Everyone Loves a Parade!

Well, Saturday was the parade back in my hometown that I'd told you all about. My dad and I practiced a bit on the tandem bike Friday when we got there and I'm glad...we were a bit wobbly at first (okay, I'll take the blame for it...) but after a while I got the hang of it and we were zipping around just fine. =)

The parade was Saturday morning and if I do say so myself, we were quite a hit! The kids were yelling "Santa, Santa!" (one of them said my dad wasn't fat enough to be Santa!) and lots of them wanted to pet our "reindog" as well. lol... She was adorable in her red t-shirt and antlers (which we had to safety pin to the shirt to keep them somewhat in place.) We waved at lots of people and my mom threw nearly 2 big bags worth of tootsie rolls along the 1-mile route.

I look like I still weigh 220 in the costume since it was really big. The tights were almost too small but the pants and coat were huge! Why dad didn't think it would fit some of the other guys in the "toy shop" is beyond me...I'm thinking that none of them wanted to look ridiculous is all! lol... Or, maybe he just wanted me to be in it with him. I don't know, but it was a lot of fun. I'd even do it again next year! Here are a couple of pics, as promised, taken at my parents house. Unfortunately we didn't have any one take pics during the actual parade. There was a lady taking pics of all of the entries by the announcer's booth, we assume from the Chamber of Commerce, so dad was going to call and see if he could get a copy of the one she took.

I weighed in before we left Friday and I was down .4 from the previous Saturday. I did good with my eating on Friday, with the exception of a bag of popcorn from the concession stand at the high school football game that night.

Saturday wasn't too bad until my uncle opened a bag of trail mix. I should never have had that first bite because it's a red light food for me. And I know it. One bite led to two and so forth. It was the kind that had almonds, cashews, peanuts, raisins and M&Ms in it. I'm a sucker for crunchy, salty snacks so I knew better than to even have any....let alone about a pound of it! Arrrggghhhh.... Yesterday wasn't much better....we went to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants when we got back to town yesterday. I had too many chips and salsa (another red light combo) and then I had a tostada, a taco, beans & rice, AND a margarita. Oy. I was stuffed AND buzzed.

I got on the scale today which was completely stupid because I knew I would be up from all of the salty nuts, salty chips, low water intake yesterday....and it's also "that time" but man. I wanted to kick myself in the ass when that number popped up. I'm not even going to type it out. Yes, yes...I know this is an accountability device but I don't want to. I'm going to stay off the scale till Saturday morning and hopefully I can at least get back down to what I was before we left town.

I'm going to the gym tonight and Wednesday for sure. Possibly other nights, too. I forgot to tell you that I have started running again. Last week I ran on the treadmill 10 minutes, walked 4, ran 3, then walked 3 more minutes. The outside of my ankle feels fine though it's still a bit swollen, but the inside still hurts every now and then, which is why I stopped. It was pulling a bit and I didn't want to injure it any more. A couple of days later I took Wrigley for a walk and we ran here and there. It normally takes us 30 minutes to complete our route around the neighborhood but we did it in 22 or 23 minutes that day. I was worried about her zig-zagging and tripping me, but she's actually a decent runner! She sort of runs sideways....her butt was to the left of the rest of her body most of the time! lol.... =)

That's all I have for now. Wish me luck in getting these excess pounds off by Saturday!

Yessss!

I lost this week and check out the number... 2.8! =) Holy cow batman! lol... My total lost is now 67.2 pounds which is 30.5% of my starting weight! It's unreal! My plan was to be at goal by the time my 1-year WW anniversary rolled around and it's going to be close. The November 8 meeting will mark 52 weeks since I walked through the door. So, 7 weeks and 7.8 pounds. Doable? We'll see I guess, right?

My mom and I went shopping this morning after my meeting and I found a super cute winter coat at Kohl's. It should be very warm...it's down and feather filled. The fabric is also water and wind-resistant so it sounds perfect for Nebraska winters! Brr....

We also went to Penney's and I bought a brown t-shirt (to go under a sweater) and a kelly green cable-knit sweater just like the brown one that my MIL bought me. It's a color I normally wouldn't have picked but I decided I have enough browns, reds, and oranges in my wardrobe right now, so I went with something in a completely different color palate. It'll be perfect for St. Patrick's Day, too! lol...

Then I bought a pair of black ankle boots at Sears just like the red ones I bought there a couple of weeks ago. They were marked down from $60 to $39 today. The red ones were on sale for $44 when I bought them.

I plan to start running again this Tuesday night. I haven't ran since I sprained my ankle 3 weeks ago. I know I won't be able to start back in where I left off in the C25K (week 7) so I'm going to have to go back and repeat, but exactly where to I haven't figured out yet. I guess I could just run till I'm out of breath or uncomfortable and see where I'm at and then go from there. My ankle feels fine now, but it is still swollen a bit. I hope that it won't just stay this size and never go down, but it's a possibility. Five years ago I sprained this same ankle and also broke a tiny bone in it. They didn't put a hard cast on it; I just had to wear an air cast for 8 weeks till it was healed. So anyway, given the history of it I'm thinking it might just be this way. Or for a while longer anyway.

I won't have an update next weekend since we're heading back home, but I'll have some interesting pictures to post afterwards because I'm riding a bicycle-built-for-two with my dad in a parade! Just wait, it gets better....he's dressing up as Santa Claus and I'll be dressed as his elf. Yes, his elf. lol..... You see, my dad volunteers for the Toy Box, which is a non-profit group that takes unwanted, donated, in-need-of-repairs bikes and they fix them up (new paint, new tires, new brakes...you name it) and then a few weeks before Christmas they give them to the low income kids (and adults) in the community. He's the head of the volunteers, which is why he's dressing as Santa, get it...but the elf costume he found is too small for any of the other guys that volunteer with him. So that's where I come in! I haven't seen it so hopefully it fits.

After I agreed to do it, I told him "Santa needs a reindeer!" so my husband is going to walk our dog in front of us and we have reindeer antlers and a cute red t-shirt for her to wear. She'll look pretty cute if we can keep the antlers on!!! And my mom is also wearing a pair of antlers and she'll be throwing candy to the kids along the parade route. I'm actually looking forward to it so hopefully the costume fits and we don't wreck on the bike. We're heading back early next Friday so I can practice riding it a bit with my dad.

So anyway, I might not have an update until after we get back next weekend, but it should be worth the wait. ; )

A little this and a little that

I was up .4 this week at weigh-in which I was fine with...you see, I skipped weigh-in last week but had I gone, I would have been up about 2.4 pounds. So really, I lost 2 pounds this week...but it's registering as a gain in WW world. What sucks is that I will probably gain this week (my trend of late) so my WW log book is going to show 3 gains in a row! Oh well...

I went to the doctor this morning for my annual exam (fun, fun!). This was the first time I'd been to see him since I began WW and he was very impressed with my 64.4 pound weight loss! =) He asked how I was doing it and I told him I joined last November and he said that he recommends it to patients because it's "tried and true" and has "stood the test of time" as far as weight loss programs go.

Given how my body has taken a liking to the 155-157 range, I asked him what a good goal weight for me would be and he said 145, which is what I had already set my WW goal to be. DANG! I was sort of hoping he'd say 155 or that I'm fine where I am, but no. (sigh) But that's okay, I will keep on trudging along in pursuit of these last 10 pounds. This 7-week plateau, if that's what it's called, has to break eventually. Right?? Please tell me it will?! lol....

Oh...the ankle is doing much better. It's still bruised but the swelling has gone way down. Not completely, but it's getting there. I had my doctor look at it today and he's not concerned at all. I really need to get back to my workout routine...not necessarily running...but at least going. Since it happened 2 weeks ago, I've only been to the gym ONCE for 45 minutes. =( Bad, bad...

My parents are coming to town next weekend and my mom and I are going to do some shopping Saturday. I'm not exactly sure what she's looking for, but I'll be trying on new winter coats... the one that started this whole weight loss journey in the first place (size 1x) is now way too big! And the coat that I bought when I discovered the other one was too small is even more gigantic on me (size 2x)! Hopefully I can find something I like before the weather turns cold for good!

Shopping Spree

My in-laws were in town last evening and I finally took my MIL up on her offer to take me shopping. Even before I started losing weight, she wanted to take me shopping. Given that she's like a size 8 or 10 and I was a 20, I always turned her down with the excuse "I'm not all that into shopping" because I was embarassed to try stuff on in front of her AND for her to know what size I was.

Once I started losing, she began to ask again. This time around I would tell her "when I get to goal we can go" partly because I was still self-conscious, but also because I didn't want to get all these great clothes that would (hopefully) be too big a month or so down the road since I was still loosing. I had some pants and capris to transition into as I got smaller, thanks to a coworker, and I bought some inexpensive shirts along the way.

With the cooler temps this week and a freezing office, however, I found myself in need of pants that actually fit. The ones I had been wearing were about a size too big and were hanging on me. It's been too cool to wear the capris that actually fit well. Plus, after clearing out my closet of sweaters and tops that were too big, I discovered I didn't have many left that were suitable for fall, let alone winter. So I told my husband that I was ready to cash in on that shopping trip, even though I'm still 10 pounds from goal.

His parents were on their way through town last night so we hit the mall and went shopping at Penney's and Dillards. All in all, I ended up with 2 pairs of pants, 3 tops, 2 sweaters, and a jacket (not a coat jacket...a 'fashion' jacket, if you will). I can wear two of the tops by themselves, or under the sweater or under the jacket. Each of the tops goes well with both pair of pants, too. So I can get quite a few looks out of everything, which is nice. I'm going to buy a few more pairs of pants, hopefully this weekend, since I need more than two. She probably would've bought more, but I was feeling greedy as it was. ; ) I also need a winter coat since mine from last year is WAY too big!

I'm wearing one of the outfits today with a pair of ankle boots, so I'm standing about two inches taller than normal (at a whopping 5'6") today...but I feel about 6' tall since I'm walking proudly and feel like a million bucks. =) I've received several compliments from my coworkers, too. It's amazing how great I feel when I'm wearing clothes that FIT! lol...

Speaking of fit...I'm finding that shirts, in particular sweaters, that fit almost feel snug. I think it's because when I was bigger, I bought stuff to cover up and hide my body...so I was probably buying clothes in a size bigger than I really needed. So now that I'm buying the right size, they feel weird. Does that make sense? Have you experienced this?? A couple of the things I bought I pondered whether they were too small....until I tried on the next size up and they would hang on me. My MIL and the saleslady both said how nice they looked...and I agree, they look nice...but they feel a bit weird. But then again, both items are more "fitted" than I'm used to wearing, even the one sweater, so that could be it, too.

I went online and found some of the items to show you. The purplish top (2nd photo) is the one I have on today...only I bought it in a different color combo. Mine has dark brown, tan, black, and cream instead. The paisley printed top is much prettier in person, believe me! It goes under the sweater, which is a burnt orange, and under the brown jacket, too. And the pants I have are in the color shown and a darker brown. (I wish my legs were as long and lean as the model's are!) Not shown is the jacket, a button-down crinkle dress shirt, and a basic brown cable-knit sweater.

Tomorrow is weigh-in and although I think I'll be up slightly from the weight I was 2 weeks ago at my last official weigh-in, I'm down from where I was last weekend, which is a good thing. I'll check in later this weekend with the official results.

Seriously?

I started counting the weeks and can you believe Christmas is 15 weeks from this Thursday! I can't! I technically want to lose 15 more pounds....so a pound a week....hmmm. That would be an awesome present to myself to hit 140. I used to routinely lose a pound per week, but the last 6 weeks have sucked as far as the scale goes anyway.

My fitness level has never been better (well, up until the stupid ankle injury) so I know I need to say f-you to the digital machine that has occupied a space on my bathroom floor for the past few months, but it's hard. I WANT TO WEIGH 140! Actually, I would settle for 145. Perhaps my body likes being at 155 (or 157 as it is today) and I need to accept that perhaps this is it. At least for now.

My ankle is feeling pretty good now, though it's still ugly and has a knot on the outside of it. I am walking just fine and I can even do a complete circle in the air with my foot! I am going to go to the gym tonight....no running, don't worry. I'm going to do the eliptical since it's non-impact, and possibly the bike, too. If it starts to hurt, I'll stop and go home. Promise.

Skipped Weigh-In, Football, Ankles and Dogs...Oh My!

Our neighbor stopped by Friday night and asked if we'd like to use two of their season tickets to go to the Husker football game the following morning and we obviously said yes. It's hard to come by tickets, let alone for face value ($52 each)....and these were in the 2nd row of the end zone! The game started at 11:30 a.m. so we headed downtown to park and tailgate with another set of neighbors around 9:00. Okay, okay...technically I could have weighed in at my normal 8:30 weigh in, but I just didn't really feel like completely back-tracking across town to do so. And besides, I was up about 2 pounds. I'm still in the up-down cycle that I've been in since the beginning of August, plus TOM came to visit on Friday.

I wasn't able to work out all week since my ankle is still swollen and too sore. The first 10 steps or so are really painful in the morning or after sitting for more than 30 minutes. Once I get moving and warmed up, I'm able to walk pretty good. I just have to be careful on slopes, stairs, or turning too quickly. It's gotten progressively uglier with each day. The only good thing that came out of this whole ordeal is that it inspired a name for one of our latest brews... Black & Blue Nut Brown Ale. =) We bottled it the day after I sprained it. Pretty fitting, eh?

Below are pics taken today, 7 days after the injury. This shows how discolored it still is. It's also slightly bruised on the inside of my ankle as well.

I've also attached a picture of my two "honey buns," my husband and our dog, Wrigley. We adopted her a year ago last weekend from the humane society in my hometown. She's a poodle/bichon mix and is now about 2 years old. For the most part she is a really good dog, but she has her moments when we ask her things like "did you eat lead-based paint chips as a puppy?" or "how many times were you dropped as a puppy?" because she really is a bit psycho every now and then! We've taught her lots of tricks...she can shake with both hands, sit up and beg, roll over, and say please. She loves to "read" magazines (aka likes to chew them up when we're not watching...particularly Consumer Reports) and she eats Kleenex out of the bathroom trashcan every morning when I'm in the shower. There's never a dull moment around our house because she is constantly on-the-go. She's provided us hours of laughs (and truth be told, some moments of cussing...) but most of all she has completed our family. Who needs a baby when you have a dog that gets up a couple of times during the night to go potty, wakes up ready to play in morning, is full of kisses, sasses you during the day, complains when it's time to go to bed, and snuggles during the wee hours of the night when she can't sleep?? She's our daughter and we can't imagine life without her. And I wonder sometimes, "what did we do with our time before she came along?"

And one last thing, she takes credit for a lot of the pounds we lost because we take her for a walk nearly every day...even last winter we rarely missed a day. As long as it was over 15 degrees, we went. She loves the snow and would run and jump through the snow drifts like they were the best thing ever. I call her my little polar bear (roar, roar, roar)....and she's the best naughty dog ever. =) Oh, and he's a great husband, too. =)

It's All Fun & Games....

....till somebody gets hurt and in this case, it was me that got hurt. =( About 3/4 of the way through the mud run, I rolled my left ankle while going downhill the path in pasture-like terrain. I had to walk for a couple of minutes till we got to mud pit, which was about 15 feet wide, 25 feet long, and a couple of feet deep. It wasn't sticky mud really...more watery than I expected....but still really slippery and mushy. They had flags across the top of the pit so you had to crawl the whole way, pulling yourself through. Fun! After we got out of the pit, we were to run up a hill to the finish line, but given the pain I was in, we had to walk it. I was pissed because I wanted to run it all. Up until I got hurt, we were going at a pretty good pace and we finished in 13:30. Not bad considering that was with walking for 3-5 minutes and crawling through the pit.

The makeshift showers they spoke of turned out to be 2 firetrucks! One of the fireman was hosing people off (luckily not at high power!) and they had one of the spouts on the other truck opened up and you could stand under it to clean up. The water was quite refreshing! lol...

Once we got back to town, we went to an urgent care center to have my ankle looked at. Since I heard and felt it pop I wanted to be sure I hadn't broke it. After 4 x-rays, the doctor came back and said it was just severely sprained. Today it's still swollen all the way around, but worst on the outside and is turning black & blue...yesterday it was just red and splotchy. I stayed home from work today because I still couldn't put any weight on it this morning. I borrowed a crutch from a co-worker so I'll be going tomorrow. I may not need it though because I'm getting around pretty good tonight.

So all in all it was a lot of fun and we do plan on doing it again. I'll just be sure to tape my ankles next year. My C25K is obviously put on hold for a week or so. I don't want to take too much time off, though I understand it needs time to completely heal. I'll just play it by ear I guess.

On the weight loss front, I lost 2.4 last week, so my total is 64.8 now. HOWEVER, the last three days have been one big food fest and I'm up that and then a few more. =( I'm already expecting a gain come the weekend.

I added a couple of pics from the mud run here, but also check out my web album . Click on slideshow on the left under my name and the pics will be bigger.