What is to come...

Well ladies and gents, Christmas is officially over! I do not know how I feel about this yet...I am absolutely in love with Fall/Winter and my favorite holiday out of the year is by far Christmas and Thanksgiving so it is always bittersweet to see this time of the year end. I had an amazing holiday season filled with love, family and laughs! My niece is two and a half, and so this season was especially fun to do Christmas activities with her, such as bake Christmas cookies and decorate them, go look at Christmas lights etc. The joy of Christmas has been so low the past couple of years because most people worry about the material side of Christmas and not the real reason for the season which is most importantly the birth of Jesus, but also the time you spend with your loved ones and family.

It makes me so sad to see how the holiday's bring out the worst in some people, such as fighting in stores to get the newest presents. Even though I am getting older and Christmas looses some of it's magic, due to the truth about Santa, and the fact that your parents think it's okay not to do the same traditions that you have done throughout your entire life....(yes that happened). I don't understand why people think just because you're older you don't have to care about Christmas as much because that is certaintly not true. Anyway, getting back on track I am the one friend and family member who always makes sure we do the same traditions and have a magical Christmas no matter how old anyone is. Whether it's baking Christmas cookies and delivering them to neighbors, or caroling while driving around looking at lights, it's all important and always fun! This year was spent with my immediate family and loved ones and I had the best time, and I hope you all did as well.

Now onto the weight loss...this year is always difficult to stay on track and this year I did not induldge as much as I would have in the past, but I did have a Christmas cookie here and there (oops). I didn't blame anyone but myself and I also didn't beat myself up about it because then I would just become discouraged and give up because I always tell myself "Well I already had 3 cookies might as well eat this pizza...). No that is not what I am going to do.

My New Year's Resolution at the end of 2012 was to be below 200 pounds by the end of 2013 and I accomplished that! I still cannot believe I can actually cross that resolution off my list, and 2014 will be no different. I am not going to stop on this journey just because I reached one of my huge milestones, I am going to keep going until I am at my final goal which I want to reach by my 20th birthday, April 27th. I know that I can do it and I need everyone's support to get through it! There was something about still seeing my Christmas tree and Christmas decorations up throughout the house that still made me think it was okay about eating bad and eating those darn Christmas cookies. I know it sounds silly that decorations make me eat bad, but it is so I just started upstairs by putting away the 2 Christmas trees (yes I have 2 trees upstairs I told you I am obsessed) and I already feel more pumped to get back on track! I just have to take everything in the entire house down and I will be good to go to start 2014 with a fresh clean start!

In order for me to start fresh with my new years resolutions for 2014 I have a little checklist to begin with. I don't know if I am the only one that does this but here is my checklist to finish by the end of 2013.

1. Deep clean and organize my room/bathroom
There is honestly no better feeling than having a super clean room and bathroom, ontop of having everyone organized! I want to start my new year with a fresh clean start and that means cleaning the rooms I am most in.
2. Throwing out every single bad item of food in our home. All of those pesky Christmas cookies staring at me, all of the Brie cheese and crackers from Christmas, and all of the opened half eaten left overs in the fridge.
3. Lastly making an actual New Year's Resolution list to hang up in my room

My New Year's Resolutions for 2014:
Lose the rest of my weight by April 27th 2014, a grand total of 66 pounds.
Finish decorating my room
Have a better relationship with God
Plan my future regarding school and career
Save up the rest of my money to buy my Macbook Pro and DSLR Camera
Begin my YouTube channel (more about that in a future post)
Be 110 percent committed to my blog
Travel to at least 2 places by myself (future in depth post about this later)

I am sure there are plenty more, but those are the main ones I can think of right now! I will make a more in depth post explaining the reasoning behind each one of my resolutions in the future,  but for now here is my list! To some people, making this list upsets them and intimidates them because they either never fulfill their resolutions so it makes them feel like a failure or they just don't have enough faith in themselves. I never used to think that I would be so into New Year's Resolutions because I never fulfilled them, because I myself didn't have faith in myself. That was up until this year when I broke not one but 2 of my New Year's Resolutions (the other one was personal) and I finally realized that I can do anything I set my mind to!

So, on that note I hope 2014 is ready for me and all of my encouraging energy! I am ready for this year to be over with. 2013 was one of the worst years of my short life, and also one of the best. I didn't think you could have one of the best and one of the worst years of your life all in one year at the same time, but I did. I went through and am still going through the single most darkest time in my life this past year struggling even worse with my anxiety but being introduced to depression which I always told myself I would never let myself be depressed but it is not something you necessarily stop. Anyway, it was one of the best years of my life because I decided to do something about my weight issue and I have come so far and have lost 64 pounds! Also, not only did I decide to do something about my weight, I decided to change all of the aspects of my life that were negative and that weren't benefiting me. I feel a lot better going into the new year, but I have a strong feelings this upcoming year is going to be one for the books and I cannot wait to bring you guys along for the ongoing journey! Comment down below if you are as excited as I am, and share some of your New Year's Resolutions!

See you all next year!

xoxo

To Do on Fast Food!

Eating out can be very tricky when eating healthy and dieting. I used to think it was completely impossible to try and eat out on the road and it always made everything so difficult. I would just not eat and wait until whatever time I got home to eat! That is almost just as unhealthy! Well I figured out that it is not terrible to eat out on the road if you absolutely have to because there are some choices that are a lot healthier than what you would have gotten in the past.

Now the emergencies I am talking about is not, "I don't feel like making breakfast so I will just eat this McMuffin Once..." because that is not an excuse! I am talking about when you are out all day long for work or a day in town with your girlfriends and you are hungry and you all plan to go out to eat because that has happened to me so many times!

Most menus at resturants have a section that is healthier than all the rest. For example at Cheddars, this is a picture of the menu I found on their website and they have an awesome section of lower calorie options.
And what is amazing about the internet is, you can easily search the resturant or fast food chains website on your smart phone and it will have the full menu along with nutrition facts right there! This can sometimes be a scary thing, but it has helped me a lot when deciding what to order.

This is Cheddar's "Lighter Side" all under 575 calories! (Garlic Parmesan Sirloin Steak YUM!)

Another great alternative to greasy fast food joints in Chick-Fil-A. They do have a lot of unhealthy fried food, but I have found two delicious entrees that don't leave me feeling guilty afterwards!

This first is this AMAZING 'Chargrilled Chicken Sandwhich' with fresh tomatoes and lettuce.

Nutrition Facts:

310Calories

3.5gFat

4gFiber

10gSugars

29gProtein

This Grilled Market Salad is to die for and the only issue with this is, you might need to choose a light dressing or mix a healthier one up at home, but the light dressings are not bad in calories. It is so good and has grilled chicken, fresh strawberries, blueberries, granola, blue cheese (yuck I get mine without), apples and so much other yumminess! (if that is a word!)

Nutrition Facts:

180Calories

4gFat

4gFiber

8gSugars

25gProtein

There are so many other choices out there, but here are the main things to stay away from when ordering from a restaurant:

1. Always ask what kind of oil the food is cooked in

2. If it comes with cheese no matter how much you want it, take it off it just adds extra unnecessary calories

3. Ask for dressing for a salad on the side. This being you can control how much you put on. A salad at a restaurant can sometimes be just as much as a greasy cheeseburger because of the cheese and dressing!

Now some things to look for at a fast food chain:

1. If there is an option for your meal to be grilled chicken instead of 'breaded' which means fried take it!

2. Also ask for no cheese

3. Also skip out the Mayo, and get mustard instead if you need a condiment on your sandwich.

4. NEVER ORDER FRIES AS A SIDE. I know they seem tempting, but that is just a sin in dieting! (hehe) See what other sides you can get, and most of the time they don't offer another side but you can ask and they can replace the fries for any of their sides. 

5. And lastly, if they have an option for wheat bread on a sandwich or burger opt for the wheat instead of the white, and if you can live without the bread that is even better! My mom always gets grilled chicken sandwiches with no cheese, extra lettuce and tomato, extra mustard and no bun! (I haven't gotten there yet..)

I hope these tips helped and don't worry about eating out once in awhile, you sometimes have to in an emergency situation! Hope everyone is happy and healthy!

P.S. Sorry for the weird lines if they show up!

More good news?!

The post that I made about me breaking my goal of 200 pounds was so unbelievably overwhelming in an amazing way! I am so blessed to have such amazing people in my life and such supportive people surrounding me. I posted a little sneak peak on my Instagram and told everyone who follows me on there (which you all should!) to come here to see what the exciting news and the response was amazing. I got so many text messages saying that because I posted that on Instagram, they came here and are now going to start reading my blog. If I can inspire just one person to go after their goals and get healthy, I am completely satisfied. I am so excited to keep going with this blog and I couldn't have done it without any of you guys!

Anyways, enough with the ramble and onto more good news! Since I weighed myself two days ago and realized that I was 199.0 I buckled down even more with my diet, and was extremely strict and I just weighed myself this morning and I am now 197! I thought the scales were broken or something, how could I lose 2 pounds in two days? I think it is just because I am constantly doing something all day long, and constantly moving and that mixed with an extremely healthy and limited diet will lead to weight loss. And I am not saying I am not eating or eating one meal a day just so that I can lose weight faster! That is the worst thing you can do. I am still eating breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner I just eat very small portions for my meals and my small portions only consist of very healthy ingredients. Doing this the healthy way has been my goal from the beginning and I am going to come straight out and say that girls out there who think starving themselves, and eating 'a handful of grapes' a day because they want to lose as much weight as possible is doing the complete opposite of what your wanting. You are not filling your body with correct nutrients that it needs to be stable. A stable and well balanced diet is key to weight loss. I have always heard and gone by the quote, "Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise", I strongly believe that because I am not working out every day by any means I just follow a very strict diet and the weight is still falling off, but I do not know if that is scientifically proven or not.

I believe that everyone has their own ways and their own version of weight loss and being healthy and whatever works for you I think you should stick to that (unless its causing you to be unhealthy like starving yourself). The number on the scale is not what makes you healthy, and just being 'skinny' does not necessarily make you healthy. I have had friends who are 'skinny' but their health was not good by any means. It is all up to the person and their metabolism.

Well I am not a doctor or a nutritionist, but I have been experimenting with weight loss for so long now, and I am seeing results so something that I am doing must be working and if I can motivate just one person to do this along with me I will be satisfied, but I also want everyone to be healthy. Oh lord, I feel like I have been on another rant session on my soap box he-he

Anyways, sorry for the rant but I just want you to all know that I appreciate everyone and wish everyone good luck on your start to your healthy lifestyle or keep it going to those who have already started! We all have to stick together! Love you all!

BEST DAY OF MY LIFE

From the title you are probably wondering what this post is going to be about...

Well if you have been following my blog, you will know that I have been posting about one of new years resolutions for the year 2013 and one of my weight loss goals as well. This goal was to loose 60 pounds by December 31st 2013... I started my journey at 260 pounds and around this time last week I made a post that I was 202 and was getting closer and closer to my goal of the full 60!

WELL..I DID IT! I still cannot believe it! I woke up yesterday morning around 5:30 a.m. for some reason and decided to go ahead and weigh myself which was random but I felt like I had been going on a good streak diet wise and that is when I saw the number 199.0 ! As soon as I saw the number I immediately started crying and screamed at the top of my lungs, my dad was still asleep so as soon as he got over the initial shock from me screaming we were both jumping up and down with excitment! I have been non stop talking about this goal of mine since I started this weight loss journey in March of this year and I cannot believe I can actually cross one of my new years resolutions off! I have never been able to do that, and I usually don't make new years resolutions (well only in my mind) I never write them down because then at the end of the year it's usually always a disapointment that I won't be crossing any of them off but this year is different.

When I started this journey to a new dee I was on a mission to not only change my outer appearance, because that was just one of the many things in my life that needed to change. My outlook on life was awful and everything and everyone was my excuse for not doing anything with my life and for my negativity, but since I started this journey my entire outlook on life has changed. I have so much more passion for life and for the meaning behind my life. I remind myself every single day that I have ONE life and I do not want to waste it feeling sorry for myself. I still have a ways to go, but I can literally see in myself the inner changes just as much as the outer ones.

Well enough talking and now to the picture that changed my life! (well not my life but you get what I am saying haha)

AHH THERE IT IS!

I seriously could not be happier and I am so excited to see where 2014 leads me in my journey to a new dee! Thank you to my amazing family, friends and viewers of my blog! Love you all!

I can eat this?!

When you are dieting, protein is one of the most important nutrients your body needs to be successful. I personally never have been a fan of protein bars such as "PowerBar" or "Cliff Bars" because I feel like they do not give me any energy and they are packed full of sugars and calories! One bar has around 270 calories...YIKES! I would rather save those calories for something of more substance if that makes sense. BUT the reason for this post is because I have found a sort of 'protein bar' that I actually really like and don't feel bad about eating!

They are called Fiber One Bars Protein 'Caramel Nut' flavor - Here is the website where they talk about all of the details!

These are just the only ones that I have tried but I love them!

Nutritional facts:

Calories: 130

Total Fat: 6g

Sugar: 7g

Fiber: 5g

Protein: 7g

WOW! I have one every morning with my cup of coffee and I am actually full for a couple of hours until around 11 a.m. I can't wait to try all of the flavors and I hope you will too! 

Ice cream has been an American favorite forever, and it is also packed with SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR and calories...One of my favorite desserts to have is a bowl of Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream...Mmmm..

Okay focus Dee, anyway so with this bad sweet tooth that my mom generasly passed down to me (thanks mom) we could literally eat anything with chocolate or any type of dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Its bad. On that note I passed by my local grocery stores 'organic' and healthy section and decided to stop by. I have always loved the idea of eating only organic food and eating clean, but it is so expensive! And also some of the things I think are pointless to eat organic and they just put organic on the label so people like me will pick it up and buy it twice the price when it really maybe only has a couple more grams of protein or 5 less calories than other low cal stuff. I can go on forever about organic food, hm future blog post?

Okay ADD get back to the ice cream because I know that is the only thing you came here to read, I don't blame you!

So, I noticed these healthier ice creams and I was a huge non believer in the healthy ice cream because every other type that I have tried tasted awful. I was in the midst of a huge sweet tooth craving and went ahead and picked up this ice cream that need me remind you was $5 for a pint! BUT it was all worth it! This stuff is seriously amazing and you cannot taste the difference between the real stuff and this healthier version! And trust me, I can be the judge between desserts. 

It is called 'Almond Dream' Non Dairy Ice Cream:

I personally wanted to try the 'Mint Chocolate Chip' flavor to taste the difference and NONE!

The Nutritional Information

The Ingrediants:

filtered water, cane juice, almonds, expeller pressed oil (sunflower and/or safflower and/or canola), tapioca maltodextrin, dark chocolate chips (evaporated cane syrup, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla), contains 2% or less of potato starch, guar gum, carob bean gum, carrageenan, soy lecithin, natural flavors, sea salt. CONTAINS: ALMONDS AND SOY. Manufactured in a plant that uses peanuts, milk, eggs, wheat and other tree nuts.

Almonds and Soy. Manufactured in a plant that uses peanuts, milk, eggs, wheat and 

What I think is awesome about this frozen dessert is that it is dairy free so if you have family members that are lactose intolerant (a.k.a my dad) they can enjoy ice cream like everyone else and it tastes the same! They have 7 different flavors and I cannot wait to try them all. 

I love exploring the grocery store and finding different kinds of new foods that I can try because I am trying to train myself to eat healthy for the rest of my life, so I am learning about new types of ingrediants and new types of foods that I can cook with that will make eating healthy so much yummier! (don't think that is a word, oops!)

Hope everyone enjoyed this blog post and I will be back later with more stay tuned, love you all!

Where have I been?

Hello everyone! I am so sorry I have been absent from here for awhile, I have been going through some personal ups and downs...

BUT! I do have good news...I AM 201! I can literally see the light at the end of the tunnel! I have mentioned in previous posts that I wanted to be below 200 pounds before the end of 2013 and I have 1 or 2 if you want to get technical, to go! I have definitely been going off the rail recently and I feel terrible about it but I don't think anyone going through the same journey that I am, never hits low points. To me, its natural. I haven't completely gone off, but I have been eating a random cookie here and an extra slice of pizza there. I am frustrated with myself but I know that it won't stop me from reaching my goals. I know that the reason why I have been cheating lately is because of my emotions. Whenever I used to binge eat, and when I was at my heaviest I would eat for every single emotion. Bordem, sadness, anger, happiness whatever time of day it was I would make an excuse to eat. I have definitely gotten so much better at that, but I since I have been dealing with my anxiety and depression a lot lately I have cheated here and there...oops!

I am not going to give up on myself and I know you guys haven't given up on me either. Thank you for all of your support and love!

Updates!

Hello everyone, I am sorry for the leave of absence for the last couple of days! I am back with some exciting news though...!

Sooo in one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I had 6 more pounds to lose before the end of the year, and that was on November 9th. Well as of yesterday I have lost 4 pounds! So I was 206, and now I am 202! I can literally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am so proud of myself and all that I have accomplished. I cannot wait to lose the last two stinkin' pounds and finally be able to say that I can cross off one of my news years resolutions! 

Thank you guys again, I know I say it in every post but I really am so grateful for everyone in my life!

Check back tomorrow for another post!

Get ready!

So I have a secret to confess...I am one of those people who decorates their homes for Christmas at the beginning of November! Everyone think I am nuts but I am in love with Christmas so much, why not have the house decorated for 1 month longer than just the end of November and December? All of my friends roll their eyes when I start to look on my Christmas pinterest board for ideas and start dragging all of the junk out of underneath our stairs! 

Just a quick organizational post. Underneath our stairs has always been a giant unorganized MESS! It is where we store all of our holiday decor and what not, and being with my obsession with interior decor mixed with my obsession with Christmas you can already see the mess from your computer...Unfortunately I did not get a good picture of the before but this past weekend I decided to tackle it and finally organize it...Boy was this an entire day project.

Here is a picture of me at the beginning of the process

SCARY I KNOW!

I started by just taking everything one step at a time with a trash bag in hand and throwing away anything that I would never use again! We had about 10 trash bags, who knew there was so much trash in there?! I feel so much better having it all organized now! I made a couple of piles. Inside Christmas decor, outside Christmas deocr (lights, wreaths, etc), Nutcracker collection, etc. I then went to Lowe's and got two plastic bins and found out quickly that I will need more for sure, but I like the results. Here it is!

SO MUCH BETTER! Now I can decorate without any stress!

Back to my other ideas for Christmas decorations. I have so many awesome ideas for the inside of the house and here are some that I found on my Christmas pinterest board. 

I am in love with this JOY sign and I have seen it all over pinterest lately, so I want to recreate my own!

Then there is this adorable snowflake and pinecone garland that I want to put in my kitchen window!

Here is the link to the ladies website

This charger plate with a countdown to Christmas on it! How cute?!

There wasn't a link but here are the directions:

Paint the center of a charger with chalk paint, glue on a bow... paint on the words "days until Christmas" then you can change the countdown w/Chalk! Put it on an easel and you have a cute sign. 

I cannot wait to do these projects over the next couple of days and share them with you all! 

Updates and Thank You's

Just giving a quick update about my weight loss!

One of my main goals starting out was of course to be around the weight of 140 because I am really looking at being healthy and not stick skinny (not attractive). I know I will get there one day but I am trying to take it slowly so that I don't have my mind stuck on a number and be disappointed when I do not see that number on the scale. That is one of my number one tips for anyone loosing weight. 

1. Do not weigh yourself everyday. You will only discourage yourself.
2. Set a goal in small increments. For example: (I do mine in 5 pound increments)
3. Weigh yourself the same time and same place every time so you start to have a routine.
4. Lastly, do not weigh yourself at night because that is when your body has all of the food you have eaten that day in your stomach. Do it in the morning.

So back to one of my main goals on this journey was to be below 200 before the year 2013 ended. I started in March of this year and was 260, and so I wanted to lose 60 pounds by December 31st. It was a huge goal and quite a big number but I was completely determined. So far, it is November 9th and I am down 54 pounds total! I am still in shock about that number, but also extremely proud of myself. So ladies and gents, I have 6 more pounds to go before I reach one of my most important goals! Do you think I can do it? I KNOW I can do it, and I am so glad I have all of your support. I would not have been able to do any of this without my parents first, and my friends who have supported me since Day 1. Thanks dad for allowing me to throw out all junk food and not buying potato chips anymore! 

I am so excited to weigh myself on December 31st and see where I am, hopefully I will have lost a little more than 6 but that would just be the cherry on top.
The year 2013 has been one of the worst years of my life, but also one of the best and most reassuring years of my life. This was the first year my anxiety got out of control causing depression, so that wasn't and still isn't fun. BUT it was the year I have been waiting for for years. The year I finally said "Enough is enough" and starting losing weight. I am so happy with the way things are going and I cannot wait for the future. 

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE KEEP READING !

It really is important

                 

Ever since I can remember, my parents always talked to me about dreams. Me being little, I thought they were talking about the dreams you have when you go to sleep, but even knowing I did not really understand what they were talking about, they still talked to me every night before bed about my dreams for my future and for my life. As I got older they started to explain their dreams and aspirations for their own lives and it made me look at them in a different but good way. Listening to someone talk about their dreams they have or had for their lives is one of the greatest things you could ever witness. Especially for my dad, because every time he talked to me about the dreams he had for his life as a young child you can literally see him start to glow and light up. I always wanted to know what my dreams were going to be and I always thought that I had to figure out what my dreams and aspirations for life would be by the time I was in high school. Some people are lucky and are born with talents and specific gifts that they know they were meant to do in life such as doctors and teachers. I unfortunately haven't figured out what my dreams are yet.

Every day is a new chance to figure out what your dream may be. And I am writing this today, because I want everyone to know that when your parents or whoever it may be tells you "You can do whatever you set your mind to" or "Whatever you want to do when you grow up, you can" they really do mean it. I always just said "Okay, thanks" and never really took what they said to heart because I had been hearing it since I was little and I always told myself, "Yeah right, I'll never be able to go to the moon", but actually the beauty about the country that we live in is that if set your mind to something that you really want to accomplish you can honestly do whatever it is you set your mind to. Anything is possible if you are willing to put 110% towards it. 

I am so glad that I chose to document my journey of growing up and becoming an adult with all of you, so that I can share my thoughts and I can look back in the future and see what I went through. I know that this is my weight loss blog, but I wanted to make posts about not only my journey of losing weight but my journey of finding out who I am as a person and what I am destined to do in my life. I know that I am getting there but it is going to take time which I am prepared for. The last thing that I want to do in my lifetime is wonder "What If..." that is my biggest fear. I do not want to be old and look back at my life and wish I had taken more time to figure out what my dreams are and follow through with them. 

Sorry if this sounds somewhat repetitive of the previous post but recently I went through something in my personal life that really made me look at my life and really upset me. Without moments like that in your life you wouldn't know how to avoid situations like that in the future. Every day is a new learning experience for me and I may not be where I want to be in my life yet, but I know that I will one day.

Wonderlust

Coming to you today with some insight on how my mental happiness and inner peace is doing. 
During this entire process, I have been not only changing my outer appearance but more importantly reshaping and making my inner and mental beauty better. I hope that makes sense. 

Every teenager around my age, 19 we all seem to get 'antsy' with our lives. If it means we hate our jobs and wish we had one we liked, we aren't going to the school of our dreams, or your simply wondering what your next step in life is supposed to be. I myself am currently going through this and I have talked to some of my close friends and they all agreed with me that they are as well. That is what I am trying to understand today, is why at this age are we all either unhappy with our lives and why are we always questioning our future?

Since Day 1 my sister who is five years older than I am, has always wanted to be a teacher. We used to play school and she would always be the teacher no matter what. That is her passion, and she is currently in college about to graduate with her teaching license and already has a classroom ready to go for when she graduates and she is the happiest she has been because she knows she is fulfilling her dream. Seeing her, makes me question and wonder what I am supposed to do for the rest of my life? 

I've always been told to 'follow my passion', but what am I supposed to do when I don't know what my passion is? These are the issues that I am trying to clear first before I put anything else in my life first. Do I go off to college when I know that isn't for me? Do I choose a career just because I am forced to? Do I 'travel the world' because that is what I see kids in their 20s doing and I want to live my life? All of these questions are going through my mind constantly. I am the only one who can make my life the way I want it to be, no one else. 

I have a lot of things that I love to do, but does that mean I want them to be my career? This is where I get confused... I see people's lives day to day and I always say "Hey, that is exactly what I want to do!" or "If only I could do what she does every day I would be so happy". But then I have to think about well what makes one person happy may not make another person happy. SO WHAT IS OUT THERE FOR ME? I know that I will one day figure it out, but I do know one thing. I will never settle on something just because I am  tired of searching or I give up because I will never give up on myself or my happiness. 

So, I am going to start a Bucket List. Not the millions I have made over the years in middle school and high school about doing stupid things, but things that I truly want to accomplish in my lifetime. Making this, I hope it will inspire someone else to start theirs and to follow their own dreams. I absolutely love seeing people live out their dreams, because I know that it isn't easy.

Even though to someone else your dream may sound 'stupid' or it may sound 'impractical' that's why it is YOUR dream. Not theirs. You are going to be the one who is happy in the end not them. 

I am making this blog post today, because dealing with depression and anxiety are two of the worst things a person can go through and dealing with them at the same time makes you feel hopeless and worthless and makes you never want to get out of bed. (trust me, it's true). I myself am not fully at that point where I am happy in my own skin and I am not satisfied with how my life is going so the only thing to do is to change it. I want to share 2 links with anyone who is still reading this (sorry for it being so long) that has made me look at life differently and makes me feel better that there are other people out there that are like me and are suffering with the same things I am suffering from.

This is a girl that I watch on YouTube, her name is Zoe but her username is Zoella and I am so glad that I found this video. 

Dealing with Panic Attacks & Anxiety : Zoella

Also, this guy's blog. His name is Alex Wagman and he has a blog called "The Bucket List Blog" and let's just say I have never been so inspired by someone so young. He is older than me by a couple of years but his insight is insanely perfect. He inspired me to not take little things in life for granted and to worry less and live out my dreams. 

The Bucket List Blog

I hope you guys enjoyed this post 

30 Minutes a Day...

WORKING OUT.

The one word in the human dictionary that everyone hates...

(well along with crisp...blah I hate that word)

Some of us love to workout, a.k.a my dad who lives and breathes to work out.

Me on the other hand does not. I have always hated 'working out' and have never been athletic.

I mean I did soccer, volleyball, and tennis back in the day but that was just because I wanted to be like a normal child hehe. Anyway, in order for me to keep this weight off and to help the process of weight loss go by much faster, I needed to work out. I am the type of person that would rather run in a park, or lift tires rather than walk on a treadmill for an hour. BORING! 

Since I have been on this journey, I have not gotten a gym membership and still figured out how to workout in my own bedroom for 30 minutes a day. THAT'S IT!

I saw this link here on pinterest and thought hmmm that looks easy enough. Boy was I wrong, the first time I did it I was at the beginning of this journey and couldn't get through 5 minutes of it. But I kept doing it every night, and it got easier and easier! Funny how that works! So, I usually walk around my neighborhood and listen to my music on my phone and that is my way to zone out the world and everything that has stressed me out that day. After I power walk, I jog a little bit, and then power walk, jog then power walk etc. I then went into my room and did this exercise that I tagged above.

1. 50 jumping jacks

2. 5 push ups (I did girl ones)

3. 20 crunches

4. 20 mountain climbers

5. 30 second plank

Doing this before each shower really helps keep track of when you have to do it so you have a set time to do it everyday which makes it so much easier. I also got the chance to try out a yoga class at my local gym one morning and let's just say, I FELL IN LOVE. I was so relaxed after and did not know how flexible I was! 

Here is a picture:

So, what I am trying to say is even if you are 700 pounds and think that you cannot work out and that it is impossible IT'S NOT. Just start by walking to the end of your street and then back once a day. Then if you keep doing it you will be able to walk around your entire neighborhood and then start lightly jogging and then before you know it, you'll be sprinting! Keep up the good work everyone and wish me luck as I try out new workouts!

Did you say 'Pumpkin Patch'?

To me, going to the pumpkin patch is MUST this time of year, and I was so excited when my mom, me, and my niece Zoey were able to go a couple of weekends ago. I have not been to a pumpkin patch is so long I can't even remember the last time! I think it was because my sister is five years older than me, and moved away to college so there wasn't really any point for me and my parents to go. But this year we got to take my niece Zoey who is 2 1/2, so you can already imagine the fun we had!

Here are some pictures that I snapped with my phone so sorry about the quality:

 Can we talk about how gorgeous these pumpkins were?!

(Oh and there are my riding boots I talked about in a previous post! Eeek!)

 Silly Snow Cone pic duh!

 Holding her pumpkins

 We of course saw a Minney Mouse cutout

and had to take her picture! She is

OBSESSED!

 Her saying "Cheeeeeeeese"!

 Can't leave without a strawberry

snow cone

 "WEEEE"! She did not want to get off!

 Couldn't resist a pic of these adorable baby pumpkins

Standing in front of the sign.

The patch is actually "The Old Time

Christmas Tree Farm" which is where you can

go chop down your own tree when it comes to 

that time of year, but they use it as a pumpkin patch as well!

And last but not least, how we all felt after leaving such

a fun, eventful day! Can't let go of your pumpkin Uh Uh!

I am so glad to have gone this year and we made so many amazing memories. It is times like these that I seriously cherish. Where my family and I can go out and do 'Holiday'-ish things! There is nothing better than some quality time with this little pumpkin of mine! 

Have Your Cake & Eat it Too

Here are some that I am loving:

Skinny Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

Recipe is here

The website linked above is AMAZING for healthy recipes.

I always seem to find myself going to this website to get recipes for every meal!

Pumpkin Granola

Recipe is here

So good on top of a bowl of Vanilla Greek Yogurt and a hot cup of coffee! YUM!

PB&J with Apples & Strawberries

Now this isn't a recipe that I found, but

I thought I would share the simple lunch I had yesterday!

I never think to have a PB&J but boy was it good! Cut up 1 apple

and 6 strawberries and I was full after 1 half of the sandwich and a couple apple slices!

It is so crazy how before my dieting I would have finished this plate and then gone

downstairs for something more! YUMMY!

Healthy Carrot Cake in a Coffe Mug!

Recipe is here

Sorry for the bad quality in the first picture but I wanted to show you guys

how mine came out and obviously me holding it hehe

The bottom picture is the picture that was on the website, p.s. love this ladies website!

This was so easy to make and tasted delicious, I added a little but of real cream cheese

icing on top because the recipe was very low in cal, so why not?!

That is all for today, but check back right after this post

because I will be showing you a fun fall filled outing with my

mom and beautiful niece!

xoxo

FALLing into the new season!

Ah, that is right. Fall is most definitely here!

This is by far my most favorite season out of the entire

year because of many reasons.

1. THE CLOTHES

2. The cooler weather

3. Halloween

4. The fall decor

5. Nature changes

6. PUMPKIN PATCHES

7. Many more!

Since I have lost weight and obviously are having to buy new clothes, you could only guess my excitement about buying new fall clothes! Over the years I never could really express my fall fashion sense and I could never wear what I really wanted to wear because the style that I would typically go for never looked good on my body type. BUT now...I am can finally wear fall clothes that I want to wear! (CLAPS LOUDLY) And that means 1 thing.

RIDING BOOTS! It might sounds silly to some other people but riding boots never fit my calves, (even the stretchy ones) but now I get to wear them! I have to usually go for some that are like 8 1/2 W which stands for 'wide' but I usually couldn't fit into those either! So you can you only feel my excitement. It really is the little things that come along with this Journey to a New Dee (; Here are some pictures of some of the fall fashion pins I have re- pinned on my pinterest board

I just love this deep wine color for Fall! 

And this paired with one of favorites, lace.

I am in love with this outfit!

The orange color pants (which I now own!)

With the chambray shirt and infinity scarf.

I.AM.IN.LOVE. with this outfit! This

is seriously ME wrapped up into an outfit.

(Now if I could only afford Tory Burch!)

Anyway, it is all so exciting and I cannot wait for it to get colder so I can dress even cuter!

Now, for a little update on MY WEIGHT LOSS! 

I have still been eating completely clean, (well except the occasional cookie) SHH! It has been going well, and I really seem to find myself adapting to this new way of life. It has taken me this long to get the swing of things, but I think I am on my way to a new healthy lifestyle where I can now go out to eat at a restaurant and make a good decision off the menu. I used to go out to eat, and use the excuse "Well this is me treating myself going out to eat so I'm going to get what I want!" But I had to stop using that excuse, because I go out to eat with friends quite a bit! Instead of ordering the burger and fries, I will have a grilled chicken sandwich with a side of fruit. Little changes here and there really do make all the difference.

I hope everyone enjoyed my post today and please comment down below if you have any recommendations of any yummy recipes or blogs I should follow! 

xoxo