Kristen's Lapband Journey

Creeping in the right direction! And Question!!!

2012-01-24T13:24:00.003-06:00

Hello friends!

I meant to get on yesterday and restart my "Monday Weigh-In" posts but totally forgot. So this week it will be my Tuesday Weigh-In. As most of you know, I get on the scale more frequently than I probably should. I usually weigh myself every morning and every night before I go to bed.

Why do I weigh myself at night you may ask. I sometimes find it interesting to see how much less I weigh in the mornings compared to the night before. Sometimes it will be one pound less in the morning and like this morning, after using the bathroom of course, the scale read 2.5 pounds less! I'll take it!

My weight this morning was 178.2 pounds.

My goal is to be 160 by my birthday in April, approximately 11 weeks from now. That means I need to lose about 1.6 pounds each week. Because I have been in the 170's for about 5 months now, this isn't going to be easy. It means hard work.

And speaking of hard work, we are going to the Melting Pot for my boyfriend's birthday this weekend so that should be interesting. I guess I will be saving up all my calories for the day on dinner! No seriously.

Question...

It was so exciting to hit the 170's but I am ready to move on. The 190's came and went pretty fast...within like 2 months. The 180's took me about 4 months to conquer. But these 170's are tough.

Did any of you have this same problem? How long did it take you to conquer the few pounds keeping you from your goal weight?

I would love to know!! Have a terrific Tuesday!

Getting there...And NSV!

2012-01-13T12:00:00.003-06:00

Finally back in the 170's!!

Oh how I have missed you so! During the last month...New York City, Christmas, New Year's, etc....I worked my way up to 185 pounds. What a terrible feeling. I know it's something we all deal with this time of year but you tell yourself you aren't going to overeat but it usually happens anyways.

Starting January 1st I made a vow to myself that I was going to be back in the 170's as soon as possible. 12 days later I have arrived! This morning I weighed 179.4 pounds. Finally! I have eaten between 1,000 and 1,200 calories each day the past week and this has paid off for me. I feel a little deprived at 1,000 calories but I feel satisfied around 1,200. Tonight I am going on a date night with boyfriend and we are either eating at Longhorn Steakhouse or Red Lobster. What shall I eat?! Eating out at restaurants, in my opinion, is the hardest thing for me. I was looking a nutrition facts online and at Longhorn they do have grilled chicken fingers and a house salad with dressing for around 600 calories. This may be what I eat if we go there. I don't eat fish so that is out of the question. I will eat healthy. I will eat healthy.

And as for my NSV...

I went shopping at TJMaxx yesterday...one of my FAVORITE stores...and came home with an exciting piece of clothing.

First of all I have been in size 12 jeans officially for the past few months, probably since October. I do have some size 14 that fit but most are a little too big around my waist. But yesterday I tried on size 12 designer jeans and they fit perfectly. Joe's, J. Brand, Ralph Lauren...all size 12's. I didn't end up buying any because I have a million pairs of jeans but it was awesome being able to fit in them.

But I did come home with a cobalt blue gorgeous dress in a SIZE 10!! What?! Now I must admit...it fits perfect from the waist up but it is a little tight around my hips. I would say I need to lose a little more weight before I wear it out but a size 10?! Holy cow.

I remember buying jeans that were size 22 and occasionally size 24 and now to be wearing 12's feels so great! If you have hit this milestone you know there is no greater feeling!

Just wanted to share! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!! I start my new job Monday so this is my last weekend of freedom :)

Little by little...

2012-01-09T17:03:00.003-06:00

So I am having one of those days where I feel renewed, refreshed, regenerated, motivated, excited and so on...

I have been doing good on the weight loss front...and this is the first time I have been good in well over a month! HA! A week ago I was around 183.4 pounds and this morning I weighed 181.2 pounds. If I can continue losing 2 pounds a week I will be able to hit my goal of 160 pounds on my birthday!! So fingers crossed :)

I had my first workout of the new year Saturday, 2 days ago. My dad and I worked out solid for an hour, sweated and burned about 300 calories. It felt good. I must be honest and say that was my first workout in a good while.

I also went to the grocery store and got a lot of good, heavy foods to eat. I think that is the main reason I am feeling good today. You know when you go to the store and only buy healthy foods and you tell yourself those are the only foods you can eat for like 2 weeks?! Well that gives me motivation and if I don't have the unhealthy food in the house, I can't eat the unhealthy foods. Did I spend way too much money? Yes. But it's worth it in my opinion.

Here are a few more pictures to share! About to head out to watch the National Championship!! I am a huge Auburn fan as you know so, as always, go TIGERS!!! Sorry boyfriend (who is a huge Bama fan!)

NYC Picture Post!! Weight..errr...gain. And Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T20:49:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year everyone!!

It has been almost a month since I have posted and so many things have happened...New York City, Christmas, New Years!!

First of all...NYC was amazing! I wish we could have stayed for a month but my checking account wouldn't have been able to handle that. It was barely able to handle 6 days! I took about 800 pictures but because that would take you an hour to look at them, I decided to post only a few :)

We shopped until we dropped, ate at some amazing restaurants, went to a Broadway show, went on some awesome tours, met some nice and not-so-nice people and best of all I made wonderful memories with some of my best friends! Maybe I will post some more pictures in another post.

Christmas was wonderful. Spent quality time with my family and friends. It always comes and goes so fast...which makes me sad. Today we spent the entire day taking down all the Christmas decorations. Sad again.

I spent New Years Eve in Auburn. We had a great time. Went to dinner and then to a local restaurant/lounge and heard a local band while bringing in the new year. Happy 2012. This is going to be a great year. Several resolutions have been set. Which brings me to my next point.

Weight loss. Weight gain. Whatever. Ha!

The day before I left for New York I weighed 178.8 pounds. And to be completely honest, since my surgery, I don't think I have eaten as bad as I did in NYC. Literally we ate out for every single meal. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and, on most days, dessert. For the first two days I tried to make health"IER" food choices. That didn't last too long. But I wasn't there to lose weight.

I felt heavier. I knew I had gained. But I was fine with that. Then only 4 days after we came home....Christmas....and all that delicious food for several days at all the family gatherings.

So the time came to weigh myself. Was I a little nervous? Yes. But as of yesterday morning, I weighed 183.0 pounds. Gained about 4 pounds in NYC and over Christmas. Typical I guess.

But lucky for me....today is NEW YEARS and the perfect time to start over. Right?! My goal still remains to hit my final goal weight of 160 pounds on my birthday. April 18th. That means 23 pounds in the next 3 and 1/2 months.

It can be done. I am ready :) Hope everyone had a fabulous and safe New Years!! Enjoy the pictures!

New York City. This is for anyone who has ever been to NYC!!

2011-12-06T13:58:00.003-06:00

First of all, thank you to those of you who have already given me suggestions for things to do in NYC. I have written them down, looked them up and found some winners!

But this post is for anyone how lives or has ever been to NYC!

My friends and I will be there for 6 days and 5 nights and trying to narrow down things to do feels impossible. I have been to New York once but I was only 13 years old. I do remember it like it was yesterday but I am beyond excited to go back and at Christmas! The fashion, the restaurants, the architecture, the lights...NYC is fantastic.

When it comes to restaurants here is our dilemma.

People have suggested some amazing restaurants with fabulous views and amazing atmosphere. But the problem is....when I pull up the menus online...
1) I can barely read the menu because I don't know what anything is
and
2) The meals are all at least $50 per person.

Now I do love atmosphere and nice restaurants but I do not eat super elegant food and typically if I pay a pretty penny for a meal I want more than a tiny little piece of meat. You know what I mean?

So my question for you is...

What are your favorite restaurants where we can get good quality food in a fun atmosphere for not too much $$$? None of us are too big on seafood if that helps. I have been researching but I figured asking people who has tasted it first hand would be a good idea. Our hotel is on 41st street and 9th avenue I believe...if this gives you a reference to where we are staying. I would love to go to some "off the beaten path", maybe not so crowded little cafes or restaurants if you know of any. Also any lounges you would suggest would be wonderful.

Also have any of you seen any good Broadway shows recently? We thought about going to see Wicked but it is coming to my home town in February for about half the price so I think we are going to hold out for that. Any smaller shows that are good? Ones that aren't so popular? I know some of these are fantastic but I don't know which ones specifically.

I believe the only "touristy" things we are doing is a tour of lower Manhattan, taking the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and doing the Ground Zero memorial/museum. Because 3 out of 4 of us have been to NYC we didn't want to spend all our time doing tours but wanted to do a few highlight tours.

Suggestions?
Ideas?
Must sees?
Shopping ideas?
Restaurants?
Shows?
What to wear?
Anything really :)

Thank you so much! 9 shorts days away!! Cant wait!!

Weigh-In. New York. Such an exciting month!

2011-12-02T15:32:00.003-06:00

It's Christmas time again!

The most wonderful time of the year in my opinion. The birth of our Savior and there is no greater feeling than being surrounded by family, friends, lights, presents, Christmas trees, holiday parties and love. But the greatest of these is love...by a mile.

When it comes to my family and Christmas there are gatherings galore. We start several days before Christmas and continue them until several days after Christmas. I have a large family on both sides and getting together with everyone is such a fun time.

An added bonus this year is my trip to New York coming up in 13 short days!! Thank you to those of you who have given me suggestions of restaurants, shopping, shows, etc. In such a large city and only 6 days we definitely need some good ideas! There are four of us girls going. We leave at the crack of dawn on the 15th and return Tuesday night, the 20th. So excited! Going to NYC during Christmas has always been a dream of mine. Many pictures will be taken I can assure you!

I also wanted to give a little weight update. Unfortunately Thanksgiving and all the delicious food got the best of me this year. I didn't think I overdid it too bad but after a nearly 3 pound gain in the last two weeks, I guess I should have been more conscience of what I was eating. This morning I weighed 179.2 pounds. Still in the 170's thank goodness but about 3 pounds higher than I was in mid-November. But as of yesterday I am back on the bandwagon. The holidays are just hard when trying to lose weight. Period.

After much contemplation and thought, I have decided that I want to set a final goal for myself. Some people don't like to set goals that are set in stone but it gives me the motivation I need.

I have always said that my final goal weight will be 160 pounds. That is also a huge milestone for me because I started my lap band journey at 260 pounds and that would be a 100 pound loss. I am currently 179 pounds, thus I need to lose 19 pounds in total. By April 18, 2012, my birthday, I would love to hit my ultimate goal.

That would mean I need to lose 19 pounds in the next 4 and a half months. That is roughly only a pound a week starting now. If I want to make this easy on myself I need to start asap. So that is where I am at. I have lost 81 pounds and I am proud of how far I have come. 19 pounds to go. These will be the hardest but I am ready for the challenge!

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Holidays!!!

Recent pictures and weigh-in!

2011-11-17T19:32:00.004-06:00

The weight it coming off! Slowly but surely.

This morning I weighed 176.8 pounds!

This is only 1.6 pounds away from my all-time lowest. (About 6 weeks ago at the end of September I got down to 175.2 pounds.) I will be there again hopefully very soon. I have made myself stick to around 1,000-1,200 calories per day and have not budged for the last week and a half. This week I had a good exercise session on Tuesday and also today.

The weekend always scares me because my family and I always seem to eat at the best restaurants on the weekends and that makes it so hard to be good. But it's a must. There is no turning back. I know the rules of eating out...I just have to stick to them.

I also found something so cool the other day. I was in a cleaning mood and decided to go through my "junk" drawers to organize important papers and throw some things away. I found my original lap band journal that I started about a year before my surgery with notes from doctor visits, questions I had for my doctor, notes from the seminars, etc. I found a sheet of paper I filled out with my nutritionist about 2 weeks before my surgery. She put down that she wanted my goal weight to be around 180 pounds. At 80 pounds down from 260 pounds (which I was 260 pounds at that time) and being 5'7'', 180 pounds would be the perfect place to end up. I told her at that time I would love to get down to 170 pounds and she agreed this would be reasonable.

All that to say...180 pounds has come and gone and I am on my way to a healthier me :) At the time 80 pounds to lose seemed so far away and so hard to do but as you know with hard work and determination anything is possible.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I am going to see Dave Barnes in concert tomorrow night. He is the best!

The Scale. New York City. Pictures.

2011-11-07T18:17:00.004-06:00

Its been about two weeks since I have posted but it feels like an eternity. I have tried to keep up with all the blogging but haven't taken a second to blog myself.

I have been great. Really great and very happy with the way my life is going right now. Loving spending all my time with my boyfriend, Kevin, his daughter and all my friends and family.

I guess all this happiness has caused me to not care so much about the scale. Or maybe going to so many delicious restaurants and making poor food choices is just causing the scale to head in the wrong direction.

Nevertheless....

About two weeks ago I weighed in around 177 pounds and this morning I weighed 180 pounds. Not absolutely terrible but definitely heading in the wrong direction. I am wanting to be 169 pounds by my trip to New York which fortunately but unfortunately is only 38 days away.

1 pound lost every 3 days....uh oh.

Maybe it can be done. Who really knows at this point. Today I have eaten 1,300 calories and I am done for the day. Regardless...I am fulling capable of getting my healthy eating back under control and I realize 3 pounds gained isn't anything to cry over.

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And now....New York City!! The Big Apple!! NYC here we come in 38 days!!

Myself and three of my very best friends are going to New York City the week before Christmas and we are ecstatic! I have only been to NYC one time and I was 13 years old and the city means a million times more to me now. First of all there is no way we are going to be able to cram in everything we want to do in 6 days but dang it we are going to do our best! Pretty soon I am going to need restaurant recommendations, tour recommendations, etc. We are also very excited about our cute hotel which is only about 5 blocks from Times Square.

We are leaving at the crack of dawn December 15th at like 5 in the morning and getting back December 20th around 10 at night. We still haven't started the detailed planning of the trip but soon we will sit down and figure everything out day by day. Any suggestions you may have are welcomed by me!

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Lastly, here are some pictures from mine and my boyfriends trip to Auburn last weekend! Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Happy 2nd Bandiversary!!

2011-10-24T22:51:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my 2 year bandiversary!! Time sure does fly by!

I remember all so well the months before my surgery preparing to make one of the biggest decisions of my life. Going to numerous nutrition classes, doctor visits galore, sleep studies and the list goes on and on.

Until finally October 23, 2009 came and marked such an amazing day in my life. I can proudly say I am a much happier, healthier, smaller, more confident version of myself. I am staying pretty consistent in weight loss from last year to this year. Within my first year of having surgery I lost 41 pounds. Within my second year of surgery I have lost 42 pounds. And in total, since beginning my lap band journey, I have lost 83 pounds. I am 8 pounds shy of my goal of being in the 160's by my 2 year bandiversary (yesterday) but I am thankful for every single pound lost. My scale read 177.2 pounds this morning and I am well on my way to my ultimate goal of 160 pounds.

Not only have I changed physically but I am a better person mentally and emotionally. Going from a size 22 jeans to a size 12 is wonderful. But as a female, being able to cross my legs is priceless. Being able to swiftly walk up stairs and not be out of breathe is amazing. Seeing that I actually have collar bones is great. Looking forward to eating healthy and going grocery shopping for healthier food is fun. I never thought I would look forward to working out and sweating to death in the gym. And seeing people I haven't seen since before my surgery and having them not even recognize me is amazing beyond words.

Thank you to all of you who have offered such kind words of encouragement to me over the past couple of years. We have grown together as family and we can all relate to each others struggles and accomplishments. That is priceless and thank you for your friendships.

Getting back down!

2011-10-04T15:19:00.006-05:00

Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Let's jump right in. Time for my weigh-in:

This morning I weighed 178.2 pounds.

(Last Monday I was at 180.8 pounds)

Hey, I will take a 2 pound loss in a week anytime!! My main focus right now is not just eating around 1,000 calories per day but making sure they are 1,000 good, nutritious calories. Making healthier snack choices, drinking plenty of water and not eating absolutely anything past 8 p.m.!

*Side note: I think back before my surgery when I used to eat anything and everything if I was hungry. My job at the time had me getting off work at 11 p.m. and at least 4 times per week I would go through the drive-thru at either Taco Bell or Wendy's and eat around 800 calories at that time alone!! I was hungry after working and wanted a "snack". I can't imagine now putting that many unhealthy calories in my body at 11 p.m. much less 800 calories and sometimes more!!

But my goal still stands....to be in the 160's by October 23rd. That would require losing 9 pounds in the next 19 days! Approximately 3 pounds per week. Hard goal? Yes but I'm going to give it a go! My dad and I have been exercising more so this is a plus. Last Thursday and yesterday we mapped out a 3-mile walk in my neighborhood which was pretty intense with all the steep hills. I also went to the grocery store last night and splurged on $130 worth of healthy foods. I went a little overboard but I wanted to be prepared for the next few weeks. I made sure to get nutritious meals, low-calorie snacks and lots of protein! To me being prepared and planning out your meals is key and will help you to not overeat or eat the wrong foods.

Also, the nutrition and weight loss seminar at my church starts tonight and I am super excited about it! My dad and I are both doing it and it lasts the whole month of October every Tuesday night. It is completely free to come and the man leading it is a weight loss/nutrition/health freak who lost something like 100 pounds in 6 months. I have heard he is inspirational and has tons of good tips and tricks to teach us. If I learn anything super interesting, I will fill you in!!

***********

I have been looking at all your pictures from Chicago and it looks like y'all had a blast!! I hate that I couldn't go this year and I miss seeing all my friends from last year. I know there were a lot of new girls that got to go this year too and I hate that I couldn't meet all of you but hopefully next year!! Everyone looked wonderful and it was good to see your smiling faces again :)

Time for a jump start!

2011-09-26T21:54:00.002-05:00

Ladies...gentleman...how is everyone doing on this lovely Monday? I havent posted in a few weeks so it is time for a new post.

Things have been the same for the most part...work is still keeping me busy, along with friends, family and my wonderful boyfriend. I am a sales auditor so you would figure as sales start to slow down towards the end of the year so would I. That is not the case...I stay just as busy. This is a good thing though. Definitely makes the days go by faster.

It's football season again so you know I have been enjoying those Auburn games. We have had season tickets since before I came to be so football seasons are a fun time around my house. This brings me to my next point. While football season is full of fun and excitement, it is also full of delicious and at the same time terrible-for-you food! Ugh!

Let me back up for a minute. Last week Monday through Friday afternoon I did so well with my eating. Stayed around 1,000 calories a day. Got in a few good 3-mile walks with my dad. From Monday to Friday afternoon I was down about 3 pounds. I actually got down to 177.2 as of Friday morning. This was my lowest weight so far. I was ecstatic.

Well here comes the weekend. After Chinese for dinner Friday night, Irish pub with the parentals before the game Saturday, Pizza Hut (although I only had 2 pieces) for dinner Saturday night and Ruby Tuesdays for dinner last night...that 177.2 came and went pretty quickly.

This morning....

I weighed....

180.8 pounds.

Ugh. Why do we do this? We know portion control. We know what to eat and not eat. We know how to lose weight. But sometimes the rules fly out the window...right?

So anyways, time for a jump start. My goal is to be in the 160's by October 23rd (yes this means 169.8 pounds does count!!) 28 days to lose 11 pounds doesnt seem so realistic but I am going with it as best as I know how.

Ironically my church is doing a weekly ealth and fitness class each Tuesday for the whole month of October starting next Tuesday. It is free to anyone that comes and they will teach techniques to lose weight, the best exercises for certain parts of the body, what foods to combine with each other and what foods to not combine with each other. I am super duper excited about this and my dad is going to go with me!! It is exactly the motivation I need to lose these 11 pounds!!

Today of course I was good (who wouldn't be after seeing you gained 3 pounds in 3 days!) I ate around 900 calories but tried to get as much protein as I could.

Here's to the next 27 days of losing weight! Can't wait for this seminar at my church. It came at the perfect time :)

Lately...

2011-09-08T21:45:00.002-05:00

Hey friends!

I have missed all of you lately. I had been trying to keep up with your blogs every few days but haven't been on here as much as I would like to be. I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts about Chicago but it makes me a little sad because I can't go this year. I will miss all my friends from last year and I hate I won't be able to meet new friends this year. But I know all of you will have an amazing time! Please bring back tons of pictures...I know you will!

As far as my weight, it has been up and down the past few weeks but as of today I am back down to my lowest. On August 26th I hit 178.6 pounds which is my lowest ever. I had been in the 180's since May and I was ready for a change. The past 2 weeks I have gone up and down...from 178 to 183 and I am pretty sure this has something to do with football parties, going out of town and tailgating. But this morning I was back at 178.6 pounds...on the dot. I am good with this. I know how to work my way back down after a weekend of being "bad". The trick is going to be learning how to not be "bad" on football weekends...full of tailgating and delicious food. Especially since football season just started! Ahh!!

Here are a few pictures from this past weekend :) Have a fabulous Friday!

Finally!!

2011-08-27T10:35:00.002-05:00

I am pleased to announce my weigh-in results from yesterday!

Seeing that I have been in the 180's since May 1st (or May 4th...I can't remember) I was ecstatic to see a new number on my scale!!

After about 2 weeks of hardcore discipline my scale said 178.6 pounds yesterday morning!! Finally in the 170's!! This makes my total weight lost 82 pounds since having surgery and it sure is a great feeling.

Originally I wanted to be 160 pounds (my goal) by my 2 year bandiversary which is October 23rd. But seeing that I would need to lose 18 pounds in the next 7 weeks seems a little too hard and quite frankly healthy for myself. My new goal is to just see the 160's by October 23rd. If that means 169 pounds I am perfect with that and if that means 165 pounds I am good with that too. Either way I need to lose about 9 more pounds in the next 7 weeks!!

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I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I am headed in about an hour to Nashville with my family and some friends. My parents are having a reunion with a bunch of their good friends from high school and everyone is bringing their kids to "show off" as my mom would say.

Happy Saturday :)

Getting back down to my lowest!

2011-08-16T22:00:00.003-05:00

Just wanted to do a little blog update with an exciting daily weigh-in!

Now I am the type that weighs myself each morning no matter what. I know some of you are completely against the idea of this and may only weigh yourself once every few days or maybe even once a week.

I just can't stay away from the dreaded scale. Sometimes we like each other and sometimes we don't. There are some days where it just doesn't want to move and some days it moves....just in the wrong direction. I am fine with this. But I still consistently weigh myself each day. I have a routine....

Get out of bed....

Use the bathroom...

Take any pajamas off....

Then weigh myself.

I keep track of my weight and all my goals with a dry erase marker on my bathroom mirror so I have a daily reminder of where I am and where I want to be.

I find this time in the morning to be my most true weight.

**********

Well I have been eating well and been very disciplined for the past 2 weeks or so. Trying to get in at least 60 grams of protein, 70 oz of water and as much fruits and veggies as I can.

Two weeks ago I was around 186 pounds.

This morning I weighed 180.8 pounds!!!

My goal is to be around 160 pounds by my two year bandiversary which is October 23rd. I realize this means I must lose about 2.2 pounds a week according to my math. This doesn't seem like the most healthy option but I will do what I can do lose the weight in a timely manner. Even if I can hit 169...which means losing 11 more pounds...that would be amazing!

I have been in the 180's since May and frankly I am just ready to see 179 pounds! I also realize it isn't seeing a number on the scale that makes you skinny but with each pound I lose I gain motivation because I am getting closer to where I need to be.

And thank you so much to everyone's sweet comments on my last post! I love comparison pictures and I just wanted to share a few with yall!

Lastly...here are a few pictures from the Braves game with my Kevin this past weekend. The Bravos lost but we had a great time spending the day with each other! Have a wonderful Wednesday :)

Oh how we love comparison shots!

2011-08-14T00:52:00.002-05:00

It's always fun when you run across pictures of yourself pre-lapband.

A few days ago I was looking at old pictures and came across some from my cousin, Lindsay's birthday trip to the beach in May of 2009. It was 5 months before my surgery and right around my heaviest weight of 260 pounds.

You don't always remember how far you have come until you see yourself in an old picture.

Beach trip--May 2009:

Beach trip--July 2011:
2 years passed and 80 pounds gone!

Hope everyone has a fabulous Sunday! Kevin and I are headed to the Braves game tomorrow in Atlanta against the Cubs! Watch for us on t.v.!! :)

It's been a while...

2011-07-24T20:24:00.003-05:00

Where do I even begin?

First of all, I never intended to be on a 2 month hiatus from my blog and thank you to those of you who stuck around! So many things have happened since May when I did my last post. It's been a roller coaster ride to say the least but I am happy and that is what matters the most.

I guess there is no easy way to post this so I will go ahead and get it out of the way. Burch and I, who I was with for 3 years, broke up at the beginning of May. Without going into too many details out of respect for him, I will just say the relationship took its course and we are better off not being together. It was my decision and it was definitely not mutual but I hope and pray he finds happiness again. He is a great guy who deserves so much in life but I realized that lifetime partner he needs is not me. It was a hard decision but one that had to be made.

With all that said, I have found happiness again and couldn't be better. I am dating a guy named Kevin. I have known his brother for the past year and a half and that is how we met. He is so precious to me and treats me like a princess and is one of most genuine, sincere, caring guys I have ever come to know. I feel privileged that God brought him to me and I look forward to what the future holds.

Now....

as for my weight loss...

Haha!

It has been a roller coaster. I just got home yesterday from an 8-day beach trip with the family and I definitely gained some weight during this trip (as expected).

The lowest I have seen on the scale since I posted last was around 181 pounds and that was sometime towards the beginning of June. The day I left for the beach my scale read 182.6 pounds. And as of this morning my scale read 186 pounds. That is a 3.5 pound gain at the beach which is unfortunate but somewhere around what I expected.

My ultimate goal is to lose 100 pounds by my 2 year bandiversary which is on October 23. My starting weight was 260 pounds and my goal is to be at 160 pounds. I currently weigh 186 pounds so that would mean I need to lose 26 pounds in the next 3 months. This goal is difficult but attainable. Starting tomorrow (haha it is always tomorrow, isn't it?) I have to get back on track. I am a member at Snap Fitness and for the next three months I need to be taking advantage of this. I will do the best I can and I intend to keep yall updated a little more often than once every 2 months!

Thanks again for sticking around and keeping up with me! Below are just a few pictures from the past few weeks! Have a great week!!

Weigh-In!!

2011-05-19T02:04:00.003-05:00

I feel like I haven't posted in forever! It hasn't been that long but it sure does feel like it!!

Decided I would do a little weigh-in before I call it a night :)

This morning I weighed: 184.6 pounds!!

My goal was to be 185 pounds or below by June 1st so as long as I stay at this point I am feeling good about it. I actually hit my absolute lowest weight of 182.6 pounds on Monday but since then I have eaten a little bit of Japanese and Mexican food and they don't like my scale very much. But I am very pleased with 184.6 pounds. That puts me around 75 pounds lost total and about 25 pounds to go until my ultimate goal weight!!

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In other news:

I went this past weekend to Auburn to visit my friends Kyndal and Kelsey and their family! We had a great time together and Saturday during our shopping trip I bought a pair of jeans and a pair of pants....both of them SIZE 14!! I can't explain what an amazing feeling that is! Here are some pictures of me and my girls and my brother! Hope you enjoy :)

Monday Weigh-In

2011-05-09T21:03:00.003-05:00

! This morning things were looking good on the scale. Sometimes our scales love us and sometimes they really don't like us. But today I am super excited!!

I hit my lowest ever of....

186.8 pounds!!

Goodness! My monthly goal is to be at 185 pounds by June 1st. I am thinking that shouldn't be too hard considering I have 22 days to lose 2 pounds :)

Total weight loss: 73 pounds
Total weight to lose: 27 pounds!!

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I had a huge NSV tonight!! Back when I worked at Anthropologie, before my surgery at the weight of 260 pounds, I would buy all kinds of clothes because I could get them for such good prices. Designer dresses, designer jeans, jewelry....at like 70% off and sometimes more than that!

Back in the summer of 2009 we had a pair of Joe's Jean denim capris go on sale from $178 to $99. Then they went on sale from $99 to $49 and I eventually got them for like $20! One problem, they were a size 32 (US size 14). I was a size 20/22 at this point and could literally barely get them over my knees. Every 3 or 4 months since my surgery I can put them on a slide them a little higher but still way to small for me.

The last time I tried them on before tonight was right after Christmas. I got them to barely come all the way up but the zipper was so far from zipping it wasn't even funny. I saw them hanging in my closet tonight and decided to try them on.

I couldn't believe what happened. They fit! Completely fit without the slightly pulling or sucking in. They are such a perfect fit around my waist and on my legs...I couldn't believe what happened!

Now that I know I can fit into Anthropologie's pants and jeans there is a big shopping spree in my future. I can finally buy the clothes I have loved for years.

180's!! And QUESTION for you New Yorkers!!

2011-05-04T10:51:00.003-05:00

Woohoo!!
This morning the scale loves me :)

I now weigh 189.2 pounds!!

Total weight lost: 71 pounds
Total weight to lose: 29 more pounds!!

I have been in the 190's since around the first week of March so I was ready to see the 180's. As you know my goal is to lose 5 pounds a month until October in order to hit my goal of 160 pounds by my 2 year bandiversary on October 23rd. This means by June 1st I need to be around 185 pounds to stay on track.

With the help of Snap Fitness (which I am joining with my mom tomorrow) and Lean Cuisine hopefully I can stay on track!

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Question for all the New Yorkers and New York Lovers:

The hotel my friends and I are most likely going to stay is called The Distrikt Hotel. It looks nice, modern and relatively close to some of the main attractions. The location is West 40th St. between 8th and 9th Ave.

Now this doesn't mean anything to me since I am not familiar with all the streets and avenues and roads, etc. But for those of yall familiar with the city, is this a good location? How long of a walk is it to Times Squares, etc? Thanks for your help!!

Everyone have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Up, down, up, down.....

2011-05-02T10:42:00.005-05:00

Does anyone else seem to have the same "up, down, up, down...." problem as me when it comes to the scale?

This morning my weight was 191.4 pounds. I could feel that I hadn't lost any weight this weekend although I did eat sensibly. One week I will be 190.8...the next week 191.6...the next 190.4 and so on and so forth. I wasn't surprised at my weight but I did want to hit 189 by May 1st. Looks like that goal didn't pan out quite as planned haha.

My mom and I decided we are going to Snap Fitness this Wednesday to sign up and join. Maybe this will be the boost I need.

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Some of you messaged me and asked me so I figured I would answer on here...

I'm not going to Chicago this year :(

Not because I wouldn't LOVE to go and not because it wasn't an absolute BLAST last year and not because I don't miss all you girls.

The main reason is because I only have 2 weeks of vacation each year at work. I am using my first week of vacation for the beach this summer and I am using my second week of vacation to go to New York City with my girlfriends the week before Christmas. Because NYC is going to be a pretty costly trip, I am saving all my money for that trip. It makes me sad because I loved meeting you amazing girls and Chicago is such a fun city but I had to pick and choose and unfortunately I have no more vacation at work to use :(

**I think my girlfriends and I have finally chosen a hotel in NYC. In another post I will ask you New Yorkers and New York lovers if you know anything about this hotel and see if the location is a good one!!

Although I am looking forward to NYC, it makes me sad that I will be missing out on Chicago this year. So moving on.

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Here are some pictures from Easter I said I was going to post. I will do another "Photos I Love" post soon! Enjoy and have a blessed day!!

God is mighty! And Photos I Love FOOD WARNING

2011-04-28T09:40:00.005-05:00

First things first...

Alabama is in a state of shock right now after all the devastating tornadoes have ripped through our state. Countless homes destroyed, many lives have been lost and cities torn apart. I thank God for keeping my family and I safe from these disasters but other people are not so fortunate. One tornado ripped through the city of Bessemer and was only about 5 miles from my house but we didn't have any damage thank goodness...just really strong winds. Pleasant Grove, a city where I basically grew up because my grandparents are from there, is torn to shreds. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the pictures on the news today. But God is merciful and mighty and will not be shaken. Please continue to pray for the families who have lost loved ones and who have lost everything they own. I can't imagine. Thank you for those of you who checked on me!

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On a happier note...

I weighed 190.4 pounds this morning. Now if you recall I weighed the exact same last Thursday. This may not seem like a victory but considering all the food I ate on Easter and my weight of 194 pounds on the scale Monday morning (3 days ago), this is good news. 190.4 pounds is my lowest weight to date since my surgery so I was at least hoping the scale would read 190.2 pounds...but it will have to do. I am trying my best to stay away from all the candy that was in my easter back haha. Regardless, I am wondering when I will see the 180's?

I have been trying to figure it out...

And to stay on track to be 160 pounds by October 23rd (my 2 year bandiversary), I must be at 189 by the beginning of May...2 days away...and consistently lose 5 pounds a month. This is a hefty goal but we will see what happens.

My mom and I are joining Snap Fitness next week and this is motivation for me. Do any of yall go to Snap Fitness? I have never been there but it's pretty inexpensive to join, it is open 24 hours AND it is only 3 minutes (literally) from my house....so I'm doing it. Maybe I will make myself go more than once a week :)

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So for this picture post I wasn't sure whether I wanted to share with you pictures from Easter or a "Photo's I Love" post. I decided to do some pictures I love and I hope you enjoy them. We will do Easter pictures later!

*WARNING*

These pictures are of deserts such as cupcakes, cakes and donuts so here is your warning. There are beautiful and delicious and fabulous.

Out of these 12 pictures, which are your favorite 3? Do you like donuts, cupcakes, cake or candy the most?!

Enjoy!!

Birthday Extravaganza!

2011-04-21T09:18:00.004-05:00

Well hello again friends!! My life has been so crazy busy I am just now getting around to doing my birthday weigh-in post! First of all, thank you so much to all my fabulous friends who told me happy birthday on facebook! I have the best friends in the world :)

So let me just say...I had such an amazing birthday weekend this past weekend! It was jam packed with fun, family and friends!

Friday my brother, Trey, graduated from Fire College Rookie School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and the ceremony just happened to be right in the middle of a tornado. During the middle of the ceremony, they were like "EVERYBODY GET OUT IN THE HALL...THE TORNADO IS ON ITS WAY!" We all ran out in the hall and had to stay there for about an hour until the tornado passed. It literally went right over the building where we were. I was saying my prayers! After it was all over we all went outside and the metal roof had been peeled off, trees were all snapped in half, tree limbs were covering the parking lot...it was scary. So that was interesting to say the least. But Trey graduated and my whole family was there...and we had a good time together. Afterward we all went to dinner and Friday night my friends came from Auburn to spend my birthday weekend with me....along with my cousins, Lauren and Leah.

Saturday we spent the day shopping at some of my favorite stores, came home and changed, grilled out with my parents and went to see Insidious. That was a scary/weird movie!

I had been wanting to go to Six Flags for months and decided that is what I wanted to do for my birthday! So Sunday we all went to Six Flags...six of us and had the best time!! We literally left my house at 8 in the morning and didn't get home until 10 that night! All my friends spent the night and left early Monday morning!

Monday, my actual birthday, I had to work from 9-6 (bummer) but then my parents took me out to one of my favorite italian restaurants and it was delicious!

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Now let me tell you how up and down my weight has been. First things first, I didn't hit my weight loss goal on my actual birthday. Here is a list of my weight since Friday, April 15th.

4/15: 191.2

4/16: 190.6

4/17: 192.0

4/18: 193.8 (Birthday...thank you Six Flags food!)

4/19: 192.8

4/20: 191.4

4/21: 190.4...Today!!

As you can see I had originally hit 190.6 last Saturday and was super happy about it but after this past weekend it slowly went up. But the past few days after my birthday I have been working hard to get that weight back off and boom! This morning my lowest yet....190.4 pounds!

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Hope everyone is having a great week! Thank you again to all your support and encouragement! Yall are the best! Here are some pictures from the weekend...hope you enjoy :)

Photos I Love: Pink edition!! And low, lower, lowest...

2011-04-14T00:06:00.005-05:00

I am excited to report my lowest weight yet. Although I feel a little obnoxious reporting my weight every few days this is something I am working my butt off for and it makes me happy. It is nice to work towards a goal and see your hard work pay off. My revised birthday goal was to be at 190 pounds by my birthday, April 18th. This is 4 days away.

This morning I weighed in at 191.8 pounds. I have lost about 69 pounds total and about 21 pounds since the beginning of this year. I have 31 pounds to go until goal weight!! Will that day ever come?

I have managed to keep my calorie count around 1,000 a day and in the past 3 weeks I have probably only eaten out at restaurants 2 or 3 times total and absolutely zero fast food. This has saved me some money that's for sure! I have been making sandwiches, salads and eating lean cuisines pretty much every day.

This weekend I have to be super strict on myself. Weekends always seem the hardest for me. I tend to snack more and eat more calories on the weekends. This weekend is going to be busy. Friday my brother is graduating from fire college rookie school...I am so proud of him! We are going to dinner after with our whole family. Saturday I have to work from 9-12 and then some of my girlfriends are coming over to spend the night...that night a bunch of us are all going to dinner for my birthday...Sunday we are all waking up early and driving to Atlanta to go to Six Flags for my "birthday party"!! I haven't been in years and I can't wait!! Then Monday night, my actually birthday, my family and Burch are all going to dinner (again! haha) for my birthday dinner!

All that to say....will I see 190 on the scale Monday? We shall see!

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And now....for my Photos I Love: Pink edition! Pink is my favorite. Do you have a favorite picture? Enjoy :)

Two more pounds and I will be overweight...

2011-04-11T00:58:00.002-05:00

I couldn't fall asleep so I will do a quick little post. I figured it is better for me to get on the blog rather than heading over to the MAC website to spend goodness knows how much money on things of which I have way too much.

So I haven't calculated my BMI in what seems like months so I decided to do that earlier tonight. I believe right before my surgery my BMI was around 39.8. I remember it being just a hair shy of 40 before my surgery.

I guess I should preface this with telling you my weight from this morning. I am happy to announce this morning my scale read 192.4 pounds! What in the world?! To be completely honest, the numbers are going down faster than I thought they would! Who knows...maybe my scale is pulling a fast one on me but after getting on and off about 10 times, 192.4 is what it read each time.

This is good news considering my original goal by my birthday, which is one week away, was to be below 200 pounds. My revised goal was to be at 190 pounds by my birthday. That may or may not happen but regardless, 192.4 pounds is good news for me :)

So back to my BMI....I refigured it tonight and my exact BMI is 30.1. Someone with a BMI of 25-29.9 (an average of course) is considered to be overweight and no longer obese. According to the charts, I have been obese since early high school so it actually feels great to be considered overweight. I believe I need to weigh exactly 190 pounds to have a BMI of 29.9. Maybe I can hit 190 and hit this milestone on my birthday, next Monday. We will see!

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Lastly, seems like yall like my "Photos I Love" posts so I will keep those coming! And I have plenty of pictures to share with you!! You are going to love them!!

Hope everyone has a great week! Watch the video below...I saw it tonight and it makes my heart smile :)

Photo's I Love: Fashion edition

2011-04-08T10:09:00.004-05:00

For this edition of Photos I Love I decided to do fashion photos...clothes, shoes, etc. As you can imagine I have hundreds of pictures similar to these on my computer but decided I probably shouldn't post all of them. That would be one loooong post! Here are a few....enjoy :)

Which one is your favorite picture....#1-9?

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P.S. Happy Friday...weight this morning was 194.4 pounds. Getting there slowly but surely. I have 10 days until my birthday!! I am hoping for 192! Everyone have a wonderful day!

Countdown: 13 days!! And Photos I Love..Rooms edition :)

2011-04-05T10:52:00.007-05:00

I was excited to see my weight on the scale this morning so I figured I will do another quick weigh-in.

And the number of the day....

194.8 pounds! What?!

How do you lose 2 pounds in one day?! Maybe I was bloated yesterday? Who knows!

Total pounds lost: 66 pounds

Pounds lost since beginning of the year: 18 pounds

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I have my lunch and dinner for today packed and ready to go. I made a vow to myself that I am not going to eat out at all this week...maybe the weekend....but not during the week. Yesterday I ate around 1,300 calories including all meals and snacks. Today I have packed around 1,050 calories with meals and snacks. Unfortunately this week I work until 9 pm so I won't have enough time to get to the gym and get in a workout before it closes. I guess I could go walking in my neighborhood when I get home but I don't prefer to go walking at 10 pm in the dark haha. So it looks like it is all about the diet this week.

Thank you for your encouraging and sweet words. We all know how good it feels to set a goal and hit it...hopefully that will happen :)

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Some of you asked me where I got my white lace top I posted in my pictures a few posts ago and it is from Target. I got in about 6 weeks ago and I love it. If only it came in more colors I would have them all!

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I will leave you with some photos I looooove! A few months ago I started doing "Photos I Love" posts. I love the concept, I did a few, then for some reason I stopped. But I have albums on my computer with literally hundreds and hundreds of pictures I love. I should start doing those posts again :) So to start things back up....here are some Rooms I Love! Which one is your favorite? Mine would have to be room #1! Enjoy!

Slowly but surely...

2011-04-04T08:21:00.002-05:00

...The weight it coming off. This morning the scale read 196.8 pounds. That would be a one pound loss since Friday (3 days ago). I will take that any day. And that was with not one ounce of working out haha!

I went to the grocery store last night and I have all the ammo I need to lose some weight before my birthday, officially 2 weeks away! I stocked up on about 20 healthy choice, lean cuisines, smart ones, kashi meals, etc. I know some people are against eating these meals because they are high in sodium, blah, blah ,blah....but I love to eat them for lunch at work. They are quick, 300 calories or less and a lot more healthy than what I used to get in the drive thru back in the day. I also stocked up on my favorite greek yogurt, tons of lettuce for salads, turkey burgers, tons of turkey deli meat, bottled water, etc. I am ready. I have no excuse now :)

I was laughing at my dad yesterday because he is doing this weight loss thing at his work and his whole office is participating. There are like 5 teams and 4 people on each team. For 10 weeks they try to lose as much weight as a team as possible and whoever loses the most wins something....Im not sure what. But he is a total procrastinator! Haha they only have 2 weeks left until the challenge is over and he said he has only lost like 2 pounds and the rest of his team has lost like 10 or 15 each! He is average size and can't possibly need to lose more than 10 more pounds. He works out like crazy but he doesnt eat so healthy...I guess those balance each other out.

But last night he was like "Hey Kristen, at the grocery store will you buy me some of those cardboard-tasting healthy meals in a box? My goal is to lose 10 pounds in the next 2 weeks." Haha and he was dead serious. Men make me sick because he will probably lose those 10 pounds while I will be kicking my butt trying to lose 4! I knew he meant he wanted lean cuisine, healthy choice, etc so I bought him some. Dad, you crack me up :)

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Anyways, here's to losing 4 more pounds in the next 2 weeks! Stay strong, Kristen, stay strong :)

Birthday countdown: 14 days!!
Have a good Monday everyone!!

Rough week for weight loss! Plus a picture post!

2011-04-01T08:59:00.004-05:00

Hey friends!! TGIF, right?! I know I'm excited! Sorry I have been a little MIA...

I actually dread doing posts like this when I know my weight loss has been going in the wrong direction for the past week.

Since the beginning of the year I have lost 16 pounds and yes, I am proud of that. But this past week I have gained...slightly. Slightly as in 1.6 pounds. This is sad news considering I have been kicking butt and doing so good. This is the first time this year I have seen a true gain on the scale.

The only thing I can contribute this to is my poor eating choices and eating way too late, later than I ever eat. I have been working from 11-8 everyday. I eat lunch around 2 at work and I don't get hungry until around 8 when I get off. It's not that I have been been eating terrible food, just not as healthy as I have been eating and at like 9 pm! This has got to stop. Seriously.

As of this morning I weighed: 197.8 pounds

Gain of 1.6 pounds from my last week weigh in. I realize this could be worse and in the scheme of things 1.6 pounds isn't terrible but you don't want to see your hard work go out the door.

I have 18 days until my birthday! I realize 190 pounds is out of the question haha but maybe 193 is possible. We will see :) Back to business!

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On a happier note...I have some new pictures to share with you. Enjoy and have a fabulous Friday!!

My family :) Trey, Mom, Dad, Me

Family plus the girlfriend/boyfriend :)

Friends! Trey, Kelsey, Kyndal, Me, Burch, Tyler and Karly :)

Burchfield and me at dinner!

Kelsey, Trey and Me!

Dad with me and Kels! Love him!

Kels and I at church :)

Brother and sister duo :)

White girl at the Red Box! Ha!

Weekly Weigh-In...Question of the Day: plastic surgery edition!

2011-03-22T10:40:00.003-05:00

I am a day late on my Monday weigh-in but nevertheless, it is a good day!! I will just jump right in...

Last Monday: 198.6 pounds

Today: 196.2 pounds!!

Loss: 2.4 pounds :)

This means I have about 4.5 pounds to go in the next 27 days to hit my birthday goal of 192 pounds!! I have been working hard so we will see what happens!

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And now for my QOTD:

Let's talk plastic surgery...answer only if you feel comfortable enough. I know some of you have already hit your goal weight but most of us are working our butts off trying to get there. I also know that some of you who are already at that "maintaining" stage have opted to have a breast lift/tummy tuck/etc.

I was just curious...When you hit your goal weight and lose all the weight you are wanting to lose, are you wanting to follow your weight loss with plastic surgery of any kind such as a breast lift, tummy tuck, etc.? I know there are people on both sides of this issue. Some people that absolutely do not believe in plastic surgery and vow they will never do it and then there are people like me that are all for it when they get to their goal weight.

So for my answer, depending on what my insurance says, my saggy skin, etc., I would love to be able to have surgery to fix my loose skin and lift the twins so they don't hang down to my belt :)

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Happy Tuesday everyone!!

Monday Weigh-In and some weekend photos!

2011-03-14T20:49:00.003-05:00

Is it Monday again?! Goodness gracious! Where did the time go?

This past week just flew by for me and the weekend went by even faster. I have actually been working 6 days a week since the beginning of January at my job because this is our busy time of the year. Ehh. The overtime is nice but I can't say it makes up for having only one weekend day. So working six days a week and trying to fit my social life into one day, Sunday, has been interesting. My family actually went camping on the lake this past weekend on Friday and yes, everyone went on Friday except for me :( I joined everyone down there Saturday around 5 pm when I got off work. They are actually going camping again this week Thursday until Sunday.....and you guessed it. I will be joining them again Saturday when I get off of work. We had a good time though and camping on the lake is one of our favorite things to do together!

Today is also my boyfriend's birthday but we did his birthday dinner last night! He wanted to go to his favorite Japanese restaurant and because that is my favorite kind of food I was totally down with it! We went with my brother and his girlfriend, Kelsey, and had a great time with each other! (Pictures at the end)

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On to weight loss:

I had a really exciting week with the scale. Last Monday I was at 199.6 pounds.

This past Thursday I got down to 197.0 pounds!! It was probably because I was super strict on myself from Monday until Thursday. But just like clockwork the weekend hit me hard. Not too hard I guess but never the less, there was a slight gain.

After Friday, Saturday and last night's Japanese extravaganza...this morning the scale read....
198.6 pounds!

This is a total lose of 1.0 pounds since last Monday. I wish it still said 197.0 like it did Thursday but after the way we ate last night, it was totally expected! I am happy with it.

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I will leave you with some pictures from this weekend:

Monday Weigh-In

2011-03-08T00:20:00.003-06:00

I guess it is technically Tuesday now, 12:21 in the morning, but I didn't have time earlier to do my "Monday Weigh-In" so here is goes.

I was a little hesitant to get on the scale this morning because I had a carefree weekend eating wise. But thank you scale for liking me today...

Last Monday: 201.2 pounds

Today: 199.6 pounds

Total loss: 1.6 pounds

Phew...that was a close one but I am still holding strong in onederland! Hey, I would still say onederland if my scale read 199.9999995 pounds! I did good today and ate about 1,100 calories so I am looking for the number to keep dropping slowly but surely.

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Today I started thinking that I need to re-evaluate my weight loss goal for my birthday on April 18th. At the beginning of the year one of my goals for 2011 was to be in onederland by my birthday, the big 2-5!! But seeing that goal has come and gone I need a new goal for my birthday. It is about 5 weeks away. I figure 190 (which would mean losing 9 pounds) is a little too hopeful for 5 weeks but maybe I could do it. I was thinking more like 193? I am the type of person who needs to have goals set and something to work towards. This keeps me motivated and things interesting! Here's to April 18th and the big 25 :)

QOTD!!

2011-03-06T16:49:00.003-06:00

First of all, I want to send a HUGE thank you to everyone for your sweet comments on my last blog! Getting into onederland is such an exciting milestone. I remember last year being stuck in a 6-month-plateau in the 220's and thought I would never hit 219 to save my life! Well finally that day came and went...then came 215....then 210....then 200. And last Wednesday as you all know I hit 199.0 pounds. It sure does feel good to say that.

Well...

Since Wednesday, maybe I haven't been as strict as I should have been. Well Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I was decent with my healthy eating but yesterday was a joke! HA! After two not-so-healthy eating out adventures with friends and family, my scale wasn't happy with me this morning. I will wait until tomorrow to chime in with my "official weigh-in" but let's just say I shouldn't have said goodbye to the 200's so soon. Here's hoping that tomorrow the scale will like me again. We will see.

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So here is another QOTD for you:

Since having lap band surgery or since beginning your weight loss journey, what are some healthy foods/snacks you have discovered that you now can't live without?

Side note:
For me, because I am such a strict calorie counter (or try to be 95% of the time), I usually let myself eat whatever I want in moderation of course. If I am at a restaurant, I look up the menu and all the calories on one of the twenty iphone nutrition apps (totally not an exaggeration) and determine how much of something I can eat. This allows me to know exactly how much I can eat and how many calories I have consumed.

But as far as a single food item I have discovered since my surgery, I would have to say I found that I love greek yogurt! With 15 grams of protein for every 6 oz. of yogurt, this is a great food to start my day with in the mornings and it gives me 25% of my daily protein in no time. My favorite brand is Chobani. The flavors include strawberry, peach, blueberry, vanilla and many more. The plain greek yogurt is at the top and real pieces of fruit is at the bottom. When you open the container, mix it all up and enjoy! At any given time I probably have at least 10 of these in my refrigerator. I find that Super Target usually has the most flavors in stock at a time and they are fairly inexpensive. Not as cheap as some other brands but very reasonable. If you have never tried this, please give it a try! You will love it!

What are some of your favorite "healthy" foods you have discovered since losing weight?

ONEDERLAND!!

2011-03-02T08:06:00.004-06:00

61 pounds down and I am finally in ONEDERLAND!! Yesterday morning I got on the scale and it kept going between 199.8 and 200.0 so I decided to wait until to today to officially claim onederland! I believe the last time I was in the 100's was my freshman year in high school...around 10 years ago! In total I am 61 pounds down and 39 to go to reach my goal of 160...which I am hoping will come by my 2 year bandiversary on October 23, 2011!

So many things have changed since saying goodbye to these 61 pounds! Just to name a few:

My biggest NSV is that I no longer find myself shopping the "big girl" sizes all the time. I wear a true XL in shirts and size 16 jeans. For instance, last night I went to TJ Maxx and I always used to go straight to the back to the plus sizes. I realized last night I haven't even been back to that section of the store in months. I have been shopping the XL shirts and dresses in the juniors section. Being a fashion major this makes me so happy! When you spend 4 years studying trends and fashion but you aren't able to wear designer clothes you dream about, it is frustrating. But little by little I am getting closer to that day. When I hit my goal weight of 160 I am going back to my previous employer, Anthropologie, and having a shopping spree like no other!

A few other things...I wasn't able to cross my legs without straining and now it has never been easier. I am also a jewelry fanatic and used to wear size 9 rings...now I find myself buying size 7! And lastly, I have so much more energy throughout the day...it is amazing what weight loss does to your energy level!

I was going to take a picture of myself but seeing that I just woke up I decided to post the most recent on of myself. This is my cousin Lauren and I from this past Saturday night.

Thank you all for your support, kind words and encouragement! I consider you family and love you all! Have a great day!

And the scale says...

2011-02-27T09:05:00.002-06:00

.....200.8!! As of this morning I am 0.9 pounds away from the magical 199 that I have been thinking about since before my surgery. Those of you who have already hit onederland know how good it feels to finally say you are no longer in the 200's!! That is something I have been looking forward to for years! Even though I still have 40 pounds to go, you feel like being in the 100's puts you in a different category or something. I don't know how to explain it but it sure is a good feeling :)

My original goal for 2011 was to be in onederland by my birthday on April 18th but seeing that it shouldn't take me 7 weeks to loss 0.9 pounds, I need to reevaluate my goals. My new goal I set for myself last week was to be under 200 by March 1st which gives me 2 more days! Maybe 190 pounds by my birthday? My ultimate goal is to be 160, my goal weight, by my 2 year bandiversary which is October 23rd of this year...we shall see!

Anyways, thanks for reading my weight loss ramble! My heart is happy!! Hope everyone has a great Sunday! Im off to church with the fam and going tonight with my cousins and my mom on a girls night out to dinner and to see "Never Say Never"...the Justin Bieber movie! Yeah yeah...he is like 16 but we love little Bieb!! Talk to yall soon!!

Weigh-In and Question of the Day!!

2011-02-23T09:58:00.002-06:00

Weigh-In:
Yesterday I weighed in at 201.0 pounds!! Onederland, just one more pound and I will be yours forever! :)

So yesterday was a great day. I ate about near perfect, ate right at 1,100 healthy calories and ended my dad with a 45 minute hardcore cardio workout. I feel as if I may have hit the 200 pound mark today but when I got on the scale this morning the battery light was blinking. It is so dead it won't even give me one last weigh-in. I frantically ran around the house trying to find those flat circular batteries and couldn't find any.

Oh well. I will just have to be good today, get some batteries at the store and hope for the best tomorrow. Thank you everyone for your encouraging words! I figured the last time I was in onederland was probably around 10th grade...so about 10 years ago. As of yesterday I have officially lost 59 pounds...hoping for the big 60 tomorrow!!

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QUESTION OF THE DAY:

I decided to start a little thing called "Question of the Day" or "QOTD". Some of you already do this on your own blog but sometimes random questions pop into my head, usually band related or nutrition related, and I wonder how I compare to some of you.

My question for today is....On average, how many calories do you try to eat a day to lose weight or maintain your weight if you have already hit goal? I say "try" because sometimes we overdo it and eat way too much, not on purpose of course :) But on average I try to stay around 1,200 calories. Sometimes it may be a little lower around 1,100 and sometimes I eat up to 1,400 but most of the time I am a stickler for counting every calorie I put in my mouth and I try to keep that around 1,200.

Hope yall have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Calling all New Yorkers and New York lovers!!

2011-02-21T00:17:00.004-06:00

I have been meaning to do this post for a few weeks now and I figured some of you will be a tremendous help!

So three of my girlfriends and I are planning a trip to New York City the week before Christmas. We haven't decided whether to go for 5 days, 6 days or a whole week...just depends on what specials we can find. One of my best friends, Kyndal, is graduating from Auburn on December 13th and we have to be back in Alabama on December 23rd. So we are thinking of going the 15th to 20th maybe...something like that.

We have just barely started looking at hotels. I must admit I love planning trips of any kind...from start to finish. I love picking the hotel, finding fun restaurants, shows, shopping...you name it. But I must admit in my quick NYC hotel searches I felt completely overwhelmed. I went to a popular hotel website and narrowed down my search: sleeps 4, between $$ and $$$, this certain area of town....and wouldn't you know 150 hotels pop up. Omgoodness. How in the world are we going to choose?

This is where all my fabulous New Yorkers and New York lovers come into play! I have only been to New York once and I was 14 years old and it was in July. I loved it, every minute of it! But I have always dreamed of going back when I was older around Christmas time. Everything means so much more to me now...the fashion, the architecture, the shows, the sightseeing, the city's history, etc.

I figured with four girls all between the ages of 21 and 25 we need to stay somewhat in the middle of town, a more lively area rather than the outskirts of town even though the outskirts are cheaper. We are definitely willing to pay more to be near the "hot spots".

I have been asking around and some of my friends have suggested a few boutique hotels in the city. I was really excited about one in particular because it was cute and very reasonably priced but they only have rooms that sleeps 2 people. Strange...most hotels have rooms with two double beds but not this hotel. Had to cross that one off the list because we only want one room that sleeps 4.

For those of you who live in New York or for those of you who have been, what are some specific hotels you would recommend in the city and reasonably priced (between $200-$300 a night)? What are the best areas to stay in? Would you recommend right in Times Square? Soho? Upper East Side? Maybe a little Sex and the City? :)

Another question is do you know of any websites where I can find some good deals and specials on hotels, flights/hotel packages or any other NYC deals?
Do you think we will get the best deals the earlier we book or are certain months better for bargains than others?

We figured if we aren't going until mid-December we have a good 9 months to plan everything. We are hoping to find some good deals since we are starting early. Flights for December seem to be around $330 round trip when I looked the other day which isn't bad. We will plan restaurants, shopping and shows much closer to time.

I think that is all for now. I know I will have more NYC questions later but I know you all that live there or visit regularly could make it much easier for me haha. Thank you for your help!! Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday :)

Does it ever feel so close you can taste it?

2011-02-18T10:59:00.003-06:00

TGIF!! So I realize it isn't Monday, my normal weigh in day, but I was happy to see the number on my scale and wanted to share the victory!

No, I am not in onederland yet but it sure is close!

My scale this morning read 202.4!! What?! Some days I do not like my scale at all but today we are in love! And if I must tell on myself for a minute...I only worked out once last week even though it was pretty intense and this week I haven't worked out at all. But I have been watching my diet hardcore. Guess that was the contributing factor. Maybe with a workout or two next week I can see the 100's. Finally!! I will keep my fingers crossed!

Have a fabulous Friday!! :)

Picture Post!

2011-02-15T09:12:00.005-06:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hope everyone had a nice V-day :) Burch surprised me with beautiful roses last night and the biggest box of chocolates I have ever seen. Looks like those are going to go straight to work to share with friends haha. We havent done our Valentines dinner yet because we both have crazy work schedules so we are either going to do it tonight or Saturday night...I am letting him choose.

I figured since I havent done a picture post in what seems like forever it was time for one. I have had fun filled weekend and wanted to share some pictures with yall. Hope everyone has a great day!

My cousin, Leah, was in a pageant this past Saturday night. She was a knockout and even though I am slightly biased, she was the prettiest one by far.

She came in 2nd place :)

Gorgeous!

The fab four...forever and always :)

Lauren, Leah and Lindsay...my cousins/sisters/best friends...all of the above!

Lauren and I!

Love her to pieces!

Burch wanted to get in on some of the camera action haha

Kelsey and I. Kelsey and I go way back. Her older sister is my best friend and Kelsey is now dating my brother Trey...cute huh? She came into town for the weekend to spend Valentines with Trey. My parents took Kelsey, Trey, Burch and I all out to dinner Sunday night before Kelsey had to head back home.

Trey and Kels. Background is typical...my messy room :)

I was waiting on him to take a picture...

Brotha and Sista!

Love them!!

The wild and crazy foursome :)

Last but not least...Kelsey and I getting ready before dinner!

Happy Heart Day!

2011-02-14T09:53:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Whether you are single, dating or married, hope everyone has a fabulous day!! Let's all try not to eat too much chocolate...Lord, help us.

Love you all!!

Easy come, easy go!

2011-02-09T23:49:00.004-06:00

Back in business ladies!

After my 4 pound trip-to-Atlanta weight gain I was a little upset with myself. Darn cheesecake and italian buffet! But like most of you commented on my last blog, pounds that are easily put on are the easiest to take off. I made sure that starting this past Monday I was going to be super strict on myself this week and I am sticking to my plan. Even though I had a long stressful day at work yesterday I made myself go to the gym. My sweet brother met me there and we worked out for an hour....stretched, elliptical, treadmill, lifted weights....the whole nine yards. It felt good, really good.

The scale this morning read 204.0 :)

Only 1 more pound to go before I get back down to my lowest weight!!

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Just wanted to share that exciting piece of information. Doesn't it feel good to know you are doing the right thing...working out, eating healthy, etc....and then it shows that very next day on the scale? Man...nothing better!

I am going to get back to watching "Betty's Kitchen" on youtube. Yall should go check this lady out! She has over like 800 videos of her cooking all different types of food...some healthy, some not healthy at all. Maybe because I am feeling hungry at the moment I am using these videos to virtually feed my stomach haha! Some call it torture but I love watching cooking videos!

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Oh, here is a picture of my brother and I about an hour ago outside in the SNOW!! Down here in Alabama we don't see it that often so we take every opportunity we can to jump in it, play in it, take pictures in it, make snow angels and the list goes on! I look so short because I am standing on a lower step...he is taller than me but not by 2 feet haha! And if you look really closely you can see my new G35 in the background...Feeling so fly like a G35! ;)

Have a good night everyone!!

Sweet dreams :)

WARNING: Food overload

2011-02-07T09:45:00.002-06:00

Hey Monday everyone!

It's be a week since my last post so I decided to get on and do a quick little post. I also need to do my Monday weigh-in (uh oh) but let me preface that with the story of my business trip last week.

Last Wednesday through Friday I had to go to Atlanta with my boss from work training. It was my first official business trip and we had a great time getting away from the office and meeting new people. I am a sales auditor and it was a training session for all the auditors of the company in the southeast. The king size suite just for myself wasn't so bad either :) We got to Atlanta around dinner time Wednesday night and stayed until Friday afternoon.

This brings me to the main reason for this post....all the food, food and more food they provided for us. Keep in mind the company paid for every penny of this trip and it seemed like every meal was a buffet of terrible (well actually delicious but terrible for you) food options.

Wednesday night we all went to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. I decided on a semi-healthy food choice but it went down hill from there. They ordered everyone a piece of their own cheesecake which a piece of cheesecake alone is around 1,400 calories. I ate about half of it but still figured my calorie count for the day was around 2,500. Wow!

Thursday was even worse. I didn't have time to eat breakfast which was my first mistake. For lunch they provided FRIED chicken (ugh), mashed potatoes, salad drenched in ranch dressing, huge butter soaked rolls. I tried to eat only very small amounts but the calories were still more than my normal lunch allotment. Dinner wasn't provided until around 7:30 which is later than I usually eat and it was an italian buffet...literally. They had spaghetti, fettuccine alfredo, chicken parmigiana, lasagna, every kind of pasta you can imagine, caesar salad and huge garlic bread sticks. I made terrible food choices....yes I can admit it....and literally filled my plate with food. After eating almost all of it (I don't know where my band was at this point), I felt sick. I knew I had eaten more than I had eaten in a loooong time and my stomach was cussing at me.

All this to say...I stayed away from the scale until this morning. I was scared to get on and figured it would read something ridiculous like 215 or something! HA! Well I finally got on and keep in mind last Monday I weighed 203.6 pounds. The scale read 207! I had very mixed emotions. I was instantly glad I still weighed less than 210 but then I quickly realized I had gained 3.4 pounds in the last week...mainly thanks to my Atlanta trip! Holy smokes!

I know all too well that this isn't the end of the world. We all have our ups and downs. Our "vacation days" where we slack and eat whatever we want. I am all for rewarding myself once in a blue moon but not for 3 days straight. And it just sucks because I had such an awesome 9-pounds-lost month in January. I have been working out and seeing the weight come off and putting back on 3 pounds is never fun as yall can probably relate. But I am still down 5 pounds from the beginning of the year. Kristen, keep your head up and keep going.

So that brings me to this week. I am not going to eat out at any meal from today to Friday. I am going to pack my lunch like I had been doing for weeks before my Atlanta "Food" Convention haha. I am going to count every last one of my calories because this is what helps me stay on track.

Onederland, you are 8 pounds away but I am coming for you!

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Monday Weigh-In. My NEW Car Pictures!!

2011-01-31T10:16:00.003-06:00

Happy Monday!

Time for another Monday Weigh-In:

Last Monday: 205.8
Today: 203.6

This past week I had a total loss of 2.2 pounds. I actually gained a pound and a half from two days ago, Saturday. Saturday morning the scale read 202.0 pounds. But Saturday and Sunday I went to Atlanta to get Burch, my boyfriend, and helped him move back to Birmingham. He has been living in Atlanta since November looking for work but actually found a job in Birmingham and starts this Thursday. This is such an answer to our prayers. Burch and I had a great date night Saturday night. We went to this new japanese restaurant in Atlanta and it was delicious. I haven't eaten Japanese food in almost two months and it was time to give in. It is my absolute favorite type of food! Hands down! All that to say, I gained a pound and a half back and I would say it was because of that hibachi dinner.

Total weight lost: 57 pounds. I have lost 9 pounds since Janaury 1st. This was a great month for me. If I could lose 9 pounds each month I would definitely hit my goal by my two year bandiversary in October. But I need to lose 4 more pounds to be in onederland! Hopefully that will only take a few weeks to get there!

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In other good news, I am getting my new car this week! I have had my eye on one G35 in particular for the past two weeks. I went last Thursday and test drove it and fell in love! It's a 2006 Infiniti G35. I told the dealer I wanted it and I am going to get it one day this week!! Do yall know anyone that wants to buy a honda accord? haha. We are going to fix the honda up this week and get it ready to sell. I am going to miss my big red. I have had some great road trips and great times in that car but it's time for something new.

When I was test driving it last Thursday I pulled over in a vacant parking lot and took some pictures! Here are a few:

Hope everyone has a fabulous Monday! Don't work too hard ;)

Onederland...you are oh so close!

2011-01-26T10:58:00.004-06:00

Little weight loss update:

Last night I had a great workout after work. I was at the gym from like 8:45 to 10 pm...I stayed much longer than I expected. I did the spinner bike for 20 minutes...biked about 5 miles, lifted weights for about 10 minutes, did the ab machine for about 10 minutes (I can definitely feel the burn today) and then met two really cool men who showed me some cool new exercises.

There were only about 5 people total in the gym when I got there and I was the only female haha. These two younger high school guys were working out together and then these two men probably in their 40's were working out together. The two older men were muscular and buff and looked like trainers. You could tell they knew a thing or two about the gym. I was minding my own business on one of the arm machines when I heard "Hey hon! Do you want us to show you some really awesome things you can do with these machines that you might like?"

I was like sure, why not?! So for about 30 minutes they walked around with me and showed me some modified exercises like they do. They were super nice and you could tell they knew what they were talking about. They said they work out at that gym Monday through Friday from 9-10:30 and said I was more than welcome to join them if I was ever in there at that time. Although I felt a little intimidated with these two body builders (they might as well have been) I was proud of myself for jumping right in and showing them what I was capable of. They showed me one of their favorite exercises they nicknamed "the killer". Basically you get down on your back on the ground, you hold a 30 pound bar in the air, you stick your legs straight up in the air and you lift your back end up in the air towards the bar. It works your arms and abs and man you can feel it!

After talking with these two men, I found out one of them was my brother's little league baseball coach like 10 years ago. He had told me I looked so familiar to him and we traced back the connection. Small world!

That brings me to this morning. I get up on the scale and I hit my all-time low! 204.6 pounds! I couldn't believe it! Total of 56 pounds lost! Onederland is getting closer and closer. And I want to say thank you to all of you who continue to support me on my weight loss journey. Like I have said before, we are all a family on here. And a huge part of success is having people who truly care about you, keep you in line when things get tough and congratulate you when you are doing good! So thank you! You are the best :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!!

New car update and Monday weigh-in!

2011-01-24T09:26:00.009-06:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! I worked Saturday so with Sunday being my only day off this past week, my weekend was short but fun filled! Saturday night I went with Kim (fellow blogger) to eat at Panera and see Social Network. We had a great time together! And it was a good movie...interesting how facebook came to be! If Mark Zuckerberg could just share some of his 25 BILLION with me...I'd be grateful :)

So car update:

For those of yall who don't know, the past few months my poor little honda has had problem after problem. I have a 2000 red honda accord coupe. I got it in 2004 and it has been a great reliable car since. It looks like this one below:

Well lately, I have had a stream of bad luck. First my transmission started making terrible noises. We went to have it checked out and $1,800 later I have a new transmission. After only having it back a few weeks, another weird noise started happening. We took it back to the car place and another $600 later they tell us the motor was about to go out so they had to fix something (I dont know all the technical terms). I am supposed to get it back tomorrow and after much talking with my parents and weighing the pro's and con's, I think we are going to sell it and I am going to get a new car! I will miss my big red! I have loved that car since the day I got it but I think it's time. Weird how you feel a connection with your car isn't it?

Anyways, we figure it will be better to get rid of it while the transmission and motor are brand new before the next big thing goes wrong with it. So now for the exciting NEWS! My reality dream car is a pearl white Infiniti G35. I say reality dream car because sure I would love a white on white Range Rover sport that costs $75,000 and many other cars way out of my budget but this obviously isn't going to happen.

FYI...Last year for my mom's birthday she wanted a new car. She always asked my opinion of what car she should get and I told her how awesome the new G35's are. She went and test drove them and she fell in love. So now my mom has the brand new white Infiniti G35. I always tell her she is driving MY dream car haha. Of course hers has the rear camera, dual air controls, high tech navigation, touch screen navigation...which mine won't have...but it is leaps and bounds from what I was driving!

But anyways, all this to say....The past few days I have been looking high and low for a white infiniti. My uncle who owns a car dealership said Infiniti G35's are hard to find and white is the hardest color to find. I have found three I like...one is about an hour from me and two of them are in Atlanta. I can't afford the brand spanking new infiniti G35 but the three I am looking at are the 2006 model. This is what it looks like:

I am going with my dad and mom sometime this week to look at the one closest to my house and this weekend (if they are still there) I am going to look at the two in Atlanta. Me and mommy are going to have cute matching twin cars...except hers is the mommy version and mine is the daughter version haha! I love it! Keep those fingers crossed :)

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On the weight loss front, this morning I weighed 205.8 pounds! This is a new low for me. My last check in with yall I weighed 206.6 pounds last Wednesday. That is a 0.8 pound loss but I am on my last few days of my period so I am thinking the bloating may be a contributing factor. This means I need to lose about 6 more pounds by April 18th. Maybe I should make my goal a little harder haha. I was thinking I would be further out from 200 than I am. That means over the next 12 weeks I have to lose 6 pounds. Piece of cake! Onederland feels so close I can taste it!

I managed to work out twice this week at my NEW GYM! I went Tuesday and then I went Thursday. On Thursday my fabulous dad went with me and helped me tremendously! He showed me what to do...how many to do...and the proper way to do it. I have never been so sore as I was on Friday but it felt good. I tried to force myself to go workout yesterday but my lady cramps were bothering me too much and the midol wasn't helping. But I am all over the gym this week...don't you worry!

Ok friends! Time to go get ready for work! Hope yall have a fabulous Monday!! Don't work too hard!!

Update: First day at the gym!

2011-01-19T09:46:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a good day for me! I had my first workout at my new gym and it felt so good. I got there around 9:30, filled out some paperwork, got my fancy membership card, got a tour around the gym by the owner/hot head trainer and then began my workout. I forgot to bring my ipod and my phone was charger in the car, so I was left to watch the Today show on the TV in front of me while I was on the treadmill. There was only about four people in the gym and two of them were with trainers doing a personal training session. It definitely feels a lot more intimate and relaxed than other gyms I have been to. There aren't 100 people running around with loud music and you feel like all the men in there are watching your every move. Ugh. So that is a huge plus to me.

I started out on the treadmill. I walked for 4 minutes and then ran 1 minute...and then repeated this 4 times. So I did the treadmill for 20 minutes and it said I burned like 100 calories or something like that.

Next I did the sitting spinner bike or whatever it is called. I did that on a level 8 for 20 minutes and burned another 100 calories. It said I biked 5 miles...I don't know whether burning 100 calories on this machine is considered a good workout but it sure did work my legs and I could feel the burn. So I take that as a good thing.

Lastly I lifted free weights for about 10 minutes. 10 pounds in each hand and I did some weight lifting I learned from my dad. After about 45-50 minutes...I was done with my workout for the day. I got in their 7-foot granite shower (super nice shower), got ready and headed to work.

It's such a good feeling when it is only 11 in the morning and you already feel like you have accomplished so much. For the last week at work I have been super strict about packing my lunch for work and counting every calorie I put in my mouth. So yesterday overall was a great day for being healthy. A workout, lots of water and healthy, calorie-smart meals.

This morning it was time to weigh in...like I do every morning. And the scale read.....206.6!! My all-time lowest! My lowest before this was 208.4! Where the heck did 207 go?! I never even saw it on the scale! I am ecstatic!! That is a total of 54 pounds lost and exactly 6 pounds lost since January 1st when I weighed 212.6 pounds. I am in the zone, mentally, spiritually, physically, and I really feel like this is my time to shine. You know sometimes when your heart just isn't in it and it is easy to eat junk food and slack off? Well I have those moments, we all do. But right now, I am in the zone and I feel like it's my race to win. Thank you for your kindness and continuing support. We are all a family on here! Hope yall have a great Wednesday!

Gym. Membership. Starts. Tomorrow!!

2011-01-17T23:15:00.003-06:00

Happy Monday everyone!

So I know tomorrow is just an ordinary day for most everyone, just another Tuesday....but for me....tomorrow is the day I am starting my 3 MONTH GYM MEMBERSHIP! I have been holding onto the pass for a few months but tomorrow is the day! And yes, there was a rhyme and reason for starting the gym tomorrow.

For those of you who didn't know, a few months ago I bought a 3-month gym membership to one of the best gyms in the state! I got an awesome deal and snatched it up. Pretty much it is 3 months unlimited access to this state of the art gym and the 3 months starts from the first day I go. As most of you know, my goal is to be below 200 pounds by my birthday on April 18th (and God willing, hopefully it will be sooner!) I am starting the 3 month membership tomorrow, January 18, so that the 3 months at the gym will end on my birthday. I saw this as a fitting why to keep myself motivated to workout and eat healthy in an overall effort to hit my goals!

I work from 12-8:30 so I am going around 9:30 to be able to workout for an hour, shower there and then head to work. Even the showers at this place are like 6 foot granite walk-in showers that could probably hold 10 people. They also supply shampoo, conditioner, soap and towels...pretty nice it looks like. I already have my lunch and dinner packed and ready to go.

The reason this is a big deal for me is because when I exercise or workout, I usually go walking around the neighborhood or walk on trails near my house or walk about the track at a local high school. I am not used to using fancy equipment during my work out. I also found out a few days ago the gym offers 5 types of workout classes and I have unlimited access to all of them. They offer body pump, zumba, ab workout classes, spin classes and kick boxing. How fun!

I don't want to waste this opportunity. I want to be able to push myself and go to the gym at least 4 times a week, maybe 5. I think this is where my weight loss will kick in and hopefully I can see some exciting results. I do wish I had someone to go with. I like having someone to talk to, workout with, motivate me...maybe that just means I will have to hire one of the hot personal trainers to be my motivation. That wouldn't be so bad :)

So wish me luck! Thanks for the support friends! Hope yall had a fabulous Monday!

Things I Love...

2011-01-13T23:21:00.005-06:00

I love when I stumble upon someone's blog and they have a list of the things they love. There are so many things we take for granted and sometimes it's the little things in life that make us truly happy. Besides the obvious family, friends, boyfriend, etc....here is my version:

Things I Love...

1. Taking photographs...anything, anytime, anywhere
2. Sleeping in on mornings that I don't have to be anywhere
3. Taking long showers with the water as hot as I can stand
4. Curling up in my bed and watching Sex and the City DVDs
5. Taking random roadtrips with friends...to anywhere really
6. Blaring rap music and dancing around as if I was on the front row at their concert
7. Watching makeup guru's on YouTube talk about their favorite products
8. Pink flowers of any kind
9. Going to Barnes and Noble and looking at all the coffee table books
10. Going shopping of course....for anything
11. Making a list and being able to check things off when I complete them
12. Watching people get tattoos...I am trying to think of what I want my first one to be
13. Having a birthday in April because my birthstone is a diamond
14. Getting my hair done...I could fall asleep in that chair every time
15. Black eyeliner...I don't leave my house without it on
16. The smell of homemade peach cobbler lingering around the house
17. The way my legs look when I wear obnoxiously high heels
18. Marilyn Monroe...typical, but true
19. Dreaming up my once in a lifetime trip to Europe
20. Laughing so hard until it hurts
21. The way two people look at each other when they are completely in love
22. Antique stores and the history each item tells
23. Good smelling perfumes
24. The feeling you have after a good, intense workout
25. Sephora...it is my guilty pleasure
26. Side swept bangs
27. Corn chips with guacamole and salsa...I could eat it all day long
28. The movie "The Little Princess"...always been one of my favorite movies
29. Looking at pictures on Flickr for hours and hours
30. Big closets...Carrie Bradshaw's closet anyone??
31. Having long talks with my best girl friends over dinner
32. Looking at old photo from my childhood
33. Seeing what the trends for the new season will be
34. Having the freedom to do what I want, when I want
35. Meeting people on the internet (blogger) and becoming lifelong friends
36. Interior decorating
37. Going outside and feeling the sunshine soak into my skin
38. Spooning...it just feels natural, right?
39. Baking homemade cookies
40. Last but not least, God and the fact that His mercies are new every morning, He loves us unconditionally and He will always forgive us no matter what

End of 2010 pictures. And a weight gain?

2011-01-10T14:00:00.005-06:00

First things first, Warrrrrr Eagle HEY! My boys are going to be fighting hard tonight against Oregon in the National Championship! I feel like a proud mama! This has been such an awesome year for my Auburn Tigers. We have had the best time going to all the games, tailgating, cookouts, celebrating the wins and it all comes down to tonight. My parents are in Glendale for the game and they are having the best time. Let's go Auburn...it's TIGER TIME!

Secondly, for the past two weeks I have been so super strict with my eating habits. You know, doing all the right things and eating all the right things. Towards the end of December the scale was around 214 and this past Saturday morning the scale said 209! I couldn't believe it. 5 pounds in 10 days is crazy good for me.

So for those of you have been keeping up with the weather here in the south know that we were pretty much snowed in yesterday and today because of all the icy roads. My dad went to the store the day before yesterday and got food so we would have enough if we were snowed in. Typical guy...here is a list of what he got: bread, peanut butter, jelly, chips, hot dogs, chips, milk, chicken fingers, pizza rolls, cheese dip...so lots of junk food to eat. I tried to eat as healthy as possible since I had no way of getting out to the store to buy some healthier options. I had some cereal for breakfast, 4 chicken fingers for lunch and in all honesty, I snacked on several different foods for dinner. I probably consumed about 2,000 calories which is a decent amount more than my 1,000 calorie intake the past two weeks.

Well way to go, Kristen! I get on the scale this morning and it says 212.0. I could kick myself in the butt. That is what I get for eating all those "snacks" for dinner. So today it's back on the band wagon. I worked out with Bob and Jillian on Wii this morning and so far today I have only eaten about 250 calories. I am trying to save up some calories for the big game tonight! I'm pretty sure this isn't the smartest/healthiest way to eat but one day won't hurt. My goal is still to be below 200 by my birthday, April 18th. I got this.

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Lastly, since I took about 500 pictures during Christmas and New Year's I figured I didn't need to post all of them on here :) Here are just a few...I will gradually post more in my next few blogs! Enjoy!

New Year's Eve...Wii dance off!

Sparklers! The best :)

My friend, Joe, and I on New Year's

My brother, my dad and I...Just having a good time

Kelsey and I on New Year's!

Me and the girls at our little New Year's party

Burch and I

Me...on my brother's back. It's been a long time since this has happened!

Christmas day with my cousins, Leah and Lauren, my brother and I

Finally!!

2011-01-06T10:51:00.003-06:00

Finally!! Just wanted to get on real fast and post a little weight loss update!

As of this morning, I have lost 50 pounds from my highest weight!! On the scale this morning I was an even 210.0 and boy have I been working hard for that number this past week! My surgery weight was 257 but a few months prior to surgery I hit my highest weight ever of 260.

This past week since January 1st I have been working on my eating habits hardcore...drinking lots of water, trying to get in all my protein, no eating past 7 p.m., absolutely NO fast food...you know how it goes. Since January 1st I have lost 2.6 pounds so it looks like it's paying off. Thank goodness! I remember being stuck in the 220's for months and months and it feels so good to leave that number in the past! My next goal is to be in onederland by my birthday on April 18th...hopefully I can hit that sooner than April.

All of you have been such an inspiration to me and you all have taught me so much about motivation, perseverance, nutrition and weight loss. I just wanted to share this with yall because those of you how have been there know how victorious it feels to finally get to the 50-pound mark! Seeing that my goal weight is around 160 (fingers-crossed) I am officially half way there! Thank you all for being so sweet...I love all our friendships that have been created!

Hope yall have a great day!!

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-01T17:51:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year 2011 everyone! I can't believe it is time for another year to begin. Time goes by so fast the older we get and I try to remind myself each and every day to live life to the fullest. 2010 was a great year overall for myself and my family. January 2 of 2010 my grandmother died after a long fight with cancer and other complications but she is in Heaven now. No more pain and suffering. This is a blessing and we know she is watching over us every step of the way. She was the matriarch of our family and made us all who we are today. One of the bravest, loving, exceptional women I know. My role model, my hero. I also got a new job this past April which was a blessing. A lot less stress to deal with and bigger paychecks...that is always nice, right? Since losing 45 pounds since my surgery, my health is better than it has ever been. I feel better, I can do move, I feel good exercising and it's only getting better. I am blessed to have such amazing family and friends beside my through the journey of life and I couldn't be more thankful.

Here are a few New Year's resolutions that came to mind (this list could go on and on but these are just a few)...

1) I want to lose at least 52 pounds this year. That would be at least 1 pound a week. I don't think this is too unrealistic with hard work and self disciple. At one pound a week, I will in onederland by the beginning of April (fingers crossed). If I am able to lose all 52 pounds, that will put me at 160 at the end of 2011. Along with losing weight, this obviously means exercising more, much more! With an already paid gym membership, Wii Fit and all the fitness games I got for Christmas and several hours in the morning before work to exercise, I have no excuse to sit on my butt and be content.

2) I want to be a positive person...all the time...no matter what. I consider myself an optimistic person and I try to stay positive when unfortunate things come my way but I want to have a positive outlook on life no matter what. I want to be the type of person who doesn't complain and doesn't waste time arguing about petty things. I want to live my life in a way that I can be a role model and not a hindrance of any kind. We aren't guaranteed the next year, the next day, the next breathe so I want to live life right and to the fullest.

3) I want to put God first and make as much time as I can for family and friends. There is nothing I love better than spending good quality time surrounded by the ones I love. In 2011 I want to make more time for loved ones whether it be movie night, dinner parties or just conversations over coffee. I want to show them how much I love and appreciate them.

4) Lastly for now, I want to enjoy life more. Sometimes life can be so stressful and chaotic and tense and we owe it to ourselves to do more things that will make us happy. It is also important to enjoy the little things in life, the little victories, the little "happys" life brings our way. Whether it is a beautiful sunny day, getting a manicure, going on a nice, scenic walk or taking a vacation, I want to enjoy life more and more each day.

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On the weight loss front, I am down to 212.6 as of this morning! I have tried my hardest to lose some weight during Christmas and I have succeeded. I have lost about 3 pounds in the last few weeks. My band has felt a little tighter the past several weeks and this has helped me to stay away from the Christmas sweets...thank goodness! 212.6 is my starting point for 2011. Good luck Kristen :)

My family, Burch and I are getting ready to watch the Oklahoma vs. Connecticut game! As you know Burch is a huge Oklahoma fan so let's go Sooners! My Auburn tigers don't play until next Monday in the National Championship!! Can't wait! My parents got tickets to the game and they are going out to Glendale for 4 days. I am happy for them...they will have the time of their life!

Hope everyone has a fabulous New Year's day!! Pictures from Christmas and New Year's Eve to come soon :)

Quick little Monday Weigh-In

2010-12-27T11:04:00.002-06:00

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! This time of year always goes by so fast but my family and I had a wonderful Christmas. I will post more pictures later when I have a little more time. I have just a few minutes so I decided I should do a Monday Weigh-In since its been two weeks. I weighed myself last Monday but for some reason forgot to post it. Here are how the last two weeks have gone:

December 13: 214.8 pounds

December 20: 215.4 pounds

December 27 (today): 213.6 pounds

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Not too bad for the Christmas holidays I would say. I weighed myself on the 23rd and I was 215.0 pounds. I figured I might have gained a little due to all the good food but I tried to eat much smaller portions and stay away from all the yummy desserts. 1.4 pound loss...not too shabby.

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I am about to head to some stores with my mom, aunt and cousins to do a little after Christmas shopping! We went to a few stores yesterday and found some really awesome deals on Christmas items and perfume of all things! I found some Burberry perfume for only $14 (regularly $58 in stores!) That was my deal of the day and I am hoping I can find some more good deals today! Good luck to the rest of you shoppers :)

Talk to yall again soon!

Merry Christmas y'all!

2010-12-24T11:46:00.006-06:00

Merry Christmas!

I can't believe it is already Christmas Eve! The most wonderful time of the year :)

I'm sitting in the den with my mom, my dad and Burch in front of the fire watching Elf. Love this movie! So Christmas around the Redmond household is non-stop for about 4 days. Last night we enjoyed Christmas with all of our extended family on my dad's side...there were about 40 people there. Food was delicious (I tried to only get a bite of each food instead of a huge spoon full) and we played a mad game of dirty santa.

Tonight we are going to spend Christmas Eve with my mom's side of the family. Another game of dirty santa will take place and we are having h'orderves for dinner. Tomorrow my mom is working (she is a nurse and has to work on Christmas every 3 years) so we will be waking up around 5 in the morning to see what Santa brought us! After that my grandparents and aunts and uncles on my dad's side are coming over for breakfast at our house. For lunch we are headed to my cousin Lindsay's house for lunch with my mom's side. And for dinner it is back over to my grandparents for our family Christmas get-together with my dad's side. And of course we finish our festivities by shopping the day after Christmas with my mom, my aunt and my cousins.

Aren't Christmas traditions the best? I know some people that may not live close to their families or may have a small family enjoy a quiet Christmas but it is far from dull in our family! And trying not to eat 3,000 calories a day is always a challenge during the holidays with so much good food everywhere I turn. Until the new year my goal is to try and stay at the same weight and not gain. It may be a little unrealistic to want to lose weight during Christmas but I will be happy if I don't gain. Fingers crossed!

I hope each one of you have a very Merry Christmas. It is so important to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. Family and friends make the holidays special, presents are always fun to give and receive, the Christmas decorations are beautiful but most of all it is the day our Savior was born so long ago. May your Christmas be the best you have ever had and you are surrounded by the ones you love. Merry Christmas!

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These are pictures from our Christmas get-together with my dad's side of the family last night! Enjoy!

Posting pictures...that's what I do :)

2010-12-17T23:50:00.010-06:00

Christmas is officially ONE WEEK away! Oh my goodness. This is super duper exciting! Year after year, it comes so fast. But all my Christmas shopping is donzo and I have completed all the wrapping of presents so I am feeling pretty good.

So the surprise for my mom and aunt went fabulously just as we planned. They didn't know the restaurant we were eating at until we pulled up to it. Dinner was delicious and conversations were good as always...love my mom, aunt and cousins...just couldn't live without them. Afterwards we saw "It's a Wonderful Life" at the Alabama Theatre and what a great classic Christmas movie that is. I posted pictures of the night down below.

Last night my cousin Lauren spent the night and we drove around some nearby neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights. First we put on some comfy pajamas, slippers and then we were out the door. The Christmas lights were beautiful. Nothing better than driving around in a warm car in your pajamas with one of your best friends looking at all the Christmas decorations! I posted a few pictures of the lights below as well.

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Question:

Just curious. What are some things yall are asking Santa for this Christmas? I can't pinpoint one main present but there are several that I am super excited about. I picked out a new laptop a few months ago because my old one is giving out on me. I can't use my new one until Christmas so I have been sharing with my mom. Secondly I picked out a piece of Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) luggage that I have had my eye on for a while. It's a nice piece of designer luggage and it will be a nice addition to my luggage collection. I am still really wanting the Bodybugg/Gowear fit but we haven't ordered it online yet. Im thinking I won't get that until January...that is if I can decide on which one I want by then! Why does it seem like such a hard decision? Besides the usual clothes, perfume, gift cards, jewelry....you know all the girly stuff...that seems to be about it.

Hope you have been nice this year so Santa will come visit :)

Love you my friends!

A surprise for my mom!

2010-12-15T14:05:00.008-06:00

**Read the post first and then you will understand the pictures. My moms computer wouldn't let me copy and paste the words before the images. Weird**

The Alabama Theatre in the 1930's

The Alabama Theatre at night

A view of the stage from the balcony

The lobby of the theatre

Another view from the balcony

More of the interior

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Can you believe Christmas is in 10 days?! Holy smokes...I can't believe it! Christmas is my all time favorite part of the year...the lights, the decorations, family time, Christmas parties, giving presents to the ones I love...I love it all!

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So tonight my cousins and I have planned a little surprise for our moms. Our moms are twins and super close and do everything together. So we thought this would be a fun girls night for all of us and our moms.

We are going to start the night off by taking them to dinner at a cute little restaurant in downtown Birmingham called Silvertron Cafe. The restaurant has been open since the 1980's but the building was built in the 1920's. It has a very warm and welcoming feeling about it. We wanted to take them somewhere quant and cozy, delicious and it's so cute right now because it is decorated for Christmas. They have everything on the menu from steaks to chicken dishes to burgers, sandwiches and salads. The dimly lit interior will make it perfect to enjoy the food and each others company.

Then we are taking them to the Alabama Theatre downtown to see "It's a Wonderful Life"...their favorite Christmas movie. For those of you who have never heard of the Alabama Theatre, it is an absolutely gorgeous theatre that was built in 1927 by Paramount Studios to have a place to showcase their films during that time. It is the only theatre remaining in Birmingham that is from that era and is on the national register of historic places. There are many events that take place there such as live shows, classic movie showings, the Miss Alabama pageant, weddings, concerts and ballets. Every year around Christmas they show classic Christmas movies on their big screen just as you would see at the movie theatre. The interiors of the theatre is covered with gold leafing, gigantic chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and classic art deco designs.

I love this place if you can't tell. I can definitely appreciate the elegance and style of this gorgeous place. I am thankful it is still around for people like us to enjoy and just being in its presence takes me back to an earlier time.

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Our moms don't know where we are going to eat or what movie we are going to see! It should be a fun night to remember :)

Monday Weigh-In. Retail Therapy. Pictures.

2010-12-13T22:47:00.012-06:00

Happy Monday friends!

Sorry (again) for being absent from the world of blogging. I have tried to keep up with everyone else's blogs but couldn't seem to find time to update mine. But I'm back!

So I think I should get back to my "Monday Weigh-In" posts. I was good about doing it a while back but I stopped and I'm not sure why. Posting my weight publicly seems to keep me motivated/honest/on target. So here it goes again....

The last two weeks (with the exception of this past weekend) I had two of the best weeks I have had in a long time, as far as self discipline with food and making the right choices. I even got down to 212.0 pounds on my scale and that is my lowest all time weight since my surgery. Ok I celebrated this 212 pound victory for a few days until this past weekend rolled around. I went to Atlanta to see Burch (my boyfriend is living there for a few months) and I always ALWAYS make terrible choices when I'm vacationing! So basically after a mexican meal, a chinese meal and a potluck italian meal with friends...I saw 214.8 pounds on the scale this morning. In all honesty, thank goodness it wasn't more! I take all the responsibility like always but I hate to hit my lowest ever and then follow it with a 2.8 pound gain! Ugh. But for the books...214.8 pounds brings me to a total loss of 45.2 pounds and 42.2 pounds since surgery.

So today I started fresh (again haha) and did really well. I only had about 1,100 calories and got in plenty of water. My stomach is still growling at my if that tells you anything. I still want to be 210 pounds by Christmas...so we will see if I can pull out a 4.8 pound loss in 11 days :)

In other news, my friends Kyndal and Kelsey (good friends from Auburn) came to visit my brother and I last Wednesday and stayed until Friday! We had the best time together! The first night we didn't go to bed until 4:30 in the morning and the second night we didn't go to bed until 2:30! We all stayed up laughing and telling stories...fun times :)

Today I spent the entire day finishing up my Christmas shopping for family, friends and the boyfriend! I am doneee! YAY! Although as you could have probably guessed...I LOVE shopping of any kind! For men, women, kids, friends, myself, boyfriend, department stores, boutiques, morning, night, crowded, Christmas rush....anything, anytime! I truly believe in retail therapy. It's my favorite. Like today I started shopping around noon...went to Target, TJ Maxx, a little boutique in the city, Auburn store....got an iced coffee from Starbuck's and as I was driving through the city looking at all the Christmas lights and decorations, I was having the best "me" day. No one to tell me where to be or where to go, no one to rush me while I was looking, no one to keep up with...I just love it.

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Ok so remember when I started doing the "Photos I Love" posts? I need to get back to doing that because there are so many pictures I want to share with yall. One of the posts should be named "Cafes in Europe" because I am obsessed with discovering quant little cafes and bakeries in cities throughout Europe. Some of the pictures are cafes my friends or family have been to and others I have learned about online. I also have a bunch of pictures of gorgeous houses and some very unique houses I have seen while traveling. Anyways, just started thinking about some of those pictures and want to eventually share them with yall!!

Hope yall have a great week! I have included some of my pictures from this past week :)

Enjoy!

My good friends, Kyndal and Kelsey, came to visit me!!

Mirror pictures! Always!

Getting ready for dinner!

Waiting on my brother, Trey, to go eat with us

On the way to dinner :)

Trey, Kelsey, Kyndal and I! Spend the night party!

The next morning...getting ready to go to lunch with my mom!

Japanese food is the best!

Kels and I...shopping at a little vintage consignment shop in downtown Birmingham!

One of my favorite mexican restaurants! Adorable isn't it?

After Kyn and Kels left to go home, I headed to Atlanta for the weekend to visit the boyfriend. His friends he is living with has 8 little 6-week-old puppies!! So freaking cute!

Little Porter! Love this little girl!

Playing with Thatcher...he wasn't so happy at this point....

But it got better....

Love him!

Porter and Thatcher :)

Brother and Sister!

He wouldn't do my pose...oh well.

New low, concert high and a little Auburn football!

2010-12-06T00:34:00.003-06:00

Enjoy some pictures from this weekend!

The wonderful Mr. Dave Barnes!

Dave Barnes again :)

And again...Mr. Fantastic!

Lauren and I after the big win!!

My friend, Megan, and I! War Eagle y'all!

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Friends! Happy Sunday night/Monday morning! Its 1:00 a.m. in my neck of the woods but I cant fall asleep so let's do a little post :)

Oh, real fast! Thanks so much to those of you who gave me some feedback on the Bodybugg! ( I think that's how you properly spell it? Maybe?) All your comments were super helpful! I am definitely a type A personality on most levels. I love to be organized and write everything down and keep up with it. So I think having the bodybugg and being able to track my food intake and calories burned will make me happy. So thanks again.

So...let's see...what has been going on with me. First things first...got to give a big shout out to my Auburn tigers that make me proud and oh so happy! We beat South Carolina (well crushed and conquered is more appropriate but "beat" sounds a little nicer) this weekend to win the SEC Championship. We are headed to Glendale, Arizona January 10th to play Oregon in the National Championship!! AHHH!! This makes me so happy...makes my heart sing! I cant wait! My parents got tickets to the game and said they had the best time enjoying the gameday atmosphere and celebrating the big win! My parents are also looking for tickets to go to Arizona for a few days and go to the big game in January. But seeing that game/hotel/airfare packages are around $2,500 and up per person...Unfortunately I think my brother and I get to stay home this time. Don't worry, my brother and I have repeated tried to beg to go with them and even offered tha it could be our birthday/christmas/birthday again presents for the next few years, but that didn't work. It's ok though...we are lucky enough to have parents that have provided us season tickets to Auburn games our entire life so they deserve to go and have a great time. So long story short, War Eagle.

Umm...what else. Oh yeah! Saturday night after the game, my cousins, my aunt and I went to the Dave Barnes and Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors concert here in Birmingham. Do any of you absolutely LOVE Dave Barnes like I do? Ok...LOVE HIM! I have always wanted to see him live because I am a big fan. He is adorable, hilarious and has such an amazing voice! If he comes to your town, you should totally go see him. And check out his new Christmas album! Love it!

Lastly, yesterday I hit my all-time lowest low since my surgery....213.4 pounds! My lowest weight before now was 213.8 I believe. That is about 47 pounds lost total from my highest weight and 44 pounds lost since my surgery. Hey, I'll take it. A sweet blogger told me...slow and steady wins the race. Right? Haha.

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Here are a few tentative goals I have set:

By Christmas--Be at or below 210 pounds

(Is this unrealistic? I didn't think so)

By my birthday in April--Be under 200 pounds

(This means losing about 14 pounds total in the next 4 months)

By my 2 year Bandiversary, October 23, 2011--Lose 87 pounds total

(That puts me at 170 pounds...which means losing 43 more pounds in the next 10 and a half months)

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Just some weight loss thinking I have been doing. Pretty fair? Unrealistic? Anyways, hope you all have a fantastic Monday!! Christmas countdown: 20 days!! Love this time of year! It's the best :)

Pictures from Thanksgiving!

2010-12-01T19:27:00.002-06:00

Back from my 10-day blogging hiatus! The fun never stops!

2010-11-28T20:55:00.009-06:00

These are a few pictures from Kyndal's wedding last weekend! This post would be entirely too long with all my pictures from this past week so I here is a little preview if you will. Enjoy :)

Jessie and I made time for a little photo op before the wedding began!

Kyndal and Kyle at the reception!

My mom and dad came to celebrate Kyndal and Kyle's special day

Kyndal and I just minutes before the ceremony began!

Kelsey, Kyndal's sister, and I getting ready for the rehearsal dinner!

Me with Karly and Kelsey, sisters of the bride :)

Always having fun! Of course...who wouldn't be excited after getting your hair done?!

Some of the bridesmaids...Karly, me, Kelsey and Magan

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Oh my goodness...where to begin!

Well first things first...Happy (late) Thanksgiving to everyone! Better late than never, right? We did it big here in the Redmond house...as always. Hope everyone was able to enjoy themselves and be surrounded by the ones they love. I want yall to know...I am thankful for you, all of you!! We are all a family here to support and care for each other. How awesome is that?!

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When I left you last, which was last Thursday I believe, I was about to head to Auburn for my friend Kyndal's wedding and all the other wedding festivites! Everything was a perfect success. Let me say the wedding was one of the most fun, beautiful weddings I have been in or even been to. Like myself, Kyndal loves very vintage, antique, rustic yet shabby chic inspired things and this is what the whole wedding looked like. It was outdoor with huge oak trees everywhere in the backyard of a gorgeous antebellum home. Vintage looking bird cages hung from the tree limbs, antique chandeliers hung sporadically above our heads and the reception took place in an old, beautiful barn transformed specifically for our celebration. I will try my best not to copy her wedding because I loved it all! The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner was so much fun with all the wedding party, the hours leading up to the ceremony was filled with makeup, hair curling and picture taking and the wedding itself was flawless. Saturday night after the wedding, Kyndal and Kyle left for Charleston, South Carolina to enjoy their honeymoon and I stayed with Kyndal's family in Auburn for the night. They are like my second family. I love them.

Sunday I headed to Atlanta to get Burch (he can't drive because of car troubles...bummer). For those of yall who don't know, he moved to Atlanta about 3 weeks ago to look for a job. He had no success in Birmingham but because he grew up in Atlanta and has awesome friends there, he figured that was the next best option for the time being. So I go to Atlanta Sunday, stayed the night and brought him back with me to Birmingham Monday.

For the next few days we had some dinner dates, spent time with each other and helped mom prepare for Thanksgiving with some cooking and cleaning. Thursday we got up, got ready and headed to my aunt, uncle and cousin's house for Thanksgiving lunch with my mom's side of the family! I love love love family time and getting to see all my extended family! I am thankful God has blessed me with such an amazing, loving Christian family. We all truly care about each other and because I know people who aren't as fortunate to have a close family, it makes me that much more grateful. We had lots and lots and lots of food. I got a small plate (purposely) and filled it full. It's ok. Come on, it's Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving night my aunt and three cousins spent the night at my house like they always do on Thanksgiving night. Black Friday shopping is a tradition with the ladies in my family and we do it big, believe me. We were so filled with excitement of sales and bargains we didn't go to bed until midnight and woke up at 3 a.m. to get ready to leave. We were out the door at 3:30 a.m. and headed to Wally World (Wal-Mart)! Goodness, it was mad chaos but that was expected. We did walk away with some sweet bargains. I got an LCD HD tv and a laptop but those along with everything else I got has to stay with mommy and daddy until Christmas morning. Bummer.

Then we leave Wal-Mart and went to Target then Belk then a few other stores and then finally headed home. We couldn't take a nap because we had to get ready for our big Iron bowl party!! We had about 20 people over for the Auburn vs. Alabama game. As all of you football lovers probably know...it was rough for my Auburn tigers at the beginning of the game but we came back like we know how and WON THE GAME! My house exploded when Auburn won the game. The houses three streets over probably heard the rejoicing. We Auburn fans keep it fun, keep it classy and win the game. We are 12-0, we are officially numbero uno, we are pretty much the most awesome team ever AND headed to the SEC Championship next weekend against South Carolina. Gamecocks...we are coming for you ;)

Friday afternoon was a frenzy of excitement and rejoicing and greatness. My friend Kelsey, who is Kyndal's sister (the girl who just got married), came to Birmingham to watch the game with all of us and spent the night Friday night. After the Auburn game, Kelsey, Burch and I went to the Hoover High School football game (my highschool who is also headed to the championship next weekend which is being played in Auburn ironically) and then to eat at my favorite Japanese restaurant. We had the best time together!

Ok...speeding this up....I sure can get detailed...

Saturday was football, football and more football (props to Arkansas and Oklahoma!!) Saturday night we did Thanksgiving dinner with my dad's side of the family! Love them too! Isn't family great? I love it. My mom wasn't able to go because she had to work so guess who had to make the pies for the family?? You got it. Kristen had to make the pies! Praline pecan pie to be exact! Haha I rarely cook so this was a big responsibility but they turned out great! Just call me Betty Crocker from here on out ;)

I just got home about two hours ago from taking Burch back to Atlanta. If any of you have done long distance relationships you can relate. It is hard and no fun to have to say goodbye. We had a great week together enjoying each other and being around family. All my family has been so great welcoming him in and making him feel like one of us. I am so thankful for this. I am going back to Atlanta in 2 weeks to see him...it will fly by but having to resort to talking on the phone gets old, so old. But it will be fine. We have done it before.

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Umm...can we not even talk about weight loss? Or weight gain rather? Not only was it Thanksgiving and not only did we have a huge football celebration with tons of tailgating and party food...it is also my time of the month. So my scale has gone in the wrong direction over the past week. I am about 5 pounds away from my lowest weight, which I hit about three weeks ago. It's ok...five pounds isn't terrible I guess. Could be worse. I am trying to stay positive so negativity doesn't take over.

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QUESTION FOR MY FRIENDS:

Ok lastly, I have a question for all of you!! Do any of you have the body bugg? You know, the infamous things they wear on their upper arms on the biggest loser. I am contemplating whether I want this for Christmas. If you don't have the body bug, do you want one? What do you know about them? Good things? Bad things? Would I benefit from it? I figure yall might know some things about it from friends or personal experience! I appreciate the feedback!!

Until next time, have a fabulous night!!

Fun weekend ahead: Wedding edition! And NSV!!

2010-11-18T11:39:00.005-06:00

Hey friends! Just wanted to post a blog and say hello before I leave for my long weekend in Auburn (again haha)! I am in one of my best friend's wedding this Saturday and all the festivities are starting bright and early tomorrow morning! I am about to hop in the shower, head to the tanning bed for a good ole' spray tan and head to Auburn! Tonight some of the bridesmaids are going to dinner and tomorrow morning we are all going with Kyndal, the bride, to get our nails and toes done! Yay! Then we have the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner and the fun just keeps going and going! Her wedding is at 2 p.m. Saturday and hair and makeup starts at 7 AM!! I am not a morning person but if it means getting up and getting makeover, I am there!

I am so indecisive on what to pack for the rehearsal dinner haha! So instead of bringing one dress to wear, I have like 5 packed with all different shoes so I can try them on! Goodness gracious, I wish I were more decisive. Anyways, I will be home late late Saturday night so I just wanted to say hey to my friends!!

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Also...

I have an exciting NSV for myself. I am officially, in every sense of the word, a SIZE 16!! When I started my lap band journey I was wearing a size 22 pants/jeans. Since about March I have been a size 18 in pants, jeans, dresses, you name it. About 2 months ago I bought a pair of size 16 jeans that I love and I squeezed myself in them but they sure were t-i-g-h-t! I have been holding off on giving away my size 18's just in case. But for the past week, every store I have been in I have asked for a size 16 and.....they all fit! Not just in one store, not in two stores, in all the stores! All the 18's seemed a little too big in the waist and legs so no thank you....bring on the 16's! For a fashion lover like myself, this is super duper exciting! Doesn't everyone want to be able to shop at any store and be able to wear the clothes? I know I do. Before my surgery I made a super long pro's and con's sheet and up there at the top was being able to go into any given store and wear a "normal" size. I still have a ways to go but I will take size 16 over 22 any day :)

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Hope yall have a fabulous weekend!! I will bring lots of pictures back to show you! Love you guys to pieces!! I leave you with pictures of Kyndal and I :)

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Me with the bride-to-be back in 2007

Me with the bride-to-be a few months ago! We have both shed a few pounds and are much more healthy versions of ourselves! I love this girl :)

I love weekends in Auburn! Picture Post

2010-11-15T09:49:00.011-06:00

I am home from my fabulous weekend in Auburn! I just can't say enough about how much I love that place :) For me, it is one of the best places there is. Let me tell you a little something about Auburn, Alabama...

It is a charming and quaint little college town that was voted one of the top 10 best cities to live in the United States. I say it is little but it is also the fastest growing metro area in the state of Alabama. Since I was born pretty much, I have spent every football season in Auburn. My parents have had football season tickets since 1984 and I am fortunate enough to have shared so many wonderful experiences there. I also spent my college days in Auburn for four and a half years and those were some of the best times of my life. When I think of Auburn I think of family, pride, spirit, sophistication, dignity and a whole lot of love! And game days at Auburn are unlike any other. Coming from fans of South Carolina, LSU and Clemson, Auburn fans were the nicest and most welcoming people of any college town they had been to. We love our town and the people in it. During football season, the aroma of tailgating and cookouts fill the air and the town is crawling with people dressed in their orange and blue. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

This past weekend we beat Georgia making our team 11-0! It was a rocky start but we got it together in the second half. We secured the spot for the SEC West and we are playing in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta against South Carolina!! I am so proud of our boys! They have a week off and then we go to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama!! The Iron bowl...our biggest rival....our biggest game of the season!!

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So Friday night was Kyndal's bachelorette party! We had a delicious dinner and then headed to the lake house! Kelsey, Kyndal's sister, and I had gone earlier in the day to decorate. We spent the night playing crazy games, opening lingerie gifts, dancing to blaring music and taking tons of pictures!

Saturday we got up bright and early for breakfast. Then I had to get ready and head to our tailgate on campus. The game was a little stressful towards the beginning but it got better. We beat the dawgs and sent them on a long bus ride home! After the game, everyone stayed in the stadium and celebrated for about 45 minutes! All the coaches and players were running all over the field celebrating, the student section was going crazy and music filled the air...it was our last home game of the season. But what a fantastic way to end the night!

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Enjoy my pictures from the weekend! Love you all!

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Weekend update!! It's almost FRIDAY!!

2010-11-11T12:44:00.004-06:00

Hey friends!

I have been absent from the blogging world for the past few days so I thought I would do a little recap!

So let's talk....the five day pouch test! Phew...I finished the pouch test Monday, November 8th. I must say, it was a good experience but it sure did test my will power. Overall I felt like I did pretty good. My total weight loss in the 5 days was.....drum roll please........3.5 pounds. I am happy with that. Not too shabby for 5 days. Could have been more but could have always been less if I didn't try the diet. I definitely got in more protein each day than I'm used to (around 70 grams) and tried to cut out sugars and carbs as much as possible. I would have to say day 2 was the hardest for me. It was a "liquid protein" day and throughout the day I was extremely light-headed and weak and dizzy. It got much better on day 3. I know 5 days isn't very long but when you go from having carbs to no carbs, it plays with your mind and your stomach. I think I was just having withdrawals haha. I recommend it for people that need a quick "back to basics" lesson for the band and if your eating has been out of control. I could definitely tell my stomach and pouch felt tighter and towards the end, my portions became smaller and smaller. I may do it again down the road but not any time soon.

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So this weekend is going to be C-R-A-Z-Y but in a good way! At 2:30 today I have a hair appointment (which is like one of my all-time favorite things to do along with getting manicures, pedicures and getting my makeup done). Right after my hair appointment I am driving down to Auburn for my friend Kyndal's bachelorette weekend! The bachelorette party doesn't start until Friday afternoon but I am going early to help her sister decorate.

We are staying at a really nice lake house on the lake that belongs to friends of Kyndal's family. The family who owns the lake house is going out of town and they are brave enough to let a bunch of girl's crash it for the weekend. Apparently this lake house is huge with like 6 bedrooms and a heated pool and jacuzzi! Perfect for a girls' weekend! I can't wait! But I am actually leaving the party Saturday afternoon to go to the Auburn vs. Georgia game with my family! Because we are undefeated and Georgia is a huge rivalry for Auburn, this is a big game! My family will have our camper in Auburn this weekend so Saturday night after the game we are going to cook out, enjoy some more football and spend time together in the RV field of Auburn :) If you don't know anything about camping, cookouts and tailgating at a college town during football season, I highly recommend it!

So there you have it...my busy weekend. I wanted to get on here and say hey to everyone because it will probably be Monday before I can catch up on everyone's blogs again :(

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Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I found an album of old pictures on my computer from when I was little with my family! Goodness...I love old pictures! Thought I would share some of them! Enjoy!

Five Day Pouch Test...I give myself an 80% so far

2010-11-07T16:58:00.004-06:00

I am back with some five day pouch test updates. Keep in mind, today is day four so it isn't over yet. I am sorry for not updating sooner. I told yall I was going to try and get on each night and give you an update for each day but unfortunately my long days didn't allow time for any blogging at night.

So let me put it this way. If a 10 means I have done extremely well with the diet and not cheated whatsoever and 1 means I have done terrible with the diet and cheated every chance I could, I would give myself an 8. And here is why...

My last post was a recap of day one which in my opinion, looking back at it, was a piece of cake. I got in tons of protein, plenty of water and I felt good. On the other hand, day two (Friday) was killer for me! Oh my goodness. I started out the day and felt pretty good. I ate some greek yogurt in the morning and got ready for my day of running errands with Burch. About noon is when I started to feel sick, nauseous, weak...and I was away from home with no food or snacks that were "five day pouch test" approved. My boyfriend kept saying "If you don't feel good, lets just go through the drive thru and get you some food to hold you over until we get home" and to this I said "No, sir!" I wasn't about to give up that easy. So I actually laid my head down and fell asleep in the car while Burch finished our last few errands. When I got home I just felt so weak. I knew I had to eat something soon before I passed out. So I grabbed some pudding hoping that would hold me over.

And the pudding and all its 60 calories did nothing for me. So I had to give in. I grabbed for some plain saltine crackers and peanut butter and about 30 minutes later I was good to go (little cheat #1). I know peanut butter is loaded with calories but it also has about 10 g of protein. Friday night, my family, Burch and I went to my cousin's football game. I took a protein shake and two bottled waters and called it a day.

Saturday, day three, was pretty easy compared to day one and two. My sweet dad made me eggs before we left for the Auburn game. He made me 2 scrambled eggs with a little salt and pepper. They were delicious! I had several bottled waters and didn't eat again until around 2:30. We went to a local burger and wings restaurant in Auburn and I was so happy they had chicken salad on the menu. I ate chicken salad over a bed of lettuce and I did add a little ranch to the lettuce to give it some flavor (little cheat #2). I finished the day with another protein shake for dinner.

Today, day four, I haven't been bad necessarily, I just haven't followed the diet step for step. I didn't eat breakfast which is a no-no. For lunch everyone wanted to go to Jason's Deli. I knew I didn't need break of any sort so I stayed away from the sandwiches and wraps. I decided to get the salad bar. I got a good helping of lettuce with some tomatoes, shredded cheese (for some added protein and flavor), cucumbers, onions and low-fat ranch dressing. So far, that is all I have had for the day.

Tomorrow is day five and I want to finish out strong with lots and lots of protein. As of yesterday, I am happy with my weight loss from day one!! That is until I got on my sorry scale earlier this afternoon! Here is how much my scale hates me apparently. I get on the scale (with clothes on), it reads 218 but the battery light keeps flashing. I put in new batteries and get on the scale and it says 225! HA! At this point I nearly choke on the gum I am chewing! I tell Burch to come weigh himself to see if his weight is high as well and it was. He said it seemed about 5 pounds more than normal. So I give it a minute to let it rest. It says 219....then 221....then 216. Clearly something is wrong when it goes from 216 to 225. I started day one of my 5DPT at 216 and it isn't too heart warming to see 225 on your broken scale after day four! Do ya'll HATE when this happens as much as I do?!

This makes me so frustrated. So I start researching on google "What are the MOST accurate scales" because I am on a mission to find one. Apparently there are scales that are $200 that people report to have inaccurate readings and their weight is between 3-5 pounds different each time they get on the scale! Obviously the same thing happens with scales that are cheap. I guess it doesn't do me any good to go spend a ton of money on a scale that is just as inaccurate as the cheap scales. Do any of you have a scale that you love and swear by? If so, I would love to know!

Ok, that was my venting for the day! Thanks for letting me rant about my lovely scale! But seriously though, I am out to find a better scale so if yall have suggestions I would love to look into it! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Today starts the HOLIDAY CHALLENGE!! YAY! Good luck everyone :)

Pouch Test...Day One Recap!

2010-11-04T21:32:00.002-05:00

Five Day Pouch Test: Day 1

So today was day numero uno of my pouch test. Thank you to those of you who commented on my last blog and wished me luck! I have to admit...it hasn't been as hard as I imagined it would be. Tomorrow may be a different story but today was tolerable. My stomach is growling at me as we speak but it's not an unbearable feeling of hunger (not yet anyways haha).

Here is my tally of what I ate (or drank), my calorie count and protein count:

Breakfast
Carnation Instant Breakfast Essentials
Calories: 150
Protein: 13 grams

Lunch
Cream of Potato Soup
(I drained the soup and removed the chunks of potatoes)
Calories: 285
Protein: 14 grams

Dinner
Chocolate Fudge protein drink (2 scoops of mix)
Calories: 315
Protein: 47 grams

Snack
Sugar-free pudding
Calories: 60
Protein: 1 gram

Water
44 oz.

Total Calories: 810
Total Protein: 75 grams

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So that is how my day has gone so far. I purposely mixed in two scoops of protein mix with my protein drink because I wanted to make sure I got in at least 60 grams of protein for the day. I am not a lover of protein drinks so I pretty much had to hold my nose and down it. I feel like I could have eaten (or drunken) more calories today but with all the protein I felt somewhat fulfilled for the day. I have had to go to the bathroom like 7 times since this morning so I guess that is a good thing. I need a little bit more water for the day. I might go downstairs after I finish this post and get a 20 oz. water bottle to finish off my day. Overall I feel good after day one. I feel like I am flushing my body out of impurities and that is a great feeling.

I also went to the doctor today for a fill! I thought I had 7.5 cc's in my band but come to find out I only had 7.25 cc's going into today. The doctor gave me .25 cc's making my total now 7.5 cc's. I also got a print out of my weight chart since the first visit to my doctor. Back in September 2009, a few weeks before surgery, I weighed 259 pounds on their scales. I consider my starting weight to be 257 because that was my "day of surgery" weight. Today I weighed 216 at home on my scales but 218 (with clothes on) at the doctor. According to the hospital scales, I am down 41 pounds from September 2009!

Self control and will power are powerful things. Today after my fill, my boyfriend wanted to go to McDonalds to get a sandwich. Your mind plays tricks on you and says "Don't you want a McChicken? Are you sure you don't want a double cheeseburger?" but saying "No!" feels so much better. Then for dinner my mom made a fantastic meal. Delicious pork tenderloins with sauteed veggies and seasoned bread. The aroma of the food filled the house and everyone sat around the table together to eat. I sat with my protein drink. It was ok though...it still felt good to say no. Your mind plays tricks on your stomach but you are much stronger than you think.

Day two...I am coming for you so get ready!
Have a fabulous Friday :)

5 Day Pouch Test...Wish me luck!!

2010-11-03T23:02:00.002-05:00

So it all comes down to the next five days. Tomorrow I am starting the five day pouch test. AH! I am excited, nervous, anxious, already starving (not really). It sounds like I am making a life decision or something...

I have read blogs of many people who have conquered the five day pouch test but I have read an equal number of people who didn't succeed for one reason or another. This is why I am nervous. But I have made a promise to myself that I am going to do it and do it right. I am not going to cheat. I am going to follow the rules and eat exactly what it tells me to eat (or drink). I really do owe it to my body to give myself five solid days of being healthy and getting back to the basics.

As I said before it was hard for me to find five straight days when I could make the pouch test happen. I had to call it off the first time a couple of weeks ago when I went to Cade's Cove. It seems like I always have dinner dates pop up or birthday parties and in the next 2 weeks I have bachelorette parties and a wedding to be in. So I have a small one week window to take advantage of this test! I am starting tomorrow, day 1, with liquids and I have to continue to do liquids Friday, day 2. This includes the following: low carb protein drinks, broth, cream soups and sugar free pudding and jello. Day 3 will be interesting because I am going to Auburn for the football game and we will be gone from 9 in the morning until probably 9 pm that night. Day 3 is supposed to be soft protein such as eggs, tuna and soft fish like tilapia. I don't eat any kind of seafood and I can't scramble eggs on the road....so we will see what happens on day 3. Stay tuned :)

I also have an appointment for a fill tomorrow!! My last doctor's appointment was September 20th but my doctor wouldn't give me a fill because she thought I was right on track with my weight loss. I haven't had a fill since July 28th which brought me to 7.5 cc's in my 11 cc band.

So here it goes!! I know a few other girls messaged me and told me they also wanted to do the pouch test! Good luck to yall!! We will do it together. I want to know how those five days go for you...what foods you ate, how much weight you lost, if you thought your band felt tighter, what day(s) you struggled with, etc. That would be awesome to compare our experience!

Anyways, wish me luck!! I will try to get on each night and give you a recap of the day. Thanks again for the support :) Yall are the best!

Pictures from the weekend, 5-day pouch test and a gym membership!!

2010-11-02T10:31:00.008-05:00

Hey friends!! How are yall doing today? Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!! I know I did! My family and I sat outside around our fire pit Halloween night, ate chili and gave out candy to the kids. Apparently we bought WAY too much candy and we still have like 3 huge bags leftover. Great...I have to restrain from snacking on chocolate every time I pass the table in the foyer.

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Weekend in Oxford and meeting famous people:

This past weekend my family, Burch and I went to Oxford for the Auburn vs. Ole Miss game! We had such a great time. The Ole Miss campus was beautiful and I think there were as many Auburn fans as there were Ole Miss fans! Someone said on TV the Auburn fans sounded so much louder! I helped contribute to that.

So are any of you Braves fans?? While we were eating at a restaurant before the game, Burch turned to me and was like "OMG that is Braves pitcher, Tim Hudson, sitting over there!!" We weren't sure if it was just a Tim Hudson look-a-like until we saw a bunch of girls go over and get their picture with him! Burch is like the biggest Braves fan you will ever meet. He was so excited he almost couldn't eat his food. We waited until he was done eating and we rushed over to his table and ask to get our picture made with him. He was super nice. My dad remembered he was an All-American baseball player at Auburn and he told us he tries to come to as many Auburn games as he can around his baseball schedule. My favorite quote during lunch was from my mom! Burch said "You know he makes $15 million a year with the Braves" and my mom responded "Well he needs to pay for our lunch then!" haha! Love her!

Eli Manning and Archie Manning were also at the game as well as Michael Oher (the "Blind Side") with the Touhy family. We got to see all kinds of athletes :)

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A Gym Membership exclusive:

In some other exciting news, I am signed up for this website that sends me amazing deals and coupons from places around the Birmingham area. I'm sure you have heard of these type of websites but they send you one deal a day and you can buy it if you choose. Well today's deal was amazzzing! There is a fitness club here at the Ross Bridge Resort that is considered the Four Seasons of gyms here in my area. I have called the gym in the past and the cheapest package for one month is like $80 for the bare minimum. And guess what the deal was?!?! A three-month all inclusive membership for $20!! I called the gym as soon as I saw the email and asked the poor man on the phone 50 questions about this deal to make sure there was no catch. He said they have never done anything at this low of a price before but the deal is only available for 12 hours online. There are no contracts, no start up fees, no fees at the end of the three months and best of all, I can go to any of their classes for free as well!! They have yoga, ab classes, aerobics, body pump, spinning, etc. I bought it as soon as I got off the phone and the three months starts tomorrow!! With all the inclusive services, it is like getting a $350 package for $20!! This gym is small with state of the art equipment and pretty much exclusive to the rich locals. I like that it isn't huge with hundreds of people walking around. I am so so excited and this is just the motivation I needed to get my butt back in the gym!

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5 Day Pouch Test:

Last but not least, after talking about doing the 5-day pouch test of a couple of weeks now, I went to the store yesterday and bought foods I can eat during those 5 days. I think I am going to start the pouch test this Thursday, November 4th. It is hard to find five solid days to participate because I have lunch dates with girlfriends, dinner dates with Burch and I go to Auburn almost every weekend for Auburn games. It's not like I can order tuna and scrambled eggs at the concession stand! But this Thursday I am going back to the doctor to hopefully get another fill. Usually on fill days I do liquids anyways. Next weekend I have one of my best friend's bachelorette parties and I'm not going to be the only one eating chicken broth and turkey patties. I have to do it after tomorrow and before next Friday. Tomorrow I am going to Christmas Village with my mom and cousins and they tons and tons of samples of soups, dips, drinks, you name it! I want to do the pouch test right and not cheat. I think Thursday will work just fine! I am committed to doing this and doing it right. I know that any weight I lose is just an extra bonus. I am hoping this gets me back on track with eating healthy and my body will get a nice little detox for five days! Have any of you done the 5 day pouch test? What was your experience?

My grocery list: Chicken breasts, turkey burgers, ice popsicles, sugar-free pudding, vanilla greek yogurt, mozzarella string cheese, eggs, turkey deli meat, cottage cheese with strawberries, chicken and beef broth, potato soup, low-carb protein drinks, dry unsalted peanuts, shredded lettuce for salads, flavored drink mix, broccoli and cheese soup, fruit and yoplait smoothie mix.

I know some of these things aren't on the menu like bananas, grapes, smoothie mix and peanuts. BUT the instructions do say if you need a spike of sugar you can eat some fruit. And I know peanuts are a good source of protein. So I figure in very small amounts this should be fine.

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Enjoy the pictures!! Have a fabulous week!!

BOOBS Reunion!! Picture Post!!

2010-10-28T22:34:00.007-05:00

Today was fantastic!! I had a BOOBS Reunion with Kim (my local BOOB) and Maria (my BOOB visiting from Orlando)!! Maria's sweet husband, George, came along with us and we had the best time spending time together!!

I met up with Kim, Maria and George and we ate lunch at the Irondale Cafe, which the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" is based on. It was a cute little southern restaurant. Of course we laughed and took plenty of pictures together!

Then we headed to the mall a.k.a. my obsession. We went in some shops, got in some exercise and laughed the whole time. Hair extensions, gold aviators and a makeover later, I had to say goodbye :(

I am lucky enough to have Kim close enough so we can spend time together whenever we want! So awesome! And I am so so happy I got to spend time with Maria and George! They are a freaking adorable couple!! George was sweet enough to be our photographer for the day and he did an amazing job! When Maria and I show up with our cameras, you know our photographer is going to stay busy! Maria and George, PLEASE come back whenever you can and we will do it again. Next time, Kim and I will have to come visit yall in Orlando!

I posted our pictures we (actually....George) took! Hope you enjoy! Everyone have a fabulous Friday!!!!

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The Fab Four at the Irondale Cafe!
George, Maria, Kim and I

Me and the girls! Take #1...

Take #2...

Take #3...

See no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil!

We are....Charlie's Angels. Yes ma'am!

Love these girls :)

Home of the famous "Fried Green Tomatoes"

At the Galleria, after our makeovers :)

With our makeup artists! (Who also gave us about 50 free Bare Escentuals samples HA!)

Showing some Christmas spirit with the biggest wreath ever!!

A picture with the hat I almost bought....George tried to talk me into it but I was strong!

Our nerd glasses! Love them!

Kim and I representing our teams :)
Auburn vs. Alabama! The biggest rival around!

Burch and I on the way to dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant! Delicious!

Picture Post!! One year BANDIVERSARY and finally home from my vacation extravaganza!!

2010-10-25T21:20:00.016-05:00

Home sweet home!

Friends!! I have missed you all!! I am finally home from traveling the world...well more like the southeast...for the last week and a half! It's been fun and amazing and I spent wonderful quality with my family and friends!

Here was my agenda:

Saturday, October 16th:
I went with my family and Burch to the Auburn vs. Arkansas game in Auburn! Usually we take the camper and go for the weekend...but we only went for the day. It was a whirlwind trip but we won the game so that is all that matters!

Sunday, October 17th:
We headed to Cade's Cove up in the mountains in Tennessee which is about an hour outside of Gatlinburg. We took our RV so it took about 7 hours to get there. I went with my mom, dad, brother and our puppy, Simba. My aunt, uncle and cousins went as well. About five other families who are friends of my aunt and uncle went as well. So we had about 30 people with our little group. Every October for like the past 20 years my aunt and uncle and all there friends have camped in the mountains in Cade's Cove. This was our third year to join the group :)

During the day we hiked, went sight seeing, went on bike rides and a few days we went into town and enjoyed the local shops and restaurants. One day we went to this amazingly awesome antique mall. It was one of the best I have been to. It had a really eclectic mix of vintage and antique finds. A bought this really neat crystal decanter from like 50 years ago. I also bought this gorgeous glass perfume bottle that will go perfect on my bathroom counter. Haha and...while I was there I decided I wanted to start collecting old antique cameras. As you all know I love photography and what better to collect than old cameras!! There was a booth at the antique mall and all they were selling were old cameras so........I bought three and I love them!! I have a bookshelf in my room that has my coffee table books and photo albums on it so I will put my cameras on there!

For dinner each night we would all cook together and eat together...grilled out burgers, soup, chili, barbeque, etc. and then sit around the fire together. My uncle, who is hilarious and the best story teller in the world, would entertain all of us until midnight each night while we roasted smores in the fire.

Another fun thing we did was go to a place called Elkmont, an old deserted ghost town that hasn't been occupied since around the 1960's. It was old logging community established in the 1800's but when the last grandchildren grew up and died off, the town became abandoned. It's a small town that is off the beaten path. You would never know it was there unless someone had told you about it. Even the people that live in the surrounding communities won't tell you about Elkmont. If you ask how to get there, we figured out that the locals will act like it doesn't even exist. It's pretty eerie and creepy. I went with my brother, mom, dad and two cousins and we explored the town for several hours. Some of the houses are completely in ruins and the roof is caved in. Some of the porches are fallen in making it impossible to get to the front door. But the houses that were more in tact and not falling in, we explored...carefully of course. It was like people just up and left in the night. There were cabinets open, refrigerators with old food still inside and mattresses in some of the bedrooms. Seriously some of these houses could have fallen through at any minute...we are dare devils I guess. Haha not to mention there were signs on each of the doors saying "No trespassing" and if we are caught inside any homes we would have to pay fines! We were law breakers for the day but believe me, there was no one in sight at least for 10 miles!

So Cade's Cove was amazing. We headed home on Friday, October 22nd!

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Saturday, October 23rd was my ONE YEAR BANDIVERSARY!! I could contribute an entire blog to this but I will try to keep it short. On October 23, 2009 my life changed. It changed for the better and I couldn't be happier for making the decision to get the band. Like all of us, we are happier, healthier and more beautiful versions of ourselves. If it wasn't for the band, I wouldn't have created this blog. And if I wouldn't have created this blog, I would have met all of you amazing, gorgeous, thoughtful, fabulous people! I am grateful for each of you and your words of kindness that have helped me through my journey. As of October 23, 2010 I have lost 41 pounds. Those stubborn pounds will never be seen again...thank goodness!! I have about 52 more pounds to go until I get to my goal weight so as for this next year, I hope to meet this goal! I am hopeful and I am determined to make the right decisions to get me there. Thank you again for all the sweet words! I love you all!

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Saturday night my cousin and I drove to Mobile! When we got there we quickly hurried to the nearest Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Auburn vs. LSU game with the rest of Mobile apparently. It was packed and we rooted our team on until the very end! What a fantastic game and for those of you who keep up with football, my Auburn tigers are #1 in the BCS!! Amazing!!

Then we got ready and went to the Carrie Underwood concert with two of our friends who live in Mobile! It was my second time to see her in concert and all I can say is fabulous!! Probably one of the best concerts I have ever been to. She is even more gorgeous and sounds even better in person. Such a natural raw talent unlike many other artists out there. I would pay to see her again and again and again.

Sunday morning breakfast and a quick shopping spree at the local mall, we were headed back to good ole Birmingham!! What an action packed last 9 days! But now Im home and glad to be united with the blog! I haven't been reading blogs or been able to update mine since I have been gone but I have lots of catching up to do!!

Have a fabulous Tuesday! I have lots of laundry and cleaning to do :) For all of you Ole Miss fans, my Auburn tigers are coming for ya!

5-Day Pouch Test!! Bad news :(

2010-10-14T23:46:00.003-05:00

First of all, thank you everyone for the suggestions and encouragement regarding the 5 day pouch test! Seems like there are a good number of bloggers who are willing to give this a try!!

Secondly, now that I got everyone all excited about starting the 5 day pouch test on the October 18th....guess what!?

I found out (for sure this morning) that I am going out of town this Sunday and won't be coming home until the following Friday. Let me explain...

My whole extended family on my mom's side takes a week long vacation to Cade's Cove in Tennessee every fall around October/November. It is about an hour outside of Gatlinburg. This trip has been planned for this upcoming week for months and months now. I have known about the trip all along but didn't think I would be able to go because of work.

Well....for those of you who read my post a few days ago....you remember I was temporary laid off this past Friday and no longer have to worry about work for the next 10 weeks. I still wasn't sure as of a few days ago if I was going to go to Tennessee because I felt bad leaving my boyfriend, Burch, at home all week by himself. Mind you...he still has a job and can't afford to skip out of town for a week. This isn't the first time I skipped out on him...we went on vacation to Alaska a few months ago and I left him high and dry for two weeks...so I think it will be ok.

Anyways, Burch and I talked about it and he is cool with me going on vaca with my family. This is the only time during the year my WHOLE family gets the heck out of dodge and goes on vacation. I would hate to miss this amazing family fun time (in all honesty, I am being completely serious...my family is fabulous!)

We all have RVs (with the exception of my outdoorsy cousins who bring their tent) and we "camp" up in the mountains for a week. Don't worry, we don't rough it. Do I look like somebody who would want to rough it in the wilderness for 6 days?

Usually each morning there is a breakfast feast. Also each individual family is given one night and they have to plan the dinner menu. I think our night is Thursday. All this to say...I have no idea what food is going to be served each meal and I have no control over what proteins (or lack there of) will be available for me to choose from, I think the best idea would be to wait until I return to start the 5 day pouch test.

Probably the following Monday will be best for me which is October 25th. I also want to be able to document each day for yall what foods I ate and how it is all going. Up in the mountains I don't even know if I will have service to use my computer.

So thank you for wanting to do this with me!! I love it and I think it will be awesome for us to do together and help each other out. Feel free to still start the 18th...but if you want to wait and start the 25th with me, you are more than welcome!!

Love you all!! Have an awesome Friday!!

5-Day Pouch Test?? Anyone?

2010-10-13T11:47:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday friends!

So I have been reading a lot over the past few days about the 5-day pouch test. I'm sure some of you have heard of it. I honestly hadn't heard about it until a few days ago when I was watching a you-tuber talk about it who had the lap band. For those of you who don't know, I am a you tube addict! Because makeup, fashion and anything beauty related is my obsession, I go on there and watch these amazing makeup artists transform people with makeup. I love to watch videos of the new and upcoming trends for the season. I also have certain you tubers I follow who have the lap band and post videos of their journey. It's nice being able to see their face and hear them talk about the successes and struggles they go through. One of the ladies I was watching did the 5 day pouch test last week and she was raving about it. She said she lost a total of 9 pounds in 5 days and it helped her to jump start her weight loss back up after months of being at a stand still.

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So for those of you who don't know, here is the 5 day pouch test plan:

Days One and Two: Liquid Protein
Low-carb protein shakes, broth, clear or cream soups, sugar-free gelatin and pudding

Day Three: Soft Protein
Canned fish (tuna or salmon), eggs, fresh soft fish (tilapia)

Day Four: Firm Protein
Ground meat (turkey, beef, chicken, lamb), shellfish, scallops, lobster, fresh salmon or halibut

Day Five: Solid Protein
White meat poultry, beef steak, pork, lamb, wild game

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Most people (the ones I have read about) who have done the 5 day pouch test have lost anywhere from 5 pounds all the way up to 12 pounds during the 5 days! The test is not intended just for weight loss although it is said to trigger weight loss. From reading people's reactions, this seems to be true but we will see. It is intended to get people back to the basics and incorporate high protein foods back into your diet. It is to be done when you feel out of control with your eating habits and you need a little help being back to the basics. By the fifth day, most people say their band feels tighter than it was before. This is exciting!

I am thinking this is just what I need! I have done good on the weight loss front the past month or so but I feel like I could always use more protein in my diet. I don't like seafood unfortunately and I don't eat much red meat like steak but there are tons of chicken recipes I have found that will work perfect with this 5 day diet :)

Have any of you tried this before? Thoughts? Concerns? Likes? Dislikes? Anyone want to do this with me? The only day I might have a problem with is day three. What else can I eat besides what is listed? I don't do fish and I can't eat eggs all day...suggestions?

I am thinking about starting this 5 day test Monday, October 18th. I am on my last day of my period today so I am wanting to get all that out of my system before I start. And I need to get to the grocery store to stock up on chicken, soup, pudding and protein drinks!

I thought this was exciting!! Good luck to me!!

A fantastic weekend except for one major downer...

2010-10-10T20:18:00.006-05:00

Hey friends!! Hope yall had a fabulous weekend! Mine was great except for a big bummer on Friday!

This story needs a preface so here it goes...

I work for TruGreen, a lawn care company. I have been with them for about 6 months now. I am a sales auditor and I really like my job. I do a lot of interaction with customers and a lot of computer data entry and financial reviews of customer's accounts. It is a far stretch from fashion merchandising but Birmingham isn't exactly the best place to be for my major and I like the people I work with. Anyways, when I was hired I was told that usually around November the whole company lays off sales positions (including sales auditors and there are two sales auditors) for about 2 months because sales are too slow and there isn't enough revenue coming in for us to keep our jobs.

I remember being told that but wasn't really worried about it because it seemed like months and months away. Well as of the end of September, the salesmen that work there have been getting less and less. Each week about 1 or 2 salesmen have been getting laid off because lawn sales have gone down faster and earlier this year than they did last year. We started out with about 25 sales guys and as of this past week we have 6! When we had 25 guys selling we needed two auditors but now that we have 6 sales guys, I have been worried day by day whether I would have a job for much longer. The other sales auditor has been there 4 years and she obviously isn't going to be let go before me. Her and I have been talking for weeks about how much slower work has been and the sales have dropped dramatically. For us, if there are no sales coming in there is no need for sales auditors. But I was told the lay off would be mid to end November.

Well....

I went to work Friday like normal and right before I left my boss called me into his office. I knew something bad was coming. He had a serious look on his face. He said that unfortunately it was time for my temporary lay off. There was no sugar-coating it. Just plain and simple. Even though I knew it would eventually be coming, I thought it would be a month from now...not this soon. I felt excited for a brief second because it's a break from work but then got this overwhelming sense that I wanted to cry. He said because the company had downsized from 25 salesmen to 6, there obviously wasn't the need for two auditors. He made me feel better by saying it was nothing I did but it was my time to go because the other auditor had seniority.

The good thing about the whole situation is everyone is eligible to come back the first week of January...hints the "temporary lay off". This is a good and bad thing. Good because I am guaranteed my job back in 10 weeks but bad because I wont be getting paid a decent paycheck for 10 weeks. I applied today for unemployment and honestly I just want to collect that while I'm out of work. Since I have been 15 years old I have never gone without a job so it will be weird. I like my job enough to want to wait and go back in January. For this reason I don't to go through the pain staking process of looking for another job which is what my parents want me to do. Oh well.

I feel like a total loser for sitting at home for 10 weeks without a job but maybe it will give me a nice little break right around the holidays to focus on my family and friends and myself and my weight loss.

So that ended my last day at TruGreen for the year. It was so unexpected and took me by surprise. I was supposed to be somewhere Friday night so I didn't have time to hug anyone and tell them goodbye. Now I feel bad for that and I wont see them until January. Weird. It is a temporary layoff but I still feel like I "lost my job" and I will be poor for the next 10 weeks. No big shopping sprees for Kristen. Sad.

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Then right after leaving work I went straight to my cousin's homecoming football game. My little cousin, Leah, is a freshman and made homecoming court. My whole family went to support her and as you will see in my pictures, she is adorable! I am so proud of her! Here is some pictures of us:

Cousin Lauren, cousin Lindsay, Lindsay's husband Matt and me

Lauren, me, Leah and Lindsay

Lauren and I

Lauren and I...again

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Saturday, my cousin Lauren and Lindsay and I did the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Birmingham. I felt so honored to participate in such an amazing race! Like I said before, my grandmother was a two time breast cancer survivor so this event is near and dear to my heart. There were like 20,000 people there...it was fantastic. People in pink all over the place!

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Those are the highlight and low lights from the weekend! :)
Have a great week! Talk to yall soon!!

Kristen's Lapband Journey

Creeping in the right direction! And Question!!!

Getting there...And NSV!

Little by little...

NYC Picture Post!! Weight..errr...gain. And Happy New Year!!

New York City. This is for anyone who has ever been to NYC!!

Weigh-In. New York. Such an exciting month!

Recent pictures and weigh-in!

The Scale. New York City. Pictures.

Happy 2nd Bandiversary!!

Getting back down!

Time for a jump start!

Lately...

Finally!!

Getting back down to my lowest!

Oh how we love comparison shots!

It's been a while...

Weigh-In!!

Monday Weigh-In

180's!! And QUESTION for you New Yorkers!!

Up, down, up, down.....

God is mighty! And Photos I Love *FOOD WARNING*

Birthday Extravaganza!

Photos I Love: Pink edition!! And low, lower, lowest...

Two more pounds and I will be overweight...

Photo's I Love: Fashion edition

Countdown: 13 days!! And Photos I Love..Rooms edition :)

Slowly but surely...

Rough week for weight loss! Plus a picture post!

Weekly Weigh-In...Question of the Day: plastic surgery edition!

Monday Weigh-In and some weekend photos!

Monday Weigh-In

QOTD!!

ONEDERLAND!!

And the scale says...

Weigh-In and Question of the Day!!

Calling all New Yorkers and New York lovers!!

Does it ever feel so close you can taste it?

Picture Post!

Happy Heart Day!

Easy come, easy go!

*WARNING: Food overload*

Monday Weigh-In. My NEW Car Pictures!!

Onederland...you are oh so close!

New car update and Monday weigh-in!

Update: First day at the gym!

Gym. Membership. Starts. Tomorrow!!

Things I Love...

End of 2010 pictures. And a weight gain?

Finally!!

Happy New Year 2011!

Quick little Monday Weigh-In

Merry Christmas y'all!

Posting pictures...that's what I do :)

A surprise for my mom!

Monday Weigh-In. Retail Therapy. Pictures.

New low, concert high and a little Auburn football!

Pictures from Thanksgiving!

Back from my 10-day blogging hiatus! The fun never stops!

Fun weekend ahead: Wedding edition! And NSV!!

I love weekends in Auburn! *Picture Post*

Weekend update!! It's almost FRIDAY!!

Five Day Pouch Test...I give myself an 80% so far

Pouch Test...Day One Recap!

5 Day Pouch Test...Wish me luck!!

Pictures from the weekend, 5-day pouch test and a gym membership!!

BOOBS Reunion!! Picture Post!!

Picture Post!! One year BANDIVERSARY and finally home from my vacation extravaganza!!

5-Day Pouch Test!! Bad news :(

5-Day Pouch Test?? Anyone?

A fantastic weekend except for one major downer...

God is mighty! And Photos I Love FOOD WARNING

WARNING: Food overload

I love weekends in Auburn! Picture Post