BACK TO THE SWING OF THINGS!

Well Well Well, look who we have here. It's safe to say that I totally forgot about blogging this summer. I also totally forgot about what eating healthy was about. BUT I HAD FUN! I enjoyed foods that I neglected for a while. And i can not say that I regret it either. I didn't gain A TON of weight, and I don't feel bad about it. Although I did enjoy every calorie, I can't make that my way of life again. I worked hard to lose this weight and I do not intend on putting it back on. So now that my summer is coming to an end, so is the fast food, ice cream and pizza! Well, not an END exactly but most defiantly in moderation! With that being said, let the journey begin!

A TYPICAL DAY FOR ME.

what I eat in a day:

Like i told ya'll, to loose weight i tried to eat no more than 1300 calories a day. Counting calories is a bother but when you get used to it i promise it is so helpful because you begin to think about what you are putting into your body. So here is a few options for you guys. I'll post more because i honestly eat too much for one post. (lol) 

Breakfast: 

Dannon light and fit yogurt and 1/4 cup of granola= 170 calories 

Morning Snack:

1/2 cup (or whatever the nutrition facts suggest) of almonds ( sometimes i but the ones dressed in cinnamon, or cocoa to switch things up) =160 calories 

Lunch: 

Turkey burger on wheat toast w/ cheese and tablespoon of ketchup= 335 calories  

PM Snack: 

some kind of fresh fruit( grapes, strawberries and apples are my favorite)= 35 calories

Dinner: 

Grilled Chicken breast, Broccoli, and wheat rice= (about) 400 calories 

Dessert: 

Chocolate Vitatop Muffin w/ teaspoon of fat free cool whip =120 calories 

TOTAL CALORIES: 1220 

See that wasn't so bad! get a little note book and write it down and I promise it seems like a breeze! 

MY FAVES: DIETS AREN'T ALWAYS BORING!

Seriously, who doesn't love chocolate? I'm pretty sure it's needed to survive. I know it is for me anyway. It's just not something I'm willing to give up! And who doesn't love cake? If i could live off of it I would I swear! Unfortunately that's now how life goes. :-( But i found an alternative. :-) I am OBSESSED with VitaTop VitaMuffins by Vitalisious! They are whole wheat muffin tops (the best part of the muffin) and they taste just like cake, I promise! They are all 100 calories and under and they are made with all natural products and are loaded with tons of vitamins. According to the company, they even have more vitamins than an apple!


How i Like mine:
 I love the velvety chocolate ones (that are 90 calories) with frozen cool whip, and some berries. I SWEAR to ya'll it taste just like a slice of cake. I've also tried the brownies and they are good as well. Now in baltimore they don't sell many of the flavors, but for my Morgan girls, they go have a few a Giant on Loch Raven. And you can also order from the website which I will share.

The website is www.vitalicious.com I promise it is so worth it if you have a sweet tooth and are trying to stay healthy.

(note: I am not getting paid by this company, nor did they ask me to advertise for them.)

Calorie Counting!

It's really not as bad as it sounds, i promise. LOL. When I started my diet it was so important for me to count my calories so i wouldn't over eat and know what was going in my body. When i started out, i tried to eat between 1200-1300 calories in a day. It's important that you don't go under 1200 calories! With everything, I eat read the back of the labels and jot down the calorie count. It's easier to eat packaged food at fist because the facts are there. Don't obsess with getting exactly 1300 calories either. The counting is just to have a general idea of how many calories you are having.    

You have to pay attention to the SERVING size on the label when reading the labels. Whatever that serving is, that's what you eat. (For example if i eat almonds and the bag says 1/4th cup 160 calories, i measure out 1/4th of a cup and eat that.) And if you don't know the calories of something, GOOGLE. I promise you you will find it. Most restaurants have the calorie value of their meals on their websites. Try it out, you'll be surprised how many calories some of your favorite foods have!  

IN THE KITCHEN

....so i had some time on my hands this morning, no class so i decided to make breakfast. Normally i have yogurt and granola when I'm in a rush. Today i got to have my egg white omelet, turkey bacon, home fries and toast!  I loaded my egg white omelet with asparagus, mushrooms and tomatoes and low fat cheese. Two pieces of turkey bacon, whole wheat toast (with sugarless jelly) and red potatoes with onions. Add whatever seasoning you like. I cook  with olive oil in's shown to burn belly fat! Healthy and delish! YUMMM!

Just a little Motivation! (before and after pics)

here are a few before and after pictures

                                              (That's me all the way at the far right my sophomore year in about 2009)

 

                                                   ( Sophomore year, 2009)

(Jr. year, 2010) 

Present day, 2011

Present day, 2011

Operration Miami!

So i have roughly  6 weeks until my friends and I are in MIAMI for memorial day weekend! I'm so excited. But nowI feel the PRESSURE! It's time to really buckle down for me so i can shed this extra weight. My plan is to lose eight more pounds before then! All i keep thinking about is sandy beaches and bikinis when I'm in the gym doing squats. >_< watch me work!

Sun in the Skyyyyyyyyy......

   Yes Jennifer, I know how you feel! And I've never felt better! I have to say that this is the absolute best that i have ever felt in a really long time. Weight loss is probably one of the most rewarding things you can accomplish in life. Not only do you add years back to your life, you just feel great! I love seeing my body change and I'm excited about where I'm going.
    With that being said, weight loss is NOT easy. i know! I've been over-weight all my life, so i've been on every diet you could think of. I've had countless gym memberships, and still I would be so confused as to why I could never lose weight. After relentless tries however, something had to give. I knew it was getting out of control when i was not even comfortable with looking myself in the mirror. And i had to do it my way.
       Thanks to the power of google, youtube, and countless other blogs I formulated a plan for myself and it worked! Now because i was so scared of the scale before I started my journey, i did not weigh myself before I started my weight loss. I did weigh myself at the doctors in January (I started my journey in about July) I was 214. So it's safe to say i was at least 220 when I started. Today i stand a 148! And I'm not done!
        Why I'm Here:
                  I get so many questions on how i lost my weight, what i eat, what exercise  i do, its hard to actually give people an accurate detail on how I did it. So here I am. No i do not only eat salads, no i do not starve myself and YES i do still indulge in chocolate, pizza and pasta! It wasn't easy and i promise i felt like giving up many times, but i needed this so much. I needed to get back to me. I promise i will do all i can for anyone to feel like i feel. SO with that being said, lets do this togehter. :-)