How much stronger in two weeks?

In two weeks I will celebrate my 4th annivesary with the man of my dreams. We are going to Hawaii to surf and sun (which, is one of my fav places in the world). I've been doing my leg lifts and arm weights faithfully every night but that won't increase my endurance....

I wonder how much stronger I can become in only two weeks? I wonder if I really made a movie star effort I could train up to endure a weekend of thrashing?

Do any of you have any brilliant ideas on how I could prepare for the trip?

Hey girls... when are we getting together for the Fall Frolic?!

Jennifer, I know that you have your wedding anniversary, and your three day walk coming up next month... I believe around the middle of the month. And I have a church camping trip the weekend of the 22nd. So, how about the last weekend in September ladies? That would be Saturday, September 29th.
Also, we had discussed actually meeting at the South Center mall Red Robin instead this time, since SueAnne, Jennifer, and Kimiko actually live so far south. What do you say girls? : ) Does this date work?

Well...

I did it. I'm in the running class and the first one was last night. I have committed to 6 weeks of running and coaching so hopefully I can learn to love it.

Last night we did time trials - 20 minutes at a "humble" pace to see how far you go and then they'll use that information to determine which coaching group you'll be with. I feel like I finished slightly ahead of the middle of the pack but learned that my running style is a lot different.

While most people take short quick strides (like you're supposed to), I love the longer strides and just letting loose and enjoying the moment. So therefore I would RUN a lap, walk a quarter of a lap, run the rest of the lap, and then RUN again. What makes this amusing to me is that a few weeks ago I won a Prince t-shirt in a tennis tourney which proclaims that I (and their new racket line) am "Engineered for Speed." How on earth did they know? :)

Anyway, the next class is Thursday and we have to have our written goals for the class and in general ready for our coaches by then. I'm working on it. I really do hope that I learn to enjoy running more through this class, although I know that I already love to RUN!

With my laces tied,

Lisa

P.S. The best part of the class: when our herd of runners almost - but didn't - trample the Dallas Mavs players who were on the track. Dusting professional athletes makes you feel oddly good about yourself. Who knew?

Chugging along

You know how summer is less busy around some parts?

Those aren't the parts in which I work.

We're much busier here at the newspaper in the summer, and this year has been even worse. In addition to my regular work, I've had three specials and a magazine to produce.

Which is part of the reason I haven't posted here lately. The other part? I've stopped.

Dead in my tracks.

Actually, more than stopped. I've backtracked somewhat.

I spent the whole month of July and the first week of August at 159. Then, I gained 1.5 pounds, taking me up to 160.5. Not a huge gain, but a gain nonetheless. And this past weigh-in brought another week of maintaining that gain.

This week, I "feel" like I'm doing better. I know we can't go on feelings, but really, I have been eating better. More fruits and vegetables. More water. More incidental activity (read: extra trips around the store) worked into my routine.

I'll have to wait until Thursday to see if it has done any good. I know we're all in this thing together, but I haven't felt like I "deserved" to post here if I wasn't getting anywhere with my efforts. I mean, what I've been doing is obviously not working - who wants to hear from me?

But, then I remember - this is a journey, and for whatever the reason, we all reach these plateaus from one time to another. The important thing is that we keep going.

The odd thing is, people are encouraging me to not give up, but I don't even know what that looks like! No matter how many people tell me that I look fine, that I don't need to lose more weight, I know I have to keep going and get off this last 25 pounds.

I've adopted the mantra of the Little Engine That Could: I think I can! I think I can!

Weekend Redux: Hi Elicia!

Okay, Elicia, I still haven't made a decision. The running class starts tomorrow evening so I have until then to decide whether I'm going to take it, but things have been so hectic this last week that I haven't gotten the chance to sit down and make up my mind.

First of all, I interviewed with a firm in my hometown (Austin) last Friday (took a 3-day weekend!) and I think I hit the interview out of the park. Unfortunately, I can't take the job. It's doing work that is "beneath" what I'm doing now, and lawyers are such snobs that if I took it, I'd never get the opportunity to do any other work than that since it's pretty low on the litigation totem pole. Yes, I'd be trying a ton of cases, but they'd be mostly car wrecks and slip and falls. Plus they'd pay me a lot less money for the privilege of taking a big step down in the type of work I do. Oh well, I'll just keep looking.

But that leads to what I did with my weekend: I ate. My father is an excellent cook and, in his retirement, has become a bonafide foodie. This weekend I ate Moroccan chicken, tomato basil soup, queso, strawberries and scones, meatloaf, hatch chile stew, and Tex-Mex (twice!). To say that I forgot to keep track of my calories is misleading - I refused to do so after Mom and I ate the mexican omelets Friday mornings and could tell it would be going downhill from there. I did, however, make it out to play tennis for a little bit on Saturday so it wasn't a total waste.

I've got to go down there again next weekend so hopefully I will have all of the hometown misbehaving out of my system. All the same, maybe I should take that running class after all...

At this point I'm scared to step on the scales. Again. But I'll let you ladies know what it says once I finally do.

Love,
Lisa

P.S. Jules - you've been in my prayers. Has the urge to overeat calmed down any?

Back from camping!

We got back yesterday from taking our boys on their first camping trip ever. And, oh my word, we had so much fun!! We went to Deception Pass State Park, and the following day, we made out annual trip to Fort Casey. We are definetely going back!
You want to know something cool? As I was reviewing the photos, I didn't find a single "fat" photo of myself. You all know what I'm talking about. The ones that you erase before another living soul ever sees them. : ) Sometimes I still see myself as "the big girl", even though I'm not any more, I'm just average now.
Anyhow, it was nice to be able to hike and stuff without getting winded... I even offered to carry the back pack on our hikes.

Lisa - What did you decide? Heydeho for Several of Yo.

I'm curious to know what you came up with about the running class.

Kimi - are you out there??? I think of you EVERY day as I stare at the CD I have in the envelope, waiting patiently for me to put an address on it. How are you girl?

Jules - how is the eating going? Or not?? Did you get through that binge episode ok?

I weighed in at 153.5 this morning. Yay! Slow and steady wins the race - I walked with the baby today and I've been making it a point to do the leg exercises (lifts, gently and slowly) and my 7 lb weight.

Anyone have a PEDOMETER update???

New Milestone

I have hit the 80 lb mark today. I am at 192 down from 272 (that's 320 sticks of butter!) . I was just sort of going along in my day before I realized it. Part of me can't believe it. Part of me is still astonished. Why is it going so well? I am not hungry, I am not exhausted, cranky or having a hard time dieting in general. It is like with this effort I have just hit a stride that works for me. Everything is just clicking along and the weight loss is automatic. Just eating less and exercising every day.

Here are my progress photos, four months on my eating and exercise plan, although I lost some of the weight earlier. I count from when I got serious in April and took my first set of photos:



And here are my facial photos before and as of now:
My sister says that I look like a kid. What a great sister, huh?

I've earned my rapper name, '8 mile'

You know what that means, don't ya? Yes, oh yes. THIS woman, ran eight miles this morning on the treadmill. I slowed the pace just slightly again, down to 5.9 MPH. It took me 81 minutes and 30 seconds. And I am tired, even as I type this out. I am tired, but I am encouraged. I can tell you this, I will not be doing any cardio tomorrow. Or the following day. We'll be going camping for a couple of days. : )

A new license... a new woman

I finally did it. I got myself a new license last week. I've wanted to do it for the last year or so, ever since I've gotten off the bulk of my weight. Every time I was asked for my I.D., I was embarrassed to pull it out. Well, not anymore. And I DID lie about my weight, but only by two pounds. I said that I weighed 168, when I actually weighed 170 that day... so it really wasn't a lie. : ) Not like my last license where I lied by FORTY pounds for Pete's sake! So, even though I didn't have to renew for almost two more years, I got a new one anyways, and I'm glad that I did.

There 'aint no stopping me!

I made it 7.5 miles this morning. Again, out doing what I just ran two days ago. I ran a whole half of a mile more. I slowed the pace just slightly, to see if I could make it a bit further. It took me 75 minutes exactly. I don't know how I keep doing this... just when I think that I don't have anything left to keep going, I find a little more. I know that a large part of the reason is because I get to come here and tell you guys. You are my biggest cheer leaders, besides my hubby. : ) You are all so encouraging to me!

Medium

Yesterday I went to a thrift store. I love thrift stores. You can find such neat stuff so cheaply. I never bought clothing there though, they never had my size - 3X.

Yesterday I bought two pair of shorts and two fall jackets, both in medium. I tried on the jackets and they fit well, but I didn't try on the shorts and all they had was medium, but I figured that for the price ($.25), even if they didn't fit, it wouldn't break the bank.

Last night I washed everything and this morning I put on the shorts. I was so thrilled. I had needed some workout shorts and they fit so well! Comfy and not tight and binding. I can't tell you how long it has been since I have been a medium. I just can't. I don't remember it. I think it must have been in high school. And it must have been early in HS because I was pregnant in 11th grade, so I sure wasn't fitting into mediums then.

I feel great today. This is 120 days since I started with my changes in diet and exercise. I have lost 76 lbs so far, 46 to go!!

Jan

Pray for me...I have been overeating.

I have found myself overeating the last two days. Eating bigger portions than normal, stuffing myself when I know I am full, dipping into COOKIES, having a pre-dinner, dinner before eating dinner. That's two dinners, if I lost you. I don't know what is going on here....yes, I am premenstrual, but I have been premenstrual before without such disregard for all I have learned. I actually woke up last night at 3 and felt sick to my stomach full. Icky.

Pray for me. I don't want to go back.

Jules

Was messing around and came up with a more dynamic image for the site....

Was going to make the woman shrink, but can't do that well just yet.

Working on them as I need the practice.

A Matter of Opinion

Okay, ladies, I need your opinions and the benefits of your collective experiences.

First of all, a confession: I HATE running. I like breaking into a run when I'm happy, I love sprinting around a tennis court, I like tearing across a soccer field. I HATE trying to run consistently. Now for the kicker: I like the idea of running just to run and cover distance.

I think that I must be doing something wrong because while I can run no problem in my sports of choice (essentially intervals), I can't run constantly without feeling like I'm torturing myself. I'm thinking that maybe a class might help? But then again, I'm not sure I can ever learn to love running.

One of the local running shops offers 6 week classes for beginning runners, on a track, essentially starting as a walk-run class and building up to a 5K. While I can run a 5K now, I don't like it much. So this would be like starting all over again to see if I can't "relearn" to run in a way that hopefully I enjoy more.

So, 6 weeks, 2 days a week, $90, and a 5K at the end... should I bother? Has anyone done anything like this before and did it help? We would be running in the heat of August and September too - should I wait for a later class when it cools down? I'm willing to listen to all opinions. What do y'all think? Good idea or likely a waste of time and money?

I'VE DONE IT AGAIN!!!

And no, it wasn't me doing the splits in mid air. : ) I pushed myself to run further than I ever have before. This morning I ran seven miles on the treadmill. It took me 68 minutes. Just five days ago, I had pushed myself to run for sixty minutes, completing 6.2 miles. Which at that time, was the furthest that I had ever gone. You know, it WAS really hard that last fifteen minutes, but I just had it in my mind that I was going to do seven miles today, and I wasn't going to stop until then. There wasn't even anyone running next to me on the treadmill to challenge me,(which does make it a bit easier). I'm very proud of what I've accomplished. I never in my life thought that I would EVER be able to run a whole seven miles. It's kind of surprising the determination that you are able find, if you but begin to dig.

The perks of getting fit...

The 6'2", buff, clean cut, good looking paramedic that is probably ten years my junior, asking me if I'd like to go running with him!
I actually met him about a week and a half ago, in the weight room. I noticed that he was wearing a paramedic training school t-shirt. I asked him about being a paramedic...
Anyhow, today, I ran beside him on the treadmill, and I told myself that I would not quit running until HE did. Fortunately he only ran for thirty minutes. But I noticed that we kept the same pace, we were pretty equal. Naturally he ran further, as his stride is longer. Anyhow, we had a conversation, and we were talking about running outside, and he asked me if I ran outdoors with anyone. Apparently he doesn't like to run outdoors alone either. Now, before you start raising your eyebrows, I think you'd like to know that I know that he likes me, but I don't think that he is attracted to me. There is a vast difference. So, I think I got myself a bit of competiton ladies.

Sunday: Don't ask about the calories, I know that I exceeded mine. BUT, I did lift 86,000 pounds at the Y this afternoon.

Status: Sweaty Equilibrium

Hi Ladies!

Lately I have been taking the ostrich approach to my weight - keeping my head buried in the sand and hoping it doesn't eat me. Not exactly productive, I know, but sometimes it's scary to face the scales.

Well, I finally faced the scales this weekend for the first time in a couple months and you know what? Not too bad. I'm down a pound from the last time I stepped on and though I still weigh four pounds more than I did at this time last year, I've comfortably maintained this weight for well over 6 months now. And I'm5'10" - while 4 pounds is annoying, it really doesn't make that much difference in my appearance.

I also almost gave myself heatstroke this weekend. I've joined a new tennis team and the league we're playing in scheduled a placement match (3 pro sets, round robin for those keeping score) for 4:00 in the afternoon on Sunday. Now, I understand that most of you are in the Northwest and I bet it gets plenty hot for you there, but to give you an idea of what we were up against, the thermometer by the courts read 107. No breeze. Humid. And we were playing. By the end of each set everyone was ready to pass out, then you'd take 10 minutes to cool down and go out to do it again. I must have gone through well over a gallon of water in 3 hours but I still don't feel quite right today. Luckily, actual match play doesn't begin until September when it might be at least a little cooler.

Otherwise, I'm just plodding along. I hope the week brings happy surprises to each of you!

Love,
Lisa

I Walked 33 Miles This Weekend

Saturday I walked 18 miles, my longest distance ever, and on Sunday went back and walked another 15. What a ride! Here is a picture of me with only 2 miles left to go on the 2nd day...


And this is what I wrote on my blog immediately after the walk...

As of today, my body and I are very good friends! Yesterday I went on an 18 mile walk with my training group, and today we went out for 15 more miles of punishment, on those hills no less! Although I was afraid my body might not be capable of accomplishing such a feat, it hung in there and carried me everywhere I insisted it go. There was complaining, to be sure. My feet whined almost constantly the entire second day, my hips growled quite a bit at the end, and a couple of times my toes hollered, but I made it through, and I will never say another nasty thing about my body again. I am truly thankful for the body God gave me.

This weekend was hard hard work, but I feel much more at peace about the 60 mile walk ahead of me in less than a month. I know I can do it now. So, no more worrying about that, now I can look forward to that weekend.

I LOVE MY BODY!

Stranded in Alaska

That's right. I'm writing to you from the airport in Anchorage. Why? Because a series of cancellations created a mess and we're stuck in the middle of it. My kids are crashed out on a set of those airport benches with several seats all in a row. My husband, while not sleeping, is laying down next to me. I'm watching the travelers and thanking God for free internet, but I am not able to sleep. Its way too late, way too uncomfortable (did I mention I'm having a flipping fibromyalgia flare?) way too florescent, way too airporty for successful snoozing.

However - the past 10 days have been amazing. If you've ever been to Alaska, you know what I'm talking about. Its like walking through a primeval land; with unspoiled vistas, sharp and craggy mountains and sunlight until 11 pm. I was taught by a small child what berries and plants to eat (should I ever be in need of food while here). I picked up a little book about the local berries just to make sure I was eating the right ones :-)

We went fishing in the Little Su river, rode horses through high grassy trails peppered with horse-high raspberries (which I snagged and ate) and my husband golfed four times in 10 days.

I'd never caught a river fish before. The two I managed to reel in were good 8 to 10 pounds of floppy, shimmery flesh. I'm looking forward to eating them. There's just something about eating food you catch yourself that just feels right.

Thanks for killing a few minutes with me. When I get home I'll step on a scale and see what we have accomplished the past week. I do believe that I stayed on track and probably lost rather than gained, although I sure want to pig out on those sweet rolls my hubby bought us to 'tide' us over. *(YUCK)

I ran further than I've ever run this morning!

I hopped on the treadmill at my good 'ole YMCA this morning and ran 6.2 miles you guys!! It took me an hour, but I did it. This is only my second attempt to run for this long. I did it once before, almost two months ago now. At that point, I ran 5.7 miles, and I REALLY had to push myself just to get through the entire hour. This time, I felt much stronger, much more fit, AND, I was able to run an additional half of a mile! : ) I had such a large sense of accomplishment when I had finished. I did what I had never done before... ran over six miles. ME, Kristina. Not the skinny chick that's only twenty years old and has maybe 11% body fat, but ME. I'm very proud of myself, and the progress that I've made. It makes me wonder just how far I would be able to run. HMMMMM?.....

Friday: date night at the Y. I stopped journaling my calories after lunch. : ) I didn't work out today.

Saturday: I didn't journal today either, but I'm estimating now about 2,000 calories. I ran for an hour, burning 915 calories. No weights today.

Healthy lunch update

Thanks so much to all of you who offered suggestions for healthy lunches for my 5-year-old. She started school this past week, so I had my first opportunity to try some out.


She kept coming home with just a little of her lunch eaten, and I asked her why. Seems she's sharing Doritos with a girl in her class! Now, Anna Marie loves Doritos so much that she'll eat them first and foremost, no matter what else is put in front of her.

I did convince her to eat most of her own food first before sharing the chips. And, she insists that the chips are offered to her, she's not asking for them!

Well, Thursday night I asked her what color the bag was the chips came in. At our house, we never buy any chips that aren't baked - Anna Marie has had the original Doritos maybe a handful of times in her life, and always at somewhere other than home. She said, "It's yellow, like it's supposed to be." Big sigh from me! And then:

"Did you think they weren't baked?"

Egads! She's on to me!

The school has snack time in the afteroon, and I have to send a snack for her. Thankfully, they emphasize healthy foods - they won't have any argument from me!

Oh, and an update on my weight, which really isn't an update at all - I'm stuck at 159 for about the fifth week in a row. I even basically took last week off, because it was my birthday and the first day of school and an election I had to work until midnight to cover, and I still maintained!

Back to basics this week!

Here's mine!

It's funny, I look more Asian than anything. I never thought of myself in that light. : )

Fun! Here's Mine

http://www.myheritage.com

My celebrity look alikes...saw this on Kris's blog and thought I would give it a try!

The funny thing about this, is that our church had a survey and they asked the question, "Who would play you in a movie about your life?" I answered "Drew Barymore".

2 months!!

The picture on the Left is right before and on the right is 2 months out. Down 45.4 pounds. 13 inches off my waist. Over 60 inches lost all over my body. Down from 28/26 to 22/24.

The 39 year old who FINALLY started buying her own underwear!

I never really saw a need to buy my own undies, as my mother so graciously has purchased them at least once a year for me since the time I was, oh, let's say... potty trained. I kid you not. Once every few years I will find myself perusing the underwear, but never, hardly ever would buy any, because of course my underwear drawer was already stuffed full, thanks to dear old mom. The thing is, she would buy me functional underwear, and not overly pretty pairs, it didn't really matter to me. But the other day, as I was looking at my sillhoette in my full lengthed mirror, I could see that my hips and abs were noticeably more tone. ( You can imagine what an oddity this was for me, as I have bourne four children), and women who have had kids surely can't expect to look good in unwear, can they?? Well, I decided to treat myself to some new underwear of my choosing. I loaded up my boys, went to the mall, and got myself some black lacy underwear. And let me just tell you, I feel SOOOOO sexxy in them! In addition to that, I bought myself a bottle of my favorite perfume, as I have been out for months.
What really is the purpose of this post? I will tell you. It's about Kristina, taking care of Kristina. It's about taking pride in myself, and going after what I WANT, rather than settling for anything less.

Wednesday: 1,629 calories, and 17 glasses of water. I did 60 minutes of cardio, burning 857 calories, and lifted 51,200 pounds.

Thursday: 1,625 calories, and 15 glasses of water. I did 30 minutes of cardio, burning 481 calories, and lifted 15,000 pounds.

Broken!

I have finally broken the 200 barrier. It was hard. I have been at this for two weeks, nearly three. I am down to 198 today. I have been having menstrual problems and went 6 weeks without a period and then when it finally hit, the weight came down. Fluid. You know, I just hate that. But it's what we are, big water containers.

When I got up this morning I noticed a more definition in my sternum area. I could see ribs from the front and it has been literally ages since I have seen that. I don't mean that I am bony, I just mean that the pad of fat that has been over my chest is lessening. I love these little glimpses that show me what's beneath the fat.

Another 10 Gone, FINALLY!

Since I'm another 10 pounds down (finally!!!) since the last time I posted before and after pics, it's time to do it again.

234.2 lbs on 3/8 - 204.4 lbs on 8/9

And apparently Ive grown shorter too! I know these are the most unflattering pictures I could take of myself, but I wanted a good way to compare and see the changes in my body. Now if I could just learn to stand in the same place. Ah well.

This is how I felt this morning! I wanted to hug my scale

I crossed over into the 160's today you guys, I've crossed over! This is a huge deal for me. I'm just BARELY there, but I am there, at 169.5. 85.5 pounds gone. I feel like I could fly this morning. I feel so happy that I could almost cry. I only have 9 1/2 more to go. So off to the Y I will go, with a smile on my face. : )
Oh, and BTW, I ran my fastest mile yesterday. An 8:40 mile. That's exactly 20 seconds off of my previous record. Yeah me! My goal is to be able to run a mile in 8 minutes flat... I still have my work cut out for me.

Monday: Didn't count calories, but I did make two trips to the Y. I did 50 minutes of cardio, burning 494 calories, and lifted 105,600 pounds. (The most weights that I've ever done in one day) : )

Tuesday: 1,584 calories, and 10 glasses of water. I did 40 minutes of cardio, burning 500 calories, and lifted 46,500 pounds.

Checking In

Hi Ladies!

I have taken Elicia's challenge, gotten a pedometer, and have been walking my (soon-to-be) little tush off. I've been averaging over 12,000 steps each day, but it's been taking some work to get there.

Also, I took a Zamba class last week at the Y. For those who don't know (and I didn't), it's a mix of Latin, funk, and kickboxing. In short, a lot of lunges and booty-shaking and the lovable-yet-pretty-dotty instructor yelling "sexy feet, sexy feet, whomp, whomp, whomp, HIPS!" I had a blast but my poor rear was a little sore the next day. Much to the amusement of my assistant. Anyway, I highly recommend Zamba to the Y members on this blog - way fun!

Also fun: getting organized. I've long suspected that there is a very strong correlation between my discipline in other areas of my life and in my weight. When I'm working out and being active, the house gets cleaner, and I pay more attention to other details in my life. And vice versa. Well, this weekend I finally got a Friday evening to myself - the first in months - so I splurged. I went to Target, bought tons of large storage tubs (Note: tons may only equal 12), pulled everything out of my storage closet (which hasn't been done in the last 6 years), poured myself a large glass of wine, and got to work. I threw away so much stuff - y'all, my closet was like a time capsule from 1998 - complete with unopened mail, ZIP disks, and clothes that I can't believe I wore out in public. Anyhoo, given my recent spate of organization (I also bleached the fridge, cleaned behind the stove, rearranged all of the furniture, reorganized the back porch, and finally did something with most of the books which have comprised what is lovingly referred to as the leaning tower of literature in my bedroom), I expect the weight to be falling off at any moment.

Not so fun stuff coming up: I have to bring up the subject matter of my compensation with the powers that be at work. I really dislike discussing money in specific terms, but it's gotten to the point where I'm being treated very unfairly and I'm afraid of the precedent it sets to let them treat me like this for too long. So, here's to screwing up my courage, holding my nose, and getting it done.

Other than that, not much is going on in my world. I joined a new tennis team and we start play this weekend. I turned 27 1/2 over the weekend (yes, we actually celebrated that one) and I'm doing my best to behave. And I think Blogger still doesn't like me. Oh well.

Love and skinny sparkles to you all,

Lisa

I've lifted 5,000,000 pounds for the year!

That's right, you've read correctly. FIVE MILLION pounds baby!
I'm still working out really hard. But I've not journaled my food the last five to six days. I've hit that three month mark where it's getting more difficult to calorie count. It does get old after a while. For those of you who have counted calories before, you know exactly what I mean. My weight is the same, basically. I'm up a pound. But I'm also at the tail end of my period...

Tuesday: 47 minutes of cardio, 563 calories burned. 50,500 pounds lifted.

Wednesday: 55 minutes cardio, 778 calories burned. 42,600 pounds lifted.

Thursday: 45 minutes cardio, 558 calories burned. 56,500 pounds lifted.

Friday: 30 minutes of cardio, 316 calories burned. 77,250 pounds lifted.

The Magical House

Here is a story that I wrote this morning.

The Magical House
By Janet Bowser

Once there was a house that had magical properties. The more furniture, drapes, knickknacks that were brought into her, the more spacious she got. The house would actually grow. This house loved to shop and liked nothing more than buying new things to satisfy that impulsive urge. She loved yard sales, where she could pick up several things cheaply to satisfy her shopping urge. However, she was never fully satisfied with what she had just bought and was soon planning another shopping splurge.

By filling herself with all that stuff, she began growing from a Cape Cod to a Raised Ranch, then a Victorian and finally she had become a huge condo complex with an attached 150 car parking garage.

But as she got larger, the house also had problems with her exterior and superstructure. Her paint started to chip, roof tiles fell off here and there. Her top line sagged and her large wrap-around veranda dipped at an alarming angle. The poor house's plumbing suffered and her joints squeaked. Her yard looked horrible.

Because she was so huge, her work crew could not fix things as quickly as she needed repairs. Neighbors and passersby would not make eye contact with her because, frankly, she was unattractive. Mean kids would point at her and laugh. Sometimes even nice people said things about her that hurt. She had become unsafe and knew that if the housing authority spotted her, she was in danger of being condemned. She felt like crap.




So, finally the house realized that it was all the stops at the yard sales and the gifts from family and friends that were increasing her square footage day by day. She made up her mind and said to herself, "That's enough! I am going to stop going to garage sales. I am going to stop accepting these gifts. I am going to quit ordering things online. I will only buy those things that are essential for myself to keep on going. And those things that I do buy have to be pretty special, they have to add to my beauty -- not gaudy, flashy junk. Not crap that I am just going to put into storage."

At first, the other houses in the neighborhood made fun of her, they said that she would never be able to keep it up. She was the biggest house in the area and they were sure that she could never change. She start to look around herself. She decided to have a yard sale of her own. Out went the old junk tables that she had inherited. Out went the bedroom suite that she never even slept in. Out! Out! Out! It was hard parting with those things which had been part of her, but she did it.

Slowly but surely, the house noticed that she was losing acreage. Her mass was dropping. Now her garage only held 10 cars (and one had to be a sub-compact).

She got rid of more junk. She kept the promise that she had made to herself not to buy more crap. Suddenly, she was a Raised Ranch again. She never thought she would be a ranch again. One day she looked down, she saw her grass at her footers. It was the first time she had seen her grass in ages and it was nicely manicured by her crew! She felt pretty.

Her work crew fixed her roof. Her plumbing got an overhaul. The house's exterior started to look much nicer. Her curb appeal started to improve. People strolling by stopped to look at her. And they smiled. The house knew that she looked better. Once someone asked if she was for sale. She was flattered.

One day, the house across the street had a wonderful estate sale with antiques, retro appliances and beautiful baskets of every kind. There was just such an abundance of stuff. The house watched the flow of traffic in and out of the estate sale. She so badly wanted to get in there, look around and get some stuff for her den, but then she realized that she liked being a ranch more than she want those antiques.

Right then she made up her mind. She had another sale of her own, a big one right there on her grass. She put out the rest of her stuff and sold it all. She was finally able to let go of it all. The next morning, as a car drove past her, she saw herself reflected in it's windows. She had become a Cape Cod again.

Part of her sometimes dreams of when she might be a little log cabin in the woods with lacy curtains and a flower garden in her back yard, but for now, being a Cape Cod is a gift. She never felt better, she never looked better and her maintenance crew hums around her now, fixing her, maintaining her, making structural improvements and beautifying her superstructure.

I am that house.
What kind of house are you?
What kind of house do you want to be?

I've Hit 40!!

Pounds that is. I feels good to be at this point and exiting to see what the future has to offer me. I am feeling pretty good. It is good to be feeling good. :) It has been along time. I haven't had a headache since the surgery, which is great because I would have one every day before.

I am excited to be on this site, you all are very inspiring to keep on pushing on.

200 lbs

After eight years, I am on the threshold of saying goodbye to the 200's. I stood on the scale this morning and the dial was firmly on the 200 mark. Knowing my body the way I do, I will be under it in 4-5 days or so. I had a hard time really visualizing my lost 72 lbs, but I happened across a website that put it into perspective:

72 pounds is the average weight of a 10-year old boy.

How Much Fuel Is That?

To lose that amount of fat would mean to burn 252,000 calories or 1,054,368 KiloJoules! That is the equivalent of 8.13 gallons of gasoline. Humans, however, are far more efficient than cars, getting about 912 "miles to the gallon". If you could dump this many calories into the tank of a Honda Civic, you would be able to drive it about 276 miles before running out of gas!

Let's see how your goal would convert to other forms of fuel. 252,000 calories is equivalent to:

• 8.13 gallons of gasoline, or
• 90.04 pounds of coal, or
• 125.05 pounds of oven-dried wood, or
• 11.04 gallons of propane

This amount of energy would ...

• Brew about 703 pots of coffee, or
• Light a 60-watt light bulb for 4,881 hours ( 203 days = 0.63 years)

Cutting 252,000 calories is the same as saying "no" to:

• 182 pounds of ground beef, or
• 2,897 glasses of wine, or
• 780 Snickers bars, or
• 1,050 Clif Bars ( 1,400 Luna Bars), or
• 1,813 cans of Coke, or
• 1,482 pints of Guinness beer, or
• 512 Big Macs, or
• 489 Quarter Pounders with Cheese, or
• 360 Whoppers, or
• 764 Subway 6" Oven Roasted Chicken Breast sandwiches, or
• 1,482 Taco Bell crunchy tacos, or
• 1,072 slices of pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut (!!)

What it Takes to Burn 252,000 Calories

To burn 252,000 calories, a 190 pound male would have to:

• Backpack for 417 hours (17 days) nonstop, or
• Walk for 966 hours (40 days) at 3 mph straight, or
• Walk 2,897 miles (1,810 kilometers), or
• Bike for 730 hours (30 days) at 10 mph, or
• Bike 7,304 miles (4,565 kilometers), or
• Play basketball nonstop for 402 hours 17 days), or
• Play billiards for 1,167 hours (49 days), or
• Go bowling for 973 hours (41 days), or
• Stay on the golf course for 730 hours (30 days), or
• Spend 325 hours (14 days) playing competitive football, or
• Jump rope for 307 hours (13 days) straight!

You would have to walk the length of England about 4.83 times to burn 252,000 calories.

How many pounds have you lost and what does it really mean? Check here!

MY FITLINXX STATS FOR JULY

These are my stats from last month at the YMCA. I'm not really in the mood to elaborate, as I am on my cycle, and pretty tired today. Anyhow, here they are:

I earned 18,467 Fit points. Placing me 1st in my age group, 1st for all women, and 6th for the whole Y.

I lifted 880,344 pounds. Placing me 1st in my age group, 1st for all women, and 4th over all.

I burned 18,217 calories. placing me 1st in my age group, 5th for all women, and 11 over all.

Not bad for a chick that's nearly 40, eh?