Goodbye, January

Weight is weird.

Last week, when I expected to have lost more, I lost 1 stupid pound.

This week, when the enjoyment of some delicious cheesy potatoes and ice cream on my annual scrapbooking retreat had me nervous … I am down 5 more pounds.

Alan sent me a photo of his naked feet (gasp!) on his scales this morning, and it looked to show just under 200.

So, for the month of January, Alan is down 5 to 6 pounds total, and I've lost 15.

Amazing.

When I can get caught up (yeah right), I'll write a little more than just a weigh-in report.

Until then, keep on keeping on ...

3 weeks down

[caption id="attachment_472326" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Alan says he is starting to feel ribs."][/caption]

Happy Monday.

We've wrapped up the third week of our 2011 slim-down.

Alan lost 3 more pounds, and I lost 1.

I was actually kind of surprised by that, but a loss is a loss, so I'll take it.

This week will be a bit more challenging. I am on my own with the 2-year-old for part of the week, as my husband is in Atlanta.

And my left knee is starting to tighten and retain some fluid. I'm hoping it will resolve on its own.

And on Friday, I leave for my annual hardcore scrapbooking retreat, which always involves lots of sitting and noshing. I'll try to use good sense.

Oh, and I've officially been off Diet Coke now for three weeks, too. I drink water, unsweet tea and even the occasional black coffee. (I feel so grown up.)

Alan notes that he is starting to feel his ribs.

Ah, ribs. Mine are in there somewhere. Near my so-called "abs," I suppose.

I shall continue my quest to find them ...

Are you a warrior?

Call me crazy.

("Misty, you so crazy!")

Since we were last here, I got in my 3 miles on the treadmill, made a slushy trip to the gym this morning, and oh yeah … I signed up for the July 30 Warrior Dash.

Seriously. Click the link. I've lost my mind.

When my friend Kristy posted that she and her boyfriend were doing The Dash just two days after my friend Karen had first told me about it, I took it as a message from God.

Or maybe it was just one of the many voices in my head.

Either way, I'm all signed up. Since committing to the "Craziest Frickin' Day of My Life," I've found all sorts of folks who will be there with me.

I'm hoping that out of Kristy and Tony, Kleen, Paul and Quinn, Ilona and Tim, and Liz, SOMEBODY will help me if I get stuck in an obstacle, or at least roll my body out of the way.

The race is 3.3 miles and includes these obstacles along the way (think "Survivor" challenges):

• The Junkyard Jump, a stampede through the scrap yard


• The Warrior Wall, a climb up and over a wooden barrier


• The Deadweight Drifter, what I call some of my ex-boyfriends, plus a trudge through waist-deep water and over logs


• The Chaotic Crossover, a crawl across tangled nets


• The Arachnophobia, a trip through tangled ropes


• The Slithering Swamp, a venture into unknown murky waters


• The Walk the Plank, a trip across the gully on wooden planks


• The Cargo Climb, a maneuver over cargo nets


• The Warrior Roast, a leap over fire (yes, really)


• Muddy Mayhem, a scramble beneath barbed wire in the mud

And the very best part is you get a warrior helmet and beer! There's live music and what looks like a giant party afterward.

I'm doing the 10:30 a.m. wave. Why don't you join me?

Worth the sacrifice

[caption id="attachment_472309" align="alignright" width="383" caption="Do you hear angels singing, too?"][/caption]

I'm feeling a little off-kilter today. Instead of getting on the treadmill before work this morning, I was snuggling with a very grumpy 2-year-old (who is usually asleep when I work out).

Now I'm grumpy because I have to get in my miles when I get home tonight, plus get groceries, plus my husband needs a haircut …

See? That's why I like to get my exercise in first thing in the morning, so I don't dread fitting it into The Juggle at night.

And those morning workouts are serving me well. I lost … well, wait. Let me tell you about my weekend.

I made my way through two parties on Saturday. The first stop had lots of finger-foody deliciousness.

The second had PIZZA, WINGS and BEER — The Holy Trinity.

I chose one. I'll let you assume which one.

At both parties, though, I did have mostly salad. I tried to be sensible. (Yes, me. Sensible.)

I kept telling myself, "Nothing here tastes as good as being thin will feel."

It paid off. When I weighed this morning, I had lost 5 pounds!

Alan, my weight loss competition, says he stayed exactly the same for the week, but he also weighed with his clothes on this morning. (Who does that?)

So, I direct your attention to the scoreboard:

Misty, (Week 1) 4 pounds + (Week 2) 5 pounds = 9 pounds so far.

Alan, (Week 1) 2 pounds + (Week 2) Who knows = Take Your Damn Clothes Off Next Week.

Carry on …

Rhythm and sole

[caption id="attachment_472300" align="alignright" width="295" caption="Brooks "Addiction 9" "][/caption]

I got my new shoes. Aren't they spiffy?

As I waited for the store owner to come back with my Brooks "Addiction 9" last night, I heard another clerk ask a very petite girl what width shoe she usually wears.

"I'm usually an E," she answered.

I looked up, our eyes met and we shared a nod that told me we were forever bonded in some kind of unspoken Freak Feet Club.

I took the new shoes for their inaugural workout at the gym this morning, and they did not disappoint.

Well, the girl behind me in a sort of evil torture exercise where you crawl from bag to bag and kick might disagree.

I kicked her in the nose.

But other than that … perfection. They even stayed on my feet during the dreaded mountain climbers exercise, during which my former shoes often slipped off my heel.

Of course, I would use that as a reason to stop and breathe, so I guess I won't have that excuse anymore.

Onward and upward ...

And … we're off!

Happy Monday. Where did that weekend go?

I'm off the treadmill and writing to report my (and Alan's) first official weigh-in of 2011.

Alan lost 2 for the week, and I lost 4.

(Scoreboard, Alan! Scoreboard!)

Nah, in all honesty, it is great having him beside me in this journey. Admittedly, his journey will be far shorter than mine.

Our "contest" is to see who can lose 10 percent of our weight fastest. Alan started this contest at 205, and I, well, am much higher.

So, he will win if he loses 21 pounds before I lose a number, well, higher.

One tool we're using is a free service called Lose It. There are free Lose It apps for the iPad and iPhone so you can easily and conveniently log all your food and keep track of your calories.

If you don't have an iPad or iPhone, you can just sign up and log everything right on the website. Again, it's FREE.

Recording my calories eaten vs. calories burned (yes, it takes those into account, too) has been eye-opening. (Measuring actual serving sizes has shown me I was eating way more than actual servings in most cases.)

Plus, Alan and I are "friends" on Lose It, so we can keep an eye on what the other has eaten throughout the day, etc.

There might even be a little trash-talking on there … if I were that sort of person. But of course, I'm not.

(Scoreboard, Alan! Scoreboard!)

Week 1 Wrap-up

[caption id="attachment_472286" align="alignright" width="189" caption="Don't use your noodle. Use spaghetti squash."][/caption]

Happy Friday!

We're wrapping up the first week of the new year, and I'm happy to say I've stayed on track so far. A few things I've learned this week:

• I can work out five mornings a week and not die.


• Meticulously documenting everything I put in my mouth is a daunting but necessary and eye-opening task.


• Spaghetti squash is absolutely delicious. Substitute it anywhere you'd normally use pasta. Do it.


• I can give up Diet Coke for at least five days and not die.

We'll see how everything is paying off when I weigh in Monday morning. Have a great weekend!

Gotta get the gear

Well, good morning!

A couple of observations since we were last here:

1. I need boxing gloves.

Not the pouffy, rounded, float-like-a-butterfly-sting-like-a-bee type I actually used in kickboxing classes 8-9 years ago, but the sleek ones all the cool kids are wearing like these pictured here.

With winter already beating the crap out of my hands, the bag work I did this morning in kickboxing class just added to it. I looked down at one point, and my knuckles were bleeding.

2. I officially have the weirdest feet of anyone you know.

This isn't too terribly surprising to me. I mean, I've had to live with the monstrosities my whole life.

But my freakishly high arches and astronomical width seemed to stun even the foot/shoe expert at the Runners store I went to last night.

I've been wanting to get fitted for really nice workout shoes for a while but decided to wait 'til I got my Christmas money.

The nice boy at the store meticulously measured my feet and and studied my "gait," a fancy word for watching how I walk.

And then he told me the words every gal wants to hear: "We'll have to special order yours. Most people are about a B width. You're an E."

Well, that's just super.

So, I'm gonna get some gloves and (in 5-10 days) some shoes for my freak feet.

Bloody knuckles and under-pronation be damned!

Happy New Year!

What's that you say? The new year started three days ago?

Ah. Well, since I've been on the road since Christmas Eve, I officially started 2011 and all the healthy intentions that come with it this morning.

But first, a quick look at 2010: I'm glad it's over.

There were some good things, and there were some bad things. The bad things really kicked my butt.

When the year was all said and done, I came out 24 pounds lighter than I started it.

It could've been worse, I guess, but I'm finally ready to kick it into high gear again. And I'm off to a good start: 3 miles on the treadmill this morning.

I'm gonna get a handle on my diet again, and here is my exercise goal: Treadmill at home before work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and kickboxing at the gym before work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Having to drag myself out into the dark, cold mornings two days a week doesn't seem as awful to me.

And I'm pushing myself hard to get in my workouts first thing in the morning for two reasons: I won't dread working out all day, and well, it makes me feel pretty good for the rest of the day.

Two new(ish) goals, resolutions, whatever you wanna call 'em: I'm giving up Diet Coke (and all pop, for that matter), and I'm really going to work on "finding my happy," as my friend Tammie says.

Anyone who knows me well knows the Diet Coke thing won't be easy for me. But it's time. I'm putting too many chemicals into my body that don't belong there.

(What's that? Touch my beer and I'll bite off your fingers. Pipe down.)

As for my "happy," I'm reading a book called "Women Food and God" (which I'll talk about again soon), and one thing is becoming clear(er) to me:

My weight is not my problem. My problems help cause my weight.

So here we are. The year 2011, and I am still struggling with some of the same shit I was struggling with in 1993.

I'm ready to be better in so many ways.

Who's with me?

Oh, and Alan: Game on.