Yum.

"Big Ass Salad"

mixed greens, carrots, onions, tomatoes, radishes, edamame, mushrooms. dressed in 1 tsp each balsamic vinegar and olive oil

Salmon, Sprouts and Spinach

egg white omelet with 2 oz lox, spinach, onions and 2 tbsp fat free cream cheese

hash: halved brussel sprouts, turkey bacon and diced potatoes

Oh HENry Scramble

cornish hen salad: c h, red pepper, pineapple, onion, sweet potato, vinaigrette + chipotle smoked salsa + egg whites

2/3 cup Cultural Revolution plain yogurt + dash cinnamon

Speedos to all, and to all a Good Night.

That is my Step teacher.


No, I'm not kidding.

Yes, he always wears that, though not always flesh colored.

This morning, Doug, the man to your right, kicked my ass. He also kicked two of my lady friends asses, and then our three kicked asses went out for coffee and breakfast.

I have to say, it might have been the absolute best way to start a weekend.

Even though Saturday Step is the way I spend EVERY Saturday morning, it's not often I am able to do it with 2 fantastic ladies and have girl talk after. We went to Common Roots and I had a Skim Miel and a small bowl of fruit (mostly cantaloupe). Great choices! I was proud.

These 2 ladies are also Weight Watchers. The two of them had never met, and I knew it would be gab at first sight. I was happy that we were all able to go out, because I love connecting new friends. I have been feeling down lately about how difficult it truly is to make new friends as an adult. It's awkward, like dating. Do I call her? Do I email her? How long should I wait? Will she remember me?

As a very extroverted being, it's not hard for me to make friends if I'm in a situation where I can talk, outloud, in a group. My weight watchers meeting has been fantastic for this. I've made a lot of connections here - and I love it because it's already something I'm doing for myself. My new gym is somewhat of a flop for socialization so far. It's really more of a fancy-pants kind of place so I don't have too much in common with the other clientele other than our love for fitness. I'm still trying to start some regular conversations, doing the head nod, the "Hello," etc.

Other than at work, where have you made friends as an adult?

I'm so incredibly grateful for the support I get from all of you. It's so interesting to me how easy it is to open up to "strangers" about such difficult subjects and I so appreciate all of your encouraging words and all the lessons (and tricks!) I have learned through comments on this blog. You are all lovely and I wish you all lived in Minneapolis, or within a close proximity. [Unless you live somewhere warm, in wish case... I'm packing my bags.]

I am actually. Packing my bags that is. Justin and I are headed to Sedona, AZ on December 19th for a little R&R. Just kidding, unless R&R stands for RED ROCK (HIKING), which it does. I'm so incredibly excited for this trip. Sedona isn't too warm that time of year, but it will be sunny and fall-ish weather, my favorite. I have planned 2 epic hikes, and we're also renting a car to make a trip to the Grand Canyon (for a hike). I found a great place on VRBO.com that is running a special for $100 per night. We'll have a full kitchen (YES, staying on track while on vacation!!!) and a private patio. Don't even THINK this vacation is going to derail my goals, if anything it will push me forward.

Hiking in a new state? YES PLEASE!

So, I've been smoke free for 7.5 hours. Last night, I had one cigarette left and I opted not to go buy more seeing as how my quit date was so close (Sunday). I had that cigarette around 10am this morning. I know that 7.5 hours might not sound long, but that's about 2-3x longer than I'm used to not smoking. Even watching a movie without a smoke break felt pretty rough sometimes.

This hasn't really been hard though. I've had a mug of tea and chewed a Tea Tree Oil stick. There was only one points where I felt I actually wanted a cigarette, and it quickly passed. I think the Chantix is working wonders and I'm very grateful to have that crutch. When I make it to Tuesday morning smoke free, I'm going to reward myself with a haircut. I need one desperately and that 3rd day (Monday) is always the worst for me.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. I'll be out walking and running all day tomorrow, hopefully, to keep my mind off distractions and to test what 24 hours without a cigarette can do for your lungs.

Keep up the good work this weekend!

Why Yesterday Was Awesome.

I checked out yesterday. Unplugged.

Why?

It was my Anniversary. It was also just an amazing day in general.

Work went by in a flash, I got to meet one of my best girlfriend's new baby Juniper in the hospital, and then I dragged Justin to spin class. He was less than thrilled to be having a sweat session outside of the bedroom on our Anniversary, but after the class - exhausted and energized at the same time - he was thankful I forced him to go.

With adrenaline surging and hunger out of control, we made our first stop of the night.

Now, Justin and I fancy ourselves foodies, which is mostly how I gained so much weight. Because we do not eat out very often (because I'm such a fantabulous cook) it is not uncommon for us to drop $130+ on a dinner out with drinks, especially on a special occasion. So this year, in an effort to both be ON TRACK and have a little more fun than the typical dinner date, I got to plan. I chose to go back to one of my favorite Mexican restaurants ever, El Loro. (A favorite also of Jen at a Prior Fat Girl!)

I ordered my super favorite old stand-by: Vegetarian Fajitas. I'm not in any way a vegetarian, but the first time I went to this restaurant (possibly almost 10 years ago now) I was. It is the only thing I've ever ordered there, and I feel no need to change that. I live less than a mile away from Mercado Central, a Latino neighborhood of Minneapolis with upwards of 20 Mexican owned restaurants of pure authenticity.

Let me tell you my friends, I walked in to that restaurant with a plan. I KNEW I was going to order a margarita. I planned for it. I also knew that this is the kind of joint that brings you endless baskets of homemade tortilla chips with delicious chunky salsa and queso fresco... and there they were. Hogging half the table, and sitting right between me and my lovely date. I didn't touch them. Not one frickin' bit. I plugged back in for 10 minutes to distract myself with Twitter until Justin finally made up his mind about what to order. I didn't even open the menu. I wasn't giving El Loro a single chance to mess up my plan. Just bring me the delicious.

So, I survived the dinner portion.

And because we decided to screw the white linen and opt for paper napkins, we knew we could play with the rest of our date budget. And play we did.... blackjack!

Next stop, Mystic Lake Casino. We have not been to the casino in about 3 years, and coincidentally the last time we went was on our Anniversary. We were in Duluth, had just finished dinner (de ja vu) and were walking down Lake Avenue and decided to stop at Fond-Du-Luth casino. We ended up winning $350 between the 2 of us and upgraded our hotel room to a ridiculous sweet. It was a blast.

This time, I was the only one who left a winner, but fun was had by all. And, I brought home the bacon. $280 worth. Hell yeah!

We decided to stop for a nightcap at our neighborhood bar. This I hadn't planned for, so I stayed safe with white wine. I knew I could afford 3 more measly points (3 because the servings are always bloated, not 5oz like they're supposed to be) and I wanted to enjoy the night.

Truly a fantastic day as a whole.

Today is a gorgeous day outside and I plan to get out and run the lakes. Remember how I power cleaned the house last weekend? Well, dog-sitting puppy has destroyed all that (along with 5 of our dog's toys), so I'll be keeping myself busy today with sweeping, washing floors, doing dishes and shaking out rugs. I think tonight the boys and I are going to rent UP and spend some downtime on the couch.

How are you staying busy today?

Oh Oh Oh!

LOOK ---------------------------->







New No Mo' Potato Challenge goal: 5.4lbs

WOO!

Nudge Me.

The reality of my current situation is setting in, and it's making me all the more wise to the fact that I REALLY need the No Mo' Potato Challenge right now. You know what else I need?

Your help.

Remember how I said I was quitting smoking? Well that day is just 4 short days away. I feel like a mad woman attempting to lose the final 7lbs AND quit smoking at the same time, but I know I am stronger than I feel, and I can absolutely do this. I just need you to nudge me.

I need your strategies. I need you to hold me accountable. I don't want another cookie episode. I WANT this. I CAN do this, I just sometimes forget that.

Today is the first day of the No Mo' Potato Challenge and I've already planned out my meals, dessert too, to be no MORE than 21 points and contain my Good Health Guidelines, so I'm fueling rather than feeding. My sweat session will be run/walk intervals around Lake Nokomis (twice) with the crazy dog we are dog sitting, and I bought a new notebook last night to hold my evening reflections on the day that passed and strategies for success for the day to come. I feel very prepared. I love this feeling all too much because I know it doesn't last long. I'm brainstorming right now how to bottle it up so I can get it back when I need it, but so far... no great ideas.

Instead I usually end up with one of these...

My plan today is to simply keep my spirits high and expect the best. I'm totally unsure how my weigh in is going to read out tonight. I genuinely had a HORRIBLE start to this week, picked it back up, dropped it a few times and got back on track. I guess my *hope* is that I maintain or lose at least a little bit, but I hold no expectations at this point.

No matter what, I will not let it kill my motivation, though it might change my ultimate goal for the Challenge.

What are you doing this morning to make today a better day?

No Mo' Potato: On to(t) the Goals!

Just in case you missed my moment of sheer insanity this morning where I made up a ridiculous weight loss challenge on the spot called No Mo' Potato, just look here to get filled in.


As promised, weekly I will be setting Tater TOTS, little goals to get me through the week. TOTS stands for Tasks of Total Steadfastness and Tater stands for nothing.


Wednesday marks the beginning of a new Weight Loss Week for me because it is the day my Weight Watcher's week turns over, I have a clean calorie/point slate and that fresh start is exactly what I need to begin this challenge.

This Week's Tater TOTS

• Treat 21 points as 21 points. Do not debt yourself more than 1/2 the Activity Points you earned each day, save for Thursday, which is your 800th anniversary with Justin and you're allowed 10 extras. Permission granted. [for 10, only. I'm serious. Just 10.] Also, track everything.
  
• Sweat it out 6 days a week. REALLY sweat. Repeat your mantra "It's only 2 minutes." [it is my theory that no one move in any routine or class goes on for more than 2 minutes. I can totally do something for 2 minutes, regardless of how long 2 minutes can feel, and regardless of how many increments of 2 minutes make up 60.]


• FUEL not FEED. This little saying, fuel not feed, works for me when I think of feed as a noun rather than a verb, because that's gross. I'm not a pig.


• Reflect and journal each night after dessert. This accomplishes two things: 1) To give myself enough time to decide not to have the 2nd dessert I always want after having dessert and 2) allows me to give myself the credit I deserve for the things I did well, all day, thus ending my night on a positive note and building my confidence that all of this is possible to continue again the next day.
  

I also decided that maybe this should be a real challenge. Just because I don't know HOW to run a challenge doesn't mean I can't figure it out. If you want to participate, here's your badge of honor.

[pull this picture and link to this post]

The only rules of the challenge, as far as I can see, is that you must SET A GOAL. It does not have to be weight related, but it should be something that has been EXTREMELY difficult for you to achieve. For me, the last 7.2lbs I have been chasing for more than 8 months. Don't take the easy way out, I'm really pushing and you have to too. Maybe you walk for exercise but dream of running a 5k? Or perhaps you're scared of the weight room but want to see some sculpted bi and tricepts? Additionally, you'll have to update us on your TOTS each week in your blog. Initially, you'll set them, and then each week you'll revisit your progress as well as set new TOTS for the week ahead.

Whomever reaches their impossible goal on or by December 31st, 2009 will WIN A PRIZE!

Notice, that's not "whomever reaches their impossible goal FIRST..." anyone who participates in this challenge and meets their goal will win something. I'm not promising the stars, just in case suddenly this catches like wildfire and 900 people join the challenge, but I promise something of substance, because I would be embarrassed to send it to you otherwise, and because I have good taste. [P.S. if you just complete the above tasks for the entirety of 6 weeks, you're a winner. After all, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that truly counts." w. churchill]

So let's get crack-a-lackin!

Focus.

I did a lot of thinking last night. Currently, I have a lot on my plate. I'm on Day 3 of Chantix which may or may not be messing with my mind, I'm dog sitting a crazy puppy who does not understand the words "No Jump" [and also barfed on my blanket] and work is a crazy tornado of busy, but I can't let all of those things stop me up. That's life. I'm going to be busy, quitting smoking will be hard, and someone will always be barfing on my blanket - so to speak.


Rebecca at Durch DICK und Duenn explained something I was fighting her on yesterday. Her stance is that weight loss is so much about what we put in our mouths more than exercising. Being a "read between the lines" kind of gal, I took that somewhat as saying "Exercise doesn't matter," and I got angry. Luckily, she is a sane person and explained it in a different way, stating her intention is to help people stop making excuses about not losing weight if they're intimidated or unable to exercise. And you know what, she is right anyway. Weight loss is purely about less calories in than calories out. You could do that eating Mickey's donuts if you want, but I wouldn't recommend it.


I'm such an exercise pusher because it is such a great conducter of confidence and power. So many of us start this journey, and consequently give up and restart it multiple times, because we don't think we're worth it. We aren't worth taking care of, it's too hard, I don't have time, and the plethora of other excuses that actually just mean "I'm not strong enough."

Well you are.

And you can be stronger.

Practice is like a muscle, the more you work at something, the stronger it gets. I need to remember to strengthen my mental muscles along with my physical ones, because lately my eating habits have literally been out of control. We talked about the cookie fiasco, that was a bad one, but aside from that I've been sneaking in little things here and there and conveniently forgetting to track them.


In BitchCake's words, "The only thing stopping me is ME."


So this week, I vow to pick back up The Beck Diet Solution, which has been sitting lonely on the dining room table. I'm just starting over. Clean slate. I will work from Day 1 to the end, one day at a time rather than trying to rush through like I did before.


There are still 44 days left till the end of the year, and if I really REALLY allow myself to start over, to be gentle but dedicated, I know I can make it to goal. Despite all the holidays, despite the stress, despite the dogs puking on blankets, I can do this.


AND SO...


I propose a challenge. To all of you ladies and gents who are stuck hovering, gaining and losing the same 2.5lbs week after week after week, I invite you to join me for the No Mo' Potato Challenge.



It's not a real challenge. I wouldn't know how to run a challenge in the midst of all this other junk I have going on, but here's what I'M going to do, and if you want to join me, I'd love it. And maybe there will be prizes. There should always be prizes.


I'm going to take these 44 days, roughly 6.3 weeks, and I'm going to use them to lose the 7.2lbs I need to get to goal. At about 1.2lbs weekly, I think I can pull this off with some determination and a little elbow grease (but not too much, I hear it's fatty). I'll be setting Tatter Tot Goals weekly, little steps to get me through the week and on towards the bigger challenge. [I am seriously laughing so hard as I type this because it's so ridiculous. Why potatoes? I just thought of this now, but maybe it will work. I can't stop myself]


Since 7.2lbs is a weird goal, and really only applies to me, maybe you're No Mo' Potato could be setting a new mini-goal to get you through the end of the year.

What will get you through?

Reader Recipe Request: Fall Potato Salad

Laura at 100in12 wanted to know what my "Fall Potato Salad" is. Maybe you do too?

Fall Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 3 cups diced beets, cooked (reserve 1tbsp cooking liquid)
• 8 oz diced red potatoes, cooked [peeled or not, I never peel them] (I also just braised these with the beets and a little salted water)
• 2 small diced green apples, peeled and cored
• 1/3 c finely diced unsweetened dill pickles
• 1/3 medium sweet or red onion
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 c fat free sour cream OR greek yogurt (I use greek yogurt, but if you have sour cream don't run out and buy the yogurt... even though it's better)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• OPTIONAL: fresh chopped parsley or dill

Assuming you've already cooked the beets and potatoes like you're supposed to, combine the potatoes, apples, pickles and onion in a serving bowl.

Combine the vinegar, oil, pepper and 1/2 tsp of the salt in a small bowl and drizzle over the salad. If you're using parsley or dill, go ahead and scatter that around the edges. Cover this concoction and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Just before serving - make the dressing. Mix the sour cream/greek yogurt, lemon juice, the reserved beet juice, white pepper and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Serve by mixing with the salad, or on the side for dipping. Whatever your pleasure.

Enjoy!

By the way, that Breyer's cookie/yogurt thing was not delicious. It wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't pass as desert. Yogurt and cookies don't belong together, at least not yogurt that isn't super rich and decadent. I give it half a thumbs up, which means "If you're desperate, it'll pass." Otherwise, I'd be happier to make something delicious by crumbling up Kashi Dark Chocolate Oatmeal cookies (2 points). Those are the bane of my existence right now. I can't keep them in the house. They're just too good.

If you have self control around cookies (I don't) I highly recommend them.

Puttin' Food on the Table.

Fried Egg (2) Sandwich on Arnold Sandwich Thin (1) + Tomato + Spinach + Horseradish Mustard (0) = 3 points

1 Small Apple (1) + Cinnamon (0) + 1 tbsp Reduced Fat Peanut Butter (2) = 3 points

Tea (0) = 0 points

1 cup Spaghetti Squash (0) + 3/4 c sauce (1) + Spinach in 1 tsp olive oil (1) = 2 points

Diet A&W Root Beer (0) = 0 points

Black Bean Burger (2) on Arnold Sandwich Thin (1) + Tomato, Spinach, Horseradish Mustard (0) + 1 cup Fall Potato Salad (2) + Baby Carrots (0) = 5 points

Diet Hot Cocoa (0) + Fat Free Reddi-Whip (0) = 1 point

[Why 1 point? Too many 0 point options through out the day add up. I had tea, soda AND this cocoa + whipped cream, so I'll just take a point because it's so decadent]

And later on, after dinner has settled and the cocoa is long gone, I'm planning to have this for dessert.

I found it at the grocery store and bought it impulsively. I'm pretty sure all it is is Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt with Cookie Crumbs to stir in to it, but it's 2 points and contains chocolate and I'm moving in to the only week of the month I want chocolate (as opposed to just sweets in general) so I figure it was a safe option.

I'll let you know how they are.

The End of an Era.

Goodbye YWCA. I always loved you, even when I hated you.

I joined the Midtown YWCA (Minneapolis) 2 years ago now, coinciding with my joining Weight Watchers and trying to turn my life around.

I've lifted countless weights within these walls, danced my way through many a Zumba class and ran my first full mile (as an adult) without stopping.

I would rip out the new strength training plan every month when my Fitness Magazine arrived and run to the gym to give it a try. That was always my favorite thing, getting a chance to switch it up.

This building is truly where I made so many of my physical progress. It built my confidence and allowed me to really push myself as far as I now know I can go. Unfortunately, everyone needs change, and my new gym is exactly what I need *now*. That's not to say I won't return to the YWCA. It is awfully convenient (just a hair under 1 mile from my house via bike trail) and has an indoor track and pool which my new gym does not. I'll still get to visit every week on Wednesdays for my Weight Watchers meeting.

I had a great last workout at the Y today. I jumped at my chance to attend CardioKick, a high impact kickboxing class with lots of shuffling and jumping and kicking and punching, oh my! I also ran one final mile around that indoor track, hating every minute of it. I truly detest running inside. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune when it's -15 degrees here, but for now, I can tolerate it.

Can you remember the ONE thing that really pushed you forward with your fitness efforts? What was it?

Finally.

I finally added and updated my blogroll.

Now you can see all the lovely bloggers I depend on to stay on track. Remember to click "Show All" so you can glance at more than the 10 who updated recently.

It was a goal to get this done soon because I have found the most amazing new blogs lately thanks to other b-rolls. There truly are so many of us out there, and it's comforting (if not a little creepy) how similar our journeys really are.

So read on! Discover! Enjoy.

I'll be back with a post about my epic LAST DAY as a member of the Midtown YWCA (my gym for the last 2 years).