The New NEW Day One. Sigh.

So here we go AGAIN.  Not just AGAIN, but AGAIN again.

If you look at the word "again" for too long, especially in all caps, it starts to look weird.  Like you're spelling it wrong.

So anyway.....after a fabulous holiday season full of food and drinks and laziness and gaining even a few MORE pounds, I am determined to get back on track.  And I started today.  I had Greek yogurt and a fruit pouch for breakfast.  I would have eaten a bowl of oatmeal as well, but I was running around and didn't ever get around to fixing the oatmeal.  For lunch I had a bowl of chicken tortilla soup and a grilled chicken salad with sweet tea.  I didn't have an afternoon snack (I never got hungry), and for dinner I had one of the specials from Acropolis that included some grilled filet, a grilled lamb chop, some grilled shrimp, a bacon-wrapped scallop, some mashed potatoes and some grilled asparagus.  With dinner I drank one draft Terrapin Milk Stout.

I also ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill this evening.  I would have gone farther (I was shooting for 5 miles) but the inside of my right knee was bothering me and I didn't want to push it.

EXACTLY what I look like while on a treadmill.

My current goal is to lose 15 pounds in 9 weeks.  That's less than 2 pounds a week.  That requires being vigilant about eating better and getting my ass on the treadmill on a super regular basis.  Burn baby, burn.

I went from pregnant, to not pregnant but still in maternity clothes, to being forced to give up the maternity clothes, to buying fat jeans (we ALL have fat jeans....or at least old, nasty, well-loved stretchy pants), to back into my regular jeans, to back into the fat jeans.  I want to get out of these fat jeans for good.  They don't fit all that well because my curves aren't in the right spots, they don't look good and they don't make me feel good.  I also despise having a closet full of clothes that I can't wear.  Super frustrating. 

So there you go.  Welcome to the new NEW Day One.

I Surrender (at least for the next 10 days).

I give up.  I surrender to the holiday season. 

......when it comes to food.

We're out of town the entire week of Christmas, at my in-laws' house to spread our Christmas cheer.  Everywhere you turn in this house, there are goodies to eat.  I can't open a single container, cabinet or refrigerator door in this house without finding holiday cookies, bread, candy or snacks of some kind.  Most of it is homemade, though there are also things like Reese's cups, Cheez-Its, truffles and chocolate-covered raisins.  It's purely sinful in here.

Basically what it looks like in here.

Mornings consist of eggs, bacon, potatoes and homemade bread of some kind, with overnight french toast as the plan for Christmas morning.  We had broccoli & cheese stuffed baked potatoes for dinner Sunday night, and beef stew for dinner last night.  Lunches are a free-for-all, so yesterday I ate leftovers from Mojo Burrito (which was what we had for lunch on Sunday before we left town) and today I had a ham and cheese wrap with some cheese and crackers on the side.  Turkey and mashed potatoes and broccoli are on the menu for tonight.

I was supposed to go for a run yesterday (this area of town is fabulous for running and so I love to go run when I visit), but the kids' sleep schedules were off and so I ended up slacking and not going.  I decided to postpone my run until today's afternoon naps (which are happening now, TOGETHER), but it looks like I should have gone first thing this morning instead of planning for the afternoon because Nashville is now under water.

Our current predicament.  And it's moving to the northeast.

If I were hard core, I'd go anyway.  I'd throw on my clothes and hit the pavement and just run in the rain until I was too cold and wet and couldn't stand it anymore.  But I didn't prepare for rain when I packed.  I didn't bring my hat to block the rain from my eyes, nor did I even bring my sunglasses (since I kind of lost them - I know exactly where I left them, I just doubt they're still there).  So instead, I think I'll just put it off (again) until tomorrow.  And this time I'll check the weather radar ahead of time.  I know it's also supposed to rain some more tomorrow, but I'll check to see where the breaks in the rain are and go from there.

Yeah, yeah, Google.  WHATEVS.

So I'm surrendering and throwing in the towel on my weight loss goals for 2014.  I wanted to hit my personal ultimate fit & trim goal weight (123 lbs) by September 26th (Leah's wedding).......it didn't happen.  Time went by, goals were reset, yada yada.....and I changed my ultimate goal date to December 13th (Brian's wedding).  It still didn't happen.  Not only did I not reach my goal or make it even anywhere close to my goal, but I'm back where I started at the very beginning.  I'm pretty sure I'm even a few pounds OVER where I started.  But at this point, with being out of town, and with it being the holidays, and with ALL THE FOOD EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME, I just quit.  For the next 6-10 days, I quit.  I'm going to eat hearty breakfasts and graze on holiday goodies all day and enjoy my afternoon beer with all of the holiday spirit I can muster.  Because when it's all said and done, I've still gotta start at the beginning to lose this weight!!

We go back home this Sunday.  So I will either start from scratch with a new attitude on Monday (the 29th) or just hold off until January 1st as a whole 2015 New Year resolution plan.

Speaking of resolutions, I need to make mine.  As cliche as it is, I always make them and write them out, though I know they don't typically pan out.  I'm usually pretty proud if I make at least two of them happen (even if they aren't the "big" ones).  In fact, I should look up what my resolutions were for 2014.....they may be exactly the same as what I would plan on for 2015!  Probably very cliche as well......lose weight, run more, get back in shape, and so on.

It sounds so easy on paper.

The New Day 8

There are a handful of things I need to be doing right now.  This is not one of them.  But I still wanted to sit on the couch and watch a little trash TV before my son wakes up and screams "NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!  NOT THIS!!!!!" at the TV if anything other than HIS stuff is on.

Life is hard when you're two.

Anyways, today is the new Day 8.  And I haven't lost a pound.  Not a one.  I had decided last Wednesday that I was going to restart and up my game, and it definitely didn't happen.  At least not in the way that I wanted it to.  Boo.  Alright, Week 2, you really need to be better than the first!

Apparently.

On the positive side, I ran 5 miles straight on the treadmill this past Monday!  I wanted to be doing 6-mile stretches by Christmas, so I'm almost there!  I ran a super short run today (one mile), so just MAYBE I'll get those 6 miles in this Friday.

Well, that's it for now.  My show is almost over and so I guess I need to start doing one of those things I actually need to be doing. 

Onward to Week 2!

Breakups Are Hard (Part Four)

If you aren't yet familiar with my Breakups Are Hard saga, here's Part One, Part Two and Part Three.  It may seem daunting, but it's an entertaining ordeal.  And at the point that there was a Part Three, I knew there would be a Part Four.  I just wasn't sure when it would happen.

Sadly, Part Four isn't nearly as entertaining as the rest.  It's quite lackluster, actually. 

However, when I left off with April, we had agreed that she WOULD NOT call me again.  That if we happened to see each other out we could say hi, but that we wouldn't be calling each other or hanging out or rekindling any sort of friendship outside of common courtesies. 

Wellllllll.......guess who's been calling my phone AGAIN?  A "restricted" number.  And I know it's her.  I can block "anonymous" calls on my phone, but I can't block "restricted" ones. 

Here's the history of restricted calls since mid-August:

9/10/14 - once (wow, it started earlier than I thought!)
10/1/14 - once
10/14/14 - once
10/23/14 - once
11/1/14 - once
11/24/14 - once
11/25/14 - once
11/26/14 - once
11/27/14 - once
11/29/14 - once
12/3/14 - once

So in three months, she called eleven times, with five of those calls happening the week of Thanksgiving (I JUST WANTED TO WISH YOU A HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAMNIT AND SEE WHAT YOU WERE DOING AND MAYBE COME OVER AND SEE THE KIDS AND LET'S BE FRIENDS AGAIN).

Oh and once she actually sent a text last week immediately following one of the phone calls.  It said, "Hello".

I haven't answered a single call, and she hasn't left a single message.  In fact, during the week of Thanksgiving, I stopped just ignoring the calls and began to send them straight to voicemail.  A normal person would TOTALLY know when they were just sent to voicemail.......but she doesn't know anything at all about technology, so I'm sure she has no clue.

So.....I finally decided to change my phone number.  And let me tell you, I'm completely disappointed with the ease in which that was possible.

I'm pretty certain I was given my old phone number when I was 18 years old.  That means I had the same cell phone number for 17 years - almost half my life!!  So when I decided that changing my phone number was what needed to be done in order to make the calls stop, I went into the Sprint store, knowing it would take a while.  I mean, MY ENTIRE IDENTITY WAS CHANGING.

The guy at the front door sent me away, telling me to do it online.

So that night (Wednesday night), Lucas and I signed into our Sprint account to see what all was involved in changing a phone number.  Here's basically how it all went down:

Sprint.com:  So you want to change your number?
Me:  I'm looking into it.
Sprint.com:  Here's where you say yes.  Are you ready?
Me:  I think s.........
Sprint.com:  NEW NUMBER GRANTED!  WRITE IT DOWN, TELL YOUR FRIENDS, HAVE A GOOD DAY!  I SAID GOOD DAY!

And just like that, my old number was NO MORE.  Like it never happened.  Like the last 17 years of my life just didn't even happen.

Ok so maybe that's a little dramatic.  But still, I feel like changing my number of 17 years should have been way more involved.  Yet there was no questioning, no cuddling, no mourning......I didn't even have to do it in person.  And if I didn't like my new number (I did discover that they're auto-generated) I could have changed it again with just a few clicks.  But my new number seems pretty easy to remember, so I'm keeping it.

Ya know, for the NEXT 17 years.

At least I won't be missing any more restricted calls, because April definitely does not have my number anymore.  And when she calls my old number again (or if she already has), there's a man to tell her that the number she has dialed is incorrect.  I'm sure that's a doozie piece of information!

So now I shall bask in the glow of my new phone number.  A phone number that only a select few currently have.  A phone number that certain individuals DON'T have.  A phone number that the telemarketers haven't even been enlightened about yet. 

A phone number that I have to look at to make sure I'm saying it right.  ;)

Day 23....It's Been 23 Days Already???

Holy crap.  23 days???  SERIOUSLY???

I am failing miserably.  Or not miserably, I guess.  But kind of mostly.

23 days into this get-a-little-skinnier-for-the-brother's-wedding plan and I'm not any better off than I was 23 days ago.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I've lost 2 lbs (though at one point I had lost 4.....then gained 2 back) and I did run a nice, solid 4-mile outdoor run over the Thanksgiving weekend in Nashville.  But I'm not fitting into any of my clothes better yet, which was the hope.

***WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE:  I can no longer claim to have lost those 2 lbs, as I seem to be right back where I started.  DANG.

At this point, I was hoping to have lost at least 6 lbs (~2 lbs a week), with 9-10 lbs as the goal by December 13th.  Since that hasn't happened (and the wedding is right around the corner), it's time to reset a new goal!  It's starting to get a little cliche, though, with the holidays as an excuse and all.  But the holiday season really does kinda screw it all up, which is why so many people make goals for after the New Year.  Well, here's my new goal:

Tomorrow is Wednesday, December 3rd.....the new Day 1.  Christmas Eve is 3 weeks from tomorrow (AHHHHHH!!!).  My goal is to lose 5 lbs by Christmas Eve, and possibly be able to fit a TAD better into my jeans.  But on top of that, my goal is also to be able to run 6 miles straight by then.  I should be able to run farther than that at this point, but it is what it is.......and I think given my current running mileage, 6 miles is a decent goal.

I'm signed up to run a free half marathon known as the Freeze Your Half Off here in Chattanooga on January 10th.  I know I'm not going to be able to run the whole thing (there will be a lot of walking going on, especially if I'm only running a 6-mile stretch by December 24th), but I want to see what I can do at that point, since the Scenic City Half Marathon (which I'm also signed up for) is 7 weeks after the freebie.  I REALLY want to be able to run all of the Scenic City Half.  As a runner, it's super disappointing to not be as good as I was just a short time ago.  Yeah, yeah....I've had 2 babies as an excuse.  And I wouldn't trade those 2 babies for the entire world.  But it's still a bummer not to have bounced back by now as I had hoped I would.  And I know it's my fault.  There are a million different things I could have done differently the past year.....I could have chosen to eat WAY better....I could have chosen to train harder....I could have chosen to focus on running with the double jogger more when that's my only running option (instead of trying to work more around nap schedules and my mom's availability and weather roadblocks and treadmill opportunities).....the list goes on.  And there are moms who do just that to get their bodies/strength/mojo back.  They want it, and so they GO for it, rain or shine, excuses pushed aside.  I'm ready to be that mom.  Now that Lucy is about to turn a year old, I'M READY TO BE THAT MOM.  I want my mojo back!

We'll see about that.

This isn't a pity party.  Don't think it is.  I'm just trying to pump myself up and get myself motivated.  :)

SO.  speaking of motivating myself.....I was looking at the Half Fanatics Race Calendar the other night, trying to pick and choose upcoming races to sign up for as motivation to get my ass in gear.  I'm doing the freebie in January, and the Scenic City in February.  And I'm also signed up for the Race 13.1 happening in Cleveland on May 2nd, which is 5 months away.  So obviously I decided I should look for a race in March and/or April as well.  On March 15th, I found the Asheville Half Marathon at the Biltmore Estate.  How cool would it be to run around the grounds of the Biltmore??  Totally cool.  So that's a possibility.  It's a pricey race (I missed out on the earlier pre-registration discounts), but it's AT THE BILTMORE.  Another possibility is the Raccoon Mountain Half Marathon happening here in Chattanooga on March 21st.  And in April, I found the Oak Barrel Half Marathon happening in Lynchburg on the 4th.  I don't know that I'll end up doing any of those races, but they're out there as possibilities, so we'll see.

On that note, it's time to go to bed.  Time to wake up tomorrow feeling healthy, refreshed and ready to run.  Who's with me?  ;)

Let's do this!  Just kidding.

Day 13......Just Ugh!

Saturday afternoon:

So it's Day 13 of Operation Pre-First-Baby-Weight and I've been sick with a cold for the past 4 days.  UGH.  So my main source of fuel has been Alka Seltzer, along with some food items to keep me going.  I've stepped on the scale a few times over the last few days, but it's been all over the road like a DUI.  It's like my scale doesn't know what to do with a sick person.

Luckily I haven't stuffed my face with primo bad choices, but I have partaken in some Thanksgiving food, since it's that time of year.  Lucas's office had its annual Thanksgiving lunch this past Thursday.  Though I completely avoided the rolls and dessert, I did eat some homemade chicken & dumplings and potato casserole along with my turkey, ham, green beans and deviled eggs.  And last night, our neighborhood had its annual holiday dinner.  I didn't avoid anything at this dinner.....I highly enjoyed my breaded and buttered chicken cordon bleu, my corn casserole (that was rumored to be loaded up with bacon, bacon fat, butter, etc) and my buttermilk pie.  YUM.

Monday morning:

I realized Saturday afternoon that I needed to start getting ready for work, so that's as far as I made it.

Which SUCKED, by the way.

Had I not been sick with a cold, that wedding reception would have been really fun.  The crowd was full of heavy drinkers and big tippers who knew how to have a party.  But since I was sick, I just wanted it to be OVER from the moment I walked in the door.  So it was a long night.

Sunday wasn't much better, except that I was home and not working.  All I wanted to do was sleep all day.  I didn't get to do that, but it's what I WANTED to do.  Oh and did I mention that both kids are snotty, too?  The only survivor so far is Lucas, and his chances are pretty slim in this household.

We did go to the grocery store early Sunday evening and then went to my parents' house for dinner.....I just made sure we were all loaded up on age-appropriate drugs and not drooling on anybody.  My mom cooked a big pot of potato soup with baked ham sandwiches, and I took along the liquor and mixers I bought to test out options for Brian and Shanleigh's signature wedding drink.

That's not it, but I thought it looked neat.

My fitness regime is suffering greatly due to this cold.  I haven't hit the treadmill at all because my throat and ears have been super sore, so breathing heavy and bouncing around hasn't exactly sounded appealing.  I thought I would try hitting the treadmill today during the kids' afternoon naps, but since my ears and throat are STILL sore, it's now a toss-up between attempting to work out and attempting to take a nap.

I guess I'll get back on track once this cold passes.  Which will likely be after Thanksgiving (convenient, right??).  We'll be spending Thanksgiving Day here in town, but will be heading to Nashville on Friday for the rest of the holiday weekend.  I'm hoping to feel like a million dollars by Saturday so that I can toss on my running shoes and hit the pavement towards Shelby Park in East Nashville.  Maybe make up for the miles lost this past week!

The last time I attempted to run from Lucas's parents' house to Shelby Park I didn't quite make it.  I was afraid I was going to have to call someone for a ride back!

Wednesday night:

I just spent several hours adding to this post, and it ERASED ALL OF IT for no apparent reason. 

So I just. can't. even. 

So here's the super summary:  I went to the doc yesterday.  I have a severe sinus infection.  I'm on 3 meds now and am fab.  Delano went to the ER today.  He's fine - was a nursemaid's elbow incident.  He was won over by the popsicle he was given after his elbow was popped back in.  I wasn't questioned for child abuse (which I was concerned about).  The kids are still snotty and Lucas is sick now, too, but not as bad as I've been.  Hopefully we'll all clear up over the 4-day weekend.

That's it.  I'm SO MAD that all my other paragraphs (which included witty memes and photos) erased, but it is what it is.......life happens.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

April's Operation Get Skinny: Day 10

I decided to change the name of my mission to Operation Get Skinny since I'm obviously not really doing any sort of boot camp.  Boot camps are rigorous and intense.  And usually start at 5:00am.  This is definitely NOT that.

No, no I don't.  Though I'm sure it would be beneficial.

Maybe I'll just keep changing the name of my "operation".....ya know.....to keep things fresh.

Anyway, the past two days have been right on track.  As of this morning I'm back down to the 4 lb weight loss mark from Friday.  No indulgent sugars or carbs (unless you count beer or wine, which I definitely don't - right, Stacie?), though I did eat two fat bowls of chili Monday night instead of just one.  Last night was also a chili night (I purposely made enough for three nights of dinner) but I stuck to one bowl.  And though I would love nothing more than to include a big pile of Fritos in my chili, I didn't buy any so I don't even have them around to tempt me.

Aside from my chili dinners, everything else I've consumed has been pretty standard:  oatmeal, yogurt, soup, salad, granola bars and trail mix.  For snacks I also have fruit cups and fresh fruit, hummus and Triscuits (which are whole grain with few ingredients), whole grain English muffins for making mini pizzas (a snack idea I saw on a website) and I bought some more popcorn kernels for popping fresh popcorn.  Dang - I just remembered I meant to buy some flavored popcorn salt for an added bonus.  Ah well.  Didn't need it anyway, right?

I did manage to squeeze in a 2-mile treadmill run yesterday afternoon, so that's a bonus!

This morning I also made myself a cup of Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice tea.

On the plus side, my house smells like I just took a freshly baked apple pie right out of the oven.  On the negative side, the tea is a little "much".  It was good for the first 2/3 of the cup......now I don't want the rest.  So next time I'll try it in a bigger mug to dilute it a bit and see if that helps.

So do I get bored with eating oatmeal, yogurt and soup every day?  No, I honestly don't.  Not yet anyway.  Having a specific, repetitive meal plan for every day seems to make it easier for me to stay on track.  I do eat out for lunch at least once or twice a week, and we go out to eat for dinner usually once a week, so having a set plan for when those times might get off-track is helpful.  And this Saturday I'll be bartending from 4:00 until probably midnight, so I'll be partaking in whatever catered food is available.  I'll pack snacks and will probably also make myself an English muffin sandwich, but it won't be enough for the entire night - it never is.

I think I hear the baby waking up, so I guess I'll go tend to her.  You know, punish her for interrupting my VERY IMPORTANT BLOG.

Just kidding.  :)

April's Body Boot Camp: Day 8

By Saturday morning (Day 6), I was down 4 lbs.  FOUR POUNDS!!  But then the weekend happened, as was expected.

It wasn't too bad, though.  I just ate some carbs over the weekend that I totally would have ignored during the week.  Saturday morning I had a bagel with cream cheese before my 5k race (my standard pre-race meal) and then I snacked on a bagel after the race.  The second bagel I could have done without.  But it was a Panera cinnamon crunch bagel........and if you've ever had a Panera cinnamon crunch bagel, then you know - YUM.

Saturday afternoon we hit up Portofino's in East Ridge for lunch, which is somewhere we eat pretty regularly.  I ate from the soup, salad and pizza bar, and I actually only allowed myself ONE slice of pizza, and I didn't even eat the edge crust.  But I still ate a slice of pizza. 

Saturday night we attended a wedding, which of course means catered food.  Again, I didn't do too bad.  I had a salad and some flank steak and some chicken and some hummus with pita bread and some bacon-wrapped shrimp and some cheese and some mashed potatoes with gravy.  So not the healthiest, but not the worst (not like my sloppy nachos last week).  But I definitely had a piece of wedding cake.  And some blueberry pie.

I totally stole this from Laura's Facebook page.  but I know she won't mind, because it's GORGEOUS!!

Sunday morning Lucas cooked a breakfast of eggs, bacon and biscuits.  I had eggs and bacon and half of a biscuit (with syrup drizzled on top.  OK FINE I SOAKED IT IN SYRUP).  For lunch I behaved - I had an Asian salad with tofu from F2O (though the spinach salad is still my fave).  For dinner we ate at my parents, which included cereal-crusted chicken, broccoli, baked potatoes and buttered french bread.  Then for dessert we had warm blueberry muffins with homemade honey butter spread. I also drank two delicious chocolate coffee stouts afterwards.

So today I'm back up 2 lbs from Friday.  Granted, that still puts me down 2 lbs in the first week, which is a healthy weight loss total for a single week.  It's still a bummer, though, to see that scale go back up!  But I have no one to blame but myself.  My self control is not the greatest, and I am fully aware of that!

So far today, I've had a bowl of oatmeal.  And I've got healthy snacks ready to go and healthy meals planned ahead!  So hopefully this week I'll toss those 2 lbs back into the universe.

Thanks for the advice, Cookie Monster......

Maybe this is how you all really feel about my weight loss blogs! HAHA

This one just made me laugh.

I do get that reading about what I ate the past few days might not be the most exciting thing in your day.  But writing about it keeps me accountable, which is what I'm going for.  It's like how the professionals tell you to keep a food journal if you're trying to watch what you eat......this is my food journal.  In a few weeks I'll get back to writing about some more interesting stuff!

As a teaser, I will tell you that I've missed a few calls over the past few weeks from a "restricted" number.  Any guesses as to who that might be??  ;)

April's Body Boot Camp: Day 4

Well, I'm down a pound and a half.  A pound and a half of water weight, but it's still a pound and a half from where I started on Monday.

At least until this afternoon.

The past several days, I've done REALLY well.

Tuesday I had oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt for a morning snack, two slices of pork tenderloin and a side salad for lunch, and then a Chef Salad from Blue Plate (DELISH) for dinner.  I DID have a handful of honey mustard & onion pretzels for a snack while bartending on the riverboat (I could have eaten the WHOLE BAG), but then I moved on to my designated trail mix.  Oh and I did also have about half a can of Gingerale as well, but then I switched to club soda so that I'd stop drinking Gingerale!

Wednesday I had oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt for a morning snack, tomato bisque soup and a grilled chicken salad for lunch (with too much sweet tea) and a can of Progresso soup for dinner.  And again, I ate trail mix during my bartending shift to tide me over until I was able to get home and eat my soup.  I also had a Clif bar and a single-serve can of mixed fruit in my bag at work, but I never ate them because I kept busy enough to not eat everything I brought.  Which is a good thing.

Then there was today.  I didn't eat breakfast, but I did eat a single-serve package of sliced apples with peanut butter on my way out the door.  The kids and I met my friend Vanessa and her son at the Aquarium, and then we went over to Taco Mamacita for lunch.  I should have ordered the chicken tortilla soup, or one of the salads.  That's what I SHOULD have done, and I knew it while I was sitting there staring at the menu.  But instead, I ordered one of my faves, the Sloppy Nachos.

NACHOOOOOOOOS (though these are the Memphis Nachos).

They were delicious, of course.  And I did manage to squeeze in a short, one-mile treadmill run afterwards.  But now I need to behave myself, at least for the next couple of days!  Tomorrow I have to be at work at noon to bartend a 2:00 riverboat cruise.  I'll have plenty of time to eat some lunch before hopping on the boat, but I don't really have anything at the house I can pack to be ready-to-eat, unless I make a sandwich, which would include the non-whole grain bread that I've been trying to avoid (STOP LOOKING AT THE NACHOS.  I KNOW, I KNOW.).  Or.....I could plan to eat lunch tomorrow at 11:00, like make myself a can of soup, and then take my snacks to eat between noon and 6ish.  That's probably the best plan.  In fact, that's now my plan.  High five to myself.

I'm also running the D9 Hot Cocoa 5k this Saturday in Collegedale with my friend Vanessa, so hopefully we'll burn some calories and warm ourselves up, because it's going to be COLD!!

Time to pack my snacks for tomorrow!  And the baby's waking up, so I guess I should go get her.  :)

April's Body Boot Camp: Day 1

Ok, ok.  So the phrase "boot camp" isn't really accurate at all.  But it sounds serious and like I mean it.

Jillian Michaels yelling in my ear is probably a pretty good idea, though.

I am more accurately cutting out (or at least cutting way back on) unrefined carbs and sugars and increasing my running frequency and mileage.  So kind of a diet, but nothing super strict, as I am TERRIBLE at sticking to anything super strict, whether it's a diet or a workout routine or even a cleaning schedule.

YEP.

So today was Day 1 of this so-called boot camp of mine.  I had apple-cranberry oatmeal for breakfast, some blueberry-acai Greek yogurt as a mid-morning snack, a can of Progresso soup for lunch, and an apple along with three whole-grain Jason's Deli flatbread crackers with red pepper hummus as an afternoon snack.  And I ran 1.5 miles on the treadmill during an episode of "Say Yes to the Dress". 

Tonight the dinner plan is tacos, so I'll have a few of the crunchy corn shells and not eat any of the white flour soft shells.  Sure, I could take it a step further and not eat any shells at all.....or I could just crunch up one or two into a taco salad instead.  But I'm already at a "win" because a bag of Frito's isn't involved, so we're just going to roll with that positive outcome.  ;)

I LOVE FRITO PIE.  AND NOW I WANT FRITO PIE.

So overall, I've been effing hungry all day long.  I'm really hungry right now and could eat ALL THE FOOD.  It's been about two and a half hours since that apple and hummus, so I am DUE for some food before dinner happens in another hour and a half or so.  And of course I want what I *can't* have.  There's apple pie in the fridge.  Can't have it.  There's a bag of Stacy's Pita Chips on top of the cabinet.  Can't have those, either.

But what I DID just notice on top of the cabinet while staring at the pita chips (and box of Ritz crackers) was my popcorn popper.  A popcorn popper for which I have popcorn!

A few minutes later:

SUCCESS!  I am now stuffing my face with freshly air-popped popcorn.  I spritzed it with a little olive oil from my Pampered Chef spritzer and then dusted it with salt.  It's nowhere comparable to the heart attack not-even-actual-butter goodness of movie theater popcorn, but it's doing it's job, which is feeding me.

Caramel popcorn ice cream.  Not something I'd normally choose for myself.  But right now, I'd eat it.

Tomorrow I have to be at the aquarium at 2:00 to get ready to bartend an event on the riverboat at 4:00.  So I'll definitely eat lunch beforehand and then plan to pack a few snacks for on-the-road.  I already know I'll be hungry by the time I get to the aquarium, so I'll need at least two or three snacks to get me by!

There are loads of healthy snack ideas under Google Images.  I should save them for future reference!

So here's to Day 1.  Less than 5 weeks until the wedding!

Yep, I'm Talking About Getting Back Into Shape......AGAIN.

Saturday night/Sunday morning:

It's 1:35am.  What better time to start a blog post?

Actually, it's a terrible time to start a blog post.  I worked a 9-hour shift at the Hunter tonight (though it was way more easy-breezy than anticipated) and when I got home couldn't go straight to bed (totally wired), so decided to wind down with a little Chardonnay and some Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles.  That was an hour ago.  So I should have started this then.  Which is why I probably won't finish it until tomorrow.  Or next Thursday.  Or next month.

But I've been busy the past hour....ya know....watching TV, drinking my wine, trolling Facebook, catching up on Twitter, balancing my checkbook, ordering things off Amazon (WHAT??!!.....just kidding.....maybe).

P.S. I got a magazine called "Bits and Pieces" in the mail the other day.  If you were ever one to receive a gift from me, then your gift is totally coming from this magazine this year.  Birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah.....it's on.

P.P.S. If you ARE actually expecting a gift from me, DON'T GOOGLE THIS MAGAZINE.  You'll ruin the fun times for the both of us.

Not so much.  But we can pretend.

I do really want to talk about the Ragnar Relay, but since that will take more time than I want to be up this evening, that will just have to wait for "Part 2".  So instead, let's all listen to me bitch and moan about about my fitness failures.  SUPER FUN.

No bitching and moaning about having to listen to me bitch and moan. ;)

So.....as my regular readers know.....after I had Baby #2, lost the baby weight (NOT the full "baby weight", just the actual baby plus excess womanly yada-yada), I settled into a solid 140-142 lbs.  This after going into my first pregnancy at 123 lbs (fit and trim) and going into my second pregnancy right around 133 lbs (quite a bit less fit and trim).  Now, as I've ALSO said before (and always feel like I have to clarify when I talk the weight talk), I have loads of friends whose weights far surpass 140 lbs, so I'm not comparing myself to them NOR am I attempting to make them feel like they need to lose weight.  I LOVE ALL OF YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND.  I don't care if you feel like you need to lose weight or are completely content with your weight......I wouldn't change a darn thing about you unless your health was an issue - then we're having a chat, because I don't want to lose you.  So there.  140 lbs or 340 lbs, I love ya, baby!!!

But for me personally, I'm not happy with my weight.  And it's not that I need to be thin and skinny.  It's the feeling of being "fit and trim" that I miss.  I just want to feel good.  And right now, I don't feel good.

I got my weight down to about 132 lbs a while back, with a goal of 129 (followed by a second goal of 125).  Right around that time (September-ish), I got handed a huge load of both bartending shifts and environmental projects.  For my wallet, this is awesome news.  For my body.....not so much.  As a bartender, I am usually dependent on either catered food or fast food (late after an event) as my dinner.  As a contractor traveling for work, this means quick food on the road.  Neither of which is weight-loss friendly.  Sure, I've tried packing my own snacks and/or lunch/dinner.  I've even tried eating big before going to work.  But the hunger overrules EVERY time, at least for this food pushover!!  My granola bars or pre-made meals never last long enough to fill me up.  I end up working it off.  And then when it's an "eat this or it's going in the trash" ordeal, I end up eating more than I should because I feel horrible for whatever cow/pig/chicken gave its life just to end up being tossed into the trash.

I really should go back vegetarian.

But that's a whole other conversation.

I also haven't had any extra time to run and/or work out, because all of my "free" time (when the kiddos are asleep) has been dedicated to environmental reports.  And I've just been flat out lazy about breaking out the doubler jogger when they're awake.  That sucker is tough.

So anyways......over the past two crazy-busy work months I've gained almost ALL of that weight back!  It's damn ridiculous.  My scale screamed 139 lbs at me the other day.  I should be nowhere near that mark.  I'm supposed to be near the 125 mark at this point.  So this jump back up to 139 super sucks.  And it's ALL in my gut.  The muffin top that overfloweth my jeans.  And in five weeks from now, my brother is marrying his fiance, and I'm a bridesmaid.  The dress is beautiful and flattering to any body shape/weight, but I was really hoping to feel "fit and trim" again by December.  Lucy will be a year old in December.  It's time.

So over the next five weeks, I'm on the Tic-Tac diet.  Or maybe the grapefruit diet.  Or maybe the acai berry diet.  Or maybe the hot dog diet (gross).  I've had success in the past with cutting out refined carbs, so I should probably go that route.  And it would also probably help if I cut out the wine (Stacie, do you hear this nonsense???).  And I need to start race training again to burn some major calories.  I'm signed up for the Scenic City Half Marathon, which is happening in Chattanooga in February.  I would much prefer not to suck during that race. 

So starting tomorrow, my accountability is ON.  Why tomorrow and not today?  Because Lucas and I and the kids have a lunch date with friends at City Cafe, and then tonight we're celebrating Lucas's birthday and my brother's birthday at my parents' house.  So I don't feel like being good today.  ;)

Today is definitely still a fat day.