Out with a Bang!

After weeks of floundering & half-hearted discussion of getting my butt in gear, I finally have a plan in place... one that started today... and my plan is to send 2010 "Out with a Bang!" Something about there being less than eight weeks left of deployment and well under 90 days left in the calendar year signals to me that I must take action now.

Do I feel ready to take on a challenging regimen? Not in the slightest! Is my heart fully in it? It wants to be, but if I'm being honest... no its not! Does that set me up for failure before I even fully begin? I hope not. My shrink told me a year ago when I was so depressed I couldn't do anything more productive than play Facebook games that sometimes you just have to start doing to feel better. So that's what I'm gonna do... the plan is made and I'm just gonna do it... whether I feel like it or not. Because it is for me and it will be good for me... and because I deserve to put myself first. That putting myself first thing is still a foreign concept in my mind. I feel guilty for doing it, guilty for shutting myself down... but I think I would end up feeling more guilty if i didn't do it and do it NOW!

Here's the "Out with a Bang!" plan:

1. Drink buckets of water daily (maybe not buckets, but at least 64oz.)


2. Blog daily


3. Track food daily


4. Try three new healthy recipes each week


5. Exercise daily - to include completing "Around the World" gym requirements

You will notice in there that there is nothing about eating "healthy" or limiting calories. While I will be monitoring both, I will not be obsessing over it or chastising myself if I end up in restaurants frequently. Over the last several months, I am certain it has been my lack of exercise that has hurt me... so that will be my primary focus.

Doing "Around the World" gym requirements will force me back into a solid fitness routine. Granted I will have an extra forty days beyond what the gym allots during the challenge... but considering what an infrequent gym visitor I have become & the two weeks I will likely be gone around the holidays, I'm pretty sure it will be challenging enough as is. :)

For the sake of being able to measure results, I did a Thursday morning scale visit and measurements:

• 198 pounds (ugh... but still down a tiny bit from the start of deployment)


• Waist - 38 1/2"


• Hips - 47"


• Chest - 42"


• Thigh - 26 1/4"


• Calf - 19"


• Arm - 16 1/2"

Scale day is going to remain Tuesday. I plan to check measurements for progress at about the middle of November and then again at the end of the year.

The only thing I haven't figured out fully is rewards... and its no secret I thrive on rewards. They will be figured out & posted by the end of the weekend... and chances are they will include jewelry and/or handbags, lol.

So that's it... my plan to send 2010 "Out with a Bang!"

What are you going to do to finish 2010 strong???

Gaining Perspective

Before I get to the heart of the matter, let me say a quick word about Chicago & the BOOBs... it was AMAZING!!! I'm not gonna write a book about it at this point (seems kind of redundant after reading what everyone else wrote). But I did have a wonderful time meeting everyone and seeing a new city. Draz summed it up well with "life-changing," I know I will never be the same.
Fellow BOOBs that I have added on Facebook, please remember no one there knows about this blog (except all of you lol). And BOOBs I haven't added, feel free to add me... I've been trying to find everyone. :)

Do you ever feel like you need someone to smack you up side the head and point out all of the things that should be obvious, but aren't? Okay more like things that are obvious, but you don't want to see them.

That has been me for a few weeks now... needing someone to give me a reality check. And guess what... I gave myself one! Its no secret to anyone that I've been majorly down in the dumps. Putting on a (semi)happy face for Chicago was a bigger challenge than you can imagine. Coming home, I knew it was time to really figure out what is going on with me... what is making me so sad all the time... because how can I ever expect anything to change if I don't know the cause?

For the last week, I have chosen to go with the flow and quietly observe the people in my life... I mean who they REALLY are... what their ACTIONS say vs. the WORDS that come from their mouths. The vast difference in those two things and how they affect my moods has been really eye-opening.

This is the thing about me... I am the type of person that fully commits to relationships (of all types)... if I am in your life its 100%, NOT just when its convenient for me. When I make plans with you or agree to do something for you, nothing short of being near death with prevent me from doing it. Big or small - it doesn't matter - I'm gonna keep my word regardless of how inconvenient it may be to me personally. And I'm going to do it with a cheerful heart because that's how I am. I am also the type of person that pays attention to the wants and needs of others... if I'm out somewhere and see something I know someone needs/wants I will happily get it for them if I can... just because I care. Not always - but often - you will find my shopping cart filled with things for a variety of different people in my life. Again... its just how I am.

Sadly, I think I'm growing selfish. I feel like I want my turn - for someone to value me and my presence in their life the way I value them in mine. For someone to go that extra mile for me, even when its not convenient. Not all the time... just once in a while... so I know I matter to someone beyond what I have to offer them. And the thing is, I've realized most of the people in my life talk a really good game, but have very poor follow through (assuming the intent was ever truly there to begin with). It makes me sad to think how one sided things have become with certain people. I feel like I need equality... which it seems means to stop "doing" so much for other people... which feels selfish and totally NOT me. Or, alternatively, separating myself from people that primarily TAKE, TAKE, TAKE. I don't know what the solution is... but at least I have identified this as a major source of my sadness and my feelings of being unworthy lately. That's a start...

Honestly, I think that is probably one of the biggest issue for me right now... so much seems to stem from it. Here I am so busy doing for other people that I have completely slacked off on my house, home projects, hobbies, and most sadly... taking care of myself and my health. Everything related to me and my personal well-being seems to have taken a backseat to caring for and doing for others. Even if its selfish and changes who I am in some way that has to STOP! I can't be so wrapped up in other people that I lose myself and what matters to me... especially when those other people are the way they are.

Maybe the solution is this... to plan my life & my time to take care of me (and The Boy One of course) and only allow other people to fill the space I have left over. I suppose there is a happy medium somewhere, but right now I feel so burned out on "being there" and getting little to nothing in return I don't even want to think about a compromise. That's so not me, it sounds foreign to even think it aloud, much less type it. Is that terribly selfish of me? Does that make me a bad person?

******************************************************************************
Happy news... I drug my tush to the gym this afternoon and lived to tell about it. Seriously sad how long it had been since my last gym visit! I hopped right on the StairMaster and did 50 floors... I felt like I could have kept going, but didn't want to overdo it on my first day back. Wrapped things up with 30 minutes on a wuss bike. My body is definitely telling me that I've spent way too long out of the gym... though not as bad as I thought it might be.

More happy news from the gym... they finally have the plaque up for the Around the World Challenge! It lists the names of the people that completed the entire challenge this year... five names I believe... including mine, followed by that of my BFF! :)

And now I've just remembered the trash cans are still at the curb... I'd better drag them in before the housing Nazis attack, lol.

Something Long Overdue

If you've been reading for awhile you might remember my post about the "outfit in the window". Two long months after purchasing it, I finally have the picture that some of you insisted I must share. Pretty sure this is the first pic I've posted since I changed my hair color & I know its the first pic since Around the World ended. Please ignore the pasty white legs, lol.

I actually wore it on Mother's Day/my son's birthday... but finally got the picture uploaded tonight.

Why did I wait so long to wear the outfit? Well first I had to find the shoes... which actually was easy (they were already "hiding" in my closet). Then, I had to wait for warm enough weather... which turned out to be a long wait here in western Washington. Particularly here on the island, where even when its sunny the wind still tends to blow.

The debate over what to do with my "fun" money from my first paycheck is still ongoing. I actually ended up using the money to buy stuff for kids group... so I'm waiting to be reimbursed before I can use the money for myself. I'm torn between a spa treatment at this hotel I've been dying to go to for years or something like the spendy sunglasses I've been eyeing (but don't really want to spend The Husband's money on)... decisions I tell ya... but considering my Mother's Day experience, I'm tempted to do both, lol.

Ohhhh.... look what I finally got....

My reward to myself for finishing Around the World!!! They finally got another one in stock. Its actually sitting on layaway - just til we're sure The Husband has everything he needs for deployment - along with a little swing pack that matches it. :)

********************************************************************************

Day one of food/activity journaling went okay... Food wasn't the best; but I wrote it all down & I talked myself out of hitting the Starbucks drive-thru when I was in town. Activity was non-existent. I had planned to go for a long walk in the evening... but we got news of a serious financial setback and I ended up in a ball of tears instead. Sigh.

Wait... can crying count as physical activity? Probably not, but I'm tellin ya my abs are screaming at me after all the tears, lol.

Around the World Challenge Wrap Up.... Finally

Note to self (and anyone who will listen): do not get sick while completing a major gym challenge & starting a new job... but if you must don't be stubborn and deny it until it turns into bronchitis. Yeah, that pretty much sums up what I've managed to do to myself in the last ten days.

The challenge has been done for over a week & I'm just now getting to updating you on the outcome... geez I told ya I'm waaaayyyyy behind here, lol. Honestly, I work well under pressure (the deadline drives me), but I HATE getting behind. And I've been missing blogging like crazy... my body says rest though... and I've been trying to listen.

As for the results... I don't have full results. You'll also notice I don't have post challenge pics - have to find time for someone to take them still, lol. The guy that did my measurements at the end did not do them in the same places as the girl who did them at the beginning & he insisted on measuring over my clothes. I was really frustrated because I wanted to see the true numbers. With his method of measuring I lost about 2" each from my waist & hips. I can tell that I lost inches in areas that they didn't measure for the Challenge. My weight loss was 6 lbs during the six weeks of the challenge. Not too bad, but not quite what I was hoping for. However, I do want to make it really clear that I increased my calorie intake considerably during the Challenge. I didn't want to rapidly drop weight in a manner that I can't sustain for the long term. And as much as I'd like to say I could... I don't think three hour workouts six days a week is something I can maintain.

The awards ceremony - complete with lunch - was Saturday. Now before I talk about the prizes, I have to tell you all I was FLOORED when they carried in 12 large pizzas & bread sticks from Little Caesars!!! Seriously, here we are at the gym challenge awards & they serve pizza???? Am I the only one that thinks that was a little out of place? I did not eat pizza, but had three bread sticks (they were the little ones) with fruit & veggies.

Now for the awards part... my name was chosen three times! But you can only keep one prize - I ended up with a $50 gift certificate for a local antique store. I'm totally happy with that since I love antiques & vintage stuff. My other choices when I was chosen were for a restaurant or rounds of golf. Once again, I have stop and ask why I would want to reward myself with food?!? These prizes are from "corporate sponsors" of the Challenge... so I understand there will be a variety of prizes, but still. My BFF Erika (yes the one I've been so frustrated with recently) won a family bowling package (which includes pizza, go figure). She was also the Women's Body Composition winner for our location! She was totally shocked, but I wasn't too surprised because I could see a big difference in her from the beginning.

Erika & I were two of only six people to complete the entire challenge for our gym location. The other location that combined with us for the awards had five people complete the entire thing. So out of 200 participants only 11 people finished the whole thing! I was a little bummed because they have decided to stop giving out the individual plaques for those who do the whole thing. I was looking really forward to adding another one to the wall in my office... but they are going to do a wall display inside the gym with all the names on it. I guess that's cool too because I can look at it every time I workout in the gym.

Kind of a cool experience. I was in Walmart with The Husband on Sunday night & two people stopped me to congratulate me on finishing the whole challenge! They were both people that completed part of it. I think it totally caught The Husband by surprise... which was amusing considering his general attitude about the whole thing. :-)

I had this whole post in my mind about my reflections from the challenge... but since I'm playing catch up its time to abbreviate I suppose. Conquering a huge goal brings a huge sense of empowerment... but as I've said before there is a feeling of peace that comes with it as well. Not only peace, but a feeling self-security... knowing that you can do what you need to do for yourself.

Beyond that the biggest thing I'm left with this year is a "stop the I can't" mentality because... I CAN. Let me explain... I'm one of those people that gets bored on any given piece of cardio equipment after a short time. 20 minutes on the elliptical & I'm ready to bolt... treadmill is about 10 minutes at best. This has led me (and I've heard others say it too) to say "I can't do more than 30 minutes." Well the simple truth is I CAN do quite a bit longer than that IF I choose to. Believe it or not, I discovered that the first 30 minutes is the most difficult. By the time you hit 30 minutes all of those little aches and pains that we so often use as excuses for stopping have subsided (or I suspect numbed away, lol). It actually got to the point where it was easier to stay on a single machine for a full hour than to split that hour between a pair of machines.

One other thing that I really noticed this year was the difference that skipping breaks can make. For example, I used to do the StairMaster in 15 minute increments - with a two minutes break in between - for a total of 30-45 minutes. I did this to catch my breath and let my heart rate recover a little. But when I would start again, it was hard to get going. I think those little breaks gave my brain just enough time to tell my legs that they were tired of climbing. Midway through the challenge, I started going all the way down to level one for my recovery periods rather than stopping. This helped immensely and I was able to climb for much longer periods... up to two hours on one crazy night.

The overall take away from the Challenge (barring injury & illness).... WE CAN DO ANYTHING WE SET OUR MINDS TO... its just a matter of being brave (or crazy) enough to set our minds to things that will truly push us to new levels!

Now that I've written an entire short story, its time to take the boy one to therapy & then off to be a "good" government employee for a few hours. My "advisers" have weighed in & with any luck I'll be back to share my next "crazy challenge" with you all soon!

Btw - My one and only May goal is to make healthy choices in restaurants... more to come on that later. :)

Cheerleader Info Needed

Well I think I'm recovering nicely from finishing the Challenge... except my left knee aches like crazy. It was really nice not to wake up and head for the gym yesterday, but by last night the feeling that something was missing had settled in. By this morning, I was missing the gym and now I'm actually frustrated that I can't go tonight! Seriously, when did this become such a part of me that I can't miss a single day without going through withdrawals?

The new job is going well so far. Its had logistical challenges with The Husband's schedule & being down to one car... but we're making it work. The downside has been not being able to get to the gym; but I suppose a two day break is okay after how crazy the final Challenge days were. Tomorrow, I will get back to the gym for sure... and finally get my post-Challenge measurements.


Now, my faithful cheerleaders, I need you to email me your info. As in names & mailing addresses please (and yes, my dear Mama Pimp that means you too). True to my word, my official cheerleaders are going to be rewarded. The winner of the special gift will be announced Friday evening... I already know who you are... but you can earn an extra chance to win if I receive your info by 4:00pm PST on Friday. In case you're wondering what the "gift" is... its a surprise... I promise its good... and I did give a hint a few days ago that it required a trip to the bead store. :)

Its kids group night, and I'm already going to be late... but I wanted to leave you with my amusing moment of the afternoon. Sitting at a stop light on the way home from training, there were these two older guys along the side of the road (taking their picture in front of a pair of display jets). What caught my eye initially was the one guy trying to fix his hair, despite the fact that the wind was blowing steadily. So there I am innocently observing them & the one guy bends over, with his backside toward me, and I see a HUGE hole in his crotch! And let me tell ya... this old guy was not wearing underwear! The last thing I needed to see was old man butt hole on my way home.... ewwwwww is all I can say. Oh wait, I guess I should count my lucky stars that the hole was only on the back part of the crotch... or I would've really gotten an eye full. Still, I may have nightmares... I think I'm scarred!

The One You've Been Waiting For!

Around the World is DONE!!!

I FINISHED!!! All parts of the Challenged Completed!!!

332 Circuit Sets

279 Core Sets

378 Free Sets

48 miles on Elliptical

38.1 miles on treadmill

150 miles on bike

2,100 floors on StairMaster

In six weeks... well five, if I subtract the week I missed when we went to visit The Husband's family. Holy crapola! I can't believe I got it all done... well I can because I wasn't gonna accept anything less... but still there were moments when it almost didn't seem worth it.

Its a funny thing to finish... you would think there would be some mini-celebration or at least a huge sigh of relief. But there isn't... there is quiet and a calm feeling knowing that its done. And in this case, there was one delicious Strawberry Fields smoothie involved.

The rest of the day I devoted to relaxation, even though I have a ton of stuff to do this week & the new job starting bright n early Tuesday morning. I curled up on the sofa with a blanket and book. I chatted on the phone. I texted with friends. And I napped... or maybe I should say I became comatose on the sofa for a couple hours. I think you probably could have picked up the sofa and moved it without me waking up.

My reflections on the Challenge experience will be coming soon... maybe when I've replaced the brain cells that left my body disguised as sweat, lol.

Time for me to sleep... but not without an extra special THANK YOU to all of my faithful cheerleaders! I really don't know if I could have made it through without all of your support in the final days. You rock!!!

PS - Especially for Drazil - I do hereby promise to eat HUGE amounts of food with you! But I refuse to dawn a bikini, lol. :)

The Gym Sandwich

How does one make a gym sandwich?

Start the day with nearly two hours at the gym.

Spend the entire afternoon at the carnival & street fair.

End the day with another 1.25 hours at the gym.

There you have it... one gym sandwich. :)


For everyone who gave me permission to quit after my last post, I'm glad you were so concerned for my well-being and I appreciate it, however I have to say thanks... but no thanks! I've come way too far to stop now. Whatever seems to have caused my body's meltdown on Saturday seems to have passed... I was totally fine today.

The StairMaster is DONE!!! Yay!!!!! 200 floors today... so I actually finished with 2107 floors! While we were at the carnival, we had to walk up a flight of stairs to get to the food/shopping area... and OMG, I thought my legs were going to fall off by the time we got to the top.

I managed to knock out another 4.5 miles on the treadmill in my second visit to the gym. At beginning, I was thinking I might end up hurling after all the crap food I ate at the carnival... but it was okay once I got going. And no, I didn't eat that much crap food... just ate it fairly close to when I went back to the gym.

There I was, trotting along on the treadmill... and everything came to a crashing halt... the power went out (I guess in the whole town). Its a good thing I was walking; the lady a few machines down was running & she crashed into the front of her treadmill. It was a short outage & I was able to finish up with no problem.

So for the final day... I have 8 miles on the treadmill & 36 free weight sets. Is it weird that those numbers seem easy to me?


The carnival was lots of fun. We let the boy one have a wristband and he amused himself on rides for a couple hours. The food was wonderful... I ended up skipping the corn dog. This BBQ place had a long line... which around here we assume to be a sign of good food. I had a BBQ Baked Potato topped with cheese, sour cream & beef brisket. Not sure how it compares calorie wise to the corn dog - but I can tell you with total honesty it was some of the best food I've ever had in my life! And because I planned for an indulgence today... I was able to fully enjoy it without so much as a smidgen of guilt or anxiety. :)

I'm off to get some rest... the next time you hear from me I will have successfully completed the Around the World Challenge for the second consecutive year!!!

What do you have planned for this final week of April? Will you reach your goals for the month?

Dear Accidental Fat Chick

Dear Accidental Fat Chick,



You asked me to cooperate with your demands for three more days. I grimaced & unwillingly agreed with this request. Now, you have the nerve to tell me I must perform for a fourth day!!! Who do you think you are? Why do you not understand the warning signs I'm sending your way?



Today alone I gave the following "hints" that I'm ready to call it quits:

• Muscle fatigue


• Aching in my knees


• Aching in my hip


• Sharp pain in my thigh


• My total inability to keep my heart rate in a productive zone


• Abdominal pain that keeps on going like the Energizer bunny


• Unquenchable thirst (three times the "normal" water while you subjected me to the StairMaster)

And now, at this late hour, I am presenting you with terrible back pain... hoping (though I suspect in vain) that you'll take the hint & give me a good LONG rest.

Your demands are unreasonable & I'm sure they must break some rule in the proper care and treatment of the human body! I am sick & tired of being treated this way!! Let this be your notice, I'm not gonna take it anymore!!! You can't make me!!!

- Your Body

********************************************************************************

I swear to you... every part of my body is ready to quit - to be done - to throw in the towel. Today's gym experience was the kind I haven't had in months - and not in a good way. I started out with free weights, which were okay. Moving on to the StairMaster, I immediately had problems. Within the first 30 minutes I had to stop the machine to catch my breath. Throughout the whole time I was sweating way more than normal, couldn't regulate my heart rate for the life of me & drank about three times as much water as I usually do on it. It was so bad that I was stopping every 15 minutes & then when I'd start again it would take every bit of my strength to keep on going. At 250 floors... I called it a day. Its very disappointing because I had lots of available time to get stuff done there today & my body just wouldn't cooperate at all.

We put off going to the carnival (my corn dog experience) until Sunday. The weather is supposed to be better. It should also be a little less crowded. Saturday is always a crazy busy day there because it starts with a parade in the morning & people seem to hang around for hours after.

We did do a quick walk through the street fair part of the event. There were so many tempting things that I managed to resist purchasing... though it seemed like selection is way down from last year. I did buy a hat - which is way out of character for me - but I really liked it. For food, I had bbq chicken on a stick, 2 small pieces of lumpia, and 1/2 an elephant ear with cinnamon & sugar.

We're having a late dinner of shrimp, baked potatoes & zucchini... I want brown rice instead of the potato, but I'm too tired & hungry to wait for it to cook.

Time to go cook... but first... a special thanks to Melissa for keeping me company while I'm at the gym. Text messages are a great thing! :)

A Gift, Food Confessional & Coming Changes

Or perhaps its more of a realization... the ending date of the Challenge is the 26th - which is Monday. Don't even ask why I thought it was Sunday. Seriously, I think all of my brain cells have exited my body disguised as sweat. Anyway - its an extra day - and it feels like a HUGE gift right now!

Quick update on the numbers

What I did today: 7.3 miles on the treadmill

What I have left (approximately): 12.5 mi treadmill, 450 floors stairmaster & 150 free weight sets

Totally doable!!!

I will be so excited when the last blank is filled in on my "passport!" My first stop after I leave the gym that day will be the store that has my Coach handbag displayed. They only have one left, I swear if I get there & its gone I may sit down (or collapse) right in the middle of the handbag area and burst into tears!

*********************************************************************************

Food confessional time here... The day started out soooo well (strawberries, low fat cottage cheese & fat free yogurt) & then came Jack in the Box... followed by Pizza Hut. I'm still within my calories for the day (by some miracle), but my body just feels yucky from all the crap I put in it. Let this be a good reminder that just because you're eating within your calories does NOT mean you are eating well. If you eat crap... you're gonna feel like crap... regardless of how many calories you've eaten.

And, I might as well confess ahead of time... I plan to indulge in one very bad for me corn dog at the carnival tomorrow. But, it is PLANNED for... and much anticipated... so once again I refer back to my insistence that I do this in a way I can sustain for the long haul - even if it means it takes me a little longer to get where I'm going.

*****************************************************************************
On a totally unrelated subject, we have a deployment date for The Husband. I can't say exactly when... but soonish I will be playing single Mom yet again (faux single Mom as I call it). We've known it was coming, but its sooner than expected & there is soooo much to be done before he leaves.

And, something I've neglected to mention, I am starting training for a new job on Tuesday! Its a temporary job, lasting eight weeks or so. It will be my first "real" job of any kind since I was pregnant with my son. I'm nervous because its been so long since I've worked. The timing is stressful with deployment quickly approaching & everything that goes along with that. We really need the money & my hours will be roughly the same as The Husband's... so hopefully I can balance everything without losing my mind.

Being a working Mom is totally new to me... I know a lot of you do it... and I need to know HOW? :-)

Ladies (and Seth)... Another Record Bites the Dust

A few weeks ago, I reported that I had lost my mind and had done 210 floors on the StairMaster. Self reflection as I was typing that post uncovered the fact that I had taken Midol before heading to the gym... therefore, my body had no idea what I was really doing to it. During that session, I did 10 or 15 minute blocks with a minute or two break in between to recover.

Well tonight that record fell!

No pre-workout painkillers!!

No "recovery" periods!!!

New record is....

302 FLOORS!!!!!!!!

302 floors of continuous motion.

Do you realize that is equivalent to walking (or climbing) over six miles straight uphill with NOOOOOO breaks???

If you're wondering, I burned over 1200 calories during this bout of insanity. Floors to 250-290 were really brutal. I slowed it down to a cool down pace for the last 12 floors. Honestly, when I pressed stop on that machine I was elated that it was over and that I had broken the 300 floor mark... and crazy as it sounds, I felt like I could have kept climbing.

Now the question remains, will I be able to move when I wake up in the morning?

**********************************************************************

On another note, I made a discovery when I was getting dressed this morning. There is definition in my lower abs that I have NEVER seen before. I can't even pinch fat in that particular spot!!! After making this little discovery, I must have stood in front of the mirror staring for a good five minutes... I just couldn't believe it. All of those core sets for the Challenge must have done what their designed to do. Now, I'm ultra motivated to keep up with the core sets, even though that part of the Challenge is done.

***********************************************************************

With less than a week left to go in the Challenge, its time to start thinking about how I will challenge and push myself when its over. I'm tossing some ideas around in my head... and will share soon.

What do you do to push yourself in your workouts? What motivates you to keep going when you'd pay money to stop?

The Final Week

By this time next week, Around the World will be OVER! Can you believe it?

I finished up with core sets today; so now I've completed core sets, circuit sets & the bike. Here's what I have left:

• 211 sets of free weights
• 12.7 mi on elliptical
• 23.8 mi on treadmill
• 795 floors on StairMaster

Doesn't look too impossible does it?

I ran the numbers - based on my typical pace - and it looks like I need about 13 hours of gym time for the cardio portion & maybe a couple extra hours for the free weights... so 15 hours total in seven days. It seems doable...

But I have a "secret" goal to finish early... I just think it would be really cool to finish early AFTER missing the whole week of spring break. Have I lost my mind? Quite possibly, lol.

Two days of "relaxing" at the gym has helped my body immensly. I have almost no pain or achiness for the first time in DAYS. Maybe that's why I'm feeling so energetic, but I've planned to work out twice a day every day except for Wednesday (and maybe Thursday) til its done.

Time for my cheerleaders to get their pom-poms ready for a busy week! :-)

************************************************************************

After I was done at the gym, we drove off the island to go see the tulips. We are so lucky to have these beautiful tulip fields about 30 minutes from our house. I took a bunch of pictures, so I'll share some after I get a chance to upload them. It was nice to go do something as a family - shocking that we had good weather & the Navy accommodated by giving him a day off at the same time. Unfortunately it was totally unplanned and spur of the moment things such as this lead me to...

Food confessional time AGAIN! This week has been TERRIBLE from a food perspective. Today for example; The Husband wanted to go to breakfast (something we rarely have the opportunity to do) so of course we did. I ordered a prime rib skillet... which was really nothing more than a beef fajita mix with hashbrowns. Plus it came with a side of toast, which I should have had them leave off... but no I ate one piece - which I guess is better than two. This might not have been so bad on its own... but we ended up eating out a second time. Round two I ordered a chicken fajita wrap... which I think was the healthiest thing they had (the other stuff was corn dogs, hot dogs, deluxe cheeseburgers), but still. If all of that isn't bad enough, we bought a small bag of kettle corn, which The Husband and I consumed before we even made it home; I could say he ate way more than I did, but I'd be lying. Small victories, I resisted the fudge & the milkshakes at the tulip fields. I'm thinking maybe I need to start doing a nightly post with my food log for more accountability or something.

Its been a good weekend... but I'm eager to get the new week started. What's going on in your world this week?

A Relaxing Saturday

After pushing so hard all week at the gym, I decided it would be okay to have a relaxing Saturday... so I only did 1 hour 25 minutes there. In that time I finished the bike - yes, I said FINISHED the bike! No more cycling for me... at least not for the next eight days. I also did 50 core sets - granted they were easier sets than I normally do, but I'm getting down to the wire here. I will be able to finish the core sets on Sunday. Hallelujah! I so much prefer to do core exercises at home (aka out of the watchful eye of other gym patrons).

On the way home from the gym, I stopped by the commissary for some groceries. I took some cheerleader advice and stocked up on snack-type foods that I can combine into meals. I also loaded up the cart with Healthy Choice frozen meals. Normally, I try to limit prepared foods like that, but I figure for this next week, they will be a good option. In the past I've hated the Healthy Choice meals, but the ones I've tried recently were pretty tasty. I'll be sure to report on them if they are worthwhile. Calories on them are pretty low, 270-310, and they have fairly low sodium for a boxed meal. I rounded out the cart with some staples and some low fat ice cream... so maybe, just maybe... I can say NO to the dipped cones at Dairy Queen. I don't know what the deal is in my head, but if I'm driving around town on a nice sunny day, I can't get the thought of those dipped cones of sinfulness out of my mind.

Erika came over for dinner and movies with her new boyfriend, Brandon. I'm getting used to him and she's been a bit better about balancing things... so that's been nice. She colored my hair while they were here - results to come once it doesn't look like a big poof ball anymore. It was a good time & now I'm just winding down, thinking how good its going to be to sleep.

The Husband came home from work with good news... he gets Sunday off... so I can sleep in and go to the gym in the afternoon. Yay! I should be well rested and really able to hit it hard... the clock is ticking.

I'm going to go to bed and dream of CHICAGO, BOOBS and finishing Around the World!

A Good Day

Friday was a GREAT day... as long as you don't ask me about what I ate. I've written it all down, but am stalling on adding up the calories. Anyway...



This morning started with 2 hours 20 minutes at the gym. Somehow I lasted a whole hour on the treadmill. My shins were killing me & then after the first sprint my right knee started aching badly. I walked most of it at modest 3.6... but forced myself to stay on for the whole hour. I think it helped to know that Erika would have painkillers in hand when she arrived at the gym, lol. So for the day... I got 3.6 mi on treadmill, 35 core sets and 5.4 mi on elliptical. Calories burned, 1097... 524 of that on treadmill (that's for you LauraLynne).



After the gym, The Husband and I went to Walmart... big excitement... but seriously the first time we've been in a store together for a LONG time. My "big" purchases... some pansies & a bottle of Excedrin Back & Body. I swear I could munch through that Excedrin like it was candy... but I suppose it wouldn't taste very good.



Oh, I have to back up for a minute. The Husband actually scored some points this morning. When he picked me up from the gym, he handed me an ice cold diet soda as I was sliding into the car! You have no idea how rare it is that he thought of something like that... and it was HIS idea to go to Walmart. I don't know what got into him... but its welcome to stay.



Erika & I planned to go to the bead store after she got off work... and here I was with actual "free" time while I was waiting. Ok, not exactly free time... I was babysitting her daughter, Alana & there is a TON of stuff to do here at home... but there was nothing I absolutely HAD to do. So... I took time for a long shower, put on a dress & makeup. That I would actually be able to pull myself together at this stage in the challenge is nothing short of a miracle. I was taking pictures of Alana blowing bubbles when she decided she wanted to take a picture... not too bad for a four year old...

I have to insert here... for most of my life I have HATED dresses with a passion. Something about losing weight has totally changed that. Now when I walk into a store, I am always drawn to dresses and skirts. Now if I could just do something about the pasty white legs (notice they are missing from the picture, not because she missed them, but because I cropped them out), lol.



The bead store was lots of fun. We shop there so much we've become friends with the Friday-Monday employee, so its social as much as it is about the shopping. Everything purple in the store was 20% off, so that was cool. Oh and I found this pendant that is soooo perfect to go with the dress I was wearing its like it was literally made for it.



Hint: The bead store holds the secret of the special gift one of my official cheerleaders is going to get from me. And, yes, you have to have the "official cheerleader" somewhere on your blog for a chance to win... so if you don't have her yet, go here to get her. :)



Not from the bead store, but from a "quick" trip to Walmart, you will find three boxes of hair color sitting on my kitchen counter. Stay tuned to see how that works out...



After all that running, I was glad to come home, sit down and actually catch up on reading a few blogs. Seriously, I have to say it, I've been missing everyone in blogland all week. As I was sitting, typing away, I looked up and saw this gorgeous sunset out over the water... so I had to pause for a few pics...

That's it... a good day... exceptional, perhaps considering the toll this challenge is taking. Did I mention how hard it was for me to get myself to the gym this morning? I wanted my bed soooooo bad, lol.

If you get a minute, go read Chris' post about excuses... what she shares is sooooo true & something I think we all need to hear from time to time.

Have yourself a happy Saturday... and you know where I'll be. :)

For My Cheerleaders :-)

Look, my loyal cheerleaders, I finally got a little something made for you. My first attempt & I'm dead tired so forgive me if its not the most beautiful creation ever. Is it possible she's so ugly, she's cute? That's what my son said about her... but what does he know? lol

Anyhow, if you're already an official cheerleader or if you want to become one, grab the cheerleader for your blog. And when that's done, you'll want to be sure to leave me a comment on this post letting me know. Why? Because my official cheerleaders are going to be rewarded when this "little" challenge is over and one lucky cheerleader (randomly selected) is going to receive a special gift from me!

Thursday's workout didn't exactly go according to plan. I had to shorten my workout time and focused primarily on the StairMaster. 200 floors on the StairMaster followed by an easy 4.5 miles on the bike. I chose to end it there because it was an evening workout and I will be getting to the gym at about 8am Friday morning... so I wanted a little recovery time. Maybe its more like my body demanded recovery time because my mind wants to be in that gym every possible minute til this is done.

Oh and a moment of confession before I head off to bed... I ended up in the drive-thru line on my way home tonight... at Jack in the Box. I ordered the Chicken Fajita Pita - which is only 330 calories - and ate it with a couple of mandarin oranges when I got home. It was an okayish choice in a pinch...but grocery shopping is definitely on my priority list.

I'm so glad its almost the weekend! Are you? What fun stuff do you have planned for the weekend?

He's Coming for Me!!!

Melissa, being the fabulous cheerleader that she is, sent me some rah rah text messages yesterday. Then she sent me this!

We've decided that I'm gonna envision this bad boy chasing me... if that doesn't keep my tush movin' on the treadmill I don't know what will, lol.


This got me to thinking, I need a pic of something on my phone that I can pop up to look at when I'm running. Something to be running toward... NOT away from like Mr. Gator. So, I'm going to stop by the store & take a pic of that Coach Poppy handbag on my way to the gym tonight.

I forgot this yesterday, because in all honestly after the gym it takes a while for my brain to return to semi-normal function. LauraLynne asked if I would share how many calories I burned on the treadmill yesterday. My HRM decided to be goofy and stop working, which I didn't realize right away, so I don't have a 100% accurate number. But at the end of the hour, it said I had burned 502 calories... so a bit more than that, but not sure how much. Not sure what happened with the monitor, maybe I need to shorten the strap more so it stays in position better.

My plan is to be at the gym from about 6:00-8:30 tonight. StairMaster, treadmill, free weights & core are on the agenda for the evening. I have to admit my body is all kinds of sore today. My shoulders both ache, my right wrist is causing terrible pain on & off, my right knee, both ankles and my shins are killing me... I'm a walking mess, lol.


Thanks for sharing your quick meal ideas. So far I'm really liking the idea of throwing snacks together into meals... because seriously I can't even find time to cut & wrap the chicken that's sitting in my fridge, much less cook a meal. How sad is it going to be if all those chickens sacrificed their little titties for them only to end up in the trash can because I failed to take care of them?

So I was sitting at the hospital while my son was in his therapy sessions and decided to go browse comments on the B.O.O.B.S blog.... and this is what I got:

Access has been denied!

You are seeing this error because what you attempted to access appears to contain, or is labeled as containing, material that has been deemed inappropriate.

So its official, the B.O.O.B.S are a bunch of inappropriate chicks, LMAO. The hospital network administrator says so! Yet it lets me read Drazil talk about her whootananny... go figure, lol.

I plan to be back later with another post... after all, I have new cheerleaders to welcome & news regarding the cheerleaders!

The Gym Today

Okay... I have about two minutes to write, so I'd better make the most of it. Otherwise we're gonna be hitting up some random drive-thru and them I'm gonna be all upset over the crap I put into my body. I "love" the hustle & bustle of Wednesdays... really I do...but I can't wait for the summer break already, lol. So, here goes...

I made it to the gym for 2 hrs 20 minutes this morning... after getting practically no sleep, so yeah I'm a little wiped out now. Its gonna take serious caffeine to keep me awake for my drive home tonight... Anyhow... I got in 5 miles on the elliptical, 4 miles on the treadmill & 40 core sets. Perfect numbers based on what I figured out yesterday...

I'll write a longer post when I get home tonight... if I can keep my eyes open long enough, lol. Wait til you see my new motivation to RUN on the treadmill!!! :-)

Oh... I could use some super fast, no cooking required meal ideas... because let me tell ya right now I'm gonna be spending all of my "free" time in that gym for the next eleven days.

My Cheerleaders & My Plan

Here it is - midnight - and I'm finally getting to sit down with the computer for a few minutes. Its been a LONG day!

When I put out the call for cheerleaders, I never expected such a response... my cheerleaders thus far:

* Chris
* Stacia
* Carrie
* Scuttleboose
* Seth - who pointed out that I don't have to do this... but I really WANT to
* LauraLynne - whose message came through to my phone while I was on the StairMaster; the vision of her dusting off pom poms made me giggle
* Melissa- who sweetly offered to text me cheers (I emailed my number to you)
* Wishful Shrinking
* MaryFran - my original cheerleader :)
* MochaTrina
* Drazil aka Mama Pimp
*K.
* My "anonymous" friend

You are all AWESOME!!! I'm trying to make a little button you can display... but I'm artistically challenged at the moment; I think my brain cells are all seeping through my pores at the gym.

Several people suggested I make a plan, if I didn't already have one. Rest assured I do have a plan. For what I have left to complete on cardio stuff (elliptical, treadmill, bike & StairMaster), it will take approximately 22 hours at my "usual" pace. Plus, I still need time for core & free weight sets on top of that. If I dedicate 2.5 hours per day to the gym, that will give me 30 hours total in the 12 remaining days. My plan right now is to do alternate days of elliptical/treadmill & StairMaster/treadmill, with core & free weight sets each day. I only have 18 miles left on the bike, so I will probably set it aside for a few days. Of course if I can pick up my pace a little I will... and hopefully shave a little bit off the required time. I'd be happy if I wasn't right down to the wire on it like last year... but at this point I'll take it however it comes.

Now for a quick report on my day... it was scale day... which I almost forgot with so much thought going into the challenge. I'm happy to report that I did weigh & was down 2.8 pounds AFTER having had a cup of water and three mini muffins!!! Yay!!! It feels good to know that I was able to get right back into a successful routine after being gone for a week.

At the gym, I got in 2 hours plus about 20 minutes - 160 floors on the StairMaster (slow pace, but was able to keep my heart rate a little lower), 25 free weight sets, 4.5 miles on the bike & 55 circuit sets. If my math is right, that makes 332 circuit sets & I am DONE with that part of the challenge!!! Yay!!! I think I got 3-4 emails with comments while I was at the gym which was AWESOME! It really helped keep me going. :)

My plan for Wednesday is to be at the gym roughly from 8:30-11:30am PST. Wednesday is kids group night & I'm taking my Mom home (finally!), so its another busy day ahead.

I'm behind on blog reading again, imagine that, lol. Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

Thank you for being my AWESOME Around the World Cheerleaders! 12 days to go....

Calling All Cheerleaders

At the beginning of the month Mary Fran appointed herself my personal cheerleader for finishing the Around the World Challenge. She is an awesome cheerleader & leaves me encouraging comments every day!

There are only 13 days left in the Challenge & I am STRESSED about being able to finish. I have soooooo much left to get done - 53 circuit sets, 167 core sets, 288 free weight sets, 23.3 miles on elliptical, 21.5 miles on bike, 33.4 miles on treadmill and 1.155 floors on the StairMaster. I have to finish this... failure is NOT an option!!!

Working under pressure is my forte... but really this is extreme - even for me. So... I NEED all the cheerleaders I can assemble. No joke - I need as many people as possible to keep me going... to comment, email, text - whatever... so there's a stream of motivation when I look at my phone out of boredom as I'm spending endless time on the treadmill & other instruments of torture, lol. If I'm being whiny & needy, so be it... but this "accidental fat chick" needs HELP & LOTS of it!

Will you be my cheerleader???

The Weekend Wrap

Before I get on to the weekend, I want to respond to the comments on my last post...

Chris - Thanks for your amusing antidotes... they made me smile. And you're absolutely right, much of my "anger" comes from the fear of knowing what she is doing to herself.

Drazil - You're so sweet for wanting to come rescue me! Its hard to know what to do... but I find myself biting my tongue a lot. She is here til Wednesday.

Josie - Thanks for your encouragement, especially when I know you haven't been feeling well. :)

K - I'm so sorry for your loss. I really do try to be as compassionate as I can. It just gets very frustrating at times because not only will she do little to nothing to help herself, but she does things that prevent me from doing what is best for me & my family (as far as living a healthy lifestyle). This post will give you a little bit of insight into my relationship with my Mom.

Okay... on to the weekend...

Saturday was a lovely day. I made these yummy chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.

Then it was off to the gym. The first hour there I spent upstairs where I did 40 sets on the circuit machines, 30 core sets & 50 free weight sets. Free weights are killer because my shoulder is so freakin sore... but I've got to get it done. Then I spent about 40 minutes on cardio, split between the bike & elliptical. My energy level was way low, which was really a bit frustrating considering how much of the challenge I still have to go.

We had company over dinner... DiAnne (the peanut butter cookie baker) and Erika (the BFF, who has been better lately). It turned out to be a great time... lots of food (which I tried not to overindulge in... but I ate too many cookies for sure) & many fun games of Dutch Blitz. My Mom was even pleased because we had potatoes and something with beef in it, lol.

Sunday started with blueberry oat pancakes. I don't know what my obsession is with pancakes lately, but I could eat a variation for breakfast every day I think. Sorry I was so busy eating I forgot to take a picture, oops.

Next stop was naturally the gym. There was an "incident" at home this morning which left me with awful chest pain... so I took it really easy. I just did 22 miles on the bike & 22 sets on the circuit machines. The good news is that I'm now close to having those two parts of the challenge completed.

This wasn't a typical Sunday because I didn't get much of my prep cooking done for the week. However, I managed to get a couple batches of Lemon-Poppy seed muffins baked & some brown rice cooked. For dinner I made these boneless wings and a simple salad with Asian dressing.

It was really yummy. And, would you believe my Mom actually liked it so much she asked for the recipe??? I'm still recovering from the shock!

Speaking of recipes, should I start posting them on here?

Overall, it was a great weekend. Hope the weekend was great for you too!

She's Gone & Done It Now!

All of you lovelies who told me to come here when my Mom was driving me nuts... you're in for a "treat" because here I am. And its not a pretty visit. She has seriously gone & done it. I am just seething inside - and that's after running my mouth (just a tad) and kicking my butt for 2 1/2 hours at the gym.





Remember we all agreed that I'm going on business as usual around here - well it seems that decision will be a source of discontent. We were watching Dr. Oz & he was giving the food comparisons for different meals at Mexican, Italian, Chinese, etc. When he gave the calorie count for french toast, she went on tangent number one of the day. She literally said that she can't wait to be dead so she doesn't have to worry about food anymore! Worse yet, she said it within the hearing of my son!!! OMG, I wanted to slap her!!! And, no I would never slap her... but good grief why on earth does she think its okay to say things like that? And why would you ever say something like that where a child can hear it? She clearly has no clue the impact of hearing things like that can have on a person. This isn't the first time she's said something similar... but the most blatant. Somehow, by the grace of God, I managed to keep my cool on the outside... while SCREAMING loudly inside.





After that unpleasantness I got myself ready & headed to the gym. Walking through the door I was wishing for a punching bag, lol. My workout today consisted of 160 floors on the StairMaster, a mile on the elliptical and 10 miles on the bike. I wanted to do more... but I just didn't have the energy to keep on for some reason. I burned 1,155 calories...so not bad.





A quick stop at the grocery store and I came home to make these yummy chicken fajitas for dinner.

Guess what? She complained about the fajitas... because... they were messy!

Oh and she HATES all things chicken, unless its rolled in flour & fried. Considering the fact that my menu is chicken, chicken, chicken, shrimp, chicken, chicken and chicken until further notice... she's gonna have plenty to complain about.

Here comes tangent number two (or three if we count the chicken/fajita comments as a tangent) of the day. I was watching (ok more listening to) Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution while I was cleaning up from dinner. I made a comment about the "poor girl on there probably weighing 300 pounds or more" and her immediate response was "well then she doesn't have the right to a good life!" STOP right there because that's where I couldn't bite my tongue another second. At my objection, she insisted that she had heard people saying things like that on some talk show recently, which she may have... I don't know what she watches. The thing is & what I said that I probably shouldn't have was that she lives her life in a manner that says she believes that. Everything about the way she lives says "I'm fat so I don't have the right to a good life." Me saying that had her in tears... and I feel bad for making her cry... I just couldn't hold it in... I'd had all I could take.





Sorry for all the venting... but really you guys are all I have right now because I don't dare share this with The Husband... he'd probably really let her have it & I'm TRYING to maintain the peace around here. Thanks for "listening" to me, you're the best! I promise I have a positive, upbeat "thankful" post coming SOON!



Hope you all have an awesome weekend! :)