#she knew I’d be doing a hunger games marathon

[delicatefalice]

SAFE AND SOUND AND UNTOUCHABLE

[lucysometimeswrites]

Awards Season

sup! this is an idea i had that i just had to write. it’s more of the reader’s experience and her thought and her moment than tom, but i still hope you like it. feedback accepted and have a good day :)

Y/N is playing ciara bravo’s role in this, and yeah, enjoy! also lmk if u want a latina version of this or tom winning the award cuz i have it

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“And here to present the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role we have previous winner of the very same award: Anne Hathaway!” the host announced. Anne appeared from the left side of the stage, expertly walking and smiling towards the microphone while everyone clapped and cheered for her.

“Thank you! Thank you, you are too kind” she said cheekily, earning a laugh from the audience. “Tonight, we are honoured with the presence of many talented and passionate actresses, and by that I mean me, of course,” she continued, the audience loving her humour more and more. Anne started her small speech about the characters the actresses nominated in the category portrayed, commenting that I portrayed a troubled character who becomes a drug addict for love. I felt a warmth touch my hand, and I turned to Tom, who was sitting right beside me. He gave me a reassuring smile and squeezed my hand, knowing that I felt a little anxious about this award. It was my first Oscar nomination, and after working my ass off for Cherry where I co-starred with Tom, even I thought I deserved it. I didn’t care much about winning, though, because I felt I won the moment I got nominated. Yes, it is very cliche and almost everyone says that, but now I can see how true it is. This is probably the biggest moment of my career yet, and I was loving every second of it.

Tom and I stared at each other with a smile for a bit longer, until we heard Anne say, “Here are the nominees for Best Actress in a Supporting Role”:

“Emma Stone, Him and Her,” Ooo I loved that film.

“Anya-Taylor Joy - Emma,” Her range is insane.

“Y/N Y/L - Cherry,” I gave a big smile and a wave to the camera as it focused on me, simultaneously squeezing Tom’s hand again because he knew how the cameras made me a little awkward and uncomfortable. “You did great.”  he whispered in my ear, and I gave him a small smile back.

“Jennifer Lawrence - Don’t Look Up,” My literal idol.

“Taraji P. Henson - At 38th Street,” She’s so talented.

“And the Oscar goes to...”

Those five seconds she took to open the envelope were the shortest and longest of my life. I felt as if the world had stopped, along with my breathing, and Tom and I were squeezing each other’s hands to the point where I was sure we’d cut each others circulation off. I loved how excited and nervous he was for me, and he’d made sure to tell me plenty of times before the show that he’d be there for me whether I won or not and that we would celebrate until we couldn’t feel our feet anymore. He had been my literal rock through--

“Y/N Y/L, Cherry!” Anne exclaimed.

...What?!

I looked up astonished to Anne, and even mouthed Me? to her. She happily nodded, and that’s when it clicked that the entire theatre was clapping for me. Shock and confusion and amazement ran through me, making me lose sense as to what to do next. I slowly rose from my seat, looking around and my eyes landed on Tom, who sported the biggest smile ever and helped pull me up. We stood in front of each other for a millisecond before he engulfed me in a big, strong hug and I, still in shock, slowly put my arms around his neck and reciprocated the affection.

“You did it, darling! You did it!” he proudly said in my ear.

“I did it...I can’t believe I did it. I’m so freaking shocked and confused I don’t know what to do” I answered and pulled back to look at him. He cupped my face in his hands and pressed a big kiss on my forehead. “Go get your award!” he laughed, giving me small push as a start.

I laughed, still in disbelief, and looked around again, spotting the Russo’s who went to give me a big hug.

“You did it Y/N! You deserve this so much” they each said, and I whispered a Thank you back.

I finally turned back and slowly made my way up the stage, constantly looking towards the audience so that I could really take the moment in and never forget it. Turning to Anne, she held the Oscar in her hands and gave my a big smile, hugging me and saying, “Ugh you did amazing Y/N, you deserve this so much honey, congratulations!”

“Thank you so much, oh my gosh, you’ve literally been one of my idols ever since I was a kid.” I told her breathless.

“Aw you’re so sweet,” she laughed, “Go! You have about a minute to thank everyone.”

I went to the microphone and looked across the audience, spotting many celebrities who were still standing up and clapping for me, even when we hadn’t worked together. My eyes dashed to Tom, who was also wooing and cheering for me, and gave me a thumbs up, silently saying You got this, as had said to me many times before.

“Oh my God, I can’t believe it” I laughed in disbelief again, everyone still clapping for me. Soon, they settled and I continued “I can’t even-- let me catch my breath for second.” I stepped back a little and put my hands on my knees as if I’d just finished running a marathon, making the audience laugh a little.

I went back up, “You guys have absolutely no idea how much this means to me,” holding the Oscar a little higher, “I dreamt of this ever since I started to really get into acting and to actually have it in my hands is a dream come true. I wanna thank the Academy for this incredible honor. I honestly felt I won the moment I got nominated alongside these amazing and talented women,” I gestured to my fellow nominees who I could spot in the front rows. “When I say that you all deserve this award just as much as I do, I’m not kidding. Jennifer you have been such an icon to me ever since The Hunger Games and ohmygoshicantbelievethisisreal,” I quickly said with my hand near my mouth, earning a laugh from her and the audience, me joining them. “Emma and Anya your performances were ridiculously good and Taraji P. Henson I absolutely adore you.” They laughed once again, sending me kisses and smiles.

“A minute is not nearly enough to be able to thank everyone I wanna thank but I’ll do my best. Thank you to my amazing and incomparable directors Joe and Anthony Russo,” a wave of cheering ensued for them, “Thank you for trusting me with bringing this story to life, for guiding me along the way and never giving up on me even on the days when I was unbearable” I said with a small laugh. “Thank you to the screenwriters Angela and Jessica for writing this beautiful piece of work and to Nico Walker for telling his story and allowing us to bring it to the cinemas--cinemas? Wow, sorry I’ve been spending a lot of time with Tom so I’m starting to turn a little British” I chuckled and turned to look at him to find him laughing as well.

“Tom,” here it goes, “I have no words to express how grateful I am for you. You have been my rock and my best friend throughout this entire journey and for that I love you so much. Thanks for putting up with me and my craziness and sharing the good and bad days with me. There is no one I would rather have shared the screen with and I love you so so so much.” I said, from the bottom of my heart, and saw him tearing up while sending me a million kisses with his hands and mouthing I love you more. The audience awed and clapped once more.

“I also wanna thank Victoria- you beautiful woman- for taking me in and always believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself- aw you’re crying! Oop, sorry I’ll shut up, um-” I said as she waved her hand for me not to expose that she was crying, the theatre laughing at our banter, “Thank you Lizzie, Monica and all of my team, thank you to all of the cast and crew who made this happen.” I continued, moving to thank my family and more emotions hitting me like a truck again, feeling tears pool in my eyes. I shook my head and looked up so as to prevent them from falling.

“I- I’m not gonna cry, that’s stupid.” I said into the microphone but mostly to myself, everyone laughing and clapping once again in a comforting manner. “Sorry,” I laughed, “I’m gonna thank my family, but they unfortunately couldn’t make it here tonight so--” everyone awed in sadness, and I jokingly waved them off, “Oh shut up, whatever.” Another chorus of laughter, “I wanna thank my family all the way back home. You guys, you’re the best thing this life has given me and I’m eternally grateful for your support. Although, I did say that if I ever won an Oscar I wouldn’t thank you because you didn’t believe I could do this, l would not be able to forgive myself if I didn’t. Thank you for always being there for me and teaching me everything I know. For the unconditional love” my lip trembled, “and for showing me that you can do anything with hard work and passion. I love you--Please wrap up--sorry! Okay I’m going.” I nervously said. “I also wanna thank all of my friends for their support and finally I dedicate this award to all the girls out there with big dreams that scare you. Follow them, don’t let anyone stop you or tell you you’re not worthy because you sure as hell are destined for great things. Um, thank you so much!” I finished. The audience clapped and cheered and wooed once more and I gave them one final smile and amazed look, catching Tom’s eye and receiving a wink, then following Anne backstage where I would be taking pictures and answering questions.

I wonder how we’ll celebrate now that I’ve actually won...

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disclaimer: these are all fake names and fake movie titles i made up for the purpose of the fic

[gracewithducks]

Strange Traditions (A Christmas Eve Sermon)

There is a man in Ohio who creates artwork out of chewing gum; he shapes gum in tiny little sculptures… using nothing but his mouth.[1] There’s a couple in Tokyo who recently went viral for posting pictures of their cats, which isn’t too unusual, except that the cats are wearing hats – bunny ears and crowns, Viking helmets and wigs – all kinds of hats made from the hair those cats shed around the house.[2]

 And I’ve realized we all have weird things we do, things that make no sense, that others find strange or even a waste of time… but it brings us joy, so we do it, even if they don’t understand.

 Some of us dress up like Star Trek characters. Some of us study the Elvish language of the Lord of the Rings. Some of us love to bake cookies and cakes, even when everyone we know is on a diet. Some of us read the same books over and over again. Some people make works of art out of beach sand and sidewalk chalk, even knowing it’s all going to wash away. Some people train for marathons, or jump out of airplanes, or collect stamps or build ships in bottles.

 As for me, I knit stockings.

 On its surface, not that strange. It all started innocently enough: my grandmother always knit stockings for our whole family: generations of stockings, each one unique, each one knit with love. And we love those stockings. As a kid, opening our stockings on Christmas Day was almost more exciting than opening the presents under the tree. Under the tree you’d get the usual pajamas and socks and, if you’re really lucky, that one thing we’d hoped and wished for all year. But the stockings were a free-for-all of surprises: candies and hairbows, puzzles we didn’t know existed, books we didn’t know we wanted to read, games and puzzles and funny little toys that sometimes were more fun than the big ones under the tree.

 Stockings are an important part of our Christmas traditions. But when I was starting my own family, my grandma let me know that, because of the tremors in her hands, she couldn’t knit anymore. It was heartbreaking for her, but it was also nerve-wracking for me – because as the only other knitter in the family, the job of making stockings was handed down to me.

 And when I say that I knew how to knit, I mean that my grandma – the same grandma – had taught me how to knit a potholder when I was about twelve years old. I don’t think I even ever learned to purl, just to knit – straight knit – the end.

 But my grandma handed down her knitting needles and yarn, and I resolved to do the best I could.

 I started working on my daughter’s stocking, the first stocking I’d ever made. And because I wasn’t so smart, I didn’t start working on the stocking until after she was born – which was about two months before her first Christmas. I still remember frantically knitting whenever anyone came to visit and offered to hold the baby; I remember wearing my daughter strapped in a Baby Bjorn and dancing around the living room, trying to keep her happy, while I knitted behind her back.

 Somehow, I finished that stocking. And the even bigger wonder is that it actually looks like it belongs. It’s not perfect, but none of them are; they’re all made with love anyway.

 When my husband and I found out we were expecting again, I knew I needed to plan another stocking. But because I’d only made one stocking before, I wanted to practice, to try following my notes and see if I could do it again. So I decided that, as a joke, I’d surprise my husband by making a stocking – not for a family member, but for Doctor Who. And if you don’t know who Doctor Who is, that’s okay; he’s a character in a British sci-fi show, and Doctor Who always has a Christmas special – a Christmas special which actually airs on the BBC on Christmas Day.

 Since the Doctor always shows up for Christmas, then, I decided to make him his own stocking, with a picture of his time machine on it. And from that one stocking, a new tradition was born.

 Yes, I made stockings for all of my children. But I’ve made many more than that. Every Christmas, I surprise my husband with another silly stocking for his collection, a stocking based on something he loves. We have Iron Man and Captain America; we have Harry Potter and Thing 1 from Doctor Seuss; we have a stocking for Despicable Me’s Gru, and for the Staypuft Marshmallow Man, and even Mickey Mouse.

 Along the stairway to our house is a wall of stockings. My husband isn’t surprised to get a new stocking each year; he looks forward to them – and that year’s design is always a secret – and I so much love the planning, creating, and surprising him.

 It’s a strange tradition, I know. Whenever I explain it, I always get some funny looks. People always want to know if I make my whole family new stockings every year (I don’t) or whether my husband gets presents in all those stockings – (he doesn’t).

 Even my own extended family is confused. Earlier this year, my brother was over to visit, and he gazed up at our stocking collection, looked at me, and said, “You know, there are – other ­– things you can make, right?”

 Of course I do. I make other things. I love making things. But I really, truly find joy and delight in making those novelty Christmas stockings – even if no one else gets it. I love our strange little tradition. It doesn’t have to make sense. It doesn’t have to follow the rules.

 Sometimes I imagine – and to be clear, this isn’t in the bible; it’s my own imagination – but sometimes I imagine that, when God was creating humans, when God had the idea to create these free but flawed beings who would live in God’s creation – I imagine an angel walking up, looking at what God was making, and saying, “Are you sure that’s what you want to make? It looks messy, and loud, and it’s probably just going to break all your stuff.”

 And when God nods, and the angel wrinkles his nose and says, “You know – there are other things you can make, right?”

 And God’s like, “I know. I’ve made other things. I enjoy making other things. But these are different; each one is different, unique, and I delight in planning and creating each one – and maybe they’re messy, and maybe it doesn’t make sense… but love doesn’t have to make sense.”

 And when God was planning to come down at Christmas, to get down and play with those unlikely and perplexing creations, to shrink to our size and play by our rules, so that we might see God’s love even more – when God said, “This is my idea: I’ll go down there as a baby” – I imagine that same angel wanders by and says, “Really? That’s your plan? Haven’t you learned anything?”

 And God says, “It doesn’t have to make sense. Love doesn’t make sense. But it brings me joy. And that’s enough.

 This is the lesson of Christmas: that God’s love for us doesn’t make sense – but God loves us anyway. God loves us too much to stay away, but God loves us enough to come down to our level, to squeeze infinity into an infant, to subject God’s self to cold, to poverty, to grief and hunger and pain – so that when we go through suffering, we know we are not alone.

 God loves us enough to do the unusual, the bizarre, the impossible: to come and be with us.

 And it doesn’t make sense. But some of the most important things we do in life don’t make any kind of sense: like telling your family to split the last pieces of pie when there isn’t enough to go around, and you tell them you didn’t feel like pie tonight anyway; or a grown adult getting down on the floor to play Legos or Barbies, or folding yourself down to fit on a playground slide; it’s driving for hours just so you can have dinner with your family, or giving a few dollars to the stranger at the side of the road, or inviting a stray animal to share your home and be your family; it’s sitting with someone who’s sick, even if they don’t know you’re there; telling your mother-in-law the biscuits really don’t taste burned at all, or going to your friend’s favorite restaurant even if you don’t like it. It’s buying coffee for a stranger; it's practicing for hours to bring music to worship, even knowing the beauty is fleeting – just a few moments and it’s over and gone; it’s gathering to worship a God we can’t see, celebrating a baby king sleeping on the hay, lighting candles and singing about heavenly peace on an earth that’s far from any kind of peace at all.

 There are things we do that make no sense, and we wonder how much they matter – but they’re done from love, so maybe those things that don’t make sense are the ones that matter the most of all.

 Love that doesn’t make sense – and love is what Christmas is all about.

 This so familiar story of Christmas, this story which makes us comfortable and nostalgic on nights like this – this story is in fact a strange tradition: a tradition of looking for God in the cold, the hungry, and the helpless, in the most unlikely corners of a dangerous and perplexing world.

 May the God who delights in you, may the God who loves you enough to be born in Bethlehem – may that God bless you, and may you know that you are loved. And may you too love even when it doesn’t make sense, seeing beauty where others see nonsense, bringing peace into the most unlikely places of all. May we all hold onto this strange tradition of generous, extravagant, beautiful, unlikely love.

  God of strange traditions, God of risk-taking and self-sacrificing love: we are so thankful for the tradition, the story, the truth that brings us here tonight. We are grateful that you loved us into creation, even when it didn’t make sense; we are thankful that, when we were lost and cold and alone, you came to meet us right where we are. Meet us here tonight. In Jesus’ name we pray; amen.

[1] https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/annual-2012-gum/

[2] https://mymodernmet.com/hair-cat-hats-ryo-yamazaki/

[thirteen-beaxhes]

Our Last Words - Chapter 3

Summary:  In a universe where the last words your soulmate speaks to you are printed, Cyrus Goodman wants nothing more than to never meet them. And he definitely doesn’t want it to be the blonde-haired boy in his class.

ALL LINKS IN REBLOG

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Love - Lana del Rey

“I’ll get it!” Cyrus yelled as he ran down the stairs to open the door.

“You came!” he said in excitement, seeing Andi and Buffy armed with popcorn and cold drinks.

“You’re talking as if we haven’t been here since literally yesterday and all we did was go to Andi’s to get popcorn,” Buffy said, laughing at Cyrus’ enthusiasm.

“But it felt like forever,” Cyrus whined jokingly, grabbing the drinks from Andi’s hands, leaving Buffy with the three bags of popcorn.

“Um, hello?! A little help here?”

“Why Buffy? Can’t carry it yourself?” Andi teased, challenging Buffy.

Unable to back down from a challenge, Buffy simply huffed and manoeuvred her way to the kitchen.

“So, who else is coming, Cy?” Buffy asked, setting down the popcorn.

“So Jonah and Libby should be here in about 10 minutes. And Amber said she’ll be coming soon.”

“Amber’s coming?” Andi said, looking up from her phone, in a voice feigning disinterest. She was failing miserably at that.

“Ooh, Amber huh?” Buffy said, bumping her shoulder into Andi’s, clearly enjoying the way the blush was creeping across her cheeks.

“Who else is coming, Cyrus?” Andi asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation.

“Only TJ.” Now it was Cyrus’ turn to be slightly flustered.

The girls immediately went ‘Ooooohh’ and laughed at Cyrus’ face. He was more than happy to open the door to Jonah and Libby.

Within the next half an hour, Amber and TJ also joined them, both arrivals garnering a round of winking and eyebrow-wiggling directed at Andi and Cyrus respectively.

“So what do you guys want to do?” Cyrus asked, also signing his words.

“Dude, it’s your birthday. You should decide!” Jonah replied, with sounds of agreement from everyone.

“Movie marathon and pizza!”

His response was greeted with loud cheers from everyone in the room until Buffy groaned. “You better not put on some documentary about reptiles, Cyrus or else I’ll never talk to you ever again.”

“Hey, I like watching those documentaries with Cy!” TJ replied, to Cyrus’ surprise.

“Sure, it’s the documentaries you like watching,” Buffy muttered, still very much audible. A chorus of ‘Aww’s sent the two boys blushing like crazy.

“The ‘Mamma Mia!’ movies?” Amber suggested, after everyone in the room had calmed down a bit.

They all needed just one look at each other before Cyrus ran to the laptop and loaded up the first movie.

They spent the next 4 hours just dancing and singing along to the classics that were ‘Mamma Mia!’ and ‘Mamma Mia!: Here We Go Again’. Cyrus looked around, noticing Andi and Amber sticking close to each other the whole time, Amber occasionally pulling in Andi for a dance. He couldn’t help but smile at the pair. They really were oblivious to the other’s affections. Libby and Jonah just seemed happy in the moment, as Jonah constantly tried to twirl Libby, failing miserably nine times out of ten. Buffy danced along with Cyrus sometimes, occasionally bumping into Jonah and Andi, distracting them. Otherwise, she mostly danced alone, smiling. Cyrus felt kind of bad, knowing that she was wishing Marty were there. He really had tried calling him, but like they had realised. The universe just wouldn’t let the two meet after the words had been said.

The times when Cyrus wasn’t dancing with Buffy, he was with TJ. It was a surprise he was alive, to be honest. TJ’s hair was messy with all the dancing, and his face just had this smile of just pure, unadulterated joy. Cyrus wanted to look at his smile forever. That may be creepy, but he couldn’t care much at the moment.

“Hey,” TJ whispered, pulling him aside during one of the scenes. “I got you something for your birthday.”

“Teej, I told you that you didn’t have to…” Cyrus started saying before TJ cut him off.

“I wanted to, okay? Here,” he said, handing Cyrus a paper bag. In it was an adorable soft toy dog with a handmade tag saying ‘Underdog’. And there was also a chocolate chocolate chip muffin.

Cyrus looked up at TJ, and he swore that his heart had melted. Why did TJ Kippen have to be so sweet and sentimental and perfect?

“TJ, I love it! Thank you,” Cyrus exclaimed, hugging TJ tight, keenly aware of his heart going ba-boom ba-boom ba-boom at a million miles per hour.

“I knew you would,” TJ replied, holding him closer.

Cyrus could have stayed there for ages, but a crashing sound made the two jump apart, alerting them that maybe Jonah should not be left near some tables and couches.

*

“Man, I forgot how draining it is dancing for 4 hours,” Amber exclaimed, collapsing into the couch as the credits of the second movie began to roll. The others all followed suit, some falling on top of each other in the process.

“Why Ambs, not got the stamina?” Andi teased, earning a light punch in the shoulder from Amber. Neither meant it, indicated by the looks of utter fondness in their eyes.

“Now what?” Jonah asked, putting an arm around Libby.

“Well,” Buffy said, her voice implying she had a scheme. “We could watch a horror movie…”

“No!” Andi and Cyrus yelled in unison. They were not watching horror movies with Buffy. She always picked the scariest ones, the last one having left them sleepless for a whole month.

“Oh, don’t worry Underdog. I’d protect you from everything,” TJ said, pulling Cyrus to him by the shoulder. Cyrus tried to keep him cool and act normal, but who was he kidding? That was enough to make his heart go crazy.

“Fine, if you wanna suck the fun out of everything.”

“Well, it’s already 10 pm. So we have, what, 5 hours until all of us are asleep?” Andi said.

“We can watch the Hunger Games movies! They’re good, plus we’ve seen them so many times, we might as well watch it another time.” Buffy replied, everyone nodding in agreement.

“Great! I prepared just for this eventuality,” Cyrus said, leaving the room to his friends’ confusion. He returned bearing a huge pile of blankets and pillows.

“Okay guys, here are your options of comforters. Choose wisely, as we won’t be getting up for the next 5 years,” Cyrus announced to the cheers from the group. After everyone had taken their blankets, there was only one left, and TJ and Cyrus had not taken one yet.

“Looks like we’ll have to share,” said TJ, winking at Cyrus. Oh, he was not going to survive.

“Good luck getting any blanket to yourself, Kippen,” Cyrus said, in a mock-threatening tone.

“We’ll see about that, won’t we Goodman?” TJ replied, his voice dropping low.

Cyrus simply rolled his eyes and sat on the couch, keeping a safe distance between him and TJ.

Oh please. What’s the worst that could happen?

*

It was only halfway through the 3rd movie that TJ noticed that Cyrus had fallen asleep on him, his arm snaked around TJ’s waist. Andi and Amber had fallen asleep, cuddling close. Libby and Jonah were signing and texting to each other. And Buffy was munching on popcorn and hugging her blanket, her concentration solely focused on the movie.

In this quiet moment, TJ snuck a glance at the sleeping boy using him as a pillow. The sight of Cyrus’ calm and peaceful face sent TJ’s heart into a frenzy. He tried to move Cyrus onto the pillow, but if he shifted even an inch, Cyrus just held on tighter. Cyrus looked adorable asleep (well, he looked adorable always, but especially when asleep) and TJ’s massive crush on Cyrus did not help him in the slightest.

After some time, of TJ trying to move Cyrus to no success, he just put his arm around him and continued watching. Eventually, the movie sounds became a lullaby, and the warmth coming from Cyrus holding onto him made TJ incredibly comfortable. Laying his head on top of Cyrus’, he soon fell asleep.

*

Cyrus woke up, slightly disoriented, as he noticed that the movies had stopped playing. He must have fallen asleep while still watching the 3rd one, he realised. He also realised, to his slight horror, that he was clinging onto TJ, who also had his arm around him and was resting his head on Cyrus’. He started, and before he could try and control himself, he felt TJ stir awake.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” Cyrus whispered, trying to detach himself from TJ in the process.

“No no, it’s okay,” TJ replied, pulling Cyrus closer. “I don’t mind.”

“What time is it?”

“I don’t know,” TJ said, laughing softly. “My phone’s on the floor, probably out of charge.”

Cyrus lay his head on TJ’s shoulder, calming down a bit after the initial shock of waking up cuddling TJ Kippen. “What time do you think it is?” he whispered.

“Well, it’s still dark out, so like 4 I guess?”

Cyrus held TJ, the weird time somehow giving him a burst of courage? Confidence? Stupidity? Whatever it was, it was there. They lay quiet for a while, the only sound they could hear was each other’s breathing. Against his better judgement, Cyrus whispered, “I’m scared.”

TJ straightened up a bit. “About what, Cy?”

“Soulmates.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to meet a person who I think is the one, and when I find out they are, it’s too late.”

“Yeah, I understand. It doesn’t make any sense. Why would you make a person perfect for you, then not have you know until after you’ve lost them forever?”

There was a pause, when TJ asked, “Is there any person you wish is your soulmate?”

Cyrus sighed. “More like the opposite. There is a person who I wish isn’t my soulmate.”

“Oh?” TJ said, his smile coming through his voice. “Do I know them?”

Cyrus looked up at TJ, “Why should I tell you?”

“Come on, Underdog! You have to tell me.”

“Never in your wildest dreams.”

They laughed, but the realisation of the space between them, or lack of, hit them slowly. They were very much in each other’s personal space, but that didn’t matter to them, never had. Prompted by some unexplainable force Cyrus started leaning in ever so slowly and was surprised to see TJ do the same. His gaze flickered down to his lips and the distance between them was closing in and-

“Shoot!” Buffy whisper-screamed, as she fell off the couch. The sound sent TJ and Cyrus jumping apart. “Sorry!” she said, climbing back up.

“I’m just gonna sleep,” Cyrus said, not looking at TJ.

“Y-Yeah, me too,” TJ stammered back, moving to the other side of the couch.

They shared the blanket well enough, and Cyrus lay his head on the back of the couch, but he couldn’t sleep no matter how much he tried. He and TJ had been so close, and if Buffy hadn’t fallen then, who knows what would have happened?

No, he knew exactly what would have happened, and he didn’t know if he was more confused or scared.

*

The next morning, as the group packed up their things and left the Goodman residence, Cyrus still didn’t know what to say to TJ.

“Thanks for coming, Teej,” he said, setting for a simple one.

“No problem, Underdog. I had fun,” TJ replied, his eyes attempting to avoid Cyrus’.

“I’ll see you in school then?”

TJ nodded and walked away as Cyrus went into his house. He turned around and looked at TJ one last time, still confused about the events of the previous night. Shaking his head, he went back into his house.

A few moments later, TJ turned to look back at Cyrus just as he closed the door, emotions running fast through his mind.

~~~~~

Hey guys, hope you liked this chapter! I’m trying my hardest to keep a regular schedule so bear with me for a while!

If you want me to tag you when I post, please hmu!

[stallingdemons]

A/N : Been working on this for the last few days. A bit of a long one. Hope you enjoy :) <3 xx kay

[Y/N] knocked twice on the Parker’s door, backing up against the adjacent wall, she waited to be let in. [Y/N] knew that she was extremely early but also knew that Peter wouldn’t mind. Knowing them, it was probably a good thing that she had arrived a few hours earlier than they had originally planned because this science project was not going to get started until really late tonight if not at all. She could just tell. In all honesty, the two of them shouldn’t ever be allowed to be partners for anything school related. It always ended the same. The two would lounge around on his bed or in her basement, listening to music, exchanging their unrealistic life goals, eating enough Chinese takeout and pizza to end world hunger. And hours before the project was due, the two would scramble, stay up all night, trying to glue and cut their way into some bullshit work that always ended up in a B-. 

The door opened, revealing Aunt May smiling bright. “Hey, kiddo.” She moved aside, allowing the teenage girl she’s known for years into the apartment. Aunt May adored [Y/N] and there was a big part of her that hoped that Peter would see what kind of girl he had right in front of his eyes. Anytime she tried to mention the topic of whether or not Peter liked [Y/N] more than just a friend, he’d freak out and change the subject, forcing May to drop it altogether until next time. 

“Hey, Aunt May.” [Y/N] said casually. She had been calling May, Aunt, for years now even though she wasn’t actually her aunt. It had began as an accident when Peter was helplessly trying to get her attention at a football game back in middle school. [Y/N] had climbed halfway up the fence and shouted Aunt May so loud that the entire game paused. And ever since then, it kind of stuck. 

Closing the door behind them, she moseyed on back to the kitchen where she was finishing up the dishes. “Planning on staying for dinner?” May asked, flickering a look towards the [hair color]. She had been prepping a slow cooker meal all morning. 

Grinning, she took a seat at the breakfast table, “Depends on what you made.” 

Chuckling, May shook her head and whipped a half wet towel in [Y/N]’s direction. “Have you ever turned down my cooking?” She placed a hand on her chest as if she was insulted and betrayed. “Have I ever cooked you a meal that was unsatisfactory.” 

Squealing loudly when the towel was inches from her shoulder, she laughed out. “You know I’ll always stay for dinner, Aunt May.” Resting her chin on her hand that lay flat on the table, she sighed. “Especially now more than ever.” 

May frowned, “Still that bad?” 

Groaning, she ran both hands through her hair. “Yes. I just wish they’d just agree on everything and get divorced already.” Her fingers toyed with the mess of pens that were no doubt from Peter’s backpack. “It’s frustrating and then when they do sit down and divvy things up, they fight over who’s going to take me.”

May kept her frown on her face. She hated that [Y/N] was in this kind of battle. Turning around, she popped open a container that had all sorts of baked treats inside. Sliding them over, she leaned against the counter. “Who would you choose?” 

“Neither.” [Y/N] said as she bit into an oatmeal raisin cookie. Groaning with her mouth full, she looked at May and half smiled. “How about I just move in with you and Peter.” 

May chuckled, “You know that door,” pointing towards the front door, “is always open to you, kiddo. Always.” Putting the lid back on the container, she firmly stated. “Always.” 

[Y/N] was about to respond with gratitude but was interrupted by Peter stumbling out of his bedroom. He wore a stupid, tired grin on his face while his hair looked like it had been through hell and back in his sleep

“Morning, sunshine.” [Y/N] spoke with humor in her words. Glancing down at her watch, she snickered. “It’s only half past noon.” 

Peter stretched, wincing slowly. “Had a long night.” Blinking rapidly, he tried to awaken himself. Yawning, he padded his way towards the fridge, pulling out the orange juice and graciously taking the cup Aunt May had handed him. “You’re here super early. I thought you were going to come around five?” 

“Parental probs.” She mumbled. 

Peter pulled the drink from his lips, reading her signs and nodded. Gulping down the rest of his Vitamin C, he set it down in the sink. “Let me change real quick and we can go down to Cee Cee’s Cafe and get a cinnamon roll. I’m starving and that’s all I’ve been craving.” 

[Y/N] could always count on Peter to get her mind off of things. One of the big reasons why she absolutely loved him. There was never a dull moment between the two and it was because of that reason that she forced herself to keep her true feelings dormant for fear of ruining the amazing connection the two of them have. Watching him scamper off into his bedroom, she flickered a look towards May. “What did I ever do to deserve Peter?” 

May smirked, “I don’t know but keep doing whatever you’re doing.” Walking past her, she planted a kiss on the side of her head. “You’re family, my family. I’d hate to lose you.” 

“Yeah! You could totally live with Aunt May and I.” Peter exclaimed as he shoved a forkful of cinnamon goodness into his mouth. 

Rolling her eyes, she smiled. “It was just a joke, Parker.” She stabbed her fork into her own cinnamon roll, too upset to actually eat it. It was getting hard living at her home. She’d stay up most nights listening to her parents yell and scream. And then return home after school to hear it all over again. It was exhausting and her only outlet was to be around Peter and Aunt May. 

Peter wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve. His eyes scanning over her face, it was rare to ever find [Y/N] this upset. She was the literal sun that brought light into his life. He loved [Y/N] for everything she was and it made him just as upset to see her normal exuberance was dimmed by things that shouldn’t deal with her. “Stay the night, tonight.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah,” Peter shrugged, “It’ll be just like back in the day. We’ll build a fort of blanket and pillows in my bed and watch movies all night. 

[Y/N]’s brow arched, “Peter we had those kind of sleepovers when were like five.” She shook her head in slight disbelief, “I don’t think Aunt May would appreciate us sleeping in the same bed.” 

Picking on his treat, he looked at [Y/N] with a straight face. “It’s no different than falling asleep together on the couch.” He recalled multiple events where the two of them had fallen asleep leaning against one another during the many movie marathons that would play. 

“It is.” She countered. “Because the couch is in the living room, a room that is open. A bed is normally in a bedroom, a room that is normally not open.” 

Peter scoffed, “You really think Aunt May would care? It’s not like we’d be doing anything but watch movies and stuff our faces with popcorn.” He picked up a chunk of the roll and dropped it in his mouth before he realized the alternatives that could happen if a boy and a girl were left alone in a room. “Right?” He asked with a tone that seemed uneasy. 

[Y/N] freaked out, “Oh, yeah, no, yeah, just...watching movies and eating popcorn. Definitely nothing else.” She could feel her cheeks turning red at the thought of kissing Peter. Stop. No. [Y/N] should not be thinking about her best friend like that. Pulling her eyes from his panicked expression, she focused her gaze on twirling her fork. “It’s fine, Peter. I’ll just throw in some headphones and fall asleep to Netflix or something.” 

Peter frowned, for once he had no idea what to say to her. The two of them had known each other since grade school. Becoming friends when a bully was making fun of her braided pigtails and little Peter decided to stick up for her. The two had been inseparable ever since, minus the time during eighth grade when she somehow blossomed into this incredibly gorgeous thing and everyone suddenly wanted to be her friend. Peter had fallen on the back burner while [Y/N] tried to juggle this newfound popularity. And even though it felt like Peter was never going to get his friend back, she surprised him and ditched them all to show up on his birthday with tickets to go see the Star Wars marathon at their local theater. From then on, [Y/N] declared that none of the friends she had made were ever going to be as important as him. 

She had been there for him through everything. [Y/N] was thoughtful in every way of his life. She always gave him space on the anniversary of his parents death but always being there at the same. And then when Uncle Ben died? She was just as heartbroken as the rest of them. [Y/N] had made a promise to Peter that no matter the circumstances, she’d never leave him because they’d grow old together and be in each other’s lives forever. Over the years and Aunt May’s persistence in wondering how Peter truly felt about [Y/N], he would love to admit his feelings to his best friend and believe it or not, he was finally going to bite the bullet and express everything he loved about her. Actually willing to let himself look like a complete and total idiot but that was before the whole spider thing happened. The one and only secret he kept from [Y/N], aside from his feelings. 

After what he experienced with Tony and Captain America and saw the actual risk of his life, he couldn’t tell [Y/N] how he felt. Because what if she did feel the same? Although, Peter would swear she didn’t because she was a pretty easy person to read. But what if she did and he got hurt or even worse, killed. He couldn’t bring that kind of pain to [Y/N] no matter how much he liked her. It wouldn’t be fair. And the only answer would be to suppress his feelings and cherish her as a friend. 

“Please?” 

[Y/N]’s head snapped up at the vulnerability in his voice. “Why?” She asked, “I’ll be fine.” 

“No, no, you won’t.” Peter firmly responded. He pushed his empty plate away from him. “We’ll go to the Ed’s Movies and rent a whole bunch of shitty movies and watch them all day. Aunt May’s not going to care, I promise.” 

“We have a science project we need to start.” She simply said, ignoring his offer. [Y/N] would love to spend all night watching horrible movies with Peter but she couldn’t juggle her feelings being that close to him all night and then eventually falling asleep in his bed with him. 

Waving his hand, he grinned. “Do we ever start it on time?” He stood up, throwing down some money on the table. “Come on, I’m not taking no for an answer.” He towered over her, holding out his hand for her to take. It wasn’t uncommon for Peter and [Y/N] to hold hands because it was only for a minute before they’d stop but this time it felt different holding his hand. Like he was actually holding hands for the intended purpose to feel close to someone rather than guiding them in and out of the busy New York streets. 

“So, you two are having a sleepover?” Aunt May questioned, her brow quirked as she watched her nephew organize the immense stack of films he had surrounding him. Leaning against the door frame, she crossed her arms against her chest. “Like when you guys were five?” 

“What is it with you two? Yes. A sleepover.” Peter looked up from his mess. “[Y/N]’s upset and when she’s upset, it makes me upset. I hate seeing her all sad because she’s never sad and when she’s sad, it makes me feel like I have to cheer her up. And that’s what I’m doing.” He fanned out his arms towards the movies. They ranged from outrageously awful to moderately enjoyable. 

Aunt May chuckled, moving from the door frame and into his room. She crouched down and picked up a movie she hadn’t seen in ages. Raising a brow, she bit her lip. “You do realize this is an awful movie, right?” 

Nodding feverishly, Peter grinned. “Yup. We’re going to watch horrible movies and point out everything that makes it a bad film.” 

“And that’s fun for you two?” She questioned with a not so amused look herself. 

“Do you know anything about us?” Peter asked with a tone that signaled he was insulted. “Of course this is fun.” Shuffling the movies back into a stack, he shrugged. “It’ll keep her mind off of her parents. And I think her staying the night here will actually let her sleep.” 

“She’s not sleeping?” 

“No.” Peter said softly. “I can tell.” Looking up at his Aunt May, he frowned. “She’s scary good at makeup-I should know, because I sort of let her, you know what, that doesn’t matter. But, she’s good at covering the dark circles under her eyes.” Pressing his hand to his head, he chewed on his lip. “[Y/N] basically runs on caffeine. She’s got a whole case of Red-bull and Monsters sitting in her locker. She thinks I don’t know about it but I’ve seen them.” 

Aunt May nodded, picking herself up from the ground, she clapped her hands. “Well, that trumps over what I was originally going to tell you.” 

“Wait, what?” 

Aunt May winced, “I was kind of coming in here to just warn you what happens when a girl and a boy are alone together in a room.”

It took a minute for Peter to get what his aunt was insinuating. His face twisted into horror, “Oh! Oh, god, no, no. Are you, were about to give me the sex talk?! [Y/N] and I are just friends. Strictly friends. Nothing more. Just a girl and a guy that are friends. Nothing will be happening.” 

“I’m just saying, Peter. I don’t mind that [Y/N] stays the night...in your bed but please let’s keep hands to ourselves.” 

“Aunt May!” Peter cried out in embarrassment. As if he hadn’t already tried to push the idea of the possibility of what could happen if Peter were to admit his feelings. “I don’t even think [Y/N] is interested and that would be extremely awkward if I were to and she didn’t feel the same way.” 

“Aha!” Aunt May shrieked happily, pointing a finger, she clapped again. “You do like her!” 

Peter’s face turned all different shades of pink and red. “Wha-what, n-no. I ne-never said that! No. I, no.” 

“It’s okay,” Aunt May turned her head to hear the front door opening, whispering, she smirked. “your secret is safe with me.” Winking, she went to turn to greet [Y/N] but not before mouthing the words, hands to yourself!

“Hey Aunt May.” [Y/N] cheerfully. She was actually looking forward to staying the night with Peter. It was definitely going to do its job in making her forget her home life for the time being. Walking past May and noticing her awfully smug grin, she walked into Peter’s room and closed the door. “What’s with her and-why is your face so red?!” [Y/N] dropped her bag of clothes and various snacks she had picked up at the Bodega across the street. “Are you feeling okay?” Her hands rushed to his face, inspecting him and feeling his forehead. 

Pawing her hands away, Peter mumbled. “No, I’m fine. I’m just, Aunt May embarrassed me.” 

Pulling away, she inquired, “How?” 

Grabbing the first movie off the stack, he popped it into the DVD player. “Nothing, it was just something about when I was younger or something. I forgot now.” Standing up straight, he threw off his hoodie leaving him in just a tshirt and checkered pajama bottoms. “Change into your sleeping clothes and let’s get this awful movie night started.” 

Nodding, [Y/N] grabbed her backpack and headed off into the corner and instructed him to turn around. She laughed as he rolled his eyes and dramatically turned around. Peter muttered under his breath about it being nothing different than seeing her in a bathing suit but who was he kidding? If he saw [Y/N] in just her bra and underwear, it would probably activate his hormones and make him incredibly horny like the rest of the guys he went to school with. [Y/N] was a babe, no one in his school could deny it. She wasn’t a terribly looking girl when they were younger but man, once eighth grade happened, it was like she had been dipped in the holy water of beauty. [Y/N] truly kept her word and dropped a lot of people that suddenly took an interest in her, only keeping the few that seemed actually genuine in their friendship.  

He sat on his computer chair and started to mess with the computer he was building, he had almost gotten it turned on when he noticed that the reflection of his monitor allowed him complete, unblocked visual of [Y/N] unbuttoning her flannel. 

He swallowed hard as he tried to tear his eyes from the screen but it ended up to no avail as he watched her stand completely topless with the exception of her polka dotted bra on in his room. It wasn’t until she threw on an old shirt that could have easily been his was he able to look away. 

[Y/N] stuffed her jeans and flannel into her bag and bounced over towards Peter. She hugged him from behind, her arms wrapping comfortably around his neck. “Thanks for the sleepover, Parker. Your the best.” Pressing an innocent kiss on his cheek, she dragged him out of the computer chair and onto his bed that he had already made up with tons of blankets and pillows. 

Peter mumbled his welcome and crawled into his bed. It was a little awkward getting situated, he hadn’t quite thought out how the two of them would be laying but it eventually ended up in her snuggled up against his side. She had placed a pillow over his chest and rested her head against it, leaving him enough visual to watch the movie. Peter hesitated on putting his arm on her back, was that okay? Or was it crossing the line? It wasn’t until [Y/N] noticed his stiff upper body that she assured him that he could drape his arm over her if it was more comfortable. 

It had seemed like a successful night, [Y/N] seemed much happier from this morning. She was smiling, radiating her normal sunshine and laughing at his lame jokes that he always kept for days like these when she needed to laugh the most. The two of them had gotten through six movies, five bags of popcorn, two plates each of Aunt May’s dinner, three whole boxes of Reese Pieces, eleven danish treats, and five two liter bottles of soda. Needless to say, the two of them had passed out before they could finish their endless night of movies. Peter wasn’t sure who passed out first but he was glad that [Y/N] was finally getting sleep. 

Peter was also glad that the City seemed quiet throughout the night. As much as he wanted to head Tony’s words on staying away from the trouble, he felt like he had a job to do. And even though making [Y/N] happy was an important job for him to do too, he needed to be out there as well. 

It was reaching a little past three in the morning when his phone buzzed underneath him. Gently scrambling to get his phone before it woke up [Y/N]. He blinked a few times, finally reading that there was a bank robbery in progress just a few blocks down. Setting the phone down on his upper chest, he contemplated his situation. He could easily stay, let the police handle the robbery and take advantage of the act that [Y/N] was sleeping soundly with her head nuzzled into the crook of his neck with her arm draped over his torso without a pillow in between them or get out of bed and stop a bank from having thousands of dollars stolen that he was pretty sure his Aunt May banked at. 

Peter toyed with his ultimatum for what seemed like hours but really only a few minutes had passed by. Deciding that he could always come back and enjoy her closeness later, he slipped slowly and carefully out of bed. He was getting a hang of his new skills and figured that it would only take a little less than an hour and he’d be right back in bed. Silently slipping on his Spider suit, he glanced over at [Y/N] who looked absolutely beautiful. Biting his lip, he inched towards her. 

To ease his guilt, he told himself that he couldn’t let this City ruin [Y/N]. Meaning, he wasn’t going to let what happened to Uncle Ben happen to her. And in this city now, anything was possible and anything could happen to absolutely anyone. He stroked her hair before sprinting towards his window and jumping out the fire escape.

Like he had planned, it had only taken a little over half and hour. He had them all webbed up and hung upside down all ready for the cops. Peter felt pretty proud of himself, despite the backlash he’d receive from Tony. Smiling, he climbed into his opened window. Taking off his mask and slinging it somewhere, where [Y/N] wouldn’t find it, he strutted around in his room trying to find the clothes he had originally been in so she wouldn’t ask questions in the morning. 

“Peter?” [Y/N] whispered with a terrified tone.

He froze, turning on his heel and finding [Y/N] sitting with her back against the wall and her knees to her chest with a fear stricken expression. Shit. “[Y/N]!”

“You, your,” her voice trailed as she scanned over his body dressed in the notorious Spider Man suit. “I think I should go.” [Y/N] slowly but surely started to climb over the mountain of blanket and pillows. Losing her footing, she squealed softly and embraced herself to hit his floor covered in computer pieces and junk. But instead of feeling pricks of metal, she felt a pair of strong arms holding up from falling. She made eye contact with Peter, frowning slightly at his panicked look. Realizing again, that her best friend was Spider Man, she freaked and pawed him away from her. 

Stepping down off the bed, she ran her hands through her hair. Inhaling sharply as she tried to gather her things. “I, I have to go.” 

“[Y/N],” Peter begged, “Let me explain.” 

Feeling like she should allow Peter to explain himself. She set down her things and turned slowly to look at him. All she wanted to do was run out of the apartment and scream but Peter’s her best friend. She owed him after the night he tried to give her a chance. Nodding, she tucked her hair behind her ears. “Oh, okay. Explain.” 

Peter had only gotten about five minutes into his story before [Y/N] had to stop him. Wincing and biting her lip, she sighed. “Okay, I’m adjusting to the fact that your Spider Man and everything but I can’t focus with you still wearing that.” [Y/N] pointed to his suit and gave him a small smile, “Please take it off-” Peter was already ahead of her before she could spit the words out. Her eyes widened as the suit slowly glided off his body. “Holy Mother of, Jesus!” [Y/N] gasped. Tearing her eyes away from his extremely toned body, she turned around and placed a hand on her forehead. Taking in a deep breath, she turned back around. “We’re going to get back to the fact that your toned as hell because I’ve known you literally my entire life and never once seen you pick up a freaking weight or actually run the mile when supposed to but put some clothes on and continue.”

Peter blushed as he scrambled to find some clothes. As he searched for his pajama bottoms, he couldn’t help but notice the look [Y/N] was giving him. It made him smile to think that maybe [Y/N] did like him.

I’m curious to know if any of you want me to continue this? I certainly would love to if you guys are interested in reading more. :) Let me know <3

[ceallaig1]

RULES : ANSWER all questions, ADD one question of your own and then TAG as many people as there are questions (most everyone I know has been tagged, so go ahead and play if you want!)

Tagged by @lakritzwolf

coke or pepsi? coke, caffiene free diet (yeah, I know what’s the point, but the amount I drink it needs to be diet) disney or dreamworks? both, both is good... coffee or tea? neither books or movies? Both is good. windows or mac? Windows dc or marvel? Marvel xbox or playstation? PC gamer, and only World of Warcraft night owl or early riser? generally early bird cards or chess? neither -- bored now... chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate! vans or converse? whatever my feet like better... star wars or star trek? Star Trek one episode per week or marathoning? Does one or two per night count as a marathon? gandalf or obi-wan? I wanna dropkick Gandalf into the next Age... heroes or villains? Depends on the character, john williams or hans zimmer? John Williams! disneyland/disney world or six flags? nope, just nope! forest or sea? Sea. flying or reading minds? Flying--I don’t want to know what most people are thinking. twin peaks or northern exposure? Northern Exposure harry potter or lord of the rings? I like large parts of both, and also hate large parts of both... cake or pie? Cake you are banished to a desert island, which benedict cumberbatch character would you choose to take with you? Smaug. We could fly home again.(I’m leaving this from lakritz’ post, it’s perfect!) train or cruise ship? Ship, but only if I have my dramamine brian cox or neil degrasse-tyson? talk about an apples and oranges choice...did they mean Brian May? Anyway, Dr. Neil all the way! wizard of oz or alice in wonderland? both of them are acid trips... fanfiction or fanart? BOTH IS GOOD the hunger games - books or movies? Fuck off. (once again, leaving lakritz’ answer, perfect!) be able to see the future or travel into the past? probably the past but only if I knew I could get back again.  Seeing the future has way too many pitfalls...though I wouldn’t mind knowing the lottery numbers... han solo or luke skywalker? HAN!!! lilacs or sunflowers? Lilacs spring or autumn? Spring is gorgeous, but there is something about autumn--it’s like Mother Nature knows she has to go to sleep for awhile, and is out to throw the biggest, best party of the year. campfire or fireplace? Fireplace, all warm and cozy french fries or onion rings? Onion rings in general, although seasoned fries are just to die for! truth or dare? Truth. winter or summer? Summer more than winter, but I’m not fond of extremes period. vampires or werewolves? Werewolves

red or blue? Red eyes or lips? eyes burgers or sandwiches? depends on my mood friends-to-lovers or enemies-to-lovers trope? friends to lovers FTW pizza or pasta? pizza,thick crust and lots of cheese! ancient rome or ancient greece? The Romans were very barbaric is a lot of ways to I have to go with Greece foxes or wolves? Wolves. mermaids or dragons? dragons kate bush or madonna? nope, just nope... the office or parks and recreation? I’ve been allergic to sitcoms since MASH and WKRP in Cincinatti went off the air... sci-fi or period drama?  Sci-Fi, though I do like a really well done period drama Fairytales or Mysteries? both--and then you get urban fantasy, which pretty much combines the two... Explore the oceans or space? As much as I like sci fi, space scares me abit, so I’d go with ocean. cats or dogs? Dogs,though I adore my cat BJ. Morning or evening? depends on the day Freckles or dimples? dimples Tattoos or piercings? honestly...neither, both involve needles... Strings or percussion? percussion!

snow or rain?

Everyone I know has been tagged,pretty much, so please feel free to play if you wish!

[mrmichaelchadler]

A Look Back at the 10th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival

HOLLYWOOD — Double anniversaries: This year’s TCM Film Festival marked two milestones, the 25th anniversary of the classic movie channel, which bowed on April 14, 1994, and the 10th anniversary of its namesake annual event.

In a movie landscape challenged by new platforms, industry consolidation and general entertainment overload, TCM remains a beacon for film buffs. “We’ve stayed true to our mission of showing films the way they’re meant to be seen, uncut and commercial free,” said Jennifer Dorian, TCM general manager. “That mission has not changed over 25 years. And when we started doing this festival, it made sense that it would be the context in which we started to bring people together and then showcase these films once again on these incredible screens in Hollywood.”

Held April 11-14 at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre complex, Egyptian Theatre, Cinerama Dome and the Roosevelt Hotel, the classic movie marathon featured more than a hundred films and events, with most programmed to reflect the festival’s main theme “Follow Your Heart: Love at the Movies.” That certainly was the case for the opening-night attraction “When Harry Met Sally …” (1989), with stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan and director Rob Reiner appearing at the TCL Chinese IMAX to celebrate the rom-com’s 30th anniversary. Though “Harry” might seem relatively new by TCM standards, “We had no idea back then if it would stand the test of time,” Crystal told the crowd. Reiner added, “You never know. You make a movie, and hopefully it turns out well, and hopefully others like it, too.”

Also in the opening-night audience was Ted Turner, the broadcast industry magnate whose purchase of the MGM film library in 1986 gave rise to TCM. Along with Turner, others receiving special tributes during the festival were casting director Juliet Taylor, producer Fred Roos, filmmaker Nora Ephron and film historian Kevin Brownlow. Fox Studios, founded in 1905, reincarnated as 20th Century Fox in 1935 and swallowed whole by Disney in 2019, also was feted, with screenings of landmark titles such as “Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans” (1927), “The Sound of Music” and perhaps the studio’s biggest all-time blockbuster and game-changer, “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope: Special Edition” (1977).

Adding star power were appearances by actors and filmmakers Diane Baker, Jacqueline Bisset, Ronee Blakley, John Carpenter, Keith Carradine, Frank Darabont, Dana Delany, Angie Dickinson, Louis Gossett Jr., Bill Hader, Barbara Rush, Kurt Russell and Alex Trebek. Also scheduled to appear but unable to attend were Norman Lear, Shirley MacLaine, Gena Rowlands and Lily Tomlin.

Among the restored titles receiving world premieres were “Do the Right Thing” (1989), “Escape from Alcatraz” (1979), “Holiday” (1938), “The Killers” (1964), “Kind Hearts and Coronets” (1949), “Merrily We Go to Hell” (1932), “Nashville” (1975) and “Winchester ’73” (1950, U.S. premiere showing). 

Though the festival’s tent-pole titles attracted overflow crowds, some of the greatest moments came courtesy of lesser-known films, such as the many pre-Code offerings, rediscoveries and special formats (including nitrate and Cinerama). Here are 10 for the 10th:

"Night World"

Eighty the hard way: Introducing the pre-Code drama “Night World” (1932), Susan Karloff noted that her father Boris “made a lot of films like this”—movies that weren’t prestige projects but were entertaining and well-made nonetheless. A year earlier, Karloff teamed with Mae Clarke for “Frankenstein,” his breakthrough movie, and they reunited for “Night World,” which also features Lew Ayres, George Raft and Hedda Hopper, before she reinvented herself as a professional gossip-monger. “’Frankenstein’ was his 81st film,” Susan Karloff said. ”Nobody saw the first 80.”

Ted Turner on the success of TCM: It comes down to one simple truth: “People like old stuff.” That’s how the founder of Turner Broadcasting, which begat Turner Classic Movies, explained the enduring popularity of the acclaimed cable channel. Now that he’s reached his golden years, the onetime Mouth of the South admitted that he has realized “I’m old, so people finally like me.”

The low-budget bang of the Bs: A turn-away crowd flocked to “Open Secret” (1948), a film noir tinged with social activism, and screened as one of the festival’s many “Discoveries.” Eddie Muller, “The Czar of Noir” and host of TCM’s “Noir Alley,” observed: “This is probably the biggest single crowd ever to see this movie, which is as B as B gets. If they spent more than $2,000 on this film, I’d be amazed.” Despite the movie’s modest origins, “Open Secret” bravely takes aim at nativism and prejudice in post-war America. “I’m very happy to present this movie,” Muller said. “It’s as down and dirty as it gets.”

"Santo vs. the Evil Brain"

Lucha libre, viva Mexico! The midnight screening of the cult/camp classic “Santo vs. the Evil Brain” quickly turned into spectacle as two fans in lucha libre garb swarmed the theater, tossing out treats and trinkets, including El Santo masks on sticks. A Mexican folk hero, El Santo was a luchador enmascarado (masked wrestler) and fighter for justice. As portrayed by actor Rodolfo Guzman Huerta, El Santo appeared in more than 50 films, including the first in the series, “Santo Contra el Cerebro del Mal” (1961, “Santo vs. the Evil Brain”). “It’s a miracle that we’re showing this film,” said archivist Viviana Garcia Besne, whose grandfather introduced El Santo to the screen. “The Mexican film industry is not supporting these movies, despite their popularity.” Her father found the original camera negative of “Santo vs. the Evil Brain,” “so with the centennial of El Santo [Guzman Huerta] in 2017, we thought we should restore his movies.” She implored the audience to revel in the film’s over-the-top spirit: “You must react or you’ll fall asleep.”

Remembering the King of the Cowboys: Through the ’20s, Tom Mix rode tall in the saddle and revolutionized the Western by focusing on action and performing his own stunts. A century later, however, he’s all but forgotten. Introducing a double feature of “The Great K&A Train Robbery” (1926) and “Outlaws of Red River” (1927) at the Legion Theatre, TCM senior programming director Scott McGee paid tribute to “the ultimate cowboy star” and mentioned that several of his younger TCM colleagues had never heard of Mix, once nicknamed “The Rent Man” by theater exhibitors. Most of Mix’s nearly 300 films (all but nine were silent) were lost in a 1937 studio fire, so those TCM youngsters could be forgiven for their ignorance.  

Shot on location in Colorado, “The Great K&A Train Robbery” proved that “the real natural wonder was Mix himself,” McGee said. “He was a bona-fide cowboy and horseman of the highest order.” Mix’s penchant for fancy duds emphasized that he was “all about the show and the flash. He knew that clothes do make the man.” MoMa curator Anne Morra added that even though “his clothes weren’t trail-worthy, he always gets the girl,” and pointed out that Mix’s trusty steed, Tony the Wonder Horse, outlived his master, who died in a car accident in 1940, by two years.

"It Happened Here"

Speaking truth to power: Accepting the second annual Robert Osborne Award, which honors individuals crucial in maintaining the legacy and preservation of classic films, historian, author and filmmaker Kevin Brownlow warned the crowd that he was going to go off-script. “Where’s release of ‘Hollywood’?” he said, referring to his influential documentary series about the silent-film era, shown on TV in 1980 but never released in a home-video format due to rights issues.

As part of the Brownlow tribute, TCM screened his own “It Happened Here,” which imagines what might have occurred if Germany had conquered Britain during World War II. At 15, Brownlow began making the docudrama with creative partner Andrew Mollo, and over eight years, the two attracted eventual assistance from directorial lions Tony Richardson and Stanley Kubrick. As “It Happened Here” began to roll at the Egyptian, and introductory credits about the movie’s restoration identified it as a 1965 release, Brownlow from his seat shouted out “1964!”

The patriarchy strikes back: Though she was the first female to receive the Directors Guild Fellowship Award and successfully helmed seven films from 1966 to 1974, writer/director/producer Stephanie Rothman found herself on the outs by the mid-’70s. Speaking before a midnight screening of her “Student Nurses” (1970), Rothman recalled that studio chiefs thought she was “too intellectual”—even though she specialized (by necessity) in exploitation fare. In the early ’80s, one exec finally brought her in for a meeting to discuss a project for a young male director about to make his first studio film. “It sounded just like my own ‘Velvet Vampire’ [1971],” Rothman said. “So I asked them, why not hire me? They didn’t.” The filmmaker and film in question turned out to be Tony Scott and the vampire-themed “The Hunger” (1983).

"The Killers"

Taking dead aim at the truth: Always the straight shooter, actress Angie Dickinson told it like it was in her introductory remarks before “The Killers” (1964), Don Siegel’s crime thriller, loosely based on the Ernest Hemingway short story. Shot in unusually vivid Eastman Color, it follows two hit men (Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager) trying figure out the score of their score. Neither of the male leads—John Cassavetes as the mark and Ronald Reagan as the mastermind—wanted to be in this movie, she recalled. In his last film before he launched his political career, Reagan made “The Killers” “just to get out of his contract.” And Cassavetes—“that is some Greek”—“was pretty quiet,” she said. “The film wasn’t his style but he needed the work,” she added, referring to the actor-director’s preference for his own indie, iconoclastic projects. Dickinson attributes the film’s success to Siegel (“an absolute doll—adorable!”) and Cassavetes (“he was so charismatic, he didn’t have to do anything on the screen”), and not so much to Reagan: “You could tell that he was kinda dying back there.”

As for why she didn’t become a bigger star, Dickinson said, “It didn’t happen. It takes a lot of luck, and I didn’t have the drive. The parts weren’t there. So I did ‘Police Woman’”—her hit ’70s series—“which was a grind and did me in.” At that point, TCM host Ben Mankiewicz reminded her that 100 episodes of “Police Woman” was nothing to sneeze at, and Dickinson quickly corrected him: “Actually, 91.” She laughed and added, “I am such a truth buff.”

The circle of life, Tinsel Town edition: Introducing the silent film “A Woman of Affairs” (1928), starring Greta Garbo and John Gilbert, which was screened with a full orchestra led by Carl Davis conducting his own score, at the historic Egyptian, film scholar Leonard Maltin acknowledged a stroke of serendipity: “We have one of those only in Hollywood moments tonight. Performing on the French horn in the orchestra is the great-great grandson of John Gilbert.”

The enduring legacy of Robert Osborne: Throughout the festival, many luminaries saluted the late figurehead of TCM. “Robert loved this festival,” said Kevin Brownlow. “He lobbied for it for years and basked in its success and its shared community.” Speaking ahead of “Magnificent Obsession” (1954), in which she co-starred opposite Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman, Barbara Rush recalled, “We grew up together in the business. It was Robert who really got TCM going,” she said, reflecting on Osborne’s own magnificent obsession. “He was like a very dear brother to me. Plus, he knew everything, especially about the movies.”

from All Content http://bit.ly/2PkpYgT

[paleogrrl73]

Sooooo, I had decided a few months back that I was going to give Keto a trial run.  I’d bought a few books, I’d done my homework, I picked a meal-plan that included a 3 week “keto-ish adjustment period” followed by a 3 week full blown keto meal plan with some intermittent fasting.  I did it for one week and for one reason or another, it just didn’t take.

Actually, I know exactly why it didn’t take.  I wasn’t all in.  Making a drastic change to your life-style and diet requires a mental commitment and if my head isn’t in the game 100%, I tend to go off-book after 8 – 11 days, and it just goes downhill from there.

I decided to give keto another try after I got back my from last vacation, that also corresponded with the beginning of my marathon training. However, I decided to wait until I was two weeks in to blog about it.  Once I get past the 8 to 11 day hump, I know I’m good and committed.

Before I start talking about how things are going, I think I should start with what a ketogenic diet is and why I decided to try it.  I’m not going to get into a big explanation on what it is – Google works just fine if you’re interested in the details.  Basically, you eat a diet of approximately 70 – 80% fat, 15 – 25% protein, and 5% carbs and after a few days, your body will go in ketosis.  This means that your body realizes that there aren’t enough carbs to burn as energy, so it starts burning stored fat to product ketones, which your body then uses for energy.

So, why Keto?  Well, I had two goals I wanted to achieve that were diet related.  I wanted to lose some weight and reduce my body fat.  I also really wanted to move away from using sugar carbs for fueling.  I had tried that briefly last season but ended up going back to Tailwind and Chia Gels.   A ketogenic diet seemed to work for both of those goals (at least according to what I read and researched.) . Plus, I really prefer a fattier diet.  I love pork and beef (and bacon.)  I love grass-fed butter.  I love sauces and dressings on food.  A high fat diet goes right along with how I like to eat.  Fun fact, I tried to do a raw, vegan cleanse once.  It lasted exactly 12 hours.  Eating that way just does NOT work for me.

The two books I’d purchased were the Keto Reset Diet from Mark Sisson and the 30 Day Ketogenic Cleanse from Maria Emmerich.

              I’d picked the Keto Reset because I’d read the Primal Blueprint and I also read Mark’s Daily Apple blog from time to time.  He’s an athlete that follows a paleo/primal diet and was familiar to me.  I think I’d bought the Maria Emmerich book based on recommendations from bloggers I follow, although I can’t honestly remember.  In both cases, I liked the idea of having a meal plan to follow.  I don’t mind counting macros, but since keto is so dependent on getting them right, I kind of wanted my meals laid out for me in the beginning.  Meal planning takes some time and thought and adding in macros definitely makes it more involved.  I figured I should try and make it easy on myself.

I ended up going with the 30 Day Ketogenic Cleanse, primarily because the initial plan had no dairy (I wanted to keep it paleo) and because the meal plans were built closer to my daily caloric intake of 1,400 calories.  The Keto Reset Diet’s meal plans had a much higher daily caloric amount and also included dairy.  I didn’t want to have to worry about making adjustments to offset that.  I’ll be blogging soon on my thoughts/opinions about the 30 Day Ketogenic Cleanse book, probably after I’m done with my initial 30 days.

It was important to me to stay Paleo while going Keto.  I buy organic when I can and always do for the dirty dozen, I take pains to buy pasture and grass-fed meat and dairy, I stay away from processed foods, artificial sugar and try to eat as much real food as possible.  I want to eat healthy and make sure I’m getting all the nutrients I need and not eating a bunch of crap.  I’ve seen some post of people’s keto meals that are certainly high fat, low carb but they make me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit because they have no nutritional value and are all made from processed, crappy food.  This post I read awhile back from from Dr. Anthony Gustin really sums it up well.  I wanted to keep the base of my paleo diet, just increase the amount of healthy fats I was consuming to replace some of my carb and protein content.

OK – so I’ve talked about WHAT keto is, WHY I wanted to do it, WHICH book I picked and HOW I wanted to approach it in terms of staying paleo.  I think I’m ready to talk about how things went.

The meal plan on the 30 Day Cleanse is comprised of two meals and a snack.  The intention is that you fast from after dinner for 12 – 18 hours and the have a “break the fast” meal.  You then have the snack and second meal as dinner.  I will get into intermittent fasting another time, but it was something that I was willing to try.

The one thing I didn’t love about Maria’s book was that there was an overwhelming number of things she suggested that you try that was beyond just food consumption and intermittent fasting.  You can’t eat less than three hours before bed, you can’t drink water a half hour before or after eating, you should try eating ice at night to cool your mitochondria, activate brown fat, start oil pulling….it actually put me off to the book initially because it was way too many rules to follow.  Debra doesn’t do so well with too many rules and feels strongly enough about it to talk in the third person when she encounters it.

I decided I would try the intermittent fasting, with an eating window of 12 PM – 7 PM.  I’d get through the morning with coffee, collagen or MCT oil.  That was just going to have to be good enough.  I’m not keto-adapted (my body isn’t trained to use stored fat for energy yet) and with the amount of working out I do in the mornings at times, I knew I’d likely need something to get me through until noon. I also decided to try to wait the three hours before going to bed after eating.  The rest of the suggested rules, I opted out.  I’m making enough changes for myself.  Plus the fact I have to give up wine for a month – I feel I’m giving PLENTY.

Day 1 was great!  I fasted until noonish – no problem.  The lunch meal was DELICIOUS. I did an Orangetheory workout in the afternoon and kicked ass.  I had two chicken wings and a burger topped with bone marrow, onions and mushrooms for dinner.  Just YUM.  How great is this keto stuff, right?  I did a book/real life comparison pic of my burger just for fun because it was sooo not even close.

On Day 2, my system had a minor revolt.  I don’t know exactly what it was, but I started a diarrheathon that was pretty unpleasant.  Maybe my body was reacting to the drastic fat content change?  I had read that this could be one of the side-effects and thankfully things calmed down after a day or so.

I was using SmackFat Keto test strips (you pee on them) to test for ketones.  While the test strips are known to sometimes be inaccurate, I wasn’t willing to spent a lot of money for the more reliable ones at this point that require you to stick your finger.  I was planning on following a plan to the letter, so I should go into ketosis without much issue.  On day three, I started to register ketones (small amounts) they increased gradually over the week and then plateaued at a moderate level.

The next few days were tough.  I would get headaches periodically and definitely felt run down.  I found that I was able to get through morning workouts (both runs and Orangetheory) while fasting but I felt like I was dragging.  That I couldn’t possibly run any faster, or dig deeper to put in more effort.

The meals on this plan are incredibly good, although the portions are smaller than I’m used to.  I guess it makes sense that since I’m eating higher fat, I don’t need to eat as much and I found this to be true a lot of the time.  But not all.  There were times that I would fast until after 12:00 after a hard workout and be absolutely fine.  Then there were times I’d skip fasting and eat in the morning and be hungry an hour after eating a meal of 3 eggs with roasted bone marrow (don’t even get me started on how good that is.) A few nights, I wasn’t hungry after my pre-dinner snack, so I skipped the second meal altogether.  Overall, I don’t really seem to have fallen into a predictable hunger/eating pattern yet over this first two weeks.

I’m dealing with it by listening to my body.  If I’m hungry and not to my eating window, I try to keep myself with coffee and MCT oil.  If it persists, I eat – regardless of the time.  If I’m not hungry, I don’t eat.  I take contingency snacks with me when I’m going to be out, when I go to work, or on longer runs.  I try to drink lots of water and I’m drinking herbal tea every damn night.

I’m starting to hate that damn tea.  I wish it was wine.

By the end of the first week, the physical symptoms had subsided.  The second week, I went a little of plan due to some personal preferences and a ruined Ropa Vieja that was supposed to be three of the meals.  I still kept with recipes from the detox cookbook, though.  Since I had to do some meal planning adjustments, I found that the easiest way was to enter in all my planned meals for the week ahead of time to see where my macros were – then I could add beverages, MCT oil, collagen powder, additional snacks as needed.

Week 2 was better.  While I still hit some low energy points, I did feel better and stronger during my workouts and the fasting was a little easier to take.  As I mentioned, I still wasn’t necessarily consistent as to when I would or wouldn’t get hungry.  I think it’s just going to take some time for my body to adjust, especially given my activity level right now.  My biggest encouragement was on Tuesday when I stepped on the scale.  To see everything going in the right direction was a HUGE boost for me.

By the end of Week 2, I was feeling more normal – but better “normal” than I’ve felt in awhile.  I’m feeling strong and healthy – better than I have in a long time.  Granted, I’m also exhausted from my workout schedule but I’m still able to roll with it as it gets tougher.

So, two weeks in and I’m feeling pretty positive about my decision to do this cleanse.  It definitely was a little jarring to up my fat consumption to 75%, but so far it seems to be working well in terms of how I’m feeling physically and reducing my overall mass.  And I got to be honest, the food on this plan has been AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME.

I’ve already droned on too long, so I’ll just leave you with some of my food pics.  I’ll be checking in next week and talk in more about exactly what I ate.  I’ve started to venture more and more off the food plan.

************

This was one of my absolute favorites.  I made in twice in two weeks.

Dinner: Chicken Avgolemono topped with fried chicken skins. It’s like this creamy (but no dairy) chicken, lemon goodness in a bowl. It was on the plan last week and I liked it so much I made it again. Served with asparagus topped with a not-so-soft-boiled egg and keto bread that I toasted in a pan with olive oil. YUM.

A post shared by Debra (@medalsandbacon) on Mar 1, 2018 at 4:28pm PST

One of my off book snacks – instead of lemon pepper wings, I just went for old fashioned buffalo wings.

Pre-dinner snack (amuse-bouche?) I used @tessemaes hot buffalo wing sauce which is hands down, one of the best wings you can buy (in my humble opinion.) I then drizzled a little @primalkitchenfoods Ranch on top and it was 👌!

A post shared by Debra (@medalsandbacon) on Mar 4, 2018 at 4:08pm PST

One of the fancier breakfasts, although I learned that making hollandaise without butter isn’t very good.

The hollandaise sauce I made was not very yummy, so I improvised on my Eggs Florentine with a dollop of guacamole instead. Honestly, this wasn’t my favorite breakfast off the plan this week, but in all fairness I don’t think I’ve ever ordered Eggs Florentine in my life. It’s not really my thing. Breakfast really needs bacon. Always. Still, it was pretty yummy – and did like the keto English muffin on the bottom.

A post shared by Debra (@medalsandbacon) on Feb 24, 2018 at 9:24am PST

Spicy Kimchi and Eggs – YUM!! (kimchi recipe was not in the Cleanse book)

So, I’d made some kimchi a few days ago and now it was time to try it out. In truth, I was a tad nervous to try it. I wasn’t sure if it would be good and I haven’t ever eaten plain kimchi before. I don’t know what it should taste like! 😂 So, I brought it over to @littlexln ‘s house and we had kimchi and eggs for breakfast. The verdict – DELISH!! And she told me it’s the best kimchi she’s ever had. Just call me the #kimchiqueen 👑

A post shared by Debra (@medalsandbacon) on Feb 23, 2018 at 9:59am PST

And my very, very, very favorite – Bacon and Eggs Ramen:

Bacon and egg ramen! This was kind of a pain in the butt to make, but it was goooood and spicy! Need to brown the pork belly a little more next time but it’s my first time making it. 🤷‍♀️ You don’t even want to see what a disaster my kitchen in right now, though.

A post shared by Debra (@medalsandbacon) on Feb 20, 2018 at 9:43am PST

    My Ketogenic Cleanse – Two Weeks In Sooooo, I had decided a few months back that I was going to give Keto a trial run. 

[joshuabradleyn]

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

That’s the text I received from a friend recently. She told me another friend asked — purely out of kindness and concern — if something terrible had happened because they noticed she had gained a decent amount of weight recently. This gain was after a check up where her doctor mentioned she needed to lose about 20 pounds. Eek!

This was the wake-up call she needed.

She was mortified, and while she knew things had gotten out of hand, the idea of trying to lose a total of 35 pounds seemed out of reach. A former Division I athlete, she couldn’t believe she was in this position at age 30.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

In college, I tore my ACL and meniscus. One surgery turned into two and a third all within a year. I gained at least 40 pounds in a few months. I’m 5-foot-6 and I weighed about 200 pounds (no, that wasn’t muscle weight). It was a tough moment. I can’t remember the exact number on the scale at the student health center that day. I knew it was a problem, and I didn’t feel together physically or emotionally.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

While that might not sound like a huge number, it was “crisis weight” for me. Pre-surgery I was active, working out daily and biking a ton, I weighed 150 pounds and thought I needed to lose 5 pounds (ha!) After surgery, my goal weight felt so far away — I would’ve been grateful to hit 160 — that my approach was, “what’s the point in trying?!”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.  

Getting out of that slump took years and a combination of logging my meals, making healthier choices, setting realistic goals, taking care of my body and upping my workout routine. I discovered I had more energy and felt better, which was empowering. Until I started feeling better, I didn’t realize I had forgotten what healthy felt like.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:  

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

You gained weight…it’s a bummer, but you can’t harp on it: move forward. Stop saying “tomorrow will be the day I start.” Once you start you are closer to finishing. Most people love that post workout high, but the toughest part is starting that workout. On days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just do a little cardio. I get on the elliptical and push myself to the 5-minute mark, and I know I’m halfway there. Since I’m already in the gym and sweaty, it’s easier to talk myself into 10 minutes of strength moves, too. Some days 20–30 minutes is enough.

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

It’s easy to feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed if you’ve gained or regained weight. Weight gain happens, so shift your focus from the past and set your sights on the concrete actions you can take to move forward.

So quit beating yourself up over that cup of ice cream you ate late last night, instead focus on what you are going to do tonight. Have a banana, greek yogurt or string cheese on hand just in case that nighttime hunger strikes again.

Make attainable goals and celebrate yourself when you’ve hit a them – strive for progress, not perfection. If you are struggling with intense feelings of shame and guilt this next tip might be especially helpful.

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, medical doctor or therapist, it can help to have someone holding you accountable. Depending on your situation, it can also help to sit down with a professional to unpack why you may have gained the weight in the first place and what you should be doing to make a change that sticks. If you have preexisting conditions, are trying to lose more than 100 pounds or have a BMI of 40 or greater, consulting a doctor ensures you are embarking on the plan that is best for your health.

For me, getting back on track after surgery required checking in with my physical therapist and surgeon about my game plan. It was important to learn what exercises were off limits for the moment and which I’d have to modify or avoid long term (I won’t be running any marathons or doing deep jump squats anytime soon and that’s ok).

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

It always helpful to plan out your meals when you first start to prevent you from falling back into old bad habits. Personally, I love to cook (plus, cooking at home saves money) and incorporate as many veggies as possible into every meal (even breakfast). If your schedule isn’t conducive to meal planning and getting groceries in advance, try a meal delivery service. My friend signed up for a paleo food delivery service to jumpstart her weight loss plan.

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Tell your family and friends you are working on your weight-loss goals. They may want to join you, and even do a challenge together. Your family can also create an environment that’s more hospitable to your goals by keeping junk food out of sight or better yet, not bringing into the home in the first place. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

Today, I weigh around 165 pounds, have a a decent amount of muscle and feel better than ever about where my body is and what it can accomplish! I’m happy at this weight, which is bizarre, because according to the charts, I’m overweight (with a BMI of 26.6), but weight and BMI can only tell you so much. So I’ve released the power that number held over me. It would be great to lose a couple pounds just to ensure the long-term health of my knee, but I’m no longer obsessing about the number, and I’m embracing myself as I am. My weight still fluctuates (I’ve gained and lost countless pounds), but I’m more focused on how I actually feel and how far I’ve come. I’ve even embraced the athlete moniker, which has made my workouts more effective.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

We all strive for wellness and to live better! Every month, this column will bring you advice on how to feel and perform Better Than Ever. Check out tips to improve various aspects of your health: everything from fitness, nutrition, sleep and recovery. Have a topic you want to hear about? Feel free to reach out here (I’ll be checking the comments!) or on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL

[ruthellisneda]

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

That’s the text I received from a friend recently. She told me another friend asked — purely out of kindness and concern — if something terrible had happened because they noticed she had gained a decent amount of weight recently. This gain was after a check up where her doctor mentioned she needed to lose about 20 pounds. Eek!

This was the wake-up call she needed.

She was mortified, and while she knew things had gotten out of hand, the idea of trying to lose a total of 35 pounds seemed out of reach. A former Division I athlete, she couldn’t believe she was in this position at age 30.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

In college, I tore my ACL and meniscus. One surgery turned into two and a third all within a year. I gained at least 40 pounds in a few months. I’m 5-foot-6 and I weighed about 200 pounds (no, that wasn’t muscle weight). It was a tough moment. I can’t remember the exact number on the scale at the student health center that day. I knew it was a problem, and I didn’t feel together physically or emotionally.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

While that might not sound like a huge number, it was “crisis weight” for me. Pre-surgery I was active, working out daily and biking a ton, I weighed 150 pounds and thought I needed to lose 5 pounds (ha!) After surgery, my goal weight felt so far away — I would’ve been grateful to hit 160 — that my approach was, “what’s the point in trying?!”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.  

Getting out of that slump took years and a combination of logging my meals, making healthier choices, setting realistic goals, taking care of my body and upping my workout routine. I discovered I had more energy and felt better, which was empowering. Until I started feeling better, I didn’t realize I had forgotten what healthy felt like.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:  

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

You gained weight…it’s a bummer, but you can’t harp on it: move forward. Stop saying “tomorrow will be the day I start.” Once you start you are closer to finishing. Most people love that post workout high, but the toughest part is starting that workout. On days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just do a little cardio. I get on the elliptical and push myself to the 5-minute mark, and I know I’m halfway there. Since I’m already in the gym and sweaty, it’s easier to talk myself into 10 minutes of strength moves, too. Some days 20–30 minutes is enough.

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

It’s easy to feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed if you’ve gained or regained weight. Weight gain happens, so shift your focus from the past and set your sights on the concrete actions you can take to move forward.

So quit beating yourself up over that cup of ice cream you ate late last night, instead focus on what you are going to do tonight. Have a banana, greek yogurt or string cheese on hand just in case that nighttime hunger strikes again.

Make attainable goals and celebrate yourself when you’ve hit a them – strive for progress, not perfection. If you are struggling with intense feelings of shame and guilt this next tip might be especially helpful.

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, medical doctor or therapist, it can help to have someone holding you accountable. Depending on your situation, it can also help to sit down with a professional to unpack why you may have gained the weight in the first place and what you should be doing to make a change that sticks. If you have preexisting conditions, are trying to lose more than 100 pounds or have a BMI of 40 or greater, consulting a doctor ensures you are embarking on the plan that is best for your health.

For me, getting back on track after surgery required checking in with my physical therapist and surgeon about my game plan. It was important to learn what exercises were off limits for the moment and which I’d have to modify or avoid long term (I won’t be running any marathons or doing deep jump squats anytime soon and that’s ok).

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

It always helpful to plan out your meals when you first start to prevent you from falling back into old bad habits. Personally, I love to cook (plus, cooking at home saves money) and incorporate as many veggies as possible into every meal (even breakfast). If your schedule isn’t conducive to meal planning and getting groceries in advance, try a meal delivery service. My friend signed up for a paleo food delivery service to jumpstart her weight loss plan.

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Tell your family and friends you are working on your weight-loss goals. They may want to join you, and even do a challenge together. Your family can also create an environment that’s more hospitable to your goals by keeping junk food out of sight or better yet, not bringing into the home in the first place. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

Today, I weigh around 165 pounds, have a a decent amount of muscle and feel better than ever about where my body is and what it can accomplish! I’m happy at this weight, which is bizarre, because according to the charts, I’m overweight (with a BMI of 26.6), but weight and BMI can only tell you so much. So I’ve released the power that number held over me. It would be great to lose a couple pounds just to ensure the long-term health of my knee, but I’m no longer obsessing about the number, and I’m embracing myself as I am. My weight still fluctuates (I’ve gained and lost countless pounds), but I’m more focused on how I actually feel and how far I’ve come. I’ve even embraced the athlete moniker, which has made my workouts more effective.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

We all strive for wellness and to live better! Every month, this column will bring you advice on how to feel and perform Better Than Ever. Check out tips to improve various aspects of your health: everything from fitness, nutrition, sleep and recovery. Have a topic you want to hear about? Feel free to reach out here (I’ll be checking the comments!) or on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL

[albertcaldwellne]

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

That’s the text I received from a friend recently. She told me another friend asked — purely out of kindness and concern — if something terrible had happened because they noticed she had gained a decent amount of weight recently. This gain was after a check up where her doctor mentioned she needed to lose about 20 pounds. Eek!

This was the wake-up call she needed.

She was mortified, and while she knew things had gotten out of hand, the idea of trying to lose a total of 35 pounds seemed out of reach. A former Division I athlete, she couldn’t believe she was in this position at age 30.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

In college, I tore my ACL and meniscus. One surgery turned into two and a third all within a year. I gained at least 40 pounds in a few months. I’m 5-foot-6 and I weighed about 200 pounds (no, that wasn’t muscle weight). It was a tough moment. I can’t remember the exact number on the scale at the student health center that day. I knew it was a problem, and I didn’t feel together physically or emotionally.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

While that might not sound like a huge number, it was “crisis weight” for me. Pre-surgery I was active, working out daily and biking a ton, I weighed 150 pounds and thought I needed to lose 5 pounds (ha!) After surgery, my goal weight felt so far away — I would’ve been grateful to hit 160 — that my approach was, “what’s the point in trying?!”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.  

Getting out of that slump took years and a combination of logging my meals, making healthier choices, setting realistic goals, taking care of my body and upping my workout routine. I discovered I had more energy and felt better, which was empowering. Until I started feeling better, I didn’t realize I had forgotten what healthy felt like.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:  

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

You gained weight…it’s a bummer, but you can’t harp on it: move forward. Stop saying “tomorrow will be the day I start.” Once you start you are closer to finishing. Most people love that post workout high, but the toughest part is starting that workout. On days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just do a little cardio. I get on the elliptical and push myself to the 5-minute mark, and I know I’m halfway there. Since I’m already in the gym and sweaty, it’s easier to talk myself into 10 minutes of strength moves, too. Some days 20–30 minutes is enough.

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

It’s easy to feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed if you’ve gained or regained weight. Weight gain happens, so shift your focus from the past and set your sights on the concrete actions you can take to move forward.

So quit beating yourself up over that cup of ice cream you ate late last night, instead focus on what you are going to do tonight. Have a banana, greek yogurt or string cheese on hand just in case that nighttime hunger strikes again.

Make attainable goals and celebrate yourself when you’ve hit a them – strive for progress, not perfection. If you are struggling with intense feelings of shame and guilt this next tip might be especially helpful.

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, medical doctor or therapist, it can help to have someone holding you accountable. Depending on your situation, it can also help to sit down with a professional to unpack why you may have gained the weight in the first place and what you should be doing to make a change that sticks. If you have preexisting conditions, are trying to lose more than 100 pounds or have a BMI of 40 or greater, consulting a doctor ensures you are embarking on the plan that is best for your health.

For me, getting back on track after surgery required checking in with my physical therapist and surgeon about my game plan. It was important to learn what exercises were off limits for the moment and which I’d have to modify or avoid long term (I won’t be running any marathons or doing deep jump squats anytime soon and that’s ok).

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

It always helpful to plan out your meals when you first start to prevent you from falling back into old bad habits. Personally, I love to cook (plus, cooking at home saves money) and incorporate as many veggies as possible into every meal (even breakfast). If your schedule isn’t conducive to meal planning and getting groceries in advance, try a meal delivery service. My friend signed up for a paleo food delivery service to jumpstart her weight loss plan.

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Tell your family and friends you are working on your weight-loss goals. They may want to join you, and even do a challenge together. Your family can also create an environment that’s more hospitable to your goals by keeping junk food out of sight or better yet, not bringing into the home in the first place. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

Today, I weigh around 165 pounds, have a a decent amount of muscle and feel better than ever about where my body is and what it can accomplish! I’m happy at this weight, which is bizarre, because according to the charts, I’m overweight (with a BMI of 26.6), but weight and BMI can only tell you so much. So I’ve released the power that number held over me. It would be great to lose a couple pounds just to ensure the long-term health of my knee, but I’m no longer obsessing about the number, and I’m embracing myself as I am. My weight still fluctuates (I’ve gained and lost countless pounds), but I’m more focused on how I actually feel and how far I’ve come. I’ve even embraced the athlete moniker, which has made my workouts more effective.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

We all strive for wellness and to live better! Every month, this column will bring you advice on how to feel and perform Better Than Ever. Check out tips to improve various aspects of your health: everything from fitness, nutrition, sleep and recovery. Have a topic you want to hear about? Feel free to reach out here (I’ll be checking the comments!) or on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL

[johnclapperne]

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

That’s the text I received from a friend recently. She told me another friend asked — purely out of kindness and concern — if something terrible had happened because they noticed she had gained a decent amount of weight recently. This gain was after a check up where her doctor mentioned she needed to lose about 20 pounds. Eek!

This was the wake-up call she needed.

She was mortified, and while she knew things had gotten out of hand, the idea of trying to lose a total of 35 pounds seemed out of reach. A former Division I athlete, she couldn’t believe she was in this position at age 30.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

In college, I tore my ACL and meniscus. One surgery turned into two and a third all within a year. I gained at least 40 pounds in a few months. I’m 5-foot-6 and I weighed about 200 pounds (no, that wasn’t muscle weight). It was a tough moment. I can’t remember the exact number on the scale at the student health center that day. I knew it was a problem, and I didn’t feel together physically or emotionally.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

While that might not sound like a huge number, it was “crisis weight” for me. Pre-surgery I was active, working out daily and biking a ton, I weighed 150 pounds and thought I needed to lose 5 pounds (ha!) After surgery, my goal weight felt so far away — I would’ve been grateful to hit 160 — that my approach was, “what’s the point in trying?!”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.  

Getting out of that slump took years and a combination of logging my meals, making healthier choices, setting realistic goals, taking care of my body and upping my workout routine. I discovered I had more energy and felt better, which was empowering. Until I started feeling better, I didn’t realize I had forgotten what healthy felt like.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:  

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

You gained weight…it’s a bummer, but you can’t harp on it: move forward. Stop saying “tomorrow will be the day I start.” Once you start you are closer to finishing. Most people love that post workout high, but the toughest part is starting that workout. On days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just do a little cardio. I get on the elliptical and push myself to the 5-minute mark, and I know I’m halfway there. Since I’m already in the gym and sweaty, it’s easier to talk myself into 10 minutes of strength moves, too. Some days 20–30 minutes is enough.

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

It’s easy to feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed if you’ve gained or regained weight. Weight gain happens, so shift your focus from the past and set your sights on the concrete actions you can take to move forward.

So quit beating yourself up over that cup of ice cream you ate late last night, instead focus on what you are going to do tonight. Have a banana, greek yogurt or string cheese on hand just in case that nighttime hunger strikes again.

Make attainable goals and celebrate yourself when you’ve hit a them – strive for progress, not perfection. If you are struggling with intense feelings of shame and guilt this next tip might be especially helpful.

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, medical doctor or therapist, it can help to have someone holding you accountable. Depending on your situation, it can also help to sit down with a professional to unpack why you may have gained the weight in the first place and what you should be doing to make a change that sticks. If you have preexisting conditions, are trying to lose more than 100 pounds or have a BMI of 40 or greater, consulting a doctor ensures you are embarking on the plan that is best for your health.

For me, getting back on track after surgery required checking in with my physical therapist and surgeon about my game plan. It was important to learn what exercises were off limits for the moment and which I’d have to modify or avoid long term (I won’t be running any marathons or doing deep jump squats anytime soon and that’s ok).

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

It always helpful to plan out your meals when you first start to prevent you from falling back into old bad habits. Personally, I love to cook (plus, cooking at home saves money) and incorporate as many veggies as possible into every meal (even breakfast). If your schedule isn’t conducive to meal planning and getting groceries in advance, try a meal delivery service. My friend signed up for a paleo food delivery service to jumpstart her weight loss plan.

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Tell your family and friends you are working on your weight-loss goals. They may want to join you, and even do a challenge together. Your family can also create an environment that’s more hospitable to your goals by keeping junk food out of sight or better yet, not bringing into the home in the first place. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

Today, I weigh around 165 pounds, have a a decent amount of muscle and feel better than ever about where my body is and what it can accomplish! I’m happy at this weight, which is bizarre, because according to the charts, I’m overweight (with a BMI of 26.6), but weight and BMI can only tell you so much. So I’ve released the power that number held over me. It would be great to lose a couple pounds just to ensure the long-term health of my knee, but I’m no longer obsessing about the number, and I’m embracing myself as I am. My weight still fluctuates (I’ve gained and lost countless pounds), but I’m more focused on how I actually feel and how far I’ve come. I’ve even embraced the athlete moniker, which has made my workouts more effective.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

We all strive for wellness and to live better! Every month, this column will bring you advice on how to feel and perform Better Than Ever. Check out tips to improve various aspects of your health: everything from fitness, nutrition, sleep and recovery. Have a topic you want to hear about? Feel free to reach out here (I’ll be checking the comments!) or on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL

[neilmillerne]

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

That’s the text I received from a friend recently. She told me another friend asked — purely out of kindness and concern — if something terrible had happened because they noticed she had gained a decent amount of weight recently. This gain was after a check up where her doctor mentioned she needed to lose about 20 pounds. Eek!

This was the wake-up call she needed.

She was mortified, and while she knew things had gotten out of hand, the idea of trying to lose a total of 35 pounds seemed out of reach. A former Division I athlete, she couldn’t believe she was in this position at age 30.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

In college, I tore my ACL and meniscus. One surgery turned into two and a third all within a year. I gained at least 40 pounds in a few months. I’m 5-foot-6 and I weighed about 200 pounds (no, that wasn’t muscle weight). It was a tough moment. I can’t remember the exact number on the scale at the student health center that day. I knew it was a problem, and I didn’t feel together physically or emotionally.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

While that might not sound like a huge number, it was “crisis weight” for me. Pre-surgery I was active, working out daily and biking a ton, I weighed 150 pounds and thought I needed to lose 5 pounds (ha!) After surgery, my goal weight felt so far away — I would’ve been grateful to hit 160 — that my approach was, “what’s the point in trying?!”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.  

Getting out of that slump took years and a combination of logging my meals, making healthier choices, setting realistic goals, taking care of my body and upping my workout routine. I discovered I had more energy and felt better, which was empowering. Until I started feeling better, I didn’t realize I had forgotten what healthy felt like.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:  

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

You gained weight…it’s a bummer, but you can’t harp on it: move forward. Stop saying “tomorrow will be the day I start.” Once you start you are closer to finishing. Most people love that post workout high, but the toughest part is starting that workout. On days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just do a little cardio. I get on the elliptical and push myself to the 5-minute mark, and I know I’m halfway there. Since I’m already in the gym and sweaty, it’s easier to talk myself into 10 minutes of strength moves, too. Some days 20–30 minutes is enough.

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

It’s easy to feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed if you’ve gained or regained weight. Weight gain happens, so shift your focus from the past and set your sights on the concrete actions you can take to move forward.

So quit beating yourself up over that cup of ice cream you ate late last night, instead focus on what you are going to do tonight. Have a banana, greek yogurt or string cheese on hand just in case that nighttime hunger strikes again.

Make attainable goals and celebrate yourself when you’ve hit a them – strive for progress, not perfection. If you are struggling with intense feelings of shame and guilt this next tip might be especially helpful.

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, medical doctor or therapist, it can help to have someone holding you accountable. Depending on your situation, it can also help to sit down with a professional to unpack why you may have gained the weight in the first place and what you should be doing to make a change that sticks. If you have preexisting conditions, are trying to lose more than 100 pounds or have a BMI of 40 or greater, consulting a doctor ensures you are embarking on the plan that is best for your health.

For me, getting back on track after surgery required checking in with my physical therapist and surgeon about my game plan. It was important to learn what exercises were off limits for the moment and which I’d have to modify or avoid long term (I won’t be running any marathons or doing deep jump squats anytime soon and that’s ok).

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

It always helpful to plan out your meals when you first start to prevent you from falling back into old bad habits. Personally, I love to cook (plus, cooking at home saves money) and incorporate as many veggies as possible into every meal (even breakfast). If your schedule isn’t conducive to meal planning and getting groceries in advance, try a meal delivery service. My friend signed up for a paleo food delivery service to jumpstart her weight loss plan.

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Tell your family and friends you are working on your weight-loss goals. They may want to join you, and even do a challenge together. Your family can also create an environment that’s more hospitable to your goals by keeping junk food out of sight or better yet, not bringing into the home in the first place. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

Today, I weigh around 165 pounds, have a a decent amount of muscle and feel better than ever about where my body is and what it can accomplish! I’m happy at this weight, which is bizarre, because according to the charts, I’m overweight (with a BMI of 26.6), but weight and BMI can only tell you so much. So I’ve released the power that number held over me. It would be great to lose a couple pounds just to ensure the long-term health of my knee, but I’m no longer obsessing about the number, and I’m embracing myself as I am. My weight still fluctuates (I’ve gained and lost countless pounds), but I’m more focused on how I actually feel and how far I’ve come. I’ve even embraced the athlete moniker, which has made my workouts more effective.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

We all strive for wellness and to live better! Every month, this column will bring you advice on how to feel and perform Better Than Ever. Check out tips to improve various aspects of your health: everything from fitness, nutrition, sleep and recovery. Have a topic you want to hear about? Feel free to reach out here (I’ll be checking the comments!) or on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL

[almajonesnjna]

Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track

“I’ve gained 15lbs and I CAN’T stop eating!”

That’s the text I received from a friend recently. She told me another friend asked — purely out of kindness and concern — if something terrible had happened because they noticed she had gained a decent amount of weight recently. This gain was after a check up where her doctor mentioned she needed to lose about 20 pounds. Eek!

This was the wake-up call she needed.

She was mortified, and while she knew things had gotten out of hand, the idea of trying to lose a total of 35 pounds seemed out of reach. A former Division I athlete, she couldn’t believe she was in this position at age 30.

I knew how she felt; I’ve been there (a few times)…well not the DI athlete part.

In college, I tore my ACL and meniscus. One surgery turned into two and a third all within a year. I gained at least 40 pounds in a few months. I’m 5-foot-6 and I weighed about 200 pounds (no, that wasn’t muscle weight). It was a tough moment. I can’t remember the exact number on the scale at the student health center that day. I knew it was a problem, and I didn’t feel together physically or emotionally.

“I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class.”

While that might not sound like a huge number, it was “crisis weight” for me. Pre-surgery I was active, working out daily and biking a ton, I weighed 150 pounds and thought I needed to lose 5 pounds (ha!) After surgery, my goal weight felt so far away — I would’ve been grateful to hit 160 — that my approach was, “what’s the point in trying?!”

I felt hopeless. I gave up. I took a golf cart just to get to class. I didn’t do any cardio. I hit up In N Out and then went directly to Krispy Kreme to top it off. I was eating my emotions.

I say this to illustrate that I know firsthand how weight can spiral. Quickly.  

Getting out of that slump took years and a combination of logging my meals, making healthier choices, setting realistic goals, taking care of my body and upping my workout routine. I discovered I had more energy and felt better, which was empowering. Until I started feeling better, I didn’t realize I had forgotten what healthy felt like.

OK, back to my friend. I listened to her worries. She vented. We laughed. We came close to tears. Then we started troubleshooting.

Whether you are starting your weight loss journey, finding yourself in the middle of the struggle or working on maintenance, here are tips to keep you on track:  

1. START NOW AND START SMALL

You gained weight…it’s a bummer, but you can’t harp on it: move forward. Stop saying “tomorrow will be the day I start.” Once you start you are closer to finishing. Most people love that post workout high, but the toughest part is starting that workout. On days I don’t want to work out, I tell myself to just do a little cardio. I get on the elliptical and push myself to the 5-minute mark, and I know I’m halfway there. Since I’m already in the gym and sweaty, it’s easier to talk myself into 10 minutes of strength moves, too. Some days 20–30 minutes is enough.

Apply the same philosophy to food and goal setting. Instead of focusing on the 80 total pounds you want to lose, put your energy towards the five pounds you can realistically lose in April.

The most exciting part is, if you’ve fallen off the wagon completely, taking a few small steps typically results in changes pretty quickly.

2. LOSE THE GUILT

It’s easy to feel ashamed, guilty and embarrassed if you’ve gained or regained weight. Weight gain happens, so shift your focus from the past and set your sights on the concrete actions you can take to move forward.

So quit beating yourself up over that cup of ice cream you ate late last night, instead focus on what you are going to do tonight. Have a banana, greek yogurt or string cheese on hand just in case that nighttime hunger strikes again.

Make attainable goals and celebrate yourself when you’ve hit a them – strive for progress, not perfection. If you are struggling with intense feelings of shame and guilt this next tip might be especially helpful.

3. CONSIDER HELP FROM THE PROS

Whether it’s a personal trainer, nutritionist, medical doctor or therapist, it can help to have someone holding you accountable. Depending on your situation, it can also help to sit down with a professional to unpack why you may have gained the weight in the first place and what you should be doing to make a change that sticks. If you have preexisting conditions, are trying to lose more than 100 pounds or have a BMI of 40 or greater, consulting a doctor ensures you are embarking on the plan that is best for your health.

For me, getting back on track after surgery required checking in with my physical therapist and surgeon about my game plan. It was important to learn what exercises were off limits for the moment and which I’d have to modify or avoid long term (I won’t be running any marathons or doing deep jump squats anytime soon and that’s ok).

4. MAKE A MEAL PLAN

It always helpful to plan out your meals when you first start to prevent you from falling back into old bad habits. Personally, I love to cook (plus, cooking at home saves money) and incorporate as many veggies as possible into every meal (even breakfast). If your schedule isn’t conducive to meal planning and getting groceries in advance, try a meal delivery service. My friend signed up for a paleo food delivery service to jumpstart her weight loss plan.

5. REACH OUT TO FRIENDS

Tell your family and friends you are working on your weight-loss goals. They may want to join you, and even do a challenge together. Your family can also create an environment that’s more hospitable to your goals by keeping junk food out of sight or better yet, not bringing into the home in the first place. Sometimes it just helps to have someone to vent to.

Today, I weigh around 165 pounds, have a a decent amount of muscle and feel better than ever about where my body is and what it can accomplish! I’m happy at this weight, which is bizarre, because according to the charts, I’m overweight (with a BMI of 26.6), but weight and BMI can only tell you so much. So I’ve released the power that number held over me. It would be great to lose a couple pounds just to ensure the long-term health of my knee, but I’m no longer obsessing about the number, and I’m embracing myself as I am. My weight still fluctuates (I’ve gained and lost countless pounds), but I’m more focused on how I actually feel and how far I’ve come. I’ve even embraced the athlete moniker, which has made my workouts more effective.

Weight gain happens and weight loss is hard work, so don’t give up or feel defeated if you are struggling: you’ve got this and you are not alone.

I can’t wait to hear from you. Have you ever looked up and suddenly gained more weight than you anticipated? What was your wakeup call? What did you do? And what are your tips for staying on track?

Better Than Ever

We all strive for wellness and to live better! Every month, this column will bring you advice on how to feel and perform Better Than Ever. Check out tips to improve various aspects of your health: everything from fitness, nutrition, sleep and recovery. Have a topic you want to hear about? Feel free to reach out here (I’ll be checking the comments!) or on Twitter or Instagram. I look forward to hearing from you!

The post Ok. You Gained Weight. These 5 Tips Will Get You Back on Track appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2nUmerL