Maybe she's born with it... No, I'm pretty sure it's 'Fotoshop'

So well done... I'll let this speak for itself.  :)

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

What's your take?

Now you see her... now you don't!

I have to admit-- the vain side of me has always wanted a cute bump during pregnancy.  I haven't worked out as much as I'd hoped to, but seriously by the grace of God, I still managed to get a cute bump!  What can I say... my kid is cute!  ;)

Also... I really dig that I still don't look very pregnant from the front or back.  I'm sure those days are numbered as we go through this last month, though.

But for now it's the symptoms you can't see in these pictures... the swollen feet & ankles, the carpal tunnel (oh my!), the heartburn, the facial swelling...

You know what, though?  After being so ridiculously nauseous & sick for the first 25ish weeks of this pregnancy, this other stuff just doesn't seem so bad!

"You'll never be more fit than you are right now."

It was my freshman year of college and I was in the marching band color guard.  The words coming through the loud speaker at the end of practice were deafening to me.

"You're in the best physical shape of your life right now.  You'll never be more fit than you are right now."

What?!?!?!  I really felt like screaming.  It never occurred to me that at that time (and for the past 6 years) I was pretty much doing 3 hour workouts 3 or 4 times a week.  I wasn't at my goal weight, and I wasn't satisfied with how I looked.  So to hear that this was the best I was going to be... that made me mad.

How dare he make such a confident comment?  How does he know when I'll be in the best shape of my life?  I'll show him!

Yeah... then I gained 20 lbs over the next 6 years.

Turns out, he was right.  He didn't have to be right... I could have proved him wrong.  I still can, but I don't think I will.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to prove him wrong, but I really was pretty fit back then!  I had all those hours running around a football field tossing a heavy flag, then I would usually do other workouts in addition to that throughout the week.

When were you in the fittest shape of your life?  What were you doing at that point in time to get that way?

10 lbs down...

The other night I ate at Carrabba's.  I resisted the pasta and stuck with soup & salad.  I did have bread (okay, more than my fair share of bread), and one of the dessert shooters (oh my, delicious!), but overall, I was pretty satisfied with my constraint because I was actually quite hungry when I walked into the restaurant!

The next day I woke and and weighed myself.  I hadn't done that in 3 days because I was scared of the number.  On Monday night I'd really blown my diet on some delicious pepperoni dip and didn't want to see what the scale had to say about it.

I'm happy to announce that when I finally did weigh myself, I was at 154.4!  I knew that was somewhere around 10 lbs lost, so I looked it up in the first place I started recording stuff back in December.  I started at 164, but at one point weighed in at 164.4, and that was my highest weight on record.

So yes, I've lost exactly 10 lbs!

Why is that important to me?  Because for years I haven't lost anything more than what can be contributed to water weight.  3 lbs here or there, but nothing substantial to say that I really have lost solid weight.

10 lbs... that's not just water weight!

I also found out last week that my blood levels came back pretty normal and I no longer have a thyroid issue.  This is monumental for me because it was a road block both physically and mentally for weight loss.  I still have some of the same symptoms, but they're all attributed to being anemic.

Here's to losing weight!!!

I guess it's about time...

... for another update on my weight-loss.

Well... it's been interesting.  Isn't it funny how when you start working on something, and then everything gets in your way?

I've lost another pound, but it's definitely not because I've been working out like crazy.  My excuses are as follows:

1) Josh has been having major back problems, so he can't work out.  That means no Noland Trail on Fridays and that severely interrupted my plan of having him make me get up in the mornings to go to the YMCA and do an hour long workout class while he plays racquetball.

2) I've been sick.  The good news is that I no longer have a thyroid issue (yay!!!!!-- that explains why I've actually been able to lose weight for the first time in years!).  I am anemic, but that's way easier to handle than a wacked-out thyroid.  But, it also explains why I keep getting sick, am always tired, and have problems thinking (that's not related to working out, but it sure explains a lot! I constantly lose my thoughts or can't think of a word... and I have to write everything down or I'll forget it.).

Do you like my excuses?  I've worked really hard on perfecting them.  They're true, but they're not good excuses.  When it comes down to it, I have to ask myself... do I want it bad enough?  

Because truthfully, if I want it bad enough, I'll do it.

* cute bikini on the cruise * cute bikini on the cruise * cute bikini on the cruise *


What about you... what are your best excuses lately?  Or how have you been pushing those aside and getting to (or maintaining) a healthier you?

Derailed.

My diet?  Oh, that thing? Well....

2 weeks ago I got a sore throat.  By that night, I knew I was in trouble.  By 4am the next morning I was texting people at church saying they'd need to find a replacement for my volunteer position that day... no way was I going to make it.

For the next 2 days I laid in bed.  After that I thought, "Hey, I'm feeling better!" and posted that I was feeling 90% better on my facebook page.

Whew was I wrong!  Sure, I was able to walk around, but it was another week and a half before I was truly better.  My best guess is that it was a crazy mix of thyroid issues & allergies.

But y'all, when I'm sick, I eat comfort foods.  Psychologically, it makes me feel better, and I'm a big believer in the power of the mind.

No really... frown and look grumpy and have bad posture for a few seconds.   .........   Now straighten your posture, smile, and pretend you're gorgeous.

The latter always makes me feel better-- it's just a mental thing.

So while I was sick, I sent Josh out for some cookies and ice cream.  Ice cream is a staple when I'm truly sick.  I swear that McDonald's kids ice cream has saved me from getting full blown sick before!

But back to what I'm avoiding... I did gain a little weight back.  2 lbs.  Honestly, I'm sad about it but I don't regret it.  Sure, I should have given my body better nutrients while I was sick, but I also think it's better than not eating and not getting food in my body at all.  And I also drank a LOT of water (sore throat... hello!).

Oh, and did I mention on top of all of that we opened a new campus at church, I logged a lot of volunteer hours during that time, and helped put on 2 major events at work.

Now it's back to the grind-- our normal schedule (praise the Lord!), and workouts!

And this week?  I promise to do at least one extra workout.

How about you?

The Super Bowl was Yummy!

Let's talk diet & the Super Bowl.

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being I ate nothing and 10 being a gorge-fest, I'd say I was about a 7 last night.

I definitely ate food, but I went for small portions of what I wanted.  I just wanted a lot.  And maybe went back for a piece sliver of cake.

To be truthful, it's hard to tell how much I really ate because I didn't calculate it on my phone like I do with my daily diet.

Lesson from the Super Bowl: Stick to my normal routine of charting everything I eat on my phone, and I'll either be too preoccupied to eat more, or I'll see how much I'm eating and stop before it gets out of hand.

The positive thing I did was drink lots of water.

Oh, and I weighed myself after I got home.  It was depressing.  But it's going to be on my brain all day tomorrow, keeping me focused on my goal.

So for those of you joining me on this journey, how was the Super Bowl food for you?  Did you stick to your regular diet or stuff your face?

5 miles.

Friday Josh and I laced up our tennis shoes and headed for the Noland Trail.  It's a 5 mile loop around a lake and the weather was finally starting to warm up a tiny bit!

My thought process: It's only 5 miles.

We were planning to just walk it anyway.

Ouch.


I'm sore from my ankles to my hipbones!

Mile 1, was the hardest
Mile 2, Josh & I fought (gah, don't you hate that?)
Mile 3, almost as hard as mile 1
Mile 4, I don't even remember this one!
Mile 5, we saw several deer! I was ready to jog again on this mile, but Josh had shin splints.  The next day, I did too, and I understand why he wouldn't jog!

On the bright side, I'm down another pound.  Although I'm happy about it, I could be a bit further in my progress.  I haven't been eating as healthy as I should, but I have been good at working out.

So this week's goal?  Focus on what I'm eating.

Why I signed up for the Warrior Dash.

Last week my husband called me up and said that he might have accidentally signed up for something called the Warrior Dash.

"How do you accidentally sign up for something that you paid money for?" was my first question.

Dave Ramsey for life!


Once we got past that I actually looked at the website for Warrior Dash.  I immediately said, "Good Luck" and started looking for a buddy to hang out with that day.

But over the next few days, I considered it more and more.  Finally, I went ahead and signed up.

Why?

1) It's on my bucket list to run a 5K.  The Warrior Dash is a little bit over that, so it works perfectly.

2) I hate mud.  And the idea of crawling through mud underneath barbed wire scares the heck out of me.  I have a lot of true fears (heights, planes, etc), but these obstacles, however scary, probably won't kill me (although there is fire involved).

3) Everyone else I know is doing it.  No, seriously, the majority of people I know up here have signed up.  My husband, half of his workplace, which is also our church.  A lot of my friends at church, and then some people from my work signed up... I mean really, the peer pressure is on if I wanted to be a cool kid!

4) I'm working on losing weight... what better incentive to get in shape than to force myself to do this?  I won't back out because I paid to enter!

So there you have it, folks.  I'm going to be in the Warrior Dash.  It will be, and I quote, the "craziest frickin' day of [my] life."  Supposedly.  But then again, I am married to Josh Fowler.

On second (third?) thought... I can't jump... and I'm supposed to jump over fire??

Click here to see the exact obstacles that I'll be running around overcoming.

It's about that time.

Time for a little accountability in the losing-weight department.

The single best thing for keeping me on track is the Spark People app on my cell phone.

I typed in what I wanted to weigh, what I weigh now, and when I want to hit that weight loss goal.  Then it tells me how many calories, carbs, fat, and protein I can have daily, and when I need to work out and how many calories I need to burn.

Then it has a way for me to track everything on my cell phone-- what I eat, my workout, and even my weight in a nifty little chart!  There is one line for where I should be in my progress, and another line for where I'm actually at.

It keeps me accountable.  It takes a lot of the thought process out of it for me.

And the less I concentrate on the diet, the less it will take over my life (in the negative, mind consuming way).  It becomes second nature and therefore, not a weight-loss diet... but a lifestyle.

So if you have a phone that's capable of downloading a Spark People app, and you're looking to drop a few pounds or just see where you're at, then go for it!

And if not, then you can just head over to SparkPeople.com and do it all online!

Yep. It's about weight loss.

I mentioned before that my original internet diaries blogs were to track my weight loss.  With all my might, I don't want to drag y'all through that.  But, losing weight is a big part of my life right now.  So how can I possibly not write about it?

Another blogger has McFatty Monday, which is awesome, and the reason I've resisted writing anything about my weight loss journey for so long.  I didn't want to be a copycat.  But she wrote this past Monday about how the accountability was good for her.  She actually posts her weight, y'all.  That is guts.


So I'm not promising that I'll write about it once a week or anything.  And I'm not even promising that I'll post my weight.  I might.  I'm actually not too shy about my weight because, well... I've always been heavier.  Me at 125 lbs and someone else at 125 lbs would look totally different.  According the the doctors, my bones are more dense.  Not sure how that works and all, but it sure does make me feel better!

That being said, I think I will share my weight.  Along with my thyroid issues.  I'm not really sure what all my thyroid issues are, except that I used to have them.  The main problems I had associated with it were that I gained weight, my heart rate was really fast, and my thumbs and feet would go numb.  I first noticed it when I had a personal trainer.  During the first workout I felt so faint that I had to lie down on the floor after 3 minutes on a treadmill.  I knew there was something very wrong.

I have to admit, I'm scared to death.  I'm scared of failing.  Of not losing weight.  But then I think... maybe this is the best way to keep myself motivated & on track.

*deep breath*


When I started weighing myself December 17th and I was at 164.  This morning I weighed in at 159.0.

No, it's not monumental, but I'm working on it.  And it'll get lower.

And no... it's not all about the numbers.  Not at all.  But that's the way I'll be measuring for now.  My goal is 130.  And my timeline is by our 5th anniversary: May 13, 2011.  The plan? Eating healthy & counting those calories, plus working out. I know, crazy idea, huh?

The 'why' behind it is simply because I know I'm not as healthy as I should be.  I've been eating as I please and hardly ever working out.

So... here goes!