Update - January 11, 2018

I honestly have no excuse that I can come with to say why I haven't posted on this blog in nearly a year. There is no excuse that can be given, except that I got lazy with keeping up with it. The past year hasn't been as bad since my father passed away in November 2016. I've honestly had a pretty good 2017. I finally got a part-time job in the middle of September working for a local newspaper and I even got one at the end of November working for an online company. And whats great is that with the hours, I am able to keep up with both jobs.
I tried Etsy for a bit but I have found that I just don't have the drive to keep being creative with it, so I think I'm going to close my Etsy shop and just focus on my two main jobs right now. Well, those two and still being the primary caregiver for my grandfather and mentally handicapped uncle.
And with all that going on, I will fully admit that my weight-loss took a backseat pretty much for the rest of last year since the last post was made on this blog. And I feel so bad that it did.
So since I am becoming financially stable, which means less stress on my mind; I want to try and start updating this blog more regularly now. I want to lose weight and show myself that I can do it. I don't feel like I need to prove anything to anyone else because in all honesty, the older that I have gotten (I'm 30 for those that are wondering) the less I care about what people think of me. Everyone has their own opinion, so let them have it. Don't focus on the negative in life, focus only on the positive.
The blogs are going to start out pretty simple. Tomorrow I'm going to post my weight (not the heaviest I've ever been; but not where I want to be right now), what I've been doing so far this year to try and help myself, and a question that I want to ask to see if anyone can help me figure it out. This year I am going to focus more on myself, since I have less stress on me.
See you guys Friday! 

Update - Jan. 27, 2017

Hello all!

Sorry for no update last week, I had planned on it but I was so disappointed in myself on a few things that I just couldn't find it in my to post an update. But since the beginning of this week, I have noticed that I'm doing a few things different now than I was last week.

For instance, unlike last week I am keeping up with writing down what I have to eat everyday as well as keeping up with my water intake. Still not drinking a full 8 a day but I'm averaging about 4 to 6; which is a vast improvement than my previous attempts. I keep track of my meals and my water intake via my Happy Planner, where I dedicated a space for fitness and health every day.

I also noticed that when I went out earlier this week and I ate out with a friend, that I didn't overeat nor did I order a big order; which was surprising to me because I love eating out. I also noticed that I couldn't finish all of the food I had ordered, despite it being a much smaller portion than what I used to get. I have noticed lately that I cannot eat as much as I used to or else I'll start feeling sick to my stomach. I have had to adjust my portion sizes a bit but that really hasn't been a problem.

I think the reason being that I am starting to eat less is because I have been taking vitamins. I take them once a day and they are a multi-vitamin, biotin for my hair, skin & nails, a vitamin C pill and GNC Women's Metabolism and Energy Vitamin. The last vitamin I think is having the biggest impact on me. I take it 30 minutes after I have eaten breakfast and it helps me control my eating habits throughout the day.

However, I have noticed that during the night I still get cravings. Why, I'm really not sure because I think I eat plenty during the day and for dinner; so I shouldn't be snacking at all hours of the night. I think it has something to do with me being an insomniac and thus I find myself staying up well into the wee-hours of the mornings most days. So perhaps it has something to do with or maybe I just get bored at night when everyone else has gone to sleep. I'm not really sure. I think that if it continues to be an issue where I am noticing more weight-gain than weight-loss, then I will speak to someone about it to see if anything can be done.

Speaking of weight, I was able to weigh myself this past Monday and let's just say the results left me not happy at all. True that I do weigh less than I have at my heaviest, which was 426; but still the fact that I weigh 395.6 at 29 years old is a bit of a shocker. I have struggled with my weight my whole life and I know that I will battle it until my last breathe but I refuse to let it hold me back any longer. I'm turning 30 in September and I want to be able to say that I started defeating my weight problem before I hit it.

Like I said, I have already made a few changes to my life that I can see are working out but this week I have made a few more and so far they seem to be working. One change is that, whenever my grandfather wants coffee or something from the kitchen; instead of getting my uncle to get it for him, he tells me to. Now this isn't much of exercise but considering that I am getting up and walking about every 2 hours or so, it is a vast improvement than just sitting down all day and doing nothing. I have also found ways to occupy my mind instead of waiting until I can eat again. I usually do this by writing in a journal or just walking outside to take the trash out. It's really simple and easy how I can distract myself.

Recently I have opened an Etsy shop where I sell planners and planner accessories. Now I'm expanding my little shop to include homemade journals and necklaces. I quickly noticed that if I keep my hands and mind busy, food is the last thing on my mind.

Another change I made is that I stopped following food media accounts or "food porn" if you will. I unfollowed all of them on my Instagram and Twitter; leaving the ones on Facebook since I only follow the one and I don't visit Facebook but once or twice a day. My reasoning for this was, if I can't see it then I won't want to eat it. And so far, it has worked with easing my cravings sweets and such. Though to be honest I've never really been a sweets' fan as there are only a few candy bars that I enjoy; and I only indulge in them once in a while so that is a plus for me.

Well I think that's it for this update, I plan on doing another next Friday so keep an eye out. And if any advice can be given then I greatly appreciate any that can be given.

Until Next Time!

Realizations & Starting Slow

Hello!

It seems like it's been such a long time since I posted on my journey to not only a healthier me but an overall healthier lifestyle. And in reality, it really has been a long time since I posted anything but I'm hoping to change that. I have come to some realizations about my journey to a thinner and healthier me that I'm going to be sharing in this post as well as some steps that I am taking in order to make changes in my life.

First off, I realize now that I pretty much just jumped right into trying to lose weight and get healthy without doing any preparing or research on my part. This turned out to be a very huge mistake and it has taken me several months to fully understand just how big of a mistake this was. I jumped in headfirst without checking to see what depth the water was. I finally realize that these changes don't come about overnight and I'm not going to lose a severe amount of weight in a month. I think that was the biggest realization and shock to my system. I was expecting to lose an enormous amount of weight just by changing a few things and the reality of that occurring is non-existent. Once I realized that, I noticed the other mistakes that I was making that made no sense.

For instance, one cannot simply go from doing no exercise to try and walking an hour or more daily. It's simply isn't done and the shock to one's system is going to end up doing more harm than good. At least this was the case for me and please note that I am no means a nutritionist or someone to take exercise advice from. I just know what will work for me and my body so I know what I can do and what I cannot.

Dieting was also something that I realized that I was doing wrong. I would pretty much starve myself during the day by finding something to do or to occupy my time; which isn't healthy at all. Then during the night, I would find myself making multiple trips to my kitchen, getting a sandwich here and there. Now this took me a while to realize that I was doing and if I'm honest, I didn't notice anything off until my grandfather mentioned to me how I wasn't eating during the day and gorging myself at night. At first, I didn't believe him so I ignored him. I mean no one wants to admit that they are wrong and I am one stubborn girl, so for to admit that someone else was right when I was wrong. But one night it hit me, like a softball to the face when I was going into the kitchen not twenty minutes after having eaten supper to make myself a sandwich. I must have stood in my kitchen for nearly an hour going over and over in my mind exactly what I had been doing to myself. It was really eye-opening to say the least.

Over the course of last year, I also noticed something about my eating habits that I really hadn't noticed before and it got me curious as to exactly how long this had been going on. I was eating my emotions. Whenever I was sad, lonely, angry or just downright depressed because I'll be honest last year wasn't a great year for me and my family; I found myself turning to food. It was either a sandwich, a honey-bun or something sweet to snack on like a chocolate bar. When I realized this later on last year, I wasn't really surprised and there was little that I wanted to change about it. I was so stressed out by this point that I didn't see the point in changing my eating habits at that second with the situation and everything. For those curious it's not really a secret as I think I have shared it in a previous post but the situation began in March 2016. My father was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with liver failure due to years and years of abusing alcohol. He was fine on his own for a few months but eventual he had to move in with me, my grandfather and my uncle who is special needs. I became the main caregiver for all of them as my stepmother had left him the year before in his refusal to stop drinking. The months progressed until he was admitted back into the hospital in October 2016 and he would never leave. He passed away in November and it really did hit the family hard. If you want to learn more about the situation or if you yourself are a caregiver or know someone who is a caregiver, I'll leave a link to my blog at the end of this post. I started it last year in order for me to help others like myself and to get advice from others who are going through the same situation.

Anyway after I made these realizations, I decided to take a break from this blog and just work out exactly what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. I decided that instead of making huge changes to my life that I was going to start out with small changes. And so far, I have been doing these small changes for about two weeks and I'm already loving at how I feel and I can't wait to make more smaller changes that will lead up to big ones later on this year.

The changes I have made are not huge by any means but I see them as a launching point to what I want to achieve during the rest of this year and the rest of my life. One change that I made was that I cut out all drinks except for water, almond milk and one cup of coffee in the morning. Now I don't drink plain water all the time, I like using water flavoring because let's be honest; drinking plain water all the time gets old quickly. I use the Diet Snapple Lemon Tea flavoring but I don't use it all the time. I only use it when I'm eating lunch or dinner. How I did this was very simple, I stopped buying the sodas that I liked to drink. I do still buy them because my uncle loves them and I don't want to deprive him of his favorite drinks just because I can't control myself around them. Luckily for me, he loves to drink Coco-Cola and Root Beer and those are two drinks that I just cannot stand. In fact, the only sodas that I can drink are Sprite and Vanilla Coke; and not even all the time. So that's good for both of us. And even though I live in the South, I don't like the taste of Sweet Tea like I used to but that's not a bad thing to me because every little bit helps.

Another thing that I have changed is that I make it a mission to eat three meals a day. This is pretty easy since I have to cook three times a day for my grandfather and uncle so I just find myself eating with them. Usually I would cook just enough for them and then go on about my day. But this has been the easiest to do and I love spending time with them, especially my grandpa. Eating three meals a day has helped me scale back on my nightly raiding of the kitchen, though it hasn't completely stopped; but I have faith that it will eventually become nothing but a memory.

Another thing that I have changed is that any chance that I have to walk, I take it. Whether it's finding that parking space at the store that is not close to the door or running errands with friends who don't want to get out at the store but they need something. I don't mind this at all now and it has quickly become second nature to me to just hunt for a far enough parking space that I can get in a bit of a walk to and from the store.

Another tip that I have is that I have now started to eat something to before I go grocery shopping. I have heard that one should never go grocery store shopping hungry but I never looked into it as being a true fact. To my surprise it's true! I have noticed a huge difference in my shopping lately ever since I started eating before I venture out my grocery store. Just thought I'd share that tip with you guys!

Well that's it for this blog. I am going to start posting weekly posts on what I eat during the week. Also I'm curious about Vegan foods so if anyone has any good suggestions for some, can you send them my way? I've tried several Vegan foods over the past few months and I want to find out more about it. Not that I want to go fully Vegan but I wouldn't mind doing a Vegan week if I can find enough of recipes. Thanks!

Until Next Time!

Caregiver Blog:   http://my-experience-as-a-caregiver.blogspot.com/

Final Thoughts on 2016

Hello all!
I decided that I was going to do one last blog post for 2016 and I finally decided that I was going to give my final thoughts on 2016 in general. This is going to include my own personal experiences of 2016 and what I think of 2016 in general. I also am going to include some goals that I want to achieve in 2017.

My personal experiences of 2016 have 3 major events that occurred. Two of them where amazing beyond belief and one almost spiraled me into a depression so let's start with the two happy events first.

First I finally opened up an Etsy shop where I began selling planner supplies. It's still a small Etsy shop but I have got big plans for it in 2017 so I'm really excited to see how much I can make it grow.

And even more amazing event that happened was that I became an aunt! My sister gave birth to a happy bouncing baby boy at the end of June and I am so in love with my little nephew! He's so cute and already has the entire family wrapped around his fingers.

The event that almost spiraled me into a depression took a toll on not only myself but my entire family. My father passed away on Nov. 14 and it hit us all very hard. He had been in ICU for almost an entire month due to liver failure from years of drinking alcohol to excess. For the last 2 months before he was administered into the hospital, he lived with me and I became his main caregiver along with my grandfather and uncle who has down-syndrome. It was hard, I'm not going to lie but it was worth it. Over the years, we've grown apart because he was a man of harsh actions and even harsher words. But in the end, we did make up and bury the hatchet. I was able to tell him that even though I will never forget anything he has said over the years but that I could forgive him. And in fact, I forgave him the moment he said those hurtful things and even forgave him for things he never said out loud; but spoke with this eyes.

Okay that's enough of that because emotions are still raw on that one.

Sadly this year has been horrible when it comes to not only deaths of close family but also of celebrities. I cannot believe that some of my favorite actors, musicians and authors are no long with us. And we seem to be losing more and more every day and I just want 2016 to be over with.

I am so excited for 2017 to come and I can't wait to see what I accomplish in the coming months. I have several goals that I want to achieve and if I'm honest some of the goals aren't just a want but a need. I'll list them below but keep in mind I change my mind like the wind changes direction. But I do want to keep these this year.

My Goals for 2017
1. Lose weight!
2. Expand my Etsy Shop
3. Finish writing at least one book, if not more.
4. Budget better
5. Grow my blogs
6. Spend more time with friends
7. Do things that I say I'm going to do and don't go back on my word.

And that really is all that I have in mind for goals next year. I'm pretty sure that I will add more to my list and that it will grow as the year progresses. But I really do want to achieve all of my goals this year. I just hope that I can cross off a few of these by the end of next year.

Thank you for reading my blog(s). I will list my other blogs below so feel free to check them out!

Until next time!

Reviews & First Impressions Blog
http://reviews-and-impressions.blogspot.com/

My Experience as a Caregiver
http://my-experience-as-a-caregiver.blogspot.com/

Daily Zenscape
http://dailyzenscape.blogspot.com/

Not continuing this blog until 2017

Sadly I haven't kept up with this blog at all and for that I apologize.

I rushed into it and I didn't feel that I could keep up with it. That and there have been developments in my personal life with family members and dealing with their health that I must give them my full attention at this time.

I hope to plan on restarting this blog in 2017 where hopefully my mind will be clearer and I will be in a better state of mind than I was when I first started this blog this year.

Again I apologize for not keeping up with this blog but circumstances.

Week #2 Update! (Jan. 11 - 17, 2016)

Hello again!

I can't believe it's already the end of the second week already! I can't believe it but at the same time I'm not gonna act like I'm not excited, which I am!

There isn't much else to update about how week #2 went for me, only that I found myself looking forward to when I would walk outside! I love that feeling! I can say that I do notice a difference in how I feel after I walk, it's like I can't get my day started until after I have walked on my walking days.

Granted the other days are proving to a bit more of an issue for me to do and I find myself not looking forward to it like I do my walking days, which are Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I think I need to change what I do on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays because I want to feel excited about doing exercise and I need it to be different from just going out and walking, because then I know that I'll get tired of walking which isn't something that I want to do.

For those wondering, yes I do walk outside as the road that I live on basically makes a loop that is a quarter of a mile in length. As of right now, I walk two rounds/loops which means that for 3x a week I am walking half-mile. Now to some this isn't a lot but to me, I can tell a difference in how I feel and my energy level because last year the thought of me walking a half-mile of anything was downright laughable. I am not going to keep walking half-mile throughout this year however; I plan on increasing my walking by half a mile whenever I feel that my body is becoming to use to the distance.

I am also very lucky in the location of which I live. I live in a nice neighborhood where I pretty much know all of my neighbors, which is nice because I want to know that I am safe whenever I go out for my walks. And since I live in the South then I don't have to worry about snow keeping me from my walks; granted it's still gets cold down here but for me the colder it is, the faster I'm going to walk which is better for me.

I'm going to be doing a post later this week on what I bring with me on my walks, what music I listen to and how I stay safe, so be on the lookout for that.

Anyway, I need some other exercise(s) to do on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I've been thinking about doing Blogilates but I honestly wouldn't know where to begin with it. I do follow her channel on YouTube and I have heard some great things about it but I have never tried it out for myself. So if anyone has tried it and they think I should give it a shot, let me know! Or if anyone has a different exercise that they think I should try, then please feel free to leave a comment below!

Well that's really about it for this week! As always I will insert a picture of what my Fitness Planner looks like for this week...on another note I need to get some fitness stickers so if anyone knows of a good Etsy shop then please let me know! Thanks!

Until Next Time!

Week #2: Jan. 11 - 17!

Week #1 Update! (Jan. 4 - 10, 2016)

I took this pic while walking this week.

Hello Everyone!

So in short, Week #1 was very successful in my own personal opinion. Granted there is always room for improvement, which is the case in some things that I didn't achieve in week one but I must say that I am proud of myself. I have also included a picture to the left which I took while I was out walking this past week and I just had to share it. Despite it being so cold, it was really a beautiful day to be out walking!

I managed to walk three days last week, granted I didn't walk a mile each day but I did get in half-a-mile for three days last week. That was on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday, I did 30 minute meditation and some stretches. Now I'm gonna be honest and say that I didn't really do any form of exercising this weekend and I am disappointed in myself so I've come up with a different exercise plan than what I had last week and I plan on keeping it. Which I have since I have already been up and walked my half-a-mile this morning.

The reason for the change from a mile to half-a-mile is because I talked to a close friend of mine, who works in a gym and she told me that I need to work my body up to walking a mile or more. Because since I'm not used to exercising then my body could overwork itself which isn't too good. Now I know that everyone has opinions on exactly how much exercise one should get but I want to take her advice because I really do trust her as a friend and as someone who cares about me getting healthier. So as of right now I am walking half-a-mile three days a week and the moment I feel that body is becoming used to that distance then I will be increasing the distance by a quarter-of-a-mile and so on and so forth.

Anyway, the diet thing is going okay but there is much room for improvement. I am currently looking for a protein shake that will ease cravings and one that I can replace a meal with. I am going to be trying Vega Pro in about a week so I'm excited about that. I will be posting a review of it on another blog that I have and I will put then link on my weekly update for this blog so that others can read it!

As I stated in my previous blog post, I will be posting a picture of my workout planner that I used during the week to keep up with my exercise, meals and water intake at the end of this blog so keep a lookout for that!

Other changes I'm going to be making will be to my exercise plan, which will now consist of workouts on Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays. I will be taking Sundays off on a side-note.
New Exercise Plan: 
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays: Walk half-a-mile
Tuesdays,  Thursdays and Saturdays: Meditate for 30 Minutes, 10 Jumping Jacks, 10 Sit-ups, 10 Bicep Curls, and 10 Triceps Curls.

Now I will be increasing the distance and amount of exercise I do when I feel that my body is becoming used to it. The walking will be increased by a-quarter-of-a-mile and the other exercises by 10. I won't be increasing the meditation amount because I think 30 minutes is perfect for me, though I might increase it to more than three days a week but right now I feel comfortable with how it is.

Well I think that about does it for this update this week, and once again if anyone has any advice that they think I can use then please feel free to leave a comment below.

Until Next Week!

Shot of my Fitness Planner. Sorry if it cannot be read & sorry for my handwriting.