Long, strange trip. Long post. Year in review.

Whoa. I've been at this for a year, y'all!  Don't want to read all 50-something posts to catch up? Well here's the review for you:

On October 7, 2012 I had had enough.  I was about to turn 35. No chair was comfortable. I couldn't sit like a lady. (And you all know I am a proper lady)  My monster calves had eaten my ankles.  I couldn't walk up the stairs or through the parking lot at work without huffing and puffing.  The last time I had been on a roller coaster, the Rams were in the Super Bowl and Pau Gasol was drafted by Atlanta.  

I was on 4 different medications for different issues.  I was wearing a size 26 (sometimes 26/28).  I knew I wanted to change things but really had no idea how I was going to do that. -So I started typing.

As I began to write blog posts and receive tremendous report from those close to me and strangers alike, things started to fall in to place. I started to research, move, make different food choices, and try to establish even a hint of a good habit or two.  I set some reasonable "loose" goals so that I wouldn't set myself up for failure.  My husband supported me 180% (because he's wonderful!!) and I joined forces with two great friends to start Weight Watchers and have a support team in them that cannot be beat! Go Team JAG!

In January I was finally brave enough to join a gym - Anytime Fitness.  I could barely go for more than 2 minutes on the elliptical machine.  I did have the desire to do things and get stronger, but I realized I needed some help.  Enter Big A, the trainer. My coach. My gym security blanket. My homey for life. And, now, a wonderful friend both inside and outside of the gym; along with his family.  I started training last winter with Big A and have been challenged and sometimes frustrated.  I have, however, gotten stronger and I continue to do new things and get better at tasks I could barely do a year ago.  I keep wondering how this is working when nothing else has?  First, there was no intimidation, only encouragement.  Big A has been a crucial part of my support system. Why? Absolutely. No. Negativity.  -And she smacks me down why I try to let anything negative slip out.  Second, there has never been pressure about specific goals or specific weights (unless it came from me), but instead he helps me focus on challenging myself and simply getting better every day and remembering where I started.  -That simple.  He has to remind me of that often.  The man also has the 'patience of Job' to be able to deal with me and my bullshit multiple times per week. I will never be able to thank him enough. I share my silliness and my little victory moments with him all the time, but I don't know if he'll really ever know just how much I appreciate him for helping me save my life.  Big, big fist-bumps to you, Big A. 

Yes, it has put a financial strain on us to train, etc. but it is worth it many times over.  Thank God for my sweet husband and his support of all that I do.  

Outside the gym and training, I have learned to love running and want to get better at it. 

So a year is now behind me. I turn 36 in a few days.  My God, 36 seemed like an eternity away even just a few years ago!  So I'll spend a few days by the water to celebrate (thanks to the bestest friend ever!) and then I'll get back to work to begin a new year of challenges.  I will continue being coached by Big A. I will continue with WW and my Team JAG girls.  I'll learn to be a better runner, especially with my new running partner, Bear Cavanaugh. I'll continue to FEEL BETTER and get stronger.

So what else is there to say? Oh yeah - F I N A L L LY -  

I hit 50 pounds lost. When I wrote my first post I was sitting at 288 pounds on my home scale.  I stepped on that same scale on September 30th, and saw the cutest number ever: 237.5.  Exhale! That's huge. Huge! I've never, ever lost more than 5 or 10 pounds and it always came back and them some.  This is so, so promising.  It definitely doesn't mean that I'm finished. -But it means that I can do it and I can keep going.  I have (probably) about 70 more pounds to go before I can say I have reached my weight goal and can start working to maintain that.  There's another year or two of work to be done to get there I think.  I'm happy with slow and steady; though I still reserve the right to complain every now and then if I'm frustrated.  :) Oh, and the Redskins shirt - I'm not quite there yet but almost.  It goes over my boobs and my guts now! -Just too tight to wear to the Food Lion, though I'd fit right in on some days. I'll get there.  I'm happy with my size progress. I'm now in an 18. In fact, my friend just gave me a pair of size 18 jeans. Button fly. That's never gone on this body before, and I may never take them off.  I told her I was so excited because I didn't even have to lay down to try and button them! 

Side Story:   When we were in high school and even a little after, I was always so sad that I couldn't shop at American Eagle with all of my friends.  That store was the stuff in the 90's in Charlottesville.  If you didn't have a few outfits from there, at least, you could kick rocks.  I owned one, ONE, item from that store back then. It was a men's flannel shirt (I LOVED that thing) that I wore, unbuttoned of course, to death.  Guess where those button fly jeans are from, y'all? Now I may be to too old to shop there, but I don't care, I will anyway. I promise, though, not to go out and find a HyperColor body suit on Ebay to wear just because I may be able to.  


I'm also happy with my general health progress. I'm taking no meds, except for the unexpected few I had to get this past week.  Grrrr! -But I'm done with those and learning to de-stress. Hopefully that won't happen again. 

My cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and thyroid levels all came in at "Girl, who are you? Did someone else take this test for you?"-numbers a couple of weeks ago at my latest screening. 



I feel good right now. I'm so thankful for all of the support that all of you (who take the time to read my craziness) have given me.

Stay tuned for more updates; major, minor, odd, and unecessary. It's going to be a good year.

I'm not one to wait 'til the end of a project for thank-you's.  Thank you all (and I hope I forget no one) for the help, the kind words, the laughs, the Tweets, the challenges, the "just checking on you", the "I'm proud of you", and the thoughts/prayers you sent my way this past year. Many of you have/had more important things to worry about but you took time out for me and I appreciate it.

Puddles, my sweet husband          Alfred (Big A) and Julie
My Momma                                  Genevieve
My Momma-In-Law and Pops          Sloane
Missy                                           Michelle                                       
Jaime                                         The 2 Angies in my life - Angela & Angie
Corey                                          Erin
Ana                                             Gloria
Rosita                                          Lynette
Sharon                                         Jenna-Jean
Teresa                                         Butch
Amanda                                       Flip
Heidi                                           Justin
...plus anyone I can't think of right now with Sunday brain, and of course many of you who sent me private messages who would kick my butt if I mentioned you here. 

Progress...

...is a good thing!

Under The Table And Dreaming....of lots of stuff.

Oh hi! 

Making friends at Pike Place Fish
Market in Seattle,WA

Intrigued by the gum wall at first.

Ew! Too close to the gum wall!

I'm back from our little vacation (for a few days now) and I still keep looking at my pictures and videos.     If we could have had our dogs and cats come out there I would have stayed in the Pacific Northwest forever! Only having a few days, he had to cram a lot in a small amount of time and got little sleep but it was so worth it! Seattle is a great city and the Seahawks fan base is crazy dedicated, even in the pre-season! Even at 75% stadium capacity at a Thursday night pre-season game, their crowd was by far the loudest crew I've ever experienced at a sporting event. I can't even imagine being with the 12th Man for a playoff game on a cold January night. Oh man! I am a die hard Redskins fan, but do love Russell Wilson. I have followed him (through both sports) since early in college.  I LOVE FOOTBALL.

My try at a panoramic view of The Gorge Amphitheater - Quincy, WA

Now - Dave. Carter. Boyd. Stefan. Jeff. Tim. Rashaun.  

Me with perma-smile at what's in the background. 

That guitar usually means one thing - Gravedigger

Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge was simply awesome.  Jaw dropping, tears in my eyes awesome.  DMB has always had a special place in my heart, and seeing them at The Gorge as always been on my bucket list.  Those of you who aren't Dave fans (and I totally get it and don't judge if you aren't) may not share the same feelings about seeing his crew but you have to see a show there.  I don't care who it is.  It is an amazing venue. It's hard to describe.  My pictures don't do it justice.  When we crested the hill after the hike to get in the gates, I was just awe -struck.  To be able to listen to music in the middle of the mountains and by the water like that is just so cool for me.  We saw two nights of shows and I seriously could have sat there on the side of the mountain for a week straight.  I could seriously keep typing about it for days.  



WW.  With vacation and our busiest work week of the year intertwined, it had been almost two weeks since I weighed in at WW when I went this past Thursday.  Sometimes you can find satisfaction in nothing.  I maintained my weight - no gain/no loss! No movement.  That's a win for me!  I'm still itching for 50 though! Soon. Very soon. I'll update this weekend about what results I see this week.



Gym sadness.  Now the tough part about this week and the next couple, is that I am without Big A.  This will be a big test for me to try and make some progress with out him with me on training nights at the gym.  I told him he's my "fitness security blanket".  He's gone for good reason, though, fulfilling his U.S. military requirements, so I can't be mad.  Though I know he and his family will always remain a part of our lives it just makes me think about the day, a while down the road, when I won't have or "need" my Big A blanket three or four times a week.  It's a little scary.  I have many, many more pounds to go before we have to worry about that though.  Hurry back, Big A!

Our Saturday home from Sept.-Nov.:  Camp Wahoo

College football is back kids! If you follow college football, you probably saw that #2 Oregon railroaded some east coast team on Saturday.  Yeah, that was us.  Virginia lost on Saturday but I am not worried.  We have some very talented young men and some of that shined through.  It's tough to play a west coast team who happens to be about the best there is in college football right now.  It was such a good learning experience for our kids.  Wahoowa!  Loss aside, we had a great day with our friends tailgating and catching up (before work duties called, that is).  We have a great crew of people that we see each game day.  Many of them I hadn't seen in a year or even a little longer.  I wasn't even really thinking about my current self-improvement project Saturday morning but I was so encouraged when quite a few of my friends took me aside and said two sweet words to me:  "I noticed."   It was nice.   It seems as though more folks than I realize are keeping tabs on me.  Very cool.  There are 12+ weeks of football season and I'm hoping to make some more visible changes by the end. 

With my adorable husband on game day.

Beautiful Scott Stadium on a September
Saturday in Charlottesville, VA

Well, it's time to get ready for another week.  
Where do the weekends go? I'll leave you with one of my favorite moments from our DMB weekend.  This was the encore from night one- Ants Marching with a quick transition to Halloween (both 'old' favorites of mine!) It's not my video though, because I couldn't sit still or stop sining long enough to film that long with my phone, and this was the night we were sitting at the tippy top!

(Credit to YouTube user SoCalMusicLover for this!)

What's on tap for this week?  

-Getting back on track with properly timed meals (and not eating vacation food).

-Kicking my own ass in the gym.

-Doing another 5k with my girl Jaime - one where they throw color bombs at you! 

Strangers at Subway (Every sub has a silver lining)

Ruby Pearl Cavanaugh, my trusty blogging assistant
showing the world what she thinks of my work.

I wasn't planning to post this week because of my beef with my scale and my bit of laziness, lack of good sleep, and a broken fridge issue over the past week. But, alas, something nice came about and ruined a perfectly good pissy attitude so here I am; laid back blogging with the dog and the laptop.

Construction of a Wednesday crappy attitude:

Layer 1
GDD. Gym Deficit Disorder.  If you recall, I had a tiny increase on the scale last week and my trainer was on vacation.  While I did mostly keep up with cardio  on my own while Big A was away I barely hit the gym for over a week.  (We started back, thank God, this Monday)  I put in some good miles on the road but I could definitely tell a difference in my energy and attitude.  I'm sure my husband did too. -Love you, boo!

Layer 2
FF. Fridge Fail.  Our refrigerator died and we were without one for a a little over a week.  Do you know how hard it is to eat healthy foods, that you generally have to cook, without cold stuff?  Of course it was much easier to just eat out that take extra steps to eat all of the healthiest choices.  It got ugly. Italian restaurant ugly.  This lead to layer three even though I've been back on track for a few days with food.

Layer 3
WWF.  No, not Words With Friends-  Weight Watchers Fail.  I'm further away from 50 lbs lost than I was last week. That's no shocker given the events leading up to my weigh-in today.  What was a shock was my open-mouthed Napoleon Dynamite "GossssH" when I saw the number.  Really? How was I shocked? I knew what was going to happen! The good thing is it wasn't damage that isn't reversible and I'll have that number back where it needs to be by the next time I show my face in there.

There it is. -Three layers of piss and vinegar. A few other things also didn't go my way between the time I left work and the end of my 25 mile commute and made me want to drive right by Anytime Fitness and go straight to the end that road to the BBQ joint for buckets of mac-and-cheese.  But I didn't.  My evening plans had changed so I went in for Big A training and of course felt great after.

My attitude was starting to turn around when I went to our neighborhood Subway after my workout.  Usually about once a week we 'treat' ourselves to Subway.  I always go sweaty and in my soaked gym clothes.  I'm sure those people get tired of seeing me in lycra. Anyway.  There is one lady who is always there at the same time as me. I don't know her and she never speaks.  Tonight, she did.  As I ordered she said "Honey, I just don't know why you even get that sandwich when you're not goin' to put no cheese or mayne-aze on it! Wouldn't be worth it to me. Nuh uh! I love mayne-aze too much!" She was so cute!  I told her I was working on my health, etc. She said she had noticed me come in and out of there for while and she thought I was always coming from the gym or somewhere- and that she had noticed a difference in the way I looked and that I should keep up the good work and not go to Subway too much! How sweet was that!? I thought that was thoughtful and encouraging.  She cracked me up! It really did wash the stank right off of me!

So things are turning around.

What else?

• The yard sale was great and I re-homed a lot of clothes that don't no longer fit me.
• We're 23 days away from football kick-off and less than 20 days away from soccer season!
• Oh, and this:  

I love her!

Wish me luck this week!

Can You Stand The Rain?

I. Can. Not. Stop. Singing. That. Song.  (Sunnnnny days, everybody loves them. Cannnn youuu staaand the rainnnn?)  It's mostly because it was in a movie preview (Oohh Taye Diggs, I can't wait until Christmas time. We'll be reunited soon.)  I saw this weekend but it also  rolls right in to this week's blog post.

So last Wednesday we weighed in at WW - up 0.4 lbs. Really? 0.4? Grr. That's ok.  We'll get that straightened out this week I hope.  After that buzz kill I really was ready for our Downtown Mile run with Jaime and my friend Amanda. As the day went on, other hurdles (other than that blasted 0.4) kept popping up.  Stupid me let lunch time get away from me so I opted for a protein smoothie and a banana for lunch  before heading downtown after work.  Big mistake. Big. Huge!   Let's just say the natives got restless in my digestive tract.  It was game on with every bathroom I crossed (and I have a HUGE public bathroom phobia. Ugh. Ew.) for the next hour and a half.  As we trekked up to the park for our race start we hit another hurdle- a giant, close-by, lightning strike followed by a hellacious thunder storm! That lightning strike really did almost make me poop my pants!

Post race wet t-shirt girls- Amanda, Me, Jaime.
Note that my boobs kept the rest of my shirt dry.
Who needs an umbrella?

As the storm went on, the thunder and lightning calmed down. The rain did not.  -But the race must go on, so off we went for our best mile time try in the pouring rain.  I might add, here, that our friend Missy (bless her heart) was waiting on top of a roof bar in the weather so she could video us running by! She showed up with cute flat ironed hair and everything, and we repaid her with a thunder storm and a soaked cell phone.  Some friends we are, huh.

We ran in the rain. Jaime kept me going along, only stopping for a few little shuffles, and were able to finish in 13 minutes! Big deal for these girls and we weren't last! It was a blast and I'm proud of our time considering I was basically praying not to poop my pants for the second half of the mile.  I know. TMI, but you'll all get over it.   After the race in our soaking wet running clothes we had a great dinner with dear friends, old and new and it was just an awesome night! {I recommend The Whiskey Jar if you're in downtown Charlottesville!} I really appreciate the support these girls give me and my other friends on the new lifestyle train with me.

Leroy Jenkins too proud of
his self after blocking my run.

I haven't had Big A training hour at the gym since last Tuesday. He's on a much needed family vacation until later this week and I've been trying to keep up the good work in his absence.  We'll see what happens we he gets his paws on me this Friday.  I've been doing mostly cardio - walking, running intervals, inclines on the treadmill, etc. and keeping up with our 100 squat challenge.  It's my off-day for that today but I'll be on 85 tomorrow! I'm almost there.  I'm not sure what we do after 100. I guess we'll see.  I had a great day out today -  2.92 miles in 47 minutes doing 30-60 intervals; running as fast a possible for 30 seconds and then walking for 60 seconds.  It was such a perfect evening for it with the lack of overkill Virginia humidity.  It was much better than my outing yesterday, which ended after about 1 mile and 1/2 with my dog lying down in protest in the middle of the street until I picked him up.  He's such a mess and he was too proud of himself.

What's on tap for the next week?  

• Back to beast mode training.
• More running outside. 
• More deep breaths as our busy season at work gets going. All of our student-athletes are coming back to school and we're gearing up for fall sports; starting with our football team which reports for training camp this weekend.  Fall fun is fast approaching!
• Hopefully I'll be a loser rather than a 0.4 gainer.
• A yard sale at my momma's house - because I can actually get rid of some clothes that are too big, rather than too small!
• I'm going to listen to this over and over: 

Back to the blog: The case of the bad time manager

Oh. My. Stars.

It's been too long since I've posted! I've meant well all along, taking notes and making notes but man life has smacked me in the face hard-core.  By the time I'm home from work and/or the gym and I finish school work, I'm toast.  Dry, crusty, tired toast.  I'm going to pencil in more time to blog - because it helps me stay accountable and some you actually enjoy reading it, though I don't know why!

Me and Jaime at our latest 5k in June.

First, it's my 9 month mark of starting this crazy business, and my 6 month gym anniversary.  I didn't think I'd ever be typing that. That said, doing this and walking through those gym doors are the best decisions I've ever made, next to marrying my sweet husband.  I had another little victory in June with completing another 5k.  It was tough because it was very hilly and it was 200 degrees out that day.  Thank God for Jaime who made me shuffle my feet.

So let's start with the latest "breakthrough" moment. Jason and I went to a beautiful wedding yesterday and had an absolute ball!  What's the big deal?  I've been to very, very few weddings since my own.  A year or two ago I would have tried like hell to find something else to do (sending a gift, of course), or prayed for diarrhea so we wouldn't have to go.  Why? Shopping for dress clothes is horrible and should be outlawed! It got really old trying to find dresses in size 26, etc. as most them fell in to two categories:   moo-moo and great-grandmother-of -the-bride.  Who wants to wear those? And also, God forbid someone might snap a photo. Ew.

So lately I feel better, and am wearing a size 20 and even a smaller shoe size oddly enough.  I was able to find a cute dress and heels (yes, Lord, heels!) and I didn't feel like a big weirdo.  We had a great time with friends, and happily got over this little past hurdle.  Any night that ends with you walking with your shoes in your hands was a good one.

Me and the Mr. at the wedding 7/5.

I hope I'll be breaking the size barrier soon, and getting down to the 'teens.  I've got to step up a little bit to get back on the pace at which I was a few weeks ago.  Vacation was great - I managed to eat fairly well, exercise, and when I came back I had lost a few pounds.  Woohoo! That was mid-June.  I've had both up and down weeks since then but I'm still moving in the right direction.  I am starting to flirt with a big number - 50 pounds. (Did I say that out loud?)  I may actually be there by the end of the summer. I have about 12-ish pounds to go.  My team JAG girls are doing well too, and as a team we've lost almost 100 pounds between the three of us.

Training is still great. My trainer is still great because I'm a pain in the ass and he puts up with me. I'm being challenged a bit more and I'm hanging in there.  I love it. I may be a little addicted. And I know I'll keep getting better.  Where I need work, again, is with food.  I haven't been following my food plans as closely lately and it directly affects the scale.  Working on that....starting....now.

New Year's Resolution...

Happy New Year, everyone!  Simply put, my resolution is to stop being a 'before' and to make myself an 'after'.  I took a photo of myself today. Let's hope the one I take on 12/31/13 looks different!