The 99th Day

Tomorrow is the official end of my 100 day real food challenge.

For the last 100 days, I've tried my best to follow a minimally processed diet.  I eliminated refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup.  That step eliminated most commercial breads, condiments, cereals, frozen foods, snack foods, and desserts from my diet.  I also switched to brown rice and 100% whole wheat bread and pasta.  Whenever possible, meat, eggs and milk were organic. Drinks have consisted of water, milk, tea, coffee and red wine.

I had some predetermined cheat days such as holidays, birthdays, and Super Bowl Sunday.  I also had some cheat days that just sort of happened.  I could use my husband's old standby excuse -  I WAS ROOFIED! -  but the truth is the days that just happened mostly happened when I failed to plan better.

Taking this 100 day food challenge was definitely the best thing I've ever done for myself in terms of changing my relationship with food.   Dramatically changing my diet really broke the hold that food had over me.  I could not maintain portion control of crappy processed food.  I am sure that I would have kept failing over and over with that, as I have in the past.  There are both physiological reasons - the food is purposely designed for us to crave it - and emotional reasons why that couldn't work for me.   But changing everything? Well, it changed everything.  I'm in a good place, and I love it!

I feel AMAZING.  I can't really stress that enough.  My energy is good and level, as are my moods.  I never seem to have problems with bloating or water retention.  I rarely have cravings for anything.  The only time I notice cravings is after I've had a cheat meal.  Of course!

The challenge has been beneficial for the family, too. My kids have always been good eaters, but they are eating so much better.  I don't think I will ever have them preferring brown rice, but they tolerate it now and have no problem with whole wheat pasta.  They are eating more fruits and veggies including things I never thought they would touch - who knew that both of them would love roasted cabbage with fennel seeds??  

Andy is doing great.  He's lost 20 lbs since getting on board on January 1. His blood pressure is fantastic.  A few months back, he had a health scare that gave us both a jolt.  I love fiercely and I'm prone to freak-outs.   That poor, poor man.  I made him crazy in the weeks it took to determine what was going on with him.   Fortunately,  the kind of diet we are eating now can reverse the situation and most importantly keep it from turning into something very bad.  So, yeah, he is never going to get a break from me!  And if I was motivated before, I am easily 10x as motivated now.
 
During this challenge, I lost 15 lbs, which only happened when I got serious about portion size.   I have struggled at times with eating too much of the high calorie stuff that meets my guidelines such as cheese, nuts, and tasty "real" food items that I bake (whole wheat banana bread, pumpkin spelt muffins, granola, etc).  I will probably always struggle with this a bit.

What's next?

Without a doubt, I am committed to this way of eating for life.   However, I will add a bit more flexibility.

For instance, there are some meals  I haven't made in the last 100 days that my family really misses like baked sweet and sour chicken with jasmine rice.  Or chicken thighs with soy sauce, ginger and brown sugar.  Or Cambodian style chicken curry made with Massaman curry paste (sugar!). Or things made with packets of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.  LOL.

So I have decided that one day per week I will prepare an "Old Family Favorites" dinner - each week a different family member can pick one dinner for me to prepare without restriction.  Have at it, Fam!  I'm curious if I will even want to eat those dinners.   All of the meals I mentioned in the paragraph above?  I used to love them!  Now, I really don't desire them.

I will also allow myself to have one non-restricted reasonably sized dessert on special occasions - and I really do mean special occasions, not an impromptu dinner outing on a Wednesday or something.  That's if I want it.   I really have lost my desire for chocolate.

And that right there is the craziest sentence I've ever typed!

Oh, wait...here's the craziest sentence I've ever typed:

I haven't had pop (soda) in over 4 months!  I can guarantee that is NEVER coming back to my diet.  I accidentally took a sip of Diet Coke a few weeks ago and immediately spit it out. So nasty!


As mentioned before,  I love Michael Pollan.  If you are at all interested in this real food thing, I highly recommend reading his books In Defense of Food:  An Eater's Manifesto, Omnivore's Dilemma, and Food Rules.  And certainly watch the movie Food Inc. It was really that movie that gave me the courage to even try to eat like this.

I found this nice whittled-down version of Michael Pollan's "Food Rules" that you can print and take with you to the grocery store.  Honestly, if you follow this advice, I don't see how you can go wrong.

Real food and good health await you! Go get it, girl...or boy!

Committing to an Exercise Routine

Last Wednesday,  I had a terrible headache and was low energy.  I felt awful and even left work early to go home and take a nap.  After the nap, my headache was gone, but I still felt "meh".  I had just written my blog post that mentioned not running enough in the last 10 days. Looking ahead at my calendar, I knew the only chance I would have to run in the next 4 days was running today.  That meant having to run on the evil treadmill at the Y.

Boooooooo to all of it!

Andy got home at 8pm.  I changed my clothes and drove to the gym.  As I was getting out of my car, I said (out loud), "Ugh..I don't want to do this!"   An elderly man who is a regular at the Y was near me.  He laughed and said, "Who really does, honey?  Who really does?" 

Good point.

I went in, served my time on the treadmill, and ran 3 miles in 33 minutes.  I felt great afterwards.   Sweaty, relaxed, and the good kind of achy that I love.

I never regularly exercised until April 2011.    I might have had a 6 month stint here or there where I would sorta kinda work out, but I always hated it and it never lasted.  Over the years, I've lost and regained a lot of weight and exercise was never a part of the equation.

For nearly 2 years now, I've exercised 3-6x per week.  I run, walk, use the elliptical, jazzercise, do exercise DVDs, kickbox.

I think there's this myth that if you exercise regularly it's only because you are some sort of special and weird human being who naturally loves to work out.  I used to think that. Now as a former couch potato turned regular exerciser, I don't think that's true at all.

I always love the way I feel *after* I work out, but I don't always love doing it.  I certainly don't love getting ready, driving to the gym, finding the time, being gross and needing a shower after, etc 

Of course, I don't particularly love brushing my teeth or shaving my legs or cleaning my house, but you've got to do what you've got to do, right?

And I think that's it - regular exercise is crucial to losing weight, maintaining your loss, and gaining good health.  It's what's going to keep you from falling apart and regaining weight quickly  if you slide a little with food.   It's going to make you a happier, less stressed person.  It's what's going to help really change your body as you lose weight. It's what's going to make your heart happy and strong.

Here are some of my tips for making exercise a regular part of your life:

1. Exercise with a friend.   My journey to good health started with 3x weekly 30-40minute walks with my friend.  I looked forward to the "with my friend" part way more than the walking.  We would encourage each other,  laugh, cry,  problem-solve, vent.  These were free therapy sessions - where we just happened to walk.  I never wanted to miss a walk, and I never did.

2. Try new things.   Some people get easily bored and thrive with variety.  Others might need to try many things to find THE thing they love.  Running definitely became my preferred mode of exercise, but I also enjoy a variety of different activities.  And I especially love that those activities make me a better runner :-)

3.  Try a class. Even if you are sure group exercise isn't for you, I encourage you to try.  The best part about a class is once you get there, it's a done deal that you will get a good work-out.  No one ever drives to a gym, starts a class and then stops.  It doesn't happen. 

4.  Schedule your work-outs.   Every Sunday night, I look at my calendar for the week ahead, and write in which type of exercise I will do on which night.   I'm pretty busy - I work full-time, my husband works a ton, I have to feed people food they like every night (!), my kids have lots of activities and homework.    Some days I might want to go for a long run, but the only thing that will work is a 30 minute DVD at home.  So be it.   Consider your other commitments and write in what you will do that day for physical activity.

5.  Take your measurements before you start working out.  I wish I would have done this at the beginning.  I know that it would have been highly motivating.  My body has changed a lot since it's gone from a size 22 (can't believe I just admitted that) to a size 12.   I'm going to take measurements this weekend so that I can at least document inches lost in this last part of my journey.  And since I'm talking sizes and all...I'll tell you my secret goal - this 5'11" body fitting in a size 8.  So it is written, so it shall be done (I always pull out my Yul Brynner impression when making proclamations).

6. Treat Yo Self.

  I love building in little non-food(!) rewards for myself.  Maybe put away X dollars every time you go to the gym?  Maybe reward yourself  with a mani/pedi if you keep your exercise goals for a month?    When I begin marathon training in June, I plan to put away $1 for every mile I run during training.  I plan to spend that money on new running gear at the Columbus Marathon Expo.  That's a very exciting reward for me, and will motivate me to keep *all* of my training runs. 

6.  Tell people your exercise plans.  Tell your partner.  Tell your friends.  Write it on Facebook.  Write it on a blog.  Put it out there in the universe that you WILL do something.  That's pretty powerful.  If you just have an idea in your head that you might start working out, you probably won't.  Commit to this all the way - commit publicly.  Nothing like backing yourself in a corner ;-)

6.  Suck it up and start moving.  The fact is the more you do something, the more you want to do it.  This applies to the good and bad things in life. You CAN make exercise a habit.  Everybody is busy.  Everybody is tired. Think of one bad habit you have...one non-product time suck (Facebook? Pinterest?  TV?) and replace it with something that's good for you - at least for a few hours per week
 :-)

In short: Grab a friend. Mix it up. Plan ahead.  Reward yourself. Say it out loud.  And then do it!

Happiness

"I've learned from experience that the greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances." ~ Martha Washington

 

Weight Loss Contest Update

I'm happy to report that I've had another successful week, and am down 11.2 lbs after three weeks in the weight loss contest at my jazzercise studio.

I really dislike Tom Cruise.

So, it's going well!   And while I would be thrilled to win the $180 prize,  I'm just glad that this contest is finally motivating me to start losing again.  It's a victory no matter what. 

Victories, Observations and Challenges:

1). I am killing it with my work outs! Before the contest, I was definitely in a pattern of "phoning it in" at the gym though I hate to admit that.  Now I'm in a very nice 5-6x per week routine (5-6 hours per week).  I love jazzercise, and I've been hitting the elliptical hard for an hour at a time. God, I love to sweat.  Love. It!  This still amuses me seeing as I spent 39 years avoiding nearly everything that would make me sweat.

2).  I haven't been running much :(  I've only run twice in the last 10 days for a total of 8 miles.  That is not ok with me, but I'm finding it really hard to find my motivation to run. The weather has been so cold, and I've been feeling extra wimpy about running outside.  Last winter was wonderfully mild, and I ran outside all winter long.  That's been much harder to do this year, and I loathe the treadmill at the gym.  I need to suck it up, and get back to running no matter where I have to do it.  I have races on 3/16 (5 miles) , 4/27 (10 miles) and 5/19 (13.1 miles).  

3). Monday weigh-ins are brilliant.  Why have I never done this before???!!!   Both of my contests - the one at jazzercise and the unfortunately named Dump Your Plump contest at work - require a Monday weigh-in.  In all my years of trying to lose weight (mostly Weight Watchers), I always did Saturday morning weigh-ins.  That's just asking for an extra challenge.  My tendency was to be very good and on point during the week, weigh-in on Saturday, and then go off the rails the rest of the weekend.  Monday weigh-ins keep me honest.  It's showing on the scale that I have been good on the weekends.  Well, I've been really good, except for.......

4).  Wine.  Got to reduce the wine. Wine is strictly a weekend thing for me.  It's an after-the-kids-are-asleep-at-home-date-night thing with my husband.   We cuddle on the couch and have a few drinks (ok, I have a few drinks, he might have one) while watching a movie.  Or we have a few drinks and play a board game.  Or we have a few drinks and talk.  I never almost never consume more than a bottle over the course of a weekend (500 calories).  However, the big problem with wine is that I'm like that darn mouse and the cookie.  If you give Jenny some wine, she's going to want cheese to go with it.  If you give her some cheese, she's going to want some crackers.  If you give her some crackers (and some more wine!), she might want some chocolate, too. And if you give Jenny too much wine, she doesn't care what the heck she eats! 

5). I truly love Pinterest.  I find so many good, healthy, amazing recipes through Pinterest, and love trying new things.  I am a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast and lunch, but I love cooking and trying new dishes for dinner.  I have over 100 meals in our dinner rotation. If you'd like to follow me on Pinterest, my username is khemarasmom and I have a board called "I made this and it's a keeper" where I file all of the recipes that I've found on pinterest, made and love.

6).  Measuring my dinner portions is crucial.  I've made my own guidelines as far as measuring goes and it's nothing terribly scientific.  I make sure I take no more than a palm-sized portion of meat.  I make sure to only take 1 cup of whatever whole grain (or potato) that we're having.   I don't limit veggies.   If I'm making some sort of soup/casserole/stir fry, I don't really concern myself with the calories, but I limit myself to a 2 cup portion.  It seems to be working.  I'm full, getting a varied diet and losing weight.

7).  I finally have snack time under control.  This was definitely my biggest challenge prior to the contest.  I am forcing myself to grab a fruit or veggie first as snack before I allow myself anything else.  If I still want something, I go ahead have a small portion of carbs (ak mak crackers with 1/4 cup of hummus, for example) or dairy (string cheese or plain greek yogurt with fresh fruit added).

I am so happy to see the scale moving in the right direction - my upcoming October marathon is also motivating.  Every pound I lose means there will be a little less of me that I will have to haul 26.2 miles.  If that isn't motivating, I don't know what is!

Have a good healthy day, and remember.........

 

Discipline

I'm not what I would call a naturally disciplined person.  Nor was I raised to be a particularly disciplined person.   That's not meant to disparage my upbringing - I was surrounded by very loving and wonderful, but often indulgent parents and grandparents.

Oh, I was raised by A LOT of adults so I should probably back this up a bit.

My mom was a single mom who worked two-three jobs at a time for the first nine years of my life.  We lived next door to my grandparents, great-aunt, and great-grandmother who all lived in the same house.  We had that big loud and boy-do-we-love-our-carbs Polish immigrant family thing going on. Being next door to each other also meant that I had two houses for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Lucky me!

So, I pretty much had 5 grown-ups parenting me at all times.  There's a lot of good, and a lot of not-so-good in that.  You know that saying about too many cooks in the kitchen spoiling the broth?  Yeah, it can also spoil the kid.

I was the youngest grandchild and quite precocious.  I was expected to be a good student and a "good girl" and I was both of those things, but beyond that?  I was spoiled with a lot of things and a lot of food and not a lot of responsibility because those 5 loving adults loved to do things FOR me.  If there was something I didn't want to do anymore - girl scouts, choir, whatever - then I didn't need to do them anymore.  If I just HAD to have a certain designer something or other, I pretty much got it. No one ever said, "Jen, you've probably had enough candy today kid - might want to slow that down."   If one adult did tell me no, I had four more to pick from to get a yes.


My grandfather really spoiled me with food -Grandpa and I loved to eat together.  Bedtime snacks of grilled cheese sandwiches made with at least three different types of cheeses were typically followed by a big mug of hot cocoa - made with whole milk, of course.  Or the wonderful popcorn made on the stove top in oil and topped with an entire stick of butter!  Paula Deen had nothin' on Grandpa Charlie!  And then there were all the pizza, donuts, cookies, butter pecan ice cream, fried bologna sandwiches, peanut butter cups, etc.  I went grocery shopping with grandpa every week - the trip would start with a slice of pizza  they sold at the front of the store, and end with a brownie in the bakery at the back.

I really hope this doesn't sound like I am blaming my family for my lack of discipline.  I'm just trying to explain my reality and what shaped me as a person.  I had a good childhood loaded with love and good memories. All of these loving adults taught me many wonderful things - to be kind and fair, to value education, to be open-minded, to be a loyal friend, to have a good sense of humor and enjoy life - but self-discipline and delayed gratification wasn't something expected of me and I was indulged far too much. That's just a fact.

And like I said, my nature doesn't help.  As I can clearly see with my own kids, nature does have a lot to do with self-discipline.

My lack of self-discipline and not even thinking about what I wanted MOST, being only concerned with what I wanted NOW and usually getting it  has caused me some trouble.  My struggle with my weight being the most obvious, and the focus of this blog.

I am going to say something that might piss off some people and many probably don't agree with,  but I know it's true for me.   If you are struggling with a significant weight problem, maybe it's true for you too.  Maybe not.

I was morbidly overweight because I was pretty darn immature.  I got there because I wanted what I wanted NOW.  It tastes so good; I should be able to have it, and have as much of it as I want!  It makes me feel good when I eat it! It's not fair...waaaah!

I KNOW there are other issues that lead to overeating, binging and having a significant weight problem.  Lord knows.....I know!  But for ME- when all the layers are stripped away - and I am just a grown-up responsible for myself  and my actions - being morbidly overweight mostly came down to an undisciplined, almost infantile way I viewed satiety and physical activity.

What do you want most?  What are you willing to give up to get it? 

Maybe what you really want most it is to eat what you went when you want any time you want, and not have to think about it.  That's fine.  Embrace it.  But then you need to be prepared with all that may come with it. 

But maybe what you want most is to be healthy.  To look good and be comfortable.  I'm not not talking about comfortable in your own skin - that can be at any size - I'm talking physically comfortable in heat, humidity, while doing certain activities, etc.  I'm talking being comfortable and able to engage in activities that you might not be able to do right now. Maybe you want to ride a roller coaster with your kids and not be afraid that you won't fit.  Maybe you want to sit on an airplane without crowding the person next to you or needing a seat belt extender.  Maybe you want to be able to shop for clothing in ANY store and not just relegate yourself to shopping for accessories.  Maybe what you want most is to be around as long as possible - for as much as you can control - for your kids and grand kids.  To not be a burden to those kids and grand kids in your old age due to an unhealthy lifestyle that might catch up with you sooner or later.

Can you say no to some of the  things you want now - a nap rather than a workout?  a bag of Doritos rather than some carrot sticks and hummus? vegging out in front of the TV? - to work towards what you want most?

I am NOT perfect with this.  If I was I wouldn't still be struggling to reach my goal almost two years after I started this journey.  I wouldn't still be 40lbs away.

But I finally understand the importance of self-discipline and long-term thinking for me on this journey, and in life, really.  I'm a work in progress. I will mess up.  I will fall and give in to my inner child - the one who stomps her foot and demands the cookie.  The one who indulges and has someone in her head who will always tell her "that's OK, honey - have what you want.  You deserve it!"

But I've matured, and the idea of what I want most has matured with me. I'm making daily choices that prove I'm disciplined enough to get there.  I will never give up working toward that goal. The shiny, tempting, temporary things have been put in their proper perspective. 

No matter your history.  No matter your nature.  It really all does come down to choice.  Figure out what you want most, and make the choices that will make that happen.  If you fail in the short-term, so what.  Brush it off.  Move forward.

Achieving what you want most is worth the sacrifice.

Staying Motivated

I've been a bit quiet lately on my blog.  Not enough time in the day it seems. This entry might not be particularly exciting and have more typos than usual since I'm whipping this together during my lunch break!

I've entered another weight loss contest - I guess this is called "double dipping" on contests since it runs concurrently with the one at the jazzercise studio.

This contest is called "Dump Your Plump."

Yes, seriously,

Isn't that the grossest name ever?  My brain goes like this: dump, plump, plop....ick.

The program itself seems pretty cool though - and a bit mysterious.  It's a 10 week workplace wellness program that puts you on a team - you set individual weight loss goals, but all team members must engage in 30 minutes of exercise five days per week.  By meeting your own goals, your team earns points.  Then your team earns prizes based on those points.  Nobody knows what the prizes will be. I'm going to be pissed if  it's a leaky cheap water bottle.

I really like the peer pressure aspect of this program.  I do best when others are depending on me because I hate to let anyone down.   My fellow dumpers of the plump can rest assured for the next ten weeks I will forge ahead in meeting my weight loss goals.

Right now, I'm in *that* place.  I have flow.  I'm in the zone.  I 'm locked in and focused - with my motivation so high this whole journey feels easy.

And that scares the heck out of me!

I don't know if anyone else worries like that.  When things get too easy or feel too right the fear of messing up can become a bit paralyzing for me.  I've been around the block a few times with weight loss and know my patterns.  This time (meaning the last two years) HAS been different because of the introduction of serious exercise in my life, but still.....I worry about failing.  I worry too much. 

********************************************************
Oh, and there is yet another "challenge" in my life.  Can you tell I like to do that sort of thing yet? LOL.

Every February since my sons were small, we've made February a "No Eating Out Month".  This means all food we eat is prepared or consumed at home - no take-out, fast food, dine-in, coffee stops, vending machines, trips out for ice cream, etc.

We started this for financial reasons.  February is a notoriously horrible month for us.  We're coming off our two most expensive months of the year, and entering a time period where work is slow for my husband.   Unfortunately my husband has a job that has its peaks and valleys with work, and if he doesn't work then he doesn't get paid.  I can write a whole post about the nerve-wracking nature of THAT!

So we started this way back when to hide the fact from the kids that money was hellava tight in February.  If they made it through the month without complaint, they would be rewarded with a new toy or video game at the end of the month (Mama's pay day! LOL!)

Andy's work situation is better now, but February still isn't the best of months and we continue with the challenge.  It is AMAZING the money you save when you cut out dining out, etc.  It's actually quite eye-opening.   You also eat SO much better.  Fat, sodium, and portion size are so effed up when you eat out.  Eat at home, and you are in control.

There are also other benefits to the family - we seem to spend more time together in February. We cook together more; we bake special things.  We find other ways to have fun that aren't centered around a meal out - we tend to have a lot of family game/movie nights with popcorn and hot cocoa :-)

We are a fairly busy family so it does require some planning and work to make ALL of your food at home, but honestly, it is not that hard OR time consuming.

For instance, tonight's dinner is a favorite:  quesadillas.

I use this recipe for absolutely delicious refried beans (which I tweak a bit for our spicier tastes :-)

I timed myself this morning as I prepped the refried beans for the crockpot.  Took all of 6 minutes.


Tonight after work I will make up some quesadillas on the electric skillet - just beans and cheese for the boys on flour tortillas.  Andy and I will add avocado and tomato to ours and use whole wheat tortillas.  I will also roast some lime/cilantro/chili powder cauliflower (prepped last night).  I've got some blueberries with whipped cream for the boys for dessert.

A good, healthy non-processed meal that costs under $10 will be on the table in 25 minutes.    Not too shabby!   There are many more meals out there  that are real, simple, quick and inexpensive.

Weigh-in tonight at jazzercise. Gulp.  Hoping for any kind of loss after the big loss I had in Week 1.   Will update soon!

*****ETA:  Booyah!   Another 3lbs gone - 9.2lbs in 2 weeks!   I really am not doing anything drastic.  Increased exercise to 5x weekly (I was at 3-4x on most weeks) and stopped snacking on carbs/dairy.  Veggies/Fruit/Protein only for snacks.  That's it.  I'm finally getting this "real food" thing! Not feeling deprived or hungry.

Unstuck!

Here's to getting un-stuck on this weight loss journey!

Today, I had the first weigh-in for the contest at the Jazzercise studio and I'm very happy to say that I am down 6.4 lbs!  Yay! 

I'm in a good place right now, and feel like I'm in the process of forming those last few good habits to carry me through for a lifetime.


Diet Jan 28-Feb 3

We continue  with our minimally processed diet, and it's going so well.  I really do not miss sugar, fast food, soda, white flour or white rice.  No one could possibly be more shocked by that statement than I am.

Andy is doing great and is down 18 lbs since January 1.  My honey is lookin' good! 

Last night, we attended a Super Bowl party.  Normally, that is one of the worst caloric/"non-real food" days for me.  Our friends have a party every year with amazing food, and our friend Michael is the World's Best Bartender/Accountant.   Super Bowl Sunday is usually a tasty diet disaster.

But I went to that party with a plan. A few hours before, I had a great 3 mile run in a ridiculously hot 77 degree gym.   It was awful. And wonderful as many runs are.   Afterwards I had some plain greek yogurt, a handful of almonds, and a small bowl of shredded wheat before leaving the house.   Despite all the normally tempting foods at the party, I really did not compelled to have any of it.  In the end, I had a small bowl of chili, 3 of the bacon wrapped jalapenos Andy made for the party (actually "real food" due to the ingredients he used), 3 small triangles of pita bread and 1/4 cup red pepper hummus, two small bites of dessert.  No alcohol consumed.  So, I cheated a little on the type of food I ate, but the quantity was fine and I had no desire for more.  That alone made me feel like I've turned a corner.

I had also promised myself that I would NOT snack on carbs/dairy/nuts this week, and would measure my portions.   I was successful with this, and it really showed on the scale.

Exercise Jan 28-Feb 3

Monday:  1 hr jazzercise class
Tuesday:  3 mile outdoor run
Wednesday: 1 hr jazzercise
Thursday: helped a friend walk/run Week 4 Day 1 of Couch to 5K program
Friday:  Nothin'
Saturday: 1 hour jazzercise
Sunday: 3 mile run on treadmill

A-hem...who's killing it in the gym?!  That's right - this woman! 

I really feel like jazzercising is making a big difference in my body.  The light weights and ab work done in class is much, much needed.  Andy claims that my butt is higher .  Well, he's sweet and likes to say things about butts so I'm not sure I put too much stock in it.  But secretly, I kind of think my butt *may be* a teensy weensy bit higher.  I'm 41 - an increase in elevation in any body part is pretty much a miracle. 

I just feel really good right now.  I am not doing anything drastically different.  I'm not hungry; I'm just making much better food choices. 

Every pound lost is one less pound I'm going to haul 26.2 miles at the Columbus Marathon.    That's a big motivation for me.  As is the $180 prize at the jazzercise studio.;-)

My birthday haul

41st birthday is in the books, and it was a good one - surrounded with a lot of love, good people and good presents ;-)

I was spoiled rotten this year.  Sam woke up on my birthday, gave me a big hug and said, "Happy Birthday to my Princess Mom"  Damn straight!

You know that book "The 5 Love Languages" that says people have different ways/languages in which  they desire to express/receive love?  I think my love language is gifts. 

There is nothing I love more than giving my loved ones special and meaningful gifts.  I just can't do standard/generic gifts for people; it doesn't feel right.  You know how some folks shop sales at the end of the season, get good deals, and put away those deals away for "someone" for a holiday/birthday present?  No one in particular in mind at the time of purchase, just a nice item for some nice person?

I can't do that.  I agonize over the perfect gift - or at least a really good one! Christmas planning and shopping takes me FOREVER.

To that end, I get ridiculously happy to get thoughtful presents from others.  Doesn't have to be anything expensive, but thoughtful gifts make me giddy.  My mom always said I was the best kid on Christmas morning because I would get all happy, jump around, and teary over almost every present.  I'm still kind of like that - just with less jumping.

So here's my birthday loot and why I love it!

My parents and sister/brother-in-law:   Got a wonderful bag for my knitting! Isn't it great?

 Bright and colorful with lots of pockets.  No more carting my knitting projects around in plastic grocery bags (true story - like a knitting hobo).  I also got a knitting magazine and an amazon gift card to buy knitting stuff.  And I did:  I got this and this.  Love!

My in-laws:  I got an electric meat slicer!  Don't laugh.  I am thrilled!!!  I had mentioned to  my mother-in-law that one of the things we were missing the most on our non-processed food diet was lunch meat, and just getting to eat a sub sandwich once in awhile.  My husband was missing this the most.  My kids love sandwiches, and I've been wanting to ween them off processed, high sodium deli meat.   My mother-in-law often makes her own - cooking, slicing, freezing a turkey breast, making a roast and slicing roast beef slices, etc - so I asked her advice on how to do that.  I just planned to use an electric knife to get the best slices I could.  But now?  I have this super cool deli-grade meat slicer - I could shave that freakin' healthy, non-processed cooked-at-home turkey breast! I can't wait to try this out, and will definitely report how that goes.   BTW,  I am quite accident prone.  Seriously accident prone.  I've gotten a black eye and dislocated my thumb while bowling.  Let that soak in for a second.   Andy took one look at this thing, and said, "Honey, you just cook the meat...I'll slice it.  You need all your digits."  He's the best ;-)

My friends:  My awesome friends got me a wonderful eyeshadow palette (Urban Decay Naked Basics) AND all the stuff I need for Jazzercise.  A yoga mat, a new gym bag to accommodate my yoga mat, and a new snazzy water bottle.   This means I don't have to use the disgusting community gym mats at the studio any more!  They love me!!

My husband and kids:  So excited!  A Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS watch for running!  .   I now will be able to accurately track my time/distance/pace/calories burned.  Hallelujah!  Up until December, I had been using an app on my iphone.  It was fairly accurate, but I totally ruined my phone.  Though I used an Arm Pocket while running - basically a fanny pack for your arm to hold your phone - the sweat eventually did my poor phone in.  For Christmas, I got an ipod nano so that I can stop using my phone for music and now I have the GPS watch.  I'm set for marathon training!  I hope to do a full review of this product in the future.

Oh, and my husband also bought me a case of wine!  Ha!  The first time I've ever gotten a case. I felt like I won the wine lottery.  The man does know me.

Speaking of the husband....last weekend, we had a fabulous time celebrating our birthdays with a night on the town.  With our birthdays only ten days apart, we choose the weekend in between them to celebrate together.  We had a great meal at Iron Chef Michael Symon's restaurant Lola, and then a fun time at the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland.   My parents had the kids for the entire night, so it was like SUPER date night.

Andy and I really do have a great time together.  We were having fun and being silly while registering for our "loyalty cards" at the Casino desk.  The lady at the desk was super nice, and commented on how much she enjoyed us, and told us that just seeing us  made her happy.  She was surprised we were married (ha!) and even more surprised when we told her we've been married for almost 19 years. :)
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The weight loss challenge is going really well, I think, with my official weigh-in at the Jazzercise studio on Monday.  I have kept my word and am 1) measuring my dinner portions and NOT picking at dinner while cooking and 2) limiting my snacks to fruits and veggies (and occasionally dipping my veggies in 1/4 cup of hummus).   On my actual birthday - a pre-determined "cheat day" - I got a mini size oreo chocolate Blizzard from DQ and washed it down with a glass of red wine.  A little strange perhaps, but very satisfying!

One last thing:  New Food Of The Week

 

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

I can not believe how much the whole family enjoyed this!  I love cabbage, but the rest of my family does not.  Andy and the boys gobbled this up.  G exclaimed, "This just melts in your mouth!"  Really good, and how cool to find a delicious veggie side dish that will serve the whole family for under $1? I probably used half of the olive oil called for in the recipe, and it worked out just fine.