Weigh-In Wednesday: SDoS Week 5, The Post Chicago Edition

Today is Wednesday, the day we all shed our clothes, trudge step over to the scale, and bare our souls to our sisters.  As I confessed yesterday, I had an amazing weekend hanging out with my dear friend Kirsten in Chicago, so I wasn't hopeful for a loss this week.  That being said, there is definitely something beneficial to walking all over creation and going for a couple runs here and there.

Here are my stats for the week:

Weight on June 23, 2009:  165.8

Challenge Starting Weight: 146.8

Last week: 145.2

This week: 144.2

Change: down 1.0
Loss For Challenge: 2.6

Total Pounds Gone: 21.6

The debauchery in Chicago didn't do as much damage as I feared.  I'm pleasantly surprised and happy with my little 1 pound loss.  I definitely need to keep up with my 10k training (race is on 7/17).  I've been getting the running and most of the crosstraining in, but have been piss-poor about the stretching and strength training.  Must improve in that area (yes, I know I say this every week, maybe I'll start to listen to myself).

We've had a mini-challenge this week to journal our food choices and I've been doing that.  Was not proud to state yesterday's dinner was 2 mini Heath bars, but that's what happens when your husband decides you are going to go visit friends and doesn't give you enough notice to pull together dinner for yourself after you've been working all day and then at gymnastics with your daughter and then trying to catch up on twitter and reader and then you go with him thinking your only going to visit for an hour or so and it's midnight when you head home. 

I did manage to lose another 95 pounds or so today as well.  Dropped my baby boy off at music camp this morning.  He'll be gone for 12 days.  I'm not sure whether to cry or celebrate.  Right now, I'm going to celebrate and take his twin sister to see Eclipse.  I'll cry tomorrow.

True Confession Tuesday: The IRL Edition

All I'm confessing this week is that I finally got to meet one of my "cyber" friends in real life this week! On Sunday, I drove over to Chicago and picked Kirsten


up at the airport. We walked all over the city on Sunday (holy cow my feet were tired). I introduced her to Chicago-Style Deep Dish pizza. We visited "The Bean":


We went to Navy Pier, rode the ferris wheel, and had drinks:


We had yummy Indian food for dinner:


We went to the bar on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building for more drinks and beautiful views:


There was also some sangria Sunday night. Monday found us running 3 miles along the lakeshore between the water and skyscrapers:


There was shopping and more eating and before long it was time to say, "Goodbye". Hopefully the running and walking helped counteract some of the Chicago debauchery, but if not, spending time and getting to know someone IRL that I have considered a friend for quite some time was worth it.

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Weigh-In Wednesday: SDoS Week 4 & Happy Blogiversary to Me

Before I go into my weigh-in post, I just need to say THANK YOU to everyone who has ever read my blog, posted a comment, chatted with me on twitter, supported me, or exchanged texts and emails with me.  Today marks the 1 year anniversary of this blog!  I didn't realize it until I looked back at my very first blog post to see what the date was when I posted my starting weight.  It was exactly 1 year ago today.  Thanks to all of you, I have lost just over 20 pounds, but more importantly, I've gained friendships that I will treasure for many years to come.  I love you ladies!

Now, as I've done for the past 52 weeks, it's time to face the music.  It's weigh-in day over at the Sisterhood. I'm not thrilled with my results, but at least it wasn't a gain.  My goal of getting out of the 140's is seeming farther and farther off.  I'm discouraged.  I don't know if I've just lost motivation I'm motivated to lose but I'm not doing what I know I need to be doing to make it happen.  It also seems by body is plotting to conspire against me redundant, I know.  I had one of my best runs EVAH this week (3.1 miles in just under 33 minutes with no walking) but my foot and ankle have been sore ever since.  I skipped my 2 mile run this morning (God produced massive thunderstorms here, so I think He was telling me to take the day off) and just did a couple strength workouts on exerciseTV.  I think sweating it out with the strength training is the only reason I'm not up this week.  Since I moronically weigh in every day, I know I gained 2 pounds between Sunday and Tuesday morning, but they were gone after my workout this morning.  Humidity, salt, and water retention suck.  IJS. 

Here are my stats for the week:

Weight on June 23, 2009:  165.8
Challenge Starting Weight: 146.8
Last week: 145.2
This week: 145.2
Change: none, zip, nada, nuthin'
Loss For Challenge: 1.6
Total Pounds Gone: 20.6

Clearly, I need to make some changes if I want to get out of the 140s by my 40th birthday which is now less than 2 months away, crap.  Maybe the 130's isn't a realistic goal for me right now, but I'd still like to see it happen.  It just isn't going to happen without work and dedication.  Areas which I fear I have become somewhat lax.  I have not been logging my food, but will start again today.  I really need to do more strength training.  The running and cardio alone are not going to cut it.  I could tell with my workout this morning how weak I've gotten.  I loved the 30 day shred, but I've found I can't do the cardio portions while training for a race.  It's just too hard on the old joints.  I pay a fortune to belong to a gym, maybe I should go every once in a while.

Help me out, ladies!  You've gotten me this far in the past year-don't let me crap out now!

True Confession Tuesday: Letting it all hang out

Due to some nasty storms, including tornado sirens from 12:30-1:30 this morning, my Internet is out. Bear with me as I confess via phone.
1. I have been a very unsupportive wife/exercise partner. Rather than being happy and proud of my husband's running, I'm a bit miffed that he is already better than me. I don't want to run with him anymore. That makes me feel like shit.
2. My competitive nature seems to have resulted in a mild running injury. On the plus side, I ran 3.1 miles yesterday in less than 33 min without walking. On the downside, I have a slightly swollen and sore ankle today.
3. I've been snacking again at night, and not good healthy snacks.
4. Lots of salty foods and not enough water has resulted in a 2 lb weight gain since Sunday morning. Father's Day hasn't been kind to me.
5. I have been great following the running schedule on my 10k training, but very poor at getting in the stretching, strengthening and crosstraining.

There you have it. I'm sure I have lots more to confess but I'm getting tired of typing with my thumbs.

How have the rest of you done this week? Anything to get off your chest? Head over to the sisterhood and let it all hang out.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bob's Farewell Tribute: A Photo Mosaic

Click on the image above to scroll through the pictures.

Today, this Father's Day weekend, we paid tribute and said "Goodbye" to my Dad's partner, Bob. What Dad wrote says it all:

Bob’s Farewell Message

June 19, 2010

Bob and I used to come down to the lake and walk out on the pier many times, especially in the summer. Most times we would have to take an occasional break because our hips, backs or knees would hurt or we’d be out of breath. We would always ask each other “are you alright”, “do you want to keep going”, and we would always answer “I can make it if you can”. It was always a relief when we reached the end of the blue railings. We never went out any farther because I was not only concerned about my own well being and safety but Bob always worried about me and feared that I might stumble or lose my balance.

We enjoyed watching the young people dive off the pier and seeing the fishermen come in with their catch of the day. We would watch the boats cruise up and down the river on their way out into the big lake or back to their docks. Most times we would recognize the boats and call out their names.

We had our own adventures too on our boat called “Easy Livi’n”. We made trips to New Buffalo, Michigan City, South Haven, Saugatuck, and of course the big trip to Chicago which I‘m sure Bari remembers quite well. Often times we just cruised up and down the shoreline or just stayed at the dock and enjoyed the company of our fellow boaters. The most fun we had though was when all of you shared in those moments at one time or another because it was special having family along for the ride.

Many times we would come out here just to watch the sunset. The sky would turn different colors and patterns of red, orange, purple and yellow as the sun slowly dropped to the horizon. Photographers would converge on the piers to capture that beautiful moment. The lighthouse in the foreground, the boats on the horizon, and the sea gulls flying over head always added a special touch to the picture.

But sadly, the sun set on Bob’s life for the last time and his journey through life came to end. My heart is broken and I ache over his loss and I miss him so much. I know whenever the spontaneous emotions and tears erupt, its only because we loved and cared for each other and they are reminders of times past. Someday we will meet again and resume our journey. Until then, every time the sun sets and I see the rays of sunshine reach for the heavens, I will be reminded of how much we meant to each other and how special he really was.

Bob touched all of us with his smiles, his laughter and his warmth. He was welcomed and became part of our families and notably became known as “uncle Bobby” to the kids. He was a great and wonderful companion to me and a great and wonderful dad to Jennifer. He will remain in our hearts and minds forever, and all the memories we have of him can never be taken away from us. I pray that God will bless us and give us strength and peace as we deal with his loss.

As I place this small portion of Bob’s ashes in the water today, they will become a permanent part of the big lake, the lake he loved and enjoyed so much. Bob, happy fathers day. May you rest in peace.

Weigh-In Wednesday: Shrinking Days of Summer Week 3

It's Wednesday, and we all know what that means!  Yes, it's weigh-in day over at the Sisterhood.  So get your nekkid (or fully clothed if you are a glutton for punishment) self over to the scale and hop on.  Well, was the scale nice to you this week or were you tempted to chuck it out the bathroom window?  Thankfully or not my scale survives to see another day.  Here are my stats for the week:

Challenge Starting Weight: 146.8

Last week: 146.0

This week: 145.2
Change: down 0.8

Loss For Challenge: 1.6

Total Pounds Gone: 20.6

The scale appears to be is moving in the right direction again.  I'm fully engulfed in training for my next 10k but haven't signed up for it yet what the heck am I waiting for.  I'm trying to do this training thing right and add in some strength training, stretching and cross training.  So far, so good on the running, but I can tell I've lost some of the muscle definition and strength I had developed when we had the Jillian 30 Day Shred challenge.  Unfortunately, there is too much jumping in that one and I ended up with bad shin problems using that program while I trained for the last 10k, so I'm seeking out other options.  Still, I want to get some of those muscles back.  I have plans to check out the Y's fitness schedule and try some of the body sculpt classes they have.  I pay a small fortune for that membership, I should probably use it!  I'm also hoping the cross training and everything else will help to improve my speed a bit.  I did have the fastest 2 mile run EVER this morning (just under 21 minutes thankyouverymuch) with no walking at all because I was pissed off at my mutant husband but that's a story for another post.  I'm doubtful I could sustain that pace for much longer than I did this morning.  Anyone who would like to chime in on my training, I'd welcome suggestions.  Do I stick with the run/walk 5:1 plan I've been following, or push to more running?  I'm not sure.  I need to do 4 miles again on Saturday.  I just don't want to do something stupid and end up injured.

Anyhoo, I hope everyone else had a great week and that your scale was kind to you.  Head over to the Sisterhood and leave some bloggy love to your friends!

Much love!
Bari

True Confession Tuesday: Here We Go Again

Oh my, is it Tuesday already?  That means 1 more day before Weigh-In Wednesday.  Oh crud.  Time to confess our transgressions over at the Sisterhood.

I actually did pretty well this week, until Saturday when we went to a street party and I ate this:

and I drank this (a Beer Machiato - a collaboration between a local coffee spot and our local microbrewery.  It was interesting, but actually pretty good once the layers combined):

I also drank this:

On Monday, we found a new place for lunch: 

I had 2 hot dogs.  Granted, they were turkey dogs, but one of them was still loaded with chili and cheese and the other had kraut, pickles and mustard.  Can you say SODIUM?

For dinner Monday night, I made homemade pizza with bread machine crust.  My section had turkey sausage, 'shrooms, peppers and black olives.  Can you say MORE SODIUM?

Needless to say, I'm feeling very bloated today and am working on mainlining water to try to flush out some of the salt water.  I did sweat out .8 lbs this morning with my workout, so hopefully the water today and tomorrow's run with knock out the rest.

I did get 17 miles in last week, between biking and running, plus some strength and stretching, so that has to count for something, right?  How about you?  How did you do this week?  Head over to the Sisterhood and let it all out!

PS-I'd also like to confess that I SUCK at putting pictures on my blog. They never seem to go where I want them to go.  If they look completely bizarre after I publish, I apologize for the seemingly random placements of my pictures this week.  I tried.  LOL.  Thank you.

A Swimsuit Shrink-travaganza!

Hey all,

My lovely friends over at Shrinking Jeans are paired up with Land's End for an awesome giveaway.  Go check it out and you may win a new swimsuit.  But not this one, it's mine (with a skirt, not the skimpy little bottoms-I'm not crazy!).

Good luck!

Bari

Saturday Cell Phone Mosaic

Click on the image above to scroll through the pictures.

In honor of our first official day of summer vacation, I've attempted another Saturday Cell Phone Mosaic.  After sleeping in a little bit, the hubs and I got up and managed a 4 mile run.  Somehow, this guy who never runs, pretty much kicked my butt.  Kudos to him!  Next, it was trips to Home Depot, home improvement, and some gardening.  We rewarded our hard work with a trip to our friend's pool.  The day continued with the Local First Street Party, a free party sponsored by our local microbrewery, Founder's Brewing, and some other awesome local businesses.  Our night was capped off by a free concert by The Verve Pipe, one of our favorite bands.  My husband actually was in the marching band in college with one of their members, so it's always fun to go watch them play.

Sunday morning came very early after staying out until 1 am.  Sometimes I think I'm getting too old for days like this :)  I hope you all had a great Saturday!

I Choose Me

Yesterday over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, Heather asked us to take a step back and take a look at our lives.  Are we so busy doing for others that we don't do for ourselves?  I know I'm guilty of this.  I work, I have twins turning 13 in a couple months, I'm busy putting their needs ahead of mine a lot of the time.  However, I have been working very hard to also carve out time for myself.  How can I give my family and my students what they need if I am run-down or unhappy?  We need to take care of ourselves first and the rest will follow.

We have also been hearing about the devastating effects of cancer from our friends at the Sisterhood. Heather informs us that the American Cancer Society recently rolled out their Choose You campaign, which encourages women to take charge of their health by making a commitment to themselves to eat right, get active, quit smoking, get regular health checks, and/or protect their skin.  I'm happy to report that I do all of these things.  However, the one I want to emphasize here is to PROTECT YOUR SKIN.

Did you know, according to The Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and that 3.5 million (yes MILLION) cases of skin cancer are diagnosed annually?  1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime and indoor tanning increases your chances of Melanoma risk by 74%.  Remember, the only safe tan is a fake tan. 

I'm vowing to protect my skin.   This beautiful woman did not live to see her girls grow up, graduate from college, get married and have their own children.  This woman did not lay out all summer trying to achieve the perfect tan, but she loved her rose garden and playing outside with her girls.  She played tennis and loved to go on walks.  She didn't usually wear sunscreen.  She died in 1984 after a 4 year battle with Melanoma.  She was my mom, Kay Francis Benson. 

So on this first weekend of summer vacation for many kids (and some lucky grown-ups), what will you do to protect your skin?  Please vow to wear sunscreen EVERY DAY.  I need to be better at this too.  I always put sunscreen on my face and my makeup has sunscreen in it, but I often forget about my arms and hands.  We need to wear sunscreen when we are going about our daily lives, not just when we are lounging by the pool or playing at the beach.  Even choosing a body lotion with some sunscreen is better than nothing.

Please join me in vowing to Choose You.  Please don't let your kids grow up without you because you thought you looked better with a little color.  Take 30 seconds for yourself before you walk out the door and layer on some sunscreen.  You are too important NOT to.

Bari

Weigh-In Wednesday: The Shrinking Days of Summer Week 2

It's Wednesday, and we all know what that means!  Let's get our stripped down booties over to the scale and hop on.  Did you like what you saw this week?  Did you expect the number that popped up (or hopefully down)?  Here are my stats for the week:

Challenge Starting Weight: 146.8
Last week: 147.0
This week: 146.0
Change: down 1.0
Loss For Challenge: 0.8
Total Pounds Gone: 19.8

Would I have liked the results to be a little better?  Of course, but I'm beginning to wonder if this is where I'm supposed to be, weight-wise, for awhile.  I've been bouncing around the 146 mark for a few weeks, but I don't feel like I'm down as far as I'd like to be.  I just think that maybe my body needs to hang out here for awhile.  I haven't felt like logging my food and I've taken a bit of a break from the major amounts of exercise I'd been doing.  I wish I had the strength to try intuitive eating like Karena, but I know I'm not there yet. 

I have made some crazy insane commitments this week.  I've started training for my next 10k, which will be in July and have plotted out a 1/2 marathon training plan to begin after the 10k.  Oh my fraking God what have I gotten myself into?  I was so inspired watching my Shrinkingjeans sisters (and everyone else for that matter) cross that 1/2 mary finish line in San Diego (via webcam-thank you to whoever planned that!) that I started thinking, "If they can do it, so can I".  I am very scared of how my body will react and committing to the cost of the race if I can't physically complete it.  I've been plagued by foot, knee, hip, IT, shin and calf issues.  I even have some weird pain across my sternum that's been there for a couple months now and won't go away that is a bit worse after I run.  I broke down today and bought a roller for the IT issues.  Holy mother of God does that sucker hurt! I've also decided to try a different training program than the c210k app that I'd been using.  You can check out my new 10k program here and the 1/2 program is here.  I like that this one has distance goals vs. time goals for the runs and adds in cross training, strength and stretching.  However, I'm at a loss as far as the strength training goes.  Any suggestions would be most welcome!

I hope everyone else had a great week.  I only have 2 more days of school left and then summer vacation starts!  Sorry to rub it in, but I LOVE MY JOB!

Much Love,
Bari

True Confession Tuesday: The Allergy Edition

So, up until today, I really didn't have anything to confess.  I've been doing great with my water and getting in some decent exercise.  But today....

Spent the entire morning at the Allergist with my son, finding out he's highly allergic to dust mites, cats (sorry Squirt but don't worry, you aren't going anywhere), dogs and of all things horses (kinda makes the reaction he had when we went horseback riding a couple years ago make sense).   He's had symptoms for years but we've always put off this testing.  Sign me up for mother of the year.

After the appt-I took him to Max and Erma's for lunch. Ordered fairly healthy for me: black bean veggie burger and a salad with balsamic.  However, I ate the tortilla soup with all of its spicy tortillay cheesy goodness that came with his meal (but only 1/2 of it), a couple of his fries, a couple bites of his cookie and a couple bites of his sundae. Oy.  Why do I feel compelled to finish what my kids don't eat?  Seriously.

Like I said, up until this point, I'd been really good all week. I even ran 3 times for a total of almost 9.5 miles last week and biked yesterday for 10.6 miles.  Planning to run today, but it's raining (again) and...

This afternoon has been buying cases for his mattress and pillows (holy expensive, batman!) and cleaning his room. It's no wonder the kid has issues with all the crap piled in the corners that's been collecting dust for the past several years. And don't get me started on all the Star Wars Lego creations that you can't dust without them collapsing. Good Lord. I'm headed back in with a trash bag to tackle the closet. If I'm not out by weigh-in tomorrow, send reinforcements.

PS: Much love to Team Shrinkingjeans for their amazing 1/2 marathon on Sunday!  I was literally glued to the PC watching them finish via webcam.

PPS: I am taking a grad class right now that required I make another blog (too bad I couldn't use this one!).  I really need some comments on it before I can "turn it in".  It is very bare-bones and deals with my job, but if you wouldn't mind checking out http://speechdawgs.blogspot.com/ and leaving a comment or two, I'd be very, very grateful!

Versatile Blogger - That's Me, Too!

This week my dear friend, Mendie, over at The Little Ladybug that Could gave me this award.  My first blog award!  Thanks, Mendie!  If you haven't gone to visit her yet, you definitely should.  She is a fellow member of the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans and also has an amazing photo blog.  Her pictures of her Koi and pond are amazing.  Mendie also loves life and has provided me with tons of encouragement through my fitness and weightloss challenges.  The rules for this award are to thank the person who gave it to you (check!), tell seven things about yourself and then pass the award on to some other bloggers you love.

So here are seven things you may not know about me if you already know some of this stuff, then yippee, you really know me!

• 
  
  I'm quite musical.  I can't really sing although I sing in the car all the time but I can play the flute and can sorta play the piano.  I am also in our church's handbell choir and can ring 4 bells at the same time! Random talent, who knew!
• 
  
  I absolutely big puffy ♥ love Nathan Fillian.  If you haven't seen him in Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, Castle, or Firefly/Serenity, you must.  Go now.  I'll wait.
• 
  
  I'm also a procedural crime drama tv nut.  I absolutely love all the NCIS and CSI shows.  Do I watch too much tv?  Most definitely.
• 
  
  I've only been running on and off for about 4 years.  I was well into my 30's when I started and this year I crossed off one of my bucket-list to-do's by finishing a 10k before I turned 40.
• 
  
  I was a "hostess" for the band Hoobastank for one day back in 2005!  I got to cart the guys and their gear around in my van and hang out with the band.  We won't talk about the number of booze runs I went on for them.   All of the guys were really friendly and funny (this is the lead singer, Doug).  At the end of the night, their manager came to me expecting to get paid, only this wasn't my responsibility.  We spent an hour trying to track down the festival organizer to get them their check.  Needless to say, I'll probably never have THAT experience again :)
• 
  
  I'm a fan of all different types of music.  I run to alternative, hip-hop, and 80's hair bands, but for everyday I gravitate toward country.  I've been to tons of concerts and a couple years ago got to meet one of my favorite groups, Little Big Town, when they played a festival in my hometown.  These are four of the nicest people I have ever met.  They kept going on-and-on about how beautiful the area was.  They played in a park near the beach with lighthouse the sun setting behind them.  It really was gorgeous.
• 
  
  My husband and I never buy each other greeting cards anymore.  We go to the store and "exchange" cards in the aisle.  Friends think this is hilarious and a few have actually started doing the same :)

So there you go.  Seven totally random facts about Bari.  I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse into my life.  Now for the fun part: I get to pass this award on to a few of my favorite versatile blogger friends!  It was very hard to just pick a few of you because I love all of you so much.  Enjoy your reward!  I can't wait to learn a little more about each of you.

Karena @ http://www.verynearlyvegan.com/

Renee @ http://cutiebootycakes.blogspot.com/

Brooke @ http://smartstrongsexy.blogspot.com/

Kirsten @ http://www.livinginagirlsworld.com/

Lisa @ http://www.growingupmo.com/

MWAH!

Bari

Weigh-In Wednesday: Shrinking Days of Summer Week 1

This was a week for change for my family. We moved Dad into a new apartment and hubs turned a year older. Unfortunately, those events resulted in some very bad food choices and it showed on the scale, not so much as a gain, but not as a loss either. I'd managed to get that 20# button a few weeks ago but haven't continued to see progress in the right direction. The weigh-in certainly could have been worse.
Challenge Starting Weight: 146.8
Last week: 146.8
This week: 147.0
Change: up 0.2
Loss For Challenge: up 0.2
Total Pounds Gone: 18.8

It sucks but I'm moving on. I'm drinking my 64+ oz of water every day and I've started running again. I was planning to run this morning but another Spring storm reared its ugly head. I'd love to do another 10k but who knows :)

I also needed a change this week. Awhile back we were asked to list what we liked about ourselves. I've always liked my hair, but the Michigan humidity was making me crazy. Here I was all frizzed out and curly Tuesday morning:


And here I am after Kelly worked her magic:


Better? Lighter hair for a lighter me :)

I hope you all had a successful week. Stop over at the Sisterhood and leave some blog love! A bunch of these hookers are packing up to jet off to San Diego for their 1/2 marathon this weekend! Send them some love and good wishes. I know I'm super proud of all of them and my heart will be with them in Cali this weekend! MWAH

(My Internet was down at home this morning, so please forgive my bare-bones, no links post. I'm blogging from my phone and there's a bit of a learning curve.)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

True Confession Tuesday: The Memorial Weekend Edition

I have a lot to confess and not a lot of time to do it, so you just get the list this week:
•I helped my dad move this weekend which meant staying in an apartment with no food. Many meals out. I tried to make good choices but usually did not succeed.
•On moving day, my aunt provided food: sloppy joes dripping in grease as she doesn't believe in using lower fat hamburger, mayo-based pasta salad, potato chips, and cake.
•We ordered pizza for dinner one night and it wasn't veggie.
•We had leftovers of the above foods throughout the weekend.
•On Sunday we went to a party. Lots of alcohol and finger foods and dips with chips. Debauchery.
•On Monday there was more party food and beer
•Monday was also my hubby's b-day and I made brownies with ice cream and raspberry amaretto sauce. More debauchery.

I have to say I am very disappointed in myself. The scale this morning really reflected my poor choises and only proves I have a long way to go.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone