Roses

I am handing out roses to people today in celebration of my new car from Mary Kay. I love the smiles on women's faces when they get a rose. It is also a nice way to start the week.

I went to an MK retreat this weekend and had a blast. I learned so much and am using my new knowledge already. It feels great.

I worked out 4 days last week, all morning sessions. That is great as I was having a tough time getting out of bed before. I love that my workout is already complete and leaves my day open for other possibilities. I will be doing my workout tonight though because I needed extra time to get prepared with the roses this morning. I am going to do a workout called "The Gauntlet." Oh baby! This workout is a killer...and I love it. It is over an hour long filled with cardio and strength training. It will take your breath away and leave no muscle untouched. It is so worth it when you are done.

Today, I took extra care in the selection of my outfit. I bought a new cream-colored skirt that has gold flecks in the sticking. I am also wearing a gold-colored velvet blazer and matching boots. I must say that it looks so pulled together without being pretentious! LOL

Off to work...

I love this...

I just wanted to have a title with love in it.

I am sitting at my desk on this Thursday afternoon and bored. I cannot wait until I can walk away from this J O B and get on with whatever it is I am truly supposed to do with my life. I am so not an office person. It is up to me to get my butt moving so that I can get out of here for good. I have the tools, I just need to you them in the correct manner to make them work for me. Isn't that always the case?! Weight loss, workouts, life...I am well-prepared, I just need to act consistently.

Speaking of weight loss and working out, I am proud to say that I have consistently journalled and have worked out 3 days this week already. My plan is at least 2 more days of workouts this week for a total of 5. The food has been going well. I plan my day in advance and work to stick to it.

Today is my Friday so I am excited. I am having some people over to my house tonight. I hope to have a decent turnout. Nothing fancy, just for fun and food. I need to get home early so that I can prepare for the folks. Let's see how I can swing that!

Day 1 in the bag!

So, I made it through Day 1 of my quest to get back to goal with flying colors. I had to modify my evening meal and actually came in under points and was not hungry. I am think that I will have to have a visual calendar that I put stars on for being on track/On-Program (OP). I did my workout; I followed my food plan. Yippee!

I ended up going to sleep at 9:30 watching Degrassi. Yes, I am a dork. I used to watch the show when I was a young'n and love to see how they've updated the stories to fit today's youth.

Because I went to bed so early, I didn't take time to make my lunch, select my workout or pick out my clothing. I had to wing it this morning. Luckily, I did plan my meals for the day yesterday afternoon. After I was dressed, I made my breakfast and lunch. I actually eat 4 meals while I am at work.

It is so much easier to stay OP during the week. It is the structure of the day. I just need to have similar structure with myself on the weekend and I will be just fine. When I was getting to goal, I had little problem journalling my food or going out of my point range. It's amazing--when we are hungry for the goal, nothing stands in our way!

I woke up this morning at 4:30 AM and stayed in bed until 5 when my alarm went off. I got out of bed and into my workout gear, washed my face and headed to my workout room/office. I selected a program by Tony Horton called "Plyo Legs". It's a program that incorporates weightless toning with higher intensity cardio drills. Tony Horton is pretty silly, but when you think about it, why can't we be silly when we are working out? It was a good workout that tested my cardiovascular fitness and burned the crap out of my legs!

Like I shared yesterday, I am working on keeping the cardio high and the strength training high reps. I need to sit down a work out a training rotation for this week so that I ensure that I am hitting each body part at least once and getting it various types of cardio workouts. I might head to the gym tomorrow for a run.

Day 2 meals started with a favorite: Turkey Bacon and Egg white burrito/wrap. I used 3 strips of Jennie-O turkey bacon 1.5 points, 2 egg whites 0 points and Del Valle baby burrito tortilla 1 point. I also had a cup of caffe d'vitta capuccino 1 point. Total 3.5 points, filling and yummy!

I hope to get out of here (the office) early today so that I can go and vote.

Look at me!

Oh wow! This is me from when I was in college. That was 3 years before I began losing weight and getting healthy. Hey, at least the smile is the same...just less cheeks.

I am grateful that I have experienced what life is like after losing so much weight. It feels wonderful even if I am not at my goal. I am still 60 pounds lighter than I was in this photo. Sixty POUNDS! That's a lot.

Shopping

I am wearing a brand new outfit that makes me feel great. I went shopping over the weekend and pick up some things from Old Navy. I have received many compliments and that adds to the feeling. I also changed my makeup a bit and wore a deep color of lipstick. I also made sure to have plenty of time to do my hair this morning after my workout.

Now, let me tell you: I LOVE TO SHOP! Let me also tell you that I don't enjoy how quickly my self-esteem can go into the toilet when I have to come to terms with being a size 14 again. Me no likey. I am working intently on getting back down to a size 10 by this spring.

Lipstick: I have forever been a lipgloss girl. Recently, since starting my business 10 months ago, I have worn lipstick I love how quickly lipstick can change your appearance and your mood. I now have a small collection of colors that I wear on a regular basis from a coppery brown (Gingerbread) to deep berry (Black Cherry)to a warm red (Crimson Glow). I still love to layer my glosses on top of the lipstick for that extra shimmer.

So, I am on Day 1 of getting to my spring goal. I got up this morning a 5 AM to workout to Cathe Friedrich's Cardio & Weights. I have worked out with Cathe for about 3 years now. She is the queen of home exercise, IMO. By the time that I am done with any of her workouts (I probably have 20 in my collection just from her), I am a sweaty mess. I LOVED IT! I feel so accomplished. LOL Well, in order to get my weight off quickly, I am going to incorporate lots of circuit training into my workout plan. From previous experience, this type of workout presents the fastest results in weight loss and changing my body.

I've been watching "Ultimate Goals" on FitTv and love to see how quickly people can lose 15-30 pounds in just 2 months time using diet and exercise. I remember when I first started WW, I lost 24 pounds in 2 months. Can I tell you how thrilled I was? I was thrilled beyond belief! That's when I knew that I would make it to goal. I continued to lose in nice quantities (average 1.5-2 lbs per week) for about 7 months before my losses began to slow down.

So, on UG, the participants select an activity that they will do after their 2 month training program. I wonder what my Ultimate Goal would be? A triathlon? A marathon? A bike race? A dance competition It would have to be something fun and that most people wouldn't dare to do. I am into be unique and stretching the boundaries! LOL

just a girl with God-sized dreams

I am sitting here at my office, enjoying a snack of Trader Joe's lowfat Honey Whole Wheat Pretzels and Reduced Fat PB. Can I share that I enjoy Reduced Fat PB over regular, not because of the reduced fat content but because of the increased SUGAR content!

This is my first entry and most definitely not my last. You know, it's just crappy when you see so many blogs started and not updated regularly. Well, I am one of those crappy people. LOL I had another location where I kept my thoughts, ideas and woes and cannot remember the password. (I didn't update the site for about 8 months!) Well, this is a sign for a fresh start. I hope to use this as a mind 'dump'. So many wonderfully crazy things (take that as you wish) stream through my mind all day. I hope rid myself of some of those nagging things and share the most wonderful things.

Well, here are a couple of fun facts about me:

*I am a lifetime member of WW who has lost 85 lbs. This has been one of my greatest accomplishments to date. I love to work out, but allow lack of time to keep me from doing more of it. I love to play softball and stay active. I have put back 20 pounds of what I've lost and am working to get back to my personal goal.

*I just earned brand new car from Mary Kay. I love my business. It is so much fun and has offered me a new look at my life. I didn't realize how many things that I needed to work on! LOL I love to teach other women how to apply makeup. I've found that many more women would wear makeup, but do not feel comfortable with their skills of application. I love seeing women change this and feel better about how they look. Shallow? I don't feel so.

*I am an aunt to 2 beautiful girls (14 and 2 1/2). I have no children myself and am not in a rush to have any. I like my freedom a lot and don't see myself being willing to give it up quite yet.

*I work for the government and cannot wait to change this not-so-fun fact about me. My goal is to be out of here by April 2006.

Let's go back to weight loss for a second. Achieving weight loss success is such a pivotal marker in my life. I didn't know that when I started the journey to lose that I would sit here 5 years later and realize what achieving that goal has done for my life. Yes, I am healthier and feel that I look better, but I am such a different person that the woman that walked into that first WW meeting on Wednesday, September 13th, 2000. I realize that taking on a goal of such caliber and completing it is such an empowering, life-altering experience. I am a better, more driven person because of it. All of my weight loss tools had flooded themselves into other parts of my life. I think that every person needs to have such a life-altering experience so that they know that it is worth the energy, effort, passion and sleepless moments to take on a goal bigger than their comprehension and previous attempts. I say previous attempts because according to my track record, I would have failed again. If I had not tried again, I would not have had this opportunity to succeed. Look at all that I would have missed!

I think that the reward one of the best rewards of completing a goal is not the actual goal itself, but all the work and passion that it represents. My future looks brighter when I look at my past...


So, that is why I say that I am "just a girl with big dreams."