Killing Carla

This is Carla:

Carla goes to the same Club WW meeting that I do. She is our meeting's unofficial cheerleader. Her enthusiasm is infectious and she always has a good piece of advice, some sass or a funny anecdote to share.

Or sometimes all three in one snappy retort.

And if you give Carla your phone number, she will text you during the week to see how your day is going.

Carla: "How r u this week?"

Dillypoo: "Good! Ran in the park two days in a row!!!"

Carla: "I wish i could run. My previous back surgery wont allow it. Iv eaten my weight in cherries :-)"

(I've been a bad influence with the cherries.)

Dillypoo: "You should meet me at the park...takes me an hour to walk 4 miles"

Carla: "O i cant walk that fast."

Dillypoo: "Sure you can!"

Which is how I almost killed Carla. She agreed to walk in the park with me today.

After some confusion on which parking area to meet at and a detour around a 5K starting line, we finally caught up with each other at 7:45 this morning.

Carla was enthusiastic but seemed unsure about my proposed pace. I smiled encouragingly, showed her our starting point and set the stopwatch on my iPhone.

She did well. For the first mile.

Dillypoo: "We finished the first mile! And we're on pace...15 minutes!"

Carla: "Woo hoo!"

Five minutes later:

Carla: "How long is the next mile?"

Dillypoo: "Same distance as the last one."

Carla: "Very funny. OH! Hi there, honey!"

We'd reached the 5K and the first of many young runners. The distraction was what she needed to make the next mile.

The crowd of runners slowed us down a bit, though. We were off our pace by about a minute when we reached the two mile turnaround. Carla suggested we run for a bit to make up the time.

But I could tell she was pooping out after the third mile.

Dillypoo: "You can do it! The last mile is the easiest: through the trees, under the train trestle, over the foot bridge and across the basketball court!"

Carla: unintelligible gurgling

But she made it! And we were pretty close to my promised one-hour time: we finished in one hour, two minutes and 48 seconds.

Wonder if she'll be up for six miles next time?

Wizards 1 - Lady Gaga 0

Before starting my trek in the park yesterday:

I think everybody who works out has a playlist on their iPod to keep them moving and motivated. Why else would all of the walkers, joggers and bikers in the park have strings coming out of their ears?

I listened to audiobooks when I first started walking last year. They kept me entertained, but they didn't get me moving very fast. It took me 45 minutes to walk two miles my first time out.

So I switched to music at the suggestion of a friend.

Surprisingly (or not, if you know me in real life), Dillypoo isn't hip to what's popular on the radio. I'm usually tuned into NPR or the local classical stations, neither of which plays a pounding beat. So I've had to experiment to find a playlist that I like and that keeps me moving.

Under the interstate bridge:

When I went to Portus in 2007 (my first Harry Potter Conference), I went to a Ball on the last night and heard Wizard Rock for the first time. Most of the bands were loud and crazy and having lots of fun singing about Harry Potter, but there was one band that I thought was pretty good. I bought their CD that was for sale on a table at the back of the room.

Ministry of Magic is awesome and I'm a total fan girl now! I have all of their albums and it's their music that keeps me moving, whether on the treadmill, walking to the zoo or in the park. I can complete a full mile in 15 minutes listening to the first four songs on their fourth album.

I know. I'm a nerd.

Recently, Glee has inspired me to try some other tunes. So I downloaded Lady Gaga's album from iTunes and listened to it when I went to the park yesterday.

Gaga added two minutes to my time. Of course, it could've been the shock of listening to her lyrics that made me pause. Some of her songs are a bit naughty!

After running a mile and power walking another three:

Today I went back to the wizards just to confirm my time. Yup. 15 minute miles with magic!

This band is so awesome!

Walk Like an Animal

Dillypoo has discovered another way to fit in 30 minutes of exercise:

Turns out The Professor and I live about a mile from the zoo!

We've lived in our house almost 20 years and have always taken the car when we want to visit the animals. I used to think I was lucky to live so close to the zoo because it was such a short drive.

Of course, that was before Dillypoo learned to walk.

I made my first trek there and back about two weeks ago. It's a nice walk through a pretty neighborhood. There's also a decent hill to make the effort just a little more intense.

On the days I can't get up early to hit the treadmill (or when I've splurged too much at lunch), I can power walk the distance in about 35-40 minutes.

Depends on how long it takes for the lights to change at two different intersections.

And the exercise doesn't count unless I touch the ticket booth:

Last night I went to bed late so I decided to sleep an extra hour this morning. Which means I skipped the treadmill.

So I walked to the zoo when I got home from work tonight:

I had just enough time to make the walk, take a quick bath and settle in for the American Idol finale.

And eat a bowl of cherries!

Arachnid Attack

I. Hate. Spiders.

You know how the creepy guy in the bloody mask makes you jump at a scary movie? That's the reaction I have with spiders.

Especially ugly, hairy, most certainly venomous and deadly spiders.

Just such a spider attacked and trapped me in my car today. Twice.

This morning I parked under a tree at work. Thankfully, it looked like rain so I left my windows up. THANKFULLY! Or else Frankenspider might have crawled inside my car.

Shudder.

The first attack began this afternoon when I decided to go out for lunch. I wanted to do a little shoe shopping and hit the Super Target for popsicles.

I thought I'd treat the office since it was a warm day. (With popsicles, not shoes.)

But as I was pulling out of my office parking lot, a horrid eight-legged beast crawled across my driver's side window!

Yes, I swerved erratically. No, it wasn't on the inside. Thank goodness. I've been known to leap from moving vehicles after spotting spiders inside my car.

Just ask The Professor. And the highway patrolman who had to crawl inside my car and kill one that time I was commuting from college.

I watched in horror as it crawled up my window and disappeared. I hoped it would blow away as my car picked up speed, but I couldn't see it. And I know from experience that bugs like speed.

When I got to the shoe store, I parked and inspected the inside of the window. No hairy legs protruding from the door seal. But I couldn't be sure.

So I crawled out the passenger side door.

When I returned to my car, I searched again from the outside. Nothing. I gingerly opened the door and jumped back, just in case it was in a door crevice.

Nothing. So I got in and drove away. I kept an eye open for it, but decided it must've gone with the wind. So to speak.

So imagine my terror after work when it crawled out from the driver's side mirror at a stop light on my way home!

And as I watched, it LEAPT from the mirror to the door! It was trying to break into the car! I swear it had a tiny hammer and axe.

So I did the only logical thing I could think of. I got on the freeway and drove 70 miles an hour all the way home.

Surely something that small wouldn't be able to hang on for 25 minutes at that speed, even if it did have eight legs.

Shudder.

But I couldn't be sure. So I called The Professor from the safety of my sealed car when I pulled into the driveway.

I had to call him three times before he finally called me back.

Dillypoo: "Can you come outside and help me, please?"

The Professor: "After I put on some clothes."

Dillypoo (momentarily distracted): "You're naked?"

The Professor: "I just took a bath. What do you need help with?"

Dillypoo: "I'm trapped in the car. There's a spider."

I could hear his eyes rolling. But he came to my rescue anyway:

The Professor: "Open the door."

Dillypoo: "No!"

The Professor: "I can't see anything."

Dillypoo: "It might be hiding in the window seal or the door crevice. It's black and hairy and very fast! Probably poisonous!"

The Professor (bravely running his hands across the window seal): "There's nothing here. Open the door!"

I crawled to the passenger side, reached over and opened the driver's side door. Nothing. The Professor examined the door for me and declared it safe to get out of the car.

Later, as we got back in the car to go to dinner, he barked, "Oh!" as I closed the door.

The Professor: "It just jumped out of the car!"

I jumped into his lap to get away from the door.

Dillypoo: "You saw it?!"

The Professor: "Was it little and black?"

Dillypoo: "Yes! Are you sure it's gone?"

The Professor (with an evil glint in his eye): "Yes, dear!"

Life Lesson No. 4

If you park under a tree, a spider will trap you in your car and make you exit via the passenger side door.

I hate spiders!

Just Call Me Cherry Obsession

Dillypoo has been eating cherries all weekend. Does that surprise you?

I had to buy more. Seems the cherries have hit all of the produce departments in town.

For the record, Costco has the best deal and the sweetest cherries. I may buy more tomorrow so I can have some for work.

Yes, I'm obsessed. A friend on Facebook christened me Cherry Obsession as my new drag name. I think that's like a stripper name for a cross dressing man.

I like it!

In other news, Dillypoo went for a run in the park this morning.

I'll repeat that.

Dillypoo went for a RUN in the park this morning.

I still can't believe I did it! I ran one full mile and power walked another three. And then I came home and lifted hand weights for five minutes.

And ate a bowl of cherries.

J'Adore Mon Cherry

A friend texted me this news flash yesterday:

It is well known that Dillypoo has been craving cherries for several months. Well known among my friends and family, that is.

And my fellow Club WW members.

And maybe a few co-workers.

And the blogosphere.

This evening I enticed The Professor into the car with the promise of dinner at our favorite Mexican food restaurant. And then I made him drive across town to the closest Tom Thumb Grocery.

Where I discovered:

CHERRIES!

I bought two bags. I'll take some to work tomorrow.

If any survive tonight's snacking.

Cherries are one of my two favorite summer fruits.

I'm on the hunt now on for a good watermelon.

And So I Ate Cake

I knew I was in a Big City last Thursday when The Professor and I found this place while strolling around Chicago's Millennium Park:

Small shops that sell only cupcakes don't stay open long in Fort Worth. I mean, we have good bakeries and places to buy cupcakes, but no shops dedicated solely to the heaven that is a cupcake!

And I was thrilled to find that they not only sold regular cupcakes, but they had mini cupcakes, too!

Old Dillypoo would've ordered a big one.

New Dillypoo ordered a small one:

Of course, it was a good thing I had my conscience with me:

Dillypoo: "Cupcakes! Should we get a big one or a little one?"

The Professor: "A little one."

Dillypoo: "I can't decide which flavor. Let's get four little ones in different flavors!"

The Professor: "Let's get one small one each."

Dillypoo: "You're right. Just one. But which one???"

My willpower paid off in the end. Today was weigh day and I lost another 1.4 pounds for a total of 46!

But I still sort of wish I'd had a second cupcake. They were simply divine!

Flying in the Twilight Zone

Dillypoo doesn't like to fly.

Dillypoo especially doesn't like to fly with a view of the wing from her seat.

This was the view out the window by Dillypoo's seat on the way to Chicago:

Not only could I see most of the wing, but one of the engines was RIGHT NEXT TO ME.

All I could think about was the gremlin tearing apart the plane in The Twilight Zone Movie:

This is also why Dillypoo shouldn't watch horror movies.

The Journey

I read a lot of weight loss blogs. I find their humor and oftentimes brutal honesty inspiring. They give me motivation to push harder in my workouts and help me stay focused on my own journey.

Many of these bloggers started their journeys at weights much greater than mine. Their methods for losing are varied - from Club WW to Medifast to surgery - and they are at different stages. Some have just begun, some have lost a tremendous amount already and at least one is almost to her goal.

And all of them are incorporating exercise into their lives. Which seems to be the common denominator to successful weight loss. (I hate it when the experts are right!)

These bloggers also all share the emotional part of the process openly and without filters. And it's the personal stories that are inspiring.

But sometimes I feel like my story is less than theirs, like I'm a voyeur in the back of the room. Because my weight issues aren't steeped in personal trauma or drama.

Dillypoo doesn't have an eating disorder.

Dillypoo doesn't have abusive relationships with men, her parents or food.

Dillypoo isn't depressed.

Dillypoo had a happy childhood.

I've never binged, purged or hidden food, but I do come from a long line of large women. And it saddens me to say that I don't know their personal weight stories.

I know that my maternal grandmother was one of the youngest in a large family, and she remembered an uncle suggesting to her mother that she put the youngest kids up for adoption after her father died. Her mother didn't, but the overheard conversation stayed with that young child her entire life.

Did that have something to do with her issues with weight (and other mental illnesses)?

My other grandmother was a devout Catholic who raised seven boys and a daughter on her own after my grandfather left her. I loved my grandma (she baked the best cakes and cookies), but I remember a lingering sadness that always surrounded her.

What role did her failed marriage play as she struggled with obesity?

And my own mother struggles with weight issues. She's often cautioned me to watch my weight and not follow in her and my grandmothers' footsteps.

So how did I get to 202 pounds?

I think a big reason is that I got lazy. And I was spoiled.

I was never athletic growing up but I had a naturally high metabolism. I didn't have to exercise to maintain my weight. I could (and did) eat what I wanted.

Dillypoo has never been a fussy eater. Luckily, I like fruits and vegetables as much as I like cheese and hot dogs and cakes and, well, you get the idea.

I never had to worry about my weight until after I turned 30. By then, I was carrying an extra 10-15 pounds. I lost it - twice - but never kept it off.

Because I'm lazy. And I'm spoiled.

I'd lose the weight and go right back to my old habit of eating what I wanted, when I wanted.

I didn't "get it."

And then I got sick. Fibroids. The doctor treated me with high doses of The Pill (I was taking three birth control pills a day at one point) in an effort to control the bleeding.

Not only did the plan not work, but I gained about 20 pounds (and two bra cup sizes) in three months.

After I finally had my hysterectomy, I tried hormone replacement therapy. I was allergic to the first prescription and the second made me a raving lunatic (it was kill or be killed). By the time I got a third prescription, I'd weaned myself from HRT entirely and decided to go without.

It was as if a fog lifted from my mind. I was happier and clear headed for the first time in years.

Of course, I didn't realize I was unhappy or foggy until I stopped taking the pills, but hindsight is always 20/20, right?

The only side effect of the surgery and my decision to not continue with HRT was weight gain. For the first month or two, I could feel myself getting fat almost daily.

And I had no idea how to control it. So I just went with it. I made excuses.

"Obesity runs in the family and it's my time to join the Large Marge club."

"Work keeps me too busy to focus on weight loss."

"So long as my clothes fit properly, I'll look good." (This was also a good excuse to go shopping.)

"I deserve that cheesecake at lunch!"

And I'll be honest, when I decided last year to try and lose the weight, I didn't know if I could really do it. I put a lot of blame for the gain on the medical excuses.

I didn't want to take responsibility.

But now I understand. My personal journey may not include looking into emotional trauma or reconciling childhood horrors. It's about learning to control and own my feelings and attitudes about food and myself.

It's about respecting my body and learning how to be healthy.

Maybe the medical problems I had started me on the path to 202, but it was me that continued down it. I didn't know it then that I had the power to take another path. I had a choice.

But I do now. And I feel so much better and thankful for it.

Walking in Chicago

Dillypoo's dogs are barking this afternoon. The Professor and I walked all over downtown Chicago today, starting from somewhere near Millenium Park, down the Magnificent Mile and over to the River North gallery area of the city.

We easily walked four miles, more or less.

What we saved in cab fare I can use for a massage. A foot massage.

We also took a river boat architectural tour of the city. I recommend it, if only for the opportunity to sit for 90 minutes.

The views of the city are pretty remarkable, too:


We're back at the hotel for an hour to freshen up. The Professor has a gallery reception tonight for a solo exhibition of his work.

Which is why we are here.

I should probably go now and get dressed. More later!

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Sleepless in Chicago

The Professor and I got up obscenely early this morning to catch a red eye flight to Chicago:


2:30 a.m. is not a natural time to rise and should be disabled from all alarm clocks. Of course, if Dillypoo had booked airfare for this trip sooner than last Friday, then catching a 5:45 morning flight may not have been necessary.

Lesson learned!

We've been here about eight hours and have taken three cab rides, visited two art museums and The Bean:


Dillypoo: "Make sure you shoot this horizontally."

The Professor: "Yes, dear."

Dillypoo: "Are you doing it right?"

The Professor: "Yes, dear."

Dillypoo: "You're not holding the phone the right way."

The Professor: "Yes, dear."

I just love how well he takes my artistic direction. Or maybe it was the lack of sleep effecting his ability to take orders and rotate the camera.

Then we decided to do the tourist thing properly for lunch:

Which we followed up with cupcakes:


I think I'm going to love this town!

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Mobile Blogging

This is a test. This is only a test. I just downloaded a blogging app on my iPhone. Is it working?




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How'd I Do That?

Despite a chili cook-off, sleep deprivation, a half-pound cheeseburger and one enormous slice of Mother's Day cake last week, Dillypoo lost 2.2 pounds!

I am now officially 10 pounds away from goal.

Wow!

Wonder if I can do that two weeks in a row? Especially since I'll be in Chicago this weekend.

Can you say PIZZA?

Happy Mutha's Day

Accidental Hiatus

Did you miss me? Dillypoo has been a bit busy for the past week. Finding time to eat, much less blog, has been a challenge.

But I have stories to tell! Did you know Dillypoo is a vampire? No? You thought she was a wizard?

Me, too. Until I ate this in Houston last weekend:

That's congealed blood from a Chinese dim sum lunch buffet.

Yes, it grossed me out, too. But I was feeling adventurous and a bit daring.

Cross that off my bucket list.

And Bella, you can keep Edward. I don't think immortality is my thing. I'm not keen on the diet.

But why was Dillypoo sucking on blood in Houston last weekend? Well, The Professor was a finalist in the Hunting Art Prize again this year. It's a grand art party with a $50,000 prize.

Which he didn't win.

But we got all dressed up and had fun anyway:

I was unable to persuade The Professor to wear a new tie. We'll have to rely on what I was wearing to distinguish this year from last. (Thank you, Nancy, for the photo! You're a lamb to let me use it!)

And yes, that's my Easter dress. I spiffed it up with new jewelry and a vintage, beaded bag.

Dillypoo isn't a superstar (yet) and must recycle her clothing. But I promise to go shopping for something new if The Professor is a finalist again next year.

Once we returned home, Dillypoo had to prepare her entry for a chili cook-off.

Which took three days.

Because I decided to enter my Wicked Hot Chili Cookies. There was nothing in the rule book that said the chili had to include meat and be served in a pot.

This is what 200 cookies look like:

I was up until 2:00 a.m. the night before the event finishing them.

I got an honorable mention! Evidently, the judges argued about the validity of my entry and decided against giving me a trophy.

Silly judges!

The only downside to my crazy week was that I showed a .4 pound gain on Weigh Day. And I've been so busy since then that my journaling has been sporadic and I've managed to exercise only two out of the past six days. Which doesn't bode well for next week.

Especially since I plan to have coconut cake tomorrow during brunch with my mom.

But that cake will be worth whatever I have to pay at the scale next week!

And it'll be much better than dim sum.