Day 28

Breakfast

• 1 slice whole wheat toast with peanutbutter
• 4 orange slices
• 1 apple
• Coffee with 1 hazlenut creamer, 1 Splenda

Snack

• Carrots with Sabra Chipotle hummus

Dinner 

• Stir-fry- Chicken, white rice, red peppers, broccoli, sugar snap peas, carrots in General Tso's sauce. 

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 325 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 2.80 miles, 200 calories 
  Total- 1 hour,   5.6 miles, 525 calories

 

Day 27

Breakfast

•  Pumpkin spice coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda
• 1 slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter
• 2 orange slices
• 1 apple

Snack

• 15 almonds
• 1 clementine

Dinner

• 1 salad (romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, peas, walnuts)
• 1 cup of Lentil soup

After Dinner

• Celery sticks with 2 tablespoons of peanutbutter
• 1 cup of decaffeinated lemon tea with 1 Splenda 

Workout

• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 330 calories  

Day 26

Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter
• 1/2 banana
• coffee with peppermint creamer

Lunch

• Homemade chicken soup- chicken, broth, celery, carrots, brown rice, lemon. 

Snack

• 13 (of Quaker's) Fiber whole grain crisps-blueberry and pomegranate flavored

Dinner

• Carrots with Sabra Chipotle Hummus
• Homemade vegetable soup 

Workout

• 15 minutes of strength training
• 30 minutes on elliptical, 3 miles, 360 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 2.92 miles,   232 calories

Day 25

Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter
• 1/2 banana

Lunch

• clementine 

Dinner

• Chicken with red potatoes and mixed veggies. 

Movie Snack

• I brought half of a frozen banana with 1 spoonful of chocolate sauce and 12 choco almonds with me to go see HARRY POTTER! Delicious snack. Great movie. 

Day 24

Hi guys, sorry I was MIA...I don't have the internet at home...so it's hard to update. But i've been keeping track! No worries...I didn't quit!
Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter
• 1/2 a banana

Lunch

• Clementine
• 1 bottle of carbonated water (white grape flavored)

Dinner

• Homemade chicken soup with chicken, carrots, celery, brown rice and lemon.

Dessert

• 1/2 of a frozen banana with 1 spoonful of chocolate sauce (DELICIOUS!) 

*No workout, I work at a teen clothing store in the mall when i'm home...and today was Black Friday. I was exhausted by the time I got home...so the gym was out of the question.  

Day 23

 Happy Thanksgiving, All!
Breakfast

• Oatmeal with craisins
• Coffee with peppermint mocha creamer

Lunch

• Homemade veggie soup
• Baby carrots with Chipotle hummus

Dinner

• Roasted veggies (Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and onions) 
• 1 sweet potato

Dessert

• 1 slice healthy pumpkin pie! 

 ***Remember when I said I was going to try a mug of hot water with lemon? Well, I did, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I think part of my coffee addiction comes from holding a hot mug in my hands first thing in the morning. :)

Workout

• Early morning jog//walk...i'd say about 20 minutes.
• Then to the gym! It was packed. Even though it was snowing/raining/sleeting outside. 
• 30 minutes on elliptical, 2.75 miles, 330 calories
• 50 minutes on treadmill  3.06 miles, 336 calories

Grand Total (not including the jog/walk outside): 1 hour and 20 minutes, 5.81 miles, 666 calories!

Overall, I think it's safe to say this Thanksgiving was a SUCCESS!
Now, just to get through the rest of the holiday season...

Day 22

Breakfast

• 1 whole wheat English muffin with peanut butter
• Apple
• Coffee with peppermint mocha creamer (35 calories, 1.5 grams fat), 1 Splenda

Lunch

• "Weight Watchers 0 point soup" ...which is really tasty veggie soup. I love soup, especially this one, no meat!
• 10 baby carrots with Sabra chipotle hummus (I could live off of this stuff, I really could.)  

Snack

• 12 almonds
• a few homemade apple chips! I found the recipe<here>.

 Dinner

• Tilapia
• Brown rice
• Asparagus

Workout 

• Walked to my old middle school, power walked 8 times around the track= 2 miles. 
• Jogged 3 times around my block. (!!!)
• The "30 minute circuit" at the gym. It's strength training combined with stair stepping for a workout in half the time! I missed my gym at home. :( 

Gobble Gobble? You Mean Oink Oink: A Thanksgiving Survival Guide

So...Thanksgiving is TOMORROW (it crept up so fast!) and I have a game plan, and I am sticking to it, thank you very much.

There is no wiggle room in this plan. I won't allow it. I've been doing really well so far and I don't want one day to screw that all up. So, despite my friend's advice, i'm not having a "cheat" day.
In fact, I plan on avoiding three things at all costs.
The 3 C's. -Cranberry relish
-Casseroles
-Carbs (That means so flaky-buttery rolls!)

What I do plan on doing tomorrow.
-Waking up at the crack of dawn, drinking a hot mug of water with lemon in it. (I've heard this is supposed to be really good for you, especially first thing in the morning. I'll let you know how I feel about it...)
-Go for a walk/jog. (I'm going to burn those calories before I even eat them!)
-Watch the parade with a mug of peppermint mocha coffee, oatmeal and a piece of fruit. (Oatmeal because it will fill me up and then hopefully I won't be more likely to binge later.
-Hit the gym. That's right. The gym is open 7-1 tomorrow! So after the parade, that's where you'll find me.
-Lunch will be the veggie soup with carrots and hummus again.
-My mom and I are planning on making a healthy pumpkin pie!
-Then, the inevitable dinner...

.....and while I will be surrounded by sweet aromas and tasty foods, I will not indulge.
Dinner- My aunt's roasted veggies, a sweet potato, and something else? I haven't figured that one out yet. What's healthy?
Dessert- The "healthy" pumpkin pie. Yummm. The only hard thing will be not taking leftovers. :(

And plenty and plenty of water! I also plan on setting my fork down between every bite, you know, so I will eat slower.

So that's it! My game plan. What's yours? Do you all have any tips on eating a healthy Thanksgiving dinner?

I love your feedback, it really keeps me motivated. :) Just like I hope I am motivating other people to live a healthier lifestyle. We can DO THIS!

Day 21

That's right! Week 3!

Breakfast

• 1 English muffin with peanut butter
• Apple
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Snacks

• Pear
• 12 cocoa roasted almonds

Dinner

• Peppered turkey on a whole wheat "sandwich thin"
• Baby carrots and chipotle hummus
• Fat-free tapioca pudding with freshly ground nutmeg

*No work out today...I didn't even eat a lot today...to be honest, I was really busy. (Last minute packing, paper writing...) I know I should have eaten more...and hit the gym, but the week is still young! I'm also going to try to start eating every 3 hours.


So question- how often do you guys eat? Every three hours? 5 small meals a day? Three large ones?

Gobble Gobble? You Mean Oink Oink.

Day: Thursday, November 25, 2010.
Time: 5:00 PM.
Location: Aunt's house. 


              Thanksgiving. The one day a year when people think it is perfectly acceptable to gorge themselves on a ridiculous amount of high calorie foods. (Ehh, it only happens once a year, right??) Well, not for me. Not this year. I'm coming up with a game plan, a strategy, that will get me through the holiday with no weight gain. (My mantra: No gain! Just maintain!)
               Now, with Turkey Day looming, I've got to kick it into gear. So I called my best friend, to give me a pep talk. Let me give you a glimpse into our conversation.


TLC: Should I just give myself a cheat day? I should, shouldn't I?
M: Yes. I give myself a cheat day once a week.
TLC: But I don't want to. Wahhh. What am I going to do??? I can't live without pumpkin pie. I just can't.
M: You have plenty of healthy options! Think about it! Cranberries, sweet potatoes, turkey, green beans...


Ahh.... You see, this is where she is wrong. 


Cranberries? Yes. However, my family makes the sweetest (and most delicious) cranberry relish known to man. I wouldn't hesitate to say there is at least a pound of sugar in one batch.



{source}


Sweet potatoes? Check. There's plenty of sweet potato casserole to go around. Complete with crispy, ooey-gooey marshmallow on top of the nutrient-rich vegetable.
{source}
Turkey? Yeah. There's turkey. But I never eat it. During my vegetarian years I didn't eat it. And even though I eat turkey now, I always skip it so I could have more cranberry relish. Plus, It has Tryptophan which makes me sleepy, and I don't want to be sleepy. 


Green beans? Yes, we have a green bean casserole that I'm sure is just loaded with fat. But it's green...so it's healthy, right?
{source}
Apples? Pumpkin? Pineapple? Yes, we have all three of those. Apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pineapple casserole.

 {source}

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 {source}

 Ugh.. This is going to be tempting. PLUS my family always has food to feed an army, so you better believe I go home with leftovers.
And that's just stop #1. Oh. Didn't I mention I go to two houses on Thanksgiving? Check back tomorrow for my "Thanksgiving Survival Guide"
Gobble Gobble? You mean Oink Oink.

Day 20

Breakfast

• 1 English muffin with peanut butter
• 4 strawberries
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Snacks

• Banana
• Pear
• 12 (equal to one serving size) cocoa roasted almonds

Dinner

• Taco Salad! Yumm. One of my favorites! (Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chicken, taco sauce)

Dessert

• 7 (equal to one serving size) Stacy's cinnamon sugar pita chips

Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical, 2.75 miles, 320 calories  

Day 19

Breakfast

•  1 Pear
• 1 small pumpkin/whole wheat and oats muffin
• Coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Pre-workout Snack

• 12 (equal to one serving size) cocoa roasted almonds

Post-workout Snack

• 1 Fuji apple
• 1 nonfat strawberry banana yogurt

Dinner

• Salad (Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, carrots, homemade salsa)
• Minestrone 
• 2 sesame crackers

Do I know how to make a salad or what?
Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical, 2.75 miles, 320 calories
• 30 minutes on treadmill, 1.80 miles, 175 calories

               Total- 1 hour, 4.55 miles, 495 calories

Day 18

Breakfast

• 1 Luna bar (Peanut butter cookie) and for the record, these are wayyy better than Clif bars.
• Pumpkin spice coffee with 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Lunch

• Turkey and Swiss cheese on wheat bread with lettuce, red and green bell peppers, and cucumbers*
• Minestrone  

Snack

• 1 Pear

Dinner 

•  Stir-fry veggies with 2 sesame soy nuggets.  
• Minestrone

No workout today! I've decided to skip Saturday instead of Sunday this week!

*So, my famous "weekends at school" sandwich is quite delicious. So delicious, in fact, that at lunch asked me what I was eating and then went up and made himself one because he said it looked so good!
See? Healthy food can be oh so yummy, too!

Weigh-in #2

That's right! I lost five pounds this week! Crazy, right? Now i'm at 211! It really shocked me because that's not even close to what I was expecting! But you know, what? This week I learned that everything in moderation really is okay. (Well, at least sometimes!)

....Now the goal is to keep that in mind during Thanksgiving!
So if you have some really tasty and healthy recipes send em' on over because i'm looking for them!
xoxo
Tanya

Day 17

Breakfast

• Coffee with 1 cream 1 Splenda
• 1 slice of 12 grain toast with peanut butter 
• 3 pineapple slices
• 2 orange slices

Lunch

• 1 mini whole wheat grilled chicken pizza (half at 12, half at 2

Dinner

• Salad (Romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, walnuts)
• Caribbean rice 
• Broccoli
• Lemon tea with honey

Workout

• 30 mins elliptical, 2.65 miles, 320 calories
• PLUS walked 2 miles for RELAY FOR LIFE!  

Day 16

Breakfast

• 1 slice wheat bread with peanut butter
• cantoloupe
• 1/2 slice pumpkin bread

Lunch

• 1 banana
• 15 cocoa roasted almonds

Dinner

• Pasta with red sauce
• 1 sweet potato

Snack

• 7 Stacy's cinnamon sugar pita chips

*No workout today. One of my good friends suggested that I let my body rest, I had to agree!
 

Day 15

Breakfast 

• 1 slice wheat toast with peanut butter
• Pineapple chunks

Snack

• Banana
• 5 animal crackers

Dinner

• Chicken piccata
• Red-skin potatoes
• Green beans
• Zucchini

Workout 

• 30 mins on elliptical, 2.75 miles, 315 calories.
• 20 mins on treadmill , 1.20 miles, 110 calories
• **30 mins on elliptical, 2.65 miles, 305 calories**
  Total-1 hour 20 minutes, 6.6 miles, 730 calories

**I had a really bad/stressful day today.  The semester is winding down, registering for classes is like torture, and the stress is kicking in.
There was one point in the day when I just wanted to cry out of frustration. This was at about 12:30pm...and I knew I wasn't going to get back to my room until about 7:30, so what was I going to do? I had already gone to the gym, but when I got back to my room, I didn't even think...I just got changed and walked to the gym. I needed to blow of steam.

I needed to hop on an elliptical, blare my iPod, and go. 

and go. and go. and go.
No tears, just sweat.

Day 14

TWO WEEKS DOWN!
And apparently it's getting to me...
Confession: I had a dream about pizza last night. Haha.



Breakfast

•  Pumpkin coffee with 1 cream 1 splenda
• 1 piece toast with peanut butter
• 3 strawberries
• 1 banana

Post-workout

• Non-fat raspberry yogurt

Snack (at 2 different times)

• 1 apple
• 2 graham crackers

Dinner

• Salad- lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red and green bell peppers, carrots, red grapes, walnuts (perhaps one too many walnuts)

Workout

•   30 mins on elliptical, 2.75 miles, 315 cals. 
• 20 mins on treadmill, 1.30 miles, 130 cals.
  Total- 50 minutes, 4.05 miles, 445 calories

Day 13

Breakfast

• 1 slice wheat toast with peanut butter
• 3 strawberries
• 1 banana
• Green tea with honey

Pre-workout/Post-workout

• 12 cocoa roasted almonds
• 1 banana

Dinner

• Sweet potato
• Rice pilaf
• String beans
• Fresh pineapple

Workout

• 25 mins on elliptical, 2.35 miles, 265 calories
• 20 mins on treadmill, 1.25 miles, 105 calories
  Total- 45 minutes,   3.6 miles, 370 calories.

Food For Thought

"Every morning she checked her weight on the bathroom scale as if there was a goal to be achieved. She weighed seven pounds six ounces at birth and hoped to return to that some day." Dallas Clayton (via yvestown) 

Day 12

Breakfast

• Pumpkin coffee, 1 cream, 1 splenda
• Organic apple

Brunch/Lunch

• 1 english muffin with peanut butter
• 3 strawberries
• A few pieces of honeydew  

Snack

• 1 banana 
• Veggies- red peppers and cucumbers

Dinner

• Oatmeal (didn't go to the caf tonight!

Dessert

• 7 (equal to one serving size) Stacy's cinnamon pita chips  

Day 11

Breakfast

• Clif bar- white chocolate macadamia nut (I thought I'd try one! not an everyday option, of course)
• Pumpkin spice coffee, 1 cream, 1 Splenda

Lunch

• Turkey and swiss on rye bread (Again, out of wheat!) 
• Red bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes 

Dinner

• Salad (lettuce, cucumbers, red bell peppers, chick peas, walnuts)
• A side of sundried tomato and spinach pasta

Dessert

• 1 low fat chocolate pudding
• 1 cinnamon graham cracker

Workout

• 30 mins on elliptical, 2.80 miles, 330 cals
• 30 mins on treadmill, 1.75 miles, 155 calories 
  
  Total- 1 hour, 4.55 miles, 485 calories

Weigh-in #1 (Plus VIDEO?!)

Surprise Surprise! It's video time!


Here are the results from Weigh-in#1! Check it out!
And sorry about the shakiness! I promise i'll get better!



In case you couldn't see the video here's the summary:
I lost 2 pounds!! (UPDATE- I checked again today, the day I was actually supposed to weigh myself and it looked more like 2.5! woo!) I know that when you first begin to lose weight you lose more pounds at a quicker rate, due to water weight and all of that, but i'm still pretty pumped! Seeing results is the best motivation, even if they're not on the scale!
But this is only the beginning! Now let me know- would you want to see more vlogs? Or should I just stick to writing?
And here is your question of the day-
How often do you weigh yourself? Never? Daily? Weekly? Biweekly? Leave a comment and let me know!

xoxo
Tanya

Day 10

Breakfast

• 1 piece rye toast (they ran out of wheat) with peanut butter
• 5 strawberries
• grapes

Post-workout

• Mango smoothie*

Workout

• 25 minutes on treadmill, 1.50 miles, 175 calories
• 20 minutes on elliptical, 1.55 miles, 245 calories
  Total calories = 420

And that's right! I sucked it up and did the treadmill! I didn't even fall! I jogged some. Check the comments on this post to see some tips I got from a follower! :)

Dinner

• Salad (lettuce, cucumbers, red and green bell peppers, chick peas, sunflower seeds)
• 1/2 sweet potato
• Mixed Asian veggies (soo gooood)

Snack/Dessert

• 7 (equal to one serving) of Stacy's cinnamon sugar pita chips.
  
  

* I have two friends who work at the gym on Wednesdays and Fridays. One works at the little health-food cafe and the other one actually works inside the gym. It's great because I visit them before and after my workouts on Wednesdays and Fridays. Actually, it is probably one of the only reason's I drag myself to the gym on Friday...
But there is a catch:
After my workout when I stop by the cafe to visit with one of my suite mates, i'm always pretty hungry from my workout. Then I walk in and am immediately bombarded with posters for this "recovery shake" which is supposedly fat free, designed for weight loss and post workout and 100% all natural fruit. They don't sound too bad for you! (and i'm not kidding they have about 6 posters advertising them in that place.) However, recently i've been getting them every week, this week I had one twice. I know that's going to add up.

But fear not, my friends! I have decided to bring a piece of fruit with me to the gym for after my workout. Then, i'll have something to munch on while talking to my friend. Now, I may look like a crazy person bringing a banana to the gym, but oh well. I'd rather bring a stupid banana (which i've heard are great post-workout) than fight the temptation of those mango smoothies....So bananas it is! And eventually I will probably go bananas, so i'm going to limit myself to a smoothie once a week or once every other week. We'll see how it goes! It's all about the journey!

Day 9

Breakfast

• Raisin Bran with soy milk
• Pumpkin spice coffee with 1 cream 1 splenda.

Snacks

• Banana

Dinner

• Chicken with sun dried tomatoes
• Green beans
• 1 slice of pumpkin pie 

Workout

• 20 minutes stair climber, 1 mile, 160 cals. 35 mins power walking on treadmill, 2 miles, 160 cals (I think) Total calories: 320
  That's right! I didn't use the elliptical tonight! (I went at night, too! Switching it up!) I thought I would try the treadmill again, it's been FOREVER since i've been on one of those.
  
  Okay, but here is where I ask you for some advice:
  Can you jog on a treadmill? I am terrified that I am going to have one of those horrible/hilarious accidents that end up going viral on youtube. So does anyone have any tips?
  
  I think right now I am just going to keep at 3.5 (the main speed I was walking) and work my way up? Maybe in a few weeks i'll be able to jog? I hope so.
  

Today's Wrap-Up

         Okay, so today was difficult. I'll just be honest. It was my college's famous "Thanksgiving Dinner" lunch today, which I chose not to go to because I didn't want to be tempted. The right move? Maybe.
        However, I did have a piece of leftover pumpkin pie at dinner (which is my absolute favorite food during Thanksgiving, maybe even my favorite food ever. I adore pumpkin EVERYTHING!) Now, I really didn't have a lot for breakfast this morning...which is probably why I even got the pumpkin pie in the first place. You know how they say if you don't have breakfast or have healthy snacks throughout the day you begin to crave unhealthy fatty foods later on? Couldn't be truer. So...am I disappointed in myself? A little. Should I be? I don't know. Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite things and giving it up seems like a bit much...I don't think I could do that to myself. And I know that on Weight Watchers (which I am not participating in, but I used to! Post coming up soon!) they tell you not to deprive yourself because it only leads to frustration and overeating.
However, I really can't do the alternative at school...which is modifying unhealthy meals to make them more nutritious...at school, you get what you get. There's no modifying. I don't know what goes into the meals, how many calories i'm eating...nothing.
Either way i'm not counting this as a loss, i'm counting it as a lesson.
Don't skimp on breakfast.
Don't deprive myself.
ATTEMPT to find healthier options of my favorite meals. (I already put it a request for whole wheat pasta!)

*Side note- the only reason breakfast was so lame-o was because they were setting up for the HUGE Thanksgiving lunch and poor breakfast...(and poor Tanya) had to suffer.

Day 8

Breakfast 

• 1 piece whole wheat bread with peanut butter
• 5 red grapefruit slices
• 3 strawberries

Pre-Workout

• Banana 

Post-Workout/Lunch

• All natural, fat free (designed for weight loss post-workout) mango smoothie. 

Dinner

• Chicken tortilla soup
• Salad (Lettuce, red peppers, cherry tomatoes, peas, chick peas, cucumbers, sunflower seeds) 

Snack/Dessert

• 7 Stacy's baked cinnamon pita chips.  (Here's to motivation and not depriving myself!)  

Workout

• 45 minutes on elliptical, 4 miles, 460 calories. (pushing myself past 30 mins!)  

Day 7

ONE WEEK!
Congratulations to me! :) Now it's time to stick with it! And hopefully when I weigh myself on Friday I'll see some results.

Breakfast

• One english muffin with peanut butter
• Red grapefruit slices
• Coffee with cream

Pre-workout

• Banana

Post-workout

• Organic apple 

Dinner

• Broccoil
• Cauliflower
• Garlic and herb red roasted potatoes
• 1 small roll "the size of a golf ball" according to one of my friends. 

Snack/Dessert

• 12 cocoa roasted almonds 

Workout

• 45 minutes (!!!) 4 miles, 460 cals! (That's right, stepping it up in honor of hitting one week!) 

One week summary-
        I'm kind of addicted to hitting the gym. Once I really get going on the elliptical, it feels amazing. You know how when you're really working it starts to feel good? That's what happened today. I have to try doing 45 minutes everyday! My goal is to reach 1 hour.
        Overall, I feel really good. Is that just me being crazy? I don't know, maybe it is, but honestly I feel like I have more energy and I feel less sluggish. Plus, helloooo endorphins! :) Who knows? Maybe that's my mind set talking, but either way...i'm going to keep it up! 
         Now, i'm just a little nervous about Friday- weigh in day. I'm nervous for two reasons-
1) That I won't be able to read the scale correctly.
2) That I won't see results.

         I don't want to be disappointed because I feel that it might kill some of my motivation and momentum...
I'll try not to let that happen, but IF it does, I'm going to need some support.

Priceless!

One pre-workout strawberry yogurt.... 90 calories.

 33 minutes on the elliptical...3 miles, burned 345 calories.

Having the entire college football team walk past you when you're hustling on the elliptical.... PRICESLESS! ;)

By the way, I'm full of school spirit, my face changed from one of our colors to the next! White to RED!GO LIONS!

 

Day 6

YUP! That's right! Almost a week, folks! :)

Breakfast 

• English muffin with peanut butter 
• 5 grapefruit slices
• Banana
• Coffee

Snack (Pre-workout)

• Nonfat strawberry yogurt 90 cals

Dinner

• Salad (lettuce with cherry tomatoes, red and green peppers, chick peas, regular peas, a teensy bit of raspberry vinaigrette and sunflower seeds.
• sweet potato
• two handfuls of life cereal. :)

Workout

• 33 minutes on elliptical, 3 miles, 345 cals.(stay tuned for another interesting fact about my workout...)

Baby You're A Firework

Okay, so Katy Perry's new song is absolutely amaaaazing. I'm in love. First of all, I love everything she does. Katy Perry is a great role model. She takes risks, speaks her mind and is confident. PLUS- she sends out messages like this. :)

And okay, there IS a reason why i'm kind of obsessed with this song. Watch the video. Notice the girl that doesn't want to go swimming? Then decides to just go for it?
I love that.

A couple summers back- at a senior luau party, I didn't bring a bathing suit. Not necessarily because of my body, I just didn't bring one.


But it didn't matter- after lots of convincing, I still didn't go in. So my friends pushed  me in.
It was that night that I decided I was never going to let something silly keep me from having fun. Especially midnight swimming.

So later that summer, when a bunch of us were having a bonfire and decided to have an impromptu midnight swim....I went in the pool in a white cami and a pair of shorts.

At the end of that summer, before college started...my friend Kim made me a picture. I'm not sure if she knew there was really a meaning behind this for me, but I want her to know now.

I live by these words now Kimbo! <33

To my lovely followers,
The water is great, jump in the pool! Have fun, but don't lose your cool!
xoxo
Tanya

Day 5

Brunch

• Raisin Bran with soy milk
• organic apple (man, this is becoming my staple, isn't it?) 

Snack

• Veggies! Green and red bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes 

Dinner

• Salad
• Sweet Potato

Workout 

• No workout today! The gym doesn't even open until 12...I'm thinking about trying to go to the gym every day except for Sunday, which will be my rest day. I'm not sure yet.   

Okay, and just because this is funny....I went to math study group today and someone made cookies. However, I beat the temptation. Then, I go into dinner and sitting on the Campus Center desk is a tray of cookies (the good kind that they only bring out when the college has a special event). I swear they were following me... So I beat the temptation again, and went into dinner. Then, I seriously contemplated this. To have the cookie? Or not to have the cookie? I decided one cookie would be okay.

...Then I left dinner and all the cookies were gone. Ha.
Oh and for recipe of the day....lookie what I found.....

"Healthy Apple Streusel Muffins To Beat The Muffin Top!"

Thanks Fitness Mag! Can't wait to try these over break! :)

Food For Thought

      "I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room," "Now, don't go getting the wrong impression: I have a few friends who could be called plump. I'm not some size-ist jerk."



Actually, Maura Kelly, you are.
 
       I know all of you have heard about Maura Kelly, the blogger for Marie Claire, bashing the show Mike and Molly. The post about the show, which is about an overweight couple who attends Overeaters Anonymous meetings, caused tons of attention...I actually found it on my Yahoo homepage. In case you haven't...here's the link.You have to read what she wrote.
Here are just some of my favorites-

"So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything."
"Then again, I guess these characters are in Overeaters Anonymous. So ... points for trying"(Yes! Absolutely points for trying! If you want these hideous beasts to shrink down to an acceptable size then it's going to take time. You freak.)

    Can you see where my frustration is coming from? As of right now 3588 people have commented. And for every comment that I have seen, the poster has been enraged.  So, of course, Miss Kelly had to write an apology, which only made me even more livid.
"I feel for those people and I'm truly sorry I added to the unhappiness and pain they feel with my post." Adding to the unhappiness that I feel? Yes, I was unhappy after reading your article , but it wasn't adding to anything! As i've said before, i'm not this person who feels lost in their own skin. I don't spend every waking moment wondering what life would be like if I was skinny, you know why? Because that means i'm missing out on my fat life. (That's right....no euphemisms here! FAT!)

"I assume people suffering from eating disorders on either end of the spectrum are doing damage to their bodies, and that they are unhappy." You are absolutely one thousand percent right, Maura Kelly, you assume. So the next time you see an obese monster not walking- but charging towards you- from across a room, I wouldn't be disgusted...I would run.

Phew. Okay. Venting over. Now to the actual message of this post. The Food For Thought.

      If one person feels this way about the way I look, then there has to be others. And to be honest, that does sting a little. But the thing is- the fact that they think i'm gross doesn't sting, it's the fact that they would be missing out on all of the wonderful things I have to offer, just because of my weight. And that's just some Food For Thought.



*And for the record, it just so happens that I think Melissa McCarthy, who plays Molly, is gorgeous! She had a role in one of my all time favorite shows, Gilmore Girls. One of my favorite things about her character was that her weight was never mentioned in the show, not once. Her character wasn't about her weight, it focused on her career, her family and her friends. So here's my question...If this show wasn't based on weight related topics, would two fat people in a relationship be such a big issue?

xoxo
Tanya

Day 4

Today was a toughie! I think maybe because it's a Saturday. I was craving bad-for-you things all over the place! I really have to work on getting healthy and filling snacks for the DORM. Ideas?

Breakfast

• organic apple with 2 spoonfulls of peanut butter
• coffee

Lunch 

• turkey and cheese sandwich on wheat bread
• side of veggies- red and green bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers

Dinner 

• same as lunch...yeah I stole food from the caf, so what?  
• a tiny bit of left over tomato soup 

Dessert 

• Low-fat chocolate pudding cup. 

Workout 

• 30 mins on elliptical, 2.65 miles, 300 cals 

 

Day 3

Breakfast

• raisin bran with soy milk
• banana

Snack

• all natural mango fruit smoothie

Dinner 

• tomato soup and  salad

Workout

• 30 minutes on the elliptical 2.75 miles 300 cals

WHY do all of the tours come through the gym when i'm working out?

Good news: I went to the gym again today!
Bad news: I'm in college...which means that when you go to the gym during a weekend day, there is most likely going to be a tour coming through. I get it. I really do. We have a brand new gym and fitness center (we got a 5 MILLION dollar donation!) The gym even has this cute little cafe that sells only health foods. So I understand. They want to show it off, but here's my complaint: Must they show it off while I'm bright red and sweating on an elliptical? FIVE times?

       This is kind of an exaggeration. I wasn't that upset about it, it just got to be a little funny. Surprisingly, i'm not that weirded-out by people watching me work out.
The truth is, I actually kind of like going to the gym (Crazy, right?) It clears my mind and makes me feel good and productive. (Hellooo endorphins!) And when I go to the gym nonstop for a while, if I skip a day, I miss it.
      However, in college, going to the gym can be a little tricky. Do you go to the gym when you have an hour break and then go to class all sweaty? Pass. So you have to find time. On the same note, I see people use the excuse "I'm too busy!" all the time. Me included.
      But now, I have a little more motivation. I weighed myself today! I actually asked one of the people that worked there how to use the scale (you know, the tall ones in your doctor's office). I was really proud of myself. I know that seems silly, but you don't understand how much of a big deal that was.

Now I really have a starting point!
And i'm going to end this post with that starting point, too.

xoxo
Tanya

Day 2

Breakfast 

• Raisin Bran with soy milk
• organic apple

Snack

• raspberry yogurt  

Dinner

• rigatoni with tomato sauce
• sweet potato
• cornbread
   

*yeah...dinners at the dining hall get a little weird.

Workout

• no workout today...I was so beat and it was all rainy outside. :( That's the thing about college...you stay up so late studying that the next day you're falling asleep! 

Day 1

Day 1.
or...Day 2? We're going to say Day 1.

Breakfast

• egg and cheese on a mini bagel 
• apple

Snack

• apple
• yogurt and granola 

Dinner

• salad. (don't worry it was very filling)
• yogurt and granola.  (I know. This wasn't a very good meal. Being a dieting veteran, I know that I'm going to get bored with these repetitive meals, but at the same time I'm at a loss. The caf doesn't offer many diet-friendly meals.)

* notice how I only ate 2 meals today? That's because I'm a poor college student and I'm on a meal plan. (14 meals a week)

Workout

• 35 mins on elliptical. 3 miles. 350 cals. For Day One! That's going to go up over time, no worries.
  

TLC'S WLG'S
Okay, so let me explain this acronym for you, my initials are TLC. WLG is something  I came up with a while back, it stands for Weight Loss Goals. And the two just happened to rhyme.
So I think these little segments are going to be based on my goals for the hour, the day, the week, the year...whenever I create a new goal- or complete one!

So my WLG #1 is going to be simple.
-try to eat healthy. I am starting to realize that I have to treat my body right, I can't go on treating my body this badly- especially since I'm so young.

So WLG # 1 isn't even a weight loss goal, it's more like a life goal. But for the sake of the rhyming we're going to keep it. :)

Here's the deal.

Okay folks- here's the meal...ermm..I mean...deal.
I'm beginning a diet today.
Now, I know what you're thinking "Yeah, I've heard that before."
Yeah, I've heard that before, too.
Today, when I told a few of my friends they said this exact thing. I mean, can I blame them? No. It's true, isn't it?

I've had my fair share of ups and downs. This past summer I went to the gym every other day. Then, fall semester started and..well, I don't really have an excuse. I started slacking off on my weight and focusing on grades.

However, all excuses aside, the fact that my friends made these comments made me even more motivated. So BRING IT!
And...since all of this began a few hours ago, I am still a little foggy as to what the "challenge" is, but that's okay.
I have a general idea: get healthy.
That's right. You'll never hear me complain "Wahh, i'm so fat, no one likes me!!" You will never hear those words escape my lips. Because they aren't true.
I'm happy where I am, but that doesn't mean I have no room for improvement! I want to get healthy. Plain and simple. (HA...i'm sure i'll be eating those words in a few weeks.

ANYWAY, all of that was a long-winded way of saying: I'm up for the challenge.
Are you?