The Trouble With Free

I am getting my first lesson in social media damage control this week. 

This all started two weeks ago when I was doing laundry.  I was putting away my clothes I noticed a few pieces that were too big for me to wear comfortably anymore.  I started a bag in my closet, thinking I would make a trip to the Goodwill soon.  But as I continued to fold towels I started to think how much money it was going to cost to replace those clothes.  I thought it would be great if there was a place to trade used clothes with other people who for one reason or another, did not need the size I need.   After I finished folding I went online to see if I could find a place like that.  I found a few groups on some weight loss sites, but you had to be a member to participate.  I am happy with My Fitness Pal and did not want to switch or maintain two programs.   So I looked on facebook, nothing came up so I decided to start a group.   I hoped to score some clothes that would fit me for a little while and help someone else at the same time. 

I created Topeka Clothes Swap and invited the people I knew who were either losing weight or had kids who grow rapidly.  Almost instantly I started getting requests from other people to join the group too.  In two weeks the group has grown to over 100 members.   We all discussed needs and wants  on the group wall.  But many people wanted an event.  As we were discussing locations to meet a friend of mine, Catie Walker, volunteered the gym at Hayden High School.  It’s big, it’s centrally located in town and it’s free….perfect.   I set up the first event for the group to be Saturday March 24^th, 2012 and let the group know that swap rules would be posted soon. 

The group started to buzz about rules and what people want.  This was quickly becoming something that I was going to need some help with.  A very nice lady I know named Marcy Hane has had experience with clothes swaps and offered to help.  I made both her and Catie admin’s in the group and we got to work putting together rules for the event.  Once we agreed, I put the rules together and posted the following in the group…..

What came next was very surprising.  Almost immediately the group was hit with comments about the ticket system.  How it wasn’t fair to those in need.  How we aren’t being considerate to everyone.  How it isn’t fair that we won’t let people have reserved items.  The complaints kept coming.  I did my best to damage control remembering everything I had read about dealing with unhappy people in social media.  I did not want a Balls BBQ situation on my hands.  I did not delete any negative comments, I did not argue, I politely offered alternative solutions, I asked them to be patient as we are still new to all of this and so on.  Nothing really worked to calm the storm.  The negativity continued and escalated into statements that “Karma” is going to get me.  Many of the people participating were members of another group I had recently heard about and joined, they must not have realized I am a member because they went to that group and started to very harshly criticize everything we are doing.  I did not retort, I just let them have their rant. 

Today things are calmer but I am so jaded by the whole thing.  All I wanted was to create a place where people can trade clothes freely and fairly.  The people who have a problem with the rules are the same people who want  to come to the event and not bring anything to trade, just take what they need.  I understand that we are in hard times right now and that there are people who really need help.  But to come in and demand we just give them what they need without giving anything in return, I’m sorry but that seems incredibly rude.  I am just as broke as the next person, I cannot afford to go out and buy a new wardrobe every couple of months as I lose weight.  But I will not go and demand someone give me their clothes without offering anything in return.  I wouldn’t dare.  This event was the best solution I could come up with and there are people out there who I think are on board with the swap idea.  We will see how the event on the 24^th goes. 

If it bombs or if it is full of drama, I will just drop the whole thing. 

Small Victories

This weekend in Topeka the Shrine Circus was performing at the Kansas Expo Center.  This is a wonderful event that generates income for the Shriner’s so they can in turn, do the good that they do for children and the community.  Why wouldn’t anyone want to go?   

I have taken my son for the last three years and every year it’s the same.  The small, green, metal seats in the Expo Center will simply not hold my bodacious booty.  I would spend the show with my jacket draped over one arm of the seat and kind of propping myself on that.  Sitting at a very strange and strained angle we would watch the first half of the circus.  I would always try to not let my son know I was uncomfortable.  I would do the mom thing and point out details of the show and listen to him when he saw something new, all the while in my head I am thinking please let me get out of here!  Each year I would find some reason why we needed to leave the circus at intermission. 

The circus came this year and I knew I had to muster up the nerve to go.  I wanted my son to have a good time and enjoy the show so I invited a friend of his to come along too.  In the car the boys were all giggles and excitement.  I was too, but inside I was dreading the embarrassment of trying to sit in those seats.  We got to the Expo Center and parked the car, got the boys light up guns (because the circus is not the circus without light toys), got the boys popcorn & cotton candy (water only for me), and then we started to climb the stairs to the seats. 

I looked at the seat, it looked back at me. 

“Hello again” I said, hoping that the seat would be kind to me.

“Bonjour fatso!” snorted the seat.  You know, those seats really are jerks.

“Let’s dance this dance” I said in defiance.  I got the boys situated in their seats; they were already shooting clowns with their guns.  I turned and took a deep breath.  Gingerly I lowered myself in the direction of the seat.  Wait….What?  No….this CAN’T be….. I lowered myself a bit more, then a bit more until I landed in the seat.  Yes that’s right dear readers, I FIT IN THE EXPO CENTER SEATS AGAIN!!!!!  I was 18 the last time I can remember fitting in one of those seats!  To make sure it wasn’t a fluke, I got up and sat down in a few different seats, I fit in all of them!  By George I even had a smidgen of wiggle room in them too!  

This year was the best Shrine Circus I have ever been too.  The boys and I had fun.  We played games, we shot clowns, we did it all.  But best of all, we stayed to the end of the show! 

I haven’t lost much this week, only two pounds. But the victory of being able to sit in those seats again shows me that I am making some progress.  I can start really living my life again. 



We be Clownin'



25 Pounds, (The Quick and Dirty Way)

As of today I have lost 25 pounds!  BOOM!  Here we go....

This my friends, is a 25 pound bag of laundry

This is the Worlds Largest Emerald, it weighs 25 pounds!



This litte robotic death machine weighs 25 pounds!



This bench is well crafted and weighs 25 pounds!

Every one of these should have the weight portrayed in butter.  That's so perfect it hurts a little.

I also like that I am getting into the weight range of drug busts.  Yes my dearies, this is 25 ponds of Meth. 

And I'm out *Drops the mic and leaves the stage*

A Very Big Decision

I am at a crossroads

I am nearing the end of my Bachelor of Science in Accounting with the University of Phoenix.  Once I finish the class I am currently in I will have three classes to go.  Wunder Hubby and I have been rockin’ the online school since 2008 and are honestly very ready to be done.  I work for the best accounting firm in North East Kansas, (BT&Co.) and it seems I have everything lined up quite nicely.  There is only one problem; I don’t want to be an accountant. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love accountants!  I hang out with them all day and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else.  When I started school, I did so with the hopes of staying at BT&Co. for the long term.  But now that it is time to get down to it, I am terrified.  I understand the concepts of accounting, how important the GAAP, SOX and so on are.  I know my ratios and I have a good grasp of audit procedure.  But I am not an accountant.  It’s not in my makeup. 

In my time at BT&Co., I have been given many marketing assignments and projects.  I LOVE that stuff.  They have since placed me on the firms Marketing Committee and I feel I come alive every time we discuss plans to market the firm.  My boss even asked in my last evaluation if I had considered a degree in marketing.  I had. 

The only thing keeping me from switching gears from accounting to marketing was the concern that I was letting down Wunder Hubby.  We have invested so much time and so much debt into the schooling we have taken on and it almost feels like I am throwing it all away.  I don’t want to let him down. 

Today he and I had a talk and I explained the situation I am in.  At first he was disappointed but the more we talked the more he began to see how strongly I feel about this.  I am certain, I am positive, I have no doubts at all, and I will be great at marketing.  He has agreed to support me in this endeavor and now I must get the ball rolling on enrollment. 

Thank you Wunder Hubby for supporting me in this, I couldn’t do it without you.  And thank you to all of my family and friends that have encouraged me to follow my dreams and go where my heart is pulling me.   I hope to do great things not only for my family, but also for the firm that feels like home. 

Thank you everyone!  WOO HOO!!!!

The Birthday Binge

It's my birthday today.  It has been an awesome birthday.  I took the day off of work and spent time with the wonder hubby.  We didn't do anything major, just hung around the house and kicked back which is a fantastic day if you ask me.  What we decided to do to celebrate was to throw the diet out the window for one day.  We planned the day's meals out ahead of time and I woke up ready to get my grub on. 

First I went to Spangles and picked us up some Bacon Breakfast Bowls....

Bacon, scrambled eggs, tater tots, and all of it smothered in gravy.  How can this be wrong?

Before I sat down to try this delectable bowl of greasy goodness, I decided to go and weigh myself.  I was happy to see that I have dropped four more pounds this week.  Woo Hoo!  So I was all like...

HELLS YES!

So I skipped away from the scale and rocked every bite of the bacon bowl.  I did some surfing of the interwebs while wonder hubby and corgi snored away.  After an hour or so they awoke and we started our glorious day of slacking.  Soon lunch time came.  We ordered Denny's.

Garlic bread with my chicken strips!?  What a pleasant surprise!  I love America!

I was surprised that I was able to eat it all without feeling sick.  Well I did give half of the garlic bread to the corgi, she appreciated it.  The afternoon progressed, we listened to records, played retro video games, and I facebooked like always.  After I brought the kiddo home from school, he and I both had chocolate milks.  Not long after that it was time the head out for the birthday/anniversary dinner (the in-laws wedding anniversary is today too).  This year we went to Old Chicago, we had three appetizers...




Italian Nachos, Fried Mac & Cheese, Fried Pickle and Cheesy Garlic Bread

 Then came the main meal..

Momma's favorite, hamburger and onion!

 I was only able to eat half of it.  I was getting stuffed and I knew that there was this gloriousness waiting for me at home....

Yes......oh yes

I cut of a hunk of that baby and paired it up with some Moose Tracks ice cream.

Happy birthday to me!

For the first time in my entire life, I was not able to finish a piece of birthday cake.  As I type this now I have horrible acid reflux, I am so full and bloated and I have the gas of a rhino (sorry, perhaps that is TMI).  I feel like this.....

Han, mah bukee, keel-ee caleya ku kah. Wanta dah moole-rah?

I was faithful with my calorie tracking during the entire binge.  Here is what My Fitness Pal said at the end of my day.

I normally am disappointed if I go over by 30!

My total calorie intake for the day was 4223, that is 2813 over my allotted calories for the day.  My lunch was more than a whole day's worth of calories!  Normally, when I publish my diary, the program tells me how much I will weigh in five weeks if every day were the same as the day I published.  This is the first time it said I will weigh more.  In fact, it said if every day were like to day I would be right back where I started.

What hit me the most, is that before, this days food intake was not too out of the ordinary.  Always fried food, always high fat food, and rarely anything organic.  No wonder I am in the situation I am in now!  I am amazed I haven't had a heart attack yet!  I had no idea how badly I was doing before, but now I see it as plain as day.  I am so glad wonder hubby and I have made the changes in our lifestyle.  The future looks so much brighter now.

That is it for the binge, back to being a good girl tomorrow.

Yep THAT Was a Good Idea!

Last Saturday morning I was all snuggled up and warm in my bed. 

Then, I had this idea……

Now I know what you are thinking, "Wow that is a great idea!  Get out there and run that weight off!"  I was thinking the same thing so I went out and hit the pavement hard.  I kept at it for 45 minutes before I decided it was time to call it a day.  I was proud of myself.

(Credit shall go where it is deserved Natalie Dee)

I was feeling so awesome that I forgot that it has been about six year since the last time I went out and jogged.  I also forgot a very important step one must take after working their body so hard, stretching.  So the next day I woke up with a strange feeling, there was hurt.  But more than hurt, there was pain on my hurt and that pain had an ache. I was afraid to look down at my legs for fear they would look like this....

My legs are still sore but the pain has gotten better.  Still I haven't been able to workout at the level I was last week because my legs just hurt so bad.  This is what I get for not being smart about working out.  I just wanted to get out there and be a rock star. 

Lesson learned.

Twenty Mo-Fo Pounds!!!

Yes, you heard that right (or read it right Mr./Ms. Picky Pants) 

On this day of February 4, 2012, I Martie Rison stepped on the scale and witnessed a glorious fact.  I have lost TWENTY POUNDS!  This is exactly one month from the day that I partook in my last McMeal.  I remember sitting in McD’s and eating my nuggs thinking, “this is the last time, it has to be”.  And wow has it paid off.  Twenty pounds in one month seems pretty drastic and I don’t expect it to happen every month but I plan on keeping up the efforts. 

Sorry Ronald, you have been there for me through a lot and I appreciate that. 
But the time has come to officially let you go. 



So here we go.  What weighs 20 pounds??



This adorable little baby llama ways 20 Pounds!



Here is 20 Pounds of cocaine because why not?



This gatling rubber band gun is a very violent looking 20 Pounds!

Her is 20 Pounds of ripe red Roma Tomatoes!

 

This is the Sausage Tree.  It bears fruit that can grow 2 feet long and weigh 20 Pounds! 

You can't eat it but you can make beer with it ;)

So here's to tomorrow and the day after that and the week after that and the month after that and the rest of my life.  I am living healthy now and plan to stay that way.  

Diet Duldrums

Today was not a great day in diet/exercise land.  But not because I did anything wrong.  I am well under my calorie allowance for the day and worked out for a little over an hour. 

The problem is that I have lost my motivation. I am still determined to do this, but I am so tired and it is showing.   My work out was barely satisfactory, I mostly just moved through the motions.  All I can think about is a new class that I am starting school and how big of a work load it brings.  Then I think about work, busy season is here which means extra hours and working at a near frantic pace to keep up.  Plus my son is sick tonight and there is a ton of house work to be done that I have been putting off to exercise.  I am just so very tired.



This is an accurate visual demonstration of how I feel at the moment.

 Tonight is the first night that I have questioned whether or not I am going to make it.  This is all so much work.  Entering in every bite I eat to MyFitnessPal, working out every day (if I can), having to resist cake, cookies and all of the other wonderful goodies that make it into our office during busy season.   And to top it all off I am stuck on a plateau again.  BPLAGHHHH!!!!  (yes that is the exact spelling of the sound I just made.)

I have got to stick with it.  I just have too.  It's time to get to a comfortable, normal size.  And on the bright side, for the first time today someone told me they could tell I am loosing weight.  So perhaps there is hope.  So until I get that fire back that has been pushing me along for over five weeks (and helping me rock off 19 pounds), I shall rely on humor to get me through.