Wacky Wednesday!

Hi everyone!!

This week has sort of flown by. I've been so busy I've hardly been able to find a minute to breathe. I've been doing really well with tracking though, hooray! I did splurge a little bit on Sunday when I went out to dinner with the girls and we went to see Pitch Perfect (hilarious movie, btw). But I got right back on track and kept plugging along. I can already feel a difference in my clothes and they're becoming looser, which is good. I peeked at the scale this morning and I did NOT like the number. I need to really focus and work to get back to where I was and lower! But I'm feeling more motivated!

Eating has been good. I had baked potatoes in the fridge for an easy dinner and I bought some more to cook today. I love grabbing one out of the fridge and dressing it up with carmelized onion and some reduced fat cheddar! It's a really easy, quick dinner for me! I also have been making taco salad with turkey meat, which I have some of leftover. And I love doing this sort of fajita bowl thing with shredded lettuce, a perfect portion chicken breast, peppers, onions which I season with a tiny bit of taco seasoning and then I put light sour cream and a 100 calorie pack of guacamole. It's like a mexican restaurant opened up in my house! Love it! And if I'm missing calories or need to amp up the protein, I put in a sprinkle of cheddar too!


So for now I'm staying on track, feeling good. Today is my day off so my mother stayed over last night and we're going to head off to Target and shop our hearts out! Plus I need some more fresh veggies! Yum yum! Things are going well! Hope they are with you too, lovies! <3

Sunday Funday!

Hi all!

It's been a really great weekend so far! I've been doing pretty well with tracking my food this week and staying on track! Tonight I'm going out to dinner with some friends and then we're going to see the movie Pitch Perfect! It looks HILARIOUS, I can't wait! I've also already been on the Outback Steakhouse website and decided on what I'm having. I decided on the Filet & Grilled Shrimp on the Barbie with grilled asparagus, which fits perfectly into my plan for today.

This morning I got up around 7 (this is the latest I've been able to sleep in for quite some time!), had a nice cup of coffee while I read my paper and then I made myself a healthy egg mug! I don't know what's going on this weekend but I felt like Connecticut was deserted. Yesterday my mom called me up and asked if I wanted to do some shopping with her so we went out and hit Target and I got some produce at Stop and Shop. Instead of it being PACKED (as it usually is on a Saturday at 10) there were only a few people in Target! Same thing at stop and shop! Usually it's hell trying to get things accomplished on a Saturday around here...people must be on vacation or something!!

And speaking of vacations, I've been planning a Girl's Weekend with my sister. Nov 2-4 I'll be in Philadelphia hanging out and having a great time! We already signed up for a ghost tour, which looks to be amazing! And hey, we are going to take a nice long walk and enjoy our time around the city! It's going to be great!

Lots of fun things are coming up, I'm not going to let work stress or anything derail me! I hope everyone is having an amazing, blessed Sunday.

WHAT IN THE WORLD!?

Yes, I am still alive...

Although recently it's sort of felt like I died. It's been so stressful on me lately. Work, family and friends, and other pressure on me has been piling up! Then my computer crashed...dead hard drive, ugh. I had HP send out a new one and I actually installed it myself. I also had a horrible migraine that knocked me on my ass for almost a week. Eating has been pretty bad lately although over the last week I've been tracking again and starting to get things back in order.

I don't really know what's going on with me lately. I am falling back into old patterns with the "I Don't really care what I eat" attitude. Could have to do with stress (I'm a notorious stress eater)! I'm trying day by day to get myself back in order and man, I need to do it! My scrubs are getting tight, so are my clothes...I just don't like this at all!!! So I'm back, I'm blogging. And I need to be accountable!!

I have been cooking healthy things and keeping them in the house. One of my FAVORITES has been Thee Cheese Tortellini and Mushrom Soup! I've been making this and eating it and it's been amazing. I also add a big package of baby spinach and that really makes it for me! I've also been doing baked potatoes with low fat sour cream/onions/cheese. Today I had a Veggie Delight from subway for lunch since I was running like crazy. This morning I had to be at my first patient by 7am which meant I had to leave my house by 6:30am! When I got up it was sooo dark and rainy, I needed a coffee and I was out of the house by 6:15am. That makes for a REALLY long day, I'll tell you! I'm fighting a headache right now and I know its a combo of stress and such. I'm also drinking a TON of water, filling up my cup and working on hydration too. This is my time, I need to succeed! And this week, so far so good!

I hope you all are well, I've missed you and I'm terribly sorry to neglect you so! <333

EPICLY YUMMY RECIPE!

Okay so I have been healthy meal planning...Pinterest I <3 you! So anyway, I had my usual day off yesterday. I wasn't able to go running but I did the housewife workout, getting my house clean and ready for guests on Sunday. Also I made a pasta bake for a coworker in need; she's had just one bad thing after another and I wanted to help out. You'll be super proud of me, I only tested one noodle to make sure the pasta bake was properly seasoned and tasted good. It was fantastic...but I packaged it up and left it alone while I started on my healthy meals for the week.

As always I made a pound of turkey taco meat. I LOVE having this around. 1/2 of it I put in the fridge. 1/2 of it I froze. I made 2 taco salads, one for lunch yesterday and I ate one today. Yay healthy eating! And I also prepared a recipe I found on Dashing Dish...with a few changes! IT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh yum!! I decided to share it as my first Get Fit, Feel Epic healthy recipe I enjoyed!!!

So! ENJOY!

Pizza Stuffed Peppers

Adapted from Dashing Dish Recipe found here: Pizza Stuffed Peppers

4 Large Bell Peppers or 8 Medium/Small - Mine were WAY too small. Mine ended up being only half the size I needed but they still were amazing.
1 container sliced mushrooms - 8oz or so, I bought them presliced at the store!
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic chopped
1 lb lean ground turkey
8oz spaghetti sauce (I used Hunt's garlic & herb sauce)
1 tsp each dried basil, oregano and parsley
1/4 cup tomato paste
10oz can Rotel diced tomato & green chilies DRAINED - I LOVED the spicy kick it gave this recipe. YUM!
1/2 cup parmesean cheese - I had fresh grated parm left over from making my coworker's recipe so I used that
2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese PER PEPPER.
2 slices Hormel Turkey Pepperoni PER PEPPER

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a square baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

2) Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and sautee until onions are translucent and mushroomsa are soft. Put into a bowl and set aside.

3) Spray the same pan again and add turkey. Cook until the meat is no longer pink, then add 8oz of tomato sauce. Add back in mushroom/onion/garlic mixture. Also add in spices, Rotel, parmesean cheese and tomato paste. Stir until combined.

4) Remove from heat. Stuff peppers. If you are using a large pepper you should be able to fit in 1 cup of the meat mixture. If smaller, about 1/2 a cup. My peppers were smaller, so they didn't stand up nicely. I used tin foil to sort of prop them up in the pan.

5) Top with 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese shredded and 2 slices of pepperoni per pepper.

6) Bake 15-20 minutes IF using small peppers. 25-30 minutes IF using large peppers.
NOM...

281	Calories per Serving (1 large pepper or 2 small)
9 g	Fat per Serving
15 g	Carbohydrate per Serving
3 g	Fiber per Serving
6.6 g	Sugar per Serving
37.7 g	Protein per Serving
7	WWP+* *From the Dashing Dish site

 GREAT recipe and it is SO yummy! I can't wait to have the leftovers for supper! Enjoy :)

Wacky Wednesday!

Hello all!


I really didn't want to wake up and face the scale today. I really didn't want to get up at all...we're getting the backlash of Hurricane Issac and it's thundering, downpouring and we even had a little bit of hail. Needless to say, it was not an appropriate morning to go running. It is also horribly humid out and NASTY. But yeah...the scale...

I know that I've gained. I can feel it in my clothes... 274.8 was definitely not my favorite number to see. Ugh. But it is the number to beat. We're just starting the Get Fit, Feel Epic challenge and I've been tracking 100% and I did a mega shopping today and got tons of healthy food!

I also have healthy recipes planned for the week. I've made a pound of turkey taco meat to make healthy taco salads! And I'm making a pizza stuffed peppers recipe that I got from the Dashing Dish site which is AMAZING. If it turns out well, I'll be posting this as one of my new recipes! Katie over at Dashing Dish is amazing and I love her recpies!! I also have some peppers which I love to eat with hummus as part of a quick healthy lunch or snack.

My big challenge will be this weekend, I am hosting a Make Your Own Pizza Party at my house! The great thing about it being in my home though is  I have some control over ingredients. Plus! I plan on making a healthy pizza. All the ingredients are organic and fresh, no added sodium and I know the calorie counts on everything! I also am not going to be drinking wine or anything since the party is on a Sunday and I am working the next day!

Setting myself up for success! It'll be great! Hope everyone is having a good week so far!

Get Fit, Feel Epic Challenge!

http://weightwars.co.uk/get-fit-feel-epic/

 

Rebecca over at Weight Wars (which is an AWESOME blog, you should be reading) is having a challenge. And I need a challenge. My eating has been atrocious lately. I've been eating out WAY too much, not tracking, not drinking water and not working out as much as I should. So this...I need to do.

This is an 8 week challenge... and I plan on making the most of it. So starting out, I'm setting FIVE goals!!!

1) By the end of week 8, I will be consistently running 4 miles, 2x a week!

I am running my 5K on October 13th, 2012. And I am running 3.1 miles 2x a week. After this race I am going to start the B210K program! So I want to be running 4 miles at least by the end of the challenge!

2) I will to be able to plank at least 2 minutes consistently!

I have never planked before...but I heard its good for your abs. Apparantly it's very hard and I think 2 minutes is a good goal!!!

3) TRACKING!! I will track everything!! Every bite, lick and taste for 8 weeks!! This also includes weighing in once weekly on Wednesday!

4) Try 8 new recipes and post them on my blog!

I love cooking...I love HEALTHY cooking. So this is a great challenge for me! Woot!

5) Organize and get rid of all the junk in my spare bedroom and find a purpose for that room by the end of the 8th week. Use Pinterest to gather ideas and implement them! (Before and after photos will be taken)


** You may wonder why I didn't set a weight goal. I have been really frustated lately. I have gained, I know I have...so I don't want to focus on the scale. I want to focus on a healthier me!

I RAN 5K TODAY!

Yes, it is true! I ran a full 5K today...without stopping once! HELL YEAH!

On Wednesday I had a terrible, horrible run. I actually didn't even run because I had such a pounding headache and as soon as I started running, I had horrible nausea. I felt like there was acid in my throat and it was seeping into my lungs. So I just took a walk. I felt that was much better than trying to push myself and go nuts. So...that was a failure for me. But I picked myself up, dusted myself off and I decided today I would do a "fun run" on my C25K app. They have all sorts of times and distances. But I decided to be ambitious and try 5K.

Mile 1 felt fantastic. I felt good...but somewhere around 1.1 and 1.5 miles I started feeling horribleeee. I felt winded and breathless but I said to myself...what are you, a wimp? You're used to running more than 2 miles! Kick it up!

And you know what? I did. I ran the entire rest of the way. WITHOUT STOPPING. A full 3.11 miles (over 3.5 with my warmup and cooldown). And I felt AMAZING. I felt at the end that I definitely got a good workout. But I was a little suprised I probably could've pushed myself further. Bridge to 10K will start after my race in October... and I'm excited.

So...my time today for a 5K was 49:08.

Okay. I'm not winning any awards for this time. But my biggest fear was that it was going to take me hours to run a 5K and I wasn't going to be able to run any of it at all. I'm running the whole thing and my pace can only improve from here! This is the time to beat! Yippee! I can do this! Now, this was on a flat trail so...I'm going to try running 5K on WEdnedsay up my hills and dales at home. But this was an amazing place to start. Yay! I feel awesome!

I've done my run, I've caffeinated. I took a shower...now check out this happy mug!

Crazy Weekend & Food Poisoning

Ugh.

Food poisoning. Need I say more? I went wine tasting and such with my mother on Saturday. We had some fabulous wine and it was beautiful. And then she wanted to go this little earthy-crunchy, wierdass tea place. Pretty much I don't think they believe in washing anything...especially their hands. I had a tomato basil mozzarella sandwich and some soup and a delicious chai iced tea... twenty minutes into eating, I was in the bathroom.

Here's me, happy as a clam with my iced tea. Even the meal looked good...

But it wasn't. It made me SICK. And my mom got sick too. It was BAD. I felt like crap all weekend. UGH.

Even so, I needed to get things done. I made some healthy pasta bake from my own recipe!

Chicken Sausage Pasta Bake

Submitted by: KATEBRN

No preboiling noodles! No preboiling noodles!

Minutes to Prepare: 10

Minutes to Cook: 40

Number of Servings: 9

Ingredients

1 lb Dreamfields rotini or penne or other high fiber pasta
28 oz can Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes w/ Basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 package chicken sausage (I used target brand spinach and garlic!)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 cup Grated parmesean, divided
 

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 425. Place 1 lb dry pasta in a 9 x 13 pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

2) Pour Tuttorosso over pasta then fill can 3/4 full with water and also pour over.

3) Add garlic, 1/4 cup grated parm and any other spices to the 9 x 13 pan and stir in the pan.

4) Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.

5) Take off foil, put on 1 cup of the mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 parmesan over the top. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

6) Enjoy! (This reheats REALLY well!)

Serving Size: Makes 9 Servings
 

Also for those of you who requested it, pictures of my yummy sausage stuffed zucchini boats!

 

 

 

I feel better now...definitely dehydrated. I've been sucking down the water like crazy. I need to relax!! Have a good Monday ya'll!

Two posts in one day!? Lucky you! Revisiting 30 before 30

When I first started this journey, I wrote a 30 before 30 list on July 30, 2011. A list of things I want to accomplish before I turn 30! I decided today as I was waiting for my mom to get ready for the day...I swear she takes hours to get ready...to evaluate where I am!

1) Be able to go shopping and fit into “normal sized” clothes. - Getting there! Wearing a size Medium in Old Navy Tank tops. Still wearing about a size 18/20 up to 22 depending on the store.

2) Hike up Talcott Mountain in CT - Need to do this! This is my summer!

3) Get my APRN (nurse practitioner certification) - Not yet ready to start this.

4) Completely redo my 70s bathroom - I am actively saving for this! Got an estimate and I'm looking at about 5-8,000 to gut and redo the bathroom! However I have a heat pump from the 70s and if that goes first, it's getting fixed first.

5) Get a tattoo -Not yet! I'm waiting for goal weight.

6) Learn to Grill

7) Visit Canada! Road trip anyone?

8) Participate in a triathalon - IN TRAINING!

9) Buy a car with 4WD – being a homecare nurse out in blizzards without 4wd stinks!

10) Be able to do real pushups!

11) Learn to dance –without causing major injuries to everyone in my general area

12) Master the Spanish Language

13) Go to Mexico and Spain!

14) Go on a goodwill trip with Doctors without Borders or another similar agency!

15) Be part of a live studio audience –at the Talk? The View? Jerry Springer? Looks fun!

16) Get married and have kid(s)

17) Start acting again! Audition for plays! - Would love to do this. Maybe this year?

18) Buy stock in Frank’s Hotsauce – I eat enough of it to drive shares up I’m sure.

19) TMI - get a bikini wax? I’m scared.

20) Skydive! - EEP!?

21) Visit Hawaii

22) When I reach my goal weight, have a sexy photo shoot. Lingerie anyone?

23) Go on a whale watch

24) Run…not a 25k or a 5k…just be able to run. The rest will fall into place

25) Pay off all my student loans

26) Get myself something designer! Jeans, dress, something flashy when I reach goal

27) See the Aurora Borealis

28) Karaoke in public…never done it before. Hopefully I can muster my strength! Tequila anyone?

29) Make a difference in one person’s life. - Maybe I have?

30) Become a success story!

I DID IT!!!!!

I did it!

I finished the C25K program! Nine weeks of running and exercising and I FEEL AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Holy crap...I have fulfilled a LIFETIME goal of mine which is to run. I never though I could do it. I never thought I would be "thin" enough to run. But during this process I've learned, you don't have to be thin to run. You have to be FIT! And during my journey to run 5K, I have increased my fitness level exponentially! WOO!

I was so proud of myself for completing this program, I can't even tell you. I was celebrating in the car with my mom and we got a nice cup of coffee to go along with it! They we had a healthy homemade breakfast of egg whites, a little bit of sausage and onion. Yum!!! I am SO proud. Look at my smiley face post-breakfast/post-shower!!!

Woot! Happy Face!

Today I'm spending time with my family. We have big plans to go to two vineyards and sample some wine, take a nice long walk, get some lunch at a local tea room. It's going to be amazing! I can't wait!!!! YAY!

I'm going to start consistently running 5K twice a week now until my big race. Then it's on to 5 to 10K...I CAN DO THIS! Maybe someday 21 or 40K are in my future... who'da thunk it. Me? A marathoner? Ohhh baby...that's scary! But who knows? It could happen!

W9D2 and My Near Death Experience

Hello,

Today I went out for my run and I thought, you know what? I'm going to change things up today! La la la, little blonde girl goes running and decides, HEY! THERE'S A BUSY STREET! LET'S GO RUN ON IT! I thought there was a sidewalk. Turns out, there was. But this is the busiest street in my town and directly off the highway. AND the sidewalk is on the OTHER side of the street. There are no crosswalks or anything so I just started running. AS FAST AS I COULD to try and get back to my street. Holy crap. I was SPRINTING straight uphill as huge tractor trailers and SUVs and cars and motorcycles went by. Holy Crap.

I was sooo proud when I got home. Then I realized my GPS crapped out a couple times so it looked like I ran LESS than usual. Which didn't make me happy. A few times the GPS has me standing still and believe me, I was not standing still! I felt like I was in the damn Olympics when I was running up this GIANT hill as cars are coming at me and I'm running on people's grass.

So after nearly dying, I called my mom and talked to her about it. And relaxed while drinking a huge glass of water. Then I hopped in the shower and afterwards made myself an awesome healthy breakfast! I did 1/2 cup egg beaters (which is equal to 2 eggs), 1oz of cheddar cheese and a mini bagel. And more water! It was awesome!!!! SO YUMMY!

It's Tax Free week in CT so I did a lot of shopping. I got some clothing for running and especially now that it's getting cooler (which I LOVE!). I also bought the Hunger Games DVD, I have a $3 off coupon on Kcup packs so I bought those (they were also on sale), and LOTS of healthy food! Tonight I am planning on making some stuffed zucchini boats for dinner with some fresh zucchini and squash I got at the farm on Sunday! I am working on making healthy dinners!

Last night I had a GREAT dinner and I used up a ton of stuff in my fridge and pantry. Soft tacos, yay!

Plans for the day include writing a letter to a friend who just started bootcamp, dishes, laundry, and relaxing! YAY! Also I weighed in this morning...not really happy with the number, 266.9. It could be worse. But I'm working on making it a whole lot better!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Wednesday!

W9D1... Struggling with motivation...

Hi everyone!

It's been over a week since I've written...and honestly, things in the weight loss department are not good. Maybe its because the period-monster has had me in her clutches all week but I've been constantly eating poorly and feeling like doing nothing. This Wednesday (the day I usually run) there was a huuuge thunderstorm. And thunder/lightning is the only weather I will not run in. It's just not safe! I do not have a treadmill or anything (when my work office moves to the new building which is SUPPOSED to happen this month, there is a gym but...not yet) so running was impossible. The weather in CT has been all around nasty lately...humid, hot, stormy.

Much to my delight this morning, it was a delicious 54 degrees and COOL! WOOO! What a GORGEOUS morning!! Even though I was up late last night hosting a Hunger Games/Taco Party (healthy tacos made w/ turkey, whole grain shells/wraps, light sour cream, and plenty of veggies! Score on that one!)  I got my butt up and went at 7am! It was sooo nice to run in good weather. I actually kind of enjoyed it... But seriously, it was a great run. My overall pace was 15:35 min/mile which is a pretty good pace! I had some parts where I ran faster and other times slower. If I could keep this pace and push it at bit, I could finish my October 5K in 45 minues which...would be amazing to me!!!

Overall, though, I haven't been eating well. I found myself getting into a habit of eating well all day, drinking my water...then bingeing at night. I am not even bingeing on unhealthy things! I find myself finishing off 2 bell peppers with half a container of hummus, or eating an extra serving of Quinoa Basil Cakes that I made from a pinterest recipe. WTF. And a couple times I went out to eat with friends...it just isn't working out for me. I can feel my clothes are getting snug again and I DO NOT LIKE IT!

I am back on the wagon...I just need to find my center and my motivation again. I CAN DO THIS. I WILL DO THIS. I just need to convince myself of that...I need to take it one day at a time!

Happy Sunday ya'll and enjoy my sweaty mug post-run!

W8D3 Weekend Warrior

What a freaking crazy week!!! I have been running nonstop it seems. On Tuesday evening I took my mom out for her birthday. I took her to the casino for an overnight fun girls only vacation! We had a great time! I won $45.37...but then I spent it on our dinner, so actually it worked out well. I didn't end up spending any money at the casino! WOO! I booked our hotel room with credit card reward points too so that wasn't any money out of pocket for me. I'm frugal if nothing else!!!

So after our awesome night, we drove home Wednesday and I've been doing some megacleaning. Everything needs to be in tip-top shape. But on that day, we got up late and I ended up not running. I was exhausted...which made it even harder to get up today and go! I REALLY struggled with this run. It's SUPER hot and humid...it was horrible. I had to struggle for every breath!

But I had an awesome pace of 15:14/mile and ran 1.84 miles straight! 2.35 miles incuding the warmup/cooldown. So that's not too shabby. When I was running I felt like death though! Especially because I was at the track and it was boring. I have found that I like running on the road because there's fun and interesting stuff to see. It's notjust running in circles... bleh. And I found today that running on the track you encounter more people...special, rude people. Like the woman who was talking on her bluetooth while walking? I thought she was talking to me as I ran by (she was talking about the weather) and I was said "Woof yeah it's hot!". Well she looked at me like I kicked her in the ass instead of adding to a conversation I thought we were having...

Then I felt like I was being judged by her so I hurried my pace. But of course, running in a circle I came across her again but ignored her. Oh well! It takes all types. And hey, she could be sitting on her ass talking on the phone. At least she was out walking while doing it, right?

Anyway, it was my father's birthday on Monday and my brother's birthday on Friday (yes there are a ton of summer birthdays!) so we went out to dinner last night. Eating this week...not that good. And I can definitely feel it. I'm bloated and feel like crap. Which could also have to do in part to Aunt Flow's impending visit!! But still, I need to get back on track. I have healthy food, I just need to make good choices!

So...I talked about some big news my last post. And I'm still working through it...deciding what I should do about everything! And p.s. I'm not pregnant, so don't worry about that! ;) I'm leaving you today with one of my ABSOLUTE favorite things in the world. And it has gotten me through so many things...because it makes me laugh hysterically every time I see it.

HOLY COW C25K W8D2

HOLY COW IS RIGHT.

Seriously, today was probably the worst run of my life. I was at a bonfire last night and I stayed up late. Then when I finally got home and undressed and into bed, it was nearly midnight. The next thing I knew, my alarm was going off and I was exhausted. I hit snooze...I NEVER hit snooze. I've never done it before in my life. But then I was like, I don't want to hear my alarm again...so I got up. It was a struggle getting my butt moving. And I kept second guessing myself. I was like "Hey you could always run tomorrow". Or "hey your 5K isn't until October, you don't have to do this today". But I told my brain to SHUT UP!

However...I did have to stop during my warm up.

Because I saw two random ass cows hanging out in the woods on my street. I do not live in a rural neighborhood. I live in a very active community because there are over 100 condos AND a hotel on my street. It's quiet but it's not rural, if that makes sense. I'm so sorry for the picture quality. There were so many brushes and weeds and it was hard to get a picture of them through the trees. You can't even see the second cow here. He was laying down.

Holy COW. Behind that cow is a large fence and then behind that fence is I-91... so I was not expecting to see any cows. They also were not fenced in and they didn't seem to have any tags. I wonder if they were part of a rogue gang of street cows...

Anyway... back to my run. I struggled HARD through this run today. I also changed my course a little bit. Which actually made me run up an even BIGGER hill at the end. Straight uphill there and it was BRUTAL. By the end of my run I was so out of breath I felt like I was going to puke...so I pulled the pace back a bit. My overall pace was 16:15/min per mile.And I ran  1.73 miles without stopping...2.21 miles today w/ warmup and cooldown. That is not too shabby! And it would have been more but at the end of my run I literally stopped to smell some flowers. Which smelled nasty...and now I'm sneezing. Hmph.

After my run I decided to reward myself with a cup of iced coffee. I have been making it at home so I was like, you go girl! Saving money, living healthier...but after my run I got into the car and blasted the AC (SO NICE) and went to my little Dukin Donuts. THEY WERE CLOSED. The sign was stripped off...I am not sure if they went out of bussiness or are getting an overhaul. But then I was like BUT I WANT COFFEE! And I was already out! So I ended up driving to the next closest one (which isn't close at all, damnit) and at least my coffee is good...and they were friendly. But I defeinitely didn't want to go that far out of my way. Bleh.

Tonight I'm going to see Twelfth Night with some friends of mine from college! It is going to be so fun. They do this outdoor Shakespearean theatre at our alma mater and it's always amazing. Now I just have to pray it doesn't rain (if it does they just do the performance inside). More exciting news to come bloggy peeps...I may have some life changing news soon ;) I'll keep you posted.

Enjoy a picture of my sweaty ass self! Happy Saturday!

Weigh in Wednesday + C25K W8D1

WEEK EIGHT! OF A NINE WEEK PROGRAM!? I am actually going to accomplish one of my lifelong goals, WOO! I have always wanted to run...but for one reason or anothing, I told myself I couldn't. There was NO way a fatty like me could ever run. People would stare or make fun of me or I'd fail! So I talked myself out of it...but not anymore! Today I ran for 28 minutes STRAIGHT! YES! STRAIGHT! No stopping, no falling down dead, I even waved to some people that I've seen out and about exercising in the morning! There's this older couple I always see out and a man with two TINY dogs (he makes me laugh because the guy must be 6 foot 4 at least and he has these teeny tiny little dogs, one is a dauchshaund and the other I think is a bichon mix).

In any event, I got up at 6:45 and headed out. It was already at 91% humidity but the temperature was low. And as I was running up that huuge hill at the end of my run, suddenly there was the most gorgeous breeze! When i run I don't listen to music, as I've said before, because I can't hear the traffic and I get irrationally afraid of murderers, rapists and abductors. It happens...it happens in quiet neighborhoods early in the morning with hundreds of people in their houses. So I don't take any chances! I also give a wide berth to parked cars... I'm not paranoid I swear.

It was not my best run today, my knee was hurting I think because its going to storm. But I kept a very even pace, 16:09/mile which is not too shabby! I also noticed that today during my run my pace was a lot more even, whereas my last run I had some really fast times and then really slow (I run the same course each time so I can monitor these things, plus I love the big hills). I ran a total of 1.73 miles and my total distance with my warm up/cool down was 2.28 miles. WOW! That is SO CLOSE to 3.1! I am doing awesome!

Happy picture before I take a much needed shower!

I also weighed in today... 266.7, same as Saturday. However yesterday I had a little slip. I was working and as some of you know I travel for work. I was STARVING and had a break (which is rare) so I tried to go to Subway. They were CLOSED! What the hell! It said they were open but the doors were locked and nobody was around...so I made a bad choice and I went to Taco Bell. Sigh. It's been so long since I went there and I just felt like some cheap food. And that sort of spiraled the rest of my day. I didn't do that bad. I made a DELICIOUS recipe from Gina's Skinny Taste...and oh god it was yummy. And it kept SO WELL in the fridge. Check it out here! I followed the recipe exactly too! I used Al Fresco Italian chicken sausages because I had a package in my freezer FOREVER. And today when I went to target I got their brand and I'm hoping it's just as good because I'm making this dish again this week! It is a SUPER healthy, easy, packed with veg and yumminess dish!

I hope everyone has an amazing Wednesday! Enjoy!

Weekend! And C25K W7D3

Can you freaking believe it?

I FINISHED WEEK 7 OF C25K! This morning I set my alarm for 7...but at 6 I found that I was awake and raring to go! I got up and dressed and was outside by 6:30 or so...and man I had a GREAT run! My average pace was faster than it's ever been! 15:28 min/ mile. Now...I realize this is not Olympic Level running. I realize that elderly people riding  scooters can go faster than 15 min/ mile. But for me, it's a huge accomplishment! I felt GOOD too! Major accomplishment for me, woo! I can't wait to start Week 8!

After my run I decided to treat myself to an iced coffee and man that tasted amazing. I headed right in from my run and hopped in the car and went. Great idea...I blasted the AC, sipped my iced coffee and chatted with a friend on the bluetooth in my car which is easily becoming my favorite thing about this car! So the picture today is from after my shower...but I'm still pink!

Big NSV today, I realized that my XL tank tops from Old Navy which I wear to run are wayy to big. And subsequently show off a bit too much cleavage for when I'm running. A couple of the L ones too are getting too big. And I have a couple mediums that fit perfectly. CAN YOU FREAKING BELIEVE IT!? MEDIUM!?!!?!?! I do realize that Old Navy clothes run big and do have some stretch in them...but come on, medium! It feels amazing!

I decided to weigh myself this AM. 266.7... which can really be improved upon. I ate well every day but Wednesday which I splurged too much. Still, I am making strides. I am doing well! Yipee!!

No big plans for the weekend, just hanging out and getting things accomplished in the house. The weather here is extremely hot and nasty. Thunderstorms are on the forecast every day! But we DO need the rain! It's a good weekend to clean!

Happy Weekend!

C25K W7D2 + Wacky Wednesday

Hi All!

I had a GREAT run today but MAN was it hart! I ran for 1.64 miles nonstop in 25 minutes (a pace of 15:33 min/mile) and a total of 2.11 miles. Getting me closer and closer to my 3.1 mile (5K) goal! It was a HARD run but I did it! WOO! My mom came with me and we rocked it out. What a gorgeous day for a run too! Low humidity, bright sunshine, not too hot since we went running at 7. YAY! Woof was I tired but happy after!

Then I went to target and picked up a few things. I bought something to help keep myself on track...it should be coming from amazon today.



Popsicle Mold!

Yipee! I can't wait to make healthy homemade popsicles! This mold for popsicles was 10 bucks...if you buy healthy popsicles that aren't full of dye and crap, you're looking at $3-5 bucks a box which may have between 4-6 popsicles! Making my own healthy ones will not only be better for me but they'll pay for themselves over and over again! Looking foward to making popsicles, woo!!

Eating has been good this week. WEdnesdays are hard and I'm having an off day...but tomorrow is a brand new day and I'm going to start up eating my best again! I keep forgetting to weigh myself so I promise, next week I'll weigh in!

Hope everyone is doing well!

C25K W7D1 + Triathlon News

Hi all!

This week has been really good for eating...except last night when I went out to dinner with some friends. It wasn't really bad and I actually left more than half of my meal on the plate, so I was proud of myself! I am really working on getting my eating back on track, to lose the weight I know I have to do it!!

And this morning at 6:45am I got up and went running! 25 minutes of running. YAY! In 25 minutes I ran 1.54 miles. Which I am not so happy with...I need to really step it up. Total distance with the warmup/cooldown was 2.06 miles which is a lot closer to the 3.1 I need for my 5K. My goal for the 5K in October is that I will run a 5K in 40 minutes or less. That is approximately a 12.5 minute mile. Is it possible? I am sure as heck going to try! I'm already at week 7 of this program and I feel I'm doing well. They also offer a 5K improver where you do sprints to increase your 5K time. I don't think I'll be able to FINISH the program before my 5K in October BUT I can do it along with the B210K program! The lovely and amazing Blog Wobble and the fantastic Rebecca at Weight Wars have inspired me!

One thing I noticed however when I was looking at 10K events. There are..none. I don't know if this is more a European thing but it seems around here when they have events there's a 5K, a half marathon and a marathon, nothing in between!! I am going to have to search far and wide...and maybe travel over the pond the ocean for my first 10K? :D

Also, I have decided that I am also going to start training for a Sprint Triathlon. Right now I'm in the process of looking for a bike. The "good" time trial/triathlon bikes are upwards of 2000 dollars. Yup...I am not buying a 2000 dollar bike. So I'm looking at good mountain bikes with at least 10 speeds...have narrowed it down to a few. We have this bike shop that's not far from here I may go check it out sometime soon! And I'm going to need to find someplace to swim too, so that's in the works! Anyone who wants to train with me, PLEASE let me know! I'd love you forever! I'll even make arrangements to travel if you want me to Tri with you (within reason).

Here's a nice sweaty picture of me to get you motivated (at least to take a shower) this morning!

C25K W6D3 & Starting Again

Well, I don't know what's wrong with me over these last few months. My motivation has slipped away...I am still running and exercising, that's good. But my eating? It's been CRAP! I ate out probably 4x last week and 3x the week before that. I haven't been packing healthy food or snacks... AHH! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!!!!

So today I am starting again. I went out for an awesome run. It is SO HOT AND HUMID. Oh god...and I ran for 22 minutes straight and covered a distance of 1.89 miles. I did all the hills and stuff even though its mega humid and hot already. When I went out at 6:45am it was already 80 degrees and 100% humidity, that'll tell you how bad it was! It was a struggle but I was feeling good when I was running! I wasn't going super fast... but I kept a steady pace and was very proud of myself!

I was dripping with sweat though when I got back...holy moley! But I was very happy!

Next time I run (Saturday) I'll be starting week 7!!! I cannot believe it....I never thought I'd make it this far. I never though I would actually (dare I say it?) like running! I was actually happy that I got up and went running today! Woohoo! There were even some people out walking dogs and such that I said hello to. It's a nice community of people who get up early to exercise, even in this heat!

I went to Target afterward and literally got the nastiest coffee ever. I took one sip and almost spit it out. It was SO bitter and horrible. I had heartburn after that one sip...SO nasty! What the hell, Starbucks!? So after I wasted that money, I bought some healthy food items: lettuce (2 kinds), hummus, Sargento thin slices of cheese for sandwiches (40 cals each!), organic grapes, organic peppers, organic baby carrots, salsa...and I got myself a very special treat: FRESH PINEAPPLE! Oh god it was SO yummy...and healthy!

Today I'm going to start tracking religiously again. I know I'm going out to dinner with some friends on Friday night but I can make healthy choices. It's going to be good! I hope everyone is staying cool today! Drink plenty of fluids!

C25K W6D2

Hi all!!
Let me start by saying running in the dead heat and humidity of summer is not my favorite thing....holy smokes was it hot! I went out running at 7am this morning and it was sooo sticky hot. I could barely draw in a breath. It's already well in the 80s this AM. THEN as I was running up the hill onto the street, I GOT STUNG BY A WASP! OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tried to take a picture of it for you, the area is all bruised and sore but it's really hard to see it on the picture  (and my arm looks flabby) so I'm not going to post it. It was the oddest wasp I've ever seen, my mom (who was running with me this AM) said it was a type of wasp that burrows in the ground. I must have stepped on it :(. Benadryl and iced coffee (Caffiene!) are the best remedies I know.


But, bloggy buddies, you'll be proud of me because when I got stung I didn't even stop running. I made a little whimper but kept running on my way, holding my arm! People probably thought I was insane...but I didn't stop for anything! Today's run was tough because of the humidity and the heat but I managed to run 1.96 miles! NOT TOO BAD! I'm working on my time and as I said before, I run up big hills (on purpose) to build up my endurance and such. I was dripping with sweat after I finished man did it feel good!

I'm kind of excited to get to W7-9 because that means I'll have completed this program. AND its straight running. I think I'm ready to get myself on a regular running routine. Until my 5K which is in October (Would LOVE it if anyone in the area wants to come run it with me!)

ING Hartford Marathon Info

I am determined...and I'm also getting my eating back on track. I don't know what's been wrong with me (the period monster has been really toying with me these last couple days) but I'm recomitted and I really need to focus not just on activity but also eating better and cleaner! No more junk!

Tomorrow I'm planning on going to see the movie Ted with a friend and I can't wait! It's looking up to be a great weekend. It's hot and sticky but I can beat the heat! For those of you who are running this weekend, make sure to drink plenty of fluids before and after the race, make sure you eat carbs after you run, AND don't run during the heat of the day!!!!

Have a good one bloggy buddies, I <3 you all!

Friday the 13th: MY ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!!!

Today marks exactly one year that I've been making healthy changes. I started my weight loss journey one year ago with a heavier body and a heavier heart. While I know I have a long way to go...I realize I am making strides!

One year ago today, I was wearing a size 26/28 pants, 3XL shirt and 3XL scrubs for work. Today I am wearing a 16/18 in pants, an XL (or L!) in shirts and an XL scrubs!

One year ago today, I had no sense of portions or what a 'healthy' meal looked like. Now I (more often than not) eat them every day!

One year ago today, I got winded just walking upstairs to my condo and I couldn't run...AT ALL. Now, I am able to run for almost 2 miles and feel GREAT AFTER!

One year ago today, I was sad and was having a lot of issues with stress and anxiety. Today I am feeling great and am more comfortable with myself!

I have made so many positive changes! This last year has been awesome and although the last couple months I've been sort of falling off the wagon and not motivated, I know that I have changed for the better and this is a temporary setback! I'm reaffirming again today that I have lost over 50 pounds and I am 1/3 of the way to my goal! I CAN DO THIS!

I'm still doing C25K and am finishing up week 6 soon! I never thought I'd make it that far! After week one I was pretty sure I was going to quit...but I persevered and I'm LOVING it. Who knows! Maybe running is in my future! Maybe it was my destiny all along!?

I'm raising a glass (of water!) to this year and many more happy, healthy ones to come! CHEERS!

Let's have a little comparison...



Me at over 300 pounds...I didn't even want my face to be seen!

Me on Father's Day Weekend, all smiles for the camera!

I am so grateful to my lovely blog followers for sticking with me on this journey so far. I love you all and am looking forward to another year of blog mania!!! :D

Wedding + C25K W5D3

WOW! You wanna talk about activity? Yesterday I had my BEST RUN EVER! I ran for 20 minutes straight and ran for 1.7 miles. That's over halfway to a 5K!? And you wanna know a secret? I was kind of suprised when my C25K app said I was done. I was like...really? That was it? It's time for cooldown?! I don't listen to music when I'm running because I run on the street and it can get busy. I'm afraid that if I have in headphones that I won't be able to hear cars (or rapists/murderers/abductors) coming! But I was thinking about my awesome day ahead and it went by SO FAST!!!!

Look how super excited and proud I was! And I got up extra early because I was headed to the spa for a treat for myself! I had to get a haircut anyway so I decided to have my hair done up, then I had a manicure and a pedicure and was on my way! Sweaty me turned into a nicer looking person after that! I snapped a picture of me before I went out (I wore different shoes!)

 My friends Meghan and Roberta who I've been good friends with since college got married!! And it was a beautiful, gorgeous wedding!!!!! I was bawling like a little baby. Then it was time to drink and eat...and honestly, I don't think I ate enough consider I danced the rest of the night on the floor like an idiot! I had SO much fun. It was an outdoor wedding and it was SO hot. ALl my makeup sweated off and at one point my eyes were stinging because I had sweat in my eyes. But I was grooving and having a GREAT TIME! LOVED IT!

Here's a picture of me with the brides!

It was an AMAZING time and I know I burnt sooo many calories running in the morning then really working my ass dancing. SO much fun! I loved it! And I wish all the best of luck to my beautiful friends!!!!

Hope you all are having a wonderful blessed Sunday!

C25K W5D2 + Happy 4th of July!!

Hi all!!

Today it was extremely disgusting out. I stepped outside to do my run and the air is like SOUP. The temperature was only 71 degrees but my thermometer said it felt like 94 because of the oppressive humidity!! But I didn't let that stop me... and I didn't do that badly! The first leg I ran a WHOLE 0.54 MILES! HOLY CRAP! That's the furthest I've EVER run, MAYBE in my life! And on the second leg, I ran 0.51 miles (uphill 75% of the way too). WOW! I was so proud of myself!! It was damn hard though and I was exhausted by the time I slogged back to my house. I timed it oddly so I ended up having to walk another 1/4 of a mile back to my house after I was finished Oops! Oh well, it didn't kill me!

It felt good to take a nice shower and then I had a bagel thin with some whipped cream cheese and I made iced coffee at home (Mocha Coconut, YESS). Definitely feel a whole lot better now!

Happy I made it through my run alive!

I weighed in today at the lowest I've been in a while 263.4. I find that now that I'm running (And I've been eating EXCELLENTLY!!!!) my weight fluctuates a LOT. But I'm trucking away! And I feel like I'm back on track! I only mumbled a LITTLE bit when I had to get up and run today. And I pushed through all the big hills. I promise one of these days I'll take some pictures of my running spots but when I'm running...I really can only focus on that!

Also, today in the United States, it's Independence Day. The day that the US declared independence from Britian and became their own country! Today we celebrate our soldiers and the brave men and women who served this country! I'm celebrating today by relaxing! I don't really have any plans to go to BBQs or anything like that. It'll just be me hanging out here! DEFINITELY doing some laundry and most certainly cleaning.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday and a Happy 4th of July!

C25K W5D1

Holy Moley...

Is it HOT or what????

I got up extra early this morning and went for a run! I didn't take it easy on myself either! I decided to take all the hills and woof was that tough! I ran for 1.85 miles and burned 413 calories. WOO! I was drippinggggg with sweat after my run. It was dripping into my eyes and down my back...YUCK!

Objects in the mirror are just as pink as they appear...

It was an uphill battle convincing myself to go run. Last night I was having major anxiety about running by myself. What if I was mugged or accosted? I even had a dream I was abducted while running...believe me, my mind was playing tricks on me. This morning when my alarm went off, I felt good though and I told myself I better get my ass moving before it got dangerously hot and I could convince myself it was too hot to go out. It IS going to be too hot this afternoon to go running; I am very heat insensitive and that could be really bad for me!

After my run I took a shower and then made myself some breakfast. I was reading this article that said you need to eat carbohydates and protein, at a 4:1 ratio. That's 4 carb to 1 protein if you are running to lose weight. SO I had a Bagel Thin from Thomas' and some whipped cream cheese, which is exactly a 4:1 carb ratio with 24 carbs in the bagel + cream cheese and 6 g of protein. I feel good after eating it too and that's another key! Pluts LOTS OF WATER!!

Yesterday I stumbled across something that was motivating and I thought I'd share. This was one of the things that got me moving today:

Happy Saturday everyone!

New Design, New Start!

I decided it was time to change things up...struggling is not what I want to do. I have been eating great over the last 2 days...that's a start! Tomorrow I'm getting up nice and early to run because its going to be MEGAHOT and humid. SO I want to get my run in before it gets totally awful and horrible and sticky. After my run I'm going to shower and then its CLEAN THE HOUSE TIME. I cannot tell you how much I'm looking forward to having time to do it! Plus it's going to be horrible so staying inside where the AC is BLASTING sounds fantastic. I'll deep clean this place from top to bottom, get some laundry done, and woo!

Tonight I made a fantastic dinner! Shrimp stir fry and it took all of 5 minutes to put together...

1 cup of frozen veg plus 4oz of mushrooms I had in my fridge that I didn't want to go bad!

The veg was a frozen mix from Aldi that came with a sauce. There was 50 cals in 4oz of veg w/ sauce. SO I doubled that.

 ANDDDDDDDDD...

I had some frozen cooked shrimp in my freezer. I usually buy the uncooked but whatever! These cooked up great!

Cooked the veggies seperate for about 5-6 minutes. Then added the thawed cooked shrimp and 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the packet. VIOLA!

 Dinner was pretty amazing and mega easy. I really did NOT feel like cooking. Its VERY hot and believe me, it would've been so easy to just pick up a phone and get something...but I didn't! And I loooved my dinner. This Aldi frozen veggie package had baby corn, mushrooms (those big ones are the fresh ones I added though), water chestnuts (MY FAVE!), carrots, snap peas, red pepper and I think I saw a few pieces of onion...but it was so great!

Yay for yummy, healthy, easy meals! And for this whole giant meal (I was starving) it was 334 calories, 5g of fat and 51g of PROTEIN! HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus shrimp is very healthy (although is high in cholesterol, though has been proven in studies to actually raise HDL and lower triglycerides). I have 3 more servings of this to cool so for the next few days, I know what's for dinner!

Hope everyone has a lovely Friday! Starting C25K W5D1 tomorrow and I AM SO NERVOUS. And running by myself,EEK! I'll let you know how it goes! <3

Struggling...

My motivation over...let's be honest...the last 3 months...has been slipping away from me. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because we're coming up on my one year anniversay of making a life change...or maybe its because I'm starting to feel more comfortable with my body and my life...or maybe...I don't know. Last night I was feeling hungry...which was stupid since I already ate an entire bag of chex mix after I had a healthy breakfast and lunch. But for some reason I ordered dinner and ate the whole thing...not something healthy but CRAP. And then I felt sick to my stomach. And unfortunately this isn't an isolated incident, it's happened a handful of times over the last couple months.

I don't know why...I sit back and I think about it and then I just get upset and I don't want to think about it anymore. I think it's another reason my weight hasn't gone anywhere over the last couple months either.

I feel ashamed about it...I don't like writing it now...but I feel like I have to. Today I ate very healthy and I feel good. But every day I feel like I am fighting against myself!! I am doing a great job with exercise. I am running and doing a lot more...and that makes me happy. I feel in that respect things are going well. But eating...that needs to really improve. I'm currently seeking motivation everywhere I can...

What helps you keep on track? How do I jump over this hurdle when it's me that's in the way!!

HALFWAY C25K

Today I completed W4D3 on C25K and wow, I never believed I would get this far. Today I ran 1.9 miles in 25 minutes!!! That is ALMOST 2 miles which is 2/3 of the way to making 5K. Holy SMOKES! I can do this! I really can! This weekend kicks off Week 5 of the 9 week program :D. I have decided after a lot of consideration that I really can't run on Saturday AND Sunday. My knee (which I broke in high school) really hurts and I don't have very good runs on the second day. So in the spirit of training right and working my hardest, I will run 2x a week and that's been working great for me. up until this point!!

Weight has remained steady...I really need to get my ass in gear to lose the weight however I find that I am losing size and are fitting into smaller clothes so I don't really feel the scale is accurate as to my weight loss and muscle gain at this point! I'm trying not to get discouraged!

This weekend my mom is going to be away for a few weeks so I will be without a running partner. SO I need some good support from everyone. Making myself run is HARD but then when I finish I feel great...it's the getting there that's the hardest. SO any motivation or tips and tricks would be fantastic! I didn't get a picture of myself this morning because I got up a little bit late and was rushing around, then my mom and I went to Target and got some groceries and some bargains!

Hope everyone is doing well!

C25K W4D2 + Big Spender!!! (pictures)

Hi all!

Happy Sunday! Man last night's bachelorette party was fantasic! I picked up my friend Courtney at 5 and we took the hour long drive down to Foxwoods. Holy moley what a place! There's like 5 entrances...we were driving up and I said to her "I think we just entered Oz."

This picture doesn't do it justice but the whole building has a green hue to it...VERY Oz like. Anyway we went to this lovely steakhouse for dinner. SUPER expensive but soo yummy. I didn't drink at all because I was the designated driver but at some point I need to go back, get a hotel room and just get hammered...like everyone else at the casino. LOL. Here's my dinner!!

I didn't have any dessert or drinks and I did have a diet coke (because I wanted the caffiene for driving home later that night) so I think eating wise I did well! YAY! And I had a blast. I played the penny slots and I put in $20...came home with $46.70 so I turned a 26.70 profit! I'm not much of a gambler but it was my first time and it was fun! I definitely am conservative and as soon as I won, I cashed out.

I didn't sleep well last night. I stupidly listened to the weather channel and they said it was going to be cool at night...it was 82 and humid as hell in my house. So I couldn't get comfy even with a fan. And it was still hot and humid and sticky this morning at 6am so...I turned the air back on. I really can't stand the heat or humidity...

hehehe.

In any event, I didn't feel like getting up to run this morning...my knee was hurting a bit. But I got up and I pushed through week 4 day 2! Not my best time ever but definitely not my worst! So I did it...and I'm proud! Back to work tomorrow but it's going to be great!! <3 Hope everyone enjoys their Sunday!

C25K W4D1

Holy...mother...of...mary...

Week four kicked my @$$ today! But I kicked it right back! It was so hard but guess what? I sucked it up and ended up running for 1.5 miles. HOLY CRAP! Thus far I have been working up toward the 3.1 miles but today, I'm nearly halfway! And I'm getting to halfway in my program. I was shocked today when I first started running...I didn't even feel tired until that second interval. I ran .28 miles without stopping, without feeling tired, without wanting to puke and fall over and maybe NOT get back up!!!! Holy crap! Now...some of you may be thinking .28 miles...that's barely 1/4 of a mile. Please. But I used to get winded WALKING a quarter of a mile. I used to not do any exercise at all...and now I am. YAY ME!

The scale has not moved...but I am fitting into a size 16 now comfortably AND today I tried on a size 14 dress and it FIT! (um...except for in the boobs but...they have always been too big for clothes, sigh). So I know that even thought the scale is going nowhere, I am getting smaller. I also noticed today (while in the bathroom, embarassing!!) that my thighs are so much smaller. They used to squish together but...now there's actually less of them and they don't jiggle as much. Yay for small steps!

Tomorrow I'm going running again...I'm doing well eating. Last night we went to Cheeseake Factory and I had the skinnylicious shrimp tacos (YUM) and then I did have some cheesecake but I didn't eat all of it! In fact I left 3/4 of it on the plate! Was it a splurge? Yes. But it's okay! Tonight I am going to a bachelorette so I know it will be another little splruge but I've already planned for it...and the 450 calories I burned running are going to work in my favor!

Not weight loss related...

I went to see Rock of Ages last night. Holy spit on a stick, Batman! I LOVED it! It was campy and fun and fresh. Everytime you thought it was too predictable, they threw a twist in there and you never saw it coming! HILARIOUS! I was laughing my ass off in the theatre and I would go see it again in a heartbeat! In fact, I plan on it! Best 10.50 I ever spent (on a movie). I totally reccomend it! If you don't know, 80s music has always been my favorite...and I just ADORED this movie. Rocking out t some bodacious tunes while I clean the house today! I'll leave you today with a sweaty picture of me and the trailer for those who have't seen it!!

Sun was RIGHT in my face LOL thus eyes closed. But I look happy huh?