It's the End of September, already?!

Where in the world has the year gone?!  Is it really the end of September already? Honestly, I am excited it's the end of the month though.. because all sorts of challenges start tomorrow, and I'm ready for them.. :)

I unfortunately worked til 11:30 pm last night, so I didn't get an ACTUAL workout.. I did lift my client up and down quite a few times though, so at least I did some strength training, right?!  My Friday/Saturdays are tricky, so I'm thinking that I'm going to do my pictures tonight, weigh in on Monday (like I plan to do normally), and wake up extra early to do the first day of the Shred before I go to work, this way I only "miss" one day of the Shred.. but I plan to do SOME kind of exercise Saturday.. My goal of getting into a size 14 by the end of October isn't impossible.. I just have to work as hard as I can to get to it.. and I can do it!!  I just have to try..

Got a little funny for everyone.. well, at least I think it's kinda comical.. I've been trying to drink at least 5 Liters of water a day, and I've been doing a good job since Monday.. Anyone else notice that when you start paying attention to the amount of water you drink, you start feeling like a pregnant lady with all the bathroom trips?!  I almost peed in my pants yesterday because I made the mistake of leaving work without peeing first.. HOLY HELL!  That would have been something to cry about.. thank goodness I made it home and straight to the bathroom.. lol.. speaking of which, I'm off to go pee again and take some pics.. Be back later with the pic update! :)

Dining Out..

Okay, so I know that as a society we LOVE to multi-task.. anything we can do at the same time as something else, I know I'm so going to do it.. lol.. and fast food is a big issue in society, and not just to our kids.. I LOVE me some McDonald's french fries and Arby's jamocha shakes.. and I for all those who are just tuning in, I've been on the Adkins Diet since July 23rd.. and it's been interesting to find foods on the run that I can eat on this diet.. 

So I decided to help out other people who are interested in what foods are worth going through the drive thru for..  Every week, on Sunday, I will be posting a new "fast food" item that SHOULD be carb-friendly.. I'm gonna call it "Out of the House Sundays" I will tell you all I wish I'd known before I bought it (if it was worth the money, waste of carbs/worth the carbs, etc).. I hope this helps at least ONE person.. :)  I'm going to do one for last Sunday, because I just ate a bite of the WORST thing ever.. lol

KFC'S DOUBLE DOWN SANDWICH

This is KFC's newest edition to their menu.. It basically is a chicken sandwich (classic or grilled style), but instead of a bun, it's got the chicken breasts on either side of the bacon, swiss cheese and, depending on the kind of chicken you get, a sauce.. 

Calories (for the grilled one I got): 460

Fat: 23 grams

Price: $4.99

I got the grilled chicken one, and didn't get the honey mustard sauce on it.. I was planning to use ranch dressing or mayo and dip it, but I forgot.. So I tried it as it came (minus the sauce, of course) and it was SO GROSS!!!  It is so not worth the $5.. you're better off getting a 2 pc meal from KFC instead..  It's good for carb-watchers because it only has 4 carbs, but doing this diet shouldn't mean I can't have good tasting food..

Gotta Rant..

Okay, so I just found out something that kinda pisses me off, but in a general way.. Does that make sense?!  lol.. So I am on Facebook, as I'm sure most people are.. lol.. and I was "hanging out" with this guy who (long-story short) was a friend of my brother.. I put quotes around hanging out bc I thought we were getting to know each other and maybe we'd start dating.. yeah, SO NOT the case.. I was attracted to him, but I pulled back because I knew something was off.. What I didn't know is that he'd just gotten back from being overseas.. LIKE A MONTH before.. dude!  Never would have started anything had I known that he had been without sex for that long.. lmao

So my mom (yeah, so weird) is still friends with him on Facebook (I deleted him after I didn't hear from him for over a week) and she sees that his status says "I have the best girlfriend ever".. I hate that!  That's what pisses me off.. because this ALWAYS HAPPENS TO ME!!  I'm always the one BEFORE the wife, awesome girlfriend, or whatever.. WTF?!  I don't understand that..

I realize, in the back of my mind, that I'm better off.. But it still sucks ass.. And just when I think my self-esteem is getting back to normal, shit like this happens.. ugh!  Only good thing is that instead of wanting to drown my sorrows in food, the thought of food makes me want to gag.. lol.. I wish I could find my "forever" sometime soon.. this whole single girl thing is getting REALLY old..

Hope your day is going better than mine.. ;)

Food, Food, Food!!

I <3 Food!!

Don't we all?!  I know that we do, or we wouldn't be in this damn weight loss thing, now would we.. lol.. So I decided Sunday that I was going to start cooking things as much ahead of time as possible (like the big stuff).. so today I made this chip dip that my BFF Amanda told me about.. I plan to eat it without the chips, of course.. but it's SO good either way, especially with football season in session!!  And it's so simple to make.. 1 block of velveeta, 1 bottle of mild salsa, and 1 lb of sausage.. See?!  Not too many ingredients.. all ya have to do is brown the sausage (and drain the grease), cut the velveeta up into a crock pot, melt the velveeta, when it's done melting, add the salsa (and stir), then add the sausage.. Woohoo!!  Here's a pic of it..

It's super cheesy, so I can only eat a few bites at a time, but it's a good snack.. I ate it for lunch today though.. lol.. Figured that the meat, cheese, and veggies made a somewhat healthy lunch.. Oh, and I also made myself some tuna fish with mayo.. I love tuna fish, always have.. My mom makes it better than anyone else I know, bc she puts eggs in it.. I always forget the eggs.. lol

I'm surprised I'm not sore from yesterday.. I feel pretty good, even after the crappiest night of sleep.. My plan tonight is to start Syl's October Shred Challenge a few days early.. can't hurt, plus this way I don't have to go to the gym and do the TurboKick class that kicked my butt last time..  haha.. What can I say?!  I hate that class.. maybe when I get more stamina I'll try it again.. MAYBE..

Monday, Monday..

So I just got done working out for almost 2 hours!  I love my Zumba class so much I stayed for the 2nd one.. lol.. my teacher, Chrissie, and another Zumba teacher came together to make this routine for the Halloween Zumba party (which I am SO going to go to!!) and they showed it to us in the 2nd class.. :)  It's awesome!!!  I can't wait to do it again on Wednesday..

I've noticed that I don't do anything small.. my first day back at the gym in almost a month and I chose to do almost 2 hours of Zumba plus some weights?!  Yeah, I'm asking for an injury, I'm sure.. The first day of October is coming up, which means my first day of the Shred is coming up too.. I'm kinda excited about it.. I've read some of the blogs from others doing it, and they seem to be doing so good..


Oh, I got a question for my readers again.. has anyone else tried the Gorton's Salmon Fillets that you can microwave?  I've stupidly bought like 5 packages of these things and they won't cook right in my microwave!!  I'm so fed up with them.. lol.. I ended up eating like 2 cups of broccoli tonight.. that's it.. haha.. well, for now at least..

Good night!  Happy Bloggin!  :)

New Look.. In So Many Ways

So I hope you like the new look of my blog as much as I do.. I've been meaning to do this for a while, but better late than never, right?!  lol.. Thanks go out to Katie who pointed me to Erika's blog about how to add pages to my blog.. But like my title says, I've got a new look in so many ways.. and I'd love to show you! 

When I weighed in this morning, I was at:

228.0 lbs

Today is the first day of my "Restart".. my ticker at the top of my page will still show my total lost though because I worked hard to get that weight off.. and I'm proud of it.. :)   I'm thinking I'm going to start planning my meals out (as much as I can while eating with my parents some days) on Sundays and make sure to cook it as ahead of time as possible, because I have lazy days where cooking just makes me wanna vomit.. sorry, but it's true..

My big problem I'm running into is breakfast.. I don't like to eat at 6am, and my meds make me not hungry for a while into the day.. so I'm going to have to make myself eat SOMETHING.. This part of the Adkins diet is always tricky because I have to pay attention to how much of things I eat.. which is good calorie-wise, but it sucks carb-wise.. You know how many foods have 2 grams of carbs per TABLESPOON?!  like ketchup?!  I love ketchup!!  and I'll have to watch how much I use of it.. lol

I was planning to do the "Induction" part of the Adkins again anyways, but it was gonna be the last two weeks of October (so I could be that much skinnier before my 27th birthday.. hehe).. so it's a little bit sooner than I planned, but it's still happening.. :)  I'm excited to get back into this, and am gonna get ready to go to the gym as soon as I'm done writing this.. can't wait to go to zumba again!  I've missed it so much.. 

I'M BACK!!!

Okay, so I've been off in my own little world for the past two weeks.. my own little HORRIBLE world.. and to get it out of my system and out of my head, I'm gonna give myself a few paragraphs to explain to you lovely people..

My vehicle (which is, prolly like everyone else, my livelyhood) is a POS.. if you don't know what that is, you are too young to be on the internet by yourself.. lol.. it's old, holey (spelled correctly), and has been driven over 200,000 miles.. About 3 weeks ago, I got a flat tire.. see my last blog.. so I got my upper (and lower) ball joints replaced.. THEN my truck was CRUNCHING when I drove it.. not cool!  So after spending almost another week at the dealership (and in my friends driveway), they told me it'd be another $170 to fix that problem (oh, but they'd cover the labor since they missed the damn problem in the first place.. sorry for my cursing).. 

I am so thankful for my grandmothers, my parents and my friends who are wonderful in my time of stress.. My other grandma offered to buy me two new tires (to replace the flat one and the other one that was almost gonna blow too), but I would have to forfeit my birthday outing.. yes, I still hang out with my grandma.. this is one of those instances I hate being a "grown-up".. so she paid the $180 to get my two new tires.. If anything else happens to this truck, after the last $1000+, I'm gonna leave it on the side of the road and set it on fire.. lol

Okay, so I haven't been "good" on my diet for most of my stressful issues.. and I can definitely feel a difference.. I also am sick now.. thanks to the weather and the Ohio Valley, aka allergies.. So I am making a pact to my fellow bloggers and followers...

On Monday, September 27th, I am starting over... 

I plan to "restart" my diet.. I will post a weigh-in, I will take new pics, I will recommit myself to my diet, this blog, my exercising, the Shred Challenge (a few days early), and my plans for the future.. I've missed so much because I let myself hide out.. I overslept on the day of my intended first race.. the second one I was supposed to do, I was bailed on by my ride.. I won't let this happen anymore.. because like my Drop Dead Gorgeous by December sign says:

It's my life, and I'm worth it!!

So to any of the readers out there that find it hard to stay motivated, I am right there with you.. and you can get back to that motivation, you just have to find the right reason that works for you..  So I work all day Friday, all day Saturday, until Sunday.. and prolly won't get to get a good workout in, but I'm gonna do as much as I can.. So I'll be back on here on Sunday to post my pics and to blog some more, of course.. lol.. 

My question to the readers:  

I've been reading about a lot of bloggers that plan their meals for the week... What is the best way to plan meals?  Cook all at once and freeze?  Buy it all and cook each day?  Please help me out.. ANY information is wonderful!!  Thanks in advance.. :)

Blog hop time..

Totally missed last weeks blog hop, I think.. so I'm getting in on this one..

Well, well, well...

Okay, so I am definitely glad that this week is OVER!!  It's been horrible.. to my diet, to my workout, to my exercise goals, and mostly to my wallet!  And I've missed out on reading SO many of my fellow bloggers entries over the past week.. so I'm gonna spend my Friday night playing "catch up" with everyone!  :)   So for future reference, thanks for giving me something to do.. ;)

So I weighed myself this morning.. yay me.. and I found that I'm up to 229.4lbs.. I knew I gained, but I'm actually relieved that it was so little after the week I've had.. just to sum up my week in a list:

* Found out my favorite client (the carrot-cake lady) 
is no longer using the company I work for.. :(

* Flat tire on Tuesday WHILE on the way to a client's dr appointment
(while he was in the car with me)..

* Found out Wednesday Wal-Mart won't replace/fix it..

* Cheated on my diet 3 times!!!!  This is the biggest issue for me right now..

* Only did about 2 days of the Shred in the past 10 days..  :(

* Had to borrow money from my grandmother 

(it's on the bottom of the list of things I love to do)

* Found out that fixing my truck was going to cost almost $700, 

not the original $350 I thought..

* Can't afford to pay all my bills this week bc of the truck issues.. 

That's basically it.. which is enough for me.. and this is why I was worried I'd gain tons of weight back.. but I've gotten some good comments from people about how they deal with stress-eating.. and I am back on track starting today.. :)   I've decided to do the 30 Day Shred with Syl in October, because I've missed too much in the beginning to catch up.. and I just found out that I was thinking the run/walk that is tomorrow is actually a 5 MILE walk, not 5k like I thought.. lol.. oops!

Can't wait to do this with Katie and Blubeari, and take tons of pics!!  I can't wait to get my race bib!  I'm so lame, it's okay though, I like it.. ;)

Good luck with your weekend, and I hope you have a great one!  I can't wait to see what everyone has been up to while I've been hiding in my dilemma's.. lol

Without Further Procrastination...

Okay, so I've already blogged today, but this blog in particular is about 5 days in the making.. and I'm SUPER sorry that I haven't had the time to sit and do the actual work that comes with accepting these precious awards that people give out.. So here I am.. making the time after my workout to give praise and thanks to the people that I enjoy reading/enjoy reading my blog..

So if you've just tuned in to my "gorgeous blog", as one blogger has commented (thank you very much, btw!), I received the Happy 101 award on the 2nd from Blubeari, one of my blogging buddies..  ain't it pretty?!

So here are the rules.. copy and pasted from Blubeari's blog.. ;)

1) Post who gave you the award.
         It's amazing how close you can be to a person (distance-wise) and not know it.. me and Blubeari, the blogger who gave me this award, live only an hour apart.. how weird is that?!  I've only recently started following her blog, but I love reading about her kick-butt cardio workouts that I honestly wish I had the stamina to even try, let alone finish.. :)

2) State ten things you like

1. Zumba.. it's like going to the clubs to dance, without the cover charge, alcohol, and self-consciousness.. lol
2. Laughter.. without it, I'd honestly go crazy.. I laugh as often as possible, and it's not a cute giggle either..
3. My iPod.. again, without it, I'd honestly go crazy.. there are too many commercials on the radio.. grr!
4. The elliptical machine.. It's like running without the impact.. kinda..
5. Make it or Break it; Can anyone say 'guilty pleasure'?!!  (I agree with Blubeari on this one, so I'm leaving it.. lol)
6. Tanning.. it's my only vice, and I LOVE IT!!  It makes me so much prettier.. lol
7. Blogging.. I have attempted to blog in general before this.. and this is the only one that I actually keep up with.. thanks for the comments, support and love.. y'all are awesome!  :)
8. Shopping.. I don't just like it.. I LOVE IT!!  It's the most fun I can think of, to do alone of course.. lol
9. Card-making.. I like it so much I'm starting a small-business with my friend to sell our creations.. :)
10. My family.. they are awesome and very encouraging..

3) Give this award to three other bloggers and notify them with a comment


The three bloggers I am passing this on to are:
         1.  Baby Weight and Beyond: This woman is around my age, and is amazing in the fact that she's a mom and still managing to blog, raise her baby, and exercise.. I'm encouraged that if someone as busy as she must be can do it, then by golly so can I!
         2.  Live, Smile, Run:  The lady blogging here, Syl, is inspiring.. She put up a challenge to her followers and SO MANY people have joined her.. and I am one of those people.. It's nice to be a part of something so small, yet so big.. Thanks, Syl!
         3. Half of Jess:  While this isn't a blogspot blog, it's still one that I read a lot.. and have gotten involved with her challenge.. I love reading about her travels, her weight loss journey and hearing about how life is on the East Coast (as I used to live in Virginia Beach, VA and miss it sometimes.. lol)




Okay, now to Katie's game.. looks kinda fun, and it lets you know a little bit more about me.. :)

#1. What is your favorite color?
          Oh, goodness.. my favorite color is a tie between pink and purple.. my room is done in both colors.. I love them so much.. lol
#2. What is your favorite thing about bloggin?
            Honestly, I love having comments to read.. I could just write in a paper journal, but then I'd never hear other people's perspectives or advice..
#3. What is the single best moment of your life thus far?
            Um.. hmm.. I'd say it was initiating into my sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma.. and while I'm very happy about this, I think this is sad because I haven't had many "memorable" moments.. YET!
#4. What would you buy first if you won a million dollars?
             I'd pay off my parents mortgage, and BULLDOZE THIS SUCKER!!  lol.. and rebuild of course..
#5. Where would you live if you could live anywhere?
             The more I think of it, I really like Indiana.. The worst thing we have to deal with here, besides the BLASTED allergies, is tornadoes.. no hurricanes, no typhoons, no major earthquakes (knock on wood)..
#6. What is your dream job?
              My dream job is to be a Certified Nurse Midwife.. before I'm old enough to retire.. lol
#7. Dogs or Cats?
            Definitely cats.. I have 9.. inside my house.. and no, my house doesn't smell at all.. hehe
#8. Do you like cheese? (just to be silly)
            haha.. I love you, Katie.. who doesn't like cheese?!  well, besides the seriously lactose-intolerant.. lol.. I'm on a big swiss cheese kick right now, weirdly enough.. american is just blah compared to swiss.. ;)

Okay, so I'm supposed to pass this on to other people.. and I choose.......
           1.  Christina @ From Fat 2 Fit
           2.  Cara @ Between the Before & After
           3.  Blubeari @ Shrinking Blubeari

I know this is a short list, but I actually have been slacking on following other people's blogs.. which I intend to rectify tomorrow.. :)

Now for my 8 questions for these 3 ladies.. hmmm......

1. If you had 3 wishes, what would one of them be?
2. What is your ultimate goal, at this point and time?
3. Do you know what your Pace time is?  If you do, what is it?
4. What's your favorite season and why?
5. If you could have any piece of workout equipment (free to you), what would you want?
6. Do you have a "bucket list"?  If you do, what's one of the things on it (if you don't mind sharing)?
7. If you had a free UNLIMITED shopping spree at any store, what store would you go to?
8. Who is your biggest support in your life?

Playin the Avoidance Game..

Alrighty, fellow bloggers!  Time to fess up.. I have been avoiding doing this since I got home Sunday afternoon.. Just a quick recap of my weekend, so I can keep it to a 10 minute read (hopefully less.. lol).. Okay, so I hope everyone had a happy and SAFE Labor Day.. I had a safe Labor Day, but it wasn't too fun because I had to work.. :(

My job is fun, somewhat easy (at most times), and is so worth it.. But staying with a person that I don't normally hang around with for 48 hours is somewhat stressful.. It's kinda like playing house.. except with someone elses house.. lol.. Okay, basically, I did NOT get to work out (beyond the stuff I could do while standing there folding laundry or doing dishes).. did NOT eat right.. and left there feeling totally crappy because I knew I had to tell you all how badly I had fallen off the wagon.. and OH BOY DID I!

So I started my diet on Monday with a "clean slate" so to speak.. If I gain, it's my own fault.. However, it is my goal this week to maintain, if not do my darndest to lose those last 1.9 lbs to get to my 25 lb goal.. I need a new dress shirt!!  :)   Today, Tuesday, is my re-start day for the Shred Challenge and exercise in general.. I feel horrible about the fact that the first trial I had in this diet (the first serious one), I just gave up.. :(

My goal this week is to figure out a way to not go crazy when stress comes into my life and overwhelms me..  Any suggestions?  What do you all do to keep yourself "on track" when stress is around?

I Work Hard for the Money..

Okay, fellow bloggers.. I am about to leave for my other client's house.. for 48 hours!!  Yikes!!  But I get to sleep, and she is very sweet and lets me workout when I can.. :)

But I just wanted to spill my guts because I'm feeling SUPER guilty about missing yesterdays Shred.. I was feeling so nauseated, and was so sore.. so I slept through my workout.. :(   There, I said it..

I plan to workout tonight, after my client goes to bed.. and plan to not miss anymore days.. hopefully my body will agree with my plan.. lol.. okay, so when I went to blog this morning, I found out I won an award!!  YAY!!  I've never had an award before for blogging.. Heck, before this blog, I'd never had followers.. lol

Woohoo!!  Now, I am supposed to name 10 people to give this award to.. and I will.. on Sunday night.. Sorry, I just don't have time to do it today.. And Katie's game looks so cute.. can't wait to do that one Sunday night too.. Oh, one thing I am gonna make sure to do is post the link for a video of my Zumba teacher's morning class.. for Cara.. So she can see what a Zumba class looks like.. Hope you enjoy watching.. :)

Morning Zumba class with Chrissie

Hope y'all have a good Labor Day Weekend, and I look forward to catching up with y'all on Sunday..

Really Quick Weigh In..

Woke up late and keep finding all these awesome things that are making me wanna just sit here and read.. I won an award, I now have 15 followers (AMAZING to me!) and Katie tagged me in a game that I can't wait to play.. once I get done with work..

But the quick weigh-in.. I am now at 227.2!! I'm officially at 23.0 lbs lost!  I'm so exstatic!!  My scrubs don't fit properly anymore, so I knew it was a good number this week.. :)

More later about my crappy day yesterday in an entry later today..

Happy Friday all! 

This is it for today.. I promise.. haha

Okay, so I had to blog a little about the day as a whole.. I actually got myself out of my house and to the gym to do the 50 minute Zumba class.. and was surprised that I wasn't hurting too bad at the end.. and of course, when I got home my mom (who has had a new gastric bypass done a few months ago) wanted me to go walking with her.. 

So we did two laps around the lake down the street from our house.. and when we got home, I wanted to just plop on the floor and lay there.. lol.. my deal was if I went with her walking, she'd step on my back to pop it.. and I got my back popped.. THANK GOODNESS!! The Zumba workout and the walk were both done on an empty stomach, which is something I'm definitely working on.. with my current medications, my appetite is somewhat suppressed.. and I have to remember to eat every 4 hours or so.. a few days last week I noticed it was 10pm and realized I hadn't eaten since noon.. :(

But I ate these cute little chicken chunks that are NOT BREADED!!!  Even have a cute little name.. Skinny Chix.. lol.. I had like 6 pcs of that and was pleasantly surprised by their good flavor.. Found them at Wal-Mart, for anyone who is interested.. now I'm gonna go shower and crash into my bed.. to wake up and do it all again tomorrow.. well, maybe not ALL of that.. 

Blog Hop Time

It's time for another blog hop!  I participated last week and got a lot of traffic from it.. so I'm back for more.. :)

1st of September...

So it's the beginning of a new month.. Where did August go?  I can't believe in a little over 2 months I'll be 27.. So scary.. and so exciting to see what my FAB body will look like by then.. I was looking around my house and saw a picture from 2 Christmas' ago..  I was HUGE!!  And this past Christmas was not too much better.. I want to be slimmer by Christmas, if not be totally done "dieting"..  So crazy to even be thinking about Christmas but it's getting closer and closer.. holy cow!

So today is the "1st day of the rest of my life".. lol.. that might not be quite true, but it feels a little like it.. today actually is the 1st day of the 30 Day Shred.. and I got done with my first workout about 30 minutes ago.. and while I wanted to die right afterwards, and started sweating about 5 minutes into it, I feel really good about it.. and any anger I have towards Jillian Michaels I get to take out on her with boxing moves.. I punch her in the face.. lmao

Can't wait to read other people's blogs to see how well everyone is doing on their journey with this program.. :)   Thinking I may take a short nap, and I also plan to do Zumba tonight too, so I'm hoping my legs won't feel like rubber by then.. ;)

It's the 1st of September!!

and for any of you who have been reading this, you know that today is the day that the 30 Day Shred starts.. yikes!  Well, my plan was to wake up at 4:30 am and work out, shower and go to work.. And I prolly could have done that but I had the worst night sleep last night (prolly in anticipation for this to start).. So I figured I'd post my measurements and pics this morning and just make sure to do the first workout when I get home from work.. Oh boy..

My beginning measurements are as follows:

Arms: 14"

Chest: 40"

Waist: 39"

Hips: 49"

Thighs: 28"

Okay, I was shocked when I saw that my waist and my chest are basically the same amount.. not cool.. I thought I had a defined waist, and I actually do, but my waist isn't ANYWHERE near my belly button.. lol.. which is where I did the measurement so I'd be able to do it accurately in the future..  And for the gross pics..

Yeah, I'm kinda disgusted with how chunky I got... which is prolly why there are no pics of me from my chest down in the past few years.. gotta love denial, right?!  Well, it's off to work for me!  Have a good Wednesday, everyone!