I FAILED!

So this is going from bad to worse! We did so bad on the dietbet neither one of us took it serious! I feel gross and weighting 187 so gained 4 lbs but feels like it is 10lbs. This week was a little better I planned my meals and really tried to stay away from bad foods. But didn't go to the gym all week and I just feel bad and I don't know what is going on. It is all mental! Was considering buying a 10-day cleanse but I feel so silly that I need to buy something to help me get back into the mindset. All I know is that I have to try on my bridesmaid dress on Nov. 22 and I AM FREAKING OUT!

I wish I could be positive and show progress but I'm just not there - and it is really just making me feel crappy.

Thursday blues.

One year update!!

I didn't really become committed to a lifestyle change until this blog (end of May). And if anyone is still reading this you can tell my motivation has been in a downward spiral. I guess it has a lot to do with wanting to sulk and eat instead of being active and responsible for my progress. And after going home this weekend for my sister's bridal shower and seeing these pictures I think slowly things are starting to click again. 

But anyways exactly a year ago this weekend I went to a wedding and wore a black dress and felt pretty okay  that day- for the most part however when I saw candid pictures from the photographer and tagged on Facebook- I WAS MORTIFIED. Well a little redemption this weekend because I felt pretty darn good! Everyone was complimenting me and commenting on my weight loss. In all honesty I don't feel thin- I haven't been committed for the last couple of weeks so I wasn't expecting those reactions AT ALL. But holy moly when I saw these pictures side by side TALK ABOUT MOTIVATION!! 

MY ARMS!! rough stuff  (also love that both were candid so no posing/camera angel) 

I don't really remember how much I was weighting for the wedding-I'm assuming around 195 lbs. so it still 12lbs difference from now but I think what sticks out the most is how lean I look. I think that is why my family was so shock because I may only be down 12lbs but working out makes me look a lot thinner. I"m obviously ecstatic with these picture and the difference a year can make! 

So I may be stuffing my face after work but this weekend definitely gave me a push to keep going! Dammit I deserve to reach my goal before the year ends!!!  

xoxo 

Gertrude (my fatty alter-ego) ;)

OCTOBER DIETBET

In blog land like in real life there are trends. The popular weight loss bloggers will try something or announce a new challenge and within a couple of hours/days most will follow and join in on the detox, Jillian Michael video, or monthly challenge. Well last month Skinny Meg announced her DietBet and everyone joined in- 887 participants and the pool was $22,575! You bet 25$ (joining fee) to lose 4% of your weight in one month at the end the winners divide the pool of money. Of course every participant had to submit a picture of their weight in the beginning of the month and at the end to make sure no one cheated. Well I decided not to join in because I wanted to see how it all worked out and I knew I was still not mentally focused to lose weight.

However October is here & I"m ready to end the year strong!! And if you know me you know I'm a sucker for bets, some would call it a gambling problem but not the time to get into that. Ashley isn't a gambler but she is competitive so with a little bit of shit talking I had her convinced to do it with me. We did the same rules as the official DietBet however if we both lose our 4% we would just go out for a nice dinner or buy something for the apartment. We did add a little twist so we save some money and avoid crappy temptations. Every time one of us eats fast food- the same amount you spend on the meal has to be added into the pool of money. We officially started yesterday and already I put money in the pool HA but it is game face on - & Ashley is GOING DOWN
 

Starting Weight- 183.6lbs
4% to lose -7.3lbs.

UPDATED GOALS!

When I first started blogging I had created a GOALS page. And as I reflect on what I have accomplished I think it is time to revamp and hopefully ignite some fire in me again. 


BEFORE

1. Try a new fitness activity every month (i.e. kickboxing, cycling, hot yoga, anything else I find in the area) SEMI DONE- BOOTCAMP
2. Try a Pinterest recipe or workout weekly!!  
3. Fit into my Watch the Throne T-shirt  (a little tight but fits)
4. Color Run 
5. Complete 2nd 5k by the end of the summer  (not official race but for myself)
6. Go down a bra size (current: 38B goal: 36B)
7. Learn how to swim
8. Become intermediate in yoga
9. Fit into a size 10/12 jeans (pants)

AFTER (Let's end 2013 with a BANG!) 

1. 10-12 lbs  by Nov- December (specifically the last dress fitting) (5-6 lbs by Oct. 12)  
2. 10 min mile; 5k in 30-35 mins. 
3. Complete 10k (organized or by myself) 
4. Do yoga for a FULL MONTH 
5. ABS! & TONE ARMS & SQUATS! SQUATS! (more circuit training) 
6. Fit better in my Watch the Throne T-shirt 
7. Fit into size 10 jeans! 

With that being said my gym session was awesome last night! did some abs before I ran then after I hit a mile decided I was going to do arms while walking on incline! best decision EVER! I was dripping by the end of 26mins! 

always appropriate! 

Reality Check

I looked at the date and realized I haven't written a post since AUGUST 27! Lord have mercy.. I have dropped the ball.  

So reality hit me HARD yesterday! I decided to finally face my demons.. and step on the scale. For the last month and some change I have ate what I wanted with some moderation and running 2-3 times a week. Of course I was maintaining but slowly eating what I wanted became more frequent- so thankfully the damage was gaining ONLY 3lbs. I'm so happy that the damage was minimal compared to how bad it could have been. However, this is when it dawned on me that I can't just stop; yes I'm so happy that I lost the 13lbs and went down in jean size however this is not where I want to be. I still want to lose another 10-12lbs, be able to be a size 10 in jeans/ fit into my Watch the Throne shirt and not to mention the other healthy goals I had. I honestly believe that I started to see other bloggers maintaining or just losing motivation that I kind of was like you know what I feel the same way especially how crazy my life had become. I"m in no way blaming my lack of motivation on them I just started to relate to them and ::Kanye shrugged:: this lifestyle change.

Something else that was a reality check was "being an emotional eater" I have always been an emotional eater.. ALWAYS. Having a bad/stressful/want to celebrate day I always want comfort food- usually chinese food. And yesterday was no different. I had a bad afternoon and was motivated all day to work out even printed out a workout and then shit hit the fan I skipped the gym and went straight to buy chinese food. I don't know if I can ever become a non-emotional eater but I know that right now- with everything going on in my life I DO NOT LIKE IT. This is something I'm going to work on in the next couple months as stress levels will be higher with my sister's wedding and the holidays.


Now that I can pin point the problem .. what are my SOLUTIONS.

1. I have to blog 2-3 times a week. NO EXCEPTION. I started this blog for accountability and I need to stick to it because it did help for the first 13lbs.
2. NO more processed food! I have to go back to planning/cooking all my meals!
3. Continue running but add circuit training.

With ALL of that being said.. HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

A year ago... Self Motivation

I'm in a deep rut in terms of motivation. When I first started in May I was full throttle ready to lose 20lbs read to have the dream body by August 25. Well today is August 27 and I"m too scared to weight myself hoping I'm still in the 183lbs area meaning down 12lbs since I started and still far from the "dream body". I'm starting to get ansy about my weight again; uncomfortable with clothes I wear; and most importantly looking for the easy way to lose weight. I started talking some green tea pills and raspberry something or another pills my mom gave me that it is suppose to help. Well every time I take them I feel so nauseous and miserable SO WHY AM I TAKING THEM??!! Because I want to see results without doing the work. Admitting it is the first step. I dropped the ball and I'm disappointed in myself. But struggling with this my entire life and finally putting in hard work and seeing results I'm proud of I can only move forward. Will I be back on the wagon again right away NO. I started off slow and need to gradually get back into it.

I love seeing other people's progress as a form of motivation. I follow every fitness Instagram or people I know have lost a significant amount of weight. However there are times where I need to see my own progress to find that motivation again. So I found some pictures from last year and tired to get similar pictures to see the progress.. (I have realized I need to start taking more pictures HA)



The biggest difference are you usually in my face. Just got to keep trucking away! and like Anne and I always say "we will get through this.. we got this"

4th of July Last Year

Sometime this summer

Almost a year ago 

This weekend 

Thursday Updates!!!

Quick & to the point update! I was suppose to do a social run with Charm City Run- it is every Wednesday and they run between 2-7 miles with various speeds and after everyone goes out for a drink. I WAS SO EXCITED TO DO IT- I have new sneakers, I feel good and wanted to meet new people! But I went on two runs since I got the sneakers and they still need to be broken in... SO I chickened out and didn't go!

I didn't want my sneakers to slow me down/I was intimidated/I need more time- hopefully I have the guts to go next week! 

Since my mishaps at the grocery store - I was not able to find sweet potatoes but was able to get some stuff to get me back into the groove. & actually packed my breakfast and lunch today! 

Breakfast: eggs with grapes and blueberries
Lunch: chicken breast/ 1 red potato/ cucumber & tomato/ black beans

Even though they aren't  the HEALTHIEST meals it is nice to prepare and know exactly what I'm eating! Leaving to Jersey tomorrow for the Giants vs Jets game! sooo excited! going to eat so crappy! maybe time to end the summer with a detox :)

Do I only blog on Mondays???

I really need to get back into the swing of things & blogging is one of them! I have been eating pretty crappy and running here & there. I'm starting to feel gross and just blah! & I know I can't expect change UNLESS I CHANGE. It is one of those moments where I know what I need to do but still not doing it! I did however have a "okay time to snap out of it/back into the lifestyle!" moment. Yes that meatball sub & fries was AMAZING yesterday but how gross I felt last night was NOT and that is what I need to remember. 

Last night after my run- first one I did that I didn't keep time/miles for; I just wanted to run so it was about 30 mins so I'm assuming a little over 2 miles; I went grocery shopping! And of course I was trying to plan out my meals & had an idea of what I wanted to eat this week & of course the grocery store was an EPIC FAIL. They didn't have sweet potatoes, good looking veggies or anything I was planning on getting. I managed to get apples/water/ beans/candle/cottage cheese, so today I have to try again at another grocery store. 

This weekend I did go to my first running store! & the happiness I felt while I was there was amazing! I knew I needed new sneakers because the ones I had before were really starting to hurt when I went for longer runs. Charm City Run - for any Maryland people is amazing! They first had me walk to see what my need was and I'm an overpronator meaning 

this is what happens when I run

After he saw that he brought out a pair of sneakers that would help and had me get on the treadmill and recorded me running. He was able to slow it down and really see if the sneakers were fixing the problem- and it did. The sneakers I originally had do not support for overpronation and lead to knee problems! AHA!!! IT EXPLAINS MY KNEE PROBLEM!  After he saw what I needed and he brought out more options! Of course I'm a little vain and wanted something cute. 

Decided on these babies!! 

First run in them was pretty good! still have to get use to them but better than my last pair! 

Happy Lunes! Wish my luck at the second grocery store today

Motivation Monday

I have really fell off from posting recently. Partly because my body is still recovering, partly because my motivation has changed and partly because I'm emotionally drained. HOWEVER! I keep seeing small victories throughout this "lifestyle change" I don't crave soda or sweets or greasy foods (okay I'm lying a little bit but it has gotten A LOT better than when I started in May) I have seen clothes fit me that hasn't in a long time! I bought size 12 dress pants at Banana and size 12 shorts and a Medium size jersey dress at Gap this weekend (pictures to come!) I realized that I do like planning out my meals especially for lunch and my body misses eating healthy! Slowly I'm getting back to eating what I was eating before I got sick & have actually been able to run a few times this past week. My life shifted a lot recently but the main goal is still there! So I just have to keep rolling with the punches because even though old Gigi would have just bought a lot of fries, a lot of bread, a lot of ice cream, cried and watched the Notebook on repeat; the me today is going for a run tonight and excited to eat an apple for lunch today! Yeah I can't believe it either!!

STOP WAITING! BE HAPPY NOW

Coffee Date

One of the bloggers I follow does a Coffee Date post once a week; basically what she would share if she was having coffee with any of her readers.

I haven't had coffee in a couple weeks but I love coffee dates and my obsession with Kelly and Michael I choose this mug for our coffee date...

1. I'd smile and tell you I'm so happy we are having coffee 
2. I'd tell you that I'm okay and everything will be okay 
3. I'd share that I'm sad and still find myself crying more often than I would like but the more we talk the more I know we need this
4. I would tell you that I lost 11lbs officially this summer which makes me so happy 
5. I would tell you that the pants I'm wearing right now are a size 12 from BANANA REPUBLIC 
6. I would confess that the scene from The Notebook (my favorite scene) "It wasn't over .. It still isn't over" has been playing in my head over and over this weekend - 
7. I would tell you that there are days where I want to leave and not talk to anyone- not know anyone and just disappear for a year including not talking to my closest friends or family
8. I would tell you that Ashley is still the only person that knows everything I"m feeling and I feel comfortable being vulnerable in front of her 
9. I would tell you that I feel like no none understands what I'm feeling or what I want to do
10. I would tell you that I ran 5 miles yesterday with the most beautiful views and loved every minute of it 
11. I would confess that summer has always been my favorite season but I'm longing for fall- I'm longing for sweatshirts and my TOMS; maybe I'm just longing for last fall 
12. I would make a joke about someone in the coffee place and I would laugh and laugh because all I want to do these days is laugh 

Hope everyone has a great Monday!! Starting my 21 days Mediation with Oprah today and I'm really excited! 

& yes that was my weight update down 11lbs and will measure soon I promise! 

Happy Friday

Rainy Thursday I ADORE YOU

So I have clearly been MIA- I wrote a really sad post yesterday and just kept adding to it and saving it never fully committing to hitting the publish button- and I'm glad I didn't. Maybe one day, maybe even next week I would just put it out there so you all know how I was feeling but for now I'm glad I didn't do it.

 Life is hilarious sometimes and at 23 I think I'm starting to realize that. I am a religious person (yes! shock a homosexual who believes in Jesus how could that be?) LOL I don't fully believe everything the Catholic church preaches but I can't imagine my life without believing that something greater than us has a plan.

Not trying to preach but yesterday I might have had a baby Oprah "aha" moment! This break up is still pretty fresh- like a week fresh (yes I'm going through a breakup with a person that I still live with/love/and respect as a person and is an amazing addition to my life) and long story short we broke up because we need time to figure things out on our own and just needed to be 23 year olds- again maybe one day I will write a whole post about this but right now that is all I want to share.

Back to my aha moment- I felt so overwhelmed yesterday I described it as "being sad with a a hint of suffocation" yes- I felt like I couldn't breathe and I wanted to just  run for hours if I could while it rained would have been amazing. So after some thought I cancelled my dinner plans and decided I needed a day alone- since this all has happened I have had amazing friends reach out to me/make plans/ even Ashley just us sitting and talking about what the game plan is and most importantly letting things off our chest and resassuring that we love each other no matter what. And yes everyone has amazing intentions but I just needed to be alone- I needed to process my own feelings. I'm tired of talking about it- it sucks- lets be honest but I can't just let this sadness consume me .. especially when I"m feeling great about my progress. I know there will be sad days but I also know that I can get through this. Sorry rambling but I was able to do a short run- since I"m still sick ( I know it blows) cook myself dinner/organize some clothes and I felt great- towards the end of the night I got really upset started to cry and I got an email

I signed up for this 21 day Meditation challenge with Oprah awhile back and didn't even mentioned it to Ashley was just like whatever this will be good for my anxiety issues and didn't remember at all until I got that email mid tears.. And I just started laughing like God you're funny! Just when I'm literally mentally bullying myself about this God/Oprah lets me know things will get better. 

I know this post is already long but I need to give credit to the bloggers out there who have no idea that reading their words are really helping. Most of my friends know that I'm obsessed with certain bloggers/twitter people like Luvvie Miss Jia Crissle and Kid Fury all which I found on Twitter. Luvie is the funniest person ever and I just *wall slide* as she says when I read her posts. But yesterday I decided to go through some of her post- she has been blogging for over 6 years now so there is a lot I haven't read but one post caught my attention- when she wrote about her grandmother passing away and she said she would continue to blog because she wanted to laugh and make other people laugh during a time when all she wanted to do is cry. And it hit home so much! No I"m not saying this can be compared to losing a loved one but it hurts and I realized I'm tired of crying all I want to do is laugh. And then look at God/universe sending me signs all day- today's affirmation on my wellness app (yes you can make fun of me but it is needed for my anxiety) 

I love laughing and I love making people laugh.. when me and Rudy get at it and start one of our rants it is my favorite thing we become Maya Rudolph and Kristin Wiig in my mind. So with that being said I just want to laugh if I"m talking/seeing you lets just have a good time! Let's just laugh.


Also huge thank you to Beth who wrote a post about  just letting things out with the stress of planning a wedding and the toll it was taking on her and finished her post with this 

Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.

Happy Rainy Thursday!! and I swear weight updates will come up on Monday! 

Friday Blues

So it has been over a week since I have posted anything.. My weekend in Syracuse was good. I relaxed and tan and drank/ate too much!

I know that I'm at my monthly check up however I have been so sick- I have had a stomach bug since Tuesday still going today! I have been in a dark/sad place in my personal life and thankfully because I have been sick I haven't looked towards food/and being lazy as an outlet. I have been so sick I actually have been losing weight.. (so blessing in disguise)

I can't go into details about my personal struggles just know that I'm doing everything in my power to stay positive to cling to the people that love me unconditionally, support me, and will have my back through everything. This hurts more than anything I have ever experienced and now this blog is taking a little U-turn and going to be the place where I can vent. I apologize to the people who were here just to see my progress but this is my life- this is what I'm going through and unfortunately this is has to be my outlet sometimes.

I know most of you are my close friends/family who read this blog and most if not all will text me..but right now I just need a little bit of privacy to process everything and be in a better place.

Thankfully I will see my family this weekend! I wish my sister was there but I will see Teresa, Rudy and Anne which I know will make me feel a WHOLE LOT BETTER.

If you pray- keep me in your prayers, if you just believe in good karma/universe feelings- send me good vibes this way!

love always
gigi

Oh Snap It's Wednesday

Hello readers!! (warning- I had really strong coffee so I'm a little jittery/hyper) 

Favorite GIF of all time! Get it Wednesday

I'm super excited because we are leaving Baltimore for a long weekend driving up to Syracuse tomorrow afternoon! I"m so drained that I need a pool/relaxation and a lot of mojitos (Ashley's mom's idea) We are still planning to run while we are there and doggie paddling in the pool counts as a workout right??

Boot camp update: So I really didn't want to go Monday tried to come up with excuses not to go however Ashley dragged me there.. and I was so glad I was there & I didn't look like Bambi afterwards so I guess there has been some progress ha. We are back at boot camp tonight!

About a month ago I came across Jennifer's  Project Progress Program and basically you participate by sending a photo/goals and each month you check back in. So I decided this would be extra motivation since all of Jennifer's readers will be waiting for some results (she has a pretty big following). So it is my first month's check in; I told her the 4lbs and 4inches I lost and took new pictures. My new goals for this next month is to lose my first 10lbs, and finish boot camp!


And these are my 1 month progress pictures!!! (purple last month/pink this week)





I was completely shock. There are some visible improvements which I didn't even notice until the pictures since I have only lost 4lbs. In all honesty I don't believe it; I think it is the wall- it has skinny powers LOL. I read a post the other day about Self Worth and it was so on point even though she is married and a mom but essentially it was all the feelings I go through. And after the pictures yesterday I felt like I wasn't worthy of this progress but I am. I deserve the body I have always wanted/imagined. Still think those pictures are wrong and probably going to nag Ashley to take new ones but for now I'm going to accept them.

Girl Let Me Tell YOU....

I don't blog during the weekend just because it is easier when I'm at work, so I have some updates!!

On Friday we officially started boot camp (intense circuit training); Ashley bought this Groupon for unlimited boot camp for a month!! Was super excited because I will be trying a new activity this month (part of my  Goals list). The atmosphere is great! It is a small studio so not in a formal gym- the group was small about 6 of us mostly women! And you could tell everyone no matter how skinny was struggling/pushing hard during certain activities. But let me tell you, I was sore leaving the place I was not looking forward to how sore I was going to be. On Saturday I thought I was all that and while Ashley was at her soccer game I went for a walk that turned into a 2.5 mile run! Felt so great after so I regret nothing.. that is until Sunday when I looked like Bambi or like her all day
 


 I have come to the realization that I rather just run.. hate being this sore but Ashley made a good point I'm only this sore because I don't work on  these muscles on a regular basis. So even though I don't want to go back she paid for a full month so I might as well just get through it!


Just to give you some Monday giggles-

Friday morning 

Friday AFTER boot camp

After my run (smile the pain away HA)

Off Day

Just an overall blah day.. I'm not sure if it is post PMS but I'm just drained and sad. I really just want to crawl back into bed after work but forcing myself to go to the gym since tomorrow I can't because I work all day.

Looking at a new blog today and she lost 60lbs in 7 months! Talk about hard work and dedication! Check out Jess and her story!

She posted this quote today .  "Actually, I just woke up one day and decided That I didn't want to feel like that anymore, or ever again. So I changed. Just like that. " - Unknown" 

And even though I feel crappy and don't want to go to the gym this sounds about right so just have to push through whatever this is. In the meantime I"m looking at gym clothes/new running sneakers! I have Under Armour sneakers now but think my gift to myself after 10lbs down will be these babies!




Happy Wednesday y'all

12 Week Weight Loss Challenge

I'm always looking for blogs to follow- people to motivate me or just someone who is on the same struggle bus. Well yesterday I found Caitlin who just started a  12 Week Weight Loss Challenge. Basically from June 20 until September 20 she will post 3 mini goals for the week (posting on Friday). The mini goals are designed to help you reach your ultimate 3 main goals that you want to achieve by the end of the 12 weeks! Even though I have my own goal list it pretty much supports what I want to do, so why not! Technically I'm late to the party but that isn't stopping me!

Week 1: 

1. Identify three weight loss-related goals you'd like to achieve or work towards in the next twelve weeks -

                    i. Run 5K less than 45mins 

                    ii. Eating little/no white grains (white bread/white rice/processed sugar)  

                    iii. See the 170's- I don't care if on September 20 I see 179lbs I will be HAPPY! 

1. Drink 2L of water/day! Staying hydrated is important! {definitely need to keep track of this}
2. Get 30 min. of activity/day- {altering this to a full workout 5-6 days a week} 

Week 2:

1. Ditch the scale. {So I have been thinking about doing this! But it is going to be hard not to weight myself. My goal is to do it twice a month- mid point and end of the month}
2. Create an inspiration Wordle! {couldn't make a wordle just yet but looking for more realistic motivation on Twitter/Instagram this week}
3. Track my food every day. {I use MyFitnessPal and have gotten better but slacked off last week, so going hard this week}

Overall, I"m on the right tract this will just help the weeks be a little bit more focused! Join me on this 12 week challenge and if you don't have a blog just comment your experience !!

Monthly Realization

Even though it is the second week of July it is being treated as if it was the first week! The main reason is because it was a bust of a week! I drove to New Jersey on Wednesday driving back on Friday morning to go straight to work. I didn't work out at all and ate overall crappy (yet delicious) . Thankfully I ended Sunday on a great note- home-cooked dinner (steak, sweet potato and broccoli)  made my Ashley which was amazing and healthy at the same time! 

For breakfast this morning I decided to try a new green smoothie!! yipieeeeeeee 

Ignore the no make up face

Found this great post on Pinterest on how to create your own green smoothie. So today I did 

2 cups of spinach

1 cup of pineapple 

1/2 of a cucumber

1 cup of almond milk  

& a serving of Herbalife protein

And it was pretty good- a little excited to try other combinations!! 

Now to my realization! I have a long way to go! I have 16lbs I want to lose by the end of the summer and another 10-15lbs by December! So I don't have a lot of room for messy weeks/weekends. I have said it before (my last post) that I get so happy that I'm like wooohooo bring on that bread! But the reality is 4lbs is great confidence boost but still a long way to go. Going home for the day and half was great because some of my family members really noticed my weight loss- everyone kept asking how many pounds I have lost but decided that I will keep that to myself until I'm ready to share and everyone was assuming way more than I have actually lost so why spoil it ha. 

Last month I focused a lot on changing/bettering my eating habits. This month is all about working out! I will really work out.. not a semi hard elliptical session but really putting in work for cardio and weights! As well as starting boot camp! I'm hoping that is going to help with ending the month with a BANG! 

Monday, Monday, Monday!

This is Monday of all Monday like "the holy grail of all diet/exercise program starting days" as Amber put it on Friday.

It is Monday July 1st AND 6 months away from New Year's Day. I couldn't imagine a better day to get on any goal you may have!! For me this is a perfect day because while I was on cloud 9 last week due to the progress I had seen and people starting to notice it on my face I decided to EAT BREAD! Not just one roll.. oh no that would be be too good for me.. I ate bread 4 times this week.. white french/Italian bread.. and LOVED EVERY MINUTE

Just picture me like that with bread and butter/beans 

I also was not able to workout this week at all.. so now I was terrified to get on the scale this morning & Ashley suggested I shouldn't since I was feeling so great and the scale might ruin that- even tried on clothes from Banana Republic (side job) that were a size 14 & XL (XL was too big) I was too hype that day!

But anywho I did weight myself and I didn't gain all 4lbs in 1 week so horrahhhhhhh I'm still doing okay! 

And actually had to do my 1 month check in and the results were amazing! People don't lie when the say the scale may not move too much but the real test is clothes and measurements. 

In total lost 4lbs. and 4 inches throughout !! 

	May 25, 2013	June 25, 2013	July 25, 2013	August 25, 2013
Weight	195.6 lbs	191.6 lbs
Left Arm	13in	13.5in
Right Arm	14in	13.5in
Waist	38.5in	37 in.
Belly Button	41.5in	40in
Hips	44.5in	44.5in
Left Leg	26in	25.5in
Right Leg	25in	25in

FIRST JUICE

I officially made my first juice!! I mentioned before that I was going to start juicing not as a diet but just a way to incorporate more fruit and vegetables especially when I'm always on the go. I will be putting up recipes I try, which also helps with one of my GOALS  -trying a new Pinterest recipe each week.

Juice 1: (beginner's juice)
2 apples
3 medium carrots
4 celery sticks

Every thing I read suggested that I started with apple/carrot combination as the first drink




& well at first I was like okay I can do this but towards the end


I powered through it but it wasn't the BEST taste in the world- the celery is very over powering.. Just something I will eventually get use to, but definitely worth a try if any one is starting to juice.

Does any one have a favorite juice?? Would love some recommendations!!

& I will be doing my 1 month update this weekend (can't believe it has been a month!!)

DETOX IS OVER!

Detox is OVER!! Well is has been over since Friday night but still happy I am DONE!

Now technically it was a 7-day detox however, I decided not to finish it completely. Overall I still think it was  doable however too long! Mentally it starts to get difficult as the days go by. Day 1- Fruits all day was great for breakfast and lunch; dinner was harder and the next day I woke up feeling really drained to the point where I thought I was going to pass out. I didn't thankfully but had to really load up on the veggies that day! Surprisingly enough I enjoyed eating veggies all day because it really exposed me to other options I never really ate like squash. Day 3 was way better because I was able to eat fruit in the morning and veggies for dinner! Day 4 was the WORST!!!! 8 bananas and 8 small containers of Greek yogurt- I managed to 4.5 bananas and 2 yogurts and of course the next day I was so weak had to drink Vitamin water to help. Day 5 was pretty easy because I was finally eating chicken/turkey and 6 tomatoes. By Saturday I was checked out I was craving salads and just overall healthier foods. Overall the detox did what I was hoping it would I lost 4lbs and I started getting my body ready for more fruits/veggies.


I'm feeling great! I'm starting to notice my work clothes fitting better!! And a blazer Ashley bought me in October fully fits buttoned and all!! So yes I am feeling myself and I'm on cloud 9 with motivation !!

ownzzzzz get it gurlll 

DETOX TIME

Today is day 1 of the detox!! So I decided to do a detox this week after Teresa sent me this one. It did not look crazy like the other detoxes I have seen, it looks reasonable and doable most importantly.  So last night we went shopping and let me tell you I have never had my cart full of that much fresh food. In terms of cost it was a little bit more but not by much- so when you think it is cheaper to eat junk food instead of healthy food it probably isn't and I'm sure I could have gotten a better deal if I went to a farmer's market but anywho. I stocked up on my fruits, veggies, etc everything the detox calls for. And as day one is wrapping up- it is ending on a good note! I love fruits and it was easy for breakfast, got a little more difficult for lunch  since I'm use to eating some kind of chicken or turkey and I know dinner will be the hardest. However, I'm just going to push through!

I have never really done a detox, so first I didn't think I could do it and I don't believe I will lose 10+ pounds in 7 days like it claims. I'm doing this for a restart moment on my body.  A lot of doctors recommend some type of detox before you start eating healthy or changing up your diet and because Ashley bought me a juicer  and I will start juicing more veggies in to my meals I thought this was a perfect time! 

I think once Thursday is over I can sail right into the weekend

So bring it on!! 

                                                  

SHUT UP

This just made me LOL because I do hate people who are constantly "OMG look at me - I'm so healthy, I"m so fit, let me instagram EVERYTHING healthy" #gymrat #healthy #lookatmybody #fitspo #thin #imanidiot actually it is a "friend" from high school but still SHUT UP
& I know Rudy would never let me be that girl..

However I will eat my spinach and be happy

Be Nice To Yourself

This post has taken a little bit longer to publish because I am still processing everything, so this post might be somewhat of a rant. 

One of my friends SnapChatted me and the caption read something like "be nice to yourself" I was half a sleep when I opened it but that part stuck with me (besides that her hair looked great in the picture). A few days ago my best friend Teresa reblogged this picture on Tumblr- 

So that being said, I was extremely hard on myself yesterday. I felt very overwhelmed by EVERYTHING!! I started off the day  indulging in a mini cheese danish- thought I didn't like them clearly I was wrong- I ATE 3 of those mini suckers!! Okay so my day went from okay- to bad- to worse; Negative Nancy made a stupid comment/face about me eating a veggie option in stead of one that had bacon, or sausage (work was having a breakfast event) So that just got me fired up, I then spent about 3 hours looking at blogs, mostly blogs about weight loss, ALL were moms, wives, 30 something year old who had a great success story, lost 50+ pounds, etc. They were definitely motivational and inspiring but this is how I felt-

This was my face with a little bit of tears 

In that moment I started to tear myself up , I started to go crazy planning! I was mad that I ate the danishes, mad that I'm only walking instead of going to the gym, mad about everything! I started to make a new schedule where I would wake up at 5:30am to get to the gym (which is now a 20min commute from our new apartment) to then drive an hour to Columbia where I work by 8am. I started to panic that I haven't seen any movement down on the scale, basically feeling that I have not done enough!! The rest of the day was a bust, I didn't want to talk to anyone and definitely didn't want to go on a walk with Amanda. 

Thankfully by 5 o'clock I was able to snap out of it and even convinced Amanda that we should jog the first lap to burn off all the danishes. I felt great after the workout!! But this shows exactly what Ashley said to me last night; I'm so hot & cold about this whole journey, I want to do everything all at once and when I don't see any change, I"m done I freak out I want to cry, etc.  Instead of seeing these other blogs as inspiration and motivation I see it as why am I not there yet,why did they lose 10lbs the first week and I haven't. I realize that we don't have the same body, some of these women's starting weight are 230+ and I really can not and should not measure how long it takes me by how long it took them. 

And I"m doing the best Gigi can do; I'm making changes- slowly but surely to get to my goals.

 I NEED TO TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME 

 I end this post with something I saw this morning on Instagram 

Motivation

Happy Saturday ! Sweet & to the point !! 

Friday Reflection

A rainy Friday definitely makes me more pensive than usual. This morning's topic:  Am I happy with the progress of this week? No.  

I don't even know where to start but I don't feel like I have been giving this "lifestyle change/healthy lifestyle" my 110%. There have been times when I think that I just didn't make the healthier decision. When I say that I mean that instead of eating some fruit in between jobs on Wednesday I decided to buy sweet potato fries & 4 piece nuggets from Burger King instead. I told myself that I would only eat half the order of small fries and still have to work at Banana Rep. for 3 hours so it balances out. I still put that snack into the MyFitnessPal app and I was still inside my 1200 calorie budget, however seconds after I took my last bite I went on Instagram and saw all of my healthy/fitness or people just working on losing weight putting up encouraging pictures, healthy recipes , etc. and I felt like CRAP!!! I become very hard on myself when I have weak moments like that because when will the cycle stop. It is a "small" meal now but then it snowballs into an actual meal then a weekend then finally an entire week and I'm back at square one.

I know that I shouldn't be this hard on myself but I want to be honest with how I'm feeling during this process, which brings me into my next emotional vent. I'm so use to craving everything. Everyone I'm close to knows that when I crave something it won't stop until I get it. It can be anything and everything from Red Lobster cheddar biscuits to a strawberry milkshake (my most recent cravings). And now that I'm trying to eat better my cravings have gotten even more crazy!

I want to believe that it is mental and I need to overcome this, just like an AAA person deals with craving alcohol. I think they say once you get to Week 4 it becomes habit and don't get cravings as much, so ending Week 2, lets hope it gets better!


 A co-worker is being bitchy about this eating healthy and being more active; Amanda and I are being vocal to have even more accountability at work and our manager Renee is very health conscious so she has given us some advice; however this co-worker is just so negative and says lil side comments about what she does (mind you she drinks a can of Coca Cola in every meal- clearly not someone I want to take advice from) and will either tempt us or tell us these cravings are just because we are depriving ourselves. I have so many people rooting me on but that one Negative Nancy is the one that I hear the loudest! I found the first person that wants to see me fail (I'm sure she doesn't but feels like it). Haters are Motivators ha

I want to be proactive about these cravings and really get other options so thanks to Pinterest I found this!

 

Definitely going grocery shopping to buy some of these items as well as trying a Pinterest recipe this week!!! If anyone has any suggestions on what I should do so I won't think about cutting corners or how to deal with cravings or anything really it would be awesome!! 

NO REGRETS

This one is short & simple!

We had a cookie cake for work today.. & I ate a slice... .& have no regrets!!



 I don't want to feel guilty or feel like it was my cheat for the day or a reward of some kind.

1. I'm not a dog and don't need a reward for having a couple of healthy days
2. IT HAS ONLY BEEN A FEW DAYS!

I had it, I enjoyed it, I'm moving on. I"m not having another piece. I'm also drinking a tall glass of water now and doing a longer walk today.

I know it is silly to make a post about this but I don't want to snowball into eating another slice or convincing Ashley when I get home to buy take out but most importantly I don't want  internalize any guilt. I want to own my slip and keep it moving!!!

#noExcuses #eyeontheprize

So I'm starting off this week SUPER motivated! This weekend was shaky not going to lie, however we went grocery shopping yesterday and wooo what a stock fridge can do! They always say don't want to eat crappy food.. don't keep it in your house and that is exactly what we did.

Then later that evening my good friend Joyce tweeted "When you reeaalllllyyyyy want something you make it happen. #NoExcuses"  and that really just got me going and excited about today! 

My coworker Amanda is awesome; she really wants me to meet my goals so she is helping me out as well as improving her healthy lifestyle on the way. She bought us 2 notebooks where we will note everything we eat and let the other person see it. The idea is that we have someone that can make us accountable everyday. I also use  MyFitnessPal ( I haven't used it in over 2 months but I"m back on it) this app basically calorie counts so you put in all your meals and it will let you know your calorie intake, I'm currently only eating 1,200 calories a day- which is low but needed something low to get the pounds rolling off. 

Amanda and I are also walking after work twice a week. Now I can technically just start going back to the gym- since i'm paying for it and haven't gone in 2 months, however, I don't want to overwhelm my body with a change in diet and more activity all at once. I want to gradually add it in so I will less likely give it all up. So even though I want to go to the gym on the other days of the week I'm going to add days in the next couple of weeks. 

Week 1- 2 days of walking 
Week 2- 2 days of walking; 1 day of gym 
Week 3- 2 days of walking; 2 days of gym 

*This also is tentative since I work at Banana Republic some nights & weekends, but you get the point. 

I also have 22 days until my first check in point so #noExcuses #eyeontheprize