Happy Thanksgiving

So this year instead of writing a post about all the things I am so blessed for I am going to mix things up a little bit (inspired by our latest book club meeting). Usually when asked "What are you thankful for this year" everyone's answers are pretty much the same.... including mine... Family, friends, job, car, health, yada yada but there are many more things in life that are not so PC that I am thankful for and not so thankful for too. So here we go:

Thankful for:

*Seat Heaters

*DVR

*Facebook and all its awesome stalking abilities

*Pandora and the way it reads my mind in terms of playlists

*Mascara that makes my eyelashes look amazing

*GPS (how did people get around with just maps!?)

*Skype, free video chat. Don't mind if I do!

*Hallmark

*Chewing gum

*Internet, Computer, Smart phones, caller ID, and phone app's

*Bill pay over the internet

* Wine in an overside wine glass (yes, filled to the brim and even better with a steak)

*Flannel

*Chocolate

Now things I'm not so thankful for this year:

*Speed bumps

*Magazine inserts (really who ever does anything with them?)

*Cal-licks

*Frost on my car

*Cigarettes and cigarette smoke

*Speed limits (just going to break them anyways)

*Pet gander, lent, and stains

* Muffin tops, bat wings, and cellulite. Thank GOD for Spanks! haha

* The non selection of normal heals (no thank you stripper tall or grandma flat)

* Unrequitted love

* Counting calories, points, or basically having to care about anything and everything I put in my mouth

* Kitty litter... enough said.

Anyways, I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Let the countdown to Christmas begin!!!!!

Holiday Survival!

Today’s weight watcher lesson was based around informing us about point values for so many of our favorite Thanksgiving foods. I was astonished by the calories and points that were in what seemed to me like teeny tiny portions. Sooo depressing! Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday not only because of the family gets together but also because of the F-O-O-D! Not once have I really held back on Thanksgiving because I tell myself well Thanksgiving is special. Splurge for one day and then jump back on the band wagon the next day.

Last year, exactly this time of the year I was in the same predicament. I had lost a few (very hard earned) pounds. I faced the upcoming holidays and had the knowledge and power to tackle it with success. I told myself, I WILL do this. I told myself I WILL beat the holidays, I told myself I WAS strong enough to combat my problems…. but somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas I lost site and now facing the same fear of failure.

I know it isn’t good going into the holidays with part of my mind is telling me, “why skimp on thanksgiving when you are probably going to end up failing in the end like you always do?” Part of me is scared to death because I know how much I want to loose weight, and how great I have been doing and I fear the power food can have over me. I love food. I love to cook food. And yes somewhere inside of me I think “food is love”.

My big issue with the holiday’s is getting out of routine. I can do great on my day to day life. I make my breakfast and lunch at work. I have my schedule of when I work out. I have lots of friends that are fit and active and are also trying to battle weight loss as well. But when the holidays come, it means travel. It means not having the same options for food as normal and eating at irregular times. It means holiday parties. It’s very cold outside and if I am out of town my gym is not an option. I have food pressures from family, customers, co workers, friends, ect and also the comfort of food has always been there for me in times of the “stressful” holidays.

So how am I going to push past this this year? Yes I am motivated now but how do I keep myself motivated? Anyways, I found someone else in weight watcher’s that is dealing with a very similar struggle as well. I felt like sharing her story and her tips for sticking with it. I hope you enjoy and like I keep telling my self…. YOU CAN DO IT! Food is just fuel for the body. YOU are in control! Good luck!

Holiday Survival: One Woman's Story
Article By: Amanda Genge www.weightwatchers.com

Thanksgiving should be a heartwarming day (or long weekend) full of family, food and festivity. But throw a colossal turkey, several kinds of stuffing and a boatload of desserts into the mix, and those of us trying to make healthy choices have a recipe for a nutritional nightmare on our hands.

If you're anything like me, you start looking forward to Thanksgiving — or at least the food that will be served — weeks in advance. Come early November, I'm already dreaming of the sausage stuffing, marsala mushrooms and fluffy mashed potatoes that make up my family's traditional feast (To be honest, I could take or leave the turkey). I start to think about which "healthy" dishes I can bring to seem virtuous, all the while knowing I'll ignore my steamed herbed broccoli and load my plate with anything doused in butter or cream, or preferably both.

Even if I've been "good" in the weeks leading up to the holiday, my restraint goes out the window when I sit down to dinner. I try to plan my week around the meal, eating light fare the rest of the time to save up for a marathon holiday eating session where I let myself indulge in whatever I want. I'm sure I must end up eating a whole week's worth of POINTS® values that day. I can easily devour at least two servings of every side dish, plus a generous sampling of every one of the dozen desserts trumped out before my dad and uncle even have a chance to fight over the turkey carcass.

The (skinny) voice of reason
Of course, while I'm sinking my teeth into a second slice of pie, my skinny sister — who honestly can not comprehend how people can overeat ("Why don't you just stop when you're full?") — is shooting disapproving glances across the table. She doesn't say it out loud, but I can see her eyes asking, "Do you really need to be eating that?" I know her concern is genuine — after all, she knows I'm miserable being the Fatty McFattypants of the family, and only wants to see me lose weight so I can be more comfortable in my own skin — but come on! It's Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for all the delicious food, a spread that would make a pilgrim blush! Just this once, let a fat girl enjoy her second helpings without guilt.

Coping without calories
This year, I'm aiming to limit my intake of all things creamy, but if I get carried away with second helpings, I'll be okay with that, too. I usually don't gain weight Thanksgiving week as long as I only really pig out on Thanksgiving Day itself. This approach fits nicely within my "don't lose, don't gain" strategy for the season.
If you're like me and truly enjoy rich food but tend to overindulge or if you're prone to drown your sorrows in pumpkin pie, Colleen Gengler, family relations educator at the University of Minnesota Extension, has a few survival Thanksgiving survival tips:

1. Let comments roll off your back
If you're tired or stressed, you're more likely to feel insulted by even innocent comments about the food, your hair, what's on your plate or anything else. If someone says something that makes you flinch, "don't take the bait; try to change the subject quickly," says Gengler.

2. Don't make food the focus
"Let the meal bring you together, but don't dwell on it the whole time," suggests Gengler. If the banter at the table shifts from praise for the delicious food to the stuffing's caloric count or who's eating the most mashed potatoes, gently change the subject. "Initiate conversations about your guests' lives and interests to take their mind off the food," she says.

3. Stick to a schedule
Maintaining your normal routine of meals, snacks and sleep will help keep you (and your kids) on an even keel. And tempting though it may be, don't starve yourself before the holiday meal; you'll probably feel shaky and on edge and you're more likely to overeat. Have a healthy breakfast, like scrambled egg whites with low-fat cheese on whole-wheat toast, to tide you over.

4. Don't try to do it all yourself
If you're hosting the meal, take your guests up on their offers of food and drink to save yourself some time. "Make them feel they're making a special contribution by asking them what they'd like to bring, if they offer to help," suggests Gengler. "If they don't have ideas, you can suggest healthy options like fresh fruit, sparkling cider or a tossed salad with a light dressing."

5. Carve out some "me" time
Yes, you've heard it a million times before. But let's be honest — who actually takes that relaxing bath or goes for a massage? Especially around the holidays when every second is spent cooking, shopping or telling a second cousin where the spare bath towels are. The trick is to sneak in a few moments of peace and quiet (or better yet, some exercise) whenever you can. Even if that means taking long bathroom break just to finish that book you've been reading. Or making up an excuse to run an errand so you can speed-walk an extra lap around the mall.

Not til I've had my coffee...

Okay I’ll say it and I am sorry if this offends anyone…. I don’t get the “I gotta have my coffee” way of thinking.
“Way too much coffee. But if it weren’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.” – David Letterman

So many of my coworkers, friends and clearly celebrities seem to live by this rule of thumb. Their mood, attitude, their pep in their step are all determined by this black substance. What is this all about? I like coffee, don’t get me wrong but coffee has zero control over my life and maybe that is where I loose the catch. I have never thought to say angrily to a co-worker “Not until I have my coffee….”

Pah-leez!! That is just a cop out and it is just redic.

Yes, coffee is nice and warm, packs in a ton of caffeine per ounce. But if you think that you actually feel “more chipper” after a cup a coffee I believe you are being fooled by an ultimate placebo.

Maybe its starts when you realize that coffee gives you a nice caffeine rush first thing in the morning. You then become reliant on coffee to have the same affect on you every single morning until you don’t think you can be normal or feel right until you have had the “coffee” fix… To me that sounds like an ADDICTION problem to me. The world looks down upon addiction. Don’t smoke, don’t gamble, don’t yada yada yada because it is not healthy to rely on a substance.

Course maybe your coffee drinking just comes from the mere fact drinking coffee in the morning is a socially accepted thing to do and say “gotta have my morning coffee…” or whatever you catch phrase for the term may be.

I will agree there are days when you only had 3 hours of sleep, maybe a little hung over, and naturally in a not so great of mood, a nice warm comforting cup of caffeinated coffee can do wonders. But I think it is completely asinine to state your mood is dependent on whether it is pre coffee time or post coffee time of the morning even though if it really is an addiction I realize this could be true. I mean think about all the testy people that quit smoking. You know not to talk to them for at least 3 months before they don’t automatically bite your head off! haha
Anyways, I guess I just have never gotten he whole coffee thing and today I just felt like writing about it. I am thankful to say I am happy! with or WITHOUT my morning coffee! ;o)

Music City!

What says “Nashville” more than country music? Probably nothing. This year I joined a few friends to attend the Country Music Awards and also the CMA Christmas show taping. I wont deny I loved it. I loved seeing all the stars all dressed up, loved hearing a great line up of good music and entertainment, and I loved getting all dolled up with my girl friends.

At the CMA’s I got to see some of my fav artists perform, Taylor Swift (even though she didn’t play my favorite song off her new album-Last Kiss if you were wondering), Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown…. And those are just to name a few. Everyone did a great job and I can’t wait to go back next year!

Same went for the Christmas taping.Even though it was hosted by Jennifer Nettles, someone I generally find to be annoying, the singers did an amazing job and Jennifer Nettles may have grew on me a bit. Key word being bit (which means very small amount). Even though it is just the middle of November it really did put me in the Christmas spirit. Check out the show on NBC on the 29th. Maybe my face will make an appearance in the audience! lol

Starting the week in a fragile state of mind.

Not every week is supposed to be a good one and I understand that but the last week or so has been stressful just because of the mere fact I have been having car issues. I have never really had to deal with car issues before. I have always been blessed with a reliable vehicle or a dad to help me fix things. But now as a single 25 year old non handyman girl living in a city with zero family, I find myself at a loss when things happen to me now that my car is a few years old.

First it started with a fuse going out in my car. My boss and dad took care of me on that one. Then I got pulled over…. I had a head light out. Headed over to the autoparts store, got a new head light, and some wiper blades.

On Wednesday, 4 days later, my roommate comes and gets me before I head to work and tells me my front tire is almost flat. Of coarse of all mornings, this morning it happened to be raining. On the positive side it was just on the cusp of being flat and I made it to the nearest air pump before it was completely a lost cause. I could hear the air streaming out of my tire, spotted the nail causing the issue and headed straight to get it fixed. Tire plugged and getting to work 3 hours late… Not the best of mornings for me.

Friday got up like normal for work, went out to my car…. Nothing. My battery was dead. Luckily my roommate’s girlfriend was still there and was able to jump my car. First thing I did Friday after work was head to autozone, and got my battery tested just in case. My battery and alternator both tested out fine…..Until this lovely morning. My roommate had stayed at his GF’s house and I called everyone I knew in east Nashville. I got nothing. I sat there thinking what should I do. Should I all a towing service? call a taxi? flag down a car in the street? I poured hot water on my battery incase it had to do with the weather… Still nothing. Then I started walking down my street. Dunno why really, but I saw a neighbor out walking a dog and asked if she would mind jumping my car. I have never felt so alone and helpless in my life. Anyways, I started the day (and the week) in a very emotionally fragile state. I feel so silly too because it is just a dead battery. Not a biggie, or a life altering issue. It’s an easy fix but I just think it was the culmination and not knowing who to call or what to do to fix my problems. I think its time I got AAA. LOL

Least I can say I have learned alot this week too. I really think they should have a car 101 class before you get your lisence. Everyone needs to know how to do these basic car fixes, even if they do have a handyman husband, dad, whomever. You just never know when you will need to do something yourself or when you wont have someone to help out.

Heading to get my new battery now! :o)

Oh no she didn't. Ex-Nay to Marie Claire

First and foremost I hate skinny biotches. Secondly, I plan on completely severing all interactions between me and one of my favorite magazines/websites, Marie Claire. Why you may ask am I so upset?

Marie Claire allowed one of their freelance writers to comment on what they thought about overweight people kissing on television . In return an article was written titled "Should 'fatties' get a room? even on tv?". Are you already disgustsed. Just wait....Read this article, NOW! If you didn’t know there is a new show on tv called Mike and Molly. Apparently both lead characters are overweight and apparently have been making some people feeling a bit uncomfortable.... One of which is the writer of this horrendous article. Maura Kelly, came back to say quite a few horrific things about her opinion of "fatties". Some I will get into and some I wont, but there is just one paragraph I can't ignore... It practically made me vomit in my mouth a little...
“So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair.”

Okay, I am attempting to cool down, just rereading this makes me enraged! She compared fat people to a freaking heroine addict for crying out loud. I realize everyone has a right to their own opinion but this is just word garbage. Not only will thousand of people read this but this will have such a negative affect on so many people. I have always been big. In 4th grade I remember I lied on my personal ID card and said I weighed 120 lbs because I was so ashamed of how much more I weighed than my peers. That was when I was when I was only 9 years old. I can't imagine what I would have done if I would have read that article back then. Now a days nine year olds have their own cell phones, facebook pages, and yes I am sure there are quite a few pre teens that will read this very article…..Hate themselves, believe they will never deserve love and affection and who knows what else. It just breaks my heart.

What I really don’t understand is why would this be disgusting. Kissing (not porno style of coarse) is a very generic form of PDA. Saying you would be grossed out by plus size people kissing implies you think that there should be a weight limit on affection. That is just absurd to me. Today there are all kinds of shows that have gay relationships, interracial relationship, shows that highlight different religions, they show all types of abuse, and yet people are discussing being disgusted with overweight people making out. REALLY!?

I wish I could address every issue I have with this article. The fact this incredibly insensitive woman offers “fat” people tips for weight loss… states she isn’t a size-ist…Her pathetic attempt to apologize, which comes off 100% insincere. I just want to go up to this woman and spit in her face. But the fact of the matter is what wrote is probably how a lot of skinny people feel. I have been fighting this exact argument my whole life. My first roommate in Nashville told me the first night he lived with me that he didn’t like “fatties” and that he was going to whip me into shape. Not even knowing me, my personality, or what I offered to the table he just layed it out there like my size defined me as a person. (what is it with the word fatties!? to me that is eqvilient to the N word... I HATE IT!) And not even a month ago someone very close to me said, “You don’t act fat”. She didn’t mean it meanly but inside I got so upset at that comment. What does that even mean? Am I supposed to hate myself, think I am fugly, stop dating, lock myself in my bedroom, get 20 cats and cry myself to sleep every night? Do skinny people really think fat people should act differently than them?

Yes, I have always been fat but to hell with what everyone else thinks. I have always walked with a mission. I go out acting like I am hot shit. I push myself to do what I want, accomplish what I want, to be social, push my limits and be the best (even chubby) version of me as possible.

Also, I want to say to anyone that read that article that feels that were personally vicimized to stay strong. You are a beautiful and unique individual. You deserve to bet treated with respect. You are worthy of love and affection and one person's opinion does not define who you are. Blog hugs to all of you.

And you better believe, when (not if) I find that special someone who wants to kiss me in public that I am going to personally make out in front of as many skinny people as possible. I have no issues being the delegate to clear the path of making it socially acceptable for fat people to kiss in public. LOL :o)

Calorie burn on the rise!

Today I write a post because I am proud of myself. As I mentioned a couple posts ago I started a fitness boot camp on 11th of October. I have been monitoring pretty close on my body bugg to see how many calories I have been burning and also trying to keep my caloric intake around 1500ish calories. Some days better, some days worse. Bodybugg is all about monitoring the calorie deficiency, the higher the deficiency, supposedly the more lbs you will loose. Unfortunately, I have not seen the scale budge (YET) but I can definitely tell I am getting stronger and I swear I thought my pants felt a teeny bit bigger this weekend. (Who knows, it could totally be all psychological).

My current motivation has been beating my sister. Haha. Her highest caloric burn was ~3400 calories. The first week of boot camp I just couldn’t get those kind of burns. Boot camp is a lot more strength training than cardio. The first week I was so sore I couldn’t even fathom adding any other type of exercise. But as my body got acclimated I worked until I beat her highest burn. It is a very hard feat for me to beat. Even on days I work out for 2 hours I still only burn a little over 3000. The key i have found is getting the burn up during the day. If I do a couple walks throughout the day and also pair boot camp with zumba I get really close to the 3400 mark. Below is a graph of my daily burns. The days that show less that 2000 calories are days I did not wear my body bugg.

As you can see there is a very high caloric burn on Saturday. I am sooo proud. I hit an all time high of ~3850 calories.That’s what staying up late, working out, and being able to get out and about during the day will do to you. Now the sad part about Saturday, I probably ate/drank that many calories (or more-totally just cringed as I typed that out!). But at least I know with the added work outs that I probably kept myself from gaining (as much as I normally would have) this weekend, and that means a lot on a holiday weekend!