More like Hip-NOT!

What I will be doing veryververy soon...except in a bed

My heart is broken. Shattered. My feet cannot find their groove. I've got the rhythm of the world inside me, and nowhere to let it out. Remember last Wednesday? I was pumped about a certain hip-hop class?

Here's the deal. My 24hour doesn't offer a hip-hop class. Ever. Apparently the internet and the sign outside their group class door are incorrect. My disappointment was great. My sorrow was wide. Luckily, my friend Meghan was there to cross the sorrow in a boat built for two...with beer.

That's right. Instead of working out, we went and got a pint. There was nowhere else to dance at 7pm on a Thursday! And we are both early workers, so staying out late is not really appealing (most of the time:). Thus, beer was the obvious runner-up for exercise.

So I am working on finding another dance outlet. One that doesn't cost much. But is more than my living room and Pandora on loud.

Mental Mush

My brain has been fried lately. The filing system is out of whack, and everyday I have to re-group, re-do, and re-focus. So my eating and exercise has been a little sporadic and varied. I didn't work out on Thursday, Saturday or yesterday, but I did a 43 minute run on Sunday(oh yeah Kristi, I lied...it was for our own good! She thought we only went for 40 minutes! Mwahahahaha!) I am also low on groceries, so I am grabbing at food.

Never good. I was thinking about how much I spend on groceries, and I was concerned that I was spending too much. But then I realized a few things.

1. I don't eat out a lot. So it makes sense that I spend more on groceries because I am making most of my food. The budgets balance out.
2. I buy good healthy food. It's worth the money I spend to have yummy food that is good for me. If the alternative is ramen every day, I'm happy to spend.
3. I am saving money in the long run. If I was eating really un-healthily/out a lot, my health problems would be bigger in the future....as would my medical bills.

The money I spend on food is an investment in myself. It is an investment in my body, my health, and my happiness. I love making meals! I love food! I don't go to the movies a lot or pay for cable, but I do spend time creating tastey yum in the kitchen!

Speaking of the kitchen

I just wanted to let you know that I made brussel sprouts on Friday again. For a group of people. Who like good food. I was really nervous about their reaction to them, but brother, those sprouts were gone in 2 winks of a coal miner's eye! (Anchormansoundtrackreference)

Time for this chica to snooze before her Wednesday weigh-in! Happy Tuesday to all, and to all, a goodnight!

(My 5k is this weekend! I still can't believe I am running! Neither can my boobs! God bless underwire sports bras!)

Let your love open the door

Hope everyone had an excellent day/weekend of loving and living! I was blessed to spend Valentine's Day celebrating my grandmother's 75th birthday with my whole family. (not much time to think about being single:)

I feel so blessed (there is that word again) to have my family. They support me, make me laugh, and know how to throw a darn good open house! We had family portraits taken, and I felt good about myself. If we had taken these pictures a year ago, I would have pretended to feel good about the body/face/double chin on everyone's mantel, but now I actually do feel good about my current body being immortalized.

Losing weight has helped me appreciate my body. I will never have a flat stomach. I have veins and moles and scars and acne(dammit!)....but I can move. I can stand for hours I can run for 30 minutes straight. AND I can fit into a size 16 bridesmaid dress at David's Bridal. It feels like I am finally inhabiting my body. Blemishes and all, this is me. Worrying or stressing will not improve my life. Freaking out about a scar in the middle of my forehead or the cellulite on my ass is only interesting for about 2 minutes. Then it's time to move onto actual living, doing, and moving.

I write this now, knowing that there will be days when I forget. Moments when I want to eat and sit and criticize. I will have this to look back on.

Weigh-in

I weigh 188lbs!! I have officially lost 56lbs. That is how much a bushel of shelled corn weighs...random?

So what am I doing that is working? There are two things that I think have been contributing to my recent success:

1. Planned Exercise. In training for my 5k, I have committed to running 3 times a week. This is non-negotiable. In addition to those runs, I am doing 2 resistance/weights workouts a week. I'm not going to pay for a membership to 24hour fitness unless I am using it. My life was missing resistance training, but it's back, and I am excited about getting stronger! And I get to choose a random activity 1 day a week! This could be dancing, or going on a hike, or....well...I don't know. But I am going to try a hip-hop class soon, and at some point I will try pilates:) So to recap: 3 days of running, 2 days of weights/resistance, 1 whatever, and 1 day of rest. The routine really helps me focus, and I can see the results!
2. Using the 80% rule of eating. To me, this means I eat really healthy and moderately at least 80% of the time. I shoot for all the time, but I just can't deny myself all the tastey pleasures this world has to offer. Like the Twix I had tonight at the movies. I had one stick during the previews, and one when I started writing this post. Sure it's not great for me, but I like it, and I'm not having another one for probably another 4 months. This idea of 80% also helps me get back on track after slip-ups. Instead of being discouraged after eating something not-so-great, I move onto making better choices for the rest of the day. Less guilt, more fun...and pounds lost!

TMI

My body doesn't like "crap" food. Example: This past Sunday I had a piece of birthday cake, lots of cheese on a white bread pastrami sandwich, pop, punch, and about 5 pieces of frosted cardamon bread (Grandma's birthday, remember?)

Monday morning I was gassy and kept having to go to the bathroom. That might be too much information for y'all, but it was interesting to have my body react to food so noticeably. Good for you body, for loving good food and fussing over the bad! Who thought I would ever celebrate gas? (not me, that's fo' sho)

Love

Let's talk about the title of my post(remember it? it's way up there at the top, you troopers!) Love opens doors. We often focus on others. but think of all the doors that open when you love yourself. When you respect and honor yourself, you live a better life. Let your love for others and yourself lead you to healthy choices and playing big!

Love,

Losergirl Jess

Signed, Sealed, Joined, I'm yours!

I did it! You are now reading the words of a member of 24hour fitness. It's more expensive than I thought, but I;m worth it, and I need it. I am also excited about my free consultation next week. I think I get measurements and what-not done, which will be nice to check compared to my last measuring.

Going there wasn't as bad as I imagined (gee, really?). It basically seems like everyone is busy doing their own thing, and I was there at mid-day, so meat-cake percentage was low. I am excited to add resistance training to my schedule again! It might mean a small increase in weight for a bit, but it is ultimately healthier, and will help me lose weight faster.

Which, speaking of weight, I weighed myself at 24hour today. It was a new scale for me, and so instead of noting my weight as a factfactfact, I am considering this my recalibration week. According to the 24hour fitness scale in the women's locker room, I am 191lbs! I know one or both of the scales I have now used could be wrong, but let's celebrate that weight anyways!

WOOTWOOT!

Okay, did a little celebration dance in my seat, back to blogging:)

Another cause for celebration is the run Kristi(awesomecoolroommate) and I did yesterday. We jogged about 2/3 of what I found out was a 3.6mile route! Running with Kristi is good for me because she can run faster and longer than I can, so I try not to slow her down, and speed up in the process!

Speaking of running...it's 5K time.

The end of January has snuck up on me. Out of nowhere. Like a fitness tiger who will bite off my head unless I run. Anywho.

I am designing my own training program. Most training programs are for beginners (they want me to start off with 10 minutes of running 3 days a week), but there are also intermediate ones (that want me to start with 3 miles 3 times a week). Neither of those really work for me.

So I have gotten out my paper and pens, and am trying to create a program. I know I want to run 3 days a week. Do I make them set run days? Do I switch it up every week? How long/far should I run?

I'm figuring it out. All I know is that at this moment I need to go buy myself a bed, and then do some resistance training. So I'm off until next time.

Anyone else training for something specific? What is your training program? Any tips?

Happy New Year!!

(I'm such a party girl...really:)

hmmm...it seems I have been absent for a while. I wish I had a really good explanation, like I was moving, or was randomly selected to fly to New York to spend New Years with John Krasinski....but no such luck:)

I have been sick, stressed, and full of excuses. But let's back up, shall we? Maybe back to New Years?

To the New Year, and beyond...

And thus began my descent into bad eating. I had a big lobster dinner with the family before going to a house party...where I had tequila shots, hard cider, brownies, and those amazing costco truffles.

And then on friday I had Macaroni Grill for lunch....delicious fail. We ate the fresh baked bread...okay, I ate the fresh baked bread. And then we shared the mozarella fritti(dressed up mozarella sticks, 670 cal). And then I ate my whole meal(Honey basalmic chicken, 640 cal).

Four hours later we had sushi for dinner.

And then Sunday we went to the Seahawks game, which means dim sum, hot dogs, garlic fries, and pizza/pasta on the way home.

The point of this mini-food-listing, is that I overdid it. I even drank pop, which I never do! And if you are wondering, I only exercised on friday and saturday. My balance has been off.

Weigh-In...

Not good. I gained a pound. I wasn't surprised, but I cursed the scale silently in the corner of the gym. I am back to 199lbs. Remember 2 weeks ago? When I was setting goals, shortening my time-period for weight-loss, and generally kicking ass?

Something changed. I think I gave in. I was on top of everything for so long, I was succeeding through the holidays, and then...not.

I'm thinking out loud (on keyboard?) right now, but maybe I was afraid of my potential. Maybe my success scared me, because if I can do this, think of what else I can do. Where will my excuses be then? If I can do this, lose 90lbs, I can do anything.

ANYTHING. And that scares me. So I am turning to a quote from Marianne Williamson my friend Shayna used to have in our dorm room:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually who are we not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you."

My playing small does not serve the world. It is my responsibility to live my life the best and healthiest way I can. I have a fully functioning body that can accomplish amazing feats...if I push myself. If I embrace my potential and fabulousity:)

So here is to a FABULOUS new year, playing big, and knowing when to take half a meal home. Happy 2010:)

Peaks and Valleys

I did not want to work today. I was tired, and didn't eat too well yesterday...which meant that my defenses were down. There were candies and doughnuts in the breakroom and I indulged. A lot. I don't even like doughnuts!

I was feeling all guilty and gross after work. But I pulled myself together and ate healthily before my workout and weigh-in...at which point I found out that I am

198lbs!!

Apparently, despite all of my little indulgences and over-working, I balanced it out! After I weighed myself, I had a FANTASTIC workout. Pushed myself, felt the burn, and was accompanied by the soundtrack for "Songs for a New World."

At which point, I came home (in the snow!) and ate 3pieces of pizza, drank some pop, and had some Peppermint Jo-Jos. Damnit!!

I keep flip flopping between healthy and not healthy behaviors! Why isn't this easy? Calming down. breathing in and out. Those choices are behind me. I can make a better choice in the future. What do you do when you find yourself having health highs and lows?

New Goals on the Block!

My final results are in for the Biggest-Weight-Loss Challenge group I was in! My team won! We lost 6.15% of our total weight, and I am so proud of everyone on the team. Everyone was committed to showing up, which is half the battle for any goal!

Here are my results (the first number is from September 15th, and the second is from December 8th).

Weight: 228.....220

Body Fat%: 41.15%.....38.13%

Fat Weight: 93.82.....76.26

Chest: 122cm.....113cm

Waist: 116cm.....112cm

Hip: 122cm.....114.5cm

As you can read, this group was a huge success for me! I have before and after pictures....but I am a novice with my new computer, so scanning and uploading those pictures will be accomplished when my sister and brother have time to make me feel like and idiot for an hour:) Good news: you can totally tell the difference!

So what does this new weight mean for me? Well, first off, it means that I am 46lbs away from my ultimate goal, 154lbs.

That means I need to reconsider my original goal. At the beginning of my 90lbs in 90 weeks journey, the end date was in May of 2011. Looking at that goal now, I know I don’t need another 70-something weeks to lose 46lbs. But I also know that plateaus and struggles are in my future(because that is how life goes), so 46lbs in 46 weeks might be a wee bit unrealistic.

My compromise is this: 46lbs in (about) 50weeks. The new final weigh-in is DECEMBER 19th, 2010. That’s right folks, I’m moving the date up. I factored in some extra weeks so I don’t get discouraged if a weigh-in isn’t up to par.

Other things this new weight means is: being able to wrap a towel almost all the way around my body, shaking my hips like maracas, keeping up with my adorable dog on jogs, and wearing loose clothes that used to be tight!

The Holidays

Ahem...yeah, so the holidays are difficult. I don’t know about all y’alls families, but mine is full of excellent cooks. And my friends know how to make a spread of zesty hummus and winter brews like nobodies business. So what’s a girl to do?

Take it one gathering at a time. Eat small portions, try not to go back for seconds, and enjoy the delicious food and drinks. I write this like it’s easy.

I try not to graze, I try to limit intake and choose the healthiest options, but it doesn’t always work. And speaking of work, I am uber busy with my jobs. So not only am I tired when I arrive at gatherings because I’ve already worked one or two shifts, but I am usually hungry. So defenses are down, cravings are up, and I’m working on it.

Always having water with me helps, as does trying to eat or drink slowly. Or standing a wee bit away from the food table...or keeping your hands busy with a healthy food, like peeling an orange...or telling stories with my hands, which keeps them too busy to eat...oh wait, I already do that:)

Anywho, what I am trying to say is: stay sane. Eat slowly. Love your family and friends. And think of your pre-new-year goals, mine will be here soon!

Sunday Funny for getting all the way through this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5woNs9WRE

Rolling Hills of Weight-loss

Remember at the beginning of my weight-loss journey? Think back four months. I lost big numbers in those first weeks, mountains of excess that were weighing my body down. Then I became consistent with 2-4lbs every week...and now I am hitting 1s and 1/2s.

So I am not plateauing, but I am not living on easy street either. Am I okay with a 1/2 pound loss one week, and a 1-2 pound loss the next?

Yes. My goal and aim is still to lose 1lb a week...but. The real goal is to get healthy and lose weight as part of that process. So as long as I am doing that every week, I will be happy.

Which brings me to my final weigh-in! My final weigh-in this past tuesday was:

200lbs!!

I get a massage!!!! We got before and after pictures from our Biggest-Weight-Loss program, as well as stats for body fat and measurements that I will be sharing with you shortly.

Altogether I lost 28lbs in 13 weeks. I am really proud of myself, and I am so thankful for all the support and info I got from my team. I highlytrulycompletely recommend having a support group! Weight can be a touchy subject, and having a safe place to face it head-on with others going through the same struggle, is important. I will be switching gyms in the next month, but right now I love seeing familiar faces working up a sweat.

Goals!

Have you been thinking of goals? I have....and I am really nerdy excited....but you will have to wait to hear what my new goals are, since I am need of a new bra! (tmi?)

Have a fabulous weekend, enjoy but don’t over-do, and remember the real magic of Christmas is in your heart (cue cheesy music and my brother rolling his eyes:)

Blue Moon Blogging

Oops. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The hardest thing about blogging after a mini-break is that I have so much I want to blog about!

So let’s start with the obvious: this week’s weigh-in. It was my last Biggest Weight-Loss class and as you might remember, I was aiming for losing another 1.5lbs before this past Tuesday. That would have brought me to an even 202lbs. The sad news is that I didn’t lose 1.5lbs. The good news?

I lost 2.5!!!

I now weigh 200.5lbs:) Yayayayay, happy dance! In the past 13 weeks, I have lost 27.5lbs in a healthy way!!! I am so pumped and excited for next week’s weigh-in (I reallyreallyreally want a massage).

I think the success of the last week can be attributed to my outdoor time. I had an entire day without work last Saturday! With 2 jobs I have some short days, but not many that are completely mine. And what did I do with my free 24 hours?

I woke up early(I know, ridiculous) and went on a hike with my friend M. It was foggy as I drove over bridges to pick her up and head into the Columbia River Gorge. But as we started hiking, the fog cleared and it was blue skies the whole way!

Hiking makes me feel free. I love jogging, and circuits in the gym, and walking my dog in our neighborhood, but on a mountain or in the forest I feel more alive. I don’t have to work hard to break a sweat. I just have to put one foot in front of another. And with a good friend, good conversation makes the time fly by.

I also went on a long jog with my puppy near a lake. There weren’t many other people out and about...probably because it was approximately 25 degrees outside. (The weather is sooooo cold right now. As in, my hair froze as I walked to a coffee shop this morning:)

It’s important to mix training/exercise up, and even doing the same thing in different places helps. Run inside one day, outside the next. Weight circuit at the gym, personal weights at home while watching Wedding Crashers. Mix it up!

A New Idea

I had an idea last week. More of a revelation actually. So here goes: I eat emotionally. And when I eat emotionally, I reach for comforting foods. Foods that remind me of childhood, or that I associate with certain memories of good times. (okay Losergirl, this is nothing new...It’s actually quite well known...and common...so get on with it)

What if, instead of reaching for comfort foods, I did comfort activities?! I could read a book I’ve read multiple times before. I could work on that dang afghan I have been making for the past 9 years. I could watch a familiar movie, or play with my dog, look at old photos, wear an old sweatshirt....there are so many possibilities not including food!

I was able to try this technique out the other day, and it helped me more than I thought it would. Instead of reaching for the bag of chocolate chips, I found my old copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and read the first chapter. My grandmother gave me a 1954 copy of the book, and the smell alone reminds me of the first time I read it about 10 years ago. That feeling of home, of familiarity was almost as good as the brownie that I was craving.

(side note: this good idea might not apply when a certain Losergirl is experiencing her womanly time and would consider punching a grandmother to get her hands on a chocolate chip cookie, chocolate ice cream, candies, or hot chocolate....because rules were meant to be broken and I am not giving up all of my excuses for indulgence just yet)

Resolutions

The New Year is getting closer my friends! And that means new year resolutions. Yay? You might remember a few weeks ago when I made my “before the new year” resolution (199lbs by 2010). I am well on my way, and I hope all of you who made your own goals are doing well and getting it done! Or at the very least, trying, and not beating yourself up.

I am hesitant to make resolutions, because I fail at them every time. Like last year, I resolved to treat my teeth better. I flossed until March, and now only do it once in a blue moon. And it’s such a set up. How many people truly commit to their resolutions? And why does the new year seem like such a great time to start? Why not, RIGHT NOW?

So a challenge to you: Think about something you want to change in your life. It can be a big change like, "stop hanging out with family and friends who bring me down," or a small change like, "write a letter once a month."

Write it down. Then write down how you are going to change it. The small steps, the big steps, whose help you will need, who will hold you to the change, what you will do when little failures occur. Then write down all the benefits you could possibly create with this change. Write them down in BIG LETTERS. Maybe give yourself an incentive, a prize.

Now, here is the kicker. Start your journey to that life change between now and December 31st. Be a rebel. By the time 2010 comes around, you will be on your way instead of just starting! In the next weeks, I will share my goals and how they are starting out, and I would love to hear yours!

Happy Friday!

The Last Week of Biggest Loser

Quick post my friends, and then it's off to work (again:).

At my weigh-in this past week, I only lost .5lbs. Not great. Okay, good, but not my goal, which is one pound a week. My disappointment in that half pound carried over into my workout.

I didn't push myself as hard. It felt like I was going through the motions, just getting it done, and not pushing myself.

On one of my sprints around the track, I pounded out my frustration, and on the next run, I decided to stop wallowing. As much as I love a good pout/sulk, it wasn't going to help me get that next pound lost. So I made amends with a half pound, and moved onto the next.

I have been pushing myself every day this week, adding 5 minutes to every every workout, pushing myself to go faster, further, and focused..er? If I can lose one pound this week, I will have lost 26lbs in 13 weeks!

So here are the lessons for the week: don;t be over confident about food choices. Eat good food. Make mistakes, and then learn from them. As my friend S. said, "the path to success is paved with failure."

Also, don't trust my dog near salmon patties and onion rolls. She will eat them all:)

Turkey Day has come and gone

And how did we do? Let's rewind a bit, and go back to Tuesday.

I weighed in at 203.5lbs!! YESYESYES! I have lost 40.5lbs since starting this journey 3 months ago. But that number isn't the important thing. What's important is that I feel like I am getting a 2nd chance at life.

For the past two years it felt like my life was an inevitable downward spiral. I had to get my kicks in while I could because what is so darn exciting about living? Being the single friend for another few years? Writing papers(which I hate doing with a passionate fury)? Traveling so I didn't have to deal with my problems? And then what? Graduate and sit on the couch for a few months being rejected from job after job after job.

Low points. And my fat allowed(allows) me to set up a protective wall. It is my barrier, my battle gear, my excuse. And that will be hard to deal with as I break it down bit by bit, pound by pound.

But I have started. I now know that I CHOOSE MY LIFE. There is so much I don't have control over. But I do control my actions. I control what I eat. And what I do. I know that I can set goals and reach them. I know that there is more to life than passing classes and building resumes. I know that I can push myself physically.

So I am thankful for my self-confidence that is returning in small pieces. I am thankful for my family, my friends, and this blog. And for good music and coffee and my dog and books:)

THANKSGIVING

I read a post from another blog the day before Thanksgiving that really spoke to me, and I wish I could have shared it sooner. It is from a blog called Feed Me I'm Cranky. I just started following it, and her post on Thanksgiving spoke to me.

You should follow the link and read it, but for those of you who can't be bothered to go, here is a intense compression of what she had to say:

Don't build up the holidays as this huge ordeal that you have to get through. Plan for the chaos, make your own decisions, don't set yourself up for failure.

So I took Thanksgiving as a pretty regular day with a big meal at the end (not hard, considering I worked that morning:)

I ate small portions, had a big dinner, and only indulged in one dessert. (okay, don't hate me, but I don't really like apple/pumpkin/pecan pies...I know, sacrilege. Sometimes they hit the spot, but not usually, so it was easy for me to pass on them)

How did your Thanksgivings go? Favorite foods? Did you exercise on Thanksgiving? How are the holidays going for you so far?

Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit!

I lost weight! Is this some dirty trick? I have a stressful week, stray from the healthiest choices, and am rewarded? I was hoping to find gain, so I could beat myself up and learn from my not so great choices...really.

But the scale tonight said 207lbs!! Holy Mole, that is such a low number! If I make it my goal to lose an average of 1lb per week thru the holidays (aka: booze/binge season), I could weight 200lbs as I ring in the new Year!

So many exclamation points!! I didn't know how important the Biggest Weight-Loss Challenge would become to my health, but it makes me sad to think it will be over before Christmas. We all cheer each other on, and make faces as we do painful exercises our instructor smiles and talks thru:)

(This is what I look like when I work out;)

So what have I done right in the past week? I haven't been hitting the gym too much for fear of becoming sick again. I wanted to give my body a chance to fully recover, so I walked...and walked...and hiked...and walked. (My dog really likes this trend:)

I also make sure I always have a healthy snack with me. Some people can "forget" to eat, or go for more than 5 hours without eating.

Hahahahaha!

Yeah, right.

If I don't eat about every 4-5 hours, I get cranky, tired, and my jokes fall flat:) Some common snacks I keep around are apples, oranges, string cheese, mini packages of teddy grams, edamame, or trail mix (which can be very high in calories and sugar, so be careful with portions). I also have started drinking green tea at least every other day. I don't know much, but I know it is healthy for some reason, and with some honey, it is pretty tasty!

What do you snack on through-out the day?

I'm feeling like a natural woman...

You know what I love about being a woman? Okay, there are a few things, but one of the great bonuses of being female is the curves. Not the curves of my excess weight, but the natural curve of the hips and chest.

I have gotten into the habit recently of standing with my hands on my hips, because it is so exciting to me to have a waist again! For so long all I had was rolls of fat at different heights. But this is great. I feel more confident and capable, like a super woman! (Now all I need is a phone booth and a bodysuit/cape...on second thought...hold the body suit...not enough confidence for that yet:)

You know what else is great? My WEIGHT!

ahem.

I now weigh 211lbs.

211lbs! Or, in caps, @!!LBS! (1 more pound until I get 2 new DVDs...dare I start thinking about which ones I will get?)

In the past week of losing 4 pounds, I have had food poisoning and a cold, so circumstances were not primed for eating a lot, but wow. I feel like I am constantly (happily) surprised at weigh-ins. Every week I wait for something to go wrong. I step on the scale dreading a higher number.

And then I see results. Results for the hard work I am putting in. Results for bashing through the excuses, choosing to move, and moderate eating. These results are fueling my journey, and will hopefully inspire me when I hit plateaus. So here is to green tea with honey, rainy days, long walks with my dog, and curves!

Being Sick

Last Thursday I got intense food- poisoning. The next 24 hours were an unexpected detox that left me a little weak. Saturday I felt great again, and was able to do a workout at the gym that went something like this: 20min fast walking on the treadmill, then 15 min on the StairMaster, then 15 min on the reclining bike. ( intense, right? I'm calling it my mini-trinity:)

But Sunday I woke up with a sore throat (after a night of drinking with my brother and sister:). That sore throat steadily progressed into a cough/cold that kept my home from work for a day, and has me a little tired.

Now, the problem is, what do you do about working out and eating when you are sick? Most of my exercise lately has been dog walks of 1-3miles long. I take it at my own pace and slow down when I get tired.

When I get sick though, I crave not-so-healthy food. So I have had some M&Ms, ice cream, chips (gasp!), and some bigger meal portions than necessary. (I also made Moroccan Chicken Pot Pie! I love it so much, but the crust is butter and flour times one billion! Oh well...it tastes like moroccan air:)

What's funny is that I was feeling down about some of my food choices, and then I realized that my choices now are still SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE CHOICES I WOULD HAVE MADE 2 MONTHS AGO.

I forget how far I have come (33lbs, to be exact). I am not perfect. I am a work in progress. Aren't we all?

GOALS

1) Fergie Work-out....I don't know if I can last a full hour at a 15% on the treadmill, but I am going for 30 minutes.

2)Add 5 minutes to every workout....it's like doing an extra exercise session every week! This might mean extending my cardio, but I might also take that time to fit in some extra abs time, or try the rowing machine again. Try this out yourself, and let me know how it goes!

"I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass." -Maya Angelou

Sickness and Success

Good health and happiness to you all! I am currently sipping blue gatorade, trying to restore my body that does not want anything to do with food. I am listening to my body (goal from last week) and it is saying, "take it easy. Slow down for a bit. Sleep." Fair enough body, fair enough.

In other news: I know you have been dying to hear the results of my most recent weigh-in, right? Well hold onto your seats folks, because Tuesday I stepped on the scale, ready to see 219lbs...and instead saw:

215!!!

yesyesyesyes!

I think I really pushed myself with working out the past week, including a "last-chance-workout" on Monday that consisted of my jogging/walking on the treadmill for 52 minutes. I don't think I have ever spent that long on the treadmill. Luckily, I was listening to the Avenue Q soundtrack. (quite possibly my favorite musical ever. Look it up.)

Such a huge weight-loss does concern me a bit though. I think some of it has to do with womanly bloating and body weight-fluctuations, so my goal for the next weigh-in is to maintain that loss. Especially now that I am sick and might not be able to work out as much.

Oh, and I finally had spaghetti squash!! The first way I tried it was with olive oil and a mix of cumin, curry, and a bit of red pepper. It still tasted really squashy (what did I expect?). But I was determined to make something tasty.

My second attempt was lightly sautéing artichoke hearts, peppers, onions, some bits of chicken, and then adding in 1/2 cup of low-sodium v8 as the "sauce." MUCH BETTER.

I am trying to think of my "diet" as an opportunity to get creative with my food. What can I make that is healthy? That doesn't taste bland? That doesn't taste like diet food? That everyone in my family can enjoy? It forces me to make a wider use of all the spices I have available in the kitchen. Except for rosemary. blegh.

So go be creative! Make something new! Concoct a new dish! Redo a bland sandwich! And spice up your life!

I gotta feeling.....oooooo!

Speaking of good songs, I listened to the Freaky Friday soundtrack the other day during my workout, and I was pleasantly surprised! It's no Black Eyed Peas, Queen, or rousing Beethoven symphony, but most of the songs have a good loud drum beat you can climb stairs to...you can also motivate yourself by thinking of lil ol' Lindsay Lohan and the path her life has taken...chuckle to yourself, then focus on making your life awesome, yet dignified:)

I weighed in this week at 220lbs: new sports bra, here I come! Good timing too, I'm starting to like jogging.

I'm going to be honest, I was a little disappointed at the weigh-in. One pound? I've done better than that every other week! But.

I lost one pound even though I went to a oktoberfest themed birthday party, ate out with family, and had the urge to hibernate. I lost that pound in a regular week of living...which means I am changing the way I live my life. It's scary and exciting at the same time. I love the extra energy I have when I eat right and exercise, and I need all the extra endorphins I can get! (I work in customer service...'nuff said.)

But this journey is also a letting-go of my old self. The old-self who would eat all the oreos, who would watch more tv. The old-self who had a pretty face, who was the perma-single funny friend, never the love interest. I could stream-of-conscious on this subject for a while, but I will limit myself to this: I am nervous about this new life I am creating, but I know it's the best shot I have at the life I want.

As for the past weeks goals, I did go jogging twice, but I only made two new recipes. No problem, I can do the other two this week. The two new recipes I helped concoct (new to me, that is) are the red cabbage and apple slaw, and a curry/coconut/cumin/pumpkin soup. I also now have some spaghetti squash in the house, so I am looking forward to making something with that for the first time!

So, new goals for the coming week:

1. Two new healthy recipes!
2. Listen to my body. I will continue to push myself, but I don't want to push myself to exhaustion or sickness. Then again, maybe this goal should include not listening when my body says, "it's hard. I don't know if I can do level 6. Maybe you should just take it easy." Hells no! I know that my body is capable of great things!

Hope everyone is rocking the socks off of this week and respecting themselves with healthy food, good exercise, and a wee bit'o'fun!