F is for Farts (oh, and Fitness)

Have I ever expressed to you how much I love avocado? The first time I tried it was 12 years ago, in France. Growing up in Ohio with my fantastically frugal mother doing the grocery shopping, avocados weren't a part of my life. I'm not even sure that they were even all that easy to find at the time and if they were available to us, they were probably pretty expensive.

So, my first avocado was in France and I hated it. Of all the strange food I ate in France (think pizza with tuna fish and a fried egg on it), it was the avocado that I just couldn't stomach. Two years later when I moved to California, I was surrounded by avocados. Out here, if the dish doesn't already come with avocado or guacamole, you could add it for an extra charge. Not me, though. Yuck. Nowayman.

Over time and befriending some people who make a mean guacamole, I began befriending the avocado. Now, ten years later, give me avocado on everything. They can be pretty inexpensive here, and compared to the Midwest, they're inexpensive here even when we're complaining that they're not on sale, 2/$1. (I grabbed 4/$5 the other day and was all "aw, man.")

So I, now that I've been making an effort to eat healthier, have been putting together salads. My new favorite: tomato, cucumber, avocado, red pepper, a heavy dose of black pepper, a sprinkling of delicious cheese and maybe some chicken if I have some. Maybe a drizzle of vinaigrette if I'm feeling it, but I don't need it.

Lettuce is a flavorless waste of space. Yeah, I said it!

Let me tell you, these salads are filling. If I throw a small one together to have with dinner, then it will definitely help fill me up so I don't eat eight pounds of lasagna. We love pasta here, so this salad keeps my noodly portions in check.

That photo isn't from today. Today I squeezed a whole avocado into my lunch salad! Yikes. It was delicious and I don't regret any of it. I am so full, though. Well, not crazy full, but full. And happy.

I'm also happy because it's Thursday and it's fitness check-in day! Aw, yeah. Are you ready for some numbers?

June 7, 2012

• Weight - 163 (+20)
• Bust - 40"
• Waist - 34" (+4)
• Belly - 40.5" 
• Hips/Butt - 43.5" (+3.25)
• Thigh - 25.5" (+2)
• Knee - 16.5"
• Calf - 14.25"
• Arm - 13" (+1.75)

July 5, 2012

• Weight - 160 (+1, -3)
• Bust - 39.5" (0, -0.5)
• Waist - 32.25" (0, -1.75)
• Belly - 40.25" (0, -0.25) 
• Hips/Butt - 42.5" (0, -1)
• Thigh - 24.75" (0, -0.75)
• Knee - 15.5" (-0.25, -1)
• Calf - 14" (+1, -0.25)
• Arm - 12.5" (-0.5, -0.5)

July 12, 2012

• Weight - 159 (-1, -4)
• Bust - 39" (-0.5, -1)
• Waist - 32" (-0.25, -2)
• Belly - 40" (-0.25, -0.5) 
• Hips/Butt - 42.25" (-0.25, -1.25)
• Thigh - 24.5" (-0.25, -1)
• Knee - 15.5" (0, -1)
• Calf - 14" (0, -0.25)
• Arm - 12.5" (0, -0.5)

This week, it looks like I lost inches on everything that stayed the same last week and vice versa. I lost an inch and a half this week making it 7.5 inches in five weeks! If that isn't proof that you should count inches instead of pounds, then I don't know what is.

I'm seeing some really great results and you know what, people? It hasn't been very hard for me. The hardest part before was getting motivated, but once I hit that 20th pound gained, it was like the straw that broke the camel's back... except heavier... because it was a whole pound. But I'm certain that the camel with the broken back had way more than twenty pieces of straw on his back, otherwise, that guy should really work on his core.

Anyway, I was feeling gross. I was hating how I felt in my clothes and how they were fitting. I was still squeezing into my size 10 corduroys that were pretty flattering when I first bought them. They were my favorite pair of pants, but it wasn't until I saw this photo that I realized those pants don't really fit me anymore and I should stop wearing them in public.

Just because you can button them, doesn't always mean you should wear 'em!

I haven't tried them on recently. I might do that just to see how they fit now... but anyway. My point is that I may have only lost 4 pounds, but the 7.5 I've lost are making a big difference with how I feel in my clothes and that goes way farther for me than the number on the scale.

This post had nothing to do with farts, by the way.