April was a Push

As most of you already know, I love to play cards, usually the Texas Hold 'em variety. In addition to friendly local Hold 'em tournaments, I've been known to make a donation to our Native American friends now and again at Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. When I go to the casino I usually head straight for the blackjack tables where, as you probably know, when your hand matches the dealer's hand you don't win but you don't lose either, it's called "a push." Well, my weight loss for the month of April was a push. Today I weighed in exactly the same weight as I was on April 1st. I was up as much as 5.3 pounds and down a mere .2 during the month but ended up with a push. Better than busting out, right?

I worked out consistently, I ate pretty well, I didn't binge, I didn't drink and I didn't even lose a measly tenth of a pound the whole damn month. It's crazy but I'm really not too upset about it. I've been very consistent with my workouts and have been hitting the weights more often so I'm just going to continue what I've been doing in addition to paying more attention to what I'm stuffing in my face.

Since leaving work at the end of November, I've lost a total of 26.4 pounds which averages a little over 5 pounds a month which is ok with me. I'm determined to kick it up a notch and show a good loss for the month of May. It's time for me to push it. Who's with me?

Karma is a Bitch

Today is National Pay it Forward Day. Take the opportunity to get out and do something nice for someone, anyone, a friend or a stranger, but do it without any expectation of getting anything in return other than good karma.

It doesn't have to be a big deal, maybe help an elderly person with their grocery bags, put money in a meter that's about to expire, hold the door open for someone running to catch the train, lend a hand, a shoulder to cry on or just give a compliment or a smile. It will come back to you.

John Lennon had the right idea:

Instant Karma's gonna get you,
Gonna knock you right on the head,
You better get yourself together,
Pretty soon you're gonna be dead,
What in the world you thinking of,
Laughing in the face of love,
What on earth you tryin' to do,
It's up to you, yeah you.

Instant Karma's gonna get you,
Gonna look you right in the face,
Better get yourself together darlin',
Join the human race,
How in the world you gonna see,
Laughin' at fools like me,
Who on earth d'you think you are,
A super star,
Well, right you are.

Well we all shine on,
Like the moon and the stars and the sun,
Well we all shine on,
Ev'ryone come on.

Instant Karma's gonna get you,
Gonna knock you off your feet,
Better recognize your brothers,
Ev'ryone you meet,
Why in the world are we here,
Surely not to live in pain and fear,
Why on earth are you there,
When you're ev'rywhere,
Come and get your share.

Remember, what goes around comes around. Don't you think EVERY DAY should be Pay it Forward Day?

The Biggest Loser Cry

Am I the only one that cries like a baby during every single episode of The Biggest Loser. I used to think it was because I was so stressed out at work and my emotions were always so raw on the surface but I'm not dealing with that stress anymore and I'm still balling my eyes out every Tuesday night.


I still have a love/hate relationship with The Biggest Loser but look forward to watching it every week.

It may take me longer than the tv season but I know I will be a BIG loser too.


Am I the only one who needs to stock up on tissues before watching The Biggest Loser?

Mother Earth

Happy Earth Day! We've got the whole world in our hands.

Do something good for Mother Earth, she's the only one we have.

99 Minutes!!!

I did it!

Tony the Anti-Jared and Jen the Prior Fat Girl's 4/20 Challenge is today and I'm proud to tell you I did it!!

I'm a big fan of both their blogs and look forward to every single post. I love that they both tell it like it is. They are inspiring and motivating but they don't sugarcoat what it takes to be successful in this weight loss game. They are proof that if you work hard you can get the results you want just like they did.

I remember Jen and Tony's last challenge but I don't think I would have lasted 10 minutes on the elliptical back then. I committed to do 60 minutes on the elliptical but now that I've been going to the gym regularly, sixty minutes isn't such a big challenge anymore. Sixty minutes is my regular workout now, or at least it was before I wrenched my back a few weeks ago.

This is the t-shirt I wore at the gym today.

I signed up to do at least 60 minutes but if I felt good enough I was going to push it for the full 99 minutes. I figured "no pressure" was a good motto to have. I didn't want to re-injure my back so I was just going to wait and see how I felt. I was still feeling pretty good after 60 minutes so I decided to stick it out for the full 99 minutes that Jen and Tony were going to be on the StairMaster. My thighs would have been screaming if I tried to do 99 minutes on the StairMaster but I'm proud I was able to stay on the elliptical for that long. My thighs were screaming a bit and felt like jello when I got off but it felt good.

The whole time I was on that machine I was thinking about what an inspiration Jen and Tony are to me. They are the real deal. Jen still struggles with the candy dish at the office just like I did every single one of those 40 hours a week I was trapped in the office and Tony gets up at an ungodly hour so he can make time for the gym. They've celebrated the joys of birth and the crushing loss of death and through it all they are still fighting the good fat fight through all of life's ups and downs. They are weight loss blogger rock stars.

I really wanted to get a picture of the machine showing 99 minutes but the machines at my gym are set at a 60 minute max with a 10 minute cool down so I had to do 70 minutes and then continue on for another 29.02 for a total of 99.02 minutes!!! I did it at a lower fat burning intensity instead of the high cardio because I reasoned if I was going to go the distance it would probably be a good idea to slow it down a little.

*Do the math. It adds up to 99:02 minutes, 814 calories and 5.87 miles. Not too shabby, huh?

Everyone is always looking for motivation to get off their ass and lose the fat they've been dragging around but it's not about motivation, it's about accepting that there is no magic to weight loss. Anyone can do it. They are everywhere. You've seen them around. They've been on tv, they've written books, they've let us into their lives through their blogs. There are so many good examples - Sean Anderson at Daily Diary of a Winning Loser, Diane at Fit to the Finish, Lori at Finding Radiance, Cammy at the Tippy Toe Diet, Jennette, the one and only PastaQueen, Shauna, the Amazing DietGirl, they all did it and so can you and I.

They aren't keeping a big secret from the rest of us. They've showed us how they did it and have been telling us how to do it for years. It's not magic, they just did what it takes. It's not all about a diet of rabbit food and denial, it's about living a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy foods, enjoy not so healthy foods in moderation and get out and move your ass, it's no big secret. Stop watching so much tv and take a hike, take the stairs instead of the elevator, just keep moving. We all know that right? The question is "how bad do you want it?" Do you want to do what it takes or eat that cake? Do you want to watch tv all night or work up a sweat? It's a choice.

After 99 minutes on the elliptical machine I was a total sweaty mess. If you don't believe me, keep an eye on Jen's blog where she's threatening to post all the sweaty pictures of everyone who participated. There's still time to join the challenge. Get out and do 60 or 99 minutes. Make the choice to get out and get healthy.

I celebrated 4/20 this year by getting high on endorphins and spreading Bob Marley's message of peace, love and all that other other good stuff.

Love the life you live,

Live the life you love.

- Bob Marley

Celebrate 4/20 today by getting high on endorphins! Peace out.

P.S.

I'm sad to say I may have lost a few followers by admitting I enjoy smoking the peace pipe on occasion. I'm sorry if I offended anyone but I'm not going to lie about who I am. After my last post I did learn that 4/20 is the Evil Adolf's birthday so maybe they thought I was celebrating his birthday and they were offended by that or maybe I just bore them, who knows. Anyway, just to clarify, I was not celebrating the birth of one of the most evil men in history, I was referring to the 4/20 stoner holiday.

Celebrating 4/20

I'm going to celebrate 4/20 by getting high (on endorphins). I'm not ashamed to admit in past years I've celebrated 4/20 with a big fat Bob Marley Memorial *gasp* *I hope you're not too shocked or offended*. I know it's not healthy but everyone needs a vice, right? Anyway ... this year I'm going to celebrate the 4/20 holiday by getting high on endorphins with two of the most inspiring weight loss bloggers.

The no-nonsense, straight talking, weight loss rock star, Tony, the Anti-Jared has challenged Jen, the amazing original Prior Fat Girl to a 99 minute StairMaster challenge on 4/20 and they have invited us all to join them in getting good and sweaty. I remember being inspired by their last challenge and I'm sure this one will be just as good except, sadly, we won't have Jen's Mom to cheer us along this time. I know she'll be there in spirit encouraging Jen and everyone else. I can hear her saying "it's on like Donkey Kong" now.

Not only has Tony challenged Jen to 99 minutes on the StairMaster (imagine the thigh burn) but he also raised the stakes up a notch. They both have to get at least 200 people to commit to working out for over 60 minutes on April 20th. Any workout will do. You can walk, jog, wog, run, do a home video, play on your Wii, do jumping jacks, swim, bike, hit the gym, rake leaves, dance, have sex, whatever you feel like doing that gets your heart rate up and makes you good and sweaty. I'm sure Jen would love to see your glowing, post workout, sweaty pictures too.

RSVP at Tony's or Jen's blog and make the commitment to get high on 4/20. If I make it for the full 99 minutes I may still celebrate the ol' traditional way. Bob would want it that way, Mon. Get in the circle, join the challenge and get high on those endorphins. Ya Mon. Peace out.

S T R E E E E E T C H ....

Stretching is sooooooo important but most of us don't want to waste what little time we carve out of our busy lives to do something so easy and boring before we get down to business with cardio and weights or maybe it's just me. I've learned the hard way that it's absolutely essential to make time for stretching.

My screaming lower back muscles are proof that you can't do all the cardio you want without stretching BEFORE and AFTER. I'm weaning myself off the pain killers (vicodin) and muscle relaxers (flexeril) and getting back to the gym at about half strength. Before I hurt my back I was cranking out 60 minutes on the elliptical and feeling strong and happy to work up a good sweat. I'm not happy that I'm only able to get up to 30 minutes on the elliptical before my back/side/hip starts feeling it. I don't want to push myself out of commission again so I'm going to start listening to what my body is trying to tell me.

Do you make it a point to stretch before and after you workout? How long do you stretch? What type of stretches do you think are most important to do before doing cardio? Any tips on how to get it done without falling asleep on the mat from boredom?

5 Pound Fluke

I knew the scale was just messing with me last Friday. I was so excited to see that I lost almost 5 pounds but I just knew it wasn't a real loss and I was right. I got it all back on Monday. I guess my scale was just a little late with its April Fools joke.

My back is feeling better so I went to the gym today for the first time in over a week. I limited my time on the elliptical to 20 minutes, made sure to stretch before and after and then did the weight circuit. I was a bit tender but not in pain.

Time to get those next 5 pounds off for real. Don't pay so much attention to the scale. It doesn't know what the hell it's saying half the time.

Scales are Stupid

I'm always surprised by how much stock we all put in the numbers on the scale. The scale doesn't know how hard I've been working out, how much muscle mass I've gained, where I am in my cycle, how much salt I ate the night before, how much water I drank or any of the other factors that make up "the number."

I know I've allowed "the number" to have a big affect how I feel about myself on any particular day. I can feel righteous when I see a loss and fall into despair when I see a gain. I've even been tempted to throw in the towel on this journey if I've done everything right and the stupid scale shows I've gained instead of lost. It's time to stop giving the scale the power to throw me off my game.

Why do we continue to give that piece of metal so much power? I haven't been to the gym since Monday because I pulled a muscle in my back (yes, the doctor agreed it was most likely muscle soreness) but when I got on the scale this morning I was rewarded with a 4.8 pound loss for the week. Huh? That is the most I've lost in a single week this year even though I've worked out harder and longer and ate better on other weeks. I spent the past two days lying flat on my back and not doing the least bit of activity and lost 4.8 pounds. Does that mean I should spend more time lying on my back than in the gym if I want to lose weight? Of course not. It just means the scale doesn't know everything and we should stop giving it so much credit.

I think it's about time we learn the lesson that the scale doesn't know it all. It's just one small way to measure ourselves but we shouldn't let it have so much power over our minds, our self confidence and our actions.

Take the number the scale spits out with a grain of salt. If you're working hard and doing the right things, keep doing it no matter what the scale says. Know you are on the right track and don't let a stupid hunk of metal tell you how to feel.

How much power do you give the scale?

Chocolate Love

Who doesn't love chocolate? We even have science to help us make the argument that it's good for us. Chocolate tends to be one of those trigger foods for me, especially if it's covering a salty pretzel.

One of my friends had such a strong addiction to chocolate she actually went to a hypnotist to help her get over it. I'm amazed she hasn't eaten it or had the desire to eat it in over ten years (!). She isn't even tempted by it in the slightest. I wish she had used the hypnotist to help her quit smoking but I guess she wasn't ready to give up the cigarettes and felt the chocolate was doing more harm (??). I'm doing my best to avoid chocolate right now but I can't imagine living the rest of my life without sweet chocolaty goodness.

I can't wait for Easter this year because I gave up alcohol for Lent (what was I thinking?) so I'm looking forward to having a tall cool glass of something with vodka in it more than chocolate eggs and bunnies. I'm still baffled how a holiday about the resurrection of Christ turned into a rabbit delivering baskets full of chocolate and sugar but anyway ....

I recently received a Virtual Chocolate Easter basket from the beautiful Tammy at From Fat to Fab. She is so sweet - thanks Tammy! There's a very good reason you should grab a virtual Easter basket and pass it on to your blogging buddies.

Here's the deal:

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES:

•Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

•Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.

•Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket (THANKS Tammy).

•Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.

•Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.

•This started as a meme of Hershey donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network up to $5,000 – but after so many bloggers participating, Hershey decided to donate a total of $7,000 honoring the kindness of blogger community. Let's see if we can get them to donate even more money to help those kids.

I tend to be a rule breaker but I'm going to do my best to follow them this time for the cause. I'd love to link to everyone but I have such a long list of cheerleaders and inspirational blog bunnies I'll have to narrow it down to just a few.

Hilly at Hillybean

Cammy at The Tippy Toe Diet

Lori at Finding Radiance (John won't have to put this basket on the high shelf)

Julia at Jewlia Goulia

LAF at Walk in Loveliness

Manuela at A New Decade

Chris at A Deliberate Life

Janell at Thufferin Thuccotash

and

YOU! I'd love to personally pass out even more baskets to every single one of you but I'm lazy and it's beautiful out so I don't want to spend any more time indoors on the computer. Even if you don't celebrate Easter, just celebrated Passover or could care less about chocolate, please grab yourself a basket of virtual chocolate and pass it on.

The best part of receiving this chocolate Easter basket is that it has zero calories and will not end up on your hips. Go ahead and enjoy your calorie-free chocolate, put your cottontail on and keep the baskets hopping along!!! :)

HAPPY EASTER!