A couple of my friends post random ramblings every now and then and I thought it would be fun to give it a try.

Because of my last post, some of you may be thinking that I’m not enjoying school.  That’s not it at all.  I absolutely love school.  I enjoy every minute of it, including the homework and tests.  I just hate trying to decide what I want to do with my life.  I’d rather go to school just to go to school.

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I feel like I’m not doing very well with any of my goals this year.  I just can’t seem to get my head in the game.  I keep giving myself permission to slack off (not in terms of school).  I really need to focus and get back into things because I felt so much better when I was following my goals.

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One of the things I miss the most with my crazy schedule is reading the things I want to read.  I’m doing plenty of reading and I find the essays my teacher assigns interesting.  I just miss reading for pleasure.  (I never thought I’d say that when I was younger.)

When time allows, I read a couple of chapters of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.  I’m nearly through a third of the book.  I’m really enjoying it and I want to know what happens.  I wish I could read it more often. Oh well.

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Midterms are here and I get to take a midterm for all three of my classes on Monday, so I’ll be studying my heart out this weekend.  I’m not worried about my Doctrine and Covenants midterm because it’s not cumulative.  It’s just the second test in the class.  I think I’ll do okay on my English midterm, but I’m a little worried about the essay questions.  I hate essay questions with a passion!  I’m most worried about my Japanese spoken midterm because I don’t feel like I’ve had enough time to devote to Japanese.  I’m sure I’ll do fine because I’ve been doing great in class.  It just freaks me out a little bit.

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I handed in my research paper for my English class yesterday.  I chose to write about the frustrations of being left-handed.  It was really fun to research this topic, although I could be biased since I’m left-handed.  Still, I look forward to seeing how I do on this paper.  I think I might actually pull off an A.

With all the walking I’ve been doing on campus, I decided I needed to get a new pair of shoes that were more comfortable and better for walking.  I went to a few stores before I found my dream pair of shoes.

I had seen a few commercials for Skechers Shape-Ups so when I noticed them in Dillard’s, they weren’t too surprising.  But, I walked right by them because there weren’t any styles that caught my eye.  However, in Famous Footwear, a style of the Shape-Ups did catch my fancy, so I decided to try them on.

Once I put these babies on, they were as good as mine.  They’re the most comfortable shoe I’ve ever worn, hands down, no competition, that’s that.  They look like they may be heavy, but they’re not.  The soles are made of foam (see diagram below), so they’re as light as a feather and I feel like I’m walking on a mattress specially designed for my feet.

The Shape-Ups claim to do many great things: improve posture, improve blood circulation, tighten abdominal muscles, strengthen the back, firm buttocks muscles, reduce cellulite and tone thighs, and firm calf muscles.  In fact, the tag line for the shoe is “Get in shape without setting foot in a gym.”

Before I put them on, I was wondering if a shoe could really do all the things Skechers claimed this shoe could do.  Once I put them on, I immediately noticed a difference in my posture.  It actually hurt to slouch, which has always been the opposite for me.  So, I bought them for the sole (no pun intended, ha ) reason that they were the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn and the added bonus of them improving my posture, and the best is yet to come.

Yesterday was the first day I had a chance to wear and walk in them all day.  It took me a few minutes to get used to the way they force you to walk, but I’m golden now.  By the time I walked from the parking lot to my class, my calves were burning.  (This isn’t just a small jaunt.  It takes me about 10 minutes to get to class from the parking lot I use.)  They literally and figuratively kicked my butt.  However, even though my calves were on fire, my feet weren’t.  Not once did my feet start aching while I was walking, which is a big deal for me.   This morning, my legs are sore, but my feet feel refreshed and ready for a new day of walking.

Now, whether these shoes will do everything they claim to do remains to be seen.  But, for now, I’m sold and I highly recommend them to everyone.

PS – There are even styles for men.

I’ll be the first to admit, rather shamefully, that I’ve been slacking on my healthy lifestyle over the past couple of months.  There are a couple of reasons I started to slack.  First, it was the holiday season and there was so much temptation around me all the time.  Second, I was frustrated and disenchanted with my efforts because my weight loss has plateaued since mid-August.  As I stated in the post Sweet Success:

My weight loss has plateaued for the last few months, which I know is normal, but it has been a little frustrating.  Because of the plateau, I feel like my resolve has slipped a little bit.  I’m quicker to give into my cravings than I was before.  I still keep within my weekly calorie limit; it’s just that the food I’m choosing to fill that limit with isn’t the best.  I also used to stick to my lower limit, whereas most days, I’m pushing the higher limit as far as it’ll go.

That’s basically how I still feel and what I’m still doing, except that my resolve has slipped even more and I’m not really sticking to my weekly calorie limit anymore.  I’m still trying to eat healthier; I’m just eating more of it.  I know I’ve been in a downward spiral and if I don’t pull up soon, I’m going to crash and burn.  But, with the start of school, I’ve been so busy that I don’t want to worry about what I’m eating too. I also had to quit my sessions with my personal trainer due to financial strain.  (Luckily, walking around campus as much as I have been has kind of evened that out.  I know I could be doing more, though.)  Honestly, I feel like my entire life is a Catch-22 right now.  No matter how I look at it, something has to give.

As I sit here and type this post and think about what to say, a lot of emotions are going through me: anger, disappointment, shame, resolve, determination, and reluctance.  No matter how I look at the reasons I started slacking, I can only see excuses and I need to quit letting myself down.  I really want to get back on track and I know I can do it.  I did it for almost an entire year last year and I felt so good about myself!  I love being two sizes smaller and I know I’d love being three sizes smaller than I am now. …

Since tomorrow is the anniversary of my original plan, I’m recommitting 100%.  There are a few necessary changes, though:

1. After work and school on Mondays and Fridays, I will take the time to walk on my treadmill for at least 30 minutes.  If I don’t have too much homework and I have time to walk longer, I will.  Also, I’ll take the time to walk on my treadmill on Saturdays and Sundays.  (I know Sunday is usually my day of rest, but since Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are so busy for me, I’ll take some time on Sunday.  The nice thing is that I can listen to my iPod while I’m walking on my treadmill, so I can listen to hymns or a talk by a general authority to help make my walk on Sunday more meaningful.)
2. Unfortunately, I can’t really set a specific time to go to bed because it depends on my homework situation.  However, I’ve been trying to go to bed no later than 10:30.  Otherwise, it’s too hard for me to get up in the morning.  I’ll concentrate on being efficient with my homework, so I can get it done as soon as possible and go to bed earlier (preferably around 9:30).
3. I’m going to get up at 5:25 each workday and be to work by 6:30 when I should be there, instead of between 6:45 and 7:00.  (I’ll actually be able to take time for a lunch that way.) And, I’m going to get up at 8:00 on Sunday, so I can be to church on time.  I have a little more leeway on Saturdays and I’m going to take it, but I need to not overdo it.  So, I’ll get up no later than 10:00 on Saturdays.
4. Eating is a little trickier with my school schedule, but I’ll make it work.  No more bad foods.  (Obviously, I can’t stop completely or I’d end up binging.  But, I can stop having them every day and do better with the “moderation in all things” logic.)  If I have to eat on campus, which may very well happen, I’ll eat at Subway.  Or, I’ll make a sack dinner to take with me to school.  (That mostly depends on time and resources.)
5. I’m going to go to the temple at least once a month.  (I was going every other week, but then Corey and I both got sick and got out of the habit.  Now, life is just too busy to make that kind of commitment.  But, I can commit to once a month.)
6. I’m going to read my scriptures everyday, whether it be in the morning, some time during the day, or before I go to bed.  My Doctrine and Covenants homework doesn’t count because it’s just another class.

I will make this work and I will lose another 30 lbs. this year!

Happy belated birthday, Cavin!

Normally, I don’t brave the stores on Black Friday.  I don’t like to deal with the crowds.  However, on Wednesday, I noticed that my favorite pair of jeans, one of only two pairs I had, had a hole in them.  And unfortunately, the hole wasn’t in a place that could be passed off as trendy. So, I decided to brave Old Navy with my mother- and sister-in-law.

I was excited to see that part of the Black Friday deals at Old Navy included all jeans being sold for $15. Even though more than 50% off jeans is exciting, the best part of my shopping experience was that I was down two sizes!  (I haven’t worn this size of pants for almost four years!)  Even with friends, family, and co-workers mentioning that they can tell I’ve lost weight and me knowing that I’ve lost almost 40 lbs, it didn’t really sink in until I tried on those jeans!

My weight loss has plateaued for the last few months, which I know is normal, but it has been a little frustrating.  Because of the plateau, I feel like my resolve has slipped a little bit.  I’m quicker to give into my cravings than I was before.  I still keep within my weekly calorie limit; it’s just that the food I’m choosing to fill that limit with isn’t the best.  I also used to stick to my lower limit, whereas most days, I’m pushing the higher limit as far as it’ll go.

It just feels so good to tangibly see the hard work I’ve put into losing weight pay off.  It helps me want to keep going and recommit to sticking to my lower calorie limit, especially with the difficulty of the last few months.  I’m excited to lose two more pant sizes!

Happy birthday, Dax!

I feel like Halloween was/is kind of a bust this year.  I didn’t really like my Halloween blog theme all that much. So, I started to customize a new design about a week ago because I wanted to be ready to switch to it on November 1. But, once I was done customizing it, I was way too excited about it to wait until Sunday.

My work canceled trick-or-treating and thus … decorating.  The management team is worried about the swine flu.  They’ve been putting all kinds of procedures in place to help limit its spread at work, which I’m very thankful for.  So, they had the employees vote on whether trick-or-treating should remain the same or whether the company should just send the employees home with treat bags for their kids.  The latter option won.  I was a little bummed and a little relieved at the same time.

Because trick-or-treating was canceled, I decided not to go all out on a costume this year.  And, because my brain slugs were a big hit and are so awesome, I decided to wear one again this year.

I feel like I’ve changed a lot over the past year.  So, I decided to take a picture with the brain slug on my head in as close to the exact same position as possible as last year’s picture.

I think you can tell I’ve lost weight when looking at these pictures side by side.  It would’ve been better if I had full body shots, but I don’t think my face is as full as it used to be.  (I wonder if that’s because my hair’s longer, though.)

I haven’t posted an update about my weight loss for a while, so I guess now is as good of a time as any.  I have almost lost 40 lbs. I’m trying to decide what I want as my reward for hitting my second benchmark. But, I have a couple of weeks to decide if I continue to lose weight at the same rate I have been.  Do you have any ideas?

I’m really worried about the holiday season that’s approaching rapidly.  My cravings for sweets have become stronger over the last month.  I’ve had a very hard time saying no to things and I feel like my resolve is slipping.  Don’t get me wrong; I really want to lose the 60 lbs I’m still striving to lose, but I don’t feel like my motivation to have self control and to exercise is as strong as it was.  I’m hoping with Daylight Saving Time ending on Sunday, I can get back into exercising before I go to work in the morning.  Why does Daylight Saving Time ending matter?  Read the post “What the Crap?” and you’ll find out. Then, all I’ll have to worry about is my self control with my eating habits.

Oh, and by the way, happy Halloween!

Last month, my sister-in-law suggested that the Blaser girls have a monthly girls’ night out to strengthen our relationships. I wasn’t able to attend the first one because it was in Logan and I had no way to get there since Corey needed the car that day for Froyo.

Shortly after the first girls’ night out, I saw this cute invitation on my mother-in-law’s blog.

We saw Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart.  I really enjoyed the movie.  I thought it was very funny, cute, and I even cried during one part of the movie.  My favorite character was Rocky, the parrot.  I just laughed and laughed because of the hilarity in the situations surrounding the bird.

After the movie, we went to the Cheesecake Factory.  The food was so-so, but the dessert was heavenly, which kind of makes up for me finding out my slice of carrot cake had 1590 calories in it after I ate it!

At first when I found out the Cheesecake Factory was the chosen eating location, I was a little leery.  Cheesecake and counting calories don’t mix and I’m not a cheesecake fan anyway.  I decided to go online to look over the menu, so I could find a healthy/healthier option.  I saw the club sandwich and saw that I could have a salad rather than fries, so I decided that’s what I’d order.

The club had turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a toasted white bread.  I ordered it without the mayonnaise and decided it was okay to keep the bacon since one slice is about 220 calories and I’d make sure I’d eat no more than two slices.  About 5 minutes after I had ordered the sandwich, our waiter told me they were out of turkey.  I didn’t want to try to find something else that I didn’t think would have too many calories, so I just told him to give it to me without the turkey and make it a BLT.

While we were looking at the desserts, the cheesecake held no interest for me.  I saw a goblet of fresh strawberries, which is what I should’ve ordered, but I decided that a slice of carrot cake wouldn’t hurt just this once.  Normally, carrot cake has around 300 calories per slice and 300 calories wouldn’t have undone my day/week/month/year. So, I decided to order it.  It was so good!  I realized how much I’ve missed eating carrot cake or other really yummy baked goods.

After I got home, I decided to enter my food items in my online calorie tracker, like I always do after I eat something.  This calorie tracker has information for most national food chains, which is really nice.  Unfortunately, it didn’t have anything for the Cheesecake Factory, so I did a Google search for calorie information.  That’s when the floor fell out from under me.  Not only did I find out that my one piece of cake had 1590 calories, a mere 110 calories less than my daily target, but my sandwich supposedly had 1100 calories in it. I’ve decided to never frequent the Cheesecake Factory again unless I’m trying to gain some weight.

Well, I learned a few things from this outing.  First, just because something may seem like it will be low in calories doesn’t mean it actually is.  Second, check calorie information before I go somewhere.  Third, if I can’t find calorie information, don’t go even if it means missing out on something.  Fourth, it’s okay to splurge every once in a while; I just can’t let it become a habit.  Fifth, learn from my mistakes and get back on the horse!

Anyway, even though I ate the entire week’s worth of calories in one meal, I had a good time.  It was fun to see the movie with my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law.  It was fun to talk while eating dinner and to just spend time together.  I look forward to next month’s gathering and, hopefully, we’ll choose a more healthy restaurant.

I haven’t posted an update on my weight loss for about a month, so I thought it was time again. At this point, I’ve lost 30.8 lbs.  I’ve fluctuated between 30 and 32 lbs for the past few weeks.  I’m not discouraged with the fluctuation like I was in the beginning.  I’ve realized that it just happens.  I only use the loss of pounds as an estimate at how I’m doing with my eating and exercising and I mainly go by my body fat percentage and loss of inches to measure my real progress.

I’ve lost 4.6% of my body fat since the end of February.  And, I’ve lost 2.25 inches from my waist, 2.75 inches from my hips, 2.5 inches from my chest, and 2.25 inches from my thigh since the end of April.  I think those are pretty good indicators of what I’ve been doing for the past 29 weeks.

I’m really enjoying my sessions with Brandon, my personal trainer.  Even though I’m dead tired when I get home and sore for the next few days, I’ve noticed a difference in my energy level, how well I sleep, and how well I feel.  The week before Froyo opened in American Fork, Corey and I had to cancel our sessions because life was just so hectic trying to get everything ready.  I noticed a huge difference during that week.  I was a lot more irritable, tired, and stressed and I nearly died when we had a session again.  Corey and I also missed our session yesterday because our car died on the way there.  Luckily, Brandon had an opening today, though.

I haven’t been riding my bike as much lately.  I’ve noticed that has taken a toll on my mood too.  I’ve been a little more depressed lately because I just sit at home and waste time on the computer.  I need to get back into that because I love doing it and I love getting outside.  Frankly, I just stopped because of lack of time.  No more excuses, though; I going to ride my bike on Friday since I have a session with Brandon today and tomorrow.

As far as eating, I’m still keeping track of my calories each day.  Some days and weeks are better than others.  My weekly average stays lower than my limit, which is good, but my daily average has been a little more unstable.  If I do go over my limit, I don’t go over very much and I’m still eating healthy things.  I’m just a little hungrier on some days than others.  C’est la vie, I guess.