Roni's Weigh » Weekly Questions

Wouldn’t it Be Fun to Find Out?

roni — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:27:43 +0000

It was a pretty lazy day. I think I’m still coming off the high of finishing the Tough Mudder (click here to see my video recap of the event). That and I’m sick. The allergy attack I had on Friday really turned into a head cold and now I have laryngitis. I can barely talk over a whisper.

Anyway, I’m here to share a few fun photos, talk about my weekend as a whole and make a fun announcement.

Saturday I left the family to frolic at the hotel pool while I tackled the mudder. Here’s some photos I didn’t have time to share yesterday.

My arms aren’t that long. I swear. lol

My Team. :)

Mound of muddy shoes. Love that they clean them up and donate them!

The pedicure just isn’t quite the same after a mudder. :)

When I got back to the hotel I ate pizza and chilled with the family. The next day we hit the pool and had a little fun with the GoPro.

I LOVE having a completely waterproof camera! There’s no viewfinder so you don’t know if you got the shot but being able to shoot under water videos…

with a camera that can survive a 1 year old…

is priceless.

Ok, I can share cheesy family photos all day but I’m actually here to make an announcement.

I’m seriously considering signing up for another Tough Mudder event.

Actually, no, I’ve decided I AM signing up for another one.

That’s how much fun I had.

I loved every second of it. The mental challenge, the physical challenge, the team work, the sense of accomplishment, the fact that my success is solely determined on how hard I work. There’s no scale involved. I’m not trying to sculpt some perfect body or fit into a certain size dress. I’m not working out to earn more points or work off a slice of cake.

It’s just not about that anymore.

I think this is why I needed to shift my blog identity a little. Weight loss will always be a big part of my history but it doesn’t define me anymore.

I hesitated sharing my desire to run the mudder and share my training. I’m not who I was when I started this blog and that’s scary for some reason.

The change didn’t happen over night. It took 6 years…

Some of you may not know but I was NOT an exerciser at ALL. I lost weight by just mostly "staying active" and a lot of that was dancing around my house like a nut-ball.
Then I started Thinking About It which led to me actually joining a gym and declaring myself a gym rat soon followed.
Then a friend put the running bug in my ear. (Re-reading the end of that post is exactly how I felt when I started running)
I ran my first 5k run on a treadmill and I nearly died from shock.
Then I took my running outside and even "the toddler" was impressed. :)
After my first 5K event I was hooked!
Then I found the Nike+ and fell in love!
Soon I was training for a relay in the Baltimore Marathon Relay
My first 40 minute run was a milestone.
Then someone called me Racing Roni and it made me examine where I came from.
In 2008′s Marathon I ran 6 miles and it was SO amazing! I decided to take a leap and sign up for the 2009 Marathon!
With some training I ran the 10 mile Cherry Blossom and my first ever half marathon!
My training was far from perfect but I managed to get in a few long runs like 12 miles in Chicago, 15 miles and and unbelievable 20 mile run on my own!
Then I crossed the finish line of my very first marathon!
Determined to keep running a part of my life, I set a goal of running 1 event a month in 2010 and pretty much reached it. (Darn snow storm!)
I started 2011 6 months pregnany and running.
On Little Beans 6 month birthday I ran another Half Marathon.
Another year starts with another run.
In Feburary 2012 I decided to challenge myself by signing up for a Tough Mudder and I started sharing my training.

I share this history in links not to pat myself on the back or gloat about how far I’ve come but to show you change is possible. I used to avoided physical activity like the plague and now I find running around the woods and jumping in mud a perfectly acceptable way to have fun. A lot of fun.

It’s crazy, I know, but I can’t stress that my progression happened not only slowly but took me down a path I could have never predicted. It all started with a goal to move my body more and take walks. I wonder where you would end up in 6 years if you made a simular commitment.

Wouldn’t it be fun to find out?

Curious how I trained for the Mudder? Click here!

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What Do You Get Out of ____?

roni — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 03:20:33 +0000

I was going to title this post, “What Do You Get Out of Night Time Snacking” because that is my issue right now and I want to seriously think/talk about it. I want to explore why I do it night after night when I don’t want to. Why do I sometimes feel powerless to it.

Then I realized my night time snacking may be some one else’s sneaking food or extra serving or super sized fry. Regardless of how our food demons materialize there must be something we are getting out of it or we wouldn’t do it.

Right?

So what is it?

What do we get out of overeating or eating when not hungry?

For me, honestly, I think it’s a lot about habits. I formulated a habit of unwinding at the end of the day by eating. It’s my sigh of relief, a celebration of a job well done or compensation for a crappy day.

I also eat to stay awake. It gives me a burst of energy when I really should go to bed and get a good night’s sleep.

There are also times I eat because I feel sorry for myself and for some reason, food fills a void. I’m not sure why, but it does.

So I guess the answer to my own question is…

Sometimes I get relaxation, sometimes energy and sometimes, in a weird way, compassion from the food.

What do you get out of it?

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What AREN’T you doing … ?

roni — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:57:38 +0000

This week I want to try and get some of you out of your comfort zone and self analyzing a little. Don’t leave a comment if you aren’t comfortable but ponder, contemplate and do some soul searching.

Ok, ready?

Here goes…

What AREN’T you

doing,
experiencing,
trying,
achieving,
enjoying,
wearing,
feeling,
accomplishing,

that you want to be

doing,
experiencing,
trying,
achieving,
enjoying,
wearing,
feeling,
accomplishing,

simply because you don’t like the body you are in?

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Wednesday Weigh In: Scale Readings + A Question of the Week

roni — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:07:37 +0000

This morning I was in a rush taking Little Bean to his first ever Swim Class. For as much as he loves the bath he seems to loathe the pool. I’m hoping this helps.

Anyway, I totally forgot to hop on the scale first thing so this week’s weigh in happened much later in the day. Because of this, I expected a gain. (I was up 1.8lbs.) I get heavier during the day. Well… I don’t REALLY get heavier per se, the scale just gives me a higher “reading.”

And that’s what it is right? A reading. It’s not measuring my value or telling me how I should feel or punishing me for a “bad” week. Nope. I refuse to give it that power. It’s a tool and it gives me a reading. That’s it’s. That’s all.

I know some of you don’t use a scale at all and I totally get that. I think it really depends on what stage your in. I’ve flipped flopped myself but right now I’m weighing in weekly more for curiosity than anything. I’m also finding the scale images I post here on the blog are helping me become callous to the number.

And that brings me to this Week’s Question. It’s similar to one I’ve asked before but I want to do a little experiment, if you are willing. Bear with me, it’s a multi-parter. I think it will be really interesting to see everyone’s responses.

Do you weigh in?
If so, what frequency?
The experiment: hop on the scale in the morning and then again before bed. What are the readings? How do they make you feel?

I am curious as to your scale habits but I’m really hoping a few of you will do the experiment and share the results to show us how fickle the scale can be. Keep in mind it’s nearly impossible to gain a pound in 12 hours. You’d have to consume more than 3,200 calories and basically spend the day in the bed. Even then you’d probably still not gain a full pound of fat.

Anyone willing to participate?

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How Old Are You REALLY?

roni — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:16:56 +0000

While moping around the internet procrastinating work (actually, I’ve been uninspired but that’s another story) I stumbled across RealAge.com.

I’ve been intrigued by this site for years. I think I took my first test in my mid-twenties and my “real age” was over well over 30. It was depressing.

Over the next few years I took it a few more times and it was always told me I was a few years older then what I really was. Although, as I lost weight, changed my diet and got more active, the gap lessoned.

I really wish the site kept archives of past “real ages” because I’d love to see the progression but I can’t find any kind of history on the site.

Anyway, I decided to take the test again tonight and I was SHOCKED at the results…

For those that don’t know, I’m 35. That’s 8 years!

Insanity!

This was the boost I needed. A friendly reminder that the lifestyle I’m leading is worth every bit of hard work, time and compromise it takes.

After I took the test I checked out RunningInTheUSA.com and found a few races over the next few months and registered. Running is my Basketball. No more moping around feeling sorry for myself. If I can’t run, I’ll walk.

If you have an extra 10 minutes (the test is long) take the quiz. In my opinion, lowering that number is a much better goal than trying to beat the scale.

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Who’s Experienced Non-Hunger Hunger?

roni — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 02:42:21 +0000

I’ve been hungry all day, but not really hungry. Does anyone know what I mean?

There are days I get into a mode where all I want to do is eat even though I’m not physically hungry. It’s a different kind of hunger. A feeling that’s really hard to explain.There’s just a desire to eat that’s constantly present even after I’ve had a satisfying meal. Sometimes IMMEDIATELY after I had that satisfying meal.

Some observations about my non-hunger hunger…

Sometimes it corresponds with a certain time of the month, but not always.
Sometimes it follows a day of eating more processed foods.
Sometimes it’s emotionally based, like when in a funk or feeling lonely.

These days are inevitable, for me anyway, and I deal with them in my own ways

Sometimes I just succumb.
Sometimes I satisfy the cravings with healthy alternatives to the junk I really want.
Sometimes I divert my attention to something else altogether.

Who shares this non-hunger hunger? Have you experienced it? How did/do you deal?

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What are Your Favorite Grab-and-Go Snacks?

roni — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 01:43:49 +0000

I’ve been trying to gain a little control over my snacking habits lately. Feeling uninspired and unmotivated has resulted in grabbing all of the husband’s junky treats.

So I gave myself a good talking to and Laura brought up a great idea in the comments…

Hey Roni… your example grocery lists are some of my favorite things (like the Trader Joe’s one). Would it be possible for you to maybe give us a quick rundown of a few quick-grab-and-go snacks that you pick up at the store? For some reason I feel at a loss lately… pretty much the only quick-grab snacks I buy are the Stretch Island fruit leathers, which I LOVE, but I need more suggestions. Like, what kind of nuts do you get? Are they salted?

Well Laura, as I said, lately I’ve been out of my groove, but normally I buy carrots, sugar snap peas, Triscuits Thin Crisps, popcorn, Cocoa Roast Almonds, light yogurt cups, pistachios, and of course, fresh fruit.

For some reason I haven’t been choosing these things though, so maybe it is time to change things up a little. Let’s get a good list going of everyone’s favorite snacks. Hopefully it will inspire us to stay away from the junk and try something new!

So… What are Your Favorite Grab-and-Go Snacks?

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What Makes You Happy?

roni — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 03:30:23 +0000

I may have asked this for a previous Question of the Week but honestly, I can’t remember. I’ve asked over 100 of them. I really can’t keep track anymore.

Aaannnyway… I was inspired to write this post after jamming out in my car alone to this song…

Yea.. yea.. it’s the Bangles and it was the 80s but I don’t care what you say… this song ROCKS! I blasted it as loud as I could and sung it at the top of my lungs. If I was on an episode of Motormouth you would have had a good laugh at me. Especially because the next song was this…

and it requires signing aloud too. It just does. If I ever get the guts to do karaoke that or this..

will be my song of choice.

But I digress. The reason for this post is for you to think about what truly makes you happy. Peel away all the self-consciousness and body image crap. Remove all filters and external influences. Dig down deep and THINK about it. When are you happiest? What puts an instant unforced smile on your face? Is it a person? A thing? An activity?

Me? Well as I established, driving alone with the radio blasting makes me happy.

These guys make me happy…

Cooking makes me happy.

Feeding my son good food and actually having him eat it makes me happy.

The beach makes me happy.

A good movie makes me happy.

Helping others makes me happy.

UPDATE: I had to add this one on post fact… Watching The Husband play with the boys puts a smile on my face every time!

Reaching goals makes me happy… (today’s food journey)

Food	Notes	WWP	WWPP
Whole Wheat English Muffin w/ 1 tbsp almond butter and 1 tbsp jelly	CRAZY morning. This was fast and required no cooking. My kitchen was a MESS	5	7
Sweet Sausage and Vegetables over Bulgur with sugar snap peas instead of green beans.	I LOVE leftovers for lunch!	9	11
strawberries dipped in sugar-free pudding made with half greek yogurt (I ran out of milk)	The Little Guy asked if we could make pudding after school. I couldn’t resist!	3	2
Minted Iced Tea	Water was getting boring	0	0
Chicken like this	This was the best dinner EVER! I even snuck some ground flax in the breading.	8	9
Roasted brussels sprouts like this		1	1
an obscene amount of butternut squash fries like this		1	1
Fresh Cantaloupe		1	0
Total:		28	31
Activity
3 mile run this morning. I snuck one in after nursing the baby and before Little Guy got up.

Ok YOUR turn. What makes YOU happy??

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Why is This SO True?

roni — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:25:42 +0000

At least it feel like that way for me right now. I’m so UNMOTIVATED. ugh.

Image thanks to Randy Glasbergen, one of my favorite cartoonists.

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What is Your Nighttime Snack of Choice?

roni — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:34:20 +0000

Right now I am fighting the munchies something FIERCE! It seems everyday around this time (10PM) I want to snack on something, anything. Normally I choose popcorn, make some banana soft-serve, or if the husband is around, fall prey to the Doritos.

Considering I don’t actually WANT Doritos, I’m tired on popcorn, and all out of bananas, I thought I’d open floodgates and ask you…

What is Your Nighttime Snack of Choice?

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