"working out sucks"

So there's this book out that I've been reading after reading about it on jack sh*ts blog called "working out sucks" by Brian zehetner. It has been ok for the first few chapters, typical reasons why you should exercise more, yada yada yada. Then I got to a really good part where the author made 3 suggestions to help people make and meet their goals: 1. Imagination- the author suggests we make a list of things we imagine for ourselves, what we want to do with our lives, where and how we want to live, what we want to do in our jobs and with our family, and what makes us happiest. 2. Create your vision statement based on what you imagine for yourself. And 3. Set your goals to get you there.

So that's what I'm going to do. Make a list of all the things I want out of life and figure out how to get there. The author suggests you work on step 1 for 2 weeks by journaling every night. This will give me an excuse to use the many half-empty journals lying around my bed. Can't wait!

Ps. If you use escarole in your ww soup instead of cabbage and Swiss chard like the recipe says,your fridge will stink. That is all.

My fridge is full, my house is quiet, I'm planning a triumphant comeback!!!

I just made a huge pot of 1 point weight watchers veggie soup, put it into 4 lunch containers and 3 dinner containers. I did the same with salad. I measured 1 tbs of parmesan cheese into ziplock baggies for each bowl of soup, put a tbs of salad dressing into little containers for my salads, and got 4 fat free yoplaits and some vita muffins for the week. IT'S DETOX TIME, BABY.

The dogs and I took a long walk today, I went to target, I got some new shoes, I browsed wegmans, I straightened my hair, I cleaned a few cabinets and the fridge, I watched "Men who stare at Goats," and I am about to go to choir practice. Busy as a bee. I mostly can't believe I didn't lay on my butt all day and nap. Good for me.

Just when I thought I got my S together....

I let it get to Thursday without posting an MPM! Crap. So, a recap of what we've been eating....

Monday we ate spaghetti.
Tuesday we ate Wendy's and Moby Dick's.
Wednesday we ate Nutella sandwiches.
Tonight we are going to have the coconut shrimp I wanted to make last week but never did.
Friday we are going to figure it out
Saturday we are having the stuffed pepper soup I wanted to make last week but never did.

And then next week?? Guess what I will do? Finally return to weight watchers meeting. I've been avoiding it. It's time.

MPM - it's back in action.

Monday - Leftover chili from this recipe we made yesterday. Black eyed peas for prosperity!

Tuesday - Chicken breast, leftover salad, and quinoa.

Wednesday - The rest of the chili over hot dogs, frozen fries, and some kind of veggie TBD.

Thursday - Coconut shrimp from here, edamame, and rice dish (see below for recipe)

Friday - frozen pizzas

Saturday - restaurant 

Sunday - Stuffed Pepper Soup from here, crusty bread.

Garlicky Brown Rice - (from here)

2 cups short grain brown rice
6 cloves garlic -- minced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 15.5-ounce can fat-free chicken broth
1 cup water
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or green onions
Saute rice and garlic in oil for about 3-5 minutes.
Add chicken broth and water.
Cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Fluff with a fork, sprinkle with sesame seeds or green onions.

Happy new year 2012!

The year 2012 will be the year, y'all. Definitely have to hit my goal weight. It is time to stop effing around and get down to business. Sorry boys and girls, after tomorrow the sweets are going bye-bye.

I have resolutions to make, goals to revisit and renew, and shit to get done. Plus some pictures and stories to share. I have too much to catch up on. Like how last night in the car I cried tears of laughter when Henry said, "good lord," Owen said, "Jesus christus," and Charlotte said, "that's disgusting," all immediately following an episode of gas passing from one certain 5 year old blonde boy named Owen or Henry. Ah, kids.

Happy new year to you, loyal readers. (aka my mom) xoxo

Owen, our photographer

Owen has been taking a lot of pictures lately. Here is installment one of Owen's photos. Coming soon will be his race photos - they are stellar!
Don't tell him, but he's getting a kids' digital camera for Christmas. I'm so excited to give it to him!!!

Birthday Boys

The big boys turned FIVE this weekend. I can't believe it. I must post the requisite newborn photo comparison shot, right!?

Need to get it together!!!

After the race, I ate a lot. So I skipped my weigh-ins here and there. So now I am 2 weeks out and I finally went to ww last wednesday....and gained 2.8! Sheesh! So I of course did what any sensible loser would do and ate whatever I wanted during Thanksgiving and the days after, drank a lot of alcohol, and didn't really exercise! Woo! Way to go, me! :)

One thing I did do well was a Turkey Trot on the morning of Thanksgiving, though! Todd and I ran the Lansdowne Turkey Trot 5K and I beat 30 minutes. I was excited - 29:12 is the fastest I've ever run a 5K. Yay, me!

So now it's time to refocus and not get sucked into the "I'll start over after the new year" trap of the holidays. I CAN lose weight over the holidays! It's GO TIME.

And here's a cute picture of Charlotte reading a book to one of her new babies from Mamere. :)

Race pictures

You can go here to check out race pictures of me.

You can go here to check out race pictures of Todd.

My first half marathon story!

Me, afterwards.

It was a great race! :) Overall very friendly cheerleaders and volunteers, police officers cheering us on, funny signs and lots of nice scenery. The trees were gorgeous and the race course was lovely.

I met my friend A at the library steps at 7:20 to get down to the starting line. We were standing in our corral wondering how on earth we would ever find our friend K when we turned around and there she was! Yay! The three of us ran together for the whole race and I couldn't be happier that we ran together. We were a great team. :)

The first few miles were chilly but when the sun hit us it was nice and warm. I "donated" a shirt, hat, and gloves to the street (the race was picking up all the discarded clothing and donating it to a homeless shelter). The first hill was a doozie, but we did it just fine. People were already looking exhausted at mile 2 but we just passed 'em on by.

The middle of the race was fine - we went through a nice park. There weren't any cheerleaders through the park, which made it more just like a regular jog (with a lot of people), and that was pretty cool. I imagine if I had been running by myself it would have been a nice respite and time to think and reflect on LIFE and training that got me there. Lucky for my therapist, I had 2 lovely ladies to chat with the whole time and we took full advantage of this time by gossiping about co-workers, lamenting our public education system, and chatting about relationships. It was awesome.

When we got to mile 10 we were super excited because we knew we only had a 5K left. We told each other that we had done a 5K before and it was no big deal. :) The last 3.1 were great - lots of support on the roads, and we just booked it in with no problems. (Well, one minor problem....I thought my toe was falling off....) (It didn't fall off). There were beer stations along the way, some junk food stations, a station that was giving away shots of some liquor, and some great signs near the finish. My favorites were "Worst Parade Ever" and "You will feel so great after you get drunk on one beer tonight!"

The finish was a steep downhill and I felt like my legs were going on their own! We crossed the finish line with our hands held high! Here is my official time, which I am excited about - I wanted to beat 2:30! Yay, us! We should be getting a few pictures from friends soon and I will post them. :)

15176 JANE WALDROP 32 F  2:25:07