And I ran... I ran so far away...

<"I just raaannnnn, I ran all night and daaayyyyy">

(quick spin in a circle and intense camera stare)

<"Couldn't get away">

[Cue synthesizer *pew pew pew pew*]

You're welcome for the serenade. Don't recognize the song?? Well, you're in luck! Here's a YouTube video. Pay close attention to the hair- it helps you run. At least I think it does... Why else would they have that cut and sing about running away...?

Again, you're welcome.

Hubbins and I went yögging again yesterday at the gym, and I have to confess I'm quite proud of myself. I made it through the entire Couch to 5K week 1 session. This is important as the first time I tried this, I didn't finish. But! This time I was running my spandex'd toosh off, feeling like a sissy girl, and just as I was thinking "there's no way- I can't do it!", I heard the sweetest words I've ever heard [while running]:

"Only 2 more runs to go!*"

"2 more runs?! I can make it through 2 more runs!"

By goodness, I did it. I made it through 2 more runs, a 5-minute cool down, and then spent some sweet sweet time in the pool. We even did a few laps- look at us being so athletic!

Also, I would totally get eaten by a shark if in that most unfortunate of circumstances. 

Not the point. The point is, running is a weird, weird thing. I'm a lazy person by nature, but there's something about running that feels so freeing. There were a few times during the C25K** podcast where my feet hit the treadmill just right and I felt like I was running so in sync with the music. I'll eventually make it to running on pavement, but the treadmill's just fine for now.

We're going out of town this weekend (and have a super sweet house sitter, so no bright ideas!) and are already planning to go running once or twice while we're gone, even though we'll only be gone 3-ish days. Since I've signed up for the 5K, I really want to run/yög it. I think I'm going to be really disappointed with myself if I walk the whole thing.

Of course, walking is still more than I normally would do, but I've made a big deal out of yögging on here, sooooo.... yeah. It needs to happen.

Well, it is an 80's 5k... Maybe I'll get some Flock of Seagulls hair for the occasion. Wind resistance and all. ;-)

I would run too... Away from the scissors.

<3
A Redhead

*Note: I may be paraphrasing- it's all a blur. =P
**Note: "C25K". I'm so fancy. That's Couch 2 5K for you newbs. ;)

I came, I saw, I yogged.

Well, as I mentioned here, I have a burning desire to run a 5K. Because I hate lying to you lovely folks, I signed myself and the Bearded Wonder up for a "Dash Into the 80's" 5K! Woop woop!

I'm terrified. But I'm determined. It's 3.2 miles. 5 kilometers. It's nothing. It's an hour-ish out of my day. I. Can. Do. This.

Any excuse to make this face in neon 80's garb.

Hubbins and I went to the gym tonight, and for me it was the first time in many moons. We went to the cardio cinema (even though I was using ear buds for the podcast) so I'd be more comfortable flailing in the dark, and we got our yog on. I did much better than I thought I would, really. We only did half the program, because I did indeed feel like I was dying, but that's 24 more minutes of walk/yogging that I wouldn't normally do. I also had my fancy new orthotics in my sneakers which was suuuuper helpful.

Now, if you're a dude or I work with you, you should probably stop reading here. Or if I know you in real life, or have ever met you, or may meet you in the future. Basically I'm going to confess something and assume no one's going to read it.

I wore Spanx on my yog.

Oh yes. I did. It happened.

1) I looked adorable all smoothed out and Kardashian-esque* in my workout clothes. Which we all know is what the gym is really about: lookin' good.

2) It was just more comfortable. Yes, I now know I'm beautiful. Yes, I love myself. Blah blah blah. Not the point. The point is that pretty or not, home girl jiggles. I'm like Santa with a bowl full of jelly, minus the beard. I'm like Fat Albert, but a chick and without a world-renowned laugh (at least I hope not...). I'm like Melissa McCarthy. Yeah- I'm like Melissa McCarthy. (Oh to dream...)

Either way, it's no different than wearing compression shorts/capris. It kept everything in place and wasn't uncomfortable to run like it would be sans-spandex. The bowl full of jelly stayed stationery, and I wasn't concerned and self-conscious about how I looked as I ran. Yeah, I know I shouldn't care what others think, but bottom line is running/yogging is a new and scary territory for me, and if it means yogging in the dark while wearing Spanx, then darnit I'm going to do it [for the time being].

So that's it. I came, I saw, I yogged.

<3
A Redhead

*Note: I cannot possibly care less about who the Kardashians are or what they do, buuuut baby (me) got back.

It's been a minute!

Yikes, almost a month and a half. Whoooops! Someone was asking me about the blog a week or so ago, and I hated what I said, but I'm going to repeat it here because I've always strove to be honest.

If there's nothing going on with me then there's nothing to post.

My horse/buggy/train/etc. has gotten away from me (again), and I haven't really been physically active in awhile, soooo instead of trying to do something about it, I've buried my face in other websites and haven't posted anything here.

See? Shame Bear.

But here I am! I love this blog. I love the feedback I get from people. I love the encouragement and support I get because of it. I love the accountability I have because of it.

There've been a series of conversations over the last few weeks, along with the burning desire to do a 5k (acca-scuse me?!), that have brought me groveling back to my brightly colored sanctuary. Despite this being a very public forum, I feel comfortable and safe here. Maybe it's the orange background. Maybe it's the overwhelmingly positive results I've had since starting this project, I don't know.

So. The last month and a half… Canada was pretty awesome. We didn't go too overboard with food/sugar, but once we got home it was like all the hard work was gone. 7 of the 9 pounds creeped their way back in (and I'm convinced to my face), sugar became my new bestie again, and I've been loafing around binge watching Once Upon a Time* on Netflix.

It was during one of these loaf sessions that I realized just how low I've sunk. I've found myself literally "fat and happy", sitting on the couch, and never being physically active. I can't dance most of the time because it's super hard on my foot (stupid foot). I don't go to the gym. I just… sit around.

I will say, I have started to play tennis (and by "started", I mean "I played once and had a good time and want to do it more") as there are courts across the street and we had a lot of fun- especially Zoey. =)

I'm not sure I've ever seen this dog so darn happy. 

In Soviet Russia, the ball plays you. 

I think I need to do something other than the weight lifting to get me going again. Tennis is definitely fun, and I was dripping in sweat by the end of it. I think I also want to sign up for a 5k or 2 (what. the. eff). I'm not sure where that's coming from, because if you've read any of this blog you know that I hate to run. I just want to though. I want to run 3.2 miles.  I think my body's a sassy Southern woman with a head bob screaming "GUUURRLLL GET MOVIN'!"

Money's kind of tight right now though since my beloved Bearded Wonder lost his job (Yeahhh. That happened. That's a different story for a different day.), so I can't do stuff that's going to cost a lot of money. We did find a black light zumba place near us that's only $5/person for a drop-in, and it looks pretty fun. We may try it out. =) Between that, training for a 5K, and tennis, hopefully I can get my butt in gear. Literally and figuratively.

I tell ya- there's no better motivation for working out than an upcoming wedding. I haven't been nearly as motivated since I knew I'd be wearing a white dress and 1/2 the center of attention for an entire day. I have my 10 year HS reunion coming up in October, but I don't think I care about most of those people enough to feel like I need to impress them. I'd rather just work hard and let stuff happen as it happens.

I'll be posting more, because I'll be doing more. Pinky promise. =) Feel free to bug me online or in person if you don't see anything for awhile!

How's everyone else doing? 

<3
A Redhead


*Note: OHMYGOSH. YOU GUYS. WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THIS SHOW SOONER?!

Girl Meets Cake

Note: I wrote this on May 22nd and have just sucked at posting it. Do the time warp with me! ;-)

I've never met a piece of cake I couldn't destroy. You didn't think I acquired my shapely legs and Kardashian--esque tush from eating salads, did you?

Anywho, I finally met my undoing. 

Even worse? I *made* that cake. It was a german chocolate cake I made for a friend's surprise birthday party, and sweet baby Jesus it was *rich*. That's coming from a girl who used to be able to eat reckless amounts of sugar without blinking twice. 

I cut the Bearded Wonder and I smaller pieces (though still kinda mighty; I put some time into this cake and was determined to enjoy this indulgence!), and ~6 bites or so in, I just couldn't do it… The rich chocolate frosting compounded with the super sweet german chocolate frosting…. I waved my little fork in defeat and left 1/2 my piece untouched. 

I'm not sure that's ever happened to me before. 

So we're about 2.5 weeks into our no sugar/caffeine/processed food thang, and your goofy Redhead has lost 9 pounds! Woohoo! I've had a few little things of sugar here and there, but it's definitely been more normal quantities: 1 cup of sweetened iced coffee, 1 cookie, 2 pieces of white bread, a margarita, tortilla chips… But each of those happened on different days. Honestly I'm not feeling bloated and gross like I was before. I feel full without being uncomfortable. I'm able to sleep less (as I'm apt to do when stressed) and not be exhausted the entire day. I'm yawning less, I'm less moody… It's amazing what cutting this crap out has done for me. =) 

We're currently on our way to Canada (as in I'm typing this in the car and will upload later. =P), and we've already talked about stuff we're going to do once we get up there for food and what have you. So we're going to enjoy ourselves, but not go crazy with sugary drinks and desserts. I'm pretty excited! I feel like this could be  new time in our lives where we're eating better than before. =) 

So that's me! How are you all doing? 

xo

A Redhead

P.S.- I haven't lifted a weight or gone to the gym since this started. Case and point that diet means more than exercise (though exercise is still very important).

P.S.S.- Don't confuse the post title with the website of my faaaaaabulous baker friend who made our wedding cake. She's here, if you're interested. ;) 

Cherry-licious

It stared at me.

I stared at it.

I reached into the freezer and held it in my hands:

The remants of a pint of Wegman's brand Cherry-licious ice cream. 

I stared at it.

It stared at me.

I caved. I completely, absolutely caved. The excuses came rolling into my brain: "We're going to be gone for a week!", "1/2 eaten ice cream in the freezer is gross- no one wants to see that", "It'll be bad by the time I can eat it!".

Now, in my defense, I'm quite certain it was about 1/4 of a cup- there really wasn't much in there. Roughly 140 calories and 14 grams of sugar. It's not great, but I feel like if I were going to fall into the sugary temptation, this wasn't the worst I could do. I've passed up sugary drinks, donuts, candy in multiple bowls at work, sundaes... All of it.

So yeah, I ate a little bit of ice cream. Big deal. I'm not going to let this drag me down to where I was before again, and I'm still going to continue on tomorrow (and even the rest of the night). This isn't a stumbling block, it was a graceful trip. :)

I'm posting just for the sake of accountability. The Bearded Wonder is at work, so it's just me and the pup, and I'm quite certain she doesn't care what I do/don't eat. I could've just let this be my secret. But, I made this commitment in "public", and darnit, I'll confess my sweet and cherry sins in "public".

That's all. Please don't flog me. :o)

xo
A Redhead

Edited to add: I will say, even though it's only been 9 days, I did notice that the ice cream was suuuuper sweet. I mean it was still delicious, and I did enjoy it, but it was really sweet. Like sweeter than I remembered it being. Maybe this stuff is working after all! ;-)

Cupcakes and cookies and ice cream- OH MY!

7 days down, however many more to go!

The last 7 days I've been detoxing from all the sugar/caffeine/processed goodness* in my body. We did inadvertantly eat sugar yesterday at Mimi's Cafe since we hadn't eaten lunch and they put a basket of bread in front of us.

There were no survivors. 

We were celebrating our fabulous mamas, and I won't even lie, I went to town on my dinner. But we didn't eat lunch, so I think it balanced out (it wasn't on purpose; we don't skip meals normally). The french fries on the menu were staring me down though, and my heart said "YES! GET IN MY MOUTH!", but my face said "nope. not happenin'."

Know what happened because of decisions like that over the last 7 days?

I lost 6 lbs. Boom. 

I don't care how old I get, this will always be one of my favorite movies. 

There's still a long, long, looooong way to go, but overall I'm feeling pretty good. It's weird, for a girl who's spent 3/4 of her life obsessed with her weight, I don't actually care that much that I lost 6 lbs. I mean it's great, and that's 6 less pounds hangin' out on my body, but I don't feel like that's made me a better person or made a significant difference on my frame. I don't mean that in a bad way, of course. My friend and I were discussing this earlier and she pointed out that it means I'm on the right track and making wise choices, and winning the kitchen battle. All true, and I appreciate it, but I don't find my value in my weight like I used to.

It's freeing, really. I weighed myself a few times last week and at first I felt those old tremors of anxiety creep up on me, until I remembered that the scale isn't what matters. What matters above all else is how I feel about my body, how my clothes fit, and then my measurements. Don't misread that I don't take my health seriously, because I do, but in terms of my self love, my measurements are a little low on the list. :o)

As for what we're eating, there's been lots of overnight oatmeal for breakfast, popcorn, fruit, and cashews for snacks, and we finally made the peanut butter banana ice cream. Yuuuum. It's not the same as the ice cream I'm dying for inside, but it'll do. =)

We're going to Toronto next week for a few days (we have people housesitting; don't come stealing our dog! =P ) next week, and I am psyyyyched. We're making arrangements for snacks for the trip, and are probably going to take overnight oatmeal for breakfasts so we don't have to eat out as much. But oh-ho, Tim Horton's. We will be together.

I'm comin' for you, sweet thaaaang. 

How's everyone doing? Any fun new recipes?? :)

xo
A Redhead

*Note: Yes yes yes. I know. There's no "goodness" in processed foods. Other than their tasty, tasty, chemical makeup. I'm lookin' at you, Cheetos. 

No sugar in the champagne room...

Officially we're on day 3 of our "diet" (I hate that word, for the record). Monday we both had coffee because 1) our dog got sick and left us a present that needed scrubbing out of our carpet at 2:30 in the morning, and 2) the Bearded Wonder started working nights. Poor guy needed to stay awake so he could get home safe, so we felt OK making this decision together for the day, and we didn't compromise any other part of the "diet".

We kept the caffeine simple though: coffee with sugar and cream, so it's not like we went to Starbucks or Caribou and loaded up on the sugary lattes. I haven't had any since, and I'll admit my eyes are a bit heavy this morning, but already I'm noticing I sleep better. In fact, yesterday I didn't feel tired until later in the evening.

That's a big deal for me.

I'm normally rubbing my eyes and yawning all day, but I'm also normally eating lots of sugar all day. I work in an office that loves its sugar, and there is always candy readily available. Always. I could easily eat a few mini pieces of candy in the morning, forget about them, and eat a cupcake in the afternoon (because you know, I forgot about that morning's candy) then who knows what else when I got home. 

In only 3 days, cutting out sugar's made a substantial impact on me. I'm sleeping like a rock (though I'm having weird dreams…) despite the Bearded one not being there*, I have more energy during the day, and I just don't feel bloat-y and gross like before. 

Oh Mugatu, who doesn't?

I'm feeling pretty good overall, though I was wanting some ice cream crazy bad last night. I think I may make some banana "ice cream" which is literally frozen sliced bananas eviscerated in a food processor until it forms a creamy fro-yo like texture. I like to add a little all-natural no-sugar peanut butter and some honey. =) 

OH. FRIENDS. That reminds me! We've tried a few recipes that are amaaaazing.

You know it's good when Ron's excited

First, raw thin mint brownies. Er. Mah. Gerd. SO good. So so good. And super easy to make. We threw everything in our food processor, added a little more water because ours needed it to come together, and a few minutes later had these delectable bars that we could grab from the freezer and snack on. We got 4 out of our first batch. We'll probably be making these a lot more. Awesome.

Next, overnight oatmeal. That link is just to one of a thousand recipes you'll find online, but it's completely adjustable and you can do what you want. I made some last night that I ate for breakfast this morning, and it was this good:

Redhead tested, Harry Potter approved.

Yeah. It was that good. It had 1/2 c. oats, 1/2 c. almond milk, some vanilla extract, crushed pineapple + juice (it had no added sugar!), ~1 generous tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut, and 1/2 a mashed banana. It was like a tropical explosion in my mouth. 

A family-friendly version of what we're all thinking.
Also, borrowed from funnyjunk.com 

Overall things are going pretty well though. My snacking is down drastically which is a miracle in and of itself, and as mentioned before, sleep. I did weigh myself, but this post is long enough; I'll post something tomorrow or in the next few days. =) 

So that's us! How are you kids doing? Anyone switching up their diets or workout routines lately? 

xo

A Redhead

*Note: I normally sleep terribly when he works over nights. Bleh.