Letting Go

All photos taken by my friend Gael in May 2010 where we grew up.

I'm doing well. I had a frustrating morning at work today, but I jogged a little b4 it got the best of me. Aside from being tired, I think the jog allowed me to process the aggravations a little better (at least that's what I'm telling myself). My job does not require me to take it home but I get so frustrated with it and then I talk about it with other people, which leads to me thinking about it and staying frustrated. It's hard for me to just turn it off and go on with my own priorities. 

 I try not to care but it's really hard to let things go. 

Also, I'm recognizing just how much these frustrations make me want to turn to food for comfort. Last night I was aggravated and I had enough money for one drink. I chose a diet Sunkist. Granted I only drank half of it and really didn't like the taste, it was my decision to choose it over water. I could have bought water, but went back to my way of thinking about being at work and wanting something to make me happy because I was there. This evening, I was still dealing with those aggravations and I found myself thinking about how much I wanted a soda, esp a ginger ale. 

I have too much of a life ahead of me to keep letting these issues determine how I fuel my body.

I mean, I made it two weeks and now I've had half of a soda I didn't really like, and, now, this evening I found myself wanting the regular sodas with my meal. It's time to get super serious about this cutting back and killing calories by exercise.  

I've been letting my mind slowly build up to this transition because I know, in my heart, I want this to be a lifestyle change that I maintain for a very long time. 

While I have gained many skills from this job, I feel like it  has essentially limited me from utilizing my fullest potential. I'm sick of it. I'm attempting to maintain the belief that letting go of the me I've become in the last 3 years will open up doors to a life in which I want to participate.

 

And I will achieve it.

No Excuses

 

!!! I LOVE ME !!!

PHOTO TAKEN WHILE IN GEORGIA WITH FRIENDS

SEPTEMBER 18 2010

Made it out of bed again at around 3:30, and was able to spend the afternoon playing on the internet. I believe I've found a workout that may suit my needs. I still have to check it out in a little more detail, but I think I'm going to like it :)

Also, before I went to bed this morning, I was able to straighten up a few things in my room, something  I never usually do b4 going to bed :)

GO ME !!!

The Park

It was approximately 4:30 and a work day. I woke up at about 3 pm: a record best for me!!!

My immediate goal was to go walking/jogging within the next 2.5 hours .  

And the good news is I was out the door @  5pm and made it back by a little after 6pm 

Not from today, but taken when the OH River was up.

 

Went to the park for a walk/jog.

I had my iPod shuffle I've not used in at least 3 years.

The 45 degree chill and bright sunshine was perfect for wearing a sweater. 

I saw a squirrel with a piece of wood in his paws and two ducks in the creek. It was amusing.

I could not have asked for a more relaxing afternoon..

Especially on a work night.

Awesome Day

I am very pleased with my day :) I got to talk to 5 of my closest friends, and then was able to go to the RaqStars Bellydance Showcase and watch some amazing dancers.... soooo awesome.....and then when I got home, my roommate had made chili....so delic. we chowed down and watched some old school anime!!

     taken tonight

On an even happier note, I was able to put many of my cloths away and my closet is organized and ready for more.

Plan the Work....Work the Plan

My goal for this week is to create a better environment in my room that will save me effort and time in looking for stuff. After it is completed, I will focus solely on maintaining this level of organization. As a result, I will feel more confident, organized, and relaxed in my home environment. It will also allow me to focus more on my goals for living healthier and provide the motivation to organize other areas in my life.

My objectives in achieving this are as follows:

• Before the end of the day, my cloths and shoes will be put away. To achieve this I will focus on it from noon until 1600.
• Two days from now (Monday night), the items on at least one of my shelves will be organized. To achieve this I will focus on it for a minimum of 1 hour each day for the next three days!

!!!  Now time for some good music to kick things off!!!

Today, I joined a gym. It's not a contract and I don't have to drive to get there !!!

And I had only one piece of pizza for lunch and a delicious salad for dinner :)

Yum!

Twice in two days, I have made steel cut oats for breakfast and ate them plain. This morning I added green tea with white tea as my drink, and I only used 1/2 tsp of sugar!!!!

However, I must admit I ate the most delicious pizza last night. I realize now that I should have stopped at one piece, but it was so good. I loved it, but felt a little overstuffed before the end of the night. I am glad I ate the pizza. My roommate and I ordered it and then watched the latest Sherlock Holmes movie :)

Brand New Day

I am happy to report that it is my first day off from work and I only slept 3.5 hours after coming home this morning. I actually got out of bed, and upon turning the alarm off, I went to the living room and lounged for an hour. I am now currently having a breakfast of oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts mixed in. :)

Photo taken while at the Ohio Renaissance Fair, approximately 2007

Struggles and Highlights

Haven't quite established a workout routine yet. It's so hard to figure out when is the best time to work out on the days I work. It's just that I don't want to think about anything but sleeping and work on those days. Anything else feels like it cuts into my rest time :(

On the bright side, I've still not had a soda :)

Also, today I have managed to wash all of my dishes, wipe the counter down, and wash the microwave plate. I've also taken out the garbage. :) Oh yeah, my load of laundry is finished. I slept all of yesterday and was still a little awake when I came home this morning. :) Now it's 1:00 pm and I am ready for sleep :) ... only one more night of work left !!!

What makes this so awesome is that now everything in the kitchen is clean except for a few other things, very minor in detail :) I'm very pleased at the moment and can sleep well knowing that I do not have to spend my days off dreading laundry or mustering up the motivation to clean the kitchen the way I've been wanting too !!! :)

In a matter of 4 hours I knocked the kitchen sink and counter out of the ball park!!!!

Photo above: one of my nieces at her softball game April 2010

One Week

I've officially made it one week without soda. I'm very pleased with myself.
I ate 4 chocolate Hershey's kisses during work last night and I have to honestly say, it did not meet my taste buds' expectations. I even left the rest of the bag in the break room for my coworkers.

Also, I've decided for this weeks goal to continue increasing my water intake and establish a more efficient exercise routine. I am still working on the best time for me to exercise. I now have four free places to exercise: outside walking or jogging, an exercise room at both my workplace and where I pay rent, and I have a few videos in my apartment as well. I even bought the neatest exercise 2lb. wt. balls that are purple. I like them a lot :)

Overall, I am impressed with what I've accomplished this week. I managed to complete the above and spend time with one of my friends who is also reading up on no/low carb. diets and exercising. I'm trying to continue looking forward and fight the no soda fight!!!

Take care :)

Me :)

made it 4 nights of work without pop :)
my food intake was a bit unhealthy, but i'm still psyched about not having pop, i'm still drinking sweet tea, juice, and for some reason i was craving a chocolate milk this week (i'm not a big chocolate milk fan)

1st workout for quite some time!!!

Approximately 30 minutes on the tread mill, the machine said I burned right at 130 calories and about 15 carbs. I don't know how accurate it is but I know for certain whatever it was met the 30 minute mark. I then toyed with a weight machine and an incline bench. With the bench, I completed 40 crunches, but it felt more like I was going through the motions.

Even so, the fact I made it back out of the apartment after coming home from work is an amazing feat in itself. I also put in a 15 minute walk to and back from where I worked out, making my walk time approximately 1 hour!!! Go Me !!!

Minimizing the soda intake!!!

I'm pretty excited. I've made it through two nights of work without drinking a pop. I believe my last one was Sunday. I'm trying to get through two more nights without it. My eating is hit and miss. I just finished sushi and plan on taking the rest of it to work tonight, along with some celery and carrots.

My goal for the rest of the week:

Minimize soda intake.

My Objective for getting it done:

Keep a bottle of water near
Get plenty of sleep
Drink the Walmart GV sugar-free flavored water drinks. Right now I'm enjoying the Cherry-Pomegranate flavor :)

Next week I may brave decreasing my sweets. I'm kind of trying this week. I'm doing o.k. at it, but I'm not consciously telling myself no from them.

Photo above taken July 2010 of my mother's flowers.
They are Pixie Lilies I bought and planted at a house I used to live in with my friends. We had six by the time we moved out and I gave three to my mom and three to my friend's mom. They have become more beautiful than ever and continue to grow and multiply :)

undo buttons are a must!!!

Blogger frustrates me greatly. I've been attempting a new blog for the last

20 minutes. I've accidentally deleted my pics at least three times. I'm very tired and frustrated about it. I seriously wish this had an undo button!!!! Hopefully tomorrow I will have the patience to deal with it :)

Beautiful Friday Nights

A little of what I've been up to this weekend!!!
Found the most beautiful sunset from the roof top of a parking garage.

A New Horizon

I'm very excited this morning. It's my first day off from work and one of my co-workers spent part of the night coaching me on eating healthy and working out. She wrote down some information for me in my mini-journal that I keep. I really enjoyed listening to her. We talked about how to deal with my main addictions and being able to let them go.

It feels like my circle of motivation has grown. I have a friend who is now continents away from me and she has been a true crusader in not giving up on me. For many months now, she has encouraged me to eat healthy and exercise, and she stays confident that I will start making healthy decisions.

I know the path ahead will be trying,
but I will stick it out....one step at a time.

Photos taken July 2010 @ a local park.

On the Left: This photo of me was taken December 18 2010. I believe it shows my round little cheeks.

Below officially shows where I am now with my body. It was taken February 25, 2011.

Granted, I'm standing up strait and at an angle, I still feel like I have really let myself go for far too long. In these photos I am "dolled" up for special occasions and I felt very pretty. I accept myself and my body type, but I know there is more to me and I plan on finding it again!!!

after a local college football game, my niece and her friend watching the crowd leave...i love this pic!!!

Sigh....The work week has officially begun... and the above pic is what you get after it is over.

The Process Begins

Today is my third attempt at holding a blog. I've decide to go girly the next two months and begin an exercise routine in hopes of feeling and looking great in a pretty dress. A friend of mine is getting married on 07 May 2011 and I'm going to be a bridesmaid. I'm very excited about this and now know how teenage girls going to the prom always were when they were trying to lose weight in like February and March. I've not regularly focused on exercise since Fall of 2002, my sophomore year of college, so it is very difficult to motivate myself to accomplish this task. As of now, I have not done anything to start this process and I'm already 5 days into March. I had planned on joining a small gym today but did not make it out for anything special.

With all of this being said, I also realize my diet is equally as crucial. I do not believe in the short term diets. I firmly believe in lifestyle changes and hopefully will achieve it in the long run. My number one goal is cutting back the sweets, soda, and fast food. They are my 3 major weaknesses. The second is choosing healthier meals. I love all of the healthy foods, but I struggle to plan and prepare these meals. I hope that this blog will be a way for me to track my efforts in this grand plan. Wish me the best!!!