Friday, January 25, 2013

Flying Pig Marathon

I just bit the bullet and signed up for this race...

I had mentioned it to my friend when I saw it in Runner's World since I knew her sister-in-law has run this race many times.  And....she suggested we do it!!  Not the marathon--I don't have a death wish! But the 5k--me running, her walking.  I didn't know if she was really serious since this race is in Cincinnati and we are not.  We are about 6-7 hours away from Cincinnati! But it seems she was serious and today was the day we told each other that we signed up for the 5k.  I signed up, just waiting to hear from her as to whether she did.  So, that is two road trips I have set up for this spring to run 5k's! I am excited and nervous.  I really need to get my butt in gear and train for these races!!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Five Things I am Loving

Just a few things I am loving today...

1. Anjou Pears!

I had been eating apples every day for months.  But lately the apples taste rather, well, tasteless to me.  I don't know if that is ME or if the apples really are tasteless.  They aren't in season any longer so I'll go with it being their fault! I need to have some kind of fruit with me at work.  So, I started buying bags of pears.  I started with Bartlet which I like.  They did start to get overly ripe by the time I got to the bottom of the bag, tho.  When I was shopping they didn't have Bartlett anymore.  They had Anjou so that is what I got.  And these are even better than the Bartlett! Very sweet just how I like them!








2. Bear Naked Maple Pecan Granola!

I like to have a little granola with my Oikos yogurt in the morning.  It just feels more like a meal to me that way.  I had been eating the Love Grown granola which I do like.  I have to get that through Amazon, tho, as it is not stocked in my grocery store.  I decided to pick up a bag of this granola at Target a few months ago and I LOVE it!! My grocery store does carry Bear Naked but not this flavor! :(












3. Brookside Dark Chocolate-covered fruit!!

I heard about these on another blog.  They aren't in my grocery store but a random trip to BJ's--and there they were! They come in big bags but also in these 100 calorie back bags.  While I am not much of a chocolate person I do prefer dark chocolate over milk.  I am not much of a snacker, either, but I have a few bags of these at work for those times when I start to get hungry.  They are very good and I love that they are portioned controlled!!










4. Chai Tea!

I don't normally like to drink my calories but I do make some exceptions! This is one of those exceptions! I love the chai tea from Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts but rarely get it.  I came across these k-cups in chai tea and decided to try it.  The taste is very close to the tea from Starbucks and DD! Well, close enough for me!! And it is 60 calories per cup.  Maybe not the healthiest of choices (I imagine there are chemically things in there along with the tea) but a great occasional treat!











5. Georgetown Cupcakes!!

I just thought I would add this in here! I don't currently have any cupcakes.  But I LOVE...let me repeat that...LOVE Georgetown Cupcakes!! Can't wait to get some when I am in DC in April!!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Long weekend and a mini haul!

Three day weekend! Although I spent most of it cleaning I did get out yesterday to see this...


Good movie! I really liked it! Would I pick it over Lincoln or Les Miz to win the Best Picture Oscar? No.  But I would recommend this to people!

While I was at the mall I hit up the sales again.  I just can't help it which is why I should not go to the mall. Especially not by myself! I need to conserve my money for bills and all the traveling I want to do this year.  But I have no reasoning when I see an item of clothing marked down! Apparently, the same goes for comestics.  I vowed that I would not buy anymore cosmetics since I purchased so much for myself for Christmas.  And, I also subscribe to a couple beauty boxes.  I have plenty of makeup! But, you know who suckers me in? YouTube.  Yup, I subscribe to a couple  several beauty gurus.  I am always seeing a product that I want to try.  Doesn't matter if it is wildly inappropriate for me ::cough:: red lipstick ::cough:: I still add it to my list.  Here is my mini haul at the drugstore:



These are on the lower end in cost which is a good thing.  And the only reason why I bought them was because I saw a YouTuber mention them.  Yes, I am that easy.

While I am on the subject of makeup let me take a moment to do a little rave over a beauty subscription I received.  I started with Birchbox but ended up cancelling it last month after months of being disappointed.  I have two makeup subscriptions now.  Sample Society and Ipsy. I'll review Sample Society some other time.  Right now let me talk about Ipsy.  Again, swayed by a YouTuber! I didn't know what to expect with this subscription.  I knew that the products came in a little makeup bag.  I was skeptical.  The last thing I needed was a bunch of cheap makeup bags cluttering up my already too cluttered abode.  But I gave it a try anyway.  And I love it! I have only been doing it for three months but I have not been disappointed! I love these beauty subscriptions because it is like getting a present - that I pay for - in the mail every month! It is such a let down to open a box to find samples that I could have easily gotten for free at Sephora.  That has not been the case with Ipsy! Here is a picture of my latest bag:



I should have opened that box of Nailtini! It is a bright red creme nail polish that I love! The bags have been cute and I am actually using them! Thumbs up to Ipsy!

I spent all day Sunday unburying my treadmill.  Yeah, it was that bad.  Also,  I have a tendency when I am cleaning to go overboard which is probably why I hate to clean so much.  I was so tired by the time I got the treadmill up and running again that I was too tired to use it.  But I'm feeling good that I got it done and now I can start training for my 5k! Yeah, we have snow on the ground again and it is 11 degrees out.  I am spending as little time as possble outside!!

Still trying to figure out how to post pictures.  I am such a dunce.

The Zone

I wrote a post yesterday but I need to put some pictures in before I post it.  I figured out (I think!) how to post pictures from my phone but for some reason not all the pictures on my phone were transferred over.  Including the pictures I need for the previous post! I can't win!

Today I am going to share my weight loss story.  Over the course of my adult life I have lost a large amount of weight four times.  I don't consider myself a yo-yo dieter because there were huge gaps of times between those four times! The last time I lost a considerable amount of weight was 6 years ago.  My feeling at the time was "third time is a charm".  I do believe with all my heart that I would not have gained back the weight except for my mother passing away.  It was rather unexpected and the most devastating event that has ever happened to me. At that point I had been losing weight for over a year.  I was eating healthy and exercising.  But the night my mother passed away all bets were off.  My sister and I were at Denny's at 2am stuffing our faces with some kind of non-healthy food.  So, I GAVE UP.  And gained all the weight back. 

The only time I have been able to lose weight is when I have been in, what I call, "the zone".  The zone is a mindset and when I am in the zone losing weight is not hard.  I don't mind not eating junk food and actually crave fruits and vegetables.  When I am not in the zone I feel deprived and sorry for myself.  That is when the "one more day (of unhealthy eating) won't hurt" plays over in my mind.  I LOVE the zone! I don't feel deprived. I know I am doing good.  I don't have to force myself to make better choices.  Unfortunately, I cannot make myself be in the zone. I have to wait until it happens.  Maybe that all sounds weird but it is the truth for me and what works for me.   I got in the zone again back in April.  How it happened, I don't know. But there were a couple factors that I know contributed to it this time.  First, my father was in failing health.  He ended up in a rehab center to regain his strength.  I'd visit him around meal times and I witnessed the meals they served him.  Now, I KNOW that a balanced meal is the right way to go but this time I was actually seeing it.  Being a visual learner maybe that is that I needed.  A plate with protein and vegetables, a dessert in correct portion...it triggered something in me.  The other factor was that I was going in for another bout of eye surgery.  It was a one day thing but it still meant that my vitals were being checked and I wanted my blood pressure to be in the normal category. I started eating healthier and making better choices a week before the surgery.  And after a week it DID make a difference! (It made an even bigger difference when I had more surgery in September!) So, I have been on this road since April.  How much weight have I lost? I don't know.  I don't weigh myself.  I have read a lot of articles that said weighing yourself is important.  But I can't do it.  Since I gained back the weight after my mother's passing I just knew that it would be defeating to me to know exactly how much I had gained.  Even now I feel it would be demoralizing to know what I weigh.  (When I went in for my last surgery I couldn't put my weight on the form because I had no idea...not even a ballpark idea.  They needed to know that, of course, for the anesthesia so I was taken to a scale.  I told the nurse that I did not want to know so I closed my eyes to the scale and asked her not to tell me.) So, I have been going by my pants size.  Since April I am down 5 pants sizes.  That is good enough for me to know.  Christmas was a difficult one for me.  I know it is for a lot of people.  I really wasn't confronted with a lot of fattening goodies. I went looking for them.  A big part of that is some family drama that got to the point of overwhelming me.  It kicked me out of the zone.  I am still eating healthy but it isn't easy anymore.  I struggle with that inner voice that says just one more day isn't going to hurt.  But I am not giving up.  This has got to be the last time.  In all the other times I felt like I never got to the maintenance part of weight loss.  I always stopped right before I got to my "ideal" weight.  I am so close to it now and I want to get there! Even tho I am still the same person I always was in a way I am not.  When I am heavier I don't care about my appearance.  All I care is that I have clothes that cover me and don't hug any of my torso.  When I am thinner I am into clothes, jewelry, makeup...in short, I feel more confident about myself.  I have friends that are "shocked" by my style.  I say that I have always been into style.  I just didn't show it.  But now I do...every chance I get!!

Just testing..yea, I can add pictures! I still eat pizza occasionally.  But it is one slice of veggie pizza! YUM!!!

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Cherry Blossom Run


Still not understanding how to upload pictures so this one is going to have to be ginormous!!

Yep, 77 days until I leave for Washington DC to participate in the Cherry Blossom Run! The race is actually on the 7th but we are going down for a little vacation.  For this race you have to enter a lottery.  I didn't think I'd be picked but I entered anyway.  My friend signed herself and her daughter up as well and -- YUP -- they were picked, too!! My friend plans to walk the 5k and I intend to run the 5k.  Something I have never done before.  So, this is my goal.  But it is about 80 days away and I haven't trained for it at all.  :( I started the Couch to 5k program a few months ago but barely got past week one.  Then it started getting darker early and colder.  Excuses, I know, but I don't feel comfortable being out by myself in the dark.  And the cold just does me in.  I get so cold that I stay chilled for the rest of the day.  We had a temp of 60 degrees on Sunday which was NICE!! But the next day it was back in the 30's.  I have been going to bed early this week because I am just so cold.  Anyway, I have to figure out a way to train for this race because my goal is to RUN!!

Friday, January 4, 2013

My Pedestrian Life: Friday's Thoughts

My Pedestrian Life: Friday's Thoughts:      It kind of sucks to be a newbie at blogging.  I have no clue how to add pictures.  I can't download anything at the moment because I ...

Friday's Thoughts



     It kind of sucks to be a newbie at blogging.  I have no clue how to add pictures.  I can't download anything at the moment because I am not on my own computer.  Anyway, I am listening to Sonny Landreth's Elemental Journey at the moment.  And eating a lunch of carrots and lite ranch dressing.  It got me thinking how maybe 8-9 months ago if I saw someone eating carrots I'd feel sorry for them.  Sorry that they weren't eating something that was more yummy.  Something, anything, that wasn't carrots.  Eating carrots and celery usually meant that you were "dieting".  I hate using the word diet as a verb.  I don't eat carrots because I am dieting.  I eat them because I want to live a healthier lifestyle.  Carrots are better for me than potato chips. 

     I used have that same "poor you" thought when I'd hear my co-worker across the hall finishing up her container of yogurt.  I could hear the spoon hitting the empty bottom of the container.  Poor her--she has to eat yogurt!! I hated yogurt! HATED it.  I have tried over the years to like it.  I'd try different brands and flavors but they always had that yogurt taste. That tangy after taste that I just could not stand.  My niece tried all different brands of yogurt trying to decide which ones she liked the best.  We'd go shopping when she came home from school and pick out 5-6 kinds.  She told me that she thought I'd like one of the kinds she had tried.  So, I bought one to try.  And ended up throwing it out because it sat in my fridge past the expiration date.  I bought another one.  And ended up throwing that one out, too.  Third time is the charm and I actually tried the container I purchased and -- SURPRISE -- I loved it!! I tried all the flavors of the brand and settle on the one I liked the best. 


Oikos Key Lime Yogurt!!!!! LOVE IT!! I eat it every morning at work with a little bit of granola.  I look forward to eating it.  And when my spoon hits the bottom I think, "Poor me! It's all gone!"

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Winter Blues

I hate winter.  I hate cold weather.  Winter makes me feel closed in.  I tell people that the way I like snow is looking at it in a picture.  Since I have lost weight over the past 8 months I feel the cold even more.  We have been a little bit fortunate (yeah, that is me looking for the bright side to this!) in that we did not receive any snow until nearly Christmas.  So, instead of having 5-6 months of winter, maybe we will skirt by with only 3 months.  Fingers crossed! My pedestrian life is literal.  I don't drive.  I am a professional pedestrian.  I could try to explain why I don't drive but it really isn't anyone's business.  I will mention that over the past two years I have been dealing with eye issues which would make me stop driving if I ever was a driver.  You just would not want me out on the road! The phrase "menace to society" comes to mind.  So, being a pedestrian in the winter sucks big time.  Sidewalks not shoveled, corners plowed in, and ice everywhere!! Not to mention that it is cold!!!!!!!! I take public transportation to work most days.  My walk to the bus stop to get home is around 5 blocks.  I don't mind it when the weather is good.  When it isn't--it is torture.  But it is the price I pay for being a pedestrian.

Another problem is running.  I have always been a walker, obviously, but I have never been a runner.  Since my healthy lifestyle journey began back in April 2012 I have participated in a few 5k walks.  What I noticed about myself is that I hate being passed.  Because of this I walk faster making it harder to pass me.  Then I see someone ahead of me and make it a goal to pass them! Senior citizen ahead--yup, gotta pass ya! A child ahead of me--you might be younger but I have to pass you! There are times when I am walking where I feel like I have to run.  Did I just say that?? Me who always said, "Why run when you can walk?"?? It is something inside me that just felt the need to break into a run! I started the Couch to 5k program a few months back.  But did not get very far before it started getting dark at 4:30.  I don't feel safe running by myself in the dark.  And then it got cold.  And then it snowed.  All excuses, I know, for someone who is serious about running.  I WILL find a way to do it.  I have signed up for a 5k in April which I am determined to run NOT walk!! I have a treadmill that could be unearthed which would help a bit.  I am seriously considering running in my own backyard until the weather gets nicer and days get longer. It will happen!! And I don't care if I ever run a half marathon or a full marathon.  If I only ever run 5k's I will be happy.  And proud of my accomplishment!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

First post in the new blog!

How many people do you think decided that this year was the year they were going to start a blog? Yeah, that is my hand raised.  I am not sure why—maybe it is just to have an outlet to speak my mind.  Something I don’t do very often.  So, I guess until or unless someone starts reading my words this blog will be a virtual diary.  Welcome to my pedestrian life!!