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Brace Face

Carli — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:45:25 +0000

I’ve got exciting news! First, I’m so super excited that Me and my Big Little Sister are going to Houston, Texas next month for vacation. We have friends and family there, and I’m going to go to Lakewood Church. Do you know what Lakewood church is? It’s the biggest church in the whole country. And, do you know who the pastor is? JOEL OSTEEN! If you read my blog then you know I’m like a Joel Osteen groupie. Okay, maybe “groupie” is bad choice of words, I don’t want to go back stage and….ummm well…let me stop while I’m still ahead lol…. Let’s just say I’m a super fan, yeah that sounds better. On so many occasions Pastor Joel has brought me out of funk and inspired me to be a better person. Even recently, it was his sermon that helped get me through my first week of Weight Watchers. I constantly tell myself all day long, “I weigh what I should weigh, I’m Healthy, I’m Active, I’m Disciplined, I’m Focused and I have what it takes.” My sister thinks I’ll faint before the sermon as soon as I see him and, I probably will.
And in other exciting news I got braces today! Yes I’m a 30-year-old with braces. I had them in college and swore after 2 years of torture that I would always wear my retainer. Well, like most people, I didn’t wear it, and my teeth spread back out. I couldn’t stand to look at them all spaced out anymore. Although over the years, I’ve gotten really good at hiding my teeth when I talk and even better at taking pictures. See Exhibit A, Me and Big Little Sister on Christmas.

I found this cute little cosmetic dentist’s office. The dental assistants cater to you like Hooter’s girls and walk around in high heels with their scrubs. They have flat screen TV’s at every station and fresh-baked cookies on your way out the door. The dentist is young and kinda hot too…I had to ask myself am I really checking him out? Lol I’m sure I’m paying for all of this extra stuff, but they treat you so good! It’s nothing like the kid’s baseball themed orthodontist office I went to years ago. And, get this, the dentist is part of the 6 month smile program. My braces are clear, and they will be off in 3 or 4 months, not years. When I’m all done he’s installing permanent retainers so I don’t ever have to worry about them spacing out again. I’m so excited! Now for the “Before” pic, See Exhibit B, the scary real deal. (I can’t believe I’m posting this.)

Anyway, if you’re wondering about the food and activity side of things, me and my Little Sister danced and sweated with the Kinect last night and I’m down a total of 7.6 pounds just in case you didn’t see my post on my Facebook Page. Man, it feels good to be in control.

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Walking in Winter Wonderland

Carli — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 02:01:06 +0000

Okay, I’m totally aware that the holidays are so “last year,” but I thought it was a fitting name for today’s post. Last night, I promised myself I would get in some activity. I’ve done such an incredibly good job keeping Weight Watcher points. I’ve tracked every single thing I put in my mouth this week. I tracked the Garrett’s popcorn from Chicago, I tracked the bite of pastry that I pinched off in the kitchen at work, I even tracked last night’s midnight Cocoa Puffs n Peanuts snack. (gee thanks a lot Special Friend for introducing me to the salty sweet chocolaty goodness) It’s not the healthiest choice, but I guess it better than late night chocolate chip cookies. But, I also tracked the good things like fruit and yogurt for breakfast and grilled chicken and veggies for dinner. I decided that today, I was ready to add the activity back in. Although I’m training for a half marathon and shouldn’t have taken a break, I didn’t want jinx anything, I wanted to make sure I had to the food together. I’m working hard on pacing myself, and not trying to be Miss Everything. I have not been this successful with food in a long time, and it feels good to be in control. I feels good not to be on some outrageous restricting diet. I can tell you guys are rooting for me, and I appreciate it.

Anyway, I figured since St. Louis had record high weather nearly 70 degrees in the middle of winter that I would walk at lunch with my co-worker friend while it was still daylight. I called his desk at the other firm downstairs and a woman answered saying he was “no longer with the firm.” I was so upset that my friend was no longer there, we’ve grown close like siblings over the past few years. We still talk daily even though we work at different firms in the same building, so I was totally caught off guard. Instantly, my brain told me to feed my emotions. Then I realized I needed a plan…quick. I called to make sure he was okay, he hated it there anyway, we both miss our old firm. The legal field can be pretty cut throat. Thankfully, he was fine, so I stuck with the original plan. I walked around, probably less than a mile, and walked to get a salad. It was gorgeous outside, it made me think, now this is a winter wonderland! I was able to walk back to work, with my head held high. I did it…eating healthy and activity in the same day, even with the stress of missing one of my best friends. I’m taking baby steps y’all. Like I always say in my podcasts, if I can do it, anybody can!

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Like Barefoot, Only Better?

Carli — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:26:40 +0000

I knew that I had plans this evening, so I decided to walk during my lunch break. It was pretty hot outside, but I walked around near the arch grounds.

Then my old coworker friend met me for salad. It was pretty good. I threw a little bit of everything in my salad including corn and black beans.

I keep a copy of my training calendar on my desk at work, as well as my refrigerator at home. I proudly marked off my second day of 10 K training. Then I got an e-mail about Vibram Five Finger shoes. I had never worn them, but the article title was so catchy that I decided to use it as the title for my post today. I can’t imagine that I would like to wear them because I hate the glove-like socks that separate your toes. However, barefoot style shoes with separate compartments for each toe are the hottest new trend. They claim that there is an advantage for runners because you run more lightly, thus causing fewer injuries. Some people even commented that it helped relieve knee pain while running. That idea that actually intrigues me, since I do suffer from knee pain occasionally. Have you run in these shoes? What are your thoughts?
What Did Carli Eat Today?
B- Slim Fast Shake
S- 2 Sandwich Cookies (Lord, why did I buy them???)
L- Salad
D- Fried Chicken Breast, Rice, and Brocolli

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Master Cleanse-ish

Carli — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 02:21:10 +0000

I was so disappointed in myself when I looked through the pics from my trip to Tennessee. Pictures don’t lie. I could not believe that I let myself that big again. I went to the doctor and she was concerned with my recent weight gain. She did tests to see if I have a thyroid problem or a vitamin absorption problem. Nope, neither. I’m all good. There is nothing physically causing me to gain weight. Her recommendation was behavior modification. She was 100% right. I’ve been stressed about money and stressed about failing real estate investments. While all along, eating myself into oblivion. And guess, what? Once I comeback to reality, all my financial woes are still right there, plus the extra pounds. It’s that same vicious cycle. Nothing new. Anyway, I decided I’d had enough. I realized, there was no way I was going to reach my initial 30th birthday weight loss goal in a month. So, I set a new one. As my Mother always taught me, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try-try again.” So I am. I had to stop whining about it being “too hard,” and just do it. I knew I needed fast results to stay motivated. I started the Master Cleanse/Lemonade Diet. Well, sort of. By dinner time, the first day, I knew that I couldn’t do it 100%. I drank the lemonade concoction all day, and I ate veggies for dinner, and that helped satisfied me. Although I ate a little lean meat and veggies with very little, if any carbs, the first 3 days were brutal. So, just to make it clear, I’m not fully doing the Master Cleanse liquid-only diet. I’ve essentially substituted the drink for small meals throughout the day, and I eat one very lean meal. It’s almost like the Slim-fast plan. After the 3rd day, my stomach shrank some, and I didn’t feel like I was hungry enough to take bite out of Nyah. The rest of the week has been great, I’ve lost a SIGNIFICANT amount of weight. I know weight loss is about a lifestyle change, but I really needed something to get me moving in the right direction again. I’m not physically craving the sugary carb loaded foods, and that feels good. Mentally, the cravings are still there sometimes. I have to turn off the TV fast food commercials and purposefully stay away from the kitchen at work that is notorious for cookies, cakes and chips. Since the Master Cleanse is a 10 day “diet,” I plan to gradually implement more healthy foods back into my meal plan in the coming weeks. At first, I wasn’t going to blog about it because I don’t want people out there saying “Carli did the Master Cleanse.” I like to promote programs like Weight Watchers or Hypnosis that can be maintained for a lifetime. But, sometimes you have to mix it up, and since it’s working for me, I thought I’d share with you.

My Random Thoughts...

You Gotta Do the Work

Carli — Wed, 18 May 2011 03:53:24 +0000

For the past couple of days I’ve mulled around in my miserable fatness. I did not want to sprinkle my raindrops on you if you were having a sunny day so I decided not to post a blog entry. I was so frustrated that I’m gradually gaining weight back. Yesterday, I convinced myself that two hotdogs wrapped in pretzels from Annie Anne’s and two cookies from Mrs. Fields at the mall would somehow make me feel better. Miraculously, they did while I ate them, and ironically made me feel equally as bad as soon as I was finished.

Since I tremendously enjoyed the book “A Course in Weight loss” as recommended by Oprah, I decided to try the book she recommended “Women Food and God” to give me a new perspective. Honestly, I was pretty disappointed. Not only because I feel scammed that she starts off the book explaining why the book is not about God, but I felt that she was trying to secretly brainwash me into attending her off kilter fat camp seminars. I know that that sounds kind of harsh, but that’s how I felt about it. Then she occasionally threw in the “F” word to make sure you were still awake. However, I maintain my theory that you should gain at least one good Golden Nugget from everything you read and experience. She often reiterated the idea that it doesn’t make sense for us to believe that we can hate ourselves and hate our bodies into losing weight. Saying negative things and repeating constant self degrading messages in our minds will not logically produce the desired effect of a happy thinner version of yourself. It made me pay attention to the negative monologue that loops in my mind about me and my weight. After sitting down last night and really thinking about it, I just realized that you gotta do the work. There is no easy way out of this. I have most of the tools, and the knowledge to lose weight. It won’t be easy or fun. Anything worth having takes a lot of work to maintain. I decided to focus on what I am good at, which ironically is working out, running and writing. No matter how tired I was today, I was going to do Week 3. Despite the fact that I went to a wedding out of town and missed my weekend routine, I still wanted to run with week three. As soon as I got off work I came home changed into all black fitness clothes and made my way to Forest Park. I was a little intimidated by the three minute runs but there was no way I was going back to week two. I picked a scenic route that would keep me distracted from the burning sensation in my calves. I “wrote” this post in my head over and over to keep my mind off of running. The last three minute run interval was tough, but just as I felt like I couldn’t run anymore; a group of about 5 jogging ladies smiled and cheered me on. I believe that God sends little reminders and encouragement right when you need it. It felt so good to complete all of the intervals without stopping. So that’s my goal for the next week focus on the things I’m good at, and maybe the other things will fall into place.

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Obsessed with Losing Weight

Carli — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:08:06 +0000

I remember years ago, I worked with a receptionist who told me you almost have to be “obsessed with losing weight” to be successful. At the time I thought she was being a little extreme, but in hindsight, I almost have to agree with her. I don’t mean obsessed in a bad way like my ex-boyfriend who is obsessed with me and hides in my bushes, but obsessed in a more productive manner. If you have a serious weight problem and an unhealthy relationship with food, like I do; you do have to become sort of obsessed with losing weight. You constantly have to find new ways to stay on track, write down EVERYthing you put in your mouth, and consciously make an effort to put healthy eating above daily mood swings and life changes. Regardless of all the things going on around you, you constantly have to be mindful of the fact that you are making healthy lifestyle choices in an effort to lose weight. I know I make it sound like a daunting task…but really it is. However, if you are lucky, you are far enough in your process, that you acknowledge the fact that although it is a daunting task, it’s possible, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own. For me, there are motivational books, blogs, prayer and of course the Weight Watchers program to help me through my journey. Sometimes I’m in denial and think I don’t need all of that stuff. I tell myself I know Broccoli=Good and French Fry = Bad. But for severely overweight people is goes a little deeper than that. I’m finally getting to the point that I’m okay with that. So does this mean that I’ve found the golden key, and the weight will miraculously begin to melt off? Not necessarily, but I do feel like I getting to a new level in my journey.

I saw my arch nemesis, soft chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen at work today, and I walked right past them. When I walked past again, they were out of the box, and seemingly on display. Did I want some? Sure, but did I feel this compelling force inside that made me feel like I had to have them and that I “deserved a treat.” Nope! It felt really good to be in that place. Just like last night, about midnight, I felt like I wanted “something” to eat. I had already used my daily WW points and I wasn’t truly hungry anyway. I drank some water and went to bed. It’s the little successes like this that I’m beginning to appreciate because eventually all of these seemingly small victories will turn into a huge reward. So as Marianne said in her book, I may not be thin yet and I may not see progress on the scale just yet, but I can take comfort that I am finally at “the end of the beginning.”

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Joy to the World!

Carli — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:30:11 +0000

Joy To The World! First let me say that my cute little idea to make my blog post title a Christmas themed song was a little more challenging than I thought….Anyway, just a quick post, because I’m excited that I had a great day. I woke up this morning and said today, I will not eat any office treats. Just for today. When I got to work, there was homemade fudge, cupcakes, pretzels, chocolate covered cakey things, and all kinds of flavored popcorn. Oh, and Christmas cookies and little pastries. One of my co-workers said you must try the cinnamon popcorn, and I said nope, not today…… This evening, I worked out at home in my living room to Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred with my best friend. It feels so good not to have to regret eating bad crap or skipping a workout. Yay me! LOL!

What Did Carli Eat Today?

B- Protein Shake (it spilled as I was putting the lid on, and I just made another)

S- No Snack! That’s a first…well I forgot I did have a hot green tea with Splenda so… no calories

L- Half pastrami sandwich and half salad

D- Turkey tenderloin and Broccoli with Cheese

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Holy Crap!

Carli — Mon, 17 May 2010 03:24:51 +0000

I couldn’t choose between “Holy Crap” (because today is Sunday) or “I Was Full of Crap” as a blog post title. Because, both titles are totally accurate….. Somehow, some way, my Big Little Sister, convinced me to go get colonics. I was always curious about it, but never bold enough to actually do it….until today. It’s supposed to be good to jumpstart weight loss and cleanse old gross stuff off of your colon walls. We went to Dr. Israel a certified holistic colon hydro-therapist. I was so proud that I could check off the highest rating for exercise habits, 3-5 times a week, and leave the soda drinker box blank on the health pre-screening form. Now, I’m warning you, I’m about to get really graphic and really gross, but you know you’re curious too! So keep reading, I won’t tell anybody you read this… So here is how the “crap” went down today. I made my sister go first, because we are so similar in so many ways that I knew that whatever adverse reaction she would have, I would probably have also. The doctor was freakishly excited, and told my sis to lube up her butt with vegetable oil and get on the table-like board connected to a toilet. She covered her legs with a towel for privacy, while she laid on her back in the baby delivery position. She then instructed her to find the right hole and insert the tube. How do I know? Because, I was right there watching everything. Call me gross, but I needed to know the process if I was going to do it. The doctor turned on the water and the process began. It reminded of siphoning gas from a car. The water flows in and somehow the water and everything else comes flowing out. My sister said “I feel like you’re watching me take a dump” to which I replied “That’s because I am.” She said after a few minutes it felt almost therapeutic, like the toxins were being flushed away. I was still very skeptical about the whole thing. But, I went along with it and took my turn on the board after my sister and the doctor got all cleaned up. I covered up my good pieces with the towel across my knees. Me and my sis are close, but we had to draw the line somewhere LOL! I put the small tube in, and believe it or not that was the least uncomfortable part about the whole experience. The procedure was horrible! The doctor said people who are control freaks often have a hard time relaxing and letting go. Well, I am a control freak, and it was very hard for me to feel comfortable involuntarily doo-dooing on a table. It felt so gross, like I had gas and diarrhea. Finally after about 45 minutes of poop and warm water spraying out of my butt, it was almost over. I had to run to the bathroom twice after I got up. I felt so sick, I was sweating and my legs were shaking. My sister even admitted that she didn’t tell me about the bad parts because she knew I wouldn’t have done it! She is unbelievable! I will NOT do this again. The doctor explained that it was the body’s way of going through a detoxification process, and that she has seen colonics cure everything from allergies to cancer. Whatever! If that’s what it takes, then I guess I’ll just remain “Full of crap.”

My Random Thoughts...

Nuthin’ But Carbs

Carli — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:44:49 +0000

Now you know with a title like that it can’t be good. And no I’m not talking about eating ”good carbs” like whole grain filled healthy food. I’m talking about pasta and bread and cookies. What happened? I had to work early and ate a bowl of cereal at like 6 AM when I usually don’t eat breakfast until about 9. I had to help set up and administer a high pressure meeting with attorneys from all over the country. Our office ordered fresh baked cookies from a local bakery. When I ate the first one I was really hungry and it quick and available. I told myself, I’m hungry, and I one cookie won’t kill me. No, one cookie won’t, but 4 might. (yes I ate 4) We all know that when you eat sugar your body craves more sugar. Lunch wasn’t until after 1 o’clock, and I was actually still hungry before lunch, and ate another. Unlike the soda that tasted like garbage after quitting, these cookies were fantastic! The last two were just out of sheer greediness, I just ate them because they tasted great and there were….free. The catered lunch was salad, pasta and a breadstick. I ate way to many carbs today, and I’m dragging. I text everyone I know and asked them to work out me, and the few who even bothered to reply, were busy. Today was long and exhausting and I just didn’t have the motivation to go to the gym by myself. I feel kinda bad, but not for real. I can’t slump into depression over cookies. As a whole life is good, a tomorrow is a new day and a new opportunity to make better choices. Now, I will continue to check emails (I read them all from you guys), and watch the completely pointless yet totally entertaining show A Minute to Win It. Tomorrow, I’ll post ”What Did Carli Eat Today”, and you’ll see, it will be a better day!

My Random Thoughts...

A Fierce 5K Race

Carli — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:57:16 +0000

Carli & Mezzy Before the 5K

Today was Awesome. Where do I begin? The alarm went off at 6 this morning, and unlike yesterday, I wasn’t able to go back to sleep after I hit snooze, because I was too excited. Once I got up, my stomach was a little upset, I wondered if it was nerves like before. I realized, I’m not nervous…so what’s wrong? Then I remembered it could be the late night ice cream coupled with me being lactose intolerant. Silly me. Anyway, last night, I had everything laid out from my socks to my iPod. So it was totally stress free getting ready.

Dont let the label fool you! It was just a 5K

I picked up my little sister and we got to the race about 40 minutes before the start time. After the star spangled banner, and right before time to take off running, she said, “I’ll start the race with you.” I thought that was so nice. However, when she said “start” she literally meant start. After about 30 seconds, that girl was gone! And after about five minutes all I could see was her hair blowing the spring breeze. I was doing a light jog, and I got to mile marker 1 in about 15 minutes. A lady came up from behind me and said you inspired me so much I had to catch up with you. That made me feel really good. They had small cup of water for us at the half way point. I drank it and continued to wogging (walking and jogging). I kept thinking this is so much easier than last year. It was still challenging, and my legs calves were burning, but it was do-able. Destiny’s Child’s song Survivor got me through the tough part. I kept pushing through, until I saw the 3 Mile marker. I panicked because I didn’t see the finish line…where is it? What happened? Did they move it? Why are we running past it? Then I remembered, Oh yeah…. a 5k is 3.1 Miles, I had to laugh out loud. Then I saw my Dad waving and cheering me on. The rest of my crew was at the finish line, screaming, Yay! Carli! This lady next to me said you sure have a lot of fans! I wanted to tell her I threatened all of them LOL! I crossed the finish line in 51 minutes. I shaved 4 minutes off my time from last year. My little sister was already on the other side cheering like she was just a fan and supporter. She had already finished the race in 38 minutes! I was so happy and proud of her. She might have left me behind, but that’s okay, because she gave that race all she had. The race people gave me my medal and we went to the refreshment stand. One lady gave me 2 bottles of water, I guess I looked thirsty. The other tried to hand me cookies. I politely declined the fudge striped deliciousness and got the pretzels. (I still can’t believe I actually gave up cookies.)… I love my family and friends, they’re the best! We got some great pics, and my Big Little sister got an awesome video of me crossing the finish line and Mom trying to pretend like she didn’t cry when my little sister crossed the finish line. Just when I thought the excitement was over, I noticed that there were still people crossing the finish line. I was inspired that they continued to walk and run past the 1 hr point and well after they took the time clock down. There were two ladies walking in green shirts. The one supporting the other had “NF” on her shirt. My sister explained that the other lady had a pic of the sign language hand symbols for NF. I asked what it stood for and her other friends said Neurofibromatosis, a nervous system disorder. They told me that the lady had recently lost her hearing due to tumors and set a goal to do a 5K. The lady was limping and clearly exhausted, but her friends cheered her on. When she crossed the finish line, everyone in the crowd cheered, you could feel her victory and she collapsed. I quickly passed that extra bottle of water over the fence. She didn’t pass out or anything, she was okay, just needed to rest after completing her journey. It was just a reminder that no matter how big your challenges are, you can overcome them and reach your goals….check out the my race day pics and my video (I didn’t realize I was so fluffy, heck I’d be inspired too if I saw me running LOL!) Now I just have to figure out what’s next.

Carli & Mezzy After the Race

Best Friend, Mezzy, Mama, Daddy, Me, Big Lil Sis