The good news? I have not gained an ounce since last year's visit.
The bad news? I haven't lost an ounce since last year's visit.
Sigh...
What does this mean? I'm a pro at gaining and losing the same 5 pounds throughout the year. If I don't plan a serious attack on my weight, I will never get these 30 pounds to leave and for good. Obviously, I'm a pro at maintaining my weight. I chalk this up to the fact that I usually exercise pretty regularly ( average 3 times a week) and I eat fairly healthy. But this is obviously not enough for weight loss. I don't need to maintain, I need to LOSE.
Also? No more yo-yoing. I have a good month, where I lose 2-3 pounds. And then a bad month where I gain them back. This goes on all year. My friends and I will say "this is it! We are gonna do it!" and we fizzle out 2-3 weeks later. I'm sick of that laziness in myself.
I know what needs to be done, so now it's time to do it. I will NOT let my weight take over my life, and ruin my health.
Thank you to ALL of you that voted!! I will update here today if they won the funding! If not, we'll keep trying :) The contest lasts 4 weeks, and votes carry over from week to week.
Remember the 5K I was supposed to run this weekend? I'd been looking forward to it since last year, when I ran my first 5K ever. I'd been training again, meeting Mel at the park after work and on weekends. I was feeling good and very excited! Well, what's that saying about the best laid plans?
Yea. I got SICK. Fever, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, headaches, etc. I was so mad, but what can you do? For some reason it wasn't meant to be. I had a few sad moments, where I got a little teary eyed but then I dealt with it and moved on. There would be other races!
By Friday evening I was feeling a tad better so I asked my mom if she would walk the race with me. So we did, and we had a great time. Although, looking back, it maybe wasn't my best idea because I'm coughing my head off today. But oh well! It was a beautiful day spent with my mom so it was worth it.
My race partner Melissa is a rock star, and she started running with me last year to train for this very race. Last year she ran this 5K in 39 minutes. This year? 29 minutes!!! That's a huge PR. Way to go - you earned that Championship medal!
Since our Gamecocks won the NCAA College Baseball Championship this year, everyone got a commemorative medal. I felt a little like a poser since I only walked, but oh well. :) I'll be back next year, beeyotches! And I have a few other races coming up soon as well. Stay tuned!
Remember my little hero Wes-man? Well, I have a favor to ask that would help him and other children like him. And it's easy peasy and won't cost you a dime. :)
Del Monte is hosting a contest where you can vote for your favorite teacher to win a grant to receive funding for their classroom. Little Wes-man is in a self-contained autism class and the kids could really use an I-Pad since some of them cannot maneuver a mouse. Also, it can help aid in non-verbal communication too! How exciting! This would be a HUGE benefit.
I don't ask for much on my blog but please...will you take the time to vote? If you are so inclined, you can vote up to once a day. A teacher will be awarded funding each Monday.
You can vote once a day every day throughout the contest. The top 10 teachers receiving the most votes each week will be funded every Monday. Votes carry over from week to week, so vote every day.
This past week on the TV show Brothers and Sisters, Calista Flockhart's character Kitty decides to make a soufflé. Except that the result was a disaster - it collapses as soon as she takes it out of the oven. And that's when it happened. I decided right then and there that I wanted to conquer the soufflé. It was ON.
I searched for a recipe online and I discovered that there are a gazillion different recipes for soufflé. I decided for my first attempt, I would choose chocolate. I mean, duh? :) (Although I'm going to attempt a cheese soufflé next time.) You can find the recipe for the one I made at the end of this post.
Survey says? Well, it was fairly easy to make. Most ingredients I had on hand. However...I cannot lie. My soufflé fell within just a few minutes of coming out of the oven. Wah, wah, wah...But all was not lost, as it tasted AMAZING. I shall try again soon. I think part of my problem was that I over whipped the egg whites. I think there is a definite science to that. Also, I have the hardest time separating eggs without getting a tad bit of yolk in the whites. So frustrating! I am pretty sure this makes a difference in your "fluff."
They always say "don't peek." I peeked. Perhaps this is where I went wrong.
2 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, melted
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 2-cup or one 4-cup soufflé or other deep baking dish(es). Sprinkle each with sugar, invert it and tap to remove excess sugar.
2. Beat egg yolks with all but 1 tablespoon sugar until very light and very thick; mixture will fall in a ribbon from beaters when it is ready. Mix in the melted chocolate until well combined; set aside.
3. Wash beaters well, then beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until whites hold soft peaks; continue to beat, gradually adding remaining tablespoon sugar, until they are very stiff and glossy. Stir a good spoonful of whites thoroughly into egg yolk mixture to lighten it; then fold in remaining whites, using a rubber spatula. Transfer to prepared soufflé dish(es); at this point you can cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.
4. Bake until center is nearly set, 20 minutes for individual soufflés and 25 to 35 minutes for a single large soufflé. Serve immediately.
Saturday, it was this guy on the left vs. this guy on the right. #19 South Carolina vs. #1 Alabama. (Remember that...#1!!!)
But first, let's start with Friday. I had a seminar to attend on Friday, but I took 30 minutes to sneak over the USC Horseshoe to stalk see them setting up the stage for ESPN's College Gameday. My mom went with me because she's a stalker too she loves college football as much as I do. (Where do you think I get it from?) We walked around, took a few pictures and then decided to leave. As soon as I turned around, Kirk Herbstreit walks right in front of us (escorted by a HUGE security guy), smiles his pearly whites at me and nods hello. My jaw dropped and it took me a few seconds to recover before I remembered that I needed to get a picture. All I could manage to get was the back of his head but we laughed because he was wearing a coat, tie and...shorts! It was warm that day. (At least they weren't jorts?) We also saw Erin Andrews, but I didn't get a chance to talk to her (read: ask her to join my wolf pack, see post below.)
Fast forward to Saturday. I'll highlight quickly all the nonsense that doesn't really matter - such as we tailgated. It was hot. I wore jeans. Big mistake. Why is it so hot in October??!! But we had fun anyway.
On to the game....#19 South Carolina vs #1 Alabama. Sorry, I already mentioned that didn't I? ;) Silly me. I would like to thank the above mentioned Kirk Herbstreit. Because he picked us to win. I would also like to thank Lee Corso for picking Alabama. Anytime that happens, it's a good sign. And sure enough....several hours later....and many, many "Sandstorms" later....
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that Erin from BlueEyedBride and I like to joke about how many times they play Sandstorm (the techno song you hear being played below) during the game. Let's just say, we lost count! Also, my phone blew up during half time. This was probably for the best looking back...
Thanks to "lifeofagamecock" for this video...this was right after Marcus Lattimore scored his 3rd touchdown of the afternoon to give Carolina the 35-21 lead, which we kept for the remainder of the game. The stadium was VERY loud all day, and one online news outlet is saying that was one reason Alabama had such trouble. I say maybe...but gotta give credit to our offense who showed up ready to kick some Bama booty!
What a great weekend! We are now ranked #10 in the College AP poll. Let's hope we can keep this momentum going. Bring on those Kentucky Wildcats! Hopefully we'll be all smiles again next weekend.
"...And my wolf pack... I was alone first in the pack, and then Doug joined in later. And six months ago, when Doug introduced me to you guys, I thought, "Wait a second, could it be?" And now I know for sure, I just added two more guys to my wolf pack. Four of us wolves, running around the desert together, in Las Vegas, looking for strippers and cocaine. So tonight, I make a toast!"
haha I love The Hangover!
I am blessed to have some awesome girlfriends! They keep me together when I'm falling apart. And oh do they make me laugh! My friends below are the group I call "The Marrieds." They have all been married for years, and bless their hearts, they have to listen to all my dating sob stories. They should all be given a prize of some sort! They, along with a few other gals, complete my Wolf Pack.
In other news, this weekend is a big game for us!We take on the #1 team in the country, Alabama, and ESPN College GameDay is coming to town. We are clearly the underdogs here. However, GO COCKS! Kick off is 3:30 PM on CBS.
And since Erin Andrews is going to be in town, she'll definitely want to join my wolf pack, right??? ;) And CLEARLY, she's a fan of the HBC (Head Ball Coach). She'd look great in garnet and black! ;)
I usually post my workout updates on my Fat Cheerleader blog, but thought I'd update this one today.
Getting back into running has been harder than I thought! I think that I thought I would easily transition back in, and BOY was I wrong. My first time out on the pavement was a big fat fail. I think mentally I wasn't prepared, and before I even made it a mile, I quit. Then it rained and I got all teary eyed. Boo Hoo. I suck. This is hard. Why am I doing this? All thoughts that were going through my head.
But this week has been better. I didn't give up, and last night I had a successful 2 mile run. Go me! It was serious turtle pace (we're talking a 12.5 minute mile pace). But that's ok. I am totally fine with that. Turtle Power! I used my Nike Plus again, and it helped. I did a review on it at the end of last year. That thing is awesome, I very much recommend it. Next weekend is my 5K!
On to lizards. My friend Mel sent me a link to a yoga pose on Fit Sugar that I wanted to share with you all. It's supposed to be a great stretch for runners but also for anyone that needs to stretch out their hips more. Check it out...
Sanskrit Name: Utthan Pristhasana English Translation: Lizard Pose
Begin in Downward Facing Dog. Step your right foot forward between your palms keeping your hands on the floor.
Lower your left knee to the floor, and release your elbows to the floor as well. Either rest your hands palms facing down on the mat, or bring your hands together in prayer position.
Continue to squeeze your right knee toward your body and keep your gaze in front of you to encourage your hips to lower toward the floor.
Stay here for at least five breaths. Then come back onto your hands. Tuck your back toes and step your right leg back. Take a vinyasa and step your left foot forward to do this pose on the other side.
If anyone needs me, I'll be in my office this afternoon behind closed doors trying this out....hopefully I won't get stuck.
