Day 4-ish (Erin)

Hey! I'm still here...just a little distracted. Here's a video to catch up my four days of transparent eating series. I hope everyone is doing well!

In the video, I discuss how you should figure the number of calories needed to a) lose a pound a week and b) maintain your current weight. I use this method, it's up for your consideration. The thing that is most beneficial is knowing a range you can stay in to avoid gaining weight. Sometimes life happens. And you know you're going to be a little over. It's good to be sure you're not going to ruin all your progress on those days by gaining weight, so this is how I do that.

I have included a general chart below, but I'm going to give you a site that can lead you through a more personalized version of this and give more exact numbers. I'm a precise kind of girl. BUT the chart is probably a decent and simplified version.

EXACT NUMBER METHOD:
Find your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR, calories needed per day to maintain your current weight) then you can substract 500 calories to lose a pound a week or stay at or below your BMR to avoid gaining.
Find the calculation for BMR here: http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/daily-calories-calculator

Merry Christmas!
Erin

According to webmd:

To maintain weight, see the calorie chart below. This chart represents calorie guidelines to maintain weight based on median height and weight -- a BMI (body-mass index) of 21.5 for females and 22.5 for males – as well as activity level. 

To lose weight -- about 1 pound a week -- reduce total calories in the chart by 500 a day by eating less and become more physically active.

To gain weight, add 500 calories per day for each pound you want to gain per week. 

For successful weight loss that you can maintain over time, experts recommend choosing foods that are lower in calories but rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients.

Gender	Age	Sedentary*	Moderately Active*	Active*
Females	19-30 31-50 51+	1800-2000 1800 1600	2000-2200 2000 1800	2400 2200 2000-2200
Males	19-30 31-50 51+	2400-2600 2200-2400 2000-2200	2600-2800 2400-2600 2200-2400	3000 2800-3000 2400-2800

*Sedentary means a lifestyle that includes light physical activity associated with typical activities of daily living.  Moderately active consists of walking 1.5 to 3 miles daily at a pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour (or the equivalent). An active person walks more than 3 miles daily at the same pace, or equivalent exercise.

*************************************

Thank you, Lord, for Your precious Son, who in His innocence offered a sacrifice that cleared the path to You for every person in this world who will walk it. The beauty of Your love is overwhelming. You are hope and light where there is none. In You, broken people are made whole. Even me.

This song is too gorgeous for me not to post the lyrics. 

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Coming Clean Day 3 (Erin)

Oh. My. Word.

Last night, after the gym, I went by the grocery store to pick up a few things. That's not a good idea. After I workout, I'm hungry and possibly disoriented. :) Seeing food and making decisions...well, that's probably not the thing for me to engage in right after visiting the gym.

So...I bought a TON of frozen food. Then I went to bed late. Then I got up and had to break out into a run to get to work -- soI grabbed frozen food to make life easier. Today is not going to be a clean eating day...at all.

BUT I have officially shed all the weight I gained recently. I'll take it. We're coming up on Christmas, which is going to be another gain, so I'll do all I can until then. Then I'll do all I can afterward, which I've been thinking about a lot. What can you plan to do after Christmas that will make getting back on track easier?

Here are my thoughts on a post-Christmas game plan:
**Keep NO leftovers at home.
**Set the regular routine back in place ASAP (healthy food, gym, all of it).
**Journal. Yes, I said journal. I know we're not in fifth grade, but taking 5-10 minutes to write down your reasons for taking care of yourself and the benefits you've seen so far is motivating.
**Sleep. Maybe it's just me, but if I can find a day to get in bed early and have the luxury of not needing to set an alarm, I wake up feeling like a new person. It resets my body and mind without fail. So hit the reset button and see if being rested helps with everything else.

Now, let's begin today's food journal:

BREAKFAST
cherry diet coke
Jimmy Dean bacon breakfast bowl (It's an addiction. Though it is not the cleanested food, it does have 28g protein so it will hold me over to lunch without an issue. It's 410 calories, which is under my 500 calories/meal general goal.)

LUNCH
It's about to get random...
leftover lima beans
a chicken quesadilla

DINNER

SNACKS

WATER -
EXERCISE -

Coming Clean Day 2 (Erin)

This morning has already presented a challenge. After making my breakfast smoothie, I packed a bag full of food for the day. Then I drove to work. As I parked, I looked over in my passenger's seat, where my purse and lunch sit. The purse was there, but...where was the food?! Yeah, I left my food at home. It's spoiling as I type.

*sigh*

Subway, I'll see you at noon.

I finished yesterday's post this morning, now it's time to start today's. I'll come back later to fill in the gaps.


BREAKFAST
This morning's smoothie was good. I like to work in fruit and veggies so I start off on top of some of my nutritional goals.

1-1.5 cups spinach (You won't taste it.)
3/4 c. pineapple
5 oz. honey Greek yogurt
11 oz. coconut water with pineapple juice
1 T coconut butter
a handfull of ice

TOTAL: 366 calories, 16g protein, a ton of potassium, 100% daily Vitamin C needs, and 83% daily Vitamin A needs IN ONE CUP. Try it sometime, if you're so inclined.

LUNCH
Subway! So glad we have one nearby. By the time I got away for lunch, I had developed an appetite. This meal is sticking to my ribs well. I'm working out today, so I had a few extra calories to spare on lunch. Loved spending them. :)

6" steak and cheese loaded with spinach and olives
Doritos (Yeah, the real ones. Not the baked ones. Hadn't had them in forever so it was a nice treat!)
Diet Coke (Not clean eating here, but sometimes a girl needs her fizzy drink!)

DINNER
I have a ton of leftovers -- which is the beauty of cooking for one. It's going to be a repeat of yesterday's dinner. Not complaining, because I am a fan of this mix.

chicken
baked sweet potato fries
lima beans
mushrooms

SNACKS
post workout protein shake

WATER - 8 cups
EXERCISE - short run/elliptical/40 minutes weight training

Coming Clean Day 1 (Erin)

Let me share something warm and fuzzy with you. Last night, Tony gave me a bit of encouragement that I really needed. He came over to catch up for a while. As we were talking, he grabbed my laptop and pulled up a couple of pictures on Facebook. Here they are:


He said, “You’ve come a long way. I saw this the other day, and I knew I had to show you. You don’t even look like the same person anymore, Erin. Just keep doing your thing. I’m really proud of you.”

It’s amazing what a best friend can do for your morale. He knew exactly what I needed to hear...and see. You forget how much progress you've made looking forward on all you want to accomplish. Please take a minute to consider that today.

Ok, warm and fuzzy time over. Now, let's move on to the panic button portion of this blog. For the next four days I’m going transparent on what I eat. Why, you ask? Because I’ve gained FOUR POUNDS with all the festivities and my family feast begins Sunday. Time to buckle down. 
One of my coworkers brought leftover cupcakes for everyone today. As I was looking at the nutrition info (they were store bought), considering the potential damages, one of the men came over and said, “Erin, you’re not getting sucked in, are you?”

No, I’m not getting sucked in. One mini cupcake was nearly 100 calories. Those cupcakes let me know I need accountability. (Too many splurges lately to splurge on that!) So here it comes.

Let me begin my food post for the day. I’ll come back and finish it after dinner. My goal is to eat cleaner this week (not clean). So I’m shooting for less prepackaged food than usual. There will still be prepackaged food, I suffer no delusions there, but I'd like to move to more whole foods and homemade meals. Read: I'd like to be less lazy about what I consume. : ) Here we go...

BREAKFAST

This morning I made a smoothie – quick, easy, clean. I added 1 banana, 5 oz. honey Greek yogurt, ½ cup of quick oats, a handful of ice, and 11 oz coconut water. It packs over 20g protein and 30g carbs, a good amount of potassium, need I go on? It’s great for you. And mixing Greek yogurt with oatmeal and other flavors really helps me – not a fan of the stuff by itself.

LUNCH

Chili and pita chips (430 calories - Not bad, eh?)

DINNER

I had chicken and veggies. The chicken went fast. I LOVE lima beans -- maybe it's my country roots. Everyone does them differently, I cook them with a little onion and a slice of ham. These were really good. Add mushrooms and baked sweet potato fries -- I'm happy.

SNACKS
edamame
protein shake (post workout)
my sweet little secret weapon: instant espresso -- zero calories and all the caffeine you could wish for

Cups of water: 10
Work out: 45 minutes strength training after a run

Surviving December (Erin)

Here comes video number two! It's after midnight, so I actually am a little loopy. You've been warned. (Example: Dr Pepper is NOT $150 a can. It’s 150 calories a can. Wow. Sorry.  I am TIRED. It's starting to show. ha!)

Here are some of the key points if you're reading and running:

These tips were taken from the NPR program The People’s Pharmacy, which recently hosted Chef MD aka Dr. John La Puma. 

Motivation is not enough to lose weight – 3 tips for sustainable weight loss:

1) Make the healthy choices the easy choice

2) Don’t drink your calories.

3) Right size your dinnerware by using 6" plates and tall, narrow glasses

People with 6+ years weight loss success had four things in common: 

1) They individualize their plan

2) They exercise, on average, 300 minutes a week

3) They self monitor, using either a belt or scale

4) They are held accountable, and not by someone they're close to

Video Update! (Erin)

Here's to trying something new!

Random Thoughts About Weight Loss For A Newbie (Erin)

This has already been an interesting day.

A few posts back I talked about a coworker who wanted to have lap-band surgery to lose weight. She actually came by to talk about her frustrations this morning, which led to some interesting topics of conversation.

If you had to boil healthy eating down, how would you do it? The first thing that came to mind was the USDA food plate.

That's a solid guide. Now, do I mentally fraction my plate off into food groups when I eat? No. But it's a good idea to try to hit each of these guidelines every meal. Maybe that could be a coworker lunch theme for a day or week -- see how different people create this plate, take tips from each other. I find daily goals work better for me, but this could be fun.

Back to my coworker, the main focus of our talk was how to get started. When I began I created daily goals. I've shared these before, so I won't revisit them. As I track calories I aim for pre-set nutritional goals as well.

My way is one option of many. It does take a lot of planning ahead. I've noticed that my friends who don't like planning and calculating tend to go for South Beach Diet or another plan that provides guidelines for food choices without making you track everything. (This seems especially true for the men in my life. Food journal? Have you lost your mind?! Ha!)

After I got caught up with methods of losing weight, it finally sank in: It's really about your philosophy. Your methods will have to be compatible with your mindset.

What does that mean? Well, let's back up for a minute. Another coworker stopped this morning and asked, "Erin, you look good. But how long are you going to be on this plan?" I said, "Well, for the rest of my life." She almost flipped. "For THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?!"

Most people diet for a few months then go back to normal. Especially people who don't struggle with big weight gains. That's not my philosophy.

What happens when you quit a diet? You go back to eating more; you're not burning more calories to compensate for it; you gain weight. So what good was that diet?

I'll say it again - I chose to lose weight in a way that doesn't make me want to pull my hair out and rob a donut shop every day on the way to work. It's a slow weight loss, but I'll take that since I'm not so miserable with my plan that I go rummaging through Taco Bell's dumpster at night. You know what I'm saying?

So when you decide it's time to lose weight the #1 thing I'd say to someone is PLEASE pick a plan you can do for 50 years. If you're so miserable in the first week that you have to buy fashion magazines and convince yourself you'll be so hot it's going to be worth the pain - well, that's not the right plan for you. That simple.

That's not to say it won't be hard, even when you're on the right plan. It will. Because you have to deal with your own psychology. I realized something really early on, my family soothes with food. Seriously. I think if a man broke my heart my Grandmother would make mac and cheese as a form of an emotional bandaid. We are good cooks and we see that as a way of expressing love.

Now, there's nothing wrong with having that butter-laden mac and cheese now and then. You know I'm not a food puritan. But I realized that I had the tendency to grab take out and curl up on the couch several times a week. (That's a lazy person's version of soothing with food.) There really wasn't any balance in that part of my life. So I still have to strengthen my mind to keep from slipping into the take out solution when I have a bad day.

We all have weak spots. Managing your health means facing them head-on and growing strong enough to overcome them.

The second thing I would say to someone who wanted to lose weight is don't try to be perfect. You've got years of bad habits to deal with, and you're human. You will not have it all under control every day. Sometimes you pour some chocolate chips into the peanut butter jar and go to town. It happens. But if you're managing to pick yourself back up and keep going despite that you've got a fighting chance. That's the person who grows and learns to be a stronger person. So don't walk around beating yourself up -- I do it sometimes myself. Just make it your goal to have more successes than failures when you can. That's the best any of us can do -- keep growing, don't give up. Eventually you will establish new habits and the whole thing will feel more natural.

And the last thing I would tell someone is you're the only one who can take care of you. No friend, no family member, no bully can motivate your actions. So try to learn to be on your side. (And try to tell those who don't support you to kindly take a long walk off a short pier.) Anyway, back to not tearing yourself down. Here's a cheesy example, when I'm running I feel like I'm fighting myself. Part of me gets bored. I'm not going to lie to you. It takes a lot of patience and determination to run for 45 minutes. Part of me usually feels like crap. But I tell myself, "Listen, I'm not giving up on you so you're going to have to pull through. No questions asked." And I do. Because I refuse to feed that whiny, weak part of me any longer. She has made my life miserable before. It's the determined and strong part of me that should be strengthened.
 
Today I'm really grateful for a new day and for all the bad days it took for me to grow wiser. If you're reading this, I hope you're encouraged. And I hope you find a reason to smile and enjoy life today.

Let's NOT Do This Again Tomorrow (Erin)

Oh. My. Word.

So this evening started out great. I headed out to the gym first thing after work. (Note: My gym recently held a membership drive. Translation: Everyone and their mother joined.) When I got there people were spread out taking up nearly every piece of equipment. So...I had to turn around and come home.

Let me just say I feel very low-energy crappy today. So what do I always say my body's response to that sleepy, low-energy feeling? HUNGER! And never for carrots, always for sugar. I was hoping to avoid that response by working out to the point of exhaustion, having dinner, and immediately going to bed where I would sleep like a baby. That was the fantasy in my head.

When I got home, I made dinner and had a healthy, moderate meal. Then...*sigh*...this is bad. Have you ever looked in the pantry and had your inner fat girl come roaring to life with creativity? Well...there were these mini chocolate chips...and they were really close to a 95% empty peanut butter jar...and what if? No, I couldn't.

Well, as it turns out, I could. I poured mini chocolate chips in the peanut butter jar and ate it with a knife. Why a knife, you ask? Because I've been totally irresponsible with cleaning my kitchen and there were NO (not even one child size) spoons or even forks to be found. Don't judge me. You know you've done it before, too! :)

So are you picturing this? Girl, in workout clothes, eating peanut butter chocolate chip clumps out of jar with a knife while standing in front of her pantry.

So, yeah, that just happened. And I've decided to skip the gym in favor of sleeping. Obviously I'm in serious need of some zzz's.

All that to say, sometimes a girl screws up. But tomorrow I'll get up and make the workout up at a time when very few people would dare go to the gym. And I'll be rested. And I'll have pre-packaged food! (Yeah, after I put the knife down (HA!) I pre-packaged all the food I'll need for tomorrow so I can avoid this.)

I really am going to try to be better about blogging if anyone's out there. And for that one person (probably my most amazing Aunt) who is reading, come back and see me sometime. Maybe when I'm not being a screw up. I'll work on that. :)

Here's to a new day tomorrow! And sleep. I really need some sleep.

5K (Erin)

I'm a terrible blogger! Between being out of town and everything else I have failed to provide a 5K update! My favorite and beautiful Aunt Bec reminded me of this the other day, so I got a few pictures together to share! Aunt Bec, are you seeing this? You better be seeing this! :)

I RAN MY FIRST 5K!!! Seriously. It has been accomplished. Here are a few pictures from the day...

From left to right, that's Katie (Ally's wonderful little sis), Ally, and me after we crossed the finish line.


Stephen got a shot of me during the action -- which I'm really grateful for.

Speaking of, here's Stephen (to my left) and Tony (to my right). Loved having my best man friends there to cheer me on. :)

And let me tell you something, The Color Run is serious about throwing that colored powder on you. Do you see my blue smile?

When I got home my roommate had decorated our door to congratulate me. It was really sweet!

I thank God for this accomplishment and honestly hope to do another 5K in the next 3-4 months to see if I can improve between here and there.

I am going to come back and fill in this post and try to edit the photos so they're facing the right direction. This is just a draft! Sorry to be sloppy! Check back later when I can get this together with a few  more details.

A Good Day (Erin)

Well, I have finished my last pre-race run as of tonight!

Let me tell y'all, the sun going down early is throwing me for a loop. I must have watched one too many episodes of Cold Case because I HATE being alone in the great outdoors at night. I get that creepy-crawly, someone-is-going-to-murder-me-and-they'll-interview-my-family-on-Cold-Case-while-running-a-montage-of-pictures-from-my-awkward-stage feeling. To ease my mind, Tony came along to jog a pedestrian bridge.

For this run I again had only estimates of how far I'd jogged. I set my phone to record my route and used the time to guide me, since I know how long this usually takes. We ended up going a little longer than anticipated and logged 3.8 miles!!

Afterward we grabbed dinner at one of our favorite seafood restaurants, and then I headed to the gym for weight training. Of course I saw Mr. Super Fit Friend while I was there (Stephen). He had just finished a 22-mile bike ride before hitting the gym. I'm telling you, the boy makes me want to try cycling. He burns over 1,000 calories per session -- crazy! (Can you tell I've been craving chocolate lately? I'm telling you about a cardio workout and I skip every mature point on the list and head straight to the calories burned. Translation: How many chocolate bars does that amount to?? HA!)

Anyway, it was a good night. I'm in bed now, feeling (as Stephen would say) the "afterglow." It's hard to explain, but it's the feeling you get after working out hard -- almost like your body is a little heavy but still completely relaxed.

In other news, I picked up my race packet! It felt so good holding my bib, staring down at the numbers I'll be wearing Saturday. As you remember, Tony and I tried to run a couple of months ago and were rained out. Saturday marks a first for me. I'm looking forward to seeing Ally (!!) and to running with a group. I hear when you're in a race, you feed off the energy around you. It's supposed to be a really inspiring event. More on that after Saturday!

One touchy-feely comment before I go. Today I kept thinking: Thank you, Lord, for bringing me here. Last spring I started training for a 5K. At that point I couldn't even run a quarter mile. Seriously. Even a couple of months ago I was afraid I couldn't build enough stamina to jog the entire 5K. But I prayed and kept going. And God gave me more strength than I realized I had.

Training for this race has taught me a lot about perseverance and integrity. When you want something, you have to take steps toward it on a regular basis -- even when you're not motivated and even when it hurts.

Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by how far we have to go that we don't want to try. But I'm standing here (well, sitting here) telling you that if you can just keep going you'll be amazed what will happen. The girl who couldn't jog a quarter of a mile last spring can now jog almost 4 miles. And however slow it is, the process of becoming a solid runner has begun. So take heart, you can work your way through the hard times to your goal if you'll just stick it out.

Someone told me recently, "You're not some skinny, bouncy blonde. If you can run it makes me feel like maybe I can." She had a point. If I can do this, it's a good sign for the masses. Commitment goes a long way.

Today I hope you find strength to pursue a goal you've been intimidated by. The only person who is a real obstacle (in most cases) is you. So I hope you can believe it's possible and find a way to work toward what you want.

Race Week (Erin)

It is officially race week!

You know, after all the blogging I’ve done about training, I feel a little lost for words. It’s hard to believe Saturday marks a major milestone – our first 5K!

Over the weekend, I ran twice. On Friday the whole run seemed hard, like someone had sucked all the energy out of my body, strapped a weight to my back, and commenced driving a whip on me for 3 miles. I absolutely could not run farther than 3 miles. Weird how some days are like that – your body isn’t in gear so you’re limited.

I was concerned, but I realize we have off days with everything. Sometimes we go to work and goof 10 tasks we do on a regular basis or try to cook and burn a meal we’ve prepared perfectly for years. It doesn’t make sense, but it happens.

Yesterday I went to the track to run. I’m not going to lie to you, I was still a little haunted by Friday’s hardships. I had been praying about it, in fact, and trying to be sure I did all I could do to be stronger. My friend Stephen (who I have often referred to as the disc golf pro or my super fit friend) told me to be sure to eat enough carbs before I went so I’d have energy. I did.

Turns out, yesterday’s run was much better. I made it 3.25 miles, which is right at my best distance last week and well over the race distance.

One thing I don’t like about running the track is having to count laps. My mind is not made for that. I’m either completely focused on numbers or losing count, there is no in between. To free my mind I decided to buy ponytail holders for my wrist. (I wanted whatever these things are in the picture, because they look more comfortable, but I couldn't figure out where to buy them.)

I figured I’d move one from my left to right wrist for every lap I ran. Instead of using 13 rubber bands, I used 6. Once they were moved from left to right then back to left again I’d have one lap to go. And maybe I wouldn’t cut my circulation off trying to wear 13 elastic bands down my arm, right?

It worked out really well. My mind felt free to pray and think about things, which makes me enjoy running a lot more. Ok, well, maybe enjoy is a liberal term – manage? Yeah, I manage running a lot better with freedom to think about other things.

For laughs, I have to tell you two recent happenings that confirm I'm a changed woman. One night I had a planned evening of rest. Most nights I'm working out, but once or twice a week I don't do anything. As I was sitting around, talking to my roommate, I noticed she was a little uncomfortable. Finally she said, "So are you going to work out or what? This is weird. You're just sitting around. You don't do this." HA!

My roommate is an adopted "aunt" to a couple of her friend's children. She has them over to the house to bake and play fairly often. One of the little girls came by last weekend while I was out and immediately asked, "Where's Ms. Erin? Is she exercising?" Again, cracked me up!

I'm sure there are several things I'm leaving out here...but that's the best I can do on a Monday. : ) Here's to race week!

Sleepy, But Not Falling Asleep On My Keyboard (Erin)

Well, I did all a girl can do about being tired. Last night I went to bed at 8:15. That was different. My body was in full interrogation mode as soon as I laid down, "Who are you? How have you overtaken the brain of my owner? I don't get in bed this early. Are you listening to me? I do NOT get in BED this EARLY!"

Somehow I still managed to sleep quite a few more hours than normal. I got up at 4:30 a.m. to run intervals at the gym. Of course girl-who-has-legs-longer-than-Gisele-and-runs-60-mph got on the treadmill right next to mine. It was fine. I wanted to high five her on my way out, but I'm not tall enough to reach her hand. I didn't know statuesque people existed outside of Hollywood. And I thought maybe they just knew a few camera tricks.

Just to be sure I was doing all I could do to revive myself I threw in a vitamin and had breakfast, including  two shots of espresso. I really thought maybe I was going to turn the corner on this sleepwalking-through-the-day thing, but to be honest with you I'm still pretty exhausted.

My goal is to finish a weight training session after work and go to bed early again. The bad thing about missing sleep is you get to a point where one night of rest won't completely heal the damages of several nights of losing sleep.

This Halloween I've noticed there are a ton of fitness Halloween parties. Have you? A couple of local yoga studios are hosting sessions where you dress up. There are multiple Zumba classes incorporating costumes. In fact, Ally went to Zumba last night as Superwoman! I'm trying to get her to post a picture - she looked fab!

So I won't ramble, I am stopping now. More to come!

Give Me Sleep (Erin)

I just ate two poptarts. And drank a Mountain Dew. Somebody pray for me.

Why did I do this to myself? Because I haven't been sleeping well FOR DAYS and my body is crazy. When I don't sleep my appetite increases...but never for healthy food. I always want something with an instant energy boost -- sugar. I always want sugar.

My resolution for the day is to accept that I have been off lately and drive myself straight home after work to go to bed. Yes, I am going to beat every 80-year-old in my time zone to bed tonight. Seriously. Because this just is NOT about to keep going. When a girl washes TWO poptarts down with a can of Mountain Dew it's time for drastic measures. Tired me has to go. That girl has to go!

And now I have to go to a meeting. *groan* And I'm supposed to pay attention...is somebody praying for me? Do you have any friends nearby who are praying people? Y'all all pray for me!

Your friend who needs to get it together,
Erin

5K Ready! (Erin)

Last weekend, I reached a HUGE milestone. I ran not only the 5K distance but beyond it -- 3.27 miles total. For me, this is absolutely exhilarating! Thank God I've made it this far! Never in my life have I been able to jog this distance. Looking back ten years, I only jogged a mile. Wow.

Don't think I look like a gazelle, I'm really slow when I jog. But I can do it. And I figure once you build the endurance to run distance, then you work on the speed. Right? So it's a good start.

I have noticed that my  mind wants to give up before my body is tired of running. It's not uncommon that I have this dialog in my head:
I don't want to do this.
-Shut up.
I'm getting a little tired.
-You're fine.
My knee just ached a little.
-It's five steps later and it's not aching.
How far did I say I was going to go.
-Not as far as you're actually going to go. Let's do this thing.

Though aspects of jogging are enjoyable, I'm still not in great shape so it's uncomfortable at points to keep going. I really believe that once my body is fit to run I'm going to like it. It's not going to be a night at the movies, but I think it'll be a nice and thoughtless release for me.

When I ran 3.27 miles yesterday, I told myself I'd make it the 2.8 I had gone during my best run last week then wing it. If I was done at 2.8 then I'd be ok with that. If I felt I could keep going, I would. So I let go of my mental log at 2.8 and went with it. It's amazing how much you're capable of when you stop arguing with yourself and live in the moment, with no internal whining.

Now, I'm feeling ready for the 5k with two weeks left. Praise Jesus! It's been a long road here.

Aside from that huge news, not much to report. This week's menu includes:

Grilled Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

http://simplycooking.wordpress.com/2009/07/03/grilled-cheese-sandwich-with-bacon-and-fried-egg/
I'm thinking center-cut bacon, double fiber wheat bread...just a few modifications.


Pork Chops with Mushrooms

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/12/pork-chops-with-mushrooms-and-shallots.html

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/10/skinny-buttermilk-mashed-potatoes-with.html

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, since we just carved pumpkins!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/09/roasted-pumpkin-seeds.html
I may use this general recipe but substitute Paula Deen seasoning for salt to add an extra kick.
For variety, I may also make a lighter version of Rachael Ray's sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/sweet-and-spicy-pumpkin-seeds/

Here's to the beginning of a new week!

I'd Rather Be A Fighter (Erin)

It’s gonna be a big one. Rant, that is.

I am so imperfect that it deserves mentioning before I tear into this subject. I mean, if I had this whole exactly-how-to-lead-a-healthy-lifestyle thing figured out this blog wouldn’t exist. So I’m NOT ranting as an expert who must be listened to. This is of no more worth than just a girl off the street with a fire lit under her.

This morning, when I got into work, a coworker was in the office next to mine discussing lap-band surgery. At a low point, I once considered the option as well. I’m sure it has been a useful tool for some people, but I ultimately decided that without the right habits I would end up in the same situation again with or without surgery. So I let that whole thing go.

When she talked about the surgery, she kept saying things like this:

**I know it’s a quick fix, but once I saw how good I could look it would motivate me to keep working on myself.

**I just feel so unattractive.

**People lose weight so fast with it!

Listen, my biggest concern for her in all of this is that she’s not trying anything before she jumps right to surgery. Some people exhaust all other avenues and resort to surgery very soberly. She is skipping over all that and asking can the nice doctor please pull out his surgical kit, wave his magic scalpel, and make her troubles disappear so this can all be easy.

Is that harsh? Well, it may be. But I see her attitude that way from what I'm hearing her say. And I understand desperation enough to see that trajectory it puts us on.

When you’re desperate to have something you want it fast and you want as few obstacles in the way of you reaching it as possible. And you get reckless. You don’t consider the consequences or the commitment because you’re so overwhelmed by the best case scenarios. A big red flag in anyone's thinking should be when looks take precedence over health.

With weight loss, and more importantly weight management, there is no quick and easy. And – I hope you’re sitting down for this one – motivation really isn’t the main factor.

That’s right, motivation isn’t the big necessity. I said it. You read that right. You know what is going to make you successful? Commitment to building good habits.

If you are dependent on motivation to be successful, what do you do when you have a bad day? What if your weight plateaus? What if you get emotional about personal issues? Motivation is going to fail you.

Let me tell you, I am not motivated most days. I don’t get out of bed and start the pep rally. But I do accept my commitment as a priority and move forward. I accept that when I run it is going to hurt and go anyway. And I’m not the poster child for discipline, but I know it’s either this or bust.

Our commitment to anything is measured by our willingness to suffer for it. And after we have suffered for something our perspective on that thing grows clearer. We value it more.

The thing I keep seeing over and over again is that most of us want to be spared the suffering but not the benefits. And, in the past, that has been my mindset so I see what kind of damage that kind of thinking can do. Until you’re at a place where you can make a commitment and dig in during hardships you aren’t ready to earn the benefits, and you might not realize that those benefits have to be maintained over time.

I’m quite possibly not making a lot of sense here, but my point isn’t to tear anyone down. My point is to speak some truth. We really can get in shape and lose weight. But we have to be willing to pay for it. (And we don't pay a surgeon.) I think the most important thing to remember is it’s a lifestyle change.

Before I stop writing, let me reiterate something: You can’t have it easily, but you can have it in a way that sets you up for long-term success and builds your confidence.

You can get there if you're willing to go all in and learn over time how to cook well, how to order well, how to get in shape, how to stay in shape, how to stand up to your temptations, etc. And as you learn you have to stand face-to-face with your fears/weaknesses and chip away at them until they bend to your will and your habits. That’s tough work, and you don't always get it right the first time. But it teaches you what you’re made of. And growing stronger allows you to trust yourself and to be fit for the challenges that come your way, since you’ve learned to conquer so much already.

Don’t lose heart, even when it’s slow. Don’t give up when someone else loses 30 pounds in two days on a fad diet. This problem didn’t occur overnight and it won’t be solved overnight. You have to get up and fight your way through day after day. But every fight makes you stronger so it's an easier battle the next time.

Remember, you're becoming a hell of a person. A force. So let them have the easy way, I've never seen anyone hold any ground after taking the easy way out. (And that includes myself.) I'm in it to win for life not three months. And when you want something for life you realize you have to be persistent and patient. It's a completely different philosophy than getting skinny for a wedding or having surgery to control portion size. And it's the only solution that lasts.

PS I hope we will refuse to rest our self-esteem on body image. Seriously. That will drive a person batty. In fact, I think that's a lot of the reason we get desperate and start doing stupid things to lose weight. And I think that's how we pass on self-esteem issues to younger girls and each other.

We have to take pride in ourselves as whole people who are composed of much more complicated pieces than lips, eyes, hips, thighs...those things don't define us. What does is the way we manage our lives and how we play the hand God dealt us.  

Ok. Rant over. For now. :) Please be encouraged and find ways to be good to yourself today.

Being Chased and Being Choosy (Erin)

This weekend was amazing.

Saturday I took my run to the lake. It was a beautiful day so there were quite a few people out.

I actually intended to run at the track -- as is my MO -- but there was a pee-wee football game going on when I tried to go. Plan B was running around the lake. Really, that turned out a lot better than Plan A.

When I got to the running path, I realized I have no idea how far it is around. So...I turned on the workout app on my phone and let it record my distance and time by GPS. I told myself I wouldn't look at the distance, I'd run until it felt like I needed to stop and check at that point to see how much farther I had to go.

My goal was to make it 2.5 miles. That would put me on track for the 5k (which is now 18 days away). Once I started running, it felt great. It was a cool day. There was sunshine. I had entertainment since so many other people were out having fun. (LOVE to people watch.) And little funny things kept happening. Turns out, dogs and toddlers have a compulsive need to chase runners. At one point, a two-year-old boy was chasing me as his Dad chased him. At another, I had to stop for a second to catch someone's dog so they could climb the hill to get him. Pretty funny.

I thought about stopping about 2/3 of the way through. I realized I had more in me, so I decided to push on. That was about the time I got my second wind so it worked out nicely. When I did stop, I was fully prepared to see that my distance was not yet up to 2.5 miles and take off running again to close in on my goal. Guess what? When I pulled out my phone I had gone 2.8 miles!! That's very near the 3.1 miles I'm going to run in 18 days.

That was such a huge blessing to me. For one thing, I really think I could run the 5k now. I stopped at 2.8 miles, but I could've pushed it a little farther. My new goal is 3 miles by the end of the week.

All that to say, there's really something to that idea that our minds give up before our bodies. When I run the track I know my distance all the while. So my body is preparing to quit at a set point. When I ran blind, with no idea of my distance, I made it a lot farther because my mind lost it's placeholder for when I'd get to stop. That showed me I'm capable of a greater distance than I'd estimated.

I think I'll try to switch up my runs more often by removing distance markers. Besides being able to naturally push on without obsessing about how far I had come or had to go, I felt much more free to think and pray rather than count laps.

And another thing! I have discussed my hope to one day kick Lane Bryant to the curb. Well, last week I realized I'm in the smallest size they offer, and that's getting big. So...I decided to go shopping Friday and just see if I could go to the stores I shopped at as a skinny girl, years ago.

Tony joined me for part of this shopping trip. We went to Dillards and he got a personal shopper for me. Wow. Just wow. That was an experience. She started bringing me shirts to go with a pencil skirt I bought for a friend's wedding. I was very, very skeptical that they would fit because they were regular womens sizes and in my mind I'm a big girl. (I'm not a skinny girl, but I do think of myself as bigger than I actually am most of the time. I guess most of us do.) Guess what? The shirts fit! And they actually looked good because they didn't hang off me. Imagine. (My coworkers have been complaining that I need to buy clothes in a smaller size. I think they'll be glad to know I've started taking their advice. It just gets so dang expensive incrementally buying clothes.)

After Dillards, I decided to get braver. When I was probably 19 or 20 I really liked NY&Co. In fact, my Mom and I shopped there quite often. So I went over to see if I could squeeze into anything. I got a few shirts and headed to the fitting room. Guess what?! I fit into them! I was AMAZED.

Having been trapped in Lane for sooo long now it was really something to consider having the option of shopping at any store in the mall. This is going to save me a lot of money. Skinny girls don't have to pay as much because there's more competition for their business. I paid $18 for a nice business casual shirt at NY&Co. Pretty impressive considering I'd normally pay $30+ on the same thing on sale at Lane.

I'll be honest, I didn't try ANY pants on because I'm a pear-shaped girl. I'm still pretty sure my bottom half is not going to fit into any NY&Co. jeans yet. We'll see in a month or two. I could fit into some dresses, I'm just not brave enough to try the pants yet. I need to log a few more miles first to build my confidence.

I hope this week is starting well for you. For laughs, here's one of my favorite pictures. The caption is: Never give up on your dreams. :)

Write A New Ending (Erin)

I made some goals at the beginning of the week, and that led to some progress.

Yoga didn't happen, but I did take on a new challenge.

I'm a big fan of weight training, especially for people who are trying to lose weight. Why? Well, because it helps the process. As you build muscle your body burns more calories, even at rest.

Having been disappointed with my weight training lately (the circuit was too easy for the level of fitness I've grown into), I re-evaluated. As a result, a friend and I started doing a serious weight training program together.

Basically, we do two upper body workouts (chest, shoulders, arms, back) and two lower body workouts (legs, glutes, abs) a week. From what I've read, doing an exercises three days a week instead of two makes basically no difference.

It definitely meets the criteria for a challenging workout, and it has been motivating and almost (almost) fun doing it with a friend. Though, since I drug her into this, she has on more than one occasion told me she hates me while struggling to perform the last few repetitions of a particularly hard exercise. Ah well, she'll love me when she sees her body start to tighten up, right? :)

My workout buddy, Tara, is naturally thin. Her goal is to be toned. One thing I'm looking forward to is seeing whether the workout I'm designing is going to give her a knockout body. Because with her being thin we will see the results on her waaaayyy faster than we see my body change. So if she looks amazing, I know we're on track.

I DID make my distance goal with running. Actually, it was exceeded. I am now up to running 2.25 miles continuously! That leaves over a month for me to push my distance up to 5k range -- 0.85 miles to go! Thank God!

Lately I've been thinking about all the changes I've experienced over the last year. One thing that's clear is the point of this process isn't just to get skinny, it's to learn to live well and in doing so bring people I love along for the ride.

Some of the best memories I've made have nothing to do with the moment I got on the scale and saw a lower number (though that was pretty great). A lot of the really good times were simple. Having an enjoyable, healthy dinner with family at home. Going out to play a sport with friends. Challenging my best friends to find something active to do when we used to just sit around and eat pizza or watch a movie. Being challenged by fit friends to try something new.

It has been really inspiring to see my friendships stretch and change. From doing belly dancing with my roommate to playing disc golf with friends to taking a ballroom dance lesson with my best friend, we've found a lot of really fun, healthy ways to bond.

God has truly blessed me with wonderful people. From my family to my friends, I am overwhelmed with sweetness. It has been an amazing year.

Change is really hard. Especially at first, when people just haven't accepted you need them to support you. But when you find your stride and start really experiencing the benefits it's worth every struggle.

I hope you're blessed and making the day count. If you're struggling, here's one of my favorite quotes for hard days: No one can go back and make a new beginning, but anyone can start now and create a new ending.

Groceries and Inspiration (Erin)

I've seen a few people do this, so I'm going to try it. Honestly, it seems a little vain. But every time someone shows me their groceries for the week it inspires me. So I'm going to show you mine.

Ready? Ok, here we go...

Oh, and don't judge me. Our range really, really needed to be cleaned. Someone had cooked a couple of hours before...so we've got a little bit of a mess going on. It's embarrassing, but I'm still going to show you my groceries. Even if I'm blushing...ok, fine, I'm loading the picture...

Now, let's talk about what you're looking at.

Do you see that monster of a butternut squash in the back? Let me share a squash fry recipe (with cheesy, creamy sauce) that I'm going to try out:

2 lb butternut squash
-preheat the oven to 425 degrees
-spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray
-peel and de-seed squash, cut into fry-shaped strips, pat the strips dry, sprinkle with salt
-bake strips for 20 minutes, flip, bake 15 minutes longer

For the sauce, mix these ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl:
3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream (I'm using light. Don't like fat free AT ALL.)
1 tablespoon reduced-fat paremesan-style grated topping
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
dash black pepper
3 wedges Laughing Cow light cream swiss cheese wedges, diced
2 tablespoons water
-microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, repeat for 30 seconds (or until the cheese is melted)
-spoon over fries and enjoy

**This recipe makes two servings. For the sauce, each serving came out around 100 calories with my ingredients.

Now, let's move on to something sweet -- anyone notice the chewy fudge brownies and canned pumpkin?? Guess what Dr. Oz has done? He's made brownies more waist-friendly!

Don't worry about the pumpkins throwing the taste off, no one ever notices that I use pumpkin in my chocolate desserts. Seriously. And I am surrounded by picky eaters.

The whole recipe consists of pureed pumpkin, a box of brownie mix, and 3 tablespoons of peanut butter. Ok, he adds lemon zest, but I'm just not going there. And might I suggest you use powdered peanut butter? Less calories. See the recipe here: http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/pumpkin-brownies

You can also see (sort of) the Laura's lean beef below the Sargento Parmesan cheese. I got it on sale! That was what clinched the deal for me. The taco seasoning on top of the meat is sufficient evidence of my plans for it. Add an onion in the browning process then pair a serving of meat with two small carb balance tortillas + a tablespoon of cheese and a dollop of sour cream on each + a little lettuce AND you've got an entree!

Ok, now back to the sweet tooth. Can you tell I have a big one? The bag of pecans is for a fudge recipe. Guess what the main ingredient in the fudge is? Dates. Yes, dates. See the recipe here: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/02/08/german-chocolate-fudge-bites/

As you can already tell, I rarely leave a recipe as is. I am not a huge fan of dates. I like cranberries a lot better. So I may be royally jacking up this recipe, but I'm going to try it with dried cranberries.

Ok, now let's talk breakfast. I get in a breakfast rut on a regular basis. This week, I thought I'd try something new -- avocado toast. That's what the Nature's Own double fiber bread is about. You basically make guacamole (using half an avocado and other veggies -- I add tomatoes and onion with a splash of lime juice and salt), slather the guac onto a piece of toast, and add crispy cooked center-cut bacon to the top. Sounds good, eh? I thought so!

The rest of the groceries are a little boring:
--salad/tomatoes for tacos and lunch salads during the week (I have a main course for lunch, but I like a veggie on the side. This week's main course is frozen, pre-portioned Cooking Light chili mac two days and the next item on this list to break up my chili mac routine...)
--a Lean Cuisine meat lasagna (A girl needs a pasta fix now and then. This frozen dinner hasn't let me down yet. Where most frozen meals fail to satisfy me in taste or quantity, this one scores a perfect 10.)
--skim milk (Cream for coffee and a calcium-rich bedtime snack. Nuff said.)

Goals for the week:
**Go to yoga one time before the week is up. (I've gotten busy and scaled back to my minimal workouts -- 3 runs, 3 weight training sessions. And, honestly, my weight training hasn't been up to par lately. Need some balance in my life and time to clear my head. Yoga is great for that. Helps me refocus.)

**Study weight training plans. (My Curves routine served me well, but I'm starting to feel it's time for more of a challenge. I always talk about how building muscle helps increase metabolism and such. It's time to get more serious about my weight training routine.)

**Run 3x this week and see if I can't break 2 miles by Sunday.

Keep cutting your path! I'll be doing the same. Words of encouragement:

And a story about a wonderful lady who, at 72 years young, is running TEN MILES a day, weight training, and teaching an exercises class for her peers at church. AMAZING! We really have no excuses.

The story: http://www.yenihsworld.com/2010/04/inspire-me-sexy-grandma.html

NYC and Life In General (Erin)

Last week, I took a business trip to New York City. It was the second time I've had a chance to visit the city this year for work, and every time there's something new to try and see. Ally came along and enjoyed the city while I was cooped up in an office all day. I'm only slightly bitter. ;) It was great to have time to catch up and explore our favorite big city together.

One thing I really liked this go-around was a place called Energy Kitchen. They describe their menu as "fast food not fat food." All the fries are baked. All the burgers (chicken, buffalo, beef, veggie) are lean. And there are a ton of vegetable side options, and even light dessert options.

 

Here you can see my turkey burger with guacamole and salsa+fries+steamed veggies and a very pretty Ally with our little dessert splurge. We split a cannolo she found in an amazing bakery during her morning adventures. 

This restaurant really inspired me. Just looking at the menu makes a person want to cook every item there. http://www.energykitchen.com/nutrition 

I had a chance to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art! I guess now's as good a time as any to reveal my quarter-life crisis red hair...

We saw and tried a million things while we were there. If you're a city lover I hope you make a trip to NYC soon! It's a playground for our type.

Everything else is pretty much steady and on track. I gained a couple of pounds while we were away, but that's to be expected with trips. Right? So I'm back in the saddle, getting them off. Here are a few things I've enjoyed lately:

Roasted mushrooms and grape tomatoes to accompany baked chicken -- the big trick was using Kraft Fresh Takes in Italian Parmesan. It has a few calories, but it was well worth it to me. (I use half the pack for two servings of chicken, so it adds 150 calories to my chicken. Not cheap, but very tasty.)

It added just the right amount of flavor for me, especially when I dusted the chicken with Paula Deen seasoning as well. (Seasoning recipe always appears at the bottom of this web site, which has a lot of healthy Food Network recipes: http://www.cookinlean.com/). 

And for the sweet tooth, I will point you toward another blog: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/08/27/chocolate-chip-peanut-butter-balls/

Katie has lightened up a lot of chocolate-oriented recipes. What's not to love?! I saw this recipe recently and--since I had all the ingredients in my kitchen--decided to make it. AMAZING! It has enough oatmeal to fill you up without your eating the entire batch, and enough peanut butter and chocolate to make your eyes roll into the back of your head. Try it next time you need a simple dessert -- no cooking required.

She provides a lot of options in her recipe, I used the following:

1/2 cup quick cook oats

1/2 cup POWDERED peanut butter (I think it's a 2:1 ratio of powdered peanut butter to water -- so what would that be? I'm bad at math. About 5.5 tablespoons powdered pb and 2.5 tablespoons of water?) 

nearly 3 tablespoons maple syrup

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients and use a small cookie scoop to make uniform balls. 

According to my calculations, each ball came in at 80 calories. That's based on the products I had in my pantry, so yours may vary. I certainly recommend you see her alternative ingredients here: http://www.chocolatecoveredkatie.com/wp-content/uploads/Peanut-Butter-Cookie-Dough-Balls_EDCD/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-balls_3.jpg. You may find a recipe closer to your taste. I don't like using stevia, etc., because I like the full-bodied taste of things even if I have to go run a little while to make up for the calories. 

Hope you're encouraged and beginning a wonderful weekend!

Focus (Erin)

This blog will have two sections. The first is me working through some thoughts. The second is a fun, lighthearted catch up. I'm separating them with a dash line because I'm nice. I'm putting the heavy thoughts first because I'm vain enough to hope you read it since you have to skim to the bottom of it to get to the fun stuff anyway. :) Here we go...

Some major milestones are on the horizon for Ally and me. In October we will be celebrating our one-year anniversary with our healthy lifestyle. In November, we will jog our first 5k.

Looking back on the last 11 months, I can see that we have been growing and changing even through the hard times. God was blessing us to hang on, even when we could only hang on by our fingernails.

When I first started, I almost couldn't make it through half an hour of Zumba. Now, I'm going strong for an hour...and my teacher gives me my money's worth.

A year ago, I couldn't jog 1/4 a mile. Seriously. I would've been pushing hard to do that. Now I can run just shy of 1.5 miles continuously.

Last fall I was a different person. I was completely entrenched in bad habits. And it was mostly for the sake of convenience. I didn't eat all that well because it was easier to grab fast food or cheaper to cook comfort food than it was to take the time to plan and cook a healthy meal. I didn't work out because I was sooooo busy all the time. I was neck-deep in excuses. And that old saying is true: There are results and there are excuses, never both. So in hiding behind my comfort and excuses I wasn't taking good care of myself.

It has been really hard to break those habits, but I can tell the effort I've made (thank you Jesus) and the sweat and tears I've shed praying and fighting my way through the hard times has been effective. It's left me changed and set me on track to keep changing.

One thing I've learned is that this journey I'm taking to become a healthier, stronger person is you have to focus on habits more than results.

If you get caught up in whether the scale has budged or how your old skinny jeans fit you may easily find yourself disappointed. Let's face it, sometimes you just don't lose weight. Sometimes you're working as hard as you can but your body isn't changing as quickly as you hope for. But if you can focus your mind on creating better habits and learning to conquer your old strongholds then you are becoming a person who is successful, and that will create results in the end. Then the results will be a nice shot of motivation to keep going, as they prove your new habits are working.

This is kind of a weird post, I just needed to unwind a lot of tangled thoughts I've been working through. 

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On a fun note, I am taking a business trip to New York City in a couple of weeks. Ally is joining me so I thought it'd be fun for us to jog while we're there! The Brooklyn Bridge is 1.1 miles long. Wouldn't it be memorable to say you'd jogged the Brooklyn Bridge? I thought so. Or we may jog a trail in Central Park. (I hear the Brooklyn Bridge - being old - feels a little rickety.) 

AND there's officially a super hero version of me...err  my, well, skinny version. :) One of my favorite men drew this for me:

Isn't she amazing?!! She really may be my hero. Look at those legs! That girl's been jogging a few miles. She's really something to aspire to. :) Oh, and she has a villain based on one of my greatest fears. Any guesses? Well, let me just show you:

I HATE spiders. Honestly, I'm practically a different person around them. Screaming, jumping, panic-stricken...it's bad. So this is a very fitting antagonist.

I may have to make a super E costume for Halloween when I reach my goal weight. She's pretty inspiring. 

No new recipes to share, really. My favorite meal has been tacos -- and they're not fancy. A pack of taco seasoning, 90+ percent lean ground beef and an onion. Ok, and you know I love my carb balance tortillas. But that's pretty simple. I've been enjoying that recipe and using my new melon baller on cantaloupes besides my basic foods...not much effort has gone into trying a ton of new foods. 

Here's to the start of a new week! And why not start with a belly dancing lesson?