Shred Eve

Do you hear it? The ominous music? Like...the kind that accompanies the giant, fearsome shark sliding through the water towards its human prey...da dum....da dum....da dum. 

It's the SHRED! And it's coming for meeeee! Oh, and these chicks, too:

1) Amber (rockstar has started her shred already!)

2) Jessie

3) Coley

4) Lara (when her leg gets better!)

I am not sure if Tiffany is in or not, can't remember! If I've missed you, let me know! 

Tomorrow, I will post my pre-shred weights and measures. I will post a second set on the 15th and the last on the 31st. We'll see what changes may come! I'm excited/scared. 

A kind of odd NSV today. I nearly lost my ring TWICE today! They have been getting really loose, but I have been putting off getting them re-sized in case the fingers shrink some more. Can't put it off no more. I'd cry if I lost one of them! Two are my wedding and engagement rings, and the other is a ruby ring I bought in memory of my dad's passing. So the rings are now in a box, waiting to go to the jewelry store. My hands feel so naked. 

I also wanted to give a shout out to a new friend in weight-loss, Cory. He's not a blogger, but man, has he kicked some serious ass! This dude has lost about 40 lbs since July. He runs, like, 7 miles a day and lifts weights like a mo fo. He was very kind and gave me a lot of advice on how to kick my weight-loss into a higher gear. He's read a ton of books on the subject and is ex-military (and those guys know how to stay fit!). So thanks Cory, for being so helpful, and congrats on kicking butt and making that scale your bitch! Very inspiring! I wish I could go to the gym with you so you could show me the ways of the machines. :)

I guess I should mention that I was DOWN ONE POUND today! Could this plateau be over!??! I hope to fucking god it is! Enough already! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, that I have gone from basically being able to do zero (girly) push-ups to doing 10 without shaking. Whoooo! Dare I say that, one day, I'll be able to do REAL PUSH UPS?!??! Holy Hannah, what a concept! 

I decided not to work out today since I will be blasting my bod for 30 days straight. Rest while you can, muscles, 'cause you be cryin' tomorrow! 

Wish me luck on Day One of the SHRED! 

Shred Eve Eve...and a NSV

Helloooo! Helloooooooo? Anyone out there still reading me? I know it's been a while, but I haven't forgotten you. 

Since Wednesday, let's see...I worked out three of the five days, I finished my report cards and have NO NEW GRAY HAIRS! I mean...er...no gray hairs. :P

I can't believe it, but Tuesday is Day One of the Shredathon! Seems like it just snuck up on me here. Amber is all ready to start off tomorrow...girl's wasting no time! I hope all the bloggers who have expressed interest in shredding with us are ready to go. I am going to stay with level one for at least the first week, I think. It's less challenging now, but I am DREADING level 2. Gonna be SO HARD! 

OH! I went shopping yesterday and bought me a new pair of jeans at the good ol Gap. What size, you ask? Well, that would be a TEN...thank you very much for asking! Yeahhhh! I can't believe such a size is on my body right now. The ten fits SO much better than my 12s, but after wearing them for a bit, I am thinking I should have tried the 8's! Not that I think that is my true size in this or any other universe, but they do stretch, and I don't really want to buy a new pair in a month! Guess we'll see how long the 10s last. 

I also got to some thinking today. I know, such practice just leads to trouble, and I should avoid it, but I did decide something. My goal right now is 170, and I plan on getting there (hopefully sooner with the daily Shred). BUT once I am there, I think I'd like to take it down 10 more. I mean, totally subject to change since I am still basically 10 lbs from my goal right now. Who knows how I will feel when I get there? I just think with these new DVDs at my disposal (gonna go buy the Boot Camp one soon), and the shred on the horizon, I can do more. The big thing is that perhaps in a year or so, I may end up pregnant, and I'd feel A LOT better about that whole baby weight thing knowing I had a bit more of a buffer. Plus, being lighter, stronger and hopefully even healthier, will help me a lot with all the stress that would be on my body. Right? Right. Of course, I would try VERY hard to stay active and eat very healthy and NOT use it as an excuse to eat everything in sight. So there you go, possibly a new weight loss goal for me! 

Hope everyone is doing well, and you will stay tuned to see how I do with doing the Shred every day for THIRTY days! Ahhhh! 

Bye for now! Tomorrow....weigh in. 

Lemon what now??

Ok, so I've done my workings out- shredded my ass once again. It's been a few days since I did it, and I did FIVE lame-ass girly push ups before the shaky-shakes hit me. Niiice. I've also discovered that my work-out shorts are big enough to fall down whilst doing jumping jacks and the like. Entirely too much butt crack in that workout, I'd say! 

Today my lovely friend Lara tempted me with these ammmazingly delicious lemon bars, and yes, I had one and A HALF at least. Not the worst thing, since I had soup and sammich for dinner tonight, but damn that girl can bake! She's all depressed now though because she was getting into her bootcamp DVD and then had to stop 'cause a scrape she had got all infected and she had to stay off it. Bummer! The DVD is in the Biggest Loser family, like the 30 day Shred. Like the Shred, it has three levels of difficulty. The cool thing about it though is that you can customize your workout by choosing your warmup, level and cool down. Once you get adjusted to level one, you can ADD level 2 to your routine. So your workout can be an hour long, or just 20 or 30 minutes. Neat! Ok, I'm easily impressed. :P I think I may buy this one too. 

Stupid scale is still spewing back that same, tired number. I know it will change eventually, but eventually seems very, very far away sometimes. I should just go look for those size 10 jeans...if I can fit 'em I will know things are changing! 

Don't worry, not giving up at all. Uh uh. No way. 

Later y'all.

Monday....same old...sorta

So since it's Monday I thought I'd better update you on the continuing exciting adventures of scale standng-on and scale reading, and scale cursing out. That's right, that's a big, fat NO CHANGE to add to the pile already heaped on the floor. 

But, all is not the doom and gloom, my friends. I did some measuring and am down about 1/2 inch in waist, hips and ribcage. Yeahhhhh. So that's gotta be the shred at work. I may not be losing lbs, but things are a'changin'. Matter of fact, now here's some crazy shiznit for ya, I was able to pull down my size 12 jeans without actually undoing them. Lol, may be a sign to get a smaller pair. But that would mean....*gasp*....a SIZE 10!! Omg...I may faint just from typing it. I guess next time I slide by the Old Navy, or even the Gap, I may just have to try it. My feeling is they will need some sort of crisco-like lubricant to get them on. Just sayin'

Speaking of changes, I noticed today that my triceps are bigger! Must be from all those sad-ass push-ups I've been trying to do during the shred. They ARE getting easier though. I can do about three now before my arms start to shake like a chihuahua in a snowstorm. Nice, eh? Really quite proud. 

I did my bike workout today, so will shred my ass again tomorrow. That December challenge is comin for me! No rest, and no stopping for 30 days babeeee! 

I hope I can lose some of these last lbs doing it. I like the changes, but I'd like even more to see them reflected on that blasted scale! 

Happy trails, cowpokes...catch you later! 

Good times!

Hey party people! So I went out and had some fun on Saturday, as I said I would. :) Had my friend Leanne with me to enjoy some heavy metal music. My friend's band, My New Enemy was awesome as usual, and even had their very first encore! Woo hoo! They are so entertaining...and this is coming from a non-heavy-metal-loving gal! Leanne brought over some pina colada mix and we drank all tropical-like. Yummy. :) I had a couple at home and two at the bar. Nooo idea how many calories that was! Don't really care, to tell the truth. The weather was not ideal for the brief walk from the skytrain to the bar. Google maps said 10 minutes...might as well been an hour with driving rain and wind! Yikes! My lil' drugstore umbrella had no chance and turned inside out every other minute not to mention Leanne was freezing in her weather-proof, yet unlined, jacket. So, this shit had to stop. We decided to just call a cab...very smart move. We got to the bar a little damp and windblown, but not soaked and freezing as we would have been if we walked. As promised, I took some pics. Not many of me and Leanne, but mostly of da boyz. Really glad I made it to this show!

Here we are ready to rock! Or a close approximation thereof!

Ross upping the creepy ante with a disturbing new mask. *shiver*

Mmm...yummy fake blood.

Almost the whole band...drummer is hiding. 

Migz is just a giver...or nearly so. Beer gooood. 

I worked out yesterday, but not today. Blah. I wasn't hung over or anything this morning, but a bit dehydrated and run-down feeling. Then I ended up going for a late lunch and movie for my friend Karen's b-day. I didn't eat a LOT of food, but I felt like I indulged a bit. I only had slice whole wheat toast with a bit of peanut butter for breakfast, then an individual-sized pizza for lunch. Oh, and about three bites of brownie and a few more of just ice cream. Karen's free b-day dessert. You know brownies are like crack to me! At the movie,  I had about three handfuls of unbuttered popcorn, then a small serving of turkey chili and a bun for dinner. I do feel bad about not working out after eating a bit more than usual and drinking last night. The scale showed me down a lb. this morn, but that was probably dehydration! We'll see what tomorrow brings. 

B-day girl, Karen et moi.

The movie was better than I thought! We saw The Blind Side. The previews made it seem really sappy. I guess it kinda was...everyone seemed a little too good to be true. But, it was based on a true story. It was funny at times, and just sad at others, and moving for the most part. I really enjoyed it, and I never expected to at all. It reminded me a bit of Remember the Titans. Same feel to it, I guess. Plus there's the football connection. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend! 

Is it Saturday yet?!?!

Sorry to be MIA for a couple days. I am a baaad blogger. I've just been lazy and uninspired. My weight loss has stalled once again...no changes. As one kind person pointed out, at least I am maintaining. True dat. I took a day of rest on Tuesday, the bike Wednesday, and the shred today. 

Yesterday was an "I feel fat day." I don't have any idea why I have these days! I just look in the mirror and think, yuck...fat. Or a less kind, holy heifer bat-man!  Then today, poof gone! I am thinkin' I look pretty darn good! Wha? Ok, crazy lady. Get back on yer meds. I wish I knew what made me change my thinking in a DAY. The only guess I have is my clothing. Sometimes clothes make me look slim, sometimes not so much. 

That aside, I am SOOO excited to be going out on Saturday! I am going to my friend Ross's metal show. Last time I saw them play was August! You can refresh your memory here, if you like. I am getting dolled up (think smokey eyes, straight hair and a slightly sexy black shirt) and doing a weeee bit of drinking with my friend Leanne. I know, calories! I will try to mitigate with less food that day, as I did last time. I don't want to quite go to the excess I did that night though. Wayyy too much booze and a nice hangover for my troubles. Interesting to note I was 191 at that time...so 11 lbs down from there. Yeahh! Oh, and you KNOW there will be pictures...this is me we're talking about. 

Well, that's all for now. Guess you are caught up!

Abiding and fixed regularity and further riveting tales of sameness

My weigh in this morning was boringly predictable. Care to hazard a guess? Could it be....NO CHANGE? Yes, that would be it. I blame the fact that my body seems to like to stay the same weight for a while, AND the stupid Nanaimo bars that have NOT LEFT MY HOUSE! 

Of course, being the foolish, prideful woman that I am, I decided I HAD to make them properly. It was just so wrong that they didn't turn out! I had the base from the overflow of my first batch, so I just had to do the icing and melt some chocolate. Second time was a charm! Worked great...delicious confections. Problem: adding a second pan of evil to my household. That night I ate THREE little pieces. I tried to convince myself that it was the same as eating one large piece, like you'd get at the bakery. Then, for the past few days, I've had a piece after dinner. DAMMIT. I don't want them in my house!! I have decided they are off the menu. No more. NO MORE. Damn their deliciousness. 

I have been working out though. Sat, Sun and tonight alternating the shred with bike. I am happy to report one of my "viral shredding" victims did their first workout, and LOVED it. Hurting now, but she's ready for more, and to get better at it down the road. Very cool! I also bullied my ex from high school into getting back on his bowflex. Lol, watch out...I am now an exercise pusher. I also got my friend Lara doing another bootcamp DVD from the Biggest Loser trainers as well. She is feeling the pain pretty well too. Why does that make me sooo happy? Guess I'm just sweet that way. I like to share the suffering. :)

So I am frustrated to be the same weight for two weeks in a row, but I know eating friggin' squares of fat and sugar surely didn't help. Dumbass. 

Going to keep on it...it's all I can do. 

Shredder nation....growing (and soon SHRINKING)!

I am so excited...I just can't hide it...I'm about to lo-- Ok enough of that! Suffice it to say, I am TOTALLY stoked that Coley is now the proud owner of Jillian's 30 Day Shred DVD (or 30 Day Ode to Pain, as I like to call it)!!!!! Way to go Coley! I think also my BFF Lara will be joining us on our epic journey into the heart of sweatiness. 

Woo hoo! I hope there will be others up to this challenge. Let's do it people! 

That being said, I didn't actually shred today...orrr ride the bike. It's ok though, no panicking, I am merely taking my day of rest. I do so once or twice a week, depending on how things are going. Tomorrow, I shred...and I will feel stronger doing it (I've decided). I am still the worlds worst at push-ups...even the lame girly kind. I really, really would LOVE to be able to rock a solid, proper push-up. Maybe at the end of those 30 days! 

Oh, as an update on the Nanaimo bars. They didn't make it to the potluck, as I figured they wouldn't in the sad state I left them in last night. Actually, I think Curly, Larry and Moe would have had less fuck-ups on that one. Only with slightly more attempted eye-poking. But rest your worry, those bars went to a good home (or at least they are on their way) in my husband's stomach. Way to go hon. :)

Just watched UP! and it was sooo cute. :) Love the dog. The shorts were hilarious, as usual, especially "Partly Cloudy". The movie wasn't quite as funny I I'd expected. But, still very sweet and amusing. :)

Have a fab weekend all! 

Crud

Hey all. Don't worry about the title, I didn't mess up with my eating or anything.  I am just sad right now. I just spent an hour and a half trying to make Nanaimo bars for the first time (layered chocolate/custard icing square-type dessert). I dirtied up every frigging bowl I own, dusted every available surface with icing sugar (including the boobages),  and then I totally fucked it up. I wrote the recipe down wrong and the chocolate layer for the top is FUBAR. I was supposed to bring this dessert to a potluck the club I sponsor is having. Tomorrow.  Now I have to figure out some other shit to bring, and ask my darling of a husband to pick it up for me! FML. 

Otherwise, (oh yeah, this is a weight-loss blog, not a be a whiny bitch about your failed attempt at dessert-making). I am pretty happy that I did the shred again last night, and hit the bike this eve. My legs are are still a bit sore, but wise Amber was right, doin' the shred again did help. 

Arg, but that dessert! I even had this plan on how I was going to avoid eating any of it until tomorrow at the lunch. Then I was going to have one SMALL piece. Fuckaroo. 

Anyway, I am way too overly despondent over this to write anymore. Lame, I know. 

SIGH... 

Can I get an ouch with a side of OWWWW?

Ok. It is clear to me that Jillian is truly the devil and her goal is to inflict pain and suffering on the unsuspecting masses. Please pass on this info to prevent her cruelty from spreading further. 

Yup, it's pretty clear that my muscles were not ready for the assault they got last night. Poor things all used to biking along and suddenly WHAM! Squats. BLAM!  Lunges. Had no chance. None at all. So I was walking around all stiff-legged and moving like a geriatric up and down stairs. Nice, right? Of course I dropped a ton of shit on the floor today and every trip down was a new foray into pain. Stupid eraser! Damn white board marker! Gah! Now a book! Little fuckers were deliberately throwing themselves to the ground just to vex me, I swear. I know it can't be that I am clumsy. No way man. Epitome of grace (says the girl with three bruises on her legs from ramming into various solid objects). 

I did ride the bike today in my fear of the shred and what it might do to me two days in a row. I know, I totally wimped out. I am wimp, see me avoid pain. The bike hurt, too, though. My inner thighs were burning right away. The legs loosened up a bit late into the ride, so I put it up a notch to where I usually am. Not bad, but not pleasant by any means. I may shred on Thursday....see how that feels. 

I am pretty excited that some non-blogging friends are jumping on the shredding bandwagon here. Maybe our shred challenge in December will have a nice group of crazy exercisers. Hey, YOU could do it to! Yeah, you sitting at your computer...DO THE SHRED! :P I swear I am not getting paid to pimp Jillian's shit, either. Although....hmmm...maybe I should! 

So a good, sore day today. Ate well, with excellent portions, exercised, didn't snack on crap (always good). Ahhh. Here's hoping that I will see a result on the scale Monday! This morning, I'd say that I was down maybe a pound. We'll see if tomorrow agrees. I really want to lose these next two weeks 'cause I bought this fantastic (and kinda sexy) shirt today, but the fabric is super clingy, so it shows the tummy bulge a little to clearly. Not pretty. I have this suck-me-in thingy that camouflages it, but it would be AWESOME to not have to wear it. If I had Lucas's abs...it would be no problem! Jebus Lucas, how the heck DID you get that stomach?!? Notjealousnotjealousnotjealous. Ok, fuck it. Totally jealous. So yes, the shirt. I am planning on wearing it out to my friend's metal show (so maybe a picture of said shirt forthcoming). I am SO excited to be going out! Plus, I get to hang out with one of my favourite work peeps. She is da bomb, yo. (Hi Megan, if you are reading this!).

In other news, I did try on another store's size 12 (long) jeans today too. Fit juuust fine. :) Actually one pair was a bit loose in the waist! Wha?!?? This was American Eagle, though, and their jeans are ridonkulously low rise for me. I feel like my pants are perpetually falling down and there may be some un-sexy underwear sightings, or worse, CRACK, when bending down. Not cool for teacher! So that was a pass. Still, it was a nice confirmation that I am fitting into a size 12 pretty well. That's four stores now, so the scientific part of my brain is thinking that's enough empirical evidence to say, yes, I wear a size 12 pant now. Fuckin' A. 

That's all I gots for you today! Live long and prosper...and shred it if you've got it! 

Saggy bottomed pants are sexy, right?

Ahh...gots my TV on, a nice blankie, a steaming cup of Bengali Spice tea and what's that? Sore aching muscles? Yes, people, I am freaking SORE. Fuck Jillian Michaels and her evil shred! I guess I can rock that bike, but squatting/lunging movements are VERY different. I am scared for tomorrow. Really. That being said, it was a pretty good workout for 20 minutes! I had great muscle fatigue in arms and legs (duh), my face was a bit red, and I was a'sweatin'. 

I will be ready for Amber's Shred Challenge in December! We're gonna take Jillian and her Nazi workout ways and do this thing for thirty days! Yeahhh! (Oh shit, I'm gonna die!).

Nice NSV today. I bought a belt some months ago and it was a bit tight on the last hole. Today my size 12 dress pants were giving me a bad case of the saggy bottom, so I dragged it out and much to my surprise, I could go down to the third hole! That's a TWO, count them, TWO hole difference. (And I'd like all of you dirty-minded freaks to just stop snickering at the word 'hole'...I know you are.) I can't say I am sad about the saggy pants though. Just goes to show you I am shrinking...shrinking...shrinkinnngggg.

Thanks peeps who commented on my last post! You rock. And those who didn't...what the heck are you waiting for?!?! C'MON! 

I shared my poem from a few posts ago with my Gr. 10 English class. I don't know if telling them how much I want to slap myself at 16 for all the time I wasted worrying about being "fat" did any good. If it got even one of those girls thinking twice about calling themselves fat, then it's worth it. When I told them I was 20 lbs lighter than now and the same height, they were all shocked. When I told them a guy called me thunder thighs they were totally indignant for me. It was quite sweet. Love those kids! 

M'kay that's all, you may go about your life now. 

I did what now?

 I didn't work out yesterday, and when I stepped on the scale this morn it said I was up 4 lbs. Fuck that noise! Of course, since I was 180 the day before, no way this is "real" weight. But, it did make me think about my missed workout. It was then I decided. I would do it today and I would do it twice. Yes. Twice. TWICE. This may be the norm for crazy people like Fat Daddy, but for me this is a foray into unknown territory. 

Yeahh bitches! First time ever. 

Now I am sitting here with a pain between my shoulder blades, but it was WORTH IT. 

And, there was also a NSV! I haven't worn my Gap jeans in about 2 weeks, and when I put them on today and went about my bidness, they kept on falling down! Not drastically, mind you, but enough that I felt the need to tug them up at annoying intervals. So I did some a'measurin ('cause that's the kind of inquiring mind I have) and discovered I have lost an INCH off my hips! Woo! Does this mean that one day (perhaps 10 lbs from now) I might fit into a size 10?!?!? The mind reeeeeeels! 

Soo...I am thinking that I am down:

5 inches from bust

4 inches from under bust

4 inches from waist

5 inches from hips

3.5 from thighs

3 inches from arms

Cooolness. 

I wanted to give a shout out to Tiffany at From 12 to 6. I have been enjoying the heck out of her blogs. She's one of those super-bloggers that actually posts pics of food and recipes and shit like that (you don't want my recipes...for reals). She's also back to counting points and kicking ass at that, so if you need some inspiration...go forth and read! 

In other news, my girl at The long hard road out of hell is now my partner in crime! Hey partner! We are helping each other in our journey here. I have to say, if I hadn't told her this morning that I was gonna work out twice today, I probably never would have! See, already working. :)  That reminds me though, that doing this thing would be so much harder without all you fabulous bloggers and non-bloggers who read my blog, and especially those who comment. I am a comment whore. Please comment. It feeds my insatiable need for attention. 

FEED MY INSATIABLE NEED!!! 

I am hoping that the scale will be slightly kinder for my official weigh-in day tomorrow. I'm not holding my breath...wait...does holding your breath help when on the scale? Hmmm. 

Later!

EEK more poetry! Oh, and some weight stuff too.

Ok ladies and gents, I took a lil' blogging break, and yes, an exercise break and now I am back!I know you missed all this charm and wit.  Two days rest was odd. I haven't done this thing before unless I had a lot of shit going on and couldn't work out. Part of me feels like it was a fail...and part of me feels like I needed it. Blah. Whatever. I am back to working out every day until maybe Monday. Rock that shit.

I weighed in a little heavy this morn. Hoping that will go down before Monday, but it won't be getting me down. No siree. 

Let me welcome another lovely follower. She's from the U.K. and having a baby! So check out her blog here, and see what she has to say. 

So I was thinking yet again of my silly self at 16 thinking I was fat. I was 5' 10 and 159 lbs. I had a BMI of 22.8 I honestly thought I was a BIG girl. I saw my friends weights at 125, 130 and I just couldn't believe how heavy I was! What a heifer, right? Ha! I want to just slap that girl. Why couldn't someone have just told me I was the perfect weight for my height! That I was supposed to weigh more because I was five inches taller than my friends! It never occurred to me. Ever. I just wish I could go back and talk to that girl. Tell her.

If I could Talk Me at 16

I would say

Get it out of your head that 

You are fat

You are beautiful

Stop comparing

Yourself to others

You are beautiful

You are tall and strong

Look in the mirror

You are beautiful

Don't listen to

Amazon or thunder thighs

(Boys are stupid)

You are beautiful

See you as I see you now

See the truth

You are beautiful

That is all.  

Crazy day

Hey all. So today was interesting to say the least. This morning one of the students at my school collapsed, unconscious and had to be taken away by ambulance. The admin wisely had us hold the kids in our classrooms as this happened just before recess. We sat in 'lockdown' 20 minutes or so, and the paramedics were able to take the boy away without 1000 kids milling around. Of course speculation abounded. The kids had the info sent around the school in about 10 seconds flat, I might add. Cell phones. Curse them. The staff then got together to hear what the situation was. We had to be very mindful of the boy's friends, who may be upset, and any other student who witnessed his collapse, or just found the whole thing upsetting. We also had to make sure to quell the rumours floating around. I was really impressed with how the staff and admin handled everything. They had the ambulance there very quickly and they evacuated that classroom immediately so there wasn't a crowd of kids watching everything. There were a few students through the day who seemed hard hit. It was really tough not knowing very much about how he was doing. Eventually we got word that he was 'responding', so that was good news. I had a discussion about it with my gr. 10 class since most of them knew the student. They were quiet and thoughtful throughout our talk. I was so impressed with them...such a great group of kids. It's so scary to have a student have a medical crisis in school. We are responsible for the health and safety of every single one of those 1000 kids, and many of them have chronic health issues, severe allergies, etc. I hope I never have to see a child collapse in my room! 

Anyway, stressful day today, that's for sure. 

I am taking a day of rest today. I noticed that my legs were really sore yesterday, and my back muscles were acting up a bit. I have to remember to let my body rest here! 

So my weigh-in yesterday was exactly what I expected. My body can't be original, refreshing or new. Nope. Threw that 180 back at me once again. I just hope this isn't the beginning of another plateau from hell! If it is, I guess I will just have to put my big girl panties on and get through it. 

I wonder if I can meet my goal by Christmas. Hmmm. I am not really worried about the feasting around that time. I think that I have eating down pretty well...portion control, healthier choices. If I don't deprive myself of everything, and let myself taste bits of things, I won't feel deprived. Which reminds me, I have been SO happy with my lack of craving for my nemesis, the baked goods. It used to be something I would just stew over....think about...want....and then finally cave.  I'd go bake a cake and eat half. I can't count how many times I burned my mouth on gooey, cakey goodness because I was too impatient to let it cool off. Must stuff in face NOWWWW! Or better yet cookies, 'cause, well, the batter! I haven't had that craving in a lonnng time. Fo shizzle. 

I'm keeping on here, folks. Here's hoping for a better tomorrow. 

Girl with the pearl earring...move on over!

I don't normally post on a Sunday, but hey, gonna walk on the wild side here. Plus, I may not get a chance tomorrow due to my MIL's b-day dinner. Mmm Greek food! 

I am very proud to report that I didn't eat even ONE piece of Halloween candy this year. Yeahh! I wish this was due to superhuman feats of willpower, but it was rather the lack of exposure to said sugary badness. For some reason, the gods of weight loss were smiling upon me and set not a single piece in my path! Luckily, too, we don't get trick-or-treaters here, so no need to buy that shit and have it in the house! Bonus! 

The scale is still stuck on repeat, as expected. Yay. But, I am working out, eating well. My cupboard ransacking hunger craze yesterday only resulted in me eating a 250 calorie meal-replacement bar, so it could have been worse! 

Oh, and check out this coolness. Today at the mall the husband and I were getting lunch, and I was across the food fair from him (went to Subway and tried the flatbread- and Jessie's right, totally tasty!). When I got back to the table, he says to me, "You know, I didn't see you over there at first. I looked right at you and didn't recognize you from behind! It wasn't until I saw your Beatles bag, that I realized it was you. You look so THIN!" 

I just looked at him with this big smile. What a cool thing for him to tell me! He's said before that he'll just look at me and almost be stunned at how different I look. I love that he constantly tells me that he has always thought I looked good. :) Mega brownie points for him! 

I also did something rather impulsive today. I have not been able to wear earrings for quite some time now. I decided in my 20s that I didn't like my ears, or the way earrings look in them. I let the holes grow over and haven't really thought of it since. Today, I saw some cute earrings and thought, hey, I kinda wish I could wear these. Now, I coulda gone all hardcore and just shoved those suckers onto my ears....but I'm not so big with the self-inflicted pain. We decided to just search the mall for an ear-piercing place and do that shit right. 

Et viola! 

(Hint: check out the ear)

I should be able to wear different earrings by x-mas. Helloooo Christmas presents! I have to say I wouldn't have done this 40 lbs ago. My feeling is that it's confidence. I am feeling WAYYY more confident in how I look these days, so it seemed silly to me to be hung up on my perceived ear-flaws when I just wanted to wear cute earrings! Jason said he's noticed a definite increase in the confidence area. I would say this is a definite NSV! 

Here's to a good week...full of healthy food and exercise!