Skinniest 28-year-old ever.

So March is on its way out...it's amazing how quickly the months are passing...

A few things...

1.) I'm a teenie-bopper

Honestly. This book didn't change my life or anything, but it was definitely entertaining. And the premise of having to go into an arena and kill other people to stay alive really freaked me out and fascinated me. I am HOPING someone else will want to see the movie with me.

2. Spaghetti Squash is awesome.
Amazing!! (Well, pretty good.) It doesn't replace spaghetti completely...BUT...on days where I'm craving that twist on my spoon, fill my belly, "spaghetti experience" without eating thousands of calories...this is great! It's a little bland...it's mostly about mixing it with delicious stuff. I added some extra virgin olive oil, garlic, a splash of tomato sauce, chicken, and broccoli. It's a great way to bulk up a dish volume-wise without adding lots of bulk CALORIE-wise.

3. I ran 7 miles yesterday. Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner.

And finally,

I'd like to issue a loud "F*** you!" to my weight plateau.

Because I lost three pounds this week!!!

HELL YES!

Pounds lost: 28.5

Pounds to go: 41.5

Yummy ways to have a rockin' bod!

Today I'd like to share my most recent favorite healthy foods! A Top 10 of amazing choices that can really improve my health, fill my belly, and get me one step closer to my goals!

1. Sweet Potato
Less caloric than white potatoes, with a lower glycemic index, sweet potatoes are a great choice for a healthy carb. Less calories and a lower GI means they are less likely to make your blood sugar spike and therefore less likely to be stored as fat!!! Plus they are tasty!

2. Olive-Oil Based Salad Dressing

Full of monounsaturated fats, which help reduce cholesterol, olive oil is great for heart health. In moderation, this type of dressing is a great way to improve weight control. Creamy dressings contain more saturated fat. Reduced fat and fat-free dressings often contain added sugar, which actually causes you to GAIN more weight. Whereas monounsaturated fats, in moderation, actually aid weight control.

3. Pistacchios (plain or flavored)

Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, filling, and pistacchios are the lowest calorie nut. Plus, you have a shell them, which means you're likely to eat less. (You can't really shovel handfuls into your mouth, you know?)

4. Mushrooms

Such a polarizing food. You either love 'em or hate 'em. I LOVE THEM!!! Sometimes, I mix them in with veggies or pasta, to make the meal feel more substantial. When I'm really hungry, mushrooms fill my belly with low calorie deliciousness!

5. Green Tea w/ Honey

Green tea is full of antioxidants, and is a natural appetite suppressant. Lower caffeine than coffee, it still has a little kick! It tastes delicious with lemon or honey. I have it with a spoonful of honey--which is a simple sugar--easy to breakdown but just that little sweetness you crave!

6. Greek Yogurt

I CRAVE dairy. I try to eat a super high protein diet, so Greek Yogurt is PERFRECT! Great as a garnish on soups or mexican food, I also mix plain Greek Yogurt with veggie or onion soup packets to make a healthier version of dip!

7. Black Beans

Beans contain both protein and fiber. Filling and delicious. Black beans taste great added to lots of different dishes, and I like them better than any other bean.

8. Avocado

Avocado is a great source of healthy fat. I use it as a garnish, and also as a makeshift condiment on sandwiches!

9. 100 Calorie Whole Grain Sandwich Thins

I use these as a replacement for bread when I want to eat higher calorie things (such as peanut butter). Also, it limits the amount of total carbs I eat, thus keeping my blood sugar in check. Whole grains decrease the glycemic index, and they are delicious!

10. Yellow Apples/ Natural Applesauce

Apples are delicious. Full of nutrients. Lower sugar/calories than other fruits like bananas and pineapples (which are delicious--ugh!) but still substantial. I also add applesauce to oatmeal and other healthy stuff.

Just wanted to give an ode to some delicious healthy choices! And maybe inspire some new recipe ideas??? What can I say--I'm all about healthy choices lately!

(Sorry if this entry was boring. I'm a woman obsessed. Stick with me.)

An attempt at more consistent posts...

Guess what??? TWO IN A ROW. (I'd like to dedicate this to Lane, who will pee herself when she sees two consecutive posts.)

This is just a lil mini post.

Over the past few weeks, many of my weeknights have been monopolized by singing rehearsals.

For a clef singer reunion concert. (pause for reaction)

DEFINITELY my nerdiest endeavor to date.

Info can be found HERE!!!

On the downside, it definitely is taking up a lot of time and energy. On the upside, we sound really amazing and there's going to be 1000+ people attending.

One of the numbers we're doing is a song I LOVE by Billy Joel. "And So It Goes."

If you don't know it, see Billy sing it on YouTube, HERE!!!

(and if you don't know it, listen! simple, beautiful...great lyrics)

My favorite is...

So I would choose to be with you,

That's if the choice were mine to make.

But you can make decisions too--

And you can have this heart to break.

And so it goes, and so it goes...

And you're the only one who knows.

The first time we sang it through in rehearsal I felt emotional at that part...and still do...but I just think its a beautiful song.

And a little note on my lack of pounds lost this week...

My hips measured over 50" when I started losing weight...several inches bigger. (not that I admitted it.)

I'd been measuring 48" for a few weeks now...

But today...

I guess pounds aren't the only things being lost around here!

Happy Sunday everyone! :)

twenty.eight.

Yeah. Elephant in the room. The name of my blog is "twenty.seven."

And this week, I turned 28.

More about that later...

First things first.

Weekly update.

Last sunday, I ran a 3.2 mile segment of the New Bedford Half Marathon, pushing one of my little loves in his stroller. What a difference from last year! Instead of barely making it, I was able to chat with the other runners as we jogged, and felt great when I finished!!!

Congratulations to Michaela and George on moving into their new house this week!!!

(And thanks to Michaela for the birthday cake!)

I did not lose ANY pounds this week. Ugh.

BUT, when I measured my hips, they were an inch smaller!

So I think I'm converting fat to muscle! And muscle weighs more!

5 lbs. of muscle vs. 5 lbs. of fat

I knew this plateau was coming, so I'm going to stay the course! I ran yesterday and went for a walk with Rachael today. I'm keeping it positive!

P.S. Thanks to Rachael for the vanilla biscotti K-cups! (I drink coffee when I am craving desserts or more food!!!)

Finally, I made the LAST payment on one of my student loans this week. YAY!!!!!

So, to the topic at hand.

TWENTY.EIGHT.

It's been a big year. Twenty seven was full of experiences, love, highs...and a couple of lows.

I celebrated what matters most with my cousins. Only 74 days till Cousin-Fest!

The Betty Whites became a Trivia Force.

I enjoyed some vacations...

To Tahoe...

And Guatemala.

Celebrating weddings and love with close friends....

And found and lost love myself.

Which brings me to today. March 24, 2012.

Today I feel...

hopeful.

This year will bring happiness, peace of mind, friends, great memories, and I BELIEVE it will be a good one. I can't control my circumstances all the time, but I can choose to be happy. I can choose to be positive and choose to have faith that everything will turn out exactly as it should.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

So...

I need to update a little more often. (per Lane.)

But anyway...here's an update!

My friend from Kansas who is now pregnant posted recently about how her blog has become all about her pregnancy. I laughed, because I was recently thinking about how MY blog has become all about my WEIGHT LOSS. But, its my blog. So guess what?

I'M GOING TO POST MORE ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS.

Yup.

Epic update.

I have lost ~25 lbs. since December 26th.

I lost another 2.2 lbs. this week.

And reached a milestone.

(drumroll)

A few weeks/months ago I posted about my weight here.

I would like to announce that I am officially back to my "thin" weight!

And I'm feeling great. BUT...

I'm not going to stop here.

I want to lose about 45 more lbs.

I am running a 3.2 mile leg of the New Bedford Half Marathon tomorrow. I work with special needs children and we push our kids (relay style).

I am excited, but nervous of course. I figure its for a good cause, and I am so ready to make a difference for one of our kids.

And finally, I wanted to say a couple words about old friends. Some that have come into my life recently and I have rediscovered. And others that, well, I need to say goodbye to.

I'd like to introduce some of my new friends to you...

"Oh hi, jaw! Nice to see you again!"

"Mr. Collarbone? I forgot about you!!"

And its time to say goodbye to some old, dear, tried-and-true friends...

"Thank you jeans, for supporting my tubby ass, but you're too big, and we have to break up!"

"Dear Giant Gut, you're now a tiny belly and soon you'll be gone. Go F*** yourself. I will not miss you."

And the most complicated good-bye. My boobs. I've lost at least 2 cup sizes. Now granted, I had some boob I could stand to lose! But, having a chest measurement that falls back onto the normal sizes chart is almost WEIRD. I am a 1/2 cup size away from no longer having to special order my bras! That being said, I'll miss my huge boobs sometimes. But I think, overall, I'm cool with the smaller version.

So, the point is...I'm going to stay the course.

THE AMAZING SHRINKING WOMAN.

Pounds lost: 25

Pounds to go: 45

Big Ed: The Man, The Myth, The Legend

The grandfather is literally the coolest man ever to live.

The best, most awesome, funniest...He is the big boss man.

I learned to be cool from the expert.

Being Cool with Grampy

My grandfather has been a stud from Day One. When he was born, the doctors thought he was stillborn. But in typical Ed fashion he started crying and thus was a force in this world. Big Ed was born!

He was a big man on campus. Stud. Athlete. Pimp.

Until he was driving down the street one day and saw my grandmother. And then he was hooked. He said, "I'm going to marry that girl."

And unlike the other swooning high school girls in Woonsocket, Grammy didn't even know who he was! Which made her all the more attractive...


They were married in 1943 and stayed married for 60 years, until she died in 2003. Grampy was a manly man in a house full of women.

He LOVED my grandmother.

Grampy painting Grammy's toes the morning of their 60th anniversary.

She was too sick then to do it herself.

He has always been a fantastic Grandpa! I was his first and only granddaughter. And despite the fact that he enjoys "manly" pursuits, he still spent plenty of time making memories with me!

Always there to pry me off of an unsuspecting cartoon character

He built the "Laura Robin" Trail on our property in Maine...

And built me a swing...

And taught me how to be a badass. Relax. Enjoy Life.

Special Note: Grampy survived malaria, cancer, dyptheria, thyphoid. He appreciates his life.

He was always ready for action. Shades, Camera, Suspenders.

"Best Grandpa in the World" T-shirt.

(Which was true.)

He even made fishing (which I hate) as fun as it could possibly be!!!

And he always brought the laughs to any card or board game! And also enjoys his favorite beverage: Ginger Brandy!

As I grew, he still called me "The apple of his eye."

Today, my Grampy has slowed down. We celebrated his 91st birthday this week. A few years ago he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and its been tough to see him deteriorate. I try to kiss him everyday...because he is just the most amazing Grampy anyone ever had!!

Notable Big Ed Quotes:

"If Shit Were Brains, I'd Be a Miracle."

"There are 48 ways to cook spam. I've had it 49."

"Do farts have lumps?"

"They told me, 'cheer up, things could get worse.' So I cheered up, and sure as hell, things got worse."

I am grateful for every second, hour, day, and year I've had with my Grampy. Every memory, kiss, laugh, and adventure. Alzheimers cannot take that away.

Happy Birthday Grampy! I love you so much! I'm so lucky you're mine!