Funniest Woman Alive

Meet Kristy.  Her Blog is She Just Walks Around With It

 Kristy is fresh, positively hilarious, and always very real.  She has this way of being able to put a funny voice to all those things that we think about but can never put into words ourselves.  I wanted to say “all of our inner insecurities” because she does do that, yet, she’s about more than that.

It’s the same thing as liking a particular band because their music, their lyrics sing what’s really true in your heart. Even if it’s the silly, maybe embarrassing, totally fun stuff.  You know what I mean?

 “Breezy Elegance.”   Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. 

I envy her wit!  I don’t have a creative funny bone in my body.  I just have to tell myself:  that’s okay I have other talents.   That’s okay,  I DO have a great sense of humor so she can make the jokes and I promise to always laugh at them.   Totally symbiotic relationship if you ask me.

I’ve been reading her since her Why Yes, Cute Fireman, That *IS* My Ass post that made Best of the Lists on Craigslist.

But her latest entry, Body Ish-ues hit home so hard – it’s EXACTLY what I’m going through with body issues and my honey, who I won’t see until June 20.   How can he like this? If he does, what’s wrong with him?  When will he grow tried of it? When is the “honeymoon” over, where he stops seeing ME and starts seeing the fat.  There’s a lot more there to talk about but I guess it’s just too hard for me to put into words right now., I'm sure I'll get to it sooner or later.    Hey, that’s what I have Kristy for, right? 

Thanks again, Kristy, for putting a funny voice to exactly the same kind of thing that has been rattling around this old brain of mine.

74 Day Challenge Goals

My honey hasn’t seen me since March 22.  I meant to start my diet the day he left but I just couldn’t get it together.  So, I am on a 74 Day Challenge (10.5 weeks).   I usually do a 12 week challenge, but I have a “drop dead” date of June 20 because that’s when he’s back.  

 I find that setting goals are important to keep my eye on the prize.

 
During this 74 day challenge I will:

*Lose 20 pounds (I’d be overjoyed for 30 though that’s probably going to happen)

*Exercise 6 days per week, alternating cardio and weights

*Follow my eating plan to the letter.

 Along with the above, my mini-goal is to stay on my eating plan over the weekend.  I'm really good about being super strict and careful during the week, then I tend to fall to pieces during the weekend due to a number of factors, including social outings, unstructured time, etc. 

My extrapounds wishlist

My extrapounds.com wishlist:

1) Spellchecker!
2) A graph that shows daily exercise minutes that looks very similar to the weight graph.  I'd like to be able to follow them together.  It would be really nice to see the correlation.
3) I'd love a spot that shows what plan people are using.  It'd be nice to be able to sort blogs by diet plan (jenny craig, nutrasystem, whatever..)  don't you think?

4) Hit counter for the pages.. doesn't everyone want to know how often they are being read, if at all?

What are YOUR wishlist items?

All about running

A great resource for those of you who get outdoors for running, walking or biking:   http://www.mapmyrun.com
  
You can pinpoint your route very exactly and find out how far you are really going.  I find that pedometers are often way off the mark.

I started running a couple of years ago.  I used the couch to 5k program to learn how to run.  It was only to lose weight and I really didn't like it that much to begin with.   Then toward the end of the program I went running on the beach and for the first time my heart rate settled down and I felt like I was flying! I ran for a full hour that day!   I was hooked.

I then trained for and ran a 3k fun run, then graduated to a half marathon.  I trained 6 months for the half marathon (13.1 miles) and finished in about 3.5 hours.   I'm a very slow runner, but there's no need for speed.   Actually, there are people who WALK faster that I run.   I'm also short, but still.   Finishing is always my goal, never speed.   I keep track of my pace to see how I'm improving, but I don't care that it's a slow pace, if you get my meaning.  The important thing is that I'm RUNNING.
 
This is the program I used.  It's all baby steps: one day you can hardly run for one minute without huffing and puffing and feeling like you are going to DIE or FAINT or BOTH and then all the sudden before you know it you can run three miles.  It's amazing!  http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

So yeah, I've run maybe about 10 times this past year and that's why I've gained all my weight back.  I'm EXACTLY where I started two years ago.  How did I let that happen?   Okay, Trixie, looking onward now..

Oooh, I am just a little sore from my walk/run yesterday - can feel the burn in my upper thighs.  I probably overdid it just a little and I'm reminded that I need new shoes. 

Today I will be going home to do an upper body workout with weights.  I have to lay off the legs for a day or two.   Starting Monday I plan to do the following:

Monday/Wed/Friday  - 45 minute weights/circuit training
Tue/Thurs/Sat - Cardio of some kind - I'll switch it up.
Sunday: Rest

I love running outside, but I also love running on the treadmill.  The treadmill has far less impact on my poor knees so I like it for that.  I like the outdoors because I get to see new and different things and get some sunshine if I'm lucky.

I covet a treadmill in my place so bad but there just isn't room for it!  I have a small one-bedroom place and it would really make things cramped in there.   Oooh.. I wish I wish.

I miss being able to run

This evening I walked the lake.  Door to door around the lake was exactly 60 minutes.  It used to take me 40 minutes but then again, I could jog the whole thing.
Today  I did  it like this: walk 4, Jog 1, repeat
So it was a total of 12 minutes jogging and 48 minutes walking.

Distance:  3.36 miles
Time:  60 minutes
Pace: 17:51  (sloooooow)


I used to be able to go around the lake, jogging the whole way and now I can only walk/run.  I really have slipped back as far as fitness goes. 

No matter - I am taking baby steps and will get back to where I was very soon!



Total exercise for the day, including this morning:  70 mins

Confessions of a binge eater

My name is Trixie (not my real name), I am female, 37 years old,  and live in California.

Well, like so many people before me, here I am starting fresh.  Last year I was 20 pounds to goal and now all the sudden I am 50 pounds to goal.  I was *this close* to fitting into size 10 jeans, now I am about bursting out of my 14's.  I ran a half marathon, was exercising 5 times a week and now I am not exercising at all.  This has to stop. 

What happened?  I slacked off, yes I did.   Let's be honest here - I not only slacked off, I went crazy.  I started eating like a machine.. binging and feeling awful about myself.  I couldn't stop, even as I went up in pant size.   I'd order three pizza's, because hey, they WERE $5 each from dominoes! I'd order $40 worth of chinese food and eat it all in one day.    I at whole packages of oreos like a zombie.   I don't purge, thank god, but the eating itself is bad enough.  

It's a sickness in my head and it's not just about "closing my mouth"; I really think there's something wrong with my brain.    Sometimes I have complete control and other times I do not.   Those who can so easily control what they put in their mouth have it really lucky.  I cannot understand my compulsion and no medication has helped.  
I also know that I keep getting down to a certain number and then going crazy.. there seems to be some trigger in my head.

Why can't I be normal?   I don't know, all I know is I can only take it one day at a time.

I'm back to sensible eating and, most importantly, exercise.  I'm taking it slow and doing a build up.   Today I only have to do 10 minutes on the stair stepper, morning and night.   I have a fitness plan that I will log and follow and that's all I have to do for now.  Eventually I will add weights and running.

Does anyone have any good suggestions or advice about binge eating? Are we different from the ones who also purge? I have no idea.   I'd love to connect with other people around the issue.

P.S.   I guessed at my starting weight, I may change that up or down tomorrow morning when I weigh in.   I haven't actually weighed myself in some time.