I've had a great week! Only two more finals to take, and I'm free for a month before the new classes start! Woohoo!

I've been working out like a fiend, adding my steep inclines to work up my larger calorie-burning muscles in my legs. It paid off in a 2.5 pound loss, making me officially over my 50 pound weight loss mark by .5 pounds. Woohoo! I'm pretty stoked about that! (As if you couldn't tell!)

My goals for Hot 100 have been good, as well. Water intake, exercise, and school are all doing great. There were some days this past week that I got more than my goal of 2L of water in (more like 4L), and one day that I barely got in 1L but for the most part...obviously, I did pretty darn good! I'm happy with the end results.

This past week has allowed me to ponder on a lot of things that I'm thankful for in my life. Perhaps I always get this way during this time of year as I see the hub-bub of the holidays consume people; the retail rat race controlling the masses. There are a lot of things that I'm thankful for...my husband, most definitely, because he loves me in spite of my ditziness and fatness, and he keeps me grounded when I most need it. I've never known a man who was more perfect for me than him. I guess that makes it a good thing that I married him!

I'm thankful for our kids, they're growing and thriving and as far as I can tell...they're all pretty spoiled and happy!

I'm thankful for the opportunity that I'm able to get to know my dad again. After so many years of having him absent from my life, it's so nice to not only have him back in it, but somewhat nearby so that K and I can go see him from time to time.

I'm thankful for my step-dad. I've known him less than 10 years but I feel as though he's always been there as my father. He's so very giving and supportive and would give the shirt off of his back if he knew it would help. I couldn't ask for a better man as a dad and as a husband for my mom.

I'm thankful for the chance that I've had to reunite, albeit via facebook only at this point, with family on my dad's side. After my grandmother died I sort of lost touch with them and it's wonderful to be able to be back in contact with them, despite the fact that along with the reunion online, I also learned of the deaths of a favorite aunt and an uncle. I'd have liked to have known about my aunt and have attended her funeral. I guess my uncle didn't have a service.

I'm thankful for my sister, without her I'd never have an example of what not to do in life! I say that as a good thing. She just never seems to have her life under control and it saddens me that my sweet niece is a product of such instability. It is what it is, though.

Finally, I am thankful for my mom. I often complain about some of the things that she does, and I tell myself that I won't do some of those things...but overall, she's always been there for me. Without her presence in my life growing up, I'd have turned out more messed up than I am! Kidding, kidding... While my dad was rarely around when I was an older child, my mom was always there. She raised me well, with a good set of morals and I don't think that I turned out so bad. She's my mom, I will always love her, no matter how imperfect she is...after all, nobody IS perfect. I know that I'm not! She's done her best to always have a home for me to return to, she and my step-dad put me up for over a year while I was working in Utah a couple of years ago. I don't know how long she'll keep her house, the house where I grew up, because I know that they would both prefer a ranch style house, with just one floor. But for the time being, it's always great to go "home". I love to remember parts of my childhood and where they happened in the house and yard...I will miss that if it goes away, but will certainly understand if it does.

There is one thing that bums me out, though, and that is that I don't have many pics of us with me as a child. I wish that weren't the case.

Needless to say, I wouldn't be the woman that I am today without the care and love of my mom. We may not have been the most demonstrative family in the world, but I always knew that I was loved by her actions.

I love you mom!

There are a lot of things that fat people have to deal with besides discrimination and lack of energy. And a lot of it is stuff that the average person has no idea that we have to deal with. If you're of a significantly larger size then you'll know just where I'm coming from when I talk about this.

One of the things that obese and super obese people have to deal with on a semi-regular basis, is the smell. Don't kid yourself...you all know what I'm talking about whether you want to admit it or not. If you're morbidly obese then you've been there, done that...and hopefully, by now, have learned how to deal with it so that it's not so malodorous. I know that when I was younger it used to mortify me. But, as you mature, you learn tricks so that you don't have to worry about it affecting not only your life but those around you, as well.

I'll first address the WHY of it all. As fatties, we have folds of skin where most people do not: under our bellies, boobies, love handles, behind our knees, and even in those more private regions. Because of that, they get sweaty/humid and yeast and bacteria grow, often even causing sores, which then release a clear liquid that the body is trying to clean itself with. With all of those factors combined, it's no wonder that it begins to smell funky. And funky it is! Never fear, though, for there are ways around this unpleasant odor.

The first trick that I ever learned was using plain, old deodorant/antiperspirant. Not just under your arms, but in all of the folds that you can reach! I use mine on my love handles and behind my knees. Those are my problem areas. But it will work wherever there are folds of skin. Use it twice a day and you'll never smell the repugnant smell again.

There are also other things that people do like using a blow dryer multiple times each day on their folds to ensure that they stay dry...however, that's not always an easy solution as I'm not sure about you, but I don't make a habit of carrying a blow dryer around in my purse!

Nystatin is another useful took to use between folds to help prevent yeast from thriving, combined with Polysporin Powder to help with the smell.

I've tried using lotions and potions and powders to the problem, and the best one that I ever came up with was the deodorant. Do you have any suggestions to help control the rancid smell that is associated with being obese? Share if you do!

Hey everyone! So it's been a week since Thanksgiving, and even with my waning enthusiasm, I still lost over 3 pounds, to put me below where I was before the holiday. I'm at my lowest weight by 1.5 pounds that I've been since this attempt at getting healthy. I only have 2 more pounds until I hit the big 5-0. I'm ready to pass it and get on with the next big milestone of 1-0-0!!! Now that will be fun!

As for my goals, as much as I wasn't feeling it this whole week, I still got on the treadmill and did my hour of cardio. I amp'ed up my regime by adding extreme inclines, then a smaller incline, then über steep again. I'm really trying to work my quads, hams, and gluts by doing that, because, as we all know, muscles burn calories faster! I'm gonna have a J-Lo butt before all is said and done, at this rate! But hey...at least she's still a size 6!!!

I'm doing super great in school...I had a math test last Thursday and I believe I did pretty well. I'm not going to assume much, though, as the last time that I assumed, I didn't do as well as I expected! Hopefully we'll have our grades back on Tuesday so I can know for sure.

My water intake has waned a little this past week, and I'm really making an effort to step it up again. I think that by doing that, that I'll be able to lose more quicker.

So there you have it. My weekly update...and as much as I was dreading getting on the scale this morning, it's all turned out for the good.

Being home with my mom and step-dad, it reminds me of how much I don't want to be like my mom.  At least personality-wise.  She can be pretty fake, at times.  She likes to give and take.  It's difficult, sometimes, to live with it....but it is who and what she is.  I don't know her any other way.

When she was dating my step-dad, she went on hikes with him in the mountains, took long walks, did a lot of outdoor activities with him.  Once they got married, she developed a less than desirable dislike for the very things that she did while dating him.  I wonder if she knows that that can be cause for legal annulment...misrepresenting yourself.  I know that she's got problems with her feet...but she's had those problems for years and years.  She had them while dating him.  She just didn't complain, and she always participated in their dates wholeheartedly.

Something silly that still goes on, is that she got a new SUV a few years ago.  She put a downpayment on it, approximately half of the price, and now he is making two payments per month on it until it's paid off.  Unfortunately, although he's paying half of the car's total, she rarely allows him to drive it.  He mentioned once that it's like asking your controling parent to borrow the car and getting the run around.

In spite of all of that, my step-dad seems to genuinely love her, and for that, I'm glad.  She needs someone in her life to complain to, laugh with, and experience the twilight years of her life with.  I just know that I hope I don't get like that with my husband.  Here's to the future!

With Thanksgiving this week and then the subsequent leftovers, it's no wonder that I've gained almost 2 pounds...however, I was expecting something a lot worse than that!  I'm actually prety stoked.  Granted, that weight is on my mom's scale because I'm not home to use mine.  Hopefully mine doesn't differ too much, though.  I suppose I'll find out next week when I weigh again.

As far as my goals...  I brought my homework to do and have gotten it done.  Well, half anyway.  I still need to do some revisions on my English essay...maybe today sometime.  My water intake has been terrible.  It's so hard to get it all in when I'm not at home.  Sure, there is water available here, of course there is...but it's still just hard to get it in.  Also, I've gotten in my exercise, except for thanksgiving day.  We were traveling still, and then once we arrived in Utah we immediately went to dinner with the family...there wasn't any time left over to exercise.  I didn't worry too much about it, though.

So anyway, that's where I'm at.  A small gain, but it was to be expected.  I'm excited that I didn't do worse!

Well, my goals went okay this week.  The only one that I did wholeheartedly was exercise.  Even though I was sick, I still got that in.  Also, because I wasn't feeling so good, I put off doing my homework until today, so I had a bunch of math that I needed to get up to date on.  Not good to fall behind on math!  Even if it IS easy.

Unfortunately, my water intake and my exercise didn't do crap for my weight loss.  In fact, I gained back the 1/2 pound that I lost last week.  I just don't understand...I was on a roll and now it's just stopped.  Any ideas?  Suggestions?

I do know that I ate some stuff early on in the week that I shouldn't have.  K and I stayed overnight at one of the local hotel/casinos and went to a cheap movie there.  We stopped at the candy store next to it and bought some taffy and other random pieces of candy.  Between the two of us it was gone within 2 days.  But...because I wasn't feeling so good about all of that, I did a two day cleanse where the only things I ate were one apple on the first day and 2 hard boiled eggs on the second day.  And a TON of water.  You'd think with all of that, that I'd have lost at least a pound.  I'm so bummed.

I do wonder, though, if it has to do with the fact that we were out of food in the house, so I wasn't able to eat healthy snacks between meals, therefore eating a little more than I should have of the regular meals.  I know the importance of having a snack between meals...a healthy one, that is.  Usually I eat a couple tangerines, or slice up a small apple....generally fruit of some kind.  Anyhoo...

I'm bummed.  And I dunno if I'll have a loss next week since it's Thanksgiving, and all.  Here's hoping.

I've caught a cold somewhere. It's had me dragging for the past couple of days, and I still am not up to par. I've been living with Vicks on my upper lip to clear my sinuses. My head is all achy and stuff from being all stuffy. It's a bummer...but I'm glad it's happening this weekend instead of next weekend over Thanksgiving.

But...in spite of feeling like complete shit...I've still been exercising every day! Still doing my 60 minutes on the treadmill, 6 days per week. I was telling my husband the other day that it's habit now...my day doesn't feel complete until I have exercised. And I love the feeling of those endorphins zipping through my body during and right after I get on the treadmill....it's like a natural high! I love the euphoria!

Exercise...it does a body good!

I've been maintaining just the bare bones of my blog lately, and I feel rather guilty because of it.  I'm sorry, dear blog, for neglecting you.  I realize that you need to keep up with my life, too.

That being said....finals are coming up, which pretty much means I'll be absent as I have been for at least another few weeks!  Sorry, dear blog, but I can't help it!

Branching off....I'm doing really well in my classes!  Pretty sure I've got an A in math, and know that I've got one in English.  I also just signed up for Spring classes, math, writing fiction, and digital photography.  I'm really excited for them.

Always look both ways before crossing a one way street to avoid any...unpleasantness.

Just saying.