Mooooving

So, blogger has been giving me some issues as of late and I am fnially getting around to letting everyone know -

I have relocated my little piece of the internet over to http://simplifyingsam.wordpress.com/

Come join me at my new home?

Good Habits ... One day at a time!

Last week, Mrs. Fatass and I got together and put a call out to our friends and our Zumba Family to get our brains working on our habits outside of the gym.

So how did I do in week one? Not too shabby. Hit my water everyday - and I'd been very slack on that! And ok on eating what I planned. Especially bad on the weekends but now I know where I'm headed and can work on sticking to it!

How about you all?

Also! Don't forget to grab the Zumba app this week and start donating to the Great Calorie Drive!!

Fat People have Knees too!

Well, rejoice! My knee is feeling much better after resting it Thursday - Sunday.  I went back to teaching last night and took it easy enough that I wasn't scared I'd reinjure it right off the bat. Also, it was fun to dial back the intensity and dial up and playing with the class.

However, the saga of my annoyed knee goes on.  It's still a little tender and feels tight when I stretch.  I'm being careful about movement and I'm staying the course with my anti-inflammatory meds for the time being.

I also want to procure a knee brace.  Nothing major, just something to help protect my knee while whatever I angered calms down more.

No such luck!

Apparently, if your knee is better than 17 inches around at the thigh above it, you're kinda SOL when it comes to knee braces.  At least locally and at an affordable price.

It's not so much to ask for support for my ailing knee, is it?

Last night I tried 3 different places looking for something I might be able to make work and the best I could do was wrap my knee in self adhesive athletic tape that slid down about 15 minutes in to class.

Come on first aide companies! Fat people have knees too! Give us some support!

Damnit, knee.

Okay, really. This isn't fair anymore. I start to get results and everything goes wonky. This weekend I'm going to do some picture comparisons and a post on how my body is changing but for the moment the only thing I have to say is -

Why is it that I can be as careful as I can be and still wind up injuring myself ... And not know how I did it.

So, lets go back to Wednesday before last. Class 1 of 3 for the night. I go down in to a squat on C'mon (Catch me by Surprise) and everything is fine. Good form, show modifications, nothing unusual. Top of the squat something feels weird. I back off, don't squat any more for the class. Everything is fine. After the last class of the night my knee was a little sore. I did do 2.5 hours of Zumba. It aches a little on Thursday and then feels fine.

Friday night I was just drained. We had an awesome master class fundraiser and I felt like I was moving through quicksand but my knee didn't hurt.

Saturday it starts hurting again, I got through the event held by my friend Val and it popped on a weird way. Like under my shin. It didn't hurt a lot and I danced on it no problem. Then I did my normal scheduled Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and then Wednesday it all went sideways,

Wednesday morning my knee really hurt. Like REALLY hurt. I medicated and took its very easy on myself on classes but it just didn't feel right. Thursday, I was never more glad to have a night off. By mid day I couldn't concentrate the pain was bad enough. So, sucked it up and went to the doctor.

But not my doctor. Mine is at the ACC tournament.

So, I went to immediate care where the awesome PA cringed through the whole physical exam. The popping noises are truly awful. Truly.

The X-ray showed nothing is broken. I was told to rest and if it was still making those noises and causing this much pain I needed an MRI.

Here I sit, Vicodin in my tummy, trying to figure out what I did wrong. It doesn't make sense. I didn't fall, trip, not out of control on any of my moves. I eat well. I take supplements to protect my joints because I'm so overweight and I know that puts more stress on my joints. So why am I sitting here in pain?

I really hate not having to ability to move freely. Even getting up to go pee is a chore.

I was talking to Sue about how annoyed I am at all of this. Having to cancel classes or find coverage this weekend, not being able to do things I had planned, being stuck in the house because its my right knee and I'm worried about it acting up and causing me to get in an accident and she said "You don't do well with restriction." And it's true!

I'm terrible at being told no. I'm a stubborn woman who will do it just to spite you. Yet, here I sit, trying to behave and thinking of all the ways I can slip around the restriction and still be a good girl. Just on the inside of the line though.

On a sweeter note, friends that I've made through Zumba have been so loving and supportive and awesome through this. I'm overwhelmed by all the care and support.

Hope made me giggle earlier tonight, she texted me and said "Your doctor just doesn't know how many folks sanity he's messing with by not fixing your knee." I laughed and then I felt a bit warm and fuzzy. I'm loved and they miss me already,

And it's totally a two way street. I miss them too! I was dying Thursday night knowing I had a free night and not being able to go to the gym and take Piloxing to switch things up and play with folks there. Ivey and Melissa and Christian were all there for the first time and I would have loved to have been there with them!

I'm super sad about not being able two do my classes this weekend - not just for the exercise but for the fact that I need to move. When I don't work out for more than a day or two I get grumpy. I'm hooked on the endorphins and the social aspect of going to class. I miss my friends. I miss the release. I miss the me time.

Stupid knee!

At least I'll get to catch up on my movie watching more, right? Gotta love a movie marathon weekend!

Being mentored by my mentee.

Today I had an interesting conversation with a high school student I'm mentoring for her senior project.  Not so much for the conversation itself (which was lovely! She's such a sweetie!) but for what I learned about myself.

She was asking me a lot of background questions, stuff about how I got in to Zumba, what I love about it and what I suggested as ways to make her project interesting and unique.

What did I realize?  I have a really hard time talking about ME.  I was verbose and enthusiastic when talking about Zumba - format, science, history and theory of - but the personal stuff?  I stuttered through a lot of that stuff. I kept deflecting to get back to Zumba stuff.

I think one of the reasons I've been so quiet here on the blog is because I've been weirded out talking about me... because right now, I feel "off" still.

I'm researching around my area looking for a therapist. More and more I feel myself spiraling out of control with my eating, suffering with my depression and I'm not okay with it but I'm also not ready to talk about it yet.

I had lunch with Sue the other afternoon and I mentioned that I feel like I've been eating my feelings lately and she asked me why I wasn't working on the feelings... and she's right.  I need to work on that.  A lot.

I'm also gearing up towards doing a whole 30 challenge.  I need to purge my system of all the crap - I've fallen back in with some of my favorite snack foods from my worst days.  That needs to stop.

I'm going to get through the next few days and then this weekend purge the house and shop for the whole 30.  Nothing says I have to start it on the first of the month, right?

Step by step... I'll get there.  Therapy. Detox my body. Keep moving.  I'll get healthy one way or another.

Eating Disorders and Me... and you... and everyone...

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

I drafted three different posts to talk about how important it is that we, as a culture, see the importance of treatment for eating disorders but nothing came out the way I wanted it to.

The fact is, I've dealt with disordered eating my entire life.  My mother likes to tell people that, even as a very young child, I would ask for seconds of meals before even touching my first serving.

I was always "scared" of food, of there not being enough, of how it made me feel or didn't make me feel.  I've never really been okay with food. I'm still not okay with food. I will probably fight with this my entire life.

I've gone through periods of my life where I've restricted, binged, binged and purged, binged again and, from time to time I've eaten like a normal reasonable person. I've also used laxatives and diuretics and appetite suppressants and miracle pills to assist with restricting, binging or purging.

I've had all the labels tossed at me by doctors over the year but I've managed to control it through talk therapy when symptoms became more pronounced.

Lately, I have had to deal with people trying to label me with exercise anorexia due to my extreme teaching loading.  I worry that I'm headed in that direction and I'm working on reconciling that with my other symptoms and I'm talking more about exercise and food with those that are closest to me to try and ensure that I'm being objective about everything.

Eating disorders, like all other mental health issues, are serious and everyone should be informed and open to all the avenues of treatment and recovery.  Be aware of your relationship with food and, if you feel like you need help, there are a myriad of resources out there for you to seek the help you need.

Check out NationalEatingDisorders.org  or nedawareness.org for more information.  Or talk to someone you love.

Screw you, immune system!

I'm sick. AGAIN.  I swear people must think I go around licking door knobs and dirty tissues with the way I am constantly catching one bug or another.

I'm not.  I swear.

I eat a good diet. I exercise. I wash my hands. I don't share food willy nilly.  I drink my water. I take my vitamins.  I do all the good things! I just can't seem to stay healthy.

It's driving me insane.

This time around it's a sinus infection and a generic throat infection. NOT STREP, PRAISE THE LORDS AND LADIES.

I woke up Friday morning and I had a lump in the back of throat, left side only.  My throat was all raw and icky.  I was not happy. Started popping Zicam and taking emergen-c and went about my day.  Through the work day I started to feel grosser but I had things to do. A birthday party to make happen.

I left work a little after 4 and headed on to get the birthday party stuff picked up and set up at the studio.  All done. Party time - I had the first 3 songs of the night.  An 8 minute warmup, one dance song and one fitness song.  I felt like I was going to pass out through all three.  Once I was done, I watched, I took pics and I enjoyed seeing all the love pour down on the Sarah.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, SARAH-BELLA!

I went to bed early Friday night with the knowledge that I had the whole weekend off to rest and get better.  That never happens, but Sue was the logical one and convinced me to cancel my TurboKick class Saturday morning and offered to take my Sunday class in my place.  So from 7:15 Friday through 7:45 Monday I would have nothing to do but just be.  Oh, how I appreciated that.

Because Saturday morning I was SICK.  My face was puffy, my left eye was twitchy, I had no voice and I felt like I was hit by a truck.  I went on to Immediate Care.

At immediate care, I learned something interesting.  My tonsils have grown back! I had them out when I was 22 but apparently they came back. This could explain a lot of my health issues.  This was the root cause of a lot of issues up until they were yanked out.

Anyway - fully occluded left sinus cavity, fluid behind my left ear and pustules behind my tonsils.  NOT STREP but yeah. Sick.  Antibiotics. Go home. Rest.

Yesterday I enjoyed a nice lunch out with folks before diving in to movies and TV watching before an early bed time.

I watched:

1. The Possession
2. Sound of my Voice
3. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
4. Looper
5. Step Up: Revolutions
6. House at the End of the Street.

And tomorrow I will watch: Hotel Transylvania!

I feel well rested and very blessed to have had a weekend to take care of me.  I'm off work tomorrow and am going to rest some more and hopefully I will be back at 100% by the time I go to class tomorrow night.

Lent.

Last year, for Lent, I gave up bread products. I am doing it again this year with an addition - pasta.

But, I am nothing if not an over analyzer and after issues with defining bread last year, I decided to be very specific this year.

So. For the next 40 days and 40 nights I will not be eating:
Sandwich or sub bread
Rolls
Biscuits
Garlic bread or bread sticks
Crackers
Spaghetti or any form of regular pasta
Ravioli

Things that are borderline but allowed:
Wheat wraps or corn quesadillas
Corn based bread like products (I need something other than meat for breakfast! Corn cakes, go!)

I guess what I'm trying to give up is white flour based items. I'm sad about not being able to nom the rest of the perogies that are in my freezer.

But alas.

I'm also adding in a plank a day to my day to day activities and got a friend in on the action.

I'm feeling good about this. Scared, but good.

A humbling experience...

First, let me say thank you to everyone who has reached out to me since my last post with words of caring, compassion and offers of ears and shoulders if they are needed. Every single well wish and offer has reminded me that no matter how alone I feel ... I am loved and I am part of something special. Two something's, actually - the Zumba community and the FitBloggin community.

Much love to you all. <3

So today I was part of a wonderful event that brought me home to the basics of fitness and left me feeling full of joy and contentment.

A while back a student from the YMCA gave my name to a contact with the North Carolina Deaf Blind Association. They wanted to do a Zumba fundraiser for their summer camp this year - I figured we'd do a normal Zumbathon and it'd be awesome. What it became was truly amazing,

Today we did an all day Funky Fun Fitness day. Multiple, concurrent, fitness classes for all ages and levels of fitness. The schedule went like this:

Block 1 - Teleasha did Zumba and I did Zumbatomic.
Block 2 - Val did Zumba while Sue did a chair Zumba Gold class.
Block 3 - Sarah did Zumba while I did Zumbatomic.
Block 4 - Supposed to be a karate demo and class. I wound up teaching Zumba.
Block 5 - I did TurboKick with Brianna taught Yoga.

We started at 9:30 and I finished up at 3:30. Owwwwwwwwwww!

It was amazing. All of the classes were fun and energetic. It was just - incredible. It was also fully, totally and amazingly exhausting. I've been barely functional since getting home.

Tonight I've been trying to chill out, veg out, and turn off. But my head and heart are just out of control. There was just so much love and community in that room today. I even picked up some new sign language! It was just a joy to participate in this event.

I am so honored to have been there, teaching and learning from the Deaf/Blind community. It's rekindled my desire to keep learning how to be a better instructor, to be a better community member, and to learn ASL and Spanish.

When I was younger I picked up a bit from my sister when she was taking classes to be an interpreter and I was getting close to fluent in Spanish in college. Now to dust off one skills and learn more!!!

A confession...

I'm depressed.  It's not all "woah is me" and the "world is ending" depression but I am dealing with a bad round of depression.

Nothing in my life is particularly bad right now.  I just had an amazing weekend with my Trio Fitness family.  Work is mostly good minus some stress about one working relationship. I'm seeing progress in my strength and muscle tone even if my weight isn't moving.  I'm healthy, for the most part.  I have big plans for travel in the next few months.  There's so much good stuff happening.

Life is really quite good.

But I am in a funk I can't snap out of.  I wake up in the morning and I have to spend 15-20 minutes convincing myself to get out of bed.  I grump my way to the car to go to work.  I get work done but I feel empty, and alienated by my coworkers even though I know I'm not.  I even have to psych myself up every day before Zumba class.  I know that once I get there I'm going to feel awesome but the thought going to class even makes me a little bummed.

I just feel ...Dull. Lifeless. Listless.

I called the doc to ask about upping my dosage of Zoloft and he said not until I come in for my next visit and he will likely wind up changing me to a different medicine all together as I'm already on the highest dose. I was hoping to hold off till I go back in March but I think I need to go see him sooner but I feel like I don't want to make a big deal out of having the blues.

I'm taking my B vitamins like a good girl and my D to help with the lack o sunshine this time of year to stave off the seasonal affective disorder.  I'm eating well (most of the time) and still eating comfort foods when I want them.

It just sucks to feel so blah... It's 9 at night and I'm in bed and really sad that I'm not already asleep.  I just want to feel normal again.  

Simply wild...and Simply Gross!

The last 14 days have been full of wild and crazy things.

Let's talk Zumba - on the 12th Trio Fitness did an AWESOME Commit to Fit master class. 90 minutes of Zumba to commit to health and wellness in 2013.  We had instructors come in from around town and everyone got to show off their moves.  It was so great to watch other instructors and learn from their skills!

It was a great event and I loved every second of it.  I love all these ladies... and everyone else there!

So much love.

We are ramping up for the 50 Shades of Sweat master class on February 1st. Big event with the awesome Adriana Carr.

SOOOOO excited! Can't wait.

On the everything else front - I had the unhappy luck to catch the FLU on the heels of the Commit to it event.  That night I started to feel gross.  I checked my temperature at around 8pm. Fever just below 100.

Crap.

Woke up Sunday - fever near 102.

DOUBLE CRAP.  Had to cancel all my classes, find coverage for the YMCA class and then slept until 2:30pm, watched some football and went back to bed.. nearly dead.

Monday morning - 101. CRRRRRRAAAAAAAAP! Stayed home from work.  Slept.  Started to feel better in the late afternoon.  Drove myself insane with mundane things because I knew I wasn't well enough to do anything out of my bed or off the couch.

Gained an addiction to Candy Crush Saga.  Reignited my addiction to Chuzzle and Bejeweled.  Spent a lot of time with My Little Pony.

It sucked.

Tuesday I felt better, went back to work and got back on my workout schedule.  BUT... there was a hiccup Tuesday morning.

Here's where those who are squeamish should stop reading. This part of my homage to Mrs. Fatass and her willingness to share the good, the bad, and the bodily functions...

After being sick... does anyone else CRAVE a hot shower? A long, hot, shower to make all the ick be totally gone from your body?

That's all I wanted. A long, hot, cleansing shower.

That is SO not what happened.

I get in the shower, wash my face and start soaping up my hair and WHAM.

The room went dark, spinning out of control, dry heaving, knees weak, chest pounding.  I may or may not have lost consciousness. BUT, only a little bit.

I stumbled out of the shower after vaguely remembering to get the soap out of my hair, turn the water off about halfway, throw on my robe and stumble to the bed where I collapsed and tried to remember how to breathe and blink and remember that my feet were attached to my legs.

There are pieces of about 10 minutes that were missing.  I know that time is missing because in the process... I pooped in the shower.  All over the shower.  I found this out 20 minutes later when I started to feel better went to turn the shower off.

The fiancee was disgusted and didn't know what to do. He hid from the whole thing.  This proves that the decision to NOT have kids is a smart one.  I cleaned up the shower, got back in to finish my shower, added some bleach to the shower floor and curtain, rinsed it all one more time and got ready for work.

And yes, I went to work and I taught Zumba.  Lesson of that day? Shit happens... don't let it ruin the rest of a perfectly good day.

5 days in and going strong.

2013 is off to a whirlwind start for me! In 5 days I've run/walked a 5k and taught 9 classes - 7 Zumba classes, 1 Sentao and 1 TurboKick class! My very first TurboKick class! How crazy is that!?

Three of those were today, in fact. I started out with an hour of TurboKick, then did an hour of Zumba with Sarah, and ended with an hour of low impact option Zumba at the YMCA. Long morning, but it was worth it!

Now I'm sitting here pondering food for the week. I'm probably going to make veggie trays for lunch this week. Thinking about doing vegetarian baked beans, carrots, peas, and maybe lima beans. Maybe do some days with sweet potatoes instead of baked beans. Just to try something different.

Tomorrow I've got another 3 hour of Zumba day. Sentao, Zumba or Zumbatomic and then my 75 minute class at the YMCA. I love my crazy Sundays!

Today was not the best day for food, I gave in and had three pieces of pizza for dinner. Mindless eating while watching football. Oh well... I'll work it off tomorrow.

Now to keep working on my budget and organizing stuff more. Getting close to feeling comfortable with my finances and my savings goals.

Now if I can just get the boy on board!

Starting 2013 off RIGHT

So, tomorrow is it... the last day of 2012.  I get up, go to work, spend the evening with friends and wake up in a new year.
I may try to stay up and ring in the new year but it would be difficult... I have a 5k to run in the morning.  At 9am.  And it's an hour away. Oof.
Oh well.

Today I went grocery shopping and restocked on all the healthy stuff I need.  Then I made a giant pot of stew in the crock pot to allow me to eat well for lunch the 4 days I work this week.  Then I worked out, and worked on flash cards for AFAA Primary Group Exercise and my TurboKick classes.

I paid bills and worked on my budget.  I updated my calendar.  I got my eyebrows waxed.

I taught an awesome, intense, sweaty hour and fifteen minutes of Zumba.

I ate a delicious dinner and FroYo with my best friends. We watched football and hung out.

I finally feel like I've got things in hand.  I have a plan and I'm working the plan and it's working for me.

In the new year I'm doing a couple of cool things.  First up DietBet!

Roni - who I adore - is doing a DietBet with her readers and the internet at large.  It's awesome! I'm totally stoked. And scared.  12 pounds is a lot for me to lose in a month.  I'm going to do my damnedest though! I WANT TO BE IN THE WINNERS CIRCLE!

Then,  Dani - who is on my long list of newly developed girl crushes from FitBloggin - over at Weight Off My Shoulders is doing a Progress Not Perfection challenge - 8 weeks, track all the things, be accountable to everyone else.  I'm excited about that too. I always do better when I feel like everyone is watching my every move.  This is going to be good for me.

Also, I'm adding in TurboKick. Sentao and Toning classes in to my schedule on a weekly basis now.  I will be getting to use all my certifications/licenses  I'm even hoping to get Hustle back on the schedule in the next month or so.  Just something fun and different to switch things up.

The most important thing is that everything is being done on my terms.  I'm taking control and I'm making decisions and I'm not letting myself be second fiddle to anyone.  Not at work, not in the fitness world, not at home.

One of the biggest lessons for me in 2012 is that I sabotage myself by being too nice and not making waves. I avoid confrontation and am afraid to hurt anyone and that's great, it's who I am and it's part of why people like me... I'm a big old softie...but it also lets me get walked on.  I need to be more forward and honest and forthcoming.  I've been working on it for the last few months and I'm getting more confident in it.

I'm ready to get through tomorrow and wave in 2013 with a smile and a rocking time on my 5k.

What are YOU doing to get 2013 started off on the right foot?

Simplifying Schedule and Fitness Goals

In order to simplify my life in 2013 I have been looking at ways to ensure I don't do silly things like double book myself or schedule classes that overlap by 5 minutes anymore.  Enter - iPlan on my iPad and iPhone.

I looked at a number of different applications on the iPad and iPhone to keep my schedule straight.  I hate just using my Google or Apple basic calendar because they do silly things like import everything from Facebook and it gets cluttered and annoying.  I am no good at keeping up with a physical calendar and, really, I don't need anything else to put in my massive purse.

I really like the sleek look at this calendar app and I like that I can bring in my Google or Facebook events with ease and make the go away just as easily.  It's just a very friendly application.

It's also very pretty!! 

So here's the break down of my January in terms of my workout schedule.

Week 1 - 5k, 5 Zumba Classes, 1 TurboKick class.
Week 2 - 9 Zumba classes, 1 Trio 'Commit to Fit' Master Class
Week 3 - 11 Zumba classes, 1 TurboKick class
Week 4 - 11 Zumba classes, 1 TurboKick Class (1 Turbo and 1 Zumba in Feburary.)

So total? 1 5k, 36 Zumba classes, 3 TurboKick classes and 1 Master Class.

Oh, and one of those Sunday's will actually be replaced with Aqua Zumba training.  As long as there are spots open when I try to register on payday.  So I'll be minus 3 Zumba classes in week 4.

And somewhere in there, I will do other short runs and learn choreography and practice choreography and live my life outside of Zumba and do my full time job.

I am so excited about 2013.  I plan on using all of my speciality licenses.  I'll get Aqua and Gold and I'll use them as often as I can.  I'm hoping to pull Hip Hop Hustle back out too, try it out in some of the new locations to see if it will take off.

I'm going to do my best to balance my load and work smarter, not just more often to share the Trio Fitness love!

Gimmie Fuel...

My mom, brother, and niece and nephews sent me the coolest Christmas present.  A Nike Fuel Band.

You see, a year or so ago when I was looking at various tools for tracking activity I glanced at the Fuel Band but ultimately decided on the BodyBugg (which I love!).  Still, I liked the social aspect of being able to compare and go head to head against people on the Fuel Band and I LOVED the look of the band itself.  I was considering buying one in the next few months - when I reached my next goal.

No need, now! Thanks, Mom!!!

I love this little bangle on my wrist! It's the White Ice band and it's SO PRETTY on my wrist. It looks like jewelry from afar and all techno cool up close.   Then, when I click the button to check on my stats, the colors are so bright and pretty that I'm all OooOoo!

Today is only day 3 with it on and I haven't yet worn it for a normal workout but I love the instant feedback and it's one of the more friendly smartphone interfaces I've dealt with as of yet.  Tomorrow when I go to teach class we shall see how I feel about it.

I really like using it in conjunction with my BodyBugg.  I can't wait to see the comparison between what the two read during my workouts.

I think it's also kind of cool that I got it during a break in my hectic schedule.  This way I know what my Fuel should look like on a typical rest day versus a normal workout day versus my heavy workout days.  I like being able to see the difference.

Food, food and more food.

Needless to say, while I was on vacation and newly off my soft food diet I ate a LOT of food.  Some of it was just stuff I missed while I wasn't allowed to eat it - like a bagel! BUT some of it was stuff I just can't find/get here at home.

Let's start with lunch on day one in DC.

Ben's Chili Bowl.  Located a little off the beaten path in DC this place was SO WORTH the extra walking to get here.  After having walked all of Arlington Cemetery we were HUNGRY and this place delivered with gigantic servings and gigantic taste. 

Ben's Chili Cheese Fries

 Marshall and I split this... we couldn't finish it.  Matt took one for the team and finished these off.  Along side the delicious chili cheese fries I had a chili cheese burger and Marsh had 2 chili dogs.  Everything was delicious, fresh off the grill and so bad for me.  Worth it.

The other great thing about the place?  The sign behind the counter that says People who eat for free: Bill Cosby, President Obama and family.  Everyone else pays.  It made me giggle.  I wish I had gotten a picture of it.

On a slightly healthier note - the three of us hit up a tapas bar called Jaleo's for dinner after we hit the Natural History Museum.

Here's what we ordered:

• Pan tomate - toasted sliced of rustic bread brushed with fresh tomato with fresh cheddar
• Cana de cabra - soft semisweet goat's milk cheese paired with raisin walnut bread and fig jam
• Ensalada rusa - salad of potatoes, imported conserved tuna, and mayo
• Flamenquines - traditional pork meat filled with iberico ham and cheese breaded and deep fried
• Chistorra envuelta en palatable frita - slightly spicy chorizo wrapped in crispy potato
• Patatas bravas - potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and aioli
• Croquetas de pollo - traditional chicken fritters
• Pimientos del piquillo rellenos de queso - seared piquillo peppers filled with goat cheese
• Endibias con queso de cabra y naranjas - endives, goat cheese, oranges and almonds

Endibias con queso de cabra y naranjas, Ensalada rusa, and pimientos del piquillo rellenos de queso

It was all flipping AMAZING.  I mean, damn.  The waitress said to order 3-4 tapas per person in order to ensure everyone was full.  We struggled to get the last two eaten.

My favorites were the cana de cabra, the ensalada rusa, and the flamenquines.  The cana ce cabra was just such an interesting dish.  The cheese was delicious, the fig jam was bold and sweet and the walnut bread was just drool worthy. The ensalada rusa was one I wasn't sure I wanted to try but the combination of the fresh tuna, cold potatoes, peas and the delicious red sauce on top was just mouthwatering.  I would eat just that as a meal it was so good.

As for the flamenquines - holy crapballs.  It was the last dish brought to the table and it was just not fair how tasty it was.  Warm, salty, meaty, the cheese was gooey and the flavors just melded so well.  Honestly, it was worth the 18$ we paid for it.

This was only the second time I've ever done tapas and I'm loving it more and more.  Can't wait to try it again!

On day two of vacation we played our food choices on the traditional side. Starbucks for breakfast, lunch was Potbelly's sandwich shop and dinner was at a Red Robin on the way home.

Potbelly's was a new place for me and I loved everything I ate - a small chicken and cheddar sub on wheat loaded with veggies, a cup of baked potato soup and a bag of PopChips.  I would LOVE to have a Potbelly's here in town! I don't do subs very often but if I had a Jimmy Johns or a Potbelly's I think I would.

Red Robin was a bit of a memory lane moment.  We stopped at the Red Robin near Potomoc Mills.  I spent a good amount of time there with my theater friends during my first 3 years of high school.  I had a delicious burger, we shared onion rings, and I nommed on a hot fudge sundae for dessert.  It was a good stop... and the memories in that place were good too!

As you can tell - I didn't stay on plan very well while on vacation.  I ate all sorts of things I shouldn't have but... it was worth it and I regret nothing.

So now that I'm getting ready to go back to work tomorrow, and I've weighed in, I'm getting back on track by cooking and prepping all of my meals for the work week.  Woohoo!

Vacation!

This past week was my sabbatical week from work.  5 days.  No work.  Ahhhhhh.  Of course, that meant the week before I was working twice as hard to be ready for leaving everything at the office for the week.  I did it though.  I left the office on Friday the 7th and shook it off and went about doing stuff that wasn't work related.

My vacation started off with a day of even harder work.  TurboKick Instructor Training with Mrs. Fatass.  That's right... now not only are we Zumba instructors... we're TurboKick Chicks also!

Now... it was no picnic.  That training was BRUTAL.  Amanda, the instructor, had no mercy and we moved almost constantly for the whole 8 hours.  Ouch! And used arms in a way I am so not used to.  I woke up Sunday and I couldn't lift my arms for all the punching we did.  Totally awesome though.

Sunday was the last Trio Fitness Sunday for the month and we rocked out TurboKick and then I taught Zumba while Sue did Zumbatomic.  Then my 75 minute class at the Y.  Then I wanted to crawl in to a hole and let my arms and legs fall off... and I got to start my real vacation.

Monday was a chill day, prepping for travel and going to pub trivia with the guys.  Awesome times were had.

Then the real fun began.  2 days in the wilds of Washington, DC.

Marshall, Matt and I went to DC and totally did the tourist thing.  First up?  Arlington National Cemetery.

This was not my first trip to Arlington, but I am always shocked at the sheer immensity of it.  The fields of fallen servicemen.  JFK's gravesite and the Tomb of the Unknowns still give me chills.  It's just... moving.  I'm glad we got to go again.

Matt riding the metro for the very first time. He was this adorable the whole time.

After lunch, which we will discuss tomorrow, we did the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.

I laughed at this sign for like an hour.

Then we took a nice walk, had an AMAZING dinner and got ready for day TWO of sight seeing.

From afar at sunset.

 Day Two started with a waking tour of the monuments.

Closer, during the day.

World War II

Lincoln Memorial

 This was a big thing for me.  I walked all of those steps and I didn't stop and I didn't feel like my ankle was going to break.  That felt AWESOME.

Vietnam Memorial

Vietnam Memorial Wall

The White House

 Then it was on to the American History Museum.

Julia Child's kitchen!

KERMIE!!

 A quick break for lunch with our friend Todd then it was on to the National Air and Space Museum.

Our friend Todd at lunch.  Looking like an adult!

Coming back home was hard.  Firstly because we walked about 10 miles a day and our feet and legs hurt and sitting in the car wasn't fun but also because there was so much more I wanted to see.  The National Art Gallery, the Holocaust Museum, Library of Congress, the White House.  We're going to make another trip in the spring to see more!

Oh! Hi! Long time no see!

Sorry for going dark for so long there.  Real life snuck up and bit me on the bum! THEN I went on an adventure and now I'm starting to get my life back on track so that I can get through the end of 2012 without too much drama.

So, when last we spoke - I was going on my soft food diet to try to heal up the swelling in my jaw from TMJ.  That went as well as can be expected.  I spent the 10 days I lasted feeling bloated and still not truly full.  My jaw did wind up feeling far better and now I'm far more aware of what I put in to my mouth and how it makes my head feel.  Such a weird thing to have to take in to consideration.  Will this make my jaw angry?  Some times the answer is YES! Yes, it will.  But it's tasty and I want it so Imma eat it anyway! Most of the time though I'll pass on the steak and go with something easier to chew now.

I miss steak. A lot!

I also promised to share the funny ENT story.  So -

While sitting in the ENT's office, in what is actually an OB chair since the office is set up in an old OB office and I'm leaned back and the doctor is staring in to my ears and Hming and ahhhhing as he takes stock and is jotting down notes.

Then he starts talking.  "Have you heard about this book, Wheatbelly?"

I told him I had not and he begins talking about how it's based on this study that due to changes in wheat over the generations that, even in people who don't have a wheat allergy, the human body can react in a weird way that causes more abdominal fat to be held on to during weight loss.

I nodded, he held my head still and kept looking.

Then I started thinking... he's talking about weight loss while looking in my ears... are my ears fat?  What is so interesting in my ears that he picked NOW to talk about this book which has changed his view on how he eats.  WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY EARS?!???!!

He then just started talking about weight loss in general.  How hard it can be but he knows that anyone can really reach their goals if they want to.  That because of Wheatbelly he plans on going wheat free after the new year once all the partying is done.

I get it, dude.  I'm fat.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY FREAKING EARS??????

He then spends a few minutes poking the sides of my head and having me open and close my mouth and looking at my nose and throat.

I told him, that's awesome that he's making those changes.  I tried going wheat, grain, gluten, carb free in different combinations and it didn't work for me but I've lost 200 pounds and am doing just fine without this new miracle cure. That since my thyroid is in check, I'm good.

"Oh! You do have a thyroid condition."
"Yep, Hashimotos."
"Well that explains the lack of ear wax."  *crickets* "You see, your ears itch because you don't make enough healthy ear wax."  Oh! An answer! Awesome!
"Also, your ears are totally healthy... you just have TMD or TMJ.  Read this material and go on a soft food diet for two weeks.  Then talk to your dentist about your cross bite."

Oh... good... answers.

But are my ears fat?  Someone tell me my ears are pretty?  Please??!?!?!?

Up next - posts on vacation, vacation food, an awesome Zumba Master Class and The Hobbit!

Adventures in cooking...

Today I went on a bit of a cooking expedition.  And OW my hands hurt.

Since I'm on this soft food diet, I decided to make some hearty, comforting, soups to get me through the next week and a half.  Here's what I made -

Kristen's Potato Leek Soup - This is OMG good.  Hearty, warm, creamy and very easy to follow instructions.  This made about 6 cups of soup.  I can't wait to eat it topped with just a touch of cheese.

Crockpot Sweet Potato Basil Soup - This is, honestly, a bit overwhelming.  This is not something I can really eat as a soup - the basil is extremely overwhelming and it's hard to eat more than maybe 1/2-2/3 a cup at a time.  Very filling though.

Winter Root Vegetable Soup - This is the soup that tried to kill me.  In peeling and chopping all of those root vegetables I developed a blister on my right index finger which then POPPED while finishing up the chopping.  This is a very hearty soup that tastes extremely earthy.  The celery root really comes out a lot in this.  This was a little hard for me to do the splitting of the soup and blending and recombining was time consuming but worked.

Also cooked this weekend was a giant pot of baked potatoes.  Tomorrow Marshall is going to finish baking the sweet potatoes for me.

I also bought apple sauce, pudding, ice cream, hot cereal, oatmeal and all the fixins' for my Shakeology shakes.  I am going to defeat this soft food diet if it kills me.  And it might.

Last night Matt and I went to see Skyfall and I really wanted something sweet.  I wound up eating M&Ms one by one by holding the M&M in my mouth, cracking the shell and then tonguing it and sucking on the chocolate.  I WANTED THOSE FREAKING M&MS!

I keep trying to look on the positive side of everything and I know this is going to help boost my weight loss but I don't like it.  I want a steak, or a hamburger, or a slice of pizza. SOOOOOOON!

Also, the countdown to vacation starts NOW! 5 work days between me and my vacation. WOOHOO!

30 days...

So NHBPM draws to a close. My recap for the month - this was harder than expected. I found myself feeling like a broken record but its helped to solidify many of my thoughts and convictions about my thyroid, my PCOS, my weight and my overall health.

It also got me thinking about why I started blogging in the first place. Tomorrow I refocus on my initial plan - simplification.

Finances. Nutrition. Exercise. Social life. All the things I've been working on and not talking about as much.

I also want to get in to talking about the great books I've been reading. I want to try to be more interactive. I want to bring in guest posters to talk about their journey in simplification of their lives.

I want to be about whole body, mind and soul health and simplicity.

Time to refocus and get ready for 2014 before it gets here and flies by without a change.