Who's the Fat Kid in the Mirror?? Oh Wait... That's Me!

Recently I went to Miami to freelance on an event and one of our evening events was a dinner cruise. The boat I was on was covered in mirrors- almost to the point of being creepy. Anyways, I happened to head down one of the stairwells, flanked by wall-to-wall mirrors, looked up and came face to face with a fat person. Correction: I was looking at a fat me! Sure I've noticed a bit of, um, extra weight in pictures or my clothes fitting a big snug but THIS was a big wake up call.

Several months back I wrote a post about the Island Fifteen, likening it to the Freshman Fifteen that so many of us were lucky to experience in college. It's a very vicious cycle of eating and drinking on this island and it's amazing how quickly it catches up to you here. Most of us work in the service industry which means we work odd hours and eat whatever/whenever is convenient. Then we head out for drinks after work and get up to do this all over again tomorrow.

There's a lot of 'I'll be better tomorrow' and 'no more being bad' promises but then something comes up, you fall off the proverbial wagon and vow to start again next Monday. That's the biggest problem here- there's always SOMETHING going on. Be it a boat trip, a visitor or a party of some sort- there's always a reason to slip up. Even when there's NOT a reason it happens. I routinely bring healthy food to work but once I get here it never sounds appealing and I end up ordering something not so good for me.

I've tried lots of crazy things since being down here to try and get back on the 'good' path. Let's see, there's been the Fruit Flush. Three days of disgusting, icky whey protein shakes and nothing but fruit. There was the 14 cleanse/detox which actually just lowered my alcohol tolerance and caused a very, very large hangover after the first time out. I did the Power90 Meal/Exercise Plan. Then there was the 11-day diet generator that requires you pick a large list of foods and it generates combos for you to eat. Let me tell you- eating shrimp and scrambled eggs for breakfast really isn't that bad, however, eating green veggies and frozen yogurt for dinner sucks. It probably won't come as a shock to any of you that these just didn't work.

So now what? Well, I'm going back to what I know works. Last night I sucked it up and rejoined Weight Watchers. 7 years ago I lost 30 lbs on the program. While I don't need to lose nearly that much (although I wouldn't care if I did!) I know it works. I know what I can and can't eat, what I can and can't drink (no more beer). I didn't exercise the first time around but I figure it certainly can't HURT seeing that I'm sure my metabolism has changed ever so slightly over the better part of a decade! Besides, I recently joined the gym AND have 8 Tuff Miles to train for again.

I know I need to be patient- it took me a year to put this on and it isn't going to magically disappear. There isn't a quick fix and I'm in this for the long haul! So if any of you on STT catch me drinking a beer, please take it away and replace it with a vodka/soda :)

My Thanksgiving ABC's

Happy Gobble Gobble Day everyone! I hope that you all have a great day and get to spend it with friends and family over wonderful food and great drinks! Let's not forget what we are thankful for this year!!

Ability: to change, to adapt, to learn, to love, to forgive

Boat Trips: for good times and seeing more of the world (even if we tend to see Jost over and over)

Coke Zero: hey, I don't drink coffee but I certainly need my caffeine!

Dot Com Shopping: without it I'd be naked. Although Tim would argue we'd be rich!

Everday: if I wake up it means I'm alive and that's a great start! (Thank you, Julie, for that one!)

Friends, Family & Fun: This one was easy!! Without the first two I couldn't have the third.

Grandparents: we miss you all!!

Health: kind of self explanatory....

Iphone: for keeping me connected and entertained

Jagermeister: NOT! I'm on day 106 without it...

Kisses: from Tim, from Laddie. Who cares? :)

Laughter: for putting a smile on my face

Music: it's amazing how one song can trigger a memory, put a smile on your face or change your mood

Necessary Evils: for knowing which ones and when to use!

Ocean: growing up in the midwest I never had the privilege of living around water and to do so is amazing.

Parents: for the love and support they give us. Thanks Mom, Dad, Mike, Yvonne & Peggy!

Quiet: none of which I had today or this blog would have been posted earlier :)

Risk & Reward: I find that one is usually worth the other.

Sleep: glad to get much more than I used to when I worked in an office and had a commute!

Tim: thanks honey for everything you do, I love you!

University of Missouri- Go Tigers!!!

Vodka: not gonna lie, it's very nice after (or during) a long day!

Work: love, love, love what I do and who I do it with!

eXercise: kind of a stretch but I love the feeling after a good workout. I should do it more often... good thing training for 8 Tuff Miles starts ASAP!!

Youth: while I may not be one I feel like one and you're only as old as you feel, right?

Zinfandel: and all other varities of fermented grapes (thanks, Amanda, for that one!)