151.0 - To the rescue

As usual, you guys come to the rescue when I'm feeling like utter doo-doo. Thank you all for your advice, encouragement, and commiseration.

Last night was miraculous. I took Vickie's wise, insightful advice, and put on some white noise (sound machine--ocean waves setting) while reading blogs. I read until the battery on my laptop ran out and put my PC into hibernation mode. By then, I was ready to hibernate myself.

I had a cup of hot chocolate for my evening snack, and that was it.

It felt so good to go to sleep with only the sound of a pretend ocean in the background, with a warm but mostly empty belly, and the knowledge that I hadn't completely self destructed.

And I'd had a fantastic weights class Wednesday night, too. Felt strong and sure, and when we worked our backs I used 3 medium plates (2.5 Kg. each) on either side of the bar, when I usually use 2 mediums and maybe 1 small (1 Kg.) on each side. I was doing overhead presses with power and feeling like a rockstar.

Running didn't get done today, unfortunately, but it was for a good cause. Today was my husband's 46th birthday and we treated him like a king. I couldn't very well go for a run when we had dinner plans at 5:00 at his favorite restaurant. I could have gone this morning, I suppose, but that would have required (a) foresight and planning and (b) the ability to wake up before 6:30 a.m., neither of which I possessed today.

And yes, I had birthday cake. And ice cream. And they were damn good, too. No regret here.

But it will all be leaving my house when we go to our friends' house tomorrow night for our semi-regular Friday Night Group. I don't regret one night's indulgence on a special occasion, but I know my limits. And chocolate cake and vanilla bean ice cream are, as you likely already know, my kryptonite.

I just gotta make it through tonight without any more.

Fake ocean waves, here I come.

152.0 - If only...

If only I could stop eating when I should be sleeping, perhaps I'd lose the rest of this weight I want to lose.

You know how it works. You have the best intentions to stay on plan all day. You eat right for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and log your food. You make it to the gym and put in a decent workout. You drink 2 1/2 liters of water. All is right with your little dieting world.

Then at 9 p.m. after everyone is in bed and it's just me and the TV and my book (I'm such a freak--I have the TV on while I read, goes back to my days in school when I have to have music or movies on while I did homework. I think my brain is so used to multi-tasking it doesn't know how to operate otherwise), the munchies set in.

First it was a Cliff Z bar. Then it was the rest of the Chex Mix. Then it was 2 Entemann's mini muffins. And finally three graham cracker sheets (because that was all that was left in the open package; it would probably have been more if there had been more in the ziplock bag).

And that was just last night. The two nights before were just as bad.

So I know I could get below 150 if I'd stop eating like this and get the water weight off. My running the past two days is saving me (4 miles yesterday at a decent pace), I suppose, as is the "good" eating and lots of water drinking, from gaining more weight. And I think my body is accustomed to this weight.

But I feel so disgusted with myself in the mornings, cotton mouthed and bloated. Fully expecting to weigh 5 more pounds than I did the day before. Thanking the diet gods that I don't. Knowing I've dodged a bullet, but playing around like this is eventually going to end up getting me shot in the butt.

I've got to change my habits, I know. And I realize this IS a habit. I'm on autopilot most nights. Sitting down after a long ass day on my tired behind is just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, filling my face with food isn't.

Things have got to change. Now I have to find the energy to change them.

152.2 - Here there and everywhere... but the gym

My first week of half-marathon training was a complete bust. I ran twice. For a whopping total of 6 miles. Nothing like starting off on the wrong foot, eh?

But, this is the reality of my life, and I just have to roll with it.

We had a great time at Dave Matthews. It was an easy drive up, we enjoyed our PFChang's and then cheesecake from Shapiro's Deli (OMG, it was the absolute best cheesecake I've ever eaten. Apparently Shapiro's is legendary for their desserts.). Then an easy drive to the venue, which is an outdoor amphitheater. We were on the lawn, where all the happy, partying 20-somethings were. I was shocked to see so many young uns out there. I had no idea DMB was so popular with that age group. We jokingly wondered where all the 30 & 40 somethings were, and we deduced they were all sitting in the actual seats under the amphitheater's dome, which were more expensive and likely more comfortable than standing the whole time.

The last time I saw DMB in Indy was 10 years ago, and I was one of those 20-somethings. It was twice as packed as it was back then. Dave and his musicians sounded terrific and it's cool to see a band have so much staying power and so much talent. I need to get his new stuff, though. I only recognized about half the songs.

Saturday felt like 3 days in one. We had a nice breakfast of homemade chocolate chip scones with Kate and her family, then drove home 4 hours, then picked up kids and the dog, then went to the pool with Mark's family--his brothers from Colorado and Kentucky were in town--then we hosted dinner of pizza & salad at our house. Whew, it was a doozy.

I always need a full day to recover from days like that, so yesterday I did as close to nothing as I could manage. The kids stayed in PJs all day long. I did get a bath, but put on no makeup and let my hair airdry. I read most of the book Moose by Stephanie Klein (really good memoir, but her vivid food descriptions make me want to eat!). Then the kids and I took a trip to Target for some must-haves, and it was time for bed before I knew it.

Today (Monday) has been a blur, too. Thankfully the kids are healthy, and I'm healthy, but DH hurt his back last week cleaning out his closet (he stood up wrong) and is in a lot of pain. He's seeing the back doctor tomorrow.

I did run today, but it was only 2.5 miles and it was outside in the heat, so I was slow. And miserable. The air was too thick to breathe, really. I had limited time and it was either outside or nothing, because I didn't have time to get to the gym, put in any kind of mileage, and get to Luke & Sophie without being late.

So that's been my life. And unfortunately I've had little time to visit with you all, and I miss you guys.

Hopefully this week will allow for a bit more free time. And a better running schedule.

150.4 - On the way to DMB

Hey guys! I am so excited that in 5 minutes we are heading to Indianapolis for Dave Matthews. And carry out from PF Chang's for dinner (chicken lettuce wraps, yum yum). Then Saturday I'm hopefully going to run with Kate and then we'll be on our way home for more family fun. My brother in law from Colorado is here with his girlfriend, staying at our house.

Got a great run in yesterday. 3 miles in 31 minutes. I'm achieving a new normal--10:22 avg pace. And that's with a few walk breaks. Love it.

I miss checking in with you all but hope to have some down time on Sunday and will see you then. Happy weekend, y'all.

151.6 - Where has the time gone

I'm sitting down at night again to write this, and it seriously feels like I was just here. Like 24 hours barely even happened. That's how crazy life is now. Do you ever feel like that?

It was a good day, food and exercise wise. I took my weights class tonight--no running before or after--and it kicked my butt. The Group Power program has new music and routines every season, and we got the Summer '08 release tonight. It was tough. Good, though. I feel like I'm getting a great workout when the routines change up so often. I hadn't done weights since last Wednesday and it was amazing what an extra day off did to me. I did not feel as strong as I normally do. I could feel it as we warmed up, that I needed to not go too heavy with the weights. I know my limitations and don't push it when I'm feeling weak.

I feel like the summer is flying by. School starts in 2 weeks and 2 days. We go to see Dave Matthews in Indy this Friday (it was April when Mark bought me tickets, and it seemed like it would be forever until the concert arrived). Mark's birthday is next Thursday, and the day after is August 1st. Should we just get out the Christmas decorations now?

I wonder how older people handle it, looking back on 80 years and scratching their heads, trying to figure out how the hell they lived through 365 days, 80 times, and yet having no idea how the years came and went so quickly.

I realized today that I am practically middle aged. I mean, if I live to be 77, I'm middle aged now--there's no "practically" about it. I'd like to think I've got at least 80 years in me so I'm reserving the right to wait to call myself middle aged until I turn 40. But, as I've whined about before, that's not far off. I'm lucky that we waited so late to have kids, because I think the young 'uns are keeping me young. And I'm so fortunate to have gotten to be the healthiest I've ever been in my life, at this late in the game. Truly, I think I will run a marathon the year I turn 40, just to prove that I freaking can.

But this time flying by thing still leaves me shocked. My daughter is starting first grade in a couple weeks; she can swim free style, back stroke, and has the beginnings of the butterfly. My son is talking in complex, full conversations and is a climbing fool (he also loves Nascar, although he must have gotten that from my long-ago-passed-away grandfather, because none of us is into cars). My husband will be 46 this year. We'll have lived in our house for 10 years come January.

Like sands through the hour glass..... Ah, if only I could get me some waves to go with that sand, and set up on the beach with a margarita. Now that's the way to slow time the heck down.

152.2 - Ramble ramble ramble

It's the end of a pretty crazy day and I have little to write about that's significant, so I'll just chit chat a while, umkay?

So yesterday I took Sophie to swim class at 5:30 and it was 97 degrees outside. I'd had a crap of a day, and the last thing I felt like doing was working out. I deposited Luke in Kids Club, helped Sophie get ready and out to the pool, and sat my behind down in the gym's lounge area. I was there maybe five minutes, just watching people play tennis, when a friend came up and said she had to get off the treadmill after 10 minutes because the fitness area was too hot and humid. It's one of the few times I've felt like I made the right decision when skipping a workout.

Then today was another crap of a day, but the temps came down significantly thanks to a little storm last night so I didn't have the heat to blame for missing a date with Tready. And I didn't. I went. It was a quickie but I only needed to get in 3 miles to stay on track with my first week of half marathon training (yesterday is gonna have to be my rest day now). DH called my cell just after I'd done 1 mile, and he and I talked about 7 minutes while I walked a half a mile. I lost some precious time--I had just enough to run 3 miles before picking up kids, then was pushing it after my call with the hubs--and I figured I'd just run 2.5ish and that would be that. But I got to 2.69 miles at 5:05 p.m. (I have to leave the gym no later than 5:10 or I'm late for Luke) and said, screw it. I'm running .31 miles at 9.0 mph and getting in my 3 miles. And that's what I did. It was hard, but totally worth the mental boost of finishing what I started.

Food's been OK the past two days. Not perfect, but decent and within reason. I've gotten back to bringing my lunch to work, which makes a big difference in my weight and in my entire day, basically. I am all about making and freezing meals, and even do that for the kids' dinner. Cook the meat, freeze the meat, the meat is there forever (well, almost). Supplement with veggies and fruit. Viola! Healthy, satisfying, weight-loss-i-fy-ing.

And, I totally lucked out tonight at Target. They had Green & Black's chocolate on sale--2 for $5. I have been known to pay $4 for one bar at the grocery store when truly desperate, so this is a major bonus. You all do know about Green & Black's, right? I heard about it from Diet Girl, and she's pretty much pimped that product out to the entire world, haha. I don't think they've given her any free product, though, which is a real shame. Anyway, it is the best chocolate I have ever tasted, and 6 squares every other day or so gets me my chocolate fix. It's expensive, but I make it last and last and last, and I don't feel the least bit guilty about it. I get the milk chocolate because dark chocolate gives me a migraine (I know, so very unfair), and it's fab.

Now, of course, I want some chocolate. But it's time for bed so I think I'll just have a mug of warm milk and call it a night.

154.4 - Monday Monday

We had a really lovely weekend--a nice time in French Lick and lots of fun at yesterday's pool party with the kids--and obviously I ate my way through it.

I feel all squishy and bloated. My only saving grace is that I'm pretty sure I can get the weight back off fairly quickly, if I stick to eating right and working out.

Aye, there's the rub.

I've got a really bad "case of the Mondays."

I am behind at work because of the time off, my house is a disaster, and it was 90 degrees at 9 a.m. this morning (we're under a heat advisory and ozone warning--the air isn't fit to breathe).

All of this is conspiring against my desire to go back to healthy. So I'm whining about it a while, drinking some coffee, doing some work, and I know it'll kick back into gear again.

My gym bag's packed for a run this afternoon. Today starts my half marathon training--and can I just say (in the voice of Ben Stein), woo hoo.

150.0 - Two days off....kinda, maybe

So DH and I are going to a little town about 2 hours from here called French Lick (isn't that the best name ever?). One of our vendors sponsors a seminar there and pays for a night at the newly renovated hotel. We went last year, and it was really nice.

The plans are these: pick up kids around 2:00ish, get back to office, pick up DH (we'll leave a car at the office over night), drop off kids at my step-dad's mom's house at 3:30, my mom picks up kids at 4:30 after she gets home from work. We drive to French Lick in (hopefully) less than 2 hours, lose an hour because they are on Eastern time, check into hotel with 30 minutes to spare before dinner starts, change and freshen up, eat dinner with a group of mostly strangers, then we have the night to ourselves and have to get up early Friday morning for the seminar.

Then we're free at Friday around 2 p.m. We plan to go visit the West Baden Springs hotel in the afternoon. It's an historical landmark, a happening place back in the 1920s that was completely redone a few years ago. It has one of the largest open air domes in the country (I'm too lazy right now to google the details). Anyway, it's supposed to be spectacular.

We'll drive home Friday night and maybe have dinner and maybe see a movie. Then Saturday I'll go workout in the morning, pick up the dog from our cousin's house, pick up the kiddos, and then we'll have family time together. Sunday is church and yet another pool party/cook out for the rest of my husband's family's July birthdays (his included).

All of this, however, hinges on the health of my kids. I am concerned because (a) Sophie fell asleep at 8:30 last night not feeling great and had 99.5* temp this morning and (b) Luke has what appears to be the start of pink eye.

OOHHHMMMMYYYYGGOOOSSSHHHH!!!!

If my kids get sick, I swear I'm going to absolutely lose it.

I had leftover pink eye meds for Luke, which I started this morning and will send with him for my mom to put in all weekend. I gave Sophie ibuprofen before day camp and am keeping my fingers crossed she's okay.

But seriously, I fully expect to get a call while we're gone that they are sick.

And that just bites.

They aren't sick enough for me to cancel (yet--we still have 5 hours before we leave). But my mommy instincts are telling me things aren't quite right. At least they will be with my mom, because it's not like I can magic myself home if they get sick. I'll be two hours away.

The bright spot in all this is.... my weight is going down again. I have worked out the past couple of days and am logging my food and not eating at night. So I've gotten all the water weight off and IF I can keep myself contained this weekend, perhaps I can stay at 150 and gear up for more weight loss next week.

Maybe all that will happen. If only everyone stays healthy.

I'll likely be gone from the blog world until I'm home and have some free time this weekend. So you all behave while I'm away.
***
Noteworthy: I was scanning my past posts for something on last year's visit to French Lick, and instead found this. It's the post from July 17, 2007--one year ago today. On that day I threw a little internet party for being on plan 150 days. And I ran a 5k for the first time. And I wrote about how I ran outside for the first time. My word. I did a lot of things "for the first time" a mere 365 days ago. I take so many of those things for granted now--a 5k is a warm up now and I start at 5.8 mph instead of ending up there. I'm not bragging, just in awe that I have kept this lifestyle up, and that I am continuing to improve. And, this is the strangest feeling of all, the life of nonactivity and being grossly overweight seems lightyears behind me. That's where they are going to stay.

152.6 - Dream a little dream

So I dreamt last night that I went to a Weight Watchers meeting. There's a WW's meeting place in our barely-alive mall (we have a big one with lots of shops, but there's a dinosaur of a mall that refuses to die and that's where the WW meetings are), and in my dream I go into the mall and think, "hey, I should go to a meeting."

I wait in line, go to the counter, fill out the paperwork, explain that I am a WW online member and have about 15 more pounds to lose. I feel a little awkward and out of place, since I'm so close to goal.

And then, out of nowhere, Russell Crowe shows up and sweeps me off my feet. He dances with me right there in the WW's office. He tries to kiss me and I say "no, you can't!" Then my high school boyfriend shows up, all mad and upset that I'm with Russell Crowe (my husband is nowhere in this dream--weird, eh?).

Then I wake up. And I didn't even get to go to the meeting! Or kiss Russell Crowe.

How to interpret this dream?

Perhaps I need to start logging my food in WW online again. And stop falling asleep with the TV on.
***
No workout yesterday. Planning on running tonight, 3 miles. I've pretty much decided that I am going to do the Evansville half marathon in October. I need to have something on the calendar to motivate me, or I'm afraid my running is going to evaporate into thin air. I still love weight lifting classes and plan to continue the twice a week habit I've developed. And that fits in nicely with my Hal Higdon Training plan anyway, which calls for twice weekly strength training.

The 100 Push Up Challenge that everyone is doing is still in my sights, but I have yet to print off the schedule to get it going. I'm feeling pretty wimpy about it, actually. Which explains why I keep procrastinating.

And that reminds me of one of my favorite T-shirt sayings:
"Procrastinators Unite! Tomorrow."

152.8 - A fit woman

After Friday's post, I think it's time for some uplifting words around here. Which, actually, can be found in the comments to Friday's post. Because you guys are simply the absolute best. Thank you all for your encouragement & support.

So, the quote below was on the inside front cover of the Title Nine catalog which arrived Saturday in the mail. In addition to their cute clothes, I love that this company uses real women for their models. The women in the catalog have fit bodies, but they aren't perfect or rail thin like typical models. And this quote spoke to me so much (I got tears in my eyes when I read it), I wanted to share it with you all.

"A fit woman is fit for everything.

The fitness of our body fuels the confidence in our soul and the fire in our belly. We are fit to toss our children in the air or throw caution to the wind. We are fit to stand on the sidelines cheering and we are fit to lace up our cleats and be cheered on. We are fit for the board room because we know our way around a locker room. We are fit to run families and we are fit to run businesses.

We are fit to run.

We are fit to win.

We are fit for everything. "

--Missy Park, Founder of Title Nine

Amen, sister. Amen.

152.2 - The 11th Comandment (warning: this is a long and whiny one)

There should be an 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not compare thyself to others."

My niece-in-law Kate, who ran the Indy Mini Marathon this year and finished in 1:59, is one of the brightest stars on the planet Earth. Seriously, the woman needs her own solar system she shines so bright.

The first thing you notice about Kate are her beautiful blue eyes and soft, light auburn hair, which is long and she usually keeps pulled back in a relaxed pony tail. And then, her friendly smile and effervescence strike you like sunshine in June. She's got a great body--she's 5'5'' and weighs (yes, I asked) 125 pounds. She's always intrigued by who she's talking with first, before she ever puts forth her own concerns or interests.

And then there's her family life. Two brilliant and beautiful kids, a son age 10 and a daughter age 8. Her husband of 15 years is a new attorney (he and Kate used to both work for Oracle in California, but moved to Indy after they had kids, and when her husband was far from enchanted with his Indy tech employer, he went to law school and recently passed the Bar Exam), and although he is working a lot of hours, he loves his new law firm.

She's educated and intelligent, speaks German fluently, having studied there for a year during college (that's where she met her husband). She has a fabulous 2 story house (Sophie asked me, "Mommy, does cousin J. live in a mansion?), in a neighborhood that has its own pool.

Kate works outside the home at a very demanding job. Yet she doesn't have cable or satellite TV (never has!) to babysit her kids, cooks real meals for her family on a regular basis (her children eat their veggies at meals!), and anytime we've visited her house it's pretty much immaculately organized & clean.

Now, I know that she's not perfect. She struggles with all kinds of demons, I know she does. Her childhood was certainly far from perfect. She has family issues, with parents & grandparents, just like we all do. And if she read this she would be rolling her eyes and punching me in the arm and telling me "Laura! You are SO WONDERFUL!"

But, somehow, when I look at her and all the external stuff that is visible in her life, I can't help but compare my life to hers.

And last night after spending several hours at our cousin's pool with her and all of our kids--with the help of good ole' PMS--I came home and face dived into a Hershey bar, a bagel with FF cream cheese & apple butter, and whatever was left of the vanilla wafers (seriously? maybe 20 or 30 of them, ugh). Because I felt utterly inadequate next to this Goddess of beauty, success, and all things domestically perfect.

I realize, 100%, that I am being irrational.

I realize that her life is not perfect, and all I am comparing myself to is the outward signs of success, without taking into account her own personal turmoil which I know she has.

I realize that there are probably women who look at what I have--on the outside--and envy me.

I realize that I am being the Queen of Self Sabotage and am a complete dumb ass for letting my feelings get the better of me, yet again.

And I'm ashamed of all this. Ashamed for feeling that what I do for my kids and family isn't good enough. Ashamed that I don't feed my kids the right foods all the time. Ashamed that my house is a wreck 90% of the time. Ashamed that I frequently use the TV as a babysitter. Ashamed that we have substantial debt (not even going there, but it's an issue that weighs on my heart) and aren't saving for our kids' college funds.

I remember when I was a kid, feeling inadequate next to my friends. We lived in a trailer until I was 14; my girlfriends all lived in houses. My parents were blue collar and my mom worked full time; my girlfriends' moms stayed home. I was chubby most of my adolescence and in high school & college; the skinny girls got the cute guys and were popular.

I had a mess of a life from about age 12 until age 23 (that's a whole other post and a year's worth of therapy). I was/am a perfectionist--I got straight A's in high school, afterall--but I always, always felt like I wasn't living up to what I was supposed to be doing. I was yearbook editor, but didn't finish the yearbook before I left for college; I was on the English academic team, but didn't read Moby Dick like I was supposed to; I got a full ride 4 year college scholarship, but took 5 1/2 years to get my degree.

It just goes on and on and on.

And apparently it still does.

This compulsion I have to compare myself to others who are "better than" me is something I'm sure needs some massive psychological analysis. I've been to counseling, several times, but never have we gotten deep into anything like this. Which I'm sure explains why it's still an albatross around my neck.

More than anything, I don't want my dysfunction to wreck my kids' lives. Either their present lives or their future ones. There are a lot of things I do right--a lot of things I do exactly opposite of how my parents raised me--but I know there are things I'll fail at, am failing at.

And I don't want it to (continue to) wreck my own life.

I don't expect perfection (well, okay, yes I do, but I know that's whacked). I just want to give my kids the life I never had.

Hopefully, I've learned enough about myself to at least know I have these issues. And hopefully that means I'll at least do a half way decent job of raising my kids into more-highly-functioning-than-their-mom-is adults. Although I'm sure they'll grow up with complaints and lots of stories to tell Oprah, just like most kids do.

I don't have any answers of how to enforce this 11th Commandment. I just needed to get it out there today.

If you're still reading--and I'm sorry to be such a downer on a Friday--please don't feel like you have to pump me up and tell me how fantastic I am (or, conversely, please don't tell me that, yes, indeed, you're a POS mother for feeding your kids McD's and letting them watch more than 2 hours of TV a day, LOL). I'm just dumping this shit here, because it's the only place I have to dump it.

Now, someone pass me a margarita.

152.2 - Veggies for dinner

I have a new favorite dinner--skillet veggies.

Roni has done it again. I love grilled zucchini and squash, but I can't grill (leave that up to the hubs). So when I found this recipe I was utterly excited. Which is weird, isn't it? It doesn't take much to get me excited nowadays.

I've made this dish twice and have modified it some because, as I told Roni in the comments, I have a cutting & chopping threshold. I omitted onions, used jarred minced garlic, and a half a can of petite-cut diced tomatoes (with the juice). The second time I made it, I used 1/2 can of tomatoes and only zuch & squash (2 of each), because they are quick to slice and they are my favorite. I also increased the garlic & spices by about half because 4 squash are a lot of veggies in the skillet.

Last night I put a big serving in a 1 point tortilla and sprinkled the warm veggies with 1/8 cup of fancy shredded mozzarella. I wrapped it all up and ate it with a fork, because those high fiber tortillas fall apart when you get something warm and wet in them. Tonight I had them in a WW 1 point pita (b/c I was out of the tortillas--stupid grocery store was all sold out of them yesterday), again with a bit of cheese.

An absolutely delicious, low calorie (& low points--2), and healthy meal.


Got a great workout in tonight. 25 minute walk on the treadmill, at 4.0 mph at a 6 incline. Not as tough as a run but I wasn't wearing a running bra so I couldn't run. I like to wear my racer back Tee when I take my weights class (which was after my walk) and the only bras that I've found that look OK under them are the Champion racer back bras, which have zero support for the Girls. But I get to watch my muscles flex when I'm pumping iron, so it's totally worth it.

152.6 - Back to Normal

"Pie pie, me oh my, I love pie" is from the movie Michael. Andie MacDowell's character sings a song about pie:
Pie
Pie
Me oh my
Nothing tastes sweet, wet, salty and dry
all at once o well it’s pie
Apple!
Pumpkin!
Minced
an’ wet bottom.
Come to your place everyday if you’ve got em’
Pie
Me o my
I love pie

And apparently Bob Dylan has a song called Country Pie which has the refrain "Oh me, oh my, Love that country pie."

Amazing what you can find through Google.

So, anywho, the past four days have been a blur of fun, relaxation, and food. I ate and ate and ate, and whoa nellie, I've gotten my fill of carbs to last me at least until Thanksgiving. Or when that new pie restaurant opens, whichever comes first. Ha.

I didn't wanna step on the scale this morning. I wanted to live in ignorance and wait for the bloating to go down. But I hadn't weighed for a couple of days and needed to know how much damage I had done. It wasn't as bad as I figured it would be, which was a relief. Doesn't mean I'm off the hook and am going to let myself continue to lapse. Just means it's not going to be as tough to get the scale back down under 150.

We took yesterday off so we could enjoy a 4 day weekend, and we just hung out with the kids and went to the pool in the late afternoon. Today it's back to real life and "normal" food and a good workout tonight.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Hope y'all have a good day.

150.8 - Pie pie, me oh my, I love pie

Bonus points to anyone who can guess where today's title is from....

So I was pleased to see a measly 1 pound uptick in my weight today, considering I had half a burger, a spoonful of corn casserole, and cake last night. The cake was a mocha spice made from scratch, by DH's cousin who is a fabulous cook. It's one of the best cakes evah.

Today after my weights class, I met up with the family at Bob Evans. It was more fun food for me, but it is fine, really. I'm having a lovely weekend and not sweating the food stuff.

DH told me while we were at brunch that there is a new restaurant coming to our side of town. It's called Grand Traverse Pie Company. (And, strangely enough, I watched the movie Waitress last night--actually, I watched the first hour and 30 minutes, I still have 20 minutes left to watch so don't spoil it for me--which is about a waitress who makes extraordinary pies.)

I've never heard of this restaurant, so when we got home I looked it up online. They're based in Michigan, have only been around since 1996, and only in the past year or so have been franchising. There are 14 locations and Evansville will be the furthest southern location. Their menu looks mighty tempting. I love chicken salad sandwiches, and their gourmet version has dried cherries. Holy cow, cherries in chicken salad. Does it get any better? Why, yes it does! You can have your own 6" mini pie for dessert.

This place may be the death of me.

Not really, but it's nice to think I could die by pie.

In honor of Vickie

I had pizza and cookies last night--not on plan, but I logged it all--and feel really bloated so I chose not to weigh today. I'm officially 5 points over my weekly allowance points (Monday was a high-point day, too) with 2 days left to go in my week. Oh well, it happens. All I can do is do my best today and tomorrow.

Vickie wrote a wonderful post today, and if you are doing your normal blog reading even on the holiday, you should pop over and give it a look. I'm posting today because of her. =)

My brother in law from Kentucky is spending the weekend with us, and thankfully he is really low maintenance so I didn't get all stressed out about the house like I would with any other house guest. I can't function in "house guest mode" right now. I just need to be a sloth for a few days!

Except on the exercise front. No rest there. I did 40 minutes on the treadmill yesterday. I alternated .25 miles running fast (9:30s and 9s!) with .25 miles walking 4.0-4.3 at a 6.0 incline. The walks were as hard as the runs at that incline. It was a great workout.

Today I hope to make it to the gym before the afternoon cookouts. I need to burn some calories today. Tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. is my weights class, then I'll try to do 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Hopefully the rest of the weekend will be low key and relaxed. I am so ready for relaxed.

149.8 - Random Thursday that's really Friday

Ah, it feels good to see 149 again on the scale. Life looks so rosy through weight-loss tinted glasses. And when it's a 3 day weekend. Woohoo, July 4th!

I am a bundle of randomness today. Here's what's rolling around in my head:

*I got a box of new books from Amazon yesterday (I am not on a book-buying strike like Alicia, but I probably should be). Am I the last to the party for Petite Anglaise? The book cover says she has 100,000 visits per month to her blog. I guess, though, since I pretty much only read weight loss/running blogs, I would never have heard of a British expat living in Paris. But, the book is really good so far. Other books on tap include two by Kate Christensen (I just finished The Great Man, and liked it so much I want to read more of her stuff) and the sequel to Chocolat. It's funny, I've not seen the Johnny Dep movie, but loved the book.

*Have to make a covered dish for one of our two 4th of July cookouts tomorrow, and the only thing I want to make (it's easy, everyone likes it) is baked corn casserole. This is a comfort food from way back in my childhood. The good news is, I won't eat it raw (like I would if I were baking, say, cookies or brownies). The bad news is, I will want to eat half the pan after it's baked. I'm going to restrain, however, and just eat a not so healthy but respectable spoonful.

*Have to also make a salad for our other cookout. This will be easy--dark greens, sliced strawberries, pecans, a bit of blue cheese, and Newman's Light Raspberry Vinaigrette. It's my standby summer salad.

*If it rains tomorrow, our cookouts will be disappointingly cook-ins, as both are pool parties.

*It's the first time I've had pool parties in my plans where I'm not completely freaked out about whether or not I'll wear a swimsuit. My bod is starting to look really good, notwithstanding the cottage cheese thighs or saddlebags--those will likely never be gone--and my red & white striped Nike tankini top with it's matching red swim skirt is just too cute, if I do say so myself.

*I have finally caught up on my sleep. Sophie is 95% back to her old self. Hooray!

*Does anyone else feel like once July gets here, the year is practically over? It's like we're on a downhill slide towards Christmas after the 4th. Might as well pull out the sweaters & jeans, the summer just flies by so quickly. Sophie starts 1st grade in a mere 5 1/2 weeks.

*The latch on the detergent door in the dishwasher broke this morning. So now I have to figure out how to get a replacement part (thank God for the internet... how did people figure this stuff out before google?) and how to get it replaced. Thankfully I have several handy family members (and the name of an appliance repair guy, if worse comes to worse) who can help, because DH can't fix anything and I don't have the time or energy to figure it out (I could though--I replaced our dryer belt when it broke a few years ago).

*Half marathon training starts on July 21st if I want to run Evansville's half in October. I have no idea if I'm up for this or not. I really like getting to run when I want to (or not), training with weights, and not feeling bad when I can't meet my mileage goals. It's too hot to run outside right now and will be for the next 3 months, so if I do train I'm going to have to change my lifestyle and start running in pre-heat-of-the-day mornings. This, my friends, is not something I have much desire to do. So, we shall see.

*Do any of you have the Hungry Girl cookbook? I have seen more and more of her recipes, and am wondering if it's a good cookbook? I'm a big fan of Roni's recipes, so I need easy, quick, and tasty. Does HG fit that description? Anyone? Anyone?

*I can't help but get misty eyed when I think of what July 4th truly means. Did any of you see the mini series John Adams? I admit I only watched part of it--DH was enthralled & watched it all--but what I did see made me much more aware of the sacrifices made and risks taken by our Founding Fathers, and also by, in no small part, their families. Regardless of the problems our country has, it's still the only place in the world I want to live. And I thank God I am a citizen of the USofA.

Fly your flags & enjoy your Independence Day, fellow Americans!

151.0 - Short & Sweet

End of a busy but good day.

Another solid night's sleep.

Sophie much better, her normal chatterbox self today.

Food on track. No workout but I needed the rest anyway.

My mom keeping the kids tomorrow. I get to leave the house with no extra "baggage" (you would not believe how much stuff it takes to keep a 7 year old busy in an office for 3 days).

Thursday is Friday.

Friday is Independence Day. We'll likely get rain, but we'll still be surrounded by family & friends.

Life is looking up.

151.2 - Progress

Thanks so much for all your support. I did get a decent night's sleep--Sophie didn't wake up once (!), and Luke only woke up at 3:30 a.m. for a passy relocation and insertion. And I worked out 30 minutes on the treadmill (1.5 miles running @ 10 min/mile and 1 mile walking fast), and ate 22 points for the day. A successful day, at last.

I wanted to share my latest progress pictures. I took these Saturday in my Sporty Spice top. I absolutely love the clothes from titlenine.com. The skirt is lined with boy shorts, so it cuts down on the thigh chub rub. It's a size 8 and the shirt, which I had already bragged about to y'all, is a Medium.

It's hard to see, I think, but my shoulders and arms and back are really getting some nice definition from the weight lifting classes. I've done 8 classes in 4 weeks (and that's not counting the 5-6 weeks of 1 class each week building up to the Great T-Shirt Goal of 2008), and it's surprising as heck how much progress I've made in my muscles in that time frame. Weight lifting ROCKS.