For most of us on Thanksgiving, we did NOT prepare the food. How can we eat right when the food is so wrong? The scavenger hunt of the healthy food at the buffet table!

Most veggies on Thanksgiving are prepared in a lot of fat, ton of sodium and don’t get me started on the grease. We can’t control what is in front of our face. However, we can control the amount of food that enters our body. It is all about portion control.

Remember, it is still NOvember. Its okay to say YES to some things but even it out with a NO! If you had a slice of pie on first serving then skip it on the second.

Wait in between rounds. (Trust me your stomach will appreciate it). Walk around and enjoy company. When you have a conversation, you forget to stuff your face. It is scientifically proven by Dr. Reynolds.

I made a video from our Thanksgiving banquet. I went around the potlucks and decided if it is a YAY or NAY to eat. Then, I show you guys what the perfect thanksgiving plate should look like.

One YEAR Anniversary!!

It is official. Today marks the one-year milestone on my transformation! I am so proud of myself. I have worked out everyday for the last 365 days. Yes, that means holidays and days where I felt under the weather. I wonder how many people can say that?

I just can’t stop writing how proud I am of myself. I know it sounds egocentric and narcissistic. Okay, I will stop now with the self-love.

Yesterday, I went to Busch Gardens for the first time. I don’t like roller coasters and they don’t like me. I NEVER could fit in the seats. Also, I was terrorized that I was going to die. I also never been on a roller coaster that went upside down.

Well.. until today! I put on my big-boy pants and just went for it. I have a fear of rejection. Whether it comes from people or my butt not fitting in seats. This fear causes great anxiety in my life. When I sat my tush in the seat and it fitted… MAGIC! I was like “I have this.”

Are rides worth it? Does 30 seconds make up for an hour in line? I don’t know! I am glad I rode rides but it wasn’t like the best thing ever. Glad to experience it but I rather do other things with my time.

Speaking about long lines. I was in line for a haunted house attraction. The wait was over an hour long. After waiting 10 mins in line, I saw people step out of line to leave. I turned around to two girls behind me and told them that this shows our character. Are we the type of people in face of tribulation to quit and walk away? or are we the type of people to endure and persevere under harsh circumstance. I think that is why I have been successful this year because I have the ability to dig deep and bring myself out of darkness into the light.

Tomorrow, I start my week long diet. I bought 20 dollars worth of fresh fruits and vegetables to hopefully last me 2 days. I know for certain that I will be eating a ton of apples everyday and I won’t mindlessly snack after work. I most likely won’t even stay up after work. I will probably get the most amount of sleep this week because I don’t want to feel hunger pains.

This colon cleanse work best when you are not starving. I predict that I will most likely have that feeling all day. Ugh, I am nervous but excited at the same time. just like riding a roller coaster.

~LaRell

235 pounds Weigh-In

Didn’t lose much this month but its fine. I ate horrible and had a pretty horrible diet. I mean it wasn’t that bad, but, it was not that great. I have 50 more pounds to my goal weight and it seems much harder to lose these pounds then the months prior. I am way more stressed than 6 months ago. Thanks to Big Brother After Dark I am also not getting 8 hours of sleep anymore.

The main reason why I am not terrible upset about the number on the scale is the fact that my skin needs time to tighten up. If I lose weight to fast (and I did) then I will get stuck with a lot of loose skin. This means I have to fork over a couple grand to pay for cosmetic surgery. So maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that this last 50 pounds is taking a little bit longer because my body, especially my chest, has a lot of tightening up to do.

Today, I had my last Saturday 3 mile run before the 5K Color Me Rad. The race is next Saturday, September 8th. I know I can run (jog) it without stopping. I just want to focus on time. 33 minutes is a good time and I hope I can get under it. The past month I have ran every Saturday. My worst time was 37 minutes and my best was 31 minutes. Granted I was dying at the end of that race and I had a bad case of this.

I am excited to see one of my best friends this Thursday. He has not seen me in person since I started loosing weight. It is unfathomable to think that I lost so much weight. Like so many of our memories are shared with food being the common denominator. If I wanted a late night McDonald’s run, he was there for me. Visiting him will bring back the memories of the over-eating. I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. I mean, we both tried to be healthy during our last semester. We both got gym memberships to Anytime Fitness and soon realized that we only went there like 13 times. I am glad I am using my membership to good use now.

FLYING! Okay, I am totally excited to fly now. Before my transformation, I had reservations because I couldn’t A. fit in the seat and B. Have the seat belt fit me.  One time flying, I couldn’t get the seat belt to click so I stuff the pieces under my fat rolls and pretended it snapped. That goes in the top 10 embarrassing moments of my life.

I am excited to see my best friend, to fly, and to race in my first 5K. This will be an amazing weekend and I can not wait. Literally, my work productivity will slowly drop. I feel like a student in the opening scene of High School Musical 2.

~LaRell

Always Look To The Future

I Look at the picture above and think how crazy my life has turned in the last year. Now, before I start, I have to say I didnt start my weight loss / transformation until October so it hasn’t been a year yet. 

Continuing on, last year at this time I was unemployed, eating my feelings and pretty much miserable because I was unemployed. I had a life decision to pursue the news industry or go into the entertainment industry. I was leaning more to entertainment and had plans to move to Los Angeles. The picture was taken at the Newseum in Washington, Dc. My visit there reignited my love for news.

Fast Forward to today and I am living the best of both worlds. I work at a news station while writing entertainment blogs. My health is like AMAZING! Considering how unhealthy I was just a year ago, it is so surreal to look in the mirror or stare at new pics. 

This post may not be all about weight loss or fitness but its a reminder that we should not box ourselves. You can do anything if you put your mind into it. this could mean weight loss, or a new career, or even a move to a different environment. You are the change in you and you can change who you are. Nothing will stop you unless you let yourself stop you. 

Ignite. Empower. Dare… yourself to achieve your dreams

~LaRell