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. 
 
 

 

(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.)

 

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 think KT has the hots for this guy...

 

KT's feet as she walks.  Not sure if she meant to take this or not...

Walkway at the PSU Campus.



The best picture of the Finish Line that KT took.  I am signing her up for Photography classes.

 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 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!!

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!

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!)

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.

Lifetime Update: 6 months, 1 week and counting...

WOW, I had an amazing week last week!

Starting on Monday when went with my awesome friend KT to her first Weight Watchers meeting. It was so exciting to get her all started! I really enjoyed the meeting we went to and I feel really good about switching to Monday afternoons versus Monday evenings. The leader is really nice and energetic and hands out more stickers, which my old leader never did. I feel like I need to wear a "I am a Lifetime member" t-shirt so people don't just sit there and stare at the skinny chick like I am invading their party. I carry my gold book around and try to make it as obvious as possible. I have yet to speak up in this meeting, but I will soon. KT really got into the program this week and did awesome. I only had to lecture her once about eating all her points! She even went out and bought a Pilates machine off of Craig's list so she can start getting some more activity in, and did yoga several time on her own! And here is the best part...SHE LOST 6 POUNDS!!!! I can't tell you how proud I am of her! I wanted to follow her behind the partition and look over her shoulder why she weighed. My heart was doing flip flops and I almost teared up! She is such an amazing person, and with a 5 month old beautiful baby girl at home, she really wants to do this for her daughter so she can be an even better mother than she already is! He husband it on board with the program too and doing it right beside her which is also awesome. He lost 15 pounds this week! KT got her first ever 5 lb star at our meeting today and I couldn't have been prouder! She is going to rock this program and will make my success look like nothing in comparison!



I was pretty successful on the scale as well with a 2.4 lb loss at my meeting. I am now .2 lbs over my lowest recorded weight. I am super excited about this especially with the amount of food roadblocks that were thrown at me this week! I really love it when I have a lot of things appear on my calendar that have food associated with them and I still have a loss. It really proves to me how much WW really is designed for an active social life!



On Tuesday I had dinner at an old coworkers house and budgeted some points for ice cream cake for dessert. I tapped into some weeklies and had a slice of chocolate cake at a work thing on Tuesday too. On Thursday I went to a jewellery party and avoided the cookies and stayed with in my points by dipping veggies into hummus instead of ranch dip!

I got a great prezzie from one of my friends this week and it made me super happy, but also a little disappointed at the same time.  As many of you know, I LOVE the Eiffel Tower.  I collect them like crazy.  If it has an Eiffel Tower on it, I want it.  The weirder the item the better.  I have tons of stuff, including a lamp, clock, salt and pepper shakers, sink drain, cookie cutter, candles, and even an antique ash tray! Because of my addiction, people pick up Eiffel Towers for me when ever they see them in unique locations.  My awesome friend TG picked this one up for me:

It is a toast impression maker!  You press it onto the bread, then when you toast it, the pattern shows up making it French Toast...get it...FRENCH toast!!  And to top it off, it is pink!!  If it had glitter on it, it would be the holy trifecta of awesome!  However, my joy was quickly snuffed out when I realized on key fact.  I don't own bread.  TG bugged me for pictures of my fancy French toast but I haven't bought real bread in so long, that I keep forgetting!  I have been to the grocery store 3 times since I received this present and have yet to remember to buy bread.  It just isn't something I buy anymore.  I dont' know why.  I love bread.  I love sandwiches.  I am just so used to passing on them since I can find better uses for the points!  Now that I have this nifty gadget though, I need to get myself a loaf to play with! 


I had my first day of school on Friday, and it went pretty well. I really like my school a lot and I am looking forward to taking more classes there! I crack myself up about it too, because when anyone has asked me how school went, the first thing out of my mouth is "My tuition includes breakfast and lunch for my Saturday classes!" Not how great my professor is, or how interesting I find the topic, but food is the priority! And, you know what, the food was really good and really healthy! I avoided the muffins and stuck with fruit and coffee for breakfast, along with the oatmeal I had grabbed at Starbucks not knowing they would have breakfast there. For lunch I filled half my plate with salad, and the rest with steamed green beans and roast chicken! They also had a rice thing, but I avoided it as I knew I wouldn't scoop a correct portion and I didn't know how to track it even if I did. It was great!

I also had a pretty large NSV (Non Scale Victory) on Sunday! This NSV has a story behind it, so bear with me here. When I was at my largest, prior to signing up for Weight Watchers, I went into Victoria's Secret for some new bras. I was suffering from major elastic stretch out and I had a lot of boob over flowing the top of my cup. Of course, since I was in denial about my weight, I just assumed it was my boobs getting bigger. My husband was with me, and I went to the girl in the dressing room and asked her to remeasure me to figure out a good size then I got one of their boxes of sample bras that has all of their styles and brought it into the dressing room. I tried on every single one of them. None of them fit or were flattering. It was terrible. I went back to the girl that sized me and when she asked how things went I said that none of them were comfortable and I still had boob overflow on most of them. Then she said something to me that has haunted me ever since, "Maybe you should try a more specialty store like Lane Bryant. They may have more options for a person your size." I immediately burst into tears and ran, not kidding, RAN out of the store and out of the mall. I called the store manager the next day and complained and the girl was written up. The manager was appalled that the girl would say that to me, especially since I did NOT wear that large of a size. (Sorry, I am not telling you here, what my bra size is/was. Use your imagination.) Since I was in complete denial of my actual size and I had never set foot in a Lane Bryant before I was convinced that they would have nothing for me there. I just sucked it up and continued with my current bras until Victoria's had their Semi-Annual Sale and I ordered bras online. Because I was utterly terrified to go back into Victoria's and get called a fatty again, I just always shopped online. Except for last year, in July when my bras actually started to fall off of me did I go into the store to get measured. That experience was super traumatic too, but not as bad as the prior one. A lot of girls, pride themselves on their bra size, and I was one of them for a long time. I used to think my knockers were one of my best features. Well, boobs are made of fat, and when you lose weight, you lose boob. It is a fact of life. So when I found out my new bra size, I cried. Stood half naked in the dressing room and cried. I left the store, once again, in tears and bought online so that no one would know how small my new boobs were, and how padded my new bras were! Okay, so the point of my story is this: I got a gift card for Victoria's Secret for Christmas, and yesterday, I spent all of it. In store. On panties. IN A SIZE MEDIUM!! (Also, don't even get me started on the skanky panties they are marketing at tweens in that store! Holy hell, it was gross! Do teenage girls REALLY need a thong with 'I heart French Kissing' written in glitter across the back? Also, that the hell is the point of the puckering that they put on the ass crack of their panties now?  Like I need any help giving myself a wedgie!) And for the record: I still hate that store. I still feel uncomfortable walking in there. I wouldn't shop there if I didn't have a gift card.

After shopping, I went on a date with my husband to California Pizza Kitchen which I had never been to before. I have no clue how many points+ my pizza was and I don't really care to look. I had the points for it, and I sill lost this week, so obviously I didn't go over board. I got a lovely whole wheat thin crust called "The Four Seasons" (I think) with artichokes, Italian pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions. I stopped myself in the restaurant and only ate half, the other half was eaten in bed later on in the evening followed by some reduced fat ice cream and a piece of peanut brittle. I enjoyed it, and didn't over indulge. I am perfectly fine with my choices!

Overall, even though my wonderful husband was away for work all week, it was a pretty great week!  This week is going to be pretty great too though.  I don't have any big plans, but I will find some way to occupy my time!  I am doing terrible at getting my ass on my treadmill so I really need to work on that!

Going grocery shopping!

The last week has been a big week for me in regards to WW.  Not only did I work the new Points Plus program but I got asked to dinner by an old coworker who is struggling with WW and needs some extra motivation, and then I got asked by another good friend to attend meetings with her and support her as she begins her journey with WW.  I am so honored by both of these requests and I am really looking forward to helping them any way I can achieve their goals with WW!   This has made me put some serious thought into applying to become a WW leader, but am still undecided.  With school starting on Friday, I just don't want to stretch myself too thin.  I will keep thinking on it and keep you all posted as to my decision.    I will be having dinner with the old coworker in the next few days and will report back on how that goes as well.

My other friend, KT picked Monday as her official start day and even send out a meeting invite so that my calendar is blocked for the next 2 years!  I usually attend meetings on Monday evenings but my house, and have been terrible about attending monthly so this will be a good way to keep myself focused as well as her.  I believe the leader of this meeting is the same as my current leader which is good.  To be honest, I am really looking forward to switching meetings as I was getting a bit worn out by my other one.  The women there are really negative and whiny and I was getting less and less out of the meetings because of it.  At my second weigh in after achieving Lifetime, I happened to be sitting next to one of those ladies and she turned to me and said "What are you doing here?  You are too skinny to be on Weight Watchers."  I looked at her and said as politely as I could, "I am on Lifetime, I come to weigh in once a month".  She gave me a nasty look like I might be contagious and turned away.  That was the first and only time anyone at my meeting other than my leader has ever spoken to me.  So, when KT asked if I minded switching meetings, I immediately said that I would be happy to switch! 

KT also asked me to go with her on her weekly grocery shopping trip to help her make some smart choices and give her some advice on what things to buy.  Naturally, I jumped at this offer as grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do!  We spent maybe 2 hours in that store going through the isles.  I pointed out things I like, and things I have tried and didn't like.  We got her all set and ready to start her Monday off on the right foot!

Since I am without my husband this weekend disgustingly bored, I decided to take some time and put together a list of things that I shop for and some of my favorite grocery shopping tips to share with my few, but wonderful, blog readers. 

1. Don't shop hungry.  Everyone knows that shopping hungry is a quick way to buy twice as much as you need.  I shop on Sunday afternoons or Mondays after work.  I will pack a larger snack on Mondays so that I am satisfied and not suffering with stomach growling at me to buy cookies or Doritos to eat in the car on the way home.
2. Pre-plan  your trip.  Know what meals you will be cooking for the week and what ingredients you need.  I shop once a week so I get supplies for 5 days worth of lunches and dinners.  I will pick 5 things to make for dinner that week then let my husband pick out what day he would like each meal. 
3. Make a detailed list.  Before I go, I think of the lay out of my store and write out my list in the order of where the items are located so I don't have to back track.  I also take some time to search online for any coupons for some of the brand name products that I might need.  Paperclip the coupons to the list and mark items on the list that have coupons with required quantities.
4. Shop the edges of the store first.  Fill up over half of your cart with items from the edges and try to limit how much you go down the aisles.  My first stop is always produce.  Then the meat department, then dairy, then frozen foods.  Then I hit the aisles and only the aisles that I need something from.  Never wander without a purpose. 
5. Limit the amount of things that are not on the list that go into the cart.  I am terribly about picking up something delicious and unhealthy just because "it was on sale".  Last week it was my favorite brand of pre-made guacamole.  The week before was mini-marshmallows with the intention of making rice cereal treats out of the leftover cereal in the pantry from Christmas that I would take to work and share (um, yea, haven't done that yet...pretty sure that cereal is stale...).

Here is my usual shopping list that I start from and add to each week depending on what plans I have for dinners that week:

• Bananas
• Apples
• Baby carrots
• Salad mixes
• Broccoli slaw mix (just the bagged shreds, I use them on salads, I don't actually make slaw)
• Celery
• Red potatoes
• Deli turkey
• Deli roast beef
• Ground turkey
• Chicken breast - I get them on sale and I have them wrap them up in 2 breast increments.
• Catfisth - if fresh and on sale - which is rare, but I always check because we LOVE it
• Light yogurt
• Kraft 2% Shredded Cheese - Mexican blend
• Reduced fat sour cream
• Fat free sour cream (I make my own salad dressing with it)
• 1% milk
• Weight Watchers Individual cream cheese packs
• Eggs (half of which I hard boil for salads and snacks)
• Green Giant Steam packs of veggies - corn, broccoli & cheese, and cauliflower & cheese
• Mission brand reduced fat tortillas
• Tostitos Restaurant Style salsa
• Progresso soups
• Whole Wheat Ritz crackers
• Diet Sodas and Arizona diet Green Tea
• Apple juice and Cranberry juice (the Husband is a juice addict)
• Wine (for me...and lots of it...)

 Other things that are always in my house and I usually get at Costco monthly:

• Kirkland brand Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets
• Fat Free refried beans
• Laughing Cow cheese wedges
• 97% fat free popcorn
• Individual bags of Baked potato chips
• Sandwich Thins & Bagel thins
• Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches

What is in your cart each week? 

Tomorrow morning I will have my first WI (weigh-in) on the new Points Plus program.  I think I did pretty well.  It was a struggle the first few days to get all my points in but I figured it out by just adding more wine at the end of the day!  I tracked diligently during the week and not a single thing on Saturday or Sunday.  I am not too worried about it though, as I hadn't touched a single one of my weekly points by the time Friday rolled around and I made good choices at the Mexican restaurant we went to dinner at on Saturday! 

Also, I made a goal to start running in the mornings as my evenings have been so full lately I haven't had the opportunity to get on the treadmill.  It will be really hard for me to change my routine, as I am not a morning person at all, but I know it is something I need to do, so I will just take it one day at a time.  I told the Husband to start nagging me when my alarm goes off to get my ass out of bed instead of hitting snooze 800 times like I usually do.  To start out, I will only get up to run on the days that I need to wash my hair, which is about every other day.  I need to wash my hair tomorrow...but my husband isn't home to nag me...so hopefully I get up!

Oh, and before I forget...my blog got found...by my family...not that it is a big deal, but until now, no one in my real life but one person had read my blog.  Not even my husband has read it!  I knew they would find it eventually, I mean, it isn't a secret.  Hell, I have the link on my Twitter profile!  It is hard to explain my feelings about why I am a little weirded out about it, but maybe I am just being stupid.  More than likely, I am just being stupid.  I tend to keep all my weight loss stuff off of Facebook and away from family gatherings.  I don't want to be that person whose whole life revolves around their weight so I limit myself to talking about it here and on Twitter.  However, my weight and my struggles with my weight are a BIG part of who I am now.  I don't know.  I need to get over it. 

Okay, fine.  I am over it.  (Hi Dad!  Hi Paulyne, Hi Aunt Julee!  Anyone else here?)