Arizona: Day 2

I'm having such a hard time getting used to the time difference!  In Michigan, it is 10:40 PM right now, but in Arizona, it's only 7:40. I really feel like I need to be asleep.

I was up bright and early at 5:00 this morning, which is when I finished writing my blog. We had some coffee and sat around for a little bit, and then Sarah and I went to her gym. This was a (near) first for me, because the last time I was in a gym was when I was a freshman in college (2001).

The gym was HUGE and the equipment looked really nice. Sarah had a 3-day pass that I could use, which was perfect. I planned on running 8 miles on the dreadmill. I learned that just because it's in Arizona doesn't mean it's any less boring to run on a treadmill. Each machine had its own TV, but there wasn't anything interesting on. I ended up watching America's Next Top Model and running just 4 miles before I couldn't take it any more. It was SO HOT in there, and there weren't fans (except ceiling fans, which didn't help at all).

After that, Sarah and I went into the spinning classroom--but there wasn't a class going on, so it was just the two of us in there. I've always been TERRIFIED of spinning, so I would never have tried a class. But Sarah showed me how it works and WOW. It was seriously the hardest.workout.EVER. I only ended up doing 20 minutes total, and most of it was just easy peddling to catch my breath from the extremely intense 30 second hardcore crap she had me do.

Spinning is intense. And definitely not something I'm interested in pursuing! I realized that I had every reason to be terrified of it, because it's HARD.

We're supposed to go back to the gym tomorrow, too. I know I'll run, but I don't even want to guess how long I'll last. The heat + boredom does not make a fun run!

After the gym, we went to her house and showered and dressed, then we went to get manicures and pedicures for the wedding. I picked the same color of pink as my dress (the dress color is called "Watermelon") for both my toes and my fingers.

My mom flew in today for the wedding. She's staying with a mutual friend at a nearby hotel. They came over to Sarah's and planned the rehearsal dinner. We're going to have a picnic here tomorrow for the rehearsal dinner, even though we're not having an actual "rehearsal". Tomorrow is when everything is going to get crazy, I'm sure.

Sarah's friend Kristal (also a bridesmaid) flew in today as well. We went and got ice cream after dinner. I had a scoop of Red Velvet and a scoop of Reese's PB Cup. Yum!

Sorry, but I've not been good with taking pictures while I'm here. But I did get the pictures back from the Big House Big Heart 10-K race I did on Sunday, so I'll show you those:

Check out how pale my lips are--that's how you know I'm about to puke

Picking up the pace, with 50 yards to go

Finish line

This is one of my brother's pics. Why don't my pics ever turn out this good?!

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The nightmare that was my flight

Well, you all know by now that my biggest fear is flying. I hate it and will do just about ANYTHING to avoid it. So naturally, when something goes wrong, it would by on MY plane! I will start by saying that I made it to Arizona safely, and I'm fighting to stay awake at Sarah's house right now (it's 9:10 PM here, but 12:10 PM in Michigan).

Jerry and I got ready to leave and my little brother ended up driving us to the airport. We had no problems getting through security or anything, and we made it to the gate. After waiting there for a while, the plane started boarding. I had picked our seats online, because I wanted to be SURE to get a seat next to the window, since my older brother told me there would be less turbulence.
(Okay, I literally fell asleep while typing. It's now 9:00 Thursday morning)...

We got on the plane and sat in our seats. I was just above the right wing. I had taken to Xanax in the airport, but I was still nervous. The plane started taxiing and we got to the runway. Then we just sat there. For a looong time. The plane was super hot, and there wasn't much air coming out of those vents. I was on the verge of a panic attack.

Then the pilot came on the speaker saying that there was a problem with the right engine, and they were "working on it". WHAT?! I just wanted to get off the plane immediately. I didn't want them to fix it while we were sitting there. We sat there for about an hour, and everyone was super hot. Finally, the pilot said that they weren't able to fix it, so we had to return to the gate and go board another plane.

I was NOT okay with this. I really just wanted to go home. My Xanax was quickly wearing off. Anyway, Sarah sent me a text saying that her friend Kristal (also a bridesmaid) may not be coming, and she really needed me to come. So about an hour later, we boarded a new plane, which had different seating. And of course it would be my luck that they'd put in in the BACK of the plane, which is the worst spot to sit as far as turbulence goes.

I popped a couple more Xanax, and then we had to sit and wait in the plane for almost another hour because they had to reload our luggage and change the food carts and all that crap. So it was three hours after the original departure time that we finally took-off.

It was the most turbulent flight I've ever had. The second we took off, the plane was shaking and rocking and I just thought, "What the fuck am I doing here?!"  I kept my feet off the floor and my arms off the hand rests (I found you feel the bumps less if you don't have contact with those things).

For two hours, the turbulence was really bad. Once we got past the mid-way point, it got a little smoother with a few rough patches. I even managed to take some pictures:

Lake Michigan coast line

Dunno where this was... but aren't the circles kind of cool?

Tired from 2 mg of Xanax

The mountains out west look awesome

The landing was really rough. I almost hit my head on the seat in front of me because we stopped so fast. But when we got to the gate, I saw this:

The yellow sticker says "human remains"

It was sad and kind of interesting at the same time. They were actually loading the body onto the plane while we were deboarding.

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We got to Sarah's, and her house is GORGEOUS. I was in total awe. I didn't take any pics last night. We went out to dinner with Sarah and her fiance, Ne  (His name is Norberto, but everyone calls him Ne--pronounced Nay). They took us to their favorite Mexican restaurant called Ponchos, and it was AMAZING. I didn't plan on eating too much, and I even split a dinner with Sarah, but I left there completely stuffed with margarita, chips and salsa, and a variety dinner. I even had my first tamale, and it was so good.

After that, Sarah and I went shopping for her wedding night lingerie. I had told her a long time ago that I wanted to buy it for her, so we finally got to go shop. I also bought some Spanx for myself ;)  After paying, we were walking out, and the math wasn't adding up in my head. I thought $160 seemed like a lot for three items--her nightie (about $50), my Spanx (about $75), plus a pair of panties that were blue lace and said, "I DO" on the front (didn't check the price, but they were just panties).

I pulled out the receipt and those panties were $31!!! We both laughed so hard at that. I know for a fact that I've never spent more than about $3 on a pair of panties. We discovered that the "I DO" was made out of swarovski crystals--BAHAHAHA.  Then we were joking about how she could possibly use them again, and she said maybe she could rearrage them to spell, "IT'S A BOY" some day. Yup, the $31 pair of panties. Yikes!

This is what a $31 pair of panties looks like

We are suckers.

Today, I'm going to Sarah's gym with her to run on the dreadmill. Arizona is HOT.

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New pics from the party

Well, I don't look any better in the bridesmaid dress than I did 10 weeks ago. Oh well. I'm just praying that come Saturday, I'll be able to zip it. So I won't be eating much on my Arizona trip.

My mom came over last night and brought over the pictures from my dad's surprise party. I love how they turned out!  I won't bore you with tons of them, but here are a few favorites:

Someone asked my dad something about the 60's... haha!

My little brother Nathan, my dad, and my older brother Brian

My siblings, my kids, and my parents

Me and my siblings

Being silly

Love this picture of Noah!

My mom's next door neighbor took all the pictures. They look fantastic, don't they?!  For Christmas, my mom is going to hire her to do a photo shoot of Jerry, me, and our kids.

I'm going to keep this entry short, because I am still not done packing, and we're leaving for the airport at 6:00 AM.  Did anyone happen to catch Dr. Oz yesterday?  Chris Powell was on there--I love him!! He's a trainer that helps people with massive weight loss. I originally saw him on The 650-lb Virgin documentary, and now he's on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition.

Anyway, he said something that completely struck a chord with me yesterday. He was talking about his diet regimen (eating high carb one day, and then low-carb the next, for 6 days a week). You get one "free day" per week where you can eat whatever you want... as long as you don't bring it home with you.

This is genius! I know it's so simple, but 90% of my overeating is AT HOME. I don't even think I would have the urge to binge outside of my house. I don't binge in public, so this makes so much sense to me. Anyway, he actually talked about a few things that are new to me--which is rare. Most weight loss advice we've all heard 1,000 times over; but he had some new, interesting info.

Today I went out for coffee with Renee and Jessica again, and Jessica suggested that the two of us run the FULL marathon in Detroit next year! I really want to do it, and having someone to train with would be fun. So I think we're going to do it!  :)

Jerry and I are going to bring the kids to my parents house now, and then next time I write, I'll either be in Arizona or back home. I'm bringing my computer so that I can hopefully blog, but I don't know if I'll have internet at Sarah's, so we'll see.

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Two more days

I leave for Arizona on Wednesday. It's coming up so fast! I'm a total nervous wreck about flying. When we were driving to the race yesterday, I was asking my brother (the pilot) some questions. The thing that causes panic attacks more than anything is not the take-off or landing (I'm fine for those) but the whole middle section. I flip out every time I hear the noise of the engines change--whether they get louder or quieter. I hate that noise change!

So I asked Brian what it's caused from, and he told me it's a number of things: as the plane burns more fuel, it goes faster and higher, basically running more efficiently, so the pilots make the engines "slower" (these are MY words, not exactly pilot-speak); if there is some turbulence, the pilots might change altitude to make it smoother, so that will change the noise of the engines; when the plane starts to descend for landing, the noise changes.

So now that I know that, I'm going to keep those things in mind on the flight when I hear the noise change. I'm also going to make it a point to talk to the pilots before the flight, because that will ease my mind a little. Brian told me that the other day, a woman went up to talk to him because she was a nervous flier, and he showed her the foot rests that the pilots use while flying. He pointed out how worn out the paint is on them, because while people in the back are nervous about the bumps, the pilots are sitting with their feet up, drinking coffee and reading a newspaper. Hahaha, I don't think that makes me feel any better!

I'm hoping that I'll be able to sit Indian-style in my seat--because when my feet are up off the floor, I don't feel the little bumps. But holding them up is some serious ab-work! I'm going to take Xanax before the flight, but meds never help me when I'm THIS nervous.

This was my last flight (Aug 2010). I'm only smiling because I was drunk.

The temperature in Arizona is supposed to be over 100 degrees most of the time we're there. It RARELY reaches 100 degrees in Michigan in the middle of summer! So I'll be packing some sundresses and shorts.  I bought a luggage set at Goodwill today for $20. It came with 3 nesting suitcases--the outer one is HUGE, and at first I thought it was $20 for just that suitcase. I decided to buy it, and when I opened it up, there was another suitcase inside. I opened that, and there was another. So I thought it was an awesome deal.

Tomorrow I need to finalize all the details for my kids. My sister is coming in on Wednesday to take care of them until Sunday. Our plane doesn't arrive until 6 pm Sunday. My kids are going to have a blast with my sister, of course!

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Big House Big Heart 10-K Race Report

Well, it's OVER. I'm so glad!  I've been anticipating/dreading this race all summer. Since I wasn't able to run a half marathon this fall like I'd wanted, I decided to do this 10-K... and do it right! I followed an intermediate training program right to the tee, hoping to PR at this race. All last week, I kept thinking, "What if I did all this training and I don't PR?" It was such a huge deal to me to PR at this race! My last 10-K finish time was 55:05, so I was hoping for anything less than that. I figured if I try to keep an 8:50/mi pace, that will get me in under 55:05. (I later realized I was wrong about that)

My cousin Kaitlin actually organized a "team" of us to run either the 5-K or 10-K in honor of her mom, Kim. Kim died 5 years ago from adrenal cancer--she was WAY too young to die, and she left behind three teenage girls. A portion of our race fee went to charity, and Kaitlin did a lot of fundraising on her own to donate to adrenal cancer research. Anyway, my brother Brian and I were the only ones from our group to run the 10-K.

Some of our team after the race

We got to the starting line at about 7:30 (race started at 8:00). There were signs designating where to line up, based on pace. We went between the 8:00/mi and 9:00/mi signs. There were a lot of people running, so it was kind of crowded the first mile, and I didn't get to go as fast as I would have liked. The first mile went by SO SLOWLY. I kept waiting to hear the beep on my Garmin, signaling the end of the first mile.

At about the 1 mile mark, there was a steep hill. My legs were on fire while I ran up, and I know that slowed me down a little. And the worst part was knowing that I was going to have to do that hill AGAIN, because the course loops around. I kind of just made up my mind to not try for a PR at this point. My lungs and legs were killing me from the hill.

After another mile, I looked at my Garmin, and I was actually on pace for a PR, so I decided just to keep trying it.  Because the course looped back on itself, it seemed to be sooo long. I wanted to quit so badly. I was exhausted. I felt like I was running in circles and it would never end.

After running up the big hill for the second time, my lungs were on fire. Normally, I don't need water for at least 10 miles, but the hill did me in. I kept expecting to see a water station around each corner (and there were LOTS of corners), but it was probably a mile after the hill. I gulped down a cup and kept running.

After mile 5, the course does about 1/4 mile out and back. I saw my brother as I started heading out (he was almost done with the O&B part, so he was facing me). At this point, I really started thinking that I might puke. I don't think I've ever run this hard before. Then I really felt like I was going to pee my pants, which would be even worse than puking. I took the speed down a notch, and just said, "Fuck it" as far as a PR goes. I just wanted to be done!

I was so tempted to just walk the last mile in, but when I saw I was still on track for a PR (8:49/mi pace at this point), I just kept willing myself to keep going. We entered the stadium with just a couple hundred yards to go. We ran down the tunnel that the U of M football players run down, and then we ran onto the football field. As soon as I hit the grass, I saw that I just had to run to the end of the football field, turn, and run across the 50-yard line.

The final few yards (not me, I took this afterward)

The finish line

The big screen showing the runners as they finished

 I felt slow as molasses when I made the turn, but after that, I was flying. My pace was 5:41/mi for the last thirty yards or so ;)  When I crossed the finish line, I stopped the Garmin and saw that my average pace was 8:50/mi, which is what I calculated that I'd need to PR. However... my finish time (according to my Garmin) was 55:11 (6 seconds too slow to PR).

The reason for the discrepancy is because of the course length. When they measure the route for a race, they measure the shortest way to run it (the inside part of the course). So if you take wide turns, zig-zag, etc, then you might run farther than the actual race distance. This race ended up having me run 0.05 miles farther than the last one. So while I planned on an 8:50/mi pace, I forgot to account for the longer distance.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, I did NOT set a PR today. I was bummed, but not terribly. I know I ran my hardest, I hit my target pace, and I ran HILLS this time. There were no hills in the last 10-K I did. So even though it sucks not to PR, I am happy with my time.

Here are my splits:

My average heart rate was more than 90% of my maximum heart rate...yikes!

My Garmin (a.k.a. "unofficial" results)

Brian and me, post-race (obviously)

After the race, I grabbed some water and caught my breath on the bleachers. Brian and I walked down by the 50-yard line to take pictures, and while I was walking, who should I run into but Rose from Hacker Half Marathon!!  She recognized me first, and I knew she was going to be there, so I was excited to actually bump into her among 14,000 runners! This was my first time ever meeting a fellow blogger in person--I'm sure I was completely awkward ;)  She's going to be running her first marathon next weekend, so make sure you wish her luck!

See how packed it was?!

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So, my final "official" results were:

Chip time:  55:13.7 (8:54/mi pace)
Placement overall:  1,010/2,299
Placement age group: 74/223
Placement females:  364/1,236

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NuNaturals Giveaway Winners Announced!

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the interest on the NuNaturals Giveaway. I wrote down everyone's names on a piece of paper, and put them in a bowl. Then I let my kids each pick two names from the bowl.

And the winners are:

 

Congrats to all four of you!!  Please e-mail me (SlimKatie (at) runsforcookies (dot) com) your full name and address no later than Sunday night (tomorrow). I will give it to Ron at NuNaturals, and he will get the goodies to you!

To everyone else, remember that you can send for FREE SAMPLES right now--you can find instructions how to do so here.

NuNaturals is also offering a discount when you order from their website--At the checkout page, you should enter this code :  BLG1211, and you will receive a discount of  -15% on your total order.  And, you will also get FREE SHIPPING to the Continental U.S. on all orders totaling $35.00+, after the special discount. This offer ends December 31, 2011.

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Pre-Op Appointment for Lower Body Lift Surgery

So I went back to the plastic surgeon today, to finalize details for the surgery. After asking her a bunch of questions, I decided that I am going to go ahead with the lower body lift (rather than just the tummy tuck). There was good news and bad news--apparently my insurance is going to cover a panniculectomy only, which is removal of the abdominal skin.

This does NOT include the tightening of the abdominal muscles or the replacement of the belly button (which, the surgeon told me, would mean my belly button would be down near my pubic area afterward!)

So if I wanted her to do those things, it would not be covered by insurance--it would cost roughly $2,000 out of pocket to add that. Of course, I told her that the belly button replacement is a MUST, so adding that and the muscle repair wasn't even optional for me.

We also talked about my hips and butt, and she said that if we did the lower body lift, the cost out of pocket would be $4,300. She showed me the results I can expect, and even though the hips and butt are a cosmetic procedure and not medical (like my abdomen), I decided that I really want to just do it all. I don't think I'll have a problem financing it--but I'll definitely need to consider getting a job next year to help pay for it. (This is when I wish I had a big enough blog to make money for blogging!)

Anyway, my mom went with me to the appointment this time, and asked a few questions too. She liked the surgeon and she thinks I made the right decision about the procedure. She kept saying, "You've EARNED this!"  And I guess that's true. But my body wouldn't look like this right now if I had taken care of it from the beginning.

All of the pre-op paperwork was filled out, and the doctor gave me prescriptions for antibiotics and pain meds to get filled before surgery. She gave me two bars of soap that she wants me to use--one the night before surgery, and one the morning of surgery.

And then, for the big surprise... She actually asked me if I would be willing to let a film crew record a video of the surgery itself. At first, I just laughed, like, "Um, NO". But she said my face would not be in it, and it's would be used for medical students. I decided to say yes. Because when I think about it, she is probably going to make damn sure to do her best job possible if she is being filmed. Also, I will know that everyone in the surgery room will be on their best behavior as well, and there will be less of a chance for something to go wrong ;)

I asked why she chose ME to film, and the reason was because she said I have a "tiny little body under there" and that I'm going to have great results from this. Most of the weight loss patients she works on are post-bariatric surgery, and they are still overweight; they also don't do much exercise (particularly not strenuous exercise like running). My body is very fit underneath my saggy skin, so she knows I will have good results worth using in a video, apparently. The film crew is actually working on a series of videos of different procedures.

The doctor stressed how important it is for me to eat a lot of protein post-op. This is going to be very difficult for me, but I'm going to follow all instructions right to the tee to make sure I heal as fast as possible. Losing weight, I felt best on a lower-protein, higher-carb, higher-fat diet.

I always feel kind of crappy when I eat a lot of protein or especially when I limit carbs. I think I'll get some non-dairy protein powders and I'll make shakes for breakfast and lunch, and then I'll try to have meat with dinner every day. She wants me to get upwards of 100 grams of protein per day, which is going to be challenging. And she wants me to start doing this soon.

My recovery is going to suck for about 10 days. I will not be able to sit up at all--I can only lie down on my side or stand (this is to avoid stretching the incision on my back). This means I won't be able to even go anywhere, because I'd have to sit in the car. I'm hoping that my friends will come visit me and keep me company! I was hoping to be able to blog often, but I don't know how I'll do that, unless I'm standing. Or maybe I'll do video blogs ;)

So from now until the surgery, all I have to do is prepare for my recovery; get financing for the surgery; buy 2 compression garments; and fill my prescriptions. The doctor wants me to stay overnight in the hospital, so I will be having the surgery on a Monday instead of Friday the 11th, like I thought. Right now, it looks like November 14th--but they are waiting to get confirmation that the the team will be available overnight (or something like that). I'll let you know when the date is for-sure, but it looks like it'll be the 14th!

Some of you have asked me if I'm going to show pictures from before and after. I haven't decided yet. If you had asked me this before the weight loss, I would have said sure, of course I'd want to show it off! However, I get so many questions about excess skin that I have become extremely self-conscious of it; and the last thing I want to do is draw attention to it and feel like a freak show. I was thinking that maybe I'll make a private photo album for my "loyal" readers, people that I feel comfortable sharing the pics with.

I'm so excited to just do this already!!

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Last interval run, and Garmin update

Because I ran 8 miles Monday and 7 miles yesterday, I decided to make today a rest day. Then tomorrow and Saturday would also be rest days before the 10-K race on Sunday, giving me 3 whole days off! However, I was reading my new Runner's World magazine this morning, and it said that when tapering for a 10-K, you should do one last interval run when you are 3 days out from the race. Since I am 3 days out, I figured I should just do it. Then truly rest Friday and Saturday.

The magazine said I should do 2-3 800m repeats with 400m-800m recovery in-between (which means run 1/2 mile at race pace--for me, that means about 8:50/mile--then jog lightly for 1/4 mile... and repeat this 1-2 more times). I decided to do 3 repeats, and add on a warm-up and cool-down.

I have no idea why, but I was SO nervous! I felt nervous like I was going to race or something. I ran very lightly for 1/4 mile, then fast for the first 1/2 mile interval--turns out it was too fast. I kept glancing at the Garmin and seeing 7:xx/mi, and I needed to be seeing 8:50ish per mile. I find it so hard to find and maintain a steady pace. I either go too fast or too slow. Anyway, when all was said and done, my "fast" interval times were:

*4:03 (8:06/mi pace)
*4:12 (8:25/mi pace)
*4:13 (8:27/mi pace)

I'm happy with those, because in order to PR on Sunday, I just have to do faster than 8:50/mile. However, I know that I cannot run that fast for 6.2 miles! I'm going to really have to focus on Sunday to go at a steady, sustainable pace.

I'm a total nervous wreck about this stupid race. I've been working so hard for 10 weeks to see if all the training really does pay off in the end. And I'm just so skeptical. I've been doing most of my running at a 10:xx/mi pace. I've never trained this way before--I've always just tried to go fast, all the time. I'm seriously thinking about just running slowly for enjoyment rather than to PR--because I'll be so disappointed if I don't PR.

I swear, between this race and the upcoming flight, I am beginning to wonder if one can die from anxiety?!

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I've been meaning to post this for a while, and I keep forgetting... some of you have been asking about the Garmin and where it is now. First, it went to New York. Then it went to Quebec, Canada. And now it's on the way to Tennessee. Linda, from Frickin' Fabulous at 40, was first--and she wrote a review to share with you:

"I was lucky enough to receive Katie's Garmin as a loaner for two weeks and I loved it right off the bat. I read over the instructions that Katie spent time writing up (brought them to the track with me) and figured things out soon enough. I did have to wait a little while for the watch to locate a satellite, but that's the only negative thing I have to say about it. Katie had it set up to monitor pace, calories, distance and time, so I left well enough alone!

'G' came with me to the track, on walks with the little ones I babysit and even to see the Atlantic Ocean from Smith Point! Keeping track of my distance and pace really helped keep me motivated and it somehow made the run or walk more enjoyable. I seem to be fascinated with numbers lately, so this was right up my alley. I could walk farther or faster because of the input I was getting from the Garmin. It was so enjoyable that I decided that was going to be my 40th birthday present and so I went and bought the Forerunner 110 last week. I'm so glad I did because I wore it in the 10k I did this weekend and it totally helped me to beat the goal I had in mind! I highly recommend these gadgets to anyone looking to boost their training by increasing speed or distance. Thank you Katie for the loaner!"

'G' on the beach in New York :)

Make sure you check out Linda's blog, too! She just turned 40, and has lost over 80 pounds--seriously looking fabulous! ;)

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My food log from yesterday:

Breakfast- oatmeal with banana and brown sugar; coffee
Lunch- leftover Baked Ziti
Dinner- Kielbasa and Corn Hash
Snacks- pistachios, Dove Promise, dried fruit, Ezekiel bread with almond butter

TOTAL:  1,406 calories

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An unexpectedly fun morning!

I stepped out of my comfort zone today, especially considering the lump in my throat right now. Normally, when feeling depressed, I turn down offers to get together with friends, choosing instead to stay at home alone. I know it's not what I should do, but I have a hard time being social when I'm just not feeling social.

Anyway, I was drinking my coffee this morning (in my pj's) and my friend Jessica sent me a text asking if I wanted to go for a run with her. I almost said no, because I was comfy and I always run alone--but I had no real reason to say no, so I said sure.  Her friend Alicia was going too--I've met her and talked with her before, but didn't know her very well.

I'm so glad that I ended up going! I only had 3 miles on the schedule, but we ran 7 (Jessica is running a half-marathon in two weeks). We were going at a nice, slow pace, though, so I didn't feel like I was doing too much. We ran through the State Park, and guess what flew right over us? The helicopters. At one point, they swooped down so low that it looked like they were going to hit us. We were talking the entire time, and I actually forgot that I was running--it was great! The time flew by, and it definitely made me want to run with other people more often.

Afterward, Jessica said she was meeting Renee (my good friend that I write about sometimes) for coffee, and asked if I wanted to go too.

So I came home, showered, and rushed to dry my hair and get dressed. I met them for coffee and we chatted for about an hour and a half. I'm really happy that I went--both running and for coffee.

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Today was the first Wednesday Weigh-In that I've done in a looong time. I wasn't very happy with it. I definitely proved that eating less does not always equal a bigger loss. I ate 1,179 calories yesterday, and 1,196 the day before... and I gained a pound since I started counting calories a couple of days ago :(  Usually, I eat much more than that--roughly 1,500 calories per day--and I drop 4-5 pounds of water weight the first couple of days.  So today I'm going to make sure that I eat more, and I'm going to try and stick with 1400-1600 calories per day. Anyway, the results:

Yeah, I should have cleaned my scale... and painted my toenails. Next week!

25.4% body fat  :(  BMI=overweight

Waist size= 28 inches

I hate posting all of that!!  At my lowest weight (December 2010), I was 128 pounds, 17% body fat, with a 26" waist. Oh well, I am going to consider this my starting point for the next 4 months. Hopefully I can get back to my previous numbers by my birthday.  My first goal is to get under 144 pounds, which makes me a "normal" weight again.

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So as I said, I had another low-calorie day yesterday. Not that it helped!

Breakfast- english muffin with pb & j; coffee
Lunch- Blueberry Muffin Smoothie
Dinner- Baked Ziti
Snacks- pistachios, Dove Promise, dried fruit

TOTAL:  1,179 calories

I loved the message on the wrapper of my Dove Promise. It was very appropriate for me, considering I love Sparkpeople! 

Sometimes I actually feel like I lit a fire instead of a spark... because I get lots of comments and e-mails from people saying they were inspired by my weight loss story. I think it's awesome if I can motivate even one person to change his/her life for the better. So anyway, I loved finding that on my Dove Promise!

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The story of our couch

This is the first weekday that I haven't run in about 10 weeks... it feels strange!  However, since I did 8 miles yesterday when I should have done 3, I don't feel the least bit guilty about not running today. I did feel a little guilty for watching a Lifetime movie this morning, but I plan on cleaning out my refrigerator today, so that should make up for it. I hate cleaning out the fridge. I take everything out and then scrub it all down and put all of the (non-spoiled) food back in.

I colored my hair today. I've been trying to get it back to my natural color. When I got highlights done a little over a year ago, I loved the way they looked--but my hair felt sooo dry and gross. And I'm too cheap to fork over hundreds of dollars a year to color my hair, so I just want it back to my normal super dark brown color. I colored it a couple of months ago, but my highlights were showing through again, so I decided to do it again today. Now, it's black--and it feels a little better after I cut it a few days ago.

Is it just me, or do I look 100 years old in this pic?

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So last night, Jerry and I torched our couch. Let me tell you the story of our couch... When we got married in 2003, we used the money we got for wedding gifts to buy furniture for our house (we didn't live together until we got married). We bought this big, comfy, 3-piece sectional couch for the living room.

A couple of years later, we decided we didn't want a sectional, because there were only two ways to arrange the furniture in the living room. So we sold it to Jerry's parents, and then bought a leather couch and love seat. About nine months after we bought it, I sat down too hard and broke it (the fact that I was 253 pounds might have something to do with that too!) 

We returned the couches for a full refund from Sam's Club, and bought a microfiber couch. It was AWFUL. Microfiber shows every single stain and it's impossible to clean. So we sold that one to Jerry's sister. We decided that we really wished we had our original couch back, and we went to the same furniture store that we bought it from. They no longer sold that particular one, but we looked through books until we found one similar to it. We selected a fabric and then ordered the couch.

When the delivery truck came, I was cooking dinner and didn't watch the guys set up the couch. When they left, I went into the living room and didn't know whether to laugh or cry... the couch was hideous! Jerry and I sat on it and burst out laughing because it was so small and SO uncomfortable and stiff. I was half-laughing, half-crying as I asked Jerry to call the furniture store and see if we could return it. They said no, since it was a special order (I should've gotten one from Sam's, they'd have let me return it!!) so we were stuck with the ugly couch.

The ugly couch, right after we got it

Not only was it ugly and uncomfortable, it looked completely worn out after a couple of months. The fabric was too thin and the cushions flattened out in certain spots. That was about two years ago.

A month ago, Jerry's parents told us that they were getting new furniture, so they were going to get rid of the couch we sold them back in 2005. We told them we wanted it, so they gave it back to us! And now, 8 years after we bought it, it's back in our living room... and we couldn't be happier :)

At first I was afraid we wouldn't be able to keep it, because apparently Jerry's parents' cat peed in one corner of it--and it smelled like cat pee. After much scrubbing and then buying some special cat-urine-smell-remover-stuff, the smell is no longer there. This couch is so much more comfortable and a lot bigger.

Back to the burning of the couch last night... Jerry and I tore apart the ugly couch and burned it!! We cut up and tore off the ugly fabric, and then used a hammer to break up the wood (and let me tell you, couches are built like STEEL--I don't know how I managed to break one by sitting on it!)  We made a fire in the backyard and torched the ugly couch piece by piece.

Lighting the ugly cushions...

The ugly cushions burned FAST

And they created some really ugly smoke

The ugly base and ugly springs

Mission: Destroy the Ugly Couch--accomplished!

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Food log from yesterday:

Breakfast: banana and coffee
Lunch: pumpkin smoothie, toast with peanut butter
Dinner: General Tsao's Chicken with brown Jasmine rice
Snacks: hot cocoa, Dove Promise (just one!), pistachios

Total calories:  1,196  (Yes, that's very low, especially since I ran 8 miles... but I wasn't hungry AT ALL yesterday. Probably because I ate about a quart and a half of frozen yogurt on Sunday).

Tomorrow is Wednesday Weigh-In!

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