Make a Deal with DQ

Dear Dairy Queen,

For as long as I can remember your Blizzards have been comfort to me. There was always one waiting for me on the last 5 mile stretch of a long summer trip home. They always stuck in the cup, even when turned upside down, even in the Texas summer heat, except for that one time. My favorite was always Butterfinger, and I rarely deviated from that choice. It was like heaven in a cup.

Sadly, though, what gave me comfort in my childhood gave me hips as an adult! Blizzards are a rare treat these days, especially living in a frozen northern state where the DQ is closed for several months of the year! But oh, when I crave a Blizzard, there is nothing that can compare.

After years of cutting back, of denying myself, and of trying to find substitutes while I'm dieting, I'm ready to cut a deal with you, Dairy Queen. I'm ready to get my priorities straight and set my resolve to count calories. And, if by some stroke of luck, you find it in your heart to bestow upon me a supply of free food from your humble establishment, I am ready to count those calories from a Blizzard. Or onion rings. Or a chicken wrap. Or a cheeseburger. Or a small sundae... Oh, now I'm hungry! Thank you, Dairy Queen, for making me lose my train of thought. Now, where was I? Oh yes... I am ready to make a deal with you. If you provide me with free food, I will make sure I have enough calories in my diet to indulge and enjoy. I will make Dairy Queen part of my diet. I will savor every bite. Enjoy every morsel. Make every calorie count.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth


P.S. - I have encouraged my friends to make their own deal with you, Dairy Queen, and I have notified them that there is free food at stake.

124 and sore...

That was me yesterday. Actually, I've been at 124 for a couple days. We did twice as much work on the trapeze on Saturday, so I was EXTRA sore yesterday. Like sit in the hot tub, take ibuprofin and I STILL couldn't move my arms sore. But that means I got a good workout, right?

We've got one more week of the aerial class. I'm still really enjoying it, though I'm realizing I need to beef up my abs to do it well. Still, in the 4 classes I've taken, I can see a HUGE improvement in both my abs and my arms. That impresses me, because I never see that sort of improvement in 4 workouts! So... I might have to continue doing this just for the results. ;D I think Cathy's going to have another free workshop and then start up some new classes at the end of March and into April. I need to figure out if I'm going to TX or not to see if that will work for my schedule, but I'd love to take the beginner class again.

Anyway... Calorie counting is not going so well. And today? Well, today eating is not going so well. I think all I've had to eat today is the better portion of a box of girl scout cookies. Sigh. But they were oh so good! =D

Still, I see a walk on the treadmill (or outside if the wind will die down) and some sit ups in my future...

I woke up early this morning...

My friend Kate challenged me to start waking up at 5am to get more things done in the day. So this morning, I woke up early! I didn't quite make it up at 5, when my alarm went off, but Kate gave me a call at 5:30 to see if I was up and I did roll out of bed then. So I've been up for a little over an hour now. I started my morning with some time in the Word, which I haven't done in a long time. It is such an important part of my day, and yet it seems to be the first thing that gets dropped. It's also, I'm pretty sure, a big part of how my day goes, since my focus tends to be better aligned with God's plan for my life when I start out my day talking to Him. Anyway, it was good to start out the day that way.

So now I've read my Bible and blogged my thoughts on the reading today (somehow thinking "out loud" helps my thoughts be a little more focused just after I wake up in the morning!) and I've got 100 calories under my belt for breakfast. I figured I'd try recording my calories again. I haven't been very consistent (with anything in my life lately, sadly), but today is a new day, right? I'm starting up again. So we're 100 calories and 1 WW point into the day and I'm going to go tackle the treadmill for a while.

It's amazing just how quiet the house is before everyone else gets up. I hope I can keep this early morning routine going.

What the heck?!

I have exercised 3 times in the last week. I don't think I have overeaten that much. I certainly have not had as much water, but I've tried to drink fluids since I wasn't eating much while I was sick. So why, WHY, when I stepped on the scale today am I 128.6???? That's up over 4 lbs in less than 2 weeks!

Exercise...

So the Aerial Dance workshop on Saturday... it was fun!! I definitely need to be in better shape to do well with it, but I enjoyed it! I enjoyed it enough that I enrolled in a beginner class, so I'll be doing that every Saturday in February. Who'd have thunk?

And... while we're on the topic of crazy things I did this weekend... I got up this morning and ran! It's been 6 months since I've run (I mean, AT ALL), but I decided just to get on and give it my best, so after a 5 minute warm up walk I started running... and didn't stop for 15 minutes! That's right... I ran 15 minutes straight (about a mile and a half) after not running at all for 6 months! Crazy! But exhilarating at the same time, so I hope I can keep up with it now that I've gotten that first dreaded run out of the way.

So... that's my weekend. I'm excited about running and doing aerial dance this month and hoping to get in better shape that way. I just need to work on my abs so I can roll up ONTO the trapeze without needing assistance by the end of the class. Ha ha! How's that for a goal?

124.4

I was down to 124.4 this morning. Hooray! Of course, that's 10 lbs over what I was at my smallest a year and a half ago, but I'm happy to see the numbers under 125! They were at 127.6 last week, so that's a great thing to see!

Calories... I'm watching, but not "counting" per se. I count for the first part of the day and then just estimate towards the end. I stay within my calorie range and think I'm at the low end at the end of the day.

Exercise... is still hit and miss, but I'm making a point to go up and down the stairs as many times as possible today. =D

My name is Elizabeth...

... and I'm still here.

I haven't died (thank goodness!)

I've just been super busy.

But I am here, and I have been plugging away. I went to the Dr. last week, and they weighed me. Ack! I go back in a few weeks for some blood tests (everything's okay, don't worry =D) and I'm planning to lose some weight in case they weigh me again! =D That's motivation for me!

I'm still struggling with getting exercise in. But I've been working on doing yoga most mornings and improving my flexibility, which has been beneficial. It doesn't take long, doesn't take any equipment, and I can do it anywhere in the house, so that's helped me do it. For some reason I'm really tight today, though, and I don't know what's up with that. But I'm doing better, and that's what counts! I can touch my toes again!! (And can I just say, and I'm sorry if you're one of these people, that people who are naturally flexible and think touching your toes is nothing impressive because they never stretch and can bend over and grab the bottoms of their feet are annoying??! Touching my toes is huge, people, even if I AM only 5 feet tall! It's something I have to work at! - rant over.)

I guess the big news right now is that I'm taking an "aerial dance" workshop on Saturday and might join in an aerial dance class depending on how the workshop goes! I think it sounds like the coolest thing, and it's a new studio one of my friends is opening up. And hey... if I can expand my horizons AND get in better shape doing it, why not, right? We'll see. I've always wanted to learn how to use a trapeze!

So... that's where things are. Busy. Not crazy, but busy enough that my poor little bloglife has been neglected. My weightloss plans have slowed, but are still there, being plugged away at, and my craft life is nonexistent. We haven't even been leaving the house much, which is weird. And yet I seem to be busy all day long (thanks in large part to a little girl with whom I'm trying to spend more time lately), but it's good. We're getting some good routines into place that I think will make life run a whole lot smoother once the rest of life falls into place. I'm taking babysteps to get there and it's slow moving, but hopefully will have lasting effects instead of the instant change that falls apart and is reclaimed by chaos in a short amount of time. I hope so, at least!