30-In-30 Challenge: Week 8, 183.5 lbs *NO CHANGE

Well, I survived Christmas without gaining anything. Whew! In fact, the scale actually dipped down a pound during a couple of my morning weigh-ins this week, so I'm still right on track. No, I didn't lose anything this week, but that's perfectly fine by me. I had been worried about losing too fast, anyway. And how many people can say they made it through Christmas without gaining a pound anyway?

The bad news is that as I look back on 2006 with regard to my weight, I've had a LOT of ups and downs. Literally. I actually started off this year weighing around 170 lbs, SO CLOSE to being at my goal weight of 150. And then I let myself go again, ballooning back up to 208. It was the very definition of self-sabotage. It wasn't until I started the 30-in-30 Challenge on Nov 1 before I finally turned things around again.

So to remind myself that I'm still a success story, I thought I'd post my original "Before" picture. That's me on the left in 2003, just before I started Atkins. I'm at my heaviest in that picture, 255 lbs. The picture on the right was taken a couple days ago on Christmas Eve at 183.5 lbs. So while I may be ending 2006 heavier than I started the year, I'm not doing too badly all things considered.

30-In-30 Challenge: Week 7, 183.5 lbs

Meow-y Christmas!! Yup, this is part of the cheesy photo that went out in our Christmas letters this year. Don't we make a great pair?? Well, the weight-loss challenge is still in full swing, and I'm still losing. Down 2 lbs from last week for a total of 24.5 lbs since I started Nov 1.

For the past few weeks, I've had a problem with not eating enough and feeling faint and losing weight too quickly. Well, this week I unintentionally evened things out by not exercising. No real good excuse, either, other than it just being that time of year and I've got a ton of errands to run everyday. But the good news is that I was still able to comfortably jog a mile yesterday without feeling too delirious. So my weight's still going down, my fitness level hasn't suffered too much, and hopefully I'm still on track to beat my personal 5K best on New Year's Eve.

30-In-30 Weight Loss Challenge: Week 6, 185.5 lbs

Another huge "whoosh" happened for me this week. I lost 4.5 lbs this week. It feels great, but I'm guessing a massive plateau is on the horizon. I've lost a total of 8.5 lbs over the past 2 weeks, which strikes me as extreme, given that these aren't my FIRST 2 weeks. Last week, I was sick with a nasty cold and didn't work out all week, although I didn't eat much either. And the week before that, I think my sudden weight loss was just leveling out from a plateau I had been stuck on. Still, I worry I'm not eating enough. In fact, I know I'm not. Sometimes I'm hungry to the point of nausea or stomach pain. Other times I feel dizzy. And yet either I'm so busy at work that I don't have time or I forget to eat, or I'm at home and I fall asleep on the couch, or just don't want to eat late at night. As I write this, I realize these are incredibly poor excuses....... guess I gotta just buck up.

But the thing I'm really excited about - I'm not obese anymore! The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says so. According to my BMI, I am now just an average, overweight American!! Whoo-hoo!!!!! No more feeling piggy! Yeah, I suppose this is just a technicality, but it still feels good. Great, actually. This is the weight where I my size 16 jeans fit very comfortably again, as does almost everything in my closet. And I'm sooooo close to my Christmas goal of 185 lbs even.

By the way, this is a recent pic of me! I'm getting rid of that double chin!

Jimmy Moore's "30-In-30 Weight Loss Challenge": Week 5, 190 lbs

I'm in! After falling off the low-carb wagon (and getting run over by it a few times) for a couple months, I finally re-dedicated myself to eating well and taking care of myself again. And the more I get into it, the more I look to the internet for inspiration and motivation. Turns out I almost missed Jimmy Moore's big "30-in-30 Weight Loss Challenge", his own answer to re-dedicating oneself to continued weight loss. His challenge is to lose 30 pounds in 30 weeks. He's proving it to be completely do-able, and I want in!

The Challenge officially kicked off back in August, but I'm gonna use November 1st as my starting date. That was when I got back on track, after letting my weight creep up to 208. So 30 weeks later and 30 lbs lighter, I plan on weighing 178 by May 29! Weigh-ins are every Tuesday on the Challenge blog, and today's my first, checking in at 190 lbs. Not bad for 5 weeks' work! And to make it even MORE special, Jimmy featured me in today's post! I feel like such a star - thanks, Jimmy!!

Speaking of Jimmy Moore, BIG CONGRATS for making on Fox News's list of Top 10 Health Blogs! This honor speaks for itself - Jimmy's blog Livin' La Vida Low-Carb is THE place to go for all things low-carb. Whether it's inspiration, motivation, product reviews, recipes.... you name it - it's simply one-stop shopping. He even has a separate Low-Carb Links page devoted exclusively to low-carb links, blogs, and theme-based posts. And since I've been away from the whole blogging scene for so long, I see Jimmy's now started his own Podcast Show as well! Soooo much catching up to do. Way to go, Jimmy, and keep up the outstanding work!

I Ran A 6K

Hopefully this marks the beginning of a new Turkey Day tradition: instead of stuffing ourselves and laying around on the couch watching football on Thanksgiving, this year we first ran a 6K at the crack of dawn...... and THEN stuffed ourselves and laid around on the couch watching football :)

And I surprised myself, too. I wasn't in the best of shape for this race. My goal was to jog the first mile, and then walk the rest. But I felt pretty good after the first mile, and so I told my husband jogging beside me that I'd try running the first two miles, and then walk. Well, turns out this race only had a mile-marker at the first mile, and then nothing. I kept looking for the second mile-marker, but it was no where to be found. Soon we realized that we were nearing the end of the race, and so I figured I might as well just try to jog the whole thing! And finish, I did - it was the farthest and longest I had ever jogged. Granted, I'm a really slow jogger. Often I looked over at my husband to find him walking fast along side of me..... yes, he can walk fast and still keep up with my jogging when I'm really struggling..... which I was struggling...... But I finished without stopping to walk, and I'm proud of myself. And running that 6K gave me all the justification in the world for eating as much green bean casserole I could handle!

Something In Common

I've finally found someone who embodies exactly who I am when it comes to my struggle with food. I have found it so completely impossible to explain to my closest family and friends what it's like to go from being on top of the world in terms of fitness and eating well to the deepest pit of laziness and over-eating. Kirstie Alley. One Hollywood minute she's a gorgeous full-figured model, strutting her bikini-ready body on Oprah. The next, she's the poster-child of obesity, a perfect example of self-destructive eating patterns and letting oneself go. Finally, I have someone to point to who can explain, on my behalf, just what it's like to be me any given day. It explains why I'm 225 lbs at the family Christmas party one year, and then down to 175lbs the following family reunion on the Fourth of July. There have been some family gatherings where I'm afraid that people think I'm pregnant, simply because I've packed on so much weight in so little time. This is me. I'm a non-famous Kirstie Alley. One day I'm huge. Depressed. Eating everything in sight. Ashamed to be seen in public. A hermit. The next day I'm on top of the world. Eating low-carb, fresh-everything. Running 5Ks triumphantly. Feeling great and loving the new wardrobe. That's exactly where I am right now. Back on the wagon, but always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things:

I was recently inspired to post links to this site for my favorite low-carb treats. These are the things I turn to time and again when I'm trying to stay on track. I used to think I was abnormal because I eat so much of the same things, over and over. But I read in the June 2006 issue of Women's Health (my favorite mag!) that I should keep on with my dietary routine. The article entitled "The Secrets of Success" (author Nancy Gottesman) talks about a National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) study involving women who not only lost at least thirty pounds, but also kept it off for at least a year. These women were asked about their successful habits, and one of them is to "eat more of the same stuff." Dr. Hill said about his NWCR study finding, "These people [who successfully maintain weight loss] are creatures of habit, and they don't deviate.... it works because lack of variety is proven to reduce food intake." So apparently being boring isn't a bad thing!

Okay, as for beverages, I'm a coffee-holic. I've tried coffees the world over, and for some reason, there's nothing better than Dunkin' Donuts coffee. And now they've one-upped the competition - a whole line of sugar-free flavored syrups to add to your favorite brew! Caramel's my fav.

I've also recently discovered Ezekiel Bread. It's not exactly low-carb, but it seems to be just about the healthiest bread you can find. I'll eat a slice every few days just to get some extra fiber. Besides, I really miss toast, and it's not bad when you top it with egg salad and a slice of bacon (my new favorite breakfast).

When I need a chocolate fix, I turn to my freezer. I keep a bar of 85% Cocoa Lindt Chocolate in there and have a square now and then. Because of its high cocoa content, it's packed with flavonoids / antioxidants, it's low in sugar, and so I also rationalize that it's good for me (in moderation, of course).

And my latest trick is to keep low-carb frozen dinners on hand for whenever I don't feel like going to a lot of work for dinner. Smart Ones (the ones that say "Truth About Carbs") are low in calories and carbs, and they taste pretty good, too. One of my quickest ways to backslide is having a night where I don't want to cook, so I turn to whatever's handy, which is usually my husband's stash of chips and ice cream. So before I give into temptation, I can pop in a quick frozen dinner, steam some pre-washed veggies for an extra side, and I've got an instant meal to fill me up and prevent a pantry raid.

I Ran For A Pie

But I didn’t get one. And that’s okay. ‘Cause the prize was finishing another 5K without stopping to walk, and not the apple pies they awarded to those who finished under 24 minutes. I trotted across the finish line after 37 minutes - not even close to pie-worthy, and definitely not my best time, either. But again, that’s okay. I ran it to prove to myself that while I may have backslid in a big way this year, I can still do something I never dreamed of at my heaviest weight – JOG. Granted, there were SO many times I wanted to stop. I just kept telling myself, "At least do a mile. You can do a mile." Then once I made it to the first mile-marker, I said to myself again, "at least run half the race, you can do half." I set small goals for myself throughout the race like that, and before I knew it, I had done two miles and couldn't see the point of quitting once I'd made it that far. I was thrilled with having been able to do it, and I'm thinking of signing up for another one next month.

Lookin' On The Bright Side....

I sit here on the couch contemplating how 2006 has gone so far, and I can't help but think that this year is going to go down as "one of those years" in my life where nothing seems to go my way. Just when I think I can deal with one crisis, life seems to throw me another punch, and I'm back to trying to pick myself up off the floor again. And to top it all off, I've completely let myself go again with respect to my weight. Back in January, I was at an all-time low of 173 and feeling absolutely incredible. Twenty-three little pounds away from reaching goal. It was right there in front of me. And then life just seems to throw all these things at me, and I again turn to food. May 8 was my yearly physical, and I found myself staring in disbelief at the scale as the nurse announced "206lbs". Later that day, I began to realize that my weight seems to be a visible barometer for how I'm doing on the inside. Anyone who knows me well enough should be able to look at me and immediately tell how my life is going at that particular moment. I've had a horrible start to my year, and I've got the extra 33lbs since January to prove it.

But I'm desperately trying to look at the bright side through all of this. I'm three weeks into my plan of eating better and making it to the gym for the first time in months. I'm already back down to 193. I've signed up for another 5K next month and am training to beat my old time. And I just realized that at this time last year, I weighed 228lbs, which had been the result of overeating from deep depression over my new husband leaving for a 6-month deployment. So when I look at it that way, forget the fact that I've yo-yo'd, I am still down 35lbs from this time last year. And that feels pretty good.

Introducing.... FERGIE!

Our cat Fergie is a rather new addition to our household. We rescued her from the shelter in January 2006, and she's been a real treat ever since. She's a little over 3 years old, she's tortoiseshell in color, and we're guessing she was abandoned due to her constant hairballs and excessive shedding. Other than that, I don't know how anyone could've given her up. She's incredibly affectionate, loves to chase her toy mice around, and will watch the lizards on our balcony for hours. We named her after the Duchess of York because she's got some red hair mixed into her coat, and she could stand to go on Kitty Weight Watchers. And we're learning more and more that she's a high-maintenance princess - so "Fergie" fits in many ways.

Small Victory

Today was a such great day. My pants have been feeling a tad loose lately, so I decided to try on a smaller size, a size 12, to see how they looked on me. THEY FIT!!! And I mean they fit in the sense that I definitely could wear them out in public and look good (NOT "fit" in the sense that I could only squeeze into them, having major stomach fat rolls spilling out of the top). I haven't worn that size since GRADE SCHOOL!!! Granted, they were "women's" and were made with stretch material. But I don't care. The tag said 12!!

Christmas 2005 Success

Sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie. Oyster stuffing. Dumplings. Glazed ham. Gravy. Chex mix. Mashed potatoes. Lasagna. Garlic bread. Strawberry cake. I managed to eat it all AND come back from our week-long holiday road trip a pound lighter! I lost a pound over Christmas!! How'd I do it? I cut back on food all week, especially since I wasn't exercising while on the road, and then let myself go at my husband's family's Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners. I told myself that those were free days, and that I would be all right if I got back on track the day after Christmas. My husband held me to it, and coming back to a friendly bathroom scale was the best Christmas present ever. Or at least a close second, next to having my husband home for the holidays (he's military).
So, now that I don't have to spend the first two weeks of the new year taking off last-minute holiday weight-gain, I get to have a running start in 2006 at my lowest weight ever. 81 pounds down, and only 24 to go. This will be the year I make goal!
This picture was taken by our Christmas tree, just before we left on our holiday road trip. I'm showing off my brand new kitty slippers, as well as an old sweatshirt that used to be way too tight for me. Here's to more continued success in 2006!

When Toothpaste Isn't Toothpaste

I understand that some companies have to make certain visual analogies in their TV ads in order to demonstrate how their products work. The maxi pad industry pours blue water to show absorbency rates. Baby diapers do the same thing. Denture companies use dentures that in no way resemble the ones I've seen my grandparents run through the dishwasher. And toilet paper companies are no different - they want to advertise their product and its effectiveness without being too graphic. Unfortunately, Charmin has crossed the line in my book.

Their latest commercial, complete with cute dancing cartoon bears, has completely ruined toothpaste for me. At one point in the commercial, they squeeze toothpaste on the back of a human hand, and then show how well it wipes off with Charmin toilet paper. I guess at this point, everyone out in TV land is then supposed to conclude that the toothpaste represents someone's crap, and it's smeared on the back of a hand that's really just a stand-in for someone's backside. The result is that the past few days I've been reminded of human feces whenever I squeeze that tube of toothpaste onto my toothbrush. Was equating toothpaste, something we all have to use to clean our mouths with, to human fecal matter really necessary to sell toilet paper? Are their sales really doing that badly? Maybe if they'd make it so that 2 sheets don't clog up my toilet.... maybe that'd boost their sales.

Anyway, while we're at it, let's start using Twinkies to represent tampons, or your favorite lotion to graphically show the effectiveness of a certain brand of condom. I'm sure Twinkies would suddenly become less appetizing (if they ever were), and it'd probably make you think twice the next time you go to smear lotion all over your body. And now thanks to Charmin, I connect toothpaste and brushing my teeth with poop and wiping. It really gives their old slogan "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" a whole new meaning. THANK YOU, CHARMIN!

Trip to the ER

Today was a first for me - my first ever trip to the ER. I had been experiencing chest pains since Thursday, and the stabbing pains were only getting worse. After only getting 2 hours of sleep last night because of the pain, I finally gave in and decided to drive over.

What exactly qualifies as an ER-worthy condition, anyway? I spent the entire 4 hours there feeling guilty for bothering them. I felt like they thought I was faking, or seeking attention. I mean, who has heart-related chest pains at age 26, anyway? I know I must've sounded nuts, but I figured chest pains weren't something to take lightly. And yet I still felt guilty for being there.

Well, the chest x-rays and EKG turned out normal, so the doctor threw around a bunch of big words as to possible causes, none of which were "fatal": costochondritis, pleurisy, and pericarditis, just to name a few. In the end, I don't think he really knew exactly what the problem was, just that "rest and elevation" should help it go away. He didn't seem too worried about it. So I figured I shouldn't be either.

That is, until I overheard what was going on in the partition next to me (the ER's "rooms" are just spaces marked off by curtains, so it was kinda hard not to). Anyway, this woman was describing symptoms IDENTICAL to mine: sharp stabbing chest pain the size of a golf-ball, spreading up into the left jaw, and worse when laying down. There must've been 4 different nurses/doctors in there getting her comfortable and helping her, getting an IV into her, getting the pain to stop immediately. Meanwhile, I've been laying on a gurney on the other side of the curtain in my lame robe for what seemed like an hour, listening to all this (thinking they had forgotten about me, too). The difference? She was 50-years-old with a prior heart attack, whereas I'm 26, and well, no prior history of anything.... But a "history" has to start SOMEwhere, right? After hearing that, I was no longer feeling as good about my pat on the back and "take two of these and call me in the morning" advice.....

Coffee-holics Vindicated!

So the big news is that coffee is okay again. A new study claims that it doesn't lead to long-term high blood pressure problems in women. Whoo-hoo!! Good thing, too, 'cause I wasn't about to give up my weekly runs to Dunkin' Donuts for an extra-large caramel-marshmallow coffee w/ cream (My favorite! And sugarless, of course). The study also compared women who drank coffee to those who drank sodas, finding that women who drank pop (er, soda), actually showed increased risk for high blood pressure.

By the way, my runs to DD would be daily, rather than weekly, were it not for the fact that they're so few and far between here in the South!!! I swear, a DD on every street corner (sometimes two on same said corner) is one of the only things I miss from my life in New York.

Let The Holiday Rebellion Begin

I think I'm going to actually going to try this, just to see the look on the kids' and parents' faces. Yes, that would be fun. Priceless.

Every year, I manage to gain weight over the holidays, starting with all those sale-priced bags of candy at Halloween. Then along comes Thanksgiving, and with it the pressure of not offending whatever family member who's hosting this annual stuff-your-face fest by stuffing my face, even when I don't want to. From there, it's a never-ending stream of homemade candies and cookies brought into the office everyday until Christmas. Seems like EVERYone's got their own candy dish on their desk or counter during this time of year. It's no wonder that weight gain is so inevitable in the coming months.

Well, not this time. I refuse to be pressured into being fat again. If refusing food when offered offends someone, well, so be it. They're not the ones with the crappy metabolism. They're not the ones who are going to gain 20 pounds the instant they start scarfing down fruit cake and pumpkin pie. They aren't going to be paying for my new wardrobe when nothing fits anymore. And they certainly aren't going to be suffering at the gym at the start of the New Year to get all those cookies and munchies back off their hips. Guilt-tripping me to eat during this time of year ("Oh, come on, it's Christmas." Or, "It's just a bite.") is just cruel, when you stop and think about it. No one would shove alcohol in the face of a recovering alcoholic. Can you imagine? And then guilt-trip them when they refuse? So why do it to people who are desperately struggling to keep their weight in check??

I am so proud to say that I am finally at my lowest weight since HIGH SCHOOL. After a LOT of hard work this year, I have lost over 45 pounds since May. And I refuse to let this hedonistic American tradition of holiday gluttony rob me of the payoff for all my hard work. So, Aunt Jane, unless you're gonna gain the weight FOR me, I will NOT eat your sweet potatoes this year, just to avoid hurting your feelings!!!

Another Item Crossed Off My Life's To-Do List

Today, I did something I never thought I'd do. A few years ago and 70+ pounds heavier, I never thought I'd be running my first 5K, but that's exactly what I did this morning. My goal was simple: to run it without stopping to walk. Not only did I reach my goal, I've been bitten by the 5K bug and can't wait to sign up for my next race to better my time.

It was really an inspirational day, seeing so many people there, lots of them with pink signs pinned to their backs with the name of a loved one who had either survived or succumbed to breast cancer. Feeling the emotional weight of the day was more than enough to lessen whatever "discomfort" (more like my lungs were on fire, and I was afraid of passing out and getting trampled by the masses) I might have been feeling. It was worth the experience, and I'm feeling great about myself for accomplishing my goal.

Funny side note, my husband completely missed me crossing the finish line. I ran passed him, waving, and I assumed he saw me, but apparently not. I had to go back and find him, standing right where I had passed him earlier, still looking for me. I like to think he missed me because I was just that fast (although with a time of 36:20min, I know that's not exactly true. I think it was the pigtails that threw him off). His response when he realized I was already done and waiting: "I was gonna say, I was starting to wonder when people were finishing by walking...." Well done. I'd find another photographer, but this one's price was right. And I did make him wake up at 5:30a this morning on his day off after a long, long week of work.... Poor thing.... I still love him :)

M.I.A.

I like to think I'm a good person. I try to be, at least. I pay taxes. I go to church. I don't litter. I use my turning signal. And when I get a new phone number, I make every effort to notify every single person in my phonebook with my new contact information. I update my info with every business I deal with. I send out mass emails as a reminder of my new phone number. Sounds reasonable, right?

Apparently not every person out there is reasonable. One such unreasonable person used to have my phone number before I got it. And since I'm a nice person, I'll do the nice thing and protect her name, so we'll just call her Ms. M.I.A. I am absolutely floored by how she just up and left. After I got my new phone number a year ago August, I spent the first few weeks playing her personal secretary, informing every friend, family member, former co-worker, debt collector, and telemarketer that this was no longer her phone number. And people, please, if someone tells you that you've got the wrong number, just take their word for it. Don't call back 10 minutes later. Or the next day. Don't call back months later, either, because Ms. M.I.A. is STILL not at my phone number.

Christmastime last year was especially fun, when all the distant relatives came out of the woodwork making their annual phone calls. One woman called and gave this weird story about how everyone was looking for her. One of my favorite everyday hassles for a few weeks was from a company who kept calling and leaving voicemail messages, something about being interested in buying her timeshare. Now, if they're getting through to MY voicemail, and hearing MY name and MY voice on the voicemail greeting, wouldn't all these people get the hint that they've got the wrong number? You would think that. But apparently not. I even had some school in Georgia constantly calling me, leaving automated voice messages about (her?) kid who kept getting detention at school.

Well, the months flew by, and no phone calls for Ms. M.I.A. But just when I was starting to miss all the attention, yesterday I get a phone call from her doctor's office. I tell the lady that this is no longer her number. Pretty self-explanatory, right? Again, that would be way too easy. The same lady from the same office called AGAIN today asking for her. WHAT PART OF "THIS IS NOT HER NUMBER", DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND?! And then ANOTHER phone call for her later this afternoon. I'm sure the phone calls will only increase as the holidays get closer..... I don't know who I'm more annoyed with - Ms. M.I.A., or her fresh-off-the-turnip-truck friends, relatives, co-workers, etc....

And yes, everyone I've complained to says, "Why don't you just change your number?" Well, namely 'cause it's a pain in the butt, I've had it for awhile now, and I keep hanging onto a small shred of hope that after a year these people will finally get a clue. Eh, maybe not.

So I think I've finally decided to start calling these people back, and asking them for some random person. I'll just make up a name, and start calling for that person. Over, and over again. I'll get the number off the Caller ID, and just start calling them back in 10 minute intervals. Then I'll call back the next day, just to make sure that the fictious person I ask for STILL isn't there. Yes, that would be fun.

That's my rant for the day.

Just Warmin' Up

So this is my blog. Pathetic, isn't it? I doubt this will ever be an active site, but rather a place for me to vent once in awhile. Speaking of venting, I'm planning my next post to be a lengthy verbal rant on those go-cart/Little-Rascal-thingies that I'm always getting either run over by or stuck behind in a narrow aisle at the local Wal-Mart SuperCenter. I used to think the people that rode them had actual disabilities, and so I didn't mind getting accidentally run down once in awhile. That is until I recently discovered those scooters are actually provided by the store so that ANYone who doesn't feel like walking, indeed, doesn't have to. And yet, have you noticed that those are usually the very people who need the exercise the most?

Well anyway, that post will have to wait. Until then, just say no to bread. Unless you eventually want to end up on a scooter....when you should be walking.

Hello, World

Well, this is me. Mrs. B.