OMG...I'm gonna do it. Show an old fat pic...

So Wednesday a few of us laid by the pool, while others golfed and shopped.  I'd be one who stayed at the house and watched the kids swim while catching the Florida rays with my sister, Becky.  It was a great day.  Later on, our entire family had pictures taken at Nokomis Beach.  The sunset was beautiful and everyone, including my photophobic son, did fantastic.  I bribed him with a trip to Walmart.  The kid had the world by the horns at Walmart, and he ended up with a black cowboy hat.  Of course, his sister couldn't be outdone so she opted for some "girl" legos.  We were one big happy family.

Food Journal:

Lunch:  Green Monster

Snack:  Lara Bar - peanut butter and jelly flavor and it was so good!

Drinks:  Sweet Tea Vodka and Light Minute Maid Lemonade - 2 of these super awesome drinks.

Dinner:  Leftovers from the past dinners.  I had a BBQ'd chicken breast, 1/2 ear of corn, broccoli, and red potatoes.

Evening Snack:  After pics and Walmart, I arrived to appetizers on the kitchen island.  After this journaling experience, I've learned that appetizers are evil.  I mean who really needs them?  You eat tons of calories before a meal, and half the time I'm full after eating apps and then eat the same amount of dinner I would've had in the first place.  BUT, with this being said...I LOVE APPETIZERS!  Ugh...so I have crackers with crab dip and crab cheese spread.  Mom and the kids also made cookies, so I polished off a few of those as well.  YES, A PROUD IMPULSIVE MOMENT WHICH I WAS NOT MINDFUL.

Later Evening Snack:  Popcorn

Thursday, March 15th

BUSCH GARDENS TAMPA BAY DAY!!!

Breakfast:  Special K cereal, fresh blueberries, almond milk, and coffee with the fixin's

Lunch:  Grilled chicken tortilla salad, strawberries dipped in chocolate mousse, and water.

Snack:  A super tiny bite of each of my kid's Dippin' Dots.  Talia had banana split and Marco had rainbow.  I would've had more, but they scarfed it down.  Good stuff, I guess.

Dinner:  Grilled chicken breast on a bun (I used half of the humongous bun they gave me), french fries, and (gulp) do I dare say I mixed cherry coke and diet coke together.  I was so tired of drinking plain old water, and yes, I couldn't dare drink an entire cherry coke with calories so I mixed the two drinks.  I feel bad...but just a tiny bit.

Evening:  Crackers and crab dip and crab cheese spread;  A couple tortilla chips with salsa.

Later evening snacks: The big kids went out for drinks and I had 3 beers and 2 buffalo wings. My sister ordered mozzarella sticks which were staring at me until she FINALLY ate the last one. Thank God!

Friday, March 16th (Our last beach day)

Breakfast:  Special K cereal, blueberries, almond milk, coffee

Lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich and lots of water

Snack:  A few appetizers (not many) and a piece of birthday cake.  My sister, Kelly, and I have birthdays coming up so the family sang to us.  It was white cake, frosting, and frozen yogurt.

Dinner:  We have friends in Sarasota and they invited us up for a BBQ.  They made these amazing beef and chicken kabobs.  So on this night I enjoyed:  tortilla chips, salsa, 2 beef kabobs and 1 chicken kabob.  These kabobs were loaded with different veggies and strawberries.  I also enjoyed 3 Sangrias.  I was taken my life into my own hands drinking these Sangrias.  There is wine involved and I was a bit worried about a hangover because we had a St. Patty's Day 8K in the morning to run, plus we were staring our voyage back home after the run.  Bottoms up!

March 17th Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Breakfast:  Cinnamon Toast Crunch with Almond Milk (We were running low on my fave cereals)

8K Race:  This was definitely the fastest 8K I've ever run.  The first 4-5K of a race, I always struggle to find my groove, but boy did I find it in the last 4K!  Yippee!  I felt AWESOME!  That Sangria last night can kiss my butt.

Post-Race Snack:  I had to finish that last Green Monster before we hit the road.

Lunch:  The kids wanted McDonald's so I had a grilled Southwest chicken salad and water.

Car ride snacks:  2 twizzlers and 2 pretzel rods.

Dinner:  SPLURGE!  KFC - 2 extra crispy pieces of meat (breast and a thigh), cole slaw, 1/2 corn on the cob, biscuit, and water

Evening drink:  We made it to Nashville and I drank a 1/2 bottle of Land Shark before I fell asleep.

Sunday, March 18th

Breakfast:  Dunkin' Donuts french vanilla coffee with skim milk and sugar; orange; 1 piece of cinnamon raisin bread.

Car ride snack:  2 pretzel rods

Lunch:  6' ham and provolone plus a ton of veggies Subway sandwich on wheat bread with Baked Lays Southwester/Ranch chips; water

Car ride snack:  2 Twizzlers

Dinner at home sweet home:  Grilled Tilapia with seasoning salt and onion; stir fry vegetables; wild rice and quinoa; water.  This was my 3rd and final attempt at quinoa.  At Costco I found a package of wild brown rice mixed with quinoa and, ***ding ding ding***, I found something that works!  Good stuff!

Monday, March 19th

Breakfast:  Special K with berries cereal, frozen blueberries, almond milk, coffee with the usuals.

Lunch:  Leftover wild brown rice with quinoa mixed with stir fry veggies.



So this picture I commented in my title:
Many people who didn't know me pre-1997 (the year I moved to the Chicago area) don't know that I was much heavier as a younger 20 something adult.  They don't believe me and they think that I've been fit my whole life.  Well hold on sista's, I can tell you that in order for me to stay fit is that I'm not naturally like this.  I have to work at it diligently and must eat right.  I'm super jealous of those with high metabolisms who stay thin barely trying.  However, I must also tell them that even though they may be thin, they should still consider exercising and eating right because there are several health benefits that come along with living a healthy lifestyle.

I'm cringing as I'm about to do this...Here's my picture along with a few friends during a birthday celebration.  Which one am I?

Here's to mindful eating and exercise!