Fruits and Veggies!

Today was a long long long day... I worked 7:30-5:30 and then babysat 5:30-7:30 came home made dinner, cut up some veggies and made my lunch for tomorrow.

I went to produce junction and grabbed a bunch of stuff... 2 bundles of asparagus, 2 pints of cherry tomatoes, a box of spring mix lettuce, a bundle of carrots, 4 cucumbers, a box of peaches, and a pint of strawberries all for about $14. It was so nice to get FRESH food and not pay a ridiculous amount of money for it. I came home and cut up a cucumber and chopped about 5 carrots and put them all in a baggie. This way when I want to make a salad everything is cut up, or I can just grab some from each bag and take for a snack.

I made a spark people favorite tonight, mini cheesy meatloaf and grilled some of the asparagus to go with it. I also chopped some asparagus and mixed it with an egg for my breakfast tomorrow, also taking some sliced strawberries for a snack. I was really proud that I came home and did all of this before I turned on the tv.

Problem now is I'm exhausted, want to take a shower and just go to bed. I really don't feel like exercising and I don't know what to do, my motivation is just not there. I will say that I was super proud of myself because when I came home I was so hungry (didn't plan on babysitting tonight so I was not prepared), that I really just wanted a quick snack to get me through dinner. There are still left over egg rolls in there, and I was SO tempted to grab one, but I said NO I can snack on some of my veggies and wait for dinner to be done. I did it, I turned down an egg roll!!

My picture tonight is of the goodies I grabbed today!

Chinese food

So last night is the usual night we order out or go out for dinner and where I am more relaxed about what I eat. My boyfriend had to work late and so we just decided on ordering from a new chinese place. I haven't had chinese food in a really really long time. I went with my usual sesame chicken , added brown rice and an eel and avocado roll. I planned on dishing it out to make 3 meals out of it so I wouldn't over eat. I didn't even touch the egg roll that came with it. I really did well eating my portion and stopped myself. An hour later I as doubled over in pain, horrible stomach cramp and so nauseous. I got in bed, tried to sip on some water and was back and forth to the bathroom feeling like I was going to throw up. I felt horrible and cursed my bad decision but I wasn't sure what was making me sick. Food poisoning? the stomach bug that is going around? Or was it my body punishing me for eating this crap?

I finally fell asleep and woke up feeling good then I got up and started moving and it came back instantly. All I had today was a soft pretzel that I shared with my boyfriend and some chicken broth. I also had a gatorade which seemed to help. WORST I have felt in a really long time. Lesson learned...stay away from the chinese food!

Today's picture is my faithful water bottle, it's a camelback one with a straw I drink about two of these during the day. I've been forgetting it at work on the weekends but remembered it this weekend, and didn't use it. BLAH! But I really LOVE this thing!

A trip to the mall...

So I made a trip to the mall and actually tried clothes on.... it's really not as scary as I make it out to be. I hit 3 different stores and left with two shirts, a tank top and two bras. I tried on a pair of 11 skinny jeans and they were cute but big, they were stretchy so I guess that's why. I tried on a pair of 9's and they were tight, not something I'd feel comfortable wearing around in public really. But I was happy with what I saw, got both my shirts in mediums which is nice.

I ate my breakfast while at work, and was there for about 2 hours and managed to finish my classroom just leaving one board out in the hall way that I need pictures to finish, so that has to wait until Monday.

While at he mall I had a salad for lunch and a 1/2 icetea 1/2 lemonade for a drink. I was really craving a soda and this helped quench my sweet tooth. Then I went off and walked the mall for about 2 hours. I still have to fit in a workout tonight. Plus figure out what to make/do for dinner. We will probably eat out/order out as we usually do and I'm just not in the mood to cook. I had a hard time finding a parking spot because of church and a local bar so it put me in a bad mood. I even fought with my boyfriend about it, stupid I know. I am hoping that I won't let me emotions rule my food choice tonight!

My picture tonight is of one of the shirts I brought and I think with jeans it makes a cute, comfy outfit!

Level 2

After having yesterday off I was really off my routine and it was so hard to get back into it today. I got up and had a small snack/breakfast to get something in me within the hour of waking up. Once I get to work I had a smart one breakfast sandwich of egg whites, turkey sausage and peppers. I also had some cottage cheese and mandarin oranges. I'm trying to make my breakfast a little bigger to get me through the day. I think it would have been fine had a dad not brought in doughnut holes which I snacked on all day long BLAH. Other then that I stuck to my healthy snacks, and lunch that I had packed. Drank my water and rushed around trying to get my room together for February.

Tonight I tried level 2 of Jillians 30 DS and wow that was rough. I had to take multiple 5 second breaks and was really sweating. I just wanted to try and see how my body would react. I think I will stay with this level until I am fully comfortable with it, which I think may take awhile. This is 5 days in a row that I've done some exercise, still soda free and feeling good about my choices I am making!

Dinner was also good, one serving of pasta and some bread. We also played this fun game called Headbands, you wear this headband a card sticks to it and you have to guess what your card is. Sounds simple and a little lame but my family makes EVERYTHING interesting, I laughed so hard my stomach hurt, I haven't felt that relaxed in while.

Tomorrow I'm heading back into work to finish my classroom then meeting my sister and her family at the mall. There I might try on some jeans and shirts, no plans on buying anything but I would like to see if I can notice any changes in my clothes. The scale hasn't moved but I'm oddly okay with that.

Tonight's picture is of an empty cupcake wrapper... A WHAT! A healthy carrot spice cake that a mom who is proud of her healthy cooking made for her little boys birthday, he is in my class She gave me the left overs to enjoy and they are really yummy!

More snow...

I got the phone call around 7am that we were closed for the day, so I rolled over and got some much needed sleep! We both slept in till about 10am and as soon as I got up I had a bowl of cereal. I had my snack of cottage cheese and blueberries but the rest of my eating, well, sucked. This often happens when I am at home and being lazy with a boy who can eat anything he likes and stay the same size. We both made a commitment to try and be healthier but I know it doesn't mean as much to him as it does to me. We dug out our 3 cars in about 2 hours, not to bad. The problem now is that our parking lot is used for many businesses and the local restaurant parking. My fear is that after all that digging out when I come home from work tomorrow there won't be anywhere to park!

After some lunch we both took a long nap and I know this will screw with my sleeping schedule but I was just exhausted and it felt good after I got up and started moving around. I knew that I had an okay work out shoveling the snow but I refused to take that as my work out for the day. I went OnDemand and found a biggest loser 10 minuet cardio work out. I was sweating by the end of it and it felt great. This is 4 days in a row that I have worked out, I'm so proud.

Another proud moment: STILL soda free, haven't touched the stuff in weeks and I'm glad I've been able to do this, it's been my biggest weakness yet. I still have to pack some snacks for tomorrow and make my breakfast. There are calling for more snow next week and I have NO idea how I'm going to deal with that!!

My picture tonight is two of the three cars we had to dig out today!

Mother Nature

So we have about 5-6 inches already on the ground and they are calling for another 6 or so inches!

I actually had to work today even though all the school districts in my county were CLOSED. I had 4 kids and got only about 1 or two thing accomplished. I was tempted with some french fries today, which I had but still stuck to my planned out meals. I did well with dinner and ate rather slowly and felt full. Until I saw the last brownie in the ban and decided that I needed to have it. BLAH! I got in a lot of water today which was good and I think I'm starting to come down with a cold so I'm starting on some Emergen-C tonight!

I did Jillians 30 day shred even though I hadn't planned on it. Tonight was suppose to be Zumba night but with the snow that wasn't happening. I didn't want to NOT exercise at all today so I figured I'd do Jillians 30DS. I was happy I did it, this is 3 days in a row that I've done some exercise. I also took my 4 kids out into the snow today which was a lot of fun and if I have off tomorrow I want to try and go sledding, it's been ages but I think I would love it.

Tonight's picture is right outside my front door... Mother Nature came knocking!

Part of my motivation

So today was I thinking about the reasons I'm motivated and the things I use to get me through my work outs. Sometimes I get lost in the thoughts of "I want to get into this size" or "My life would be better if I lost this weight" but there are REAL reasons I want to be healthy.

In 2001 my mother passed away from breast cancer and my life changed. It was always different when my mom was sick but now she was gone and I had to deal with the life anxiety of would it happen to me. My mother was young when she was diagnosed being told at first the lump was nothing to come back in a couple months. When she went back it was breast cancer and had invaded her lymph nodes. My mother's battle had only just begun, with radiation and chemo therapy slowly eating away at her we got good news, she was in remission! Within a year it was back and spreading, now on her bones, on her spine and effecting how she was walking. Confined to a hospital bed, put on medicines to ease the pain and hospice making weekly visits I spent the rest of my mother's time enjoying what we had left.

I have done many Relay For Life walks and fundraisers for breast cancer but I've never done anything by myself. This year on Mother's Day in Philadelphia I will run a 5k in honor of my mother. I will use all the wonderful memories I have of my mother and pull from the strength she had during her journey to get through my run. I will not stop until I reach the end and I will never rest easy until there is a cure for cancer.

I have been told by many doctors my percentage of getting breast cancer and ovarian cancer and that the best thing I can do is early detection. I give myself monthly checks, go to my DR and always have one, I have had genetic counseling, looking into the genetic testing and I am trying to eat healthier.

Tonight's picture is a tattoo I have on my ankle, it was the Relay For Life team name right after my mom passed away, her name was Ann.

My funk is finally gone!!!

FUNK GONE!!

Tonight I decided to go to Zumba with my assistant teacher and another teacher upstairs and we had a lot of fun! I don't spend enough time with my assistant teacher and I need to we had so much fun! Then we went back to her place where another girl we work with also lives and she made us dinner, a yummy chicken stir fry. She did a great job and tried really hard to make it as healthy as possible for us.

It felt great to be dancing and laughing and moving again. I think this is what I needed to get out of my funk.. EXERCISE! DUH! I came home didn't even glance at the brownies in the kitchen and started to grill some chicken for my lunch tomorrow. I packed my breakfast, lunch and snacks for the day.

I finally feel like I'm getting back to where I was and I know I will sleep really well tonight! I'm getting to bed a little later then usual but that's okay I am still working on one healthy habit at a time. I will say I had fast food for lunch today but I am still SODA FREE!! WOOT WOOT!

My picture tonight is of my breakfast (egg with spinach and blueberries) and my lunch (grilled chicken, side salad and mashed sweet potatoes) also includes a snack bar!

Laziness: confirmed

I was at my worst this weekend... lazy lazy lazy. We spent the first half of the day in bed, which I actually enjoyed and needed all that extra sleep. We finally got out of bed and laid on the couch, just enjoying some time together. Finally grabbed a shower and got ready to head out. My friends were having a little party at their new apartment and I really needed a night out. Right before I was leaving I called to them if they needed anything from the store. Change of plans they were going to the bar...now I'm usually up for it but I just wasn't feel like dealing with a bunch of drunk idiots, driving home and dealing with the cold! I told them that, they seemed annoyed and that just sent me into a funk.

Me and the boyfriend just grabbed dinner across the street and if you read last night's blog dinner won. Today was got up and went to have breakfast with my sister, her husband and son. It was great to finally get out of the house and do something. Then we went grocery shopping and I just didn't even care what we picked up, I was so OUT of it. When we came home we unpacked and now we are back on the couch. I am just struggling with a lot right now and feel very lonely.

I don't have many friends and I feel left out of a lot. Now that I live with my boyfriend I'm not as close with my dad and brother, I miss that. I really just wish I had all that positive motivation back, it's only been a week but I've let this week ruin everything I worked on. I am really trying to plan my meals for tomorrow and either do Zumba or Jillian's 30DS.

I need to get back to where I was, I'm not sure what is wrong but I want out of this funk now! My picture tonight is my view from this week...on my couch watching a lot of TV!

oreos won

This will be short as I'm writing from my nook.... today was a total lazy day as we had big plans for tonight but of course those plans changed at the last minuet. I was really angry about the whole thing and me and the boyfriend decided to get dinner at the bar across the street and I stuck with water and a grilled chicken wrap...then I remembered they had fried oreos and I ordered them.... I shared them but the worst thing is I don't even feel guilty about it, not yet anyway. I didn't even have a chance to take a picture of them so I took this one from google...

Oreos: 1 Me: 0

Bathing suit shopping?

Someone made the observations that Target already had bathing suits out and was wondering if I had any plans of getting a bikini this year....of course! I made plans this weekend to find one, hang it up on my wall and fit into it and be comfortable before November... why November? My boyfriend and me have decided to go to Disney World and I want to look HOTT!!! I don't even mind if I spend this summer still working towards that body but my ultimate goal is November.

I haven't had any great exercise this week but my eating has been on point and I've made really good choices! I've been proud of prepping and planning for anything that could come my way. I'm going to have to really watch this weekend, as we have a lot of plans!

My picture tonight is of my own treat... caramel hot chocolate and mini marshmallows! Yummy!

Defeat over Chick-fil-a!

I happen to work very close to a Chick-Fil-A which serves amazing chicken and very yummy 1/2 lemonade 1/2 ice tea drink! I would often visit here for lunch and sometimes dinner on my way home. I could always magically find money to get my self something and in fact stopped there the other day for a medium fry and drink to go with my veggie burger I was having (contradicts it self doesn't it??)

Today was my long day at work 7am-5:30pm which turned into 6pm because we had a training at 6:30 until 8:30 so I was at work from 7am until 8:30pm! I knew it would be crazy so I packed my breakfast, lunch and dinner last night so I wouldn't have the urge to go out for take out. For breakfast I had one egg scrambled with spinach and mozzarella cheese and a little ketchup. Lunch was a salad that had lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, corn, carrots, asparagus, and some grilled chicken with a homemade balsamic dressing. Dinner was salmon, brown rice and a veggie mix. I also had some left over rolls and added a sweet potato to my lunch.

I stuck to ALL my meals! I cut WAY down on the snack, but did have a kit-kat bar because I gave into my craving. But tonight while everyone else ran to chick-fil-a for their dinner I turned to my packed dinner, felt proud and went on with my night.

I felt super proud of myself and for prepping my meals! VICTORY!

My picture tonight is a little snack I'm allowing myself... two caramels with cream in the middle... my favorite!

There it is....

Well I had two successes today.. STILL soda free!! And I didn't snack at all! I only stuck to my meals and it felt great to finally get through a day without food controlling me.

I am still in that "funk" and right now have a lot of my mind that has nothing to do with my weight or food or exercising. To top things off I looked at my pay check today and found that they never put through my raise I was getting in September. I have been shorting myself money but not looking at my check each week, because it's direct deposit. I thought I had all of my paychecks saved but did some cleaning Sunday night and threw them all away when I really meant to keep them. On top of this I am confused about school and what to do with my life. I am also struggling with not seeing my boyfriend during the week, he works 2nd shift but works on trucks and they have to finish before they can go out the next day. He gets home anywhere between 1-4am.

I am to tired to talk with him or even have a conversation that last more then 30 seconds and consists of more then a couple grunts, a hug and a kiss. It's been extremely hard coming home to an empty place, cooking and eating alone. Don't get me wrong there are some nights where I am happy that I can get some alone time, but I would only want that once every couple weeks.

We have both made the decision to work as much as possible, make the money we need and enjoy life when we are together. But it's hard to do that when most of the time we spend together is trying to catch up on sleep and getting ourselves ready for the up coming week.

I guess I have lost myself in all the stress, I am a natural worrier (blame my mother) and have let myself get sucked in by it all.

Tonight picture is something I often look for... my collar bone! Inside that circle is the very thing I define being "thin" with... the showing of my collar bone, LOVE IT!

Lucky to get this one...

Yep I am still in a weird mood from yesterday and have NO motivation... I haven't done 30 day shred since Friday and had intentions to do it tonight but I'm in a big FAT funk. Today was an easy day at work...TOO easy and that threw me off big time. Since the weather was so bad and we were still open my boss brought us breakfast...doughnuts and then lunch...stuffed shells, chicken parm, chicken alfredo, chicken marasla, and salad. I already had my snacks and a salad packed for lunch. I ended up having 1 doughnut and a piece of chicken parm with my salad. I snacked through most of the day, and when I came home grabbed a brownie as soon as I walked in the door.

I tried busting out of the funk with a healthy dinner, honey and balsamic glazed salmon and mixed veggies. It was yummy but NOT what I wanted. I grabbed a couple spoonfuls of ice cream and handfuls of chips to settle my cravings.

This always seems to happen to me, just 2 weeks in and I let the pressure of life get to me! I am going to bed with the promise to myself that tomorrow I will try harder and I will make this a lief style change!

I also found a children's fitness and nutrition certification program I can do at home or on-line and it is expensive but what I really want! So I am going to really try and save my money for the next two months and see where I am with that. I am also looking into grants or money that will help pay as well. I need about $700 for everything!

My picture tonight is of my dinner...it was very yummy!

Not my best day!

So today was just an OK day, I wasn't feeling anything, and would have rather been home in bed?? We only had a small class today because of the holiday and I could have used this more to my advantage but I didn't. I was disappointed in my self and I am having some what of a low night. I decided that I would weigh in today and just see what is going on. I came home and jumped on 149.9...and that I was happy with. Under 150lbs and I know your body always weighs more at the end of the day, but I like going by THAT number instead of when I wake up. So I thought this would be a good picture for today...well that was about an hour or so later and when I jumped on it was 150.4lbs.... why does this make a difference? I'm not sure but it just made me feel awful about everything.

Tomorrow I do Jillian's 30 Day Shred and I really need to find something to do on the nights off, I had to much time to slack this weekend and it threw me off. I need to pack my lunch and snacks tonight and prepare myself for the day. I'm not sure what is going on with me right now but it's not my best night....

Here's my picture for the day... my scale, the frenemy!

Lots of cooking today!

Today was a good day! It feels so nice to have couches in the living room and now it really feel's like OUR place! We went to Target and brought pillows and a throw...love it all! We hit the grocery store as we usually do on Sunday and we grabbed some little things and then enough for dinner this week. This week I am trying a salmon recipe, a pork recipe and a chicken recipe....all which sound very yummy!

Today I had veggie burgers (morning star) and home made sweet potato fries for lunch. My boyfriend even had a veggie burger and he really liked them! They are a little expensive but good for weekend lunches or dinners. For dinner he grilled some steaks and I made mac and cheese and home made mashed potatoes...first attempt ever! I used red potatoes and kept the skin on them, because I love it! We added some shredded cheese as well.

We actually were cooking in the kitchen cooking together and I loved it. We made a lovely meal together and I am very happy that he is at least supporting me in my new life style!

Today's picture is of my lunch! SO YUMMY!

Living on the 3rd floor...

Today has been a successful day both health wise and just in life! We FINALLY got couches from my boss and moved them into our apartment...on the 3rd floor. Oh WOW this was the hardest thing we have done so far, the one couch was a sleeper! I really got in some cardio and strength training today! It felt great to finally get the last piece of our apartment together and now I feel like we can decorate and make it more of a home.

After all the hard work we offered to buy lunch for my family who helped us, they wanted pizza and wings!! They all know I am working hard so they told me to just order something different, I tried for a grilled chicken breast with just tomato and lettuce, no mayo or anything. They didn't have any!!! WHO DOESN'T HAVE THAT!? So I just went to WAWA and got a roast beef sandwhich on whole wheat bread, a fruit bowl and some gatorade. I got the gatorade because I was really craving a diet coke and this sometimes helps me get through it. I didn't have pizza, not even a bite! And the wings looks gross so I wasn't even tempted. I did have a couple about 6 or so french fries. But before I knew it between my fruit and sandwhich I was full. I had 1/2 a sandwhich left, but that's okay I saved it for lunch tomorrow. I haven't had 1/2 of ANYTHING in forever! I felt great about this!

Today I got the kinect game Your Shape but we have to figure out our living room furniture before I can play it... you need to be 6ft away from the kinect so I have some rearranging to do!

My picture today is of my living room complete with couches!

A day in the ER

Yep that's where I spent half of my day... in the emergency room. At 4am I was woke up with a sharp pain right above my ribs, it was a stabbing pain, shooting through my back, up my shoulders and down my arms. I almost went then but it dulled and I was able to get back to sleep. I woke up at 6am, went to work until 9am and then drove myself to the ER. The pain wasn't as bad but it was still there. 6 viles of blood, a urine sample, an IV, 3 medicines and lots of waiting I was sent on my way home. Possible that I had gallstones and also acid reflux. I was told to see my gastro again and start on an anti- acid. $100 for that... boo!

I came home after all that and slept because the pain medicine they gave me made me so tired. I went to my grandmother's for dinner, tried to eat a little and then came home. I got through my 3rd day of Jillian's 30 day and am proud that I stuck with it even after the day I had. I didn't get comfort food, I did wallow in my crappy day, I just went on with it... MAJOR progress for me! And on another good note I'm still SODA FREE!!

My picture for today is the view I had at the ER for 3 hours, not the most exciting picture but I worked with what I had today!

Day 13 of the new me

So this is day 13 since I've made the effort to make myself healthier and a little skinnier. I haven't had a soda in about a week or so which amazes me, I'm hoping that now it will be much easier to turn it down when I'm offered it. Tonight I had a big breakfast for dinner, a family tradition at my dad's house, he makes the best breakfast! It was healthy but like I said I'm not denying myself anything and other then that today I had a good day eating wise. I am still snacking through the day but even that has been cut way back and it's snacking on much healthier options.

I have made plans to hit a Zumba class next week with a couple girls from work and my new kinect game should be here tomorrow or saturday. I am also still working on the Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. I plan on doing Jillian every other day and on my off days trying the Your Shape game to get in some cardio.

I am already in bed, in my PJ's waiting for Grey's Anatomy to come on and then it's FRIDAY! This is the first weekend in a long time that we don't have anything planned and I hope we can just relax for a little bit, I know I need it. I am still taking my vitamins every morning and I've been feeling great!

My picture tonight is the new George Foreman grilled we ordered. This thing is amazing and if you don't have one I don't know how you live! We grill everything on this and it even makes great grilled cheese!

Today was a new day..

Last night I was a mess... I was just done, emotionally and physically. I wanted to give up so badly and just go back to the way I use to be. I woke up in a bad mood and annoyed that I only had a 2 hour delay and not a full day off. But I got up, packed a salad for lunch with some cheese as a snack, cleaned off my car and headed in. I was still a wreck when I got to work and found my self in tears as I explained my night to my co-workers who all hugged and told me to just relax. I also had a sore throat and was afraid I was getting sick on top of it all. But my co-workers really pulled me up out of my mood, made me laugh and helped me get back on track. I honestly don't know where I would be without them sometimes and I am SO lucky to have found such great friends!

Tonight my dad called and asked me if I wanted to come over for dinner, even though we have dinner planned for tomorrow. He knew that I'd still be exhausted after yesterday and is always up for spending some extra time with me. So I went and ate, panicked a little after I realized I had no idea what he was having but it was pork, green beans and mac and cheese. I took a little bit of each, even had some bread along with it. It was nice to just sit and relax, watch some TV and talk with my family about the stress of life. I came home and immediately changed into work out clothes and did my second day of Jillian's 30 day shred and it felt great! I jumped up and cooked dinner for my boyfriend which I will use for my lunch tomorrow.

I have to learn how to get this emotional eating under control but I was proud of myself that I didn't just give up today that I tried again, in the past I would have just gotten take out for lunch and had the "who cares" mentality. It's a slow process and I know I will beat this food addiction!

My picture tonight is of a bathing suit I'd REALLY like to wear this summer. I haven't worn a bikini since I was in middle school and even then I only remember wearing it briefly. I am thinking about hanging it up on my wall as motivation....

A short one

I had a pretty terrible day today, got back some test results and not what I wanted to hear. My work day was just stressful as ever. Then on my way home, I was just a mile or so from work and my car dies. I went to make a turn and my steering wheel was tight I ALMOST didn't make the turn. I pull off the road and my car is dead won't start...after making a few frantic phone calls my brother-in-law comes and jumps it which takes WAY to long and I finally make it home.

I am on a war path when I get home, I am on a mission and I just want food. I really really wanted to stop for Mcdonalds but my bother-in-law followed me home and he knows how hard I've been avoiding it. But I came home made two grilled cheese, ate 2 brownies and a cold meatball. Yea... I feel like crap now and I am going to go lay in bed.

My picture is my frenemy...the scale...tonight I jumped on just to try it out I had on pants and about 3 shirts (it's cold!) but I was still REALLY hurt to see the number flashing back at me :(

tonights dinner and a little blood

Tonight I had planned a beef and vegetable stir fry including...green peppers, red peppers, onions, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, snow peas and water chestnuts. I actually didn't eat any of this because yet again my plans got thrown off but I know my boyfriend was excited about this one and I packed some for my lunch tomorrow. I ended up having some home made vegetable soup and a grilled cheese thanks to my grandmother who makes hands down the BEST vegetable soup and I just can't resist it!

I did come home and straight into my work out clothes for my first day of the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and it was tough! I have no upper body strength and it was super hard doing it with weights. I am excited to see how my body changes and I was told the best way is to do it every other day. Tomorrow I will find a video ondemand of some yoga or something like.

Eating was good today, I've been avoiding the brownies in the kitchen, I had 3 last night! But I've been good so far and after my dinner I had a snack of whole wheat pitas dipped in artichoke and garlic hummus. It was just OKAY but I'm trying to experiment with different kinds.

I will say that after the dvd I had lots of energy and was able to cook dinner, clean up the kitchen and take out the trash instead of just sitting here watching TV like I normally do... GO ME!

Here's a picture of my stir fry....

I knew this would happen..

So I missed a day...not with a picture but with my blog and I knew this would happen eventually I was just hoping it wouldn't be so soon! I had a very busy day yesterday and was only home for about 2 hours and was just relaxing that I didn't even think about blogging... bad blogger I know! So you get a special today...one blog and two pictures!

Yesterday's picture is of me at the Flyer's game! My brother brought me tickets for my birthday so me and him headed down even in the snow! I ate a breakfast of cereal and mandarin oranges and they we had to find lunch down there. Now I already said I'm not about denying myself so I had chicken fingers and fries with a bottle of water. That's right NO SODA! We did walk around for a little bit and then watched the Flyers kick Jersey's butt... a good time with my brother! After that I came home for a little while and took care of my sick boyfriend, I started him on some emergen-C packets and myself as well. I then headed out to my aunt's surprise birthday part at a local brewery and restaurant. I did good eating wise, just one small plate with a little bit of each thing I wanted to try and a nice glass of water. After that was out for my sister's birthday where I had some chips and dip and one slice of mushroom pizza. I had one drink while out at the bars, a vodka and redbull. So for this one I'll call this a half success. I could have done without the chips and pizza and I could have not had a drink at all. But for being in the real world and my life I liked how I handled myself.

Today was my usual sunday of grocery shopping, errands and laundry. We planned out our dinner menu for this week... Honey and Balsamic vinegar glazed salmon, chicken stuffed with cheese and spinach and a beef and vegetable stirfry. All of these recipes were found on www.sparkpeople.com! LOVE THAT PLACE!

We also went to target to look at Geroge Foremans because ours finally died and we can't live with out that thing, we love to grill! They didn't have the one we wanted to we just ordered it off amazon along with the game Your Shape for the kinect, can't wait to get it! I also stopped at the exercise isle section and found Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred on sale for $9. I could have gotten the DVD for free if I brought the kit which included a yoga mat and 2 3lb weights. Well I already have the yoga mat and my grandmother is letting me borrow her 2.5lbs weights. I will start this tomorrow night and I am going to really try and stick with this to see if I get any results...I've heard good things so far!

So here are my pictures for the past two days... I promise I'll TRY and not let this happen next weekend!

The first real test

So this weekend will be my first real test out into the real world since I restarted my journey this year. I have a hockey game (GO FLYERS), and two birthday parties to attend. Each of these will include lots of food and drinking. Now I am use to just going as I please and not paying attention to what is on my plate. I am going to have to actually STOP and think about what my body is saying. I also plan on filling up with a good lunch before the hockey game and drinking LOTS of water and having a small salad before the birthday parties. As I said I will see DIET COKE out there but it's up to me weather I call him over to my table.

I also picked up a vitamin today... One A Day chewable for adults. Yep that's right I'm a big baby and hate swallowing pills and vitamins always seem to mess with my stomach. I've tried these before and really liked them... I need to stay healthy this whole year!!

My picture for tonight is something I haven't used....yet! For Christmas I brought my boyfriend the new XBOX 360 with kinect, the kinect was really for me! He is going to buy me the game Your Shape this weekend so I'll have some exercises to do at home!

Big date tomorrow night!

Homemade gnocchi!! I have a big date with some very delicious, made by yours truly homemade gnocchi! I will be planning my other food for tomorrow according to this date, and I will have my whole family there to make sure nothing goes wrong. I don't want to move to fast and there is no need to have 2 dates in one night... just one is fine for me!

Today was another victory over Diet Coke... this is the third day in a row I haven't seen him and I don't miss him not one bit! But I have big plans for Saturday and I know he will be around, it will be up to ME to not request to see him! FINGERS CROSSED!

So I've seen all these commercials for McDonalds oat meal and it's got me thinking. Could it REALLY be healthy for you? I mean it comes from McDonalds home of the McFattie! Now don't get me wrong I love my McDonalds, I love him a little TO much. I am actually thinking of stopping by and grabbing some tomorrow and my way to work... here is the nutrition information I found on their website:

290 calories
4.5g of fat
0 g trans fat
32g sugar
5g protein

it also has some vitamin A, vitamin C and calcium. So what do you all think? Maybe as a treat once a week, still a somewhat healthy breakfast and can't we all use a little treat?

My picture for today is my Reebok Easytones! My boyfriend got this for me last year and I love the way they make me feel. I always wear these when I hit the gym or go for a run. They make me feel bouncy and I can always feel it in my legs afterwords.

Well hello Mr. Stairs

So today was another soda free day! I haven't really been craving it so much and I am finding it much easier this time. My biggest down fall today was snacking... there is always food around at work and I have a hard time just telling myself no. But I'm letting it slide, and going to work hard at it tomorrow. Tonight's dinner was a little much for me, steak, baked potatoes and lightly sauced corn. I would have been fine if I had stopped with one baked potato and stopped adding the sour cream!

Today I found what I was looking for, it was right under my feet and I didn't even know it. You know how they say if you stop looking for love it will find you...introducing Mr. Stairs. I recently moved into an apartment with two flights of stairs leading up into my apartment, 25 steps total plus the 8-10 steps I take in the small hallway leading from one flight to another. Well my plans to see GYM this week have fizzled so I thought why not use what I have. I set a timer for 10 minuets and just started going. Up and down, up and down, up and down. I should have kept count of how many laps I did but I'm just not that smart....yet! So before I know it I'm out of breath and started to sweat....wait from walking up and down steps!? I run into the kitchen thinking my 10 minuets should be up but NO...there are still 3 more minuets left! WHAT!! How out of shape am I? I'm making this my goal that I can work up to 10 minuets.... here's my picture of the day... one flight of my steps!

Breaking up with diet coke and picture #4

So I decided that my biggest love affair is Diet Coke. I would drink this stuff for breakfast if I could...who am I kidding I have done that! I thought buying smaller cans at the grocery store would help curb my addiction but I would just end up buying one for lunch or one on my way home for dinner. I have tried to break this habit two other times and did really well for almost 2 months and then I got a little taste and I haven't look back. I know I need to change it now so I have decided to call things off with Diet Coke and took my chances with water again... I had left water once and wasn't sure if he would take me back. We are taking things slow today, I had 3 glasses today and will try for one more before bed. The only ill effect is that he just doesn't get along with my bladder... I have to visit the bathroom 3 times as often while dating water! But I guess you have to take the good with the bad in relationships right??

My picture for today was my dinner for tonight... I found a good recipe that helps keep portions in control...meat loaf in a muffin tin... LOVE IT! I promise tomorrow will not be a picture about food...obviously I love food way to much :D

Day 3 of pictures!

So today was a pretty successful day and stuck to my eating plan except for two cookies at work...those holiday treats are still lingering around! I came home and tried some exercise videos on-line but I just couldn't get into it. I tried to stand as much as possible today, and moved around with my children whenever I had the chance. I forgot my water bottle but did manage 3 glasses of water with my lunch! I allowed myself a glass of sweet tea with my dinner but I'll stick with water for the rest of the night.

Here is my picture... Sparkrecipes! I am signed up on www.sparkpeople.com and this site has saved me many many times! This page didn't only help me with tonight's dinner but helped me plan the rest of this weeks meals... THANKS!

My food

While I lived at home with 5 other people I had learned to stash away my own healthier food because some people just didn't get it! Even though it's just me and my boyfriend I find my self doing the same thing! I have one drawer in the fridge that I keep my own healthier snacks and we split the cabinets into sides. He has also committed to being healthier but this is about my break up not his :D

Last night I made the break from 3 pairs of jeans...they didn't hug me the way I needed to be and who doesn't want to be hugged :D Instead I traded them in for one pair of much younger (11s!!) who liked to hug me ALL over! I got many compliments on my upgrade and I think these one's will stick around for a while!

My old fling gym called me today but I'm just not ready to see him yet... it's been MONTHS and every time I make plans to see him I get so nervous, anxious and what if people I know see us together!! I am determined to see him at least once this week and I want to work hard at making our encounters LESS awkward for me.

Another fling...boy I have a lot of them.... Mr. Scale. I was seeing him multiple times a day! As soon as I woke up, as soon as I came home from work, before going to bed...and during the weekend it was up to 5 times a day! Now some people will say that was overkill but I had to make sure that I was keeping things consistent but there were plenty of time he was just awful to me! I had a very serious talk with him last night and we decided that we should try once a day...then down to once a week and then I would like to stop it at just once a month. He was shaken, he even refused to work with me for a couple minuets....but I know it's best for me and him!

Here is my pictures of the day.. My healthy drawer in the fridge

Pictures!

So here are the pictures!! I decided that doing body shots by myself is nearly impossible (thanks babe for the help!) So this is how I will post pictures. Every 1st of the month I will post full body pictures, front, side and back views. Everyday I will post a picture of something I am doing to get healthy...the food I'm eating or buying, the workouts I am doing or something that inspired me. Here we go....

New Year New Blog!

So I FORGOT that I was even suppose to being blogging about my break up until I decided what one of my goals for 2011 would be! I want to start a picture blog, where I take a picture EVERY day for a year. Weather I am feeling good, sick, or just plain BLAH, I want to take pictures to help track this year. The good, the bad and the ugly! So let me catch you up on my break up with fat!

As of this morning my friend/enemy or as I call it my frenemy the scale had me at 148.7lbs! That's right I officially broke up with 150, but over the last couple of weeks we see sometimes at night before bed...what I can I say, I just can't get over 150 yet! I was able to go out shopping and grab a medium in a top and a...wait for it.... A SMALL!! Now I guarantee this was miss labeled or something because there is NO way it's a true small! I am okay with that, but it's given me great motivation for reaching a REAL small.

I recently moved into an apartment and the first couple of weeks went really well, but now that life has caught up with me I have NO energy to cook or go to the gym. It's difficult to just get through the day sometimes and when I come home grabbing fast food is much easier for me. So it's become another item on my addiction list: McDonalds, french fries and diet coke!

As of right now I can stop the McDoanlds and MAYBE the fries but I just can't give up my diet coke, I am NOT ready for that break up. I tried it once and it left me physically ill! But I know one day I will be strong enough to leave that abusive relationship!

I will be taking my FIRST picture of 2011 very shortly and posting it here as another post.... let's see what 2011 looks like :D