Well, I guess it's time to start my own journal. First, a brief history:

I'll be 20 years old this July, and I have been married for a little less than a year now. I was a pretty fat child, and I didn't start to slim up until I began a weight training and aerobics class my Junior year of high school. Those were my thinnest days, although I thought I was still fat then. At that point in my life, I weighed 132 lbs, mostly muscle. I think that's what makes it so hard to be in the shape that I am now: knowing that I have been in better shape and I have let myself go. I started putting on weight when I got engaged to my husband (a familiar story, I'm sure). Then I put on the wedding weight. I've finally lost those most recent 20 lbs. I think that maybe they weren't with me long enough to get attached yet. As for the next 22 lbs, we're old friends!! I just hate having to lose old friends.

At the moment, I weigh 150 lbs (down from the original starting weight of 170 last February). Until a few days ago, I didn't feel like my efforts were doing much good. I was watching the numbers move, but I didn't feel any smaller or notice any difference in my size. But then I realized that my pants are getting loose, and a co-worker noticed my weight loss the other day!! So, my motivation is picking back up, and I have increased my nightly walks to 5 miles (a real accomplishment for me - I am an overweight smoker with asthma!! I know, I know. I'm killing myself, but I'll take it one step at a time. Once the weight comes off, I'll know that I can do anything. Then we'll tackle the big demon, aka smoking.) So, my goal is 128 lbs. Not 130, not 125. No, 128. I have no idea why I settled on that number. I think because it's not quite 130 and it sounds more convincing than a rounded off number. No one will believe you if you say you weigh exactly 130 lbs. Maybe I decided on 128 because I would like to weigh what my drivers license says I do? :o Who knows!?!

So, I don't get much exercise aside from the torment I put myself through when I get home. Have you ever noticed the similarities between the words "secretary" and "sedentary." Needless to say, "Boat Butt" is a good description for my backside. But that's changing.

As for my plan, I am trying for low carb, low fat, and NO PAIN. I hate those painful diets that leave you hungry all the time and try to make sure you hurt with every step you take from exercise. Maybe I'm a wimp, but I like to think that I am just compassionate. My ass and I are good friends. I don't hurt my friends like that :)

I have a huge black book that I carry around with me. I has sections for meals, measurements, exercise, misc. and a journal. I keep all the great tips that you guys give me in it so that I can refer back to them at a later date. I even take Polaroid pictures from 3 angles (front, side, and back) every week and put them in my folder. That way I can see the results from week to week. Sure, that's a little much. You can't tell anything from one week to the next, but you can see a big difference every few weeks. In short, I have become a bit fanatical about all of this.

Did I mention that I often don't know when to shut up? On that note, I'll call it quits for the hour (I may be back this afternoon).

LOL Bryant.. I think you will do good.. You are a very humorous person and that helps in the long run.. You can make fun of yourself but love yourself at the same time.. Keep up the good work..:laugh: :rose: :rose:

joanne,

Thanks for all the support. You and a few others around here have been true lifesavers for me!!

Michelle

Michelle,

Sounds like you're really together. I'm sure you'll make it to your goals.

Good luck!
Losinit

Ummm ... Food. I don't think I'll list everything I eat.

Yesterday, I had 1394 calories. I only add them up at the end of the day to make sure that I'm eating enough. I'm afraid that eating a lot of vegies will put me under my calorie needs. They fill me up so fast... I write down everything in my Huge Black Book, so I won't duplicate the efforts.

As for exercise, I walked 5 miles last night and plan to do it again tonight. I also did 20 minutes of yoga. Feels pretty good. I slept like a rock last night, and didn't want to get up this morning, but that's a good thing. For a while there I didn't get much sleep.

My husband is slightly over weight and snores like a freakin' bear. For the first 2 months we were married, I made him sleep on the couch so that I could get some rest. Wouldn't have been so bad if we had a couch. Its actually a love seat, which is too small for a 6'3" 250 lb man. :) So, we discussed it for a while, and we found the perfect solution - ear plugs. It was the cheapest option, and that way I have an excuse for being late to work!! :laugh:

The weight thing for me is kinda funny. I have this strange compassion for hungry people/animals. I have the sweetest dog in the world. She loves me with all her heart. :D But I can't seem to put her on a diet. She looks at me with those sad "I'm hungry, feed me" eyes, and I crack every time. My husband is the same way. (Come on, he's a grown man. He can feed himself! :) ) My cat is fat too. 8-|

I've decided that it's my mother's fault. I sat down the other night and told her about all of our body parts that I don't like. So, I mentioned our hands, our boobs, our butts, our thighs, our feet. I think she was really insulted when I mentioned the feet. Go figure. So, anyway, if you have anything about yourself that you don't like, feel free to blame it on my mother. No, really, she's cool with it. [-X

Anyway, I said earlier that I would shut up for now, but I guess I just can't do it. That's okay though. It's better to talk than eat. (I wonder how many calories I burn this way?) Oddly enough, even if no one reads my journal, I'm happy just typing away. I would talk to myself out loud, but even I get tired of listening sometimes.

Until tomorrow, then.

Hey Michelle keep chattering away.. Your journal is very uplifting.. you crack me up girl...LOL:laugh:

As for the hubby snoring??? I have one the same.. And I've been married to him almost 22 years.. As soon as he starts the engines going I give him a good whack in the rib cage then he knows to get off his back and onto is stomach or side>>ROFLMAO>> It works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So please whatever you do?? keep the humour going in your journals..

Hello Michelle, Just wanted to say hello and good luck in your weightloss journey if you ever need me pm me and I will get back to you. Ruthieb

Bryant I first of all what to say Hi and I am glad I ran across your journal You have such a up lifting personallty. I don't think you talk to much it's nice to see someone like to talk. I think you idea about the black book is great wish I would have thought of doing that in the begining of my weight loss. But I did take picutes so I do have them to look back on. As I was reading about your husband and him sleeping on the couch and it really being a love seat I can understand how that must have been I only have a love seat and I am 5'2 and can't sleep on it. Poor guy but it must have been a funny site.

Thank you all for the uplifting words!!

As for the snoring hubby, the ear plugs are working wonders. So well that I was late for work again this morning. Slept straight through the alarm!! It is a pretty funny site to see him on the out cold on the love seat. We have two end tables at each end of the love seat, so his head ends up on one and his feet end up on the other.

But I have to go for now. You guys are a bad influence on me :) I have so much work to do, but I want to stay here and read what everyone has said. I'll check back in later and give everyone the much needed update on my crazy life!!

Until then...

Okay, so the work is done, and its time for fun. I didn't do very well with the diet last night. Went out to eat with some friends and ate the entire restaurant!! Sure, I should feel guilty, but I am convinced that eating 10 lbs of food is just as effective as carrying around 10 lbs of weights for the evening. :)

I was late for work today, so I didn't get to pack my lunch. Sounds like a good excuse to have Chinese delivered to the office. I think I'll go for another 10 lbs of food so that I can really work my lower body. Okay, I know how this sounds, but I promise that the diet is not over. I still have a long way to go, and I gave away most of my fat clothes last night, so there's no turning back. So long as those jeans will stretch a little..... anyway, I figure that being bigger isn't such a bad thing. After all, everyone knows what the Goodyear blimp is, right? If I get that big, maybe I'll be really popular. :tomato: Yeah, Yeah, I know, that was pretty lame, but we all have our dork days.

I don't have very many hobbies. I tried sewing once while I was younger, but that didn't quite catch on. I also tried the paint-by-numbers thing, but that didn’t work either. I did learn that I don’t know how to count, though.

I'm an infomercial freak. I have bought some of the strangest things, but one has really topped the charts. I was watching the infomercial channel during one of the health programs, and they were talking about a breathing and stretching technique that would burn fat in specific areas. As gullible as I am, I bought the tape. This is what it consists of: Breathe in as hard and fast as you can through your nose. Now, breathe out as hard and as fast as you can through your mouth. Force all the air out. (Feel stupid yet?) Now stick out your tongue out as far as you can - like you're trying to lick your belly button, roll your eyes up as far as you can, and stay like this for 15 seconds. Oh yeah, don't breathe yet. (Now do we feel stupid?) Needless to say, I never could do the tape for laughing so hard. :laugh: Am I a sucker or what!

I’ve also tried all sorts of crazy plans to lose weight. I once read in a nutrition book that mustard (the spice, not the condiment) will increase your metabolism. So, for weeks, I was eating a tablespoon of mustard with every meal. I don’t know if you’ve ever eaten mustard powder, but I wouldn’t suggest it. :) Very yucky!!

On a more serious note, I have a little problem in the family. My grandmother is a serious hypochondriac, and she thinks she’s dying. So, she keeps telling me that I need to have kids so that she can see them before she goes. Yeah, it sounds sad, but you would have to know my grandmother. She is the type that when you go to see her, she fusses at you for not coming sooner the whole time you’re there, and when you go to leave, she tells you to come back when you can stay a while. It’s also very hard to talk to her. The usual conversation goes something like this:

Me: Hi grandma! :wave:
Her: What? I can’t hear you.
Me: Hi grandma! (little louder)
Her: What? Speak up, I can’t hear you.
Me: Hi grandma! (even louder)
Her: What?
Me: Hi grandma! (at the top of my lungs)
Her: Honey, you don’t have to scream at me. I may be old, but I’m not deaf.

Then you sit and chat for a while and listen to her complain about how her “thinker” doesn’t work right anymore. She sits through a pity party for a little while, complains about her daughter-in-law for a long while, and drives you nuts with the previously described conversation the whole time. Then you tell her you have to go, finally scream it loud enough for you to hear her, and she guilt trips you for leaving (and screaming at her). It’s very frustrating. Not to mention that she won’t let you do anything for her. About a month ago, she decided that she wanted to take her garbage out. She recently had knee surgery and isn’t supposed to go up and down the stairs. Well, stubborn as she is, she didn’t call anyone to help her. Instead, she sat down on her butt on the back steps (about 15 of them total), put the trash bag in her lap, and slid down the steps one by one on her fanny. I came up and found her sitting there half way down the steps with a trash bag in her lap. So I helped her out, and she tried to pay me!! But I’m patient with her because I know how she is. It still drives me nuts though.

So, other than the annoyances, I still think I am the luckiest girl in the world. My husband is great, I live beside my mother and both grandmothers (cooking questions? Not a problem), I have a pretty good job, and I have the best dog in the world. Yeah, I know, I’ve already said that, but I love my doggie. She’s a 120 lb (fat) Rottie who is about 10 years old. She has a mean bark, but you could walk and outrun her. I am a little worried though. My dad bought a Boxer pup about a year ago, and he thinks he lives at my house (we live about 500 yards away). He stays with Ladybug (my dog), and is very protective of her. When we try to pet her, he will straddle her and try his best to keep you from touching her. I know it bothers her. She loves attention, and he keeps her from getting it. But I love him too, so it’s a lose lose situation.

(sorry, joanne. I'm not very witty today. Not enough sleep.
:yawn: )

LOL I do love that doggy story though.. How cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My brother in law used to own a rottie.. Her name was Tequila.. Such a big baby.. and he now owns a boxer who as well is a big baby..
I think that is soooo neat that you live close to your parents and grandparents.. we live about 6 blocks from the inlaws and about 9 from my mother...My hubbys 93 year old grandmother lives an hours drive away.. His grandfather died last year...He and his wife would have been married 73 years last august...He died unexpectedly of a heart attack....Your grandmother does sound like a sweetie though.

As for hobbies?? why not take up body painting??? you and hubby can both paint each others bodies?? LOL...It would take your mind off food???

As for the mustard trick?? ewwwwwwwwwww.. I don't think I could do it..>LOL

Anyhoos.. keep those stories coming girl..

Hugs to ya..

Body painting sounds fun :) But the husband would never go for it. I do love my grandmother, and I know that anything can happen (I pray to God it doesn't). I would give the world for her, and she knows it. Believe me, she uses it to her advantage too!! :(

Well, I'm off for a long weekend. I will check back in Monday. I hope you all have a good one!!

Hi Bryant
Nice to meet you and enjoy your posts a lot.
if you are getting into excercise you can come and join our GIT thread called "goddesses in traiing unite" we have a june thread going. We are sassy chicks with a whole lot of attitude who know how to get the job done. Feel free to read our previous challenges for inspiration and if you want to join the sisterhood consider your self welcome I will definitly vouch for your sassiness.
CJ

I just read your thread - you are so funny, you should really think about writing a book - seriously.

What you said about your grandma is really sweet, mine lives about 7 miles away, is 91 (92 next month) and is as deaf as a post too, although she wears a hearing aid which she constantly fiddles with. Last January (2000) we found out she had stomach cancer, so she went in hospital in March 2000 and she just bounced back - major surgery aged 90! She's the same as yours though, never stops, you can catch her on her hands and knees cleaning the cupboards out, in the garden - gardening - she's terrible really, but she's such a fighter.

Anyway, I hope the diet and exercise thing goes really well.

Michaela

CJ, I have been reading the pants challenge, so I will check out the one you have mentioned.

Michaela,

Grandmothers are odd creatures!! I wouldn't trade mine for the world. As much as she drives us crazy, she's always great for a laugh.

I am glad that everyone is enjoying my journal. I've been gone for a few days, so I have tons to catch up on. I have a feeling this next post is going to be the definitive of long-winded!!

Well bryant what are you waiting for??? LOL Start chatting away girl..:tomato:

I’m Ba-ack! :wave: I have a lot of catching up to do…

Oh boy, where to start … my last post here was Thursday, and I can’t believe how much has happened around here since I left. My, my, I guess the world really doesn’t revolve around me and stop when I go away. :)

Lets see, it has been one crazy weekend :D. I took Friday off work (which is why I’ve been MIA for the past few days) to get ready for a wedding shower that I was hosting for a friend on Saturday. Boy, that was interesting! But we’ll get to that. Let’s do this in order so I don’t miss anything.

First, Thursday evening: For the past 2-3 weeks, I have been watching a nest of baby birds on my front porch. I think they are sparrows. Well, I came home Thursday evening and they were chirping away as usual. When I came back outside, they were gone. Nest and all. The only trace of them was the poor little baby that my pooch was batting around the yard. Being the animal lover that I am, I took the baby away from him and tried to help it. It made it through the night, but wouldn’t eat. So, I drove 30 minutes to the nearest tackle shop and bought a bucket full of worms. I was so excited when I got home, expecting to feed my little friend a bunch of fat little worms (I hate worms1). Well, you guessed it, by the time I got home I had a bunch of worms and no bird to feed them to! It made me so mad. The little guy died before I got back. And to top it all off, I was feeling like a horse’s ass for not going sooner, and all my dear husband could say is “He probably starved to death.” :c( So, that was the start of my weekend.

Friday, after the bird experience, I spent the day walking around the mall trying to find a nightie for the shower on Friday. It was a lingerie shower, and the bride has the most difficult measurements I have ever seen. She is a 38 D on top and a size 7 on the bottom. So, I finally found something, and made it through the evening. :gift:

(TO BE CONTINUED)

A little background is needed before I go on. This is part of my life that I am always careful when telling people, because they usually get the wrong idea. Before I start, please let me point out that I am a reserved person. I like to have fun, but I am careful and very responsible when doing so. I never drive drunk, I don’t do drugs, and I always make sure to keep my friends and I safe. I don’t get very crazy, although I hang out with crazy people. I dress very modestly, keep my backside covered, and speak softly whenever possible. (You’ll understand why I say this in a few minutes.) :lily:

My family is an odd one. My mother is a very religious woman. She teaches Sunday school and has never drunk a drop in her life. She doesn’t smoke, she doesn’t curse (well, if she does you better run, cause she’s about to knock the daylights out of you! :whip: ), and she always tries to help other people. Then, there’s dad. The two are like night and day. Daddy owns a Harley Davidson, smokes like a freight train, hasn’t been to church in years (other than my wedding), and generally cuts up and carries on with the best of them. (You can definitely imagine where my personality comes from!) Then the brother fits into the equation. The brother, Andy, is a member of a local bike club called Rollin’ Thunder Riders. They are a charitable organization, but bikers nonetheless. I’m telling you, he has some of the wildest friends. They don’t do anything illegal, but they will embarrass the heck out of you in a heartbeat. :o

The shower I planned on Saturday was for Daddy’s best friend’s daughter. His best friend is a Harley man to the bone. Tattoos, long hair, boots, leather, you name it. He owns a local Harley shop, and his entire family is into it big time.

(Let me stop a minute to point out that we are in no way associated with groups like Hell’s Angels. The guys we hang out with are very nice people who are more interested in having fun and helping others. They carry the image, but they do not participate in illegal activities or wreak havoc everywhere they go. They are fun-loving people who know how to party, but they are not involved in drugs or crime. Many of them are avid golfers and participate in many charitable activities. For example, we have worked closely with the American Red Cross and the National Council on Aging. :lily: With that said, I’ll continue.)

(TO BE CONTINUED)

The Bride’s family is interesting in itself. Her mother owns a lingerie and novelties company, and the rest of the family works in the shop owned by her father. Enough said – you get the point by now. The shower that I hosted was for the Rollin’ Thunder ladies, so it was very interesting. Many of them showed up with bright, colorful packages strapped to the back of motorcycles.

The shower went off without a hitch, and the guys threw a party for the groom immediately afterwards. Everything went smoothly until the Bride-to-be had a bit much to drink, and the ex-president of the club broke into Karaoke. At this point, I found out that my brother does not know how to dance. Imagine this: A little guy, about 5’3” in cowboy boots and a bright orange Harley Davidson shirt doing the “worm” in front of about 20 people. :laugh: All in good fun.

The wedding is 2 weeks away, and we can only imagine what will happen at the party afterwards. The bride and groom are leaving on their bike with about 100 bikes in hot pursuit. The party planned afterwards will be the biggest blowout we have seen in years. Even Cletus will be there (my brother’s other side – explanation to come). The wedding is a different type of event all together. While the bride will be decked out in all her finest, and the groom and groomsmen in their tuxes, the guests will be decked in anything from leather to Sunday’s best. The Bride and Groom have very pointedly told us to wear anything we want. From swimsuits to P.J.s to leather chaps. As you can imagine, the grandmother of the groom (who is from a total different world from the biker crowd) is in for a major shock. I can’t wait to see the pictures. :hm:

Cletus: It all started last October at a Halloween party at the Rollin’ Thunder clubhouse. My brother and some of his friends went as “Cletus” and others from the all time redneck family. You would have to be able to picture this, so I’ll do my best to describe it (from top to bottom): a camouflage mesh hat sitting on top of his head, leaving about 3 inches of space between his head and the button on top of the hat, slightly crooked; mouth pieces that involve crooked and rotting teeth that appear to be stained from years of dipping and not brushing; a shirt, half tucked in, half out, with a pack of cigs rolled up in the sleeve; a wide straw belt with a belt buckle that would make a rodeo man’s appear small; a can of dip in his back pocket, and jeans tucked into a pair of badly beaten cowboy boots. This is Cletus Huff. It seems that my mostly reserved brother, who rarely gets wild until he’s had a bit to drink, found freedom in this outfit. He morphed into something that I have never seen before, and thought I would never see again. He was dancing on the bar, on bar stools, doing the worm, the swim, kissing everyone with those horrible teeth, and square dancing the night away. Being the attention getter that he is (although usually more tame), he caught more attention that night than we ever cared to give him. So now, if Cletus shows up, we know the party is going to be a riot. Through much persuasion, Andy decided to leave Cletus at home for the wedding (thank God for small miracles) but will allow him to come to the party afterward.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

You have to understand, my brother is a natural-born leader. He is always the center of attention, and people follow him wherever he goes. He is also very competitive :bow: , and he thrives on attention. There is nothing he can’t do, and he will prove it to you. For example, some of the guys decided to use his competitive nature against him. Have you ever heard of an “ass-tronaut sit-up?” :lil: Neither had Andy until Bike Week 2002 in Myrtle Beach about a month ago. Andy is a pretty healthy guy with great muscles and lots of strength. The one thing that will get him going is telling him that there is some physical feat that he can’t do. He’s been known to challenge the local Marines to pull-up competitions. 8-| So, the guys introduced him to the “ass-tronaut sit-up.” They told him to lie down on the floor and they would hold his head down with a towel for 20-30 seconds (covering his eyes). He was to try to sit-up against the towel as hard as he could, thus making his abs tired and preventing him from completing a sit-up when the towel was removed. He swore up and down that he could do it, and got into position. As one guy held his head down, another (Skipper) got into position. Poor little Andy strained against that towel like there was no tomorrow, and when they removed it he shot straight up like a cannon ball. Straight up into Skipper’s bare ass!! Poor Skipper – Andy came up so fast head first into his backside that Skipper went flying across the room. Needless to say, Andy will never live that down, and he now thinks twice before letting his competitive nature get the best of him. :laugh:

Back to Saturday night: the weird stuff didn’t happen until we left the party around midnight and headed for the local Huddle House (the only thing open at that time of night). If you’ve ever taken 6 drunken bikers into a restaurant, you know what happened next. As for the 2 of us who were sober, we now know better.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

One of the guys who was with us is quite a comedian. After smearing mustard and mayonnaise all over his face, he started up with the waitresses on duty, begging her to go out with him (she was at least 30 years his senior). They must have carried on for about 30 minutes, with our friend losing the battle. By the time we left, the entire restaurant was in hysterics, and most of us were too embarrassed to walk straight. :o The moral of this story, the waitresses on the 3rd shift at the Huddle House on a Saturday night generally are wittier than multi-million dollar comedians. Our friend left with damaged pride and a few new nicknames, courtesy of the good-natured people who watched him make an ass of himself. :)

So, Sunday morning was left for sleeping. On the bright side, I did buy my first motorcycle this weekend. I have been looking for one for the past few years, and it just so happened that I managed to get a really good deal on a bike that belonged to my brother a few years back. I’m so excited. Now I just have to learn to ride it!! That could be really interesting. :D

So, for Sunday evening, we took my father out to eat for father’s day. Not much happened with that. Just the usual, well-behaved family dinner. Daddy doesn’t care too much for my buying a bike, and he made a point of making it our dinner conversation. He is afraid that I will kill myself or something :( . A double standard to say the least. He never thought twice about putting my brother on one, but I guess he’s a little old-fashioned. Thank God for a wonderful husband. Without him, I would still be living under daddy’s rules (not that I got married to escape my father).

Okay, I guess I’ve said enough for today. Wish me luck with learning to ride my bike, and pray for me. I would hate to wreck it first thing (although most riders lay their first bike down at least once or twice).

(I told you I had a lot to say!! :) )

Okay, feeling like a moron today! I got up early and went to the State Patrol Office this morning to pick up a motorcycle training book. I got there at 7:30 and thought I was doing pretty good. For sure I would be out of there in time to get to work by 8:30. So, I stood there until 8:00, and waited for someone to get there and open the doors. Then I realized that the huge sign in front of me said that they don't open until 9:00. :o That was a wasted 30 minutes. I ended up having to leave and come in to work without my book. Well, I guess I'll go back at lunch time.

Last night was pretty interesting. My friends were coming by to drop my bike off around 5:30, and I got a call from my brother at 4:00. What do you know, he does love me!! :) And all these years I thought he was jealous. :D Andy has been riding for years, and he called me to make sure that I don't get on my bike and take off before he got home. He was afraid I would get hurt, and he and daddy were worried sick. I guess it was sweet and all, but do I seem that stupid? Oh yeah, I'm going to jump on top of a motor on wheels, fire it up, and ride off into the sunset (bushes). I have respect for anything that could possibly end my life, and I don't plan to ride it without an experienced rider near by until I am very confident (could be a while :o ).

That's about all for right now. I might pop in later and say a little more, but, gasp, I actually have work to do this morning. Who would of thunk it?

Joanne,

Are you bored to tears yet? :)

Hi Michelle,
Your family sounds pretty funny! We have a '71 Triumph Bonneville out in our garage and when I was younger my dad owned a '74 Harley Sportster and an '80 Sportster, but my mom made him sell them on account of how poor we were (are). I liked reading the story about your brother's Cletus alias. I don't know if you ever watch The Simpsons, but that made me think of the character "Cletus, the Slack-Jawed Yokel". I'll talk to you later.
Christina

Wow, today is busy, busy, busy. I actually have work to do again today. I'm starting to wonder if they figured out why they hired me :)

I got my motorcycle permit today, so I am now legal to ride. I'm so excited!!

As for the diet (which is why I'm here, afterall), my motivation comes back from vacation tonight, so I think I'll be back in the swing of things by next week. I have been so horrible since she has been gone. McDonalds 4 times already, pizza, alfredo, potato soup, just to name a few of my recent sins :(. But I'm not real worried. I haven't gained anything back yet, so I guess I'm okay. Plus, I think a break is good for you every now and then. It makes your body think that you're back to your old ways, right? :laugh:

Okay, okay, I'm sure you've heard enough of my excuses.

I have to get back to work now, but I expect tomorrow to be slower, so I'll share more of my crazy life then.

Christina,

I'm glad you enjoyed my story. My brother is quite a character. I'm not very familiar with the Simpsons these days - its been a while since I've watched it.

I'm sorry to hear that you dad had to sell his Harleys. I hope to have one in the next few years, but I needed something smaller and less expensive to learn on. Someday...

Michelle

I also don't watch The Simpsons much these days. Cletus is a character I remember from when I was younger. Congrats on the bike permit. My dad is also sorry he had to sell the Sportsters. Now he's hanging onto the Bonneville like it's made of gold. Ha.

Whoo Hoo!! My diet buddy is back in town, and we're ready to get down to business. I've been so lazy since she has been gone, so I have been on a major back-slide (you've heard my excuses). But I'm ready to get back on track, and I have greater motivation now than ever. Since I just bought my bike the other day, mom has been taking lots of pictures of me on it. She took some with her digital camera last night, and boy did I look horrible. I'll post them in the picture forum for everyone to see.

Right now seems to be a good time for me. Everything is looking up, up, up, and I feel great. Given, I am far from my goal, but I like my life (a major change from a few months ago!!)

I'm going to post those pictures now, so I'll be back with more in a minute.

Okay, I just posted those horrible pictures, so feel free to check them out under the pictures forum (Bryant’s scary pictures).

Gosh, so much has happened in the past few days, and I’ve been too busy at work to sign on for more than a few seconds. I guess I’ve gotten to use to the idea of getting paid to surf the net. They ask me to work, and I feel like I’m being mistreated!! :)

So, time for the slightly unusual gripes for the day. I work as a secretary in a Center that is devoted to international peace, export controls, and nonproliferation (preventing the spread of arms). I love everyone I work with, but I have the hardest time with my immediate supervisor. She is one of those old fashioned types who thinks that the level of respect a person deserves depends on age, income, and education. I personally feel that everyone should be respected, no matter what his or her situation. She is in her 40s and has no education further than high school. Everyone else either has a Masters or a Ph.D. (except for me). She won’t stand up to these people because they make more money than her and have more education, so they refuse to follow office policy, and I spend the majority of my time trying to fix things that they screw up. Then, she expects me to have major respect for her because she’s older and has a higher income. It drives me absolutely nuts! I’ve gotten to the point that I can tolerate it, but we went head to head for the first few months that I worked here. I even thought of leaving, but I love everyone else like family. I enjoy my job, so I plan to stay as long as they will let me. It just really gripes me when people look down on me due to my age. Even to the point that I prefer not to tell people how old I am. They mostly assume that I am in my mid to late 20s and never ask, so I leave it at that.

But enough of the gripes. My husband bought a motorcycle last night, and I can’t wait for him to get his license so he can ride with me. I’m getting the hang of it pretty quick. Even went for an hour-long ride last night by myself. Quite an accomplishment considering that I have only been riding for a few days.

My brother even admitted that he is proud of me last night. That’s something that he rarely ever does when I am within earshot. He and my father are the same in that respect. They don’t give complements or encouragement. Rather, they will tell you that you can’t do something or that you will never make it to your goal. I think it is a reverse psychology thing. They feel like telling you that you will never make it will give you the will to prove them wrong. But Andy actually admitted being proud of me!! I almost hit the floor. I mean, I know that he is proud. He called all of his friends and told them about how fast I am learning, and I think he has always wanted me to follow in his footsteps and be able to ride with him and the rest of the group. But to hear him say it really made my day. Hearing it from him is almost as good as hearing it from Daddy. But I am sure that Daddy will be proud too. He left yesterday to go to a dealer auction in Atlanta, so he hasn’t seen me ride yet, but I know he’ll be happy for me.

Well, until tomorrow…

Hi,
I looked at your pictures. They're not horrible! Anyway, I just wanted to come over and say, "Hello," and "Goodnight". It's late right now. About 2:00 am. Talk to you later.
Christina

Michelle

Isn't it always typical that wherever you work there's always one person that you don't like. That particular phenomena has worked for me every job I've had!

You have a great journal and a very interesting life - and you look great on the bike too. You sound really excited about it. I have you have a lot of fun with it.

Michaela

Christina and Michaela,

Thank you for your positive comments about my pictures. I have been riding a lot this past weekend, and I have done a few things to my bike to make it look better (saddle bags). I guess I am just used to seeing bulkier bikes!

As soon as I get some better pictures, I will be sure to post them.

Michelle

Okay. I guess it’s time to get back into the diet. My walking buddy is back in town, and we’re going for a 5-mile walk tonight. I’m also going back to calorie counting. I feel like it gives me more control.

I’ve decided to make the ultimate diet sacrifice. I have a bad habit of fixing a nutritious lunch and not eating it. I work in the downtown area of Athens, and the cafes and bistros are too much of a temptation. So, I have given all of my money sources to my husband. He will give me $20 a week to spend as I please, and I have my credit card for gas and emergencies. Otherwise, I have no money to blow on cake and fattening lunches!! After the past week and ½, I figure this is the best way. I spent over $100 eating out for lunch last week, and I know that I ate more calories than I needed. I only gained back one pound, but that’s one pound too many. Goodbye temptation!! Hello freedom!! Not to mention that I can save that $20 a week for new clothes or to go dancing on Saturday nights (my favorite weekend pastime).

This way I will even be able to cut back on my spending so that I can help my husband pay off our credit card debt that we ran up right after the wedding. It’s amazing how much money you need to start a new life together. Between furniture and house wares, we must have spent over $3000 dollars. He is also going to put aside a portion of my check to buy me a new wardrobe when I reach my goal. I can’t wait!! :laugh:

As for other goals, I’ll be happy when my thighs are small enough to look good in a pair of capri pants! Even if I never buy a pair (my husband says they make me look short), I still want to look good when I try them on. I’m also convinced that I will look awesome on my bike if I can just drop these last 22 lbs. So, wish me luck and stay on my butt so that I don’t slack off. I only have 2 ½ months left to lose (beach time)!

Well, I'm back on track, eating 1400 calories a day, walking 5 miles a day, and doing yoga 4 times a week. I think the little break did me some good. The scale is moving again.

I have a little problem though. I posted it in the SOS forum, but I'm going to put it here too. I have been working out and getting active, and it is causing major problems for me. I have asthma, and I smoke. When I add the exercise my lungs start screaming out in pain. I can't keep doing all three, but I'm afraid that quitting will make me gain weight (I binge when I try to quit). I can't turn back now, and I can't keep smoking. My Dr. told me that I will be dead in 5 years if I keep this up. Any suggestions?

Any way, that's all I have for today.

Yesterday was an okay day. I blew my calories out of the water, but not high enough to hurt me, I don't think. Looks like today is going to be a repeat. I'm having a very hard time staying low and getting full. I have worn out the things I was eating, so everything that sounds good now is high in fat or calories.

The smoking thing is going okay. I have started a log so that I can document when I smoke and what caused the desire. Maybe I can break the habit this way. It will be a slow process, but I know I can do it.

I am a little concerned today. My hubby got his motorcycle license today and rode his bike for the first time without anyone there. That really bothered me. He has never rode before. What if something had happened to him? What if he had wrecked? I just don't understand why he is so irresponsible. If he gets hurt, there's no way that my income is enough to support us. All it would take is a broken leg for our lives to come unglued.

So, I told him that it bothered me and asked him not to ride it again until someone is with him. We have a lot of riders in my family, so there's no reason for his riding alone right now. He got pretty mad at me. One of the main things that bothers me is that he read the owners manual for his bike and keeps referring back to it. This kills me! An owners manual cannot tell you how to ride a motorcycle. Experience is what you have to rely on. (Who ever heard of a man reading the instructions anyway? Think there's something wrong with him?)

Last night, we got into a huge fight because his owners manual told him not to downshift. If you don't downshift, you will wreck when you go around a turn. So, he argued with me for a hour or so about whether or not it will hurt his bike to downshift. I told him to wait until he actually rides it, but he was determined that he could read that stupid little book and know everything there is to know. Well, book smarts will never replace real world experience. I just hope he doesn't learn the hard way.

Needless to say, I am so busy worrying about the husband that I am having nicotine fits out the ass. I'm stressing to the point that my stomach is cramping (a condition that I have had since I was a young child), and I feel generally bad. He wonders why I get so mad at him when he does stupid things. He doesn't realize that it is physically painful for me. I love him, so I am going to worry about him, and there is nothing I can do other than take medicine and go to bed to keep the cramps under control - they cause vomiting if untreated (yeah, I know, horrible details. Sorry about that). Well, now I guess I know how my mother felt for all those years. :)

Anyway, better go take care of myself and try to keep the cramps under control.

I'm feeling great today!! :D Yesterday was a good day, and I guess it carried over. The scale is on the move again, and I got a bunch of complements yesterday. Three people said something about my weight loss, my mother said something about my boobs (I'm taking Blousant), and I rode my bike with my daddy last night, and he was very proud of me. Of course, he didn't say anything, but he didn't pick on me either, so I know he was proud. We rode all over the county for about an hour, and I stayed with him, even though he tried to lose me a few times.

When we got home, my brother told me that he thinks I could be riding a Harley within a year if I wanted to. That is a major complement coming from him!

Overall, I just feel great. The smoking thing isn't going as well as I would like, but that's just one small hurdle that I need to get over. It will come.

I walked 5 miles again last night, and I can tell that it's doing some good. I got back into a pair of pants today that I haven't been able to fit into for the last year. That's always a good thing. And now I have something to wear to the wedding tomorrow night.

And whats even better, I ended up with a new swimsuit. My future sister-in-law's mother bought it and decided that she didn't like the way it fit her. Since I have lost so much weight, she sent it to me, and it looks great. I am so excited. At least now I don't have to buy one until I reach my final goal (last year's is too big :) ). I am so high on life right now, I doubt that anyone can bring me down. And I love it. It has been so long since I have felt this good. Honestly, I'm getting a little cocky, but I feel like I deserve it. :queen: It has been so long since I have looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. Now I love me. And it's only going to get better from here.

I never thought I would make it this far, and I now feel empowered. It's like I am a whole new person, and I can't wait to shed these last few pounds and break from this overweight cocoon. I'm ready to fly! :bfly: And my husband has noticed a major difference. We haven't fought in weeks, and I think my good mood is bringing him up.

Everyone at work is getting sick, and I have somehow managed to avoid catching it. I think this has something to do with my mood and my healthy eating. My immune system is stronger than it used to be, and I refuse to get sick.

I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD!! :freedom:

Wow you are really inspiring there bryant! Way to go! You are the excercise master!!!!!:whip: Way to go! Happy to hear you are feeling so good! I hope you have a truly fantastic day and stay strong!:up:

Hey Michelle,

I love your bike!!! Me and my DH want to get bikes, but have no clue how to ride them so lessons would be a must. One day...

Hope everything is okay, you usually post everyday and we haven't heard your chatter lately! It is missed I enjoy reading your posts. Well, hope all is well and take care.

Blessed be,
Kori:rose:

Kori,

I am doing fine. I had to learn to ride my bike too. It is very easy to learn if you know how to drive a car with a standard transmission.

I am still around. Everything is going pretty good at the moment. I've had a few ups and downs, but I have mostly been very busy at work. When I come to the forums, it is during my downtime. For the past few days I haven't had much downtime. It's like that. I will go for weeks without a single thing to do but answer the phone, and then bam! My desk will be covered in things from every person in the office all in one day.

So, I guess some updates are in order.

First, there was the biker wedding last Friday night. That was an interesting affair. I rode my bike and was pretty proud to be there on my own instead of on the back of someone else's. I was looking forward to the wedding so much that I went and had new soles put on my cowboy boots so that I could wear them to ride in. Boy, was that a bad idea. My brother has always ridden in cowboy boots, so I never thought about the lack of tread on the bottom of them. Anyway, so it was raining the day of the wedding, but we rode anyway. We ended up parking all the bikes in the grass in the back yard, and this became another factor of my problem. I have been riding for a few weeks, but I have never encountered wet grass in cowboy boots. To make a long story short, I pulled up, stopped my bike, went to lean it over to put the kickstand down, lost my footing, and dropped it in front of 100 bikers. They all came rushing over and picked it up off the ground for me. It was so embarrassing!! I knew that I would drop it eventually, but did it have to be in front of a hundred experienced riders? Did it have to be in front of my Daddy? He and his friends now insist on calling me "Crash and Burn" or "Lay-me-down."

(to be continued)

So, the wedding: The rain stopped long enough for the ceremony, so that was good. As I expected, over ½ the guests were in jeans, and the wedding party was dressed to the nines. It was a short ceremony, and there's not much to say about that part. However, picture this: It was in the bride's grandmother's back yard. They had the white chairs set up with ribbons on them, a memory table on one side of the makeshift alter, the unity candle on the other side. In the middle was a white archway. Sounds pretty normal? I thought so too until just before the wedding began. That would be when the groom and the father of the bride bring their bikes into the picture. The setup then went like this (from left to right): Unity candle, motorcycle, archway, motorcycle, memory table. I had never seen anyone use a bike for part of the decoration before. It had to be the most redneck wedding I had ever been to! But it's what they wanted, so they got it. But just for the record, the Bride was beautiful.

Moving on to the next topic: My husband. I wish I had a picture of him that I could post. He's 250 lbs, 6'4" tall, ½ Japanese, ¼ German, ¼ Cherokee Indian. In other words, he has high cheekbones from his mother (Japanese), a strong chin and nose from his grandfather (German), and a pronounced forehead (Native American). He almost looks Latino at first glance. Anyway, he wears glasses and looks really silly in a hat. With that said, he bought his bike, which I mentioned in an earlier post, and bought a bowl helmet. That's one of the ones that only covers the top of your head and resembles a turtle shell. So, he looks pretty funny it in. To make matters worse, his glasses don't keep the wind out of his eyes, so he had to buy some goggles to wear over them. The only thing he could find are those bright amber safety goggles like you would wear in science class in high school. Let me tell you, he looks real cool! But I don't have to worry about any other women wanting to ride with him! I know, I shouldn't pick on him, but I can't help it. He is just so cute riding down the road looking like a giant bug with ears.

For those of you located in the southern US, I'm really sorry about all the rain. My brother washed his bike the other day, and it always rains after he washes it. I tried to stop him.

I am a little worried about him. He put a lot of money into building his Harley so that it would be the fastest one in Athens. He even added nitrous to it. He has filled the bottle twice already and planned to push the button and see what happens. Luckily, the bottle keeps leaking, so he hasn't had a chance to do it. I think my mother is teaming up with God for that one. She has been praying that he won't get to push the button. There are four possibilities that can happen when he does. Since he has to be going full speed for the system to work, we're talking about a motorcycle moving over 200 mph when he finally does it. When he pushes that button a) he will be fine, b) he will be okay until a dog runs out in front of him, c) the back end of the bike will lose traction and he'll start fishtailing at 180 mph, or d) the back will bite into the road and it will come over backwards on him. 200 mph isn't really that fast when you think about drag bikes and the like, but they all have wheelie bars to keep that last possibility from happening. Andy doesn't. And he wears a bowl helmet, which doesn't do much to prevent major head injuries.

So, the wedding: The rain stopped long enough for the ceremony, so that was good. As I expected, over ½ the guests were in jeans, and the wedding party was dressed to the nines. It was a short ceremony, and there's not much to say about that part. However, picture this: It was in the bride's grandmother's back yard. They had the white chairs set up with ribbons on them, a memory table on one side of the makeshift alter, the unity candle on the other side. In the middle was a white archway. Sounds pretty normal? I thought so too until just before the wedding began. That would be when the groom and the father of the bride bring their bikes into the picture. The setup then went like this (from left to right): Unity candle, motorcycle, archway, motorcycle, memory table. I had never seen anyone use a bike for part of the decoration before. It had to be the most redneck wedding I had ever been to! But it's what they wanted, so they got it. But just for the record, the Bride was beautiful.

Moving on to the next topic: My husband. I wish I had a picture of him that I could post. He's 250 lbs, 6'4" tall, 1/2 Japanese, 1/4 German, 1/4 Cherokee Indian. In other words, he has high cheekbones from his mother (Japanese), a strong chin and nose from his grandfather (German), and a pronounced forehead (Native American). He almost looks Latino at first glance. Anyway, he wears glasses and looks really silly in a hat. With that said, he bought his bike, which I mentioned in an earlier post, and bought a bowl helmet. That's one of the ones that only covers the top of your head and resembles a turtle shell. So, he looks pretty funny it in. To make matters worse, his glasses don't keep the wind out of his eyes, so he had to buy some goggles to wear over them. The only thing he could find are those bright amber safety goggles like you would wear in science class in high school. Let me tell you, he looks real cool! But I don't have to worry about any other women wanting to ride with him! I know, I shouldn't pick on him, but I can't help it. He is just so cute riding down the road looking like a giant bug with ears.

For those of you located in the southern US, I'm really sorry about all the rain. My brother washed his bike the other day, and it always rains after he washes it. I tried to stop him.

I am a little worried about him. He put a lot of money into building his Harley so that it would be the fastest one in Athens. He even added nitrous to it. He has filled the bottle twice already and planned to push the button and see what happens. Luckily, the bottle keeps leaking, so he hasn't had a chance to do it. I think my mother is teaming up with God for that one. She has been praying that he won't get to push the button. There are four possibilities that can happen when he does. Since he has to be going full speed for the system to work, we're talking about a motorcycle moving over 200 mph when he finally does it. When he pushes that button a) he will be fine, b) he will be okay until a dog runs out in front of him, c) the back end of the bike will lose traction and he'll start fishtailing at 180 mph, or d) the back will bite into the road and it will come over backwards on him. 200 mph isn't really that fast when you think about drag bikes and the like, but they all have wheelie bars to keep that last possibility from happening. Andy doesn't. And he wears a bowl helmet, which doesn't do much to prevent major head injuries.

(to be continued)

So, other than the whole bike riding world, I haven't been up to much. I do have one major gripe though. You may have seen it posted in another forum, but I don't mind duplicating my efforts. Since I have lost a little bit of weight, none of my work clothes fit anymore. They hang off of me and make me look like a slob. It really frustrates me. I have to look professional for my job, and these clothes just aren't going to cut it. And Chuji (my husband) is backed up at work, so we don't have the money to buy new clothes at the moment. I just feel really ugly. It's not so bad when I'm not at work. I now fit back into all my casual clothes from before I gained the weight. I woke up this morning and was having one of my really ugly days. I couldn't bare the thought of putting on those supersize work clothes, so I wore jeans. It wouldn't have been a problem if the director of our office hadn't come into this building today. I don't think he is very happy about it. Luckily, tomorrow starts off a 4 day weekend, so he'll forget about it by Monday.

I had a pretty big argument with my hubby last night. We were at mom and dad's house when he made some comment about how he is afraid he will not be able to pay a material bill on time this month (he's an electrician, so he always owes the supply house for materials). He told my dad that my motorcycle is the reason he can't make the payment. In reality, his motorcycle is the problem. We bought mine first, and we had enough money left over to make ends meet. When he bought his, it put us in a bind, but he didn't want to pass up the great deal he got on it. I don't guess it would have bothered me that bad, but my brother, father, and husband have always been in a sort of competition. They are all electricians, and my father owns his own business. My brother works for daddy, and Chuji works for another company. Andy and Daddy make plenty of money and spend it on toys and new trucks and everything else they want. Andy still lives at home, so he doesn't have to pay the bills that Chuji has to pay. But there has always been this whole questions as to why Chuji doesn't have has many toys as Andy. A few years back, before we got married, Chuji told them that I spend all his money and that's why he doesn't have anything. It may have been true then, but now is different. My husband makes only $5000 a year more than I do, and I pay for almost half of the bills. I pull my own weight. So, when he said that to daddy about my bike, it really made me mad. We talked about it for an hour or so, and he never would admit that he is 50% of the problem. He insists on blaming me for all of it. It makes me so mad I could scream!!

Anyway, it's almost time for me to leave work, so I guess I should wrap this up. I won't be on the forums again until Monday, so I hope everyone has a great weekend. For you American's out there, Happy Independence Day!! Be careful with all the partying that will be going on, and enjoy the fireworks. If my dear hubby doesn't straighten up, we'll have some fireworks of our own!!

Take care, and God bless!

Well, this weekend was crazy. It was a holiday weekend, and I shot my diet to Hell! I spent the entire weekend on my bike with some friends, and I must have filled up my tank at least 10 times. And I thought that buying and riding the bike would save money in gas!! Lets see, in the past four days, I ate out 9 times, and I can’t say that I was very good. But these things happen. I was more interested in having fun this time, so the diet went down the drain. I also didn’t get my walking in, so I can just feel my butt swelling. I don’t think I’ll get to walk today either. I’m not feeling very good (stomach bug or something) and my walking partner is having her wisdom teeth cut out today. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

It’s a good thing I didn’t bring any money to work with me today. I am having a major chocolate craving, and I can see myself binging without thinking twice if I had the money to go to the snack machine.

But, I’m back on the diet as of today. So far, I have had:

Breakfast: 4 oz yogurt and 4 oz cottage cheese
Snack: 1 cup of soup (hearty chicken noodle)
Lunch: Peanut butter on light honey wheat bread and 2 caramel apple rice cakes

I’ll have another snack later in the day, and I’m thinking ham, okra (boiled), green beans, and rolls for dinner. Might even start out with a salad. Sounds pretty good to me.

I need to keep the carbs in check though. I tend to eat a bunch of them without realizing it. But everything balances out by the time dinner hits, so I guess I’ll be okay. It’s just so frustrating having to count everything like I do, but not counting leads to gaining for me. Given, the gaining has been less and less since I have started counting, but I still gain. So I guess counting is my only option right now. It just really sucks considering the amount of meals I eat out a week.

That’s about all today. Not really much happened this weekend other than a whole lot of riding.

Until next time…