I have plans.

Hi lovely darlings.  

Just checking in.  

We had a fabulous weekend and I finished all of my final projects for my History & Computer classes.  Today I started two new classes, Politics and Math.  The only (and I really, truly mean only) downside to The University of Phoenix is that you do two classes for nine weeks and then start new classes immediately.  My brain needs a break, people!

As you all know (or if you don't, I'm about to tell you), I really, really suck at math.  

Like, it's baaaaad.

I need that shirt.  For real.

The reason for this post today is to let you all know that I have plans for this blog.  I want to network with people, I want people who are going through weight loss struggles or having weight loss surgery to hear my voice and know that they can do it.  A friend of mine's husband got a huge promotion to Director of Bariatrics at their local hospital and I would love for him to share this blog with his patient's.

I have plans.

What I'm trying to say is, for me to continue to have a 4.0 GPA in school, plan this wedding and keep losing weight, blogging might have to take a backseat. (the backseat isn't bad, right?  I mean, people put their kids in the backseat, so... it's pretty good back there.)  

I'm not disappearing and I'm not quitting the blogiverse.  I have finally found my voice and I love it here.  I want to make sure I keep doing this, for myself and for others, because it makes me happy and keeps me motivated.

But just know, that if you don't see me quite as much, I'm off in the corner somewhere doing terrible amounts of algebra and I'm probably going totally and completely insane.

Pray for me, people.

Oh and hey, did you enter the KitchenAid Mixer giveaway?

If not, just what exactly are you waiting for?

Also, just a quick thing:

Three years and one day ago, tornadoes ripped through Tuscaloosa and so many other parts of Alabama, injuring and killing people and taking everything they had.  It was devastating and horrific.  Yesterday, the same thing happened in Arkansas.  Pray for them.  And to find out more about how you can help, visit Tyler's page Arkansassy. 

Those storms are now headed our way, so all my Birmingham/Alabama friends... stay safe!

All my love, always.

100 pounds gone forever.

"You never know what's around the corner.  It could be everything.  Or it could be nothing.  You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you've climbed a mountain."  -Tom Hiddleston

I've thought long and hard about how I would write this post.  From the moment I hit my 75 pound lost mark, I constantly thought about getting to my next milestone and how I would feel when I got there.  

Well, that moment came yesterday.  I woke up, got on the scale, and it said "210.5."  So I stepped off the scale, looked around for a minute and then moved the scale to a different place on the bathroom floor.  Still 210.5. 

 For those of you who are new around here, my starting weight was 311. 

I HAVE OFFICIALLY LOST 100.5 POUNDS IN EXACTLY EIGHT MONTHS AND FOUR DAYS.

As my luck would have it, Ben is out of town for business and I had no one to take my "100 pounds lost" picture to put next to my starting weight picture.  I will get him to do that as soon as he walks in the door at the end of the week.  

I just want to be honest for a minute:  I'm in shock.  I know how hard I've worked for this, and I know how hard I've struggled with moments of weakness.  There have been times when I thought that scale would never move again, like when I was stuck at 224 for a month.  There have been times of frustration and sadness, times when I felt as though no one in this world knew how I felt.  Albeit those moments haven't happened for several months now, I've definitely had them.  There have been times when I shoved a Twix in my mouth and ate it shamefully, then felt like complete crap afterwards.  (Both mentally and physically... the sugar isn't so good for the pouch.)  There have been times when I've lacked the motivation to go to the gym and other times when I felt as though I had become a true gym rat. 

I've experienced so much in the past eight months.  But I can tell you, with 100% absolute certainty, that I have never, not for one minute missed my old life.  I have never missed driving through McDonalds and loading up on food I knew I shouldn't have.  I have never missed the days when the scale went up and up and up and I would think, "oh it's okay, as long as I don't get to ______ lbs then I'm fine."  I always exceeded those personally set limits of mine.  I have never missed being uncomfortable in my own skin, feeling ugly and like I wasn't worth anything.  I have never missed clothes not fitting me and having nothing nice to wear to events we would go to.  

I.DON'T.MISS.IT.  

I keep trying to find a way to celebrate losing 100 pounds, but I think the best way to celebrate is to just keep going.  We are going to the beach in two and a half weeks and I feel like that's ample time for me to get below 200 pounds.  I think my mark of losing 100 pounds is so close to being under 200, that I really can't get emotional until I'm in the 100-somethings.  Even if it is 199.  I thought I would cry and be so emotional about losing 100 pounds, but I just feel this overwhelming sense of pride and joy.  Sometimes, I look at old pictures and don't recognize myself.  It's difficult to see how I had let myself become that big, that overweight, that unhappy.  But it's gratifying and surreal to see the person that I've become.  

And I'm so, so incredibly happy and proud of that.  

One last thing before I go... 

THANK YOU.

All of you.

I have received countless emails, calls, texts, Facebook messages, etc... Some from friends, some from bloggers, some from complete strangers, all telling me what an inspiration I am to them.  The support and encouragement I've received from all of you mean the absolute world to me.  There are truly no words to say how thankful and blessed I am to have you all, and to have this blog as a platform to reach out to others.  Helping people is something that I'm passionate about, so seeing this blog reach so many people and have them in turn reach out to me... well, that truly makes this whole crazy journey of mine well worth it.

all my love, always.

-M

SW:  311

CW: 210.5

-100.5

Cooking Healthy with Kitchen Aid! *a giveaway*

So a lot of you may have heard me talk about my IRL (in real life) bff/cousin, Shea, who we are always hanging out with in her fabulous kitchen.  She is literally the hostess with the mostest and she cooks some amazing food.  Did I mention that she is a well known food blogger who has been contacted by Food Network several times for several different shows?  She's a nurse by day, but I personally feel that her true calling is being in the kitchen.

yep, that's her.

did I mention she's 10 years older than me?

and has two kids who are 15 and 17?

she has the best genes ever.  

including the cooking gene.

Let me get to the point here... we all know I don't cook.  And yes, I did register for a Tiffany Blue KitchenAid Mixer on our wedding registry, but I don't honestly have a clue what I would do with it if I got it.  Shea, on the other hand, has created so many healthy options for me since my surgery, and she always has that KitchenAid mixer going!  Mashed cauliflower, homemade healthy chicken salad, homemade spaghetti, etc... you name it, she has made it.  Don't believe me?  Check out her blog, Dixie Chik Cooks.  She can whip up the most delicious appetizer in mere minutes.  Don't even get her started on her love for jalapenos... I'm envious, to say the least.

This blog has never been about doing giveaways, but I couldn't pass up the offer to take part in this particular one.  Miss Dixie Chik herself put together this amazing giveaway for one of you to win a 5-Quart KitchenAid Mixer!  If you love to cook, want to start experimenting more in the kitchen, want to give mom an amazing gift for Mother's Day...  all you have to do is enter below!  Easy Peasy.

Thanks to these awesome ladies for giving one of you the chance to win!

You have until May 4th to enter and you must complete ALL entries to qualify as the winner.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

songs that define me

I was scrolling through Kay's new About Me page and I came across her "Best Of" section.  One of the posts was called "songs that define me" and I'd like to announce that I am stealing her idea.  So thanks, Kay!  While I'm no artist and I'm not a great singer, music has always been something I've loved since I was a child.  I was a choir girl all through middle and high school and I'm a pretty darn good sing-loudly-in-the-car-singer.  So here are the top ten songs that define me and specific parts of my life.  Enjoy!

p.s.  feel free to judge my musical taste.  

I am a 28 year old teeny bopper and some of these lyrics just really get me.  ;)

1.  "All of Me" by John Legend.  I legit cried the first time I heard this song.  It is everything that is mine and Ben's relationship.  The good and the bad all circles back around to how much we love each other and how incredible our relationship is.  Cliche, I know, but remember I said the good and the bad.

2.  "Roar" by Katy Perry.  I just feel so empowered when I hear this song.  Going through being overweight and severely obese and making the decision to change my life with surgery is the biggest and best thing I've ever done in my life.  There are always people who are going to want to hold you down, hold you back, etc... but you have to fight for what you want.  Not sometimes, but all of the time.  And in my life, I will always be victorious.

3. "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw.  Although this song is a about a father's love for his daughter, I bawl every time I hear it thinking of both of my parents.  As my wedding approaches, I can't help but realize all of the things my parents did for me growing up that you can't really understand until you are older and about to really start a life of your own with another person.  I don't think words could ever describe my love for my parents.

4. "Evacuate The Dance Floor" by Cascada.  Nothing screams "get your butt moving!" like this song.  I listen to it when I want to dance around the house, when I want to workout really hard, or when I just want to feel good.  Heck, sometimes I even listen to it in the shower and dance.  (PSA:  use caution when dancing in the shower... conditioner is slippery.)  It's just a good, fun, upbeat song that will get you moving.

5. "Kiss Me Slowly" by Parachute.  Why?  Because there is simply nothing better than one of those all night conversations and a good, long kiss afterwards.  Plus, I just really love this song. 6.  "The Rose" by Bette Midler.  Life, love, the world... you name it, it's not easy.  But this song always reminds me that suffering through it always brings you back around to the good.  That may be common sense, but this is a beautiful reminder.  "just remember in the winter far beneath the bitter snow, lies a seed that with the sun's love, in the Spring becomes a rose."  So wise and true. 7.  "Gorilla" by Bruno Mars.  Ok, not to get all grown folks on you or anything, but yeah... this song.  For a short, tiny man, Bruno sure knows how to make a girl feel sexy. 8. "Have a Little Faith in Me" by John Hiatt.  Another song that makes me cry after the first few chords.  My fiance, my best friend, my family:  case and point, we will always be there for each other.  There are many versions of this song, but this is hands down my favorite.  Sometimes, you just gotta have a little faith in people. 9.  "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys.  Again, empowerment.  Something goes wrong?  Power through it.  I'm just a girl and I'm on fire, people. 10.  "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake.  Let's be honest, any Justin Timberlake song basically defines my life because I've been obsessed with him for 16 years.  But this one, I love.  Justin Timberlake was the Taylor Swift of music before there was Taylor Swift in the sense of writing about ex lovers.  Britney Spears, you messed up big time.  And JT went and wrote a song about it.  And we all know it's about you because of the little fairy figurine in the video identical to your tramp stamp tattoo.  As far as this song and it's lyrics defining me... don't lie, cheat or steal.  Just your every day basic relationship requests.   BONUS SONG:  "In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry.  Growing up, anytime we would go to the swimming pool, there was always oldies playing in the background.  Even though I hate hot weather, I'm ready to dip this new skinny(er) body in the water!  This has always been one of my favorite "oldies" to sing along to, dance around and have a drink by the pool on a hot summer day. DOUBLE BONUS:  Since it is Friday and I haven't done this in a while, I figured I would join Whitney for Back That Azz Up Friday and let y'all see what my latest song obsession is.  Have you heard it? Rixton- "Me and My Broken Heart" I think this is the remix, but still.  it's my FAVE right now!
What are some songs that define you? Happy Friday!

five steps for reclaiming your motivation.

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but sometimes I just lose all motivation to go to the gym.  My eyes have been hurting, making my head hurt.  I have a school assignment.  I just don't feel like it even though I know I should.  God knows Ben has heard them all.  

So I decided to list things that help me get my motivation back!

• REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED-  this is a pretty big one for me.  I started this journey to lose weight and to become a person who lives a healthy lifestyle.  It is not always easy.  Plain and simple, find one good reason to keep going rather than adding up a bunch of lousy reasons to stop.
• FIND A BUDDY-  nothing screams motivation like having a workout buddy.  If you skip out on the gym and your girlfriend  has a killer workout, you are going to feel super crappy.  Have a little friendly competition during Zumba to see who can burn more calories!  In the end, you both win.  Plus, having someone remind you that Tuesday is Zumba night will ensure that you leave the house with your gym bag in hand and your Polar watch strapped on tight.
• PICTURE THE FINISH LINE-  after a good workout, you know you are going to feel amazing.  You might be sweating worse than you ever have before, but you just burned several hundred calories!  It was worth it.  Don't make excuses; channel your inner Nike and just do it!  You can sit on the couch for 30 minutes or move your body for 30 minutes.  Which one will make you feel better at the end?  (you know the right answer!)
• REWARD YOURSELF-  okay people, don't go crazy or anything!  After a hard workout, I like to swing through Dairy Queen and reward myself with a treat.  NO, not a giant blizzard!  A small, light fruit smoothie with protein added in.  They are good and satisfy my sweet tooth.  If you aren't into rewarding yourself with food, go shopping.  I hit up Old Navy at least once a week to see what new workout clothes they have.  Regular clothes work just fine too.  In the end, seeing your body get smaller and buying clothes you didn't think you could wear is enough reason for me to hit the gym.
• RECOGNIZE HOW FAR YOU'VE COME-  Whether you've lost 5 or 50 pounds, give yourself a pat on the back.  Every pound is progress!  As they like to say, "you didn't gain it all in a day, so you won't lose it all in a day."  Just keep going!  You will get there before you know it.