Treats and Sweets?...No thank you.

After another Kenyan Progression Run with Ronda, Tom, Steve, Michael, and Susan, Ronda loaned me her "Trail RNR" Range Rover and the girls and I were off to the showers. I had an appointment with Mark in two hours. I would either see the fruits of my dieting labor or find that I ate too many fruits as they are not part of the plan. (incidentally no fruit had passed these lips for two weeks...so there.) Don't ask me about popcorn, I'm telling this story. After a short confession of banana pancakes after a fire (did I say "banana?") and some involuntary handfuls of popcorn (I blacked out) I was stripping down to my measuring and weighing-in clothes. Mark started caliper-pinching and tape measuring his guts out to get to the info that would tell me what I already felt in my waistline. I'd done a good job. I peeked as he entered the results from each pinch and measure. The numbers were going down by an average of 2 pretty consistently across the board. I've never been great at math, but I had an inkling this was a really good thing.

Finally he pinched my quadricep- OUCH! We don't carry a lot of fat right there and it's not a pleasant feeling to be pinched where the skin is already pretty tight! Now the abdomen, for example, is another story...not only can he easily grab some fat, he seems to enjoy pulling it away from the body to both pinch and demonstrate how generous the portions of pinch-able material are in that area. Never mind. Moving on- My numbers. :] After weighing in we found I'd lost roughly four pounds. With the measurements and pinching we found that I did not lose lean muscle mass so in fact lost 4 pounds of body fat. This is monumental for me and very inspiring. Two measurements of note: My quads are larger (though could be from workout earlier in the day...blood still in muscles causing them to expand) and my back is larger- thank you crossfit. Just two days ago I was able to climb that gym rope 6 times with a little instruction. A few months ago I couldn't get a couple feet on that thing.

Progress is an intoxicating thing. My DFF (Diet Friends Forever...) is having equally impressive results. Ok, so our eating habits and determination may be termed obsessive by some. But water-dining and sweet potato-finding aside, you can't argue with the results. (ask if you dare...) It was a brilliant end to a very stressful week.

I'm now the proud owner of a 1995 Honda Accord Wagon. After the work it's had in Spencer's Shop (He's an amazing, sweet, and honest mechanic that specializes in Subaru's..."but can't say anything bad about Toyota's or Honda's either." 503-775-7467) old, (enter name here...haven't named her yet) should give me another 100k miles. Next up? Phase Two of the Diet (Unlike some...I don't get any more or different food), Christmas Camp (73-83 mile week of running...!) Working Christmas Day at the Training Station with Trainees on Truck 2, finally finalizing accommodations for my mom and I in Thailand. Good Times.