Throw it out the window!

You all are too good to me :) No seriously, thank you for the comments yesterday, it reminded me that it would just be SILLY to be upset about 2 pounds when I've come so far!

Yesterday ended up being a wonderful, yet simple birthday for me.

I have started a bit of a tradition with my in laws to eat "green pancakes" on my birthday morning. I was SO looking forward to it this year because my mother in laws pancakes are seriously YUMMY. With as many kids as my mother in law has, at their house, they cook like a restaurant:

Here is my plate. Green pancakes, green syrup, green sprinkles. These pancakes literally melt.in.your.mouth! Mmmmmm

Here is my smallest brother in law enjoying his pancakes too!
Then the kids had a bit of fun with the cookie cutters and decided to make me a plate:
The K and N stands for Kellen and Nicole- the duck is our dog (apparently they had no dog cookie cutter...) lol

It was fun!

I went on a short run with my sis in law after that and then went and got ready for the day. I had to rock the new shamrock shirt my Mom got me for my birthday:
Guess what I got for my birthday!?!
A heart rate monitor!
I'm so excited! I can finally have an accurate idea of what my calorie burn is!
I'll be writing a review on this guy in the next couple of weeks.

WASTE NOT....

So....now to the title of my post!

Last night Kellen wanted to take me to get ice cream for my birthday. Where? McDonald's. Yeah, I know, real fancy...thanks babe! Anyway, I didn't really want to eat more calories...but alas- I ended up ordering a dipped cone.

We were driving on the way home and eating. I decided that I was done. I had eaten a significant amount of the chocolate and I didn't want anymore. The problem was...it was melting...fast! So I had one of two options: eat it, OR....throw it out the window!

*Now before all you environmentalists get on me, a cone and ice cream is completely biodegradable, so no worries.

So....I chucked it!

Now you may be wondering why I am telling you this story. Well I am happy to say that I saw that little incident as a bit of an NSV. I have a SERIOUS PROBLEM with wasting food. I am the girl that eats the leftovers off someone else's plate because I hate seeing food go to waste. (anyone else have this problem!?)

When I say I have this problem...it's honestly quite extreme. I have put extremely odd combination of food together for dinners and such just so I can use the ingredients in our cupboard. It is not unusual for me to go WEEKS without groceries because I want to use up what we already have. Kellen even likes to tell people about the time I sent a ziplock bag of marshmallows in his lunch for him to eat because we weren't eating them at home and I didn't want them to go to waste!

Well last night I conquered that little fear. I told myself it was OK to throw something away and save myself from 100's of useless calories.

It's My Party...and I can cry if I want too?!?

Hey everyone! Happy Birthday to me (hehe).

Well today was going to be my "special" birthday weigh in day because I had hoped to have my goal of 30 pounds reached by today!

Did I do it?

NOPE!

Am I crying? (I can, it is my party!)

Nope!
Ok, in all seriousness, I am actually up .5 of a pound since Monday. I have lost a total of 28 pounds, not 30.

Before I opened this page up to write this post I was kind of embarrassed. I really didn't want to have to log on here and tell you all I didn't accomplish my goal. But guess what?

I'm over it.

First of all, I'm happy to show you all that I am a REAL person that has REAL downfalls. The last week is one of them. Sure, it's ok to splurge once or twice "in honor of your birthday." But let's just say having your birthday does not constitute an entire week of eating with reckless abandonment!

I fell off the wagon. I did. That is the only reason for a gain. Could I have made it to 30 pounds loss by today? Maybe...maybe not. But you know what? WHO CARES!

I have learned through this little experiment that I am no longer putting a "goal" date to lose by. Why? Because for me, a goal date does not make me "more motivated." It just makes me feel pressured. When I know that no dates come into the equation, I can accept that everything I put into my mouth is a choice for the rest of my life...not for the next couple of weeks/months until I reach some specific number on the scale.

SO! That's why I'm happy right now, despite what the scale told me this morning. I WILL splurge and I WILL fall of the wagon, but, DARN IT, I WILL get back up!

I like to think of myself as a positive person. So let's focus on something that makes a smile cross my face:

One year ago today, I turned 21 years old.

I weighed more than I ever had before. Probably at least 25 pounds more than today. The most exercise I did was walk 10 minutes with a friend on a lunch break.
I was out of breath going up the stairs at my own apartment!
I dreamed of being in shape but thought it could never happen.
Me in May 2009 (on left)

Today.

I weigh very similar to what I did when I was 18.
I can run farther than EVER in my life.
I am the best shape I've ever been.
I've changed the way I live my life.
Me in February 2010

So here's to the rest of my life- it's going to be a healthy one!
ps- better comparison pics coming when I can get to my own computer...