There's Always Something

This weekend I had a difficult time trying to keep my composure as my emotions got the best of me. Living with my parents has been such a difficult change. I thought that it would be different having graduated from high school. However, it has proven to be a challenge each day I'm here. I need a job. Anybody hiring? Please hire me :) I need money so that I can finally move out of my parents' house. Anyway...my dad likes to have these "talks" with me, and I find them ever so irritating. Today, he asked me about the almond milk that I've been buying as of recent. He wanted to know if I was aware that it was made of a lot of sugar, what I was using it for,  and so forth. I replied saying that my stomach has been getting upset whenever I drink milk, and that it wasn't the case with cheese or yogurt, so I decided to try almond milk. I prefer it over soy milk because I've heard that soy messes with hormone levels..and...blah blah blah. Anyway the point that I'm slowly making is that I read nutrition labels...obviously! I'm trying to lose weight. And, I know what I'm putting into my body. I was aware that there is a ton of sugar in almond milk, but ya know, it's an alternative that I prefer. It's just irritating that I'm 23 years old, living at home, and being told what I can/should and can't/shouldn't eat. It was just completely unnecessary and doesn't make either of our lives easier...so I was frustrated. But, ya know....talking to my dad has always been a grueling task, and it's proving to still be so. Oh well. Other than that, I had a great workout, seeing that I had that conversation minutes before I left. 800 plus calories. 65 minutes. WOOT. Max heart rate-192, avg-180. It was a great workout. I also tried biking a little bit. I think that I might do a bike cool down on occasion. It was nice change, but  I do dread the bike. We had a bike, and i just loathed it so much. Being forced to ride that piece of shit because my parents thought I was too fat. Oh those days.....haha oh right....I'm still living them.


Please don't judge, but I am currently obsessed with two songs. Here's one:

S&M by Rihanna

Can you guess what the other song is? You'l find out tomorrow :)


Love and all that,
l

Grey's Anatomy Addict

I will admit, I have been a lover of Grey's Anatomy for so long. I started unliking it when Denny came back and gave Izzie orgasms...that was just too weird for me..until I later found out that she had cancer and he was her hallucination; then it made sense. Anyway, I'm thrilled that Jackson and Lexie could possibly be starting a romance. They are such a cute duo. Okay..I promise my life doesn't revolve around television, but I love this show. Anywho.... I got back into the gym today! It was great to workout again. My elliptical was kind of jerky, but I managed to get through it. I kept at a fairly steady pace for the entire 65 minutes. However I finally averaged an even 12 calories per minute today! YES! It felt really great, although I will need to start doing more interval training. I feel that I get more of a workout if I practice my version of HIIT than a steady pace. I am steadily reaching level 11 for longer periods of times too, which I am thrilled about. Avg heart rate-182 (up from 177 ish) and max heart rate- 192. I feel great! I hope that I can keep it up. I really have been trying to change my eating habits. I caved and bought some slim fast. I wanted something chocolatey...and I figured, well I may as well be getting in nutrients too. It doesn't make a bad shake. I bought the powder because I'm lactose intolerant, and need to use almond milk. I add ice to it, blend it all up and it makes quite a satisfactory shake, I've got to say. I'm not really planning on starting the slim fast diet, but I might consider it, seeing as I can handle the shakes. Anyway...I have given up eating past about 8 o'clock, which is good for me (I could totally eat all night if I wanted to haha). I just really love food, and I love eating....which obviously is a problem for me. I have been trying to drink more water, and that helps satisfy the hunger as well. I've given up cigarettes. I'm not that sad about it, because I've quit before. It's a nasty habit, but I really do enjoy them every now and then. I don't miss them as much as I used to. I'm loving the way my body feels. I haven't really lost any weight, but I just feel so much better, leaner. I do miss soda though, terribly. I love carbonated drinks, and I'm not about to drink diet soda or anything. Okay, maybe a diet coke here and there....but I prefer not to. I don't like sugar substitutes. They tend to be too sweet. I feel like I'm rambling...so I'm going to peace.


Here's a great song that I like to workout to:

"Who I Am" by Stroke 9

Love and all that,
l

Oh Snow....Please Don't Stay

It's snowing..and if anyone in the northwest is reading this, you'll know why I want the snow to go away. I love snow, don't get me wrong. I love the way it smells, looks, feels. I love that transforms an ordinary day into a magical one. However, people in Portland don't know how to drive in the freaking snow! It's so irritating. I heard a rumor once that it took six hours to get from one side of the city to the other (normally about a 45 minutes drive). I could have driven to California in that amount of time! So, yes I would like the snow to melt away. That way I can get to the gym. It has been two days and I'm not loving it! I find myself getting irritable from the lack of physical activity. Ugh...anyway. I've been eating fairly healthy the past few days, minus the enormous amount of peanut m&ms the other day. Seriously...like 50 of them. I just had a huge craving for them! Gross. But, I'm still maintaining my weight. Haven't lost anymore, haven't gained anymore.


Okay, I have been listening to this song for days now. I can't get it out of my head. I think I'm just super boy crazy right now and it makes me feel good haha

"I Love You Always Forever" by Donna Lewis

Love and all that, 

l

Wobble, Wobble

So...as of recent I have been watching my almost 2-year old baby cousin. She is the most darling person I have ever encountered.  I love her so much. However, my watching her has interrupted my workout schedule. I have now very little time to workout because of scheduling conflicts. I'm very sad to announce that I did not work out today due to the fact that I had to wake up at 4 a.m. and didn't get back home until 6 p.m. ish. I had no desire to spend another hour and a half in the gym doing strength training or cardio. I'm hoping that this won't be a daily occurrence. I'd like to be able to go to the gym at least every other day, and Saturdays and Sundays. This should only be a three week gig, and then back to my regular schedule of keeping Payton on occasional Wednesdays and Fridays. So....I may not be reporting back for a bit, about exercise at least.

Here's to a classic:

Haven't actually watched the video above so hopefully it's a decent version of "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey

Love and all that, 

l

Long Time, No Post

Sorry for the lack of commitment on this blog. I tend to get distracted, and then start a new blog. However, that has not happened here! I've been away for a few days, but I'm back! So....the past few days haven't been so great for me. We ordered Chinese food (cue: "mmmmmm") and I just haven't been eating that well lately. Well, it's not to say that I haven't been eating well, but rather, I've just been eating a whole heck of a lot. So tomorrow is another fresh start (my philosophy is that one can never have too many "fresh starts") and I'm going to be very conscious of what I'm putting into my body. Today's workout was great, unlike the past couple of days. I burned 770 calories in just 65 minutes! Yay for me. And I'm hoping that the rest of this week will also be filled with great work outs!-and more healthy food choices.


Anyway, more updates to come later!

This is one of my favorite renditions I've ever heard, of any song!

"With a Little Help From My Friends" featured in the opening performance of "The Sing-Off", episode 4.

I get goose bumps every time. 

Love and all that, 

l

You Make Me Wanna

So...no weight loss today. I'm hoping tomorrow I'll have lost another pound...but I'm starting to think that my diet really needs to improve. I've been sneaking chocolates and carbs so often lately that I think that unless I keep doing hardcore cardio, my progress is slowly going to decline. So....yeah, I've got to buy some more will power or something and make sure I keep a lot of it stored in my back pocket at all times. Short post, I know, but I'm getting sleepy and I get to go baby-sit my little 1 1/2 year old cousin tomorrow! She's is the most darling thing ever.


Oh right, song...hmmm

"Give Me One Reason" Tracy Chapman

Love and all that,
l

Good Riddance!

Today, I discovered that I've finally gotten back down to my pre-holiday weight! Those five pounds that I gained were such a pain, and now they are gone forever. I have five more pounds until I reach my first goal, which I initially wanted to reach before New Year's Eve. A few weeks, late, but not a problem. I just have to stay focused and keep at it. I've been reducing my caloric intake by....a lot. I don't actually count calories, I'm just very aware of what I'm putting in my body, and of course how many calories I'm burning. Today was another great day! I only did an hour of cardio. I had to skip my cool down but I still burned more than usual. The past few days I've been aiming towards 700 calories in 65 minutes on the elliptical. Today I met the 700 in just 60 minutes! I think that this interval training is working really great. I think that once I plateau I'm going to give HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) a shot. I'm doing so well with how I've been working out the past week that I am hesitant to change my routine. I also have to pay more attention to what I'm eating. I want to eat more well-balanced meals. I've only been watching my calories, which I know is a huge factor, but I think that I can start consuming more efficient calories to help me lose weight. Anyway...today was a great day.


For today's song selection:

"How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston. Feelin the 80s tonight.


Love and all that,
l

efffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

The bad food keeps on rolling in my belly. Okay, huge lapse in will power today. I just stuffed five chocolates into my tummy. I think it might've felt like I didn't properly celebrate Valentine's Day or something. Tomorrow, no more sweets for me! I blew it. Absolutely no sweets for awhile...which is going to be so difficult considering I bought Girl Scout cookies from my cousin. Crap. Well, we'll have to figure out something, but seriously, I'm not ever going to allow myself to get this out of control again. 

Okay, so this might not be the best song to play, but it's soo good. And a little comforting haha

Glee's version of "Fat Bottomed Girls". Love it, mainly because I have a fat bottom haha

Love and all that,

l

Yeah....Not So Worth It

Today was an awesome workout day...not so much an awesome food day though. I don't know if I just had a momentary lapse in will power, but I indulged in pasta with cheese and butter today. I also had an egg with toast and sausage. It was not a healthy day. But I can move onto my next meal with confidence that it will be filled with delicious nutrients :) I supposedly burned just over 700 calories on the elliptical today. I was on it for about an hour and 5 minutes for a cool down at the end of it. Yay! Go me! Haha. I'm really proud that I've been able to keep it up..going to the gym that is. I just hope that I start seeing results soon. I've lost 3 pounds since last week...but I'm still two pound away from my pre-holiday weight...and then of course...there's the amount of weight I have to shed to reach my ideal weight...but I know that I can get there. Just some more will power to refrain from those oh so good, but oh so bad foods, and of course to continue exercising. I heard that diet is the most contributing factor to losing weight/gaining weight. Exercise kind of tops it all off. I know that my body is becoming stronger, I just want it to be leaner, so I'm going to try my pre-holiday diet once more on top of working out, and see if this yields any results. My diet plan went like this:

carbs in the morning before noon
must consume 600 calories before noon
eat within one hour of waking up
eat only vegetables and protein after 12 pm. including salads loaded with chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, some dressing, nuts, along with fish or other protein like egg whites.

Basically I can eat anything else after noon except carbs such as rice, bread, pasta, etc.

It was so difficult because I would crave so many things, but morning was the time to indulge in any carbs or sweets. It worked so well that I lost 17 pounds in two months! But then I gained it back...so we'll see how this goes. I'm sure it will be very difficult for even just a week, so I'll stick as close to it as possible and let y'all know how it goes.


oh yes, song selection:

"Porcelain" by Moby. One of my favorite artists. Enjoy

Love and all that,
l

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue....

...A Very Happy Valentine's Day To You!

I hope you all enjoyed this day full of love whether it be family, friends, or that special someone. Mine was fantastic! I was hot and sweaty all day. The gym is the best Valentine's Day date, I'm sure of it. Haha. I went twice today! And I surpassed my goal. woot. This morning, I burned 420 calories in about 40 minutes of cardio, switching between the elliptical, treadmill, and then elliptical once more. I also did some strength training, mostly legs. The second trip I spent an hour and 5 minutes on the elliptical and did interval training from intensities 4 through 9. This time around, I burned 700 calories! It felt really great, though I'm not sure how accurate the calorie counter is on these machines. What I look for is sweat. Honestly, if I'm sweating then I know that I'm getting in a solid workout and burning calories. Hopefully tomorrow will be productive! I tried to take it as slow as possible so that I wouldn't completely wear my body out...but I think that my endurance has improved greatly and that this whole losing weight thing is going to happen for me!

Okay, selection of the day. A little love is needed on this day

"Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones

Love and all that,
l

It's Gonna Be A Bright Sun-shiney Day

I have a feeling that even though it's supposed to rain all week, it's going to be a sunny, happy week! I weighed myself and found that I've lost about three pounds since last week. Woot! Only 2 more pounds to go, and I'll have reached my weight before the holidays which I worked so hard to accomplish! And I think it's going to get easier and easier to keep shedding the pounds. Although, today I didn't go to the gym... Not a great way to start off the week. However, tomorrow I'm planning on doing daily doubles. I'm going to burn 700 calories, hopefully in two different increments...to make up for missing my workout today. I'm also going to try to stay at level 9 for ten minutes tomorrow..we'll see how that goes though. I've realized that even if I don't quite meet my goals for the day, I'm still working out and pushing myself hard and that outweighs the benefits of seeing fast results. I know that I have a long way to go, but each pound counts and hopefully I'll reach my goal within the next year or so. I did veer from my healthy diet this weekend. Today I went out and drank sangria and ate delicious mac and cheese and short ribs. MMMMMM it was all worth it though. Because now that I know I've been making progress in the weight loss department, I'm going to continue watching what I eat, so that was probably the last luxurious meal I'll be enjoying for awhile. Totally worth it :)

And, now I have even more to look forward to each time I go to the gym, haha. Someone gorgeous to look at while I workout. yes! It probably seems so silly, but I feel like a lovestruck teenager. I've had butterflies in my stomach all weekend long.

Today I leave you with another one of my favorite songs. This song reminds me of my dear friend, Alex. May he rest in peace. I miss you dear friend.

"Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. One of the sexiest songs. ever.

Love and all that,
l

Who woulda thunk it

So.. sorry for the delay folks, I've been quite busy dealing with..distracting matters haha, but I wanted to quickly post my progress thus far. Yesterday, I burned almost 600 calories! I have been trying to practice interval training and changing the pace of my workout on the treadmill and elliptical throughout my set. I usually seem to wear off a lot of energy in the first 15 to 20 minutes of my cardio, and I'll have to reduce the intensity or speed for a few minutes, and then pick it back up again. I pushed myself so incredibly hard today. I only burned about 470 calories today, and only did strength training and the elliptical. It was really great though, I pushed myself to work onto level 9 on the elliptical! It was difficult, but it really felt great. I only did it for about 8 minutes or so, in two different increments, but I know that in about a week or two, it should be a pretty solid commitment, and I'll push myself to level 11 then haha. I feel like I could've pushed myself more a little bit while weight training, but Monday is another day. I'm going to lunch with some of my friends tomorrow, and I'm hoping that there will be some tasty but healthy options! I'll also be working out before I go out to eat, so I'll have to choose something high in protein.

Side note: for those who know me, I've been in love with this boy that I went to high school with for a long, long time now. I haven't had the nerve to tell him, and I don't think it would work out between us. So I've been trying to move on and today..........................................I spotted a guy across the room haha. I was dripping with sweat which I'm sure was attractive, but sheesh, who would've thought working out would be so much fun for me! haha

OH, song....hmmmm ooooh, I have a lovely little ditty for you. One of my favorite songs ever

"Love You Down" by INOJ. Hell. Yes.



Love and all that,
l

Something Honorable

Today my cousin, Courtney, asked me to be her maid of honor. I can't believe that she asked me and I'm so honored that she would ask me to stand at the alter with her.

Jack Johnson, "Better Together". This one's for you Court!

Love and all that,
l

Work it Girrrrrll

Hi folks! I had a pretty solid workout today and I feel great! Today I did some strength training for my legs, and then I worked out on the elliptical for 35 minutes and then the treadmill for 20. In total, I burned 550 calories! wooooooot. I worked up a great sweat and also I have increased my intensity on both machines! Another wooooooot! So when I first started working out on January 12, I think, I could barely ride the elliptical for 10 minutes on level 1 without getting out of breath and all around exhausted. NOW I can ride for 35 minutes at an intensity of 1 and working up to level 7 by the end of my workout! I haven't really quite measured my increased endurance on the treadmill. However, I know that I have upped my incline from 7 to 10, and my speed up to 3.5 as well (from a 3.2). But I only go on the treadmill to either burn just a few more calories at the end of the elliptical, or after I've done strength training and feel an extra burst of energy. I'm super proud of myself! I've been off the wagon for 2 whole days, sick and just feeling miserable, but today was a great day in terms of exercise. Okay, now for the judgement. I ate a chimichanga with sour cream for lunch today. (I didn't wake up until about 11 and by the time I rolled downstairs I was in the mood for lunch). I also had a glass of juice..whoops. But I feel confident that this isn't a setback, just a minor slip up haha. So onward and upward! Tonight I'm going to make healthy decisions!

Work out song choice of the day: Erase-Rewind by The Cardigans. :D

Love and all that,
l

Emotional Scribble

Even though it has been a great week, I've been a little sad for the past few days...it could be because I'm a little sick. I've just been an emotional scribble...just all over the place without any real direction. I was watching the movie Dear John...not particularly a movie that I would often go for, but I caught about 15 minutes of it somewhere in the middle, and I just had to know what happens in the end. So I was lucky enough to catch it again and watched it all the way through this time. It wasn't quite the crock I thought it would be, but it was really  really bad. The weird part though, was that I found myself crying throughout certain parts of the film. SPOILER ALERT. You have been warned. I cried when she writes him a letter to break up with him. I cried when his father died. I cried when he sold the whole coin collection and made a rule that all of the mules had to stay together, and that he kept that one very special mule with him. It made me think of my relationship with my own dad and I hope that my dad and I can reconcile and restore our relationship. I love my father, I do. It's difficult to forgive him for things that he has said to me though. But I hope that we can reach some common ground before it's too late.

"In the Morning" by Paper Route:

Love and all that, 

l

Marriage! Twins! Oh My!

So this has been a fabulous week for all of my friends and family! I'm so excited to share with you all: My cousin Jana just announced that she has set her wedding date for May 14, my cousin Courtney just got engaged this last Saturday, and my friend Kristen found out that she is expecting twins. Life is wonderful in this moment in time.

I have even more motivation than ever to start really losing weight and making that lifestyle change. My cousin's wedding is a great first benchmark for me. By May, I would like to lose 20 more pounds. I think that is completely achievable. Given the amount of exercise that I'll be doing on a regular basis, in addition to my eating habits. Here are some goals that I have set for myself:

1. No more late night snacking!
2. Drink 8 or more glasses of water a day
3. Water will be the only beverage of choice from now on
4. Allow one day per week, just one, to splurge on anything I want
5. Quit the alcohol and cigarettes
6. Reduce portions, and eat smaller meals throughout the day
7. Cut back on sweets to two times a week ;)

I feel like those are pretty reasonable goals. So this will be starting tomorrow. I think that's how I work best, just dive right into it, cold turkey. Hopefully I'll see results shortly here. From September to November I lost 17 pounds by eating strictly salads with chicken and vegetables at night. (Carbs in the morning, no late night snacking, and no sweets.) It's tough, but I think it'll be well worth it.

Plus, with my Courtney getting married sometime next year, I would love to look slimmer because I'll be in the bridal party. Woot! And now that Kristen is going to be having twins..well I'll now have 3 little ones to chase after instead of just one haha, so I've got to be in the best shape of my life haha.

Today was wonderful and tomorrow will be even better.
Now for the song of the day, I bring to you is "Everything to Me" by Tamarama.

Love and all that,
l

Day 1

Hiiiiiiiiii so I have decided to start a blog and record my weight loss journey! I'm really excited. Thus far, I haven't really been able to regularly update my blogs, but I have high hopes for this one. Well, I supposed introductions are a bit necessary. My name is leslie, and I have just graduated from college with a degree in sociology. I loved every moment of that entire experience, and I'm a little sad that it's all over, but honestly I wouldn't have changed anything...well except for gaining so much weight..ha ha ha (you can't tell, but that was supposed to be my cheesy laugh). Anyway, so I've been trying to lose weight since September and it went really great for the first couple of months, just like it always does, or so I've heard for dieters. I lost about 17 pounds with a complete diet change and little exercise. It was great! But, I'm going to be completely honest with you, I love food so so much. I'm not quite sure what I would do without it. The holidays were rough, and I did fail at staying on my diet. Now February has darn gone and come around. I'm going to start eating the way I used to in September and October in addition to exercising. I'm quite thrilled to see the results. I will keep you all updated with posts of my progress and what kinds of foods I'm eating as well as what exercises I find to be the most rewarding! Usually, I like to end with a "Song-of-the-Day" but right now I will leave one of the most hilarious clips from a show favorite of mine, Parks and Recreation:

Love and all that, 

l