Guten Morgen! Gruss Dich! Wie gehts???
Nothing like waking up to some high school German, right? How's everyone today! I'm feeling good! I's a gots some fun stuffs for us on our final Fat Ticker Friday (of the immediate future!)
(Ps. have you read about Mantra Monday?)
Well, today -- our friends over at CrossFit are giving us tee-shirts!! Just for being us!! Isn't that nice??? But supplies are limited so the tees will go to the first 4 commenters who have been participating in the Quest! (Sorry -- yes, only questers here. However, stay tuned for a healthy giveaway announcement open to everyone on Saturday!)
Yayyyy!
So MAN! I'm feeling great! I'm back on track, total wagon, and after being sick have gotten in all my training workouts, (in my training log if you give a care...) including my swims in which I look like The Fly, and I will weigh in at my usual 8 am-ish. Oh yeah and hey, it's Friday the 13th!! WWoooooooo! (Ghost sound).
If you read about Mantra Monday this week, you've read that I'm putting Fat Ticker Friday on hold for a little while. I will still be weighing in on Fridays but in an unofficial manner, and instead I'll be working on a little zen here. I'm on a new personal quest to find balance and harmony in my life and I hope you'll join me!
Happy Friday everyone!! Good luck!
Friday
Final Fat Ticker -- for now! And giveaway stuff!
Fat Ticker Friday!
I'll be posting the winner tomorrow morning and I'll keep you posted on my run on Sunday. I can't believe it's here already! I'm picking up my bib number today! I already have the nervous knots in my stomach and I think I'll feel like this the entire weekend until 6 a.m. on Sunday when I'm standing at the starting line. I'm so excitedscared! Did you see the progression by the way? Can you tell that during this post it just dawned on me that I'll be running a half-marathon in two days? (I'm getting nauseous.) 
Fat Ticker Friday: The Obsession Confession Version
Good morning!
I am happily back in that place that we call "square one". I've lost the two pounds that I found last week, so I have broken even.
I am in a weird place right now. I would like to be that always all-inspirational, never have a dull moment, plunge through the plateau type-a weight-loss gal, but somewhere along the way, I won't lie, I've lost the fire. I am 10 pounds shy of my goal weight and have been for oh, quite a while now. I have not broken through that mark except for that quick dip back during Hot for the Holidays.
It's not even that I don't know what to do. I'm not even that unhappy or frustrated. I know exactly what I have to do and I just haven't. My lifestyle overall is healthy-ish. I exercise at least 4 times a week, but up to 6. I eat well except for the occasional indulgences and even there, there is no over-indulgence, really, in comparison to the Christie of the past. Complacent, maybe? The truth is (and we all know it), that all parts of the car must be working simultaneously in order to keep seeing results. Where have I been falling short? For the past few weeks, I haven't touched weights. I've done cardio, but I know myself and my body responds to weights and cardio together. And I've been eating good, but not great. So there.
What has changed? I think part of it is that I finally came to the place of "the final ten", and I've found that I feel pretty ok here. I feel good about myself again, have found the sociable part of me again, and have found the confident part of me again. Sure I'd like a few less dimples in the back of my legs. But honestly? As long as I am not in the place I was before, 35 and 40 pounds heavier on a 5 foot nothing frame, I am actually pretty happy. That place I was where I was obsessed for so long? Yeah, it's faded a little. (You may have noticed...) Because I can focus on other things again instead of just "full steam ahead" in weight loss. And I was pretty obsessed. Ask my friends. Sure I'm disappointed that my drive to keep going is petering out a little, but I haven't lost sight of what a great year it's been. And it's been one great year.
I love (and am so thankful!) that a handful of you stuck around with me to train for something, because I love that there is this camaraderie here. And I still want us to push through to our goals because it's all coming down to the wire now. Are you still in? You still got that run? Still got those pushups???
I still got a half-marathon to do...And I won't lie. Being able to run 9 miles or 10, and soon, 13.1 feels pretty darn cool, even if I haven't lost the last ten pounds to go along with it.
So stay with me folks, we're still Questing for Greatness here (even if it has been quietly..), and next week there's a prize (truly there is). We have a donor (thank you Pubsgal dear!)
Thursday
Fat Ticker Friday: The Friday the 13th/Slacker Blogger Version
Woooooooooo! It's Friday the 13th!
I guess that's supposed to be scary or something. Like having gained two pounds this week. That's scary. I was feeling a little watery/puffy in my fingers this morning when I went to do my normal weigh in, but honestly, I thought there would be a loss. My midsection doesn't feel as rolypoly and I did so many squats and lunges (even in the shower! squats while rinsing my hair, how's that for a mental picture!) And even though there's been Valentine's candy thrust in my face the whole week, I've only partaken here and there, but not enough (or so I thought) to throw it all off. I know, I know, excuses excuses. If only I could hook the scale up to the lie detector. The scale doesn't lie, right? Or does it?
I'm just kind of disappointed coming off of last week. I thought the long distances were just the push I needed. I am still, after months, hovering in the same place. Gaining and losing the same two pounds. And I'm in an ok place mentally, still working on the last 10 but not feeling nearly as hideous as I did 35 pounds ago. Maybe that's where I've gotten complacent. But still, if I have a hope of looking good in a bathing suit, which for most people isn't until June but for us down here, really it's any day now, March, April or May, whenever it warms up,..then I'd better get cracking. That's why I started doing squats and lunges anywhere I can. Because I've got a backside to tighten up.
For exercising: I played softball Monday (I consider this cardio because there is a lot of running and sprinting), I took a spin class Tuesday night, ran 5 miles on Wednesday and took Thursday off. Today I have another 5 miles and then 10 miles over the weekend, the longest run in the half-marathon training. I'm still getting exercise in but I just can't seem to kick these pounds without lifting weights. Guess I just answered my own question..
Anyhoo, non-fat related, this weekend we're going for a kid-free weekend round two! And I think it will be a little more guiltless than being in an empty silent house like last weekend. The husband and I are going to Orlando to play! Woot! We're going to Universal Studios Island of Adventure, which is by far my absolute favorite theme park in the ENTIRE WORLD. The rides are phenomenal. The roller coasters are so much fun. It is my favorite place to play and I don't actually think I've been there for about 10 years now so I'm am so excited I feel like bursting open. We got a great package, staying at one of the Universal hotels and you get an "express pass" to jump ahead in lines at the park and free covers at the clubs on City Walk. And yes, we will be hitting the clubs. Which means dancing! And singing too! Because there's a karaoke club (I LOVE KARAOKE!) and a jazz bar and a dance club and then there's Margaritaville and a piano bar, not to mention the Mardi Gras stuff going on...
It's an anniversary-part deux/slash/Valentine's extravaganza! I'm so excited! I am just waiting out Friday to get to Saturday and then we'll be driving our little drive to Orlando and off to have some fun! I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's weekend! What will you be doing??
Friday
Fat Ticker Friday: The Kids are at Gramma's Version
Woot! Bye bye 1.5 pounds this week!
Yay!!
I don't know, but I actually felt these going away. Things fit a little better, I feel and see some roll minimizing going on...
Maybe it's the long runs, who knows. But finally, a loss! Woohoo! Sunday we're up to 9 miles, we're talkin crazyland, people! Crazyland!
Ahhh, soooo....the kids are at gramma's today and I slept in to the wee hour of 7:45 (45 minutes later than usual!),felt compelled to clean up and do dishes now I'm sitting down with my coffee watching the Today show and blogging.
Then, I will run 5 miles, at my leisure, go get my hair done and have happy hour and dinner with my husband for our anniversary which was yesterday but we decided on a Friday night dinner instead. What a nice Friday! It's like a dream!
So why do I feel so guilty?
Leaving the kids last night was literally heart-wrenching. I don't leave them very much for the night with someone other than my husband, (I think I've only left my youngest once) but it was terrible at first! I cried about halfway home and needed to seek phone support from my sister and my best friend! And I don't even know why! They're going to be fine, they're going to spend so much time with their grandparents who miss and love them to death, what is my problem! (Makes me think I just need to do this more...)
And now I'm only just now getting used to the silence, but the guilt, oh the guilt. Why must mommies feel guilt so often, I don't know. My head is in a constant battle with itself (a snippet of inner conversation):
Me 1: (listening to silence feeling guilty)
Me 2: Stop it! Just type! They're having fun!
Me 1: (listening to silence)
Me 2: Get over it! This is supposed to be fun for us and you're ruining it!
Me 1: (silence)
Me 2: You're hopeless. Give yourself until 9:30 to feel guilty if you must and then go get busy doing something and keep your mind off it. The world is your oyster today!
Me 1: Maybe you're right... should I call though? I should call...
Me 2: No! Let it go already. You're being ridiculous.
Me 1: You're right. No call. But are they behaving? Should I be doing this? They're ok, right?
Me 2: Yes. And it's already being done so it's too late anyway. So enjoy it already and stop being a daft cow.
Me 1: But...
Me 2: This conversation is over.
OK I feel better. Don't you?
Anyway, I'm really excited about the restaurant (I've been saving up all week for this day off!) It's a spanish restaurant with tapas and yummy delicious looking food, it's rustic with cafe lights on the outside and I pass it almost every day but have never been. And I don't know what to wear either, do I wear a black dress with no sleeves that I have (it's freezing right now, but is the coat enough?), a nice shirt and black pants? I really have no idea??!! (Hmm. Shopping? I do have the time...)
How are you doing this week? How's the training??? Who's got races coming up soon??????
Fat Ticker Friday: The Gray Rainy Day Outside, Cozy Inside Edition
Fat Ticker Friday: The Workout Slump Version
Updated 9am: no loss no gain. Thank goodness. Back to your usual scheduled programming.
OK. What the heck. I'm going against all that I believe this week and doing the complete opposite. Like for instance, being a lazy lump. Normally when I didn't have motivation to run or go to the gym, I'd do it anyway. And when I couldn't find the time, I'd make the time. I've been "no excuses girl." And proud of it.
But not this week. Because the only time I could go to the gym was after the kids went to bed and did I?
I chose not. I worked out on Monday. Yep. That's it. Just Monday. I don't know why. Something has got to change. I've got to physically write in all of my workouts, not only for my piece of mind, but for the support network who needs to watch the kids while I go do my thing. And would you believe what a grumpypants I turn into when I'm not getting my gym/run time? Apparently this me-time is sooooo needed and necessary in my life.
The part deux of this week's disaster is that I attempted to go to the gym last night too. I went in. I was poised to run 5 miles on the treadmill. I was all ready. I was even wearing my 10k shirt looking all runner-like and official. I got about oh, 2 minutes in and whoops.
Time to get off the treadmill and run for it.
I must've looked really funny leaping off the treadmill like I did. I don't even think the belt had fully stopped before I launched off of it. And if you still don't understand why I leaped like I did, it was because, well, *ahem*, let's just say that things just aren't the same after the kids. I may or may not have mentioned my embarrassing problem before.
And I had actually been to a doctor's appointment earlier in the day to figure out why, after more than a year, things still weren't quite right.
I suspect that the appointment itself is why things on the treadmill went like they did. I probably should've seen it coming, really. So I did what anyone with this problem would do, I tied my sweatshirt around my waist, considered the workout over and mustered up some dignity and exited the building.
We're all so very open on the internet, aren't we, (she says as her hand keeps wandering over to the backspace key.)
Well in the interest of full disclosure (hey, why not.) there is a procedure I can have done, but that would mean when/if I decide to
(I wonder if she knows that people can see through the words that are crossed out.)
Anyway, I am not quite behind on my training with this week being kind of a wash, but if I let any other weeks go, I will be. So as God is my witness, game on. I will still be getting in my workout today, Saturday and Sunday, so I'll be playing catch up but I'll eek 'em in.
I'll be back a little later with my weigh-in results. (This should be good.) Ciao!
psst. How did you do this week? Get your workouts in? Feeling good?
Fat Ticker Friday
Hi guys! The week was good, got most of my workouts in, although I had to double up on them for a couple of days, so we'll see how it translates to the scale around 8 in the morning .
Results: Up one. Bugger.
Next week: More of something and everything.
Got a 10k tomorrow morning, it's the last race scheduled in Hal Higdon's lovely half-marathon training schedule. I'm a little excited about it because my hubby and I ran 6 miles on Sunday and we had shaved about 6 minutes off the time from the Turkey Trot, so I'm psyched to see what happens tomorrow officially. It's on the beach, but it will be 40 degrees and windy so not as gorgeous as we had originally hoped, but all you northerners are probably cursing me anyway because of your below zeroes! I know, I know. Anyway, after this week the runs get to be 7 miles and 8 miles and 9 miles and then 10 miles. Can you imagine that? Me running 7 miles? And then even more than that? This is where it gets interesting and I can't wait to write about it. I have decided that the next stop after the half-marathon is going to be a triathlon. If I make it through these runs, that is. But I'm already excited about it and have begun searching for a training schedule. Anyone have one? I'm really really really excited! I don't think I'm feeling the full marathon quite yet...
Anyway, I haven't been around that much this week as you've probably noticed and I'm sorry for that. I'll write about it later, but the moral of the story is, LOCK UP YOUR MEDICINE CABINETS! BABYPROOF AND THEN BABYPROOF AGAIN! Yes, I know, big teaser. Everyone is ok, but we've had a bit of a scare here and I'm still a little shaken up about it even though it happened on Monday. Everything is ok though.
On the lighter note, how did you do? How is the training going??? Give me a little pick me up if you got it, I could use it.
XO
Fat Ticker Friday: The Rejuvinated Version
Good morning! Happy Day! Happy Day!
My loss for this week: 2.9 pounds! Woohoo! Woohoo!
I worked hard this week. I did all my runs, did a day each of intense arms and legs and took a spinning class.
I will tell you, there is some truth to shocking the heck out of your body by doing a bunch of reps for one set of muscles and working out another set of muscles without a break in between and going back and forth until failure. I did this with biceps/triceps, chest/back and legs and I was pretty much in pain all week but it obviously did something. I also switched things up by adding in 30 minutes of cardio on the days I weight trained so that I do 5-6 days of cardio and three days of weights. Before, I was doing three of cardio, three of weights. I'm going to keep doing this and shock my body into submission. How bout that?
How did you do this week? Do you have a renewed rejuvenation? Doesn't it feel good, by the way, to know you're not one of the masses that started on New Years, that you've already been on the wagon for a while now? That part makes me happy. I was always one of the herd headed to the gym around the New Year only to taper of and fail a few short weeks later. (Not anymore!)
I have good news!! There are sponsors coming! So make sure to keep an eye out because I think this is gonna be pretty cool!!
Fat Ticker Friday: The New Year Edition!
It's the first Fat Ticker Friday of the new year! Happy 2009 everyone! First I want to say that 2008 was a blast with you and I hope 2009 will bring us closer to all our goals together! The Quest for Greatness is on and in 2009 I will do the following:
-Run a half-marathon
-wear a bathing suit without a wrap or shorts, proudly and unabashedly
-Wear a size 6
I think those goals are actually in chronological order because the half-marathon comes first, then comes beach-wearing season, followed by dropping some sizes because I think that's going to take some time. I don't know how much, but according to the trainer I met with last week, he seems to think it will take a year to get rid of my last 10 pounds. Why? Because he says I should actually lose 20 pounds, but gain 10 in muscle to drop the bodyfat percentage. Miz, you're all up on this type of thing, does that sound right? A year to do that?
Anyway, would you believe that I am all twisted and turned around that I actually forgot it was Friday? And I'm going to weigh in after breakfast because I forgot it was Friday and I already ate breakfast and the scale is always different before the breakfast than after. I didn't realize waffles weighed so much. Wouldn't it be nice if you only ever gained what your food actually weighed when it was all chewed up? So you could chew and chew and chew and chew and make it all really small and never gain anything? So my results?
This week's results: tba
Next week's goal: purge home of cookies, actually go food shopping and plan out meals and snacks for everyone, including me cookie-and-sweet-laden children. A healthy house for 2009!
And I know I've been sporatically posting lately and I hope you'll forgive me for that. It's been a really fun, really busy holiday season with all my family here and I've been away from the computer accidentallyonpurpose. But now it's all over and I'm back and ready to go. You ready to get serious now??? Let's go!
We have one event this weekend here in the Quest for Greatness!!! Natalie's got her Jiggle Butt Run on Saturday!!! Way to usher in 2009!!!! So head on over and give her some runlove!!! Good luck Natalie!!!
Oh yes, and happy 2009, Mr. Scale. I'm coming for you.
Fat Ticker Friday: the Holiday Carnage Version
Oh Happy Happy day. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!! I didn't weigh myself this week and I hope you don't mind. Feel free to let me know if you did and how you did this week!
It wasn't that I was terrible. I ate what I wanted but in limited portions. But I didn't exercise much this week. As much as I wanted to be done with Christmas shopping in November, turns out, I wasn't. I was still shopping on Christmas Eve. So exercising was put on hold. Tomorrow, however, I have a training 5k, called the "Madd Dash" and since my sister and brother-in-law are in town, my brother-in-law's gonna run it with us. Yay! So we'll make it a family affair. I love those.
I met with a trainer on Monday like I said I would and I was all excited about it. It could have gone one of two ways. He could help me tweak my workouts like I need, or, he could make it one big sales pitch.
Guess which one he did? Yep. Giant sales pitch. We worked out hard, but despite my pleas and my questions, he never once offered up what I needed to hear which was any kind of new plan. All he did was try to sell me on a plan that would offer me a person who would in the future put me on a whole new plan and that would have doubled my gym monthly membership and I just couldn't do it. So, I'll just try to fix it myself. Really all I want is a tweak to get through the final-10 that's hanging on tooth-and-nail.
I have a whole separate post and pictures of the Christmas Bake-off 2008 and it turned out to be SO MUCH FUN!!! As for the baking instead of presents thing, well, that didn't work out quite as we planned and I'll explain later, but the baking part was awesome! We may even keep some version of this for future Christmases. Merry Christmas everyone! Or "Merry Christie!" as we say around here!
ps. I'm still in my pajamas.
Fat Ticker Friday: The Holly Jolly Version
Update: I am up 1.8 pounds. Poop. Well, I ran two miles on the treadmill today and then did the rowing machine which kicked my a$$ by the way, my arms are still shaking. So I will still get in all my workouts, just on this side of the week rather than the earlier part. More in the comments.
* * *
OK I'll weigh in at 8 a.m. and I'm pretty sure that it's gonna be about the maintenance again. I'm seeing a trainer on Monday to get things straight. I've been getting in my runs, all of them, but with my sister in town and Christmas shopping to do and doctor's appointments, yada yada yada, there's been very little else.
This week I'll have logged 11 miles running. Two three-mile runs and a five mile on the weekend. And I did some legs and arms on Monday because I forsaw the busy week coming. If I can add that spinning class I had every intention on trying this week, then I'll make it 5 days of working out and that will be successful! Four is great but 5 is better! (Six is best, but who's counting.)
How did you do this week?? How was your training? How are you feeling? Any bunions coming out? Any runner's highs? Any breakthroughs to report? Achievements? Downfalls? Let's hear it!
Happy Almost-Holidays!
Fat Ticker Friday: The Post-Gobbler Edition
Good morning everyone!!!
How was your Thanksgiving? Did you cook? Have family around? Travel??? I hope everyone had a blessed holiday!
Well for ours, we had to improvise.
Basically, I had to call off Thanksgiving.
*Sniff*
Well, not entirely. I just had to uninvite those with little-to-no immune systems in my family because of our sickhouse. Like my mom who has Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, my 93-year-old grandmother, and my aunt, who is currently battling breast cancer. I thought that if we were done with all the colds by last weekend, our house might have a chance at recovering too. But we were still sick come Monday, and even though I disinfected everything, I wasn't convinced that the house would be completely clear of germs for everyone and I wasn't about to take that chance on my family. One time long ago, my son caught a cold, he recovered, I disinfected the house and two days later my mom came over. And she caught it. Somehow. I swear, germs hide everywhere. So our guest list went from 18 to 6. And 1/2 counting Mini.
It was really hard to have all those empty chairs at my house. But we still cooked our 25 pound turkey and my husband's family came over and we wore headdresses to celebrate our Native American half (yes, my side is Mohawk! And by the way, the one I'm wearing actually started out as a napkin holder if you're looking for inexpensive, pretty tablescape ideas for next year, thanks Martha!)
But earlier in the day, you may remember I RAN A 10K!!!!!!! With my husband who didn't run a single inch over the last couple of months! Can you imagine running a 10k cold turkey? Booger. (And yes, really bad pun intended...)
He walked a little but he crossed the finish line with me at 1:12:50-something!! Woohoo!!!
Somewhere around the 4-mile-mark something happened as it seems to do nowadays on my long run where I reach some sort of a happy place and the run actually, (get this) gets easier! And as I rounded out mile 5, a song came on that I have to credit Maggie for (thank you for making me add this to my playlist!!!) "Lose Yourself" by Eminem, specifically hearing the following lyrics, when the chorus played...
"You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go. You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime..."
And as it played and I came up toward the finish, I felt like I was yelling the lyrics (in my head) and I felt my fists pumping and the adrenaline rushing and yes, there I was, getting all teary on the 10k. Because it wasn't about the 10k. It was about the journey. And not just the six-mile one. This whole year. Because are you kidding me??? I'm running a 10k? (The only thing that would have been funnier would've been if the movie that song came from was called "6.2 Mile" instead of "8 Mile". Ha!)
I was lost in that moment and I'll never forget it. This whole year was my moment. And I captured it. I could've let it slip, I could've let another year go by. But I didn't. Thank God I didn't.
I felt so happy and so proud to have run that yesterday and so thankful, really, for the culmination of this whole year, this very long, difficult but so utterly rewarding year of mine that's coming to a close, where I learned that yes, I can lose this babyweight, and yes, I am an athlete under all of this blubber, and yes, I can make my mind up to do something and DO it. And that yes, I can keep going when the going gets tough and when I feel like I can't run another inch, well, yes, I can do that, too. This year was made up of millions of little tiny victories, instead of excuses. I feel like I finally have a defining moment in my history. When I could have defined myself with who I was, instead of who I am.
And there is no way on earth I'd have been able to do it alone. So I am thankful for blogging. And thankful for bloggers, you, those of you who have inspired me day after day, who showed me that results do actually eventually show even when it feels like one lonely pound at a time because you didn't give up. And when you didn't, I didn't. So thank you. Truly.
Sadly, I only have one picture of the whole event. And that's because we grossly underestimated the number of people participating in this run and we had to park a mile away in front of Hector's Market, and had to keep the giant Nikon in the car during the run because neither one of us were going to run with a giant Nikon strapped to the front of them. So here I am. Post-race, in front of Hector's Market. 
Oh, if you just could have seen that four lane road, closed down to runners only. And standing at the top of the hill looking down at the thousands of runners before me, I wish I could show you what that looked like. If only I could show you the picture I took in my head. The sea of heads...
My loss this week was a big whopping zero. But I focused less on weightloss and more on getting healthy for this run, because as of Tuesday, I couldn't run an inch without landing myself in a coughing fit, and by the time I ran on Thursday, I was all clear. So I'll count that as a success.
Tomorrow morning we're celebrating my son's 1ST BIRTHDAY!!! Woohoo!! So I'll be posting the results in late afternoon. Happy Friday!! Thanks again to Angie for hosting this week's prize!
Fat Ticker Friday
Good morning!
Sick of hearing about my sickhouse yet? I am. It hit hubby today. Good times.
But as a result, and unsurprisingly, I have had no change. Yep. Zero. Nada. In a choice to remain at home or go to the gym as a sniffy-sneezy-coughy-achy-stuffyhead-person, I chose home.
It doesn't help that these last few pounds are clinging for dear life and that I need to do more, rather than less.
But the fact that I don't look like this anymore helps me:
This was my Aha! moment.
Lovely.
Things always happen in threes for me. The first evil thing was this picture taken at a birthday party earlier this year. HELLO! That alone should be the wakeup call. I cried when I saw that the fat chick holding the baby was, indeed, ME! That had never been me. How did that become me? Why? Why why why??
The next thing was when a family member said something to me, something about how I once was an athlete, the key word being "was" in the sentence. One of those things where you read way too much into a sentence but the fact that the word "was" was used was intriguing to me. Because at that moment, I wasn't. I was not an athlete at that moment, that much could be said. But the sentence made me think about who I actually am and made me really want to be who I thought I could be again. Make sense? And said family member should know, by the way, that saying this was actually a good thing because it became part of my trifecta of motivation. The third thing was when I did silly little things like parking really far away and gardening, really just in an effort to physically move around more and WHOA! I lost 5 pounds! It was magic! So I guess there were two bad things and 1 good (cup-half-full-girl).
So after all that self-pity and sorrow over who I was and who I had become, and the tears, my God the tears, I flopped onto the couch, opened up the laptop and signed up for the 5k in June. And I ran it 17 pounds lighter. Something was triggered in me, and it started like a lot of things do, with a picture.
Now I am a whole 30 pounds lighter, thanks to the fact that I kept going, and I am proud to say that right now, I AM NOT EMBARRASSED ABOUT MYSELF. I don't cry when I go into the dressing room, I have gotten checked out (in front of my husband!), I wear short-sleeves and tanktops with reckless abandon, I run around and wrestle with my kids, I'm not afraid of meeting new people, I can tell my husband thinks I'm cute (ahem), I probably can't even list the things that have changed since I started because literally, my whole life, outlook, self-image, everything has changed. Everything. Oh yes, and now I can run 5 1/2 miles.
So that was it. My "Aha". What was yours?
I'll be spending the rest of the weekend (again) in degerming and cleansing and trying to get back up to 100% but I have my final 5.5 mile run before the 10k and stay tuned, because some of you asked about keeping this going and I just may have another idea brewing...
Fat Ticker Friday-the internet's down version
UPDATE:
GOD THAT WAS AWFUL! You may as well chop my arms off!! How does one survive without thee internet???
Mmmm. Nonfat Chai. And a little man comfy in his seat eating Goldfish. This is the life.
Anyhoo.. sorry bout that. I tried for hours to get onto the internet last night. Resetting, rebooting, unplugging, and nada. This morning I had hoped my internet had slept it off or whatever internets do at night but nope. Again, nothing. So here I am, blogging at Starbucks.
No, I had no loss this week. But I hadn't really expected one. I worked out like a banshee and ate things like grilled chicken, low-fat enchiladas on wheat tortilla, my Myoplex Lite bars, all of that. But it's the first time I had been to the gym to work out with my normal weight routine in a week or two because I hadn't had a sitter and when I wasn't running, I would do the Wii Fit, which was actually good for a good couple pounds. But this week I mixed it up. I feel the pain in my muscles, I know things are working but my luck I'll see the progress tomorrow or the day after.
So did you read my post from Monday?? About renewing your vows? I have. Yawanna?? I have written my vows, to you, and to the w-w-w and to the rest of the world for these next few weeks. Feel free to steal, tweak, and use for your own purposes. That was this week's project and you can feel free to link up with your own and share!
This week's prize is a lovely white tea called "Snow Geisha" from Teavana and a tea diffuser to-go cup, both of which I have actually given away on my blog before because I just love it so darned much and I know you will too. Good luck in the drawing!! Hope you did wonderfully!! Disregard the below, that was written before said internet connection and via phone.
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Don't know what's wrong, internets been down for hours to much a blogger frustration, I'm stuck with a phone post. No loss no gain for me but that's ok. I think it's cause I lifted lots of weights and hadn't in a while cause I worked out at home (no sitter=wii fit).
how did you do??? hope everyone rocked it this week!! more as soon as soon as I connect at starrbucks!!
Fat Ticker Friday: The Post Election Version
I wish I could vote on how much weight I'd lose each week and how quickly!
But I didn't see that on the ballot.
Instead, I lost one pound. We're back to that phase, one lonely pound at a time. One lonely pound away from the new decade of numbers. S-l-o-w-ly.
So:
Results: One pound
Goal for next week: Actually exercise. Yes, I did not exercise at all because I was all crazy sick this week but now that I am a little better I fully intend on exercising EVERY DAY. In some form.
Also, I left crazy kidcare-tipjar gym! And I found me a wonderland gym. A Christie gym. It has four-wall racquetball, indoor volleyball both of which I LOVVVVE and the kidcare does not have a tipjar anywhere in its vicinity! I can't wait to break it in!!!!!! Bye Bye old decrepit tipjargym!
Boy I'm talking a lot about me today! Sorry!!!! How are YOU? How did YOU DO THIS WEEK? Only a few weeks left!!! Do tell!!
This week's project was a fill in the blank: My life would be better if I had more ________.
Here is mine:
My life would be better if I had more CONFIDENCE.
I have a serious lack of this in my life. I compare myself to everyone and I waste a lot of time wishing when I could be doing. And the thing that stops me from doing what I want is the lack of confidence. I am quietly building it though. Things I would not want to do as my larger self: go to parties, take a group class at the gym, join a mom's group or actually go, work out, try on clothes, see old friends, do anything sociable really. Now that I've worked on things a little bit, I'm confident to try new things, like take a spinning class at the gym, or go to a Christmas party, or join the preemie mom's group I've joined. These are new developments. But I am still the one to sit back and let other people talk, I'm still conscious of the sound of my own voice filling up a room, I am conscious of what I may look like to other people and my self-consciousness has even affected my interactions at my son's school. I'm working to fix this too.
What about you? What would make your life better? It could be anything, by the way.
Happy Friday everyone! What an emotional week it's been, huh??!!! How did you do! Don't forget, today's prize comes to us from Laura at Adventures in Juggling, the book "Living Beauty" by Bobbi Brown. "Living Beauty is about creating a new ideal, a new reality, and a new aspiration for yourself. It's a guide filled with knowledge, secrets, and solutions to make you look and feel great."
Thanks Laura! Oh and HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLAIRANNE!!! (My best friend in Georgia and also an HFHer!!!)
WOOOOOOOOOO-OOOOOOOOOOO! It's a Very Halloweenie Fat Ticker Friday + Peep Show!
Updated with weigh-in:
Weight: my contribution to the pot this week: 1 pound! wooee!
Goal for next week: MORE EXERCISE!
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Apparently I love the fall and everything in it. Like homemade pumpkin spice lattes like I'm drinking right now. And baking things like Apple Crisp, Pumpkin Muffins, Spice Cookies, and making Pumpkin Rice (I just put this up on RecipeZaar it's that good!) and pumpkin-shaped grilled cheeses and monster pizza and today, for Halloween, mummy hot dogs and tombstone sandwiches. Yum! And yes, I've tried some of my creations, but the more decadent ones, only once and only a small serving. I just like tastes of things. I feel like I've been cooking up a storm lately.
The Firefighter
Trick or treaters: The Baseball Player, The Firefighter, and Snow White
And then he had a little too much....
But then his day went horribly wrong... ending very badly when my two-year-old walked into the room. Poor Peep. 
So that's it! Link it up and show me yours!
And how did everyone do this week??? I got some good runs in, (i.e. crazy 5 1/2 mile run that I didn't mean to do but my poor math skills made me do it) and ate pretty well, so I'll be weighing in at 8 a.m. and reporting back after that.
How did you do??!!! Do tell!! Don't forget there's a blog design up for grabs from Designs by Summer (thank you Summer!)
Psst. Did you know...
WE'RE IN THE FINAL COUNTDOWN PEOPLE! STARTING TOMORROW, IT'S NOVEMBER! IT'S THE LAST MONTH, THE LAST FEW WEEKS, OUR LAST HURRAH!!!!!!!!! I'M PUTTING A LOT OF EXCLAMATION MARKS HERE!! AND HERE! AND ANOTHER ONE HERE! BECAUSE THIS IS A BIG DEAL! LET'S GIT ER DONE! LET'S PUMP IT UP! LET'S CHEER EACH OTHER ON TO THE FINISH LINE!!!!!!!
Have a wonderful Happy Halloween! I'll be posting pics of the 2-year-old firefighter and his dalmatian brother riding in the fire engine wagon later on!
Fat Ticker Friday!
Good morning, ladies! It's Show and Tell Friday here for HFH this week! What do you have to share? A recipe? A tip? A favorite DVD workout you wanna tell everyone about? Do share and link it up!
How are we this week?
I'm so glad to be back in the swing of things. This cold is the one that just won't die, or at least it's dying a very slow death. I feel much better today than I have all week which is good, but as far as working out goes, I was lucky to get my butt out of pajamas at all, much less get in my long run and go to the gym. I did run two miles last night and do the Wii Fit for a 1/2 hour when I was starting to feel better. I don't expect much by way of a loss, but I don't expect a gain either, so we'll see what happens. I'll weigh in around 8 a.m. like usual.
Weight: 0 lost, 0 gained. This is a good thing. As much as I've been sick and trying to exercise in between, I am glad that I maintained. I ate healthy and exercised only a little, so I expected this. I'm pretty recovered except for some runnyness, so back to the drawing board!
Goal for next week: 2.5 pounds will send me into the next decade of numbers! Go 130's!!!!!!!!! (Uh oh, I just proclaimed my weight to the world! Oh well...)
How did you do???
For my extra-special show-and-tell, I'm going to feature a potpourri, a buffet, if you will, of information in my proverbial locker.
First, a list of my favorite things necessary for success in my personal weightloss and/or training:
-IPod with playlists for "training" "working out" and "race day".
-A pink Ironman Timex watch (I got on sale at Sports Authority for $30). It does every kind of timing you can think of, plus it's waterproof, sweatproof, and has a nightlight. I use it to count my time between reps and total workout time, along with running times.
-Ironman sunglasses that hug my face outside, Walgreens $7.99
-An affirmation necklace (that I made, http://www.inspiremechic.etsy.com/). Currently wearing: "Running is Cheaper than Therapy". Though I've been known to wear obsessively "Focus" and "Discipline".
-Lipgloss
-Under Armour Dri-Fit teeshirts that I got on sale at Sports Authority also -- amazing!
-When I can't work out the gym for lack of babysitter i.e. this week: Wii Fit!!! and Gilad on FitTv. Have you ever done his workouts? Can you say, "burrrrrn!" All my parts. On fire. Well not all of them.
Favorite low-fat recipes:
-If you hadn't read about this one on my blog, it's this one, the Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffin.
It looks like this and it's DEEE-LISH! I did make a few changes, like using eggbeaters and applesauce instead of oil...
But this is my favorite recipe and it's a slow-cooker recipe, and it's been a favorite in my house for a couple of years now. I call it my "Spanish Chicken". And the recipe is as follows:
-2 cups chicken broth
-1 cup red wine (I've used pretty much any kind and it turns out great
-8 skinless chicken thighs (boneless or not), you can use breasts too, but I find they become pretty dry
-1 onion, sliced
-3 tsp garlic (more or less, up to you! I'm a garlicky kinda gal).
-Spanish seasoning, I use the Cholula original (I used to use the roasted garlic kind but it's MIA at my store and has been for months!)
Directions: Pour the chicken broth and red wine into crockpot. Add sliced onions and garlic. Generously rub chicken with spice on both sides and put into crockpot on top of onions. Cook for 6 hours on low, or 4 hours on high.
Serve over yellow or brown rice with side of black beans. You can add a tiny bit of low-fat sour cream if you like, that's really yummy.
It's got a wonderful combination of protein and carb, it's one of our favorites and if you get ambitious you can even freeze it for later if you want.
By the way, you may notice I added "My Humps" to my blog playlist, I heard it and remembered that was one of my original workout songs when I first started this journey. Is that bad? It's such a guilty pleasure that one...
Thank you!!
And before I go, I'm raising babygoods for a sort of Virtual BabyShower to benefit families who have babies in the NICUs. I was there once and I know what it's like, and since my experience in 2006, I have wanted so badly to help other mommies going through this. If you want to send any baby goods along (read here to find out what's needed), please e-mail me and I'll send you my mailing address! Some of you have already e-mailed me and THANK YOU!! Happy FTF everyone! Hope everyone had a great week!!!
Fat Ticker Friday! The Long-Distance Version (Maddie pix and sponsor stuff below! Scroll! Scroll!)
Good morning from Quantico, VA! We're weighing in this morning in another state and another scale so we'll see how we do! I haven't worked out since Tuesday when I ran 2 miles and did the Wii Fit but if pacing back and forth for 5 hours and walking through airports and up and down stairs and through long, long hospital hallways counts for exercise, then I'll take it. If not, then I'll have to figure something out. I will admit my eating wasn't that great, a couple of Subway sandwiches and a lot of Starbucks and maybe a Big Mac.
But I do hope to get a run or two in in this beautiful scenery here on the Marine base. Oh, can I just tell you how gorgeous this little Marine baby is? She's coming home today!. So I can have her all to myself and hold her and snuggle her as much as possible until I leave on Sunday!
Weigh in: no change
Goal for next week: Get back into the program after a long, long week!
Did you read about this yet? Want some more accountability whilst becoming fitter and healthier? Read all about the fun at MizFit's blog and e-mail her if you want in! (It's all in the link there)... I'm doing it! I could really use the extra help.
So remember our question for this week? About your favorite and least favorite body parts or rather, what you'd like to work on? What are they???
What I aspire to, as I mentioned Monday, is a toned shoulder and tricepy arm. I don't know whence I became pseudo-obsessed with this, but I love looking at other people's pretty arms. I love that muscle that comes down from your shoulder and forms a pretty teardrop shape when it meets the tricep. I'm a complete dork, but I so want that. I have been working my triceps on the Wii Fit and in the gym, along with adding a couple other shoulder machines to the mix to get that cute little muscle working. And I'm starting to see some lines! Not quite and totally, but there's a glimmer of hope there! That's my special project.
When I was, how do you say, post-partum-ginormous, there were two things I could count on that would always make me feel good about myself. My feet and my hair. My hair was long, and flowy and the vitamins made it fluffy and shiny. I loved that. Now, it's falling out because that's what happens at one point after the baby, but I fit my jeans, so there's always a tradeoff. It's not so bad if I use some leave-in conditioner. And why feet? Because I love shoes. I remember after the first baby, I went out to buy clothes. Regular clothes. Because I was sick of maternity. But I wasn't prepared for the shock of what size I would actually be after the baby. Everything had shifted, I still had a lot of water, and it was a dressing room disaster. The sweating, the squeezing, the panting, the nothing-fitting, the eventual crying. I came back with a cute, expensive pair of Steve Maddens (my favorite brand of shoe) and my husband got mad at me. I thought you were shopping for clothes! Where are the clothes? Shoes?!? To which of course, I broke down and yelled and sobbed about my mortifyingly horrible shopping experience and the fact that I deserved shoes since clothes didn't fit. But shoes always did. So I may not have had some clothes that fit, but I sure did have hot shoes. He felt bad after that, by the way.
So those are my stories. What I'm working on and what's my faves. What's yours?
How did we do this week?? Let's hear all about it! Link it up! Happy FTF! Don't forget -- this week's prize is a $20 gift card from Running Free!
Fat Ticker Friday
I'm finishing out this week with a big heaping frothy cup of optimism (with skim milk, of course.)
It was actually tough to get my workouts in this week because of rainouts and scheduling, but I think I may have eeked out a loss this week after last week's big 2 pounder gain. (I'll weigh in around 8 and report back).
Weightloss: 4.8 POUNDS! WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! WEEEE! So that means that wretched two from last week that I gained, plus another 2.8. Weeeeee! Can you tell I'm happy?? I didn't do anything differently either. I worked out the same (maybe even a little less because our schedules were so whack) and I ate the same plus added a lot of spinach that I had been craving. And nope, not for any reason!
Goal for next week: Eat well, get all my runs in (tomorrow is my sister's due date and I have a feeling the week will be spent hopping on a plane to be with her and trying to run on the Marine base where she lives in between. I can't wait to meet you, Maddie!)
Sunday was supposed to be my long run, but I got about 2 1/2 miles in and had to abort because of the looming clouds. I hauled back to the car, drove home and bam. Lightning, thunder, torrential downpour, and I just made it. And it was a MONSOON for hours, so had I been stuck, I'd have really been stuck. Lucky lucky! Anyway, Monday softball canceled for rain, and Thursday run moved to Friday, so my tally is as follows:
Sunday, 2 1/2 mile run + 55 mins Wii Fit. Monday, gym (legs) 20 mins Wii fit. Tuesday 30 mins Wii Fit (what would I do without this thing!) Wednesday, gym: 2 mile run, arms chest and back. Thursday nada -- went to my mom's, and Friday: 3 mile run. I will have to do legs on Saturday to make up for Thursday.
This week's question was about inspiration. It was about keeping our eyes peeled and spotting it, somewhere, anywhere. Where did you find it this week?
I found it at the gym (surprise surprise!). The interesting thing about when I go is the eccentric crowd. I can only go right around 1 in the afternoon because that's when my mother-in-law comes over to watch the kids. Turns out, that's also the same time the 70 and older crowd congregates. There is the little woman who wears her purple shirt, black shorts and purple tights and brings her rolling suitcase, the man who always comes over to me and says the same thing, "You should be wearing gloves when you work out! You don't want to ruin those hands when you get a fellow to hold hands with!" And the man who comes in bringing his friends donuts. Which always makes me laugh. They are all really sweet and cute and they all know each other. (The only thing I don't like is that sometimes one or two of them can be a little antsy -- they'll sit on a machine facing me and wait -and wait- and wait for me to get off the one they want. But in their defense, the gym changed the setup so that some of my equipment is now in the "circuit" section and there is no duplicate anywhere else so I take a long time on some of the machines. But that's neither here nor there. I just get stressed sometimes when I know someone's waiting.)
Anyway, what inspires me? It inspires me when I see a woman in her 70's doing bicep curls. Or a man pushing 80 doing pullups. Or 20 minutes of crunches. This whole group that I see each week are all lean and fit and I am sure that it's because they've been doing this about twice the amount of time in life than I have. And they have a lot to show for it. For one, they're old. And why is that? What's their secret? (besides an active social life at the gym...) They stuck with it. Through thick and thin, there they are getting their workouts in and probably have for years and years and years. Talk about consistency...
So that's what I've learned this week. I would love to be the one who's 150 still pumping iron at the gym. But here's the catch: I have to do it now to ensure that I'll live to 150. See? I get out of it what I put into it. Or at least that's how it's supposed to work, barring any tragedies or unforseen circumstances.
So let's linky link! How did you do this week???? What inspired you???? Good luck to everyone! And one random winner will be spending $30 bucks in a Barnes and Noble, how sweet is that!? Thanks to Danielle at Alberts Family for sponsoring this week's prize! Make sure you head on over there for some HFH love!
