New chapters!

Okay so!

I'm officially a college graduate, and I'm officially moved back in my mom's house for a couple weeks until my summer job starts. Good news about this- my mom tends to cook really healthy, with lots of veggies at each meal! We also live right by a bike path, so I went for a nice walk this morning. I'll probably do some yoga and such later too. I'm going to try and do this every day too. Yaay!

I'll be moving in for my summer internship in a few weeks, which is going to be a whole other kinds of challenging. Meals are provided five days out of the week. Lunch is usually food bank food, which is full of calories to make up for the kids who maybe don't get to eat breakfast or dinner. Low income and such. Dinner is usually provided by little other church ladies, meaning it's fried, pizza, with lots of dessert. And generally bad for you. So I'm going to make myself a list of rules to help me get along this summer and not gain the weight I've lost and more.

1. Always double up on fruits and vegetables. Even if they're green beans, eat them. You'll feel better.

2. Avoid desserts at all costs. Unless it's homemade banana pudding or something, those cookies aren't going to taste as good as you hope they will.

3. Get to the gym as much as possible. Things get crazy and sometimes you don't have the time, but go as much as possible. You'll feel better about life.

4. Do yoga as much as possible before bed.

5. Avoid those morning trips to Chick-fil-a and Starbucks. Especially Starbucks. You don't even like coffee, and caffeine makes you crazy.

If I think of any others... I'll add them. Still working hard!

Vegetables, yes!

Things have been going well. I went and worked out four days last week. I went and did Zumba yesterday, but I skipped this morning. I accidentally messed up my foot yesterday, and then Zumba'd on it, pushing me to the point of limping. I decided skipping the gym this morning was in my best interest. Besides that, I'm totally exhausted because of hormonal type things. I mean, went to be a little before 11 last night, work up briefly at around 12:30 when my boyfriend came home and acknowledged him, then fell back asleep. I even slept a little later until about 9 today too. Still exhausted. Oh well. I did go to yoga today though! Also, I think my roommates took her bike home this weekend :( No more biking for me.

I'm trying this thing where I'm actively eating more vegetables. I'm trying to make my lunches almost entirely vegetables. Today I had some tabouli my mom gave me this weekend and some carrots and hummus. I have a lot of leftover frozen vegetables, so I'm thinking I'm going to start eating this for lunch. I'm also making sure I get my salad each night at dinner, so that's another nice bunch of veggies. Om nom nom.

Not a whole lot else going on here. Trying really hard to work on my candy consumption, especially after my mom got my so much yummy Easter Candy! But hopefully me offsetting that with healthier snacks is going to help with that. Yay!

Working working working!

Phew, busy.

Just got back from Zumba, which I mistakenly ate dinner about an hour and a half before Zumba. I made it through, but it was less than fun. Moral of story- tough it out and don't eat until after working out. Also, I'm going to go on a bike ride again tomorrow morning. Yaaaay.

I think I've gained back a few pounds. Either that or I'm retaining water because of my hormones and stuff. I know your weight can fluctuate a lot due to water, so I'm not terribly worried, but it still bums me out. I've been feeling kind of down on my body recently, and I think it's because I fell off the working out thing (though I'm getting back on it now!) But every time I do Zumba or something, I feel everything jiggling around and it makes me so self conscious. I mean, I know you're supposed to have some body fat, especially women, but my butt jiggling around makes me especially self conscious. I gain weight in my butt, hips and thighs, so that where all my fat is, jiggling around. Though the good news, supposably it's better to gain weight in those areas instead of on your stomach, in terms of heart health.

Also, eating better is getting hard, because I'm moving in two weeks and I don't want to buy all sort of random food. I'm making fried rice style quinoa tomorrow though, so I'm excited about that. Nice vegetarian dish, and I know it'll make me feel good. I think once I move out to California (since that's when I'll really have control over my diet again) I'm going to try and start eating vegetarian two or three times a week. We'll see if that works out though.

Also, there's a 10 pound cheesecake in my refrigerator. That's right, 10 pounds of New York style cheesecake, in my apartment. My roommates gets one every year for her birthday. Oh dear... temptation temptation.

Cycling FTW

I know, I know, I've failed at updating this thing with any sort of consistency. BUT things are still going well. I've been kind of bad about going to the gym, and this weekend I was gone at a retreat and ate a bunch of junk, but I'm getting back on track. Plus, two people in the past week have told me I look skinny! Hooray!

I went to Zumba Monday, but my friend who leads the class had a commitment at the normal time for Zumba today, so I was just going to hit the gym for an hour. Then I went outside and realized it was BEAUTIFUL outside. So I thought maybe I would go for a walk, but I live in a kind of sketchy area. Then it dawned on me- my roommate has a bicycle. I could go cycling around campus and in the neighborhoods! My last cycling experience about a year ago was less than pleasant, but I figured I could make on the roads, since last time I went off roading and ran into a million trees.

It was a AWESOME choice! I had a good time, I can tell I got a good workout because I only cycled for half an hour but was beat when I got back, plus I feel like I'm building muscle in my legs, which is great since all my fat hangs out in my legs, butt, and thighs. I did a little research on the benefits of cycling as well, and I think I'm going to stick with it for the next few weeks until I move back home. I do wish there was a better spot to do it here, but I got spoiled since I grew up right next to a bike path. I'm also thinking that maybe when I move to California I might buy a bike. I can go biking in the vineyards! Huzzah!

Alright, got to do laundry and get cleaned up from my ride. I have some left over minestrone soup and a salad for dinner- yum yum! Maybe some popcorn later if I feel like treating myself.

Over and out!

I'm alive, I swear

Yikes! Things got so crazy, this blog kind of fell by the wayside. I had a theatre conference, spring break, ended up last minute stage managing a show, and all sorts of other stuff. Also, I have a job, so I'll be graduating from college with a guaranteed one year of employment. I'm going to be working in Dallas this summer (my hometown) and then I'm moving all the way to California for an internship out there. Talk about motivation- I need to get my California body ASAP! In any case though, I'm so lucky to be graduating with not one but two jobs. Most people can't say that in this economy.

In any case, I've been eating okay. I didn't work out for like... a month though, which was lame. I've picked the habit back up this week though, so all is good. The challenge I'm facing right now is since I'm moving in about a month, I don't want to be buying a ton of new food, so I'm trying to live off of what I have right now and buy as little as possible. That means a lot of rice, chicken, and what have you. Obviously I'll have to be buying some food, but I'm trying to make moving an easy process. I actually have no idea what to make for dinner tomorrow, so I'll be searching through some recipes today trying to find something. I think something with asparagus is sounding tasty though- on nom nom.

Also, on the subject of moving to California- more good news. I'm going to have gym access for at least another year, since I can get it during my summer internship as well as with my one in Cali in September. No idea how much time I'll actually have to go to the gym, but it's nice to have the option. Also- SO EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE GOOD FOOD IN CALI. Fresh produce, organic markets, I can't wait. I'm going to be dirt poor too, so maybe that'll help me lose weight too (joking, of course). I know things are going to be crazy for the next year, but I'm excited, and I think reaching my weight loss goal is totally possible.

Even though I haven't updated, I've kept off the weight I've loss, and I've noticed my jeans are fitting a little looser. Even my dress jeans, which are normally really tight, fit pretty comfortable now. I'm really glad. The progress is slow, but I'm feeling good.

I promise more updates will happen. Over and out!

I love cooking!

So, things are going well. I didn't get to the gym for the last three days due to being really overloaded with projects, but I'm going to go today. Also, my roommate bought a scale, so I'm gonna weight myself later and see if I've lost any weight or if my jeans feeling large is just an illusion. Good news! Scale says I'm at about 136, meaning I've lost three pounds! This is really encouraging!

I feel like I've been doing pretty well though! I made some awesome barbacoa beef for dinner last night and ate it Chipotle style. Totally worth the four hours I had to let it simmer on the stove. I put the beef over some cilantro lime rice and added some salsa verde I found at the grocery store, as well as a little light sour cream and some queso fresco. According to myfitnessapal, that meals came out to just under 400 calories, which isn't bad considering a Chiptole burrito can run you at least 1000 calories.

I also made my mom's poolside dip recipe, which I'll have to post later. It's basically stuff like tomatoes, bell peppers, avocado, etc with a little lemon juice that you eat with chips. It's a really great healthy snack, since it's almost all veggies. I made it an attempt to get myself to eat more veggies. Lots of chopping, but it makes a lot and it's super good.

I'm hopefully gonna go Zumba tonight, if not I'm hitting the gym. I'm feeling pretty good either way- gonna have some poolside dip and and English muffin for lunch.

Let the games begin.

Whew! I got super busy last week so blogging kind of fell to the bottom of the barrel. But guess what- my show is closed! That means more time to cook, exercise, eat healthy, and blog all about it. I'm so happy!

So some exciting news- I put on clean pair of jeans this morning, and realized they're kind of large on me. My jeans generally shrink some in the wash since out dryer get super hot, and then stretch out over time. But there are nice a roomy. I think this is a good sign! I don't have a scale, so I can't confirm or deny anything, but I'm going to investigate at the gym and see if they have one. Regardless of if I actually have lost weight, it's encouraging.

Also, I'm going to be going to the gym more frequently and for more time. I went for an hour Monday. I was going to go yesterday, but I got very little sleep, and decided sleeping in was in my best interest. I did have my yoga class though. Right now I'm just waiting for dinner time so the gym will clear our a little. I want to make sure I get a elliptical or treadmill, and our gym is small, so you have to go at the right times.

Also, I made some really awesome beef, potato, and quinoa stew for dinner last night. It was awesome, and I've been having the leftover cooked quinoa for lunch. One cup of uncooked makes SO MUCH QUINOA. I swear, that stuff like... quadruples in size. Tomorrow I'm going to make it fried rice style with some vegetables I've got hanging out n the freezer. The best part is I don't get hungry by 2:30, which has been a huge issue for me. Also, my snack of choice right now is an English muffin with a little whipped cream cheese. OM NOM NOM.

In any case, I'm going to be kicking it up a notch over here, hoping for great results. Hooray me!

Back again!

Long time to update, yikes!

I'm sad to say things have been a little rough. I didn't go to the gym at all last week, because of the giant snowpacolypse. It was impossible to get to the gym, and I was house bound meaning eating got difficult sometimes too. I'm getting back on track, but I know this week will be rough too, since I'm opening a play on Thursday. I've made myself a weeks worth of baked chicken strips and mac and cheese with some salad and veggies for dinner each night, but unfortunately my gym time will be cut down pretty significantly.

HOWEVER. My show closes Sunday, and I have every intention of hitting the gym 5-6 days a week for about an hour a day beginning next week. I'll finally have the free time, and I know it will make a huge difference in my weight loss routine. In general, I eat a pretty low calorie count, but I'm not super active. I think this will really give me the boost I need.

I really can't wait. I'm starting to get really bothered by my excess fat again, and it's making me really want to something about it. I just want to feel good for once. I know I can lose at least ten pounds by May, hopefully more. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. It's just going to be getting through this week that will be tough.

Just popping in and letting everyone know I'm still alive and just as determined as ever. Things are rough, but the good news is my jeans are feeling pretty good on fit :) Hopefully that's a really good sign!

Oatmeal and then some.

So in my quest to be healthier, I tried eating oatmeal today. I've never been a huge oatmeal fan, but I was intrigued by the idea of sweetening it with this awesome agave nectar, fruit, and cinnamon and using the generic, plain oats rather than packaged stuff. Healthier, less preservatives.

Problem is, I've never made plain oatmeal before, I've only even used the single serving packages. So I decided to follow the package instructions, and the recommended the "heart healthy" dose was to combine 3/4 c of oats with 1 1/2 c water. Do you know what I got? BIG ASS BOWL OF OATMEAL. I have a pretty good sized appetite, but this was ridiculous. It was HUGE. I also felt like I ended up having to add some much agave nectar is kind of negated the nutritional value, but I really liked the cinnamon and banana. I think I'm going to try a significantly smaller portion tomorrow and see what comes of it. But seriously, My Fitness Pal told me that my breakfast was about 700 calories, 600 from the oatmeal. No. No thanks.

But I'll do some more trouble shooting. If I hate it, maybe I'll switch the the packages stuff or keep eating my beloved cereal. We'll see.

However, I went to the gym! And did yoga! I was very pleased, because even with my 700 cal breakfast and a granola bar just because I felt like eating one, I was still under my calorie goal. Yaaay! The told me if every day was like today, I'd weight 132 in five weeks. Yay!

I'm going to attempt to hit the gym tomorrow, but I've got some stuff I need to do for work, and I'm probably going to be up later, but we'll see. I will say those B vitamins have done wonders for my energy level. Before I started taking them, I'd be worn out by the end of the day when I worked out in the morning, but I'm feeling pretty dandy today. Even if I miss tomorrow, I can go Saturday and/or Sunday.

Anyway, I'm out. Gonna go see a movie. Hooray!

Secret zucchini burgers- huge success!

I made burgers tonight using lean ground beef and grated zucchini mixed in. SO GOOD. Totally satisfied my burger craving. I cooked some mushrooms and topped it with some swiss cheese and seasoning and ate with broccoli and a salad. I was really craving a burger from this local place, but I know they're not real good for me, but this totally satisfied. Super tasty. I'm gonna hide veggies in my meats more often, because I couldn't even taste the zucchini.

In other news, I missed the gym AGAIN. I woke up this morning feel awful, so I opted to sleep in a little longer and took the afternoon off today. I did do some yoga so... yay? I'm just so angry my stupid illness is keeping me from the gym. I'm just afraid the gym is where I got this thing in the first place, so I don't want to get worse. I really need to get better, I don't have time to be sick.

In other news, the calorie count My Fitness Pal keeps giving me for peanut butter depressed me, but I don't care. It's healthy fat and it keeps me full longer, so I don't eat another snack. I have all his peanut butter anyway, I need to eat it.

Well, need to go cook the rest of the burger patties so they won't spoil in the fridge in the next couple days. Looking forward to enjoying those for a few more days. I'm going to have to share with my boyfriend too. He likes fast food and stuff a lot, so maybe I can convince him there's a better way.

Over and out.

Sick. Blah!

So I'm finally starting to feel better after falling down the other day, (though I'm still pretty sore) but now I'm sick. It was like ear infection turned into sore throat turned into sniffles. Blah. This always happens when I start working out- I get sick shortly after, ruining the routine I'm trying to get myself into.

Regardless, unless I get way sicker, I'm for sure working out on Tuesday. I ate fairly well yesterday though. I did treat myself to some mozzarella sticks, but I haven't had fast food in over a month, and I figured I had some calories left over to enjoy. Plus I knew if I kept denying myself I would eventually binge and eat an entire, greasy, nasty meal. It was really the best option.

I am going to make burgers later this week though, which I'm excited about. My new Cook This, Not That book has an awesome sounding smashed burger cooking method I want to try, and skinnytastes.com suggested grating zucchini and putting it in your burger, to make it a little more substantial as well as lower fat count. I couldn't find ground sirloin like the book suggested, so I'm just using lean ground beef. We'll see how this all turns out. Even if it's a train wreck, I'm sure I can make some adjustments.

Anyway, I need to go get some stuff done. I was really unproductive yesterday, and I need to actually so stuff today. Over and out!

My Fitness Pal is a pal indeed!

Well, I woke up this morning and was still pretty sore from my fall yesterday, so I decided skipping the gym was probably in my best interest. If I'm still sore tomorrow, I may go any just do the bikes instead of the elliptical. At least it'll be something.

Also, my friend recently recommended myfitnesspal.com to me. He's lost about 40 pounds since August, and probably lost 20-30 the summer before that. I decided to sign up for it and give it a shot, and so far I really like it. I can help you track the calories you eat, as well as your fitness calories, and gives you a certain amount of calories in order to meet you projected goal. Mine was lose a pound a week, but I think that goal is kind of out of the question for this week at least, thanks to my sore behind.

I was surprised at how few calories I'm already consuming. I assumed I was consuming right at 2000, but it's looking like I'm having somewhere between 1300 and 1500 each day. In some ways, it's kind of frustrating because I know super skinny people who eat a ton of food and remain super skinny. I think a big part of the issue is I'm not super active. I spend a good potion of the day on my feet, I always take the stairs, etc, but I haven't been actively working out up until recently.

In either case, I really like this tool. I need to lay off the peanut butter, but... what can you do? At least it's healthy fat. I also really need to buy a scale. I should do that soon...

Also, thank to the people who have left me little notes of encouragement, I really appreciate it. It really does inspire me ♥

Over and out!

How I ended up not going to the gym and in bed eating club crackers.

So this morning started off well. I woke up early with every intention of going to the gym and working out. We had gotten some snow and ice the night before, so I left around 8:30 to go scrape the ice off my car. About half way through, I realized I should go check the drive way, since I parked in the back parking lot and the drive way at my boyfriend's apartment is really steep.

This s a mistake.

I walk all the way down the drive way, and things are looking good. Then, just as I'm reaching the part where it gets really steep, I hit a slick spot and fall on my butt. HARD. I shout a couple of choice words at the top of my lungs and roll around on the icy pavement in pain for a few minutes.

Finally, I manage to get myself to my hands and knees and then up to me feet. I take a few steps, and start feeling really light headed, like I'm on the verge of passing out. Since the only things by me are a wooden fence and the side of the building, I have no other choice but to collapse back down onto the ground, and lay there until I'm no longer light headed. I try crawling, but that makes me light headed too.

It might also be worth mentioning at the point that I'm still in my Care Bear pajama bottoms. I'm sure I was quite the pitiful site, staggering a few steps before collapsing back to the ground. Finally I get back into my car, where my phone was and call my boyfriend who is still asleep inside. I manage to stammer out that I fell and wasn't feeling real good and I needed him to come bring me water or come get me in my car or something. I lay down across the passenger seat while I waited for him, slightly disoriented.

Finally, he knocks on the door with some water and helps me inside to his bed. I get back in bed, and wait for my fingers to thaw out before I grab the nearest item of food I can- a box of club crackers, and proceed to eat about half a pack of them while watching the Price is Right.

I'm not real light headed anymore, but my butt still really hurts. I may or may not be going to yoga, and the gym is obviously out of the question.

Hopefully I'll be feeling well enough to hit the gym tomorrow or this weekend. In any case- beware of slippery ice.

Ah yes, there's the rub.

Well, things have been a little touch and go. I caved and got some ice cream last night, but the rest of the day was pretty decent. I'm also at the point where I'm starting to get discouraged, but I know that I can't expect instant results. I guess I'm just really afraid of doing all this work and not seeing any results.

But I went to the gym yesterday and Monday. I've been really tired the last few days since I started working out, but I think if I keep going I'll eventually get there. I'm also considering getting some B vitamin supplements, since those apparently help a lot of with energy. Next time I go to the store, I think that's what I'm going to do.

But I'm still feeling good. There's a bag of Christmas candy my roommate brought that's been haunting me, but it's all good. I do love love love my air popper though. Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks in the whole wide world, but when you do microwave or movie popcorn, it's not real good for you. I grew up eating air popped, and in my opinion it tastes a million times better, plus there are a thousand different ways to season it.

I usually just use a little butter, salt, and pepper (and I season that popcorn like you wouldn't believe- amazing.) You can also use cooking spray to lighten the calories and help your seasoning stick. Occasionally I'll use something like Italian Seasoning or dried herbs with said cooking spray. My new Cook This, Not That cook book suggested some different ways to season bagged popcorn, which I adapted, with some success. They suggested fresh rosemary and Parmesan cheese, which only sort of worked because the cheese didn't stick real well. I'm kind of thinking maybe next time I need to pop it in the microwave real quick just so it'll stick. However, a small amount of butter and a little sugar and cinnamon was delicious, and worked like a charm. Just used unsalted butter. My roommates only buy salted, so it was all I had. Still really good though!

I'm making leftover pasta today, mainly to use up the rest of the olives and artichoke heart from the piazza I made a few days ago. Thinking I'll load it up with some mushrooms, broccoli, and pancetta, and eat a salad with it. I've been getting back in the habit of eating a salad with each dinner again, which is great because that means a much larger portion of my meal is vegetables and I'm not filling up on carbs or something. And of course I'm using my homemade dressing. So tasty.

Here's to hoping I stay motivated and see some results!

Doing great!

Things are going great and I feel awesome!

Yesterday wasn't real stellar since I did eat some junk and I didn't make it to the gym due to the lack of water. However, I went to the gym this morning, and I've been pretty good about eating today. Grilled cheese sandwich with apple and turkey. Nom nom nom. I'm also making healthy pizza tonight with a salad, yum!

I'm slowly working on the gym thing. I'm in such horrendous shape that I'm have to start pretty basic and work my way up. I'm planning on hitting the gym tomorrow and Monday as well. Whooo!

What's really amazing is that I really do feel better and more energetic. I'm thinking of maybe getting some B vitamin supplements too. I really do feel awesome though. I've also been avoided fast food, I don't think I've had any for about a month now. It's kind of crazy how much better I feel like my body is functioning.

I'm such a happy camper. Even if I don't have any amazing weight loss results yet, feeling better is also a wonderful bonus.

Success!

Guess what guys. I lost a pound! I know that sounds ridiculous, but I went to the doctor today and instead of being in the 140-143-ish range I normally am in, I was 139. Is it small? Yes. But it's still a victory. I know this is going to be a slow process, so I need to celebrate the small victories I can.

In other news, I worked out again today! I'm going to try to go tomorrow, but we currently don't have any water in my apartment, and if that's still the case tomorrow I don't want to drive back to campus from the boyfriend's apartment, workout, then drive back to his apartment to take a shower. If I miss tomorrow, I can always go Saturday and/or Sunday, so I'm not too worried.

In other news, I'm enjoying eating healthy snacks, like grapes, carrots, yogurt, small portions of chips and salsa. It's awesome. I'm trying this new thing where I make sure I'm not hungry, but I'm eating well. I'm hoping it will prevent yo-yo dieting and keep my metabolism up. I'm actually eating lunch now instead of just slim fast shakes, and it's preventing me from binge snacking like crazy. Hooray!

I'M GONNA DO THIS GUYS :D

We're on the right track!

Guess what I did yesterday? I went to the GYM. It was awesome! I did half an hour on the elliptical, but let me tell you, that was enough. My body is going to need some time to get back into the routine of working out. I got a little bit of a late start, but I'm hoping tomorrow and Friday I can go earlier like I intended originally. But I went, and it was AWESOME.

I did eat maybe a little more chocolate yesterday than I intended, but I've been doing really well today, so that's a good sign. I'm still eating on the enchiladas, though I need to make more rice. I also made some salsa and bought this nifty trail mix and Wal Mart. It has cranberries, raisins, almonds, and little chunks of dark chocolate in it. It's pretty tasty, so yay for another reasonably healthy snack. I unfortunately left both the chips for the salsa and the trail mix at my boyfriend's apartment, but I'll get them tonight and have them to at after that.

I'm also trying on decided what to make for dinner this weekend. my new Cook This, Not That book has a recipe for gnocchi with proschuitto, asparagus, and peas, with just a little paramsean and salt and pepper. I also bought a Boboli pizza crust too, so maybe I'll make a pizza. I'm undecided still. BUT fun fact: the whole grain Boboli pizza crust has less calories than both the thin crust and the original. Pretty legit, huh?

I also need to buy hummus to eat with my carrots. Or get a food processors so I can make my own hummus, since I'm really picking about it.

In any case, I'm feeling good and hoping maybe I'll start seeing some results soon!

Enchiladas- nom nom nom.

I haven't updated in a couple days, because I've been really busy. At the last minute I got dumped with a huge assignment that had to be completed by yesterday, and it took me hours and hours and hours. I was not thrilled. I also didn't make it to the gym Saturday or Sunday, because I was too busy doing giant assignment and unpacking and stuff. There legitimately wasn't any time- I was not pleased.

BUT classes are beginning today which means I can get myself in a routine and work out more. I'm for sure going to the gym tomorrow morning, and I have my yoga class tomorrow as well. So this is going to be great. GYM GYM GYM. Cannot wait.

Also, I made a couple things off the Skinny Tastes website last night. I made the Chicken and White Bean Enchilada with a side of the cilantro lime rice. Both recipes were DELICIOUS, and my boyfriend came over and had some too, and he really liked it. I had to fudge the enchiladas a little, because I couldn't find the tortillas she suggested (the low cal low carb ones) so I just used regular flour tortillas. I also put too many cans of green chilis in the chicken filling, and didn't have any left for the sauce, so I ended up using a can of rotel in the cause instead. It turned out really spicy, which is fine with me since I love spicy food. Also, the whole meal was really filling, which was great. I only had one enchilada with a little rice on the side, and I wasn't hungry the rest of the night. Normally when I eat out and get enchiladas, I had to eat way more than that, plus the free chips and salsa you usually get. It was really great.

Best part is I have some left over to eat off of for the next few days. The recipe makes eight, and I have five left so I should be set. I might have to make more rice, but that shouldn't be a big deal, provided I can cook the rice properly.

In any case, I need to go get ready for class. Happy eating!

The magic of Quinoa.

I've long heard of this magic little South American grain called quinoa, which is often eaten in substitution of rice or other grains. I'd never seen it in stores and never had it, but when my mom told me a friend had given her a bag of it, I jumped on the chance to try it.

It's apparently made in a very similar way to rice, and has a consistence similar to cous cous. My mom added some sea salt too it, and it turned out a little too salty, but I'm unsure if that's the fault of my mother of the grain, since it was the first time she'd ever had it either. Overall, I really liked it and has some awesome nutritional values. It's would be considered a carb, but it has a high protein and fiber count, making it a pretty substantial meal. We had it with pork loin roast and a salad, and it tasted great with some of the gravy on it. Skinny Tastes also has an awesome recipe for a fried rice type dish, which I'd really like to try.

The one down side is my mom said she's seen it in the store and it can be a little pricey. However, I think it'll make a nice change every now and then.

Also, I think everyone will be happy to know I wasn't paying attention when I was typing the title and it came out "Them magic is quinoa." Wow, grammar much?

Also, I really need to work on focusing when I write these entires. I feel like I could make them so much... better if I stopped getting distracted. That'll be a goal for this.

Over and out!

Christmas cookies will be my foil.

I was doing so well until these last couple days. But an excess of sweets left over from the holidays have become entirely too tempting. But I'm working on getting back on track and have quite a bit of fruit the last couple days, which I seldom do, so that's something. I just am really looking forward to getting back to my own apartment where I make a point not to keep a ton of junk food around the house. I will miss my mother's fantastic cooking though- that's for sure!

But I have worked out a plan or sorts for when I head back to school. I'm going back Friday, and I don't think hitting the gym will happen then since the boyfriend really wants to see me. But Saturday and Sunday I should have plenty of time to get to the gym, and I have time in my schedule this semester for working out. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning I have time to work out because work or class, and hopefully I'll be able to squeeze in time on the weekends. I'm stage managing a show until mid February, but I'm hoping to add trip to the gym Monday and Wednesday evenings after the show is done.

I really think getting off my butt and working out will really make a huge difference. I just cannot wait to see the results.

Happy New Year!

So the last time I successfully lost weight, after about two or three weeks of cutting out unhealthy foods from my diet, I no longer craved them. In fact, they became entirely unappealing to me. Even being around them would make me feel sick, because my body understood it wasn't good for me and I had been giving it better stuff. That's starting to happen again, and I'm pretty pleased.

I had a New Years party to go to yesterday, and I made my famous oreo bombs for the party. These are basically a pack of crushed up oreos mixed with a block of cream cheese, rolled in little balls, and dipped in chocolate. Not healthy, but absolutely delicious. But even as I was making them today, I just found them entirely unappealing and rolling them in the chocolate almost made me nauseous. I had a few later that evening, but that huge quantity of sugar and fat just made me sick.

I also spent most of the evening drinking, mostly mixing with Dr. Pepper. I was reminded once again why I don't drink soda. By the end of the night, my stomach hurt, and it wasn't because of the booze. Even this morning, I woke up and my stomach still really hurt because my body just isn't used to that much sugar.

I sort of binge ate last night, but I don't feel terrible about it because, even before I started dieting, I seldom did it. New Years is also such a huge holiday for me, I don't feel bad. It's the one night I truly party. Also, my friend's mom told me I was looking great and looked like I had lost weight. There's this weird phenomenon in my life where just when I feel really fat and gross (this morning, after binge eating) someone tells me I look great and look like I've lost weight. I fail to understand this, because most of the time I think I've gained weight, or there is no evidence to suggest I've lost any. I haven't seen said friend's mom since this summer, but I don't think I've lost or gained a significant amount of weight since then (which makes me wonder if people remember me as being fatter than I am). In any case, it felt good to get that compliment, and I'm hoping to be getting many more in the next few months!

Also, I'm going to be getting senior pictures done in March, and I'd really like to lose about 10 pounds by then, which I think it totally doable. I just have to keep that goal in mind. I'd like to be at goal by May too, when I graduate. I just would like to feel a little better about my body when I get those pictures done.

I would really like to go for a walk today, like I have the past two days, but the temperature dropped about thirty degrees over night, so I'm thinking it's a little too cold for me. It's probably just as well, since my feet have been really sore. My mom and I walked about four miles yesterday and the day before, and my feet aren't used to that much impact.

But, my mom is letting me make my baked chicken strips for dinner tonight, and there's some homemade gnocchi and meatballs in the fridge with homemade sauce for lunch.

Here's to 2011 being the skinniest and healthiest year yet!