Frenchie Video

Okay...most of ya'll know I'm a frenchie lover because of my maladjusted dog Coco. However, you may not know that my mom raised French Bulldogs for a large part of my childhood and that is where my frenchie mania began. I just saw this video today and it was typical frenchie hilarity that I felt I needed to share! Enjoy!

102.8 pounds...enough said!

102.8 pounds. That was my total weight loss at WW yesterday! I barely believe that I'm finally at my goal after 65 weeks of work! It seems like I've been working toward it for so long, it will be a new challenge to change my mindset to maintenance instead of weight loss. I supposedly get 4 more points, but I couldn't bear to give myself that many to start. I have 6 weeks to fine tune what I'm eating. This picture was taken this weekend, so those of you who have seen my journey from the beginning know how different I look. Heck, this blog is a pretty good chronology of my changing appearance. I'm training for my sprint triathalon later this month...gotta keep up with the twin...can't let her make me look bad! :o) I realized that my lungs are woefully prepared for swimming. Turns out I don't breathe as well under water! Who'd a thunk it?! LOL! I'll try to keep ya'll updated...here's to reaching goals and keeping them!

I'm practically a FARMER!

Look at my tomato! I've never grown anything that I could eat before! This tomato was quite yummy. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had refrigerated it for a while, but it was good none-the-less! Anyway, I was very proud of myself for keeping my plant alive long enough for it to feed me! Maybe I don't have a black thumb after all!

Warning! Bikes Bite Back!

Okay....try not to laugh at me. I took my new bike out for a spin. I'm really not used to the racing handle bars yet!! I caught my wheel in a crack between the grass and sidewalk and...well, the results speak for themselves. My knee is a little worse for wear, but other than that it seems the bike and I escaped largely unscathed. Thanks for the birthday helmet, Shelley! My noggin didn't hit the pavement, but I felt better falling knowing that my head hitting wasn't my biggest concern. I had to remind Steve that the very first run I went on left a similar mark on my left knee. Actually, I think it was worse because you can still see the mark from it. Anyway...I'll have to get back in the saddle asap. I can't let a silly bike...well...make me look silly! :)

It's almost my birthday (just two more hours until I'm OFFICIALLY 29!), but my big present arrived via UPS yesterday afternoon! My parents and my in-laws contributed cash so that I could buy this beautiful bike! I haven't aired up the tires yet (I don't have a pump yet) and it needs a little tweaking (It came broken down in a box and I had to put it together) and I still need to go get a helmet (just in case!), but I couldn't be MORE EXCITED!! Sorry I look a little ratty! I'm still a little sweaty from my evening run! Anyway, I'll keep ya'll updated about how the bike adventures progress....hopefully I still remember how to ride one! HaHa!

Cantaloupe with a candle

Who wouldn't LOVE this birthday cake! I told my Mother-In-Law that I wanted a "Cantaloupe with a candle". I really didn't want to have to regret having my birthday cake, so I was just not going to have one. She really one-upped my idea (drilling a hole in the top of a cantaloupe and shoving in a candle!) with this. The best part was eating my whole cake without any guilt!! Who gets THAT for a birthday present?!

My Leprechaun's name is Horace...What's yours?

I just read this really obnoxious article about a woman who lost a couple hundred pounds with gastric bypass and she was whining about how it didn't fix all the problems in her life. I found myself wanting to punch a hole in computer screen and bonk her forehead on her monitor! First, which magical leprechaun were you expecting to come fix all your problems when you weren't fat anymore? Did you think the universe was punishing you because of your obesity? That's ludicrous! If you lost weight to fix all of your problems then let me be the first to say, "Sorry, Charlie!" and buy you a box of HoHo's. Weight loss, when taken as a journey, can help you find a truer, purer version of yourself. I, however, am fundamentally the same person. I still don't like to do dishes (sorry, Steve!), I still have the same dorky sense of humor, and my bank account is still Donald Trump's waking nightmare. What has changed is how I feel about what I'm doing with my life. I feel a sense of accomplishment. I feel a little bolder and little stronger. Each day that I win my battle with weight is a day I feel proud of. I also have learned the value of people who love and support me. My mom and dad have rooted me on every step of the way and tell me frequently that they love me and are proud of me. My mother-in-law made weight loss fun and attainable by doing it along-side me and always and untiringly supporting me through the process. My husband cooked almost every dinner I've eaten on this journey and always kept my goals in mind. My siblings have pushed me by doing some of their own weight loss and competing with me in physical challenges.

I would never say that I am against bypass surgery. I understand that, for a certain group of people, there are few other options. However, I think that far more people have the surgery than actually have to and many are sucked in by the "quick fix NOW" mentality of our society and don't want to work for change. Working your way through the changes is what makes them meaningful. Figuring out, little by little, habit by habit, what works and what doesn't is what makes weight loss last as well. I'm not a weight loss snob. I recognize that I will struggle with my food issues for the rest of my life. However, I am a stronger person because I know how to and I know I CAN overcome them.

Earl Nightingale sums up my feelings on our quick fix society the best:

“Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use.” - Earl Nightingale