Before...

Before...
Las Vegas May 2011

Thursday, December 8, 2011

A Girl Walks Into A Bar...

Flat week, no change. Ate healthy but only exercised one and a half times so only me to blame with being lazy this week. Going to get a lot of exercise in this weekend as I head to NEW YORK CITY with one of my BFFs and favorite traveling companion, Molly! We have the most fun when we go to new places because we're carefree and just go where the wind takes us. Love going to hole in the wall places and mom and pop shops...any suggestions? We'll take them.  Probably going to use Yelp quite a bit to find fun things to do. Can't wait to see some other friends and family I know there...and also meet for the first time, my co-workers. Yes, for those that don't know, I work from the comfort of my couch for an investment research firm based out of the Big Apple. It'll be nice to put faces with people I converse with on a daily basis.

If you live in the Chicago area, my friend who is a personal trainer there, Stephanie Mansour from Step it Up With Steph, is going to be taping a reality show in a few weeks -- Biggest Loser style!!!!! It could become a national hit, too! She's looking for a woman who wants to shed 30% of her body weight. If you're that somebody, click here to sign up for her free newsless and check out her website for more information! I wish I could do it with her! We'd have fun rocking out to some Hanson I know that!

Let me tell you about my fun weekend. So, last blog I talked about how you should go out and talk to people you don't know. Well, I took my own advice and did just that. Since I work from home all week and talk to my boss via AIM (we are so cool) throughout the day, and then hear my sister yell JENBOP every two seconds when she gets home from school (only for another week..then she moves two hours away and I'll be left all by my lonesome...anybody looking for an apartment here in State College?)  The people I typically hang out with up here were working or doing stuff for THON (yep, some of my favorite people here have just turned 21..Hi Dee!) I decided to get all dolled up, straighten my hair and even put in contacts...and head out to the bar...alone. Who does that? A girl who told you to do it, that's who.  Man, did I have fun!! I ended up at Pickles -- a fun bar here in town...at about 8:45. There was a dude and dudette sitting at the bar and I sat on the corner near them.  We started chatting and I said I was bored, everybody I knew had other plans at the time so I just decided to go out.  They thought that was great...the guy said "I like you! That's awesome!" A few drinks later, and we were singing "Red Solo Cup" and raising our glasses of Blue Moon. Turns out they went to a Catholic high school near my cousins in Philly.

At about 12:45 I decided to go meet my brotha from anotha motha, Justin, at Indigo -- a dance club. It was jam packed. I knew he would be on the dance floor so I walked around the side and was looking for him. As I was standing there, a really cute guy asked me to dance -- first of all, let me say, that I do believe that is the first time a cute guy ASKED me to dance in a college town. Usually they just start dancing up on ya. Very cute. I said I was looking for my friend but thanked him. Stupid me. Then I spotted my friend and went on over. He didn't recognize me at first (probably because he's used to seeing me with either my hair pulled back or under a blue wig and my glasses on while we're tailgating.) but as soon as I opened my mouth, he knew it was me.. ha. Not to mention he probably had a few beers thrown back at this point. We headed out to the dance floor to boogie on down but then some girl grabbed him and away he went. I laughed again and headed home for the night thinking about the great time I had just by going out alone. Who woulda thought? Met some cool people, talked to some cute guys. A+. Now it's your turn!

Go try it and let me know how it goes for you!

"Dare to soar -- how successful you are is determined by your attitude." -- Unknown

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

No Bones About Me

So back at 230...again. +1 this week.  I need to hit the ground running, literally.  Was able to sneak out for one 3 mile walk while I was home in Florida. Did a workout tape with the sis last night, made stuffed green peppers with ground turkey -- added some hot chilis and pizza sauce (yes, pizza sauce...trying to get rid of stuff in the fridge. All tastes the same!)  They were yummo.  Have been eating oatmeal for breakfast with a banana the past two days and salads for lunch.  Last night was family dinner night. "Family dinner night" is something a few friends and I started in college around the holidays -- I'd make a big turkey day and xmas dinner before the breaks. Moving back, we do it on a weekly basis. It's a lot of fun to get together and eat some yummy food and watch Wheel of Fortune -- yelling at everybody who keep buying vowels instead of spinning. It finally bit somebody in the butt last night when it came to the final round before the last puzzle.

Speaking of TV -- ya'll watch the Victoria's Secret Nothing But Bones Fashion Show?  The girls are absolutely gorgeous until the camera pans from their face and goes down and you look at lack of meat. C'mon ladies. Eat more than a Tic Tac for your big meal of the day. Just bones and boobs doesn't turn guys on these days...and we finally have proof. A Penn State student -- male -- Ryan Beckler -- has spoken up.  Victoria, We've Got Our Own Secret.  While most girls were writing on their social media sites how awful they were feeling about themselves, I was feeling pretty good about my 11..well, now 10 pound weight loss knowing that I don't have a boney butt.  My goal is not to at all to go beyond what is healthy -- not saying those girls aren't healthy .... I'm no doctor that has evaluated them. But, I don't want to lose all my curves -- just a few love handles. And I want to be healthy. The lowest I ever got to was a size 10 my junior year of high school. My goal was to be thin by prom. I was pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Then I let myself go -- again. And here I am trying to get back to those size 10 Tommy Hilfiger shorts I have in my drawer at home. I don't think I could go any lower than a size 8 to look good for my body and build and that's cool, yo.


Junior Prom 2001 -- 10 years ago already? YIKES! With my uncle Jerry and sister, Heather

Man, that picture is some inspiration. I can't wait to get back to that weight!

My only thing about the article is -- how many of you good looking, built boys are with overweight chicks? Not many. So what's up with that?  Obviously, first thing you notice about a person is appearance. No brainer. We've all judged a book by the cover ... admit it. Sure, I have. But, I will still talk to the person to get to know them. You know how many times I've talked to a hot guy and then realized how dumb and not funny he was? That will make us ladies (and gents) think you aren't as attractive as we first thought. Same goes for an "unattractive" or "overweight" guy. You WILL become more "attractive" if you have brains and can make us laugh. 'Tis true.  It's happened to me before. So, gents, go talk to that overweight girl with the pretty face...she could be trying to get her life in order in many ways. You never know what you'll find. Could be a single, corny, funny, Penn State enthusiast, sports loving and screaming chick with a college degree like me *coughcough*

My friend Molly and I have decided to be more open about our dating options. We decided one night before going out that we were going to talk to any guy we saw -- started on the bus. We ended up meeting some really awesome...and interesting people that night. So, go give it a try. Go out tonight or this weekend and look at a group of gals/dudes. Just go start talking.  

One more quick story on that note -- there was a guy I met in college that I became pretty good friends with. In high school he was the hot jock. I was the quiet chick in the marching band.  In college, we were both journalism majors on our way to Ohio State for the weekend to cover the football game. We knew nothing about each other until we got in the car and started talking. Amazing just how much we had in common and could talk about different things. I just kept thinking to myself of all the other people I possibly passed up in life. Here I was, the quiet chick with the hot jock. Anyway, no, nothing ever happened -- he had a girlfriend and I was dating a couple other guys at the time anyway. Proof right there that men and women can just be friends, too :)  I do owe him a phone call, though. I'm kinda behind on that front -- sorry friends!

PS: My friend who is an up and coming amazing personal trainer and confidence building life coach made it on CNN on Thanksgiving for the 2nd year in a row!!!!!!! I've mentioned her in blogs past when I did her 30 day plan. She definitely gets to your mind and makes you think about your journey to a healthy life style. Definitely check her out -- and her newsletter is free! CONGRATS, STEPH!!!!!!!

"I wake up every day with the realization that this is it. There's only one shot at this life and I can either enjoy the ride and live it to its fullest and to my highest potential or I can stay the way I am" -- Unknown

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Travel Week -1 !

Man, I feel like all I've done lately is travel back and forth from PA to FL! Between bachelorette parties, football games and now Thanksgiving...goodness gracious. Not sure how I did it, but I managed to lose a pound bringing the total to 11 at 229! Back...for the oh third time? in the 220s. Holla!  Woke up, got on the scale, and then went for a three mile walk with mom. Man, was it hot out this morning! I felt like I was at band camp lol...those that have been through it with me know what I'm talking about. Okay, it wasn't THAT bad...but it was warm. I even got waist deep into the pool after. Just couldn't manage to get my whole self in with the water at 70-72ish. Tit bit nipply for me.

Tonight is pork chops and tomorrow...well, we all know what tomorrow is. A walk, of course, and then it's gonna be me, the sis, parents and grandparents...turkey and taters... and apple pie and pop-pop is making pumpkin pie (which isn't my fave so I'll be good there.) Oh, and I have to make zucchini bread. (Sorry, Molly!) We usually don't go overboard for turkey day so it shouldn't be too bad for me. Can't wait for turkey sammiches later tomorrow night! Mm mm mm!  And Christmas season is here -- time to pull out the old VHS of Home Alone. Yes, I did say VHS. Hopefully it doesn't get stuck in our VCR.

Enjoy the holiday with your family and friends! Safe travels to all! Oh, and if you are looking for a fully furnished apartment in State College -- shoot me an email. Sis is moving to York to do an internship for 6 months. The lease runs through July 31 but not sure how long I'll be there before moving back to Florida.

"Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it." -- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

+1 Post Cruise

Though this is a weight loss blog, I feel like I can't go without mentioning the Jerry Sandusky child rape allegations. I, along with thousands of others, grew up with blue and white blood running through our veins and Joe Paterno as a grandfather figure. A man with morals. A man who wouldn't let his players take the field if they weren't making the grade. A man whose team is tied #1 for the best graduation success. Our alma mater lyrics, "...May no act of ours bring shame." A motto JoePa strives for: "Success with Honor." You all know what you saw in the media, I don't need to bring that up. But, I'm tired of hearing how Penn State is an awful school, we're all terrible people for "rioting" (all 50 people out of 40,000 that did damage....and I've heard that some of the people that did damage were, once again, not affiliated with Penn State. IE, high schoolers. Also heard that the media was egging on people to do damage.) What you haven't heard is this: Penn State students, alum, friends, and supporters have raised nearly $400,000 for RAINN. Please don't comment on this blog about how "JoePa is so dirty he needs to shower." (Yes, a plane flying over the tailgate on Saturday actually said that.) But, let's CLICK HERE to make it to our goal of $500,000 and exceed that and HELP those that have been hurt by this God awful situation. Thank you.


Now, some more depressing news. I'm up a pound to 230...so down 10 since the start. But, that's post cruise where I admit I drank and ate like a queen. Kept the frozen drinks to two. (You MUST have a Coco Loco.) And drank for the most part light beer...with the exception of an overly crazy liquor night where I danced my butt off. I did incorporate salads and fruit throughout the trip and walked a few times with my mom while I was home 3 miles around the neighborhood. I'm finally feeling better after being sick before the cruise! Going on the cruise just brought the sickness back and when I got back to PA I couldn't walk fast without feeling like I was hacking up a lung. After a few doses of Mucinex (which I don't recommend taking during the day because it'll make you feel sick to your stomach. I took it before bed the next night and woke up soooooo much better.) I feel like I'll be able to wog again! Looking forward to getting back in my routine now that football season (in State College) is over.

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live." -- Jim Rohn

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Down 1 in Florida!

Sorry I didn't write last week. I was sick, was flat, and then just forgot and then my visitors were here for the weekend.  But I'm back and down a pound this week bringing me back down to the 220s!! 229! Which is down 11 total.

I live in (well, lived in and will soon be living in again...) a very nice neighborhood. I'm usually the first to always say hello to people when walking but not today. The old folks said hi like a mile before we even met up...or probably more like 15 feet. Gorgeous day!!! Yesterday mom and I went for a walk and today she is working so I picked it up a lil bit and wogged a little. So weird on flat surface with no hills lol.  The loop around the neighborhood is just short of 3 miles my dad said...which is longer than my 2.2 miles up in PA.

Some other good news today -- I'M A GODMOTHER!!!!!!!!! My friends Chris and Courtney welcomed their son, Camden Christopher on 11/1/11 at 11:28pm. He weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and I can't wait to meet him!! He is seriously the cutest thing ever and I'm so blessed to have this opportunity to be his godmother :)

I must plug my boss's band. Not sure if I did or not, but THEY HAVE NOT ONE, BUT TWO VIDEOS ON MTV'S MOST POPULAR!!!!!!!!!!!!  If you like bands such as Good Charlotte and Simple Plan, etc, you will definitely like them. Their one video got up to #12 beating out a lot of popular peeps. So, CLICK ME and give them more votes...they are down in the 20s now I think but bring them back! The video is in the spirit of Halloween so enjoy. THE OTHER VIDEO, HERE, is about losing and helping those who commit/try to commit suicide. It is a thing near and dear to my heart as I've lost far too many friends and family members to suicide so enjoy the video and meaning and please share :)

Tomorrow I head out on a bachelorette cruise for one of my BFFs, Dana! Can't wait until all my girls are reunited again :)

OH! and I must share who my other bff, Molly and I dressed up for as Halloween...

Tony Okungbowa and Ellen DeGeneres!

Coozie the Snowman at our FOOTBALL TAILGATE...we got 7 inches of snow. Fun times...


"A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" -- No idea...but my dad says it all the time

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

No Pain, No Gain

Weigh In Wednesday: 0. Flat. I'm sick and only worked out once or twice this week...but it was a great workout. Went with the sister and leg pressed 180 with ease...could have gone higher but didn't want to test the waters too much. My arms are certainly feeling it today though (2 days later).

Two home football games left. This week is away at Northwestern.

Seeing people I haven't seen in a while makes you look upon the past and how I was treated by some. I used to be a quiet and shy girl and now I'm not either. I was told to stand up for myself and now I do. Ladies and gents -- don't let people walk over you and use you when you're weak. Always stand up and respect yourself.

Sorry this one is short and sweet...my brain is on vacation (although the cruise isn't for another 2 weeks lol)

"What are stumbling blocks and defeat you before, can be stepping stones to victory if you remain determined" -- Unknown

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

First Weight Gain...Gaaahhh

I knew this was going to happen this week. I dreaded this morning... +2. GGRRRRR. But with the way I ate and drank this weekend, it is of no surprise. Burgers and dogs and some Hawkeye fans brought over some delicious pork chop sammies...flip cup and beer pong (I was I think 7-0. Undefeated by myself...then I think I lost a round with a partner...can't remember...a lot of excitement and visitors and cooking of grilled pineapple -- DELICIOUS!)  Had visitors from Thursday - Monday. Ate out the entire time.  I never thought I'd say this but...I'm kinda looking forward to the end of football season. Yes, I'll be sad to not have games to go to but I just think of all the weekends I'll have free to do what I want again and eat home and have time to exercise. Though, we sure did walk and dance a lot...and gave piggy back rides...and act like linemen at the tailgate. I think I'll just share a few pictures. I can definitely see my face, legs and waist going down... so there's our positive news here for this blog.

One of my BFFs from high school came up for her first game!

My Iowa Hawkeye friends

Getting down and dirty with my lil sis. 

And the piggy back rides start...

Longest flip cup game ever...3 tailgates

Marissa and me

I'm the boss...lol

Walking across the lily pads

Having fun with art around campus...

Oh, hey, more piggy back rides...

5 or 6 people in the back of the taxi...

One last hoorah for Heather's car

We're a blast

and this is for Mom...THE FACE!

"The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal; the tragedy lies in having no goal to reach" - Benjamin Mays

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

These Boots Were Made For Walking

Hello again! It's weigh-in Wednesday! HOLDING AT 228! No gain! I was worried I might this week -- just didn't feel like I lost anything...and, well, I didn't. But "mother nature" can help with that feeling. Blah.

Let me start off by saying I went on my 2.2 mile walk last night and I wanted to kick it up a notch so I wogged (*For new readers, I said a wog is like a jog, but not so fast so it's like you're walking very fast but it's not a walk...it's not a job...it's a wog)...and I wogged...and I wogged. I remember wogging and thinking "Wow, is this more of a jog I'm doing? My breath is still normal...I would have stopped like 20 feet ago, but I'm still good!" and my jog slowed to a wog but DAMN! I went far without having to stop!!!!!!! I was so happy! IT FELT AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Then, I came to the hill. As I was walking, (yes, I did have to eventually walk. I'm not superwoman...yet) I saw the hill coming up. I had a conversation in my head about whether I should attempt a wog up the hill. By time I finished arguing with myself... if I was ready or not, I was wogging. I looked at the top -- saw the top and aimed for it...my legs were BURNING....BUT I DID IT!!!!!!!!! I MADE IT TO THE TOP OF THE HILL!!!!!!!!!!! Just a few months ago, I was breathing heavy when I went on the walk with Shane...down the hill.....my lower back ached...and now I was running up the HILL! Can I get an AMMMMMMMMMMMEN? AMEN!

My little fashionista sister helped me with my outfit for this weekend. Taught me how to "hide the fat." Now I think some of those "spring time clothes" I bought the other day can be used on the cruise I'm going on in a few weeks..I'm super excited and nervous (for food and drink, of course.) I plan on bringing my workout  clothes and hope to get some exercising in. I don't think it'll be that hard since the bride-to-be's sister and maid of honor is a hard core trainer. Could be fun! Get ready, girls ;)

And just want to add in here that I've been trying some "home remedies" I've seen on TV shows like Dr. Oz and The Doctors. First, I tried the neti pot. My sneezing went from ten times an hour to ten times a day. Insane how that worked!  Next, I "deep conditioned" my hair with mayo. Yes, MAYO -- the stuff you put on your sammie. Not sure how that worked as I haven't had to "do my hair" in a while since I work from home. But that was interesting. The last thing I tried was putting toothpaste on a zit...holy crap that actually worked, too! Dried that sucker right up better than Clearasil!!! Gotta love these home remedies.

Finally, I must share a picture of my new boots.


I wore them around the house last night to break them in for this weekend. I'm not much of a heel girl...so this is another change for me haha. PS: I swear I DO have knees. Glad to see my legs are starting to take shape, too! Holler!

Today's quote comes from a close family friend, Denise. She had this on her Facebook and I told her I was stealing it for my blog :)  This is dedicated to all those that have told me I'm inspiring you, but you just haven't started yet. C'mon now -- read this and go for a walk. That's how I started.

"Don't wait until you're ready. Start now. The circumstances will not be perfect and you won't get it perfect. Start now, however, and you will get it done. You're not going to have everyone's assistance of approval. You can, however, get the jump on your success and get started right now. Do you want to waste your time and energy on elaborate excuses or would you rather invest yourself in achievement? Get started now and get the achievement well underway. You've already delayed long enough and there's no good reason to wait one moment more. The time for action is the time at hand. You're standing squarely in the middle of your life's great and valuable opportunity. Start right now and make all that value yours." -- Ralph Marston

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Foul Mood

I warned you in the title.  So I've been very happy about the 12 pound loss so far...until last night.  Went shopping for some cute clothes for this upcoming weekend since I wanted to kind of "treat" myself..and a guy I dated in college will be here so yeah, duh, what girl doesn't wanna buy a new outfit for that occasion? ...and none of the cute ones fit.  But, I'm not letting this get to me at all.  I was with my friend Molly, and I bought some of them and called them my "spring time outfits." Now I have something to look forward to there. When we left the one store she told me to just walk faster -- HAHA. We did. Gotta keep that heart 'a pumpin'.

Today was a miserable day, too. October 2, and apparently it was snowing this morning at 7am. I was sleeping through that...but my friend Marc helped his brother move up from Florida and they were getting into town at that time and witnessed the horrific event.  I'm so not ready for winter...put on the heat last night.

Went out to buy my local paper today...and even though it was a misty rain, I got my paper and walked my 2.2 miles anyway.  I'm proud of that.  Otherwise I'd be sitting right here like I am right now....clipping coupons. Love saving me some moula!

Stopped by the farmer's market yesterday and bought some zucchini (going to make zucchini bread again for this week's tailgate) and I also bought kale. Now, I've never made kale; only ate it in the soup at Olive Garden but I hear great things about it. God bless Google for recipes!  I was talking to some ladies at the Sustainable Kitchen and one mentioned kale chips. I've heard of them and I figured I'd give them a whirl. To my surprise, they were pretty damn tasty!


Now, I know what you're thinking..."Jen, that looks like a pile of leaves you just picked up off the ground." I swear, it's kale. What you do is wash it and dry it. I used my lovely salad spinner thing. Then, I sprayed my pan with cooking spray...threw the leaves...I mean kale on the pan...sprayed the kale with cooking sprayed, sprinkled some garlic salt and red peppers flakes on them. Preheated the oven to about 330 and cooked them 8-10 minutes. If you love potato chips this is a great alternative. Talk about health benefits -- this is loaded with vitamins. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I ate that whole damn thing there during the PSU football game (which we won't talk about here...)

To end on a positive note, I "finished" my Step it Up with Steph program. I say "finish" in "" because you're never finished. The mind is the most important thing when it comes to weight loss. If you're not in the right frame of mind then forget it.  Her program helps you one day at a time to keep your mind where it needs to be and sets it where it needs to go.  I learned a lot..and have my "cheerleader" -- actually, I have a lot of those now that I look at it.  Thanks again to all of you keeping on my booty... to make it a slimmer one ;)

"The rest of the world lives to eat. while I eat to live" - Socrates


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

12 POUNDS DOWN!!!!

I have to start off with saying that I cheated........I had an inkling to get on the scale yesterday after breakfast. I WAS TWO POUNDS LIGHTER! I'M IN THE 220S! 228! WOOP WOOP! (Today is my official weigh-in day. No change and that's OK!)

Not going to lie...I came out into the living room and did a "happy dance."

The weekend wasn't too bad eating and drinking wise with another house full of people. We went out -- I did get the Eddie D from Champs which probably wasn't the best idea. It's a pretty big sammich. But, I only had 1/3 of a sampler of beer and water the rest of the night -- and had a side salad instead of carbs. Then we went to a pizza place on Saturday night and I went for a yummy chicken dish loaded with veggies. And a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon -- good for the heart :) Only had two or three beers during tailgating.

I was craving a milkshake the past few days so I made myself a smoothie. I really can't stand most Greek yogurts and I try to suck them down -- even adding Agave Nectar which didn't help a few weeks ago. So, I took a Greek Yogurt. (I actually do like umm I think it was Oikos brand but I didn't see that in the store this week.) I put it in the blender with some blueberries, strawberries, dried cranberries (that I usually put on my salad), almonds, and agave nectar. Turned on the blender and poured like molasses into the glass. YUMM-O!!!!!!!!!!!! Had the perfect amount of sweetness and texture of a milkshake. Had plenty of vitamins and protein in there as well. I think I'll have another one today!



Been having some trouble trying to find some things to write on my Step it Up with Steph  except about people that hold you back/help you. Gotta give a shoutout to my manager, Josh, who asks me every few days how things are going. He works in NY (I'm in State College...work from home) and we were just talking about what I'm to work on to start with this morning so he said same as yesterday... and "and update blog, obviously."  Gotta love it! I was also shocked to hear from people that I don't really talk to much anymore that wrote me and told me they read this! Awesome! A few people have said I hope to inspire them -- YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! GO START NOW!!!!!!!!!!!

My ending quote this week comes from a guy I met freshman year of college at Penn State Berks. Steve has lost a TON of weight and said this on his Facebook status...

"Think you're out of gas? You're not -- do another set. Think you're at your limit? Push a little harder and see if you were right -- I bet you weren't. You haven't lost the game until you're defeated in your head" -- Steve Spohn


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Sorry for the delay...

First off, my apologies for my lack of blogging and a huge THANK YOU to those that remembered Wednesday is my weigh in day and have been asking where the new blog updates are. You really help to keep me on my toes. The last two weeks have been insane. I did have a couple fabulous workouts at my gym. WOOT WOOT. Then last week I was so swamped with work, I fell behind with everything -- blogging, exercising, and my Step it Up with Steph workbook. I got caught up today...phew! I certainly learned a lot and had some interesting exercises. She had a quote in there about treating your body like it's your friend. Never thought about that before. You don't want to treat you friend like poop with giving him/her junk food and crap all the time -- you want you friend to be successful and happy in their life.  That was very interesting. Another thing was reading about how people that always think they are right are miserable. Man, could that not be any more true!!!!!!! I took a recent event and thought, "Wow, that is so dead on."

OK, so now that's out of the way, I must say...I was feeling kind of down last week with still at the same freaking weight. Then, I was getting ready to go out to the bar for my dear friend's 21st birthday and I started trying on some old clothes...THEY WERE FITTING BETTER!!!

(I'm the one in silver! Haha...OK, stop laughing ;) )

But I noticed the fat rolls/muffin top/love handles/insert nickname here had gone down...and I fit a little less snug in my skirt. HOLLER! So that made me feel good. I limited myself to three drinks throughout the night...and we boogied on the dance floor to shake off some calories. It was a great night.

This past weekend I went to Philly with my friend and saw a bunch of friends and family I haven't seen in quite some time. Though the Penn State game had it's up...and downs...the Phillie's game was great! My second Phillie's game...first in the new stadium which is pretty bangin'.

My friend from college, Claudia, and me outside Lincoln Financial Field

From the picture I first posted in the blog from my trip to Vegas in May til now, I can see changes in my face...thank goodness! 

Last night I was watching The Biggest Loser for the first time in several seasons. Not sure why I stopped watching...I think because I had "given up" on myself for a while. But, I watched last night and was shocked to see that I could be a contestant! I weigh the same as some of them now! Definitely not a good feeling. The only good feeling was knowing that I could definitely do better in that mile run/walk to get to my trainer of choice. 

I went grocery shopping last night and bought some romaine lettuce for wraps...flatbread for sammies and a bunch of other healthy fruit and veggies. I plan on making hummus for this week's tailgate -- my apologies for garlic breath ahead of time. But, it's so gosh darn healthy and delish. My mom gave me a homemade recipe which is out of this world. Here...I'll even share.

In blender or food processor, 1 garlic clove (I used minced garlic that I have in my fridge), 1 can chick peas drained, juice of 1 lemon ( 2 tsps...I used lemon from the bottle in my fridge), little salt, little hot sauce, 2 sprigs fresh thyme ( I used it from the spice rack). Blend all that and then add olive oil till the consistency you like!!

Now, I think I added quite a bit extra garlic and lemon and thyme to it. You have to keep adding and tasting until you get it the way you like. Actually, I think I added extra of everything lol. I love to taste spices and herbs.  My friends really liked it, too.

I guess I should write about the weigh-in. Still the freaking same...though I'm not surprised with the lack of exercise from last week. I also failed myself in saying I would only have one cookie at the tailgate. I had three. Oh I was...am so mad!!! But, it reminds me for future tailgates how pissed I am now so I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!

And once again, thank you thank you thank you to all my friends and family keeping me on track. Through Facebook, phone calls, texts and even gmail chat -- you keep checking on me and I love it. I'm so glad I started this blog. Now it's time to start work for the day :)

My quote this blog comes from The Biggest Loser last night when Debbie got kicked off.

"It is OK for me to think about myself; that I can have a life, too" -- Debbie, The Biggest Loser


Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Holding Steady

Hopped on the scale this morning, and I'm still at 230. Not going to let that get to me, though. Just started using weights again.  Good news is I'm not pinching as many inches on those awful love handles as I was last week. Wish I would have measured around before I started this final transition!  Can definitely feel a difference in how I'm feeling and seeing definition start in the legs..WOO HOO!  Oh how I miss my high school calves...

It's been raining nonstop here in Happy Valley since Sunday so I went to the gym last night (and am about to head out there today.) Walked 45 minutes at different inclines and speeds between 3.0-3.5 or 7 and worked the arm machines. Today I'll see if any ellipticals are available -- those are my fave! And then I'll work my walking sticks on the machines. Have to get ready to climb to the top of Beaver Stadium again -- what a haul. Hmm...stadium steps anybody? Those about killed me in high school, literally...had to do them in band camp and my throat started to close up. EEK! Anyway, my mind and body are progressing along this lovely path of weight loss....

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be" -- David Viscott

Monday, September 5, 2011

Tough Tailgating

I have to start out with how happy I am that I started this blog. I really feel accountable and based my decisions this past weekend on thinking, "I have to stay strong...I have to keep the blog going to keep myself on the right track."  It helps that I got some tweets (I love Twitter) from David Garcia who has been seen on my all time favorite day time talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Talk about an inspiration there -- he's 32 and melted off 164 pounds!!! Check out his blog. I also got a retweet from Chris Powell's crew (Seen on Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition). Chris started "Reshape the Nation" -- also an inspiring man. I'd say that was a good start for one blog post!  My friend, Stephanie Mansour from Step it Up with Steph said she wanted to help me along the way as well and hooked me up with her 30 day program. It's a deeper look and holistic approach to becoming a healthier you. So far, so good :)

One thing that I have been looking forward to is football season. I'm a graduate of THE Pennsylvania State University and currently live in State College, home of the Nittany Lions. After really starting to push myself to lose 100 pounds, I found myself almost dreading the start of the season. What was once a happy word made me start to feel sick. Tailgating. Waking up early with friends to drink and grill all day, watch football, then go back out to the fields and continue on with the party. Can I be strong enough to say "No thank you" to all the fattening foods associated with tailgating?

It started Friday night when my friend and I went out to dinner. We decided on Ruby Tuesday's. As soon as I sat down I felt like I had just won the Biggest Loser and this was my first meal out on my own. I was a little scared reading the menu but I saw they have quite a few healthy options. My friend wanted to split an appetizer of their new shrimp fondue thing. I told her I'd only have a bite or two because I'm really trying to watch my weight. I stuck to it!!! She asked me to eat more and I declined. Score one for me! For dinner I went with the zucchini sliders -- YUM!!! Went for grilled green beans instead of french fries and the salad bar. I forgot to ask for mayo on the side, but luckily it was a light spread. The green beans were slathered in some sort of oil. Bummer. Let's hope it was EVOO.

Now it's time to hit the bar. I decided to be DD. 1.) so I wouldn't take in extra calories and 2.) so my friends could enjoy their night out on the town. I had one Miller Lite. Score two!

Saturday was a little bit harder with tailgating. But, I did bring a fruit and veggie tray and munched on that. Had a few bites of a taco dip my friend made. Same as the appetizer from the night before, I allowed myself a few bites but that was all. Fruit the rest of the night.  Dinner time, everybody was craving Olive Garden's endless pasta bowl. I said, "Sure, let's go...but I'm not eating the endless pasta bowl!" They said they thought they had whole wheat pasta I could divulge in. Nope. Nooooo thank you. I went with the grilled Mediterranean chicken dish. It had a ton of flavor.

Glad we did a lot of walking on Saturday so I was able to burn off some of the calories since I wasn't able to "fully exercise." It's Monday, and I'm back on track again. Went for a nice walk in the rain and am about to put on my Jillian tape. I'm trying not to get on the scale every day -- maybe once a week. I'm thinking Wednesdays will be my weigh in days. As promised, here is another inspirational quote:

"Your body is the baggage you must carry through life. The more excess the baggage, the shorter the trip." -- Arnold H. Glasgow

Thursday, September 1, 2011

10 Down

Everything I wanted to say came to me so clearly on my walk this morning. I didn't think about doing a blog about my weight loss journey, but my friend from high school and supreme fitness expert and life coach, Stephanie from "Step it Up with Steph" suggested I start one. So here it is.

I'm a brutally honest person so I should start being honest with myself, and you. Same story, different girl, right? Grew up overweight, made fun of, blah blah blah. You've heard it all before. I don't know where it started....I know on "The Biggest Loser" they really try to get to the root of your problems. I've been overweight since I was in 2nd grade. I'd grab a bag of Doritos and bring them to my room and close the door and start eating them. Why? They are delicious! My parents are happily married...though, like all couples, have their arguments. So I can't blame it on them. Mom always made a healthy dinner, I was in sports and marching band (not our best performance, but you get the idea...) (northerners, you can't make fun of that. I grew up in the south where marching band camp is harder than football camp. You run for miles, jumping jacks, arm circles, stadium steps, duck walks, lunges across the football field. Then you play a few notes. Did I mention our trainer was nicknamed "The Angel of Death"?) Anyway...so yes, I grew up with a normal family in too rich of a town for my blood. So I can't blame this fat on anything but my love for food I suppose.  Now, I am learning that you can eat what you like -- but be smart about it. Cut a slimmer piece of cake. Only take a small handful of Doritos.

Time to get honest with you all. I'm about 5'5" and 240 pounds. Well, 230 now. I lost 10 pounds prior to me starting this journal. There, I said it. My fat butt is...was...and never will be again... a whopping, disgusting 240 pounds.

Now that I never need to say that number again, let's get on to the positive. I've been getting up at 7:45am...eating a granola bar because I believe it was Stephanie who said to eat 100 calories in the morning before you start to work out. Just to have something in your system. I eat my granola bar, stretch out my legs and head out for a 2.2 mile walk/jog.. or wog as I thought of this morning. I walk for a while...then what I learned in band camp was to just put your body forward and you'll fall into a run...or in my case, wog. I look ahead, find a goal and wog to it. Then I'll walk for a while, take some deep breaths, enjoy the scenery and say hello to all around.

If you're like me, you hate seeing people up ahead. You're thinking "Can I keep running toward them? What are they thinking about looking at me? What if I can't wog that far?" Who the hell cares? Just go. You don't know them and they are just doing their walk of shame, anyway.

I come home, drink some water (and here's a tip: if you have a straw in your glass, you'll drink more water. I love water and drink it all day but I've found that with a straw, I drink even more -- especially later on when I'm being a couch potato, I hold my glass instead of put it down...and the straw is right there so I constantly sip. Try it!)

I gotta tell ya, Jillian Michaels...she'll kick your butt, too. Her "30 Day Shred" is amazing. It's getting easier as the days go by...and luckily there are three levels so I'm almost ready to get to level 2!

OK, I think this is too good of a start for my first blog. I'll update it as the days go on. And to all my friends out there trying to lose the pounds, I'll leave you with some inspirational quotes I've found along the way.


"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can." -- Unknown