Lesson Learned

I decided to sneak outside  to grab Lillian's toy and my chair to put away for the night.

Afterall, I would only be running in and out. 

Just so happens I was wearing my old lady nightie and

no bra.

Of course, the neighbors were out and strike a conversation with me.

Lesson learned indeed.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 6

Have you ever had one of those mornings when after you press the snooze button for a good hour, you finally sit up in bed, wipe the sleeping dust from your eyes and then just flop right back down on your pillow?  Yea, that was my morning. 

It's not so much that I was overly sleepy, I just didn't want to go into work today.  It's going to be a hectic and stressful week both here and at home (as we prepare to go out of town again) and staying in bed seemed like the perfect solution to delaying the inevitable.

The hardest part of being lazy like this is not the panic once I do actually get out of bed but it is the likelihood of Lillian waking up grows immensely.  Don't get me wrong, I love seeing Lillian before I go to work but the girl knows how to lay down a guilt trip like nobody's business.

As I was finishing upstairs, about to escape - Lillian comes stomping (she doesn't know how to walk like a normal person, she stomps) out of her room, her hair less Justin Bieber-like and more Tina Turner looking.  She runs to me and I get to just hold her.  Maybe the guilt trip is worth it.

Of course, this slows down my progress of getting out the door even more significantly.  I "make" her breakfast which today happens to be a donut that she didn't eat from the weekend but is supplemented by a cup of milk and sliced up strawberries.  The girl loves her fruit. 

When it is finally time to leave, I get the "Mommy, why do you have to work?" and I reply with "Mommy needs to make money so we eat and have a house".  Her "But I want you to stay with me." and this goes on and on.  Luckily my sadness turned to laughter when she said "You bring home your money from work and put it in my piggy bank."

Ok, so I will stop procrastinating and announce my weight GAIN for the week.  Yup, I gained but honestly, I did expect it.  I didn't track at all this week and being on vacation was just too big of a temptation for me.  I am up 2.8lbs so am now back to only 8lbs lost.

Not the end of the world.  It was totally expected.  But I'm still a bit disappointed.  I am happy to have a new, fresh week but heading to Kentucky makes me really nervous.  I don't want to gain again with the excuse that I'm on vacation.  But Kentucky - a family visit - is often filled with biscuits and gravy and fried chicken.  James' aunt makes all the good southern food for when her boys visit.  I think I'm in trouble!!

But I will try and if I gain or even maintain, I will just try again.  It feels good to finally feel motivated about weight loss....I don't want to lose that again.

I Plead Not Guilty

Yes, the dead turtle was located by my car but there is absolutely no proof that it was me that ran the poor thing over.  Perhaps she just keeled over of a heart attack.  All the evidence is circumstantial. There were no witnesses to the (pregnant) turtles demise. 

Just as my "cot" incident in Spain, I will never live this down amongst the friends I went on vacation with.  You ask "What exactly is the 'cot' incident?"  Well I don't want to tell you because it is mighty embarrassing. 

Fine, stop yelling at me, I'll tell you the story. Ironically, I was in Madrid with the same friends that I was in Michigan with for the above mentioned turtle incident.  I think they bring out something strange in me.  Or they are my only friends.  Probably both.

This was in 2002 I believe.  Friends and myself (I had just started dating James so he stayed behind with mono)  went on our international adventure to visit one of said friend's cousin who was studying abroad.

We get to our hotel and somehow I get put in charge of asking for an extra sleeping area.  The problem? I do not speak Spanish (it's on my to-do list).  I attempted to ask the hotel desk clerk for an extra cot for our room.  He did not speak English (it's on his to-do list).  Suddenly and unintentionally, I became the ignorant American and started to raise my voice saying "COT! COT!" like yelling at the man was suddenly going to make him understand what the hell I was saying. 

Have yet to live that down.

Now I'm the turtle killer and the "COT!" girl.

Other than the unfortunate incident with the turtle (I didn't do it), James, Lillian and I had a great time squatting at our friends' vacation rental house.  It was a cool log cabin in the middle of a lot of trees.  Perfect horror movie setting.  In fact, on the first night, I ran outside by myself to get my book that I left in the car.  I'm quite surprised I made it back alive and wasn't chopped up by some crazy serial killer. 

Log Cabin - no Internet, can you believe that? Sheesh

See!  Lots of trees!

Lillian got to see her first beach and her Mom in a bathing suit.  E'gad!  She was adorable and had a blast.  She refused to get her hair wet though - what's up with that?

But she did bury herself. 

Since I missed my Weekly Weigh In post...here it is:

Before leaving on the trip, I weighed in and lost 4.4 lbs!  Yay!  Although I am cautiously optimistic since my 2 biggest weight losses have happened at weigh in locations other than my normal meeting.  Anyone know how Weight Watchers calibrates their scales? 

Anyway, I'll take the 4 lbs and run because that now puts me down 10.8lbs from my starting weight. However, I was not so good on my vacation eating.  There was mac and cheese.  And awesome onion rings.  And homemade breakfasts each morning.  I am trying to make up for my 4 days of naughtiness by eating ice cubes for the rest of the week.  (Disclaimer, eating ice cubes for a week is not approved by Weight Watchers).

 

Inspiration Spotlight!

I'm seeing an odd pattern with me.  I'm quite drawn to learning more about people who 1. like to and are extremely talented bakers and cooks and 2. those who have achieved wonderful fitness goals.  Food vs Fitness, Fitness vs Food.  Yes, this is the debate raging through my head at any moment of the day.


Let me introduce you to Michel - a runner, wife, mother, and a reluctant student of life with Autism.  Follow her journey at http://www.babyweightmyfatass.com/


Tell me about yourself and your family.
Married to an IT Specialist and have two little girls ages 5 and 3.


When and why did you start running?
I started running in January of 2009 after starting out with doing Leslie Sansone walking DVD's in my living room. The best way to start to move if you don't know where to start.


Can you tell us about your oldest daughter's Paige's (age 5) diagnosis and how she's doing?
Paige was diagnosed with a Global Developmental delay. She entered Early Childhood preschool 2 years ago and has done tremendously well. She's a little peer mentor for the other kids. She's funny, outgoing and just a great kid.


When Avery (age 3) was diagnosed with autism how did you react? How has that reaction changed over time?
When Avery was diagnosed it was a relief to get confirmation of what we had suspected for months. I don't know if my reaction has changed that much but my attitude in general has been not great. Not a I don't love my child type of attitude but an Autism sucks ass attitude. Dealing with an Autistic child affects every part of your lives from the simplest thing of going to the store to the larger things such as her educational future. We are dealing with it as best as we can and are hopeful for her future.


When did you start blogging?
I had a little blog I did for just myself and family to chronicle my weight loss with Weight Watchers back in 2007. I neglected it for awhile and then revisited the idea of blogging in 2009. I didn't start to get more into blogging and the running online community until the last year and half. Coming back from an injury at the beginning of 2010 I had some time to spare and found more blogs to read and it's a great way to reach out to others.


How do you balance everything in your life?
Waking up at the crack of butt to get my runs in before the kids wake up is basically the only way I can get things done when I have a training schedule to keep. And an understanding husband who likes to run and is supportive helps too.


Tell us about running a marathon and your decision to run on behalf of charities.
I decided to run the Chicago Marathon in 2010 in honor of my Mom who passed away in 2004 from complications after having heart surgery. I raised over $1,200 for the American Heart Association. Right before the marathon was when Avery was diagnosed with Autism last year. My husband and I decided that we would run this year to raise money for Autism research. So far we are at almost $1,200 and our goal right now is $1,500.


You run fun contests on your blog - many with prizes that runners would love.
I like to do contests to raise money for my causes because I know that the two causes I've supported in the last 2 years have affected almost everyone I know. It also seems to be a great way to know my readers as well. I will be running more contests during the summer. So some will be pure athletes and some will be a hodge podge of gift packages. Stay tuned!


Besides running, what do you do for fun?
I can't think of anything else besides running that I like to do. It's really the only time I get to be ME and get my frustrations out.


What's your favorite TV show?
The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly. I LOVE them both. Best stuff on television.


Ideal Mother's Day?
That's a hard question. I would love to do a race on Mothers Day. I came close this year. My birthday was 2 days before Mother's Day and the next day I did a half marathon in Kenosha and then there was Mothers Day. It was pretty nice. I called it MichelaPalooza. Everyone's birthday should be a three day fest!




I thank Michel for opening about her complicated but full-of-love life!  Visit her page to donate to Operation Jack benefitting Autism research.

Weekly Weigh In - Week 3

I find myself compulsively weighing myself at home.  I know this is not healthy but I keep doing it anyway.  I scratch my own head wondering why I do this since my scale seems to like to add a couple of pounds compared to the one at my meeting.  But I seem to be obsessed with weighing myself at different times and with varying degrees of undress to see what really makes the difference.  The only big thing I saw was the time of day.  When I weighed myself last night I was 3lbs heavier than I was at noon.  Viva la early weigh ins!

Anyway, that's just my long introduction on saying that I did lose weight this week: 1.2lbs and I'll take it. (Weight loss total at 6.4lbs). It was a relatively good week.  I passed up one of my favorites - a Fannie May Turtle.  Yes, Weight Watchers does allow you to eat whatever you want but 1. I need to learn how to say NO and 2. I knew I was going out to eat shortly after to a Mexican restaurant for my boss' farewell lunch. 

I probably overdid it at lunch.  I should have wrapped half my portion to start.  But it was soooo tremendously good.  I had steak quesadillas (chosen over some yummy  fattening cheesy enchiladas) that I slathered with guacamole.  I don't know if its because I'm eating healthier or this was just one fantastic restaurant but it just melted in my mouth. 

Once I got to a computer, I did my best to estimate my points. And it was high.  But because WW allows you extra points every week I didn't feel that guilty.  And luckily, the scale was good to me.  (If anyone from WW is reading, I would be happy to be a compensated blogger!)

Next week will be the true test.  On Sunday, I will be leaving on a mini vacation with my crew of two and some wonderful friends. Just a few days and a couple of hours away but I'm so over-the-moon excited!  Goodbye work (although I'll likely carry my pager just in case.  And for those of you who don't know me, yes I carry a pager. Yes, I live in 2011. No, I'm not that important).  Hello relaxation.  And when you relax, who really wants to be counting points or watching portion size?  Not me!  Seriously, though, I am going to try my best to follow the plan.  The good news is that we'll be cooking for ourselves so I can control what I devour a bit easier. 

I will try to weigh in on Sunday before I leave so I can have a nice fresh start with (hopefully) even more pounds in the negative column.

Thank you all for your wonderful support!

Ups and Downs - Weekly Weigh In

Let me tell you, it's much more fun to share about a weight loss than a weight gain.  But I opened this journey to all of you so I am not going to close it just because I hit a snag.  I did gain just a little bit.  .2 lbs to be extact.  Yes, that's a decimal point in front of the 2.  So not a soul crushing gain at all but when coming off of a 5 lb loss the week before, it's a little disappointing.

The thing needling me is that I'm not quite sure what I did wrong.  I exercised two days and the one day about killed me.  I don't think I went over my allotted extra points.  I did induldge this weekend (hello red velvet cupcake!) but that is what the extra points you are given each week are for.  So either I underestimated some point values throughout the week or I induldged way more than I thought, or maybe it was my lack of good water intake and actually not eating enough points each day.

I can't really pinpoint what happened and since this is only Week 2 - I am going to try to not obsess about it.  Try. 

I'm having a hard time mentally working myself up to work out.  I started the Cardio Class   Personal Trainer on Wednesday and even made it back on Friday (again, no one else showed up).  But this morning, I had no intention on getting out of bed - especially after Lillian came in and curled up next to me.   Those times are just to precious to pass up.

I think I have the personality that I need to really like whatever I'm doing in order to actually do it.  I love yoga and I think I would enjoy "fun" exercise like Zumba but time just has not allowed me to take any classes.  I am regretting this Cardio class and wish I had just stuck to going to the gym and doing my own thing. 

Will I go back on Wednesday? I honestly don't know.  I hate seeing myself as a quitter and if I do quit, you know I can't go back to that gym and face my trainer.  Ugh!  Logically, I know I should just suck it up and go.  I know you are all chanting that this very minute.  I just wish my mental games would end and my brain was full of your encouragements instead of that pesky voice that says things like It's Monday.  You don't have to get up early.  And look here, your one and only child wants to snuggle you.  Or something like I'm sure to hear on Wednesday when the alarm goes off: You don't have to go to that class. You can lose weight without it. Just sleep in and you can do the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred tonight.
That damn voice wins 9 out of 10 times.

Anyway, we will see where the week takes me.  If I gain/stay the same next week, then I will need to re-evaluate and start taking a food scale where ever I go.

Exercise gurus - I need you!

When I started at the gym last week, I, on a whim signed up for a 45 minute cardio class 3 days a week.  The instructor said she changes things up - sometimes in a class, sometimes at machines, etc. 

Today, was my first class.  Now, I've exercised before.  It's not a completely foreign thing to me but admittedly, I am not a regular worker outer.  I knew this would be hard but my God, I think I was dropped into the bowels of Hell.

It's a small class...so small that I was in fact, the only person who showed today.  Instructor was evil kind enough to just have a one-on-one session with me.  A little personal training.  Started off - walked one lap, jogged one lap.  I lost count how many times.  Normally, I would be like Okay, thanks - see you on Friday! but alas we had 35 more minutes to go.

We did a bunch of different stuff but not long after the run/walk, my stomach began to feel rather topsy turvey.  I so did not want to toss my cookies right there in the middle gym. So I stopped and got a drink of water and I did get better but that general queasiness just did not go away. 

My question to you gurus: Will this just get better over time?  Any way to get this to not happen?  Not sure if it matters but I had half a whole grain bagel and a little bit of peanut butter on my way to the gym.  I didn't want too much in my tummy but didn't want it to be empty either.

In the end, I so don't want to go back.   I want to hide under my covers and never set foot in that gym again.  I want to staple my hand to my steering wheel so I can't exit the car. But I am keeping to the promise that it will get better as I get stronger.  I don't quite believe it yet but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.