A "Participaction" blast from the past

A few days ago Eddy asked me if I remembered the old claymation Participaction commercials from the 1970s.  I sure do.  Here's one I found that parallels Dr. A.'s exercise wisdom. There's no magic.  Just eat less, move more and you'll turn fatness to fitness.  Do any of my Canadian friends remember this?

Great exercise advice from my trusted MD

On Friday I had a very good, long chat about exercise during an appointment with Dr. A., my trusted MD.  We talked about the generally good idea of adding extra steps to our day when we can, especially if our typical day is a very busy one.  As for an actual exercise routine for me, he suggests I start slow and do what I can, eventually working up to 60 minutes per day, every day.  (This is the same good advice that sweet Kare recently gave me here on the blog – thanks honey!)

Dr. A. recommends doing several, different activities for exercise and here’s why.  Many people pick one main thing they do for exercise.  Let’s use running as an example.  Running is great, but if you twist an ankle and don’t run for a couple of days you lose the momentum of regular exercise and can easily slip back into an inactive lifestyle.   The same thing can be said for a swimmer with a sore shoulder, or a walker with sore feet, or a tennis player with sore knees.  You see what he’s saying, right?

So, using Dr. A’s wisdom, I will mix up my cardio workout every day, thereby giving myself options so I have something to do no matter what hurts.   And let’s face it, once you’re over 40, as I am, stuff hurts more than it used to.  So every Sunday I’ll write seven daily activities on my calendar, never doing the same thing two days in a row.   I’ll start by doing what I can and soon I’ll be able to do a little bit more.  Eventually I’ll be walking Logan for one hour on a Monday, using the gym’s elliptical while watching GLEE on a Tuesday, taking a spin class on a Wednesday, swimming 1000m on a Thursday, “sweating to the oldies” on a Friday (I still have the series on VHS!), playing tennis on a Saturday and riding bikes with Eddy and Coby on a Sunday.  The idea of achieving a week like this motivates me.  It will feel so darn good.

I have a lot of love and support in my home and in my immediate family, but let me give a shout out to a few of my blogger friends who have also been especially supportive over the past few months.   KAGS, my dear friend since our early teens, this year I was inspired when you faced your own fear (the 5K.)  Your steadfast encouragement means the world to me and I’m forever grateful.  I think you know exactly how much I adore you.  Trish, who I know only via our blogs, you’ve been giving me new ways to look at food and eating and you’ve made a difference.  Thank you.  Kare, my sweet Ru-friend, your own success is such a motivation and I so appreciate the tips you give me.  I’m listening to you.  Melissa, another blog buddy, you have great advice, too (and your baby daughter is so adorable.)   Hank, my fellow Canadian, you’re doing great, keep it up!  Debbie, my newest blogger friend, thank you for your candid blog.  Sandy, sweetpotato goddess, I thank you for always filling me with positive energy here and in person.  To everyone who has ever left a comment and anyone else who pops by quietly, thanks for reading! 

Friday Confessional: Sore knees

My poor knees.  Some days they are so sore.  I can't blame them.  They've been supporting a great deal of bulk for over two decades.  I’ve damaged my knees, it’s my own damn fault and when I think about it too much I fell angry.  The damage started in high school when I played competitive volleyball, but most of the wear-and-tear is the result of two decades of obesity.  Obviously extra weight means extra stress on knees, but exactly how much more stress?  I did a big of googling and found that losing just 10 pounds reduces the force on knees by 30 to 60 pounds.  So every time I walk my knees are feeling 3 to 6 times my body weight.  Ouch!  No wonder they’re always complaining. 

This won't stop me from reaching my exercise goals.  I discussed exercise with Dr. A., my trusted MD, and he had some good advice.  I’ll share his wisdom with you on Monday.

Friday Confessional (on Monday): Exercise avoidance

What keeps me from starting and sticking to an exercise routine?  I need to exercise, I want to exercise but when it comes to actually doing it, I fail.   I was so excited to join the Canada Games Complex, but last week I did not go once.  It’s not fear.  I’m not ashamed to walk my big body into a gym full of fit folks.   Ack.  What is this?  Is it laziness?  I hate to think of myself as lazy.  But am I?  Has my sedentary lifestyle become so ingrained that laziness feels normal to me?  I know that once I start I will feel energized and addicted and I’ll look forward to regular exercise.  I know this.  So then I should just.....start. 

Goals for the weeks of January 24 and 31, 2011

We did it!  We joined the gym.  I’m going to ease myself back into exercising for the next few weeks and, soon, regular workouts will become a natural part of my life.  Eddy and I are both excited about this.  He’s jumping in with both feet and heading to the gym a few times per week right from the get go.  He’s in much better shape than I, though, so my goals for the next couple of weeks look more like this:

Goal for the week of January 24, 2011:  Go to the gym 1x

That’s all.  Just get in there and start.

Goal for the week of January 31, 2011: Go to the gym 2x

Easing in.  That’s the way I’m going to make this my newest good habit.

Friday Confessional: The shameful fast food one

Friday confessionals are tough to write.  They’re embarrassing and sometimes agonizing and I’ve been avoiding them for a few weeks.  If you’re wondering why I do it at all, here’s a link to my first Friday confessional. 

Today I will recall my painful fast food past.  I visited drive thru windows way, way too often.  No, really.  Way too often.  This is the confessional I’ve been avoiding most of all.  Even my husband doesn’t know how often I would do it.  During the work week I would eat some sort of fast food nearly every day.  On particularly busy days I’d drive thru for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Sometimes (no, let’s be brutally honest, it was more than sometimes, it was many times) I would order more than one meal.   And even though I wouldn’t want two drinks, I’d order two drinks (usually white milk and diet coke...I know, right?  Diet coke) so the drive thru people wouldn’t know the whole order was just for me.   Am I really telling you this stuff?  Crap.  I am.  This is one hell of a shameful admission.

 I know there are other obese people out there who are doing the same thing.  The drive through is so easy.  So anonymous.  You drive up; speak to the friendly, faceless voice; order your meal (or meals); drive to the window; smile as if you’re not up to something; take the food; find and hiding place and secretly pig-out.   The garbage would go into a public trash can wherever I was eating.  Hide the evidence.  Nobody...NObody...knows (until now) that I did this. 

When I think about it now I feel sick.   It was so much food.  So much bad, greasy, fattening, mega-calorie food.  I can never, ever, ever go back to that.  Never!!

Fast food has changed a great deal since McDonalds first opened in my town in the 70s.  Portion sizes are way out of control.  What they now serve as medium fries and medium soda is the same (or larger?) than large fries and sodas of my childhood.  And the large sodas?  Have you seen the size of them? Who needs that much sugary soda in one sitting?  It’s crazy.  (For the record, I don’t enjoy regular soda.  It’s too syrupy-tasting for me.) 

But, on the other hand, and to their benefit, fast food chains have also recognized the wants and needs of waistline watchers and added healthier choices to their menus.  

For example, at McDonalds:  

One chicken fajita (which I order now and love) is only 200 calories and 5g of fat.  One grilled (not crispy) spicy buffalo chicken snack wrap (also a personal favourite) is 220 calories and 7g of fat.  Not bad, right?  Especially when you compare it to the big mac with 540 calories and 29g of fat or the angus burger with cheese and bacon which has a whopping 770 calories and 45g of fat!

At Wendys:

The two items I ordered most often at Wendy’s were the spicy chicken sandwich (450 calories, 16g of fat)  or the double baconator (hang on for this one) with 990 calories and 63g of fat!   Far better choices include the ultimate chicken grill sandwich (which is delicious!) with 360 calories and 7g of fat, a sour cream and chives baked potato with 350 calories and 6g of fat or a small chilli with 220 calories and 7g of fat. 

So fast food can be done.  The restaurants’ websites have nutritional information so you can plan your meal before you go.  

Do I still go to fast food restaurants?  I have a nine year old son, so yes.  However I know what I’m ordering before we walk in (or drive thru) and I order without even looking at or being tempted by the mouth-watering photos on the menu.  Actually, it’s interesting how, now, the photos are so much less appealing now that I understand what I’m eating. 

Goal update: The Complex membership

We went to register for our gym membership at Canada Games Complex on Saturday.  Unfortunately, we got there at 3:30 and the registration desk closed at 3.  (We didn't know!!) We still went in, though.  Ed worked out on the bike and treadmill while Coby and I went to play in the pool.  We'll head back this week to officially sign up for our memberships.  So my goal for this week remains the same, sign up for a gym membership and start going.

Wednesday Weigh-In: Lost the Christmas Five

Remember that five pounds I gained over the holidays?  It’s one week later and they’re gonzo.   

This week I learned a great lesson.  In the past if I was on a “diet” I would tell myself to enjoy the holidays then get back on track in the New Year, but afterwards the weight gain (even though I expected it) would dishearten me and I’d give up.  This year I told myself, very strictly, that I would not give in to discouragement.  I enjoyed the holidays in every way (see aforementioned 5 pound gain), but then dropped the extra weight in just one week.  I did it!  Surprisingly, it wasn’t even too hard.  I went back to eating leaner food in regular portions.   I also had a couple of glasses of wine and two chocolate chip cookies during the week, but the weight still came off.   Real life.  I needn’t sacrifice.  Eat a cookie one day, don’t eat a cookie the next, just like my regular sized friends would do. 

And that’s a great tip if you, fellow blogger, are trying to lose weight, too.  Study your regular sized friends and do what they do. 

Overweight women feel humiliated every day?

Working in radio, Eddy gets his hands on all sorts of stories from around the world, including lifestyle stories like one he told me about yesterday.  He said a recent survey showed that overweight women feel humiliated at least five times per day.  Humiliated.   Five times each day.  This makes me so sad.  They feel humiliated several times per day because of weight.  Is this how most overweight people feel?  I’ve had low moments (see any Friday confessional), but most days I feel happy and confident in spite of my weight.  I'm fat.  I'm aware it's true.  But, it doesn’t make me a bad person.  It makes me overweight.  That’s all.  I’d feel a great deal worse if someone said, “She’s stupid.”  Overweight seems much easier to fix than stupidity.

Here’s a link to the story.

I’m curious to know what others think.  If you struggle with weight, would you use a word as strong as humiliated to describe how you feel?  And do you feel humiliated as many as five times each day?

On New Year’s resolutions and a holiday recap

Cheers to 2011!

I pondered a handful of options for a good new year’s resolution but ultimately decided to not make a specific pledge for 2011.  I sort of already did it in September when I started The Mambo Project, a resolution for my lifetime, not just a single year.  Also, New Year’s resolutions have that annoying stigma, the negative assumption that they will always be broken.  I don’t want the pressure. 

I will, however, positively continue with my monthly and weekly Mambo Project goals throughout 2011 and beyond.  I will achieve my lifetime resolution in small manageable steps.

In January I will join a gym.  We have a wonderful local facility called The Canada Games Complex which was built for the 1981 Canada Games hosted by my city.  The Complex, as it is known locally, has a huge larger-than-Olympic sized pool, equipment galore, squash courts, exercise classes, an indoor track, access to trainers and more.  My parents (God bless them) have generously offered to pay for the entire first year of a family membership for Eddy, Coby and me.  They know exactly how important The Mambo project is to all three of us. So...   

Goal for the first week of 2011:  Buy a complex membership and start using it.

Relaxing my typical food rules during the holidays was nice.  I ate what I wanted and sipped a few vodka & cranberries with absolutely no guilt.  I did not over eat.  I ate normal-person portions, balancing rich holiday favourites (like tourtière, a French Canadian meat pie) with lots of veggies on the side.  I wasn’t trying to lose weight. I was just trying to eat like a normal person. 

I didn’t do any Christmas baking.  I didn’t want it in my house, staring at me, tempting me.  I ate one or two bits of baking (as an average-sized person would) when I attended Christmas events, like Coby’s Christmas concert at school. 

Next week on Wednesday when I step on my scale I expect to find that I have maintained, or, at worst, gained one or two pounds, which, as I have said before, is a fair price to pay for a good celebration because this, after all, is real life.

From my family to yours, my friends and fellow bloggers, I wish you a very Happy New Year.  And if you’re on a similar quest for a healthier life, Happy New YOU.

Christmas party, weigh-in day and realistic holiday goals

Here we are on our way to Ed's Christmas party

On Saturday we went to Ed’s station’s Christmas party.  My night-long smile was not because of the good food or the music or the wine.  I smiled because earlier that day, while selecting my party clothes, I was slipping into pants and skirts I haven’t worn for many, many years.   I’m still the fat chick in the photo (albeit not as fat a chick as I was three months ago!) so none of my options were particularly sexy, but I sure as hell felt sexy in them.  

Today was Wednesday Weigh-In Day and I hopped on my scale with true enthusiasm.  I maintained.  Works for me!  Maintaining through the holidays is a realistic and obtainable goal and I recommend it to anyone.  It’s so much less stressful than saying “I will lose weight during the holidays”.  I don’t want to say no to all the delicious food and drinks during the holidays.  At parties and dinners I will enjoy my favourites in moderation, just like my average-sized friends do.   I’ve watched them for years.  I know their habits and learning to live them.   Real life.

Oh, and another reason I was so smiley at Ed’s Christmas party?  The chairs that were painfully (literally, painfully) too tight for me at the same venue two years ago?   The identical chairs gave my butt just enough room this year.   Yeah.  It was a big smile.

Wednesday Weigh-In (on Thursday morning)

A short scale-fear recap:  I have not stepped on the scale for nearly exactly one month.  Following my thyroidectomy my weight fluctuated a bit and seeing a gain after 7 days of healthy eating totally got me down.  I had been reading on-line testimonials from others who had their thyroids removed and most of the news wasn’t great.  Nearly every person gained weight.  One even gained 30 pounds.  Man, if I gained 30 pounds (nearly everything I’d lost) after all my hard work I would be wrecked emotionally. Fearing the psychological ramifications of more gains and disappointments I decided to keep off the scale until I felt strong enough, mentally. 

There are some who may think I did the wrong thing and should have stepped on the scale anyway, but for me, major disappointments drive me to ice cream and slabs of cheese.   I could not take the risk.  If I didn’t step on the scale I could assume I was losing weight.  After all, I was eating well so I should be losing weight.

Today I was up earlier than usual, feeling confident and brave.  I decided to do it.  Before I could change my mind I stepped on the scale and since November 17^th I am down 12 more pounds.  That is now a total of (drum roll, please) 40 pounds lost! 

Obviously I’m thrilled with the number, but I am even more jubilant knowing that I am mastering normal eating.  My lifelong poor eating habits are changing.  My life is changing.

Crafting snowflakes, removing guilt and this week's goal

I am so happy .   Achieving last week’s goal, Coby and I gathered foam snowflakes, sparkly stickers and glitter glue to make 24 of these > 
and a few other ornaments for our tree.  As we crafted our snowflakes we listened to Christmas tunes on my iPod and chatted about all sorts of things (school, Harry Potter, friends, his cat Hermione.)   He kept thanking me and telling me he loves the ornaments and wants to keep them forever.  These are the moments.  These are the moments we cherish but so easily miss when we’re too busy, busy, busy.  

It was a good week.  A very good week.  Acknowledging my recent fear of the scale and letting myself know it was ok to stay off it for a while has given me a new freedom.  Emotional eaters (which most of us are) know how stress can make us mindlessly pop comfort in our mouths.   Fearing the scale, and being afraid to admit it, was making me want to eat.  I stopped myself, but I felt guilt just for wanting.  Guilt.  Just for wanting.  Letting go of the stress – the scale – took away the fear and guilt and the strong urge to overindulge.   I felt happy all week.  Confident.  It was good.

This week's will be another non-food related goal. 

Goal for the week of December 13, 2010:  Declutter!

This is the perfect pre-Christmas goal.  I’m not going to tackle every room.  This week’s goal will just be Coby’s room.  I’ll start there to make room for new toys, books and games.   When I go back to this post in September, I recall that number 4 on my list of First Year Goals is “Declutter My House”.  This week’s goal will be a start. 

Getting rid of house clutter is similar to losing weight.  Excess weight is like clutter on our bodies.  Shedding the clutter, be it body or house, gives us room to move and breath and feel good about ourselves.   I’m up for that.

I'm back with fun December goals!

Hi again.  I know it has been a while.  I’m sorry if I caused anyone to worry while I was absent.  I’m ok.  I had a couple of rough weeks, though.  I felt so tired.  Befuddled.  Frustrated.  I’ve been on thyroid medication for about one month and I think I’m starting to feel better.  I say “I think” because I haven’t felt normal for so long that I’m not sure if I’m there yet.  I doubt I’m at my best yet, but that day will come.  I've been calling this “my new normal” and I’ll take it.  For now. 

I haven’t stepped on my scale since my last weigh-in on November 17^th.   I was well aware that post-thyroidectomy I might gain weight and I thought I was prepared.  Nevertheless, my small gain on the 17th upset me far more than I expected.  Fearing a downward spiral I have avoided the scale since then.  Except for one or two “poor me” moments right after the 17^th, I have continued to make healthy food choices.  Healthy eating is becoming more and more of a normal behaviour for me now, which is a huge accomplishment.   Given the food choices I am making, I should not be gaining weight.   I’m wearing a jacket that I haven’t fit into since 2003, so that’s a great sign.  In order to keep my positive attitude, though, I must not step on the scale until I feel like I am ready for it.  Does that make sense? 

I decided to make my December goals 100% non-food related.  Well, that’s not totally true.  They are goals that will keep me busy so I don’t get tempted by yummy holiday nibbly bits.  You know what I’m talking about.  The wonderful little appys and baking and chocolates and other goodies that are plentiful this time of year. 

Goal for the week of December 6, 2010 – Make Christmas tree ornaments with Coby

Coby and I made a trip to Michaels (looooove Michaels!) to find all the supplies we need to fill our tree with handmade ornaments.  This week we’re going to get started. 

Wednesday Weigh In: Downer

I'm up two pounds this week.  That's right, UP.  I know it's not because of something I did.  If anything I improved my eating habits last week by adding fruit to daily diet.  I’m not completely miserable about the small gain, but I am rather downhearted.  I’m in lower spirits.  Not my chipper, positive self.  Things are somewhat out of my control right now and I hate that feeling.  I hate it. 

Goal for the week of November 15: New fruit

First, you may have noticed there was no Friday Confessional last week.  I couldn't get my act together in time so I decided to just let it go and get back to the Confessional this week.

Today, Monday, is goal day.  Last week's goal: SUCCESS!  I did it.  Fruit every day.  With other parts of my life out of control lately, I felt empowered taking charge of a goal and sticking to it.  This week I'll add another layer to my November plan to introduce Leigh to the wonderful world of fruit.

Goal for the week of November 15: Eat at least three new fruits

I'm no stranger to apples and bananas, but along with orange juice, these are the only fruits I would typically consume.  This week I'm going to try new things.  I'm actually nervous, but also optimistic that I will find something I really love. 

Wednesday Weigh-In: Sigh of Relief

Before I could chicken out, I stepped on my scale as soon as I woke up this morning. After reading so much about people gaining weight after thyroid surgery, I was relieved to see that I didn't gain an ounce.  I re-stepped on the scale two extra times just to make sure the number was correct.  My weight was exactly the same as it was on my last Wednesday Weigh-In, two weeks ago, before my thyroid surgery.  Big sigh of relief.

Hey guess what?  I saw Cpt. Kirk today and he removed my Frankenstein staples.  He said, “Your head didn’t fall off, so that’s good.”  Haha.  I felt so much better afterwards, physically and mentally.  I'm a great deal more comfortable without the pinching every time I move my head and I can see that the scar on my neck is going to be way smaller than I expected.  I'm happy.  Cpt. Kirk, the brilliant and talented surgeon, is officially cooler than a rock star to me. 

An apple a day keeps the doctor away?

Fruit update:  I, the fruit avoider, have stuck to this week’s goal of one piece of fruit per day.  Today's fruit du jour was a big, shiny red delicious apple.  

Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away?  Curious about apple nutrition facts, I visited the British Columbia tree fruit website and learned that apples are full of health benefits.  They are high in fibre and vitamin C, boost our immune system and reduce the risk of several diseases, including cancer, Alzheimers and diabetes.  They even whiten teeth!  And they’re so darn yummy.  I like apples.  Why didn't I eat them more often?  Well, I will now.

Goal review and the fruit thing

I haven't re-visited my goals for a while so let's do a quick review.  The first two months of The Mambo Project concentrated on simple weight loss math: 
Eat Less + Move More = Lose Weight

September - East less.  Check.  I got my food intake under control and this continues.

October - Move more.  Start exercising.  Nope.  I had some wonderful suggestions from my fellow bloggers and I did start adding steps to my day at the beginning of October, but my effort faded mid-month.  I will re-visit exercise again as soon as I get the ok from my trusted MD Dr. A. and/or Cpt. Kirk.

So let’s go back to food.  In November I am going to work on adding variety to my diet.  I don't eat enough fruit.  I never have.  I'm just not a big fan.  It's a texture thing.  I enjoy the taste of most fruits but I can't stand the texture.  Oranges are my best example.  I should love oranges.  The smell of oranges makes my mouth water and freshly squeezed orange juice, mmmmmm, I can drink a big glass of it.  But an actual orange?  Uh-uh.  I cannot stand the squeaky sound an orange makes when I bite it.  Sounds a bit crazy, right? 

This week's goal:  Eat a piece of fruit every day

But even the fruit I can handle, like apples and bananas, I very rarely eat.  Seriously.  Almost never. I suppose I have just never made eating fruit a habit.  Isn't that silly?  So this month I am going to concentrate on fruit.  The goal for this week will be simple.



Goal for the week of November 8, 2010 - Eat one piece of fruit every day.

Eddy and Coby both love fruit therefore we always have plenty in our house.  (Haha, as I type this I can hear Eddy biting into watermelon.  See?  He's always eating fruit!)  I ate a banana today so I'm off to a good start!

Friday Confessional: Surgery

When I started The Mambo Project blog I decided I would speak openly and honestly about weight loss.  Not just weight loss triumphs but my struggles and fears as well.  This week I contemplated a specific recent event and wondered whether or not I should write about it.  I hesitated because it’s quite personal, but Eddy convinced me that I need to include it in my blog because I did promise candidness.  He’s right.  And, furthermore, its inclusion is important because it may be something which affects my weight loss for a time. 

On Monday, November 1st, I had a thyroidectomy, surgery to remove my thyroid, the butterfly shaped gland at the base of the neck.  In spring I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.  I know.  Scary word.  But it sounds far scarier than it is.  While there is no “good” cancer, papillary thyroid cancer is one with a very good survival rate.  This type of cancer rarely spreads and with surgery the survival rate is more than 95%. 

A lot of people have asked me how I found out I had thyroid cancer.  About one year ago I felt a lump near the base of my neck on the left side.  I thought it might be swollen lymph nodes and expected to be getting a cold or something.  When after three weeks I was still feeling well but the lump didn’t go away I decided to pop in to see the doctor-on-call at my clinic.  Straight away he said, “That’s your thyroid” and scheduled blood tests and an ultrasound.  The ultrasound showed solid nodules in my left thyroid.   The next steps were an appointment with Dr. A. (my trusted MD), a thyroid uptake scan, a visit with an endocrinologist, more blood work, an ultrasound guided fine needle biopsy, the official diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer and an appointment with a surgeon. 

My surgeon is the amazing Dr. Kirk, whom, at home, we respectfully and affectionately refer to as Captain Kirk to make the whole idea of surgery slightly less scary for our kidlet Coby.  Cpt. Kirk removed the cancerous half of my thyroid in June then completed the thyroidectomy five days ago.   He said the surgery went very well and now, after a couple of nights in hospital, I’m recovering nicely at home.   

Recovering nicely at home



I feel strange.  Have you ever stayed up all night then tried to function normally the next day?  That’s sort of how I feel.  Dreamlike.  Spacey.  I felt down on Thursday when I changed the dressing myself and got my first glimpse of the incision.  Cpt. Kirk is skilled and I know I’ll heal well, but right now I look quite a bit like Frankenstein with a neat row of staples across the bottom of my neck.  I am not the slightest bit vain so I don’t mind that I’ll have a visible scar.  When I do start to feel sad about it I give myself a reality check:  I’ll take the scar over cancer, thank you very much.

Are you wondering how all this might affect The Mambo Project?  The thyroid produces hormones which regulate the body’s metabolism.  My mind immediately does the math:  no thyroid = no thyroid hormones = no metabolism = no weight loss.  I am oversimplifying, obviously, but weight gain is one of the side effects of a thyroidectomy.  Eventually medication will be prescribed to replicate the thyroid hormones and I fully expect to lose every ounce I may gain, but at this moment I’m frustrated knowing that my scale may move in an unwelcome direction for a couple of weeks.   I am hoping that if I continue to eat properly I won’t see a gain.  The idea of Wednesday Weigh-In was stressing me out like you wouldn’t believe so I decided to not step on my scale this week. 

I need to stop this.  I mean, come on Leigh, give yourself a break.   Step back.  Consider what you went through this week.  Perspective.  A couple of weeks of slight weight gain are not so bad when you consider that it means I am cancer free.

Friday Confessional: I finally told Eddy

When The Mambo Project began nearly two months ago, I didn’t have the guts to share my weight here on the blog.  The number was way too high.  Way too scary. Only my trusted MD and I knew.  Tonight I finally told Eddy.  It was minutes before we walked into a hilarious comedy show (Derek Edwards).  Perfect timing, right?  I left him no time sit and think about how his wife weighs more than most football players or professional wrestlers.    I shouldn’t have been so ashamed to tell him.  I mean this is my husband.  The man sees me naked.  He knows I’m not Anglena Jolie.  The thing is, even though I’m a big girl, I am still much, much heavier than I look.  I’m not just being a girl about this.  I’m serious.  I do weigh a lot more than you think I do. 

I still don’t quite have the courage to type the number, but I will say this much:  When I began The Mambo Project I weighed more than Eddy...

+ Coby

+ Logan

+ Hermione. 

How’s that for a sobering thought?  However, as of the most recent Wednesday Weigh-In I finally weigh less than the sum of my family. 

Oh, and Eddy?  He was totally fine with the number.  I expected him to be grossed out, but in true spectacular Eddy style, he was not.  Not at all.  This is one amazing man, ladies and gentlemen, and I may seriously be the luckiest girl in the world.