Week Four, Day Three: A Nemisis.

I am not naturally a runner.  Well, my mother would argue differently - apparently I was a little baby gazelle around age eight or so, but sometime after puberty hit, running became much less fun and easy for me.  I have tried to run so many times, and quit for so many reasons.  I don't want to do that again.  I want to be a runner.  I admire it when other people do it, and I have no good reason not to also be able to. 

I am currently working through Couch to 10k training runs, and I am stuck.  I am stuck on Week 4 - Day 3.   This is the workout where I always get stuck.  This is the point where I have lost interest and motivation countless times, the point where it is all too easy to tell myself "Oh well, maybe not everyone is destined to run" and then I find some other source of cardio for awhile.  But I always come crawling back.

I did 4-3 yesterday, and it sucked.  It hurt.  It was hard.  I could not find my stride at any point.  I was pretty much pissed off the entire run.  I pushed through the first five running intervals, did the next two incredibly half-heartedly, and walked the remainder of the 4 miles.    The whole time, I fought the little voice in my head urging me to call it and head home. I finished with a good calorie burn and a bad attitude.

It's irritating to me.  Ever since I was little, I get all too frustrated with the process of becoming good at something.  I don't consider myself to be a perfectionist, nor am I particularly competative, but I always go into something with the expectation that I will just be able to do it.  I hated ballet because I didn't immediately put on pointe shoes the first week.  Same with swim lessons and pottery class.  The same is true as an adult.  I want to like yoga, but hate that I am not able to do a full camel.  I like running, but I get so mad at myself that I can't push through what I think should be simple workouts.  I have high hopes and expectations, and a very short fuse for the process.  I want to be a runner.  I hate becoming one.

But I don't want to quit again.  My bad run yesterday was disheartening, but I am going to the gym tonight to try again.  I'll move on to Week 5 eventually, I know it, even if it takes forever. 

Nothing is better motivation than a deadline.

Or two deadlines.

Better yet, three.

I have three races coming up in the next three months.  All of them are set to be done with friends, so skipping is not an option.  I've paid for two of them.  They are happening whether I am ready or not, so I best get ready, y'all. 

Ugh.  Running is really stupid sometimes.

I think a big part of my problem is fueling.  I feel very clueless on what to eat before a run.  I tend to do my workouts in the afternoon or evening.  What do you eat?  What are good snacks to pack, that are also point-friendly?  I have access to a fridge and a microwave, so really I can take anything, I just don't know what that should be when I am doing four to five miles at a time.

Let's Fall in Love: Boys Roll Out

From my understanding, it doesn't take a lot of time to put on a tuxedo.  Mr LikesIt and his friends had made the most of their time before the ceremony, mostly with a dance party and other shenanigans, including prank calling my mother.  Somewhere in all of that, they managed to all get dressed.

The day of the wedding was also a big day for the Mizzou fans in the wedding party (Illinois fans too, but I'm not counting them).  It was the opening football game for the Tigers, playing the Illini in the annual Arch Rivals showdown.  Being that Springfield is in the heart of the U of I fan-base, we made the silly assumption that the 11 am kickoff would be available in the hotel suites.  Alas, we were incorrect.  The boys decided to take to to streets to get access to the game.  Once the trolley arrived, they camped out, listening to the game and waiting for it to be time to head to the church.

Beers were had.  Football was played.  Antics were enacted.  Somewhere in between all of that, the groomsmen completed their very important job of escorting Mr LikesIt to the church ... on time and everything.  (And bee tee dubs, Mizzou won, in case you're curious.  We consider it fortuitous.)

 With half the wedding party on site and suited up, it was time to snap some quick portraits while the trolley circled back to the hotel for me and mine. 

But first, bouts were acquired. 

Matt, for obvious reasons, is a pro at pinning boutinnieres.  He's also handy at fixing broken bridesmaid jewelry.  Hire him immediately, y'all.  Also, he's single.  I have his number, ladies.  *eyebrow waggle*

Anyway, thanks to Matt and Christy, wife of groomsman Justin, everyone was properly floraled for the day.

Some were more excited for the flowers than others.

Since we opted not to see each other until the 3:30 ceremony, time would be of the essence afterward.  Up next, Mr LikesIt and the boys strut their stuff for the camera.

In case you missed it ...

I bought a dress and completely changed it.

We had a marathon final week of engagement.

I giggled my way through our rehearsal.

Mr LikesIt got grilled at our rehearsal dinner.

The groomsmen ran amok in downtown Springfield. 

The girls got gorgeous. 

We exchanged mushy wedding-day gifts. 

The guys got fancy and then got dancy. 

I became a Bride. 

There was a first First Look.

I shared my Somethings.

ABCs

This little survey has been floating around various blogs lately.  I figured, why not?  Does anyone remember those long chain email surveys that people used to send?  Well, it's that, but on a blog.  Get excited!  

A: Age: 28

B: Bed size: King.  Our bed has a name - Magnificence.  It has ruined us for all other beds in the world.  Whenever we travel, we wonder why we bought such an awesome mattress.

C. Chore you hate:  All of them?  Especially dusting.

D. Dogs: Just the one ...

But we'll be adopting another soon!



E. Essential start to your day: I check my Twitter before I even brush my teeth.  Lame?
 
F. Favorite color: Pink and purple, but really all jewel tones are favorites.

Surprise, surprise.

G. Gold or silver: Both, equally though I tend to wear more silver and my wedding rings are white gold. 



H: Height: 5'4 ... super average.


I: Instruments that you can play:  None.  I play a mean air guitar though.


J: Job title: Recruiting Specialist.


K: Kids: Just a dog and a mean case of baby fever.


L: Live: St Louis, suburbs thereof.



M: Mom’s name: Joan


N: Nicknames: Meag, Mugs/Mugsy (Daddy-O), Magee (Grandma), and Honeybear (Mr LikesIt)


O: Overnight hospital stays: I came down with a rager of a kidney infection my freshman year in college and was in the hospital for three days over Christmas break.  It sucked.  I was so sick and fevered that I barely remember Christmas, including the car my parents had bought me. 


P: Pet peeve: Drivers in St Louis seem wholly unable to use turn signals.



Q: Quote from a movie: Whatever, I'm getting cheese fries.


R: Righty or lefty: Lefty!  So is Mr LikesIt.


S: Siblings: One ... Seester.

T:Time you wake up: Disgustingly late.  I don't have to be at work until 9, so I get up around 7 ... sometimes later depending on how many snoozes I get away with.


U: Underwear: I have a thing for boyshorts lately.  No matter the style though, they all come from VS Pink.


V: Vegetables you dislike: Lima beans.  *shudder*


W: What makes you run late: Aforementioned snoozes.  Snooze button is a serious vice.

 X: X-rays: Remember that time I tripped over my dog and kicked a wall, breaking three toes and a bone in my foot?  Yup.

Nothing like a blue boot at a bachelorette party.

Y: Yummy food you make: Yum yum bars!


Z: Zoo favorite animal:  Who doesn't love the penguin house?  And without fail, whenever I go to the St Louis Zoo, the giraffes are getting it on.

On the Weigh: It's Official

+1.2

So there's that.  I managed to not go completely bonkers on vacay. 

It was a lot easier to feel upbeat about it when it wasn't officially written into my WW book.  It's a little bit of a bummer, especially in light of the fact that the last few weeks on WW have been less than awesome, but alas, what can I do?  I can't let it get me down.  That's a blip on the radar of long term positive life changes, I suppose.  Just have to keep on keeping on. 

It's a get-back-to-basics week for me.  After faking it for most of January and February, I'm ready to do the damn thing.  Why else am I paying for this stupid thing?  Certainly not to watch my numbers waffle for eight weeks.  It's simple enough: measure portions, track everything, stay in the points, be active.  Easy peasy.

From my meeting this week:

"If you kind of do it, it kind of works.  If you really do it, it really works!"

On the Weigh: Vacation

Ahoy!  Vacation success!

We just got back from our little mini-moon trip to Florida.  It was glorious, let me tell you, GLORIOUS.  I will be posting about it at length very soon, but suffice to say it was a fantastic trip and we're already planning a return visit for next year.  Seaside has that affect on you.

I was excited beyond belief to go on the trip, but also slightly nervous.  I have been doing well with WW, and I didn't want a few days on the beach throw a wrench in being OP.  When we went to Seaside three years ago (also my most recent vacation), it was a free-for-all resulting in a gain of seven pounds.  Holy crap, but I did not want to repeat that.  Every fiber of my being was stubbornly set against falling into that trap again.

With the help and advice of some WW girls, I went into the vacation with a plan.  I am elated to report that it was a success.  My official WI is Saturday (and with it there will be an official update), but as of this morning, I am up less than two pounds.  I weighed myself four times this morning just to be sure, and yes, my eyes did not deceive.  Knowing my body, even just a couple of days of being really OP might remove even that small gain, which is pretty badass, if you as me.  I survived vacation.   I feel like a WW World Champion right now.

A Guide to Surviving Vacation:

• Eat mindfully - listen to hunger signals.  Portion control is key.  This was actually very easy, considering portions at the restaurants we chose were very reasonable.  There was only one meal where I felt like I was served an exorbitant amount to start, and it was the last dinner we ate there.  I was not tempted to snack much either, which saved points for richer meals. 
• Be balanced.  Not every meal can or needs to be special.  If we planned a heavier dinner, I ate lighter breakfasts and lunches.  Mr LikesIt and I shared a lot of things, which allowed us to try more, as well as watch those portions.  
• Limit alcohol.  If I still drank the way I used to, this would have been harder.  However, alcohol just wasn't a priority for me on this trip.  I was much more inclined to use those points at the cupcake truck after dinner than for wine with an entree.  That was the balance I chose, and I know it was a key factor.
• Be active.  I think this was far and away the most important aspect of why this went so well for me.  While we had more than our fair share of laying around, hot tubbing, and sunning, we also made the most of the beautiful weather and pedestrian-friendly locale.  I earned 29 APs between Saturday and Wednesday, close to what I average in a week at home.  We hit the nearby trails for a 4 mile run, rented bikes and took a 10-mile ride, strolled the beach for a 4+ mile walk, and wandered the beach at sunset to catch the perfect view.  We maximized the experience, really, and we got to see a lot more of the area than if we had spent the time sitting. 
• Track everything.  I wrote everything down, tracked every meal.  I had no reason not too, but I think it was also a major help.  A vacation didn't mean a vacation from WW.  My body tracks even when I don't.
• Remember the goal.  Sure, I was more relaxed than when I was at home.  Sure, we had cupcakes and sushi and burgers.  But at the same time, I didn't forget that it was just a short-term situation.  I knew the scale would be waiting when I got home.  I was actually excited to step on this morning, to see how it went.  I never forgot it for a second while we were in Florida, nor did I forget the smaller sized pants sitting in my closet, or the race in April, or the drawer full of two-piece bathing suits that didn't get packed.  They didn't get me down, but they were just in my mind.  I made my choice before we even left: I wanted to enjoy this trip, but my overall goal of losing weight and being healthier was more important than whatever would be on the plate in front of me.   

Sounds easy enough, right?  It really was.  It was fun to get out and run around town.  It was fun to go out to eat and really savor whatever we ordered.  Spending a few minutes looking up point values didn't inhibit the enjoyment of the trip in the least.  I wanted to come home and feel good about the week, and I really do.  I know I did my best, and I did not let circumstances get the best of me.  That is a huge success, something I have failed miserably at in the past.  Really, these are tactics that I can employ on everyday life too.  The same things that foster consistency and success for a "special" event, are the things that will get me to goal.  It's amazing how long it took me to connect those dots, but I am happy to move forward from here.  It seems so simple, right?  Such a face-palm moment, but of course these are the things I need to do to be successful when I am away on vacay ... they are the very same things I've been doing all along.

On a related note, I thoroughly enjoyed running with Mr LikesIt.  Bless his heart for having such faith in me, but he thought I was running four full miles at a time, not doing the walk-jog intervals that make up the Couch to 10k training.  He did really well on our run, in spite of having crappy shoes, and he wants to continue to train with me.  He maybe, just maybe, will even do a couple of races with me, if I ask sweetly enough.  I love having a running buddy!

What are your tactics for surviving vacation?  How do you get through without gaining a ton of weight?

Legal and official.

I have finally changed my name. Like, legit changed it. I have a new SS card and as of this morning, a shiny new driver's license with my shiny new name. And not the worst photo ever, either.


And to think, it only took me six months to do this.

It's making me feel oddly giddy. Huzzah!

Subtle

This is what Mr LikesIt thinks about what I am making for dinner.



No. We are not ordering Mexican, jerkface.

Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies

Who doesn't love cookies?  Usually when I have the urge to bake, I flip straight to the cake or brownies section of my recipe collection.  But sometimes, you just want cookies.

Peanut Butter Crunch Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1/2 cup chopped honey-roasted peanuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream the butter and sugars together in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Lower to medium speed and add egg, peanut butter, and vanilla.  Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add to butter mixture on low speed.  Beat until incorporated.  Fold in Rice Krispies and peanuts.  Form dough into 1 1/2" balls.  Place on greased cookie sheets.  Bake 12 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes and then remove to cooling racks.  Adapted from Real Simple.

Kenny, who love love loves peanut butter, could have eaten his weight in these, I think.  Super delicious, and very addictive.  Consider yourself warned.

Speaking of dressing mix.

Jessica claimed ignorance to the stuff I have mentioned in several of my recipes.  I am shocked!  Was I the only one that grew up on veggie dip made from this stuff?

Garlic and Herb is my favorite.  It blends successfully with the Zesty Italian flavor.  It's .75 ounces of crack, seriously.

Angel Chicken

When something goes right in the crockpot, I usually see it as an exception rather than the rule.  I don't know what it is, but most things that go into the slow cooker do not come out tasty.  But exceptions are nice.

 Angel Chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup light chive and onion cream cheese

1/4 cup white wine (Reisling ... + more to marinate the chef)

1 package garlic and herb-flavored salad dressing mix

1 can undiluted cream of mushroom soup

2 T unsalted butter

Prepare crockpot with nonstick spray.  Place chicken in the bottom.  In a microwave-safe bowl, mix together cream cheese, mushroom soup, and butter.  Microwave two minutes to soften, stir to blend.  Mix in dressing package and wine.  Pour mixtureover chicken.  Cook 4-6 hours on low.  One hour before serving, remove chicken from crockpot and cut into small pieces.  Serve chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes or whole wheat pasta.

It's not pretty food, but my it is tasty.

Let's Fall in Love: Somethings ...

I love wedding traditions.  All of them.  Especially ones where I had the opportunity to be sentimental and creative.  I am a firm believer that "traditional" does not equal "cookie cutter" as far as wedding goes.  I spent a lot of time during planning focused on one of my favorite traditions, and making it very personal: my Somethings.

Something Old ...

Vintage earrings and pearl bubble cocktail ring.

Grandma B's embroidered hankie.  "S" for her maiden name, which her mother gave her.  I am sad to not have better photos of it, but suffice to say it came in handy during the ceremony.  I have it framed in our bedroom now. (family photo)

Something New ...

All the make-up that Azeza used to make me pretty and glowy.

 And of course that whole dress-that-I-bought-and-completely-changed-into-something-new thing.

Something Borrowed ...

Mom's veil.

And thirty-eight buttons from her wedding dress.

Both something old and borrowed, the heart-shaped pendant I wore belongs to my Grandma B as well.  The diamonds are from her original wedding set from my grandfather, who passed away before I started dating Mr LikesIt.  My aunt wore it on her wedding day.  My sister and two cousins will, too someday. 

Something Blue ...

For me and for Mr LikesIt.

I don't have a photo of it, but I also borrowed a small white clutch from my friend, Nicole, who had gotten married just a few months before.  We had exchanged endless emails about our respective weddings, and I wanted her to be a part of it somehow, even though she lives on the other side of the country and couldn't attend.  I was able to pass it along to the next of our friends getting married as well, so the tradition lives on. 

And isn't that the best part of traditions?

What were your Somethings?

 

In case you missed it ...

I bought a dress and completely changed it.

We had a marathon final week of engagement.

I giggled my way through our rehearsal.

Mr LikesIt got grilled at our rehearsal dinner.

The groomsmen ran amok in downtown Springfield. 

The girls got gorgeous. 

We exchanged mushy wedding-day gifts. 

The guys got fancy and then got dancy. 

I became a Bride. 

There was a first First Look.

Happy Valentine's Day, loves!

Hope you have a day full of love!

Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breast

I have a finely tuned system to tell if a recipe is something I will make again: Kenny.  I cook and plate the food, and deliver it to him (on the coffee table until recently, when we finally acquired a kitchen table we actually keep clear enough to use for dining).  I take a few bites and wait for his reaction.  If something is really good, I will get an immediate "Oh my."  Slightly lower on the scale is a smile and a nod.  If I have to ask "Make again?" chances are that it's a no - good enough for dinner, but not worth a second try.  There have been a few rare (albeit memorable) occasions when we had to abandon ship and order Jimmy John's.  But I am not here to talk about the fails.

It's always a good sign for a recipe when Kenny is impressed watching me put it together.  Spinach-stuffed chicken is one of those meals.  He gets nosy and curious and wants to know what I'm doing, especially when the bacon comes out.  It's actually a very simple meal to put together, but one of those that looks fairly complicated and impressive.  It's a husband-pleaser, at least.

 Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breast

 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

2 cloves garlic (or 1T bottled minced garlic)

1/2 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

8 slices center-cut bacon

In a medium bowl, mix mayo, spinach, feta, and garlic until well blended.  Set aside.  Carefully butterfly chicken breasts, making sure not to cut all the way through.  Spoon spinach mixture into the slit pocket you have just created.  Wrap each breast with two slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks.  Placed in a shallow backing dish coated with nonstick spray.  Cover and bake at 375 degrees for one hour, or until cooked through.  Let rest 2 minutes before serving.  

See? Super easy.  This is simple enough for a weeknight meal, but it's tasty enough to feel like a special occasion.  Kenny says "oh my!"

Talk talk talk.

Oh, a dialect vlog.  Yeah, I did one too.





So what do you think?  Do I sound like you thought?  Do you love my lack of accent?

I just hope you can't hear Mr LikesIt snoring in the background.

This is for you, Jessica.

I used to be "just naturally dark" too.

 Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

Let's Fall in Love: The First First Look

Dressed and ready.

It had been a whirlwind of a morning.  Dresses and make up were properly applied.  I was in my dress and the transformation to Bride was nearly complete.  Glancing at the bedside clock in the hotel room where my girlfriends and I crowded together, pulling at the layers of tulle under my dress, the boys were on the trolley and on their way for the first round of photos at the church.  The trolley would be back for us shortly.  My nerves had calmed temporarily, flowing into pure giddiness for the time being.  My wedding countdown, having been counted in years, then months for so long, was ticking down to minutes, really.  Just a short time until I got to see my groom.

*happeeee*

Mr LikesIt and I decided early on in planning to keep to tradition and not have a First Look.  He is a romantic, old-fashioned guy, and was adamant that his first sight of me to be when the church doors opened.  But Mr LikesIt was not the only man waiting to see me, of course.  A very important reveal was reserved for the first man I ever loved. 

And I made him wait a really long time.

My mom called him over.  The anticipation was killing me.  My dad is a quiet man, quick to laugh or make a joke, and slow to get upset or angry.  He's not one to get overly emotional, but I was dying to see how he would handle seeing his youngest all done up in wedding finery.  He was touched when he saw me try on my mom's veil months before, but I wasn't sure what to expect.

I should have known.

 After knowing him for 27 years, I can tell you that there are few things truer to my father than this. We have family albums FULL of photos just like this.  Nerd.

He might have made faces and cracked jokes, but I still saw tears in his eyes.
Busted, Daddy-O.

We had a family moment. He may or may not have told another cheesy Dad joke.

He wouldn't be my Daddy-O if he didn't.

See?  Kate thought it was funny.

It was time for Mom and Dad  to head to the church and make sure everything was set for guests to start arriving.  But first, I needed Mom's help for one more thing, putting on my veil.  Her veil?  Our veil? THE veil!  I was more excited to wear it than any other item on the wedding day.

 When I was little, my mom had this thing she did with me.  After every bath-time, clothes-changing, and face-wiping, she would smile down at the little cabbage patch face smiling up at her from its surrounding towel, jammies, or peanut butter sandwich and she would say "There's my Meagan."  I have no idea if she did this just for me, or if she had something like it for my sister too, or if she even remembers doing it time and time again. 

But then she helped me put the veil on and said, "There's my Meagan."  I don't know if she even realized she said it.  It made me infinitely happy to hear it on my wedding day.  Sort of full circle, no?

With the dress on and the veil in place, it was time for the girls to get ready for our pre-ceremony portraits.  But first, just one more first look.  Up until now, everyone had a chance to see me in my finery.  My hair and make up were perfect.  Mom's veil and Grandma's necklace were in place.  Everyone in the room had a chance to see the whole package ... except for me.

As everyone shuffled their things together and got ready to go down to the hotel lobby for photos, I put on some of the perfume that Mr LikesIt had gifted me earlier.

Most of the maids were on their way down the hall towards the elevators, making sure our path was groom-free.  I had a brief moment to myself, and I planted myself in front of the mirror.  I had dreamed of this moment since I was a very little girl, of what I would look like as a bride on my wedding day.  I felt like I was playing dress-up all over again. 

Meagan likes it.

In case you missed it ...

I bought a dress and completely changed it.

We had a marathon final week of engagement.

I giggled my way through our rehearsal.

Mr LikesIt got grilled at our rehearsal dinner.

The groomsmen ran amok in downtown Springfield. 

The girls got gorgeous. 

We exchanged mushy wedding-day gifts. 

The guys got fancy and then got dancy. 

I became a Bride.