♪♫ Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow - Strawberry Alarm Clock
Its been a few weeks since I last blogged. I've mostly been busy with the end of the semester assignments and exams. I've also taken a few extra shifts at work to get some more money into my savings account (since I took a chunk out for Christmas gifts & food). Thrifting hasb't been too exciting lately. Thrift stores are all filled with Christmas stuff and not much of anything else. The only thing I found since my last blog was a cute '60s flower power apron (that actually fits me - often I come across children's sizes). I also have been going to the thrift stores a bit less because covid cases have gone up in my area and I don't want to get sick.
I finally got onto booking a trip! In 2020, I was supposed to go to Hawaii in May. The pandemic happened and I didn't go, but I've held onto the money since then. I decided that I am going to wait on Hawaii since they are having some issues with too many tourists and not enough resources for locals. Instead, I am going to New York City for ten days! I already booked the Airbnb and bought the plane ticket. I got my passport, luggage, spending money already saved, and a list of things I want to do as well. I just have a couple minor things left to do. This is such a dream! The book I have been writing for over a decade is set in New York City and I plan to draw further inspiration while I'm there to get back into writing it. I think I will buy a notebook just to write down ideas.
I am back on track with losing weight. Everything got so derailed in the past year due to the chaos of not having a place to live for a long time while balancing school and work. Its been one week so far and I've lost 5 lbs! That is typically a lot to lose in one week, but often weight loss happens quickly for the first 2-3 weeks, then slows down to 1-3 lbs per week. I am not doing any special diet, just counting calories (which I did back in 2015/2016 and lost 60 lbs). I'm still enjoying foods I like and I'm not starving, so don't worry! For example, yesterday I had the following:
Breakfast: A big smoothie with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, high protein greek yogurt, almond milk, honey, liquid Omega-3/Vitamin D & protein powder (414 calories).
Lunch: Two fried eggs & an English muffin with strawberry cream cheese (352 calories). I often don't feel hungry around lunch, so I typically only have a small lunch anyways.
Dinner: Two cups of vegetarian chili made with Beyond Beef & lots of veggies (approximately 350 calories).
Snacks: Mini ice cream sandwich, hot chocolate packet with 7 peppermint vegetarian marshmallows, an apple, & two cheese strings (311 calories). I'm a snacker, so I prefer to do smaller meals in exhange for more snacks. I also have a multi vitamin (zero calories) with helps me get more vitamin A, iron, B12, and more.
Total: 1427 calories. I aim for about 1425 on days I don't do much and add more calories on days that I exercise or engage in alot of physical work. Also, if I have a craving, I find a way to fit it into my calorie "budget". The last time I did this (when I lost 60 lbs), I still had pizza, ice cream, chips, chocolate, cake, pasta, and more! Its all about two things: finding/making a lower calorie version (for example naan bread pizzas or eating just one or two small slices from a restaurant pizza), and portion control. I used to be able to down a whole 12 inch pizza to myself and end it with a big bowl of ice cream. Now I have a slice or two, then one scoop of lower fat ice cream. There are many alternatives that taste just as good or better, and the smaller portions are actually just normal portions, but will take some time for your body to adjust if you are an overeater like me.
The reason I mention this is for anyone looking to lose weight and thinks they need to eat salads for every meal and spend three hours on a treadmill everyday. You don't even really need to exerise, although for health, you should definitely add that in if you can. It also allows for more calorie intake each day. You could be losing weight on 1800 calories per day with enough excercise, but if you aren't used to it, then it takes time to work your way up to that. But as I had said, technically its not needed for weight loss.
Before I go...
Happy birthday to my best friend Kara!
She has been my best friend since I was seventeen and I'm turning thirty in a couple weeks. Over the past thirteen years, she has been there for me, grown with me, and supported me. We went through hell together and she is the only person who really understands me (and that I show my writing to). I love her dearly. 🧡🧡🧡
That is all for now. I'm going to finish some cleaning and organizing, then binge watch the rest of Wednesday on Netflix. I hope everyone is well!
Its been a few weeks since I last blogged. I've mostly been busy with the end of the semester assignments and exams. I've also taken a few extra shifts at work to get some more money into my savings account (since I took a chunk out for Christmas gifts & food). Thrifting hasb't been too exciting lately. Thrift stores are all filled with Christmas stuff and not much of anything else. The only thing I found since my last blog was a cute '60s flower power apron (that actually fits me - often I come across children's sizes). I also have been going to the thrift stores a bit less because covid cases have gone up in my area and I don't want to get sick.
I finally got onto booking a trip! In 2020, I was supposed to go to Hawaii in May. The pandemic happened and I didn't go, but I've held onto the money since then. I decided that I am going to wait on Hawaii since they are having some issues with too many tourists and not enough resources for locals. Instead, I am going to New York City for ten days! I already booked the Airbnb and bought the plane ticket. I got my passport, luggage, spending money already saved, and a list of things I want to do as well. I just have a couple minor things left to do. This is such a dream! The book I have been writing for over a decade is set in New York City and I plan to draw further inspiration while I'm there to get back into writing it. I think I will buy a notebook just to write down ideas.
I am back on track with losing weight. Everything got so derailed in the past year due to the chaos of not having a place to live for a long time while balancing school and work. Its been one week so far and I've lost 5 lbs! That is typically a lot to lose in one week, but often weight loss happens quickly for the first 2-3 weeks, then slows down to 1-3 lbs per week. I am not doing any special diet, just counting calories (which I did back in 2015/2016 and lost 60 lbs). I'm still enjoying foods I like and I'm not starving, so don't worry! For example, yesterday I had the following:
Breakfast: A big smoothie with strawberries, bananas, blueberries, high protein greek yogurt, almond milk, honey, liquid Omega-3/Vitamin D & protein powder (414 calories).
Lunch: Two fried eggs & an English muffin with strawberry cream cheese (352 calories). I often don't feel hungry around lunch, so I typically only have a small lunch anyways.
Dinner: Two cups of vegetarian chili made with Beyond Beef & lots of veggies (approximately 350 calories).
Snacks: Mini ice cream sandwich, hot chocolate packet with 7 peppermint vegetarian marshmallows, an apple, & two cheese strings (311 calories). I'm a snacker, so I prefer to do smaller meals in exhange for more snacks. I also have a multi vitamin (zero calories) with helps me get more vitamin A, iron, B12, and more.
Total: 1427 calories. I aim for about 1425 on days I don't do much and add more calories on days that I exercise or engage in alot of physical work. Also, if I have a craving, I find a way to fit it into my calorie "budget". The last time I did this (when I lost 60 lbs), I still had pizza, ice cream, chips, chocolate, cake, pasta, and more! Its all about two things: finding/making a lower calorie version (for example naan bread pizzas or eating just one or two small slices from a restaurant pizza), and portion control. I used to be able to down a whole 12 inch pizza to myself and end it with a big bowl of ice cream. Now I have a slice or two, then one scoop of lower fat ice cream. There are many alternatives that taste just as good or better, and the smaller portions are actually just normal portions, but will take some time for your body to adjust if you are an overeater like me.
The reason I mention this is for anyone looking to lose weight and thinks they need to eat salads for every meal and spend three hours on a treadmill everyday. You don't even really need to exerise, although for health, you should definitely add that in if you can. It also allows for more calorie intake each day. You could be losing weight on 1800 calories per day with enough excercise, but if you aren't used to it, then it takes time to work your way up to that. But as I had said, technically its not needed for weight loss.
Before I go...
She has been my best friend since I was seventeen and I'm turning thirty in a couple weeks. Over the past thirteen years, she has been there for me, grown with me, and supported me. We went through hell together and she is the only person who really understands me (and that I show my writing to). I love her dearly. 🧡🧡🧡
That is all for now. I'm going to finish some cleaning and organizing, then binge watch the rest of Wednesday on Netflix. I hope everyone is well!