Friends Don't Let Friends Eat Ranch...Or...Do They?

I hate to say it but I am really glad Thanksgiving is over. One major holiday down and with Christmas and New Years, only 2 more to go. I love the holiday season but this is my first one that I will spend dieting in several years. Not to mention the fact that the holiday’s cost money. Every time I go Christmas shopping, I spend $100 for myself...I’m staying the heck out of Best Buy because I guarantee a “short trip” to that store would end up with me paying on a Mac Air for 2 years. I digress. I’m not sure why I’m complaining because if you saw what I’ve eaten like the past couple of weeks...it would be hard to tell that I was dieting. Lucky for me, I kept up with my water and exercise and even though I didn’t think about Weight Watchers for 9 days, ate like a champ on Thanksgiving and did some sort of loose translation of Weight Watchers on the in between days, I only gained one pound. I think the lady that weighed me in Saturday thought I misheard her because I was so excited to gain that one pound. Over the course of my time in Kentucky, I had a nightmare that I had gained 26 pounds in one week so I took the pound with grace and I am back in the swing of things. I exercised this morning, drank my water, ate 6 grilled chicken tenders for lunch, had a 2 point snack and now I am counting down the minutes until I eat again. I hated Monday’s before...but I really hate them now because they follow my binging Sunday’s. Oh well! I want to get rid of that pound...and then some!

I have been thinking a lot about having accountability partners on your dieting journey. People are always saying you should have accountability partners for your spiritual and financial needs (I probably could use one on both of those fronts) but why not one for your weight loss efforts? I have to say that using one of your friends (especially a very good one) as an accountability partner could be a VERY DANGEROUS AND SLIPPERY SLOPE. For me, it always works when I scream insults at myself and degrade my every move until I do the right thing. Self loathing is very therapeutic for me...HOWEVER...if Jordan saw me sneaking a piece of pizza and came in and called me a fat, lazy tub of lard (which he would NEVER do) that would make me pretty angry. It would even make me angry if he said, in an encouraging tone, “Now sweetie, are we sure we want to make that choice? You are doing so well and I would hate for you to feel guilty after this. Let’s put the pizza down.” Maybe I’m irrational but neither of those statements would make me very happy. I need support but I don’t want to be told what to do. That’s why it’s such dangerous territory...especially when you are MY friends and family because I could snap at any moment. What if I have had a bad day and just go crazy on you because you mentioned the pizza. I also don’t need the kind of friend that is constantly getting me to cheat. “Come on...just one bite...it’s no big deal...” I know I have said this before, but would you offer just one little glass of wine to an alcoholic? No, or at least you shouldn’t. The point is, I think a support system is important (lucky for me, I have a pretty solid network of supportive friends and family) but I’m not sure that signing someone up to call you out on your shortcomings is the best idea. I just need honest and loving friends.

My other concern is when people rope others in to join them on their diet or exercise program in hopes that you can lose weight together. This has also caused many arguments between close friends. I know that having your bestie sign up with you at a gym and then go on the same diet program you are on may sound ideal but in my opinion, it’s a recipe for disaster. Sure, everything goes great the first couple of weeks but then all of a sudden, Susie Q doesn’t feel good for 3 weeks and sneaks Reese Cups for a snack at work. Either A) You end up cheating with her and gain weight or B) You end up mad at her because you are by yourself and you talk about each other all the time to your other friends. If someone wants to join with you...that’s fine but don’t make it your crutch. If that person doesn’t want to work out that day, that doesn’t mean that you get a pass...you were working out without them to begin with.

Those are just my thoughts. I am sure that there are cases out there that prove me totally wrong...but for me...I usually work alone...I try not to depend on others to tell me that I’m messing up or exercise and diet with me because if they fall off the bandwagon...then I might too.

I will probably be talking A LOT about the SEC Championship this week. It’s on Saturday and of course, Alabama and Florida are playing so I’m very nervous and excited and I really wish that I was going to be there...oh well...Roll Tide! Oh...and feel better Dad!!!!!

Thanksgiving and the Iron Bowl 2009

Roll Tide! It was another nail biter this week but Bama beat Auburn in the last few minutes of the game making it a perfect 12-0 season. Florida is next...I just hope they have a few more plays up their sleeve to play against the Gators because otherwise we will be in trouble.

Anyway, Thanksgiving was great yesterday. I ate way too much. We had turkey, ham, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole, dressing, sweet potatoes, baked beans, apple pie, peanut butter pie and lots of other good stuff. I'm a bit nervous about weighing in tomorrow but we will see how it goes. I included 3 pictures from the food we made yesterday. The one of the olive is funny because the hole was on the side of the olive instead of the top...but I don't think you can tell in the picture. Have a good weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know that Thanksgiving isn’t until tomorrow but I doubt that I will make time for blogging in between casseroles and pies. I’m just being honest. I plan on blogging Friday about how awesome all the food was and about football, but tomorrow, I will just shut up and eat. I hope you all do the same...if you are being hardcore about your diet and you are filling your plate with only turkey breasts and steamed carrots or green beans: I’m so sorry for your loss...congrats on your dedication and I’m sure you will be losing way more weight than me this week.

I would like to take time to give thanks for a bunch of things. My weight loss venture doesn’t define me but it is a part of me along with so many other things that make me who I am which is why I share more with you than just what I eat for dinner every day. What I’m trying to say is that in the spirit of giving thanks...I have a lot to be thankful for in every aspect of my life. First, I’m thankful foro God for loving me even though I am not the nicest, most appropriate person all the time...and I give him a pretty hard time sometimes for things that I consider unjust. I am also thankful for my family (especially my Mom, Dad and brother) for always being supportive. I am thankful for my friends: Jordan, Whitney, Cassandra, Nichole, Marques, Stacey...etc, etc. I have many friends and that is really special. I am thankful for how spoiled I am and how I have never gone hungry or without clothes or shelter. I am thankful to Angel Burnett who blessed so many while she was alive and she still blesses me now. One of my followers was a friend of hers and as my mother said, “She’s giving back.” Angel made me realize how much I take for granted and that I complain...A LOT...about trivial things. I know I will miss her this holiday season so I can only imagine how difficult it will be for her family so I am thankful for their strength as they celebrate Thanksgiving tomorrow. I am thankful to the military who risk their lives every day for us. I’m thankful for my dog, Harry Potter, cheese, 16 followers (even though two of them are my Dad for some reason), the Food Network and chocolate cake. See-the list goes on. I know that it seems cheesy to list the things your thankful for. I know that many times, I think that I have it bad and I hear people complain constantly about how awful their life is but if you stop and actually think about what all you truly have...it’s not so bad.

I’m even thankful for the mold in our wretched rental house...OK...I’m not thankful for that but I am thankful that I have a place to live. Thanksgiving will be different this year because my parents no longer have a kitchen to speak of due to one pesky little leak and Mom and I will be cooking in a couple of different places but all 5 of us will eat together tomorrow.

It also makes me want to help those who are less fortunate. I mean ... not everyone can say they have as much as I do...I have got to start contributing to society a bit more.

I hope I wasn’t too sappy for you...I’m not generally a sappy person but that is what Thanksgiving is for right? Well, if I didn’t do this sarcastic, rant-like blog justice today...I’m sorry...I think I made up for it though by including cartoons below!

I wish for everyone to have a safe and happy thanksgiving!!!

Excuses, Excuses

Well, I’m back to eating right. Blech...this sucks. I’m hungry. Oh well, I have to say that it’s pretty surreal not having a school deadline looming over my head. I don’t hate this feeling but I do hope that it doesn’t cause me to procrastinate in my venture for publication. I won’t let it and my nagging mother probably won’t let it either. I am excited about Thanksgiving! I am going to be eating that day I think. I would be miserable if I tried to count points but Friday and Saturday are going to be good days. I CAN DO THIS!

So-my coworker introduced me to Silly Bandz today. They are little bracelets that come in different shapes and colors and when you put them on it looks like you are wearing a rubber band. Actually, I think for people with smaller wrists, the bracelets are loose and twirl up sometimes but on my wrist, they just look like rubber bands stretched to the limit. I took pictures of course...




See-they are pretty cute. I had her get me some because if I am not in trend with 8 year old girls then who am I really?

Anyway-this morning I found out that my gym would be closed this Thursday and Friday. Thursday I expected but Friday kind of sucks...especially since I was like OH WELL-I GUESS I CAN’T EXERCISE ON FRIDAY. That got me to thinking about all the excuses I have ever used for not exercising. There are a lot out there and I no longer find them valid for myself or anyone else. For example, I have no arches in my feet. I truly have the flattest feet I’ve ever seen. It’s ridiculous. Because of this, I often experience excruciating pain in my feet and ankles when I walk or run. I had surgery a few years ago on one of my feet and that certainly made a difference until I gained wait. I can’t tell you how many times I have used my fat, archless, swollen ankle having feet as an excuse NOT to exercise.

I mean, look at this:



They are pretty bad...you wouldn’t believe how hard it is for me to find shoes wide enough and that also offer support. Anyway, I used to say that these old boat paddles that I have hurt too much to exercise. The truth is, I really can’t walk or run without hurting pretty bad...but I did find out that I can swim, and do the elliptical...neither of which put any impact on my feet. So, you see, it’s really not a good excuse. I also tend to blame my knees for not exercising. My weight also has a lot to do with the terrible knee pain that I experience every day. Swimming, again, doesn’t hurt my knees and honestly, the elliptical doesn’t either but I have heard that it kills some people’s knees.

One last thing is that I have an underactive thyroid. I have to take medicine. It makes me tired and arguably more mean but it doesn’t prevent me from moving. As a matter of fact, since I have lost weight and begun exercising...my thyroid has stabilized more and the next time I go to the doctor...he will probably lower my medication.

The point is that you shouldn’t use injury or pain as a reason not to exercise. I will say that in some circumstances, doctors will tell you not to be too strenuous when working out problem areas and clearly, you should listen to a doctor before me but if you can’t use your arms, use your legs, if you can’t use your legs, use your arms. I am a believer that mobility is key. I used to try and convince myself otherwise but it’s just the truth. Move around somehow...whether it’s gardening (which I would never do but some people actually like it), house projects, babysitting or something.

I guess I’m a hypocrite because I say all this and here I am dreaming of a 4 day weekend that involves more eating than movement but you get my point. I will try and get my brother to throw the football with me for exercise...there...I worked it out.

Have a good evening!

MFA GRADUATION WEEK IS OVER!

So-it’s official! I have a MASTERS! Well, I won’t really feel like it’s 100% official until I get that piece of paper in the mail but I graduated and I am all set! I can’t believe it has been two years since I began the program at Spalding. The goal is to now send out my poems for publication. Also, I plan on reading and writing a lot more. I’m pretty excited but I am still not sure what all my future plans will entail. I know that it has been awhile since I blogged and you are all anxious to start hearing me whine about food again...well I will start back regularly tomorrow. I am pretty sure I have gained a couple of pounds but I won’t be positive until I weigh in on Saturday which will be awesome because by then, I will have thrown Thanksgiving into the mix. I have done good today and feel like it won’t take me long to get completely back on track. *FINGERS CROSSED*
Thank you to everyone who provided so much love and support. I really, REALLY can’t say thank you enough to Grandma, Brenda, John, Oma, Mom, Dad, David and Jordan for making the long trip to see me. I had so much fun and I am so glad you could make it!!!
I included a few pictures below from my trip and I will be sure to blog tomorrow!!!

Thanks again!

Hanging in the Ville!

So-this is me in my hotel room in Louisville, Kentucky. I am going through my very last rigorous MFA residency week. I haven't had much spare time so I am taking this opportunity to give a quick hello.

In case you were wondering, I am eating pretty badly. I had not one but two cookies today. My stomach is not liking me at this point so I guess that's punishment. The school provides many of the meals. Most of the time they are pretty good but one of the caterer's that they use tends to use a crap ton of olive oil in their food and quite honestly I'm feeling a little vomit-ish tonight. The one good thing is that I am walking...a lot and I am going to work out AT LEAST 3 mornings this week. I am going to force myself. I am not looking forward to the post-Thanksgiving weigh in that I will have to endure. But-after hearing people say such sweet things about how I have changed since last time and after feeling so sick from eating this food...I'm anxious to get back on the bandwagon.

As you can see below, I wore my Alabama shirt today even though I couldn't be at the game or at home watching the game. I wanted to show my support. In fact, I may or may not have elected to come back to the hotel to watch the game instead of participating in the event happening right now for school. ;) I hope I get a chance to fill you in more later in the week!

Goin' to School!

First, I want to let it be known that our trivia team received 2nd place last night at Buffalo Wild Wings (hence the $20 gift card). That is by far the highest we have ever received. It was a fun night!

Instead of playing trivia last night, I probably should have been packing but that’s OK. I have all night tonight.

So, I thought I would tell you a little bit about my graduate program. Saturday, November 21st, I will graduate with a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, KY. This is a creative writing program and my specialty is poetry...so essentially, I’m a writer and now I will have a degree that says so (not that an MFA is the only way to be a writer because I know plenty of good writers that didn’t pursue an MFA). Anyway, here’s what Spalding’s website says about the program:

“Our four-semester, brief-residency MFA in Writing combines superb instruction with unparalleled flexibility. Each semester of the program begins with a ten-day residency, in which students and faculty gather for an intensive workshopping and learning experience. At the conclusion of the residency, students return home to correspond, one on one, with a faculty mentor for the rest of the semester. During the semester, each instructor supervises a small number of students, and each student's program is highly individualized.”

That’s basically what I have been doing for two years. Part of the requirement for the degree is to create a thesis that is a book of poems. My goal is to send out this book that I’ve been working on in hopes that someone will publish it. I am hoping for my own ISBN one day!!! That thought really excites me...maybe soon. I’m proud of the thesis but I think before I consider it a book I’m ready to publish...I still have to move a few more things around.

Having said all that, I am flying to Kentucky in the morning and I won’t be back until Sunday, November 22nd. I will try to post while I’m gone but it certainly won’t be every day. They keep you pretty busy. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to eat as great as I have been but I’m going to try not to go crazy and the good news is, the hotel has a workout room and you have to walk a lot during the day.

OK-That’s all for today! I want to thank everyone who ever supported me in my MFA venture!

Happy Veterans Day!

I just wanted to give a shout out on Veterans Day! I would like to personally thank all of the men and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces. They make such a sacrifice every day and for the most part, they go unrecognized by the media. So, THANKS! Thanks especially to my Dad and the many other family members of mine that served!

I feel so selfish because I have spent the last two days complaining about school work and selling t-shirts for a wonderful cause and there are people out there that have it WAY worse than I do. Shame on me.

Tonight is trivia night and speaking of selfishness, I’m pretty excited because one of the best teams is out tonight...one day we will win.

Haircuts & Ladybugs

Amidst all the hectic-ness of getting ready for school, I have made time to beautify myself this week. I am getting my fuzzy caterpillars that live above my eyes waxed tomorrow and tonight...I’m getting my hair did. I mean, I feel that getting a haircut and brow wax are almost as important to my lecture success as the content. I won’t feel confident with eyebrows so curly and long that they need to be trimmed (it’s true...Whitney knows what I’m talking about). So, I am headed across town after work and then I have to go to Wal-Mart because if I remember correctly from last year, I didn’t have enough socks to go the whole week. Socks are not a wear twice without washing sort of clothing item...pants are maybe...but not socks. After that, I have to go to my parents to print some stuff so I have another busy night planned.

Last night, I went to dinner with my Dad. We went to Moe’s (surprise, surprise...I am dreading the day I grow tired of that place) and then we went to the mall and he bought me some luggage for my graduation present. It’s really nice and it was a good deal. It came with five pieces! He’s been trying to buy me luggage for awhile and it wasn’t until I saw the shape of my mother’s poor duffle bag that I finally took him up on the offer. My Mom is an excellent packer. She could pack for 2 weeks in a carry on...I’m sure of it. I have put her huge duffle through some things. Anyway, I can’t wait to test my new luggage next week. It still has that new luggage smell! THANKS AGAIN DAD!!!

It looks kind of like this:



I’m pretty sure that there is no solution but I thought I would throw a problem out there anyway.



We have a lady bug infestation. OK-It’s not QUITE that bad. They always come in the warm, muggy weather. First of all, I hate bugs. I don’t care if they have cute decorations: red with black spots, lime green moths, or bright-colored butterflies...I hate them all. I fear cockroaches the most and I am pretty scared of spiders and things that hop but other bugs just get on my nerves. I especially don’t care for them being in my space. There aren’t just one or two lady bugs...there are hundreds. We end up with them on our clothes, crawling on our hands and legs and falling in our hair and face when we come in and out of the door. It’s so obnoxious. Does anyone know of any home remedies to get rid of them. I know people say to hang plastic bags of water to get rid of flies but I’ve never heard how to get rid of lady bugs. I just want to deter them from crowding around the house. I can’t stand going into my laundry room and crunching on them with bare feet. It’s gross. I’m sure it’s just one of those things in life that you just have to deal with but I thought I would ask.

I had a great lunch with my Mom today at Hooligans which is a little Greek type place here in town. It was so good but I spent more points than I usually do on lunch which means I was immediately manic about what I would have for dinner which has kept me pretty hungry this afternoon. I think I will survive!

LS Who?

Alabama clenched the SEC West Saturday against LSU and it was pretty awesome. I know that I talk a lot about football on a blog that is supposed to be mostly relegated to weight loss but I am excited because Alabama has a shot at the national title for the second year in a row. Last year we...well...choked in post season but it looks like we are going to get to try again at Florida! I am so pumped that I actually spent my lunch break watching and re-watching the last few minutes of the Bame/TN game from a couple of weeks ago. Because of school, I am going to miss watching 2 whole games. I am going to have to find a hiding spot Saturday to watch the Mississippi State game though because that one should be a little more exciting than the UT-Chattanooga game that is playing the day I graduate. I would honestly like to see Bama play the Mocs because Chattanooga is my hometown but I would rather graduate!

Phew! Enough about football. I am down 48 pounds! I am so close to 50-yet so far away. I don’t think I will get to weigh for two Saturdays and when I DO get to weigh...it will have been after 10 days of not being able to count points AND Thanksgiving so I might end up being a little bit further from losing 50 pounds then I am now but I plan on getting right back into the game when I get back from Louisville.

Yesterday, I was experiencing residuals from the LSU game and told my brother that I wanted to throw the football with him. Well, I always throw as hard as I possibly can and I would say I probably get it to him about 35% of the time. I don’t have the best arm strength. You probably already know this if you read the blog about the hello/goodbye arm. I am not terrible at catching unless he throws to hard. I swear he nearly broke my hands five times. I started to feel confident so I decided we would do a whole play. I told him to pretend we played for Alabama and that we were at practice and I would be Terrence Cody:


And he would be Greg McElroy:



I did this to imply that he should let me tackle him because CLEARLY McElroy is no match for Cody. Being a real boy, he didn’t let me just tackle him...he made me chase him all over the yard...when he finally LET me catch him...I couldn’t bring him down. I then (for some stupid reason) let him try and tackle me...he ran right at me and brought me to the ground. I just laid there for a minute. It wasn’t THAT bad but I couldn’t muster up the energy to get up. He of course thought it was hilarious. I said, “I’m too fat and old for you to do that.” Then he said, “You’re not old.” Punk. I remember now why I just WATCH football. I sort of felt sore last night but knew that today would be the real challenge and I was right. My arms feel like someone made me hold a 25 pound bucket of water in each hand above my shoulders for six days and my neck and legs ache pretty bad too. The good news is...I got some exercise.

I think that is all for today. My Dad sweetly offered to take me to get some luggage after work as a graduation gift. I don’t really have any and I have been using theirs every time. Frankly, I think we could all use a new suitcase before we go to Paris...or at least it sounds like a good reason to get one. Dad and I are going to dinner first so it will be fun! I have a lot to do before Friday but in mind and spirit and I am SO ready to go.

KUDOS!!!

Oh Snap! I just got my 13th follower. Thank you Cass! Also, you guys need to share how you got pictures if you have them because no one else can figure it out. If you don’t have a picture...try again...maybe whatever was wrong with it works now. I didn’t blog yesterday because I had to go into jury duty. Even though we weren’t in there the entire day, it was still pretty excruciating. I also went to work during my lunch break so yesterday sucked. We had to go case by case (all 600 of them) and make sure we had written everything down right. I am not sad that I don’t have to do it again until December.

What I am excited about is the Bama-LSU game tomorrow! Assuming we win, I plan on having loads of fun. I wish I could have a hotdog but maybe I will just stare really hard at someone eating one and maybe I can pretend I’m eating it through osmosis or something. I try it all the time with food network...it hasn’t been successful yet but I’ll let you know.

I wanted to take a brief moment today (because that’s all I have) to give a major shout out to a couple of eating establishments that have AMAZING nutritional information listed on their site. I might have mentioned these before but I’m not sure.



The first is Jimmy John’s. I brag on them often because you can go on their site, choose the sandwich you want and adjust it. For instance, if you want the Vito but don’t like mayo and tomato, you can take those off and it will recalculate the nutritional information. It’s awesome.



The next is Moe’s. It pretty much works the same way. You can figure out what your burrito is with a tortilla, without one, with cheese and sour cream, with olives and so on. It’s great.

I love places that are adopting this because more and more people everyday are beginning to check on these sort of details...so thank you Jimmy John’s and Moe’s. I hope you have these places in your area! If not, come visit me in Tuscaloosa and I will take you. I also appreciate those that have nutritional facts even though they aren’t so swanky...you’re doing your part too. My only nitpicky thing is...if you are going to have the nutritional facts...please put fiber on them...fiber is the new black...nobody worth their weight in fat looks for nutrition facts without looking at fiber these days....just a suggestion.

I’m sure you were all wondering how we did in trivia since we had seven people...two of them parents...well I have to say...it was the worst showing for us in a long time. We couldn’t get anything right...the questions were really hard. It’s a good thing we don’t go only to win because if we did we would be in trouble.

Well, roll tide and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! In between football, I will be preparing for school which I leave for on Friday. Crap...I just realized I’ll be flying on Friday 13th. That’s freaky. I plan on doing a blog next week about my program and residency and graduation so you will know what the heck I’m talking about and realize that I am going to be a MASTER in about 2 weeks!!!

I think something bounced up into my undercarriage.

Sometimes there are days when I can’t think of things to day. I think to myself, “Great, I have writer’s block.” I’m only supposed to have that when I write for school. This is supposed to be a place to say anything I want without having to worry about someone judging my syntax or punctuation. Today, I had several thoughts and I put them down for future use so, my blog writer’s block isn’t really a problem today. *Also, I would rather not hear any diatribes from those who say writer’s block doesn’t exist. I’m not in the mood.* I mention that because I want to stop being so obsessive about things. If I don’t have anything to say, I could either opt out of the blog for the day or just simply state that I don’t have anything to say...but that’s not really me. I’m the kind of person that obsesses over things. Because of jury duty, I’m missing two weeks of work in 3 months, I have to be out a week of school and in March, my family and I are going to Paris for a week. Only one of these weeks is technically a vacation but I am still freaking out. Not only do I feel bad because I don’t feel like I’m doing my part at work but I am petrified they are going to be mad at me. I work in a very laid back environment. If you get your work done then you are pretty much good...and I do get my work done...and then some...very quickly. I have already been told by my boss that he knows I can’t help the jury duty but I still feel uneasy. Essentially, I’m a worry wart. I think I need a nerve pill.

Speaking of things that I worry about...I wanted to talk about a couple of “problem areas” that I have noticed won’t get better even as I do so well in weight loss. The first issue is what we in the overweight business call the “Hello-Goodbye arm.” (For the record, I looked for pics online of both of the “disorders” I would be speaking of and quite frankly they were a little too extreme) The “Hello-Goodbye Arm” is located on the underside of your upper arm. It is basically excess fat that hangs down so when you wave hello at someone with your hand, immediately, the fat on your arm graciously waves goodbye. It is actually convenient if you think about it. Imagine, killing two birds with one stone...if you say hello to someone and also say goodbye another person. Really saves a lot of time. The only problem to this is that it is mildly unattractive. The fat under your arm is extremely hard to get rid of for some reason. I started lifting these little 3 pound weights and doing sets of 15 above my head, below my head, to the side and nothing seems to work. I mean I know that they are only 3 pounds but I didn’t want to start with 10 and pull something. Anyway, I would really like to alleviate this problem.

The other issue I have would be what some call, “Dunlap Disease.” This is where your belly has “done lapped” over your belt buckle...or something like that. In my circle, we refer to this unsightly belly fat as our undercarriage or a pooch. Basically, you have an undercarriage when you can lift the bottom of your belly up and move it around. SOMETIMES, you might even find lost things like napkins, loose change and every once in a while something like a cheerio or French fry finds its way down there. It’s funny because I don’t know how things get there. Sometimes, I purposefully store my phone in there if I’m busy. The point is, I have plenty of other ways to store my cell phone. It’s time for this thing to go. It’s like as I’ve lost weight, I can tell in my face, upper body, thighs and everywhere...just not in that bottom belly fat. UGH! I do crunches but it’s like my Mom says, most people don’t do them right. Half the time, I do them in my bed and I only do a 100. I might as well not be doing them.

Anybody got any suggestions? I know I don’t have a lot of readers but if anyone...ANYONE comes across this blog and has the solution to the “hanging” fat that won’t go away...I would be ever so grateful. I’ve disturbed myself on this blog...I have to say...I hope I haven’t disturbed anyone else...that’s why I didn’t include pictures.

It’s TRIVIA NIGHT!!! I’m extra excited about it today for some reason. I think both of Jordan’s parents are coming and my Mom is still on board so all of these factors should make us a contender.

I can do anything you can do better (except run).

It’s been a crazy first half of the day again. I have been pretty busy and I had to do a 40 minute training with someone I am certain fits the stereotype of a rude person from New Jersey. It was quite excruciating but at least he spoke so fast that the call seemed like less than 40 minutes. Honestly, I don’t mind being busy. I thrive under pressure...I just don’t want to drown in stress...I usually don’t let that happen.

Every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday morning, I drag my lazy butt out of the bed at 5:30 and mosey on down to the PARA to “run” on the Elliptical for 30 minutes. Yesterday, someone was telling me that they had done the elliptical the day before and that they were sore. I asked how long he had been on it and he said 20 minutes. He then said that during that 20 minutes, he had gone 2.09 miles. This really pissed me off for some reason. On average, I go about 2.07 miles in 30 minutes. I told him this and I think he thought that I was annoyed with him directly and quickly explained how much longer his legs were than mine. This is true I guess but sometimes I feel like I work so hard at things and inevitably there is always someone that can do it better. You know, it really has nothing to do with fast elliptical runner person. It just serves as a decent metaphor for my point. I know I only exercise officially 4 times a week but I have been pretty active on the off days as well. I sometimes get all high and mighty about it too...I think I’m all bad because I exercise. So, I was determined to go faster today. I ended up going 2.09 miles in 30 minutes...yah so that is .02 faster than usual. What really sucks is that my stomach and thighs feel like someone repeatedly punched them for seven days...really? I’m sore because I went .02mph faster than usual. Whatever. I think this proves that I need not over exert myself...or at least that’s the story I’m going with. I do push myself. When I started on the EVIL-LIPTICAL (as I just named it, I put a picture below), I was only going 10-15 minutes. Every couple of months, I up my time by 5 minutes. It’s really made a difference. I started so slow because I wanted to pace myself. I still think that is the best idea. I guess it all correlates with my blog yesterday about patience. Just because I’ve been exercising several months on the Elliptical, a machine with no foot to ground impact, doesn’t mean I’m ready to run a 5K marathon.


Needless to say I am trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m not great at everything and there will always be someone that can out do me. Every time my Dad talks about walking it gets bigger and bigger. He has also lost weight but he does things a little differently than me. At first he would walk like 2 miles and now he eats a can of zero point Progresso soup and walks 5-67 miles every night and I’m always like...oh...well...um...I did the elliptical for 30 minutes and only ate one double cheeseburger instead of 2. This probably explains why he lost 35 pounds in half the time. I started playing guitar a while back and when I realized that I couldn’t play the entire “Taking The Long Way” CD by the Dixie Chicks the first day...I was like...this blows. I’m determined to start playing again after I graduate by the way. I know that I have rambled a lot today but the point is that I need to maintain perseverance. (“...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1) I’m going to take a deep breath tomorrow and go as fast as I can on the elliptical and if that means I’m not fast...well then...I’m just not fast...but I’m moving and each day taking a small step to my goal.

Today is a good day for music. Carrie Underwood’s new CD Play On came out today. I’ve listened a couple of times and I really like it. There are a couple of songs that I’m really into. It’s weird because I loved her first 2 CDs but in very different ways. I think this one will be the same. Even though I’ve only listened a couple of times...I’m already trying to compare but I have to stop because they aren’t really the same. Anyway, you should definitely give it a shot if you like Carrie Underwood...I love her so even if I didn’t like the CD...you would never know.

Patience is a virtue.

Well, I am back at work today. It felt weird at first but it didn’t take much time before I was yet again fully aware of all of my emails and my unbelievable, fossil-slow computer. This day has really tested my patience but I am trying to overcome. Also, I have been starving all day long. I think it’s because my schedule was so out of whack last week and I had two bowls of chili for lunch yesterday and fried pork chops with mash potatoes and gravy and macaroni and cheese for dinner last night. I would say all the grazing of cheat day definitely has something to do with my desire to gnaw on anything and everything...even my desk calendar or tape dispenser don’t look bad at this point.

My Aunt Brenda often whispers “patience is a virtue” under her breath when feeling stressed or encountering a situation that may make her crazy. Lately, I have found that this method doesn’t work for me. My Oma asked me if I have found that my anger “issues” have gotten worse because I am dieting. I had never really thought about it before but it was an interesting question. I honestly don’t think they have gotten worse...just pretty consistent.

I have different ways of dealing with things. I usually have patience for certain periods of time and then it sort of...runs out. When that happens, I express that through language or yelling or biting my finger really hard. I have to gather more patience after that which is like looking for firewood in the desert...especially if I’m at work...but I manage. I know that everyone finds patience from different places. I was thinking and I don’t think that my accelerated anger comes from one particular thing. I think it comes from my short fuse. My lack of patience. I am a person that desires instant gratification. This explains the dizzying anger I feel when my computer runs slow or the way I want to hit someone when I don’t know an answer I need right away. I think this ideology is spilling over into my weight loss. As of Saturday, I have lost over 46 pounds. It feels really good but at the same time...I am very impatient. I have been so lucky to have lost weight every week since I started Weight Watchers. I say lucky...which I am...but I have also worked my butt off. Some weeks I lose over 2 pounds when I just do normal things and then there was last week when I did everything right and I only lost 1.2. Do I feel guilty for complaining about losing weight? Yes. Do I do it anyway? Yes. It’s all about my impatience. My goal and perhaps you might consider making this your goal as well: Be patient. Patience really is a virtue. We can’t always get instant gratification. If that were the case, I would have done what it takes to lose 150 pounds in one week, all 7 Harry Potter movies would be out by now, I would have a Masters and a PHD, and I would ask for a paycheck advance for the next 10 years. I understand it takes time but I need to REALLY understand it. Because, if I get too impatient...I might stop. I definitely do NOT want to do that.

Because of my brothers OVER-patient attitude with his grades...he may or may not be relinquishing his right to go to the LSU game this weekend- meaning I get to go. Unfortunately, I can’t relish in this because I would honestly rather have my brother making the straight A’s his brain so rightfully deserves but that doesn’t mean I’m not going....because I totally am. This game is pretty darn important. A win here pretty much seals up the SEC West so we can get another chance at the Gators. I must be patient in this realm also because we need to go one game at a time. Roll Tide.

Back to normal.

Tomorrow I will not sit and listen to 500 drug cases or hear sad stories of rape and abuse...I will be back at work...back to the regular routine. Of course, I will have to go back one day this week as well as a week in December but at least I know I will be back to blogging a bit more regularly. It's unbelievable how many angry calls and emails I have received from people BEGGING me to quit dragging my feet and blog anyway...despite my fatigue (my mom was the only one that said anything). Well, I plan to astound you this week and do at least 4 or 5 blogs.

I have to say that I missed football this weekend. Alabama had an off week and I always miss watching them when they aren't on. I did however have a fun Halloween. Yesterday was very productive and relaxing. Jordan and I kicked butt and took names on the DVR yesterday. I also got some school work done and we went to a Halloween party. I posted a picture below and I will let you decide for yourselves what we were dressed like.

I would tell you about the fact that I asked my Mom if she thought I could ever get through basic training if I wanted to join the military and she said no...or I could tell you about how cool and adorable Where the Wild Things Are was because I saw it today...or about the fact that I was SOOOO robbed at the chili contest at church this morning but it seems that the smell of my mother cooking fried pork chops for dinner on this glorious cheat day is really inhibiting my ability to think about anything else.

So-I will be back to normal tomorrow...hopefully.