Back on the saddle again...

Hello all!!!

How did everyone fare over the three day weekend?

I had a very busy weekend. We got up on Saturday morning and did ten miles on the mountain bikes on the trail near us. We went to my nephews 6th birthday party on Saturday afternoon at Peter Piper Pizza. I was bad and ate four (yes, four) pieces of pizza. Afterwards, I went to visit a friend of mine that had surgery last week for a bit, then to As You Wish with another group of friends to paint.  We ended up socializing out in the parking lot for a good period of time talking about all kinds of things. It was a great night. This was my creation! It hasn't been glazed yet, but at least I have a coffee cup that someone else (ahem, Dave) won't feel so manly drinking out of.

Sunday, we got up early and headed up to Sedona. We armed ourselves this time with two patch kits, an extra innertube for each bike, a hand pump, two extra liters of water and some energy gels. The trail David found looked amazing.

We got there about 9:15 am and the trailhead parking was already completely full. We tried another lot a little further north and the same thing. We drove back to town and parked in one of the parking lots (about a quarter mile away from the original parking area) had an art show going in and rode the bikes up to the trailhead.

I struggled a bit when we first started. I think it was the altitude because I was wheezing a bit. I brought my inhaler, so I took a few hits off it and rested a second and kept going. The weather was wonderful. We got a lot of up close and personal shots of Bell Rock and the Courthouse Butte.

It was by far, one of the best trails we've ever done. It wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. 

The trail was wide in some spots and incredibly narrow in many more... some ups and downs. Overall, there were quite a few rocks. Large rocks. We found spots in the trail that were incredibly steep (up and down) that made what we did turn into a hike bike. We pushed our bikes up or down the hill as much as we were able to ride.

I'm standing in the bottom of a ravine in this picture... before I hauled my bike up that hill over those rocks. There were several instances we ran into areas like this and even Dave (the fearless flyer) didn't even try. He just got off the bike and pushed. On the other side of this hill, we saw a professional attempt to go up the hill on his bike. Attempt is the optimal word. He got a great start, lifted the front tire and got about halfway up before he lost momentum and had to hike it up. I have to say he's a better man than me for trying but it made me feel a little better that I wasn't the only one that didn't have the strength to do it. 

We ended up doing about 8 miles in a little less than 3 hours (which was more than we expected time wise) but with the time spent getting off the bike and back on pushing it, it was a half hike and half ride. So, over all not too bad with unfamiliar territory. 

I can tell you 5 years ago, I would have never imagined I'd be living the life I am now. I know I have physical limitations with frequent joint pain but if I can just make my body be as headstrong as my mind is, I'd be invincible. I did struggle with this ride. But I'm not a quitter. If I put my mind to it, I make my body cooperate with me. The feeling I had after we were done with the ride was wonderful. I had no idea I had it in me and I never thought I would ever be doing things the way I am now. 

and I love every minute of it. 

Condoning bad behavior?

Happy Friday!

I've been stewing on something for about a week or so and decided to post it to see if I am the only one that feels this way.

I was overweight during the majority of my twenties. And when I say overweight, I mean obese. I ate what I wanted, how I wanted, when I wanted. I ordered pizza at 11pm, I've hit up a Waffle House at 3am. I enjoyed food and like a drug seeker, thought of new ways to find it and get my fix.

I decided to lose weight on my own, after seeing how hurt my nephew was that I wasn't able to chase after him. He loved it when I would yell out, "I'm going to get youuuuu!" And I'd run for a bit, but then get winded. Seeing that disappointment on his face was enough for me to get motivated.

It took me about 4 or so years to lose 125lbs. 4 years. This meant exercising. Changing my thought process on food and rediscovering that I eat to live not live to eat. It was a struggle because even today, I love food. If someone is addicted to drugs or alcohol, they can avoid the substances. I can't give up food. I need it. Do I need to eat to survive? Yes. Do I need to eat boxes of Thin Mints? No. This was, and still is a struggle.

Which leads me to my question.

I've been reading the news about how Jessica Simpson has had her baby girl. She has gained a very large amount of weight while pregnant and now has signed on with Weight Watchers to lose the baby weight in a year for ... drumroll.... Four Million Dollars.

What?

I get that people gain weight while they are pregnant. That is a given. Some people gain more than others. Some people gain less than others. My mom gained 11 lbs when she was pregnant with me. My mom is 5'4".  Jessica Simpson is 5'3" and when she posed nude for the cover of a magazine while 8 months pregnant, she admitted to weighing 170 lbs, which according to what I've read means that she gained almost 70 lbs with her pregnancy.

How did she get to such a weight? She was eating buttered pop tarts. Macaroni and cheese for breakfast with Lawry's Seasoning Salt. Peanut Butter sandwiches with shots of salt. She ate whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Much like I did when I was overweight.

A failure of epic proportions

Did everyone have a great Mother's Day weekend?? We visited with my family Saturday night and had a wonderful spread of food for dinner.

We ended up leaving and going home to relax a bit because we had planned on doing our biggest mountain bike ride to date. We had done 10 miles on Saturday, then I made the suggestion to hit up the Pemberton trail at the McDowell Mountain Preserve. Its almost 16 miles long. I have hiked it a few times and knew the terrain. Dave said. "Sure!"

I had purchased some Powerbars, some of the energy gels and some other snacks Saturday at the store. Dave loaded up the car with our bikes while I packed up our Camelbaks. We each have one that has a 3 liter bladder. I filled it up to the top with ice cold water. Then, because I've been down that road before, literally, I put two extra liters of water in my bag (my Camelback is also a hiking backpack and has lots of space.) I also put my buck knife in there, just in case we ran across a rattlesnake or anything else that got too close for comfort. We also packed a cooler and put a few large Gatorades in there.... why this is relevant, you're about to find out.

Friday Roundup!

Hey everyone!

This weekend is Mother's Day. In my family, my mom is the end all be all decision maker when it comes to most things. And, if there is ever any question, there are two words that enforce this that everyone knows. What are those two words you ask? Mama said. 

Or, my dad's favorite word... "CINDEEEEEEEEEEEE (yelling at my mom) can you grab me another (insert random item around the house here)." Mom, "I think you're good, you don't need any more" ... "just grab it for me" ... then, he turns to one of us kids and and tries to get us to get whatever he wants for him. The, the end all be all words are said to put a stamp on the situation. "Mama Said"

My mom did alot for us when we were growing up. My parents had separated and my mom had to get a grip on all three of us rowdy girls. My sisters and I used to fight like dudes. Frying pans, baseball bats, jumpropes... you name it and we launched it at each other. Sometimes, in packs. One on two. Or, sometimes one on one on one.

 I learned real quick like how to patch some drywall when I was a kid and I got pissed at my sisters for banging on my wall. My solution? Punch through the wall. Then the convenient NKOTB poster was put over the hole to hide it. This worked swimmingly until one day my mom announced we were going to be painting our rooms. I tried to ask her to paint around them. I mean, who would EVER take a NKOTB poster off the wall? I mean, just look...

A little push

Sometimes, a little push goes a long way. You know, that little pat on the back you get from your husband...the high five you get from your best friend or the spontaneous I love you from your baby niece. Its just that little push inside of you that tells you that whatever you're doing, you're doing it right.

I've been working very hard at getting back down to my pre-Dave weight. What is that you ask? The weight I was before Dave and I started dating. We're getting married in about six months and I want to make sure I look my best. The first time I was married, I was well over 250 lbs. This time, I want to buy the dress I want, not the dress that fits. That may sound odd, but I'm really not a fashionista. I like clothes and I like certain clothes but I'd much rather be in a pair of soccer shorts and a Hurley shirt if I had any say in it. So, when you're a girl and overweight, its difficult to find a dress that doesn't have a giant bow over your ass to cover it up. Or ruffles. Giant, ass covering, ruffles. Maybe those dress makers might come to the realization that not everyone has an affliction that they want to cover up with a ruffle. Or bow. Or strategically placed designs. My friend Olivia and I laughed so hard until we cried several years back realizing that most clothes for overweight women are fluorescent, Winnie the Pooh shirts. As if we being that size want to draw more attention to ourselves by wearing a florescent lime green shirt that has Eeyore on it.

I digress.

I'd been lackadaisically using the myfitnesspal application on my iphone. Mostly, to keep track of my food diary when I wanted to be more stringent with my intake. One of my friends that I had worked with (at a now defunct bank) and I have been friends on facebook for some time. She became my friend on myfitnesspal. At first, I started out with a fury. Trying to make sure I logged every day, any exercise, anything. I started slacking, like I had before when I was on my own and she posted on my feed "Hey, am I the only one doing this??" It made me stop and think. I have an electronic partner in crime. Someone to be accountable to. Someone that will pat me on the back when I do well and when I don't, gives me motivation to move on.

See, when you're working out, missing one day isnt the end of the world. It really isnt. Life happens and some things you can't control. Sometimes, you get tired and your body needs to rest. But, if you keep shrugging it off... you won't get back into the game.

Last week, I had gone on a 7.2 mile mountain bike ride Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and by Wednesday, I was tired. I decided to take the night off. I changed into my jammies and laid on the couch. Two hours later, I started getting a migraine. I ended up taking a pill and was in bed by 7:15. Thursday and Friday I just was busy and didn't have a chance to work out. Saturday I  did a little around the house and yesterday I woke up and realized that even though I logged my food, I hadn't worked out in a few days. And saw how many calories my friend had burned in my newsfeed. I posted that I had some downtime but I'm getting back in the game. She replied back, "You go girl!'

That's all I needed.  A little push. And yesterday, even after going out for Cinco de Mayo Saturday night and getting home really late (or early in the morning... potato, pah-tato) I got up at 8, had a cup of coffee and did 10 miles on the mountain bike. I ran a few errands, did a little baking, my laundry and finally was able to relax and took a bath.

Sometimes, those little words of inspiration mean so much. Do you use myfitnesspal? If you want to have some electronic motivation, friend me. My username is melissamichele.