Chapter 2 page 245 - misc. weekend info

Howdy everyone (are you as bummed as I am that the weekend is almost over??) -
I have never written a random post before, so here goes nothing.

1. Newest addition to the family -
As you know (from HERE), we adopted a 5 month old beagle yesterday and have named her Pacer. She's so stinkin' adorable. Yesterday at 6:30 p.m. she grabbed one of her new squeaky stuffed animal toys and took it into her crate . . . and took a nap. It was the most precious thing I've ever seen. She just picked it up in her mouth, walked right into her crate, and laid down . . . shortly she began snoring. Say it with me now, "ahhhhhhhhhh" Here is a picture of her and her blue elephant stuffed animal tonight as she fell asleep (it's okay to say "ahhhhh" again - I do!)

One more cute sleeping puppy picture (she and I had just done our walk outside today and she was really cold and tired, so she fell asleep on my lap and I put the blanket over her head (all together now . . . "ahhhhhhh")

2. The past -
Having this puppy, and reading Kimberly @ Healthy Strides left me a comment on the "It's a girl post" which really jogged my memory. For those of you who know me, and those who have been reading this blog for a long time might know that when I was getting ready to enter the Army and was in the Army I used to run often (nearly every day) and regularly (always 2-5 miles), BUT . . . I have struggled with remembering the details of the running sessions (for example: what motivated me to get out there, did I enjoy it, why did I do it, how did I work up to going that distance, etc). It's all coming back to me now . . . I had a puppy! I used to run with my first beagle (Hoosier) all the time (or at least until I started going too far or too fast for her little legs to keep up). Ahhh, the light bulb has finally come back on. I did have a running partner on most days! I can't believe I forgot that. Yep, I'll have a new training partner in the mix - no more excuses for me (today we walked about 3/4 of a mile - slowly).

3. My eating -
As you know on Tuesday I really fell off the wagon. I got back on and stumbled a little on Friday. But today, I'm all in (again!). I never gave up or lost sight, but I did screw up. On that note, I had discovered it back on 1/29 & 1/30, but somehow forgot so soon, the power of hot chocolate. It's a real chocolate craving crusher . . . and it's fat free and low calorie. I make my own hot chocolate mix. I think a cup (or two) of that fixes my chocolate craving and doesn't do nearly the "damage" of a frosted, cream filled doughnut! I call that a "win".

4. Upcoming training -
Well, my knee is still hurting. It feels better with the PT exercise and with the 4 daily Aleeve so I had cancelled my follow up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, but after last Wednesday's run, I think I might have to call and reschedule. I will walk this week and I will use my Pearl Izumi shoes (just to see if that makes any difference in my knee pain . . in case my new Saucony Ride's are the cause of my knee pain). On Saturday, "C" and I are doing a 5K around a hilly (or hills aren't like the majority of America's hills - most of you would call our hills "flat") college campus - should be a challenge and hopefully a great time . . . it'll be awesome to do a race with "C" - feels like it's been SOOOO long!

5. Great cause -
Please check out my bloggy friend's raffle over at Running to Better Health. She's raising money for our war vetarns who are returning with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Her prizes are awesome with lots of great ways to increase your chances of winning. I'm not really telling you (now twice) about the raffle to increase my chances of winning - as a Vet who had a little post 9/11 PTSD - I think it's a fantastic thing Stephanie Anne is doing. Please, go at least check it out HERE. Thanks!

Amazing raffle for a great cause - check it out!

Click HERE to check out a fantastic way to help our troops! Running to Health is hosting a 15 item raffle with 17 winners.

You HAVE to go check it out RIGHT AWAY. Tickets are reasonably priced and the money goes to the veterans of war with TBI and PTSD. Leran more by checking out the details HERE.

Chapter 2 page 244 - I't s a Girl

My husband and I adopted a 5 month old beagle pup today. She's a rescue dog from Munice. She's been renamed "Pacer" (my husband is a big Pacers fan). She's adorable and has been a LOT of fun to watch this afternoon. She's loving, quiet, and enjoys playing with her toys and chewing her bones (as you can see). She's been very active so getting good photos of her has been a super challenge - they are all blurring with her running around. These 2 turned out pretty good.

Chapter 2 page 243 - TR 83 & back on track

I'm glad that I have this avenue for being able to confess and celebrate. Today was back on track!!! Back to water, fruits, veggies, salad and soup for lunch. I have been extremely mindful of what I've eaten today to ensure that it is on the lower end of my daily allowed calories (to help make up for yesterday's completely "off the chart" eat-fest!).

Today I ran/walked 4 miles with "C". It's our first run together since BEFORE Christmas. Man, I sure have missed our time together. She is an amazing friend -we laugh and talk and just enjoy being together. This was "C's" first run outside since before Christmas and my first run since I hurt my knee 10 days ago. We went 4 miles because everything was feeling really good . . . probably should have just gone 2 - my knee is REALLY hurting!!!!!!!!!!!! I just got home and I'm icing it while I type this. We did a 3/4 mile warm up and a 1/2 mile cool down and then used the 2:2 interval for the rest of it. It wasn't fast, but it was steady and very comfortable. It was just sooooo great to get back out there (bummer, my knee is really hurting still!!!!). Can I just say the warmer temps and longer days are REALLY making me happy!!!!!! Come on spring!!!

Chapter 2 page 242 - off the rails

Thanks everyone for your awesome comments on my "ten" post. I had decided that as a celebration for each 10 pounds I would eat a SMALL quiznos sub (I promise the quiznos post will actually be coming your way THIS WEEK!) - I used to eat the regular size but NEVER again! I wanted to eat it yesterday to celebrate, but then I thought I better wait to see how I get through Valentine's Day. Having made it through Valentine's day without doing any damage, I elected to "celebrate" with a small sub on Tuesday. It was under 500 calories, but quite a bit of fat.

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I really didn't feel badly for indulging in this (maybe I should have) - but I thought since I used to eat a regular sized sandwich several times a week but since 1/28 I have eaten only soup and salad at Quiznos that it would be an appropriate reward. Before everyone gets upset with me, I do know it's important to use non-food rewards and I will definitely use a non-food reward for my next 1o pounds as this simply ended up being a bad idea.

So, I was feeling really good about losing 10 pounds, having a sandwich . . . and then I went to the MOST AMAZING bakery with my co-workers. Sweet mercy - YUM!!!! The 3 of us shared a bite or two of various things. I still felt okay about doing this. A bite or two of a couple of items was a great way to try things, but without doing a lot of damage. THEN . . . I purchased some things to bring home to my husband . . . with the intention of sharing each of the items. That too was alright. We shared a piece of Du Monde cake (orgasmic, simply orgasmic!). The picture below is not really a picture of what I ate, but it looks similar.

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Again, not worrying too much about this - I felt in control. THEN my husband took me out to eat for dinner. This is where I failed BIG TIME!!! I really was going to be "good". I knew I needed to reign it in for the day. I was so close to ordering a grilled chicken breast, veggie soup, and side salad. Dang - I REALLY wish I would have gone that direction then I could be posting about my success, BUT . . .

I completely made a terrible choice!. If this was the only "bad" choice for the day, it probably would be more acceptable, but when combined with the rest of the crap I had chosen to eat all day - it spelled D.I.S.A.S.T.E.R!!!! I opted for what's called a "cowboy burger". Dang - it's delicious. It's a quarter pounder (weight before cooking) 1 slice of cheese, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes (but I took them off), bacon, BBQ sauce, and ranch. It's suppose to have one onion ring on top, but (thankfully) they were out of onion rings. I opted for veggie soup as my side rather than french fries or something else. So, my side was a smarter (and super delicious) choice!

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I'm pretty disappointed in my yesterday and have now taken a hard look at how I could have done things differently and what I can do to avoid the "chaos" in the future. It was a day of super temptation and I failed the test. Next time - I'll do better, I'll be better, I'll make better choices!

Hope I didn't let you all down with this reckless day!

Chapter 2 page 241 - Ten

Since 1/28's wake up call, my lifestyle revolution has really been going great (minus the absence of exercise due to my knee - but it's feeling better and better everyday!). I wanted to check in and tell everyone that I have lost 10 pounds!!! 10 pounds . . . woo hoo!!! I am super excited about my success to this point and I notice I feel a LOT better.

cue the confetti

Here's are the highlights of my nutritional success:
1. I get at least 5 (usually closer to 9 sometimes even more) servings of fruits and veggies EVERY day. There were days in the past I would not even get one serving in. Yeah! I'm working hard to eat a rainbow of colors and being mindful of ways that I can add fruit or veggies to a meal or snack. (truth be told, I don't even hate it!)

2. No seconds at dinner! I have only had seconds at dinner once since 1/28. It used to be a nightly routine.

3. Limit "crap" in my diet (sweets were totally my downfall previously!). I had a piece of strawberry cake on Saturday (it was the first of 3 birthday celebrations for my husband). It was delicious. I enjoyed it. I didn't feel guilty for eating it. Most impressively, I limited it just that one piece. It was a big victory for me!

4. I have really been paying attention to nutrition labels and the presence of white flour and anything not "whole". It is still in my diet (a little), but I'm very mindful of what I eat and ensure that as often as possible, I choose whole grains. Although I've always known to eat whole grains, since I got married, I have allowed my husband's bread preference dictate what I eat - NOT.ANY.MORE! I'm putting my health first!

5. Water versus soda. I used to drink a LOT of diet mt. dew and diet coke. My overall diet make over has subtly changed my drinking habits too (completely unintentional and unexpected). Because I know I need to drink water with meals and snacks I just grab a bottle of water these days instead of a can (or 2 or 3) of soda. I still have soda when I eat at Quiznos but that's FAR less than the multiple cans (maybe 6) I used to consume EVERY day!

Well, now you have it. My weekly weigh check in . . . 10 pounds less.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!

Chapter 2 page 240 - Goin' greek

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I know . . . I'm one of the last people to try greek yogurt. Well go ahead and cross me off the list. I have officially tried it . . . AND. I. LIKE. IT!!!! I chose the Danon strawberry Greek yogurt. I chose Danon because it was a "normal" brand. I was scared - I'm admitting it (kinda like my leap to natural PB, I was scared) - but . . . I'll be trying other less "common" brands of Greek yogurt soon. YUM!

Looking for your thoughts:
1. Do you eat Greek?
2. What brand and flavors are your FAV?
3. Why do you eat Greek? (taste? health benefit-which one in particular)
4. Do you ever freeze it? (I heard that freezing it makes it almost like ice cream)
5. Any other Greek advice?

Chapter 2 page 239 - Shoaf Park today 2 p.m.

For anyone in the Fort Wayne area with a little free time this afternoon - you may want to head up to Shoaf Park and participate in the Fanny Freezer 5K. It's only $5 ($3 if you're a FWTC member). It's a low key, basic 5K, but with temps in the mid 30's today - it will be great weather for it!!! It was a chip timed race last year so I would assume it is once again. Not a runner? No problem, this event is walker friendly. Last year there were some folks in the back of the group wearing jeans and their winter coats. Pack up the family and go for a walk (or run) with several hundred other people. It's on the banks of a river (not sure which one) and couldn't be more scenic with the snow, river, trees, and families frolicking in the park engaged in various winter activities such as cross country skiing, sledding, and snow man making. What else should you know? There are no potty facilities; registration takes place outside by the baseball diamond; maybe arrive at 1:30 since the event starts at 2:00. I also think there are awards for age group winners (I don't usually pay attention to that detail because there's never a chance I could win, but maybe Holly and Kimberly could rock an award).

Chapter 2 page 238 - Stylish Blogger Award

ThanksHolly @ RustBeltRunner for awarding me this awesome award. It's my first blog award and I'm a little uncertain as to the protocol so here goes . . .

(clears throat) "I'd like to the thank the academy for their nomination and vote. I'd like to thank this blog's producers and writers. I'd like to thank God for His grace. And oh, yeah, I'd like to thank my wonderful husband. (cue the music). Wait, I just have to thank the awesome mentor bloggers I look up to out there in the blogosphere"

Here are the Rules for the Stylish Award:
• Make this post and link back to the person who gave the award to me
• Share 7 things about myself

• Award 5 great bloggers

• Contact the bloggers to tell them they've won

7 things about me . .
1. I am fluent in American Sign Language and taught at the Indiana School for the Deaf for several years.

2. I was a sex ed teacher for middle school students in Hampton Virginia from 1997-2004.

3. I bought my first house when I was only 22 years old (VA).

4. I was married on 1/1/08.

5. I currently work at the hospital where I was born.

6. I'm an only child and come from a super small family (my dad was an only child, and my mom only has 1 sister who has only 2 sons).

7. I write another blog (3elles.com)

The stylish blogger award now goes to 5 people who are very interesting and I can't wait to read the 7 things they choose to share about themselves:

1. Susie @ Weighing In (weight loss, family, Christian)
2. Sarah @ Flying Kites (family, motherhood, Christian)
3. Lisa @ Train with Lisa (triathlete)
4. Bethany @ When 2 Worlds Collide (c0llege student, foodie)
5. ???? (I don't know a 5th person who hasn't gotten this award recently)

Chapter 2 page 237 - PB & P

As part of my lifestyle revolution, I knew I needed to abandoned the good ol' Jiff peanut butter . Jiff, regretfully, has trans fat, as you know. So . . . I decided that I just had to try to convert to natural peanut butter. Before you all say, "What, you aren't on the natural peanut butter bandwagon yet?" Here's a little background . . .

After graduating in 1997 with my health education degree, I was uber healthy. I moved to VA and ate and lived healthfully. That included trying natural peanut butter which back then was BARFY! It was crusty and chunky and kind of liked old dried up elementary school paste (remember that stuff?!?!). It was horrible. I tried several jars of it and BARF-O-RAMA!!!! I just couldn't take it so I returned to Jiff.

Skip ahead to 1/28/11 and my new lifestyle revolution, I knew I had to return to natural PB. My awesome BFF (blogger friend forever) Holly at RustBeltRunner gave me the 411 on natural PB. Thanks, Holly! I learned a lot - and most importantly I gained the confidence to "jump off the Jiff cliff".

So . . . last Saturday, I made the purchase.

Holly's recommendation (economic and tasty) -


I opened it and stirred up the oil (per Holly's instruction). It sure is runny!

I toasted a whole wheat bagel thin and spread a little on it. It was REALLY runny - is that normal? Like, do you use a spoon instead of knife? A little goes a long way since it's so runny.

It wasn't gross - it was rather bland. Let me tell you, it's come A LONG way in 15 years! I had talked with Holly about putting honey on it, as I've heard that's a good thing to add flavor, but I'm not a big honey fan. So . . I remembered that I enjoy eating grapes with my PB bagel (it's kind of like having grape jelly, but without the jelly part). I noticed the grapes weren't washed and I didn't really have time to mess with all that (I know, how long does it take? But I had to get to work). I was going to slice a banana on top, but I had that yesterday. Then I saw IT - the pomegranate in the container on the top shelf of the fridge - PERFECT!!! Yep, that will be the perfect "topper" for the PB. I decided to start by adding it to only one half, just in case it wasn't as good as I had imagined.

Guess what?? It was awesome, so I added the pom to the other half (and secretly I've been thinking about the awesomeoness ALL.DAY.LONG!!!). I added a lite yogurt and bottle of water and that was my breakfast.

Thanks Holly for helping me to improve my diet!!!! I am a convert!

Chapter 2 page 236 - knee improving

Good news! My knee is feeling 50% better. I have been taking the prescription strength Aleve and been doing the exercises my PT friend showed me. I went up and down a LOT of stairs today and I did it pretty well. This morning, when I went down 3 small steps I winced aloud, but as the day went on (and the number of stairs I had to climb and descend increased) my knee felt "better" and not worse like it has since last Friday. I'm super excited!!!! Woo Hoo! My foot also feels different - maybe better, but definitely different. It's not the sharp severe pain that I have been experiencing - it's more of a hmmm. . . . I don't know how to describe it -it's a little better. I'm still resting until at least Monday and then I might go for a short walk. The pain isn't completely gone, but I'm not near tears every time I bend it (victory!).


Side note: I went to work at 5:30 a.m. and the actual temperature was -17 with a windchill of -25. Dang gone that's cold.

What was today's temp where you live?

Chapter 2 page 235 - big ol' waste of time & money

First, thanks to everyone for your nice (and funny - Kimberly) comments! I felt badly because my goal was 30 days without dessert, but 12 days is still really an amazing accomplishment for me and tonight, when my husband asked me if I wanted one - I was able to decline with confidence.

Second, a knee & foot update. Because the pain was sharp, severe, and came on suddenly, I was a little more worried about these issues than other things that I've experienced that are more obviously tendinitis or whatever. I went to the ortho doc who I know as a runner knowing he wasn't the best choice of all time, but was a fair choice for an initial visit (especially since he is local). What did he say? Pretty much nothing. Told me to double up on my Aleve to the prescription strength and not run for a little while (no specific length of time). No diagnosis, no indication of what it isn't (even if he couldn't tell me what it was, I would have loved to hear "it's not your ACL or MCL or a tear"), no treatment plan other than more Aleve and come back in 2 weeks for an Xray if it's not better. I showed him my shoes and asked if maybe it could be because of them - his response, "maybe or maybe not." I asked 4 different times (in 4 different ways) for a referral to physical therapy (for strapping, for strengthening, for stretching, and flat out for just plain ol' rehab). He said "not at this time". He told me I could walk for fitness (what?!? I can't walk pain free down the hall for my job let alone miles for fitness). So . . . I went there already taking 2 Aleve daily, icing, and not running. I walked out of there with pretty much the same advice (except 4 Aleve). Hmmmm - what a waste of time and money!!!! I suppose the good news is that it wasn't obviously broken, or requiring a cast/boot or total cessation of running forever. . . I guess that's something.

Finally, check out my healthy and delicious dinner. Remember those extra veggies from my stir fry dinner on Monday night? Tonight, I put them in a skillet with some eggs, scrambled them together - YUM! My husband made it into a burrito with a whole wheat tortilla (left over from our Super Bowl buffalo tacos). I toasted a whole wheat bagel thin (those are just darn delicious!). I ended dinner with a 1/2 cup mandarin oranges and 1/2 banana . . . my husband ended dinner with an apple-cinnamon cookie.


What did you have for dinner tonight?

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Chapter 2 page 234 - cookie

I'm not Catholic, but here's my confession . . .

Forgive me bloggers for I have strayed. I have become weak and given in to a cookie temptation. My husband brought home these thick, moist, soft, (and super delicious) apple cinnamon cookies. I resisted for 3 days, but late last night after counting up my daily calories I gave in and enjoyed 1 cookie (I broke it half hoping to just eat 1/2, but who can eat half of a cookie????)! I'm weak! In my defense my FAV chocolate cakes (frosted and filled -OMG!) are only made for Valentine's day and they have been in the little market that I have gone to 6 times since I began this lifestyle revolution. I have resisted them and will continue to do so. I indulged in 1 delicious cookie and that will have to be enough for another couple of weeks.
Have I let you down?

Chapter 2 page 234 - big ol' pain

Well, the pain in my right foot and knee no longer just hurts while running, but it now hurts anytime I stand up, walk, or sit down so . . . I'm going to an ortho doc tomorrow morning. Tune in tomorrow for the details of what I find out.

On a happy note, my eating has been AWESOME. I have lost 7 pounds since 1/28 (see HERE for the pivotal life changing moment). I feel I'm doing great - making healthy choices all day long. I just had a delicous snack: 2 pickle spears, 1 piece of low fat colby jack cheese, 1/2 cup Pom, and 6 whole wheat triscuts.

On a seperate note, the forecasted low for tomorrow is -8 (windchill -20). OMG! That's beyond super cold for this area!!! Wowzers!!!! Be safe my fellow Hoosiers!

Thanks for the support - love reading your comments and learning from you through your blogs!!!

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Chapter 2 page 233 - TR 82 & veggie rainbow

Let's start off with my awesome 3 miler . . .could it be that I enjoy running? alone? Ummm, well, I'm not so sure of that, but tonight's run was awesome EXCEPT my right knee was killing me (started around 1 mile) and then at the 2 mile mark my right foot felt as if I had broken it - OUCH! I did 2 min running and 1.5 min. walking intervals and kept up. I nearly quit one interval because my foot and knee hurt so badly, but thankfully, just as I was going to quit and walk, my beeper went off. I have it icing now. This was only my second run in my new shoes and I certainly hope these pains aren't from my shoes (fingers crossed - you know how much trouble I've had with shoes . . . and pains). Can I just take a quick second to give a shout out to Kimberly at Healthy Strides for her powerful advice last week? She said "Don't do anything you'll regret . . . that includes skipping a run." I had planned on going 3 miles today, but got caught up late at work. I didn't leave the office until 5:50 so it sure would have been easy to just come home, but I decided a quick 2 miler would be okay, but decided at the 1 mile mark that I felt great and could keep going. Thanks Kimberly for the advice . . . you were definitely sitting on my shoulder this evening encouraging me to get out there and go for a run.

When I came home, I wanted to ice my knee and foot, but I knew I needed to get dinner started (because I took the extra time to run a 3rd mile instead of just 2). I had planned on stir fry for tonight's dinner. So . . . I chopped up all the veggies, cooked the chicken, and while it was steaming - I iced!

Here is the chicken & veggie stir fry (will be served with brown rice) -
It features baby carrots (my husband prefers them whole not cut up), 2 kinds of 'shrooms, peppers (red, orange, yellow, & green), diced canned toms, and fresh broccoli. It's not quite ready in the photo below, but it sure smells delicious! And look at the rainbow of health in that skillet!!!
A little known fact about me is that I LOVE TO CHOP veggies!!! I use a crappy knife and I have none of those awesome food network chop cutting skills (though wouldn't it be great if I did!). I cut up half of the veggies for the stir fry and decided to retain the other half of the veggies for use later this week (maybe in a breakfast or dinner omelet or something else). Here is what I have left over . . .

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Chapter 2 page 232 - game day snacks

What are you having for Super Bowl snacks?
The old Wells L would have had chips and dip, cream cheese and dried beef cheese ball and crackers, meatballs in sauce, pizza, and cheese sauce and tortilla chips. The new Wells L has a much healthier approach to game day snacking.

SNACK #1:
This past week, Kimberly at Healthy Strides, posted the most awesome recipefor Buffalo Chicken Tacos. (and it had to be healthy because she is the uber-awesome healthy chica!) That got me thinking ahead to Super Bowl Sunday and what a great twist on the ol' traditional hot wings is this?!?! So . . . I printed off the recipe and prepped it on Saturday night so all we have to do before kick off is heat and eat.

Here's the components all laid out - blue cheese sauce (top left), buffalo chicken (bottom left), and whole wheat tortillas (did you know that not all whole wheat tortillas are the same? These have only 76 kcal per torilla, but the cheaper brand had 170 kcal - well, I'll pay a little more so that I can eat 2 for the same amount of calories!!!). I still have to cut up the celery and cheated by buying carrots that were already shredded (lazy, I know).

SNACK #2:
We like pizza and we like the bagel bites (frozen mini pizzas made on bagels) but the new Wells L can't get with either of those right now (I prefer to save my "indulgences" for anther time). So . . . I created my own bagel bites - much like the already prepared frozen variety except I used whole wheat mini bagels, fat free mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce (nothing special about it) and turkey pepperoni. Oh yeah - all the same taste, but I would like to think it's a lot healthier. Check out the result for yourself (I'll pop them in the oven at half-time) -
SNACK #3:
Heart Healthy Chili - what's game day (and 6 new inches of snow outside thanks to Saturday's storm) without chili. This recipe is FAST (seriously, it can be ready in under 30 minutes, but I like to simmer it for a couple of hours) and comes from a American Heart Association Cookbook.
4 cans tomato sauce
1 can hot chili beans (not drained)
1 can black beans (I drain and rinse them)
1/2 pound of low fat ground beef - browned along with 1 green pepper and 1 onion
Mix, cook until warmed through
The recipe also calls for 1 cup cooked whole what macaroni to be added in the last 10 minutes, but I skipped that this time. Every time I make it with macaroni - the mac gets mushy. You can add a can of stewed or diced tomatoes for extra veggies. My husband doesn't really love spicy, otherwise I would also add jalapenos.

SNACK #4:
Fresh veggies -
Although the pix only shows celery and radishes, there is also baby carrots and dill pickles to be made into a cute veggie tray.
SNACK #5 (unhealthy option):
For my husband, there is nacho cheese dip and tortilla chips. I had 3 chips and just drizzled the sauce on top of the 3 chips. It was enough to get a taste, but not too much to undo a week's worth of healthful eating.

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Chapter 2 page 231- breakfast success

Are you tired of seeing my breakfast? Alright, I'll try to post something else moving forward.

Here's today's success:
1 tropical fruit cup in real juice (I had already drank the juice)
1 whole wheat bagel thin (love them!)
1 sliced hard boiled egg
1 slice colby jack cheese
1 bottle of water

Chapter 2 page 230 - breakfast of champs & TR81

2 weeks ago, I would have killed you for a frosted, cream filled doughnut. YUM! (my mouth is watering just thinking about them now). I had a hard time thinking that the compulsive inner voice that said "just eat 1 (or 3) it's not but a couple hundred calories" would ever be silenced . . . well I have news for that inner voice - SHUT UP!!!!! Ha! I'm now 100% free of that obsession!!!! I don't want it (might be a little more struggle if I smelled one) and I'm so happy as a result.

Here's what my "new" life serves up for breakfast -

1 Whole wheat bagel thin (110 kcal)
1 egg (90 kcal)
1 slice colby jack cheese (70 kcal)
1/2 cup steamed broccoli with light cheese sauce (30 kcal)

It looked amazing and tasted even better!!! I'll be having it again.

I was also able to do a 2 mile walk using the Leslie Sansone DVD. I hurt my right knee last night on my run (too much mileage too quickly? twisted on the ice? not sure so I'm RICEing it today).

Chapter 2 page 229 -celebrate wtih me & TR 80

This post may really sound like I'm tooting my own horn, and although, I'm not, I AM definitely celebrating my successes today.

Let's start with my breakfast . . .
That's a whole wheat bagel thin with peanut butter (I know PB isn't all that healthy, but this is a process and I'll be working toward almond butter shortly). That's 1 cup of grapes and a bottle of water. I think it's an okay breakfast for an on-the-go morning. I welcome feedback - what do you think about my breakfast this morning?

Next, let's move onto lunch . . .
I ate at Quizno's today. I will be having a whole post just on Quiznos soon (maybe this weekend). But for now . . . that's a bowl of chicken noodle soup (110 kcal, 3.5 grams of fat). That's a small chicken Cesar salad with barely any balsamic vinaigrette dressing- I dipped my fork in it (155 kcal, 4.75 grams of fat). That's right folks, this morbidly obese blogger consumed only 265 calories and had 5 servings of veggies - booya!

Next . . .
Are you sitting down? . . . .
I got back on the running wagon!!! Here is a self portrait of me after my run . . .sexy huh! I'm flashing my hand sign to show my awesome new running gloves that "C" gave me for Christmas (absolutely the greatest things EVER!!!!! - thanks "C" - I wore them the whole time, never took them off. They were a sweaty mess by the end, but my hands stayed nice and warm)

Now, let's take a moment (together) to share in the joy of this run. You see, this run - this run was a trifecta of awesome-accomplishmentness!!!!
Let me tell you why:
1.) I went 5 miles . . . me, 5 miles (I haven't run in 5 weeks)!! Can I get a WOOT WOOT?!?!?!

2.) I did it ALONE!!!!! I have NEVER gone 5 miles ALONE EVER in my life!!!! Maybe once back in like 1999, but that was because I was misinformed about the distance around the Langley Air Field! Anyone who knows me, or has read this blog for awhile, KNOWS I CAN'T DO THIS RUNNING THING ALONE, but tonight . . . I went 5 miles ALL BY MYSELF.

3.) Because I had my new yurbud ipod shuffle jams playing too loudly (shame on me) I couldn't hear my devil beeper so guess what interval I used???????? Ran 1/2 mile, walked 1/2 mile (the path I ran has the 1/2 miles marked) - the entire 5 miles!!!! My running 1/2 mile took 6.5-7 minutes (I know - not super fast, but this is me we're talking about - that's my pretty usual pace AND it was VERY treacherous in places along the path). I've not run 1/2 mile very many times in my life let alone 5 times in ONE run!!! Also, I did a dancing walk during my 1/2 mile of walking - yes, people saw me - I didn't care!!!! How about another WOOT WOOT?!?!

4.) This one is pretty major for me and will only truly be appreciated by "C" and "L" - I took NOTHING with me (except my ipod and devil beeper and of course, wore my watch). No water, no phone, no kleenexes, no lip balm, no chews (might have been a good idea to have water and chews). It was amazing to have nothing with me - my training partners know I don't go anywhere without the kitchen sink! Yeah to downsizing!

One last thing . . .
I lost 4 pounds! I'm not sure it's entirely from this week's awesome lifestyle makeover or just water weight and luck, but a loss is a loss and I'll gladly accept it!!!

Thanks everyone for your help and support. I really appreciate your comments and hope you'll continue to offer suggestions, advice, and support. This is HUGE for me (since I'm a HUGE person) and I need all the help I can get.

Chapter 2 page 228 - how's this, snack edition?

In case you missed it, I'm REALLY trying to do better with my eating. You can read more about the final straw HERE. This is the snack that I've prepared for myself this afternoon and I would like your feedback. Oh, you should know I last ate 3 hours ago and dinner is likely to be 3-3.5 hours from now.

Plate details:
1. 1/2 cup fresh Pomegranate
2. 2 (60 cal each) reduced fat all natural Sargento Colby Jack pieces of cheese (they are indivudally wrapped and are purchased in bulk at Sam's)
3. 7.5 Pecan halves (unsalted, just plain)
4. 1 pickle spear - I know, lots of sodium (380 mg/spear), but dang I love them and isn't it count as part of a veggie???
5. Bottle of water (not shown)

How did I do?

Chapter 2 page 227 - enough, the revolution

So, this post will be long, sorry!

In 1998 I joined a gym, began working out, and lost 30 pounds (I ate a whole lot of Subway . . . before Jared got paid for it - dang it!). I was influenced by military people who were all buff and disciplined. I decided to join the Army reserves at age 24. I worked out daily, I ran daily, I got in amazing physical shape. I went to basic training at age 25 (2000) and performed well. I got in even better physical condition. I got hurt sesamoiditis, plantar fasciitis, and Achilles tendinitis. I could barely walk at the end of basic training. ALL of the cardio stopped - I couldn't walk. I couldn't go to the pool to swim because I couldn't walk from the car to the pool (let alone push off the walls to turn around once I got in the pool). It was the worst pain ever. If you've ever taken time off from running, you know that you lose your fitness so much quicker than you gain it. Much of the foot pain continued for 10 years when I finally got a pair of orthotics and my life changed. As the blurb under my picture on my blog says, I participated in a training program geared for walkers which ended up in a few strides of running by the end. I did my first 10K (walked all but the last 1/2 mile which I ran) in Sept 2009. Between 2000-2009, I gained 100 pounds which is obviously horrible for a number of reasons. When I began training in May 2010 for my first half marathon I had lost some weight . . . which I have gained back (again!). Despite this inexcusable weight gain, I have had pretty good health (for now) - blood pressure is fine, glucose is fine, total cholesterol is fine, trigs are fine, my HDL is 47 which is good but not great. I struggle with asthma which I know has gotten worse as I've gotten bigger. No duh - I know, I'm killing myself. I'm definitely not proud of my body or the very dumb decisions I make on a daily/hourly basis. I am blessed to have access to getting a free lipid panel (cholesterol test) from time to time with my job and about 4 months ago I had an elevated triglyceride level for the first time in my life. I was too ashamed that I didn’t share the results with my doctor. I had it checked again about a month ago (I haven’t done anything to improve my levels in the past 3 months, in fact I’ve probably made things worse since Christmas just shoving one home baked treat after another in my mouth!). It was slightly lower, but still 222 (most people want it below 150). I decided to give both sets of results to my doctor who promptly told me that I needed to start taking fish oil and get it rechecked in 3 months. NICE! I’m 35 years old and now have to take fish oil-isn’t that for the older people? I have a family history of metabolic syndrome and heart disease so I do take all the risk factors seriously so after the blizzard outside ends, I’ll be going to get some fish oil pills (landlocked Indiana doesn’t offer a great variety of fresh fish, sigh). The doctor told me to limit white flour consumption and limit the desserts (totally my fav!).

This was a wake-up call. So begins my personal revolution – with some hesitation. The number of times I have tried to “be all healthy” and failed is too numerous to count. That said, I’m once again going to try. I’m on day 3 of watching the white flour and avoiding desserts. I know life isn’t about deprivation, but I know me and I have to avoid desserts for at least a month or otherwise a little makes me loose all control. So I didn’t have seconds on dinner the past 2 nights (and I apparently didn’t die as a result). I have had a fruit with breakfast each day and veggies with dinner (which isn’t a new thing, but it’s no longer optional). I really think I’ll have to eat a salad daily for lunch in order to be able to get the full 5-9 servings of produce in daily so that’ll be something I work on starting next week (again, the blizzard is really cramping my plans).

So the bottom line, I’m going to be trying to do better. I am worthy and am better than the crappy behaviors I have been punishing myself with. Stay tuned for more info on my plan and hopefully progress! Thanks for taking this journey with me!