Really? A buffet?

I went out of town for a wedding yesterday. Best bud's brother. It was a nice affair. I got to be on baby duty for the ceremony (they are so damn cute) and drinking duty for the reception (yipee!).

Best bud's family and friends are so nice. They all had nice things to say about my weight loss. A few even felt me up a little (my newly discovered waist - nothing dirty). Even the groom complimented me. How sweet are you to compliment someone else on your own wedding day? Some of my favorite comments:

1. You look......100%.....different.
2. Hey.....where is the rest of you?

It was a fun night although it was filled with the LONGEST wedding toasts I think I have ever heard. They were good speeches just long. I have the attention span of a 6 year old (hence why I am a 1st grade teacher). Afterward we hit up the hotel bar and then had best bud's other best friend and fiance up to our room for some drinks and we all had an in-depth discussion on the merits of rice pilaf. Drunk people are hilarious - dancing and conversation. I enjoy them. However, we did not go to bed until after 4:30 this morning.

We had to get up and drive the 3 hours home this morning. That was a bit painful. I just wanted to eat some pancakes. All the decent places were too busy and I did not want to stop at McDonald's. As we see a sign for a restaurant, Hubby says - that place used to have good breakfast but it is a buffet. The place was called the Sirloin Stockade and I had never eaten at one before. We stopped. HUGE mistake. I have strong opinions about buffets anyway. This place was gross. The food was disgusting. It totally reinforced my prejudices about buffets. Hubby thought I was going to walk out and had I not been really hungry and already paid way too much money for super crappy food, I would have.

Reliving this experience for this post makes my skin crawl. Chewy hashbrowns, dry chicken, unidentifiable meats, no fruit, greasy fat-laddened casserole type troughs of crap. What is it that people find enjoyable about these places? I am sure there are some good ones out there but I have yet to find one. Salad bar places, I like. But these others scare me.

Hubby swallowed a chicken bone and thought he was going to choke. I vowed to avenge his death and then asked if I could file an accidental death claim. He thought it would be more like a murder charge.

This will now be referred to as the trip where we ate at the most disgusting buffet ever. You know how you land mark things that are horrendous. Like, "dinner at restaurant X was not that great but at least it was not like that meal we had that time at the Sirloin Stockade where you almost died from the chicken bone." The only upside is that I have nowhere to go but up. Every meal I have this week will be like heaven now.

The shittiest part is all the calories I probably consumed. I do not mind if it is awesome food, but this was less than stellar. It is haunting.

You are welcome for this cheery post. I hope you all have a super week! Beware of buffets!!!

It Hurts so Good!

The wedding was.....how do you say? Kind of lame. It was at 2:00 (stinkin' Catholics) so dinner was at about 4:00 and the dancing started at 5:00. That kind of cramped my style so I drank some and did not dance. Actually not many people did.

This picture is me (I cropped out my husband) as we were leaving (8:00 - like I said, lame). Sorry I did not get any better pics. But let me tell you, it was a pretty great night for me.

As I walked in the church, jaws dropped. You could tell when the moment of recognition hit someone because eyes widened and a look of shock took over their face. My husband's grandmother was weepy (but it may have also been the wedding). She proceeded to tell everyone after the wedding I lost 96 pounds (now it is 107 but whatever, she is old). This was embarrassing because she was telling people I never met before like boyfriends of cousins. She might as well have said "man, she used to be REALLY fat."

Comments were made by pretty much everyone. The groom and father of the groom commented multiple times. They even had me play a joke on someone by pretending to be a girl from a bar (someone thought I resembled her).

I think I made you all proud. I wore my heels and stood up tall. I sucked in what gut I have left (and wore a Spanx-type garment). I stood as much as possible (because my legs looked better that way). I stood until my toes were going numb from the heels and then I sat for a few and then I got back up to stand some more.

You can feel the eyes checking you out. I was looked up and down and up again (I am sure it was just out of amazement because of how I looked at the last wedding). I just soaked it in (and sucked it in) and smiled. Most of the comments came from the men. That surprised me.

Oh and Steve was there. My mother-in-law had gone to the rehearsal the night before and when he and his wife found out we were coming, they were so excited. I did not really talk to him until the reception. He made a few comments about me being snotty and not talking to him but really it was only because others were talking to me. When we were all finally standing together and talking and he was looking me up and down he commented that he did not remember me being so tall (6'1 in heels). I guess I made him feel small and I am okay with that. The in-laws needed to leave and they wanted us to stay. They offered to drive us and invited us to stay over at their house. Nice enough but no thanks. I love my in-laws and would never ditch them like that.

At Christmas, we may all go out to the bar to actually hang out. But not so much this time. I am okay with it. I am very happy with the appearance I made even if it was brief.

I think I figured out why that comment from Steve a year and a half ago (if it was him) bothered me so much. I know it was rude but more than that. He is me. I look at him and see myself. We are snarky and we think the same things. He is my mirror. He probably said something that I thought about myself but never said out loud. Either way, I forgive us both. However, if we think or say anything like that again, I just may have to kick some ass.

I hope you all had a super weekend and I look forward to catching up on blogs this week!

Inspiration is Everywhere

Best bud's twin daughters are the cutest kids ever. This is a picture she took on Saturday while we were playing. Just so you know, she did have a dress on but we were getting ready to take a bath, hence the cool new look. How cute are kids in onesies and leg warmers? I have a feeling it would not be so cute on us. Also, the other daughter was there and just as cute, just not in this particular photo (it is impossible to get two 18 month olds to sit for a picture).


I find inspiration in this photo. It makes me want to hit my goal so I can have a baby. I want to be able to run around (or roll around on the floor) and be active with my kids the way best bud is with hers. Even if I never have a baby, I want to be all I can for these two girls. Best bud has been the one greatest support on my journey. Even though she has never been over-weight, in fact quite the opposite she used to be extremely thin (now she is normal and healthy), she seems to understand the struggles. Maybe not all of them, but most of them. I hope that I can be at least half the mom she is to her girls.


I really look at this photo and think - man she is enjoying life. This precious little girl does not care about her weight, she just living her life out loud. I am doing more of that these days and I will continue to do so. So I share with you hoping that you will live your life out loud (no matter what your size is).


Another story from my trip:
Did your mother ever teach you that it is not polite to stare? Well someone should teach my mother that. And my niece. I remember when my journey first started and I had lost about 10 pounds, I went to lunch with some old co-workers. I remember having a salad and water while they ate bread, appetizers, entrees and sodas. No one ever commented on what I was eating but I remember screaming in my head "Don't you notice what good choices I made? Don't you see me restraining myself? Don't you see the 10 pounds I lost?"


Which of course they didn't notice because I was still so big (about 275 or so). After a few of those lunches I had to say to myself that it is okay if no one notices my changes. I am not doing it for anyone but me. Just keep on with it and the results will come.


Those changes have been noticed now my friends. Everyone wants to know how I did it. They are not too impressed with the answer of lots of exercise and calorie counting. They think that is too hard. Well it is not easy but it is easier than having surgery or paying lots of money for a diet program and then going back to old habits and gaining the weight back.


At dinner one night my niece stared at me a LOT. It was creeping me out. She even wanted to know exactly what make-up I was wearing. She just turned 13 and is over-weight. That night she asked my sister if she could join Medical Weight Loss. So sad. I do not know anything about that program but I know enough about my family to know that that is not what she needs.


As I packed my bags on my last night my mother sat and watched and stared at me. Even though I am a teacher and I am used to people looking at me, the staring of my family was just a bit much.


So aside from wonderful, sweet comments about the body transformation and the staring, I was also asked by every family member if I had gotten taller. I have been the same height since 9th grade (1993). All I can think is that I am less hunched over with less weight or I walk with more confidence. I am going to go with the later thought.


So walk proud and tall and live your life out loud today. Happy Columbus Day!

So Much to Say

Well friends it has been a hectic week. Aren't they all anymore? This is a picture from my trip of me and my folks. I heart my parents. There is so much to tell you about I am not sure where to begin.

First of all, my trip was so fun. I did lots of shopping and laughing and visiting and eating. It was exhausting. And then I got home and hit the ground running and I have been running ever since. My double workout today made me really tired. I see a nap in my future.

So, I must go back and talk more about the traveling aspect of the trip. For years now I have heard of fat discrimination. I am sure it happens to people all the time and it is real but I, myself, never thought I experienced it. When I was at my heaviest I never felt cheated out of anything based on my weight. But I had an experience on the way home that made me reconsider.

Every time I travel through the Detroit airport (McNamara Terminal) it is soooo busy. I wait in long lines at the kiosks and security. Everyone does. It is a super busy, nice airport. On Monday (my return trip) the folks dropped me off and I wheeled my bags inside and went to a kiosk (I had printed my ticket at home but needed to check in luggage). I was approached by a lovely woman who told me there were problems with the kiosks and she escorted me to a line. I realized that this line only had 5 people in it while every other line had a minimum of 30 people. I thought it was strange and when I looked up I was in the Elite passenger (First Class) line. So I turned around and started to wheel my way through the ropes when the lady says "Where are you going?" I replied, "This is for first class passengers and I am not first class." to which she responds "Honey, I put you there. You are in the right line, now go back." As much as I love waiting in lines, I decided to follow her instructions. Thanks lady.

Then I moved on to the security check point which is about 50 people deep. Right before I enter, a security monitor steps in front of the area to block me from entering. He told me to walk to another security point all the way at the end of the building. People, all I saw was the Westin hotel. Because I am obedient (at least in places where you can easily be arrested), I walked that way and through the Westin hotel (which is swanky for an airport hotel). Guess what? It has it's own private security entrance to the terminals and NO LINE!!!

All I am saying regards to fat discrimination is this: I have been traveling through this airport forever and this is the first time I have been treated like this. Things like this did not happen when I was heavier. It maybe a coincidence but it did make me think.

On the suckier side of travel, on the way out of town my flight was delayed about 6 hours and ruined my dinner plans that evening but I recovered (with a little alcohol). Also a bit of advice, when you lose a lot of weight, change your driver's license photo. The security guy laughed at mine and said "If you lost 100 pounds, it REALLY changed the way you look." I told him I would take that as a compliment and moved on. It was also an issue when I had to go to a bank up there. It takes a bit of explaining for people to believe me.

Since I have babbled on so long, I will post more tomorrow. Now I shall read your blog. Enjoy your weekend!

The Damage That Was Done

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a picture of my legs on the plane. I was super impressed with how much roomier plane seats have gotten since February. Or perhaps my ass has gotten smaller. No one saw me take this picture but I think some were wondering what the flash was. Even though I am still 5'10 there was lots more room this time. I do not think I have ever been able to cross my legs on a plane before. Crossing my legs is still my favorite NSV (non-scale victory) of this weight loss journey so far. Also, I had about a foot of belt left after it was securely fastened. I would have never thought that possible. There were times (in the past) I struggled and sucked it in just to get the belt to click. This trip was more enjoyable in many ways.


But that is not the reason for this post. The damage assessment was done this morning. My weight is at 188.8. That is a 1.6 pound gain. I'll take it. I wanted to stay at around 3 pounds. I have done worse with good eating habits. I ate too much, too often. I drank (multiple times) and did not do much exercise. However, I could have done worse. On the flip side, I could have done better. My mother gained 4 pounds (I am sure drinking water will help her out).

The surprise went off well. She was shocked to say the least and I wore her arse out running all over the place. I will post more at a later date. Time to endure the punishment of running this morning.

Can't wait to catch up on your blogs and get back in the swing of things. Oh, and speaking of damage, poor best bud busted her knee while I was gone. I made it over yesterday and she is hobbling around (although she does hobble pretty well) and it is sad. I tell you nothing slows this girl down but things sure do try. So I will be over there a bit more this week. I do not mind as I truly enjoy her and the twins. I just feel bad that she got hurt, especially when I was not here to help.

Have a great weight loss week!!!

This Just In.....

I am wearing a belt today. For like the first time ever. Me. A belt. Can you believe it? I used to dream of the day I could wear a belt and it not disappear into my mountains of flesh. So far, so good.

I am still Michigan but I was emailing my family some of my pics and thought I would post this one. It is my favorite! Saturday was the big U of M/Michigan State game. Biggest game every year and sooooo fun. And we won (yahoo Katie!!)!!! I actually graduated from MSU so I was really loving it. Oh and the cute little blond boy is one of my nephews (the good one because he likes MSU, the "other" one is not pictured because he was wearing U of M clothing). The neices were wearing regular clothes so they are not pictured either (I know I sound awful, but I did swim with them all at the indoor waterpark after dinner).

I am still eating my way through Michigan but having so much fun. I will post again when I return tomorrow. Enjoy your day!