8 Weigh-in Wednesday

Can you see me doing the happy dance from there? Can ya? Can ya? It's time for another weigh in with my sista's over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. And I couldn't be happier with what I saw when I stepped on the scale this morning.

144.0 lbs
(down another 1.2 lbs this week, total of 2.6 lbs for the challenge)

Seriously...I almost screamed I was so excited! This is the lowest I have been in years...so happy that I got out of my slump with some wonderful support from all my friends and am back to exercising 6 days a week. Shredding MWF mornings and either C25K or walking on the other days. I feel good and am sleeping better. Big plus...I actually wore a pair of "new" jeans that I haven't worn in almost 4 years yesterday and let me tell you...it felt great! Sometimes you don't realize how far you have come until you dig something out of the back of your closet and find out it fits again! Woo to the Hoo!!!

Added another contribution for the Shrink for Good campaign. I'm noticing a yellow trend...

How did you do this week? Come, sit...share with us!

5 Some zoo animals are soo cute!

Last weekend I went and met my friend Lauren from Chicago in Toledo while she was in town for a family wedding. We decided to spend the day at the Toledo Zoo. Here are a few of my favorites shots from that day.

The first animals we saw were these 2 sloth bears....they were so cute (except for the nasty thick claws poking out from their furry feet)! They kinda reminded me of black Saint Bernard's!
One kept coming up to the glass and saying hello.

He would just sit there with his nose pressed against the windowsill...kinda like...'let me out please let me out!'

This could have been a scene right out of Meerkat Manor. This older fellow just sat up top and watched over the other ones. So honorable.

I would have to say the aquarium was one of my favorites! Have you ever seen polka-dot stingrays? Me neither...they were awesome! Designer stingrays-very cool!

And I just liked this little guys nose...seemed like something from a cartoon!

These 2 gorillas were hilarious! They definitely had personalities...that were very different. The first guy was the macho I'm king of the castle type of personality.

While the second one was the laid back chill gorilla...kinda the Matthew McConaughey of the ape kingdom.

It was a fun trip, I haven't been to any zoo since I was probably 14 years old! I do want to go to the Columbus Zoo soon...it is on of the best in the country and less then an hour away. If only I could talk the hubs into going with me. Oh well we might have to wait till we have a little one to take...at least that's an excuse to go!

22 You Capture - HAPPINESS

There are just some things in life that make you happy and make you smile just because. You Capture challenge for this week was to try and capture some of that happiness. Here are a few things that made me smile this week.

I went to the Toledo Zoo last week and saw this flower on a tree in one of the gardens. It was so simple yet so complicated...and breathtakingly beautiful.


Something that I see everyday that makes me smile is Emma, our 6 year old dachshund. I love how she sneaks under any blanket laying around...but not completely!

Sometimes she wants her but left uncovered.


Sometimes she leaves just her nose out.

This is a face that brings me happiness every single day. I love her so much and I am blessed to have been her mommy for her whole life. She makes me feel like I will be a good real-life mommy when the time comes.


What happiness did you capture this week? Come over and share with Beth and her happy capturing crew!

4 Weigh-in Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everybody! Can’t believe it is officially autumn…where did summer go? I’m glad the cooler weather is here…I’m ready for jeans and long sleeve tees and football! Let’s get the day started with a weigh-in with my sisters over at Shrinking Jeans.

As you know from my earlier posts this week, I have been having a little trouble getting back into working out and watching what I am eating. Jumped back on the wagon Monday and am THRILLED to say that I am down 1.4 lbs this week! Woot-woot!

Here are my challenge contributions so far…everyone loves hominy right?

I have started the 30 Day Shred again (Monday and today) and attempted last night to jump back into the C25K program where I left off a few weeks ago (level 4 with 5 minutes of straight running). Didn’t exactly go as planned. I ended up reverting to level 1, where I switched between running and walking for 90 seconds at a time after my 5 minute warm-up. Had some side pain and was panting like a banshee. Burned 200 calories and my HR was up to about 199 so I know I shouldn't push it any further. Kinda bummed, but I know I will be back to where I was in a few weeks. If I have to start over then so be at….I’ll learn my lesson the hard way.

How did you all do this week…did you Shrink for Good? Share your story with us at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans!

3 Let's Get it Started!

What a better way to get myself moving down the road to my goal then to get back to a regular exercise routine. So I got up this morning and started The 30 Day Shred...for the second time.

Just a few things that I noticed that are different from the first time I shredded.

1) I can now finish each of cardio sessions without stopping (a very good thing...thanks C25K)
2) My knees are cracking a little bit more then the first time I did the Shred (not a good thing...possibly due to impact from C25K?)
3) I feel my heiney giggle much more on the butt kicks then I remember (WTF-thought it was getting smaller?)
4) I'm not as discouraged as I was before, probably because I know the benefits that I will start to see in a few weeks

I did forget to wear my HRM this morning so I have no idea how many calories I burned but I am thinking it was probably as much as walking a mile so I gave myself 1oo calories for it. Ended the day at about 1300 calories. Got 2 liters of water in and am finishing another big cup before calling it a day.

So starting today...my weight and eating is something that I am back in control of. I am not giving up on myself...there is too much at risk and too much that I want to do with my life which includes starting a family, and I will not stand aside and let another day pass me by while I continue to be unhappy with my actions.

I WANT TO FEEL BETTER...LOOKING BETTER IS JUST A NICE SIDE-EFFECT!

5 Oh crap...I'm stuck

Ever feel like you are stuck at a point along your journey to wherever it is you are wanting to go? Like you aren't sure how exactly you have come to a stopping point, but you have and now you just can't seem to get the motor running again to continue down the road. There are many miles behind you and you have made it almost 75% of the way to your final destination....yet each day ends up being a little more difficult than you thought it would be and you don't end up getting back on track.

Well I am on that road and the light ahead is flickering-calling for me to keep fighting and push onward. I thought the toughest part was behind me, but I am now fully aware that that is sooo not the case! The hardest part is yet to come, but I will be darned if I am going to quit and turn around and run in the other direction! No way! I fought hard and up until a few weeks ago, made the right choices to get to the point where I am. I know that I have it in me, and I am going to reach into the depths of who I am, yank that motivation out and get moving down the road towards my final goal.

Does anyone else find that is is harder the further you go and the closer you get to your goal? Am I the only one that has become lackadaisical and kinda has that "Oh I'll just have another cookie" syndrome? If anyone has advice on how to get past this feeling, please let me know.

Tomorrow is a new day and I have my alarm set to get up and Shred in the morning...figure the best way to kick this feeling is to sweat it out. I hope it works!

22 You Capture - MACRO

You Capture for this week was MACRO. And what better to take close detailed pictures of then flowers! I was Matron of Honor in my best friends wedding this weekend in St. Louis and my flowers were so pretty and unique. My dress was aqua and the flowers were green, the combination was so pretty. Here are a few close-ups…I had never seen an orchid like this or green hydrangeas.

What did you get up close and personal with this week? Come share your images with Beth and the You Capture gang!

9 Weigh-in Wednesday

Time to weigh in with my sisters over at Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans....how did you do?

I am happy to say I am down .6 this week, which wipes out my gain from last week and puts me back to my starting weight for the challenge! Fresh start…now hope to lose another few pounds before the challenge ends and get closer to my goal.

Confession: I haven’t done the C25K program this week. Actually my last run was on 9/4 so it’s pushing 2 weeks! I’ve fallen into a slump and I am fighting to pull myself out of it. I know I feel better when I exercise regularly, including mentally and emotionally stronger for sticking with it and accomplishing things I thought I would never do. I just need to start up again….and I know this. Why is it so hard flipping hard to get started once you slip away even if it’s just for a few days?

2 You Capture - SOMETHING NEW

You Capture challenge this week was to take a photo of something you normally wouldn't. Something totally new. I thought Beth was crazy at first not giving us a direction, then I realized she was brilliant for challenging us to take the road less followed. And I couldn't stop!

This shot is the amazing entry to a cemetery we found a few weeks ago. I love how it looks like part of it is washed away and grey, but some of the stone still has color.

This shot is of a small wild strawberry that has started to grow on the waterfall that flows into our koi pond. It is the brightest red little berry! Just natures way of finding a random place to grow fruit!

First few shots are from Saturday's Ohio State game day at our place. My beer of choice...Bud Light in the Collegiate cans. Pretty cool! Looks pretty in the cooler too!

This next shot is one I would never ever thought I would take. These are the sleepers I got my best friend who is having twin girls (due in November). I never thought I would buy 2 of the exact same thing...but I couldn't help myself...how many times will I be buying for twins, right?

What did everyone else randomly capture? Head over to I Should be Folding Laundry and find out!

8 Weigh-in Wednesday

Weigh-in time already over at Shrinking Jeans….ugh. Not looking forward to this one ladies. Have been good at getting 3 days a week of C25K in, feeling ok with Level 4, gonna stick with it for another week until I can do the whole thing a few times before moving on.

Stepped on the scale this morning to see 147.2, which is up .6 from last week. Not surprising considering my weekend menu consisted of lots of Bud Light, taco dip, oriental slaw salad, shredded chicken sandwiches, Chunky Monkey Banana Cream pie (OMG this was amazing-thanks Jade for sharing!!!) and a cookout on Monday with burger, baked beans and cheesy potatoes! Gee…wonder why I didn’t lose this week! No brainer folks.

I’m back and forth between how I really feel about this weigh-in. One one side, I’m proud of myself for having a good time and not worrying about the scale while enjoying good times with family and friends. Sure I could have not had the pie….but I made the pie and wanted a piece. Homemade pie is the best! On the other side, I need to more determined to reaching my goal in the next few months so I can be where I want when we start TTC.

So no contribution to the Lose Good campaign this week…I have some hominy just waiting to be photographed…hope next week it will make it’s debut!

19 You Capture - OLD SIGNS

You Capture challenge this week is to find old signs! I love old rustic or elaborate signs. I knew exactly what I was going to take a picture of when Beth gave the order.

The Sparta. It used to be a cool bar back in the 1950's, then turned to a restaurant by day and bar by night. It closed down for a little while and reopened a few years ago. There are tons of old tin signs inside and classic cherry booths with decorative moulding. It takes you back to a time when all the ladies wore dresses and men had on button-ups. The SPARTA lights up at night with the round white globe lights that flicker calling out to the locals to stop.

This is the Midland Theatre. It too has been there for years, and was recently (in the last 10 years) renovated by a local manufacturing company to bring it back to it's original grandeur. The stage inside is beautiful but the seats are sooo small, people have gotten a lot bigger over the years. Every now and then they show a movies and anyone can go and watch it for $3. We went once and saw White Christmas and another time saw Dark Side of Oz, which is the Wizard of Oz to the Dark Side of the Moon Soundtrack. And yes alot of parts line up rather eerily, if you haven't watched it this way...I recommend it. But the theatre itself is a piece of history and its wonderful to see it back in its original glory. They have something there every few weeks, singers, comedians or plays. It makes downtown look nice when it's all lit up at night!

8 Weigh-in Wednesday

Wednesday already? Wow this week is flying by! Time for the first weigh-in of Shrink for Good challenge over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. This is our version of the Lose for Good campaign that WeightWatchers is doing now.

The scale hasn't budged since Sunday, which I guess is better then it going up. Hope to see a loss next week. Started week 4 of C25K, which if you recall reading this then you'll know it was a challenge in itself.

I did have a non-scale victory this morning that I wanted to share with my sisters. I laid out 2 pairs of black dress pants last night for work. One of them is a nice tailored pair (size 12) that I got when I first interviewed for my job, almost 4 years ago. Wore them on the interview and a few times right after I started, then they "somehow" started to get tighter and tighter until I had to stop wearing them because they were basically cutting a ridge in my stomach from being too tight. I tried them on a few months ago and I could get them up but not buttoned. So I thought might as well try them again, maybe it'll be a little closer this time.

So I got ready this morning and picked up the new pants...and was shocked to find myself buttoning them up with no problem! I almost got a little teary and was like...yeah-that rocks! No wonder my other dress pants make me look like a slob, they are a size 16! That's 2 sizes too big apparently! After not seeing the scale move at all, that was the boost I needed to keep my head held high today. So here I sit, eating my lunch and wearing my little black pants and feeling good about sticking to a healthy lifestyle. Nobody said it was easy, but it is soo worth it at times like these!!!

2 I think I threw up in my mouth a little...

...yeah you read that right. And it's not funny, so please stop laughing. OK...it is a little. Proceed with the giggling.

After my night of feasting and not doing anything athletic besides housework and trimming the lillies this weekend, I started level 4 of C25K last night. Was soo scared...have heard and read about people saying that was a big jump and it often had to be repeated and done for 2 weeks to get comfortable with it. And now I know I had absolutely every right to be scared! Holy crap....that was tough!

The "plan" for yesterdays run was as follows in minutes:
Walk 5 , Run 3, Walk 1.5, Run 5, Walk 2.5, Run 3, Walk 1.5, Run 5
Total of about 2 miles

Sounds tough but simple enough right? I've been running for almost 4 weeks now, I should be able to step it up and finish this right? Yeah not so much...had to alter it a bit, ok a lot.
Well, here's how my run went:
Walk 5 , Run 3, Walk 1.5, Run 4.75, Walk 2.5, Run 2, Walk 1.5, Walk 8
Total of about 1.5 miles

I pushed myself thru the first 5 minutes almost making it the whole way....kept saying do it for The Sisters! (really I did!) Then started to feel the saliva building in my mouth and said to myself...self you'd better walk the rest of the way. Thought I don't want to push myself and then not be able to finish. So I walked, then when it was time to do the next 3 minutes, I again started to feel the juices flowing and thought screw this...I'm walking the rest of the way. So I ended up walking the last 1/4 mile back to the house.

I kinda felt like I wussed out, but that quickly passed. I need to do this at my own pace. The biggest part is that I am doing it. I tried it and it didn't work right away so I made adjustments to pull the most out of me that I could last night. The next time will be better and the next after that hopefully better. The point is that I burned 208 calories according to my HRM (which I love by the way and am sooo happy with), sweated tons and worked out for 26 minutes. That's moving in the right direction-even if it's 30 seconds more at a time!