The Most Offensive Phrase EVER.

It has no 'ugly' words. It is only said to/about women and girls. It is supposedly meant as a compliment. It hurts like hell. It is the worst thing you could ever say to me. EVER.

"She has such a pretty face."

Damn that's harsh. You've heard it. You may have said it. I am ashamed to say that I have. Even as a fat girl. It's just one of those things. You may truly think you are giving someone a compliment...but even the best of intentions can go horribly awry. This is one of them.  

Yes, it makes me angry when I hear it. However, I guess it is better to be pretty somewhere, rather than to be ugly everywhere. Unfortunately, everyone knows that this little jab encased in a false compliment, is always followed by a 'but.' And no, it ISN'T the same type of 'butt' that follows me everywhere I go. I call her J'Lo, and she jiggles like jell-o. It IS the kind of 'but' that means, "I said something semi-nice, so that I could follow it up with something excessively snarky."

You know, I didn't even like that little saying when I was skinny. Now that I am 'unskinny,' it really sucks. However, as you can tell from my 'See Me Shrink' page, (if you can tell it's top from it's bottom), I am making progress. And lots of it! Look at this 'pretty face.'

taken Christmas Day 2012

Guarantee you noticed how round that face is, and how wide the ass is. Yes, there are pretty features on the face. The rest is a tub o' lard. But look at the 'prettier' face now.

taken February 2, 2013

I see cheekbones again!!! And NO double chin!!! Notice the shoulders getting a bit more narrow!!! Now check out the littler big picture...

taken February 24, 2013
(please ignore the dirty laundry, we had all the kids that weekend...laundry hits the back burner)

In the words of Dr. Sheldon Cooper, "Bazinga!!!" Nothing is nearly as wide as it was. Cheekbones are more prominent, pants are almost falling off (I did have to buy new ones), oh, and I see a jawline!!!

Hot Damn!

Who is definitely becoming more than 'such a pretty face?'

THIS GIRL, THAT'S WHO!

Day 2: Pain

in the form of a freakin' blister. On my foot. Nickel size, right at the base of my big toe. Dislike.

I did pretty well today, but tomorrow may be a different story with the blister. I had a Body by Vi shake (cinnamon bun flavor), a snack of garden cucumbers and onions, and this fantastic dinner...

Three Cheese Chicken Spinach Penne, green bean casserole, zucchini chips, and Texas toast. The recipe for the chicken is so easy!

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I cook mine in the crock pot all day)
• 1 box multi-grain penne, boil til done, drain and set aside
• 1 large jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 container whipped cream cheese
• dried basil to taste
• combine all of these ingredients in a large bowl, set aside (I used the pot that I cooked the pasta in)
• saute' one small onion (chopped), 4 cloves fresh garlic, and one package of fresh spinach (coarsely chopped) in 2T bacon grease
• add the spinach mixture to the pasta mixture
• put mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
• remove from oven and top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• bake until cheese is bubbly, remove from oven and...
• DIG IN!!!

I so had to hit the gym after that dinner...an hour on the treadmill again, 240 calories burned, 3.2 miles hit. Somehow I think I will have to get on the bike and do weights tomorrow...this blister is not going to let me walk or jog.

Pounding the Pavement

I am so not a runner. Never have been. I've always hated it when I run and things jiggle. It was something I first noticed in the sixth grade when we had to run the mile. I've been extremely conscious of not necessarily how I look when I run, but more how my body feels. Needless to say, when I purchased these adorable kicks, it wasn't for how they would feel when exercising (even though they are called 'Nike Free Run').

So tonight, the fam went to the gym. I did my warm-up, then did 60 crunches and three sets on the back extension machine. I intended to finish my workout with a 30-45 minute brisk walk on the treadmill. I hopped on, fired up the Kindle, and put in 35 minutes as I read and watched Hubs, Lefty, and Boo alternate running and walking laps on the track. I've lost seven pounds so far, but my immediate goal is to lose five more by my re-check with the doctor on February 20. To meet that goal, I really needed to bump up my workouts. Guess what I did? I got off the treadmill and got on the track. And then, I RAN. Two laps is all I did today, but now that I know I can...and get this...I liked it...I intend to do more tomorrow. Those shoes were great on the track...and cute! I may have to order another pair.

On the way home, I asked the girls if I looked stupid running. Boo simply said no; Lefty said that I didn't look stupid, but I looked like I hadn't run in a while. Great I said. Maybe I won't run tomorrow! Not that I really meant that...it felt so good to run. What she said next brought tears to my eyes, and probably made my year. Want to know what it was? She said...

"It doesn't matter how you looked Mom. I was so proud of you for getting out there and actually running."

She was proud of me? Hmm. I will run again tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that. And the day after the day after that.