Don't You Worry, Don't You Worry Child

Well I lost two pounds! Yay! Praise the Lord! Finally! I was about to start thinking I was never going to lose weight again. LOL I know that is totally dramatic but after a lot of soul searching and figuring out what I need to do to get back on track.

I think I did a lot better because I made sure to check my portions and not guesstimate on what I think was correct portions. I kind of changed my eating habits such as a low-carb dinner and cereal for breakfast. Just little things you know. But with working super long hours this past week (and this week) I am glad I can still manage eating healthy.

I've also decided to change up my usual workout routine. I heard from many people that if you continue to do the same routine that it won't be effective. I mean I go to the gym and it's like a chicken with its head cut off. I am absolutely clueless. Haha. I get on the treadmill and elliptical one day and then some weight lifting the next day.

So I am going to run, zumba, pilates, and weight training. I loved Zumba class so I look forward to doing that at my apartment on Thursdays. (They offer a fun class in the clubhouse! How fun!)

Other than dieting and such, life is going pretty well for me. Two of my good friends, Amber and Lana came into town for the weekend and it was full of fun and shopping! I really enjoyed the shopping part! Then sunday I saw Willie & Korie Robertson from Duck Dynasty! That was so so cool! I love that show so much because it really does remind me of my family in a way (we aren't really rednecks lol).

My mom called me today to let me know she will be passing through Nashville in two weeks and I am too excited. Anytime I can see my mom and stepdad is a good time to me. I love them so much. I just truly love my family. I am blessed with an amazing one. Everyone is so supportive of me and everything I am doing and it makes me so happy.

I just want to let anyone who is struggling with a diet. DO NOT give up! Once you start losing a lot it becomes harder to lose weight. I will say the middle of a diet is harder than the beginning. So if you can make it through this middle stretch like I am experiencing then you can do anything!

Willie & Korie! They said hello to me!

Haha Lana and I giving a peace to the camera!

Give Thanks!

Hello everyone!

Yes it has been 20 days since I last posted. I am truly sorry! Preparing for Thanksgiving and so many other things have been going on in my life. Since I vowed to be honest in this blog I will continue to do so....

I was truly down in the dumps for a little over a week. I mean this diet or any diet is a struggle from day one but this was the biggest struggle of mine to date. I just do not understand how can I plateau  at 50 pounds? I felt like I was on such a roll and then it stopped. I tried different things to eat and such and no change. I mean what gives? I just would cry stepping on the scale and not see anything. I was ready to quit and give up. I wanted to delete my blog and everything. I did not see how I could be a good example for people if I am not producing an outcome.

I took plenty of time to reflect on what I wanted and what was keeping me from reaching my goals. I realized my attitude/mood have not been the best. I felt stressed and sad a lot. I have been living in Nashville for about 6 months now and not having my core group of friends or a group of friends at all is super hard. My FB friends can vouch that I complain about my friend situation all the time. I mean I do not have anyone I can call up. I think I thought friends would come to me and I'm learning that is not the case at all. I've decided instead of moping around about it I need to take action. I've joined the alumnae chapter of my sorority and I am too excited to start getting involved. I know being surrounded by my sisters will be a wonderful thing. I can always count on my sorority sisters.

I also realized that getting use to being on a diet we get comfortable. I was not counting my portions like I should. I assumed. But as I've learned in life...never assume anything.

I could go on and on about things I have done wrong but that is not why we are here. We are here to be positive.

After thanksgiving, I was reminded of how truly wonderful my life is. I am so thankful for a wonderful family who loves me unconditionally every day. They are my biggest supporters. I discussed with my mom my struggles with my diet and she put a lot into perspective for me. I don't think I could love anyone more than my mommy. Seriously she's my best friend and I'm not ashamed of it. She helped me realize that this is only the beginning of my diet and I will continue to have success. I cannot be perfect all the time, which I try to be sometimes. She brought me back down to earth and saved me from insanity. I was about to delete all of this and then after talking with my mom I just need to get back up.

I feel like I post the same thing over and over again. I apologize. I am trying guys. Really trying.

Catch Up Time!

Hello everyone! Yes I realize I have not posted in a very long time! I apologize! My life has been really crazy lately. I will fill you in!

So my mom had surgery two weeks ago. Standard procedures really. Her 45 min surgery turned into 4 hours. She spent the night in the hospital and went home the next day. I actually went home that weekend to help her out but unfortunately she took a turn for the worse and started getting sick. My stepdad took her to the ER and I followed. She had infections from her surgery and she needed to have yet another surgery to repair everything. It was an awful few days. I cannot think of a worse feeling like sending my mom off to surgery and seeing her in ICU. Literally there are no words... makes me emotional just to think about it. Now my mommy is back at home and starting to feel better. Its very hard to see the strongest person I know sick and weak. But she is getting back to her princess status! Yes my mom is a princess!

But moving on to another subject. While I was back and forth from Memphis to Nashville and not sleeping much and being busy I did not have time to cook meals or anything. I did not eat too well last week... I am not happy with it. I ate fast food and let me tell you I literally do NOT like it anymore. I use to love eating fast food but now it is gross to me. I talked with my mom about how I wasn't doing well on my diet. She was telling me if this is something I want I can't let myself relapse into the old ways. I completely agree with her and I realized that I do not think I could ever eat like I use to. I mean I'd rather just starve then eat greasy fast food. Haha! I guess last week was kind of like a test. I know that I need to continue to move forward with my diet and work harder.

Speaking of hard...my diet has been a real struggle lately. I work out and eat right but wouldn't lose weight. It can get really frustrating, I felt as if my hardwork was not paying off. It's like I hit 55 pounds and well i'm done. But I won't let this plateau keep me from reaching my goals, which I definitely let it get to me and maybe that is why I wasn't doing well on my diet last week. I talked to a few people and they say sometimes when you start losing weight after awhile you have to start working a little bit harder than you started because your body is use to the same routine. Now I do not know if this is true...I am not a doctor or nutritionist! Haha!

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy week!

A little bit goes along way

I am down 54 pounds! I am just tickled to death! I cannot believe it! I am so glad that after a couple of setbacks the past few weeks I am here and losing! Sometimes I think how can I workout and eat healthy but not lose? Sometimes this happens but I just make sure to track and eat right! Look at these two pictures...one is before and the other is now....I'm sure you can figure that one out on your own! LOL!

I thought I would throw another post out this week. I've been doing super well so far! I've worked out and stocked the fridge with goodies (all healthy of course!).

I get a periodical emails from weight watchers and contain some wonderful articles. I feel like there is someone sitting at their corporate office and knows what I am feeling because the articles say what I'm feeling. I read one called "Maintaining Your Fitness Momentum"

Let's be real....working out can be a pain. We do not enjoy it at the time but do feel better about ourselves afterwards. I know there are days after work I just want to come home but I have my gym clothes packed in my car and stop at the gym before heading into my apartment.

The first thing that was pointed out was one of the first setbacks a person can come across is lack of confidence. We try to do too much too fast. I can contest to that. I think I should be able to run a marathon but for someone with a very small background of exercise I know that being at an advance level right away is about as likely as me becoming a victoria secret model. Not going to happen.

You have to slow your way into working out. If you want to be a runner then start with the couch to 5k program. I am a huge supporter of this! It really helps! I also suggest the Nike Training Club app! It's awesome for so many different work outs at different levels! The article said that you have to change up your workout routine sometimes to stay on the ball. Changing your workout can be fun and beneficial!

So we can all do this together! Set some goals and get going! Don't start with a hardcore 7-day workout but maybe a couple of days a week just to get the ball rolling! Once you get the ball running anything is possible!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Make sure to stay on track I know the weekend is hard!

Mother/Daughter Taco Cabbage Soup

Hello everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the nice fall weather coming in. I am now that my allergies are calming down and getting adjusted to the weather. The fall is my favorite time of the year. I really get in the mood for soups and let me tell you my mom has a stack full of delicious soup recipes. I mean the best are usually ones she throws together and I always forget sometimes to write down what she makes but there is one in particular I've always liked and it is probably the easiest to make.

My roommate and I were talking about making chili and I couldn't find a recipe online that I just had to make/looked good. So I remembered that my mom emailed me about two years ago her taco cabbage soup recipe and I have had it saved in my inbox. I thought what a perfect timing to bring it out!

I changed it up a bit but it turned out just as yummy as I remember. I could give my mom a run for her money. Hehe. (love you mom!)

So here it is I shall call this Mother/Daughter Taco Cabbage Soup! I feel like this is super appropriate and a great way to honor my mom. Look we share a recipe now!


Mother/Daughter Taco Cabbage Soup
Serving Size: 6
WW+ Points: 5 
Calories: 229, Fat: 4.9g, Carbs: 10.5g, Fiber: 3.3g, Protein: 36.5g

Ingredients:
1lb Lean Ground Beef
1 Head of Cabbage-Chopped
1 Onion- Chopped
2 Packets of Low-Sodium Taco Seasoning
3 Cans of Fat Free, Low Sodium Beef Broth
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Can Rotel Tomatoes
1 Can Dark Kidney Beans 

Directions:
1. Cook ground beef and make sure to drain well to get all the grease out!
2. Cut up Cabbage and chop onion
3. Mix everything together in a large pot on the stove and cook on Medium-High for 35-45 minutes

Browning the meat! Takes maybe 5 minutes.

Literally just put everything in a pot! Super easy to make!

Turns out like this and is super yummy!!!!

I recommend putting a little shredded cheese on top to give it a little something extra! But I mean this is easy that anyone can make this! If you are a busy person just prepare it all and let it cook on the stove while you have other things to do! 

Let's Get Motivated!

Hello everyone! So after slumming around for a week...or two...I dropped 2.6 pounds! Yay! I was a little surprised but I guess after being sick I rested myself up to a healthy start!

So I said in my last post that there were no more excuses for my poor dieting. I think I was having a hard time transitioning from being at home when I wasn't working and could focus all my time on dieting to living in a new city and working full time. I think I have found a nice balance but every day is a learning experience.

I loaded my fridge with veggies and fruits! I am trying to be better about eating fruit. I love veggies and could eat them all the time but I have a harder time with fruit. I even got my first workout of the week under my belt! Yay! Hopefully I can stay on track and work out at least 4 times this week!

I had a conversation with my roommate over the week about the struggles of dieting and how can we keep ourselves motivated to keep on. Dieting is not easy. It is so much easier to give it all up at the drop of a fry. (ha get it? Not hat but fry) I thought about it during my lunch break today. How can I keep myself motivated and motivate others? I came up with a few ideas.....

Put post its in random places with little motivational sayings. I then thought I am going to post a picture of myself pre-diet and put it on my fridge....I can't think of anything more motivating than that. LOL! I thought about making a check list of things I need to accomplish each day like working out or tracking my food. The possibilities are truly endless!

I decided to go through pinterest (my number source for everything) and find some motivational sayings. I really liked the photo (see above) "I may not be there yet, but I'm closer than I was yesterday" wow that's some powerful stuff and so true. I see this so helpful right now because I may not be running a marathon today but you know what getting out there and trying your best to exercise gets you closer to a marathon than someone sitting on the couch. 

This is so true! I really glad I found this one. I really am proud of myself when I stay on track with my diet and lose weight. If anyone has a bad day here and there with your diet or whatever it may be remember you always have tomorrow to change that! I know I keep saying losing weight, losing weight but it is so much more than that. I started this journey because I did not like the person I saw in the mirror or in pictures. I would avoid them at all cost. I was not happy in my own skin and I knew what I needed to do. So every day I start feeling better about myself....is a day I am proud of myself!

This quote goes out to anyone who reads my blog (friends, family or strangers) you ARE all these things! Everyone has the ability to do great things in this world. I know so. If you are ever doubting yourself for one second then print this picture off for future reference and put "From Kelly" on the paper. If I could tell each and every one of you every day that you are amazing I would! When I discuss with friends about different struggles in our lives I am reminded of the great things we are destined for. I mean I read this and thought I am all those things. 

Never sell yourself short. Aim high and dream big always!

Until next time,

Kelly

My First 5K!

Hello readers! Hope you are doing well! I have been a little busy since I seem to be going out of town every weekend.

I have some wonderful news! I ran/walked my first 5k! I was not completely prepared but there was no way I could pass up this 5k! It was called "Teal for a Cure" and raised money for the Ovarian Cancer Awareness Foundation. Everyone knows that anything I can do to fight Ovarian Cancer I will. It is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Luckily I am able to say my mom survived but I know others are not as lucky. I cannot imagine a day without her.

My friends put together a little team in honor of my mom and named ourselves "The Princess Debs" (my mom thinks she's a princess so that is the meaning behind her name). It was great to have such supportive friends! We had so much fun even if it was 8am on a Saturday morning! My friend Sam even came in second place in his division. So proud!

Doing the 5k was a lot harder than I thought. I know now what to expect. I am definitely going to train harder now and work my way up! I know I can do it! I just have to get my butt to the gym!

The releasing of doves at the end of the race in memory of those who fought ovarian cancer. A very touching moment.

The Princess Debs Team (l-r Me, Sam, Amber and Kyle)

Sam getting his prize for winning 2nd place!

Loved seeing my wonderful mommy at the finish line.

Well I hate the fact I am getting sick right now.I always get sick when the weather changes. It could not come at a worse time. I have hit yet another slump. I cannot do this anymore. I am tired of it. I get so frustrated at myself for many reasons. I know people read my blog and I want to be someone who succeeds for you all. I get discourage when I don't and I apologize to those who have followed my journey for a while now. I know it is not easy to stay on track and how can I tell you all to if I am not doing the same? It makes me feel like a fraud. But so many of y'all are much stronger than me. 

Right here, right now. I pledge to blog more, exercise more, eat better. This blog is my way of kicking myself into the right lane when I start falling behind. I hope not to lose any readers! I am trying my hardest. 

After I get over this illness (hopefully after the weekend I will be a-okay!) I am devoting my time that is not spent at work to this blog and my healthy life. No more out to eat if I don't have to, exercising instead of sitting watching TV.