getting there

I'm closing in on an 80 pound weight loss now, and I guess its noticeable because I seem to be having the same conversations over and over with just about everyone I see.......

them: "Wow - looks like you've lost a lot of weight."

Me: "Yes, I have."

them: "Well how much have you lost?"

Me "A lot."  

them: "So what have you been doing?"

Me: "Watching what I eat, and exercising."

them: "So how do you feel?"

Me: "Fine."

them: "Really though, how do you feel?"

Me: "Hungry and sore."

Nothing like making me feel self conscious and putting me on the spot. 

It still hasn't settled in, I am nearly at my goal (one little glass stone for each pound), I'm exhausted from all the running, walking, swimming and spinning, and craving sugar like its going out of style.  Work is crazy busy and I'm taking another anatomy course.

The big day is over!

Yesterday was Father's Day, but it was also my first 5K! 

Losing 60 pounds and running my first 5K was a big deal for me.  I am very happy to report that both me and my friend ran the entire thing without a walk break.  We were not the fasted, nor were we the slowest.  We may have been the proudest- so proud in fact, we're looking for another race to do!  45.16 is not that bad for a first timer right :) 

* I wanna say thank you to husband and kiddo who cheered for us enroute and at the finish line, and of course to my running partner M, who not only ran with me but kept my speed in check.  

Celebrate the Small Things - Feb 1st edition

I've decided to join in and Celebrate the Small things its pretty simple, Friday post something you want to celebrate achieving/doing that week. 

This week, I am celebrating that my fat butt has dropped 2.5 pounds, and I was only 1/2 hungry all week. :) yeah!!

Extra belly skin

Tucking my kiddo into bed should be a warm, loving mom experience… not in my world!

I was tucking my 10 year old daughter into bed, I leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead when she gave me an odd look and started to giggle.

"OK kiddo, what are you giggling about?"

"Well mom" she starts, "when you leaned in to give me a kiss, I felt all the extra skin on your belly jiggle. It jiggles like your butt."

WHAT!!???

My 10 year old just pointed out that I not only have a jiggly butt, but I have extra skin on my belly that also jiggles!

She might be laughing now, but in 30-some years she, too, will have jiggly bits. (I’ll probably be pooping my pants in a nursing home but guess who’ll be laughing then!)

Not the best advice I've followed....

Here we go....try not to laugh.

When I started school in September, I had to give up my personal trainer and my gym membership in order to pay tuition. I've continued to watch what I eat, and get in as much exercise as possible via walking, swimming, the gym at school, zumba classes etc. Since September I have remained exactly the same weight, which is not my intention.

Sensing my frustration, my husband bought me a suprise treadmill for mother's day!!

After the guys got it installed, husband took kiddo to tutoring and I hopped on. The first 30 minutes I followed the 'fat burner' program. During the brisk walk, I was going over my Orthopedic Assessments notes for tommorrow. We have been focussing on gait, and learned that the best way to run is on the balls of your feet, not your heel. So, I started paying attention to my strides and stayed on the balls of my feet. My strides lengthened, and my pace increased, just as promised. Awsome.

Then I remembered the conversation I had with 2 avid runners in my class, one of whom is a running coach and teaches a barefoot running class. See where this is going?

Off came the socks and sneakers. I decreased the incline, increased the speed and began my running regime. Sprint 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, sprint 2 minutes etc. Again paying close attention to my strides, not letting my heels touch the deck. (I run at 6.5, walk at 3) For 30 minutes I did this, then I did a 10 minute cool down, still barefoot.

So 70 minutes on the treadmill, 40 barefoot. I felt great! Until, I realized that the pads of my feet are now swollen and blistered. OWWWW

Tomorrow I'm going to look for some non slip ballet shoe things to run in! If I can walk.

I'd rather be a whale

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said:
THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE?
A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.
To Whom It May Concern:
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.
Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they don't have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who's skin is all scaly and smells like a fish store?
The choice is perfectly clear to me... I want to be a whale.
P..S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a latte with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, "Good gosh, look how smart I am"!