How To Lose Weight (Weigh In #2)

My goal is to be 5 lbs heavier than my goal weight by the end of the month.  I now have 3.3 lbs more to lose to be at my goal!  Unfortunately, Thanksgiving is right around the corner!  That means holiday baking & TONS of EATING!!

30 Day Challenge

November 1st:      +13 lbs
November 2nd:     +11 lbs (Lost 2 lbs)

November 13th:    +8.3 lbs (Lost 4.7 lbs)

Eat This

Not That

Do you know any healthy holiday dishes?

Healthy Eating (Meal Planning)

I've read that the key to sticking to a healthy diet is to plan your meals ahead of time.  Ryan and I don't stock up on food like typical Americans.  We hardly buy anything we don't plan to eat that week.

Here is a list of what we have:

• Baby Carrots
• Salad Bag
• 3 Frozen Vegetable Bags
• Lentil Soup
• Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast  (Ryan ate them)
• Trader Joe's Chicken Wrap
• Whole Foods Mediterranean Salad
• Jello
• Oatmeal
• 3 2 Fiber One Bars
• Eggs
• Whole Foods Spicy Hummus
• Frozen Blueberry Waffles
• Tea
• Seasoned Rice
• Siggi's Raspberry Non-Fat Drinkable Yogurt
• Trader Joe's Popcorn with Herbs and Spices

Monday:

Breakfast: 1 Fiber One Bar

Lunch: Seasoned Rice (1/2 Cup), 1/2 sm. popcorn (no salt/no butter)

Dinner: Seasoned Rice (1/2 Cup), Lentil Soup, Siggi's Raspberry Non-Fat Drinkable Yogurt

Tuesday (Unexpected Whole Foods Day):

Breakfast: WF Fresh Berries & Grapes (not on the list)

Lunch: 1/2 WF No Oil Asian Chicken Wrap (not on list)

Dinner: WF Sm. Pasta Salad (not on list), Trader Joe's Popcorn with Herbs and Spices

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Trader Joe's Popcorn with Herbs and Spices

Lunch: Trader Joe's Chicken Wrap

Dinner: ??? (going out) (1 slice pizza, 3 boneless chicken wings, salad)

Thursday:

Breakfast: 1 slice pizza, Trader Joe's Popcorn with Herbs and Spices

Lunch: rice, salad, cucumber, cucumber/avocado roll, tofu

Dinner: 1/2 WF No Oil Asian Chicken Wrap (not on list), iced coffee with milk

Friday:

Breakfast: Siggi's Raspberry Non-Fat Drinkable Yogurt, Trader Joe's Popcorn with Herbs and Spices

Lunch: apple sauce cup (not on list), WF Waldorf Salad (not on list)

Dinner: ??? (going out) Indian food

How To Lose Weight (Weigh In)

In an effort to be consistent, I've decided to weigh myself first thing in the morning.

I did this on November 1st and was about 13 lbs heavier than I want to be.  This morning, I was about 11 lbs heavier than I want to be.  My goal is to be 5 lbs heavier than my goal weight by the end of the month.  This means dropping about 2 lbs each week!

30 Day Challenge

November 1st:      +13 lbs
November 2nd:     +11 lbs (Lost 2 lbs)

Before Picture

Do you have a goal weight?  What do you do to accomplish this goal?

Healthy Eating (30 Day Challenge)

I've been telling myself for months that I would start to eat healthy on November 1st.  That's why I've been eating as healthy as possible for the past couple of days.

Each day, I probably have about 4 cups of hot tea.  This really helps keep my hunger in check!  I've also been increasing the amount of water I drink each day.  I've heard that people tend to eat because they think they are hungry, but really their body is trying to tell them that they are just thirsty.

For the entire month of November (30 Days), I'm challenging myself to not eat or drink ANY soda!

Healthy Eating (Whole Foods Market)

Ryan absolutely hates Whole Foods.  I think it causes him pain to walk into the store.  I, on the other hand, am addicted!  I love looking at all the different options and trying new things.

Today I tried the Quinoa & Black Bean Salad... delicious!!!  I can't believe how good it tastes!  This salad is so full of flavor and it's very filling.  I highly suggest that if you live near a Whole Foods, you rush over there now and pick some of it up!

I know that a lot of people are astonished by the prices at Whole Foods, but I find that many items are very reasonably priced.  I purchased a small container of the quinoa salad for only $2.92.  I'll definitely be purchasing this again!

How To Lose Weight (What I Eat In A Day)

Here is an example of a meal plan for a typical day:

Breakfast: Fruit and Yogurt

Here I have vanilla yogurt (with an almond), cantaloupe, strawberries, raspberries, 

and an orange slice.

Lunch: Tuna sandwich (with light mayo and dried cranberries)

Snack: Hard boiled egg (with light salt & pepper)

Dinner: Grilled chicken with rice & bell pepper

I know a lot of people will say not to eat fruit because it has a lot of sugar in it.  I wish I were strong enough to go for weeks without either natural or artificial sweets, but I just know that I am not.  I figure that my craving for sweets is going to lead me to eat a real, fresh strawberry OR it is going to lead me to strawberry flavored candy.  As long as I'm choosing the natural sugar, I feel like I'm doing okay.

Weekend Warrior Challenge! (Q)

Lately, my weekends have been jam packed with fun!  There's no slowing down in sight either... Ryan and I have booked our next 5 weekends with some amazing vacations -- Hawaii!!!!!

Kallie at But First, Coffee has thought of a really fun and creative way to share our weekend adventures!  It's called Weekend Warriors and each blogger uses one letter of the alphabet as a theme for their weekend post.  I'm so happy to be able to join with 26 other bloggers in this challenge!  

My letter is "Q" & my initial reaction was like o___O ....what am I going to do with Q?

Well, it turns out there's quite a lot!  To celebrate our recent engagement we had a few of our closest friends over to our house for a PARTY!  It was James Bond style, so everyone was encouraged to come as either Bond, a Bond Girl, a villain, or (of course) Q!

Truthfully, I don't know that much about Bond or Q, but Ryan is a fairly big fan. We joke that his celebrity doppelganger is Daniel Craig.  What do you think?

We managed to fit a lot of the people who came to the party in the photo below.  The guns aren't real!  We had an airsoft shooting range set up in the backyard.  

We had movie posters and targets all over the walls and each room had a James Bond movie playing on the T.V.  The living room played Quantum of Solace, which is one of Ryan's favorites!  Of course, there was also a poker game (a nod to Casino Royale) and a fully stocked martini bar!  I must admit, we served horribly unhealthy food that disappeared within minutes!  Pizza, sausages, pasta, queso and chips, pigs in a blanket, tacos, taquitos, quesadillas, chocolate ice cream cake, tuxedo cookies, and more!  It was a pretty insane party & we didn't quit until a quarter to 3!

One of my closest friends stayed the night at our house.  I was glad to be able to spend some quality time with her because she lives so far away!  Unfortunately, she was feeling a little queasy in the morning so we weren't able to have a very big meal before she left.

Instead, we grabbed a quick bite at Quickly!  Quickly is a tea house and boba chain that we have in California.  The menu is ridiculous.  I am tempted to try everything on the menu... just start going down the list because I'm usually fairly boring and always order a milk tea.  

After the party, I'm actually excited to get back on track with healthy eating.  Quaker oatmeal is going to become my new best friend in my quest to lose 10 pounds.  I don't want to look like a blob in my wedding dress so I'm planning to go quasi-vegetarian for the next few months.  I'm still going to eat fish because I can't give up my sushi.  I did this once before for about 5 years and dropped to my best weight ever.  Hopefully, it will work again and I can start to lose my "happy fat."   

Hope you all have a great weekend!

How To Lose Weight (Grocery Haul #1)

Food is almost as exciting as makeup, right?  Well I thought I might share a little on what I'm doing to lose weight.

Diet is probably the biggest factor for me when it comes to losing weight.  I've realized that I can lose 5 pounds just by adjusting the foods I eat.  Of course, exercise plays its part too and is important for maintaining a healthy body.  With the combination of both exercise and diet, I plan to lose 10 pounds!
By diet, I mean they types of food I consume.  I don't mean South Beach or Paleo.  I'm simply not disciplined or dedicated enough to restrict myself to such a degree.  I enjoy food too much!

Here's a list of what I picked up today:

• Sliced Mangos (Fresh Ready Pac from Costco) -- $7.99
• Bag of Spinach -- $3.00
• Yogurt (24 pk) -- $5.50
• Udon and Kale Salad (small) -- $2.00

• Bok Choy (6) -- $1.75
• Grapefruit (4) -- $3.75
• Brie Cheese -- $2.20
• Eggs -- $2.00

Total Shopping Cost: About $28

(Obviously, I'm not a nutritionist or expert when it comes to losing weight.  

I'm just saying what I'm doing to accomplish my goals.)

I've also noticed that by eating healthier, I save money!  More to spend on cosmetics!! :D

What do you eat to lose weight?

Project 10 Pan (Day #13: Lose 10 Pounds)

It has been almost two weeks on Project 10 Pan!  I haven't been focused on buying new makeup lately because I've been slightly distracting by other events in my life...

Ryan bought me this beautiful bouquet of red roses!  

I'm suddenly motivated to start exercising and eating right!  I want to drop 10 pounds!!  My biggest challenge is that I LOVE food!! nom nom nom

Here I am eating an entire plate of scallops!! Delicious! 

And a reuben sandwich with fries!  I eat so much all year long. :-/  

My first step is to stop drinking soda!

What do you do to lose weight?