Finally Over the Hump........uh, oh...here comes another!

Hello World,

My weigh-in went great yesterday. I have finally made to 50lbs lost. I can see the finish line. My leader asked me how much more I was trying to lose. I told her another 20 and she stated that she thought I looked "fine". "I am trying to get a healthy BMI." I stated. She suggested that I go to the doctor and have them write a letter stating that I was at my goal weight. I am not really ready to do that yet. I am going to try to get as close to my goal as I possibly can. There you have it. I got out of my four month plateau....I am over the hump.

Monday, I went to one of my old co-worker's job and asked Mary a PT to stretch my right IT band. If felt great. She stretched it and gave me suggestions for stretching it on my own. I also got a chance to sit and talk with some old coworkers...fun.

Last night, we (Fred, Bug and I) went to Oxford, my Aunt San is not feeling well. She was extremely weak and confused. She was taken to the emergency room and later admitted to the hospital for dehydration. I love her so much. I know she will be home soon. We got home late and I had a little binge. I  guess it was from the stress of my aunts situation, excitement from reaching 50lbs lost and just plain old greed. And my dad and I had a text message argument about "nothing".

Today I woke up and went to the gym like normal. My right knee felt a little tight, but I figured it was nothing. I hopped on the treadmil and started to run. Immediately a sharp pain went through the inside of my left knee. I don't know how I aggrevated it, but I did. I guess I just need to rest it...so for the next two days...no running. So here goes another hump, but we will get over it.

Reward...keep looking!

I went shopping, but I could not find anything that I didn't already have. To be honest, I am not a shopper and I really wasn't in a shopping mood. So I will reward myself at a later time. I really want a garmin watch, but I don't know when I will be able to drop $400 on a watch. Now is not the time. Tax season is here. Maybe a little later.

While I was out, I went to the library to find a book by an author that our substitute weight watchers leader suggested. The book wasn't there, but it will be shipped from another library and will be there tomorrow. I won't be free to pick it up until Tuesday. I can't wait to get it. This woman mastered overeating and had not been over her ideal weight for 29 years....excellent.

I have been dragging my feet on completing my Fitness Nutrition Case Study and final exam. By the close of this week, I will have the case study complete as well as the exam. Time to stop procrastinating.

18 miles completed!!!

Hello World,
I was able to complete the 18 mile run yesterday morning in preparation for the Country Music Marathon in 4 weeks. I am so happy that my knees didn't give me huge problems. It did start to get to me at about mile 16, but I made it through. After the run, I came home and drew an ice water bath. My legs really appreciated it. Today, I will do a short ride on the stationary bike and a little yoga to stretch my muscles out.

Fred left work to attend church with me this morning. He went back to work when church was over. I love when he is able to do this. The message today was about making a change and truly changing...not just wanting the results of change, but making a change, continuing to do the right thing no matter how long it takes. Of course this was a message that I could apply to both my weight management goals and my business goals.

I am going to reward myself this afternoon for my completion of 18 miles and just for making changes that have lasted and will continue to last. I'll let you know what I purchased later.

Knee Pain and a Lesson on Love

I have not been running this week. I have been trying to give my knee a break. It started bothering me a few days ago. I don't know what I did to aggrevate it but it is painful. I still exercised this week, but I didn't run at all.

As this work week closes, I must say that I learned a lot this week. After completing the book Reduce me to Love. I learned what real love is. I have learned a little about all love:  love that we have for our partners, the love for others, the love God has for us and the way we should love.

I Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV)
Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails....

My prayer today is for God to continue to show me how to love the way He loves. I want to possess all of the characteristics above not only for myself and my goals to be healthy, but also to extend this love to others. I do realize that I must have this kind of love for myself before I will be able to spread this kind of love.

Off to work. I'll write later....

Emotions, Food, Relationship

To end the struggle with food, I have realized that emotions have to be taken out of the relationship with food. I know that this will not happen over night and it may even take me years to change my relationship with food. I know that change is a process and so is learning to forgive myself for slip ups. Life has its ups and downs. Will I go up and down with my weight just because my emotions change??? If I keep this up, I will gain and lose weight over and over and over again. Today it stops.

So the thing now is to detach emotions from eating....whether happy or sad, up or down, bored or excited, lonely or with others. Food has to be associated with fueling my body. I will have to learn new ways of behavior as it relates to food. It seems like the closer I get to the marathon, the more nervous I become. When this happens, I have found myself running to food. When I think about all of the work I have to do, I run to food. So not only do I have to learn to appreciate myself and love my body. I also have to control my response to emotions. Emotions will always be present, but I don't have to let them determine my eating pattern. I must work harder to be consistent, focus and I also have to repeat the same new patterns to develop new and lasting habit. I can do it. I will do it. I am a Spirit, so I must continue to strengthen my inner spiritual man so that I can overcome my mind, will and emotions. So as I continue to read and study the Word of God, I will get stronger. I have gotten stronger and will continue to grow more and more.

I went to my weight management meeting today and was up 2 pounds. I have been playing with this same weight range since November. This past weekend, we went to Incredible Pizza and I just don't do very well at buffets. I really don't do them, but because my in-laws were in town. I went and I ate.

 I have come to far to turn back. The substitute leader told me to keep on keeping on and that is what I will do.  I love how she gives us copies of articles and she also suggests books that will keep us motivatied. That is right up my alley. I love to read. Especially "self-help" information.

Well....tomorrow is a new day. A fresh start for Mia.

Stressed!

I felt a little stressed today. My caseload wasn't extremely high. I finished all of the projects that I set out to do today, but still felt stressed. I think I am a little uneasy about my next business move, the upcoming marathon and my need to get more knowledgeable about networking and other aspects of business.

I try not to get stressed, but it happens and when that happens. Guess what! Yep, I eat too much.The good thing is, I don't have any junk food in the house. I have to make a special trip to get any junk. I ate three subway cookies today and several pretzels. This is not good, but at least I know what the problem is. To combat this, I have started reading my motivational weight loss articles that I have collected over this year. I am currently reading an article about a girl who lost 80lbs in 8 months. She used exercise to deal with her stress.

The basketball tournaments are going on right now, so Fred is in no mood to talk about my stress and anxiety right now. So, I am telling you world. Pray for me. I am a little down today.

MEDIUM

I missed my morning visit to the gym. I was up with Bug early this morning. He has an ear infection and now a cough. We were up all night. I set my alarm, but I paid it no attention. When I woke up, it was 6:30am. This was much too late. I like to be in the  gym at 5 am and out by 6:30am. I felt bad about missing, but I will make it up this afternoon with a run in the neighborhood.

My new scrub order came in. Guess what size I ordered! Medium! Yes, Mia Cole, ordered a medium. I just took a chance. I have never worn that small a size in my adult life. So the order came. I tried the scrub set on. IT FIT PERFECTLY! My gosh. Me in a medium. I started to make excuses immediately. "Well, these must run large." My husband said, "Mia, a medium is a medium. You are wearing a medium". I said to myself. I am. What a testiment to hard work! A roller coaster ride of emotions. Up days and down days. Starting over and over and over. But forgiving myself for every mistake. It has been difficult for me. But what worth having isn't. I am almost there. I am so proud of myself...tears....happy tears.....

Ear Ache, A night out, Focusing on the Run

Today was a good day even though bug has an ear infection. I had to leave work early today and pick him up from daycare. I also took him to the doctor where his physician prescribed a few antibiotics and ear drops. Bug cried all day. He never cries. He is always happy. The worst part about it was that he would try to play or talk or sing, but the pain was too great. He would start singing and end up crying.

Last night I went out with my good college friend. We went to Chilli's. We had a great time. I am so proud of how strong of a woman she has become. She is focused and her future is very bright. We laughed, we talked, we cried. We complemented each other's successes, laughed at stupid mistakes and encouraged each other's future. I didn't eat well while I was there. I had 1/2 of a steak sandwich, a margarita, and 1/2 of a brownie. Okay...today was a better day. I stayed on track today.

With six weeks left to race day, I have decided to become extremely strict. I am continuing my time with God, additonal workouts in the afternoons are no longer an option...they are a must. No room for "slip-ups". As my husband told me last night, I need to be as lean as possible for this race. So.....I will be at my goal weight by race day.  Okay....gotta tend to Buggie. I'll talk tomorrow.

16 miles completed!

Today, I completed 16 miles with the team. It felt great. There were a few times when I wanted to stop running, but I knew I had it in me. Amy made it to 13 miles, but the pain in her knee that she mentioned on mile 8 became too much so she had to stop running. I was able to finish with Lisa's husband Chris. He's really fast. I was able to stay with him though. The trail and road coarse was beautiful. Again, I saw parts of Germantown that I have never seen before.

As I was running, I began to get a little sad. There are only six weeks until the big race and then there will be no more training. I don't want this to end. I know that it doesn't have to end. I will join a running group or continue to train on my own. The race date is just coming a little fast.

 I saw a sign outside of the YMCA in Whitehaven. They are in need of a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. Even though, I have almost completed my Fitness Nutrition Certification. I haven't even started my Personal Training Course. I must get on the ball. I looked at the AFAA website again. I noticed that they will be having a couple of courses in April and a few in May that will allow me to obtain the certifications that I need to help others achieve their goals of a healthy life.

Well, congratulations to me for completing 16 miles.

Weigh In, New Workout Class

Today was an good day. I lost the 1 pound I gained last week. The Weight Watchers meeting was really great. I got charged up again to stay on track. I had a great day at work. All of my sessions were great! I even had plenty of time this morning to spend time with God. Also this morning, I viewed a property that I was interested in purchasing for my business. The property was not ready for viewing. I would be embarrassed as a realtor to have shown that property to anyone. Anyway, after work, I attended Zumba Class at Brown Baptist. It was sooooooo fun. I must attend again. My schedule changes so much that I never know if I am going to be able to keep the committment to attend this class. I'll try though. This will be a great addition to my morning exercise routine.

Well, I completed the book Beauty for Ashes. It was so good. I learned that I can let go of my past and use the pain that I went through to help others. I learned that I can honor my parents in my heart.I learned to look at the good my parents did for me. I have listed the good and have decided that this is what I will now focus on. This will be difficult, but it is worth mastering because I want to be free from my past. I don't mean that I want to forget my past or never talk about it...I just don't want the past to emotionally control me.

What a Week! Happy Birthday to Me!

Boy, I had an interesting week last week. I attended the MidSouth Conference on Communicative Disorders hosted by th University of Memphis' Speech and Hearing Department. It was a great conference. I learned a few new ways to help my children with articulation disorders. I also was able to gain more insight of an individual with Autism. My professor from Ole Miss was there. He has left Ole Miss and is teaching at another university. I was unaware of the fact that he had Autism. He gave an excellent insight on the struggles he has had to overcome and the way he communicates. He sees things in pictures in his mind. He has stimulating behaviors, he has seizures. However, without therapy or a diagnosis until the age of 48, he was able to obtain a PhD and is teaching students everyday. His is also a poet. It was a great presentation. I really enjoyed seeing him again. I didn't stay to obtain all of my CEUs. I got a little bored with the conference. A lot of the presentations held at the end of the day were not very interesting. So I left early both days. I was able to obtain about .8 CEUS. That's pretty good for $150.00.

Saturday, I was all geared up to run 14 miles with TNT. I woke up at about 4:30 am like I do every morning. I made my breakfast and headed out the door at about 6:15am. It usually takes me about 20 minutes to get to Shelby Farms. Well, I get to 240 and the interestate was backed up. I didn't worry about it at first. It looked as if the the traffic was moving pretty good. Then...after about 10 minutes of sitting there, I started to get the nervous gas in my stomach. I looked up and the police officers were directing traffic onto Getwell. GETWELL! I didn't know how to get to Shelby Farms from Getwell. I called Fred, but he was still asleep. He didn't answer. I felt my eyes begin to water as the clock in my car got closer to 7 am. The runners start as 7 am. Oh no, I was gonna be late. I kept going down Getwell, then, I decided that I really didn't want to get lost in Memphis, so I headed back home. Amy called my cell phone.."Mia, where are you.We are waiting." I told her about the back-up on the interstate. She sounded just as disappointed as I did. I headed home with a heavy heart. I love to run and I definitely don't like to miss our long runs. As I was on my way home, Fred called me and I told him about he back-up. He knew exactly how to get to Shelby Farms from Getwell, but it was a little to late. You know how I am. I was so upset, I was not going to run. But Fred just encouraged me to run at the gym or the park or in the neighborhood. So I decided to go to the internet and I mapped out as close to 14 miles as I could. I headed out the door and was able to complete 13.83 miles according to the website. The run was great! I ran through parts of my community that I had never taken the time to see. I also saw a couple of other people running. So I got my run in.

After my run, we were invited to attend our nephew's birthday party in Oxford. We probably would not have gone, but somebody wanted to go skating. That somebody is me. Yes, I am a true child of the 80's. LOVE TO SKATE. So Fred loaded up the truck. We took Bug and headed to Oxford. I ate too much at the party, but I went to the skating rink and burn a lot of calories. It was so fun. I was not the only adult on skates, but I was the only one with "mad skills". I was very surprised that I was the only one who could really skate. I was spinning and twirling and they were bearly able to maintain their balance. We had so much fun.

We ended up coming back home that night, but we headed back to Oxford to attend church Sunday morning. The service was great. It was called 'Soul Food' Sunday. This was their way of celebrating Black History Month. Everyone was dressed in the old way. Overalls and old dresses. It was a sight.  The kids sang songs and old hymns were sung. The message was great. Pastor Hall gave us a black history lesson and talked about those of us who had the "slave or plantation mentality" after slavery. He pointed out to us that a lot of African Americans still have this mentality. He motivated us to do what we need to do as people to become better. This was right along with my journey. Become the best Mia I can be. It also motivated my husband to do whatever he needs to do as well.  After church of course there was 'Soul Food'. I ate too. I mean I ate too much of the "sweets". I didn't sweat it though. I know that this was a special occassion. The only thing was, I knew that my birthday was the next day and I was going to celebrate by eating some things that I don't eat normally. So there you have it. Three, well actually four days in a row of eating off of my plan. That won't make for a good weight in today, but oh well...

Anyway for my birthday yesterday, I took the day off from work. Fred and I hung out. We didn't do anything out of the ordinary. We just got the opportunity to be together without Lil Fred (Bug). We took him to school. We went to my office. I had to handle a little business. Then, we went to red lobster. I ate about 4 or 6 of those biscuits. Then, we bought some new running shoes. I wanted to buy some new shoes about 6 weeks before the marathon so that they would be worn in for the big race in April. We also bought a very small birthday cake from the grocery store and we had a 'walmart' date. We just held hands and walked through walmart. How fun! By the time we did all of that, it was time to pick bug up from his daycare and head home. Well that was my week and 31st birthday in a nutshell. If 31 is anything like being 30 was. I am going to have a great year. I have strengthened my relationship with God and with Mia. Which in turn has made a lot of relationships better. I am better able to forgive and forgive quickly. I now love myself and am loving myself more and more everyday. Happy Birthday, Mia ...3/1/1979. I was supposed to get my drivers license renewed yesterday, but I didn't feel like doing it. So I will do it today and attend weight watchers. So I will write later to let you know how that goes.