Update

I am currently down 16.6 pounds, but I am not really celebrating that quite yet because I know that the weight loss I have seen over the past few weeks is not really due to hard work, but more to the impact of stress. I have not been eating because I have had no appetite over the past couple of weeks. Which is great when I go weigh in and see that I lost 5 pounds in one week. But it is also bad because I know that I will quickly see those pesky pounds again when I get my appetite back. I also know that Thanksgiving is right around the corner with Christmas on its heels, which means lots and lots of food, so I am going to prepare myself for the holidays and hope that I am not starting all over again in January.

7

... is the number of pounds I have lost over the past two weeks! It has actually been pretty easy getting back on track and I feel good about the success I have had so far. Now, I know the next step is to start exercising again. That I am not excited about. Is it sad that I was overjoyed when I got a call from Curves the other day saying that my payment didn't go through this month since my credit card number on file has changed? Is it bad that I did not even call them back? Is it sad that I have now paid close to $400 over the past year for a membership that I have not used? I don't think they will be shocked to not hear back from me.

Happy Fall Y'all

Fall in the South is pretty much an extension of summer. This time of year always cracks me up because you will see anything from spaghetti straps and flip flops to sweaters and Ugg boots. It is difficult to decide whether you should dress for the season or the weather. In most places this time of year is referred to as fall, which means you should put away the sandals and capris, but here in Alabama it is "Hotumn" which means it is still in the mid 80's during the day. I have refused to give up my sandals and begin shoving my feet back into their close-toed prisons until I absolutely have to.

I am also humored by the number of people in my neighborhood that actually celebrate Halloween more than on the 31st. The number of people with Halloween inflatables, mailbox decorations, etc. amazes me. (The fact that most of these people also have "Roll Tide" bumper stickers is very telling).

But, I will also say that I cannot wait for that brief window of time when the leaves start to change. It is one of the absolute most beautiful times to be in Birmingham. This is a picture I took a few years ago of the view when I walk out my front door.

So, go get on your flip flops, fleece jacket, and get out and enjoy the weather. Happy Hotumn!

One Week Down

I am back on track... and it feels good! There are a few things that have really helped this time around. My friend Keri coordinated with Weight Watchers to get a meeting set up at our school, so it is great to be doing this with friends at work. My sister is also doing Weight Watchers and she has found some great websites with tasty recipes (www.skinnytaste.com). She and I knew that football season in the South is a hard time to try and lose weight, but she found some great things we could have this past Saturday and I did not feel like I was on a diet.

I have also realized that one of my biggest problems is that I find way too much joy in food. When I am having a really crappy day I want to cheer myself up by getting something sugary, cheesey, or fried on my way home. I know this about myself, so I am trying to find other things to enjoy.

I also realize that if something sounds too good to be true... it probably is. Yesterday I was trying to find a salad dressing that would be low in points, but not taste awful. I found a Ranch dressing that was 0 calories and fat free. I gave it a try and it is now safely stored at the bottom of my trash can. How Walden Farms stays in business selling that kind of crap, I do not know.

I was not at school today for the meeting, so I did not get to weigh in, but I will let you know the results after next Tuesday.

Ashamed

I know, I know... I have been MIA for a month, which is ridiculous. I have said several times, "Oh, I have got to blog about that." Of course, now that I am actually sitting down to update you I have no idea what those funny things were that I thought would make good blog material.

So, I will give you some very unsettling and depressing news instead... Remember all those pounds I lost a year ago? Well, I found them... and they brought back friends with them. Remember in April when I declared I was getting back in the (weight loss) game? And I did... for about 72 hours? Well, that was 5 months (and many pounds) ago. Remember when I said that if I didn't get with it, I was going to be right back where I started? Well, hello square one... So great to see you again. When I put on a (snug) pair of pants this morning that were huge on me last year I didn't cry. When I considered if I should use the pregnant woman's "rubberband trick" on these pants, I didn't scream. When I weighed this afternoon at my Weight Watchers meeting, I didn't begin sobbing upon seeing that large number in ink. Why? Because I feel like it can't be worse than it is at this moment. Tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow I will be back in the game... again. Tomorrow I will make better decisions. And next Tuesday when I weigh in I will be encouraged that my weight is once again going down and not up. I will keep you posted on my progress... and come hell or high water there will be progress this time!

Church

Here are some of my random thoughts about church:
1. I love to listen to praise and worship music. It just really helps me focus my attention on worshipping God. I get excited when the praise band at church sings a song that I have been belting out in my car. The only problem is that I am used to the CD version where the singer adds their own worship experience to the song by adding extra phrases here and there. For example, in an instrumental break they might say "Praise God!", which makes me want to do the same when I am singing at church. They also might change the notes up on the CD version, so as I am singing at church I will go up for a high note when everyone else is on a low note. I try to focus on worshipping God without worrying about my surroundings, but this can be a little difficult when I suddenly realize that I just pulled a "Mariah" and attempted a high octave ... and my voice cracked like a 12 year old boy.
2. My church streams two of their Sunday services live online, which has been both good and bad for me. Good, because there are just some Sundays when I can't get it together in time to make it to church. (Which is extremely ridiculous considering my church has like 142 services to choose from and the one I typically go to is at 11:30) Bad, because I feel like those Sundays might be increasing now that I know I can always watch it online. Well, a few weeks ago they launched what they are calling the "Online Campus", which I was part of a week ago. They have a chat bar on the right hand side, which is incredibly distracting because it is like people are talking in church... the whole time. I found myself wanting to say something to everyone (probably the teacher in me). And it would be people who knew each other saying "Hey Laura... yeah we couldn't get the kids ready in time to make it this morning." Uhm... send Laura a text and quit distracting me. Finally I realized I could maximize the screen and the chat bar went away.
3. We are about to launch our fall small groups. I am hosting a group with my friend Lauren and we are going to be reading the book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I have heard lots of great things about this book, so I am really excited to get started. So far I have only had a few people email about the group, so it is always interesting the first night to see who shows up. This semester I have also considered joining a Young Professionals Men's Group. What do you think they would say when I show up at the door. Hot Christian guy: "Uhm, hi, this is a men's small group." Me: "Yeah, I know. That's why I'm here... Duh"

Don't Waste Your Time

I should know by now that most books that have been deemed "New York Times Bestsellers" are probably not for me. I have chosen many books over the years based on this criteria and more often than not I have been disappointed.

My recent choice was based on hype, recommendations, and the buzz about it being turned into a movie. So, I went out and bought my copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and was prepared for a "thrilling page-turner". One of my friends that had read it forewarned me that it was slow in the beginning, but to give it time and then I wouldn't be able to put it down. Well, apparently this meant that I needed to give it 422 pages out of 644 and then I would be hooked. I am also really bad about not wanting to abandon a book, so even if I am not loving it, I will keep reading. Well, I finally finished it last week. Of course at the end they have an excerpt from the second book in the series, which caught my interest immediately. Do I dare try another book in this series?