Misha?

Well kids, I know I promised stories of redneckery and whatnot, but I just haven't had any time!! Time does not exist to me these days. I am working so many hours - so many loooooong hours - that I just can't keep up.

I am also finding it somewhat difficult to get back on this Thintervention business. Not because I'm consciously avoiding, but because I am literally not thinking. I've been eating crap for so many weeks now, that I seem to be continuing to make poor decisions without really meaning to. Does that make sense? Like, if I am hungry and want lunch then I just eat whatever sounds good for lunch. I don't stop to think about the calories or anything. I need to re-vamp my thought process and make sure I'm paying attention!!! I know it sounds really weird but it's what is in my head and you don't wanna get. in. there.

So I went to Wendy's for lunch today (here's your sign...) and I'm in the drive-thru. I go to the first window and there is this guy who pretty much looked like he hates life. Wouldn't you if you were working at a Wendy's drive-thru? Yes. So he takes my card without really looking at me, and repeats my order to me and swipes my card. Then he looks at my card and sees my name and tries to pronounce it and says "Mi...Misha?" and I laugh and say, "It's Micha". He smiles and says "Wow. That is really beautiful. Wow....and you're really beautiful. You really live up to your beautiful name. How are you today?" haha! I laugh and say I'm fine and he says, "Good, I'm glad. Would you like your card back beautiful?" so I take my card back and he practically drops it because he is like staring at me. And he asks me if I need anything else, to which I say no and pull ahead to the next window. Hated to leave the guy hanging (because he wasn't that bad looking actually...), but mama was hungry. He must have been sleep deprived or hunger induced or something to be that intrigued by me, but it was amusing nonetheless. Thanks, Wendy's. #neededthat

Okay, gotta go. No time for play today.
Micha

Setbacks

Um...hi. No really....hi. Okay, so my last post was on July 15th. 7 weeks ago. I have had some MAJOR setbacks that have seriously derailed my train of thought here lately. I'm not saying they are excuses, but life happened and I really fell off the wagon. Hard. The GOOD news (well, I'm considering it to be good news at least), is that yesterday I drug my ass to the scale for the first time in a month. I fully expected to have gained like 47 pounds and be two seconds away from dying. But, by some miracle, I have gained NO weight. I am exactly the same weight as I was 7 weeks ago when I last posted. How that is possible is truly beyond me. I have eaten a lot of crap. Granted, I have also had good days and have still pretty much avoided the main disasters - i.e. fast food, pizza, etc - but nonetheless I have not consciously been Thinterventioning. So much so to the point that I had to go to my own facebook profile today to go to my own info section to find the link to my own blog so that I could write this entry. How. Sad. Is. That. Eff.

So allow me to catch you up with my variety of reasons for disappearing. Grab some light popcorn and settle in kids. Mama's back.

1. Josh Groban - I feel absolutely no need to tell my Josh story on here because the only people who could possibly read this blog already know the entire story from beginning to end. But I will say the last time I wrote was the day I was going to see Josh. The next two weeks after that (I am not exaggerating) I was on such a high of life that I do not even remember them happening. I spent my days watching the youtube video - in case you want another view Me Singing With Josh - and my nights dreaming of Josh. That is the only conclusion I can reach because it was one big blur.

2. Hot As Hell - So the last time I went to Zumba, also about 6 weeks ago, it was literally over 100 degrees in there. Laura puked, and I almost passed out. We both sort of agreed that the heatstroke was not worth it. Well, that was a fabulous excuse.....for July. And maaaaybe part of August. But that is all. And because I wasn't Zumba-ing (remember how that's a verb kids...) I was also neglecting to focus on my eating as much,too.

3. Summer - Yeah, it happened. Spent every single weekend and half my weekdays at the pool, cold beer in one hand a book in the other. If I wasn't at the pool I was at my sister's house playing in her sprinkler. Or going to a cookout. Or a party. Or traveling and visiting friends and eating crap. Or, as in this past weekend, going to a Caramel Festival where everything was fried. Vacations happened. Eating out with friends happened. Birthdays. Looooots of random nights sitting on decks drinking and listening to music. You can go ahead and exchange every word I just wrote with the words "mucho calories" and you'll get the same conclusion. Summer happened yo.

4. Depression? - Maybe not depression, like clinically. But definitely some sadness. Despite all my awesome travels and food and parties and adventures, I have been really, really sad these last couple of weeks or so. I've tried to drag myself out of the funk, but it just wasn't happening. I'm stressed financially (actually, that is really an understatement), stressed with work (okay, another understatement), stressed with relationships or somewhat lack thereof-ish - just stressed in SO many ways. I feel like I'm drowning some days because I can't seem to get ahead in any respect and it is really getting old. But this weekend I kind of had a chat with myself and I'm gonna need to not be so sad and foul.

I guess those are the biggies. Again, not excuses but definitely parts of the puzzle. BUT, after weighing-in yesterday and realizing I've somehow managed to not damage the work I've already done I felt somewhat re-motivated. I talked to my mom for a while. So much time/money/effort has been put into this thing I am not even remotely considering quitting. I just need to re-focus. So today I am eating healthy (thus far), and I have every intention of going to the gym tonight. Even if I just walk or run or something for a while I feel like I NEED it.

Now, I know what you're thinking - why wasn't this post funny? I clicked on this post for Thintervention humor and am sorely disappointed! Micha you fail! Well, never fear my friends. Because I went to a redneck festival this weekend to rival anything you have EVER witnessed in your entire life. And I will tell you ALL about it. Trust me - you will be so entertained there will be no words. But that shall have to wait until tomorrow because my lunch break is over and I have a crap-ton of work to do. So I leave you with the sad little picture of what I ate for lunch today - a Lean Cuisine and some cheese cubes. Enjoy. And prepare ye ya'll for the redneckery.

Yes. Really.

Micha

Pictures!

I have two things to offer today: First, I get to finally see Josh tonight!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Second, because I am too excited to write, and I'm literally getting ready to walk out the door, I decided to upload some pics. A small journey if you will. Basically, a picture of me when I started Thinterventioning, and a series of pictures leading up to what I currently look like. I've only lost 34 pounds, and I really didn't think it was showing that much, but when I started pulling up old pictures I was acutally surprised to see what I DID look like verses what I DO look like! My apologies for the poor quality - they were all snapped by me using my cell phone. And honestly, the only reason half of them were taken was for this purpose - so that I could look back and attempt to see progress! Enjoy. :)

Peace, Love, and Groban,

Micha

Josh and Harry

Club crackers and black tea with lemon = breakfast of champions. Okay, well, not really but still. Wow - that was just not a sentence at all. "Okay, well, not really but still." I remember when I started my master's degree my first writing professor told me I wrote too "folksy" and need to lean towards writing more "academic". I'm thinking if he read this blog he would straight up die. Thats right. Not just die. Straight up die.

Anyway, lots to write today kids so sit back, relax, and grab a (lite) beer. Lets start with all things Thintervention related. I've managed to eat good this week, have been to Zumba every day, and am tracking my calories. Its funny because I tend to have more "cheat days" now, but I also tend to have little to no trouble getting back to regular days. Mama's growing up kids.

A few pictures for your delight. The first is my dinner from....Tuesday? Sure, Tuesday. I had some lovely tri-color pasta with a dose of light shredded cheese and it was delish. And yes, I measured everything!

The second is my current breakfast of club crackers. Eight of them to be exact, for 140 calories. Whatevs. I'm too tired to care. Again, my cellphone pictures aren't going to win any awards, but I feel the need every now and then to add color to the blog.

Yesterday I ate well during the day....I think? What did I have for lunch?? Hold on........oh yeah! A turkey sandwich and chips. Good grief I'm sad. I went to my sister's house yesterday and the purpose was to weigh-in. I generally weigh-in on Wednesdays. No reason other than my friend Lindsay has Weigh-in Wednesday in her blog and I think that title is delightfully fun. So I weighed-in and it would appear that I have lost another 2 pounds this week, bringing my total to 34 pounds! So yay! I still wish I would get on one week and be down like 6 pounds, Biggest Loser style. However, I have zero intention of working out 9 hours a day, eating only 1,000 calories, and showing my ass wearing only a sports bra on national television. So two pounds it is!On a brighter note, I am only 16 pounds away from having lost 50 pounds. This seems simultaneously impossible and totally achievable. I think "omg 16 pounds.......that SO much!" and then I think "OMG 16 pounds?! Totally can do that! I've already lost twice that much!" You don't want to play in my schizo head. Trust me.

Last night I worked late, and after work Ethan and I went to Raising Cane's. I had never been there before, but several of us were discussing it yesterday and everyone kept saying how great their special sauce was. So we went last night and um - YES. That sauce was SO good. Its a ranchy-barbecuey-worchestershirey-chipotley-yummy goodness sauce. And they had crinkle fries! Win. And garlic bread that was soooo good all dipped in that fattening sauce. I had more than enough calories left for the day so I was able to eat my entire meal and feel totally okay with that. And lets be honest - even if I didn't have the calories left I was gonna eat it because it was just that damn good! Mmmm sauce....

In some non-Thintervention news: Tomorrow, yes tomorrow, I have sixth row seats to see Josh Groban!!!!! I bought the tickets in freaking March so I never thought this day would come. I am OMJ excited! (Thats oh my Josh for all you non-fans). Speaking of non-fans, I just don't get why people hate on him. So many of my college friends take issue with Josh. Calling him "popera boy" and whatnot. But my arguments are this: First of all, he doesn't sing opera. He doesn't even try to sing opera. To the random mcperson walking down the street, I know that anything in a foreign language or that is non-Britney Spears is pretty much opera. This I cannot fight. But to my musically trained friends - he doesn't sing opera! Secondly, I highly doubt the haters have ever really listened to his music. "You Raise Me Up" SO does not count. That is actually my least favorite Josh song. He of course has some cheesy ballads. Hell, Madonna has some cheesy ballads. But overall, his music is great. I own all the CD's, this is my sixth time seeing him in concert, and I heart him. And lastly, for all those music friends who hate him - um, he's a multi-platinum award winning artist who is on a world tour. I think he gets the last laugh here.

Sorry about that. Felt the need to love me some Josh! My friend Becky is coming down this weekend to go to the concert with me, then we're going to see the new Harry Potter film. I need to re-watch Part I of the 7th film before I see Part II though. I also want to re-read all the books. It has literally been 10 years since I read the first book. It is such genious writing, and the movies totally take that away. Granted, the movies are entertaining and all but nothing can get something across like a book can.

Alright, gotta go. Its so early in the day. But my hair looks good.

Did ya'll know that Neville Longbottom is hot now!?
Micha

1,000 Degrees

Well hey kids! How goes it? Anybody else ready to cut a bitch because of this heatwave?! I mean, FOR REAL. Yesterday it was like 112 degrees with the heat index. And the thing about Kentucky is that it can never just be hot. No, no. It has to be hot AND humid. I swear the humidity must be at like 90% right now. When I got in my car yesterday it was so hot I couldn't breathe. I had to open all four windows and pray I didn't die before my air conditioner kicked in.

Of all things I decided to go to Zumba last night. I would like to tell the story of me being awesome: My sister called because her air wasn't working and she was dying of heatstroke, so she wanted me to go swimming with her. And at first I said yes, and was internally deciding to forget all previous Zumba intentions. But, after a few minutes of thought I realized that I simply couldn't peace out on exercise for another day. SO, I totally went to Zumba instead! And that is the story of me being awesome. (My apologies if you thought I had something interesting to share...).

Now, I did immediately go to the pool as soon as Zumba ended. It was soooooooo hot last night that it was almost unbearable. Kelly kept giving us extra water breaks, and I went through my bottle of water, then refilled it on my way out and drank it again, and then got home and filled up and drank my huge 32 oz water bottle. And I probably still could have drank another gallon! Woof. The good side is, I'm thinking I probably burned twice as many calories because I sweat sooooo much. And I also worked my tail off because I skipped Zumba all three days last week (for shame), so I felt the need to kick my own ass last night. Success! That badonka-donk girl was back but I was standing safely one row back and four people over, so fortunately she was taking other people out, but I was safe and sound!

Anyway, I just finished eating lunch. It was quite delightful. I had a new Lean Pocket - Chipotle Chicken or something like that. It was totally yummy. Red and green peppers, chicken, corn, onions, all in a chipotle sauce. Yummm. I drank a Diet Dr Pepper with lunch, and I know I should have had water but it just tasted so good!

I think I may weigh-in tomorrow if I can remember to. I'm not sure that I've actually lost weight this week, but maintaining would be nice. We shall see what the results are!

In other news: I am loving me some Matthew Perryman Jones and some Brooke Fraser right now. May I suggest "Last Falling Star" by Matthew, and "Something in the Water" by Brooke. Actually, may I just suggest the entire album by Brooke called "Flags". Ya'll know how I get obsessed! I've recently been listening to Sara Bareilles like its my job, and Brooke is seriously in equal contention now for new favorite person ever. Very similar styles/lyrics/sounds.

Okay. Its too hot to go any further. My lovely long straight hair is now in a ponytail with a headband. Here's hoping I have little to no social interaction until Zumba.

Woof.
Micha

Curls and Scales

Dude. Seriously. What is my body? lol  I went ahead with my quasi-weekly weigh-in today, mostly to remind myself that I had a hellrat weekend and today was going to be my quantitative punishment. But no, no. I somehow managed to lose a pound this week. Last week I lost the three pounds I had gained on vacation, so that plus the one pound weight loss this week brings me to 32 lbs.  Dunno how that happened, but I'm not trying to argue! Still slow as molasseses.....molasses.....molasess....syrup. Slow as syrup, but the number is going down, not up. Again, that is really my main goal at this point.

I'd like to go to Zumba tomorrow night. However, it is that-time-of-month and I seem to have small demons chewing on my uterus as recreational activity. I just ate Pamprin like it was a bag of skittles. I reeeeeeaaaaalllllllyyyyyy need to exercise though. And I totally do want to. When I lose weight, even if only a pound, it always serves as a fresh motivator to go make myself do something in the gym. However, the demons and I are gonna have to have a little talk first. Dear Demons: Ima need ya'll to not eat a hole through my uterus during the next 24 hours so that I may continue on with my life and be able to enjoy activities such as Zumba. And walking. And moving. And not crying when I stand, sit, bend, or lie like a statue. Deal? (Ladies, I know ya'll feel me on this one, right?)

So anyway, I suppose that about covers it for today. It is raining outside, which is apparently God's way of telling me to stop blow-drying and straightening my hair in the mornings. I've achieved this task twice this week, and let me tell ya that is amazing. During the summer, you have a better chance of getting a marriage proposal from Brad Pitt than you do of seeing me with straight luscious flowing hair. I have insanely naturally curly hair. It's strange because the older I get the more curly it becomes. In high school it was a little wavy and I could talk it into curls with a little love. In college I was able to wear it curly so long as I didn't touch it or anger it, and the curls would just sort of do their thing. Now, as an adult (because I do not consider myself having been an "adult" in college), my hair is all kinds of curly. Big, thick southern-belle locks, like "Gone With The Wind" style. And I do nothing. I literally step out of the shower, get dressed, and leave. I don't use product, I don't brush it, I don't style it. It just curls. Which is lovely during the summer because its too damn hot to dry my hair anyway. And my hair is thick like a horse, so all of ya'll with thin straight hair who just flip your head over and dry it in five minutes can bite me. Drying my hair requires that I use straightening shampoo, then straightening conditioner, then a leave-in smoothing milk, then blow dry it for 20 minutes with a metal round brush, and then straighten it section by section with a straightening iron, and then pray. And still, generally after about 3-4 hours it starts to flip and wave anyway. I love my long straight hair, but alas the pretty days are few and far between.

Okay, well I have zero idea why I felt the need to share any of that, but kudos to ya'll for sticking with me.

Hells yeah 1 pound,
Micha

Diet Disasters

I like the way my friend Lindsay worded her July 4th weekend as an all-encompassing diet disaster, so I'm totes stealing that. Thanks Linds!! By the way, I just caught myself up on her blog and can we all giver her a standing ovation? She has lost over 50 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the what? GO LINDSAY!! WOO WOO! I would comment on her blog and tell her how wonderful she is, but alas the blogspot-o-sphere is being evil lately and it seems that making a comment on someone's blog is the equivalent to solving world peace. It simply cannot be done.

Anyway, today's blog will be long for two reasons: 1. I have not written an entry since sometime last week, and a lot of Thintervention disasters have since happened. 2. I am a hot damn mess right now over non-Thintervention items and I feel the need to vent, even if only a little. Or maybe a lot.

First thing's first: July 4th weekend + Thintervention = recipe for disaster. Actually, it started well before the weekend. I spent at least two nights last week over at a friend's house just hanging out. And involved in that hanging out was wine, beer, vodka - you name it. We had fruity drinks, not-so-fruity drinks, etc. And then that of course ended with a 1AM run to McDonald's. Have I learned nothing? Yup. Appears to be the case.

Then this weekend comes. I did great Friday night in the sense that I did not go out. However, that did not matter because instead I ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut. Epic fail. Then Saturday my sister and I decided to waste the day away lounging poolside at my apartment. All well and good....except for two things. 1. Wine comes in mini-plastic bottles. Did ya'll know that? It practically demanded us to sit and drink wine all day. and 2. Pizza Hut is indeed willing to deliver straight to the pool if you don't want to get out, dry off, and walk back to your apartment. So I had Pizza Hut - AGAIN!! I mean, he brought it to our deck chairs at the POOL. Something just came over me.

Then comes Sunday. Did I repent for my hellish ways? Did I exercise and burn a zillion calories and make up for the last four days? Um, no. Went to my sister's house. Made a pitcher of Sangria, laid on the deck ALL day - for seriously 8 hours - and let the sprinkler keep us cool. We drank the entire pitcher of Sangria (and by we I mostly mean me), ate chips and salsa, junk food, and MADE FREAKING S'MORES. Thats right people. Sangria and s'mores. Then my awesome cousin Jason hand-delivered us dinner that night. He had slow-roasted/grilled some meat for the 4th of July and was kind enough to offer curbside delivery. And by curbside, I mean our asses were too lazy to get out of our chairs so he brought it out on the deck.

And finally yesterday. The end to my trainwreck. I didn't leave my apartment yesterday. Not once. But what did I do? Ordered pizza. I was already so lethargic from the weekend and had had some form of pizza, chocolate and/or alcohol every day for 5 days straight so at that point I just said screw it and called in for delivery.

So Lindsday - if you're reading this, feel better my friend. Your weekend was an ad for Weight Watchers compared to my hell-rat spree. If anything good came out of it all it is that I have zero desire to eat or drink this week, and if I never have pizza again it will be too soon. Woof.

Okay, so anyway - can I take a brief moment to vent? Cryptically? Life has recently attempted to teach me some nice, valuable lessons. Lessons that I have learned before, many years ago. And by "learned", I apparently mean went in one ear and out the other, right? What is it that has taught me to measure my own self-worth based upon what someone else thinks of me? When did I become that person?  I have literally gotten to the point of deciding whether or not I had a good day based upon how an interaction with someone went, etc. And at what point did I start thinking that my size and shape are not only determining factors in how I feel, but are the number ONE determining factors in how I feel? And WHEN did I decide that lowering my self-standards in an attempt to gain some type of confirmation or adoration of ANY kind is okay? Does anyone else go through ANY of this? I feel like I am lacking the strength to be me, and that my focus is so far gone that I'm not sure if it is even possible to get back. I have even found myself uttering phrases like, "If I can lose 30 more pounds, then I can/will....fill-in-the-blank......" The worst part of it all is that I've done this before, and thought I learned my lesson but clearly did not. I know all of this sounds like rambling and is confusing and makes no sense. I don't particularly want to elaborate with details, but I just wanted to attempt to get some things off my mind this morning. I already said it but I'm gonna say it again: What is it that has taught me to measure my own self-worth based upon what someone else thinks of me?

And lastly, but not leastly - why is it, that even when harsh reality is being handed to me on a silver platter, I look the other way and create what I want to be my reality? Kind of like selective listening. I hear what I want to hear, and ignore those parts that I don't want to hear. And if you do that consistenly enough, you know what happens? A false sense of reality. Because I editout all the bad parts, and live in my world of happy fluffy bunnies. And then when the moment comes that the bad parts inevitably creep their way back in, I act shocked - like I never saw them coming. Even though I personally deflected them out in the first place.

Okay, I'll spare you all any further ramblings today. My apologies for the lack of love, light and laughter today. But every day can't be rosy, right?

Moving right along,
Micha

Ankles and the Amazon

So I went to Zumba last night. I was not really feeling it, but I made myself go. Literally before the music started I was standing on the floor yawning. Thats how unmotivated I felt. But I started dancing and trying to make myself be all energetic. Then it happened. We were dancing to this Enrique Iglesias song "I Like It". There is this part in it that I can never do -where my feet have to kind of switch from side to side and my hands press down - well, its just awkward for me. My knees usually don't enjoy it (for those of you who don't know I have a torn miniscus in my right knee, so I often find myself having to modify fancy footwork). But last night I thought that hell, I was there and trying to be motivated so I decided to actually attempt this move. And I did it! I was all happy and smiling and thinking "Wow! I can do it!" and right when I reached that big happy smile point - I died. Well, not literally. But I did land on the side of my ankle rather than my actual foot and excruciating pain rippled up my leg. I stopped moving and screamed, but the music was so loud that not one person heard me. And honestly, people stop moving and/or modify moves all the time, so me just standing there on one foot didn't seem to alarm anyone within a four row radius either. Go figure. It just hurt sooooo bad. Like that kind of pain that makes your blood feel like it suddenly ran cold. I couldn't walk off the floor at first, so I opted to bend over and start rubbing my ankle.

Meanwhile, of all nights I had this girl next to me who was IN IT TO WIN IT. She was this 6 ft tall voluptuos Amazon woman who took every move that Kelly showed us and then proceeded to do the cracked-out amplified x10 version of that move. She had about taken me out three times already and didn't seem to care. Actually, at one point she had puckered her lips out and gave me a look that said "Who gon' check me boo?" and badonka-donked past me. But none of that was as scary when I was moving with her, because we were at least moving in sync. However, when I'm standing there at a dead stop, bent over holding my ankle, her coming at me like a freight train was scary as hell. She had zero intention of stopping, and her ass came no less than 2 inches away from my face about 12 times. It was a mess. I felt like I was in the middle of some African tribal ceremony and I was the chosen sacrifice.

Anyway, I pretty much stood there for the rest of the song and worked out my ankle. There were two more songs until water break so I did some light modifications and made it through them, but after they were over I peaced out. I decided that it wasn't worth it to be in pain, so I went home. And I had a fairly bad day yesterday overall, and combined with the Zumba experience I broke down - I stopped on the way home and got a hot-n-ready pizza at Little Ceasar's. Remember that whole "don't eat your feelings" concept? Yeah, I was the poster child. I can see the headlines now: "Girl Twists Ankle In Zumba, Eats Whole Pizza As A Result". Extra, extra read all about it! :-/

Anyway, so after last night being tragic in all realms its back to the grind today. I wore a dress today in some feeble attempt to feel pretty. My ankle, by the way, doesn't hurt at all today. Well, a tiny bit on the inside but nothing major and I can totally walk on it. The jury is still out on whether I'm going tonight or not.

At least I don't have cankles,
Micha

Weekend Update

Good morning! I'm writing earlier than usual today. No reason. I'm just that awesome.

I'd like to start this post with a picture of the AMAZING necklace my sister gave me yesterday. Isn't it gorgeous? It was supposed to be my Christmas and/or birthday present for next year, but my little nephew Colin accidentally told me she had a present for me. haha And since I'm a big kid, she knew I'd bug the crap out of her until she just gave it to me, so she let me have it! Apparently she bought it on vacation while I was standing right next to her looking at other necklaces! I never saw this one - otherwise I would have bought it in 0.2 seconds. She snatched it up, handed it to mom to hide while I was distracted. They had one more, and apparently mom saw that one and hid that one,too, just so I wouldn't see it! haha

So anyway: It is official. I have LOST the 3 lbs that I gained on vacation. Woowoo! Granted, I guess that doesn't increase my overall weight loss, but I'm still glad that I was able to drop three pounds this week. I worked my butt off for those three pounds! Three days of Zumba, and some hardcore calories counting can go a long way my friends. Now if only I can lose another three pounds this week, that would be sayin' something! Actually, four pounds would be fantastic because then I'd be at an even 35. The OCD side of me would like to see that happen.

So this weekend was absolutely the polar opposite of what I had planned it to be. I had planned on staying in Friday and resting, then heading out to Cincinnati for the duration of Saturday, then then catching up on my DVR on Sunday. None of the above happened. Friday was my sister Anissa's birthday, and I found out last-minute that she was having a cookout at her house with the family. So we drove down to her and Tim's house Friday after I got off work. For real, we had SO much fun. My family. Oh my family. When we get together, the amount of laughter than ensues is unmatched. Like all families, we have had our ups and downs through the years, but for the last couple of years it has been a lot of ups. Everyone is sort of settling into this happy norm. It seems like lately everytime we have a get together ( and we have had a lot!) that we end up laughing so much I leave with my cheeks hurting! Highlights from this cookout would definitely include everything from our "talent show" haha. Anissa got an iPad 2 for her birthday, and Caleb's girlfriend Amandah became videographer for the night. So what do we do? We have a family talent show. Everyone went around and shared their hidden, or not-so-hidden talent, after sharing the discussion about Dad's little known ability to make a sound like a bull in heat. (Yes. Really.) So dad did that, Anissa danced to the birthday card that I got her, Colin did a hysterical dance that he saw on a youtube video, and my personal favorite: my nephew Tyler attempting to wiggle his ears. Oh. Em. Gee. Have ya'll ever tried that? I think its hereditary or something. Its when ONLY your ears wiggle - nothing on your face moves at all, your head stays still - it takes a very specific muscle. My grandpa could do it, my sister Leslie can and her son Colin can. The rest of us look like fools when we try. But Tyler was beyond determined to achieve this talent by the end of the night so he just kept practicing and practicing - I wish beyond belief I could share the videos!! He looked like he was convulsing. hahaha Love that kid. Well, that 24 year old "kid". ha And what was my talent you ask? Well, my dad was born in the foothills of Kentucky and he has this thing where he pretends to be a backwoods Southern preacher. He shouts out the words to "Amazing Grace", southern as can be, and then the "congregation" responds by singing it, line by line. So I played the role of the uber Southern woman in the front pew sangin' my heart out while dad preached. Damn my family is special. Anyone still reading?? :)

SO, that was Friday. Saturday, I peaced out from going to Cincy because quite frankly I just needed some rest. So I grabbed a book and went and layed by my pool all day! I only got in a few times because the water was quite icy cold. But I started reading "Women, Food, and God" which is an Oprah recommendation I have wanted to read since last summer. So far, it is amazing. But I am going to reserve a whole post just for the book, so lets move on.

Sunday, Leslie, Colin and I went to see Cars 2. I am such a big kid. I know what you're thinking. "Oh, how sweet she took her baby nephew to the movies to see Cars 2!". Um, no. I took mySELF to go see it. I adore Disney/Pixar films to the ultimate extent. Adore. I have been dying for this movie to finally open!! It was simply a convenient perk that I actually had a child sitting next to me to downplay my level of loser-ness. The movie was great since it mostly focused on Mater. He is by far the best character in the Cars films, and this entire storyline was his. I laughed really hard. Just sayin'! AND, to further advocate my inner-child I saw at least three previews for upcoming children's movies that I simply must go see!! Did you know they're bringing Winnie the Pooh to the bigscreen?!?! Oh my gosh, I almost had a heart attack when Pooh Bear appeared on screen. I grew up watching Pooh and that cartoon has a very special place in my heart. I actually clapped when the preview ended. Only person in the theater who clapped. I looked at Colin, who was staring at my quite oddly and he said "Um yeah. I'm not coming with you to see that." ha! Guess I'll take myself on a date for that one.

So yes, it was a great weekend. Most importantly, I managed to eat well all weekend! (oh yeah, this blog is called Thintervention, not My So Called Life. My bad....) At the cookout I had one hamburger, one hotdog, a salad, and a small handful of chips. I had counted my calories very carefully all day that day though so I knew where I was. Saturday, I actually got up at 10 and made breakfast ( I know, right?!) before I went to the pool. For lunch I had a nice Lean Cuisine and some veggies. I believe the Lean Pocket was a garlic white chicken pizza or something of that nature. For dinner that night I wanted something very bad, like a large pizza. But I managed to talk myself out of it and make some whole wheat pasta instead.

I actually was even a good girl and measured everything. I mixed in some steamed peas and some 2 % cheese, and it was TASTY!!! Mmmm. Sunday wasn't great, but not terrible. We saw Cars 2 at the Movie Tavern, so I ate there. I had the Monte Cristo wrap, but only ate half, and had fries but only ate half, and some mac & cheese (ate all that...) I was actually really full for most of the day after that, so last night I had a PB & J on wheat to round off the weekend. Overall, way better of a weekend food-wise than what I normally do!

Okay, I think this post is sufficiently long enough. Anyone who is still reading please go have a cookie on my behalf now. Well done.

Mmm...a cookie...

Micha

Laughter

Sometimes laughter really is some good medicine. :) And I have laughed a lot these last couple of days! I think it just keeps me in a better mood overall. And I've heard that laughter burns calories - not sure if this is fact or fiction, but if it does burn calories then I've done quite well!

I just finished a lovely lunch of a Whole Grain Lean Pocket (broccoli/chicken), and come cauliflower in cheese sauce. Have ya'll tried those? Green Giant has this line of frozen veggies called Just For One. They come in individually wrapped trays. You just take a tray out, steam it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, and voila! They are only between 40-80 calories a tray depending on the veggie, and its instant gratification. If I have learned nothing else in this journey I now know that healthy food needs to be convenient as possible for me. Because if it starts getting all complicated, then I will peace out and go to Wendy's. Sad, but true. And the great thing about these veggies is that they come with some type of sauce on them - like a light butter sauce, or a light cheese sauce. I mean, don't get it twisted - they aren't gonna be on Top Chef next week or anything, but they totally work and are a perfectly tasty low-cal side dish.

I have Zumba tonight - oh crap. Crap crap crap - I just realized that I forgot my Zumba clothes at home!!! Hmm........

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FINE. I'm going to go them now I suppose. Peace.
~Micha

Damage Control

Though the phrase "damage control" could apply to many things, I am specifically talking about post-vacation weigh-in. Holy crud. I gained 3 lbs while away on vacay. Though it could have truly been much worse considering the apocalyptic amount of eating that took place combined with the complete and utter disregard for exercise. But boooooo to you gaining 3 lbs. :( I'm back on track though, so hopefully this is some extra water weight and I can work it all off over the next week. I had a good breakfast this morning. My lunch was low in calories, but not necessarily the best options - peanut butter on crackers. I know that is a most pathetic lunch, but I had just weighed like 5 minutes before, so I had absolutely zero desire to eat. I'm going to make turkey burgers and fresh veggies for dinner tonight though so I'll be very well fed. I'm right on track for calories for today so far. And I totally went to Zumba last night!!!

So I was a teensy bit late because I had to wait on a DVD to finish burning to take to our instructor. When I got there the first song had just started. Let me tell ya - trying to walk across a gym full of 150 women dancing Zumba to Usher? Um, death sentence. I was trying to dart lightly, but every 3 feet I almost got bitchslapped. Granted, they were not purposely trying to take me out, but nonetheless they did. Then right as I was sitting my water bottle and keys down and ready to pounce onto the floor they started the big hip-shake move. I swear on my life I thought I was going to be taken out by this woman in the back row. She redefines hip-shaking. I just saw ass coming towards me when I stood up and I didn't know what to do so I ran! I managed to find Corina mid-dance on the floor and squeezed into a tight little spot between her and April and jumped right into the dance. I worked my butt off,too! I sweat sooooo much. I could handle all of Kelly's songs, but we had a guest instructor who did three songs with us. Let me paint ya another picture:

This girl was not Latina, but she could MOVE. Oh Em Gee could she move. We danced to some ghetto fabulous song about some rapper trying to find him a booty friend on myspace (aka, every rap song you've ever heard...), so the dance was really a hip-hop dance more so than a Zumba dance. And I think that is what threw me off so badly. I have mastered the cha cha, meringue, salsa, the rumba. But homegirl was straight up hip-hop dancing and her body was moving in ways I've only seen when Beyonce threw it down at the VMA's a couple years ago. (sidebar, you should totally youtube that performance). Anyway, rapper dude was making him some frindz and err'body was happy and all was well. Then came this part where she wanted us to do this kick thing, bounce to the side throw our hands up and then twist our hips in a MOST sensual way. I was barely hanging on by a thread and was considering just laughing when April, who was standing next to me, just flat out stopped moving looked at me and said "I ain't feeling that." BAHahahaha She just said what every woman in the room was thinking. I mean, the dance was totally fun and I'm sure we'll do it again. But when you have ShanaynayBonquisha booty on the stage, and RuthAnnAmish hips on the dance floor the math just don't add up ya'll. Woof.

On that lovely note, I'm gonna head out for now. More Zumba tomorrow kids!

Dear 3 lbs - eat me.
Love,
Micha

Life's a Beach

Why hello there cyber world. Long time, no type! I pretty much went "off the grid" all of last week. I basically only acknowledge my cell phone long enough to take a picture or send a quick text. I didn't even make a phone call while I was gone. Whaaaa?

Needless to say: Vacation was amazing. I don't recall the last time I was at liberty to just lie on a beach and listen to the waves for as long as my little heart desire. Mmmmm. I don't think anyone reads this who isn't my friend on facebook, so I'm sure you have all seen the pictures!! I took them all with my cell phone, so they aren't gonna be finalists in any photography contests, but they'll do. The kodak moments were captured.

Our condo was GORGEOUS!! Ethan harrassed me for approximately 4 months leading up to vacation informing me that our condo was going to be nothing more than a vacant field with a sign that said "You've been had." To be fair, he had a good case - we rented the condo out via private owner, and we did it all online. And we don't exactly live close enough to the ocean to drive over and have a look to make sure it was legit. So we left on a wing and a prayer. By the time vacation actually had arrived, I was going to stay on that beach even if it meant I had to sleep in a sandcastle for the week, so I didn't really care. But Ethan had made me paranoid enough that I printed out every receipt, email, webpage, etc that I could find so we'd have a paper trail for our pending court case. :) No worries though!! It was not only real, it was stunningly beautiful, and in the most perfect location you can imagine. I know some portions of Myrtle Beach are redneckery and bargain shops where you can buy houses for like $9.99. But this was NOT that part! We stayed in Myrtlewood Villas, which were nestled on a golf resort, and it was perfect. The entire area surrounding us was gorgeous. Our condo sat on a lake where the sun set every night, and we were less than a mile from the ocean. We used the Hilton's pool/ocean access during the day so that we could rent umbrellas and beach chairs. Because I'm not sure if you saw the picture of what our car looked like all packed up, but beach chairs were NOT on the menu.

It would be in vain if I attempted to share everything we did on vacation. I just can't recap everything. Just know that we had an amazing, relaxing, laughter-filled week that I will never forget and it was MUCH needed! Seeing as how this blog is dedicated (mostly) to my weight-loss journey I will take a minute to discuss that part of the trip.

Remember how I lost 31 lbs right before I left and was all happy and was gonna eat great on vacation and do well? And, and remember how that did NOT happen?!?! Woof. I ate like a beast all week. I'm totally gonna have to own it because 1. there's no way around it and 2. there were too many witnesses who will rat me out if I try to lie (Leslie). I did truly keep my calorie counter going strong on the first day and at least attempted to track it. But then once I realized all the food I was consuming I simultaneously realized that there was no way in hell I was going to stay under 2,000 cals a day. Just wasn't gonna happen. Now, I DID swim everyday and I swam a LOT. So I'm sure that did a little counteracting (or at least I'm telling myself that ). But we had numerous restaurant excursions, endless snacks - no really, ENDLESS SNACKS - two or three homecooked southern meals provided by my aunt and my mom, and TWO all-you-can-eat buffets. I mean, thats every fat kid's DREAM!?! I can't even list everything I ate. And not because I'm ashamed (okay, partially because I'm ashamed), but mostly because we ate so much I couldn't possibly remember it all!!!  But hey - it was vacation. And that is something that rarely happens, at least in my world, so I totally lived it up. I pretty much slept/laid through Sunday, and yesterday was in shock mode coming back to work, but today I have pulled out the calorie counter and picked up my Zumba clothes on my lunch break. I even went into Kroger this morning before work because I needed makeup remover and makeup. I was starving, and my first instinct was to get a Krispy Kreme doughnut.....because those may or may not have been consumed on vacation....*ahem*. BUT I ended up grabbling a box of Fiber One bars and a vitamin water. I figured I'll need the fiber bars this week anyway, and the water was yummy. Only a 250 cal breakfast, so that maybe helped redeem something....like maybe one side dish that I had last week. Woof. But I grabbed my Zumba clothes in yet another attempt to return to normalcy. I keep telling myself - 31 POUNDS. That is only 19 lbs away from FIFTY! So that gives me motivation to get back to work!

AND, my other motivation is you guys!! I literally received text messages, emails, facebook comments - everything! - when I posted my vacation pictures. Everyone was just way too nice telling me how great I look and how proud they were of me (Sidebar: Don't read motivational weight-loss comments whilst sitting with a bib around your neck at an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet. Built-in guilt trip right there folks.) Um, anyway, what?? Oh, yes - the comments! You guys are awesome. Endlessly supportive of me and SO sweet!! I am glad people are starting to see the loss in me. Head on over to facebook and flip through my vacation photos! I ain't got time to double post on here. :)

Anyway, back to work for me. Extended lunch break today, courtesy of my beach bum mind. Stay tuned for the upcoming exciting photos of my new......picture frame!! (anyone think I was going to say boyfriend? No? Just me?). While on the beach I found about a hundred PURPLE sea shells while I was walking the shoreline collecting shells. Needless to say that made my day. I didn't know purple shells existed!  But I collected a ton, and I bought this lovely little frame that had a sand-like texture and color to it. I'm gluing some of my favorite purple seashells along the border in various ways, and will fill it with a favorite vacay photo. Yay! (okay, maybe the boyfriend idea would have been more exciting....)

Toes in the water, ass in the sand.....
Micha

Ima need to write this down

Well slap my ass and call me skinny! Okay....skinniER. :) I decided to weigh-in again today, in an effort to start holding myself more accountable even on "fat days" and guess what? I've lost 31 pounds! Not only have I crossed over my 25 pound plateau, I have left it in the dust. I've lost more pounds than years I am old. Woowoo! I haven't lost 31 of anything in years. I am SO happy to cross the 30 pound threshold,too. What a huge relief. I remember when I was watching Linds hit her 30 pound mark (which she has now well exceeded and she looks AMAZING!!!!!!!!), and my friend Laura at work hit hers, I just kept thinking "oh my gosh. that is never gonna happen for me. I am sooooo slow." But FINALLY it has happened my friends. My calorie tracker has been awesome.

Now, I am leaving for vacation at 9AM in the morning. And let's be honest - this is gonna pose some definite challenges for me this week. I'm not going to be an angel - I think that would be unrealistic to say. But I will make it a point to enter my food in my calorie tracker each day so that I continue to know where I am at. And I'm sure swimming and chasing my baby nephew will at least burn something each day. Maybe I can do a walk around the condo complex a few times?? I don't want to be "hardcore" about it, but I do at least want to not completely blow it. I would consider maintaining, or losing 1-2 lbs for the week to be a success. No gaining allowed!!

It should perhaps be noted here that I have been sooooo busy today trying to cram everything in that I have not exactly eaten well-balanced. I had cheese and wheat crackers for breakfast, and the same thing for lunch. But I fully plan on eating dinner soon. I haven't really even noticed how hungry I am until I sat down to start writing this. I had so much to do at work this morning to get everyone set to handle my absence next week. Then I came straight home and grabbed the dog and my laundry, took the dog to the groomer, and now I'm at my sister's house doing a load of laundry before I have to go pick her up. And then finally tonight I can go home and pack!!

So yeah kids. It was a good day in the world of Thintervention. I want to give one last shoutout to all those gals going through this with me - Lindsay, Betsy, Heather, Laura - and whomever else I'm forgetting!! - have all lost weight, made healthier life choices and are all seeing the benefits of it. Everytime I get down and discouraged, I am amazed by their amazing successes.

Also - yes, I do read all the comments you guys give me!! I just usually see them on my phone rather than a real computer, so I sometimes don't get to respond. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE all the positive cheerleaders I have - Kate, Adrienne, Tai, Stef - okay, so I can't possibly list them all because there are like 30 of you so I'll just stop trying. But I've said it before and will say it again - holding myself publicly accountable has been the best decision ever.

Okay. My 31 pounds and I are going on vacay now. See ya'll June 20th!

Micha



Weather Fairy Fail

Good grief it is HOT. Why is it this hot in June? We had Spring for about 2 weeks, and then all of the sudden I'm considering 90 degrees a cool day. I detest any form of extreme weather, so before all you "You complained about how cold it was, so I don't want to hear it now!" people start commenting let me just say: I hate all weather equally. I bitch all winter because it is so cold. I bitch all summer because it is so hot. I have absolutely no desire to have to wear 25 layers, and have even less desire to walk around naked all the time. I like Spring and Fall, but it seems they are appearing less and less every year. Put your hairspray away girls - the ozone can't take it! ;)

Anyway, a few thintervention items for digestion (see how I incorporated all the blog words there? Like that did ya?)  I had another lovely breakfast of Quaker oatmeal this morning, accompanied by a V8 Fusion.

It was SO good. It is supposedly a full serving of fruits and veggies and I checked out the ingredients (of course) and they are actually almost entirely fruits and veggies. Its 100 calories for the can, and though I'm not a huge advocate of "drinking your calories" it was a nice morning treat, and I was able to add it in to my daily intake quite nicely. Definitely not an everyday thing because it does have some sugars, but absolutely an 'on occasion' and 'in moderation' item. And may I just shout out to the GENIUS that happened in my mouth when I took a sip of blueberry juice followed by a bite of oatmeal? Fireworks.

For lunch today I had another fail. This is two days in a row of failing! I had to run errands on my lunch break today because I have a bazillion and one things to get done before vacation. As a result I didn't go home like I normally do, so I had to opt for a drive-thru because I had no food with me. I opted for McDonald's to get a small ice water and a grilled chicken snack-wrap. On my eat-this-not-that twitter feed its one of the things they recommend if you have to eat at Mickey D's because its only 270 calories. So I ordered two (I know), did NOT get fries (yay me), and got an ice water. I have never had grilled chicken from McDonald's before. I mean, I don't think that is an abnormal statement - if I'm gonna go to McD's then I'm most likely craving a Big Mac, a double cheeseburger, mcnuggets, a bucket of fries, a sweet tea - the list is endless. But rarely - if ever - have I ever thought "Hmmm, I could go for a nice piece of grilled chicken right now. Better head to McDonald's!" Um, no. So when I placed my order today (and I think the drive-thru guy judged me a little because I said no to fries), I was a bit hesistant about the chicken. I am VERY picky about chicken, and chicken that comes in a bag is just generally not gonna be gourmet. Just sayin'. Well, this chicken certainly failed on an epic level. It was disgusting. I choked down the first snack wrap, but half-way through I pulled the chicken off and threw it in the bag. It was chewy, weird texture, had a slimy outer layer - ugh. So nasty. So I then pulled the second snackwrap out and took the chicken off completely before I even bothered to bite into it. So basically for lunch I had two tortillas with some lettuce, cheese, and ranch (though the ranch was non-existant). I only paid $3.00 for the meal so whatevs. And my calorie intake for the day is still right on track - I'm at 665. Woowoo. But for real - tomorrow for lunch ima need Paula Deen to fed-ex me some chicken.

So tonight is Zumba class, but after much deliberation I don't think I'm going to go. :( This saddens me because I REALLY want to (for once!). But I have such a ridiculous amount of stuff to get done before leaving for vacation Saturday morning, and I have tonight and tomorrow night in which to accomplish it all. If I Zumba, I won't get home until close to 8:00 tonight, then I'll have to shower and make dinner and it'll be 9:00 before I know it and I will feel like doing nothing but crashing and burning. So I'm going to make the executive decision to skip it. Instead, I will be shampooing my carpets, doing laundry, dusting, running the dishwasher, taking the trash out, packing, running errands, etc. I'll turn on some good tunes and dance while I clean and shampoo the carpets - and for those of you who read the initial post the first time I tried that process I think you know very well that it will not be a simple, quick task. I will most likely curse up a storm in the process.

Lastly for today,can I just take a moment for my dog? She is a cute, sweet, loving, precious dog. I love her more than I probably should, and definitely more than I ever expected I would. She is the BEST. However (saw that coming, right?) she is a little DEMON when it comes to potty training!!! I have tried it ALL - we have tried kennel training, puppy pads, bells hanging on the door, filet mignon treats - you name it, it has at least been attempted. And the thing is, she totally goes potty outside everyday four times a day. She is not illiterate and/or mentally incompetent. She goes outside, does her thing quite happily and returns inside to air conditioned bliss. But she STILL goes inside the house. I think I traumatized her by moving her to NYC for a year and having her life revolve around a 5th floor apartment and a puppy pad. Good grief. So SHE is the reason I'm shampooing the carpets again tonight. Little beast. Also, she is not convenient to vacation. I've never had to leave her for this long, and it took forever for me to come up with the best option for her. I finally settled on having a couple people I work with look in on her all week and feed/walk/potty her every day. Boarding her was WAY too expensive for as long as I needed, plus she would probably freak out anyway. She is such a spoiled little diva. I totally let her live in the life of luxury, so who could blame her. I'm taking her to the groomer tomorrow to get all gussied up before Saturday when she'll be around company. Hate to deliver a dirty child! So she is getting haircut, ears trimmed, bath, nails cut, teeth brush - the works. She'll hate me right nice by the time I pick her up! :) I love my little rat though.

Don't eat yellow snow,

Micha

Three. Trois. 3.

Where to begin today? Well, I Zumba'd last night. It was soooooooo hot. I couldn't tell if it was just ridiculously hot in the room, or if I was just ridiculously hot from all the new dances, but either way - I died. My shirt was wringing wet, my hair was soaking wet - I looked like I had just showered when I left. At one point during cool down Kelly told us to inhale deeply - so I did. Unforunately, I was sweating so much that I inhaled sweat and nearly choked to death. Like you know when you jump in a pool and you accidentally get water up your nose, and you're fairly certain for those 2.7 seconds in time that you're going to die via a tragic drowning accident? Then the burning sensation sets in and you realize you're alive, and instantly you're just pissed off that you sniffed water and you totally forget you were seeing the light? Yeah. It was that. But instead of a pool I was in Zumba. And instead of water it was sweat. And instead of the light I'm fairly certain I saw Satan laughing.

Needless to say I came home and showered like I've never showered before last night. I scarfed down a wheat sandwich round with 2 tbsp of peanut butter as soon as I walked in the door to keep myself satisfied. Then after showering I went on a binge. But not of food. Of reality TV. Because I for reals could not walk. So I ate another Lean Cuisine and a crap ton of grilled vegetables, turned on Real Housewives of New Jersey and called it a night. I was in my bed by 11, and asleep by about 12:30. That's an accomplishment for me!

This morning I had a nice hearty bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and 8oz. of grape juice. I must say, I am totes in love with my calorie app (for those who asked - its called Calorie Counter by FatSecret). I actually feel more freedom since I've started using it. Because as long as I tell it what I ate, it takes all the guesswork out of my day. I knew exactly how many calories, carbs, proteins, fats, sugars, fibers and everything I had yesterday when it was time for dinner so it was SO much easier to pick a quick meal. Thank you technology. I apologize for being a garden gnome and not taking advantage of you sooner.

In other news, I decided to weigh-in today. I've been avoiding it like the plague because I was so determined that I had either gained a couple pounds or stayed the same, neither of which is an accomplishment. But.....I've lost 3 lbs this week! Thank. Goodness. Those three tiny little pounds turned my day from zero to HERO people. And I still haven't even added in resistance training (thorn in my side) - but I WILL!!!!

Finally, I feel as a quasi-public figure (in the sense that I write this blog and someone other than my mom reads it) that I must divulge a warning to those of you who have ever considered Lean Cuisine Spaghetti and Meatballs. Duh duh duh:

Do not, I repeat: DO NOT let this picture fool you into thinking this is real food. This was a fail of epic proportions. First of all, despite what you may see in the picture I added the parmesean myself so don't be fooled into thinking this beast came with cheese. Second of all, let me explain something about portion size here: Starving children in Africa eat more than this. When I poured it into my bowl, my very small bowl mind you, I actually laughed out loud. I turned the container over thinking "That can't possibly be it. Not possible." It was for real 4 bites. Granted, the upside is its only 270 for the whole package. However, if ima eat 270 calories bitches better be showing me something for it. The consistancy of the spaghetti was the equivalent to a Chef Boyardee meal gone terrible wrong. It was squishy and slimy and the sauce was basically glorified marinara. And the meatballs. well, in the picture you can only see three, but never fear my friends - they provided five glorious little quarter sized meatballs. Trust me, it was like Christmas when I moved my fork and two extra meatballs rolled out. I made myself eat them slowly. So I ate this little dish and called it lunch, but for real. Ima be hungry in like 25 minutes. I have become quite a fan of the Healthy Choice steamers and the Lean Cuisine lunches and I do enjoy them on a quasi-regular basis. So I'm not hating on the concept. But just saying - if you want pasta, go to Kroger, pick up a box of wheat pasta for like 88 cents, and make a normal human meal.

Okay, so I need to go because I've got way too much to do but before I do - have ya'll seen my cute new shoes yet?!

"I'm hungry momma! I really am!" (name that movie?)

Micha

Well hey ya'll!

Okay I went back to Zumba last night. I didn't die as much as I thought I would, but it wasn't easy either. I still remembered all of the dances, but she threw in two or three new ones that I had never done. I was quasi-impressed with myself though in the sense that I was able to learn them really fast and actually keep up instead of standing there and waving my arms like a banshee. But don't get it twisted - I was dripping with sweat, more than I ever have during Zumba class. I literally thought I was going to pass out. But I just kept chugging water and I survived. Our regular instructor was finally back from vacation, so that was a welcome sight. Though I adored the authentic Latina woman, Kelly is much more my speed. :) Oh! And random note - when I got there I walked in and one of the girls I used to work with at Our House was there (Corina). I had seen her facebook status talking about Zumba, but never imagined she would be at MY Zumba. So it was good to catch up with her, and since Laura couldn't go to Zumba last night I had a buddy. :) Yay! I came home afterwards and had a Lean Cuisine panini which was actually super good, and some left over veggies from a foil daddy from our weekend excursions.

I started really trying to track my calories yesterday,too. Which was NOT good because I had McDonald's for breakfast (ooops). I've been counting calories and tabulating them on my own, but I decided to start using my calorie tracker app on my phone and letting it figure out more details. I realized that my calories weren't too bad  - I ate 2,116 yesterday with the McDonald's overload, but I also did Zumba for an hour and burned 600. BUT what really surprised me was the insane stats for the other areas - total fat, carbs, sugars, proteins, etc. I've been focusing too much on calories I think. Because I count them and I always stay under (except yesterday....). But after viewing my chart I realized calories didn't matter so much if I had a bazillion grams of fats and carbs. This little app really opened my eyes to that. And its nifty because at the end of the day it emails me a spreadsheet of my daily report and lets me really see everything. And it has literally EVERY food you can think of, EVERY restaurant you could eat at - its like the app to end all apps. So I'm going to try and use it way more often and stop depending on my own calculations.

In other news, I'm wearing one of my new dresses today and it is soooo comfortable. I feel like I'm in pajamas. And I decided to think "outside the box" and wear a pair of blue-jean flats with a black cotton dress. I've decided I enjoy this look. I couldn't get a full-body shot - kept coming out fuzzy. So enjoy instead a shot of the top half of the dress, and my shoes. :)

I've really got to stop using the choir robe room as a portrait studio. And by "portrait" I mean shoddy cellphone camera work, but hey - you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. (You have to say that in Southern for it to rhyme. You "git" what you "git" and you don't throw a fit. I would have written it that way to begin with but I could just see everyone scrambling to Google to type in "translator".)

Anyway, not sure what lunch has in store today. Lean Cuisine perhaps? Slowly, but surely. Hey, it is June and I am concluding this much: I may not have lost 50 pounds yet like I had wanted, BUT I haven't quit either. I've had many, many rough patches. But I haven't just given up and that my friends is progress. I don't think ever, EVER in my life have I set off on an endeavor like this and stuck with it this long, especially after so many failures. It may seriously take me two years to lose this weight but it's gonna happen friends.

Southern is a language,
Micha

Ask and ye shall receive

Okay, so it has been so long since I've posted that I had to stop for a minute and think about what my password was. Thats just sad. But i just HAD to post today because everyone keeps asking me to! lol I feel so loved ya'll!

So yes, I have been MIA. Life got crazy these last couple of weeks. I finally got tired of posting about how insanely insane work has been, but never fear - it did not slow down in the least. I think it actually got worse. But I have officially now survived my first Youth Choir Dinner Theater and Youth Choir Tour. Puh-Raise-HIM. There are no words to express my joy at surviving the last 2 months. None.

Anyway, I also skipped Zumba the last two weeks, and I find that when I skip Zumba I sort of skip everything else - I stopped blogging, didn't eat so great, etc. It's like if I don't exercise, I am "allowed" to eat bad because I'm not technically counteracting anything. That is just sad to say, but true. Now to be fair, I skipped it last week for good reason - I had a sunburn the size of Texas that literally turned my body into a lobster. I was in sooooo much pain. Couldn't even lift my arms above my head, and I think we all know that Zumba would require a teensy  bit more than that. My sunburn healed somewhat nicely, although I went back to the pool this weekend and got a little burned again. I think I may have one of two things - a learning disability, or a sun allergy. Jury is still out. But the pool is literally in my "backyard". I use quotes because I of course live in an apartment complex, so the pool is not mine per se, but rather part of my amenities. And its great because it is never crowded. Granted, the group there is generally ghetto-fabulous. No. Really. There are these four hoodthangs that sit in the corner with food from Sam's Club and sell it to people walking by. Hey, more power to them - no one has shut them down yet, they entertain me with their banter, and they seem harmless. And chips are better than drugs! Okay...so maybe living in NYC for a year jaded me just a TAD more than I realized....

Well anyway...this weekend was fun! I went to my aunt and uncles 50th anniversary party on Saturday after spending the day at the pool. I got to see all my cousins, which is always a great time. My family is SOOOooo big. I always tell people that, and people hear me say that, but I don't think they really truly hear me: My family is HUGE. Ginormous. Ridonculous. GIANT. As in, I meet new people at every reunion. And at least a dozen people came up to me and hugged me and greeted me by name, and I had zero idea who they were. And now we've got so many new babies/kids it's like a whole new generation to keep up with! I'm the youngest of the first cousins, which is saying something because there are like 50 first cousins. No. Really. There are only 8 brothers/sisters left now of my dad's (only in my family can you say "only" 8), but our get togethers are still huge. I was sitting there Saturday, thinking that first of all not even half the family was there. And second, it was still packed - its amazing to think that my little Mamaw and Pappaw Hughes started this gigantic family. I love my family so much,too. Its crazy. Even when they're crazy, family is still so important to me. Highlight of my day: Seeing my Aunt Faye, who is 77 years old, DANCE like a fool the entire party!! LOL She cracks me up. She for real has more energy than me and all the cousins and grandkids combined. (Sidebar: She alone has 18  grandchildren. 18!!!) She said she starts every day by crawling army style around her house to get her blood flowing, then dances and reads her Bible. I love me some Aunt Faye. :)

So as I sit here chugging my welfare size cup of iced coffee, freshly made in my Keurig, I'm realizing that it is only 10AM. I got up at 5:30 this morning to drag myself over to my sister's house. She has to work in Cincy for the next month or so, and is doing some traveling back and forth. She had an early meeting this morning so had to leave Lexington by 6AM at the latest, and that was too early to take Colin to school. So I got up and went over to her house so she could leave, and stayed with Colin. I got him up and took him to school this morning, then came back to my apartment and showered and got ready for work. So its only 10AM now, and I've already been up for hours. I don't understand morning people. Why would you be a morning person? Nothing about today was appealing. I downright wanted to bitchslap the birds this morning.

On a happier final note: I went shopping yesterday with my momma. We had coupons for Lane Bryant from the bathing suit/bra excursion a few weeks ago, so of course we HAD to use them. It's practically sinful not to buy things when you have a coupon! (at least if you're a Hughes girl it is). Anyway, I know that Thintervention has blown chunks the last couple weeks, so honestly I haven't weighed and didn't want to really shop and try clothes on because well...woof. So when I got to the store, I by habit grabbed the largest size in everything I picked up. Because last summer, even the larger sizes were tight, if they even fit at all. But much to my surprise, when I got in the fitting room everything was WAY too big. I had to give it all back to mom one piece at a time and have her go hunt down smaller sizes. Some things fit different than others, but overall about 75% of what I bought had to be one or two sizes smaller. And I bought a pair of capris that were three sizes smaller (granted, they are stretchy, but who's counting??) So it was nice to try on some clothes and buy some pretty clothes. I ended up with 2 dresses, a skirt, two little shrugs, three or four tops, a pair of jean crops and a pair of black crops. Heck yeah vacation clothes! :)

Speaking of vacation - guess who will have her toes in the sand in only FIVE days? That's right. This girl. Definitely motivation to Zumba it up this week!!

Back to my welfare size coffee,
Micha

Wishy Washy

Me? Mood Swings? Noooooo.........*cricket*

So, today has been interesting. I've eaten healthy for breakfast and lunch, have Zumba class tonight, and am wearing a cute new dress. So I should be super happy like Barney, right? Well, instead I'm focusing way too much on what I don't see. I feel like I should have lost more weight right now, and after thoughtful consideration I realized I can be angry with no one but myself, ya know? I have had a LOT of "I don't care" days, non-exercise days, cheat meals, etc. And I am just like stuck in stone at 25 pounds. I haven't lost any weight in like 2 1/2 weeks.

My friend Lindsay posted some before and after pics today and she deserves a huge shout out because she looks AMAZING. Absolutely beautiful. She literally looks like half of herself. YAY LINDS!! I Love you and miss you!!!!

Now, whilst viewing this beautiful woman that she is becoming, I realized I still look like I just started. Linds - what is your secret?? What do you eat?! What is your workout?! Please, do tell! :) And to make matters soooo much worse, I just spent the last 30 minutes viewing pictures of myself from last weekend and I am not kidding - I looked terrible. I mean, I felt like I looked worse in these pictures than I did before this whole process began. And I know I have had lots of bad days, but also lots of good days. So WHY WHY WHY after 5 months do I still look/feel like this? I should be practically a new woman by now. Ugggggh. I am having one of those moments where I don't even want to go in public. And may not.

These ups and downs are wearing me out! I've had a fantastic week, now a rougher than hell day - who knows what tomorrow is! I think that I am somewhat justified though. I mean, when you work hard at something for 5 months, you expect to see results. Like, if you spent 5 months writing a paper and then realized you only had 2 pages ready to turn in - wouldn't you feel frustrated?

The sun'll come out.....tomorrow
Micha

Can you say Latina?

Holy sneezing fit today! What is UP with this weather? When it was all nice and sunny my allergies were normal. Now that its beastly cold and rainy 24/7, I am sneezy and congested. Woof.

ANYway, I am on the ball today! I somehow got out of bed ten minutes early (whaa???), so once I was ready I decided to make a real breakfast. I had two wheat tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, 2% cheese, and a tbsp of bacon bits. It was YUM! Scarfed it down on the way to work and then drank 32 ounces of water. So needless to say I was quite full this morning. For lunch today I had nothing exciting - just a turkey sandwich on wheat sandwich thins, a handful of baked lays, and some fresh broccoli with ranch. I'm getting better at operating my bottle of ranch dressing. This time only half a bucket came out. Progress.

Now on to the important stuff: Zumba. Now, I know if you've followed this blog at all then you have been reading my weekly posts that tell you all about my adventures in Zumba. Just like a quality Lifetime movie you laugh, you cry, you try to change the channel but can't; the usual. But today my friends, I have a whole new level of Zumba to share with you! Remember how our regular instructor Kelly is out of town, and that girl who taught us on Monday basically just had us do amped up show choir moves and I was all sad? Well fret no more. Miss Latina taught us last night and it was a HOOT!

So to start things off, she was about 10 minutes late, and I started to seriously consider going home. I really didn't want to go last night anyway after a long day, but I had made myself so I figured I may as well stick it out and if she was more than 15 mins late I'd leave. She walked in right as I had that thought process (yes God, I hear you) and she jumped up on stage with more energy than anyone I have ever seen. Ever. They asked her if she wanted the mic and she was like "Um, no. I'm great, thanks", turned the music on and then magic happened. This woman was absolutely everything you are picturing in your head right now - dark hair, perfect skin, voluptuous curves, and hips that don't lie. They don't even think of lyin'. She had this uber thick accent that was perfect, and she calls out, "Hokay, we ah going to do it like theees" and she starts MOVING. I swear I wish I had kept a flip cam in my sports bra last night, because it just yearned to be documented. All of the music was different than what we normally use, which means that none of us knew any of the moves at ALL. There were around 150 women in there, and about 147 of us were laughing hysterically. Not at her - at ourselves! She would do something and we were like little puppies learning how to stay on all fours (or in our case, all twos). The music was way more Latin/Cuban inspired, and the dances reflected that completely.

As I'm typing this I am realizing that my words are doing this class NO justice whatsoever. If it was on my body - it shook, shimmied, cha cha'd, meringue'd, or salsa'd. And at warp speed! She did this one turning type move where we had to cha cha then take it straight into this huge turn, cha cha then back around and everytime I turned I could see every woman in the room going a different direction, but with a huge smile on their face. We were having SO much fun, and I think I sweat more in that hour than any hour of Zumba I have ever had!

OH! I almost forgot - there was a second Latina woman who led us for one song. She was about 4 ft tall, had crazy curly hair, pleasantly plump, and enough 'tude to fill all of Cuba. She got up there and girl threw. It. Down. She did this one move where we had to put our legs out really wide and kind of gallop like we were riding a horse, while our hands banged conga drums in the center and our hips shook like an earthquake. And while doing all of this at the same time, we had to turn in a circle. I could NOT take my eyes off the instructor because she was FOR REAL!! She RODE that pony, turned in that circle and played those drums like she was Donkey Kong on holiday - woooo girl! Every single woman in that room was laughing so hard we couldn't breathe partially because she was just awesome, and partially because we were having SO much fun trying this move.(granted, I'm sure we all looked a fool, but for some reason this didn't occur to us). The song was insanely fast so we didn't have time to stop and think. When she finished we actually applauded and hooped and hollered!

SO yes, last night was awesome. And here is the best news of all: When I started Zumba I literally thought I would die everytime I went. I would hurt, limp, crawl, slide or slump to my car when I finished, then come home and literally not be able to move save for the 30 minute long unbearably hot shower that I would take. And now? I actually am realizing I feel GOOD afterwards! And during! My body is really starting to adjust to it. I feel my waist starting to move more, and my hips, and I'm lighter on my feet. I've stopped concentrating on the moves and instead just focus on dancing, tightening my abs and butt, and all that jazz. Now last night, I totally looked a fool but it was FUN, best workout I've had in weeks, and afterwards I felt energized. So again, in yet another tiny way I am making progress! I'm not a size 6, but I can still dance and have fun and do things I wouldn't have even considered 5 months ago when I started this!

Go me! ;)
Micha

Pictures!!

I realized today after that loooong post yesterday I failed to post any documentation. So today shall be a picture post - pics of the yardsale excursion, a few pics of the wedding, and first some pics of food. :)

After a weekend of wedding food and homecooked meals I've had to jump back on the bandwagon so to speak. Yesterday for breakfast I had a thing of yogurt and a lovely breakfast bar. The breakfast bars are 190 calories for two (they come in pairs), and though this is a little more than I like to spare for breakfast bars they are super delish and quite filling. I also had a cup of coffee with the most amazing creamer I have ever had. Ever. Whtie Chocolate Macademia Nut - omg. Buy it.

Lunch yesterday was surprisingly good. I had one of the new Lean Cuisine - Southerwestern Style Chicken Rolls. The pic I nabbed with my cell phone makes them look huge, but they in reality are about the size of a finger. But with a big ol' plate of broccoli they make quite a yummy lunch for only 200 cals! Please ignore the river of ranch dressing - I did NOT eat all that. My stupid bottle of ranch doesn't have a nice convenient easy-squeeze top. Instead, its a big gaping hole like its 1985 and we don't know no better. So when I tipped it to pour out a little ranch, a monsoon of ranch came out instead.

Sooo good! Last night I went to Zumba. Now normally what would proceed is me telling you all how I huffed and puffed and blew the house down then died. However, last night was SO not that. We had a guest instructor - our regular instructor is out of town for 2 weeks apparently. I have decided this is both a blessing and a curse. The reason being: our guest instructor was SOOOOOO easy! She did mostly the same songs, but without any pop hits - just all Zumba/Latin stuff - and the routines (to me at least) were nothing like what we normally do. I immediately realized that I am not crazy - Kelly (our regular) really is a Zumba beast!! Because when she teaches, I die. I mean, I like it - but I die. The routines are fast moving, high impact, crazy cardio, err'body in the club gettin' winded. But with new homegirl, I felt like I was taking a Sunday stroll through the park compared to what I normally do! Now don't get it twisted - I was totally sweating, and it was indeed a workout. But I was also completely able to do everything, never once felt like I was going to die, and actually at times found myself a little....bored. So blessing: I won't die in the next two weeks. Curse: I may  only be burning like 1/4 of the calories I normally do. Not sure!

Anyway, after Zumba, I came home and had a delightful dinner. I bought a bunch of new "toys" at the grocery this weekend - and by toys I mean new foods. :) They were things that I had seen on my friend Lindsay's blog and she motivated me to try them! One was these whole-grain/whole-wheat sandwich things. Instead of eating a sandwich on regular bread, these thin little things are actually good! I toasted mine then put honey roasted turkey and 2 % cheese on, and had some baked Lays and some more fresh broccoli (again - pleading the damn 5th on the 18 pounds of ranch dressing in the picture).

The sandwich was super yummy, and I totally love the new baked Lays! Last time I had Southwestern Ranch style and they were a bit too spicy for my style. So this time I went with some time of Parmesean blend, and they are perfection. In all honesty, I will probably have this exact meal for lunch today! I ended up being hungry later on last night (because even low-impact Zumba apparently makes me a hungry beast), so again I pulled a suggestion from the Lindsay book. Only I tweaked it slightly! Her snack is to have a small bagel (slightly larger than bite-sized) with peanut butter and banana. So whilst at the grocery, this is what I grabbed first. Well then I thought instead of small, i would get regular sized bagels but whole-wheat. I then looked at them and nearly choked when I realized they are 240 calories EACH. I ain't tryin' to waste 240 calories on bread alone. So I was going to forgo the entire snack, but then dug around the bread aisle and found my new dream: Bagel Thins. Everyboday say Heeeeeeey, Hooooooooo! These are FULL size bagels, whole wheat, BUT they are half the thickness - hence why they are thins. They're more the thickness of a piece of bread rather than a whole bagel. Best part? 100 calories for the entire bagel. I feel like I'm having a real bagel and saved allll those calories! I toasted one up right nice last night and the result? Tastes exactly like eating a bagel and I totally didn't even notice or care it was thinner. Voila:

So. In. Love. Now little mignons - run out and buy some right now! But not before you gaze at my remaining pictures. First, a small documentation of the insanity that was yesterday's yardsale excursion. (Confused? Read yesterday's post. You should read my blog regularly ANYway! MM!). I feel these do not need captions.

Also, here are some links to my new bathing suit and new purple sandals (I'm too lazy to lay them out all pretty and take pics at home. Plus the suit looks better on a human). I got the black/white polka dot design in the suit so you'll have to click on that one to see what mine looks like. :)

My New Bathing Suit

My Pretty Purple Sandals



And now, a sampling of some wedding pics. My adorable parents, me with my adorable parents, the cake that my mom made and we decorated, my piano perch where my epic song took place, and my personal favorite of Leslie laying on the floor trying to melt chocolate in the microwave that was on the floor because we ran out of counter space. Enjoy!

I plead the fifth on the last one,
Micha