Meat Free Monday

I have not been good for the last week or so. Some friends of mine got married this weekend and, between the rehearsal dinner and reception, I positively gorged myself. The good news is that I had some AWESOME barbecue.

That being said, this is my week. I've started off on the right foot. I've started participating in Meat Free Monday. A lot of people do this, but I got the idea from Paul McCartney. He is a long-time vegetarian and encourages others in that direction. And for those of us who don't want to live a life without steak or chicken tenders, he preaches Meat Free Mondays. One day a week, you just go without meat. So for lunch today, I had Tomato Parmesan bisque and potato pancakes. Tonight, we're gonna have a pasta-like baked zucchini dish. (I need a better name for this particular dish.) So the goal is to do this one day a week. It may not always be on Monday, but we're gonna do it. This is happening.

And I have another goal for this week: no french fries. Boy, they're really a weakness for me.

Painting the Roses Red OR Fat Jeans

So, I don't mean to bombard you with celebrity weight loss pictures, but Kelly Osbourne looks AWESOME! At the Emmy's last night, she looked better than I've ever seen her look. I thought I'd start off this particular entry with a picture of her. Check out those curves!

Last night, we painted our master bathroom. It's now a lovely blue called Ocean Breeze. And tonight, we hung new cabinets, moved in some shelves, and hung a painting. It really looks lovely. The idea was to go for a spa feel, and I think it was achieved. Anyway, while we were painting, all I wanted to do was sing "Painting The Roses Red" from Disney's "Alice in Wonderland." I wonder if I could rewrite the words to the whole song and sing "I'm painting the bathroom blue..." Perhaps I should try.

In preparation for the messy work last night, I changed out of my good clothes and put on yucky ones that I wouldn't mind getting dirty. I went into the closet in the guest room (That's where I'm keeping clothes I'm not using regularly. Wes's unused clothes go in the office closet.) and pulled out my Fat Jeans. Most people have a pair. They're old and baggy and, if you're involved in the theater, usually covered in paint stains that you can trace back to specific shows and, thus, specific memories. Mine have a little bit of white from the picket fence in the Ascot scene in "My Fair Lady" and, if I'm not mistaken, some yellow from a certain brick road of the same color. And that is going BACK! They also have paint from when I moved into my house in Spartanburg. So these pants have been around for a while and seen their share of work. But guess what? My Fat Jeans don't fit anymore. That's right. I've out-fat-ed my Fat Jeans. Gross.

Have I been painting the roses red all this time? Have I been pretending that something is true when it's not? Have I been pretending I'm not all that fat when I really am? This is not a self-loathing thing. I think it really may have gotten out of control without my knowing. I feel fat, but I don't feel THAT fat. It's not like I sweat going up the stairs or anything. I feel like I make DECENT grocery decisions. Yeah, I like cookies and ice cream and soda, but I don't like many store-bought cookies and I don't bake very often. And I buy Skinny Cow ice cream and diet soda. But it's not enough.

Tomorrow, I'm getting up and going for a walk. I've got to start doing some sort of exercise. Which KILLS ME! I really hate exercise. I mean, HATE. Sweating is gross. My heart rate rising is uncomfortable. And, for some reason, exercising makes me really itchy. (No big deal; I'm just the itchiest person alive.) But it's GOT to happen. I'm also going to start going to yoga class. I bought a Living Social deal for a local yoga studio and I'm going to try to get it set up and start going at least twice a week. It's got to change. These Fat Jeans have got to get back to where they once belonged. Which is hanging loosely around my hips.

Inspiration in the most unlikely places

I just popped open my laptop and clicked my homepage button. Yahoo. No big. I like to flip through Yahoo's new headlines. Few of them are actually ever news. They're usually celebrity gossip, fashion correspondence, sometimes a cute animal video. The news-iest things on there are usually "Democrats fear the worst in upcoming election" or "Being poor in America today." My favorite single headline today was "Is Mexican Coke really tastier?" Anyway, I like to browse through them, just to see if there's anything interesting. Today, the first two were about celebrities who have lost weight! Crazy! Links are provided below.

Kirstie Alley has lost a TON of weight and looks ah-MAZE-ing! I've always thought she was pretty. I guess that comes from a childhood filled with episodes of "Cheers" and frequent viewings of "It Takes Two" and "Look Who's Talking." And, no, she hasn't always been the best role model for those looking to shape up, but I think maybe she is now. Check her out!

Now, I don't know anything about football, but apparently Baltimore Ravens' defensive tackle, Terrence Cody, has dropped some poundage as well. Of course, he's still a hulking mass of a man, but he's not flubber-y anymore.

These guys are awesome! I consider this my inspiration for the day!

Monday, Monday

I have a new car. It's a BRAND NEW CAR! I have never had a brand new car. I'm not even sure that my parents have ever had a new car, at least not in my lifetime. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to be in a place in my life where I can afford a new car. Or to have a man in my life who helps make these things possible. I currently live in the nicest house I've ever lived in, I have the nicest car I've ever had, and I have the best job situation I've ever had. I hope this doesn't all come across as bragging. I just have been overwhelmed by the blessings in my life lately.

Yesterday, Grace, Wes, and I went to the Cabarrus County Fair. It was maybe the best fair I've ever been to, and that's really sort of saying something. We didn't get to do a whole lot because we got there kind of late and were on a limited budget. But we got to eat some good fair food (funnel cake anyone?) and hear some old guys ROCK OUT some bluegrass and pet some farm animals and fwalk around and see all the lights and sights. It was really a fun time. Plus, this fair is HUGE. And it felt really safe there. And I didn't feel like I was going to get hepatitis or anything. It was really wonderful. I recommend it to anyone in the area.

So as far as healthiness and eating better go, I haven't really gotten a good start. But the good news is that we have to be frugal this week (didn't really expect to get a new car this weekend...), which means that we're going to be cooking all of our meals, which means that we can be healthier. And Mondays are historically the easiest day of the week to start something new. Or RE-start something.

So, Monday, Monday, be good to me.

Here's to a healthy harvest.

Yes, this is about losing weight! But I'll get to that in a minute. Let me start with the good stuff.

It is autumn. I mean, it's not yet, but it's starting to feel like it. I wore boots today. And a sweater. And I bought Autumn Delight snack mix from the Fresh Market. So, I feel like it's fall. As you may know, fall is my very favorite time of year. One of my favorite quotations is from George Eliot and speaks to this matter: "Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns."

A lot of people think of spring as the season of new beginnings. And of course spring is lovely and a welcome relief after the bleak winter. But for me, autumn is where it's at. For me, summer is WAY more oppressive than winter. When that upwards-of-100-degree weather finally breaks, when Starbucks finally releases their pumpkin spice flavor, when you finally see that first orange leaf, it's like Jesus looks down and says "Hey, I didn't forget about y'all. It's okay!" (Yeah, that sounds silly. Whatevs.)

And so, in the spirit of new beginnings, I have decided that it is time for me to make some changes. This past year has been one of my best to date. I've spent it with the most wonderful man for whom I am so grateful. This is a forever kind of love and I'm just so blessed to have found such a good match. I have finally broken into the business that I've always dreamt of working in. I've moved away from my lovable but admittedly small hometown. Good things have happened. Good things CONTINUE to happen. But through these good things, I've become a little complacent. I've been calling this my "fat and happy" phase of life, but the truth is, I've gotten sloppy. A couple of years ago, I lost a ton of weight and was feeling really good about myself. And, OF COURSE, I have enjoyed being wined and dined during this early stage of my relationship with Wes. But it's time to undo some of the damage I've done this year.

This morning, I googled "how to get motivated to lose weight." Some of the advice I got was not so good ("cut out pictures of models you'd like to look like"), but some of it wasn't so bad. I was reminded that I need to keep myself accountable. And that's what this blog is for. I'm going to share my progress and post little tidbits along the way. You may see things like recipes, links to articles, pictures, bits of inspiration, etc. I'm starting by posting my "before" picture. It's not a pretty sight. (It doesn't help that I have one of the most awkward haircuts of my life. It's growing out, lest ye be worried.) But it's a sight I need to see and to share with others.

So wish me luck! This is not going to be easy. But with your prayers, encouragements, and even advice, I think it's going to be a fun ride. And here we go!