I was really excited to watch the show this week, but when I learned it was 2 hours, something deflated. Overall, I was like meh, add to that feeling the DSL was down, so liveblogging was out the window, I just made some general observations, which of course will be accompanied with pictures.

[Update: even NBC don't have pictures ready. Nevermind.]

Well, um. Okay.

Red Team, Trainer Kim's bunch, won both challenges. Blue Team, a really close touchy feely bunch sent home the single mom, Texas Tiffany. She started at 255 and doing it alone at home went up and down a few lbs and is now in the low 200's. I thought they would've sent home Alabama Melinda, since she lost the least, 15lbs, of the entire team. But their rationale was, they wanted to send home a strong determined person who they knew would keep going. Tiffany it was.

Thank the lord next week is only an hour and hopefully by then, my DSL will be back up.

Oh and if StTWA wears a knee length black sweater w/black pants to the beach one more time...she's getting shanked.

I've been meaning to try these Panini's forever. Okay, I lie, they've only been out a few months. Let's say I've been meaning to try these since I was in my last apartment, for 3 months. I actually bought some, but in the haze of moving, left them in the freezer so long, they got freezer burn and didn't cook well. I was not going to be bit by that bug again.

Doing some light shopping this week, as I really intend to cook, but for the near future will be nuking most of my meals, I got some frozen dinners, which I haven't bought in forever, ok I'm lying again haven't bought in 3 months, for lunch.

Appalled that frozen dinners are now 3 bucks, geebus back in the day they used to be 2 and a quarter, I got the Panini b/c it was on special.

My weekend was pretty okay. I went to the movies Saturday, just to get out for a bit, I was feeling overwhelmed w/all the unpacking I still needed to do. By Sunday, I was up for the challenge of getting all my clothes crammed into the closet. Staying in all weekend, I vegged out on TeeVee, which I hadn't been watching much of, but since I plopped the tube in front the bed, and the computer was way across the room in Bug-stackistan, I figured I was better off staying in bed w/the remote in one hand and my trusty can o' Raid Country Fresh Scent in the other.

Sat night, I caught a program on TLC called The Shrinking Woman, she weighed 600lbs, had bariatric surgery and was now left w/a body that was pretty much a mess. Before I get into how that show scared me str8, a quick aside.

I also watched, for the first time in my entire life, The Simple Life. Why? Nothing else was on, and the teaser did it's job, it sucked me in. I'll never watch that show again, 2 episodes was more than enough thankyouverymuch, but I must admit, the scene, where Paris encountered what she called a cockroach, but looked like a huge beetle, and she simultaneously tried to squish it, while running away screaming, had my rolling in the bed laughing (note, I did not say floor). Then when she took the leaf blower and blew that sucker out the door, I had to give it up to her for creativity and started googling my own mini leaf blower.

Okay, back to the real topic, life post surgery.

Now, I don't make judgments on people who opt to do surgery, to each her own, but I know that's not an option for me. No matter how frustrating losing weight is. When I was signing up for L.A. Fitness, and the sales guy tried to convince me of paying the initiation fee, he made some comment like, If you can go to the store and spend that $100 on a drink that'll shed all your weight now, you'd to it won't you. And I said no. And he was like, yeah right, come on. And I was like, I'm not losing weight so much to lose weight as I am to be healthy and physically fit. He still gave me a skeptical look, but we all know how that story ends don't we?

But this woman, who'd been abused as a kid and food was used as a sign of love by her mom, was always overweight, in her 20's she hit 300lbs and when her dad died, she blew up to 600. She needed to get surgery to remove the lining in her uterine, she was hemorrhaging, and while no other doctor would perform gastric bypass, too risky @ her size, one doctor would, so she did the duodenal switch.

Over the course of 3 years, she got down to about 225, but when she took off her clothes, good lord the loose skin. She was surrounded in it and opted to get plastic surgery to repair it.

The entire hour was about her experience, the ups and downs, and while the end result was she managed to shed about 20-40lbs in excess skin, I believe she got down to 180-something, after seeing what I saw, I knew I couldn't do it. Talk about pain.

So Monday PM I was scouting around town for a new gym. I had my eye on 4. The Y, Gold's again, L.A. Fitness and Colony Square Athletic Center. Each had there own perks & pitfalls

The Y
Perks: Opens early, on the way coming and going, the closest of all, nice way of tracking progress with a swipe card, free coaching for 6 months.
Pitfalls: very very expensive, small facility, 2-3 cardio machines of each kind, felt claustrophobic, did I mention how expensive it was?

Gold's
Perks: simple transfer of membership, I already know the facility.
Pitfalls: located downtown, no off-street parking. Very much out of my way.

Colony Square
Perk: paid indoor parking, $10 cheaper than Gold's
Pitfall: still out of my way.

L.A. Fitness
Perk, in a shopping center, plentiful parking, open @ 5 am
Pitfall: initiation fee.

I set out to destroy that last Pitfall.

...to being a world renown blogger

My biggest loser commentary was highlighted over @ aol.com's Diet & Fitness today. YaY!

Normally I do minute by minute live-blogging of The Biggest Loser, but a 2 hour season premiere meant: Nuh uh.

Instead, I'll just wrap up what I thought about the show and starting next week the real recap begins.

The Hostesseseseses:
In the first ½ of the show StTWA seems to have just worn a bra under her blazer, w/one button dangerously coming close to busting those puppies loose. And what's w/the "Jell-O $250,000 prize"? Is that a gimmick? @ the end of it all is Bill Cosby gonna come out w/250 grand of Jell-O products. I would riot.

Oh Bob, even when he tries to be mean, saying people come to the show expecting hugs thinking they know him but not this season, he's still such a softie. There was a scene where he chewed them up about working out and right before he left the house practically said, "Does anyone need a hug?" …give it up angel boy, you are no Jillian.

Speaking of Jillian, I hate to admit it, but, I didn't miss her. @ least not like I thought I would. The new girl, Kim, is okay. Perky enough. Almost too perky. A little more perk and she would've ventured over into bugs me territory. She has an amazing body, and seems to be trying to be herself, not another Jillian.

The Contestants:

In the last 3 weeks, 3 people have either asked or pointed out that I've lost weight. Which in various ways is both alarming and flattering.

First observation was about 3 weeks ago, I was standing the in the driveway when a friend of my aunt's asked, "Are you losing weight?" Usually a question like that gets me all flustered, but I slowly gulped and said, "Well I have been going to the gym." She nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes, yes, I can see it." I quickly changed the subject and left.

Welp, I'm all moved in, have been since Saturday, but I've been kinda down and all the activity and drama hit me once I got to the new place, I spent most of the weekend sleeping. Don't get me wrong, in the long run it's all for the best, the commute alone is what makes it all worth it. That and I feel connected to the city again, but I didn't much like how things went down w/my family and the new place ain't all it's cracked up to be.

There are bugs. Lots of them. Spiders. Crickets. Small black crawly things. And worst of all, the one bug that makes me not able to sleep…the one bug that makes me completely lose my appetite, the one bug that makes me want to pack all my crap up and get the hell outta there…the waterbug…better known as the giant cockroach or as they call them in the south, palmetto bugs.

Of all the colors, by far, this is my favorite group, Orange & Yellow.

Why Oranges/Yellows are Good
Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and pumpkins all contain the phytochemical beta carotene. Citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, and tangerines contain another group of phytochemicals called bioflavonoids. Phytochemicals, substances found only in plants, may help your body fight disease and promote good health.

Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that is being studied along with vitamin C & E for the role it may play in reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, maintaining good eyesight, boosting your immune system and slowing aging. Sunlight breaks down carotenoids so when you cut up vegetables don't leave them on the counter, use them quickly. Lightly cooking them makes their carotenoids more readily available.

Bioflavonoids are another group of phytochemicals that work together with vitamin C. They are being studied for their role in keeping bodies healthy, reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, strengthening bones and teeth, helping heal wounds and keeping skin healthy. Bioflavonoids and vitamin C are powerful antioxidants that work as a team, it's important to get these nutrients from the whole foods that provide them-namely orange and yellow-colored vegetables and fruit.

So one of my moving/new apartment DIY project is to turn a 4 steel shelf thingy into a 7 shelf thingy. Problem is, I can't drill the steel. Oh how I tried. After almost losing a good drill bit from my cordless screwdriver then finding out the titanium drill bit the 'Tool Professional' @ Lowes suggested didn't work, I had the bright idea to hammer a hole in the thing. But w/what I say? W/what.

An Ice pick!

There is a sign in IKEA that says something like "30,000 people walk across this flooring every week." As I left yesterday, the kindly gentleman that says "Have a nice day, the travelator is to the right!", made his usual spiel. Then, upon seeing my face said, "Do you live near here? You're in here a lot!"

30,000 people a week.

He recognized me.

That should answer all concerns on my whereabouts and why I've been MIA from the blog for over a week. If you really must talk to me, you can find me in Storage & Organization

Just 2 more trips till I'm all yours.

"Just don't give up on trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong." – Ella Fitzgerald

, I'm such a smarty pants, making every fruit/veggie text (Red, Blue & Green), the color it is. Don't think I'm going to let the fact that no one will see white on white, stop me. Today it's time for Team White.

Why White is Good
Garlic, onions, and leeks may be lacking in color, but they're bursting with powerful phytochemicals, substances found only in plants that help your body fight disease and promote good health.

Vegetables from the onion family, which include garlic, chives, scallions, leeks, and any variety of onion, share a group of phytochemicals that are very important to good health. The most common member of this phytochemical group is allicin. Research is being conducted to show how allicin in garlic and onions may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and increase the body's ability to fight infections.

"The important thing is to learn a lesson every time you lose." - John McEnroe

Ever had one of those morning where you pick up a pair of black pants, b/c they'll be so "slimming" and the pants look as wide as a hot air balloon. And you tell yourself, no way those things are gonna fit…No way. Yet, much to your chagrin, not only do those fuckers fit, they have the nerve to struggle over the hips and on top of that...be TIGHT!

Yah...it's one of those days.

2 more days before serenity returns, 2 more days.

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still." - Chinese proverb

Oh how I've missed my blog ::blows air kisses::

I'm not 110% back yet, but I'll @ least be posting this week, only thing that'll still be on hiatus, is the daily log. You know the daily weigh in and eats/sweats section that tends to fill up the first ½ of the page.

Mainly b/c my fridge is gone, so I'm really eating on the run this week. My vitamin/supplement cocktail is packed up in some box I'm too beat to look for and my scale has gotten moved around on more than on occasion. I don't want to weigh until it's back to a permanent spot and I'm still working on the apartment.

Speaking of which, I am exhausted, muscles I never knew I have ached and I blame it all on moving the fridge.

188.8lbs

Considering how stressed I currently am, this is a teeny bleesing. If everything goes according to plans, when does it ever?!?!, I *should* @ least be back in the gym and get some cardio in this week. I'm going to play it by ear and try to get in @ least 45 mins, anything extra will be gravy. And 3 days will be gold.

Pontificating shall resume Tuesday.

• Walk and run 250 miles (20.8 miles per week in 12 weeks)

Week 1: 17.32
Week 2: 11.21
Week 3: 16.59
Week 4: 8.83
Week 5: 3.17
Week 6: 20.51
Week 7: 18.93
Week 8: 0

Weeks to go: 4
Miles to go: 153.44 (38.36 miles/week)

Heh, I would cackle deliriously @ the miles per week, however, due to the fact that whatever I don't accomplish this quarter, simply gets rolled over to next quarter, the last laugh may be on me.

Wait.

What?

"There are no more hours in a bad day than in a good one!" - Unknown