Yeeeeeeesssssssssss!

My brown Ann Taylor suit.  It is actually a tiny bit big.  It was snug when I bought it for an interview.  And now it’s not.  Woot!

And these lovelies…my faaaavorite pants, trousers from The Gap.  And these my babies…are a size EIGHT.  Yeah that’s right…I am baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!  Back into my size 8s, and I was jumping up and down for about an hour afterward!!  I love trying on my clothes and finding that they are smaller, looser and better looking not snuger, tighter and make me look like crap.

Love it.

Speaking of love…

Could my baby be any cuter?  She was purring like she had an outboard motor in her mouth.  She is too sweet, sort of a pain in the arse sometimes, but still sweet.

I am also excited because I do not have to cook tonight because it’s family taco night at TAJ’s work!  I love hanging with the FA family!  They are wonderful people and last year was a ton of fun!  Ole!!

Time for some updates!!

First I am down 9 pounds since my last photo sesh and measurements

Last time:

Look at all that green!!  I am pretty proud.

High five.  Go me.  Hehe.

I have been kickin muh butt for the last 8 weeks, so seeing improvement, and  not just on the scale, but in the loss in inches just drives home how much this is paying off, and that all of this is not for nothing.  TAJ gave me an awesome compliment last night.  He told me how much smaller my arms looked.  They are not a ton smaller, but it is noticeable!!

Now I am off to clean out my closet and get rid of some of those “fat clothes” I had to buy because I couldn’t fit into my favorite clothes!  I don’t want to hang onto them because I never want to have to wear them ever again.  8 weeks down and I am 9 pounds lighter, 1 pants size smaller, 1 cup size smaller, and I can look down and see my feet (over the girls) and not my big belly. 

So let’s get started shall we?

1. I have lost over 8 pounds so far, and I am so close to that first reward!  I cannot wait.

2. I can actually eat Chipotle.  I ate a huge whole burrito on Saturday, and didn’t balloon out!  yay!

3. Valentine’s Day was wonderful!  Good-ish pasta (I wasn’t all that impressed with the dinner itself.  But the wine and desert were lovely.)

4. The Amazing Jeff and I are like twins…because he got me this:

Our initials!!  I had been wanting to do this forever, but couldn’t find both initials in the right metal and size!  He is the best ever.

5. I love salsa for breakfast

Egg whites, cheddar-jack cheese, mild salsa and Morningstar maple-flavored breakfast pattie.  Nom nom nom.

6. Rick Santorum is a moron, and I fear that if he is elected Women’s Rights will take a GIANT step backward…like about 60 years.  #AmericansagainstSantorum

7. I love my gym.  The people are so friendly, and the trainer is so sweet.

8. I am super proud of me.  I am my best motivation.

9. I could moonlight as a pastry chef

Dark chocolate Raspberry filled tarts…made em for Valentine’s Day and took them to TAJ’s work as a surprise for his awesome co-workers.  They were a hit!

10. I wore skinny jeans, and my favorite blazer on our Saturday date night.  Two articles of clothing that I have not been able to get into since the fall of 2010.  I was giddy.

What are some of your best highlights from last week?  Anything awesome happen?

Here’s hoping you all have a wonderful day with the ones you love!

1. Pole dancing is not a sport…and it’s a creepy form of exercise.  and gross.

2. “Fat acceptance” is sad.  In my personal opinion, I think that to some extent people that are seriously overweight are to a certain degree…lazy.  I am not saying under any circumstances that my opinion is correct, or the only one.   Unless you have a medical condition that prevents you from moving your body, and feeding yourself you have no excuse.  I am tired of people making fun of “fat people”, but I really don’t want to hear the excuses that people who are overweight give as to why they can’t lose the weight.   “I don’t have time to cook.”  Really?  I live the same 24 hours a day that you do, and I find time to cook.  “I can’t afford to eat healthy”.  Bullsh!t!!  I am unemployed and living on a seriously tight budget and I afford to eat healthy.  “I don’t have access to a gym”  Um, you do know that there is a whole world out there with streets, and sidewalks and trails and stuff right?  You can do push-ups and sit-ups…and just move your body.  “I’m too tired”…ugh.  Really, you are too tired because your body is too busy digesting all of the crap that you put into it all day, everyday.  Try eating actual foods, and moving your body.  You will find energy.  Trust me.  I have given myself every excuse in the book over the years…and I got tired of hearing them from myself.  So I get frustrated when I hear other people play that same broken record.

3. I said goodbye to the 150′s this weekend!!!  Wooohoo!  I made a promise to myself that I will never, ever see that number on the scale ever again.  I am down 7 pounds so far and I feel amazing.

4. I hate election years.  They are the worst thing to ever happen to this country.  I love talking politics, but I don’t love politicians.  The two parties, one in particular, have seem to forgotten why this country got started in the first place: Religious Freedom.  Just because you believe in one thing, doesn’t mean that the entire goverment should change their policies to cater to your beliefs.  This is still a free country right?

5. Um, Whitney Houston?  I used to think she was one of the most amazing, strong, beautiful women in the world.  It broke my heart to see the life I so highly admired turn to absolute poo.  I feel so sorry for her family.  Rest in peace Whitney.

6. I am starting to understand that I am going to have to go back to work.  Boo.  I love being able to be home and take care of my home, and my hunny.  And I think the dude at the gas station mis-printed my powerball ticket.  I was supposed to have the winning numbers…but I don’t.  Crap.

I know that I owe you guys a whole mess of updates…30 Day Shred Challenge, 10 Day Plank Challenge…oy vey.  I am so hoping that I can get back on a normal schedule here this week, now that I have found my groove with the eating and exercising thing.  But Valentine’s Day is this week and we are supposed to have 2 date nights out this week…yikes!

What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?

I did yesterday!  I got on the scale yesterday and saw a number that made my jaw drop!  I stepped on the scale yesterday fully expecting to see the same number as the day before.  But I saw: 150.6.  NO WAY!  I have not seen that number in a loooong time.  We are talking more than a year.  At that moment I fully appreciated all of the hard work I have been doing over the last 4 weeks.  That number was confirmation that I AM doing the right things.  All of this work, sacrifice, and diligence is actually paying off!  I was walking on sunshine ALL day yesterday.
http://youtu.be/OQZA5url9m4

I was totally dancing like Jack Black in my head all day.  Plus I got my first “Lookin Good” compliment yesterday!  I see huge changes in my body, and my abilities.  I am very proud of myself and I can’t wait to see what I look like in 4 more weeks!

All of this healthy eating, and exercising has really made me think about the state of the food options in this country.  Not only that, but the choices that are offered to the children of this country.  With vending machines in schools, and not just high schools!!  But Middle and elementry schools!  Seriously?  A few months ago congress decided, in all their wisdom, that pizza is a vegetable.  Um, WTF?  Just because it has a process tomato paste on it does not mean that it qualifies as a vegetable.  They must think that McDonald’s fries are also a vegetable…ugh.  I am not even sure that those fries are actually potatoes!!  Yuck.  I am frustrated by our society’s constant facination with Non-foods.  Foods that are man-made…in a lab.  The “beef” that is served in fast-food chains all over this country is basically dog food, that has been filled with preservavitives and made “fit for human consumption”.  Eeew.

I guess maybe I am becoming a food snot.  I apparently have gotten very passionate about it!  Ok, getting off my soapbox.

So after a bingy, bingy Sunday I finally feel like I am back on track.  I understand that Sunday is my rest day…but I gotta get a handle on my late night snacks on Saturday night…The Amazing Jeff and I usually stay up super late on Saturday.  Because that is the only night we can until said tax season is ova!  So then around midnight or so I am starrrrving, and so I eat.  Two weekends ago is was way too much pasta.  Boo.  Last weekend I chose cereal.  Not too bad but it was still more in the realm of a “meal” calorie wise and not a snack.  I classify a Meal as 300 or more calories.  A snack is under 200…but I like the number 100 better.  And like magic…EAS Lean 15 strolled into my life.

Mmm, protein.  It makes me happy. Num.

Speaking of protein!

Almond Butter Protein Balls

I figured it would take a week or two of totally digging into this exercise and diet thing.  And it has.  I really feel like I have a much better handle on this now that I have jumped into it with both feet.  I think the problem over the last year is that I just had my toes in the water…in the kiddie pool.  But Now I think I am swimming with the big kids, with no floaties!

The Amazing Jeff and I got a Kinnect for X-mas, so I got him this awesome UFC Trainer game for it.  I thought it would be an awesome gift because we love the UFC, and TAJ goes to Jujitsu for his buffness, and now that it is tax season he can’t always get there when he wants to, so this way he can train, or at the very least get a workout in.

It’s actually a good workout!  There are actual UFC fighters (animated of course) that you can train with/ have coach you.  Plus there are different activities like, freestyle…where you can go to town on a bodybag…for 5 minutes.  WOW…yeah don’t start with that one!  Overall I am pretty glad that we have it.  TAJ has not tried it out yet, but I am hoping maybe we can try it together this weekend!

Alright…these Luna bars…

Holy crap folks.  It is a candy bar disguised as a protein bar.  Fer real.  One bite and I was in heaven.  I love, love, love Luna bars anyway.  But these protein bars have seriously outdone it.  Getting more tomorrow!!!!!!  They are a bit smaller than the regular bars, but that is totally ok!

Have I mentioned yet that I am totally into sweet potatoes right now?

Yummy.  Sweet potato with a bit of cinnamon…perfect.  This is one of my favorite lunches these days.  Cottage cheese with a dash of lemon pepper, sweet potato and a dash of cinnamon and Starkist Tuna…they have flavors.  Love the Lemon Pepper and the  Herb & Garlic.  I have eaten tuna for lunch almost everyday for a week.  Slowly working into fresher fish.  I am not a big fish eater…but I want to be because it’s so good for you!

Hope you all are having a fantastic day!  Big plans for Valentine’s Day anyone?

After my Level Up on Saturday…it was Spa Day!  And I enjoyed every minute of it!

I have decided that purple is my “Power Color”.

I LOVE these Salon Effects from Sally Hansen!  I had never bought them before, but I did because they were on clearance at Ulta.  Super easy to use, only a few chips thus far.  But that is not suprising for me.  It took about half the time as a regular mani, and no waiting for it to dry!

Finished the pedi and called it a day.  It was nice to spoil myself a little bit.  I think I may need to make it a weekly thing!

Oh!  I gotta share my new favorite breakfast!!

Fiber cereal (from the Dollar Store y’all!!), half a container of Chobani vanilla yogurt and pomegranate seeds.  Nom nom nom.  Super filling, good protein, nice amount of crunch, cuz I love me some crunch!  And the pom seeds are so yummy!

I also achieved a new PR last week in my miles…61!  Boom!  How did that happen?  Pure insanity.  That’s how.  So I am shooting for 70 this week.  And I am well on my way with 48 miles.  I logged 204 miles in January…damn!  I didn’t even log 300 miles in all of last year…and I trained for a half marathon!!

Last week, I took the plunge and decided to be my own boss and become a Pure Romance Consultant.  And I am super excited!  My kit arrived this week and I just loved the little note that the distribution team wrote on the inside of the box.

Makes me feel like part of the team!

Oh…I caught Cecila Facebooking this morning.  And she was pissed that I interrupted her.

I have had a tremendous breakthrough this week.  I am so excited to work out everyday, I suddenly get the eating thing, and can actually see the hard work paying off.  It is noticeable how much flatter my tummy is, my waist is getting narrower…this is just the beginning!

I did have a little binge last night at midnight.  I was hungry, but I chose pasta and sauce…deciding that I would count it as today’s calories….eek.  That was HALF of my calories for the day.  Krysty will be eating light today…

Ah well…tomorrow is a gym day!  Have a great rest day if that your plan!