Day 18: Really, it's been 18 days?!

I can't believe it's been 18 days since I made a personal goal to reach 150 by October 31 for the Weight Watchers Lose for Good campaign (food for the needy). Instead of losing weight, I've actually gained weight. I was 162 this morning (up from 158).

I remain calm. I'm not freaked out like the normal Diana gets when she gains a few pounds. Yes, I'm talking about myself in the third person, weird isn't it?

I feel back in control. Counting Points and all that stuff that I know works. I worked out for only one hour this morning. Thirty minutes on the StairMaster and thirty minutes with weights.

I pulled something on the inside of my elbows with the 25-dumbbells I used on Friday. I was forced to use the 25-pounders because some goofball was rubbing his foot on the only set of 20-pound dumbbells. My elbows hurt like heck and doing hammer curls are impossible and bicep curls aren't much better, so I did lower body workout today (my least favorite workout).

Shortening my workout from ninety minutes to sixty minutes felt strange, like I wasn't done yet. It was like I was cheating. I'm sure to people that hate exercising I sound like some kind of freak, but I've been doing this for eighteen months. I enjoy a good workout. Some days I don't, but most days I look forward to it.

The real reason I like working out is how it makes me feel afterwards. I walk taller, stand up straighter, feel stronger, and not just physically but mentally too. I'm not sure cutting back on my workouts is a good idea. I'm going to try it for a few days and if still makes me feel weird, I'm going back to an hour and a half.

18 days down, 45 to go until October 31. Maybe I can still pull this off (without killing myself!).

P!nk
Gotta love a pop star that speaks her mind. Quoted from P!nk on Twitter:

"My heart goes out to taylor swift. She is a sweet and talented girl and deserved her moment. She should know we all love her.

Kanye west is the biggest piece of shit on earth. Quote me."

I get to see P!nk tomorrow night, live in concert, her kickoff U.S. concert in Seattle, and I'm super excited. Her opening act is the Ting Tings, and I love them too.

I told a guy I work with that I was going to see P!nk and the Ting Tings in concert, and he said, "sounds kinda gay...pink and the Ting Tings?". Cracked me up because the first time I heard of the Ting Tings was from this guy.

Hiking
Saturday we went hiking at Crystal Mountain. The same place we went snowshoeing last winter. It's not as pretty as Mt. Rainier, but it was still fun.

I had a 25-pound pack on my back and that just about killed me because it was a freaking 83 degrees. I'm a firm believer in carrying the 10 essentials of hiking, even if it's just a day trip and you're on a well-marked trail. My husband thinks I'm a little nuts about this, but every person that has been lost on a day hike didn't plan on getting lost.

I really don't like hiking in hot weather, and I was a sweaty mess about 15 minutes into the hike, which was practically straight uphill (Crystal is a ski resort). I insisted on a lot of rest stops. How on earth I ever walked around weighing an additional 80 pounds is beyond me.

This was kind of cool because we took a picture in this exact same spot last winter when we were snowshoeing. You can see the little window is way above my head. Then in the snowshoeing picture you can see it's below my head. Just gives you an idea of how much snow was there last winter. March 2009
A view from the woods.
First time I've seen huckleberries. Looking up, this was the hardest part of the hike with the sun beating down on me. The best part was looking down and enjoying a fresh peach. It was the best peach I'd ever eaten in my life. :) Just me, all hot and sweaty. I prefer my mountains with snow!

Red Elderberries