I'm sorry!!!

Okay, I made a video.  YES! I know!  And to top it off, I come across as if I'm a squirrel... on speed. No really.  I do.  But I wanted to do it to make sure you guys know that I'm serious about being sorry that I haven't been around.

I have so much more respect for vloggers now.

Day 117 - PhillyD and Project Lose an Olsen Twin

Phillip DeFranco has a new project.   For those who don't know who Philly D is, he's a celeb on YouTube.  That's a picture of him with his girlfriend on the right.  I know what you are thinking, "How did he get a girlfriend like that?!"  I think it's the being funny thing.  Works every time.  Anyway!  I always watch his videos because they make me laugh.  Of course, I could find it funny because I'm warped and a little demented.  Now you are probably thinking, "Gee, that's great.  Get to the point."   Well, okay!  Geez.  Patience is a virtue. ;)

His new project is a weight loss project entitled "Project Lose an Olsen Twin."  First of all, I find that really funny because really - an Olsen twin weighs MUCH less than most of us need to lose. I mean, I can lose 2 or even 3 Olsen twins I think.

I went off topic again.  POINT IS!  He mentioned his weight... and it was close to mine.  And he's freakin' 6'0"!!!!!  I'm...... ummmm.... not that tall.

Has that ever happened to you guys?  Someone mentions their weight, and you think "Oh my god... that's how much I weigh.  And he's tall/muscular/professional athlete."  CASE IN POINT!  I looked up some athletes. Ones that weigh close to me.  We have Jeremy Hoornstra, a freakin' power lifter.

Or how about, Adrian Peterson, a running back for the Vikings,  who last year wanted to get up to 230 pounds.  (At 6'1".)  Not only that but the coach said "Well, you know what, 230 is awful big." Yeah.  Thanks. BUT IT GETS WORSE!  One of the comments to the story was "230 lbs sounds like Al Roker in cleats."  *starts sobbing*  Really???  REALLY?!

Don't get me wrong... I don't want to be 100 pounds at 5'4".  I want to be healthy and beautiful.  When I went to look for examples of celebrities that didn't look anorexic, sadly, I didn't find huge numbers of choices.  Although, here are a couple of women whom I completely admire for their intelligence, abilities, and accomplishments.  And they just happen to be absolutely beautiful.

 

Drew Barrymore - This woman has overcome a lot to become the woman she is today.  She's enormously talented and driven.  She isn't a cookie cutter, anorexic looking actress.  She, like the rest of us, has fluctuated in her weight, but if I may say - at any weight, she is lovely.

Kate Winslet - I adore Kate Winslet.  I think she is a spectacular actress.  Again, hugely talented and accomplished.  She has been very outspoken about the fact that she is a real woman with real curves.  In fact, she has threatened to sue tabloids who have said she is seeing a diet doctor.  In a People article addressing the situation, she has said,

"I will continue to say what I feel about this issue of women being thin and emaciated. It's just out of control," she said Sunday. "I know I'm a role model to young women. It's a role that I take very, very seriously and I would never want anyone to ever think I was a hypocrite in doing something like going to a diet doctor, for goodness sake. I mean, it's really, really ridiculous." 

In 2005, Winslet told PEOPLE for the annual Most Beautiful issue, "I know that I have a real woman's figure.  It's nice that it's acknowledge and appreciated  that I don't conform.  I don't starve myself."

Kate, you are absolutely stunning.  I wish I could look a tenth of how beautiful you are. (Yes, I'm speaking as if Kate Winslet is actually reading this. It's my dream world! Don't mess with my dream!)


Hmmmm.... did I just get up on my soap box??  I think I did.

I'm sorry.  *steps down*

My point is - - I really don't want to weigh the same as a running back or a weight lifter.  I would prefer to be healthy and beautiful.   I'll get there.  Really. I will. :)

Day 115 - LHA Weigh In - and Holy Cow I'm Alive!

Today was weigh-in day for LHA.  And thank goodness!!!  I maintained these last couple of weeks.  And let me tell you, it is a miracle!  We are talking 1980's Olympic Hockey Team level of miracle.
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Alright... I might be overstating the miracle nature of things.

But the fact of the matter is that it really is astonishing that I haven't gained weight over the last couple of weeks.  My exercise has been limited to dog walking.  Eating... do I have to admit this?  Really?  Okay.  I ate fast food.  I ate from In-N-Out even.  The land of One-Meal-Can-Have-Enough-Calories-For-the-Whole-Week.  It's true. And sleep... wait... what's sleep again?  I have only a vague recollection of it.... hmmmm....... sounds good though.

In my defense:  I was writing a proposal for to fund a project I hope to do.  Talk about stress.  This was the first proposal where I was the principal investigator - the one in charge. YIKES!  But I got it done and it is in for review.  Cross your fingers everyone and put good vibes out there for me okay? I'd like to have a job past this year. :)

Writing that thing was stressful and time consuming.  In short... HORRIBLE!!  I didn't want to cook or exercise or anything.   But it's done ... but the next proposal is looming.

Despite all of that, I did take my dog on a long walk yesterday, which he enjoyed thoroughly.  Tonight, I played softball.  I feel like I'm on a roll here.

I hope that everyone had a great couple of weeks and that things are going swimmingly!  Happy Wednesday everyone!


Picture from http://tponz.files.wordpress.com

Day 98??? - Losing track of days

Have you ever had one of those days????  You know those days... the ones where you have strawberries and whipped cream.... only without the strawberries.  And you don't exactly put the whipped cream in a bowl.  In fact, you kind of just... well, squirt it right in your mouth??

Okay.  That has been my week.  My proposal is due on Friday.  So the next couple days I will remain MIA.  Sorry about that.  My current stress level: 10 fingernails sans nail polish, followed by one nail that is considerable shorter now, 9 more fingernails that are scared s**tless that they will have the same fate.  This followed by dinner at In-N-Out.  YES!!!  I SAID IT!!

I had dinner at In-N-Out!!!!!!  I'm horrible.  I'm a horrible, horrible person.

I will be back to my usual self (hopefully) Friday... maybe Saturday... well.... maybe Sunday depending on how much time I need to recoup. ha ha

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

July 4 - Reading the Declaration

I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm in the middle of proposal h-e-double hockey sticks.  But I wanted to share one small little thing.

Okay.  For me, a big thing.

Every fourth of July, I sit down and read the Declaration of Independence.  I won't bore you with my interpretation or my thoughts/feelings on the matter.  I just felt like I should share this with my friends here.  While over the last 200+ years, we have, at times, convoluted our rights and liberties to a point that is, sometimes, scary, reading it reminds me of where we came from and what we were about.  At least back in 1776.

That... and it is some spectacular writing.
From USHistory.org

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

Day 87 - One more thing to add to my 'Do No Eat' list

And what might that be Jules??  You ask.

Well, good reader, let me tell you which food is added to my "Do Not Eat Because You Obviously Can't Control Yourself and Eat It Until You Have To Lie on the Couch and Wish for a Stomach Transplant" List...

PUGLIESE BREAD!!

That's right ladies and gentlemen.  I made the mistake of picking up another loaf because I had TONS of that pesto  left over.  *chirp chirp*  Ummm.... Okay, I had some tomato pesto left over.  And I'm here to tell you...

IT'S THE DEVIL!!! RUN!!! RUN FAR, FAR AWAY!!!  SAVE YOURSELVES!!!

Where's Dean and Sam when you need them?  (Supernatural fans will get that one.)

So I tried to get rid of it.
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No really.

I tried to throw it away. 

But it came back.

 

So I stabbed it. 

It didn't work. So I stabbed it a few more times.

Finally, I figured blunt force trauma would do the trick.



 



 

I won.

Day 86 - I have a confession to make.

This week was a good weigh in.  It made me very happy.  Except....  see....  Yesterday, I decided to make the tomato pesto that I love.  And put it on bread.  So I had some.

Okay.

Maybe I had a lot.

AHEM!!

I might as well be completely upfront here.  I started with a loaf of pugliese bread. And this is what was left:

*sigh*  Yes...  I ate almost all of it.

I promise that I will not do that the rest of the week. Ummmmmm.... I promise I will try to not to do that the rest of the week. :)

On the kitty cat front...  Her numbers weren't great when we checked yesterday morning.  I got to keep her home but last night was tough.  It was my first time doing subcutaneous fluids on her.  She did really well, just laying there while I did it.  But man!  Talk about stressful and nerve racking!  (Is that redundant?) I've given animals shots before, but this is different.  1) The needle is HUGE. 2) You have an IV back pumping fluid in.  It makes this pocket of fluid.  ICK. But we go through it.  Seriously though... it was hard to get through. Between that and her meds... it was a tough night.  I'm taking her back to check her numbers tomorrow.  I'll keep you posted.

But it's the weekend so YAY!!!  I have no idea what my plans are.  Anyone have any good ideas??

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Day 84 - LHA Weigh In Day

Today was weigh in day for My Long Hot Active Summer.  

This week's loss: 2.7 pounds!!

WOO HOO!!  *does a little happy dance*

IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!

Ha ha ha.  But really.  I haven't had really great numbers recently. So I'm pretty happy about that 2.7 pounds.  I didn't get as much exercise in as I wanted. But that's about to change.

See... I mentioned before that I had medical stuff going on.  Well, I had started a medication.  And it made me hurt all over.  Muscles that I didn't even know I had ached.  It made my heart pound and all sorts of crap.  NOT to mention, it shot my triglycerides through the roof.  My last blood test had it at over 300!  

So this week, not only was I off the medication, but I had to cut sugar out of my diet.  I even cut it out of my coffee!  HOLY BEJEEZIES!   I WHAT?!?!  Yes, that's right.  I cut it out of my coffee.  It was a harry situation.  Really, I was on the verge of hari kari.  But if it dropped my triglycerides by 170 points? I'll deal. :)

So that is now one of my goals.  Over at LHA, we came up with 4 booster goals to keep. Mine are:

1. To keep the refined sugar out of my diet.  Only in my coffee.  

2.  Get some form of exercise at least 5 days a week.

3.  Make sure I get my daily water requirements EVERY DAY.

4.  Learn to cook 3 healthy meals.  (Anyone have any?!?!?!)

So what are yours?  Have an awesome day!

P.S.  I put the picture on here because 1) I think it looks cool and 2) you can almost see the movement in the body in this painting.  And that's what I need to be doing.  Moving my body.  Later taters!

Day 83 - I've got a theory.... it could be bunnies!

Buffy must have beaten back the evil of the Hellmouth for now.  I've had a decent day. Yay me!  Enough for me to do the Numfar Dance of Joy.   (Yes, the Dance of Joy entails patting yourself on the head.)

I had to stay up last night ... or rather stay up all night... to work on a proposal.  It's not fun.  But if I want to have a job next year, it must be done!  I sent it off to my boss this morning, bright and early. So automatically, I feel like I've gotten things accomplished today.  That's enough to make ya happy.

I took Izzy, my kitty, back to the vet, trying to recoup her numbers.  But she's acting a little pep-ier.  So I'm taking that as a relatively good sign.

And seeing as how I hadn't really slept... at all... I went home.  I really did intend to get some work done. .....
Hey.
What are you laughing about?
I WAS!
But the pillow beside me.  Right there.  Tempting me.  Taunting me.  Begging me to lie my head down just for a second.  One little second.
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Approximately 4 hours later....
I know.
So after a trip to Starbucks (sugar-free I might add), Target, and the vet's, I'm chilling out at home.

Remember the video I posted on my blog a few days ago from the Shaytards?  Well, I was watching his video today and he brought up a point that I think we should definitely think about.  Now, Shay had made a goal to do 100 miles on the treadmill before the end of the month.  But he fell behind because, well, life does get in the way.  Spending hours upon hours on exercise is hard on the lifestyle, family time, and well, just your mental attitude.  So he adapted his goal to doing 3.5 miles on the treadmill every day until the end of the month.

This is what I want to discuss.  So many times, we have a certain goal.  For some reason, be it loss of time for yourself, your family, your work, or just getting burnt out, we can't achieve our short term goals.  And I think that's okay! It's better to adapt your goals to something that you feel is more realistic than to get to the burned out stage and quit completely.

But we have this almost obsession with achieving goals, and when we don't, we want to just quit.  But it's important for us, and that includes me, to realize that we aren't Wonder Woman.  (Or Super Man for the guys.  Although, Wonder Woman could SO kick Super Man's butt. DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!  Plus she had those really cool bracelets.)  And we will have times that we will need to alter our plan to suit our goals and our lives.

I'm probably preaching to the choir, but I felt that I should remind myself of this fact too.

Hope everyone is having a great day!  Tomorrow: weigh in!

Day 82 - I think I live on the Hellmouth...

Maybe it's the fact that I have been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer lately... a lot lately... but I think I may live on the Hellmouth.  I need a Scooby Gang.  And some stakes.... and some eye of newt...  whatever they used.  I'm a chemist... and as Willow said "Chemistry is a lot like witchcraft.  Only less newt."  (And for those people freaking out right now, no, I am not a witch. It's a show. ;)

ANYWAY, things have been going... that's about it.  The problem is, my cat has gotten really sick.   I know, it really seems weird that I get so upset about my cat.  She's almost 19 and bound to get sick, but my dog and cat have been more supportive to me than most people.  

I had to take her to the emergency vet Saturday night.  I haven't slept much, or exercised much. But I haven't overeaten, which is a sure sign that I'm overly stressed.  Because if I'm not hungry??  That's a big ol' OH NO!  Usually, I'm thinking, "Where are the chips and salsa??  Oh and the cookies! Need cookies!" ha ha ha  But for now, my kitty is doing okay.  

But in the progress department, I'm eating healthy and not speeding over to McDonald's and ordering a large sized meal. See????  PROGRESS!! :)  *does a little happy dance*

So cross your fingers that Buffy gets here and shuts down the evil Hellmouth that I'm living on! :)

Oh, and here's a picture of my doggie and kitty chilling on my their bed.

Day 78 - LHA Update and Odds and Ends

Hi everyone!! As you all know, I'm doing the Long Hot Active Summer challenge. Because I'm crazy. And stupid. Just kidding. It's actually pretty cool in my opinion! And this week, I thought I did pretty dang well! 420 minutes of exercise. WOO HOO! 

You know how you have this good feeling about where you are. You don't give the scale the evil eye because you have a feeling it will be a good number. And then....... I stepped on the damn scale.

1/2 a pound?!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! *insert lots of cussing here*

But it is half a pound.  I have to stay positive. I do think that there might be something going on medically that might be screwing things up. I'll keep you posted.

Now, I don't know how many of you are as addicted to YouTube as I am. But there's one family who vlogs on YouTube that I find funny and completely adorable. That would be ShayCarl (also known as Shaytard) and his family. They go by Shaytard, Mommytard, Sontard, Princesstard, Babytard, and now have a little baby (name still up in the air as either Rocktard or Brothertard). Shay is starting back on his fitness/diet routine. I thought I would include his video on my blog because a) he's really funny and b) I think we can all relate! (Direct Link: ShayCarl and his treadmill)

Day 76 - Note to the unwise (ME)... aka The Work Shoes from Hell

Hello all!!  First, I feel I should mention that for the next few weeks, I will be blogging a bit more sporadically.  See... there's this pesky proposal thing.  It's how I get my salary. And since I don't want to be jobless... and therefore homeless... I have to write these proposals.  I hate that part of my job. I really do.

That being said.  Today, I decided to go for a walk with a couple of my coworkers.  I hadn't planned on it.  I didn't even have clothes or shoes to change into.  But hey - my shoes are okay to walk in. Or. So. I. Thought.

I had on my work shoes. The ones I wear when I'm in the lab.  You would think "Oh, well, they are broken in.  I'll be okay."  But after mile 1????

HOLY MOTHER*BLEEP*IN' OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!


Yeah.  I'm in pain right now.  But hey - I did the full 3 1/2 - 4 miles.  Yay me.  And by the way, they get heavier as you go. By the time I got to the end, it felt like these shoes had become two toddlers that had latched onto my legs and I was dragging them, dead weight and all, down the road.  I'll put it to you this way... on the last little bit, I tripped on those little reflector things that are glued to the road.  Yup.  And those things are maybe an inch off the ground. I'm just graceful like that.

Tomorrow: weigh in day for LHA.  See you guys then! Byeeeeeee!


And just because I found this really funny and wanted to make you laugh:

Day 69 - Taking a moment from science writing...

Thank goodness! Have I mentioned how much I hate to write science publications???  If not, let's just say that I'd rather jab my very sharp, very pointy, mechanical pencil in my eye than to write a science paper or proposal.  I'll let that image sink in for a second.
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Now that I have that out of the way...

I read an article today that really kind of annoyed me:  Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat?  Now, I get their point that a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat.  A pound is a pound is a pound.  But what annoyed me is that Laura Stusek, fitness coordinator for Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah,  made it seem that we say this as an excuse for our scales going up instead of down.

The fact is, the same amount of volume of muscle is going to weigh more than the same volume of fat.  In other words, if you lose a volume of fat, and gain the same volume of muscle, you are going to weight more.  Period. End of story.  I don't use the saying as an excuse, and I don't think that other people do either.

However, I think that the point of the article is that we shouldn't be scared of gaining muscle because the scale might go up.  The fact of the matter is, having more muscle means you burn more calories.  And that means less fat.  And that, is a fantastic thing.  It means, more energy, more fat burning, more everything really.  So don't be afraid to pick up those weights!

She also makes the point that you should look at how you are feeling, and how your clothes are fitting, and I totally agree.  Absolutely.  And I think her major issue was that because we are scale obsessed, we are scared that adding muscle is going to make the scale go up.

And besides, if the hamster can do it, I guess we can too. :)
So there's my two cents for the day. Have a fun Monday!

Day 57 - New workouts! Guaranteed to train you to seduce your man, or beat him up!

I came across this article about workouts that are different and work your body in different ways.  I had to comment on it because it has one of my absolute favorites in the list! :)  In this blog entry, I'm giving my opinion of these workouts, but for all of the information, read the full article HERE.

1)  Sports Drills - Ever want the body of Gabi Reese? Maybe Anna Kournikova? This drills are designed to improve your skill in certain sports.  While they are generally for certain athletes, some gyms offer classes or training for individuals who just want a different workout.

2) Boxing - I love boxing.  Not only do you learn how to kick some as.... ummm.. butt, you get a great workout.  Trust me, when you do 2-minute rounds of bob-and-weave/hook combos, the next day your abs will be hating loving you.  Really. :) 

3) Boot Camp - Some of you may have already tried this workout.  I have to say I haven't done this. Not since I was in Air Force ROTC in college. And that was about *cough* *mumbled number* years ago.  But I will say this, if it is anything like actual military boot camp?? It's a really awesome workout.

4)  Kettlebell Lifting - I'm going to be honest.  I have never tried kettlebells.  The closest I have gotten to them is watching the contestants on The Biggest Loser sweating and groaning with them.  Maybe my problem is from watching Jillian kill them... hmmmmmm.... *rubs chin*

5) KRAV MAGA - Can you tell which is my favorite??  In fact, I had to put a different picture on here because the one in the article was kind of wimpy.  (I got this picture from an article at chicagonow.com.  Krav is a great, and addictive, workout.  It is the Israeli form of self-defense/fighting.  And let me just tell you - - after a tough day at work? It's therapeutic to go to a class and punch, hit, kick, etc. on a bag.  And women, don't worry, the techniques were specifically formed to be applicable for both men and women.  I have to say it is very satisfying to be paired up with the new guy who says "I don't want to hurt you," which would then be proceeded by you kicking their tooshes.  *insert evil grin here* Moving on!

6)  Muay Thai Kickboxing - Again, a really great workout.  It is similar to Krav in that it is physically intense, uses muscles you didn't know you had, and trains you to be mentally prepared.  I have taken classes in this as well, and it is really incredible.  One thing I can add,  in most martial arts classes, you are using what has been called "bursting energy."  Meaning you go from 0 to 100 in one second.  You will go at very high intensity for a short time, and then have a period of rest.  In fact, since this kind of workout is so different than endurance training, marathon runners and other endurance athletes have a hard time with it.  Makes me feel good actually. :)

7)  Fusion Dance - Okay, I have never tried this, but it seems incredibly cool.  To me, the name 'fusion dance' seemed like a new weird type of dancing that I didn't think I would be into.  However!! I was proved wrong.  What it means is that they have fused several dance styles into one class.  In a class, you may learn to salsa, or waltz, or do ballet, etc. Sounds pretty cool huh? And if you ever become famous and make it to Dancing with the Stars, you will already have a leg up.

8)  Bikram Yoga - For more information, see the article.  I am already wanting to get into yoga to increase my core strength and flexibility.  But adding heat is supposed to increase circulation and help your joints.  Like I said, I don't know anything about it, so I'll refrain from giving judgement.

9)  Belly Dancing - Okay, this just seems really cool and/or fun.  I looks like you would work your abs a TON.  Even those pesky lateral abs.  And hey -- if you want to practice in front of the hubby/fiance/boyfriend?  I'm sure they won't mind. *insert evil laugh here*

10) Exotic Dancing - Now, let's make sure that we have this clear.  They are suggesting pole dancing classes.  Not going out and pole dancing at a bar.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  Just sayin'.  But man, have you ever seen what those women can do with a pole?? Holy crap.  I'd kill myself.  But it seems incredibly cool.  And again - I'm sure that the man in your life might allow you to practice for him.  Just don't let him install a pole in the bedroom.  It won't match the bedding.  (Maybe.  Although I haven't seen your bedding. I'm just making a guess.)

So there ya go!  If you guys try any of these, and love... or loathe... them, let me know!  What do you guys think?  Are you going to try any of these?

Day 56 - I'm back! And does it really take 21 days to change a habit???

I am finally feeling fairly good.  So I'm hoping I'm back to normal. *knock knock*  Unfortunately, it wasn't a flu type of sick so the scale wasn't great.  BUT -- I did lose 1.4 pounds.  Not too bad considering I couldn't exercise and my eating wasn't on point.

Can we talk about something??  You know how people say that it takes 21 days to form a habit? Is that really true?  I came across an article about this titled How Long to Form a Habit? (Appropriately titled don't you think?)  I haven't fact checked the article, but did you know that the 21 days comes from a surgeon that noticed that it took amputees 21 days to get used to having lost a limb.  (I don't know to what extent.  I mean, who gets 100% over losing a limb??)

They tested different habits and noticed that there was variation.  It could take between 18 and 254 days to form a habit.  Because lets face it, forming a habit to drink water will take much less time than to form a habit to run 10 miles a day. (I think the 10 miles a day would take me approximately 2656 days. Just sayin'.) 

My other question is:  What happens if you have an off day? Or .. ummmm... several off days.  Like I might have had the last few days?  Okay...  last week or two?  Does that mean that my good habits are broken now?  I'm hoping not, but I have a history of sliding back to bad habits once my good habits are broken. 

Case in point: When I was slightly younger... several years younger..... OKAY!  Lots and lots younger, I was a gymnast.  I wanted to get better so my trainers have me several exercises to do every day.  Nothing really big.  Push-ups, sit-ups, etc.  And I did them religiously.  I even kept a journal of my exercises.  And then, one day, I thought, "You know, I've been doing these for a while.  And I'm tired tonight.  One night off isn't going to kill me."  And thus ended my nightly exercises.

One point that eases my mind somewhat, according to the above article?  I'm in the clear.  One missed day won't cause you to fall off the wagon.  WOO HOO!  So I guess the lesson is, KEEP ON TRUCKIN'!!

P.S.  Contrary to my overactive imagination may tell you, I never looked like that picture when I was a gymnast.

(Image 1 from http://www.bettaplan.com/)
(Image 2 from http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2008/05/09/f-olympics-gymbeam-essentials.html) 

Day 47 - Being sick sure puts a damper on blogging!

Hey blog buddies!  First of all, let me apologize for the absence on my blog.  I got really, really sick this last week+.  So I apologize for my lack of posting.

Now, for my LHA - I had only lost 1 pound, but since I actually hadn't been able to exercise like I should, it doesn't really surprise me.  We'll see about this week, although, I'm expecting another iffy number.  Cross your fingers!  I can't wait to get back on target!

I'm going to wrap this up for now.  But I wanted to touch base with everyone and let you guys know that I am, in fact, still here. :)  Ta ta for now!

Day 38 - How did that work exactly...

I'm going to admit, I didn't do any exercise yesterday.  What can I say?  It was a crazy busy day and I didn't get done until late last night. (I'm not excusing it in anyway - I was just a slacker.)

So it was a lazy kind of day.  Then I got ready for bed.  You know.... wash the face, brush and floss the teeth, put on the jammies, and curl up in bed.  All nice and snuggly and non-move-y.  

And then... I woke up this morning.

Now I ask you.  How the hell does one pull a muscle during the night?  When one is asleep?!  Seriously guys.  I pulled a butt/hip muscle in my sleep.  How does that work exactly??  But it actually feels better when moving around so no ixnay on the xerciseeay. But it begs the question - how can one pull a muscle when one isn't moving.  

HEY!! Maybe I was sleep-exercising!  Can I put down an hour on my LHA challenge?? :D

No?  Damnit.  Okay.

Have a good weekend guys!

Day 36 - 3...2...1... PAIN

I did my cardio on my freshly fixed elliptical. WOO HOO!!

For those who don't know, I have an elliptical with an adjustable stride length.  It had been stuck on the 13" stride length which works your quads more.  But tonight... tonight, I got to use the 18" stride length.  Oh! It felt so good.  Kind of.  Except that the muscles in my legs weren't happy.  I think the conversation went something like this:

Legs: Oh.  Wait a minute.  Ow. OW. OW!!!!  What the hell?
Me: It's called the elliptical.  It's good for you.  Trust me.
Legs: Trust you my a$$.  Literally.
Me: No really.  You'll thank me for it someday.
Legs: Did your parents say that to you? Did you believe them when they said it?
Me:  Hmmmm.  You have a point.
Legs: Damn straight! Now get off this damn thing!
Me:  Nope.  See, I'm doing this challenge.
Legs:  Challenge?  What the hell kind of challenge?  And why did you involve me??
Me: First of all, do you really have to curse?  Second, the challenge requires me to exercise.  So you'll just have to suck it up.
Legs: First, hell yes I have to curse!  Wait!!! Don't turn up the resistance!  Are you trying to kill me?? And second, who's idea was it to do the challenge?
Me: Hey - if you want to blame someone, blame Lisa and Christine.  They started it!
Legs:  As soon as we can walk without feeling like Jello, we will!  You can bet on it!

And then, I went on to do about 40 minutes of cardio. My legs still hate me.  I think I'll just have to apologize in the morning when they are speaking to me again.

Wait.  Am I really talking about talking to my legs?  I need some sleep.

Day 35 - My Long Hot Active Summer Challenge

Okay, since I have to (yes, they are making me) post pictures, I am putting a break in this post.  So if you actually click "See More" then you can't blame me for your eyes burning out of their sockets!

Day 33 - Exercise and me. A story of ellipticals, yoga, and getting stuck in uncomfortable positions.

First of all...  my elliptical is fixed!!!  Woo hoo!!!  *does a happy dance*  Today, one day shy of 5 months, I finally have my elliptical working properly.  My thighs, which took a beating when it was still broken, are excessively happy and relieved.

That being said, this last week and a half, when my elliptical was fully non-functional, I pulled out my yoga DVDs.  I do like yoga. I hope it will help me regain the flexibility of my youth.  And lord knows that I need to have the practice at being peaceful and centered. :)  So with this in mind, I grabbed my mat, my blocks, and popped in my Rodney Yee DVD.  I was full of optimism as I started.  But that quickly dwindled in the first few minutes.  Let me just say, that I'm sure I'm more flexible than I seem.  It's just that... well.... it's just that my flub sometimes gets in the way!  And while I wished I looked like:

I'm afraid I rather looked like: 

That being said, I really am going to add yoga to my exercise.  If I was questioning it, I came across this article today.    Yoga and Weight Loss  Talk about some perfect timing!  So the great thing is, not only am I limbering up so I don't pull anything while exercising (although I doubt I will ever be able to do the lotus position or put my leg behind my head), but it will also help me not eat as much.  BONUS!

Speaking of exercising....

I just wanted to remind people - My Long Hot Active Summer Challenge is starting on the 5th.  If you haven't signed up, you really should.  And if not, you can just cheer me on. :)

Hope everyone has had a good weekend and has a great week ahead of them!

Day 27 - Feeling the need to tell a funny story

Okay, so it may just be funny to me alone.  But I think that sh**s and giggles, I should share it with you guys. :)

Several years ago, I'd say in 2002 or 2003, I went to a conference in New Orleans for my work.  It was tough to be in such a great city.  Really.  Okay... truthfully?  Let's just say that I didn't actually see a lot of the conference. What can I say?? I was in New Orleans. I'm a history buff. And it's a beautiful city!  But anyway, one of the days we were there, a group of us went on a haunted tour. It was a lot of fun - full of haunted places and historical facts.  We had a great time.  One of the places we went was a bar called "The Morgue", which used to be the morgue in New Orleans.  (Photo acknowledgement: http://jaybarrymore.com/NewOrleans.aspx)  We decided on the spot that we were going back there that night.  Unfortunately, I have found out that it closed not that long after.  And I was really sad to hear about that!

The five of us were walking down Bourbon street on our way to St. Philip street where the bar was located, arguing about which street we were supposed to turn down. (And for the record, Lynda and I were right. ha ha)  As we are walking, this lady, and I use the term loosely, approaches us.  "Where y'all goin'?"  Us: "The Morgue" Lady: "Well, come on. I'll show ya." And by the way, I'm from the south. I have an accent, so I'm not making fun of it.

Now at this point, we are all thinking "Okay, I'll give her a couple of bucks for showing us where it is."  So here's this tiny, tiny woman in her fatigue pants and t-shirt leading us down the street.  Then she's telling us how she works at a Voo Doo store.  Then she pulls out the "D'y'all get your readin's yet?"  Us: "Umm.. Rachel and Julie did."  (Rachel and I wanted to be able to say we had our readings done in the square.  And we joked afterwards that they all say the same thing. )   She pulls out this ratty tarot cards, so old and tattered, you couldn't even tell what they said.  She's tossing these cards out and she's talking so fast, I don't even know to this day what she said.  All I heard was that Rachel was fertile and Lynda was coming into money.

Then....... she tells us how much to pay her.  I honestly can't remember how much, but it was more than we were planning.  And we give it to her!!!!!!!   We get to the bar... we get our drinks.... and we're really quiet. We're all just sitting there, not talking.  And then we start looking at each other and say "Did we give her money???  We gave her money!!  We got screwed and didn't get to enjoy it!!  SHE PUT A VOO DOO CURSE ON US!"  So about a quarter down into my drink, I was feeling pretty good.  It was called "Embalming Fluid" and was served in a huge cup.  Rachel and I were getting happy and we decide we are going to get some of our money back.  And we decide to go on Bourbon street and tell people we are there for a palm readers conference.  After all .... they all say the same thing anyway!

Did we get our money back?? Yes and no.  Actually money? No. Getting our drinks paid for the rest of the night? Yes.

Here's how it would usually start:
"You've been really hurt in your past..... and you've built a wall.... but you're going to meet someone and you are going to want to take that wall down.... "blah blah blah.

Which is usually followed by:
"Wow!  How do you know that?!"  Usually said in an awe-filled voice.

People would come up to me and say "Your friend is really good.  She knew so much about me!" Me: "Yeah, she's been doing this for a long time."

Am I a bad person???  It may have been bad... but I have an excuse!!  We were drunk. And you do stupid things when you are drunk.  At least I didn't do something stupid like take a guy back to my hotel room.  Wait.........  is that a good thing or bad thing?? Ha ha ha ha ha

This story may be funnier in my head.   But I thought you may enjoy it. :D

Day 25 - And it all leads back to......

I have to admit, this weekend has been really....... trying.   And I believe it all comes back to one thing.

The Curse

Okay men....  time to look away.  I'm about to talk about female things.  Like Aunt Flo, bloating, and cravings.  So if you don't want to hear all of it, turn away now.  Run!!  Run away while you still can!!


So ladies, what is it about that time of month??  I always know I'm about to head down the Kotex path.  I start crying at movies, or commercials, or hell, the bug that got squashed on my windshield.  "Really now, how bad can it be??" you ask.  Well, I will tell you.  Yesterday, I started crying at the movie, "The Rookie."  The Rookie?!  Really?!  Yeah, the one with Dennis Quaid about baseball?  What the hell?!?  A couple of days ago, I was watching a movie channel when I saw that "My Life" with Michael Keaton was coming on.  I had to turn the channel before just the name of the movie made me break down in tears.  As if, in this state, I could watch a movie about a guy who has brain cancer.  Oh HELL NO!

Then what happens is that I want to chow down on everything in sight.  And when I say everything, I mean everything.  That kind of sucks when you are trying to lose weight.  I haven't gone overboard, but let's just say that I'm not expecting a huge weight loss this week.  *le sigh*  (Btw, I did eat some bread yesterday.  I had to throw it away before it became the unfortunate victim of pre-menstrual bread-icide dismemberment and slaughter.  After which I just might have been put in a cell, talking to Clarice about fava beans and chianti.)

And let's not talk about the bloating.  That's just kicking someone when they are down.  I bet Mother Nature also practices her drop-kick with little defenseless puppies too!

Thank goodness this is only for a few days a month.  Again I say, how the heck did men get out of this?!  They get all of the easy stuff.  (And for those guys who just might have read this, you can not compare getting kicked in the privates as compensation. Unless you want me to come to your house every month and rack you one. Just sayin'. ;)

/end rant

Have a good week everyone!!

Day 23 - I just signed up for what???

Today, I was catching up on my favorite blogs.  Mrs. HotAss at Did I Just Eat that Out Loud suggested that we check out the "My Long Hot Active Summer" challenge.  I hop right on over....  and signed up.

Wait....

I did what???

Crap.

But in all actuality, it should be fun!  And a motivation to get out there and be active even when you don't feel like it.  What do you guys think?? Want to do it with me?

Challenge Blog:  My Long Hot Active Summer

Day 22 - And the elliptical saga continues...

First of all - I just have to say...
I lost 2.4 pounds this week!!!! *does a little happy dance ala Numfar Dance of Joy* (Buffy/Angel fans will get that reference.)
So YAY ME!  Just gotta keep going now.

MOVING ON...
I finally had the technician out to fix my elliptical.  (Yeah, I got it almost 5 months ago and it's been broken the whole time.)   And even the technician said "Man.  This is seriously messed up."  And the parts the company sent are pretty much useless,  even if they had sent enough parts to fix both parts that are broken, which they didn't.  (I'm not a big fan of Icon Fitness who owns NordicTrack.  I had to threaten to call a lawyer just to get things moving.)

So now not only is it not fixed, but the technician took the parts home to see if he could try to get it fixed there.  This means I can't even use it until he gets it back.  But I can deal with it as long as it gets fixed!  And really, it isn't too bad of a situation since my knee is still sore from catching myself after stepping on the end of that dang power cord.

All in all, not too bad.  Hope everyone is having a good week!

Day 21 - Chubby buddy or Chubby competition??

I wrote this blog for Day 21.  However, me being the brilliant person that I am, hit "Save Now" instead of "Publish Post."  I'm just smooth like that.  So here's yesterday's post.... ummm.... a day behind. :D


I was watching Kirstie Alley's Big Life the other night.  It's actually really funny.  Anyway, Kirstie is embarking on a weight loss program, one that she and a team developed and are now selling. (I am not doing this program - just watching what I'm eating and exercising.)  In the first episode, she asked her handyman, Jim, to be her chubby buddy and lose weight together. He agreed.


It's been really funny - seeing the way they handle their trials and tribulations.  Not just in the weight loss journey, but in every day life as well.


But this week's episode, Jim talked about how they embarked on this journey together but that now Kirstie did not act like his teammate anymore.  See, he has steadily lost more weight than Kirstie - probably because he weighs more and, well, he's a guy.  (Side note: What the hell is it that makes men lose weight faster than women??  We have a periods, and childbirth,  AND we can't lose weight?!?!  How the h*** did guys get off so easy?!?!)  


Okay, sorry about that. I sometimes can't help myself.  Anyway - what was I saying?? Oh yeah, Kirstie and Jim are chubby buddies, losing weight together.  But this week, Jim was having a problem because he felt as if they weren't chubby buddies anymore.  It wasn't about doing it together anymore, but more like a competition.


And that's the question -- do you have any people in your life who are also trying to lose weight?  Is it a partnership or a competition?  Do you do better in your weight loss if you have someone to do it with or do you prefer to do it on your own?


For me, I'm a highly competitive person.  But I am still always happy for someone to lose weight.  And I like having people around me who understands what I'm trying to do, what kinds of setbacks and victories come in the process, and can push me and encourage me.  I, of course, want to do the same for them.


However, I do know people who would either want 1) for me to stay the same weight so they can feel more comfortable with where they are with their weight or 2) to beat me at the weight loss game.


It's frustrating to be sure.  But what's important is that I stay on my journey and I'll get to my goal when I get to my goal.  And just hope that people come along for the ride. :)

Day 19 - Something to think about.

As a catchup since I didn't blog this weekend: I started my no complex carbs thing over the weekend. (For reactionary purposes due to being on a meds that increases cholesterol and triglycerides. Yay.)   So far so good.  I haven't been missing out a whole lot.  Then again,  I haven't seen bread and if I do, I may attack it like Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre leaving only a splatter pattern of crumbs in my wake.  I may have to stay out of the bakery section of the supermarket when I go.  It could be quite embarrassing.

In the midst of my blah filled weekend, albeit self-imposed, I watched G.I. Jane again.  Now, I find the movie really good, in fact, I own it.  But it is completely and utterly so far from what happens that I just have to grit my teeth and suspend disbelief.  (You should check out the Navy SEALs BUD/S Class 234 series from Discovery.  Really cool.... and okaaaaaaaaaaay... hot guys too.)

I digress.  (Hot men tend to do that to me.)  What I meant to talk about was the poem that the master chief quotes:

          Self Pity by D.H. Lawrence
          I never saw a wild thing
          sorry for itself.
          A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough
          without ever having felt sorry for itself.

And it really got me thinking.  I sit here and complain and say a "Woe is me" and talk about how rough I have it.  But really, I have it pretty good.  Yes, I am going through a struggle right now.  However, I have to realize that I will come out on the other end. Hopefully, I will be stronger and more appreciative on the other side.  It could be that I just needed to go through this now to teach me a lesson.

Maybe the lesson is to not have self-pity about where I am.  That small bird D.H.L. talks about probably has to be alert all the time.  Making sure there's not a bigger predator after it, making a home from twigs that it has to search for, and finding bugs for it to feast upon.  That little bird doesn't sit there and mope.  It flies.  It's free.  And so can I be.

And really - on a positive note,  if the Earth gets hit by an asteroid and food supplies decrease.... I will live longer than the skinny little toothpicks, because I have some (okay, a lot of) fat to metabolize.  Who's laughing now twiggy?!

Day 16 - Scales are inconsequential... maybe

*trying to kill herself by paper-cutting her wrists*  Well, that doesn't work.  Just as an FYI.  I guess I'll just have to persevere.  *le sigh*

So, I tried the scale again this morning.  And it's the SAME as yesterday.  But I'm comforted by the knowledge that in order to have gained weight, I would have had to eat lots of extra calories. I know I didn't, so I'm trying not to freak out.  Trying!  On the good side, I measured myself again yesterday.  And in those few days, I lost 3 1/2 inches.  So yay me!


I was looking at possible reasons that the scale has become possessed.  (Other than it is Satan's scale.)  I'm hoping that it is water retention.  Seeing as how I am close to that time of month.  Was that TMI?  That was TMI wasn't it?  Sorry.  What??  Aren't you interested in my personal bodily functions?!  I don't see why not.  Heh.  My question is: how the he** did men get out of the whole monthly weight gain thing?? I mean, really.  What about our evolution caused men to get the easy way out??? Grrrrrrrr.

On the other hand, I went back to the dermatologist's office today.  I may not have mentioned this, but I'm now on a medication that has the potential to raise cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  And guess what?? It did.  It isn't outrageous, but my dermatologist said I needed to be on a lean protein, no complex carb diet.  Like, no milk, no red meat, no pasta, no potatoes, no....  everything.  That also means, no latte coffees.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!  *falls to her knees*  Why hath thou forsaken me?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

*breathes deep*

Okay, I can do this.  But at least eating lots of fruits, veggies, and lean meats will be good for me!  Wish me luck!

Day 15 - What the ****ing h***?!?!

Slightly perturbed this morning.  I don't think I should weigh in on Thursdays anymore. They seem to be cursed for me. Seriously.

Because we all know that I weighed myself on the 12th.  But today?? Today, I was 0.4 lbs heavier than I was three days ago.  How is that possible?  I exercised, I was really good about my diet.  What the hell?!

So I thought, maybe there is something wrong with the scale.  That has to be it, right?  I waited a few and let the scale reset.  Stepped on ... and I was 1 lb heavier than I was on the 12th.  I've decided that the scale is acting weird today so I'm going to do my official weigh in tomorrow.

And no giving me crap for it! :)

Day 14 - Fat Americans No more!

Have you ever been over seas?  If so, did you hear "You Amereeecans. You know noth-een about ze food and ze health. All you amereeecans are fat, lazeee, peepul."  To which you find the urge to say "American? No, I'm Canadian. Eh. You hoser."

The reason I bring it up: I just read an article on Yahoo, Why Americans are Overweight and How the Rest of the World is Thin where they discussed the reasons why there is such an obesity problem here in the U.S. versus the rest of the world.  The only thing is, the obesity problem is spreading all across the world now.  There are a lot of good points in this article, but let me just talk about a few.

Obesity boils down to a just few facts.  We are eating more foods with less flavor, more calories, and bigger proportions, and moving around less.  Big shocker right??  Nothing we don't already know.  But let's think about it.  I don't know about you, but when I was a kid, I spent all day outside playing, running around, or biking.  Today, kids spend all day inside watching TV or playing video games. Probably because with the rise of reporting of child abductions, etc., people are scared (and rightfully so) to let their kids out of their sight.

Also, when I was a kid, my mom (or my dad) used to cook dinner.  She wasn't a stay at home mom either. She worked all day long.  And it didn't have to be something elaborate either.  We had a home-made dinner and we ate at the table.  There was no eating dinner on the couch in front of the TV.  It was great family time with good food.  The other thing is, we only really ate out (or ordered in) after our (my sister and my) piano lessons on Tuesdays.  I remember how I was always so excited on Tuesdays, because it was a big deal to have our pizza nights. It was a special occurance.  Now, families are eating out at fast food places so often, it is mundane.  Nothing special here.

There has been a lot of talk over the years about how Europeans are more active than Americans. And let's face it, it's true.  But here's one thing I noticed last time I was in England.  They walk or bike everywhere.  Granted, it is easy to do when you don't have to go very far.  This is a point that many Europeans don't grasp how big our country was and how traveling by vehicle is a necessity about living in the U.S.  For example, I was in a museum in Cambridge, England talking to one of the docents about her recent trip to the states.  She and her friend had bought a rail pass thinking that, like in continental Europe, you can hop on a train, and be at your next destination by tea time.  It was shocking to her that they spent all day on a train and hadn't made it to the next destination.  She said that she really hadn't understood exactly how big the U.S. was.  Even in the cities, it is different.  When I was in Cambridge, you could walk wherever you wanted easily.  Not so here in the states.  So next time a European gives you trouble, just remind them about the vast difference in size our two continents are! :)

The scary thing is, with the spread of fast food franchises, etc. to other countries, along with the on-the-go mentality, obesity is spreading.  The good news is - we, as Americans, are starting to be healthier and being more conscious of the things we are putting into our bodies and being more active. That's a good thing.

I'm not sure if I made any sense above.  But just something to chew over. (No pun intended.)

Day 13 - Lean Cuisine Pizza is made by Satan.

You know how there are those items that you either 1) can't buy or 2) must by just one of?

I have discovered that Lean Cuisine's Four Cheese Pizza, with it's temptation filled cover showing all of its (fake) gooey cheesy goodness, is one of those for me. I mean, just look at the box:

EVIL!!!!  EVIL I SAY!

I have to just buy ONE if I do buy them in the future.  I swear, they are evil.  Probably made by Satan.  In Hell.  With crack.  A special crack called.... sodium.  That salt gets me every time!  I'm still on track for my calorie count today but still, I had 2 of those things! Two!  I know.  I am horrible.

Let's see, what other items can I not buy or buy one of??

1) Hostess 100 Calorie Chocolate Cupcakes (They really are good and only 100 calories, but it doesn't help if you eat all 6 packets.)  
2) String cheese (I have a tendency to eat more than one.  But I think with my new found willpower, it's doable.)
3) Baked Lays (It's that damn crack... I mean, sodium.  I start with the intention of eating one serving.  And I succeed.... if one serving is an entire BAG.)
4) Milk Duds (It's the sugar crack.)

5) Bread of any kind... especially if it has Jess' tomato pesto on it.
I'm know that there are TONS of others but I can't think of them right now.

What about you guys?  What things can you just not buy?

Day 12 - And the scale addiction....

I woke up this morning... the sun... well, the sun wasn't shining. In fact, it was raining. But that's beside the point.  I groped my way to the bathroom.  And there... in the corner... was The Scale.  It was just sitting there. Taunting me.  Reminding me of the almost crack-like high that comes from stepping on that little platform. (Not that I have ever done crack, but I imagine it would feel like that.)

I tried to resist.  Really.  I did.  But yes, I gave in.

Now, keep in mind that my official weigh in day is Thursday. But as of today, I lost another 1.6 pounds. YAY ME!  We'll see if that was a fluke weigh in or not on Thursday.  But cross your fingers for me!

Thank goodness Monday is over. On to the next!

Day 11 - Weekend Antics

So I've had a busy, but fun, weekend.  And guess what?  I didn't go beserk on my eating!  I know - it's shocking.

Saturday, I slept in.  They say that to lose weight it is imperative to get your sleep.   I must have taken it to heart because I woke up at 11am.  I had my coffee, which is a must!   Here's a tip for coffee drinkers!  I, as you might now from one of my first posts, am addicted to coffee.  And my favorite is a Starbucks Venti Iced Caramel Latte.  Oh.  My mouth just started watering. Damnit.  But in order to cut back calories, and money, I have switched to making coffee at home.  I use the Via packets from Starbucks (the medium strength, in the orange box), which are instant coffee packets, but actually quite good.  And then I add a hot chocolate packet to it.  I splurge and use the Swiss Miss milk chocolate packets, which are 120 calories.  But you can use sugar free which will cut down both calories and sugar.  And it's really good!  At least I think so anyway.

After my late start, I ran out the door without much to eat.  Bad. I know.  I made my way to the hair salon.  Purple hair no more!  It looks really great, if I do say so myself!  But as much as I love my stylist, she takes her sweet time on things.  So after 4 hours at the salon, yes I said four hours, I had to go directly to Yuri's Night to see the planes fly.  (Did I mention I'm a plane/flying fanatic?)  I didn't stay long because, well, I was hungry!

Even with my bad eating habits that day, I still didn't go home and binge eat because I was starving.  So yay me!! So at the end of the day, I'm feeling pretty good.... I had a good day... got ready to snuggle up in bed.  You know that feeling of anticipation before getting all comfy and snuggled in bed??  Yeah... well, I sat on the bed and..... *SNAP* *bed goes plop*  *insert tons of cussing here*

Yup -- you know you need to lose weight when... YOU BREAK YOUR FREAKIN' BED!

I believe it is fixable, but in the meantime, at least I found a use for some of my old text books:

At least it allows me to sleep in my bed right?

I did a lot of running around today, returning things to store in the mall.  (I hate the mall.)  But this evening, I went over to a friend of mine's for dinner.  I was prepared to kind of blow my diet.  But the great thing is, Jessica is already healthy and fixed a healthy dinner.  I am hoping to get some recipes from her and I'll post them if I'm allowed.  We had some french bread de la campagne with this really great sun dried tomatoes pesto that Jess made. Omg - I could have kept eating that forever. It was so good! For dinner we had pork chops and couscous.  And some chardonnay.  It was so good!

Guess what??  Even with all of the deliciousness of dinner, I came in on my target calorie count for today!  WOO HOO!  I'm telling you... if I don't do well on the scale this week, I'll be very frustrated.

So that was my weekend in a nutshell.  Hope you guys had a good one!

Day 9 - Holy s***balls Moments - Part 2

Wow.  Part 2 came right on the heels of "Holy s***balls Part 1".  Didn't see that one coming.
 You know, today started off as any other day, except that this seemed like a blah kind of Friday.  I'm in the lab this morning, doing mundane stuff, wishing I was outside in the sun.  Still bummin' about my 1.5 pound loss this week, but trying to be appreciative.  And then..... I read MrsFatass' blog for today.


Go ahead and go read it.  I'll wait here.


I know right?!?!  
*bangs head on desk*


Let me tell you what this reminds me of....  (Warning: I am getting serious here.)  A little over a year and a half ago, one of my best friends was diagnosed with cancer.  

 (Good looking guy, huh??)

I wanted to go visit him where he was living as he was getting treated etc.  In preparation, I got my butt on the treadmill because I wanted to lose some of the chub before seeing him again.  Every time I was on that treadmill and wanted to quit, I would think "You know, Scott is having chemo right now.  He'd kill to be on this treadmill." And I'd keep going.


He passed away that October.  And did I honor him by staying on the path to get myself healthy again?  Nope.  In fact, I let things go to hell in a handbasket.  And MrsFatass reminded me of that.  Not in a bad way... it wasn't like she was saying "Jules.... you know, you are such a slackass.  You should be ashamed of yourself."  Well....... maybe she was saying that, but the MrsFatass in my head definitely wouldn't. :)  


The point is: her acknowledgement of those who have the spirit and the personality, but whose body doesn't allow them to do all of the things they want to do reminded me that I have a body that is capable and willing to be active and healthy.  She reminded me that I need to appreciate the health that I have and that I am capable of living a healthy life.  She reminded me to stop punishing my body with crap food and to cherish it with foods that are good for me and that will fuel it for what it needs to and wants to do.  She reminded me that I need to appreciate that I can get on the treadmill, or elliptical, or heck, just go take a walk - because there are some many people, like Scott, like my dad, who would have given anything to have the abilities that I have now.  


So thanks MrsFatass.  Today's cardio session is dedicated to you.