Trouble with the Curvy

It has been 50 days! Day 49 went without an entry because I worked till 10p last night and if I am to get up at the 6am my exercise requires, 10p is bed time.  Yesterday I spent at least half the day in my car. I love to drive but I tend to have bad habits when I travel by myself. Usually I eat breakfast at home, get on the road and then don't eat again until the ride home when I am so hungry that I cave to having a progress killing fast food meal. Yesterday was different though.  Yesterday, I was prepared. I brought a couple of apples, some pita chips, bing cherries, and dried cranberries. I kept eating through my trip when I felt a little hungry and it lasted me all the way down. On the way back I had drank all my bottles of water so I stopped for a sandwich and a cold water for the way home. I picked a little on the way back and never even considered stopping for a progress killer supreme with cheese. This is one of the best things I could have done for myself. I think tha

I'm happy to report that I was able to go for a walk this morning. My ankle is feeling so much better and I will be back kickboxing in no time. I want to send a special thanks to my good friend Theresa for sending me a bunch of really helpful exercises that don't require a functioning ankle. I wanted to share a couple of my favorites: I really liked this one because I've always wondered what Victoria's secret was and why she was so popular. Now I get it. I haven't tried this yet but I really can't wait to try. Tomorrow I want to add some spice to my walk since I don't want to run on my ankle just yet so Victoria's sweat makers ought to work nicely.  Ben also hooked up my Wii so I can finally try the Zumba game I got for Christmas 2 years ago and still haven't tried it. The Pop Pilates looks cool too. These are the kinds of exercises that I was doing last week but I didn't know I was all cool and Pilates like. I don't think I'd be do

I've found another book that I am completely infatuated with. Since I read "Joyland" by Stephen King, I haven't been able to find a story that has engulfed me until I heard Gillian Flynn on "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." I'd heard of her new book "Gone Girl" and all the buzz was good but it didn't catch my attention until I heard the interview. The joke on the show was that she was such a convincing storyteller of really dark, gruesome stories but was so fun and nice in person. This is how many people would describe Stephen King. I think that is what makes him a really compelling writer so I thought I would give Flynn's work a try. I had been in a drought of stories that just didn't capture me, after all. Instead of beginning with her most recent novel I went for an older story called "Dark Places." It's the story of a girl who's Mother and two sisters were murdered when she was 7, supposedly by her older br

The day I started this blog Bangor Metro Magazine came to my house to do an article on my "famous" pancakes. The issue arrived to subscribers today. While I haven't seen the article in full color Nancy Luce scanned and sent it to me through Facebook. I feel like a pancake goddess!! This is probably one of the coolest things that has happened to me and it was one of the inspirations for deciding to embark on this journey to be my best self.  The article pictures me still with long hair and at my original 212lbs weight. I know I am going to keep this article forever and I think it marks an important day in my life. The last 43 days have had their ups and downs but this article reminds me how I felt on day 1. When I need a kick to keep me going I am going to reread this article and rekindle my spark.  When I get the spread in color I'll include the full article with the recipe for the pancakes. Not to brag but they seriously are the best pancakes I've ever had

I think that I've discussed a good balance of food and exercise in this blog so far because they are both essential to making this work. Having been in situations the last month that have prevented me from continuing my exercise routine I have had to make sure that I am being very careful about my food intake. Today I passed up a cupcake at work. Birthday celebrations are pretty common around the office and generally I am the kind of kid that eats cake if you put it in front of me. Having some serious will power is essential because there is no room for a cupcake when you can't work it off later. Tonight for a rainy day dinner I made homemade chicken soup. Carrots, celery, green onions, chicken and little potatoes in a broth I seasoned myself. It was healthy and delicious. Reducing my portion sizes has been the hardest part but having only small dinner plates really is helping. I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of a hard core exercise routine but until my a

So at the end of day 41 I'm laid up on the couch with an ankle injury. I'd love to tell you it was because I got over ambitious kickboxing. I'd love to say that I got so wrapped up in my run that I just didn't see that pot hole. I'd even love to tell you that I injured my ankle rocking the Stair Master. Sadly none of these rationales are accurate. Coming down my front steps on Saturday I fell (.... or dive bombed if I'm being honest ) off the bottom step and my ankle exploded in pain and a fiery hell known as a sprain.  So in case you're keeping score. Stairs 1. Katie 0.  Between this injury, the heat, and my glasses I am beginning to feel like the proverbial man is trying to keep me down. My workouts have been suffering and my progress is coming to a stall quickly. The good news is that I have my contacts back. My ankle is starting to feel better and the pain is subsiding thanks to some icing and wrap...  Today was cooler and they say the heat is gone

I feel like I have been little miss "this is so hard" whine whine whine for the last 2 weeks. It is hard but anything worth having is so tonight I tell my whiny self to shut it! Laughter is a great way to burn calories. And the Walking Dead and Aliens and Predators... and any other post apocalyptic scenario... From now on Cassie and Grace are going to live in my refridgerator.... Calm yourself PETA Peeps, I'm kidding for Cat sake. BAAAAHAHHHAHAAAAA! I'm going to pretend this is happening every time I do interval running You're bald. Don't go back to that hair dresser that cut your bangs WAY to short.... again. That looks like some damn good chicken.... I'd find my inner track star to save it too! Wait.... this ISN'T how a scale works? I thought gravity was my friend? I feel so betrayed... <3 Katie Day 36 199lbs 3 dozen days and a heat wave! I'll be melting like the wicked witch in no time!

So having never been married myself I can't speak to the actual phenomenon of the Honeymoon period but I don't think the idea is limited to marriages. It goes like this... Being on a weight loss journey has to be a lot like a marriage. You have to be dedicated to it. You have to take the good with the bad. You have to be faithful to the commitment. You have to love it even when things aren't perfect.  Otherwise it will be a miserable failure. All the times I've tried this before has been more like an affair than a marriage. I've always stopped to go back to my mediocre life because it was easy. This time I am ready for the long haul though. The past 2 weeks have been pretty difficult and I've felt my motivation dwindling. The "newness" of this routine has worn off and now the bones of the hard work that is required is poking thorough. But just like a marriage I'm not going to throw in the towel because it isn't champagne and flowers everyda

If you're lucky enough in your lifetime to meet a person that shows immeasurable character, strength, and humanity make sure you take the time to recognize them for the hero that they are. That's what tonight's blog is about. My friend Leah Atwood is one of these amazing people. To say Leah has a heart of gold is the understatement of the century. She is one of the kindest people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is funny, smart, and beautiful. She is down to Earth and she is full of life and keeps an overall positive outlook. She is an incredible listener and is the epitome of what a good, loyal friend should be. These characteristics alone make her an inspiration. What is even more amazing is that she set a goal for herself to lose 150lbs and SHE MET IT! What I've been learning every day on this journey of mine is that this shit is hard. It is hard to stay dedicated. It is hard to motivate yourself. It's hard to push yourself enough to actually make

Today is day 31! I started out on day 1, weighing in at 212lbs. Today at my Dr. Appt I weighted in at 203.9lbs. Not quite 10lbs but I can still find some areas where sacrifice should be relatively easy. One bad habit that really needs some adjusting is what time I eat my last meal of the day. Sometimes we don't eat until 8p. That's not good for my goals and it's going to take some better planning to consistently eat at a time that is sensible. Now that I am on a roll and have built some good habits with this blog I want to mention a  couple of corrections. I said in one entry that every Monday I'll share a recipe. As it turns out, that's pretty hard. I have to be inspired to share a good recipe so instead I'll post a recipe when it is worth sharing. I also won't be doing a picture every week on Thursdays. I think I'll do a picture for every 10lbs that I lose. Once I'm at 202 I'll post another. In the next 31 days I hope to intensify my workou

In my search for a good story last night I came across Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead. I've got a thing for PIs and I like mysteries so it seemed to be a decent choice. It's a bit slow getting going but I haven't lost faith yet. I also got a great recommendation from my fantastic friend Terri who's intellectual recommendations are usually spot on. Claire Dewitt takes a case in New Orleans and in once scene goes to a restaurant and gets Jambalaya. I thought, I've never had Jambalaya... I should try it. So I did! Tonight I made a Jambalaya and I did it without a recipe or even looking up the definition of the dish. I took kielbasa (made with turkey and a meat I LOVE to use in hodge podge dishes), Pineapple, green peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli, and put it all in a big ol' pot with olive oil and the juice from the pineapple and put it on high until the juice evaporated mostly. Then I added partly cooked rice and my homemade sauce of 1/2 cup ketchup (

  I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again and again: a good playlist is crucial in keeping motivated. If you want some solid weight loss advice, there is your golden nugget. I finished my last book over a week ago, then I flew through my collection of podcast episodes and now that my intellectual tank is dry, the effect it's had on my motivation is palpable. Without having a story to look forward to it's hard to look forward to the work out. It becomes something I just have to get through. When it feels like a chore I don't get nearly as much out of it. I'm desperate. I'm looking for a good story that I can get lost in that maybe feels like summer. The only stipulations I have are: It must be an audiobook, it should have a good narrator and preferably be in the first person. I like strong female characters but comedies, suspense, and mystery are really good too. Even a good Podcast would be good. I'm looking for any recommendations for

5 days feels like an eternity. Since I last wrote, I have had some almost epic failures. Last Wednesday I had a date with my eye doctor and he told me that I had an infection in both eyes. How unbelievably gross.  Luckily it's not the nasty "pink eye" kind. The most unfortunate side effect of this news is the fact that I can't wear my contact lenses for about a month. The more unfortunate part of that side effect is that the glasses I have are 2 prescriptions old so I'm squinting something fierce. The timing of this whole ordeal is also about as terrible as it comes because Amy's wedding was Saturday and  the temperatures roared into the 90s so I was sweating my face off. When I sweat my face off, my glasses melt off my face too making it even more difficult to see. Luckily I worked out Wednesday before going to the eye doctor so it didn't effect my workout. Friday was the first failure to put my workout before life that gets in the way. With Amy's w

The last time I wrote a blog, Myspace was popular and Facebook wasn't open to anyone outside of a college email address. I know, I'm ancient. Since Myspace trained me as a blogger, I'm not quite privy to the rules... Should blogs be written at the same time every day? Even if this is a "rule" I'm breaking it because you can't time inspiration. Today is my first immediately post workout blog! Woohoo! As promised today started with interval running and followed up with a bowl of granola and some 30 day challenge workout research. I thought I'd try the 30 Day Ab Challenge from 30DayFitnessChallenges.com. A few points though. First, what the hell is the difference between a crunch and a sit-up? Apparently sit ups are the ones where you have to go all the way up lifting your lower back off the floor and crunches are the ones where your lower back can stay on the floor. To be clear, my lower back does not come off the floor. Really. I just tried it sim

Up until today I've been able to keep a routine. Monday to Thursday I get up, I work out, I try not to eat like crap, write a blog about it, and repeat. Today is my last day of work for the week and while I'm stoked to have some time off, I am feeling challenged to not let it get the best of my progress.  I have given myself Thursday off but tomorrow and Friday I have to still find time to do my workout. Not having to work should make this easier but I am a sucker for taking days off  when I don't have to work. This has proved to be a problem to my progress in the past. Tomorrow and Friday are going to test me and I'm going to rock them. Here's the plan: tomorrow I'm going to sleep in (because I totally deserve it!) then I'm going to get up and do my interval running between phone poles. I'm going to come back and research those 30 day challenges people are raving about and see if I should give them a go. Then, I'll proceed with the rest of my da

I have been at this "new life" for 21 days. I expect the time to fly by but I never expected the productivity my life would find in 3 weeks. This evening I said goodbye to my old friend Huey. Huey was my 2007 Ford Focus that I got for an early graduation present from college. That car took me to my first and second job, saw the end of my first long term relationship and helped me see the East Coast. There will always be a piece of me in that car. The new owners are a beautiful family from Belfast. I hope that Jessie and Ryan enjoy it as much as I have and I hope (with any luck) that their 1 year old daughter may learn to drive in it when she's old enough. I think the sale of my first new car is symbolic of all the changes I've been making. In a few years when I can look back and see the path clearly I will have this blog to thank for my progress. You have to hold onto the things that make a difference in your life but then you have to let them go so you can ushe