The title is the hardest part...

Wow… I’m sorry that I’m failing at blogging. I keep telling myself to do better… but that positive self-talk seldom results in any kind of action. Oops.

Well, good news since the “hungry” blog – I have lost almost 4 pounds (so far – I weigh myself again tomorrow!), which means that I am halfway to my weight loss goal. I’m adjusting to my new level of calorie consumption, so although I definitely GET hungry, I am not CONSTANTLY hungry any more. And THAT, my friends, is a vast improvement! I also went and bought some good running shoes on Saturday, which was an interesting experience. I went to FW Running Co., and they had me run on a treadmill like 8 different times to try different kinds of shoes. It turns out that I pronate really badly when I run, so they found me some shoes that correct that. They were a bit expensive (which is why I have talked about but put off buying them for like a year now…), but they definitely help my ankles and knees a lot. They are substantially heavier than my old shoes (largely because my old shoes had no support in them whatsoever), so it is kind of an adjustment. (And just to be clear – they’re still normal shoes. They’re Saucony running shoes, not like Dr. Scholl’s orthopedic ankle support shoes or anything. I just wanted to clarify in case someone got a really skewed mental picture based on my description.) I got up and ran Monday and Wednesday, but I needed Tuesday and today to recover from actually exercising. I am excited because it’s starting to feel good to eat better and exercise. My pants already fit differently in the waist, which is fabulous. (I mean, granted, they just fit like they’re supposed to instead of being really tight and uncomfortable… but still!)

We’ve also done really well about eating at home instead of going out to eat all the time so far this year. I’ve been trying new recipes a lot, and Lance has even been eating leftovers! (Hallelujah!) I know it’s definitely easier for us to eat healthily at home, plus it saves a LOT of money, so I am pretty excited about it all the way around. I shared my enthusiasm with Lance over how much better we’re doing, and he responded, “Well, but it’s only January. It’s probably going to go downhill from here.” That little boogerface. I really want to do better all year – not just January. Anyway, we have a budget that we try really hard to stick to, but last year, we went over our out-to-eat budget by at least a little bit pretty much every month. I really want us to do better about that, so I’m excited to see some improvement in that area as well.

We’re also making progress on our trip (HOORAY!). Our plane tickets are “on hold” from the American site right now, and we are planning to book them tonight. We’re staying with our friend’s parents in Paris, so that’s taken care of, and we have already booked our hotel in Rome. It’s exciting to have the really BIG things taken care of. If you know me and my OCD tendencies, you won’t be surprised to know that I already have a journal wherein I’ve been taking notes for almost a month. I have a list of tours I want to take, monuments/museums I want to visit, restaurants I want to eat at, flights that might work for us, things to do before we leave for the trip, etc. I’ve also learned to say, “Do you speak English? Sorry, I don’t speak French.”, “Where are the toilets?”, “Will you take our picture?”, and “Check, please!” I learned some other REALLY basic phrases too, but I think those are the ones I’m most proud of.

For those of you who have been to Paris and/or Rome, what was your favorite/least favorite thing that you saw/did/visited/ate/took a picture of/thought about later/would do again/would never do again/etc.? Also, what did/would you wear/not wear again, and how much do you recommend packing? (Those are some of the most open-ended questions ever asked, but I would love to get some more direction! Then I can write it down in my journal!!)

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“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:14

the long and short of it...

I’m hungry.

That’s the short version of the story.

Long version: Lance and I both realized at the beginning of December that we’d put on some weight that we wanted to lose, but I knew that I would just fail at that during December. We had 4 Christmas parties, 3 Christmases, constant baking and fudge-making, clients sending tasty treats to the firm, etc. With so much deliciousness, I knew I would absolutely fail at losing weight during December… so we decided to just enjoy December without worrying about it.

But now it’s January.

I started back being uber careful what I eat yesterday… and I have pretty much been hungry ever since. It just takes a few days for my stomach to adjust to this. I had been snacking like crazy—actually, “snacking” probably doesn’t even encompass what my life has been like for the last month. More like “grazing.” Yeah, probably grazing. It was a constant, slow eating… typically of chocolate. I don’t have as much to lose as I did the last time we did this (it was 15 pounds last time; this time, it’s more in the 7ish ballpark), but making the choice and the change is still pretty darn hard.

I also stopped running when it got so frigidly cold out, and I am going to start running again… but probably not this week since it will stay in the 20s for like two whole days. (PS – this weather gives me some MAJORLY strong opinions on global warming, but I will hold my tongue. Maybe. At least for today, I will hold my tongue.)

The main thing I’m trying to prepare myself for is the fact that I will probably only lose a few ounces this week… even after being starving all day. At least, that’s how it was last time we did this. After that first week, the weight started coming off fairly easily, but at our first weigh-in, I cried. Yes, cried. Pretty hard. (It did not help that I was STILL hungry, mind you.) Anyway, I’m trying to emotionally steel myself for stepping on the scale and seeing the same number I saw the last time I weighed. Even after being hungry for days on end.

I know it’s everyone’s New Year’s resolution, but I really want to get healthier. I’m not overweight at my current weight, but I can/should be less. I also want to eat healthier, drink more water, start running again… and hopefully lower my cholesterol by doing all those things. Yes, I already have high cholesterol. Not terribly high, mind you, but I want it to be lower, and it will only get harder for me to lower it as I get older. I just like feeling good, having my clothes fit well, having energy, sleeping well at night, etc. Oh, plus, I like looking good in pictures and not looking at a picture and going, “Is that my face? Why’s it so round?!”

Lofty goal(s), I know. I must be making progress though. I AM stinkin’ starving, after all. That MUST mean something…