My Path to Outer Skinniness

While we were in Los Angeles this last weekend we went to visit Paul's cousin Emily (Hi Emily!), her husband Nick, and their daughter Kate. She had asked me how the exercise was going and I told her that it was hard but I needed to stick it out. We ended up talking about all of the things we've started but quit somewhere along the way. And I started thinking about what it would be like if I'd just stuck to weight watchers or an exercise routine or any of the things I've started that would have had me looking and feeling better by now. There's a book by Malcolm Gladwell called "Outliers". Gladwell talks about a study by Anders Ericsson that shows most people that have mastered a skill have had to spend 10,000 in their life up to that point practicing and working on that skill. I've always considered this relevant to my career but I've never really related it to my weight loss goals. But now I am. If I want to not only improve and succeed at takin...

I'm contemplating being naughty today and going running. The weather has been so perfect for running and I'm stuck with the elliptical. I think the thing that I really like about the running/walking is my nike tracker. I can post my progress and see my stats every time I work out. It's very motivating. Not to mention that I feel like my body was starting to change and I'm not happy about losing it. Maybe I'll just walk really fast. On another note, I got boots! Boots that fit around my legs! Boots that are cute and were on clearance so I got an awesome deal on them! They weren't the ones that I was goaling for. These  were what I really wanted. I actually got to try them on finally because Macy's randomly had one pair that was two sizes to small, but it was clear that the calf was never going to fit. So I ended up with These instead. The awesome thing is that they're not what I would typically want. I'm a girly girl when it comes to boots, bu...

I made it through my workout again today. The downside is that I walked through most of it. I kept thinking about this while I was walking the track today. Actually, I thought about many things...this is the general thought process: "Yeah, my arches are hurting now, I'm not going to run this next one....okay I'm going to push through it anyway....is it over? can I stop running yet?...oh thank god I can walk again...and now my calves are killing me...I'm going to stop and stretch...I should probably get those insoles, my knees are starting to hurt now...I'm going to just walk the rest of the workout and finish the whole thing...walking is better than nothing at all...maybe I should walk from now on....no, if I only walk it won't feel worth the effort...actually, I'm more of a sprinter, I've always been better at that sort of thing...I remember when I couldn't do stuff as a teenager and I just attributed it to my body type. It's amazing how much ...

Today is the fourth day of my previous goal setting. So far, not terrible. Saturday was kind of a let-down because my mom's birthday party was a bunco party and thus swimming in bowls of candy and ice cream. I was good with the ice cream, but bad at the toquitos and really bad at the candy dishes on the tables. So I just wrote disaster on my tracker for that evening and decided to start over on Sunday. It's really hard to go out places because you really have no idea what you are consuming. I ate a polenta cake with goat cheese and wild mushrooms last night which was probably the healthiest option on the happy hour menu where I was at, but I think it may have been fried, and I'm not sure how fatty the gravy was that was all over it and extra delicious. It's amazing how many points things are when you actually find out too! I had baked popcorn chicken for lunch today and a little handful - maybe 10 small pieces - was 8 points! I so did not expect that. I thought maybe 5 ...

I went to my weight watchers meeting last night and I realized something. When I eat things I know are going to sabotage my efforts I feel a sense of rebellion and control. It's as if I'm saying to myself, "I'm in charge of what goes in, and if I want cake, then I'm going to have it because I'm the one that decides." It's gotten to the point where I don't even stop and think about how I'm supposed to feel guilty about having had it. I feel entitled. The problem is, this form of self empowerment isn't helping anyone and it's not proving anything except that I have no self control. I realize now that what I need to do is to be better than that. I have a huge arsenal of knowledge when it comes to nutrition and how your body functions. I know more about how your body processes a calorie and absorbs nutrients than most people. With knowledge and age supposedly comes maturity. In this case, maturity is when you know better and you make your c...

I haven't weighed myself for probably a week now. It's usually the first thing I do when I get up in the morning (after I relieve myself of extra water weight of course). I kind of think I want to wait until I go to WW this Friday to find out how bad the verdict is. I tried to pack less food and healthier food than I normally do for camping. Although you can only be so healthy when you're camping. A whole package of pinwheels doesn't help. - on a side note, Paul ate half my pinwheels and a whole bag of chocolate chip cookies and I guarantee you he'll lose this week the bastard! - But I didn't eat the entire time. And that's usually what happens when you don't hike or fish or bike or swim or play. I did visit the Austin hotsprings though, so that was an activity if not very active. At any rate, I made small strides. I had meant to go to yoga tonight. I really miss it. The thing with yoga is that I get really really frustrated when I'm there. I can...