Rainstorm Running

Maybe you think running during a torrential rain/thunderstorm is a bad idea.

But you'd be wrong.

Amie and I had planned yesterday to meet at the Riverwalk at 5:45 tonight to run.  We've never run together, but it was Amie's idea, and I'm always up for another way to squeeze in an extra calorie burn. Plus, I've really got to stop avoiding my running sessions if I'm going to make it through this triathlon in May. 

At 4:45, when the sky was looking ominously cloudy and forecasters were saying the words "tornado warning," she called to see if we should reschedule.  I said that another night this week probably wouldn't work, and besides at worst we'd have an adventure.  Then I walked outside where the wind was whipping.

The whole drive over to the Riverwalk, DJs were blaming the horrible storm for the bad traffic.  The rain hadn't started yet where I was, but I realize now the calm before the storm had set in. 

The Riverwalk starts at a parking lot, continues for 2.25 miles and then you have to turn around and come 2.25 miles back to return to civilization. Starting down that trail is a commitment.  

We started running and talking, and it was great.  The air was pleasantly cool.  At about .75 miles we decided we would turn around at the 1.5 mile marker so that we'd get in a solid 5k and still be back before it was too dark.  It was about that time that Amie said, "I bet as soon as we turn around, that's when it starts raining." 

Then we made it to the 1.5 mile marker, turned around and, as predicted, the rain started.  It wasn't bad at first.  In fact, we remarked several times that we could "barely feel it" and that "running in the rain is more fun."  When we had about 3/4 of a mile still to go, that's when the sky let loose and the lightning started flashing.  We slowed to a walk when we got to a big hill and our shoes had filled with water. My clothes were soaked through and must've weighed an extra 10 pounds. I wasn't sure we'd be able to run again after that, but we did.  It was even easier to keep going. I don't think it was just the motivation of returning to the car, but the glorious feeling of being in the moment.  

The most fun workouts are always when you're doing something out of the ordinary. Running during a rain storm. Biking to the downtown library. Playing intramural softball with college students.  Climbing a mountain.  Trampolining with an 8-year-old.  While it's good to have a practical workout plan (like my daily gym workouts at lunch), it's better to have fun and burn calories at the same time.  So be on the lookout for your next workout adventure. When you find it, be sure to tell me about it.  

Everything and Nothing.

I've spent a lot of time inside my own head this weekend, as I spent most of it in the yard doing tedious manual labor by myself.  I think that means this is going to be a long post. Settle in.

Last October, I wrote this post about the great day lily move of 2010.  After that weekend, I was still angry about having to move the flowers, so I paid no attention to them.  It didn't take long for the new bed to become overrun with weeds.  I spent most of the winter wondering where I was going to get the strength/motivation to weed that bed.  It had gotten completely out of control.

This weekend seemed to be the best to tackle the horrendous job of weeding the bed, laying down landscaper's cloth to prevent future weeds, digging a trench between the bed and the rest of my weed-filled grass and re-mulching the entire bed.

On Saturday I worked on that thing from sun-up to sun-down or in other words, 11 hours.  In the days before I began, I was dreading it fiercely, and I prayed that God would change my attitude. I asked that He help me see it as a great opportunity to be in the sun and burn some calories.

I didn't go back to read that first post I wrote until just now as I started to write this one, and it's a little eerie how similar these two posts could be.  I was again angry about having to do the chore (just so you know, there are some special drama-filled circumstances surrounding the day lily move, I don't normally get angry about doing yard work.) It was again painful.  I again ended my day with a milkshake.

However, when I wasn't being a Negative Nancy, I was grateful for the time in the gorgeous weather (it's hard to stay mad when it's 65 and sunny) and had lots of fun with my dog Bonnie, who loved helping me with the weeding (as I was working I was thinking that I would blog about that and call it "Bonnie's Best Day Ever").

Just as I had a plants-to-weight loss journey extended metaphor in the first blog, here's another.  After I first planted the new bed, I neglected it and it didn't take long for the weeds to overtake it.  I think something similar could easily happen once I make it to my goal.  Making it to my goal is not the end. It's just the beginning.  I can never relax and forget about how hard it was to make this far. Otherwise the weeds will take over again.

Exciting News and a Shopping Dilemma

Exciting news this week! My size 16 dress pants have suddenly become too roomy.  Last week I wore skirts all week because the weather was so phenomenally beautiful.  This week I went back to pants when it got a little cooler, and was surprised to find them sagging!

That's a great thing!  I really have not done much clothes shopping since I've been dropping pounds, mostly because I've been so ridiculously blessed by gifts of clothes from friends (Stephanie, April, Alyssa and Kati, I can't thank you guys enough!). The few times I have gone, though, have been lots of fun as I have fit into sizes and styles that I never would've thought possible.

Over the summer, I will probably revert to wearing lots of skirts again, and I think most of the skirts I wore last year will still work this summer.  But pants really do need to fit.  So it sounds like soon I'll be shopping!  The only thing is I don't exactly know where to shop for quality dress pants any more. I shopped almost exclusively at Lane Bryant for years, because their clothes fit my body type better and I no longer fit into anything they sell! I like Old Navy now for casual stuff (although the durability of their clothes is questionable), but not for professional clothes.

Anyone have suggestions for me? Where do you shop for professional clothes?


PS Today was a weigh day. I lost 3.5 pounds, which makes me only 1 pound away from my big goal!

How to Celebrate?

Not to count my chickens before they hatch, but I've already been thinking about what I should do to celebrate once I make it to 100 pounds lost.  Monica asked me the other day what I would do once I stepped on the scale and saw the number I wanted to see, and it's gotten me thinking.  I have a big reward planned for after I make it to 100, but it's not the kind of thing I can do the same day.  I weigh in on Fridays, so I'll be headed to the office shortly after weighing in (unless it is Friday, March 11, because then I'll be headed to the airport later that day to fly to England!).

So, this is where you come in.  You can vote in the poll below and/or make suggestions in the comments.  How should I celebrate?

Online Surveys & Market Research

Endorphins

"Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't."


Ah, the motivational words of Elle Woods.  I'm sure there were many important lessons to be gleaned from the film classic Legally Blonde, but this is the one that continues to stick with me.


It amazes me how a good workout never fails to clear my mind and turn my day around.  Today I was at a breaking point, ready and willing to use food to comfort me and solve my problems. Instead, I called a friend to talk me off my food-ledge and then put Bons on a leash and went for a long walk. Before I was even out of the neighborhood, I was feeling better.


This was not my first such experience. I may have even blogged about it before. Time after time I am amazed by the way a workout can change my attitude completely.  That's part of the reason I love my lunchtime workouts so much. It benefits both mental health and my work to get out of the office and clear my head.  It changes my perspective of whatever I'm thinking about or working on.  


It makes me think I should go back and watch Legally Blonde again to see what other life lessons I could ascertain. Maybe I should try the bend and snap?

Whatever it Takes

A couple of weeks ago, Abi, friend and weight loss mentor, emailed me to tell me that her husband had said that I need to do "Whatever it takes" to make it to 100 pounds, because he felt I had some sort of mental block.

Whatever it takes.

At first I asked if that meant he was advocating starvation, but he wasn't.

My second response was kind of "Isn't that what I've been doing?"

But since then, I've kind of taken "Whatever it takes" as a personal mantra.  When I come rushing back to work after a solid lunchtime workout at the gym, I think "Whatever it takes."  When I turned down a free breakfast biscuit after already eating a healthy breakfast at home, I thought "Whatever it takes."  When I think I'd rather skip an evening swim because I haven't been home much lately, I think "Whatever it takes."  When I came back from a weekend away and set to work making my weekly meals right away, before unpacking or before I caught up on my television shows, I thought "Whatever it takes."

I think you get the picture.

I'm still not perfect.  I've still caved in the presence of the leftover Valentine's Day candy that has been present around the office.  But I really want to make it to 100 pounds before I leave for England in 2.5 weeks.  That's 3 weigh-ins and 4.5 pounds to lose.  I just have to stay focused and determined.  I can do this.

Swimming

Man, I love swimming.  There's nothing else like it.  You're alone with only your own thoughts to entertain you. You can think through any problems or make mental to-do lists.  You feel good and tired when you're done, but not sore or in pain.

I'd swim every day, if it were easier to accommodate swimming workouts.  It's just difficult to accomplish during my lunch hour, and I can't commit to it regularly after work.

I was thinking last week about how I wish there was a race that was a biking/swimming race so I wouldn't have to run.  I've been a total slacker in my running lately and will have to completely re-learn how to be a runner when I'm ready.  But then I went on last week's cycling adventure, and I started doubting my biking confidence.

But swimming, swimming will never let me down.  Tonight I jumped in the pool planning to swim for 45 minutes and didn't stop to look at the time until I had been in there for 53 minutes.

Do you have one particular workout that you love?

Workout Playlist, Part 2

Here's another edition of some of my favorite workout songs. If you want to see the original list, you can view it here.

1.      According to You, Orianthi (I just stumbled across this on Itunes, but I love it.)

2.      The Power of Love, Huey Lewis and the News (classic 80's)

3.      Baby, Justin Beiber (I know, I know, the shame of it!)

4.      Male Prima Donna, Subtle Sexuality (Yes, this is the one single released by The Office's girl power duo Erin and Kelly. It is great fun and available on Itunes.)

5.      Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), Beyonce (strong beat and fun to sing to!)

6.      Live Like We're Dying, Kris Allen (so inspirational for making your life count!)

7.      Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows (lots of fun!)

8.      I Think We’re Alone Now, Tiffany (My first jazz dance recital piece was choreographed to this song. Yes, it’s true I had formal dance training from the age of 3 until 7)

9.      Must Have Done Something Right, Relient K (first heard this when Amie and Daniel played it at their wedding in 2007. I think of that whenever it comes on.)

10.  Boys of Summer, The Ataris (Good for some light headbanging)

11.  Closer to Fine, Indigo Girl (Can’t explain it, it’s just good)

12.  Far Away, Ingrid Michaelson (beautiful)

13.  Gonna Make You Sweat, C & C Music Factory (kind of a no-brainer)

14.  Bust A Move, Glee Cast (I listened to this so much, I had to temporarily remove it from my playlist)

15.  Champion, Queen Latifah (Awesome, inspirational song)

16.  Burning Love, Elvis (If you move your pelvis like the King would to this song, you can burn serious calories)

17.  Walking on Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves (This song was playing in my headphones as Cindy, Stefanie and I neared the finish line at my first 5k…it powered us through!)

18.  Almost, Bowling for Soup (I have more boy rock songs than this on my playlist, but this is one of the best.)

19.  P.Y.T.-Pretty Young Thing, Michael Jackson (In all honesty, several King of Pop songs are on my full playlist)

20.  I’m Outta Love, Anastacia (Try and not dance when this comes on, just try)

Haikus for Health

A few haikus:

____________________________________

Dieting is hard

Being overweight is hard

Time to choose your hard

____________________________________

Food tried to rule me

I ate more when sad or mad

No more; I rule me

____________________________________

Hated exercise

Made commitment to be fit

Now lost without it

____________________________________

Care to share your own health and fitness haiku with me?  Haikus are un-rhyming short poems with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables in the last line. Get creative!

PS I was totally inspired to write haikus by this post on Able-Bodied Girl's blog.

My Cycling Adventure

The weather has been spectacular lately, so I've been taking as many workouts as possible outside.  Today when I got home from work, I was excited to take my bike out on the road.  I also needed to make a run to the library, so it was the perfect excuse to save some gas, complete my errand and be just a tad bit greener.

Now, it should be known that I don't own a bike, but my sister loaned me hers at the end of last summer to keep indefinitely.  I only got to ride it a handful of times before it got too cold.  It has some different gears, but I don't really know how they work or how many there are.  I mostly just ride and adjust the gears when going up and down hill until it feels right.  I'm also not the best at steering. I have a tendency to lose my balance and jerk the wheel erratically.

So today I took off, towards the library, as soon as I got home from work.  I'd like to say that biking was a good way to explore my home town, but that would be a lie.  The area between my house and the library is not the nicest of areas, and the sidewalks are full of overgrown weeds, broken glass bottles and other trash. Oh, and today is garbage day, so I was also dodging trashcans.  I was racing against the sun setting, so I had to take the most direct route to and from the library.  Plus, because of my erratic steering and the heavy traffic next to me (I rode the whole way there and back on the sidewalk, because the streets I took are so busy.), I had to focus just on the bit of sidewalk directly in front of me and couldn't look around to enjoy the scenery.

So I suppose I could of found a prettier place to ride my bike, but it's amazing how freeing it feels to be able to get somewhere with just my feet on some pedals and no car.  It also was exciting, trying to get there and get back as fast as possible.  Plus, it just feels like I accomplished something with my workout, you know?

So I'm not sure I have a point for this particular blog, except to share my little adventure with you.  And to remind you that workouts don't have to involve a gym or a treadmill. If your workouts bore you, maybe you just need to get a little bit creative with what you call a workout?

Weekend Meltdowns

It seems I've fallen into the habit of being super healthy, motivated and on track during the week, and falling off the wagon every weekend.

It's easier to stick with routines and schedules during the week. On the weekend -- anything goes. I might sleep in (until, gasp!, 8:30 a.m.!), I might work out extra, I might be busy visiting with friends or family from the time I get up until the time I go to bed, or I might spend the whole weekend vegged out on the couch in front of the TV.  Every weekend means a host of different activities, but one thing remains the same: I eat horribly. It's ironic, because at the same time I am eating horribly, I am shopping and prepping healthy foods for the week.

Is it just the lack of routine? Is it because I allow myself to eat out? Is it because I sometimes can't control my meals, what time I eat them and where?  Is it because I've developed an attitude that says, "I've been good all week, I deserve a splurge?"

I'm not sure, to be honest (Translation: those were all rhetorical questions above).  I am sure that there is nothing wrong with a splurge or a couple of meals eaten in restaurants.  I've read a lot about dieting, and I've seen the 80/20 rule referenced a lot. The principle is that you should eat healthy 80 percent of the time, and allow yourself to splurge the other 20 percent.

But, as I believe I've posted before, splurges* can be a slippery slope. Once I let my guard down and let one unhealthy but delicious treat pass my lips, it's like I've opened the floodgates for more.  It's easier to stay in control if I stay strict, but at the same time, I can't be strict 100 percent of the time. I feel like this is something I'm going to be navigating the rest of my life.

Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Can I get an amen!?! (Or just some suggestions on how to improve my weekend eating?)

*I apologize for my overuse of the word splurge tonight. Apparently my internal thesaurus is malfunctioning.

Loved

One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22: 35-40

It seemed apropos to explore some aspect of love today, even though Valentine's Day has never been a very big deal to me.  Over breakfast I began thinking about what I would post tonight and these verses popped into my mind.  I tried to ignore them at first, but all day long I kept coming back to this single thought: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

It is a pretty radical verse, one that is the epitome of Jesus' teaching.  But a few years ago, I heard it preached in a different way and I wish I could remember the speaker and the event to give them credit, but I can't.  Perhaps more importantly, though, I have looked at this verse, and myself, differently ever since.  The point was that in order to follow Jesus' teaching and love your neighbor as yourself, you have to first love yourself.

Let me let that sink in a bit.

Sometimes the hardest person to love is ourselves, especially for women.  It's easier to focus on our flaws. It's easier to say- "My hair is weird" or "I'm fat" or "Nobody loves me on Valentine's Day" or "I'm a bad wife/sister/mom/friend" or  whatever it is you say to yourself to beat yourself up.

But you are a child of God, a uniquely created being. There will never be another you. God knows the number of hairs on your head and he loves you beyond measure.

"This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us." 1 John 4:10
"We love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19

So today, no matter what your relationship status or your feelings toward Valentine's Day, remember that you are loved and remember to love yourself.  If you have that straight in your mind, you are so much better equipped to go and love your neighbors.

What are some ways you show yourself love?  Today, I stopped letting Singles Awareness Day affect my mood by reminding myself of this post I had been pre-composing in my head. It helped me to remember my value and in turn was able to eat a healthy meal at home for dinner as planned, instead of making a rash stop for junk food on the way home. Oh, and I've also been reading over a pretty sweet list written yesterday by my best friend that lists 101 reasons why she loves me.  That's helped too :)

This Week's Tastiness Part Two

I loved the Chile Verde recipe I made last week so much, that I decided to make it again this week. I hope that makes it a strong enough endorsement for you to consider adding this recipe to your arsenal of favorite recipes. I know I've added it to mine. It's so easy.  It takes about ten minutes of chopping vegetables, but then you just dump it all in a crock pot and let it cook for eight hours and you're done!

Mom and Dad were here this weekend and while they were getting packed up this morning, I went ahead and started making my meals.  This gave Mom the chance to taste a fresh tomatillo and Dad the chance to correct my pronunciation of it (he doesn't like tomato-like products).  It also gave me the chance to impress Dad with my ability to cook two meals simultaneously.  He's a great multi-tasking cook, and he was proud to have passed the skills on to me.

My second recipe I found on the Bell Plantation web site.  Bell Plantation makes PB2, a powdered peanut butter product that I've heard lots of people rave about on various diet/healthy living blogs.  It is just ground peanuts with a bit of salt and sugar, so it is much healthier for you then the peanut butter you buy in the store. You can either mix it with water to make peanut butter or you can use it in the various recipes they have on their site.   If you've been reading the blog, you know I love peanut butter, and I thought this would be both a healthier way to eat it and a simple way to control it (you only mix up enough peanut butter for one serving at a time.)

I decided to order some this week, because I've been curious about it.  Mixing it with water actually makes pretty tasty peanut butter, but I also wanted to try some recipes. So I found  PB2 and Pasta Bake on their website and set about making it. It wasn't until I was done that I realized the recipe never told me when to put the PB2 in!  It has it listed in the ingredients, but never told me what to do with it, so it ended up being a regular old pasta dish, with no exciting peanut buttery twist.  Oh well, it's still pretty good.

Here's a picture:

Diet Drink Detox

A play by play of my detox. Is it too much info for you? Sorry.


9:30 a.m. Sunday: decided not to buy any more diet coke/pepsi and to break the habit when my supply ran out

7:30 a.m. Monday: decided to just have one diet coke each morning until they are all gone; should be gone mid-weekend

7:30 a.m. Wednesday: had last diet coke of my life, but did not realize it would be the last; I didn’t even say goodbye

7:30 a.m. Thursday: didn’t start the day with my usual diet coke, but thought I would wait and see if I could stretch the time in between last coke to next coke; decided I would have it mid-morning instead

Midmorning Thursday: was too busy to think about diet coke

2:30 p.m. Thursday: headache began, but had forgotten about the lack of diet coke and thought it was stress-related, rather than caffeine

3:15 p.m. Thursday: went to the gym to cycle, hoping the distraction would clear up the headache

4:15 p.m. Thursday: done at the gym, but headache had gotten worse

4:30 p.m. Thursday: realized headache was because of the lack of caffeine; decided that since I had already 

dealt with it a couple of hours, I would just power through and not drink any more diet cokes

5:15 p.m. Thursday: left work to head to local gym for Body Pump (still using my free week pass)

5:45 p.m. Thursday: thought that when you have a headache, weight lifting is the worst form of exercise to be doing

7 p.m. Thursday: arrived home from gym and showered, headache was still horrible, but kept forgetting to take medicine

8 p.m. Thursday: remembered to finally take some extra strength Tylenol

8:30  p.m. Thursday: felt some relief

10:30 p.m. Thursday: went to bed with headache back in full force, couldn’t fall asleep

12:30 a.m. Friday: woke up to text message from stupid cell phone company, headache still raging

12:30 a.m.-6:30 a.m. Friday: slept fitfully, waking repeatedly; shouldn’t a lack of caffeine in my system help me sleep better?

7:30 a.m. Friday: woke with no headache; prepared breakfast and stared mournfully at one diet coke and one diet pepsi left in the fridge

8:30 a.m. Friday: went to work and told Judy K. about my impromptu ditching of the diet drinks; commiserated with her about some foods tasting better with soda

9:30 a.m. Friday: felt sad about no longer drinking diet coke; began thinking about wanting to go out to lunch to mourn my friend (diet drinks), but made plans to walk with Monica outside in the sunshine during lunch hour instead

10:30 a.m. Friday: couldn’t stop thinking about eating lunch out; ate snack instead

12 p.m. Friday: decided I was being stupid about wanting to eat lunch out and ate the lunch I brought from home, like a good girl

3 p.m. Friday: caved under self-imposed faux-pressure to drink something besides water; went to vending to get caffeine-free Sprite

3:15 p.m. Friday: realized that Sprite has 140 calories in one can! You can bet I won't be doing that again. That's more than what's in a light beer!

7:30 a.m. Saturday: 72 hours caffiene free and slept like a baby.

It really was not bad at all!  Here's hoping it helps with these last 5.5 pounds!

Self Confidence Secret

Can I tell you what makes a big difference in my self confidence these days, but really doesn't take all that much time?

Lean in close. It's a secret.

Abdominal work.

I used to never do ab work. I just figured, "What's the point of having ripped abs, if you can't see them under a layer of flab?" I thought I should be spending all of my time on cardio, and even if I did strength training, I skipped the abs.  I hated doing them.

When I first started doing ab work consistently, I was surprised to discover how quickly I could tell a difference, and what a difference it made.  During the last couple of months I have not been super consistent in the weight room (which is where I do my ab work), only getting in there once or twice a week. It has left me feeling really flabby.

However, the past several weeks I've been more consistent.  What a confidence booster it is to be able to feel my strong muscles!  This is true for all muscles, but for the abs especially.  When my abs are tight, it makes me feel/look slimmer with a defined waist line, even if I haven't lost all of the weight yet.  My abdominal muscles may not be visible to the eye, but I can definitely feel them.

I've changed up my routine from when I last posted about abs (link included above) and now include exercises for the lower abs and obliques, in addition to crunches for the upper/middle abdominal muscles.  The whole set only takes about 10-12 minutes, and I only do it three times a week, but that seems to be enough.

If you're looking for a quick way to feel better about yourself, determine a routine (perhaps something as simple as two sets of 15-20 regular crunches and 2 sets of 15-20 side crunches) and stick to it consistently for a few weeks.  Do it at least three times a week, but you can do more if you want. You'll feel the difference in no time!

Updates

Sometimes I think I write a blog with questions or problems and then never get back around to telling you what I decided about said question or problem. Maybe sometimes I go back to the comments, but you might not read all the commnents.  So, here's a round-up update of sorts to some recent blog posts, in no particular order. (Original posts are linked in each title.)

Saying Goodbye to Diet Pepsi
I've decided to try and say goodbye to my favorite drink.  I did not buy any more at the store last week, and I'm rationing out the rest.  At this rate I will be out over the weekend and seriously detoxing on Sunday or Monday. I'm nervous about it, but excited too. 

Tri Triaining
My triathalon training is going well.  I've been biking, swimming and run/walking two days a week.  Even though I've done two 10ks, running is still the hardest part and the easiest for me to neglect.  I've got plenty of time before the May 21 Turtle Crawl Triathlon to work on it.

My Perfect Day
I never went and printed out the Perfect Day plan, but I am remembering a lot of it. It has helped me a lot with my water drinking and with changing my attitude toward food. I'm now usually more thankful for the food I put in my mouth and savoring it just a bit more. 

Natalie Grace
My neice is 3 1/2 weeks old, and came home from the hospital today!  She really progressed through all the stages of her stomach surgery well (from not being able to eat anything to slowly taking on more and more milk to being so good at drinking it all from the bottle that she got to be released).My parents are coming this weekend to meet her for the first time. (I don't know if I mentioned earlier, but mom got shingles the week before Natalie was born and couldn't come until she was no longer contagious.)

Oatmeal
I loved that I got so many responses to the oatmeal post.  Based on your suggestions, I just sort of started experimenting with what I added to my oatmeal.  I still had this box of disgusting Original instant oatmeal in my cupboard and don't want to buy another flavored box (based on your reccommendations) until it's gone.  So instead, I've been adding a smidge of milk, some cinnamon some days, some fruit other days.  It's actually not that bad, and I think the key has been making it with milk instead of water.  Or really, part milk and part water (cause I'm always trying to keep my calorie count down).  I'm mainly consuming it for a snack, because it scares me a little to change up my breakfast routine. I've been eating the same kashi cereal since I started this crazy journey in August 2009. Oh, also, my friend Meghan (actually, her husband Matt) made me some steel cut oats, which are the super healthy kind that Dr. Oz reccommends.  They take a bit more effort (cooking for thirty minutes on the stove), but provide a lot more bang for your buck in terms of protein and fiber.

Humility

The word that keeps popping into my mind lately is humility.  It seems like such a strange virtue, one that doesn't come easily or naturally. It takes work, but it is something I believe we can all try to cultivate.

I'm not sure why it keeps coming to mind, except that I don't think I have been the epitome of humility lately.  When I'm busy, I lose patience easier.  People around me irritate me either with their actions, their attitudes or their words.  I am quick to think, "that person is so stupid.," "What's wrong with him?," or "Why would she do that?"

On the surface it seems like I'm just a girl with a hidden mean streak, but really the heart of the issue is humility. This attitude shows that I think I am better than the person at the other end of these thoughts.  I am not. We were all unique creations from the same Creator, and I have my own flaws and make my own mistakes. I often don't hold myself to the same high standard I seem to be looking for in others.  I'm working on trying to remember these things when I get upset.

Humility is also hard to manage at this time in my life because I still get many compliments on how I look or how I've changed.  Honestly, I love these and treasure them in my heart, but I don't want to become dependent on them or train myself to seek them out. I don't want my happiness tied to them. How do I humble myself in the midst of the praise?

And what about the flip side of humility, pride?  Pride is an obvious sin, but is it okay to have some pride in how I look and how far I've come?  If so, where does that line fall?

These questions are more just questions for my self, things I think about, although I would love any thoughts you have on the subject.

Why I Want to Lose the Last Few Pounds

Top Ten Reasons

To kick it into high gear and make it to 100 pounds lost

1. It is a life goal of mine.
2. I feel better physically and mentally when I am eating well.
3. Self confidence is one of the best feelings in the world.
4. I want to wear a size 14 (and maybe even a 12!) some day in my adult life.
5. Summer weather will come some day.
6. I don't want to get diabetes.
7. I'm going to Europe in five weeks!
8. It will help me run my triathlon.
9. I've got a big, exciting reward planned for when I make it to 100 pounds! 
10. My blog readers would be so proud.

This Week's Tastiness

This week I made two recipes. One was recommended by able-bodied girl in one of her recent blogs and can be found online at the Year of Slow Cooking. It is called Chile Verde, and it involves chuck roast, tomatillos and diced tomatoes.  I was interested to try it because of the tomatillos.  Tomatillos are from the tomato family, but are smaller and green.  I had seen them in the produce section back when I was regularly searching for new fruits and vegetables to try for your reading pleasure, and thought they looked interesting. Plus, I love the green salsa at Moe's, and I think tomatillos are what makes that so tasty.

It cooked all day in the slow cooker today and it was DELISH! I'm not the best at describing flavors, but this had a sweet, almost tangy taste. I highly recommend it.  I served it with crushed tortilla chips on top.

These are tomatillos.

My second recipe was Chicken and Broccoli Casserole.  Despite it  receiving rave reviews on Sparkrecipes.com, I was not sure it would be good.  I've made a similar casserole before that I did not love.  I swapped the recommended Cream of Mushroom soup for Cream of Chicken, basically because Cream of Mushroom is gross.  I also thought about reducing the cheese to make it lower in calories and fat, but I'm glad I didn't.  It was super cheesy.

Enjoy!

Spin

I've already had an exciting day and it's not even noon yet.  Let me tell you why. I went to my very first Spin class.

Spin, for those of you who do not know, is one hour of heart-rate-jumping cycling set to loud and awesome music.  I loved it.

Let me back up. I was very nervous about trying it.  In fact, I've thought about trying it before, but I've never had the guts. I've heard a lot of horror stories.  I've heard it is incredibly intense. I've heard that the regular spinners are really mean to newcomers and make fun of you if you can't keep up.  I've heard that the seats hurt your butt like nothing else could.  I've heard that you walk funny afterwards.

But a couple of weeks ago, when I was in my rut, I was thinking about taking some of the exercise classes at the local gym to change up my routine and get me out of my funk. I had a one week free pass that a neighbor had given me.

Last week I happened to mention to my friend Alyssa that I had this pass and was thinking about taking some classes. She is a member of the same gym, so she got excited about the prospect of a workout buddy and encouraged me to come. So today I picked her up bright and early, and we headed to the gym.

It was really intimidating to walk in the dark room they have set-up for spin.  I had planned to find a bike in the back, in case I couldn't hang and had to leave early, but a bunch of people had already claimed bikes and I wound up in the center, middle, right in front of the instructor.  My bike seat was too high, and I couldn't figure out how to lower it. Slightly embarrassed, I had to ask the girl next to me.

Then the instructor, a well-muscled, lean and good-looking man asked if there were any newcomers.  Let me tell you something I've learned. If you are a newcomer to an exercise class, you should definitely let the instructor know.  If you don't, they don't explain everything as thoroughly and you end up confused for half the class. So, as intimidating as it was, I raised my hand high and waved at him.  He seemed surprised to have a newcomer, "You've never done spin before, ever?" he said.  "Never, ever," I responded. "Okay, feel free to leave early, if you can't make it the whole hour," he said.

He was just trying to be nice, but I took it as a challenge.  I wanted to make it the full hour, so I took it easy on the hills the first few songs.  But the longer I was in there, the more I got caught up in it.  The moves (going up hill, going downhill, sprinting, standing up, sitting down) are all choreographed to the music.  All the song selections were great, too, and sometimes I caught myself bopping along to the beat as I pedaled.

I made it the whole hour. I could see that the instructor kept checking on me (I was RIGHT in front of him, after all), but I kept up the pace pretty well. The last song, he encouraged us to go all out, and I did, man. I was dripping sweat by the time I was through.

It was a great workout. I torched some serious calories, and it was a lot more fun than I expected.  And I spent so much time standing and pedaling during the class, that my butt doesn't hurt too bad after all.   How's that for a happy ending to my Spin story?

Saying Goodbye to Diet Pepsi??

Lately, I've been feeling a pull to give up diet sodas. You know how much I love Diet Pepsi; I wrote a whole post about it.  

I don't know, I guess I've just been seeing a lot lately about the evils of diet soda and how it helps you hold on to pounds, even though it does not have calories.  I'm not really sure how that works, except I know it is supposed to make you crave sweets.  I know that when I eat certain foods, like Moe's, BoJangles, and popcorn, I have to have a diet drink to go with it or I feel incomplete.  Also know that when I have one, I always want to have another, and once I start drinking diet pepsi, it's hard to switch back to water.

Even though I've been drinking it for years, caffeine still affects me. I start my day with one every day, just like some people do coffee, to get me started.  I feel incomplete without it.  If I drink it too close to bedtime, it keeps me awake.  

Also, I am hopelessly addicted, so the idea of giving it up means a few days in pain. It will feel like my brain is being ripped into thousands of pieces for at least two days.

I don't think I can go to a strictly water-only drinking regimen, and I don't drink any form of tea, so I guess that leaves just a little bit of Crystal Lite now and again?  I can't think of any other low-cal drink.  Suggestions?

Honestly, it sounds horrible to even think about giving it up. I love the pop and fizz sound that comes when I crack open a can. I love the crisp taste, especially when it comes from a fountain. However, as I'm trying very hard to close in on my goal, I could use any kind of extra help I can get. 

But then sometimes I think, I'm already "giving up" a lot to lose weight, cutting down on my eating out and eating chocolate.  Why should I have to give up one more thing, especially when it has ZERO calories?

As you can see, I'm of two minds about this. I'd love to know what you think. You can vote in the comments section below.  Have you ever been addicted to caffeine?

Time for a Clementine

Life has been a tad stressful lately. Work has been bustling, crazy busy. It's  the kind of week where I have a million things to do, and they all have to be done at the same time.  Yesterday, I never took the time to stop and heat up my lunch (though I did eat all of my snacks). In other words, my current location is stress-city.

However, today in the midst of the stress and busyness, I was feeling hungry. Actual hunger, not just "hmm, I'm kind of bored, wouldn't it be nice to eat something tasty," which is what is usually happening when I say I'm hungry.  I was going to keep plowing through what I needed to do, thinking I would catch a few minutes to grab a bite later, but I stopped and thought, "No. I'm going to take the time to have a clementine."

I liked that rhyme so much that I stopped, peeled and ate two clementines and then decided it sounded like a good blog post.

After all, what does it take to peel a clementine or two?  30 seconds or a minute, tops?  That 30 seconds gave me not just a no-longer-hungry-belly, but some nutrition, some vitamin C, and some breathing room to evaluate what I was working on at that moment and to reevaluate whether or not I needed to be doing it or something more pressing instead.

Luckily, I'm not stressed very often and even when I am, it is not dire stress, not life and death stress. In fact, I feel like I read about stress in magazines and in random online articles more often than I actually feel it.  What about you? Do you get stressed? What stresses you?  How do you deal with it?  May I suggest you take some time for a clementine?  (I think this could be come a new catchphrase. I really do.)

Oatmeal

Do any of you eat oatmeal?  Every thing I read these days seems to say that it is great for you and great for keeping you full all morning.  Also, my friend Stefanie recommended it when she visited me in November.

Anyway, I'm asking because I would like to be an oatmeal eater, but the instant kind I've bought is just gross. Probably it's not the healthiest option either, although I tried to buy the healthiest of the instant kind.   Am I buying the wrong thing or should I just stay away from the instant altogether?  I'm thinking most people add tasty stuff to their oatmeal like fruit or nuts, and this must make it taste better.

I really want to be an oatmeal lover, and would like your help. If you have any tips or thoughts to share on oatmeal or oatmeal toppings, please comment below.  If the comment box intimidates you, please email or facebook me!

My Net

This week I read on another blog a post titled "The Net."  It was a beautiful and moving post about the author's circle of friends and how this group of women have supported each other through tough times. From the post:

"The Net," she called us. Because we caught her when she fell.

As years have passed, we've all taken our turns jumping in. We promise to catch each other, and we do our best. Sometimes we screw up. Sometimes we fall apart. New friends join forces, old friends strengthen theirs. But, in the end...we are there.


The whole post is beautifully written and augmented by stunning photography. It made me want to write about my own net. 


Although it may come as a surprise to blog readers who are used to be me being open and honest with my struggles, I have never been very good at sharing personal information.  I can talk to you all day long about the latest Modern Family episode or the Oscar race or The Hunger Games books, but when it comes to intimate personal conversation, I'm a little quieter. And  I'm much better at asking you questions than answering yours for me.  


But it's something I've been trying to work on, and it has gotten better over the years. And because of that, my net has gotten a little bigger and a little stronger.  Lately, with the struggles of my weight loss and the unknowns surrounding the birth of my niece Natalie, I've felt pretty secure in my net and for that I am grateful.
I don't have the words right now to say exactly what these people have done for me and continue to do for me, so instead, I'll leave you with a collage.

Do you have a net? What does your net do for you?