Weekly Weigh In

So, it's that time of the week again. How did it get to be Monday already? I've been so super busy this last week and I have a small confession to make: I haven't counted calories all week. I simply haven't had the time. Even with my handy dandy phone app, it just didn't happen.

I didn't allow myself to overeat just because I wasn't counting, but being as busy as I was I didn't always make the best choices with the options I had.

Oh yea, I'm also having a lovely visit with TOM. He always ruins a party, doesn't he? Since I've changed my eating habits TOM really hasn't been much of a bother, but man oh man has he made his presence known this month!! The emotions, the cravings, the bloating. I don't know what it is....maybe all of that processed food I ate at the beginning of the month? Either way, I'm not happy with him right now!!

Ok, so here we go: This week's weigh in result is 217.8. For a one week's loss of only .2 lbs. Considering the week I've had, I'll take it. That puts me at a total loss of 7.4 lbs. I know slow and steady wins the race, but this is agonizing!!!

Everyone Has A Story.....

Do you judge people based on their size? Don't lie. We all do it. Not maliciously, but we make certain assumptions about people based on their appearance, size, clothes, etc... It's human nature and I'm not ashamed to admit that I do it, too.

Recently while working out at the gym, someone made a comment to me about "it gets easier" or "you are doing such a great job, you should be so proud of yourself" I forget the exact comment, but it was painfully obvious that this person thought this was the first time in my life I had ever seen the inside of a gym or ever walked up and touched a weight machine.

I wanted to scream out "THIS IS NOT ME!!" "I HAVEN'T ALWAYS BEEN THIS SIZE!!" I used to be a collegiate athlete for shit's sake! In my mind I still see myself as that fit, muscular girl. I have to remind myself that to others, I'm simply an over weight, almost middle aged woman that looks like she's enjoyed a few too many twinkies.

While having my orientation at the gym (on the weight machines) my trainer mentioned that I already know how to work all of the machines so why do I even need her? I laughed a bit and explained that I used to be an athlete and it turns out that her daughter played competitive volleyball as well. You know what she said to me? "Wow, you're awfully short to be a volleyball player. You must have been really good to be able to play in college." I don't know why, but that comment sent me over the moon. I do know why ~ because I was good. And having someone recognize that ~ even all these years later ~ felt good.

So anyway, back to judging. If I see a skinny woman at the gym, at the grocery store, at the park, wherever, I used to make the assumption that she's always been thin. She's never had to count a calorie in her life and that being healthy simply comes naturally to her. Conversly, I'm guilty of doing what was done to also me. If I see an overweight woman I used to make the assumption that she eats horribly, doesn't take care of herself and probably has never seen the inside of a gym.

That's all changed now. I'm making a choice. I'm chosing to look at people differently. I'm chosing to see a thin, healthy, active woman and I'm going to believe that she works hard for her health. Maybe she was overweight in the past and maybe she's overcome such huge hurdles in her life that being healthy now is the only way for her to continue living. Maybe that overweight woman that I ran into at the library has already lost 50+ lbs and is still working hard everyday to continue taking the weight off. Maybe the obese person you see filling her cart with fruits and vegetables at the grocery store used to be a top notch athlete and she's finding her way back...

Everyone has a story.

Making Kefir From Scratch

google image from this site. Note I did not use their method for making my kefir.

Kefir is a fermented milk drink that is packed with beneficial bacteria. Stay tuned to see the results of my first batch!

I'm Twittering....

I finally got Twitter to work on my phone ~ you can follow me here.

Wouldn't Life Be Easier......???

I've always been "that girl." The one that paves her own way. The one they've always affectionately labeled "cooky". The one my brother calls his "crazy sister." (I'm his only sister).

I'm not a status quo kind of girl. I don't just followed the pack. I don't do things just because I am "supposed to." I don't give credence to someone who simply claims to be an expert. I do my own research and form my own opinions. I do this with all things in life ~ nutrition, politics, education, spirituality, everything. I've lost friends because of it. I'm ok with that because they weren't truly my friends to begin with.

I homeschool my children, I eat as cleanly as I can, I do not participate in organized religion & and I'm the only person in my (extended) family to actually leave the area in which we were all raised. I wouldn't change anything, but sometimes living this way is exhausting. Sometimes I wish my kids went to public school and sometimes I would love to just grab a Lean Cuisine and a 100 calorie pack for lunch and call it good. Occasionally I wish I still lived right next to all of my family so I could ship the kids over there and just take a few minutes to breath.

I couldn't do any of those things in good conscience. I've researched traditional schooling until I thought my eyes would pop out of my head, I've read study after study after study about nutrition and health. I've read the history and current events of numerous religions since I was in college and I love living somewhere new and different from where I knew grew up.

People joke with me and tell me I read too much. But I can't justify not reading the things I read. I believe I have to be informed. I can't make a good decision without reading everything I can get my hands on. I love knowledge and I don't consider Yahoo News, CNN, Fox News, People Magazine, Cosmo Magazine, etc....to be valid sources of information. I have to dig deeper. I have to find their sources and then the sources for those sources. Those sources then usually lead me to other articles and other studies and so on and so forth. I told you it could be exhausting.

I'm so completely overwhelmed with life right now and I'm having one of those moments that I think life would be so much easier if I were shipping my kids off to school next week and could pop in a frozen dinner and call it a meal. Easier? Yes. The best life I could give myself and my kids? ~ not even close.

So what do I do when I feel like I'm drowning in the details of my life? A friend told me once "just keep swimming until you get a chance to come up for air." And that's exactly what I do. I just keep pushing. I know eventually things will settle down. We'll find our new routine with the new school year, my kitchen will be clean enough to actually use again someday and my husband will be home to give me a break with the kids, until then Happy Swimming......

Oh. My. Dear. Sweet. George.....

Have you tried these yet? You must run, not walk, to your nearest Costco and get thee a bag of the new Cashew Clusters. Be warned ~ they are more addicting than crack.

Come Run With Me.....

Would you run with this woman?

We're heading out of my street right now. Look at all of that beautiful green. 17 months of rain each year will do that.....

Ok, we're officially out of my neighborhood. This is where I run....

Punch Buggy!! Oh Yea, baby! Except in my family we don't say "Punch Buggy", we say "Mamma Sue Car!" because my Mother in Law actually drives one of these. It's a game my boy started years ago and it seems to have stuck with us.....

Would you like a snack? I helped myself to a few......

This. This is why I run where I do.....

This house has been for sale since we moved into our house. Five Years Ago.....

I didn't even register......

Do you see that shoulder? It's not a shoulder, it's a "designated walking trail." Sure looks like a shoulder to me.......

Almost done!!! Oh crap, I'm not even close to home yet......

Oh, Phew....time to turn back down into my neighborhood.

~*~Home Sweet Home~*~

Hey Look! Mail!!

A gift to myself today.......

Weekly Weigh In

I realize this post is a day late. I was so incredibly busy yesterday that I didn't have time to post my results! OOPS!

Drumroll, please ~ my weigh in results were: 218.0. That is a total loss of 7.2 lbs.

WooHoo! It's slow going. Slower than I'd like sometimes, but it's still going.

I completed Week 2 of the C25K program and started on Week 3. I'm scaling back on my cross training days and concentrating soley on my running. My knee has been acting up and I'm hoping with some additional rest days that it won't go into full blown runner's knee.

Stay tuned for pictures of my last run ~ I took you along with me!

You'd think I'd learn......

I'm pretty sure this has happened once before ~ My kitchen is a mess, there is a serious lack of food in the and house and I feel like shit. I'm beginning to think these things are related (duh!)

I'm right now drinking my first green smoothie in days and I can feel an immediate increase in my energy already. I'm not even half way through with the glass.

I wonder how many times I have to do this to myself before I finally get the message?

Lunges Update....

So, I did my first set of lunges tonight. Two sets, actually. I can't do walking lunges, it's way too painful on my knee (stupid, unnecessary surgery). So, I put one foot in front of the other and go Up/Down, Up/Down, Up/Down about 15 times. Then I switch legs. Oh, I can feel the burn. You know what's funny? My abs burn almost as much as my legs. I'm a wreck!! LOL!!

My latest addiction......

These are my latest addiction. They are the perfect size and a perfect snack when I need something quick to hold me over to the next meal. (they also go great with apples!)

I'm a dork.....

I went to the gym this afternoon to pound out my next assignment in the C25K program. It should have been easy. Run 90 seconds, walk 2 minutes. I've done it before and I knew I could breeze through it today.

But I didn't. From the very first run my legs felt like lead. My right calf burned from the very first step and it wasn't too long before I looked like her ----->

What the F*ck was going on?!? I was getting so frustrated and so upset with myself that I started thinking maybe I'm not a runner. Maybe I'll never be a runner. On my 4th (out of 5) run I almost totally gave up. I was getting ready to say screw it and start my walk early when I started flipping through the "stats" on the treadmill to see how far I'd gone already. But something other than mileage caught my eye. Elevation!!! I had been running the whole time at a #5 elevation. Hello!?! No wonder my calves were killing me and no wonder I felt almost like I was running backwards! I mean, I'm making progress but I don't think I'm ready to tackle hills just yet!! So I dropped the elevation down to 0 and for the last run I swear I felt like I was running downhill! That last run was a cinch. I wish I had thought to check all of the settings before I started running.

Sadly, this isn't the first time this happened to me. I wonder how many times I have to nearly kill myself before I'll actually remember to check this shit?!?

Checking in....

I need to regroup. The camping trip was fun and as I mentioned, I didn't count a single calorie or log a single workout. It was gawd awful hot there and we drank water by the gallon, but I also let myself indulge in some cans of "Throw Back Mountain Dew". Because we were all sweating so much and losing so much water I also tried to eat more salty foods than I normally do. The food I ate:

Friday:

• Dinner was spaghetti and garlic bread brought from home. Ground beef in the sauce was grass fed beef and the bread was fresh artisan bread from our local market. The butter was pasture butter from Organic Valley. Overall, I was fine with that meal.
• Followed up with a few beers & a margarita made with fresh strawberries.

Saturday:

• Breakfast was pancakes (plain ole' bisquick) and real maple syrup (no flavored HFCS in this family) with bacon (from happy pigs) & fresh fruit. Not too bad. I drank OJ and water
• Lunch was fresh fruit and cut up veggie sticks with local, fresh made ranch dressing (no bottled salad dressings, either). I ate a handful of Doritoes to get some salt and I drank a Mtn Dew and water. I also had a snickerdoodle cookie.
• I made a green smoothie that day and drank two of them. I also had a margarita made with fresh strawberries.
• Dinner was potluck style and I ate a hamburger with all of the fixin's (I did not supply the hamburgers and they were not grassfed beef) including a white bun. Pasta salad (not made my me) and homestyle baked beans (made by me with bacon from happy pigs and organic ketchup) and a fresh fruit salad. Dessert was a few bites of chocolate chip cookie cake. I drank a few beers that night.

Sunday:

• Breakfast was scrambled eggs (organic, but not pastured), bacon & fresh fruit. Green Smoothie on the side.
• Lunch was more fresh fruit & veggies with dip. A handful of pita chips with hummus and again a few Doritoes with Mtn Dew and water.
• We bought the kids popcicles and I indulged in a ChocoTaco. I also had a green smoothie before dinner and another margarita.
• Dinner was potluck style again. Tacos!! Another family brought the taco meat and she used ground turkey, store bought. Meh, what are ya gonna do? Anyway, I had one white tortilla filled with refried beans (from a can), taco meat, mexican rice (from a packaged mix), cheese, tortilla chips & sour cream. Not a single raw item in my taco. This was the beginning of my downfall. I followed it with quite a few beers and a few handfuls of chips. I had one S'more.

Monday:

• I drank a green smoothie at the camp site while we were packing up.
• Breakfast was eaten at a local restaurant and I had two eggs, over medium & biscuits and gravy with a side of sausage. Not the most responsible choice.....
• Another Mtn Dew in the truck for the ride home with more water.
• For dinner we ordered Domino's Pizza (again, not a great choice)

I weighed myself Tuesday morning and the official damage was: 223.2

I wasn't too upset with it, realizing it was probably mostly water weight and that I could get it back off by my weigh in on Monday. I was committed to being back home and counting calories again. I went for a run on Tuesday and completed W2D1 of my C25K program and all was good. Except I couldnt' stop eating. And I wasn't eating good stuff. Yesterday I had a green smoothie for breakfast and DairyQueen for lunch (I know, I know). I had a small bowl of cereal for dinner and after the kids went to bed I dove into a pack of saltine crackers smoothered with Easy Cheese. With a Mtn Dew on the side. I don't even like Easy Cheese. Thankfully there are no Mtn Dew's left and I will not be buying anymore. That was my camping treat and I was sure to buy the throw back ~ made with real sugar and NOT HFCS. As if that makes a huge difference (rolling eyes at myself.....). I was in such a low point yesterday that the thoughts of saying "screw it" entered my mind several times.

Right before bed last night I realized I was severely dehydrated. I drank a huge glass of water and I woke up still parched. I think my cravings and uncontrollable eating is due to some major dehydration.

I weighed myself this morning and I'm down to 221.0. I have to admit, I'm a little shocked! Today I'm 100% back on track. I'm drinking nothing but water and I'm eating lots of raw fruits and veggies. Starting with breakfast:

Peanut Butter Apple Dip:

1 cup honey roasted peanut butter (I buy fresh ground from our local market)
1 cup organic (or homemade) cream cheese
1/2 cup organic (or homemade) vanilla yogurt

Mix thoroughly. Easy Peasy and ssooo yummy on a sweet Fuji apple. According to Livestrong, 1/4 cup of this mixture is 234 calories. It is so filling and I usually can't even eat the full 1/4 cup with one apple. This will keep me going until lunch time.

I'm headed back to the gym today to get my run in. I refuse to give up on my C25K program. I AM A RUNNER. I repeat that to myself over and over while I'm on the treadmill. It will be my reality.

And just to show I mean business, I decided to enter the Legs Love Lunges Challenge over at 5 Miles Past Empty. I'm coming in a week late, but I guess that's better than not coming to the party at all, right? Here's the scoop:
Take a picture of your legs right now (these were taken on Tuesday) and then do lunges three times per week from now (it started Aug 10) until Sept 10 and then take another picture of your legs and see if we can see the difference. Sept 10 just happens to the be Friday before my first official 5K so this is perfect timing for me!
Let's get this party started!!

My knee surgery 8 years ago evidently left my knee cap a little deformed. I just discovered through physical therapy a few months ago that its likely that my knee surgery wasn't even necessary. My problems were simply a symptom of a bigger issue. That made me happy. No really. I love going through agonizing surgery and recovery just for fun.

Camping Recap ~ Take Two

~*~Picture heavy post part deux~*~

Scenery:

The scenery driving through WA state is breath taking. This picture was taken as we were approaching the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Look at all of that lush green on the side of the mountain.

More gorgeous green ~ it's beautiful.


Notice anything different? Where did the green go? Eastern WA definitely have a different landscape than the one I'm used to!

But it's no less beautiful. Check out those blue skies, baby. I could feel the Vitamin D soaking through my pores!

Food:

Oh the food. There was so much food! This was Saturday night ~ burgers and hot dogs. We did Saturday and Sunday dinners potluck style. I forgot to get a picture Sunday night. Tacos! YUM!

I brought the regular everyday marshmallows. My friend found some that evidently had a steroid problem. Holy Shit!!!!

One of my friends on Facebook thought maybe someone was compensating for something. *snort, giggle, grin*

Yes, we are toasting marshmallows over a propane grill. We were in the desert in 100* weather. Burn ban, baby. Smokey the Bear would have been proud.

That's one helluva S'more you have there, ma'am.

I ate one reasonably sized S'more. Little Dude, on the other hand insisted on having one with the mongo marshmallows.

Open wide, buddy!

Lake:

Whoa, how did these pictures get here? Blogger has been a total pain in my backside today (these two posts are 12 hours in the making!) so I'm not even going to try to move them to where they should be...but the OCD in me is really not happy about this!!

"Daddy, you'll catch me, won't you?"

"Are you sure?"

"Really Really sure?"

"Alrighty, then. Here I gOooooooo!!!"

Camping Recap ~ Take One

~*~WARNING!! Picture heavy post!!~*~

We had so much fun on our camping trip! We woke up bright and early Friday morning, packed up the truck, pulled the kids from their slumber and headed out on our way. It took us approximately 6-7 hours to get there (including a ferry ride and stopping for lunch). About 4 hours into the ride I realized we had left half of the fruit in the fridge and I was in charge of the fruit salad for the group dinner on Saturday. Whoops! Thankfully Eastern Washington has fruits stands about every half mile or so.

The rest of our group arrived at the camp site about an hour after we did and we all headed down to the beach. It was ssssoooo hot, but if you sat in the shade the temps dropped about 30 degrees. It was heaven. I will let my pictures tell the tale:

There really weren't many bugs there except dragon flies, but at night these GINORMOUS beetles came out. You could hear them fly and when the landed it sounded like someone thumped on the gravel. That sucker is about three inches long. YUCK!!

I should never be left alone in front of a mirror with a camera after consuming 4+ beers. Just sayin'

Aaahh, the lake. There are my boys, commiserating about how lake swimming is so much different than the pool.

I promise you my boy is not drowning here. I think he was showing off his free style stroke. I'm not sure.

The scenery was breath taking.

The "tickle monster" made an appearance or two.

And it's just not a camping trip without checking email around a camp fire!!

I survived....

We survived the camping trip. We ended up taking the generator and my blender. Aaaahhhh, bliss. I had a green smoothie everyday!

We're jumping right back into real life today as I scramble to get everything done in order to ship my husband back off to work this evening. I'll write up a real post tonight ~ or maybe tomorrow : )

Holy Shin Splints, Batman!!

Well, it seems as if I will not be running at all this weekend. I'm severely bummed by this fact, but I've been hobbling around all day with what I can only guess is a shin splint in my left leg. It hurts like a be-otch and I don't want to piss my leg off any more as I fully intend to pick back up with the C25K program as soon as we return from our camping trip. Chow, peeps.

Week One Complete

Week One of C25K is complete. Today I felt fantastic. My legs were strong and I felt fast. Unfortunately I forgot to look at the distance I went so I don't know if I actually was fast or not. Oh well, no biggie.

I followed it up with about 45 minutes of strength training. I won't get a work out in at all tomorrow (other then schlepping camping equipment from the truck, setting up the tent and little bit of hiking) so I wanted to end this week strong. I'm still planning to do a run or two while we're camping.

And, in true Jessica fashion ~ I've decided to sign up for a 5K. The date is Sept 12, about 4 weeks before the C25K program is actually complete. The last run on the program before the race is a 5 minute walk, 20 minute run, 5 minute walk. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to complete the full 5K by that point, even if I have to take a walk break or two. Let's hope so because my friend's husband has offered to watch my kids during the race and he said I have 37 minutes to complete the race before he releases the kids into the crowd! Boy, he sure knows how to push me, huh? LOL!!

Have a good weekend folks!