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!