This Blog Has Moved

If you are reading this (and I hope you are) my blog has moved over to beyondtheoldme.wordpress.com. I will be posting there from now on. I am not sure if this is temporary or if it will become permanent, but for now, WordPress will be hosting my blog.

I hope to see you there as I continue to chronicle my weight loss journey and give a sneak peak into my everyday life.

February Goals

It has been over a month since I posted something and while I can say I have missed posting, I can also say that I have been extremely short on time lately. So, I decided my comeback post would be one listing my February goals.

For the past few weeks I have been doing rather well with my eating and exercising and actually paying attention to what my body needs. There are some days where I have to reason with myself when it comes to things that I am eating. But, with that being said, I never deny myself anything that I want. I am a firm believer in the fact that moderation is in fact key and that one bad meal won't ruin your progress. I will leave it on that note and begin to list some of my goals for the month.

Here are my goals for February:

• Hit the 25 pounds lost mark. This was also a goal for December (yes, December of 2013!) but since I didn't make it then, I have decided to have this as a goal until I make it. 
• Exercise 4 days out of the week. This does not include weekends since I tend to by out for the majority of the day on Saturday and am able to walk more. Lately, I have really been enjoying Nike Training Club (NTC) and have used it nearly every single day. That is a NSV in itself and one that I plan on keeping up with. 
• Maintain my healthy eating habits. I have a "semi" clean eating process going on right now. Where the majority of my meals fall on the healthy side while still leaving room for some meals that tend to be higher in calories (and not necessarily the healthiest options). This all goes back to the fact that I am not the type of person to deny myself something. If I want a cheeseburger, fries and a milkshake; that is what I am going to have. If I want a brownie and ice cream; that is what I am going to have. 

These are my three main goals and I know that as the month continues to move along, I will come up with some more goals and I will re-evaluate the ones that I have listed. I am determined to make 2014 my year and I welcome you to follow me on my journey!

20 Random Facts About Me

Since it is a new year, I wanted to jump on this tag that has been circulating around YouTube and Instagram. Here are 20 random facts about me!

1. I am an only child
2. I will graduate from college in May with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Mass Communications, Concentration in Public Relations and a Minor in General Business
3. I am afraid / hate spiders (or most bugs / critters for that matter, but I like caterpillars, especially when they curl up in a ball, I know ... weird, right?)
4. I love raccoons and think they are the cutest things
5. I have a dog and a horse (side note, my family has always owned horses. When I came home from the hospital as a baby, a horse was probably looking at me.)
6. I love being in the pool, but cannot swim
7. I fractured my finger playing varsity softball in high school which required surgery and having pins put in
8. I am an American Cancer Society Relay for Life Committee member
9. I was a Marketing and Communications intern for the American Heart Association (Fall 2013)
10. I started this blog in January 2013 as a way to chronicle my weight loss journey
11. In 2013 I lost 20 pounds!!!!
12. I hate speaking in front of small groups of people, but love speaking in front of large groups of people
13. I want to travel to all 50 states one day (I'm making decent progress)
14. I am obsessed with Nikes, addicted to Instagram and can't go a day without watching YouTube videos
15. I wish I knew sign language
16. My favorite colors are Navy and Gray
17. My favorite movies are Clue and A Christmas Story (I have the collector popcorn tin, cookie cutters, pens and notepads) 
18. I am always hungry (and say it multiple times throughout the day)
19. My mom is my biggest supporter and one of my best friends
20. I come from an amazing family full of successful people and I cannot wait to be the next one embarking on success!

Pounds Lost, Pounds Left to Lose Jars

I am very excited for today's post because it is a DIY project and it is one that I have been wanting to complete for months. If you have read the title, you know today's post features weight loss progress jars.


For this project I used:

Supplies I Used

• Ribbon (any size you like)
• A Sharpie permanent marker and a pencil
• A Bath and Body Works gift / hang tag (for tracing purposes)
• Marbles (for progress purposes)
• Scissors
• A hot glue gun
• 2 jars (I used Bath and Body Works candle jars, removing any left over wax beforehand)
• A hole punch
• Thick paper (for the labels)

Here are the steps I took to create these jars. If you are pretty crafty, you will probably be able to cut some steps in half (step one specifically) or cut some steps out all together.

Steps 3 and 4

1. First, I removed any leftover wax from the candle jars. I did put one candle in the freezer for about an hour before taking it out and letting it rest for about 5 minutes. I then used a sharp knife to carve four sections that I was then able to then pop out. For the second candle, I simply cut the wax out, skipping the freezing portion. 
2. I let the jars soak overnight in dish detergent before washing them in the morning and letting them drain. 
3. I took a thick piece of paper and used a leftover Bath and Body Works Christmas hang tag to trace the shape before cutting it out. This will serve as the labels for the jars indicating which one shows weight lost to date and which one shows weight left to lose. 
4. Using the hole punch, I punched a hole at the end of the tag and threaded the ribbon through the hole.
5. I made sure the jars were dry both inside and out before taking my hot glue gun and adhering the ribbon to the jars. I placed the ribbon about a half an inch to an inch away from the top of each jar, but I am sure placing the ribbon in the middle will look nice as well. 
6. The last step was filling each jar with the marbles!

Step 5

Step 6 (Finished Project)

There are 20 marbles in the pounds lost jar, indicating the pounds I lost during 2013. There are 43 marbles in the pounds left to lose jar indicating the weight I have left to lose.

Side note, I found some motivational print outs on Trendy TreeHouse that I may go back and add to some of the marbles. If so, a few larger marbles will be necessary. 

No More "New" Resolutions?

As the last day of 2013 comes to close, I realized that for once I wouldn't be spending the greater portion of my night thinking of resolutions that I may actually be able to stick to. Instead, I will continue with the resolution I made for New Year's 2013.

My resolution for this year, is to continue on my weight loss journey, which I started on January 2, 2013 (read my first post on this blog, declaring 2013 as my year of change here).

For the greater part of my weight loss journey this year (2013), I was successful in the sense that I felt better about myself and I started to notice some non-scale victories. I tried not to focus on the scale, but I will admit that there were times when I let the numbers on the scale define my mood or my approach to the next steps on this journey.

I tried some new exercises and ventured away from some. It took me nearly a whole year to convince my knees that they could hold up and do a proper squat and lunge, but I was finally able to do some. I also mastered the plank for longer than 15 seconds, which is a victory for me.

I can't stop there and I refuse to stop there.

I declared 2013 as my year of change, but 2013 was just my warm up; 2014 will be my year. I will graduate from college in May and my goal is to be down another 15 pounds by then. By August, I hope to be down another 9 pounds (24 total at 3 pounds per month). By December, I hope to be down another 16 (40 total at 3 pounds per month).

Looking at my progress this year, I know that going forward, I need to stay focused by keeping my goal(s) in mind and accepting the fact that this journey brings a lot of highs and lows along the way. If I don't meet my monthly goal, I cannot dwell on that, instead I have to move forward. I have to understand that it is okay to treat myself to foods that may be considered "cheat meals" but only in moderation.

2013 was just my stepping stone, I am ready to move forward on this journey and see what 2014 has in store for me.

An Extensive Update

When I started blogging at the beginning of the year, I told myself that I would use this space to chronicle my journey. That included the good, bad and in between. For awhile, I was a 'daily' blogger. Then I started having trouble finding topics to discuss, so I became an 'every other day' blogger. Then time caught up with me and I quickly became a 'once a week' blogger. Finally, the semester hit like bag a bricks and I became a 'no longer have the energy to post' blogger.

Although the semester is finally over, I still feel physically drained. It's almost as if someone has run over me with their vehicle several times and I cannot pull myself off of the pavement.

My workouts have become nonexistent in a way. If I can get myself to pull up Nike Training Club and actually workout, I know it will be a good day (or in my case, a good night since that is when I tend to workout). The only problem, I have to get myself to actually get my weights and tablet so I can workout. I am not sure why it takes me so long to "get in the mood" to workout because I know that once I am done, my mind is finally clear, I feel good and I know that I am getting back into my workout groove.

Then there comes the issue of eating. The night before Thanksgiving, I ended up catching some type of cold (or perhaps it was a sinus infection, I am not quite sure), something that hasn't happened in nearly two years. On Thanksgiving, I literally felt like I was down for the count. I stayed medicated around the clock, but food and exercise were the last things on my mind. Five days and numerous boxes of medication later (they were never full boxes, I just cleaned up my medicine cabinet) my voice decided it wanted to get weak and my nasal congestion decided it wanted to get worse. Unfortunately for me, I had two presentations back to back. One where I had to take a break from my 3 minute portion to cough as loud as I possibly could and the other where it felt like I was straining for the entire room to hear me.

My voice eventually got stronger and my nasal congestion decided to linger around for another week but during this entire ordeal, my appetite decide it wanted to leave. In the span of a week, I lost 1.2 pounds from not eating proper meals. Any other time I would have rejoiced to see that loss but I knew I was doing damage to my body because I didn't feel like eating.

I have since gained that 1.2 pounds back (plus some) which I never thought I would be happy about but I am because I finally had an appetite again.

Fast forward to today, where I have not worked out once since December began, constantly feel hungry (although it seems that I eat all day long, I must be eating the wrong things) and feel like I have no energy. Therefore, starting tomorrow evening, I am giving myself a week to get back to working out and eating properly so by the time Christmas rolls around, I am back to my old self.

I have no excuse why I can't or won't be successful this week. I have new training cables, plenty of free weights, open space and MyFitnessPal which equals a recipe for success. I owe myself this Christmas gift because I have come too far on this journey to turn around.

No Scale November?

I have often wondered if I could go a month without stepping on the scale. I am not sure whether I should have been nervous when I told myself that this was my plan for the month or excited that I would not be limited to the numbers I saw on the scale.

I started November with this exact plan; "I won't step on the scale each week, but I will step on every other week." I figured that this was the best approach for me instead of giving up the scale all together for the month (part of me knew I wouldn't make it though).

I joined a new challenge on MyFitnessPal the other week and one of our weekly activities is to weigh in. I had already told myself that I was ready to commit to this journey once again and I wanted to be able to complete a challenge to the fullest potential possible. So, what did I do?

Stepped on the scale.

The number I saw was a gain since I had stepped on the scale five weeks ago, but it was a number that I had expected because each day my pattern of eating was getting worse. Case in point, a few days earlier I had eaten two mini sausage biscuits, oatmeal, pigs in a blanket, about a cup of lo mein noodles and three pieces of sesame chicken all before lunch. Then came the birthday dinner for one of my aunts where I had a salad, two pieces of bread, about 6oz.'s of steak, half of a baked potato and a portion of a Texas tonion for my appetizer. This wasn't even a cheat day!

That was my wake up moment which helped me come to the decision that it was time for me to commit once again. It also helped me come to the realization that I wasn't ready to go a whole month without the scale. It had been five weeks and I was already falling back into my old habits. Yes, I was logging but I wasn't doing much other than that.

Giving up the scale proved to me that there will be a time when I can go an entire month without weighing in, the time just isn't now. There will be a time when I can go a few days without logging and not fall back into my pattern of horrible habits.

Bottom line; in due time, a lot of things will become clear to me and I will have the willpower to make those things happen.

I Can and I Will

I thought about some of my goals this morning and knew that I am at a place in my life where I am ready to start working towards those goals. Goal 1 - get in shape for my college graduation in May 2014. Yes, I will have on my "graduation attire" but I want to be able to wear a dress in a few sizes smaller by then.

Goal 2 - start training for a marathon in either late 2014 or sometime in 2015. Thanks to the C25K app, I have discovered that I like running. I may not be the best at it, if that is even possible, but I have fun while doing it and give it my all.

I started this journey on January 2, 2013 and I vowed to myself then that I would be successful. While I was successful for many months, I hit a bump in August and then again in September. October was decent but November has been all over the place. I have some changes to make, big changes for that matter, but I am ready to get started.

Some of these changes may be more psychological. I know there will be times when that voice will pop in my head and tell me that I can't, that I will fail, that it is not worth it. But, those are the same times when I have to look at this image and tell myself "I can and I will."

Bittersweet Moment

Today, for the last time in my undergraduate career, I registered for classes. I titled this post 'bittersweet moment' because that is exactly what it was. I was happy to get all of the classes that I wanted but sort of sad that I won't be going through that process anymore.

The fact that I have registered for classes eight times, twice at my first university and six times at my current university, doesn't seem like much; but, those eight times have gotten me where I am today. Those eight times tell me that I must have made some great decisions along the way.

There were classes that I dreaded signing up for, classes that I was excited to sign up for and classes that I was on the fence about.

There will be no more writing out the classes I need, looking through the options, creating a "potential" schedule (simply a table in word with dates and times). No more getting up at the crack of dawn (my first university, although I enjoyed that time of morning better) to sit in front of the computer patiently waiting for the clock to change. No more writing down CRN numbers so I don't have to scroll through the (what seems like) endless class options just to find a class. No more anxiety as to whether or not I would be able to get the class I want.

There will be "no more" of a lot of aspects related to my college career.

Where to now?

I have no idea. I would love to say that grad school is on my list, but I am so tired of undergrad I don't know if I could push myself through grad school. I would love to become accredited in public relations (APR) but I am not sure if I have the patience or discipline to study for another "major" test. There are so many things I would love to say are options right now, but I won't know any of those until that wonderful day in May gets here when I can say, "I'm a college graduate."

Soon after, I am sure I will say "now what?"

October Update

It is hard to believe that October has come and gone, 2013 is truly flying by. I'm here to give my October update, which probably won't be much of an update at all.

In September, I fell of the wagon...hard. It is like I lost all motivation to be on this journey. I told myself, as I always do, that October was going to be my month. October came and 28 days passed before I committed to this journey once again.

I am an emotional eater and earlier in the month it seems like everything that could be dumped on me, mainly schoolwork, was dumped on me. It is like I was buried under an avalanche of tests, projects and more! Tuesday, was the first day I have had where I could come home and actually relax (which really meant I could come home and watch QVC) but it is also the day I decided to pick up the October issue of Fitness magazine that had been sitting on my ottoman and actually complete a workout.

Not only was I impressed with the workout which featured Jeanette Jenkins, I finally figured out why celebrities want her as their personal trainer, she knows her stuff (not to mention, she re-tweeted me; talk about excited). On paper, the workout looks like a breeze, but once you get into it, it is one of the most intense workouts I have experienced from a magazine.

For the past five days my eating has actually been better. I am logging everything that I am eating or drinking and have avoided sweets. If I am craving a soda, I go with a diet one, although that is very rare. It wasn't until today that I discovered I can eat a mini piece of candy and be as satisfied as I would if I ate the entire bar.

The last 5 days have been more successful than this entire month has but that just serves as my motivation for November. I realized that I haven't updated my measurements in a while, so that and a goals for November post are currently on my list. Hopefully November will be successful in terms of weight loss, life and school work. I only have one more month in this semester and I am ready to bring it!

Honesty

I have to say that honesty is a trait that a value highly. As much as I value it, there are times when it comes from the people close to you that it really stings.

Up until a month ago, I was logging regularly on MyFitnessPal. Some unexpected events occurred and my logging to a back seat. I have really struggled with getting back into the habit of logging everything that I eat and every exercise that I complete. But, I know that in order to be successful, I have to get back into what I was doing.

Yesterday, I happened to state (in front of my main supporter) that I couldn't get the numbers on the scale to go down. Their response, 'well you have been hitting the breads kind of hard'. Talk about an eye opener.

I will admit that I have let some of my old habits creep back into my life, which was never a good thing. Truth be told, I have been hitting the breads (and other carbs) very hard. To have someone actually mention that is what I was dong (from their observations alone) was pretty hurtful. It wasn't necessarily their comment that hurt me, it was the fact that their comment made me realize I was hurting my body by reverting to my old ways.

I tell myself time and time again that today is going to be the day that I begin working out again. Then their comes the main excuse,  'everything is picking up in the semester and I rarely have time to myself'. That alone should tell me that I have to make time for myself, no matter how much work I am buried under. Even if it is just 30 minutes a day, that is enough time to get in some type of exercise.

I downloaded a few apps from Zen Labs, LLC this past week and since they can be done indoors (the push-up trainer for example), I figured I would start there and then as the semester calms down (hopefully very very soon, a little over 1 month left!), I will be able to get back outside and start C25K over.

All of these ideas and plans sound great in my head and they are things that I want to do. I just hope I can start committing to what I blog about.

My Fall Fashion Picks

I've said it numerous times, Fall is my favorite time of the year! I love sweaters, scarves, boots and more. But, there are times when some of the latest trends are not made for all body shapes and sizes. I search and search for things that work well for me and when I find them, I purchase multiples.

Here are some of my Fall fashion picks that I hope to capture in pictures as the season gets underway. Each of these pieces pair well with others, are extremely comfortable and compliment all body types.

1. The Liz Claiborne Denim Henley pairs well with just about anything. I paired it with a pair of khaki pants earlier this week but can't wait to pair it with skinny jeans or black pants. A denim shirt is something that can be dressed up or kept casual.

2. These A.N.A. boots are my favorite fashion item so far. I never thought I would go with boots that had laces and zipped up but I suppose my tastes have changed. I love wearing these with boot cut jeans. I tried to pair them with skinny jeans and they made my legs look funny, it may have been the particular pants but I will be trying these with skinny jeans again.

3. Because of my height, my skinny jeans are always paired with boots (whether tall or short). I haven't specified any brand of skinny jeans because all of my jeans come from J.C. Penney or Old Navy. Both retailers have a pretty good range of sizes and the jeans fit well (meaning, you don't have to wiggle to get everything in).

4. I love these Mossimo Ankle Boots because they are easy to slip on and the taupe color goes well with jeans or any pair of dress pants. I like the fact that I can wear these boots to the office, to class and when out with the horses; they are that versatile.

5. I normally don't rotate my handbag any more than seasonally. I am known for taking the largest (and heaviest) handbag in my family but I decided to lighten things up for Fall. This seasons handbag is the Large Pocket Satchel from Dooney and Bourke. I was skeptical once I got home with my purchase because I am so used to having a larger bag, but I think this one will surprise me (and my shoulder will thank me later).

These are five of my fashion pics that will definitely be put to use this season. As I add to my collection, I will post updates.

Burnout

burnout [noun]: the condition of someone who has become very physically and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time.

For me, the definition says it all; I am burned out. I don't know when it happened, but it did and I don't think there is any turning back now.

There are times when I like to sit back and examine my life thus far, I try not to go back too far, maybe a few years or so. In doing this, I can see how things have (or in some instances, have not changed). When I was a freshman in college my approach to life changed. I was blessed to be able to go to college and I was blessed to have a support system at home that was rooting for me.

I remember how excited I was for my classes during that first semester that I even surprised myself. I remember taking a History of Jazz class and being one of two students who constantly answered every single question asked. The more classes I began to take, the less questions I answered.

Today, as a senior in college, I have yet to answer a question in any of my classes this semester. It's not that I don't know the answers, I answer the question in my head correctly no sooner than the professor asks it, I am just too tired to do much of anything (yes, even answer a simple question).

It's the same for weight loss. I started this year on a good note. I was going to the gym, logging everyday and eating healthier. I was starting to see some real progress. Then, life started to get busy. I stopped going to the gym, even going as far as cancelling my gym membership (best decision that I made this year I believe) and I started to fall off of the wagon. I was sneaking in a little too much "cheat food" then catching myself and eating healthier again. This was a steady process; on the wagon, off the wagon, on and off until I took a break from logging for a week.

I would log one or two meals, but never my largest meal. I was eating honey buns like they were the last food on earth and I gained about 4 pounds. That next week, I worked my butt off and lost 3 of those pounds and each week following I continued to either lose a pound or a few ounces.

Then, life became busy once again and I stopped logging all together and found that it was hard to pick back up. I haven't exercised like I want to (I would have been done with C25K by now if I had stuck it out) but no matter how busy my schedule gets, there are still 24 hours in a day.

I have been logging pretty regularly for the past week. Yes, I missed one day but MyFitnessPal lets you know how many days you have been logging and today I hit my 5th day. I plan on working out again in the near future, as soon as this rain (which I absolutely love) moves on to other areas.

I don't think I will ever fully recover from being burned out. While there are things that I can do to help this recovery process, I know that if I don't keep busy, I will start reverting to my old habits; which is never good.

Right now, I can only take it a day at a time and try my hardest to take a few minutes each day for myself to do something I enjoy. I also have to look at the fact that this is just college, I haven't even begun to experience burnout in the working world.

DIY Project

I have stated several times that I have a few DIY projects that need to be completed. For one, I was supposed to complete my weight loss progress jars a few months ago. That was something I started in my head but failed to actually put in motion. Following that, there were several weight loss related DIY projects that I wanted to start, but never did.

This past weekend, as I was on my way home from my weekend trip to the mountains, I passed by a set of chairs sitting at the end of someone's driveway. I wasn't driving and was able to see that although the chairs were at the end of the driveway, they had a free sign on them (although the sign was laying flat by now).

To make what would other wise be a long story short, someone picked up the chairs for me and this post serves as my official announcement of my next (and soon to be completed) DIY project. Resorting these soon to be decorative items.

I have no idea where I am going to start. I believe I saw a post on Instagram where someone redid their entire backyard patio area, but of course I don't remember who they were.

I know my first stop will be Michael's but I have no idea where I will go from there. My hope is to remove all of the rust, change the color of the paint (once the rust is removed) and re-do the lattice on the seat and back.



Of course this won't be a one day job, I am thinking about stretching it out over 3 days. There is no need to rush it, which was my problem when it came to my weight-loss related projects. I had a great idea, but didn't time myself to the best of my ability.

I would love to have these chairs done by the end of October, but no later than Thanksgiving.

As times goes on, I will post my updates and (hopefully) post my finished results in a couple of weeks!

My Mountain Mentality

There are times when I really know how to complain. I mean I can go on and on about things until I think my point has been achieved.

I spend so much time complaining over certain things that I never spend time looking at how blessed I am or even relaxing.

It seems like there is never enough time in the day to set aside for relaxation. If I do, I end up falling behind in my work and if I don't I am left exhausted and unable to focus on simple tasks.

This past weekend I vowed that I would take some time to relax in the mountains, although I knew that I would be taking along my books to complete my classwork. All in all, I had a pretty relaxing weekend, until it came time to travel back and I was left with fatigue.

Being in the mountains is not only peaceful but it gives you a sense that you are on top of the world. It allows you to escape what it bothering you, if only for a minute. Walking down to the river and actually thinking about your problems floating away can do a person wonders.

The moral of this story is something that I need to finally do. I need to stop stressing about every small thing that goes wrong and start realizing how blessed I am to make it through these small challenges.

I stress the fact that I am tired, but I am blessed to still be here.

I'm too concerned with the fact that I want this and that, but there are people who have been furloughed and don't know when their next pay check may come in so they can provide for their family.

I complain because my car and I aren't on good terms, I blessed to have a car that even moves.
There are so many times when I complain about what I don't have when I should be thankful for the things I do have. The same goes with relaxing. I won't have the opportunity to live this day again and I truly need to learn how to take my "mountain mentality" and transfer it to my "everyday life" mentality.

I never take the time to let all of my wants, wishes, concerns, etc. float down the river like I did this weekend. This weekend wasn't about what material item I wanted, what grade I wish I made on an exam or how close fall break was. This weekend was spent being thankful for all that I have.

The Search for Fall Boots

I have said it once and I will say it again, possibly several times, maybe even a hundred. I LOVE FALL! I am not sure what it is exactly, whether it is the changing of the leaves or the weather but it is my favorite season by far.

It is the only season where I seem to fully embrace my body and clothe it in something other than yoga capris and t-shirts.

As you can imagine, one of the things I enjoy most about fall are the clothing choices. Sweaters, skinny jeans and boots. To be honest, I also love a good pair of sweat pants and a hoodie. The only dilemma that I run in to is when I can't find some of my favorite clothing choices in my size. One may automatically think that I am talking about those sweaters or skinny jeans, but I am actually talking about boots.

The dilemma isn't that I can't find them in my shoe size, I can't find the right boot to adjust to my calves. I have a nice pair of slip on boots that have no problem going over my calves, but there was a time when they had a problem staying flat on the ground (i.e., I ended up on the ground twice in the same day).

Then a nice pair of boots once existed that actually zipped up and over my calves. The only problem with those were the fact that the one inch rubber heel seemed like it was deflating with every step. Who has a pair of boots where the heel seems to deflate then re-inflate, then deflate and re-inflate.

Lastly, there were a pair of boots where the heel did not seem to deflate then re-inflate but the only problem with those is the fact that I think the zipper might be screaming when it is approaching my calf. Don't get me wrong, they do zip all the way up when I am not tucking my jeans into them, but they could fit better. When it comes to tucking those jeans in, the zipper doesn't even stand a chance and a pair of long socks come into the mix to cover up the unzipped area.

My greatest wish for this Fall is to find a pair of boots that zip up comfortably over my calves when my jeans are tucked in to them and when they aren't. Once I find those, I feel that my boot collection will be complete... (for about a month or so).

Fall Has Arrived!

Fall is my favorite time of the year. What's not to love? The leaves change, the temperatures drop, you can wear scarves without looking weird and you can drink your favorite hot beverage without sweating!

I have loved Fall for as long as I can remember. For the reasons above and also because if you are in the process of losing weight, you can find different clothing items to take you through that transition period. Whether scarves, boots, sweaters, belts, the list goes on and on.

My schedule has been packed lately and I must admit that my working out and eating healthy has fallen by the wayside. In a recent post, I described how I have been gravitating towards fast foods that are also unhealthy foods. In my mind, I tell myself that I am going to get back to C25K. The only bad thing with that is that I have told myself that very same thing for the last 3 weeks.

At times, I put too much pressure on myself. When it comes to C25K, I put pressure on myself because (for me) I have to burn more calories than I did the previous time because if I don't I feel like I have failed myself. The same goes for eating. More often than not, I will eat what I want but there are times when I won't eat something or will work out longer because of the fear of going over my daily allotted calories. Again, it comes down to me putting to much pressure on myself.

Starting today, I am changing how this blog operates. I have used this since January to chronicle my weight loss, the highs, the lows and everything in between. But today, this blog is becoming more of a lifestyle blog. I will continue to chronicle my weight loss (or at times gains) while also chronicling different aspects of my life; such as plus size clothing finds, the long road before college graduation and my dreams of making it in the public relations world.

So, why is this post titled Fall Has Arrived? Because, for me, Fall is a time to find myself, to be comfortable and once I have done that it is as if a new person has arrived. Today, that person is here and she isn't going anywhere.

Stressful Eating

I will never see any results if I don't go out and work for them. I start this post off with that one phrase because it is true. If I want to see any results, I have to work for them. They won't simply fall into my lap; or in this case, the weight simply won't fall off. 

This week has been my most stressful to date since the start of the semester with two exams only one day apart. I am not a strong test taker at all (like many individuals out there). I get nervous before the test, once the test is in front of me my mind tends to go blank and if the exams are timed (yes, I have one professor who is very cruel with the timing of tests) I panic when others turn their exams in because I feel that the time is dwindling down and I am not even half way done!

Now, what does that have to do with weight loss?

When I get stressed, I revert to my stressful eating habits. That means, I pick up the quickest food I can find and eat it. In this case, it only took me a week to go through a box of low fat strawberry pop-tarts. They were my weakness this week. Every time I looked, my hand was drawn to the cabinet, located the pop-tart box with ease, slid one package into my lunch bag or backpack and I was out the door. 

The next thing I knew, my hand was drawn to the shiny wrapper, I felt relief when it was opened and comfort when a piece of that strawberry pastry was in my mouth. 

I paid no attention to calories. I mean, I knew how many calories were in each pop-tart (who can really eat only one?) but I didn't let that interfere with my decision to eat them or not.

One thing I have yet to learn on this journey, is how to manage eating healthy even when stressed.

My plan this week was to get out and pick up with week three of C25K; unfortunately, that didn't happen. So, I am making that my plan for next week.

This semester will prove to be my busiest yet as a college student so there will be plenty of times when I have very little time to plan a meal ahead, have a group to meet with, phone calls to return, etc. and the temptation of picking up something fast (a.k.a. something unhealthy) will always be there hanging over my shoulder.

One way to combat that stress is to get all of my work done ahead of time (which is what I try to do) and sit down to plan my meals. I can also set time aside for myself each day no matter what is on my agenda. Or, I could continue to list things that I have already tried and sound like a broken record.

I am so close to hitting the 30 pounds lost mark that I want to be there before the end of October. In order to do that, I have to get off of my rear end and start putting some of these plans that I am coming up with in my head in motion. I know it will take a while to combat this stressful eating but with patience, endurance and the belief that I will succeed, I know that it will be possible.

On another note, this big event that I have been working on when it comes to my internship will take place next Saturday, so don't be surprised when you see a blog post dedicated to that!

How PR is related to Weight Loss (My Opinions)

It seems that life has just been zooming by. I haven't had nearly as much time as I would like to write but it seems that I have more than enough time to spend on school work (but, this is college life and that too will come to a close in 8 months!).

If you follow me on twitter, you will notice that my tweets have changed from being more weight loss related to focusing on Public Relations; this change will only be in effect until December (the end of the semester). My twitter handle has also changed but I am still the same person!

I am in the process of trying to figure out how to indicate what the tweet pertains to so you don't have to read any PR related stuff if you don't want to. I am thinking about including a 'WL' to indicate that the tweet will actually pertain to weight loss since most of my PR tweets are being re-tweeted (RT).

It hit me earlier this week that PR and weight loss share some of the same concepts. I actually sat down and thought about three of my top reasons why the two are similar; they are featured below.

PR is all about relationships, but so is weight loss: This is something that I have heard since the beginning of my public relations classes, relationships are key. At the same time, I have noticed that when I have some one to workout with or talk about weight loss with, I tend to lose weight. Essentially there is the potential to form relationships with those that I am working out with. In both cases, forming relationships are beneficial.

Introverts can succeed at PR and they can succeed at weight loss. I read an interesting article this week describing ways that introverts can succeed at PR  but the same is true for introverts who are in the process of losing weight. You don't have to be the most outspoken person in your gym class or in your running group; you just have to be dedicated. If I had to, I would described myself as an introvert (as would anyone who knows me). I do enjoy talking, I especially like talking with others, but I am not necessarily the first person to speak up. The same goes with weight loss. I love the idea of working out with others, but I normally am not the person to go out and form the group.

When it comes to PR, if you give a little you don't get much out of it, but if you give a lot, the possibilities are endless. The same goes with weight loss. If you sit around hoping the weight will fall off, it won't. On the other hand, if you make the necessary changes, the ball will get moving in the right direction.

These are just a few of the reasons why I see PR and Weight Loss sharing some of the same concepts. Of course, there will be differences, but I like to focus on the similarities! Bear with me this semester when it comes to PR and weight loss, I am pretty sure the madness will calm down eventually!

Back at It

The last week was one I really didn't plan for. Actually, I am not sure how anyone can really plan their week and have everything fall into place, but if I had that ability, last week wouldn't have turned out like it did.

I took the week off from blogging, it was not my intention, but things do happen for unknown reasons. I also took a week off from C25K and accurately tracking my foods on MFP, again unplanned. But, even in this week off, I only gained a pound.

I'm not too worried about that pound because I look at what I didn't do compared to what I did do. I did a little too much snacking and not enough logging. I did a little too much sitting around and not enough moving. So for everything that I didn't do, gaining a pound is not the worse thing in the world.

This week I am slowly getting myself back on track. First with exercising more, then with logging my foods once again. I seem to have more weeks off now than I would like, but the fact that I can recommit and get back to what I was once doing, lets me know that I am still in this and not afraid to get back at it.

I suppose the 'slow and steady wins the race' saying is definitely true. Because right now I am moving slower than ever, but still keeping a steady pace and I know I will win this race.