Day 49 - Big Fat & Juicy

Wow. Now THIS is something new. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with all of the physical activity I've incorporated into my life, but I'm thinking it might. After taking my "twenty" (which is now "50") on the treadmill watching McDreamy throw the Chief under the bus in an attempt to take his job, Charlie and I made plans to meet some of our best friends for dinner at Gator's Dockside out by USF. Did I order a salad and vegetables? Heck no!! I ordered the fattest, juiciest BBQ Bacon Burger on the menu. However, when the lady started listing my choices for side items, I should have stopped her at fries, because when she got to "veggies," my conscience kicked in and I couldn't very well order the fries knowing that veggies was an option. So, I got my burger and chased it with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and squash.

I ate half of the burger at the restaurant and finished the rest at 10pm that night. Normally, when I eat something of this magnitude, I wake up feeling bloated and literally 3-5 pounds heavier...water retention I'm sure. This time, however, I woke up and weighed myself only to find that I was the exact same weight (to the tenth) as I was the day before.

Does this mean I'm going to start eating big fat & juicy burgers all the time? Nope. But, it sure does feel good to be able to do it once in a while without the guilt that I would normally carry with me the next day. The guilt that would then begin the cycle of failure, which would lead to more burgers and less exercise. Not going down THAT road again.

Photo: Not my photo. Found using google search. It IS, however, the big fat & juicy burger that I ate.

Day 33 - Not Worth Reading

I spent the entire day today editing photos from a family portrait session last weekend. They were such a gorgeous family...I'm talking magazine perfect. It's a shame she doesn't want them shared on Facebook. I can respect that. The dad is a Dr. for a few of the High Schools. I will, however, post a test shot I took before they stepped in front of the camera. It's at the lake behind our neighborhood clubhouse in Wesley Chapel. Talk about a GORGEOUS backdrop.

This is what Winter in Florida looks like. We've averaged 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit (that's 23-26 degrees Celcius) for the past 4 weeks.

I have a meeting at Lil Charlie's school tomorrow morning, and I have promised myself that I will spend at least a couple of hours in my bathing suit at our neighborhood pools...trying to capture some much needed Vitamin D....and try to tan this nearly translucent skin of mine. Going to bring our iPad2 and catch up on a Grey's Anatomy episode or two.

I managed to pull off 100 Kitchen Counter Push-ups tonight. I was so drained after sitting at the computer all day, I couldn't drag myself to the gym. Not to mention, the guys who are there in the evening kind of creep me out and get on my nerves. They're probably just trying to be nice....or to hit on me, who knows. I just figured that my wedding ring, headphones, lack of eye contact and limited responses to their conversational attempts would give them a hint. No such luck.

Looking forward to tomorrow! Have a GREAT weekend, folks...go take back what's yours.

Day 32 - ONE MONTH RESULTS

Thank you all for reading my blog. I get updates on how many people are reading on a daily basis and it truly motivates me to be my best.

One month. I made it. What a relief. Coming from someone who never sticks to anything for longer than a week or two, this is monumental. As a reward, I have officially bumped my 20 minutes to 40 minutes. Bringing the iPad2, headphones and Netflix to the gym is a game changer. One episode of Grey's Anatomy is 40 minutes....and once I get through Grey's Anatomy, I plan to move onto another series....brilliant, I tell ya!

On another subject, I had some bloodwork done a few weeks ago and it turns out that my B-12 and Vitamin D were on the low side, so I decided to go on the offensive and start taking the vitamins that I need now to help prevent what might be in my future. Not to worry, they were still within the "normal" range, but were definitely in the lower 20% of "normal." I eat fairly well, but I don't eat a lot of different things. I'm a meat 'n potatoes kind of girl. Meat, potatoes and pasta. (Note - Photo of my new Multi-Vitamin Arsenal) 

Here is my line-up: In the morning, it's B-12 Sublingual, Fish Oil, D3 2000IU and Biotin. In the afternoon it's One-a-Day Weight Loss Multi-Vitamin, Acai and Vitamin A.  After 2 days, I've noticed remarked long-lasting energy levels. These will be my monthly goal for February. I'm already addicted to "My Time" - and now my Twenty has turned into Forty.

Here are my results after one month: 
Weight Loss: I don't think so. I naturally fluctuate anywhere from 3-5 pounds in a 24 hour period, so it's really hard to tell. Plus, I've been eating bad stuff lately...lots of fats and sugars.
Armpits: They have clearly started to concave back to the way they should be.
Tri-ceps: A very clear indention from "Kitchen Counter Pushups"
Measurements: Neck and Arms are down by 1/2 inch, nothing else has changed.

Family Changes: 
1. My husband has started Crossfit again.
2. My anti-exercise son asked me on 2 occasions if he could join me on my "20"
3. My daughter volunteers herself to go the gym with me from time to time.
4. Both of my sisters have started their own plans for getting back to healthy.

Overall, I can honestly say that this has TOTALLY been worth my time and effort. I plan to be down 20lbs by December this year. I've gained 20 in the past 2 years, so it's going to be tough to get it off in half the time. I've tried every diet in the book, so I'm changing books. Going old school: Ingest less...Move more.

Day 31 - McDreamy & McSteamy

I got a call this morning from a Substitute Teacher coordinator asking me if I could come in to sub for half a day. YAY! I love when they call me personally to ask. It makes me feel special! However, next time, I'll be sure to take note of which elementary school calls to ask. Yes, I showed up at the wrong school today. Typical me. Gotta laugh.

So, tonight, I discovered that our clubhouse gym has free Wi-Fi. Rock-ON!!! Considering what we pay for CDD and HOA, they should provide free iPads...

Thanks to a certain Netflix donor, and to Meme and Papa for the iPad2, I blew through 35 minutes on the treadmill catching up on McDreamy and McSteamy. That's code for Dr. Sheppard and Dr. Sloan - Grey's Anatomy. There was one season a few years ago that had a really slow start and I quit watching. Regretting that now. Regardless, that was the fastest 35 minutes ever! I had to stop 5 minutes early because sweat was dripping in my eyes, and now I can't find the episode that I was watching. UGH!!!

Tomorrow I will recap my first month blogging and Taking Back Twenty. Posting results and my plan of action for February!! Peace out!~~

Day 30 - Near Death Experience

Today was a scheduled "Rest Day." I have them pre-planed on my calendar every 10 days. It's like a freebie day. However, after today's events, I feel lucky to be alive...undeserving of a "Freebie Day."

I was pulling out of a store today when some j-hole ran a solid red light at 50mph, and missed T-boning me by a mere 1/10 of a second. I'm estimating these numbers, of course. However, based on the fact that the girl's vehicle physically lifted off the ground as she flew through the intersection, tells me that she was going fast enough to get some lift as she flew over a small rise in the pavement. It happened so quickly, and she missed me by MAYBE 3 inches. In my mind, however, it happened in slow motion. I actually saw the expression on her face when she realized that she thought that she was going to T-Bone someone. In that exact moment, I gunned the gas and cut my steering wheel left...fish tailing out of her path...leaving only black skid marks on the pavement. I'm still not sure how I survived this.  It makes me think that my Guardian Angel somehow slowed down time to give me the time to get out of the way. Craziness, I tell ya.

I've had 2 psychic-esque people describe in vivid detail what my Guardian Angel looks like, and their descriptions were remarkably similar... One was a friend from when I worked downtown at Verizon. It was out of the blue. She knew nothing about my family, but was able to tell me 2-3 things that only my Grandma Birdie would know. She had passed several years before. Then there was a palm reader that my sister and I stopped in to see. We weren't searching for info..we simply had 2 hours to burn in a town where there was one Dollar General store and one psychic. It was something that my sister would never do on her own, so I dared her. Long story short....both described my Guardian Angel's looks in detail and explained that she was with me all the time.

You may not be a believer, but the simple fact that I'm not either dead or in jail is proof enough for me. I was a wild child: non-conforming and above the rules, but somehow managed to not only survive High School, but also get a full ride scholarship to college.

Whatever you want to call it...a sixth sense, intuition, psychic ability.... I've always had internal dialogue. Learning to listen to it was the key.

Photo is from my Photography class at USF...I got critiqued today. Ouch!

Day 29 - A Walk in the Park

Literally. The weather here in Mid-Florida today, in the heart of winter, was a balmy 75 degrees. We packed up the bikes and drove down to Hillsborough River State park. Lil Charlie learned what happens when you mix bike tires and soft sand....the same thing I learned while riding my Harley through soft sand about 7 years ago. Ouch!

We rode around the main loop and then checked out the camp grounds...wondering why we never camped here before...so close to home. Instead, we would drive 50 miles to a campground that looks exactly the same. I didn't think that Hillsborough River State Park allowed campfires for some reason, but there were campfires burning all over the place. I'm thinking that this little trip might lead to a new (and by "new" I really mean "used") camper in the near future.

Missed the BFF today...we'd be attached at the hip if we could get away with it.