Back in the Saddle

I feel much better today. I ran my 8, 8 & 5 minute intervals yesterday and felt good afterward. I am much more confident running for 8 minutes than running for 10 minutes, but I'm going to work up to 10 minutes at a time. I think tomorrow I am going to do three 8 minute runs, walking for 2-3 minutes between each. I am no longer following C25K because they want you to run for 20 minutes at least at this point and I'm just not capable of that at this point. I wish I was still on the program, but I feel better doing what works for me rather than push myself doing something I'm not ready to do.

Today my Mom and I went with her hiking group to the Red & Black Mountains in Boulder City, NV. We hiked for 6.5 miles. It was tough going up. There was a lot of loose rock and I only had running shoes on. Actually, the shoes are coming apart. The stitching is gone on both of them. They definitely need replaced. I think I am going to get another pair of New Balance. I have been running in them and haven't had any foot problems, so I feel kind of loyal to them. The view from the top was amazing. You could see the Las Vegas strip in the distance to the north and Lake Mead sort of south east. Very cool. It continues to amaze me what my body is now able to accomplish. I feel inspired again. I'm definitely running tomorrow and I think we might hike again on Saturday.

Thanks for all your support! As always, I appreciate your comments immensely.

Losing my Motivation

So to answer the burning question ... Did she do pilates? I must admit the answer is no.

I have been uber-lazy the past few days. I'm not sure why. It isn't like I couldn't fit the exercise into my "busy" schedule. I guess, like everyone else, I get into moods when I lack motivation to move. It is just easier to surf the net or lay like broccoli in front of the TV. Or, I say I'm "busy" with errands and household chores and applying for jobs, even though I could totally push those items off my to do list for a hour or two and work out. I guess the important thing is not why I lose motivation, but dusting myself off and jumping back on the proverbial horse so that I don't go down the "slippery slope." I will put it in writing ... I am going running/walking today. There, see, now I can't back out! :) My Mom likes to walk to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so I go with her and then run home. I'm going to extend my route home today so that I can add onto my work out. My plan is to do two 8 minute running intervals and then a 5 minute run. I haven't run for that many minutes total before, but I have done longer intervals, so I think I'll be able to handle it. It should be interesting.

I have decided to skip my WW weigh-in this week in favor of attending a meeting next Tuesday. I think the meeting leader is someone I will like listening to for a 1/2 hour and I figure I will just weigh myself on my Mom's scale on Thursday. It feels weird not to go this week, but they told me that they were only giving me "courtesy weigh-ins" since I'm Lifetime and they won't write my weight in my book. I guess they won't write in my book until February, since I think the rule is that you have to go back during Lifetime once a month to get weighed. I suppose it makes sense, but I often wonder how much scientific research went into making up these rules. I'll let you know next week if I found a kindred spirit in this meeting leader. Fingers crossed! Have I in the last 5 minutes that I miss my old leader Melvin :( Sorry, had to give the shout out. I know, I'm a little stalker-y, but I think a restraining order will be unnecessary.

Okay, time to get back to work. Take care!

Music to Workout to ...

So Kim over at Discovering Me recently asked everyone what music they listen to when they workout. A lot of great song lists were posted in the comments. Today I saw an article on NYTimes.com about the "right" kind of music to workout to entitled They're Playing My Song. Time to Work Out. They talk about how many beats per minute (B.P.M.) a song has ...

"... For a stroll walker going at a pace of around 3 miles an hour, a remixed track has a count of 115 to 118 B.P.M.; for a power walker going 4.5 m.p.h., the count is 137 to 139 B.P.M., while the B.P.M. for a runner elevates to 147 to 160...." Supposedly dance music is consistently in the 120 to 140 B.M.P. range, and so is a lot of rock music.

It's a very interesting article and has some links to playlists. I need to update my iPod with new (to me) music I've gotten out of the library (Keane, White Stripes, No Doubt, The Shins). I need to make a run/walking mix. I haven't run since Friday - today I just took a walk with my mom. Lazy, I know. I might do pilates tonight, but I said that last night as well. Will she? Won't she? It's all very exciting and cliffhangery, I know :)

Not Sure What to Call This One

Thanks so much for all the pilates advice. I had no idea there were so many devotees out there. I'm definitely going to do it again, but with a mat or towel under me b/c my tailbone hurt for about a day and a half afterwards. In fact, I may do it tonight.

So, the WW chicken/broccoli recipe turned out nicely, but I didn't use broccoli. I substituted green beans and it turned out fine. Just put salt, pepper and thyme on chicken cutlets. Put garlic in pan and brown. Then brown chicken. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Add vegetables and allow to cook through. I served it with rice, but I didn't eat it. It was good.

I discovered on WW etools today that I have been TOTALLY overestimating the number of activity points I get from hiking. I had been putting in too many hours. I realized it today b/c my mom and I went on a short hike for only about an hour and it was only 3 activity points. Oh well. It makes much more sense now :)

I've decided for the time being to not apply to be a WW receptionist. I'm just not totally comfortable with WW meetings in Vegas yet and I don't want to push it unnaturally by having to work at the various locations. I think I might have found a meeting leader I like. She was the receptionist when I weighed in on Friday and she said she has a meeting at that location on Tuesdays. So I'm planning on stopping by in the next week or so. I didn't stay for the meeting on Friday morning because I didn't like the vibe I was getting from the meeting leader who was walking around talking with people and she looked anorexic and that worried me. (Oh, and the last meeting I sat through the leader said that we were all there because we were all food addicts and WW is like our 12 step program. I totally disagree with her and think it is quite dangerous to be throwing out terms like that when you don't know what they mean. I think it is possible that she thinks she made up the term and doesn't realize that there really are people out there who have an addiction to food/certain kinds of food.)

Okay, the hot tub is warm enough now for a dip :) Talk to you later!

Pilates!

I just finished my mom's pilates DVD. It was very interesting. I've never done pilates before. There was only one exercise I couldn't do ... stretching my legs to the ceiling and making small circles with my feet. My stomach muscles weren't having any of it! It was a nice change from running and walking, but I have to admit I missed having an aerobic workout. My muscles felt weird during most of it. I do think I will do it again, but I didn't love it. Maybe it will grow on me.

I decided to postpone my WW weigh-in and meeting until tomorrow (Friday) morning. I didn't really bond with the meeting leaders on Thursday for the past two weeks, so I figure I'll give Friday's meeting a chance. I'm still not ready to stop getting weighed every week. In fact, my mom has a scale and it is sometimes hard not to weigh myself every day. I don't want to weigh myself every day, but it is so tempting with the little digital devil just sitting their innocently enough in the bathroom. Maybe the novelty will wear off.

I am starving. That's a problem since it's my turn to cook dinner tonight. I'm making a chicken and broccoli recipe from WW online. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Come on Over

Whew! I'm outta breath. I just got back from running and did 18 minutes total - one 8 minute run, walk 3, and then a 10 minute run. I don't know what the mileage is because I'm running on streets. I suppose I could drive it to find out. That's an interesting idea. I listened to Shania Twain on my iPod. Good times.

I watched Dreamgirls with my mom last night. It was really good and Jennifer Hudson is amazing. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

I got a call about a potential job opportunity today. An old friend might have a position in her office back in the D.C. area. It would be so insane if I ended up going all the way back there. It still is just a possibility. But I figure her call will make me happy for the next 4 days. (At least that's how much mileage I think I can squeeze out of it :)

New Blog Title: Taking the Long Way

Yep, I decided it was high time for a new title for my blog. "Last Pick" was what I felt like 10 years ago when I was a young 20-something in New York City and I didn't feel as pretty as my friends. (It was also how I felt at the start of my weight loss.) But now, I wanted something more accurate, more fitting, and hopefully more positive.

"Taking the Long Way" is the name of the Dixie Chicks latest album. There is a song on it called "Long Way Around." I really feel like that has epitomized my life for the past 2 or so years. I decided to change my life by going back to school to get my MBA - not the quickest way to change your life. I decided to take weight loss one day at a time and not rush it - and it took me over a year. Now I am looking for a new job/career. I've been looking since last May - so I am definitely taking the long way in that regard. I figure, I'd rather take the long way. It's like I quoted in a recent post - life is what happens when you are planning it. It may be frustrating to not be able to find a job and feel like my life is on hold, but I figure it will all be worth it. I should enjoy this time for what it is - time with my parents, time to exercise, time to figure out exactly what I want. (Please remind me I said this when I get frustrated! :)

** The url is still obviously lastpick.blogspot.com. I'm not computer savvy enough to know how to change it.

What Do I Know?

I just ran for 10 minutes without stopping! I'm excited! I was out doing my run/walk and I had to go to the bathroom, so I decided to just try to run home. Lo and behold, it was a 10 minute run. I can't believe I did it! I think I'm moving onto Workout 2 of Week 5 now. Although, I don't think I am going to do Workout 3 (which is a 20 minute run). That's too crazy even for me at this point.

Some how I gained 1.4 pounds this past week. I'm not sure how ... I earned 24 activity points and had 16 flex points left over. But, I'm under my goal weight, so I know I shouldn't complain. I was actually worried I was going to lose more weight this week (I know, what a problem to have!), so if anything I am perplexed. I guess I still don't have this weight loss thing figured out yet after all!

I'm thinking of applying to be a WW receptionist. I don't think I want to be a leader. I'm too critical of their performance during meetings, and I don't think I could live up to the standard of the really good leaders I've seen, and I just don't think I have the knowledge base to be a good resource for people. But, I am starting to go stir-crazy. The community college here is looking for part-time marketing instructors, but I don't want to commit to anything for a full semester because I am hoping to have a job soon (fingers crossed!). I would feel terrible quitting in the middle of a semester and leaving the students hanging. It just feels different than quitting a job and giving 2 weeks notice.

Red Rock

Hey there, just got back from a run/walk. It always feels good after I'm done. Although, I still look forward to how I feel during it so far. But, I haven't been pushing myself past my comfort zone, which I'm sure some people may disagree with. I'm going to do one more work out of three running intervals of 5 minutes each and then move on to the Week 5 workout that has an 8 minute interval. Yikes!

My mom and I did a great hike yesterday with her hiking group through part of Red Rock Canyon. You've got to click on the links of the trails on the right to see any decent pictures. We didn't do any "rock scrambling" which is basically climbing over large boulders, but we did cover more than 6 miles. The second half of the hike was very scenic, but it got quite cold. It was about 39 degrees and windy. I know it doesn't sound that cold to much of the U.S. in the winter, but when you think of Las Vegas, you don't think of cold weather.

Not much to report. Same old, same old ... writing cover letters, applying for jobs, networking with contacts via email, going run/walking or hiking, walking to Starbucks and using my Christmas gift certificate ... We are going to a nice buffet at a casino tonight, so I have an excuse to put on my nice jeans and makeup. I got a 2 for 1 coupon and my Dad is getting comp'd because he plays craps there. I'm excited because they supposedly have sushi (Hand rolls. I'm not adventurous enough to eat raw tuna steak. Rare yes, raw no.)

An Exercise in Self-Confidence

Thanks for all your kind words of congratulations about reaching Lifetime. It is so special to be able to share it with people who have seen me through the journey thus far - both the good times and the bad. I couldn't have done it without all of you :)

Got another job rejection today. I was pretty bummed. But I pulled myself up by my bra straps and sucked it up and applied for another job I think looks pretty interesting - corporate training in New York City. I just finished teaching marketing in D.C. for a semester, so a have some teaching experience. We'll see if they are interested. I got nothing to lose at this point. I'm also applying for another job tonight with a financial services company in their marketing department. Nothing like picking yourself up and dusting yourself off to start all over again.

And, I went for a jog/walk today. That definitely made me feel better. It was nice to be able to do something that no one can tell me I'm not capable of. I now know I am capable of running for 5 minutes non-stop without any trouble. I don't have to prove it to anyone. I just can do it. It makes me feel confident and successful while the job search is making me feel anything but. I didn't know exercise could make you feel empowered, but it has for me :)

Some people have asked why New York City since I drove all the way to Vegas. Well, it's really because that's where the opportunities are and that's where my contacts (not that they've been helpful thus far) are located. I lived there for 9 years before going back to school to get my MBA so it does feel like home. And it is a great, dynamic city. Although I have to admit, I was getting excited about moving somewhere new. It sounded like something that would be fun. But, who knows what's going to happen next! I could end up anywhere at this point!

Hitting the Ground Running (or Walking)

So all the activity I got in today felt like a great way to start off Lifetime:

* This morning, I walked with my Mom to the grocery store and back to pick up stuff for dinner tonight. (I'm making lettuce wrapped shrimp tacos - yum!) It was a total of 3.1-ish miles.

* This afternoon, I walked/jogged Week 4 of C25k. Instead of the running intervals of 3, 5, 3 and 5 minutes. I ran 3, walked 2, ran 5, walked 2, and then ran ... 8! A good song, actually my favorite running song, came on - "Ready to Run" by the Dixie Chicks. It totally inspired me to keep running. I stopped before the end, and probably could have pushed myself to run for 10, but I didn't see any need to kill myself yet. I want to continue to enjoy this, so that I don't lose the motivation to go out and exercise. I'm not sure of the mileage on my jog/walk. When I was doing C25k on the treadmill (Weeks 1-3) I was doing about 1.25 miles.

I also went to the library and got more CDs out (The Shins, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Coldplay, Dixie Chicks, Death Cab for Cutie and Velvet Revolver). I also got 3 movies (Zodiac, Starter for 10 and The Last Kiss). It's better than Netflix!

Lest you all think I am completely lazy, I have been looking at job postings. The job with the casino/resort in Vegas didn't work out. I was bummed for about 30 hours, but now I'm fine and ready to move on. That most likely means moving on to NYC to live with a friend for 2 months and try to find a job there. I am also looking into going back to my old company in a different capacity. My car will stay in Vegas, and I'll just take the essentials on a plane to New York. It isn't a done deal yet. So, I'll be in Vegas for the near future. I'll keep you all posted on any major turn of events.

Weight Watchers Lifetime!

Okay, so I went to my WW meeting and got weighed and I made Lifetime tonight! I had to explain that I had already hit Goal six weeks ago (I was down this week). They didn't seem to understand that I had been doing maintenance for six weeks. I supposedly get my certificate next week, which means I have to start going to the meetings. I mean I went to the meeting last week, but I just couldn't stay for this week. I was depressed again when I went in to get weighed and just couldn't bear to stay. I miss my meeting leader and I'm just in a mood where no one else will do. I am really happy about reaching Lifetime, but I guess I am just depressed about my job search. I wish I was happier about it, but I just can't seem to see the good things in life right now. I should work my way out of this in a few days. Reaching Lifetime really does mean so much to me. It is a scary responsibility to try to continue to maintain, but it is something I am willing to do. I've changed my life so much over the past 16 months that I just can't imagine going back to the life I used to lead. I don't know if I truly believed that I would reach Lifetime. I thought 83 pounds was just too much to lose. But I just concentrated on one pound at a time, one week at a time, and it worked - slowly but surely. If I can accomplish this, so can you!

Imagine What You Can Accomplish

So I just got back from a run/walk. I'm on Week 4 of C25k. I've done the workout 2-1/2 times since I've been in Vegas. I think I am going to do it one or two more times before I advance to Week 5. As you can tell, I am not doing this religiously. My move and road trip threw my exercise schedule out of whack - I just wasn't willing to make it a priority during that time (sleep, packing and driving were more important). Now that I am somewhat stable, I am more comfortable making the time for it. I'm scared of Week 5, even though I don't know what it is like. I haven't been killing myself during Week 4, but it has still been challenging. I can only imagine what Week 5 holds for me! But one thing that is lovely is that I was right about running in Vegas. It is so nice to be able to go out in a long-sleeved t-shirt, a sweatshirt and running tights and not be cold. (I also have a headband I put over my ears.) The sun is shining, the view of the mountains is breathtaking. Fabulous! In fact, my mom and I are going with her hiking group on a New Year's Day hike. It's longer than I've done before, but I think I can handle it. I'll bring lots of water.

I have been thinking about new year's resolutions after reading some of your blogs. I hadn't thought about making any this year, but after reading your's I am getting inspired. I've found it's hard to think about resolutions when the biggest thing on my mind is getting a job. But, I am reminded by the adage that is attributed to the late John Lennon, "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans." I have found that to be true the whole time I've been looking for a job. I've reached my goal weight and I'm almost at lifetime, I've started running, I've done a cross-country road trip all by myself, and I'm sure there are other things that just aren't on top of my mind. So, while I am looking for a job I obviously have the time and energy to do other things. So, keep a look out for my resolutions. As usual, thanks for inspiring me :) !

Viva Las Vegas

Okay, so I wrote this post 2 days ago and then had computer trouble and it didn't save and so I lost the whole thing. I'm going to try to remember everything I had to say, but I'm sure I'll forget something. First and foremost, I'm safely in Vegas. I arrived on Christmas Eve from Albuquerque, NM which was a lovely place that I've been to about once or twice before. Little city, but beautiful during the holidays.

I only exercised once during my 9 day trip - I jog/walked through my uncle's neighborhood in Mississippi one afternoon. It was nice and made me realize I was ready for Week 4 of Couch-to-5k training. I had done Week 3 training one week before I moved to my sister's in Virginia, but I kept doing it once in a while during my journey - like at my uncle's. I started Week 4 a few days ago in Vegas. It was great. I can't believe I actually ran for 6 minutes straight! (It was only supposed to be 5 minutes, but I forgot to look at the clock on my iPod.) I did the whole workout once and then did half of it a few days later. I am going to do it again on Monday. I might stay doing Week 4 for two full weeks since it is so tough. (It transitions from mostly walking to mostly running from Week 3.) But, I need to look at Week 5 to see if that gives a more gradual increase, or another shock :)

I enjoyed food immensely during my road trip. Everything from a frosty at Wendy's somewhere in the south to pistachio encrusted salmon and a local wine in Marfa, TX. I made a few disappointing choices - the shrimp creole in Mississippi just wasn't that great. But, all in all I enjoyed myself and tried to make smart choices. Now that I am at my parents' it is a whole new set of challenges. They eat differently and at different times than I do, so I am faced with a whole heck of a lot more temptation than I was when I had my own place. But, I'm managing. I haven't used all my flex points yet for this week. (Granted, my week started on Thursday :) I'm just taking it one day, one morning, one afternoon at a time and trying to have faith in myself that I'll make more healthy choices than bad ones. And I am trying to exercise more. I'm going to walk to Target this afternoon, which is about a mile each way.

I went to my first new WW meeting on Thursday morning. I am back under my goal weight and I have only one week left until Lifetime! :) But, I am staying with eTools on the WW site because I know I MUST continue to track points for foreseeable future. The meeting leader wasn't on my wavelength, but he obviously cares about the people in his meeting and tries to give them good information. (He has this thing he does every week where he shows packages of food from various grocery stores and gives their portion points values. Everyone was expecting this and there were a lot of pens and notepads being pulled out when he started this segment of the meeting.) But ... he isn't Melvin my meeting leader from Maryland. I don't think I will go back to that meeting, but I do think I will go to a meeting each week. It was good to feel grounded like that and not just get weighed and leave like I usually do when I visit my parents in Vegas. And the familiar process was nice since everything feels different right now. I'll let you all know what the meeting leader and meeting is like next week.

Okay, I think I covered everything. I hope you are all well. I'm still trying to get through the last couple of weeks on all your blogs, so expect comments from me in the next day or so :)

Don't Mess With Texas

Hey y'all. I'm in Abilene, TX today. I had a lovely dinner at Outback last night - seared ahi tuna (one of my favorites) on a bed of mixed greens and cucumbers with a side of broccoli and a little red wine. Love-ly. I had it all planned out to go to a WW meeting here last night, but I got in 2 hours late. There's one in about an hour, but I just don't want to get lost looking for it. I got lost last night and it isn't an experience I want to repeat! :) So, I guess this is one of the few weeks in the past 15-16 months that I won't go to WW. It feels weird and I miss it. I will definitely be going next week when I'm in Vegas. I think I am still on track. I weighed myself at my friend's and my uncle's places and I was 140 at both. Sounds good to me! Guess Lifetime will just have to wait a few more weeks.

I hope you are all well. I haven't had time to visit your blogs and I miss hearing what is going on with all of you. It's just tough when I've been driving for 7-12 hours each day. Oh, if you are interested in reading about my adventures, email me at trixiebelden2006 at yahoo dot com and I'll send you an invitation to my travel blog. (It's private for security reasons.)

Take care! Y'all come back now, ya hear!

Trixie

On the Road Again

I'm in Mississippi now. I've been doing pretty good on the eating, but not so good on the exercise. Zero exercise for about two weeks now. I've just been so tired when I get up in the morning I haven't had the energy. And I haven't had the energy to do it after a day of driving either. I drove about 12 hours yesterday from Tampa, FL to Jackson, MS. Good weather. Good tunes on the iPod. Last night's dinner was a salad with no dressing, tilapia and vegetables and copious amounts of Diet Coke. But I did have a small McDonald's shake with my pasta salad for lunch. It was disappointing. I wanted a frosty, but there wasn't a Wendy's around. I won't make that mistake again.

My grandmother, who I saw in Florida, was cute when she saw me. She hasn't seen me with all the weight off. Actually, she didn't know I was trying to lose weight - we just don't have that kind of relationship. She'd worry and bother me about it. It was better that it was a surprise. She did say "I was wondering where the other half of you went to." I ended up laughing instead of being offended. I mean, if that's the worst thing someone says to me, I'll take it. And she's 84. I mean, I gotta cut her some slack. And lastly, it is basically true. Ah ... relatives :)

Now I need to go on the WW site to find a meeting for the city I'll be in in Texas tomorrow. I want to stick to my Thursday weigh-ins, even though I'm on the road. I've been weighing myself on people's scales, but it isn't the same.

Off and truckin'

Does Driving Earn You Activity Points?

I've just started my road trip. I had a lovely dinner in Savannah, GA. Salad with hearts of palm (which I had never had before and were surprisingly yummy) and roasted mushrooms and mussels in a wine sauce with red peppers for dinner. (Sorry, no food porn.) I did have three glasses of wine, so I wasn't an angel. But, it was better than getting the cappuccino since they said, and I quote, "we don't have skim milk in house" How crazy is that! I haven't been to WW online to see how many points it all was. I am going to try my damnedest to go for a run tomorrow before I get back in the car.

Time for bed. I'll check out all your blogs at my next stop. Take care!

A New Road Trip Blog

So, I've decided to do a dedicated travel blog for my road trip. I'll post pictures and give daily updates of where I am, what I've seen (besides rest stop bathrooms), and who I am visiting - including pictures of all the dogs and cats I stay with during my trip and any good Christmas decorations I see.

The only reason why I'm not going to do it on this blog is because I want to invite some family and friends to read the travel blog who I don't want to read this blog. So, it is going to be invitation only ... but if you want to have access to it, just post your email address in the comments and I'll include you on the list. Sorry for the hassle. I'll still post here during the road trip, you just won't get the exciting details! :)

I'm excited for the trip, but I'm also nervous. I wish I could just go home and be in my old apartment surrounded by the familiar. I don't think I have been between homes in about 11 years.

I have been making pretty mediocre/bad food choices for about a week now and I haven't been exercising. Traveling leads to temptation for me. I am also stressed about the job situation. I think that's why I had ice cream last night (albeit light ice cream, and I ate it in a small bowl so maybe it only looked big). It was so good I wonder what real ice cream tastes like! :)

Home

So, now I'm sitting on my friend's couch with her cat Maddy in Manhattan. I have my favorite hazelnut coffee by my side as well. I got in last night and immediately it felt like I was coming home. The busy sidewalks, the traffic, the cold air, it just feels right.

I haven't mentioned this yet, but I got an invitation to move in with another old friend who lives in New York. He has a two bedroom with a cheap rent (under $1500 for the whole place) and I could move in in January/February 2008. (Yes, he's a guy, but we've been friends for 12 years and there's no sexual tension/interest there on either side.) He would be an awesome roommate, which is not the living situation I am looking for, but I don't have a lot of options right now. (The apartment/neighborhood is a little divey, so I have to check it out to make sure it is some place I'd really feel comfortable.) So, I need to run the numbers, but I think I could afford living there and paying rent/utilties if I got a good temp job even before I got a career-focused job. But, as you know, I am driving cross-country in a matter of 8 days to move in with my parents in Vegas. Moving to New York would be stressful because I would have more fixed expenses than in Vegas, but NYC has more job opportunities for someone in my field. But, to add another element to this story ... I got a second interview with a major casino/hotel/resort company in Vegas. I speak with the VP of Executive Recruitment next Wednesday and if that goes well I'll be invited to their offices to interview again around Christmas. (A stressful, but positive, way to celebrate the season if you ask me :) So, needless to say, things are very up in the air with me.

Well, I found a Weight Watchers meeting, no lie, 1 block from my friend's apartment. It starts in 40 minutes, so I have plenty o' time. I just ate a bagel the size of my head (ahhh, New York), but I am trying to tell myself that it was whole wheat so it wasn't that bad - ha ha ha :) Hopefully this third week of maintenance will have positive results. (Maybe I should add another ticker to my blog to track weeks on maintenance.) I feel like I have so much more to tell you all, but I will save it for other posts this weekend. Take care!

In Flux

So, here I sit on my sister's couch with the TV on mute (a re-run of Gilmore Girls is on) and two sweet little dogs curled up next to me. They'd be on my lap right now, but that's where my computer is. I am all moved into my sister's house. Granted, many of my boxes are still in her living room, but all I'm waiting for is the green light from my brother-in-law as to where in the basement to put them.

This is the first stop on the "downsizing my life" trip. If you remember, I gave up my apartment to save money. I am leaving for my cross-country roadtrip to Las Vegas in about a week and a half. I'm nervous about all the driving, but excited to see all the different places in the country decorated for the holidays. Living and cooking in another person's house is difficult. We made different things for dinner last night, but she was super understanding and didn't judge. I did have a glass of wine afterwards, but just one. I think maintenance is going to be very challenging while I live here for two weeks, travel cross country staying with relatives along the way and then move-in with my parents in Vegas. I don't think my parents are ready for me to cook something different for dinner than what they are having. Guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. They have been supportive all along my weight loss, I hope they will be understanding when I move in.

So, here's my route for my cross-country road trip:

Start: Northern Virginia (outside Washington D.C.)
Stop: Savannah, GA
Stop: Tampa, FL
Stop: Jackson, MS
Stop: Abilene, TX (or somewhere in Texas)
Stop: Marfa, TX
Stop: Albuquerque, NM
End: Las Vegas, NV (hopefully on December 24th or 25th!)

Any suggestions of places to stay, things to eat or places to (quickly) see while I am in one of these cities would be greatly appreciated. Oh! and suggestions about what to take in the car to eat and have on hand so I don't succumb to Wendy's frosties for all my nutrition would be greatly appreciated.