WW Update

I don't have much to share today except for a Weight Watchers Update! So here it goes....

Weight Watchers Update: I just got back from weigh-in and lost another 2 pounds! Can I get a hoot-hoot-hooty-hoot for 2 POUNDS?!?!!!?! Total weight loss to date is 20.5 pounds. Only 1 more pound to go until I reach my goal weight of 150. I am pumped.

After I reach 150 I will remain on Weight Watchers but be on the Maintenance Program.

If I understand it correctly, I will have to stay at 152 pounds or lower (two pounds over your goal weight is the rule) for 6 weeks. If I do that, I will be an official Weight Watcher Lifetime Member for as long as I stay at or below the 152 limit. I think that's right.

I thought I while back that I might post some 'before and after' pictures of myself but wanted to do it only after I had lost 20 pounds. So now that I have, I guess I might post some! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for some good before and after pics.

I just want to spread the good word of Weight Watchers because I love it so much and it is the only thing that's ever worked for me! Of course working out 90 minutes a day helps, too, but the food is equally as important.

My lovely mom, Helen, is coming to visit me next weekend! I can't wait to have her here for a nice long weekend. We love to relax and do nothing when we are together. If anything, we eat, drink, and shop. So that's what we'll do.

I have been looking for a good healthy pizza dough recipe to make with her while she is here. Any suggestions? I would love to hear some feedback from readers who have make their own dough before because I have never tried it. If you have any good recipes or recipe resources email them to me at laurafraz@yahoo.com

Thanks guys! Have a great Wednesday!

New Shoes

This morning Bex and I had a great workout outdoors for the first time in a while. We have been sort-of putting off an outdoor bike ride because Bex is convinced her bike is possessed by the devil himself.

Okay maybe not that extreme but her bike just really sucks. I've ridden it, and it is pretty bad. I average a 4 minute mile on the bike outdoors, and she more like 4:45 or 5:00. Not good.

But she bit the bullet and did a 40 minute ride with me this morning. I made it about 10 miles...I'm not sure how far she went because we agreed that I would not sacrifice my workout to wait on her.

After the bike we did a 4 mile run and it felt sooooooo good. After some time off, I am really feeling back to my old self! I had run a 6er last week and felt horrible the entire time. But this 4 miler this morning was quick and easy.

I also did an hour swim workout last night and can feel it in my arms this morning! I did an 800 free style fast, then an 800 with the paddles and pull-buoy. That took about 42 minutes. For the remainder of the hour I did the kickboard. Yes, it is very awkward looking but I can sooooooo feel it in my legs and that lovely little inner-thigh area that is everyone's favorite part of their body. ha ha.

I was down in the dumps a little last week, and having a little freak-out yesterday but today I am feeling better about myself and my training. May 23rd here I come!

For the workout this morning I wore these little beauties:

Yes those are my giant feet in my new shoes. I am 5'7" and wear a size 10. Boats, I know. Where I work, we sponsor a charity golf tournament every year and I help with it. This year another one of their major sponsors was Under Armour (my fave, as we all know) and they gave these tennis shoes to all the participants along with this golf shirt (sorry I forgot to rotate before I uploaded it):

And this bag:

I love the bag. Not sure if I'll ever wear the shirt...it may go in the Good Will pile but we'll see. The bag is really durable and has a separate pocket big enough to put wet clothes in if you so need to.

I am a tried and true Saucony girl, but I thought I'd give these a try since they were free and my current pair of Sauconys are on their last leg.

I believe these are the Under Armour Womens Spectre II Running Shoe. I am not sure if they are recommended for distance running or what. All it said on the internet was 'recommended for running.' All the reviews on the Under Armour website were good, though.

So I am going to give them another try tomorrow during my sprint workout to see how they fair. I'll let ya know.

A Wedding and a 5K

Happy Monday everyone!


I am tired after a fun and eventful weekend in Knoxville. My dad got married on Saturday and we were front and center for all the festivities!


However, I was extremely bummed when I got my camera out to start snapping away and realized the memory card was at home in my lap top. Typical. I was in such a rushed tizzy trying to get out of the house on Friday that I left it behind. So I will post more pictures of the wedding and stuff when the photographer gets them online.


These are all I have for now:

Winston and Louise! We call her 'Weez' most of the time. Now she is my 'wicked stepmother!'

Here are all the kids this year at Thanksgiving:Louise's son Ryan, his wife Cami holding their daughter Amaya. Louise's son Tyler, me, and Tom. The only one missing is Ryan and Cami's older daughter Pheonix who was visiting her grandparents and cousins for Thanksgiving.

Me, Amaya, and Tom. She is such a crazy cute girl! Amaya and Tom and great good friends becuase they are on the same level intellectually. She is five.

The happy couple again:

We got into town late on Friday night, and I ran my 5K on Saturday morning (more on that below). After the run I met my dad for breakfast so I could give him some advice on marriage. After all, I have been married for the past year and a half, and he has not.

It was fun to spend some one-on-one time with my daddy on his big day! Tom and I took my mom and aunt to lunch on Saturday, and then back over to my dad and Louise's new house to see the rest of the family that was in town for the wedding.

They had a very small ceremony at a chapel in Knoxville. Just the 18 family members attended the ceremony, then we all went to a restaurant in town, The Orangery for the reception. There were about 100 or so people at the reception for dinner and drinks. It was so fun to see all my dad's friends, and everyone was commenting on how happy they were for Winston and Weez!

It was cool to be at the Orangery because the last time I was there was on August 23rd, 2008 for MY wedding reception. So fun.

I am so happy for my dad and Louise as they truly make each other happy and are like giggly teenagers in love all the time. So cute. Keep them in your prayers as they are traveling to Rome and all over the Mediterrainian for the next two weeks on their honeymoon!

Saturday was my 5K on Cherokee Boulevard in Knoxville. One of my favorite parts of town, so I was really excited.

It was raining when I left the house around 7:25am but by the time the gun went off at 8am, it was sunny and lovely. All the dogwoods were in bloom and it was really a gorgeous run. I was bummed I did not see one single person I knew, though!

I finished the race in 29:09 which I was pleased with. My goal was to PR, and I beat my previous PR by 50 seconds. So no complaints there. I was hoping for somewhere in the 28:30 range, but I was happy with my time.

It was a fun race and a great way to start the day!

I am getting so nervous for the Triathlon in May. It is only 27 days away!

AHHHHHHHHH!

Only four weeks...crunch time. I am afraid of so many things.

I am afraid of the open water swim.

I am afraid of the transition areas.

I am afraid Iwon't have enough nutrition during the race.

I am afraid the bike will be hilly and it will take me too long.

I am afraid of being unprepared.

I am afraid of finishing dead last.

I am afraid of finishing dead. Ha!

Seriously, I have a lot of fears about this race but I think with trying new things comes overcoming fears and reservations. It would be easy for the deamons on my shoulder to take over the angels, but I cannot let that happen.

I cannot let the nay-saying in the back of my mind get the best of me. 50% of this race is mind over matter.

I have to keep reminding myself how far I've come. My first run during this training was 3 miles. Now I can run 10. My first bike during this training was 6 miles. Now I can go 20.

I think I need to just stick to my plan and keep a motivating mindset.

On race day, I am nothing but a triathlete. Not a swimmer or a biker or a runner, but a triathlete. I am not a wife and daughter and sister, only a triathlete today. I am not a customer service manager, only a triathlete. The only focus on this day is to finish this race for me and no one else. And when I finish the race, I have won the race.

Show Us Your Life Friday

I have sort of gotten away from participating in Kelly's Korner 'Show Us Your Life Friday' because typically they are about subjects that don't really relate to this blog. But this one I had to do just because I think the topic is so fun.

Show Us Your Life Friday: How You Met Your Husband

Back in....let's see...I guess it was summer of 2006 I was working at the Opryland Resort in Nashville. We hired a new assisant that was a lot like me, same age, same interests, and we began to figure out we had a lot of the same friends. She and I began going out together, showing up at all the same parties, and talking about boys over our lunch breaks. We got to be the best of friends!

On day she said, "I am having a big party at my house this weekend. My brother is coming into town for it to fry catfish. His girlfriend just dumped him and he has been a big giant baby about it. You need to come and be his date!"

And that 'brother' was Tom!

But there's more....

So we met at Myra's party that weekend and I am not kidding when I say it was love at first sight, for me at least. He was totally my type....tall, beefy, Southern, gentleman...the works.

Tom, as I later found out, was still very hung-up on the ex (BTW, I have since met her, and she is a very nice cute girl so no hard feelings there).

The first time we met was on that Friday night (before the party on Saturday afternoon) at a Nashville sports bar that did Kareoke on Fridays. Tom sang "They Call Me The Fireman" by George Strait and I thought it was sooooooo cute and funny. He is a firefighter in real life. Ha!

On Saturday I had my game face on. I flirted my heart out all. day. long. And it worked! We hung out all day at Myra's party and went to the honkey tonks on Broadway that night. And we may or may not have shared a beer-induced kiss. Or two. In public.

So he gets my number and promises to call. He called me on Sunday on his way back to Tunica and invited me to come in to Tunica in a few weeks. I mentioned to him that I wasn't sure if that was the *best* idea because of his recent break-up. I flat out told him I did NOT want to be the rebound girl and I wasn't getting into this if there was still unfinished business with his ex-girlfriend. He assured me it was OVER no way no how were they getting back together.

So we talk every day on the phone...sometimes twice a day...and I am looking forward to seeing him again. Until I get a TEXT MESSAGE one morning. That's right a TEXT MESSAGE that I'll never forget...it said, "Might need to reconsider your trip here. [The Ex] is here."

Furious does not begin to discribe how I felt. So I promtly called him to not-so-politely explain how I felt about this bunk-ass TEXT MESSAGE. And that was it. He and [The Ex] were giving it another go. Whatev.

Fast forward 6 months. I dated a couple of other guys but really never stopping thinking about Tom. I seriously loved him and wanted to marry him!! No joke.

About two weeks before his birthday I had told Myra (we are like BFF by this point dispite the fact that I hate/love her brother) I was going to call him on this birthday. I just thought I'd make one last attempt to weasle my way into the back of his mind before calling it quits. And I decided if nothing happens after this I'll push him out of my mind forever (so dramatic, I know).

About a week later....ONE WEEK BEFORE Tom's birthday....I get a frantic phone call from Myra. I answered the phone and she said, "Tom and [The Ex]." and paused for dramatic effect. I just knew she was going to tell me they were engaged. My stomach hurt. I was crushed. Until she said, "DUNZO."

Whaaaaaaaaa?!?!!? Victory!

Try as she might, [The Ex] just couldn't love Tunica enough to stay there and spend her life with Tom. They had a lot of issues anyway. I think she really did love Tom, but they just couldn't make it work. I took this as a sign. My chance to make a break for it!

So I called him on his birthday, went to visit him a month later, and after six months of late nights on the phone, and wearing out I-40 between Nashville and Memphis, we were engaged!

Dispite the distance, loving each other came so easily for us. I was so tired to all the game-playing that goes along with dating in your 20's and Tom was so matter-of-fact about his feelings for me. We fell in love very quickly and the rest is history!

Siiiigggggghhhhh...I love that story.

We have been married since August of 2008 and have so much fun together! I can't wait to continue on this journey with him and watch our relationship and our family grow.

If he's reading this he's probably cringing with embarrassment right now!!!! ha ha....

Weekend Races

Well I am slowly but surely working myself back in to a regular work out routine after taking a full week off (what was I thinking?!). I was just telling my mom this morning that as a result of not-exercising I can really feel it effecting my body.

I don't sleep as well, and I don't have as much energy during the day. I'm not as likely to make good food choices and I get that sluggish-is-this-day-over-yet feeling around 2pm every day.

But no worries because I am back and better....did our fiver yesterday, and tonight I'm going for a swim/strength workout. I always dred a swim but feel great afterwards because I can feel it works my whole body...especially abs and arms which are problem areas for us all, aren't they?

After my swim tonight I'm going to home to pack and get ready to go to Knoxville this weekend! I can't wait because I love going back to my hometown, especially in the Spring. The whole city is green and lush and blooming with Dogwood trees. I am going to do the Petsafe Village Dogwood Park 5K on Saturday morning. If you are in the area come join me! I couldn't find a picture of their logo but the course is along Cherokee Boulevard and here are a few snaps of the scenery:

It is the most beautiful area of Knoxville along the river so I know it will be a great run. My goal is to finish with a personal record. My current PR for a 5K is 29:59 as you might remember from the Thanksgiving Day 'Hot to Trot.' Also in Knoxville.

I want to give a shout-out to my friend Julia who is running the Country Music Half-Marathon this weekend in Nashville. Julia is a great good friend of mine...we have known each other forever, and were in each other's weddings. She is very athletic by nature so I know she'll do great in her first half. Her goal is to finish in under 2 hours (I think...isn't that right, Jules?) which she can totally do. Those long gorgeous legs will get her there lickity split! Good luck Julia and have fun!!!

There are a couple more 5Ks in the Memphis area if you are interested this weekend:

Steeplechase 5K

5K Race for Hopes and Dreams

Both sounds like fun, and seem to be for pretty good causes.

Where are YOU running this weekend?

Dolly Update and WW Update

Dolly Update: Okay, so I know I promised no more personal non-working-out stuff but I HAD to share an exerpt from this sweet email I got upon my return to work yesterday. It is from Dolly's new dad!!:

"Laura,

Dolly has arrived home! What a peanut! She is so sweet and seems to be getting along with the other dogs pretty well. She snapped at MOlly today, but I think she is trying to let her know "I may be small, but watch it!"

She has an old soul's face. Her and Molly took a nap with Jeanne on our bed this afternoon. It is a little chilly here today, so a "Two dog night" was a pretty good feeling. She is sitting here with me now as I write. She must know it is to you.

Thank you for all you have done for her. She's a jewel. We promise to be good parents (okay, we'll try really hard), and love her!"

Awwwwww...so sweet, right?! I (of course) cried when I read it. Love that. And he sent a really sweet picture of them with Dolly when they picked her up on Saturday. Dolly was grinning ear to ear!

Weight Watchers Update: I just got back from weigh-in and stayed the same. I was certain I had gained back all 18.5 pounds of fatty fattness over my SB2010 weekend, but I didn't! I am very pleased and not at all discouraged because today starts a NEW WEEK!

That is the beauty of Weight Watchers. If you have a bad week, you get that shiney new PointsTracker and get to start all over the next week. So I am full steam ahead and back at it this week.

This morning Bex and I did a 5-miler outside as opposed to our usual Sprint-Interval-Last-Chance workout. I was craving a run, and really wanted to be outside. While usually 5 miles ain't no thang to us, it was sooooo hard this morning. I'm pretty sure the Weight GAIN Fairy snuck into my room last night and filled my tennis shoes with cement.

Clearly taking a week-long break from workouts was NOT a good idea and will NOT be doing it again any time soon. Looking forward to the rest of the week so I can get in some swims, bikes, and runs to make up for lost time!

Spring Break 2010

You might have read the title of this post and thought, "but I thought Laura was out of school? And she's not a teacher so what's with the 'Spring Break?'" Well, kids, I certainly behaved like was in COLLEGE this weekend.

Eating without abandon, never an empty cup in hand, rockin' some seriously dirty hair, and best of all, being with my friends 24/7.

This weekend was the annual Crawfish Alley and Tunica Rivergate Festival. My girlfriends from Nashville got a taste of CA about three years ago, and have been back every year since!

Here I am (in the middle...as evident by the dirty hair) with Lacey, Caitlin, Erica, and Amy. All these girls were in my wedding they are some of the BEST girls....scratch that...the best PEOPLE I know. When we are together we talk and laugh non-stop.

The Mooneys, Brennan and Erica


All the boys enjoying some mudbugs. From left to right: Brian, Brennan, Jesse, and Ben

350 pounds of crawfish are cooked every 15 minutes!

Here is some random redneck Crew member...I dont know who he is...just some random redneck...seasoning the crawfish.

Can you smell all those spicey bugs?!?!!

CHEESE CITY...

Amy and Brian...the newlyweds.

Lacey and Jesse....Jesse is our most loyal Crawfish Alley attendee. Last year he came without Lacey!

Here I am showcasing the biggest crawfish of the day. I named him Barack Obama because he was a big damn deal.

The random redneck crew member must have liked me because he kept coming over and talking to me and trying to pretend we were *married* or something.

I only eat them once a year but I love 'em!

YUMMY....

This pretty much sums up our weekend: Crawfish and Beer aka Heaven.

Needless to say I totally fell off the Weight Watching Triathlon Training wagon this weekend. But everyone needs a little break from fitness reality every now and then. Then on Monday Bex and I had scheduled Mock Two, as you might remember.

In addition to feeling like I had been hit by a truck (duh, Laura, you are 27 not 19....don't try to party like a rock star ever again), it was raining. So we had to.....YET AGAIN....postpone Mock Two. But yall will be the first to hear about it when we finally cross the Mock Finish Line. :)

And I must confess that the random redneck crew member in the orange do-rag above is in fact my husband. I do not encourage this do-rag OR the tacky facial hair. But Tom insists on playing the part all weekend. I don't want to be a lame wife, though, so I let him think I think it's cute. Needless to say I am glad to have my clean-shaven husband back this week.

Okay yall I PROMISE we are back to business this week because I know you are getting tired of hearing all about my non-working-out personal life.

Girl's Best Friend: UPDATE

Well, I just got back from the Dredded Dolly Drop-off.


I first want to say thank you to everyone that commented, called, and texted me in regards to Dolly's departure! I know this is turning out to be a little more dramatic than necessary, but sometimes I'm a little more dramatic than necessary. :)


The rescue society I worked with, Good Dog Rescue in Memphis specializes in adopting dogs out to deserving families in the New England states. I did not know this, but apparently they have a dog shortage up there. Who knew, right?!


Here in the South, and especially in the rural areas such as the Delta, the homeless dog population is growing and growing. We also have more of a problem with dog fighting rings, and puppy mills than in other parts of the country. It is sad, but true. So Memphis is a perfect location for a company like Good Dog Rescue.


Good Dog works with a wonderful transportation company that drives the dogs from Southern cities all the way up to New England to be with their new families. So today, I dropped Dolly off with that transportation company and she was on her way!


I have to tell you I thought I had my act together. I thought that getting my feelings out in that last post would do the trick and I wouldn't get too emotional. Um, no such luck.


I cried like a baby. You would have thought Dolly was my first born daughter. I cried, like, harder than I cry when the Biggest Loser contestants get a phone call home and the men cry when their little girls get on the phone and say, "When are you coming home, Daddy?"


I was a wreck.


But not Dolly! She did great. She sat by my side as we waited our turn, and she wagged her tail enthusiastically as they loaded her into her crate. I gave her a chew treat and a T-shirt of mine to take on the trip. She was more concerned with her treat than with me when the time came to say good bye.


So that made me feel better, that she was not scared and shaking. And the guy that loaded her into the crate was so sweet, calling her "Darlin" and "Little Girl."


One of the other foster parents there saw me crying and came over to say hi. She said, "I overheard you say this was your first time as a foster, and I just wanted to tell you that I cried all day when I gave away my first foster dog. I cried so hard I couldn't go back to work that afternoon, and had to have my friends come pick me up." She was really sweet and made me laugh.


So as I'm snotty and crying and clutching my dog like she's going to the gas chamber, I am made aware of the fact that there is a camera crew there filming a documentary for the Animal Planet. Perfect. They didn't interview me or anything, so with any luck my mascara-smeared face won't be all over TV in a few months.


It was not as bad as I had thought it would be. Obviously since she didn't really know what was going on, Dolly was in much better spirits than I was.


I have also found out that the family she is going to live with has adopted a dog through Good Dog Rescue in the past. They adopted another female yellow lab in December and guess what her name is....Molly.


Like I said, Best. Case. Scenario.

Girl's Best Friend

I wrote this last night and wasn't able to post until today. Around noon today I am taking Dolly to Memphis to be with her 'forever family.' I wrote this post last night when my heart was just a little heavy about having to give her away.

Although this is the best possible outcome....I have saved a dog's life! We took her into our home, house trained her, solcialized her, and taught her how to live with a real family and 'sister.' I turned a stray dog into a pet and I am thankful for this happy ending.

Just still a little sad at the same time. Thanks for listening.

*****

Dinner was eaten and kitchen was clean. Reba was curled up in the corner of the couch and Dolly with her front legs and head on my lap as usual. The yellow ‘dog sheet’ beneath us to protect the couch, this was our evening ritual. I watched mindless TV and scratched Reba’s back with my left hand while petting Dolly’s head with my right. They were in heaven and so was I. I could hear Tom clicking away on the computer in the guest bedroom (the only place where we get internet. Welcome to the Delta.), probably searching for Jeep parts or fishing lures online. This is a typical night for us and I love it.As I sat there looking down at Dolly’s blonde head I held her tiny paw in my hand and wondered what she remembered from her old life before us, and if she would remember what it was like to be ours for a short time. Tomorrow she would go to another home. Somewhere far away, to a family I didn’t know. I have complete trust and admiration for the recue society that found a forever family for Dolly, but I still carry a mountain of guilt for sending…scratch that….giving her away. Although I knew this was how it would be in the beginning, and I couldn’t have asked for a better scenario. We were a foster home for Dolly during some dangerously cold winter months, and my desire was to send her from our home to another, thus avoiding the trauma of spending more time in a cold shelter with a million other yippy dogs. And that was exactly what was happening. She was ours for a few months. We let her sleep on the couch and play in a huge yard, and lick our faces to her heart’s content. We gave her a good life, and now she was leaving. Although Tom and I collectively decided to foster a dog, she was really ‘my’ dog. Tom is a great guy, and dog-lover, but he definitely favored Reba and thought Dolly was annoying. Dolly could sense it and always wanted to be near me, and cuddle with me anytime I could sit still. She would jump up next to me, inch her way onto my lap, close those little eyes, and there she would stay for hours if I let her.

Reba, on the other hand, is just as content to lay spread eagle on the ground, or in the corner of the couch. She does not crave the attention like Dolly does. I think it’s because Reba knows we’ll always be there for her, and Dolly has not been so lucky with her previous family. It’s almost like anytime we’re in the same room Dolly wants to keep me in her sights just so she knows I’m not leaving her. And when I do have the time to sit with her, she is just so thankful for a warm body to cuddle with, and for a little bit of undivided attention, two things she went without for so long.That is why tomorrow will be hard for me. My fear is that tomorrow when she is in the car on the way to her forever home she will wonder why I am leaving her with strangers and without her sister. My fear is that she will be scared and lonely and think that we have completely abandoned her. She will think she has been abandoned by yet another family. My hope is that her new family will have a fenced in yard where she can run. A couch with her very own ‘dog sheet’ to sleep on at night. I hope they have a young child who will demand that Dolly sleep on her bed every night. Or maybe an elderly woman who always wanted a dog to sit with her during the day. I hope Dolly has a companion at her new home…whether it be canine or human…to keep her warm and let her inch her way onto their lap and into their heart. That she can close those little eyes and be content and thankful for a new warm home and a full belly. And I hope she remembers me because I will certainly always remember her.

Food Reviews and a WW Update

So I made a big Wal-Mart trip last night because we have some friends coming into town this weekend for....wait for it....the *Annual* Tunica Rivergate Festival.

As you can imagine, this is a party-all-night-balls-to-the-wall-wild-and-crazy-festival in the metropolis of downtown Tunica. Kidding, of course.

In all seriousness, I DO have about 8 of my awesome friends coming into town for this annual festival. It takes place in cute little downtown Tunica, complete with carnival games, BBQ & Bloody Mary contest, live music, and best of all: TONS. OF. CRAWFISH. Literally tons. I think they do something crazy like 10,000 pounds of crawfish. No joke.

Oh yeah. These crawfish are like nothin' you've ever seen before! Huge. Colassal. Insane. The Crawfish Crew (of which my precious husband is a member) pays extra to get the 'Grade A' crawfish. They sell huge trays of perfectly steamed and seasoned crawfish to raise money for the private school in town. So it'll be a fun weekend. Pictures to come next week.

So I say all this because while at Wal-Mart I found some wonderful new figure-friendly treats that I just had to share with you.

First of all, my Weight Watchers leader had told us about these little gems last week:

Thomas brand Bagel Thins. One whole bagel thin is only 1 WW point. Only 110 calories. I LOVE baked goods of all kinds, and have really missed out on bagels, muffins, cookies, etc. since I started Weight Watchers. These are a great alternative to your typical 400-calorie bagel. They come in whole wheat as well.

I had one last night for dinner, actually....topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella & goat cheeses, and turkey pepperoni. Ta-Da! Pizza Bagel Weight Watchers Style! And only 5 itty bitty points.

Next up....Tom and I love to have 'sandwich night' at our house. When we have had a long week, not in the mood to cook or grill, we love a turkey sandwich. And what better to pair your sandwich with than CHIPS?!!!?! The old Laura would have reached for the kettle-cooked goodness, but alas, I am in the middle of Potato Chip Rehab (aka Weight Watchers) so no kettle-cooking for me. I was getting tired of the same-ole-same-ole Baked BBQ Lays so I decided to try these:

Baked! Lays Parmesan and Tuscan Herb. They are awesome! You can really taste the Parmesan cheese in these...if you close your eyes when you eat them you just might think you are at a pizza place they smell and taste so 'Italian.' These are going to be my new favorite chip. And only 2 points for 14 chips.

And last but not least...the grand finale...the cream of the crop....two words: SKINNY. COW.

I am the type of person who MUST have a little sweet bite after every meal (except for breakfast....okay, sometimes I'll have dessert with breakfast. Don't tell.). For those of you who have a sweet tooth like me, Skinny Cow is going to be your new best friend.

The Skinny Cow brand has just come out with four new flavors of low-fat ice cream cups. One cup is 2 or 3 points depending on the flavor. I tried the Carmel Cone last night it was awesomeness on a spoon. Go buy some today.

You're welcome in advance.

So I share these food reviews because I want to encourage you to make small changes to your diet and see how it works for you. By making these small changes each day, you are still able to have your baked goods, potato chips, and dessert. It's never a good idea to deprive yourself completely because, if you're like me, you'll come to a breaking point and the next thing you know your husband comes home to you crying on the couch with an empty box of Tagalongs and a giant glass of wine smeared with chocolate fingerprints. Just sayin'.

Weight Watchers Update: I just got back from my meeting a lost another 2 pounds! That's 18.5 total pounds lost, current weight is 153. I am serious when I say I have not weighed this much since high school. Ten years ago, my friends. TEN YEARS. Crazy! I love it!

I have been working hard this week, and did my sprint intervals again this morning. I went all the way up to 8.5 miles per hour this morning and I was afraid my legs were going to dislocate I felt like I was running so fast! It was another good, sweaty workout that paid off at weigh-in!

True Beauty: updated

There has been a lot of media hype lately about Heidi Montag and her 10, count 'em TEN plastic surgeries she had done to her already-impressive body. I always liked her, kind-of, and never really understood why she married a huge douche bag like Spencer Pratt. But that's another post for another day...."Why nice girls marry douche bags"....but I digress.

This is a picture of her pre-surgeries:

I think this picture is adorable! She's got curves up top, and great abs. Her legs look toned, as a result of good genes, I assume, and not miles and miles of road running, sprint intervals, and biking into the wind. But whatev. Must be nice.

Then yesterday, this picture surfaced, taken at a pool side party at a Las Vegas hotel:

Seeing the before and after here just makes my heart hurt for her. *WHY*, one might ask, did she feel the need to get her body and face completely remade so that she looks like a Stepford Wife? And not in a good way. Like, in a creepy robotic way.

She claims it is because she wants to be the 'best version of herself,' and to further her career in 'major motion pictures.' Yes, she said that, she really thinks she is going to become the next Julia Roberts. That, in itself, is sad to me.

Why do you think she did it?

To be 'accepted' in the 'industry?'

Does she suffer from some serious body image issues?

Or was it that evil Spencer Pratt?

Probably all of the above but my money's on Spencer. Even if he DIDN'T talk her into having all the surgeries, why didn't he talk her OUT of it?

So your wife is insecure about her large nose, or her mequito-bite boobies....sure, I can see supporting your spouse if they want to make a minor improvement to their appearance and increase confidence. But this? As her husband, he seriously encouraged this? It's just unreal to me.

I'll be honest, when I started working out regularly and eating better, it was out of vanity. I hated my sausage arms, waistline pooch, and what I thought were thunder thighs. Then, as I began working hard and making changes to my body, I noticed a change on the inside, too.

I feel more confident. I carry myself differently. I respect my body more than I used to. I am proud of myself for doing it the hard way. I am proud of myself for setting a goal and not taking my eyes off the prize.

At the end of the day, it's not about how many points you eat, or how many miles you log, it's about getting a place where you feel healthy, confident, and secure.

And I don't know...maybe this is Heidi's place. Maybe this is her 'dream body.' But then again, Spencer Pratt is her dream man, so we know she's not completely stable.

On the flip side of the celebrity coin, Jessica Simpson has a new show on VH1 called "The Price of Beauty." She, along with Ken Paves and Cacee, travel the globe testing out all the beauty practices of different cultures around the world. Jessica has said many times that experiences other cultures beauty treatments has made her see what 'beauty' really is, and see herself in a whole new light. She respects herself more, she accepts her curves as part of what makes her beautiful, and recognizes that beauty is so much more than highlights and silicone.

What's YOUR idea of true beauty?

After publishing this post, I decided to updated it with some pictures of what I consider 'true beauty:'