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!