July 28th

So, today was pretty busy, as you'll be able to see/read. I didn't eat a lot, by ANY means, and I exercised a TON, while doing more errands than I could have EVER imagined! I'm going on vacation for a few days, so I'll have posts when I come back next Thursday for each day I missed. Enjoy!

Breakfast:

Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte. And yes, I still can't turn my pictures. Oh well... :)


Snack 1:

Kroger's Greek Vanilla Yogurt. My thoughts: definitely not a huge fan, but if I eat it in smaller bites, it's better. Will have to do that with the rest (there's 2 left)

Snack 2 (post-workout):

Love these and bought 7 more for my trip! :)

Dinner:

1/2 container of TJ's Butter Chicken. SO GOOD!

Exercise: I cleaned the car this morning for an hour and a half (roadtrip = pretty car. yay!) and went to the gym and did strength training for 45 minutes, leaving me EXHAUSTED. I was actually leaving to go to the locker room after my workout when Wannabe by Spice Girls came on the gym's radio. Of course I had to stay and listen, and got in another 5ish minutes after that, but I'm not counting that :)

Pros: I'm glad I got exercise in, in the midst of all my stuff today and that I drank 15 cups of water-yayy! I was also super excited when I went to a family friend's house to drop off something (the lady had seen me on Saturday) and told me how great and gorgeous I looked, which made me feel FABULOUS. I don't want to sound too egotistical, but I really like when non-family members notice how I'm changing. The mom of the girl I'm nannying noticed the other day too, and it makes me feel good :)

Cons: I definitely did NOT get enough calories in-633 to be exact, and I don't know if it's me subconsciously getting ready for this trip or what, but I need to do better.

Oh well, weigh-in's tomorrow morning instead of Sunday, and I'm hoping for a fabulous number! Maybe another reward?! Hoping for a great tomorrow! :)

July 27th

Hey y'all! So I remembered to take some pictures today! Unfortunately, I either took them when I was almost done eating/forgot the last two, but I figured it's all good :) Today went really well, but I'm doing HORRIBLY at getting enough calories in. I'll have to work on that :)

Breakfast:

Breakfast was 1 cup of coffee with 2 splendas and 1 tbsp of French Vanilla Creamer (no milk in the house = using creamer. blegh) and 1 Cherry Nutri-Grain bar :)

Snack 1:


Babybel Light Cheese-yum!

Lunch:

Mushroom & Broccoli Stirfry :) There was more than that, I just almost forgot to take a picture :)

Snack 2:



Snack 3 (post workout):



Snack 4:


Snacks 5 & 6: I had 6 Special K Multi-Grain crackers and 6 TJ's Chocolate Chip Cookies-yum! :)

Exercise: I went bowling for 30 minutes, and did strength training for another 30. I would have done the C25K workout but I'm exhausted and the sunburn on my back makes me want to stay inside :)

Pros: I got 10 cups of water in today-yayy! :) And I did well eating wise-only eating when I was actually hungry :)

Cons: I'm not getting enough calories in and the foods I'm eating aren't really organic/nutritional. I need to work on that.

Hoping for a great tomorrow! :)

July 26th

Okay, so I've finally figured out how to add pictures to my blog posts! Hopefully it'll make my posts shorter, word wise, and more exciting :)

Breakfast:

I absolutely LOVE Cherry Nutri-Grain bars. It's like the only kind I will eat :) Fun fact: for my 'finals package' first semester freshman year, my mom sent me 6 boxes of these :)

Snack 1:

I love my Activa, and the Princess Spoon I used :)

Lunch:

Usually I have turkey, but I decided to switch it up. Along with that is a broccoli and mushroom stirfry with 1 tbsp. Teriyaki sauce and some lime juice-yum!


Snack 2:

10 Apple Slices (only a few are shown) :) Don't you just LOVE the piles of books around? I'm trying to get ahead for the next semester...and I'm reading Freakonomics because it's awesome :)


Snack 3:

I had two of these today-they are SO GOOD!


Dinner: I forgot to take a picture, but I had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich with no Mayo at Steak N Shake. I was so proud of myself for not getting something fried/unhealthy-yay NSV! :)

Exercise: I went to the pool for 30 minutes today, and treaded water for 10 (that's hard work!) and swam for 20. Then I laid out, and got super burned on my back, which will hopefully go away before this weekend when I go to Myrtle Beach :)

Pros: I'm glad I got pictures up, and I'm glad I got some exercise in.

Cons: I wish I didn't get burned and I wish I could drink more water :)

Hoping for a great tomorrow (complete with pictures!)

July 25th

So, today went a LOT better than these last few days have been going, and was so much fun too!

Breakfast: I had 1 Everything Bagel Thin, with 1 tbsp Grape Jelly, 1 Activa-Vanilla & Cereal, and 1 cup of Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I wasn't a huge fan of the Bagel Thin on its own, and I don't think I'm going to get them again, unless I can find a low-calorie spread.

Lunch: I didn't have morning snack, simply because I wasn't hungry. But I was SUPER hungry for lunch :) I had 3 slices of Turkey, rolled up with mustard, along with a baby bok choy and mushroom stirfry, with 1 tbsp less sodium teriyaki sauce and lime juice. 90 calorie meal-AMAZING!

Snack: I had 8 Apple Slices and a Babybel Light Wedge. I would have had 10 Apple Slices but the other two looked gross and I couldn't eat them :(

Dinner: My friend and I met at Panera, grabbed some food to go, and headed to another friend's house for dinner, movies, and gossip. SO MUCH FUN! I had a whole Barbecue Chopped Chicken Salad, without the Tortilla Strips, for 370 calories! Love taking off the fried foods and seeing the calories drop fast!

Snack: After the gym, I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut. LOVE THESE BARS! I definitely need to pick some up before school! :)

Exercise: I got to the gym around 9, and got a quick 30 minute workout in. I did strength training for about 20 minutes, and then got on the Elliptical and did a quick mile. SO GOOD :)

Pros: I'm glad I had good food choices today and made time to go to the gym, even if just for 30 minutes :)

Cons: I really need to work on drinking more water. I've been slacking the last couple of days.

Hoping for a great tomorrow!

July 24th

Gahh! So I totally passed out before blogging these last two nights. I don't know what it is/why I cant post daily, but I'm going to try to post short entries for these three days :)

Weigh-in went okay I guess. I lost weight, but only .2 pounds. Oh well :/ I'll just have to work SUPER hard this week!

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I knew I was going to brunch with a friend later on, so I didn't want to eat too much :)

Brunch (at 2:30): So, we wanted to go to OK Cafe, because it sounded really good, and I'd never been, but Rachel had a long time ago, but the wait was ridiculous, so we went over to Goldberg's. I got 2 eggs, scrambled, with fruit (I ate like 2 pieces because I hate green melon), and it came with a bagel. I got an everything bagel, and only ate half, with a tiny bit of cream cheese and strawberry spread. yum!

Snacks: Okay, so I don't know exactly when I ate each of them, so I'm just combining them into one category :) I had 1 Mango slice, 1 Dark Chocolate Granola Thins (which are 80 calories and SO SO SO SO SO good!), 2 tbsp of TJ's Organic Hummus with 40 TJ's Gorgonzola Crackers (the last of them-sad!), a Luna Bar-Chocolate Peppermint Stick, and a couple bites of Carrot Cake :)

Exercise: I got in some exercise today-yayyy! I walked around for about 20 minutes, and jogged for about 20. I went to the courts, and went around the courts 10 times, and I did the first five jogging (NO STOPPING!). Then I hit the tennis ball around for a bit, and did sprints to the ball when I didn't hit it accurately. Then some guys came so I headed to the park, and started jogging on a path, but it got dark, and it was the woods, so I decided to come back. Maybe I'll have to go back there another day :)

Pros: Yay for finding time to exercise and good food choices (except the Carrot Cake) :)

Cons: I wish I lost some more, and got more exercise in, but I'm not complaining.

Hoping for a great Monday :)

July 23rd

Ahh! Due to tons of problems yesterday, and just overall running around, I forgot to post! So, I'm about to do yesterday's and then in a little bit, do today's :)

Breakfast: I had 1 Cup of Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I also had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut, which is my absolute FAVORITE! SO GOOD :)

Snacks: I didn't have lunch since I was working at someone's house all day, and I picked up a couple snacks there that wouldn't overdo it. I had 1 Babybel Cheese and 1 Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bar. The Fiber One bar was good, but I felt like it had TONS of sugar in it. I used to eat them a few years ago, and I love them, but I wasn't used to that :) I also had half a cup of Raspberry Iced Tea (a k-cup).

Dinner: My dad made Chicken Tikki Marsala, which is AMAZING! I ate the chicken, and some of the rice and sauce, but not too much. I would have rather used less sauce, but the chicken was amazing! :)

Snacks: I had 2 cups of Arnold Palmer Half-and-Half Sweet Tea and Pink Lemonade and 12 TJ's Chocolate Chip Cookies (the mini ones). Not great choices, but SO good!

Exercise: I walked around for a good hour and also cleaned up for about 2 hours. It was some really good exercise done yesterday when I was so busy! :)

Pros: I'm happy I made some good choices and definitely burned quite a few calories today. I'm also STOKED that my new phone is here and I've now activated it and it's mine-yay! :)

Cons: I wish I ate better-I really need to work on that. I don't think there's going to be a big number change in the scale, but hopefully it's still a loss! :)

Hoping for a great WI :)

July 22nd

So, today started off really well, and ended up not so well, but I think it all evened out in the end of the day :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I would have eaten other food, but I honestly just wasn't that hungry :)

Snack: I had 1 Activa Strawberries & Cereal yogurt. It definitely made me miss my yogurt, and I can't wait to keep eating it this week :)

Lunch: I had 1/2 chicken breast with 1 tbsp Willy's salsa, 10 apple slices, and 1 babybel cheese wedge. I like that the salsa had been perfectly mixed with the chicken and it was great :)

Snack 2: We went to Menchie's (love that place!) and I got 1/2 cup of the Pomegranate Raspberry Sorbet with 1 tbsp. Almonds, 1/2 tbsp. coconut, and 1/2 tbsp. graham cracker crumbs-DELICIOUS! I also later had 31 TJ's Gorgonzola crackers-yum :)

Dinner: We got Pizza for dinner, and apparently I decided I should eat what everyone else is eating. I had 1 Piece of NY Style Pizza with 2 small garlic knots and 2 teriyaki chicken wings. I also later had 1 cup of Arnold Palmer Half-and-Half Pink Lemonade & Sweet Tea. It was really good, but I just realized I had no vegetables today. Not Good.

Exercise: I walked around for about 90 minutes, especially at the grocery stores, and I felt like I was getting quite a bit of exercise in :) I'm going to run to the gym tomorrow and get a 2 hour workout in at some point!

Pros: I'm glad I ate pretty well, even at the end of the day, when I didn't overeat, and that I did get some exercising in :) I'm also happy that I got some exercise in, and drank quite a bit of water-not as much as I wanted to, but quite a bit :)

Cons: I wish I had gotten to the gym. I really need to get back in the habit, but PMS makes me super unmotivated to do ANYTHING! I'll definitely have to work on that, especially to get closer to onederland!

All in all, I see what I need to do, and now I just need to keep working on it :)

July 21st

So today could have gone better, actually, it could have been a LOT better, but I'm hoping that it ends up okay :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk with a banana, sliced on top, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas-definitely filled me up.

Snack: I had 1/16 of a Strawberry Danish Cake that we had in the house. Why? Because it looked good, and I thought long and hard about it, and realized a treat wasn't a bad thing. It wasn't going to get my closer to onederland, but it also wasn't going to move me back to where I was earlier.

Lunch: I had 1/2 piece of boiled chicken with 1 tbsp salsa and 1/2 cup grapes. I would have eaten the rest of the chicken, but I honestly wasn't very hungry.

Snack: I had 1 Babybel Light Cheese (my favorite! will definitely have to get more), 31 Gorgonzola Crackers from TJ's with the last of my TJ's Organic Hummus. I'm sad I won't have hummus tomorrow, but I can live without it for a day :)

Dinner: We went to the local diner where everything is HUGE, with some out-of-town guests. Not only is everything in big portions, but almost all of it is fried. YUCK! So, to play it safe, I got the Grilled Chicken melt with no swiss-so basically, chicken and sauteed onions on rye bread. I planned to eat none of the bread, but some of it got soggy a bit so I had that, and then was hungry after dinner so I had more. It's not too bad for you, so I wasn't worried.

Dessert: I only had tiny bites of everyone's desserts (these desserts take up an entire white take-out box!). One got Carrot Cake, a Seven Layer Sin Chocolate Cake, a Baklava Cheesecake, and a Key Lime Pie. I really only wanted a taste, so I had a small taste of each and then was fine :)

Exercise: I hate to admit it but I didn't get to exercise today :( I babysat all afternoon, came home, went to dinner, then came home and talked to a friend until it was too late to go. Guess I'll be going to the gym tomorrow, followed by a super long courts workout :)

Pros: I'm happy I didn't get off track today, and got all my water in :)

Cons: I'm bummed that I didn't exercise and I really want to get closer to onederland, so I need to stop eating anything that won't get me closer.

Hoping for a better tomorrow :)

July 20th

So today's been an interesting day. I'm not sure what to make of it really, because there's just been so many things going on, and I don't know if I've processed everything yet in its entirety.

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 cup of coffee with 2 splendas and 1/4 cup skim milk. I didn't have the banana because I was short on time, and I wasn't that hungry. I can't wait to have an omelet for breakfast tomorrow :)

Snack: I had my 31 TJ's Gorgonzola Crackers with 2 tbsp. TJ's Organic Hummus. Even though the regular hummus has more calories than the Tomato & Basil Hummus dip, I'd rather use calories on the Organic Hummus, because I like the taste better. I can't wait to pick some more up at the store this week :)

Lunch: I had a tiny square of cheese pizza (with no sauce), along with 4 slices of Turkey rolled into two turkey rollups with mustard, and 1/2 cup of grapes. I'm glad I'm getting fruits on my plate, but I really need to incorporate some more veggies

Snack: I had 1 Babybel Light Cheese and 10 Apple Slices. So filling!

Dinner: I went to Willy's Mexicana Grill after my workout and got the Willy's Salad with sinaloa chicken, lettuce, pico, cucumbers, onions, cilantro, a little bit of their counter salsa, and then 4 oz of their medium salsa at the salsa stand-I only ate 1/4 of it, but it was AMAZING! I'm so glad I followed my cravings there :)

Dessert: I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut. YUM!

Exercise: I went to the gym and did strength training for 35 minutes before getting on the Elliptical and going 2.59 miles and burning 330 calories in 25 minutes on level 11 :)

Pros: I'm so happy my cravings have become so GOOD now! No longer do I crave chocolate while I'm PMSing, but I crave a REALLY good chicken salad-YAY! I'm also happy that I did my fastest time EVER on the elliptical-one mile in 8:56! HECK YES! I'm also proud of drinking 18 cups of water today-who the heck have I turned into with all this water drinking? so unlike me! haha

Cons: I got my biopsy results back today and it was benign. It seemed that everyone was happy about it, except for me. I don't know why, but I honestly don't have a good feeling about this-either as if it was a mistake, I convinced myself I had cancer and I'm surprised, or something else. I'm not sure yet. I also need to work on eating more. While it's great not eating (and losing weight), I ate less than 1000 calories today-whoops! Need to work on that!

All in all, it was an interesting day, and I hope tomorrow's amazing!

July 19th

So today was better than yesterday, but wasn't as perfect as I was hoping for. Oh well, there's always another day, another blank canvas to fill :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 cup of Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I wasn't really hungry, but I knew I'd be later, so I brought the banana to work, and never ate it.

Snack: I had 31 TJ's Gorgonzola Crackers (1 serving) with TJ's original hummus-delicious as always :) I also had 1/3 piece of dark chocolate that the girl I'm nannying gave me.

Lunch: I had 3 Turkey Roll-Ups (two thin slices each) with mustard in the middle, along with 1 Babybel Light Cheese and 10 Apple Slices. Yay for super low cal lunch!

Snack: We went to the phone store and they offered me coffee, and of course I couldn't resist :) I had 1 cup with 1 tsp powdered creamer and 2 splendas. AMAZING! And it was Wolfgang Puck's new K-Cup Coffee that I wanted to try-even better! I later had 1 Fage 0% Yogurt with Cherry Pomegranate. I loved this one SO MUCH MORE than the honey one, but I feel like stirring the yogurt makes it taste different. So when I go to the store this week, i'll try to not stir it and see what happens :)

Dinner: We went to a Mexican place and I got a taco salad with no cheese/sour cream and a small bowl of chicken soup. I ate about half the salad (no shell of course) and 1/4 of the soup. I brought the soup home, but not the salad. I was kind of done with it :)

Snacks: I had 2 Biscoff cookies around 4:30 (so, pre-dinner), which were SO worth it. After dinner I had 2 Duplex Cookies (see how I can limit myself REALLY well now...or at least, to a couple? :) ) Post-workout, I also had a Luna Bar-White Chocolate Macadamia (YUM!)

Exercise: I went to the gym at night for a quick workout. I did 30 minutes of intense strength training before feeling adventurous and getting on the elliptical and doing a quick mile. I did my fastest mile yet-9:06! I'm SO happy about that :)

Pros: I got a new phone, and ordered my brand brand new one, which should be coming soon, so yay! I also am STOKED about my mile time. I'm pretty sure that at the beginning of summer, it was like 11:00 for a mile, so I'm quite pleased with how it's going. I think I may try to do some treadmill soon, and increase my running time to see how that goes...maybe tomorrow's challenge? :) I'm also happy that I drank 18 cups of water today-HECK YES! :)

Cons: I NEED to stop eating so many snacks and have more filling meals, but I don't think that'll happen tomorrow because I'm getting dinner with a friend and will be saving my calories for that :)

Hoping for a great tomorrow! :)

July 18th

Okay, well I'll start by saying I had an AMAZING day (sorta) and accomplished both of the things I wanted to do for the week-yay!

Breakfast: Same as yesterday, 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 banana with 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup almond milk and 2 splendas.

Snack: 31 TJ's Gorgonzola Crackers with 2 tbsp TJ's Original Hummus (can't you see how much I LOVE TJ's now? haha)

Lunch: I wanted to have a salad with salsa and mushrooms, but the lettuce didn't seem good, so I had my burger patty with mustard, 1/2 burnt Grilled Cheese sandwich, and 10 apple slices. Not the healthiest lunch, but it works :)

Snack: Around 4 I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut, because I knew I couldn't wait until dinner. It was AMAZING :)

Dinner: We went to Boston Market for dinner, or rather, I picked it up :) I had 2 medium slices of Turkey Breast, 1 Cornbread, some of the Dill New Potatoes, and some of the steamed vegetables. Really Filling :) We had also gotten Creamed Spinach, Sweet Potato Casserole, Macaroni & Cheese, and Green Beans as sides, but I didn't really want those/was already full (green beans).

Exercise: I went to the gym in the early afternoon because I got off work early and BOY did I get in a GREAT workout! I first did 30 minutes of strength training, including stretching, planking, jump rope, kettleballs, and different machines. I started sweating VERY quickly-a good sign :) Then I got on the Elliptical and hit level 11 for 35 minutes and burned 463 calories while going 3.45 miles. That's the best I've done yet (mile wise) and I couldn't be happier :) Then I did ANOTHER 15 minutes of strength training after my elliptical and I was SO tired after!

Pros: I'm SO SO happy I got to the gym today and got in some MAJOR workout time! I really needed it and I felt better and stronger as a result :) I'm also glad that I drank, get ready for it, 19 GLASSES OF WATER TODAY! Usually I drink around 12, but I made sure to just keep drinking during my workout and throughout the evening, and it definitely paid off :)

Cons: I wish I could have been better with eating today, but I've realized I enjoy my snacks a LOT more, so I may just have more fruits and veggies, in snack portions for meals...we'll see :) I also had this HUGE problem with my phone today. I went to the gym, and as always, I leave it in my gym bag, turned off, while I'm working out. Well, I noticed it was taking quite some time to turn back on after (I had finished getting changed before realizing), only to discover that it's just not turning on period. WTF? Thank goodness I have a new one on it's way and only have to deal with this for a little longer. But still, I have quite a few people calling me this week that I need to be able to talk to-like the doctor regarding my biopsy and the guy telling me when my phone's there. Oh well...

Hoping for another fabulous day tomorrow, without the phone issues! :)

July 17th

Okay, so I'm going to try to make this post short and sweet because I almost forgot about it and now I'm EXHAUSTED! :)

So weigh-in went FABULOUS-I'm down 4.3 pounds to 245.5. Overall, that's 29.6 pounds lost since I started this 6 weeks ago! YAY! :)

Breakfast: I started off the day just like any other day, 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 skim milk and a banana with 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup unflavored Almond Milk and 2 splendas. I know y'all are going "Almond Milk?! What?!" But I've recently (since the end of January) been trying out different types of milk, just because I'm not a fan of fat-free milk. It's not that it's bad, it's just that I want to reduce the amount I drink if I can replace it, and this switch was a GREAT idea. Now my cereal? Probably not a great combo with almond milk.

Snacks: I didn't eat lunch, but boy did I love my snacks. I had 31 Gorgonzola Crackers (TJ's) with 2 tbsp TJ's Organic Hummus. I also had a Babybel Light (which is SO much better than the original!), 2 cups of Arnold Palmer Half-and-Half Pink Lemonade and Sweet Tea (it's been sitting in the fridge for FOREVER in the tumbler and I needed it for something else), and 1 Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut.

Dinner: I had a piece of Tandoori Chicken that my dad cooked that was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. If you have just started reading, or are glancing through, I LOVE my indian food. I'm so glad my guy friend loves it too or I'd have nobody to go to Mehran's with :/

Dessert: We went to Menchie's and I got their Pomegranate Raspberry Sorbet with a tiny bit of almonds, coconut, and graham cracker crumbs. AMAZING!

Exercise: I cleaned for a good two hours today-didn't make it to the courts, but I definitely got quite a workout in :)

Pros: I'm SO happy with the scale number today, and how much more confident I'm getting as I lose the weight! I'm also happy that I'm getting a new phone (same version), which hopefully won't mess up as often. And best of all, I cleaned the last messy part of my room today and was able to bring up all my college stuff from the basement so I don't keep trying to buy more stuff, thinking I have nothing :)

Cons: I wish I could have gotten some exercise in, and could have had more water today, but I guess I'm just going to have to work on those this week :)

Hoping for a great tomorrow! :)

July 16th

Well, today started out really well, and then I splurged a bit :) I definitely don't regret it, but I'm glad I ate a super small amount of calories before then :)

Breakfast: I had 1/2 cup of Egg Beaters with a bunch of spices, 2 tbsp of salsa, and 10 apple slices with 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas.

Lunch: We went to Wendy's and I got the 1/2 Baja salad with no tortilla chips or salsa, and it was still amazing :)

Dinner: We went to Fuji Hana, and I bet you can see where this is going :) For those of you who don't know, Fuji Hana is like a Japanese Steakhouse, where they cook the food in front of you. I ordered water and the chicken special. It was 1 cup of Miso Soup, 1 small side salad with miso dressing, 1 cup of steamed rice with a little bit of Ginger and Mustard, 1 piece of Teriyaki Chicken and 2/3 cup of steamed vegetables. SO GOOD AND FILLING! Then, to top it off, each meal comes with either ice cream or sherbet, so I got 1/2 cup of rainbow sherbet-delicious!

Snack: I had 5 tiny chocolate chip cookies, which tasted SO good :)

Exercise: I walked for about 90 minutes, which felt so nice. It was at some grocery stores, the one I was there for longer was Trader Joe's, which I'll talk about later. LOVE THAT STORE@ :)

Pros: I'm glad I got to go to Trader Joe's today. I found so many great things that I can't wait to eat this week. I picked up two containers of fresh salsa, some light Babybels, some fresh produce, and so much more. I'm very excited for this week :)

Cons: I'm sad that we had to put our dog, Becky, down today, which has been very sad for the whole family. I'm also bummed that I couldn't get more exercise in, but c'est la vie.

Hoping for a great tomorrow (particularly WI) :)

July 15th

So, today went pretty well, especially keeping in mind that it wasn't supposed to be a good day :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, a banana, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I want to see if I can change up my breakfast a bit, because it seems REALLY repetitive.

Snack: I had 2 tbsp of Trader Joe's Organic Hummus with 24 Special K Multi-Grain crackers. Delicious, as to be expected :)

Lunch: I'll explain this in my cons section, but I wasn't really able to have much for lunch, just because my throat wasn't feeling normal. I had 1/4 cup of Gazpacho from the Mediterranean Grill (which was pretty good, strange, but good), and 1 piece of Beef Shish Kabob (one piece of meat).

Dinner: We really didn't have a formal dinner tonight, and that's totally okay, because I'm still not feeling totally well. I had 1/2 a Pita with about 1/4 cup Tzatziki Sauce, which was really good!

Snack: Post-Workout, I had 1 Luna Bar-Smores, and a 100 calorie cheese pack.

Exercise: I was determined to go to the gym, so I dropped off a prescription at Walgreens and used the hour I had to head to the gym and did 30 minutes of strength training, which most definitely kicked my butt.

Pros: I'm glad that I've caught up with my blogging (boo internet not cooperating!), and that I drank a lot of water today, and that everything went well. I also got a 4 hour nap today, which was WONDERFUL, yet I'm still tired. Hm..

Cons: Okay, so let me just say that this morning I went in for a Biopsy, which I wasn't too scared about, but the needles felt SUPER strange inside, and now, my neck doesn't feel normal, and it feels awkward to swallow much. Also, let me tell you that sit-ups with a messed up neck does NOT equal comfort. I'm hoping for this strange feeling to go away so I can do more tomorrow :)

July 14th

So, today went pretty well, seeing how I was babysitting all day, and barely snuck in some gym time :) I really need to plan that out better. I'm only going to the gym for like 30 minutes, so hopefully this weekend, I can catch up and get a LOT of working out in :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 banana, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. Definitely filled me up for running after a 10 month old who LOVES crawling into everything! :)

Snack: For my first snack, I really wanted to try the Fage 2% with Honey, because everyone LOVES these. My reaction: It was good, but it was SO sweet! I'm going to pick up a couple at Trader Joe's this weekend that have fruit in them, and see if those are better. I also had 1 Babybel Cheese :)

Lunch: I had 2 cups of Arugula with 1/2 chicken breast and 4 tbsp of salsa. I see that I always need more salsa on the salad, and while arugula is good for you, I don't really like the sharp taste. Guess I'll find something else at Trader Joe's this weekend :) I also had a 100 calorie pack of cheese bites :)

Snack: For my second snack, I had 10 Apple Slices, which got me through until dinner-yay :)

Dinner: We went to Wendy's, and as we were in line, I got myfitnesspal open, and saw that my best bet was half a salad, so I got the Baja Salad with no Tortilla Chips or Dressing. I LOVED THIS SALAD! It had pico and chili on top, and I used that as a dressing, and it was amazing! I also had 1 of my brother's chicken nuggets, which was a nice touch :)

Snack 3: We went to Menchie's after dinner, and I got 1/2 cup of the Kiwi Strawberry Sorbet, with a tiny bit of almonds, coconut, and graham cracker crumbs on top-SO GOOD, and under 100 calories! :)

Exercise: I went to the gym and did 25 minutes of strength training, which made me feel AWESOME! I love the way the gym makes me feel-powerful, like I can do anything, and just overall awesome :) Then, I got a quick mile in on the elliptical in under 10 minutes again-YAY :)

Pros: I forgot to mention it on Wednesday, but I picked up my 250 lb reward-my new gym bag! I picked it up at TJ Maxx for $15, and it's supposedly an extra small, but I easily fit 1 pair of shoes, 2 water bottles, 2 sports bras, 2 tank tops, 1 pair of shorts, 2 shirts, socks, and more, with TONS of space :) This bag, I think, makes me more pumped to go to the gym, because I love showing it off-it makes me feel like I definitely fit in to the gym scene :)

Cons: I really need to work on getting more gym time in, and so I'll work on that this weekend, along with everything else I need to do.

Hoping for a great tomorrow! :)

July 13th

So, today was pretty fabulous! :)

I had a dentist appointment that didn't go as well as I hoped (but then again, last week's appointment didn't either, so I'm not going in with any hopes for these next two)

Breakfast: I took my brother to school, and on the way back, I stopped at Starbucks to get drinks for my mom and I. I got a Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte, which was SO good! I'm trying to limit myself to Starbucks and special drinks, because they just don't taste as good when you drink them all the time. I also had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, which filled me up for quite a bit.

Lunch: I had 1/2 cup of Kroger Egg Beaters, with 1/4 chicken breast, a 100 calorie pack of cheese bites, and some spices, and made the BEST omelet ever! I topped it with 2 tbsp of Mild Salsa, which I LOVE and I had 10 Apple Slices with it. I'm definitely going to have to eat this more often! :)

Snacks: For 1 snack, I had 2 tbsp of Trader Joe's Organic Hummus (which is AH-MAZING! Highly Recommended!) with 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers, and then later, 12 of the Trader Joe's mini cookies. I loved both snacks, but I'm going to have to limit the cookies, since I think I'm eating too much sugar daily. Oh well, it's worth it :)

Dinner: My dad sauteed some leeks in a little bit of olive oil, with lemon juice, capers, and a touch of parm. cheese. SO GOOD! But it's not in the myfitnesspal system, so I considered it leek soup. I only had about 1/2 a cup, and it was so worth it :) I also had 1/4 cup of Ragu's Special Garden Pasta sauce with 1 oz of Whole Wheat spaghetti, which filled me up. I don't usually eat what the rest of the family was eating, but I made an exception :)

Exercise: I was feeling SUPER sore with all the lactic acid, but I knew I needed to get to the gym, so I did 25 minutes of strength training (and sweated more than I ever have during strength training), and 10 minutes on the treadmill, burning 132 calories-yay! :)

Pros: I'm glad I went to the gym today, and that I didn't go overboard on calories today :) I'm also glad that I drank 13 glasses of water today! According to my weight, I SHOULD be drinking around 16 cups a day, but if I can get into double digits, it's good :)

Cons: I really need to start going back towards the organic foods-Saturday's Trader Joe's trip should be interesting :) I feel like I'm going back towards what I always eat, and while that's good, that's what got me this way.

All in all, it was a great day and I can't wait for the next :)

July 12th

So, I just first want to say that I'm SO sorry for missing the last three days! My internet's been acting incredibly strange and I haven't been able to get on. I know I could have posted from my phone, but it wouldn't have been as detailed as I usually am, and I don't like editing posts. So, instead of posting, I just kept up with myfitnesspal, and now I'm ready to update :)

Breakfast: So I had my usual breakfast, 1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 banana, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I've recently been keeping my bananas in the refrigerator, which keeps them super cold and perfect, which I love! :)

Dinner: Yes, you saw that correctly. I didn't eat lunch. I woke up around 11 (no work on Monday-Wednesday, and Friday! YAY), and I would have eaten lunch, but I didn't want to go to the gym on a full stomach-and thank GOODNESS that I didn't! I'll explain in the exercise section. But I finally got really hungry around 8, and at 8:45, after looking on myfitnesspal, decided to use some of my calories for the day at Chick-Fil-A, which I highly enjoyed :) I got the Grilled Chicken Sandwich and the small waffle fries with honey mustard sauce, which goes to about 620 calories. If that had been any other day, I wouldn't have considered the fries, but I really wanted them and knew that I could :)

Snacks: I ate these throughout the day, but I can't remember when I ate them. So here they are :) I had 10 Apple Slices, 1 Babybel Cheese, a Luna Bar-Smores, and 5 small Trader Joe's chocolate chip cookies. I know-not the best day nutrition wise, but I ate a little over 1,200 calories, and I made some good choices, so I can't complain :)

Exercise: So, yesterday (Monday), I upgraded my membership at the gym so I can freeze it whenever I go back to school, and it, of course, came with a few fitness consultation. At the same time, my personal trainer came up, thought I was quitting, and found me a slot for the next day to come in. So I came in, he got excited that I have lost over 20 pounds, was confused about how I don't have as much water now (I'm confused too, because I always drink at LEAST 8 glasses a day, but usually 12), and then he found this thing called a Spartacus Workout. Let me tell you, by the end of it, my legs were SHAKING and my arms were killing me. That half an hour as he said "is going to make you sore tomorrow," and I would be surprised if it didn't. I was going to workout more, but I literally felt like I was going to die, so I decided not to.

Pros: I'm happy I'm at the point where I know what I can and cannot have, based on what else I've eaten for the day, and that even if I eat cookies or something, it's not the end of the world for me :) I'm also happy that I made it through that entire workout, because it was HARD!

Cons: I wish I could have gone back and exercised some more, and had more water, and maybe eaten at home, but I don't have regrets :)

Hoping for a great tomorrow, aka three more posts left for today! :)

July 11th

So, today was a pretty freaking awesome day :) I had SO much fun today, especially at the gym, which sounds crazy, but I'm happy about it :)

Breakfast: I had my usual-1 cup of Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk, a banana, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. This definitely filled me up until lunch, which was good :)

Lunch: I'm so excited to tell you about my lunch! I got to use the salad spinner, which I've never used before, and it was so much fun. I had 2 cups of Arugula with 1 piece of grilled chicken breast, sliced and diced, with 4 tbsp. Green Mountain Gringo Mild Salsa (the BEST stuff ever, in case you were wondering!), and a 100-calorie pack of cheese, shredded on top. Verdict: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I absolutely loved the combination, and it filled me up all day! I'll definitely have to buy TONS of this salsa before heading back to college! :)

Snack: Before going to the gym, I had a Babybel Cheese, which kept me filled until I left. I stopped by the front desk for about 25 minutes to talk to them (not intentional), and when I left, I knew I needed something if I was going to make it another 2 hours to dinner. So I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Raspberry, that I had packed just in case I was hungry. Hooray for packing snacks! :)

Dinner: I had 12 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers, 2 tbsp of Trader Joe's Tomato & Basil Hummus dip, 1 grilled chicken breast, 3/4 cup of Trader Joe's seasonal vegetable mix (it's fresh), and 10 apple slices. SO GOOD! I wasn't entirely a fan of the veggies (they had celery in there, which I really don't like), so I'm going to have to do something other than a quick steam next time I cook them :)

Dessert: My parents' anniversary was yesterday, so we had a cake tonight (they were too full after dinner last night). I had 1 small piece of Coldstone's Coffeehouse Crunch cake, and that was all I really needed. I'm quite happy I could easily limit myself :)

Exercise: I went to the gym and definitely was productive with my time :) I got on the Elliptical for 35 minutes and burned 464 calories on level 11, going 3.33 miles-better than the other day! Then I did some quick stretching and some weight exercises, machines, and other exercises, before changing and heading to the front desk. I upgraded to a VIP membership (which includes free classes!), mainly so I can freeze my membership when I go back to school, and unfreeze it whenever I'm home. I also scheduled my free consultation with my trainer, which I'm excited about, because he saw me about a month ago, when I was just starting out :) Hopefully my lack of calories doesn't mean that I haven't gained muscle!

Pros: I'm glad I drank a LOT of water today, and wasn't constantly thinking about food. I'm also glad I got a KILLER workout in today :) I love sweating a LOT, because it makes me feel good :) I'm also happy I was able to hang out with my dad for a bit tonight. We watched the Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition, or whatever it was called, and it freaked me out. The guy had a food addiction, and was 490 pounds, and I'm just thankful that I have control over what I eat and that I never got to that point.

Cons: I wish I had packed some more snacks for on the run adventures. Since I have a couple days off, I'm going to bag some apples and carrots, and work on eating veggies while I'm on the run :)

Hoping for a great training session tomorrow, and a great tomorrow overall! :)

July 10

So, today's WI didn't go as well as I wanted, but it was still a loss, and it has motivated me to work a LOT harder this week, which will show in today's post, and the ones coming forward :) I only lost .3 pounds, bringing me down to 249.8, which gets me under the 250 mark! YAY for making my second goal! I'm excited to earn the third one, because I REALLY want the iPod armband. Hopefully that'll make me more motivated to do so and these next 9.8 pounds will come off faster :) So, I'm up to 25.3 pounds lost-YES!

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Joe-Os with 1/2 cup skim milk, a banana, and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I knew I had to go and get my actual Cheerios because I'm not the biggest fan of the Trader Joe's version. I don't know if I'm going to keep having the Joe-Os when I get back to school, but I have a little over a month to figure that out :)

Snack: I went to the grocery store around 3:30, and I was feeling kind of hungry before I headed over, because I totally forgot to eat lunch, so I put 10 apple slices in a container and stuck them in the car with me when I drove to the store, and they were SO good :)

Dinner: I took my brother to Panera, and I did the You Pick 2 again-the Barbecue Chicken Salad without the Tortilla strips and the Black Bean soup-SO GOOD :)

Snacks: Post-Workout, I had 1 Babybel and a Kroger Greek Yogurt with Honey. I loved the Babybel, but I REALLY was not a fan of the yogurt. It tasted good at times, but at others, I just didn't like it that much. I'm hoping the Fage tastes good, but I'll wait a couple of days before trying that.

Exercise: I walked around for about 1.5 hours today, and then headed to the tennis courts around 9 and did 20 laps around the courts, and then 10 sprints on the lines, which made me feel good :)

Pros: I'm glad I got myself back on track, both food and exercise-wise. I know that I went to Panera today, but I also knew that it was less than 300 calories for dinner :) I'm also glad I got some good exercise time in, and picked up some AWESOME stuff at the grocery store :)

Cons: I'm not too happy about the small weight loss, but I understand that some of the choices I made last week weren't the best.

Hoping for a better tomorrow :)

July 9th

So, today was better than yesterday, but I'm not at where I absolutely want to be yet. I'm excited to go to the grocery store tomorrow and pick up only fresh ingredients, and eat those throughout the week :)

Breakfast: I woke up around 11, and I had 1/2 a kiwi (without the skin) and 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I knew I was going to have some cake later, and I wasn't going to starve myself/eat too much before then.

Lunch: I had 1 Piece of my sister's Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla from Chili's last night and I enjoyed it, as many calories as it was, but I don't regret it. I also had a Luna Bar-Nutz Over Chocolate, so that I could stop my cravings for the Pizza at the party-it worked :)

Snack: I had a small piece of Cold Stone Creamery Birthday Cake, which was Cake Batter ice cream and Red Velvet cake, which was VERY good, but I'm a bit worried that I'm getting back into the habits that got me up to 275 in the first place. Hopefully I can get a good WI tomorrow, especially taking into account these not so good foods, but I'll go into more detail shortly :)

Dinner: I had 2 pieces of the Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla and I also highly enjoyed it :) I also later had 2 pieces of a California Roll, which reminded me of how much I love sushi :)

Exercise: I wanted to go to the Tennis Courts, but people were there, and the Wii Fit Plus came today, so I decided to test that out, and I burned about 275 calories in 45 minutes, which I'm pleased about. I can't wait to get out to the courts or get on the elliptical and do some good cardio, and I missed my strength training today.

Pros: I'm glad I looked at portions when I was eating today, and that I got some exercise in, and drank more than 8 glasses of water :)

Cons: I'm not happy that I didn't get to the grocery store today, and I could have made some better decisions today. Oh well, I guess we'll see at WI tomorrow morning.

Hoping for a great number! :)

July 8th

So, today went better than yesterday, but it still isn't what I want to. I know there was a bit of splurging done, with my little brother's birthday dinner and all, but oh well :)

Breakfast: Get ready for this one-I had a bowl of Cookie Crisp for breakfast. No, I'm not crazy, and yes, I'm still on my weight loss path. However, it was the least calorie-filled cereal at the house of the girl I'm nannying, so I took my skim milk and went with it :) I also had 1 cup of Coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I really hated the taste of the cereal, and I'm SO glad I never have to eat this again :)

Lunch: I had an AMAZING lunch, which I want to try to incorporate into future eating plans. I had one flat out pita bread with arugula and spinach leaves, tuscan turkey breast (3 slices), a tiny bit of cheese, 1 small grape tomato, and quite a bit of mustard. The veggies weren't necessarily the most fresh, so I'm excited to see what fresher veggies bring :)

Snack: I had 1 Activa Strawberries & Fiber yogurt, and I'm starting to not become a fan of the yogurt, and I'm glad I can start going back to Vanilla for a bit now :)

Dinner: We went out to Chili's for dinner, and I had about 1 oz of tortilla chips (12) with salsa and 2/3 a portion of Margarita Grilled Chicken, and about 1/4 of the chocolate lava dessert. I'm glad I was able to successfully stop myself at such a little amount of the dessert, and the chips :)

Exercise: After dinner, I went to the gym, and got a GREAT workout in! I got on the Elliptical and in 35 minutes, on level 10, and ran 3.31 miles, burning 454 calories-YES :) That's more mileage than when I went on Wednesday, and burned the same amount of calories, same time, same level :) Then I did a bunch of machines and strength training for 25 minutes.

Pros: I'm glad I was able to stop myself on dessert and appetizers and my workout made me feel AWESOME! I also got 15 glasses of water in today, which I'm VERY excited about :)

Cons: I wish I could have gotten rid of any dessert or appetizer calories, but I'll have to work on that :)

Hoping for a great tomorrow, especially with my brother's birthday party!

July 7th

So, here's my post for yesterday. I'm going to try to keep this one all about yesterday, and then make another post for today :)

Breakfast: I had an appointment this morning so I waited until after to eat-not necessarily a good idea. I got pretty upset following my appointment, which I will go into after. But regardless, I went to Starbucks and got a Bacon, Gouda, and Egg Breakfast Sandwich on Artisan Bread, which was SO good, but SO small. I also had gotten a coffee too, but I decided to make one at home because the Starbucks one wasn't my favorite. So I had 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas.

Lunch: I took my brother to Burger King and I got a Whopper Jr with no Mayo or Cheese and 1 pack of Apple Fries. I really was not a fan of the burger-it just didn't taste too good to me. I was kind of sad that I wasted calories on it, but oh well, what can you do?

Snack: I had 10 Apple Slices and 1 cup of Arnold Palmer Half-and-Half Sweet Tea & Pink Lemonade. Around 5, I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut, which was SO good!

Dinner: I went to go babysit, and I took the two kids to Chuck E Cheese. That already sounds like a problem, right? Well, with calorie counts on the board, I didn't go TOO overboard, and I splurged and got pizza and cheese sticks. With 2 tiny pieces of pizza and 3 cheese sticks, I ate a little over 500 calories-yay! :)

Snack: I had an Activa Strawberries & Fiber around 10, because I was still hungry. It certainly filled me up, and I was quite happy about that :)

Exercise: I feel so embarrassed to post this, because I'm not happy about it, but I didn't get to exercise today, and I was pretty upset about that. But I know I owe myself a double workout in the next couple of days to make up for it :)

Pros: I'm happy I didn't get too off the path today, and that my weight loss was finally noticed by someone-granted it was by a scale number, but still :) My doctor and the nurse were SO pleased, because I lost 23 pounds since I was there in January-YES :) I'm also happy that I only drank two non-water drinks, and neither was soda-yay :)

Cons: I'm not happy with my doctor's visit, which results in me getting my first biopsy next Friday, which I'm FREAKING OUT about :/ I'm also not pleased that I didn't get my 12 cups of water in today. I also feel like I need to get back on my healthy track, which I mainly focused on at the beginning.

Hoping for a better tomorrow :)

July 6th

So, today went pretty well-better than yesterday, and full of new ideas. I'm not going to go into anything in detail tonight because I have an appointment tomorrow morning, which I'm pretty excited to go to. I haven't been to this doctor in 6 months, and she's never seen me below 270, so this is really exciting :)

Breakfast: I felt sick to my stomach this morning, and for the rest of the day, so don't judge me too much for my eating choices, or lackthereof. I had 1 cup of coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas, 1/3 banana, and 1 Luna Bar-Vanilla Almond flavor. I like how I'm incorporating Luna Bars into meals, and not just as a treat for going to the gym.

Lunch: I had 1/2 of a Trader Joe's Butter Chicken Frozen Dish. Usually I'm not a fan of frozen dishes, because I think they have too much bad stuff in them, but I LOVE butter chicken, and this is made REALLY well. We also went to Menchie's, a frozen yogurt place, and I had 1 serving of Mango Tango Sorbet (80 calories-WIN!), with 1/2 tablespoon coconut, walnuts, graham cracker crumbs, 1 strawberry, 2 raspberries, and a hint of cinnamon. It was SO good, and it doesn't seem to be high in calories.

Dinner: I had the other 1/2 of the Butter Chicken, which was SO good. I'm hoping to figure out how to make it on my own, with hopefully less calories and more organic ingredients before I head back to school :) After my workout, I had 10 Apple Slices and 1 Luna Bar-Smores flavor.

Exercise: I swam for about 40 minutes in the pool today, and went to the gym and worked out for an hour. I got on the Elliptical, hit level 10, and went for 35 minutes to burn 454 calories and go 3.1 miles. HECK YES FOR THE 5K ON THE ELLIPTICAL! NSV for sure :) I also got on a bunch of machines and did some weights, and felt pretty darn good :)

Pros: Okay, this first one could be an NSV as well, but whatever, it's a pro :) The diving board at the pool that the girl I nanny is a member off says on the side "Weight Limit: 250 pounds". Now that I think about it, that could be the sign that made me want to lose weight. But regardless, I vowed at the beginning of summer that I would be able to jump off by the end of the summer, thinking I'd celebrate by jumping off the last day. But, when I got on the scale this morning, I was below 250 (I can't tell you what because it's not WI day), and certainly celebrated by jumping off the board, numerous times. Celebrating that got me to thinking what else I can do now that I'm under that dreaded 250, which is quite a few things :) Another Pro is the 5k on the elliptical-my first one! And I also didn't go overboard with stuff today when I didn't feel well. I did get a treat, but I made sure it was what I wanted and I kept the calories down :)

Cons: Honestly, I don't think I have any today. I wish I could have had more water, but I set myself to some high standards so I'm not too worried about that :)

Hoping for a GREAT tomorrow (including the doctor's visit) :)

July 5th

So, I almost forgot to post tonight, which would have been horrible! Well, not HORRIBLE, but you know what I mean :) I've actually spent most of the night, post-workout, skyping with the guy friend that I mentioned earlier, which has been SO much fun :) However, onto another subject, I'll start by saying that I could have eaten better today, and I was thrown off schedule, but I worked with what I had :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Joe-O's (Trader Joe's version of Cheerios) with 1 banana and 1/2 cup skim milk with 1 cup of Breakfast Blend coffee and 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas :) I'm really not a fan of the Joe-O's, so I think I may just have yogurt and a banana or something, since I don't want to waste my calories on something I don't like.

Lunch: We went to Frontera, and I looked the restaurant up on My Fitness Pal, and all it had were the soups, some pizzas, and the salsas. So, I got a soup-Original Tortilla and the taco thing, without cheese or sour cream, and didn't eat the shell, and had 3 chips with some salsa. I wasn't a fan of this meal, and I don't think I'd want to go back to Frontera. It just wasn't worth it to me.

Snacks: oh boy! I had a LOT of snacks today. I don't know what it is, but there's at least one meal every day that I seem to just make snacks for instead of a legit meal. Around 2:30 I had 24 Special K Multi-Grain Crackers with 1 Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Cheese. Around 4, I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut (my FAVORITE!). Then, around 8:30 or so, I had 10 Apple Slices and 1 Activa Vanilla & Cereal yogurt, which filled me up until now :) I'm not sure if it's because my guy friend keeps bringing up being hungry and food or what, but my stomach is growling. But I'm going to sleep soon, so I can't eat anything now.

Exercise: I went to the gym and did 30 minutes of strength training-different machines and stretches and whatnot. I didn't want to get on the elliptical because I tend to get REALLY tired after, and I wasn't planning to have a break between the gym and my courts workout. When I got the courts, I did my usual alternating 30 laps around the courts, which felt SO good :) I know I'm SUPER slow, but I really like running, and being outside is so nice :)

Pros: I'm glad I got my exercise in, and drank a LOT of water today. I'm also glad I got to talk to my guy friend, because I got used to talking to him ALL the time, and then Summer came around and we haven't been as close. But talking to him tonight and all our plans means that we're both making an effort, and I'm happy about that :)

Cons: I really need to stop eating things unless I absolutely want them, and today was a great indicator of that. I felt like I enjoyed most of the things, but not all of them, and I feel like I'm wasting calories on the stuff that I'm not the biggest fan of.

But, all in all, today was pretty good and I hope tomorrow's even better :)

July 4th

Happy Independence Day Everyone! Today's been pretty interesting-there's been ups and downs, which is funny because I usually don't expect that in one day, but I'm learning to roll with it :)

So, I've been doing some thinking, and looking at what I've been eating and how I've been exercising, and I realized that I'm not eating 1,200 calories a day, by ANY means. The closest I had to 1,200 was yesterday when I had 999 calories, according to myfitnesspal, and that wasn't the best. Today, it was 718, and that's after eating an extra 200 calories to bring that amount up. I'm glad I'm not stuffing my face with ice cream and bad foods to make that number go up, but I feel like I need to start making sure I'm eating every meal. Anything under 1,200 starts burning muscle and slows your metabolism, and I don't want that to happen. As great as the weight loss is, I don't want myself to be messed up over the long run.

Now, onto the food/exercise stuff.

Breakfast: I went to the gym this morning, so I didn't eat breakfast beforehand.

Snack: I had a Luna Bar-Nuts Over Chocolate after going to the gym, which tasted SO good :) I like this one a lot, and I'll definitely be buying more of these...after I finish the 10 in the refrigerator :)

Lunch: I didn't eat lunch because I couldn't eat after the Luna Bar.

Snack: I drank 8 oz. of Arnold Palmer Half-and-Half Sweet Tea and Pink Lemonade, which means I finally finished 1 can! I can't believe I used the world 'finally'. I could easily drink that container in less than an hour, but I separated it over a few days, which makes me feel AMAZING :)

Dinner: My dad, knowing how serious I am about this weight loss, made grilled chicken and some boiled squash for our 4th of July dinner. It was SO good, and not calorie-filled at all :)

Snack: Realizing that after exercising, I was still in the negative, I had an Activa Strawberries & Cereal yogurt, and post-workout 2, a Luna Bar-Peanut Butter Cookie flavor. These were really good choices, and I'm happy I have some snacks stocked up that I can enjoy when I'm hungry :)

Exercise: I went to the gym around 11, and first got on the Treadmill, burning over 100 calories. Then, I did a bunch of machines for about 30 minutes, and felt even stronger. To finish it up, I went on the Elliptical for 35 minutes, and burned 427 calories on level 8. I'm going to go back up to level 10, since I found level 8 a little too easy :) Then, after dinner, I headed down to the tennis courts, and went around the courts 30 times, the last 10 being in the pouring rain :)

Pros: Oh, get ready, this is going to be a long one :) 1. I'm SO happy that I was able to get to the gym today, before they closed at 1 for Independence Day. I was also happy that I burned almost 1,000 calories from exercising today-ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I know I see on The Biggest Loser (which I'm starting to watch for the first time ever tonight) that these people burn 4,000 calories, but I'm also doing this on my own, so I'm calling it a victory :) I also LOVE how I'm getting SO excited to exercise lately-I actually was excited to go outside and run at night, and the pouring rain didn't even stop me :)

Cons: I'm not happy that I can't seem to get over 1,200 calories, but I'm hoping to work on that tomorrow. I was also hoping that I could avoid a headache after not drinking coffee this morning, but it wasn't happening, so I decided to just drink a cup to avoid the migraine. Oh well, I'll try to work on that at some point :)

Overall, today was pretty fab, and I hope for a better day tomorrow :)

July 3rd

I'm SO excited, for many reasons :) For 1, I've been successfully blogging daily for the last month, without missing a day. YAY! For 2, I had a GREAT WI today :) I lost 5.5 pounds since last week, which brings my total so far to 25 pounds lost. I weighed in at 250.1 today-YES! :) I don't think I've been this low in like 4-5 years :) Hopefully, I'll able to lose at least another 25 pounds before school starts in a little under 2 months :) But the weight loss thus far has been incredibly motivating :)

Breakfast: I had 1 Cup of Joe-O's (Trader Joe's version of Cheerios) with 1/2 cup of skim milk, 1/2 a banana, and 1 cup of coffee with 2 splendas and 1/4 cup skim milk. I'm going to start working out in the mornings, so I'll probably substitute the cheerios and banana for a Luna Bar :)

Snack: I had a Luna Bar-Chocolate Dipped Coconut when I came back home from shopping around 3 and had 1 cup of my Arnold Palmer Half-and-Half Sweet Tea and Pink Lemonade :) I probably didn't need the drink, but I wanted something sweet, and it filled me up :)

Dinner: We went to Houlihan's for dinner, and I checked the calories online, and was shocked, so I figured I'd stick with side items, and make a meal out of that. I wanted to get the Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls, but the waiter strongly suggested that I choose something else, so I did. I got the Tuscan Salad (Romaine Lettuce, White Beans, Roma Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic around the plate) with a cup of Chicken Tortilla Soup, with most of the tortilla strips taken off. The soup was AMAZING, and the meal was under 500 calories-YAY! :)

Exercise: I walked around the mall for about an hour, and then after dinner, I went to the tennis courts to get a workout in, and that I did :) I originally went around the courts 20 times, and then planned to do the lines 20 times, but the top of my right foot was KILLING me, so I ran around another 10 times, and it felt SO good. I absolutely LOVE exercising, because even as red faced and sweaty I get, I never feel more relaxed :)

Pros: I'm glad I was able to get some exercise time in tonight, and I was able to make some GREAT choices at a really bad restaurant :) I'm also pleased about my GREAT WI today, and can only hope it gets better :)

Cons: I really need to work on drinking more water, as I only drank 9 glasses today, and need to drink a LOT more than that :)

Hoping for an even better tomorrow :)

July 2nd

So, today went really well. According to myfitnesspal, I didn't eat enough calories, but you know, I'd rather feel more excited and happy about my meals and how I'm feeling than stuffing my face just to make sure I meet the calorie requirement.

Breakfast: I had one of my Apple Cinnamon Whole-Wheat pancakes that I made a couple of weeks ago and froze the rest of them :) I also had 1 cup of Breakfast Blend coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas.

Snack 1: I had 12 Special K Multi-Grain crackers before we went out shopping, which was good :)

Dinner: After reading a couple of blogs talking about Panera having their nutritional information online, I thought I'd take a look and see if I could find something good, and that I did :) I got the You Pick 2 Combo-the Black Bean Soup (110 calories) and the BBQ Chopped Salad without the Tortilla Strips (180 calories). This filled me up SO much and was SO good, and for only 290 calories, how could you go wrong? :)

Snack 2: I had 1 Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wing and 1/3 of an Arnold Palmer Half-and-Half Sweet Tea and Pink Lemonade. I'm SO glad that I could cut myself down to 1/3, while drinking it in the can :)

Exercise: I walked around the mall/stores for over an hour. I couldn't get an actual workout in today, and I know how everyone says you should be able to, but I couldn't get in, due to family activities and babysitting. I'm hoping to get in a double courts workout tomorrow, or even a triple :)

Pros: I'm glad that my food choices were good today, and that I had some great shopping purchases, especially some for my dorm next year :) I got some new workout shorts that are SO comfortable-they don't have pockets, so I'm going to have to find some online :)

Cons: I wish I could have gotten a workout in, but hopefully I'll be able to put in a triple workout tomorrow :)

Tomorrow's my WI, and I'm hoping for a great one! :)

July 1st

So, today marks a new month, and a pretty good day, health and personal wise. YAY :)

Breakfast: I had 1 cup of Cheerios with 1 banana and 1 cup of Breakfast Blend coffee with 1/4 cup skim milk and 2 splendas. I realized that I need to change up my breakfast because I'm getting bored and hungry too quickly after breakfast.

Snack 1: I had 10 Apple Slices around 12 and I really enjoyed them, so I'm going to have to add some more apple slices into my eating plan next week :)

Snack 2: I had an Activa Strawberries & Cereal yogurt, which I really liked :) I'm glad I have a bunch more in the refrigerator to eat!

Snack 3: After my workout, I had a Luna Bar-White Chocolate Macadamia, and no slushie from QT, which I picked up for my mom and brother.

Snack 4: I had a Venti Unsweetened Green Tea with 2 Splendas and loved it. I think that I'm more excited about Starbucks now because 1. I don't go there often anymore and 2. I consider it a treat when I do.

Dinner: I had 1 cooked chicken breast with 2 tbsp salsa on it. I can't wait to go pick up some salsa when I go grocery shopping next, because I LOVE using it as a topping on so many different things :) I also had 12 Special K Multi-Grain crackers-SO GOOD :)

Exercise: I went to the gym, and got on the treadmill and burned 150 calories in 10 minutes and went .88 miles. That's my record so far, and I'm SO glad that I'm constantly improving :) Then I went and stretched and did a bunch of different exercises and machines, which made me feel stronger :)

Pros: I drank my 12 cups of water today, and got to hang out with two of my really good friends, who I don't hang out with a lot because we all go to different schools in different areas. I'm SO glad I got to catch up with them, and they're both coming to visit me in the fall, which I can't wait for :) I'm also happy that I didn't splurge today, and getting the Green Tea at Starbucks and nothing else/different wasn't hard at all to do :)

Cons: I really need to workout more, and start eating closer to 1,200 calories. I've been tracking the last couple days in myfitnesspal (i'm xretroromancex, incase anyone's interested), and i've been under 1,000, both days, by a lot. So, hopefully I can improve on that, but I'm honestly not that hungry lately, which is good :)

Hopefully tomorrow's better :)