Transformation Monday!

(Yeah, I know it's supposed to be Transformation Tuesday. Shhh.)

I knew at the start of the summer that I wanted to keep my hair long until August. I was fascinated by the hairstyles and braids I kept seeing on Pinterest and frustrated that my hair was always too short to try any of them out!

I honestly did enjoy the multitude of options I had when my hair was long. (Keep in mind, when I'm saying "long" I'm meaning...slightly past shoulder length. Not that long for normal people, but I felt like Rapunzel.) I did all kinds of cool braids and ponytails and buns and it was a joyous time. But I almost never wore my hair down because it was a pain to straighten and backcomb and spray it until it looked acceptable. And if it was rainy or I was going to sweat...just...no. Plus, my hair is very thin and doesn't have a lot of volume, so when I wore it down it just seemed a bit flat.

Also at the start of the summer, I knew I wanted my hair to be short for back-to-school time. Cause I just love having short hair. It's much easier to take care of, and I am forced to wear it down most of the time because a 1" long ponytail just looks a little silly. I was very scared because I'd had it long for a while, and I hadn't had side bangs since high school. But, voila, here's the before and after:

It's soooo shoooorrrrtttt. At first I hated it. I came home, looked in the mirror, and had a panic attack. And cried and moped. And then I saw people and they liked it and other people liked my facebook photo so I figured it wasn't as bad as I thought. And now I think it's cute. Ha. Post haircut stress disorder is real, my friends.

Can't wait to try some new styles with my new 'do! Whaddaya think? :)
-Ellen

P.S. Health update: Now down 10.6 lbs! (Took awhile...) On to my next goal, -15! :)

Stylin' Sunday

Ohhh yeah. My new weight has me feelin' like it's time to be a fashionista. So I dressed up a little today.

I GOT MAROON PANTS. And I love 'em and they fit so well. Better than any jeans I've ever had before, actually. I got them at Urban Outfitters. Shockingly they had my size with a length of 29" which is perfect for me (I have short legs...) Yay yay yay. And if you're curious, the graphic tank and denim shirt are both from Nordstrom.

Health Updates: I've been continuing with my 4 weeks to Lose 5 pounds plan. Crazily enough, I've already lost the 5 pounds in just 2 weeks! But, I'm trekking on. This weekend I went a little cray cray with my eating cause I was all like Hey I met my goal already, why not eat 3500 cookies? Bad thinking, Ellen. Yes, losing 10 pounds was the short term goal, but I've gotta think about the future. My ultimate goal weight is still 14.6 pounds away.

Which brings me to my new set of goals.

• This semester, I'd like to lose another 10 pounds! This sounds so so so hard to do. I mean, juggling classes, homework, extracurriculars, and a social life isn't easy. Add exercising and healthy cooking/shopping to the list and it seems downright impossible. But I've learned this summer that dedication and determination lead to good things. And NOTHING is impossible!
• I'd also like to get involved in an active activity! Luckily, college campuses are very active places to be. There are always new exercise classes, rec sports, and active social activities to try.
• Finally, I'd like to cook healthy meals 5-6 nights a week. I'm always good about this at the beginning of the school year. But, when hard exams are coming up or if I miss a trip to the grocery store, I tend to just say Ah, whatevs, let's just go out to eat. Not cost efficient, and not conducive to weight loss. So I'm gunna try to cook as much as possible. Which I usually enjoy, so it shouldn't be an issue :) Another thing I tend to do is cook a main dish but leave out veggies/fruits/side dishes. I'm going to attempt to make more balanced meals.

I'm getting so antsy to get back to school. Can't wait to see my friends again and get back into the swing of things!

 

-Ellen

My Healthy Shopping List!

I remember going to the grocery store for the first time after I started my summer health journey. I felt like a lost child at Disneyworld.

Where do I go? What do I buy? What is healthy? What isn't?

This is healthy! And also yummy :)

Shifting to a healthier lifestyle is, without a doubt, scary, confusing, and frustrating. So, to help y'all out, I'd like to share with you a healthy shopping list. I think this list could be beneficial to first time dieters or anybody who would like to start eating better!

Without further ado, here it is:

Produce:

• Celery
• Lettuce
• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Apples
• Bananas (Get a gigantic bunch!)
• In-season fruits (Peaches, berries!)
• Grapes
• Cuties/Clementines
• Tomato sauce (My fave is Classico tomato basil)

Meat:

• Deli meat: Turkey or chicken (For sandwiches)
• Chicken breasts
• Any kind of fish you like! (Salmon, sole, anything you please)
• Frozen shrimp
• Ground turkey, if you're into that sort of thing. (Not a huge ground meat person. Or meat person in general. But if you are, this stuff is good and good for ya!)

Dairy/refrigerated:

• Eggs
• 2% shredded cheese
• Babybel light/Laughing Cow (cause I can't live without cheese!)
• Yogurt (Greek is healthiest, if you're into that sort of thing.)
• Almond milk/Skim milk (I dare you to try almond milk. Not as bad as I thought it'd be! I get Silk unsweetened vanilla)

Snacks:

• Hummus (The garlic flavor is my personal favorite)
• Nut-thins crackers (I recommend almond or hazelnut!) or low fat Triscuits
• Quaker caramel rice cakes
• Jif reduced fat peanut butter (A must have)
• Reduced fat graham crackers
• Popcorn
• Applesauce! Get the all-natural kind.
• Nuts (Almonds/pistachios/whatever you love)
• Hershey's dark chocolate kisses (cause we all need something sweet sometimes!)
• Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches (I like cookies and cream!)
• Weight Watchers toffee ice cream bars (what can I say, I love ice cream.)
• Protein powder (This may not be at your local store! I think my mom ordered our's online. I use a brand called Right Size and I like the Lean Cocoa Bean flavor.)

Grains:

• Whole wheat bread
• Whole wheat tortillas/pita pockets
• Ronzoni pasta, whole wheat of course! (If you don't like whole wheat pasta, try Ronzoni's high fiber kind. Tastes identical to other boxed pastas.)
• Honey Nut Cheerios medley cereal (YUM)
• Peanut butter multigrain Cheerios (YUM) 
• Oatmeal (I like maple and brown sugar & apples and cinnamon!)

I think that's it! Well, I'm sure I forgot something important, but that's all I've got for now. Hopefully this list can help you feel a bit more confident about healthy eating (and shopping)!

-Ellen :)

Fun in the Sun-day: Kayaking!

Today Josh and I went kayaking! It was so much fun. And a great active activity/date idea! Kayaking burns 145 calories in just 20 minutes (which is about how long I was out there)! It definitely gives you an arm workout. And it's so awesome to try new outdoor activities that don't involve risk/danger, or running :) 

 I also bought school supplies today! Weird, I know, because it's still the end of July and school doesn't start for over a month. But I love love love buying school supplies. Like a child. In fact, I wish I was a child so my list could include awesome stuff like markers, glue sticks, and play doh. But I was content with some jungle animal folders, notebooks, a new pencil case, colorful pens, mechanical pencils, and an adorable backpack (below)!!

And, as always, I had to purchase a planner. I love my planner. Writing stuff down and creating strict deadlines for myself is the only way I can keep my grades up. In a way, this applies to weight loss. I lose the most weight when I carefully schedule and structure my workouts, and religiously log every food I eat into the MyFitnessPal app. If you can plan it, you can achieve it :)

Speaking of achievements, look who's down 9 pounds today! This girl! (Well, technically 8.6 pounds.) That means I've lost exactly 3 pounds this week! Yeah! In one week! Did I mention this eating plan/workout schedule is THE BEES KNEES?! If you would like to drop a few and go back to school looking your best, I'd highly recommend it. (Here's the link if you wanna try it!) I'm so proud and happy and excited to see how much more I can lose before move-in! :)

Tomorrow starts WATER WEEK at camp! Woohoo! Let's pray for sunny weather and no water balloon related injuries :)

-Ellen

Feeling FAB on Friday

 Right now I am just HIGH ON LIFE AND ENDORPHINS!

I feel so great about where I am in my fitness journey, my weight loss progress, my job, and my life in general :)

Remember that baby fast I did last week? Tomorrow I'm doing another! After reading the articles about fasting (which I included in this post) I was inspired to try fasting intermittently, since it's apparently extremely good for your body in a lot of ways.

One of the most important parts about fasting is to prepare beforehand. Gotta eat a big meal the night before and sleep as long as you can. Which are both aaawwweeesssooommmmmmee. Since Josh and I have wanted to go to Carrabba's all summer, we are finally going TONIGHT! YAY BIG MEAL YAY. Good thing I exercised today :)

Can you tell I'm excited?!?!

I probably won't be so thrilled sipping my green tea all day long tomorrow. BUT TODAY, I SHALL REJOICE.

Peace.
-Ellen

Before: Meh. After: YAY LIFE.