Biggest Loser and A Heavy Dose of Sarcasm...

I'm not even going to lie... I should not even be allowed to call myself a competitor in this Biggest Loser contest!  I'm not sure why it has been so difficult, but this time around I have not really taken the steps to eat better or work out more.  In fact, I think I've gotten worse!  I could list a million excuses (sick kiddos, Mother's Day, our MomSource event, etc.) which have kept us incredibly busy and offered opportunities to gorge myself on sweets, but it really comes down to a lack of commitment.  I set a goal weight to hit before our beach trip this July and now realize that with five pounds (and some major toning) to go, I'm never going to get there if I don't focus and start today.  So after I get rid of this last piece of cake that has been lingering at our house (because obviously it would be wasteful to just throw it away!) I'm back to reaching for a piece of fruit instead of chocolate and getting my rear end back to the gym (or at least out the front door for a little jog).  Somehow the scale numbers continue to drop little by little (probably due to stress more than anything else!), but I know it's going to catch up to me if I don't make some changes.  So, hopefully I won't be as embarrassed to report my progress next week.  If you see me eating a cookie this week, please slap it out of my hand and then show me a picture of Heidi Klum on the runway four weeks after giving birth to her fourth child.  And I'm suuuuuurrrrrrrrre that there was no tummy tuck involved.

As for this weekend, I should be able to squeeze in a workout because we finally have next-to-nothing on the agenda!  The movers were at my parents' house this week so I'm sure we'll be over there to lend a hand (or make it more difficult by adding two kids into the mix!) at some point.  We also have family photos tomorrow with my uber-talented friend, Cory, from Wilkes Photography and this time I'm setting my expectations very low as to how the kids (and by kids I mean Jake) will do.  Here lately he seems to suddenly become shy (which he is NOT) at the sight of a camera, so hopefully he'll at least look in the general direction at least once.  

As a parent, I've learned not to have some idealistic image of how something is going to go because more than likely I'll end up disappointed.  If you want proof, I should post a copy of the baby dedications at our church last weekend.  In my mind, we would stand there and everyone would "ooh" and "ahh" over my babies as Josh blessed them and presented them to the Lord.  Instead, Lilly screamed every time I tried to hand her to anyone but me and Jake rolled around on the stage because I wouldn't pick him up.  Oh it was a sight!  Thank goodness for my sister who saw my "get up here NOW!" look that I shot her because she swooped in to the rescue... meaning she grabbed Jake and ran out of the auditorium while we wrapped up!  Yes, sweet, peaceful moment indeed!  The good news is that at least we'll color coordinate!  I think I have finally mastered the art of coordinating outfits for family photos, which is really based around finding < BRIGHT! > colors that match and using them in different ways.  You can even use clashing patterns as long as there are some solids to balance it out.  Here is our color scheme:

Now if I can just figure out how to accessorize, I'll be all set.  I for one was not born with that gene.  If anyone has a suggestion or two please throw it my way!  And Josh may end up in a yellow shirt if he chooses.  I give my man options.  Only two, yes, but options nonetheless.  :)

I also plan to hit up the neighborhood yard sale tomorrow in hopes to find some treasures for our house.  We recently rearranged the upstairs and I basically have three new rooms to decorate.  We're really trying to stay on a tight budget, so my plan is to find some goodies and also recycle some of the stuff we own and make it new.  All blogs make it look easy, so I'm sure it will be a piece of cake.  Especially since I'm so darn crafty.  {to be read with a heavy dose of sarcasm}

Other than that it's another Sunday at TurningPoint... and I've lost count at what number this one is, which means that we're not quite so new anymore!  I love Sundays because it's a weekly reminder of why we do what we do.  Each week since launch we've seen new faces, people who swore they'd never step foot in a church, and several salvations.  When our weeks get jam-packed, when my days with the kids seem long, when it feels like we have something scheduled for every night of the week, and when it seems like there is never time to just rest, God makes sure to remind me every single weekend that it's all more than worth it.  What I also know is that when I cry out to Him and beg for rest, He gently whispers, "soon."  I don't know if "soon" means tomorrow or if "soon" means three years from now (which in comparison to a life span, would be soon!), but that's the answer I get every time.  Soon I will find rest, but not today.  Today there is still much work to be done for His kingdom.  I guess I'd better get to it.

Have a great weekend, blog land!  Any fun weekend plans on your horizon?

Biggest Loser - Weeks 2 and 3

So did I mention that I ran a half marathon last weekend?

Um, yeah... that pretty much made me rationalize all of the junk I ate all week.  I love to run long distances, but I forgot that it turns me into a bottomless pit, something I need to work on if I sign up for more races this summer and fall.  Plus, my friend Cory had me make Amish friendship bread (basically she made me do it) and the two loaves were gone in about three days.  Yeah, it was THAT good... the Amish really know what they're doing.  But my main discovery this week is that weight loss is all about defeating the excuses.  As I strive to eat healthier, I realize that I can talk myself into having just about anything that's not good for me.  I ran a half marathon, so logically that allows me to have a free pass all week, right?  Or since it's Mother's Day this weekend I should be able to eat not just one, but three molten lava cakes that my husband made for me (oh yes he did... and they were super delicious!).  Or since I skipped dinner, I can have a second bowl of ice cream.  It's ridiculous, and something that I need to work on... do you have this problem, too?

On the upside, there are a few things that I have improved on as well.  For one, I don't stop every time I pass Starbucks.  To you this may not sound like much, but it's a huge accomplishment for me.  I can talk myself into a latte at all hours of the day and realized that I would get one even when I really didn't want it.  Sure, it still tasted good, but was the four dollars really worth it?  Since I work from home I don't drive by one all that often, which is probably why it used to be so appealing when I did, but just because it's a novelty doesn't mean I need to have it every time it's available.  It's all about choices and truly listening to your body.

So where did the scale end up?  Unfortunately I have been going the wrong direction, but it was only an 0.2 gain this week, probably due to the race.  A day after the weekly weigh-in I caught a little bug that Jake had been sick with and, well, I'm now down two... go figure.  So my goal for this week is to make better overall choices and fight that irrational part of my brain that makes all of those excuses.  Oh, and I may want to show my face again at the gym... I'm pretty sure my muscles have forgotten what they are supposed to do!

How was your week??

Race Season!

A few weeks ago we officially kicked off "Race Season" with the Keeneland Half Marathon Relay (which you can read about here).  Racing used to be a huge part of Josh's and my lives, particularly at the point in our lives when we met.  I was much more into running than he was, but he started signing up for races with me so that we could spend some more time together.  His passion has always been cycling, so as his running increased, so did his interest in triathlons.  And then we had kids... and putting in the time and commitment to train for these things got a little more difficult!

 To say that we're excited to be back in the swing of things is an understatement.  With all of our focus going into our family and our church plant over these past few years, it's nice to get back to doing things just for us- the things we love most.  And there are very few things that I love more than a race day.  When we're missing on a weekend (although we're back for church on Sunday of course!) chances are you can find one of us up ridiculously early and out on a course somewhere.  

Like two weeks ago... Josh ran the Music City Marathon in Nashville and the babies and I cheered him on.

 It was a ridiculously hot and sunny morning, the course was hilly, and he rocked it!  I love watching him race almost as much as I love racing myself.  Almost.

 And then this past weekend I went up to Cincinatti and ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon with my group of Florida girls, which made for an awesome reunion weekend- complete, of course, with tutus!

I had a friend comment the following day that we're all crazy.  She said that she would never understand why a person would want to get up crazy early and willingly run long distances, particularly since we're not being chased by something.  And although I couldn't explain it at that moment, I do know that there are countless reasons why I love these events.

I started off this particular race with the girls.  I love to encourage people.  I love to motivate.  And I love to have side-by-side conversations.  Sometimes I can hash out my biggest problems or frustrations with a running partner.  It's like therapy.

Around mile 5 we cruised through downtown Cincinnati.  The streets were lined with people and I thrive on that.  I love seeing the faces and hearing the cheers from spectators.  I love the little kids who get excited that you high-five them.  I love reading the signs- the ones that will make you laugh and the ones that will make you cry.  And I love being near someone when they see someone they know along the way and it totally changes them from feeling like they can't do it to knowing that they can.

After that span, I felt pretty good and ended up pulling ahead.  I put in my headphones and just ran for awhile, my brain completely thoughtless.  My body moved mechanically, because it has done this a thousand times before, and I just ran on autopilot.  I love being "in the zone."  I love that God created us with bodies that can move like this and accomplish anything that we're willing to put in the work for.  

Then, I started to break down.  We went uphill for a ridiculously long time.  In fact, they say it's the equivalent climb of a 41-story building... so yes, maybe that part was a little crazy.  And as I took my very first walk-break, my brain started telling me that I couldn't do it.  That I was hot.  And my feet and back hurt.  That my lungs could not keep up with the oxygen support.  That I could fake an injury and not finish or lie and say I waited in a really long port-a-potty line, which made my time so slow.  And do you want to know why I love the breakdown?  Because at some point, I stare it all down in the face, put one foot in front of the other, and start running again.  And whether it's thirty minutes or three minutes before I start walking again, I ultimately overcome those thoughts.  And at the end of the day, I cross a finish line.

We joke a lot that I do this for the "bling," as I do love the shiny medal at the end, but it's so much more than that.  For me, it's uninterrupted time with my thoughts.  It's listening to praise music and lifting my hands in the air to the God who created me, even though I know I look like an insane person to anybody watching.  It's thinking about my babies, and how proud they would be of me for finishing.  I think about how I want to stay young and healthy enough for them to be around for a long, long time.  I reflect on my marriage, on how much I love my husband, and the ups and downs of things.  This past weekend came with some trials for us, but after mulling over a lot of it on the race course, I knew that there would be goodness that came from the struggle we encountered.  I knew that running out my frustrations would put me in a calm place to talk about our feelings and better understand one another in the long run (which has already happened actually).  I think about my Aunt Barbara, whom we lost a few years ago to cancer, and how she would have loved to have been running this race with us.  I think about ways that I can do more in this world, serve others better, reach out farther, and make a difference and an impact.  The open road has always been kind to me.  My best ideas find me there, my solutions to life's problems meet me there, and my most fervent prayers are said and heard there.  It's a special place and one that I miss when I'm away from it, an old friend that never lets me down.  So it's okay with me if you think I'm crazy because the truth is, I know that I would actually go crazy without it.  In fact, I may or may not have already been online looking for the next race... because I know that it will be amazing no matter what the clock says at the finish line.

We have quite a bit on the summer calendar already... feel free to join us if you'd like:

May 12th 

- [Josh] Olympic Triathlon (Taylorsville, KY)

June 23rd 

- Warrior Dash (Elizabethtown, KY)

July 7th 

- [Josh] Half Ironman (Muncie, IN)

August 11th 

- Midsummer's Night Run 5K (Lexington, KY)

- [Jake] Fastest Kid in Town (Lexington, KY) - this should go better than last year!

August 26th 

- [Josh] Ironman (Louisville, KY) - can't wait for this!

I am sure some 5K's and 10K's will be added throughout the summer, but I'm so excited to see these events on my calendar again.  Let me know if you'll be at any of these or if there is something out there that we shouldn't miss!

I know I didn't do a Biggest Loser post this week, but as you can see, I did work out and am still moving in the right direction!  And don't forget that the first Mama's Month post will be up tomorrow!  I hope you post, too! 

Losing It - Week 1

Well, I survived.  I didn't starve to death, nor did I really have to adjust too terribly much, and the scale moved in the right direction!  I told you in my last post that this contest was going to be hard for me, but let me elaborate.

I give you Exhibit A:

Yes, this arrived on my doorstep about three days before our church-wide biggest loser contest started.  Talk about bad luck!  My first thought?  Eat every last cookie before the contest began... it would be a win-win: I'd get to eat tons of deliciousness and my initial weigh-in would be higher, giving me more weight to lose!  But somehow, I have held out and only managed to clean off a cookie box (or two).  The rest are tucked safely in the back of the freezer, not to come out over these next eight weeks.  So how did my week go?  Here's a recap:

Saturday - Initially weighed in to find that I weigh less than I thought I did (yay!).  This is probably due to my family's biggest loser contest that we did through March.  This just goes to show that weight loss does not come easy and progress sometimes is not seen until weeks later.  This is the delayed result of my hard work at the beginning of the year, so I'm glad I'm doing this again before it all creeps back on.  Saturday was a major fail.  I went to a birthday party and since I made the cake, figured that I should get to eat it.  That's only fair, right?  Still don't think so?  Okay fine then, but don't pass judgement until you check out my handy-work via crappy cell-phone picture:

Cake decorating is just a hobby of mine, and it generally includes a lot of experimentation (and prayer that I don't ruin it in the process).  This was the product of hours of my life, so yes, I deserved a piece.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  I did manage to only eat fruit and two mini-sandwiches at the party, so the cake was basically my lunch.  And then I was so close to being good at dinnertime until Josh ran some errands and I got a craving for a burrito.  I fought the craving and the burrito won.  Chipotle - 1, Kim - 0.  On the upside, I only ate half and wrapped up the other half for the next day.  On the downside, this means that I ate a super fattening (half) burrito two days in a row.

Sunday - Discovered my newest true love:

Frosted Mini Wheats are going to be my secret weapon through this.  They are surprisingly not too terrible for you, especially when paired with skim milk.  I am a full-fat milk kind of gal, but these goodies work in skim... score one for me!  Plus, it keeps you... uh... regular.  Yeah, TMI... moving on.  I did eat the other half of my burrito on Sunday, but had second bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats for dinner, so I feel like it kind of balanced out.  And my major mistake?  Running out the door without my morning cup of coffee.  I did not realize that I'm addicted to caffeine until I spent the day with a headache.  Sounds like it's time to cut back.

Monday - Realized that cutting back on coffee would be more difficult than I thought.  Let me introduce you to true love #2:

To the makers of International Delight coffee creamer, I would kiss the ground you walk on.  Coffee, chocolate, and coconut?  Ummm... yes, please!  That's like the trifecta of perfection.  I have decided that the 60 calories in 2 tablespoons of this goodness is worth it and I can cut out 60 calories elsewhere.  Monday was day one of meal planning, which I'm doing in an effort to eat healthier and save money on groceries, so we enjoyed a delicious and fairly healthy dinner of almond-crusted pork chops, rice, and black eyed peas.  A little starchy, but not bad.  But I do have to admit, four Thin Mints snuck their way into my diet that day, too.  Oops.

Tuesday - Coffee?  Check.  Two cups... 120 calories.  Frosted mini wheats?  Check.  I'm officially obsessed.  And then I kind of snacked all day.  I had purchased a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store though, and grazed on that and crackers.  Not terrible and I stayed under my daily allotment.  Plus, this gal got a very short workout in.  I have a half marathon coming up next weekend (the first since having kids- yikes!) and I have fallen off of the training wagon since our Keeneland race a few weeks ago.  I'm not thinking that this race will break any records.

Wednesday - Same ol' start to my day, but for lunch I made a salad.  Yay for me!  I love restaurant salads, but never feel like they are as good at home. This one was fairly decent, but I was hungry about an hour later.  Guess I need to work on that.  The major fail of the day?  Eating dinner at 9:30 PM... such is the life of a church planter and his wife... ministry calls sometimes!

Thursday (yesterday) - I did great all day and ate the usual for breakfast and a leftover taco for lunch.  A tortilla, sauteed taco chicken, salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese keep it pretty light.  In the past, I must admit, I would have eaten two of three, but one satisfied me just fine.  We met up with our connect group last night and the group ended up heading to Chick-Fil-A.  Uh-oh.  My mind was telling me to order a salad, but oh that #1 with buffalo sauce is so very hard to resist!  So yes, friends, I gave in to the EAT MOR CHIKIN craving.  And French fries.  And a Cherry Coke.  And, sadly, half of an ice cream cone.  I didn't feel all that bad about it until I entered all of the food into my phone to check the calories.  Yeah, I was under for the week until this.  *Sigh*

So with week one behind me here is what I've learned: losing weight does not have to take drastic changes in your current diet.  What it does take (for me) is some pretty serious changes in your portion sizes.  Our cereal bowls were created for giants, and so I've been pouring my cereal into a smaller-sized bowl, and sharing bites with Jake, which helps.  I had half of my burrito instead of gorging myself on the whole thing, and I probably felt better than I would have if I had stuffed myself.  Plus, the other half was just as tasty the next day.  And one taco instead of three (and four Thin Mints instead of the whole row) made some serious differences in my weekly calorie intake.  Easy peasy changes for week one that I'm going to stick with.  So what's the goal to add for week 2?  I'm going to drink only water.  Yep, no more soft drinks for this chick.  I actually gave them up a long time ago and then Lilly came along... and she made her mama crave some Coca-Cola like it was nobody's business!  The craving has since stuck around, so we'll see how this goes.  So water it is.  Oh, and coffee of course... let's not get TOO crazy here, I just said "cut back," not live in a non-caffeinated world... who do you think I am??

For those of you participating I hope your week one went well also.  So far I have collected about 8 or 9 weigh-in's and everyone's scale moved in the right direction... way to go!  Week 2 here we come!

Losing It!

This week marks the start of TurningPoint Church's Biggest Loser Contest.  We have tons of people signed up to compete over the next 8 weeks... just in time to get in shape for the summertime.  Just like on the show, the Biggest Loser is the person who loses the largest percentage of their starting weight, so it is anyone's game to win.  I've decided not only to jump on the band wagon, but to blog about it over these next few weeks, too, for a little more accountability.  We did this same contest as a family from January through March, and I must admit that I started out pretty strong, but pretty much gave up halfway through.  While I did up my exercise over the course of the contest, my eating habits stayed about the same and that is what I want to focus on during round two.  My sister, on the other hand, publicly blogged about her journey through the contest and dropped lots of weight... she already looked great before and now she looks fantastic!  I'm so proud of her and really think there is something helpful about logging the progress somewhere, probably even more so when you are logging it where people can read it.  How embarrassing (or pathetic maybe?) would it be to go through eight weeks of this and continually tell you all that nothing has changed.  That would probably just mean that I wasn't trying, and I'm not the type of person who doesn't try.  Plus, I know a few of my readers are participating, too, so hopefully I can help motivate them to keep up their hard work, too.  So here it goes...

Let me just state for the record that this is going to be really hard for me.  I am very fortunate to have a "happy weight" (you know, the place your scale just kind of stays without much effort) that I am pretty satisfied with.  Satisfied- yes, but not really thrilled about.  I actually weigh the same now as I did before kids, but it is all distributed differently and I know it consist of a lot less muscle tone than it used to.  My family's competition was a great way to lose the baby weight, but now I want to tone up and really get in shape. This mama is going to the beach in July and she wants to look better than ever!

Friday I did my official first weigh-in.  I'm not going to report my numbers every week, but I will post my overall loss or gain, in pounds and percentage.  I feel like I'm in fairly decent shape since I started running again a few months ago, but I definitely need to kick it up a notch, particularly if I choose to run a marathon in the fall, which is something I've been considering.  I haven't run one since having kids, and it's a huge time commitment, so I would really have to get disciplined.  Losing weight (well, really just changing your diet and exercise habits) is all about discipline, and it's completely mind over matter.  When my mind faces Girl Scout Cookies, I have to admit that my mind usually loses.  And these love handles (or Lilly handles as I like to call them) are not going to go anywhere with just exercise alone.  Like I said, it will be hard for me... I seriously LOVE food.  I LOVE dining out.  And, more than anything, I LOVE dessert.  To an unhealthy level... as in, I will eat leftover birthday cake for breakfast.  And then possibly for lunch, too.  I had once given up sodas for a whole year, and for some reason, picked up that habit again and crave them constantly.  I know it won't happen overnight, but my goal over these next eight weeks is to ditch the soda habit, cut down (but not cut out... I'm all about moderation) on sweets, put myself on a more regular exercise schedule, and eat smaller portions.

Wish me luck, because I'm going to need it.  The battle against the bulge is officially underway!