Sunday Weigh-In 009

I'm going to make this post short and sweet today. I am feeling really great this week. I finally got over my cold and I had a great work week. I worked out every day and I tracked everything I ate. It was pretty much flawless week. On Friday and Saturday I went out and had a few drinks. Prior to going out, I made sure that I ran or walked - at least burning 400 calories each time. 

My trainer, Palani, and I had a really great talk on Thursday. I finally had a chance to work out with him again. I was paired with a new client and Palani used me as an example to help motivate his new client. I felt like I accomplished a lot since March but whenever I hear it from my trainers, I feel it 10 times more. Especially when they use me as an example. My favorite story he told was how much attitude I had when I first started working out with him. Overtime exercising became easy and now he's pushing me to do more. Needless to say, I'm loving it! 

This week I started a "0 to 5k" training program. Running has never been my "thing." It's always been difficult for me. I didn't really understand how to pace my breathing and I always felt heavy running. However, the app, 5k Runner, I downloaded has been super helpful to me. In fact, I've been kind of bad cause I've used it on days that weren't my "training" days. Today I did a walk/run with my dog Junior and I almost ran the whole first 5 minutes of warm-up. I was so proud of myself. 

This was my walk/run on Friday. Local Natives definitely helped me move my butt!

Now it's time for my Sunday weigh-in result. I am very excited for this because I worked hard all week. 

209.8! I cannot tell you how ecstatic I am about that!

I know the number isn't always the "end all, be all" in weight-loss but I've been noticing changes in my body, changes in my mind, and changes in the way I'm able to be motivated. I'm just so happy these days because it doesn't take much to get me out of the house to walk or run or go to the gym. I'm very proud of myself. I have no other words for it! 

#nothingsgonnaknockthisgirldown

Until next time, keep smiling! 

The Beginning of My Journey: Part One

I think it's important for me to write about my journey to finally deciding to take my health seriously and creating this blog. Please bear with me as I want to include as much information as possible. I want to this be a therapeutic post - write out all my demons in a sense. 

I grew up in a military family. We didn't travel very much but I was never in one place for more than three years. The majority of my childhood was spent in Guam. This is me as a toddler. Aside from looking very cute, I was pretty petite. I was active and I was always playing outside with my friends. I would bike to my friend's house... and also bike to parts of the military housing that I wasn't allowed to be. I always made it home for curfew (street lights came on). On the outside everything was perfect - but my family wasn't. My parents argued all the time and I felt really sad all the time. I would hear them argue at night and I would imagine the worse. 

When I was in kindergarden/first grade, I started to put on weight. I remember being on the swings with my friend and one of the boys in my class was pushing us and he mentioned that I was "heavy." That was the first time I became aware of my weight. When I moved back to San Diego, my family mentioned my weight as well. My uncle mentioned, sort of in passing, "Wow, you got big!" I was young, I was growing... right? Well, the weight issue started to set in when my dad started talking about my weight. He said I was fat and that I didn't do anything. He put me in basketball and I never moved as fast as the other kids. I had a complex about the way my body looked when it was in motion - no thanks to my dad's coworker who saw me running down the hall at his office and said there was an earthquake! I was young so it took awhile to hit me as, "he just made fun of me." 

My friends were always smaller than me. I always felt like the odd person out even though my friends were always really great to me. I didn't really understand why my body looked the way it did. I felt out of place and uncomfortable being myself. I kind of turned into a bully and I would be mean to anyone who I feared was going to be mean to me. I was also dealing with the turmoil of a family that seemed to be falling apart at the seams. My parents fought all the time, I was constantly scared and wished I had a different life. I guess I thought everything would be better if my parents got along, if there wasn't the stress of being a military family, and if my parents weren't always busy working. I remember spending one summer (maybe 4th or 5th grade) in the house. My mom would leave a to-do list and my sister and I would make ourselves lunch (usually a microwaveable pizza or... two). I feel like I never left the house - and looking back on it, I probably didn't.

My insecurity began when I was really young. It feels strange to know that I grew up always analyzing myself. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my childhood. I had great friends and my parents were always very loving to me. They did whatever they could do to make sure I was comfortable. From a young age, I didn't have a good grasp on "healthy" food. As I grew... it didn't get better. I'll leave that for another post though. 

When did you begin to notice your weight? Did it ever stop you from being your true self? 

Until next time, keep smiling. 

Sunday Weigh-in 008

It is officially week 8! I am well on my way to getting past the 210's. This week was a little rough because on Tuesday right before training I fell asleep in my car. I felt like I was hit by a truck of exhaustion. I don't know if I was exhausted from work or from the emotional turmoil I've been going through lately... all I knew was that I was tired. I dragged myself into the gym and trained for my hour. I burned a good amount of calories and I felt great. When I got home, I went to sleep early and woke up the next morning feeling a tad congested. Wednesday was hot! I had to go explore Belmont Park and the San Diego Zoo for work and when I returned to the office at noon, I wanted to pass out. I felt sick - I was congested, my eyes burned, my head hurt. It was horrible. I went home from work sick and slept all afternoon and well into the evening. Thursday I went to work but dragged again. I went home before training so I could make dinner. Friday and Saturday were about recovery for me. I wanted to work out - believe me, I did - but I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open and my whole body hurt. I felt terrible as I sat on the couch and watched tv. I managed to stay well under my calorie count despite being sick. I'm hoping this week goes by better since I'm feeling better right now. I'm still a tad congested but overall, I'm feeling good. 

Here's my weigh-in for today (I'm changing my weigh-ins to Sunday since my menu planning starts on Sunday now): 

211.2! I'm ALMOST THERE! This week means EVERYTHING to me!

Over the week, I kept track of what I ate and I made changes to anything I chose not to eat or had to change. I really loved making the menu and having it on my fridge every morning. I didn't have to guess what to eat and I felt more in control of my food intake. 

I'm a bit frustrated that I got sick this week. I do my best to be healthy, I upped my intake of water, I ate more fruits and vegetables. It's frustrating to deal with being sick on top of trying to maintain my healthy lifestyle. 

Any tips for avoiding sickness? Or at least making it last a shorter amount of time? 

Until next time, keep smiling! 

Sunday Food Prep

This week I decided to try a different approach to my weight-loss. Instead of going to the store and buying stuff that I think I'm going to use, I made a menu and a list instead. This menu dictated exactly what I was going to pack for lunch and hopefully eat that day. I found this to be very helpful and it made packing my lunch less stressful in the morning. I also wasted less food this week. Sometimes I find it difficult to keep up with the amount of produce I buy. For example, I'll buy three bell peppers but only end up using one or two (if I'm lucky). I want to try making all my dinner ahead of time (on Sunday) but I think that requires better planning. 

My menu

Protein for my salad (Gardein Chipotle "Chick'n" Strips)

I hard-boiled a dozen eggs for the week

Cut up some organic strawberries

The beginning of the fruit salad

My additions to the fruit salad: cantaloupe, pineapple and grapes

Pre-made some oatmeal for the week

Storing my fruit salad, hard-boiled eggs, and salad greens

Yogurt, salad, fat-free cream cheese and salsa for the week

Getting ready to cover the oatmeal. During the week, I had to add a splash of almond milk, 2 teaspoons of brown sugar and a few shakes of cinnamon.

I had a bit of food left over (the curry tofu and a mug of the oatmeal) but over all, I ate everything I made. I've also decided that if I'm going to food prep on Sunday, that Sunday should be my weigh-in day. That post will come tonight. I need to get ready for my friend's birthday party... I still need to go to Trader Joes! Ahhh!! 

What kind of food do you like to prep for the week? 

Until next time, keep smiling!

"Wicked," baby!

Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to see "Wicked" with Jessica. It was such a fun experience. We both decided to get dolled up for the occasion. Anytime I can whip out my red lipstick, I know it's going to be a good time! There's something about red lipstick that makes me feel sexy. Did I just say "sexy"? Yes I did! But anyway, after our hike that morning, Jessica and I rushed home and rested for the evening's events. Our seats were in the way back (waaay back) but it was okay because we rented binoculars for $5. Not bad on top of our $32 dollar tickets. The songs and acting were great, I was singing "Popular" in my head all week. After the play we went to sushi and I indulged in a couple of drinks. 

Trying to look cute! This was the first time I wore these wedges that I found at Ross!

A close up of my necklace and red lips. 

At Civic Theatre in Downtown San Diego!

Jessica matched the parking garage!

Jessica looking cute in her dress outside the theatre.

Inside the lobby.

Inside the theatre. That dragon was only used once which I found strange since it was a focal point during the whole play!

Adjusting the binoculars before the show begins!

And I'm just being goofy before the show begins... 

Definitely a fun night for me! I need to think of something to reward myself with once I get to the 200's. I'm getting there before September... or at least, that's what I'm challenging myself to! 

Until next time, keep smiling. 

"Take a Hike" Saturday: Scripps Coastal Reserve/Beach

The girls and I headed out for our Saturday hike and originally, we were suppose to go to Torrey Pines. I was slightly disappointed when I pulled up to the window and was asked for $15. I refused to pay the prices so we drove around to see if we could find some free parking. No luck! I quickly pulled out my phone and found another trail near by. Scripps Coastal Reserve here we come! While the view was very pretty I wasn't very happy with this trail, as it was literally a circle... a short 20 minute walk. The fog was rolling in making it a bit eerie but that's about it. I guess I should have stopped to read all the ecological signs but I wanted to get my heart rate up. It just wasn't happening with this trail... 

Hello little bunny!

We were on our way out when I decided to walk further down the street to look at houses (one of Jessica's favorite things to do!) That's when we stumbled upon an entrance to the beach. It was a downhill walk on a winding road with beautiful scenery. Jessica mentioned that it looked like Hawaii and I agreed. The whole way down I was looking forward to walking back up the hill because I knew it was going to be killer!

Made it down the hill!

This was a private residence. I thought it was a cool backdrop because it looks so sci-fi! How appropriate with Comic Con in town!

Jessica leading the way up the hill! She was tough to keep up with.

There she goes!

A cool view of the winding road.

This was a pretty decent hike because we were rewarded with a nice stroll on the beach. The hill was tough and got my heart rate up. I love when my heart is pounding and I'm dripping sweat. It feels like a mini-victory every time. 

Until next time, keep smiling.