Paleo?!

Growing up, my brother had the opposite problem that I did.  He was a skinny string bean, could eat whatever he wanted, and never gained a pound.  After college, he started working out all the time, got a personal trainer, and really looks great.  I can tell he's happier and is more confident with himself.
I, on the other hand, could eat whatever he ate, and still be ridiculously over weight.  A few weeks ago, I went up to visit him to participate in a craft show.  There, I met his trainer, who has been helping him bulk up.  A couple of days ago, Adam, his trainer, offered to do nutritional counseling with me.  Why not?  I've tried just about everything else, so I thought I'd give this a shot.  So I signed up, paid him, and the next thing I know, I've got an e-mail about the Paleo Diet waiting for me.  Basically, no more grains, dairy, or gluten.  This is going to be interesting, giving up all that stuff.  I have been searching for recipes, stocked up on fruits & veggies, and I feel like I have been doing very well so far!  I had a "cheat" day yesterday as it was my friend's bachelorette party, and we at at our favorite Cajun restaurant.  And honestly, who can pass up hush puppies?!  I made an Enchilada Bake for dinner tonight, and it was pretty tasty, so there's lunch for the next few days!

My friend Melanie asked the bartender to make us some strong shots.. boy, were they ever strong!

As mentioned earlier, it was one of my best friend's bachelorette parties this weekend! I was absolutely in love with my dress, and had so much fun with all of the girls!  We had a group of about 25 ladies, all in little black dresses!

The Wedding Party!  Me, Sally, Janelli (the bride, of course!  I got her sash from Etsy, it says, "I'm Getting Married, Bitches!"), Elizabeth, and Kelly! :)

Ah.. Saturdays!

A good day for laundry!  I really miss having a washer and dryer in our apartment, but then I felt like I was constantly washing a load here or there.  Now (and I really only have to go downstairs), I get 5 or 6 loads done at once, and I'm done!  It does suck having to pay for it though ;)  Remembering to get quarters is the worst!

This week I am joining Smartest Loser at work!  We made a team of four... the Badonkadonk Busters!  We go in and weigh-in next week, self report our weight for 10 weeks and then we will go in and weigh in again for the last week.  My goals for this are to skip the fast food, and start packing my lunch everyday.  I have been sooo bad at this lately, and then by the time I am done with work I am so hungry that I eat way more than I should be eating.  Another goal will be to drink more water.  I am not very good at this, and by the end of the day I realize that I've barely drank 32 oz. throughout the day.  My nutritionist told me that I should be drinking half of my body weight in ounces everyday.  That's 150 ounces.. holy cow!  I think I need to start trying to cut into that!

I have been crocheting like crazy too!  I have 3 friends getting married this summer, and 2 friends having babies!  That's 5 afghans that I need to be working on!  My mom and I discovered this chenille yarn, and it is sooo soft!  I love it!

This is the blanket I'm working on for baby B!  Their kids have been in my daycare
forever, and I am looking forward to another one to snuggle with!

It's been awhile..

...hasn't it?  School got pretty stressful this semester, taking 13 credits, working full-time and then deciding to pick up my part-time again for the holidays... well, that was not the best decision I have ever made.  Buuuuut.. I ended up with a B and 3 A-'s!  I'm pretty impressed with that!  My last semester kicks off on Tuesday and I am looking forward to it!  started on Tuesday and so far, so good!  Of course, its only day two, I've only had to do all those introduction posts.  I am taking my courses all online, and hoping and praying that I will get into UW- Eau Claire's Online Speech Pathology graduate program so I can continue to work full-time and get reimbursed from the hospital.  After this semester, all that's left then is the GRE and applying to grad schools!  So here we go, will my life be falling together?

I had a doctor's appointment today and will be going to an appointment at the comprehensive weight loss clinic here at Gundersen.  The first appointment is a free consultation, and someone will help me choose what is the best weight loss plan for me.  I'm not really sure what my options are as of now, so we will see what this meeting holds :)  They are also doing a biggest loser type thing for the whole hospital.. only it's called the Smartest Loser, focusing not only on weight loss but healthy habits too.  Plus, they're giving away prizes just for participating! ;)  I am trying to get a team of girls together from work, so that should be fun too!

I have also been crocheting like crazy!  I did my first craft show and it was a complete flop... lol.  It was held at a bar, so we did have a few customers who were interested in the crafts... but there were more patrons who were there to watch the Badger game.  I am hoping maybe next season to get into a bigger craft show before Christmas, see if I can actually sell some of this stuff that I have lying around.

So, welcome back!  If any of you are still reading this, that is.  I am looking forward to getting caught up with your blogs and lives too!

Blah.

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Phew!

So last week wasn't the best for exercising.  It was just so.... hot.  And humid.  Yuck.  I do not like this weather, bring on the snow!  Even though our air conditioner is working, it just seemed to be sticky in our apartment.. and I guess I just used that as an excuse.  I didn't eat the best either.. so I ended up maintaining this week.. which is disappointing, but it's better than a gain, especially with how "bad" I was!  Saturday I went wedding dress shopping again with my friend Janelli, and we started bowling league, too.  So there were quite a few poor food decisions made.

But, I'm starting the week out right today!  I just finished my "wog".. 1.5 miles in 30 minutes!  I almost hate to admit it, but I feel pretty good after I get off the treadmill!  I can almost see why people enjoy running.  Although I wouldn't consider what I do running.. I am still very much jogging.  I am excited for it to cool down, I am thinking I'm ready to get outside and do this.. change it up a little bit.  Plus, I always wonder how my downstairs neighbors feel when I'm thundering above them.. lol.  I haven't had a complaint yet!  This week my goal is to drink more water.  I would like to start filling my water bottle in the morning, and drinking it all before lunch, and then filling it up again and drinking it all in the afternoon.  We all know water is good for us!  Plus, my dermatologist said staying hydrated will help clear my skin.  And this 26 year old will do anything to get rid of this acne!  I feel like I'm a hormonal teenager with all these spots on my face!

My trusty Bucky Badger Nalgene!  I love it.. I always chock it
full of ice.. I like my water COLD!

 I also bought some grapes and bananas this week to try to incorporate more fruit into my diet.  If I get something I like, I'll eat it!

Workout- Week 1

My new goal was to walk on my treadmill 3 times this week.  I would walk for awhile, the jog for a bit, then walk again when I couldn't jog anymore.  It went pretty well!


Day 1:

30 minutes of walking.. 1.25 miles!  I accidentally cleared
the screen before I got a final picture!

Day 2:

30 minutes.. 1.33 miles!  I must have jogged a little bit more
this time!  I found that my workout went faster when I counted up
to 30 minutes instead of down!

Day 3: I ended up not walking on my treadmill because I took my Todds out for a walk at work.  3 of them in a buggy (They're all about 18-20 months) was a workout in and of itself!  I definitely worked up a sweat (although that could be because it was dang muggy outside).

My goal again next week is 3 days of working out.. I'm hoping to throw in my Extreme Makeover Weight-Loss Edition DVD to change things up.  I LOVE this workout!

Celebration!

There's nothing like a week's vacation to get you rejuvenated and ready for another week of work!  It's nice to hear how much your co-workers miss you too! ;)
My hunny also turned the big 3-0 this week!  We were originally going to go to Milwaukee for a Brewers game and a weekend away, but we decided to save money instead.
Friday night we went to downtown La Crosse to celebrate... and I think we realized how old we both are when it comes to partying all night!

The infamous fishbowl!  You need help for those!

I got a haircut too!  It's so crazy how short it is, my hair grows
sooo fast, I probably got about 3 inches cut off too.  I also went
darker with a little bit of red and I LOOOOVE it!  I was channeling
my inner Ally Sheedy in this picture ;)  I loove headbands!

Yesterday, I had both mine and Cory's families over for a little party for him!  It ended up being my parents and sister, along with his stepdad and mom, his little brother & friend, his sister and her fiance, and his grandpa and his girlfriend!  It really made me realize how little our apartment is and was very cozy with all those people in it!  Every body had a great time though, and it was a lot of fun hosting!  I made hot dogs, brats, and burgers, and pickle dip!  Oh my gosh, it's so good.  I just chopped up some pickles, mixed it in with some cream cheese, and a little pickle juice to taste!  Cory says he could eat it with a spoon!

I am three pounds down this week!  Woo hoo!  My goal is to lose 50 lbs. by Feburary, which is 2 lbs/week. I think that is very doable, I just need to get off my butt and stick to my points!