Know Your Numbers

Our health insurance insists that in order to "give" us money to use on healthcare next year, we take certain actions, tests, and checks...and be within healthy parameters (otherwise, no money without taking a class to correct whatever is wrong).

So I attended a biometric screening at work because it is WAY easier than taking a half day off just to get blood drawn.

This biometric screen was just a finger prick, plus BP, weight, and height.  Then they had counselors on site to walk you through your results and what they mean.  That part is awesome, much better than the call from your doctor that says "everything is fine".

My counselor was super nice.  She was also really surprised my numbers were so good since my BMI is so high.

I was happy to see my numbers continue to be in the normal ranges.  I eat relatively healthy-ish (just too much), I consume perfect nutrition with my shakes and food, I exercise some, I've been trying to lose weight. 

The only bad part about the biometric screening is they didn't do the detailed blood work that comes with the vials of blood, particularly TSH, T3, and T4.  My physical is coming up (again, on-site) and I'm going to ask for those to be taken.  I had to take Synthroid during the pregnancy because my TSH was not ok given the tightened parameters for pregnancy (but apparently is fine the other times? not buying it).

Because I'm a nerd, I've been tracking all of my stats in spreadsheet since 2010.  Some people may think that's overkill, but seriously folks - YOU ARE YOUR OWN HEALTH ADVOCATE!  I don't trust the system to spot a trend in one of my numbers, plus it's easy to plunk it into the sheet once a year.

Here's a snapshot of my results this year, straight from super fancy spreadsheet.  YAY ME! 

Test	2015		Low	High
Cholesterol, total	153		125	200
HDL Cholesterol	73		>	46
Triglycerides	101		<	150
LDL Cholesterol	59		<	130
BP	97/86		<	120/80
Chol/HDLC ratio	2.1		<	5
Glucose	89		65	99

Vitamin obsessed

I have taken pills my entire life.  Any 80's asthmatics remember Slo Bid?  Yep, I do.

Sometimes I get super tired of taking pills.  I have a giant morning/night pill container that I was putting asthma medicine, allergy medicine, prenatal vitamin, fish oil, vitamin C, turmeric, plus other supplements depending on what I had recently heard about (my mom, Dr. Oz, Today Show, etc).

I actually don't mind taking a bunch of capsules every day - but I'm so lazy, I hate filling up my morning/night pill container every week!  What a pain.  I know it's only like 5 minutes but sometimes I will literally open a bunch of bottles every night before I fill up the container.

So I was so excited when I was introduced to Ageless Essentials with Product B.  The initial appeal is that it is pre-packaged into morning and evening packets, just tear open and take them.

Then I started taking it, and MAN, something magic must be in there.  I really, really like how it makes me feel!  Usually I take supplements and don't notice a difference at all, but figure it 'must' be good for me so I keep on with it.  This is different.  I can't really describe it, but it's a feeling...

Maybe after seeing this description and graphic from the website:

Formulated to meet the latest in nutritional science, Essentials contains therapeutic dosages of key nutrients tailored to meet the nutritional needs of both men and women. 

This sounds pretty normal, like a normal multi-vitamin, right?  That's what I thought.  Read on:

Ageless Actives™ Contains potent amounts of CoQ10, Vitamin D3 and Resveratrol, as well as botanicals and other antioxidants to support healthy aging. 

IsaOmega Supreme® Supports cardiovascular health and brain health by providing you with a high-potency and highly concentrated amount of DHA and EPA omega-3 essential fatty acids. 

C-Lyte® A daily vitamin C supplement featuring Isa-C™ Complex, a combination of three forms of Vitamin C, designed to be easy on the stomach and give you long-lasting antioxidant protection. 

Product B IsaGenesis Product B IsaGenesis provides a potent blend of powerful bioactive herbs and antioxidants that work synergistically to result in maximum healthy aging benefits and telomere support.

Wow!  Even my organic, all natural multi doesn't quite fit the bill when compared to these.  Amazing.

If you are interested, click this link for more info or you can of course email, Facebook, tweet, etc me anytime.  Here's to better health!

Cosmic Kids Yoga

On my drive in this morning, I was (of course) listening to my FAVORITE podcast of the moment - Parent Savers - and came across Episode 106 - Yoga For Kids.

I am not a Yoga person.  At all.  I went with my lunchtime crew to the gym a couple times and did not like it.  I didn't sweat, I didn't get out of breath, but I also couldn't do jack squat other than child's pose over and over.  (Hello, I do NOT like failing at stuff.)

I did like the laying down thing at the end though.  Don't judge me.

Anyway, I was skeptical that YOGA would be appropriate for high energy, active kids.  But I am all for considering new things, and hey, I gotta drive to work so listening to the podcast is low risk, right?

WELL.  I am soooo excited about this concept.  I cannot wait to incorporate it when Ethan is older and um...walking (or standing, or sitting on his own, LOL).

Cosmic Kids Yoga is a Youtube series where the "instructor" tells a fun story, all while incorporating movement (aka yoga poses) with a cartoon-y green screen background.

I can totally see toddlers and preschoolers trying to follow along, moving their bodies just like the instructor, while listening to the story.

Each story is about 15 minutes long, and is so fun and silly, and is 'familiar' to other books and stories out there.

Check it out for yourself!  Cosmic Kids Yoga Youtube channel - Squish the Fish Episode 1

A re-joiner

After a week on my own, I decided to re-join Weight Watchers on Saturday.

I had a lot of success with WW back in 2011-2012 before hiring my trainer and getting serious about counting calories and macros.

I thought I would be able to jump back in with the planning and tracking calories / macros but it has been too much work to keep track online, and at the end I would slack and keep a bit of a running tally in my head instead...NOT POSSIBLE any longer, something to do with sleep deprivation and working at my crazy job maybe!?

Anyway, I like the simplicity of the Points Plus system - it's easier to make quick decisions (oh boy, 12 points for ice cream? no thanks), the meetings  were a great way to refocus for the week, and the weekly weigh-in sure helped keep me accountable.

I was really surprised that I get 14 extra daily points for exclusively breastfeeding.  I will be surprised if I can actually eat that much every day and still lose.  This week, I will try the full daily points including the BF points, and maybe tweak next week depending on my results.  And, not sure if I will be eating the weekly points or not (we will see).

My weigh in day is Saturday right now.  I may go back to the Thursday night meetings but I hate to be away from Ethan more than I have to.  But our weekends are pretty sacred, and come fall, we will be CAMPING again.  I guess I could bring him along to Thursday nights...we're done by 6:30 so would still have plenty of time to get ready for bed.

So, we will see how it goes.  If I track and plan, it will work. It did before and it will again.  And I'm committed to becoming a healthier mommy!

Setting Goals, and some tough love.

I am still carrying around about 30 lbs of baby weight.  I call it baby weight, because I gained it during the pregnancy.  But even when that "baby weight" is gone, I still have a lot of "life weight" left to lose.

I shed quite a bit of water weight initially (and baby, and pregnancy grossness stuff), but since about 2 months post partum, the scale hasn't moved much.

So, I guess it's time to stop depending on breastfeeding calorie burn as my only means of losing weight.  It's time to stop using breastfeeding hunger as an excuse to eat whatever and whenever I want.

My long-term goals:

  Number 1: Get healthy and fit so I can crawl around on the floor with baby, carry a toddler around without being winded or sore, and run after a preschooler.  (That takes care of the next few years at least, LOL.)

  Number 2: Learn to ride a horse, and do it on the beach when we're on vacation.

  Number 3: Hike in the Rockies (Colorado) and the Alps (Switzerland) as a family vacation.

  Number 4: Increase my energy so I have more output and attention for my husband, because that is the most important relationship I CHOOSE to maintain!

  Number 5: Be generally AWESOME!!!

What does that look like (aka my short-term goals):
1.  Lose 70 lbs by my birthday (May 6) next year - 42 weeks remain, which equates to 1.5-2 lbs of weight loss per week.  This is probably a good rate as long as I'm continuing to breastfeed (which I am).

2.  Start tracking my food again.  I totally got away from it during the pregnancy...it was too much work especially when I wasn't feeling well.  I used to belong to Weight Watchers but quit after I had a lot of success, and felt comfortable on my own with My Fitness Pal and my trainer (Hi Carla!) instead.  I will re-start using MFP, and try to stay around 1800 calories per day, with carb/protein/fat macros of 30/40/30.

3.  I have got to start being active again.  I LOVED my group fitness classes back over at the G.O.  They were at lunch time, and I totally had my posse who headed over together, and kept each other accountable.  Since coming over to TOC in September, I just have not gotten into the rhythm of the classes, time of day, or fitness friends that I had before.  But, the only way to get that back is to jump right in.  So I am going to start working out 4 days per week (not Mondays) at the gym for at least 30 minutes, either in the morning before work or over lunch time.

OK.  So there you have it.  It's Tuesday.  What better day to start than TODAY!?

Simple Food Guidelines

I had an interesting conversation with my mom when she was here last time.

She has done an AWESOME job at weight loss in the last year(ish). She started with Weight Watchers and has figured out how to incorporate their guidelines into her life. She has calculated her normal breakfasts and lunches out to a "T" for the points values, and knows roughly how many points she has for the rest of the day. Then she uses her favorite Weight Watchers cookbooks - which she literally RAVES about (and which I agree, contain deliciousness) to finish out dinner.

I think it's amazing she has learned to cook in a completely new way, and that she and my dad have been so open and accepting of new things...Curry! Capers! Almond Milk! Quinoa! Who would've thought an old farmer would eat quinoa!?

Anyway, I couldn't be prouder of her for taking control of her food-lifestyle. It's obviously worked for her, 60+ lbs later. But we got to talking - what's next? How do you get over the next plateau? How do you make it exciting again? How do you FEEL BETTER?

I've been on the journey long enough that my thinking has evolved from 'counting points' to 'counting calories' to 'eating to nourish'...(and admittedly, counting calories SUCKS while pregnant).

But I think my mantra going forward, post-baby, is going to be fairly simple:
1. Don't eat too many calories.
2. Eat real food and don't eat chemicals.
3. Figure out what works for you.

The USDA, Weight Watchers, and a host of other experts will tell you
 - eat whole grains! They're good for you! But for my friend with wheat intolerance, they are poison.
- lots of vegetables are the key to success! Especially cruciferous! But for my mom, they are poison.
- consume nuts in moderation! The healthy fats are good for you! But for my dad and sister, they are poison.
- drink dairy! The calcium and Vitamin D are good for you! But for me (in excess), they are poison.
- eggs are a super food! A complete source of protein that is good for you! But for my friend's daughter with allergies, they are poison.

Just because an expert - even a doctor, or a nutritionist, or another paid professional - gives you advice about how to eat healthy, IT DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL WORK FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Losing weight and finding what is healthy for you are three different things.  They CAN be the same, but not necessarily.

Conventional wisdom is for the masses. It's not individualized. It can't be.

So, if eating a Subway sandwich makes you go to the bathroom uncontrollably - I don't care how "healthy" you think it is - don't eat it. I don't care if it helps you control calories. Find another way. Because it's poison for YOU.

The Magic of Foam Rolling

I was first introduced to foam rolling in the spring by my trainer (hi Carla!) after I started Personal Training for the FitTrip challenge. After our hour long sessions, I was in TOUGH SHAPE for a couple days (DOMS).

I mentioned it to her after the first few sessions, and we marched right over to the long ignored mats where there were a variety of bands, balls, rings, and tube things.

Little did I know the tube things would change everything!  I swore by foam rolling after tough workouts or on light cardio days following a workout to get lots of soreness relief.

And now, even though I'm not 'killing it' at the gym, I still needed some relief for my low back, sciatica, and hip pain.  I can't afford to get a zillion prenatal massages, and going to the chiro once a week is plenty.  My trainer has recently modified some of the rolling techniques (but not by much) and it has helped so, so, so much.

You can get ones that look like this for smaller and more sensitive areas

Or you can get a big ol cheap one (like I did) for BIG areas (did I mention it's my butt that hurts?).

Basically, what you do is - whatever freaking hurts, lay on it and roll.  Or have someone roll it on for you.  It's called self myofascial release and it's the bomb.  Ok, it REALLY hurts while you're doing it, so you have to be gentle at first and then put more of your body weight on it as you progress through the session.  But I'm telling you - it works.

For example, my sciatica is doing much better but my hips are starting to really hurt - especially my right one, right where my leg connects and pivots in the joint.  Jeff rolled it out for me last night (I laid on my left side in bed, he stood over me and used the roller like he was rolling out cookie dough on my hip) and it felt soooo much better this morning.  Not to mention I had to pee like 7 times during the night - because it took the inflammation and swelling down so much.  I semi-sprang out of bed this morning, best in like a week.

If you have specific issues just google "foam rolling" and "hips" (or whatever hurts) and watch like a minute or two of Youtube videos for some techniques to work it out.

I've prepared some examples here:

This one is basically what I do for my low back and hip pain


Other hip and sciatica exercises and stretches


Look for others for the glutes and hips - you won't regret it!

Happy Rolling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ups and Downs - 22 weeks

Wow this week went so fast!  This whole thing we call LIFE is starting to feel a bit more 'routine' (which is ok after weeks and months of craziness) - but if we've learned ANYTHING, that means it's all about to change!  So we will see what this week brings...

Ok, so here's the pregnancy ups and downs this week

UP - HUGE, HUGE, HUGE - we went CAMPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And I even got to hike at my favorite state park, Fort Mountain...a short, non strenuous lake loop but still...it was hiking!!!

We decided anything to hilly, rocky, or slippery was out, so we had this beautiful leaf covered loop that we did instead :).  It still felt great - although my daypack hip strap is NOT fitting quite right LOL...I'll report more on our camping trip tomorrow.

UP - also HUGE HUGE HUGE...my sciatica pain is about 90% better.  I think a combination of the baby moving around more, icing, heating, FOAM ROLLING, stretching, walking, working out.......................who knows what worked, but I'm gonna keep it all up.  I really really hope it doesn't come back.

DOWN - I keep putting pants away.  It sucks.  Finding plus sized maternity wear suitable for work also sucks.  I have purchased 3 pairs of dress pants and 2 pairs of jeans now (which are seriously not that cute) - and which were all about $40-$50 each - plus now I need to get them shortened.  UGH.  (Another) unexpected expense.

DOWN - At my appointment, I weighed in (of course), and at 22 weeks I have gained 8 lbs since my first appointment / pre pregnancy.  Which I thought was really quite good, as I've been trying hard to stay a little active and eat pretty well.  But my doctor said "No More" weight gain...how am I gonna do that???  Yikes.

I've been tracking my food again (MyFitnessPal), aiming to stay at 1600 calories per day, but ending up more at 1900 calories most days.  I'm eating pretty good 'whole foods' - eggs, protein, veggies, fruits, a few snacks (popcorn, yes please).  I'm getting quite worried about the gain, because I want to be as healthy as possible this whole time, and keep all my progress somewhat in check.  But who knows.  I think what will happen will happen and I can just hope for the best.  So please send out some little thoughts of encouragement to me on that front please!

That's it for this week.  Hartmans out!

Support, Fitness Competition Style

A couple weeks ago, I headed to Chi-town (Chicago) to support my friend Morven compete in a fitness competition. 

We have a little "group" that talks about fitness, workouts, nutrition, trends, and is one of the BEST support systems around!!!!!!!!!!!  So it was so exciting for me to see her hard work pay off (finally).  (She's been signed up and then moved dates for like, 6 months.)

I have to be honest, it was one of the coolest, and also a bit weird, things I have witnessed. 

We started out at the morning competition, where all of the judging occurs.  There were thousands (not literally) different categories - fitness, figure, men's, women's, by age, by height...lots and lots of categories!  And the folks came on stage only in groups of 4-5 people.

Which meant tons of different bodies, shapes, sizes - all BUFF though.  Here's an example of one of the men's categories:

Although extremely lean, fit, and strong, these guys do not look too crazy huge to me.  This was a "Natural" bodybuilding federation - meaning no drugs and limited supplements.  My friend even had to take a lie detector test!  (The weirdest question: "Have you ever lied to the police to get a friend in trouble?".  Hm.)

After lots of watching and waiting, and giggling at some of these things with my sissy, and seeing some WAY too dark of spray tans and sweat, it was SHOWTIME!  (she's on the left)

Unfortunately, my phone's camera sucks.  And I wanted to scream and cheer more than I wanted to take photos.  So that's all I have.  Except for this one, post-morning judging:

What an awesome cheering section - most of us all the way from ATL!!! 

A special shout-out to the sisters in the group - my sister Amy for attending (I think her feminist butt puckered often throughout the day) and Morven's sister Sho for hosting all of us at her house during the afternoon!

Camping Meals

Eating healthy and going camping do not have to be mutually exclusive.  I know it seems counter intuitive (hot dogs, smores, chips) but you can still remain committed to eating healthfully while roughing it. Combine that with my two favorite activities (hiking and swimming, not napping and watching Homeland) and your weekend will be perfectly on plan!

Here are some easy camping weekend meals to get you started.  Oh, and seriously, just buy a Coleman stove and a nonstick pan.  And white gas and a lighter.

Friday night arrival - it's late and you're hungry. Whip these up super fast!

Egg salad sandwiches plus Cheetos (Jeff) and crudites (Jess)
- make with light wheat bread and light Miracle Whip, and boil the eggs on Thursday night with your awesome microwave egg cooker

Shredded pork sandwich plus chips or canned baked beans
- cook a pork loin in the crock pot while you're at work on Friday (1 tsp oil in the bottom plus Rendevous seasoning, dump and cook on low 6-8 hrs), then pack it in a container to heat and shred in a pan with bbq sauce upon arrival!

Ravioli with sauce
- Boil water, add ravioli and cook, strain, add jarred sauce

Beef Tacos
Cook beef and add seasoning...make tacos with all the fixins or just cheese (however you like)

Saturday lunch...trail lunch of nuts and/or protein bar, or one of the below ideas

Saturday dinner...presumably you have some time but who wants to spend more than 30 minutes cooking?

Salmon and couscous - pan fry plus boxed mix and a salad
Jambalaya with brussel sprouts - use frozen already cooked chicken and sausage to speed things up
Spaghetti - see ravioli description
Chili and fritos - the 4 can dump method
Pizza pie irons - advanced technique!  Uses campfire to cook
Bring your own grill or make sure your campsite has one (and don't forget briquettes and lighter fluid)
Hamburgers and hot dogs with popchips (Hebrew National 97% fat free dogs and light buns)
Bone in chicken breasts with wild rice and green beans
Pork chops with couscous and broccoli
Steak and baked potatoes with sugar snap peas

Breakfast is dependant on what the rest of the activities will be...mix and match as you please.
Pancakes, Bacon - use the add water and shake mix
Scrambled eggs and Bacon
Yogurt and fruit
Oatmeal / granola
Bagel with cream cheese

Other snacks!  Be careful with these...
Cheese sticks
Popcorn
Smores
Clif bars / Larabars
Oreos
Nuts
Skinny cow snacks
Apples or dried / frozen fruit

Try Living a Cliche

You know I love me some Jillian.  As in Jillian Michaels.  Yes, the Biggest Loser trainer / yeller / motivator.

But I truly am beginning to subscribe to her way of thinking (more on that later).  I listen to her podcasts while commuting to and from work...and really loved this concept she talked about, "Try living a cliche" (the September 15th episode if you want to download it).

It got me thinking...what if we really did live out common cliches?  In a totally not ironic, not sarcastic, not cynical, not attitude-y way?  Just for a day?  Or a week?

Live each day like it's your last.

You get out what you put in.

Each day, each moment, is a choice.

This week, I'm going to hang up my snotty remarks, and try to be my better - MORE POSITIVE - self. 

The Dreaded Holiday Weight Gain

Well, I gained over the holidays.  I'm talking about the period from early December to mid-January...cuz who celebrates ONLY Christmas Day?

My gain was 6.4 lbs.  SHEESH.  That's a lot.  (I did swinging things with kettlebells yesterday and the 10-pounder was torture!)

My loss at my weigh in last night was 2.4 lbs. 

I've been back ON the wagon (mostly) since right after Christmas but for a variety of reasons have not been officially able to weigh in.  So it's possible my post-Christmas gain was even more...which makes my loss even more important!

So far this week I've been able to stick to my plans pretty well - working out over lunch, and eating ONLY what I have packed in my lunchbox (ahem, not sneaking my samples out of procrastination).  (But just LOOK at the temptation!)

This weekend will be cold (for Atlanta), so I'm looking forward to Zumba tomorrow morning, and a few naps with my kitty!!!  What are your plans?

So SICK of being SICK

I'm a complainer.  I have plenty of awesome traits, but one of my faults is I complain.

Sorry.

I'm going to do it anyway.

Although I am usually a trouper when it comes to health things (hello, have you heard me complain about asthma recently?) I cannot BELIEVE I am sick again.

Jeff and I spent the week after Thanksgiving through the week of Christmas being sick - first with sore throats and colds, then sinus infections, then other "issues" caused by antibiotics (ugh)...I FINALLY felt good when it was time to leave to go home for Christmas.

So, approximately 20 days of being sick.

That was 20 days of being off-track from working out and eating off-plan because I felt crappy.  Then a 10-day hiatus of family and holiday time.

TIME TO GET BACK ON TRACK!!!  FOCUS ON ME AND HEALTHY-NESS!!!  YIPPEE!!!

Wrong.

Either my cousin gave me the flu, or my dad, or my uncle...or my super cute nephews and niece...or everyone sitting in Concourse G in MSP...or the guy honking his nose behind me in 44E...or most likely, RANDOM HUMANITY...

But I can't stop sleeping and it hurts to swallow and my nose is dripping and I'm nauseous-nauseous-nauseous...

DAMN YOU GERMS!  Wahhhhhh, I just want to cry. 

And finally, since you all know I love pictoral representations of emotions, here's how I feel:

I'm outta here.

1.2 Per Week

1.2 lbs per week.  That's all it will take to get me from where I am right now, to 20 PERCENT LOST by New Year's Eve.

I think I can do this thing.

Side note - anyone out there walked or run a 5K?  I hate running.  But I think it would be good for me.

Best Intentions

After a WEEK LONG CONFERENCE in Long Beach...

full of food, wine, drinks, cheese, olives, chef competitions, etc...

and on my feet for 12 hours a day...

and traveling from coast to coast...

it was foolish to think I would be able to do what I intended this weekend.

My intent was to go to Tyrone Founder's Day, participate in the Zumba demonstration, walk around the booths and people-watch, and finish up with a firepit get-together on Saturday.

Then on Sunday we were scheduled for another practice hike.

Guess what.  ONE of those things happened.  (We went to a firepit on Saturday.)

What really transpired?  I spent a lot of Saturday sleeping in, napping, going out to lunch, napping...see a trend?

On Sunday - boy oh boy - had a BAD allergic reaction to 'something' (any guesses) and spent the afternoon and evening drugged up on Benadryl...which creeped into Monday...did you want to see the funniest thing ever?  Just video me while taking Benadryl, apparently I'm hilarious.



Anywho, still feeling REALLY rough today but trying to get back in the saddle!  The saddle may leave the building without me though.

Busy Morning

I went in for my annual physical this morning.  I feel like I got put through the ringer!  Here are our the topics and things we went through:

Fasting blood work - including insulin resistance to see if it's improved (as well as PCOS).  Hopefully I'll get those results next week.

We discussed my Weight Loss and Exercise Plan - and the message was "keep going!!!!".

Referral to a real OB/GYN...since it typically takes 6 months to get in as a new patient.

And then after my physical I went in for my allergy shots (UGH they are itchy) and teeth whitening...

WHAT A MORNING!  No more poking and prodding for me for awhile (thankfully). 

What do you discuss with your doctor at your annual appointment? 

Creative Substitutions

Here are some creative and not so creative food substitutions that I have found and really like - and incorporate into my routine pretty often! 
Coke -- Coke Zero -- Berry LaCroix Sparkling Water

2 cups of coffee -- 1 cup of coffee and 2 cups of Japanese green tea

Cracker Barrel cheddar cheese planks -- Reduced Fat Sargento cheddar cheese sticks

Betty Crocker brownies from a box -- Peanut Butter and Fudge Vita Tops

Coffee Mate French Vanilla liquid -- Light Vanilla Silk Soymilk

Ranch Dressing Veggie Dip -- Sabra Hummus 2oz cups

Microwave bacon -- Microwave TURKEY bacon

BBQ Kettle style Chips -- BBQ PopChips

Regular sliced bread -- Sara Lee Delightful Wheat Bread

I hope you consider one of these next time you're at the grocery store!!!

Happy Memorial Day

We had such a great time this weekend - started camping on Thursday at Vogel State Park and didn't come home till Monday.

Our favorite campsite is at a secluded area of the park, at the end of a 4-campsite cul-de-sac with Direct Trail Access.

After grocery shopping and packing the car on Thursday morning, we finally got started on the 2.5 hour drive to the North Georgia Mountains.  After arrival, we had our pick of campsites - people didn't really start pouring in until Friday so it was a blessedly quiet Thursday afternoon and evening.

On Thursday night, we did have a bit of a mis-hap.  I had to pee in the middle of the night (of course).  One of the reasons I like our secluded spot is it allows for NOT walking down the hill to the bathrooms (ie, peeing outside).  However, I did not remember there was such a STEEP DROP OFF behind the tent...I put my leg down to step and all I got was air. 

By that time I was already off-balance and tumbled down the hill (NO, we do NOT have a picture of that)...but not before twisting my ankle, bruising my leg, and landing on my knee (it swelled up big time). 

But - I was not SO injured as we couldn't do our planned actvities on Friday.  Which included hiking the Bear Hair Trail. 

Let me explain to you the premise behind Bear Hair: it goes up, then it comes down.  Two and a half miles up, two and a half miles down.  Simple, right?

Except I had BAD BAD BAD memories of it from last year. 

This was the first trail I ever hiked.  Now, being a kid from the farmland prairie, I thought hiking was akin to walking down a gravel road.  Flat-ish, straight, not too hard.  So last year my prairie naivete strapped on my Asics and said, "Yeah, let's try it!"

In short, I was ill-prepared.  I had to take like a thousand breaks and my freaking feet hurt so bad because tennies are not made for hiking on rocks and oh my god I hated it and it sucked so bad and it was hot and I got bit by a million mosquitos and I was not having any fun at ALL.

But after many hiking miles behind me, months of training, and 50 lbs lighter on my feet...look how much fun I'm having!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I KICKED IT'S BUTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  (Actually, after later reflection - and time for my muscles to stiffen up - I would call it a draw.)
In any case, we still had energy to go swimming in the lake on Friday afternoon, and had a huge fire on Friday night. 

We did have the worst camping neighbors next door though.  A huge group with 15+ kids came in and were noisy until after midnight and began clanging pots at 6am.  I was SO NOT IMPRESSED.  It's the first and only time we have ever complained to a campground host about reinforcing the quiet hours. 

And then my air mattress got a hole in it.  I woke up on the ground.  We did not have a repair kit.  Nor an extra.  Jeff fixed it with duct tape and it kind of worked till around 5AM. 

Since Friday night's sleep was not super long or restful we nixed our hike for Saturday morning...and went to Wal-Mart instead for a new air mattress.  On the way there was a really cute arts & crafts fair (Mom, they had those bears you've been eyeballing) that we just had to swing by.

Our busy morning was followed by an afternoon of swimming!!!  The lake was super busy but it was fun...except Jeff and I BOTH got nipped by a FISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday we had more hiking - did almost 3 miles into the Coosa Backcountry Trail and came across this PRIMO photo spot. 

 

Jeff rigged up a set of hiking poles to serve as a camera tripod so we actually got a photo together!!!!!!  Then we had to hike almost 3 miles back out.  (Our "after" shot was not so cute.)

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Something like sickness

Bleh.  Caught a cold.  And it's moved into my chest.

I feel HORRIBLE.

2 and a half days of missed work - it's sacrilege.  And there was even an overnight work trip to Chicago I had to miss (sorry Amy).

Here's what I have learned in my delirium:

1) Life at work will go on without me (although it may be painful for those still at work, picking up my slack).

2) Slurping NyQuil and DayQuil to make symptoms go away does not actually mean you are getting better.

3) Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup are NOT overrated, AND can be made points-friendly.

4) Tazo Green Tea is not real green tea.  Do not be tricked.  (My quest for real Japanese green tea continues.)

5) Spouses still love each other when they're sick, but much slack must be given to the non-sick one...they are, after all, trying NOT to catch whatever you have.

Points-Friendly Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Cold Cure
3 points - 1/2 can Progresso Vegetable Classics Hearty Tomato Soup
2 points - 2 slices Sara Light Delightful Wheat Bread
2 points - 2 slices Kraft Free American cheese (sliced)
1 point  - 1 tbsp Country Crock margarine spread

Total Lunch: 8 points...full tummy + DayQuil = NAP TIME

Oopsie Daisy!

Since I know you are all waiting for most recent results, I'll break it to you right away...I did not hit my 40-lb loss mark yesterday.

I lost only 0.2...mwahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

I told Jeff I'm not too worried about it. Here's why:

My Top 5 Reasons With Which I Am Convincing Myself Not To Worry

1. I ate well this week...on plan, with no big oopsies or slip-ups.

2. I worked out over 4 hours the past 7 days - earned 27 Activity Points.

3. I flew twice (ATL-MCO-ATL) during my weigh-in day, and landed only about an hour and a half before weigh-in. I retain a LOT of water in my legs and feet when I fly.

4. I do not usually eat or drink anything between 3PM and 6PM (weigh-in time) to stay consistent. Yesterday, I totally did - a big bottle of water, cheese, and a Bailey's at the Sky Club.

5. And finally...TMI coming...I didn't go #1 or #2 before the weigh-in, which I usually do.

I know - likely all of this did not equal 2 lbs worth of stuff...but maybe it did equal 1 lb, which would put me right back around my average weekly loss.

We'll just stay on this path this week again, and eventually the number will come in.

Just like my friend Megan - who has been struggling with health issues and injuries and dental malpractice and therefore NOT losing...all of a sudden this week (after a week of REST), WHAMMY! Her loss was over 4 lbs this week, and enough to hit her 95-lb loss!!!!! WAY TO GO, MEGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!