I'm back....to where I was in September.

Well at least its not to where I was in June. I'm so close to hitting ten pounds and being out of the 180s I can freaking taste it.

I've had a lot of crap going on the past couple months and I just need to sit back and take time to get things figured out. I've never been so stressed out in my life, but you know what? During this whole time I did not turn to food. Normally I would eat my feelings, but for once in my life I didn't. I remember one of my WW leaders from long ago told me that, "If hunger is not the problem, food is not the answer."

I have also found myself listening to my body on when to stop eating. Before I would smash anything in front of me and not think twice about it. Now, especially when I'm out to eat, I stop. I try to order something that I can take for leftovers, so its also a financial reason too. My bff and I actually split meals once in awhile. We worry it wont be enough, but its always more than plenty.

My 29th birthday is next week. I'm going to enjoy myself, but not go overboard. Being in the 170s would be a nice birthday present, but sometimes life gets in the way, and I'm okay with that.

In the words of Donald Trump....you're fired.

I got let go from my bartending job yesterday. I am super bummed because I'm being accused of something I did not do. Did I get to explain myself? No. You know what's awesome? They wrote it on a note and attached it to my check (which was shorted seven hours btw).

I'm trying to look at this as a blessing in disguise. It will suck not having the extra money, but I'm the type of person where the more I make the more I spend. Also working two jobs and late nights during the week have worn on me some. Tuesday nights I'd be lucky to get three hours of sleep and then go to my main job all day. So now I will have more time/energy to work out and I wont be tempted by free bar food.

The last month has taken a toll on me. I haven't exercised, I had fast food twice, and I started drinking soda again. While bartending was for extra/fun money, it was really helping me pay down my debt. I can't decide if I should find something else or chill out for awhile. My main job has been stressful, its Christmas time, and personal things with friends and such had a speed bump.

I was driving the other day and I could feel my stomach sitting on my legs. I have a feeling that I am destined to be overweight. I know how to lose weight, but I'm having a hard to commmitting to it. I thought about joining WW again, but with me losing my job there is no wsy. They say everything happens for a reason, so I'd like to know why I've been shit on the past few weeks. I know people are in a worse situation than me, but still, I hate feeling like crap and moody.

But somehow I'm down to 183 when I was at 185 last week. So thats cool, right?

Comfort Food

I was emailing with my usual set of ladies yesterday and one brought up chicken and noodles. Holy shit....I haven't had those in forever. I used to waitress at a diner that was straight up comfort food. I guess there was a reason I put on about twenty pounds the nine months I worked there. They had chicken and noodles on their menu and it was amazing, like total foodgasm. I looked up a recipe and made it more point friendly, and yes, I used the crockpot. :)

Chicken And Noodles

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans rf cream of chicken soup
2 cans low sodium chicken broth
1 package Reames (or other brand) Homestyle egg noodles

Directions:

Rinse chicken breasts and cut into chunks. Coat lightly with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (optional). Place in slow cooker.
Combine soups and pour over chicken.
Cook on low 8 hours. Two hours before serving add package of frozen noodles. Turn to high and stir occasionally.

The Verdict: DELISH! Probably not the most point-friendly dinner, but hey, it tasted good. I served over mashed potatoes (I know...starches like whoa) and green beans. I was full just after a few bites. It is also Mr. Whoa approved. I made him up a tub for leftovers and I'll be freezing the rest.

Oh yeah....I worked out too. I ran. I usually do a walk/run combo, but yesterday I ran most of it. I felt amazing, even tho I thought my calves were going to burst into flames. I did the bike after a little over 20 minutes of the dredmill and BAM:

522 calories down. Which leaves 8647 left to reach my calorie goal by the end of the month. Thats a little less than 400 calories a day. Impossible? No. Likely going to happen? Probably not, but hey, its something to aim towards.

Anyone take classes at their gym? Favorites? Ones you'd never step foot in again?

Gym on a Friday? Don't mind if I do.

Some people are working for the weekend, and honestly its no BFD to me because I bartend on Saturdays. So my weekend is usually Sunday. I had my gym bag packed and ready to go when I headed to work on Friday morning, and by the time 3pm rolled around I was thinking of a million excuses not to hit the gym. The gym is on my way home, so I really have no excuse not to go. I rode the bike for half and hour and did a walk/run combo for 20 minutes. I have a stack of about thirty magazines I need to read from this past year, so I love the bike because I can get caught up on those, even tho it isn't a huge calorie torcher. I even have a stack of Marie Claire, which I am avoiding like the plague due to a couple of their recent articles that aren't "fat friendly."

BUT.....You know the awesome thing about the gym on a Friday? It's a freaking ghost town. JaJo doesn't have to wait for machines, has control over what stations the tv is on, and no lurkers. :D

Well...that helps with the two cheddar bay biscuits I had for lunch :)

My goals are still going fairly well!
1. No fast food: Still going stong, even tho I want a freaking McRib!
2. No soda: I had a squirt on Saturday at work because my tummy was rumbly, but other than that its been water and iced tea.
3. Financially fit: I've paid off 3 cards, and very close to my 4th. I have to pay off my mattress by the 21st of this month in order for the no interest to be applied. If I would have paid more than my minimum payment the past year in a half I could have had this sucker paid off by now. With my extra money bartending and getting paid three times last month I should be a-ok.
4. One new recipe a week: French Dips were a success, buffalo chicken pasta was a success. I'm still looking at receipes for dinner tonight...so many yummy options out there!
5. Activity 1x/week. Like I said last time it may not sound like much, but I know its a goal I can reach. When I can't, I just get frustrated and just want to hide under my bed with a bottle of Jack Daniels. 831 calories down, 9169 to go!
6. New goal: Watch my phone use. I am addicted to my phone, especially since I got a new Android phone. I text my friends all through out the day, and I'm really bad when I'm out with people. So for my friends and family sake, I'm going to work on not being "connected" all of the time. I could relate to this commercial, and I feel like an asshole.

Have a great week everyone!

Buffalo Chicken Pasta!

This is actually my 2nd new recipe, but officially its my first since announcing my new part of the challenge. I love my crockpot, like to the point of wanting to dry hump the inventor. Some people think its not real cooking since you throw a bunch of shit in a pot and heat it up, but hell, it tastes good and its easy. Mrs. Whoa likes easy.

MMMM.....I strategically did not take a picture of the garlic cheese bread ;-) Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta
4 Bonelss Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Franks hot wing sauce
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp melted light margarine
1/8 tsp celery seeds
black pepper to taste
4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Creamy Herb and Garlic
4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta
Place the chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Combine the wing sauce, vinegar, margarine, celery seeds and black pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken and cook on low for about 6 hours ( Mine actually cooks much faster than this but it probably depends on your crock pot). When chicken is cooked, cut it up into small pieces and add the 4 wedges of cheese, stirring until melted. Cover and let it cook for awhile longer, just to let the cheese mix in well. Serve over hot cooked pasta. Smash.
Makes 4 servings at 8 points each.

The Verdict: Super yum! I did not use whole wheat pasta (sue me). I'm trying this thing where I grocery shop in my own cupboard because I'm tired of food going to waste. I had little bow tie pastas, and they are much cuter than the whole wheat stuff anyway. I also didn't use celery seeds because I didn't have them. Very tasty and the chicken shredded very nicely. Super easy....next time I might make wraps.

Oh yeah....I worked out last night too. I had my gym back packed before work and all I wanted to do was freaking nap. I still went telling myself the last I could do is 20-30 minutes.

I walked/ran on the dredmil for 20 minutes, biked for 15 minutes, and did the stair climber for 10 minutes. So 463 calories down, 9537 to go.

Weekend goal: Work out at least one time. It may not seem like much, but working at a bar all weekend the last thing I want to do it work out and eat well. :) Have a great weekend everyone!

Halloween is over, but whats one more scare?

I had been putting off my monthly weigh in for a couple weeks and I finally just bit the bullet. In a month in a half I gained two pounds. After the way I had been eating and my lack of exercise I considered that a scale victory. I was a little bummed tho since I was close to 10 pounds. I hate that its taken me so long to lose 7-10 pounds, but I haven't been trying as hard as I should.

So...here comes the scary part. I took pictures. I figured I would take them after I showered last week. You know how in those commercials the before picture is someone washed out looking with their hair or make up not done, and the after is all tan and dolled up? I figured I would try the same thing. So here goes....don't say I didn't warn you.

If I could just have FUPA lipo....I'd be happier than a pig in shit.

Annnnnnnnnd there is a side view for ya.

So yeah....seeing pictures semi-nakie is a real opener. I also decided to take my measurements too.

Neck: 16 Chest: 40 Waist: 42 Hips: 45 L. Calf: 16 R. Calf: 16 L. Arm: 16 R. Arm: 16

So if that wasn't motivating, I don't know what is. I actually went to the gym on Thursday....somewhere I haven't been in a LONG time. It felt great after I was done, just getting there is the hard part. I walk/jogged a mile, lifted some weights, and I rode the bike.

Wooooo.....425 calories down.

I still haven't had fast food, have had only one or two more sodas since last month, and I'm still chipping away at my credit card debt. I am trying to add exercise back in. I'd love to hit my 10,000 calorie/month goal at some point, but getting in any activity is what I'm aiming for.

My new challenge is going to be trying a new recipe each week. It can be low cal or heart attack on a plate, but I just need to start cooking more. I made homemade french dips last week, and they were FAB.

So here is to a new month, a month full of challenges with delicious food.

Another card bites the dust,

The shopping Gods are mad at me. I am trying to schedule pay off dates for my credit cards, and I had one scheduled to be paid off in December. I was so excited about paying a card off Monday, I just went ahead and paid this one off today. I even paid it two weeks early, which is NOT how I usually do it. I had a good tip night while bartending last night, so I took Mr. Whoa to lunch today, and decided to put the rest toward my Dillards card. As I logged into my email to get my statement, and then I get this:

Nice try asshole. I thought maybe I should take advantage of the pretty mustard (which is one of my favorite colors by the way) for under $200. That was only for a second. I clicked off the page and proceeded on to my online banking. Officially paid in full. Woot.

I did have an earlier financial distraction.

I got a lot of nays and yays about these....so I'm on the fence. I think they are totally cute, but I have to wonder if they will even go over my tree trunks that I have for legs. Or will I be mistaken for Vivian Ward? Don't remember who that is? Well here....let me show you:

Now I think Miss Kim Kardashian wears them wonderfully.

I haven't been shopping for myself in a long time. I've been doing well with paying things off/down, I bring my breakfast and lunch to work almost everyday, and I check ads and coupons before I grocery shop. I stopped getting my hair colored and I no longer get my nails done. I cancelled Netflix (not for financial reasons, just because they were asswads), and I stopped drinking soda. Plus I work two jobs. I may go check the boots out, but I want to wait a couple of days to see if the novelty wears off.

I wish the debt fairy would come take mine away! Happy Wednesday everyone!

Curb stompin the credit cards.

Okay....how in the hell is it mid-October already?! The weather has been crazy weird here in Iowa. One day its 80 degrees, and the next its 35 degrees and raining. Monthly weigh in is approaching, which I am a little nervous for. I'm going to the Packers vs Vikings game in November, so I wanted to get a jersey for the occasion. Even tho I may have not lost (probably gained) weight this month, I felt pretty stinking cute when I tried this on. I know a lot of people say skinny jeans aren't for girls who have tree trunks as legs, but I think they look good. :)

Mr. Whoa and I went to Branson, MO for a little getaway earlier this month and the day we got there I got the flu. It was horrible. I couldn't keep a thing in me. So when I was feeling up to par, all I wanted to do was eat. I was SO hungry...it was terrible. I also did have a few sodas, which made me feel even worse. I guessing from going from three sodas a day to about five in a month isn't so bad. I felt icky after we got home. I couldn't wait to detox.

I have kicked major ass on the no fast food. I thought it would be the hardest thing in the world to do, but it hasn't been. Sometimes I would eat it twice a day, so to not have it for a month and a half I'm pretty proud of myself. Now if I could only work on not having bar food at work....I'd be good. :)

One thing I really need to work on is hitting the gym. I pay for it, but I never go. Sometimes I hate working two jobs, especially when my part time one goes till 2-3 in the morning. I love my bartending job, and the money is great, so quitting is not an option right now. I've cut back on eating there a lot, especially since I no longer drink soda. It's hard to choose between sleep and gym time, because sleep usually wins. I need to start making it a priority.

Another goal I have added is to be financially fit. In the past month I have paid off two credit cards, and am very close to paying off a third. I feel the less stress you have, the more control you have over your life. When I'm stressed I can totally eat enough food to feel an army, so the less I have to pay for the better I will feel.

So I apologize for being such a lazy blogger lately. I have no idea where the time goes!

5% Gone!

And ALMOST 10 pounds :) This is my outfit from the wedding. I know I don't look happy, because I wasn't. I felt so uncomfortable that day. I just felt like everyone was staring at every little lump you could see through my dress. I held back tears the entire day, so that made me really start to take my diet seriously. Everyone loved my shoes tho!

I weighed in this morning at 181.4. I've been trying monthly weigh ins, and I am down 2.8 since my last weigh in in August. I'm hoping to be out of the 180s in the next few weeks.

I am doing surprisingly well with my no soda/no fast food challenge. I've drank soda on two occasions when I was having an adult beverage. I mean, what the hell else can you drink Jack Daniels with besides a diet coke? I cannot even begin to tell you how much better I am feeling since I stopped drinking soda and eating fast food. I'm not bloated and I don't feel snacky like I used to. I am really starting to believe that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise, because I've only worked out a few times the past month or so. I do hate not working out. I feel that I need to choose between sleeping and exercising, and sleep usually wins.

My new challenge will be is to take at least two classes a week at the gym. I'm paying for a memebership and classes are included, so I should probably go don't you think?

My September challenge: No drive-thrus!

If it were only that easy, right?

I have a huge huge issue with eating in the car. I travel for work and often times I find myself bored, so I stop to eat. Am I hungry, not usually. I thought with getting a new car I would stop eating in the car, but I didn't. I feel so gross and sluggish after eating fast food, and I never feel full. Plus its getting expensive. I spent $8 at McDonalds. EIGHT FLIPPING DOLLARS! I could have gone to the grocery store and gotten 2-3 meals for that.

Yesterday I picked up groceries for the remainder of the week. I didn't get much since we will be gone this weekend. So I load up my giraffe grocery tote and head out of there. I have a bag FULL of groceries and what the hell do I do? Stop at Wendy's. Mr. Whoa works till 8-8:30 so I eat dinner super late, which makes me think I need to snack after work. Was I hungry? No, not really. I think I just need to eat dinner ealier and then have a little snack when Mr. Whoa gets home. We don't get to see a lot of each other, so I like to have dinner with him. When I eat at 8:30 and head to bed about 10ish, it just sits in my tummy which is no good.

I'm on my 3rd day of being soda sober and I already am feeling better. It's super hard not to drink it when I'm working at the bar. On Tuesdays and Fridays I'm working 19 hour days, so a little caffeine can go a long way. I'm sticking with coffee and iced tea. I'll allow myself some soda if I decide to have a mixed drink, but I don't drink like I used to. )))Hangovers(((

Here are my simple steps to healthy living:

1. No soda (unless in mixed drinks)

2. No fast food (with the exception of Pablo's and Subway :)

I'll add a new challenge every week. It may be as simple as drinking an extra glass of water everyday or running five miles a week. I have always been an all-or-nothing type person, and that has obviously backfired. Here's to baby steps!

Getting back on track....my dress needs to fit.

I splurged like crazy at the Iowa State Fair, but I went in knowing that was my plan. The Iowa State Fair is not only known for its mullets and butter cows, but its mostly known for all food on-a-stick. Cheesecake, pork chops, salads....you name it, they stick it.

I'll post another blog once I get my pictures uploaded. Everything I ate was very tasty, but my tummy HATES me right now. I can't decide what is worse...hangovers from food or from booze.

In 19 days Mr. Whoa and I have a wedding to go to for one of his coworkers. He is the best man and I'm the personal attendant. You know there are very few couples that I get excited about their wedding, but these two I am so happy for. They are a great pair.

So here is my dress....

And my sweet-ass pumps

The best thing about my outfit is that I got it for less than $100. I bought my dress for $24! I had a $30 off coupon, $25 gift card, and it was no tax weekend here in Iowa. I had actually bought the shoes for BIL and Hooker's wedding in June, but it didn't match my dress so I had to sadly take them back. After I bought my dress I went to Von Maur to look for shoes and there they were. The ONLY pair on the sale rack and they were my size. If that's not fate, then I don't know what is. I also bought them for $40 less than what I originally paid for.

The dress is pretty flattering, but there are a few lumps I would like less visible. I think if I stick to cleanish eating for the next 2 1/2 weeks, I will be good to go!

I cheated. Just a little.

I've been naughty about weighing in the past couple weeks. It seems everytime I start Weight Watchers I'm good about the first three weeks and then I avoid the scale like the plague.

When I say I cheated, its because I normally weigh in on Tuesdays, and it is now Thursday. Not to manipulate the scale, but I didn't want to experience a bad weigh in next week since I will be traveling. First Stop:

My nephew's 6th birthday party! I can't believe how fast he is growing. He lives two hours away from me and I miss him dearly. Isn't he cute?

Next stop:

The Iowa State Fair! Last year I took the risk and met some fellow Midwest Weight Watchers boardies. We've decided to make it an annual outing.

see*pam*shrink, treb*in*trouble, lesjo81, and me-likewhoa

The Iowa State Fair is known for fanny packs, mullets (they really do have a mullet competition) and of course, food-on-a-stick. They have about 50 different options for food on a stick. This is what I SHOULD be having:

But I think I'd rather have this:

And a few of these:

I did have a SV of 1.4 this morning! I really need to get back on the workout wagon. 180s...I can't wait to be out of you again!

I joined a new gym!

A new gym opened up between my apartment and my work. They had a deal where its only $29/month. Classes are included and they offer extensive hours. Plus all of my friends joined too, so I will be held more accountable.

One of the classes I've tried out is Les Mills' Body Pump

BODYPUMP™ is the original barbell class that strengthens your entire body. This 60-minute workout challenges all your major muscle groups by using the best weight-room exercises like squats, presses, lifts and curls. Some of the girls from the Weight Watchers boards I email with recommended I use little-to-no weights for my first time. I listened, and I'm glad I did. I could barely move the next two days! I had a lot of fun taking it tho. It was a lot harder than I thought. I'm hoping to take this class on a regular basis, but with my work schedules its hard sometimes.

I'm looking at doing the Half Marathon in Des Moines on October 17th, which is only 72 days away! I have been training, but nothing like I should be. Since its my first half, my goal is to finish. Here is the route-lots of bathrooms, first-aid stations, and scenery.

I have a solid two months of training left, so hopefully I can build up some endurance. I figure if I walk the whole thing at a 20 minute mile, it will only take 4 1/2 hours....so as long as I'm not last, I'll be happy :)

Any stretching, eating, or just good-ol tips you can throw out out there for a half marathon virgin?

Groovy Tuesday! SV dudes!

That picture is the story of my life it seems. I lose a bunch and then gain it all back. I'm hoping this time I'm headed down a one-way street. I seem to be going the right direction so far. Today's WI result:

185.6

I was so excited to hit my 5 pounds (5.4 to be exact) in three weeks.

I am hoping to start incorporating exercise back into my weight loss regimine, so I'm trying to decide on what gym to join. Mr. Whoa is joining a 24/hr gym just down the road from Casa de Whoa, but my friend sent an email about a new gym that has classes and she said it's almost spa like! I have a love/hate relationship with classes. I think I'm going to tour both of them and make my decision.

Have a good week everyone!

The Fat Card.

Mother-in-law was at it again. We went to the Supercross Races up in Millville, Minnesota for Mr. Whoa's birthday. It was hotter than shit out so a lot of girls were there wearing next to nothing. One girl walked by us in a bikini, and mother in called her a fat-ass. This girl was no where near fat, and she is like half my size. I told her she needs to start thinking before she talks because her comments are hurtful.

She apologized later and said it was just a figure of speech and she didn't mean it that way. I asked her how she meant it and she didn't have an explaination. She then said that maybe she is jealous of the way the girl look.

Finally...the truth comes out.

Mother-in-Law, her sisters, and my new ray of fucking sunshine sister-in-law like to toss the fat card. As someone who has struggled with weight pretty much all of my teenage/adult life, those comments get REALLY old. BUT, they know that is one way to get to me. If I was fifty pounds lighter would I be a better person? Probably not. I'd expect I'd be the same. I don't know in what possible way I could be threatening to my mother-in-law and the others, so I'd just like to know why they feel the need to try to bring me down.

How do you deal with negative comments? Are the motivating or detrimental for your weight loss journey?

Groovy Tuesday! SV in the hizzie.....

That isn't me in the picture, but the picture captures my excitement after I got off the scale this morning. Down 1.4 more for a total of 3.6! I'd love to hit five pounds next week, but Mr. Whoa's birthday is tomorrow and we will be out of town this weekend to go to the motocross races. I feel if I survived the 4th of July holiday, I can take on a weekend road trip.

I haven't worked out in over a month, but I plan to slowly work that back in once I've tackled some more weight and feel comfortable enough to add another step. Every other time I've done WW before its been all or nothing, which eventually lead to burn out, boredom, and failure. I'm getting better about tracking...I really need to work on tracking on the weekends. I was worried weighing in on Tuesdays would be devastating, but I think its the best decision I've made in a long time.

LikeWhoa's Goals for the week:
1. Track.every.single.day.
2. Drink a lot of water this weekend, and not drink my weight in beer.
3. Continue to menu plan.

Menu planning has been awesome. I feel we our wallets are heavier and our bodies are lighter. Mr. Whoa and I sit and look at ads and figure out what we want for the week. We used to spend several hundreds of dollars going out to eat and groceries, and now I can usually get away with $100/month or less for groceries.

As Wal-Mart would say: Save Money, Live Better. I hate that store with a firey passion, but I think they have something going there.

Lemme see yo grill, ya, ya, ya grill.

Mr. Whoa is on board with whatever I decide to make for dinner. He will eat WW recipes with no complaints, so its nice that I don't have to cook two meals. Mr. Whoa has been saying for a few months that we need a new grill, so thats what I got him for his birthday. Grilling is awesome, and we usually use our grill several times a week if we aren't using the crockpot. I find it much easier to get my veggies in when I have the opportunity to grill them.

I went in to pay my Home Depot bill and I went over to look at the grills. The sales associate was awesome. Went through each grill and explained the pros and cons. It was nice walking into a store and actually be assisted instead of some little asshat playing on the phone ignoring that you're standing there. I really liked the Brinkmann models and I was trying to decide if I wanted one with the smoker (It was $100 more, but smokers themselves can be $200 and up) or the one below it. The sales associate flipped a switch on the lower model and these pretty blue LED lights lit up above each burner. I was sold. I'm such a girl. Mr. Whoa loved his grill...we even fired it up that night. Instead of going out to eat for his birthday on Wednesday, he wants to have people over to grill out. I'm excited because it will cost less and I can actually count points instead of guestimate. You could say I had a selfish motive when buying this gift, but it's no different than him buying me lingere ;)

One of my guy friends helped me load this bitch up and helped me carry it up to my second floor apartment. I was sweating so bad I felt I should have counted APs. Mr. Whoa was delighted about the birthday surprise when he arrived home from work.

What are some of your favorite things to grill?

I'm out of the 190s....AGAIN. Take two.

I like this picture because of the honesty to it. I've been asked on a number of occasions when I'm due, and its devistating. I can only blame myself for getting to this point, but I know its not too late to change things.

I survived my first week back on WW online. A holiday weekend mind you. I did not partake in any BBQs or potlucks, but I did indulge a bit this weekend. I had a couple things at the bar when I was working this weekend and I did drink Friday, saturday, and Sunday night. I don't usually do benders like that, but I had friends in town and when the weather is craptastic we drink. Hell...we drink anyway.

First weigh in went great! I was down 2.2, so I'm back in the 180s. I tracked most days and stayed within points, but I HAVE to learn to get better about tracking on weekends.

This week my schedule is crazy since I have to close the bar three nights this week and work my other job, so exercise might have to be put off again. I've been looking for an elliptical or tredmill so I can do a quick workout before work at home or even when I'm watching tv at night. Since there wont be much exercise, I HAVE to be good about eating. They say losing weight is 80% diet and 20% exercise.

Have a great week everyone!

Forgive me father, for I have sinned...

it has been almost three weeks since my last workout, weigh in, being accountable, and actually giving a shit.

<---- Mr. Whoa and I at his brother's wedding.

Weddings, working two jobs, humidity; you name it, I'm using it as an excuse. So after three weeks of not running and eating pretty much whatever, I'm back to 191. I feel gross and flabby, haven't been sleeping well, and my eating has been crazy like whoa. It upsets me its taken weeks to not even lose five pounds, to put it back on in no time. The Bix is only a month away, and the half marathon is about three. I really really really want to finish a half marathon. I better get my ass in gear, eh?

I bit the bullet and signed up for WW online. I liked the meetings, but I don't want to spend $40/month and to be honest, there is always a couple of attention whores in each meeting. Not that I want the spotlight, but I'm tired of dealing with one-uppers. Thanks to my buddy google, I found a promo code that took off the sign up fee, so I saved a little more money. People may think its suicide to sign up before a holiday weekend, but if I don't, I wont ever start. So here's to you Weight Watchers-you win again.

Trifecta! I got an award yesterday! :)

Thanks to Julia at http://boskyblog.blogspot.com/ for presenting me with this award! Julia has been inspiring when it comes to Weight Watchers and she's a kick ass runner. My goal is to run a half marathon with her someday.

The rules: pass the award on to 7 bloggers and write 7 things about myself that you did not know!

1.You don't know....that I can bend my pinky all the way to the back of my hand.
2.You don't know...that I think bagels taste better bread sliced and pizza tastes better cut in squares.
3.You don't know....I get turned on when someone knows the difference between the words "too", "to", and "two"; "they're", "there", and "their"; and "your" and "you're".
4.You don't know...that I love watermelon fruit, but hate it as a candy.
5.You don't know...I have eight tattoos.
6.You don't know...I'm a total girlie-girl, but I will kick your ass on a dirt bike.
7.You don't know that...I don't sweat, I rain.

I would like to give a shout out to seven of my favorite bloggers!

Jack at http://jackfit.blogspot.com/
Gil at http://thechunkydunker.blogspot.com/
Amanda at http://ajswlj.blogspot.com/
Meagan at http://www.meagangetshermrs.com/
Boiling It Down at http://boilit.blogspot.com/
Laura at http://marathoningfor30.blogspot.com/
Tavia at http://taviaredburn.blogspot.com/

So besides the cool blogging award, I also had a SV and a NSV! Those combined is what give me a trifecta folks.

So Friday is weigh in day as you know, and I'm happy to report that I'm down another 1.8! 186.6. I'm back to where I started in April and am a little upset with myself for taking a dump on my motivation for a few weeks. I hate that its taken me almost a month to lose four pounds, but I can put it back on hitting the McDonald's drive thru.

Today was horribly humid in Iowa. I planned on getting up this morning to do my run, but when I woke up it was pouring, thunder, and lightning out. I pulled my sleep mask back down and decided to snooze a little more. I was going go to the gym after work but decided I was too lazy, so I went home and took a nap. After I woke up, I decided to pick up my doggy pal Eddie and hit the streets. He likes to go fast the first two miles, but then he drags ass. I guess we will help each other get into shape ;)

Day: 4
Weather: High 80s, suuuuuuuuuuper humid
Calories burned: 715
Calories till goal: 7756

No Glide = No Me Gusta!

I thought I would run over my lunch break today since I couldn't get my ass out of bed this morning. I need to have a better schedule on the weekends. I love working at the bar, but not going to bed till between 4-6 Sunday mornings, makes me a piece of shit all day on Sunday. POS = no exercise.

I actually enjoyed running over lunch. It was a little humid, and I didn't realize how hilly it is around my work. My mile time is slowly getting faster, which makes me want to run even more. I ran 3.57 miles today in 45 minutes. Boy do I love that Nike +. You know what I don't love? Forgetting to put on Glide. That stuff if lifechanging for the chub rub. If you don't have Glide, your legs wont slide. Get some! I'm hoping my chaffage will heal up fast.

Tonight on the menu is Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken from the WWSO Cookbook. I would effing die with out my crockpot.

Sure...I'll share the recipe:

POINTS® Value: 4
Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 300 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
1 tsp paprika, to taste
1 tsp black pepper, to taste
20 oz Del Monte Pineapple Chunks In Its Own Juice
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic clove(s), minced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped

Instructions
Arrange chicken in bottom of crock pot. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika.
In small bowl, combine drained pineapple, chopped green pepper, mustard, and soy sauce.
Pour over chicken. Add garlic.
Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.

Oh yeah...and my run went pretty well!

Day: 3
Weather: High 70s, little humid
Calories burned: 614
Calories till goal: 8471

Another pound (well almost) bites the dust....

Today is WI day! I'd much rather it be Rex Manning Day, but what can you do? I hopped on the scale this morning hoping for a decent scale victory, and I lost .8. Yes I know a loss is a loss, so I'll take it. I've been working out more and eating better so it is a tad frustrating. I DO think everyone should read this article:

http://www.healthdiscovery.net/articles/scale_lies.htm

I had some good work outs this week, but I did consume two cheesy chicken cups last night about 8:30. I hate that Mr. Whoa works till 8 every night because I like eating dinner with him, but I may have to start eating before he gets home.

I'm bartending this weekend and my goal is not to consume my weight in wings or eat a tenderloin. We have a simple house salad on the menu, which is actually pretty tasty. No crutons, no dressing on the side.

Sunday I have a four mile run to do, hopefully I can do it. Building endurance is a bitch, especially when the weather isn't always in our favor. Sunday I'll cruise the ads and menu plan for next week. Have a good weekend everyone!

Remember that commercial...

that Godzilla is in someone's stomach and is clawing up the sides? Yeah...thats what happened to me when I was out on my three mile run tonight. I had to turn back early to get home so I only did 2.2 miles. I had the worst pain in my side and stomach and was worried that I might not make it home. What do you do when there are no restrooms on your routes? Are you, as Bon Jovi would say, "Livin' on a prayer?"

I discovered this site called TheDailyMile. I love it. You can enter in your miles, pace (it will figure that out), calories, and even how you feel. I love that you can post results to Facebook because I feel that holds me accountable. Am I fast? Hell to the no, but hey, I'm out there doing something. You can also enter in races and it will do countdowns for you. People can comment on your workouts or they can "motivate" you. It's basically Facebook for workouts, but I need something that will keep me in line.

My dress from ModCloth was a total fail. I had pit tits like whoa, and it wasn't as dressy as it looked in the picture. Thanks to the ggroup girls, they directed me back to The Limited. Dresses are 30% off this week, and I found this nice little number. The Limited wouldn't let me steal a pic off the site, so here is the address:

http://www.thelimited.com/detail/eyelet-strapless-dress/3276529

My hair is reddish and I'm almost as pale as the model (why can't I be that skinny) so I'm hoping this dress will work out. I got it about 1/2 price with a coupon code and the 30% discount. Mommy likie.

While everyone else was boating, being outside, etc over Memorial Day weekend, I took the liberty of cleaning out my cupboards. I threw out the old food and then wrote down everything in the cupboards and in the fridge. I looked up recipes, menu planned for the next week and grocery shopped accordingly. I spent $55 at the grocery store, I bought basically everything on sale and had coupons. I also bought a rotiserrie chicken and I used that for last night and tonights dinner. It may be a little more costly than the blsl chicken breasts, but it comes off the bone easily and its nom nom nom! Mr. Whoa is kind of an ass about leftovers, but he's getting better. We're trying not to go out to eat so much so we can fatten our wallets and thin our waistlines. We've been very good this week. ***High five, Mr. Whoa!***

Have a good weekend everyone! How do you plan on staying on-program?

Day: 2
Weather: Breezy, high 70’s.
Calories burned: 350
Calories till goal: 9085

Half Marathon? Don't mind if I do.

Another month has flown by! I realized that my goal this year was to do a half-marathon, and the year is already half over. I’m flirting with two different half marathons this year. One in the Quad Cities in September, and the other is in October in Des Moines. I feel like having around four good months to train I should be good to go. Heck, maybe I will do both of them. I need to just register for one so:

A) I actually stay on track to train for it.

B) The sooner I register, the cheaper it will be.

I’m giving the Hal Higdon Novice training schedule a whirl. I started off yesterday with a three mile run. I had already worked eight hours and I had to work my bar job last night for another eight hours. In between jobs I went on the bike trail to give a 5K a whirl. (((Nike +))) It was hot and humid, so it made it very hard to breathe. I was hoping to keep my pace under 15 minutes and it was an average of 14:35/mile! I hope to one day run a mile under 10 minutes, but slow and steady wins the race!

April and May I didn’t do so hot with my 10,000 calorie challenge. I’m going to keep that as a goal, but if I don’t obtain it I’m not going to beat myself up about it.

Day: 1 Weather: Humid, high 80’s. Felt like 1,000,000. Calories burned: 565 Calories till goal: 9435
Only 115 days till the Quad City Half Marathon!

I'm out of the 190s....AGAIN!

I hated that I was in them in the first place. My highest weigh in ever was 198.8 January 2009. Last week I weighed in at 190.8. I knew I had to do something before I reached my highest weight again. After planning my week's meals and dabbling into a little exercise I am down 1.6!

I do miss the first week weigh-ins from when I did Weight Watchers in the past. I remember losing 7.6, 5.2, and other large numbers. I did go out to lunch Wednesday and had fries, and I had a pizza buffet yesterday for lunch. I had my salad (dressing on the side of course) and I only had about one slice of za. I picked at two pieces, but didn't finish either. I felt good about that. Usually at pizza joints I stuff myself to oblivion.

Brother-in-law's wedding is only three weeks away. I'd LOVE to lose 50 pounds by then since his fiance and my mother-on-law like to remind me that I'm a fatass (yes, actual words from their mouths, quite lady-like aren't they), but I know that's not going to happen. If I can't be excited about the wedding, I'd like to be excited about what I'm wearing. I bought this:

Dress from ModCloth:

With these shoes:

I love all things girlie...ruffles, bows, etc. I really hope this dress fits. I'm really excited to see Mr. Whoa's family, and my mom and sister and her family will be attending as well.

I also am aware I will not be reaching my 10,000 calorie goal this month, but I would like to report I exercised twice yesterday. For my full-time job, we had a walk in each of our ten counties for Older American's Month. I was in Greene, Iowa, and we had over thrity participants. It may not seem like much, but for a town of about 1000 people, that was a great turn out. Almost all participants were 60 year old and older, and there was even a lady there who was 95 years old! We did a one mile walk with the particpants. After putting the signs up I figured I walked about two miles yesterday. I didn't bring my HRM or my Nike +, but I walked about 1/2 an hour, which usually calculates about 300 calories.

Last night I went on a bike ride of half an hour. After a few days of the weather being humid and just gross, it was nice to get outside and enjoy the breeze. These work outs don't compare with my previous hour-two hour workouts, but hey, it's something. I used to be an all or nothing type of person, but I've finally grasped the concept that thinking that way burns me out. I am soooo happy to report that I cooked dinner Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday night! I menu planned on Sunday and stuck to it. Disclaimer: I don't cook Tuesdays because I am working at the bar. I also brought my lunch everyday except for Wednesday and Thursday. Two days may not seem like much, but its a huge improvement for me.

I was also getting really bad about my water intake. I have this complex where I only like to drink water from a straw, and my water bottle from Fat Tuesdays in Vegas had mold in it because I left it in my car. I was at Wal-Mart last night and I found an awesome water bottle with a straw that holds both cool and hot drinks for only $5.77. Plus its purple, which makes it super awesome.

Day: 2 (Face palm)

Weather: Sunny, high 70s.

Calories burned: 559

Calories till goal: 8481

Can I haz do-over?

Well I'm back from vacation. As you can see from my picture I didn't meet my 10 pound goal by vacation. I almost did, but I went the wrong way. I weighed myself Saturday before vacation and I was back at 188.6. I weighed this morning and was up to 190.8. For eating myself into oblivian about five days in a row, I'll take less than three pounds for a gain. I actually had my work out clothes and shoes packed, but I unpacked them to make more room in case I bought stuff in Florida. So yeah, my motivation was in the toilet.

I've been making every excuse in the world not to be accountable for my eating and exercise. I blame it on working too much, being tired, not having time to plan, you name it-I probably said it.

I am an all or nothing type of girl-and I need to get away from that. They showed on The Today Show that the key to losing weight is eating less. If I can only focus more on what I'm putting into my mouth, then I could have some success. I love to exercise, but for some reason its an act of congress to get me to go. I have Nike +, awesome trails, a bicycle, gym membership, wii fit, videos, etc. I have access to all of these tools, I just need to utilize them.

I've bouced around the idea of going back to Weight Watchers, but I don't want to spend the money. I didn't count points...I would basically find new ways to manipulate the scale and I would have huge scale anxiety. I think I'm going to give Sparkpeople a whirl.

I generally have Sundays off from the bar job, but I usually just crash. This week my goal is to plan my meals for the week on Sunday. I think we would save a lot of time and money if we could plan, shop, and cook on Sundays.

Here's to baby steps!

Well...April was somewhat of a bust.

My calorie goal was 10,000. I only burned about 3000. I worked out about six days last month. I really need to find a balance with working two jobs, having a husband, spending time with friends and family, working out, and sleeping.

I brought my sneeks to work today and I'm going to walk during lunch. I've been so swamped lately at work, I usually don't even leave my desk. I think it will be good to step away and get outside. They say 1/2 of cardio a day is good for the soul, and I can get about an hour's worth during lunchtime.

I haven't weighed myself since April 9th. I'm trying the monthly thing rather than weekly. I hate obsessing over the scale. This weekend I'll have the moment of truth.

May has started off well for working out. Saturday was supposed to be BFF's first 5K, and I was going to do it with her. We left my place around 9, the start was at 9:30. We couldn't find the starting point, even with a map. The sad thing is, is that it started on UNI's campus, and we're both alumni. It got to be 9:45 and we gave up. We didn't see a group of cars or even people with numbers on them. We were bummed. We decided to pick up my old roomie's Weimaraner, Eddie, and go on a stroll in town. During the walk, my Nike + died, so after wards we drove the route and walked about 6 miles around town.

Day: 1 Weather: Sunny, high 70s. Calories burned: 960 Calories till goal: 9040

When are you due? Oh, you mean my food baby?

Well it happened. One of the biggest fears a woman can have. I was asked if I'm pregnant. I'm not.

One of my clients I saw yesterday is about 70 years old, and is also deaf. We write notes to communicate with each other. I saw her yesterday and as I was leaving she pointed at my stomach, did a rocking motion with her arms, and said, "baby?"

I shook my head no, and she did a face palm. I couldn't help but laugh a little. But man, what a blow to my self esteem. I have been more active, making better food choices, and hardly drinking soda. I went to Burger King yesterday wanting a Whopper Jr with cheese meal, and I opted for the grilled chicken meal with no mayo and apple fries. I wanted to skip the bike ride Dustie and I had planned and just hide under my covers and cry.

Normally a situation like this would just trigger an eating binge, but I did not allow it. I stopped by the grocery store on my way back into town. I picked up some BLSL chicken breasts marinated in sun-dried tomatoes and some fresh produce. We grilled out and enjoyed a nice healthy dinner together.

After dinner we went for a bike ride together. We just tootled around town and ventured on the trails. The Cedar Valley bike trail stretches over 50 miles. We didn't do that last night, but someday maybe. Can I tell you how awesome my saddle seat is? My rump didn't hurt one bit!

You'd think he could wait for me......

We rode for about 40-45 minutes or so. We had a lot of fun talking and being together (we don't get to see each other much). I could have gone with out getting a bug in my eye, but the good comes with the bad, right?

Day: 6 Weather: 70s, nice breeze Calories burned: 420 Calories till goal: 7136

Try to catch me ridin dirrrty.

My husband is thebomb.com. Boardies may know him as Mr. Whoa and my friends know him as Dustie, but no matter what you call him, he's the shit. I had a terrible day at work last week, and I came home to a nice surprise. He bought me a pretty purple bicycle. We've been talking about different activities to do together and bike riding came up. My old bike was a little small, and this one is the perfect fit.

However, having a little, hell, a lot of junk in the trunk, makes bike riding painful. I bought the Cadillac of bike seats for $19.96 at Wal-Mart. I love it, except for the fact its called a saddle. Oh well, my rump isn't crying when I'm done riding.

Since I don't see Mr. Whoa as much as we should because of our crazy schedules, I try to meet him for lunch a few Saturdays a month when he's at work. Instead of hopping in my car to meet him, I hopped on the Grape Escape (yes, I named my bike) and rode to his work. Its a little less than two and a half miles one way, so I thought it would be perfect for my first ride.

I'd like to eventually ride to work at least one time a week. Work from home is about 10-11 miles which isn't too bad, but I need to find a decent route where traffic isn't too heavy and where the trails aren't underwater. That will be my goal in the next few weeks to find the best way, and then try to find the balls to actually do it.

I rode about half an hour yesterday for the round trip. I burned 402 calories, which was more than I expected. My legs are a little sore today, and I've been spinning as well.

Day: 5
Weather: High 60s, very sunny and windy.
Calories burned: 406
Calories till goal: 7556

At this point, if I burn 5000 calories this month I will be happy.

Going, going, going, GREEN!

So yesterday I went green. I decided instead of hopping in my car and driving to the grocery store I would walk. It has been rainy on and off the past week, so I decided to take advantage of the weather and stroll down to the store. I didn't push myself by any means, but it felt good to get out and about since most of my weekend was spent inside.

I walked about a half hour total there and back, and I even remembered my grocery tote! So not only did I not pollute the air with gasoline fumes, I saved a rubber tree. The totes make it much easier to carry groceries back home.

Day: 4

Weather: 70 degrees, tad muggy from the storms

Calories burned: 206

Calories to goal: 7962

I better get going on the calories....the month is almost half over!

Moving in the right direction.

Well it's Friday. What does that mean? Last working day for my full-time job, pay day every other Friday, and oh yeah, weigh in day. I stepped on the scale this morning a little nervous since I had a hard work out last night, I didn't eat dinner till about 8:30, and was asleep by 10:00.

183.6. Down three pounds!

I have about five weeks till I'll be in sunny Florida, and I'd like to be down 10 pounds from my start weight. If I'm not, it's really not a BFD. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but at least I'm going the right way.

My challenge for myself this week is to make better choices when I'm working at the bar. Most nights I do get a salad and some type of fried goodness, but maybe I'll try to bring my own meals, or even get a salad and grilled chicken. But Jami likey....Jami want wingy.

Week one is done, bring it on week two! ***Punches chest***

Sore ass and legs, party of one.

Okay I realize its the 8th day of the month. I haven't worked out since Friday. I was looking forward to going straight home today after work. Going right home is VERY rare for me. Between working two jobs, running errands, gym time, and any other commitment-doesn't leave me a lot of home time. How the eff does it get so messy? Must be the underpants gnomes.

One of my besties, CT, always posts on Facebook what workout she will be doing that day to hold herself accountable. This morning she said she had Ultimate Results and Spin class after work. Being the good girl that I am, I packed my gym bag just in case. I inquired about the time of Ultimate Results. CT said it was at 4:45 and asked if I wanted to join her. I didn't, but I'm glad I did.

Ultimate results works with free weights to tone the body. You wouldn't think 12-15 pounds weights would be too straining...but oweeee. After that class was over, we ventured to spin. This instructor is super hard, but it was a great workout. 862 calories later, we were done. I'm very happy I went. My daily calorie goal went up a litte since I haven't gone every day, but the goal is still in reach.

Day: 3 Weather: Inside, very hot and stuff Calories burned: 862 Calories to goal: 8168

Saying noda to soda and drop the pop.

Another goal I'm trying to set is to give up soda, coke, pop, etc. The reason I'm looking into it is that there is no real nutritional value, and it's really expensive. Think about it....you go to a restaurant for lunch, and soda is anywhere from $1.50-$3. For awhile I was drinking two 20-oz bottles of Diet Pepsi a day. That cost me about $3/day, over $20/week, and almost $100/month! I can think of a lot of other things I'd like to spend my money on, like this dress here:

http://www.thelimited.com/detail/sequin-shoulder-dress/3175531

Thank you Jess for sharing in your blog, it is gorgeous!)

In March I went quite awhile with out having soda. One weekend I was working at the bar and had a total Pepsi binge because we ran out of iced tea. I felt awful the next couple days. I didn't have more than two all week after, but on Easter Sunday I had a Diet Squirt. I haven't had one since.

I'm not going to say that I will never have one again, but the longer I can hold off the better. I will treat myself here and there, but anytime I have one after a hiatus I feel gross. When I'm not in the beer mood, I'll have my Three-Olives Cherry Vodka with Diet Pepsi, when I'm wasted and want Hardees breakfast I'll get my Dr. Pepper. I think if I tell myself I can't have something, it makes me want it more. If I say, "Hey, feel free to enjoy it whenever you please," it wont be as appealing.

So here is to three days being soda sober, let's hope there are many more.

***Raises water mug***

For Easter I traded a Cadbury egg for a few NSVs.

For those of you who don't speak the language of Weight Watchers, NSV= non-scale vicory. Clever right? I feel these are just as important as having a scale victory.

I took advantage of the lovely weather and took Miss Kia (see picture above) to the Paw Park. Dogs need their exercise just as much as humans. And as always, Kia wants to dress to impress. Like her pink mohawk?

This weekend went pretty good. I had lunch with the gal pals on Saturday. We split a Garbage Basket which had fried pickes, mushrooms, mini tacos, jalapeno poppers, cheese balls, and brew city fries. I did have a few things out of basket. Who can deny a mini taco? I did have a salad tho which is HUGE for me because I love bar food. Like if I could marry it I probably would, but polygamy is not legal in Iowa. I had a gyro salad with the dressing on the side. I even took more than half of it home because it was huge. My girlfriends both had cheeseburgers which is something I would normally get and clean the plate no problem, so I felt good about my choice and I didn't feel bad for enjoying a mini taco and a couple of cheeseballs.

I had to get my rings and necklace inspected at the jewelery store, so Dustie dropped me off at the mall. He said he would go put my new tire on (thank you city of Cedar Falls for taking your sweet-ass time fixing the potholes) and said he would come pick me up. I turned to him and said, "You know what? I'm going to walk." The dealership is roughly a mile away from the mall so it's not like I did a marathon, but it felt great to walk and be outside. By the time I got back there he had just finished so it was perfect timing.

Before Easter dinner, we walked from my mama's house to the gas station to get some brew. It's not a long walk what-so ev, but we didn't drive.

For Easter dinner I didn't overindulge like I normally would. Holidays are super hard for me NOT to overeat. I work two jobs and Dustie works long ass hours so its rare that we both get to sit down and enjoy a home cooked meal together. I stopped when I felt satisfied. I even had three deviled eggs which are my fave.

I'm going to start making a point to walk to places as much as I can. We live on the outside of town so there isn't a ton of things I could walk to. The grocery store is probably a little less than two miles from the apartment, so I want to try that soon. My reusable giraffe tote bags will make it easy to carry groceries home, and allow me to be fashionable at the same time. Win-win. I didn't officially work out, but walking places I would normally hop in the car to get to made me feel really good.

How did your Easter go? Do you feel more motivated to work out after a holiday?

Tiger, Tiger, Tiger Woods Ya'll!

Day: 2
Weather: Hot and stuffy gym. Big storm outside....it looked like a hurricane.
Calories burned: 540
Carories till goal: 9030

So during my run on the tredmil my iPod fell. I am thinking about investing in an armband. I have a clip now that I like and it just attached to my pants/shorts. The last two times I've been running it falls off and the sensor detaches ending my workout. It really grinds my gears.

I did some interval running today and then I heard a voice over Lady Gaga. Was it God? I thought so at first. Close...it was Tiger Woods. He came over my Nike + to congratulate me for completing my fastest mile. Why couldn't it have been Christopher Meloni?

Since my iPod was being an asspanda, I actually have 4 different workouts for today on my Nike +, when it was supposed to be one 5K. I'm going to try to have a more consistent run instead of intervals and see what happens.

Besides running....what are some of your favorite activities?

Oh hi scale, what's up?

My weight? You don't say. Here it is folks....my starting weight is: 186.6. I'm still 12.2 pounds under my heighest weight, but about 50 pounds over my lowest weight.

I also took my measurements so if the scale isn't moving down hopefully the inches on my body are.

Neck: 14

Bicep: 13

Bust: 41

Waist: 45

Hips: 47

Thigh: 25

Calf: 16

Here is too a fresh start! It didn't come on overnight so I know it wont come off overnight. I sure wish it would tho :)