I hate to say this but ... Curves works!

214.7 today, baby!!

Four pounds - count 'em, four - lost since my last post!

And what did I do differently, you ask? What great diet did I find?

Er, none. In fact, I've been scarfing chocolates and Christmas-related candies like there's no tomorrow.

BUT - what I DID do differently was - like Allison in this great YouTube video - I went back to Curves!



But not just ANY Curves.

No, being the glutton for punishment and humiliation that I am, I joined the exact SAME Curves that I wrote about so scathingly in a previous incarnation of this blog, way back in 2008!

So what's changed? you wonder.

Well - nothing, really. And everything. But mostly - ME!

When I walked through the doors of Curves Van Nuys two weeks ago and said I wanted to join, I was cringing inside, hoping they wouldn't remember me. So far they haven't.

And conversely, as I started my membership, I saw indications that the things I'd complained about were still happening - primarily the loud chatting and nonstop socializing.

But you know what? I joined with my eyes wide open. I knew those problems would be there.

But I ALSO knew that I need the kind of structured workout that only Curves can provide.

As you know, if you've followed this blog and my previous blog, The Curvy Catholic, I've been trying to "go it alone" since both my beloved downtown Curves, and my friend's gym "It Figures" (which had a similar circuit training workout) closed down two years ago.

I've been walking. And biking. And working out at 24 Hour Fitness.

And don't get me wrong, all those are great! They all contribute to keeping my weight at a manageable level.

BUT - none of them have helped me to re-lose the 50 pounds I re-gained last year! And that's what I really want to do!

See, I know that "big is beautiful" and "fat is fantastic" and all that wonderful self-help jargon. I understand that women have been oppressed because of their weight. I get that. And I agree that fad diets are harmful and that it's OK for a woman to be fat if she feels comfortable that way. And I don't think people should be discriminated against because of their weight.

I get all that.

BUT - I know, for myself, that I just felt better overall when my weight was down to 180. It was just physically easier for me to get around and do the things I enjoy doing.

So - I'm not going to apologize for my size.

But I'm ALSO not going to apologize for wanting my size to be SMALLER!

After all, it's my body and my life!

(OK, enough melodramatic posturing here! Bottom line (so to speak!) is that I rejoined Curves and I'm glad I did - 'cause it's WORKING, baby!)

Hmm ...

Wow, sorry about the long absence! I know my many millions of followers must have been on tenterhooks (whatever they are) to know the latest in my personal Battle of the Bulge.

Well, basically, what happened was I kind of gave up - not on the weight loss, but on the blog!

Blogging itself just suddenly seemed so ... well ... cumbersome and tedious. As opposed to, say, Facebook. Which I got all involved in.

And Facebook is fun. But as my husband has repeatedly pointed out (by pulling out tufts of hair and screaming), it's not so easy to find your older posts - there's no "archived posts" feature, as there is on blogs.

And that's important, because our blog posts are just so valuable and important! (nyuk nyuk!)

Seriously, though, if you post links to articles or photos and realize later you need them again, it's way easier to find them on a blog than on Facebook.

ANYWAY - back to the weight loss!

I've actually been holding my own at around the same weight I was at the last post - 218.3 this morning.

I've been working on increasing my exercise, and making it more productive.

To which end, last week (deep breath) - I rejoined Curves for Women.

Let me explain: I actually was a member of Curves for a couple of years, till my club closed in 2008. I had the option of transferring to another location, or just quitting, and decided to quit.

"Why?" you ask. Well - because the only other club that was in a convenient location to me at the time was one that I had visited - and HATED. And had even written a nasty blog post about them (in a previous blog) burning any possible bridges to rejoining them.

So (you may have already figured this out) - last week, I rejoined - at the hated location!

"Why?" you ask, again. (Thanks for being so cooperative!)

Well, because they're still the most convenient location. And given the fact that it's been two years, my hair's a different color, and I'm using a different email address, I'm hoping no one remembers me. So far that seems to be the case. (Knock on wood!)

And the main reason I'm rejoining is not so much to lose weight, but to regain flexibility. My joints have been slowly getting more and more sore and achy the last few months, and I am 99.9% sure it's because (a) I do indeed have arthritis (my doctor confirmed that a few weeks ago) and (b) the weight I regained last year (I'd lost 50 pounds on Weight Watchers) is putting added pressure on those same joints.

So - regaining flexibility, regaining muscle tone, relosing the 50 pounds (if possible) - all my current goals at the once-hated Curves!

Let's see how this all works out, shall we?