30. It's a magic number....

Why is 30 a magic number? Well, Snarklings, I'll tell you. That's just how many pounds I've lost in the past 4 months. Yep, 30 lbs. gone!  And while I still have many more to go to reach my goal, I want to stop and celebrate this accomplishment. Every little bit helps in the struggle to lose weight, and being just a little older with a metabolism that's comparable to a snail wading through a sea of molasses mixed with peanut butter and a side serving of wet cement, 30 lbs to me is worth celebrating.

In 2010, I was at my lightest weight since, like, ever, and I was fit enough to run the Marine Corps Marathon. I had lost over 60 lbs before I ran that race and I felt great. And then, I put it all back on. The struggle is real, you guys, and it totally sucks balls. But it's my struggle and I'm taking the responsibility, because no one forced me to stop going to the gym, and no one force fed me Boston Creme donuts and Five Guys burgers. That was all me.

So it's back on the roller coaster I go, as I try to gain control once again of my eating and exercise habits. I've used several tools that have been extremely helpful. One has been the MyFitnessPal website, and another has been the DietBet site. I'm not getting paid by either of these folks but I'm just telling you that they have been integral in my success this time around. I have found that logging every single thing that I put in my mouth truly helps me keep control of my eating. And it's free, and if it's free, it's for me. The DietBet thing has been pretty useful because I've actually MADE money over the past 4 months. And I like money. Matter of fact, I've got another DietBet starting up this coming weekend. If you're interested in joining my game, it's a $25 buy in and your goal is to lose 4% of your starting weight in 4 weeks. Check out my game by clicking here and join if you'd like.

Have YOU lost weight? What helped? What worked and what didn't? Tell me your story.

My Isagenix and DietBet Recap...

In a word: AWESOME!

A month ago I started the Isagenix program at the same time as I started a new DietBet. In 4 weeks, my goal was to lose at least 4% of my starting weight.  I ended up losing more than that. My overall loss for the month as of last Friday was 13 lbs. However, after going to Girls Weekend with my mid-west Durannie girls, I put 2 of those lbs. back on in alcohol. No biggie, I still lost 11 lbs. AND won.....drumroll please.........$44.53 in the DietBet plan.

If not for the obscene amount of alcohol and crappy food I ate over the weekend, my 13 lb. weight loss on the Isagenix plan pretty much kicks ass! I take full responsibility for those 2 lbs. I put back on (but it was so worth it).

Isagenix is a really easy plan that I followed and the only time I was really EVER hungry was on the days that I did the cleansing. Those days I was looking at the dogs like Sylvester looked at Tweety. But the cleanse is one day a week and I can do anything for one day, right? And it was definitely worth the results, because my pants are fitting better, my skin feels great and I have a ton of energy. Hell, I ran 6 miles over girls weekend in 1000% humidity and 95 degree heat.

If I can do it, anyone can. Seriously. Let me know if you're interested in trying Isagenix for a month and I'll hook you up with my friend HappyKate!!

And if you're interested in participating in the latest DietBet in which I'm participating, visit this website, pay your $20 entry fee and start losing the weight!! You'll feel better and you can win some decent change!

Why I hate technology...

Ever have one of those days where you could just pull out your hair in clumps, scream and throw things? Yeah, that's me today.

In addition to the remote possibility that not one but BOTH of my girls may or may not have missed the bus (I'm in a shitty mood, you decide which), today was my day to submit my final weigh-in for the Diet-Bet in which I've been participating. If you don't know what that is, read this. Now keep this in mind. I've been doing REALLY well with this thing, and as of yesterday, I was within .2 lbs of my goal to be a winner in the bet. There's like, $640 in the pot and everyone who loses 4% of their starting weight is a winner, so if half the folks don't reach their goal...cha-ching!!! Mama gets a new Clinique eyeliner!!!

But I digress (as I normally do). So I ate well yesterday, went for a 2 mile run in 25356423% humidity last night, hydrated my ass off and had no crappy snacks. Got on my digital scale this morning and it said I had gained 4 lbs. So I shot it. (no, not really)

Then I moved the scale and it said I had lost 2 of those 4 lbs. When I repositioned the scale again I had not only reached my goal weight but had lost an additional .2lbs. YAY!!!! So I snapped a pic of the number with my keyword written on a piece of paper (that's how they keep you honest, didn't you read the link I posted?). Then I stood on my tub ledge and took a full body shot (you do this at the beginning and the end of the bet but all pics and weights are kept secret, no one in your group sees the pics or the weight unless you want it made public. And seriously, who wants THAT??)

Oh look, I digressed again.

Anyway, I took both pics from the phone, emailed them to myself WITH NO ISSUE. Got on the computer, downloaded both pics, submitted them and BAM! I'm a winner. Until I got my confirmation email that I WAS, indeed, a winner. Except the full body picture of me didn't look right. Upon closer inspection, I realized that I'm a dumbass and had submitted the original full body shot of myself. So now I look like an ass submitting the same picture as before AND after. Fucknut. So I emailed support and confessed my dumbass-edness to them and they emailed me back and pretended that I wasn't a dumbass (when I KNEW they knew I was) said that they'd decline my submission and I could submit again.

So I uploaded the REAL 'after' picture and resubmitted and BOOM! I'm a winner again. Except I wasn't. Because THIS time, it was declined because the full body shot of me wasn't one of me standing on the scale.

Image courtesy: Onlyinthecove.com

Now here's the issue. I don't have a full length mirror in my house. We HAD one but 16 slammed a door and it broke a few years back. So when I weighed IN, I had to stand on one of my dining room chairs, which is NOT an easy task because the chair seat isn't much bigger than the scale, so when I'm getting on the scale on the chair, it's not that easy, nor is it all that safe.  Oh, and here's another issue. I had not had anything to eat or drink before my weigh-in. and after I submitted the FIRST full body pic this morning, I had a cup of coffee. Keep that in mind, because it's important. (Digressing again)

Remember the first paragraph about me being in a shitty mood because the girls may or may not have made the bus? Yeah, well I drove 16 to school while drinking my cup of coffee. Then I came home and dragged the dining room chair upstairs, got my workout clothes on for the weigh-out, carefully got back up on the chair, then stood on the scale. And I had gained 6 lbs. Remember that cup of coffee?? Yeah, it WASN'T THAT HEAVY!!!  And remember when I mentioned that I have to move my scale around a bit before I find a good weight? And remember how small I said the seat on my dining room chair is? You can imagine my aggravation. Move the scale a centimeter to the left. BOOM, I lost 2 of those 6 lbs. Move it back a hair, BOOM, gained .5. Someone just shoot me. It probably would've been better had I just lost my balance and fallen, because that would've been MUCH less aggravating than playing 'Find My Real Weight' with a scale and a damned chair.

Eventually, the scale read correctly. So then I had my full body shot of me on the scale on the chair, and the shot of the weight. I quickly emailed both pictures to myself, hoping to get them uploaded and re-submitted before I left for work.

Easy as pie, right? If you answered yes, YOU'RE WRONG. I checked for 20 minutes and neither picture came through. Just like when you have a dial-up internet connection, my phone just kept telling me that the pictures were sending....... sending.......... sending.......... sending........

Are you feeling my pain yet??????

Image courtesy: edtatschsupport.com

Right now I'm so done with weights, bets, scales, dining room chairs.

Anyway, I got to work this morning, shut off my phone, turned it back on, resent the pictures, they came through, I uploaded them, my weigh-out was accepted and BOOM! I'm a winner!!! Now all I have to hope for is that the other 12 ladies failed miserably so that this will all have been worth it when I win $640. If not, I'll have to split that pot with the ladies that DID reach their goal.

So in conclusion, my day started off fairly shitty. It can only get better from here, right? And the good news is, I'm down 9.8 lbs from 1 month ago, so that's something.

LeanMoms: The final post

About 9 weeks ago, I posted about starting a new program to lose weight and tone up. It's a wonderful program called LeanMoms.com. The first few weeks I was on it, I was full after my meals and did have a bunch of energy. But the true fact of the matter is this: I am a runner. Do I look like a runner in my 'before' pics? No, I do not. But I don't care. I'm a runner, and runners need carbs. The LeanMoms program is chock full of lean proteins, lean meats, protein shakes, egg whites, cottage cheese and spinach, but very few carbs. Lacy and Jill are absolutely WONDERFUL and tremendously helpful! When I posted on the LeanMoms Facebook Community page that I had just finished a 6 mile run, Lacy followed up my post with a concern about how the program is set up more for short spurts of cardio to go along with the weight training (it's called HIIT) and not really meant for longer distance running.

I totally respect that, and for some, this is a great plan. Unfortunately, for me, I was not getting enough carbs in my daily intake to fuel my body for running, and running is my thing. The weight training plan is PHENOMENAL and I would highly recommend this plan to anyone and everyone who is interested in losing weight via the high protein/low carb method. But it just didn't work for me. I am confessing right now that I slowly drifted away from the plan after about the 6th or 7th week and have been putting more carbs back in my diet and refueling my body for running. Have I lost a ton? No. But I am seeing a change in the way my clothes are fitting me, and for me, that's enough right now.

There will be more updates as I continue on my journey to see single digit sized clothing back on my body. For now, I want to thank Lacy Arnold and Jill Kaufusi from LeanMoms.com for being so generous in offering me the program for 12 weeks for free, for helping me out with the 852 questions I asked, for providing outstanding client service and for always being on top of things on their Facebook Community. This is not a plan to try to sell you a quick fix, it's a great plan with fantastic people behind it. And I thank them for the opportunity to try it.

Fighting Back!

I want to give a shout out and a huge Snarkfest high five to Jennifer Livingston, a La Crosse, Wisconsin television anchor who had the balls to fight back. She received an email from a viewer who said she wasn't a 'suitable example for the community's young people, girls in particular' because she was overweight. First off, who the HELL does the author of the email think he or she is?? What does her size have to do with how she is seen by the public??  How does her size have any bearing whatsoever on the job she does? I, for one, think she's not only beautiful but strong for standing up to that bully. She answered his email with an on air response which, in my opinion, kicked ass and smacked down.

Watch her rebuttal in this video clip and judge for yourself.

She's absolutely right. Kids can be horrible and mean. Hearing things like this from a parent somehow makes it right to them. We are raising a generation of kids who will one day be our leaders. Let's teach them to be nice to one another, regardless of race, creed, color, religious belief or size.