Updates

I am in a funk. Call it post vacation blues or the end of the summer doldrums, call it nothing. I don't care. I'm just in a funk. Funkified and not in a good, hey that music gets me movin' kind of way.

So lets update shall we? Maybe I'll feel better at the end.

1. The mole is no longer suspect! I can't tell you how great it was to come home from vacation and hear that on my answering machine. All of it is GONE!! There is nothing left and all I have left to do is my follow-up stitches removal visit and I'm sure a nice little lecture about sunscreen, etc. That's fine. My evil little mole is gone. Sure I have franken-boob, but gone are the scary cells and quite frankly I no longer feel the need to scratch out the offending area.

2. Thank you to EVERYONE who offered kind wishes, good thoughts, and prayers my way. I was truly scared I'll admit. It helped so much to know that I wasn't alone, many of you offered your own suspect mole stories, and I needed to hear them. I appreciate it all more than I can adequately say. THANK YOU!

3. The NINE is over. Or is it? After a stellar beginning I crashed and burned myself while on vacation. It is my own fault. I know. I worked out not a bit the week of the second bit of the mole removal. I was so wrapped up in my head, work, and getting ready for vacation I pushed it all aside. Dumb. I lost 5 lbs total and firmed up my legs nicely. My abs also came back. Now after a vacation of late night brownie eating I've been done in. H feels he's gained the 'Nine'. I'm looking to this girl now for inspiration. Roll my fat ass to the gym!

4. I am holding special one time only event for Arbonne! I have a few Intelligence body, hand, and foot lotions on sale and there are some FABULOUS holiday items. Check them out here and let me know if you want something. veamason at gmail dot com.

Ok so now I do feel a bit better. Except my butt hasn't shrunk any since writing this. Damn.

The Nine- An Update

Augh. So I was feeling pretty good. I had lost 4.5 lbs in just two weeks. I was working out and eating healthy. Lots o grilled veggies and Spirutein shakes. Then I had Girls Night and had too much wine.

Wine with brownies. And Cheese Nips. Which I NEVER eat. Oh and some M&M's. Light and dark chocolate. Right, then there was that sugar cookie thrown in too. Next day hung over slightly with my knees bothering me again I skipped the gym. Did my weigh in this morning and somehow between yesterday and today I gained three pounds.

To say I'm angry would be a mild way of putting it. Angry. Annoyed. Frustrated and discouraged. I was feeling so good. I don't like to be myself up about that after all I do have one free day. ONE. That is what happens? Yeesh.

So it's back to all veggies all the time. Water galore. Spirutein is my new best friend. Somehow in between being concious and with my family and cleaning up a rehab I have to make it to the gym.

This sort of sucks. The Nine my a**

A Crimp in My Master Plan

Ok so my real master plan would be more Pinky and Brain-ish, but since I don't have the time what with deadlines, a wildly climbing toddler and a house flipping business, let's just say 'the Nine' is my oeuvre, at least for the month of August. That's right it runs the whole month. I need the leeway.

Especially with these crimps.

1. The new daycare schedule at the gym. As if it weren't hard for Moms to get out the door on time each day and have the motivation amidst the daily chaos to go to the gym, they go and change the schedule eliminating most evening daycare hours and all of Wednesday. For the first time in three years I am considering switching gyms. The hours are now random and confusing. They follow no discernible flow or even the class schedule. The gym seems to solely cater to women of the 50 and over crowd despite a throng of young mothers all breathlessly charging in the doors daily overloading the daycare rooms. It makes me hissing mad.

2. A constantly changing schedule. I like to have some routine in our days. T.D. and I both thrive on it. When new errands pop up daily it totally throws off not just the day but the week and the first thing to be eliminated is my workout, then it's my actual work, which quite frankly pisses me off.

3. The mole. On Wednesday I'll be having a rather suspicious mole removed and it will require stitches. I loathe those little buggers. Looking at them totally creeps me out. The addition of them to my bra line region will hopefully only impede an upper body workout. That could be more of a plus than a crimp though as I've now dubbed myself 'thunder thighs' after hitting the pool yesterday.


There are more of you who have joined in on 'the Nine' challenge and that's great! I think all the mutual support can only lead to success. I am doing weekly weigh ins. So far- 3.5 lbs shed. I'm ecstatic! It's those last 5.5 that will make the difference!

The Nine- My Rules

So some of you have expressed interest in joining me in losing 'the nine'. Great! Glad to have accomplices and people to help buoy me when I want to sink my teeth into a Twinkie or something. They'll be my Nine Sponsors that I can call or something like that.

MY RULES (feel free to make up suitable ones for you)

Excercise AT LEAST thirty minutes four times a week. (It worked well in the 5-Day Challenge)

One Cheat Day- preferably a weekend- 5 Factor Diet and Diet for Life allows it so I will too.

Incorporate weights and cardio during workout. Hopefully that will eliminate the slow workouts on treadmills.

One alcoholic drink a week. No more guzzling Chardonnay in manner of Bridget Jones.

Overall MORE water, LESS carbs, MORE Veggies.

Really it's about being less Homer and more Marge.

I'll keep you posted weekly on my losses or gains (oh the horror!) and tally it up at the end of the month.

That's the kicker. H and I might be venturing back up to old NE for one last summer jaunt on the coastline. I'll be swimming in clamcake grease for a week. YIKES!