SO BUSY!

Between trying to plan a wedding (which is officially October 25, 2008, by the way), a bachelorette party, and 2 christmas parties in the next 30 days, my blog is suffering. Luckily, my eating habits are NOT!

I don't know if my metabolism has decided to pick back up since I've quit smoking (I heard Oprah's trainer say that quitting smoking actually does affect your body's chemistry and makes it very hard to lose and quit at the same time - so yay me! I'm awesome!) or maybe just not obsessing about every little thing is the key, but whatever the reason, I managed to lose again this week without half trying!

I've been too sick, exhuasted and busy to get more than one good walk in since last week. I've cooked pasta for dinner for the last two evenings - something I don't EVER do. I just haven't felt focused on 'the plan', but maybe I've been doing it so long that I'm unconsciously ON even when I don't think I am.

Who knows. But I will take my .8 loss this week as a blessing and encouragement to focus harder next week.

And with this loss, 4.8 to go until I reach that Christmas Goal!

I remember saying when I signed up for the challenge that I wanted to be wearing a size 12 to the company party this year. Actually, it looks like it might even be a 10!

Here's something I just got in my inbox. Pics are always fun! This is me & Joe at Thanksgiving. Look! You can see my collar bones and no double chin! Holy skinny cow! I almost look THIN in this pic!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Fear of Failure

Do any of you ever start replying to someone else's blog only to realize you have suddenly written an entire entry of your own in their comment section?

Well, I just had this happen over at Randi's blog. She just met a chin-up goal of hers - how very awesome! It made me think about my own goals and how I tend to keep them all secret. Not like super secret in a locked up box or anything, I've just not told anyone or announced them here on my blog. I remember learning in my persuasion class that by making something public, you commit yourself and increase your chance of success. Then again I also know that by NOT announcing my goals, I've never really set them, so I never fail at achieving them. I really despise making plans and goals only to have them fall by the wayside when life gets in the way. I don't like letting other people down and so I often miss out on things that I might enjoy and even be good at (like playing softball with the team at work).

I suppose this is something I learned before I even knew what failure meant. I don't look down on other people who occasionally don't reach their goals - I commend them for trying. So why in the hell am I so hard on myself?

What do I have to lose, right? There's a better chance I'll succeed or at least improve myself trying to get there than never trying at all, right?

So, here goes. A goal aside from numbers on the scale (that I seem to have only a moderate amount of control over on any given day).

I hereby declare that I, seldom setter of goals with a dog in her lap licking her turkey leftover infused fingers, will be able to hold that plank for 60 seconds by the end of December. 3 of them. Without uttering explicatives.

It shall be done.

Thanks, Randi. :)

The Unplanned

A monkey wrench right in my perfectly planned week of festivities and projects arrived yesterday in the form of some nasty head cold/sinus infection funk. Bleh. The first time I'm sick in over a year couldn't have been more ill timed. I have too much to do to feel like crap! And between the paint fumes and cold meds, you are lucky if any of this has made sense so far.

I did manage to escape the dreaded Thanksgiving dinner disasters. I didn't feel up to making the salad, but I still filled half of my plate with green items - beans & collards. I rounded it out with a small serving of the white bird meat and about three bites of my sweet potato souffle. I had seconds on the green beans and shared a slice of triple chocolate cheesecake with my honey (that he made all by himself!). Not a bad day at all. We even left all of the remaining dishes for everyone else to take home (a nice advantage of not having the dinner at your own place).

I can't say I've been completely on plan all week though. I've been so busy, I am starving by the time I realize it's past time for lunch or dinner. Such moments lead to ordering of pizza. I doubt this will be ANY good for my weigh in next week, but I tried to be somewhat healthy and left off the cheese. Anybody have any ideas on what a slice is from Papa John's thin crust without cheese?

I totally forgot to post my WI from yesterday. The scale was kind: 165.6. Down 1.8 for the week. 5.6 from my christmas challenge goal with 4 weeks to go. We shall see....

Thankful For

...all of the holiday eating survival tips that have surfaced over the past week!

(Ok, and yes, pumpkin pie, ya got me)

While alot of them are common sense, I've chosen these four as my mantra for Thursday's feast:

1. DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK!!!!!!!!!!!!

(the water, that is)

It's the only thing I can count on to make me not hungry and to keep me that way.

2. Take only about 3 bites of the things that you want.

I like this one. I agree that I really only remember the first and last bite of it anyway, so why bother with the rest?

3. Sit next to the slowest eater.

I am SO guilty of inhaling my food - but when I'm around slower eaters it makes me more conscious and I tend to slow down. This could work...

4. Wear the skinny jeans to dinner!

Not only will everyone tell me how fabulous I look in those new 12's I just bought, but I won't be able to overstuff myself without developing a muffin top either!

I have to admit that I'm also thankful that my man's family's thanksgiving dinner food isn't the greatest. It basically consists of every possible vegetable in a mayo or soup-based casserole - ugh. So this year, I'm taking my kick ass sweet potato souffle that I take every year (it's just not thanksgiving without it, and mine is the best!) and a SALAD! I'm looking forward to seeing how many takers there are on the salad...

oh, and that gives me an impromptu #5:

Half of my plate will be that salad.

Rock on, my fellow turkey lovers.

No Surprises

I'm true to my pattern again this week. After a good substantial loss, I always gain or stay the same the following week. This week I'm up .2. Not shocking at all.

If there's a bright side, it's that I am learning how my body likes to lose weight, and that keeps me from losing motivation knowing that a so-so week is just part of the deal for me. So yay for not being deflated over a .2 gain.

Aside from the cheese and wine incident last Friday, I've been doing pretty great with my food intake. I'm not doing as well as I could substituting the apple for the Jello pudding snack, and I totally have an addiction to the baked Lay's with cheddar & sour cream, but there's still plenty to be proud of - including walking right past 3 boxes of donuts and muffins AND a homemade chocolate cake in the breakroom yesterday without touching any of it. I work with a bunch of evil bastards, I tell ya.

The new running shoes (made by Ryka - anyone tried them before?) are breaking in nicely and I'm totally kicking ass on my goal of running at least half the distance. I may be a good bit above half actually. And it feels great! There's this KILLER hill in our subdivision I save for last and last night I noticed I wasn't even winded at the top! I'm still managing only about 3.5 miles 4 or 5 times a week. I'd like to be at 4, but I have to be realistic and set time limits on exercise. Otherwise, I'd be out walking for 2 hours every night. I'm doing planks (3 for about 40 seconds each) and some arm weights while I watch TV to try and get in some upper body and core work. It's not much, but it's a start.

This weekend the holiday blur begins. Saturday morning I have a wedding consultation at The Foundry Park Inn in Athens (which means I could have a date set on Saturday!) and going over to my crafty friend Jolene's to make christmas cards that afternoon. Sunday I am prepping my living room/hallway/foyer/dining room area for repainting over Thanksgiving. Joe and I are taking the week off to get it all done. Thanksgiving we'll go to his parents and then the 2nd annual hockey game with our friends, and then at some point during the weekend, we'll go visit my mom. The rest of the time will be spent with a roller in hand. Joy, joy. (notice the sarcasm)
Ah well, it needs to be done and what better time than before the holidays, right?

The weekend after Thanksgiving I'm hosting a post-bachelorette party for a friend of mine whose matron of honor somehow managed to miss that detail of being the highest ranking member of the wedding party. She's already tied the knot, but loved the idea of having a girl's night out, so I'm getting the limo for us girls and we're going to a nice dinner in Decatur, followed by dessert at The Chocolate Bar (a new awesome dessert bar), and karaoke at the Irish Pub here in Conyers. Should be a blast!

The next several weeks after that are a hodgepodge of my own holiday parties and parties of friends, so you can bet I'll have my ass in the kitchen quite a bit! This is the one time of year when my Martha gets to come out and play. Hee, and I don't mean anything off-color by that at all. HAhahahaha...sometimes I crack myself up!!! Could you imagine referring to your hoo-hoo as Martha??! Oh dear....ahem.

ANYWAY, the real Christmas challenge is just beginning for me. Somehow I am doubting that I will reach my 13 pound goal, but a little more than halfway at this point isn't too bad. I think NOT gaining anything over the next month is going to be much harder than losing what I have the last 3 months! I WILL BE STRONG! And I will not be having that cigarette with the glass of wine! Funny, I really don't even think about smoking anymore until someone reminds me that I use to. Perhaps I really am a non-smoker now.

:D

Oh, weigh in for the week is 167.4. +.2 from last week.
Goal for 12/25 is 160.

Just reminding myself.

A Little Inspiration

This is my inspiration for the week. After too much cheese & wine on Friday night, I certainly need some. I may be breaking even on weigh in this week, but here's a little something to celebrate:



I now see how good I was at avoiding having my picture taken when I was at my heaviest weight over a year ago. I have no decent pics to which I can compare myself!

But, I came across one taken last October (above on the left) around 194 lbs. And although the angle I'm turned and the clothes I'm wearing seem to camoflage some of the progress, you can definitely see a difference - if only in my face. The one on the right was taken at around 170 lbs a few weeks ago.

Asshat?

The Oracle of Starbucks has this to say about my triple espresso order:
(I'm pretty sure I don't even know what an Asshat is!)

Behold the Oracle's wisdom:

Personality type: Asshat

You carry around philosophy books you haven't read and wear trendy wire-rimmed glasses even though you have perfect vision. You've probably added an accent to your name or changed the pronunciation to seem sophisticated. You hang out in coffee shops because you don't have a job because you got your degree in French Poetry. People who drink triple espresso are notorious for spouting off angry, liberal opinions about issues they don't understand.

Also drinks: Any drink with a foreign name
Can also be found at: The other, locally owned coffee shop you claim to like better

Green Star!

Remember that blathering email from Friday where I pondered everything but my own existance?

Well forget all that. I hung in there and have lost 1.6 since Friday!

and that puts me over the 25-pound mark (green star, baby, yay!) on WW.

I have no idea why or how. I haven't done anything different. Maybe all of my hard work has just finally caught up with me. It's about damn time! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!

I'm IT!

Ahhh! I got tagged! I'm it! Wheeeeee!

I've been tagged by the swizzlin' popstar, so I must oblige by playing along.

And besides, it's way more fun than my whiney, pathetic last post.

The Rules:
1-Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2-Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3-Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs
4- Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog

About Me:

1. The first four of these will probably take me a while, will be well-thought out and carefully planned. The last three will be crap.

2. I would try out for American Idol if I weren't too old.

3. I am 3 1/2 years sober from a helluva drug addiction. That feels good to say.

4. I'm getting hair removal with my christmas bonus this year. And since I love you guys so much, I'll take it to the next level and tell you where...the hairs of my chinny chin chin.

5. I am marrying a man with the stinkiest farts in the whole world.

6. I have recently come to the conclusion that Fiber One bars make me 2nd runner up in that race.

7. I am really scared about my new job and being on the road so much.

I tag...

Anne

Cory

Tara

Frustration = lack of motivation

Again I say: stupid scales.

It’s just a mediocre week for me. No huge loss to post about. No fireworks. No jumping up and down. A measley freakin’ 1/2 pound.

No doubt a direct product of the 2^nd helping of chili and too many tortilla chips on Halloween and the too-many-to-count rum & diet cokes on Tuesday.

It’s been hard to be good this week with the holiday. I’ve gone ‘out’ 3 nights of the week. That’s completely NOT typical for me. Is this a sign of the holiday tragedies that are to come? Oh dear…

And I had SUCH a good start from my stellar weekend. *sigh*

And the thing is, I didn't even use all my flex points with the two aforementioned mishaps included.

The biggest bummer of it all is that for the entire month of October I have only lost 2.5 pounds.

That’s pathetic. This could be the first real plateau I've hit.

I think what worries me most is that at this rate I’m going to totally lose all motivation. I feel boredom starting to creep in.

But enough of my whining. Where do I go from here?

I’m doing great with my regular walking/jogging schedule. Especially considering last month, I walked 19 out of 31 days for a total of 143,000 steps or 63 miles. That averages 8,000 steps or 3.3 miles for each outing. I have logged so many miles in the past few months that I need new shoes! I’ve made a few visits to the gym for weight training and have thrown in some planks for good measure at home. Although I could definitely (and plan to) add more weights and strength training in November, this is awesome for me and what my body is use to.

I’ve been thinking about switching up the workout just to see what happens. I have The Firm setup I bought over a year ago and could barely use when I was 200+ pounds. I’m sure it will be much easier now. Just gotta figure out where in my cramped house I’m going to have room to set it up.

BUT… If it really is only 20% exercise and 80% diet…it MUST BE the diet, right?

I have gone back to tracking my points, flex included, like it’s a religion. I am consistent on my daily points (usually under by 1 or right on). I’ve never felt like one of those people who isn’t eating enough – it’s just impossible.

Lately, I have even been giving up the 1 and 2 point ‘treats’ I use to allow myself. I could probably stand to have a bit more calcium in my diet, but as for veggies and fruit intake, I’m always on track with my daily apple, carrots & celery, huge helping of spinach or greens for lunch and the same with dinner.

I rarely go beyond my allowed flex points during the week. Most of the time, I only use half of them.

I’m wondering if maybe I should try something different all together. As much as I hate the thought of anything far fetched from my normal way of eating, I’ve even been considering the South Beach thing. Or maybe I should just switch to the Core Plan for a while.

But before I give up on the points altogether, I am going to give one last honest effort next week. Record everything. Double the water intake. Go for the 12000 steps each time instead of stopping at 10000. Jog half of it.

Also, I've decided to switch my weigh in day to Wednesday instead of Friday. Hopefully this will curb my urges to splurge on the weekends knowing I only have 2 days to recover.

That's where I am. Those are my plans. Your suggestions and encouragement is welcome and appreciated!

Websense Sucks

A morning like any other...

I get to work around 8:20 and immediately head to the kitchen to jump start my metabolism with my usual bowl of Fiber One with Fiber Plus Vanilla Silk. I Sit down at my desk to eat while catching up on blogs from the previous evening. Oh, hey, look! Carolyn has written up something about her Halloween. Let's go check it out! I love how she always addresses her audience as 'ladies'. It feels so at home and southern to me. Hmmm...I wonder if the Hot Thick Chick has given in to her Diet Coke addiction yet. Let's go and find out! Randi has a new blog up as well. Let's go see who she's been giving hell and how huge her biceps are this week! Looks like Bri and Meg have been busy over at Skinnify and the weigherinnerlady (hehe) has again offended my fellow blogger Swizzlepop. I am entertained daily by them and all and it's a great start to the morning. Not to mention it motivates me to eat those carrots (yes, again) and fill up the water jug.

However, this morning, as I clicked a direct link so as to leave a comment, I was DENIED! It seems that malicious content has been coming from blogspot and as of yesterday it is added to the Websense list of sites to which we are denied access. Luckily, I can still read all of your blogs, but ixnay on the freakin' ommentscay. Damnit, damnit, damnit!

Looks like I will be saving my comments for nights and weekends only. BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!