balance.

As much as I enjoyed the SMALL changes I saw following Rachel Mac's diet, it wasn't for me. It was incredibly restrictive and the way I see it, if I'm going to be eating so meticulously, I want amazing results. This did not happen.
To keep things interesting, and to continue to challenge myself, I usually change my diet/exercise regiment monthly. This is also my feeble attempt at breaking this plateau. I do think it's also important to find balance not only your eating (I'll explain in a sec), but also in your progress. It's entirely too easy for me to focus on the future. I want to be *THIS* weight, or look *THIS* way, which is great and all but I rarely reflect on where I've been. I am thrilled with the success I've had thus far. I'm a completely changed person. Eating healthy and exercising is me now. This truly is my life. It's the happiest I have ever been and I have met some of the best friends I could ever have asked for along the journey. I am most thankful for them, since they understand my gym/healthy eating addiction that most people that don't live this way don't get. They don't understand how gross you feel eating something that's unhealthy or a "cheat" because their bodies haven't had the pleasure of only eating clean food. And they don't understand how a bad workout/missing a workout just screws everything up. So periodically, I am making an honest attempt to praise myself, and my body for my hard work. I've come A LONG WAY!

With that being said, a new month is approaching so it's time for some changes!! I have had great success with calorie counting app (as discussed in my about me) and haven't used it in quite some time. Following this eating plan and doing that, I've really lost touch with what I'm feeling/the amount I'm consuming. My goal for this month is to be VERY intuitive to my body! I will continue to eat clean of course, and am considering a quasitarian approach. I am also starting clinicals which will keep me on my feet 40hrs a week + gym time. In addition to that, I am going to keep eating gluten free because it makes me feel good. I'd also like to incorporate more veggies and keep my calories between 1600-1800.
But it's a BALANCE. It makes me feel better when NOTHING is off limits. In most cases, I have no problem not eating "bad" things because I know I will feel miserable... it's the no-you-cant-have-this that makes me want it. I've always believed in the 80/20 rule and I intend to follow that.

Here goes nothing!!!!!!!!!!! :)))) TGIF!

beach [mini] vaca + review

Hi-ya! We literally *just* got back from a lovely little mini-vacation. I booked us in an executive suite at the Sirata Beach Resort (review to follow) and can I just say that it SUCKS coming home. It was so amazing to spend a few days away with nothing to worry about. Please excuse the fact I only have cell phone pictures, my camera died!!

view from our room

The first night, we ventured to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. I was craving seafood and it was situated beautifully on St. John's Pass. I truthfully do not have much to stay about this meal because it was ridiculously priced (19.95 for shrimp skewers=6 shrimp total) and veggies. Not only was the food NOT worth it, as you can tell from the receipt below, the service was equally as shitty. We were greeted by Lisa, who took our drink order and meal order at one time. Then, we never saw her again. Not before our meals came, not after, not for refills, nothing. If you've ever been to Bubba's you know they have a system where you flip a sign which reads "Stop Forrest Stop" if you need something. But, I didn't feel it was necessary to have to flip the sign for refills, a check, to pick up the check, etc. Not to mention, every time we needed someone, it was someone different that stopped. And to top if off, if you see the receipt says Jessica. Who the hell was Jessica?


The next day, we checked out Ft. Desoto, which was pretty cool.. but this pretty flower was the best part. He loves me, he loves me not. :)

Then, after several naps in a pitch black room I decided to go for a run. I'm here to tell you *THIS* is the way to run. It's so beautiful to run along the shoreline with the waves at your ankle.

After my run, I needed FOOD. Logan had mentioned pizza and since it is vacation and all, it sounded like a good idea.

and it was. We went to DeLosa's and OH. MY. GOD. The sweet little guy that was working recommended white pizza with chicken, tomatoes, and spinach. Beyond amazing. I can't believe I ate two pieces. WORTH EVERY CALORIE. I would probably deem this my favorite meal of the trip, aside from my cereal suicide this morning (honey nut cherrios, lucky charms + banana) Just kidding. Kind of.

On to the review:
My overall opinion of the Sirata was probably 4 out of 5 stars. The room was nice, with a fluffy king size bed and a great view. It was partially obstructed by the parking lot, but we got to see the Bay and it was really our only choice if we wanted a king bed.. which we did. My biggest complaint about the room was the lack of toiletries. I never pack any of that stuff and was disappointed to only find a tiny bottle of shampoo. Needless to say, my hair felt like shit all the whole time. :(
I did love the decent sized balcony. It had two chairs, and a small table. It also had biiiiggggg curtains which helped to make the room pitch black. I loved that because I LOVEEEE my naps.
The area was nice, with lots of options to eat, a few on properties as well as 3 pools and great beach access. I would visit the Sirata again, but I am not in any hurry. I'm sure there are equally as nice places.
Pros:
-great location
-comfy bed
-dark room
-clean
-plenty of pools
-lots of linen
-quiet (for the most part)
-later check out available (12pm)
Cons:
-no toiletries
-paying for parking ($8!)
-paying for wireless internet ($9 a day? no thanks)
-no continental breakfast
*My biggest con was that upon check out we were charged for drinks which we never purchased. They did correct this, but it seemed incredibly fishy since he check-out guy informed us it was a typo when on the receipt you can clearly see they charged us, along with a time of day. This couldn't have been a mistake because to charge anything to your room, you must have your card present. I do not know this for certain, but I have a strange feeling they automatically charge you for 1 drink and since most people take advantage of the bars, they never catch it. We brought our own booze so it was easy to catch. Just sayin'.

You should also know I was not offered anything to do this review, I just like to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

the abcs of the foodie in me.

I found this on Matt's blog and wanted to re-share. Because I'm lamesauce and/or addicted to surveys.

[A] Apples or Oranges

depends on the season. I want oranges in the summer & apples in the fall. :)

[B] Beans or Lentils

Beans, baby!!

[C] Cereal or Oatmeal

cereal. honey nut chex junkie.

[D] Dates or Raisins

dates. with almond butter.

[E] Eggs or Milk

milk. you can do more with it. plus it's required for smoothies/shakes. i just typed smookies and thought about keeping it. can i coin this my new phrase? smoothie+shake=smookie.

[F] French toast or waffles

tonga toast from disney's wilderness lodge.

[G] Garlic or salt

garlic. gotta keep the vamps away & all.

[H] Honey or maple syrup

honey maple syrup!

[I] Ice cream or frozen yogurt

there's no way to choose. i love them both. dense ice cream vs light (i-can-eat-so-freaking-much-and-not-feel-a-thing) frozen yogurt?? i will have my ice cream & eat my frozen yogurt too.

[J] Jam or toast

i can't pick toast! just plain ol' toast sucks. does jelly count? if so, a sandwich with grape jelly + cheese+egg.

[K] Kale or spinach

Portuguese kale soup.

[L] Lemon or Lime

I'm pretty indifferent.

[M] Muffins or Cupcakes

freaking cupcakes for sure!!

[N] Nut butter or jelly

here's the jelly in question--- but in this instance, nut butter. justin's honey or maple almond butter to be exact. i've thought of making my own but that seems like entirely too much work.

[O] Onions or peppers

both. they go together.

[P] Peanuts or Almonds

Almonds. :)

[Q] Quick bread or yeast bread

wtf? i like bread to be quick to my table, then to my belly- -so i guess quick bread.

[R] Raspberry or blackberry

raspberries, thank you BERRY much.

[S] Sweet or savory

that's tough! i freaking love junk like doritos but my heart probably belongs to cake.

[T] Tea or Coffee

coffee. <3 starbucks skinny iced caramel macchiatto.

[U] Udon or spaghetti noodles

spaghetti SQUASH noodles. :)

[V] Vanilla or Chocolate

CHOCO-HOLIC.

[W] Whole wheat or white bread

Whole Foods gluten free white bread.

[X] Xanthum gum or Guar Gum

i currently use guar gum--- never used xanthum before.

[Y] Yogurt or Pudding

homemade (casein) protein pudding

[Z] Zucchini or Cucumber

zucchini

yur buds.

As promised, here's your review: IronMan brand Yur Buds! If I was cool like Janae and had a gear page, that is where this would go. See, I sort of eat headphones. Or I may as well. I don't know what it is about me, but I go though more headphones in a year than normal people do in a life time. I don't know if it the amount I sweat, or amount of times used but no pair has ever lasted.

In addition to my inability to keep anything in good condition, I hate having to fiddle with my headphones. Nothing pisses me off more than a headphone sliding off your head, ear bud falling out of your ear, hurting your ear, sound cutting in and out, etc.

A month or so ago I went to Best Buy to get my geek on with my Dad. I had been without headphones for a week at this point and was getting irritable. (Why is it that I can't stand the sound of me breathing?) I asked a nice Best Buy guy what the best headphones were for sports. Without thinking a second, he handed me the Iron Man Yur buds. He went on to say that his manager ran marathons with these and never had any problems with the falling out or dying.(No he wasn't giving me marathon advice, we're talking about the headphones) He may have been making that up, but I was convinced. Plus, on the way to the register I thought "It's freaking Iron Man, they had to have gotten it right".

They did. They're not kidding with their twist and lock technology. I'm not going to lie, it's a bit strange at first, but you'll get use to it. I beat the hell out of them and they still work. I have literally tugged on the plugs, and they don't come out.

I'm cheap as hell, but spend the money, buy these. NOW.

bad romance.

I must say, I should take the cake (preferably THIS one) for being the worst blogger. No blogging in over 2 weeks? I suck.

I pinky promise, by the end of the day you will have a product review. I should disclose I am not being compensated at all for this review. I am just truly obsessed with Ironman Yurbuds and trust me, you should be too.

For now, I'm off to run in my Vibrams with Dad, then to the gym to do my assigned reading for school. I may or may not feel obligated to do this on a piece of cardio equipment because I may or may not have eaten (some) the most fattening, delicious baked spaghetti last night followed by half a cannoli with my handsome.

In other news: I am on week 2 of Rachel Mac's diet/exercise regiment from BodyBuilding.com and I am down from 22.98% to 22.50% in just 2 weeks. I'm also down a pound and am noticing more definition and over good feeling. I'll keep you updated on that. No, really, I will. :) You should know the baked spaghetti and cannoli are not part of the regiment. Unless you're me and have zero willpower around Italian food. In my defense I turned down Publix chocolate chip cookies (which are the most amazing things on earth), pizza, and chips, and several other foods making this my first cheat... and also, I pretty proud of the fact I did not binge, but that's a story for a different day.

See you lata, alligata.

celebrity status.

I did my first guest post!! I completely *LOVE* Kyra and am honored she'd let me to a guest post on her amazing blog. This girl is building an empire!!!

Check it out!!!

http://www.thegetinshapeworkoutplan.com/metabolism-the-musical

weekend recap

life is *SO* good. especially at the beach.

and with peanut butter m&ms in hand.