I'm Starting Weight Watchers?!

Oh, hi guys! I'm still alive and well although it would be hard to tell from the lack of posts over here. Let's just say life has been CRAZY. My coworker moved to a different department at work while my boss was still out on maternity leave. Now my boss is back and the two of us are killing it. I barely have time to breathe while I'm at work and I'm exhausted when I get home, so that's the main reason why I've been lagging in the blog department.

I've been surviving and thriving - baking a lot of cupcakes - and counting down the days until we move back to our hometown.  (36 days in case you were wondering)

The point of this post is to tell you about my newest adventure...Weight Watchers! My boss and I are doing it together and we're starting this week. Eeeeek. I've tried multiple weight loss solutions and quit before ever really giving it my best shot. I'm excited to try WW because it seems like a good option and I'll have a support system. Our "smart points" are actually exactly the same, so that will make this even easier. We signed up for three months - so our subscription will end September 20th - at that time I will assess whether or not I think WW is working for me. If so, I will continue! We are hopefully going to New Orleans in November and definitely going to Hawaii in December, so this is the perfect amount of time to lose weight and figure out what works for me. I want to be able to enjoy my vacation(s) without worrying about my taco food baby.

I've heard good things about Weight Watchers and I'm interested to see how it works for me! I'm thinking of it like a game and I'm thinking that will make it more fun. I don't know if this will be a long term thing for me or if it will be just what I need to jump start my weight loss. (for the 76th time)

So, stay tuned for more WW posts. Have you done WW before? What did you think? I would seriously love to hear your opinions on the program - the good and the bad!

#AlohaBaecationBody

I've said it a million times and I know I will say it a million more.

I need to lose weight. 

I would be lying if I said that vanity wasn't part of the reason I feel this way. More importantly though, I need to be healthy.

Years ago, after a bad break-up, I let myself go for awhile. I slept way more than anybody should. I stayed up until all hours of the early morning, went to work at 5 am, got off between 10 am and noon, ate fast food for lunch and then went home and slept until my dad got home at 6:30 pm. During this time, I set myself and my body up for failure. I formed terrible habits. I ate like crap. The only exercise I got was walking around Target with a shopping cart. I gained weight. Weight that I haven't really let go of. No pun intended, this weight is heavy. There is no excuse for me to be harboring this food baby any longer.

My family is going to Hawaii in December and I am determined to feel confident in a bikini. I want to fully enjoy my time with my family and not worry about how I look. I want to lose the weight for my self esteem. For my ever dwindling closet. For my body. For myself.

I'm a deadline person. I can't just say "I want to lose 10 pounds" because I will never do it. I need to say "I want to lose 10 pounds before I got to Hawaii in December." This allows me to picture an end goal. It allows me to see the reward. I can physically cross days off on the calendar. Hence the hash tag, #AlohaBaecationBody.

I'm never going to be the girl that doesn't love to eat. I love trying new restaurants. I love eating french fries and milk shakes with my mom like when I was a kid. I love going to my dad's favorite hot wing place with him. I love surprising my nieces with those frosting cookies from the grocery. But just because I love food, doesn't mean that I can't love my body too. I took the plunge and purchased Cassey Ho's 28 day PIIT program. I'm hoping that since I spent actual money on a program that I will stick with it. The exercises seem fun and she looks smokin' after creating/completing the program!

I can't wait to see where I am in 28 days. It's all mental for me and I'm so ready.

Advocare 24 Day Challenge

I've committed, you guys. I'm doing a healthy living 24 day challenge through Advocare and MarissaLace.

I first found Marissa on IG. And then I started watching her on Youtube. She has seriously inspired me to finally get with it. So, I emailed her. She gave me some info. I bought my 24 day challenge through her on Advocare's website. And I start today.

A little info.

-The first 10 days are the cleanse phase. No dairy!!!
-The last 14 days are the max phase. For lack of a better term, balls to the wall. HAH.
-1 cheat meal a week.
-The challenge is around $200, not including food costs. But you get a ton of stuff. I was honestly surprised. You also get a handy dandy guide.
-There's an app you can download for tracking progress.
-This isn't a miracle pill. Exercise and clean eating are essential to success.

You can find the technical info on their website. I'm no pro.

Marissa has sent me a meal plan and I am ready! I went shopping last night and meal prepped for the next few days. I have a cute, new workout outfit for motivation. And I have a few friends saying they'll eat clean with me. YAY.

I will be doing a check-in every 6 days. So 4 updates in 24 days. I'll also do random posts about the products I'm using and my meal prepping. This challenge will end right before Halloween and a few weeks before my birthday, so I have high hopes! I finally feel committed to losing weight and getting healthy. I want to succeed. Eeeeek, I'm nervous.

If you've done the challenge or taken Advocare before, please comment below! I would love to hear your thoughts and tips if you have any. :)

*This post isn't sponsored in any way. I just want to hold myself accountable.*

Miranda, Motivation and Cookies.

Warning : This post will be complaining about my stupid weight and my love for cookies. Feel free to exit out now.

Alright, guys. Confession time. This is the most I've ever weighed in my life. I carry my weight in my stomach. Hello Food Baby! I'm disgusted with myself. I have no motivation. I'm lazy. I'm also an emotional eater. When I have a bad day, I want nachos. When I feel bad about myself or my weight, I eat. See the problem? Oh and I refuse to sip the kale-aid everybody is currently on. I also refuse to make myself miserable and never eat anything good again. See my second problem? I'm also the worst runner known to man, so binge cardio is out of the question.

I find myself saying I'm fat. I'm disgusted with myself. I need to lose weight. I just want to be skinny again. Nothing looks good on me. I hate my food baby. Blah blah whine whine whine. I say all of these things multiple times a day, but I don't do anything about it. I don't run. I don't go to the gym. I work at a coffee shop with access to every delicious pastry you could ever imagine.

I have officially decided that hating the way I look every second of every day is not worth the god damn cookie. (sorry family) I also don't eat cookies that often, but I bought those delicious frosting cookies the other night at Target and that's been my treat of the week.

I'm tired of being self conscious. I'm tired of worrying if people are looking at my food baby. I'm tired of feeling like the "fat friend". And I'm sooo tired of playing the comparison game with everybody I have ever known on social media.

I'm writing this post to hold myself accountable. I've done it before and it worked. So here I am. Bearing my fat cushioned soul to you. (dramatic, I know) If you feel the same way I do, let's help each other out. Email me. Comment. I could definitely use some friends and some motivation.

I won't be doing anything drastic. I don't want to weigh 100 pounds or anything cray. I'm 5'9". It won't be happening. Just being active. (potential gym membership in my future) Making better food choices. And hopefully finding ways other than food to make myself feel better when I'm upset.

So lets do this! Share your tips if you have any! :) 

found on pinterest.

Do You Have A Bikini Body?

Whenever I'm bored at work, I like to browse articles of all kinds. I found myself on Huffington Post today. A title caught my eye..."Do You Have A Bikini Body?" I clicked out of curiosity. Seeing the graphic immediately annoyed me. I went through the questions...yes...no...yes. All the while thinking, who creates these things????

When I answered the last question, I was pleasantly surprised. Answer the questions and see for yourself! I bet you have a bikini body already :)

 

I've been stressing out about being "bikini ready" and in my eyes, have failed. So, thank you for this, Huffington Post. It was a breath of fresh air. 

4 Fitness Accounts You Should Follow

27 days until the Caribbean! I've been consistently inconsistent with my workouts. I actually completed the squat + pushup challenged last month! This month my goal was to complete Jillian's 30 day shred...I've done it once. I've been exercising 3ish times a week - trying to mix it up every time so I don't get bored. I'm really hoping to up that number to 5 times a week. I'll sleep when I'm dead, right?

I wanted to share some of my favorite fitness accounts, blogs, and motivators.

1. Katy @ Fit Personality - She is freaking hilarious and makes me want to work out and eat healthy. Seriously. She's a college student living in Hawaii. She still drinks and has fun with her friends, but maintains a healthy, active lifestyle and looks hawt while doing it!

2. Lauren from Eating_Whole on IG - I stumbled upon her account and her food always looks good! She always has pretty plates that are healthy for you and easy to make! She also has a blog. She posts recipes all the time. I really like her IG because we are the same height, so I can use her as a legit motivator. (I know we aren't supposed to compare our bodies, but it's going to happen. It might as well be with someone who's as tall as me.)

3. Cassey from Blogilates - I started her videos on Youtube recently and they are killer! She makes it fun and challenging. All her workouts are between 10-20 minutes long and the time flies by! It's really hard for me to sweat and she had me sweating after 10 minutes! She has free meal plans, work out calendars, and newsletters that gives you work outs straight to your inbox! How easy is that??

4. Karena and Katrina from Tone It Up - I'm currently doing their Bikini Series and I looooove them. They have toned, realistic bodies and great personalities! I've been doing their Youtube videos a couple times a week. The time flies by with these girls too! You can sign up for the Bikini Series on their site and get weekly fitness plans emailed to you! Oh! They also just came out with their own swim suit line that is to die for.

Do you have any favorites? Please share! I'm always looking for new workouts or people to follow.