100 Days, No Excuses

Pro Pics!

2009-04-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-10T21:53:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-04-01T20:14:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-12T08:04:00.001-07:00

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

2009-03-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-04T04:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-03-04T04:39:00.000-08:00

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!!!

2009-03-01T15:23:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-28T05:22:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-27T19:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-25T04:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-23T22:00:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-21T04:21:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-20T06:27:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-19T05:18:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-18T04:55:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-16T05:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-15T06:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-14T04:44:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-12T06:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-11T04:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-10T05:46:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-09T20:57:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-09T05:06:00.001-08:00

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

2009-02-08T13:50:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-05T05:15:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-04T04:42:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-04T04:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-02T05:10:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-31T05:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-30T05:10:00.000-08:00

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"

2009-01-29T07:47:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-28T05:12:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-26T05:37:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-25T18:39:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-23T11:39:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-22T05:26:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-21T05:13:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-20T15:58:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-19T05:08:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-18T05:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-17T17:48:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-16T05:29:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-15T09:09:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-14T19:37:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-14T19:33:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-12T04:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-09T19:38:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-08T04:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-07T04:53:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-04T18:27:00.001-08:00

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

2009-01-04T05:37:00.000-08:00

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).

Plans for the Days Ahead

2009-01-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Sunday: Tomorrow I work once again. Only 7 hours this time (10-5). I plan on getting in some sort of cardio but eating light all day. I just made homemade protein bars from a magazine recipe. While making them I ate some dried fruit and peanut butter and I feel kinda gross about it so I am not expecting a good weigh-in tomorrow. We'll see how they turn out. If they are tasty, I will post the recipe.

I have Monday and Tuesday off. I have been slacking on my weight training so I plan to hit the gym hardcore on those days. Monday will be upper body and Tuesday will be lower body/abs. I plan on eating a lot more calories on those days. I am going to make sure to get protein in pre- and post-workout. I want to feed my muscles when they are getting ripped apart. I will try to drink a gallon of water on each of those days. I expect high weigh-ins for the rest of that week. Not only will I be eating more but I will also be retaining water from the weight training. Hopefully by next Saturday my weight will return to the 130s.

Day 25

2009-01-03T17:21:00.000-08:00

Morning weigh-in: 137.8 (yes, I shit you not)...so I recently switched my birth control back to Yasmin, which contains a diuretic. I know it kicked in yesterday. Not only did I pee 500 times but I always know when it kicks in...[Caution: do not the read the following if you have trouble with TMI]...I feel that every month, a few days into my pack, when the diuretic effects are at their highest it seems, my pee changes scent. Not like a bad odor or anything, just weird, more chemical smelling. Anyway, the point is, I blame Yasmin on my loss, haha. I am sure my weight will go back up.

So I slept in before my my 10 hour Saturday shift because I was lazy. I know, it sucks.

BF: Raisin Bran (185), Snack: 1/2 homemade wrap (120) and lemonade (5), Snack 2: Zone bar (190), Snack 3: sample of the grocery store stuff that was served up yesterday, "Lunch" (I call this lunch because it was bigger than my previous snacks, but it occured at 5pm): other 1/2 of wrap (120), nectarine (65?), Dinner: bean, veggie and rice salad from the other day, 5 scallops.

Not a bad day.

Oh, I might have forgotten to add one little thing...I bought a bag of Raisinets (**shame**). I was craving a huge bowl of ice cream SO BAD that I thought I was gonna have a binge. So I bought a 190 calorie bag. I ate 1/2 of it before dinner and 1/2 after. Ugh. Even with that I am guessing about 1400 calories for the day.

Day 24

2009-01-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

Morning weigh-in: 138.9.

I woke up at 6am to go to the gym before my 12 hour shift. I weigh-in at the gym about once or twice a month on their doctor-style scale. I did this morning and I lost exactly 8 pounds since September 18th. I did 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill: 5 min warm-up, 5 min high incline speed walk, 5 min run, repeat incline, repeat run, 5 min cool-down.

BF: Cheerios (150), Snack: Zone bar (190) and Tropicana Light Lemonade (5), Lunch: homemade wrap (255), small nectarine (65?), Snack: sample of salmon, white rice and asparagus that the grocery store was serving, Dinner: Cereal (240)...so about 1100-1200 calories.

My fiance is coming down with something so I really hope that I don't feel sick. I will go to the gym before work tomorrow as long as I feel good.

A quote I love: "Motivation is the key to success. Master it, and you can master anything." I guess it makes sense. If you are motivated enough, not even a doughnut or cheeseburger seem too appealing. All you want is to fuel your body with clean food that will make you look and feel hot. Not ones that will make you feel greasy, gassy and fat. The problem is mastering the art of motivation.

One of My Idols

2009-01-01T12:27:00.001-08:00

Wow, what I wouldn't give to look like Kim Lyons...a former trainer on the Biggest Loser...

Pictures!

2009-01-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of me thoughtout the past few years. I'll have to take some recent ones. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures on my computer of me in the 160s and high 150s. I will have to scan some and post them. I feel that around 165 or so I looked like a completely different person.

Me in the middle at 150-152 or so:
Me on the right at 147 (notice the sexy tummy):

Me up front at 143 for my friend Meghan's wedding:

Petting a penguin at Sea World at 140:

My fiance and I in Switzerland at 139:

My sexy baby and I at 138:

Probably at my skinniest, 137 or so at a wedding in May of 2007: I have more muscle right now and my face isn't as skinny:

I hope I am not the only one that sees a difference, hehe. Hopefully 2009 will bring me more muscle and leaner legs. As you can see I never wear shorts.

Day 23

2009-01-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year's Day! Even though I still feel bloated (I am manipulating my period to start a week or so later and therefore I will probably feel this way for another 2 weeks), I decided to weigh-in since it is the 1st: 139.6. Hopefully 2009 will be filled with lots of 130-somethings.

So I slept in till noon. My fiance actually offered to do the Shred with me this morning. I didn't feel like working out right away but I had to jump on the opportunity to see him do it. It was kinda funny...the windmill warm up cracked me up and his lunges definately needed some work but it was a nice little bonding session.

I ate BF at 1:40pm: Packet of low-sugar oatmeal and 2 hard-boiled eggs (320 calories), Lunch: Ham sandwich on wheat (250), Snack: thin slice sample of cheese at the grocery store, few sips of pomegranate juice, Dinner: 4 slices of tomato, boiled spinach mixed with garlic, 5 oz. salmon filet (plain), 1/2 c. bean, veggie and rice salad, 1 cookie.

It took all my power not to get frozen yogurt or ice cream tonight. Thank goodness I didn't. It would've been at least 200-300 calories. I had the 80 calorie cookie instead.

Day 22 - Last day of 2008!

2008-12-31T18:31:00.000-08:00

Today went pretty smoothly. I didn't weigh-in again this morning and I don't think I will until this bloating goes away because I don't want to get discouraged by looking at the scale.

I decided not to do a juice fast. I picked up the Winter 2009 issue of Oxygen magazine. There is a total hottie on the cover with the body I want. Except she has had 6 kids and I haven't had any. She says not to skip a meal and keep the metabolism going. Of course I know that. I have a degree in the stuff. But we all get crazy ideas now and then. As soon as I have a chance I will go to the grocery store and buy more clean food and try to eat six small meals a day. Maybe I'll go tomorrow.

I worked 9-9 today and I didn't workout. My fiance and I are staying in for this New Year's Eve. I know, we are boring, haha.

BF: Zone bar, Lunch: 5 pieces of sushi (the kind with a piece of rice and a slab of fish on top) and a small amount of fresh mozzarella and tomato salad, Dinner: Smart Ones meal. I don't plan on eating anything else tonight, maybe one or two bites out of a Fiber One bar. I will have a small glass of champaigne at midnight.

Past Success: 20 Pound Loss

2008-12-30T19:41:00.000-08:00

I thought I would take this oppotunity (boredom) to write about how I succeeded in weight loss a few years ago.

I was always a little chubby growing up but during my second year in college I was at my heaviest. I was always on some sort of diet that I would fail at and start over each week. I never really had the drive or motivation to follow through. That summer I started a job at a plastic surgeon's office as a office assistant and surgery intern. Everyone in that office looked great and everyone was on a diet so I decided that I was going to start watching what I ate. I remember that time so distinctly. I would eat 2 Eggos for breakfast, a Luna bar as a snack, an apple and a Slim Fast shake for lunch, some sort of snack before the gym and whatever my mom cooked for dinner (I was home for the summer and living with my parents). I lost about 5 pounds in 2 weeks and I was feeling pretty good about myself already. My dad picked me up from work that day for some reason (I think he changed the oil in my car) and during the drive we chatted....
Dad: "So, I see you are dieting and getting results right away."
Me: **Smile**
Dad: "You know, you seem so happy now. I don't understand why you didn't do this a long time ago."
Me: "What do you mean?"
Dad: "Well, everytime I look at you at home you have something in your mouth. If looking better makes you THIS happy, well... (***key phrase to my success...***): Do you not have enough character to eat less, not stuff yourself and therefore make yourself happy?"

Wow, I thought. Well, I was pissed. Character? He is questioning my character??? Always something in my mouth??? I was so pissed but I was angry mostly because I knew he was right. I was so mad that from that day on I continued my eating plan but I didn't stick one thing in my mouth after dinner for the rest of the summer (4-5 weeks or so). He would offer me cookies, fruit, etc. while we watched TV as usual. I wouldn't eat one grape and give him the satisfaction. Haha. I ended up losing 20 pounds or so and feeling like a rock star. It was tough, we ate dinner at 6pm the latest. I went to bed starving some nights but it got easier. I am so happy that my dad gave me that reality check years ago. He didn't mean it to hurt me. He only wanted the best for me. I was so mad because I was embarrassed. He never told me I looked bad or anything like that...now he even tells me to put on some pounds here and there. I love him and I thank him for that.

Day 21

2008-12-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

I woke up feeling like crap again and I didn't weigh-in. I have been having trouble with my BCP for the past few months...breakthrough bleeding and week early bloating and so forth. Plus I just looked at the calandar and realized I would have my period on my honeymoon. So today I got a new Rx for a pill I used to be on that was pretty dependable and I am manipulating my cycle to perfection, hehe. Meaning I won't have it for my cousin's wedding, my wedding, the honeymoon, or my friend Nicole's wedding. Gotta love messing with hormones. Anyway, today was so horrible that I refuse to post about it. I think I might do a juice fast tomorrow. Still thinking about it. I gotta start eating clean. I have to to start cutting out all the processed food I have been eating...like ice cream bars for one.

Day 20

2008-12-29T19:57:00.000-08:00

Today went fairly well despite my horrifying weigh-in this morning: 140.9. Ugh, I am hoping it is not just from non-ideal eating but also because it is the week before my period and I have been feeling very bloated. We'll see. The true test will be after this period, around January 10th...I should be a solid 138 by then. January 10th will be day 32, so we'll see.

I woke up and went to the gym and had a heavy duty leg workout even though I desperately wanted to sleep in. I worked 9-9.

BF: Cheerios with fresh strawberries (165), Snack: Zone bar (190), Lunch: homemade ham sandwich on wheat, few pretzels, some popcorn (385)- I didn't actually eat all the pretzels and popcorn with lunch, I sort of grazed on it the rest of the day. We were so busy with work that I didn't get to eat dinner there. So before 10pm I had a toal of 740 calories. At 10pm I ate 300-400 calories worth of bean soup and 1 chocolate (about 60 calories). So 1200 calories max. I was very tempted to have a Skinny Cow ice cream tonight but I resisted.

One fifth of my challenge is complete. I am happy with myself for the most part so far. I actually kept up with the blog and I have been bouncing back after cheat days. So lets see...Day 40 will fall on 1/18, 1/2 way mark on 1/28, Day 60 on 2/7 (dress fittings start around the 10th), Day 80 on 2/27 (gotta look great for my cousin's wedding on the 28th) and finally Day 100 the day before my wedding. Craziness...this will fly by.

Day 19

2008-12-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

Ugh, I woke up bloated and feeling like crap. I should've known better not to weigh myself: 140.1. Serves me right...what was I thinking yesterday...salty pistachios, salt and vinegar chip, beans and bread so late at night and a Skinny Cow ice cream cone right before bed that I didn't log in. Geez, now it sounds bad. Back to Cheerios and low fat today. We are having dinner with my fiance's dad tonight so I'll have to order grilled fish and steamed veggies instead of pasta at one of my favorite Italian places.

BF: 1.5 servings of Cheerios with fresh strawberries (250), Lunch: 1/2 ham sandwich and Skinny Cow ice cream cone (300), Dinner: Ugh...2 rolls with garlic butter (I would honestly call these rolls "small" compared to most restaurants), salad with italian dressing, baked salmon with a side of angel hair pasta and marinara sauce, Snack: Skinny Cow ice cream cone + piece of chocolate. OK, obviously something is wrong with me. I really have to crack down tomorrow. I work my usual 12 hours tomorrow so hopefully I can control myself and not eat after work. I am going to try to make it to the gym before work.

So I had 2 semi-bad days in a row. This is where the true test of strength comes in. I personally believe there is a huge different between "cheating" on a diet and "breaking" a diet. Every diet break begins with a cheat. But every cheat doesn't lead to a break. I feel a cheat is necessary for diet sanity. The problem comes in when you cheat for longer than a day or two. This is when you get so down on yourself that you continue cheating...leading to gaining all of the weight back that you worked so hard ot lose. We'll see how tomorrow goes. I have to keep reminding myself how good those size 6 jeans feel. Tomorrow marks the end of 1/5th of my journey. No excuses!

Day 18

2008-12-27T10:24:00.000-08:00

Post sauna/alcohol intake weigh-in: 138.6. I have the worse dehydration headache ever.

BF: Glass of OJ, Snack: 120 calories or so of pistachios, Lunch: 150 calories of chicken, hot sauce, 140 calorie WW ice cream, bite size piece of chocolate, Snack: 1 servings of potato chips (140 calories) 10 grapes, 5 strawberries, Dinner: full bowl of bean stew, 3 slices of rye bread (from the end of the loaf so smaller pieces) with smart balance spread. I think I probably had about 1400 calories today. My fiance makes this awesome bean stew that is super healthy...it is made with a bunch of beans and veggies and no oil is used to make it. The only bad part about it is some thin slices of lean turkey kielbasa and dumplings. Sometimes we use pasta instead of the dumplings. He blends some of the beans and veggies so the soup ends up having a thick tecture. It is really filling and loaded with protein.

I did 2.3 miles of cardio outside around 3pm. I walked 0.2, ran 1.4 straight, then walked 0.7.

Before dinner, around 7, I did a small heart pumping workout. 20 quick squats, 5 push-ups, 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 20 side lunges, 10 push-ups and 20 tricep dips. Followed by leg lifts and 100 crunches. I wish I had gone to the gym today becuase it is closed on Sundays. So tomorrow I can't. I will probably do The Shred tomorrow. We'll see. I am scared to step on the scale tomorrow because I am SO full from dinner right now.

Day 17

2008-12-26T09:59:00.000-08:00

Morning post-holiday weigh-in: 139.6 (haaaaaaa-llllllleeee-lujah, ha-le e e e-lujaaaaahhhhhh).

This is kinda too embarassing to type out but here goes....

I slept in till almost 1pm. I ate Cheerios. My fiance and I didn't have anything in plan for the day so we decided to go out with his friends tonight (a lot of them are visiting from out of town and we haven't seen them for a while). Since my social life in this new town is extremely limited I got excited to get pretty and wanted to devote the day to doing something that will make me feel that way. When I was in college, my best friends and I would have days where we were really excited to go out...we would go to the mall and get a new outfit, do our nails, tan by the pool and then listen to music while we all got ready. Those we the days! Anyway, so I put on my gym clothes, and set out to run a million errands. I went to the mall and got 2 pairs of new jeans at Express (they were on sale!). And get this...they are both size 6!!! I even bought a new shirt for the fiance that he wanted. Then I went straight to the gym. I was kinda light headed so I bought a bag of pretzels and a bag of fruit snacks at the gym and ate about 1/2 bag of each before my workout. I did back and biceps. I wanted to cram in a cardio workout so between sets I would do about 40 lunges really fast to get my heart pumping. It felt really good to lift. I guess my whole 10 day focus on legs went down the drain. =(
Anyway, so I like to tan in the sun. I gave up tanning beds a long time ago. But I am the most pale I have ever been so I decided to look online earlier in the day to see if there was a Planet Beach in the area. I got so lucky because not only did I find one 3 minutes away from my gym but it is not just a tanning salon, it is a spa version of Planet Beach. The website had a "3 services pass" coupon for first time visitors! So I went there and and did their hydration theray (pretty much a cocoon shaped thing you get into that acts like a sauna). I think I lost 3 pounds of water weight in there. Then as my second free service I did a stand up tan. I still have one service left. Not sure what I will do. They said I can use it for a mystic spray tan but I am kinda nervous to do that. Especially since the girl that was telling me how natural it looked was kinda orange.
So I rushed home to get ready. It was 6pm by this time and the fiance wanted to leave between 6 and 7. Yikes. Naturally we didn't leave the house till 8, haha. I'm a loser. So we went to a party and then to a bar. All night I was starving and ready to eat afterwards. I had 2 beers and a cranberry-vodka. We almost stopped by a McDonalds but both the fiance and I talked ourselves out of it. We got home at 2:30am. I ate 450 calories worth of food and went to bed.

Catch-up Day 15 and Day 16

2008-12-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Both my fiance and I worked till 7pm on Christmas Eve. We then drove 1.5 hours to my parents' home and spent Christmas Eve with them. We had Christmas breakfast with them as well and then drove 2.5 hours to his sister's home. We spent the day/evening with his family.

Day 15

Up until 9:30pm I ate about 750 calories...BF: Cheerios, Snack: 4 Combos my co-worker had, Lunch: Lean pocket, early dinner: Lean pocket (the day was so busy I really had no time to eat, I didn't even have time to order a wrap...it was frozen food or nothing). I didn't over-eat on Christmas dinner. I had a little bit of everything and only one serving: Small piece of roast beef, small piece of duck, 1/2 small potato, beet salad, mlince (Croatian dish I compare to stuffing), sauerkraut. For dessert I only had 3 bite-size homemade cookies.

My parents noticed my small weight loss! My dad actually commented that I needed to gain 3 pounds. I think he was kidding but he did tell me not to lose anymore. I wanted to tell him that he doesn't know whats under my jeans but that would've been too much information.

Day 16

I guess we could almost call this day Cheat Day 2 but then again I was pretty good compared to how I wanted to eat. BF: small piece of Italian fruit cake and 1/2 cup milk, 2 bite-size cookies, 1 tiny slice of bread with 2 pieces of cheese, few cherries. Once we got to my fiance's sister's home, we had some appetizers which I will call Lunch: few tortilla chips with spinach/artichoke dip, 4 bite-size strips of seared tuna, pasta and brocolli salad, 2 slices of tomato with fresh mozzerella, couple of sugar-glazed pecans. Dinner: Small piece of grilled swordfish, small piece of chicken piccata, 3 fingerling potatoes, streamed brocolli (they are very healthy eaters, thanks goodness). I didn't eat any bread and butter, which was difficult. Dessert: slice of chocolate cake, a bunch of dark chocolate covered pomegranate (these are amazing by the way), 2 bite-size tea cookies, few more sugar-glazed pecans, some more chocolates later on. I know, haha. I love sweets.

It could've been a lot worse. But the horrible part is that I didn't exercise at all. I will defiantely workout hard core for the next 3 days. I really need to build some muscle. My thighs are flabby.

Day 15

2008-12-24T04:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Morning weigh-in: 139.1 =)

I most likely won't be posting tonight. My fiance and I are going out of town to visit my parents directly after work. We will be spending the night there (so no Christmas morning weigh-in) and going straight to his sister's house the next day. I am not sure what we are doing after the Christmas festivities and I'm not sure how late we will be getting home. I will probably get to post tomorrow night. Otherwise...I will update all three days on the the 26th.

I plan on eating very healthy all day because I am sure we will be having a big dinner at my mom's and dad's tonight and we will be eating it late. Christmas breakfast is always pretty big as well. I know I will be able to be good at my future sister in law's house. They usually eat really healthy.

I am hoping not to be above 140 point something on Thursday. That might take some work.

Day 14

2008-12-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

Woohoo 139.0 (I know I say this a lot, but I seriously think I am dehydrated today. I was so thirsty all day at the mall yesterday.) But then again, when I used to be dehydrated the number would never go that low. When I was studying for the pharmacy boards in June I was 149 or so. Dehydration meant 147.

The name of this blog is no excuses...well I've found one...Christmas shopping. I still kept up with my calories and all...but I missed working out again! Ugh. I am so beat though...shopping all day must have burned something.

Not ideal by any means...kinda embarassing but here we go....BF: Cheerios and Fiber One bar 20 minutes later, Snack: slice of fresh cheese, Lunch: frozen yogurt from TCBY (ridiculous I know), Dinner: "Fit size" turkey sandwich from Subway (smaller than 6 inch) and vanilla cone from Chik-Fil-A, Snack: another piece of fresh cheese, 1/2 cup OJ.

Day 13

2008-12-22T19:28:00.001-08:00

Wow, I love Christmas, but shopping all day it torture. I am beat. Morning weigh-in: 140.5 (Yay)

I can't believe that thought I was sore yesterday. I could barely walk today. It is a good kinda pain but it ruined my hopes of doing a cycling class.

BF: Cherrios (bigger serving than usual unfortunately), Snack: WW ice cream cone, Lunch: 1/2 sandwich (wheat bread, ham, cheese, pickle), Snack: chocolate truffle (I know, I'm a moron), Dinner: Mediterranean chicken wrap from Nature's Table (mall food court): chicken, feta cheese, onion, olives, tomato, dressing on the side), no sides. I am actually pretty proud of myself because I really wanted chinese food. My fiance helped me out...he said, "You don't wanna blog about chinese food tonight do you?" He's a sweetie.

So today wasn't ideal. But then again I did resist some temptation. I feel extremely bloated right now. I hope the sodium from that Mediterranean wrap doesn't mess up my weigh in tomorrow. I am very worn out from shopping and I have tons more to do. Time to get some rest.

Day 12

2008-12-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

I had to have my fiance step on the scale this morning to make sure it wasn't broken: 141.1 again.

I didn't workout today. It was pretty much a workout just standing and bending over to reach for stuff at work. Not only are my legs beyond sore but so is my back from the deadlifts. Its feels awesome actually. At least I know my time at the gym was worth while.

BF: Protein shake plus tiny amount of Cheerios, Snack: 100 calorie popcorn, Lunch: homemade sandwich (wheat bread, fresh cheese, lean ham, pickle), Snack: Fiber One bar plus milk, Dinner: Weight Watchers ice cream cone, 1/2 sandwich (same as for lunch but only one half). All together about 1300-1350. I wish I ate less calories today but everything I ate was pretty low in fat.

Tomorrow I have to get a lot of cardio in, along with some sort of leg workout.

What have you done today to make you feel proud?

2008-12-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

Not to be cheesy but what a powerful question. No wonder it is the theme song of the Biggest Loser. I mean, think about it...did you just live your life today as usual or did you actually accomplish something? Did you get up an hour early and actually work towards your goal? Or did you sleep in because one excuse or another kept you in your comfy bed? Did you refuse to eat junk that was offered to you? Did you spend an hour making mini meals instead of buying unhealthy food at work? Its funny how quickly we forget our goals when the temptations of food and laziness come along. What dress? Oh, I'll look fine. He loves me the way I am...

I feel that if someone is serious about a diet or exercise program, they should feel proud 8 days out of 10 at least. And they should almost never answer "Yes" to the opposite question...What have you done today that you are ashamed of?

I realize that in all my years of dieting I didn't always feel proud of myself. At the end of the day I was satisfied with the fact that I didn't eat the kind of junk that others around me ate. I was satisfied that I walked 1 mile. But I didn't make sacrifices to acheive my goals. Not ones to boast about. When I watch the people on the Biggest Loser workout I think...wow, they weight 3 times as much as I do and I don't push myself that hard. I still don't on most days. But isn't admitting that you aren't doing enough to transform the first step?

Day 11

2008-12-20T18:50:00.001-08:00

Morning weigh-in: 141.1

I can't get out of this 141 business. I guess I can't complain because I couldn't get below 144 for a while. Plus I did just have a cheat day.

Well day 1 of legs went really well. I was at the gym by 7:30 and lifted for almost an hour. I focused on leg extensions and deadlifts. I did a lot of lunges and a few sets of leg curls. Right now both my quads and hams are on fire. I seriously ripped my muscles to the max. I hope I can walk tomorrow. I worked 10 hours today and will work 7 tomorrow.

My food intake was pretty good. BF: Zone bar around 11:30, Lunch: 1/2 of my usual turkey wrap, Snack: sample of grocery store meal, again pork and potatoes (about 4 bites), Early dinner: other 1/2 of wrap around 6:30, Late dinner: 1 slice of ham, 5 tortellini, few bites of bean salad, 2 small slices of fresh cheese, 1 slice wheat bread with small amount of butter and jelly. Before the "Late dinner" I was at about 1050 calories...so even if this was 300 or so I am ok with that.

I expect to weigh 2 pounds or so more tomorrow. My muscles are extremely worked and I expect them to hold on to water. I will try to not beat myself up when I see the 143 pop up. I guess i am a little bit number-obsessed. I try to think it out logically but all I want is to be in the 130s right now.

Day 10

2008-12-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

My post-cheat day weigh-in this morning wasn't too bad: 141.3.

I didn't get up for cycling as planned. When I woke up at 5:30, I had a bad headache and was exhausted. I did eat really well today and I hope that means a small loss for tomorrow.

BF: Zone bar, Snack: 100 calorie popcorn, sample of pork and potatoes (only 4 bites or so) that the grocery store was serving up, Lunch: Small tomato, olive and fresh mozzarella salad, Dinner: Smart Ones meal. 1200 calories tops.

It seems like I just started this blog yesterday and now I am 1/10th through. Ten days passed in a snap. These first 10 days allowed me to get started...working out regularly and eating better. Now I think it is time to divide each 10 days section and assign each one a focus. For example, on days 11-20 I can focus on legs. I can lift a lot, cycle, do leg lifts daily, etc. Then I can switch the focus to abs, or back, or flexibility. You get the idea. This way, I know I only have 10 days to master a section of the body. This will give me a focus and more motivation to accomplish something in a short period of time. Obviously, I will still work on legs, or whatever, for the remainder of the time. But during each 10 day section, I can work extra hard on that part.

We'll see how it goes. I think I will start with legs (my least favorite body part to workout).

Day 9 - Cheat Day 1

2008-12-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

I feel that every diet needs a cheat day here and there. I like to take one every 10-14 days or so to keep me sane. Plus, when you take one you realize cheating doesn't feel as good as you thought and it keeps you going until the next time you slack. Plus, if you have the urge to cheat, you can always save the craving for a cheat day.

How do I define a cheat day? Its not an all-day gorge...but I usually eat whatever I want. Today I had my reglar Cheerios breakfast around 9:30am, actually a smaller serving, 145 calories worth. Frankie and I met with our officiant today so we didn't get to eat lunch till about 3. We went to Stir Crazy (Asian food). I had a full plate of szechuan chicken stir fry and white rice, with 1 fortune cookie for dessert. We looked for wedding rings but no luck finding them yet. We got home around 9:30 and I ate about 1 1/2 sandwiches (lean ham, 2 slices of cheese, pickles). Then I had ice cream for dessert (kid size Marble Slab with sweet cream, Oreos and cookie dough). I actually feel kinda sick right now and I think its from all that cheese and the cookie dough. It was just a little too rich. Ugh.

I am going to get to bed early tonight and maybe get to a cycling class in the morning before work to burn off some of these extra calories.

Day 8

2008-12-17T19:30:00.000-08:00

I weighed-in this morning even though I said I wasn't going to. I couldn't help myself. I was 141.1. It could've been a lot worse.

This morning I walked/jogged 1.4 miles before work. Not too impressive but I didn't have much time. I worked 9-9. Tonight I did the 100 push-up challenge with my fiance. I have been slacking with the challenge. I "attempted" week 3, column 2, day 2.

BF: Zone bar, Lunch: 1/2 spinach wrap (turkey, mustard, veggies, no cheese), 1/2 small mozzarella and tomato salad, small piece of watermelon, Snack: tiny sample of salmon and 3 gnocchi the grocery store was serving up, Dinner: 1/2 wrap and 1/2 salad left from lunch, grapes. All in all about 1400 calories.

Today they had some samples of cookies out on the counter. I really wasn't too tempted to go out there and grab one. I thought, hmmm...it would be nice to eat some of those and then I let the thought go. WOW, I was surprised. I think sometimes food consumes our minds. You see something you want and the debate goes on and on and on in your head. Should I? Shouldn't I? Man I really want that. But I can't. Can I? Maybe one won't hurt? Ugh, I can't dedide!!!! In reality, it should only be a one-time question of, Is eating this going to help me reach my goals? or Do I think I should have this? If the answer is no, we should let the thought go. Why waste time on debating about it. Its a simple decision when you really think about it. A simple decision that is a true reflection of strength and power. How weak are we to sit there in agony debating?

Day 7

2008-12-16T09:42:00.000-08:00

I pretty much stayed the same since yesterday. I slept in and weighed 141.0 at 10am. At 11:20 I re-weighed myself and it was 140.7.

BF: (11:30) Cheerios, Lunch: (2:30) Slice of wheat bread, fresh cheese, tiny piece of watermelon, sugar-free redbull, "Snack" (6:45) 2 slices of white bread with veggie spread, 1 Fiber One bar, Dinner (8:30) thin steak, white rice, mushrooms in cream sauce, cabbage salad.

Ugh, awful. I lifted some weights around 4 and did a hour cycling class at 4:30. Then I went grocery shopping. By the time I got home I was so hungry that I ate that awful "snack" listed above. Then I had a full dinner with my fiance that I prepared. Luckily the steak was really thin and since I cooked eveything from scratch I know that I didn't add a lot of oil or fat to it.

This really makes me not want to weight-in tomorrow. =(

I think I might wait till Thursday morning to weigh-in. That will give me a day to redeem myself.

Day 6 Edit

2008-12-15T21:36:00.000-08:00

Being that it is 12:30am and that I haven't eaten since about 7:30pm, I just ate the second half on my Ruby Tuesday's sandwich (chicken, wheat roll, tomato, no condiments). I actually feel kinda glad I did because I don't want my metabolism to slow down too much. But then again I feel kinda gross cause I wish I ate it slower, I am pretty full right now and I am about to go to bed. Hopefully the load of salt in this "snack" won't ruin my weigh-in tomorrow.

Some Inspiring Friends

2008-12-15T20:53:00.000-08:00

Nicole:

My friend Nicole and I have beein dieting buddies since we reunited in college. Our weights tend to fluctuate and talking about losing is our favorite topic. Nicole's goal a few weeks ago was to lose 60 or so pounds before her wedding in June. She recently started medically supervised weight loss and has lost 12.5 pounds in the last week! I am very proud of her. She says she is forming a new relationship with food.

If you have even had a weight problem you know that it is a mental battle. If you disagree, try to go on the 48 hour Hollywood diet where you drink nothing but juice for 2 days in a row. You get so pumped up about trying it that you maintain your will power for 2 days. At the end you take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and think, "wow, for the past 2 days I haven't eaten any solids...What if I was allowed actual meals? What if I ate a few healthy things throughout the day? That would be a treat compared to juice. What am I doing pigging out on loads of food if I can actually survive on 2 days of liquids?" You just need the mental strength to tell you you don't HAVE TO eat something that is sitting in front of you. You will make it. You will survive without it.

Cristina:

Cristina is my friend from school, who I have the pleasure of living with for two months this past spring. During that time, I was in a high motivation mode. I was working out daily, if not twice a day. Cristina and my fiance would sit on the couch at night eating ice cream while I tried hard not to think about food. She said that she wanted to lose weight by her wedding (2/28/09) but she just wasn't ready to commit to a program. Cristina commited about 2 months ago and has lost 14 pounds! She watches what she eats and she is starting to exercise. I saw her at her bridal shower this past weekend and she looked amazing. I could really tell the difference.

She has a really interesting perspective on weight loss....her motto is "There is no way I am going to cheat now. I worked way to hard to lose this weight and I am not going to mess it up and have to start all over again." It makes me think about all the times I re-started in my life. Dieting is hard. Why do it over and over and over again? Instead, make a lifestyle change that involves less strict dieting and focuses on consistency.

Day 6

2008-12-15T20:39:00.000-08:00

Morning weigh-in: 140.9 (Yay, didn't go up as much as I thought I would.)

Today went really well as far as weight loss but not so great as far as building muscle. I did a 6am cycling class. I worked 9-9. We were so busy at work that I didn't get a lot of opportunities to eat.

BF: Cheerios, Snack: Zone bar, Lunch: 1 slice bread, 70 calories of natural cheese, a sample of a sloppy joe sandwich the grocery store was cooking up, Dinner: Smart Ones meal, few grapes, watermelon. Overall about 1130 calories or so. I need to eat a lot more protein. Tomorrow I am going to buy some lean proteins, maybe even some fish. I plan on having a really great workout tomorrow, so I might up my calories to 1500-1600.

I thought that my new mini-goal was 138 by New Years. But I am hoping that if I know I am being good and working hard that I won't focus on the number so much. After all, I really want to build muscle.

Day 5

2008-12-14T17:13:00.000-08:00

Today went okay. I woke up and had a sugar free red bull. I did level 1 of the shred around 12:30. I ate breakfast at 1pm: Cheerios and milk, 190 calories. Around 4:30, Frankie and I went out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's. I had salad bar and a chicken sandwich with fries. I ordered the chicken sandwich with no cheese, no bacon and honey mustard on the side. It was on a wheat bun and I ate half of it. I probably ate about 1/3 of the fries. Thats it for the day. I am about to make some fruit salad for lunch tomorrow so I will eat a small piece of watermelon.

I am thinking about doing cycling tomorrow morning at 6am before work.