Day 20: Celebration, Will Power & Answered Prayers

Warning:  Tropical Storm Isaac is outside my bedroom window and I have nothing better to do, so prepare for a long one.

So, Saturday was mostly spent preparing for and celebrating my good friend's thirtieth birthday party.  I thought, with a Tropical Storm on the horizon, that she might choose to reschedule her outdoor celebration...but, really?  I should know my friend better than that by now.

I went to help set-up and brought my trusty, 64 oz water jug filled with ice to keep hydrated, as well as a Vitamin water to reload on electrolytes when we were done decorating.  I also managed to avoid the chips and dip they were munching on when I first arrived, choosing instead to get straight to work.   I was slightly dissappointed when the food began to arrive and I saw ham croquetas, cuban pastries, cuban sandwiches, macaroni salad, marshmallow salad...mostly, things that I am trying to avoid right now.  They had planned to have a fruit and vegetable platter, but apparently, it didn't make it to the party.

It took us a lot longer to set up than expected and I managed to sneak back home about a half hour before the party started in order to get cleaned up and dressed.  I showered and jumped on the computer while waiting for my hair to dry.  Although it would be difficult, I knew I could avoid the cuban pastries (even the one filled with cream cheese that is simply scrumptious!), but I couldn't stay away from the ham croquetas forever.  I thought to myself "It's protein...how bad could it really be?"

"Pastelito Con Queso" = Cuban Pastry with Cheese

 

So I looked it up.

For a tiny, two inch, fried ham croqueta it contains 175 calories and 10 grams each of carbs, fat and protein.

"Croqueta de Hamon" = Ham Croqettes

I was ready to cry.  I mean, I had a thousand-some calories available, but still?

So, I grabbed a little lunch sack and packed yogurt, a banana, a pear, some almonds, a couple of cheese sticks, a Lipton Diet Green Tea and some vitamin water, plus a slim fast double fudge snack bar (just in case the temptation to eat a slice of cake was overwhelming).  About an hour and a half later, I was on my way back into battle - er, I mean, back to the party with the deviled eggs and jello shots (my specialty).

I ate the banana on the way.  lol

After taking care of a few last minute things, I granted myself two ham croquetas.  A little while later, when someone brought a tray of meatballs in barbecue sauce, I grabbed two of those as well.  Then, I occupied myself cutting up limes for the Coronas and the Tequila shots and socializing for a bit.

When the munchies got a hold of me again, I grabbed my jug of water and my light cheesesticks and snuck out to the front porch, where I could eat my cheese sticks without standing out too much in the crowd.  My best friend's brother happened to come out and he and his girlfriend kept me company for a while, which was really nice getting to catch up, but soon, the drunken birthday girl found me and dragged me back to the party.

You know how it's a lot more fun to dance to music that you know than it is to dance to music that you don't know or don't understand?  Well, my three closest friends are Latina, which means most of the time, they are dancing to Spanish music. I'm unfamiliar with the tunes and I can't sing a long, so it's difficult for me to really get into it - but, I did my best to move to the beat and stay out of the way for those who really knew what they were doing.  In my opinion, it just looked like a lot of clothed baby making on the dance floor, and I found myself wondering if I would EVER be comfortable dancing like that - even if I got down to my ideal weight.

I don't even know how many calories I've burned, but soon I wandered off to get some water and rehydrate.  I don't drink very often, so my friends were ecstatic when I returned to the dance floor and drank a quarter of a glass of "Blue Hurricane" with them.  Then, I tried for a little bit longer not to look too "white" on the dance floor.

I had JUST wandered away to use the restroom when I heard the opening beats to a Pitbull song thrumming through the house, and I literally shouted "THAT'S MY JAM!!!!"  lmao  You should have seen the look on everyone's faces when the "white girl" came walking out of the house ghetto style, stormed into the middle of the dance floor and started dancing.  Now, mind you, I still don't move quite that well and I really don't have any special dance moves - no twirling or bumping or grinding and sure-as-hell no way I can bend my knees down low AND get back up again without a crane - but, I was moving enough to feel my heart racing and my breath ragged and for the sweat to be pouring off of me.  Assuming that the next song would be Latin again, I was dying for a drink of water but, I think my friends were so elated that I was REALLY dancing with them that they immediately put on another Pitbull song, ensuring that I'd be staying on the dance floor.  Man, cameras were flashing like the freaking paparazzi!  I'm sure I looked like a complete ass, but I had fun.

After three hours of straight up latin music, my friends played three Pitbull songs in a row, surely just because they finally figured out what I would dance to and were refusing to let me get off the dance floor.  However, I guess that they ran out of American music on the playlist, because the rest of the night was dedicated to spanish music again.  Still, given how little I ate, how hard I worked setting up and the few times that I got on the dance floor - I'm confident that I burned some major calories.

Hell - I'm pretty sure that the ONE Tequila shot I took burned some calories on it's own.  DAMN!

I helped pass out the cake as I usually do - it was a Publix cake, obviously decadent and moist with a fantastic, thick-looking fudge filling - and I didn't eat one slice of it.  In fact, I didn't even lick my finger after I accidentally got some icing on it!  Nope - not a single taste of that sugary phenomena passed my lips!

I DID IT!

 

 

To top off a phenomenal day, I discussed in my last post how concerned I was that my project would go bust after the first month.  With September quickly approaching, I had no new challenges and it was making me a nervous wreck.  Not only had I not recieved any new challenges or pledges, but my Facebook page stopped growing abruptly once I hit 23 likes.  I had never expected it to be that popular to begin with, but it was weird how it skyrocketed the first week and then just died.  I've been terrified that this would be the end.  Aside from Angelique's generous November deadline and Modina's very kind February deadline - I had no immediate goals to work towards.

 

Then, two women each kindly blessed me with incredibly generous offers.  The first to step forward was Lissa Brown, who has pledged $5 per pound lost in September to benefit a local food bank!  After having been so afraid that this was going to end, that was enough to bring me to the brink of tears.

 

The second is one of my beloved high school mentors - the woman who not only encouraged my love for community service and supported my struggle to earn a prestigious high school award, but also became a lifelong friend - who has pledged $2 per pound lost for the months of September, October, November AND December!

 

I never could have imagined that people could be THAT VERY GENEROUS - it overwhelms me in such all encompassing ways.

 

People keep telling me how brave I am or how inspiring I am (great, here come the water works), but it makes me feel so guilty because in reality, this is so incredibly selfish.  This entire project is about me asking for support, encouragement and motivation.  Me, me, me, me, me.  It's without all of you out there that I would be the uninspired, unmotivated one.  I just had an idea, but if all of you hadn't embraced it, I'd just be another fat chick looking for a miracle.  Hell, you only need look at my panic about not having challenges for September to see how cowardly and weak I really am.  I'm the wheels on this train - but you all are the engine, pulling it full steam ahead.

 

Me?  I'm losing weight.  Charity?  They're getting much needed donations.  But you?  You're getting a tax-deduction that in all actuality, you could get just as easily without me.  You are supporting a fat chick trying to lose weight - in many cases, a fat chick that you don't even know.  You are complimenting me and encouraging me and challenging me and to top it all off, you're giving money to people in need.

 

YOU are the brave ones.

 

YOU are the inspiration.

 

YOU are the generous and compassionate.

 

ME?  I'm just the lucky one who gets to have you all on my side, and I can't begin to thank you enough for that.

 

So, since there is no end to my selfishness *insert cheesy grin*, I am ecstatic with the challenges and pledges I've recieved so far - but I have been unable to get any pledges for the charity I am sponsoring this month.  If you have any interest in donating to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help me honor my mom and fight for a cure, then please let me know.

 

OH!  OH!  OH!  I almost forgot one more thing - if you want to support me but are not in the position to do so financially (which is TOTALLY understandable), there are two other ways you can help.

 

Donations of time are just as important as monetary contributions.  For example, one friend has pledged to donate a half hour to a local charity for every pound that I lose, and I am equally as ecstatic to rack up those half hours!

And, of course, you can help me spread the word about my project.  Although I had originally only counted on my friends and family to help me with this, thanks to you, I've come to realize that there are so many more countless kind hearts out there willing to get involved.  So, maybe you are unable to make a contribution to charity, but you might have two or five or ten friends who are.  So, if you know someone who might be willing to jump on the Chubby Chick's bandwagon, pass on the word!

As a little side challenge to myself, I'm curious to see if I can get this page up to 100 likes someday - just to increase the odds that I can keep getting such phenomenal support and donations.  :o)

 

Thank you all so very much, from the bottom of my oversized, overworked heart.

 

Much Love,

ChuChi