Day 79: Another Absence and More Poor Eating

Hello one and all! Sorry I dropped off again. I can't really remember how Thursday went in terms of eating, although I know I skipped my run because my legs and butt were still sore. Then we went to Vancouver for the weekend for the memorial service of a family friend. So before I carry on...

Goodbye, Marilyn, and rest in peace. I'll never forget your kindness during our summer trips to Sheridan Lake. You were such an inspiration, a great example of how to live life to the very fullest. You were so optimistic and brave, even when you knew things wre not going well for you. I hope that you're at peace now.

Alright. So while in Vancouver, I didn't exercise, and I didn't eat right. Story of my life for the past couple weeks. I think I'm going to allow myself to not only get it right out of my system, but also let myself start feeling bad again. Worse, because even just what I'm doing now, being bad at dinner, is making me feel lethargic and gross again. And I'm not sleeping as well. So I'm using the rest of this week to figure out how I'm going to proceed with my eating. Get a real plan of attack. Then rededicate myself to working out and running. I'm going to be 100% in this. Just be patient with me, guys.

Have a great night, folks.

Day 73: Hey, I Remembered!

Hello one and all! I just finished my run, so I'm having breakfast all sweaty now. Delicious imagery, no? I discovered I was wrong about soreness today from that new thigh work yesterday. My thighs and glutes definitely feel it today! Which is good, I like knowing I worked hard. Although my run was a little rough, admittedly. Worth it! I hope I get good results from this thigh work so I can share it with you guys! I know I owe you a results post, but there's really nothing new. I don't thik I've lost any weight, nor any inches. Bummer! I hit a plateau faster than I had originally anticipated, so I've got to train harder and eat better. More on that later, haha, I've been so moody lately and my cravings are out of control.

Happy Wednesday, folks!

Day 72: I'm Starting To See a Pattern Emerging Here...

Hello one and all! Yes, I'm a terrible person. I forgot again. I need to stick up reminders or something. I'm sorry!

I tried a new workout to help slim my thunder thighs down. At first, I was very unimpressed. "My legs don't even feel tired!" Now, a couple hours later, they sure do! Good stuff. It probably won't translate into soreness for my run tomorrow, which is good. Trying to remember to do my abs too. I just did 3 30 second planks. I might do side plank ups before bed. I absolutely loathe working my abs. They're so weak, I feel like I'll never have any kind of enviable abs. That's where abs work comes in, right? Blah.

I'll try harder, I promise! Have a good one, folks.

Day 68: Losing Gains and Staying Sane

Hello one and all! So sorry I forgot again. I guess I have a lot on my mind. I'm discovering that in this stage of my running "career," any gains are really easily lost. I couldn't make it two miles straight, but I did make it one and three quarter miles. Kind of sucks. Even missing one run makes a big impact on the rest of my runs for the week.

My dad just made a great point about blogging. Through this journey, what's been keeping me sane is blogging. Even though I still don't know how many people are reading and how often they're reading, knowing that someone, somewhere might be watching my progress keeps me about accountable. Not that I don't slip up! No one is perfect, and I'm not even close. But I'm doing the best I can (most of the time) and that's all I can do.

So thank you, Internet and blog readers, for keeping me sane. Even though I've never had contact with any of you, you're what's keeping me going!

Have a great night!

Day 66: Laziness, No Motivation, and Finding Inspiration

Hello one and all! I'm having an insanely lazy day. I have zero energy to do anything. It's noon, and I still haven't even had breakfast. I'm supposed to run today. And I probably will later, but I think I'm going to drag myself out of bed now and do my arm work. On days when I really don't want to run, I find that making myself do something makes me feel a bit less bummed about running.

I have been feeling so unmotivated lately. So I've been thinking about it, and I decided that in addition to my goals of being healthy and strong and capable, I should add some shallow goals in there too. Pure vanity goals. So here are some, off the top of my head:
1. Look good in a bikini. I want to wear one without worrying about how much my butt is jiggling and how visible my stretch marks are.
2. Have legs that look toned and sexy in heels. Plus I'll look taller!
3. Have arms that scream "I'm strong, deal with it!"

Some more motivation stuff, regarding nutrition and my messed up eating lately: when I eat better, I feel so much better. I need to stop thinking about food as a treat. You know, "I worked out today so I can have that ice cream." The working out should be reward enough, knowing you're doing something amazing for yourself. And I want to retrain how I think about my workout time. It's the time of the day where I focus on me. It's my own time, I should look forward to it, not dread it!

So there's a little blurb on that fun stuff. I'm off to do weights!

Day 65: I Forgot Again and I'm Sick Again!

Hello one and all! I fail at blogging. The fast yesterday went well. I wasn't starving, yay! Although my blood sugar did crash once. So I had a piece of sugar free gum. I didn't make it through my run though. Courtesy of my blood sugar, grr! But that's okay. I'm glad I stopped. I was home alone. And what if something had happened? That would not have been good.

So I decided to split up my legs and arms weight routines. I'll do glute, thighs, calves and abs on non running days, and shoulders, biceps, triceps and back on running days. I think it'll be a better way to go for me. I'll run in the morning if I can and do weights at night.

So today I did my lower body and ab stuff, and my legs and butt are feeling a bit like jelly! My abs are okay is. I got a good stretch in. I hope this new routine is good! I want my butt to be smaller, but better shaped and less... Saggy, really. So there we go, it's all about goals, people!

All for me! Have a great night!

Day 63: Back Home, Vacation Badness, and No Results

Hello one and all! Dan and I got back from Calgary today. We had a great time! We mostly just explored (and also dragged Amber to the zoo). It was fun, but the first night was rough. I get really car sick, so we got to the hotel and I was just not at all doing well. I had a terrible headache originating in my neck, I was insanely congested, and I was nauseous. So Dan was my hero and found a London Drugs to get me some Advil while I stayed in our room with all the lights off and the curtains shut. So that was rough. I had a nap after I took my Advil, and felt much better. So we went exploring! We ended up getting dinner at a little drive-thru called Peter's Drive-In. Best milkshake ever. So thick! I was tempted to do the Dairy Queen blizzard test on it...

Related note, confession: we didn't eat nearly as well as I had hoped. I was thinking we'd have breakfast, lunch and snacks all clean, and dinners would be "off." Definitely not the case! We were so excited to explore (okay, I was) that I kept forgetting to bring food for us for lunch and snacks! I'd grab a bottle of water and grapes. Not real food. And then we'd end up having a burger or something, and you know what?

I had a great time.


I think what made me okay with it was knowing that nobody is perfect all the time. And let's face it, I didn't want to be! Calgary was a city I'd never been to before, I was dying to try some of Dan's favourite places. I think I also felt okay because I've decided to try the 24 hour fast thing I mentioned (I might have). Eat Stop Eat? Familiar? Well, if not, look it up! My mom told me about it, and after I did my research, I decided to give it a shot. So my first fast is actually in progress right now! Finished dessert at 7:15, so I eat again the same time tomorrow. I don't work, so it'll be good to just give it a shot and see how it goes. If it goes well, I'll start another one Tuesday night, because I don't work Wednesday either!

So, the reason for no results is evident above. I haven't been extra stringent about my eating lately. I've been striving for 80/20. I'll post results on Monday next week, as my menstrual cycle has just incredible timing again... I'll try and remember to keep notes of my progress! Through the fast. Sorry, I'm all over the place right now. I'll also do a picture post. We really didn't take many pictures. Took a couple on the way through Banff, tried to take a cute one of us our first full day in Calgary, and the rest are zoo pictures. Because I'm a five year old, and I seriously love going to the zoo.

Anyways, I guess that makes us all caught up now! I did do one day of weights, Friday. And I'm off to do leg weights now. I'm supposed to try to do a weight training session tomorrow near the end of the fast. So I'm going to do legs tonight, do a short interval run tomorrow, and do my arms in the evening. Hopefully it all works out!

Have a great night, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my momba, and to all the moms out here reading this!

Day 59: Food Prep and Light Weights

Hello one and all! Dan and I head out to Calgary tomorrow morning. Super excited! I've never been, and since we're moving there this summer, it'll be great to look around! So food wise, I've done most of what I wanted to. I didn't get any quinoa done, but oh well! I washed strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes, and apples. I've cut up carrots, celery, and packed snow peas. I got hummus in little individual serving containers. I pulled apart a rotisserie chicken and packed the meat-no skin, of course. I measured and bagged granola for breakfast. I got my Greek yogurt, bananas, spoons, and containers. I have a pineapple to cut up too. Maybe if I can't sleep I'll do the quinoa.

I baked today too! An apple pie and a lemon meringue pie, with homemade filling! Eh look great. I've also got cookie dough in the fridge for a friend of Dan's. Good day!

I did light weights. Chest presses, quad extensions, triceps extensions, outer and inner thigh leg lifts, shoulder presses, and squats. If I can't sleep, I'll do some bicep and glute work. And abs! I like doing my abs better at night.

It's my dad's birthday today, so in addition to pie, we're having a barbeque. Complete with bacon to top the burgers. Have a great night, everybody!

Day 58: Sweating like Crazy and my Last Run Until Next Week

Hello one and all! Today was running again. I read an interesting tip in a running magazine last night (I don't remember which) that said beginner runners should tell themselves they'll just run for a few minutes instead of dreading their run. So I tried that, albeit in an altered fashion: I told myself I'd run for five minutes. Then six. Then ten. Then twelve (a mile). Then I told myself I'd run for 14. Then 15. Then 18 (a mile and a half). Iende up running twenty nonstop before I quit. Only four more and I would have done two miles! Oh well. The trick stopped working at that point anyways :)

So, I'll most likely not be blogging while Dan and I are in Calgary. We leave extra early Thursday morning, and we'll be back late Sunday afternoon/evening. I won't be running, but we will be going for walks, and I'm still going to try to do my strength training! I'm also packing food for us, since I got us a room with a fridge. I mostly concerned about eating clean for breakfast, snacks and lunch, because I know that there are places Dan wants to take me for dinner, as well as a dinner night with Mick, Dan's dad. So I'm going to eat as well as I can at those dinners, but there will definitely be a cheat night or two in there. Maybe three, who knows? We're going to check out this place called Tubby's Dogs. It was on "You Gotta Eat Here," which, as you may know, is on the Food Network, so that means I love it. Very excited! I'll take pictures of what I'm eating so you can drool over it. I'll also post a list of what I'm packing (do recall that it is forDan and I, not just me).

All for now, kids! Have a great night!

Day 56 & 57: Holy Sh!t I Forgot to Post Yesterday!

Hello one and all! So sorry I forgot to post yesterday. I guess after my run and everything, it totally slipped my mind. Sorry!

So I ran yesterday. I decided to ease back in a bit, and ran a mile, walked three minutes, and ran another mile. Physically not bad. Should have focused on my breathing more. Mentally, so hard! I was ready to quit a hundred times over. But I did it. And my legs were total jelly after. Definitely learned my lesson about overdoing it with the running!

So today, I have to do weights. I'll get around to them, but I think I need a nap. I slept so little last night, I might as well have stayed up all night. I'm about ready to keel over! Something else to dislike about early shifts: they completely bugger up my eating. Because I have breakfast at five, I eat a second snack at 8:30 when I get a break. Which means at 11:30 when I get home I have lunch. Then I have another snack around one thirty. Then dinner at five. Then I'm hungry again at eight. Although I'm hungry pretty much all day, so I'd eat more if I was. Like today, I'm starving. Hollow day or what?

So I'll get around to my weights, mountain climbers and all. Just thought I'd post before I forgot again, oops! Have a great night, folks!

Day 55-Weights

Hello one and all! I was thinking today about how my mom was making fun of me about my typos, and here's the truth: when I post on my iPad, I make a gazillion mistakes. Seriously. So, when you see an error in my post, that's me saying, "DONE. Not fixing any more of these damn things!" I do notice most of them immediately upon posting, but I'm just lazy :)

So it was back to weights today. I decided to be adventurous and up my weights for my chest press, AND I tried twisting mountain climbers for the first time. Those were FUN. And they sure felt effective! Maybe my arms were tired from all the work I did on them before, but my arms were shaking when I was in the push up position. Good times. I can tell my abs got a good workout too. I did targeted ab work today, but I also decided to really concentrate on my core in every movement I did, from push ups to squats to hammer curls. Also, my butt is sore. And my legs are tired. You know what that means?

I had an excellent weights day today.


Booyeah! Happy Saturday, folks, be safe!

Day 54-Rest Day

Hello one and all! Almost forgot to blog, sorry! Nothing much today. I didn't run today. I still feel a little nauseous, and I'm trying to let my joints fully recover before pounding away on the treadmill again. As I said before, I definitely learned my lesson! I'm not ready to run more than I am now. Humbling or what?

Boring Friday night in, as usual. Painted my toenails a gorgeous burgundy, top coated my fingernails. Cleaned up my brows, and I'm going to sleep in my cotton gloves. I'm so boring, right? Well, happy Fridaynto you exciting people, anyways!

Day 53-Just Weights

Hello one and all! Today I only did weights. No running. My knees were sore yesterday! I'm thinking I was a little too ambitious... Learned my lesson! Oh well. I guess I'm not yet as fit as I think I am.

So just weights, no big deal. Some standard stuff! I feel a little nauseous today though. Definitely a bummer!

Day 52: HIIT and Forgetting to Eat

Hello one and all! I got all concerned about injury last night, thinking about possibly doubling my weekly mileage, some decided that I'll do long runs 2+ miles, long enough for me) twice a week, intervals of running and walking twice a week, and HIIT twice a week. Which is what I did today! 30 seconds at 8 MPH, 2 minutes walking. Legs are tired! I did it six times, with a warm up and cool down total 25 minutes. It was fun! Changed it up.

I did forget to eat after, shoot. So I'm eating now! Toast with peanut butter and some yogurt. I did snack before my run though! Had some cashew clusters and a bunch of water. So I hope it's not too bad that I forgot to eat. Stuff happens!

Happy hump day, folks!

Day 51: Reconsiderations and Fun Stuff

Hellomone and all! I've decided to start running five days a week to increase my endurance. Long runs M/W/F, then walk run intervals T/Th. I think it'll really help my cardio! Besides, I have a new goal! I want to run a 10k. I don't know when, but it'll be as soon as I can. Exciting!

Also, today I just did standing ab exercises and body weight arm exercises for weights. Nothing special! Nothing leg wise though, running is a good enough one for me now!

Day 50: Shin Splints and a Little Confession

Hello one and all! Today I attempted the 2 1/4 mile run again. And again I didn't make it. But I have a good reason! And that reason is shin splints. I got one so bad in my left leg about half a mile in. I've never had one before, so I finished the mile before stopping to stretch. It was so painful! When I could walk on it again, I finished up my second mile. I Walsall concerned, so I asked my parents. And my dad told me that rest makes it worse, so I'm going to have to work through it. That definitely means I'm going to really have to be mentally prepared for my runs. Hopefully I can progress still, in spite of it!

Now for my confession: I wasn't as good as usual about my food last week. I think I had three consecutive cheat nights. Chinese food Friday, late-night McDonalds Saturday, and McDonalds again last night. I definitely regret it! I hopped on the scale this morning, and was SO relieved to see that I hadn't gained any weight! In fact, I lost a pound! Before I started working out, those three meals would have put on a pound for me. But they didn't do anything! Which I guess means my body is getting more metabolically active. But that's not an excuse to eat like crap! I'm just relieved I didn't completely sabotage myself. Relief!

Tomorrow, Megan and I are going to do a bunch of stairs. I really hope that my shin splint leaves me alone for that. I'm a little unsure about my weights though. I really don't want to overdo my legs. Maybe I'll just do a split workout and see how it goes. Maybe I'll add some yoga in. I could use the relaxation!

All for tonight, folks, have a good one!

Day 49: Rest and Regretting Last Night

Hello one and all! As I mentioned yesterday, Dan and I went put for the first time in a while. I had one drink and three shots, and I was a little buzzed. I'm such a lightweight drinker now, it's ridiculous! Oh well. I know it's bad for you.

Tomorrow, I again attempt the 2 1/4 mile run! Hopefully it goes well this time. And hopefully my legs are rested up and recovered now! I definitely won't overdo it again like that. And if I do, I'll stretch better! Maybe do some yoga. I know tomorrow is supposed to be weights, but Megan and I are going to walk for sure Tuesday and possibly Thursday, some want to split my cardio up instead of doing lots of cardio one day and then pretty much nothing the next.

Not terribly exciting today, folks! I'm sorry. I know you've been waiting with baited breath to hear what I got up to. Sorry to disappoint! Goodnight, everybody!

Day 48: Overdoing It and Missing my Mark

Hello one and all! I got home from work today all revved up and ready to try for 2 1/4 miles again. I was amped. If it was just a mental block stopping me, I would have made it today. But...

I overdid my legs yesterday. To the point that they felt a bit like jello today! So about one and a quarter miles in, my calves were cramped so bad I had to stop and stretch. I ran another half mile, and I had to stop and stretch again! Whoops! I'm glad I stopped though. I probably could have hurt myself if I didn't!

In other news, I had Chinese food last night. Which was definitely not my cheat night. But I did my best to just have a bit of everything instead of pigging out on everything ever. And I think I did pretty well at it! Sometimes, life happens, right? Nobody is perfect all the Tim, so there's no point in beating yourself up about it.

Anyways, that's all for me. Might be going out tonight, which is weird. Dan and I go out so rarely. We're the most boring 22/21 year olds ever!

Have a safe night, everybody!

Day 47: Busting out Reps and Supersetting

Hello one and all! Today was weights again. I love doing weights, I don't have to pep talk myself like I do with running! I can feel my legs are a bit tired, which is always a nice feeling. It lets me know I worked hard.

Tomorrow, I attempt the 2 1/4 mile run again. I'm really hoping it all goes well, no break down again! I don't have much to say. Sorry all!

Happy Friday, be safe!

Day 46: Dusting Myself Off to Try Again

Hello one and all! I was unsuccessful in besting the 2 1/4 mile run. I did two miles again, but I had a meltdown. Not sure why, but I hit the wall. And before I could really register it, I was face down on the ground crying. Hard. Nuts.

But I got up, and I finished the two miles. I'm bummed out again, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and I need to be patient. I've already accomplished so much! Some days it's easy to forget though. Oh well!

In other news, our Calgary trip is coming up, and I need to start thinking about food. And where and how I'm going to exercise!

Happy Thursday, folks!

Day 45: Weights and a Good Walk

Hello one and all! I did my weights today before my first walk with Megan. I'm not sure how far we went, but it felt good to be outside, and talking to someone going through the same things as you are. It was a good walk. And afterwards, I bought four pounds of fresh strawberries, because it's summertime and that makes me crave fruit like crazy.


In other news, tomorrow I attempt a second run that bested me previously. 2 1/4 miles. Trying to get mentally ready for it, because I refuse to give up on it! If I'm well rested and hydrated, I don't see any reason I shouldn't be able to finish that run tomorrow. If I do it, I'll be thrilled. If not, I dust myself off and try again on Saturday. I finally feel like I get it. It's not about doing everything perfect the first time. It's about having the determination, and ultimately the self-respect, to continue trying in the wake of failure. You know how those Weight Watchers say that weight loss just "clicks?" I think I'm getting there.


Also... A big hello and thanks for reading to the lovely and hilarious Aphrodite! I'm so pleased to hear someone that isn't related to me has read all my posts :) Now I feel like I'm really talking to someone! So nice to have you here in cyberspace :)


That's all for me, folks. I'm really craving some more green beans and asparagus, hopefully I can make that happen with dinner! Have a great night, everybody!

Day 44: New Personal Best!

Hello one and all! Today, I decided to go back and do one of the runs that bested me before. I started with the two mile run for obvious reasons. And guess what? I made it. 24 minutes of nonstop running. A new personal best! And I learned something new as well, after realizing that my wind wasn't so terrible I was going to die and that my legs were not jelly. It was all in my head! Even though I've been trying to work on the way I think, I had myself convinced that I couldn't run two miles. But obviously, I could. I hit the wall about ten minutes in. I had covered the time and the distance display on the treadmill to allow myself to really hone in on how I was feeling. And once I had to look, I hit the wall. I was telling myself that if I just ran 20 minutes instead of two miles, that was still good. But you know what? It wouldn't have been good enough, because I ran 21 minutes on Saturday. So I had to dig deep. There was a lot of mental recitation of my favorite inspirational quotes that I posted by my mirror.

Dig deep. Push harder. You're stronger than you know. Remember why you started. Your only limits are self-imposed. Quitting is not an option.

It really helped me out. I was pep talking myself like you wouldn't believe, but I made it. And I'm damn proud! Have a great day, everybody!

Day 43: Results Post!

Hello one and all! So, it's Monday, and that means it's time to show you my results! Here we go:

Weight: 158.5 lbs

Bust: 36.6" (down 0.4")

Arms: 11.6" (down 0.2")

Waist: 30" (down 2")

Hips: 40.5" (down 2.5")

Thighs: 23.3" (down 1.1")

Calves: 14.6" (down 0.4")

So I'm down 6.6" and 4.5 lbs! Productive three weeks, I think! Now for some pictures:

Are those abs I see, starting to creep in?? Aww yeah. I was going to take a picture of my beginner biceps, but that can wait. So can my beginner calf muscles, obviously. 

Alright! Results, as promised. Have a great night, everybody!

Day 42: Going Back with my Runs & Weights

Hello one and all! Today I did a split workout. I don't mean I'm the typical sense. I just worked my legs this morning, then my arms and abs tonight after work. I feel a bit better today. Still a big headache. But tomorrow is results day! I'm really excited to see how things have continued to change. On a bit of a "bummer" note, I sought advice about my running times (not being able to run the full amount I'm supposed to) from a runners forum, and it looks like I'll be repeating Saturday's run until I can do it before moving on. While it sucks, I'm okay with that. I would repeat the run before, but the fact that I ran twenty minutes Saturday makes me think it's unnecessary. It's lame though! I've been working so hard, this kind of feels like a step back. I feel like it'll be better in the long run though. If I'm going to continue with running, I need to get serious. And even though while I'm running sometimes, I'm totally miserable, running makes me feel awesome. I get this sense of accomplishment when I make it through a tough run! I don't get that with weights as much. So I'm going to definitely try to stick with it. Also running related, my dad thinks I should up my speed. I researched and asked again online, and the overwhelming response was to keep it slow until I have built up endurance. So I think I'm going to hit the point where I can run 3 miles (36 minutes) and work on my speed from there. If I do it at all. For me, distance and endurance are more important than speed. But maybe I'll reach a point where I want to race. Then speeds will be most important! All for tonight, folks. Stay tuned for results tomorrow!

Day 41: Exhausted Run and a New Personal Best

Hello one and all! Today was running again. I still feel sick. My stomach is still upset, my head still hurts, I'm still congested and exhausted. I worked 7-4 today, which the majority of my shift happening on the self checkouts, so lots of walking around and being busy. I was so exhausted when I got home, I caught myself trying to convince... Myself that missing one day of running was no big deal. Obviously, it didn't fly! So today's goal was to run 2 1/4 miles (or 22 minutes) without stopping. I think these run bits are incredibly unrealistic, so I set a personal goal to run longer than I did last time (15 minutes). How long was that? I ran for 21 minutes today! Was I exhausted and out of breath and sweaty while I did it? You bet your ass I was! Did I still adjust the time and run for my full 2 1/4 mile distance? You bet your ass I did! I did 21 minutes, walked for 3, ran for 4, then walked for two, then ran the last two to to make up the whole 27 minutes to get the mileage right. I'm wiped, but proud. I know it's not much for fit people, or even people who are moderately fit, but this was a huge accomplishment! Is, I mean. I feel great. And I couldn't have done it without my cheerleader, so a big thank you to Dan again! Happy Saturday, folks. Be safe tonight!

Day 40: Sick As a Dog

Hello one and all. I've been up since 4 AM, making friends with the porcelain goddess. I feel so sick. I've got cold sweats, dizziness, headache, nausea, an upset stomach... And I work a nine hour night shift that starts in about an hour. And I start another nine hour shift at 7 AM tomorrow. I feel disgusting. I really hope it's slow tonight some can try and leave early to hopefully sleep this off. Oh joy, can this week get any better for me? I tried to work out today. I did a couple of exercises, nothing compared to what I should be doing. This cycle is just totally draining me. I hope I get my motivation back when my period is done. The running is hard. But the weights are so beyond difficult it's ridiculous. I've been struggling to do half of what I was doing last week. It's frustrating. Anyways, have a good night folks. Be safe this weekend.

Day 39: Exciting News and Personal Victory

Hello one and all! Today was a running day, and I did something I've never done before! Today, I ran two miles! I had to stop between miles for a pee break, but that was the only break I took, and it was short. But I ran two miles! So excited, and hormonal, that I cried after. I'm getting teary again thinking about it!

Some more exciting news! I realized that my favourite bras were too big, and hanging away from my body near the top of the cup, so I tried on a cup size smaller (from a DD to a D) and they fit! So I'm no longer a DD. I'm back to being a single D! My goal (no time limit) is to be back in a C cup. My boobs were so perky then. Plus, you get much cuter bras in a C than you do in anything bigger. I'm just overall really excited, I apologize for harping on about my boobs. But this is a definite victory! 

In other news, my Momba commented last night that my back is much less... back fatty. Yay! Now, hopefully my thighs and hips take the hint and start their vanishing act!

I have also noticed a definite improvement in my KP since I stopped using coconut oil. It made my skin soft, but I think it was just too heavy for my skin. My skin is dry, but it really doesn't absorb too much in the way of moisture. I switched to using Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash (in pink grapefruit, because it doesn't smell like medicine) every other day, and Dove Cream Oil Body Wash every day. I'm thrilled with the results! I still have bumps, but they're much better.

But I did notice another annoyance last night-stretch marks! I was trying to take a picture of my calf "muscles" to show you that I almost have muscles in my calves, and when I was looking at the pictures, I noticed stretch marks on the backs of my calves. Such a bummer. I couldn't post the pictures, because the flash made me just... Glow. I'm so insanely pale. Also pale-related, running on the treadmill this morning, there was a bit of sun hitting the treadmill, and every time it hit my leg I was blinded. Oh well, at least I won't get cancer and sun damage and wrinkles!

All for today, folks. OH! Wait, it's not! Instead of doing a results post on Sunday, which is the last day of my cycle (read: I'll still be bloated and retaining water weight) I'm going to post results on Monday. They'll be more accurate this way, since now that my period is in full swing, I've "gained" four pounds. Irritating, my friends. Very irritating. I'm also taking a day off Monday because this week's desired cheat meal is Lord Chumley's fish & chips. Oooh yeah. I'm drooling thinking about it! So I'll do weights on Sunday, take Monday off, and be back to running on Tuesday. So, bit of a change, but it's explained!

Anyways, happy Thursday!

Day 38: Trying Something New and Terrible Cramps

Hello one and all! So today I decided to try something new. I discovered a website called Fitness Blender, and I tried a couple videos today. One for obliques and abs that I could only do one circuit of, one for glutes, outer thighs and inner thighs that I just did once, and one upper body and chest one that I did twice. I just feel even worse today. My cramps are terrible, my back aches, and I'm exhausted. Yay, right? On the plus side, I weighed myself this morning and my menstrual cycle may not have messed everything up yet. I weighed the same as I did early last week, which may be right or may not be. I've heard you weigh a bit more during your period, so I might do my results on Sunday then check again Tuesday. Just to be sure it's accurate. Also, a correction. I was reading my weight and measurements journal, and I realized that I incorrectly posted my weight during my first results post. My starting weight was correct, 166lbs. But my weight lost in those three weeks was 3 lbs, not 4. So my 21 day weigh in should read 163lbs, not 162. My sincerest apologies for not noticing sooner!mill fix it immediately. That's all, folks. Have a great night!

Day 37: Running Through a Sucker Punch, Courtesy of Mother Nature

Hello one and all! I've been feeling absolutely disgusting all day. My throat is sore, my nose is extra plugged up, my back hurts, I have the really bad cramps painkillers can't fix, and I'm so nauseous sitting up is difficult. In short, Mother Nature really hates me this week. But! That's no excuse to not work out,mot me anyways!

I gave up on sleeping it all off and dragged myself onto the treadmill. A minute in to my second running repetition, the cramps hit hard. I didn't know whether to pass out, throw up, or do both. Oh joyful day, how I love being a woman. Anyways. As I was trying not to be sick, I made a decision. Cramps or no cramps, I was going to finish this run no matter what. And I did just that. The cramps have now lessened in severity, and I feel content in flipping Mother Nature the bird and saying,
"You can't stop me now!"

Have a great night, folks!

Day 36: Working Out With a Partner and Finding Workout Buddies

Hello one and all! Back to weights today. Dan came over and did my supersets with me, so sweet! I had him beat with the leg stuff, but he definitely crushed me in the arm stuff! It was a great workout, even better with someone to compete with.

So I did manage to find someone who would be willing to walk/hike/jog with me too! My work friend, Megan. She's been on an incredible weight loss journey herself! I think she's lost about 50 pounds already! So awesome. I'm thrilled to have someone to walk with. We're thinking about maybe hiking up Knox Mountain, walking up Dilworth, maybe jogging by the creek near her house. It should be really awesome, I can't wait to start with her! I may even have another workout buddy, also from work! Her name is Simmi, and I told her today we should all walk together and she suggested doing that and maybe joining a kickboxing class, which sounds legit awesome! I'm so excited to continue on with two good friends.

That's all for me, kids, have a great night!

Day 35: Another Small Victory and The Best Cheerleader Ever

Hello one and all! Yesterday, I was supposed to run 2 miles, or 20 minutes, without stopping. I ran for 15 minutes straight, which means I didn't make my goal of doing the 20 minutes. But I did something that surprised even me. I ran for a full six minutes longer in a single go than I ever have before. And you know what? I'll take that. At first I was bummed out, then I decided to still run the twenty minutes total. So I walked for two minutes, ran for three, walked for two and ran the last two. After I finished, I was so proud! I'm not a runner, or fit, or an athlete by any stretch of the imagination. But I pushed hard, and I made progress I feel I can really be proud of.

And I couldn't have done it without Dan. He was there for me the whole time, supporting me and encouraging me. Without him, I probably would have made myself run for ten minutes before quitting. But he gave me the strength to really find my limits. And to push them. He talked me through the wall I hit at 8 minutes in, and he encouraged me when I had to take a break, and when I started up again. Thank you for being so amazing, Dan!

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday. You're much stronger than you think you are.

Happy Sunday, everybody!

Day 34: So Much Food and Tired Days

Hello one and all! Today is a big running day, but I'm going to the farmers market with Dan today, so I'm postponing the run until later. I'm nervous, and really hoping I can do it. Fingers crossed!

I was up until about midnight last night doing food prep. But, on the plus side, I have 37 dinners for me! Plus breakfast for the next... Who knows how long, I even made a loaf of bread yesterday! Good stuff. I feel really pleased about that. I'm glad I have things to eat that I know are good for me!

So even though I wish I was still sleeping, I'm up and having breakfast! Have a great Saturday, everybody!

Day 33: Supersets and Food Prep

Hello one and all! It was weights today, and I did not skimp on my arm workout. I did a full superset workout for both my upper and lower body, plus more ab work from the Oxygen special. I feel awesome! Then I went shopping to get some things I needed to make myself some frees able, healthy dinners. Breakfasts too! So, tonight, clean pancakes and waffles, clean bread and possible clean French toast too. I made 9 individual meatloaf cups, using ground turkey, grated carrots, half a red onion, finely chopped celery (lol fine for me honestly), black pepper, basil, oregano and time. I also made nine individual whole wheat lasagnas, using whole wheat noodles, ground turkey, low fat cottage cheese (the fat free stuff is full of chemicals), low fat mozzarella cheese and low fat Parmesan cheese. Yummy!

In the slow cooker right now, I have a great recipe from Tiffany at The Gracious Pantry. It's called red lentil stew! It's supposed to use an Indian spice called garam masala, but I didn't have that, and forgot to get it today when I was out, so I just used extra curry instead. Smells great! I used another one of Tiffany's recipes last night, for clean banana muffins. Big hit at this house! If you haven't checked out Tiffany's website, you seriously need to give it a read. She does great work!

In sad news, fitness legend Robert Kennedy passed away last night. My thoughts are with Tosca Reno and their family. Bob was a huge inspiration, and a role model for everyone trying to learn to eat right and exercise. I'll really miss reading Bob's Tough Love in Oxygen every month. RIP, Robert Kennedy.

Day 32: Small Victories

Hello one and all! Let me start by saying I'll edit this post later to include a picture of my breakfast. Because it was delicious. But I'm blogging from my iPad right now, so no can do! Last night, I decided to find some motivational quotes, and write them on Post-Its to have next to my mirror. Sounds lame, right? Wrong! It was great to wake up this morning and see them. It made me feel quite positive about today's run. Which brings me to the small victories thing...

Today, I ran 3/4 of a mile (about 1.2 km, I think) without stopping. And I did it twice.

Unreal, right? I'll have another victory post on Saturday. Stay tuned!

On another note, I feel amazing today. My weights yesterday went great! I'm actually a bit sore in my glutes, thighs, shoulders, and abs. Great feeling! It lets me know I'm working hard.

Happy Thursday, everybody!

Day 31: Working Hard and Still Loving "Ceremonials"

Hello one and all! Today, I felt an unnecessary time crunch when I went to work out. I had a quick per-workout snack (sprouted grain toast with a tablespoon of natural peanut butter) and waited twenty minutes before starting my workout. I'm one of those "lucky" people who can have breakfast and immediately work out without feeling sick. Yay me? Anyways. I decided to do supersets today. Except instead of doing a total body one, I did one superset workout for the lower body, then picked one upper body exercise from each set from a superset workout I found on about.com. Also...

Abs day! The Oxygen Abs Issue is out, and it's a gooder! I read it last night, and immediately decided to try one of the ab workouts in there. Was it ever tough! I skipped the final exercise for obliques, because I find oblique exercises bother my lower back a bit if I can't 100000% focus on what I'm doing. So I just did two sets each of the first four exercises, and I'll probably feel it tomorrow! Because I loathe working my abs, I decided to follow the advice from some superfit ladies in the magazine: do your abs first in your workout so you have no excuse not to. Great advice! I worked my way through them, then jumped right into my lower body stuff. I feel awesome!

Also, I can't stop listening to the Ceremonials album by Florence + the Machine. It blows my mind. Give it a listen already!

Have a great day, everybody!

Day 30: Getting Back Into Running and 100% Focus

Hello one and all! Yesterday was quite the sad, angry post, wasn't it? I woke up this morning, and I was still in a foul mood. I had set an early alarm so I could run before work, but I didn't. I stayed in bed and fumed at myself. I finally got up and made steel cut oats for my breakfasts. I think on Thursday I'll make more clean pancakes. They're actually quite tasty, and protein packed. I had breakfast and showered, then got ready for work. I made myself healthy snacks and lunch for work, then headed out. I was in a foul mood still all day at work, and I came home and got right on the treadmill. With every jogging repition, I felt a little better. And then there was healthy dinner ready when I came upstairs post-stretch, and I felt instantly awesome. And instantly upset, because I was pretty awful to Dan today. I had to apologize. I felt awful! I was so moody yesterday and today. And then something just clicked. And I realized that my work isn't ruined because I had some bad slip ups. What's important is that I move on and work harder.

So I tried my best to completely focus on my run today. I focused on my breathing. I focused on how I felt. I even tuned in to my calf pain. Maybe I overdid my calves yesterday? Oh well. I was there 100% today. And it was great.

Just to mention, my whole soul searching thing is interesting. Even since resolving to work my own issues out yesterday, I noticed I'm so negative about everything about myself. It's... A sobering realization, I think. Eye opening.

Have a great night, folks.

Day 29: Slipping Up, Paying the Price and Hunting for an Exercise Buddy

Hello one and all! I'm going to start with a confession. I messed up last night and today with my eating. It sucks, I feel so ashamed and upset with myself. Here's the story...

One of my brothers bailed last night for dinner. So, because I was peeved, I decided that I would eat his steak and save the turkey breast for my mom and I. Sort of good intentions. Right? Wrong. I had a bit of my grilled potatoes (so freakin delicious, you don't even know). I had some barbeque sauce with them. And I had half of the grilled asparagus I made. And mushrooms and onions on my steak. And barbeque sauce on my steak. Even still, not awful, right? Then... I ate two white dinner rolls. Calorie wise, fat wise, sodium wise, not terrible just white flour. Then I did the unthinkable. I ate the dark chocolate bunny my parents gave me in a single sitting. While I browsed the web on my iPad. So bad. Worst part?

I didn't even enjoy it. I didn't even savor it. It was like the past four weeks meant nothing. I absent-mindedly ate for the sake of eating.

This morning,I woke up feeling gross, and decided to make it up to myself. For breakfast, I meant to have eggs and fruit. I ended up cleaning and doing laundry instead. So my well-intentioned breakfast became two pieces of (whole wheat) toast with peanut butter and orange, peach and mango jam. Not awful, I thought. I made myself a snack of Greek yogurt and berries. I was patting myself on the back about that. Then I came home for lunch. I was starving. I shopped a bit after work to pick up things to really keep myself on track. Ezekiel bread and tortillas. Greek yogurt. More eggs to hard boil. I even picked up Popsicle molds to make myself Greek yogurt Popsicles. Yay me, right? Nope! I came home, and I was peeved because of... Someone being here. Doesn't matter who. And I was mad, and I ate a massive bowl of stew while I fumed. And before I knew it, I had eaten four dinner rolls too. I couldn't even finish the stew when I realized what I had done. I actually felt sick. Here I am, working so hard to lose weight and get in shape and be healthy, and here I am, pigging out like nothing has changed.

I was so mad. To distract myself, I made my Popsicles. Blueberry and strawberry. I'll let you know how they turn out.

I was so mad. I went downstairs, scrubbed my makeup off, changed, and got working out. As some kind of twisted punishment, I decided to do sprints today in addition to my weights. I ran for one minute at 8 MPH, and walked for two minutes to catch my breath. For a total of five times. Then I moved right into my workout. I did three sets of all my exercises, even the ab ones, allowing myself thirty seconds of rest before moving on to the next one. And after I stretched and straightened up more, that person showed up. So I'm sitting in the living room in silence blogging, hoping to not have to deal with that person. And I'm suddenly having these epiphanies. About why I eat and why I have issues with food, and I'm realizing...

I can't expect to change my life by simply changing my behavior. I have to change the way I think about myself, and about food. I have to look inside myself and find my reason for overeating. I have to ask myself why I would rather eat crap than take care of myself.

This is going to be an intensely personal experience. I will start journaling my thoughts and feelings, and see if I can come to a conclusion. When I get there, I'll be more than happy to share. But for now, it's just me. But please do let me know if you would be interested in reading about my reasoning, thoughts and feelings. I feel like I don't get any feedback here, and I guess I don't. Maybe that would help me.

Anyways, guys, that's all for me. Have a good night.

PS I'm thinking a workout buddy is a good idea for me right now. I don't know anyone who would be interested though.

Day 28: Changing my Diet Again and Easter Dinner

Hello one and all! I'm going to start off by saying that I just can't do the 17 Day Diet anymore. This cycle is so restrictive in terms of what you can eat. And honestly, I'm miserable. Even though I love chicken, there are only so many ways you can eat it. And I miss my red meat! I mean, I can't even have fruit for dessert. Fruit is good for you! Why can't I eat it after 2 PM? It makes no sense to me. I started looking up the reasoning behind it, and from what I understand, there's no research to back up his hypothesis that any carbs after 2 PM turn right into fat. I just can't buy that. I mean, if that's true, how was I losing weight clean eating? The main reason I decided to stop was the unhappiness. I like eating clean, but I don't want to be deprived. Does that make me a bad person?

Easter dinner! I've been marinating steaks and turkey breasts since last night, and rotating them every few hours in the fridge. I think I'm going to get a pot of water boiling so I can parboil my potatoes before I start grilling them. I'm going to start getting ready to go back to clean eating too. Hardboiled eggs, clean bread, steel cut oats, and tomorrow I'll pick up the last things I need for clean pancakes. I'm relieved to be going back to that. Vegetables and chicken just aren't cutting it for me!

So hopefully no one is disappointed in me for quitting the 17 Day Diet. I just know after 17 days I would eat everything I felt I had been deprived of. And that's no good!

Happy Easter, everybody!

Day 27: Waking up with a Jog & Cooking for Dieters and Non-Dieters

Hello one and all! I'm just sitting here, having breakfast, waiting for my lemon water to cool down so I can drink it. I'm changing up my breakfast a bit today. I'm having Greek yogurt with berries instead of my usual eggs and fruit. I'm so fascinating. Right?

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, and I've been thinking about what I want to make for my brothers, because my parents are out of town and I don't want to just make them eat something boring. Even though we had our Easter dinner early, it's still Easter! I've been thinking that I'll make a marinated turkey breast with asparagus for me, and steak with these delicious potato and onion packets you cook on the barbeque. Plus some mushrooms and onions for on top, of course. Only way to eat steak. I thinkmill bypass dessert though. They have lots of Easter candy from my parents to keep them happy. I think it's a good Easter idea. I mean, I'm not going to make a roast or anything, mostly because we don't need more leftovers here! But I think it'll be nice for them.

I'm going to eat my breakfast and hop on the treadmill once it's a little digested. I'm going to pick up the dinner things I need tonight, because I'm sure work will be a zoo tomorrow. Happy Saturday!

Day 26: Working Out When You Would Rather Sleep for Days

Hello one and all! As promised, today I'm blogging about working out when you're exhausted.

Today, I woke up at 3 AM. I started work at 6 AM, and I finished at 3 PM. There's 12 hours awake right there. On my way home, I stopped to get cauliflower and a couple things I needed to make cauliflower mash. I got home at 3:30. I allowed myself 15 minutes of Maury watching (don't judge me, I love that show) before changing clothes and getting to the living room to work out. I decided to start with cardio, because that always makes me feel wide awake. So I did a light 5 minute warm up, then I upped the incline and started targeting my calves, thighs and glutes. I did fifteen minutes of that, then did a five minute cool down. And I felt instantly energetic afterwards. So I jumped right into my arm exercises, which pumped me right up too. And after I did my arms, I did my abs. Then I did a few short leg exercises. And you know what? I felt, and still feel, so insanely well rested and energetic that I'm not even considering sleeping for at least four hours.

I guess the morale of the story is this:

Even when you're exhausted, a little exercise can perk you right up and give you a much-needed energy boost.

So when you're tired, don't make excuses! Hop on the treadmill and go for a brisk walk. I'm sure you'll be glad you did when you're wide awake again!

Have an excellent Easter weekend, everybody!

Day 25: Apparently Only Five More Days For Everything to be a Habit

Hello one and all! I'm just having breakfast (one egg, two egg whites, scrambled; one pear) and I just finished downing that lemon water. It is unpleasant, folks. I do not at all enjoy it. And I mean that. Probably my least favorite part of the 17 Day Diet. It tastes awful.

I wanted to blog now because I just realized something! You know how you always hear that it takes 30 days to build a habit? Well, I've been eating right and exercising for 25 now! So I'm only five days away from making this change into a habit. Pretty exciting, right?

That's all for today, folks. But I'm going to tell you that tomorrow's post will be about working out when you're completely exhausted! Because I sure will be.

Have an excellent day/night, everybody!

Day 24: Easter "Deprivation" and Planning a Healthy Solo Dinner

Hello one and all! Today is day 3 of the 17 Day Diet, and I feel okay. I'm down another half inch in my waist since Sunday, cool beans! I don't think I'd do more than one cycle of this way of eating. There are other, less restrictive ways to eat right, like eating clean! And I much prefer that, in all honesty. I get bored really fast, so that works better for me. Plus, I miss my steel cut oats and clean pancakes, they filled me right up. Really stuck to the ribs, you know? Oh well, if this jump starts weight loss for me, I can stick to it for 17 days.

In other news, my parents will be out of town for the Easter weekend, so I'm trying to think of way to have holiday meals while staying in line with my eating. Dan's mom has asked me over for dinner at some point this weekend, and I'd love to say yes, but she's a great cook, and I don't know if I could resist all the things I shouldn't eat! She's willing to make a meal I can eat, but I don't want to put her out at all! So I've started thinking of things I can make for myself this weekend. I'm thinking on Easter Sunday I'll make a marinated turkey breast and mashed cauliflower. And maybe I'll make myself some spicy shredded chicken soup. I love spicy things, and I can have as much spice as I like! I'm definitely missing carbs at dinner time though. Oh well, only two more weeks!

Everybody seems a little concerned about Easter candy for me. I don't need or want any, so it's all good for me. And even if I do get some, I won't eat it (until this diet is over, anyways)! All things in moderation, right? Unless I'm trying to get my blood sugar all normal again. I just think about that when I miss things I can't eat, like french fries and burgers loaded up with toppings.

That's all for today, folks, have an excellent night!

Day 23: Lemon Water and Red Face

Hello one and all! So today, I worked at ten, and I decided that since I can't have carbs (including fruit) after 2 PM, I would work out before work. And I thought that maybe my run would leave me all energized, and I wouldn't be sleepy at work because I had a hard time sleeping last night. Great idea in theory, right? Well, yeah, actually. But I didn't account for one thing: how insanely red my face gets after I work out. Even though I made sure to leave myself plenty of time to get ready, I didn't have three hours to let my face get un-red. So I had a really hard time covering that up before I went to work! It seems to have calmed down now though.

In other news, the recommended hot water with lemon thing did not taste good today. It went don like battery acid, and I thought I was going to be sick. Yuck, right? All I can say is that this better be worth it now!

Also. My biceps are sore for the first time in ages! That new workout routine should do well for my arms, shoulders and back! I might need to focus more on my legs and glutes, I don't feel anything today! And I definitely am not fit enough to not be a touch sore after a workout like that.

That's all for me ladies and gentlemen, have a wonderful evening!

Day 22: Starting the 17 Day Diet and Focusing on Problem Areas

Hello one and all! Today is Monday, so it's back to weights for me. I hope you all enjoyed my results post, finally some progress to look at! After yesterday's post, I realized that there are areas I need to focus more on. So I've been researching some good glute exercises, and I'm going to give those a shot! I've also been looking for good thigh and calf exercises, because I'd like to build up my valves and slim down my thighs. Lots of new things to try today! Fingers crossed that they'll give me the results I'm looking for, right?

Today is also day one of the 17 Day Diet. Good thing I had prime rib as my cheat last night, because there's no beef in this cycle! Which shouldn't be too tough, right? I mean, I think it's only the first cycle that you can't have beef in. I think, anyways. Oh well! I'm hoping this will jump start my weight loss. As in actual pounds lost. Here's hoping!

So I'm typing this as I eat breakfast. Today's breakfast: eight ounces of hot water with the juice of half a lemon squeezed in; one egg scrambled with two egg whites, topped with one tablespoon fat-free sour cream and lots of pepper; 3/4 cup of blueberries; and I also have my big red bottle full of cold water for my workout on standby. Tasty breakfast! I'm going to write up a new exercise routine for weight days while I digest, then it's time for weights! I've got to try to finish my workout before two so I can have fruit in my smoothie-no carbs after two PM! That shouldn't be difficult at all. I've just got to work around not being able to have milk in it!

That's it for me, folks, have a great Monday!

Day 21: Results Seen In Inches and (Very Trace Amounts of) Pounds

Hello one and all! It's day twenty one, and you know what that means! It's results day!

So here's where I started:
Weight: 166 lbs
Bust measurement: 40.5"
Arm measurement: 12.2"
Waist measurement: 34.5"
Hips measurement: 43.5"
Thigh measurement: 25.5"
Calf measurement: 15.5"

As you may be able to tell, that made my body shape a triangle. I was tired all the time, I had no energy to do anything other than the bare minimum to get through my day. The food I was eating was complete and utter crap. I ate it because it tasted good and it was easy. It didn't do anything good for my body, and it definitely didn't do anything good as far as my self-esteem was concerned. Fast forward to today, twenty one days later...









Weight: 163 lbs
Bust measurement: 37" (Down 3.5")
Arm measurement: 11.8" (Down 0.4")
Waist measurement: 32" (Down 2.5")
Hips measurement: 43" (Down 0.5)
Thigh measurement: 24.4" (Down 1.1")
Calf measurement: 15" (Down 0.5")

So, what does that add up to? I'm down 4 lbs, which is pretty much nothing, but I've always had a hard time losing actual weight. It adds up to 8.5" lost, which is pretty awesome if you ask me! I'm especially pleased with my bust and waist measurements. That's definitely where I've seen the most change! And it helps me know where I need to put in a little more effort. I mean, my thighs will probably always be big. Though they don't look it, my legs are strong! And I like that. I want to be strong and healthy. I don't care if I ever get back to being a size two.

So there we go! The first of who knows how many results posts. I'm happy with my progress so far, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up! Now that I've obviously figured out this picture stuff, you're going to be seeing pictures of what I'm eating too! Plus recipes, as promised. Thanks for reading, happy Sunday!

Day Twenty: Looking Forward to Tomorrow's Cheat

Hello one and all! I just dragged my sweaty butt off the treadmill and out of our "exercise room" post ab workout and stretch. And today was crazy hard. I'm exhausted, I got up at 4 AM for work. Then I came home, and ran around town for a few hours with my parents. I can say completely honestly that I was seriously considering skipping this workout. After all, I kept telling myself, one day is one day, right? Well, for some people I'm sure that is a workable mentality. I really don't think it would be for me though. I mean, I've been there before. I think I just need a day off, then one day becomes two, then three, then a week, and then that's it for my diet and exercise. I don't want to do that to myself again. So I pushed through anyways.

And I feel better now! I think I'll have enough energy to last me until an early bedtime. So it's worth it there, right?

So tomorrow... I will be posting my three week results! Crazy, right? Can't believe it's been three weeks already, even blogging every day it just flew by. Also, I don't want to make you jealous, but I'm having flippin prime rib for dinner tomorrow. Aww yeah. We shopped for most of the 17 Day Diet stuff we need too. Chicken, egg whites, Greek yogurt, tons of vegetables, a bit of fruit... It really doesn't seem so bad. And if it gets my blood sugar under control, I'm all over it.

That's all for today, happy Saturday, kids!

Day Nineteen: Protein Shakes and Great Tunes

Hello one and all! Today was back to supersets. Good times! I added another set of calf exercises to this workout, because I want to see some definition in those puppies! I'd love to have legs that look toned and lean in heels. For now, I just look taller! Which isn't a bad thing either. I also decided that I would very much like a jump rope. I like to mix up my warm ups on weight days, and I think jumping rope would be a great warm up. Plus, it's great for your calves!

Today I decided to mix things up and listen to something that wasn't my exercise playlist. Today's album choice: Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine. Great music to lift weights to! I really enjoyed that part. Plus I am in love with Florence Welch's voice. I heard a rumor that Florence + the Machine are possibly first up in the return of Unplugged on MTV. If that's true, maybe there's hope for MTV after all!

In diet related news, I scoped out a bunch of recipes for the 17 Day Diet last night. I think I can do it. And with mom helping me, it'll be much easier. Sometimes I kind of flounder around on what I can eat. I find it hard to be creative without making a decadent cheese sauce... I'll have to work on that! So we're probably food shopping tomorrow or Sunday, and probably prepping food on Monday. I really like the idea of freezing a bunch of meals. It seems so convenient!

And only two more days until I post some horrifying pictures and embarrassing measurements and weights! So continue to stay tuned for that, friends. Happy Friday!

Day Eighteen: Sweating Like a Pig and Hitting My Abs

Hello one and all! Today was another running day. It was a little easier today, which was nice. I'm still hoping that someday I'll run and not die! Something to push for, I guess. After the treadmill, I did some of those ab exercises I posted the link to the other day. I kind of just did a bit of a pick and choose. I tried to avoid ones with weights for today, although I did do the toe touch. I also added two 30 second rounds of the plank, and my abs feel great. Seriously, if you haven't already, try them out. You won't regret it!

After my post yesterday, I had a total meltdown moment. You know, crying, laughing. The whole bit. Perhaps you're wondering why? I'll tell you, but don't laugh!

I walked by one of my full-length mirrors with the lights off, and I actually had to double back because I couldn't believe the person I glimpsed was me.

Let me explain. In my room, I have a full-length mirror on the back of my bathroom door. It's the one I use to get dressed. But at the foot of my bed, there's another mirror, on top of a dresser. I don't usually look in that one because the lighting is bad, and I have a hard time angling the mirror so I can see myself. But I usually scope out my side view as I leave my room to make sure everything looks right. I haven't been doing that much lately, because I'm usually in workout gear or my work uniform. But I caught a glimpse of myself in my (tight) workout gear yesterday, and I stopped and cried. I couldn't believe the difference in my body. I mean, I've seen some inches lost. But looking straight on at your body all the time makes it hard to see the changes. And it just made me really happy. I know I still have a long way to go. But seeing progress is great!

In diet-related news, my mom and I start the 17 Day Diet on Monday. She thinks she's insulin resistant, and I'm pretty sure I must be too. So we're going on a sugar detox with the diet. It should be interesting, lots of people see great weight loss in the first 17 day cycle.

That's all for me today, folks. Have a great night!

Day Seventeen: Food Hangover and Tough Supersets

Hello one and all! Last night, I learned a very valuable lesson. Well, I should say this morning, because I woke up with a food hangover! I went pretty wild last night. I had chicken strips and fries (I ate two strips and half the fries, so not terrible) and some popcorn (which I only ate a couple handfuls of). So relatively speaking, not awful, right? Wrong! I woke up feeling so sluggish and lazy. It took me an hour and a half to get to working out! I had to push really hard through my weights today. It was rough! So I definitely learned my lesson for sure!

In other news, Sunday is my progress post! I'll include weight loss (including my starting and current weight), measurements (starting, current, and total lost) as well as progress photos so we can scope out my shrinking act! So stay tuned for that.

Also, my mom and I are contemplating trying the 17 Day Diet together. I read the ebook yesterday, and it was interesting. It seems quite similar to clean eating to me, except you get more protein. I'll keep you posted on that!

Time for a protein shake and some Food Network watching. Happy Wednesday!

Day Sixteen: Hitting the Wall and Busting Through it Hardcore

Hello one and all! So today was Week 3, Day 1 of my Couch to 5k training program. Today, I had to run for three minutes straight, which doesn't seem like much, but it's twice the length of time I've run before. Holy cow. I didn't think I'd hit a wall until I had to run five minutes or more at a time, and today I hit the wall immediately after my first three minute run. I was tired. I was out of breath. And I honestly didn't think I could do it. I was ready to give up. And I came real close. But then it hit me...

I haven't come this far for nothing. Two weeks ago, I could hardly run a minute at a time, and now here I am, running three minutes at a time.

Some days I feel embarrassed about how little I can do. But then I realize that when I started, I couldn't even consider doing what I'm doing now. So I just repeated my apparent running mantra:

I am strong. I can do this. Change won't come by coasting. I have to push myself every single day.

I sound like a bad motivation book, but honestly, it really helps me to focus on my progress. Anyway, I'm just having my protein shake and relaxing while I watch Iron Chef America. Definitely one of my favorite shows. And tonight... Playoff game! I can't wait. So exciting! And again, many thanks to my Moey and Papa!

Have a great night, everyone!

EDIT: Check out these awesome ab moves! I tried a couple, and they are wicked hard! I've decided I want to be able to do The Wicked Wiper. Scope the moves out here:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/abs-workouts

Day Fifteen: Doubling up on Supersets and Other Exercises

Hello one and all! So today was a weights day. I decided to double up on my supersets. Holy cow, hard work! You're probably wondering why I decided to double up. I have a confession...

I weighed and measured myself today.

Why? Because I am the kind of person who has to have results. I need to know how I'm doing, or my motivation goes kaput. Seriously. I can go from being crazy excited and focused to done exercising forever if I don't see the results that will keep me going. Perhaps you're wondering what I discovered. What did I lose? Where did I lose most? Well, I've decided to stick to my original plan of posting my results every three weeks, as well as progress photos, if I can figure that out...

In addition to doubling up on my supersets, I also decided to add some extra exercises for my trouble zones (being my inner thighs and my stomach). Because I work my abs on the same days I run, I only added inner thigh exercises. Well, in addition to the extra leg exercises I already added to my supersets, being calf raises and side lying leg raises with a weighted bar. Hard stuff! If you wanna blast your inner thighs, give those a try!

Anyways, ladies and gents, that's all for me. I'm waiting around to get ready for work, late shift tonight. Oh well. I'm just gonna drink my protein shake and relax. Have a great day!

Day Fourteen: Day Off and Cheating

Hello one and all! So because today is Sunday,mi had a cheat meal. And, all things considered, I think this was pretty tame! I had half of a steak, eight baby potato halves, asparagus and some beets. And for dessert, lemon meringue pie with a graham cracker crust. I also walked to the grocery store with my brothers to get milk and dish soap, and I had to walk at a pretty good clip to keep up with them! My legs are so short, I was taking two steps every one they took. The joys of being short...

I decided not to go overboard on this cheat meal because I really want to have popcorn and a hotdog at the game on Tuesday. It's the last time Dan and I will see a game here, because we're moving to Calgary this summer. It's bittersweet. But I just want to do all that one last time. I've already decided that I'll do a little extra on Tuesday to make up for it. Tuesday is supposed to just be running and abs, but I decided I'll do yoga too. Get a little extra burn. Maybe I'll walk extra too. I just hope it doesn't mess me up too bad!

That's all for me, ladies and gentlemen. Have a great night!

Day Thirteen: Running and Distraction

Hello one and all! I'm writing this post as I'm still sweaty from my run and the subsequent planks and stretches. Even though I've done this exact run two times before today, I had to dig deep to finish it. Why is that? I think it's the fact that I was really distracted today.

I have something really excellent on my mind that I won't share until I'm sure, but it's incredibly exciting to me. Also, courtesy of my amazing Moey and Papaduo, Dan and I have playoff tickets! First game is Tuesday night, and I really cannot wait. I was also thinking about my stupid KP. After researching the crap out of it, I settled on a plan of attack, and picked up all the necessary items. I can't wait to start, because I want to show off my arms and legs (and the hard work I'm doing)! So I was all concerned about that too.

I'm one of those people who works best when I'm focused. My body is so uncooperative if I can't be bothered to tune in to myself. And honestly, I want to have that connection between my mind and body. I want to feel the lows and ride them out. I want to feel the highs and love them.

There's my thoughts today! Have a safe and happy Saturday!

Day Twelve: Supersets Again

Hello one and all! Mot much to say today. I did my supersets before I went to work, and could I ever feel it! But I was really energetic this morning. It wore off around four thirty. Then I was just exhausted! Maybe I'm an afternoon workout kind of girl.

In unrelated news, I've noticed since I started sweating daily, my keratosis pilarus (red bumps on my arms and legs) has gotten worse. What a bummer! I'm going to try to get that all sorted.

Night everybody!

Day Eleven: Running and Pampering

Hello one and all! Today was another running day. I accidentally messed up my intervals today. Instead of alternating between 5 MPH and 6 MPH like I have been, I did three consecutive running intervals at 6 MPH. Which seems like no big deal, because that is a decent jog pace for most people. For people my height, you're barely jogging at 6 MPH. You're almost running. Oh well. No wonder I thought I was dying!

Today, I decided to be nice to myself. My body has been w.orking hard, and I have been slacking off in taking care of myself. You should see my brows-yikes!!! Anyways. Today I did a detoxifying clay mask, a pore unclogging strip on my nose, and I actually massaged my lotion right in to my face and neck instead of doing it halfway and lazy like I usually do. I also gave myself a soft pink manicure, and I painted my toenails a gorgeous sparkly red.

I think it's important to take that kind of time for yourself, and I'm glad I did today!

That's it for me, folks, have a great night!

Day Ten: Lack of Sleep and Weights

Hello one and all! So today I had to get up for work at four AM. Which is normally totally okay for me, except I just couldn't sleep last night. I was just really restless, and I couldn't turn my brain off. I hate nights like that, especially because I seem to only have them when I need to get up early. So I came home from work, had a snack, drained my iPad battery, drained my phone battery, finished a book, and found a couple new exercises to try. I mean routines, like circuits and supersets. I'm really loving supersets though. I like the time crunch! I feel like I don't have to schedule time to work out this way. Anyway, after I did all that, I finally managed to doze off (earplugs in and sleep mask on).

I did add two extra exercises (one superset) to my work out today. Calf raises, one leg at a time, holding a dumbbell behind my back, and little leg lifts lying on my side with a weighted bar. I feel great now! Wide awake. And I had a great protein shake. I really had a hankering for something sweet, so instead of ruining my food day, I made my shake with half chocolate milk and half low fat soy milk. It definitely hit the spot! Took my sugar craving right away. And I reheated one of the clean pancakes for breakfast, topped with Greek yogurt and berries. So good! So they do reheat well. Here's the link:


http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=573914

So give them a shot if that's something you would be interested in trying! Have a great night, folks!

Day Nine: Music and Motivation

Hello one and all! Today was another running day. Also known as another day to make me feel discouraged. But today, I managed to turn that around. I made the decision to continue mixing up my speeds in intervals with my running. And today, that was really hard. I was feeling really down because I was just disappointed with my overall fitness level. I mean, I'm doing walk/jog intervals, and finding them pretty hard. That isn't something that I should be worrying about at my age. So I was running my intervals and getting really hard on myself in my mind. I won't lie, I dropped the fat bomb on myself a few times. And then, I had this crazy epiphany. This insane moment of total clarity. And it occurred to me:

Our bodies are capable of so many things. I can't keep thinking about this progress I'm making as something that isn't good enough. Instead, I need to constantly seek improvement, and never give up on pushing my limits.

There's my inspirational thought for the day. On a food note, I finally made my clean pancakes, and I had one for breakfast! I topped it with Greek yogurt and thawed berries, and it was actually pretty good. It'll be a nice change of pace! That's all for me today, folks.

Edit: I forgot to talk about the music and motivation part! So, the thing is, I love music. I'm always singing something! And the song of my weight loss journey so far has been the Benny Benassi remix of Shake It Out by Florence + the Machine. Seriously, if you haven't heard it, give it a real good listen. I love the original too, but the remix is good treadmill motivation music. And yes, I know that the song is about heartbreak and a failed relationship (I think), but to me, it's about what I'm doing right now. I mean, a failed relationship and heartbreak isn't relevant to me right now. I'm in a long term relationship with one of the most amazing people I have ever met. He's my better half, my best friend, and all that gross squishy stuff. Seriously. And while I have been heartbroken, that part of my life is so far from me now that that aspect of the song doesn't matter to me at all. What matters to me is that I'm choosing to interpret it in a way that is relevant to me. So I choose to look at it as a song about my issues with food. My issues and insecurities with my body. But at the end of the song, I always feel hope. My body will change, and so will my life and the way I feel about myself.

Have an excellent Tuesday!

Day Eight: Super Sets and Food Prep

Hello again, one and all! Back to working out today. I did total body super sets today, and what a workout that was! Hard stuff, but I feel great now. Last night's cheat meal was delicious. I had a burger loaded up with great stuff: mustard, barbeque sauce, pickles, extra old cheddar, lettuce, a hot dog, and some mushrooms and onions. Plus my french fries! They were delicious. I also had a hankering for ice cream, so Dan and I went to Dairy Queen and got a Blizzard for me (cookie dough and Smarties) and a chocolate shake for him. Plus a mint Oreo Blizzard for my dad. I couldn't even finish my Blizzard. It was great the first few bites, then it was just a really sweet, sticky mess. I think for my next cheat meal I'll avoid ice cream and have something else instead.

Blogging early again today, it isn't even noon yet. But I have things to do today! I forgot to mention that I actually did make the frozen "yogurt" on Saturday. I haven't tried it yet, but it smells good! Today, I'm making steel cut oats for me and momba to have for breakfast, and I'm finally going to try clean pancake making. Good stuff! Then Dan and I are hanging out after he gets off work. Probably going to play more Mario Party 9, because Dan is amazing and he bought it yesterday. It's actually really fun, and finally something different from all the other 8. For anyone who doesn't know, Mario Party is one of my favorite games ever. We had MP 2 and 3 for the N64, and I think we have MP 6 for the Game Cube, and now MP 8 and 9 for the Wii. I can't believe I've never been able to find MP 1, though I've played it before. Maybe I'll look for it....

That's it for me, happy Monday everyone!

Day Seven: Energy and Cheat Meal

Hello one and all! So today is Sunday, which means I have a day off from working out. Which feels kind of strange, I like the energy boost I get post-workout. But it's important to have a day of rest, right?

Even though I won't be working out today, I'm still feeling energetic. It's so nice! I feel like I can go from sun up to sun down and get everything I need to get done and still have energy to spare. It's an incredible feeling, and this is only a week in!

So today, I decided to allow myself one cheat meal instead of cheat eating all day. It's going to be dinner. We're having a barbeque! Burgers, steaks, hot dogs, and my favorite indulgence of the day: French fries! I love potatoes. I think they're so versatile for cooking. Although I won't get to have them too terifically often anymore. But I'm actually okay with that. It's worth it if I'll feel like this every day.

Also, this is totally unrelated to anything about clean eating, but my mom gave me her old iPad! I guess that's on my mind because I wanted to practice typing on it, so this is my first post from it! Cool beans. I'm typing a fraction of the speed I normally do, because while my phone is touch screen, it's a Samsung Galaxy with Swype, so I don't actually type out anything unless it's not in my dictionary.

That's all for now, folks, have a great Sunday!

Day Six: Mixing It Up

Hello one and all! So today (even though it isn't even three o'clock) I thought I'd blog early! I mean, Dan and I have another hockey game to go to tonight (so spoiled), so why not blog while I have time? Anyways, on to the mixing it up bit!
So when I did my run today, I followed the advice my dad gave my mom yesterday: to mix up the speed at which she runs when she's doing her intervals. So I alternated between my usual 5 MPH and 6 MPH for my running intervals, and six was hard. My legs were jelly by the time I finished! And I will admit I had to pep talk myself after probably the second or third interval... And especially on the last two! But I made it through, and that made me feel really... Accomplished. Obviously, I shouldn't be feeling too self-satisfied, because I've still got a long ways to go. But I can't help but feel that I'm definitely on the right track. And that makes me feel awesome.

Today I'm thinking I'm going to take a stab at some clean eating pancakes, just to mix things up. I picked up the last things I needed, so hopefully they turn out okay (and ideally they'll freeze well). If I have time, I was thinking I would try making some clean frozen "yogurt." Which isn't actually yogurt at all, it's soy! So maybe if I do everything right I'll post my first food picture.

Anyways, have an excellent St Paddy's Day everyone, and be safe!

Day Five: Tons of Energy

Hello one and all! Today I had a pretty early morning. I was up at 5:30 to get ready for work. But something hit me probably at about 6 tonight. Usually, I'd have to have a nap in the middle of the day after such an early morning when I was eating like complete crap. But today, I've just been going non-stop all day. I was feeling a little lazy this afternoon, then I did my weights, and just like that, I was full of energy again. And I still am, at 9:50 tonight, even knowing that my alarm will be going off at 4 tomorrow morning. I should get to sleep soon...

I did want to share one other thing. Today, while I was having a mini family dinner with my momba and my dadder, my dadder asked me how I was feeling. I was a little confused, so I just stared at him. Then my momba jumped in and asked if I had more energy lately. I replied that I was feeling really energetic, so energetic that I felt like I could just get stuff done all night. And then my parents dispensed some very valuable wisdom that I seem to have forgotten about:

Don't get too focused on the numbers, with weights and measurements. Concentrate on how you feel, and the rest will come.


And here I was thinking they were just a couple of old fogies! That's it for me all, good night!

Day Four: Another Run

Hello one and all! So today was my second day running, and it was okay. I was crazy thirsty though! Very strange. I drank so much water on the treadmill. Oh well, can't be bad, right? I mean, with how much I was sweating and all, haha. Anyways.

So I noticed that my abs were less sore today, which makes me somewhat pleased. I'm hoping that means I'm making a tiny bit of progress! Although my butt is sore, courtesy of squats and lunges.

In other news, I've been steadfastly ignoring the tape measure and the scale. I always weigh/measure myself too soon, and I get really discouraged when I don't see the changes I was hoping for. Within a week. Which makes no sense. And while I'm totally aware of the fact that it's illogical, I still can't help but feel really bummed out. And it makes me think,

Why am I doing this if nothing is happening?


So I just have to remember to tell myself that I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do for my body and my health. I'm doing this because I want to feel good again. I'm doing this because I want to look good again.

I think that's about it for me tonight, folks. Have a good one!

Day Three: Recipes & Variety

Hello one and all! So after I posted yesterday, I spent most of the night looking up clean recipes. You know, things like comfort foods made clean, desserts, pasta dishes, etc. In short, things I love to eat. I found a lot of good stuff! It was really nice to see that I can clean up recipes and still enjoy them. I found one recipe in particular I can't wait to try, which shouldn't surprise anyone who knows of my love of baking: lemon meringue cupcakes! They look divine, although I'm sure mine will look nowhere that good. But I'll still give them a shot!

Still on the subject of food, lots of good things were had today. Steel cut oats again for breakfast, with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries! This time, instead of a hard boiled egg, I scrambled one egg and two egg whites, then cracked a bunch of fresh pepper on top. Tasty stuff! For my afternoon snack, I had a handful of grapes and some almonds. For lunch, a chicken wrap on a whole wheat tortilla with a bunch of mixed greens, a single (TINY) pickle, and a bit of brown rice. It was okay, I've never been much of a salad person. Then after my workout, I had a chocolate-peanut butter-banana protein shake, in the cute new tumbler I got from work. For dinner, I had a delicious beef stew, with a couple potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, and peas. And whole wheat biscuits. I had one and a half, not the one I was supposed to. But they were so good, I couldn't just have one. And at least I didn't eat six like I usually would...

Dan and I went to a hockey game tonight. It was really fun, we actually won! But there was a lot of junk food around us. Popcorn, pizza, french fries... Although I noticed that that stuff kind of smelled sour after. The smell just lingered. Maybe it was just crappy arena food? Who knows. Oh well.

Workout today went okay. Did more push ups, although I still couldn't manage the decline push ups. Instead of pep talking myself today, I cursed relentlessly at Tony Horton. That's it for me tonight, though.

Good night to all!

Day Two: I Hate Having to Pee a MILLION Times a Day.

Hello everyone!

So today was day two, which meant only one thing to me: I had to run today. I'm doing the Couch to 5k program, which I've started a couple times before. Let me tell you, if you're like me and you fail at cardio of any kind, this is the way to go! Which brings me to a related point...

I absolutely loathe running. I hate how out of shape it makes me feel. I have never been a runner in the whole of my life. When we used to have to run to "warm up" in PE, that killed me. Cardio has never been my friend. And it was embarrassing, because I was skinny-fat. I looked like I could handle running, but just a lap in the gym got me breathing hard. I struggled through PE until high school, when I took Dance instead. That was okay. Some of the core strength stuff we did left me wanting to puke, and I was a hugely uncoordinated spaz, but I kind of struggled through everything regardless.

Even though I hate running because it makes me feel so fat, it's always been something that I wished I could do. I've always wanted to experience that "runner's high." It seems like it would be so relaxing. And easy to think. While your body pounds out a familiar rhythm, your mind is free to wander. But maybe it's just me. I hope I get to that point some day; for now when I run I give myself a mental pep talk:

You can do this. You are stronger than you think. Don't give up on yourself.


You know what else sucks? Having to pee a million times a day. I'm doing my best to drink all the water I'm supposed to, and my bladder is not used to it at all! Oh well. I'll adjust soon enough.


Anyways, this is a bit of an early post, but that's okay. I mean, I haven't had dinner yet, but I can assure you it will be clean! My mom is really good about helping me with that stuff. So have a good night, one and all!

Day One: Good Eats and Lots of Sweat.

Hello one and all! So today was day one of eating clean and exercising. My original intention was to alternate weights and cardio six days a week. Cardio was (and still is) training for a 5k run. Weights was supposed to be alternating upper body, full body, and lower body super sets. Instead of doing super sets this morning, I sweated along with Tony Horton in the Sculpt 3/4 DVD from the P90 program. It was hard!

The very first move had me feeling completely discouraged. A decline push up. I couldn't even do one, getting down as low as Tony was telling me to. I was feeling really bummed out. Then I realized that I was starting on Sculpt 3/4, not Sculpt 1/2. I didn't have a chance to build up my strength and whatnot like most people following the program would. So I stopped beating myself up, and I got down on the floor and did some push ups. Knees on the ground, but still. I did some push ups!

I pushed through the entire workout. But I made sure to know my limits. Although once or twice I definitely did pick up weights that were way too heavy. But I corrected that pretty quickly!

My eating was pretty good today. Breakfast: Steel cut oats with thawed strawberries (and their juice, yum) with a hardboiled egg and two big glasses of water (equal to one litre, I measured). For a post-workout snack I had some frozen red grapes and another big glass of water (two cups right there). For lunch, I had a mixed green salad with cut up chicken and a balsamic vinaigrette and another big glass of water (another two cups). For an afternoon snack, I had twelve almonds and a small Granny Smith apple with peanut butter. For dinner, I had half a chicken breast, sweet potatoes roasted with cinnamon and a pinch of brown sugar, and broccoli and baby tomatoes steamed with oregano and basil. With dinner, I didn't have water. I had a small glass of 1% milk. All in all, I'm feeling pretty good today!

Something not so good today: I decided to weigh myself, do my measurements, and take some pictures to compare my progress to. Everything in that regard was awful. I cried a lot, wondering how I let everything get so out of control. Lucky for me, I had my amazing boyfriend Dan to help pick up the pieces! I'm so glad to have such a great person in my life. He always knows exactly what to say to make me feel better. Even when I've squished myself into a bikini that barely holds the girls in, when I look like a stuffed sausage with tiny stubby legs, he tells me that I'm beautiful, and I always will be. Talk about a great guy! So I got him to take the pictures for me. And to bring myself out of meltdown mode, I kept telling myself:

You are not trapped in this body. You will not always look like this. You're taking steps in a great direction.

That thought definitely helped calm me down. So now, to bed. I have a really early wake up tomorrow morning for work. After work, the running begins!

Have a fantastic night, everybody!

Introduction: The Day Before I Change My Life!

Hello one and all! Before my journey really starts, I thought it would be nice I started this blog off by introducing myself, and letting everyone get to know a bit about me. So, here we go!

My name is Erin! I'm a 22 year old girl living in beautiful British Columbia. I'm five foot one, and my life needs a change! At 22, I'm a complete carb, sugar, fat, and salt junkie. If it's bad for you, there's a 99.9% chance that I will eat it and love it. Anything, seriously. You name it. I love chocolate, chips, candies, burgers, deep-fried anything, cheese, pasta, cookies, cakes, pies, cupcakes... This is no good for me, because I also love to bake!

About a month and a half ago, my mom and I started eating clean and exercising. We decided to start running, doing a Couch to 5k kind of program. On alternate days, we would also cycle and do resistance band exercises. We were eating clean with a cheat day a week. Well, I was. My mom had cheat meals. I liked the day format better! Anyways. So, for about two weeks, everything was awesome. I lost weight and inches almost immediately. In a week, I lost two inches off my waist. It was great!

Then my mom went back to Alberta for a family emergency. I tried to keep going without her, but it was so stressful and we were all so worried about her that everything just kind of... Fell by the wayside. I did run for the week she was gone, but I didn't eat anything that could be considered healthy AT ALL. I was cooking for three guys (my dad and two brothers) and I just caved in and ate what I made them. So, fast-forward to now: I've gained back all the weight (and then some). I feel tired and lethargic all the time.

A week ago, I decided that I am the kind of person who needs definite structure. I decided to make myself tables and charts and pages of exercises to do. I researched exercises, cardio, how to work my abs without hurting my back, everything. I've spent hours looking at clean eating recipes. I've spent hours looking up food substitutions-I'm a bit of a picky eater. I hate cucumbers, zucchini, raw tomatoes (I'll eat them cooked), raw peppers (I don't like them much better cooked, but I like the colour), watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, eggplant, and more things than I can even come up with off the top of my head. While I'm a picky eater, I'll try anything once!

That's all for tonight, I think. So read on, and see how my journey unfolds!