Do you know what a burpee is?

Yes, it is an exercise for torture.  There can be no other explanation as I lay in bed unable to move because my core is so sore...TWO DAYS AFTER I did them.

So, here is the question and I thought about this at fat camp as well...Is it better to torture your body and try something difficult but then you can do anything for days after.  Or, it is better to just do you daily grind and get your cardio in without killing yourself?

I don't know.

Party People in the House

So....I came back to Australia to tell my lovely roommate Nandrew (new Andrew) the whole Madonna-had-a-dj-open-for-her-and-it-was-really-fun-and-I-danced-and-danced-and-now-I-want-to-go-to-a-club-and-dance-and-dance-and-burn-calories-and-have-fun...

and his response was that I would have to stay up past 9:30.
Impossible.

H2O Goal

I am out to make water drinking a habit, darn it.  I have tried so many things but unless I force myself to drink it, I just don't get enough water during the day.  I am in a constant state of dehydration.  And, to be honest, I like being dehydrated.  I really don't like having to go to the toilet all the time.

TOO BAD.
I am on it.
I am making the change.

My goal is to get 64oz or 2 litres of water every day.
I will not go to bed until I drink that water.
I am committed.
Even if I am on the toilet all night because I waited until the last minute.

Then, at the end of each night, I will mark on my calendar a big X so I can track how AWESOME I am doing.

ONE-derland

Paula and I have decided on end of the year weight loss goals and mine was to be halfway to my goal.  But I realised that number is 200.5. [91.1kg] A BETTER goal is to get to ONEDERLAND or having my weight start with a 1 instead of a 2.  So my new goal by New Years Eve is 199.9. [90.8kg]

This is really really aggressive.  Particularly since I am a COMPLETE AND UTTER COOKIE MONSTER!  I LOVE XMAS COOKIES.  My two favorites are cutouts and hershey kiss cookies.

Maybe I need to stay in Australia a little longer during the holiday season because I am definitely NOT tempted by xmas pudding!  GROSS!!!!!!

I am a NORMAL PERSON!

Look at me!
Look at me!
I am shopping at Old Navy like normal other people do!
I'm getting in a few last minute shopping needs before I go back to the GFIC.
For the first time in my life, I have bought clothes at Old Navy.  Just a normal shop.

Paula found my new BEFORE picture

from our vacation in Alaska last year
No caption necessary!!!
What's worse is that I think I was another 5kg/10pounds heavier when I went to fat camp.

502 calories per hour

Paula and I went to the Madonna concert last night and it was great.  But the biggest surprise is that I think I danced more to the opening act than I did to her!

She had a dj open for her which I was not excited about.  Let's face it, djs are for young people and/or gay men and/or anyone on X.  As I am not young, gay or an x taker....I thought it was going to be a bust.  BUT...I knew most of the songs and it was really, really fun.  He got me out of my seat and booty shaking.  Madonna was, of course, great but lots of new stuff so I wasn't crazy moving.  So, while I don't think I burned 502 calories, hopefully, I burned enough to pay for the giant margarita I drank!

Superdads inspiration

I got up and got dressed yesterday with no intention of doing any exercise, even though it was a picture perfect autumn day.  I left my room and the superdads, Scab and his friend Ed who is also a stay at home dad, were going for a 10k run.

Super Dad running down Oak Park Ave

Well...that put it all in perspective.
I turned around and got my running stuff on and did a few miles.
Still ate a lot of sugar but at least got my miles in. :)

GOAL COMPLETED!!! I am a runner!

This was my last weekend that I could get a 5k in while I am in the States, so last  night I found a small one in Chicago - the Make a Wish 5k at Montrose Harbor.  There are more races in the States than Australia so I really wanted to get this in to complete my 5 5ks in a year.

Because the race was for the kids, there were a lot of kids there and they really encouraged costumes.  Paula and Willa got into the spirit but wearing a heavy bee costume was not the smartest idea.

It was an AWESOME race!  Great trail along the beautiful Lake Michigan waterfront.  And it was easy on my hips and knees as most of it was on a running path.

With one mile left a young girl who was also a TDer started running with me and we ran the last mile together which really helped.  AND posted my personal best 44:41!  In a bee costume!!!

Really pumped!
Great race!
Ready for my new goal - trying to get in as many 5ks as I can this year.  I would like to do one a month but there just aren't as many in Melbourne.

I love this but could never do it

I went to a work presentation today and before the speaker started her talk, she kept a slide of herself up on the wall.

It was cute and fun and set a fun tone for the morning session.
I would NEVER do this and I loved it and of course, you love to steal ideas from other speakers.
To do this, inherently, you would need to love the pics of yourself - even the nerdy ones.  And we all have nerdy pictures.  (from 8-10 years old when you haven't grown into your teeth, ANY pics from the 70s or early 80s, or just those pics that should never have been taken)  Even though they shouldn't have been taken, you still think they are funny.

All of my pics are basically normal or fat and I don't like many adult pics of myself so I simply could not do this and would not do this.  It was so depressing.

The Twinkie Diet - my kind of eating!

So...I ran across a professor who went on a Twinkie diet for one month.  Let's stop right there.

I LOVE Hostess products.  If I could eat one sweet for the rest of my life, I am pretty sure it would be little chocolate donuts or donettes.  I LOVE little chocolate donuts!

Having lived in Australia, the original Tim Tam would probably come in second.
Then, I would go back to other Hostess products in the following order:

1 - donettes
2 - Coffee cake
3 - Twinkies
4 - Ho Hos
5 - Ding Dongs
6 - Fruit Pies (Cherry or Apple - NOT Blueberry)
7 - Cupcakes

So imagine my interest when I read about this professor who wanted to prove calorie intake is the ONLY factor to diet.   http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

And, he did.  So just as I have been saying since fat camp, it is calories in and calories out.  He basically ate Twinkies and other junk food as his calories.  But still counted the calories.  Now he doesn't talk about how hungry he was and with all of those empty calories, he must have been STARVING!  But without meat, his cholesterol was down and all of the rest of his measurements were good.

CALORIES IN - CALORIES OUT.

I am vindicated!

I just received an email from my milliner to tell me that WE (picture of me in her hat) have made THE millinery magazine with my Ascot hat.  It is a British magazine so I don't know how long it will take to get a copy.

They wouldn't put a picture of me in an international magazine if I looked fat and ugly.
So there.
YEA!

BTW - I could NOT believe the Queen wore this outfit.  Does she not know that green is bad luck?  And guess what, her horse did not win that day.  Her horse did win later in the week when she was not wearing green.

Snacky snack snack snack snack snacks

I am being pretty good but when I do need a small snack,  I am going too big.  (This is the one instance where "go big or go home" does NOT apply.)  This easily happens while I am in the States because my family keeps snacks on hand.  (kids snack)  I keep NO snack food for this exact reason.

The perfect snack should be approximately 100-200 calories and contain both a carb and a protein to be both nutritionally satisfying and keep you going for more than 1/2 hour.

12 almonds - 80 calories
1 small apple with 1 tsp peanut butter - 140 calories
1 greek yogurt - 120 calories
1 piece of cheese - 100 calories

It is all healthy but it adds up!

I challenge ANYONE to be thin in Green Bay, WI

It is IMPOSSIBLE!

We went up for a Packer game on Sunday.  (packers lost - more reason to eat)  The food choices are amazing.  Like amazingly bad if you are on a diet and amazingly good if you don't care.

GO PACK GO!!!!

I had saved my calories so that I could have a brat at the game, but...I also had cheese curds!  HEAVEN!  Then on the way home, had a cheeseburger and fries.

I am going to go for a run right now.  I feel a little dirty.

Just out of interest, I found the information below.  Looking at all States, it is mentioned - the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995.

Wisconsin was named the 25th most obese state in the country, according to the eighth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Wisconsin's adult obesity rate is 27.4 percent.

Adult obesity rates increased in 16 states in the past year and did not decline in any state. Twelve states now have obesity rates over 30 percent. Four years ago, only one state was above 30 percent. Obesity rates exceed 25 percent in more than two-thirds of states (38 states)

This year, for the first time, report examined how the obesity epidemic has grown over the past two decades:

• Over the past 15 years, seven states have doubled their rate of obesity. Another 10 states nearly doubled their obesity rate, with increased of at least 90 percent, and 22 more states saw obesity rates increase by at least 80 percent
• Fifteen years ago, Wisconsin had an obesity rate of 16.4 percent and was ranked 10th most obese state in the nation. The obesity rate in Wisconsin increased by 67 percent over the last 15 years.
• Since 1995, obesity rates have grown the fastest in Oklahoma, Alabama, and Tennessee, and have grown the slowest in Washington, D.C., Colorado, and Connecticut.
• Ten years ago, no state had an obesity rate above 24 percent, and now 43 states have higher obesity rates than the state that was the highest in 2000.

"Today, the state with the lowest adult obesity rate would have had the highest rate in 1995," said Jeff Levi, Ph.D., executive director of TFAH. "There was a clear tipping point in our national weight gain over the last twenty years, and we can't afford to ignore the impact obesity has on our health and corresponding health care spending."

In addition, for many states, their combined rates for overweight and obesity, and rates of chronic health problems, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, have increased dramatically over the past two decades. For Wisconsin, long-term trends in rates include:

• Fifteen years ago, Wisconsin had a combined obesity and overweight rate of 52.9 percent. Ten years ago, it was 56.6 percent. Now, the combined rate is 64.3 percent.
• Diabetes rates have doubled in ten states in the past 15 years. In 1995, Wisconsin had a diabetes rate of 4.4 percent. Now the diabetes rate is 7.5 percent.
• Fifteen years ago, Wisconsin had a hypertension rate of 22.1 percent. Now, the rate is 26.4 percent.

I miss zumba

I have only zumbaed a few times since being home.
Saw this today -

It wouldn't be so funny if it weren't so true!!!!

Considering I haven't run all this week....

My pictures from fat camp just arrived!
Here are 3 of my 4 stop sign hikes...

First day stop sign - not feeling great but finished.

Wednesday was pigtail day.

TD running the last bit with Tony.  Tony is a producer for the Dr Phil Show.

Here I am with Natasha and Callie.  Natasha is my inspiration! (she is in the middle)  So positive!

Sorry Big Boys

Since Paula dragged me around the country the past few days and since we were going through Cincinnati, we decided to stop for a baseball game on the way home.

As I looked up at the score board, I noticed that I was about the same weight as the first baseman.  This got me thinking to when I read Oprah's book, "Make the Connection."  In one of her diary entries she laments the fact that she is at the ESPYs and they announce this famous running back and his weight.  And all she can think of is that she weighs more than a professional football player!  I can not wait until I weigh less than all sports guys.

I looked up the averages:

Avg NFL player is 248 pounds.  (Heaviest players are offensive tackles who average 318!)  I am skinnier!!!!!
Avg MLB player is 196 pounds.
As I have always had a thing for hockey players, I added them to the list as well.
Avg MLH player is 210.
Brett Favre played at 222.

I want to be able to go to sporting events and weigh less than the athletes!!!

ROADTRIP!

Due to my sister's fear of flying, she has talked me into roadtripping 10 hours EACH WAY for a 2 hour key note address.  I am trying to look at the positives:

-quality time with my sister
-I have never been to the great state of West Virginia before
-I might talk her into a Reds game on the way home

There is nothing on the interstate except fast food.
Try sticking to a 1200 calorie a day diet going through 5 states.
I think we did pretty good yesterday.  I packed sandwiches for our lunch and we ate from the light menu at Applebys for dinner.  :)  We stopped once for a Starbucks and once for a water.

I am going to get up and try and find a bowl of cereal in this joint before I hear Paula's speech.  I think I will need some coffee too.  Then....on the road again - just can't wait to get on the road again.

Do you want dessert?

I went out for dinner tonight and no one ordered dessert.  I know why I didn't order dessert - I can't!  But I wanted to.  I really wanted to.

Why does a thin person not order dessert?
Do they really not want it?
Are they not tempted?
Are they tempted but don't order it because they know that is 1000 calories?
WHY?

I'm not at fat camp anymore!!!!

Pool at Fitness Ridge -

Pool at Ceasars Palace -

Update on Gwen and Marcy

I just saw the ladies lounging by the pool and I am about to leave.  So I asked them, "are you glad you came?"  My blog readers have so many questions about you!

Marcy told me to #$%^&* off.  She is not happy to be here.
But still going to class.
Still doing the workouts.

Gwen is a little more easy going about it.
I told them they made my trip and they did.