A new year, a fresh start

Picture via mth2011

As 2010 comes to an end, I think a lot of us take the time to reflect on the past 12 months. If you set resolutions at the beginning of the year, you tend to look back to see if you were successful or not. Looking back at mine, I did ok. I could've done better but I will concentrate on the positive steps I took towards becoming a better me. For 2011, some of my goals are similar to the ones set in previous years. At the risk of sounding selfish, 2011 will be all about me. I will work on making myself happy in all facets of my life. How will I do that?

I left work feeling extremely frustrated. I came home and did 45 minutes of cardio (yay!) and thought about why I was feeling that way. I messed up at work and I got called on it by my boss. I take pride in how people see me as an employee and it upset me that I wasn't living up to my potential. But I realized that the reason it happened is because I have gotten to the point where I don't try anymore. I am unhappy at my job and truth be told, I don't make an effort. I had my friend Leslie look at me resume and she gave me some great feedback. However, I've done a half ass job at searching for something new. That needs to stop now. 2011 will be the year where I find a new job that I am passionate about and challenges me like no other job has before.

For the past 3 months, I've been doing pretty damn good with my health and fitness. A 27 pound loss is great however it could have been better if I had started doing something about it before. But, I can only move forward for now. I've had success with Weight Watchers and will continue with the program. Also working out is no longer going to be an option but something I must do on a regular basis. It's about being healthy and taking care of me. This isn't going to be a diet anymore but a way of living. I aspire to be someone who is in good health and makes good choices. I've set up of couple of weight loss goals for myself (which I will post later on this week) which will motivate me to become a better me inside and out.

I need to be more aware of my needs versus my wants. I don't need more _______. There are a lot of things that can go in that blank and I need to be more aware of how I am spending my money. I realized that in the past 2 months I went to Starbucks almost daily. Seriously?!?!? I don't need to be doing that. I don't need to buy another blue eye shadow even if it's slightly a different shade then the 10 that I already have. I don't need to get a magazine subscription (even if it's only $5 from Amazon) when I don't even read the magazines and they are collecting dust. I don't need to get the latest gadget because it's new and pretty. I need to be more mindful of my spending habits and I am going to try to get things that improve my quality of life. Going to Starbucks every day? Not necessary. Getting new clothes because the ones I currently own are getting loose? Heck yeah! Getting the new Chanel polish because it's so pretty and it's limited edition? Maybe. But only if I lose ___ pounds. I am am very fortunate that I have been able to fulfill most of my wants throughout my life. But I can't continue to live that way.

I hope 2010 has been a great year for you and I am hoping that 2011 is even better. Happy New Year!

Like a kid in a candy store

Ahh Sephora how I love thee! I get excited whenever I see that shiny black bag and know that there are some great goodies waiting for me. Part of this haul was a Christmas gift from my mom and the other part was purchased with my VIB gift card.

Clairsonic Mia - I've been concentrating on skincare recently and been hearing raves about it for months. I typically use the Kirkland wipes to remove my make-up and then wash my face with the MAC Foaming Cleanser but I wanted to try something else. I'll let you know how it works.

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum - I've been a fan of Moroccanoil but find it hard to find near me. When one of my friends mentioned it, I decided to try it out. I've been using S Factor Dream Drops which make my hair feel so greasy even when I use the tiniest amount of product. I wish I could take it back since it was expensive but I can't.

Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava - I've become a fan of this brand ever since I tried their mango grapefruit line. I also have indian coconut and tuscan blood orange. I prefer their scents over those of Victoria's Secret or Bath & Body Works. I find that their body butters are moisturizing and not too greasy.

Sephora by OPI in Midnight Mambo - you can see a swatch of it here and that's really all I needed to see to purchase it. Love me some glitter!

I also got samples of Juicy Couture's Peace, Love & Juicy, Flower By Kenzo and Aquolina's Pink Sugar and my 100 point sample of Philosophy's Microdelivery Purifying Peel. I have close to 900 beauty points but the 500 point Bare Essentuals gift did not entice me at all.



Did you get any new beauty goodies?

Monday Weigh In - Week 14

I think Santa knew that I was a naughty girl. He left me 3.4 pounds of coal in my stocking. So bummed but I did it to myself. I let this week of holiday get togethers get the better of me. I got cocky and didn't track and just kept taking "one more bite" or having "one more drink". That kind of behavior stops now. I am going back to tracking every single thing I eat and drink and stick to my points. I will not see a gain next Monday.



The week wasn't a total loss. I did work out every day this week and I feel good about it. I am five workouts away from completing 2 full weeks of working out every day. Even on Christmas Eve & Day when I came back home late I worked out. Christmas Day wasn't my best workout day but I still did it. And today I took my frustration and turned it into a positive. According to Nike Plus, I recorded my fastest mile while doing the 2 Mile Brisk Walk.

My goals for the rest of the week are to track, track, track and continue to work out. And the song that's been motivating me all week has been Metallica's Master of Puppets. I think Dionela would approve of this tune.

Want to join my pity party?

I think that loneliness is one of the worst feelings to have.  And that's how I've been feeling for the past couple of days.  I usually enjoy this time a year and look forward to it because I am with my family In Mexico.  But since I don't have any time off, I am unable to go this year.   My mom left last night and I know she was very excited to go spend time with our family.  I know that you can also feel lonely in a room full of people but when I am with my family in Mexico, it feels like it's a place where I belong.  I would have wanted to spend it surrounded by the warmth that family brings to you. I will be having Christmas Eve dinner with my sister.  And yes, she is family but she and I aren't as close as most people would like to think.  In fact, other members of my family who live in different parts of the world probably know me better than she does.   That is just the way it is & it's something I have come to terms with.  I love my sister and would do anything for her but we've never really been close and it becomes more apparent the older we get.  Perhaps its melancholy rearing its unwanted head that is making me feels this way. 

I am also reminded of the last Christmas I spent feeling this way which was back in 2000.  Now that was truly a depressing end of the year.  My dad was getting ready to move out and both my mom and sister left to spend the holidays in Mexico.  My dad decided that we would do Christmas Eve dinner on the 23^rd to avoid the crowds at the restaurants.  That was a fun dinner. He spent most of it telling me how much responsibility I would now have since he wasn't going to be there & started telling me how he didn't agree with some aspects of my life.  Oh fun times!  He didn't want to do anything Christmas Eve so when I was leaving the house to go spend time with my friend's family, he saw that I was carrying a bottle of wine with me, proceeded to call me an alcoholic & a fight ensued.  Mind you, this was a gift for my friend since she didn't want me to bring anything else over. And more importantly, I am not now nor was I ever an alcoholic.  I've never been the type of person who depends on alcohol or can't go a day without it.  But he didn't see it that way and him calling me that was the last Christmas gift he ever gave me.  Ah memories…they can be an unreliable bitch or a best friend.

It's a groove thang

Here's what I have been listening to while working out. I am in need of some music suggestions before I get bored with the current ones.

Monday Weigh In - Week 13

I lost .4 pounds this week and I am so happy with it. My goal for this week was to maintain my weight. After 4 different holiday dinners, it's really hard to be good all the time. It isn't an excuse but I wanted to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends and I did watch what I ate. As far as working out, I completely sucked for the week. I did workout last night as part of my 2 week challenge.

I am still not sure how I feel about PointsPlus. I am still eating the same things I used to before so I haven't seen much of a difference foodwise. I don't like fact that I am heavily relying on the WW iphone app for all my meals. I guess it will take some getting used to.

And my workout song of this week is Steve Aoki's I'm In the House

Cabin fever made me do it

San Francisco has been experiencing some heavy rain since Thursday night so I've been hibernating at home since leaving work on Friday night. While it's been nice to relax and enjoy the rainy weather from the comforts of home, it also gave me an opportunity to think about a lot of things in my life and what I want to do to change my life for the better in 2011. I'll be honest and say that I did not workout at all this week. I had the time so that wasn't a factor but in reading some past entries, I've realized that the weeks I do really good with food and exercise is when I have a short term goal set up. Last week I busted my booty to do well to reach the 30 pound mark. This week not so much.

My Nike+ Mini

For me, this weight loss journey is a long one and while I've had several non-scale victories, I need to work on some short term goals that will give me the constant motivation I need to continue on this journey. I think that's why I like the fact that I weigh in weekly. It's what I need to keep doing well. I decided that starting today through January 2, 2011 which will make it two full weeks, I will workout every day. I will be using my Nike+ app to track this goal and when I reach that goal, I will be rewarding myself with some new workout gear. I already have my awesome PUMA sneakers and now I need some awesome clothes. I know that I can go out and buy them without needing to set this type of goal but for me this sort of reward system works well. I have also been thinking of long term weight loss goals that I want to set up. I really want to to go IMATS (International Make-Up Artist Trade Show) in LA in June 2011 so that may be one of my rewards. I am thinking that if I can lose 75 pounds by the end of May 2011 then I will purchase my ticket and splurge at the show. I'll be like a kid at a candy store. I've been losing about 10 pounds a month so 45 pounds in five and a half months seems like it would be doable. Right?

My next weight loss target is to reach 10% body weight loss. Once I reach this goal, I will be getting my WW keychain. Is it sad that I am excited to get that keychain?

"Choosing a goal and sticking to it changes everything." -Scott Reed

Monday Weigh In - Week 12

With this week's 1.6 pound loss, I have now been on WW for three months and I've lost 30 pounds. If someone had told me 12 weeks ago that I would have reached this loss, I would not have believed them. I still can't believe it. This is the first time that I've actually stayed on a diet for so long. It could be that this time around doing WW doesn't feel like a diet. It's more like adjusting to a new way of dealing with food. I have been able to eat the same things that I usually would I just have portion control which is something that I lacked before starting WW. I am also making healthier choices.

This week I worked out three times doing the Walk Away the Pounds - 2 Mile Brisk Walk DVD. Part of the program uses a stretchie band and I received it this week. Oh man, my arms were killing me after using. I think that stretchie band is trying to kill me. :) I think I'll continue to work out to this DVD til the end of December and then I will be ordering the 3 mile DVD which will bump my work outs from 30 to 45 minutes.

Goals for the week-

• Drink more water. I have seriously been lacking on this one. I was drinking close to 60 ounces a day and with the cold weather I just have stopped.
• Work out 3 times this week at least. If I can get in a 4th work out that will be awesome. I have 4 holiday get togethers this week and food temptation will be high. So if I can offset that with an extra work out then I feel so bad if I have an extra drink or two.
• Resist temptation. With all the different holiday events I am going to this week, my goal will be to not gain any weight. I know I should be concentrating on losing but this week is going to throw me off of my routine. While I always want a loss, I will be happy with not gaining any weight after this week.

P.S. I've been obsessed with this song. It's part of my workout mix.

Monday Weigh In - Week 11

First week on the new WW PointsPlus plan and I am down 4.4 pounds. Whoo hoo! I am actually considering it a 1.2 pound loss since I did lose what I gained during the past two weeks. I am still really happy with this loss. Last week I also worked out 3 times and really felt good afterwards.

I ate about the same things I would in the old WW plan so I didn't really notice a difference. Well, I guess the only difference is that I ate a lot more fruits this week since I could. Whenever I felt hungry or wanted a snack, I munched on fruit. I am addicted to honey crisp apples.

My goal for this week will be to continue following the WW plan and to work out 3 times this week. I already worked out tonight so I got two more to go. I may even try to go for 4 times this week. Whut whut! :)

This weekend we are celebrating my sister's birthday so I am going to try to be extra good during the week so I can enjoy that meal without counting how many points it will be. I usually let myself splurge one meal a week so that I don't feel deprived. I really want to reach my next goal (30 pound loss) by my next weigh in. I am 1.6 pounds away from that goal. I can do it, right?

Oh and remember when I went to Mexico two weeks ago? Here is a picture of my rad costume. I think I like being a blonde.

Change is the essence of life

After my less than stellar weigh in this week, I decided to stay for the meeting to hear about the new changes in Weight Watchers. Before this week, the POINTS values were calculated by checking calories, fat & fiber. Now the calculation of PointsPlus will be taking into account fat, carbs, protein and fiber. And all fruits and most vegetables are zero so you can eat as much as you want with moderation. Staying at this meeting proved me right. I should not be going to these meetings or at least this particular one. The meeting leader didn't have control of the members and they kept talking over him asking questions and making comments. Didn't all of our parents teach us to raise our hand when we had a question or concern? I know mine did.

{Evidence of my frustration during the meeting}

I think a lot of them were afraid of the change which I can understand since the previous plan was working for them. But at least listen to what the leader has to say and then ask your questions. We also had material given to us which went into more detail. There was this lady who just kept asking these lame questions and making comments. At one point she was telling us the different ways to eat a banana. Now I am not a violent person but I wanted to shove her in a closet until the end of the meeting. The meetings are usually 30 minutes long and this one was a bit over an hour. I was frustrated enough with myself and being around all these people didn't help.

I got home and had all this pent up energy so I decided to work out. I did the 2 mile Brisk Walk Away the Pounds DVD and felt good afterwards. This DVD is basically 30 minutes of cardio. I also didn't feel as frustrated as I had earlier in the day once I completed the DVD. Usually, I would have eaten away my feelings but this time I didn't. It really is those 5 minutes it takes me to decide to work out that are the worst. It's so easy to talk myself out of working out. But once I get past that point, then it's on. So far this week, I've worked out Monday and today so one more day to go!

Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become.