One FFJ Day : My Eats

Today has been one of those days when everything I do seems to be cursed *sigh* And to make things worse, there is some weirdness happening with my right knee that is stressing me out. A weird sensation, like a deep bruise on the top, inside edge of my knee started out of nowhere yesterday afternoon. I hadn't hit it on anything and had felt no pain during my exercise that morning. As the day went on it felt worse whenever I bent my knee but otherwise there was no pain. I consulted my Doctor, otherwise known as Google and got the (self)diagnosis of  'fluid on the knee'... Hurrah! I blamed Ripped in 30 and all of the squats Jillian had been making me do.

I rested it for the rest of the day, applied ice and put on a compression bandage overnight.

Luckily, today was an 'off-day' from RI30 but it was long run day and even though my knee felt fine with walking and running on-the-spot, I wasn't sure how it would hold up to 12km. I decided to play it by ear and headed out. I always get some slight stiffness in my knees towards the end of a long run and I was happy to find that I felt no other discomfort. What I did find however, was that the constant stress of 'waiting' for my knee to start hurting exhausted me mentally and I really had to play mind games with myself for the last 5kms. 

I got home and elevated the knee while icing it in a compression bandage. It was still tender when I bent it but otherwise fine... Then Danny needed some help with the flooring in the kitchen. I knelt down to help and WOW... It was like a hot knife had been slowly pushed into my knee and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I felt sick... 

Now I have to wait... More icing, more elevation, more compression and a re-assessment in the morning. It's been a few hours and it is feeling a lot better but I am just so crabby about it! I just want a solid month where my body doesn't crack a nar-nar with me! *sigh*

---

Before my day had turned to poo, I had big plans to do a post that detailed one day of eats for me on the FFJ Plan. Dicky knee and bad attitude or not, I was still going to do it!

So I present to you, one day of FFJ Eats and Treats

Being a Monday - Long Run Day - The 'feeding schedule' gets adjusted a little to allow for things like food settling before a run (I need at least an hour) and, of course, the fact that on some days off I like to get out of bed a little later than normal.

Wake Up! 7.30am (That's a sleep-in around here!)

2 pieces multigrain toast with ABC Spread

Coffee

268 calories

Melrose ABC Spread is a natural nut butter made from almonds, brazil nuts and cashews! It makes for a nice change from peanut butter.

9am - Running Fuel

On long-run days I take a GU with me. It serves as both fuel and incentive :) I had this at 6km.

GU Gel Vanilla Bean Flavour

Calories 100

Post-Run! 10am

So after waiting an hour after eating before heading out into the freezing cold for a 12km run (burnt 1,100 calories) I was more than happy to come home to a warm breakfast!

Quaker's Golden Syrup Quick Oats

Dried Blueberries

Apple

261 calories

 

11am - Showered, dressed, HUNGRY! 

 I find that I have to force myself to eat straight after a run but by the time Lunch No.1 rolls around, a mere hour later, I am FAMISHED!

 One slice multigrain toast

Handful Rocket (Arugula)

SPC Spaghetti (Rich Tomato) 220g

Chipotle Lentil Burger (from Appetite for Reduction)

Coffee

Orange 

(This orange was AWFUL so I switched it out for some trail mix!)

Calories 493

3.30pm - Grumpy because of knee, dodging Danny renovating

I'd gone to the supermarket to buy some decent citrus! I was so pissy making this lunch, especially when that stupid patty started to fall apart when I tried to flip it *grrr* 

Mixed Stir-Fry Vegetables with Soy Sauce

Sanitarium Lentil Pattie

Carmen Cranberry and Nut Bar

Happy Herbivore Vegan Yoghurt (recipe here)

Mandarin

Calories 483

4pm - Side-swiped by a Snack-Attack

I mentioned in my week one FFJ re-cap, the more active weekend days tend to find me hungrier than during the week. I quelled this afternoon's snack-attack with popcorn, made oil-free in the microwave.

One cup air-popped Pop Corn

Calories 31

7pm - Dinner Time!

Wow! That looks like a lot of food piled onto my plate! The big bowl in the background wasn't mine LOL

Mixed Stir-Fry Vegetables with Soy Sauce

Large handful rocket (arugula)

Masala Baked Tofu (from Appetite for Reduction)

 Quinoa and Toasted Cumin Salad (from Appetite for Reduction)

Mandarin

Calories 470

TOTAL CALORIES = 2,106

NET CALORIES* = 1,006

*Calories in minus exercise

 I might have another coffee before bed (decaf!) because it just feels like a '3-coffee' kind of day. But that is a look at a pretty standard FFJ Day. My favourite food of the day? The Masala Baked Tofu for sure... Yum!

Your Turn: 

Any ideas what could be going on with my knee? Stupid bloody thing :(

and

What delicious things did you eat today?

Sugar and Spice

The dastardly Sugar Beast appeared tonight! It snuck up on me just after dinner... It was real and it was strong! *errgh*

 Sad Face

I have been known to succumb to the Sugar Beast on a grand scale before. Last month was bad... It involved soy icecream mixed with maple syrup, sprinkles and chunks of dark chocolate. Even Danny was taken aback by what I ate during that attack!

If you have ever met the Sugar Beast, you will know the sick, twisted nature of it. It's like a deep pit inside you that longs to be filled to the brim with sugar in any of it's forms; Chocolate, Lollies, Baked Goods, Chocolate, Dried Fruit, Candy, Icecream, PopTarts (?!) and Chocolate... Did I mention Chocolate? I did? Oh...

And when I say 'deep pit' I mean it! During some attacks it can feel like no amount of sugary sweetness will make the Monster go away.

Just ignore it! I hear you say... Well you've clearly never encountered a monster as vicious as mine. The only way I have discovered to satiate the feeling is to chose a food that is sweet enough to send the dreaded Beast running for the hills while not completely undoing three weeks of weight loss efforts.

Tonight's weapons of choice? The smallest bag of hard jube lollies I could find and a box of frozen mixed berries. The hard jubes I doled out into a 150 calorie portion which I ate one at a time. Hard jubes are good... They are immediately sweet enough to knock the Sugar Monster for six, rendering him stunned and vulnerable. Then I hit him with the frozen fruit. I know that the Monster will drag himself off, defeated for another month before I even come close to half a box (150 Calories) 

Warning! Eating the box adds calories!

All up this months Sugar Monster battle damage? 250 calories, pushing my daily number out to 2,358... More than the 2,200 maximum I was aiming for but not so far over that a week of 'good behaviour' won't make up for it.

Once the Monster had been put to rest I decided to look around the house for some 0 calorie sweetness that I may be able to hypothetically munch on next time the need arises.

What about my Homer Simpson pyjamas?

I've had these for years, they are way too big, but they are my favourite part of winter so they aren't going anywhere!

And then there's my new nail polish colour!

I don't wear nail polish very often, mostly because I am too lazy to take it off when it gets chipped and scummy, but I loved this colour! It's called MovieStar! Ooo Ahhh, I'm so famous!

Everyone knows that MovieStar nail polish isn't complete without some fancy footwear...

Soft, squishy, warm, Elmo footwear! Fun and functional!!

And rounding out my evening of sweetness...

A grainy, iPhone version of Danny... And his tub of soy yoghurt... Nom Nom!

Your Turn: 
Does the Sugar Monster come to visit you too? How do you combat his relentless attacks? Or do you eat half a tub of icecream with disgusting amounts of high calorie mix-ins too?

FFJ Plan - Week One

Just before I get into the re-cap of the 'Finally Fit the Jeans' Plan I want to share my newest purchase with you! I know it's going to seem like all I do is buy new clothes... It's because it pretty much is!! I am constantly growing out of my clothes so I seem to spend a fortune on replacing them!! What I needed yesterday was new work pants... What I didn't need was a new dress. But when I saw this dress I needed it! *sigh* I will have to suffer through baggy clown pants for another week but it's worth it!

Now to the important stuff!

Like with any plan/challenge like this, the first week is always 'fun'. Everything is new and the novelty hasn't worn off yet.

Eating

Daily food calories / Net Calories*

Friday 2258 / 2258 (Rest Day)

Saturday 2289 / 1218

Sunday 2174 / 1308

Monday 2103 / 849

Tuesday 2170 / 1920

Wednesday 1979 / 821

Thursday 2003 / 1445

Average Daily Calories 2139 / 1402

* Net calories are food minus activity

Overall, I am pretty happy with the eating side of things. As always, it's the area that needs the most work. On my more active, weekend days I found myself getting a bit hungrier and a snack or two would creep in but during the week when my activity levels dropped back down I didn't have this problem as much. Tuesday was the night we went to Danny's sister's house for dinner which was a four course meal. Even though I tried to limit my portion size, there is only so much room to move within a meal that size!

I have also had the added problem that comes with TTOM. I always get hungrier in the days proceeding its dreaded arrival but I have been aware of it and trying to not let it de-rail me too much.

Exercise

Oh my wordy, Jillian Michaels kicked my butt this week! The 'Ripped in 30' DVD (RI30) might only be thirty or so minutes long but she really makes you work for it. I can't remember what it feels like to not have at least half a dozen different muscles screaming at me each day!

I bought Danny a set of ear plugs because the only way I could fit the workout in my schedule was to drag my butt out of bed at 5.30am each day. I thought the sounds of me thumping around like a rogue elephant during the two minute cardio breaks would disrupt his precious last minutes of slumber but apparently I am lighter on my feet than I thought and he's had no issues sleeping through it.

The only day that my exercise didn't go to plan was Tuesday. I woke up bright and early and got RI30 out of the way but, with dinner at my SIL's house that night, I knew there was a good chance that we would get home too late for me to fit in the cross training (30 minutes on Exercise Bike). Sure enough, it was after 11pm before we stepped foot in our house. Luckily, Wednesday was a Public Holiday so I had plenty of time up my sleeve to fit in my planned activity for that day, as well as the thirty minutes of exercise biking! Problem solved!!

All that said, I have not been so glad to see a Rest Day in a very long time! If for nothing else than to claim back those thirty precious minutes of extra sleep in the morning.

Friday Rest Day

Saturday RI30 (30mins) + Easy Run (45mins) + ExBike (15mins)

Sunday RI30 (30mins) + ExBike (60mins)

Monday Long Run (90mins)

Tuesday RI30 (30mins)

Wednesday RI30 (30mins) + Interval Run (45mins) + ExBike (30mins)

Thursday RI30 (30mins) + ExBike (30mins)

Week One Results

I have generally been feeling 'lighter' and I swear I can see some muscle definition forming already. But the last day or two I have been having that all too familiar bloatiness that comes with TTOM so I didn't know what the scales were going to tell me this morning. I hate it when a weigh in falls smack bang in the middle of this particular part of the month but thems the breaks.

Weight  88.5kg / 195.1lbs

Difference  +0.5kg / +1.1lbs

Body Fat %  34.7

Lean Mass & Water  57.8kg / 127.4lbs

Difference +2.1kg / +4.6lbs 

So, by my calculations, if I have gained half a kilo but at the same time increase my lean mass & water by 2.1kg, I have actually lost 1.6kgs of fat, right? I'll take that!

At the same time, I am hoping that a lot of the 2.1kg of lean mass & water gain is actually water retention from TTOM because I do still have actual kilos to lose.

And I have to admit, even after calculating all those figures and justifying my gain to myself, I still panicked a bit, convinced that a calorie intake of 2,200 per day is too high. But I trust the logic and the numbers behind Nancy Clark's calculations. I am positive that, just like ever week following a TTOM weigh in, the scales will move in the right direction!

I am declaring week one a success! Week Two, get ready, because here I come! I am repeating Week One of RI30 because the Plan is 6 weeks and the DVD is only 4... Doesn't really compute :) But I am increasing the weights. 

  

The Absence of Tact

After work on Tuesday Danny and I went to his sister's house for a Thermomix demonstration and dinner. Have you seen a Thermomix in action? They're pretty nifty but with a $2,000 price tag, I want them to be doing all that they do and more! I'm sticking with my Breville food processor for now.

Spending time with Danny's sister can be a bit of a confidence minefield. She is one of those people that never had a brain-to-mouth filter inserted and things tend to fly out of her mouth without much thought on her part.

This is the same SIL that I mentioned in this post. The one that was horrified at the fact that she weighed more than me! Oh, the horror of it!!

Source

And the one that politely informed me that the clothes shop she had bought me a voucher to carried size 22... Despite the fact that I am actually 3-4 sizes smaller...

And the very same SIL that apparently didn't like me for the first two years of me dating Danny because 'she didn't know how to act around fat people'... Like I said, no brain-to-mouth filter...

(Have I mentioned how much I love that most of my friends and family don't know this blog exists? Sweet freedom to vent! :) )

So, it came as no surprise to me that I ended up leaving her house slightly offended.

Just after dinner was done she had excitably told me to follow her because she had something for me. The 'something' turned out to be a pair of shorts... Maternity shorts... Apparently she couldn't wear them anymore because they were just too big and fell down. Now, I didn't fail to see that she was attempting a friendly gesture here but this I knew; One - Ample rear-ends and child-bearing hips run in her family whereas I inherited a flat ass and comparatively slim legs from my Dad. And Two - At last calculation, I weighed less than her and was only a centimetre or two shorter... But as I said, she was doing it with kindness in her heart so I acted the same and gracefully accepted, fully aware that they weren't going to fit me either.

She then proceeded to tell me that I could have the pants that she was currently wearing next as they were getting too big also. And that's when the filter should have kicked in because the next line out of her mouth was the kick in the shins that I should have expected, "Unless you get smaller than me, in which case I will be devastated."

It got harder to be full of grace at that stage even though she hadn't meant it to be intentionally malicious. Why would it be so hard for her to cope with me being smaller? I certainly work harder at it than she does so by that token, I deserve it. And why deny me this chance to finally be healthy just because you equate being bigger than me as a failure on your part? I think this aggravated me so much because it validated exactly what I was thinking... My SIL still sees me as the much, much bigger version of me. She was seeing the Kristin that I have been imagining in my head. I said nothing, I took the shorts home and let myself feel smug in the fact that, as I had thought, they were much too big for me too.

While not lacking tact, as my SIL does, I have found that the last few weeks have seen people feeling much more comfortable with passing comments on my appearance. These are generally positive, like all the nice things that people said about my new jeans. But increasingly they have been the comments that annoy me. These usually take the form of "Are you still losing weight? Shouldn't you stop now? Aren't you going to get too skinny/scrawny/thin?" 

Just today I was preparing 'Lunch 1' when a well meaning colleague walked into the lunch room. The questions started... A combination of the ones I just mentioned and then "Is this the point where I'm supposed to get worried about you?" I was perplexed and asked her what she meant. "Well, I have had to ask you three times lately if you are okay because you look so tired. Am I supposed to be worried? Are you sure you are looking after yourself and not taking things too far?" I wished I would have had the photo below to whip out at that moment...

... This is my Dad and I at Christmas. There are a few things that I have inherited from my Dad; A prominent forehead, my nose, deep laugh lines around my eyes, a pancake bum, thinner legs and a love of cooking. Oh, and permanent dark rings under my eyes. I could sleep for a week and they would still be there... I felt like saying, "Thanks, but no need for concern, it's just my face!"

I try to walk away from conversations like this comforted in the fact that I have so many people out there watching my back and making sure I don't go crazy with this whole weight loss thing but I can't help but be annoyed by some of their well-meaning comments. I find it a little frustrating that they are expressing this concern now, when I am healthier than I have been in my entire adult life!? And even more so when it comes from people who are hardly shining examples of health themselves!? But to put a stop to those comments is to put a stop to the compliments too and I have to admit, I quite like those! So onwards I will go, assuring my friends, family and work colleagues that not only am I okay, I am fantastic!

And as for my SIL, you can choose your friends...

Your Turn:

How do you handle well-meaning, yet rude/annoying/baseless questions and concerns whether it be about your weight, health, children or other lifestyles choices? 
and
Do you have someone (or are you someone) that struggles with a lack of brain-to-mouth filter?

Confidence Tuesday : I Can See Clearly Now... Or Not?

Welcome to Confidence Tuesday. Dedicated to everything confidence;  Building it, learning about it, examining it in others and re-hashing/understanding some of my most uncomfortable 'lack-of-confidence' moments.

At my heaviest I became an expert at convincing myself I wasn't as big as I actually was. By no means was I telling myself I was a skinny mini, but when I looked in the mirror I was seeing a girl who was 'regular' overweight... Not the morbidly obese reality. I guess this is why I hated photos of myself so much. Photos, not matter what pose I tried in pursuit of a flattering angle, never showed me as the girl I saw in my head. 

 I never saw myself like this...

I can remember being at Danny's family home early in our relationship. Sitting around the dinner table, waiting for dinner, one of Danny's sisters innocently produced an envelope of photos from a recent family gathering that I had attended. A wave of panic went over me. I knew that there would be photos of me in there and I wanted no part in the passing around of photos that was about to occur. I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as I got up to leave the table. His sister asked me where I was going as she tried to hand me a picture, informing me that this one was of me. I told her it was okay, I'd prefer to not see it. The barrage of questions and pressure from his sisters and Mother began and I ended up in tears, almost yelling at them that I had my reasons and I didn't need them telling me what to do. It was awkward and weird and I think I left that night with them wondering what the hell their son and brother had gotten himself into by dating me!

 Trying to hide on the edge of a photo

Despite my dislike of anything with a lens and a flash, many, many photos of me have been taken over the years and now, looking back, I'm glad I have them to show me how far I have come.

These days I am much more comfortable with having a picture or two taken and there are no tears when I look at what the camera has captured. I have gone from a champion camera-dodger to proficient photo-bomber.

It turns out however, that my ability to accurately judge my size when creating a mental image, still needs some work. When Danny took my photos the other day for the FFJ Plan it was a busy Friday morning in our house. I had explained to him the night before exactly what I needed and in the morning I trusted his judgement that he had gotten the pictures I had described. I didn't check them as he went and I hurriedly emailed myself the files at work so I could work on the blog post there. I got to work before any one else had arrived (slackers) and thought it was the perfect chance to have a look at the shots before anyone caught a glance over my shoulder and wondered what I was up to.

I opened up the first file, the shot from front on. Time passed as I just sat there staring... I had no clue who the person on the screen was. Now, obviously I'm not a complete raving narnar. I knew it was me... The eyes were mine, the nose was mine (thanks for THAT Dad), the strained smile... All mine.

Beyond that, as you moved down the body on the screen, it seemed foreign. This was not the Kristin in my head. But instead of seeing someone in the picture that was much bigger than I was imagining, the tables had turned. I found myself asking "Where is the rest of me?" 

Where is the giant tyre of fat that I see surrounding myself, like some mis-formed Michelin Man?

Where are the huge lumps of overhanging flab that I see on my thighs?

Where is the huge, hanging curtains of excess skin drooping from my upper arms?

I opened the reverse shot... Same thing! None of the roly-poly back fat, and my butt cheeks weren't nearly as close to the backs of my knees as I had been imagining.

I found myself, for the first time in memory, actually being proud, maybe even happy, of the person looking back at me from the photo.

I still found myself picking up on things that needed work, I am no oil-painting by far, but at the same time I was seeing the fact that my double chins were gone, my legs looked strong and powerful and my collarbones had returned with vengeance after years of hibernating under layers of fat. And even better was the moment I realised that the shorts I was wearing (the are actually special sweat wicking underwear, shhhh!) were a pair of size 12-14s (US 8-10) that I had bought with the intention of storing them in the cupboard until they fit. AND THEY HAD FIT! I can't tell you how high I held my head on Friday! Those unassuming pictures gave me a boost like none that had come before. 

That and the SMS I got from my sister - 'You look fricken amazing in that photo!'

 Source

Your Turn: 
Photos! Do you love them or hate them?
and
Do you struggle with how you perceive yourself? Does the picture in your head match up with reality?

   

Kitchen Chaos + Spider Wars

Things took a turn for the stressful here at 'Chateau De AndSheRan' this weekend with the first real steps towards our kitchen renovations. Our house is about 60 years old and was previously occupied by an elderly lady with a passion for pastels in every shade; pink, purple, green... Needless to say, we moved in knowing that it was a 'fixer-upper' which was a dream for Danny. I liked the fact that it meant we weren't going to be up to our eyeballs in debt, living in a fancy-pants house that was beyond our means.

Over the last few years we have done up the master bedroom and renovated the toilet, bathroom and laundry. And I am really lucky that I am married to someone who is able to do so much of the work himself. But the idea of kitchen renovations has always filled me with dread... It needed a makeover desperately since it was firmly stuck somewhere between 1960 and 1980 but still...

 The Bathroom worked out okay... What do I have to worry about!?

Danny had spent the last couple of weekends building me an enormous pantry so that we could relocate the things from the cupboards that he was going to be ripping out. Everything got moved over and is now in a chaotic mess that gives me anxiety when I just think about it. He spent yesterday afternoon pulling the old over-head cupboards out while I sat in the corner with a sulky look on my face. He would occassionally glance my way, laugh and assure me that it was going to be okay.

 Oh, the chaos!

I know I am going to be okay... eventually... But the kitchen is mine. It is the one area of the house where I maintain control. I know where everything is and how it works. I can complain at Danny when he leaves junk around in the lounge room and it will go straight over his head but he knows if I get annoyed about him leaving something messy in the kitchen, it needs to be fixed yesterday. And now there is no order, no control... Just a very, very messy pantry!

It's going to be a long couple of months while we get this new kitchen sorted out but I know it will be worth it in the end.

---

Staying with the kitchen topic, and with Wednesday being Anzac Day, I managed to dig through the pantry craziness for long enough to find the ingredients for Anzac Biscuits. I love to bake but with just me and Danny in the house, it can be a very dangerous hobby. I used to bake for my workmates every week so I could get my 'fix' and I haven't done it in forever so I thought it was about time!

It was almost all a non-event though! I pulled out my baking trays in preparation and screamed the house down when I realised there was a HUGE black spider on the tray, right where my finger had been! I chucked a glass bowl over him just as Danny came tearing in, wondering if I had chopped off a finger... I was making a fair bit of noise! He peered at the spider and claimed that it wasn't very big... I told him that I wasn't prepared to debate the size of the spider and could he please take it outside. Of course he couldn't... He would much prefer to flush him down the sink!?! I repeated my request for him to take it outside instead but alas, he turned the tap on. I stood back and watched as Danny proceeded to honk and hoot in amazement at the fact that the spider was not very keen to go down the plug hole! It raced up the tray and almost up his arm as he danced around like a maniac. Once Spidey was safely down the drain I really didn't need to say it, but I did anyway... "You could have just taken it outside..."

Eventually the cookie making began! I've got a recipe for you but first, a bit of Anzac biscuit education : 

'An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit popular in Australia and New Zealand, made using rolled oats, flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and boiling water. Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I.

It has been claimed the biscuits were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation.' 

Source: Wikipedia

These are super easy to pull together and bake pretty fast. Be beware: It's pretty tough to stop at one! I have eaten my fair share already (all tracked for the FFJ Plan!!) and can't wait for them to be in my workmates tummies so I don't have to think about them anymore!!

Anzac Biscuits

Makes: 35 Biscuits

Time: 15min Prep/15min Cooking (more if cooked in batches)

1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1 cup Rolled Oats

1/2 cup Caster Sugar

3/4 cup Desiccated Coconut  (non-sweetened)

2 tablespoons Golden Syrup (can sub treacle, flavour will differ a bit)

150g Non-Dairy Spread (can sub butter)

1/2 teaspoon Bicarb Soda

1 1/2 tablespoons Water

- Preheat oven to 170C (340F) and line baking tray/s with baking paper.

- Place the flour, oats, sugar and coconut in a large bowl (preferably glass or ceramic) and stir to combine.

- In a small saucepan place the golden syrup and non-dairy spread and stir over low heat until the spread has melted. Remove the syrup mixture from the heat. Mix the bicarb soda with the water and add to the syrup mixture. It will bubble whilst you are stirring together.

- Pour into the dry ingredients and mix together until fully combined.

- Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls (you may want to lightly flour your hands for this!) and place on baking trays lined with non stick baking paper. Use a spoon dipped in water to press down the tops to flatten slightly.

- Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. (They may still seem too soft at this point but rest assured, they will firm up just fine!)

Nutrition Info : Per Biscuit - 65 Calories, 7g Carbohydrate, 4g Fat, 1g Protein, 1mg Iron.

Your Turn: 

Have you ever done any renovations? How did you cope?

and

Spiders? Are you a scaredy cat or are you the one that comes to the rescue? What's your preferred method of disposal?

I am okay with little spiders and daddy-long-legs' but this one really was a monster! I generally adopt a catch-and-release policy. Everything has a purpose, even hideously terrifying GIANT spiders. Danny is more of a 'squash-and-leave-it' man.