RUN LIKE A PRINCESS!

I'M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD

♫♪ badaledabadedadeda buh ♪ ♫ badeladedadedadada ♫ ♫ ♪ dahdedelaladadedadada bah dededaladededa da....remember that song?!  Ok, well in that song it's "land" (and, technically DizKneeLand) but I know you are now hearing it in your head, and that's what I wanted! :) it's sort of my theme song right now!)

and.....I am going to participate in the Princess Half Marathon!! (GULP!)

I am very excited, but truth be told, it has been an emotional sequence of events.  I am generally a very calm and relatively stress free person, but I think I may have had my first panic attack after pushing that "finalize reservation and purchase ticket now" on the airline website a few days ago.  Heart was racing, fingers were fluttering and I was pacing my bedroom. Yes. I TOTALLY panicked.  OH. MY. GOODNESS.  Airfare booked, no turning back but I must be CRAZY! Disney without my kids (each of whom have a "trip to Disney World" on their Christmas lists) and committing to running moving my body 13.1 miles!!! Oh my gosh I am scared.  The only time I ran a distance race it was only a 5k.  And it was 17 years and approximately 50 pounds ago.  REALLY?  Seriously?  Who do I think I am?!?!?  I couldn't have chosen to start slow, or start local? REALLY!?

But its done, and I am GOING! I have been doing the C25K program, and meeting success, and will soon start to train for longer distances ... 4 months.  It is helpful to have a real tangible goal to work for, and the PRIZE for all of this hard work.  WOW!  Just thinking about running through the Magic Kingdom, seeing the castle, and knowing that I DID IT sends shivers through me. I am ready to do this.  I can do this. 

I am still scared, but I CAN do this and there are so many reasons what I want to.  I will have amazing friends there to cheer me on and running by my side.  Incredible people that I have gotten to know (though never really "met") through our mutual love for Disney.  So that makes this the MOST appropriate place to tackle this monumental challange! These friends are people who I wouldn't have known if it weren't for the mouse, and without whom I would certainly not have even THOUGHT of pushing towards that fairytale finishline!! 

I still feel a bit selfish.  I am having a hard time dealing wtih the fact that I am doing this for me, and not bringing my kids with me to the most wonderful place in the world where it has always been ALL about THEM.  The guilt and the fear make me feel a little unworthy, but it will all be OK.  Every mile I run will be for them, to show them how important it is to find, pursue, and realize your dreams...how important it is to follow up on your committments, and how important health and strength are, so in the end, it is not really for me, it is for them.

So....I am off and running!!!  Follow me by looking for the pixie dusted trail left in my wake.

XO

OH dear blog, and oh dear physique, I have neglected you so.

Allrighty folks, well I told you as much in the begining that I am not a blogger, not a writer....nope, just a gal looking to get back in shape who wanted to hold herself more accountable.  As you can see, it has been over 2 months since even I have checked in to see where I was!  Yikes!  Guess what?  In those two months I really have not made progress.

So yesterday I stumbled across a friends blog, where she is writing about her journey through weight loss (You can read about it here - She tweeted the title of her latest entry "Cheaters Never Lose, and Losers Never Cheat" that really caught my eye, and, Amanda dear, KUDOS to you.)  She is documenting her journey each and every day with a commentary on her diet (photos included!), how she is feeling, and a photo of the day.  She started on New Years Day and is down almost 20 pounds!  Can I get a Wahoooooooooooo?!?!?!  (I would also like to state for the record that I wish I were clever enough to come up with that name!  I sure hope when she gets down to her goal, the fruit inspired tech company pays her oodles for the trademark, and offers her an endorsment deal for their new foray into tech inspired weightloss!!! )

After reading Amandas blog I am even more driven and motivated.  The "photo of the day" she is taking will be used to create a photo timeline montage and I just LOVE that idea!  So much so that I think I may do the same thing....I am neither driven enough nor brave enough to post those photos each and every day on my own blog as she is doing, but I want to do the same thing so I have something to look at and remind myself when I get there.

Remember how I mentioned before that I have been avoiding mirrors and scales for a long time?  Well, after reading Amandas blog I did step on a scale, and was faced with the horribly shocking reality that I am in fact 15 pounds H E A V I E R than I was on the day I was admitted into the hospital to deliver my now 6 year old!!  Yes, folks, I am that much bigger than I was at 36 weeks pregnant!  can I get a sypmathetic Wowza! 

So....armed with this new knowledge of where I am, and where I need to go, I recommit myself to this process - not relying on blog readers to keep me on track, but myself.....thanks to another blogging friend, Kristin, I have been introudced to a fantastic website, My Fitness Pal that tracks your progress along by coutnting all of your calories for you during the day.  I have gotten better at keeping my calories where they need to be, but it was a real eye opener to see how much I really would consume in an average day! 

So here's to our health, and our committments, and our journeys!  Amanda and Kristin, I am proud of what you are doing, and what you have already accomplished!  I will follow along with your efforts and cheer you on, encouraging you and understanding the inevitable roadblocks we will all face, because I will be tackling them with you.  And.....perhaps, just maybe, the world will be a lighter better place because of our successes!  Wouldn't that make it all worth it?!?

XO XO XO
Megan

Sleigh Bells Ring......Are You Listening.....

The holidays are coming....yes they are and it really IS the most wonderful time of the year, but the hardest time of the year to stay on board with a sensible eating plan.  After all, if you indulge in too much apple pie you can simply choose to wear the nice and cozy chunky sweater that hides it!

But....I will try and stick with the plan.  The good news is, my husband has decided that he too would like to shave off a few El Bees so....it will be much easier to be good when HE is watching and I don't cook a separate skimpy meal for myself while going all out for the other family members.  So I went to the market today and LOADED up and fresh fruits and veggies, and skipped over all but the leanest cuts of poultry and seafood.  So....though I imagine we will both gladly accept the free pass for over indulgence on Thursday, we will hop right back on the wagon on Friday.

I was really busy this week, and barely had time to think about food but I did do my best to remain sensible.  I must shamefully admit that I gave into the craving twice, and indulged in a Cherry Coke.  Sugar, caffeine and all.  I felt a little badly about it, but it was yummmmmmmmEEEEE!  Nobody's perfect.  Especially not me! :)  Happy Thanksgiving week everyone, I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday surrounded with the people you love.

XO

Baby steps....moving right along!

So . . . I am now a week into my effort at Operation Slimdown.  And, I guess I am at a bit of a disadvantage, because I have not yet mustered up the courage to step on the scale to see what I do in fact weigh, and how far I do in fact, have to go. 

I have accomplished some mini goals though....I have dropped soda!  Boy, I sure do miss the little kick that the caffeine and sugar gave me, but I am dealing.  I have been drinking tea with a pack of splenda to help with the caffeine withdrawl, and also plenty of lemon seltzer because I really miss the fizz!!! 

I am looking forward to some time on the eliptical tonight after the kiddos are in bed....I had hoped to go for a long walk around the river, but the cold air kept me indoors. 

And...that's about it for today!!! 
Until next time......

On Your Mark...Get Set...Sit!

On your MARK.....get SET......SIT?!?!?!? 

Wait, did I just write "sit"?  Yup.  Kind of anticlimactic, right?

But, it kind of sums up this week for me.  And, along with my promise to get in shape, I promised you the truth, and I promised that I would tell you how I am doing on the plan.  Well, I said I would do a minimum of 30 minutes of pure excercise a day.  And, well, I failed.  NOT every day, but some days.

I do have some excuses, but I wont bore you with them, or dwell on them, because I wont take them.  Not if I want to fit into that dress in February.  And now, that the weather is quickly becoming crisp, and you can smell wood burning through people chimneys, and holiday music is piping down Main Street USA, it suddenly seems a lot closer. ALOTCLOSER!

On the bright side, I HAVE been watching what I've been eating, and I have nearly kicked the soda habit!! YeeHaw!  THAT right there should magically melt a few pounds away!!  (A girl can hope, right?)  I have upped my tea intake (but I am SURE it boasts far fewer calories than good 'ol CocaCola) to help keep the edge off of a caffeine withdrawl and I am EXHAUSTED at bed time, but better that than continue to sport a Pop Belly, right? 

And there you have it, a week down......and some time to go.  I need to put on my my my my my my boogie shoes and get movin!  I'll check in soon and let you know how it is going. 

Until then....

New Cars Are Nice And All.....But.......

Ok, so my husband got a new car today.  It's all shiny, and new, and pretty, and smells good inside.  We needed this new car, our old one served us well.  We had it for 10 years and clocked over 160,000 miles on it.  But the thing is, I kind of resent that new car a little bit.  Ok, truth be told, I kind of resent that new car a lot.  Now don't get me wrong, I'd much rather be the passenger in his shiny new car which has each of its hubcaps (something that cannot be said about the former) then in the clunker, but each time I look at it I will with a small pang of regret remember that this car is one of the reasons we decided not to take our trip to Disney this year.  I know, I must be crazy, right? (well, actually, I am not crazy, just a little neurotic.....NDM#147 when you get right down to it...but there are at least 146 before me, and hundreds after.  Each of them who share this neurosis will totally understand my gripe with the new car) And, it won't be long before there is another reminder in my driveway of  "The Year of A Zeroion Trips."  That's right folks, I need a new one too, another roadblock in my quest to return home to see the fantasmically shiny Walt Disney World gates.   I will learn to love this car, surely I will, but for now, I choose to sulk for just a little bit.

BUT....in other news...I am doing well on "The Plan"!  Ok, I may have slid a little today indulging in what is sure to NOT be a low fat lunch of Olive Garden Soup and Salad, but I have indeed been doing well in monitoring what I eat and working it off by doing at least 30 minutes of excercise each day.  Things are looking up! :)

So....What's The Plan Anyway?

Ok.....so in my first attempt at blogging I admitted that I've allowed myself to grow too big for my britches.  I promised that I would keep you up to date on my progress, but may have left you wondering, well exactly what is the plan?  How is she going to do it?  Well, truth is I don't have a hard and fast plan, but I do have hard and fast goals.

• Wear my wedding bands again (that's right!  Can't squeeze them over the sausage fingers!)
• Chase the kiddos around the park with the same energy and enthusiasm that I used to
• Get back into my clothes!! 
• I have a dress I hope to wear for my birthday.....3.5 months to go!! 

I'm thinking the biggest question you may be thinking of is so what's the bottom line?  What's the damage?  How much does she weigh?  Truth is, I don't really know.  I could guess, and would probably be fairly close, but exactly to the ounce, I truly don't know.  Worse truth, I don't want to.  See, the thing is the LAST time I dared to stand on the scale, I topped out at 2 pounds OVER what I weighed the last time I checked into a hospital as a patient.  Which, if you're wondering, was the last time I gave birth!  Yup.  I weighed MORE than I did at 9 months pregnant, with 9 pounds of baby, and a heap of pounds of all that stuff that comes along with it.  Now, I will step on that scale again someday, but not until I know I wont fall in a pile on the ground and create a puddle of tears.

So, for the plan, I have developed one habit that I KNOW I need to eliminate.  After my youngest child was born, I developed a soda habit, the sugar and caffenine was a jolt I needed to help boost my energy.  Well, I usually drink 2 sodas a day, and those are not diet drinks, just totally empty calories going right to the pop belly.  That will stop. 

When I am making my kids lunches, I snack as I pack.  Pack some chips, taste a few, make a PB & J sandwich, lick the PB off the knife before putting it in the sink....I am sure you know what I am talking about.  I eat sometimes without really even realizing that I am doing it!  That will stop.

♪ ♫ ♪ I like to MOVE IT MOVE IT!  That's right!  I need to bust a move baby!  I used to be very active, but now, I am pretty much a slug.  So...back to the Gym, back to Wii Fit, a walk around the river, whatever I need to do, I will do a minimum of 30 minutes of pure excercise a day.  

And for now....that will do.   Tomorrow is my official start day, I figure that on halloween day, I want to allow myself the luxury of one last 100,000 bar before I buckle down and stick to the program!!!