Skinny friends....even skinnier??!

So one of the things that has really amazed me over the past couple of years are that my friends are shrinking. You know how they say that most people gain weight after high school and college and you end up not seeing them for a couple years and then you do and you think in your mind "wow, they've gained weight." (yes we all do this, it is unfortunate human nature). Well I have to say....quite the opposite has happened with me. It seems like every time a friend I haven't seen in a while posts a picture on facebook, or I see them in person, they have shrunk!! Honestly, I can't even tell you the amount of girls I've gone to high school and college with that are now way skinnier than before. The most frustrating thing about it is that most of these girls were "average" to begin with. Now I'm not jumping to any kind of conclusion other than that they have just been working out and exercising. But still feelings rage inside my selfish head that say things like "Why them?! They already looked good before! It must be easier for them than it is for me. Life is unfair!!"

To be honest, these feelings have really just gotten me down lately. I know that I've lost almost 25 pounds, but seeing these girls that already looked great and now they look even better presents a kind of knife in the wound feeling. Ever heard of the saying "God, if you can't make me skinny, at least make all my friends fat?" Well that's how I'm feeling right. A big pity party and I think I just need to snap out of it and stop feeling sorry for myself.

Why, God, Why?!?!?!

Goggles & Cookies

How do I look?Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Pure hotness right?

Yes that's right I picked me up some swimming goggles this weekend and a new bathing suit. I tested out the swimming pool again today.

OH MAN. I can't last longer than 20 minutes there. And it's like 4 dollars a swim. Is it worth it? I'm struggling with this right now!! It's such a good workout but 4 dollars for 20 minutes just seems ridiculous!

I AM however super pumped as I am participating in Tiff's I Am Worth More Challenge!! Here's a sneak peek at one of my sticky notes:

That is a big accomplishment (in my eyes). Anything chocolate I just have such a hard time saying no to!!

Well it's a gorgeous day and I'm going to go take advantage of it by walking to work. Hope you guys make it a good one!

Dog Obesity: A Serious Epidemic.

Ok, so I'm hoping you all didn't actually take me too seriously yesterday when I said I was going to be talking about the rise of dog obesity in America. While I DO think it is just cruel to not exercise your pup and let them get overweight, I don't have too much knowledge or statistics on the subject....so sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to pertinent information! haha.

I WAS however, prompted to write about this when I saw this at wal mart yesterday:

Yes. Yes. That's right. Dog weight loss pills. Right next to the stool eating preventative (YUK!). Ummm....apparently they worked SO WELL on us humans, they just HAD to make them for dogs too!! (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice)

.....I am speechless.

Either way, this pup is going to STAY skinny while she works out with her vanishing mommy:

Trick Your Man Tuesday's: Streching the Eating Comfort Zone

Well I'm remixing Trick Your Man Tuesday's this week because, well, frankly I couldn't think of anything to "trick" my man with this week. I did however, make him a little uncomfortable by forcing him to step out of his eating comfort zone. What do I mean by this you say?!

Eating with your hands.

That's right folks, my big buff, 6'3" manly man (can you tell i think he's a hunk :0) ) took part in a new tradition at our house this week:

Thai Lettuce Wraps
(click on link to get recipe!!)

My adventure on Friday night took me to the grocery store, where I went well equipped with my color-coded grocery list in hand:(no I'm not really this crazy all the time...I was bored!)

I finally made it out of the store alive--and headed back to the house to begin the amazing meal:
Double chin you will always remain my cursed enemy!!

I chopped...and I chopped...and I chopped. There was quite a bit of work in this meal. Definitely not a quickie....but what a dish it turned out to be!And it just so happens our lovely friends came to join us. Check us all out ready to feast!!And here's the hubby...hands on ready for this wrap experience!! (please excuse the tongue and my crazy eyes)
I have to say, he did well. And its kind of nice to have a clear conscious this week...no tricking involved!! ;)

Make sure to stay tuned tomorrow as I tackle a rising crisis in America: Dog Obesity.

Weigh In Week 15: Valentine's- One FUN Blunder

Valentine's day. When Kellen and I woke up yesterday we had vowed to swear off valentine's day this year. Why? Because we figured: why do we need a day to show each other we love each other? Why not do that every day?

Now, of course in my deepest darkest secrets I was so hoping he would reveal a dozen roses and a box of chocolate he had hidden under the bed. No such luck. Apparently he took our "let's not make valentine's day a big day" seriously. OH MAN....he has some years to learn I guess :)

However, that didn't mean we weren't going to spend some quality time together! We ended up heading out mid morning and going for a short hike in a nearby town. Have I mentioned to you all that I have made a pact with myself to explore as much as I can of the nearby towns I live close to this year?

The hike was ok, but mostly it was just good to spend time with him. For lunch we headed to the grocery store and picked up some ingredients to make his favorite: paninis. Here is where the diet demise of the day began.

Check out this sandwich:Turkey.Brie.Tomato.Spinach

So Good. Could I have chosen to eat only half? Yes. Did I? No. :) But it was definitely one of those choices that I didn't feel like I had wasted my calories. This thing was perfect!

After lunch we set out to get our bike tires filled and went on a short ride, until it started pouring down rain!! It was actually kind of fun riding in the rain and when we got back I was soaked.

That night we went over to our friends Jared and Olivia's house. The men made a GOURMET dinner while Olivia and I did "girl stuff" including playing for quite a while with her MAC photobooth:
Then dinner was served. OK guys, this is where the amazingness comes out:Chicken with blackberry butter sauce, risotto cakes and broccolini (must say with Italian accent)! Heaven on a plate!

To top that off, the guys even made us homemade eclairs!! What studs!!
After dinner Kellen and I got a chance to snap some pics of us two:Say Cheese! Ah. What a fun day :)

Oh.....now you are wondering about the weigh in huh?!?

Well first of all I just have to say that whoever invented superbowl sunday and valentines day to be within one week of each other this year....I CURSE YOU!

Also, his name is probably TOM, because that's a factor in this game too.

But I can't be toooooo angry because....I lost a pound this week. That's a total of 23.5 pounds! I am so close to seeing a brand new weight decade! Next week will be the week.

I want to HOLLER OUT to my girl Tiff @ Project 365--last week she left me a comment on my weigh in day that said "Make that scale show you what you want." WOW. So simple. So true. This saying has been echoooooing in my head all week, Tiff, and you were like my little weight loss angel sitting on my shoulder!! hehe. She is such an inspiration and if you haven't checked out her blog yet you are missing out!

Hope you all had a wonderful valentine's day, no matter if you protested against it (like us!) or accepted chocolate and flowers with open arms.... ;)

YAM-bam-THANK-YOU-MAAM'!

Yesterday was a lazy day for the two of us.

A day doing nothing is pretty much a slice of heaven for me in this whilrwind called life. I got to try out a couple of new recipes that I have really wanting to try.

For dinner I decided to go with a Chicken Strips and French Fries theme- Nicole style- This included chicken made from my Weight Watcher's Book called "Southern Oven Fried Chicken."
The recipe essentially calls for fat free buttermilk to dip the chicken in, and then a mixture of flour, crushed up corn cereal, and salt. Dip the chicken "bits" (cut up chicken breast) in the buttermilk and coat with the flour mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flip and bake for another 10 or so. That's it. SUPER simple and delicious. I've been making this one for a WHILE, as you can see:I also decided to venture down sweet-potato-fry alley. However, with my SMALL brain and even smaller knowledge of sweet potatoes, I accidentally picked up YAMS!! Oh well, it worked
out great anyway and the hubby actually LOVED this recipe!! (Olive Oil and Johnny's Seasoning (I'll be posting about this seasoning more soon--heavenly!). Then just bake these bad boys along with the chicken (keep a close eye on them as they cook faster).

I also added in some yummy asparagus to top it off. YUMALICOUS!
And just for kicks, here is where my pup likes to sleep during dinner time:
Stay tuned tomorrow for my WEIGH IN post and a valentine's day special!! :)

Couch to 5k: DOMINATED

Yes, that's right folks, today I completed C25k week 9, day three.

C25k....completed....BOO YAH!

Here I am after today's run:
Yes, I get REALLY pink when I work out!

And my trusty running buddy:She's been sleeping ever since :)

Oh man, you don't even know how excited I am that I finished the program. I am now running a STRONG 30 minutes straight (the program is based on time, not distance) But mainly I think this is because they assume you will complete 5 kilometers in 30 minutes...well... I'm not quite there yet!

But here's the thing....THAT'S OK! You know why? Because I now know that I CAN and WILL complete 5 kilometers, no matter the time it takes me. How do I know this? Because I've finally come to realize that running is SO much more a mental game than a physical one.

I'm not suggesting anyone starting out just go out there and try to run 3 miles all by their will power. Of course you need to ease your body into it one run at a time. However, I AM suggesting that once you learn to say no to that little voice in your head that keeps saying things like:

"You can't do this."
"You're too out of shape, give it up."
"You can only make it a couple more seconds, don't try any more."

Whatever that voice may say to you, you CAN learn to control and overcome it. Once you do, each time you run you will know that you can push yourself one more step or one more minute than before.

To celebrate my accomplishment today, I have registered for my first 5k race. It's the St. Patty's Day Dash in Seattle on March 14th. This will hold a special place in my heart, since it just so happens that my birthday is on St. Patty's :) What a great gift to myself, huh?
I have never liked running. And to be completely honest, I don't wake up on my run mornings and think "OH, GOODY! I get to run today!"....I just don't think I will ever be there. But I do know that running has changed my entire life.

There is such joy in being proud of what you have accomplished. I hope and pray that you ALL can feel that joy in yourself, whether it be through running, or just choosing to take a step forward today and do something to better yourself.