Monday, February 11, 2013

FMM - I'm Quirky (And I Know It)

It's time to try one of these bad boys again! Kenlie over at alltheweigh.com puts together a survey on Mondays so that we can get to know each other better and make a few new bloggy friends. Try it out if you haven't!

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Personal Quirks and Habits
1. Share one unique character trait that sets you apart from your friends.
I have the tendency to be a little TOO open about my personal life. I might even be a little overdramatic ;)
2. List at least two pet peeves that always aggravate you.
The BIGGEST one is people who talk on their cell phones while dealing with customer service. How difficult is it to say to the other person "Hey, let me call you back in a few, I'm about to check out" or something of the nature. When I'm behind someone in line and they're doing it, I loudly comment on it to my sister or boyfriend or whoever else I'm with. 
Also, duck face pics. Duh.
3. Is there a word or phrase that you say so regularly that people expect to hear it from you?
I feel like I start most phrases with "Okay" or "Well" and so people probably expect that from me.
4. Are you a risk taker, or do you typically play it safe?
I generally play it safe. I'm not one to risk emberassment.
5. Describe your life as it was in high school. Are you the same person? Have you changed?
I loved high school. I felt like it was the time of my life. I danced, taught dance, worked at the local movie theater, and had lots of friends. Now, not so much. I've become more introverted, gained weight, and let that weight gain change the person that I was.
6. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done that you’re glad you did?
Told my boyfriend that I had a crush on him. ;) He's awesome and still gives me butterflies after 4 1/2 years so I'm glad I went out on a limb and pursued him.
7. Do you ever talk to yourself? If so, share an example.
I do. And sometimes I try to picture myself through other people's eyes. Maybe I'm just crazy.
8. Share something you did that unexpectedly helped shape your life.
Getting a job a Starbucks turned my world around. I was in a funk for a solid two years. I hated almost everything about my life, hated my job, hated school, just overall a blah kind of feeling. My job at Starbucks is so fun and I've met so many great people there. I can honestly say that it has helped pull me out of my depression. Who knew?
9. Do you follow a strict routine, or are you a free spirit? Are you somewhere in between?
I'm somewhere in between. I'm definitely not a free spirit. I need some structure in my life. But I'm still able to go with the flow.
10. Share something about yourself that you hope will inspire others.
I've given up and started over SO many times. Just keep going. One day it will click and it doesn't have to be all or nothing. Small changes add up!
And now, I'll leave you with a selfie. It's amazing how much more effort I put into my looks when I'm losing weight. I have done my hair and makeup more in the past two months than the past two years combined.


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Check In

I'm still doing it! I haven't given up! Not that anyone reads this blog on the regular, but I know what my line of thinking is when weight loss bloggers disappear for a few weeks...falling off the wagon. But, I haven't! This is definitely the longest that I've stuck to WW and weight loss in general and I couldn't be more proud of myself. January went a bit slower than I would have liked weight loss wise but I'm totally okay with that. I had one gain week and I'm okay with that too. I'm changing my life and I can't expect to do a 180 degree turn into total healthy eating.

I feel so much better about myself this semester than I did at this same time last semester. I actually try and put effort into my looks and take pride in my work. I'm trying to keep up with my New Years resolutions, although I haven't done a 100% job. I've cooked new recipes, although probably not exactly one a week. I'm washing my face and doing my mask more and my skin isn't blemish free but it's definitely better.

Weight loss? When I last left, I was at around 20 lbs down. Since then, I hit my 10% goal (22 lbs) and got my first 25 lb keychain charm! My total weight loss is about 25 lbs right now, although I'm headed to weigh in in about two hours.

People are beginning to notice and it feels nice. Most people in my direct life know that I'm trying to eat healthier and lose weight and they notice but I've actually had customers at Starbucks tell me. That's nice because they don't owe me anything, they must legitimately see a difference. I'm starting to see it too.
Here is my in September at my highest weight (225ish) I was in a friends wedding and felt miserable. Her pictures are beautiful but I can't stand to look at them because of how I see myself.


Here I am just the other day, waiting for the bus. I can see a difference in my face A LOT. The jeans are new and they are size 14 that zip up easily. I had been a solid 16 for about a year although some of my 14s fit (hard to get on though)

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Years Resolutions

Believe it or not, I have never ever made a New Year's resolution. I am not exactly sure why, but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I've been on a diet on and off since I was in the 8th grade. New Years resolutions would just add salt to the wounds and set myself up for a failure.

HOWEVER, 2012 was a pretty great year. It had its ups and downs but overall it was amazing. I went finished my junior year of college, I survived an awful student teaching experience while staying on Dean's list, I took a sweet vacation to Hilton Head with my awesome boyfriend, and the list goes on and on. I started my job at Starbucks which I absolutely love. I am a blessed woman.

During the trip to Hilton Head, Adriaan and I decided that it was time to change our lives. We used the trip as a jump start to a healthier way of living. We didn't eat salads for every meal in the trip or anything to that extreme. We ate cupcakes twice and consumed way more alcohol then we should have. But one thing that we did was try to make the trip about more than food. We rented bikes and rode all throughout the island. We took a hike in search of alligators (and found two!). We took walks together, browsed the little island shops, and talked and talked over cups of coffee. We swam in the ocean and just enjoyed the perfect weather. (Seriously, October is the PERFECT time to go to the beach. Less crowds, milder weather, still warm enough to enjoy the water) It was the best vacation of my life with the love of my life.

After that, I made a commitment to go to weight watchers and lose the weight that has been creeping up for so long. So far, I've stuck to it. Thanksgiving was a breeze but Christmas proved a little more difficult. The entire month of December has kind of been more maintenance that losing but I'm okay with that! I really am! I'm very excited to weigh in on Friday and find out how I actually did over the holidays.

Wow, I realize I'm very long-winded. The purpose of this post was to say that this year I'm actually going to make some resolutions. 2012 was an awesome year and I think 2013 has the potential to be even better. Here are some things that I want to try and do during this next year.

1. Continue to lose weight. I've lost about 20 pounds since October and want to continue this trend. I'd like to lose about 55 more. I'm not sure how many I can lose in one year, but I want to give counting points my all each week and see how my weight loss goals progress.

2. Take better care of my skin. My skin has gotten progressively worse these past few years. I have an insane amount of acne. I'm going to start washing my skin more and use a mask every week.

3. Try one new recipe a week. I love to cook and I love to lighten up dishes. Week 1's dish is already done - I made a stir fry with rice noodles. It was my first time cooking with rice noodles and I really enjoyed them! Pinterest is full of recipe ideas. Next week I'm going to try curried lentils.

4. Be more organized. Write due dates and deadlines in my planner and remember them! I got myself in a bit of trouble this semester when failing to remember due dates. Never again!