Day 280: Free Dinner and a Show

Hey internet people!

It's been a good week! Yesterday at work someone informed me that I had won a prize drawing for some committee. I am not on any committees at work, and couldn't remember signing up for anything. Come to find out, they drew everybody's name at work, and I was number 7 out of 10 to get my name drawn for a prize. Some of the prizes included tickets to Chanhassan Dinner Theater, Twins tickets, Lynx tickets, Jesus Christ Superstar, and movie tickets. My name was so far down the list I pretty much knew most of the stuff would be gone by the time I got there, which it was, but I didn't care, any of these options was fine with me. I ended up opting for the movie tickets, which were for Regal Cinema, only two in the metro area, but not a bad deal. Two tickets and $10 in concession stand money.


Later that night was Bucks night at Chammps, which is their version of Bingo. I was debating on not going, but was feeling really lucky after winning those tickets, so I headed over and reserved a table for me and my friends. A little information on Bucks: the last game of the night is the jackpot, and it grows $50 every week that nobody wins it. This week it was up to $1,550. You have to win in eleven numbers. After he called the tenth number I had one more to go...and he didn't call it. Until three numbers later. And another person won as well. We both went up there, because he can only have one winner, so he had us both draw bingo balls to see who got the higher number. I grabbed the first one I touched, and clenched my fist around it. I didn't want to look at it until I saw what color hers was. (We have the same set at work, so I know the order from low to high is blue, red, white, green, yellow.) Hers was white, which meant an N number. I opened up my fist....and my ball was yellow! I had won the final prize, which was a $25 gift card. Not bad, especially considering I didn't have to pay to play. The manager also came up to me and gave me a free app/drink coupon for being one away earlier. My luck may be running out soon, but it feels good to win something.

Day 277: Money Saving and Weight Loss Tips

Two of my friends got married at the beginning of this month, and ever since then I've been trying to lose the weight I put on for it and save the money that I spent on it. I didn't realize how expensive it was to be in a wedding, actually owe people money now, so I've been trying all sorts of things to save money. The dress that I spent two hundred dollars on also did not fit after I lost some weight. So I also have been going hardcore with re-losing the weight. I figured out some "life hacks" if you will. A lot of sites post these, so I thought I would post a couple of mine.

These are some to lose weight:

• Allow yourself one cheat meal a week, that way you have something to look forward to
• Avoid the chip/soda aisle. There is always something new/on clearance/sale that you will want
• Weigh yourself once a day, at the same time every day. It sucks, but will help motivate you
• When you are stressed/angry/bored go for a walk. Even if the weather sucks walk around the mall or a local grocery store. I like Wal-Mart because it's 24 hours and has non-food sections.
• When you are watching tv/movie have a puzzle going, it will keep your hands busy and prevent you from making a snack.
• Plan your week with little exercise routines built in. I belong to a gym so I look ahead of time to see what classes are offered. 
• Have your friends join you for a walk around a lake/park/neighborhood

These are some to help save money:

• Cancel anything you don't use/need. I still need to cancel my People.com subscription, I never read them
•  When I go out anywhere I will leave my credit cards at home and only take cash, that way I can only spend that certain dollar amount
• Leave cash/credit cards at home. If I'm going to a friend's house/the gym I will leave my credit cards and cash at home, that way it is not even an option to hit up taco bell after doing Zumba
• Along with allowing one cheat meal, allow yourself to only go out a certain number of times a week. Plan your meals according to your grocery shopping. 
• Set an "allowance" for yourself and only go to the atm when it's time for your "allowance"
• Coupon. Just about everything out there has a coupon. I even do the surveys on the back of my receipts for free food/drawings
• When your friends go out, eat beforehand (unless it's buffet) then just get a soda or light dessert. Sure, it's fun to eat out, but my friends go out every time we hang out

I know there are a lot of ways to save money and lose weight, and it's hard. I am still working on getting rid of the junk food in my place and replacing it with better things. I have been shopping the "natural" or "organic" sections of grocery stores. It's a little more expensive, but then I save that money on not eating out all the time. My friends love to go eat out, and usually everybody wants to order a drink. When all is said and done the bill is well over twenty. I also don't go to eat at buffets anymore, it's just too much money and I eat too much.

All this being said, I love my body, but I know that I need to lose a little weight so that I can be a little more comfortable. I know we all say that we're going to lose the weight, but this time I mean it. Time to stop talking and start doing. My "gym money" jar is filling up, so will post on that next week, it's going to be a low month, but I haven't given up.

Day 254: Emptying the Jar Again

I counted the dollars in the jar for April, but it doesn't seem right...only 10! I have been sick a lot this month, but that is pretty bad. At this rate it is costing me about six dollars every time I go to the gym. I think this is the lowest month so far, but I'm hopeful for the up and coming months. I am in a wedding tomorrow as a bridesmaid, and of course we ordered our dresses way ahead of time to make sure we got them in time. After trying mine on a couple weeks ago I realized that it no longer fit very well. I have actually lost about ten pounds, but it looks like more because I've been gaining a lot of muscle. As a result I didn't work out as much, in hopes that the dress would start to fit better because I couldn't afford to get it altered again. I hate myself for doing it, but I gained five pounds back to get the dress to fit better. It worked, though, and I'll just have to step it up after the wedding again.

One of the biggest factors of weight gain, that a lot of people ignore, is stress. I realized that being around certain people was stressing me out. Growing up means making grown up choices, even when you don't want to. I had to cut back on time spent with people that made me feel like a loser, because it was giving me a bad attitude towards my life in general. I would eat cookies at one in the morning because, well, I deserve it. Nobody else feels the way I do. Right? No. That's how a teenager reacts, but when an adult acts that way they gain weight. They feel bad about themselves, they eat to feel better, lose sleep from the sugar added late at night, feel tired the next day, lose self-respect for themselves and eat junk food. I could do this when I was a teenager and not gain a pound, but can't do it any more. So here is my list of things to do when I'm feeling stressed/depressed to avoid junk food:

• Drink water with Mio or other flavorings
• Do a puzzle, challenges your mind and makes you feel good when you complete it
• Go for a walk
• Sing, either on Rock Band or while playing guitar/piano
• Call a friend
• Online window shopping
• Keep a healthy snack bin in your fridge stocked with string cheese, carrots, apples, etc
• Don't buy chips!

I'm still working on that last one. They recently came out with rice krispie oreos, too, and I'm addicted. I've also tried to switch to baked chips as much as possible. Eventually I will get back to juicing too...

Day 239: New Additions, Sickness, and Exercise

I am officially an aunt! A little over a week ago my sister-in-law and brother gave birth to a beautiful girl. I have enjoyed going to see her almost every day, although lately I haven't been able to visit much. This winter has been harsh, and it's bleeding over into spring. We got another snowfall here yesterday, which is about where we were last year I guess. I can't believe how sick I've been this winter though. A month ago I was sick with the flu. Then Monday night I started feeling sick again, just kind of tired. I woke up Tuesday morning and coughed up the grossest orange and green mucous. My throat hurt so bad and I had a really bad headache. I knew it wasn't a migraine, but thought maybe it was just a cold. It didn't go away though, and an hour after getting to work I left to go to a minute clinic for a rapid strep test.

I haven't had strep since I was little, but I definitely had it, so now I'm on antibiotics for the next two weeks. I don't mind the sore throat, I usually don't talk much outside of work anyways, but the pills make me so tired and loopy. Someone asked me a question about something at work and all I could do was stand there staring off into the distance, not knowing how to answer, so I just apologized and excused myself. I can't even go to the gym, which brings me to the good news part of this good/bad news post....

I've lost ten pounds! At first I just thought it would come back after I had the flu, which it did at first, but then it went back down. My secret? I did everything they tell you to do. I have been going to the gym at least three times a week (cardio, strength, and yoga), and eating a big lunch/small dinner. I haven't even been doing my juicing the last month. I could tell the difference when I went back to David's Bridal to pick up my "altered" dress. It doesn't fit. I was both happy and frustrated in the same moment, although I think my friend was just frustrated. She suggested getting a bra to hold it up (it's strapless), but I don't think that's gong to solve everything. Oh well, I can always attach straps if need be.

10 pounds down, 30 to go!

Day 224: Fitness Goal Reached for March

It's been awhile, last time I blogged was when I was sick and basically forced to stay home. I guess that's the only time I really have to do this too much anymore. I counted up my dollar bills for March and they added up to $13! That's a total of 33 this year! I am also down 10 pounds, partly due to being sick, but also because I have really been watching what I eat. I eat a big lunch, and a very small dinner, sometimes just a string cheese with a glass of juice. I have also been noticing everything toning a lot more.

It's been hard work getting to where I am, I know that all the work I've done in the past year has paid off, and now that I'm not eating any fast food (gave it up for Lent) I'm noticing big changes in my appetite. I'm not as hungry anymore and can sustain off of smaller meals. I decided that instead of buying something every month that I would save up the money until I reached a goal of something I want. Still not sure what I want, but now I have over $30 to play with!

Day 207: 120 Hours

Today I went outside for the first time in five days and, even though it was cold, the air felt glorious on my face. My legs felt like jelly and I must have looked like a newborn deer trying to walk on account of how weak my body is. Today I was just grateful to be outside though, as small as that sounds.

I had jury duty last week, which I wasn't real thrilled about. I was supposed to go out of town Thursday evening or early Friday morning, which meant that, unless my case wrapped up within five days, it would cut my vacation significantly shorter. I got assigned to a criminal case on Monday, so I pretty much accepted this as a fact. Wednesday morning I woke up at 4:00 am in a chill. I realized I had left the window open so I shut it and pulled the covers up tighter. Half hour later I was shivering so bad my bed was shaking. I turned the heat back on, as I had turned it off the previous night (it gets hot here). I was still cold though, shivering like a wet dog. I went to the thermostat to see if it was working and it read over 80 degrees. I was still cold.

I knew I had a temp before I even got the thermometer. The next question was what to do about my jury duty. There was no number to call once you were on a case, so I had no choice. I drove to the park and ride and rode the light rail out to the government plaza. At this point I had a temp of 101, so knew I had to make my point quick. After very careful consideration, and a few questions, the judge let me go....back downstairs to the holding room. Luckily it was just to put me on call. I still had no idea what this could be.

As soon as I got home I had my mom take me to the doctor who pretty much diagnosed me was soon as I walked in: I had the flu. Strain A, we figured out once I took the rapid test. My temp when he took it was 102 and rising, so he prescribed Tamiflu. This stuff has made me so nauseous and so dizzy, I haven't been able to even drive the past five days, much less walk around my apartment. It did help it go away within the first couple days though. Those first couple days, though, I never want to have anything like that again. I felt like a baby. I couldn't hold my own head up so I had a water bottle resting next to me raised on the pillow that I would suck on whenever I wanted water. I was in and out of consciousness for 48 hours. I lost over 10 pounds in 72 hours. That second night I wasn't sure if it was going to get better soon, as my temperature that night was almost 104.

I don't know where I got this from, maybe the light rail, maybe a dirty handrail in the government center, but let my story serve as a warning: always wash your hands. I just took my last dose of Tamiflu, and I still can't stand up for more than five minutes without getting tired. I just hope work tomorrow goes well. 

Day 195: Not a good month for the gym...

Today is Fat Tuesday, boy does that describe how I have been feeling lately. I know I've said it before, but I am so sick of being overweight. I am making a conscious effort to lose weight (again). This month I counted up the money in my workout jar...$9. I only worked out nine times this month. Granted, I was sick for a lot of this month, but still it seems low. That's an average of twice a week. Hopefully I get my motivation back soon.

Anyways, for Lent this season I have decided to once again give up fast food, but also decided to really challenge myself with a couple other things. My friend laughed at me when I told her, but I have decided to also give up soda, shouldn't be too hard, and also give up negative thoughts/complaining. I feel like lately I have been a very negative person, always looking at the downside. I am going to try to go this whole Lenten season without having any outward negativity. I know it's natural to have a negative attitude about certain things, I'm just going to choose to not bellyache about them all the time.

I got my taxes back, going off of my previous post, and I will be eating at home a lot anyways, I can't afford to go out. I might even go back to what I did in college: eating only once a day. I'm really struggling these days to get started with things, not just my weight, and it's the courage to fly blindly and trust in God's plan that I am having the biggest problem with. If things are meant to be, then they will happen. But having the courage to follow through on that is even harder...more on that at a later date (maybe).