Lifetime Member.

Tuesday I became a Lifetime Member of Weight Watchers. This means I can attend meetings for free now. It also means that I can eat whatever I want. Just kidding. Okay so I really am not kidding...I have been eating whatever I want since on the plan. I can eat whatever I want as long as I practice portion control!

It feels good to make it to this goal. I also weighed in at noon before my work's big Christmas party so that the food I ate didn't ruin it for me. I still went to my regular meeting because my leader, Marion, pretty much rocks and I wanted her to hand me my award. I wasn't so thrilled with the tiara she made me wear but it was all good.

My friend, Sharri, she is the one in the middle of the pic, bought me balloons and some "Life"savers and "Life" cereal. She is so clever and sweet. I am lucky to have great friends to be my supports. Both her and Jane(also in the pic) make it so I can do this and are great positive influences and inspirations. They are doing well on their weight loss journeys as well. Go us.

This isn't the end of my journey, but the beginning of a new part of the journey. I am still loving it and doing well. I am now back in Wisconsin for the holidays and I am doing my best to do well with eating. I will splurge here and there but I have the tools I need! (I also have my favorite gum, which will help!)

It's late; I'm tired. Night!

Running Fool Again.

I am in my fifth week of maintenance and it is going well. Last week at weigh in, I was at the top of my four pound window, which makes me a little nervous. This week I have taken my food intake down a little and we will see what happens on Tuesday.

I have been able to be running again and it has felt so good!!! I went on three runs this week. The longest was a little over three miles which isn't so bad seeing I was running four before surgery.

It is harder and easier to maintain. I can't really explain it. I can eat a little more and that is nice but it has been hard to get in the mindset of staying the same weight instead of losing. It's just different I guess. Before I go home for Christmas, I should be a lifetime member at Weight Watchers. That will be cool because I will then have more money each month. I like money!

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made goal weight today. My Weight Watchers Leader had me wear this silly tiara. It was funny. It feels good to have met my goal. Now I must master the art of maintenance. It is part of the journey and I am grateful for this journey. Thanks to all of you who have been such great supports to me. I have learned so much. I will have to write another post about learning soon. I will also have to take some pictures of me holding up some of my old pants. It is crazy how much I have changed. I love it! Cheers.

So...Big Gulps, eh?

Me: Right Here. Right Now.

Hi. This is Alice again. Oh wait...is that why it says "Less of Alice" at the top of the page. Weird. I am in a majorly random mood. I really should get myself into bed because I have not been sleeping much these days; hence the randomness. I just thought I should write on here seeing it was weigh in day today and I haven't been much of a regular writer on here. Maybe if I write on here, I will be better at getting the pounds to come off. Lately, I am not losing as fast as I would like to be. That is fine but I really want to be done and get down to that goal weight. My leader said something totally true tonight. She said that it is hard right now because I feel really good and that the clothes fit well and that I am looking good in them. Totally true. I have noticed that I really like the size I am able to wear right now.

I really want to get back on the being good bandwagon though because lately I have been a little slack. I eat the things that I want a little too much. This causes gains some weeks. This week I was very happy with maintaining because I was certain that I was going to gain. I had a LOT of fun in Logan with a friend this past weekend. We ate out every meal for two days. That isn't so good for the whole wanting to be good thing. Another thing that is not good is cookies lately. I think this time of year people start to make cookies more. I do not bake much so when there are cookies around my stomach gets a little happy. Okay so maybe it is my tongue that gets happy. I also am a sucker for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies which have been popular lately. I am very nervous about pies because I love pie. I need to come up with a game plan for pie and Thanksgiving. I have already planned to run a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. That will be good to run on that day. In fact, running will be good any day, when I can start running again. November 10th is the magical day. (Maybe you didn't know, but I had my gallbladder removed about a month ago and have two weeks until I can be a runner again.)

Well, I guess the rambling has gone on long enough. I am committing to myself that I will write every Tuesday. These last five pounds better be documented!

CHEERS!

P.S. I just looked at the first few posts on this blog and man, I have come a long way. It is good to be able to look at how far I have come and realize that I can keep on going! :)

Back to It!

Who is that hottie? I had a hard time pealing myself away from the mirror last Friday. It was one of those days where I just had a good looking day! It felt good.

At weigh in today, I had lost about five pounds. This is about as much as I had gained the past two weeks. I was thrilled because I really wanted to be back to close to where I was pre-surgery.

I met with my surgeon today and he said I could slowly start getting more active. Next week I can start biking and then in about four weeks I can be running again. That makes me very excited because I miss running. Who thought I would be a runner and be excited about that kind of news? Awesome.

I am back to being about 8 pounds from goal weight. It is so close. I really wanted to be there before the end of October, but life happened! I will be in my maintainence phase before lifetime status during the holidays which may prove hard, but I guess it is supposed to be this way! It is a part of the journey!

The Rollercoaster of a Journey.

Life happens sometimes. Gallbladders decide to be diseased. This calls for some major action...like eating large fries not once but twice during the weekend. It may have also called for the big juicy glorious bacon cheeseburger at Astro Burger last Friday night. This may have caused the three pounds to be added to my weight. I am just saying. One thing I have learned lately about this weight loss journey is that sometimes you have to eat what you really really want to eat and you have to face the consequences of that decision later on.(Maybe I shouldn't call this a weight loss journey, but a lifestyle journey...this journey will not end when I get to my goal weight!) I really know I wouldn't have lasted on this plan without my weekly burger and fries.

I went in for surgery on Wednesday and am majorly bloated. I have the utmost respect for women who have babies because...man, this whole stretching of the stomach is not any fun. I am ready to have all the air out of my belly. I have gained 15 pounds since the surgery. Crazy huh? See how those three pounds were nothing? Seems like I am retaining quite a bit of water. I am weighing myself ever so often and am slowly getting rid of the liquid weight. What fun surgery is!

Well, I just took pain meds an better quit writing before they kick in. (although, I am sure it would be entertaining to read what I would write under the influence!)

Oh...and I made that crazy cool superhero cape for my WW leader. She is a hoot and shall now be referred to as "Matchstick Marion: Saving the world one recipe at a time." We joked about how we would start burning unhealthy recipies that people give us right in front of their faces...hilarious!
Cheers.

Me!

I haven't posted here in a few weeks. The update is that I love sugar and candy these days. I didn't lose this past week but I was able to stay EXACTLY the same...which is amazing seeing I had two days of non-controlled eating. It was a train wreck...but I have learned that with train wrecks, you can pick up and find another train going in the same direction.

I really haven't wanted to run lately either. Of course, then I found out that I will have to have my gallbladder out and will probably have a few weeks of NOT running...so I have decided that I need to change my attitude and enjoy it while I can!

Cool food I have found lately. These cool twists that are like little pie crust heaven and only only one Weight Watchers point. Then a cracker that is ZERO. And I am loving all natural diet soda and agave honey. Agave is basically a natural no calorie sweetener. I love the honey on bread or in my oat meal in the morning. YUMMMY!

Well that is it for now. What a fabulous school picture, no? I look at that and say "Dang! I look good!" I have been having a pride issue these days because my mind is finally grasping how I really look...and I think it is dang good! :)

AND....I am only about ten pounds away from my goal weight. The journey is almost over....and then the journey of maintenance will ensue! YIPEE! I am hoping that gallbladder weighs about ten pounds....LOL!

Keep on Truckin'

I lost again. I feel like I am back in my element. I really like this new skirt that I finally fit into. It is fun to have new clothes. I have been shopping for work clothes all week. It is annoying that I will find one pair of shorts at places and that is it: ONE PAIR. I think I am going to order some shorts online this week. Crazy. I did buy a few shirts again tonight and last night I got a pair of shorts. I think once I order online, I will have what I need for a while. It is nice to buy new clothes and to wear them but I hate the whole buying them.

I have two friends coming with me to meetings now. It is fun to not be alone! It also helps me to remember what I must do to be on track. Good stuff!

Back in the saddle.

Weigh in was today. I am down 11.4 since leaving Provo. That is a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It is nice to be back in my element. Being busy with work is a good thing. I actually admitted to a fellow teacher today that I was happy to be back at school. What a weirdo!

It was nice to be back at my meeting here in Provo as well. I actually stayed and chatted with my leader and the receptionist for an hour and then spent an hour talking with a co-worker in the parking lot. All very good chats.

Well, enjoy the new me. Ignore the garbage in the background. The students noticed my losing quite a bit today. One girl even said I had nice pants. I am glad I bought them this weekend. Now I just need new PE clothes.

Plus One. That's a Bogey Right?

Weighed in today. I gained a pound. My Weight Watchers leader today me that I was lucky after I said it was probably the fried cheese curds(and maybe the fun of Wednesday tacos!) from the demo derby last saturday. She also told me that in a few weeks I will have an easier time staying on track. I am a little disappointed with my slow down...I was doing so well for so long. I just have to remember to turn around and realize I still have lost over 40 pounds(and I do admit look pretty good in that new dress!). Having a few splurges while at home is okay. Good thing fried cheese curds are not available in Utah!

This next week is going to be full of surprises too. I am going to be in Madison on Monday to pick up my studying nephew so he can get back up to Rhinelander to take his final test. I then will go up to Northern Wisconsin(even more Northern that is) and see the Apostle Islands again. They are gorgeous. Then next Saturday, I have tickets to the Green Bay Packer's first Pre-season game. It is going to be a blast but all of these things entail weird eating. SIGH.

I think I am ready to be back in the grove of a safe routine. I sure will miss my summer but I must go back to work in order for summer to be held as sacred as it is!

Another Reason Why Alice Struggled in WI: Fried Cheesecurds!

And they were SO worth it!

Why Alice Struggles...

This week was better. I actually lost .6 pounds. That isn't much but I weighted myself yesterday at home and was up two pounds...so I am very okay with a tiny loss. I think that little bit gives me a little more of a push to be better at staying on target.

My Weight Watchers leader was pretty funny when I talked to her at the scale today. She basically said that I probably struggle because I am out of my element. I totally agree...not having a daily routine is kinda hard for me. It makes it lots easier to eat all. the. time. Things like that wonderfully palatable pizza also make my life hard. Sometimes you need the yummy Wisconsin food treats. I am sure I will need the fried cheese curds at the demo derby on Saturday too. I just know it. Good thing I am running a bit more these days too.

And really...43 pounds since January...hello...that is nothing to complain about. This journey thus far has been pretty quick. If it takes a little while to get down the 13 pounds to goal...so be it...it is fun :)Is that a bad attitude? Hmm....

Sometimes things stay the same.

Hi again. Last week I actually lost 3.2 lbs, which puts me at a loss total of 42.4 lbs. Not to shabby, eh?

Well, this week, I maintained. I am not complaining about it at all either. I actually was surprised I actually didn't gain anything because I had some fun along the way. Last night was weekly taco night at Pat's Tavern here in Rhinelander, WI with family and friends. The tacos there are so yummy but I am sure they are about half of what I should eat in one day. I didn't budget for them and instead of choosing more wisely like I did last week, I had two tacos not one. But I was very hungry, even though that isn't a great excuse to overindulge. It was fun though. I also had lunch out with a friend yesterday and I didn't even keep track of what I ate that day. I also splurged last Friday and had a very yummy burger and fries while out with the family. It is hard being here and having so many opportunities to eat yummy food. I am very worried about the fried cheese curds at a demo derby in a few weeks. I also figure you do have to live sometimes and really, I live in Utah, there aren't any fried cheese curds out there, so I can be okay with splurging a little while here.

Again...the big thing I have to remind myself are that this is a journey and that it is okay to have a little fun as long as I get back on track quickly and that everyday is not a burger and fry kinda day! I also have to remember that tracking what I eat is key. This is hard when I know I am going over what I should be eating but it is good to look back on a week like this week or two weeks ago and see why I have slowed progress. I am getting very close to my goal weight. That is pretty spectacular.

Cheers! Oh and here is an updated pic taken right before I went to my Weight Watchers meeting. Who is that girl? :)

It Finally Happened...

...Alice gained weight. 1.2 pounds to be exact. Could be the fish fries, the french fries, the hamburgers, etc. that is constantly bombarding her. It also could be because she never went back and recalculated her points seeing she reached the 40 pound mark. Silly Alice. I am now two points less than before and I am kinda sad about it. I feel like I am being starved everyday. It is hard being me.

The cool thing about me and my journey is that I really wasn't upset about the gain. Again...this is a journey, not a race. I will get to my goal weight. I don't really have a timeline for it, but I know I will get there. So no biggie.

Hopefully, now that I am back on track, I will lose again this week. I guess Thursday's weigh in will be the judge.

Cheers!

Down 40.4 Total Pounds...Even after the awesome food in the UK!

Wow. I had a fabulous time in the UK and ate pretty much all I wanted and I still managed to lose weight. I am a totally spoiled brat!!! I am also finally under 200 lbs. That makes me feel so good! I can't remember ever being under 200 lbs. That really is a milestone that makes my belief that I can do anything even stronger. That is just pure awesomeness!

Enjoy the pictures of of the yummy food I ate will in England and Scotland!

My favorites were the tomato beans served with breakfast both in England and Scotland, That fudge donut from Scotland...so cream and rich and oddly enough not any fudge or chocolate, and the Yorkshire pudding goodness that was served with the roast. It is like a bready piece of heaven.

It is good that I don't live over there or I would have a hard time keeping my weight off! :)

.6 and only .4 until I get past the 200 mark!

Greetings from Wisconsin. I actually was pleasantly surprised with my meeting in Rhinelander today. Not only because I lost another .6 of a pound, but because the leader and members were nice. I was a little worried that I would hate the leader but that isn't the case(although, she isn't Marion! :).

It is interesting being in a different place with a different set of people to train. Not that I have to do a major amount of training, but I have already had one hard moment when it came to food. I was hungry and cranky and my family was indecisive when it came to where we were going. I really wanted Applebee's because it would offer me the safest chance to stay within my points for that day. Well, my niece and her friend, didn't want to go. Later on, I realized that Rebecca had never been there and new places are always hard for her. She had a little meltdown because she was not familiar with the menu, but we got through it! I was glad that we went there, even though I did not have what I had expected to have. I am not even going to look up how much the burger sliders are in points!

I also had to do a little training for my mother because she is sensitive about what I can and can't eat. I have to remind her that I can eat whatever the hell(I just had to use hell here...you know for emphasis) I want to, I just have to plan and budget for it. Like today, a friend wants to meet at Culver's for dinner before a baseball game and I am totally okay with it because I can eat a butter burger with fries and still be within my points for the day because I have planned for it. The spur of the moment stuff doesn't work.

A week from today I fly to London. I am a little excited for it but a little concerned about food. Luckily, my awesome Aunt Cindy will be along and she is doing the plan so I am banking on her helping make good food choices. I also realize that I want to live it up a little and will be eating fish and chips a few times. I think realizing that life happens is also important for this journey. I think having European treats is going to be important because this doesn't happen for me all the time. It is exciting.

It has been fun to be home and have all the people who haven't seen me in a few months see what I look like now. It feels good to have all the compliments and it really helps me to keep focused on my goals! I thought I might get below the 200 lbs. mark today but I am about .4 shy. It will come. I am not too concerned. It will be nice to know I am in the 100 and something range for the first time in decades!

Cheers,
Alice

Another 3 Down

When I weighed in on Tuesday, I was thinking that I would have totally gain or maintained what I had last weighed in at last time. I was very excited to have lost another three pounds over the past two weeks seeing I have been a little busy and very stressed. Today I am a little stressed as well but it is good stress for sure! I leave tomorrow to head to Wisconsin for the summer. My apartment is not clean and I am not packed and I have a date at six tonight. The cleaning and packing are not my favorites, but the date should be good! Luckily, I just checked out at work and am able to use the afternoon to clean and pack. That makes me amazingly happy!

It is going to be different being at home and doing my Weight Watchers program. I know that I will miss my leader, she is pretty darn awesome. Luckily, there is email and blogs! My mom is probably going to do the program this summer and one of her friends(who is also one of my favorite people back home) is also going to go with us. I think having them there will make it easier.

I do plan on making a workout plan for the summer when I get home. I am going to do P90X most days and I will also continue to run. Alice is a runner, after all!

Well, the next post will be from the land of cheese. Let's hope I can avoid that cheese for the most part! Although, I will be eating some fried cheese curds here and again. I just won't eat the whole order! :) Cheers!

When is this going to get hard?

NOTE TO SELF: Never, ever verbally mention to anybody that this journey isn't hard because then you are setting yourself up to have a really hard time!

I have been stressed thanks to being the big kahuna over the senior class at our school. The big stress was the senior banquet. I was in charge of it all: food, set-up, program. All. Of. It!

Luckily, it fell on the night I would normally weigh-in. I am sure if I got on that scale last Tuesday, I would have gained a pound or two thanks to my defense mechanism of eating salt water taffy and cake to sooth my stress. I did step on the scale today and it is more like what it was BEFORE the stress week. So maybe I have maintained. If I am lucky, maybe I will have lost. You never know. I guess I did learn something from all of this...I need to find better ways to deal with my stress and I think the better way is to make myself track even when I don't want to, hence the tracking today(SUNDAY) a day when I never track. Go me and thank heavens for the plan!

Busy Much?

The past few weeks have escaped me. Work has kept me busy and a little bit stressed. I am in charge of the seniors and there are a ton of activities coming up this week. The biggest thorn in my side is the senior banquet. I had to figure out a program, get kids to host, get the food, get the table decor, get the utensils. You name it, I was in charge of it. I am not much of a take charge kind of a person either and so this has been a challenge for me. I am a good get it done kind of person when I am asked to do things but I am having a hard time being the leader.

Anyway. This past week I lost .8. I think I am in a bit of a rut and I know exactly why. I haven't been tracking. Nope, not at all like I used to. I keep a mental estimation in my mind but I do not track as I should. I really need to get back on the horse but I really think it may have to wait until after all the stress of the end of the year goes away. It is insane. Sometimes I am good at staying away from the foods that are weaknesses but sometimes I am not. Last night, for example, I could not say no to ALL of the rice and orange chicken at Panda. I also could not say no to the chocolate covered cinnamon bears. They are evil. I am pretty good during the week but these weekends kill me.

My friend, Kerri, took me to a salon this week to celebrate my goal of 30 before graduation. I really like the new hairdo and think I am sold on going to a real stylist instead of the one at Fantastic Sams. She did an awesome job and my hair looks and feels amazing. It was really nice to have the new hair for the date I had yesterday. It is funny how little things can make a huge difference in how we feel about ourselves. Enjoy the pic of the new do and I better get off to church!

New Goals.

I have never been much of a goal person. This whole weight loss thingy has made a goal maker out of me. Granted, this is the only area in my life I am making goals, it is still good. Maybe it will catch on in other areas of my life.

Here are my next goals. I must also come up with some rewards for myself...any ideas?
1. Be under 200 pounds. That is only 3 pounds away but I think it is a big deal because I can not remember ever being under 200 pounds. I am sure I had to be at one time because I think it would have horribly uncomfortable for my mother to give birth to a 200 pounder.
2. 50 pounds by the end of summer. That doesn't mean I want to lose 50 this summer that means I want 20 pounds more by the end of summer. It is a good goal and completely possible!

So, there are my new goals.

My friend, who has recently joined on the journey to a lighter weight, was talking about being frustrated about only losing .4 last week. I know that a loss is a loss but sometimes it is hard when it slows. I was there a few weeks ago and it wasn't fun. I hope my advice helped her. It is fun to have support on this journey. It is awesome. Sometimes I don't feel like I know enough to help people but then I start talking and realize that I do know quite a bit and can help, even though I still doubt myself because I still feel like a rookie. It is fun to be learning and growing!

Week 17 -3.2 for a total of 30.6 :)

I don't know if I have actually written down what one of my big goals was for my weight loss, but I have reached that goal. I really wanted to lose 30 pounds before graduation or the end of the school year. I didn't think I would make it for another couple of weeks so when I actually weighed in today and I had lost three pounds for a total of thirty, I was very pleased.

For about a month, my church clothes have just not fit well. I have HATED it. I just do not like the skirts that do fit and am really sad when I put on the ones I like and they fall to the floor. It just isn't appropriate to wear your skirt around your ankles at church. Even though this is a frustrating situation, I am not complaining at all. Seriously, this is a great problem to have. Anyway, I wanted to buy a new dress for a friend's wedding that was last Friday, but the one I bought on Thursday just didn't work when I got it home. It was weird. So I had to wear an outfit that wasn't my favorite, but I survived. I went back to Penny's on Saturday and found the rockin' skirt you can see in the photo along with three shirts that go with it. To have the three outfits was only about 3 dollars more than the dress I had bought on Thursday. It was like Christmas. I hope people don't notice that I am wearing the same skirt over and over and over because it is just silly to buy new clothes that you know you will be too small for in a month or so. At least that is my philosophy when it comes to buying clothes right now. I don't want to buy a lot of clothes until I reach my goal weight.

Don't I look rockin' in those pics? I still look at myself in the mirror and often don't believe it is me. I see these pictures and I am just tickled pink to know that is me. No wonder I got a few compliments at church on Sunday. It felt way good. This journey is awesome!

5k

I just posted about my 5k to my running blog. You should click on this and read it!

1.2

That is more like it. I am inching closer to my goal of 30 lbs. before graduation(I have currently lost 27.4 lbs.). I am going to buy a new dress for graduation to celebrate. I am having a little problem with all of my skirts. They basically fall off and that is no way to go to church!! I am having a hard time buying new clothes because I know I can't wear them for long because I am the incredible shrinking woman. I think in this case it will be fine. I tried some dresses on last night but didn't find the right yet. I did like how I can try on normal sizes...that makes me happy. That is very nice. I am going to quit rambling now.

.4 The lowest loss ever....

....but it is still a loss! This is what I have learned...when I am lazy with tracking...my progress slows down. Silly and so very simple.

I am enjoying that many of the people I work with now have begun referring to me as "skinny." They will say things like "Hey Skinny" and I love it. It makes me happy because I have NEVER considered myself skinny. It also motivates me. Thinking about making my goal of thirty pounds before graduation also motivates me. I am going to make it and then guess what? I am totally going to buy a fancy new dress to wear to graduation. (Weird to have Alice excited about buying a fancy new dress, eh?)

Do you want to know how cool it is to have 20 points left for dinner at the Bills? It was way cool. I can even still have dessert when we are watching a movie later!

I think that is it for now. Hopefully, another update on Tuesday!

25 Pounds

Sorry I have not been updating this blog like I should. This week I lost another 1.8 pounds and got a little metal for it. This is going so well. I am enjoying it. I may not be perfect at the plan but each time I get off, I quickly get back on! I haven't been good at tracking lately especially when I tend to overeat. I have decided that I am going to do better at this in the future. Weekends are just so hard!!

Down 1.6...

...will this ever be hard? I should not say that because I will be on vacation this next week. Dangerous. Will be fun though!

90% of Alice

I have now lost 23 pounds exactly and exactly 10% of my original body weight(I was glad that I actually lost the .8 I needed to make 10% today!). A big WOOT WOOT, please! It feels good. It feels real good.

Here are ten things I have learned while losing 10% of myself:

1. The portions we are used to as Americans are insane, simply insane compared to how much we are actually supposed to eat.
2. I can do anything I put my mind to. That really should be #1 but I am too lazy to change the order!
3. Exercise is amazing. It is so cool to see my body change and be able to do more and more work the more I train!
4. There are a million people who are great supports in the world and a few who don't support at all!
5. When I track what I eat, I lose weight. When I don't track, I easily get off track!
6. My body image is something that will take much longer to change than my actual body. I often walk past mirrors and ask myself: "Who is that?" I wonder if I will always see myself as "bigger?"
7. Weight Watchers smoothies are so very yummy but make me really, really cold in the mornings.
8. Sometimes a 4 point half of a donut from Provo Bakery is totally worth it!
9. I have learned what it really is like to feel hungry and I feel it a lot more often than I used to. It is cool.
10. Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels!!!!

Thanks for reading and being a part of this journey. It is a fun one.

Two Yipees and a Bottle of Whoop Whoop!

I ran for 20 minutes straight on Monday. It wasn't the plan but I just kept feeling good after five minutes then eight minutes then ten minutes so I thought I would just keep going. It was awesome!!!

I also lost 3.4 pounds this past week. That is pretty darn amazing. The cool thing about running and losing weight had been that more and more I am realizing the power I have to do whatever I put my mind to. That is a pretty amazing thing to realize. It was also cool to play basketball with my students on monday and not once feel tired. I like this improved body. It pretty much rocks!!!

A Couple Pics...

I am noticing progress. I bought those pants this weekend. Even my skinniest skinny jeans were not fitting so I decided the clearance pants would be a good investment. It is nice to find things for nine dollars sometimes. I am having a hard time spending money on clothes because I figure I will be not fitting in them a few weeks later. So, cheap temporary jeans made me happy!

A milestone...

I ran 10 full minutes today. It ws phenominal. The snow coming down in Idaho Falls was not ideal but I was proud that I actually got out for the run this morning. Go me. The next goal is to see what my mile time is. This running business is pretty addictive. I love it!

P.S. Carrots are the brownies!

Down 2.2

Now we are at at total of 18 pounds ladies and gents! It feels good. I was stretching today and noticing how much smaller my legs are these days...fantastic.

The Finish...

This is me finishing the race on Saturday. It was AWESOME! You may not be able to tell that by my face because I think I wanted to die at the moment the pic was taken! (You can see that my friend, Janette, was thrilled to beat me!) I will run another 5k on May 1st. I went running today as well and it was nice. Utah Lake is gorgeous this time of year!!! The whole world is pretty when Spring looks as if it may spring at any moment! Cheers!

Race Day. Alice's first 5k

(Notice how I have not changed my name to Ahze. I have no clue how that error happened!)

Well, I made it through my first 5k. It was AMAZING. The most amazing part is I got less than 45 minutes. That was my goal going into the race. I figured I would take about 45 to finish based on my training. I didn't think I would have gotten the time I actually did get. I didn't realize that running with people would make me actually run faster and also walk less, but it did. I guess there is some sort of amazing adrenaline that pumps through your blood on race day. Funny how about oh two months ago I would think that people were crazy for running. I now realize why people hit the pavement a few times a week. They are getting set to race sometime. I guess there are runners who never race but I also realize why they do it too...they love the feeling they get during and after running. I am beginning to think running is a drug!

It was fun to run in this race because our JROTC students were in charge of keeping the runners on course so we got to talk to them as we past each checkpoint. There were also about five students from our school who ran. It was fun to cheer them on both the ones who kicked our butts and the ones who struggled behind us. My coach, Shule, even stopped and helped a girl when she was puking. I couldn't stop because I would have lost my breakfast too!

The plans are to run another 5k on May 1st. It is going to be fun. I don't think I will ever get too competitive but it is fun to run against myself. I now have a time to beat!

I also was so hungry last night. It was nice to go to Applebees and get stuffed with my friends as we celebrated my birthday. Yep, this girl turns 33 on Monday. I am planning on enjoying a day of quiet and movies. Sleeping in is the most important activity. Should be fun. Be sure to check out my regular blog to hear the inspiring story of another racer from yesterday. I don't really want to type it twice! :)

Cardio Kickboxing did NOT kick my butt tonight...

That is a pretty cool thing. I have gone to Cardio Kickboxing class about three times now. The first time, I thought I was going to die. The second time was about as painful. Tonight, on the other hand, was painless and I actually thought it was easy. Weird, huh?

This really was the first time I really felt that my training has been making a difference. It felt so good to feel like something that usually kicks my butt, actually didn't.

I also have still been enjoying my running. The 5k is on Saturday. My training for it isn't complete so it will be interesting to see how much I want to puke, but it will be a good thing for feedback!

I have loved running in the Spring-like weather lately. I actually am able to run for five straight minutes. That is a milestone. I also got a personal best on a mile. Of course, it isn't that great because I am still walk-running. It is cool to see improvement!

The journey is good!

1.2 Down.

Still losing. That is nice actually. I didn't think I would have lost that much this week because of all the cream puffs Sunday. They may have been worth it!

Some Things in Life are Hard...

...like missionary farewells. Yesterday, the brother from another mother, had a missionary farewell. I am so excited for him to serve in Brazil. He will be awesome. The food at his farewell was also awesome. Too awesome for words. Too awesome to say no and I ate and ate and ate. It did not feel good but I did it. Then the US lost the Gold Medal game in Hockey and there was still food so I ate and ate and ate some more. Not good at all. I am hoping for some loss tomorrow but I have a feeling those mozzarella sticks may not help me in that area. I guess the scale will tell all tomorrow.

I need to come up with a game plan for situations that have so much food. Any suggestions?

Less of Alice Pics

This journey is awesome! I really feel like, in my head, I will always see myself as a big girl. I look at these two pictures and I say wow, maybe I am not as big as I think I am! That is a pretty cool thing. A co-worker had mentioned earlier this week that I really need to put up a new pic of me on here because she had noticed a big change in the last week. I guess when you are on the inside, you just don't notice as much.

Another a-ha I have had lately is that there are certain people in my life who will be great big supports on this journey and some people who really just could care less! I just have to laugh when I hear weird remarks from a friend when I announce another milestone. This week it was the fact that I could actually fit into the real holes in a belt that I had bought in Vegas back in Fall. Said friend said: "Why would you buy something that doesn't fit?" I still am in awe at people who always have a negative thing to say no matter what they just heard. I have noticed that I have been keeping the big supports close and the non-supports on the outskirts. I am not saying that I know who are my real friends in all of this but I am saying that I know who I need to keep close to me in order to be successful and those who don't get to have the privilege of seeing me around very much during my journey, as sad as that may be. I really have found that I really need to make me first during this even if that may seem to other people that I am being selfish. What they think is not what is important to my success.

Well, off to find my motivation to get on the exercise bike or go for a walk!

Down 2.8 to a total of 15

I continue to roll along on the journey to my goal weight. (That weight being some number that I have not completely decided upon yet.)

One of the things that I find challenging about the journey is all the food that is offered at work. Tonight was a great example while we had Parent Teacher Conferences. I was not only dreading my 12 hour plus work day but also all the food that was tempting to me all day. Two different occasions included donuts, which are one of my biggest weaknesses. I had half of one of the best donuts on the planet that are from Provo Bakery, but I am pretty proud of myself that I had self-restraint when it came to the donuts.

I am also proud of myself because instead of eating the "healthy" salad that would have been mine for free for dinner and would have cost me more than half of my daily points, I went and bought myself sushi. Man, do I love sushi. Sorry to those of you that dislike sushi. Mainly, I feel sorry for you because you miss out on a fabulous and healthy food! Sushi is awesome because I can eat a heck of a lot of it and not feel guilty. It is also very good at cleaning out my system. Not that you really wanted to know that gory detail of my life.

I am getting better at making healthier choices and being able to tell people no. Avoiding certain situations, like the free food tables that seem to be located at every corner in my workplace, gets easier the more I do it.

It is also nice to know that I can have some donut sometimes! It makes my life a little bit easier and nicer.

Well, it is one in the morning and I should be sleeping. Good thing I am giving a test in my Health classes tomorrow. Cheers and thanks for reading.

I Am A Runner

Just a little note to tell the world, or my one reader, that I love running. I took the week off in order to let my shin splints heal and running on the treadmill last night was awesome. I love it. I really think the splints were due to overuse while loving the sun in Vegas. Silly! Well that is it. Thanks for reading.

A Milestone.

I have two pairs of "skinny" jeans. It was a big deal to get back into my first pair which happened a few weeks ago. Then Friday of this past week, I tried the other pair on thinking that I really wouldn't quite fit into them just yet. Well, they fit. It was awesome. I wore them to work on Friday and it felt way good! It is also awesome that my first pair is looking a bit loose. Nice.

Sometimes it is frustrating because some of my clothes don't fit. Like my awesome denim skirt that has the embroidered flowers on the bottom. It is awesome but I think in a few weeks, I won't be able to wear it anymore without looking too frumpy. I also have only about two skirts that fit right now, so church clothes may have to be bought in the next few weeks. That isn't a bad thing though, I do have to admit. These are great things. I just have to remember that I am going to continue to get smaller so I must not go overboard when I buy new clothes. Just a few things will be good seeing they are temporary things. I think thrift store shopping may be in order!

Life is good!

What Happens in Vegas...

....doesn't necessarily stay there. I totally ate and ate and ate some more while in Vegas. I was totally convinced that I had gained 4 pounds(my scale at home told me that this morning.). I was totally going to use my "do no weigh me today card"(that is not it's official name) but my wonderful leader told me to do it and said: "It is just for feedback." I was pleasantly surprised when I had actually still lost a little weight. (.8 of a pound to be exact) This week is now going to be a time of getting back on track and staying there. I did learn a lot from this...being on vacation is hard and that I am normal and sometimes will get off the horse. That does not mean the horse is unsucessful or bad...it just means I have to brush myself off and get back on it!

Enjoy the pic of me and Oliver from the weekend. He is such a sweetheart. It was hard to leave him yesterday. I like his family too! :) I love this pic because it makes my chin look chiseled. I can see a little bit of progress there! :)

The shin splints are killing me. I decided to take the week off of running and to do other exercise. It makes me sad to not be able to run and get ready for my 5K but I need to take care of myself. This is a journey...not a race!

Shin Splints are from Hell.

Just thought you should know. Any suggestions on how to make them go away so I can be running again? It has made me so sad to not be able to run while there is amazingly beautiful and warm weather here in Vegas.

Sunny Vegas!

I do believe that running is easier is warmer weather. I also do believe that I like running in Vegas because it is not only warm but because it is beautiful. I had a great run yesterday. I am a little sore but I think it is a good sore! It is going to be very hard to get back to Utah because of how beautiful the weather is here right now!

I was so happy to eat at Dickey's BBQ last night that I am not feeling guilty for going over my points by 4 points. It was yummy! Just like Derek said last night, it is just a weekend...it will not destroy your goals! I needed to hear that. Sometimes it is hard to let go of the analness of keeping within my points. I have to start to realize that I have to enjoy eating or this won't work. I also need to start doing a little better at getting more healthy things into my diet. I am struggling with that lately!

Seeing I am up...

Well, today was a good day. I got a fun walk in with Shule. Let me tell you a little bit about Shule. Shule is an English teacher at my school. She is one of the most positive people you will ever meet. She works out with me most days of the week. We have a standing date at 5pm each day. Mondays is the Dreadmill. Tuesday is lifting weights. Wednesday is walking. Thursday is Cardio Kickboxing. Friday is sports, usually racquetball.

I do not think I would be doing as well on this journey without Shule's positive attitude and encouragement. She is my rock when I am weak. She motivates me with such sayings as: "Way to go Alice. I knew you could do it, Those shorts are looking loose on you, and You are a runner!" Thanks Shule.

We were talking about taking care of yourself at my Weight Watchers meeting on Tuesday. It was totally something I needed to hear because lately I have been thinking about how consumed I am with myself and I actually had started to think I was being selfish. This is not true. I think this is one of the first times in my life where I actually have put me first. I tend to always worry about others' needs before I worry about my own needs. I think it has been healthy for me to find some more balance in this area of my life. It isn't selfish to worry about yourself. You must do things for you or you never can help others!

I don't know if this post makes sense. I am up much too late.

5% less of Alice!

Hi all. I met my first weight goal today as I weighed in. I have officially lost 11 lbs. which is 5% of my starting weight. How cool is that. I think I am going to know introduce myself as 95% Alice. (But I still feel like 100% of Alice). It was a good feeling to meet this goal. It makes me want to keep going. I like the sense of reaching a goal. Funny thing is that I was totally thinking that I would not have lost any weight this week. I feel bloated and fat. Good stuff, eh? I also didn't think I would reach this first weight goal until next Tuesday because I have been only losing one pound a week the past couple of weeks. This week I was pleasantly surprised with the whole losing two pounds!

On another note...I have been enjoying my little running program. I thought about this as I was traveling to the DREADmill this evening. I totally was thinking in my mind: "I actually want to go run tonight...that is weird!" Even though it is sometimes hard DURING running, I totally look forward to it. I also look forward to the after when I feel good and see results. I am totally into this whole mind over body thing! I also find it extrememly weird that I am so excited to go to Vegas this weekend and partly this is because I get to run in the WARM. Weird. I am excited to RUN on vacation? Who is this girl? I do have to say, I like her. Smaller and all!

A Post About Cardio Kickboxing.

Dear Cardio Kickboxing:

I loathe thee. You make me hurt. I get very sore after I visit with you for an hour. I also do not like that I feel lightheaded in the beginning of every session with you. Why do you hate me so much? What did I ever do to you?

Sincerely,
Alice

OK: that is a little too much. Here is a different spin on the same experience.

Dear Cardio Kickboxing:

Thank you so much for litterally kicking my butt. Even though during my exercise time with you I often feel like I am going to die, I love how you make me feel afterward. I feel like I can do anything and that is awesome. I love how you make my body more flexible and strong and how you also give me more energy. Sometimes I even wish that you didn't only come around once a week.

Thanks for all you do and see you next Thursday.
Love,
Alice

Down another 1.2 for a total of 9.2

The weight loss is coming right along. I didn't get time to take pictures tonight because I was totally distracted by Groundhog Day. What a fab movie! I hope your Groundhog Day was filled with much adventure and you were not scared by your own shadow. Cheers.

Alice is a Runner!!!

I keep telling myself that I am a runner. I am determined that I will run that 5k in March. I think you have to be a runner to run 3 miles in a row, right?

Seeing I want to be a runner, I decided to buy some running shoes. I got a smokin' hot deal on them at Big Five Sports. They are 100 dollar shoes and were on sale for 50. When I was checking out, I was pleasantly surprised that they rang up as 40 because of a 25% off the sale price deal they were having. So my awesome new running shoes were 40 bucks.

I didn't know how cool they truly were until I got them home and found a brochure in the bottom of the box for nikeplus.com. My shoes are actually magic shoes. They have a place where you can put a sensor that sends information to an iPod. The information is all about your speed, how far you have ran, your mile pace and how long you have been running. I was excited. Then I bought the sensor, and was not excited because my iPod Touch, because it is a first generation, does not work with the Nikeplus. Rude huh(stupid Steve Jobs!)? Well, I was about to give up, when I had a great idea. I would buy a cheap Nano online seeing that all Nano models work with the system. I found one for 35 bucks last night and drove up to Sandy to buy it. I was a little worried about the new purchase when it ran out of battery fast. I have now charged it three times and it seems that it just needed a real good charge(like a three hour one) in order to get about two hours of playback. I figure that will be enough for my running purposes. What a fiasco to get the system up and running! And now those 40 dollar shoes have turned into a 100 dollar idea!

I knew I had to get this up and running because I am a gadget girl and having this technology that tracks my runs will give me even more motivation to be running. I am not sure if it will work on a treadmill but I will get back to you tomorrow. I have a feeling it won't seeing I won't be moving places.

This week I run 90 seconds and walk 2 minutes for 20 total minutes. I thought that it might be hard to run 90 seconds at the end of my 60 seconds on Friday. I hope my body is ready. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

One of the new things about me....

I no longer look for "Rockstar" parking. I now try to park as far away as I possibly can, wherever I go. Just a small little thing I am trying to be just a little more active.

P.S. It was very cold walking to pick up the gift card I had gotten from my brother from another mother...but it made me feel good to walk! Good times!

Weighed in 1.2 down. Total 8.2 pounds lost....SO FAR!!!

Weight Watchers is still going great. I am loving the meetings because I am learning so much there. I even find myself sticking around to listen to the other members chat about what is good and what isn't. Good times.

I have started to become a runner. I really don't like to run unless somebody is chasing me, especially if I have a ball in my hand that they want. I also like to chase after people who have the ball. Sports have always been my favorite, but after last weeks' meeting, I have been thinking a lot about becoming a runner. I made myself run on the treadmill last night. I would run one minute and then walk one minute. Today, I started thinking more about it and thought I would check out some of the running programs on the Internet. (This was suggested at the meeting last week!) I found one that would get me from not running to running a 5k. Seeing our school helps with the Red Cross Run for the Red 5k each March, I thought I would give it a go and try to train to actually run in the race(I have never ran it) Unfortunately, the program takes 8 weeks and I only have 6...I figure that even if I don't run the whole time, I will still be doing better than last year! I walked a bit last year but was easily bored.) I have always wanted to run the 5k but always got discouraged about the whole training thing. I figured I would try this program, The Couch-to-5k Running Plan. It was similar to what I did on the treadmill last night but only 1:30 walking/1:00 running. It was a lot easier to run tonight. In fact, my body seemed to be ready to run after the minute and a half. I am a little excited about this program. Who would have thought? I really wish I wasn't such a pansy when it comes to the whole running outside because I really don't enjoy the treadmill. (I guess you could call it DREADmill like my leader at WW calls it.) Dang winter!

I was proud of myself because I did pretty good at this past week's challenge of being more active. I got pretty darn good at not looking for the best parking spot but actually trying to park as far away from the store or anywhere I was on purpose. It was awesome.

I ate my points today but I am too lazy to type it all down. Enjoy this week's pics. I decided to change to my digital camera and a new location: the kitchen. I don't think you can see the progress, but I really have been noticing that the basketball shorts are a little loose in the butt. The pics don't give it justice. Have a great day!

This is exciting!!!! (As you can see!)

This is my wonderful sister, Morgan re-enacting how shocked, surprised and excited I was when I looked at the nutrition label on the back of the Goldfish box and realized that you could eat 55 of those little suckers for one serving. Notice that she had to wear the hat that hardly ever is not on my head to make it more real! That was one heck of a lot of Goldfish and I was majorly excited. I had a blast with my second family this weekend. It was awesome.

Family is often about food.

I have been up with my adopted family in salt lake city and it seems that all we do is eat. I think this is typical of most families. Last night it was Applebee's and today it was Sizzler and Gandlfo's. I did ok yesterday but today was hard. Wait. Sizzler was hard. The salad was great. Not bad at all but the ice cream was my downfall. Oh well. I wanted it and it tasted awesome!

I am learning that going out to eat is a lot easier when I plan ahead! Sizzler through me a bit. I wish I wouldn't have discovered that the ice cream was included in the salad bar. Planning for that would have helped.

My skinny pants are fittng losely. That is an awesome feeling. I am excited for the opportunity to buy new clothes.

I think that is all. If you want to see pics of the cute nieces and nephews, check out my normal blog here I should have the pics up later tonight!

Happy Thursday and Happy Findings.(And an answer to Marla's Question)

I found some great Weight Watcher treats at Walmart today and I am very happy about them. I found some wonderful ice cream cups and bars and some twinkie like things and chocolate chip cookies. Let's hope I don't eat them all day!

Marla, you asked about what kind of bread I am eating. I always look for wheat bread that has at least 3 grams of fiber in them. I love Oroweat. Their double fiber bread is what I usually buy but it wasn't on sale the last time I went to the store so I just got the regular wheat that has 3 grams.

I am glad it is almost friday. I am also glad that the family plans on eating at Applebee's tomorrow night. That is an easy place for me to eat because they have a few items that have weight watcher points listed. HANDY.

I had a hard time working out today. I still worked out, I just felt like I was doing it half-backsided...I really wanted to curse there, but I refrained. I am so very proud of myself.

The menu today:

Breakfast:
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup pineapple
One slice high fiber bread
1 tablespoon Blackberry Preserves.

Lunch:
A wonderful salad with lettuce, blue cheese, chicken and sun dried tomato dressing
Activia Yogurt

Dinner
2 slices high fiber bread
1 can tuna
2 tablespoons Miracle Whip Light
1 cup blueberries
1 slice cheddar cheese
1 medium red potato
1/4 cup non-fat sour cream

anytime:
Hostess cupcake 100 calorie pack
2 cups popcorn(It was burned and many of my co-workers had to make fun of me for it. I told them next time I was going to just start a fire and then the workday would be shorter!)

Well....

So, I mentioned that I had a hard time getting all my points in during the day. Well, that went a bit better today because I kept forgetting to track what I was putting into my mouth. Silly Alice! Anyway...I ended up actually eating more than my points. I also realized that I had not put my new weight into Weight Watchers online tools and I now actually get one less point per day. Silly Alice. I guess tomorrow is a new day and I know better!

What I ate:

Breakfast(I was actually up early enough and with enough energy that I actually had a Warm breakfast. Weird):
One Egg
1/2 cup Egg Whites
3/4 cup mushrooms
1/2 cup fat free cheese
One slice high fiber bread
One tablespoon raspberry preserves(forgot to track this)
One medium pear

Lunch:
One cup Progresso light chicken santa fe soup
Activia yogurt
1 cup broccoli/cauliflower

Dinner:
2 medium red potatoes
3/4 cup cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen carrots and peas

anytime:
One small apple(forgot to add until after dinner)
1 1/2 cup cinnamon toast crunch
1/2 cup milk
20 almonds
18 TLC cheese crackers

I ended up using 3.5 of my weekly points. For a girl who keeps complaining about not being able to use her points she sure is using them and then some.

Must go and sleep now. Sleepy today!

3rd Weigh In...down 2.8 Pounds.

Hi. Today was weigh in and I am down 2.8 pounds this week. Nice! The pictures do not show any changes. I don't think basketball shorts and t-shirts are all that flattering. (I do love that I am a PE teacher and that this is professional dress!) I have been noticing that my clothes are fitting differently. My pants(and shorts) are getting a little baggy. I like that. I was thinking this past week, as I bought 30 dollars worth of new clothes, that maybe I shouldn't be buying too many clothes. These clothes may not fit very well in six months. So I am going to not buy any more clothes for a while.

I am still having a hard time getting my points in by the end of the day. I suppose this is a better thing than not having enough points for dinner but it is still a hard thing. I really need to find a way to beef up the food intake during the day. Any suggestions?

Here is what I ate today:

Breakfast:
One medium apple
One piece of high fiber toast
One cup fat free cottage cheese

Midday:
One cup Progresso Light Santa Fe Chicken Soup
One Activia Light Yogurt.
Baby carrots

Dinner:
Two medium Red Potatoes
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1/2 cup shredded chicken breast
1/4 cup bleu cheese
1 cup chocolate milk

Any time:
1 hostess cupcake 100 calorie pack
1 stick cheddar cheese
1 small Clementine
20 almonds
1/2 cup pineapple
12 cashews

That was a total of 33.5 points. 2.5 points over my daily points. That is okay though....seeing I thought I wouldn't eat them all. It was a good week and I really am enjoying getting to know the program.

I think I have fixed the problems that were happening with comments. So feel free to comment. Also, I added some music to the blog. That was inspired by one of the leader's at Weight Watchers blog. I like her music so much that I kept finding myself on her blog to listen to her playlist. You can check out Marion's blog here. Thanks Marion for the inspiration and ideas!