I'm Running Again, for the 100th Time

Okay, maybe not for the 100th time because as many of you know, I'm not really a runner. I'm a half walk, half run kinda person, but I still count that as running because if I run even in the tiniest amount it's running in my book.

This is me last summer. I ran in the Houston heat. So I know that if I can run in the summer I can run any time. Although I did try to run on a cold day one day this past winter and I thought I was going to freakin' die! My lungs hurt so bad! How do people run in the cold?? I think it's worse than running in a Houston summer.

Anyway, I've never been a runner. I've made some small attempts throughout my life but I never stuck to it as much as I did last summer. Fall just didn't work out well for me for one reason or another. This spring I have decided I am going to take advantage of it not being 100 degrees and the time change. I'm going to run as much as I can between now and summer. Then I will do it again in the summer. I have to because M has to run to keep up with lacrosse and I want to encourage her.

All this running better make a difference on my body too! I need to lose a good 20 pounds. More, but I'm being realistic and taking it 10 pounds at a time. So let's just say 10 pounds for now. So goal one is 10 lbs and to run them off. Plus all the other boring stuff you have to do too, like not eat or drink so much. Ugh! But necessary.

I'm over 45 now, pre-menopausal and my body wants to just hold on to this weight for some crazy reason. It's like it doesn't want to part with an old friend. Sorry body! You must say goodbye to my fat now. I know you've been together for a while but the fat has to go.

Let's see how it goes this round and I will keep y'all updated on these 10 lbs and how many days I run. Today will make day six in a row!

I Sabotage Myself

Friday while at the gym I was looking at my reflection in the big mirrors next to the treadmill and elliptical and I thought I looked really fat. My reasonable self knew that I've worked out for seven weeks straight so there is no possible way I can be fatter than I was two months ago. I also knew that I was bloated, particuarly on Friday, so of course my belly was probably portruding more than usual. However, I still looked at myself and I had one of those moments when I thought, "What's the point in working out?" It's a dangerous place for me to go.

Image borrowed from theseanachai.com

I remember coming back to school in 7th grade after working hard all summer on dieting and exercising, yes in 7th grade! And I remember my good friend Aristotole (yes, that's his real name) commenting to his friend Wayne right in front of me that I'd lost weight over the summer. Wayne turned around and said bluntly and matter-of-factly, "Yeah, but she's still fat." I remember that same feeling of what was the use. I didn't even like either boy. I was just a 7th grade girl feeling the peer pressure to look thin. Back then unless you were as skinny as some of the really slim girls you were considered fat. Middle school is definitely the time when girls lose their self-confidence. It's a brutal time.

Now I'm a 40 year old woman. I've survived middle school, high school, college, post college young years, marriage, pregnancies, 20 year high school reunion, and yet here I am, looking at myself in the mirror at the gym and feeling like that 7th grade girl.

And this is when I sabbotage myself. I start thinking like I did in high school and college that I'm overweight anyway and what difference will it do. I stop working out and I return to my same old habits.

This time I'm not. I'm going to take a shower and then I'm packing my gym bag for tomorrow and I'll keep on going. Today starts Week 8 and I already walked for one hour.

Tomorrow morning I'm going into the lap band clinic and I'm getting a long-needed fill. I'll address my concerns about the lap band working or not working, and then I'll be on liquids for two days and soft foods on the third day. This will be a good week for weight loss.

And the Cupcake Torture Continues

Thanks for the cupcake ad! This is the ad that showed up on my blog when I opened it today. Wow! Thanks?

These cupcake ads won't take me off my path! I've been working out diligently for three weeks now and what's really helping me with accountability is that I'm posting the week and the day each time I'm at the gym. For example, today I posted Week 3-Day 9.  Ever since the kids started back at their after school care I've been very diligent at stopping at the gym on my way home.

I've been using incentives while I work out. One day I looked at a Cabi book at the outfits that I want to buy while I worked out on the elliptical. Then I took a picture of a suit that I want to wear comfortably and I made it the screen picture on my blackberry so I could look at it today.

So yeah, these crazy cupcake ads are mocking me! It's almost like they are laughing at my last post. And no, they won't take me off my path, but that cookie in my cookie jar sure did! I couldn't resist eating just half of this delicious shortbread and strawberry cookie I bought at La Madeline last Friday. I guess if you look at it that way that's pretty good. I've had that cookie since Friday and I didn't break down and eat some of it until Wednesday. That's progress, I'd have to say.

I was so sad today when I read that Sylvia Garcia lost as County Commissioner. I was so excited last week when I saw one of her digital ads running on my blog. I was telling my friend and husband about it on Saturday on our way to the Renaissance Festival. I'm sad because she was the first female and Hispanic commissioner and now she lost.

Speaking of the Renaissance Festival. Wow! There is so much hype around that festival. Yes, it's cute and nice and it's fun for people watching, but that is pretty much it. I'm not sure if I will go back and if I do it won't be with my kids. We spent most of the money on the two of them. On a good note the weather was beautiful.

Winter is finally here! I love the cold weather. Every year I suffer through our summers just to get to this time of the year in Houston. Now if only it will stop raining it would be perfect. Thank goodness I work out inside.

Three More Days Until Vacation

But who's counting? Me? Nah! Of course it's really only one more full day of work until vacation. Woo Hoo! I am so out of here. I can hardly wait! I hadn't gotten so excited because I don't think I had really thought about it much. But now as the days get closer I'm making plans and looking forward to not having to wake up early for work for a whole week.

The other thing I am starting now, before the crazy mad rush to the gym by half the city, is working out again. I have so fallen off the wagon it's not even funny. So today is my first day back and I am going to pummel this body into shape! I've lost 45 lbs but I sure need to do some reshaping and firming up. Watch out!

I'm getting excited about doing a few fun activities with the kids. I wrote about some of them on skirt!

Speaking of skirt! I will hopefully have something publishing on the local Houston page very soon! And I will definitely have a give-away on there of a great new book. Stay tuned!

Can You See My Man Breasts Through This Shirt?

There’s nothing like a four year old little boy to bring you back down to earth. I’ve lost around 30+ lbs in the last seven months, but obviously that is not enough weight. I still have a long way to go and I know this. But this past weekend I got another good reminder that I need to hit the gym harder.

My four year old son got inside the back of my nightgown and was looking up at my back. “Mommy!” he exclaimed, “You’ve got man breasts on your back!”

Lovely! I need to go throw up all my chips and salsa now and oh yeah, can I have one of those machines that Lucy had on "I Love Lucy?" The one she got inside of that got real hot and helped her lose weight. Do you think that will make my man breasts melt away? **Sigh!**

All right already! I'll go to Memorial Park tomorrow to walk off my man breasts.