Last week Dare To Become said to buy one of these - Running Headbands - because quite frankly they were awesome.  I like awesome, and I have big issues with sweat running into my contact covered eyes (Why?  This is why ). 

So I ordered myself up a cute patterned blue/brown headband from Scarlett Craft's lovely little etsy store, and it came about 2 days later!!! Holy fast batman... thanks!  I used it for the first time on Sunday - you know - the humidity run from hell day, and I concur, it was awesome!  I highly recommend picking up one... or maybe fifty.  Just don't buy the pink polka dot one, because that is the one I want next.  Okay?

Hopefully Minnesota Tourism won't see this post otherwise I'll probably be kicked out of the state, but at this point, KICK ME OUT!!!  I don't want to live here.  I don't like it here.  I failed big time today, and because I don't want to take personal responsibility, I'm going to blame it on Minnesota.

Let's back up a bit... late last week Tara @  263 and Counting ran 5 miles!!!  I was so proud of her, that I challenged myself to run 5 miles, but it had to wait until the weekend, because I don't have that much time on weekdays.  So I said I'd do it on Saturday.  I DIDN'T.  I woke up, after a thunderstorm filled night, and the air was so thick with humidity you could have probably cut it with a knife.  Now you have to know that I grew up in Montana.  If there is 14% humidity people start complaining its humid.  People in Montana don't have air conditioners.  You just don't need them.  My blood still hasn't completely adapted to the Midwest killer summer humidity, even though I've been here 11 years now.  So... a 5 mile run in 99% humidity wasn't going to happen.  A 1 mile run in 99% humidity wasn't even going to happen.  So I did what any good Weight Watcher would do... I made waffles, and then went to SuperTarget to buy food!  I did not run.  I heard on the news that the humidity would drop on Saturday overnight, and Sunday would be much less humid.  So I planned my run for then. 

This morning I woke up at 7:15, and put on my running clothes and was out the door by 7:30.  My first thought... "Hmmm... I thought it was supposed to be less humid, not more."  Yep now it was 100% humidity instead of 99%.  AWESOME!  So I set my Nike+ to 4 miles, because I knew that 5 wasn't in the cards for today.  At 2.5 miles I was dying!  I mean I could barely breathe and I was actually getting dizzy, and wouldn't you know it, a freaking mosquito even bit me in the upper arm.  I wasn't going to make 4 miles.  It sucked!  I hated it, but for the sake of safety I quit at 3 miles.  EPIC FAILURE!  It was one of the worst feeling runs I have had to date.  I felt horrible the entire time, and felt like puking for about 40 minutes afterwards. 

So back to my "I hate Minnesota rant"... because I want to blame someone other than me, and because it really sucks to fail, here are the top 10 reasons I hate Minnesota:
10)  There is no Minnesota nice... myth!
9)  People do not know how to merge
8)  Sweaty people walking around eating food on a stick = the best celebration of the summer, the MN State Fair
7)  Vikings will not for the life of them draft a Quarterback
6)  Snow
5)  More Snow sometimes in April and May
4)  Mosquitoes as big as birds in other states
3)  No ocean within a 2 days drive
2)  90 degrees with 90% Humidity!!
1)  Nothing beats the feeling of 30 below with 60 below windchill on your face in January at 5:30 am as you head to the gym

Minnesota - Please do not take this personally.  It was really never meant to be between you and I from the beginning.  I only meant to be here for a few years after college to "get on my feet".  Somehow deep down apparently I like something about you though, because I stayed for the last 11 years.  Some days though putting up with you ain't easy.

Here are some of my favorite posts/articles from the past week ENJOY!

Cooking/Food:
Homemade Pita Bread from Simple Bites - and it looks really tasty and easy!

14 Simple Ways to Enjoy Ripe Tomatoes from Simple Bites - can't wait for my tomatoes to be ready!!!


Weight Loss/Health:
Free - Escape from Obesity talks about how freeing it is to change your weight and your life

5 Reasons Why Trying to Get Skinny Will Keep you Fat from Roni's Weigh - I love this as it shows that you have to be in this game for the right reasons!

First things first... let's get the Thursday weigh in out of the way.
Weighed in today for a .2 loss (yes there is a small point in front of that 2).  You know what?  Totally OK with this even though the exact same behaviors/points as last week netted me a 3.8 loss.  I cannot figure out this body.  It is letting go of weight in spurts, and there is nothing I can do to even that out apparently, so I'll just stick with what I'm doing, knowing that it got me to 100.2 total pounds gone!  Still loving that number, so much so that the measly loss doesn't matter this week.  You know what?  I am also loving the person I see in the mirror more and more each day.  Even though I'm not losing, I'm slimming down still... I am seeing it, and that is something!

But that's not really what this post is about.  A few things that were talked about in my meeting today got me thinking about my NEW normal.  The things I just out of habit do now as if they are nothing, that are totally different from the things I used to do 100.2 pound ago.

Let's review:
OLD:  Would treat every meal out as a special event and completely pig out.
NEW:  Would treat every meal out except anniversary and birthday dinners as just a replacement for a meal at home, same rules about counting points and portions sizes matter.

OLD:  Would think nothing of getting a Frappacino at Starbucks with whipped cream the size of Mt. Everest and all the full fat and full sugar everything.
NEW:  Sugar free, Non-fat Light Caramel Frappacino with no whipped cream PLEASE!

OLD:  Breakfast = Bagel slathered with cream cheese, donuts, muffins, scones, McDonald's Sausage Biscuits with egg and cheese (not all in one day of course... at least not most days).
NEW:  Breakfast = Oatmeal w/vanilla yogurt, Greek yogurt with mixed berries and flax granola, or 1 pt Thomas Bagel Thin w/1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter and a 1/2 banana

OLD:  Making every excuse in the book why I can't exercise today.  Making it maybe once a week if lucky
NEW:  Making every excuse in the book in order to arrange my schedule to exercise.  Running 3 Days a week and working out at Curves 3 days a week

OLD:  Barely could walk a block
NEW:  Ran a 5k in 32 freaking minutes and loved it!

OLD:  Size 24 Jeans
NEW:  Size 10 Jeans

OLD:  Could only maybe shop at 1 or 2 stores in the mall
NEW:  OMG there are so many stores in the mall EEK!

OLD:  Sat on the couch and watched TV
NEW:  Plays outside, sits on the floor cross legged and plays trains with my son, goes for family walks, gardens

OLD:  Plans a vacation to sit on the beach (OK, I'd still do this to be brutally honest)
NEW:  Plans a vacation and plans to rent bikes and even (gasp) run while on vacation

OLD:  Loathed airplanes, freaked about sitting in the middle, felt claustrophobic the entire ride.
NEW:  OMG there is space on both sides of my thighs.  Bring on the middle seat!

OLD:  The fat mom
NEW:  The hot mom :-)  As told to me by someone at my son's daycare today "You are lookin' hot"  Don't worry honey, it wasn't a man :-)

This is my new normal.  Some days I can't even believe that this is my world.  The world where I shop at stores and clerks help me, look me in the face.  The days where I choose to stop eating food on my plate, because I'm full... It still shocks me every single day.  I smiled through 2.75 miles/30 minutes of running this morning - absolutely full on grinning.  I looked ridiculous I am sure, but I wanted to shout: 

THIS IS MY LIFE
THIS IS MY FREAKING LIFE AND I LOVE IT!