Muffin Top's Current Running Play List

Fat Girl Slim's thrown up a couple of playlists now, so I figure I'm probably due for one.

My running play list is actually continually changing. I add songs, remove songs, and then do it all over again.

I don't actually listen to this list in any particular order - I have my Zune on random. The list runs about an hour and 18 minutes. Not that I need or listen to all of the songs, some times I skip over a song if I'm not feeling it at that exact moment.

So, here it is, hope you enjoy :)

The Big Green Hump: A Recap

I have to confess, I haven't been drinking many green smoothies lately.  With all the amazing summer fruits around, I've kind of put the smoothies on the back burner for the moment.  Don't follow my piss poor example, though!  Do as I say and not as I do. 

I figured I'd post all the previous green smoothie recipes in one spot so everyone could have a refresher.  If you have any questions about them, feel free to ask in the comments.

Orange, Banana, Pineapple

The Anti-Muffin Top

It Won't Kale You

A Tropical Collarda

Chocolate Monster

Mint Chocolate Magnificence

Big Green Melons

The Beginner's Lesson

The Grade School

I'd Rather Be In Maui

The Cure

The Spring Break

Monday's Fat Stats - Week 28

This week could have been epic. I could have lost crazy poundage.

Then the weekend came.

Who the hell thought it would be a good idea for us to weigh in on Mondays?! Fat Girl Slim?

We did our 8 miles on Saturday morning, starting out at 8:30. Note to self - never starting that late again. It was CRAZY hot out. My camelback, the one that I always have water left in after a run. At mile 5 it was completely empty. Not good.

Other than the SOB, me and FGS haven't ran a long Saturday morning together in 4 weeks. Our bodies definitely need to get back into the swing of things, cause I was NOT feeling it. We actually ended up stopping somewhere around 7.5 miles cause the cramps were just to damn much.

This was also the first 7 days of our 30 Day Shred challenge! Yeah, it's harder than I thought to do it day, after day, after day, after day... But think of all the calories burned :)

After our run though, I rode my gorgeous Triumph up in the woods and went camping with my in-laws (insert groan here). Between the beer, snack food, and doughnut breakfast - I undid at least half of my hard earned work.

Happy news though, we both did lose!!! Here's what happened:

Fat Girl Slim's Week 28 Numbers:

Muffin Top's Week 28 Numbers:

Tomorrow is a new day, everyone deserves a second chance, a fresh slate, yadda yadda yadda. All that motivational stuff...

This Post Is Not About Weight Loss

This man is never in a bad mood.

This man is an amazingly talented photographer.

This man helped me out of a really dark place when I met him.

This man and I got engaged two months after we met.

This man changed my mind about having children, because I wanted HIS children.

This man is always my rock, and the person I depend on more than anyone else.

This man is the biggest supporter of my running.

This man made me realize what love was REALLY about.

 This man deals with my brand of crazy and actually seems to enjoy it at times.

This man never scoffs at my crazy ideas and dreams, instead he helps me make them happen.

This man is an amazing father.

This man has three children that adore him.

This man makes me laugh... a lot.

This man is leaving us for 16 weeks, and he's such an integral part of our lives that I don't know how I'm going to deal.

This man will be terribly missed by them.

This man will be terribly missed by me.

More Stuff I Put In My Mouth

It's stupid busy at work and me and Fat Girl Slim have been going all day. What does this mean for you? An itty-bitty post. We'll make it up to you in the days to come though - pinky swear :)

Here's my intake and calories burned for yesterday:

So, I'm going to try to do a little math here, bare with me...

My BMR (basic metabolic rate) is 1,577 - that is, the number of calories my body needs to sustain itself on a daily basis. I burned 701 calories, so we'll add that to my BMR for a total of 2,278 calories that I needed to make it through the day. I consumed 1,901 calories (I know, I know, I went over), so the difference between those two numbers (2,278 - 1,901) equals out to a calorie deficit of 377.

Since there are 3,500 calories in a pound, I only have 3,123 more to go!

I'm just kind of flying by the seat of my pants on this one, so please, if I'm wrong, let me know!!!

The Daily Grindage

So, I don't know if anyone at all really cares to see what I'm consuming on a daily basis - but I'm gonna show it to you any way!

Here's what I ate yesterday, followed by the calories I burned through exercise:

I these numbers won't be exact, but if you do the math between calories in (1,624) and calories expended (700), that only leaves me with a net 924 calories. Ouch? Can that be right? Cause that kind of number doesn't seem healthy...

This is just the first day of hard core tracking though, so we'll see how it goes and tweak it here and there where ever necessary.

Tell me what you think - I'm floundering here!

Random Tuesday Musings

I'm feeling pretty damn random today. Scattered thoughts are roaming through my brain, leaving no room for me to write anything poignant or elegant. This week is super stressful in my household with my husband's departure Friday, and I'm just kind of skating by right now. However, I have 3 random, totally unrelated things I feel like sharing with ya'all. [That was my twang. Not that I actually have twang... I'm from Oregon].

First, I want to tell you guys about my breakfast this morning. [Disclaimer: Subway is not paying me. Just thought I'd throw that out there.] I went to my local Subway and got their breakfast "egg white ham on a muffin" thingie. Damn, was that a fantastic breakfast! It rolls in at 160 cals with over 10 grams of protein. Kick ass! I added a couple cups of fresh pineapple and was totally full until lunchtime. Subway for the win!

My yummy breakfast.

Onto something totally unrelated, I am already thinking about what I want to wear to my husband's graduation in 16 weeks. [16 mother fucking long ass weeks....] I'm feeling fully motivated to be A LOT smaller by then [Say maybe 30 or so pounds smaller? Maybe?], and I want to wear something that will totally blow him away. I've been playing with Polyvore, and here's what I came up with. I am totally, utterly desperate to wear some knee high boots with a skirt. Every time I see someone wearing them [without being overtly slutty], I think "Well damn, that looks hot. I wish I were skinny enough to pull that off." So I'm hoping by graduation time, I can wear something that looks similar to the outfit below. In fact, I may print said outfit and post it on my desk somewhere as incentive.

Plaid school girl skirt? I think YES!

The last thing I want to mention is intervals. Today, instead of running a straight four miles, we did quarter mile intervals. We would sprint a quarter mile, then walk for a minute. Repeat 8 times. It was freaking intense! We really haven't worked much with intervals, but I can definitely see their place in running. If you haven't done them, I definitely suggest adding them to your work out repertoire.

One other thing I suggest [I know, I said only 3 things...] is watching this Dirty Dancing deleted scene from the newly released anniversary DVD. [I told you I was random today, right?] The reviews from my friends are pretty mixed on the "hot factor" of said scene, but damn, do I ever want to be skinny enough to do THAT. Of course, then I'd have to learn to dance better, as would Mr. FGS, and I really don't see that happening.

Alright, random post over. I'm off like a prom dress, because The Runaways was released on DVD today, and I MUST. WATCH. ASAP. Two times in the theater just wasn't enough! Goodnight and happy Tuesday!

Food Intake - July 19

Just thought I'd throw this out there for anyone interested in seeing it.  I pre-planned my meals yesterday, and it went surprisingly well!  Much more to post later, but for now I'll leave you with this!

Click for bigger!

Monday's Fat Stats: Week 27 - A Post of Epic Proportions

Today Fat Girl Slim informed me that this had better be an "epic" post. So that's what I'm aiming for - a post of epic proportions. Of course, given that we are going to start posting our weights *gasp*, you will all know exactly what epic proportions are goin' on around here.

I'll be honest with you, I have zero desire to announce my weight. Even sitting here writing this I am second guessing it. But if FGS is going to do it, I don't really have a choice now do I? Not without looking like a big old pussy.

Actually, the real reason I am going to go along with it is accountability. I don't know if you've noticed, but I have been seriously slacking on the fat stats. Why? Because I've been eating like shit. Plain and simple. My hope is that having to type in that hideous number every week will motivate me to be good!

Speaking of motivation, in 4 weeks and 4 days I will be headed to beautiful Lake Shasta for an extended 4 day weekend with 12 other chicks. We'll be staying on a house boat, on the lake, which means swimming suits. I'm completely horrified of this prospect. It's worth it though, imagine 4 days and 3 nights, all the alcohol you can drink on this:

The "Empress", couldn't have picked a better name myself!

Besides the horror of posting our weights, there's a lot of other stuff happening. First off, we had to revise our half training schedule because the weekend we were supposed to run 13 miles is the weekend I will be gone. And we all know I'm not going to swim to shore and run by my lonesome!

We aren't messing around anymore. Starting this morning (at 5:15 a.m.) we are doing 30 days straight of The Shred. We've never actually done it consecutively like that. If that won't help me tone up before Shasta, I don't know what will.

So, with the Shred added in, here is the revised 8 week half-marathon training schedule:

The final thing that, I especially, am going to focus on is my food intake. I've been doing my running, so I'm burning all those calories, but I'm eating to much and what I'm eating is crap for the most part. This has got to stop or will never succeed.

I am going to track every single thing that goes in my mouth, um ... I mean everything that I swallow ... no, I - you know what I mean. I have to be accountable.

This has turned into a long, rambling epic post, and I've delayed the inevitable long enough. Here are this week's fat stats in all their (not-at-all) glory:

Fat Girl Slim's Week 27 Stats:

Muffin Top's Week 27 Stats:

Now I'm going to go beat up FGS for making me do that. Peace out.

Pre-loading Your Data Tables

It's no secret that I'm a nerd, is it? Maybe it is. I know Muffin Top and I really need to do some kind of "introductory" post at some point since we never really did that. Maybe next week? That way you guys could get to know us a little better. When we started this blog, we really just needed a place to document our insanity, not really realizing that one day we'd have readers. So be on the lookout for a little info next week.

Back to the original point of this post; I'm a total, card-carrying nerd! A tech nerd, that is. [Don't worry, I don't spend weekends locked away with World of Warcraft]. MT and I both work as software developers, so we spend a lot of time behind the computer screen reading blogs coding. I was reading a blog post by Bitchcakes the other day about pre-tracking your food intake, and suddenly that made so much sense to me. I had a total light bulb moment! I actually said out loud, "It's like pre-loading your data tables!!!"

YES!  THIS!!!

See, when you run a program [stay with me here, I'm getting my geek on], a lot of the time you need to pre-load your data tables. Basically, you need to get all the information you'll need to run said program ready ahead of time. So when you need a value, it's already there for you. It leaves less room for error, and it makes your program run more effectively.

HOLY SHIT, I need to pre-track my food!! I always have a general idea of what I'm going to eat for the day, but a lot of times it changes, or I just don't really know WHAT to eat. What would happen if I planned my food out before I was actually ready to eat it? Would I do better if I had a more regimented approach to my food journal? I don't know, but I'm about to find out.

Next week I'm going to give this a try. I need to do less flying by the seat of my pants, and take a more structured approach. NO clue if it will work or backfire, but logically, it should help me stay on track. [If only everything worked out logically, right?] It's something new and different, and I really could stand to mix it up a bit. Also, I'm hoping this will give me more opportunity to get in healthy, non-processed food. Surely if I have more time to plan, I can plan for better food.

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming. I'll do my best to reel in the inner nerd now.
 

He Hasn't Even Left Yet And I'm Going Insane.

I've been trying to think of something interesting to say all day, and I'm just a major fail. Life is sort of crazy right now with Mr. FGS leaving next week (for FOUR fucking months). I've been planning his going away party and just getting stuff ready in general. We've been trying to spend a bunch of time together as well. [gotta get it while it's here to get, you know?]

I wish I had something motivating or great to say today, but I'm kind of in an emo funk. I just feel sad and blah. No matter what though, I promised myself I'd still count calories and exercise, and in that respect, I'm having a fabulous week. This yuck feeling just won't seem to go away. I know its all husband related, and hopefully once he's gone I'll be able to settle down and maintain my healthy routine.

Actually, my goal after he leaves is to kick things up several notches so he's pleasantly surprised when he comes home. [kitchen counter sex, I'm talkin' about you!]  More on that later though.

How could I NOT miss this hot piece of husband? YUM.

For now I'll leave you with another one of my daily food intake forms.  Yeah, the doritos weren't a stellar choice, but I still stayed within my calorie goals. I've been keeping things pretty standard, still trying to get in my fruit, veg and protein.
 

Keeping within the goals!

Our 8 Week Half-Marathon Training Schedule

So, without further ado, here is our half-marathon training schedule:

It is based loosely on Hal Higdon's intermediate half training plan, but we adjusted it to work with our schedules/lives. It is only 8 weeks long because, well, that's how long there is until our half - the first annual Eugene Women's Half Marathon!!!

Can you believe it? We are really doing this shit. We paid our registration fees and IT'S ON!!! Now we just have to stick to it and before you know it we'll be posting pics from the finish line :)

And if you don't follow us on Twitter - you missed out on our pre and post race pics this weekend. Don't let it happen again - follow me and FGS today. Plus, I'm totally insecure and having all those followers makes me feel cool...

Not Everyone Can Take on the SOB

The Siskiyou Outback Run is no joke and sure as hell isn't something you should take lightly. This was obvious when we arrived at the starting area and were surrounded by real runners. The kind who weight next to nothing, have 2% body fat, can sprint for hours on end, do crazy ass warm ups - basically not me and FGS. There were only a handful of "normal" people around, including us.

Of course I use the term "normal" in reference to our physique, not our mental state. Because obviously we are out of our damn minds and enjoy being tortured early Saturday morning.

You might think that the name of the run is just a funny play on words - "SOB", ha ha ha. Yeah. Not so funny when you are facing a vertical accent that makes you whimper for your mommy.

They weren't lying - it was a real S.O.B.!!!

This is where my point of view diverges from Fat Girl Slim's. Yeah, the race was really fucking hard. There were times on that trail where I seriously doubted my ability to take another step. It was physically impossible to walk, let alone run, a lot of it.

But was it a bad idea? Absolutely not.

I proved to myself that I can do it!!! I am more than my jiggly thighs. I am not defined by my poochy stomach. I am, in fact, a bad ass. I ran all the way up and back down a MOUNTAIN! How many people do you know that can say that?

A small part of said mountain

This is part of the reason I love Oregon. Gorgeous!

FGS has no intention of doing this race, ever again, ever! Me, on the other hand, I will be doing it next year - and I will do it in even less time than this year.

Why would I do this? Because, quite simply, I AM A BAD ASS!!!

Post 100!!!!! Can You Believe It?

Holy crap. Apparently we've had a lot to say. Never fear though, I've got plenty more to talk about, and there's lots going on in the coming weeks.

First, I need to make mention of my weigh in this morning. Guess who finally lost some freaking weight? ME! Finally, after a total stand still on the scale, I managed to lose 2.2 lbs. this week! Furthermore, I managed to track my calories EVERY. SINGLE. DAY., and I didn't go over. AT ALL. Now I just need to keep this momentum up. Therein lays the challenge.

Next I guess it's time to kill my buzz and discuss the 15k that MT and I ran this weekend. Her and I have vastly different takes on this race, and she made me promise I wouldn't talk massive shit about it. I really can't help it though, because I'm still mildly horrified about what I went through at this point. About 20 minutes into the damn race, and I thought for sure i was being Punk'd. I have no idea why I decided to make my first 15k one that went straight up a freaking mountain. Was I just not paying attention? Did I not realize what a massive elevation increase the race entailed? Who the fuck knows.

Basically, I spent 2 hours praying I wouldn't die. Saying it was a hard race would be a gross understatement. I distinctly remember telling MT that we were going to have to change our blog name. We'd now be called "Half Ass to Almost Half Marathon, but Then I Broke My Ankle and Died During a 15k". Seriously, they said this was a trail run, but the "trail" was straight up a mountain and full of giant rocks, fast-moving streams and pits of mud that went up to my knees. It was much more "extreme hiking" and much less "running".

This is the point where I need to thank you, our faithful blog readers. I wanted to quit so, so, SO badly, but I knew I couldn't come back and tell you guys I didn't finish. That just wasn't an option. There were parts of this race where I could've sworn I was having an out of body experience it hurt so bad. The hills were SO steep, and it was SO hot outside. I kept going though, somehow. I just couldn't come back here and say I quit.

You know, I'd love to say I felt some great sense of accomplishment when I [eventually] crossed that finish line, but really? I just felt dead and really, really dirty [Did I mention the mud holes?]. It's been over 48 hours, and I still think that race was a mistake. Maybe in a few days [weeks? months?] I'll look back on it all fondly, but at this point it's just not happening. I'm kind of angry with myself at this point. I feel like I've probably set myself back in my half training, because I'm SOOO sore, obviously my runs this week will be lacking. Live and learn though, right? I'll get over it.

Obligatory post-race picture.  MT is a fucking giant!

Tomorrow Muffin Top is going to post HER version of a race recap, along with our next training schedule [the one that will lead us to the half marathon!]. And I'll be back Wednesday, hopefully with a better attitude.

I Grow Shit.

I've been meaning to bust out with some pictures of my garden for a long time now. You see, when Muffin Top and I decided to get healthy [you know, way back in January], one of the things I really wanted to do was plant a garden. I had recently watched the movie Food, Inc [If you haven't seen this, RUN. Go pick it up NOW.], and it made me much more cautious about where I get my food. A garden, I figured, would be a great way to incorporate more produce in my life. And not only that, it would also be a great way to know exactly where my produce was coming from. Total win.

I have to give a shout out to my ridiculously awesome husband at this point. When I told him I wanted some raised beds for a garden, he didn't give me any crap over it. Instead, he went to the lumber store, bought all sorts of wood and built me planter boxes, just like the Pioneer Woman has! He even filled them with dirt and compost using only a shovel and wheelbarrow. My husband fucking ROCKS.

Anyways, we decided on planting bell peppers [green and red], zucchini, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, potatoes, onions and lettuce. I'm stoked to say we've had amazing success so far! We have more lettuce than 3 families can eat [Seriously, I give lettuce to strangers at this point!], and we've had some massive zucchini! [Insert funny penis joke here... I'm at a loss with the funny lately.] And the tomatoes? Damn! There are TONS of them now. I absolutely cannot wait to make a shit ton of tomato sauce with zucchini tossed in for good measure.

I don't know if any of you have thought about a garden or not, but I figured maybe some pictures would inspire. It's not been nearly the challenge I thought it would be, and it's strangely cool and empowering to grow your own food. Pictures below!
 

Do you like my arrows?

Lots and lots of tomatoes!

The lettuce is out of control.

First bell pepper! Shut up, I was proud!

First harvest!

Daily Food Intake: 7/7 and 7/8

Forgot to post my food intake for the 7th and 8th! No worries though, I've been a calorie tracking FOOL, people. And while I haven't been perfect, I have stayed under my 1,700 calorie goal, and I have gotten the correct amounts of fruit, veggies, whole grains and protein. I am definitely considering this week a total win.

Clicky for bigger!

Nerves.

I've been sitting here all morning trying to figure out why I'm in such a funk. Nothing really wrong, I suppose, but I just feel edgy. I almost had full on panic attack when I realized I'm out of shot bloks, and I don't have time to get to the running store before Saturday. Fortunately, Amazon and their one day shipping made my shot bloks literally a click away. Problem solved. Yet I still feel like somebody is clawing my insides out. I feel terribly, horribly nervous. Why?

Then it hit me. It has to be the race, right? Even though it makes no logical sense for me to fear it, I do. I keep having all these crazy thoughts in my head. What if I can't finish the race? What if I get the runner's trots and crap all over myself? What if I die? What if Muffin Top isn't strong enough to drag my poop-stained body back to the start line and bears eat me and my family never has proper closure?

Remember this dude?  I don't wanna poop myself!!!

I've never ran a 15k race before. [That's 9.7 miles, peeps!] Sure, MT and I ran 10 miles straight a couple of weeks ago, but we did it alone, without an audience, and definitely not in front of a shit ton of people! [That sentence is begging for some sexual innuendo, but I'm a total FAIL today]. Also, this race includes A LOT of hills, and we only did limited hill running. I know I should learn to love hills, but I just... don’t. They scare me.

Is it going to feel like this?  Why is this dude naked?

Somewhere in a logical crevice of my brain, I know that once we get out there and get going, everything will be ok. We have to pace ourselves; we have to drink our water at appropriate intervals. We've trained for this. It actually takes a surprising amount of talent to eat a shot blok, wash it down with water and continue running without falling. But I've practiced this extensively, so I should be good to go! By this point, we've done so many long runs that I know exactly what to eat for breakfast before a run [clif bar, natch], and I know exactly how much water to drink so I don't end up pissing myself. [No more than 16oz during the hour before the race!]. I also know at which point I normally hit my wall, and I also know when I start to get past it. WE. ARE. PREPARED.

I can HANDLE the shit storm...as long as I don't shit myself.

At some point during the next 48 hours, I need to do the one thing I haven't yet. I need to nut up and believe in myself. That sounds totally hokey and cheesy, but it's quite literally the only thing I'm missing. I know I HAVE ran 10 miles before, but I can't wrap my mind around the fact that I actually DID. Somehow, I'm stronger than I think I am, and sooner or later I need to get that through my head. T-minus 48 hours and counting, people!

Daily Food Intake: July 6, 2010

Ok, so my goal is to post my food intake every day this week.  I logged everything I ate yesterday, and I didn't put anything in my mouth that I shouldn't have. [*snicker*]  Here's how yesterday played out.  I ended up with 1,673 calories total, which is pretty damn close to my goal of 1,700.  I also managed to get in 8 glasses of water and 8 servings of fruit and veggies!  My entire goal this week is to fuel my body in preparation for the race.  So far, so good! 

Clicky to see bigger...

Back To Life... Back To Reality

What a freaking fabulous six days off work! I seriously had the best time ever, and I kept thinking "Life is never going to get any better than this." Totally, completely awesome.

Today, however, is not so totally, fantastically freakin' awesome. I'm back at work. I have ten loads of laundry waiting for me at home, and my house is a huge cluster. Guess what, though? I'm just not ready to focus on that yet. My brain is still about 250 miles away at the beach.

This beach, right here....

For all the inquiring minds out there, I stepped on the scale this morning and officially weigh exactly what I did last Monday. This is pretty fair considering how much pigging out I did the past six days. I must've burned some of it off with all the walking around we did.

And did I mention I crossed something important off my bucket list? Not my small, summer list, but the big list I have for my life!!! I WENT TO THE GOONIES HOUSE! Yes, I know I'm waving my geek flag high lately, but c'mon, it's THE GOONIES! We were vacationing approximately 15 minutes from Astoria, Oregon, where the movie was filmed. How could I not go there??? It was epic, people. EPIC.

Walk up the driveway for Goonies awesomesauce!!!

Look, it's Fat Girl Slim at the GOONIES HOUSE!!!

We also spent lots of time playing in the sand, eating yummy food at local restaurants and walking the prom where all the cute shops are. On 4th of July I made some super yummy fajitas, and we watched the firework insanity commence on the beach. I can say with some certainty that I never wanted to come back. Especially with Mr. FGS's departure coming in 18 days.

I could ramble on and on about vacation, but I'm trying to reign it in. I've also got other things to ramble about today. For starters, this Saturday is our 15k race! I'm a combination of nervous, terrified and thrilled! I know we can handle the distance [We've ran 10 miles consecutively to date, holla!], but I'm really uneasy about the amount of hills in this race. Also, I'm a little concerned about my left shin. It's been hurting like a motherfucker lately when I run, and I know that isn't a good sign. Oddly enough, however, only treadmill runs seem to be bothering it, so maybe it won't hurt in the race.

Another thing to ramble about is my food intake. I posted awhile ago about needing to cut calories. You all were extremely helpful and gave me great advice about not cutting them down too far. I've decided to aim for 1700 calories a day, and I am going to write down EVERYTHING. No cheating, because really, I'm only cheating myself here. I'm ready for all my hard work to start paying off. I'm ready for some real results. I'm going to try to get on here once a day and post my food intake to keep me accountable.

Right now I'm off to the gym for a 4 mile run, sans Muffin Top. Unfortunately [for me, not her], she's on a family vacation this week. Lucky bitch. Have a great week, peeps!