Morning my peeps...This can't, unfortunately, be a long post.  I just got back from the gym and need to get ready for the second day of conference FUN here in the big city of Los Angeles.  Haven't as of yet ventured out, really, but luckily we have a native in our little group of friends, so Wednesday we're headed to Hollywood! woo hoo!  Here, in the meantime are some bulletins and highlights until I can post photos :)

First thing is first--I'm FRUSTRATED. I feel like I've made no progress this week on my workout program. Every other week I feel "lighter" or "stronger", but this week has just made me want to pull my hair out. I haven't lost a single pound nor can see any new muscles. LOL! To add to that--being TDY next week with not a whole lot of "MY" food really bothers me.

I think my diet needs tweaked. Christy seems to think it's time to switch things up, maybe add more calories or something. We'll see...........

In more exciting news......

My Pink Tommy Suitcase I found on SALE at Ross! Great find! Yes, somehow I've fit all of my belongings for 5 days into a 21" suitcase. The only other sized suitcase I own is HUGE and don't feel like lugging it around all week!


















My food stash. Let me tell you guys--those Kashi bars? FANTASTIC! Pretty high in carbs, but one every now and then won't hurt.












I was digging through my Oxygen magazines (BEST fitness magazine in my opinion! No frilly sh** between these pages...) and found this recipe! Can't believe I skipped over it. I've made this before and it was SO good!



Off to watch The Miss America pageant...not much else on! have a GREAT rest of the weekend! Next time I blog, will be from L.A.!

Workout:
30 min. cardio
Incline bicep curls
Bench step-ups
Side Raises for shoulders
Tricep kickbacks

I’ve found my new cardio love! Christy (essentially my “trainer”) told me to switch to the STAIR MASTER for awhile, seeing as how my knee and shins have been giving me issues while running. I’ve always held a negative attitude towards that machine—I just never understood it. Imagine me hopping on----- and the steps just falling to the floor and here I am, not understanding why the hell I couldn’t get the thing moving. LOL! SURPRISE! You have to MOVE your feet!!! HAHA!!! Long story short, I used that baby this morning and it got my heart rate up like NO OTHER! Plus my booty and legs were BURNING, which is always a good thing. I am a white girl through and through. I have NO butt and I want a round, firm one, and I bet this machine will be a big help. I could only stay on for 10 minutes. I hopped on the treadmill for an incline walk for another 10 and then back to the stair master for another 10—then did just a few arm exercises. I usually don’t workout before work (the whole sitting at your desk all day sweaty thing just isn’t too appealing) but had no choice. I knew it wouldn’t after work tonight. It’s FRIDAY!

Any big plans for you all this weekend? Mine will consist of packing and taking my dog to my parents :-(

So, I've compiled a bunch of recipes I want to cook VERY soon! After my TDY/VACA (yea right) in LA next week, I plan on flipping things up a bit with my diet. Not too much, however, since what I usually eat really helps me shed the weight---I just need some spice in my life. LITERALLY. I'm so jealous of you people who live near a Trader Joe's :-( No fair!

Here's my list of recipes to come:

1. Low-Carb No Bake Cookies (has coconut. I love coconut in cookies!)
2. Baked Fish with seafgood sauce (PROTEIN POWER with this one! A Whopping 48g per serving!)
3. Chicken Tortilla Soup (Courtesy of Oxygen Mag. My favorite!)
4. Cashew Butter Chicken Stew
5. Energy Strawberry Muffins
6. Buffalo Chicken Sandwich and Tomatoe/feta cheese/onion omlet (Thanks fittingbackin!)
7. Peanut Noodles w/ baked peanut tofu (never had tofu...hmm)
Feta and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken breast
8. Chicken Dijon
9. Pita Pizza's!!!! :-)

I don't know where to begin! Still looking for a low carb chicken enchilda recipe......

I skipped my workout this afternoon for lack of energy. I don't think I'm taking in enough calories. May need a little bit more. I'm hitting the gym before work tomorrow. It's convenient to have a gym at work. However, this means I need to get to bed by 10:00 to get my lazy ass up at 6:00! LOL

Thanks for all your comments :) They mean so much! Have a great night!

I'm not a huge Juicy Couture fan, but THIS clutch and their Viva La Juicy perfume? AMAZING! I'm obsessed with clothing and shoes, etc. just to let you know. It's hard for me to be frugal at times--I can admit that! But a lot of the time's it's because stuff at the cute, cheaper stores just isn't made right! The seams are not long enough so my boobs won't fit in a Large, Or....the dresses aren't long enough because I'm too tall--Crazy stuff like that. So, you see...not my fault :-)

I'm trying to decide how I want to keep up with my workouts on here--I have a handy calendar I hand write on daily, which is easiest and quick to glance at for me, but I still want to post the workouts online--Maybe just a weekly rundown....

I go TDY to L.A. Sunday-Friday. This is the biggest challenge for me--traveling and still maintaining clean eating. I'm bringing some tuna pouches and my Parillo protein powder, but what else? I can't bring my raw fish and chicken on board!!! Cook it with my hairdryer! HA! I'll just have to modify a bit--I'll keep you all posted throughout the week--Should be fun! I've only been to L.A. once, but didn't see a dang thing! I know for sure I'll be seeing, AT LEAST, Universal City Walk and some dam. WOO HOO!

Also, Monday my poor baby boy is going under the knife to get fixed. :-( I'm taking him to my Mom back home to our family vet. I hate that he has to be put under--he's so tiny and I always think the worst, but I'm sure he'll be OK and I just think too much. I love him so.


I'm trying a new recipe either this weekend or the week after I return from TDY--New recipes are so much fun, dontcha think!

Off to get ready for work--which I should have been doing 15 minutes ago. Oops. :-)

What's the record for most blogs written in a single day? :-)

I just had to share that running is NOT my friend right now...or rather my right knee and shin is not. I've had some issues with my right knee since participating in a 3K last October. My poor body isn't used to running outdoors on hard asphalt and that's all there is to it :-( So doing so, reallllyyyyy messed up my knee. It was so bad I had BRUISES on my shins...JUST from the running. From that day forward I've been wearing a ugly, stupid knee brace from Wal-Mart when I run. HA! So attractive :-) Crazy....

So, yeah, did a class at work called Tabata today, then hopped on the treadmill, for what was supposed to me just a mile walk/run. Then the pain in the shins started. It hurt so badly. Came home, skipped my precious tanning bed session and iced my entire lower leg.

Does anyone else have this problem? Not just shins, but the "runner's knee"? It's the DEVIL!

P.S. - Does anyone know of a good low-carbish chicken enchilada recipe??!?!

FIRST and foremost, I have to tell you all that my goal is to NOT be rail thin. I want muscles! I want abs you could wash laundry on! Biceps that could make a grown man bow to his knees! heehee. Don't fret--I know it says to the right over there ----->that I have about 43 pounds to lose, but if I ever see myself getting way too skinny--what I like to call "Skeletor Thin"--I'll STOP.

As promised, I’ll share with y’all my current diet and fitness regime plus fun Before and Current pictures!

I can’t even begin to tell you what I’ve tried over the years, to lose weight. Nothing too extreme—just not the healthiest per say.

As of now, I guess I would say I’m on a high protein/low carb diet. The trainer who works in the “Life Center” here at work (yeah…cute name….Life Center.) is a bodybuilder—she’s done a few shows and isn’t too big and meaty, but has great muscles! She basically put me on the diet she sticks to while training for shows. I first came to her last year with the goal of wanting to be in the Miss Alabama USA pageant. Long story, but I never went through with it. Just didn’t have enough time between when I started the program and when the pageant was. I did lose about 12 pounds in two months doing things her way, and it wasn’t too hard to do. I really stuck with it. I made it priority numero uno in my life—some people don’t need to, or can’t, but for me, being single and young I was able to do so.

I eat every 2-3 hours all day. Mostly fish, chicken and turkey meat dishes. Here’s a typical day for me, meal wise:

Breakfast: Strawberry Protein Shake by Parillo performance (VERY high in protein! I was drinking a different kind before Christy stepped in and told me the carbs were too high in it and not enough muscle building protein. Oops.)

Snack #1: Chicken breast, ½ cup of broccoli and 1/3 cup brown rice.

Lunch: Tilapia, ½ cup green beans and sweet potatoes.

Snack #2: Chicken salad and whole wheat crackers.

Dinner: Salmon and ½ cup of some vegetable.

Snack: Sugar free pudding or Special K with skim milk


Lately I’ve been so horrible with my dinner. I do my workout after work from 4:30 until (some days) 6:00 and when I get home I just grab what I can. Not bad eating, but probably "not enough calories" eating and by the time bedtime comes, I’m starving. NOT GOOD. Something I need to work on.

This is my basic, run-of-the-mill menu. I stick to this most days, but for good measure, try new low carb recipes to keep things interesting! Cooking is my new love since I moved out into the big-girl world almost a year ago! I'll share some of my recipes with you all and PLEASE do the same (are you taking the hint? I've mentioned that a FEW times now!)



My Lightest - 160 lbs in 2004




















My Heaviest - 200 lbs in 2007















My Happy Medium - 180 lbs in 2005 (HAPPY HALLOWEEN!)

















Current - 198 lbs in 2009

My very first fitness/weight loss blog!

I'm so excited!

Ok, so technically I do some light blogging on my myspace account...mostly about what's happening in my life, sprinkled with small stories about my fitness journey--but for the avergae Joe, reading about how long I ran on the treadmill or how I almost busted my kneecap at the gym doesn't really interest them.

I've always been a lurker on weight loss blogs, jotting down other people's tips and recipes, but never wanting to take the time to set up an account. :-) Sure, I can be lazy-I admit it. Just a few days ago, however, I stumbled upon Fitting Back In's blog. I started reading and found her writing to be so fun and motivating--then I saw her photo and realized I recognized her and that we had mutual friends! SMALL WORLD! I mean--from just a random weight loss blog search? Really?

Therefore--I'm HERE and ready to share my angst/happiness/pain/struggle/success with you all.

I'd like this first post to be an introduction of sorts...I find numbered lists to be easiest and satisfies the perfectionist inside me. HA!


1. I love to write--it is, after all, my profession, so I may tend to babble and blog randomly about nothing or everything!

2. I'm 25 years old. Born and raised in Alabama. Do I have an accent? Not really. I guess the most reasonable explanation is that I lived near an Army base so growing up I was exposed to so many different people.

3. The love of my life at the moment is my Chihuahua, Brady.



4. The title of my blog may raise a few eyebrows and lead you to believe I'm...conceited, possibly? Not so. It seems my entire life I've been told I had "such a pretty face". You ALL know the saying--in other words, "You have a great face--lose weight". As a child I was slightly more overweight than my peers and to be honest I'm just made big! LOL Of course at that time, all I saw was a fat girl in the mirror and not reality. I won't overuse the term "big-boned"--even though I AM, in all honesty. I have broad shoulders, natural muscle tone, long legs (I'm 5'10!) and am quite sturdy, my friends. In high school I was never the girl boys wanted to date, because I wasn't the gorgeous, thin ninny (who are all now overweight and lazy. Odd isn't it?) Around my senior year of high school and my college years I began getting fit, working out regularly, eating right...Which has led me to where I am now. Grown into my own skin and overall happy with who I am and what I look like. Nowadays, I'm not afraid to tell my weight. Who cares?! I try not to bother with the scale--as great of a tool it is, it can cause some slight depression! LOL...especially after a big carb slip-up. Most people are shocked to learn my true weight anyway. They're usually off my about 20 pounds. Hey! I'll take it! :-)

Instead of weighing everyday, I weigh myself every week or two weeks and take my measurements religiously! That, in my opinion, is the best source of tracking weight loss. Oh, that and body fat analysis. Here at work, we have a "life center" trainer who will gladly take our body fat percentages for us. It's amazing to see those numbers reduce over time.

5. My main purpose for this blog is to have a tool where I can easily track my workouts and what I eat...and of course mingle with everyone and share ideas. So please feel free to share anything. (Especially recipes! I LOOOOVE getting new recipes! Preferably low carb *hint hint*)

Check back later for a blog with my current photo, my lowest weight photo and heaviest photo. As well as my current diet and workout routines. YAY!!