#159 Weekly Weigh In

Last night at weigh in, I learned that my hard work this week actually paid off. I lost 2.4 pounds, bring my total weight loss back to 35. I couldn't be more excited and proud of myself. So my lesson was learned. It pays off to use the tools WW (weight watchers) has given me. If I track honestly and true, then I actually see what goes into my body. For me, I don't want see the not so healthy foods I eat on my tracker, so maybe if I know that I am going to be writing it down I won't actually eat it.

Now I have to be honest to the world and to myself; I am going to eat stuff that isn't healthy or good for my body. No matter how many times people tell something is bad for me I will still want to eat or drink it. My weak spot in food is desert especially ice cream, cake, cheesecake, etc. Honestly I crave it all. So if I know I want to eat something (which is pretty much all the time), I need to eat in in moderation. Meaning watch my portion sizes.

Last night's meeting was 8 Weeks to Thanksgiving. Yikes that came fast. We are given homework, which that we were asked to track so that we can trade trackers with someone else at next week's meeting. I will see how that goes. LOL

We were also asked to make a goal to how much we wanted to lose before the holidays. My goal, which I low balled, is to lose 5 pounds which would make my total around the 40 pound mark around Thanksgiving. But lets really think about this: If I lose 1/2 a pound for the next 8 weeks, I will be at 4 pounds lost. If I lose one pound for the next 8 weeks, I will be at 8 pounds. If I lose 1.5 pounds each week, I will be at 12 pounds lost. So we will see how I go. I am not going to kill myself to be so strict that I loose 12 pounds in 8 weeks, because if I truly honest I won't do it. So I am going to do best for the next 8 weeks. If I can lose 2.4 pounds this week alone with just tracking, cutting down on soda, and attending 2 Zumba classes in one week, then I should be ok.

So tonight my high school graduating class is being honored at the Homecoming game, which is 10 years. I am going. I still can believe I have been out of high school for that long already.

#158 Facing the Scale

Today I face that horrible thing I call the scale. I hope today I am not disappointed in myself again. I have worked really hard this week, so I am keeping g my fingers crossed. I have tracked and tracked and tracked; I can honestly say that I have made the effort to actually measure my food. I know I wasn't perfect, but who is perfect. So I think I am ready to face the scale.

So I started reading Graceling by Kristin Cashore. So far so good. It sucked me in so quickly. I will definitely post a review once I am done. Below is what Goodreads says about the book.

In a world where people born with an extreme skill - called a Grace - are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of the skill even shedespises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displeases him.

When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Have a great day!!!!

#157 Hump Day

It is Wednesday; the middle of the week. We are half way between weekends. So what should I write about today? Should I write about how tomorrow is weigh in? Or should it be about something else? These questions are the questions I ask myself each day as I sit down to write a blog post. So I ask myself again what should I write about today?

As I still ponder that question, I guess I am going to ramble on and will eventually get to talk about my weight loss journey. So this post may be long or it may be short, who knows? I sure as don't have an idea.

Luckily my allergies haven't stopped me from wearing my contacts, cause my glasses aren't in the best condition. They are really scratched in the left eye glass. So when I wear them, I have a big blurry spot directly in front of the exact spot in front of the center of my eyeball. I really  need to make that trip to the discount eye wear place my family has used for some time; I love to save money just as much as the next money conscious person does.

I guess I am ready to write about my weight loss journey. This past week I have really tried to make an effort to stay on Plan. I can honestly tell you that I have tracked every once of food that has entered my mouth. I have even cut down on the snacking I went to Zumba on Monday and I am going again today. Also, I haven't had a DC since Sunday. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying that my efforts show up on that scary scale.

Well Happy Reading everyone!!!!!!

#156 Confessions

• I realize that I haven't posted a confessions blog post in a while, but here is one. It may be long or it may be short. I haven't decided yet.
• I can honestly say that I have tracked my food intake. I also I have done some activity (Zumba). Also, I haven't had as many diet cokes as usual. I had one on Friday, 2 on Saturday, 1 on Sunday, and zero since Sunday night. So I hope my effort will show on the scale. 
• There are 8 weeks till Thanksgiving...that means I need to get the ball rolling on this weight loss thing. My goal before Thanksgiving is to hit the 40 pound mark. So I am praying and keeping my fingers crossed.
• This morning when I straightened my hair, I final realized how long my hair has grown. When you wear your hair in a pony or knot like I do, then when you actually wear it down, it is like "Wow my hair is actually groaning." Thank you Biotin. The ones I take say POTTEN. (I think that is the word I want.) Girls if you want to grow your hair fast take what I am taking. It works.
• You may ask why are you growing your hair? First I miss it being long. Secondly, I will be giving it again to Locks of Love. This will be my second time, but I want to be able to cut so it won't be so short. 
• So I finally watched the pilot of Revolution. OMG....I think this is one of my favorite shows thus far. It sort of reminds me of Hunger Games. It is just another show that I believe is a much watch. I guess I am going to have to remember to watch it via internet cause. It is the same night as Hawaii 5-0 and Bones (both of which are set on the DVR). 
• NCIS starts tonight. I can't wait. 
• Geez, my life is surrounded by television. 
• Back to weight loss, ok, so my class is being honored at the Homecoming game this next weekend. So I really need to get this weight loss thing going. So come July, I will be where I want to be...which is DONE. 
• So I finally started a new book, Graceling. I started it this morning. I heard it was a fantastic book. We will see. 
• Have a great Tuesday!!!

#155 Weekly Weigh In

TGIF...Lord knows it has been a crazy week in the weight loss department, and as expected I gained weight. But when I say I gained, it means I GAINED. I gained a whopping 3.2 pounds.
I am still over the 30 pound mark, 32 to be exact. I am so disappointed in myself, but that is life. I just got to move on.

Last week, I basically took the week off. I didn't track or earn any activity points, so basically I sucked at being a WW member. But that is life, I just need to move on. That is exactly what I am doing. Today is the start of a new week in my weight loss journey. I am starting fresh. Instead of taking it easy on Fridays and the rest of the weekend, I am treating the weekend like it is the weekday. Which is sort of perfect for what the meeting was last night.

The meeting was titled Weekend Warriors. It sounds interesting right? Well it was; it was about how to handle weekends since it seems like the weekends were a problem for most members last night. Our fearless leader posed some great questions like, what are you willing to do to change the outcome of the weekends? It reminded me that I have to mold and think of this Plan as what is best for me. Basically I have to make the Plan fit my lifestyle and incorporate the tools that I am given in my life.

So now what? How do I make this program work for me? I really need to put my new member hat on and really think like that new member. That means, I need to go back to the basics:

track

earn activity

weigh and measure my food/beverage

what portions

drink lots of water

So have I changed anything so far? Answer: Yes. I am treating today like a Monday. If you have dieted all your life, like me, than you are use to always starting your diet plan on Mondays. So in theory if I treat my Friday as a Monday than today would be the first day back on Plan.

Today I have tracked everything I have eaten. Meaning that I actually looked up the points plus values (PPV) for everything I have eaten today. I am also eating what I would normally eat on Mondays. 

Breakfast

Small banana = 0ppv

Latte (starbucks via) with non-fat milk = 2ppv

Lunch

Subway Kids turkey with lots of veggies

Substitute honey mustard instead of cheese

5 ppv

Baked Lays Sour cream and onion

4ppv

I started with 26 daily ppv. If you do the math I have 15 left.

Since I am a night time eater, I am trying to save the majority of my points for tonight. So this weekend I will be re-reading all my material and try to shed some of the weight I gained. I promise myself that I will add more activity and actually go to Zumba. 

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!

#154 Facing the Scale

Who would have thought that a small contraption aka the scale would make someone so nervous? But that little 2 feet by 1 foot (approximately) does just that. Who would have thought that? Not this girl. Like every week I get more and more nervous as it gets close to my weigh in. I am so ready for this to be over so that I can't start over a new week. Starting over would be grand cause Lord knows I wasn't a great WW member this week.

I mean I really didn't track. I didn't go to my Zumba classes (thank you allergies). I can honestly say that I did however lower my intake of soda; my last one was Monday at lunch, which means I didn't have any fast food (I don't count Subway). NO FAST FOOD AND DIET COKE should do me some good.

This morning, instead of heading to McDonalds for my morn McCaffe, I made Starbucks via Iced Coffee. It comes out to the same amount of points plus values, which is 2. I think it will be good for my bank account as well. I am killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

I am finding that as the weight comes off, I am becoming more and more of a fashionista. I am finding that I am liking clothes and shoes more and more.

Time to change subjects:

With the economy as it is, like others, I am finding hard to find a "big girl" job especially in graphic design. So I am considering doing something else and doing my freelance work on the side. Who knows?

#153 Hump Day

Yesterday I was out with a migraine headache, which I don't get often but with the new challenge I gave myself, (Drinking Diet Coke only after weigh in) I think the migraine was on top of the lack of caffeine headache. Double trouble....So today's "Hump Day" blog will be in the form of My Confessions Blog.

• I already broke my NO DIET COKE Challenge on Monday when I had one for lunch, but honestly I can say I haven't had one since. It has been hard and hopefully these headaches will go away. So today instead of heading to get a DC in the afternoon, I got a Starbucks venti Passion Iced Tea with 3 splenda. Yummy!!!! It is a cool and refreshing drink without all the added sodium of soda. Best thing....its 0ppvs....which is great awesome.
• I haven't been tracking which I will probably see on the scale. On the other hand, I have stayed away from fast food places minus Subway. While at Starbucks I bought the Iced Starbucks Via so I wouldn't have to make my daily trip to get my morning McCaffe. (This could probably make my bank account happy too.)
• I need to get my butt back in gear...I don't know what my problem is. I was doing so good for a while there, but that darn hurricane through me for a loop. Knowing that Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner, isn't helping much either. I would like to loose about 5 more pounds before the Holiday Season which would be over the 40 pound mark. So guess I can't skip out on Zumba today.
• After hearing about the surprise wedding of Blake Lively and Ryan Renalds, I am kind of digging the idea of a surprise wedding. Granted that's a long way away since there is no soon to be groom anywhere around. But readers and close friends and family, don't be surprised if one day you are invited to a party and find out it is my actual wedding. 
• The nerves are slowly kicking into action as my weigh in is slowly coming closer.
• I am still doing a Pinterest DIY project. I need to get my butt on a roll. I am excited about it.
• Happy Reading Everyone!!!!!!

#152 Long time to no see....

I have been meaning to post at least something for the last week. So keep that in mind this one may be a little long. So hang in there, but if you don't want to read this, I completely understand.

Weekly Weigh In: At last weeks meeting I gained point 2 pounds. I realize that that isn't much but it is still a gain, but point 2 I can handle. So I guess I need to continue to get my butt in gear. I know what my problem is and that is tracking. I really don't know why I can't seem to track. I know it works when you actually do it. I have set my phone to go off after each meal time and for some reason I just don't do it. Actually my main problem is the weekend. I am fine during the week, but on the weekend I suck. I guess it is because I don't have a set routine or something.

I started back to Zumba but I guess I need to up my exercise even more. I need to get back to the treadmill and other things. I have been thinking about starting Yoga or something else. I don't really know. I will let everyone know what that is.

I am still trying to get back into my house. It seems to be a slow process. I am going through things and throwing the stuff I don't need instead of just piling in the stuff. It still baffles my mind how much stuff we humans accumulate.

I haven't read anything over the past week. I guess I just need to start some book and try to get into it.

I will be doing my first Pinterest DIY project; and I am a bit nervous. So wish me luck.

#151 Confessions

• Before I get to into my confessions, I wanted to say a little something first. Today marks the anniversary of that fateful day back on 2001. September 11th was forever changed. I remember like it was yesterday. I was a junior in high school; I had just taken my yearbook photo and was helping out with the yearbook staff to get everyone's picture taken. That day changed everyone's life. My heart goes out to all the victims and their families. 
• So I haven't been able to wear my contacts in over a week. Thank you allergies. You suck.
• I already broke one of my mini goals. I can't seem to stay away from DC. I have no will power when it comes to soda. If one is offered to me, I can't seem to turn it away. 
• Zumba last night was amazing. I love the feeling I get when I am done. It is like I have actually accomplished something. When I am done, I feel and probably look like one of those Insanity infomercials.
• When I got on the internet Sunday evening and saw that Ryan Renalds wed Blake Lively, the first thing that came to mind was, "Wow, that was fast."
• I am counting the days and months to the final installment in the Twilight Series. There are 65 days, 14 hours, 22 minutes and 20 secs till Breaking Dawn Part 2 comes out. I can't wait.
• For all you ladies, how do you keep make up on your face? By lunch, most of my make up has left my face. Why is that?
• I don't know what else to confess.

#150 Weekend Round UP

So this weekend, I was sort of a weekend warrior. You are probably wondering why am putting the picture to the left up. Mostly it is for me to remind myself how far I have come in my weight loss journey.

So this morning, I have been trying to figure out everything I ate this weekend, because stupid me didn't track at all. Word to the wise, I would not follow in my foot steps; it would be much easier if I had just tracked from the beginning. So for the rest of the week, I will be busting my butt to stay with in my 26 daily points and earn as much activity as I can to combat to what my mass amount of eating did to me. I know I shouldn't be hard on myself for my weekend, but I know I should have done what I needed to do. It is a new day, right? I can't changed the past, so I just need to "start over."

Mini Goals:

1. Track both food & activity.
2. Don't drink DC (diet coke) or soda for that matter. Well my last one will be at lunch today.
3. Eat more fruits and veggies.
4. Drink more water.
5. Clean room, etc.

Weekend Warrior: I mentioned earlier that I was bit of a Weekend Warrior. Well this weekend I had it in my head that I was going to finally get back into my house. I really haven't been in my house since my bee invasion. 

Saturday: I pressure washed the house all afternoon until the rainstorm got me. When I told my                                                                  brother in law my plans, I don't think I have ever seen that boy smile so big except for the day he married my sister. He told me I was required to pressure wash the sidewalks as well. I almost finished everything. I would have but that stupid rainstorm hindered that.

Sunday: I rinsed off the wicker furniture and put them on my porch. Then I made it into my house. I went through some of my stuff in some of the storage furniture. Then swept, mopped, and really cleaned the downstairs bathroom.

I plan to work some more on Tuesday evening. Well as you can tell my weekend was pretty jam packed and productive. So I hope everyone had a great weekend. 

#149 Weekly Weigh In

TGIF!!!! Today didn't start off so good. First of all, instead of hitting the snooze button on my phone instead I turned the alarm off completely. So this morning I had approximately 15 minutes to get ready.

This week I maintained my weight again for two weeks. I guess that is a good sign that when I achieve my weight loss goal that I shouldn't have a very big problem of staying in maintenance, but now is the not the time to discuss that. Anyway in all honesty, I am happy about my weigh in cause God knows I didn't track my food and did minimal activity. A hurricane, a holiday, and a family birthday didn't help matters either, but something finally clicked in my head: there will always be something that comes up and I have to look at differently. I have to ask my self, "is it worth it?"

At last night's meeting we mainly talked about the hurricane and how it affected everyone. When I really think about what I learned about myself during that stressful time, made me realize how far I have come in just a little over two years. For those three crazy days, I ate a little more than I should but I kept my portions small. I tried to eat a little more healthier that I would have in the past. That in itself is a huge accomplishment and I am surely proud of myself.

Now it is the start of a new week, and I get to start over. Over the next week, I am going to take conscious effort to track both my food intake and my activity. I will make sure I eat more fruits and veggies. I will try to drink less diet coke, but that is a habit for me that is hard to break.

I need to tell myself that I can achieve my goals and get this weight loss thing done. Well, I hope everyone has a great weekend and happy reading!!!!!

#148 Face the scale

Before I get into the Face the Scale post, I just wanted to say this one may be a long one. After Face the Scale, I will be reviewing that Twilight Series, but of course I will talk about facing the scale first.

Face the Scale

As you probably have already figure it out, I am nervous as heck. With not having a WW meeting in two weeks, a hurricane, and the Labor Day holiday, I am a little concerned to say the least. Those three things alone does not make combo to achieve weight loss. If you throw in a cousin's birthday dinner into the mix, I don't even want to see this outcome. But I still have to face reality. I need to know the extent of the damage, so that I can learn how much harder I need to work for the upcoming weeks to get to my next mini goal: the 40 pound mark. 

I touched a little bit on this yesterday, my 10 year high school reunion will be next summer. So now I have a little bit more motivation. Last night was my first day back to Zumba since the hurricane. It surely felt good to sweat as much as I did. It felt like I accomplished something. Anyway, I don't know if will help the scale but I will keep my fingers crossed that I didn't gain 5 pounds.

The Twilight Saga

I had truly forgotten how great and well written this series is. I didn't realize how much I relied on the movies to remember what happened in the series. I finished this series a second time within a matter of a little over a week and a half. It took a little be longer than the first time I read the series. I even let my crazy fan-fiction reading mom talk me into reading a fan-fiction story, which was surprisingly good.

Anyway, with all this Team Edward Vs. Team Jacob stuff, I have always been Team Jacob, but now things of changed just a bit. Now I am Team Twilight. I am Team Jacob with a bit of Team Edward and Team Emmett. In a way Emmett has always had a special place in my heart. 

When I got to Breaking Dawn, the part that takes place after Bella has Renesmee and becomes a vampire, it was like I was reading a new book cause I really had forgotten pretty much everything that happened. 

Reading this series for a second time has made me even more excited to see Breaking Dawn Part 2. 

#147 Hump Day

First off, it doesn't seem like a Wednesday. That darn hurricane and holiday has sort of thrown me for a loop. I am still trying to get into the swing of things as well as continuing to write this blog. Don't worry guys, I will continue to write, but you know how it is when you get out of habit with something.

Like every day before weigh in day, I am nervous. As I stated yesterday, I weighed myself on Thursday just to see the damage. As you know, it showed that I maintained. However, I really don't like to weigh myself outside the WW scale because there aren't two scales that are exactly calibrated the same.

Any way, I am nervous bottom line. This past two weeks have sort of been crazy to say the least. With the hurricane and holiday, I haven't been tracking or exercising (i am not counting cleaning or yard work). I haven't really been eating unhealthy but just a little bit more. I sure hope that I didn't totally screw up, but if I did, I know from past experience that I can come back from it. I have the tools I need to accomplish what I need too.

When I first started WW, my reason's for joining were purely for superficial reasons. I didn't like the way I looked, but when I really think about it yes of course the superficial reasons are there, but more or less I wanted to be the healthiest me that I can. You may ask why then? Why two years ago? My answer is really simple. I WAS READY. I wasn't doing it to find a man; I wasn't doing it to please others. I wanted to lose the weight for me. I wanted to be healthy; I wanted to be able to keep up with my future children and nieces or nephews. That's it. 

This photo couldn't have said it better; it basically took the words out of my mouth. 

I finally have another motivation to finally lose the rest of my weight. My 10 class reunion. WOW!!!! It is hard to believe that I have been out of high school for 10 years. Time really does fly. It seems like yesterday I was walking across the CLHS stage getting my diploma. It brings me back, and it makes me wonder. When I think back on what I accomplished in life, I am happy. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, where I thought I would be, I think I would have said that I would have a successful career as a pharmacists with a family. Now really is that what I really wanted. Yes. When I left Central Lafourche, I had a different life in mind. My life has taken a different path than I expected. I still want to have a family and have a successful career (not as a pharmacist). In college, I changed my major a bunch until I finally settled on Graphic Design. Design is a passion of mine. I may not have a quote unquote "real job," but I am pursuing my dreams. Let's look at what I have done in the past 10 years:

1. I went to college 6.5 hours away from by myself without knowing a single sole. 
2. I traveled the world while going to class on a cruise ship with semester at see visiting 3 continents. South America, Africa, & Asia.
3. I worked for the mouse; I world for the Walt Disney World Resort and learned a lot about myself.
4. I went skydiving, which by far may be the best experience of my life.
5. I have friend around the world. 
6. I lived in 2 other states outside of Louisiana. Mississippi & Florida.

I can't really think of anymore, but you get the point. I have done things in my life that others have only dreamed about. I couldn't be more proud of myself. 

I don't have a single doubt in my mind that one day Mr. Right will walk into my life or come out of the shadows. He will show up when God's plan allows him too. I will find the career/job that I am supposed to pursue. I will be happy.

Thanks everyone who have truly supported me throughout my life; you know who you are. Without you, I don't think I could have accomplished anything. 

Happy Reading!!!!

#146 Confessions

• I will explain the photo above later. 
• I realize I haven't posted anything for almost 2 weeks. Thank You Hurricane Isaac!!!!! As the world definitely know especially with all the media craziness, the Gulf Coast was bombarded with lots of rain and wind because of Isaac because he decided to move slower than molasses or it just stayed put. We, as in my family, did pretty well compared to others. We were out of tv, Internet, and power for a few days. I was glad I got a lot reading done. 
• Because of said hurricane, we missed the Republican Convention. Oh Well. 
• I reported no Weekly Weigh In because there was no WW meetings this past week. However I did weigh myself on Thursday just two see what damage I did for the hurricane. Well it turns out I did good; I maintained my weight. Believe or not that is good considering the shear boredom of being stuck inside a house with no electricity which meant no tv or treadmill. 
• Now here is the explanation of the above photo: One of the oldest and dearest childhood friends tied the knot this weekend. The wedding was so her, which would mean the having a photo booth is perfect. My sister, brother-in-law, and I decided to have a little fun. Needless to say the outcome was fantastic.
• When I came into work this morning, I had no idea my father wanted to help me earn some activity points. Because of Isaac, I spent the morning in the office parking lot that was full of leaves, branches, and trash. So it was my job to pick all that up. Did I mention today it was 87 degrees with probably a humidity of 100%? Thank you South Louisiana. I really couldn't tell you how many I earned because I didn't figure it out. 
• Well enough said, I need to get back to work cleaning around the office to get rid of the evidence of being out of the office for about a week.
• Have a great Week everyone!!!!!
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