Weekly Weigh In: A Look Back

Hey guys! I'm doing my weigh-in early this week because I'm first travelling to my mom's house, where I will be spending the next month, and then leaving on Saturday for my big trip to Spain. It's getting pretty intense now. I got an email from the regional government's press secretary, asking us to be available for interviews....eek!! I'm so glad I bought that new suit and will be lookin' stylish!

So... drumroll please... I lost 3.2 pounds this week! I can't believe I am 2.4 pounds away from reaching my 50 pound goal!!!!! How awesome is that? I can't believe that it is a real possibility that when I come back from my month away, I could be in the 170s!!! I haven't seen those numbers since maybe sophomore year in college, which was when I really started gaining weight. That's my goal. I'd love to be 175 by the end of August, which is when I will be going to another professional conference, although I'll be seeing all my friends and faculty from grad school, when I was in the 230s. A few people saw me when I was in the 190s back in March, but I can't wait to see my dissertation chair and his reaction when he sees me in the 170s. I haven't seen him since last April, when I was at my heaviest. I can't wait!!!!

Another thing I realized is that I've been blogging for the past six months! I can't believe this is something that not only did I stick with, but it's definitely benefited me positively. I've made some online friends that are so supportive of my weight loss and are going through the same thing as me... that's invaluable. And I'm so glad to involve my IRL friends and family in my weight loss journey. Since January,

1) I've had 9099 visitors to my site (actually this is inaccurate, because I added my counter later, but still!!)
2) I've lost 26 pounds :)
3) My BMI has dropped 5.4 points.
4) This is my 130th post.
5) I've gone from a size 18 to a size 14!
6) I've become an exercise lover and a gym buff.
7) I made it through my first plateau and am still on track.
8) I started the C25K, with dying through a sixty second run.... and am now running for a solid 25 minutes straight!
9) I lost 5.5 inches in my chest, 2.25 inches in my arms, 4.5 inches in my waist, 6 inches in my hips, and 3.5 inches in my thighs... woot!
10) I've actually stuck with this weight loss journey for six months straight. Six months of exercising and watching my diet. This is the first time I've ever done something like this and stuck with it. And I couldn't have done it without y'all. Thanks for being there for me.

Here's to another six months, and another 26 or so pounds :) See you when I get back from Spain!

HYC Tuesday Update: Van Halen Edition

According to the scale, I'm moving downward again. Woot! I'm very excited about this. It's been really hard to stay on track with my eating and exercise since I've been so busy at work.

So, Van Halen... I finished reading Valerie Bertinelli's autobiography "Losing It" last night. What an amazing story. This was a woman who when the scales went over 115 pounds, she thought she was fat. What was really interesting was the reaction to her as she climbed the scales into the 160s and 170s. She is a strong woman (although, in reading the story, I'm amazed she stayed with Eddie Van Halen for 20 years!) and I'm glad that she put her story out there. It was very informational and in the last 20 pages, informative about Jenny Craig. Jenny isn't all that different from how I eat in my every day life... watching my calorie intake instead of eating food that has been planned out for me.

And... all I wanted while reading this book was to listen to some Van Halen. So, I loaded a bunch of Van Halen songs on my Ipod Shuffle and went to the gym last night. Sammy and Diamond Dave helped me punch out a 25 minute run last night. The last seven minutes were so tough, and I listened to two of my favorite VH songs "Panama" (Great tempo for running) and "Hot for Teacher". I'm a professor, so that is one of my feel good songs about myself. I know, how mysogynist, when I claim to be a feminist, but would that song be any less degrading if the Pussycat Dolls sang it? I don't care, I love it. And it got me through my 25 minute run, and I was very happy with that!

A Love Letter To Myself

Dear Kiki,

It's been a tough week for you. I know that all you've really wanted to do was order pizza, Chinese, and Taco Bell (mmm... chalupas) all week while you've been writing that crappy paper, but you didn't. You cooked turkey BLTs or PBJs (do you really cook those?) and stuck to your diet. And even though it wasn't perfect, you lost weight this week. I've enclosed some pictures that I took of you wearing the same dress on different days. The older ones were from February when you hit 200 pounds. I took these new ones earlier today. Even though you are about 15 pounds less, I think you can really tell that all that hard work in the gym is paying off. You look fabulous!

I think that sometimes you just need a hug and a reminder about all the good work you've done. You've come so far. Don't let a little plateau keep you from moving forward! Keep up the good work :)

Love ya,

Kiki

PS. Look at how you need to hold your dress in the back for us to see your shape! Doesn't it feel good when dresses that used to fit just right are now too big??

PPS. Look how much your face has slimmed down!! BTW, sorry I took that picture of you with no makeup on. You look fabulous anyway!!

It's My "official" Day of No Work

So, no blogging. But I did make this chicken marsala recipe, so I suggest you try it. WW readers: there's even nutritional info! Hope you're having a good Saturday!

Weekly Weigh In: Eh

I lost 0.4 pounds this week. Earlier in the week, my weight loss was lower, but I was wondering when that friendly little monthly bloat was going to kick in. Seriously, at this point, whatever. I've been running full throttle since Monday, and even though I've stuck as closely as I could to my plan, diet AND exercise wise, stress makes me do things. Stress makes me eat. I full admit to a late night chomp down around midnight last night. I finished the first draft of my paper for Spain and I don't know if I turned to food as a stress release or as a little congratulatory gesture, but I did, and I shouldn't have. What I should have done was crawl into bed, and because of my eating, I didn't get to bed until 1AM, which is the latest I've gone to bed on a weeknight in a long while.

I call a week like this one of my "lawyer" weeks. I had considered becoming a lawyer ($$) but I couldn't justify working 80 or 90 hour weeks. This week, I've easy worked 10 or 11 hour days. It really does suck, and I know that I made the right decision by going into academics. Seriously, I have about six or seven weeks a semester where it gets this bad, and then the rest of the time, it's a regular 40-50 hour work week. What's nice is that I'm going to a colleague's house for dinner tonight (these are fun people, so it won't be stuffy at all). Plans for tomorrow: Sleep as late as I possibly can :) Then I get to stress over potential revisions when I get my paper back from those that volunteered to read it. Yay. I think I'll at least have one day to myself before the stress returns.

Challenging Myself

Yesterday was one of my full throttle days again. At work by 10, took an Italian test (which I aced!), spent the whole afternoon here working on my paper, had to return my tv cable box to the office on the outskirts of town (what's the point of having more than 30 channels if you don't have the time to watch them?), went to the gym for two hours (I've become one of *those* people, but man, are my triceps sore today from upping my weights on them), came home, ate dinner, watched an episode of Frasier, and then worked on my paper until 11PM when I finally said, enough is enough and went to bed. I'm back hard at work on my paper... but I'm taking a few minutes break.

The other night I was talking to my mom, and she confessed how much she weighed in at. Huh. I was really surprised. So, I stepped up to the plate and challenged her, and in turn, challenged myself. I want her to walk the Philadelphia Half-Marathon with me in November. It's 13.1 miles, and we both have a week's vacation starting the day after the marathon, which will give us some recovery time. She participated in the 2006 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer, and walked all 60 miles over the course of a three day period. However, since then, she's really not kept up with her walking. My mom is getting older, and I want her to be active and healthy rather than falling into that easy trap of not exercising. So, while I'm home in July, we're going to start our training, taking walks in the evening, and getting her on the course for training on her own once I come back to the Sticks.

Have any of you walked a marathon or a half-marathon? Any advice?

The Chicken Lady

I grew up in a special city in Eastern Pennsylvania. Every August, we have a HUGE music festival come to town for ten days, and the biggest attraction (other than the hasbeens that come to give concerts) are the polka tents, where you can find this lady "strutting" her stuff. She's the Chicken Lady. No! I mean that literally! She walks around the festival, dressed like a chicken (see her outfit?), dancing polka with people, and.... leading the chicken dance. You know it! da da dada dada da, da da dada dada da, da da dada dada da *clap* *clap* *clap* *clap* You've totally done it at weddings.

Now, I find myself doing the chicken dance a lot in my bathroom, without really meaning to do it. It mainly comes from me, standing in my bra in front of the mirror moving my arms around to see how much of my arm fat (aka my chicken wings) flap. I have to admit that my arms have gotten alot slimmer than where they were two years ago. However, I'd much rather be looking like this woman than looking like the Chicken Lady:

I've been trying to get there... really amped up the attention that I'm paying to my triceps. Now, I know I'll never look like Madonna. But I'd much rather have my arms leaning closer to hers, than the wings of the Chicken Lady!! And I think my workouts have been working. My tricep does feel a lot stronger than they used to. Maybe I can convince Justin Timberlake to come over and help me with my workouts....

HYC Tuesday Update

G'morning all! The sun is shining, my patio door is open, and for the first time in weeks, I slept with the window open and a blanket on my legs. Hard to believe after those nasty storms we got in the Northeast last night, that a day like today could emerge. My carpet roses took a beating from all the storms we got over the past few nights... there are petals all over my patio, and the flowers just look sad. Here's a picture of what they looked like before they were all mashed thanks to Mother Nature.

The past few days have been good. After that weigh in on Saturday, my scale has told me that I'm on a downward slide, which makes me happy. I hate reporting my "unofficial" weight during the week, but seriously, for the past few weeks, I've been going out on Friday nights, and I wonder if that's throwing my weigh ins. Eh, like that really matters. One thing I did notice is that my belly bulge seems to be going down. I have given up my daily Diet Cokes, since I read in Prevention that they are related to belly fat and bloat. Um, no thank you. Instead, there is one Diet Coke in my fridge at school, in case of emergency.

I had a crappy run at the gym last night. When I got there, around 4:30, there were more people there than I had ever seen before. Seriously. It was so bad that there wasn't one treadmill open. I started with my weight training, conspicuously watching the cardio area. I was too slow to grab one open treadmill, but then I got another. I was aiming for another 25 minute run. I got through 10 minutes, and I had to walk for a minute. I ran for another five, and then had to walk for another minute, until I got through another three minutes, and did my cool down. What the heck? I don't understand what is going on with my running. I think part of it is that my heart just really isn't into it. I'm leaving town in about nine days, I have this paper that I need to finish writing by Thursday (because I want people to look at it before I send it to the people in Spain officially), plus I have that class that I need to finish teaching. My heart just isn't at the gym on that treadmill. I'm also expecting that it will be hot and humid while I'm at home for the month of July, so I doubt I'm going to get to run all that much while I'm at home. Part of me wants to hang up my C25K sneakers until I get back here in August, but until I really get to that point, I'm going to continue incorporating runs into my workouts.

Finally, I'm doing Swizzlepop's monthly workout challenges. This month, it's arms and legs. I did the exercises on Saturday, and what I really wanted was some ankle weights to make the leg moves more challenging. Well, yesterday, I found a stash of them in the weight area. Wowweewowwow. Talk about feeling the burn. I'm not hurting that much today, but that last set of abductors were killer. Those of you who are doing the same, try it one day. You might like it :)

Sounding the WOOT! Alarm

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to the gym to figure out where I was in my C25K training that had so rudely been interrupted by that awful head cold/sinus infection that I had last week. My plan was to run for 10 minutes and then assess where I stood: should I continue attempting the 25 minute run which is the opening of week 7 or should I revert back to the intervals from week 6, which is run for 10, walk for 3? Well, I felt good at the end of 10 minutes so I kept going. I slowed down once (still running, not walking) at the end of 15 minutes, but I sped back up and kept going for a full 25 minute run. WOOT! I have to say, it felt damn good to be running again, plus to be able to run and not walk. In those 25 minutes, I ran about 1.9 miles, which is okay time. I'm not really concerned about my time just yet. I'd rather be concerned about getting through two more 25 minute runs, and then a week of 28 minute runs before I head off to Spain in a few weeks. I'm so psyched!

Weekly Weigh In: My Hips Don't Lie

Argh... I gained 1.2 pounds this week. Seriously, folks, I am getting so frustrated! I realize that much of my weight loss last week had to do with the fact that I was sick and wasn't really eating correctly, but still! So, I did something to calm myself down. I measured myself. This strategy obviously could have backfired, but it didn't. In the two weeks since I last measured myself, I lost an inch in my waist and and inch in my hips (along with some small movement in my arms and thighs). This means that my body IS gaining more muscle since I started weight training at the gym and that my body composition is changing along with it. It's really frustrating to not see the numbers on the scale move, but at the same time, the fact that my body is changing really helps me to relax and continue what I am doing. So, I'm racking this week up as a Non-Scale Victory, thanks to my inches lost.

It's been a while since I blogged about C25K. That's really because it's been a while since I ran. I didn't really work out last week while I was sick, and on Monday, I was still feeling a bit stuffy, but I tried to run. Well... it didn't work. I got through a 10 minute run, and then had to walk for a few minutes. I ran for another five before I just gave up because I felt like my breathing was all out of whack. But now, my sinuses are back to normal, and I'm ready to give another 25 minute run a chance. I'm all about having to go back to week six and do 10 minute intervals with three minutes of walking in between to get me ready for that 25 minute run, but I think I'm going to go to the gym with the 25 minute run in mind and reassess the situation when I hit that 10 minute mark. Wish me luck!

The Quest Continues

After Wednesday's fiasco at my local mall, I called up my friend J to drive up to Pittsburgh (aka The "Big" City) with me to continue my search for a suit for Spain. The quest became more pressing when I got news this morning that I'll be speaking to an audience of 150-200 European Union scholars as well as government officials that work for the EU or the regions that make up the EU itself. Seriously, I think the biggest group of people I've ever spoken in front of might have been 20 to 30 people large. My classes don't count. I've taught classes that had 80 kids in there, but that's lecture, and it's a lot different when you are giving a lecture to your peers rather than your students. So, when I caught wind of that, I started to get really nervous. I needed to look the part of the "expert" which I know I am. I have a PhD dammit! What I want people to think when I step up to the podium is "wow, she knows her stuff" not "how old do you think she is? 22? 25?" I get this all the time... people still think I'm a student. I'm a 28 year old professor. Trust me, it's a compliment 95% of the time. Spain makes up that other 5%.

I called J prior to my noon class, asking her where she thinks we ought to go. I'm REALLY scared about trying suits on. The cuts aren't as forgiving as jeans or khakis. Also, I'm trying to spend under $100 on a nice looking (read, not cheap looking) suit. That's next to impossible to begin with. But what I don't want is to spend a ton of money on a suit that might only last me the next six to eight months, especially if my weight loss continues. I believe J thinks I'm a freak at this point, calling her less than two hours before we go to the mall to freak out about going to the mall. We hang up and I go give my class an exam. After that, we head to the 'Burgh.

There are three major department stores at the mall we went to: Boscov's, Macy's, and Sears. We park at Boscov's and go in. I find a petite size suit, size 16. However, the jacket is hitting in this weird no-man's land of my waist. I decide to chuck it and move onto the next store. Nothing in Sears. I found something at Macy's... it also cost $300. Um, no, that's not going to happen. JCrew and Ann Taylor are a blur, as is the Banana Republic. Somehow, we've circled around the mall, and I left my self esteem somewhere around the Auntie Anne's pretzel stand.

We're back at Boscov's. I say to J, let me go try that suit on one more time. It wasn't that bad. We start walking back to the dressing room where I left the first suit I tried on, and somehow, I come across a jacket in a different cut, but the right size. Woot! It fits, it hits my hip where it should, and..... drumroll please...... the suit costs $73 on sale. Since I'm under $100, J and I decide to hit up the Bandolino store, where I get that pair of fabulousity you found at the top of your page for $30. I think I'm set for Spain... a new pair of shoes and a great summer weight suit all for under $110! (and before you ask, the answer is yes, I was wearing the shoes around the house in my underwear. I *love* living alone.) G'night all!

Kiki Jones's Diary

My phone rang at 8:10PM tonight. It was my mom. She asked what I was doing, and I said I just got home. We chatted for a little while, and then she asked again, wait, you mean you just got home? And I said, yes, literally, I just got home. This is what my day looked like:

7:30AM: Wake up
7:30-8:30AM: Enjoy my breakfast, answer emails while having a cup of coffee
8:30-9:30AM: Get ready for work
9:30AM: Depart
9:34AM: Get stopped on the street by a road worker. She tells me that I will be waiting for a while because they're repaving a portion of the street. I turn around and go another way.
9:50AM: Arrive at my office and prep for today's classes
10:30AM-11:45AM: Italian class. Yes, I'm taking this one for fun this summer, before I was invited to Spain. I can't exactly drop out in the middle of the semester just because something else popped up!
11:45-11:55AM: Call my friend J who just got back from a job interview. Sounds like all went well, but couldn't talk with her long because...
11:55AM: Pee break before class
Noon-1:15PM: Teach my class. Bore students by telling them what I think are funny stories about international organizations and the people who run them. They only get excited when I mention the price of gas. Oy vey.
1:15PM-2:00PM: Much needed internet surfing break while eating lunch. Run into boss, avoid talking to boss too long by telling him that my soup is done in the microwave. Phew!
2:00PM-5:15PM: Work on Spain talk. Am getting exhausted with this speed research, but am able to put thoughts together on a paper, which will now serve as my outline for my speech. Or so I think for now.
5:15PM-5:30PM: Drive to the mall. Heard a department store is having a one day sale and since I have lost so much weight, I need a new suit. Wish me luck.
5:30-6:15PM: No luck at all. Stores either a) don't carry suits in the summer or b) have suits matched with capri pants. Not at all professional. Almost sucked into buying extremely comfortable pair of professional looking heels. Need to leave mall now.
6:15-6:30PM: Drive to gym. What do you mean that the street workers only paved 1/8 of the street? Seriously??
6:31PM: I forgot the combination of my gym combo lock. Get so mad that I chucked it in the trash and brought my gym bag out to be locked in my trunk. D'oh!
6:32-8:00PM: Work out. 5 minute warm up walk, 15 minutes on stairmaster, 15 minutes on elliptical, 15 minutes on rowing machine, 5 minute cool down walk, 8 minute stretch. Ahhhh. Saw funniest thing. A girl on the elliptical was trying to text while going 6MPH. Hilarious!
8:00PM-8:08PM: Drive home. Finally back at the apartment.
8:09PM: Phone rings. Is mom. Must talk.
8:50PM: Phone slides out of my shoulder/head position as I am trying to eat PBJ sandwich for a late dinner. Phone hangs up on Mom.
8:52PM: Call Mom back. Phone starts beeping because battery is dying. Tell Mom will talk with her tomorrow.
8:53PM-9:30PM: Watch an episode of Frasier. Seriously, how did I not know about this show before. It's just the right combination of snobby intellectual/blue collar humor. Love love love the whole Daphne/Niles thing.
9:30-9:50PM: Shower. Must not climb into fresh smelling sheets smelling like the gym. Ahhh... hot water good.
9:50-10:15PM: Blog. Must not ignore my loyal readers. I feel horrible about not being able to stay on top of my Google Reader this week. Maybe on the weekend while I'm not teaching or going to Italian class?
10:15PM-10:35PM: Watch another episode of Frasier. Want to place DVD in the mail tomorrow so I can get a movie on Saturday. Love Netflix.
10:35PM-11:30PM: Read more of scary Dracula book.
11:30PM: Bed. Nighty night!

Yes, that is my day. I seriously do not know how those of you who have children do it. I am exhausted, hence the 8 hours of sleep I get a night!! Granted this will only be my schedule until next Friday, when the text of my talk is due in Spain. Then I can chill before I get freaked out. My main concern right now is finding an inexpensive black professional looking suit that I can wear in Spain. I don't want to spend too much money on it, because I figure it'll only last another six to eight months of conference wear due to my weight loss and my mom's mad alteration skillz. Argh. I'll worry about that tomorrow. Now for more Frasier...

HYC Update Tuesday

Um... I really must start running spellcheck before I post :)

As for HYC: I'm down this week (!!) and luckily my cold is somewhat gone so I've been back to the gym. I have to admit, I'm feeling a lot better not only physically, but also mentally about my weight loss journey. I guess a good loss helps you along the way.

Sorry I can't write much, but today has been a crazy crazy day!

Things we should do

All day long, I've been in this mindset of things I should be doing. Liek this morning, I slept a little longer than I had planned. I thought to myself, I should be up, drinking coffee, checking email. While I was doing that, I thought that I should already be showering. While I was in the shower and doing my hair, I decided that I should have been out the door fifteen minutes ago. It is so exhausting when you spend a whole day berating yourself for being behind. I actually felt guilty going to the gym tonight because I should have been working on my paper for Spain. In actuality, I did some significant research this afternoon which lead to some brainstorming, which in turn made me realize that my assigned topic for my talk is not too far off of what I did in my dissertation. Phew! Why is it so hard for us sometimes to give ourselves a little "me" time? I was at the office from 9:30 until 5:30, came home, ate dinner, went to the gym, took a shower, painted my toes, talked with my mom and am about to crawl into bed with my scary Dracula-esque book. What is so wrong with spending the last five hours of my life doing "me" centric things? Absolutely nothing :)

It's Official

As of last night, it is official that I live in the sticks. I live in one of the most rural states in the US, one that our current Vice President recently made fun of. However, like I enjoy telling my friends from grad school (since we are now spread all over the world), I live in the equivolent of New York City in my state. Not really much going on here, although I guess when the university's football stadium is full, my city is the biggest in the state. So, why is it official that I live in the sticks? Well, some of you know about my goat problem. I technically live outside of city limits, like the line is two blocks from my apartment. So, my neighbors have goats. And we're not just talking about 2 or 3, we're talking about a whole pen full. I think there has to be at least 10 of them, and the big billy goat is scary. I don't want him to get near my car. You're thinking, well, if they're in a pen, why I are worried about the billy goat getting near your car? Mainly, because we seem to have encounters when they escape from their pen and I'm driving through the road that leads to my apartment complex. The baby goats are soooooooo adorable. However, I don't want it on my conscience that I accidentally ran over a baby goat as it was crossing the street to eat the neighbor's overgrown grass.

So, if that isn't hillbilly enough, last night I was coming home from meeting a friend for a drink downtown and I had another encounter. In order to get to my apartment, I need to follow one road until it deadends, and then follow the road down by the goats. I had my high beams on, as I usually do, because there are no lights back in that area, and I saw two huge animals in the deadend. I thought, OMG, the goats got all the way up here? But then I thought to myself, that animal is too big to even be the billy goat. IT WAS TWO HUGE DOES. HUGE. Seriously, I don't think I've ever seen deer that big. Well, maybe in the woods on the interstate, but not here in town. Not to mention, they basically were ten steps away from being in someone's yard. Kind of crazy. At first I was a little scared, because I thought they would be spooked and run at my car, so for three seconds I didn't move and they didn't move. Finally, they turned around and ran into the field behind them. Weird. Truly weird.

Something I've been thinking a lot of is how we socialize and how that messes with our weight loss. This summer, I've been hanging out with a new group of people, mainly from my department, although other people who I've met through this group. It seems as though our socializing revolves around meeting at one of the many bars downtown, either for trivia night at a local pub or meeting at a nice bar for a glass of wine. When I first started going out, I would easily down two glasses of wine in a few hours. It was a bit odd, mainly because I've lost so much weight that two glasses of wine easily makes me tipsy. Not to mention the calories that come with the wine or beer I consume when I go out. So, I've made a rule for myself... I'll meet friends for a drink, but ONE drink and then I'll drink water the rest of the time. Sure, it's kind of funny to ask the bartender for a water, but it saves me on calories. What are your tricks when you go out with friends to a bar or pub?

Weekly Weigh In: WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I finally did it! I broke my plateau! I lost 4.4 pounds this week, which is an amazing figure, considering my plateau these past few weeks, and my cold which stopped me from working out like I would like to. I've had big losses before, but this was my first huge loss in a while... actually since the beginning of April. What I'm even more excited about is the fact that I'm 4.8 pounds away from my 50 pound loss. I can't wait to hit that 50 pound mark, mainly because I've been dying to change the ticker at the top of this page. I've been staring those 50 pounds in the face for so long that I just want to get there. What's even better is that I think I can hit that mark by the time July rolls around, which was the goal I set back in May.

On another note, I'm feeling a LOT better today. Still a little on the stuffy side, but not completely miserable. I'm doing some laundry right now as I type, but I think I might actually go to the gym today, just to do a light workout, maybe some elliptical and some stationary biking with some light weights. What I'm more worried about is my C25K training. It's been a week since my last run, and even though that was a 25 minute run, I think I'm going to need to ease back into my training again. Technically, I'm on Week Seven, which is 25 minute runs, but we'll see how that goes on Monday.

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plains

I'm going to Spain!!! Well, at least I'm about 95% sure, and it's for work which means that I won't get to travel around or anything fun like that, but still. It's Spain, all expenses included, and what is even cooler is that it's in the Basque Country. It's historically known as a separatist area (if you're familiar with the 1970s and the bombings that happened in Spain, it's from the terrorists that come out of these places), but I googled some pictures of the town that I will be staying at and it is GORGEOUS. I am a bit nervous though, because part of this whole thing-- yes, there is a catch-- is that I have to present at an international conference. I looked at the program, and it's me, the American, and a bunch of European scholars. I need to start a new mantra... I am the expert, I am the expert, I am the expert... or I'm going to have a nervous breakdown before this trip in three weeks.

I'm still sick. This is three days without the gym, although I might go this afternoon for a while. It completely depends on how I feel by the end of the day. Lucky for me that my friend J suggested I check out some Musinex. Sudafed really doesn't do much for me, but there is something else in Musinex that let me sleep like a baby last night. And I'm counting down the next five minutes before I can take my next dose. The thing I hate about buying cold medicine (I don't know if my international readers have to deal with this or not) is all the paperwork you need to fill out. Can't we just sign an affidavit saying we're not going to make meth with this? That we really DO have a cold and have a need for this medicine?? I can't believe our society has been reduced to this.

So... another question for y'all out in blogland: Do you prefer to work out in the morning, after work, or at night? I'm going back and forth between waking up early to go work (I wake up at 6 when I head to the gym) or just going there after work. The problem with waking up early is that I noticed that I really don't go to bed any earlier than on days that I don't get up at 6 to go to the gym. That leaves me wondering, when do YOU work out?

Weigh in is tomorrow... keep your fingers crossed for a good loss!!

I hate summer colds

While I may have not been able to get out of bed for my 25 minute C25K run again this morning, my nose has definitely been running miles. Last night when I came home from work, I was super miserable. I sat on the couch for a while watching TV, and then I gave up and went to bed. I slept for about an hour and then got up and called my mom (don't we all need a little mom sympathy when we're not feeling well?). I also took some Tylenol and another dose of Airborne around 9:30, which gave me a second wind, which made me not fall asleep until 11. I was fine all night, and now... I'm feeling miserable again. I decided not to push myself with exercise. I'd rather this cold hang around for a day or two, and then go away. Who knows? Maybe I'll be feeling a little better later (fingers crossed!) and I'll make my way over to the gym then.

I did have some good news this week. My gym is changing its membership options (which really they aren't, but they're making us fill out this paperwork again) and part of the change is that ALL spinning classes are INCLUDED in membership fees. Woot! Right now, you had to buy a "package" of spinning classes, and I was planning on doing this when I got back from my month long visit to my mom's. But... when I get back from my mom's they will be a part of my membership package. I can't wait to add that to my workout routine.

Airborne, Work Your Magic!

* Before I start, yes, I know all about the lawsuit against Airborne, but I continue to take it. Basically, it doesn't cure colds, but it does provide a nice boost to your immune system, which does help in fighting off a cold.

When my alarm went off this morning, I thought to myself, there is no way that I'm going to the gym right now. My head feels like it weighs 50 pounds. So, I slept for two more hours, and thanks to some heavy thunderstorms that passed through my area (and obviously are still passing through my area thanks to that thunder that just happened), I am running a little behind this morning. No biggie. I'm not going to sweat it, because my hair isn't going to look good in this weather anyhow!

Wow, thanks for all the responses to my food request. Keep them coming! I love trying out new recipes, and it looks like there are some good ideas out there. Last night, I decided to write down everything that I had for the day, and using my WW guidelines, see how many "points" I had eaten. I was religious about writing down my food and points until the end of March, when I felt that I had gotten too obsessed with it, so I stopped. Well, in writing down my food... I realized that I wasn't eating ENOUGH on basic WW points guidelines, let alone taking into account the exercise I had done for that day. Maybe that's part of my issue with losing weight over the past few weeks. I haven't been eating enough to match the higher intensity workouts that I've been doing. So, I'm trying to eat more, but healthier more.

Alright, I'm going to take my chances and jump in the shower. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the storms are gone!

A Food Request

I'm getting bored with cooking for myself every night. I'm also getting bored with my lunch meals. I'd like to hear from you all in my comments section: What's one of your favorite lunches to bring to work (and yes, I have access to a microwave AND a fridge at work)? What's one of your favorite *healthy* dinners to make? I'll gladly accept any recipes, links to recipe websites, or links to a recipe on your or someone else's blog. I think this ambivalence towards food is another reason for my f'in plateau! Thanks for your help!!

HYC Update Tuesday

Not much to report that I haven't said already. I gained this week, and I'm hoping for a loss come Saturday. I've been watching my diet like a hawk, making sure that there aren't calories sneaking in here or there. Last week was also the first week where I paired my crosstraining with the C25K runs, and it makes me wonder if my stamina has improved on my running, since last week it took me 20 minutes to run 1.3 miles, and this week I ran 1.9 miles in 25 minutes. I feel like I graduated to the "big girl school" of the gym... I'm weight training, using pretty much all the cardio machines, and am getting my butt there six days out of seven (gotta have a break!). Keep your fingers crossed for a loss this week!

Conquering a 25 Minute C25K Run

I did it! I did it! Yesterday, I decided to go to the gym after mass instead of beforehand to complete my C25K run. My gym doesn't open until 8 on Sundays, and mass is at 10, so I'm cutting it a bit close with showering, etc. Plus, I did this on Saturday, since I was waiting for my mattress and then meeting my friend J for an early lunch. I loved it. I think I spent close to two hours at the gym on both Saturday and Sunday. But Sunday... I was looking at my first 25 minute run. It was daunting and intimidating, especially after my bad weigh in on Saturday. But I said, what the heck, climbed on the treadmill and started running. It really wasn't all that bad. I had the time counting down (better mental visual). I really didn't start to feel tired until there was about 8 minutes left. But I pushed through it and finished my first 25 minute run with no walking. I was sweating like a fool to the point where my racerback top had a ring of sweat around my neck, but at the same time I DID IT. What was even cooler was that there were a few other women running on the treadmills when I was there, and I got some thumbs up nods from them when I got off the treadmill. How nice!!! I'm really starting to feel like a runner now.

I got this email from Hungry Girl this morning:
Okay, do NOT freak out, people, but we have gotten official word that the world-famous Fiber One Chewy Bars are being shipped to supermarkets (starting this week!) in two NEW flavors -- Oats & Apple Streusel (130 calories, 2g fat, 9g fiber -- POINTS® value 2*), and Oats & Strawberries with Almonds (140 calories, 3g fat, 9g fiber -- POINTS® value 2*)! We've tasted these new bars, and they are REALLY amazing (especially the apple ones!). So keep an eye out for 'em -- it may take a good month or so for them to get to all your stores, but be patient.

OMG, I am going to freak. Fiber One bars are my staple quick on the go snack. If the Apple Streussel bars taste anything like that fantastic Fiber One muffin mix, they are going to taste like HEAVEN!!!!

Weekly Weigh In: Have I Hit A Plateau?

I gained this week. But not only did I just gain, but I gained the same freakin' weight that I lost LAST WEEK, which I had gained the week before, and lost the previous week. I started thinking that all of May had been gain one week, lose that weight the next. Seriously! Look at those last four or five dots on the graph above. I'm getting really frustrated, but at the same time I have to admit that I haven't been on target with my eating 100%. This month has been a hard month for me, with it being the end of the semester, which means the end of my schedule. I'm such a creature of habit that it threw me off. That, along with living in a ghost town since all our undergrads went home for the summer makes me feel odd. This week I dealt with the anniversary of a personal loss, and that made me feel even funkier. So, in turning a new page on my calendar this morning, I've decided to turn a new leaf with my eating. I think I might go back to journaling, which did help me at the beginning of my weight loss. I just need to get back on track. It's driving me crazy! Anyway... any tips that y'all could give me on getting off this plateau would be appreciated!!!

However, for a non-scale victory, I took my measurements this morning, and I had an overall loss of 3.75 inches this month! I lost 2.25 inches from my chest, a half inch from my hips and 1 inch from my thighs. I know, if it was anyone else, they'd be really upset over losing inches off their chest, but not me. At my heaviest I was a 44DD and I was so uncomfortable. And, what I hated the most was the layer of fat that I had on my decollatage. It was seriously like I was preparing for the winter. That was one of the first things I noticed I had lost when I started watching my diet and exercising. Back in February I bought a bra that was 40C, and quite honestly, I'm already on the tightest hook and eye on that bra, which makes me think that my next set of bra will be in the 38 range!! I'm so excited about that.

On another note, my new mattress came yesterday. They called me at 7AM to tell me that they would be delivering my mattress between 10 and noon. Well, at 9:59 there was a knock on my door, and by 10:30, they were finished. It was great. I can't believe what a great night's rest I had on my new mattress. It's a queen size mattress versus my twin daybed that I just got rid of (beggars can't be choosers when it comes to hand me down mattresses when they move on a whim) and I swear, I took up every inch of the mattress at some point during the night. It was fabulous. And speaking of fabulous... if you are a Sex and the City fan and haven't seen the movie yet... GO!!!!!! I went on Friday night and loved it.

Hope y'all are enjoying your weekend! We had some nasty storms come through here yesterday, but today seems like it is going to be a lovely day.