There will be more tests

This past week has been a roller coaster in emotions. The good: Lots of fun was had on Turkey day as well as over last weekend. The bad: Medical tests and inconclusive results.  I have not had as many work outs as I would have liked and my eating has not been as healthy as it could have been. Brain just is not shutting up about the medical issues. I am trying really hard to not use food to block the thoughts. Web searches and getting more knowledge is how I am trying to get thru this.

Now to the medical issues:

On Oct 27th I turned 40 and that is the magic time to get your first mammogram. I went in on Thursday the 17th and had my yearly and then also scheduled my 1st mammogram for sometime in December. While I was at my yearly I mentioned that I was unsure about my IUD and I was still at times having heavy periods. She decided she also wanted to schedule an ultrasound. Since I was already taking a 1/2 day on Friday the 18th I decided to get the ultrasound out of the way at that point.

Come to find out that due to issues at work the building was closed on the 18th and instead of just a 1/2 day I had the whole day off. I was able to reschedule my ultrasound for the morning. Once that was done I asked at the lab if there was a way to squeeze me in for my mammogram as well. Might as well get both out of the way. I was in 'luck' and I got that done as well.

On Tuesday I got a letter about the mammogram. "There appears to be an area of concern that requires additional evaluation". Then my brain did the Oh Shit, Oh Shit, Oh Shit!!! Today... the doctor's office called. It seems there is some issues with the ultrasound and fibroids. They want to get me in for a MRI.  Brain of course starts in on the freaking out again.

Now I am scheduled for both follow-up procedures on Wed morning Nov 30th.

So that has been my medical issues over the past week. 

Update in Bullet Points

Monday was busy with 30 minutes on the elliptical in the AM and 1 hour of Pilates in the PM

Weight was down 2.9lbs (271.8 lbs)
 
I completed the 100 hours and will get my Y T-Shirt soon
 
Tues is not as busy. AM Strength Training and relaxing at home after work

Looking to Participate in the YMCA Reindeer Ramble 5K Run/Walk on Dec 10th 
 
Having fun recording things on Fitocracy and leveling up. 
 
Wed the plan is Cardio in the AM and Pilates after work
 
Saturday we plan to go to LAC to sign up and start our free membership. (1 month for me)
 
I hope to also find out about the personal training (3-1 hour sessions)

That is about it for now. I will try to have a more in depth post soon.

Weekend Recap

On Saturday LM and I went to Lexington Athletic Club to participate in Cardio for Comfort. They were raising money for Hospice. I do not know the numbers but I am betting at least 100 people participated.  The big plan was to take 4-30 minutes classes and have some fun. We did 2 classes and had great fun. We were both very tired after Hi-Lo Aerobics and then Zumba. I did stay and watch some of the boot camp class and really glad I did not take it. I would not have been able to keep up. We went upstairs and checked the door prize table. LM won a T-shirt and then they mentioned that there was an envelope attached. Once LM opened it up she found out that she had one 6 months free. WOW!! I got 3 personal training sessions and since I am not a member they upped the prize to include a free month. We shall see what happens after the free time. We were discussing the what ifs about joining if we find out we like it. Would we want to keep both gym memberships? - probably. What would we consider getting our money's worth if we did join LAC? - going at least 5 times a month. (5 classes) It is something to think about.

We really enjoyed the atmosphere at LAC. The people were very welcoming and friendly. The 2 classes had instructors that gave good options and did not talk down to people. One big thing they pushed was that if you did not get the movements then just keep moving. Doing something is better than stopping. In the Hi-Lo class the instructor gave a range of movements that could be done for some of the exercises so you could increase or lower the intensity as needed. The place had a really great feel.

The rest of Saturday was errands, resting and movie watching. JD and I went and saw The Immortals at Movie Tavern where we also had dinner. I had a pretty good Avocado Pita with Lettuce, Onion and Cucumber.

Today I decided that I was going to do Week 2 Day 1 of my strength training workout. It is the same exercises as WK 1 Day 1. You decrease the reps, increase the sets by 1 and decrease the rest time by 15 seconds. I also increased from a 5lb dumbbell to the 8lb. I could feel it this time. I think this week I am going to be doing the routine Sun/Tues/Friday.  I am very proud of the fact that I am continuing with the program.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I probably will not get to record my weigh in till late in the day but I will weigh in when I first get up. JD starts his new schedule tomorrow. Instead of working 2pm-10:45pm he is now going to be working 5:30am-2pm. We have 1 car so I have to get up and drive him. The interesting thing is that the Y opens at 5:30 am. Tomorrow LM and I are going to see what it is like to go work out at 5:30am. I figure I can do 30 minutes on the Elliptical. I also plan to go to Bliss Wellness tomorrow night for a 6pm Pilates class.

I am making time for me. Scheduling around exercise is becoming the default instead of everything else before exercise. I like this change.

Day 3 of Strength Training

AKA: Oh my I am hurting, but in a good way.

The pictured workout consisted of 2 Modified Compound SuperSets.

#1: Back and Thighs: Squats with Dumbell Rows (8lbs)

      Chest and Core: Push-Ups w/ Side Rotation (modified)

#2  Shoulders and Thighs: Upright Row w/ Side to Side Plie Squats (8lbs)

      Triceps and Thighs: Plie Squats and Tricep Extension (10lbs)  

 

Page 145 of The Body Sculpting Bible Express

Today was a bit harder. I did have to modify the 2nd part of the 1st compound superset. I am not ready for pushups and knee push ups hurt because of the arthritis in my knees. I can not kneel for very long at all. Instead I did Wall Push Ups.




I have also been having fun logging my workouts on Fitocracy. From the about page: "Fitocracy is the game you play to improve your fitness. Play it to track your progress, compete against your friends, and get real results in your physical fitness."
Right now I am level 6 and after tomorrow's workout I will probably get to level 7. I am still learning about the site and finding some groups to follow.

Back on Sunday I mentioned some goals. At this time I have only eaten out once which was tonight at Firehouse Subs. I have also kept up with my food diary all week. I may eat out twice this weekend, but 3 times in 7 days is MUCH better than I have done in the past 4 weeks.

Now it is time to get ready for bed since tomorrow is a busy day with going to Cardio for Comfort and then a bunch of errands. I am very nervous and excited about tomorrow. No idea if I will be able to keep up but I am definitely going to try.

Day 2 of my Strength Training

Today is the 2nd day of my 21 day express workout challenge. I increased the weight up to 8lbs on some of the exercises since I was not sore on Monday.

Modified Compound SuperSet #1
Shouders: Dumbbell Upright Rows - 8lbs                           2 sets/18-20 reps/ 60 sec rest
Calves: Two-Legged Dumbbell Calf Raises  - 8lbs             2 sets/18-20 reps/ 60 sec rest


Modified Compound SuperSet #2
Biceps: Dumbbell Curls  -  8lbs                                           2 sets/18-20 reps/ 60 sec rest
Triceps: Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extensions  -  5lbs           2 sets/18-20 reps/ 60 sec rest

On Friday the routine gets more challenging. I am going to struggle with one of the exercises on Friday (push-up with side rotation) The book does have suggestions for working up to the exercise. Next week I will be doing the same exercises but increasing to 3 sets, lowering the reps to 15-18 and the rest between is 45 seconds. Week 3 I will be doing 4 sets, 12-15 reps and 30 second rest.

Today I also went to the Y for Pilates at 5:30. I am enjoying taking Pilates twice a week. I am glad K was back today teaching at the Y. Her teaching style is really good. I went to the beginner class and it had 6 people! 3 were relatively new.

On Saturday LM and I are going to participate in Cardio for Comfort- A fundraiser for Hospice of Lexington being held at the Lexington Athletic Club.







They are going to have a wide range of classes going on for 2 hours. Per the information I have seen they will have 2-3 different classes every 30 minutes. I am excited to try out Boot Camp. I may also give Spinning a chance. The cost is $20 and the benefits are helping out a great organization, a couple of workouts, a t-shirt and the chance for door prizes. I have always wanted to see what LAC is like and now I can. The gym looks really cool/interesting but I know I would not go since it is across town from where I live.

Cardio for Comfort Event Listing on Facebook

Now that I am more active it is fun to find local events to participate in. Run/Walks are listed on a local shoe store's website. There is one every weekend. I will definitely write about them!

21 days

I admit the thought of strength training is scary to me. I have a bunch of books and some equipment just gathering dust. I enjoy weight work once I start but I have not been able to just start. I get so bogged down on the details that I do not do anything. I just freeze. I also worry about injury if I do not do the exercises just right. What if I do not get a good rest day? What if I work the same muscles too much? The What Ifs just run round and round in my head.
THIS ENDS TODAY!

Last night I cleaned off my weight bench. It was a nice catch-all place when I would come into my room. I found a home for all items that were on the bench. Below the bench are my 3, 5, 8 and 10 lb dumbbells for use.

I picked one of my books and it has a beginner routine to do for 21 days and each day should only take 21 minutes. The routine for Monday consists of 2 modified compound supersets. 18-20 reps for 2 sets with a 60 sec rest.

#1 Back: One Arm Row
     Chest: Inclined Dumbbell Bench Press

#2 Thighs: Dumbbell Squats
     Hamstrings: Dumbbell Stiff Legged Deadlifts

I just completed the exercises and recorded them. Day 1 of 21 is in the bag. I did 5lb weights which at this time seems to be about right. On Rep 18-20 I was starting to feel the fatigue.  I think the 8lb weight would have been too much at this time.

Back to the Gym again

I did 1 hour today at the Y. 30 minutes on the Elliptical and 30 minutes on the treadmill. This means that I am now 3.5 hours away from completing the 100 hour challenge at the Y. I might be able to get that done this week. Woohoo!! It depends on when I get to the gym and if I do a class or just use the machines. We shall see. I will take a picture once I get the new shirt.

An interesting thing happened today after my workout. My face was feeling alittle tight and itchy. I reached up and felt grit against my skin. When I looked in the mirror in the car my face looked like there was something white on it in spots. I did a quick taste test and found out that it was salt. I of course had to come home and do some web searches to see if it was something I needed to be worried about or not. Thinking back I believe I have noticed a grittiness before, but not as much as there was today. Quite interesting. I may be a salty sweater.

My knee is not too happy with me and the longer work out. I do not think I have done anything major though. Rest and some anti-inflammatory meds should take care of it. I always need to be careful of the knee.

Today I did eat out twice- Subway and Qdoba. My plan of fast food only twice in the week starts tomorrow. I also need to restart my food diary. This time of year is hard for me. I either do not want to eat, or want to eat everything in sight. That is one reason I need the food diary. It helps me to keep track and not eat mindlessly.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I know I did!

Saturday Exercise

Today I had my 2nd Pilates class at Bliss Holistic Wellness Center in Lexington Kentucky. It is at a more reasonable hour (10:30am) than the session at the Y (7:30am) that I finished 2 weeks ago. I got a great deal with Groupon where I paid $22 for 5 classes. Today K had us using the ring during class. I have a love/hate relationship with the Magic Circle. It is great because it gets me to concentrate and center. I have a focus point to help make sure what needs to stay steady does and what is moving is the only thing moving. I hate it because of the same reason. I have to modify some of the exercises at time and K is very good at advising on modifications. One big problem I have is knee pain when kneeling. I am thinking I might have to find out what is out there that might help. I do not like not being able to kneel.

So with the hour class today and the 30 minutes yesterday I am only 4.5 hours away from the 100 hour club. I started in April. This means that in 8 months I got 100 hours of exercise in. That is an average of 12.5 hours (750 minutes) a month. Woohoo!! I wonder if I could join again in December and try for another year. I would only have 7 months to get the 100 hours since I would have to finish by June 30th 2012. I could wait till January and then have the full year to complete the 100 hours. I would have to average about 14.5 hours a month to finish in 7 months. Just something to think about.

Time to get on with my Saturday and also think about what I want to get food shopping tomorrow. I need to figure out things to take to work and cut out the eating fast food. Goal for next week is fast food at most twice.

Has it been a week already?

A week has gone by it has not been a good week. It shows in the scale. The scale registered a 6.7 lb gain in 1 week. I know the problems and still working on the solutions.
-Eating out fast food way too much. This week especially. (pizza, chinese, fish, burgers)
-This week I have a visit from Aunt Flo.
-Lack of Exercise- Nothing in the past 5 days
-Boredom and Stress eating

In the month of October I only recorded 8 hours working out. This includes the time for bowling. The main good thing is that as of the end of October I have recorded 94 hours toward the 100 hour club at the Y. I will get my t-shirt this month! This is one month before the deadline. I did go tonight and did 30 minutes on the Elliptical. I almost had a panic attack before going in though. I was feeling like I did the first time I started exercising. The running in your head about what are being saying/thinking about the fat chick exercising. It took me 5 minutes to get out of the car and go into the gym. Tomorrow I am going to have the same issues with going to Pilates. At least I was able to get the 5 class pass for $22 from Groupon and I really like the Pilates instructor.

Work has been a bucket of stress lately. First there was the health insurance raise in rates and the cancelling of the 2011 heath and wellness program. On Wednesday they downsized. I did not lose my job but a friend did. It has been so not a fun couple of weeks. My department had 4 people laid off. Some had been with the company over 20 years. Thursday was not a good day. Neither really was today.

I may be starting to do my exercise in the morning. My boyfriend is moving shifts and he will be working 5:30am-2 instead of 2-10:45 starting in 1 week. The gym opens at 5:30. We have one car so I will be up and driving him at 5:30 anyway. I shall have to see how it works. I am so not a morning person. I will let y'all know how it works out.

Time now to relax some before heading out to get JD from work. Try to think about something to do this weekend maybe.

And the results are in.

Yesterday was my 40th birthday and the date I had set for my goal to be at 250lbs. I did not make that goal but I am still very proud and happy.

My 40 week Recap

I have dropped about 4 clothing sizes. In January my 28/28s and were getting very tight. I really should have been moving to a 30/32. Now I am solidly a 22.

I have been taken off 2 medications and the other 2 have had the doses cut in half. To be perfectly honest I have not been taking the 2 meds regularly. I am testing my blood sugar at times and even with not taking the glucophage my numbers have been in the normal range. Heck last night at bowling I had a lot of sugar and before bed my blood sugar registered 108. This morning it was still 108. My knees are hurting and popping less. I still have some issues and may need to do something about it.

I have made exercise a habit. When I got back from vacation I did not work out much for about 3 weeks and I totally missed it. My request for my birthday was to have my gym membership paid for the next 3 months. That was the only thing I really really wanted. I love pilates and water aerobics. I even got a pass to take pilates at a different facility so I can do it twice a week. It also helped that they had a groupon. *grins*  I am still working on getting a good strength training program underway. Maybe for the holidays I will ask for personal training.

I think I will get my Y t-shirt for the 100 hour club next month. This means that since March I have worked out 100 hours.

I had earned enough points in 6 months to get payout with my work wellness program. Unfortunately my work decided to cancel the program they had for 2011. So no reward from work for 2011. They are starting a new program in 2012. It is going to be run by the health insurance company. It seems like the rewards are along the same line as what you can get from credit cards that do point programs.

I am happy in my own skin again. I can go the stairs and not feel like I am going to die. I do not circumnavigate a parking lot to get the closest space because it is hard to walk from the car to the store.

Oh yeah, I guess you might be wanting to know what the numbers ended up being. So here you go by the numbers:

Starting Weight: 328 lbs

Ending Weight:  270 lbs

Average 1.45 lbs/wk (40 weeks)

So where will I go from here. I am still thinking about changing the name of my blog. It is not about weight loss. It is more about my journey. Or more to the point my quests. I need to figure out how to get it done, but I am leaning toward YAPS about her quests. One of my quests is to be healthy. Another is to be happy. Heck I have a quest to blog more both here and a couple of other places. I plan to make another weight goal even though that is not the end all be all of this journey. I was going to say be at 225 by 2/25 since it sounds so COOL, but I might be setting myself up for disaster. It would be 45 lbs in 18 weeks. That would mean I would have to average 2.5 lbs/week during one of the more stressful and food filled times of the year. Not going to happen. My next idea which is the one I think I will go with is: 100lbs down (228) by day 100 (April 9th) in 2012. That would be 42 lbs in about 23 weeks. A more manageable number. I am probably going to change my weigh in to Mondays and set up a new ticker over the weekend.

Now it is time to get ready for work and get this day over with. Then the weekend!

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy day!

I am disappointed in myself

Today I walked for the Cure in Lexington Kentucky. There were so many people and it was a great time. Pretty cool because of the wind but a very nice day. No rain which was really nice.

The are a couple of different reasons why I am disappointed in myself.

- I have not been to the Y since before going on vacation (over a week ago)
- I have not been recording my food.
- I am mindless eating and getting trigger foods when shopping.

But. The biggest reason I am disappointed in myself is because I did not go for the 5K today. I stopped after 1 mile. I am just kicking myself for not going on. The reasons I stopped seem so minor. I was going at a good speed. I was feeling good. I had to go the bathroom slightly but nothing that could not wait. I basically scared myself out of going on.

I will put this behind me and move on. Next walk I will do the complete 5K.

Back from Vacation

I am back from my vacation to North Myrtle Beach. We had such beautiful weather. I was able to jump waves every day. I went for a 1.5 mile walk one morning. I kept myself covered in sunscreen so I did not get a burn. It was a great trip. I got some beautiful pictures of the sunrise one day. I lost money on the gambling cruise, but got to go out on the water in a boat. I can't wait to go back to the ocean or gulf. I ate some really good food and some not so tasty food. The car ride back yesterday was so long. I almost need a vacation now to recover from my vacation!

Now time to catch up on my blog reading and soon to head to work. Have a great week!

I have a waist!

Last picture update I mentioned that I could not see progress. Others could, but I just could not see it. But today a picture is worth 1000 words.  The 1st picture is from June 26th and the 2nd is from Sept 30th.

I really see a difference in my face and waist. My cheeks and double chin are not as pudgy. I can see daylight between my arms and side. I really think the Pilates is causing the change in my waist. As the muscles get toned/stronger the waist is becoming more defined. I think it is quite interesting that the previous pictures were 2 months and 20 lbs. (April-June) and I could not really see the progress. This time the pictures are 3 months and only 10lbs but I see major changes.

Tomorrow I am heading with my mom and stepdad to North Myrtle Beach for VACATION!! I am so excited. I plan to bring some healthy breakfasts and snacks. I know I will be eating out more and hope to not stress about it. I have checked out the pictures of the weight room at the hotel and it should be good. The closest Y is about 10 miles away in Myrtle Beach and charges $5/day so I am not sure if I will get to go. I did print out a class list just in case. There is also a facility in North Myrtle Beach but they have a $15/day rate.  I do not think that is worth it. I will be doing a bunch of wave jumping and hanging out in the ocean so that will be great exercise. I hope to get some pictures and maybe some will have me in them. (and not just my feet). I have noticed I am not as camera shy as I once was.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Wow, a graph again

It is Friday weigh in day and the graph is below.

I have 4 weeks to lose 14.5 lbs to make my original goal to be 250lbs by my 40th birthday. For me I do not think it is possible. I am very much ok with this thought. I am modifying my goal to be 225 by 2/25. I think the new goal is kinda catchy! Sometimes for me it is about the numbers. I just can not let it be all about the number on the scale.

With that being said I am realizing my blog title is not really fitting. I am Yapping but not really about weight loss. The blog post the other day by Waisting Time: Whats in a name got me to think about wanting to change my blog name again. I just do not know what to change weight loss to. I know I want to keep YAPS. I just adore the acronym. But what am I really yapping about?

In other news I have worked out every day for the past 6 days:

Saturday: 1mi walk for the health and soul fair. It had only about 20 people and I was dead last. I still finished though! I walked with LM from: 146 TShirts.
Sunday: 30 minutes on the elliptical at the Y
Monday: 30 minutes on the elliptical at the Y
Tues: 60 minutes water aerobics. I used the 8lb weights!
Wednesday: Pilates class. I bumped it up a notch and went to the Int/Adv class. I am still sore. I was surprised at how much I was able to do.
Thursday: Bowling. Yes I really think it counts as exercise.
Friday: Elliptical again for 30 minutes. This time I tried the variety program instead of interval.

Tomorrow I have pilates in the morning. Then I will see if LM wants to do some cardio at the Y. Maybe even a nice relaxing soak to reward myself after working out all week. I am debating about taking Sunday off.

Would you rather?

Have you ever played the game Would you Rather? I have had a question that would almost fit for this game running around in my head for the past couple of days.

Would you Rather?


Be a size 4 and die at the age of 44?
or
Be a size 24 and die at the age of 84?

All other things (health wise) would be equal.

My thoughts have spiraled to dark and not so pleasant places. This is one reason I have not been blogging lately. I have had some great adventures. (signing up for the health challenge for city, body and soul walk and health fair, water aerobics, pilates, and other things) My problem is that my thoughts keep centering on the negative things. The eating that is not in control. The scale not moving. The good chance that I will not make my goal of being 250lb by my 40th birthday. This is the big elephant in the blog. The little ticker at the top that counts down to my failure. Who cares that I am off some medications and others have been lowered? Who cares that I can go up a flight of stairs without being winded? Who cares that my clothing is still becoming too big even if the scale has not moved?

OK, I CARE! Now I just need to move on. I so need to make a joy chart. I need to record the encouragement I have received from friends, family and strangers. I need to document the positive changes I have done. This way when my brain goes to go down the dark and depressing path I can create the detour and get back on the healthy path. I am stronger and healthier than I was in January. I will continue to change and grow.  Self pep-talk over. Tonight is water aerobics!

Scale about the same.

I have been hovering around the same 5 pounds now for about 2 months now. It has got me thinking about my goals and my health. There is a post slowly forming about this. For now though I have a graph and some numbers for you.

 By the Numbers:

Weight: 267.1 lbs

Loss: -4.4lbs from last week, but still up 1.3 from my lowest on 8/12.

Total: -60.9 lbs

Avg: 1.85 lbs/wk (at this rate I will not make my weight goal)   
My NSVs

I was complimented on Saturday about my strength in Pilates.
I moved up to 8lbs in water aerobics.
I did another 1- Mile fun walk and did a 22 min mile.
I have been working out 4-6 times a week consistently and it has become a priority. 

Now it is time to get ready and head to work! Hope everyone has a great day. Any plans fo the weekend? Mine include pilates and maybe a movie. 

Not enough hours in the day

Once again life has cut into my blogging time. I am still reading and very much enjoying the blogs that I am following at this time. I have such a wide range of bloggers that I read. Very different perspectives.

So you might be wondering what has been going on in my life. In no particular order:

I was on vacation over Labor Day weekend. We drove the 7 hours down on Wednesday and drove back on Monday. It was a very fun trip. I found a Y that was 2 miles from the hotel and went and worked out 3 days (Wed, Thurs and Friday). I did not track my eating. I know I ate more than I have been but did not do a vacation free for all that I have done in the past. It was not snack-a-palooza! This is a relaxacon I have been going to for 14 years. It is where I pretend I am in my 20's again.  I stay up most of the night and live on caffeine and sugar. I had a blast but came home and promptly came down with a double ear infection. This was due to really not being in my 20's anymore as well as the quick switch to Fall with the drop of about 30 degrees in a day.

I have been moving more. Each night it seems I have some form of exercise planned. Heck a friend even talked me into taking a pilates class at 7:30am on Saturday! It is for 8 weeks. I missed the first class since I was on vacation. I did go on the 10th. After I had to go home and get LD so we could go to the Baseball stadium for the walk for MS. I was there for support and to see what time I could do a mile. LD raised money for the walk and got a t-shirt. Our next walk is on Sept 24th. It is another mile fun walk and health fair.  

Body and Soul Health Fest and Walkathon Sept. 24

Example of my workouts right now:
Monday: Tai Chi class (about 1 hour)
Tuesday: Water Aerobics (about 1 hour)
Wednesday: Pilates (about 1 hour)
Thursday: Bowling (fun and exercise!)
Friday: Water Aerobics (about 1 hour)
Saturday: Pilates (about 1 hour) and sometimes a mile walk depending on scheduling.
Sunday: REST! Or more like nothing formal scheduled but moving more than I use to.

My Tai Chi class ends next week and I am not going to take the next session. I need to change it up some I think. The Health Department is also starting a challenge that I am thinking about signing up for:

2011 Weight Loss Challenge

The sign up is Sept 20th between 5:30-9. We can get to the sign up after water aerobics. They are going to be offering free aerobic classes on Tues and Thursday. Also they will have an on-site weight room open M-F 5:30-8:45pm and on Sat 10am-2pm. They are going to have a personal trainer there. I am hoping that in a smaller setting with some personal attention I can start a strength training routine. I know that is really the next thing I need to add to keep improving my health. Right now I do not have the money to hire a personal trainer.

In 5 months I was able to earn enough points so that in March 2012 I will get top pay out from my work wellness program. Woohoo!! I am going to see if I can earn over 70 points. Right now I am at 56 points.

Well that is my life lately in a nutshell. I so wish there were more hours in a day. I do feel that I am making exercise a priority in my life and this is a very good thing.

I am still here

I just have not felt like writing much. Been in a bit of a funk that has been hard to get out of. Each time I sit down to start a post something comes up or I stare at the blank screen and freeze. Today I am just going to bullet point it and hopefully after I get back from vacation the words will flow.

• Workouts have been going really well. Tai Chi and Pilates have been great. We went over to another Y for water Aerobics since our pool was closed. WIN for trying something new. It was not our instructor or anything like the class we have come to love.
• My scale has stayed the same for about a month now. 
• I can tell I am getting stronger and clothing is still fitting better
• My eating is at times getting out of hand. I am just not eating healthy. 

On Saturday I did 1 mile at the Walk for the Fallen. I was not last but pretty close. LM found a quote that I am trying to ingrain. It goes something like this: "I may be last, but I am ahead of everyone who is still in bed". I have to think that way or I will not do it.

This is a picture of me at the Walk. I am also noticing that I am not focusing on my weight in pictures. The first thing I noticed when looking at this one was that I had very squinty eyes. I know it had to do with the sun. The 2nd thing I noticed was how flat my hair was looking.

We were asked to look thru a book of all that have died and pick a name to walk for. I did not find anyone with my last name, but I did find someone with my mom's maiden name. So that is who I picked. After the walk I went and found out more about the young man I had picked.

1st Lt Adam G Mooney

I was proud to walk for him and the others who have died.

Weigh In Day- Short and Sweet.

By the Numbers:

Weight: 265.8 lbs

Loss: -0.2 lbs

Total: -62.2 lbs

Avg: 2.07 lbs/wk

I walk thru life feeling the ground beneath my feet

I came to a realization last night during Pilates. I have a common theme for 3 of my favorite work outs. All 3 (Tai Chi, Water Aerobics and Pilates) are done barefoot. It does make sense. The first thing I do when I get home after work is kick off my shoes and socks and free my feet. I have always preferred walking around barefoot. I love the feel of grass between my toes and the sand at the beach. Now I need to find more workouts that I can do barefoot.

 Now for my NSVs

1) In 4 months I have done 55 hours toward my 100 hr Y workout challenge. I am over 1/2 done!!! I think I will complete the challenge in November and have my T-Shirt.

2) LM measured and and in all areas we have been measuring I have lost inches. (Bust, Waist, Hips, Thighs, and Arms) The smallest loss was 1 inch and the largest was 3.75 inches.

3) I am on my 4th food diary. Keeping track has really helped modify my eating habits.

Hope everyone is having a Happy Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday!



The graph is back in town

For better or worse my graph is back.

 By the Numbers:


Weight: 266.0 lbs

Loss: -4.5 lbs

Total: -62.0 lbs

Avg: 2.14 lbs/wk


My new scale also does % body fat, bone density, % body water and BMI. I am not a fan of BMI. I think I am going to start recording my body fat % though. If it does not go down I figure I am losing more muscle/water than fat when the scale shows a loss. I do not want that to happen.

Today I am starting my 4th food diary book. I have been keeping track now for 29 weeks. (started on January 15th) This is the longest stretch I have ever had. I may have finished one food diary before, but never 3 in a row. Things are really starting to feel like a habit. The exercise is actually fun. I want to be stronger and sleeker. I am at times liking what I see in the mirror more. I am enjoying the 'burn' and looking for other ways to exercise.

I hope everyone has a great Friday and a wonderful weekend! 

Blog- I have neglected you

I must admit that other things have occupied my time in the past week. Exercise, Work, Sleep, etc have all taken priority over the act of typing words on a screen. I have been falling asleep at night thinking about posts that I would like to write, but never typed a word. I have been reading the blogs I follow and smiling and nodding along with the insights, trials, and accomplishments. I just have not been commenting. I missed posting for Friend Making Monday. Today is usually my NSV list day. I am even taking a break from that. I plan to do my measurements this weekend and maybe take some updated pictures. I think both will be great NSVs for next week.

One thing that I am proud of is that my exercise has not suffered because of playing more computer games. What has suffered is blogging. That I can live with I think. I am not Catholic but I do give up something during Lent. This year I gave up computer gaming. It was also when I started my blog. I guess because I had the free time and was so high on new ME energy I was blogging almost daily. I was losing weight every week and trying out new exercises and other things that I had fun blogging about. Now that I have had a 3 week long plateau and I have started playing Garden of Time on FB my blogging has slacked off. I am doing about the same exercise and eating the same things each week. BORING!!!

With that being said I do have some post ideas. A new work challenge has started this month and I think it is going to be a hard one for me. I have my weigh in post tomorrow and I sneaked a peak today. I think my graph will be back tomorrow.

I would love some ideas though! What would you like me to write about? What would you like to know about me?

No graph today.

At this point I have been basically the same weight for a month.

Am I surprised? No

Am I disappointed? Slightly

Am I annoyed? YES

Am I going to let it get me down: NO! 
 
On 7/8 I was 270.5 and today I at 270.5. My weight loss has stalled and I am looking for ways to mix things up again. I need to get back on track with food tracking. I may not be seeing changes on the scale but I am feeling changes. I am stronger and my clothes are fitting better/differently. My size 22/24s are starting to SAG. I am feeling like my exercise is part of a routine and not something that I just have to do. I am making time for it and making it a priority. This is a great thing. I love that I asked to be pushed harder at Pilates. The scale will move down again. I have other things that I measure and each one has improved this week. I worked out every night. (Tai Chi/Water Aerobics/Pilates/Elliptical/Water Aerobics) I am still very much aware of my abs from Pilates. 


Any ideas of things I could do to mix things up? Anyone in the area of Lexington KY like to meet up?

Thursday NSVs

I got my new size 22 bathing suit on Tues and wore it for class that night. I LOVED it! I think I have finally found a keeper and a style to buy in the future when it wears out or I need a smaller size. I also think it will last longer than some of the other ones I have had. It is a Dolfin Women's conservative scoop back swimsuit that I got online from Dick's Sporting Goods. Going into Dick's sporting goods intimidates me. The times I have gone in have not been the greatest. The employees were not that helpful or nice. I did like being able to purchase online though.


Last night at beginner Pilates it was just the teacher and one other person. The guy is a regular who usually stays for the advanced class. I asked for more torture intensity since there were no others in the class. I wanted to find out if I could maybe handle the advanced class since I have been going pretty regularly now. She said I have really good form and she can tell I have gotten better. She was willing to increase some and I am so feeling it today. It is a good feeling!


What are some of your Non-Scale Victories this week?

I am finding it hard to define what would be considered a non-scale victory. One easy one to mention is when I increase time/distance/resistance/weight when exercising. I love reading NSVs from others because it helps me to define new goals and also to recognize achievements I have done.

Tonight has gone down the tubes

I was having a really good day. Food choices were in line and I enjoyed what I had during the day. I came home and had a small dinner before heading out to Tai Chi. Great time at Tai Chi. We are now up to move 14. Then at some point something switched in my brain. I am not sure what it was. I am still trying to analyze my feelings and what happened. I can not pin point exactly when things started to cycle in my brain. It feels like it was a switch, but it might have been a gradual thing over the past couple of days. Finally tonight it came to a head. When it became all about what I could eat before bed. Tonight I binged.

FMM= Friend Making Monday

Kenlie over at All the Weigh has a regular feature called Friend Making Monday and I am alittle late participating today.

From her post: "If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!"

FMM: Defining Moments

Was there a defining moment in which you realized that you needed to lose weight?  If so, will you elaborate? (If you experienced this moment in some other area of your life, please feel free to share that too!) 

 

 My first 'wake up call' was in September of 2010 when at my doctor's office the scale registered 339. I had always said in my head that I never wanted to be over 300. Here I was now at 339 and I could not register on my Wii or on my scale at home.  I started losing some then but not monitoring my blood sugar as I should. In January my A1c was 7.4 and my doctor increased my diabetes medications. At that point I had lost about 10 lbs but my numbers were still bad. On January 15th 2011 I started to keep a food diary and I joined the Y at the beginning of February. So my defining moment was not wanting to be on my medications and go down the road to having to take insulin shots. I want to keep that as far away as I can. To do that I have to be in better shape and take better care of myself. That means exercise and eating better. 6 months later I am still making strides and actually enjoying exercise!

Friday Weigh In

I started this post this morning before work and had plans to finish when I came home at noon. I took a 1/2 day today. I love only working 1/2 days. Well I did not get back to the post till now. (8:30pm) Today has been a good day. I still have more things to do. now to my Weigh in Post

Lets start of with 2 things that I purchased yesterday. Once again I am on the hunt for a swim suit and made a purchase from Dick's sporting goods.

It is called a Dolfin Women's Conservative Scoop Back Swimsuit. I had a 10% off code and it qualified for free shipping. Now I just have to wait till it gets here. I am really trying to find a style that I like that I can find regularly when I need to purchase another suit. I did look at speedo but nothing on sale was in my size. I got this one in a 22. The bottom 1/2 of the 2 piece I have been wearing has started to wear thin. Chlorine so does a number on cheaper swimsuits. I know I need to get some good cleaning solution to help increase the life of my suit. For the swimmers out there what do you do to keep increase your suit's life?

I also ordered a BlackHawk 100oz Hydration System in black from Galls.com. A friend from work got one and I got to look at it some before I decided on buying it. Well really I ordered it from the store since the Warehouse and Corp offices are in town. I went and picked it up this afternoon. It is on Clearance- Score! These things can run up to $100 and this is on clearance for $30. I think it will really help on the bike rides that I am starting to do. I just need to have the weather get alittle cooler. Right now we are in a heat advisory till Saturday. 

Now on to the numbers. I am not showing much change in the scale but I can tell a difference again in how my clothes are fitting. This is a very good thing. I wore a shirt yesterday (size 26/28) that has to be retired to become a night shirt now. It was just billowy. 

By the Numbers
 
Weight: 269.6 lbs

Loss: -0.5 lbs
 
Total: 58.4 lbs

Avg: 2.16 lbs/wk
 


I did not get as many workouts in this week and I think that impacted my loss. I am also having a hard time on the weekends. I know that I need to get back to more of a 90/10 instead of like 75/25 that I have been doing on my eating. Fast food has been creeping in again. Today I had McDonalds and Rallys. Better choices than I use to do, but still it is fast food. It gives me something to work on this weekend and next week.

Migraine my old friend

I have had a couple of months pain free but that ended over the weekend. I had been slowly feeling a migraine coming for a couple of days. My brain was starting to fog up and other things. I had been doing things that usually will head it off at the pass but that was not to be this time. Last night I crawled into bed early and when I woke up this morning it blossomed. I was slurring as I talked and could only open my eyes a crack. The sun it burns! Work was called and I spent most of the day in bed with the curtains drawn.

I have not exercised since Thursday. I missed Tai Chi tonight due to the migraine. I am hoping I am up for water aerobics tomorrow but I will have to wait and see. I will be crawling back into bed soon and hope the brain fog lifts some more. I was able to eat some bland things tonight. Comfort foods happened.

In some good news my blood work from Wed came back. My A1c was 5.6 (down .1 from 3 months ago) my total cholesterol was good but my good is still low and my bad is still high. At least the good cholesterol is higher than it was 3 months ago. I think the niacin is helping as well as the exercise.

Time to go crawl back into bed. Tomorrow is another day.

Weigh In

Quick post today as I try to wake up. Today's weigh in is basically a hold steady. My NSVs from yesterday totally overshadow the tiny loss registered this week.

By the Numbers

Weight:  270.1 lbs

Loss: -0.4 lbs

Total: -57.9 lbs

Avg: 2.23 lbs/wk

There you go! Now it is time to get ready for work. I am so glad it is Friday! The plans for the weekend include working around the house and a trip to Louisville. Do you have any plans for the weekend?

NSV Thursday

I had my 3 month follow up yesterday with my great primary doctor.  She was very happy with my weight loss and my blood pressure. I am happy that she has provided me with my 3 Non-scale victories today!

1) I am now off Glyburide completely! 

2) My water pill (Furosemide) dosage has been cut in half. I was taking 1-2 40mg pills a day and now the recommendation is a 20 mg pill daily if needed. I can take 2 if the swelling is bad because of it being the summer. 

3) She wants to see me back in 6 months instead of the usual 3 since I am doing so well. 


Why yes I am really pleased with my results! Of course she mentioned the dreaded M word (mammogram) when she saw that in October I will be turning 40. The other annoying thing was the new handout they had to give out. The nurse lists your BMI in a spot and the handout just gives ideas/guidelines about what the BMI means and how to change it. The nurse was so not enthused about doing it. She said that if I said I smoked then she would have had another handout for me. I did get my blood drawn for a fasting lipid and a 3 month sugar test. I should get the results in about a week. I was so glad to eat at 3:30!

What are some of your NSVs this week? 

My exercise schedule

It seems I am getting better at making exercise a priority. My problem now is finding the time to get all the different types that I want to do in during the week. Right now I have something scheduled for 4 out of the 5 workdays and each class is 1 hour. What is also nice is that it a nice mix of cardio and strength training I think. I am feeling very balanced in my workouts.

Monday: Tai Chi from 7-8 pm

Tuesday: Water Aerobics from 6-7 pm
 
Wednesday: Pilates from 5:30-6:30 pm
 
Thursday: Off or maybe 30-45 minutes of cardio equipment
 
Friday: Water Aerobics from 6-7 pm

I still want to figure out time to go out on the rental bikes at the Y. The big problem lately has been the HEAT here in Lexington. It was just not good to be out over the weekend or this week. I would like to get to Louisville once for Zumba w/ Katie. I want to look at some of the free classes that are around town. Maybe even try a yoga class. Then there is belly dancing or even Jazzercise. This time it has really helped that I am not just doing cardio machines. I love the classes and being in a group setting. Tonight's Tai Chi class had about 20 people. There is room for more though if anyone is interested. It is at Beaumont Y on Mondays from 7-8pm. Cost is $109 for non-members or $69 for members. It is fine to start on the 2nd week. We only learned the first 5 moves. (there are 60 moves) I would love to have some other friends in the class!

The graph is back!

The new scale is registering the same thing the first 2 times. I am glad we got this at target. It is nice that there is a back light in the display so I do not have to put the light on if I want to weigh.

By The Numbers 

Weight: 270.5 lbs

Loss: -5.1 lbs (2 wks) 

Total: 57.5 lbs

Avg: 2.3 lbs/wk

I am working toward being 268 next weigh in. That would be 60 lbs in 6 months. I am now at my lowest weight in 6 years. My 3 month follow up with my doctor is next week. I am not dreading the scale and the results. Now time to get ready for work and my work weigh in. There is just 2 more weeks after this for my work challenge. I do not think I am going to win the top prize for % lost but that is fine. Right now with 57.5 lbs gone I have lost 17.5% of my body weight.

Tonight is Water Aerobics. Tuesday the class was cut short because of weather. Even though we are an indoor pool they have to have us get out if there is thunder and lightning. We had been working out hard for 30 minutes and then: Everyone out of the pool! Wednesday was Pilates and I can tell I am getting stronger. I was able to hold table top. Next week I start Tai Chi again. This time on Monday night. The clothes I posted on cheapcycle for sale did not sell yet. I might take some more pictures and try Craigs List. Anyone have any good place online to sell clothing? 

Hope everyone has a great Friday and a fun filled weekend.

Warning: Brain Dump Ahead

Today's post is not going to have a theme or be centered on any one thing. I have a bunch of thoughts in my head and I am just going to write about them.

Yesterday I went through my closet and removed all the size 26 or 26/28 pants and capris. I ended up with 17 pairs of pants and 9 pairs of capris. Wow. I really did not think I had that many. One problem is that I would only wear the same things over and over again. I bought clothing because they kinda fit and then would not wear them because I really did not like what I got.  The closet looks a bit empty. I did fix that some with getting 3 pairs of capris from Avenue the other day. I had a good coupon and they had a sale. I have figured out I am firmly right now a size 22. 18/20 is too small and 22/24 is slightly too big. What I picked up is some 18/20 since I know I can get there soon. I have listed the pants on the local cheapcycle list and we shall see if I can sell them. If not they will go to goodwill.

 On Friday we got a new scale. It is a WW scale with a bunch of bells and whistles. It stores data for up to 4 people. The extras include measuring of % body fat, water, and bone mass. Oh yeah it also does BMI. I think the interesting thing was the bone mass. Not sure what the accuracy is like but it is stating that I am over on that. I have always said I am 'big boned'.


LM and I did go to the Y and tried out the bikes on Friday. We road about 10 minutes to get the feel of things. One bike was having a problem with keeping the seat locked. When the seat was at the lowest position I could not ride it. It put my knees in a bad position. The other problem is that it was really HOT out. We did not bring water/sunscreen/other stuff to deal with the heat. The big thing is that we know we can do it.

I got an email yesterday from Win Lose Blog stating that I was not chosen to compete in the next 7 week challenge.  It got me really bummed out and at one point I was doubting my blogging and even my weight loss. Then I thought about Skinny Emmie's most recent post: I do it for me. She hit the nail on the head with this one. I will be following Win Lose Blog and may even try again next season. I have the last 4 weeks of my work challenge and also working on my 100 hour challenge at the Y to work towards in the summer. The Beat the Heat challenge starts today but I do not have 5 goals set up. For those of you that are doing the Beat the Heat challenge would it be a problem to join 'late'?

Yesterday was food shopping and we ended with going to the Farmers Market. There was so much to choose from. We ended up with: new red potatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, and beans. YUM! Also fresh made pasta. That is for dinner/lunch today.

Brain dump complete! Now it is time to get some stuff done. Have a great 4th!

The Weigh In that Wasn't

Where is my cool graph you might be asking?

Here is the story of my weigh in morning:

I stepped on the scale this morning. Stepped off. Stepped on again. I repeated this about 10 times.I could not seem to get the same readout twice. It ranged from 271-274.  I even got an error message. I know the scale has been acting up so usually I step on 3 times and 2 of them are the same. I could not get 2 the same in a row to save my life this morning. I think I got 272.8 twice. I know some of it is because of our floor. We live in an old house and it is warped in places. Still if I do not move the scale it should in 3 times register the same thing at least twice. This inconsistency has been getting worse and worse. JD and LM have both commented on the problem. I am tired of my work weigh in for my challenge and my weight at the doctor registering lower than my home scale. I think fully clothed in the middle of the day would not show 2-3 lbs lighter than my morning weigh in.

This means at some point this weekend a new scale will be purchased! Any recommendations?

In other news I have a 1/2 day at work so LM and I are going to run errands during the day. The first one is going to the Y and signing up for the bike rentals. I want to try one out and just see if I can still ride. This will be done about 1pm, and then we will head out to do other errands. We will end back at the Y for water aerobics at 6pm. Wow, the Y twice in 1 day. I am not sure what other holiday weekend plans we have. Rest and relaxation for some of it I think. I also want to do a bike ride tomorrow morning.

What are your weekend plans?

4 NSVs and a Pain (NSV Thursday)

1) I finished my 12 week Tai Chi class on Saturday. I only missed one class and that was because I went to the Step Out Walk. I really need to practice more. I have signed up to take the beginner class again and it starts on Monday July 11th.

2) I was ok with posting my pictures on my blog. I may not have been happy about it but I did it anyway. I still should get some more pictures up on facebook.

3) I know I have more energy and I think I am needing less sleep. We have one car and 3 people in the household. JD and I work at the same place but my schedule is 8-5 and his is 2-10:45. I have to come back and get him at the end of his shift. This means I am really not getting to bed till about 11:30 or 12. The alarm goes off at 6:20 and I use to hit the snooze 3-5 times. Now I am getting up after 1-2 snoozes and sometimes I do not even hit the snooze. I am also taking less naps.

4) I submitted an application to participate in a weight loss blog challenge that starts on July 11th. I have not heard back yet. Once I hear back either way I will post more about it. I am still debating about doing the  Beat the Heat 10 week challenge. It starts on July 4th. I think trying to do both would be problematic so I need to wait till I hear back on my submission.

My  biggest problem lately has been aches and pains. I have arthritis in my knees and at times they give me fits. Last night was one such time. I came downstairs about 3am because of the pain. I would turn over in bed and bend my knee which would wake me up. I took some OTC meds and decided that I could not get back up the stairs. Luckily we have a guest bedroom downstairs where I can crash. I am doing this more often than I would like. I am also having some shoulder and elbow pain. None of these feel like somthing major, but I think they are holding me back at times.

One More Thing: LM went with me to pilates last night! It was nice having someone else going thru the torture experience the class with me. I really like the instructor. She is very clear and gives modifications to help those who are just starting out. LM is also going to try water aerobics. We went to Target last night and she got a bathing suit and I got a new tankini to go with the swimshorts I got a couple of weeks ago. The cool thing is that it was on clearance- SCORE! There was a 1-piece on clearance but I could not fit it. I did think about getting it for later in the season since it was only $10. I might go back later and pick it up. I am not usually a big fan of Target for clothing but they have been really good for swimwear.

Pictures are worth 1000 words

I have a picture from April and one that I took recently. Based on the numbers there is about a 20 lb difference in the 2 months. I am not sure I see it, but LM states she does. I can tell some in the face but that is about it. I so do not like pictures.  LM was kind enough to put the pictures side by side. At least I am smiling in the 2nd picture. The one in the swimsuit is from April and the one outside is from June.

Now for some pictures that I really like. I work to pay the mortgage for my cats. I have 4.

This is my oldest at about 16 years old. His name is Mr Melodie Man. When I got him from the humane society I was told he was a return and that he was a she. That is where he got the name Melodie. On the 3rd vet visit I was advised that I had a male kitty. Then his full name became Mr Melodie Man.

Next up is Dustbunnie. She is about a year younger than Melodie. She is our pudgy curmudgeon. She is also another humane society adoption. She is the heaviest of the 4 but can move when she wants like when she has a mouse.


Last up are a brother and sister named Strife and Serendipity. He perfectly named cause he brings such strife at times into our life. We call him our slow and special kitty at times. He just lives life to his own special music. He is such a lovable kitty. 

Serendipity is his sister. At one time I was feeding the strays outside and we caught the mother and picked these 2 up at the same time. I think they were about 3 weeks old when we brought them inside.

She is a sweety but if you visit you probably will never see her or Strife. They do not like guests much and will run and hide. She also does not like to be held but loves to be brushed.




So those are my 4 babies. They deserve alittle face time on my blog.

Friday Weigh In: I am not pleased

I am not disappointed. I am just meh about today's weigh in. I feel I did everything 'right' this week but the numbers just are not there. Some weeks are just like that I guess. My abs and other parts are still sore from Wed night Pilates. I really pushed myself during the class and it felt good.

By The Numbers

Weight: 275.6 lbs

Loss: -0.8 lbs

Total: 52.4 lbs

Avg: 2.28 lbs/wk




I am officially 2/3rds of the way to my 1st goal. I have 18 weeks till Oct 27th. My average is still better than the average I need to make my goal. I am feeling so much better. It is easier to move and breathe. I may be meh about the numbers today I am not meh about my workouts. Today is also my weigh in for work. We shall see how that one goes.

In other news: 

The North Lexington Y is going to start renting bikes to members on June 27th. I am super excited about this! I am going to go look at helmets this weekend. A helmet is a much lower investment to find out if I will like riding a bike. I can test it out a bit and then decide. Woohoo!!!

I got a Blog Award!!!

Wow, my first Blog award. 

Karen at Waisting Time picked me on Monday as a Stylish Blogger Recipient. I am really in awe and want to thank her for my first award. I have been blogging 4 months now and really having a great time talking about my journey. The other great thing is the connections I have been making with other bloggers. I have laughed, cried, and nodding my head in agreement as I read.

Now to the 7 things about me.

1) I am a water baby. I love the water and wish I lived by the ocean. My background is from a trip to Florida last year. I am trying to get to the beach at least once a year. I wish I could swim better and I am thinking about taking an adult swim class to help that. I do not like to get my face in the water much. Now I just want to find a nice swimsuit that I can do water aerobics in. I think I have bought 3 recently and nothing is just right. Next I think I am going to try the local swim shop. They carry speedo.

2) I was a teenager in the 80's and still long for the feathered hair look. I was not into the 'big hair' but loved having the feathered look around my face. I have layers now but it is not the same. The shortest I have ever had my hair was my shoulders and that is when I was about 10 years old.

3) I am not a big fan of the color green. If you look in my closet right now you would only see 1 green thing and that is a T-shirt that I got free from work. I love the color green in nature, but it so does not look good on me.

4) I really like red. I just like the pink-red-purple spectrum. I keep on buying red shirts lately. I even got this bright pink shirt the last time I went shopping.

5) My pants are mostly black. I am trying to branch out and I have recently purchased some purple capris as well as a beige pair. I do not think I will ever willingly wear White though. *shudder* The white t-shirts I get from conventions get Tie-Dyed.

6) I bought clothing recently in a size 22 and I have been scared to wear them. I am still not believing that I can wear a 22. I worry that they will be too tight and I will have a wardrobe malfunction. I know logically that the pants may be snug but they will fit. I am just not all mentally there yet. I still gravitate to the 24s and even the 26s in the morning. I am doing ok with the 22/24 pants that have some stretch to them. Hopefully in a week or 2 I will be more secure in my wardrobe.

7) I am trying to learn to gracefully say thank you when people comment on my weight loss. I am having a really big problem accepting the praise. I had a random woman today mention it when I was going into the Y. I think she is a regular in the water aerobics class so she has been seeing me for months now. She yelled out of her car window that I was looking good and she could tell I had lost weight. I just find it so hard to answer with style. To not stumble over my words.

Dang this was hard! It took me a bit to get started, but I think I came up with 7 interesting things about me and my style!

Now for my Nominations! 
 I am suppose to pick 15 but I am not reading that many blogs. I am going to stick with 5!

Noel @  http://noelfigart.com/blog/

Emmie @ http://skinnyemmie.com/

Leila @ http://withinpages.blogspot.com/

Katie @ http://www.areyouwilling.net/  and http://www.zumbafitnesswithkatie.com/

Maia @ http://musingsofmaia.blogspot.com/


Thank you again Karen for my first blog award.