School's Out For the Summer!!

Well, I'm officially DONE with school for the summer. Last night I handed in my final so now I have two glorious months to not do school work. Now I can spend my nights watching baseball, working on my book and reading--yes, I know that sounds really lame.

The end of the week was rough, but I was very much looking forward to my Saturday morning workout. Okay, so after seeing myself in a bathing suit, I discovered that my thighs are an issue. I can't always do as many leg exercises as I'd like or at the intensity level I want because of reoccurring knee issues, but I'm just gonna try to grit my teeth and bear it. It was a kettle bell swing, squat and curls, push-ups, crunches and BOXING. I really do love hitting stuff. Some of my friends chalk that up to me having a bit of a rage issue (Ha!) Okay, maybe I do have some rage issues :) It just feels really good to be able to get your frustrations out, plus it's really challenging which I LOVE.

I made a trip into NYC to help my cousin move some stuff out of her apartment. It was insanely hot and humid out so we definitely worked up a good sweat. We decided to treat ourselves to some fro-yo (that's frozen yogurt that tastes like ice cream and is only 100 calories). It's all over NYC so I highly recommend trying it if you are an ice cream fan. It definitely hit the spot. When it's that hot all I want to do is eat ice cream, which obviously is not allowed considering I'm on a mission. But I did have to deviate from my mission slightly...I decided to make cookies and cream ice cream to bring over to my dad's for Sunday dinner. I've mentioned before my Oreo addiction so I've been wanting to make this ice cream for weeks. I found a killer recipe and crossed my fingers hoping for the best. Luckily, the ice cream gods smiled down upon me and according to everyone that ate it, I completely nailed it :) I also have a recipe for a chocolate Oreo ice cream that I'm VERY excited to try next! It really is a problem when you LOVE ice cream this much.

I've been slacking on my breakfasts lately...I haven't been taking the time to make myself eggs and have just been eating a yogurt in the morning and I know I need to up my protein. Sometimes I just don't feel like eating it to be quite honest. Lunch I had turkey on whole grain bread with some lettuce, tomato & mayo. I've been trying to increase my hydration so I've upped my water intake. I had some fruit and a piece of cheese before hitting the gym.

I wrestled with doing just cardio and abs or doing a full heavy lifting work out... I went with the full heavy lifting work out. Even though it was hot in the gym, it felt really great to lift today. I did something I haven't done in a long time.. I flipped a bo-su ball over (it's a half stability ball and then rubber on the bottom that lays flat) I turned it over so the rubber side was up and I stood on it and did curls and shoulder presses.  I used to never be able to balance myself and do an exercise so it's rewarding to be able to do it now. I'm not cool enough or coordinated enough to do anything on one foot, but that's next! Dinner was veal chops in a balsamic glaze, string beans, salad, and a little rice pilaf. Ending the night with some Greek yogurt with some mini chocolate chips so I can have my chocolate fix.

Below are some of my recent work out pictures. Definitely planning on working on the arms a little bit more. I have so much respect for chicks with killer arms like Jessica Biel in Blade Trinity. Here's to that happening :)
Marisa

Triceps are on their way!

Reality Bites...

Miami came and went too fast as it always does. We survived the heat, got some relaxation time in, and ate some killer meals. I didn't make it back to the gym, but considering the amount of sweat I produced and the fact that we walked back from dinner two out of the three nights I can't feel too bad. Every time I'm there I really feel so blessed that I have such a beautiful place to go to with so much at my finger tips.

The first day back is always brutal. To kick things off I woke up 45 minutes late this morning. Luckily, I am not one of those girls that takes FOREVER to get ready and was still out of the house by 7:35ish and got to work by 7:50. I choked down a yogurt before I left the house and was so busy all morning that I didn't snack until I remembered I had a Special K bar in my bag. Now, I try to avoid eating them because of the sugar content, but it was that or nothing and by that point my stomach was screaming for some food. For lunch I had some chicken salad over salad and I'm sorry to say a bag of Baked Lays potato chips. Sometimes SALT is just necessary... ladies, you know what I mean. I also had a couple mini oreos, but then I headed to the gym. Lately oreos are my weakness. I have been dying to make a chocolate oreo ice cream. I don't even like cookies and cream but for some reason I can't get the taste of an oreo ice cream out of my mouth.

For dinner I had a cheddar burger (no bun), some string beans, and a few fries. I wanted to eat the whole package of oreos but I decided against that and came up with a semi-compromise. I had some vanilla Greek yogurt with some mini chocolate chips. Not the healthiest choice but not the worst either.

Today I made sure to really push myself. Kettle bell swings, squats with curls, cable pulls, and some core exercises. After seeing myself in a bathing suit I am determined to get my mid section in shape. I took a lot of time to think while I was in Miami and the truth is I may never be one of those girls with a super flat stomach no matter how hard I work. I always imagined I'd have at least a semi-glamourous life. I imagined myself having a really cool career as either an attorney for super star athletes or working for the Yankees, but I'm not doing any of those things. I can recall being told that no one would take an overweight female attorney seriously or that no one would want an overweight woman so visible in a franchise like the Yankees. I guess that kinda stuck with me. Most of my day is spent in what I like to call my cave considering my office is towards the back of the building. I don't hate my job and I know that I'm being groomed for eventually being someone in the business, but I couldn't help but think that it's always been easier for me to hide in the shadows. I've never been the front and center girl and I guess when you're trying to hide your weight you just tend to hide the rest of you as well. I guess the truth is at 25 I'm still not really comfortable with myself. Call me crazy, but that's also the purpose of this blog...figuring out what to fix and trying to fix it.

So in true Fat Girl fashion, here are my most recent bathing suit pics. I already know what I need to fix so I plan on reassessing for next weeks workouts. Saturday I get to box and after a week of missing it I'm sooo excited! Hopefully I'll figure out how to get some shots of my boxing work out. This weekend will be spent on my final for my Healthcare Ethics class and after Sunday I'm off from school until September WOO HOO. Until we meet again...

Marisa

Front view...the abs are coming!

Side view...getting flatter but seriously it's all about my awesome braid in this pic! :) 

Welcome to Miami...

I'm baccck in Miami! It's pretty hard to believe it's been over a year since I've been here to my third home (Wildwood is my 2nd home!) I'm sitting at the kitchen table looking out at the gorgeous bay as the supply ships head towards the marina. It was another scorcher today, but luckily there was a bit of a breeze on the beach. Seeing all these skinny girls on the beach makes me never want to eat again. There were 2 girls next to me today that were probably 90 pounds and as I sat there sweating all I could think about was how I would kill for an ice cream cone. WHY do I have to like food so much?

After one of the BEST meals I've had in quite some time last night at the gorgeous Scarpetta in the Fontaine Bleu hotel (Hats off to chef/owner Scott Conant for his AMAZING menu) I felt insanely guilty for everything I ate. This morning the first thing I did was hit the gym. A little treadmill action followed up by some heavy lifting... kettle bell swings, stability ball jack knives, some pulls on the cable machine and some killer ab machine. Naturally, I was starving when I got back upstairs. If I were in the condo alone I would've scarfed some Greek yogurt and made myself some eggs. However, my dad aka the food police was here so I settled for some Special K and some fresh fruit. My dad gets so crazed about what I'm eating that I find myself sneaking things so I'm not being judged for what I'm eating. Yesterday morning we went food shopping & he was hassling me about making sure the half and half I was getting was fat free. So I was forced to get fat free half and half and I had to hear about why I needed Gingerale. This is why I have learned from a young age how to sneak food... I hate to say it but it's a way of life in my family.

For lunch I had some smoked chicken in a whole grain pita with some honey mustard/mayo and lettuce and tomato which completely hit the spot after being out in the heat for almost 3 hours. Again, I could've totally gone for an ice cream cone, but instead grabbed a water and headed back down to the beach. The ocean felt like bath water which wasn't exactly refreshing from the heat, but it felt better than just laying out in the sun.

There was this guy sitting 2 chairs over from me and my sisters... he lives in the other building here and is definitely a Matthew McConaughey look a like. Slamming beach body and was enjoying the ocean as well as spending time working on his tan. Now here comes my point about being a former fat girl.. Ok, so before I mentioned about the two 90 pound girls... well, they couldn't have been more than 20-21. This Matthew look alike starts to talk to the two sticks sitting next to me. Now, for the sake of being fair he could've been talking to them because they were closer to him but my theory is that he was talking to them because they were petite/cute looking girls. All I could think was that if I was a "thin girl" he might've thought to talk to me rather than those two. Of course I could be completely wrong, but I've seen a good looking guy go for the stick figures too many times in my day to truly believe otherwise.

Tonight we are going to another awesome Italian restaurant for dinner--the sisters that own the restaurant are Bolognese (they come from the same city in Italy that my grandma was born in)... also one of the BEST cooking regions in Italy so needless to say the food will be awesome. Tomorrow I'll feel guilty again and make an effort to hit the gym for some cardio in the morning. I probably won't blog again until  I get home which will be Wednesday night. Until we meet again...

Marisa

Running on Empty...

If I were to say this has been the week from hell I don't think that would do it justice. Aside from being insanely busy at work yesterday was one of those days when EVERYTHING was my fault. That's one of the downfalls of working for your father. I just felt like nothing I was doing was right and I get tired of hearing how I'm the one that constantly needs to readjust my way of being. Thankfully, I have some amazing people in my life that allow me to complain & vent whenever I need to. You know who you are :)

Okay, so like I said...insane schedule this week. I lifted on Monday which was great, but I haven't had the time to fit the gym in any other day this week. And the worst part is today I was out of control hungry. I ate a yogurt for breakfast, chicken club on wheat bread with a little mayo for lunch and then I started thinking about all the things that I wanted to eat like a salami sandwich, an egg and cheese on a roll with ketchup, soft chocolate on a cone, a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese. See, that's the problem when you LOVE food. Every item I mentioned is completely different but all deliciously good in their own right. Luckily, I fought the impulse to eat any of that stuff. I ate a piece of cheese and a forkful of rice and peas when I get home. I went and had dinner with my dad...had some turkey, black bean and corn chili followed by a burger (no bun) topped with blue cheese, bacon, and bbq sauce. Sounds weird but when I tell you it's worth trying believe me. Let me also say that I'm normally repulsed by turkey as a substitute for beef or pork but this turkey chili does taste just like beef. I've been trying to add just a little more fat to my diet in hopes of satiating my hunger. Today nothing is working so I've just gotta chalk it up to being a chick. To the ladies reading this blog you know what I'm talking about there are just days when your hormones just make you want to eat certain things and you just can't help it. I have also learned that if you have a craving for something it's better to have it and get it over with rather than let it build up and then pig out on it.

It's slightly after 10, the Yankees are losing so I'm planning on calling it an early night. There is some homework I can be doing but I'm too exhausted to make my brain work much more. I leave for Miami on Saturday...don't have a thing packed. I'm so looking forward to having 4 days of no work. I will do an update from Miami. I always hit the gym there despite how depressing it is to see all those people with their fabulous bodies. Seeing people like that makes me never want to eat again but then all the fabulous Miami restaurants make me remember just why I love food so much. This is what makes it a struggle every single day.

I got a message on facebook from an old friend telling me that I've been slacking on my blogs. It made me feel really good that people ARE actually reading this blog! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I'm sorry for the lack of updates this week... just been swamped with homework and feeling exhausted. I'm gonna try to get some cardio in tomorrow and then get ready for Miami!
Until we meet again...
Marisa

Not Enough Hours In the Day

Well the weekend came and went in the blink of an eye and it's the start of another week. There are always so many things I want to get done and there just never is enough time for all of them. I've been writing a book for the past year or so and I wish I could say that it was finished. Life gets in the way & I don't necessarily have the time to sit and write the way that I want...not to mention I'm old school so I hand write everything out before I type it. Perhaps that sounds strange in this age of technology but it's just something I've always done. I have 2 weeks left of my summer class and the amount of work due each week is just ridiculous. So much for it being summer!

Last week I finished strong with a killer work out on Friday. I am determined to get my back into Hilary Swank like shape so I increased the back exercises. I've also been trying to get my lungs into better shape so that I can get through longer boxing combinations. I like to do a set of exercises, box and do it in a continuous cycle. I survived it pretty well this week so I felt like that was a step forward. One of these days I'm gonna figure out how to take pictures of my boxing session. I never thought that I could ever box or that I would love it. It all started out as a joke about me just wanting to hit something and it turned into me absolutely falling in love with it. I am not a coordinated person so trying to get me to throw multiple punches at one time was quite the challenge. We won't even mention my inability to move and throw a punch at the same time (scary stuff). Over time, I started to get the hang of it and now I hate when I miss out on boxing. There's just something exhilarating about being able to get our all your frustrations on a bag.

I took Saturday and Sunday to recoop. Unfortunately, Sunday was my sister's birthday and my other sister's graduation party so needless to say not exactly a good day of eating. I can tell you it all tasted really good but I doubt my hips are happy about it. This morning I woke up late so all I managed to get in was a yogurt...skipped the snack, had a chicken BLT on whole wheat with a little mayo for lunch, fruit for snack and a piece of cheese before heading to the gym.

I was feeling really tired and it was an insane day at work but I managed to get myself to the gym. I had a good circuit and focused on a lot of pulling type exercises today trying to get my back and my core taken care of at the same time. I did some assisted pull-ups...I never thought I'd be able to do a pull up in my life. I can remember being in grammar school and when we had to do the physical fitness tests and doing pull-ups was one of the requirements. What overweight 9 year old girl wants to be tortured trying to do a pull-up? I could barely hold myself up on the bar! So embarrassing! Assisted pull-ups though are pretty cool. I started out having to use like 130lbs of weight as the assist...I'm down to 85lbs now :)

I came home and sauteed some veal, made an asparagus salad with some tomatoes and mozzarella, and a little bit of risotto with some peas for dinner. Had to make my heavy carb be enjoyable. And let me tell you it was mighty tasty. Getting to the gym the rest of the week is going to be tough just because of my schedule, but I'm going to make an attempt. I leave for Miami in 4 days so I'm really trying to behave. Finishing off the night with a Greek yogurt and hopefully getting to sleep before midnight. Below are some of my recent work out pictures. I want to use them for when I get my back where I want it to be as a means of comparison. Until we meet again...signing off...
Marisa

Some 2 handed swings...

Ugly face I'm making but 1 handed rows are awesome!

Working those muscles! (Trying to!)

                   

The Looking Glass...

While I was at the gym Tuesday, I got to thinking about how self-conscious I really am. It kind of goes with the territory... when you're over weight so all you do is cover yourself up. You feel like you always have to hide your imperfections. This example may seem dumb to any of the guys reading this blog, but the ladies will know exactly what I'm talking about... When I work out I always wear a "long" sports bra/work out shirt whatever you want to call it. I'm just not comfortable bearing my whole stomach when I'm working out. Well, by some stroke of bad luck, I forgot to pack my long shirt and was left with only a sports bra...AKA I had to work out with my stomach bared. At first, I was mortified. How was I going to go into the gym like that? It sounds crazy but when you're insecure about something you just feel like everyone is going to be staring at what you don't want them to see. After much debating, I decided it wasn't a big deal and I needed to just get over it. It actually gave me a lot of perspective about how far I've come. Yes, I'm not where I want to be but I'm not where I used to be either. Getting to see myself that way made me feel really proud for how far I've come.

Okay, reflection aside...now to the important stuff. Tuesday was my heavy lifting day. I like to work out in small circuits....basically I group together a bunch of different exercises and do them in a row as one set and then I take a break. Kettle bells are my best friends in the gym. I use them for just about everything and I find them to be a lot more challenging than just free weights. I've upped the amount on my weights which is causing the extra soreness but it's worth it. I really want to start working on my back...my inspiration is Hilary Swank from her role in "Million Dollar Baby". Okay, maybe not quite as sculpted as Hilary's but something along those lines. I can see more definition in my arms and abs so I guess it really is paying off.

Made chicken for dinner along with some left over pasta (my big carb treat) and some vegetables. Ended the night with a greek yogurt topped with strawberries. Wednesday was my long day so I tried to keep my eating on target since I knew I wouldn't have time to work out. Eggs for breakfast along with a yogurt for that extra bang of protein, chicken salad over tossed salad for lunch, fruit for snack, and surprise surprise chicken for dinner. I did cheat a little with a sliver of pound cake...My aunt's pound cake is kind of unavoidable. Ended the night with some fresh fruit.

Today I managed some cardio which I had to force myself into. I got out of work late and I just wanted to go right home, but I dragged myself to the gym anyway. I wish I liked cardio, but I just can't get excited about it...it just seems like you get no where... you run on a treadmill and after ten minutes you're still in the same place. Food was good today...whole grain English muffin with peanut butter for breakfast with a yogurt, chicken and salad for lunch, fruit for snack and a burger (no bun) with some cheese along with veggies for dinner. I think I'll finish things off with a yogurt or maybe some melon. Tomorrow is Friday (YAY!) and my big work out which I'm looking forward to. Anytime I get to box aka hit stuff I'm a happy girl.

Since I promised pictures no matter how embarrassing check out the picture from about 5 years ago to now. Until next time...
Marisa

I Don't Like Mondays...

Mondays are absolutely brutal. I woke up feeling the soreness from yesterday's work out. I always take that as a good sign but it doesn't feel too good. I was determined to up my protein intake so I started the day off with some eggs and a Greek yogurt. Lunch was some chicken and salad followed by some fruit later in the day.

Today was cardio day, my least favorite day of working out. I just can't get excited about running on a treadmill or being on an elliptical. Still, it had to be done. I usually barely make it through 15 minutes of cardio mostly because I'm bored but today I pushed myself to 22 minutes between the treadmill and elliptical. I've been dealing with a little bit of a knee issue so that has kind of been limiting the amount of incline I've been doing. My breathing was a lot better than it's been so I was happy about that. For anyone who has been over weight before, running is the bane of our existence. When we used to have run the "Mile" in gym I used to seriously want to cry. A mile seemed like an eternity of running and I could never handle it. I would almost always finish last or close to it and I hated the feeling of my lungs burning. It wasn't until I was 15 that someone pointed out to me that I was running on my toes rather than my heels which was putting more pressure on my shins/knees. I'd like to think if that had been pointed out to me sooner maybe it wouldn't have been so bad...maybe. I still get the lung burning feeling but it's not nearly as bad. I guess that's something to be glad about.

After the cardio and some stretching I did a light ab routine. I head to Florida in 2 weeks so I'm really trying to behave myself. Tonight for dinner I made steak, asparagus salad and eggplant caponata (sauteed eggplant in a tomato sauce). There are always so many things I want to make. I think that's what makes "being good" even harder. I've been having a craving for pie so I started thinking about the kinds of pies I could make...but then I reminded myself Miami is just 2 weeks away. Finished the night off with some fruit instead of the cookies and cream ice cream that has been calling to me from the freezer. Tomorrow is my big lifting day which means I get to eat some heavy carbs at dinner... YAY! It's sad when the thought of eating carbs makes me that happy. Time for some sleep...until tomorrow...
Marisa

Working It Out...

Well it's no secret that I've had the hunger of a teenage boy the past few weeks and it's been driving me crazy. When you battle your weight something like constant hunger makes you worry. After my awesome day in NYC yesterday, I planned on making up for it today.

For breakfast I had some cantaloupe and two egg whites and one egg scrambled with some cheese. I washed it down with some coffee and then got ready for my work out. Today was my serious work out day & my favorite of all because it was a boxing day. In an effort to step up my calorie burn, it was a combination of weight lifting and boxing. If you've never boxed before it kills your lungs no other. If you don't learn to put your whole body into a punch your arms will feel like someone gave you a dead arm. Needless to say by the time I was done I was a sweaty mess and exhausted. But I had to drive up to my aunt's house to get all the stuff out of my car from my cousin's apartment. In this gross humidity my cousin and I took all her stuff out of my car and into the house and up to her room. Dripping with sweat seems to be a state of being these days. She told me I should be happy her stuff was giving me a second work out. I guess I gotta give her that one.

In an effort to deal with my insane hunger, I was advised to up my protein in take and add a little more fat to my eating. I wish I liked those protein drinks..I've tried about 3 different types but they all make me gag. I've been told to try them with some fruit so I may have to venture down that road again. In the mean time I will be eating more eggs and chicken. I didn't think it was possible to eat more chicken but I guess I'll find out. Lunch was a chicken club on whole wheat with a little bit of mayo. For dinner I made pasta with sausage, peas and some mozzarella. When you're Italian having pasta on a Sunday is an unspoken rule. Having the sausage in it definitely held my hunger longer than usual. I finished off the night with a Greek yogurt. Tomorrow is a cardio day... my least favorite part about working out. Below are some pictures from my work out today. I used to not be able to hold myself up on a stability ball and do a push up at the same time but now I can which is a pretty big deal. Doing a push up like this really makes you use your core and I'm all for any exercise that forces me to make my core work even though it's usually hard as hell. I like a challenge.

Well, until tomorrow and my dreadful cardio work out!
Marisa

The Heat Is On...

The past several days we've been going through a heat wave. It wouldn't be so bad except that there's this lingering humidity in the air that makes you feel like everything is sticking to you. Needless to say, when it's this hot out working out is not at the top of my list.

Thursday was my off day and Friday I planned on going to the gym for some cardio. However, given the heat/humidity and how hot the gym has been this past week I opted to go home and start cooking since I had to get to my sister's graduation by 7:30. Another long day so by time I got home I was beat.

Let me start by saying that today was not about watching what I was eating. There just are going to be days like that and the sooner you accept that eating well and taking care of yourself is a lifestyle choice rather than some "diet", the sooner you realize you are going to have "cheat days".

Today was a really fun day. My cousin has been living on the Upper East Side in NYC for the past 2 years going to grad school. This is her last month there so she's trying to accomplish things she had on her list of NYC things to do. Two of the things on her list were to have brunch at Sara Beth's Kitchen and go for pedicures at the Dashing Diva. She had been asking me to go in so I decided to go in for brunch and pedicures and also to help her move some stuff out of the apartment.

By 11 am it was already close to 90 degrees out which meant it felt like 100 in the city. We took a cab to Sara Beth's because it's too far of a walk on a day like today. There was a half hour wait so we walked up a couple blocks to a street fair and perused tables of books. Even though we only walked maybe 3 blocks in that heat it felt like a lot more. The sweat just drips off of you in no time and we decided right then that we would be eating INSIDE the restaurant rather than at an outdoor table.

Brunch was AMAZING. We split a spinach & goat cheese omelette & lemon/ricotta pancakes...may sound weird but don't knock it until you try it. So light and fluffy they really just melted in your mouth. We topped it off with Orange Flower/Pomegranate/Banana Mimosa. From there we walked 9 blocks and one avenue over to the Dashing Diva. By the time we got in there I felt like I had partially melted. The pedicure totally made up for that. They seat you on these couches and give you a menu of all their services and I have to say not only was it the most luxurious pedicure I've ever had it was also just really nice sitting there. Everyone was very pleasant and it was definitely a really cool experience even though I should've went with my gut and gotten a DARK color on my toes :)

Back in the cab we went and headed over to the other side of town where we hit up a fruit stand and Tasty D'Lite. The fruit stands are ALL over the city. There is just something about being able to pick your fruit from a stand that some how makes it seem better (AND it's cheaper!). We stopped into Tasty D'Lite for some froyo (it's soft serve frozen yogurt with the consistency of soft ice cream & it only has 100 calories). Definitely the perfect treat on such a hot day. Our last stop of the day was to Agata & Valentina...an AMAZING Italian market on the Upper East Side. We made a few quick purchases and walked back 6 blocks to my cousin's apartment. A store like that is KILLER to someone who likes to cook and eat. I had to remind myself that I'm on a mission for a slammin beach body & I couldn't just buy everything I wanted. The paranoia that settles in is ridiculous, but it's there none the less. You start thinking "Okay, so I'll eat this just this once, and then it tastes SO good that you figure okay if I eat it another time it's not a big deal and then you just keep on eating it and before you know it you're having trouble getting into that cute summer dress you've been dying to wear. At least I felt satisfied that we did so much walking so I didn't feel guilty about not making it to the gym. On top of all the walking I helped my cousin move some of the stuff out of her apartment and into my car which also added to the melting feeling.

Once I got home the only thing on my mind was a shower and to figure out what I was cooking for dinner. The heat really can take effect on you in strange ways. I opened the fridge and NOTHING was appealing to me. I knew for certain I didn't want to be standing in front of my grill, but there was nothing else that I really wanted to make. After an hour long debate, mom and I decided on some chicken club sandwiches. I fried up some bacon and we had a sandwich and a half each of chicken breast, bacon, lettuce, tomato and a little mayo on whole wheat toast. I have to be honest, it completely hit the spot. It was refreshing and very tasty. I'm about ready to crash so I'm thinking of finishing things off with this new brand of Greek yogurt I picked up in the city. Tomorrow morning I've got a work out scheduled (BOXING DAY LOVE IT!) and then I'll be spending the rest of the day cooking/doing homework. I'll definitely be stepping it up in the work out tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll have some more recent pictures to post so I can compare them to ones I plan on taking in a few weeks. Until tomorrow...
Marisa

Long Day's Journey Into Night

For most people, Wednesday is hump day... the middle of the week and one more day closer to the weekend. For me, Wednesdays are my longest day of the week. I usually leave the house around 730am, work from 745 until about 430, head to my dad's for dinner, drop my grandma off at home and end up back home usually before 8 pm. Needless to say by the time I get home, I don't want to do anything.

This morning I was out of bed before 6:30, which is never easy, but I was determined to make myself eggs to go along with my breakfast. Tuesday was my heavy lifting program and usually the day after that I am STARVING. Without fail, this morning when I woke up I was feeling the hunger so I had 2 egg whites and 1 egg scrambled with some cheese and a Greek yogurt. I figured that would hold me over, but alas, by 930 my stomach was screaming for food again. I managed to back away from the 2 boxes of munchkins that the pharmaceutical reps brought in, and only had a half of a corn muffin I made. For lunch I had some left over chicken, sausage and peppers that I made for dinner the other night. I steered away from the potatoes at the bottom of the tupper ware in an effort to try and eat less carbs. Why are carbs SO good & so damaging at the same time? If broccoli were a carb, there would be far less people on carb free diets. I am completely fine admitting that I am a carb addict... give me a potato, pasta, rice or bread and I'm a happy girl. Of course those things don't agree with my hips so I try to avoid it when possible.

Dinner was some London broil, salad, and corn on the cob. I did have a few fries (My dad has this awesome potato cutter that makes McDonald-like-fries...pretty hard to pass up.) The meal was made complete by a glass of red wine. I am not one of those people that believes in completely cutting out alcohol. Being Italian means learning to have a love for wine so wine is almost as important as food is in my family. I thoroughly enjoy a glass or two of wine with dinner and that's not something I'm willing to give up so if that means a few extra minutes of the treadmill or some extra crunches I'm okay with that.

I got home a little before 8 and did a quick ab work out. I have become slightly obsessive over my abs. It's almost bathing suit season and I don't know about everyone else but it feels like you are more on display in a bathing suit than in regular clothes and you feel like everyone can see EVERY fat roll and every ounce of cellulite you have on your body. I always hated wearing a two piece because it wasn't exactly flattering...now I feel a little bit better about it but I definitely feel slightly paranoid that everyone is looking at my mid section come summer time. There wasn't time for a full work out by the time I got home so the least I could do was get in an ab work out. I'm ending my night with some Greek yogurt even though I'd rather dive into the pint of Cookies and Cream in the freezer... Tomorrow is my give the body a rest day so that I can actually feel my body by Friday. Bed time absolutely beat so until next time...
Marisa

Then & Now

Thought I'd try something a little bit different for my blog. I got to thinking the other day that the thing that I struggle with the most as well as so many other people is managing my weight. This blog is called "The Diary of a Former Fat Girl" because I was for most of my life a "fat girl". This isn't one of those situations where I deluded myself into believing I was fat because I was. I'm the type of person that calls a spade a spade so yes, I was fat. That's not to say I was obese, but I was always trying to lose weight.

When I was 11, I managed to drop 25 pounds & I kept it off for a few years, but then I got into high school & it all went down hill. I spent most of high school & college trying to lose the weight that I had put back on, but for one reason or another I got lazy and never dedicated myself to the cause the way I needed to. I LOVE food. I like cooking it and eating it. I'm Italian, it's kind of in my blood and my family almost centers around food. There is always something not on the diet laying around and it's always so appealing that it's hard to pass by. If you're Italian I don't even have to explain what I mean about there ALWAYS being delicious food around. Someone is always trying to get you to eat something and after awhile you just give in. It wasn't that I didn't exercise either. I belonged to a gym, I had trainers but I just couldn't dedicate myself the way I really needed to.

A year after I graduated college, I became so disgusted with how I looked and how I felt that I decided to really dedicate myself to eating well and working out. At first, it was pretty awful. Every muscle in my body hurt and I thought I was going to turn into a piece of poultry from all the chicken I was eating. Slowly, it started to pay off and I started to drop weight. In just 6 months I was down almost 30 pounds and was on a mission to keep my figure. I'm tempted all the time to forget about my salad and just eat the salami sandwich. I have a HUGE weakness for ice cream so I know all about wanting to lose yourself in a pint of Hagen Daaz. There are times when I have to talk myself out of reaching for the cookies in the cabinet...I wish I could say that was a lie but there would be no point in lying.

Okay, so that's my back story. The purpose of this blog is to show where I started, where I'm at and where I hope to go. For those of you out there that struggle with your weight (especially the ladies) you will understand the daily battle you have to have with yourself. For the past 6 weeks I have increased my mission to get a slammin beach body for the summer. This blog will document my progress and hopefully encourage other people as well as make them laugh as they go about their daily battle with trying to keep off the weight... So while this may be slightly embarrassing to put myself out there here it is for you to see...

 This is at the start of 2007

This is the start of 2010 more than 30 pounds less
Stay tuned for daily updates & progress pictures as I aim to get the body I'm after. Until next time...
Marisa