Lumineers and how I almost lost blatter control

After anxiously awaiting for what seemed like a month of Sundays, I got my Lumineers placed on Friday!!! Thank you, Dr. Mike Kesner at Made Ya Smile Sugar Land (www.madeyasmiledental.com)

The BEFORE before picture

I had a gingivectomy (a procedure where they reduce the amount of gum that is showing) and that gave me a great smile but it could still be better. Here's what I looked like after they were placed:

Then of course, I had to get my hair cut. I have to give a shout out to my hair dresser, Sasha Hubble at Visible Changes in First Colony. She did an amazing job and gave me the best hair cut EVER!

I wish I had a better pic on my phone but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this haircut! So that was my little transformation. Onto the SCARIEST THING EVER

On Friday morning, I couldn't sleep. I'd crashed on the couch Thursday night but woke up at 3 am and got into my bed with every intention of going back to sleep. Come 4, I still hadn't konked back out so I decided to get up and go for a run. I was out and about an hour before my usual time and it was so serene. I'd just downloaded a new app called Cyclemeter. It works with all of your outdoor activities (running, walking, cycling, skiing, etc). I'd used it for my cycling but nothing else so I was excited to use it for running. It's pretty awesome by the way! Not only does it have functions to calculate distance, time, and stuff like that it has the ability to send email updates of your GPS position to a person of your choosing. Which is cool but who could I possibly send those updates to??? As I was running, I was going through the possible candidates and eliminating each one. I came to the conclusion that while it was a cool function, I most likely wouldn't be using it.

On mile two, I heard a car coming up behind me. My route goes down every road in the neighborhood and I was about to go into a cul-de-sac off the main road and so figured they'd just keep going. I have this weird thing where I don't like people watching me run. It probably stems from the kids who heckled me in the past neighborhood or maybe it's just my own insecurities that someone will think I'm just a poser. At any rate, I was anxious to get them off my tail.

  I turned. They turned with me. Then I look over my shoulder and it's an older model van. Like a 1992 Aerostar or something. No big deal,  I'm thinking, maybe they live here, it could happen. Maybe they just spent all their money on a house. Then my inner voice says except that the van looks SERIOUSLY out of place in this neighborhood. So I start going through my get away scenarios (don't tell my Mama but my mace was safely at home in the Durango). Then I think to myself, DAMN, if only I'd set that stupid gps updaty thingie up, at least they'd know where I was abducted from. And maybe my captors wouldn't see my phone and it could continue to send updates. How the crap do I call 911 without alerting them???? Then, I came up with the plan that I'd just run to the first front door I came to, bang, and scream like crazy.

I keep running and they get RIGHT UP behind me. I hear the door unlock and a window roll down.Then...

They throw out a newspaper. And I almost wet my pants.

It got me thinking that I need to get a quick release thingie on my pepper spray. I also need to actually carry it with me. And I looked at stun guns once I got home. Paranoid? Maybe. Overactive imagination? Possibly. But hey, I watch Investigation Discovery, so it can't be all wrong.

Actively A Successful Week

It's been a week since I committed to 30 minutes of activity per day. I'm happy to say except for one day, I exceeded that goal! Below is what led to this successful week.


1.Knowing that so many people knew about this goal made me much more likely to get it done. It goes to show that publicly stating a goal will make you more likely to accomplish said goal.

2. Setting my alarm so I'd run before work. It took a little finagling but I found the time to run, shower, and do my hair before I had to leave.

3. Having my exercise clothes ready and waiting for me in the morning to run and in the evening for my bicycle ride.

4. Making myself do it. There were many time when I thought, I really don't want to do this today. If I don't, no one will know. But I did it anyway.



I love my neighborhood in the early morning hours. When I run, it's 5 am and there is next to no one on the roads. So I don't have to feel self conscious about my running style. (Or the fact that I still feel like a fat chick trying to run.) That probably helped me stick with it. I didn't run this morning. I was lazy. But I'm going to tomorrow morning; it'll be interesting to see if the traffic on my route will change since school is back in session. And speaking of school, there must be some kind of back to school pizza special because it seemed like every other driveway had a pizza delivery person in it. (I'm also happy to report that I was not one of the people who ordered it tonight and that I only had it on one night this past week. In my book, that's an improvement.)


I haven't figured out how to work my routine into the late days this week. On Wednesday and Thursday, I work from 11-7 and I don't really want to be up at 5 am to run if I don't have to actually be at work until 1030. Any suggestions?

This is ME?!?

I've come to realize that I'm no longer the person I was when I started WW. (Thank goodness.)

But the problem with that is that I feel a little bit like I'm completely lost. I don't know how to be this New Maghan. New Maghan is a little scary to the shards of old Maghan that are hanging around. Before you start picking out my cell at the looney bin, hear me out. (and make sure it's purple.) Two years ago, I was sad, lonely and in a job I loved but that didn't bring me the income I needed to really stand on my own. I was making payments on a car that barely got me from point a to point b and I was miserable. I rarely went out with friends and I was SO TIRED ALL THE TIME. I wasn't perky. I wasn't happy.

Now I'm in a fantastic city that I LOVE. I've got a great job that compensates me well. I have a kick ass apartment that keeps getting better as time goes on. I'm dating someone who respects me and treats me better than I ever thought possible. And I have so so many awesome friends (who are more like family). I go out practically all the time. I'm happy. I'm perky. I'm loved. And I have a great life. I am truly blessed to be where I am right now.  And while I am SO happy to be living this life, like I said, it's a little hard to get used to. It's like all those times when I'd catch my body doing something new (crossing my legs, walking between the patient chair and the counter, RUNNING), I sometimes have to ask myself, WHO IS THIS PERSON? One of the main ways that I know I've changed, is that I actually care about my hard work slipping away and that I'm really miss the me who ran and was in control of eating, exercise, and all those other things over the past two years.

I'm still struggling with doing what I know I should. I think part of the problem with my seeming lack of control has been because I've been so focused on doing everything perfect. So, this week I've decided to break my list into smaller "bite size" increments. It's what I did in my beginning days of WW.

The first week, all the leader asked was that we track. She didn't ask anything about activity. She didn't ask that we completely overhaul our kitchens. In short, she asked only what was feasible. I'm really having a hard time with tracking. So I'm going to work on it. I'm going to track but I'm not going to stress myself out over it. I don't have to be PERFECT. (And really isn't that what it's all about, learning to live with your imperfections?)

This week I'm super excited about some new acquisitions so I'm focusing on Activity.
At minimum 30 minutes of REAL activity per day.
I've done a lot of things to help accomplish this. Drum Roll please....

I've missed running. Haven't actually done it since the fall, so it'll be interesting to see how I do when I start tomorrow. I love running in Ryka's. Usually they don't have ANY in my size at the mall. I saw these at Lady Footlocker. They had my size (I'm now a 9 where two years ago I was a 10). And they were cheaper (79.99) than the Nike's (99.99) that first caught my eye. So it was fate, right? I couldn't NOT buy them.

 I may have gone a little overboard on the whole exercise thing, because I also bought a bicycle.

 I haven't thought of a name for her yet, but I have ridden over to Patti's house and I had SO MUCH FUN! I haven't had so much fun on a bicycle since I was a little girl. When I was getting her out of Margo (aka my Durango), my neighbor came out and talked to me. She's got a bicycle too and I invited her to come ride with me sometime.

I never realized how expensive it can be to get started with all this stuff. When I bought my shoes, I also got some new socks (because they were "on sale" and I really did need more socks). I also bought some new exercise pants (because they had this little purple stripey thingie.) And today I bought a bike, a helmet, a lock, a hand-pump (for the bike) and two sports bras (that I have to wear at the same time to minimize the 'bounce'). I may end up having to take a second job to support my new activities, especially because, I think Sophie needs a bicycle basket.  This is the one I've had my eye on.

Life is good.

It's like scraping my brains off the pavement

Yesterday's post begs the question, If I know what to do, how come I haven't been doing it?

That's a real stumper isn't it? Kind of like those people who ride a motorcycle at 100 miles an hour on the freeway with no helmet, they know they SHOULDN'T be doing what they're doing but they still don't change it. Often by the time something MAKES them change their ways, that something is another vehicle and then it's too late. An EMT is scraping their brains off some guy's bumper. I bet those motorcycle riders have excuses for why they don't wear helmets (it's too hot, helmet hair, etc). Let's examine some of my excuses for not doing what I should.


"I have no self control." My first time on Weight Watchers (WW) was 2003 and I lasted a week and 1 day, lack of self control was my excuse for quitting then. After having been on plan for two years, I know THAT isn't the reason.

"I don't have time to count points." Um, yeah, but I do have time to check Facebook on my iPhone 50 times a day. That excuse isn't gonna fly.

"Being on plan isn't as much fun as eating whatever I want!" It is true, counting points and planning for dates or meals in restaurants isn't as much fun as having Crusted Chicken Romano and getting a slice of 30th Anniversary Cheesecake just because I went to First Colony and they have a Cheesecake Factory. But, being able to shop for clothes in ALL the stores at First Colony is WAY more fun than Cheesecake Factory ever is. So I guess I need to choose my fun...

"I've worked all day, I'm too tired to work out." By the time I get off work, I AM exhausted. So it's true that after work, I'm too tired to work out. Maybe I should work out before work....

"I've worked all day, I'm too tired to cook." This has lead to way too many calls to Domino's lately. I think my delivery guy realizes that I have pizza addiction problem. It might be a good idea for me to pre-make my dinners. Cook a bunch the weekend before and warm 'em up during the week...

"I don't have anything to cook." Yeah, Maghan. That's cuz you haven't been to the grocery store in forever.

"I don't like my meeting" Try another.

Crap! I think I've run out of excuses and I couldn't get away with a single one of those.

In the beginning, I was so motivated. Really, extra driven. NOTHIN' and NOBODY was getting between me and my goal. I'm not sure what happened but I think I'm suffering from "misplaced motivation". I think that's where number 6 on yesterday's list will come in handy. I need to set some new goals and check in with myself periodically.

I probably also need to do less "real big picture" and more "rear-view big picture" thinking. I'll explain what I mean next time.






 

I'll just say it, in four months, I've gained back 20 of the 100 pounds that I'd destroyed.
20 pounds.
Four months.
5 pounds per month.
Dang.
Often in our weight loss efforts, when times like this arise, we are told to ask ourselves, "What's not working?"
That's a loaded question and I for one think that sentence isn't working. At the risk of sounding completely spacey, that sentence is awfully negative.  And don't we have enough negativity out there? For me asking What's not working could take me all day to answer because that has always been a big  list of things.
Me Vs. Pizza= not working
TX heat Vs. my running habit= not working
Cooking Dinner Vs. 10+ hour workdays = not working
Trust me, this list could go on and on. I think the better question is "What is/was Working"

1. Tracking- In my 2+ years as a Weight watcher, I know this is the key to success.
2. 30 minutes of REAL activity per day (Sadly, sex and walking Sophie (my chihuahua) down the stairs and 10 feet to potty and check the mail, does NOT count.)
3. Having actual groceries in the house. (You know, to make MEALS out of??? Left over take-out and odd bits of stuff that with other stuff could maybe make a meal doesn't make a person very successful.)
4. Going out once a week. Eating out every meal coupled with dessert and alcohol during the week eats through the points BIG time. (pun intended)
5. Attending a Good Meeting. Never underestimate the power of a good leader and friendly supportive members.
6. Regular Goal Checkups/ Goal Setting. I keep forgetting to ask myself, "Maghan, how's it going?"

So now that I know what works, Why aren't I doing what works?
I'll answer that next time.