you can't even HANDLE this

yello!

let’s just get down to it. i finally did my june weigh-in at ww (or “dubs” as elizabeth and i so lovingly call it). i knew i was on the verge of being out of my lifetime (aka nonpaying) goal-weight range. i set my dubs goal weight at 149, and i’m allowed to be up to 151. above that and you pay for that week’s meeting.

huge reality check: i weighed 151.4.


the receptionist entered in the computer that i was 151 because i was soooo close and my clothes weighed at least 0.4 pounds. but still. maybe i SHOULD have paid. i would have felt like enough of a failure to myself that i’d never get out of range again! i suppose having it documented that i was back in the 150s was kick in the pants enough, though.

i’ve woken up at 149 and 148 the past two mornings, so realistically i am still hovering around my ww goal weight. HOWEVER, that’s not my real-life weight goal!!!! have i forgotten that???? i must have.

my real-life weight goal is 139. i was oh so close only a handful of months ago. 142-143 in february or so. and then multiple birthday outings happened … and out-of-town drinkyfoodyness … and mexico … and life. excuses excuses.

obviously i know i’m not a fatty anymore. i really do feel great about myself! and i’m a firm believer that it’s not about the number on the scale but the way your clothes fit. well, my tum tum is much bloatier than it was a few months ago, and my clothes don’t fit quite as nicely. sooo there's that. and my added poundage confirms that i haven’t simply shrunken my clothing.



after a month off, eliz and i are back into taking dubs seriously. well, as seriously as people who call it dubs can be. but we’re serious. seriously.

for instance! i volunteered at a river cleanup thing yesterday afternoon and was completely wiped afterward. i was sore just driving home from the event. i wanted to put up my feet and take it easy for the duration of the evening. that meant skipping kickboxing. BUT NO! I DID NOT SKIP! i kickboxed my little heart out even though my bod was tired and i had a headache beforehand.

result: my bod got over its tiredness and my headache decreased by at least 2/3.

i had mentioned to my coworkerfriend that i reeeeaaallly wanted to pick up pizza for dinner. hello! i would have earned it after volunteering AND kickboxing!!! but my mind decided something else as it drove me to subway instead of the pizza place. victory!

healthy decisions ftw!

the title of this post suggested you wouldn’t be able to handle something i was preparing to throw at you. well, here it is: MY NEW THEN/NOW PIC!!!!!!!!!!!!


maybe you can handle the difference. but you can’t, right?? i can’t! it’s crazy nuts awesome!!!!!!!!!

both pics were snapped by the same tree in puerto vallarta, mexico, and let me tell you i was a bit touched when i had the most recent one taken. that tree and i have a history, you know!?

anyway, i pretty much look like a different person in the now picture, and i love it :) i put them next to each other and might have screamed. or maybe laughed at the happy surprise. i know for sure i exclaimed “whoa!” a bunch of times.

i’ve analyzed every part of my old body versus the new, and it’s just nuts. NUTS I TELL YOU!

ok, time to calm down and take it all in, me.

dear, amandarin:
you are stunning. really. believe it.
you are the healthiest you’ve been in your life. be proud.
you have the best friends and family ever.
you are talented.
you are loved.
you rock.
love, amandarin

NOTE: priorfatgirl jen is spiffing up the pfg world a bit, and we’re hoping to see the results of a site revamp after this weekend. if some glitches happen between now and then, don’t worry your pretty little head. we’ve got this ;)

sporty spice

no one can predict what i’ll wear to work each day. heck, i can’t even do it. yesterday, for instance, my hair was down and curled beautifully. i wore a purple-and-black wraparound shirt, black pencil skirt and black pumps. i looked like a professional grownup!

today i am sporty spice.

(yikes i need to clean up that stuff behind me.

and take out my headphones if i'm gonna snap a pic?)

my ponytailed hair is held back by a bright green elastic headband. i’m wearing a dark gray and neon yellow puma jacket over a purple john mayer concert t-shirt, black skinny jeans and ’80s-throwback-patterned TOMS.

how do you describe the pattern of these besides AWESOME?!

fairly certain i’ve crossed the line of casualness at work today, but it’s raining, so sue me.

this ensemble has actually done me some good today! my outfit (in combination with this morning’s half-caf cold press coffee with a shot of white chocolate) has encouraged me to move faster and do more with my everyday tasks.

my continuous water-drinking causes many a bio break, and i’ve gone to the restroom two floors down each time. i hustle down the two flights effortlessly, but the two flights up get me a tiny bit winded. in my defense, i’ve heard that each flight in my building is actually 1.5, so my trip is equivalent to 3 flights each way … er something …

i’ve been walking faster than usual today. i don’t walk that slowly usually, but i've been told i'm “like a hummingbird on speed” when i have my occasional coffee. it feels good to walk fast! keeps my mood and energy up! if our bodies can handle it, why not? sure beats walking around like a mope on a rainy tuesday.

and here’s the out-of-the-ordinary thing my outfit (and coffee) inspired me to do. while printing a 124-page document, i did standing pushups against a file cabinet!


i decided to strip down to my sports bra and spandex shorty shorts while i did it, so i could feel the maximum burn. SO kidding. that’s not me in the picture. obv.

i loved that i was being productive while my item printed! it felt great, too. i was strong and pushupy. however, i was wondering the entire time what i’d tell someone if they walked in and witnessed my in-office workout. thankfully no one saw me … this time.

i rule that my too-casual outfit was just fine for today. other people in the office complained about being chilly, but not me! suckas.

last week's results regarding my SMART goal of working out five times per week: i worked out three times. so i didn’t meet my goal, but i did replace my canceled kickboxing class with a run. yay?

i’d use my sporty/caffeinated energy to go for a run this evening, but it’s raining and the treadmill … well, i just don’t like the treadmill anymore. i should probably just suck it up. i have a 5K to run in 18 days!!!!!!!! eek.

and now, to close things out, one of my friend jen and my favorite natalie dee’s that is so appropriate i could scream. you’re welcome :)

www.nataliedee.com

peace.

UPDATE: i was going to forgo the workout tonight (tsk tsk) because liz invited me over for dinner and a movie with her and cody. BUT i ran a 5k on the treadmill when i got home (at 9:45!) because i wasn't tired yet. rock on, me!

Wowza.

I made some great food decisions this weekend and several more fun ones. Haha! I was going to write “poor” decisions, but that wasn’t accurate. My food and drinks tasted great! All billion calories of them!

I had Mexican with my parents Friday night. I ate about a basket of chips with salsa, the vegetarian combo A (which means nothing to you, but I forgot what it included) and a 25-oz Dos Equis Amber. I was feeling a weeeee bit weighed down after all that, but I stayed active for the next couple hours while I shopped with mi madre.

I went for a 2-mile run on Saturday morning, aaaaand that was the only legit workout I managed to squeeze into my busy weekend. Sadface.

I didn’t do too well at my cousin’s grad party Saturday. LOTS of snacks, grazing and a few beers. But I was standing and walking around a lot, so that’s good?? I met my friends that evening at a riverside restaurant/bar and ordered a salad! And a beer.

We boated out to a sandbar afterward and camped out on the river. More beers were consumed. Many bugs bit me.

www.nataliedee.com

The next morning we headed back to the mainland for breakfast. I had an omelet with green peppers, onions and tomatoes (yay veggies!), hashbrowns and toast. And two Bloody Marys.

WOW! I swear I’m not an alchy. Sure sounds like it, though. Just being honest. And that’s not the end of it …

Since I slept MAYBE 30 minutes on the sandbar (I’m the worst sleeper EVER), I went back to my parents’ house for a shower and two-hour nap. Then I met my friends at a different Mex restaurant where they were just finishing up an early dinner (linner? dunch?). I ganked some free chips and salsa while they attempted to finish their humongous margaritas.

www.nataliedee.com

We returned to the sandbar to pack up tents and other leftovers from nights prior, enjoy the weather before it rained … and drink a couple more beers. The clouds were rolling in, so we went back to our friends’ apartment and chilled. We ordered Pizza Hut stuffed-crust pizzas that were sooo good and sooo bad all at the same.

It had been a tiring weekend in the sun and heat, and we had just eaten ourselves silly, but we eventually peeled ourselves off the couch and walked/yawned our way downtown. Is it sad I was excited for a 0.5-mile walk? Well, as excited as a superduper wornout person can get. My body was obviously craving exercise.

I had a Captain Diet and a MGD 64 while we were downtown, but I just could not wake up. We hung out awhile and played darts, but by midnight Liz and I were beat. We walked (yay walking!) back to the apartment and called it a night.

I actually slept eight hours that night! First time in a long time. I met my friend Heidi for lunch at yet another Mexican restaurant Monday afternoon. We sat outside and enjoyed the sun and some long-overdue girltalk. And here’s a first: We didn’t even finish a basket of chips between the two of us! Holla. I had a cheese quesadilla and a Pacifico with a lime. It really felt like summer, and I loved every minute of it.

I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and watching an NCIS marathon. I had never even watched that show before, so I obviously wasn’t invested in it. Why didn’t I go for a run, a walk, ANYTHING?! Meh. It felt so wonderful to just kick my feet up and lie on the couch at mom and dad’s … so I did that.


I decided to stick around for dinner, and my dad grilled a veggie burger for me and hamburgers for himself and mom. It sure was a nice way to round out the holiday weekend.

Now, with all that eating, drinking, and minimal exercise, how much do you think I gained? A billion pounds?

I couldn’t bear to weigh myself Monday night after I got back to my apartment, so I waited until yesterday morning. And the damage was ..... 4 or 5 lbs. I weighed 153. Yikes! Haven’t seen that number in a long time.

I woke up this morning at 151.4. Better, but still no good. 0.4 lbs out of my WW Lifetime range, actually, so I will not be weighing in this week.


Now that I’m back in the groove of eating normally and actually drinking WATER, my weight and bloat is decreasing as I expected. I kickboxed tonight and went for a run afterward (to celebrate National Running Day!), and I just weighed myself at 150.2.

Believe me, I’ve been eating. More cals than usual but considerably less than this bender of a weekend. I blame the majority of the weightgain on water retention. Hello, three Mexican restaurants and numerous drinks! Thank goodness I’ve gotten back on track right away.

Let me say I’m AMAZED (and slightly appalled) after typing all that. I love holiday weekends, but come on, that was a bit ridiculous.

Holy crap long post. Peace out.