Monday December 19th, 2011 [158.5]

  , it's the day after our regular weigh in day- and I've gained a pound. Which I'm not so upset about- because I still feel like  I see a difference in the mirror. I've literally worked my ass off and done nothing wrong (eating wise) this week, so I'm really hoping that's a pound of straight muscle. We've stuck to our work out routine to a T this week except for yesterday. I've been adding my personal training Wii game to the mix and still going to Zumba twice a week :) These next couple weeks are going to be kind of scattered because of the holidays and my trip to New York at the end of the year. We'll see if that works out to my disadvantage. Hopefully not. Anyway, here's my picture update for this week compared to last week:

   

I definitely see a difference. More in the side picture, as usual. But hey, I'll take what I can get. I've cooked a lot of interesting things this week. I'll update with some pictures here later after I email them to myself.

December 15, 2011

Yesterday was a good day. I woke up, did my laundry, and cleaned the house. I had some Pineapple flavored Greek yogurt for breakfast. (Chobani is the best Greek yogurt everrr!) Then for lunch I had an Amy's Kitchen brand of sweet and sour chicken&rice instant meal. After lunch, I went and picked up Clorissa and we did our Pilates work out. After working out our back, butt, and legs- we headed off to our Zumba class at 5:30. I definitely feel like I get sooo much better of a work out now from Zumba than I did the first time I went to the class. Now that I've got the basics of the moves down, now I'm working extra hard to perfect them- which ends in a massive amount of sweat. :)

After Zumba, I came home and started cooking dinner. I made whole grain spaghetti with mushroom and onion spaghetti sauce. I cut up and simmered some mushrooms, corn, red bell peppers, and green chilis- then I mixed them in the sauce. I also tried a recipe that I found for some cheddar bay biscuits- they were amazing. They tasted just like the ones from Red Lobster. Probably not the healthiest choice- but hey. Anyway, here's a picture:

It was such a good dinner. Cooking is officially a hobby :) Tomorrow is a rest day for us, so I'll probably spend tomorrow getting the house ready for the work week and do some organizing. &Saturday is another Zumba class at 9 a.m. My mom AND grandma said they would go. HAH! This is gonna be awesome :)

ONE YEAR!

Today, December 13th, 2011- marks the one year anniversary of my boyfriend and I's weight loss journey. We have worked so hard this year to get the bodies that we can finally honestly say that we're happy with. I can say that neither of us are 100% there yet, but after seeing how far we've actually come this year- I can say the only thing I feel right now is pride.

This was us when we started in comparison to where we are right now. Such an amazing progress and such a wonderful accomplishment. I am so so so so so proud of the both of us. We've sweated at the gym for over 250 hours this year. We have sacrificed our favorite comfort foods, our sleeping in, and in some cases- more money in our wallets in order for us to meet the ultimate goal of our weight loss. Losing weight is not easy. It's one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life and I am so lucky that I haven't had to do it alone. I've always had a motivator. I listened to the stories of my boyfriend's past and how his overeating and overindulging as a child had lead him to bad eating habits as an adult. I watched him be so unhappy with himself for over two years of our relationship. Now, he looks like a completely different person! I am so overwhelmingly proud of him AND myself. I wouldn't have been able to do this without him.

All together- He and I have lost 136 LBS combined :)

Here's to a shameless victory and hope for that last 25 LBS to disappear in the future!

December 11, 2011 [156.5 lbs]

Today is weigh in dayyyy! Yay! I lost 2 lbs this week, which is amazing. I think adding Zumba to our daily routine has really helped. We went to another Zumba class on Saturday morning. After that, we came back to my house and did some pilates. I worked last night and the customers gave me the run around alllll night- so I got some extra cardio in there, too. I was there until like 2 a.m. and by 9 I was starving to death, so I'm guilty of ordering little cheeseburger slammers for dinner. BUT it was only my second meal of the day and I still lost weight, so that's okay.

Today, Clorissa came over at 9:30. We started off with a half hour of Zumba, did our planned legs/butt/back pilates, and ended with some more heart throbbing cardio. Death. As for food today, I've only had a banana. I need to hurry and cook some lunch before work. I'm not sure what I want. ANYWAY: Here's my pictures for this week (first picture) in comparison to when

Definitely seeing some improvement, which is always motivating. Hopefully, I'll be down another 2 lbs for picture day next week :) As for our exercise plans this week:

Monday: Rest day.

Tuesday: 9:30 Meetup.

 cardio/upper body&arms/abs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WOvIKdG7AwM#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4bBk2oidYvE#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1DS7G9OjfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M_JtR_9ogow#!

Wednesday: 4:00 p.m. Meetup.
Zumba/legs/butt/back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LHfe0rG_THk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fzZSCsw6i2c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TmktEl7KZxQ

Thursday: 9:30 a.m. Meetup.

 cardio/upper body&arms/abs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WOvIKdG7AwM#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4bBk2oidYvE#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1DS7G9OjfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M_JtR_9ogow#!

Friday: Rest Day.

Saturday: Between 8:30 - 9:30 a.m

Zumba?/legs/butt/back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LHfe0rG_THk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fzZSCsw6i2c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TmktEl7KZxQ

Sunday: 9:30 a.m. Meetup.

 cardio/upper body&arms/abs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WOvIKdG7AwM#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4bBk2oidYvE#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1DS7G9OjfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M_JtR_9ogow#!

Friday December 09, 2011

Hey everyone! I'm in an extremely chipper mood today. Waking up to the big, beautiful, fluffy snowflakes falling outside my window might have something to do with it. :)

I know today isn't my weigh in day (that would be tomorrow), but I weighed myself this morning out of curiosity. I was at 157! Down a pound! So, that might have something to do with the good mood as well. :)  On Wednesday, Clorissa and I went to a local Zumba class for the first time. I had a blast! When I first started this weight loss journey- I was hitting the gym HARD for an hour a day, 6 days a week. I seriously hated every second of exercising. I hated waking up early, I hated sweating, and I hated the idea of walking on a treadmill and staring at a tv with no sound for an hour. I waited and waited for the day when I might actually ENJOY exercising, but that day never came. Now here I am, almost a year to the day that I made a promise to myself to start dropping pounds, in literal love with exercising.

Some kinds of exercise is not for everyone. The treadmill, eliptical, stationary bike- that is definitely not for me. The dread of my daily work out would end up being greater than the satisfaction of actually losing the weight. As you know, I've recently been skipping the gym all together and practicing pilates and short intervals of cardio 5 days a week. &I am now tying that all together with Zumba. I am in love with them both. I find myself watching TV at night, even if I've already had my work out that day, and laying on the ground doing small leg circles. This is the feeling I've been waiting for and I'm so grateful that I've finally found it. Exercise can be fun for me now. For the rest of my life I will never have to dread another work out. I love that.

I've stumbled upon a website called foodgawker and now I'm a freak about cooking, too! Which I also never though I would enjoy. (My boyfriend has always done all the cooking; not anymore!) I've been doing little food experiments here and there by following and recreating different dishes I've seen on that website. I'm having a blast! Today for breakfast, I had an amazing egg salad sandwich.

It was delicious! I hard boiled 3 eggs, peeled them, and mashed them up. I stirred in a little mustard, a little mayonaise (Kraft Brand made with Olive Oil), some chopped up pickles, and a little pepper. Then, I threw one piece of ham into a frying pan, toasted my bun, added some Siracha sauce, and viola! Amazingness! What a good day it has been so far and it's only 1 p.m. :) As for the rest of the week, Clorissa and I will be following our work out schedule as normal and also doing Zumba again tomorrow at 9 a.m.! I'm also going to look into buying the new Zumba workout game for Wii and see if we can tie that into our everyday work out. Who would have thought this girl would be such a fan of Latin dancing? It just makes you feel so sexy. I love it! 

I can't wait to weigh in and post pictures for you guys tomorrow!

December 06, 2011

Yesterday was a semi-okay day. I completed my deadly workout with Clorissa early in the A.M. For breakfast I had an 8 oz. glass of Odwalla Superfood. For lunch, I had a hot turkey and peperjack cheese sandwich with a side light caesar salad. For dinner, I was a bad girl and had a couple fried pickles :( (Yesterday was my first day back to work and I was starving half to death by 9 oclock. Don't judge me.)

So far today, Clorissa has been here and we've been working out since 9:45 a.m. We did some cardio, legs,  arms, and abs today. Then we decided that we needed to make a more structured schedule about our workouts, since you really shouldn't work out the same areas every single day. So, here's what we came up with!:

SATURDAY:
day 1- cardio/upper body&arms/abs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WOvIKdG7AwM#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4bBk2oidYvE#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1DS7G9OjfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M_JtR_9ogow#!

SUNDAY: (Picture day!)
day 2- cardio/legs/butt/back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N-wEz5XZwgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LHfe0rG_THk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fzZSCsw6i2c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TmktEl7KZxQ

day 3- cardio/upper body&arms/abs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WOvIKdG7AwM#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4bBk2oidYvE#!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1DS7G9OjfQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=M_JtR_9ogow#!


day 4- cardio/legs/butt/back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=N-wEz5XZwgY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LHfe0rG_THk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fzZSCsw6i2c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TmktEl7KZxQ


day 5- cardio/zumba!



I'm pretty excited for the following week. Especially zumba tomorrow! :) As for food today, I haven't had anything. I guess for breakfast, I'll have some yogurt. Lunch, I'm not so sure yet. But no fried food at work!

December 04, 2011 [158.5]

I FINALLY GOT MY COMPUTER BACK!!! This means more time with you :)

This whole week hasn't been toooo bad. I've eaten relatively good until yesterday when Raymond and I were in Indy and splurged on some Golden Corral. Clorissa and I have met up 4 times this week for about and hour at a time and did cardio and pilates. Blogilates are amazing and this lady is helping us out tremendously! We've worked our way up from doing either cardio OR pilates one day- to now doing both! We now start our routine with a heart throbbing 10 minute cardio video, a 28 minute pilates video, and ended with the same strenuous cardio video. I felt the burn, I will tell you that. This was the first time since we've started doing this that neither of us have really taken a break. Clorissa worked all the way through and I only stopped for probably 10 seconds total, which is victorious for me! :)

We missed our work out yesterday- so today we weighed in and took our pictures. I weighed in at 158.5- which I'm okay with. Next week will be better. But here's your picture update for this week vs. where I started since I.. re-started.

Aside from me being a giant in my previous picture.. not too shabby. As for this coming week, Clorissa and I have our work out scheduled all around my job.

Monday: 9:30 a.m. (Cardio&Pilates)

Tuesday: 9:30 a.m. (Cardio&Pilates)

Wednesday: 3:30 p.m. (Pilates&Zumba)

Thursday: Rest day

Friday: Rest day

Saturday: 9:30 a.m. (Cardio&Pilates)

Sunday: 9:30 a.m. (Cardio&Pilates)

As for eating this week- I really need to do some grocery shopping. Until then, I'll be binging on yogurt and Odwalla Superfood. I can't complain!

Saturday November 26th [164.0 lbs]

I took a blog/weight loss break for a week and a half. As you can tell, that resulted in my gaining 6 lbs. BOOOOO. I was expecting it though, considering I ate out every single night that week as well as eating my body weight at Thanksgiving. HOWEVER, I am also on my period which does contribute something. But anyway, today I'm back on the bandwagon again for good! I got a job over the weekend, so Clorissa and I will have to do some scheduling soon, but we'll be good.

Today, the gym at my apartment was closed so we decided to walk around Shady Side which is a 3 mile walk. We did a couple jogging sprints, but walked at a pretty steady pace the rest of the time. We then came back to my apartment and did 2 sets of 5 different ab exercises. I feel like I got a good work out, though. Tomorrow we're going to do pilates and some more walking. Here's my pictures for this week. (Don't laugh) ;)

I don't really notice much difference, but I don't like that the scale says its different! Pft. But next week it will be better. As for food today: all I've had was a fiber bar and an 8 oz. glass of 'Naked' drink. As far as lunch and dinner goes, I'm not quite sure yet. I'll keep ya posted.

Monday November 14th [158.5 lbs]

So, I've definitely abandoned this blog for quite some time. I got busy and lazy. That will not happen again. (I hope.) Upon moving to Indiana, I haven't gained any weight (actually lost 1.5 lbs!) however I have not been eating the best or exercising regularly like I should. Recently, I've been meeting up with my best friend from back home and we have been hitting the gym hard. Today, we worked out today for an hour. I did the elliptical for 20 minutes and the treadmill on a 10% at 3 mph for 10 minutes. Then we did arm weights as well as various ab exercises.

I'm jumping back into this weight loss blog and promise to keep up with it as much as I possibly can. Now, rather than last time, I have someone on the blogging/weight loss train with me. So that will be very helpful.

My ultimate goal is to be 130 lbs, but I at least want to be at 150 lbs by December 13th. That day marks the 1 year anniversary since the day I started losing weight. So that will be quite monumental for me. Here's where I'm at now:

I'm not telling you my weight today :) I'm only updating because I forgot to tell you something very exciting. I BOUGHT A PAIR OF SHORTS IN A SIZE 13 AND FIT MY ASS INTO THEM!!!!!!

I haven't been in a 13 since.. i was probably 13. THAT was an exciting moment for me. The diet is going well. I'm following it and I'll update you on Monday to tell you my progress. Maybe pictures! Maybe not. :)

Monday March 7th, 2011 [177.0 lbs]

I lost a pound! Haha. I started my diet yesterday. The first week of this diet is definitely the hardest of the entire thing. It's like a straight fruit, veggie, and bean detox. I worked a double yesterday and it was definitely a test of my willpower, but i succeeded and didn't break my diet at all :)

Once I get past the first week, it gets easier. So, I can stick it out until then. I went ahead and took a picture today to see if I could tell a difference. I can! So, here is the picture from last time vs. this time.

It's not a huge difference, but I can definitely see that my stomach is starting to level out. There's not that dip at the bottom anymore. (Well, it's faint anyway.) So that's definitely motivating to see. SO, that's the update on my progress with the diet so far. I'll update with another picture here soon. :)

Friday March 4, 2011

It's been yet another stretch since I've updated. Kinda over the blog, not gonna lie. But I'll update right now because I have time and I'm feeling overwhelmingly optimistic about my life today. &That is rare.

Since starting those pills, I haven't really noticed a significant difference. I've noticed that I'm more energized and more willing to get up and get a good workout at the gym or actually go the extra mile and refill the ice without being asked at work. However, regarding the weight loss- there hasn't really been any. I'm down to 178, so I guess I have lost a few pounds since I started. I just had higher expectations. I'm not eating unhealthy, I'm just not dieting. I'm maintaining my weight, which would be fine if I was at my goal weight, but I'm not. So starting on Sunday- I'm going to be going on the diet that I went on when I first started losing all the weight. The four day diet by Dr. Ian. I saw amazing results from this diet, and I need to see those again. At least I know now that I will be able to maintain my weight once I get to where I need to be.

I'm taking a trip to Vegas with some friends and my boyfriend for my 21st birthday. The trip is May 13th and I need to lose 30 lbs  by then. That's my goal. I've been working really hard towards it and I'm super excited to buy myself a hot little party dress that will fit my 150 lb figure. :)

I also have given myself a 500 dollar shopping spree once I get to my goal weight of 130 lbs. That's definitely my motivation. I love clothes haha.

Thursday February 17, 2011 [182.0 lbs]

I gained two lbs this week. :( I'm not happy about it. However, this past week I've started working weights into my work out routine, so I feel like that could have something minor to do with it. I, however, am straight up SICK of seeing 80 on the scale. I've been stuck on this plateau for weeks and weeks. I lost my motivation as soon as I stopped seeing that number go down and now that it's going up, it's definitely not taking a good toll on me. So, to give me a little assistance, I went and purchased Slimquick. I read reviews online and mostly everyone said that it worked for weightloss and it was very good to bust people out of their plateaus. That's what I need. Today is the first time I've taken it. I took it with water and had a protein bar and a bowl of life cinnamon cereal for breakfast right after our 40 minute work out at the gym. (Granted, we went into the gym and our goal was an hour, but it's so blistery cold and rainy and windy that the power went out 40 minutes into it!) Anyway, so far I feel fine with the pills. I don't feel any different. Maybe a little more energized, but that's about it. I'm crossing my fingers to see 170's on the scale next week. PLEASE, Jesus. Even though I've gained weight this week, I decided to take my pictures anyway. We'll see if this was a mistake or not.

Indeed a mistake. I guess the fact that I don't wear the same bra and underwear everytime might have something to do with it. I don't know. All I know is that I feel like I'm slipping and I really want to just hurry this thing along. I'm sure everyone does. I hope these pills work, if nothing else- at least hope they give me some motivation. I'm slacking.

Saturday February 12, 2011

Yesterday I took in 839 calories total. That doesn't seem like a lot, but I wasn't starving myself. For breakfast I had two scrambled egg whites with a tablespoon of ketchup. I like eggs because they keep you feeling full for quite a while- at least until lunchtime. For lunch I had a turkey sandwich on whole grain double fiber bread with spinach leaves and mustard. For dinner I had spaghetti-os, an uncrustable grilled cheese, and 30 baked sour cream and onion potato chips. That brings my grand total to 839. I also worked out on the treadmill for an hour and burned 610 calories.


:) I lost a pound yesterday, so I must be doing something right!

Friday February 11, 2011

I didn't do pictures yesterday. I weighed myself and actually gained a pound! Like I said, I wasn't expecting much. I kinda feel like I'm slipping. I've been in the 180's so long, this is DEFINITELY my plateau :( I'm so sick of seeing the 80 on the scale and I hate to admit that I'm getting slowly discouraged. We've still been eating right,  it just hasn't been a structured diet, which I think is what I need right now- at least to see the quick results I want in order to get myself back on track. So, today I'm starting to calorie count. I'm going to take in no more than 1500 calories a day and I'm going to work my ass off at the gym. Losing weight is hard work, and it's pretty stressful :/

I'll update later tonight with what I ate, the number of calories I've took in, along with how many I burned at the gym and I'll update you all every day! I promise. I just need to find my sweet motivation again. Life is stressing me out lately, and I don't want to end up turning to food for comfort. So, hopefully this new approach will be just what I need. Wish me luck!

Wednesday February 9, 2011

HI EVERYONE! It's been forever, I know I've been slacking. I've just been so busy! I've worked 6 days in a row, still been going to the gym everyday, and I spent a couple days hanging out with Jessica. I haven't really had time to update and I haven't taken any pictures. Ray got a job working on a new TV show written by J.J. Abrahams (writer of Lost & Fringe). The show is called Alcatraz and it's shooting on Alcatraz island. It stars Robert Forster, Jorje Garcia, and Sam Niel! Pretty big stuff. So, I've seen him for a total of 10 minutes in 3 days. It sucks, I miss him.

I've been working more on arm and leg weights this week rather than cardio. So I don't expect to have lost much weight if any. My arms are SOOOO sore. I've been lifting 14 reps of about 15 or 20 lbs with free weights. I've also been doing some calf exercises, some side abs exercises, and some bicep, tricep training. It's been hard! Weights are crazy. But I feel good about it. I'm not going to the gym today because I have a dentist appointment this morning and then I have to work tonight. SO, today is going to be my rest day.

I bought Ray some tickets to see his favorite comedian (Brian Regan?) for Christmas. Sunday is when it is so we're going to road trip it down to Fresno and have ourselves a jolly little time. :) I'm excited to finally spend some time with him. I guess I better get used to days like this though if this is the industry we're both going to be in. I'm not so sure how much I'm going to want to sacrifice the time with my family for my job in the future. I'm scared of what kind of consequences that could have. Anyhow, I'm out of here! Hope you're all well. PICTURES TOMORROW!!! :)

Thursday February 3, 2011 [180.0 lbs]

I lost 4.5 lbs this week!! That's super exciting. That's much better than the lousy 2 lbs I lost the past couple weeks! I'm super excited about it. Here's the picture from last week versus the picture from this week.

             

I notice a slight difference. Nothing drastic, but that's okay because the scale doesn't lie :) I took some more pictures for you guys ( or maybe for just so I could do the comparing myself, who knows. ) Here's the very first image of my full body that I posted on this website at 188.5 lbs. compared to 180.0 lbs now.

I definitely notice a difference in the size of my ridiculous lovehandles. Glad those are making their way out of my life. Haha. Now, here's a full body profile.

That's all the pictures I took today. This was a good update! I'm proud of myself. Now for a food update, it's only 11 and I, again, wasn't hungry for breakfast but I'm pretty hungry now. So, I think I'm gonna go get my grub on. We'll be going to the gym once Ray gets home. Then, I'm off to work. I'll update later! Love you, all.

February 2, 2011

Hey everybody :) Today has been such a good day. First of all, I was off work. Which is a nice change of pace when you work 6 days a week. Ray and I woke up at the ass crack of dawn again and hit the gym. I burnt near 550 calories and was walking at 3.7 mph at a 9% incline most of the time. It was rough, haha. But I felt very accomplished afterwards. When we got home, I wasn't really in the mood for breakfast, so I committed a dieting sin and skipped breakfast. I just really wasn't hungry.

For lunch, I had a cup-o-noodles with some added siracha sauce, hot sauce, soy sauce, and worchishire (sp?) sauce. I also had a smoked ham sandwich on a sandwich thin with some mustard and ketchup. I forgot to take a picture! Oops.

For dinner, Ray cooked us up some delicious talapia with a side of mushroom rice mixed with brown rice and some marinara. It was suuuuuper good.

I had a friend come over today and do my taxes for me. I wasn't expecting much, (being a server you get raped by taxes) but SOMEHOW.. My total state and federal refund was 1,000 dollars!!! That was definitely the best part of my day. Once I get back that hefty return, It's all going into my savings and that will bring me up to 3,000 dollars saved. Only 2k away from my 5k goal! And I still have 6 months to go :) Life couldn't be any better. I'm so excited to take my picture tomorrow!! i hope I can tell a drastic difference. I hope I've lost more than 2 lbs! We'll find out tomorrow. Goodnight, bloggers.

Tuesday February 1, 2011

This morning- I drug my lazy tired butt out of bed at 7 a.m. and hit the gym with my boyfriend and roommate. We stayed for an hour. Again, I did interval training via treadmill, and also did 20 minutes on the bike. I burned 400 calories roughly. When we got home, we had an everything bagel thin with hot ham and cheese, some mustard, and some saracha sauce. It was divine.

I went to work, and while I was waiting for my last table to close their tab- I had a ceasar salad with a little cheese, some grape tomatoes, and ceasar dressing on the side. It was also delicious.

After making some business calls and trying to gain some donations for this next film project we're working on, we had some dinner. I made a SUPER good spinach salad with strawberries, raisins, onions, roasted sunflower seeds and smothered in low fat asian roasted sesame seed dressing. It was so good. I also added some pineapple after the picture was taken.

I'd say it was a pretty good day :) Tomorrow, we're waking up at the ass crack of dawn once again to hit the gym. I'm excited to weigh myself on Thursday and take my picture for you guys! I really look forward to my Thursdays :)

Monday January 31, 2011

I had to work early this morning, so we didn't get up and head to the gym like we usually do. Instead, we got up, had some Special K Vanilla Almond Cereal with skim milk, and then I got ready and headed to work. For lunch I had some walnuts, raisins, and dried cranberries with a protein shake. After I got home, Ray and I went to the gym. We stayed for an hour. I did interval training again today. Warm up for 5 minutes, run for 90 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, run for 3 minutes, walk for 3 minutes, repeat twice, then cool down walk for 5 minutes. I just kept my cool down walking up for an extra 20 minutes ;) I definitely feel accomplished.

My weight this past week has been really up and down. I didn't understand why because I haven't done anything different. Well, come to find out (and hopefully this helps you in case you have the same problem) your body retains water while on your period! Which in turn will obviously make you gain weight. Now, I'm off my period and I've lost four lbs overnight. Craziest thing ever. I can't wait to upload my picture on Thursday for you guys :)

For dinner tonight, I had a delicious piping hot bowl of tomato soup with a hot turkey and non fat cheese sandwich on a sandwich thin with a little bit of mustard. It totally it the spot. Tomato soup is definitely my comfort food

As of now, I'm sitting here with Ray watching Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.. while wishing all of this delicious food was in my belly. Sigh. I'll catch you guys tomorrow! Good night!

Sunday January 30th, 2011

ITS ALMOST FEBRUARY ALREADY!? When did this happen?

This morning, since neither Ray nor I had to work super early- we woke up leisurely around 9. We went downstairs for some breakfast. I had a bagel thin with 2 teaspoons of all natural almond butter and a few sips of some DELICIOUS odwalla Superfood. (Ignore Ray's thumbs up in the background. He thinks he's funny.)

After breakfast, we hit the gym! I was on the treadmill for a total of an hour. I, again, alternated between walking slowly uphill, sometimes speedwalking uphill, sometimes running for two or three minutes at 6 miles an hour, and sometimes leisurely walking at a steady talking pace. I feel like I got a good work out.

Ray also bought a 20 lb. weight yesterday. I haven't used it yet, but I plan to start doing various weight lifting exercises sometime soon. After the gym I got in the shower, watched a little Dateline NBC, and then headed downstairs for lunch. I had, yet another, tuna salad sandwich with a little low fat mayo, a little ketchup, a little mustard, pickles, jallapeneos, tomato, and non fat cheese all on a toasted sandwich thin with a leaf of romaine lettuce. Also a side of sunflower seeds and a little black cherry carbonated water to drink.

I have to work again tonight. I should be home by nine, but I probably won't have anything exciting for dinner. Maybe a protein bar and a salad. I'm not sure. Either way though, I'll talk to you afterwards!

Saturday January 29th, 2011

We woke up this morning around 8:30. Since I skipped my rest day yesterday, I'm rescheduling it for today. So, no working out for me today. It's important to let your body rest, anyway. This morning for breakfast, Ray cooked scrambled eggs with some onions, red bell peppers, mushrooms, and jallapeneos. It was delicious, but I forgot to take a picture :( Sorry guys!

I promise to take a picture of lunch and dinner :) On the bright side.. I found this amazing website with lots of healthy recipes! This recipe looked most delicious I can't wait to to try it out!

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/06/recipe-for-tomato-olive-and-fresh.html

I had the lonnnnnngest night at work tonight! I'm exhausted, frustrated, and kinda grumpy. Closing for the FOURTH time in a row on a Saturday is not my idea of fun. But okay. For lunch, I had a delicious turkey sandwich on whole grain bread with spinach, mustard, and some pepper with a few strawberries.

Like I said I was extremely busy at work tonight, so by the time I had time to eat- I didn't even feel like bothering with a picture, so my apologies. I broke my promise :( But all it was was a protein shake and a ceasar salad with hot chicken and some red onions. No crutons and light dressing! It was superb. But now I'm so tired I can't see straight. Tomorrow we're back to the gym! It was a good rest day. I'm also filming a few shorts with my boyfriend and roommate tomorrow! It's gonna be fun :) I'll catch you later!

Friday January 28th, 2011

Ray and I woke up this morning at 7 am, once again. (I have a very hard time with this, by the way) We didn't realize until we were already in the car that Fridays are supposed to be our rest days. But since we were already out the door- we decided to go to the gym anyways. We're going to rest tomorrow instead. Today at the gym I took it easy. I walked on the treadmill for an hour- switching it up from a 3.5 speed to the occasional 3.0 speed at a 5% incline. I read in my fitness magazine that running is definitely a way of losing weight and building stamina, but when you run.. your body is burning carbs for energy rather than fat for weight loss. Your body steals carbs from your liver which is why you get that pain in your side after running for a while. If you walk and keep your heart rate at 130- your body burns fat instead of carbs. So, that's been my method for a few days. I try to run every other day and do weights every other day. Then, I just take it easy on the opposite days. I mean, let's face it- ANY activity is better than no activity.

Today for breakfast I had two pieces of whole grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter and sprinkled with a little bit of cinnamon. 

I finished 16 oz. of water before my shower. My goal is 64 oz. of water today. Which is also hard for me, because I hate drinking when I'm not thirsty. PLUS, there's always delicious soda fountains at work. But I strongly avoid them and settle for water with a lemon or hot green tea instead.

I had lunch around 2 p.m. I was still at work, and when you work at an italian restaurant/pizzeria- there's nothing really good for you. But I was starving. So I made myself a ceasar salad. I used romaine lettuce and spun it in a LITTLE very very little ceasar dressing and added a little Parmesan cheese.

For dinner, I had a delicious smoked turkey sandwich on whole grain bread. I added a little romaine lettuce, tomato, fat free cheese (SUPER EXPENSIVE and never buying it again), jalapeneos, ketchup, and mustard.li Also a  light mixed berry yogurt with 1% skim milk in a cute little carton. Haha. It was delicious!

I didn't reach my water goal today. I only drank probably about 36 ounces of water rather than the 64 I was shooting for. However, I realize that is hard for me- so it's a feat I'll accept for now. Instead of getting discouraged, I'll just do better tomorrow instead. Thank you guys for all of your support! I hope you enjoy reading my updates- because I sure enjoy re-reading and seeing my results! I don't notice them as much in person, but the pictures don't lie!

Thursday January 27th, 2011 [184.5 lbs]

Only down 2 lbs once again this week. Still not discouraged- actually very proud. This week was my boyfriends birthday, and we celebrated with a nice dinner. We also ate out another time this week for his family birthday dinner. So for having strayed away from my diet for two days, losing two pounds isn't so much of a punishment as it is a reward! Ray and I woke up at 7 am and headed to the gym. I did 45 minutes of the treadmill walking at a steady pace at a 5% incline, then I finished my workout with 5 minutes of lifting 30 lb weights. So far this morning I had Special K berries and yogurt crunch cereal with skim milk. It's only noon, so that's all I've had so far. I work tonight, so I'll be missing dinner at home. I think I'll bring some tuna salad to lunch with me. Tuna with a little bit of low fat mayonnaise, a little mustard, a little ketchup, chopped pickles, and chopped jalapeños. Delicious!

Thursday January 20th, 2011 [186.5 lbs]

I lost 2 lbs this week! Not much, but hey- I'm happy with any results. I've incorporated lots of whole grains, fish, and nuts into my diet. Nuts are such a good source of protein. My choice of nut right now? A sunflower seed :)

Thusday January 13th, 2011 [188.5 lbs]

About a month ago, at 200 lbs, I started (and have since stuck with) my very first strict weight loss plan. Since December 13th, I have been pushing myself beyond my limits in hope to reach my goal of 150 lbs by May 10th, 2011. I have been going to the gym 6 days a week for an hour at a time. My eating habits have changed drastically. Since December 13th, i have lost a total of 14 lbs. I’ve never felt so good about myself.

I reached my heaviest my senior year of high school. My mother didn’t die, I wasn’t stressed out, I wasn’t depressed, I didn’t have an excuse. I just liked to eat and didn’t like to exercise. On my graduation day in 2008, I weighed in at 220 lbs.

Over the next year, I got a boyfriend, gained some confidence and some somewhat short term motivation and lost 10 lbs that year. I felt good, but after moving 3,000 miles away from my family and friends to live with my boyfriend in California- I lost my motivation. I was just excited to be around him for longer than a week at a time and felt that every day was worth a celebratory dinner because we had finally made our relationship a permanent and realistic thing. Over the next year, I didn’t gain any weight- but I didn’t lose any either.

I have a great support system that is doing nothing but motivating me and pushing me to my limits. I’m making this blog as a reminder to myself that I can do it. As a reminder that I am making progress, even on the days I’m feeling like I’m seeing no results. I need this positive reinforcement. I will be posting pictures of my progress. I don’t need your sympathy and I especially don’t need your rude remarks. My body was beautiful when I graduated high school and my body is beautiful now. But in order for me to reach my peak of happiness, I need to reach my weight goal. I hope I can have all of my followers support! I thank you in advance. I’ll be updating my photos every Thursday and trying to update on my food intake and exercise plans every day. I'm excited to have you on this journey with me! Wish me luck!!