B as in Beauty

You can always tell how much I enjoyed a book by the number of dogeared pages indicating a passage I want to go back and read again. There were dozens of them when I finished this beauty of a book. Here are a few of my favorite passages:

"...a woman has to trade her face for her ass ... past a certain age, the skinnier you are, the older you'll look. Your figure might be slim, but you'll look wrinkled and emaciated. If you keep some weight on ... your ass will be bigger but you face will stay tight and soft."

"...the obstacle is in your mind. It's not what you have, it's how you feel about it."

"Don't go into your head alone. It can be a dangerous neighborhood."

"Nothing jinxes you faster than common sense...you are protected by your imbecility...."

"Screw sticks and stones, certain words can totally break your bones."

"What other people think is none of your business."

"We develop feelings for everything, even for our jail cell. We feel trapped in it, we hate it, and yet - even if the door is open - we're afraid to leave."

"...it's pretty obvious that fat people are more huggable than skinny people ... go to a toy store, pick up a teddy bear and a Barbie doll, and tell me which one you'd rather snuggle up in bed with."

"The opposite of love is not hatred. It is fear."

"That's life - no one gets out of it alive."

I'm going to stop there because you should buy it and read it for yourself. There are so many great lines in this book it's hard to pick just a few.

I was surprised that this book is written by a man, Alberto Ferreras, who has an uncanny ability to speak to and about woman.

This book is a BEAUTY.

We Lost an Angel Today

We lost one of our angels today. Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with anal cancer today at the age of 62. Every boy I grew up with lusted after Farrah and all the girls wanted that feathered back Farrah hair. I used to sleep with my hair in hard hot rollers so I would have that full bouncy Farrah hair. Mine wasn't as blond but it was close to her style and I loved it even though my head hurt from the curlers digging into my skull all night.

Farrah shot to stardom on the 70s hit Charlie's Angels. I thought Farrah was gorgeous but I always related more closely to Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith. I knew I was more like them than the blond bombshell Farrah was.

Farrah's longtime love, Ryan O'Neal, said "After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away. Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world." She did bring joy into many lives but it doesn't make it easier to see her go.

I could relate to Ryan and Farrah's reluctance to tie the knot all those years even if they were madly in love with each other. I think they intended to take that step in her final days but ran out of time. I hope they didn't have any regrets about that. It makes me think twice about my own situation.

Farrah was such a beautiful soul who didn't just cruise by on her good looks alone and she certainly could have done that. She fought to be taken seriously as an actress, she fought for her right to privacy and she fought the ultimate battle with cancer. She was an angel and a fighter. May she rest in peace.

"They" always say death comes in 3s. I was sad to hear of Ed McMahon's death earlier this week but didn't really shed any tears. He lived a good long life, right? The next thing I hear is that Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, went into cardiac arrest and died this afternoon at the age of 50. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson back when he was a handsome black man. The whiter he got the crazier he seemed to get but nobody can deny the guy had amazing talent. At least we will always have his music to remember him by.

The media is going crazy tripping over each other trying to get the exclusive interviews and lifetime stories. It sounds crazy but I wish Farrah and Michael didn't die on the same day so they could each get the full media spotlight for themselves.

Hey, Grim Reaper, enough already, that's 3, give it a rest. My heart goes out to the friends and family who lost their loved ones. Keep them alive in your happy memories.

Thematic Photographic 55 - Cloudy

Here in my little corner of the northeast we've had plenty of time to get familiar with clouds as it has been a record month for rainfall, clouds and lack of sunshine. It gets a little depressing after weeks without sunshine. I don't know how people in London get through all those foggy gloomy days. There must be a trick to it. I'm happy to say things are looking brighter today. The big yellow orb has finally decided to peek out and show itself. Hopefully it will stick around for a while.

I took this photo from a cruise ship in Boston Harbor a couple of years ago. I always love it when the sunshine streams through the clouds. It seems magical to me.

If you want to join in the Thematic Photographic fun, you can get the details from Cami at written inc. here.

EXPOSED

*

OMG! OMG! OMG! I can't believe how freaked out I am about posting my pictures. I feel so exposed and as bare as if I walked out of the house stark naked. I couldn't stop thinking about it all day, how the pictures of my fatself are out there for the whole world to see. I lost track of how many times I almost deleted them but I didn't give in to the anxiety and fear.

I don't know why it makes me feel so weird. It isn't like people don't see how fat I am every day when they look at me but I think it has more to do with the fact that I don't want to look at myself at this weight. I don't want to look at those pictures. I love who I am but I hate all the extra packaging. I remember what is underneath all the fat and I long to see it again. I want to like what I see in pictures.

As much as it pains me to take a good long look at these pictures I think it will be a good thing in the long run. I wasn't always fat and I'm still pretty active so I think sometimes I kid myself into believing that I'm not that fat. I need to force myself to really see myself, see my fat and see what the world sees when they look at me. I don't want to cringe when I look at photos of myself. I want to like what I see in the mirror. I hope to see allot less of me in 60 days.

Anyone want to join the Missouri 60 and see what a difference you can make in 60 days? Check out the challenge details here and more here at the AntiJared.

Take a picture. Do you like what you see?

* Girl Before a Mirror (1932) Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1882-1973)

Missouri 60 Before Photos

It's on. I'm doing the Missouri 60. I worked up the courage to take some pictures and not immediately delete them. My heart is racing just thinking about hitting "publish post" and putting this out there for the world to see. It's really hard to look at the cold hard fat facts but it is what it is. I am what I am. My eyes are open and I see the work that needs to be done.

I'm too ashamed to show my face so I am yet another headless blogger. I still like to live in the life of illusion and believe I'm blogging anonymously. I know for a fact I've been found by people I would rather not know read about my weight loss battle but I'm getting over it.

I hate seeing myself in pictures at this weight but hopefully things will look better in 60 days.

I can't wait to see the progress I will make in 60 days. I showed you mine, now it is your turn to show me yours.

Thematic Photographic 54 - Going Geen

I love seeing Cami's view of the world and especially enjoyed seeing him without pants on in yesterday's post ;). Makes you wonder what's going on under the newsroom desks, huh?

This week's theme is GREEN. I wanted to take pictures of a huge pile of money but couldn't find enough of it to make the picture work.

This sunflower didn't stay green for very long. Doesn't it look ready to burst?

If you want to join the Thematic Photographic fun, head over to written inc. and get the details. I don't know how he comes up with interesting new themes every week. It's inspiring to see the different ways people get creative with each week's theme.

Join in, have fun and go GREEN.

The Missouri 60

I haven't participated in any of the challenges going around the blogsphere but I think I'm going to bite the bullet and join the Missouri 60. You can check out the details over at The Anti Jared.

Tony "the AntiJared" tells it like it is and doesn't hold anything back. He is brutally honest, gets up at an ungodly hour, works around food all day, doesn't cut himself any slack and doesn't make any excuses. I don't know if I'll ever be as disciplined as he is but I guess that is why he has been successful with weight loss and I'm still floundering. I want to be that dedicated to my health so let's see what I can do.

The basic rules of the Missouri 60 are:

1. Take a picture of yourself between now and June 30th

2. Take a picture of yourself 60 days after

3. Show yourself how great you can be!

There will be prizes but that's not what this is about. The real prize is feeling better about myself and getting healthy. I need to SHOW ME that I can do this.

I'm a photographer so I'm always behind the camera lens and run away when one gets pointed in my direction but pictures don't lie. I'm always shocked when I see a picture of myself. I can't believe I look THAT fat. I don't look that fat in the mirror, do I? It must be a bad angle, bad lighting, bad outfit, just bad, bad, bad. Am I really that fat? YES I AM. Pictures don't lie.

Let's see if I can live up to the challenge and SHOW ME what I can do in 60 days. Anyone want to do the Missouri 60 with me?

Time Keeps Tickin'

I remember when I couldn't wait to be a teenager. It felt like I waited FOREVER to get my driver's license, graduate, vote, and pretend to be a grown up with a job and my own place to live. I still don't feel like a grown up but I can't deny I have all the symptoms and wrinkles don't lie. The years seem to speed up the older I get. Weren't we just making those New Years resolutions yesterday?

The weekend days fly by but Monday through Friday 9 to 5 seems like an eternity. I'm convinced my lunch hour is the shortest hour of the workday. Vacation days disappear in the blink of an eye. Is it just me?

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that I'll be 42 in a couple of weeks. It'll be two years since I started this blog and I haven't come close to reaching my goals. I've wasted so much time trying to get (back) into the body I want. Will it ever happen?

I struggle for weeks to lose a few pounds only to gain them back over a bad weekend. I don't want to live the second half of my life wishing and hoping I did it and having to live with the regret. That's no way to live. I need to lose it before I run out of time.

We're not getting any younger.

How Fat is FAT?

When I developed earlier than all the other girls in fifth grade I thought I was fat. I wasn't, I just grew boobs and hips.

When I was 15 wearing a size 7 and weighing around 125 pounds I thought I was fat. I wasn't. I had a smokin' hot body. I would really appreciate that body if I had it today.

When I got my drivers license at age 16 I put on a few pounds because I wasn't walking or biking to get where I wanted to go. I probably weighed around 130 pounds and wore a size 9. I thought I was fat. I wasn't. I'd be happy to be 130 now.

Every year I would try new diets and lose a few pounds only to gain more and more. I was shocked when I hit 140 pounds and had to jump to a size 10-12. I couldn't believe I was so close to 150 pounds. I tried to lose it by going on one diet after another and ended up gaining more in the long run. I thought I could get my weight under control. I wasn't going to allow myself to break 150 pounds because then I would be really FAT. It didn't take long to exceed that mark with another round of dieting and regaining.

Up, up and away to 160, 170, 180, 190 ... OMG. How can I weigh 190 pounds? I couldn't imagine being over 200 pounds. There was no way I was going to allow myself to reach the dreaded 200 pound mark. If I hit 200 pounds I would be FAT FAT.

I had to get serious, no more playing games. I obviously didn't know how to do it right and needed help. I paid lots of money for a lifetime membership at Jenny C., ate everything out of a cardboard box for months and months, got weighed in every week by a stranger and lost about 60 pounds. I didn't even get down to my goal weight before I started regaining again. I kept the weight off for about 5 whole minutes. Don't blink, you missed it.

Keeping up with the weight loss/regain pattern, I regained all the weight I lost plus a little more for good measure. I broke through the 200 pound mark and beyond. Even though I've always been active, I felt really FAT at over 200 pounds. How did I let this happen? How could I let myself get so FAT?

I couldn't take it anymore. About 6 years ago I jumped on the low carb (South Beach/modified Atkins) bandwagon hard core. I gave up all white carbs. I didn't have any sugar, flour, pasta, potatoes, bread, rice or starchy vegetables for over a YEAR. I don't know how I did it but I resisted all my favorite foods, got off the constant sugar drip and felt amazing as the weight melted off. I ate tons of salads, veggies, some fruits and lean protein and lost at least 60 pounds (AGAIN).

I thought I had it all figured out. I lost it on my own. I got off the sugar and felt amazing. I was never going to be fat again. WoooHoooo! Sixty pounds seems to be my limit before my body wants its fat back. Before I even got to my goal weight I started gaining it back AGAIN all the way up to where I am today - fat and miserable.

Even though I haven't been successful (yet) in all my years of dieting, I haven't given up. I'm fatter than I've ever been and I can't stand it anymore. I'm not done fighting the fat. I'm going to win this war. I spent the majority of my 20s and 30s being Fat. Fat, you may have taken the best years of my life but you are not going to take any more. Fat, you are going down. I'm going to kick your a$$.

Why couldn't I see I was fine (NOT FAT) the way I was before I started that first diet? How fat is FAT now? Where is my limit?

I Know This Much Is True

This is not a post about Wally Lamb's book but rather a post about my truths.


I know how to lose weight
I know I'm not doing (enough of) what I need to do to lose weight
I know I need to put in the hard work to get the results I want
I know I need to get up earlier to work out
I know I need to stop making excuses
I know I need to make my weight loss a priority in my life
I know I need to stop binging
I know I need to stop letting job stress get the better of me
I know I need to eat more fruits and vegetables
I know I need to stop eating junk food
I know losing weight doesn't make life perfect
I know I don't have to eat/drink just because everyone around me is eating/drinking
I know I should only eat when I'm hungry not when I'm bored, sad, stressed, happy, etc.
I know what it takes
I know I'm not getting any younger
I know it gets harder to lose weight the older I get
I know I don't want to be this fat anymore
I know I can do it
I know I will do it


I know ...


What do you know?

Looks Like Snow

It's the last weekend of May and it looks like it's snowing. Unfortunately it's not the kind of snow I love, it's just massive amounts of pollen flying around. I think they did get real snow in the mountains above 4,000 feet but here in the city we just got the stuff that makes me sneeze.

I've had a scratchy throat, itchy watery eyes and have been sneezing all weekend. I know it's bad when I start sneezing and can't stop long enough to catch my breath. I always try to hold out as long as possible before I break down and take my allergy pills because they make me tired and put my head in a fog but I couldn't hold out all weekend if I wanted to breathe again. Breathing is a good thing. We got a short rain shower in the afternoon but it didn't help bring down the pollen count much.

Needless to say, I wasn't able to work out much in between all the sneezing and wheezing. I hope we get some rain to wash away all the fake snow out there so I can breath again.

No Fun

I remember when I used to love shopping for new clothes. I could go to any store and pick out just about anything and it would fit. Now I hate to shop for clothes because I can't fit my a$$ into anything I like. It is so sad that the designers don't make stylish clothes for the majority of women in the world. Are there really that many size 00-2's out there? I don't see that many on the street? Where are they all? at the gym? I don't see that many of them there either.

It's funny how clothes that would look adorable in size 9-10 look like old lady fat clothes in a size 16-18. Things need to change. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep talking about losing weight and thinking about losing weight but not doing enough about it to get results. It is making me crazy.

I was also thinking about how I keep saying I know how to lose but haven't been able to maintain any substantial loss but that really isn't true. The few times I've lost a substantial amount of weight (over 60 pounds) I never made it down to my goal weight. I would start gaining the weight back even before I got to my goal weight. I need to change things and get to the finish line and then figure out how to do the maintenance thing. I'm not getting any younger.

Still Resisting ...

I'm on a roll. It has been 5 weeks in a row I have resisted the temptation of the free muffins. I was so stressed out today and almost caved in but I flexed my resisting muscle and stuck with the fruit. It helped that by the time I went back into the lounge ready to stuff my face the muffins were gone. It was a close one but I did it. Now if I could only control myself every other day and night of the week I'd really be on a roll. Baby steps ...

Inside Out

Today was one of THOSE days. I think I need to start having more caffeine in the morning so I stop doing stupid things. What I did this morning is almost as funny as when I wore two different shoes to work and didn't realize it for hours.


The forecast was warning it was going to be a scorcher today with temps in the 90s so I tried to find my lightest weight top to wear to work today. I couldn't find the shirt I was looking for so I threw on what I could find that fit and started rushing out the door. I was running a little late but would still make it to work on time if I caught the bus and the train without too long of a wait. As I was heading out the door I saw the lighter weight shirt I was looking for so I whipped off the shirt I put on and threw the lighter shirt on and ran out the door. I walked down the street to the bus stop and as I started reading my book I looked down and noticed the seam on the outside of my shirt. OMG - I put my shirt on backwards!! Now what am I going to do? Do I wait 'til I take the bus and the train and walk to the office to change, do I run back to the house and miss the bus, do I stomp my feet and throw a temper tantrum? Do I go home and crawl back into bed?


I knew I would miss the bus if I went all the way back up the three flights of stairs to my apartment so I went up on my front porch which is hidden behind three massive trees to quickly turn my shirt around.


Yeah, it was another one of THOSE days. Am I the only one who leaves the house with two different shoes and inside out clothes?

SHOCKER!

Adam Lambert is NOT your next American Idol. Can you believe it? What is going on with reality tv? First, Helen beats Tara, then Shawn out dances Gilles (I don't watch DWTS but my mother was really pissed Gilles didn't win) and now Kris beats Adam for the American Idol title. I think this was the biggest upset in A.I. history, even more shocking than when Chris Daughtry got voted out. Personally, I think Adam is better off not winning, now he doesn't have to record that sappy song as his first single and you know he'll be making a kick ass debut album as soon as the A.I. tour is over.

This must be the year for the underdogs. Do you think the front runners (Tara, Gilles and Adam) got ripped off? Were you surprised?

Inspiration

Most blogs I read are written by women. I'm pretty sure we outnumber the male bloggers out there especially on the topic of weight loss. Women are much more likely to struggle with their weight and more likely to look for inspiration out in the blogsphere.

We all know how frustrating it is to see a man decide to lose weight so they cut out a couple of beers and cut back on a few burgers and miraculously lose 20 pounds in a week or so. Why can't it be that easy for woman? Well, apparently it isn't that easy for all men, especially if they are over 400 pounds and can only handle 48 seconds on the treadmill.

If you have a long way to get to your goal or are just looking for a little extra push to get you to work out today, check out The Anti-Jared's video blog about his first trip to the gym. This guy has completely changed his life and is an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can't work out. We all have to start somewhere, right?

Pink Wins Again

Ali Vincent was the very first female winner of the Biggest Loser (Season 5)

Michelle Aguilar followed in her footsteps (Season 6)

and now Helen Phillips is the Biggest Loser of Season 7.

Pink is in. All of the winning women from the past three seasons were members of the pink team. Do you think it would help my weight loss efforts if I added more pink to my wardrobe?

I have to admit I was really disappointed Tara didn't win. I think she was an amazing competitor and I admired her determination during all the challenges. I realize all the contestants worked hard but I thought Tara had that fire in her eyes, the eye of the tiger that would take her all the way to the big prize. Maybe things would have turned out differently if she donned the pink shirt.

It was inspiring to see a 48 year old woman win but I felt Helen was portrayed as the Biggest Whiner most of the time. Personally, I thought Helen looked too skinny, almost scary skinny. She would look better if she gained back at least 10 pounds. I read she worked out over SIX hours a day and pushed herself to extremes to ensure she would win but I don't think it will be sustainable. There is no way you can keep that up and live a normal life.

I wish they spent more time showing the celebration after announcing the winner instead of dragging the show out by constantly repeating everything and cutting out as the confetti falls. It's a letdown that the show ends the minute they announce the winner just when the party is getting started.

It would have made for a more exciting show to have Jerry weigh in towards the end so different contestants could have been in the lead for the $100,000 prize. I'm sure the producers know who lost the most weight before they go live. I was surprised some of the bigger athletic guys didn't get close to Jerry's numbers. It was pretty amazing Jerry, the oldest player in Biggest Loser history (64), lost 177 pounds after being at the ranch such a short time. I hate to say it but I thought he looked a little sick and the loose arm skin flapping around was freaking me out a little but I was impressed he was able to beat out all those younger guys (Blaine, Dane, Sione, Filipe).

For the most part, I liked the contestants this season much more than last season's back stabbing, cut throat game players. I think this year's cast members were there for the right reasons, worked extremely hard, encouraged and supported each other and, hopefully, have changed their lives forever. I hope the contestants they pick for next season will be more like them, interested in losing weight and changing their lives more than the cash prize. Hey, was Amanda, the girl they picked for next season, wearing a pink shirt?

I love seeing people win the weight loss battle; it gives me hope I'll get there too.

Congrats to the Biggest Whiner, I mean Biggest Loser, Helen.

~~~~

Hey, Jillian Michaels, STOP SLOUCHING AND STAND UP STRAIGHT, WILL YA?!

and the winner is ....

Can you believe it? I got my very first blogging award! I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me *tearing up ala Sally Field accepting her Oscar.*

A very lovely lass over at My 3 Month Challenge(s) gave me the Super Blogger Award (!!!!). I'm always surprised (and honored) when amazing people from all over the world (hello Japan) actually come to my little corner of the Internet to say hello, offer great advice, acknowledge I'm not the only one out here struggling, motivate me and offer encouragement. Whether they randomly stumble over here, are bored to tears and have nothing better to do, are struggling with their weight, just starting out on a program to live a healthier life, or have it all figured out and want to help, I feel blessed to have you all in my life.

I am so thankful to get such great support, love, and laughs from every single one of you and I get a kick out of being able to peek into your lives and get inspired by your triumphs, celebrate your losses, learn from your mistakes, laugh with you (never at you), cry with you or be there to offer my shoulder to cry on.

Now, this is the hard part ... I'm supposed to pass this award along to 5 Supper Bloggers. How am I supposed to narrow it down to just 5? It is almost impossible to narrow it down to just 5, there are just too many to choose from and a few I thought of already received this prestigious award. Of course, there are the superstar bloggers like Hilly, Britt, MizFit, Cranky Fitness, etc. and famous blogging authors such as Pasta Queen and Diet Girl but they already get tons of love (and book deals) so I thought I would give the award to some bloggers who may be new to you, may be struggling or just because I love them. Even though I could only give the award to 5 bloggers I encourage you to check out my blog roll and all the blogs I'm following so you can meet some amazing new people and maybe make some new blog friends.

It wasn't easy but I narrowed my list down to the following Super Bloggers (in random order):

Finding Melanie

Morgan Gets Thin

Setting Her Free

A New Decade

Scale Ho

Ok, here's what you Super Bloggers have to do now (it's the price you have to pay for fame):

1. Tape the banner on your blog somewhere


2. Pass the Super Blogger Award along to 5 fellow Super Bloggers


3. Be sure leave the winners a comment on their blog so they know they've won a Super Blogger Award and know how special you think they are


4. Link back to the Super Blogger who gave it to you.

I guess it's time to get off the podium, get my head out of the clouds and my a$$ on the treadmill so I can someday join the ranks of the weight loss success stories.

Thanks to all of you for visiting and thanks again to My 3 Month Challenge(s) for giving me this Super Blogger award.

Your Momma

Top 10 things Mothers say:

1. Be quiet
2. Go to your room
3. Don't touch that
4. Don't be late
5. I'll f'n kill you
6. Get your a$$ home NOW
7. Because I said so
8. NO
9. Because I am your Mother, that's why!
10. I will not tolerate being disrespected

Ummm, that doesn't sound right ... I guess those aren't the top ten things MOST mothers would say. I would imagine MOST mothers would say things like:

1. You can do it
2. I'm proud of you
3. I'll support your decision
4. I'm happy for you
5. Good job
6. Can I help?
7. Have fun
8. Be careful
9. You look beautiful
10. I love you

Hopefully you had a mother (or are a mother) who says more of the things on the second list. No matter what category you fall into, I hope you had a Happy Mother's Day!

The Mothership*

The Mothership has landed so it's showtime, time for all the drama to begin.


I'm totally stressing out about her visit considering what happened during her last visit. The good news is she won't be staying with me (ever again) so she will be driving my brother nuts for the four days she's here. Hopefully she can make it through the four days without him losing his mind and going off on her. She really knows how to push all the right buttons, she installed them.


*My Mothership should not to be confused with Diet Girl's Mothership. My Mothership is from an entirely different planet, far, far away from Oz.