Muffin Top(ple) Monday

Operation Muffin Top(ple) has come to an end.. and while I didn't win the prize, I still feel like I've come out of this a winner. I've learned so much about my health, my body, food, exercise and what it takes for me to get where I need to be weight/health wise. Most importantly, I've learned that I CAN do it.

And I can do it without killing myself at the gym or starving half to death.

I won't tell you what my beginning weight was, maybe once I've reached my final goal I'll reveal that number but until then I will say that since Matthew and I started our 30 Day Challenge on June 1st, I have lost 12lbs. We've slacked off the last week so I haven't been losing like I was but I've not gained any either, so I know that what we're doing works.

To find out who won you can head on over to Catherinette's blog and congratulate the girls on a job well done.

They've decided to go another round, as there are girls who didn't quite meet their goal, and most everyone has signed up for round two, but I think I'm going to go it alone from now on - well just me and Matthew. The girls are great and it was awesome to read the witty and sometimes snarky comments back and forth as they pushed and prodded each other to put down that twinkie and get to the gym. But not winning kind of put a dent in my cap so to speak. I know it wasn't about the prize, but knowing I have 2 medical conditions that make me have to work twice as hard as everyone else to lose just one pound, and having lost 12lbs in spite of that then not even making 2nd or 3rd place.. well it deflated the joy I had from working so hard and sucessfully losing weight.

However, if you want to sign up for the 2nd go around head over here

With Matthew as my main support I don't expect anything from him, so when I don't 'win', I won't feel like all my hard work has been for nada. It will be just about losing the weight and getting healthy, which for me personally is just a better plan.

I have decided though to continue the Muffin Top(ple) Monday posts to keep you updated on my journey to health and fitness.

In other news - Biggest Loser is holding an open casting call here in Mobile on July 11th and I think I'm going to try out. I've talked to Matthew about it quite a bit to see what he thinks, and yes I know I'd be doing it for ME, but if I did get picked I'd be away for 4 months filming and that would effect HIM as well. Four months without being able to see and quite possibly talk to each other. Four months of him taking over making sure our rent and utilities get paid, which is something I've always done, as they're all in my name. Four months of him going grocery shopping and fending for himself in the kitchen rather than having a home cooked meal, which will more than likely result in a nightly cuisine of corn dogs and spaghetti-o's.

The general consensus is - we would miss each other madly, but this would be one hella fantastic opportunity for me and I should go for it. It would also give me the platform I've been looking for to talk about PCOS and Hypothyroidism - and how hard losing weight can be for women who have not just one, but both of those conditions. There are just not enough resources or information out there for women with PCOS, and nearly none on how to manage weight loss with PCOS and Hypothyroidism combined.

My doctor basically told me 'You just have a big body type' and will always be large. Huh? Seriously?!

Well needless to say I wasn't happy with that answer and the last few weeks have shown me that there are things that work, and it doesn't have to be a huge struggle to get off the weight these conditions put on.

As the date for the casting comes closer I'll blog more about it and will definitely keep you updated on the casting process itself. Wish me luck!!

It's a blu blufrog world

BluFrog, the "crazy good, mad healthy" energy drink is currently giving away crazy good, mad cool prizes and I want to win!

Ever heard of lollapalooza? Unless you just hate music and live under a rock of course you have. Well how does airfare, hotel, transporation and 2 tickets to one of if not the biggest concert of the year sound?

Not your scene?

How about counting down the clock while watching the ball drop on New Year's Eve in New York City? 3 nights in a luxury hotel and a helicopter ride over the city sound like one heck of a good way to bring in the new year!

Then again if you're more like my boyfriend a ultimate gaming system package may be more up your alley. Xbox 360 Elite System (includes 1 controller & Xbox LIVE Headset), Rock Band 2 Bundle, Call of Duty: World at War Complete Package, Xbox Wireless Networking Adapter, Complimentary X-Shot, and 2 Cases of Blu Frog Energy


Of course if you're a sports enthusiest there is a prize for you too! Take a ride on the wild side in the Richard Petty Experience. Suit up and hop behind the wheel for a night of speed that you won't soon forget! Or if that's not dangerous enough for you, bundle up in your warmest gear and head over to Aspen for front row seats to the Winter X Games.

Personally, I'm all about the helicopter ride over New York.


There are three (3) ways to enter and you can use all of them to increase your shot at winning.

You can enter up to three times per person via these three methods:

Blog Comment:
Leave a comment on this page telling us which experience you want to win and why.

Twitter Tweet:
Spread the word about our contest. Tell your friends why you entered to win and which experience you would choose if you won. Be sure to include #bluword and http://bit.ly/UiiJy in your tweet."

Blog Post:
Write a blog post about our contest and which experience you would choose if you won. Be sure to leave a comment on this page with the URL if the trackback doesn't appear.


Now go register to win! Or don't... that way I have a better chance!

Hearing everything yet not listening to a word

Forward to 2:10 on the clip.



Lee: Do you understand the words that are a-coming out of my mouth?
Carter: Don't nobody understand the words that are comin' out of your mouth.

The clip is from Rush Hour 2. Jackie Chan's character Lee, is trying to explain something to Chris Rock's character Carter, and Carter is having a hard time understanding it. Lee thinks he is speaking clearly. He understands what he's trying to say, but his partner - even though he's hearing the words just doesn't understand what the message is.

I first titled the post Listening to Everything but not Hearing a Word but as I was planning what to write out in my head I realized that was a little backwards. Hearing is the primary function of the ear. Unless you are deaf you cannot help but to 'hear'. Listening on the other hand is a conscious action. It requires focus and intent.

Parents and children are prime examples. When we were kids, my sister and I took to calling our mom by her first name because when we called her mom she wouldn't answer. She'd be watching TV, or reading a book and we'd be like 'mom, mom, momm, MOMMM!' and nothing. But we could say her name one time and she'd answer. She 'heard' us say mom every time we said it, but it was just background noise. Like being at a ballgame and hearing that everyone around you is talking but not listening to what it is they are saying.

Last weekend Matthew and I got in a pretty big fight. I honestly don't remember how it started but the primary content was that at times we both feel like the other doesn't 'listen'. The next day we sat and talked about it and we're better and stronger than ever, but we realized that even though we can sit and talk for hours about nearly any topic under the sun, when it comes to feelings we both have a bit of trouble in the communication department.

He has a habit of not telling me when something bothers him and then when we argue about it he'll think he's mentioned it before, although I have no recollection of him talking to me about it. Sometimes I honestly just forget, but sometimes he'll think ' I need to tell Mollie such and such', and because he remembers thinking he needed to tell me he gets to thinking he actually did tell me even if he never actually got around to it. My sister does the same thing all the time. Didn't I text you about so and so? No? Oh.. well I must have just been thinking I Needed to text you, but never actually got around to it.

My problem is a bit more complicated. When it comes to feelings I can write all day and all night and express how I feel with ease. I can spout romantic, I can wax poetic, I can rant aggressiveness, you name it. If it comes to putting pen to paper, or type to screen as the case may be, I can talk about my feelings with my eyes closed and get my point across clearly and concisely.

But when it comes to actually verbalizing how I feel, the skill I seem to have with writing just doesn't transfer over. I can have what I want to say all planned out in my head. I'm going to tell him this, and how I feel about that, and how when he does this it makes me feel like so and so. Yet when I open my mouth the words rarely come out as intended. And the main problem with this is I think the words I speak match up perfectly with the thoughts in my head even though that is rarely the case. So when he says 'Mollie, you didn't say anything about that you said this' I get frustrated because I just know that I told him what I was thinking.

It's something we've realized is a problem and we're working on it, but it brings up some questions I'd like your thoughts on..


What do you do when you don't feel like someone is really 'listening' to you even though they truly believe they are and vice verse.

I make it a point to focus on Matthew when we're discussing something so I'm not only hearing the words he's speaking but I'm actively listening to what it is he's trying to say. And if I find myself distracted, which usually only happens on the phone, I'll tell him - Honey, I'm hearing what you're saying but it's just not sticking, can we talk about this another time so I can give you the attention you deserve?. This has proven to be a very successful way of making sure we really pay attention to each other when we need to talk about something important.

Feelings seems to be the only area of conversation where it isn't quite working.

Is it that neither of us are clearly expressing our 'feelings' or is it that both of us have preconceived ideas of what the other is going to say and that's what we really 'hear' instead of what is actually being said?

Matthew says I have a bad habit of assuming I know what he's going to say so when I answer him - I answer what I thought he said instead of what he actually did say. I totally concede that this is a possibility. He also concedes that he may actually think he's told me something but never actually got around to it. So we both know we have short comings, and we're working together to iron those out so we can better communicate when it comes to emotions. But I honestly doubt we're the only couple with these same issues. So...

What types of issues have you had with communicating with your partner/husband/wife/loved on?

Do you feel they don't really listen to you?

Do they feel you don't really listen to them?

Are you thinking one thing but really saying another?

And if you've overcome these problems how did you do it?

One thing we've decided to do is use a talking stick. They have one similar to the picture at Michael's that you can put together as a craft, but we'll most likely just use a wooden spoon from the kitchen. *The talking stick has been used for centuries by many American Indian tribes as a means of just and impartial hearing. It was commonly used in council circles to designate who had the right to speak. When matters of great concern came before the council, the leading elder would hold the talking stick and begin the discussion. When he finished what he had to say he would hold out the talking stick, and whoever wished to speak after him would take it. In this manner the stick was passed from one individual to another until all who wished to speak had done so. * Info courtecy of http://www.acaciart.com/

In other words - he who holds the stick gets to talk - he who doesn't needs to shut up and wait their turn. For two very intelligent verbally articulate people who love to make their point, it may turn out to be the most important use for a kitchen spoon ever.