Chipotle's Revenge

Welp, you all know that my family is competing in a family-style edition of the Biggest Loser.  I was feeling so great by Wednesday.  Did all my workouts, was following my eating plan and when I stepped on the scale, I was down well over 1 pound (which when we calculate body percentage as opposed to pounds lost, I would have been doing okay).  Then comes the curve balls.

What I have always been fascinated by with the Biggest Loser is the bubble concept they use with the contestants.  For much of the beginning weeks of the show, the contestants never leave the ranch.  They have to workout, eat what their fridge is stocked with and don't have the distractions of the "real world."  It isn't until the show releases the participants back into the wild, if you will, that you watch them struggle and fight.  Yep, totally understand this concept.  I had a babysitter come over on Friday in the early afternoon.  I went into Watertown and did some shopping, just for me.  Without kids, I flew through everything I needed to do and then it all came cumbling down for the remainder of the weekend.  I had to go to Target....which means I had to make a pit stop through Starbucks.  I needed to pick up dinner because as soon as I was finished with my "me time," I was working the Augustinian Academy Parish Fair.  I picked up Chipotle.  Of all my fast food options available, I did feel like Chipotle was the best possible choice.  But it didn't end there.  Oh no, my friend, the downslide continued.  A highlight was when the lady who was in charge of the volunteers walked around handing us food vouchers and I very smartly chose the fried dough.  I worked most of Saturday afternoon and the fun didn't stop with more fried dough, pulled pork, strawberry shortcake...

Needless to say, I am sitting here on Sunday evening not feeling great.  In fact, I feel miserable!  I stepped on the scale and if I am not over weight at my weigh-in, it's going to be a miracle.  I feel bloated, lethargic, just...gross.  I enjoy crap food.....sometimes in moderation but more than a lesson in portion control I have learned this valuable nugget that I am going to put into practice this week.  One- the more I keep up on my water intake, the less I want to indulge in garbage as well as I want to eat less, in general.  Second- I can NOT eat things (especially garbage things) late into the night.  I wake up already feeling blah and it feels like it just sits heavy on me. 

So I have two things to work on this week but like my sister keeps saying....this process is a marathon, a long-slow constant evolving learning process.

The Glass Slipper

Run Disney introduced the Glass Slipper Challenge for this year.  It will include the annual Princess Half Marathon as well as the new to 2014 Enchanted 10k.  Yep, you read that right....16.7 miles in two days through the most magical place on the planet.  I am pretty sure I am crazy.  Thankfully, excitement overtook crazy long enough to hit the "yes charge my credit card" button and sign up because the Glass Slipper Challenge sold out in less than 7 hours.  Insane!  

People who don't "get it" have never experienced it before.  I am a Disney brat.  Born and bred...my parents are Disney people too.  My siblings all share the same love for anything Disney and we are passing that love to our children.  (Although Connor tried to tell me a few weeks ago that Disney Junior was for babies and it just about broke my heart.)  You only have to speak the word and I am down for anything that involves going to Disney World, even if it does mean running at zero-dark thirty with 40,000 of your closest Disney Princess loving compadres.  Some people don't understand the coolness of Run Disney.

First of all, Run Disney has events almost all year long from the Wine and Dine Marathon weekend during Epcot's Food and Wine Festival.  (I haven't done this one yet but the Food and Wine is AMAZING and when you run you get the have a little sampling so trust that this race may be on my future to do list).  The Tinkerbell Half Marathon.  The Expedition Everest Challenge.  The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10K and the queen bee of them all...Endurance Marathon Weekend.  Jo and I participated in this one a few years back.  We ONLY ran the half but let me tell you the level of running insanity for this weekend.  There is a 5K, a half and a full marathon.  If you run the full and half, you have participated in the Goofy Challenge and you get a rocking medal but this year, Run Disney is also offering the Dopey Challenge...yep, running all 3!!  How crazy is that?!  But that is the love and obsession of these events.  They are awesome.  I mean, you run right through the middle of Cinderella's Castle!  

So now it is prep time.  I have been going to the gym three times a week and started prepping sloooowly.  One of the biggest mistakes I made last time was that my excitement (again) overtook sanity and I started full throttle.  By the time we actually got to the month of the race, I was pretty much done.  I have a 5k in August so I am working on that with the plan to just run the entire thing.  For you runners, I know this sounds hysterical.  I just signed up for a half marathon with a goal to run an entire 5K.  Oh ye of little faith.  I will get there, I promise.

Family Challenge

I was walking through Lowe's with dad John and I get this very strange text from my sister.  It says something to the effect of, "are you still trying to lose weight..if so, how much?"  After I shook off the peculiarity of this I answered that was planning on losing more, what my goal weight was and how many pounds it would take to get there.  Of course, I promptly followed it with a "why do you ask?"

Jo had this brilliant idea to make a little contest out of losing weight...the Biggest Loser, family edition.  There are 7 of us competing.  It is pretty simple- there are two categories.  Percentage of weight loss and inches lost.  Each week for 8 weeks we email our weight and measurements to Jo who plugs them away and announces the weekly winner.

I will be honest here, I highly doubt I will be a winner.  I don't have a TON to lose but I am giving it a real, honest valiant effort.  I am highly competitive so I couldn't let this pass me by without giving it my all.  More than my desire to win, however, is my desire to live a much healthier lifestyle.  After a lot of researching and trying to figure out what I could incorporate into my family's lifestyle, I have started to take a shot at clean eating.  For anyone who isn't familiar with clean eating, the principles are fairly basic:

-eat things from the farm.  Fruits and veggies are key as well as grain-fed beef and chicken

-avoid processed foods.  If you can't pronounce something in the label, it doesn't go in your body

-eat 5-6 meals a day every 2-3 hours

Seriously, that is basically it.  You can, of course, research and find more info.  I have just broken down the basics super quickly for you.  Finding recipes is actually fun and I couldn't have picked a more perfect time to start this part of my journey.  I mean, the farmer's markets are just opening up and fresh produce is all around! 

Enjoy this recipe....it was my afternoon snack and it was super yummy!

Green Smoothie

2 c. spinach

1/2 c. blueberries

2 bananas

1/2 orange

1/2 c. coconut milk

1 Tbsp. flax seed

Put blueberries, orange and bananas into a blender.  Blend and then add spinach, flax seed and coconut milk.  Blend and enjoy.  This made enough for 2 cups worth so I had one today and saved one in the fridge for tomorrow.

A Little Backstory

My sister and I ran the Disney Endurance Half Marathon in January of 2010.  It was actually that training process that began this blog.  It journaled my progress from starting as a non-runner to running a respectable 3.5 hour 1/2 marathon.  (In all fairness, we would have finished sooner except my bladder and bowels INSISTED I find a bathroom mid-way through!). The training was sometimes grueling but overall, I enjoyed it.  I found peace running mile after mile and it was an awesome way to drop left over baby weight from when Connor was born.  I was smaller at Endurance Weekend than I was for my wedding...and this is saying something since I wore a size 2 wedding dress.

I distinctly remember feeling blessed as I prepared for Endurance Weekend.  This blog (my sister had one that journaled her journey as well) was a chance for Jo and I to connect on a different level than we had before as sisters.  We were supporting, encouraging, motivating, inspiring each other to continue to push and do better from a thousand miles apart.  The day of the half was early and it was COLD.  As in, sleeting rain and freezing temps in Central Florida, cold!  We trucked, we did awesome!  We did it together.  We crossed the finish line holding hands and bawling our eyes out and I remember thinking, "I did it!  That was amazing!  I will never do that again!"

Sure enough, things happen.  Not 2 months later we moved from Savannah to Columbus, GA.  2 months after that I was pregnant with Alaina and her pregnancy and first year was very difficult for me. I, literally, didn't have the time to find time for myself and it started to show.  Flash forward to this past February.  Something the Northeast part of the country does that is completely foreign to me is this "winter break" thing.  The children in school get a week off each February but no one is sure why.  They get their time at Christmas and another week at Easter, so just for giggles, they get ANOTHER week during the coldest, snowiest part of the year as well.  On Tuesday of this dreaded winter break, I called my dad who lives in Orlando and told him, "put us on the calendar for the end of February 2014, I will not be spending another week in February alone in the North Country with kids home from school."  I noticed pictures being posted of the Princess Half Marathon during this same winter break and my wheels started turning.  Almost like an inner turmoil, "I really want to.  I remember the pain last time.  It would be so cool.  My lips were blue for hours after the finish.  Who would watch my kids while I run?  Would dad and Cheryl be willing to watch them?"  Back and forth and back and forth until I got a random text from my sweet sister that said she was considering running it.  THAT was my sign.  That was what I needed to say, yep, you got this...again!  

So here we go...again.  My blog turns back into my journey.  From beginners running 101 and prepping for my Color Run 5K in August all the way through the Princess 10K AND half marathon.  Yep, we are crazy enough to do both back to back all for that beautiful glass slipper medal!  

It is the training, it is the new family challenge I accepted for my family (I will share that tomorrow), it is life and all the struggles that go along with trying to do something for myself in the middle of doing the single mom thing and deployment challenges.  All I ask is that if you chose to read and follow along, be kind.  There are so many people that want to hold you down when you are trying to rise above, change your life and be better and I ask that all negativity stays out of my world.  Thanks and enjoy!

T