Thanks all of you who entered!
Meaning,...Our winner is....
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
What's poppin'? (...a giveaway, thats what!)
Now, I have been a fan of popchips for almost a year, so when they asked me to do a giveaway on my blog, I jumped at the opportunity!
I had my first experience with popchips on the party bus on my way to see Train at Maryhill Winery's Amphitheatre. I won the tickets on the radio and that day is in the top 10 best days of my life! I love Train with a passion, and to see them up close and personal was an amazing and unforgettable experience. popchips had given the radio station a bunch of cases of different flavors for us to eat on the bus and it was an all you can eat madhouse. Since I didn't pack any food for the trip, which was dumb on my part, to have a healthy snack to soak up the large amounts of wine I was inhaling it was a major plus! The concert took place just a few weeks before I reached Lifetime, so I really needed to have healthy options in front of me to keep me out of trouble!
The day I came back from the concert I immediately started following popchips on both Twitter and Facebook. (Which you need to do as well, but we will get to that part.) One of the great things about popchips social networking is that they have localized groups to follow. I follow the main @popchips, but also @popchipsPDX and @popchipsSeattle to get the scoop on what is going on in my area. (Plus they do LOTS of local giveaways, which I love!) When I became the 50th follower of @popchipsSeattle they sent me this amazing gift basket with a month's supply of popchips! (And guess what? You could win one too! Keep reading to find out how!)
So, not only did I get all I could eat of popchips on the party bus, and a months supply sent to my front door, popchips also sponsored me to do the Muddy Buddy last summer! I posted a lengthy blog about it here.
I will pause, while you click the link and read about my super awesome dirty race...
....
...
Done? Good. Let's continue.
So far we have covered all the pop-tastic fun that being a follower of popchips can bring, but now we need to talk about the most important part of popchips and why I am such a devout fan of them.
They are healthy. And delicious. And low in Points Plus. And delicious.
How are they healthy? Simple. They aren't fried. Heck, they aren't even baked. They are air popped.
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| http://www.popchips.com/potato-chips/original-potato-chips.html |
They come in a ton of flavors like original, barbecue, cheddar, sea salt & vinegar, salt & pepper, sour cream & onion, and Parmesan garlic. You can get them just about anywhere but if you are having any trouble finding them in your area, just check out their store locater on their website. Or you can skip all that hassle, and just order them from their website and have them delivered directly to your couch. (http://www.popchips.com/ )
Okay, so now to the fun part! The GIVEAWAY!!
popchips has agreed to give one of my loyal blog readers a one month supply of popchips! (And by one month supply, they mean 31 individual bags, not as many as you can eat in a month. I was disappointed to learn that little tidbit myself, but hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.)
How can you win this boxful of crunchy deliciousness? Simple.
1. Follow popchips on Twitter OR Like them on Facebook.
2. Tell them who sent you. ("@SuperERizzle's blog sent me!)
3. Comment below telling me where you posted your comment so I can verify that you aren't a cheater and a liar.
4. Tell me how pretty, funny, smart, awesome I am so that I can verify you actually read my blog and aren't just here for the free stuff! (HA! Caught you!)
5. Make sure you put some way for me to contact you if you win! (Like your twitter screen name, or a link to your blog.)
I am limiting this to one entry per form of social media per person. So if you follow them on Twitter AND like them on Facebook, you get TWO entries! (Please comment twice though, so I can see you did both.)
Contest will stay open until Friday, March 26th at midnight. Saturday morning (or afternoon, depending on when I get up) I will randomly choose a winner!
GOOD LUCK!!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Shamrock Run 2011 Recap
As those of you who follow me on either Twitter or Facebook know already, I participated in Portland's Shamrock run on Sunday with KT.
I had originally planned on doing the Shamrock in 2010 but unfortunately my father-in-law passed away the day before the race so running a 5k wasn't really a priority. I had intended for it to be my first 5k experience, but since I missed it the Starlight Run in May of 2010 ended up being my first. And I hated it. I walked most of it with a time around 45 minutes. I hadn't done a 5k since due to that dismal failure.
With KT now totally rocking the WW program and working on being more active, I invited her to join me for the 5k since it was a run/walk. She immediately jumped on the idea and I signed us both up. I trained semi-hard for the run up until 2 weeks before when I got sick and school started to get overwhelming. I finally got on the treadmill and went for a pre-race run 2 days before and was slow as hell. I just resigned myself to walking most of the race and dealing with it later.
I stayed up until about midnight working on a homework assignment, then crawled into bed where I stared at the ceiling until 2, which immediately turned to 3. (Ever stayed up to watch Daylight Savings Time happen? Yea, not as fun as New Years.) My alarm went off at 6, so with 3 hours of sleep under my belt I grabbed a banana and a plastic spoon full of peanut butter and headed out the door. (Note: My last few events, I forgot to eat first. Big mistake. I remembered this time...but forgot to mention it to KT as something she needed to do.)
Took some pre-race photos before I left of my awesome outfit too.
I have decided that striped knee socks are my new signature race attire. I wore them on the Starlight Run, and on the Muddy Buddy, so third time makes it an official tradition! I have every intention of getting a new pair for each of my future races!
KT and I made plans to meet at a Max station halfway between our houses (since we live 50 miles from each other) and rode into downtown Portland together.
(Right about here is where I would insert a picture of KT that I took at the Max station, but the bitch deleted it without my knowing. Don't worry, she will pay for her insolence. With a black eye.)
After a 30 minute ride on the max we walked the short distance to Waterfront Park where the race was starting from. I had chugged a good amount of water in the car, so I had to hit the Port o'potty pretty bad. This is where tragedy struck for KT. She HATES Port o'pottys with a vengeance. Seriously, it was a big deal for her to have to use one. The "dirty air" just about killed her and she has sworn off public urination for life.
We stood and watched the 15k racers start, then I handed her my 'nerd bag' to carry, shoved my phone in my bra, and went off on my own to get into the "Slow-ass Runners" like also known as the "10+ min mile" group. I stretched while I waited for my turn in the sea of 32,000 other racers in the cold rain.
The first mile was a little tough and I took a few quick breaks to walk. After the 2nd of 3 signs advertising mile 2, I saw a big hill on the horizon and decided to walk up that.
I went right back to running the downhills and started to get into a really good pace. Chugged a cup of water at one of the water stations, which I shouldn't have done. I never drink while running.
I started to pass more and more people and I was loving that feeling. And then in the distance at the bottom of a small hill, was the finish line! I immediately burst into tears and started running as fast as my body would go. I told myself I wouldn't stop until I crossed and I didn't. Stepped over the finish line, stopped moving, turned my head to cough and....
...tossed the water I had just drank. I choked back most of it as I was in a crowd of people and I didn't want to embarrass myself. I don't know if anyone saw, and I only semi-care if they did. I pushed myself to the limit, worked hard, and yakked in public. Nothing wrong with that.
I pushed through the crowd and grabbed an armload of waters and headed back to the finish line to wait for KT to cross.
I ran into an old customer from the restaurant I used to work at and made him take a picture of me.
I loved watching all the people cross the finish line. You could tell who the old pros were and which were the first timers. Some of them just crossed the line, and checked their stats on their Polar-fancy-pants watches and strolled off. Others had friends/family/strangers take their picture in various silly poses to mark the occasion. It was great fun!
Then, I saw KT cross! She looked so happy! I am not sure how she felt at this moment but I know I was feeling pretty great FOR her! Not only was she rocking in my awesome pink 'nerd-bag' she was wearing a size of exercise pants that she chose to brag about on Twitter. (Hooray for not having an XXL or an XL ass any more!)
We hit a few of the booths for some free samples, thought about standing in the line to get our free beer, but decided against it. We were soaked. And cold. And tired. So we hauled ass back to the Max to get our cold wet asses into hot showers and get some lunch!
Overall it was an amazing day for both KT and myself! We totally rocked that 5k! In fact, we rocked it so much that we are already signed up for 2 more races, with another 7 penciled into the calendar! (Once a month until December!)
OH, and the BEST part of the event...MY TIME!!!
37:03!!!!!!!!
AND, I made our Leader give us both 5k charms at our meeting on Monday!
And for those of you who made it all the way to the bottom of this post, I have a secret to tell you....shhhh....
My next post will be a GIVEAWAY!! So stay tuned!!
I had originally planned on doing the Shamrock in 2010 but unfortunately my father-in-law passed away the day before the race so running a 5k wasn't really a priority. I had intended for it to be my first 5k experience, but since I missed it the Starlight Run in May of 2010 ended up being my first. And I hated it. I walked most of it with a time around 45 minutes. I hadn't done a 5k since due to that dismal failure.
With KT now totally rocking the WW program and working on being more active, I invited her to join me for the 5k since it was a run/walk. She immediately jumped on the idea and I signed us both up. I trained semi-hard for the run up until 2 weeks before when I got sick and school started to get overwhelming. I finally got on the treadmill and went for a pre-race run 2 days before and was slow as hell. I just resigned myself to walking most of the race and dealing with it later.
I stayed up until about midnight working on a homework assignment, then crawled into bed where I stared at the ceiling until 2, which immediately turned to 3. (Ever stayed up to watch Daylight Savings Time happen? Yea, not as fun as New Years.) My alarm went off at 6, so with 3 hours of sleep under my belt I grabbed a banana and a plastic spoon full of peanut butter and headed out the door. (Note: My last few events, I forgot to eat first. Big mistake. I remembered this time...but forgot to mention it to KT as something she needed to do.)
Took some pre-race photos before I left of my awesome outfit too.
I have decided that striped knee socks are my new signature race attire. I wore them on the Starlight Run, and on the Muddy Buddy, so third time makes it an official tradition! I have every intention of getting a new pair for each of my future races!
KT and I made plans to meet at a Max station halfway between our houses (since we live 50 miles from each other) and rode into downtown Portland together.
(Right about here is where I would insert a picture of KT that I took at the Max station, but the bitch deleted it without my knowing. Don't worry, she will pay for her insolence. With a black eye.)
After a 30 minute ride on the max we walked the short distance to Waterfront Park where the race was starting from. I had chugged a good amount of water in the car, so I had to hit the Port o'potty pretty bad. This is where tragedy struck for KT. She HATES Port o'pottys with a vengeance. Seriously, it was a big deal for her to have to use one. The "dirty air" just about killed her and she has sworn off public urination for life.
We stood and watched the 15k racers start, then I handed her my 'nerd bag' to carry, shoved my phone in my bra, and went off on my own to get into the "Slow-ass Runners" like also known as the "10+ min mile" group. I stretched while I waited for my turn in the sea of 32,000 other racers in the cold rain.
(Please excuse the quality of the pictures as KT had the camera and is obviously too pretty to understand how to use the 'anti-shake' function. All of these pictures are from her walking the same race route that I was running with a half hour head start.)
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| I think KT has the hots for this guy... |
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| KT's feet as she walks. Not sure if she meant to take this or not... |
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| Walkway at the PSU Campus. |
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| The best picture of the Finish Line that KT took. I am signing her up for Photography classes. |
...tossed the water I had just drank. I choked back most of it as I was in a crowd of people and I didn't want to embarrass myself. I don't know if anyone saw, and I only semi-care if they did. I pushed myself to the limit, worked hard, and yakked in public. Nothing wrong with that.
I pushed through the crowd and grabbed an armload of waters and headed back to the finish line to wait for KT to cross.
I ran into an old customer from the restaurant I used to work at and made him take a picture of me.
Then, I saw KT cross! She looked so happy! I am not sure how she felt at this moment but I know I was feeling pretty great FOR her! Not only was she rocking in my awesome pink 'nerd-bag' she was wearing a size of exercise pants that she chose to brag about on Twitter. (Hooray for not having an XXL or an XL ass any more!)
We made a random stranger take our picture in front of the Finish Line. (Which for fun, I put next to a picture of KT and I back in 2008.)
Does any one need more proof that WW works?
We hit a few of the booths for some free samples, thought about standing in the line to get our free beer, but decided against it. We were soaked. And cold. And tired. So we hauled ass back to the Max to get our cold wet asses into hot showers and get some lunch!
Overall it was an amazing day for both KT and myself! We totally rocked that 5k! In fact, we rocked it so much that we are already signed up for 2 more races, with another 7 penciled into the calendar! (Once a month until December!)
OH, and the BEST part of the event...MY TIME!!!
37:03!!!!!!!!
AND, I made our Leader give us both 5k charms at our meeting on Monday!
And for those of you who made it all the way to the bottom of this post, I have a secret to tell you....shhhh....
My next post will be a GIVEAWAY!! So stay tuned!!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Lifetime Update: Week ending 2/13/2011
Let me begin by saying...I have had a half a bottle of champagne...but it took the semi-drunk me to realize that my last 2 posts had the wrong year on the subject line.
So this last week was pretty darn great for me (and for KT too!). I got on the treadmill 3 times, going a little farther each time, except for on Sunday, because I just wasn't feeling it. I have to confess that I was under my points during the week, several times. I just wasn't hungry. I tried to eat them, I really did, I just wasn't feeling it! I even text KT asking for suggestions on ways to add some points to my dinners! Didn't work too well. Not because KT didn't have great tips, because she did. I just couldn't get them into my mouth. I even tried to guzzle booze to kill points but was unsuccessful! Which is totally NOT like me at ALL!!
I made up for what I lacked during the week on the weekend though and totally scrapped my tracking and went to town with my eating. I did just fine at school on Saturday but I went to try a new Chinese place with the Man that night and forgot that General Tso's Chicken is deep fried. (I need to remember that it is Kung Pao that I like!) I only ate half my portion, but it was still a big greasy 21pt+ mess of sugar and fat. On Sunday, I needed guacamole and refried beans to soak up all of the Chinese grease lining my stomach so I made another bad decision. It happens. I am over it.
I saw a beautiful -1 lb loss on the scale putting me at tied with my lowest weight ever. I am thinking that this just might be the number my body likes with my current diet and fitness level. I am going to keep trying to get to the number I have in my head, but if I don't get there, I am fine with that too. I don't want to have to struggle and sacrifice to just to make a number on the scale. My current fitness level and eating habits are fine for me to maintain the number I am currently at so that is all good.
KT had an amazing week! She had a "baller loss" and earned herself her 2nd 5lb star!! Her -3lb this week made up for her disappointing and inappropriate gain from last week. She is doing so well, and I am so proud of her! She has an amazing attitude and just won't quit! I really think the Weight Watchers lifestyle was meant for her. She loves to weigh and measure her food, and she pre-plans like a pro!
I have to say though, what I am most proud of is that she is actually learning to cook while on WW! Before this she was totally a 'quick and easy' kind of girl. She had some fall-back recipes that she would make but wasn't too into experimenting in the kitchen. Now, she is actually looking forward to trying new things and recipes! I got her to taste some red and yellow peppers a few weeks ago, just so see if she liked them (which, believe me, is a step, and she didn't like them) and there is a recipe in the WW Weekly for a Mexican brown rice casserole, that contains spinach, she is really looking forward to trying! There was some other cooking accomplishment she had this past week, but I can't think of it right now (damn champagne).
So, today is Valentine's Day. I am NOT a fan of the holiday. Never really have been. It is just a made up, Hallmark holiday, designed to make single people feel bad about themselves, and married people obligated to spend money. This year I told the Man to not even bother. I tell him I love him each and every day. He does the same for me, and I don't need him to send me flowers once a year because it is required by the standards of the holiday. For the last 3 years the Man has gotten me the same card, which I love, and we do something semi-nice for dinner. We don't go out and we don't buy gifts. This year, he got me a different card (because they don't carry the regular one any more) and an adapter for my iPod that I needed. I got him a bad of candy hearts. We had salads for dinner as we do every Monday, with the exception of the champagne. The only reason we had champagne tonight...it was already chilled, and we were out of regular wine.
But...for the sake of Valentine's day...and because I know he never reads this blog...may I just say, I have a pretty damn amazing husband! He really puts up with a lot of my crap and seems to enjoy it. I just don't understand it sometimes. I am a major pain in the ass, and yet he loves me. He loved me when I was fat, and he loves me now. He knows all of my flaws and either embraces them or works with me to change them. We have the same weird sense of humor, and on many occasions, we think the same things at the same time. I would marry him again tomorrow. He may be a pain in my ass, but he is MY pain in the ass, and I wouldn't trade that for anything! Happy Valentine's Day, Love Bug!
And just so KT doesn't feel left out...here are some pictures of HER Valentine!! Her beautiful and smart 6 month old awesome daughter AJ!! Let me tell you, I am not a baby person...but this baby...ugh...she has me wrapped around her chubby little finger. Greatest baby ever made!
So this last week was pretty darn great for me (and for KT too!). I got on the treadmill 3 times, going a little farther each time, except for on Sunday, because I just wasn't feeling it. I have to confess that I was under my points during the week, several times. I just wasn't hungry. I tried to eat them, I really did, I just wasn't feeling it! I even text KT asking for suggestions on ways to add some points to my dinners! Didn't work too well. Not because KT didn't have great tips, because she did. I just couldn't get them into my mouth. I even tried to guzzle booze to kill points but was unsuccessful! Which is totally NOT like me at ALL!!
I made up for what I lacked during the week on the weekend though and totally scrapped my tracking and went to town with my eating. I did just fine at school on Saturday but I went to try a new Chinese place with the Man that night and forgot that General Tso's Chicken is deep fried. (I need to remember that it is Kung Pao that I like!) I only ate half my portion, but it was still a big greasy 21pt+ mess of sugar and fat. On Sunday, I needed guacamole and refried beans to soak up all of the Chinese grease lining my stomach so I made another bad decision. It happens. I am over it.
I saw a beautiful -1 lb loss on the scale putting me at tied with my lowest weight ever. I am thinking that this just might be the number my body likes with my current diet and fitness level. I am going to keep trying to get to the number I have in my head, but if I don't get there, I am fine with that too. I don't want to have to struggle and sacrifice to just to make a number on the scale. My current fitness level and eating habits are fine for me to maintain the number I am currently at so that is all good.
KT had an amazing week! She had a "baller loss" and earned herself her 2nd 5lb star!! Her -3lb this week made up for her disappointing and inappropriate gain from last week. She is doing so well, and I am so proud of her! She has an amazing attitude and just won't quit! I really think the Weight Watchers lifestyle was meant for her. She loves to weigh and measure her food, and she pre-plans like a pro!
I have to say though, what I am most proud of is that she is actually learning to cook while on WW! Before this she was totally a 'quick and easy' kind of girl. She had some fall-back recipes that she would make but wasn't too into experimenting in the kitchen. Now, she is actually looking forward to trying new things and recipes! I got her to taste some red and yellow peppers a few weeks ago, just so see if she liked them (which, believe me, is a step, and she didn't like them) and there is a recipe in the WW Weekly for a Mexican brown rice casserole, that contains spinach, she is really looking forward to trying! There was some other cooking accomplishment she had this past week, but I can't think of it right now (damn champagne).
So, today is Valentine's Day. I am NOT a fan of the holiday. Never really have been. It is just a made up, Hallmark holiday, designed to make single people feel bad about themselves, and married people obligated to spend money. This year I told the Man to not even bother. I tell him I love him each and every day. He does the same for me, and I don't need him to send me flowers once a year because it is required by the standards of the holiday. For the last 3 years the Man has gotten me the same card, which I love, and we do something semi-nice for dinner. We don't go out and we don't buy gifts. This year, he got me a different card (because they don't carry the regular one any more) and an adapter for my iPod that I needed. I got him a bad of candy hearts. We had salads for dinner as we do every Monday, with the exception of the champagne. The only reason we had champagne tonight...it was already chilled, and we were out of regular wine.
But...for the sake of Valentine's day...and because I know he never reads this blog...may I just say, I have a pretty damn amazing husband! He really puts up with a lot of my crap and seems to enjoy it. I just don't understand it sometimes. I am a major pain in the ass, and yet he loves me. He loved me when I was fat, and he loves me now. He knows all of my flaws and either embraces them or works with me to change them. We have the same weird sense of humor, and on many occasions, we think the same things at the same time. I would marry him again tomorrow. He may be a pain in my ass, but he is MY pain in the ass, and I wouldn't trade that for anything! Happy Valentine's Day, Love Bug!
And just so KT doesn't feel left out...here are some pictures of HER Valentine!! Her beautiful and smart 6 month old awesome daughter AJ!! Let me tell you, I am not a baby person...but this baby...ugh...she has me wrapped around her chubby little finger. Greatest baby ever made!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Former Fatty's are like Recovering Alcoholics just as Ogres are like Onions...
Not too long ago, on a preveious post, I mentioned in passing, a statement I use a lot in reference to my weight loss journey being similar to that of an alcoholic. Then I commented on H0neyB's WW blog with a similar comment. I thought I should take some time to clarify my analogy and develop it further.
Let me begin my saying that I am not an alcoholic, and have never been to any form of rehab, that I am aware of. I have however watched plenty of shows on TV about addicts so that makes me pretty much an expert. I have heard talk of there being such a thing as Overeaters Anonymous, but as I have never watched any shows on that organization, I cannot speak to their program or recovery plan. However, I did go to their website and according to their quiz...I am an Overeater....yea, that isn't a newsflash. According to their wiki page they follow the basic AA program so maybe I am not off base with my assumptions. Also, if you are offended in any way to my use of the word 'fatty' in reference to myself and sometimes to others, please don't read further. I say it a lot in the below paragraphs. I like the word. And I like to be blunt. If you want the sugar coated version of this post, cut and paste it into Word and do "Find and Replace" search and substitute fatty for another word that you like better. (Oh, you might also want to do the same for the words, Chunkster, Lard-ass, Tank-butt, and Chub-monster.) And, lastly, before I begin, those of you who understand the movie reference made in the title of this post are awesome. If you don't get the reference, than you won't get me!
Here is how I came to the conclusion that being a recovering fatty is EXACTLY like being a recovering alcoholic:
#1 - Admitting you have a problem:
It is always stated that for an alcoholic (or any addict) admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. For many of us, admitting that you are a fatty can be tough. For me, I had no clue. None at all. I knew I was chunky and that I had put on weight, but was I fat? Nope, I was fine. It wasn't until the size 16's wouldn't button (or zip) any more and I had to start shopping at the plus sized stores that I realized I might have a problem And it wasn't until my Doctor said the word, DIABETES, that it clicked that I might just be a big ole chunker who needed to drop some serious LB's. How many times have we said, "No, I am not fat, I am just big boned". Or pulled some pants out of the wash that suddenly wouldn't zip and blamed the washer for shrinking them, instead of admitting that maybe, just maybe, it was the ass that was bigger?How many of us cried the first time we stepped on the scale at a Weight Watcher's meeting? Why did we cry? Because we hadn't realized it was "that bad" or we were ashamed of the number we saw. So here goes, admit it. Say it. I dare you!
"Hi, my name is Rizzle. And I am a former fatty that is still addicted to food. Also, are you going to eat that? It looks good! Is that cheese I smell?"
#2 - Quitting ain't easy:
How many people do you know, or have heard of, with a drinking problem that say, "Eh, it is not that bad, I can quit when ever I want to. I have this under control". Yea, right. If that were true, there wouldn't be so many high priced fancy pants rehab clinics across the country. Same with weight loss. If it were easy, there wouldn't be a need for all these silly diet fads and programs like Weight Watchers. If we could just make a decision to stop shoving cheese covered deep fried yummyness into our mouths and never again get the craving for it, there wouldn't be such an epidemic of obesity! I am sure many of you have done the, "I will never eat fast food again, and only eat salads from now on", only to be side swiped by a box of donuts in the office that are actually speaking your name clear as a bell asking to be eaten. Or have you done the classic, "Oooo, I only have to drink a shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch, and I will get skinny in a week? Sign me up!" then after one week and a few pounds lost go right back to our favorite drive thu and wonder why the weight came back.? Not gonna lie...did both of those...repeatedly. If you are reading this, it is probably because you are struggling either with losing the weight or keeping it off, so you know what I am talking about here. (If you aren't in either of those two categories,..Hello, and welcome...how did you find me?) All of us have a moment when we stop and say, "Okay, enough is enough, I am done with this. Time to get my tank-butt in gear and quit this for good!" If step one and two, were easy...wait until you get to step three...and four!
#3 - Recover is a long and bumpy road:
This is very similar to #2 but in a different way. In #2 you are making the decision to stop the unhealthy habit of drinking excessively or in this case eating excessively. And in #3 you are actually working, struggling, and sweating down the road to recovery. This is where the alcoholics learn that having a half rack and 2 margaritas for breakfast, and 12 shots of vodka for dinner is not a good idea and won't make the pain of day to day life any better. This is where us fatty's learn that there is no love to be found at the bottom of an empty bag of Doritos and that a serving of cheese is the size of one's thumb, NOT an entire brick. (Yea, shocking. I know.) I am not going to lie. It sucks. It is hard. In all the recovery shows I see on TV there is always a clip of the subject of the episode crying and begging to be sent home, or even screaming and yelling about how absurd the whole process is. And you know what, I have never seen the ending of one of those shows were the person says "Yea, that was easy. Piece of cake." or said "Ugh, that was a mistake. Getting sober was a waste of my time. I was better off a drunk." Granted, there may be cases of these individuals, but I have never seen any of them.
#4 - Once you are "sober" you aren't "cured":
Once you have beaten your drinking problem and haven't picked up a drink in x amount of days and are discharged from whatever rehab program you were in, you are still, I repeat, STILL an alcoholic. An alcoholic is taught that they can't pick up a drink again and not expect a down ward spiral. It may be possible for some alcoholics to maybe have one or two drinks here and there, randomly without any ill effects, but the alcoholics I know, wouldn't even want to take that risk. (If you know one who can, awesome for them!) It would be torturous to leave an alcoholic alone, unattended with their drink of choice in bulk on the table in front of them. Alcoholics are taught to avoid situations where temptation might be overwhelming, like bars and liqueur stores. Same goes with being a fatty. As a former fatty, I know if I don't use the skills I learned every day during my 'recovery' I will be headed down a road I don't want to be on. And this, my friends, is one of the only exceptions I see to my theory. Unlike an alcoholic, us former fatty's can indulge here and there without a major catastrophe. In fact, in some instances it is actually encouraged. For example, if I was forced to promise that I would never, ever, in my life eat a Dorito. All I would want to do would be eat Doritos. I can allow myself small indulgences of Doritos without undoing all the hard work I have done. I can eat one small, single serving bag and be satisfied. I cannot, however, be left alone in a room with a large bowl of Doritos and be expected not to eat the entire bowl, and then lick any remaining cheese and crumbs off the bottom of said bowl while growling at anyone who tries to pry it out of my hands. I know, that I will over indulge if I set one pinky toe into any location with a large amounts of open food like a buffet or even worse a party in which chips are left out for grazing. Because I know this, I don't go to any restaurant with the word "Buffet" in the title. Sometimes, it is unavoidable to go to places in which my trigger foods are present. I have to then, put a plan in place to prevent me from releasing the beast. I make my husband restrain me as best he can. I eat before I go so I am not hungry. I stand at the other end of the room. I stare at them, and tell them to shut up and quit talking to me, because begging isn't cute and I will not succumb to their mind games. (I say that to myself, if you say it out loud, you get weird looks from people.)
#5 - You will ALWAYS be in recovery:
I would assume, that there won't come a time when an alcoholic doesn't wake up and think "ya, know, today might just be easier to handle if I was wasted." They will always have the stigma that they used to have a drinking problem. There will never, ever, be a day where I wake up in the morning and I am no longer addicted to food. I will never, ever, NOT be a former fatty. I have had to come to terms with this. It is what it is. I will struggle every day of my life to make the right choices. It will get easier every day, but it won't go away. I know that if I lose my focus and I don't pay attention to what goes into my mouth, I will get fat again. I know this, and I accept it. I know that when I get angry at my husband for not remembering to put my radio station back on in my car after he borrows it, I will want to eat all the Taco Bell I can get my hands on. I also know, that eating all that Taco Bell won't make me any less angry with my husband, or help him remember to not touch my damn radio when he borrows my car. It would be awesome to have a craptastic day and want to eat my weight in grapes to feel better, but that is unlikely. I would love for all of my stretch mark scars and extra skin to not be there when I wake up tomorrow morning, but that is even less likely than craving grapes. I wear my scars semi-proudly and admit openly that I used to be a tank-ass. I am not one anymore, but I used to be one and I NO intention of being on again.
#6 - Recovering alcoholics that go to meetings are more successful with their recovery:
As much as I would like to spout off some awesome statistics on this one, I am not going to because I don't have any and I don't feel like looking them up. (Besides, 87.4% of statistics are made up.) Here's the thing on this one. Meetings = Accountability. Accountability = Success. Plain and simple. And don't think stumbling into a meeting plastered with a half empty bottle of Night Train singing the National Anthem to the dead rat you found on the side of the road who has the same eyes as your great-grandmother counts as going to a meeting, because it doesn't. I checked. They have rules about that. Just like Weight Watchers has a rule about eating a dozen donuts during a meeting. You just aren't allowed to do that. (Well, maybe you could, if you had the points for them, but I am pretty sure the other members would tackle you to the ground and beat you senseless just to lick the last bit of glaze off of the corner of your mouth.)
#7 - Recovering alcoholics that have the support of friends and family are more successful with their recovery:
Same goes for this as the above. No alcoholic is going to remain sober if every time they go to their mother's house she shoves a shot of whisky at them and says "here, drink this, you look thirsty" or the classic "Why aren't you drinking that rum spiked punch that your grandmother made? Don't you know that she worked on making that all afternoon just for you? This could be her last Chinese New Year you know. Do you want her going to God because of heart break?" And in the same way, if your friends and family are constantly pushing you to eat this, or have another helping, you won't be successful. Learn how to say no. Learn how to karate chop people in the neck who don't understand that No means No! (This is a good skill to have for every instance of No means No.) Also, on the same wave length, husband/wives/partners of alcoholics typically don't keep open containers of booze lying around the house to tempt their newly sober companions. They are welcome to have them, just not where they can be tempting. My husband is allowed all the junk he wants. On one shelf in the pantry. That I don't look at. I frequently say to him "Will you please take that half eaten bag of caramel corn to work with you tomorrow. It is torturing me, sitting there, staring at me with it's beady little eyes." And if he doesn't, I throw it out. In the garbage can outside. (Because it smells worse and I am less likely to go rescue it from that one later on in the evening.) If you want your friend/family to stop their behaviour and be supportive, you have to tell them Don't expect them to guess, and don't expect them to get it right the first time either. They are learning this 'new you' as much as you are! And like an alcoholic, have a 'sponser' in your life who has been through what you have so you can lean on them for support when times get tough. My 'sponser' was the WW message boards and Twitter. I know that no matter what I shove down my throat and no matter how many pounds I gain after a week of indulging, I can march on into my Twitter feed and announce proudly, "I had a shit-tastic week and ate like a mad-woman. But I am here, I am back and I am on program!" and I will get loads of applause and well wishes from the friends I have never met who know what it is like to succomb to a batch of fresh baked cookies, eaten in bed while watching Bridget Jones Diary and crying for no reason. Hell, some of them know what it is like to be so desperate to get into bed and cry that they don't even bother to bake the cookies!
#8 - Alcoholics fall off the wagon sometimes too.
Even though it may feel like it sometimes, no on expects an alcoholic or a fatty to be perfect every single day of their recovery. Well, I am sure that isn't true. I am sure there are real assholes out there with un-realistic expectations of people, but frankly, those people are assholes and should be punched in the face. Every one makes mistakes. Every one. It happens. The most important part however, is how one recovers from that mistake. Slipping up and having a beer is one thing, but having an entire case of beer every hour on the hour because of the slip up is another thing entirely. When an alcoholic slips up they walk right into their meeting and says, "I slipped up. I had a beer. But I am starting over fresh. I am one day sober." Everyone applauds and says "Good for you! Way to get back on your feet! We are proud of you!" I wold be lying if I told you that since I started on Weight Watchers I have not once gone over my points or had a gain. I would also be lying if I said I had a unicorn and a gnome whose only purpose in life was to give me foot massages. In fact, I fell off the wagon for several months halfway thru my journey. Yep, I thought I was "cured" so I went back to the way things were before and was shocked as hell when I couldn't fit into my pants again. (Damn washer shrank them again! Stupid, piece of garbage, always does that!)
#9 - Alcoholics have something to show off and hold on to to symbolize their recovery
I have known several recovering alcoholics in person, and every one of them pulled out a coin from their pocket to show me how many days sober they were. They were always so proud of it too! "Look, I got my 90 Sober coin! Isn't it pretty?" In Weight Watchers they give you all kinds of fun charms and stickers to use as 'Anchors' for success. I carry my keychain that I earned at 10% that has all of my charms on it in my purse as a constant reminder of my success and my commitment to success. I heard a new member comment once. "Ummm, why are they so excited over a stupid sticker? Really? It is just a stupid sticker." Well, it is MORE than just a stupid sticker. It is a symbol. A star shaped marker to show off all the hard work and dedication it takes to lose weight. I am proud of all of my stickers and will gladly show them off to anyone who wants to see them. And sometimes even to people who don't! I will pull out my 10% keyring sometimes and make random strangers on the street marvel at its beauty. Sometimes, I sleep with it at night...wait...maybe that was going to far...I actually wouldn't sleep with it. It may fall under the bed and nothing there is a black hole under there...and monsters...and a creepy weird dude who sometimes breathes heavily with an ax clutched in his hands...but, I digress. Wanna see my awesome keyring? Sure you do!!
Isn't it pretty? You bet it is!
Okay so I know that AA and OA have 12 steps so it would have been super awesome of me to have 12 witty similarities to post. But I am not witty. Or funny. Or smart.
OR FAT ANYMORE!!! I am a former fatty, still in recovery!
Also, I read the title of this post to my wonderful husband and he didn't get it. He says he doesn't like cartoons that are love stories. I said, I don't like him and am looking for a new husband. Please submit your applications in the comment section below. Don't worry, my husband doesn't read this blog. I am not sure he knows how. I married him for hismoney looks, not for his smarts.
**Disclaimer: The information above should not be used to treat, cure, or diagnose any medical condition real or imagined. This is for information only and should not be construed as actual valid information blessed by the Pope and written in stone. Actual results may vary. The above expressed opinion is that of the Author and the Author alone. There is no guarantee, written or expressed that the above information will be the catch-all cure for the above mentioned issues. Any similarities to persons living or dead, is purely coincidental and not a valid reason for a lawsuit. Any and all complaints about the contents of this post or its disclaimer may result in injury or death and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
P.S. Thank heavens for spell check...jeez, I think I should win an award for all of the crazy and original ways I spelled alcoholic while writing this post!
Let me begin my saying that I am not an alcoholic, and have never been to any form of rehab, that I am aware of. I have however watched plenty of shows on TV about addicts so that makes me pretty much an expert. I have heard talk of there being such a thing as Overeaters Anonymous, but as I have never watched any shows on that organization, I cannot speak to their program or recovery plan. However, I did go to their website and according to their quiz...I am an Overeater....yea, that isn't a newsflash. According to their wiki page they follow the basic AA program so maybe I am not off base with my assumptions. Also, if you are offended in any way to my use of the word 'fatty' in reference to myself and sometimes to others, please don't read further. I say it a lot in the below paragraphs. I like the word. And I like to be blunt. If you want the sugar coated version of this post, cut and paste it into Word and do "Find and Replace" search and substitute fatty for another word that you like better. (Oh, you might also want to do the same for the words, Chunkster, Lard-ass, Tank-butt, and Chub-monster.) And, lastly, before I begin, those of you who understand the movie reference made in the title of this post are awesome. If you don't get the reference, than you won't get me!
Here is how I came to the conclusion that being a recovering fatty is EXACTLY like being a recovering alcoholic:
#1 - Admitting you have a problem:
It is always stated that for an alcoholic (or any addict) admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery. For many of us, admitting that you are a fatty can be tough. For me, I had no clue. None at all. I knew I was chunky and that I had put on weight, but was I fat? Nope, I was fine. It wasn't until the size 16's wouldn't button (or zip) any more and I had to start shopping at the plus sized stores that I realized I might have a problem And it wasn't until my Doctor said the word, DIABETES, that it clicked that I might just be a big ole chunker who needed to drop some serious LB's. How many times have we said, "No, I am not fat, I am just big boned". Or pulled some pants out of the wash that suddenly wouldn't zip and blamed the washer for shrinking them, instead of admitting that maybe, just maybe, it was the ass that was bigger?How many of us cried the first time we stepped on the scale at a Weight Watcher's meeting? Why did we cry? Because we hadn't realized it was "that bad" or we were ashamed of the number we saw. So here goes, admit it. Say it. I dare you!
"Hi, my name is Rizzle. And I am a former fatty that is still addicted to food. Also, are you going to eat that? It looks good! Is that cheese I smell?"
#2 - Quitting ain't easy:
How many people do you know, or have heard of, with a drinking problem that say, "Eh, it is not that bad, I can quit when ever I want to. I have this under control". Yea, right. If that were true, there wouldn't be so many high priced fancy pants rehab clinics across the country. Same with weight loss. If it were easy, there wouldn't be a need for all these silly diet fads and programs like Weight Watchers. If we could just make a decision to stop shoving cheese covered deep fried yummyness into our mouths and never again get the craving for it, there wouldn't be such an epidemic of obesity! I am sure many of you have done the, "I will never eat fast food again, and only eat salads from now on", only to be side swiped by a box of donuts in the office that are actually speaking your name clear as a bell asking to be eaten. Or have you done the classic, "Oooo, I only have to drink a shake for breakfast and a shake for lunch, and I will get skinny in a week? Sign me up!" then after one week and a few pounds lost go right back to our favorite drive thu and wonder why the weight came back.? Not gonna lie...did both of those...repeatedly. If you are reading this, it is probably because you are struggling either with losing the weight or keeping it off, so you know what I am talking about here. (If you aren't in either of those two categories,..Hello, and welcome...how did you find me?) All of us have a moment when we stop and say, "Okay, enough is enough, I am done with this. Time to get my tank-butt in gear and quit this for good!" If step one and two, were easy...wait until you get to step three...and four!
#3 - Recover is a long and bumpy road:
This is very similar to #2 but in a different way. In #2 you are making the decision to stop the unhealthy habit of drinking excessively or in this case eating excessively. And in #3 you are actually working, struggling, and sweating down the road to recovery. This is where the alcoholics learn that having a half rack and 2 margaritas for breakfast, and 12 shots of vodka for dinner is not a good idea and won't make the pain of day to day life any better. This is where us fatty's learn that there is no love to be found at the bottom of an empty bag of Doritos and that a serving of cheese is the size of one's thumb, NOT an entire brick. (Yea, shocking. I know.) I am not going to lie. It sucks. It is hard. In all the recovery shows I see on TV there is always a clip of the subject of the episode crying and begging to be sent home, or even screaming and yelling about how absurd the whole process is. And you know what, I have never seen the ending of one of those shows were the person says "Yea, that was easy. Piece of cake." or said "Ugh, that was a mistake. Getting sober was a waste of my time. I was better off a drunk." Granted, there may be cases of these individuals, but I have never seen any of them.
#4 - Once you are "sober" you aren't "cured":
Once you have beaten your drinking problem and haven't picked up a drink in x amount of days and are discharged from whatever rehab program you were in, you are still, I repeat, STILL an alcoholic. An alcoholic is taught that they can't pick up a drink again and not expect a down ward spiral. It may be possible for some alcoholics to maybe have one or two drinks here and there, randomly without any ill effects, but the alcoholics I know, wouldn't even want to take that risk. (If you know one who can, awesome for them!) It would be torturous to leave an alcoholic alone, unattended with their drink of choice in bulk on the table in front of them. Alcoholics are taught to avoid situations where temptation might be overwhelming, like bars and liqueur stores. Same goes with being a fatty. As a former fatty, I know if I don't use the skills I learned every day during my 'recovery' I will be headed down a road I don't want to be on. And this, my friends, is one of the only exceptions I see to my theory. Unlike an alcoholic, us former fatty's can indulge here and there without a major catastrophe. In fact, in some instances it is actually encouraged. For example, if I was forced to promise that I would never, ever, in my life eat a Dorito. All I would want to do would be eat Doritos. I can allow myself small indulgences of Doritos without undoing all the hard work I have done. I can eat one small, single serving bag and be satisfied. I cannot, however, be left alone in a room with a large bowl of Doritos and be expected not to eat the entire bowl, and then lick any remaining cheese and crumbs off the bottom of said bowl while growling at anyone who tries to pry it out of my hands. I know, that I will over indulge if I set one pinky toe into any location with a large amounts of open food like a buffet or even worse a party in which chips are left out for grazing. Because I know this, I don't go to any restaurant with the word "Buffet" in the title. Sometimes, it is unavoidable to go to places in which my trigger foods are present. I have to then, put a plan in place to prevent me from releasing the beast. I make my husband restrain me as best he can. I eat before I go so I am not hungry. I stand at the other end of the room. I stare at them, and tell them to shut up and quit talking to me, because begging isn't cute and I will not succumb to their mind games. (I say that to myself, if you say it out loud, you get weird looks from people.)
#5 - You will ALWAYS be in recovery:
I would assume, that there won't come a time when an alcoholic doesn't wake up and think "ya, know, today might just be easier to handle if I was wasted." They will always have the stigma that they used to have a drinking problem. There will never, ever, be a day where I wake up in the morning and I am no longer addicted to food. I will never, ever, NOT be a former fatty. I have had to come to terms with this. It is what it is. I will struggle every day of my life to make the right choices. It will get easier every day, but it won't go away. I know that if I lose my focus and I don't pay attention to what goes into my mouth, I will get fat again. I know this, and I accept it. I know that when I get angry at my husband for not remembering to put my radio station back on in my car after he borrows it, I will want to eat all the Taco Bell I can get my hands on. I also know, that eating all that Taco Bell won't make me any less angry with my husband, or help him remember to not touch my damn radio when he borrows my car. It would be awesome to have a craptastic day and want to eat my weight in grapes to feel better, but that is unlikely. I would love for all of my stretch mark scars and extra skin to not be there when I wake up tomorrow morning, but that is even less likely than craving grapes. I wear my scars semi-proudly and admit openly that I used to be a tank-ass. I am not one anymore, but I used to be one and I NO intention of being on again.
#6 - Recovering alcoholics that go to meetings are more successful with their recovery:
As much as I would like to spout off some awesome statistics on this one, I am not going to because I don't have any and I don't feel like looking them up. (Besides, 87.4% of statistics are made up.) Here's the thing on this one. Meetings = Accountability. Accountability = Success. Plain and simple. And don't think stumbling into a meeting plastered with a half empty bottle of Night Train singing the National Anthem to the dead rat you found on the side of the road who has the same eyes as your great-grandmother counts as going to a meeting, because it doesn't. I checked. They have rules about that. Just like Weight Watchers has a rule about eating a dozen donuts during a meeting. You just aren't allowed to do that. (Well, maybe you could, if you had the points for them, but I am pretty sure the other members would tackle you to the ground and beat you senseless just to lick the last bit of glaze off of the corner of your mouth.)
#7 - Recovering alcoholics that have the support of friends and family are more successful with their recovery:
Same goes for this as the above. No alcoholic is going to remain sober if every time they go to their mother's house she shoves a shot of whisky at them and says "here, drink this, you look thirsty" or the classic "Why aren't you drinking that rum spiked punch that your grandmother made? Don't you know that she worked on making that all afternoon just for you? This could be her last Chinese New Year you know. Do you want her going to God because of heart break?" And in the same way, if your friends and family are constantly pushing you to eat this, or have another helping, you won't be successful. Learn how to say no. Learn how to karate chop people in the neck who don't understand that No means No! (This is a good skill to have for every instance of No means No.) Also, on the same wave length, husband/wives/partners of alcoholics typically don't keep open containers of booze lying around the house to tempt their newly sober companions. They are welcome to have them, just not where they can be tempting. My husband is allowed all the junk he wants. On one shelf in the pantry. That I don't look at. I frequently say to him "Will you please take that half eaten bag of caramel corn to work with you tomorrow. It is torturing me, sitting there, staring at me with it's beady little eyes." And if he doesn't, I throw it out. In the garbage can outside. (Because it smells worse and I am less likely to go rescue it from that one later on in the evening.) If you want your friend/family to stop their behaviour and be supportive, you have to tell them Don't expect them to guess, and don't expect them to get it right the first time either. They are learning this 'new you' as much as you are! And like an alcoholic, have a 'sponser' in your life who has been through what you have so you can lean on them for support when times get tough. My 'sponser' was the WW message boards and Twitter. I know that no matter what I shove down my throat and no matter how many pounds I gain after a week of indulging, I can march on into my Twitter feed and announce proudly, "I had a shit-tastic week and ate like a mad-woman. But I am here, I am back and I am on program!" and I will get loads of applause and well wishes from the friends I have never met who know what it is like to succomb to a batch of fresh baked cookies, eaten in bed while watching Bridget Jones Diary and crying for no reason. Hell, some of them know what it is like to be so desperate to get into bed and cry that they don't even bother to bake the cookies!
#8 - Alcoholics fall off the wagon sometimes too.
Even though it may feel like it sometimes, no on expects an alcoholic or a fatty to be perfect every single day of their recovery. Well, I am sure that isn't true. I am sure there are real assholes out there with un-realistic expectations of people, but frankly, those people are assholes and should be punched in the face. Every one makes mistakes. Every one. It happens. The most important part however, is how one recovers from that mistake. Slipping up and having a beer is one thing, but having an entire case of beer every hour on the hour because of the slip up is another thing entirely. When an alcoholic slips up they walk right into their meeting and says, "I slipped up. I had a beer. But I am starting over fresh. I am one day sober." Everyone applauds and says "Good for you! Way to get back on your feet! We are proud of you!" I wold be lying if I told you that since I started on Weight Watchers I have not once gone over my points or had a gain. I would also be lying if I said I had a unicorn and a gnome whose only purpose in life was to give me foot massages. In fact, I fell off the wagon for several months halfway thru my journey. Yep, I thought I was "cured" so I went back to the way things were before and was shocked as hell when I couldn't fit into my pants again. (Damn washer shrank them again! Stupid, piece of garbage, always does that!)
#9 - Alcoholics have something to show off and hold on to to symbolize their recovery
I have known several recovering alcoholics in person, and every one of them pulled out a coin from their pocket to show me how many days sober they were. They were always so proud of it too! "Look, I got my 90 Sober coin! Isn't it pretty?" In Weight Watchers they give you all kinds of fun charms and stickers to use as 'Anchors' for success. I carry my keychain that I earned at 10% that has all of my charms on it in my purse as a constant reminder of my success and my commitment to success. I heard a new member comment once. "Ummm, why are they so excited over a stupid sticker? Really? It is just a stupid sticker." Well, it is MORE than just a stupid sticker. It is a symbol. A star shaped marker to show off all the hard work and dedication it takes to lose weight. I am proud of all of my stickers and will gladly show them off to anyone who wants to see them. And sometimes even to people who don't! I will pull out my 10% keyring sometimes and make random strangers on the street marvel at its beauty. Sometimes, I sleep with it at night...wait...maybe that was going to far...I actually wouldn't sleep with it. It may fall under the bed and nothing there is a black hole under there...and monsters...and a creepy weird dude who sometimes breathes heavily with an ax clutched in his hands...but, I digress. Wanna see my awesome keyring? Sure you do!!
Isn't it pretty? You bet it is!
Okay so I know that AA and OA have 12 steps so it would have been super awesome of me to have 12 witty similarities to post. But I am not witty. Or funny. Or smart.
OR FAT ANYMORE!!! I am a former fatty, still in recovery!
Also, I read the title of this post to my wonderful husband and he didn't get it. He says he doesn't like cartoons that are love stories. I said, I don't like him and am looking for a new husband. Please submit your applications in the comment section below. Don't worry, my husband doesn't read this blog. I am not sure he knows how. I married him for his
**Disclaimer: The information above should not be used to treat, cure, or diagnose any medical condition real or imagined. This is for information only and should not be construed as actual valid information blessed by the Pope and written in stone. Actual results may vary. The above expressed opinion is that of the Author and the Author alone. There is no guarantee, written or expressed that the above information will be the catch-all cure for the above mentioned issues. Any similarities to persons living or dead, is purely coincidental and not a valid reason for a lawsuit. Any and all complaints about the contents of this post or its disclaimer may result in injury or death and will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
P.S. Thank heavens for spell check...jeez, I think I should win an award for all of the crazy and original ways I spelled alcoholic while writing this post!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Lifetime Update; Week ending 02/06/2011
For what I was expecting to be an uneventful week, it turned into a pretty eventful one after all. Let me begin by mentioning that I gained this week. Just a little tiny .8 that I am not even upset about. I knew it was going to happen, and I am over it. Big deal. Moving on.
I had some major success this week on the treadmill that I am super proud of. I not only got my ass on it twice, but each time I ran a little farther and a little faster! I got myself a little motivation with the Shamrock Run coming up in March so that is helping a lot! I even signed KT up for the fitness walk portion of the 5k so she can chase my ass down the streets of Portland with her stroller. I haven't yet decided if I will allow her to poke me with a sharp stick, or beat me with a horse whip to get me to run faster, we will have to see how well my attempt at training goes before making that decision!
I gained this week mostly because I ate every single point I could get my grubby little hands on. I am sure that I underestimated on many of the things that I ate as I didn't measure or weigh most of what I ate as my scale broke forever ago and I am yet to replace it. I had a few big meals that pushed me over the edge, mostly being the amazing Blue Velvet Burger at my favorite local burger joint. I have no clue how many points it is, as it contains an ungodly amount of both blue cheese crumbles and blue cheese dressing. I guesstimated as best I could, but believe you me, I enjoyed every last bite of that wonderful burger. In fact, I should have stopped eating it about half way thru but burgers make terrible leftovers. And those wonderful thin little crunchy awesome fries that come with it....yea, they are bottomless...but I only had the portion pictured. I wanted more...but I controlled myself...as much as I possibly could under the circumstances. I blame my entire overindulgent blue cheese dripping experience on KT. She made the terrible mistake of planning her day in such a way that she could get some fast food andand still have points left to spare! And then, she had the audacity to text me about how excited she was about being on a plan that allowed her to have a cheeseburger with fries for dinner! So because she put it into my head, I had to have a cheeseburger and fries for dinner as well. Unfortunately, I wasn't as dilligent at planning as her and went over my points for the day. Not to worry, I punished her for her mistake...well...that isn't true...I haven't punished her yet...I am waiting until she least expects it, then I will spring it on her. She is quite tough so I have to get at her when her defences are down or I will end up hurting myself.
I also had our big annual Chili Cook-off at work on Friday, which I never win, but always enter. I took some great photos of my chili making process for a future post. I love making low point Weight Watchers chili. It is so quick and easy and just plain satisfying! I make mine with lots of beans and peppers and of course ground turkey! I did win in the Best Name category for my chili, but since I didn't pick the name, I don't really count it and I gave the prize to the person who named it for me. (She called it Double Bonus Bean Chili since it had two types of beans, black and kidney, and we got two bonuses this year.)
KT and I have started a lovely tradition of going to Subway for lunch on Fridays (this week we went on Thursday due to the chili thing) which I love. We walk there since it is only a few blocks from the office. It gives us a great chance to break away and get some activity in, while splitting a healthy lunch. Since foot longs are back to $5 each we get one and split it! I really love eating our sammies and laughing together for an hour at then end of the week. It is a really great way to wrap up the week and get the weekend started on the right foot!
Speaking of the weekend, as many of you know by now, Sunday was the Super Bowl. Personally, I could give less than two shits about football. (Have you ever thought about how stupid that saying is? Less than two shits? Wouldn't that be one shit? Just stupid.) KT's mother and step-dad came to town and she invited me and the Man over to watch the game. She made a whole spread of Weight Watcher food and had a spreadsheet pulled up on her computer with the points and serving size for each item. We had the Salsa Chicken that I posted a recipe for a while back, with all the fixin's, including these super cute 100 cal (1 pt+) packets of guacamole which were super delish, beans, taquitos, queso dip, and I brought a tray of crudites, fruit salad and 1 Pt+ mini cupcakes. We all ate until we were stuffed and then plopped in front of the TV to enjoy some football. (And by 'We all', I mean they did. I brought homework and watched the commercials and the terrible half time show.)
KT earned her very first, and very big NSV (non-scale victory) on Sunday and she was super proud of herself for not over indulging on junk like she usually does on Super Bowl Sunday. I say she was proud...because...well...she had her first gain this week. It was a big traumatic event for her and I think she is pretty calm about it now, but she cried all through our meeting today, and I am sure most of the afternoon as well. It took her a while to come to terms with it as she felt the need to find some thing to blame the gain on. Which I think is normal and natural. We walked through it together and I gave her some tough love, and some actual love to get it all smoothed out.
The thing about this gain, though small, was that it was totally unexpected. She did everything right during the week. She ate all her daily points, a good portion of her weeklies, and she got in some activity every day. She tracked. She portioned. She planned. She did it all! And she was still up a small fraction of a pound. The hardest question I think any Weight Watcher leader, or supporter has to answer is "I did everything right, why didn't the plan work?" I pulled out every little thing I could think of to help her feel better, but none of it worked. We looked over her tracker. We talked about maybe she was eating the wrong things, or even not eating enough during the day to save points for dinner. I sought out some solluce for her on Twitter and our Leader and a Receptionist pulled her aside to offer some help. In the end, it came down to the fact that sometimes, these things happen and there is nothing we can do about it but keep trying. Overall, I think it worked. She told me earlier that she feels much better about it. I think she is lying a little, but that is fine. I know she won't quit the plan, and I know she will continue to work just as hard as before. This little gain won't derail her! (Big thanks go out to all of you that reached out to KT on Twitter and offered her some feedback. I know it meant a lot to her, and to me!)
In closing, if any of you have any words of wisdom that helped you thru a gain, either expected or unexpected, leave them as a comment! I would love to hear them! (And so would KT!)
I had some major success this week on the treadmill that I am super proud of. I not only got my ass on it twice, but each time I ran a little farther and a little faster! I got myself a little motivation with the Shamrock Run coming up in March so that is helping a lot! I even signed KT up for the fitness walk portion of the 5k so she can chase my ass down the streets of Portland with her stroller. I haven't yet decided if I will allow her to poke me with a sharp stick, or beat me with a horse whip to get me to run faster, we will have to see how well my attempt at training goes before making that decision!
I also had our big annual Chili Cook-off at work on Friday, which I never win, but always enter. I took some great photos of my chili making process for a future post. I love making low point Weight Watchers chili. It is so quick and easy and just plain satisfying! I make mine with lots of beans and peppers and of course ground turkey! I did win in the Best Name category for my chili, but since I didn't pick the name, I don't really count it and I gave the prize to the person who named it for me. (She called it Double Bonus Bean Chili since it had two types of beans, black and kidney, and we got two bonuses this year.)
KT and I have started a lovely tradition of going to Subway for lunch on Fridays (this week we went on Thursday due to the chili thing) which I love. We walk there since it is only a few blocks from the office. It gives us a great chance to break away and get some activity in, while splitting a healthy lunch. Since foot longs are back to $5 each we get one and split it! I really love eating our sammies and laughing together for an hour at then end of the week. It is a really great way to wrap up the week and get the weekend started on the right foot!
Speaking of the weekend, as many of you know by now, Sunday was the Super Bowl. Personally, I could give less than two shits about football. (Have you ever thought about how stupid that saying is? Less than two shits? Wouldn't that be one shit? Just stupid.) KT's mother and step-dad came to town and she invited me and the Man over to watch the game. She made a whole spread of Weight Watcher food and had a spreadsheet pulled up on her computer with the points and serving size for each item. We had the Salsa Chicken that I posted a recipe for a while back, with all the fixin's, including these super cute 100 cal (1 pt+) packets of guacamole which were super delish, beans, taquitos, queso dip, and I brought a tray of crudites, fruit salad and 1 Pt+ mini cupcakes. We all ate until we were stuffed and then plopped in front of the TV to enjoy some football. (And by 'We all', I mean they did. I brought homework and watched the commercials and the terrible half time show.)
KT earned her very first, and very big NSV (non-scale victory) on Sunday and she was super proud of herself for not over indulging on junk like she usually does on Super Bowl Sunday. I say she was proud...because...well...she had her first gain this week. It was a big traumatic event for her and I think she is pretty calm about it now, but she cried all through our meeting today, and I am sure most of the afternoon as well. It took her a while to come to terms with it as she felt the need to find some thing to blame the gain on. Which I think is normal and natural. We walked through it together and I gave her some tough love, and some actual love to get it all smoothed out.
The thing about this gain, though small, was that it was totally unexpected. She did everything right during the week. She ate all her daily points, a good portion of her weeklies, and she got in some activity every day. She tracked. She portioned. She planned. She did it all! And she was still up a small fraction of a pound. The hardest question I think any Weight Watcher leader, or supporter has to answer is "I did everything right, why didn't the plan work?" I pulled out every little thing I could think of to help her feel better, but none of it worked. We looked over her tracker. We talked about maybe she was eating the wrong things, or even not eating enough during the day to save points for dinner. I sought out some solluce for her on Twitter and our Leader and a Receptionist pulled her aside to offer some help. In the end, it came down to the fact that sometimes, these things happen and there is nothing we can do about it but keep trying. Overall, I think it worked. She told me earlier that she feels much better about it. I think she is lying a little, but that is fine. I know she won't quit the plan, and I know she will continue to work just as hard as before. This little gain won't derail her! (Big thanks go out to all of you that reached out to KT on Twitter and offered her some feedback. I know it meant a lot to her, and to me!)
In closing, if any of you have any words of wisdom that helped you thru a gain, either expected or unexpected, leave them as a comment! I would love to hear them! (And so would KT!)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Lifetime Update; Week ending 1/30/2011
Scale said I broke even this week which is just fine by me. I am just slightly above my lowest recorded weight in history so whatever I am doing must be working! What am I doing? Duh, tracking, measuring, counting, drinking tons of water, and eating lots of fruits and veggies. (Seriously, that was a stupid question.) However, last week I did get on the treadmill and go for a run. Not just once. But TWICE! HA!
I had lots of hurdles last week that contributed to me only maintaining and not losing. (Yes, I AM trying to lose still. I have some vanity pounds I need to work off. Plus, I feel like a total pig if I have to eat the extra 6 pts+ a day I get when I am on Maintenance!) I wrote down every BLT (Bite, Lick, Taste...NOT the sandwich, but if I ate one of those, I would write that down too! Mmmmmmm, bacon!) and tracked everything I put in my mouth that I probably should have passed on. Monday was a 2nd glass of wine. Thursday was pizza AND taco bell (I had a 20 pt+ Nacho Bell Grande and it was worth it). Saturday was beer and pizza at a birthday party (Tracker says bowling for 120 minutes is 9 AP but I think that is hooey. Also, I think it is illegal to earn AP while consuming beer and pizza. And if it isn't illegal, it should be...remind me to draft a strongly worded letter to my Congress-person later). And Sunday was a traditional German dinner at my parents. (If anyone feels like finding out how many pts+ is in Leberkneudlesuppe, I would be interested to know...Liver, bread, eggs and parsley balled up and boiled in beef broth...YUM!) I have leftover pizza and kneudle in the fridge so this week will be just as challenging.
KT had a pretty great loss this week, but if you were to ask her about it she would say it was crap. Down 1.6! She was really disappointed and wanted to see a bigger loss. I could tell at the meeting that she wasn't really paying too much attention as I could hear the gears of negative self talk grinding in her head. On our way out of the meeting she wiped away some hidden tears that she doesn't think I saw and tried to keep the conversation on other things. However, I verbally assaulted her for the whole drive back to the office after our meeting. It went something like this:
Me: I don't understand why you are so upset. 1.6 is a great loss for your 2nd week! WW recommends 1-2lbs a week so you are right where you should be.
KT: I know, but I thought with the big loss last week (6 lbs) and being really good this week that I would have seen at least 2 down. And my husband lost like FIFTY-TWO pounds last week, which isn't fair.
Me: Don't be stupid, he didn't lose 52 lbs. And he is a dude. Dudes lose weight faster. Stop comparing yourself to him. Let's just worry about you, and let him worry about himself and his obvious eating disorder or worms that enables him to lose 50 lbs in an effing week.
KT: Idiot, I was exaggerating. He didn't really lose 52 lbs.
Me: Whatever, bite me. Okay so, did you eat all your points?
KT: Yes, I ate all of my DP and about 20 of my WP.
Me: Were you doing activity?
KT: Yes, I did my yoga and pilates every night. My muscles are the good kind of sore. It feels really great.
Me: Sounds like you are doing all the right things. So, really, the problem is that you set your mind on a number that you had no control over and are now beating yourself up over it. You are sitting there thinking "I shoulda done this, or I coulda done that" feeling bad and punishing yourself over it! Even though you might not like the loss, it is still a loss. A GREAT loss! Stop being so stupid and be fricken happy for yourself! And don't you dare go and push yourself toward a larger loss by cutting back on your points because I will find out and punch you in the face.
KT: I dare you to punch me. I would murder you.
Me: Bitch, I ain't scared of you. Bring it.
KT: You are stupid.
Me: No, you are stupid. See that guy right there, he thinks you are hot and wants to boink you. He told me.
KT: He must have a big doink, he is tall and skinny.
Me: He also has a big nose, which would be helpful for fellatio.
KT: Yes, I am SURE his big nose, helps with sucking cock.
Me: Oh, shit, I meant, cunnilingus.
KT: I am outta here...talk at you later.
Okay, so we got a little off track there at the end, but you get the point. And if you don't get the point and are still giggling about cunnilingus (don't worry, I am too) than here is the moral of the story.
Don't beat yourself up over something you can't control! Eat the the right foods, get in some activity, stay within your points budget and let the plan do all the work! Eventually, if you keep working at it, and keep focused, the weight WILL come off! WW is NOT an overnight fix. AND, getting all upset over things, will only make it worse! Over my time with WW, I saw lots of ups and downs. More downs than ups, but it was still a bumpy ride! Some weeks will be huge fantastic losses, some will be little ones, and others will show a gain. BUT, when you add all that up, in the end, it is STILL a negative number, which is what matters most!
In other news, as noted previously, I got my lazy ass on the treadmill twice last week. I did under 2 miles each time, but I did it, so that is what counts. I made up a chart for the Man and I with each day of the year and a box to check off if we did treadmill or weights that day. I hung it on the pantry door which faces the treadmill to use as motivation (or as we discussed at the WW meeting today, an Anchor). I also like it being on the pantry because it is on the door of the snack side of the pantry to if I go for a treat my lack of activity checks will be staring me in the face.
I also found out that my step-sister started WW a few weeks ago. I reached out to her to see if she would like any support or advice but I haven't heard back. Which is just as well, because as KT might tell her, my support is more like threats and perverted jokes, so she really isn't missing much!
This week will hopefully be much smoother, so I am hoping to achieve my new official lowest weight ever. No biggs if it doesn't happen though, I will just keep trying! I will be sure to get on the treadmill at least twice this week just as last week and have 7 chapters to read for school in two weeks. I plan on spending quite a bit of time over the weekend in bed doing that reading and I can't tell you how excited I am by that plan!
Sorry, no pictures this week.
I suck.
Whatever.
Bite me.
I had lots of hurdles last week that contributed to me only maintaining and not losing. (Yes, I AM trying to lose still. I have some vanity pounds I need to work off. Plus, I feel like a total pig if I have to eat the extra 6 pts+ a day I get when I am on Maintenance!) I wrote down every BLT (Bite, Lick, Taste...NOT the sandwich, but if I ate one of those, I would write that down too! Mmmmmmm, bacon!) and tracked everything I put in my mouth that I probably should have passed on. Monday was a 2nd glass of wine. Thursday was pizza AND taco bell (I had a 20 pt+ Nacho Bell Grande and it was worth it). Saturday was beer and pizza at a birthday party (Tracker says bowling for 120 minutes is 9 AP but I think that is hooey. Also, I think it is illegal to earn AP while consuming beer and pizza. And if it isn't illegal, it should be...remind me to draft a strongly worded letter to my Congress-person later). And Sunday was a traditional German dinner at my parents. (If anyone feels like finding out how many pts+ is in Leberkneudlesuppe, I would be interested to know...Liver, bread, eggs and parsley balled up and boiled in beef broth...YUM!) I have leftover pizza and kneudle in the fridge so this week will be just as challenging.
KT had a pretty great loss this week, but if you were to ask her about it she would say it was crap. Down 1.6! She was really disappointed and wanted to see a bigger loss. I could tell at the meeting that she wasn't really paying too much attention as I could hear the gears of negative self talk grinding in her head. On our way out of the meeting she wiped away some hidden tears that she doesn't think I saw and tried to keep the conversation on other things. However, I verbally assaulted her for the whole drive back to the office after our meeting. It went something like this:
Me: I don't understand why you are so upset. 1.6 is a great loss for your 2nd week! WW recommends 1-2lbs a week so you are right where you should be.
KT: I know, but I thought with the big loss last week (6 lbs) and being really good this week that I would have seen at least 2 down. And my husband lost like FIFTY-TWO pounds last week, which isn't fair.
Me: Don't be stupid, he didn't lose 52 lbs. And he is a dude. Dudes lose weight faster. Stop comparing yourself to him. Let's just worry about you, and let him worry about himself and his obvious eating disorder or worms that enables him to lose 50 lbs in an effing week.
KT: Idiot, I was exaggerating. He didn't really lose 52 lbs.
Me: Whatever, bite me. Okay so, did you eat all your points?
KT: Yes, I ate all of my DP and about 20 of my WP.
Me: Were you doing activity?
KT: Yes, I did my yoga and pilates every night. My muscles are the good kind of sore. It feels really great.
Me: Sounds like you are doing all the right things. So, really, the problem is that you set your mind on a number that you had no control over and are now beating yourself up over it. You are sitting there thinking "I shoulda done this, or I coulda done that" feeling bad and punishing yourself over it! Even though you might not like the loss, it is still a loss. A GREAT loss! Stop being so stupid and be fricken happy for yourself! And don't you dare go and push yourself toward a larger loss by cutting back on your points because I will find out and punch you in the face.
KT: I dare you to punch me. I would murder you.
Me: Bitch, I ain't scared of you. Bring it.
KT: You are stupid.
Me: No, you are stupid. See that guy right there, he thinks you are hot and wants to boink you. He told me.
KT: He must have a big doink, he is tall and skinny.
Me: He also has a big nose, which would be helpful for fellatio.
KT: Yes, I am SURE his big nose, helps with sucking cock.
Me: Oh, shit, I meant, cunnilingus.
KT: I am outta here...talk at you later.
Okay, so we got a little off track there at the end, but you get the point. And if you don't get the point and are still giggling about cunnilingus (don't worry, I am too) than here is the moral of the story.
Don't beat yourself up over something you can't control! Eat the the right foods, get in some activity, stay within your points budget and let the plan do all the work! Eventually, if you keep working at it, and keep focused, the weight WILL come off! WW is NOT an overnight fix. AND, getting all upset over things, will only make it worse! Over my time with WW, I saw lots of ups and downs. More downs than ups, but it was still a bumpy ride! Some weeks will be huge fantastic losses, some will be little ones, and others will show a gain. BUT, when you add all that up, in the end, it is STILL a negative number, which is what matters most!
In other news, as noted previously, I got my lazy ass on the treadmill twice last week. I did under 2 miles each time, but I did it, so that is what counts. I made up a chart for the Man and I with each day of the year and a box to check off if we did treadmill or weights that day. I hung it on the pantry door which faces the treadmill to use as motivation (or as we discussed at the WW meeting today, an Anchor). I also like it being on the pantry because it is on the door of the snack side of the pantry to if I go for a treat my lack of activity checks will be staring me in the face.
I also found out that my step-sister started WW a few weeks ago. I reached out to her to see if she would like any support or advice but I haven't heard back. Which is just as well, because as KT might tell her, my support is more like threats and perverted jokes, so she really isn't missing much!
This week will hopefully be much smoother, so I am hoping to achieve my new official lowest weight ever. No biggs if it doesn't happen though, I will just keep trying! I will be sure to get on the treadmill at least twice this week just as last week and have 7 chapters to read for school in two weeks. I plan on spending quite a bit of time over the weekend in bed doing that reading and I can't tell you how excited I am by that plan!
Sorry, no pictures this week.
I suck.
Whatever.
Bite me.
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