Pro Pics!

I got a few pro pics today and as promised I will show you guys some! I will probably post more on my new blog as I get them in. The photographers are amazing!!! I just hated posing with my "serious" face. It felt a little unnatural but some of the shots turned out great.

My dress:
The bouquet:

Me being serious, lol:

Kiss:

My favorite:

Thanks so much for reading girls and thanks for all the support! I hope to see you on my new blog!

Lots of love,

Kristina

New Blog!

Well, after 3 weeks of marriage I finally started my new blog! You can find it in my profile. I titled it "Fit, Sexy, Super-Wife". I plan on focusing on fitness, but including some posts on sex appeal, decorating, buying a home, cooking...all that good newlywed stuff. I hope to see you girlies there!

I am still waiting for some pro pics to post. Hopefully I'll have them soon. =)

Back!

I'm MARRIED!!! Well, yesterday I came back from my Honeymoon so I thought it would only be right to finish up this blog. =)

The week before my wedding was a disaster. I went "home" to my parents' house on Monday night. Monday morning was the last time I weighed in before the wedding...I was 132.something. Right before I left to go out of town I had a complete meltdown. I was upset because I didn't get to pack for my Honeymoon so I was having to bring everything I owned with me. My car was jam packed and I was a nervous mess. I thought I would have time to get things perfect before I left. Ugh. I was wrong.

So once I got home I had a million family members from out of the country awaiting my arrival. It was wonderful seeing them all! But I couldn't help being depressed because it was pouring rain like a hurricane all of Tuesday, Wednesday and most of Thursday. It didn't look so good for my Friday outdoor wedding. I had a few major crying sessions and I was running around town all three days like a crazy woman. I was trying to pack for my Honeymoon and buy last minute Honeymoon necessities (backpack, hiking socks, few shirts, travel cosmetics, etc). I also had a lot of wedding details to finish up.

During the time that I was home, I didn't diet too much but then again I didn't pig out. I got to workout twice...very short workouts that involved running a few blocks and doing all sorts of circuit exercises using my body weight and 5 pound hand weights. Each workout was about 30 minutes long but I made them count.

It rained on the morning of my wedding but it cleared up by about 1pm. I got to have my outdoor ceremony! We even got to take a second session of outdoor pictures at 11:30pm or so right before a storm hit once again! We got pretty lucky. The morning of the wedding didn't go too smoothly. I wish that I had gotten a lot of details done way ahead of time and planned out that day better. I was pretty stressed out until about 3pm.

The wedding turned out to be beautiful! The flowers and centerpieces were amazing. The food was awesome, the music was good. Frankie looked so handsome and I was so happy to finally be his wife. Everyone seemed to have a great time. It passed so quickly! I am just anxiously waiting to get the photos from the photographer.

In the end, I can honestly say that my hard work payed off. I was really pleased with the changes I made in my body. I didn't feel uncomfortable in my own skin like I feared. I felt AWESOME! I got a million compliments. One of my second cousins actually made me go to the bathroom with her during a brunch the day after the wedding in order to show her my abs. She said I inspired her!

I think there will only be two more posts on this blog. One, to show off some wedding pics. And two, to give the link to my new "married" fitness blog once I start it.

Thank you everyone so much for all of your support. I don't know how I would have done this without so much positive feedback and encouragement. Doing this blog kept me accountable and motivated for 100 days. Thats more than I ever really expected.

Day 94

I cannot believe I am getting married 1 week from today!!!!!! Craziness! Morning weigh-in: 134.0. I woke up early and went to the gym. I did some lower body weight lifting. I am still not 100%.

Off to my last 12 hour shift before the wedding....

BF: Cheerios (145)....more to come...

Day 93

Morning weigh-in: 134.2. Nice fluctuation huh? Well I did eat like a maniac yesterday. This will probably go down by tomorrow.

BF: Cheerios (145), Lunch: Zone bar (190), Dinner: pasta and sauce (300), 3 large slices of ice cream cake...prob 1000+, who knows?

I am still feeling a little sick. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. My goal is to workout before my 12 hour shift, maybe do legs. It will depend on how sick I feel in the morning.

Day 92

Morning weigh-in: 132.2.

I woke up sick and called out sick from work. Being sick sucks but at least I will be able to get a few things done, such as table seating.

Be prepared to laugh....

BF: McDonald's ice cream cone, hehe (200), Snack: 4 munchkins from Dunkin Donuts (220), Lunch: poppyseed bagel (410) and cream cheese (150), apple (100)....1080 so far...Snack: small bowl of Cheerios (110), Dinner: pasta and marinara sauce, bean salad (450?), 3 cookies (350)...total: 1990. Yikes.

Another Crazy Catch-up

Ok, I have be MIA! Here's the short of it...

Day 86

I worked a 12 hour shift in preparation for a really fun weekend ahead. I can honestly say that I don't remember what I ate all day. My knee was really bothering me in the morning so I didn't workout. I ate a bunch of cookies right before bed. I stayed up really late to pack for the weekend.

Day 87

Morning weigh-in: 135.4. I got up and ran a bunch of errands before I headed to South Florida. My knee was killing me once again so I decided to let it heal and not workout. I picked up two wonderful friends from the airport (who came all the way from Texas and New York for my bridal shower). We spent most of the day at the mall and then went out to dinner, which was really fun but I ate like crazy.

BF: Cheerios, Snack: Zone bar, Lunch: 1/4 of a sub, 2 pieces of a California roll, Dinner: New York strip steak, baked potato, salad, piece of bread and butter, few glasses of wine.

Day 88

My Bridal Shower! And Bach Party!!! Ok, I had a GREAT day. I woke up and had a small workout. I ran 1/4 mile, did some weights, ran another 1/4 and did a few circuits. I had a wonderful time at my shower, even though I ate LOTS of food...steak, salmon, caesar salad, fruit, cake, more cake, cookies, etc. Later I went to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, where my friends got a room and decorated it wonderfully. We had a blast...we danced till 6am. I slept from 7-10 and woke up for the check-out.

Day 89

At 6am, after all the dancing, I ate a fatty smothered chicken sandwich and fries. It really made me lose my appetite for the day. Especially since I drank so much alcohol. I had 1/2 smoked turkey and cheddar wrap for lunch. For dinner I nibbled on some desserts left over from the shower and a small sandwich. I also had a few bites of pasta.

Day 90

I weighed-in at 132.4!!!!!!!! I almost died on the spot. But then again I was severely dehydrated from the weekend. I pretty much ate whatever I wanted for the rest of the day, including a huge bagel and cream cheese for breakfast. I had some amazing pasta for dinner that Frankie made and about 400 calories worth of cookies.

Day 91

Morning weigh-in: 135.3. Ok, back to normal. But then again I do have my period. I went to South Florida AGAIN today for a few appointments. Last night I got 4 hours of sleep and I woke up with a sore throat. All this craziness is catching up with me.

BF: Zone bar, Snack: piece of chocolate, Lunch: small sandwich, Dinner: really big sandwich, 1 1/2 slices of my mom's "Krem Snjita" (cream slices), a piece of some other kind of dessert.

I am hoping I am not too sick for work tomorrow. I really need to get back into the workout scene. My goal is to get in 3 good weight lifting workouts before the wedding, at least 1 Shred and run a few miles. I also wanna get some push-ups in. I can't believe I only have 9 more days!!!!

Oh, by the way, I had my final dress fitting today. The dress looked AWESOME!!!! I was so happy with it. The bad news: It was a LOT tighter 2 weeks ago. If I lose 1 more pound it will be too big. I wanted the lady to take it in a little more at the waist but she didn't feel it was the right thing to do. Now I can't lose any more weight, which actually upset me earlier. I wish the dress was tighter. We'll see how it goes.

Day 85

I think I am gonna get back at it. I weighed-in at 136.1 this morning. This was an expected gain. Ideally I would be between 134 and 135 on my wedding day but we'll see. I woke up and went straight to the gym. My knee is bothering me but I figured it is not an excuse to skip upper-body. While I was working out, some guy at the gym (one of the regulars) looked at me and said, "Man, when did you get guns?" It felt pretty good. Too bad my "guns" only stand out when I lift.

Well, off to a 12 hour shift....

Major Catch-up

Ok, I have been slacking on the posts but then again my wedding is in 16 days and I have a million things to do!

Lets see....

First of all, thank you to everyone who posted comments on my previous post (and all the ones before that for that matter). Your support means more to me than you could know. You have really kept me motivated and I realllllllly appreciate it!

Day 82

Sunday we went to a post-wedding brunch and I pretty much nibbled on whatever I wanted all day, I didn't workout.

Day 83

Frankie and I ran errands all day long. We got our marriage liscence, hiking shoes for our honeymoon, and picked out the tuxedo accessories for the guys (I know, we waited till last minute). We ate Chinese food for dinner and again, I didn't workout.

Day 84

I went to south Florida again. This time to finalize things with the florist. The centerpieces turned out gorgeous! I am really excited about them. I ate my usual BF (Cheerios), 1/2 sandwich and frozen yogurt for lunch, snacked on some potato salad, pork and a slice of bread at my parents' house, had a slice of bread with Nutella, and for dinner I had 3 slices of wheat bread with some turkey kielbasa. Not the best, but I have been worse. I didn't workout.

Wedding!!!

The wedding was wonderful! We had such a good time. Not only that, but the whole thing calmed my nerves about our own wedding. I'm so glad my cousin's was before ours!

The day started out great. I did the Shred level 2 and ran some errands. I was late as usual so I had to skip breakfast. Little did I know that this would mean not eating a single thing until the cocktail hour at 6pm! At the cocktail hour I had a mini burger, a few spring rolls and a crab cake. I had some white wine as well. For dinner we had a mozzerella, tomato and vegetable salad, a lobster tail, a piece of filet and some kinda of potato patty. I also had bread and butter. For dessert we had wedding cake, which was strawberry, and a bunch of goodies from the dessert table. I had about 2 chocolate chip cookies, a brownie, a chocolate covered strawberry and about 3 of these chocolate rasberry bite size mousse things. Yummy. I also had a few whiskey sours, champaign and who knows what else. So lets just say I made up for the day's lack of AM eating. Oh well, weddings don't happen everyday.

Frankie and I at the beginning of the night:
After dinner (and a few drinks):

With the lovely bride and groom:

With my parents:With my aunt, getting ready to go home:

Day 81

Yay, my cousin's wedding day! AND my really good friend Christina's! I wish I could have gone to both. Well, my goal was to be as close to 135.0 today as possible. I weighed-in at 135.3. I'll take it! I am kinda excited to see my whole family because I know people will notice my weight loss.

I'm off for the weekend!

Day 79 and 80 Catch-up

Day 79

Another 12 hour shift and no workout. But I was really on track as far as eating goes. I probably ate around 1300 calories for the day. My stress level has been out of control lately. In fact, I don't even know where my head is these days. To prove my point, let's just say I commited an ultimate no-no...I forgot my best friend's birthday, which was yesterday, the 25th. I didn't call her or anything. It just completely slipped my mind. If you know me, you know its VERY unlike me to commit such a no-no. All is well, she forgave me. She is getting married in a few months so I think she understands. I love her. =)

Day 80

Morning weigh-in: 135.3! I am excited about this because for the last few days I have been weighing in around 137.4-137.9. I felt really bloated those days but I couldn't figure out why. I think I just needed a good workout.

Today was a really busy day. I accomplished a lot nonetheless. I went to a cycling class (WOOHOO), tanned, went shopping, packed for the weekend, cooked a fabulous dinner for my soon-to-be hubby and ran other little crazy errands. I bought him a shirt and tie for the wedding tomorrow and he looks SO HOT in it. I am pretty excited about tomorrow. The only thing I have left to do tongiht is paint my nails.

BF: Cheerios (220), Lunch: 1/2 Subway turkey sub (this time I had cheese)...so I dunno...400? Snack: vanilla cone from McDonald's (it was a small one this time, 200), Snack 2: slice of rye bread and Smart Balance spread (200?), Dinner: white rice (250) and chicken chilli (250)...total: 1340. Not a bad day. I don't know if eating the beans tonight was a good idea since it might make me bloated for tomorrow. We'll see.

Today marks exactly 3 weeks until my wedding!

Day 78

I woke up even more sore today than on yesterday. I went to bed at 2am so I didn't wanna wake up at 5:30 and do the cycling class before my 12 hour shift. I am going to have to get to bed early tonight. There is no excuse for me to not workout tomorrow morning before work. I only have three days before my cousin's wedding and my stomach has to be completely flat for the dress I got. This means extra water for the next few days. I can't risk being bloated.

Day 77

I am running to go out of town so I will have to post later. I am SO SORE from yesterday's workout, FINALLY a good one!

Second fitting today!

UGH....

Well, here we go...I was so busy today that the only things I ate till about 8:15pm were: BF: Cheerioes (145), hard-boiled egg (80) and "Lunch": vanilla cone from McDonald's (250)....so at about 8:15pm I had: a large bowl of pasta with my mom's veggie and beef sauce and parm cheese, 3 slices of cheese with 2 slices of white bread, about 10 wafer cookies and one more large slice of white bread with Nutella. I'm going to guess between 1500 and 1600 for the day, if not more.

Second ugh....

I had my fitting. The good news is that the lady fitted me perfectly last time and the tops half of the dress fits me like a glove. And even if I were to lose 10 more pounds (which obviously I won't and don't even want to), it would not have to be taken in because the dress is completely flat against my ribs...there is nothing I could lose in that area. Here's the bad news...I'm not that sure I like my dress anymore now that it is hemmed. When I first tried on the dress, it was super long and I was standing on one of those stands, so the dress was even hanging down below my feet. I looked so tall, long, lean and elegant. Now that it is hemmed, I feel so short in it and my waist doesn't seems as small. I put my hair down and the I put on the veil to complete the look...I felt like a complete snow beast. It was totally not what I wanted to look like on my wedding day. Like, no sex appeal, no great style, nothing. Ugh...I am thinking I am just having a bad day. The two ladies in the fitting room with me, my mom, and the seamstress, were both abnormally thin and tiny women. Maybe I just felt all big and boxy next to them. I am hoping I will completely change my mind by my next fitting, in exactly 2 weeks.

Third ugh....

I didn't do the Shred as planned today because of my hectic schedule.

On a more positive note, we finished our registries! One less thing to worry about.

Day 76

Today was a really good day. I woke up and had a killer upper body workout and did 20 minutes on the stair master. I got to tan afterwards before going into work.

Post-workout snack: protein shake (150), BF: Cheerios (145), hard-boiled egg (80), Lunch: grilled chicken (100), mac and cheese (220), Snack: a bunch of apple slices (160), sample of salmon the grocery store was serving (70), Dinner: WW meal (300), Snack: Wherther's originals (60), 2 cookies (100), 3 pieces of chocolate (126)...total: 1511. It would have been 1225 without the liitle snack binge after dinner...oh well.

Day 75

Morning weigh-in: 135.1! I woke up and completed about 1.2 miles around the complex. I ran 0.7 miles straight in 5:45. The air was cold and as soon as I started running I could feel that my body wasn't in the mood. But I pushed through to see how fast I could do it. Its amazing that I didn't puke right afterwards. The combination of the cold air and my body being so tired made me gag as I walked the rest of the way home. Now I kinda know what the people on the Biggest Loser feel like.

I only work 7 hours today. My fiance said he would do 10 minute abs with me tonight so so far I am on track with my little workout plan.

BF: Cheerios with fresh blueberries (180), Snack: hot chocolate (80), Lunch: turkey sub on wheat from deli (375), Snack: Wherther's (25), Snack: Raisinets (definatley my new addiction/weakness, 190), Snack: whole small grapefruit (110), Dinner: salad (15), chicken (85), rice (200), salsa (50), sour cream (60), chocolate (85)...1455.

I did the 10 minute abs video with my fiance before dinner. I also did some push-ups, squats and shoulder raises. Tomorrow is upper body and stair master.

Day 74

Post-cheat day weigh-in: 135.8. Not too shabby since I still have 90% of that junk in my tummy. Unfortunately I have to work all weekend. I switched shifts with my partner so that I would be able to have next weekend off for my cousin's wedding. Oh well, I will have the next 2 weekends off in a row.

My plan is to stay under 1600 today.

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Snack 2: hot chocolate made with water (80), Snack 3: sample of chicken the grocery store was serving (60), Lunch: turkey sub on wheat (no cheese) from the deli (370), Snack: Wherther's (25), Snack: frozen yougurt (300...some snack, I know), Dinner: salad (20), salsa (75), rice (160), chicken (150), cookie (100)...total: 1675 (close to goal).

I have to workout tomorrow, I have been slacking like crazy...this week's goal is to workout, even if only 20 minutes each day, until this Saturday's wedding.

Plan (not set in stone but you get the idea):
Sunday: walk/run around complex before work, 10 minute abs after work
Monday: upper body, 20 minute stair master
Tuesday: Shred
Wednesday: Cycling class, 10 minute abs after work
Thursday: Legs
Friday: Shred, upper body

Day 73

Morning weigh-in: 134.6. Don't ask me how this is possible. I have been under a lot of wedding stress lately so maybe thats it. I am pretty much at wedding goal right now but we'll see. I'd kinda like to get down to 132. This is only because my aunt and uncle from Germany are coming in the week before the wedding and he's a chef...haha...and my aunt makes crazy cakes and pastries...there is no doubt in my mind that I will gain 2 pounds the week of. Plus I am keeping in mind all the goodies and alcohol that will be served at my bridal shower and bach party in 2 weeks.

I planned on going to the gym this morning but things got a little hectic. I had to make 100 wedding phone calls at 9am. We went to my fiance's dad's long-term girlfriend's home and she gave us each a facial. It was very relaxing. We ended up having dinner with them and staying really late.

My eating was a disaster today. But I am perfectly ok with that. Cheat days are necessary here and there.

BF: 1 cup skim milk (90), Lunch: pork salad at our favorite restaurant in Satellite Beach (white rice, black beans, tons on sour cream, lettuce, salsa, chopped cabbage, pickled carrots, special spicy sauce, Hawiian style pulled pork on top), worth every calorie, Snack: 4 single wrapped chocolates, Dinner: Carrabas: Chicken Gratella (630), house salad (45) with creamy dressing (???), garlic mashed potatoes (???), 2 slices of bread (150), mixed veggies (50), tiramisu (???)...I would guess close to 2500-3000 calories for the day. Well, I guess every metabolism needs a little kick in the pants every once in a while.

Day 72

I almost don't even wanna post my weight this morning. The scale actually scared me. I didn't eat enough calories yesterday and I must be dehydrated. I stepped on and it said 134.3. Now, while people may think thats great, I had mixed emotions. The last thing I wanna do is lose muscle and with fast weight loss, thats exactly what happens. I would rather be 137 on my wedding day and look toned than 130 and look like skin and bone. Tomorrow and Saturday I plan on lifting some heavy duty weight and chugging some protein shakes afterwards. I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love to be 135.something tomorrow. I just didn't expect to see 134 for another week or two.

I work another 12 today...

BF: Cheerios and fresh blueberries (175), Snack: bag of Raisinets, hehe (190), Lunch: homemade sandwich (210), Greek yogurt (130), lemonade (5), Dinner: WW meal (300), Wherther's original (25), Snack: Boca chicken patty (160), 2 slices of wheat bread (100), chocolate (120)...total: 1415.

Not too bad. Again, not enough protein. Tomorrow I am going to go for lots of protein and some major working out.

Day 71

HOLY ****! I weighed-in at 135.5 this morning!!! I almost died on the spot. I can't remember being that weight, EVER. I don't have any memory of being under 137 (which I was in 6th and 7th grade). AND I had all that cake and steak and other junk last night. I seriously thought I would be 138 this morning. I must be dehydrated but I'll take it! My goal is to be as close to 135.0 as I can on Feb 28th (my cousin's wedding). I am planning on being 136.something tomorrow but just to see 135.something was a thrill!

Ok, off to work 12 hours...

BF: blueberry oatmeal (160), Snack: Kraft mac n' cheese bowl (220), Lunch: homemade sandwich: 2 slices of wheat (100), turkey (60), WW cream cheese (60), lemonade (5), Snack: small sample of chili the grocery store was serving (60?), Small plum (30?), few Mentos (30), Dinner: (embarrassing) vanilla cone from McDonald's (150 supposedly, lets say 200), Snack: few chocolate covered raisins (40)...total: 970. I am really not proud of this way too low number. I am also not proud of the types of foods I ate (nutrition was lacking). I have been feeling kinda sick all day. I hope I am not coming down with something. All day I was kinda hungry but nothing sounded good. Tomorrow I will eat 1400-1600 calories most likely. I don't wanna lose the muscle I worked so hard to gain.

Day 70

Today was my mom's birthday so my fiance and I surprised her by coming home and having dinner with her and my dad. I bought her a killer pair of Guess shoes that she absolutely LOVES! I was so excited.

BF: Cheerios (145), Lunch: frozen yogurt, fat free, medium, on cake cone (?), Snack: about 10 shrimp and cocktail sauce, Dinner: steak, 1/2 small baked potato with sour cream, small serving of bean salad, 1 roll, few slices of tomato, large slice of cake, Snack: a little more cake.

Not the best day...but I resisted all the horrible food at the food court for lunch. I know frozen yogurt wasn't the best thing in the world.

The wedding stress is starting to get to me. I am tired and very grumpy at the moment.

Day 69

I'm off from work today. I'm heading to the gym right now to lift weights, then tan, then probably go for an outdoor run...I have a million errands to run today and I'm determined to stay productive.

Well, the day was pretty productive I must say, although I didn't do everything on my check list. I had a really hardcore leg workout at the gym. Then I went to the tanning salon where I got some kinda light facial, hydration therapy and a 10 minute tan. I came home and did laundry, showered and went shopping. I found a dress for my cousin's wedding! FINALLY! Its pretty sexy I must say, even though it emphasizes the fact that I have no boobs whatsoever. It is long, black and has an open back. I got it at BCBG and get this....its a size 4! I know, I can't believe it either. Its only cause my upper body is so small. I needed a 6 or 8 in the dresses that were fitted in the butt. With all this running around today I didn't eat too much.

Post-workout snack: protein shake (110), BF: Cheerios and fresh blueberries (175), Lunch: Zone bar (190), Dinner: plain baked potato (320) and large chili (280) from Wendy's, Snack: fresh strawberries (50)...total: 1125.

Day 68

Morning weigh-in: 136.9. The chocolate chip cookie cake was worth 0.2 pounds, haha.

I woke up this morning and did 3 laps around my complex (2.1 miles). I walked 1/2 of a lap, ran 2 straight (1.4 miles) and then walked the rest. I completed the 1.4 miles in 12 min, 50 sec. It took me 6 min, 40 sec. to do the first so I wanted to beat that time in the second lap (I did, 6 min, 10 sec.).

I work from 10-5 today. Then I am stopping by a co-worker's baby shower. Maybe I will get to fit in some form on exercise tonight.

I am lazy to blog all of my food intake for the day. Let's just say that I was perfect until about 5:30, when I went to a baby shower. I had a slice of cake. When I got home I continued the madness. I will skip a weigh-in or two but I expect good results by Wed morning.

Day 67

Happy Valentine's Day!

Morning weigh-in: 136.7! I finally broke the 137 marker once again. Hopefully I will see 135.something soon. Even if it is 135.9 I will flip. I haven't seen that in over 12 years!

Today I work a 10 hour shift. My plan is to do my nails tonight but it is V-Day and all, so I might have to post-pone that till tomorrow. I woke up so extremely sore. I think it is the 99 push-ups from the other day combined with the lunges and squats. Tomorrow, even though I work, I will try to either run or do the Shred.

BF: plain oatmeal (150) with cinnamon and 3/4 of an apple (75), Snack: hot chocolate (80), Snack 2: Zone bar (190), Lunch: homemade sandwich (260), few slices of kiwi (30?), 1/2 grapefruit (60)...845...then I got bad...2 slices of rye bread (250?) with WW cream cheese (60) and ham (60)...so about 1275...but then: about a 3x3 inch slice of chocolate chip cookie cake and a glass of milk. Yikes, who knows how many calories were in that. It was really dense and really stuffed me up. But at least I finished eating it around 8:15pm and I won't eat anything else for the rest of the night. So maybe I will go to bed slightly hungry. Of well, at least I was good all day up until then.

I hope this doesn't mean I will be way above the 137 mark tomorrow.

Day 66

Morning weigh-in: 137.0. Yay, I can't wait to weigh-in on Sunday and see what the scale does once Flo goes away (she vacations with me for a while).

This morning I walked one lap around my complex (0.7 of a mile) and did Tony Horton's 10 Minute Abs. I am working a 12 hour shift today.

BF: Cheerios and fresh blueberries (180), Snack: hot chocolate made with water (80), Lunch: 1/2 homemade wrap (145), 1/2 grapefruit (60), Snack: some mints and a Wherther's Original (85), Snack 2: Zone bar (190), Dinner: 1/2 homemade wrap (145), 1/2 grapefruit (60), Snack: another hot choclate (80), Snack/Dinner 2: small slice of rye bread with Smart balance (120), small bowl of chicken soup (150)...total: 1295.

Not too bad. I also did 40 squats at work (during my bathroom breaks of course). I know, who works out in the bathroom? Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Oh by the way, a co-worker came up to me today with a huge tray of Valentine goodies...from chocolate to rice krispy treats, to homemade cookies and cupcakes. There were even brownies and these little Reese's treats that looked so good! And it was free. I simply said, no thank you. He said he would put it in the lobby and I could grab anything I wanted later in the day. Trust me, all day I walked over to the bathroom that is further away so that I wouldn't pass them and be tempted.

Beauty Regimen Begins

Despite the fact that I am extremely against tanning beds, I signed up for a month membership at the local tanning salon. I got a free tan today and my membership will run from 2/16 to 3/16. I won't be getting a ton out of it though. Because of my 12 hour shifts, I will only have about 10 days to tan. This is also because I will be out of town on a few days I have off. The place is open till 9:30 on Mon-Thurs and I get off of work at 9...so I may be able to sneak a few sessions in on those days (unlikely because I have to stay late at work on most days).

Anyway, next I want to start taking better care of my nails. I am going to give myself a little manicure on Saturday night and start applying nail hardener as they grow. Hopefully they will be lovely by the wedding.

I also want to schedule a facial in the near future.

Day 65

My poor fiance is sick. We think it is food poisoning. I didn't weigh-in today. I feel pretty bloated. I will tomorrow though.

I have a lot of errands to run today but my plan is to be super-productive and do something to whip my body into shape. I wanna do at least 2 workouts. I think I am going to take some body shots after this period and post them so we can see if there are any changes in the next month.

BF: Cheerios (145) with 2 oz. fresh blueberries (30), Post-workout snack: 1 cup skim milk (90), Lunch: Zone bar (190), Snack: few grapes while cooking dinner (40?), Dinner: homemade chicken and dumpling soup, 1 bowl (350?), 2 small/medium slices of rye bread (200?) with Smart Balance spread (50), Snack: mini pig-out on blueberries and strawberries (120)...so about 1245 if I am estimating correctly.

Workout #1: I just completed 3.5 miles outdoors! I know this isn't much to the runners out there but I haven't ran regularly in ages. Well, my complex is 0.7 miles around. I walked one lap, ran 3 straight (2.1 miles! in exactly 21 minutes), then walked a lap. During that final lap I did 100 walking lunges! I feel great. (My knees are pretty sore right now, especially the right one...I hope this pain is very temporary).

Workout #2: The goal was to see if I could do 100 push-ups in 10 minutes. I tried this once before a few months ago. The previous time I managed to do 99, lol, of which only 20 or so were "real" and the rest were on my knees. On this attempt I did 40 real ones in 3:15! Then I just didn't have the power to do real ones anymore. Oddly enough I did 99 again, lol. My whole upper body was one big cramp. It was an awesome workout. Hopefully on my next attempt I will do 100 and over 50 will be real ones.

Tagged Again!

I was tagged by my newest follower, Jenny Lo (http://homesweethomeandmore.blogspot.com/) to list 6 things that make me smile. Here we go:

1. My fiance cracks me up on a daily basis, almost hourly basis. I am so lucky in that respect.

2. Any kind of animal. I love watching them do their thing. It always cheers me up. Especially if it is something silly such as the following:

3. My family. A good sense of humor is pretty hereditary in my experience. Listening to my cousin Sandra is always hilarious.

4. My friends. I love them. I have such loyal, trustworthy, caring friends. I feel blessed.

5. Seeing the number go down on the scale, haha.

6. Thinking about my fiance refering to me as his "wife". Weird, but so cute.

I am tagging the following:

Nicole (http://pharmdniki.blogspot.com/)

Devon (http://dkexerblog.blogspot.com/)

Amber (http://theweightinggame-amber.blogspot.com/)

JC1234 (http://jc1234-failureisnotanoption.blogspot.com/)

Counting Down (http://countingdowntomybigday.blogspot.com/)

Soontobehealthybride (http://bridetobe5302009.blogspot.com/)

Day 64

I wasn't going to weigh-in today because of Flo but I figured what the heck: 137.6. I am hoping to see a little drop once this is over, maybe Saturday.

Another 12 hour shift today. Ugh, this schedule sucks when you are trying to plan a wedding. I can't do anything on the days that I work except make a phone call or two.

I am pretty lazy to blog all my food intake for the day. Basically I stayed under 1600 calories but ended up eating pretty late due to work. I had my usual Cheerios in the morning and a few snacks afterwards. My co-worker brought in a platter of fruit and cheese so I nibbled on apples, grapes and some cheese thoughout the early afternoon. I also had a sample of chicken, rice and veggies the grocery store was serving. Mainly my day consisted of snacks, not meals.

Day 63

137.7 again this morning. Not bad. I am expecting my time of the month either today or tomorrow and I definatley feel bloated. Plus I know I have been good for the past 2 days so no worries.

Today I drove down to go to pick up my fiance's ring, go to a cake tasting and have my first dress fitting. All went pretty well. I am still waiting to hear from the cake lady to see what she would charge. Frankie's ring fits perfectly! The fitting was short and sweet...a few pins were put in place and I was on my way.

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Snack: cake tasting (I tried not to go crazy) (350?), Lunch: 1 slice of white bread (90?) with a piece of ham (20) and a Kraft American Single (70), 1 orange (80), Dinner: Small bowl of mom's homemade soup, 2 bigger slice of white bread (200?), 1 Kraft single (70), 1 cookie (200?)...I am guessing I ate around 1600 calories, maybe a little more.

Ten Thing I Love

The lovely Irene (http://wwwmyredkitchencom.blogspot.com/) tagged me to write about 10 things that I love that start with the letter "C". I am very proud of myself for responding to her tag because I am usually very lazy about things like this, hehe...

1. Croatia: I was born in Croatia and moved to Florida with my parents when I was 5 years old. Croatia is a beautiful country. I got to take my fiance there a few years ago and he loved it. If you ever decide to go, don't miss the city of Dubrovnik (very romantic!).

2. Chocolate: Yes, I can't live without it. I prefer milk chocolate over the rest. A year ago I discovered the beauty of putting some white chocolate chips into my oatmeal. It was a short-lived love affair. I was addicted and had to stop myself from ever buying those chips again.

3. Cardio: Oh wait, wrong post, not "Things I Hate". Its a rare occasion that I actually enjoy doing cardio. I love a good run here and there. I like long walks. I like a good workout video that kicks my butt. I do, however, like to....

4. Cycle: Cyclying class kicks my butt. I dread going but I feel empowered afterwards. Each time I walk out of one I feel like I accomplished something great. Then I want to sleep.

5. Carbs: LOL, you would think I was writing in a weight-gain blog. But yes, I love them.

6. Cameras: I love taking pictures. My fiance and I are on the hunt to finding the perfect camera for our honeymoon. We want something kinda fancy but not too bulky. I also want a new mini one for everyday use. You gotta love the memories a picture captures.

7. Campfires: Nothing beats crowding around a fire on a cold night with close friends, music and stories. Alcohol and smores make it even better. I might as well add canoeing under this one.

8. Canada: Frankie and I got engaged in Banff, Canada. It was so gorgeous there. The mountains were spectacular and we saw lots of animals, which I adore.

9. Conversation: My fiance claims that my favorite hobby is talking on the phone. I love catching up with old friends. I love laying in bed with my fiance and spending a good hour talking about random stuff that gets our minds thinking.

10. Cards: I love sending them, receiving them, making them and saving them. Its an all-around feel-good thing.

I am sure I missed some of my favorite things. Here is a picture Frankie took of me in Croatia:

Day 62

I weighed-in this morning at 137.7. Obviously I am not meeting tomorrow's goal of 135, especially since I am about to get my period. But I was actually surprised to see that number. I was sure that I would be 140 or more after the weekend that I just had.

I plan on being good again all day today. 12 hour shift and a crazy busy day out of town tomorrow.

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Snack 2: hot chocolate made with water (80), Lunch: 1/4 turkey sub (180), Snack: other 1/4 of turkey sub (180), Wherther's original (30), Snack 2: WW muffin (180), Dinner: plain oatmeal (150), 1/2 apple (50)...total: 1185.

A co-worker ate 2 big donuts and a large regular Coke in front of me today. I must be re-motivated because I wasn't tempted to eat donuts or cheat at all. I kinda felt bad for her because she was trying really hard to stick with her diet. I offered her a Zone bar or a WW muffin instead but she refused. Hey, I tried.

Yay, a good day! I wish I had more protein but at least I didn't pig out. Ugh, the thought of 30-something days left really kicks you in the behind!

Day 61

Back to town and a new fresh start ahead of me. I feel like by body has changed in the last 60 days but not enough. I think that I can reverse this weekend's damage in the next two days. At least I hope. I now have 40 days to do my thing. Wow, 40 days. Craziness. You are about to see some serious hard work on this blog.

BF: South Beach bar (140)...I resisted the morning pancakes everyone else ate, Snack: Zone bar (190), sugar-free Red Bull (10), Lunch: Cheerios (145), Dinner: homemade grilled chicken salad: chicken (150), mixed greens lettuce (40), dressing (60), rice (80), Snack: plain oatmeal (150), small apple (90)...total: 1045.

Around 5:45pm I did the Shred. I could barely breathe afterwards. I felt like I was doing it with an extra 10 pounds in my stomach.

Days 59 and 60-Catch-up

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I had an amazing one! We went semi-camping at the Suwanee River. My fiance's friend's grandparents have a home on the river. We haven't been there in about 1 1/2 years and it is one of my favorite places in the world. We spent the weekend laying around, going out on the boat, building a fire at night and EATING uncontrollably. It was pretty amazing. My last trip to Suwanee before I'm a married woman.

It was really romantic and wonderful.

Needless to say my diet suffered. On Friday I had Chik Filet for lunch but I only had the grilled chicken sandwich, no fries. Later I had rice and chilli and lots of alcohol. I went to bed really stuffed. Snacks that day included Sour Patch Kids and M&Ms. I also had a few Hershey's kisses.

Saturday was even worse. For breakfast I had 2 pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. Lunch was a big pasta dish with sausage. Dinner included grilled steak and hot dogs, as well as mashed potatoes, bean salad and corn on the cob. Snacks included peanuts and chips. I didn't have much alcohol on Saturday though.

Um, now I am dreading the dress fitting on Tuesday. Not only did I pig out but I will have my period for the fitting. Wonderful. Thank goodness I did not get a mermaid dress. I would just die.

Day 58

I am going to aim for another good food day today but with no "bad snack" at the end. Again I work 12 hours but no cycling this morning. I feel really congested plus it is FREEZING outside!

My eating was ok today...I resisted a lot of goodies...including doughnuts at work. I didn't do a small workout this evening as planned but I didn't get home till 10pm and I cooked up some stuff for the weekend...it is past midnight now and I am heading to bed.

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Snack 2: hot chocolate made with water (needed something to warm me up...80), Snack 3: 100 calorie bag of popcorn, Lunch: 1/2 wrap (265), bag of Baked Lays (130), Dinner: other 1/2 of wrap (265), Snack: another hot chocolate (80), Snack 2: few chips with guacamole, plus a taste fo the stuff I was cooking for my weekend away (fresh strawberry fruit topping for pancakes and bean salad), about 5 strawberries....So before my after-dinner snack I was at 1255...I am pretty sure I stayed under 1600 for the day.

Day 57

All of a sudden I am really pumped up!

I woke up this morning at 5:30am and went to the gym for a cycling class. It was REALLY tough. I really regreted having all that junk yesterday. I couldn't breathe!!! I woke up an layed in bed for a few minutes and wanted to go right back to sleep...I kept saying, "Come on, do you want this? Do you want this? If you wanna change your body you gotta get up! NOW!" And I did. I do want it.

I had a pretty good day food wise:

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: 1/2 deli wrap (265), watermelon (60), Snack: Activia (110), Dinner: other 1/2 of wrap (265), Snack: small grapefruit (90)...I was at 1125 and I had a bad snack: about 6 bites of cold pizza (so about 1/2 of a slice) (150??)...so 1275.

Here's some motivation for the day:

Day 56 Catch-up

Wow, this was the first day that I didn't post. I had a really hectic day filled with wedding appointments out of town. I had a chicken sandwich and some fries for BF/Lunch around noon, a cake tasting and then pizza with the parents for dinner. Obviously it couldn't have been much worse of a dieting day.

Day 55

I worked a few hours this morning and drove to a mall that was an hour away to find shoes for the wedding. I didn't have much luck. But when I got home I ordered a few pairs online that I liked. Hopefully one of them will look nice with my dress and will be comfy, and I can return the others.

BF: Cheerios (145), Lunch: turkey wrap and pickle at the mall, Snack: few sour gummy bears from the mall (I know, weak), Dinner: awesome salad that my fiance made...it had mixed greens, jasmine rice, a black bean and corn relish, grilled chicken and guacamole. I ate an orange for dessert. Stupid rule breaking snack: 2 chips with guacamole at 10:30pm.

I went to the gym tonight and it was packed! I focused on legs but I did push-ups and abs between sets. I did some cardio on the stair master and stationary bike.

1. Not eat a single thing past 9pm **(UGH, I finished eating at 8:30, then I forgot about my plan and had 2 chips with guacamole around 10:30)**

2. Try to drink as much water as I can **(Check, I drank about 10 cups today!)**

3. Do cardio on 5 out of the 10 days **(Check, 1 out of 5, I did stair master and stationary bike at the gym)**

4. Lift weights at least 3 times **(Check, 1 out of 3, I did a killer lower body workout)**

5. Say no to the sample meals at work **(Check, easy, I only worked a few hours in the am)**

6. Not eat any chocolate (except Zone bar chocolate) or ice cream **(Check)**

7. Do push-ups daily **(Check, I did a set of 20, then 2 more sets of 10)**

8. Do 100 crunches daily **(Check)**

9. Do the Shred Level 3 once **(Not today)**

10. "Try" to get to bed before 11pm **(Lets just say it is 11:20 now and I am not ready for bed)**

Day 54

Ugh work has been stressing me out lately. I had a pretty decent day food-wise.

BF: Cheerios + fresh strawberries (160), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: WW meal (290), Snack: baked Tostitos chips (200), homemade guacamole (300), Snack: small grapefruit (90), Dinner: same as breakfast (160)...1390 for the day.

1. Not eat a single thing past 9pm **(Check, I think my last bite was around 8:15)**

2. Try to drink as much water as I can **(Check, I drank about 8 cups of water today, which unfortunately is an improvement...I will aim for at least 10 tomorrow)**

3. Do cardio on 5 out of the 10 days **(None today)**

4. Lift weights at least 3 times **(None today)**

5. Say no to the sample meals at work **(Check, I resisted the chef salad with fried chicken strips)**

6. Not eat any chocolate (except Zone bar chocolate) or ice cream **(Check)**

7. Do push-ups daily **(Check, I did a set of 20, followed by a set of 5...man, I used to be able to do tons more...I am glad I am starting these up again)**

8. Do 100 crunches daily **(Check)**

9. Do the Shred Level 3 once **(Not today)**

10. "Try" to get to bed before 11pm **(Kinda check, it is 10:52 and I am about to get into my PJs, brush my teeth and get ready for bed)**

10 Days

I have 10 days until my mini goal of 135 by February 10th, which also happens to be my first dress fitting. For the next 10 days I will...

1. Not eat a single thing past 9pm
2. Try to drink as much water as I can
3. Do cardio on 5 out of the 10 days
4. Lift weights at least 3 times
5. Say no to the sample meals at work
6. Not eat any chocolate (except Zone bar chocolate) or ice cream
7. Do push-ups daily
8. Do 100 crunches daily
9. Do the Shred Level 3 once
10. "Try" to get to bed before 11pm

These things may not sound too tough...but, I work a 7 hour shift tomorrow, I work 12 hour shifts on 3 out of the 10 days, I will be out of town on 4 out of the 10 days and on the one day that "seems" free, I have to find wedding shoes, which might take all day (if I don't, I can't do the first fitting). 135, here I come!

Day 53

Morning weigh-in: 137.4. I'm pretty happy with this number because I am beyond sore today so I know my muscles are retaining water...plus I didn't drink enough water yesterday...or maybe it was the salty pistachios. I am hoping I will be 136.something by Monday if I am good today and tomorrow.

BF: Cheerios (145), 2 oz fresh strawberries (16), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: 1/2 turkey wrap (280), Activia yogurt (110), Snack: other 1/2 of wrap (280)...so 1021 before I got home from work...at home I made guacamole for the Super Bowl so I ate a bunch in order to "make sure it was right" and after I had some baked Tostitos scoops with the perfected guacamole. I also had a non-measured bowl of Cheerios (It was bigger than my usual breakfast serving).

Day 52

Morning weigh-in: 137.3...a small loss, but still a loss.

This morning I went to the gym before my 12 hour work shift and did an intense upper body weight training session for 50 minutes or so. One of the trainers put me in my place by saying, "Haven't seen you in here for a couple of days". Dang it, now I have people actually noticing my recent slacking!

Post-workout protein: 1/3 c. milk (30), BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone Bar (190), Lunch: grilled chicken (100), plain black beans (75), small bowl of mozzerella and tomato salad (300?), Snack: sample of food the grocery store was serving up (150), Dinner: vanilla cone from McDonald's (supposedly 150), few strawberries (15), small pigout on pistachios (??)...approximately 1155 before the pistachios so I dunno.

Very stressful day at work...I know this sounds stupid but it took all my power not to have a chocolate doughnut from the bakery due to the stress. Hopefully tomorrow will go smoother.

Day 51- "50 Days, No Excuses"

Wow, 50 days until my wedding. For the sake of not making excuses I weighed in this morning. Damage has been done but not as much damage as I thought. I honestly thought I was going to be 140...I was 137.6. I think I can still reach my mini goal of 135 by February 10th.

BF: Cheerios (145) with fresh blueberries (25), Lunch: salad (lettuce, tomato, black beans, grilled chicken, few croutons) (??), 1 1/2 scrambled eggs (120), Snack: Fiber One bar (140), 1/3 c. milk (30), Dinner: 1/2 grapefruit (60), handful of peanuts, kiddie-size ice cream from Marble Slab.

I went to the park today and covered 2.5 miles. I speed-walked a full mile, ran a full mile, walked 1/4 and then ran 1/4. Next time I go I am going to try to run a full 2. I haven't ran in a really really long time. I just don't like running in my neighborhood anymore. It is so boring. When I lived in St. Pete for a few months I would run a bridge that was so awesome words cannot express. I was surrounded by water, other runners and a cool ocean breeze. Everytime I ran there I felt thankful to be alive and I pushed myself so hard. I wish I had a place like that to go to now.

When I got home I attempted to do the Shred level 3. I was pretty tired from running but I told myself I could eat ice cream for dinner if I did the Shred. Well, I got about half way through it and had to stop. I was beat.

My eating wasn't ideal today. I work the next 3 days in a row so i will bring healthy meals to work and hopefully see some results by Monday.

Day 50!

Holy crap I can't believe it is Day 50!!! Craziness.

OK, so here's the deal. I might know how to lose weight and as you can see through previous posts I am pretty successful at doing it when I work hard and eat right, but...I have a tendency to "get happy" with the way I look and just stop working as hard. Usually this happens at the 3 week mark. It is amazing to me that I made it through 40-something days without quitting. Well the last week or so I have been feeling the slippery slope of "getting happy". The next thing you know you look in the mirror and all of your hard work has gone down the drain. I am not going to let it happen this time.

I got to a weight that I hadn't been at in years...I bought new jeans that looked great...my parents were telling me I look too thin...When these types of things happen, your mind begins to think that you can pretty much eat whatever you want to and stay the same. Um, not true.

I am going to turn this slippery slope around for the first time in my life...

I worked a 12 hour shift today. The day went great as far as eating goes.

BF: HUGE glass of water, Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: grilled chicken (100), 1/2 grapefruit (60), Snack: sample of pasta the grocery store was cooking up (overestimate: 400...just to be sure, it had beef in it), Dinner: WW meal (280), lemonade (5), Snack: 1/2 of grapefruit (60)...1240.

Day 49

No weigh-in once again...I feel so bloated and I am scared. I just wanna get a few workouts in before I step on. I haven't worked out since Friday and that workout was short.

BF: Activia yogurt (110), Snack: Cheerios (145), Snack: whole grapefruit (120), slice of wheat bread (50), WW cream cheese single (60), Lunch: 1 slice of wheat bread (50), 1 chicken patty (160), 1 hard-boiled egg (80), Snack: 1/2 Fiber One bar (70), 1/2 cup of milk (45)...890 so far...more to come... (I am planning on eating something healthy for dinner and having the other 1/2 of the Fiber One bar as a dessert).....

Confession: Umm...yes I ruined the day. I was so busy planning wedding stuff all day that I didn't want to cook. I figured I would order out for my fiance. I had about 2 bowls of cereal and a slice of wheat bread with Smart Balance and jelly (I really need to stop eating that)...so I went to Olive Garden with the full intention of not eating anything else that day. I ordered the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks (which when you get take out, it is very limited). I ordered 2 servings so that my fiance would actually fill up). Well, I ended up having 1 1/2 breadsticks, a small bowl of soup and a small serving of salad. Nevertheless I thought I was going to throw up for the rest of the night. I went to bed feeling sick to my stomach. NOT worth it.

I did the Shred level 2 today. It seemed tougher than usual to be honest.

Day 48

Its gonna be a good day, I can feel it. I didn't weigh-in...it feels like I have 10 pounds of food in my digestive tract.

BF: banana (110?), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: 1/2 deli turkey wrap (280), bag of baked Lays (130), Snack: WW carrot cake (90), Dinner: other 1/2 of wrap (280), Snack: whole grapefruit (120?)...grand total: 1200. Not bad.

It was a good day. Stressful day at work, but good diet day. Tomorrow I am hitting the gym. Weights and cardio and maybe the Shred as well.

Day 46 and 47 Catch-Up

I am back from my exciting wedding planning weekend. It definately had its ups...I picked up our rings! They look beautiful! I love the way mine fits with my engagement ring!!! I tried my dress on! It is about 2 sizes too big but the lady reassured me that she will make it fit like a glove. I guess its better than it being too small. I tried on a veil that I really really like. Now I have to figure out if I wanna order it, and fast. I wasn't planning on having a veil, but it did look pretty fabulous. I went to the mall this morning with my mom to look at shoes and found a dress for my maid of honor! She ran over to the store from work, tried it on and it fit perfect. I'm pretty excited about that, one less thing to worry about. Also, my makeup trial today went great. The girl was so sweet and very professional. She did my makeup once and I really didn't like it too much so she re-did it and I love it! My fiance says it looks great. Only one very sad downer for the weekend...Frankie's ring is too small. =( I am going to call the store tomorrow and figure out the best course of action...whether we can give it back and order a new one or get this one sized. It really bums me out but my fiance is telling me it is ok so I am trying to be rational.

Anyway...back to the purpose of this blog...

Saturday: BF: Cheerios, Snack: banana, Lunch: caprese salad (tomato, fresh mozzerella, few olives, balsamic vinegarette and grilled chicken)...it was amazing (and a few fries off my mom's plate), Dinner: few slices of bread and perchutto, a serving of pasta, some fresh fruit and about 5 pieces of chocolate...I went to bed feeling like crap. I was really full and ate all those sweets. I haven't felt that full in a long time. I didn't workout.

Sunday: BF: few slices of grapefruit, Lunch: None, Dinner: 2 large slices of white bread, 1/2 hamburger patty, baked french fries, about 3 inches worth of sausage, 3 slices of grapefruit, 7 of my mom's tea cookies, 4 pieces of chocolate. Yes, again I feel like total crap. I am debating whether or not I want to weigh in tomorrow. I didn't workout.

Ok, so I scheduled my first dress fitting for Feb. 10th. My second one is Feb. 24th and the last is March 10th. This totally motivates me to get my body perfect faster. Before this weekend I didn't think I wanted to lose any more weight, I wanted to stay around 135. I tried on a short dress in the mall today and realized I am still not happy with my legs AT ALL. I think I am going to aim for the low 130s...maybe 132. I gotta kick it into high gear now. Cardio, I hate you, but here I come.

Day 46

Morning weigh-in: 136.5!!! Don't ask me how this is possible! I can't believe Day 50 is right around the corner!!! Maybe I can make it to 135.9 by then...who knows, by body has been behaving crazy lately.

I am going out of town now so I probably won't post till late tonight...my plan for the day is Cheerios, Zone bar, light lunch, dinner with my parents...maybe I can get some push-ups, leg lifts, butt lifts, abs in before bed. I really hope I don't mess things up this weekend. =/

No excuses, right?

Day 45

So last night I was in a bad mood and I was hungry...this is a bad combination. If I had been in a good mood, I would've went to bed hungry. But I wasn't, so I ate 3 slices of wheat bread (150) with Smart balance spread and jelly (???). My morning weigh-in reflected a slight gain: 136.8. I'm still ok with that.

BF: Fiber One bar (140), Lunch: "Italian" wrap from deli (I am sure this was a million calories since it had hard salami, provolone and some sort of spread on it). I was very hungry and in a hurry to eat. The Italian wrap had been pre-made so I got it. Snack: whole grapefruit (120), Dinner: pasta with marinara sauce and grilled chicken (small/medium serving, homemade so not too fattening)...then I got possessed by a crazy cow of a woman and ate 2 bowls of Cheerios, a slice of bread with butter and jam and a bunch of pistachios. Now, it is no surprise that I feel like absolute crap right now. Tomorrow I will weigh in at 137 or 138.something. Ugh, some of it will be binge weight, not true fat obviously. I will need to shed it by Monday (my goal is to be 136.something on Monday morning, since I am going out of town for the weekend and food intake is always harder to control that way).

I went to the gym before dinner and had a pretty good workout...a little bit of everything...some weights, some abs, some lunges and 20 minutes on the stair master. I wish I had done the Shred today. Tomorrow I am going down south to see my dress and pick up our rings. On Sunday I have a makeup trial. I think that since the weekend is so packed with wedding stuff that I will be too excited/motivated to eat all the goodies my parent's house always contains. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Day 44

Morning weigh-in: 136.1. I slept in again today. It got down to 28 degrees last night. To some people that might not sound too cold, but to those of us that live in Florida, it is. I slept with 2 blankets and there was no way I was getting out of bed at the crack of dawn.

I did a few pull-up, chin-up attempts before my 12 hour shift.

Today wasn't ideal as far as eating goes. I didn't eat too many calories, but the food I ate wasn't exactly clean or super-nutritious. BF: Cheerios (160), Snack: WW muffin (180), 1/2 c. milk (45), Snack 2: 2 kisses (45), Lunch: sub from grocery store deli (360), few Combos co-worker had (60), Snack: WW carrot cake (90), Dinner: Smart Ones meal (280), another WW carrot cake (90), Snack: few chocolates (75)...1385 for the day. I hope this carb overload doesn't affect the scale too much tomorrow.

Day 43

136.7! I didn't expect this at all since I had butter and sour cream and then bread and butter with that Outback dinner last night. Plus it was pretty salty.

Just an update on wedding stuff...I sent my invites out yesterday! I got a call that my dress came in on Monday! And our rings came in! I'm so excited. I am going to pick up our rings and see my dress on Saturday. And I have a makeup trial on Sunday.

I didn't workout this morning because it was so freezing outside. There was no way I was getting out of bed at 5:30am. I am working 12 hours today so hopefully I will be good.

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: 1/2 homemade wrap (145), lemonade (5), Snack: WW carrot cake (180), Snack 2: sample of a breadstick from grocery store (overestimate just incase: 200), Dinner: other 1/2 of wrap (145), 2 kisses (45), Snack: piece of cheese (70)...so in total it was 1125...then I had a vanilla cone from McDonald's (I heard they weren't that bad for you...the McDonald's website claims it is 150 calories, not sure if I buy it, hehe).

Day 42

Morning weigh-in: 137.2...not too shabby.

I went to the gym this morning and they started a new program where they take your measurements and body fat % every 2-3 weeks for 8 weeks for free. I got mine done. I was 19.2% body fat. Not bad considering I was 10 pounds heavier and my body fat was 24-26% in September. I'll get my last measurements done right before the wedding so we'll see if I am make any progress. I'd love to get that body fat % down to 17!

I also weighed-in on the dreaded gym scale. I have gained a half a pound since my last weigh-in, which was before my "bad" week started. So I was really excited about that. I thought I had done a lot more damage than that.

I hardly ate anything today but we are eating Outback for dinner so I prepared myself. BF: Cheerios (145), Lunch: protein bar (230)...it was so nasty I still taste it and have acid reflux from it...ugh, Snack: few strawberries (30), Dinner: Frankie is picking it up from the Outback after he leaves the gym so I have already placed my order...I have included nutrition facts found on the daily plate: Chicken on the Barbie, without veggies, which are 80 calories, (320-80=240), plain baked potato (270), house side salad (265)...this puts me at 1180. I am sure I will add a little butter and sour cream to my potato...but I will stay around 1300-1350 for the day.

I am making some progress in the pull-up/chin-up department. I'll let you know what I can do them without jumping.

Day 41

I don't know if I was bloated yesterday or dehydrated today but I'll take it: 137.4!!!

I went to work for a few hours and then straight to the gym. I had an awesome workout. I did an hour long kickboxing class that includes 15 minutes of hardcore ab work. The I did leg extensions and hamstring curls (5-6 sets of each) and 10 minutes on the stair master.

BF: Cheerios (145), Pre-workout snack: Activia yogurt (110), Post-workout snack: Mojo sweet and salty bar in "peanuts and pretzels" (200), Lunch: whole grapefruit (110), Boca chicken patty (150), 1 slice of wheat bread (50)...765 so far...Snack: orange (60), hard-boiled egg (80), Dinner: bean salad, corn and lima bean medley, 2 scrambled eggs, pasta with parma rosa sauce, 2 cookies.

Day 40

I can't believe it is day 40 already!!!! I just got a knot in my stomach thinking about it! These past 40 days flew by! I only have 60 more!!!! So, the first thought that ran in my head this morning was: "I know I gained weight. I really don't want to weight in for another two days." If this ever runs through your brain, snap yourself out of it. If I hadn't weighed-in, I would've kept on gaining. I was 139.1. Ugh. I KNOW that by next Sunday I will be 137.0. My new mini goal is to be 135 by Feb 10th, the day my dress is supposed to come in.

BF: Zone bar (190), Lunch: 1/2 homemade wrap (145), lemonade (5), Snack: other 1/2 of wrap (145), Snack 2: Fiber One bar (140), 1/2 c. milk (45), Snack: few yogurt covered raisins and 2 pretzels (150), Dinner: 2 slices of wheat bread with Boca chicken patty (250), whole grapefruit (110), Snack: 1 slice of wheat bread (50), small amount of Smart Balance spread (50), jelly (60)...total for the day: 1340.

Tomorrow and Tuesday are getting slam packed with workouts. I might do a cycling class at 6am on Wednesday. I'm pretty excited. I got a new spurt of motivation talking on the phone with my mom tonight about my shower and bachelorette party. I wanna be able to wear a cute short dress or dressy shorts with heels.

A girl can dream, right?

Day 39

I worked out really hard today at the gym before work. I did upper body. I mixed things up and did exercises I often neglect. I am sure I will be sore tomorrow. I ate about 1100 calories minus dinner. For dinner I had some broccoli, cauliflower, scallops and a slice of bread with PB and J.

It sucks because I want to start weighing-in everyday again but now I am a little scared to. I was on such a roll and since my little slump, I have a feeling I put on a couple.

Its been a long day and I am exhausted. Hopefully tomorrow's post will be more interesting. =)

Day 38

I am not weighing-in till Sunday. I feel so bloated after this week and I know I haven't been perfect so I want to wait a bit. I worked my 12 hour shift today.

BF: Cheerios (150), Snack: small slice of employee's birthday cake (trust me, I adjusted my calories the rest of the day because of this). It was a peanut butter cookie cake, no layers (I will overestimate to 400), Snack 2: Zone bar (190), Lunch: 1/2 homemade wrap (120), Activia yogurt (110), Dinner: Other 1/2 of wrap (120), lemonade (5), 1 Wherther's Original (25), Snack: Zone bar (190), Snack 2: 1 teaspoon natural peanut butter (35)...total: 1345. Not too bad I guess.

I plan on going to the gym before work tomorrow. I haven't decided which body part I will be doing yet. My legs are pretty sore from yesterday. Shred Level 2 really worked my quads, as did the cycling.

Day 37

I started the day doing the Shred Level 2 with my fiance. Its pretty funny to see our coordination weaknesses. He's no pro at the oblique twists and I am equally funny doing the ski move. I followed the Shred with 200 butt lifts, 100 on each side. I also spent some time last night and this morning working on the whole pull-up, chin-up thing. Not too much progress so far.

BF: (eaten at lunch time) Cheerios (145), hard-boiled egg (80), small peach (70?), Lunch: homemade wrap (275), Activia yogurt (110), Post-second-workout snack: a few tablespoons of natural peanut butter (300), Dinner: ziti again, 1 slice of white bread with Smart Balance spread.

I took a cycling class at 5:30. It was pretty intense. It wasn't with the lady I talked about yesterday. Unfortunately her class was at 4:15 and I missed it.

Day 36 Follow-up

My fiance has been super-supportive since I started this blog. He always asks me if I blogged that day and so forth. He says he really notices a difference in my body. Last night he even mentioned that my legs look slimmer. Yay!

So I just told him about my day. I told him how I blame it on my period...yada, yada...and how I know I have been eating some things I shouldn't for the past few days, like krem snjita and the tea cookies and chocolates. So he looks at me and says, "I thought the name of your blog was No Excuses?"

Wow, I needed that. I mean, the truth is I haven't been that good for the past week or so. I have been writing down excuses regularly. Now, I feel that it is ok to treat yourself or cheat every once in a while but come on. I haven't had one good, clean, day in a long time. He totally motivated me back into seeing the real purpose of this blog...no excuses. One hundred days isn't eternity. I know I can finish strong.

I officially apologize for my recent excuses. I feel so empowered by his little sentence. I feel like it snapped me back to reality.

Cellulite

I don't believe there are any creams or pills or magic wraps that work against cellulite. Maybe treatments exist that diminish the appearance for 24 hours but nothing that makes it go away. I do, however, believe that using a cream regularly can help make the area look more flattering. If you rub a cream in every night in circular motions, you are increasing the blood flow and circulation to the area. A few years ago I used a cream by Nivea that I really think helped my legs look smoother. I rubbed it in pretty hard every day. I think it took about 4 weeks and I noticed a difference. I bought it the other day and used it this morning. Its called Nivea Reshaping Treatment. It comes in a tub, not a bottle. It is on the thick side but it glides on very easily. I try to let it air dry for a bit but it doesn't absorb fully. I wish I could test it on one leg and see if it really works. But I am not crazy, why would I risk having one leg look worse than the other? I'll let you know how it goes.

Day 36

I didn't weigh-in this morning. I don't like to see the number jump up too much when I know it is water weight.

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: grilled chicken (100), honey mustard (100), watermelon (100), Snack: um...I almost didn't blog this because I am a little embarrassed...then I figured I would only be lying to myself...so here goes...I am blaming it on my period...about 200 calories worth of chocolate and 1 chocolate brownie cream puff (1,000,000,000), handful of peanuts, Dinner: grilled chicken (100), honey mustard (100), Snack: about 10 bites of ziti dish from last night.

How will I make up for this day? I plan on taking a walk/jog first thing in the morning...I want to do 2 Shreds tomorrow, level 1 and 2, and I would like to lift weights at the gym and do 15 min on the stair master. Now...there is a kick-butt cycling class tomorrow evening that I might go to in place of some of this stuff. The lady that teaches it is ripped and CRAZY. You have to go through 2 bottles of water while doing her class. We'll see how my schedule is tomorrow.

Day 35

Morning weigh-in: 137.2. I am very happy about this number. First of all, I ate really really late last night, second, I sodium-loaded myself yesterday, and third, I get my time of the month either today or tomorrow. =)

BF: Cheerios, 2 bowls, hehe (290), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: slice of white mountain bread from grocery store bakery (150?), slice of cheddar cheese (90), another Zone bar (190), Post-workout snack: Activia yogurt (110), few spoons of natural peanut butter...

Well, we can call this a cheat day since I went all out for dinner...Dinner: ground beef ziti dish I made [I tried to make it as lean as possible (lean beef, no oil or butter, low fat cheese), but come on, its not exactly chicken and steamed veggies], salad with italian dressing, 2 slices of bread with Smart Balance spread.

I took a cycling class today. It kicked my butt. I think I burned 500 calories. I plan on doing leg lifts tonight while I flip channels between the Biggest Loser and American Idol. What an exciting life I lead. My back is killing me from all the pull-ups and chin-ups I have been attempting. At least I know I am using some muscle from just trying them.

Day 34

Morning weigh-in: 136.5 (Maybe there is some kinda magic weightloss solution in my mom's krem snjita pastery...if only I hadn't thrown them away)

I woke up early to go to the gym and have my first post-sick workout before my 12 hour shift. After I weighed in I tried again for a chin-up. My fiance said to try them with a little jump at first to get the motion down. I have been doing that and it hasn't been working. But this morning I jumped a tiny bit and pulled myself right up!!!!!!!!!! I was so excited I wanted to wake up my fiance. Still no luck with the pull-up though. I feel like I am going to reach my goal of doing them from the hanging starting position before the wedding!

My workout at the gym was nothing to brag about but it got me moving. I warmed up for a few minutes on the treadmill. I did a few alternating sets of deadlifts and bicep curls, heavy weight. Then I did a bunch of lunges, side lunges and wall sits.

I ate a really good amount of protein today. But I also ate A LOT of sodium...
BF: Protein shake (175), Snack: 2 hard-boiled eggs (180), lemonade (5), cookie from co-worker (75), Snack 2: Zone bar (190), Lunch and Dinner blended into one long meal that lasted 4 hours...I was nibbling all day because we were so busy at work: sodium-packed grilled chicken (220), a single serving container of honey mustard dressing (I don't know the calories but I am sure it was pretty bad for me), a small fruit salad made up of pineapple, kiwi and strawberries, After-work snack: Activia yogurt (110), handful of pistachios, Snack 2: (I stayed up kinda late) Fiber One bar (140) and glass of milk (90).

Day 33

I must be dehydrated because when I stepped on the scale this morning I almost fell off: 136.6. I think the Activia is working, LOL. I actually went to the bathroom yesterday.

Today I am going to my parent's house to work on setting up my invites with my mom. I will eat breakfast here, bring a Zone bar and hopefully only have one meal there before returning. Eating there always gets me in trouble.

I tried the chin-up this morning already...it was quite comical. Everytime I try I feel like I stretch my shoulders out of their sockets and all my muscles get ripped apart. Not in a good way.

Very weird day as far as eating goes for me...BF: Zone bar, Snack: slice of, you guessed it, krem snjita, at my mom's house, Lunch (if you wanna call it that): a few grapes and about 6 tea cookies made with walnuts and raisins, Dinner: bowl of chicken noodle soup, 3 more tea cookies. Talk about carb overload today.

I think I will be well enough to hit the gym tomorrow morning before work.

Day 32

Morning weigh-in: 137.9. Not a lot of progress has been made in the past few days but I am happy that I am maintaining while I am sick. I need to gain some muscle though.

BF: Cheerios, bigger bowl than usual (240), Snack: Activia yogurt (110), Lunch: apple (90?), 2 hard-boiled eggs (160), Snack: I am embarrassed to post this: slice of krem snjita. My mom sent me home with five of these yesterday. I ate one and quickly threw away the rest. I hate wasting food but my fiance doesn't eat them and they are way too good to resist. Dinner: medium-sized bowl of pasta and beef marinara sauce (my mom sent us home with some of this as well).

I don't like working out when I am sick, I don't wanna bring on a fever. But I walked a mile this evening. It was a brisk walk and the weather was perfect.

My fiance bought the Iron Gym pull-up bar. It came in the mail today. Doing a pull-up is one of my many goals. No, I can't do one now for the life of me. He claims that if I try everyday that I will be able to. I am going to work on it, and chin-ups as well. Maybe if my booty didn't carry all of my weight it would be easier.

Day 31

Today was an action filled day despite my being sick. My fiance and I went down south to look at wedding bands and for an hor d'ouevres tasting at our reception venue. I think I have a sinus infection. Hopefully it will run its course and by Monday I will be hitting the gym.

I ate very little in the first half of the day. First of all I wasn't very hungry because of the head cold and second because I knew I would eat a bunch at the tasting and dinner at my parent's house afterwards. BF: small glass of OJ, Lunch: Zone bar, Snack: (6pm) hor d'ouevres, all bite size (1 1/2 vegetable spring rolls, 2 lobster quesadillas, 1 coconut chicken, 2 mushroom cheese puffs, 2 spinach cheese puffs, and 2 beef franks en croute, 1/4 glass white wine, Dinner: small serving of penne pasta with beef marinara sauce, small amount of salad (no dressing) and a slice of my favorite dessert of all time that my mom makes, "krem snjite", translated to "cream slices". Obviously my diet wasn't ideal today. But then again I don't feel like I set myself back.

My parents noticed the change in my body, even since Christmas. My dad told me to put on a few...I think only half joking. He is used to his little girl having more of a rounded face.

Oh by the way, we ordered our wedding bands! They match! They are each plain platinum, rounded and shiny. Mine is a 2mm and his is a 4mm. We got them for a really great price. I'm pretty excited about it.

Day 30

Ugh, full on sore throat. Ugh, ugh, ugh. And a 12 hour shift.

BF: Cheerios (150), 1 egg white (15), Snack: Activia yougurt (110), Snack 2: 100-calorie popcorn, piece of butterscotch (50), Lunch: 1/2 turkey sub on wheat (360), Snack: lemonade (5), wafers (150), Dinner: Lean Cuisine (300), more wafers (150)...1385. I got home tonight from a long day. As you can see I ate some sweets that I usually don't. I am sick and tired but excited to watch the Gators in the national championship. I just had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some milk. I am not proud of it because it hiked up my calories. Sometimes when you feel like crap all day you just don't mind mixing up the diet.

Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow. I guess in every 100 days a few sick ones are allowed. Trust me, I can't wait to get better. I am going to hit the gym like a crazy woman. Next week I plan on doing at least 2 cycling classes. I am also going to try for 100 push-ups in 10 minutes. Ahh, the joy of changing a body.

Day 29

I am working a 12 hour shift today and both my upper and lower body are really sore. I am taking the day off from working out. My weight increased to 138.6. Thank goodness...I would be worried if it stayed the same. I worked my muscles way too hard for them not to retain water.

BF: Cheerios (200), Snack: Fiber One bar (140) [I should have eaten a Zone bar. Today I realized just how much fuller I get from them. But I ate the Fiber One because I needed the fiber, I need to get more "regular", sorry if TMI), Snack 2: Apple (100?), Lunch: PB and J (305), 1/2 c. milk (45), Snack: 2 samples of what the grocery store was serving up. I was really hungry and we were too busy for me to take a break. The samples consisted of meatloaf and potatoes...few bites from each sample but I am estimating 300 calories, Dinner: Zone bar (190), Snack:Activia yogurt (110). Total: 1390.

I think I finally caught my fiance's cold. I have a bad headache and my throat is sore. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I feel better in the morning.

At 11pm I couldn't help myself. I did 40 "real" push-ups and 200 butt lifts (100 on each side). =)

Day 28

Ugh, I woke up so bloated and swollen (my engagement ring barely fit on my finger) and so extremely sore that I was expecting to be 140 at least. I was 138.0.

I didn't drink a gallon of water yesterday like I planned, mainly because I had forgot about my goal until about 5pm. I will try today.

So studies show that you should always have a protein shake within 30 minutes of your strength training workout. This prevents loss of muscle. A fairly new study showed that a glass of skim milk can produce the same results. I have been sticking to this rule for years. But I hate protein shakes. I usually go for the milk. Since I am so scared of getting too thin in my upper body, I have been putting up with the protein, thinking I'll probably get a little more out of it. My fiance (who is pretty built), says he read that you should also drink one the morning after a hard day of strength training. Ugh, the torture.

BF: protein shake (170), Snack: Cheerios (150), Snack 2: slice of rye bread and low-fat cheese (170), Tbsp of natural peanut butter (100), Lunch: homemade wrap (270), Dinner: big glass of skim milk, big bowl of bean stew.

Due to my soreness, I didn't think I would workout today but my fiance offered to do the Shred Level 2 with me so I couldn't say no. By noon we walked 1/2 mile to warm up and completed the Shred. It was tough. I was extremely sore but the soreness faded as my body warmed up. This level is full of planks, meaning lots of shoulder involvement. Yay for wedding dress shoulders.

Around 6pm I went to the gym and did legs. I lifted heavy weight, small reps, 4 sets of 4 different exercises. Then I did 20 minutes on the stair master. I broke a sweat like no other.

Skinny Jeans and Boots

My fiance (boyfriend at the time) and I were in Italy when I realized skinny jeans were not for me. All the Italian girls wore them. If you want to be surrounded with fashion, beauty and style, go there. You would think I would be intimidated or insecure around them, but I wasn't. I too admired their beauty. Everything they wore looked great. It seemed like their accessories were perfect and the way they carried themselves made me wish I was born and raised in Italy.

My fiance commented on how he loved the style in Italy. He said he loved the jeans. "Style!?!", I asked. "You just like the style because of the girls wearing it. You probably wouldn't like any of these outfits on the average American, even me for that matter. He admitted that I had a point. But what he said next cracks me up to this day. Before I reveal it, I must caution you. My fiance has never ever made a negative comment on how I look. He always tells me I look perfect the way I am and that he doesn't like girls that look too skinny. He has even said that he thinks Victoria'a Secret girls are WAY too thin and that he would never want me to look like that. Ok, now I can continue....So I said, "I could never wear those jeans!" He thought about it for a second and said, "Well, their legs are like sticks, straight up and down...(**deep in thought**)...I guess you are right, you would look like a heart."

A heart. Classic.

Now I am not a rocker-chick type girl and I don't like skinny jeans on certain people at all, especially when they accentuate legs that are way too skinny. But there is nothing I wouldn't give to wear a pair of skinnies with sexy high-heeled, just-below-the-knee boots! So the other day I thought I would go look at some of those boots. Since I am losing weight I thought that I wouldn't look like a plump heart anymore, I would look more like a deflated one.

Um...none of the boots fit over my calves!!!!!!!!! I was mortified. I knew I had big calves but come on! They wouldn't fit on my bare skin. How the heck am I supposed to fit a dang jean in there too?????? Ugh. I guess that look is not in the cards for me. Bootleg it is, for now.

Day 27

Morning weigh-in: 138.2, which I am happy about. Weight fluctuation is normal, especially since I had my kiddie-size treat last night.

BF: Cheerios (145), Snack: homemade protein bar (90), Lunch: I had a big lunch since it fell right after my workout and I was STARVING, protein shake (175), homemade wrap (290), last little bit of that ice cream from yesterday...about 4 wonderful bites (150 as an over-estimate???), Snack: fruit and nut bar (170), Dinner: It was a big one...I had a slice of mango before dinner (I was going to have a bunch for dessert) but something was wrong with it. It was very bitter and I couldn't get the taste out of my mouth. I had a little bit of juice, no help, milk, some help, slice of bread and Smart Balance...better. Then I had a big bowl of chicken and dumpling soup. I am a little too full but at least my workouts today make up for it.

Around noon I went to the gym and did upper body...chest, bi's, tri's, back and shoulders. I lifted as heavy as I could and I did a lot of sets on each body part. You know you had a good workout when you are sore right away. Recovery is going to suck, but the pain is almost rewarding at the same time. My legs are sore from those walking lunges yesterday. I am a little suprised about that.

This afternoon I got fitted for a bridesmaid dress. I am in my lovely friend Nicole's wedding in June and I am super excited about it. I have been thinking about revealing my measurements all day and I figure I might as well. My bust (of which there is extremely little) is a 34 (**clears throat and whispers**): a 34 with my padded bra on. Waist: 26.5 and hips: 38.5. It put me at a 6. Even though my bust was a 4 and the hips don't matter because the of the shape of the dress, the 4 called for a 25 inch waist so I got the 6. My waist doesn't have much fat on it so I am not going to risk it. I will have to alter it in the bust. If I recall correctly, my hips were a 42 or something along those lines when I got sized for my wedding dress in October. I will have to call the bridal shop and ask for my measurements.

Around 6:45pm I did the Shred. I also did leg lifts afterwards and spend 10 minutes stretching. One of my goals is to gain a little flexibility. I am as stiff as a board.

First Rule of Weightloss

This is the simple version of my theory on how to lose weight. It is a priciple I try to follow as much as possible. I have preached it to friends in the past. It makes weightloss MUCH easier.

Magic Rule:

If you REALLY like it, don't eat it (at least not regularly).

This rule mainly applies to snacks, but also to all meals that are not considered "special". I honestly believe that success in weightloss is very difficult if you are surrounded with temptation. Now, you may be thinking I am talking about a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream or whole bag of Doritos. Nope, I am talking about something much more common...(**cue suspense music**)...the 100 calorie pack (or anything else you can think of along those lines). For example, you may be counting calories or watching your portions or eating small meals throughout the day...all those things lead to results but your efforts can easily be destroyed if you are reaching for a small 100 calorie bag of Cheetos. Chances are that you will not be satisfied with one. Maybe you will resist another, but you will still yearn for it. Why not eat something like one of my crappy homemade protein bars instead? You will still be full, and it is so gross that your appetite will go on strike.

Think about it...you are making a sandwich. "Hmmm....should I eat it as dry turkey on wheat with a slice of tomato or should I put some mayo on it (I mean, it is only 60 calories or so)?" Put down that jar!!! If I ate a turkey sandwich with mayo, which I LOVE, I would want another. If I ate it dry, I would reach for some water and hope that I don't have to torture myself with another dry bite. But I am full, and satisfied and not craving more.

Don't even buy foods you love. When you "cheat" or treat yourself, go out and buy a single serving of the stuff. Like ice cream or a chocolate bar. Or save that special dressing or side of chips for a cheat meal. Why surround yourself with the enemy? Not to mention that 100 calorie packs are not nutritious. You are not doing yourself a favor by eating them. You could eat a large, juicy, fiber-full, filling, piece of fruit instead.

I know this because I have tried every diet in the book. And I know if I have a half-gallon of ice cream, whether it be low-fat frozen yogurt, regular, Healthy Choice or Weight Watchers, I will not eat just one serving. If I do...I will still want it...it will consume my mind...it will drive me CRAZY!

Making the decision to make this kind of change in your diet is tough. It doesn't mean you have to eat stuff you don't like. It just means not keeping stuff you are tempted by in the house. One of the things I have done is replace my beloved chocolate Fiber One bars with Zone bars. I still like the Zone bar...it tastes pretty good, it fills me up, it has the nutrition I need, it kills my chocolate craving...BUT I don't want a second. One bar is 190 calories (dark chocolate almond). One Fiber One bar is 140. But I would finish the Fiber One bar (and glass of milk) with a smile on my face like a scary psycho and couldn't wait to have another. Out of taste, out of mind.

Day 26

Morning weigh-in: 137.6. My reaction: I don't know...but I do think what they say is true...eat small meals every 2.5-4 hours and you will notice a difference right away! I guess my metabolism was "on" all day.

This morning I covered 1.4 miles...a variation of walking, speed walking, 5 short sprints and 4 sets of 30 walking lunges.

BF: 9am: Cheerios (150), Snack: 11:20am: 1/2 homemade protein bar (90)-ummm, this was pretty gross, so I am not posting the recipe, and lemonade (5), Lunch: 2pm: 1/2 homemade wrap (145) and nectarine (65), Snack: 4:30pm: other 1/2 of wrap (145)....so before I got home from work, around 6:15, I had eaten 600 calories. Dinner: homemade chicken soup (my poor fiance is sick). I ate some chicken as I was shredding it and I was tasting dumplings as I was making them to check on the consistency (this is one thing I HATE about cooking, I get full before the meal is even finished). Then I had a small bowl with the fiance and a very small piece of bread with Smart Balance on it. I also decided to have a treat tonight and I got a kiddie-size ice cream from Marble Slab (sweet cream ice cream with Oreo mix-in). I ate about 3/4 of it and put the rest in the freezer (this was a very new experience for me, I didn't think it was humanly possible).