My decision to get a Fitness Coach

Hey everyone, sorry I have been a little MIA on here for about 5 weeks. I have been very busy with work and at the gym.

Changes at the gym are the result of me needing some accountability in my journey. I need to lose a total of 135 pounds to get to my “goal weight”. By no means am I trying to be a 105 pound girl, with no muscle. I am really overweight and apparently a lot heavier than a lot of people with similar measurements on Instagram. I also don’t want to just eat clean and do cardio. I want to lift weights and build my muscle/burn fat. So I did some research and found a coach on Instagram. Her Instagram name is @loseitconkatie, and she is amazing!!! Her fitness transformation is unbelievable, and she is self-made awesomeness. You have to go on Instagram and see for yourself! I seriously fuckin’ love her and my progress is the shit. My mental and emotional health are also so much better. I am happy like all the time, and I have a lot less bad days. I also love going to the gym now. I walk in ready to fuck shit up and I own every workout. I don’t even care who’s there. It does help that my husband goes with me the 6 days a week we do go. He wishes Katie was his coach, but I told him she’s mine!! HAHA! My food has been great, I am so much better at mentally calculating my food calories/Macros. Not that I am too strict, with all of the HIIT, Weights, and Cardio, and the fact that I eat clean like 95 % of the time allows me to be flexible with my diet ;). Go to my Instagram page @myquesttoeudemonia to see my progress. Also, I got a promotion from admin/researcher to a Delivery Support Coordinator, so I have been working supa dupa hard at work.

-Madeline

About Me

I would just like to say that it has always been difficult for me to fill in the about me section for every social media account, questionnaire, job application, etc.  I don't know why, but when I get asked that in person, on screen, or on paper, I blank or I ask my self "Who am I". So forgive this following message I am trying to disclose.

My name is Madeline and I am 28 years old. I have 3 older brothers, and 4 older sisters. I was raised with 4 siblings that share my mom and dad, and I’m the baby! My dad is an awesome man who is still very much a big part of our (all the siblings I was raised with) lives. My mother was the most humble, hardworking, God fearing woman, I ever had the privilege to be raised by. She passed away July 31st 2012, about 3 months after getting diagnosed with liver cancer. I miss her every second of every day, and losing her still brings me to my knees.

I have been overweight for at least 20 years and obese for at least 15 of those years. The earliest I can remember was when I was in 5th grade and I was wearing a size 10/11. I had to share clothing with my mother since the two older sisters I lived with were in sizes 3 and 5. I wore glasses, I was overweight, quiet, and introverted, so of course I hated every year of school. Kids were so mean (not particularly to me, just in general) and to make matters worse, I already had anxiety issues. Even though it was tough at times, I somehow got through it year after year.

Fast forward to November 2013. I married my other half, and thought I could die of happiness. That was until spring 2014. When I finally SAW myself in the mirror, and actually looked at the number on the scale. I couldn't believe what I did to myself for 20+ years! How could I let things spiral out of control for so long. True, I was an unhappy person most of my life, I have been through a lot from something bad happen to me when I was a kid, to fighting anxiety and depression, to suddenly losing my Mother.

I decided enough was enough, no more letting the past have anything to do with my future! I decided to change my lifestyle and become mentally, emotionally, and physically fit and healthy. In a few years I want to have kids, and I want to be there for them for as long as I can, and to be able to always play/keep up with them while they grow up. I want to be the woman I think My Love deserves to have. I want to be the best version of myself I can be, for MYSELF! This is My Quest to Eudemonia.

Slowly but Surely?

I have been stuck at this current weight for over 2 and a half weeks. To make matters worse, this past week I wasn’t even reaching my calorie goals! I was under an average of 200 calories a day because I just can’t eat enough in the evenings, and since I am most hungry while at the office, that is where I eat the majority of my daily allotted calories. I have worked so hard these past 3 plus months! It took years of false starts, and months of trial and error before finding (re finding actually) what worked for me. In June, back at my highest weight (32 pounds ago), I started my Healthy Vegetarian Lifestyle.

I eat mostly fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, veggie patties, dairy, and eggs. I will have a slice of bread, rice, bran cereal, a tortilla, or corn chips every few days. When money is tight, I will have a small frozen meal, but I still abide by an 80/20 rule. I work out at home or at the gym 3 times a week, and I use MFP to count my calories. I have dropped weight and clothing sizes. All of the clothes that were tight when starting my journey are now too loose to wear. Stuff that didn’t go over my hips now zip up and fit nicely. I am down 32 pounds, I went from a 22/24 (I was busting out of 22 but only had the heart to buy a couple 24’s) to a 19/20, and from a 3x to a 1x/2x (1x blouses and 2x non dressy tops). I don’t know why I get so impatient.

Three weeks ago I even deactivated my personal Facebook and Instagram Pages, just to eliminate any more distractions from my weight loss journey. It was getting annoying too. People whine so much and don’t do anything to change what they’re whining about. I have fallen completely in love with my instagram #fitfam I look forward to seeing everyone’s journey, every day. It helps me keep myself accountable, it encourages me, and it keeps me entertained and focused. It’s just awesome to know that there are other people out there in the real world going through the same thing. I guess I need to take my own advice and keep my eye on the prize.

-Madeline

Summertime Happiness

The second weekend in August I left for my first vacation in three years. I was beyond excited to go! The late night drive was so hard and I couldn’t last 2 hours. Fail. However, I did manage to drive the returning 12 hours (all by myself). We went to Florida and stayed at this beautiful condo off of Navarre Beach. The water was a perfect clear blue-green, and I got a nice little tan. It was so relaxing and just too short! We had fun learning to boogie surf the waves. It was so liberating and exciting. My favorite thing had to be sitting on the beach with my Sugar, fingers entwined, toes in the sand, watching the sun set.

That's my sugar!

That's the view from the balcony

My cousin caught an awesome sunset picture, the last night there.

 I was busy enjoying it with My Love!

The only casualty was that I broke my 24 oz. turquoise/teal tumbler with straw, which I use to drink water at work. Good news is I found a 26 oz. eco one Mason ‘tumbler’ at Marshalls for like $6! I love it, I have already had 100 oz. and it’s not even 3 PM! I ate the best I could with the budget that I had. I cooked/made around 75% of my meals, mostly sandwiches (cheese avocado alfalfa sprout, peanut butter and jelly, and egg and cheese, sandwiches) had some snacks, fruit, desserts, one beer, and one glass of wine. Most of my snacks were not ‘healthy’ but I watched my portions, and kept close to my calories limit. I weight myself the next morning and I actually lost 2 pounds!

I am now down a total of 30 pounds! Loving the No Scale Victories almost as much as the descending numbers on the scale. I am in the process of making a workout routine that I can do at home as well as in the gym. I just need to find some workouts that are doable for me right now. My knees are terrible, I have weak wrists & ankles, I am not flexible in the least, and I have hardly any upper body strength. I got my work cut out for me!

-Madeline

Busy Weekend, Yet Successful

This weekend was my brother’s birthday, cousin’s wedding, and my sister’s baby shower (#4). I had to get dressed and show up to all events with family and friends. I thought it would be boring and that I would feel self-conscious about how I looked in my skirt and dress. I actually had a good time at all events after getting over the initial anxiety of being around a lot of people. Just so you all know, I am like 87 % an introvert.  I got a few compliments on how nice I looked, especially from the family members that haven’t seen me since my own wedding in November. I danced to The Beatles with My Love and had a few drinks at the wedding ;).

I ate as healthy as I could at all events. I did eat a slice of cake at each event, but only because it was made by the best, My Dad. Did I mention he is a pastry chef? Yes sir, he is at Whole Food currently, but he has worked for La Madeleine, Central Market and at then Dallas Whole Foods Warehouse before it closed down. I had a little more carbs at the wedding because the main dish was not vegetarian. But I had mostly fruits and veggies at the other parties. Overall I would say this busy weekend was a win, compared to how much I failed the previous holiday celebrations.

-Madeline

When Shopping Becomes Fun Again

I went to the store on my lunch break today.  Normally, I like to just window shop, because being overweight can make it hard to find clothes, in none plus size stores.  Today I stopped by Ross, since it’s close to work, and decided to try on some transition slacks.  I grabbed a couple of sizes 18 and 20, of the same brand, and tried them all on.  To my surprise, they all fit!  One size 20 was actually too loose.  I also found a couple shirts in the same style but different colors.  Very affordable, I spent less on 4 items than I would have on one item at Lane Bryant or Torrid.

What also spurred this decision to go shopping, was that this past weekend, as I was packing to move, I tried on all of my  old size 20’s, which I still had saved for when I lost weight again.  They all fit, and only 2 of the 6 did not feel comfortable enough to sit in, and happened to be the least elastic of them.  I was ecstatic! To have this proof that my hard work is paying off, makes it all worth it.  To know that these clothes haven’t fit in almost 2 years, and then putting them on and zipping them up without struggle is an amazing feeling.

Now, to keep it up and get into these other, nice gentler used, size 18 jeans. 

This was supposed to be on the last blog First Mini Goal Reached

-Madeline

First Mini Goal Reached

I woke up this past Saturday morning, and decided to get on the scale.  I quickly did some math and to my surprise, I lost my first 20 lbs.!!  Four long months into my weight loss journey, and I finally met my first mini weight loss goal.  It took mental & physical & emotional preparation, determination, perseverance, faith, and working my ass off.  There were some tears, self-doubt, and most of the time I had to just suck it up and get to it. 

I want to thank my cousin for helping me, even though she is on a weight loss journey herself, my sister/friend, for always noticing/complementing/cheering me on, my coworkers, for kind words, and support.  Most of all, I want to thank my amazing spouse, who gets dress and goes to the gym with me, no matter the time of day or how short of a notice I give.  I am grateful for your constant love and support.

Now to continue on my quest, to meet my next mini weight loss goal.  Hopefully, now that I have found what foods and exercises work best for me, it won't take as long :)

-Madeline

Results of Hard Work

I was sitting in my office, when A Thousand Years by Christina Perry began to play.  It was the song I chose to walk down the aisle to, and is very special to me.  It reminded me of the other day when I picked up my wedding dress from my dad’s house.  When we got home I got the idea to try it on, as soon as I got into my room.  I figured it would fit better, now that I lost a little weight.  I got My Love to help me tie up the upper half of my dress (the corset half), and take pictures for me to see.  

Left picture - When I tried on my dress for the first time

Right picture - This Monday night 

Missing Middle Picture  -  Between picking out the dress (pictured on the left) ,

 and  my wedding day (where I  gaind 15+ pounds and had to let out a few inches in the corset area)

I was so amazed that my hard work, four months in to my weight loss journey so far, has resulted in not only having the dress fit better, but be too big!  That was as tight as we could lace it up.  And to think I had actually gained fifteen to twenty pounds in between the first picture on the left, which is me trying it on for the first time, and my wedding day, where I had to have it let out a couple inches in the corset area.  The picture on the right, I took on Monday of this week.  My bottom and waist have shrunk along with my upper back fat.

I have been in such a great mood since then, that I started to make lots of other before and after’s.  Here’s to keeping up the good work, and maybe kicking it up a notch!

Fourth of July and Our Honey’s Birthday's

For the 4th of July this year, my cousin invited us to Winstar World Casino.  I have been there many times, and a few times I have stayed at the Casino’s Hotel.  I am not going to tell you how we all got sick from a lot of the terrible food there (which was a first for me), or how our room had a busted toilet, but I am going to say that I ate a lot of not good for me foods. 

Here is my cousin and I in the hotel room, 

taking selfie's while the spouses wait :)

While we were there I had french fries from Chips ‘N Ales, a slice Alfredo Florentine pizza and cheese tortellini at Matador’s, a Caprese Sandwich with a baked potato from Terrace View Café.  On the way back home, we stopped at the Cracker Barrel, and had delicious food for half the price of any crap from Winstar.  I ate french toast, hash browns, eggs, and a biscuit.  All the food was vegetarian friendly, but a lot of fatty carbs and loads of evil calories.  The only plus side is that we walked for a couple hours and it was a lot of fun.  I also had some Black Heart Rum, which tasted pretty yummy with coke.  To make matters worse, we got home and realized we were low on groceries, and so the carb loading continued on to Sunday night.  

I am treating this as a lesson that needed to be learned.  Holiday’s do make it a lot more difficult, no matter how you celebrate, if you don’t make planning your meals a priority.  I am not even going to get on that scale for at least a week, so I won’t feel even more disappointed.  Oh, I almost forgot to add that today is My Honey’s birthday, so there was cake and ice cream last night.  Here’s to getting back at it!

-Madeline

Tenth Time’s a Charm – Tales of an Aspiring Vegetarian

When I was around nine or ten years old, I went to Guadalajara, Mexico with my Grandmother and cousins.  At some point in time we went to visit my Aunt’s Farm.  I have always been clumsy and I also do not think I had eye glasses yet, but while walking around the farm, I accidently stepped on a chick. My aunt had to put it down because I hurt it pretty bad, and to this day that incident bothers me.  Another time, when I was the same age-ish, I witnessed the same Grandmother kill a chicken.  Of course she had them there to feed herself, and she raised kids on a farm, but to me it was her killing a chicken.  I was shocked, I couldn't look away.  I don't know if I blocked out parts of the scene, or if I closed my eyes for part of it.  

It's safe to say that these occurrences, among others, have given me a pretty strong protective instinct for all animals.  Fast forward about 10 years, and I was on the internet, learning about all the animal cruelty that goes on for food and for fur.  That pushed me over the edge of just purposely ignoring how meat got into the package or in my burger, to becoming a vegetarian and not contributing or participating in any of it. 

Now, I am only human, and anytime it was too expensive, or inconvenient, I would fall back into eating meat.  I can’t say that I won’t fail again, but this time I will try my very best to stick with it.  That lifestyle is something I don’t want to take with me on this journey.  It makes me feel good to know that I am helping (in my miniscule way) to not only become healthier, but help our environment, save animals, contributing to vegan and vegetarian companies, and do what I feel is the right thing, in the process.

Here is a Vegan ShoppingGuide for anyone interested, and some Accidently Vegan stuff found at the grocery store.  I am sure there are some restaurants near you, like these, that have vegetarian alternatives.  And here is some eye candy :) I love Chester.

-Madeline

You Live and Learn

For a full week I skipped the gym, and I had to learn the hard way, that it was a mistake.  The short time I had been going to the gym turned out to be a great way for me to release my stress, anger, and anxiety.  I know that it’s almost common knowledge, but when you learn for yourself, and you get a chance to experience the positive effects of regular exercise, it’s even more awesome.  The  week we didn’t go to the gym was just pure laziness.  I have always had an anxiety disorder, but it had been getting worse these past few years, and for the second time this year I had a panic attack at work.

Monday morning started off the same as it always has, I pray that it’s actually Sunday, then I get ready and head to work.  At around noon I started to feel shaky, faint, short of breath, chest discomfort, tingly, etc.  I knew the drill, I just had to breathe in and out, concentrate, and wait for it to pass.  Only, it just got worse as the time ticked buy, and I tried harder and harder to reign it in.   Great, I happen to be having one of the worst panic attacks, at the office.  I was experiencing 8 of the 13 symptoms below, for 3 hours straight, before I gave in and went home.  

“According to the DSM-IV-TR, a panic attack is characterized by four or more of the following symptoms: “
1. palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
2. sweating
3. trembling or shaking
4. sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
5. feeling of choking
6. chest pain or discomfort
7. nausea or abdominal distress
8. feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
9. feelings of unreality (derealization) or being detached from oneself (depersonalization)
10. fear of losing control or going crazy
11. fear of dying
12. numbness or tingling sensations (paresthesias)
13. chills or hot flushes

Luckily my cousin had some meds handy and with a nice concoction I started to feel “better.”  I had to miss work the next day, because I still had half of the symptoms of the day before.  by this morning, I was actually starting to feel almost normal again, when this afternoon, it started all over again. Tingling followed by lightheadedness, then pounding heart, the fear of losing control, and shortness of breath etc.  I tried to calm down on my own, to no avail.  I finally sat down and spoke to a friend/coworker.  They too suffer from anxiety,and we were able to have a short conversation, that seemed to help me overcome it.  I decided that I will no longer skip gym time, which I have so quickly begun to depend on.  I knew I had been feeling really antsy, lately, and I that voice was chiding me for not listening.

-Madeline

That Stranger in the Mirror

One Tuesday evening, as we were getting home from work, my cousin and I started talking about our childhood.  We were remembering her favorite pair of tie dye jeans, that she loved to wear.  We reminisced over how much smaller we were compared to our current sizes, and how we had always felt so big and fat in comparison to everyone our age.  We could look at pictures of ourselves growing in age and clothing size, and thinking, "I was only a little chubby here, and I thought I was the fattest person ever."  So many pictures & memories, of bad body images issues, body shaming we went through from family and at school.  I can remember being 8 years old and already much thicker than my older sisters, and constantly being reminded of how ‘gorda’ I was.

I was 8 years old here, and had been told enough times that I was fat, 

that I alredy believed it whole heartedly, 20 years ago this summer.

 My  left hand is  up, in an already practiced effort, to cover my nonexistent jelly roll.

It was starting to get a little depressing, so we decided to turn our self-hate into fuel for kicking our weight loss up a notch.  We first tried on some clothes that used to wear, so that we can gauge how much we need to loose/how long it would take us to be that size again. We can remember the number on the scale when we wore certain sizes. We both got our own far away looks in our eyes, thinking how we should have just kept on being healthy and not expanding. Then my cousin thought it would be very motivational if we took pictures of ourselves in just undergarments. She though ot would be something we can look at, when we wanted to eat junk or got too lazy to work out, to remind ourselves that we didn’t want to look like that again. 

I am not going to lie, after seeing the pictures of ourselves, stripped nearly bare, I was so close to tears.  At first I was stupefied, from seeing my whole front, back, and side view stripped so, and then I was disconsolate.  I know it seems ridiculous, that I was so taken aback, when there is a mirror or reflection nearly everywhere you go, and that I have to have seen my whole self before.  The reality is, I stopped looking at my reflection long ago, and I am not talking about when I brush my teeth, or wash my face.  I mean really looked at myself.  Some time ago, I must have made a conscious decision to not look at my body when I had no clothes on, because I hated what I saw.  It became a habit, to not look at my own body, because I didn't like what I saw, and I felt helpless in how to change it.  There are other personal reasons from my past, which have attributed to my self-disgust, but that’s just another excuse.  Seeing my self so stripped, and closely resembling a tan combination of The Michelin/Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, was a blow that hurt deeply, but somehow seemed inflamed my resolve. 

We decided to change the ‘diet’ up some, exercise 5x a week, and also keep under our daily calorie goal.  It’s been a little over a week, and so far it has been more successful than my slightly altered version of the LCHF diet, and easier over the weekend as well.  When I had my ‘cheat meal’ I didn’t gain 2-3 pounds as I did (plus more) when I was on the lchf diet.  Sometimes when you don’t see any results on the scale or with your clothes, doesn’t mean that there isn’t a change. I had to remind myself that I started this quest not only to get physically fit and healthy, but also mentally and emotionally.  I have already seen the physical, and emotional changes. I see my waist getting smaller (more like I now have a waist), and I am in a happier mood for longer periods of time.  I will keep carrying the pictures around with me, but I have been on this quest just long enough to have kicked some bad, and gain some good daily habits. 

-Madeline

Great Weekend and Terrible Food Choices

This weekend I went to my Aunt’s lake house with my cousins.  I had a marvelous time relaxing, and bonding with my family.  We watched movies, took naps, played card games, and went fishing.  We were eaten up by bugs, but we caught and released some catfish, a turtle, and bass.  For the first time, in almost a year, My Love got to take more than one day off!  Finally, a normal 2 day weekend for My Honey Pot :)

The one downside to this weekend, was that I ate crap for almost three whole days, and gained 4 pounds.  Four.  Pounds.  How the HELL does someone do that to themselves?  It’s ridiculous, and I only ruined all the progress I made.  So disappointed in myself, but tomorrow is another day.

All I can do now is try my best to lose this weight and get back on track.  Easier said than done, but I gotta do it!

-Madeline

My Horrendous Mother’s Day Weekend

This past weekend was the second Mother’s Day, I have been through, without my Mom.  My Mother was taken away from me, on July 31st, 2012 by Cancer.  She was diagnosed in May 2012, with stage 4 liver cancer, and was gone, an all too short, 3 months later.  My mother was my world, she was the only good in my life, the only one I truly cared for, and who cared for me just as much in return.  The Mexican Mother’s Day is the day before Mother’s day in the US, so the whole weekend was a constant reminder of the amazing mother that I lost.  It's sad that could not even wish my close friends and family a Happy Mother’s day.  It utterly consumes my thoughts, and I try to flee from this.  Then I had 4 other equally bad occurrences this weekend.

“And no matter what anybody says about grief and about time healing all wounds, the truth is, there are certain sorrows that never fade away until the heart stops beating and the last breath is taken.”

― Tiffanie DeBartolo

To top it all off with the proverbial ‘cherry’, these horrendous events obliterated my will power, and I ate anything I wanted for two whole days.  Never mind the fact that I was to start my first DietBet on Monday.  When I officially weighed in on Sunday, I found that I had gained 3 pounds.  By Monday morning, it was another 2 pound gain.  That makes 5lbs. total in one little bitty weekend.  I had to start my DietBet at a -2lbs.
 

On a happy note, I have survived the weekend, a little stronger for it.  If it weren’t for my Husband and a handful of close friends and family members (that didn’t cause other said occurrences), I don’t know what I would have done.  Also, I will not let this past weekend steal my focus, and now I know for future times.  I will lose the 5 pounds I gained, and I will lose a minimum of my 4% for my DietBet.  I am determined, ready, and nothing will stop me.

-Madeline

My (Slightly Altered Version) LCHF Diet

For those who don't know, or would like to know, I am on a slightly altered version of the LCHF diet. If you haven't tried it yet, or if you are a skeptic, please try it for at least 2 weeks. That's the time it took me to notice a big change in how I felt physically and emotionally.

I have so much more energy, my joints don't constantly hurt, and I no longer consistently feel uncomfortably full/bloated or gassy.  I no longer have to run to Pepto-Bismol, several times a week, due to having nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, or diarrhea (sometimes all at once).   Those were symptoms I was unintentionally harming myself with, by my unhealthy eating habits. These changes were just the most drastic. With the new healthier eating, I have also, lost inches and lbs. I am feeling full and content for longer periods of time, and actually keeping within my daily calorie goal.

I personally consider it more of a lifestyle change since I plan to eat this healthy from now on. I have been overweight since I was 8, and coming from a low income family with 4 other siblings, we had to eat cheap. That meant a lot of burgers, pizza, spaghetti, and sandwiches. We are also Hispanic, so add a ton of rice, tortillas, and beans. There was little to no exercise taught or done. My mom was a little protective of us, so when we were allowed to play outside, it was only until the sun started to set. As soon as we heard her whistle (which was heard from two streets away) it was time to run back home! With eating all those carbs and little to no vegetables, for over 18 years, it made it VERY difficult to transition in to a new healthy lifestyle.

I look forward to this new lifestyle and what it has in store for me. I already feel better, emotionally and physically. Can’t wait to feel even better. Glad I will have you all to encourage me along on this quest.

-Madeline

From Depression to Determination

I got on the scale this morning and was elated to have finally reached my first goal weight. I think that this is too good to be true, so I weigh myself again. Down another 2 lbs. in 30 seconds. Immediately, I realize that I have been deceived. For the last couple weeks, I have been weighing myself on a rug, because it’s too cold for me on the bare floor.  This morning I found out that it was a mistake. I completely forgot the most important step on weighing yourself properly; which is to do so on a hard flat surface.  I felt so betrayed and discouraged. I wanted to scream or cry. I came to work feeling like a failure, and tired from an unrelated disruptive sleep.

Two cups of coffee, and a tasteless (due to depression, I’m sure) part of brownie later, I get kicked of my funk. From somewhere, determination springs, and not only will I get back up and start anew, but I will try harder. I enter a #dietbet, sign up for a local 5K, and I purchase my first #fluertyband for the run. That gives me about six and a half months to get in shape enough to run the entire 5K. This is of course after I complete my 4 week diet bet.

As soon as the empowerment came, it ended. I suddenly remember that I can’t even run to my car without having to catch my breath. Walking fast, also makes me breathe hard. The most cardio I can do is 30 minutes steady up and down 3.0-5.0 speed on the elliptical trainer. Looks like I got myself in a pickle. Nevertheless, I will put my big girl panties on (and I do mean BIG girl panties lol) and Git-R-Done! Back to feeling determined :)

On another completely different topic, I went bowling for the first time in over a year.  Two days later, and I am so sore. How out of shape do you have to be, to get sore from bowling? I’ve never heard of it, and I assume that I am one of the lucky few. I cannot regret going bowling, because even though I got sleepy 45 min into bowling, I had a great night with my family. 

-Madeline

My Weekend Cheats

So this past week, I will admit, I had more than one cheat meal. I ate green beans and chicken tenders and a roll (or 3) from chicken express. I also went to The Flying Saucer in Fort Worth and sampled a few appetizers (most were mediocre at best), and then had some frozen yogurt. 

The sad thing was that none of the food was worthy of cheating on my diet, and I gained a pound. I can't even use the excuse of my  insatiable huger, days. Where somewhere inside you, something is roaring 'EAT ALL THE THINGS', all day and night before Aunt Flo comes for her monthly visit.

Nonetheless, I am back on the proverbial horse, and I will work my butt off (literally and figuratively), to lose the weight I gained and more :) 

-Madeline

One Month

I started my 'Quest to Eudemonia' on March 17, 2014.  Thursday marked one month of  being on my diet.

 I'm not sure how I feel about this whole month, I mainly feel relieved. Don't get me wrong, I am happy that I got through the first month.  Just form that sentence alone lets you know it was tough as hell.  I was tempted almost every day. Bad habits sure do die hard, and being over weight for 20+ years made this very difficult. 

My sister, who hadn't seen me since St. Patrick's day (start of diet), said she could tell I lost weight. I went to visit her and my nephews when she just blurted "You lost weight, your belly got flatter" I was surprised it showed since I actually only lost a little over 7 lbs, but a sister will not lie when it comes to something like this :) 

This week I am going to go a little stricter, with my (version of LCHF/Paleo/Atkins) diet.  I am also going to include some light exercise like walking on the treadmill, jogging/walking on the elliptical, stretches, and some weight training. 

Next week, when I get on the scale, I hope I am able to portray this woman's expression.

-Madeline

Game of Thrones Season Premiere, Cheat Meal, and Strawberries.

Tonight was the season 4 premiere of Game of Thrones, and it also happened to be our cheat day, where we watched the rather anticlimactic episode over pizza, and then some pretty tasty strawberries. Ended the show feeling full but not satisfied, and wishing I was the mother of 3 dragons. Back to work tomorrow and to burn off the 4-5 squared slices of super thin crust meaty pizza, that I devoured. 

-Madeline

Late Night Snack Cravings

I was just scrolling down my Facebook page, when I saw a post someone shared. It was about the ingredient carrageenan, and how it's a 'possible carcinogen and digestive problem causing ingredient!', and all I can think of is how much I want a snack! And that one of the things I have been craving is on that list of 'bad' foods, and how much I don't care that it is. Well, since none of the items on the list is in my house, I shall just enjoy some whole raw almonds.  :)

-Madeline

Sunday Night Blog

Just saw the season finale of The Walking Dead.  We mourned by drinking wine, and eating my cousin's delicious LCHF version of Zuppa Toscana.  Now I am full, tipsy and I want to go to bed.  

-Madeline