The Dirty Thirty

30 is:

• The atomic number of zinc
• The number of days in the months April, June, September and November
• The minimum age for United States senators
• The code for international phone calls to Greece
• slang for pornography (XXX)
• The number of pieces of silver Judas betrayed Jesus for (Matthew 26:15)
• The number of beers in a dirty thirty pack of Keystone Light Beer

30 is the number of pounds removed from my body (as of today)! BAM!!

Today I weighed in...-1.8 lbs. So, NO eviction notice for me today from ONEderland. So I called the guy I frequently go to the movies and eat out with to tell him of my glorious news, and during our conversation I said the funniest thing (well it was funny too me):

Guy I Frequently Go Out With (GIFGOW): Oh, so you're up now (I called him around 6AM this morning as I laid down to go to sleep. Yes, I went to bed at or around 6 AM this morn....that's a whole "nother" story.)

Me: Yes. You know I weigh in on Saturdays, so I had to get up to weigh in before 12 PM.

GIFGOW: *Silence*

Me: *Silence*

Me: *Silence*

Me: (Waiting for him to ask how much I lost..) *Extended Silence and crickets chirping in the distance*

Me: *Sarcastically* YEAH! I LOST WEIGHT THANKS FOR ASKING!

GIGFOW: I was going to ask...(I cut him off.)

Me: WHEN???!!! Whatever man...I NEED A cheerLEADER not a cheerHATER! (That was the funny thing I said).

That conversation reminded me of my haters post from a few weeks ago, which brings me to my point. I am doing THIS for ME and his approval is not needed nor required!! Man, he is so on the "kick-yo-azz-to-da-curb list" and he doesn't even know it! Bye bye Hater...see you later.

So, back to the whole going to sleep at 6 AM. Well I can show you better than I can tell you:

The right side of the table:

The bane of my existence: "The Research Proposal"

The left side of the table:

After I take the final exam today or sometime tomorrow...FINITO BABY!

ARRIVEDERCI, 再見, AU REVOIR, היי שלום , ADIÓS, ДО СВИДАНИЯ, さようなら, GOODBYE STATISTICS FOREVER (or until I start working on my PH.D...???)!

Spicing things UP!

First and foremost, THANKS everybody for the many ONEderland comments!! I appreciate ALL the support and encouragement!!

Okay so last week I went to the grocery and paid dang near $2, 000 for some curry...not really. I paid around $3. 90 something, which I thought was a lot for a teeny tiny bottle of seasoning. So yesterday, I decided to make In-A-Hurry-Curry Couscous. I walked to the pantry, looked inside, and NO curry???????? I probably threw the teeny tiny bottle in the trash on accident while unpacking the groceries...another unsolved mystery.

Anyway I told TJ about the $2,000,000 curry and she offered the following suggestion . Well, I can show you better than I can tell ya. Pictured from top to bottom:Ground Paprika, Curry Powder, Ground Tumeric Root, and Garam Masala Blend.

Instead of buying jars of seasoning or spices, I purchased these spices by the pound...a novel idea for someone wanting to try new spices. I paid no more than 14¢ per bag. So now I'm about to spice things up!

Speaking of spicing things up....My cookbooks finally arrived:

THANKS MOM FOR BUYING THE COOK BOOKS!
(Did I leave the mandolin at your house?)

Now, I own 3 cookbooks, so it's ON and popping in MY kitchen! Can I get a whoop whoop? WHOOP WHOOP!!

FYI
On and popping: referring to something that's going to be fun and/or crazy, OR referring to something that's going to occur.
Can I get a whoop whoop?!: Can be interchanged with...Can I get a Hell Yeah!!? Self explanatory.

I love the show Cook Yourself Thin which inspired the cookbook. So far my magical hands have created the Portabella Tuna Melts and the French Toast Sundaes from Cook Yourself Thin.

I think I may host a give-a-way sometime in the near future featuring one of my new cookbooks. Huh...that sounds like a marvelous idea.

Trina in ONEderland!!

So long TWOterville!!!! Move over Alice there's a new sheriff in town, well in ONEderland. That's right folks I FINALLY arrived...FINALLY! BUT, I must admit I barely made it, so that means I MUST work EXTRA hard this week to stay. I DO NOT plan on getting evicted from ONEderland. GAME ON...AGAIN!

Hey, do you know what time it? I DO.....IT'S ROBOT VICTORY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!

My other favorite victory dance... the Ice Cream & Cake from the Baskin Robbins' commercial. Every time the commercial airs everyone runs into the living room to do the ice cream & cake dance.

The commercial

Special Ops. Mission #1: What's standing in my way?

That's right.....ME!

I believe I unintentionally stand in the way of my weight loss success. My weight loss endeavor focuses on learning to change...PERMANENTLY CHANGE...my bad behaviors. And throughout this process of change, I tend to get in the way of ME with negative self-talk. When the negative self-talk takes over I ask myself:

"If you talked to your friends the way you talk to yourself, how many friends would you have?"

I recently wrote a post on negative self talk...check it out. In short, one negative thought snowballs into an avalanche of negative thoughts which leads to the bad behavior that landed me here in this predicament. Sooooo...to combat those destructive thoughts I do the following:

1. Look in the mirror.
2. Smile.
3. Say something positive.
   

I devoted a week's worth of post to completing the above mentioned exercise daily. Try it!

I realized two basic choices exist:

1. I can sit here and whine like a little biyotch about being fat and do nothing (I know that sounds harsh)!
2. OR I can CHANGE and do something about it.

DAYUM THE ELECTRICITY JUST WENT OUT...OKAY IT'S BACK. I lost my train of thought!

O yeah...I choose option #2. I CHOOSE TO:

• generate the power within myself to turn my intentions into reality AND make the CHANGES I want in MY LIFE!
  
  
• Be proactive and not wait for things to happen...MAKE THEM HAPPEN!!!

• BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL, I HAVE THE POWER (Who remembers He-Man and the Masters of the Universe...the origin of this quote?)! I refuse to relinquish my power! No one can make me feel bad about myself unless I give up MY POWER.
  

For continued success I must continuously determine what I must do MORE of or LESS of or DIFFERENTLY to create a different outcome. I must go now, but I leave you with this:

"CHANGE will NOT occur until the PAIN of staying the way we are exceeds the PAIN OF CHANGE."~Churchill

Operation Fat Blaster: 5K Kommando

Long time no blog. Lots and lots of blog post ideas fill my brain on a daily basis and the challenge I face...determine which posts see the light of day. In the mean time I jot down my ideas on the nearest available piece of paper. Once the summers semester ends, I plan to blog daily UNTIL I return to work sometime in August. I guess you could say I'm back blogged...like back logged...never mind.

My kids MADE me play Harry Potter SCENE IT! twice last night into the wee hours of the morning. So now, like my gas tank, I sit here running on fumes. Just kidding...my gas tank stays full during this time of year due to Hurricane season.

So I joined OPERATION FAT BLASTER (OFB) last week! Curios????? Michelle over at Secrets of a Former Fat Girl faces the challenge of losing her last 45 pounds, so she created Operation Fat Blaster (OFB). For more information or to join click the OFB link or the OFB box located in my sidebar.


My reason for joining OFB...I plan to run my first 5K in October, The Susan B. Koman Race for the Cure. Just call me the 5K Kommando.* With the help and support of the OFB members, I plan to set goals, as well as follow through with these goals to help prepare for for my first 5K run. So far I find the support beneficial to my weight loss and 5K endeavor. I just hope I stick with it...by it I mean OFB.

Why did I join you ask? No rules. Like Michelle said, "The more rules there are, the more likely I'm not going to follow them."Michelle went on to say that you know what works for you and the bottom line: THIS IS YOUR CHALLENGE, YOUR LIFE, YOUR RULES!

Real quick my goals at a glance:

Nutrition:

• No grains at dinner.


• Increase water intake.


• Eat out 2 monthly and kids eat out once a week (2 out of 4 a healthy choice, which they make on their own. They love Schlotsky's)


• Try new products weekly.


• Try new recipe weekly.

Exercise:

• Bottom line: 5 to 6 times weekly.


• Muscle confusion weekly


• Weights at least 3 times a week


• Continue and COMPLETE Couch to 5K (C25K)

Take care of me:

• GO TO BED AT A DECENT TIME! I need to figure out what decent means. Perhaps 10:00 PM or maybe 10:30 PM.


• Massage once a month.


• Pedi once a month(I would prefer twice monthly...dayum recession)


• Mani once a month (Again, I would prefer twice a month but......)

OOOOOOOOO...I forgot to mention each week you must complete a Special Ops. mission. This week I needed to determine what 1 thing or things stand in the way of my weight loss success. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post to discover my one thing.

*Side note: I know how to spell commando...C and not a K. I enjoy a little play of words every now and then.

Damn, Daamn, Daaamn (...remember that Good Times episode)!

Damn, Daamn, Daaamn, described my sentiments exactly at yesterday's weigh in. Well, first let me preface by saying (or writing) I experienced a loss of 1.4, but that's not the point. Once again, ONDERLAND still evades me! Curses, foiled AGAIN! Last week I lost .6 and weighed in at 201.4. So do the math...this week I lost 1.4 and weighed in at 200 ON THE DOT! I wanted to drop kick the scale through the window. I hear you saying, "BUT IT'S A LOSS! YOU LOST!" I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know I lost, but my small goal this week....weigh in under 200 pounds.

This week, GAME ON and I already purchased a one-way ticket to ONEDERLAND! O and you best believe that scale WILL show me what I want to see or it will be flying through the WW window followed by a few chairs. GAME ON! So what am going to do different to ensure success:

• Last week I stopped eating grains (pasta, bread, etc.) with dinner. So, I plan to continue eating protein and veggies for dinner.
• Up water consumption. I drink the required amounts of water daily. So, I plan to add an additional 2 cups each day. As an example, Sunday drink 10-8oz. glasses, Monday 12-8oz. glasses, Tuesday 14-8oz glasses, etc.
• Continue Couch to 5K (C25K) by repeating week 2 ON PAVEMENT 3 days this week. On off days, Biggest Loser (BL) Cardio Max and BL Power Sculpt.

Off Topic
So yesterday I re-realized TIMES ARE HARD! What made me come to that realization? A month and a half has lapsed since my last pedicure. Some people receive pedicures as weight loss rewards, not me. Pedicures for me represent bi-monthly me time (not anymore...recession). My pedicure spot rocks and the whole process takes around an hour to complete...yes for a pedicure. Most pedicure places operate on quantity vs. quality, not my spot.

So...yesterday I looked down at my toes, now closely resembling talons and decided things had gone to far.

In addition to the talons, my eyebrows resembled that of:

Yes, Bert from Sesame Street.

I am happy to report that Pro Vogue Nails took care of my talons and monobrow, and I can now rejoin society and roam freely with flip-flops on my feet.

O...since your here, check out Hater-Aid: #1 Drink of Haters.

HATER-AID: #1 Drink of Haters!

Hater: Someone who makes themselves feel good by knocking others down. Haters fail to recognize the accomplishment of others. Put simply, haters will not be happy for you.

An example of conversing with a hater:
Mimi: Every since the promotion, Martin has stepped up his wardrobe.
Lisa (hater): If he's stepped up his wardrobe then why does he still wear that 1985 Member's Only jacket?

Hater-Aid: The drink of haters.
Used in a sentence:
Dang, why are you hating on Martin? Have you been drinking hater-aid?

Unfortunately haters live among us. Some work with us. They arrive at work with their boxes of kolaches and donuts coercing us to gobble them up. "Go ahead....eat one. You can eat just one." I call them THE PUSHERS. Drug dealers more like it...pushing my drug of choice...FOOD! The pushers push and push and push and push until you cave. AND THEY KNOW...they know your trying your bestest (not a real word, but it is now) to lead a healthy lifestyle. They know. In my opinion haters thrive on your failure. In the mind of a hater your failure confirms what they think they know about you...that you will fail to succeed at losing weight.

At my previous job (Head Start, no names), my colleagues sometimes made comments dripping with sarcasm, "Oh look at you eating all healthy. Hmmm...good for you. Whatever hater! I so badly wanted to respond, "The grocery store sells healthy food to everyone, not just me." Fortunately the ladies at my current job respect my weight loss efforts and offer food just once. AND A few of them provide encouragement and cheer me on...THANKS LADIES! But for those of you, not so fortunate I offer a few ways to avoid the THE PUSHERS a.k.a workplace HATERS:

• Bring snacks or store snacks at work in case of hater emergencies.
• Lead by example...bring healthy alternatives for breakfast like bagels from Einstein Bros. (yummers!)
• STAY OUT OF THE LOUNGE or whatever "corner" the pushers hang out on.
• Eat a hearty breakfast.

The same rules apply for potlucks:

• Bring your own lunch and only serve yourself the healthier potluck options: fruit, salad, low-fat dishes, etc.
• Lead by example..bring a healthy dish to the potluck and only eat your food and some of the healthier options.

• STAY OUT OF THE LOUNGE!

Refrain from falling victim to haters at work. Simply tell them no and keep it moving. If they can't take no for an answer then simply high-five their face with your hand. Keep in mind, not all pushers at work are haters. Just explain to unintentional pushers that you tend to move in a healthier direction when making food choices.

Now, the next type of hater (the most devastating type of hater) which I tend to lump into one category...THE FRIENDS AND FAMILY HATER! I deemed this hater the most devastating BECAUSE you expect friends and family to support whatever decisions you make regarding your healthy lifestyle changes. Sometimes your friends and family take on the role of the saboteur by making you feel bad about wanting to better your life and by discrediting weight loss progress made. O...you can count on them all right...you can count on them to point out ALL of the mistakes your making during your weight loss endeavor. Fortunately I have an awesome support system composed of my MOM and the SC (shout out to the Sista Circle). You know your friends and family better than I do, but when faced with a FRIENDS AND FAMILY HATER I offer the following advice:

• You can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends. I've HAD friends who made me feel like I needed to hide my successes. The operative word in the previous sentence ...HAD!
  
  
• Try to refrain from forcing your new lifestyle on other people. This is a hard one. I enjoy sharing new products, successes, tips and recipes. Just make sure you share with people who ummm actually care. I decided a "safe" place to talk about my journey is here in this blogosphere chocked full of encouragement!
  
  
• DO NOT RELINQUISH YOUR POWER TO HATERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Haters can't make you feel bad about yourself UNLESS you give them the power...YOUR POWER!
  

Well, I decided to STOP handing over my power to haters, and I resigned to stop associating with them as well. Hanging out with haters produces too much negative energy. I rather surround myself with positivity and enjoy life's little moments like the intellectual conversation my boy's and engaged in regarding the age of SpongeBob SquarePants . As a homeowner of a 2 story pineapple, and a Krusty Krab employee, I guessed SpongeBob's age to be around 23...give or take. What do you think?

In closing...I leave you with this:

BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL PERSON IS A PACK OF HATERS!

How do you deal with the haters in your life?

TAGGED! YOU'RE NEXT!

Halleluyer, class ended early! Despite the dismal subject (research design & analysis), the professor keeps the class in stitches with his quick wit.

SO...TJ at TJ's Test Kitchen chose me to share my ONE WORD Answers with you. TJ's blog inspires me to try exciting new foods and recipes...CHECK IT OUT!

Here’s how it works: USE ONLY ONE WORD! It’s not as easy as you might think. Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It’s really hard to use only one-word answers. I love a challenge so heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere goes:

1. Where is your cell phone?BRA
2. Your hair? TANGLED
3. Your mother? FIT
4. Your father? DONOR
5. Your favorite food? ALL
6. Your dream last night? SPOOKTACULAR
7. Your favorite drink? HOTSCOTCH
8. Your dream/goal? PH.D
9. What room are you in? DINING
10. Your hobby? PARENTING
11. Your fear? FATNESS
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? RUNWAY
13. Where were you last night?HIDING
14. Something that you aren’t? MALE
15. Muffins? YES!!!!!!
16. Wish list item? HUSBAND
17. Where did you grow up? FRIENDSWOOD
18. Last thing you did? ROBOT
19. What are you wearing? EARPHONES
20. Your TV? ON
21. Your pets? KIDS
22. Friends? SUPPORTIVE
23. Your life? INSANE
24. Your mood? CANTANKEROUS
25. Missing someone?NO
26. Vehicle? DIRTY
27. Something you’re not wearing? SMILE
28. Your favorite store? UNDECIDED
29. Your favorite color? PINK
30. When was the last time you laughed? NOW
31. Last time you cried? YESTERDAY
32. Your best friend? DEPENDABLE
33. One place that I go to over and over? INSANE
34. One person who emails me regularly? REIKO
35. Favorite place to eat? EVERYWHERE

I'm supposed to pick a few peeps to complete the ONE WORD answers, but everyone is welcome to join in the fun:

Marisa at Trim the Fat
Reiko at GOD'S FAVORITE SHOES
Laura at Hey what's for dinner Mom?
Jen at Prior Fat Girl
EbonyRenee at Project Hot Mommy
Stormy at Wonder Woman

Double Barrel Slingshot: Mission Monday!

I dubbed last Monday Make Me Laugh Monday. This Monday...Mission Monday! My mission if I choose to accept it...find a high quality supportive sports bra or double barrel slingshot according to my children. When I think about the many sports bras I purchased in the past, I might as well drive down the street while throwing money out the window.

Since I decided to run the Susan B. Koman 5K in October, the girls NEED support. Anyone with information on where to find a supportive sports bra...PLEASE SHARE! Until then I shall push forth on my quest to find the ultimate double barrel slingshot!

Clean Up in Aisle #5!

As I Tokyo drifted (reference from the movie Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift) through the a sea of tables displaying decadent pastries at HEB, I lost control of my grocery cart and careened into a table knocking three angel food cakes to the floor. I thought to myself, "Self. Where's the camera? Where's the camera?"

Me So Hongryism #1: ALWAYS carry your camera (and I usually carry my camera in my purse)!

I thought about a hit and run, but as the cakes hit the floor many shoppers directed their attention towards me. Before I could flee the scene of the crime an HEB employee came running and shouted, "Don't worry. I got it." I smile, thanked him, and swiftly rolled away.

As I continued to shop, bizarre BOGO sales (Buy One Get One Free) commanded my attention. I wondered aloud, "Who decides what products to feature for BOGO offers? " Actually I said, "Who puts this crap together (hopefully no one heard me talking to myself)?" Anywho...how bout an example to illustrate my point: buy one HEB creamy creations churn style ice cream and receive an HEB dip and bag of kettle chips for free. Okay the chips and dip compliment each other, but the ice cream? How about buy one HEB brand ice cream and receive a bottle of chocolate syrup and whipped topping for free?

Unfortunately tonight, I fell victim to the Combo Loco Deal: buy one rotisserie chicken and receive a box of HEB creamy shells and 1 liter of Dr. Pepper for free. Call me loco for purchasing the processed, sodium and sugar laden combo. They don't call it the Combo Loco for nothing. Why you ask would I commit such a cardinal sin? LACK OF TIME! Writing that stupid introduction to my research proposal sucked up all of my time this weekend. I spent 3 hours in the library Saturday, stayed up until 12:30 AM writing, and spent the majority of today finishing and polishing my intro. Oh...and my Mom and I went shopping. I considered the shopping excursion a treat after the many torturous hours spent reading educational journals.

So my weekend time constraints started my wheels a turning. If I'm worried about time constraints now,what about next month when I return to work, another semester of school, and the Duke boys (yes as in Bo and Luke Duke) return to school as well? One thing is for sure, I NEED A PLAN...A plan that excludes Combo Loco deals. So far my plan consists of the following:

• Plan a weekly menu (not a habit yet, but working on it)
  
• Cook breakfast on Sunday for Monday-Wednesday and then Wednesday cook breakfast for Thursday and Friday
• Grocery shop on Saturday after WW
• On Saturday cut up and wash produce (e.g. lettuce) for convenience.
• On Saturday or Sunday cook 2 or 3 freezer friendly meals for lunch.
• At night make a to-do list for the following day.
• Plan meals ahead of time so that I can track ahead of time as well.
  
• Plan
• Plan
• Plan
• Plan
• Workout in the evening???
  
• Cooking everyday ain't gonna happen...institute a sandwich night and/or a TV dinner night
• I grant my kids 2 eat out days a month if I plan accordingly
• Keep with our tradition of Brinner...breakfast+dinner=brinner. For some reason breakfast is fun, quick, and easy to cook.
  

The beginnings of my plan sound great, but easier said than done.