For the love of running

In middle school and high school, I was a fatty. There's really no way to sugar coat it (pleasantly plump? I had a pretty face?). After my grandmother died during my junior year I made a promise to myself that I would lose weight and would not spend my life overweight and sick like she had been (she was a diabetic). So I started logging my food intake, counting calories, and exercising regularly. Between the summer of junior year and the end of senior year I had lost around 30 pounds. Since then it's been a real pain in the you-know-what to lose more and keep it off. I've been yo-yo-ing between the 130 and 125 range for what seems like forever.

When I first got married to Mr. Marine I moved far away from home and everyone I knew and I used food to comfort myself. Since his deployment to Afghanistan I've lost the weight I gained and then some. Once again I've hit the 125 plateau! I've started keeping a food diary again so I can be accountable for what I'm eating and have been trying to exercise more.

One day while sitting on the couch watching TV with Mr. Marine I looked at him and said, "We should go running". He just quit smoking and is gearing up to take a PT test for a job so it's definitely beneficial for him too. The last couple nights we've been running at the park near our apartment and it has been MAGICAL. Somewhere along the way in life I've learned not to give up when I get tired (which has always been the issue with me and running) and to PUSH THROUGH. I have never felt this powerful and good in my entire life. I think I'm addicted! Hey, it's better than crack!

What about you guys? Yay or nay on the whole running deal?

Until next time,
xoxo Stacie

Week 3 & Week 4

Sorry about missing last week, with the holiday it was a little crazy around here! Week 3 was a total bust. I spent $69.35 at the commissary and $3.75 at the farmer's market (I had to have my eggs). Thankfully this week (week 4) I fared much better by spending $19.25 at the farmer's market and $36.03 at the commissary. It's still a bit over budget but this week I had to buy dog food, so that pushed us over. Basically, I'm crap at this! Only one week out of four has gone well. I'm still sticking to it though. I haven't made this weeks whole meal plan yet because I wanted to see what was good at the farmer's market first. I do know that tonight I'm making caramelized onion and blue cheese pizza which sounds absolutely fantastic!

Other than trying to save money and cooking we've been on a big time "get in shape" kick in our house. I picked up Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. I've only done 2 days so far and I can feel a difference already. It's pretty fantastic. We've also been trying to go for a few runs here and there and bring the dog for more walks (Sookie approves). It makes us both feel better to be more active.

I've also got an ever-growing pile of granny squares getting ready to be made into an afghan. I picked up 8 skeins in blues and greys of Debbie Stoller's Bamboo Ewe yarn at Michael's for $1.99 each and I figured the best thing to do was to make something like a blanket with it. It's coming along nicely. We just recently got streaming Netflix for Mr. Marine's Xbox and while I'm watching random and weird indie flicks I've been knocking them out like crazy. I like having something to do with my hands while I'm sitting still.

How about you? Any projects you're making headway in? How is your budgeting going?

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie