Workout A

Today was the first day of our new workout plan. It was really a great session. My legs are a little jello-y still. I thought the bike sprints would be the easiest part, but after all the squats, the bike was pretty tough.

Everything else is going ok. It's just so difficult to stay on track with the eating during the holidays. Next week will be a lot better.

Back for real now...

I've been to the gym 3 days this week already, and I plan on going the next 3 days as well. The best part is that I feel just as motivated as ever. Yesterday, I did strength training + 20 minutes of HIIT on the treadmill. Tonight, I ran 3.5 miles of intervals on the treadmill. I sometimes like to do 1 minute each: 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7.0, 4.0. Sometimes I alter that if it gets too intense or if it's not enough. I just like that combo, because it's 5 minutes a set, and it really keeps the workout moving. Plus, it trains several different HR zones.

Tomorrow, my husband and I will be doing some strength training + HIIT. Saturday, we'll do cardio. Sunday, we are going to start THIS. I'm so pumped to get on it already.

Eating continues to be a slight struggle, but I'm doing much better than I was last week. I can't wait till the holiday season is done and over and everything goes back to normal. I actually did quite well today, and of course I'm hoping to keep it up.

In other news...my husband joined my gym, so it's super cool to have a workout partner...for a couple days a week at least. This will most definitely increase the number of times that I workout each week. Plus, it'll be cool if we follow the workout I mentioned above.

It's a Great Day

First a confession: I've been binging. It's something I've struggled with for as long as I can remember, but I've kept it under control for the better part of the past year and a half. Most of you know I've slipped up here and there, but I always come back stronger. This is fine, but it still sucks to blow it...and it sucks even more to realize that it will most likely always be a struggle for me. I think I finally hit rock bottom Friday morning though. I went to McDonalds to get breakfast sandwiches for my husband and myself. I couldn't decide what I wanted, so I got 2 sandwiches and 2 breakfast burritos. I thought that I'd eat 1 sandwich (bad enough) and 1 burrito (more bad). After I downed the 1st burrito in the parking lot, I almost swallowed the second one whole. Then I ate the breakfast sandwich. I guess it would have been worse had I given in and eaten the other breakfast sandwich. Either way, I hated what I was doing, and I actually confessed the binge to my friend (and later to my husband). This always seems to help. You might think that wasn't soooo bad, but it wasn't the first binge or bad meal this week. I've been doing stuff like that a lot lately. Plus, I haven't been working out like I had been either. I really really really hate when I don't feel like I can control my food intake. It's such a horrible and weak feeling. Then it causes more of the same. I don't know what I'm looking for when I do that. Maybe I'm just trying to get it all in before I decide to right my path? Either way...I'm done.

Later in the day, I ended up talking to my husband about my poor choices, and I know he really wants to help. However, it's something that only I can really control. He did offer to do something wonderful though. We're going to buy more veggies, and he said that he'd cut them up for me/us. That is going to be a huge help.

We also got up and went to the gym today. This is probably the first time in forever that we've worked out together. He doesn't have a membership yet, but I think that will change in the next week or so. We started out with a mile on the treadmill, then we did the elliptical for a while. He didn't really care for the elliptical, but I think it's an acquired taste. Next we did the stepmill, and then we were going to go home. Instead, he wanted to go check out the strength training section. We ended up using the machines and getting a total body workout in. That felt soooo good.

I used the assisted chin up machine today for the first time since the summer. I was curious to see if I'd made any progress. Now, I'm sure some of you will think I'm disgustingly weak, but the first and only time I'd ever used that machine before, I had to put it at 190 pounds. My trainer made me put it at 180, and she helped me by holding my legs. Today I got on there and could fairly easily do it with only 130 pounds. It's very encouraging to know that I've gained that much strength in my upper body (60 lbs worth). I still have a long ways to go, but it's nice to see that kind of progress.

This morning, I got up and cooked breakfast. I love a good breakfast. I was going to go eat one of the cookies that my friend gave us, but I couldn't easily find the container that my husband put somewhere. (Thank you, Vince.) I decided to not look for it. That really does help.

I honestly think I'm back on track now. I feel so much better already - from just a couple of days of better eating...along with a great workout. Next step...more water.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday weekend!

Baby Steps

It's funny how you can be going sooooooo strong, and then splat! Well, I guess that's what's kinda happened to me lately. I swear it happens every time I go to Chicago...although it would probably happen if I ever went out of town anywhere else too. The routine is just broken up.

Well, here's where I'm at...eating has been pretty bad, although it's been worse. Workouts have been scarce, although I went to the gym twice this week. I actually had one more week of bootcamp left, but I avoided it this week. Instead, I chose to do easy elliptical workouts. The elliptical is not going to give me the body that I want, but I figure it's a good start back.

Tonight, I did 35 minutes on the elliptical, and then I ran 1 mile on the treadmill. It was a little difficult, but I did manage to stay above 6.0 mph...and this was after doing HIIT on the elliptical. I don't know if I've mentioned my ankle pain that started shortly after the 5k. It definitely changed what I've been doing at the gym. I just don't want to permanently injure anything. Every time I run for any distance, the pain returns. This is why I just went 1 mile tonight. It's a good start anyways. Maybe I'll begin to increase that by little bits here and there.

So, that's my status. I intend to start bootcamp back up in late January (after my bonus). In the meantime, I need to just do what I know. Cardio will probably be a focus, but I need to come up with a plan for the rest so that I don't lose too much tone.

Back to it...

Well, I'm kinda back to it anyways. I slipped up for lunch today, but I did make it to the gym tonight...even if it was only for 25 minutes on the elliptical. It felt great, of course. I wish I could have stayed on there longer, but I got there way too late tonight...homework drama. I'm going to try my best to get up there again tomorrow night.

Ok. That's all for tonight. Going to bed early :) Night night...

Hi Again

Another crazy week gone by. I think my weight is still right around 135, which is cool with me. I need to get back to the gym this week. This shouldn't be too much of a problem, since I think the craziness is dying down enough. We shall see.

My trip to Chicago was ok. I was there for our national sales conference, which usually means great food and drinks. Not this time. The food was actually on the bad side. It was a little disappointing, but I guess it was probably better this way...way easier to keep the eating under control. I thought I was doing really well, but I was sitting next to this tiny girl who liked to snack a lot. The problem was that she kept sharing all her snacks with me :( It was sweet of her really, but I have little self-control sometimes...especially when I'm sitting through boring speakers.

I saw one of my associates that I haven't seen since June, and she said, "Wow, you have lost a TON of weight." Now, this isn't actually true. I don't even think I've lost any weight at all...of course, I've lost a ton of body fat though...probably around 5%. These are the moments when you so know that the number on the scale can be so irrelevant to the way you look. Fitness is so key. I'm so glad I've taken the time to invest in my fitness rather than just restricting my calories and worrying about losing pounds.

So, since I've been back from Chicago...I've eaten...well...less than stellar. Back to the old routine tomorrow.

I don't think I've blogged yet about meeting all the Michigan F.A.T. folks. What a great time with some great people. I so can't wait till the next event...probably at my house in January. Plan on it.

Just checking in...

I have been ok for the most part. I'm beyond stressed about work though. My deadlines are pretty much today, so I will be finishing it all up tonight...and then I'll feel a ton better I hope.

I leave for Chicago tomorrow morning (up at 4am...ick). I'll be doing a bunch of corporate event type stuff, but I'll try to eat and drink in moderation.

I haven't been to the gym in over a week. I honestly really just haven't had much time. Sure I could have squeezed it in, but there are times when other things are just more important.

That being said, I think I lost 10 pounds today from stress alone...ok not literally 10 pounds. I do know that I haven't gained any weight though - despite eating more and working out less. I really hope that I haven't gone up too much in BF%. I've tried to at least do some pushups and crab dips here and there. Hopefully that's doing something.

Ok. Hopefully I'll be posting again sometime soon...maybe this weekend or sometime next week.

***Edit***

Ok. I might not have been too far off. I just weighed myself. The scale says 132. I was at 137 just a couple of days ago. Definitely not the right way to do it, but I'm relieved that it hasn't actually gone up, considering I'm typically a stress eater.

OK

I keep waiting for the time when I can take the time to write everything I want to say. Every day I realize that it's probably going to be awhile for that, so I just decided to post a quickie tonight. Hopefully I'll be able to write more some other time.

Since I've been gone, my eating has been challenging, but I think I've done well enough...considering I've been out of town and out with friends a lot lately.

My stress levels are very high right now for multiple reasons, including some huge projects that need to be done this week at work. This is probably the first time that I've ever thought that I could actually miss a deadline even with my best efforts. There is the possibility that I'll be fine, but there is a lot of fear there. I have a sales conference in Chicago next week that I don't really want to miss because I didn't get my projects done. hmmm...

I have not been to the gym since a week ago Sunday. I guess I could have gone had I really really tried, but I have been pretty much soooooo busy, that it's just not been practical. I swear it's not because I just haven't wanted to go. I really don't have the time, but I've decided that I'm going to run for an hour tonight. I will probably miss bootcamp this whole week and most of next week though. Too bad :(

I'm still trying to get caught up on all your blogs, but it might be a while...so I apologize if I haven't made any comments lately.

Ok. That's all. More later this week hopefully.

Holiday Weekend

So, here's the scoop. I did pretty well with my eating through Halloween, and I even made it nicely through Thanksgiving Day, but I feel that I'm slowly but surely succumbing to the holiday eating mentality. Ick. The big problem was that I had a container of gravy in my refrigerator that just kept calling me all weekend. I was just looking for stuff to put gravy on. Well, that stops today. I finally just put the remainder of it down the drain today. Tomorrow's a new and better day...back to routine...until Wednesday. Then I'm in Chicago for the rest of the week for work, where I'm sure we'll be eating nicely. I really need to try to be good.

As far as exercise goes, I've been doing very nicely. I went for a 6 mile run outside on Friday, and then I took Saturday off as a rest day. Today, I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill for 3+ miles. Tomorrow is bootcamp, and I plan on going to the gym on Tuesday for some more running before my trip. Unfortunately, I'll miss bootcamp on Wednesday and Thursday, but I'm going to try to make up for it on the following weekend.

In other news, I've changed my blog layout just a bit. Google Reader added a feature where you can link your blogroll from Reader, so I'm going to see how that works. If you click "Read More", it will display all of the posts from that group in order of most recent.

I did have one problem...I couldn't add Geoff's blog to my Reader for some reason. Does anyone else use Google Reader? If so, have you experienced any issues adding certain subscriptions?

Ok. That's it for tonight. Hope everyone else is doing well.

Turkey Trot *Edited*

Today was absolutely fabulous. I still don't know my time yet, but I know I did well enough....very close to 30 minutes I think...hopefully under. I know that I didn't stop running the whole time, and that's good enough considering I haven't officially trained for a 5k. Next time will definitely be sub-30 I hope.

***Edit***

My time was 30:13. Good enough for this time. Can't wait for the next.

It was also so great to finally meet a couple other F.A.T. people (Rob & Jim). Melissa was there too, but we're already friends...although it was definitely great to see her, and I'm so glad we got to do this together...even though we didn't meet up until after.

Ok. I guess I'm still feeling very ADD this morning...partly because of all the stuff I have to do today and maybe I'm still kinda geeked about the race.

Overall, all the worries about what to wear and everything else were unnecessary. I ended up wearing a hat, gloves, earbags, and a sweatshirt (along with my clothes). This was pretty much perfect, although I probably could have removed the hat after about the 2nd mile.

Everything else went very well - except getting there. I was stuck in traffic for almost an hour and I thought I was going to be too late to run. This is also the area that the Thanksgiving Day parade takes place, and so many of the streets are blocked off. I ended up grabbing a surface lot, and of course I kinda forgot to take a glance at the cross-streets. Then Melissa was kind enough to drive me to my car. It was pretty much where I thought it was.

I'm sure Rob, Jim, or Melissa will have a better post about the race itself. I think Rob and Melissa will be posting some pics.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

K-Gurl is happy

I got my hair cut and colored tonight. This always makes me incredibly happy. I think I'm in love with it. We'll see how it looks when I do it myself though.

Today was a good eating day, but then I felt like snacking tonight. I ended up eating some carrots and then I put down an entire can of black olives...and I could have finished a second one if I'd allowed myself too. I LOVE black olives. I guess it's not as bad as it could have been. It's probably because I forgot to eat lunch today. I was so amped about tomorrow, and then I went to register for the 5k today and ran into Melissa, who is looking sooooo good.

I really need to get to bed now. I know this post is ALL over the place.

Nice comments received today and last night

I don't have much to report, so I'll just pass on some comments I've received. Last night, one of the trainers at the gym said: Hey, skinny. That's always nice - and I know she doesn't think I'm weak skinny. She was my first bootcamp instructor...when I couldn't even do one real pushup.

Today, my coworker that only works in our office about once or twice a month showed up and said that I was looking very nice. She asked if I'd lost weight, and I said not much...only 2 pounds...although I've lost BF. She said it looks like I've lost like 12 lbs.

My size 8 pants are now getting baggy on me. Time for new goal clothes.

I'm taking today and tomorrow off from the gym, so that my muscles will be rested for the big race on Thursday. Can anyone elaborate on race basics...like can I use my ipod, should I carry a bottle of water, what should I wear, etc...

I'm so clueless about this stuff...never even watched a race before. I don't want to show up and have people think I'm stupid...like...why is that girl not wearing gloves??? I'm more scared about that stuff than I am about running the 5k :)

Party at K-Gurl's!

Most of you know that Kevin and Beck are coming into town in a few weeks...I believe they'll be here the weekend of December 9th and 10th? There's been talk of going to a Piston's game. I don't know if this will happen, since someone will have to arrange it all and order all the tickets and nobody seems to want to volunteer...blah blah blah.

Anyways, even if the game does happen...I would love to host a party afterwards, but I just don't think that will work out. We probably wouldn't get back to Canton until after midnight. I don't really see the game happening anyways. So...I'm just putting it out there for everyone that we can have a party at my house on Friday or Saturday night. I want to have a full day for recovery :)

I'm posting this here, because I was hoping that some of the rest of you might want to come here and join us. I know it's short notice, but we've talked about this before, and I would soooo love to meet you guys in person (well, most of you...just kidding).

Oh, by the way...we're talking about Michigan here.

Ok. That's that. The official party invite...pending the status of the Pistons game...and also pending what night Kevin and Beck can pull off.

Onto other business...

I had bootcamp tonight, and I was a little dismayed but a little happy when I saw that we'd be with Keith tonight. He normally only does our Thursdays, but Shelly called in or something. He really gave us a run for our money...great workout as always. After class, I was stretching with the newer girl that's been with us for about a month. She said something to the effect that I challenge her. I'm the one she watches and tries to keep up with. That's pretty cool. I always thought she just didn't like me much :)

I've decided to do the Turkey Trot with Rob, Jim, and Melissa on Thursday. Well, I think we're actually doing the Stuffing Strut...the 5k. I didn't realize it was right down the street from where I work. That helps with the first fear of being in unfamiliar surroundings. I know that I just need to do it. Period. It'll be a benchmark for the next one. Of course I'm hoping for sub-30 minutes. Unfortunately, I am a little sore in my right leg, so I think that I'll take it easy for the next two days, so that I'll be nice and ready for the run.

Ok. That's all for tonight. Be sure to let me know if you wanna party with me :)

Fitness

This post will more than likely come off as random ramblings today. I was sitting here reading up on training for a 5k, and then I started thinking about you guys. I know we talk about this a lot, but it is such a special group. I think many of us started out by wanting to watch what we eat and lose some weight. I know that's where I started. Fitness? ick. I'd rather be skinny. After a few short weeks of reading your blogs, I started to feel that itch to get out there and start doing something physical - still with the desire to just lose more weight though. Now, it's a completely different thing. I want to be strong and fit.

Anyways...this all got me thinking about all the people out there that try to lose weight through diet alone. I just feel that they are missing out on soooo much...physically and mentally. Sure, they can get thinner, but they will not see the same change in tone and body shape. They won't feel that sense of accomplishment of seeing progress in their strength and endurance.

I guess all this came about because I had a great run today at the gym. Once again, I feel like an athlete. It's kind of hitting me that I'm fit. FIT. I can hold my own at the gym. I'm taking their most advanced fitness course. I can really run. I can do real pushups. I can see my muscles. In fact, I can actually see my triceps through my clothes...depending on the material. How cool is that?

F.A.T. has everything to do with this though. Looking at some of the people that I personally introduced to F.A.T., I see the changes in their mindset, and I know that it's no coincidence that they are motivated to do more than just lose weight. They are setting fitness goals for themselves and doing what it takes to reach them. Then they inspire me to do more. I'm not going to name names, but there are a few of you here that have played a huge role in changing my life. You've pushed yourselves beyond what I ever thought possible for normal everyday people. I've tried to emulate you the best that I know how, and I'm finding that I can do it too. It's such a strange realization to know that I can do this and even more. I know that I haven't even started to tap my true potential yet.

Here's to a great finish to 2007...let's keep pushing forward!

Hello

I figured I'd post a quick blog before the weekend. My eating has been good...moderate still. Weekdays are so easy really (food-wise). We all know how weekends are much more challenging. I'm hoping for a weekend of moderation.

I weighed myself yesterday and today, and it appears that I'm back under 135. I haven't posted these numbers consistently since September, so it's exciting to see them again. I'm not obsessed with it though.

I consider this to be my daily blog here, but I do post updates every couple of months on my other blog (on one of my myspace profiles). Anyways, I was reading my last post on my myspace blog last night and saw that I'd already exceeded my last goals that I set for myself in September...the ones that I wanted to reach by the end of bootcamp. This is exciting, because I still have another month left. The only goal I haven't reached is the size 6 one. I really don't care about that one so much anymore though. It'll be nice, but I'm not stressing about it. I feel that I'll end up in a 6 someday, but there's no rush. I just wanna look firm in whatever size I am.

Judgement Day

Sooooo...all my hard work seems to have paid off! Here are the numbers:

(Oct 15th / Nov 12th)
5 minute HR test score: 36/43
12 minute run: 1.18 miles (avg 5.9 mph) / 1.34 miles (avg 6.7 mph)
Flexibility test: 15.9/16
Situps: 41/41
Pushups: 15 plank, 20 modified / 31 plank, 19 modified
Agility test: 28 seconds/28 seconds

One more stat...the BIG one...body fat percentage:

If you remember...at my last assessment, I was at 21.3% body fat. This time, I wanted to see something in the 20% range...and I thought that maybe just maybe I'd see under 20%. Well...today I came in at 18.5%!!! I went down just under 3%. How f'ing cool is that. No wonder I've been seeing all this new definition. I don't think I've mentioned the muscles that I'm starting to see on my back.

Needless to say, I'm blown away with my results. Seems that my strategy of eating in moderation and working hard at the gym has worked for me. 4 weeks. By the way, she measured me twice to make sure that the numbers were right. Oh yeah...I also lost 2 pounds since my last assessment. That obviously doesn't seem like a lot, but I wasn't working toward weight loss anyways.

So there...that's it. I have 5 more weeks of bootcamp left. It would be way cool to see something in the 17% bf range.

Oh, one last thing. 18.5% bf puts me in the EXCELLENT category for my age. There was a time where I didn't think it would ever be possible for me to be in any kind of decent shape ever again in my life. I'm so beyond serious when I say that if I can turn myself around like this, anybody can. Go get em, FAT!

*edit*

I forgot to mention that I went to the gym twice today. I ran 4 miles this morning. Unfortunately, it seems that I developed a couple of blisters on my feet when I went bowling yesterday. So, I went to the store and got a couple of blister bandages today, and I was able to run pain-free tonight.

Houseguests

Hi, guys. I'm still doing ok, but I do have guests in for the weekend. This led to a midnight run to the grocery store and then frozen pizza last night. I also had a few pieces of halloween candy today. boooo. The good news is that I only had a few pieces, and then I felt ick...so I stopped.

Today is going about the same...less than stellar choices, but I haven't been binging...which is a good thing.

We'll see how tomorrow goes. 2 more days till assessment. Hopefully I'll get to the gym tomorrow or Monday morning even. It might be a little difficult with company here though.

I Survived

So...last bootcamp session before assessment time. Tonight was with Keith the Trainer, and I honestly think I've adjusted to his workouts. They still really hurt, but I'm better at them. Yay!

In the past four weeks, I've only missed one bootcamp session, and I've gone in 1 extra day a week. Even if my results aren't what I'd like to see, I'm still proud that I was pretty faithful to my goals.

My eating has been moderate. I'm not trying to diet per se, but I haven't really had any out of control days that I can remember. Not bad for a four week period.

Update on my size 8 pants. I know last week they were looking much better, but today they were actually on the loose side. Not sloppy loose...just looser...lots of give in the legs. This is pretty consistent with what I've been seeing in my other clothes too. I should measure them tomorrow morning.

The weekend is almost here, and I just need to hold tight 4 more days until my assessment. Assessments are good.

Good week so far

Nothing much to report lately, but I'm still doing well. Eating has been very good, and I attended bootcamp Monday...although it was a bit lame in my opinion (substitute instructor). Oh well...it was still a workout.

I went clothes shopping this weekend. I really just needed an overcoat. I haven't bought one at all since I've lost any of this weight. I just refuse to wear my XL coats. They look sloppy anyways. Well, this time I bought medium size. This is nice, AND I didn't have to try on like 15 coats before I found one that "didn't make me look fat". I bought the first one I tried on, and it's cute.

I was also browsing through the juniors' section, and found a great pair of stretchy cords that look really great on me (except they are a bit long). Oh, size 9 - and they were loose after I wore them for a little bit.

hmmm...ok...I thought this was going to be short, but I just remembered some compliments that I've received in the past week. First, at the Halloween party this past weekend. Everyone kept saying how tiny I was and they were adamant that I shouldn't lose any more weight. While this is cool to hear, I know it's not accurate. I do need to lose about 5 - 10 pounds of fat, but you guys know I care more about toning up at this point anyways. The other cool compliment came yesterday. I was talking to my friend on the phone, and she said something like...so, you're in what...6's now? and I said...no no...8's...not even close to 6's yet. Then she said...well, you look it. You're really tiny.

I know we talk about this all the time, but I don't feel tiny AT ALL. I feel average at best and sometimes I even feel huge. I wish I could see what everyone else is supposedly seeing.

This week is particularly bad, because it's TTOM (even though I don't actually have that anymore). I still have the hormones behind it though. It's amazing how fat it can make you. I swear everything just looks flabby for a few days. It really sucks when eating right and exercising is so tied to the emotions for most of us. I just feel fat, so I don't want to eat right? That's just stupid, but it seems to work that way. Luckily, I'm pushing past those bad urges for now. It really helps to know that I'll be getting assessed in 6 days now.

I do have to apologize to everyone. I swear I haven't read any blogs since last week. This is unlike me, but I've been a little preoccupied lately. I'll be back on it soon.

Final Halloween Weekend

I was pretty good overall this past weekend. I didn't eat too poorly, and I went to the gym once.

I really have to buckle down this week though...Monday is my next assessment.

Goals for this week: Eat well, 4 days at the gym, more sleep. What's new...

Good Day

I ate well today. I also woke up to a lower weight this am. That always makes for a good day.

Bootcamp tomorrow morning...rescheduled from Wednesday since it was Halloween. One more week till assessment time.

Vanishing Blogs

Is anyone else having trouble with their blogs vanishing? Just kidding...some of you noticed that a couple of mine are gone. It's really no big deal. I know they went to the feeds and all, but I took them down for different reasons. The first was my skin pic, and I just plain chickened out on it. As far as the second one goes, I was afraid that a certain person might have been kinda hurt or offended had they read it, because I think they were included in the group of people I was referring to. So...it's gone, but that should be the last time.

Anyways...back to business. I missed bootcamp tonight. boooo. Sometimes kids' school projects have to take precedence. So far, I've eaten a small bag of doritos and 1 peanut butter cup from the Halloween stash. That's really not too bad yet. We have a HUGE thing of candy though.

Seriously...I just have very little to say today. Hope everyone else is doing well.

You ask for more blogs?

I will try to blog every day even if it's just a one-liner :)

Some exciting news from me today. Remember that suit I bought right before I returned to work October 1st? I wore it on my first day back, and it was entirely too tight (after a terrible eating weekend). I remembered it today and tried it on. It fits rather nicely now, and the waist even has some give. Yay!

I've been trying so hard to make every bootcamp session and go in an extra day for cardio, and I am seeing rather nice improvements in almost every part of my physique (arms, torso, butt, thighs, etc...). I really would like to see 20% BF or below at my next assessment (in just under 2 weeks). I haven't lost much weight, if any, but I really don't care too much about that right now.

I feel like things are almost exactly as they should be right now.

Next challenge: halloween candy. I think I'll only allow the kids to go down our street. No need to get greedy. Plus, the less candy in the house the better. It's already going to be bad enough to have it at everyone's desks at work.

Just couldn't seem to go to bed without blogging

Nothing to say really. Bootcamp tonight. Same same. Eating was fine. Hamstrings are feeling a little better. I have two more days to relax them before the next trip to the gym. I'm glad to have a couple of days off though. I really hope the next assessment yields the results that I've been working hard for this month.

Ok. Going to bed fa rayl now.

Weekend Fun

What a great weekend I had. Lots of fun with friends.

As far as eating goes, I think I did very well. Went to a Halloween party last night and barely looked at the spread of food. Plus, I only had a few drinks. I consider this a success. I had friends over on Friday night, and we just had a nice meal. I drank quite a few calories of red wine that night though. Still...

I went to the gym and ran 4 miles today...mixed it up with some different intervals. 10 minutes around 4.5 - 5.5. Then 1 min 7.0, 1 min 3.0 (3 sets), 3 minutes 5.5, 1 minute 3.0 (3 sets), 45 sec 8.0, 75 sec 3.0 (4 sets).

I am still very sore from bootcamp last week, and my run didn't really make me feel better. My hamstrings are just killing me. I'm kind of feeling where I'm just sick of being sore...although it's one of those good sore feelings.

I have bootcamp tomorrow night, and then I have 2 days off. Hopefully I feel better by Thursday.

Damn it!

Evidently, I was only strong enough to tempt fate once. I got the kids a LC pizza again tonight (bad mom). I was really good for a while. I had my Optimum Rebound tonight (cereal that is supposed to help in recovery). I was doing well. I had put the 2 extra pieces in a container, but I didn't put it in the fridge soon enough. Oh well...can't change it now. Push forward.

Another huge problem earlier today. I discovered these Amy's Cheese Enchiladas that are quick tasty...and healthy too...organic and all that. I was thrilled that they tasted so good, because they only had 240 calories...although a little high in fat at 14 grams. I'd decided to not let myself have these more than once a week...didn't want to get sick of them. Today was the third time I'd had one for lunch. Imagine my dismay when I happened to notice that there were actually TWO servings per container. I always check for that, but I never would have thought that I'd have to on a simple little frozen lunch. Good thing I didn't have one every day for the past 3 weeks. 480 calories and 28 grams of fat??? Eeeeeckkkk!!!!!!!!!!

Boot camp was enjoyable tonight - a lot of upper body, with a little lower body mixed in. She was nice to us, because she knew that tomorrow night is with Keith the Trainer. She is cool though. She does our workouts with us, and she is actually going to attend tomorrow night as well. I'm glad, because I want her to see what Keith puts us through.

The Biggest Loser pissed me off last night. I really wish they wouldn't put food like that in front of the contestants...or I wish they wouldn't air it. I was doing fine with my cravings until I watched that shit. They were eating crackers & cookies...and I love my comfort carbs. I really had to stop myself from grabbing a cheese and cracker pack or two. I ended up eating a South Beach snack bar right after TBL ended...limited the damage.

That wasn't all that made me mad. Neil drinking 2 gallons of water right before the weigh-in...gaining 17 lbs in 1 week??? A stupid strategic move to sabotage another team. I won't get into it here, but those that watched it know what I'm talking about. I'm glad Bob was raging mad. I hope that I never see that type of thing again. I wish they would have voted him off. It was kinda stupid not to imo. He's going to lose like 30 pounds next week.

Ok. What else am I upset about? hmmm....oh yeah...the Swanky situation of course. Besides that though...can't think of anything that I'd like to discuss.

Holy moly! I can't believe I almost forgot about something this good. I thought it might be an illusion, so I've been hesitant to say anything, but... I am actually seeing some real ab definition lately...2 little bumps up near my rib cage. I asked my trainer tonight if it was fat rolls, and she said that there was definitely muscle and definition there! I was trying to think of when I've really done anything to achieve this, and then it hit me. Almost everything we do at bootcamp involves our core along with whatever else we're working. Even tonight, we were standing on the Bosu's doing shoulder presses and other things. We also did plank holds and a bunch of other things. If I think about it...I've been doing things to strengthen my abs for several months now. Why shouldn't I be seeing some results? Silly me... I guess I thought that there was so much fat above it that I'd never see the muscle. Stay tuned...

Nothing much to say

Today is one of my rest days, which is nice because I'm very very sore through my inner thighs...and getting more sore by the hour.

I had this fabulous chicken breast for dinner. I bought it from Westborn Fruit Market, and it was stuffed with mozzarella and asparagus. It was a very large portion though. Next time I'll split one with someone else.

Other than that...I've been drinking a lot of water today and getting stuff done. Both feel nice.

I got a very cool compliment Saturday night. Someone who I've known for about 15 years told me that they think I look better now than I ever have since they've known me. That's a pretty big statement, considering they've known me since I was 18...before I had kids.

Ok. That's all. I'm going to bed early tonight.

Star Pupil

Yes, I was the star of bootcamp tonight...but only because I was the only one to show up. It was nice...lower body workout. Treadmill jog 4.0 mph 15% incline for 1 minute, lunges 1.2 mph 6% incline 2 minutes, walk 3.0 mph 2% incline 1 minute, crunches on stability ball holding 10 lb dumbbell over head...repeat all 3 times. Then 15 - 1 leg deadlifts with 10 lbs, 20 of some kind of fast crisscrossing lunges (can't remember the name), then 15 - of something else that I was stepping up with the 10 lb dumbbell overhead...repeat all 3 times.

I feel good. Eating has been ok. Seriously - not stellar, but nothing too bad.

I want to take bootcamp seriously at least until the next assessments (in 3 weeks)...it'll be cool to see how much my hard work pays off. My goal is to not miss one session, so it'll be 3 sessions per week, plus I want to make sure to get in 1 extra workout on the weekend...preferably cardio. It doesn't even have to be at the gym. It just needs to be something physical...like rock climbing.

That's about all I have to say tonight.

It's all in how you look at it...

This is just something funny that my 5 yr old said yesterday. We were out and about yesterday, so we stopped at Wendy's a quick bite to eat. Audrey was eating her chicken sandwich and said, "Mom, this chicken bread salad tastes so good." Hilarious.

There's so much to write, so I don't know if I'll go over it all. Maybe I'll speed blog today.

My "binge" on Friday was not really a binge. It was my way of avoiding a binge. I did well overall, considering what my body or mind was telling me to do.

Saturday, I got up and had an egg on whole wheat toast. Then right before rock climbing, I had a yogurt smoothie and a plain chicken sandwich from Wendy's. Rock climbing was way fun, and I'm so glad we did it. I'm a little sore through my triceps and upper back....which are good places to be sore.

After rock climbing, we went to one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor, and I got the chopped salad. I also ate a couple of pieces of bread, but overall I think I did well considering what I could have gotten (baked mac & chz). I was also witness to Melissa being good too - even skipped the bread.

After dinner, my husband I and went to our first Halloween party of the season. I had a little bit of Bailey's, and a couple of beers and steered clear of the crock pots (I didn't even go by that area once).

So, overall, I felt that the damage from yesterday was limited to just a poor day instead of disastrous.

I posted a couple of rock climbing pics below (the last one is me about 50' high). Click here for
the complete album.

Measurements 10/19/07, 5/29/08

I don't even know if I measure all of these right or if it's what the parts are actually called, but I know I do it the same every time. The first number is from October. The second number is from today.

Weight: 138, 124

Neck: 12.5, 12
Chest: 31, 30.5
Bicep: 10.5, 10.5
Waist: 28, 26.5
Hips: 37.5, 36
Abdomen: 38.5, 37.5
Thigh: 22.5, 21
Calf: 14, 13.5

Best...Tea...Ever

Yeah...a cold that I've been trying to fight off for about two weeks now has finally come crashing down on me. I haven't used my sick time at work, so I decided to stay home and rest yesterday. It's probably due to all the weather changes.

I felt so hungry yesterday. I had a breakfast bar. Then an hour later, I made 1 egg on whole wheat toast. Then I was watching The Office from last week (the one with the pizza). So, I did give in to the leftover LC pizza in my fridge. Luckily, there was only one piece left. Then I moved onto tea, and I must say that this is the best tea I've ever had. You might remember that gift bag I won at the gym a few months ago. It included this Aveda tea, but I never tried it until today. It just says Comforting on it. Great stuff.

I tried out Tim Horton's new Fajita Wrap on whole wheat yesterday. This was very tasty. I would definitely get it again. That and their turkey rice soup kept me full for a long time. I ended up having a hot dog on whole wheat later in the day.

Overall, I felt like binging yesterday, and I did give in a little. It could have been soooo much worse though. Today I'm glad that I kept it in check a little yesterday.

I'm so geeked about today. Melissa and I and some others are going rock climbing for Grant's bday party. This cold will not keep me away. It'll be nice to get in a workout through a regular weekend activity. After that, we have a Halloween party to go to.

Stealing from the other Kristen

Another Kristen posted this article on her blog today, and I just had to share it with you guys. Excellent excellent article. I'm sure some of you might have already read it before.

Tonight was another session with Keith the Trainer. I swear he's out to kill us, but I must say that I was so much better tonight than last week. He seems to enjoy making us do lots of lunges, squats, suicides, and sprints...with, oh, about 10 - 15 seconds rest time between sets. There was a new girl there testing out the class, but I don't think she'll be back. I'm so glad I have tomorrow off from the gym. I so need it.

I think that my tone is definitely returning now - and quickly. I'm so excited to see what my bf% will be in 4 weeks at the next assessment. Maybe I shouldn't set myself up for disappointment, but I am feeling so good right now.

So, I read this thing online today about body fat percentages and weight loss. Bear with me here...it took me a few minutes to digest what it was saying. Let's say that I weigh around 140 lbs, and my body fat is 21%, but I'd like to lose 20 pounds. 140 x 21.3% = about 30 pounds of fat, so that means I should have 110 lbs of lean body mass. If I lost 20 pounds of fat, I'd only have 10 lbs of fat left, right? This would put me at about 8% body fat. This is a completely unhealthy bf% for a female. I don't think we're supposed to get below 14%. So...let's say I want to be at 17% bf. 140 x 17% = about 24 lbs of body fat. 24 bf + 110 lean body mass = 134 lbs total. So, as long as I don't lose any lean body mass, I should only aim for 134 lbs as my goal weight to be at 17% bf. Does this sound right? Is bf% the most important thing? And is it possible that I actually have 110 lbs of lean body mass right at this moment? I still feel as if I have a ton of fat to lose - especially around my midsection. Help me out here. How accurate is the skinfold method? The past three of mine have been anywhere from 21.3, 21.9%, and 22.9%.

Sorry to throw all these numbers out there, but I've been obsessing over it all day...

I did well today with my eating. I fought off temptation several times. Serious temptation. First, I walked to Starbucks with someone today, but I didn't get anything. It was almost lunchtime, so I decided I actually needed food instead of more caffeine. Then I asked if they'd go somewhere with me to get something to eat, because I didn't want my Lean Cuisine. However, I thought about the fact that we were going to grab lunch tomorrow, so I should just suffer through my Lean Cuisine, which ended up being good anyways (love the Spa line). Last, but not least, I told the kids last night that we'd get Little Caesars tonight after the gym. Don't scold me, please. I dished out their servings, and put the rest in the fridge. It's sitting in there right now, and I'm not even feeling tempted. I think I'm just so focused right now that I don't want to blow what I've been doing in the gym on a stupid piece or 3 of LC pizza. Instead, I grabbed a bowl of Optimum Recovery (does anyone have an opinion on these?).

I think that's about all I have to say tonight. I look forward to hearing your opinions on my issue. Please don't forget to welcome Silvana.

New FAT Member

Hey, guys...

We have a new member of FAT. Her name is Silvana, and she is from Montreal. She's been working out for about a year now, but she hasn't seen the weight loss that she'd like. Please go welcome her.

She already has an existing blog that she will use for this too.

I'll write more about me after bootcamp tonight :)

Pool Workout

First, let me start out by saying that I had another good eating day. Woohoo!

We did bootcamp in the pool tonight. I must say that it was an interesting workout. It was a lot of "running" and we had these "weights" that we used. My leg muscles were burning, and my heart rate monitor said that I burned 500 calories. Plus, the instructor said that our heart rate monitors reflect a lower heart rate than the actual one, so I probably burned more than that.

You might have noticed that I've changed my ticker at the top. I've decided that I'm not really aiming to lose much weight anymore...maybe 5 pounds. I'm focusing on body fat percentage and overall health and fitness right now. If I happen to lose more than 5 lbs, I'm not going to complain, but it's not going to be something I'm obsessed with anymore...at least for this week :)

My immediate goal for BF is to get under 20%. My ultimate goal is going to be 17%. I'm not sure how difficult that will be, but it's something to work toward. (I'm currently at 21.3%.)

Nothing much else to say tonight. Gotta go eat something and get to bed.

No...uhuh

I'm not going to let the incredibly stressful commute drive me to stress eat tonight. It's just not going to happen. I've been working so hard and I've been so focused. This will not ruin my good streak. It won't.

So yeah...it was a good day until about 2 hours ago. I don't think I mentioned food much yesterday or the day before, but I've been eating quite well. I also hit the gym for the past two days. Tonight is my rest night, because I have bootcamp for the next two days. I feel like working out, but I've learned from experience that 5 days in a row at that level is just way too tiring for me. Better to rest my aching muscles.

I found this podcast for running mixes. I used the 170 bpm one for my run yesterday, and it kept me focused...or distracted...depending how you look at it.

Now...I have a couple of questions for you today:

What has FAT done for you? I mean, where do you think you'd be without FAT?

As for me...most of you know I lost the majority of my weight before joining FAT, but...I think that I'd probably be 10 pounds heavier. I don't think that I'd have gone back to the gym yet, so my shape would be much different. I wouldn't be in great cardio shape. Even if I had gone back to the gym, I don't think I would have ever tested out my running abilities.

Next...calling all FAT in Michigan:

I think it would be a great experience for all of us to get together for a 5k. Rob, I think you do these the most. Maybe we could just join you on your next one - or the one after if it's too soon. I know we keep kinda of mentioning it, but I think it's time to really do it. There are at least 4 or 5 of us here, right? Who's in?

Assessment Time!

So, I'm posting my stats...which means they were good! Yippee! Hooray!

Bad news first...I gained 5 pounds since my last weigh-in at the gym, but I decided to start wearing my shoes again for these, and I ate and drank a lot of water within an hour of my assessment...because I wanted to make sure I had enough energy. So, 5 lbs might be a little of this and a little of that.

Now the good news: My body fat percentage was 21.3%!!! The last two times were both about 2-3% higher (June & July). I'm now in the Good category for the first time, and there is only one higher (excellent).

I did 41 situps in 1 minute. Then I did 35 pushups in 1 minute (15 plank, 20 modified).

The agility test was a variety of different running things going half court and back 3 times. I did this in 28 seconds...should've been lower, but I stumbled on the last sprint....grrr...

My cardio test came back lower, but I guess this is to be expected since I missed a couple of months of running after my surgery. She had me go 4.0 mph @ 5% incline for 5 mins. The treadmill calculates your score automatically. I'm still in the good category...down from excellent the last time. I think the difference was my speed. I should have put it at 4.5. (I used 4.3 last time.)

Final stat: We had to see how far we could run in 12 minutes. I stayed conservative at 6.0 mph for most of the time. The last two minutes, I bumped it up to 6.5 and then 7.0. I am pretty sure I could've done 6.5+ the whole time. My final distance was 1.18 miles. Fine.

I'm looking at all of these stats as a starting point. I've taken bootcamp before, but I always seemed to miss the assessment nights :) I was pleasantly surprised with my numbers tonight, and I cannot wait to see what they will be next time.

Who cares about the 5 lb gain considering I lost a couple of percentage points in my body fat.

Wednesday night is pool night. Blech. I'll let ya all know how it goes.

***Edit***

So, after I posted this, I realized that my bf% is not down as much as I thought. My last two assessments were 21.9 & 22.9? Oh well, I'm still down and very happy with that. This new number says that I'm no longer below average or even average...I'm in better shape than the average 33 yr old :) Not so bad for a mother of 4, huh? I just can't wait to make it to the excellent category now.

Cardio Day

I went to a friend's house on Friday night, and I ate normally. What is normal? Well, I ate what they had and enjoyed it. A couple small pieces of homemade pizza and a brownie with a little ice cream on top. I'm fine with this. The rest of my eating for the day was pretty good. Plus, we didn't drink, so I saved some normal Friday night calories right there.

Saturday was not so great. I ate well throughout the day, but then we went to a bday party that had this awesome pizza there. I had 3 pieces and a couple of pieces of bread. I chose not to eat the cake though. I really don't love cake, and I thought that I'd rather spend the calories on another piece of pizza...which I did not do after all. No drinking again.

I was supposed to meet a friend up at the gym at noon today. I almost called her at about 11:45 just to see if she was still going, but I decided against that just in case she changed her mind. As it turned out, I didn't see her there, but maybe that's better anyways. This way, I did what I wanted and was able to push myself a little more than if I'd have a friend with me.

I used the elliptical for 30 minutes. Kept my HR at about 170 - 175 throughout most of it. Then I headed over the to the treadmill. Maybe I'll do the treadmill first next time, because my legs felt a little jello-y after the elliptical. I am still disappointed with my speed, but it's definitely getting better every week. I used to be able to warmup at 5.0 mph, but now I go about 5.5 for my regular speed. I did bump it up to 6.0 for the last set that I did today. I went 3 minutes 5.5, then 1 minute 3.5 for about 30 minutes. This was actually a very enjoyable workout. I base my speed on my heart rate, so I hope to see 5.5 going up very soon to match my 175 HR.

Tomorrow will be special. ha. It's assessment day for bootcamp. I'm very afraid, because I know I've lost so much ground since my surgery. I'm afraid of being disappointed and getting depressed. I know that one of the things is to see how many miles we can go in 12 minutes. I'm sure they'll see how many pushups we can do. They'll probably calculate our BF%. ick.

I may or may not tell you all the results. I might just wait to see what they are after my next assessment and brag about my progress.

Ummm...Wow!

Tonight was the first time working with Keith the Trainer, and I have to say that that's exactly how I always imagined bootcamp would be like. Holy crap! We got more done in 10 minutes than we normally do in 20 with the other trainers I've worked with. I think this is due to very little rest time between sets. He kicked our asses. I loved it! I mean I hated it at times, of course, but wow! Normally I could come home and tell you everything that we did, but there is no way I could remember everything today. In fact, I'm so beat, I'm having a hard time remembering anything we did. I'm so glad I have the weekend to recover, although I plan on going in on Sunday for some cardio with a friend.

One cool thing about the gym is that I feel so comfortable there now. Lifetime facilities are just massive and they seem to be packed no matter what time of day you go. It can be really overwhelming at first. Now I'm always running into people that I know all the time...friends, coworkers, people that I've met at the gym, etc... It's just a cool feeling, I guess. It just helps to make it feel like a normal part of my life. I actually felt a little bad last night, because I ran into someone I knew that I don't see too often and gave her a quick hug before realizing that it was kind of gross (sweaty shirt). Oh well...she didn't seem to care.

I have to say that I feel completely back to normal now. I'm motivated and so ready to be hot. I do need to work more on my cardio stuff, because that's not all the way back to normal yet. I don't expect it to take too long though.

I've had several different people refer to me as teeny this week. Granted they are all bigger, but it still is helping to motivate me into actually being teeny. I feel thinner, therefore I act thinner...if that makes sense :)

fyi...my eating was good today...except for the sliver of apple pie...the tiniest of slivers though. I also haven't weighed myself since last week. From what I know of my body, I'm doing fine, but I'm afraid of seeing a bad number and then going crazy with the food...when I've been so good this week regardless of what the scale says. No sense in messing that up.

Ok. I'm going to try to get in bed early tonight to let this body rest.

Wait...one more thing...I just wanna say that I'm sorry if I haven't been commenting as much lately. It's not that I'm not reading and enjoying your posts...it's just that the right words are eluding me for some reason. This will pass, and I'll be as vocal as ever soon.

Pushing Forward

Today's eating was ok again...although I did have half a donut in the morning. I don't even like donuts. Oh well. It could have been a whole one or two. So, half is better...which is my whole strategy as of late. For lunch, I had an Amy's cheese enchilada thing...good stuff. Ok, so the calorie count was good (240), but there were 14 grams of fat...and I have to say that it was definitely worth the fat grams. The best part was that someone was begging me to go out to lunch with them, and I was going to, but then I came to my senses and realized that I was going to go out only to fulfill an emotional need. We probably would have gone to Hard Rock and gotten something that didn't even taste that great anyways. So...for dinner, I had chicken with mushrooms. Not a bad eating day at all.

Tonight was bootcamp. We focused on upper body. I really need to learn how to do some real pushups already. I should practice that at home on my days off. My heart rate monitor said I burned about 600 calories. I'm not even going to go into what we did tonight...there's just too much weird stuff. Ok, not that weird...just stuff I've never seen before. Ok, I will go into it. The reason I love this bootcamp class is that they do so many different things that I wouldn't consider to be typical workout stuff. Yeah, we do pushups and other normal things, but there always seems to be a twist. One of the things we did tonight was throw a medicine ball backwards over our heads in the gym and then run to pick it up and continue running with it until we reached the other side of the gym. We did 10 of these in each circuit. My heart rate was so high by the time I got to about the 5th one. We also did lunges on the treadmill tonight (I've done this before). Set the treadmill to about 12 - 15% incline and set it to go really slow like 1.0 mph. Then just lunge :)

What a boring blog today. I really don't have much to say, except thanks for all the bday wishes and for all your support.

So...

Let's see... I went to boot camp last night, and I was so happy to hear that we were doing cardio. Here's what we did:

3 sets of 3 minutes fast, 1 minute slow (all on the treadmill)
3 sets of lunges up 2 sets of stairs, run back down

We did all that 3 times and then did 120 crunches (various)

It felt so good to get running again. Ok, it was more like jogging. The trainer wanted to keep our heart rates in Zone 3 for most of the workout (HR around 175 for me). Still felt good.

Then the trainer showed us the wall that had her story on it. She used to be known as the fat trainer. She's not fat at all now...very muscular (in a girl way still). It's always exciting for me to hear about the trainers that have also transformed their bodies. I feel like they can actually relate to us so much better with this insight.

My eating has been very good I'd say, although I did have a brownie this morning at work. Then my friend took me to lunch. I had this wonderful entree called dragon eggs: chicken breast stuffed with gorgonzola...with hot sauce on the outside...sitting on top of a caesar salad. So tasty that it's making my mouth water just typing about it. I'm glad I forgot the box in her vehicle.

I met some of my old friends at a pub tonight, and I was so good. I didn't order anything to eat or drink. Then I got home and ate a couple of baked corn tortillas dipped in hummus. Good stuff.

Thanks for all your supportive comments yesterday. I was really feeling down about myself and lacking motivation. I haven't binged like that in a very long time, and I know how quickly that type of behavior can get out of control. I'm not exaggerating this at all when I say that you guys are what keeps me in check. Yes, I have other friends that I can turn to, but you guys are right there for me every day. I look to you for inspiration, and you never let me down...through your words and your actions.

I know that in the past my binge would have gone on for at least a week and then a month. Now I have it for a day or 3 and then move on. Working out is the other thing that turns it all around. It's funny how you can walk into a gym feeling fat and disgusting, but walk out feeling sleek. That's how I feel anyways :) This makes me more conscious of what I'm putting into my mouth.

Ok. That's all for tonight. Time for TBL.

It's me again - the Fatty Fat Binging Binger

It is what it is. I'm not going to say that today is a new day and all that. I don't know what got into me, but I think I should have just allowed myself to eat something horrid this weekend. Instead, I picked at things all weekend (which added up to who knows what). When it was all said and done, I still ate pizza last night anyways. Sometimes you just need pizza.

The binge didn't make me fat, but I'm stopping before it gets to that point. I'm not going to go on a strict diet. I haven't been normal since the first week or so after my surgery. I have bootcamp tonight, but I need to get back to running too. I need to aim for 5 days a week at the gym.

As far as eating goes, I'm going back to the beginning of it all when I just made small changes and all that. Going back to read my first blog posts. Cutting back on the carbs. Making better choices. Eating 100% will not do it for me. I will go crazy and binge. What worked before should work again.

This is not meant to be a whiny blog. I just suck lately, and I'm trying to find my way back.

Honestly, I think my binge was supposed to get me to the point where I was sick of eating. It's not right, but it works sometimes. Today has been much better already.

The real problem is complacency. I'm not fat. I'm not thin. I'm just good enough to not freak out when I take a step backwards. I allow myself a cushion of what I think is an "acceptable" weight for me...so I seem to be sliding around in that range.

Ok. Back to business.

Silly Girl

Ok. Confession time. I know that there are a lot of haters of The Biggest Loser here, but I must admit that I cried more than once during last night's episode. I'm not sure why last night was different, but I was inspired and moved when the trainers were pushing the contestants harder than ever. Yeah, tears were running down my face when Jillian (sp?) made that girl go 12 mph on the treadmill for 5 seconds. The girl told Jillian that she was crazy, but guess what...she went 12 mph. Now I know that she didn't go a full minute or anything, but this girl did not believe that it was physically possible to go 12 mph period. How many of us have been in that place? How many of us are now doing things now that we never thought possible? I'm thinking that most of us hold back and never realize our full potential, because we simply don't believe. I say let's crank up those treadmills during HIIT to test ourselves. Put it on an ungodly speed...just to see.

The other tearful moment was when they were passing out their goal t-shirts. It was cheesy, but listening to the girl that just wanted to shop in normal stores again reminded me of myself a year ago. Then there was the guy whose shirt said he wanted to be half the man so that he could be twice the man (do the family stuff that he can't really do right now). I know I didn't want to do anything when I was fat. Now I look back on my vacation from this summer and remember all the stuff we did - that I enjoyed and wanted to do. I am a completely different person now than I was last year. Some of us have already reached most of our goals, so it may be time to set some new ones that don't have numbers attached to them. I haven't thought of one for me yet.

I do think that those of us here have more to be proud of since we did it all on our own, but I'm certainly wishing all TBL's people success too. Most of them seem to keep the weight off, so it must not be all that bad.

In other news...

It's official...Austin has strep throat. Ick.

I'm feeling much better. I packed my lunch and ate it today. I came home and ate chicken breast, rice, and soup. I'm not going to make it to boot camp tonight, since Austin is quarantined for another day. I will do a workout here though. I will pack my lunch again for tomorrow.

p.s. there's a small possibility that my emotional moments could be PMS-related? :)

I Feel ICK!

I don't know what's going on. I have been eating better, and I even exercised yesterday. I feel huge today as if it's TTOM. It might be PMS for all I know. I still have my ovaries, so I could still be experciencing those symptoms. On top of that, I feel like I'm getting sick. I hope that I haven't picked up Austin's sickness...he's still feeling awful.

I finished out Day 2 at work. I brought my lunch and got to eat it today. I also ate my apple. Oh, I did get some soup from a cafe. I'm sure it wasn't too bad. It sure tasted good. For dinner, I finished off the hummus I got on Saturday. That shows that I've been watching my portion sizes.

Ok. I need to get some rest, so that's all I am going to say tonight. I've already packed my lunch for tomorrow :)

Hi Ho, Hi Ho...

This morning started off with a bang as my oldest kid was crying from a terrible headache and sore throat. Me, being the good mom that I am, told him to get out of bed and get his clothes on. I figured I could see just how sick he really was by the time we left. It really was evident by then that he was sick. My husband had a job today, so I decided to take the boy to work with me (how could I miss my first day back). I just wanted to get through all my emails and say hello to everyone. At noon, the boy was sleeping in my spare chair, so I decided to bring him home. He's been pretty much sleeping ever since. Awww...he really is sick :(

I was supposed to have boot camp tonight, but I couldn't really take the sick one to the child center, so here I am still at home. There is good news though. I promise promise promise that I'm going to use my bowflex tonight. I just have to. Getting dressed for work is nothing like wearing sweats every day all day. Let's just say that I wished my clothes were a little looser today, and I got out of them as soon as I walked in the door. Yes, these are my new clothes that I just bought last week. Hey, haven't I been saying that I needed some goal clothes? Well, I've decided to put the first suit back in the closet until I drop a few more lbs. I will try the second one later this week. Either way, tight clothes are a nice reminder of my goals.

My eating was ok today. I didn't go out to lunch with friends. I brought my lunch, although I didn't get to eat it before leaving for the day. I did eat the apple that I packed though. Hmmm...what else? I weighed myself this morning. All that I'll say is that it was 13_ . I fully expect the number to go down after I get a couple of good days under my belt.

Addendum: I did some things on the Bowflex. Then I did 200 crunches and 50 modified pushups while watching Heroes. Better than nothing I suppose.

Weekend Follies

Well, let's see...I had a small party on Friday. I got to meet a whole new crew of great folks, so I consider it a great success. I made tacos and only ate one...on a flour tortilla even. Another success. (My tacos are to die for.) Unfortunately, I might have had too many martinis. Not so good on a couple of levels. Altogether a very fun night though.

Saturday was not such a success. Missed the spinning class...my friend that I was going with also had too many martinis :) We'll do the class next week. Anyways, I woke up and immediately ate a couple of tacos on flour tortillas. I still had a lot of meat leftover, so I made tacos for lunch. I was out of flour tortillas, so I fried up some corn tortillas. This is the killer. I had 3! I'm telling you...they are difficult to resist. Later in the evening, I made the kids dinner, but I just ate a bowl of soup. My husband was supposed to be picking up something for the two of us, but I was getting hungry. By the time he went, I was no longer that hungry. I still ordered something that I knew would still be good today. Hummus with chicken. mmmm... I did eat a little bit, but I wasn't very hungry.

I know that yesterday was not great in any way, but I don't think it was enough to really to do a ton of damage. Pizza would have been worse imo...and that seems to be the usual Saturday fare.

Today, we are going to visit the in-laws. I'm not sure what is in store for us food-wise. I will try to be good. I'm going to eat before we leave (probably some hummus).

Warning: This next paragraph is just random ramblings.

I return to work tomorrow, and this could be good or bad for my eating. Routine is usually a good thing. However, being busier could cause me to make bad choices. I'm hoping that being around my friends every day will not tempt me into going out to lunch. I must bring my lunch and eat it. I will probably just start packing a sandwich when I pack the kids' sandwiches. If I can keep it at my desk, I will be more likely to eat it. Too often I put off going into the kitchen at work to heat up my lunch. Then someone asks if I want to go to Hard Rock, and I say yes almost every time. So weak. If I have my food right there, I will probably eat it when I should and I will not be so weak. I will eat my breakfast bar before leaving for work, so that I'm not tempted by breakfast sandwiches from wherever. Coffee can wait till I get to work I think. If not, I'll start making some before I leave. Dinner is trickier. I think the kids will already be fed when I get home. It's sometimes easier to eat better when I'm just feeding me. It's also easier to stop at fast food when it's just for one person though. I must resist that urge...must must must. Again, it's going to be in the prior planning.

Hope everyone else is doing the weekend better than I am :)

OOPS!

So last night I was all ready to go to boot camp (early even), and I went to get the kids in the van...no keys to be found anywhere. We searched for about an hour, but I finally accepted the fact that my husband probably just took both sets to work on accident (this ended up to be true). So I missed. I'd like to say that I used the bowflex instead, but that would be a lie. I did 10 pushups though :P I was going to do more, but I didn't. Oh well. What's done is done. I am supposed to join a friend tomorrow morning for a spinning class, but I'm having a little party tonight...hope I still make the class.

This next part is for Rebecca...another shopping adventure :)

I'm going back to work on Monday, and I thought I should update my wardrobe a little. The last time I bought business attire was in January or February. I was so excited to be getting mostly all size 12's. I looked a ton thinner in those than I did in my 16's that I was still wearing, despite the 45 lbs gone. I've still been wearing those 12's mixed in with a couple of size 10 pants that I bought a few months ago. Since that last shopping spree, I've lost an additional 20 pounds and who knows how many inches. The 10's that I bought a few months ago get loose by the time I get to work usually, so I decided it was time to get some 8's. I bought 2 size 8 suits and some separates. I didn't go too crazy, because this is not my final resting point.

Everything was 40% - 50% off, so I got it all for $130. Actually, I had to fight for an additional $20 off. They had this coupon in their shoe flyer for $20 off any $100 purchase. The coupon listed what it excluded, but it didn't say it was for shoes specifically. The cashier, who was way nice, kept telling me that it was for shoes only. I asked for a manager, who wasn't available...whatever...I wasn't leaving until I got my $20 off. Finally, after about 10 minutes, the pricing dept (?) said it was good for anything. Ugh. It was just the principle of the matter by that point, but I swear I was about to sue the company :) I must have been in a feisty mood yesterday, because I am so not like that usually.

Ok, back to the shopping stuff...my new suits are a hair snug, but they still look very nice. I'm always amazed at how much thinner I look in clothes that actually fit. When I was looking in the mirror, I realized that I've turned into one of "those" girls at work...the young trendy professionals. I've always been told I look much younger than my age. Now I'm getting the body back.

My next stop was at VS for some seamless intimates :) The girl asked what size I was looking for, so I said probably Large. My remaining weight is mostly in my lower half (genetics). She looked at me and said I probably only needed Medium. I took her advice, and she was absolutely right.

My final stop was Macy's. I got this seamless Flexee's thing, which is supposed to smooth you out. Wow! This makes my suits look even way nicer. I would highly recommend this product to any of the ladies that might be reading this. It is worth every bit of the $25. I think it's very similar to Spanx. The best part of this stop is that I found out I still had $75 left on a gift card from last Christmas :)

The whole point to my story is this: For some reason, I think I have a hard time believing that I am actually a size 8 or a medium. I keep thinking that I'm going to go to the store and find out that they were wrong, and I should have been in 10's or even 12's all along. So far, this hasn't really happened. Don't get me wrong, 8's could still look better on me, but 10's would be too large. It's so weird to go into a store knowing that I am an average size. Rebecca made a comment on a post about how she enjoyed reading about my shopping adventures, probably because of my ability to admire myself. I don't know if I admire myself. I'm just in constant disbelief that it's really me. I think I'm actually just trying to convince myself that I look fine or good even. When I look at it rationally, I look fine...considering the fact that I'm in my 30's and have 4 kids. I'm about the same size I was before I had kids...except there is evidence of past pregnancy that will never go away (stretch marks, extra belly, etc...). I just think that I'll never ever be satisfied, and maybe this is not such a bad thing? Maybe I need that dissatisfaction to keep me pushing forward to get that body that I never thought possible before. I don't know the right answer. Confidence is good, but maybe my confidence is fake...actually insecurity?

I don't really know what I'm trying to say here. Maybe you guys of all people will understand though.

I will try to take some pics of me in my new suits later if I think about it.

One last note. I was really irritated when I saw how many cool suits they had at the store for average height people. Being petite is so limiting. I know it's about demand and all that, but I still hate it. I sometimes wish I were taller...even though I don't mind being a shortie for the most part. Maybe now that I'm getting a better shape, I'll get more adventurous and buy suits online. I didn't try on anything yesterday that looked bad on me, so hopefully the same would be true for online orders. It's funny how when I was really fat, I used to get mad at the clothes for looking so awful on me. (I did understand that it was more about me though and not the clothes.)

Sorry for the super long post today :)

Boot Camp - Day 2

Today was a great day in general. I got reacquainted with someone from high school today - well, even more acquainted. We've talked via email & telephone for a little while, but we met up at the great Tim Horton's this morning for coffee. I was good and only got coffee and yogurt w/fruit. This was made possible by eating a breakfast bar before I left to take the kids to school.

I will not name this friend yet, but I think that she may be joining us here soon. She has already successfully lost 50 pounds on her own and already workouts regularly. She is just looking to finish off the last 20 pounds and get encouragement for her continued fitness goals.

I had my second boot camp session tonight. Let me just say that I'm still sore from Monday...but in a good way. I love being able to feel the sore abs when I'm walking or doing other exercises that are considered for the arms or other areas. I know this is why they call it the core. The abs seem to tie into everything. Everything else is sore too. It even hurts to sit down.

Here's a brief rundown of what we did tonight:

(3 rounds of each circuit)

Circuit 1: 5 mins on stepmill, farmer walk w/2 - 25 lb plates, bicep curls - 21's
Circuit 2: 20 pushups w/S Ball, frog jumps, something called "around the worlds" w/25 lb plate, 10 shoulder presses w/25 lb plate, 1 minute plank holds using S Ball.

That was pretty much it tonight...upper body with a bit of cardio. I'm always afraid of the upper body nights, but I usually find them quite easy and enjoyable. Tomorrow I work with other trainer. I don't know what we'll be doing - probably lower body.

I also learned that our pool equipment finally came in. Um....this means that we'll be working out in the POOL?!?!? Glad I've already gotten through the "wearing a swimsuit in public for the first time" hurdle. Scary stuff!

Ok. That's all that I'll bore you with tonight...more tomorrow after Boot Camp - session 3.

Not much to say today

I'm not going to workout today, since I have boot camp tomorrow and Thursday. I've learned from the past that 4 days in a row is just too much for me at that intensity. I will, however, go up to the gym for cardio on either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. My eating has been good today thus far. I'm hoping to eat plenty of good things earlier in the day to avoid overdoing it at night. So far I've had a breakfast bar, yogurt w/fruit, coffee w/cream and splenda, bowl of chili, hardboiled egg. I will probably have another bowl of chili tonight (it was way good).

That's all I have to say today really....except that I'm getting more sore by the minute.

Please check out phenom's blog. He's trying to lose 55 lbs by Tigers opening day (next March).

Quickie - Edited

My weekend was pretty horrid eating-wise. I really didn't exercise any self-control at all. I'm blaming it on not enough luck wished for me on my last blog...so joking. Anyways, I went for a very short walk Friday evening, but other than that...nothing :(

Today is a new day. I haven't been great, but I don't think I've been bad either. I picked up the kids from school today and told them to get their homework done early so that we could go to the gym. They absolutely love the child center there, so this serves two purposes. They get their homework done in a timely fashion, and they motivate me to go. I could have gone earlier in the day, but no. I guess I should get used to this routine anyways, since I'll be going back to work next week. So far...so good. 3 out of 4 are all done with homework, and the 4th one is almost done. This is a good night.

Ok. Going to serve dinner so that we can get out the door.

Oh, one last thing...I've decided to sign up for the next boot camp session at the gym. It will be well worth it to get me back into the whole workout routine. I can't wait to get some of my tone back.

*Edit*

I went to the gym tonight and asked when the next Boot Camp session would be starting. To my surprise, they told me I could start tonight! I was really happy, because I really didn't want to do cardio only tonight anyways. There is a new instructor for the class, whom I thought did an excellent job. It's good to switch up trainers, in my opinion. She has different ways, and I am surprised at how jello-y my legs still feel 3 hours later. I will be going M W Th for the next 12 weeks.

I am going to be soooo smokin' by Christmas. Look out, Size 6, here I come!

The Great 100 Calorie Snack Pack Debate

First, let me just say that I have been eating well. Nothing bad to report here. Yesterday I went to my old office to have lunch with a co-worker, and I saw everyone and the compliments were abundant...yeah yeah yeah. Same story :) I also ordered a small lunch plate (Ahi Sushi). That's literally all it was...4 small pieces of sushi...absolutely delicious and completely satisfying.

Now onto the important part of today's blog. I found this article to be very interesting. While I disagree with his point that we don't have a choice (see Billy's blog today), I agree that we have mental obstacles that often deter us from making good choices. However, when it comes right down to it, the choice is ours. It's just so important to eliminate temptation where possible.

Please be sure to at least read to the point where it discusses the chip experiment. I found it fascinating, because it's absolutely true. I would have reacted the same way as the test subjects.

I'm going out of town this weekend, so wish me luck on the eating front. I'm not quite sure what types of temptation I'll be facing. I must stay strong :) Maybe I'll go for a walk after dinner.

Interesting Article

This study suggests that exercise is just as effective as drugs in treating major depression. Makes sense to me!

I'm Back

Ok. So I've been back, but I've not been back...if that makes sense :) But now I'm back.

My weekend was absolutely amazing. I had the best time with the best hostess around (Kirsten, of course). Of course, when I try to think of what we did, all I can come up with is...prepare food, eat food, and go buy more food? My kind of weekend! Ok. I'm kidding for the most part. I can't even express how blessed I am to have this girl as my friend. Yes, we had our fun eating great food, but we also got some physical activity in. We went to the zoo on Saturday. On Sunday, we went for a couple of very nice walks (I think we guessed it was around 4 miles or more altogether?). What a great area to live in. Lots of nature to enjoy.

Eating on Monday wasn't great. Eating on Tuesday was better but still not great. Eating today has been great. I also hit the gym. I really am back on track. I can feel it. I mean...it's not exactly my fault that I got off track. My eating hasn't been too out of control, and I really couldn't exercise much due to the surgery. I've been to the gym twice since my doctor gave me the thumbs up last Thursday...not to mention the walking over the weekend.

Well, I think that about covers it. Have a great day!

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance

In my opinion, one of my biggest problems this week has been breakfast. I am not hungry when I take the kids to school, but this quickly changes while I'm in the car...just as I'm approaching McDonalds or Tim Hortons or whatever. Even if I'm still not hungry, I want coffee, so I stop somewhere and then yield to the temptation of food as well. So, last night, I set my coffee maker on auto and took coffee with me on the drive. I also ate oatmeal for breakfast before leaving to take the kids to school. Guess what? I didn't even think about stopping anywhere. I also left my debit card and cash at home just in case.

The other thing I did last night was lay out my workout clothes. After I got back from taking the kids to school, I did some stuff around the house and then hit the gym. What a great workout! 30 minutes on the elliptical, 10 minutes on the stairclimber, and then 1 mile on the treadmill (about 10 minutes). It wasn't where I was when I left off a month ago, but I think that I did very well overall...and I enjoyed it! I didn't do any strength training, but I might use my bowflex tonight. I also have a lot of chicken breast and lettuce in the refrigerator just waiting for me to make a salad out of it.

Ok. It might be Monday before my next blog entry. Have a great weekend!

Time to Blog

It's been a little while since my last post, but I promised someone that I would do it today, so here goes:

I haven't been eating that well at all this week. It's so incredibly stupid how you can get to a whole new low and just sabotage it within a few days. I would really like to understand the psychology behind all that.

I decided yesterday that it was over though, and I did better today...not stellar, but certainly better. I really hate that I seem to have lost some tone in the past few weeks from very little physical activity. The good news is that my doctor said that I can get back to the gym...no restrictions. Yay! Now the question is: do I really want to? Of course I do, but it might be hard to get there the first time (tomorrow). I'm kind of hoping that my little break might have reset something in me, so that I'll see some nice quick results. I know that I've been really concentrating on the direction I'd like to go in. I might even sign up for another boot camp session just to get me back into it all.

Other than that, I've been so incredibly busy with the kids and their school stuff. I really don't know how it's all going to go once I get back to work in just a few short weeks. Hopefully I'm getting into a good routine right now that will help me to stay organized then. I hope I don't have to start going to the gym in the morning, because I can't see that happening. I love my snooze button.

My most exciting news is that I am going to Chicago this weekend to visit the Comment Fairy (aka Kirsten). I seriously cannot wait to get there.

Dally in the Alley

Yesterday we headed out to Dally in the Alley. We parked kind of far out, so it was nice to get in some exercise. Actually, it sucked because I was wearing these sandals with 3 inch heels. Oh well. I was starving when we got there, so the hubby and I went to go grab a bite to eat. I decided on a shish kabob (they actually gave me 2). They were delicious and they were only $5...cheaper than I could even buy uncooked at the grocery store.

The best part was that I got to spend some much needed time with friends. After Dally, we headed over to Twingo's. It was kind of weird, because this is a very nice restaurant that was supposed to be turning into a club of sorts for the night. We ended up ordering food. I wasn't on my best behavior, but I suppose it could have been worse...seafood chowder (broth based) and then smoked mozzarella sticks (yes, they were fried) and an arugula salad. Hopefully the walking and dancing helped to burn off some of the calories.

The club thing was meh. This is a monthly event that we used to go to all the time, but it was at a completely different venue. It just didn't gel in my opinion, so we decided to head over to Corktown Tavern for Hot House. This was much better, but I was exhausted by this point. We stayed for just under an hour before heading home. I mean, it was 2:00 am, but we usually stay till about 4. Oh well... :)

Overall, a good day, but it wasn't magical. I guess you can't create that...it just has to happen.

***Addendum***

I wore a stretchy green top with a short(er) denim skirt. This is probably the first time that I've worn a short skirt since I was 21 maybe? Big step for me.

Clothes Shopping

I met a friend for breakfast this morning. It really was long overdue, and it was nice to get some things cleared up. Good friends can do that. No confrontation really...just areas of irritation. I love my friends, because we keep it real. No drama. Well...very little drama. Anyways, I'm a happy girl today...and I feel so lucky to have so many great friends.

After breakfast, we went to this ghetto clothing store to buy some cheap clothes...I'm talking $3 tops. Unfortunately, we had to deal with the awful staff there. I swear I haven't experienced that bad of service in a long time...AND they only allowed 3 items of clothing at a time in the fitting rooms. Very frustrating. Anyways, it is getting more and more fun to go clothes shopping for the most part. I'm to the point where almost everything looks fine or good or HOT. The only reason some things don't look too great is because of my petite frame. Some regular sizes are ok, but others' waists fall where my hips are. I seriously have one of the shortest torsos I've ever seen.

I really wanted to talk about stretchy clothing today. In the past, I really had to avoid very stretchy tops, because all the stretchy material did was shift my blubber around and make it look worse than where it was in the first place or it just accentuated my belly roll. I think all that is changing now. The stretchy material seems to just hold everything in place now. I ended up buying this halter top thingee...the kind that I'd wear to a club. I don't know that I'll ever actually wear it out, but for $3, I thought I could at least just put it on at home and look at myself in it :) Even the horizontal stripes on it don't seem to make me look fat. It actually looks FAB! My friend was talking on the phone and just stopped talking when she saw me. Ok...you get the point. It looked good. My real point was that the lycra or spandex or whatever it is might be good for me now.

My other point is that it's true that the belly fat is usually the last to go (at least for girls). I still have enough left, but it's nice to see it finally shrinking.

In other exciting news, I get to go out to Detroit tomorrow for fun. Dally in the Alley is going on, and there are a ton of fun afterparties going on. It's been a while since I've been out to the city, so I'm super excited. I just hope it doesn't get rained out.

Random stuff today...

I really am getting upset at the number of obese children I'm seeing around these days. I'm sure I'm just noticing it more because of the kids being back at school. It's one thing for me as an adult to be obese, but to allow my children to get that way is simply not an option. My kids are not skinny by any means, but they are not fat at all. I just think that if my kids were getting fat, I'd be making some serious changes in this house. How can these parents allow this to happen to their kids. I know that some kids are naturally heavier set, but there are so many complete families that are obese. I just don't get it. I've heard people talk about this before, and I've heard all the excuses and the lies...like it's ok to be fat or it's just in our genes to be "heavy". I really don't know if anyone here has obese children, so I apologize if this offends anyone, but it just really saddens me to see so much of it. Some people might think it's unhealthy for kids to worry about their weight and everything, but it is our job as parents to teach them about proper nutrition. I want them to know that being overweight is unhealthy.

Next...I watched the Biggest Loser last night (from my DVR). It was fine, but I thought it was totally stupidly cheesy for them to make the audience say, Did you keep the weight off...with the hostess. Then, they compared their current weight with their starting weight rather than the weight from the end of the season. Of course, they were all thinner than when they started out. Overall, it really was a nothing episode geared toward getting people excited about the new season. Beck and I were talking about the show yesterday...about how it's great they lost the weight and everything, but how hard can it really be when you are sent away to work out for how many hours a day and have all the right food choices right in front of you. We are the real winners here, because we're doing this and incorporating all of these changes into our real lives as we go. This is real...right here...not to take away from their successes of course. I do think that the show played a part in me getting healthy though...as I sat on the couch and watched it, wishing I could be thin. ha! Every little bit of inspiration helps I guess.

Yesterday, I was sitting here at the computer thinking about how bored I was, so I decided to go for a walk. I ended up walking over 5 miles. God that felt great. I'm really sore today though. Funny how it only takes a couple weeks of inactivity to soften some of those muscles that seem to take so long to build. I can't wait to get back to running.

Just a couple cheesy new full body pics...and a fattie before pic

And here's the before pic (again)...

Nothing much to say lately

I haven't posted in a while, but it's not because I've been avoiding...just don't have much to report I guess. I ate more yesterday...probably a little too much, but that's ok. I still feel good.

Yesterday was the first day of school for the kiddies. What a strange but wonderful experience to send all 4 of them away for the whole day :) Of course Audrey was the funniest because it was her first time going to school ever. She's very outgoing, so I knew she would love it. She was so exhausted though and started to fall asleep on the couch after school. I made her dinner and she headed toward the stairs. I asked if she was going to bed and she said yes, good night. ha...at 5 o'clock! Overstimulated I guess. She didn't get up until I turned on her light this morning. This is a new school for them, but they all loved it and already made some friends. It's really nice that I'm not working right now, because I am a little more relaxed without the stress of work. They are at school again right now. Ahhhh...

I ran into our crazy carpooler mom from last year. They switched over to the same school as we did, unfortunately. Anyways, she was a little taken aback at how good I was looking. We carpooled until the middle of June, so it's good to know that even though I haven't lost that many pounds, I must look a lot more toned. I mentioned that I'd like to lose another 15 pounds, but she said she didn't think I should lose more than 5. Not that I care what she thinks. She is crazy after all. I will lose another 15...eventually.

Last week was Audrey's 5th birthday. I just realized this morning that I'm at the weight that I averaged before I had any kids...5 years after the birth of my last one. I don't think there's any real significance attached to that, but it was kind of interesting to me :)