Hubby and I are both very competitive people.  We love to challenge each other and we are both so stubborn!  So it’s only fitting that today while waiting in line for gas (for cheap gas!) we came up with a challenge for each other. 

You see, hubby has been riding the fence for awhile now about losing weight.  I think he feels like there is never a right time to start and it’s very hard for him to fit exercise into his schedule with work and family time.  I understand but I would much rather him cut out a little family time or leisure time to get healthy… it’s worth it in the long run, right?

So, I’ve been hoping that my efforts might eventually rub off on him and perhaps motivate him to make a change.  Well, it’s not so much my efforts that have gotten him going as it is the idea of a competition with a reward!  

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Well, what can I say?  I am going to claim temporary insanity.  At least I would but I don’t want to be insulting to anyone who is doing the Upday Downday Diet.  I still believe this is an effective diet and that there are plenty of people who have made it a success.  But for me and where I was coming from, it was crazy.  I just haven’t been right since getting back from Disneyworld.  Maybe it was all those darn churros!! 

I’ve not been patient with my weight loss or motivated to do much.  I am most definitely a hardcore creature of habit.  Does any watch the Big Bang Theory?  Okay, that is seriously one of my favorite shows now.  It’s right up there with The Office and Survivor (my top two all time favs).  So if you are familiar with the Big Bang Theory… I can simply illustrate my point about being a creature of habit by describing myself as Sheldon.  I’m grinning right now because some people are probably cringing at the thought.  But it’s true, right down to eating cereal on the same spot on the couch every morning, watching the same show every morning while I eat it, and not wanting to really talk to anyone until I’m done.  Yep, my hubby totally agrees that Sheldon and I are one.

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Something occurred to me recently that I just have to call an epiphany in my weight loss efforts.  And really, an epiphany about my relationship with food.  So here are the gory details…

It was an Upday in my diet and I had eaten pretty well so far.  We had some ground chicken in the fridge that was going to go bad if we didn’t eat it so hubby thought he would make some chicken tacos.  Yum!  Well, he used this fancy trick that I taught him (that I learned from my dad) to make these delicious “fried” taco shells.  (Pretty funny actually because he fried my whole wheat taco shells!) 

So anyway, these taco shells absolutely stole the show!  My plan had been to just have one but as a matter of fact, I could not get enough of these tacos.  After eating one, I started working on my second one, eating it as if it was the last taco I was ever going to eat… savoring every bite… enjoying the flavor… the smell… already starting to think about eating a third one… then thinking that I had better eat as much as I can while it lasted… And that was when it occurred to me:

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Well, I’ve decided to try something different.  After months and months of hard work, dedication, and frustration, I am ready to take a different track on my weight loss journey.  I’ve come to terms with the fact that my body does not want to budge from it’s current weight and that I need to make a change from what I’m doing. 

That being said, I am going on a diet.  Yep, an actual diet to get this weight off.  I’m already living my lifestyle change.  I already eat healthy, exercise, and am living a much healthier lifestyle than I ever have before… I’ve been doing really good with it.  My food portions are good, my caloric intake is right on target, and I do cardio four days a week and am training for my two 5k runs this summer.  Doesn’t it seem like the weight should be coming off? 

So yes, back to this diet.  I found a diet that I am going to try because I think it has some good potential without doing anything too crazy.  It’s called the Upday Downday Diet.  Very simply put, you alternate between low calorie days and higher calorie days.  Apparently the jumping back and forth between the days helps kick the metabolism into gear.  Sounds easy enough, right?

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Per Cammy’s request, here is The Epcot Story.  (There’s not much to it, just me being silly!)

Hubby, bro-in-law, and myself decided to spend the day wandering around while my parents-in-law stayed at the hotel with my daughter and did fun stuff there.  The day was hot.  Very, very hot (and mind you it’s only MAY in Orlando!). 

If you aren’t familiar with Epcot Center, it’s somewhat of an “educational” experience in that the park is dedicated to cultural and technological innovation (as described by wikipedia). The World Showcase features pavilions that represent 11 different countries. 

We started in Mexico and had some lunch.  After fueling up, we kept making our way around from country to country.    By the time we reached Morocco (more than halfway through the showcase), we were thirsty!  You know that “I’m hot and sweaty and have been walking a lot, please-give-me-something-cool-to-drink“ kind of thirsty?

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I’m baaaaack!  And boy did I learn A LOT while I was gone.  Here’s a run-down of all my Disneyworld epiphanies (in no particular order)!

1.  I love spray-able sunscreen.  It is the best stuff ever and I will never ever squeeze another bottle of sunscreen again!

2.  I was able to walk forever and not get tired.  We went to at least one park everyday and I had no trouble with the constant movement, in fact I enjoyed it.  Very cool!

3.  I need to find better strategies for eating healthy on vacation.  Around the 2nd day I started making some minor bad food choices.  By the time we left, I was making MAJORLY bad food choices.  I’m not gonna freak out over it, just going to get back on the horse and keep going from where I left off.  Although I really find it interesting just how easy it was for me to say “screw it” and eat bad.  It doesn’t seem like it should be that easy.

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Well, we are going to be in Disneyworld this week gallivanting with the likes of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck!  I hope you all have a wonderful week and wish me luck on eating healthy during the trip and getting in plenty of exercise!!  Until I get back, here are some ADORABLE Disney glitter pics to give you something pretty to look at.  Aren’t they SO cute?!

We’ll start with Donald Duck, my all-time favorite!

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Happy Mother’s Day to all you fabulous mothers out there!! 

I wanted to share this poem written by Amanda from The Mom Crowd.  I read it the other day and it just really touched my heart.  She somehow managed to put into words some of the joy I experience in being a mother to my daughter. 

Also, I found an article from holidays.net that gives an actual history of Mother’s Day.  I hadn’t thought about it before but it’s pretty interesting to see how it got started, especially here in the United States.  Here is an excerpt:

In the United States, Mother’s Day experienced a series of false starts before eventually transitioning into the “Hallmark” holiday that we celebrate today. In 1858, Anna Reeves Jarvis was the first woman to hold an official celebration of mothers, when in her home state of West Virginia, she instituted Mothers’ Work Day to raise awareness about local sanitation issues. During the Civil War, she expanded the scope of Mothers’ Work Day to include sanitary conditions on both sides of the battlefield.

I hope you all have a very fun, relaxing, and enjoyable Mother’s Day. May no mother wash a single dish or fold a single piece of laundry on this day…

So I signed up for another 5k!  This one is actually before the Bele Chere 5k and it’s closer to home.  I’m going to be running in the Susan G. Komen Recreational Run/Walk 5k.  I thought it would be perfect to do a recreational 5k for my first one to kinda get my feet wet the first time and see what it’s like (plus it’s at 9:00am versus 7:00am, ha!). 

This race is on June 14th and I am fairly confident that I should be able to run the entire thing, which is really saying something for this girl!  It’s really awesome to be doing these 5k’s and it’s even better knowing that I am supporting such a worthy cause like breast cancer research. 

I recently did my first run outside in the real world, away from the comfy confines of my treadmill… and boy is it different!  I couldn’t believe the differences between the two!  Now, I’ve only done one outdoors run so far (and this was just around my neighborhood) so my perceptions will likely change over time but here are the differences I noticed right away.

First, my breathing is loud!  I got up super early and was out the door at 6:00am.  It was very calm and peaceful outside.  That is, until I started running!  All I could hear was the sound of my own breathing!  Apparently the loud drone of my treadmill had conveniently blocked it out for me at home.  I was seriously thinking, my goodness, I am going to wake up everyone in the neighborhood!  Does anybody else notice this?!  (Note to self: Learn to breath quieter!)

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