My P90X Journey

I ordered P90X last week and I finally got it in the mail this week.  Not going to lie, I was extremely pumped about trying the new version out.  I went to my Mom's house this week so my sister could take my measurements and pictures, then we were all planning on going to dinner together.

So, I put on my bathing suit and stood in front of a wall and had my sister take the pictures.  I am not quite sure what I was expecting, but the pictures were much worse than I ever imagined.  How in the world does someone let themselves go this far?  I have been putting off "being healthy" for too long.  Seems like everyday I am telling myself, "I'll start tomorrow" and tomorrow never comes.  I suppose taking these pictures really lit a fire and I feel more motivated than ever.  I just cannot do this to myself any longer.  That night, rather than going out to dinner, I went home and cooked a healthy dinner for myself. 

Currently, I am only on day two of P90X, but I feel very optimistic about the program.  I am tracking what I eat and trying very hard to stay away from all those delicious carbohydrates.  I am going to also try to blog more often because I really need to keep myself accountable.  I am not going to wait for tomorrow any longer....today is the day :)

4 lbs Lighter...I Could Get Used To This!

So, week one complete on Weight Watchers and I am down 4 lbs! I won't lie, it is much harder than I thought.  I  just never realized how much I actually eat while watching TV at night.  Mindless munching really adds up!  During the week, it is much easier to eat healthy and stick to the plan because I am on a schedule. This weekend however, was a completely different story.  I went out to eat several times and was not on a schedule what so ever.  My biggest downfall is that when I do go out to eat, I have a really hard time making healthy choices.  Sure, I know what I *should* order, but do I actually order it? No!

This week, my goal is to limit my going out to eat to one meal.  This will be a stretch for me because I tend to go out to eat quite a bit with a coworker during lunch.  I always take my lunch to work, but when the opportunity to go out to eat comes along, I never pass it up.  Today, I brought some grilled chicken with fresh vegetables for lunch and plan to actually eat it rather than going out.  Not only will this goal help my waistline, it will also help out my wallet ;)

Also, if anyone has good suggestions about how to curb the nighttime snacking, I would love to hear it!

Wish me luck!

Weight Watchers

In the past few years, I have noticed that my body reacts more to food than exercise.  I can exercise all I want, but if I don't change my eating habits, nothing is going to change.  Since September,  I have loosely followed the Weight Watchers plan.  I have not officially signed up, but I have been tracking all of my points in a small black journal. 

Along with everyone else, I have decided to watch my diet in 2011.  I have been following the plan strictly since the first of the month and already, I am down three pounds.  I love the Weight Watchers PointsPlus plan because it really forces you to keep track of the amount of protein, carbs, fats and fiber you are putting into your body.  This plan also forces you to keep track of portion sizes.  I have been measuring every thing I eat lately, and I find it so interesting how small portions actually are.  Before, I would always look at calories, fats, etc, but I never actually looked at the portion sizes.  Ritz crackers for example, sure, the whole wheat crackers are only 70 calories. But when you actually look at the portion size, it is only FIVE crackers! That is not a lot!

So far, I am loving the new PointsPlus plan and am very excited about what the future holds :)

Christmas List

What is on your Christmas List this year? New shoes? A new iPod? This year my Christmas List consists of three things. Grey’s Anatomy Season 6, a new DVD player and coffee/end tables for my living room. Basically, my list consists of totally unnecessary, material things. I don’t know about you, but I also tend to spend a ton on ridiculous Christmas decorations for my apartment. Every surface of my apartment is covered in snowmen, Christmas lights and other red and green decorations. I even went as far as buying a rhinestone encrusted Hello Kitty stocking for myself. Totally unnecessary.

My new stocking.



I came into work this week to notice a bulletin board full of gifts to donate for the Holiday Gift Drive. To be honest, I normally walk right by Gift Trees and Gift Drives because I feel like I have enough Christmas shopping to do for my family. Selfish, right? Well, today, I stopped just to look. Two of the gifts caught my eye. One was for a Mom and all she wanted was makeup and the other was for a Pre-Teen and wanted manicure supplies. How simple. I can’t even count the number of nail polishes I have sitting in a container in my apartment. As for makeup, I spent a whole $100 dollars on a huge metal tote to put all of my makeup in. Makeup and manicure supplies are staple items in my apartment. For these two individuals, makeup and manicure supplies are luxuries items that they cannot afford. 

I pulled these two names off of the bulletin board this year and I might even grab a couple more. Their wants are so simple and things that I take for granted every day. Why not donate gifts and give the less fortunate their simple Christmas wish? I understand people’s wallets are bare this time of year like mine, Christmas is expensive. Skip that morning latte this week and put that money toward a better cause. I look forward to going out and buying makeup and manicure supplies for these two individuals this weekend. Hopefully these gifts will put a smile on their faces this Christmas :)

Moderation is Your Friend

I have been struggling lately with this concept of moderation. Whether it be with eating or working out, I want all or nothing. If I don't have time to do a 90 minute workout or more, I tend not to go at all. This is an attitude that I have struggled with for a while now and it really needs to change. Lately, every time I go to the gym and workout, I leave in pain. I ran four miles at the gym yesterday and finished off with an hour on the elliptical. Today, my knee feels so weak that it is on the verge of dislocating. Why am I not satisfied with four miles?

I have had a few people ask me if I am going to try to train and run a marathon soon. To be honest, I am so scared. If I don't get this moderation issue under control, I am going to end up hurting myself like I have in the past. I tend to try and "beat" my training schedule. If it says "Run 4 miles", I will end up running 5 just because I can. The point of a training schedule is not to beat it.

My struggle with moderation will not stop me from reaching my goals to be a marathoner. I suppose I need to take each day one at a time and remember too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing.

A Kind Gesture

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This week has been a stressful one and it is only Wednesday! Yesterday, I received a delivery every at work. Flowers and a teddy bear with a kind note attached. I find it so amazing how my day can go from sour to sweet within just a few moments. This kind gesture completely made my day and left a permanent smile on my face. Just makes me think, how often do I go out of my day to bring a smile to someones face? I can answer that for you. Not often enough. From now on, I am going make a special effort everyday to bring a smile to someones face.

Have you made someone smile today? :)

Long Time, No Blog

Wow! Time sure flies when you are busy! Life has been full of wonderful changes lately. Since the last time I blogged, I graduated college with a double major in Finance and Economics, I moved back to the city, started a new job and I bought a puppy. Life has been nothing less than fabulous.

I would like to introduce my new puppy. Her name is Sadie and she is a seven month old long haired Chihuahua. I have never had a pet of my own before and never intended on buying a puppy at this age. But once I met her back in July, I couldn't let her go. Five months later and I still think Sadie was the best purchase I have ever made. She is full of spunk and personality and she truly brings me joy.

That is all for now. Life is good :)