Getting Old

Posted on October 2, 2014 by theffkid

I am 27. In January, I’ll be 28. Then 29. Then…30.
I have always had a touch of Peter Pan Syndrome, but recently life has sent me some sad reminders that I am getting old.

The following has happened all within the last month:

First, I got a root canal to fix a tooth that has been bothering me for years. While getting dental work done doesn’t necessarily equate to being old in my mind; I have always thought a root canal was something that old people get thanks to the “Bart Gets an F” episode of The Simpsons where Bart has a flash forward to when he’s old and still in school. In the scene, a shriveled old Ms. Krabappel asks Bart, who’s in his mid-forties, the name of the pirate in Treasure Island. Old Bart responses with “Look, Lady. I have a peptic ulcer, my wife’s hounding me for a new car, and I need a root canal…” It’s just one of those weird things that always sticks with you.

Then, I found out that I need reading glasses. Not just glasses, reading glasses. At that point, I felt like I was a cardigan away from an AARP card. I mean, don’t get me wrong, these glasses make reading and using the computer actually bearable, but every beyond what I’m looking at is blurry. So trying to look at my computer and then the TV is a little complicated. I think I might need bifocals. You know…those things my Dad (and Benjamin Franklin, the dude who invented them) wears. I’m currently wearing them on the tip of my nose like a Foster Grant model.

Finally, and this one is the kicker, my family dog Molly died after fighting off a rattlesnake at my parents’ house. We’ve had Molly since I was a freshman in high school. She was an amazingly sweet dog who was a friend to everyone…except for other dogs.
After Molly died a few weeks ago, it felt like the universe was telling me “homeboy…you’re old. This is a thing that you are going to have to accept.” I know it might sound weird, but it has kind of put me in this third-life crisis. (I was calling it a quarter-life crisis, you know, to sound cool like John Mayer in Why Georgia, but then Megan corrected me. Little does she know that I’m going to live to 108). It’s been a pretty bizarre year to say the least.

So after all of this, it has become clear that I need to lose this weight. Before I know it, I’m going to be 35 with kids or something like that and then I’ll blink and I’ll be talking about the 1990’s and the good ol’ days of the Nintendo 64. It made me realize that I need to reach my goal weight before another four years of the FFK pass me by.

Which I guess leads me into this week’s weigh in. I didn’t post last week’s weigh in because it wasn’t great and I was frankly a little ashamed. I had gained 3.2 pounds after a rough weekend of eating horribly. Then, we went to Disney this past weekend and I still ate a lot at Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. When we got back, however, I was on point with tracking and I had some serious quality time with Henrietta the Kettlebell. This week, I lost 1.8 pounds and weighed in at 258 pounds. It’s not great, but I’m headed in the right direction…again. Now, I’m more focused because I am doing it for my future self. I want to look back at this time 4 years from now the way I thank the 2010 Nathan for making a change after weighing in at 357 pounds.

First Thursday Weigh In

Posted on September 11, 2014 by theffkid

Hello kids!

So The Biggest Loser started tonight and it’s…wait for it…

ALL FORMER JOCKS!

That’s right, after a season that ended with a crazy, and incredibly controversial, twist, this season is deviating from the average joe troupe to former athletes. This is going to be interesting for a lot of reasons. I guarantee there will be a lot of bruised egos, some annoying contestants, and some AWESOME transformations. I’m curious to see how this season goes and how it’s received by an audience who, from anecdotal and personal experience, were possibly bullied by people like them. (Again, I realize that comment might be a little general, but as a kid who was bullied by jocks, I don’t think I’m completely off base.)

Alright…Shifting gears.

On Sunday, I decided to change up my weigh-in date for a few different reasons. Namely, I didn’t think the number on the scale was telling the whole story (not that it ever really does. At the end of the day, it is just a number.) So on Sunday, I weighed in at 262 pounds (tailgating took its toll, y’all) and I knew that it was a little inflated. When I got on the scale this morning, I didn’t think I was going to lose even though I had worked out almost every day and had incorporated a lot of fruits, veggies, nuts and beans, into my diet. This morning, I weighed in at 255.6 so I lost 6.4 pounds! HUZZAH!!!!!!

After that loss, I’m really ready to hit the ground running. I wasn’t perfect today, but I still ate an amazing salad for lunch and I walked a ton around campus for work! I’m definitely making some headway. I know this might sound crazy, but I feel like if I can string together two weeks with losses that I will mentally get through this funk I’ve been in. Henrietta and I have been had some killer wins thanks to Daily Burn, but now I just need a few wins on the scale to tie it all together.

Here’s to another awesome week!

Slight Program Change

Posted on September 7, 2014 by theffkid

Television is a funny thing.
In a media where the objective of a network is to optimize advertising revenue; the original purpose of a channel, to create entertaining programming, is sometimes lost in the shuffle. I mean, how else could the cast of “Friends” make over a million dollars an episode in the early 2000’s? They weren’t producing a tangible product like a Ferrari or a mining for a precious commodity like oil; the only thing you could say they were creating was a few sarcastic Chandler zingers and the most frustrating couple in the history of television. (Sorry Ross and Rachel, “we were on a break” is not a great argument in a relationship. Also, how the crap did Ross, the loserest of losers, even finally land the ridiculously fantastically awesome Rachel? Or Maurice the Monkey for that matter?)

But I digress…

Because of this monstrous ability to generate revenue, shows will get rearranged, or even cancelled, if a another show is more likely to make more moolah in a certain time slot. That’s why “The Big Bang Theory,” another show where the main characters are making about a million an episode, is getting moved back to Monday night from Thursday night to make way for network’s new Thursday Night Football. Not only does the NFL rake in a serious amount of viewers, the price tag for an ad for a football game dwarfs the amount companies pay for that time slot when a sitcom is running. CBS is taking advantage of a situation to better their corporation and chances of making more said moolah.

Enter: the point of why I’m even bringing this up.

For the past two weeks, the number on the scale when I’ve weighed in has been inflated since I treat my Saturday like a cheat day.

My weekly schedule looks like this:
Monday-Thursday: Stay really strict with my eating and go on some seriously intense, yet gratifying, dates with Henrietta the Kettlebell.
Friday: Indulge with a nice, but sensible, dinner while still exercising
Saturday: Cook out, let loose with some friends, tailgate, celebrate not working, etc.
Sunday: Weigh in and feel absolutely terrible about life for most of the day, only to weigh in again later in the day to see that my morning weight was actually 4 pounds less than the number I put in earlier that morning.

This has been cycle of hell for a long time. While I have fun on Saturday, I spend my whole Sunday thinking “why did I even go hang out and eat anything at all yesterday? I feel like such an idiot. I should have just stayed home, eaten crackers, and slept until my Sunday morning weigh-in.” And this isn’t even when I go out and do wild and crazy stuff. This happens even when I eat at a place like Subway. I kind of wish this was all hyperbolic, but it’s not.
I love being social and that’s what makes this all so hard. I love hanging out with people and enjoying this time in my life. What I hate is how I treat myself after I’ve overeaten. I need a few hours of feeling “normal” to balance out how hard it is for me to stay on track the whole week. I’m sure that might so crazy to some of you, but that’s my life. I have to work hard to avoid gaining back all my weight and the longer I go on this journey, the harder it is not to let the rope slip through my fingers.

I have been thinking about this for a while and although this isn’t a complete solution, I am going to give this a try. I think it’s time for me to move around my regularly-scheduled programing to optimize the profits of my life. Starting this week, I’m going to change my weigh-in day to Thursday. I want to see what happens when I weigh in during the week and not in the middle of when I might eat something with a lot of sodium in it. I want to see how that will affect my attitude towards the weekend. This doesn’t mean I’m going to be able to just YOLO my whole weekend. This means I’ll have to actually count on the weekends instead of like now where I don’t count and throw a mental pitty party on Saturdays. I know it might sound crazy, and that’s fine. We’ll see how this all goes together. So on Thursday, I’ll be weighing in. Here goes nothing.

September Goals and Stuff

Posted on September 2, 2014 by theffkid

Because…owls.

The semester has begun.
Hang on to your butts.

Now that September is finally here, I’ve realized that I want to end this year (because January will be here before you can sing “Let it Go”) with an epic bang. I really feel that I have put myself in the position to finally be done with this extra weight. Between my love affair with Henrietta the Kettlebell and tweaking my eating habits, I know that the weight will start to drop and my body will start to tone. Trust me, I’ve already see some great results thanks to Daily Burn’s 3-month kettlebell workout.

Sooooooooooooooo…
Here are a few goals I have set for myself this month to keep me on track. All of them are incredibly attainable…if I just push myself a little.

And yes, my September photo is ridiculous. I just googled “September” and owls popped up. It was a no brainer.

Drop 10 pounds
It’s no secret that I have some extra weight that I am ready to get off. I am tired of being in the 250’s and sometimes the 260’s. I am doing the work to get out of the 250’s, but I let my bad eating get in the way on the weekends. (More on that in a second.)

Work out 23 times in September
I have been pretty consistent with my exercising for the past few weeks…probably more consistent than it has ever been. For those of you who don’t know, Daily Burn is an app that sends you a workout every day that’s a part of a specific program. Like I said earlier, I’ve been doing the DBK workout almost every day. While some days are 50 minutes long, some are just 15 minute yoga sessions so the program is safe and includes those much-needed rest and rebuilding days. With essentially 27 days left in September, I’m aiming to work out 23 times by end of the month. I’m giving myself 4 rest and/or mulligan days because some days there’s just not enough time to work out. That being said, I will work out every time I have the time. That’s a lot of dates with Henrietta…

Blog at least once a week
(Seriously, Google has some awesomely weird clip art…) My goal is to write at least a weigh in post and one other post through out the weak. It might not always something epic, but it will be (hopefully) readable.

The Pretty Boy, The FFK and The Wolf walk into a tailgate party…

Control my eating in social situations (i.e. tailgating)
I feel like this is the goal that will determine the success or failure of losing 10 pounds in September. As the most wonderful time of the year, college football season, begins here in Tallahassee, so does tailgating season. Because there is really nothing more fun than cooking, eating, playing ladder golf and watching your team tear through the ACC in the swamptastic days of summer disguised in fall clothing. A combination of poor eating and excessive heat on a Saturday does not successful weigh in make on Sunday. While we won’t tailgate every weekend in September, I am going to cook some healthy takes on tailgate favorites when we do and grill all the deliciously healthy stuff while I’m at home!

So like I said, these goals aren’t crazy, but they will take some work. Regardless, it will all be worth it this time next month.

HERE’S TO AN EPIC SEPTEMBER!!!

One more thing…
If you live in the west, you have to watch Extreme Weight Loss tonight! It features the awesome Rod Durham from Tallahassee!!!!!

Rewarding Myself With Delicious And Sweaty Things

Posted on August 19, 2014 by theffkid

I love my job, but it can get, how do I say this, a little sporadic at times.
You see, the role of a PR/Marketing coordinator for a program at a university means you are a Jack of all trades and a master of…one? Maybe? You help support your co-workers and their programs because when they succeed, the office’s brand succeeds.

This week, our office is putting on a seminar for a select group of AWESOME incoming freshmen who are learning about leadership, service and diversity and what it means to create positive and sustainable change in the FSU community. It’s an amazing program.

But back to the utility player point…

So I have been promoting this program all week along with volunteering to help with random odds and ends.

So this was my schedule today:
7:15 am-pick up doughnuts for students
7:30-7:45 am-interviewed students for a press release
7:45-8:15 am-took group and individual photos for the program
8:30-9:45 am-answered emails
10:00-10:15 am-took some staff photos for our website
10:15-10:25 am-drove to the food bank where students were serving
10:25-10:40 am-took photos as students were wrapping up
10:40-10:50 am-drove back to campus
11:00-11:40 am-created an outline for release while trying to figure out why Word was freezing every time I tried to copy and paste
11:45-1 pm-gave up and went to lunch
1:00-2:00 pm-wrote and edited press release for publication
2:00-3:00 pm-edited photos for news story
3:00-4:30 pm-answered more emails and planned for tomorrow
(not included in this timeline: drinking multiple cups of coffee and talking to a few co-workers about fitness. Because my office is awesome like that.)

If we really broke down our days, we have little time to ourselves. We work hard and sometimes so hard that we just become unproductive. When we get home, the last thing we want to do is think, work or be active. Instead, in my case anyway, we justify ordering terrible food and doing nothing but plopping ourselves down on the couch for a five-hour marathon of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. For some warped reason, we think that’s how we are supposed to reward ourselves for a day of work.

I’m here to say that if you are doing that, you are doing life wrong.

(And yes, that sentence was directed towards yours truly as well.)

As an overweight society, we see exercise and healthy eating as some kind of punishment. That we are depriving us from YOLOing up our lives when in reality our YOLOing is just being lethargic and heavy. Today, I realized that these things aren’t tasks that I am forced to do; rather, I am rewarding my body with a better and longer life.

Today I rewarded myself two ways: running and eating steak.
Yes, steak.

Now for most, the idea of running three miles in the swampy south with a heat index above 100 degrees sounds brutal. That’s because it is. It’s not pretty, there is a lot of sweat but running around a place you love always helps. With all the hectic scenarios I was in today, I focused on my running reward because it’s something I love and something that I know I’m good at. When I run, the day (and the calories) just melt away. But it’s not just a reward because I love it, it is a reward to my body for sitting at a desk for 8+ hours. It is also a reward because I am challenging my body to do amazing things. How is that not a reward for your body? It’s not a punishment. It’s a privilege.

So about the steak…
When I went to lunch, I had to go to Publix to pick up a few items for said lunch. As usual, I ended up in the meat section. That’s when it hit me, “after this already crazy day, I deserve a steak.” So I bought a New York strip and it became another point of focus to get through this day.

Now like a lot of you out there in the weight-losing community, the idea of rewarding yourself with food is generally frowned upon, and I usually agree. But this wasn’t about food. This was about rewarding myself with the beautifully methodical task to cook. This was about doing something beyond the standard plopping on the couch and watching TV. Like running, I rewarded myself with doing something I love. And it didn’t feel like I was rewarding myself with the food because I made sure it was within my points for the day. In fact, I avoided a lot of snacks and treats today because I knew that if I ate something I shouldn’t have, I wouldn’t have the points for steak! Then, I didn’t even finish the steak which is a whole other win in itself.

While we are all busy, it’s important to make time for yourself when you can. Try to reward yourself each day with something you and your body will love. It will have a ripple effect on the rest of your life.

What will you do to reward your body this week?

Well what do you know…

Posted on August 17, 2014 by theffkid

hard work does pay off!

So, like most weigh-ins, I really didn’t know how this was going to go. Recently, I’ve been having weird weigh-in dreams the night before. Last week’s dream involved eating pizza. And then I gained.
Coincidence? I think not.

My take on the scale this week was simple: it won’t tell the whole story. The scale wasn’t going to take into consideration my extra steps, my 64 Activity Points, or how I resisted potentially hazardous eating situations. It wouldn’t take developing awesome habits into consideration either, which was what this week was all about. A lower number would just be an added bonus.

Soooooooooo I LOST 5.2 FREAKIN’ POUNDS!!!!!!!

Which means…

I CAN OFFICIALLY SAY I’VE LOST 100 POUNDS AGAIN!

I actually got on the scale twice to make sure that was right! Throughout the week, I could definitely feel and see that weight come off my body. My stomach is already starting to deflate and shirts are starting to fit a little better.

But I’m not out of the (Randy) woods by any stretch of the imagination.

Which brings me to my next point…

I can already tell I’m going to need some patience during this rebuilding phase
While some clothes fit better, some clothes still don’t fit at all…and that really bothers me. Earlier this week, I thought “OK…I ate well and worked out today. WHY DON’T I LOOK DIFFERENT ALREADY???” I had to talk myself off the ledge a little bit and remember that this is going to take a while. Eating well and exercise are the solution, but they’re not magic either. While I’m happy and uber proud of my weigh in this morning, I know it will be hard not to get frustrated when I lose half a pound. But I am, and always have been, in this for the long haul. I’ll just need a reminder of that in a few weeks. Regardless, I am ready to keep this healthy lifestyle up and the extra amount of work that it takes!

Speaking of extra amount…

I need to prioritize my goals with fitness
When it comes to exercise, I’m one that tends to take too much on all at once; which leads to me crashing and burning and not falling through with much. Aside from training for my first half marathon, that has been my issue most of my life. Instead of focusing on one or two things, I try to dabble. Which is where I kind of am right now.

When I trained for that first half, all I did was run. I didn’t cross train at all like I should have. I was already getting my cardiovascular health in a good place, why not the rest of my body? So as I begin to plan for half training which will most likely be in October for the Tallahassee Half and Enchanted 10k, both in February, I have been trying to figure out what I should do to torch some serious fat to make running easier on my body. There are so many things that I want to do and try, but I have to remind myself that I am only one guy. I can’t do everything right this minute.

Not to mention that whole have to make time for working, eating and paying bills, thing.

So right now, I really want to actually maintain a regular schedule of strength training at the gym. I have yet to do that during my weight loss journey. I have either been too nervous to work out in the Bro Den at the FSU gym, or I have just gotten bored with it. I know that I can get the results that I want by lifting because I did it in high school. I definitely wasn’t ripped, but I could set a new max every few weeks. I just haven’t tried to be disciplined with it. I’m thinking about signing up for a personal trainer at FSU and focusing strictly on strength training this semester. I know I would be more comfortable with that foundation too.

The other thing I’ve been wanting to try for a looooooong time is a kettlebell workout routine. I have used KBs a ton of different ways over the years and each time I fall in love all over again. They are like no other workout I have ever done. I also see and feel some killer results with them too. One thing I really want to do is the 90 day Daily Burn KB program (if you haven’t checked out Daily Burn, GO THERE NOW!!!!) because I could do it at home before or after work. A lot of the KB workouts require a strong core which I don’t have but want to gain.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH SO MANY DECISIONS!!!!!

Well, regardless, my plan is to run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and then hit the gym, wherever that may be, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. There are about a 1,000 other classes and workouts that I want to try (spinning and Zumba, just to name a few), but I don’t know how or where they fit right now. During the year, I am considering just trying one class a week and then make Friday a makeup day. The issue is, FSU Campus Rec is just too awesome and has too much awesome stuff!!!!!

Soooooo that’s about it. Life is awesome. And I’m dang proud of this past week. This upcoming week will be a challenge because it’s essentially the first week back for FSU (or at least for faculty and staff anyway). Time to make awesomeness happen.

Here’s to an awesome week.
And remember…

Summer Reflections: What Went Wrong and What Will Go Right

Posted on August 16, 2014 by theffkid

It has been quite the summer.
I can’t believe that it’s already time for back to school shopping…
and new students…
and football…
and Christmas ornaments inside the Hallmark store…
yes, that was a thing I saw at the mall today…
but that rant is for another post.

By the time we blink, we will look back and wonder how it’s already time to make our New Year’s resolutions and why we haven’t tried to tackle them sooner.

I’m starting to see that as trend in my own life.

Three years ago this past Thursday, I officially lost 100 pounds for the first time. I weighed in below 257 pounds and I had done it all in 319 days. When I first started losing weight, I was shooting to lose 100 pounds by the time I finished grad school, but I blew that out of the water because I was loving my body and the things it could do for the first time in my life. Since that time, I have been above 257 pounds only a few times, the week after that weigh-in and this summer. Between vacationing, not eating well, and the extra weight I had already strapped on because of stress, I have been above that number for about a month. So this anniversary has been bittersweet, but has served as a wake up call for my journey.

Which leads me to tonight’s post…

The summer, with its ups and downs, has brought clarity to some things I have been struggling with in my weight loss journey. Because sometimes when we are sinking in the muck and mire, things are the most clear.

The reality is, if I don’t put my health and eating in front of other things in my life, I will gain my weight back.

During this past year, I got cocky and at times intentionally slacked off or didn’t track my food because I knew a week of hard work could balance everything out. But before I knew it, I was in too deep.

When I weighed in 36 pounds away from my lowest weight last week, I realized that if I slack too much now, the weight will pack back on in no time. To put it in perspective, if I dio the same thing I did this past year this upcoming year, odds are I would gain another 30-40 pounds. That means I would be back in the 300’s. If I did the same thing a year after that, I would be almost back to my starting weight. (Even as I’m typing this I’m freaked out). I ~~can’t~~ won’t let myself do that. Being physically uncomfortable at this weight has reminded me how horrible I felt all the time when I was obese.

With that all being said, there is a beautiful silver lining to this. When I reach my goal weight one day and I feel like slacking off for a while, I’m going to remember this season of my life and how guilty and frustrated I’ve felt. I will remember this as a teachable moment in my journey. It’s a conclusion I’ve had to come to on my own and in my own time.

So as this new school year begins and my life gets incredibly hectic all over again until December, I am going to make time for me. I’m going to exercise every day, whether that’s a run, lifting weights, or even a brisk walk (heck, I might even throw in some prancercising in there too…) and fuel my body with the food that it deserves because I’m responsible for this temple of awesomeness. I am very optimistic for this new year and can’t wait to see where I am the next time I’m celebrating my 100-pound milestone.

The Art of Losing & Gaining Control of Your Life

Posted on August 10, 2014 by theffkid

It’s so funny when you have an idea for a post, but then don’t know how to weave it in to your blog and then fate helps you out…whether you like it or not.

You see, I had this idea for a post about how the app Timehop can inspire someone to appreciate how far they’ve come along in life. I’m not just talking about fitness either. I look back at some of my old posts and think “wow, I’ve come a long way in four years…” (Grad school, marriage and a big-boy job will do that to you I guess.) But when I looked at my photo from a year ago, I had a complete inverse reaction.

A year ago today, I weighed 225.8 pounds. Essentially my lowest weight. At that weight, I felt fit. I felt comfortable. I felt normal. When I got on the scale this morning, I weighed 261.8 pounds. I have roller coastered my way up 36 pounds. Now granted, I haven’t been this heavy for the whole time. In fact, I was down to the 233 in January. But with vacations, an inordinate amount of stress this summer, and high level of complacency, I am letting the rope slip out of my hands as I am watching it all fall apart in front of me. I feel sick about that number. For the first time in three years, I am out of the “century club”. I will have to lose at least 5 pounds until I can say I’ve lost 100 pounds again.

After I got off the scale, I went through the stages of grief, but I didn’t pout and sulk for too long. You see all summer I’ve been out of whack. My eating has been the best it has ever been (I can make an epic low point salad) and then it was Obese Nathan bad (thirds on desserts, anyone?) My exercising was great and then lethargically terrible. Frankly, this past year has been a season of feeling just lost emotionally, physically and spiritually for me and I hate it. I somehow lost my focal point amid my new job and everything else. And maybe that’s been it, I have just been too busy to lose weight. When I say that, I say it knowing good and well it’s because I’ve replaced that time with eating out and binge watching TV, not counting points and going on long runs.

Whew, now that I have that inner-dialogue therapy session all written out…

After I got off the scale, I took freakin’ control of my life. I had a sensible breakfast, went to church, and came home and organized my life. For the first time ever on my own, I made a meal plan for the week. I didn’t give myself any wiggle room. I know I have at least two variables in my week, but that is it. Then, I went to the grocery store and bought everything I needed for the week. Again, nothing extra. I always get caught up by extraneous purchases because usually they are carbtastic so I binge the crap out of them. So since I can recognize my triggers, I need to set myself up for success by just abstaining from chips and crackers and other stuff like that. Anyway, I got home and cleaned up the kitchen so I can’t use the ol’ “oh no, there are three dishes in the sink. The kitchen is too messy to cook. Time to order a pizza!” excuse. Then I just cleaned around the house so I would have control of my spaces, instead of feeling helpless in my own house (I’m going to do the same thing with my office tomorrow.) Even those simple actions reduced my stress enough for me to feel calm and relaxed.

So here’s the deal. I’m going to try something a little different this week. A loooooong time ago, I used to track and post my points on the blog everyday. While that was awesome and helpful, it definitely got stressful and tedious for me because sometimes a screen is the last thing you want to see when you get home. So here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to take a screenshot of my Weight Watchers app every day this week with my total points and post it to my Instagram account. It will help me actually track and it will hold me accountable to you, dear reader. Here is my tracker for today. For those of you tracking at home, I have modified my points down to 43 daily points because 55 is too many. When I made the transition from old to new, I went from 28 daily points to 54 so trust me, I’m not gaining because I’m not eating enough…

I kind of feel like I’m starting over again with this, but I really am. At the very beginning, I told myself that if I could pass the 6-week mark of tracking, then this would stick. Consider this week one. See ya on Instagram.

29 Awesome Things I Learned In The Bahamas

Posted on August 6, 2014 by theffkid

Hey kids!
I’m baaaaaaccccckkkk!
(hmmmm…that kind of looks like that was said by a sheep…)Megan and I are back from an awesomely relaxing trip in the Bahamas at the wonderful Breezes Resort! My coworkers keep telling me that I look relaxed and very tan.
Meh, I’ll take either.
Anyway, I’m going to write an unsolicited review of the resort sometime soon, but for now I just wanted share with you 28 random thoughts about the trip that I wrote on the plane in my handy dandy notebook. Enjoy!

The Bahamas are pretty Americanized. They even take US currency.
The resort carried CBC. I watched a lot of Canadian television.
Climbing a rock wall is awesome.
Customer service>style
Miami’s airport is a zoo.
Fried conch is a weird sea snail but it tastes like clam strips.
Become friends with other vacationers.
Pool volleyball is a fun way to make said friends.
Peddleboats are deceptively complicated.
Nassau has a beautiful airport.
Megan is a pool shark in training.
Kayaking is a fun way to get an ab workout.
When you climb a rock wall for the first time, expect some serious blisters and/or ripped skin on your hands.
But it’s still worth it.
Always try new things while on vacation. That way if you don’t do well, it’s in front of people that you’ll never see again.
This is particularly true when it comes to belting out the last verse of “Piano Man” that no one else knows.
Always do the fun and goofy activities at the resort. Everyone else is.
Don’t take yourself too seriously while on vacation.
In fact, never take yourself too seriously.
Make time to just sit and watch TV in your hotel room.
Wreck-It Ralph is awesome.
I feel like I’ve failed at life for not watching it sooner.
If you’re staying in a resort, don’t feel pressured to leave and explore your surroundings. Keep the paradise facade alive during your trip.
Anna Nichole Smith was buried next to our resort.
Some foreigners are just as interested in your culture as you are in theirs.
Ask them where they have traveled.
Wear sunscreen.
Start planning your next adventure while your mind is clear of work gunk.
But seriously, wear sunscreen.

[GUEST POST] Top Threeve Things I’ve Learned From My Weight Loss Journey

Posted on August 3, 2014 by theffkid

Hey Kids!

This FFK is still on vacay, but I have another awesome blogging treat for you!

Dani from Weight Off My Shoulders has one heck of a success story! She is a Weight Watchers LEGEND and when she’s not leading a meeting, she’s probably running, triathaloning or drinking chocolate milk. She’s pretty fantastic and this post is hilariously epic. Be sure to check out her Facebook page too!

Take it away, Dani…

Top Threeve Things I’ve Learned From My Weight Loss Journey

Did you know a serving size of Cheez-Its ISN’T the entire box?

I am going to give you a minute to process that.

Mmm Cheez-Its.

Who starts a blog post talkin’ bout Cheez-Its when there are no Cheez-Its being offered.

Cheez-Its.

Okay have you processed the original question?

Have you forgotten the original question?

Did you know a serving size of Cheez-Its ISN’T the entire box?

Shocking, right?

Well this was one of the FIRST lessons I learned after starting Weight Watchers. Not that I have truly “learned” the lesson … there was the great Cheez-It incident of May 2012 where I proceeded to eat the entire box in less than 20 minutes. But hey, I did go for a 12-mile run the next day. That my friends is progress.

This was my first and hardest lesson learned so far in my weight loss and weight maintenance journey.

It makes me grumpy, but I accept it.

Now I can share the rest of my Top Threeve Things I’ve Learned during this amazing weight loss journey of mine.

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Numbero Dos: When starting an exercise/workout/getting your booty off the couch routine … pick something you can have fun with!

I know I should’ve gotten more into it, but really running a marathon through Disney World can just be so blah-zay! 😉

Since starting this crazy journey, I’ve attempted to bust a move in a hip hop class at the gym, tripped over my own feet during Zumba and managed to not sprain an ankle in step aerobics. All experiences led to more calories being burned laughing at myself after the fact, but I wouldn’t change the experiences.

And if that doesn’t work find another form of motivation!

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#3: The “D” word may no longer be spoken in my presence.

Yup, I’ve done this a time or two or seventy. Sorry random lady in the bathroom at that place that time. My bad!

The “D” word makes me think of deprivation and that just doesn’t fly in my world. If you tell me no more Cheez-Its, I’m making my way to the next CVS to clear out their entire stock. Knowing I can fit my ~~vices~~ loves into my plan, make it worth it!

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Four – Part A: Learning to love the then.

For too long I looked angrily at the then photos. I would scream at the “old” me wanting to know why I let it get to that point. How could you let yourself get to 235 lbs? Why couldn’t you love yourself enough to stop earlier? Why didn’t you have control?

But, the more I hated on the prior – the more critical I was of the current.

Next time you look at your prior/before/then take a moment to adjust your thought process to one of positivity and love. You will never truly love your now if you don’t accept the then. Just sayin’!

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And last, but certainly lost least, the threeve-th and most important tip I have learned since starting my lifestyle change…

It’s really quite simple. Through the up and the down … the good and the bad … the happy and the sad …

Always remember that you are:

AWESOME!!!!

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No matter how long the journey takes, no it is worth it. Hang in there. Have your grapes two ways: in a bowl and in a wine glass. But, just make sure you…