Thick Truth

Normally I don't post back to back, but some things are just too good to not share.

Back in "the day", you know like 20 years ago, I strutted my athletic frame down the halls of my high school, never having a thought that one day my many hours spent pumping iron and doing aerobic videos led by Jane Fonda would be hidden.

Never did I think that once a year at my annual physical exam I'd leave my doctor's office with a sheet of paper with the words "slightly obese" scribbled on it attached to a pamphlet of healthy tips.

When I voice my "I can't believe I let myself get like this" woes, my sweet friends try their best to comfort me with words like, "well, you have had three kids Lelia"; only to hear me desperately trying to remind them of the nice shape I had after I gave birth to Alyssa and Aaron.

And what is up with slightly obese...I'm either tipping the scale in the wrong direction or I'm not...there's no 'slight' about it.

It wasn't until before I got pregnant with Alivia in 2000 that I began to gain weight and only a few times over the last 6 years have I lost more than just water weight where people actually noticed. Over the years though I have not had long term success and have only "slightly" kept the weight off for a season.

I recently took a poll to prove to my husband that I'm not alone when it comes to doing things like eating frosting out of a can, indulging in raw cookie dough and pouring Hershey's syrup into my mouth. I suppose I do have some habits that send my husband into disgust mode and may just contribute to my weight problem. Gene can scarf down a whole bag of Chilli Cheese Fritos between commercials, but the man would never think of getting a spoon and eating Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Milk Chocolate frosting out of the can. Never. This is not a habit I do a lot, but when I do, he is quick to let me know that in the future my complaints about having to shop in the plus size department will be falling on his deaf ears.

Anyway, at the beginning of May I remembered this annual running clinic, but I was unable to find any information on it. Recently I was in a boutique when the sales girl started telling me about an upcoming clinic called Beginner's Luck. Just so happened that it is the same clinic I had been searching for. So,on Mother's Day after eating a waffle cone filled with peanut butter ice cream from Cold Stone, I took myself downtown to the Running Company store and picked up my registration form. Last week I filled out my form in hope of a better future and mailed it in along with my 20 buck commitment.

So, starting Wednesday, June 4th I will be in a beginner's running club that will meet for 8 weeks for an hour each evening. I will be taught the how to's of running properly so people driving by me don't slow down and ask if I'm okay.

I'll be taught how to put a whole can of frosting on a cake instead of in my mouth and choose to eat fruit instead.

I will be taught what running shoes are best for my feet instead of which shoes I think are the prettiest.

Then at the end of the 8 weeks we're encouraged to enter a 5K (3 mile) race in the Cornhusker State Games in July.

I CAN DO THIS!!

Just this past weekend the doubt was sinking in and the excuses started invading my mind as I was thinking of my new adventure.

Thoughts such as...

How I hate running,

How it might be hot and I'll sweat. A lot.

How I love frosting.

How I really want the body I had when I walked to my locker to get my Algebra books in the 80's.

Is it too late to get refunded my twenty dollar registration fee...

But just as I started to allow the excuses to snag my focus, God sent me a little reminder that this healthy lifestyle change is just the boost I need.

I need this weekly accountability group that has no desire to become like Bruce Jenner who I stared at every morning while eating my bowl of Wheaties when I was a teen athlete.God knows I need to be a part of this group of people who do not have the goal of running a marathon, but instead work their way up to running 3 miles by the end of the summer. People who want to run for pleasure and health.
So in typical God fashion, He sent me this last night...

Since tomorrow is the last day of school, my 6 year old daughter Alivia is cleaning out her desk and brought home her writing journal. I love reading what she writes and my face lit up like a Christmas tree when I saw the journal entry from May 6th titled

"My Mom".

Let me share...

My mom's name is Lelia. She is 37. My mom is white.

She is thick. My mom has brown and red hair.

WHOA! WAIT ONE MINUTE...DID SHE WRITE "THICK"???

My mom is THICK?

Not only am I white, but I am thick??

I lovingly smiled at the sweet child before me who just made herself a present-less birthday girl this July and I continued to read...

My mom and I like to read and go to the park. My mom and I like to ride our bikes and play at the library. We like to go the movies and the zoo to spend time together. She likes to write on her blog. She likes to talk on the phone. I love my mom she is very pretty. I love spending time with her. I hope you have learned alot about my mom.

On the way to church last night my 13 year old son Aaron was reading this touching journal entry out loud while laughing. He was quick to point out that he can't remember the last time he even saw me on a bike.

I guess Alivia's fantasy "in-shape mom" got mixed up with the real thing as she told her brother that some of it is "pretend".

I just said, "But Aaron, look how active she made me look to her teacher ....I go to the park and I play at the library!"

"Yeah, but you're thick." said the not so smart son with a birthday only two weeks away.

So while it is nice to save money on my children's birthday's and according to my poll, prove to Gene that I'm not alone in eating this...

I am now convinced that God wants me to eat these instead...

And also so that when my little Princess writes about me next year in 2nd grade, the description of me won't have to be filled with fake activities and won't cause her teacher to wonder when she sees me at Parent/Teacher conferences...

if she's so active then why is she so thick?

So next Wednesday consider yourself warned that between 7 and 8pm central time you will not be feeling an earthquake. It will just be a washed up athlete trying to run off her thickness here in the Midwest.


Weird that seeing "slightly obese" for 6 years written by my Doctor didn't get me motivated, but seeing the description"thick" written out in 1st grade hand writing did the trick...

Here's to my soon-to-be-gone thickness,

Here are the poll results. Gene got such a kick out of this and I proved that his wife is not the only one out here that does these things...Thanks for participating!

Yes, I eat frosting out of a can...37 admitted to doing this

Yes, I have eaten Hershey's Syrup directly out of the can...19 of us!

Yes, I have eaten more raw cookie dough than I've baked...27 in-the-closet cookie dough eaters!

No, your husband is right, you are gross and need help...1 vote...Probably Gene. :)