The Results are in!

Thanks to all of you who have continued reading the blog...it is you that keeps me motivated! I'm beginning to get this whole eating healthy thing down. I no longer crave sweets or bread and am not mad about making the right choice but my problem still remains with portion size.  I once heard it doesn't matter what you eat it matters how much you eat. Carrots may be healthy, but when you eat the entire bag it has lost the meaning of healthy. I've been super good about measuring my cereal and rice but when it comes to anything else, I'm failing hard. Like last night for example: we went to chipotle and I ordered a chicken salad with all the fixins' on it. It was super delicious but because I was always the "clean your plate" child, it is so hard for me to put down my fork and either toss it or save it for another meal!  Any help with this? I'm going to try Bob Harper's Skinny Rules to see if this will help me be able to control my portions a little better...and live a healthier life.

Like I said in my earlier post, I weighed in. My goal was to lose 4 lbs by the 2 week mark and I lost 3.6; close but not cigar. Kind of disappointing. I must say though that I did not exercise much at all and still need much help with my portion control but I'll take the baby step.  So with my current weight of 157.4 my next goal weight will be by my 22nd birthday, next Tuesday, to have lost 2.4 lbs to make it to 155. This would be a total weight loss of 6 lbs in 3 weeks.

I have decided for my birthday that I will not be drinking (alcohol). It is something that I know deep down I will regret and is not worth it. Also, for the 4th, although it will be hard, I'm praying there are plenty of fruit and veggie trays to keep my mind off of the other festive dips and munchies. Holidays are so hard.

I found some flexible measuring tape so I decided to take some measurements. I wasn't really sure the correct measurements to make so this is my Measuring in Layman's Terms: Boobs (36"), Under boobs (32"), Waist (30"), Belt (35"), Hips/Pones (40"), Upper Arms/Mashed Potatoes (12"), Thigh (21")

I'll have to refer back to this when I measure myself again...exactly one month from now!

Last night I watched Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. I used to love this show but haven't watched it in forever!! So inspiring! The woman on the episode last night was 30 years old and in 1 year went from 355 lbs to 148 lbs...that is 207 lbs in 365 days. HOLY COW!! During the show I decided to whip out my 8 pounder dumbbells and do a few reps. I felt like a lazy butt sitting on the couch watching someone work their ass of on tv so I figured I'd do my part to contribute.

Yesterday morning I decided to start something new: Couch 2 10k.  An iPhone app that trains you for a 10k race. Something I have always wanted to do. I've done many 5k's but no 10k's! I have tried this app before and have completed about half of it but have never finished. The first run is a warmup of 5 minutes and then alternating between 30 seconds of running and 4.5 minutes of walking for about 45 minutes. Now, this has always been one of the easier runs but at 9:30 AM in Texas heat...this is what I would imagine hell to feel like people. Completely drenched, nauseous, and awful! Who says they feel amazing after a workout...in 100 degree heat. No thanks. But I will keep it up, because it means a lot to me. 

Before I ran I found this website with so many good tips to running. Check it out! Find Your Motivation Chaffing is genetic in my family so I decided that wearing a good pair of spandex under my running shorts would be the best choice for me. It worked! I ran in my neighborhood, with lots of hills and I accidentally had the sound turned off for the app (that tells you when to walk and when to run) so I was walking for like 10 minutes to my music without hearing anything and thinking..hey this is pretty damn good. Oops! Have to turn on the sound Lauren! So I missed 2 runs but definitely made up for it on the run UP the last and WORST hill of the neighborhood. Ouch. I also ran an extra one at the end to my house.  On the run, I saw a 10 year old boy running on the opposite side of the street, little did he know, he was my inspiration. When I got home to stretch Jay baby wouldn't leave me alone. Poor baby needed some attention. So she lay at my head and pawed at my face.

 Today I will try running in the evening so hopefully it is not so miserable. If there is one thing I hate in this life it is the heat. I'm not one for summer...

Today I will be eating brown rice for dinner and will be starting to cook at home more. I should not be spending money that I don't have to eat out when I have rice and frozen chicken at home. Need to start eating more blackbeans, for the obvious of reasons; at least obvious to me. 

I really DO want to take picture but hate the "phone in the mirror" look and don't really feel comfortable asking my brother to take pictures...I don't know, we'll see!

One Fit Registered Nurse With Her License!

Well its official folks! I'm a BSN, RN (this is the correct way of order in case you were confused-your degree goes first, then your license, then your certification...Thanks Jed Nguyen). I took my boards last Wednesday, I didn't want anyone to know because I wanted to pass them for me and not for anyone else, or the stress of anyone else. I found out early Friday morning and just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw "pass" on my score. Ahhhh priority 1 complete. Now onto the job hunt. Any of you with contacts..send them my way ;)

I had a fabulous long weekend with Bricey with so many delicious foods. He really supports me and this whole health binge thing. Wednesday night we ordered out our favorite Chinese and I ordered the spicy hunan vegetables and a side of brown rice. Mmmm! For Thursday lunch, we had brown rice with baked chicken mixed in and for dinner we had grilled salmon, a 1/4 baked sweet potato, and pineapple.  We then took off for a date night at the drive-in. One of our favorite things to do 45 minutes north of the small town Bricey lives in. We watched the sunset which was absolutely beautiful before the movie started.  We saw Madagascar 3 and What to Expect When You're Expecting, both movies I've seen before. Totally recommend Madagascar 3 (again), without children this time, totally hilarious the 2nd time around when you can pay more attention to the movie and less attention to the amount of candy the kids have already inhaled.We munched on carrots and hummus, wasabi peas (YUM!) paired with water bottles.

 On Friday I found out I now obtain my Texas Registered Nursing license. So exciting..can't say it enough. No one understands how hard that test is unless you've been to nursing school. Bricey told me it was my night to celebrate so I could choose what we did for Friday date night. (side note: I've realized since we're doing this whole long distance thing that every night we're together is a date night). We called around and found a restaurant in OKC, Saii Asian Bistro, that serves brown rice sushi. SCORE! We headed out that way and found a farmer's market grocery store that we stopped at before dinner. Got Bricey excited about eating organic so we bought some rice chocolate milk, organic chocolate flavored and coffee flavored drinks, fruit twists, and brown rice chips. Once we got to the restaurant they had us seated immediately (thanks Bricey for the reservation ;)) We ordered edamame and 3 rolls (no tempura rolls of course) all substituted with brown rice instead of white. It is pretty awesome that this restaurant does ANY roll with brown rice.  The sushi was fabulous and I must say could not tell a difference between brown and white rice sushi. We headed back and passed out, so tired!

On Saturday, our lazy day, we slept in until 1:00, yes one o'clock peeee emmmmm. Did lots of chores around the house and just relaxed, I believe we ate chicken and rice again for lunch and for dinner Bricey and I made THE MOST AMAZING burger patties I have ever tasted in my life. With extra lean ground beef we made 4 thin patties added minced jalapeno (with the seeds taken out) and minced red onion) mixed inside the meat. Then we put a slice of pepper jack cheese in the middle and put another thin patty over  the cheese.  Grilled to perfection! Paired with sweet potato, baked beans, and pineapple! Fabulous dinner.

For dessert I decided to make something off of pinterest. I froze 3 bananas cut up into 1'' circles. A few hours later I blended the bananas in a blender (could use food processor) until creamy and served (mine plain, Bricey's with chocolate chips). He enjoyed, I wanted to barf bananas. It was good but for a regular at Braum's, I'd like to stick to my fro-yo

On Sunday, we got up and went to church. Something I always want to do on Sunday but for a late sleeper it is so hard! I really do love going to church (even in the crazy bible belt where most days they preach about who is going to heaven and who is going to hell). The topic today was depression. Interesting topic and I completely appreciate that they spoke on this because I don't think most churches would but there were a few things I disagreed with. All in all I'm glad we went. For lunch we made lettuce wraps. Southwest mustard, mesquite turkey, pepper jack cheese, tomato, and avocado! Totally filling.

We took a nap, or Bricey did at least, I pinterested. Long relaxing day and then for dinner I made BBQ baked chicken with  brussel sprouts and fruit salad. I adore brussel sprouts and this is a new addiction starting this past year. Today I bought 20 brussel sprouts (or 1 lb) and cut off the ends and then cut them in half long ways (down the white line). then just tossed them in a little olive oil and garlic salt until they were toasty brown on the bottom. So delicious. Paired it with fruit salad: strawberries, bananas, and pineapple! Both the strawberries and pineapple are AWESOME this season. Go getcha some!

I left town yesterday to come back to the city to babysit. I had Fuzzy's grilled veggie salad for lunch and cheerios for dinner. I was totally exhausted yesterday and took a nap for an hour in the morning and 4 hours when in the evening...may have to get that checked out sometime soon. Couldn't be good for me.

I had a bowl of cheerios this morning and a bowl of brown rice for lunch right now but I'm rushed to pick up the girls so I'll have to update tomorrow morning on everything else!

I weighed in and measured myself so the next post I'll let you know the results! Stay tuned ;)

Phase 2

Alright folks! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm BACK! One. Crazy. Week, Yall. Still haven't cheated, still on the health binge, still kickin'. I'm excited to weigh in on Monday because I think I've lost in my belly. I'm feeling confident and can't help but do a double take when I walk by a mirror :) I do wish I would have measured on day 1...maybe if I can get my hands on a tape measure I'll go ahead and do that.

Yesterday I surprised Bricey by coming to Duncan a day early and man did I get a reaction out of him.  I always give him a hard time because he has the worst of the worst reactions.  I parked my car down the street in the school parking lot and when he got off of work he called me. I muted the phone when he walked in the door so he didn't hear the door opening on the other end of the line and when he turned around...SUPRISE! IT'S ME! Deer in the headlights. Priceless. I told him I don't feel as safe when I'm with him because he should have freaked out a little more considering there was a body in the house that he wasn't expecting ;) So happy to be spending the rest of week/weekend with him.

Now, I won't go into meal detail for the last week because it was all pretty much the same thing with the oatmeal, rice, frozen yogurt, and healthy choices when I went out to eat.  I did however move to the next phase of the health binge yesterday because Tuesday was the last day of my 9 days (yay!)

This next phase is for 3 weeks! So I will be finished with this on July 11th, Bricey's birthday!. Remember...no alcohol allowed. This has not been an issue for me much but we did go out after the Rangers game (which was so fun) last Friday, I went to two bars and didn't have a DROP of alcohol! Yay for my 21 year old self :) One negative thing that I'm either 1. going to have to cheat or 2. really going to suffer is...My 22nd birthday is on July 3rd and I really would like to have my last 21st drink...stupid? Let me know!

                                                           Us at the Ranger game <3

For phase 2, continue with the vegetables. I've really been enjoying celery and hummus, carrots for my movie snack, and BEANS BEANS BEANS to keep me, well, regular. Now I'm going to list off a bunch of veggies and grains allowed but feel free to scroll on, this is just for reference: broccoli, collard greens, dark green leafy lettuce, kale, mesclun, romaine lettuce, spinach, watercress, acorn squash, butter squash, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, black beans, black eyed peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, corn, green beans, lentils, corn, green peas, lima beans, artichokes, asparagus, bean sprouts, beets, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, green/red peppers, mushrooms, okra, onions, parsnips, tomatoes, brown rice (2 cups of cooked rice every other day), avocado (1/2 per day maximum)

Now for meat. It is so hard for me to go without chicken...which is why I think I would have a hard time going vegetarian! Yesterday I enjoyed my FAVORITE salad from corner bakery, the chopped salad. It has chicken, avocado, and blue cheese with an AWESOME dressing. Yum!! Now the rule for meat is a serving size the size of a deck of playing cards, or for those of you who have a food scale (which I do not), 3-4 oz. Meat allowed includes: chicken (without the skin & not fried), turkey (baked without the skin), ground beef (extra lean or ground sirloin), sirloin steak (broiled), or lamb (broiled).

In this phase we can also add Seafood! My favorite food is sushi. I could eat it all day, everyday. However, remember...NO WHITE RICE! The only brown rice sushi I've ever found is sold at whole foods...let me know if you know of any other restaurant that serves brown rice sushi!! Seafood allowed includes: halibut, tuna, salmon <--YUMMY, snapper, and striped bass. For these fish, allow only a 3 oz. serving size, NOTHING FRIED. Also, shrimp (4 large), mussels (3 oz), Oysters (6-12), and clams (3)

Eggs! I said "NO" on Sunday to Father's Day brunch1  My mom made the family a sausage souffle casserole and I opted for fruit instead. I'm finally gathering the strength to deal with temptation in a healthy way :) For phase 2: 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg either scrambled, boiled, or poached is allowed. Yay!!

For milk & cheese: 2 & 1/2 cups of low-fat, skim, or soy milk. I'm not much of a milk drinker (only when I'm eating brownies, cookies, or cake which isn't an issue on this health binge.  Cheese (1 oz which is equivalent to 1.5 slices). And of course MY FAVORITE 6 oz low fat yogurt (2 times per day). Don't worry folks, I'm still getting my fill of Braum's...everyday which brings me to my next story.  Last Saturday, me and Bricey went to Six Flags with our friends and I was having a serious craving for my shake.  We tried to make it to Braum's after the Rangers game on Friday but with the traffic we couldn't make it. So we went well out of our way, finally found a Braum's in the middle of nowhere and ordered my shake...I wrote a "note" on my phone so I wouldn't forget the experience. Here's what it reads: "Braums just told me they don't have skim milk so I asked for 2%. They don't have 2% but 'their milk is already lowfat'. Then I get the shake and there is DEFINITELY chocolate syrup in there and they tell Bricey that they are out of chocolate frozen yogurt for his twist. So they totally made my medium chocolate shake made with chocolate frozen yogurt and skim milk no chocolate syrup please into a medium chocolate shake made with vanilla frozen yogurt and 'braums lowfat milk' with chocolate syrup. Oh and to top that off they gave me another flaccid straw. Braums you fail at life".  Needless to say, I was ticked..BUT I did drink it :-\ Lesson learned: stick to the large frozen yogurt twist in a cup.


Add cereal! Not gonna lie, the oatmeal is getting a little hard to eat. There were a few mornings that I just had a bowl of fruit because I didn't have the patience to force feed myself the oatmeal...I will be allowed 1 & 1/2 cups per day (cold) or 1/2 cup per day (hot). Cereal brands allowed include corn flakes, cheerios, oatmeal (blah), cream of wheat (ehh), total, bran flakes, life, rice crispies, puffed wheat, shredded wheat (YUM), wheaties, special K, and chex!

Now, 4 tsp of sugar or sugar substitute is allowed but I'm not a fan of adding sugar when something is naturally sweet...so I think that this add-in isn't that great

Spices and herbs: LOVE ME SOME SALT! 2 tsp allowed. Also, my mom heard recently (maybe on Dr. Oz?) that pepper helps burn belly fat and I really pour on the pepper. As much as you like :)

Flavorings: 2 tsp of fat free dressing, 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp of fat free mayo (!), and 2 pats of butter (2 tbsp). I definitely take advantage of that olive oil.  I like to grill veggies on the stove with olive oil and also olive oil+basalmic vinegar makes an great salad dressing

Drinks: at first I was excited about this but I decided to celebrate phase 2 yesterday with a DDP for dinner and I was a little disappointed with myself. Afterall, I suffered a caffeine headache for a week and finally got over it, PLUS my skin is LOVING the water :) However I am allowed 10 oz cup of coffee, 3 cups of tea, 5 cups of club soda, 2 cans of diet soda, 1 cup of freshly squeezed fruit juice, iced tea (no more than 2 packs of sugar substitute), flavored seltzer or tonic water (unlimited), and unlimited water! I am a big fan of perrier with lime. It is carbonated water with just enough flavor and so fab.With the drinks I think you are allowed 1 of these options, you can't have coffee, 3 cups of tea, AND 2 cans of soda silly!

I hate to be a debbie downer but here is the list of foods not allowed: white rice, white potatoes, bread/english muffins, white/whole wheat pasta, pastries/donuts/danish, cake, cookies, brownies, ice cream, potato chips/corn chips, tortilla chips, popcorn, chocolate, bacon, sausage, ALCOHOL, fried food, fast food, regular soda, sweetened juices (bottle or can), milkshakes, frappuccinos, cafe latte or cappuccino. 

Just a few tips. Don't eat the same fish or meats twice in the same day. Try to separate the meats by at least a meal. Try to leave some of the food on your plate when you get up from the table (this has always been an issue for me). Only snack on fruits and veggies after dinner. Remember, portion size, less is more!!

I promise to write more from now on...

Becoming a regular

Has a child ever asked you if you were pregnant? Well that just happened and it sucks as much as it sounds like it would...Thank God I started this health binge this week and that I know I'm on the road to a size 00 (don't do a double take you saw my double zeros correctly). Sorry I didn't blog  yesterday, I didn't cheat I promise but I was so pooped when I got to bed last night that I just crashed! So to Kellie Parnell who was waiting up until the wee hours of the night for my blog to post...I do sincerely apologize ;)

Yesterday was an alright of a day. I had my same ol' oatmeal for breakfast, ordered Zoe's Kitchen for lunch (my ALL time favorite). Last summer they had my ordered memorized and knew my face when I walk in the door and for a healthy restaurant..I was proud :) If you haven't tried it out, check you're local listings (I've always wanted to say that) and check it out!! For dinner I enjoyed a salad from Chipotle which I had no idea that they served brown rice but they do...may not be healthy though (read below)

 Today started out an already fabulous day because Bricey comes down for the weekend. Woke up and ate my oatmeal, studied a little, and headed out to get the girls. Decided I'd make it a fun day and took them to Chick-fil-A...my biggest fight for temptation for the day and huge accomplishment, and a movie.  For those who know me, know I could DRINK chick-fil-a sauce out of the container.  Each container is worth 150 calories and that right there could make you sick to your stomach. But. it. is. so. GOOD! So I decided to opt out by ordering nothing for me and 2 kids meals for the girls.  Also, this has never happened to me before but I believe it was God's way of seeing just how strong I'd be with this health binge but this lovely looking lady was handing out "free samples of our chocolate chip cookies" but they weren't samples they were the whole damn cookie. So the girls got one and I took one home for Bricey. Didn't. even. touch it! Thank you God I passed temptation for the day!!!!!!!

We then drove over to Walmart to grab a few things. I'm completely and utterly OBSESSED with chips and hummus. Would marry it if I could, and became fixed on chips that are only sold at walmart...because that was the only thing in my little small town where i went to school. So now back in the city I have to find a walmart to get these chips but they are FABULOUS!!! They are BROWN RICE chips and the brand is "Riceworks". They have seasalt flavor (the blue bag) which is my favorite and amazing with hummus, they also have sweet chili which I had to get today because it was the only flavor left. It wasn't as good with hummus but I've tried it before with salsa and it is pretty good. They are also gluten free so I know there is no wheat products in them. So good. Mmmm

My favorite hummus (besides the hummus from Zoe's Kitchen) is Sabra hummus-classic flavored. I could eat it with a spoon it is so good. So I got some of that and I also got a bag of carrots for my movie snack.  I let the girls pick out their movie candy and some water bottles and we headed out. I had to eat quickly in the car so we could make it to our next adventure but it was an okay lunch.

We headed to the movie, Madagascar 3, with the windows down and the music volume up. Now, if you ever want to be labeled as the coolest person ever in the eyes of a child, I recommend doing this. Very inexpensive and so fun.

They. loved. it. Finally got to the movie and ate my whole bag of carrots, don't judge. Also the movie was hysterical and not bad for a sequel!

When I got home from picking up the girls, Dr. Oz was on.  Some guy that was some author of some diet...sometimes I have trouble paying attention...was talking about the importance of certain foods. He said that fiber is important in your diet because it keeps you full and gives you that hour glass figure that is so gorgeous (not so gorgeous when your hips take over a little more than they should of the lower half but I digress).  It also helps keep your regular. Now, when I first heard the term "regular" when I was a tween..I thought it meant that foods like Activia, made you have your period. WRONG. The word regular, people, means you take nice long poop, yes I'm talking shapes here, everyday. Which brings me to my next topic. Any of you out there know about the BRAT diet? Bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast. Well this is the diet for the patients who have diarrhea because it really firms you up...get it ;) So when I'm eating 3 of the 4 items you can only imagine the curse words my bowels would love to confront me with...if they could move. This is where the importance of black beans are involved. Oops! Forgot to be eating those...I did have some yesterday with my Chipotle salad though and my body thanked me. I've had lots of fiber today so during Dr. Oz I decided to celebrate in the bathroom. So sorry for all of you out there who are uncomfortable with talking about bowel movements but you signed up for it when you started reading a blog with the word "nurse" in it! It's natural...so punny!

Dr. Oz also talked about how brown rice and restaurants could be the unhealthiest choice because many restaurants use butter to cook their rice in. So from now on...always ask before you order and if they look at you like you're crazy...don't order it!

Tonight me and Bricey and a bunch of his college friends are catching up at the Rangers game! So fun, so hot, so Texas <3

More to come tomorrow!

Flaccid straws

"Before" pictures are coming soon, I just haven't had a second do take them. Been crazy busy seems like.  I'm ready for everything so slow down a bit so I can enjoy my summer...

I stole a few packets of regular oatmeal from Bricey's house and drove 3 hours back to the city! I ate a bowl of maple brown sugar oatmeal and a green apple for breakfast. I enjoyed an egg white scramble mixed with vegetables from a fabulous little hole in the wall restaurant with the kiddos today.  I had a red apple for a snack and ended the afternoon with a serious migraine but a little nap did the trick. 

Woke up to some crazy hail outside. The newscasters were saying baseball sized hail but the biggest piece I saw was between the size of a ping pong ball and a golf ball...

My older brother, Cameron, and I went to Fuzzy's tacos for din.  Ever been?  The first time I went I was on this health binge and so the only thing I could eat in the restaurant was the "grilled veggie salad" with the house dressing and each time I go back that is the only thing I get health binge or not because it is so yummy. I totally recommend it to all of you out there.

Packed up Jay in the car and had a "date" with Bricey...we both drove to Braum's at the same time, different city, just like old times and ordered our ice cream in the drive thru and waited for each other to get their ice cream (or fro-yo) and then cheers(ed) to each other...or the radio :) Its the little things in life! I thought Braum's gave out little doggy cups with vanilla ice cream but nope! Poor Jay was so darn freaked out by the whole thing she was turning in circles the whole time. Like I said, she gets a little freaked out by the out of norm things...and this trip was out of the norm. So they gave me a straw to go with my shake but failed to mention they were out of the normal pink braum's straws so they gave me a crappy flaccid (medical term for limp) straw that wouldn't allow me to suck the thick milkshake up into my mouth. So! I drove to the nearest McDonalds, walked in, grabbed a straw, and walked out. If you ever felt the need to get a weird look, I recommend doing that one day....

Speaking of braums, I know I mentioned my shake order yesterday but thought you should know a little history of my complicated orders.  Its the joke between my friends and I how complicated every one of my orders are.  I'm not the type of person that complains about service or food or anything of that nature but my orders always tend to be a little on the long side.  For example my hot starbucks order is "a grande nonfat extra hot caramel macchiato with only 1 pump of vanilla".  My cold starbucks order is "a grande nonfat iced caramel macchiato with light ice".  My braum's ice cream order is "large frozen yogurt twist in a cup". My braum's shake order is "a medium chocolate shake made with chocolate frozen yogurt and skim milk, no chocolate syrup please". You really have to emphasize the no chocolate syrup (right Holly Botts?!), otherwise it tastes like chocolate milk and by the time you finish your shake, you're doing donuts in the braum's parking lot...My precious boyfriend has all of these orders memorized, which makes him even more of a gem. Love love love.

Still think my body is experiencing withdrawal from no caffeine, after all, I was drinking like 2 cups of coffee and 2 DDPs a day...my poor body.  My plan tomorrow is to walk to hills in the morning and maybe even the lake...one of my favorite things to do here in the city, and the sunset is so pretty on the lake.  Totally looking forward to this weekend! Only 2 more days :)

Mr. Romantic

We'll start off this post with my dream, or nightmare, if you will.  Every time I start a health binge, my mind obviously obsesses over it and I am constantly thinking about it and I have nightmares that I cheated on the health binge. So, this morning I was totally disappointed with myself that I had a piece of pizza and would have to write on the blog tonight about my sinful meal. Thank goodness this was the case.  On a side note, and I'll just put a real quick WATCH OUT for any young eyes reading, I haven't shared with you one important item on my bucket list, and that is to one day see a cow mount.  I really thought that this would have happened in the 2 years I spent in the small town where I completed my nursing school, but it was a no go. So each time I drive past a field of cows, I practically drive off the road screening the field. Luckily, after I had my cheating nightmare last night, I finally got to see a cow mount for the first time; sadly, it was only a dream. 

After last night's post, I realized I forgot to mention some things, so we'll catch up on that real quick.  I weighed in on day one at 161.0.  I will not weigh in again for another 2 weeks because I know my body is building muscle with exercising and jump-starting its metabolism so when I weigh in on June 25, I would like to be at 157. That is a total of 4 lb with a loss of 2 lbs a week.  I think that is a realistic goal for the first 2 weeks!  Also, I did not get a chance to sign up for the Bikram yoga so that still remains on my list of things to get done!

Today I had complete intentions to get up at 7:00 however, I slept in until 10:00.  Oopsies :( Today, with the oatmeal, I tried something new to make it taste better. I thought if I added more water, the consistency wouldn't be as chewy and maybe a little more tolerable. WRONG! It only absorbed more water, making my breakfast bigger. Oh well, I choked it down for day 2, enjoyed my banana, and drank a large glass of water before heading out to watch the kiddos.

I ate my leftover brown rice (1 cup) with soy sauce for lunch paired with carrots, grapes, and blueberries.  The girls I sit for cleaned their room again and as a bribe (yes you must bribe kids to clean) I took them to braum's.  Now, for everyone who read my post yesterday would appreciate that for my "medium chocolate shake made with chocolate frozen yogurt and skim milk, no chocolate syrup...please" and 2 kiddie cups of chocolate cookie dough for the girls it was only $4.95. Thank you Braum's for not ripping my pockets out.

After I dropped off the kiddies, I headed toward the border to meet my sweetheart, on the way deciding I'd not just go halfway but the whole 185 miles.  Being the usual soulmate he is, Bricey made my favorite salad for the both of us: lettuce, pickled red bell peppers, pickled banana peppers, capers, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and feta cheese (yum!) topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing! So scrumptious :) He also had a flower bouquet and candle lit on the dinner table. Mr. Romantic. So in love <3

After dinner we went to the movies to see Men in Black 3 with our snacks: a bag of carrots and 2 water bottles, much different from the milk duds and DDP that I used to enjoy at the movies!  I calculated and for a  decent sized bag of baby carrots it was only 175 calories and we both munched on them! I thought that was a pretty good steal!

Now I get to enjoy the night with my love before heading back to the city tomorrow! Excited about the real oatmeal in Bricey's cabinet tomorrow that I get to enjoy...and I may just steal a few packages for the week to come for that matter...

I missed my workout for the day, which just means I have to work harder tomorrow! So worth it today.

Meet my other half

Day 1 went really well. No temptations today which is always a plus.  I was a little under the weather later this afternoon but I'm glad I got my exercise in this morning so I didn't have an excuse!

I woke up super early, and super early to me is 7:00am so I'll take pride in that thank you. I sat down at the table, which is totally depressing when it is just you and yourself. I choked down some "Weight control" maple brown sugar instant quaker oatmeal. Side note: I am a big fan of oatmeal but I'm telling you now DO NOT get the weight loss crap. It is sick nasty and not worth the the few grams of protein you get extra in the weight loss oatmeal compared to the original...and they are the same amount of calories. Bad news: it is the only oatmeal in the pantry so I will be choking it down for the rest of the week.  I paired breakfast with a banana and thank god for that banana because it helped dilute the crap tasting oatmeal. Word of advice: I wouldn't ask the sarcastic question of whether or not I've tasted crap...to a nurse. You never know what answer you're gonna get.

After the lovely breakfast, I cleaned up, grabbed my 5 lb pair of hand weights and walked out the front door headed for the neighborhood hills. I walked for an hour without my iPhone meaning no texting, talking, or music. It was actually quite pleasant and allowed me to wave and say good morning to 16 neighbors...yes I counted. I'm almost positive that my arms will be sore tomorrow but I'd like to think I'm getting my definition back in my legs. That is one positive thing about my body: I will beat you in a calf contest any day with my dancer legs. 

I only got a few hours of studying in before I had to pick up some kiddos from VBS and spend a few quality hours with them. But I did get to cook my brown rice for lunch (an art that I have perfected).  I always eat my brown rice with soy sauce.  Yes it adds a little extra...or a lotta extra sodium to the meal but I'd rather enjoy my brown rice rather than choke it down.  I also had a bowl of strawberries and blueberries.  After completing some chores with the girls I treated them to fro-yo (frozen yogurt for you rookies). We went to Tutti Frutti...it was really good frozen yogurt and supposedly soy but I still prefer yogurtland to any fro-yo shops I've ever tried..and yogurtland still beats anyone on their prices...YIKES 3 bowls of froyo for $12! That's 3 gallon tubs of froyo at braums! Lord Almighty this girls on a budget!

I had serious intentions of studying when I got home but like I said...wasn't feeling well so I took a nap for 3 hours :-\ I have always been a napper and pretty sure always will be. Like the questions that nurses ask: "do you take a nap during the day?" if it is out of the ordinary for someone to nap then there is a problem, but if they have always done it, LET EM' SLEEP!

I had a dinner date with my daddy at Jason's Deli. Ordered the salad bar: spring lettuce mix with spinach. I threw on some tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, banana peppers, carrots, and about 1/2 a tablespoon of feta cheese (my one "cheat" of the day I guess you could call it, but I just cant eat a salad without cheese!) topped with italian dressing.  I also had a side of cottage cheese (my milk of the day...and a weakness of mine) and apples.

When I got back home from dinner I took baby Jay, a.k.a Jaden (for those of you who don't know me that well she is my precious dog who is so stinkin weird and socially awkward but I am totally obsessed with her) for a 20 minute walk around a little pond in my neighborhood. Some creepers were walking behind us so not only was I a little freaked but so was the Jay. The video below is my other half. She is freaked by anything and everything that isn't "supposed" to be where it usually is. In this case, it was an empty bag for a heating pad laying on my floor. She never usually bites anything she just touches her nose to it and jumps back. God I fricken love her...

I'd say that was one successful day, wouldn't you?! Tomorrow me and Bricey are meeting halfway to have a date night so it will be interesting making healthy decisions for our meal and saying no to milk duds and DDP at the movies. Stay tuned :)

Here goes nothin'

So it is 12:22 am on Sunday night (or Monday if you wanna get all pc on me) and I decided Monday is the day. I like to start my diets on Monday because I read somewhere that people who start diets on Mondays are more likely to stick with it so here goes nothin'. But we'll start with a little somethin about myself. I just received my bachelors of science in nursing and am preparing myself for the world of nursing.  Now anyone can agree that the college lifestyle is not the healthiest. Late night snacks...or meals in my case, staying up until 4am, waking up at 3pm, too much drinking, too much stress, and although you think it's over when you graduate high school...too much drama. I hit my max weight my sophomore year in college of 160 and lost 30 pounds but quickly regained it my second semester of junior year by not maintaining a healthy lifestyle, letting the stress of nursing school get to me.

I'm ready to start my next journey and there are many changes in order for this journey to begin however for the girl who is hesitant to change, these changes may be difficult:

1. I have moved out of the small town where I lived during nursing school and back in with my parents in the city until I can find a job (which trust me, I say a long prayer every night that somehow, someway God will allow this to happen SOON).

2. I am currently looking for a job. Who knew right? You always hear on the news that "nurses are in high demand" and "will always have a job". Well when every hospital's positions require experience...but I have no experience because I am a new graduate, it is a bit hard to get experience. Complicated. Frustrating. But learning to practice my patience is healthy...I guess and staying positive. I am keeping my options open and frequently putting my resume out there!

3. I am also studying for boards to receive my registered nursing license. And unless you are a nurse, were a nurse, or in nursing school, NO ONE understands the difficulty, challenging, and complete insanity of the NCLEX. Right now this is my number one priority. Prayers are greatly appreciated.

4. Transitioning from a short distance (less than a mile) to a long distance (185 miles) is going to super difficult. This change is a big one for me. I don't know where I will end up, although Bricey is willing to move and completely supportive of me.  We will be traveling to see each other often until I can obtain a permanent address.

Now onto the challenge.  The past 2 years I have been on and off diets, literally TRYING to stay on a diet at least twice a month. Staying busy with school, working at a hospital, and trying to feed myself and my boyfriend all while maintaining a social life, has been difficult. Each attempt I go back to the diet that I lost all the weight in the previous time. 

The first 9 days consisted of all fruit (any quantity), all vegetables (any quantity: expect no white potatoes or avocado), chick peas, tofu, lentils, BROWN rice (2 cups of cooked per day), Low-fat/skim/soy milk (2 cups per day), Oatmeal (1 cup a day), any herbs and spices, 6 oz of low fat yogurt (2 times a day), 4 egg whites per day, 2 cups of herbal tea, and ALL the water you want :) This means NO alcohol (which is quite difficult when you are 21, in college, and have a busy social life in a small town). Also no white rice, meat, fish, cheese, bread, raisins, nuts, dried/preserved fruit, candy, popcorn, chips, ice cream (but you can have FROZEN YOGURT!), juice, soda (no regular OR diet), coffee, sports drinks, milkshakes, whole eggs or yolks, fried/fast food. This phase is meant to cleanse your body and jumpstart your metabolism.

This will be the start to my diet tomorrow. And as of now the word "diet" will now be "health binge".  My spin instructor wrote this health binge for me and my mom 2 years ago and we were super successful. It was one of those health binges that would be easily maintained (if you didn't go off the deep end like I did) and I think I have learned from my mistakes.  Portion control is a huge one for me. I may know how to eat healthy but portion control is key, a lesson I must learn quickly. I will go over the next "phase" after I successfully complete the 9 days. This next week should be somewhat easy in that I will be able to cook from home for most of the 9 days.

As for the exercise plan: I have a friend who teaches a local cardio class that I will attend. I also will be signing up for Bikram yoga tomorrow. And for those of you who have not heard of Bikram, it is a yoga class in a room set to 105 degree heat. The facility I was a member at previously had an hour and a half classes where you felt like a fairy afterwords because it was so liberating. I also enjoy taking walks up and down the hills of my neighborhood with arm weights. I would like to take a class or walk for an hour every day.

I will be weighing in tomorrow (June 11), sharing results, and will wait 2 weeks until my next weigh in (June 25). Then from there I will weigh once a week on the same day each week. I have my first goal in mind but need to know my specific weight to make a specific goal. As we were taught in nursing: small obtainable goals are best! 

I am prepared for the challenges I will face in these next 9 days: caffeine headaches (completely addicted to coffee and DDP-diet dr. pepper for those rookies out there), saying no to mom's cooking, making healthy decisions if I eat out, and making myself get up and exercise daily.

I am confident that this blog will bring me motivation, therapy, and success. I am ready for the new me. Bring it on.