Getting There....

Well I have not written in a while. I have been super busy! I was apartment shopping in Nashville (Sun-Wed). I had such a wonderful time! I even got to see my best friend Kyle! We had a great first night then got down to the serious stuff like finding an apartment. We found one we really liked in a great area. So I hope I like living there! I think I will for sure.

In other exciting news I lost 6.6 pounds! Omg! I weighed myself sunday before I left because I knew I would be missing my meeting Monday! I just could not believe it! I've lost all together 12.4 pounds! I am so proud of myself and I should be! I got so many encouraging words from friends and family. I was very excited to do so well.

Now this week I haven't been the best. I have been eating well but I haven't worked out at all! Eeek!!! I forgot to pack tennis shoes when I went to Nashville but don't worry I did ALOT of walking. Tomorrow I am going to get back on track. I feel so much better when I work out and I miss that.

So I am thinking of trying to do weight watchers online only. I currently pay $42 for online and meetings. But to be honest I do not feel the meetings are helping me at all. Maybe because I am going in the afternoon and that meeting has women who aren't necessarily trying their hardest. I want to be with people who are motivating and going through the same journey I am. I may try for a month and see... Has anyone one of you had great success just online? Let me know!

Today has been kind of an emotional day... today marks the 5th anniversary of my grandmother's passing. My granny was a very amazing woman. She took care of me a lot and I loved her to pieces since I can remember. I think about her a lot but every year gets a little easier. It is insane to think I have not spoken to her in five years. She use to come to me in my dreams a lot but not so much anymore. I think she did it until I found peace with the whole situation. I know she watches over me every day and would be proud of my journey I am on.

Next week I will be attempting my own recipes! I hope they turn out wonderful and healthy!

New Blog Name?

Hey guys! I have not posted since Monday. But I was wondering if I should change my blog name? I mean I like it but maybe since my blog is centered around so much maybe something more fitting than "Life After College." Something I will ponder this weekend!

Well anyways so proud of my mommy! She worked out 3 times this week! One day she went to Curves by herself! The past two days we have gone early in the morning...like 6am early. If you know me you know I am not a morning person by any means. Surprisingly I have enjoyed getting up and working out. I feel like it is a great way to start my day.

And as many of you know I have been cooking up a storm! (Thanks Skinnytaste.com!) I am thinking now I should take on some of my own favorite recipes and make them healthy. I mean I love Skinny Taste but I want to make my own! Luckily I have my mom, who went to culinary school, help me and let me know what kind of spices do and do not go together. So it's my new project. I have enjoyed cooking for as long as I remember. It's a big thing in my family. I mean when I have my mom cooking amazing meals it seemed only right to learn so I can make them on my own. So stay posted on my own recipes!

I made this salad dressing from scratch! Low Fat Bleu Cheese! It was amazing!

Anyways I am super excited for Sunday! I am going apartment shopping and job hunting for a couple of days in Nashville with Zach! Ahhh I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! I cannot wait to start this new chapter of my life. My family has been so supportive of my decision! Don't worry I am going to stick to my diet and workout while in Nashville. Luckily Zach is also doing WW so it will be a lot easier. 

My Future Roomie Zach and I (Nov '11)

That is all I have to report right now. I won't be able to weigh in at my usual WW meeting on Monday but I am going to try and weigh in at a facility in Nashville. I am hoping that is allowed.

Tips to stay fit while on vacation- Week 4

My work in progress logo for my blog. 

Well as many of you know I recently went out of town for the weekend! I had the best time. I got to see so many of my friends that I missed. I will post some pictures of the weekend! But I have to admit that I was not very good on my diet this weekend. I don't blame anyone but myself. I guess it is harder to diet when everyone around you is not. Not that they have to but just it is hard to stick to your ways of eating when no one else does. I ate fast food, had a soda, and drank alcohol. (But let me tell you I felt so sick after the fast food and soda.) I felt guilty and just plain wrong. Once I got home I realized that I can't eat like that anymore. It's not who I am. I've changed so much over three weeks, I felt as if I took two steps forward and three steps back.... which is why when I weighed in today I gained .6 pounds. Granted that is hardly anything to beat myself up over but I could have done a lot better...

So I started thinking after talking with some of my friends who are currently doing WW as well, I came up with a few tips to remember while you are vacationing or a little weekend away. Don't worry I will be keeping these tips in mind for myself!

1. DRINK LOTS OF WATER (this is very important to remember especially if you are going to be drinking)

2. TRY TO FIND THE HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES ON THE MENU (they are there you just have to look for them)

3. TRY TO STAY ON YOUR NORMAL EATING ROUTINE. (don't think because you are on vacation you can pig out)

4. LOW CAL BEVERAGES (If you are 21 or older and you want to enjoy that happy hour, look for low-cal drinks)

5. PACK HEALTHY SNACKS (for your trip pack some pre-made healthy snacks for yourself so you don't have to order that side of fries while laying by the pool)

6. KEEP MODERATION IN MIND (when you are out to eat usually the portions are bigger than the normal size, keep in mind restaurant food is usually high in fat and calories compared to what you would make at home)

7. DONT BEAT YOURSELF UP (sometimes we get into the mind set "oh my god I shouldn't have eaten that." Well news flash we aren't perfect! So if you eat that piece of cake, it's ok! Just work harder next time)

**These are just a few tips I have come up with. Mostly I did it for myself, but if it helps someone out! Congrats!**

My Sweet Friends! (L-R Me, Kayla, Landon, Bailey, Wyatt(he got cut off a little bit))

Olivia was an amazing host to Walker and I! Love y'all!

My favorite Ridgeland Girls! Lana and Kaylin! (Walker photobomb)

Well tonight my mom and I made a wonderful post-St. Patrick's Day dinner. It was corned beef and cabbage soup. We found the recipe on Skinnytaste.com and boy did it turn out good. My mom and I are truly having a ball cooking all this wonderful healthy food. At the grocery store today we kind of gave ourselves a pat on the back for getting all this healthy stuff instead of the junk food we did get in the past.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup ! YUMMY!

Well that is all I have right now. I am going to bed after I post this so I can go running in the morning using my C25K app! I love it so far! I am enjoying working out so much! 

I am trying to get everything ready for my move to Nashville in May. I am busy trying to look for a job in Nashville as well as find a job in Memphis to make a little bit of money for my move. It's very hectic. I am at a stand still right now. Tomorrow I am going to plan out trips to Nashville to look for places to live, jobs in Nashville, then look for a little temporary job here in Memphis. 

Wish me luck!!

Until next time,

Kelly 

New Goals

Hey everyone! I hope your having a fabulous week! I am super pumped for the weekend! I am going out of town to visit the majority of my college friends! I couldn't be happier! I haven't seen them in what feels like ages.  Sometimes I really miss being in school at Mississippi State. I truly loved every minute of college. I miss that little college town I called home for four years. I miss my little pink house, my sorority sisters and all ZTA events, and my truly amazing friends who I can't imagine life without them.

Yes I lived in a Pink House my Senior year. Best Memories.

The best place on earth! Hail State!

So ready to see these wonderful people! (L-R- Walker, Jo Jack, Olivia, Me, Lana)

So I have some truly exciting news for those keeping up with me! I am training for a 5K! Yes you heard me! I am so excited to do this. I use to run a little bit in high school (2 miles- 4 times a week) and it definitely helped slim me down. 

I have thought about it all week that I wanted to start walking and jogging. So I decided last night I would go to bed early, wake up this morning and do just that. I was playing on my Iphone before I went to bed to find an app that would kinda of keep track of my distance and train me. I found this free app called "C25K"  I thought why not give it a try. In 8 weeks (3 workouts a week) you can run a 5k. 

Today I thought challenge accepted. I am going to run a 5k in 8 weeks! So I started with Week1 day1. You warmup with a 5 minute walk, then for 20 mins you alternate between 60 seconds running and 90 seconds walking, then a 5 minute cool down walk.

It was very easy and I felt like I got a good workout to start my day. If I am successful in 8 weeks by the 2nd week of May I can run a 5k. I have decided my goal is to run in the "Oak Hall run for St. Jude" on May 6th to give my self a trial run. Then I will participate in "The Junior League of Memphis 5K for Kids" on May 12. What do you guys think? Can I do it? Do you know of any fun 5k's? Let me know! 

Well I want to thank once again everyone for their support of my weight loss and getting healthy. For people to tell me I am inspiring them is truly amazing and I can't think of a better feeling. I am sure there are people tired of my facebook statuses or tweets about all this stuff but I am doing it for myself. I feel like doing those things and writing this blog keep me motivated. 

I understand I am only 2.5 weeks into this diet but I don't see any signs of stopping. I know that I will not lose weight every week and I will get discouraged. I also know that I will think I just want to give up. But I am going to try my hardest to not do those things! I don't want to let myself down.

 For the first time in my life I feel like my life is going in the direction I always dreamed of. Will I ever be a size 4? Most likely no, but I want to have the confidence and feel beautiful for myself no matter what size I am. And I can tell you in my 23 years of life, I was never happy with my body or size. I always felt so much bigger than everyone else and now I am starting to feel happy because I am getting healthy.

If you are considering getting healthy and happy with yourself, take my advice. It is never too late to start! You can anything if you put your mind to it. I believe in you and you should believe in yourself.

Well there is my rant for the day. I will post on Monday with my week 3 weigh in results! Keep your fingers crossed for me! 

***If you have any questions or comments please leave them for me and I will get back to you!!!***

"I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way" Week 3.

Wow I literally had the best day ever!! I started the day with a workout at Curves! I finally got my CurvesSmart Card because I have done 10 workouts! Woohoo! More information about that can be found at Curves Online

Then after working out it was time to weigh in...I am not going to lie I was a tad bit nervous this week. I was nervous because I was not the "model" WW dieter this weekend. I had some drinks at dinner on friday (had an amazing dinner- snapper w/crawfish tails in creole sauce and side of spinach) at Sidestreet in Memphis. Then I had some drinks at a wedding on Saturday and the food I ate was ok, it wasn't too bad. I think I just get so nervous about my alcohol intake. I mean I can live without it but it is nice to have a glass of wine with dinner. I am 23 years old, it is totally legal.

My Friend Walker and I at the Wedding this past weekend!

I think of alcoholic beverages as the forbidden fruit for dieters....

So I weighed in and as I stand on the scale I am thinking please just lose. .....I LOST 4.2 POUNDS!! I was so proud of myself I almost started to cry. I know it is hard to understand but I did not think I could do it. I lost 7.2 pounds in two weeks!! Thats amazing.

I think my key to success is planning ahead. I am a planner. I loved being in school because I had deadlines for projects, tests to prepare for, etc. I die for a planner. It is my favorite thing in the world. Every Sunday night I plan my meals for the week. After I look around Weight Watchers and Pinterest I get an idea of what healthy things I can eat. Then I look at the recipes and what I need to get at the store. Also, you MUST measure your meals! I can't stress this enough. Yes we would all love to eat the whole bag of chips, but eating that bag won't make you lose weight. Eating healthy portions and fitness will be your key to success.

My goal this week is to INSPIRE my family. I love my family more than anything in the entire world, but let's be real we are a very unhealthy family. My family has a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I do not want the same problems. I was on the verge myself. We just enjoy food. We love it. I am hoping that with my success they will want to go on the same path. 

Well I have some wonderful news to announce.... my wonderful friend Zach and I are moving out of Memphis! I am totally excited! We both are! We are moving to Nashville! I know the opportunities that are in Nashville are numerous. I cannot wait! Now we are in the process of looking for apartments and jobs. 

Downtown Nashville, TN

Well that is all I have for right now! I had a delicious dinner tonight! I had some tilapia and wheat pasta! So good!! I also made some baked zucchini that was to die for!! Mom enjoyed it as well!!

Baked Zucchini from Skinnytaste.com

I hope everyone has a fabulous week! I am sure I will post later this week. I am going out of town for the weekend to visit some of my friends to celebrate St. Patty's Day. I am a little worried. I hope I can stay focused on my diet. Eeek!!

Overwhelming!

Wow I did not think my blog would be doing so well in such a short amount of time! I have had over 250 views since yesterday! May not be a lot but hey...it is to me!

I have received so many encouraging words from friends, family, and my lovely sorority sisters! I am overwhelmed with happiness and joy!

So exciting news! My mom joined Curves with me! I was so excited! I am truly proud of her! And glad to have her there with me as a support system. Everyone has to love them some Princess Deb.

Me and Mommy (July 2010)..gawd my hair was so blonde! haha!

Well mom and I are about to go workout again! So pumped!

I am not going to lie yesterday was a hard day to stay focused on my diet. I was pinteresting and kept seeing all this delicious and not so healthy food being pinned by others and it seemed every commercial on TV was for fast food, pizza, and all those other not so health yet tasty things. I just wanted to jump in my car and drive to the nearest fast food like I always did. Then I remembered look how far I've come in a matter of a week and half. If I did that I would be taking two steps back. And ladies when you're PMSing all you want is greasy food and chocolate galore!

I had to give myself a pat on the back. I fought the urge and settled for some peach yogurt and string cheese and I drank a lot of water.

So ladies and gents,
If you ever feel the need/urge to fall off the wagon and eat that unhealthy stuff remember how good you are doing/can do. Instead of eating that candy get some yogurt or instead of eating chips switch it up for some veggie chips (so good!) There are many healthy alternatives to our favorite foods!

You can have 38 straws for 3 points on WW!

2 points on WW!

If I'm not mistaken you can have 25 chips for 4 points on WW

I am cooking for the family tonight. I want to make a healthy meal and show them how tasty it is to eat healthy! I hope they enjoy! I will let you all know how it goes. 

Also a little random throw in for the day. My big brother, Chris, is in Montana touring with a children's theater company. He has been there since January 3rd. He leaves from there in May and will return to Hershey,PA for a summer show at Hershey Theme-park.   I hate being so far away from my brother! We use to not get along then toward the end of high school we started to. Haha. I am ready for him to go back to Hershey,PA (yes, where they make all that yummy Hershey chocolate) so I can visit him!!

Chris and I after his show "Wild Country" at Hershey Park (Summer 2011)

He also performed at Hershey Park during Christmas 2011!

My road to losing weight- Week 2

I started this blog as a journey to finding my dream job. My life after college. Well since finding that dream job has been a little crazy and not as easy as I expected I've decided to make some lifestyle changes. Now my blog will be about my journey to losing weight and finding my dream job.

I recently joined Weight Watchers. I started February 27, 2012. When I went to sign up I wasn't necessarily like oh my god I am so ready! But after signing up and seeing how much I weighed I was like oh my god... I am motivated and ready now. My first week I lost 3 pounds! I was not happy at first I wanted to lose more but then my great team of family and friends made me proud of losing that 3 pounds. Now I'm on week 2!

I've become in love/obsessed with counting points. Haha. I use to make fun of my friend Lana for doing it now I'm guilty of it!

Here's how big I had let myself get... Not too happy and I really haven't liked myself in pictures in a while...this is the reason why

This was me on 2/14/12 

Not only am I enjoying counting points but I have enjoyed cooking delicious healthy meals!! I did not know eating healthy could be so yummy and keep thinking why haven't I done this sooner?!

(All these meals have been courtesy of Skinnytaste.com, I will post links for each at the end)

Chicken Rollatini w/Zucchini and Mozzarella, Cauliflower Fritters, and Steamed Green Beans

Spinach Lasagna Roll-ups

Chicken Marsala(my own recipe) and Creamed Spinach(Skinnytaste.com)

I am definitely cooking my weight off through the help of weight watchers and skinny taste. I am having the time of my life. I have energy I've never had before. I have also noticed how happy I am too. 

My Week 2 meal plan

Now eating healthy is dandy but I needed to start working out as well. I signed up for curves the same day I signed up for weight watchers! Curves is amazing! I was skeptical at first, I was not sure if it was for me. Now I know it sure is, especially starting because I haven't worked out in about two years really. The trainers there are amazing and work my butt off when I am there! The atmosphere is wonderful! I look forward going to Curves now!

Curves and Weight Watchers have been blessings to me and I am grateful for the opportunity and able to do both. I hope I stay as motivated as I am going into my second week. 

Let me offer any advice to any girl or boy who are in the same position as me. DONT ever think you cannot do it! TRUST me you can! If I can do this, you can do this! It might be cliche to say but honestly you can! I come from a family who loves food and eating. I love those things. Now I'm loving healthy eating. 

I will continue to write about my life (it's not too exciting haha) and how I am applying and applying to jobs (I think I am at 250 jobs/internships I've applied for right now).  I have decided to start saving money and move to another city. I love Memphis as my home but the opportunities I need are not happening here. So being a nanny and looking for some type of job is what I have to work with. I am saving up my money to move to either Philadelphia, PA or Nashville, TN by this summer. 

Links for food in pictures:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/cauliflower-fritters-25.html

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/08/chicken-rollatini-stuffed-with-zucchini.html#more

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/09/creamed-spinach-lightened-up.html

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/02/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html