I Should Be Folding Laundry

What?!?!

This morning I stepped on my scale, cause you know, it's Wednesday and that's what I do on Wednesdays.

Oh, who am I kidding? - I step on the scale EVERY morning, I think it's one of the key factors in my success of keeping my over thirty pound weight loss pretty steady.

BUT, this week was different.

Last week it said 163.8
The week before it said 163.8
And the week before that it said 163.8

This week said 162.2

Must have been the guacamole.

My weight! Oh sure, I almost forgot.

This week's weigh in was Exciting.  Are you ready for it?  I stayed exactly the same - to the ounce.  Which is...well, it's fine, to be honest.

Maybe next week I'll get a loss.  I should increase my Wii Activity and burn some calories that way.

The Battle of Beth vs. McDonald's

Remember all of those hundreds (or 5) posts of mine talking about how much I love and adore Dunkin' Donuts coffee?  I had to try to stop going so much mainly because when I went my favorite barista would shower me with FREE MUNCHKINS and although that may sound fantastic it was dangerous, very, very dangerous.  Most days I found myself trying to find the will power to not eat a single one or four.  Usually I was victorious, but most days I wasn't and I just had to stop going there.

See? This was written in early May, "I pulled into MY Dunkin' Donuts, where I tend to go after dropping Ariel off on Tuesdays and Thursdays, where I order a large coffee with extra cream and where the owner gives me FREE MUNCHKINS EVERY TIME I GO.  This time I tried something different and ordered a medium coffee with cream, thinking he'll be thrown off by my new and improved order and eighty-six the munchkins, but no such luck.  Before I knew it, there were four succulent glazed munchkins in my hands.  I always save two for Ariel for after school, so my only hope was Racecar, sitting in the backseat happily to gobble up the rest.  I handed him a donut, he took a bite and in true Racecare fashion...he gave it back to me.  I just sat there, my hand getting sticky from the melting glaze, my upper lip starting to sweat, my heart beating fast at the thought of popping it into my mouth, my mouth, losing all form of function, with drool dripping to my hips.  I calmly placed the half eaten beauty down on the seat next to me and there we sat, riding side by side, solemnly in silence, staring straight ahead."

Well, that Barista has since moved on with his life and no longer works at this particular Dunkin' Donuts, probably because he gave away 7,321 munchkins to a crazy lady in a white van every other day of the week.  Although my kids miss him, my thighs do not.

Now that my kids go to school every day of the week and I pass my dear Dunkin' Donuts restaurant (is it a restaurant?) it has been a challenge every day to not stop for my daily, very large cup of coffee.  I was saving almost $10 week, WOW!

Then one fateful day, Brian stopped and bought me a large coffee from McDonald's.  and it was good.  In fact, brace yourself, but I have decided that this coffee is not only much cheaper than Dunkin' Donuts, but it's much better.  It's a WIN WIN.

or not.

Because although Ronald McDonald is not back there handing me free breakfast burritos, I am finding it to be very difficult to pass up their cinnamon melts or a sausage McMuffin.  So, sometimes I don't and that is not good.  (the thighs, remember?)  But their coffee is so amazing!

And last night, there was a very slight rumble of thunder at 3:36 AM and it immediately woke Ariel up.  I went into her room and told her it was fine and I laid back down in my soft, warm bed and I never felt asleep.  I just laid there, thinking about stupid crap and I could not fall asleep.

I was reading this at 4:30 in the morning.  Finally, I fell asleep, the last time I saw the clock was at 5:45 and I had to get up at seven, so y'all.  I'm TIRED.  so very tired.

There was no way I was going to pass up coffee today.  or a breakfast burrito and cinnamon melts, apparently.

I'm telling you all this because today I have lost the battle of Beth vs. McDonald's.  But tomorrow and the next day and the next day, when I pull into that McDonald's drive-thru, I will only order coffee and that's all, and I will declare myself the winner!  THE WINNER!

Well, maybe.

Now if I could just win the battle of Beth vs. Laundry it may cheer me up a little.  wish me luck.

Even Steven

Reporting to you for the first weigh in of the Look Great in 2008 Challenge.

I did not lose an ounce.

Nor did I gain an ounce.

I exercised one time - which sounds bad, but I was sick, so it turns out to be okay.

My goal for this next week - actually lose an ounce (or 16) and exercise FOUR TIMES.

To see other participants and their results, simply click here.

A Weighty Issue

Dear Readers,

I am going to talk to all of you about my weight.  If you are not interested, I am sorry.  If you are interested, listen up.  If you are new to my blog from Tales from the Scales, welcome to my blog and good luck on the challenge.

I want to lose five pounds.  Doesn't seem like much, but it's the most difficult five pounds I've ever had to lose.

My history in a nutshell:

March 2004  208 lbs
January 2006  188 lbs
May 2006  155 lbs
May 2007 166 lbs
Today 163.8  lbs

During the May Day Weight loss challenge my weight actually rose to the 170's, so the 163.8 is a wonderful thing.  Lately I have been experimenting with eating less per meal, but eating more frequently and I think that has made a HUGE difference.  It's a wonderful thing not starving myself between meals.  I also started taking these vitamins from GNC that I think may be helping me, too.

It's not so much that I want to lose five pounds, I would be happy staying this weight, if I could just start exercising to firm up my jelly belly and my bouncing arms and thighs, if I could discipline myself to workout to firm up to reduce my general bounciness, I would be a pretty happy girl.

Here are my goals for the Look Great in 2008 Challenge:

-Lose five pounds
-Get serious about exercise.

When I weighed 188 pounds in 2006, I can remember sitting down for dinner after making cheeseburgers and eating two burgers, very easily.  Too easily.  I could never imagine someday feeling totally satisfied with one.  But it did happen.  My portions have totally changed - it can happen.

My Before picture in 2006  (I'm on the right)

Taken five minutes ago:

Thanks for reading.  If you are interested in joining the challenge, it's not too late, you can join now.  Just go here, go ahead, it's a wonderful thing.

Love,
Beth

Check it Out

The day has come.  The launch of the new challenge at Tales from the Scales.

and oh, please take note of the new design, it's pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself.
(can I say that if I designed it?)

In need of a lifestyle change?  Looking to shed some pounds.  Go here.

NOW.

Armpits

In case you ever get the urge to swing on one of these things.  Don't.  Because the following day you won't be able to raise your arms, or wipe down a counter top or put on deodorant.  (the idiots in the picture are myself in the blue shirt, yes I am 30.  And my sister in the yellow shirt, who is 29 and then my 19 year old niece in the tank top.) The pain is intense, but through the pain I still managed to fold a ton of laundry this morning and clean my van, which looked like someone put a box into my van that was filled books and cookies and straws and receipts and sweatshirts and umbrellas and who am I kidding,  french fries and then it blew up all over my van.

I also managed to take a one hour nap, but it wasn't my fault, my intention was to sleep for TEN minutes, but I accidentally woke up one hour later and then I drank coffee, did some work, (remember I work from home??) made dinner and walked/ran for 2.55 miles.  To be exact.

Speaking of running.  I have quit trying to become a runner.  I am really disappointed about this decision, but the burning sensation I feel in my shins and the pain in BOTH of my knees when I am running and when I am not running is going to kill me. or at least make me crawl everywhere I go, which I think would embarrass my children when I drop them off at preschool.   so, I guess I'll just plain ol' walk.  If I do run, it will have to be on a treadmill because the shock my shins take when my feet slam into the pavement is intense and makes me want to roll on the ground while crying, but since there are like sixty million other serious 'non-shin splint having' runners running around me, I just keep running like a complete idiot, through the pain.  I even smile (and wave!) at other runners like "hey!  I'm running just like you!  I'm not in any pain!"   The tears rolling down my face make it hard for them to believe me, but I just play it off like it's really intense Runner's Sweat.

Never had Runner's Sweat come out of your eyes before?  Must not be a Real Runner.

Alright, enough of my running woes, I've got first day of school pictures!  I know you've been waiting for them!

Here's Racecar on his first day.  He was deliberately trying to look like he was 18, I think.  I told him I did not appreciate that because he's still my baby and sent him directly to a time out.

And here's Ariel on her first day.  She too was trying to look very old. little stinkers.

And here I'm pretty sure they were teaming up to try to make me cry.

It totally worked.

Running Scared

It has been such a strange night.  You know those nights that are so totally different from what you usually do, a night that really shakes things up.

At 5:00 tonight I receive an e-mail from my dear friend Lynette about going to the 5K location to set a route for the Family Fun Walk, she wants to know if we can go tonight.  Since we were having difficulty coordinating our schedules, I said yes.  Even though that meant not mowing the lawn or folding the laundry that was sitting on my bed and that it also meant not having to listen to the kids scream and yell all night long.  She twisted my arm. 

I'm all about sacrifices.

Brian came home from work and we ate dinner.  Lynette picked me up and we headed out to the location.  We walked the route, which came to about 1.2 miles. It was a lovely and very cool evening here in Indiana.  Then I asked her if she wanted to go around one more time, cause you know, the exercise is so good for us and so is being away from the screaming and yelling children.

Get this.  She says "only if we run it."  I was like, "okay."  Cause that meant staying away from the loud offspring.  (and I totally knew I was going to run a few steps and either start walking or feign a twisted ankle.)  So we start running it and after about .022 miles I say, I quit, let's walk.  And then she grew horns and she said "DON'T STOP. IT FEELS GOOD.  KEEP RUNNING."  And I agreed to continue because I was scared and she can totally beat me up.

We continued to run.  and run. and run.  I felt a little like Forrest Gump, minus the crew cut and the chocolates and I don't quite remember Forrest breathing quite as heavy as I was, but whatever.  I was DYING Y'ALL.  But Devil Lynette didn't care.  Even as I was dropping the F-bomb, she wouldn't stop running.  She was saying things like "YOU CAN DO IT!" and "YOU ARE DOING SUCH A GOOD JOB" and "DOESN'T IT FEEL GOOD."  (which if feeling like a Ford pick-up is sitting on your chest feels good, than I felt great.)  Then I told her that since I'm running so much we are GOING TO THE STORE AND BUYING QUESO BECAUSE I'M OUT AND I'M GOING TO DIE RIGHT NOW.  She agreed that we could stop and buy queso.

And then 30 seconds later I said I was done.  "I quit, I can't die tonight, not tonight.  Not with all that laundry on my bed."  And she said "IF YOU STOP AGAIN WE ARE NOT BUYING QUESO."

I know what you're thinking.  "I KNOW SHE DI'INT."

She did.  She pulled the nachos card. 

And it worked like a charm.  I never stopped again.  Until the end when I collapsed on the ground after sprinting.

Then I came home and I got into the shower, it was while in the shower that I realized my razor is somewhere, not in the shower, I could not remember where.  For the first time in eight years of marriage I used my husband's razor.  And wouldn't you know my legs are smooth as silk?

What is up with that?  Why does my razor for women suck?  I came out of the shower and asked Brian to feel my legs (which is totally second base when you're married.)  And he was like "VERY NICE!"  I said "I used your razor."

To which he replied: "That's kinda rude."

To which I replied, "well it was either that or not shaving at all. and feel just how lovely my legs feel."  So he did which meant he made it to second twice in one night.  And he agreed I made the right choice by using his razor.

And then I ate my nachos with queso.

Smooth and achy legs n' all. 

Feeling the love

Wii had a great time celebrating our anniversary yesterday.  Thanks to everyone for your well wishes, wii appreciate it so much!  Then wii took the kids out to dinner, because nothing says Happy Anniversary! like taking your kids out to dinner with you.  No biggie.  Wii like our kids.

Brian and I typically do not exchange gifts for our anniversary.  Just flowers, cards, etc.  But this year I wanted to do something really nice for him since he's so nice and because he let me upgrade the camera wii just purchased last October, wii bought the new one last week and sold my "old" one to my friend Lynette, which worked out well for both of us, I do believe.  And I picked up a new Kenneth Cole handbag that is too cute, which I deemed an "anniversary gift from Brian."  I'm thoughtful like that, I mean, he hates to shop so I was just trying to save him from the madness of shopping. or something.

Anyway, back to him.

I went all out y'all.  Can you guess what he got?

Yep!  A Wii!  You're so smart.

It's quite a game, I have to say.  First of all, he plays really close to where I sit and eat nachos and one too many times have I thought he was either going to knock my queso to the ground or give me a black eye.  I'm not sure which I'd prefer.

Secondly, you can imagine how romantic our night was once he opened the box and began to play.  I mean, with all the golf, boxing, bowling, tennis and baseball, it was a full night.  for him.  I just sat at my trusty old laptop and downloaded songs for my iPod.  Workout songs.  Because I am still working out. Aside from the weekend I have worked out everyday and I am LOVING IT.

Can you believe it?

My sister has challenged me, and I promise I will go into more detail very soon, because it really is very interesting.  Really.  But let's just say if someone had told me even one week ago that I would accept anything with the words "challenge" or "100 miles" in it, I would have laughed.  Really hard.

But instead of laughing, I put my game face on.  Because IT. IS .ON.  "BRING IT!"  I say.  and by "it" I mean, something with chocolate and ice cream.  and maybe whipped cream.  And brownies.

Speaking of food...I'm just gaining weight.  Although I have been more aware of my eating than I have been in a long time.  Everyone says it's because I am building muscle.  I do hope that's why.  I feel so good since working out that right now I really don't care about what the scale says.  For now, that is.  So, for my weigh-in this week, I am up 1.3 lbs, but I'm so much healthier now than I was last week.

And that's what it's all about, right?

Anybody have any ideas how many calories can be burned by playing Wii.  By the looks of the sweat and the sound of the curse words, I'd say a lot.

And I leave you with a picture of my anniversary flowers, because how could I not show you?  You're my best friend!

The Jiggles

I went to the gym today for the first time since March.  And when I went in March it was the first time since November.  Am I on a roll or what?

It was actually really good, fortunately, the kids love going to the daycare there, unfortunately, they hate leaving which means I have to carry Racecar out of the gym kicking and screaming, which is fine because it just adds to my activity points, right?  It may drive me to the point of insanity, but hey, I'll do anything for some muscle tone. (except actually exercise, apparently.)

I walked for over forty minutes and ran for two of those minutes.  To some of you those two minutes may be a joke, but for me it was a big deal because I don't run, but would like to.  My friend Lynette would like to start running with me, but in my mind I compare that to someone the size of Nell Carter running with Cindy Crawford.  I being Nell Carter and Lynette being Cindy Crawford, because, well, she looks like Cindy Crawford (minus the mole on the face).  Either way, I'd like to start running with her because it would be fun.  She's great company and more than likely we'd each be holding a glass of cabernet sauvignon while running and laughing, I mean, could it BE more fun?  A girls night out while exercising?  Sign me up.

But I have to learn to run first, step by step, they say.  I ran two minutes, not in a row today and I couldn't help but feel my bottom jiggling wildly and this belly of mine, oh, I don't even know how to describe it properly, let's just say it wasn't pretty and could probably kill a small child if I chose to run around small children, which I won't, because the danger.

I'm going to the gym again tomorrow, this time at 9:30 in the morning because I am a rebel and I want to make sure I get home in time to give my mail carrier a bottle of water.  It's hot outside, you know, you should ALWAYS take care of your mail carrier.  Today I missed him and felt so bad.  Did you know mail carriers do not have air conditioning in their trucks?  (just think of the mail carriers who walk in this heat ALL DAY LONG!)  Not only do they not have air and have to walk ALL DAY LONG, but they are timed and must be done within a certain time or they have to have approval for overtime and they will be penalized.  That's right, friends, just like hockey.  Except there is no ice involved.  Anyway, do me a favor and leave out something ice cold for your mail carrier.  I like to leave a bottle of water (or two) in a container FILLED with ice and maybe a sucker or some LifeSavers.  They love it, believe me, I know, my mom is a carrier.  Who walks ALL DAY LONG.  Picture this: what if your husband, child, parent, sibling carried mail and residents gave them something to make their day a little more bearable, wouldn't that be a great thing? 

Well, that was a rant if there ever was one.

Back to the gym.  I'm a tiny bit sore because after walking I did lift weights, but I think I'm really sore because I went grocery shopping tonight at Wal-Mart and my cart pulled to the right the entire trip, which became increasingly difficult as I continued to put items into my cart.  When I say pulled, I mean it literally felt like a team of dogs were pulling my cart towards the right.  I guess I shouldn't complain, at least it didn't shake like the last time I was there or squeal like the time before that. 

Enough complaining.  I'm going to bed.