McFatty Moans

It’s another Monday, which means that I am linking up with both Blair’s McFatty Monday and Kristine’s Monday Moanings posts. Check out their blogs… like right now…GO!




Blair brought up a topic that I have talked about a couple times before. At what point are we happy with our bodies? It just seems like no matter what goal weight we set, it’s not quite good enough. For me, I think I compare my body to what it would have been like at this weigh, before going through a pregnancy. Not the same, at all! At some point, I have to accept the saggy tummy and floppy boobs, right? I’ve lost another pound or two and am consistently weighing 155lbs. I am very content with my body, with clothes on. Get me trying on swim suits, not so much.

On to some moanings…

1. I really do not rude drivers. I have gotten flipped off a few times in the last couple of months for merging with PLENTY of room! Actually, let’s split this up into two complaints…

a. People who flip other people off in general. Really?! I just think it is so ridiculously crude and inappropriate for any person to flip another person off for any reason.

b. Why do people get such road rage?

I’ve been trying to make a genuine effort to pray for those people immediately instead of getting upset. It makes me really sad that some people are so full of anger and hate that they must show such hostility to another person.

2. Chipped nail polish. Why the heck does nail polish have to chip and look horrible within a day or two? It irritates me horribly.

3. Lack of sleep. I get up at 4:45am on workdays. When Jesse is home, I am usually in bed by about 8:30 and asleep by around 9pm. When he’s gone… in bed by about 8:30, but almost never asleep before 11:30 or midnight. Talk about not enough sleep! I just can’t seem to turn my brain off before then. It makes me a crabby person by the end of the work week. Not good.

With all this negative talk, I feel like I should add some positive thoughts. I am beyond excited to be leaving for Turkey to visit my hubby at the end of this week! Hunter will be staying with my parents, which means that it will be the first time I will be away from him for longer than one night. I have mixed feelings about this. I know I will miss him so much, but it will be good for me to have some alone time on the flights and then a week of quality time with just Jesse.

A Dash and Some Moans

So, I’m killing two birds with one stone today by combining my fitness Monday post with a link up to Kristine's Monday Moanings.

I have been talking about the Warrior Dash for a few months and had been actually dreading it a bit. Well, the big day was yesterday… and…. It was great! I had so much fun and actually ran about 90% of the course. The 10% that I walked was mostly a stretch that was so ridiculously muddy that I literally could not run in it. The obstacles were a lot of fun and were not at all too difficult to do. There was one obstacle that you had to walk up a beam up to maybe 6-8 feet high, then walk across three more beams, and then down another one. I was terrified that I would fall and break my arm because my shoes were so dang muddy and slippery. I was praying to Jesus the entire obstacle to not let me fall! (Later, I found out that a girl fell and broke her arm!!)

I think I finished about half way through my group. Not too bad. I got ridiculously muddy and then was hosed off by a fire hose with ice cold water. Pretty sure the cold water put me in shock and it took me a good minute to catch my breath!
I only got a before picture and then an after picture eating a “warrior” turkey leg. Those things were huge! It was really hard to get many pictures because I was just too darn muddy to touch a camera or my phone. Boo!






And now moving on to Monday Moanings. My co-worker started this link up a couple weeks ago as a place to vent and moan about things that irritate us. I’m hoping that I can partake without being a negative Nancy, but sometimes there are just some things in life that are just plain annoying. .

1. I have to copy Kristine’s first moaning. Seattle weather. Do I need to explain more? This summer is a joke. Rain, overcast, and 60 degree weather all of July?! Boo!!

2. Deployment. I miss my hubby. L It’s already been almost 3 months though, only 39 days left!


3. Spiritual Warfare. It is real, my friends. The devil tries to attack anything that is from God, including marriages, obedience, a person’s thoughts, etc. I truly believe that the anxiety I have while Jesse is gone is caused by this. It’s a product of trying to use my own reasoning in earthly matters that cause worry and anxiousness. The devil loves to plant these things in the heart of Christians. As lovers of Christ, we need to be aware and prepared, so that we can identify it and pray against it.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Non-Scale Victories

I am a huge fan of measuring goals that aren’t on the scale. It’s really hard to measure small successes on the scale. When I run more, I usually gain a pound or two, but loose inches. I’m not using the scale as much as I was a few months back. I’m fairly satisfied with my weight, but would love to lose a few inches and tone up a bit. Still staying pretty steady at 156-157lbs.

I did a little shopping this weekend. I knew that I could mostly wear a size 8, but this weekend, every single size 8 at three different stores fit with some room, too! Woo-hoo! I don’t think I have consistently worn a size 8 since the end of high school. All through college, I’m pretty sure I was wearing a 10.

It felt so good to grab shorts and Capri pants at American Eagle and not have to dig to the bottom for the big girl sizes. Anyone know what I’m talking about?! When you gotta find the sizes on the very bottom of the pile because it’s all size 0’s and 2’s on the very top?!

What about going to the dressing room and finding that you have to have the salesperson grab you a smaller size?? In the past it was always the opposite. I always was hopeful and grabbed the smaller size, often even not asking for the larger size, just giving up in sadness.

So yes, one trip to the mall, but several feel good moments over the course of a couple hours!

We've Been to Alaska and Back!

Hunter and I spent 5 glorious days in Ketchikan, Alaska. We basked in the 50 degree weather and the non-stop rain. Haha, sounds horrible, huh? Nah, we actually had a really good time!

I spend a summer working up in Ketchikan during college and this trip brought back a lot of good memories of that summer. It's beautiful! Hunter adored being able to see float planes fly overhead and see boats passing by constantly. I'm pretty sure he spend the entire five days saying "Airplane!!!" or "Big Boat" (what he called the cruise ships).

I'm going to tie this into a McFatty Monday post and link up with The Heir to Blair by telling you all about my eating and excercising on the trip. They were both moderate. Nothing great, but I didn't say "Hell with it, I'm on vacation!!" I went for a run one evening, spent a lot of time walking, and even got to do a two hour zip line tour! It was amazing!

I Am NOT a Quitter!

So, remember how last week I called myself a quitter? Well, I think I was wrong. I had an amazing week after I “quit”. I didn’t feel so much stress or pressure to race to the gym after work every day. Instead, three days after work, I headed to the park with my mom and Hunter and picked up at week 5 of the C25K program.

And guess what… I loved it! It felt so good to just get outside and RUN! (After I capitalized all the letters in “run” I realized it made me sound super fast, if that’s how you took it too, think again, I am not fast.) It was so refreshing to push myself, enjoy the outdoors, and get lost in my own thoughts. I am not a “runner” by any means, but for once, I am starting to understand why people love it! I used to think runners were just sick in the head, I mean really, who really likes to torture themselves like that?! I can see myself really getting into it.

I won’t lie; part of my motivation to keep it up is the Warrior Dash, which is only a few short weeks away. I realized that I need to stick to my program and not skip any runs if I want to be ready for it by July 17th! I can’t really say I am looking forward to it by any means, but hey, it’s getting my booty off the couch, right? The dread I am feeling is just due to me being a little scared to be surrounded by a bunch of fit “runners” who will all stop and laugh at me when I have to stop and walk for a few minutes. And then after they laugh, the loud speakers will come on and announce that they have a “walker” on the Warrior course. A bit dramatic? Yeah, yeah, I know! :)

I'm a Quitter

I haven’t been linking up with McFatty Mondays over at The Heir to Blair in the last several months. Usually it’s because I’m not doing very well with my weight loss, but that’s not really the case lately. I’m doing pretty well with my weight, I’ve been weighing in between 156-157lbs. I’m pretty happy with that.

What I’ve been stinking at is getting my booty to CrossFit. I told Jesse a few weeks ago that I wanted to quit. He told me to go strong for a week and then decide. So I did, I went three times that week and felt really good. But, then I stopped.

I have been struggling a little bit with anxiety at night. I think I’m just feeling really stressed and pressured by all the things I am supposed to be doing and it’s just gotten to be too much. It’s not the workout itself that stressed me out, that makes me feel better, it’s knowing that I have to leave work right on time, pick up Hunter, drive 40+ minutes feeling rushed, so that I can get to CrossFit in time for their last workout. Then once I get there I pray that Hunter won’t whine or cry when I put him in the kid area. I totally understand how dumb I sound, but with everything going on in my life right now, I just can’t handle that stress and tension after a 12+ hour day.

I know I’m making excuses. I’m not giving up on working out, but I am giving up on CrossFit until Jesse gets back in September. So, what’s my plan? I’m just going to start running. When I was doing the C25K plan, which I only made it through week 6, I really enjoyed it. I can do it with Hunter, I can do it anywhere and at any time, and I can enjoy being outdoors. I know that running isn’t the complete package to getting fit, but it’s going to have to be my complete package for the time being. I need to keep my sanity. So, I packed up my workout clothes with me today and hopefully I’ll be able to talk my mom into taking Hunter for a walk at the park while I run after work today J If not, I’ll use their treadmill.

Long Journey.

It has been nearly a year and a half since I started my weight loss journey while 2 months postpartum. It's been slow and steady the entire time. I weighed in at 158.4 pounds yesterday, a new low. I am 1.4 pounds away from being 30 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight. I feel good.

In high school, I struggled with an eating disorder. While it's been 9 years since then,but it takes much longer to bury the entire mindset. I've talked to others who have gone through the same struggles and they have agreed that once you've gone through that, your mentality regarding food and weight is jaded.

For the first time, I feel healed. I have a healthy relationship with both food and my body image. Of course I still see my imperfections, and while I don't love them, I tolerate them, and continue to work out and eat well to change them.

I'm having a hard time finding a goal weight. Some days I feel like I am at it, sometimes I tell myself I will stop at 155, but sometimes the challenge of seeing 150 on the scale excites me. The change in me though, is that I am not consumed by it. I know will get or stay at my goal weight when I'm ready. Just by eating healthy foods or maybe. Some unhealthy foods in moderation and exercise, I continue to lose about a pound per month. That tells me that my body has more wight to lose. When it stops, it will stop, and I will be content. :)


So, a question for you all... At what point do I get rid of my clothes that are too big? I have an entire closet of size 10 and 12 clothes that hang on me. I get nervous about getting rid of them. What if I gain the weight back? Should I just store them away or do I take the leap and say goodbye to being that size forever?

The Day Has Come

Today is the day that I get back to focusing on my diet and fitness. Jesse has been gone for several days now and my brother's wedding was on Saturday (more about that later). It's time for me to spend some time on me now. The last week has been a very rough one for me with Jesse leaving, my little brother getting married, and conflict within my family. Right now is the perfect time for me to get absorbed in the Word, working out, and maybe some mindless television watching. :)

I was very surprised this morning to see that I weighed in at 159.2 this morning. This is my lowest weight in several years. I know I have lost some muscle mass over the last few weeks, but am still surprised by this. Bodies do strange things at times.

So here I am at 5am on Monday morning, planning out my goals for the week.

Monday,Wednesday,Friday - Crossfit
Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday - C25K

I still have not decided what I am going to do about diet. Do I go back to strict Paleo? Or do I just continue to eat what I want but in moderation?

The Post Where I Show My Backside

It's another McFatty Monday over at The Heir to Blair and that also means another confession on my part. I'm still not back into the groove of working out and eating right. But in all honesty, I didn't expect anything different of this last week.

Jesse is leaving for a four month deployment later this week and my priorities have not included spending my time making healthy meals and working out. Next Monday... bring it on! Hold me accountable for that, okay?!

Remember when I showed you the most unflattering of my backside when I was talking about when it finally clicked that I needed to change things? Well, Jesse took another picture of me from behind, again without my knowledge. And you know what... I didn't hate what I saw. Not perfect at all, but you know what? I feel pretty good.



I am actually really excited to get back into the gym and get back to running. I really do miss it and all the energy it gives me!

A Very McFatty Monday

So... I haven't written a "McFatty Monday" post or linked up over at The Heir To Blair in a couple weeks. So you can probably guess what that means... yup, that I have been failing.

But... I think I have a relatively valid excuse. My hubby is deploying in about a week and I want to spend all my free time with him, not cooking and working out. I will have plenty of time for that in a few short days.

I have been averaging about one or two workouts per week, which is better than none. I have also been averaging eating cheese pizza about 3 times a week...whoops! But it's just so good! :)

My weight is staying pretty steady at 162lbs. I think I am loosing some muscle though. I just am not loving myself when I look in the mirror. So, I doubt I will reach my goal of going down a pant size by May 1st. Maybe June 1st will be the day!

Hope you all are doing better than I am with your eating and working out! I will be back at it soon!

Time For a New Goal

Blair posted today about not using the scale to measure success and finding a new measure. This is the idea I needed this morning. I hit the 150’s this weekend…. Well kinda, more like 159.6, but still considered the 150’s, right?! You gotta take what you can get!

I’m not really too concerned about the number on the scale anymore. Being 6 feet tall, yes, legally almost a giant, I’m pretty content with the number on the scale. Yet, not so content with the jiggly on my thighs. So, my new goal is to drop a pant size by the time Seattle gets warmer weather! I’m going to need new dress capris for work this summer, and they darn well better be a size smaller than the pants I bought last month.

Running and Crossfit have really changed my body. I have seen very little weight loss, but my pants are starting to hang off my body! Changing my diet over a year ago got me to lose quite a bit of weight, mostly on the top half, but working out is really giving my body the needed weight loss on my bottom half.

So, I am giving myself until May 1st to be able to buy a size smaller.

P.S. Let’s talk about setbacks real fast. Why in the heck have I been wanting to eat cheese pizza for dinner every day in the last week?!?! Cheese pizza is going to be the death of my goal if I don’t control it soon!

Warrior Dash

So, I stepped up to a challenge, and signed up for the Warrior Dash that is taking place in North Bend, Washington on July 17th! I’m both excited and nervous for the event. It’s a 3.5 mile run that is filled with 10 obstacles along the way, including a run through a swamp, jumping over fire, and then finished with diving under barbed wire through mud!

Check it out:



I signed up for the 10:30am race time on Sunday. I still have quite a bit of training to do to complete the run, but I’m up for the challenge! I just finished Week 3 of the C25K and am feeling good entering into Week 4. Almost halfway there! I’m still going strong with Crossfit, too. I’ve been going 3 days each week and then doing the C25K on 3 other days in the week.

I’m hoping this will be me:



Uh huh. :)

I Feed Good.

I feel really good. And that’s all that matters, right? The last couple weeks I have done an awesome job of working out 6 days a week.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, I go to Rainier Crossfit. I love the variety of the workouts! Some days it is more focused on weight lifting, some on mobility, and some on running. I never know what I am going to expect until I walk into the gym and see what the Workout of the Day is (WOD). Sometimes that bothers me, but it keeps me from backing out of going because it looks too hard or it’s not what I feel like doing that day. You know all about those excuses, right??? Or is it just me?

On Tuesday, Thursday, and one weekend day, I have been keeping up with the C25K program. I love that, too! I just finished week 2 on Saturday and am feeling motivated to keep going. It seems like it is getting easier and easier with each run.

As far as weight loss, I am holding pretty steady at between 161-163lbs. I have gotten to a happy place where I feel good. I want to tone up more… maybe a lot more! But I really don’t care if I lose another 10 pounds in the process or stay the same. I looked up the healthy weight range for a 6 foot tall woman; yes I know I am a very tall woman. I wanted to get an idea of where I should be. To my surprise, the range was 140-184lbs!

CrossFit OnRamp

As of last night, I completed the CrossFit OnRamp 4 week class. It consisted of 12 sessions and a lot of learning and fun. Going into the class I was super intimidated and dreaded going. After the first two sessions, I was hooked. I found myself wishing that it was everyday and looking forward to the nest session.

I knew I felt stronger since starting the class, but yesterday proved that I was stronger and faster. On the first day of class we did a workout called Baseline for time and then yesterday we ended with the same workout.

Baseline

400 Meter Run
40 Squats
30 Sit ups
20 Push ups
10 Jumping pull ups

February 7th- 10:32
March 4th- 6:36

I was so excited to see so much improvement in my time!!!

Jesse of course was there to take pictures during breaks in his workout and keep referring today as my "graduation" day. Silly boy.

Here are some of the pictures he took along each step of the workout.

Week 5 of McFatty Monday

I have had my ups and downs throughout the last 5 weeks. I finally feel ready to make a lifestyle change that includes eating healthy AND exercise. I started Crossfit last Monday and have surprisingly fallen in love with it. The OnRamp class is held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and I have to admit that I missed it on Tuesday and Thursday. I felt like I was missing out on something on those days.

Last Monday – 163.8
Today – 160.4
Loss of: 3.4lbs

I have to admit that I am only down about a pound from where I was a couple weeks ago, but I lost all the weight gained plus an extra pound! I rarely weighed myself through college, but I’m guessing that I’m back down to early college weight now. Yay!

Yesterday morning I was really antsy to get a good workout in, so I decided to begin the C25K program. The first week consists of a 5 minute brisk walk and then for the next 20 minutes you alternate 60 seconds of running with 90 seconds of walking.

Let me tell you, it was quite the experience! To understand this story better, you need to know that we live in a new development that is located in a not so nice small town. I feel very safe in our neighborhood and the development right outside of ours… but you get outside of there, and not so nice.

But… I decided that it was a bright sunny day and it was safe to jog through the older neighborhoods to get to the Interurban trail. So I bundled Hunter up and got him set in the jogger stroller and I did my five minute walk. I got to the outskirts of the “safe zone” and then proceeded to start jogging into the “danger zone”.

A nice lady was gardening in her yard at the edge of the zones and gave me a big smile. I got down the street and got a few hoots and hollers from some interesting group of men that were drinking beer in their yard. I finished my 20 minutes of intervals on the trail and then headed back through the danger zone. I passed a couple that was getting out of the car and the woman told me that she hoped I had my pepper spray. I lied and said I did.

I then made it a little bit farther only to be greeted by a man that looked like was strung out on drugs sitting on his front porch. To top it off, while on my last stretch through the danger zone, I glanced across the street to see a man sitting in his parked truck watching me. I then felt like I made a big mistake to trek outside of our neighborhood. I immediately wondered if he was some sex offender who had seen me running before and was waiting for me to make my way back. Creepy!

As I got back to the developments, I felt like I was hugged by the security and safety that it brought. The woman gardening said that she hoped I had a nice jog in the beautiful weather and a little boy playing outside said “Hey lady, I love your baby!” as he pointed at Hunter.
I think I will have to continue my C25K program running laps around the two developments instead of spending my time wondering where I should keep pepper spray and a handgun while I am running.

I Failed.

I avoided the scale most of this week, the only time I do that is when I don’t want to face what it has to tell me. If I would’ve been brave and faced the scale throughout the week, it would’ve said “Slow down, you are not taking care of yourself!” and then maybe a couple of “What the heck are you doing?!”

I had an extremely busy week that was full of activities, events, and emotions. For me, that’s when I break down and don’t care about diet and fitness. And in the back of my head, I knew I would be starting the OnRamp course at Crossfit on Monday (today) and that I would redeem myself then. (Very bad idea!)

I might have indulged in fast food a couple times over the weekend and topped it off with eating horribly at a Super Bowl party. All my bad decisions caught up to me when I stepped on the scale this morning to see that I had gained 2.5lbs this week.
I’ve learned from my mistake, though. I can’t change the past, but I’m ready to start on the right path again. My workouts start tonight. My diet is always better when Jesse is gone and he’s leaving for 8 days tonight. I have no more excuses.

Hope you all did better than I did this week!

Another McFatty Monday

This week went a little like last week. I ate really well 90% of the time, and 10% of the time, well not so well. On Saturday night I had the happy hour sized chicken fajitas, Saturday included sharing a scoop of Rocky Road ice cream with Hunter and a couple very small slices of pizza. But those were my only cheats all week! Woo hoo!

The big difference between this last week and the week before… the results! I was so excited to see that I had lost a more significant amount of weight this week.

Last week- 164.4lbs

Today- 161.2lbs

-3.2lbs Buh-bye, hope to never see you again.

I got all signed up for Crossfit’s On Ramp class. I originally thought that it started on February 4th, but just found out that it really doesn’t start until February 7th. I was actually really bummed; I had it in my mind that I was starting this Friday. Oh well, I suppose I can wait until next Monday. The class will be for an hour every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening for 4 weeks. I can’t wait to be in a class where I am expected to show up every time, I need this accountability. I will admit that I am a little nervous, that’s alright because I am committed and will not back out!

McFatty Monday: Week 2

So, we spend 3 days at the ocean this weekend. We had a pretty good time despite the place being a nightmare for small children and the weather being rather wet and cold. I wrote on Thursday that I was worried about eating healthy while we were out there. Hmmm, I wouldn’t quite say that we completely failed or succeeded. I stuck to the Paleo diet every meal except for Friday night and also a few ice cream stops. Whoops!

We ended up being tired from the long drive on Friday night and decided to go out to Mexican. I ordered a chicken dish that came with rice and beans. The chicken was really dry….so what did I do? I only had a little of the chicken and then proceeded to eat ALL my rice and beans. I did avoid the tortillas and did not have a margarita. Fail? I don’t know.

I don’t know what the deal with the whole sudden ice cream cravings are! I never crave ice cream, usually Jesse gets ice cream and I just go along for the drive. Not this weekend! On Sunday, I was the one asking for an ice cream stop…I HAD to have a scoop of rocky road! Jesse keeps joking that I better pee on stick soon! Eh, I think that would be pretty unlikely.

Other than that I ate pretty healthy the rest of the week. I had a lettuce wrapped chicken burger at Red Robin on Thursday night, made chicken breasts and sweet potatoes on Saturday night, and some green curry without rice last night. I’ve been snacking on raw hazelnuts, dried apricots, and celery these days.
So how did I do?

1/17/2011 – 165lbs
1/24/2011 – 164.4lbs
.6lbs gone… not great, but I will take it!

McFatty Mondays

Okay okay, I think I am finally ready to link up with Beth Ann over at The Heir to Blair. She does a weight loss post every Monday. You should check out her blog. If you are like me... you will love her, roll your eyes at her, relate to her, sometimes not get her at all... but she will suck you in and you will likely follow her.

I have been on a weigh loss journey since Hunter was born 15 months ago and slowly but surely lost quite a bit of weight. I am ready to be candid about where I was and where I am now.

February 11th,2009 (found out I was pregnant with Hunter) - 187lbs
October 9th, 2009 (the day I had Hunter) - 225lbs! Eek!
October 11th, 2009 (home from hospital) - 205lbs
March, 2010 - 187lbs (back to pre-pregnancy weight
Last week - 163lbs
Today - 165lbs

I have been able to shed 20+ pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, but I just don't feel like I am where I want to be yet. I really don't know what my goal weight is, but I'm guessing I will know when I get there. Maybe around 150ish?

I have been able to lose most of the weight by loosely following the Paleo diet. It consists of eating meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and berries. Sometimes I follow it much more strictly than other times. I kind of go through my phases. It's commonly associated with the Crossfit workouts, which my husband does, and introduced me to this way of eating.

I am mostly going to be writing these posts to hold myself accountable and encourage others. I plan on joining the Crossfit gym that my husband goes to on February 6th- that is when their next beginner class begins. I have been able to achieve this much with just diet and very little exercise. It's time to kick it up a notch, right Emeril? Bam! By writing this, I am hoping it makes me feel like I cannot back out of this commitment. Haha.