31 Days to a Happier and Healthier You!

Happy Sunday All!!!  I hope you enjoyed your weekends:)  I was pretty busy and spent lots of time with family and friends for "my birthday" weekend..more on that a little later.  On Friday, I saw this post from Queen of the Creek....How to Seduce Your Guy in 31 Days!  It turns out that she is posting this because there is a certain blog called The Nesting Place that is asking whomever to pick a topic/series to write about for 31 days.  I'm jumping on board and writing about:

I thought this topic would be very fitting for what I'm trying to do right now with my weight loss. If you are debating whether or not you should write about one topic for 31 days then head on over to The Nesting Place:)

I hope you all have a fabulous night!!!  Stop back to check out my 31 Days to Happier and Healthier You!!!

Here's all of the different posts within this series:
Day 1: 31 Days to a Happier and Healthier You!
Day 2:  Goal Setting
Day 3:  BMR - Why is it important?
Day 4:  Picking What You Love! 
Day 5:  The "Dreaded" Before Pictures 
Day 6: Confidence is Key!!! 
Day 7:  Never Say No to Free!!
Day 8:  It's All in The Music:)
Day 9:  Colored Out!
Day 10: No Excuses! 
Day 11: Support Group 
Day 12: Pinterest = Motivation
Day 13: Skinny Chicken Stuffing Bake
Day 14:  Top 10 Exercising and Diet Myths
Day 15: Vocab No, No's
Day 16: Healthy Banana Muffins
Day 17: Use Your Resources!
 

Thanks for stopping by:):):)

Until next time!!!!!!

I've linked up to:   Today's Creative Blog, 

Fashion Friday!!!! Yee-haw:)

It is Friday!!!!  Woohoo!!!   I know that I told you a couple weeks ago that I had bought some clothes from the Mall of America and wanted to share it all with you!  Here is one outfit that I bought!!  It's a lil' country, y'all:):):)  I'm loving me some cowboy boots!  I think I can pull these off since I lost my weight and aren't these just the cutest cowboy boots you've seen?!?!?  I think so:):):)

My new outfit!

I bought almost everything from Maurices, except my cowgirl boots!  The pants are Hydralics and the shirt is a Maurices shirt:)  I found the cowgirl boots at DSW!  I think that was my fav store at Mall of America::):):)  Pants = $49 and the shirt = $29 Cowgirl boots =$59 

Cowgirl boots!

Watching Your Weight Wednesdays!!! (WYWW)

Happy Wednesday !!!  It's that time of the week again for WYWW:) Since starting my weight loss journey, I constantly looking for delicious and nutritious recipes and I look on different blogs, websites, and of course, I can't forget, Pinterest!  I wanted to share with you some of the recipes that I have either tried or want to try, anyways!  I try to look for recipes that are lower in fat or use different types of ingredients to make the meal healthier than what I would make before I started this weight loss journey.  Here are just a few of skinnier recipes that I came across:

I want to start with breakfast and what a better way than to start your morning off with a couple servings of fruit and some protein!  Why not try a delicious Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie!  That sounds DE-lish:)

Via

Or what about some comfort food for breakfast..anyone, anyone???  How about a Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana sandwich!!

Via

~Sneak Peak #3~

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!  Hope you all have a wonderful day:):):)  Well, it's that time of the week again where I'm going to share with you another item from my Halloween costume!  It's really pretty simple....if you want to check out my other posts here is Sneak Peak 1 and Sneak Peak 2.  Keep the guessing coming:)

Pink!

Time for this girl to get ready for her b-day dinner with the hubby!  I'm the big 30 today...yikes!  This kind of scares me a little because I'm no longer in my 20's:(  The best part though is that I'm starting this new stage of my life a happier and healthier ME!!!! 30 lbs. gone! I will post some pics in a later post:)

 There you have my next peak for my Halloween costume:)  

Thanks for stopping by:):):)

Until next time!!!!!!

Downsizing

In my last post, I talked about what I did over the weekend and part of the weekend was spent shopping.  I purchased quite a few things, this was needed since losing 31 lbs:)  For the past couple weeks, I have been wanting to buy some workout clothes that fit me and look pretty darn good on.  So, I got to buy exercise clothes that are a smaller size than what I wore when I first started working out.  I downsized:)  Here are my workout clothes that I bought, what do you think?

New Exercise Clothes!

Surprise! Surprise!!!

This weekend just flew by and now it's almost time for the beginning of the work week!  I have to tell you all what I did this weekend because it was such a great surprise:)  Well, I'm going to be turning the BIG 3-0 on Tuesday...yikes, and I was planning on celebrating my bday next weekend by going camping and checking out Octoberfest.  I had a very nice surprise from my best friends this weekend that I didn't see coming....I thought that we were going to visit one of my friends out of town to see her new apartment.  Well, I was wrong because my friends surprised me with snacks for lunch, treated me to a spa day, went shopping afterwards, followed by dinner, AND went out to some bars:)  Am I just the luckiest girl to have such great friends that will treat me to that:):):)  Thank you girls!!!  You serious rock:)  I didn't take many pictures and I'm kinda sad because of that:( but here are the couple that I did take....

Dinner at Las Margaritas...my favorite!!!!

Stuffed Olive

Watching Your Weight Wednesdays!!!

Isn't this crazy it's almost Thursday already?!?!?  The week is just flying by and I don't know where it went to!  I've decided to try and make Wednesday's Watching Your Weight Wednesdays or WYWW:)   On Wednesdays, I will post different recipes, exercises, or just some helpful tips for weight loss.  Pinterest will be one of my best friends for Wednesdays!  I seriously have a Pinterest addiction and I've pinned so many neat things that I just need to share with all of you:)  So, if you are in need of some helpful weight loss tips, for sure stop by on Wednesdays!!!

So, I'm going to start with the basics and that is eating healthy = key to loosing weight.  Now, I'm sure we all know this, right?  Well, I had in my head that I "knew" this, but I wasn't practicing this at all and that's why for so many years, I kept on stacking on the weight!!!  Eating your portion of fruits, veggies, protein, and carbs(eating a balanced diet) is key to making a lifestyle change and fitting into those jeans that you have been dying to fit into all of these years.  One of my dear friends told me that she doesn't eat as much fruit because it is "high" in calories.  Fruit is fuel for your body NEVER ever discount the benefits that you will get from fruit!!  Here is a list of zero calorie fruits and veggies:

Via

Zero calorie food means that you will burn more calories from eating it than the actual calorie intake will be:)  So, that is a win-win, isn't it?

Via

This is why you should eat fruit and lots of it(within moderation, of course!)

Keeping My Mind on the Goal!!!

Alright, even though I have lost 30 lbs, this past week I put on 1.2 lbs which I'm not too worried about because I know this week I will do much better, but it does make me think that I need to work harder!  Not only do I have my Color Run goal, but I also have made another goal for myself and it is to be at 163 lbs by the end of September which means I will need to loose close to 5 lbs!  I know that I can do this no problem, I just need to keep my mind on the goal!!!

What I'm about to explain isn't an excuse because I know that I could have had a better week, I'm just telling you all just because I want to:)  The hubby was gone for the whole week last week and I HATE when he leaves, especially for a week!  It makes it super hard to fall asleep at night, so I "treated" myself to some wine on Wednesday and Thursday(which I didn't need at all!)  Then this past weekend, I went out to eat twice and drank 2 nights in a row!!!  That's ALOT of drinking in 1 week!  I'm putting a stop to this now before it continues and completely derails my weight loss journey.

Via

 Sometimes, I get a little worried about this!

Via

 During the summer, I would lift weights 3 times a week, but since school started I can only fit in twice a week!

Via

After a workout, if my muscles are a little sore then I know that I killed the workout!  I need to keep these quotes in mind the rest of this week!

I will make better choices this week and do the very best I can in my workouts:)  This is my pledge for the rest of my weight loss journey.  This is a journey after all and there will be ups and downs.  I can't get down on myself for making a mistake because after all we are human!  I need to keep in mind that we need to get up again and try even harder:):)  My weight loss journey will really not end when I get to my goal, it will continue on for the rest of my life!  I, and for those of you who are on the same road as I am, will have to maintain your weight and watch what you eat and continue to exercise.  So, this is only the very start of what is to come.  I must except this and move on with a positive attitude that there will be times where I might fail in some way, but that doesn't mean that you stop and give up; you keep on going, try harder, and learn from your mistakes!  After all, this is exactly what I tell my students in my classroom, how do you learn?  You learn from making mistakes, but you need to make sure that you take something out of those mistakes and use them for your advantage in the future:)

Here's to continuing this journey and new chapter!!!!  I hope everyone enjoys their Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by:):):):)

Until next time!!!!!!

~Sneak Peak #2~

Happy Monday!  I have a quick little post for you, each week I'm going to post something else from my Halloween costume and you can guess what you think I'll be for Halloween:)  This is the first one I shared with you, and this is the next item that I will be wearing!!!  Can't wait to see what you all have to guess:):):)

High Platform Shoes

Pink!!!!

So there you all have it clue #2 for my Halloween costume!!  I just hope I can rock these and not end up in the hospital for twisting my ankle or sending someone to the hospital because I completely stepped on their feet!!!!  Walking in these puppies will definitely be a must for me:):):)  Wish me luck!!!!

Thanks for stopping by:):):)

Until next time!!!!!!

Fall is in the air....

Hey All!!! Monday is just creeping around the corner, again!  Hard to believe another weekend has come and gone:(   The hubby and I had a great weekend!  Remember this post?  It was what I gave the hubby for our 1 year anniversary, well this weekend we got to go the Hawks vs. Panthers game:)  The hubby is a HUGE fan of the Hawks and I graduated from UNI, so I thought that this would be a fun game to go to!  We went with a couple friend of ours and it was a great time:)  Here are a couple photos that I took while there!

Before the game!

I even bought a face sticker to try and have team spirit...LOL!

The hubby and I:):)

~Sneak Peak~

Happy hump day everyone:):):)  We're half way through this week!!!  That means I'm that much closer to watching the Hawkeyes play my college team the Panthers!  The Hawks started off terribly this season and I think that the Panthers are going to kick some major butt!!!

I have most of my Halloween outfit planned and bought already!  I want to keep what I'm going to be a secret...ssshhhh....so I thought that I would give you a sneak peak of one item that I bought for it.  Take a guess if you think you may know!

Leopard Print Skirt!

The best part about this skirt is that it's from Forever 21 and that I could actually fit into something that's sold there!!!!     So, there is the first sneak peak!!!  Hope you all have a great rest of your night:):)

Thanks for stopping by:):):)

Until next time!!!!!

Weekend Glimpse!

Hey Everyone!!!  I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and had a blast:)  I sure did this weekend because I had a girls weekend and we went SHOPPING at Mall of America!!!!  It was much needed.  The weekend was pretty relaxing and just some good ol' fun!  I found some clothes, but not as much as I had hoped:(  I will have to share with you all what I bought in another post.  This one I wanted to show you what we did and some delicious, but not so nutritious things we ate!

Dana and I:)

Sisterly Love:)

Mouth-Watering Chicken Tacos!

Happy Friday All!!!  TGIF, right?!?!?  I can't wait until the end of the school day because it is to Minneapolis for a girl's weekend!  The girls and I haven't done just a "girls weekend" in years, so I'm stoked!!!  I'm going on shopping spree to find some clothes that fit me really well:):):)  Woot! Woot!  Once I get back, I will definitely show you all some great finds, or at least I hope to!

The hubby, usually makes meals for us and this past week he made some mouth-watering chicken tacos!  It helped out with my Mexican food cravings:)  It was really pretty simple to make them and didn't take much time!

Another 10 lbs lost!

It's hard to believe that it's been close to 3 months since I started my weight loss journey!  I am currently down 29 lbs from 197 lbs:)  This means I only have 31 lbs more to go before I get to my goal of 137 lbs!!!  Hip-hip-hooray:):):)  I know that I have lost weight, but can't believe it's 29 lbs gone! 

This has been a great feat and it will even become a much bigger one by the time I reach my goal at the end of December:)  Since I lost another 10 lbs from my comparison picture that I posted here.  I'm going to do another comparison pic, so you can see the difference of what 20 lbs lost looks like.

Looking at these comparison pics, really puts things into prospective for me!  20 lbs is quite a big change! I just wish that I took a picture when I was at 197 lbs!


About less than 1 month ago, I searched my closet to see what clothes(my "skinny" clothes) fit me.  I knew how much weight I lost according to the scale, but as far as actually visualizing it and being able to give myself FULL credit for what I did was hard; until I started trying on my "skinny" clothes.  Now, my "skinny" clothes are a little loose on me and soon will be my "bigger" clothes!

When I put on a pair of pants that fit me a little snug when I was at my biggest and they practically fell off of me, I was brought to tears!  Right then was when it clicked for me that I lost that weight and what a change it had made!  All of that hard work and continued hard work is definitely being able to be seen.  Have any of you been in this same situation, where you don't realize how much you've changed until you try on those dreaded "fat" pants?

It makes me feel much more confident in myself, not only in my looks, but with my job, relationships with hubby, family, and friends:)  I know have a NEW outlook on life and it's much more positive!  Plus, I have LESS stress and don't worry about the small things anymore:)

My running plan is in full swing and I just ran a little under 2 miles tonight!!!  I'm soo pumped and excited about this!  I can't believe all of the things that my body can handle now that I've lost this weight.  I'm thinking about what else it can handle when I even lose more!

Here's to no longer having to dread wearing my "fat" pants and being more confident in myself!!!

Thanks for stopping by:):):):)

Until next time!!!!!

Much Planning Ahead!

I can't believe that it's the beginning of September!  That means it's almost time for my birthday and then after that, it's time for HALLOWEEN!!!  Halloween is seriously my favorite holiday!  I never usually liked Halloween until I started having Halloween parties and then it became my favorite holiday(Christmas comes in close 2nd!)  This post may seem a little on the extreme end for some of you and that's just because that's how far I take Halloween every year!  I am a Halloween addict and at least I can admit it:)  When it comes to Halloween, I get down to some serious business!

I'm one of those people who like Halloween because of how creative you can get with it!  Most of our decor is very dark and full of gore, but I think that's what Halloween is all about.

Believe me, pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, ghoulish invites, and creepy decor have been bouncing around in my head the past couple weeks!  I can't stop thinking about planning for our Halloween party:)

The Halloween invites have been one of my favorite things to put together and DIY for Halloween!  Last year, I did these and this year I'm thinking about doing something similar to this:

Last Year's Invite

Wouldn't these be neat?

Small Changes = New Me!!!!

I have been trying to make small changes along this weight loss journey and making small substitution of healthier things I should be eating or drinking.  I thought I would share this all with you and maybe you could give me any other pointers that have worked for you:)

Via

 One thing that I have done is taken pop ALMOST completely out of my diet!  I drank a total of 1 maybe 2 pops in the last 3 months!!!  The weird thing, or I guess good thing, is that I used to drink 4-5 diet pops a day and last time I tried a diet pop, it tasted nasty!! I truly mean it too!  I didn't like the taste one bit.  I have tried Mountain Dew and I can't say the same about not liking that pop.  I still do like it, BUT I bought a can of it and didn't even drink the whole thing because it tasted too sweet and sugary! Some of you may be thinking, big deal, I do that all the time!  For me, that is HUGE because I ALWAYS drink all of my pop and never leave a drop left over, that's how I rolled before.  When I first tried to get rid of pop from what I eat/drink, it was pretty easy, but when I went to the store and I had this urge to grab a pop.  The only reason, I had this terrible urge was because that's what I did ALL of the time before.  If I went to Target, the mall, or Wal-mart then I would grab a pop for the road.  Now, I just grab a bottle of water which I can always drink more water and it makes me feel better because I do have something to drink and it's healthy:):):)

Via