Brooks?!!

Ok, I'm too distraught about The Bachelorette to post anything more than this.

Today: 45 minutes of plyo, but also like 23455 cookies.

Bad.

K, goodnight:)
-Ellen

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

10 POUNDS!

I woke up this morning with a really good feeling. And then, BOOM, the scale showed me that magic magic number. The number that is exactly 10.0 pounds lower than it was on May 10, 2013 when I started this crazy journey! 

I may or may not have done a weird jumping dance move on the way back to my room.

Seeing this number did wonders for how I feel about myself. Not necessarily my appearance, because, as I've stated, it's hard for me to personally see any differences in how I look. But it helped me realize that I can literally do ANYTHING! I can lose weight. I can climb mountains. I can be a superstar. YEAH.

And here are a couple of stats that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside:

• Upon losing this tenth pound, I took my BMI from the Overweight range to the Healthy/Normal range. That is a huge deal because it means that now I'm in an ideal weight range and have the capacity to lead a healthier, happier life!
• I've lost 6.27% of my total body weight!

 So, anyway, hooray! I've got two more weeks of my plan, so maybe I can go back to school 12-13 pounds lighter! :)

-Ellen

TGIF

Hi. Thank God it's Friday. This week was hellacious and I'm totally wiped. Plus I accidentally took a 2.5 hour nap this afternoon, so who knows if I'll be able to get any sleep tonight :/

Friday is my rest day (Praise) so I just took a 45 minute walk with Josh after dinner for some light exercise. I had a pretty healthy day of eating, as well. AND I discovered these delicious ice cream bars I thought I'd tell you about:

They're so yummy! The only thing is, they're pretty small. But for 160 calories each, that's understandable. They have a layer of ice cream and a layer of cookie dough, with little chunks of cookie dough on top! MMMM.

If you didn't notice, I eat ice cream a lot. And still lose weight. Like I always say, smart choices and moderation!

Treat yourself this Friday :) But don't go overboard!
-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 :)