The Holiday, blisters, cold waters and the eat and run :)

So the holiday weekend begins….


I was so excited for the 3 day weekend for obvious reasons. I have to admit a little scared of the 3 day weekend too. Scared of the festivities involved, the food, getting off schedule, etc…

Friday night I decided my workout for the evening would be Hip Hop Abs. I obviously was craving some good dancing b/c I was looking for it everywhere!!! Love Hip Hop Abs…love Sean T. If I could just have him teach a Zumba class close to my house I know I would be a size 10 by next month!!! 

Saturday morning I woke up at 5am and had plans to go to the gym with my friend Erin. Well we got up and went down to my apartment gym and it was CLOSED. Now normally that would have been a great segway toa nap but instead we thought it’s nice out..lets just walk outside. Because of blisters I could only do one mile but we did at least something…but at 10am I got to go to ZUMBA!!! Well in between walking a mile and Zumba I had only at a banana and a muscle milk. They say eat every 2 hours for a reason. My blood sugar got so low I couldn’t stop shaking! It was awful. I was weak, didn’t feel good and couldn’t eat quickly enough. Thankfully I had enough good things to grab quickly or it would have been straight to isle 12 at Price Chopper for you know what.

Saturday was also shoe shopping day!!! With all the exercise I had been doing..I was developing blisters and my feet were aching like crazy. I had been hearing everyone talk about Garry Gribbles (sp?) (I’ve called it Jerry Girbles, Gary Girlbles…so who knows what it is. It’s a place they measure feet is all I know!) Does anyone get excited like I do about getting measured for those things? (not hip measuring) I actually like stuff like that. To actually know what you are for sure instead of guessing. It’s like the personality tests..I could tell you (as well as you could tell me) that I am Sanguine. I am outgoing, I love to talk, doesn’t meet a stranger, gets distracted VERY easily etc…but I just love taking the tests. I love going to a therapist and them tell me I’m a fruit loop…well duh…I knew that already but it’s always affirming when someone else can conquer with what I already know. I want to say I wear a size 8 shoe b/c I am measured and therefore I know. Although sad to say I don’t wear a size 8  that’s almost like saying I wear a size 5 jeans. What I thought I wore was an 11. Yes I said 11. Yes I have big feet. I have hUrge feet. I was built on a solid foundation. I will not sink if a flood comes. BUT Bro. Gribbles measured me at a size 12.5. Who wears size 12.5? That was about as bad as my I WEIGH 289 LBS COME AND LOOK AT MY PICTURE PEOPLE moment!!! As if I don’t have enough to be embarrassed about lol. I’m a big girl. I have big hands. Thankfully the Lord has blessed me to play the piano half way decent so I take that one as an advantage, but feet.. seriously. I wonder if I called Louis Vuitton and asked for a pair of stilettos in a size 12.5 would they laugh?? So I now know why I have feet problems. Why my feet ache and if I am exercising really hard for months at a time that my 2nd toe bruises really bad and I end up losing up my toe nail. (GROSS I KNOW) Well they didn’t even have a 12.5 in women so Bro. Gribbles hooked me up with a man shoe. So I wear a size 11 D..IN MEN!!! I am pretty sure I heard it on the intercom. This girl..MANDI MILLER IN THE BLUE SHIRT STANDING RIGHT BESIDE ME WEIGHS 289 LBS AND SHE WEARS A SIZE 11 D IN MEN!!!! I swear I heard it!!!! The only happy news in this is that I for sure know that I wear a size 11 D! I won’t ask that question again. Hee hee….Did you guys know that men shoes have a higher heal on them and it gives you blisters?? I do I do?

Sunday was supposed to be my off day. No exercise. Rest. Nothing. Sleep. I was so looking forward to Sunday to rest. I was tired of exercising but I felt bad doing nothing so me and my friend Erin and Kelly took off for a 4 mile walk. Now for your average person 4 miles is just a walk in the park, but for a big girl…4 miles is a lot. 2 miles is a good walk. 3 miles is pushing it but 4 is to long of a walk lol!! At the 3rd I wanted to give up but I was already to far from home to turn back around..I was closer to getting there than turning around! So I made it and was glad I did it. Then the rest of Sunday was church and rest! 

Monday was the holiday.
I met with BTT at 10am. Had an awesome workout. Learned I have no balance. I felt great at the end of that workout. Felt like I accomplished a lot. Finished up with that on the elliptical and went home and took a nap! My favorite thing to do! Later I had to go to a BBQ with some church friends. I almost didn’t go. I was actually scared. I didn’t want to be around the desserts especially with the run in I had last week with the sheet cake. I didn’t want to put myself in a place of torment lol. I have a hard enough time sitting at home with no bad food in there let alone a table full of sweet goodness at my finger tips!!! But I did it. I managed. I ate my lean beef and called it good and left. I showed my face, I ate and ran!!! Hee hee!!! I had two more workouts to get in. I went to my apartment gym and walked/jogged. Felt great. Then my bright idea next was to workout in the pool. Lesson #1 Even though it may feel 100 degrees outside doesn’t mean the water is 100 degrees. Good God was it freezing!!! Seriously freezing. Almost unbearable but once I got to moving real good the water felt nice. I was a fish. I kicked, punched, puckered, swam, doggie paddled, bicycled and just floated. By the end of the workout it was getting pretty nippy outside and I was freezing once again as I floated for fun. I looked up in the sky pretended I was Rose (off the Titanic) and whistled for help. I even said I’ll never let go Jack, I’ll never let go…nothing happened so I figured that was my clue to get out of the pool! Lol

I was pretty weak by the end of that evening. I slept SOOOOOO good!!!!

Tuesday weigh in day…

I was nervous. I was asking myself did I do enough? Did I eat the right things? Did the sheet cake totally screw me over? Am I gonna reach my own personal goal? Am I gonna let the people down that voted me in? I was in a bad mood right from the get go. I wasn’t whistling Dixie this morning at 4am. I was mad at myself thinking I hadn’t reached it. So I drove to Ottawa in deep thought. Replaying everything over and over.



So I get there and she she says…She’s gonna say this is week one weigh in and Mandi weighs 288.6 and after one week she weighs ???.? I can’t tell you!!! Lol I know it’s killing you but I cried and screamed. My usual when I’m extremely happy. I couldn’t believe it. I am super thankful for the weight I’ve lost but I still have 8 weeks to go! A long 8 weeks. You know how on The Biggest Loser goes…2nd week is the hardest. So I’m just gonna give it 150% again. I don’t think I worked out enough this past week so I’m gonna do my best to go a little longer each time. Give a little more than I did last week!



Sorry this is so long..I didn’t update over the holiday!! I’ll do better I promise!



Journey week #2….oh what shall it bring!!!!