It's only Wednesday and I want a drink.

This week has been... shall we say... stressful?

Work has me popping blood vessels (literally) and wedding planning has me wishing we eloped (no, really) and I can't seem to get enough sleep no matter how hard I try (Maize and Pete, I'm looking at you).

And as for exercise...

Sunday was a day of cleaning and cooking and my first yoga class of the new year. And, apparently, the first yoga class for 99% of the county because the room was packed. Mats were everywhere and there was barely any room to actually stretch your body out (which, I thought, is the point of yoga, is it not?) and there was a point, when the room was filling up, where I felt a panic attack begin to creep up on me. Rather than making me relax, as Sunday morning yoga has done in the past, it was freaking me out. There were about 45 other people shoved into this dance studio with me and I was in a far back corner (my normal spot, given that I can't see terribly well on my right side and live in fear of smacking my neighbor in the face when stretching) and all I could think was, "Oh, Christ, get me out of here."

But I managed to calm down long enough to enjoy a 60 minute class that left me incredibly sore the next day. Seems that 6 weeks away from yoga is a bit too long to simply hop right back in again without some kind of need for pain relievers.

Monday found me in spinning class after work. Granted, I'm a cyclist and I love being out on the roads for hours at a time pedaling away. With that being said, spinning class is for sadists. Or masochists. Depends. And it is nothing like actually riding a road bike down the highway - no matter what the class instructor says. But, I kept going and 45 minutes later, I felt like someone had run me over with the Space Shuttle - leaving not only tire marks but thruster burns right down the center of my body.

Tuesday found me fighting the New Years Resolutionites for the elliptical machines at the gym, but I did my hour (reading the most recent Life & Style and Self magazines) and felt pretty accomplished when I was done.

As far as eating goes, I watched Alton Brown's season premiere of Good Eats and was inspired by the eating plan that permitted him to lose 50 pounds in about 7 months. Lots of whole grains, nuts, omega-3 oils, leafy vegetables fruits, etc. I'm incorporating some of that a little at a time, while trying to snack sensibly during the day. I'm finding that my choices are becoming more meaningful, while still keeping me satisfied. That doesn't mean I don't splurge - tonight we went out to dinner and I had two small stuffed hot peppers (with prosciutto and mozzarella) and about 2 cups of whole wheat penne with calamari in white wine and garlic sauce, but I skipped the bread, skipped the dessert, restrained myself from snacking on the Dude's lasagna left on his plate, and left pretty happy. The fact I have to be accountable for everything I eat by way of WW Online is keeping me on the straight and narrow as well.

So, tomorrow, it's a "Buff Smoothie" for breakfast (thank you, Alton), packed with lots and lots of fruit and soy milk, 1/2 a chicken breast for lunch (with applesauce and a small salad) and some leftover pasta for dinner. I'm setting my sights on a 60-minute cardio session followed by a yoga class tomorrow evening, so I'm definitely going to be active.

We'll see how it goes.

Oh! As of Monday, I'm -4 pounds on the -40 goal. Another pound and I'll have a bag of flour.