operation smaller biscuits. because I'm too ladylike to say a$$.

(note: the title is an alternate version of my friend Jess' who is in a similar situation as me when it comes to weight loss. But she's more blunt than I am. And she knows I don't swear. Because I'm a goody-goody).

***

I assisted one of my friends on a high fashion photoshoot a few days ago. Usually, I don't get too self-conscious about how I look. I let most of that go in college, when I realized that the guys in high school were just dumb (no offense if any of y'all actually read my blog, which I doubt), and the reason they didn't like me had nothing to do with my looks. I think it had way more to do with the aforementioned goody-goody personality of mine. But that's another story for another day. I'm just glad my husband thought that part of me was hot. That and ma biscuits.

Ahem. Getting back on topic...

I'm a size 6 (albeit a tight size 6 sometimes...), which compared to most, is still small. But for the first time in my whole life, I walked into that room on the photoshoot and felt like the fat girl. Heck, I was the fat girl. Not only was the model a size 0, but so was the makeup artist. The model's mom and my friend were both smaller than me.
And while I know y'all are going to say not to let that get to me? That I'm not a total fatty, because a 0 isn't normal? I appreciate it. I do. But dude, I needed the wake-up call. My happy weight is 115. And it's not beyond my reach. I've just spent the last 4 years enjoying carbs and losing my sense of portion control.

via

Before that, my heaviest was 125, and that was when I didn't really work out or watch what I ate. And before that, I spent most of my life as a size 0.

Those days are long behind me now though.

I have the muscle. I could arm wrestle Brad and put up a good fight, thanks to Noah (go lift 40+ lbs over and over all day and I promise you'll get results). Ask me to flex, and I've got some serious guns. But I've lacked the discipline in my diet, so you can't actually see them. I mean, what a waste.

Until now.
And you know what the difference is? Motivation. Resolve.
Before, I made excuses. I'd do really well all week, and then let Brad talk me into a night out, full of high calorie food. I'd let myself have a bowl of ice cream... y'know since I'd worked out that day. What kind of logic is that??

via

So I went to the store the day after that shoot, with the skinny version of me stuck in my head. I was focused, man. I just about bought out their produce department. Even the checkout lady made a comment about it.
I know what to do. I've done it before... lived off of only healthy foods, occasionally splurging. Working out on a consistent basis. Both my parents are health conscious. They shop organically and haven't been lazy a day in their life.

Since last Wednesday, I've counted every calorie. And guess what I found out? I'm barely over 1000 calories a day. And that's how I use to eat back when I was skinny. To be clear, I don't starve myself. It's just that the food I eat is filling, but low cal. Lots of fruits, veggies, and lean protein. If I want something salty, I go for some (lightly salted) almonds. If I want something sweet, I drink some hot chocolate.

It's not rocket science. The difference between a week ago and now? I'm motivated. Because I'll be darned if I ever walk into a room again and feel fat. That feeling sucked. And I'll never be that again (unless I'm pregnant obviously, which I'm not).

I wish I could say that I'm doing this so that I can be healthy for my kid/s and blahblahblah. Yes, I want that too. But if I'm being perfectly honest? I'm totally being shallow and vain. I want my defined cheekbones back. And I want to fit (not squeeze) in that cute little black dress again.
So yeah, it's all about the looks for me.

Oh well. At least I'm not ashamed to admit it, right? That's got to count for something. :)

It's time to be fabulous again.

via

***

ps. remember when I said popcorn was 0 points on WW? Yeah, I was wrong. I swear I didn't just come up with that, but turns out 5 cups is equal to 4 pts. Just wanted to make that clear, so I'm not steering people into wasting all their points on popcorn. And thanks to a friend of mine for not calling me out on my blog and making me feel like an idiot. lol.

decluttering my head

I'm so out of my workout groove. I quit running after the miscarriage, and I obviously just lost all motivation. Then the holidays hit, and frankly, it seemed like a lost cause. I would've just been working out as an excuse to eat food. And let's face it, Christmas only comes once a year, and there's no way in H-E-doublehockeystick that I'm gonna pass up my aunt's sweet potato casserole (don't let the name fool you... it's loaded with butter and sugar... and oh-so-good).

But all that's over now. Pretty sure the lady lumps I've acquired aren't quite what Fergie was referring to, so I hopped back on the treadmill a few days ago for the first time. And I swear I thought I was going to die. The strength is there, but the endurance? Eh, notsomuch. My sides were cramping, and I only went like 2 miles. I guess that's not bad, but I was hoping for more. I'm an overachiever that way I guess.

***
 I finally jumped on the Downton Abbey bandwagon. I spent a couple days catching up on past seasons, and by the end of it, I was worried I was going to start accidentally speaking in a British accent. Except with a Southern twang. I'm sure that would've been super hot.
The show is addictive and really good. The only down side is that it stresses me out. That's an awful lot of drama to throw into one show. I seriously can't watch it before bed, because it makes me all anxious.

***
If you were following the news/weather at all last week, you probably heard about our big fat blizzard we had (#sarcasmfont). I love it when it snows. We rarely ever get any, so come January, most Southerners get all excited if there's even the slightest chance of some.

Yeah. Our area got a few flurries, but that was it.

Womp, womp.

(source unknown)

And while we're on the subject, I'd like to get something off my chest.

Northern and western transplants to our area like to give us a really hard time about our snow excitement. I saw a few calling us "idiots". But frankly, it's usually the transplants that my brother spends all day hauling out of ditches every time it snows. They figure they're super experienced and can drive on slush-covered roads.
If they saw our one little makeshift snow plow? They may understand why most of us stock up on groceries and refuse to come out of the house for two days. ;)

***

You know how most toddlers get really quiet, and that's how you know they're up to something? Well, I think we finally hit that stage with Noah.
He's usually pretty chill, so when he got quiet last week, I assumed he was just playing in his room. I went to go check on him, and to my horror, I walked in to a poop fest. Noah wanted to tap into his inner artist, but since he couldn't get to his paint or crayons, he got resourceful.
It was all over him, smeared into the carpet, on his bedroom door...

He's never done anything like that before (and it doesn't really have anything to do with autism. I've heard of typical kids doing this too). I guess there's a first time for everything, but I'm hoping there's a LAST time for everything too.

***
So remember Noah's Mini Cooper my dad and stepmom got him for Christmas? Well, our driveway isn't really ideal, since it's kind of short and goes to the road. I decided to take it over to my dad's and let Noah test drive it there.
He really liked riding around in it, but he hasn't quite gotten the hang of steering yet. He knows how to make it stop and go, but he's rather go hands-free and chill as he cruises.
Cracked us up.

Happy Monday (and MLK Day)!

playing catch-up.

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately. We're coming into that busy season where we go-go-go for 2 months straight. It's actually my favorite kind of season. People are (mostly) happy and filled with excitement.
For me, I also have to factor in Noah's therapy appointments, Brad's crazy retail schedule, work, pregnancy, and all the stuff in between.
Frankly, I already have issues keeping up with blogging as it is. I can't imagine what things will look like around here in the next few weeks.
Bear with me, this may turn into a long post. Sorry 'bout that.

However, part of my blogging issue was that our laptop (we thought) had died. It wasn't charging anymore. So if I wanted to blog or do anything computer-related, I had to do it on the monster in the corner room upstairs. No more blogging while Noah played right in front of me. But, we tested out the laptop with my dad's charger, and it was indeed just the charger. So I have my laptop back. Woohoo!

Anyways, this is a catch-up post of sorts.
Just stuff we've been doing the last couple of weeks that I've been meaning to blog.

My Birthday.
It was actually a little pathetic. Life just got so busy, and I couldn't decide what I wanted to do. So I messaged a bunch of friends to see if they wanted to join us for dinner. It was kind of a last minute thing, so my feelings weren't going to be too hurt if it didn't work out.
And well... those who said they could come? Almost all had to cancel at the last minute, due to various reasons (mostly babysitter and sick kid issues). However, one of my lifelong best friends was so loyal that he and his fiance drove 2 hours from his granddad's 90th bday party to celebrate with me. It was going to be them and one other couple. And since both couples lived on opposite sides of town (and frankly, I was worried they wouldn't quite mesh well, personality wise)... we decided to keep it small. Which turns out? Is exactly how I like it.
We opted for a Japanese steakhouse (haven't had it in foreeever. shrimp sauce, how I missed you...), and we had an absolute blast. Afterwards, Brad and I picked up Noah and we all headed back to our place to hang out and play games.
It was low key. And it was wonderful.

More Birthdays.
Noah's cousin, Easton, turned two last week. To celebrate, his momma planned a little party at our grandparents' house for Easton's friends and family. Easton's daddy was actually in a very serious car accident last year. So bad in fact, that he is the only survivor. He recently started being able to walk on his own again, and it was so awesome to see him there. His progress is amazing, and I'm sure his parents are thanking God every single day for sparing their son.

We learned that Noah isn't exactly the best birthday party guest. Obviously, this is an area we need to work on a little more. Poor kid.
I wasn't able to get many pictures of the party, because a certain little boy decided to get into a massive mud puddle. He was originally heading for a big pile of dirt (my family has always been in construction, so random dirt piles are normal), but got sidetracked by a quick-sand type mud swamp. He stepped one foot in it, slipped, and was covered in mud. And of course you know I didn't pack an extra pair of pants. So the kid attended the rest of the party without pants, while his were washing.
I had to actually hose him off outside before we took his shoes and pants off. He thought that was so fun that he got mad when I wouldn't let him play with the hose himself.
He also doesn't understand that the entire gallon of ice cream is not for him.
Nor are the birthday boy's presents.
Or that you can't just walk up to kids and take their balloons, then proceed to let them go.
And while Noah is most definitely not the tantrum-thrower type, he certainly had a few fall-on-the-floor and whine moments because of our constant intervening. Apparently, we don't get invited to enough parties. haha.
But it wasn't all bad. My cousin had borrowed a bouncy house, which Noah loved. They also painted pumpkins (which Noah entertained for about 5 minutes). We also got to see one of mine and Brad's childhood buddies (he grew up down the street from us) who was there with his wife and little girls.

 

 That night, the rest of the family came over to celebrate the October birthdays. Noah was doing a little better. At least he had pants on. Although at one point, we were all sitting around the table chatting. I see my brother jump up from the table... because Noah had reached onto the kitchen counter and was carrying an entire sheet cake to us. Because he wanted some, and he didn't know how else to tell us. Thank goodness we caught him before he had a chance to drop it.

That boy.

Photography Stuff.
I need a nanny. Or a husband with a regular work schedule. I currently have two photo sessions and a wedding I'm editing, and Noah doesn't quite understand that concept. Brad has a couple days off this week, so I'm taking advantage and getting as much done as I possibly can.

Oh yeah, the wedding.
Well, the night before, Noah was an angel and went to bed at 10:30. And wouldn't you know it, Brad and I were both too excited about the next day that we couldn't sleep. We both got a little over 3 hours that night, before driving 2.5 hours to the location and spending the next 6 hours documenting a wedding.
Honestly, though? It was a blast.
I realized how much I enjoyed doing weddings. At least the easy ones. I'm not skilled enough to handle crazy lighting situations yet.
The only issues we really ran into were mostly with people. Guests who didn't want their picture taken or an incredibly shy groom. :) That and the actual ceremony itself. It's really difficult trying to balance between getting good shots and not being totally obtrusive. But it all worked out. I just hope the bride will be happy with what we got.
Here are a couple of shots I already posted on my Facebook page. Oh, and if you love me, do me a favor and go "like" my page. I'm almost at 100 likes! ;)

My dad and stepmom came to watch Noah for us for the day. They were awesome and were at our door before the sun was up. While they waited for Noah to wake up, they proceeded to wash the dirty dishes in the sink, fix our dishwasher (we thought it died, but the timer just broke), and repair our front door handle that was a pain to open.
We told them just to take our car if they needed to go anywhere (to avoid switching out the car seat). And boy did they go.
I think they took Noah on a tour of Charlotte. They went to Khols, Target, the nursing home (to visit my grandmother), their house, my dad's apartment building where he works (he had to check on something), and lunch at a drive-in.
When they got back, they proceeded to play outside.
My parents are hilarious.

("Grandaddy is a sugar bear with teeth"... not even sure what that means, but it made me laugh)

("Mama D is a Honey Boo Boo")

Pregnancy Stuff.
Still feeling pretty good. I'm starting to get some of my energy back, which is nice. I'm 10 weeks today, so I'm hoping I'm almost beyond the queasy stage. I'm very fortunate in that I don't really get sick sick when I'm pregnant. Just the idea of certain foods makes me feel gross.
I bought myself a heart rate monitor. The Doc doesn't want my heart rate going over 140, which turns out isn't very high. I attempted a light jog last night, and within a minute, my heart rate was at 170. I went back to a power walk, and within 30 seconds, it was back below 140. So no running for me, darnit. I wanted to be the awesome pregnant girl running 5K's, but apparently, that's not allowed. Looks like lots of power walking and yoga for me.
Also, if anyone has any workout ideas, I'm open to suggestions. It actually takes a lot for me to get something out of a workout. I bought a prenatal yoga DVD last time, and it was a big snooze. I never felt a thing. I like to actually feel sore after a workout. I'd prefer to be the tone type of pregnant, not the flabby, give-me-more-cake type (like last time). Honestly, I think I've been spooked into taking better care of myself this time. For any new readers, I got pre-eclamptic towards the end with Noah, and I struggled with weight gain (which was a shock for a skinny girl) and severe swelling. I want to do everything I can to prevent it. The Doc said I'm less likely to get it this time, but I'm still being careful.
My jeans are already starting to get a little snug. I can still button them, but when I'm sitting in the car? Yeah, they're totally getting unbuttoned. I need to get a rubber band to fix the issue. The good news is that they still fit everywhere else, just not my tummy. I guess it's true that you show sooner the second time around.

More importantly, I'm trying to do everything I can to keep the baby healthy. Since they're not sure what triggers autism, I'm doing my best to eat healthy, take my vitamins, and chill out when I'm exhausted. Basically just taking care of myself. That's all I know to do.
And if I still balloon up? Well, at least I know I did my best. :)

***

Alright I'll stop here. More later, hopefully.
Sorry for the random, all-over-the-place post. But it's a bit like my life at the moment, so there ya go. ;)

Happy Monday!


randomosity

I very rarely, if ever, get short with Noah. I don't yell, snap, or have any kind of harsh tone unless he's about to put himself in danger. In my experience, the more you yell and get short with a kid, the more immune to it they become. Then when you're trying to discipline them, they just stand there and laugh at you. And laughing as a form of disrespect? Not happening in this house.

However, I don't do well with a lack of sleep. Especially if it has no purpose. I mean, lack of sleep when dealing with newborns? I understand that. I have patience for that, seeing as how they have to eat to survive and all. Lack of sleep over a sick kid? They can't help it. I can totally rise to the occasion on that one. But when they're almost three, go to bed at 10:30pm, then proceed to wake up at 4:30am for no reason? This being after trying my darndest to get the toddler on track again? My fuse is short.
I still don't yell, but I surprised myself this morning when I snapped, "What do you want??" at him. I guess it's inevitable. If you spend 24/7 with the same person, with zero breaks, and then that person causes multiple inconveniences; I'm pretty sure that will lead anyone to snap.
Still. I'm not proud of it. But I have a feeling it's been forgotten.

***

You would think being from the South, that I would have built up some sort of immunity to the heat and humidity. But no. I hate it. While I enjoy the fun July 4th festivities, outdoor concerts, swimming, and being outside in the evenings... I hate summer. It's just too hot, and it lasts too long here.
I hate sweating and being sticky. So when all I have to do is walk outside and get sweaty? It makes me wonder why I'm not 100 lbs again. It's gross and unnecessary.
Also, does anyone else get uncomfortable when they see Kelle Hampton's kids dressed in long sleeves and pants in the Florida heat/humidity? Those people must've built up a tolerance, because it makes me uncomfortable to even look at.

***

I have another photoshoot for a friend from church today. I'm so excited, but I'm also really nervous. I do this before every one of these now. I panic that I won't remember any of my ideas or that the kids will hate me or my camera will die just as I set them up. It's the equivalent of having that dream where you show up nakey to school.
I'm also nervous because this woman has five children. Five. That's a lot of little bodies to coordinate. It will definitely be a challenge, but one I'm excited about.

***

Brad and I have been working out every night now, lifting weights together. He used to be a big gym rat back in the day before his heart issues flared up. He still struggles with the fear of lifting weights, afraid he'll hurt himself somehow, even though his cardiologist has given him the green light multiple times. In fact, they encourage it to help strengthen his heart.
Anyway, it's been fun having my own personal trainer at home. And my abs, butt, and arms are thanking him.

***

It's almost the weekend! So a big yay for that!

fiddlyfart... part 2.

- I've admitted before how scatterbrained I am. Pretty sure it's the most annoying quality about myself. Add a toddler to the mix, and it just gets out of control. I leave scissors on end tables (within Noah's reach), forget to turn the hose off outside (which consequently floods our neighbors' yard), and last night? I left the keys in our car in the ignition, partially on. So when we got in the car this afternoon to go visit my SIL... the car was dead.
From the look on Brad's face, I thought I was going to be too.
No, really, he doesn't get mad at me. He teases me mercilessly. Thankfully, he loves me despite my ridiculousness... even if he does have to spend the next half hour waiting for my battery to charge back up. Whoops.

- I went to pick up my bridesmaid dress from the alterations place today. The lady standing next to me at the checkout counter commented on how pretty the dress was. She then looked at me, in all seriousness, and asked if it was for my prom. If it wouldn't have totally freaked her out, I would've hugged her.

- After avoiding the treadmill for the last couple months (what?! so I got lazy...), I hopped back on and did another 5k. Admittedly, I took a couple walk breaks. But even with those, I made it in under 38 minutes. So hey, after not running in at least 8 weeks, I'll take it.

- I am currently obsessed with my friend Jess's smoothie recipes. If you like healthy smoothies, go here. My favorites are the strawberry-veggie and the PB & banana ones. There's so much healthy goodness hidden in the strawberry-veggie smoothie that after a few days of not having one? I start feeling more lethargic. And as someone who has a hard time getting all my veggies in (I love them, but I just don't eat as much as I should), this is a perfect solution. And the PB & banana one?? Holy crap, it's like dessert. I've had one just about every morning this week for breakfast. I had some left over this morning and gave it to Brad who then said it tasted like a cookie.

Happy Wednesday!
 

one of "those" people

Something came over me over the Thanksgiving holiday. Maybe it was stress? Desperation? Temporary insanity? Whatever it was, it turned out to be pretty darn awesome.
I've mentioned a couple of times on here how I loathe running. Like, never ever have I enjoyed it. As a kid, I was always one of the last to finish the mile run (do they even still do fitness tests in school??). It wasn't because I was really unhealthy... in fact, I was a total twig and very active. But I hated every minute of the run. I wasn't fast, it was hot, and I just wanted it to end already. With those kinds of memories, there was no way I was going to do that voluntarily.

Then this past summer, I decided to give it a whirl and for about 4 weeks, I ran on and off. The furthest I think I went was maybe 2 miles? And even that included short walking breaks. Told you I'm pathetic.
But because I had so much going on last week, I found myself craving a good workout. I was sick of working out in my living room. The P90x routine is great, but I like to listen to my iPod, and then I end up missing critical moves (which is really a pain when you're stuck in some kind of weird yoga pose and can't see the tv). We had the treadmill folded up in our living room (not my favorite place for it), but I was always worried I'd wake Noah up during his nap if I used it. Since we had people coming over, Brad and I moved it out to the garage.
So Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving... after I had done the grocery shopping and a ton of cooking... I randomly decided to give running another go. I told myself I'd just hop on and run for as long as I wanted. Once I was tired, I'd quit... keeping in mind that I refused to look at the numbers. Whenever I look at the numbers, my brain starts whining. There's plenty of "UGH! I've only gone ONE MILE?? When is this going to END???" happening. So instead, I listened to my music, focused my eyes straight ahead, and went for it. I wasn't worried I'd wake up Noah. The garage was cool and comfortable. And before I knew it? I had run a 5K. Cold turkey.

via

Y'all, I don't run 5K's. Except, now I do? Because since then, I've run two more (in fact, yesterday's run was 4.5 miles). No, it hasn't been a breeze, and I'm certainly not going to break any time records. I mentally struggle up to about mile 2. After that, I figure I've already gone this far, I might as well just keep going. Now... call me crazy (go ahead)... but I look forward to it.

The best part? I can feel my legs getting stronger, my butt getting tighter (because let's face it, it's never going to be small... I just have to embrace the booty), and my abs trying to fight their way back. Who knows. I may have finally officially become one of "those" people. A runner.

via

Thanks to my friends  Lori, Susan, Katie, Anna, Meghan, and many others who have inspired me to keep going. Their dedication is amazing, and I hope I can keep it up too!

fitness and all that junk

So somehow I ended up taking a major break from working out these past few weeks.

It was definitely unintentional. Life just got in the way (I know, I know. It's a sorry excuse).

I had been so good. I even took the time to run and do some strength training on July 4th, since I knew we'd be eating burgers and less-than-healthy type food.

But after that? I kept finding reasons to avoid my workouts.

Anyway, Brad has now gotten bit by the fitness bug.

He's been to the gym like 4 times in the last week.

He's pulled out the protein powder. You know he means business when he does that.

See, before his heart decided to give us all a big scare, he was obsessed with working out.

He had the 6/8 pack, the big arms, the strong back.

After his surgery, he wasn't allowed to lift anything heavier than a milk carton.

Ever since, he's been terrified of working out. He's afraid to push his heart too much, and understandably so. But the doctors have given him the green light and told him it's good for his heart. It's just taken him getting over the mental aspects of it.

Apparently, he's overcome it.

He announced yesterday that his goal for this week is to lose 5 lbs. That probably sounds unrealistic, but the man seems to lose weight like nothing. Guys are always like that. Totally unfair.

Actually, last night at dinner, he informed me he'd already lost 3. But then he ate, so in actuality, it was probably 1 lb. But still. I have to really fight for every pound now. Again... so unfair.

So he starts on this whole kick on exercising and eating healthy and all that.

And here I am eating an Oreo, feeling all guilty.

I mean, it's not like I haven't been spending the last 2 years working my rear end off (literally). Then all of a sudden, my husband comes along (after having a gym membership since October that he hasn't been using) and makes me feel bad?

Oh well.

At least it kicked my butt back into gear.

Yesterday I did the P90x cardio workout (which is the little 45 min bonus dvd they give you). I figured it's easy enough to get me back into the swing of things. And really, it is slightly easier than the rest of them (I think). But I'd like to make a point here: taking a long hiatus from working out is a bad idea.

After the workout? I was all shaky (probably didn't eat enough).

Then I felt like I wanted to puke all Biggest Loser style.

This happens almost every time I take a break. My body ends up having a big shock and is begging me for more time to adjust. Sorry, body. We're going to the beach next month.

I need my abs back. Thanks.

running.

So I've been pretty resolved lately on getting my body back.
I know I've said that before (haven't we all...), but this time, I'm doing something I've never done. I've taken up running.
And I am SO NOT a runner.

I have like zero endurance. I love to sprint, but running? No way. I've always hated running. When I was a kid, I was always one of the last kids to finish the mile run (remember those physical fitness tests?). And it had nothing to do with weight or my lack of exercise. At home, I was always outside playing. I rode horses. We played "capture the flag" and all those other active games at recess. I just sucked at running for a long period of time. In high school, we actually had a PE teacher who was smart enough to know how to train us, so I did much better at running then. But I still never liked it. It was always a chore for me. My chest would hurt, my mouth would get all weird feeling, and most of all, it was boooooring.

This is why I've always walked. Granted, the pace I walk at is about the same speed as a slow jog. But still. Running for me? Blech.

And then I read Kelle Hampton's post earlier this week. She has recently taken up running, just for the heck of it. When she first wrote about it, I was all, "Eh. Good for her. Let's move on, shall we..." But then I read this:

"It feels good to be running again. I don't run fast or competitively; I run freely and with great thought. I run not to lose weight or get fit but because pushing myself, breathing deeply, hitting the pavement to the beat of a good song makes me happy."

Hear that? She doesn't run to lose weight or because she has to. She runs because it makes her happy. Anyone remember the Friends episode where Pheobe and Rachel started running, and Rachel was embarrassed to be seen with her, because she ran weird? Pheobe explained that she ran that way because it was FUN.

So I figured, why not? Why not try and run just because it'll be fun. So I got my ipod all set up with some fun workout songs, then Brad, Madison, Noah, and I all went to the elementary school down the road (they have a good track, a field for Brad to hit golf balls, and a playground for Noah).

I cranked up the music and went for it. And you'll never believe it. I ran for 2 miles. The girl that does.not.run. ran for 2 miles! And it was actually fun!

Since Sunday, I've done P90x yoga, P90x cardio, P90x Kempo, and ran 4 miles. I've given up eating the junk food. Lots of fruit and salads and Kashi cereal. But because I'm still human (and a total chocoholic), I got myself some Nature Valley dark chocolate granola bars. They totally hit the craving without making me feel sick later.

We'll see how long this running thing lasts. This may be the start of something awesome, or it may fizzle out at some point. Who knows. But for now, I'm running because I want to, not because I have to. And hopefully in the end, I'll get my rockin' prebaby bod back.