ICC Biggest Loser begins again!

It's that awesome first day again :) I set out at 7:20 this morning, hoping to be early for my appointment so I could get to work a bit early. I should have known, that even though I knew where I was going... I got lost. I'm getting really sick of knowing where I need to be, but somehow not getting there on the first try. My ability to copilot myself or anyone else has gone completely down the tubes.

Bodpod. Let's chat about it again. You get down to your skivvies, put on a swimming cap over your hair and sit in the egg. Observe below;


Now, she looks happy and has hair, instead, the person sitting inside is cold, uncomfortable and lacking hair.

Since the last weigh in back in April, I've lost 6.4% breaking down to 28.6 pounds, 24.8 of that was fat and 3.8 was lean mass... meaning, get back to the weights girlfriend. That muscle is my best friend in burning up calories, so I'll be pumping some iron tonight :) When I lost the 5% I need to for this new competition, I'll be in the "Acceptable" rang of health, which is exactly where I want to be. Goal weight is 175. Here we go!!

Also, let's recap the weekend, because, what a weekend it was... if you think that that statement sounds exciting and fun, NO, it was the exact opposite. I made a COMPLETE fool of myself and am vowing that after this Biggest Loser Contest, I won't go back to drinking that much, ever again. EVER. I'm going to gloss over the nitty gritty while still giving you the drama.

I went to a family friend's wedding in which a lot of my high school classmates attended, along with my parents, sister, and parent's friends. Some of these people have known me since I was in diapers. The ceremony was great, the bride was beautiful and the groom was beaming. After the ceremony everyone headed over to a nearby hotel for happy hour before hitting up the reception. I thought we had more time than we did and ended up having to shoot my second vodka tonic down pretty quickly. By the time the short walk to the reception site was done, I was feeling a bit heated. By the time dinner was served, I was on my way to tipsy. One of my mom's friends wanted me to meet a guy she knows that she said was super nice and key word, single. I really, really don't enjoy match making, especially during an event like this, but she's so nice and knows me so well, I thought, surely this can't be bad, right?

Wrong. The reason 2 + 2 does not = 4 is because it went more like 2 + 8 shots of vodka = disaster. DISASTER I tell you. I was so drunk that I was dancing with this guy like I was at a club and NOT at a wedding attended by my parents. But wait, it gets worse... my drunk ass self decides we need to talk and its obviously quieter behind the pillar across from the dance floor. Everyone knows that pillars have magical powers that allow for conversation. Obviously this guy didn't know that pillar = conversation because instead of his tongue telling me what he does for a living and what color flowers he plants in his garden, it was down my throat. Wow... yeah, I just put that out there. I have to own it though, because EVERYONE knew I was "behind the pillar". Sorry Mom and Dad... definitely half made out with a guy I didn't even know, right in front of your eyes but behind the pillar.

After the lights came on, I somehow stumbled my way back to my parents, proceeded to chuck off my shoes and then walked to the car, through downtown, barefoot. We stopped to drop my sister off, I used her bathroom and drank water straight from the faucet and then got back in the car... I definitely don't remember that at all. First ever black out, go me.

Of course I finished up the evening and following early morning with my best friend, toilet. We're close, I even cleaned him twice in preparation for this event, I had had a sense of foreboding on Friday evening... I love throwing up in a super clean toilet :)


The only good thing out of this weekend was, my mom, sister and I got a great photo together and I get to frame it and put it on my desk... to always remember DON'T DRINK VODKA.

On a lighter note, here are the pictures I promised showing my mediocre cake baking/decorating skills;

Can you say Carb?

I am cursed...

with a ridiculous obsession with love! :::please refer to the opening scenes of Moulin Rouge


In reality, on top of being obsessed with the idea of love, I'm REALLY obsessed with eating carbs and starches and sugar oh my!

Which, brings me to another thing, that horrible Zanesville man that kept wild animals in cages... it was so awful to see the image of 43 beautiful animals shot to death in order to keep them from roaming the Ohio countryside. Hopefully a new law will go through that prevents stupid people from keeping wild animals as pets.


I haven't posted often, but Monday I weigh in for another session of ICC Biggest Loser... not only does the winner get $300 but if you meet the 5% loss/gain goal, you get double your entrance money back. I'm hoping that I can jump back on this bandwagon with minimal effort, but I know, deep down, that this second round will be a struggle.

I'm baking a cake tonight for a friend's birthday, HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY SARAH, and I'm way too excited to decorate it and then give her her PRESENTS;) and then devour it! WHOMP! Remember, I don't weigh in til Monday.

Happy almost weekend everyone and I look forward to sharing my dessert creation with you after the weekend :)

I'm Back!

So I took a month off, lived life without counting calories or hitting the gym everyday. I was really, really, REALLY dreading my Wednesday weigh in this morning. I mean, honestly? I ate pizza, I ate noodles, I ate candy and cake and plenty of other sweets. Sure I walked Colbie as much as the weather allowed, but it sure as heck wasn't everyday! I didn't drink enough water and instead drank more soda and wine and liquor :)After all that I thought, "Surely I've gained at least five pounds, or have jumped up past my horrid hurdle of 200."

Amazingly enough, I have only gained a pound or so... and in my opinion, that isn't so bad in the grand scheme of things. Gaining anything at all should not be celebrated, but what I am celebrating is that I think I've learned portion control to the point where I don't have to think about it anymore. I anticipate my stomach feeling full and stop three bites before.

But now I'm back, from outerspace... sorry, my mind went down a different path, but I am back on the wagon. I've gotten my cravings and fixes out of the way. I started back at the gym on Monday as well as logging my food in MyPlate.


My awesome little pup, (featured wearing the CONE OF SHAME) Colbie, managed to break my bank yesterday. I spent $275 at the vet after she tore her head apart and managed to get yet another double ear infection. As a way of working off my anger and sadness at being beyond poor yet again, I took her for a walk around my newly repaved neighborhood. After that jaunt, I had a Potbelly Chickpea Veggies Salad with Nonfat Vinaigrette dressing and a few pieces of my leftover Brio Margherita Flat bread Pizza. Delish!

But wait, I'm not done! I then went to the gym and kicked in up for a half hour on the elliptical. Biggest Loser came on and I felt like a dumb butt for saying, well, I'll just go home now. The show is so inspiring that I decided to walk on the treadmill on a slight incline and when the commercials came on, I ran until the show started again. Overall, I believe that I completed 6.5 miles between the walk, elliptical and treadmill :) I think the Wagon is behind me at this point. I feel refreshed and ready to grab this journey by the horns again!


Lastly, I'd like to finish with a few pictures of the event that led me to this weight loss. My best friend's wedding was this past Saturday. When I had to order my bridesmaid dress in January, I ordered a size 22. After it was altered and 12 inches had been taken out, this is what it looked like. I feel good. :)

Woot Woot Wednesday

It's been two weeks since I last checked in... but not for bad reasons. Yes, sometimes I don't post when I've had a bad week or don't feel happy in my results, but this time it's strictly due to not having any free time.

It's weigh in Wednesday and yes, I lost two pounds this week :) Last week was one pound and the week before that one more. I have officially hit another mile stone, 60 pounds!!!!!!!!! Essentially I'm still off by two pounds BUT I'm pretty happy that I was able to lose what I did based off of my week and weekend.

Let's just say that I was in the mood for cake, and by mood, I mean the cake demons took up residence in my body and made me bake a cake. One which I then had for breakfast for two days instead of cereal. I had to travel home for a best friend's wedding shower and on Friday the cake demon was defeated by the pizza demon... Chet & Matt's settled very nicely over the cake :) Then the cake demon thoroughly trounced the pizza demon and made me eat two pieces of cake at the shower!

Let me follow up that the rest of the weekend I ate well; salads, grilled chicken, lean cuisine, hummus and veggies and lots of water. Let me also say that a neighbor and I have started two a days. I hit up the gym after work and get my 1/2 hour of cardio in, head home to make dinner and then we go out for another hour walk around the hood or over at the metro parks. I'm not sure if we'll walk the metro parks again without mace because last night a lady said to us in passing "I hope you survive to see tomorrow"... can someone please translate that cray-cray?

More good news, my trainer and I will begin working out again together starting next week :) That means more muscle, less fat and hopefully, less jiggle. It's imperative that I get less jiggle soon because I plan on busting out some Beyonce dance moves in Chicago come Labor Day weekend. It's almost bachelorette time and I'll be on the prowl. Watch out Chicago boys, you're not gonna know what hit ya!

Christmas in July!

I let the week get away with me, obviously, it's Friday. I did however, weigh in on Wednesday... baby steps my friends, little teeny tiny baby steps. I also only took a teeny step forward in my weight loss, one pound. Which I'm down with considering I went to Put in Bay this past weekend for Christmas in July and drank more in that night than I have in the past 6 months combined. Please enjoy the few pictures I can post here without offending anymore ;) Don't ask about the helmet man, I don't know why I wanted to pose for a picture with him...




It sure was fun, I can tell you that. It was hot as hades and I was definitely sweaty. I danced up a storm and my legs were killing me for two days straight. Working out with Heather has never made my calves as sore as they were after an hour of "getting low". What does that tell you??

This week is back to semi hardcore strictness as I would like to lose 3 pounds to make up for the missing 1 this week. Unfortunately I've had two beers on a blind date, a happy hour for work and might, MIGHT, make a cheesecake in honor of national cheesecake day tomorrow... it IS a holiday after all ;)

I wish I had wisdom to impart on you, but alas, my wallet has restricted my adventurous cooking side to leftover bread, whole grain pasta and frozen veggies. Til Wednesday my friends, have a wonderful weekend and treat yourself to a bite of cheesecake after you get off the treadmill :)

Never thought I'd see the day...

Yes, my friends, I did it. One major goal has been accomplished yet again, I have officially made it under 200 pounds and am now at 198. I never weighed myself through out highschool or college on a consistent basis, in highschool I didn't need to. I was involved as captain of the auxilaries team(aka flags) in marching band, volleyball, softball, the musical and plenty of other groups that kept me running from here to there. I never once thought that I was overweight or unhealthy during those four years. I find it disturbing and odd that I now fit into the same size I was as a senior in highschool; looking back, how did I let it get to what I was seven months ago? How did I go throughout college getting bigger and bigger and still feel successful, positive and pretty.

It's all due, in thanks, to my family. My parents and sister have always been my biggest cheerleaders, and those years weren't focused on image as much as survival. They supported me in any and every way I needed. College was tumulous at best those first couple years. My life as I knew it came to a screeching halt as I changed direction in my studies from my passion of music to boring business. I think I over compensated for my lack of faith in my decision with lounging around and shoving food down my throat. What else is there to do during school than meet up with friends to eat while studying, drink while eating, drinking and chipotle? It doesn't help that the only food most college kids can afford is the worst for you things... Totino's Dollar Pizza, McDo's Double Cheeseburger, Easy Mac and Ramen Noodles.

I'm proud to say I have not had a single one of those food items in the past seven months, and thankfully I wouldn't eat them even if I had the choice just because I love making my own meals from fresh produce.

Back to the distorted image issue: I've always told my close friends and mom that I felt super attractive when I left the house in the morning. I was confident, upbeat and felt like a super model in my cute dress and wedge heels... but then someone snaped a picture, I saw it on their camera and immediately asked them to delete it. I looked horrible! At least I felt I did, and it would take a picture to show how other's saw me. You can tell me you think I'm beautiful til you're blue in the face but pictures don't lie and mine were screaming at me. After nights like that I would go home and wallow in self pity, drink a bottle of wine, eat some pizza rolls and recycle through the process the next day. Totally condusive to helping my problem right? It's so easy to see how people get down and out and suddenly pack on the pounds, especially for active folk who suddenly aren't living that lifestyle anymore. You have to relearn how to eat, or dedicate staying at that activity level. It's tough.

I've tried a few times, once Sophmore year in college and once down here in Cbus after school, to go on diets and worked out with a trainer. Both times I thought I was in it for the long haul and I definately wasn't. Gained it all back and more. My mom told me that I had to be in the zone and unfortunately I couldn't find it.

I have now, and I'm very proud of my accomplishments so far and can't wait to see how far I can go with it. Here is a slideshow of pictures from highschool to now so you can travel down memory lane with me :)

It's that time again...

Weigh in Wednesday... sometimes the bane of my week and sometimes the highlight. This week it's more of a middle ground. I lost last week's one pound gain and another pound with it... so I'm within two of being under 200. Next week is the week!!!!!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend, I did, and I was semi bad. I think Micha is on to something; pizza is a mysteriously calorie free entree ;) Really it's not, but I did indulge in some of the best pizza Sandusky has to offer, Jim's Pizza Box. Gosh I could eat that every day... and according to Micha's diet, I can. Again, I kid. In compensation for my mouth watering meal, I was sure to walk every day with my Mom, Dad and Colbie and then Sunday when I got back to Columbus I hit up the gym hardcore.

Saturday was my best friend's wedding shower. It was at her house and beautifully set up, but mother nature was BRUTAL! I was soaked in sweat by the time my mum and I left. I also ate THE BEST piece of cake I've had in a very, very long time. I wish I had taken a picture of this yumminess for everyone to enjoy as well, alas, I scarfed it so fast they almost served me another piece thinking I hadn't gotten one yet. Just imagine moist white cake with a middle layer of lightly whipped cream, another layer of white cake followed by a cool whip like topping and strawberries. I've had this style of cake before but never this heavenly. Wow, I want another piece right now... Laura, is there any left?? ;)

Other than the pizza and cake, I did very well in keeping to my calorie amount and getting at least an hour of exercise in per day. Softball and volleyball are coming to a close, and while I want to continue, it was just so crazy busy that I feel like I need to slow down. I might join one volleyball team for the second part of summer, but that's it.

I know I mentioned mini vanilla wafers, my new favorite sweet snack... try them, I wouldn't lead you astray!


Sarah and I visited one of my favorite local dives for dinner the other night and I, of course, indulged. Their fries are some of the best fries I've ever had BUT I did do the smart thing and order the half size instead of full. Sarah on the other hand, ordered this...


I would ask her to share with us what these neon bite size horrors are but alas, Blogspot is still an asshat and hasn't fixed their comment issues.

I'm hoping to paint my room, play volleyball and get in a run tonight after work... maybe I'll even get some weight training in! Heather better pop that Stella out quick, I'm losing my ability to remember our sessions!

Neverland

Today is definitely the worst day I've had in a while. It's more of a mood thing than actually having horrible things happen. First, I have lost my phone for the umpteenth time this month and second, I forgot yesterday was Wednesday, so my weigh in was rescheduled for this morning.

I gained a pound. I'm not happy. I'm actually very upset. Not only did I not hit my goal, I went in the opposite direction. On top of that, I read about the awesomeness of my friend being able to eat pizza everyday and lose a pound, while I thought I didn't do too horribly over the weekend and boom, I'm back up. It makes me angry that my body sucks this week. It probably doesn't help that I haven't worked out with Heather in over two weeks due to her not feeling well... that kid needs to pop out soon so I can get my regularly scheduled training sessions back up to once or twice a week.

I really did not want to update my blog this week because I usually have positive posts and good news to share. That's not fair because weight loss is not the same for everyone, we all have our ups and downs and I shouldn't make my journey out to be a piece of cake... even though I could really go for a whole pan right now. I'm not craving cake or sweets due to my feelings, I just really like cake, so back off.

I've been at this stage before, but it didn't seem so depressing last time, maybe I'll need to revisit the D.C. post to see what was going on in my head after that trip. What I really need to do this week is focus on losing four pounds this week. I was able to lose 5 the week before by working out and eating correctly. I can do it again but I do have some physical restraints right now that will make it more difficult.

I have to take it easy on my running/intense cardio as my knee has really been bothering me since Tuesday morning. I over extended it or tried to pop it wrong and the 10 seconds of gross grinding noises and almost pain has resulted in an achy, stiff knee. My left quad is on strike as well, somehow I have been getting huge cramps (like the one on the boat) that really feel like I've pulled something. It happened again at softball when I went to run to first... now I'm dealing with soreness there too. I'm sick of getting older, where is Neverland?

4th of July - aka - Diet Disaster

We all hit roadblocks and challenges in trying to reach the goals we set for ourselves. It's human nature to rise and fall and rise again along the way. I've definitely accepted the fact that I am not perfect, nor am I strong enough to look the other way when my nose smells the delicious scent of fresh double chocolate brownies warm from the oven or when my ears hear the brats sizzling on the grill.

I'm upset by my inability to see the goal of the week, which was to get below 200. This past weekend was a definite flop in restraint. I had, in limited quantities but multiple times a day, Italian pasta salad (tons of veggies and fat free Italian dressing), brownies, baked beans, potato salad, ice cream, brats, turkey burgers, veggies and hummus, salad, wine, strawberry daiquiris... do you get the picture?

The brownie demons were working over time this weekend, I must has snuck at least three extra bites in before leaving for Columbus yesterday... my mom caught me mid shove and I'm pretty sure I resembled this chipmunk


I was only able to squeeze in one run this weekend, followed by a walk with my Dad. That was a nice change, as walking with someone is so much more fun when you have someone to talk to, even though it might slow you down a bit. :) He was tired by the end, so my new goal is to get him further each time... are you ready Daddy? Cause I'll be home again this weekend :)

Sailing was abundant this weekend, along with a jaunt to Kelly's with my cousins on his boat. It was great to spend time with everyone, especially out on the water, I now have more color than I've had in years :) I'm a few shades darker than Casper and that's quite the accomplishment.

I'm also Colbie-less this week, so I'll be taking advantage by squeezing in all the extra activities that I usually wouldn't be able to attend due to being away for too long. I have softball tonight followed by a rousing evening of corn hole and avoidance of beer, a wine tasting later this week and finally home for my best friend's bridal shower!!

The goal of the week is to try to offset my weekend weakness and loss the 3 pounds I need to... 199 baby, 199!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS - I'm really frustrated with not being able to post comments on my friend's blog. BLOGSPOT moderators, if you are reading this (which I know you aren't), get your shitza together and fix the comment section!

Hot Dog!

Today's post title is perfect in preparation for the holiday weekend but also for my weight loss this past week. Drum roll please...

5 Pounds!

I rocked it out! More liked sweated it out, but dang I was on point. I am officially down 52 pounds today :) I feel so good, so very very happy and proud of myself. I have never, ever lost this much weight, or seen so many changes to my body in a good way.

I've had literally zero spare time and have to schedule friends and family time in at least a week in advance. This weekend was deck weekend so my dad and sister were over to help power wash and stain my deck the lovely "Blendon Gray" that my condo association requires. We only got about 1/3 of the way through staining before we lost the light and then it rained the next morning. I believe I am on staining duty this evening after work but before volleyball but after my training session. Fun times. Anyone want to come out and enjoy some beautiful weather on my deck... while staining???

Side story to reiterate my utter lack of grace; I went to get my dad some coffee from Speedway, it's his favorite, and managed to spill the entire 16 oz on the steps and floor of my garage. My steps are now sticky as a giant spider web and smell like a sweets shop, sure to attract all the ants from my house to congregate in my garage...

On Sunday, my friend Dana and I grilled out and got some sun. We also indulged in a few glasses of wine, started talking about how fast cars and muscled men totally raise our blood pressure and then we randomly decided to run to the movies to catch a showing of Fast Five. Now, I've seen this before and so has she, so we were both free to whisper discuss the hotness that is Vin Diesel, The Rock and Paul Walker driving super sexy cars and throwing punches. It was awesome, add popcorn and soda and it was quite the ending to a great weekend. Did I mention that I love vroom vroom cars? AHHH!

This week I accomplished something I'm sure two of my cousins would be proud of... I mostly ran with a teeny bit of recovery walking 3 miles in 32 minutes! That's a hair short of a 5k right? James and Kates, I'm so totally on for the Turkey Day 5k this year, no backing out!

Can I also mention my friend Micha's awesome story telling skills? Girl has the comedic writing down to a T! Check out her most recent post in regards to Zumba and the dangers of the run away badonkadonk!

http://thinterventiondigest.blogspot.com/2011/06/ankles-and-such.html

My weekly menu has looked a little like this, in case anyone is looking for new food inspiration:

- Special K Chocolately Delight (Not so delightful due to those dang chocolate pieces)
- Mini Vanilla Wafers (awesome snack, these bite size little cookies really hit my sweet tooth)
- Lean Cuisine (Usually one of the paninis or pizzas), accompanied by a plain salad and my Balsamic Salad Spritzer by Wishbone (only 1 calorie per quirt!)
- Bagel Thin with a tsp of Jif Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/2 Green, yellow, red, and orange pepper, 1/2 a sweet onion combined with 1/2 cup of whole grain noodles mixed with 2 TBSP of Fat Free Balsamic Vin. and 1/4 cup of 2% Mozzarella Cheese.
- Sugar Free Jello cup for dessert about 1-2 hours after dinner.
- The most important thing of all is the water!! I'm making sure to have at least 120 ounces a day, more if I'm working out!

I'm off for the week, BUT, make smart choices this holiday weekend. Eat a bite of the thing you crave, not the slice! Have two drinks instead of five and WEAR SUNSCREEN!


Happy Fourth of July everyone, be thankful for our troops sacrifices to allow us the continued freedom we enjoy each and every day!

Screw You Mother Nature!

I wanted to head into this week's post with a happy face and exciting news. Mother Nature had other plans... she's entitled me to that special time of the month which has produced it's usual results of cravings and urges that aren't usually there. Unfortunately I've caved a little each time and it sucks. So here is the update for the past two weeks, at least the things that I can remember.

I recently purchased a new Special K Cereal for my breakfast enjoyment. Since it's the chocolate time of the month, I went with the chocolate version. Logical choice, seemingly a win win situation. Someone aught to tell General Mills that mini fake chocolate bars in cereal don't work because they sink and it's next to impossible to convince one to swim up to your spoon for consumption. I will not be purchasing the chocolate one again, I'd much rather have the yogurt one, at least I can enjoy that bowl without having to practice a search and rescue mission.

When I was home this past weekend for Father's Day, I went for a run around the high school fitness trail while my dad taught a pitching lesson. My guesstimate is that I ran about 2.5 laps and walked about .5, then my dad joined me for another 2 lap walk. It was nice outside and I got a wicked sunburn that I didn't notice til later because of the sweat flying everywhere. I thought I was golden for the day as far as calorie consumption goes until my parents informed me I was joining them for a graduation party... this was after sailing all day and not eating. What was I supposed to do when at a party serving cheesy potatoes and cake??? I had two bowls of salad, a teeny bit of pulled pork and potatoes and a massive piece of cake. Later that night I also indulged in a prepacked lemon-y vodka iced beverage which was way too tart but delicious :) The next day we went for a sail and Colbie got to enjoy the lake with us. My mom was a bit stressed watching her almost fall overboard four or five times, but after two hours everyone settled into a new routine of Colbie the spider monkey, tacking and wind gusts. It was awesome.


A group of friends and I hit up Applebees for dinner and I had one of the options listed under 500 calories, the steak and shrimp option? It was delicious and quite filling, please try it should you ever eat at the Bee. We had a bonfire that night... I had another lemony frozen beverage and a glass of pinot noir with Laura, Shawn and Janice.

My mom has always been disappointed in my disinterest in watermelon as she is OBSESSED. She could eat a whole melon in one sitting and beg for more. It's her favorite thing after movie popcorn. It's never held that much interest for me as there was always cheese, noodles and butter in my life. Now that I've broken things off with that group of acquaintances, watermelon has firmly embedded itself in my life. I've had it as my snack everyday and will continue to do so, thank you Peggy for the watermelon, it's now on my list :)

I've had some pretty colorful meals and some awesome lean cuisines in the past few weeks and will continue this trend as it's easy and tasty. I might have already used this Panini pic, but it's what I'm having for lunch and felt the urge to drool over it :) The peppers are the main ingredient in a meal that I eat quite often. I just use half of a red, green, yellow and orange pepper, half of a sweet onion and saute them with the cooking spray. I then add two tablespoons of the reduced fat Buitoni Basil Pesto sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. It's a wonderful low calorie dinner that is chuck full of veggie's!






So to recap, last week I lost two pounds, this week just 1. I'm hoping that I'll make up for that once I'm back from my monthly black spot. I plan on running for 2 miles outside tonight before volleyball... I've done it once, I can do it again :)

I'm late, I'm late and I missed the date!

My butt has officially been kicked. I was so exhausted yesterday morning when I woke up that I forgot what day it was... so obviously, weigh in Wednesday did not happen. Instead we have thunder thighs Thursday or thud thumping Thursday or just Thursday because apparently my brain is still MIA.

The root of this problem is that I get home late from volleyball, softball or some other kind of torture I put myself through. And by late I mean, I'm getting home after 11:30PM sometimes after 12:30AM and am usually covered in sand or my awesome softball field orange dirt tan. I then have to shower, pack my lunch for the next day (this hasn't happened in a week)and pack my gym bag so I have no excuse to avoid the treadmill. This is exhausting at midnight, but my brain is still going at 100 miles an hour and I end up staying awake til 1:30ish which results in about 5 hours of sleep.

Did I mention the 5 hours of sleep? I look like a train wreck. I'm pretty sure my coworkers are wondering if I moonlight as a woman of the night because sometimes my makeup routine has been, crash into bed and wake up hoping the mascara looks reminiscent of the day before and let's not even get into the hair description.

What really sucks is deep down I know that getting enough sleep is essential to my weight loss. How can my body function and continue to burn fat if I can barely keep my eyes open? I need to start managing my time a bit better on a daily basis so I don't sabotage my weekly goals.

Speaking of goals, I've lost two pounds. I was aiming for four this past week to make up for my splurging. Alas, that hasn't happened and I'll be the first to say that I'm disappointed. I'll get over it and push on through, only ten more pounds to go to hit that magical 200 mark! That would be 5 weeks. I'm holding myself to that, no more falling off the wagon, so mark your calendar my friends, July 13th I should be at 200 pounds.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, drink plenty of water and do a crunch or fifty :)

I'm early, but hate worms, so I'm not an early bird... just early.

I know that it's Tuesday and my weekly update is usually on weigh in Wednesday and for that I apologize. You will just have to deal with two updates, back to back this week, but tomorrow's will probably be pretty short as I will cover most of the important stuff now.

Last week I did not share with you my weigh in results. I was a little disappointed in myself and knew ahead of time that it wouldn't be a "loss" for the week. I was in fact, keeping my fingers crossed that I hadn't gained anything. I stayed the same, which is a good and bad thing. I'm going to pick bad so I know not to do what I did, that's a rut I can't afford to get stuck in again.

You know that I ate so many bad things, I did share that with you after the long weekend. It turns out cookies, elephant ears, ice cream, cake, cake and fries are not conducive to losing weight. Even though I went for a run a couple times that weekend, it didn't offset my poor decisions. I'm getting to the point where cravings are taking over everyday and I don't just have the bite that would hit the craving, I eat the whole piece of cake! UGH!

This week has been about trying to makeup for last week. I've been extra diligent on portion size and more veggies. I've made sure I've hit the gym everyday, including both Saturday and Sunday. Last night I did three miles on the elliptical in 25 minutes before heading out to a CYP volleyball game and then... one of the best moments of my life occurred two nights in a row, last night and Sunday night. I ran outside with Colbie continuously for over 1 mile and did it in 10 minutes. I think I might have found that rumored runner's high as after my 1.5 miles last night I felt like I could keep going, but alas, my head was starting to pound from the two beers I had at volleyball.

It's so weird to know that I had issues with running a mile in ten minutes back in high school during training for volleyball and I did it last night without a problem. I was in the best shape of my life back then but wasn't in shape for running and now I am. I even feel comfortable posting a picture of myself, full body shot, showing off one of my new dresses for work!


I'm not a model by any means, but I feel like a million bucks after my accomplishment last night.

Memorial Day Weekend

First off, thank you to our Veterans! We owe them our lives, freedom, families and so much more. Thank you for your service and sacrifice, you deserve so much more than just my thanks.


Last week I forgot to mention my out of control cake craving. I couldn't think about anything than eating some chocolate cake all week and eventually I gave in. Now, I did this in a way that only allowed me one piece of this deliciousness... I made someone else bake it :) Bridget, a friend from work, is a wonderful baker, don't let her tell you otherwise. This is what she made me and IT WAS SO GOOD! It looks like it would be dry, but my friends, I promise, it was the most moist and absolutely wonderful cake I've had in years.



I went home for the weekend to enjoy some family time in the Dirty Dusky. I took Friday off of work so I could be home for a full three days. Please enjoy the ride home with Colbie and I...


Once we made the drive safely, the weekend began and boy was it jam packed! Friday my Mom and I went grocery shopping and she bought me a lot of wonderful food to eat over the weekend. For example:


She is so good about keeping the house full of good food that I can snack on and gerat meal options too. We found bread that is AWESOME! It is Sara Lee's Delightful bread and it's only 45 calories a slice! I can now eat a normal looking sandwich and am eating less calories than the sandwich thins! Observe!


After we shopped we just chilled at home together and then I went for a run. Friday night saw me eat a couple tiny pieces of good pizza. Columbus has crappy pizza so I couldn't say no ;) Saturday my Dad, Mom and I went out for an awesome sail to Put-in-Bay and back, about five hours total. At first the weather was a teensy bit crappy only because it was cloudy and cold due to the nice breeze, but about two hours in the sun came out and I started stripping. It got to be quite warm and I got a bit of a sunburn! Next on the list of to dos was Cedar Point. My sister, her two friends and I went to the park for the starlight pass which allows you to go in for a discounted rate after 5PM til the close of the park. This is usually the best way to go during the peak summer days as most families are heading home by 7 and it's way cooler once the sun sets. We rode Raptor, Millennium Force, Magnum, Witch's Wheel and Maverick. It was a fun time and I was totally bad and had half of an Elephant Ear and shared some fries with my sister. Then the next day we went to Toft's Dairy, a local ice cream parlor, and had Red Velvet Rush and Praline Pecan ice cream... and I ate the whole thing!


One of my side activities was to see how some old clothes fit on my smaller self... and by clothes, I mean my old prom dress. Let me defend this odd and seemingly creepy statement by saying that this dress cost an arm and a leg back in the day and my mom and I didn't have the heart to just chuck it or sell it at the last garage sale. I actually wanted to try it on as I plan on being Holiday Barbie for Halloween this year. The good news is it fits! It's a bit tight and I obviously has four boobs when you count the rollover occurring in this photo BUT the zipper zipped and I could breath a teeny bit so I think the Halloween plan is on schedule, just imagine a blond wig and elbow gloves ;)


I leave you with this last thought. Cramps, headache, bad hair day and spilling coffee and soda down my front and across the floor can be overcome by this miracle that was sitting on my desk this morning :) And yes, I've chowed down on this and have already killed half a bag... ah!

13 to go my friends

I have successfully lost two more pounds this week and now have 13 pounds to go to be under 200 for the first time since highschool. This can not come soon enough. Part of me wants to fast and work out like a freak to reach that mark, but we all know that that is not healthy nor smart. I will continue to beat the shitza out of my fat two pounds and a week at a time.

This week has again been hectic with volleyball and softball. I will not be comitting to four days of work leagues again next session... it's just too much! Not for me as much as for my dog. She is home alone the entire day and then the night if I have a sport, it's not fair to her :(

I did find a moment to clean out my closet with the help of my roommate. I don't think she quite realized how many items we'd be sorting through (my entire closet of 5 years worth of clothing). It took about 45 minutes and by the time we were done, this is what my floor looked like!


This next one just shows how bored Colbie was with the whole clothes sorting process. She could give a rat's ass about clothes, but when it comes to flip flops, sign her up cause they are her favorite chew toy!


I'm so excited for this weekend. Today is essentially my Thursday as I leave for home tomorrow after work. I hope that the weather turns out to be nice because it's one of my few weekends that I'll be able to get some sailing in. If this should happen, I will be sure to take a few pictures that show off the voyages of Ariel and the Ramhoff family :)

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone! Remember, if you are tempted, take a teeny bite, savor and enjoy then pass it along to someone else and chug a bottle of water ;)

Holy Changes Batman!

:::peeks around the page::: I don't know think anyone noticed my lack of updates since it's been pretty quiet in these parts lately. I was supposed to update last Thursday, then I was supposed to update yesterday and finally you are getting some information today.

Last week was a little rough, this week too for that matter. Volleyball started up and I play on three teams, three different days. Monday night's team is with CYP (Columbus Young Professionals). It's a great way to meet new friends that are in the same boat as myself, younger business adults that meet up for drinks and conversation. The team itself is decent if we can get everyone to show up at the same time.

Wednesday and Thursday night are both work leagues, so I can to reconnect with some of the ICC consultants that I don't see often. Both teams hold their own, so it's been a good start to the season.

The problem with playing volleyball three nights a week is that I now drink three nights a week. I only had one beer each night and I made sure to calculate that into my daily intake. Somehow something went wrong and as of yesterday, I had only lost one pound. I did make some other not so great choices the past two weeks that might have contributed aka 1/2 piece of Red Velvet Cheesecake from THE FACTORY of Cheesecake. But again, I made sure it fit into my diet for the day and worked out as much as possible. I didn't work out with Heather last week as we were both too busy to get together, but she kicked my ass last night.

She brought this odd looking heavy leather ball that proceeded to kick my abs so hard I fell over. Literally. I couldn't hold myself up for some of the exercises... just goes to show how much further I still have to go to get my muscle regiment going strong.

The good news for all of this is that we took measurements and pictures last night to document the midpoint in my journey. I started on January 5 and as of today have officially lost 40 pounds, 24 inches and feel wonderful. Looking back it sometimes seems a slow journey, but then I realize that by doing this the right way, I'll never have to see those pounds again. They are gone for good because I'm taking the time to learn the proper ways to fuel my body, to never reward myself with food and instead go out and reward myself with clothes or something else I can wear or enjoy that reinforces my dedication to my newfound health & body.






This first photos of each set shows me that first week in January. I've always had self confidence and a pride in my appearance. I always felt super attractive walking out the door in my outfits from Lane or other speciality stores that cater to the larger woman. I was sexy and hot in my own way, but then I would see a picture and realize that I wasn't healthy and my confidence would tank. Pictures definately tell the truth most of the time and I didn't like what I saw. This set shows a girl that disliked what she saw of herself in pictures.

Now the second photo in each set that you see, shows all my sweat and hard work. Literally, you can see the sweat of my warm up jog... my poor trainer had to take my measurements and the tape measure kept sticking to my sweat and me, gross! I am so totally happy in what I see in these photos. I see the girls are smaller (and lower, that part I am not happy about). I see myself shrinking in a proportional way so I still feel like my womanly curves are showing but in a smaller way :)






LOVE IT!!!!

Hokay so....

Hello and welcome back from a week long hiatus. I apologize profusely for my inadequate updating techniques. In my defense, I have some fun and not so fun things to share avec vous. Pardon my french... ha!

Last week I hit that gym hard and hit it every day. I sweated like a beast and ran like... myself. My hair was super bouncy and happy while running, the complete opposite of my face. There isn't a mirror in front of the treadmills and ellipticals, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not all rainbows and butterflies in my facial expressions. I'm pretty sure I look like I'm pooping or having a bad cramp day. Moral of the story, I won't be picking up anyone at the gym anytime soon. BUT what I'm doing in the gym will surely produce "manly" (haha I'm on a roll) results soon!

I decided that I didn't need to work out after my weekend part time gig, it made my feet hurt for days afterword, so in an attempt to save myself unwanted physical anguish, I went shopping again! I bought jeans, real jeans. And by real, I mean expensive. Seriously Macy's? $60 for one pair of jeans that won't fit me by the end of the summer? Grrrr! They look nice and I don't have to worry about the droopy/long crotch issues I have with my jeggings, but still, I feel broke!

My sister and I had a girl's night after work on Sunday and indulged in an hour and a half of drooling over hot guys driving fast, hot cars. My precious readers, Fast Five may seem stupid and redundant, but it was totally worth it to see Vinny, The Rock, Tyrese and Paul Walker rock it out on the big screen. May I also say that there were some new hot exotic women featured this time... one day I will look as hot as them, just a lot whiter as their tans will forever escape me.

Did I mention the movie theater popcorn we scarfed? I didn't? Oops, cats out of the bag kids, I totally dove face first into the popcorn bucket and came up about three cups later, butter and all. It was delicious and fit into my allotment of calories for the day. So there :)

I weighed in this morning and am down another 2 pounds, woot woot! That was after a night of indulgence yesterday. A friend and I met at the Cheesecake Factory. That in itself was a feat as I thought we were meeting at Polaris, she thought we were meeting at Easton and neither of us thought to call to verify the location. I ended up driving back to Easton and ordered the Spicy Chicken Salad off the weight management menu. It comes with rice, beans, chicken, corn, onions and then a small pile of leafy greens. I skipped the rice in preparation for my half of the red velvet cheesecake. So delicious. SO DELICIOUS! At the end, I wasn't too full, so I felt good instead of guilty as I would have when I used to order the meatloaf, eat the whole thing on top of a loaf of bread, followed by the entire piece of cheesecake. We've come a long way people, a looooooooong way.

Tomorrow I am working out with Heather for a half hour, so I expect it to be intense and jam packed full of horrible things to make my body hate me. I kid, I kid. I recently have noticed my ability to do these exercises so much better, to be able to go longer and harder... cliche statement, but true. Heather kindly informed me that it's midway documentation time. We will be taking another picture and measurements tomorrow to see what all the changes are with my body since the beginning of this journey. I'll be sure to check in to share the results as well as post the before and midway pictures because we all know that numbers can only go so far. We are visual creatures and it makes a much bigger impact to see results than to read about them. I will be sure to wear my waterproof makeup as I acknowledge that my sweaty self will be hard enough to handle as is ;) let alone to see my hot self sporting raccoon eyes.

Losing it slowly but surely!

I'm not much of a morning person. I'm not grumpy, but I'm definately not coherent during the first ten minutes upon crawling out of bed. Hence why I thought I lost 6 pounds this week... I really lost 3, but my brain couldn't do the math. Maybe weighing in immediately upon waking up is a bad thing?

So I lost 3 pounds, woot woot! I'll be honest, I was hoping for a little more since I got to the gym every day and was careful of what went into my mouth. It's quite alright, I hit the 2 mark and added one, that's more than my weekly goal. Think positively! It helps that I completed 3.16 miles on the elliptical last night in 25 minutes, sweated balls and then attacked some weights! It also helps that I bought new clothes and have been wearing them all week... I feel attractive again :) I have always been comfortable with myself, but now even more so... I don't know how to explain it other than feeling like I have Super Mario Brother's Star Power!

I have a headache but whether it's from the currently dreary weather or waking up every five minutes thinking my dog was barfing I will never know. I've spent the last three days hovering over my pup as she threw up five times on Monday and wasn't eating. I caved and got some canned food which she slurped up faster than I eat mac and cheese. She seems to be keeping it down just fine but I can't help my listening for her gagging and then grossness hitting the carpet, ew!

Can we also rant about groceries and how f-ing expensive it is to eat healthy and as often as I need to?? I spent $93 at Kroger on Monday in addition to $23 at Aldi. I feel broke just from trying to eat healthy for two weeks. I can't wait for the farmer's markets to kick in so my produce is that much cheaper, argh!


One last tangent, I promise. 22 days until Memorial Day. I can not wait to go home and get out on the lake for some quality sailing!! I was only able to get out once last year since the boat wasn't in the water until August. This summer I hope to sail at least four times since I'll be home often for wedding stuff for Laura.

Va-Va-Va-Video!

>


You can follow Micha's journey here!

Hakuna Matata

I was so completely ready to take this weekend and the holiday. I packed a cooler of food to take home with me so my healthy ways would continue throughout my time in Sandusky. But then I met Tommy Turkey in his Easter costume. He was all honey roasted and moist.

Tangent 1 - I HATE the word moist. I hate the way it sounds, it's just a weird, gross word. Why, you ask, then do I use it to describe something as beautiful as a Honey Baked Ham Smoked Turkey? Because I have no other adjectives that are floating around in my noggin right now, that's why.

Back to Tommy. He was the first meat I've had in 40 days and totally num nums! I think I had half a turkey myself, NOT GOOD! But I knew that I would be a bit of a pig over the holiday weekend so my sister, Colbie and I went for a "run" Saturday morning. By "run" I mean I ran with Megan for all of five minutes before I stopped and started my spurts of walking and the spurts of running. Colbie was dead by the time she finished with Megan's five mile run.

So after Tommy, I had some Gorant's chocolates, Coconut Cream Pie, a cupcake, a tiny bit of scalloped potatoes and tons of brocolli, califlower and carrots. I definately made sure to fill up on the veggies so I wouldn't OD on the bad stuff. Sadly, I only have one picture from the feast, the beautiful cupcakes my cousin's girlfriend made... so pretty!!


This past week has been decent, not great but not bad. I've had some delicious food and some blah food. But I do have a new morning snack that is filling and wonderfully packed with some healthy protein... behold, the toasted peanut butter, banana bagel!


Also, one night prior to Easter weekend, I enjoyed my new Cosmo with some hummus, veggies and a sandwich thin grilled cheese sandwich using Kraft Fat Free Singles.



Today was weigh in day, and to be honest I wasn't too concerned and I think I should have been. I was extremely bad yesterday in my restraint. I hit the gym and then decided I needed a spur of the moment dinner out. I called my friend Bridget and we hit up Red Robin. It's not my favorite place, but I was craving some fries (hence the badness) they're endless, and I had two helpings with a lettuce wrapped veggie burger. I essentially cancelled out my work out and had a few more calories than alloted. I will get back on the wagon today and eat correctly. The moral of my story is that I lost one pound. Better than a gain based on my consumption levels over the past four days.

Happy Hump Day and Hakuna Matata!

Happy Easter

Today is my Friday! I took tomorrow off so I could drive back to Sandusky tonight and be able to attend Good Friday services with my Mom & Dad tomorrow. I always cry, it's always such a huge thing to do the readings and reenact the Crucifixion as part of the mob. To know that the people cried out for Jesus' blood in return for a common criminal. I plan on listening to my favorite of the Bach 4 on my way home tonight, St. Matthew Passion... which brings back the memories of Bach Festival and BW and all my friends whom I miss and adore. Sigh.







This weekend brings the introduction of meat back into my diet! We'll be having honey ham and turkey (my fav) with scalloped potatoes and tons of veggies. I'm excited and nervous all at once. I'm afraid that introducing chicken, beef and pork back into my diet will result in either a halt in weight loss or even a gain. I know that those sources of protein are supposed to fill you up more, but I love them all so much I don't know if I'll have an issue stopping when I should!

I've been thinking long and hard on this and believe that I will very rarely purchase meat to cook at home. I am thoroughly enjoying my meatless ways as it means I can consume "more" veggies. I will still continue to order meat when out and it is readily available, I will randomly buy some to cook with if the mood strikes me, but overall, I'm going to keep my carnivorous ways to a minimum.

I wish everyone and their loved ones a very Happy Easter. Safe travels and remember the true reason we celebrate Easter!