Sh-Sh-Sh-Shake It Up

Over the past few weeks I have realized I suck at eating.  Well I guess I should say "healthy" eating.  I'm great at eating whatever I want but the whole "portion" control idea blew way over my head.  I went to my doctor's appointment and talked to him about learning how to eat healthy.  Dr. Scott is awesome and really listens to me ramble.  I gave him the whole wedding dress scenario and explained what I was hoping for.  His answer...a Diabetes health class.  No, I don't have diabetes but he said he sends all of his Diabetes patients to this class at Henry Piedmont and has recently sent a few patients that were hoping to lose weight.

I don't know much about the class but he said Jessica, who teaches the class, will teach about portion control, what to eat when, and foods that need to be removed (slowly) from my every day diet.  The one problem I have is not eating breakfast.  I hate breakfast for breakfast.  Waffle House at midnight...now that's my kind of breakfast!  I told him I liked yogurt around 10am.  He suggested a shake for breakfast.  He did warn that I'll have to get creative while staying healthy but the good news is I love fruit, and making shakes with protein will give me that extra bit of protein I need everyday.

So far my favorite shake is peaches, mangos, and strawberries.  I buy this frozen fruit at Wal-Mart/Sam's Club which makes the shake kind of frosty/icy.  I use 1/2 cup of low-fat vanilla yogurt, 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream protein powder, 6 oz. of water, and NINJA!  If you don't know what a Ninja is OR don't have one...do it...now!  I love it because it will blend ANYTHING and it's quick and easy to clean.  I don't currently have the cup attachment so I'm still using my big base which is a little tedious to clean (especially when I use peanut butter for Denny's shake.)

So far breakfast is the only meal I'm accomplishing anything with.  I'm scouring Pinterest and Google for healthy recipes.  Carbs are my enemy yet also my favorite food group so I'm trying to find some interesting whole-wheat pasta/brown rice recipes for lunch and stick to non-carb dinners.  If anyone has a good recipe, I'd love some input!

Ninja
http://www.ninjakitchen.com

Frozen Fruit

http://www.dole.com/

Size Matters

I think most girls dream of going wedding dress shopping.  I've been on the dress hunt twice, once with my sister and once with my best friend Rachel.  Although I don't remember much of the adventure with Dawn, I do remember Rachel's.  We went to look for bridesmaid's dresses and she ended up leaving with THE ONE!  I remember sifting through dress after dress, throwing them in her dressing room, laughing with her mom over the "definitely nots" and oohing and ahhing over the "ones".  I remember narrowing it down to two and of course we had our favorites but I remember Rachel having a tough decision.  It was a B-I-G deal making this purchase!  Of course she looked beautiful in the ONE and I was really looking forward to that moment as well.

I can definitely say I not as excited about going shopping as I guess I should have been.  Ever since I quit dancing, my weight has been a HUGE issue.  My friends are loyal and never say a word...that's what friends are for!  But I felt it and I battle it every time we go out and I end up in running shorts/yoga pants and a t-shirt.  I hate buying new clothes because I want to get back into the ones I have.  I really wanted to lose some weight before I went shopping because I knew if I wasn't comfortable in my own skin, I wouldn't like anything I put on.  Finally, I agreed to go and made an appointment.

I had definitely been looking online and since we are getting married on the beach, I wanted that "beach" style...long, light, and flowy.  I found "the one" online and searched high and low for a store that had it.  When I called, they asked what dress size I usually wore.  I was a little embarrassed to answer but I was honest.  I definitely didn't want to be squeezed into something I shouldn't have been.  When I got to the store, Mom and La in tow, the lady got everything going quickly.  I gave her ideas I had and explained where we were getting married and the whole "look" I was going for.  Meaghan (who was awesome) brought lots of options and we began.

The first moment I had was when it came time to strip down.  I've never been shy...I've danced and cheered my whole life and changing in front of other girls is just not anything I ever struggled with.  But suddenly, I wanted a towel or something to cover up with.  I knew this was going to go bad at that moment.  Meaghan was great and helped me get into every gown.  We started with some "definitely not's" and moved onto the one she suggested.  When I put it on...I was very surprised how much I liked it.  It was WAY...W-A-Y different from anything I had imagined.  But different has always been my mantra.  When I walked out, both my mom and La had the same "Oooooh!!" expression.  I still wanted to try on the one I had spied online but once I had it on, I was let down by the lack of "wow" that I felt.  Curse you magazine models...

Things were going well until I started analyzing everything!  Why were all of the dresses A-line?  Is that a bad thing?  Is this REALLY the right dress?  Will I feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I find the right one?  Will I not want to take it off?  HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW!?!?  I was beginning to cross over into the "freak out" mode but I held it together.  Once we got back in the dressing room, I sat and stared at the dress for a long time.  I could definitely see myself walking down the aisle (...or sand) in this dress and the changes I wanted were capable of being done.  But why was I still questioning it?  Meaghan began taking my measurements and when all was said and done, she was a little baffled.  Everything lined up with the size I tried on except that one spot...the hips.

This was the point I really had to bite my tongue and hold back the tears.  When she told me what size she would order, I just about fell out.  I really held it together the rest of the day through lunch and the ride home.  But once I got home, in the comfort of my own room, I let it out.  I googled the dress a million times and just kept going back to the number.  I couldn't understand whhhy all of the sudden I cared so much!?  I've never been about the size - if it fit right, it would look good.  It didn't take long for Mom to come to the rescue.  I told her I wasn't sure if it was the right dress or if I was just hung up on the size.  We had one of those "mom/daughter" talks about why I was unhappy and decided to make some changes.  I can handle the exercise portion but the diet is the hardest part for me.  So I made an appointment to talk with a doctor about eating better.  I go next Wednesday and would appreciate the prayers.  It's not something I ever wanted to do but I realize I can't do it alone and need some guidance. I love to cook so hopefully this journey will allow me to experiment in the kitchen and be healthy at the same time.

I know that I can be healthy and get back into the old body I left behind two years ago.  A friend is starting a barre and stretching dance class at my old studio and I can't WAIT to start going.  I miss dance SO MUCH and hope this will be what I need to give me that extra boost.  We have our engagement pictures this October and I really want to be in a good place "personally" and "emotionally" to enjoy every moment.  My goal is to be happier in my own skin and well on my way to a new, healthy me!

Oh...and yeah, I did say "YES" to the dress! :)

I'm A Loser....

...And I hope to be an even bigger loser by the end of the month!

To help get into "wedding shape" I joined the Biggest Loser challenge at school.  I'm pretty competitive by nature so I figured having the people I work with everyday as my competitors would help motivate me not to cheat while at school.  We weighed in last week and I am happy to say I've lost 4 lbs!  

I've been eating better and running in the evenings.  It's weird because I've always wanted to be a "runner" but I used my heart issues as an excuse.  I won't lie, the first two days were HORRIBLE.  I downloaded the Couch-2-5K app and use RunKeeper to track my miles.  Every time that girls says, "begin running" I curse her and take off.  I can definitely say that it's getting easier but the shin-splints...oh.em.gee!!  I've googled every remedy and nothing seems to work.  One website said it could be my shoes and I am ALL about buying new shoes but decent running shoes are expensive.  

My goal is to complete a 10 mile race this October at Disney World.  I've already signed up so that was my first step of motivation.  I'm definitely not signing up/paying and not participating!  The race requires you to have a 16-min mile (at least) so I have a ways to go but once I complete Couch-2-5k, I'll start entering some more races and see how I do.  Summer heat will be an issue but I'll conquer that when it decides to show it's ugly face! 

Dreams Really Do Come True!

The Disney photographer was awesome.  He captured every moment perfectly!

What better reason do I need to get back into blogging than when I start planning my wedding!?  My dreams came true on April 6th, 2013 at the happiest place on Earth.  A lot of people have asked "how did it happen!?," so here goes....

Denny and I went down to Florida to spend a few days with his dad and Carol.  We had planned to go during my Spring Break because I couldn't take any other time off from school and Denny would be in between jobs (PS - Denny got a new job!)  Back in February or March, he asked if I wanted to drive over to Disney for the day and meet his sister and her husband for lunch.  Of course I said yes...if Disney is involved I always say yes!  We had planned to ask his dad to borrow their car to drive over for the day and then fly back home on Sunday.  A few weeks before we were to go down, his dad offered to drive us over to Disney and we would stay the night in Orlando and fly back the next morning.  I'm a little bit of an impatient person when it comes to travel plans.  I like to know who's driving, when we're leaving, etc.  So to wait until we got down to Florida to find out our flight home info was a little nerve wrecking BUT Dennis and Carol pulled it off perfectly.  The night before we were leaving, Carol told us she checked us in with Delta and we would just pay for our luggage and check-in when we got there.  I was clueless...

We left at 6am Saturday morning headed to the Magic Kingdom.  I was giddy as usual because I truly love Disney World.  We stopped about 30 minutes after being on the road at a rest stop.  I was a little confused but I was the only one who hadn't had coffee so I didn't complain.  Denny had wanted to get to the hotel and drop our bags off so we could catch the 7:40 bus but I knew we weren't going to make it.  He played it cool the whole time and when we got to the hotel, he said we would just take the 8:20 bus.  We had planned to have our luggage stored and I was a little iffy about that because I had my laptop with me and it is my pride and joy.  When he checked in, the receptionist said,"Oh! The room is ready!"  I was thanking God that it was "magically" ready and we didn't have to leave it in the lobby.  We threw our bags into the room and took off to the bus.  When we got to the park, a few random events occurred and now that I look back at them, I can't believe I didn't pick up on it.  Denny and I always go through separate bag check lines so we get through quicker and when we went through his line, the guy was really talking to him.  Denny isn't shy so I didn't think anything about it but later learned the guy was telling him to make sure he grabbed a Disney photographer when we proposed.  (He saw the ring box in his bag.)  While I was picking up our tickets, he went to call his dad (which really meant he was getting the ring out of his book bag and putting it in his pocket.)  We walked in and we decided to head to our "spot" and get our usual picture made in front of the castle.  He wanted to call his mom and let her know we had made it (which I had just texted mine as well....)  His phone conversation went as so..."Hey Mom - yup, we're here.  Walking down Main Street towards the castle. Aight, talk to you later. Bye!"  Denny doesn't usually make "short phone calls" and I looked at him funny and said, "did you just hang up on your mom!?" What I didn't know is that the phone call was to alert some special people who were hiding out near by. 

Here we go....so we get in front of the castle and we're taking our usual "castle pose picture."  He had his book bag on and said he was going to take it off.  I stood there waiting and turned to look around us (every time I go I feel like it's the first time all over again!)  When I turned back around, he was on one knee. (BEGIN FREAKOUT MODE!)  I just remember going "HOLY CRAP!!" and screaming and laughing and then the tears started.  He said something to the effect of "I love you....I want to spend the rest of my life with you...**insert my full name** will you marry me?"  I was still totally freaking out and flailing around at this point but I did say yes!! I jumped and hugged him and told him I loved him (lots of mushy stuff...) and he said, "there's one more surprise. Turn around."  I had no idea what he meant and when I turned...the real tears started.  My three best friends, Laura, Bone and Josh, were standing there taking pictures.  They had driven down the night before, went to bed around 3am and were up and at the park around 7:30am to spend the day with us.  The "mom phone" call was to Bone to let them know we were there and en route.  I was so happy I just hugged La and cried.  We were with La and Bone when they got engaged and even though we had only known each other for a short period of time at that point, it was so special and I always knew I wanted them to be there if Denny and I got engaged.  So after I got done hugging and crying to everyone, Denny asked me if I wanted to put my ring on.  This is where I freaked out again because I never really looked AT the ring, I was freaking out about the whole process.

IT. WAS.PERFECT.

I had always said I wanted something "different."  I have never been one to stick too much to the trends so I wanted a ring that you wouldn't see just anywhere.  Oh boy did he make that happen!  I just stared at it forever.

Why do pictures of hands always look horrible!? I'm 27 with 87 year old hands!

I called my mom and tried to play it cool but I was still in shock.  Talk about sensory overload.  You go to Disney with your boyfriend and 15 minutes after you walk through the gates, your engaged to the greatest guy ever, your best friends are there, and Space Mountain is SCREAMING your name.  I told my mom I loved her but that we had some rides to get to!  We literally took a group picture in front of the castle and took off to Tomorrowland!

So that's it!  We spent the rest of the day riding and snacking and riding some more.  I also realized we weren't flying home on Sunday.  We had a great time riding back and singing along to N'sync Radio on Pandora.  Now the fun begins...

Family

Today was a great day spent with great people. We had 21 guests come to the lake for Sunday Funday. It was great having everyone together. Rachel and Blake were both off work and were able to make the 2 hour trip! It was just like old times again.

Denny and I both talked on the way home about how blessed we feel to have such wonderful families that surround us. Outside of our own families, we have "extended" mom's and dad's that are always looking out for us. It's nice knowing you have so many people who care about you. I makes me sad to think that some of us might not always be around to have these moments. We never know where life may take us and we all have so many different passions in life. S is in seminary, R and B are off saving the world in their helicopters, P is headed to grad school so he can recreate historical beauty, T is headed to Auburn for forestry school, and the rest of us are all over Metro Atlanta doing our own things. It makes me sad to think that one of us might be led somewhere far off and won't just be 15 minutes down the road.

I told some friends of mine the other day that I wish they all would stay in college so we would always have summers off together. It kind of hit me that no one else will have this once they graduate unless they become a teacher! :)

I also had a very touching moment with a sweet friend of mine. We were hanging out the other day and he paid me a great compliment. Mid conversation, he told me that when he gets older and decides to get married, he hopes she's just like me. He kept telling me not to take it the wrong way and all I could think was, "why would I take that the wrong way!?" He probably has no idea how much that meant to me and I hope he knows that I wasn't blowing him off by laughing and continuing with my book - I was just trying to fight off the tears. So to you, my dear friend, thank you!!

Not to leave CrossFit out of the story - last Friday's WOD was called "BULL." We had 40 minutes to complete 800 singles (800 jumps on a jump rope. No Debbie, it's not a typo!), 50 pull-ups, 50 OH Squats, and run 1 mile. I was so proud to say I completed everything but only made it through 400 singles. I could have made about 150 more if I had more time but by the end, my legs felt like they weighed a ton a piece.

I also happened to make the website. WHY I could have a B.A looking picture like everyone else, I don't know. But at least its proof that A) I attend class and B) I freakin bust it! Enjoy! :)

Baby Steps

I just had to post my joyous moment that occurred today. I was running late for CrossFit and knew I would have to hurry to catch up with the Warm-Up and still have a few minutes to breath before the WOD started. As I pulled in, I noticed the group running around the parking lot. Instant thought- "Turn around and go back home!" But I didn't. I dropped my stuff off, checked the Warm-Up and saw that we had to run 1 lap and then were doing a group work out. No pressure - just the whole group waiting on me to finish my lap. Drum roll please...

I finished my entire lap RUNNING! So it's not like I ran a whole mile but a part of my goals is to be able to run 2 miles. The fact that I finished that one lap running without dying was HUGE to me. So a self pat-on-the-back was called for.

I have started to notice some muscle definition showing up. My ballet legs are slowly coming back. It's funny how I hated having those legs when I was younger but now I'd give anything to have them back! I've also noticed my endurance is growing. All of these are baby steps but they will help get me to that 2 mile run in the end!

Insurance

With getting a teaching job this past year, I also had the pleasure of receiving my own insurance. (Insert sarcastic grin here) I chose to go with the wellness plan which was a little bit cheaper but you have to have a yearly physical and some blood work done in order to maintain it. No biggie.

Last week I had my blood work done. I apparently have a nice, juicy vein in my right arm because that sucker was flowin'!! The nurse got all excited when she felt it. I guess you'd have to be a nurse for that kind of excitement. After filling what seemed like 100 vials, I was free to go with another appointment scheduled for this week. This brings me to today. Today was round 2 of the physical. Just your normal routine business - blood pressure, being asked every question in the book about "have you had any...", and so on. I was eager to know my height - strangely all of the times I've been to the doctor they have not measured this. I can officially say I am 5'5. Kind of depressing seeing as I was hopeful for a few more inches but I'll take it. The only downside of this is my height/weight proportion is way off. I had to have my BMI measured (Body Mass Index) and that was the part that I dreaded.

If you've ever had this done, you will recognize the handheld gadget that looks like an Xbox controller. Some might have had the fancy ma thematic version done. My nurse was on point and did it in her head. With a height of 5'5 and a weight of 175, my BMI was 29.1. Your BMI is measured on 4 scales: Underweight (<18.5), Normal, (18.5-24.9), Overweight (25-29.9), and Obese(>30). My "mental goal" was to not be in that last category. I was relieved to see that I wasn't but it was a bit disappointing to be in the overweight category. I kind of knew it was coming but I was also hoping to not be .8 away from the worst category.

I have a great doctor who I feel really comfortable talking to. He asked me if I was physically active in sports or anything. I told him about dance and that how after I quit dancing I just seemed to steadily gain weight. He suggested keeping up with CrossFit and adding in a food regiment now. He said two weeks should be long enough for my body to be used to the new exercise and that starting with portion control and slowly taking out "bad foods" will do wonders. He wants me to try it on my own for a few months and if I don't see results like I should, come see him and start on his meal plan. He said it was tough and I would really have to stick to it but I think I could do it. I'll definitely keep it on the back burner.

So to add to the previous goals, now I have to get my BMI down. It sounds like an easy task, however, at my height, reaching a "Normal BMI" is getting down to 145 lbs. 30 lbs to lose!! The task has just gotten a little bit harder, but I'm ready for the challenge.

If you are asking yourself, "I wonder what my BMI is?," click HERE to find out.