Getting my fit girl on (for reals this time)

How many times have I said that.. "for real this time"? and I never loose the weight, I never commit. Well I just said it again, and I think I mean it. I have been doing a challenge of sorts, a fitness challenge, through Beachbody, The folks that bring you Focus T25 and other workouts and such like P90X and shakeology.
Well things have been going really well. I have still been struggling a bit with the weight loss, but I am sticking to the workout plan this time, Week four and I am about 5 pounds down, not much but considering I am not modifying my diet much that's to be expected. But I have noticed a huge increase in my strength and stamina. I did a legit push-up yesterday. I don't think I have ever done that! And then I did several of the girly modified ones (on your knees) way more than I ever have.
I have been finding a lot of success in T25 and this challenge group, so much so that one of the group creators and my own personal coach Lee Ann asked me if I wanted to be a coach.
I know what you are thinking, "Alana, you're a little chubby still, how you gonna be a fitness coach?" well I asked myself the same thing, but I think that doing this will help drive me to succeed in my fitness goals, like extra accountability.. There are also some great perks, and being a Military Spouse I have no fees. So really, it's a no loose situation. I get to keep doing this workout that I love am seeing progress with, and I don't hate doing, and then I can share my success with the world and bring it into other peoples lives!
If you are interested in Beachbody, let me know. I promise to not push it too much on the blog, but I will keep you updated on my personal fitness success.

www.beachbodycoach.com/AlanaMarie
https://www.facebook.com/AlanasLoosinIt

My neck of the woods

I've been so busy with Princess Stinky Pants, that I haven't really written much lately, beyond baby updates.

Well that's not true. I wrote a big long post the other night about co-sleeping, but it got eaten by the blogger monster while I was asleep, and has not been seen from since. I keep hoping that I'll wake up and It'll appear for me to post, but I doubt it.

The weather here continues to mess with my emotions, it was really nice for a few days and then it got rainy for about a week, not that big of a deal, I don't mind the rain, but it was also chilly. Then it got nice again, really nice, now it's cold again. Second day of summer and our high will be in the high 50's low 60's

We have been planning our fall road trip/ PCS (permanent change of station, when we move to Paul's new location) We are going to try to visit everyone, this will include stops in Az, Nm, Tx, and all the way to Va. Then head back to California after. 

I also hope to visit some mommy friends on this trip. See, when I was pregnant with Evelyn I was lucky enough to find a group of ladies all also due in December, all also first time mommies. A facebook group has formed and we have been together since, It's been over a year now. We went through pregnancy, sickness, premie births, and late babies together, then colic, fevers, sleepless nights and wonder weeks. We are all having these milestones together, I think it's wonderful, I can ask this group of about 80 moms, "hey is anyone else dealing with this right now?" and I have so many moms that can relate. I was also lucky enough to discover two bloggers that had babies right when I did, Mrs. K & Captain J, we were due date buddies (we were, weren't we? oh my, baby brain has ruined my memory), but her little A came early. Then Home is wherever we are if there's love there too, she had her little Boy J, about 26 hours after I had Evelyn. But since she's in Japan, we actually were both having babies at very close to the same time! 

getting ready for a walk

I have been working on my physical self too. I recent started Weight Watchers again. Last time  I think I lost overall about 12 pounds. I still have lots of baby weight to loose, but I think I am down about 4 pounds since I started, which is 4 more pounds than I have lost since I came home from the hospital. I weigh in Monday, so we'll see where we are. My initial goal is the 20ish I have to loose from pregnancy. Then I would like to loose another 20ish. I have been walking/hiking the hill outside when the weather is nice, and mostly eating better on days that I am cooped up inside. I've been doing insanity off and on, and I've even done Jillian 30 Day Shred a few times.

workout woes  

We also have been hiking on the weekends, last weekend we followed an old rail road trail, that led to a spooky tunnel.  I thought my heart would explode walking through the tunnel, and if I didn't have Paul with me I wouldn't have gone in it, It was scary and I am pretty sure there were zombie monsters hidden in there just waiting to eat our faces. After we turned around and headed back I made us find a trail over the hill the tunnel went through because I really didn't want to walk through it again.  and that's about it. Somehow things are crazy busy with a baby, but I don't seem to have much to write about. That's not true, I have a few posts started that I need to take pictures for, I'm just lazy/too busy with Baby E, to take them and finish the posts. Maybe I can find time to do that soon.  Oh and don't forget, In a few days Google Reader will close FOREVER!
Follow me on bloglovin

Zumba

Source: unionyoga.co.uk via Monika Anna on Pinterest

(I don't have false expectations of ever looking like this)

I have been to two Zumba classes and I am in love. I recently quit Weight Watchers, for a few reasons, nothing against WW, I am just a diet quitter. I think I am better off eating what I want (within reason, and portion controlled) and just exercising more.
So that has been my goal for the last month or so, exercise more. It hasn't happened, at all. I am a lazy mo-fo. My weight is back up to 161 and I am just lazy.

But I made a friend! and she Zumbas and we went together monday, and it was AWESOME! like my favorite thing ever! It doesn't even feel like an hour has passed when the class is over. I went monday and today and I am hooked, today I even bought a punch card so I don't have to worry about bringing $$ to the classes to pay for it.

The class is given by a local girl who does them in a meeting room at the Holiday inn, it's really un-intimidating and everyone is about my age. But I am hooked, and I can't wait for Monday to come for another class. She does classes 4 days a week and I am going to try to go every week, the only class I may miss periodically is the Friday class and that's because of work, like this coming friday I work until 7 so I can't go. I am such a dork.

This is so true-

Source: media.tumblr.com via Alana on Pinterest

I need to learn the hip pop thing the girl in the front does, it looks awesome!

Source: youtube.com via Hannah on Pinterest

Want to win yourself a Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred?

It's not my giveaway, It belongs to that lovely lady I mentioned a few days ago: Cyn over at Misadventures of a Chunky Goddess

She is giving away a copy of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred AND Ripped in 30 (which I have never even heard of but totally going to order at work tomorrow!)

I already have 30 Day Shred, and I know of it's amazingness. But I think you need it.

Go Do It!

Now!

For Serious!

and here are some words of wisdom from dear Jillian to get your lazy ass motivated!

Source: google.com via Alana on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Alana on Pinterest

Source: katoalaskikatoa.blogspot.com via Alana on Pinterest

and if that all wasn't enough to prove she knows her shit... how about this: 

Source: healthy-is-the-way-to-go.tumblr.com via Alana on Pinterest

You know I talk all this shit and I didn't even do my shred today. But in my own defense I was busy and worked today, and I have to be up and at work at 6 am tomorrow. 

Still, no excuse though. I should have done it. 

I even had time to but choose to look at shit my kid/dog/husband ruined instead. 

well that is all from me. I have another post in the works and I'll be back with it sometime tomorrow (ish)I need to get my ass to bed though. 

I've been working on me

30 days from today my sister is getting married.
I know I am not going to loose mad amounts of weight, and really I don't want to because I already have my dress, I've already had it sized, and I don't want to worry about it being too big.
What I do want to do, is tone up. I have back fat and flabby arms. I am holding steady at about 157. I just want to tone up, the number on the scale isn't the biggest thing for me right now. Plus with winter running up on us I know that there will likely be some winter laziness and winter weight (though I hope not)

So I've been doing Jillian Andersons 30 day shred.
Check out Purple Goddesses weight loss journey blog, she's doing the 30 day shred too (and she is doing way better than I)
So yeah, Friday should have been day 3, but I skipped it. So yesterday, Saturday, I punished myself and went up to level 2, which was fucking killer. Planks, Planks, Planks and Planks.
I am also skipping today, so tomorrow, well it depends on work, but I may punish myself with level 2 again. I haven't technically worked out today, but I've been active most of the day, so I am not too disappointed with myself.

Last time I did the 30 day shred (and I stuck with it) I don't think I lost too much weight, but I did loose quite a bit of back fat.
So that's my goal.
I have 30 days to.....

BANISH THE BACK FAT!!!

Source: thefitway.tumblr.com via Alana on Pinterest

Recipe: Oven Roasted Artichoke

I love artichoke, a lot. We eat it all the time, lately we've been having them once a week or more. I recently started cooking them in the oven, because, well, because I felt like it. Here's how it goes.

Oven Roasted Artichoke w/ garlic

1. wash your artichoke, rinse it good, open the leaves up as best you can, and get it all rinsed out inside, the tip it upside down so it can drain a little.

2. cut the stem off.

3. cut up some garlic, i use about 1 clove per choke.

4. stuff your choke with garlic, I even cut a little hole in the bottom and stuff it with garlic.

(a little idea- If you half your chokes, you can clean them out really well and scoop out the hairy stuff that you can't eat, and stuff that with garlic too.)

5. sprinkle with salt and wrap your choke in foil

6. close it up tight!

bake on a baking sheet at 475 for about 45 min, depending on the size of your choke, and how shitty your oven is, my oven sucks so they cooked for almost an hour.

serve with melted butter/lemon juice or mayo/lemon juice

yum!

More On Weight Watchers.

I am really proud of myself for sticking to this as well as I have. I am seeing the results on the scale too, today I weighed 159!

I wanted to share a sample of what I eat every day. I try to sort of stick to the same-ish things but mix them up in small ways.

Yesterday:

Breakfast was an everything bagel thin (3pts) with about 2 3/4 tbsp of whipped cream cheese. (i usually like to pack in pickled jalapenos for 0 pts, but i was out)

(photo snagged from jersey wife)

lunch was a half of a whole wheat pita pocket (2 pt), filled with 2 slices of turkey (1 pt), a hand full of spinach (0 pt), and a fried egg (2 pt), and about 2 tbsp of dijon mustard (0 pt)

for dinner I broiled salmon, I had 6 oz (7 pt), a bunch of broiled asparagus with a little olive oil (0 for the asparagus, 1 pt for the oil)

[photo snagged from Obsessive Chef]

and a bloody mary (4 pt for 1 jigger vodka, 1 pt for 1 cup of spicy V8),

[photo from Cocktail wiki]

for dessert since I had extra points I had a WW chocolate cookie ice cream bar (4 pt)

i don't know why the box says 2 pts, mine says 4, and so does my weight watchers counter thing. whatever.

[photo from amazon]

So that is a typical day for me. I am given 29 points a day and yesterday I came out to 28.

I love the pita's because they never get old and I can add things to them like jalapeno, pepperoncinis, cucumber, green pepper, or any other veggie to mix it up without adding in points. I also sometimes mix up breakfast, I'll have Special K with Red Berries, and I'll add fresh strawberries and bananas. I often eat fresh cut up cucumber, banana, or tomato throughout the day, but I was busy most of yesterday and didn't have time. I also find that the further into this I get the less I find myself hungry. The first week was real hard to keep it under 29 points, now it's pretty easy most of the time. And I try to keep myself from getting hungry by eating often and meals full of veggies. I still have the problem of not knowing when I am full. My body doesn't really tell me, "okay I'm getting full", I go from still hungry to so full I am going to puke very quickly. So i try to eat slowly and not eat too much in one sitting, and limit my portions per veggie even though they are zero points, because overeating on anything isn't good, even if it's healthy.

Weight Watchers Update.

Today I weighed in, 160, 8 pounds down from start date May 14. Weight Watchers has been hard to stick to, sometimes I get unbelievably hungry. But this whole last week I was within or 1-2 points of my daily allowance.

My favorite treats have recently been tomatoes and cucumbers with seasoning salt and lots of pepper, or bananas. I eat lots of bananas, 2-3 a day.

I am still drinking, but keeping it under my points limit, and I have been drinking vodka with lemon and a little sprite zero, it's less points than beer, and in the long run it's cheeper.

Grocery shopping is still expensive. I am buying lots of veggies. Veggies aren't cheep. I still have TV dinners for lunch but I have found some that are pretty low on points and still filling. I also love the Green Giant single serving cauliflower/broccoli and cheese or broccoli & carrots. They microwave in 3 min and the ones with cheese are 1 point and the other is 0 points.

Things are going well. But I am going to blow it tonight and go to BWW and have wings and beer, maybe fries. So I'll have to go hiking tomorrow morning to work it off.

I Love Food.

I have a great love for all things food. Sadly my waist (and thighs, arms, chest, calves and belly) show that fact quite well.

I really love food blogs.

closet cooking

for the love of cooking

bitter sweet

smitten kitchen

everybody like sandwiches

mommy's kitchen

The Cooking Photographer

just to name a few.

But I am making an effort to be healthier. I am looking for healthy, diet, weight watchers, food blogs. I joined weight watchers online today, hoping that this works, I want to loose some weight by my sisters wedding and I am hoping a few months of weight watchers will help me with that.

So share me your healthy food blog links!

AMAZING PASTA!

AMAZING PASTA!

and apparently it's healthy!!!!

(unless you eat 2 servings like I did.....)

Adapted from this recipe here

(Not much left by the time I thought of taking a picture)

• 1/3 box of farfalle pasta
• 1/3 cup of crumbled feta cheese (I used fetta with herbs added)
• 1 big handfull of arugula
• 2 big handfulls of spinach
• cherry tomatos halved
• drizzle of olive oil
• kosher salt & pepper to taste

• Cook pasta as directed, do not discard water!
• while pasta is cooking wash your arugula, spinach and tomatoes.
• Take two colanders in one put the feta in the bottom and top with arugula and spinach, in the other colander add your halved tomatoes.
• drain a small amount of the water from the pasta over the salad colander
• drain the remaining water over the tomatoes (this will slightly blanch them)
• quickly add all to one bowl, drizzle with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• generously add salt and pepper.
• stir and enjoy.

I'm a quitter.

It hasn't even been a week and I'm already giving up on the low carb thing. It just isn't for me. I've tried it before and it's hard for someone who love starchy carbs like I do. I live for sammiches and potatoes, I love Mac and Cheese and pasta. Pizza is my favorite take out. It's just too hard for me. I feel like crap because I am stuck in a low-carb fog.

I am going to continue to watch my carbs, and keep them in check, but I am not going to restrict myself to the point I have been, and make myself cry because I can't have pizza because I am already too fat. I know it's not all calories in calories out in weight loss, but that's a fair part of it. My plan is to exercise (or at least walk) every day. EVERY DAY! and keep my calories low, carbs in check, protein high and sugars (besides fruit) low. No Mt. Dew! No Cokes! No Cherry Pepsi! except one and a while. I also need to curb my beer/wine drinking. Lately I havn't been drinking a lot, but I've been drinking often, and once a week or so I'll over do it. Cool thing I did learn with low carb is my hangover which I get from just smelling wine, has been missing. But it's not an even trade off, I'll live with the occasional hangover if I can have bread.

Monday Paul and I tried to start Primal blueprint but I broke and we had sushi and rice for dinner. Officially we started Tuesday. Today is day 3 and I feel sort of shitty (see second to last link) but I am down 3.7 pounds.

These are the links that I found most helpful, They make the most sense to me in this order:

Basic Idea

Why it works

Guide

Why a calorie isn't a calorie i.e. 100 calorie banana isn't the same as 100 calories of bacon

Booze is okay!! (YAY!!)

You may feel like shit at first, but it passes

FAQ & Primal Blueprint 101 (and all other useful links)

Pictures and Update

Not too much going on here, The dogs are doing good.

Renji and Aiko, still love each other (most of the time)

Okinawa has elephant shaped clouds

And really pretty regular clouds

Sunabe Gyro, has the best Gyros this side of Greece

And Paul and I have started a new diet. Primal Blueprint, I'll post more about it later, it's so far way better than Atkins. So far (3 days) I've not seen too much progress but we'll see.

So part of the new me, I was riding my bike Monday, and I stopped to try to meditate (per doctors orders) though meditation failed miserably, I did see a cute snail giving another cute snail a piggy back ride.

Salmon Feta Pasta

Salmon Feta Pasta

This is an adaptation from a recipe out of my Dieters Cookbook.

I saw this recipe and it looked so good, and it's full of things I love, Salmon, Feta, Pasta, Tomato and Olive!

here is what you need:

some salmon, about a pound. more or less you could put as much in as you want I imagine

some tomatoes, I used 4 roma tomatoes

green onions (or scallions whatever you call them) about 5-6

half a block of feta cheese, about 4 oz

a small can of sliced olives ( I used the ones with jalapenos)

olive oil

1/2 a box (8oz dry) of rotini pastas

So you cook the pasta according to the box, drain and set aside, but try to keep it warm.

While it is cooking cut your salmon in to about 1 inch cubes and lightly sprinkle with salt, also cut up your tomatoes into bite size pieces. Chop the green peppers and cut the feta up. It may be easier to used pre-crumbled feta but that was more expensive for less, so I just cut it up.

Heat up a pan with a little olive oil and cook up the salmon until it is done, then add in your tomatoes, green onions and olives (drain the olive can first).

the recipe called for fresh basil, which I didn't have so I sprinkled some dry basil on at this point. Cover the mix and let warm throughly, until onions are wilted.

Stir everything together, with the feta and a little olive oil (about 1tbsp) and you have an amazing, low calorie, light dinner!

Delayed Monday Post

it's not monday anymore but I had this post in my mind and I got to busy to do it so here goes:

disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I am not a parent, I do not study nutrition, these are MY feelings, this is MY opinion, based on nothing more than observations.

Calories are a big part of weight, they are the only part, they make or break your waist. Knowledge about calories is very important to loosing weight, maintaining your weight or gaining weight. With that said, Children have no place even thinking about calories. I feel no one under the age of 16 should even know what a calorie is. This is just asking for an eating disorder. Two things I've witnessed in the last few weeks, one yesterday: A little girl, no older than 5 running with a pint of ice cream, her father tells her she has to share it with her sister. She starts to put up a fit, his response to her "why's" is "you can't eat the whole thing it's got... (pause while he did the math) 1020 calories in it. to which she replies "what's a calorie?" he says "it's what makes you fat". Seriously? Really dude? I wanted to smack him. Even not directly telling your kids about calories and fat grams and carbs, I think a child seeing and hearing a parent verbally share distaste over these things can cause issues. A few weeks ago I saw a little boy about 9 eating some candies out of a bag, he stopped and told his mom that he couldn't eat them, when she asked why he said there were too many calories and he didn't want to get fat. His mom with a near perfect response told her son that he didn't need to worry about calories and he wasn't going to get fat. The boy learned this somewhere. I understand dieting is a major part of millions of peoples lives these days, but let the kids see the healthy side, the exercise, eating the right food, not the ugly side, which I do just as much as the next person, counting every single thing you put in your mouth. Back to the age thing. I pick 16 as the age you must be to think about calories because that I feel is the age where one can partially understand what a body needs to function. Also this is about the age where parents (at least my parents) lost control of what is eaten. Younger kids parents have much more control of what kids do, what kids eat, I often see many really good examples of using this power, kids in sports, playing outside, riding bikes. Childhood obesity is a problem, little fat kids are everywhere, but education can make a huge difference, and over-education can lead to huge problems.

Manic Monday

First off, I really shouldn't be blogging, I should be working on my paper for History, or reading for Government, or studying for Environmental Science. (why yes, I am taking too many classes again this term, why do you ask?) but that's no matter, I want to blog.

Monday's topic- Fitness/Diet/Healthy

With homecoming fast approaching it's time for me to work on shedding those deployment pounds, and then some. I'm going to be brutally honest about myself because this is my blog and I can say what I want, but not only am I overweight (to myself and according to my BMI) but I am painfully out of shape. I get winded running up to the third floor. I get tired walking the dog around the block. I am a lazy person, and being overwhelmed in school doesn't help.

I'll start with diet.

I've been reading alot about Atkins, it speaks of rapid weight loss and still remaining healthy. More or less you are seriously limiting carbs, no sugars, and no caffeine. 20 grams of carbs a day to start, normally in a day I consume 150-180 grams. I love bread, noodles and sandwiches. all are huge carb adders to my diet. fortunatly meat, chicken, beef, fish, pork, not breaded and fried have 0 carbs. I thought this would be easy, get some carbs from veggies and eat lots of meat, I like meat, I can have all the sashimi, steaks, and chicken wings I want.

I started last monday, 1 week ago today. I lasted 2 days before I broke down and had oatmeal for breakfast. every day since then I have passed the 20 gram a day carb mark, but my average daily carbs is around 50 grams, so not too bad, i think. I've lost 4 pounds, I notice my pants are a little looser, I don't feel great but I am getting over a cold. I've also almost completely cut sugar out, havn't had a soda in a week, (well I had a coke zero today, but no real sugar, no carbs, and no calories) I've been eating lots of fish and veggies, last night for dinner I had asparagus and salmon, it was yummy!!!! My hardest part is low carb breakfasts, I am getting sick of eggs, and I don't much feel like a steak in the morning. I sleep in so when it comes to breakfast it needs to be grab and go. which is why I like oatmeal. I know i am not sticking to Atkins as prescribed, but I have found that when my carbs are lower than 30, I feel like shit. So I am going to compensate and eat what I need to feel good. Like today for lunch I had soba, 1 1/2 cups of soba noodles is about 36 grams of carbs, but you know what? I wanted it. so there.

Fitness.

As soon as my nose stops draining and my cough stops I'll likely start back up at the gym again, until then I am going to start today with doing some workouts at home and around here. I've got light weights. I have workout DVD's; P90X, Biggest Looser, Billy Blanks. I just need to stop watching South Park in my spare time and working out instead.

Overall Healthy Lifestyle.

I just want to modify my life for the better, I am eating way more organic produce, and meats, I eat less processed foods. And I feel better, about myself and in general.

I read somewhere in my quest for healthy living that the healthiest grocery shopping is done along the walls. Think about it; produce? against the wall; fresh meats? against the wall; milk, eggs, cheese, dairy? against the wall; Fresh breads? against the wall. over processed, full of added crap, sugars, High fructose corn syrups? in the isles. I try to avoid the isles at all costs. (also cause I despise fighting people through them at the commissary) but some things I need, canned veggies, which i still support. Frozen dinners and veggies (Love me some Lean Cuisine microwave panini! and broccoli with cheese) I don't eat potato chips, I do eat tortilla chips, I stopped drinking soda, except the occasional coke zero or sugar free redbull. I love salads and roasted veggies.

Also along with the lifestyle changes, I love being outside, I just wish Okinawa would get with the program and warm the hell up and stop RAINING!!!

well that is all for my blogging today, stay tuned tomorrow for... Military Life/Deployment

the old fashioned way

I'm back on the exercise train.

It's all about calories in and calories out.

Healthy diet and exercise.

I'm going to keep it up, and keep doing it the right way.

September 2007 (about 180)

August 2009 (about 155)

Slow and steady, I've lost 25 pounds, most of it in the last year. I still have a ways to go, but I am so happy with what I have achieved, looking back at pictures.

Green Chicken Soup

It's not so much green chicken, as it is chicken soup with green stuff, but I like the name, Green Chicken Soup.
I made this a few weeks ago, when I just needed some warm comfort food. It was freaking great.

(all ingredients can be altered to your liking, I love cabbage in my soup, you however may not)

2 chicken thighs

4 cups of chopped cabbage

1 leek

1 handfull of chopped cilantro

1/2 cup onion

4 stalks of celery

1 bag of pre cooked soba noodles

seasonings, i used: sea salt, mortons seasoning, black pepper, and ground rosemary & thyme witch i ground myself together with the sea salt in my mortar. i used about a teaspoon of each except salt, about 2 teaspoons of salt.

boil chicken until cooked in about 8 cups of water and seasonings

(here i would suggest de-boning chicken, i did not and eating was a pain in the ass)

add add all greens except cabbage boil for about 10 min, add cabbage, boil for 10 more min (this allows other veggies to flavor broth and cabbage wont be to soft)

put cold soba noodles in a bowl and spoon soup over top, this allows the noodles to warm and at the same time cool soup to an eatable temperature.

eat immediately, with chopsticks. reserve & refrigerate remains (keep unused noodles seperate from soup, upon re-heating you will follow same procedure of adding hot soup to cold noodles.)

just a little joy

i wanted to share my joy with you first thing in the morning

i've lost 18 pounds since i got to okinawa a year ago, about 12 of those pounds have been in the last 6 months, and about 3 of those are in the two weeks we've been in the new house! i'm so happy i could die! (well lets wait a few more pounds before i die, tha'd be more eco friendly i think, less of me to decompose...)

i put on a pair of pants today that i could wear a few years ago, but then i got all fat and couldnt wear them at all. so i put them on, and low and behold they fit again, with almost no muffin top (not noticeable unless you were scrutinizing my outfit)

i dont know what it is, maybe going up and down two flights of stairs a million times a day has something to do with it. 

Battle of the Bulge (my life story, seriously)

(i think i've been through this before but i feel like talking about it today)

I've battled my weight since i was in high school. I was a very skinny, petite, short and a little dorky when i was younger, i was luckily blessed with a high metabolism and i was very active, i swam all summer, rode my bike everywhere. then high school things slowed down for me, i hit puberty, started to drive, started to drive to the drive through.  i remember going to McD's and getting a double cheese burger, and then whatever i was really gonna eat, then stuffing the cheeseburger down my throat before i got home so no one knew i was eating it plus the food i actually brought home. So needless to say my unhealthy relationship with food started as soon as i was able to enable myself. i don't eat to comfort myself, i don't eat because i'm depressed or anxious, i don't eat because i'm bored, i eat because i like to eat, eating is fun, and it tastes good. i love food, there are so many different kinds of yummy food, from ice cream to Sushi, given the chance i'd eat either until i puked. 

i remember my Senior Prom, i was the fat girl, well i wasn't the fat girl, but i was one of them. i quickly became depressed. I blame my weight for my bad decisions in my youth, i wanted to be accepted, i wanted people to like me, i wanted to be cool, but i didn't think i could do that as the fat girl, i tried to not be fat, i would go to the gym, i was running, but i loved food way too much, i ate mexican food nearly every day. 5 years ago I met my husband i was even happier, someone loved me, for who i was. Then it got worse, i think at this point i stopped caring how big I was because someone loved me. 

I've been back and forth for over ten years with my love of food and hate of exercise, two years ago i finally got to the point where i didn't hate exercise, in-fact i really like weights, but i still hated cardio, which is a key in serious weight loss. Over the last year i have tried and failed at maintaining a workout routine, i like the gym here, i really do, it's nice, it's clean, it's quiet (most of the time) but i just HATE the treadmill. well why dont you run outside you say? because it's hot, and what if i got too far and couldnt make it back, and what if i got kidnapped, or i fell down and broke my ankle, or got lost, or......  all excuses. 

This week i started running outside, off base, i decided to run to the gym. even though this 'run' was mostly a fast walk/jog i still made it to the gym, which i found to be packed because it was lunch time and every Marine and their, well, brother was there. not an empty machine in the house, not that i would subject myself to working out with Marines anyway, i have a bad enough self image. so i decided to just go home. my lap took me an hour and a half. When i got home i calculated the distance it was almost 5 miles. i know thats terrible time a 18 min mile but you know what i felt good, i felt great! i wanted to go out and do it again. so two days later i did. i know two days isn't sticking to a routine, but i LOVE jogging outdoors, the air, the birds, the scenery. i love every second of it. i finally am enjoying cardio, plus the terrain in Okinawa is very hilly so i'm burning quite a few calories even if i am not running as fast as i can. i've been using gmaps and i've plotted several routes around where we live now and our new house, i'm so excited! i cant wait to run again, i think i'll do it tomorrow This week i ran T & Th but my goal starting Monday for first few weeks, is every other day M-W-F and a shorter run on Sun starting in March (or earlier if i'm ready) will be every day alternating distances (long run, short run). last night i plotted a new 5 mile, that may be rougher because i'm pretty sure it's even more hills than i did this week, but i'm excited. 

i should also note that i've made a pact with my love of food and my body, if my body lets me exercise as much as my heart and brain want to i wont make it stop eating yummy food, now i wont let it over indulge, or secretly eat double cheeseburgers, but if i want ice cream i will have ice cream.  as long as i can keep up with the running i can eat what i want, in nice size not huge calorie portions.