real. life.

getting healthy. again.

here I go again... back to the gym. back to eating healthy. And it's about freakin's time!!! I'm still wondering what happened the first time around... I'd been doing well for almost 2 months, and then it all just stopped. I think I got lazy one week, and then I got sick, and then I suddenly "couldn't find the time." I call BS. Because I was able to FIND the time for it before. And I was SO HAPPY with my progress... I saved money on food, had more energy, slept better at night, and my clothes fit a LOT better.

I've gotta admit, it's still a bit weird to hear people ask "did you lose weight?" Because I hate to admit that I was large enough for these changes to make such a difference. But they did. In the 2 months I was exercising and eating well, I not only lost 10 pounds, but also about an inch and a half EVERYWHERE off my body. Awesome in the THIGH department... but not too thrilled to lose my ta-tas. HA!

But all day today I was psyching myself up for the gym. I was MORE than ready. I was rockin' my new LuluLemon pants, too... and actually felt SEXY in my workout gear!

(Guys... tune out for a second... this next part is for the ladies... )

Chicas... you have GOT to try the undies at LuluLemon! Holy shiznit. I never know what to wear... not a fan of the thong during workouts (um, hello... have you ever had one of those things shift on you during a deep stretch? NOT cool). And yet, I don't like rocking the full briefs and the VPL they give you, either. But I'm telling you, the angels were singing when I slipped these things on today... it was a pair of LuluLemon's "girl shorts." They are laser cut, so no edges are seen. Smooth them into place, and they don't move a bit. Honestly. You all know I've got a ghetto booty (that I LOVE), and these things STILL stayed in place.

Okay, guys... you can read again. It's safe, I promise.

But seriously, I was blown away by the stuff af LuluLemon. I even dedicated a blog post on my biz site to my experience in the store.

So, today I ate healthy and worked out a bit. And I feel great. I'm already looking forward to Zumba tomorrow night!

movin' and groovin'

I'm proud of myself. It's been just over 4 weeks now, and I'm still being healthy! I've been trying to get to the gym a minimum of twice a week, have been doing Zumba classes there, as well, and have been taking the dog for long walks and hikes in between. And my eating habits have changed, too. I haven't even had ONE chicken mcnugget this whole time! I'm not hard-core counting calories as much anymore, but I am still very aware of what I am consuming, and asking myself "is it worth it?" I still allow myself a couple of yummy treats... like the child-size popcorn at the movie theater or skinny cow ice cream cones at home. But that's okay... I told myself from the start that this wasn't a DIET... this was about a lifestyle change. And so I am making sure that what I'm doing is sustainable.

So, 4 weeks in, and 7 pounds down. Hooray! I still have a lot to go (and I'm still WAY past my last "oh-my-gosh-I'm-fat" moment of revelation), but in times of discouragement, I have to remind myself (ickily enough) that 7 pounds is a LOT, and a huge accomplishment. My dog weighs 10 pounds total, so I keep looking at HIM when I want to remind myself in a tangible way of just how much weight I'm actually losing. (Yikes!)

So, fun stuff... I've fallen in love with a hiking trail near my house. And it totally wears Jasper out to go on this trail, too, so I kill two birds with one stone.

I'm also totally in love with ZUMBA. (But I have to admit... I'd love for the teacher to start bringing back the classic moves  and do a bit less of the "Shakira shake." I get it, I get it... swivel the hips... now how about the REST of my lower body?

And my newest love? SOFTBALL! My friends and I gathered to play our annual game about a couple of weeks ago. It was definitely interesting, but totally fun. As a whole, we're not all that good. Granted, there are a few "ringers." But for the most part, we just want to PLAY. And so the players are divvied up pretty equally. But I've gotta say, my team (myself, included) was kinda "OFF" that day. I hit the ball each time, but couldn't move fast enough to get to first base each time. And I don't think I ever made it past second base. BOOOOOOO...  But it was fun. We only ended up losing by 5 points in the end. Ha!

Here's MY team:

And ALL of us:

Me and my bro:

And yes, I brought my camera to the game. I alternated innings on the field, so when I wasn't playing, I took pictures. Another person had their camera with them, too, so I didn't worry about getting a LOT of shots. Just a few for myself.

(my brother):

Tony, running towards home:

You can tell we don't take ourselves seriously when you see several beer cans on the field. Ha! One guy even RAN the bases with his beer in hand. He slipped and fell at third, but the beer was SAFE!!!

It was a great day, capped off by the perfect party that night... catered taco bar, drinks all around, fun awards were handed out, and Sean and Van announced (in a totally cute way) that they are having a BABY!!! (I've already signed myself up to be the photographer.)

And, the fun continues...

Inspired by that day, I went out and bought myself a softball glove and a few balls. Tony and I spent last weekend playing catch, right alongside a father and son duo. It was too cute. We played for quite a while, I learned lots of new tips and tricks, and paid for it the next day with an EXTREMELY sore muscle. Oops! But it was totally worth it. Next time? I want to hit the BATTING CAGES!

And so, I continue. Still motivated to MOVE. And still looking for fun new ways to do so.

slipping...

I'm still motivated. Really. I just find myself slipping back into my "norm." Overwhelmed by my schedule last week, I didn't make time to work out like I should have. And I didn't plan my meals ahead of time, either, instead choosing to scrape random meals together here and there. It worked, just not quite as well as it would have, had I taken the time to do things RIGHT.

I feel like I failed a bit last week. Looking back in my FitBook, I was a bit surprised to realize that I'd only made it to the gym ONCE last week... and that was only for my zumba class! No other workouts. I didn't take the dog out as much as I wanted to, either. And when I did, it was more for his benefit (long leash so he could run circles) rather than for both of us. Not good.

I admit, part of what threw me off was it being Easter weekend. With a party to shoot on Saturday morning for 2 hours, then my mom's Easter get-together afterwards for several hours, I was T-I-R-E-D. I had been planning on going to the gym that night, but my body just didn't cooperate. I could have easily konked out for the night by 10 pm. The only reason I didn't was because I had to entertain the dog for a while.

And Sunday morning was brunch at the Signaigo's house. I ate pretty well, considering. I DID have some not-so-healthy (but really yummy) things, but I didn't overdo it like I used to. The weather ruined my plans to go hiking, and the gym was closed to it being Easter, so there went my workout plan for yesterday, too.

Bummer.

But that's LIFE. I know I'm going to have busy weeks, and then REALLY busy weeks. And this new week is gearing up to be ANOTHER really busy week. Beloved webinar tonight from 6-7 (ish) (the last few weeks have run REALLY late), a SMARTY meeting tomorrow from 7-9 (meaning I won't get home till near 10), ZUMBA on wednesday, thursday and friday I'm gonna try my best to get my bootie to the gym, then the annual softball game on Saturday and my first Beloved shoot on Sunday.

And somewhere in there, I still need to walk the dog a minimum of 4 times, finish editing pics from Saturday's birthday party, and prepare for Sunday's Beloved shoot!!! whew! I'm tired just thinking of it.

But here we go. I've got my plan... now I just need to DO it.

bring on the munchies...

okay, I can do it. It's only been a few days. But I knew it was bound to happen. I'm bored. And stressed. And PMS-ing. It's like the ultimate trifecta of the "give-me-chocolate-NOW-or-die" phenomenon. Ugh.

And so, I resist. Luckily, I thought ahead to bring in reinforcements:

 
Ranch-flavored soy-chips (much better tasting than they sound) that look like mini-rice cakes and have a similar texture. But they are good for munching. And at only 120 calories, and seven grams of protein per serving (which is a whopping 17 crisps), this is a healthy snack that keeps me munching for a while.

 

And for the moments that I really REALLY need to have a bite of junk food, I've got a couple of these 100-calorie snacks stashed away, as well. Not too nutritious, but an easy way to appease the craving without going overboard. Wish me luck with that...

As for the rest of the day, it went pretty well. My body is still getting used to being active, though, and I have been in zombie-mode lately. I was hoping to squeeze in a quick nap when I got home, but my dog had other plans.

Um, yeah... this is Jasper, telling me it's time to PLAY. I chose the lazy-man's game of fetch, and threw the ball inside the house while lying down on the couch. And when he wasn't satisfied with my performance with that game anymore, I brought out the big guns... the laser pointer. When he finally got the "puppy zooms" out of his system, I shoved a treat in his kong toy and he spent the next 20 minutes trying to pry it out. Ahhh, what we pet-parents will do for some peace.

But I didn't have a whole lot of time to relax. I grabbed a quick snack of cucumber slices and hummus (yum), then I was bavk out the door, heading to my ZUMBA class at the gym. MAN, what  workout! But I had SO. Much. FUN!!! I think it's the only time I SMILED through most of a workout. And I LOVED the music and movement... it reminded me of the days when Tony would take me out salsa dancing. And one of the last songs we grooved to was one of my favorites that I used to dance to. (be-SA me...) But WOW, I forgot how LONG that song was. By the end, I was exhausted.  It didn't help matters that the air condition was BROKEN throughout the entire gym yesterda! ACK! And given the fact that the group exercise room was tiny, and PACKED with people, it was kinda gross. It was the most I can remember EVER sweating. Ew. But it was TOTALLY worth it, and I can't wait to do it again.

Back home, I finally got around to cooking dinner. Something simple: one egg and 2 egg whites, scrambled with tomatoes, green onions and basil. mmmmm... And on the side, sliced bananas and mixed berries drizzled with just a touch of honey. Who needs junk food anymore?

After dinner, I jumped on the computer to do just a bit of work. I've been getting better at this "balance" thing lately... on the days I do a hard workout, I haven't been logging much time behind the computer. But on my "off" days (or light workout days), I'll put more time in on my projects, when I'm less tired andmy brain can focus a bit better.  ; )

So, last night I started yet another project that I've been meaning to tackle... re-designing my splash-page for my website. It's kinda *blah* right now. And especially since I added all that extra language there  the other day to help with SEO, it looks more than a bit crowded. And just LAME. So, I've set out to fix it. It will take a few days of work, but I've got something in mind that will flow a LOT better to my site. And I finally decided to nix the idea of having a separate "beloved" site, and just incorporate everything in one. I worked on the wording a bit, and got things set up better for when I've got my beloved pictures ready to show off. Whew!

So, all in all, a good day.

 

 

 

week one, day two.

Yesterday was a rough day. With little sleep, a tumbleweed kinda day at the office, and co-workers getting on my nerves, I was MORE than ready to get to the gym and get my groove on.

I headed there straight after work, crossing my fingers that it wouldn't be TOO crowded. Jeepers. It was. I didn't have any luck finding a maching with the video/nikeplus hookup, but at least I found an open elliptical machine to use. Happy to be there, I wasn't feeling too picky. I hopped on and started my workout. And, wouldn't you know it? Less than a minute later, two people got onto the machines on either side of me... and then proceeded to talk over me like I wasn't even there. Ugh.

Thankfully, the last few years of life have taught me the importance of being more active and vocal in my life, rather than just trying to be nice (and keeping my mouth shut) and letting things slide. So I (nicely) turned to one and let them know that I had just started my workout, and asked if she would like to trade machines with me so that she and her friend could workout side-by-side. Of course she was happy with that solution. We traded machines, and the blabbermouths kept talking throughout the rest of my workout. But at least it was to my side, and I could drown them out with my headphones which were blaring music by The Ting Tings.

The workout was rougher than expected... my heart rate was a bit higher than it should have been, so I adjusted the incline/resistance down a bit to avoid passing out. ugh. No worries... I'll work up to that level soon. Of that, I have no doubt. Kinda cool, though... I was still actually able to use the nikeplus app on my iPhone to record my workout (which came in handy since I accidentally pushed the wrong buttons on my machine and lost all info a couple of times...oops). The weight room was a bit crowded by the time I got to it, and I had to pick my way around people to get to the weights and carve out a spot for myself. But it was all good. I managed to do exactly what I had set out to do, all within 60 minutes. I left feeling GOOD.

A quick stop off at the grocery store to pick up salad and snacks for the next few days. Quick question: why, oh WHY does the grocery store have "health/diet food" on the same aisle as DONUTS??? And facing each other? booooo... Thankfully, I escaped that trap and headed home to cook myself some teriyaki chicken, and place it over my asian salad. Yum.

The rest of the night was a bit quiet. I played with the dog, placed a couple client orders, and did a few other random things. Including this... inspired by the Beloved webinar I had watched the other night, I took their advice and decided to create myself an "inspiration journal." Or, more technically, an inspiration site. I have created a tumblr site to store things I come across that make me go hmmmmmm.... things I want to remember, focus on, and contemplate. Things that make me dream or push me into action. You can follow along here if you'd like: www.obCHELsive.tumblr.com. 

just another manic monday...

ugh. so glad this day is drawing to a close. I am NOT a fan of mondays.

Since my body isn't used to being active, the last couple days of exercise finally caught up with me and I had a rooooough time getting out of bed this morning when my alarm started shrieking. (That, and the fact that I hadn't actually gotten a GOOD amount of sleep since my dog had been snoring for most of the night. Yup. And he's got a loud snuffle for such a teeny-tiny body...)

But, off to work. I wish I could have given myself a do-over because I was NOT in a good mood. Maybe it's because that I feel that my day-job is so pointless, and every moment I'm there feels like a waste of time. Why do I bother? Oh, yeah... the paycheck. (cha-ching...)

But, one good thing to look forard to... today is the FIRST official day of my new healthy ME. I have a new outlook in that area, and hope I can keep the motivation going. Even in the past few days I've been talking about this, it's been great hearing from all you peeps on Facebook... you definitely have been helping motivate me. And if anyone has the nikeplus app for iphone, hit me up! We can play "tag!!!"

Unfortunately, there was no workout tonight. My body was kind of craving it, but I already had plans that took up a good portion of the evening. And besides... I don't want to burn out before I begin, right? I've got plans to exercise for the next few days. It's all good. Here are my goals for the week:

• Tuesday: go to the gym for 1/2 hour on the elliptical, and 20+ minutes of free weights.
• Wednesday: walk the dog, then jet over to a Zumba class (I'm excited... it will be my first time!)
• Thursday: walk the dog (1 mile)
• Friday: walk the dog (1 mile)
• Saturday: walk the dog, go to the gym for 30 minutes on elliptical and 20+ minutes of weights
• Sunday: hike with dog for 1.5 miles in Peters Canyon again.

I'm hoping I don't wimp out. And my prize if I do well? A new workout wardrobe! Nothing too fancy... just a new pair of pants/shorts to work out in, and maybe a top or two. But nothing from Target or Old Navy... I might hit up REI or something.  : )

As for my meal tonight? A good simple stand-by. And super-quick to make, too:

(lean) ground turkey patties with mozzarella cheese and bbq sauce, cottage cheese, 1/2 an avocado, and steamed veggies. mmmmm...

I'm still looking for other simple (healthy) recipes to make. So if you've got a favorite meal, or even a source of inspiration (favorite site or cookbook), BRING IT ON! I'd totally appreciate it. I've already gotten a few ideas from my FB friends. Thanks so much... keep it coming...

In other news... here's what I was up to tonight:

watching the 2nd week of the Beloved webinar series. (I still have to go back and finish watching week-1.) It lasted about 2 hours, so I'm glad I had taken the time to cook my meal before the session started. Finished JUST in time!

The webinar was inspirational. I'm still getting started with implementing Beloved sessions into my offerings, so you'll see a lot more in the coming months. But tonight was good. Not only informative, but also got my creative juices flowing, as well. (Unless someone else books one prior to this), I'm shooting my first Beloved session in May, and I am soooo excited to play!

The webinar ended and the guilt set in... I still needed to walk the dog. So I took him to the park. I had planned on just letting him play in the field, but I ended up using it for a workout session of my own and logged almost a mile walk (thank you, nikeplus app)! I had almost stopped earlier, but the voice on my app popped up saying that I'd almost surpassed my last walk... so I kept going till I did.  : )  

Back home, I relaxed and watched tv, packaged up a client order, and had time to write this. All is well. And looking forward to taking on Tuesday. Tomorrow is a GYM day! Better go pack my bag in preparation!

 

sunday, sunday...

Another pretty good day. But MAN, my body is NOT used to being in motion. I woke up at 8:30, fully intending to get out of bed. BUt my body had other ideas. After allowing the pup to join me in bed, I curled back up under the covers and read for a bit... till my eyes started to close once more. Next I knew, it was 10:30. Oops! So, up and at 'em. But what to do?

My dog stared at me till I started to feel guilty, so I figured the first thing on my agenda should be to take him out for a walk. But I get tired of the usual stroll through the local sports park, and wanted to try something new. Adventure time!!! We hopped in the car and drove up the street to see if I could find the park I remember seeing on a map the day before. But I had NO idea what to expect.

It was better than I had expected... Peters Canyon Regional Park was a hiking area, with trails carved out of the natural land. Awesome! At first I worried about bringing Jasper to a place like this, since he would make an easy target for wildlife. But I saw how crowded the area was with Sunday hikers, equestrians and other dog walkers, and realized that it would be safe enough for us both. I was excited to use my new nikeplus app, which not only recorded the distance I would be walking, but also tracked my speed and elevation, as well.

Jasper had a BLAST. With all the new sights and smells, he was in heaven. So we hiked. Through grassy areas and over little bridges, through paths lined with flowers where you could hear the swarming bees inside. (eek!) For a moment I was able to forget that I was still in the city... and then I turned my head to the right and saw townhouses and condos lining the street. Ha! But it was nice.

The path that we had taken was a 2.5 mile loop around a lake. But neither of us were in the condition to walk that far yet. So I kept an eye on my iphone and stopped when it said I had gone just a bit further than a half-mile. (And just in time, too, as we stopped just before we would have had to climb a massive hill.) So, we turned around and hiked back to the car. Jasper was pretty wiped out, which made me happy.

because a tired puppy = less annoying at home

  

Made a quick pit-stop at home to clean up, then headed out to lunch with Tony to California Fish Grill. Yum. Then off to Macy*s for the Clinique bonus days... purchase $21 worth of makeup, and receive a LOT of free stuff. Um, YES please. Both Tony and I were tired to do much more after that, and we headed back home to conquer a chore we'd been putting off for YEARS. Almost 3 years, to be exact...   ordering our WEDDING pictures.

Yup, that's right. We've been married for almost 3 years now, and had never picked out our pictures thus far. I know, we suck. You'd think that being a photographer, myself, I'd know better than to let this happen. Nope. I'm a total nightmare client. (My apologies...) But we sat down and chose our 644 images. Done and done. Now we have to wait for instructions on how to start the album ordering process. Yup, we hadn't done that, either. (EEP!) But one step at a time, right?

That task tackled, it was on to another one... diet and exercise. Time to plan my week out. With my trusty fitbook in hand, I got down to business... deciding when I'd exercise and what I'd do, and also getting started with planning my meals and creating a grocery list. Then it was off to shop. I was proud of myself... most of my purchases were from the outer area of the store (which is the healthiest), with half of my items coming from the produce area. Hooray!

Back home, I quickly cooked up dinner for the night (and enough for lunch tomorrow):

chicken, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, basil, sauce and mozzarella cheese, with a side of ozra and asparagus:

After dinner I faced what I had been dreading... taking my measurements. Since I'm officially starting the 12-week healthy tracking program tomorrow, I needed to see what my starting point was. And wow, it's pretty bad. But no worries... that means it can only get better from here, right?

Let the challenge begin...

Making leftovers yummy

Time for another experimental meal. Tonight: using leftover ingredients in a good way, by making pockets out of them using "grands" rolls. All that dough negates the healthy content inside, so I'll have to be more mindful of that in the future.

In one set of pockets: egg, chicken sausage, mushrooms and green onion.

In the other set: ground turkey, mushrooms, green onions and feta cheese.

Served with a side of berries. Yum!

big bootied ho....

I'm trying this whole "blogging" thing again. don't care if anyone else reads it... sometimes I just need a PLACE to vent, to collect my scattered thoughts before I lose my mind. so, here we go again...

This time around, I'm inspired (again) by wanting to get in shape. well, I'm already in a shape... kinda lumpy. I just want to be in a *prettier* shape. one that doesn't make me feel like ms. potato head...

I've been feeling the urge to work out and eat better for a while now. but I haven't DONE anything about it except feel guilty for knowing what I SHOULD be doing...and then doing the complete opposite. sigh. but enough is enough. i am tired of not recognizing myself in the mirror. i am tired of being afraid to wear a bathing suit, even if just in the jacuzzi in the dark. i am tired of being stressed out. i am tired of having no energy to do anything. in short... i am tired of being tired.

My mom just got diagnosed with "water behind the knees" and a pretty bad case of arthritis... for a while now, she's barely been able to WALK. I know that I already have knee issues... why am I making things worse for myself in the future?

 

So, I make small changes. baby steps. the problem is... I'm really REALLY lazy. I need someone to kick myself in the ass a lot at times before I make any sort of movement towards change. Sucks, but true. It's not a cop-out, it's who I am and who I've always been. I know I need to change this, and I'm working on it, but any kind of change doesn't happen overnight, especially since I've spent 30+ years forming these patterns in the first place.

for the last few days, I've made the time to shop for groceries and actually COOK my meals. And so far, so good. I've made pretty healthy choices, made enough to last for lunch the next day, and saved a LOT of money in the process. let's compare, shall we?

typical weekday of OLD way:

• breakfast: scone = $2
• lunch: sandwich and soup in cafe downstairs: $9
• dinner: mcdonalds (or other fast-food): $9
• total each day: $20

NEW way:

• groceries to last 2+ full days: $25

 wow.

 here's what I've cooked so far in the last 3 days:

• ground turkey patties with bbq sauce and mushrooms, cottage cheese, steamed zuchini and mushrooms, and 1/2 an avocado. 
• chicken sausage and tortellini in olive oil and green beans with feta cheese
• teriyaki chicken with pineapples, mushrooms & snap peas on a bed of jasmine rice, with edamame and a side salad

I'm still deciding what to create for tonight. hmmmm.... I've got one thing in mind, but might check allrecipes.com for another idea.

 now, let's get PHYSICAL!!! I haven't gone to the gym in a loooooong time. I know, I suck. And I DOUBLY suck because I'm still paying for a gym membership. YIKES! I bit the bullet today and upgraded my membership. Um, why?!! Because it will give me access to the HUGE new gym that is a block away from my home. because, let's face it... I'm lazy and it's all about convenience. If I have time to talk myself out of going to the gym on my way OVER there, I simply won't go. And that sucks. Because I KNOW how much I actually enjoy it when I'm there. It's just getting my lazy butt there in the first place. So, here we go. And, for extra motivation, I'm gonna stop off on my way home to pick up a cute new outfit to wear while working out. Cuz let's face it... my pants look like I'm waiting for a flood, and my outfits in general scream "soccer mom trying to lose baby weight." And, um, I don't HAVE any kids.

 And, one more piece of motivation... WRITING IT DOWN. I broke out my FitBook today, and will be creating my plan of attack, and then charting my progress as I go. It plans for a 12-week program, which is perfect! Starting on Monday (April 11), that means that my 12 weeks will be up on July 4th for this round! NICE! And just in time for the swimsuit season, too... Now, I'm not expecting to look totally skinny and svelte here... I just wanna look and feel better than I do NOW. And do something that might actually STICK.

 So, others might frown on my goals if they heard them... but I'm trying to keep things realistic here. And I know that I can always step things up as I go along... that once my body starts feeling better, I'll want to put junk into it less and less. But, in any case, here are my goals:

• walk the dog 4+ times a week. (yeah, I KNOW I should be doing it daily. But I don't. I suck.)
• go to the gym 2+ times a week. (again, I KNOW it should be more than this to REALLY get in shape. But I'm trying to be realistic here and not burn out before I start.)
• do a group class at the gym at least 2x a month. They've got some fun ones. This should be easy. 
• cook more meals at home. 
• eat less junk food, especially from the drive-thru. Limit my McDonald's consumption to once a week.

okay. I think that's it for now. I'm documented. I can do this. I can DO this. let's GO!!!

One perfect moment

Ever have one of those moments in your day where everything just seems to feel PERFECT for no apparent reason? One of those moments that feels so wonderful, and you know you'll never forget, even though nothing seems to be special about it at first glance? I had me one of those moments today...

I had taken another day off, just cuz I could. I've been having stressful car situations among other things, so it was nice to have a mini mid-week staycation. One problem... With my car in the shop today, I had no choice but to take a walk to go get lunch. Not the healthiest choice, but I decided to head to McDonalds for chicken nuggets, salad and sugar free vanilla iced coffee. (the salad is a compromise instead of fries.) it was a 15 minute walk there, downhill most of the way. Then I took 15 minutes to eat, watching a show on my iPhone to entertain myself while I was there. My walk back only took another 15 minutes, though much more difficult trekking uphill.

During my walk, I was using the Pandora Radio app on my iPhone, and had it set to "paramore radio." So I got to hear a lot of new music.

And on the way back home, it just hit me. For one single, solitary moment I was completely at peace. Total bliss. Just the thought that THIS is my life. Beautiful day, gorgeous weather, great music, feeling invigorated and more powerful with each stride, and knowing that I have the power to eventually make this type of day more common for myself. THIS was my perfect moment.

stepping it up...

I am tired. But happy. Getting back into the groove of working out again, after being sick and slacking off last week as a result. Starting to chart my food again, and since I'm a list-maker, I LOVE to see my progress in writing of some sore. I've been learning about the art of compromise when it comes to my meals. If I really, REALLY wanna give into my craving for a McNugget meal, then it's gonna have to be a simple salad for lunch. No excuses. That way, I don't have to do the deprivation thing. (Which never seemed to work well with me, anyways... when denied my cravings, I just crave it more, till I end up just going overboard with it in the end.)

I haven't had a SINGLE girl scout cookie this year. Simply haven't bought any. Temptation removed.

It's been just over 2 weeks since I've been monitoring myself (food and exercise), and I've lost 5 pounds in that time. And that's taking into consideration the fact that I'm doing a bit of weight training, so I'm building muscle as I go. (yay!)

Yesterday, I got a couple compliments from some people in my hula class. A friend had just gotten there and was getting ready to dance. She spotted me and shouted across the studio... "wow, you're looking SKINNY!" There were only a few people there, but all eyes whipped my way. Our teacher commented that she noticed my weight loss, too. Neat-o!

Today, I found new music to work out to. The Ting-Tings. My brother had given me this music a while back, and while I'd loaded it to my iPhone "just in case," I'd never actually gotten around to giving it a go. Well, it was great. Simple music, strong beats. Absolutely perfect.

I'm starting to get the hang of all of this...

it's hard to be healthy when you're SICK.

I survived the first week of my "new, healthy me" lifestyle. 

Last weekend was great. I went down to the gym in my condo complex and worked out both days. I made REALLY good food decisions. For instance, Tony and I had a craving for this particular Mexican restaurant that we haven't been to in quite a while. I checked their nutritional facts online... even the "healthy" stuff STARTED at 800 calories. (yikes!) so we talked ourselves into going somewhere else. We decided to try The Veggie Grill, which we'd passed by a million times, but had never gone in. We got ourselves some healthy chicken sandwiches. They were REALLY good, and it wasn't till later (as I was perusing their website) that I realized that we hadn't actually been eating CHICKEN at all. The "meat" was actually soy-based. But it was really, really delicious. We will definitely be going back there.

I cleaned out a few drawers of clothing of mine; I was tired of not being able to find anything to wear (that actually FIT), so I stored all the too-tight clothing (that I will SOON be able to wear again, hopefully) in the closet. Unfortunately, I wasn't left with much clothing. 5 pair of work pants and 2 pair of jeans, actually. And I will NOT be buying new pants... I simply need to lose the weight.

The week started off okay, but it turned out to be quite challenging. I got sick. Nothing major; just a headcold that crept up ever-so-slowly on me. Between the cold and the sleepless nights it caused, I am T-I-R-E-D. But getting better.  I decided not to do my usual workout on Wednesday or Thursday, but I'm hoping to be able to get to the gym both Saturday and Sunday again.

And I've still been trying to eat healthy along the way. It's especially difficult when I'm not feeling well and all I want is my "comfot foods." But mac n cheese & double stuffed oreos aren't exactly on the "healthy" agenda. bleh. So I made some really good tomato soup and a good salad. When I couldn't stand the cravings any more, I "allowed" myself some chicken nuggets. The people at McDonalds messed up and added an order of fries. I had 4 of them (I'm still human) and then threw them away. YAY for me. (Tony gave me a high-five when he heard about that one.)

I went out for grilled burgers and drinks last night. I'd eaten well enoughduring the rest of the day so the burger wouldn't be a big issue, and then to drink I had a DIET 7-up and bacardi. Not too shabby.

Breakfast this morning? Well... both good and bad. I gave into an uber-craving of mine, and had half of a donut. but the otherpart isn't so bad... no fruit to choose from today, so I had a thinly sliced "half" of a bagel with cottage cheese on top instead of cream cheese. Actually really good.

We'll see what the weekend holds.

day 4...daily struggles

So, here I am on day 4 of trying to live a healthier lifestyle. Today has been difficult, thus far.

Here is when reality kicks in. The "newness" factor is quickly wearing off. I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm tired and grumpy. It's nearing my time of month, so I'm not a happy camper (sorry, guys). I have a massive headache again today. And I have other stressful situations in my life. At this point, usually I head straight for the comfort food. But I'm fighting off that urge. And it is QUITE a battle today.

Every Friday our office puts out fresh donuts, bagels and fruit. I LOVE donuts. Seriously. I could eat them every day. But I fought the urge. I was going to fill up on fruit, but.... no fruit today! So I made do with a half of a bagel, low-fat cream cheese, and my coffee. At one point, I even lifted the top of the donut box to look longingly inside, then closed the lid and walked away. Well, THEN a staffing firm we used decided to be "nice" and dropped off TWO DOZEN donuts for us. Aw, man! But I've been ignoring those, as well. Someone even brought in a "fruit" cake today, too. Lady fingers and sponge cake, with frosting holding it all together, fruit piled on top with what looked like honey used as spackle. Seriously.

Flash foward to lunch. Our office was nice, and bought us all lunch from Panera Bread. So I looked up the nutritional facts from there, to try and make an informed decision. wowzers! MOST of their sandwiches were in the 700+ calorie range!! And there were some that were over 1,000!!! I tried to make my choice as healthy as possible, going for low-cal, high fiber (filling) foods... I got myself a half salad (asian chicken with low-sugar dressing) and a half sandwich (mediterranean veggie on tomato basil bread). I was in heaven... It came to 565 calories. But it was healthy.

And now I have the munchies. I have a soyjoy bar with me, so I should be good to go. But now I just have to keep in mind that I NEED to eat light and healthy tonight. Maybe a trip to El Pollo Loco will suffice. I've been cooking lately (and enjoying it), but don't know if that will happen tonight or not.

And I hadn't been planning on working out today, either. I was going to work out tomorrow and Sunday morning. But perhaps I'll squeeze in a quick walk (or something) tonight.

Wish me luck!

day 3 towards a healthier me...

Today was good. (Not so much at work, but the rest of my day was grand.)

There were many mini victories:

1. Our office had ordered a LOT of yummy pizzas from Round Table today to kick off March Madness. I sit right in front of the conference room where they were being consumed, and could smell them and hear the yummy noises that others made as they ate. crap. Upon checking their nutritional facts online, I discovered that each slice of pizza had roughly 300 calories! (yipes) I made a compromise with myself... I had a teeny-tiny slice of the veggie pizza (that was roughly the size of half of a normal slice). And then I filled up on garden salad with a low-cal dressing. I got the taste I wanted, but didn't overeat, and didn't have to worry about the cravings overtaking me later, either. 

2. I visited the gym downstairs in the office at lunch. And did a heck of a workout. (ouch)

3. I decided to COOK dinner tonight (which is a rarity, but I'm trying to remedy that). Made fish, brown rice with mushrooms, and steamed veggies. It came out pretty well, if I do say so myself... 

4. Coming out of the grocery store (picking up what I needed for tonight's dinner), I passed a table where Girl Scout Cookies were being sold. And I walked on by!!!

It's amazing what a change in mindset can make. It's only been a few days. I know I haven't slimmed down at all. But I feel so much BETTER. Being able to take control of this part of my life has really helped to empower me, and I already feel great! 

Day 2: Hooray for Calorie Counting!!!

Today marks DAY TWO of my path to becoming a more healthy me. So far, so good...

I love, love LOVE the site The Daily Plate, (part of the Livestrong.com sites). I am able to keep track of my calorie intake, as well as how many calories I (potentially) burn durning my workouts. It has a HUGE database of food items, including not only the popular fast food joints and sit-down restaurants, but also has a wide array of listings for "ethnic" foods, as well. And there is even an iPhone App to correspond with the website, so I can track my progress when I'm out and about. Seeing the calorie content of some of my most beloved food items (including "healthy" ones like particular salads) is a total wake-up call. By keeping track of foods in this way, I am held more accountable for my choices.

I have learned that I am NOT a diet kind of person. I just can't seem to stick to any sort of diet for very long... I was practically raised on junk food (thank goodness for a wonderful metabolism), and it has been a very difficult battle to get me to change those habits, even a little. I always told myself (when I was younger and a teeny-tiny size) that I would NEVER turn into one of those women constantly counting calories and obsessed with her weight and looks. My mom has been a yo-yo dieter for as far back as I can remember, and all it seems to do is cause her more stress. I don't want to diet in order to lose this weight rapidly. I need to change my lifestyle. And so it needs to be a slow and gradual process.

I am ALWAYS going to have this sweet tooth of mine. My favorite foods all seem to be salted, sweetened or fried. (Or a combo of those three.) The healthiest thing that happened in my life was starting to date Tony. He's not a health-nut by any means, but he made me take a good, hard look at my eating habits. And once we started living together, there seemed to be an unspoken "rule" that we wouldn't keep the kitchen stocked with any kind of junk food in excess. So it really removes a large part of the temptation. Now, if only fast food wasn't so tempting...

But I digress. Back to today:

I ate a sensible breakfast, lunch and snack. And, by watching my calories (and fat, sugars, etc.), I am still able to "allow" myself some of my bad habit foods, so I don't have to deny myself (and increase the cravings) quite so much. Tonight's treat? McDonald's chicken mcnuggets. Yup. I don't know why, but for some reason I got HOOKED on them a couple of months ago. (Those, and their sugar-free vanilla iced coffees. Yum.) In any case, for dinner I am having a 6-piece chicken nuggets, side salad with basalmic vinagrette, and a diet coke. Not too bad, defintiely within reason (doesn't even go overboard on fats), and I still get my favorite food.  : )

And for exercise, tonight I am hitting my hula class. (yay!) I am finally remembering some of the moves, so it's getting a bit more "natural" feeling to do the dances. And MAN does it work the core (not to mention my calves... )

So, there is today, in a nutshell. Tomorrow, I will be facing some challenges. My office is buying pizza to celebrate the start of March Madness. They are also getting us lunch on Friday, though I hope that Friday's lunch is at least from a sandwich or salad place. We'll see... wish me luck...

day one (again)

I'm fat. Not obese, but most definitely overweight.

I don't like the way I look, and I definitely don't like the way I feel. I hate the fact that my "fat pants" are now too tight, and the only reason I buy new clothes is because I can't fit into my old ones. Sigh.

Time to change that.

DAY ONE... all over again. I can't TELL you how many "day one's" I've had, as I get super motivated, exercise and eat better, only to have it fizzle out 2 weeks later when I get stressed. bleh.

But I've got to try again.

Today already comes filled with challenges. Cookies in the office kitchen, and later we're having an ice-cream cake to celebrate today's birthdays. crap.

But I can DO this. ALl I have to do is pre-plan my food, bring my meals with me to work, and get my butt down to the office gym a couple of times a week. Shouldn't be that difficult... I KNOW what I have to do.

Who's with me?????