Meet Suzie.

We all have our off days. We have days when we can't get inspired. We have days when we just can't handle the struggle for daily life and want to retreat. When you have those days, it seems like nothing is on your side. You against the world. This for one of those days.

Meet Suzie.

Suzie doesn't have a blog. She isn't on Twitter, she isn't in the #Fitblog or Healthy Living community at all. You would have no real reason to know her. But you need to know her story. You see, Suzie is an amazing woman. She's always happy, always positive and always willing to help her fellow man or woman no matter what is going on with her life. I realize that in and of itself isn't exceptional. But there's something else.

Suzie has cancer. Breast cancer, in fact.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer after losing her son four months prior to Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Four. Months.

And yet she still smiles, every day. She asks everyone how they are doing and takes genuine interest in not only their answers, but their lives. She was beginning to train for a half-marathon when she was diagnosed. The half-mary was in honor of her son, it fell on what would have been his birthday.

Most people would've stopped training. Most people would've been angry at the world. Most people would've given up.

Not Suzie. This is her walking her half-marathon in honor of her son. This is Suzie walking after a week after her first chemo treatment. This is Suzie finishing in under 3.5 hours. This is Suzie not giving up.

When you're having your off day, or you feel like everything is just too hard.

Remember Suzie.

Remember her not giving up. Remember her smile.

Remember you can do anything.

And the winner is.....

Good morning, everyone! The Leaving Fatville Giveaway has come to a close. As promised, I'm revealing the winner by 9am. Without any further ado, let's get to it!

Here goes: Random.org, take it away!

The winner is commenter number 16! Congrats to.... EMILY! Looks like you'll be getting that food processor! Yay!

Emily, send me an email at fatville@gmail.com and we'll get you hooked up with your code.

Thank you to everyone who entered! If you have any suggestions of giveaways you'd like to see in the future, leave me a comment! I'm always open to suggestions!

Fat Mama, Skinny Kid: My two cents on the McDonald's Happy Meal Debate.

(For those of you not aware, here's the other two views that sparked this post, courtesy of MizFit and WorkoutMommy.)

I realize I'm a little late to this party, but I still feel I need to weigh in. And by weigh in, I mean stick strictly to the middle of the road. No, I'm not too chicken to say what I really think. And no, I don't think McD's food is actually good food. But here's a few reasons I'm sticking to the middle road.

1. McD's food is NOT for every day.
I realize some people use this as their main source for nutrition, and that's horrible, but it is NOT the norm. We hear about extremes in the news, because they are news. Normal expectations do not make headlines. Once or twice a month does not make you a nutritional monster.

2. I got stuck with a crazy skinny kid.
Really, I did. I get told by the pediatricians to gain weight on this kid every dang time I see them. At the last doc appointment, *gasp* they even suggested taking him to McDonald's for a Happy Meal, if he'll eat it. See, my kid is picky. Not just normal 2 year old picky, he's got food texture issues. Getting him to eat is often a tug of war. And guess what? The kid likes burgers. He's not picky about where, either. He'll eat any type of burger I put in front of him. Sometimes, that happens to me a McD burger. (With apples and juice, too.) Although, walking in as a fat mom with a skinny kid does give some stares, but I refuse to feel like a bad mom when I do it.

3. Arming yourself with nutritional info can make for better choices.
This one is common sense. Look at what you're eating. If it's a huge ass burger for lunch, counter it by eating a salad for dinner, or some other healthy lean protein. Moderation and awareness are key in losing weight, and yes, it's possible to be healthy and still eat crap food on occasion.

4. McD's/Enter any Fast Food Restaurant Name Here's toys suck.
Seriously, is it so bad that they don't put the toy in with the food. How about this: don't put toys in ANY of the meals. If you want it, you buy it. Less plastic crap being thrown out and we'll call it a win for the environment.

5. Teach parents/adults how to cook, for free.
I think California had the right idea, but this is just the wrong execution. I get they are trying to make it healthier for kids and take away the lure of the toy with bad food. I have a better idea: arm the parents with the knowledge that its cheaper to cook the food yourself with affordable ingredients. Easier said that done, I know. Kids aren't going to make intelligent choices about food. They're all id and no ego. It's up to the parents to find healthy way to feed their kids, not the convenient way.

There's where I stand. Right in the middle. I don't always buy organic. Not because I don't believe in it, but because my budget says no. I try to cook more nights than not, but my kid is known to have chicken nuggets for dinner, too. And I refuse to feel bad about giving my kid the once in a while burger from McDonald's.

What do you think, readers? McD's happy meal toys, are they good or bad?

Hey you! Want free stuff?

That's right, you heard me. Free. Stuff. Who doesn't want free stuff!? It's giveaway time at Leaving Fatville! I asked, you answered. This time, it's a $35 gift certificate towards anything CSN Stores sells that's up for grabs. Whether it's searching for the perfect kitchen bar stools, cookware or the latest fitness equipment, CSN Stores has you covered. I'm happy to announce those wonderful folks have given me the privilege to host another giveaway for my loyal readers and followers.

Just in case you're not convinced you should enter, here's what Fitness Ball Giveaway winner @that_girl_lola had to say about her awesome prize:

"I love the fitness ball I won from Leaving Fatville because it allows me to fit in a great ab workout anytime - while I'm playing with my kids, or watching tv at night or in the morning before work. My favorite move is the one shown in the pics. I go from laying flat on my back with the fitness ball between my feet, lift it with my lower abs to the middle where I crunch up with my arms to take the ball and then extend back to flat with the ball above my head. Then I cruch back up with my arms and the ball to meet my legs in the middle to lower the ball back down with my feet/abs. That's 1 rep - I try to do this 15-20 times."

That's one happy giveaway winner!

So tell me, do you want $35 to play with? Maybe get something for yourself without the budget guilt?
Here's how you enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me what you'd spend the $35 certificate on at csnstores.com and why.

2. Tweet about this giveaway here and leave me a comment that you tweeted.

Tweet

3. Blog about it! Tell me what you would do with a $35 gift certificate to CSN stores on your blog and leave a comment with the link. (I'll link back all the folks that  blog about it, too!)

Pretty easy, right? You have until November 16th to enter. I'll be picking a winner by 9am November 17th! Happy entering!!

P.S. Yes, you can enter all three ways, just leave a comment each time!

Who blogged about it:
Melinda B at her blog.