Weight Loss Wednesday

So it's another Wednesday..... and I've only got a .7lb weight loss to report. I now have 9.3lbs to lose by March 1st... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

My trainer, William, is going to be dropping my daily carb intake another 15 grams, starting Friday, the day after my hi-carb day (when I eat 230 g of carbs!). I'll now be down to 125g of carbs a day. Lately, at 140, I've been able to eat a little bit of pasta or a half a cup of rice, along with veggies, in order to hit my carbs. But with my numbers so low now, I think the only way to stick to my macros is clean eating.... aka solely veggies.

Lately, I've been venturing out of my little box when it comes to veggies. I'm not necessarily picky -- the only veggie I don't really like is carrots -- but I tend to stick to my favorites: broccoli, spinach, brussel sprouts and green beans.

Last week, I talked about how I tried spaghetti squash as a noddle substitute and loved it. I am proud to report, I've tried two new vegetables this week!
While I've had beets before, they've always been canned. I had my first fresh beets that my mom purchased from the Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete, Fla., and they were great.
I also tried acorn squash for the first time. I turned to my favorite healthy recipe website SkinnyTaste for some ideas on how to cook it. I gave her roasted acorn squash with brown sugar a try, and it was awesome. I see myself buying some more acorn squash from the market this weekend!

Happy Hump Day!

Favorite Things Friday

Hi all! HAPPY FRIDAY! Hope you are enjoying your day, whether you are at the office, relaxing or having a great, fun-filled day (like I am!). While you read this, I am probably playing somewhere in Disney World... I'm thinking we're going to start our day at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. I will be in Disney World this weekend, celebrating my wonderful boyfriend's 30th birthday.

Favorite January baby:
This has to be pretty obvious... my wonderful, sweet and loving boyfriend, Steve. He turns the big 3-0 today, and he definitely deserves to be a part of my Favorite Things Friday post. This has grown to be one of my favorite pictures of us. It was during my birthday last year when we, of course, went to Disney World. (It was my first birthday celebration in Disney!) He really makes every day special and wonderful for me. I honestly don't think I could have a better sidekick in life who always loves me, always supports me, and always makes life interesting.

I love you, babe!


Favorite Current Wish List Item: 
I am a huge fan of anything with elephants. They're just so cute, and I absolutely love what they stand for. Good luck, happiness and longevity -- who couldn't use all of those in their life regularly? As soon as I saw this Stella & Dot scarf on Koko Likes (One of my favorite blogs to follow. If you haven't checked it out, do it now!), I fell in love.
I'm hoping a little birdie surprises me with it for Valentine's Day (hint, birdie, you were mentioned in the previous favorite!!)

Favorite Moment from This Week: 
HOCKEY RETURNED!! I am a huge fan of hockey and of course, my hometown team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. I got to watch a few games already this week, and I am hoping there is a hockey game in my near future. Hockey games are always so exciting and fast-paced... I have never gone to one and not had a good time. I've also had a hard time finding anyone who doesn't like a hockey game after going to a live game.
Do you have a favorite team?

 

Favorite Inspiration

I love ending my Favorite Things Friday post on a positive and powerful note. I hope this quote impacts you the same way it has impacted me this week.

Source: brendan-i-am.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

My goal this week....is to go to a movie alone. This was actually an idea from my coworker Liv. The idea is a little scary, but I think it's a good thing to test my confidence every once in awhile. Besides, there are a lot of movies out right now that I want to see (Argo? Silver Linings Playbook? Wreck it Ralph?), so this is a good excuse to see them.

Have a fantastic weekend, friends!

Weight Loss Wednesday - Week Three

Ignore the fact that this being published on a Thursday, please!

My weight loss over the past two weeks has been unimpressive. (Thank you, lady business!) I'm down 1.1 lbs since my weigh-in on Saturday, but technically, I'm still at my lowest weight this month.

To be honest, it's insanely frustrating. And when I look at the overall number of what I want to loose (just over 50 lbs), I get extremely discouraged and begin to feel like it will never happen. So I've decided to break it down in smaller increments...

My goal is to lose 10 lbs by the end of February. It's roughly 2 lbs a week, so it's a very attainable goal. So wish me luck!


As for other parts of my healthy eating journey, I have been trying new foods. I recently tried spaghetti squash as a noodle substitute during a "family pasta night" with my sister and our good friends, Chris and Jess. I also made Steamy Kitchen's recipe for cauliflower mashed potatoes two days ago.
I absolutely loved the spaghetti squash.... it is an easy substitute for pasta. I even used some leftovers with taco-seasoned chicken, cheddar cheese and sour cream in a unique Mexican noodle mix. As for the cauliflower mashed "potatoes," I think I will have to give it another whirl. It had nothing to do with the recipe... I just think my cauliflower was going to bad. Another great resolution... be better about using fresh veggies! :)

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Favorite Things Friday

I totally dropped the ball this last week... no posts, no updates, nada. It was a ridiculous week at work, and I finally have Internet in my apartment, so I'm thinking I'll only get better at this blogging thing. So here goes my crazy week recap and Favorite Things Friday... the Monday edition.

I met my goal of dressing up for work every day! I was impressed with myself. I even managed to take a picture four out of five days. Do not judge that they were in the bathroom at work and selfies. I really need to get the boyfriend to snap pics of me in the morning if I am going to do another clothing challenge.

 

Favorite New Tmblr
While I cannot get enough of the .gif tmblrs lately (I'm looking at you #MyFriendsAreMarried), my new favorite tmblr in my RSS feed has to be 99 Problems but a Pitch Aint' One. As someone in the PR field, I feel like each one is talking to me. :)

Favorite TV Show
(Because all of my favorites are back!) I have a hard time keeping a schedule and actually sitting down to watch TV shows. If there is a Real Housewives of (Enter any city here) on, you will definitely find me sitting down and zoning out. But trying to always sit down at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday is extremely hard to do. I really enjoy watching "Parenthood," "New Girl," "The Mindy Project" and my new favorite this season:

If you are not watching "The New Normal," I'm not quite sure what your problem is. But it is the funniest show out there right now. Each of the characters is hysterical, and the storyline is extremely heartwarming and accurate for today's society.





Favorite Pinterest Find
My skin and I are constantly battling it out. One day, it's oily; the next, it's dry. I usually have an extremely bad breakout or nothing at all. I'm always trying new formulas and products to keep it under control. I found this brightening toner on Pinterest that you make with witch hazel, lemon juice and water.
Word to the wise.... use lemon juice rather than squeezing your own lemons. I only spent like a $1.50 on the lemons, but it was a pain to squeeze them. :-)


Favorite Inspiration
I had a hard week in the weight loss department, thanks to that time of the month. So I found myself more discouraged than I should have been. But like the image says, today is another chance.

Source: backonpointe.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

My goal this week... is to make my boyfriend's 30th birthday as special as possible. His birthday is on Friday, and we'll be going away for the weekend (to Disney!). I can't wait to make his birthday weekend as special as possible because he simply deserves it.

Favorite Things Friday

So I got a little inspiration from Lauren Conrad's Friday Favorites, and I've decided my favorite things that I've seen/experienced/pinned/listened to/watched over the week.

Favorite New App

Songza. If you haven't given it a shot, stop what you're doing and download or visit Songza.com right now. A coworker of mine brought it up one day as his go-to app for streaming music when he's running. I use Songza everywhere now... at my desk during work, while I'm in the shower, when I'm cleaning and at the gym.
My favorite playlist? Toss up between A Michael Jackson Dance Party and A 90's School Dance. (Yes, I'm aware of how embarrassing my music is.)

Favorite Etsy Find

Kellie Cecilia Prints! Kellie is an awesome designer out of New York who I've had the pleasure of being friends with for over 8 years now. She makes awesome customizable note cards as well as holiday greeting cards. She is available for bridal showers, wedding announcements, everyday note cards - you name it she does it. My most favorite card of hers has got to be her first release in her '2013 Year of Themes' line: a new baby card featuring Dumbo.


 


Favorite Face to Come Home to 
Regardless of what kind of day I've had, I love coming home to my dog, a 4-year-old Kelpie mix named Rigby. She has the best personality... always ready to snuggle, play and love. I really understand why people say dogs are man's best friend!


Favorite Inspiration
And I'll leave you with another great find on Pinterest this week....some words of wisdom!

Source: craft.tutsplus.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I can't wait to update on Monday with how my week of actually putting effort into my hair, makeup and dress went! I'm also very excited to do my second week's challenge, thanks to my coworker Liv's awesome idea. 

Weight Loss Wednesdays - Week One

I've decided to dedicate Wednesdays to my weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey! :-) 

My weight has been something I have struggled with for most of my life. When I was obviously younger, I desperately wanted to be a size 0. But the older I got, the more I realized that it wasn't possible.

December of 2009 (Nope, that's not lemonade.)

 I have hips. I have curves. Being a size 0 will never be an option for me. But a size 8 or 10 who understand how to eat better and exercise? I'll take it.

The only time I ever felt like I was close to comfortable with my weight was my senior year of college and the first year after. I was working out more than I probably ever have.... not that it was a lot. I'd go with my gym-fanatic best friend, Jess, twice a week, maybe three times. I think the overall active and stressful college lifestyle helped me.

However, a few months of unemployment post-graduation and my Mom's delicious home cooking led to weight gain again. 

Me and two of my best friends, Kellie and Jess, Oct. 2009

I have been working with my personal trainer, William, for just over 6 months now. When I came to William, I was eating roughly 1200 calories a day, but I couldn't lose any weight. So he broke it down for me...plain and simple. I was eating all of the wrong things and at the wrong times.

We spent the last five and a half months building up my metabolism and working me up to nearly 1800 calories a day. I was eating four meals a day and simply tracking my macronutrients. And I never gained a pound! In fact, when we started "my diet," I was 2 lbs under from when I started my training with him.

Kellie, Jess and I, December 2012

With the holidays and everything, I'll be the first to admit I got off track. While I wasn't necessarily over-indulging, I know that I wasn't being completely conscious of my choices. As of my first meal this past Monday, I decided that it was time to get back on track and follow my "diet."

And I am pleased to announce that .... I weighed in today 4.1 lbs less than I did on Sunday!

I feel like I am finally understanding how I need to treat my body in order to be healthier. And I hope that the next time I take a picture with Kellie and Jess, I'll be looking even better than the one from right after college! 

So good to see you, 2013

Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. - Oprah Winfrey

I'm not typically an Oprah fan, but I felt that this quote was ever so appropriate for how I feel about 2013. The new year, regardless of which one it may be, provides everyone with a time to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.

New Year's Day breakfast in Downtown St. Pete

Most resolutions for the new year include losing weight, drinking more water, being more active, landing a promotion, etc. And I'd be lying to say if most of my resolutions revolved around bettering my health, shedding the extra pounds and improving my career. But for 2013, I decided to step out of the box a little...

I have started this blog to hold myself accountable and to document the many things I find myself involved in. Over the course of 2013, I want to challenge myself to try new things or meet a goal. So each week, I will document my successes (and failures!) of achieving new goals and trying new things, in addition to my weight loss goals and life commentary.

My sweet boyfriend, Steve, and I at breakfast at The Hangar

Up first.... I am going to take a stab at looking like a professional every day of the week. Working in a small office where I am not always face to face with clients has led me to not always doing my hair or avoiding  makeup. For this week, I will be dressing up and doing my hair and makeup every day! (Hey, I've got to start somewhere.. :-))