First of all we have a winner for the CSN Stores Giveaway.
The winning comment is #3 as chosen by random.org
Hey Sarah - thanks for the contest! In my bag - two point snack bar in case I get caught out and won't have to find a fast food place, my WW journal, some gum,

Lip gloss, phone, sudoku book, and a little cash! I carry a small purse! Love your blog, you are such an inspiration.

Louise - I don't have your contact information, so please send your contact information to:  srhrss@yahoo.com so I can send you your $40 gift code to CSN Stores.

Yesterday we got dumped on... dumped with snow that is.
I just saw a weather report and it looks like we got around 15 inches here in my little suburb on Minneapolis.
And to think... last week it was nearly 50 degrees!

This year it seems like spring will never come some days...and winter is eternal.  And I have to say sometimes life just feels like that doesn’t it?  Eternal winter.  Always waiting for spring.  I used to do it, and sometimes still do… tell myself that when spring comes I’ll change my habits, I’ll start living healthier, I’ll start a diet, I’ll exercise. 

Or maybe it isn’t spring you’re waiting for maybe it’s the start of summer because everyone knows dieting in summer is SO much easier because of the wonderful fresh fruits and veggies.

Or maybe summer’s hard for you because well… there are just so many parties with food you know.  BBQ, grad parties, weddings… and we are out and about all the time.  There’s just no time to plan.  So you’re waiting for the kids to go back to school, because then you’ll hunker down and have a lot more time to concentrate on your diet.

Or maybe fall’s bad, because well… those kids that were supposed to just go to school and leave you alone are involved in activities every single night after school, and you guys barely can make it through the drive-thru quick enough to get to all the events.  Then there was Halloween, and you just have to have some candy, because Reese’s peanut butter cups are your favorite.  And of course then came Thanksgiving…. And you may just as well throw in the towel now and just wait until the New Year… because the New Year makes doing this so much easier.  Everything seems new and fresh and everyone has lots of motivation in January…

You can see what’s happening here can’t you?  I was able to cycle through all of the “seasons” and come up with “sample” excuses for each one… all of these which I’ve actually heard in real life from others, or have actually used myself at one time or another.

There is ALWAYS an excuse of why waiting will be easier/better.  There is always an excuse to put off losing weight and getting in better shape.  I played this game for years, until my body finally called my bluff.  I was always in the “I’ll do it next month” mode, because a certain life/seasonal event would have passed.  In that time of making excuses I probably gained 50+ pounds.  Think of how much easier my weight loss journey would have been if I would have just stopped with the excuses and started with some action!

Right now might seem like eternal winter to you…I know I STILL have days after doing this for nearly 2-1/2 years that seem like eternal winter.  But in the midst of that find a way to start making changes in your life today.  Know that even small changes add up.  Don’t wait for spring… because seriously… in Minnesota at least, I’m convinced it may not be coming this year.

I waited decades to start living my life… don’t make the same mistake… start living your life now!  Today!  This hour, this minute.  You are worth it! 

Don't forget to enter my $40 CSN Stores Giveaway

Sometimes life gets crazy. We all have those days where we are so busy we can’t keep things together or find what we need when we want it. It’s on those days that a great laptop messenger bag or any sort of bag that keeps things organized when you want them will be a lifesaver.


I think it could also be helpful on your journey to health. We all know that bringing along our own snacks/lunch for instance will keep us away from the vending machine and fast food drive-thrus. It can also help to keep your food journal in your bag with you. I always say “bite it and write it.” It definitely keeps me on track.


I’ll admit sometimes I live out of my laptop bag or my purse. If you looked in there right now you’d find:
- an empty Tupperware that had Nutella in it for my toast this morning
- a church bulletin from last Sunday
- a half eaten granola bar
- My weight watchers materials/journal
- mittens
- makeup
- gum
-old pay stubs
- my gym membership scan card
- coupons
- an American Express gift card, tucked into a thank you note.
- 2 pairs of sunglasses – one broken one not
- cell phone charger
- GPS charger
- iPod charger
- Weight Watchers weekly
- Samsung Intercept cell phone (my latest toy)


Today, CSN Stores has offered to give one of my readers a $40 credit to one of their over 200+ online stores. CSN Stores is an online retailer that is comprised of more than 200 different shopping sites. Some of these include: Cookware.com, Csnbaby.com, and Fitnessequipmentandmore.com. I have made purchases in the past from CSN Stores, and have appreciated the good customer service and fast shipping!


There are a couple of ways you can win. For each of these please leave a separate comment to have your entries all counted:
1) Leave a comment and tell me, what’s in your bag, and how does it help you on your journey?


2) Post this giveaway on twitter using the following: I just entered @fatlittlelegs @csnstores giveaway and you should too: http://tinyurl.com/6hnh9fyLeave me a comment telling me you tweeted.




3) Follow my blog (with Google Friend Connect - on the right hand column OR by subscribing to my email updates) and leave me a comment telling me you did. If you already follow my blog, just leave me a comment telling me that.

4) Post about my giveaway on your own blog, and leave me a comment with the link.


This contest will be open until 9 pm Central Time on Thursday, February 24th. The winner will be chosen at random from all eligible comments.   This giveaway is open to readers in the United States and Canada only.


Disclosure: CSN stores did not compensate me directly for this post, but they did offer to give one of my readers a $40 gift card.

Last month I spent a few days in Portland at my niece’s wedding.

Now one thing I found out about Portland is that in January there’s grass… real grass on the ground, and you can see it! This is exciting for me being from Minnesota. We haven’t seen grass since… oh.. maybe early November.

Another thing I found out about Portland?
Portland January Average Temperatures
* Average Daily High=45°
* Average Daily Low= 34°

Minneapolis January Average Temperatures
* Average Daily High=22°
* Average Daily Low= 4°

As you can see… It felt downright balmy in Portland in January to me. Even when there was just a little ice on the windshield outside, it didn’t feel bad at all. I had a black wool winter dress coat that I brought, and I seemed to be too hot most of the time in it.

And this got me thing a lot about perspective… because really when you think about it, that’s what this journey is really all about.

Dictionary.com defines perspective as: the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship.

Perspective was me feeling warm in Portland compared to the 4 degrees it was the morning I left Minneapolis…. It wasn’t “warm” to the people in Portland, but it sure felt good to me.

Perspective is… getting up early to go for a run, and not feeling tired, because you now have more energy from exercising and fueling your body appropriately.

Perspective is… thinking that a nice bowl of oatmeal tastes better for breakfast than a huge scone!

Perspective means… sometimes still feeling fat, but knowing you’re not because you fit into a size 8 and a medium.

Perspective means… seeing rolls of skin on my body, and thinking I’m fat, but looking back at my “before” pictures, and knowing just how far I’ve come.

Perspective allows us to find the reason for the journey. To find the reason that we do this. It allows us to feel warm when it’s only 45 degrees outside. It allows us to see where we’ve come from, and however big or small the change is to know that we are doing something to move ourselves forward.

I won’t lie… I have been having a rough time lately - probably the reason for my absence with posting.  It’s been hard for me to remember to keep everything in perspective. This journey is life-long. That means I have to work at it my WHOLE LIFE. No, that means I GET to work at it my WHOLE LIFE, and sometimes that means coping, and putting weight loss on the back burner, and having to be OK with that.

But perspective bluntly tells me with the glance of a few old photos that February of 2011 is much different from February of 2006, or February of 2008, or even February of last year.

New changes
New challenges
All which bring amazing new chapters in all of our lives.

“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.”
~Ivy Baker Priest

I just wanted to let you know that Mary at Fit This Girl has featured me as a success story today!  I am honored!  Mary is a personal trainer & specialty fitness instructor in Minneapolis, who's also a weight loss success story herself.  I've really enjoyed reading her blog this past year. 

Please go over to read my story, and also check out all of the other great info she posts!