Biggest Loser Challenge

I'm currently competing in a biggest loser challenge with some of my online friends. I'm really excited about it because as some of you may know from this post, that I have a weird fetish about losing weight. I love the challenge of losing it, then I truly enjoy eating the foods I love and gain it back. This isn't really all that healthy, but we are only talking between 10-20 lbs each time. So for the next 11 weeks or so, I will be working out non-stop and eating lots of healthy yummy treats. There are a lot of healthy challenges going on in the blogging world. I came across this one below, located on recipegirl.com:

Recipegirl.com has some great healthy recipes, so check it out. I encourage all of you to take this challenge for yourself personally. My motto is "If you don't like the way you look, then do something about it". Its starts with you. Weightloss is a 100% mental challenge. You have to motivate yourself to make the right decisions to eat better. Everyday you have to make yourself exercise, moderate your intake, choose the right foods, etc. Find something healthy that you like and stick with it. I offer you all my moral support. If I can do it, so can you. Even if you have 100lbs to lose, it all starts with 1 lb. Set small goals for yourself. Don't waste your life hiding behind closed doors stuffing your face with foods that don't make you feel good. Life is entirely too short! Make a change today!

At the end of my twelve week challenge, I plan to post my before and after pictures. Throughout the weeks, I will share with you recipes, workouts, and support! Good luck!

Guess what I caught?

THE FLU!

And this is how I felt....

Pretty crappy! Five whole days in the bed. There are only so many Oprahs, Tyra's, and Wendy's I can watch. I'm actually happy to be back at work today!

Get Embodied!

We we all know about my obsession with Beyonce and how I vow to work out until my body looks like this {or at least my version of this}.

::Although my appetite over the weekend would beg to differ. I fell off MAY-JAW-LY [in my best British accent]. Yeah brownies, soda, pasta and all!::

Luckily, I only gained a pound with my weekend fiasco. This week I'm going to work extra hard on meeting my goals. I'm trying the lose 1.5 lb's per week. So far so good (except for last week). While perusing another site, I came across some info on what Beyonce does to loose weight. She goes up and down like me. This is one of many reasons why we connect so much.

According to In Touch Weekly, Beyonce's trainer revealed her workout regimen:

“She is performing the best shows of her life and her
body looks amazing,” her trainer and author of Power Moves, Marco Borges, tells
In Touch. “She feels really good about herself, and she’s got a ton of
energy.”Borges reveals the secret to achieving Beyoncé’s incredible physique is
training with health in mind, as opposed to looks. “If you think about being as
healthy as you possibly can, there is no way you’re not going to look like a
million bucks. And that’s what Beyoncé did,” he tells In Touch. Their goal was
to make sure she could run around for two hours onstage without feeling winded
every night. So before the tour, Beyoncé, 28, did interval training — 45 minutes
of alternating between sprinting and running on the treadmill, followed by
body-resistance work. Now, Beyoncé does yoga and Pilates for an hour on show
days and body-resistance exercises on days when she’s not performing. Borges
also tells In Touch that the star eats a sensible 1,600-calorie diet of lean
proteins with healthy carbs. “The truth is, it’s a lot of sacrifice. You have to
push yourself,” Beyoncé has said.

Bey is absolutely right! Pushing yourself is key. This article definitely gives me the inspiration I need {although the pic above is pretty convincing}. Stay motivated peoples! Do you have a work-out plan? I would love to hear it! Leave a comment.

Birht Control - Life Threatening?

I was chatting with one of my co-workers and she mentioned a good friend of hers was in the hospital. I asked her why and she said because of her birth control. I immediately asked her what kind she was on and she said the NuvaRing.

After doing a little investigative research, several birth controls are under investigation right now, including the one I am on (Ocella). Ocella is the generic version of Yaz or Yazmin. There is a major law suit occurring right now between the loved ones of former users and current users. Apparently,

During the brief time that Yasmin and Yaz have been sold in the United States, hundreds of reports of injury and death have been filed with the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in association with the use of these products. In fact, in less than a five year period, from the first quarter of 2004 through the third quarter of 2008, well over 50 reports of death among users of Yasmin and Yaz have been filed with FDA. These include numerous deaths with reported cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, intracardiac thrombus (blood clots in the heart), pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs) and stroke in women in their child bearing years. Some of the deaths occurred in women as young as 17 years old. Significantly, reports of elevated potassium levels are frequently included among the symptoms of those suffering fatalities while using Yasmin or Yaz.

Info quoted from this link.

Now, I'm faced with a tough decision. Do I change the method that I'm currently using? That would be a "Hell Yeah". I know all birth controls pose a risk, but at that cost? This type of risk is not worth it to me. My health is VERY important. I take pride in taking care of myself. Now I need to search for a new birth control. Any rec's?

Exercise, Exercise, Exercise

Well its that time again. Time for me to lose a few LB's. I have to be honest with you. I really get off on losing weight. Its like I become addicted to it. I get a sick thrill out of losing weight, then gaining a little back, then working hard to lose it again ( I know I'm nutty). I've been like this for years. Its like I have a cycle. Three months of hardcore dieting (counting calories, carbs, and everything in between) and then 3 months off of eating whatever I want, whenever I want (typically I go to the gym once a week). I'm not talking about major weight, like over 50 lbs. Its more like 20 lbs here and there.

I've gained 8lbs since our honeymoon in May. Now I'm ready to lose that, plus 10 more for a grand total of 18lbs. I'm so excited about it. I will reveal in detail how I plan on losing it. I get really excited to go to the gym and on the agenda today is kickboxing!

Its truly all about motivation and how much you want it. I believe weight loss is 90% mental and 10% physical. Why? Because it all starts with the decisions you make. Deciding on what you put in your mouth and when to go to the gym. If you make the wrong decision, you definitely DO NOT get results.

I currently go to LA Fitness three times a week and work out for approximately 60 minutes. One of my goals over the next few months is to increase that to 4-5 times a week. I really want to look like this:

She is beautiful (no homo!) and she is my best friend in my head. In my head Beyonce and I go way back. We drink Riesling together and talk about our husbands. She is my weight idol. I know I can get there, but it will take a LOT of hard work. It will definitely be worth it to look like that!

Stay tuned!