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Ok, so it's no party, not really. But I realize I haven't been eating well. I'm not pigging out, but I'm not eating healthy. I need to cut back on frozen pizza. I went ahead and ordered myself a harvest box. Haven't done that lately. I went with foods that I know I like to eat. Some staples that will last a while, like potatoes and sweet potatoes, some fruit, and some greens. I will base my meals around using up these fruits and veg before they go bad. Oh, and half a dozen eggs, because what the hell. I got swiss chard, because I know I can cook it easily with some chopped onion and balsamic vinegar and it makes a good side. Could even crumble some cooked bacon in it. Spinach is great for so many things, and I could start making my own little pizzas again. Probably a lot better for me than frozen pizza. With my appetite now, I could get 4 pizzas out of 1 package of naan. That's half a piece for each pizza. I love fresh spinach on my pizza. And winter squash

I found a great deal on the Vivobarefoot Neo from the Clymb  (if you want to sign up, ask me and I'll send you a referral!). Vivo is a brand I've been looking at for a while because they have a lot of zero drop minimal shoes. I got them and of course tried them on right away. J even got to help me pick the color, which it seems they don't make anymore. Glad I got my blue! I really wore them first for our FRG holiday party. On my feet most of the day and no soreness. They slip on easily and fit wonderfully. Lots of room in my toes, nice and snug on the heel. They are more of a cross training shoe and just a running shoe, and have a simple design that looks cute for everyday wear. I have worn them for 2 short runs now (3.5 miles) that each included some walking (stupid cold and laziness). But the shoes have been amazing. No hot spots. No discomfort. Feet feel great. They don't pick up pebbles and thorns like my New Balance do. They have a removable insole, which som

I admit, I've been slacking on my running. Like, a lot. But I got out with Remy on Christmas Eve and ran. We'll head out this afternoon as well. And next week, I'll start the Simple Fit program. Week will consist of 3 days of running and 3 days of strength training. At least at first. Then I'll start adding swimming and biking back in to alternate with running. But I really need to stick with a strength program. I have also started another health regime - lotion. Simple, yes? But I just now started putting lotion on my arms and legs every day, instead of just when they get so dry that they itch. What started this? Getting fed up with my ridged fingernails. The vertical ridges in my nails have just gotten worse over time. I of course did my favorite thing and researched it on teh interwebz. A couple sites suggested dehydration as a cause. Kinda makes sense. They've gotten worse since moving to this dry climate, and my cuticles have always been rather dry and cra

Today is Christmas Eve. For J, it's Christmas Eve evening. Since he already opened his gift that I want to talk about, I can, well, talk about it. There isn't much you can send to your husband for Christmas when he's deployed. There's nothing he needs, not much that he wants and can use over there, so what do I do? I came up with the idea a couple weeks ago. I recorded a little video of me singing J's favorite Christmas carol, The Little Drummer Boy. I found a karaoke track on youtube that was in a good key and at a good speed. You wouldn't believe how many versions are out there, some fast, some slooooow, and in all vocal ranges. Crazy. But I found a good one at the very last minute. I had three options for recording my video: my laptop, my phone, and my digital camera. I did a short test of all three to see which had the best sound quality. The iphone won, hands down. Then I had to find the right place in my house. I ended up in the dining room. I set m

Is that what I called this project? I don't remember, and don't feel like looking it up. So I guess I didn't blog about starting the feverfew? I looked back and couldn't find it. Quick review then, mom and I were talking about my migraines during my last one, about a month ago. We thought it would be worth it for me to try feverfew . It's an herb. It's natural. I bought some at GNC and started taking one pill twice a day. The pills are 380mg each. I stopped taking the verapamil. This all took place about a month ago. I don't remember when exactly. Since then, I have had some headaches, but I take ibuprofen and they go away, or at least stay under control. The worst headache I've had since I started the feverfew was a sinus headache a few days ago. And it really was just a sinus headache. Today I'm having some icepicks . I ate breakfast and I'm drinking some green tea. I will take ibuprofen in a little while if I have any more. Wait. Strike

*WARNING* Talking about dog puke. Be careful if that grosses you out. Scroll down and I'll let you know when the yuck stops. My dog has a bit of a sensitive stomach. He's been known to get emotionally upset to the point that he gets physically sick. He used to eat so fast that the food didn't stay down. He ate so many june bugs once that he coughed them all back up. He's lucky that I don't gross out easily. J is also lucky, since I do all the cleaning up and treating of the sick critters. I've learned, with Rem, that I have to give him a little time and be patient when he gets sick. He'll often just sick up once and get over it. I look for signs, like not wanting to eat, lethargy, or differences in his poop before getting too worried. There was one time when Remy was getting sick in the middle of the night once a week. Just once a week for a few weeks in a row. I couldn't find any connection to anything he was eating. It wasn't always the sam

Down one more pound this week. My body seems very happy with a pound-a-week weight loss. I've settled into this every time I've lost weight. I am perfectly happy with it. However, it makes for a rather boring weekly blog update. So! From now on, let's make it monthly. Or whenever I remember to do it. Or somewhere in between. I have been having some dry mouth stuff. It's mostly right around the inside of my mouth and on my lips. Gets pretty bad some days. Aquaphor seems to help the most, so I'm going to pick up one of the aquaphor lip tubes that will fit in my pocket. In other news, my first migraine since starting the fever few is trying to start, but it's hormone based, so it doesn't mean the fever few isn't working. Just means I'm PMSing like hell. Ugh. Fatigued also. Don't want to do anything. So now I'm not updating The Skinny weekly, and I've finished My Body, so what do I write about? Suggestions? Ideas?

The head. You have all heard about my head. Oh yes. But I will finish this little blog series I started. Let's start with what you already know. I have been getting migraines since I was 17. I very clearly remember my first migraine. It happened in Denver. Mom and I had gone down for my Great Aunt's funeral. I got the worst headache I'd ever had. Mom asked me some questions and knew it was a migraine. She gave me one of her nasal imitrex. I ate black olives to wash out the taste of it draining down the back of my throat. Ate the whole can. Then I slept for a while and felt better when I woke up. That was my senior year of high school, and I had more migraines after that. I carried a cocktail of OTC painkillers in my backpack. I wore sunglasses in class because the fluorescent lighting hurt my eyes. I also often wore stretchy gloves in class because my hands were cold. People thought I was either drunk or high. I used my mom's imitrex through college. Or maybe the

I took it easy, I took pictures, I even posted one on Facebook during the race. I walked when I felt like it. I finished at 2:36:?? and don't really care. I was very disappointed in the race organization. This is part of a series of half marathons over a range of States. I paid quite a bit for this race. I know it was to raise money for Habitat for Humanity, and yes I totally support that organization. However, it was the worst race bag I have ever received. With all the sponsors on the back of the tshirt, you're telling me that none of them had any free crap to give out? None of them wanted to put something with their logo in the bag to draw in new customers? The water stations were oddly placed, not at regular mile markers. They did have enough cups though! But the finish line could have used a few more people guiding runners in, and they were completely out of fruit when I finished. I really just wanted half a banana, but all the had were granola bars and mini M&M c

Week 4? Is that it? Oh well. I don't care. 149 POUNDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, I had a moment there. Yes, the scale this morning was just to the left of 150, meaning I have finally broke that plateau and met the goal I set for myself so long ago when I was doing Weight Watchers. It really is a relief. After a whole year, I feel I can finally continue on this journey. I'm getting somewhere again. I've been having some dry mouth, but not too horrible. I think some of it was whatever bug I fought off this week as well. Eating is going good. Still able to stop when I'm full. I think that's making the biggest difference, still. I ordered more pills. Should have ordered sooner, but I'm slow like that. I even paid for faster shipping, so I hope they don't get lost this time. In other news, doctor's appointment was short and sweet this morning. He'd never heard of feverfew, but said if it's working to go ahead and stick with it. S

I finally have energy today. Ran errands and didn't feel dead after! So I took Remy for a run this afternoon. He was so excited, but I had to drag him after the halfway! Silly dog. We walked a while and he was ready to run again. All the way to the park, where he spent a few minutes finding the perfect spot to poop. This all makes me a little less nervous about this weekend. I've decided I'm not going to push for any kind of record. I'm going to just run and enjoy the view. The middle 3 miles of the run are along the Rio Grande, which is actually more than just mud puddle up in Las Cruces. I still have my doctor's appointment tomorrow. Going to just tell him that I'm not taking the verapamil anymore and I want to keep with the fever few since it seems to be working. I also need a new birth control script. Only 1 refill left, so I may as well get a new one now. I owe everyone a Skinny update tomorrow (I think it's going to be good!) and will throw in a

In my mind, my neck and shoulders are eternally connected, one and the same. I carry all my stress and tension in my neck and shoulders. I also slouch, much to my mother's dismay. I've always had bad posture, although it has gotten somewhat better over the years. My shoulders are always tense, the muscles are always very tight. In college, I started getting a huge knot on top of my right shoulder when I spent any time at the computer. It was right up by my neck and rather painful. I could feel a lump sometimes, it was so bad. That was when I taught myself to use the computer mouse with my left hand. To this day, I can use my left hand all day long, but if I use my right, I get that knot. Just with the computer mouse. When I started bike riding 2 years ago, I found I would get a horrible pinching feeling in my right shoulder blade, very sharp and painful if I moved. Icyhot seemed to ease it over time, and I've made adjustments to my bike as well. I don't get that pa

I've been thinking lately about what I want. Not anything deep or philosophical, but rather material, frivolous wants. My mother has been asking what I want for Christmas. I can't really think of anything for me. My first thoughts were of some things for the house, but those aren't really for ME. I would love a new sewing machine, but that's more than a christmas gift. I've been wanting some new shoes, but that's something I have to shop for myself, with my weird feet. So all I can think of is to ask for shopping money. Then there's J. He wants to do  this crazy bike ride  in Colorado next June. It's right up his alley, and something I do not want to do. I am more than willing to go back up to that area, and would love to do some other support role for it. I fully support him in this, and love the idea of the ride itself, it's just beyond my skill level. It's a 3 day event, and since I would be supporting him for 3 days, he feels we should

Yeah, so I'm a day late. But yesterday was a holiday. Yeah, actually, I just forgot. I did weigh myself yesterday. 150. 1 pound away from breaking this damn plateau. I didn't eat as healthy this past week. Also felt a little lazy and didn't work out as much. Could be why I only went down 1 pound. Could just be slowing down as my body adjusts to the pills. So yeah, not much to report on that front. I gotta get my a few good runs in this week, as next weekend is the Las Cruces Half Marathon. Oh Yeah! I signed up for that! Ha. Just not feeling it right now. Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and of course I over-ate. It's what you're supposed to do that day, isn't it? I did not go shopping today. I avoided shopping and shopping areas. I don't like people. I may brave some shopping tomorrow to see about getting those tshirts from A'gaci. Just to fill you in on what it's like to blog in my house, I have my laptop literally on my lap. I find it more

Title? Yeah, I don't know either. It's all I got tonight. I'm on Pinterest. I like it. I've discovered some cool things there, found some good recipes, and found some total BS. I've been having a bad acne breakout. Like, really bad. I wash my face with neutrogena stress control acne wash in the shower every morning, I use a great moisturizer, and I clean my face with biore wipes in the evening. I have a zit gel, but it seemed to make the breakout worse. I looked a little on pinterest, but found my recipe on a google search. I wanted a DIY face mask to help acne. I discovered  this.  So simple, and I had all the ingredients. I pinned it to save the link and share. Then I tried it. First time I made a mistake. I ran a hot bath, got in, washed my face and applied mask. The main ingredient is honey, and honey gets runny with heat. So yeah, it dripped all over and didn't stay on. I only left it on 15 minutes before the drips were driving me bonkers. My skin

Oh the chest. My chest is special in many ways. I have large breasts on a very short torso and arthritic ribs. I can't bra shop in El Paso because they just don't carry my size in any of the stores. Even Dillard's, which carries my size online, doesn't stock them in either of the local stores. Which is a shame since I'm sure many of the women in this city could use options like that, but that's another matter. Being large chested, I wear mostly underwire bras, which give more support and defined shape. But some days my ribs just can't handle the wires and I wear my soft-cup bra. It's hard for me to find nice soft-cup bras because they tend to be full coverage, which doesn't work so well on my short torso. I avoid full coverage. As for the ribs, I've had arthritis there since I was about 15. At first, mom and I thought I might have asthma. I was having trouble breathing on rainy days. My ribs would ache, making breathing painful. Mom ran into

I decided to walk into the new A'gaci store on post today. I haven been turning up my nose since before this store even opened. Just another teeny bopper ugly fashions store, and probably all over priced. I was waiting for some friends to show up for a coffee date, and thought, "What the hell, let's go do some hatin'." I walked in through the shoe section, where you see giant stilletto platform heels in all colors with studs and spikes. Ugh. But that's when something bad happened. I saw some boots. Some really cute boots. With low heels. So I checked them out and something even worse happened. They're only $35.  Uh oh. Good price for cute boots? We'll see. I walked around the outer edge of the store looking at clothes. Now, sure, there were tons of styles I would never be caught dead in. There were also some really cute things. Some. I saw some great cardigans and jackets. And the prices were good. Some of the prices were great. I was somewhat i

Yes, Week the Second. I like to say it that way and I don't know why. It's fun. Scale this morning said 151. Another 2 pounds. If it keeps up I will break the plateau next week. Even if it slows down to 1 pound a week I'll break it in 2 weeks. Feels good. There are some days when I just don't feel hungry and have to make myself eat something. But then again, I've always had those days. I am noticing that it's easier to stop eating. I'm not sure I can explain it in a way you can understand, but it's almost like it's easier for me to realize that I'm full and stop eating. So when I do eat and still feel hungry, I feel ok getting a little more to eat. Perfect example is yesterday. I wasn't hungry at lunch but knew I needed to eat. I was out shopping and there was a little teriyaki place right there with a $5 chicken teriyaki bowl. I got it to go and brought it home. Looking at it, I knew it was too much so I got a bowl and only scooped ou

I'm late! Ack! I was distracted by puppy mayhem on Monday. So we're on to the stomach. Oh, the stomach. I hate my stomach. It's where I carry most of my weight, which apparently isn't a healthy sign for my heart or cholesterol. It has gotten better with losing weight, of course, but still not where I want it to be. Of course, neither is my weight. Fat days always revolve around my stomach. It will look pudgy no matter what I put on. Some days I'm very grateful for a large chest because it still sticks out farther than my stomach. Yes, that makes me feel better. I'd rather have big boobs than a big stomach. My waist is a story in itself. It's very high, right under my rib cage. Actually, right at the bottom rib would be a better description. That's my natural waist. Maybe it only seems so high because my whole torso is so short. We measured my torso once at a sporting goods store, for backpacks, like hiking backpacks, and it only came to 14 1/2 inc

It's been an interesting week. The first day I felt a little light headed, but thought it was just me. The next day, I was freezing cold for no reason (it was 74 degrees in my house) and eventually took my temperature. I had a very low fever. Uh oh. The next day, I scraped the laser stamp off of my pill and didn't take it until after running the half marathon. I was worried about taking it before. I didn't feel any symptoms, no fever, no light headed feeling. So Sunday I experimented. I left the stamp on. Again, nothing. Monday was the first day of 2 pills, with stamps, I felt great. So I apparently had a mild bug over the weekend and ran it out of my system on Saturday. Huh. Anyway, I can't expect much in the first week of these pills, but I have noticed that it's easier to get out of bed in the morning, even if I didn't get my usual 8 hours. I seem to feel more motivated most days this week. Except yesterday, but that was a migraine day. I didn't do

Hey! It's Monday! I don't have much of a butt. Never have. I'm top-heavy. I get it from Mom. The flat butt. My hips are actually on the wide side. I remember someone, don't know who but probably some random old lady, tell me I have child-bearing hips. Oh yeah. Just what every 12 year old girl wants to hear. The nice thing about those wide hips is they help balance out my large chest. J swears my butt has gotten more shape to it since I started running. I can't tell, but then, he looks at it more than I do. I do have trouble with jeans always trying to make me look like a plumber. And I hate belts so don't even suggest it. My hips are pretty flexible, too. I can fold in half easily in yoga. Damn. Not much to say about my butt. I don't have any strong feelings about it. I wouldn't mind a little more curve to it, but it's OK. So yeah. I have a butt. And hips. Sorry this was such a boring post. Next week is the abdomen. I'm sure that o

Forgot! I ran a half marathon yesterday. How can one forget that, right? I just forgot to blog about it. Official results are out so here's my post. I ran the half marathon distance of the Fort Bliss Marathon (first annual). My goal was to keep an average 10 min/mile pace. I was more nervous for this race than any others. I think that was somewhat because it was my first race all on my own. No husband, no mother, just me. It didn't help that I didn't feel so good the day before. Had a low grade fever. Tylenol took care of it, but it had me a little worried. I didn't sleep very well either. Nervous dreams kept waking me up. I woke up early and got ready. I had laid out my stuff the night before. Made a smoothie for breakfast. The run itself was pretty good. I had my music and tracked myself with Strava. They had water stations ever 2 miles. I usually don't drink at the first water station so I ran past it. Then at mile 4, they were out of cups. WTF, right?

Many people are doing the thankful days thing on Facebook. You know, where you post something you are thankful for every day of the month for the month of November.  I will not be doing that.  I've been looking for things to be grateful for for the past month. Every day I talk to J, I'm thankful for the technology that allows us to video chat, even on days when the connection is spotty. On days we don't get to talk, I'm grateful that our relationship is strong and that a day without talking won't hurt anything.  I'm grateful that he's in "an undisclosed location in southwest Asia" and has it relatively easy compared to so many other Soldiers. I'm also grateful that there are units stationed there to support the units in Afghanistan, especially since I know some guys headed there soon.  I'm grateful for Rembrandt and all the smiles he puts on my face. I'm grateful for Duke and all the snuggles.  I'm grateful for m

USPS pulled through (after I complained through the 800 number) and got my package to me yesterday. Two days late and no explanation, but at least I have it. Signature Skinny Amp'd. Here are the ingredients: Bee Pollen 83mg Sickelsenna Seed 64mg Cassia 62mg Seville Orange Flower 37mg Chinese Yam 52mg Aloe 37mg Green Tea 23mg I'm to take 1 pill before breakfast for 4 days. If I don't have any odd reactions, I move it up to 2 pills a day. Shelley (the lady I bought them from) also warned me about the laser stamp. They started laser stamping the amp'd version so people wouldn't confuse it with the non-amp'd. It's just a little black "ampd" on the capsule. But some people, including Shelley, started having some flu-like symptoms. Her friend, who also takes it, told her to scrape the stamp off. She did, and was fine. So if I complain of flu-like symptoms, tell me to remove the stamp.  The first few days will put my body throu

Time for a confession post. I desperately need a massage. I have this huge knot in my shoulder that is killing me, and I need it gone before the half marathon on Saturday.  But for some reason, the idea of calling to schedule a massage makes me very anxious. There is a spa right here on post, nearby, but I still just get so anxious. I can't explain it.  Guess if you want some background, I have never had a massage before. I usually have J give me a shoulder rub and then he pops my back and I feel so much better. Well that's a little impossible right now. I have a heating pad on my shoulder and need to take some more ibuprofen.  But why do I feel this way? Sometimes just talking on the phone with anyone at all makes me anxious, but usually only with people I don't know. I've been meaning to get a massage for a while now, and the anxiety keeps me from calling and scheduling an appointment. I have the money. I've even googled it so I have an idea of what to

I promised an update. So, I did the 50K bike ride (30 miles) for the Tour de Tolerance on Sunday the 28th. It was chilly! I don't know my official time, but my Strava said I finished in 2:05 and some seconds. That's a PR for 30 miles. Tour de Tolerance benefits the El Paso Holocaust Museum . It's a great place and if you're in the area, you should check it out. On Saturday I have the half marathon for the first annual Fort Bliss Marathon. Here on post, so not a far drive or anything. I'm feeling pretty good about it. I signed up for the Las Cruces Half Marathon on December 2. Some girls I know are also running it so maybe we can carpool up there. It's not very far, and after I get my car fixed I could drive a nice automatic vehicle up there if I need to. I am hoping to start the Insane Amp'd pills on Thursday. They were supposed to be here yesterday, and the tracking number says they were delivered, but I don't have the package. I called USPS

Let's start with the knees. I think I like putting a joint in with another body part. My knees are bony. They have this knot that sticks out and makes kneeling painful. Thanks, Mom! When I do pilates and yoga, I have to have extra cushion under my knees. I used to think they were weak knees, but now I don't know what made me think that. It was probably just an excuse to not run. Ha! Lot of good that did me. Otherwise, my knees are just knees. Although the left one has a purple scar that looks like a bruise and I think some nerve damage. When I had my fight with the sidewalk back in January I banged it really hard. It had this big numb spot for months after. It is still a little numb in a certain spot, but it gets more and more feeling back as time goes on. I have lots of little scars all over my legs. I have varicose veins. But I also usually have bruises, so I just don't think much about any of that. Moving on to the thighs. Oh my thighs. I don't like them much.

I'm late! I should have done this Monday! Oh well. Honestly, I've always liked my calves. They start at my tiny little ankles. I do have tiny ankles. As in skinny. And I have a beautiful tattoo on one of those ankles. I love dressy shoes that strap around the ankle because it shows off how tiny they are. My calves have never been big, and always had a little definition. I didn't pay much attention to them as a kid. What kid looks at their calves? But I remember my sister once pointing out a muscle definition line down the outside of my calf and saying she was jealous of that. Now that I'm running and biking, that muscle definition is more clear. It does make shaving a little more fun. I have to go over that area a second time, usually. But I love them. I like knee length skirts and capri pants that show off my calves. I have one formal dress that's tea length that I love. I wear it with strappy heels. I think my legs look awesome in it. Really, I love my calv

My head is feeling quite a bit better this evening. It still hurt when I woke up, so I took tramadol and tylenol. Went grocery shopping, then talked to J. I was able to get the house pretty clean, even with breaks for my head. This afternoon I took a second dose of tramadol + tylenol and rested a bit. Then I decided to bake cookies. I had picked up a bag of Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips this morning. I used their recipe on the back. I don't know that it's any different than the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, but they turned out a little flat. Still tasty, though. That's my Dr. Who shirt under the Dr. Who apron A friend who is moving soon came over and had a cookie and beer, then I started on my wontons. I used my mom's recipe for a pork and shrimp filling. It made 35 wontons. I guess I fill them full because the recipe said I would get about 48. baked, not fried The wonton wrappers came with a recipe for crab rangoon filling. I didn't have crab, but I ha

I cancelled my Weight Watchers account today. I'm still stuck at my plateau. It doesn't help that I'm on day 3 of a migraine. So about the weight loss. I'm still going to keep tracking with my fitness pal. But I'm looking into try a supplement. I hate supplements. I don't really believe in them. But I'm at a point where I don't know what else to try. I know 2 people using the one I'm looking at - my sister and her old high school friend. Dot was at a similar place to me, not a lot to lose, but stuck at a plateau. Her doctor agreed that she should try it and is monitoring her use of it. And it's working. She broke her plateau. Her friend is like me and doesn't believe in weight loss supplements, but again, hit a plateau. She did tons of research before choosing this supplement. It's called Signature SKINNY Insane AMP'D. You take 2 pills in the morning before breakfast. That's easy enough. The lady Dot orders from is in our h

I honestly don't remember what inspired this. But I was in bed the other night, thinking about how I should do this blog. And it turned into a series of blogs. It started with my feet, I know that much. I was thinking I should write about my feet, which are not a favorite body part of mine. I was composing an Ode to my feet in bed. I moved on and thought I should cover all the main body parts (I'll skip the innards) from the feet to my head. So here we go! Feet. Feet were meant to be ugly. My feet are complicated. I have a deformed toe on each foot (really, I do). I have tiny little toe nails that are impossible to paint. I have an odd space between the big toe and the next toe, and then the rest are all crammed together. I have a narrow heel, slightly high instep, and wide toe box. I have no arch. Zero. Nada. Zilch. That makes me pronate (feet roll in) quite a bit. Why doesn't my browser recognize pronate as a word?  Shoes are a whole other story. I remember as a kid