95%

It was another HOT HOT HOT weekend.   We decided to brave the heat.....not with a stenuous hike....but with a trip to the National Zoo.  Have I mentioned that it was hot?

We saw some animals....

And we tried to duck into as many buildings "animal houses" as possible to avoid the hot sun.   Luckily, when we were in the shade it was at least tolerable.  Stupidly, I wore my hair down for the day...so just a short while into our visit I ended up buying a new hat! Why?  To get the sun off of my head and to help hold my hair away from my neck!    Plus, now when I run, I have two hats that I have picked up whilst out with Jason.....and it brings a smile to my face to put on a hat that is associated with good memories!

And walked a whole bunch of miles.  I tried to keep slamming the liquid so that I wouldn't end up horribly dehydrated.  (We actually both were slamming liquids before also so that we were totally hydrated before we even began).   I was a little dehyrdated but much better than last weekend.

We were tired as we headed home....but still got to see the sun set behind some clouds....so pretty.

So this morning I woke up early......well rested.  I didn't want to run.  But Jason threw down the challenge and told me that there was no way that I was winning this weeks running challenge.  He acted like he had something up his sleeve....so I knew better than to let one of my 'go in late' work mornings go to waste!   I picked up my phone and let out a sigh of relief when I saw that the temperature was 71 degrees!  How awesome.  That should be a DELIGHTFUL run!   But then my eyes drifted down a few lines on the screen......  95% humidity.    My heart sank....I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

I have recently been hanging around the 2.5 mile mark for my runs.  But that gauntlet was thrown down and I didn't want to come out week and end up starting the weeks challenge at a major deficite....so I knew I was going to bump my mileage to 4 plus miles.  Boy.......what a day to do that with super high humidity.
It was slow. But I conquered it!!!   4.16 miles....TAKE THAT!   I even wore my new hat to do it!  (I forgot to take a picture...but that's probably for the best as I was whipped when I got back to the house!  

My weight is down a bit from last week...so if I keep things under control I should do ok for my official weigh in.  Not down to new  territory on the scales.  (New as in anytime in very recent history).   But down.   I'll take it! 

Another week bites the dust

Well well well...I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth.  I'm still here, chugging along.   

My week was actually NOT a collossal failure in terms of actions...but I will say that my week was not good on the scales. Yes, I am up.   Now, it could be an excuse, but I believe that I am dehyrdated.  I woke up a few times last night and grabbed for my water bottle to get a drink of water.  If thirst wakes me up...that's a bad sign.  This morning I woke up dry mouthed and thirsty....not a good sign and that little sign usually heralds a few pounds up on the scales.  Now I'm not going to say that my gain is all water...I will freely admit that I ate more than I should have last night.  But I think the main part of my gain is the water.

Here are my stats for the last week!

See, not that bad in the grand scheme of things.

So my last week....filled with lots of things.

Lets see there was work......

Geocaching...... this is at an old apparently Quaker graveyard....with weirdly enough only one grave stone 
standing in it. 

On a side note...I was doing a gadget geocache and needed to heat up a rod to 110 degrees and then cool it down to 77 degrees.  I ended up going into a nearby store to buy some hot coffee (heated it to 150 degrees in seconds) and some diet soda (and an extra cup with ice for the cooling down segment).   I drank the diet soda...first time in a while 
that I had diet coke.....it was NASTY!

This weekend the weather kept us planning more inside activities (although I did run really early on Saturday morning).
We hit up Washington DC again.  This time we walked through China Town.....

I was disappointed that the picture didn't turn out well...but it is a picture of a row of cooked ducks...with heads attached
hanging in the window/cooking area of a chinese restaurant.  I got to giggling when I saw it...stuck on the line for "the ChristmasStory"   "It's smiling at me!"  

We went to the Air and Space Museum (the Dulles location remains my favorite...although the Amelia Airheart display will always be a 
favorite of mine).

And I'm not sure why a Lucille Ball lifesize picture was in the museum (other than a passenger in an airline back in the 50's) but I had to get a picture with her....especially since I was wearing an I Love Lucy teeshirt!  (I must remembber to wear that teeshirt a week from
this upcoming weekend on August 6 to commemorate her birthday.) 

We just wanted our pictures in the aircraft....

From the Air and Space we headed to the American Indian Museum.....it was also really neat.....and blessedly, not as crowded.

After that museum we were whipped...so we headed back to the metro for the ride back to our car!

The weekend.......the running, mowing, geocaching, walking around the lake and shops on Saturday, and the hot walking in DC on Sunday....
Totally dehydrated!  That's where I think my weight went wrong.

I leave with a picture of my precious old girl, Ethel.

Goodbye

So I have officially decided to end the 'I don't care' stage of this journey.   I think the week of really just not having a thought and doing and eating what I want was probably good for me.  It gave me a much needed break from thinking about my food all the time.  This journey is a full time 'job' so to speak......and I needed a vacation. 

I honestly wouldn't recommend a 'vacation' from a healthy lifestyle.  It could have been BAD for me on the scales, even just one week.  It could have started a downward spiral that led to months of unhealthy choices.  It could have been bad.

However, even as I decided to take the break, I still knew that I want to lose the weight....BADLY.  I knew that the great burning desire was still present.  I knew deep down inside that I wasn't quitting.  
Luckily for me my week off had some events and revelations that helped fan the flames of that desire.
Pictures.....usually on our weekends I end up taking pictures of places and sights.  For some reason, this weekend I ended up with some pictures of myself.   Wow....I did NOT like the pictures of myself.

I was going to type self deprecating remarks as a caption for this photo......but that is not a healthy behavior.  So I'm just going to say that I am not happy with how I look.

And while I love the picture of us together (yes, the one I posted the other day).......I'm not happy with how BIG I am in the picture.

So the pictures were a biggie for me.  On a couple different levels.  One, I just look at myself and say "what in the world makes me think that this is ok?"   I want to live a full life and be healthy......and at this weight these is no way that I am 'healthy'.   But secondly it makes me look and say "why in the world does he love me and find me beautiful".   He does....and I am grateful and blessed.  However,  doesn't he deserve the healthiest version of MF too?

Along with the pictures there were some discussions about hikes we want to do, Activities we want to partake and plans for the future.  


So today I stepped on the scales for my official weigh in.  I somehow managed to have a loss this last week.  I KNOW I ate unhealthy.  I had shoo fly pie, oreos and chips and dip.  I didn't worry about my calories or anything.  I did however put my calories into my tracker after the fact....and the results were not that bad.  Here are my compiled stats for the week...

So not too bad....could be a LOT better.   But I also know that I can't expect that if I keep going down the 'throw caution into the wind' path.  

So with a renewed sense of purpose, a clear mind and a ready heart.....I embark upon a new week!

Roar like a lion

So the other day I wrote a post and just expressed my utter feelings of despondancy over this journey and where I am right now.  I really did feel like giving up.  I do feel as if I'm beating my head against a brick wall.  There are factors and forces in my life that is making this difficult.  I felt (feel) that I am doing the best I could but it just isn't enough.

So after that last blog post, I stepped back and said "for a few days I'm doing what I want......no scales....no tracking....no real thought about it."

It gave me some time to think...it gave me some time to reflect.  It gave me some time 'away'.  (In fairness...I still popped onto myfitnesspal to keep my streak going...how lame is that?)

You see,  I'm tired of this journey.  I've been blogging about the journey for more than 10  years.  I actually just celebrated my 10 year blogiversary in January of this year.  But I was actually trying to lose for a while before that.   I've celebrated some amazing victories.....but for most of that time, I have been 'chasing the dream'.  That's a long time.... (and yes, I do know that this is a life change....something that will be done for the rest of my life).

Someday maybe I can live a life where I don't track religiously.  Maybe someday I can live a life where I don't constantly have to watch. Maybe someday I can live a life where I don't watch the numbers on the scales (once a week).   But I know that right now....those things are necessary for me.  When I don't do them I start to sink into a bad place.  (How do you think I gained some of this weight back after I reached my goal weight......I got disgusted with my initial weight gain and I stopped tracking....and I stopped weighing .....and well.....the weight came back on at an alarming rate).

So.....I took a few days off.   I did have a Reeces Cup.....not the king size...but the normal size package.  I did have a piece or two of shoo-fly pie (hey, my parents went to Lancaster, PA and they brought back a little bit for me!)   I did eat some Vanilla Oreos with some delicious chocolate ganache icing that my mom had leftover in the fridge.  I don't feel guilty.  I don't feel bad.     Other than those sweet treats....I actually ate pretty reasonably.  It was a huge relief to not have to worry about it for a while.

The question?   How much did I gain...or lose?   I have no clue.  I'm not worrying about it until official weigh in day.  

Last night I got home and I actually felt ready to track my food.  Furthermore, I felt interested to know how much food I really ate over the last few days...where my calorie count was.  I debated if I should put my food in for the last few days.  But curiosity won out.     The first figure is base calories and the second is with whatever exercise calories I earned netted out.

Wednesday   1023  -     721
Thursday    1339   -  1314
Friday     2217    -  1537
Saturday  1828    -   1801
Sunday   1689   -  983   

Soooo, while I'm still just kind of disillusioned and unsure of what direction to move....I'm going to stay the course....work on drinking my water....work on eating more fruits and veggies....work on limiting the sweet treats.

 This weekend Jason and I headed toward the mountains. We figured some good long hikes in the mountains were just what the doctor ordered.....especially since we spent the last two weekends exploring and hiking at more 'coastal like' places.   (Point Lookout State Park two weeks ago and Leesylvania State park last weekend).     It felt good to be surrounded by the mountains.  But on Saturday afternoon/evening we got stormed out....(that's ok, we relaxed, talked, laughed and watched tv together....sometimes you need days like that)  and on Sunday we woke up and looked out the window and we just decided we didn't want to sweat and suffer in the heat.  So we regrouped and came up with a new plan.  The new plan???   Lets go into DC and hit some of the Smithsonian museums.

The walk across the parking lot to the metro and the few blocks of walking from the metro station to the museums was enough to make both of us pinken up with a slight sun burn (not really a burn...just a nice pinkish tint that tanned by the next morning).  So it was probably a really good change of plans! 

We went into the Natural History Museum first.   This was Jason's first choice of museums as he is fascinated by nature and animals.     Lions....tigers.. bears... squid..... whales........ gems.... mummies...  dinosaurs... butterflies...... insects...... neanderthals.  You name it, we saw it!  

Next we headed to the museum next door.....the museum that is my all time favorite in the Smithsonian.  The Museum of American History.  

 How can an American not be enthralled by seeing the actual Star Spangled Banner (which was fitting since last fall I did the flag thing...by visiting the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia which is credited with being the place and the person that sewed the first American flag.  AND a few weeks later with  visiting the Star Spangled banner House in Baltimore and is coincidentally  the location of the creation of the actual star spangled banner flag.  (Just for a laugh and a neat memory...I went to Baltimore the day after my first date ever with Jason....I was really coy in that blog post saying 'I met up with a friend that evening....ha ha ha...it was a first date with Jason...but we had been talking for a while and we were technically already friends!)     Sorry no pictures allowed of the Flag....it's not allowed to help preserve the artifact.

So we saw the flag..... the sit in lunch counter that really sparked desegregation..... Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz's ruby red slippers..... Julia Child's kitchen..... the dresses that many of the first ladies wore at inaugurations and other major events during their husbands presidency..... artifacts from the presidents and their families through the years.... neat rare money.... cars and trains and boats and bikes that show the progress of transportation in America.... and so much more!  (Sadly, we either missed the Fonz's jacket or else it was not on display at this time)

It was a great way to spend a hot day....a little crowded, but not too bad.    Lots and lots of walking....in fact my legs were more sore from the miles we walked (well over 5) plus all the standing as we looked than if I had hiked up the side of a mountain!

I give up!!

UI'm giving up!  Throwing up my hands!  Calling it quits!

Ok, the numbers on the scales weren't good my weekly weigh in.  I was up a few pounds.  But seriously?   It is disheartening.  I am not eating way out of control .  I moved.....ran and hiked and walked.   Disheartening!!!

Look at my stats...I'm doing well!   

Ok, I know that I don't REALLY want to call it quits.  I know that I still really want to be healthy....to be thin....to be active.  I want to live a full life....and I know that being healthy and getting my weight under control is a big factor.  But something has to give.  I can't keep banging my head against a brick wall.

Hot off the......

Do berries picked off the bush and shoveled down my gullet count as calories?  I'm thinking no.  I mean, seriously....the work to pick the berries has got to negate the calories right?

Another week down.  I have no earthly clue how the scales are looking.   I can say that while I haven't eaten great, I haven't eaten horribly.  Have I had some calories over my low ball goal of 1200 a day?  Absolutely?   Have I most days earned calories to help offset the over expenditure?  Yes.   

Have I had some days where I was just HUNGRY?  Yes.  Saturday was like that.  I mowed early in the morning and the rest of the day I just had a hunger within me all day.  I tried to drink a lot of water, thinking that maybe I was thirsty and my body was misreading the signs....but no....it was definitely hunger.   I did fairly well.....I indulged but I kept it pretty close...my calories topped at 1789 (with earned calories netted in  it was 1500).   
Did I have days where I earned mad calories?  Yup....hiking and running...and both of those days my netted caloric intake was really low.

Time will tell if my weight was affected by my activity and my eating habits.

So.....Lets catch up from where I left off.....which sadly was when I updated last week about my weekly results and my previous weekend inFredericksburg and Point Lookout State Park.

On Wednesday, I got my butt up and out the door early.  I got a 2.31 mile run in. It was hot and humid!!!   On Thursday, I repeated the feat with a 2.67 mile run.  Luckily it was hot but the humidity wasn't as overwhelmingly horrible (at least at the time when I went out running...which was super early!)   

Friday when I got off work I did some geocaching.  It rained....so I got a little wet.  But I got about 2 miles of walking in....and found a lot of caches!

Saw some cool things like this old wrought iron fence

 And found some new trails to hike!

This weekend we headed south (Virginia seems to treat us well so we head to Virginia a lot it seems!)    We hit up a few geocaches and went to Leesylvania State Park where we hiked quite a few miles.   We have not been hiking as regularly (weather and health issues) and the 8.5 miles on Sunday really did a number on us.  Oh wait.....it wasn't the miles...it was the heat!  It was the heat that wiped us out.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

We had a great hike.....we drank lots of water and the berries along the deserted trails were plentiful so we snacked quite a bit!  (Those are the calories that don't count!!!!  Right???)

The trails offered lots to make us happy.....

Pretty views of the Potomac River

Nice trails

Old ruins 

Remains of Civil War Fort 

Lots of colorful fungus on the trails

And a wee little snake that turned around in fear and high-tailed it away from us! (ok, maybe not wee little...but nothing huge!)

I was planning on running this morning...but I just couldn't do it.  Even the alarm going off at 6AMwas too much....I usually am awake before the alarm...today I hit the snooze button 3 times and walked around the house like a zombie, even as I was walking out the door to go to work......a run......just not in the books this morning!

So what's on tap for this upcoming week?  I'm planning on trying to clean up my eating just a bit more.......running a few more times....walks.....maybe a mid-week hike and just moving forward one day at a time!

Undeserved

Undeserved....Sometimes weight loss has results that are undeserved.  Last Wednesday I posted a gain.   It was an undeserved gain.  It was most likely water retention from movie theater popcorn....because seriously...that stuff needs butter and salt!  So short lived, undeserved but a gain none the less.   The last week was NOT stellar.  I didn't exercise a whole bunch.  I didn't eat overly healthy.  I wasn't within my calories....it was not a stellar week by any stretch of the imagination.  

 Yet, when I grudgingly stepped onto the scales this morning, I saw that I was back down to my pre-popcorn weight.   To be honest?  I knew that the popcorn water weight had disappeared by Thursday......but I ate....Specifically, I ate Chocolate chip-peanut butter-banana cookies. (These things are like crack...and I don't make them often for that reason!)  It started with the cookie dough and it continued to the finish product....a soft delicious cookie. (or maybe a dozen....or so of them).  So I stepped onto the scales this morning I was expecting to be the same as last week.....or worse.   To find myself back down to the pre-popcorn weight was wonderful.   But more importantly to find myself down to the pre-popcorn weight was undeserved!   

Weight loss is that way.  Sometimes the losses are undeserved.  Sometimes the gains are undeserved.  But we need to use the undeserved gifts (Or curses...depending on which way the scales are tilting) as little kicks in the arse.   When the scales tilt negatively for no reason than we need to kick it up and hold steady to 'show those scales who is boss' and for the undeserved gifts we need to use it as a kick in the arse to say 'you gave me a leg up.....I'm going to use that and expound upon it!"

So why was my week bad?   Oh it wasn't any reason...other than a holiday weekend.  Jason and I had planned on having a picnic....so along with the normal hot dogs on the grill, potato salad, deviled eggs and chips I made those cookies.  We were out and about and had our normal weekend pizza and wings.     On top of the cookies...we didn't do any heavy duty hiking to burn mad calories.   But we still had fun!

We went to the Fredericksburg Masonic Cemetery (OLD....as in Revolutionary War old)

We hit up downtown Fredericksburg and toured the Old Stone Warehouse...the river out back and the basement where they are doing acheological excavations.

We visited the Ellwood House (Neat because of it's location on the Wilderness Battlefield....but also neat because a previous trip to Fredericksburg had us visiting Chatham Manor which owned by the same people as the Ellwood House... Summer/farm home versus winter/town home.

We walked a bit on the trail at Ellwood Manor

And the highlight of Ellwood Manor????   We visited the grave of Stonewall Jackson's Arm (it was amputated very near this site....about a week before Stonewall Jackson passed away)

We hit up the White Oak Civil War Museum 

And visited Point Lookout State Park and saw...

The lighthouse

The bay.....

Civil war prison camp memorial

The one trail....

In the pouring rain!!!

It was a very good weekend!

Teeter Totter

Life is like a seesaw sometimes.   A little up....a little down.  This week has been one of those instances.  In so many ways!      Highs and lows.  It can be debilittating when it's a low and totally enpowering when it's high.   I know as well as the next person that the only thing to do when that happens is to ride out the lows and build upon the success of the highs.  But it's so difficult and these things go hand in hand with each other.....a low in one aspect of life (weight loss) can lead to a plummet in a totally different arena of weight loss.  It's frustrating....but there is nothing to do other than suck it up and move on....accept that it will happen and just roll with it!

A high fromt his week......On Monday I had some toast for breakfast.  It tasted SOOOOOOO delicious.  I wanted some more.  I wanted another serving so incredibly badly.  I wanted to savor the flavors and textures some more.  I wanted to feed that amazing feeling.  (Dare I say the that I wanted to feel the 'high' of my addiction?)   I walked away though.  I walked away and told myself that 'food is to nourish my body and I had just given my body what it needed....it didn't need more toast because I wasn't really hungry, I just wanted the euphoria of eating something that tasted delicious at that moment.  I hit a high in my week.  I resisted.   I was empowered.  I was on top of the world. 

On Tuesday  I weighed myself for my typically sneak peak of my weekly weigh in.  It wasn't looking too bad.  Maybe not a loss but a close maintain, maybe a half pound up.   I knew that if I held on tight that I could squeek by on a maintain for the week.  I KNEW that a maintain....or even only a slight gain would be a huge gift because my eating was not where it needed to be and my level of exercise was lacking from the normal level.

 I was feeling grateful and totally balanced with my sneak peak weigh in.   No high and no low. 

Tuesday after work Jason and I hit up the movies.   Tuesdays is cheap day at our theater....$5 movie tickets and popcorn is $1.  Not bad.  (We made it even cheaper because for the last month or so we've saved our pocket change and I cashed it in the other day and we had enough to pay for our movie, popcorn and drinks....with some left over which we dumped back into the change container to save up for our next movie date!)   The movie was good.  (The Conjouring 2)  The popcorn was delicious.  The popcorn was SALTY!  (of course it was because I added salt and yummy cheese topping!).  Hey....I ate a salad for dinner to help accomodate the calories expended for the popcorn. See......a balancing act.....the popcorn was a low...but the salad swung me higher.  But don't forget that sodium!

On Wednesday morning I woke up and I kinda figured it would be bad.  I woke up thirsty. In case you didn't know...by the time you are actually thirsty you are already dehydrated....better start drinking up.  I weighed myself......my heart just about stopped and my teeter totter dropped me low!  I gained!  Not the half pound I expected...but 2.5 pounds!  I knew immediately that it was most likely the sodium.   I knew it, yet I was bottomed out at seeing the numbers!

And then the hunger hit........and it hit again.....and again.   I was already still low from the weigh in and it just built.....it built in the way of a Skinny Cow Heavenly  Crisp bar, a cup of Party Mix, some dark chocolate candy bars and a box of macaroni and cheese.  Yeah, I was over my calories!  And quite frankly, I was at a low point and  just didn't care!

There were a few higher points on Wednesday.  I did run a few miles.  (Go me!)   I also picked up on the water consumption a wee little bit, I got about 80 ounces in.  (Go me!)  I also got a hug and a kiss or two from Jason.  (Go me!)   Oh wait...that last one isn't weight loss related....my bad.  

This morning I woke up and weighed myself.....I dropped the two popcorn pounds...thank heavens.   So I swung high again.  I'm on track thus far with the eating....lets hope the high stays in place for a while!

The pendulum took an upswing.....Jason's knee seems to be mostly healed and we went for a walk the other day!

And back downward.....last night I was in bed and went to shift and had a sharp pain in my foot.  I felt it a few times throughout the night.....and while it didn't hurt the first few steps this morning...the pain has grown as I've moved around.   WHHHHYYYYYYYY

I'm just going to ride out this demonic playground device and know that it will even out sooner or later!!!

Motivational inspiration

Motivation is a huge factor in success.  It takes long term motivation to get through the tough days where we just want to gnaw the doors of the kitchen cabinets in an attempt to get to the food.  Motivation is what will drive us to get up before the sun comes up in order to get in a good workout.  Motivation is the tow-bar that pulls us along toward our final destination which is our goal weight and our fitness goals!

Over the years I have been motivated to lose this weight by so many different things.   Some of them, I am actually ashamed to admit.....but I'm sure I'm not alone out there!  So I thought that it would be interesting to make a list of different things that have motivated me over the years.  This is by no means comprehensive....it is just what I can think of and remember at the moment.

1.  Money.   

Years ago at my highest weight I had a friend that wanted to lose weight.  I was fine where I was at weight wise (315 pounds ....but I was fine with myself) but when she challenged me to a weight loss challenge....where the winner would have to buy the loser a pair of jeans....well GAME ON!  (Huge motivator...not so much to win...but to avoid losing...if money was going out of my pocket for clothes, they were going to be clothes that went onto MY body!)

2.  Peer pressure and social acceptance.

  While at a job years back, I had some friends that were always dieting and trying to lose weight.  We walked on breaks and talked about food and through the social aspect of the friendship, I tried to lose weight.  (Not very effective....but it is a start!)

3.  Pride. 

  I sadly at one point had to say goodbye to a good friend.  I decided that I wanted to lose weight.  I wanted to see her walking down the road and have her look at my awesomely thin body.  I wanted to be able to hold my head high and in my head stick my tongue out at her as she walked by still overweight!  (Childish but strangely effective!)

4.  Love.  

 My marriage started to fall apart years before I actually ended it.  My husband withdrew emotionally, physically and sexually.  I was living with a roommate, not a marital partner and for many many years, I took the blame upon myself.  (Thanks to idiotic people...including a marriage counselor that we saw who actually told me that the problem was obviously mine because what man wouldn't want to touch their wife!)  In taking the blame upon myself, I tried to change myself to be 'more desirable',  'more lovable', more useful' and yes, "more attractive".    I decided that I needed to lose weight...because if I wasn't overweight, he would obviously love me....right???   I completely overlooked the fact that he married me as an overweight woman so obviously it didn't bother him!!!  This was a HUGE motivator for me!  (Highly effective....but when I found out that my greatly reduced weight didn't make a hill of beans different, I fell and I fell hard.....gaining some of the weight back in defeat!)

5.  Clothes.  

      A. Clothes shopping at a smaller size is so much more fun!  I hate clothes shopping when I am limited to the 'fat womens stores and departments'.  But when I was in 'regular sizes'....I LOVED IT!  So clothes are a motivator....cool clothes....any clothes!!! (I've never been a clothes horse so this isn't particularly effective for me all that often....on occasion, yes!)  

     B.  I love vintage style dresses.  I have always said that when I am at my 'long term' size in clothes that I will then sink the money into lots of vintage style clothes. (I hate to buy clothes in my current size because I want them to be temporary...so I tend to spend as little as possible on my clothes.) Years ago when I was close to my lowest weight I was at a yard sale and found a vintage (style at least) dress for an excellent price....I bought it!  I hung that dress on the door of my bedroom and looked at the dress everyday as a reminder of how badly I wanted to be thin.  (This was effective, but only short term as I soon got used to seeing the dress hanging there and it lost it's potency as a motivator.)

     C.  It doesn't have to be a vintage dress.  Way back when I was a size 24 I saw a cute dress on sale for $2.....in a size 12.   For $2 why not!   It sat in my closet for a long time while I lost weight...but eventually I did fit into that size 12! I called it my 'goal dress' when I wore it on March 20, 2008. 

6. Events.  

  A wedding?  A meeting with a friend you haven't seen in ages?  A high school/college reunion?  Anniversary party?   We want to put our best foot foward and that sometimes means trying to lose weight for that event!   What wonderful motivation!  (Short term motivation usually, but it gives us the focus needed!)  (I may be motivated right now about an event that may or may not happen....who knows....but if it happens I want to be ready!)

7.  Health.  

 Obesity kills!   It is an 'illness' that can affect so many aspects of our health. And some of those ways are quite deadly!    This is a peripheal motivator for me.  I know that my health is important....I know that I have been lucky to have escaped thus far with very minor health issues!  (I will call  high cholesterol and arthritis in my knees minor.)

8.  Fitness.   

       A.  This running thing.......running with fat is more difficult. (Notice I didn't say impossible...it is DEFINITELY possible!!!)   I have seen reports that every pound you lose is seconds off of your mile.  I've heard 2 seconds....I've heard 4 seconds.  There is no way to prove it...but I know that running without the fat is easier!!!!!

      B.  Hiking up mountains has GOT to be easier without the excess pounds!  Nuff said on that one!  (Once again....totally possible to do at any weight!!!)

9.  Challenges.  

 Jason and I currently have achallenge going.  It's a fitness challenge where the person that runs the most miles each week is the winner and can procure a 'reward' from the other one of us.  It is so hugely motivating for BOTH of us as we are both highly competative.  The rewards are secondary (and usually something that benefits both of us!).  The smack talk and the competition talk are what motivates me!  This is HIGHLY effective for me!

10.  Side affect Benefits.   

There are so many wonderful side affects of losing weight that are their own motivators.

    A.  Ride any ride at an amusement park.  (Last year I fit into the rides....barely.  So barely that the next day I had some bruising on my shoulders where the shoulder harnesses had bruised me because they were so tight!)

    B.  More Energy!   At my lowest weight I was a bundle of energy!   I want that back!

    C.  Sexual positivity.   Hey....less weight...more flexibility....and all that.  Plus,   I have never personally used this one (and quite the contrary....I am almost afraid to lose weight to invoke this little side affect)....but I have heard a lot of people say that they lost the weight to get pregnant....they struggled while overweight but it happened easily when they lost.

    D.  Towels.....to wrap a normal sized bath towel around my body!  (This was a HUGE thing for me when I first discovered that I could do it way back when in 2007/2008)

    E.  Crossing my legs....like a lady and not have my leg sticking out like a broken disjointed appendage!  
    Sooooo many more positive side affects....I could go on for DAYS about how fabulous the side affects of weight loss are!

Motivation.....ever changing.....ever shifting....utterly important! 

So it's back to work today.  We had a nice relaxing weekend.  Jason's knee is still bothering him a bit.  He claimed he could have hiked, but I didn't want to push it.  He was still a bit achy and I knew that it would be better in the long run for him to rest it.  We did get a little walking in...very minimal....and mostly flat even surfaces.  Mostly we hung out.....talked....laughed.....and yes, we geocached!  
This week saw us finding some interesting things in our geocaching....
We didn't expect to find a Beaver on the side of the road in Hagerstown ...not in the country...in town!   Yeah, sadly it was dead....

And a carcass right near ground zero of one cache... (we didn't get that cache!)

At one cache...the coordinates were off...so I found myself standing in an ant pile proud of myself for avoiding the poison!  OUCH!   We couldn't find the cache, so I looked through the old logs and found a set of different coordinates and voila!   

Later, we saw a very interesting building that was made in the 1930's for the local residents to gather water from a spring high on the hill behind.

We visited grave yards.

We saw cool plants and flowers.

And 

Jason  grabbed a plant out of the woods to cart home. 

We even got to pick some berries at one cache!!!

It was a great weekend!!!!!