Mini My Ass

Today I was feeling in high spirits. I was able to sleep in until 9:15, which is late in my mind and then I was super mom when I offered to take them to the movies today. This has been a weekly thing this whole summer, but the kids seem to develop a strange sort of amnesia between Wednesday and Tuesday night.  This condition is fine by me because I get obedient children for 10 minutes as they anxiously await their activity.

Usually, I am begging and screaming for them to find their shoes and change their underwear. (Maddie has a chronic problem of feeling like underwears are good for more than one day).  After the movie, I was full of Diet Pepsi and popcorn, and request for the park came calling from the back of the car followed by a request for something to eat from my notoriously picky eater of a son. Apparently he did not spend the entire movie stuffing his face as some of us did. I stopped at DQ because they serve hot dogs and he usually won't eat anything else from fast food. While I was ordering, I saw the luscious and scrumptious looking Salted Caramel Truffle Blizzard unabashedly flashing her goods to me. I couldn't help myself. I wasn't hungry but I hardly ever turn down treats, least of all ice cream.  I am not going to lie, I picked DQ knowing full well ice cream was served there. I was using the excuse of Jude but really, nuggets would've worked fine. I will say that I picked the mini version of the delicate treat because I knew I shouldn't do more. I am counting my calories and I didn't want it to be a waste of time.



The term mini at DQ is accurate. The cup handed to me looked like a wee baby ordered it. I felt good about getting the smallest size, but had a rude awakening when I tallied up my score on my calorie card. That stupid freakin baby cup cost me 450 calories!! I was furious. How could something so small be so expensive?!?  Then I thought back to the 15 minutes it took me to consume the confection.  I was lost in a sugary, caramelly wonderland that didn't stop. I was euphoric and for good reason, it was terrible for me. It was loaded with sugar and fat. For curiosity's sake, I looked up what a small was and hold your breaths, 1040 calories!! I can only imagine what a large would cost. I refuse to check, I'd just be angry. No one should be ordering something that is that high in calories. No wonder obesity has overtaken America.  If I hadn't take the conscious effort to eat smaller portions I'd be so ashamed. No I'm not happy about eating 450 calories worth of crap, but at least I made a better choice. It's the small choices throughout each day that make progress. I will remember next time I want ice cream that it used to be a forbidden treat once upon a time at our house. It has to be if I want to succeed.

Fix it Felix

  I read an article a few months ago from the NY Times that studied the effects of extreme weight loss, especially focusing on the "Biggest Loser" contestants Biggest Loser Study.  Most of them had gained their weight back and in the process, had also lowered their metabolism.  It was a major bummer to hear that I wasn't the only person who is struggling to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  I too had gained all of my weight back and I felt that there wasn't any hope.  The article was depressing and offered little hope for those of us who struggle with weight on a daily basis.  After reading the article, I felt like there was little hope for me, which is why I haven't cared for so long.  Then the other day, a marvelous update came to brighten my day.  NPR posted a story of a college professor who provided an Antidote  to slowing down metabolism when losing weight.

He stated that losing weight too fast means that the body cannot keep up with it and ends up slowing down instead of actually producing long lasting effects.  The article explained that the body can only metabolize up to two pounds of fat each week.  Any more than that and the body gives up muscle mass, water weight, and slows down to keep up.  This gave me a boost in my step.  The term slow and steady wins the race is very applicable to this information.  The professor also adamantly explained that keeping up muscle mass is a the key to keeping up metabolism.  After reading the article, I immediately got online and ordered a dumbbell set.   I wanted to add a little pizzaz to my workout routine because as most of us know, the treadmill can get a tad monotonous.  I know that improving my muscle strength will only benefit me in the long run and I am excited for my online purchase to come to my doorstep.  A little factoid about myself, I prefer online shopping to real life shopping.  I found a better deal and I don't have to take my obnoxious children into the store.  Both sides of that coin win.

Today I wanted to focus on my agility.  I jogged for twenty minutes and then I went into my garage and fashioned a sort of obstacle course for me to run.  I was hopping over boards, running a balance beam, jumping over a two foot box, and lastly I was alternating between falling on my back and standing up and going onto my stomach.  I was winded and smelled like dirty floor, but I am glad I did it.  I want to improve my speed setting on the treadmill and this is a good way to do it.  Plus, I liked mixing it up.  I hope to not be sucking in so much air the next time I try it, but I know that will take time.  I am mostly proud of myself for pulling a "Marina" and creating a hodgepodge agility course.  It sounds way cooler than it actually looked.  It looked like I was hopping and lying in garbage.  This is why I shut the garage door.  I don't need my neighbors to think they see a crazy woman jumping up and down instead of truly understanding what majesties I have created.  It reminds me of my old days of roller skating in the garage.  I perfected that shit.