way, she rocked on her first day.