Interview Saturday!!!

We have another Interview Saturday today.

Todays interview was done with Purl Princess whose blog you can visit here .

Purl has been a huge inspiration to me, and a huge help in my quest for a better me. Here are the questions I asked her for this interview.

1. Give us a little background info on yourself.

I'm 27, soon to be 28. 5'5". I love running, figure skating, knitting, reading, ballet and yoga. I have a cat named Marathon, a boyfriend whom I love, and I love to travel.

2. Your participate in weight watchers..how is that compared to other diets?

I think WW does work the best in the end. It's easy to follow, and is reasonable. Since I travel a lot for my job, and go out a lot for dinner, WW is the easiest to incorporate. It just doesn't make sense for me to eliminate all of my carbs for example. I also don't think I'm really a carb addict so that the balance of WW works the best for me. I also believe WW to be the best because it trains you to have healthy eating habits, which should really be the ultimate goal.

3. What all diets have you tried?

I haven't tried many - South Beach, a brief stint on the Sonoma Diet, but I quickly gave up on them. The reason being they are too difficult to follow and aren't easy to adapt to my life.

4. Why did you fail on them?

See above.

5. What was your highest ever weight?

I really don't know - somewhere above 150 lbs. I stopped weighing myself at that point. I went on a diet and didn't weight myself for a month, by then I had dropped below 150 - I know I lost A LOT in that first month though. I figured it was better not to know how high I had gotten.

6. Your current weight?

140 ish

7. Ever have trouble sticking with it?

Of course - who doesn't?

8. What motivated you to push further?

I motivate myself. There is no one else that I am doing this for other than me. When I don't eat right or miss a work out the only one I am letting down is me.

9. Compared to males, females have much more pressure on looking fit. It seems everywhere you look, you see girls in size 2 on the TV, billboards or in videos. How do you respond to this?

I think it's all crap. I used to get worked up about skinny models and actresses but I've accepted that it's all completely fake. Those magazines are all airbrushed, and those women aren't real. And besides for a model/actress - it's their JOB to look that way - if I had a private trainer, gym, cook, stylist and all the money in the world then I could look like that too.

10. Who has inspired you the most?

I find athletes and regular women are the ones that I want to emulate. I have no desire to be a size 0 twig with no strength. I want to look strong and athletic more than anything.

11. Favorite book?

You may as well ask a mother to choose which of her children she loves the most...
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Harry Potter 1-6 - JK Rowling
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
I could go on but I won't.

12. Give us your favorite diet meal?

Um... just one? I honestly don't know if I can answer this question. I love to cook and am always trying new things. I love the Moosewood cookbooks, and the Rebar Vegetarian cookbook is incredible. I am a vegetarian so most of what I make consists of pasta, veggies and tofu. I love avocados, edamame, anything with lemon or capers... I wish I had a more specific answer...

13. Give us an example of something that set you back.

When I was training for my first marathon in 2004 I hurt my knee while running. As a result I couldn't really run for a while which was hard. A month before the race I discovered a possible stress fracture in my foot and couldn't finish my training. On the day of the race I was nearly ready to cry I was so scared, I had never run more than 24 km - how was I going to do 42 km?

14. How did you overcome it?

I just went for it. I reasoned with myself that I could try and run, and I could always stop if it became too much. I didn't struggle much until the halfway mark, and at 25 km I was starting to die a little. But I had a great running partner and we just kept going... suddenly there was only 14 km left to go and I told myself that yes I could do another 14 km - I was going to finish. And finish we did - I couldn't walk for three days after, but I did it.

15. What was the tipping point, the moment that made you say "I need to change"?

The first time I went on a diet I was about 22. I had been in University for 1.5 years and had put on a lot of weight. I wasn't exercising (I had been a competitive figure skater until I started University), and was eating poorly. I was starting to gain and was growing in clothing sizes. One day I was trying on a skirt at the mall and realized I needed a third size bigger than where I had been a year and a half ago. That mortified me. So I went on WW, went back to the gym and lost the weight. I kept it off until about a year and a half ago. I got a new job and moved to a new city. The new job involved lots of travel, eating in hotels and nice restaurants. Before I knew it I had gained 20 lbs. again. I lost about 10 of those at the end of 2005. I'm now working on the next 10.

16. What is your reason now, what is the main goal you want to achieve?

I want to be what I know I can be. I hate my stomach - it's my least favorite body part. I would love to look at my stomach and think - hey that's not so bad. Otherwise, it's not that I'm desperate to lose a lot more weight, I just want to be toned, fit and healthy looking. That's my goal right now, and for the rest of my life.

17. Do you agree with the theory that most woman fail at diets because they attempt to look like magazine models?

I think most women fail on diets because they expect an instant fix. Losing weight, especially if you have a lot to lose, takes a very long time, and a lot of hard work. If you can't accept that before you start trying then you aren't going to stick with it. You have to accept that you could do everything right one week and not show a loss. You have to accept that as long as you keep doing the right things, you will be rewarded.

18. Favorite quote?

"Books are the purest essence of the human soul."

19. Finally, what would you say to everyone out there trying to loose weight right now?

We have to accept that models, movies and TV aren't real. We aren't going to look like that no matter what. The weight isn't going to come off in a day, it's a long arduous process and we must accept that before we begin. I also think it's okay to take a break from dieting once in a while, and just be "normal". It becomes exhausting to count every morsel that goes into your mouth.

New Milestone!


I hit a new milestone today. After a month ago where my legs became tired from walking two blocks to the bus stop, I managed to run fully around the block today. I know to alot of people that might not seem like alot..but I could barely run more than a few sidewalks squares a month ago without gasping for breath.

I know alot of you who weigh alot are waiting to start running...

Don't!

Start running now, it will only get easier, it is awsome for your cardio, awsome for your endurance, burns a ton of calories. For those of you looking to start from the very there is a program at Cool Running

The program is called the couch to 5k. Given to me from Tiff over at bikejournal

I have been using this for 2 weeks now and it is awsome. Anyone should be able to do this. Give it a shot, the program starts out really easy, so you can get use to the movement of running.

Has anyone used this before?

Or who here runs and would like to share some of the benefits they have found from it. :)

Sooo, who wants to Volunteer overseas?



Yep..thats right. I'm going to Brazil or China to volunteer, teach English. I am planning this for early next year. The trip will be for 3 months, or 12 weeks. The company I will be going through is called http://www.crossculturalsolutions.org . Total cost for the trip not including airfare, spending money, visa application will be $4,996 US . I will be doing fundraising through another blog I will be setting up. All donations will be to the company itself , which will issue tax receipts for any and all donations.

This is a description of things I will be doing over there.

In Brazil, volunteers can help to care for infants and children, teach children, teach English, assist teachers, work towards women’s empowerment, share their professional skills/experience, care for the elderly, observe and assist local medical professionals, care for people with disabilities, work with people affected by HIV/AIDS, and assist teachers of special education.


I will be going for either teaching English, assisting teachers, or helping to build homes.

I will be making a new blog as I said for fundraising to work towards reaching this goal. The date I will be going for is Jan 14th 2007, or February 14th 2007.

Anyone have any experience with going to teach english overseas? What should I expect/be ready for?


New motivation to hit my goal sooner :)

One foot in front of the other...


Sorry about the no post yesterday everyone. I had a lot of stuff going on with school, and the gym. I also had a lot of heartache yesterday with someone special to me. This is life I suppose, and I feel like its the universe testing me, to see what I will do. It seems every time you get everything together, the universe throws a wrench in the engine to see what will happen. Well that wrench came for me yesterday and continues on to today. I’m skipping the gym today, feel absolutely no enthusiasm to go. Hopefully I will be over this soon, maybe I need to go to the gym to release the stress, who knows. Sorry for the depressing post guys, but, I want to keep track of my life here, and the things I overcame, and hopefully, this will be one of those things.

Ill leave a song, perhaps to the girl, or maybe for you guys, or maybe it just hit me hard

Artist: Glass Tiger
Song: Where Did Our Love Go

Silence I call your name
Facing another long lonely day
A feeling longing for you
In my heart
Darkness becomes so real
Nothing can change
The way that I feel
Love goes only to those
Who believe
But where did our love go?
Close as a heartbeat
But you'll never know
Where did our love go wrong?
Silence I see your face
Shadows have come
And taken your place
I feel your hurting
Like me in your heart
Holding you closer
Then letting it go

When the going gets tough. The tough get...


Depending how you finish that sentence, you can really tell you either
a) Know sayings and cliches too well
b) are not motivated enough or
c) are focused on your goals.

Most people finish that with the tough get going. I personally finish with the tough bend there head down and rush right into the thick of things. Working out is hard work, for anyone. Especially it is hard if you are out of shape or overweight. Nothing says pain like trying to get on a cardio machine and having to punish your already tired body to the max right after a hard workout.

So here you are.. sweating.. muscles are sore, on the verge of just dropping..

What do you do?

Do you go home? Hit the showers, admit defeat...

If not. What keeps you going, what do you think of?

Your true goal is whatever you think of at that moment. When your body is about to give out, when you want to go home and hit the showers. At that momment something pops into your head that make you push on. For some it could be a new outfit, a new bikini you have been looking for. For others maybe you just want to stop being stared at, or maybeto look good enough to hit on that girl/guy you like. Still for others it could be athletic goals, to hit the next mile, swim the next lap and climb the next mountain. Everyone needs that one thing they can think of to pull there bodies past there comfort zone. To push to the point where you are changing and becoming healthier. Mine is to become someone who isn't stared at. Who can ride amusement park rides and shop in regular stores. Someone who does not have to worry every time I sit into a chair if it will fit. Mine is to become different and become normal and lead a normal life. A life that is carefree of weight issues.

Another thing that can help all of us is the motivation from our peers. Aside from my goals that keep my going that I listed above, this blog is a major one. This blog is the hand on my back, pushing all the time. I know I have need to come here daily and lay bare for you what I did today. If I failed or succeeded. I want to make sure I succeeded so that I can be proud of it, so I can share it with you.

What is your motivation? What pushes you? Comment with what goes through your head at that moment where your body wants to give up. With what keeps you going from than on. Maybe we can all share and find some new things to strive for.

10 Pounds Down!


Yep, you read it right. 10 pounds zapped away, bam boom gone seeeee ya!. So after last weeks 2 pound + hiccup I am down 23 pounds in the first month.

So what have I accomplished in the first month?

• Increased from 1mile bike to 20 miles in one sitting
• Increased Cardio from 10 minutes to 40 minutes
• Finished a cycle of stairs. A cycle of stairs is a staircase we have that is 25 stairs high at the gym Run up and down 6 times, 1minute rest, 5 times, 1 minute rest. Continue this until you run up it one time to finish. At start I could only do half of the first 6, a total of 75 stairs. I am now at the full cycle, a total of 525 stairs.
• Go do cardio instead of the showers after finishing the stairs
• Cut coffee out of my diet
• Cut aspartame mostly out of my diet
• 1 months of only having fried foods 3 times
• Cut chips out of my diet
• Fit into an old pair of pants
• Able to stay awake through the entire day, before starting to work out I was falling asleep around 1:30pm-2:30 pm. Now I stay up right to midnight.
• Lost my depression I had
• As a side of the lost depression, I am constantly in a better mood
• Gained a ton of friends after leaving the computer
• Gained a ton of friends from blogging on the computer...contradictory I know
• Cut all juice/beer out of my diet
• Found a new love for physical activity, I now love going to gym, look forward to it
• Found a new high that food does not give, the cycling/running high
• Increased my strength by 30% on the weight (this isn’t typical though, I use to life weights all the time, apparently this is caused my muscle memory)
• #1 reason. I feel good about myself, that I am finally tackling my life, getting back to what I love, making friends again, and living life again. I might have only lost 23 pounds, but I still have another 180 to go.

I want to thank all of you so far, everyday I come back to read a ton of comments and they keep me going. I know I need to make a post or I will hear from you guys through emails, again thank you, you guys keep me going.

Oh Wow..You look sooooo hot with makeup sweating off your face!

Yep, this is going to be a gym rant. At the gym I go to, we have all female section, and a co-ed section. I assume this is for girls do not get gawked at. This is a good idea, I can understand not wanting to be stared at (See my post Please stop starring). Now, in theory, this works, in practice though..oh boy...

My friend likes to use the term "gym hoes". I assume after the phrase "Bar hoes". These girls have a list of things they do.

* Wear full makeup, like they were going to the bar.
* Do there hair for the gym
* Wear tight fitting spandex, and see through shirts
* Do the stair master in front of all the other cardio machines
* Use the pink weights
* Either do not break a sweat...or sweat so much there makeup drips off.
* Tend to hangout in the cardio area, or the free weights are (where all the built guys are), this is also where they tend to use the pink weights they swiped from the cardio room.
* Wear two piece bikini's and swim in the pool, which is in full view of everyone in the gym..but they do not swim, they splash around and wade.

There are many more, and I am sure you could all add a few to the list. The thing that really gets me, is why do they think they are attractive with makeup good dripping off there face as they work on it super bright ugly as sin pink florescent spandex.

So my question to all you girls who visit my blog here.....

Do you do this?
Do you know why people do this?


My friend Mjet, who is also my blogexplosion renter this week (go click on the lil box right under my profile, she is funny as hell and has a funny entry about odd inventions today, it opens in a new window ) informed me that she wears makeup to the gym, but not a lot, and it is because she is coming from work. That is understandable, but why not wipe it off?

Soooo do you guys do this? Do you know people who do this? Why do people do this?