The past few weeks have been pretty trying for me. One of the things I can't stand about myself is my seemingly poor immune system and inescapable attraction to bad luck. Add those two together, and you get someone who winds up with weird sicknesses too often.
I hate this for several reasons. Not only is it a huge hassle to miss work or school and make a doctor's appointment, but it's honestly just embarrassing and makes me appear like a hypochondriac to anyone and everyone. I started out the first week of this semester by getting strep throat, causing me to miss a day of work and a meeting. So after that, I decided that the next time I felt sick, I would simply ignore it until it went away.
A week later, I was having severe stomach problems. After every meal, I would have intense pains which usually ended in me vomiting up everything. I would take medicine to try and solve the issue, but then I would throw that up as well. I figured it was just a typical stomach bug or possible food poisoning, so I firmly stuck to my plan of avoiding the doctor and missing school or work.
It kept getting worse. Eventually, water wasn't even sitting right with me. I walked around in constant pain, but I didn't tell hardly anyone because I knew they'd think "Oh Shelby is sick again." That isn't the stereotype I want for myself at all because a) I'm not an attention seeker. I don't need people to feel bad for me. There's a reason I don't post my illnesses on social media of any sort. The only time I tell people is when it causes me to miss an event that I have already committed myself to, which unfortunately, usually involves many of the same people all the time. Reason b) is because I don't like appearing weak. I've worked very hard to lose weight and build muscle. I joined CrossFit to be a part of the ultimate challenge and become the fittest version of myself. The last thing I want is for anyone to think that I can't take care of myself due to weakness.
So about 12 days went by before I finally let myself go to the doctor. Any stomach bug that lasts for over a week is something straight from hell. Of course, I had to go through the embarrassing task of asking off of work for another doctor's visit. The doctor checked me out pretty thoroughly and finally informed me that I had slightly torn part of the lining in my stomach, causing a lot of irritation. The only fix was to take a small pill everyday for a month. So, I followed the doctor's orders.
A few days later, I was still in bad shape. That's about the time when the doctor called to inform me that my blood test was positive for H. pylori. In non-medical terms, H. pylori are bacteria that live in the wall of stomachs and eat away at it, causing a lot of pain, and eventual stomach ulcers. New medication was prescribed, and again, I followed the doctor's orders.
With the 8 pills a day I was now taking, I successfully felt like a 75 year old, and I thought surely this would be the end of the trilogy.
But the trilogy turned into a saga. A few days later, the pain had returned, and brought a 101 fever with it. I waited it out, waking in the middle of the night having sweated through my clothes and 6 blankets wrapped around me, but still somehow shivering.
I called the doctor and informed him what was happening, asking what I needed to do. He advised me to go straight to the emergency room, as these were symptoms of stomach ulcers. I called back two more times, practically begging to just come into their office instead or going to the ER, but they didn't have the equipment for these problems.
I won't bore you with the 7 hour story of the ER, the liter of medicine I drank to get a CT scan, the nurse I had that forgot 3 times to bring me a blanket, the IV stabbed into my forearm, or the many grams of morphine that coursed through me (best part of the day.) But at the end of the 7 hours, I was sent home with a 104 degree fever, stomach still in pain, and a bill that my dad will be getting in the mail soon.
This story is not because I need attention. I just need understanding. I don't know why my immune system fails me or why bad luck circles around me like a fly in a barn. The health issues combined with all my car tows, parking tickets, sweet potatoes catching fire in the microwave, and embarrassing incidents with strangers add up to the equivalent of a really bad reality TV show.
Really bad reality TV shows provide for some descent entertainment. And that is the reason why I blog. So please don't feel bad for me. All I ask is that you can be patient with my reality TV show of a life and chuckle about it as you read along. Enjoy.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Frozen and Black: The Truth Behind Whole 30
So I had a few goals for 2016.
1. Learn how to really cook
Last semester, I ate the same thing almost every week, and none of it came from any type of recipe. I just threw things together. Ground beef and onions. Eggs and sausage. Chicken and sweet potatoes. I got so tired of it, and it made Paleo very bland. I didn't use any of the resources on the internet or in cookbooks, and in turn, I spent a lot of money going out to eat, bought groceries that I didn't end up using, and burned out on the lame meals.
My parents got me 3 Paleo cookbooks for Christmas, and one day when I had a lot of time, I sat down and planned out what I was going to eat for a month. I picked different recipes for every meal, wrote up a plan of when I would have leftovers, when I could eat out, when I would need to meal prep, etc. At the beginning of each week, I go back through the meals and write down everything I will need to buy at the grocery store. This prevents me from buying anything I won't need or buying so far in advance that the food goes bad.
I have stuck to this plan to almost a T. I have really enjoyed some of the meals and switched them out with others that seemed really difficult. Yesterday I had a great adventure traveling all over College Station to try and get my phone fixed (I shattered it while carrying in groceries), so I didn't have time to prepare lunch. I went and ate Torchy's to numb the pain. But I love this planning thing. I don't have to worry about having time to cook or question what I will eat. It's already done! And just for the record, I'm a pretty fantastic chef.
2. Do a Whole 30
I've been wanting to do this challenge for a while. It's 30 days of extreme Paleo. No added sugar of any sort (stevia, honey, syrup, etc.), nothing processed, no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no happiness (just kidding!). I didn't think it would be so difficult, but I'm one of those people that adds sweet-n-low to coffee and tea, despite the cancer it might cause. I also drink smoothies from Smoothie King, pour honey on sweet potatoes, and occasionally get brown rice. All of this is a no from the Whole 30 people. They also say that chewing gum is a no. Whoever wrote that was clearly tripping.
I started on January 15. So for 19 days I have drank only water, black coffee, and black tea. It's a miracle I'm still here. Some people don't really know the point of doing it, but giving yourself discipline for a structured amount of time is beneficial in so many ways. It makes you stronger mentally and physically. I'm trying to be the best version of myself, and challenges like this give me a chance to test my will power. I've lost the 5 lbs. I gained during Christmas, seen dramatic muscle tone improvements, and I feel 1000x better.
Fun story, I had to go on winter retreat for MSC FISH while doing Whole 30. I packed down a cooler with meals for 2.5 days. On the first night, I had grilled chicken a frozen broccoli that I planned to heat up for dinner. Well, there was no microwave. And also no forks, since everyone else was eating pizza. So I ate cold chicken and frozen broccoli with my hands while everyone stared at me.
The truth about the Whole 30 you've been waiting for is just that. It's gonna be really difficult. You have to plan around events. You probably won't have to eat frozen broccoli, but you will be drinking black coffee and tea. I really encourage anyone to try a challenge. It's a great head start to a healthy lifestyle. Once you realize how great it makes you feel, you'll know that the frozen veggies and black coffee was worth it. Actually, you might not think that at all. But at least you accomplished something.
3. See old friends
I fell off the radar last semester, and I lost touch with some really great friends because of it. I've gotten my time management together, and I won't let that happen again!
4. Play basketball
I really do miss playing this favorite sport of mine. Practicing for 3-4 hours a day in high school, Saturday morning drills, and hundreds of career games kind of burned me out of basketball for a while. Coach Hodge yelling, "we're burning daylight!" is still a recurring dream I have. But every time I see someone playing, this longing in me to relive those days takes over. I started playing ball again with some of my MSC FISH friends, and it has made me so happy. Of course, I can't shoot or dribble like I could in my prime (wow I sound old) but I'm in a lot better shape! I can run the court and play defense like never before. Just for old times' sake, I ran some sprints we used to do for conditioning. I improved my times ten fold, which gives me a lot of encouragement to keep getting fit. I joined an intramural team, but I'm gonna need to dig up the basketball shoes I buried a while ago!
5. Floss
I'll get back to y'all on this one...
This semester got off to such an awesome start. I'm so thankful to be an Aggie, be an AD for FISH, be a basketball player again (sort of), and be a member of CrossFit Aggieland. Here's to my latter half of college!
1. Learn how to really cook
Last semester, I ate the same thing almost every week, and none of it came from any type of recipe. I just threw things together. Ground beef and onions. Eggs and sausage. Chicken and sweet potatoes. I got so tired of it, and it made Paleo very bland. I didn't use any of the resources on the internet or in cookbooks, and in turn, I spent a lot of money going out to eat, bought groceries that I didn't end up using, and burned out on the lame meals.
My parents got me 3 Paleo cookbooks for Christmas, and one day when I had a lot of time, I sat down and planned out what I was going to eat for a month. I picked different recipes for every meal, wrote up a plan of when I would have leftovers, when I could eat out, when I would need to meal prep, etc. At the beginning of each week, I go back through the meals and write down everything I will need to buy at the grocery store. This prevents me from buying anything I won't need or buying so far in advance that the food goes bad.
I have stuck to this plan to almost a T. I have really enjoyed some of the meals and switched them out with others that seemed really difficult. Yesterday I had a great adventure traveling all over College Station to try and get my phone fixed (I shattered it while carrying in groceries), so I didn't have time to prepare lunch. I went and ate Torchy's to numb the pain. But I love this planning thing. I don't have to worry about having time to cook or question what I will eat. It's already done! And just for the record, I'm a pretty fantastic chef.
2. Do a Whole 30
I've been wanting to do this challenge for a while. It's 30 days of extreme Paleo. No added sugar of any sort (stevia, honey, syrup, etc.), nothing processed, no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no happiness (just kidding!). I didn't think it would be so difficult, but I'm one of those people that adds sweet-n-low to coffee and tea, despite the cancer it might cause. I also drink smoothies from Smoothie King, pour honey on sweet potatoes, and occasionally get brown rice. All of this is a no from the Whole 30 people. They also say that chewing gum is a no. Whoever wrote that was clearly tripping.
I started on January 15. So for 19 days I have drank only water, black coffee, and black tea. It's a miracle I'm still here. Some people don't really know the point of doing it, but giving yourself discipline for a structured amount of time is beneficial in so many ways. It makes you stronger mentally and physically. I'm trying to be the best version of myself, and challenges like this give me a chance to test my will power. I've lost the 5 lbs. I gained during Christmas, seen dramatic muscle tone improvements, and I feel 1000x better.
Fun story, I had to go on winter retreat for MSC FISH while doing Whole 30. I packed down a cooler with meals for 2.5 days. On the first night, I had grilled chicken a frozen broccoli that I planned to heat up for dinner. Well, there was no microwave. And also no forks, since everyone else was eating pizza. So I ate cold chicken and frozen broccoli with my hands while everyone stared at me.
The truth about the Whole 30 you've been waiting for is just that. It's gonna be really difficult. You have to plan around events. You probably won't have to eat frozen broccoli, but you will be drinking black coffee and tea. I really encourage anyone to try a challenge. It's a great head start to a healthy lifestyle. Once you realize how great it makes you feel, you'll know that the frozen veggies and black coffee was worth it. Actually, you might not think that at all. But at least you accomplished something.
3. See old friends
I fell off the radar last semester, and I lost touch with some really great friends because of it. I've gotten my time management together, and I won't let that happen again!
4. Play basketball
I really do miss playing this favorite sport of mine. Practicing for 3-4 hours a day in high school, Saturday morning drills, and hundreds of career games kind of burned me out of basketball for a while. Coach Hodge yelling, "we're burning daylight!" is still a recurring dream I have. But every time I see someone playing, this longing in me to relive those days takes over. I started playing ball again with some of my MSC FISH friends, and it has made me so happy. Of course, I can't shoot or dribble like I could in my prime (wow I sound old) but I'm in a lot better shape! I can run the court and play defense like never before. Just for old times' sake, I ran some sprints we used to do for conditioning. I improved my times ten fold, which gives me a lot of encouragement to keep getting fit. I joined an intramural team, but I'm gonna need to dig up the basketball shoes I buried a while ago!
5. Floss
I'll get back to y'all on this one...
This semester got off to such an awesome start. I'm so thankful to be an Aggie, be an AD for FISH, be a basketball player again (sort of), and be a member of CrossFit Aggieland. Here's to my latter half of college!
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Intentions, Comparisons, and Gingivitis
So it's January 6. Maybe you made a resolution, and maybe you didn't. Maybe you've already "failed" and maybe you're attacking this year head on. Whatever your case may be, I hope you don't let 2016 pass you by.
I was talking with my friend AJ at Jupiter House the other night. We brought up how we didn't really have New Year's Resolutions, but we did have goals for improvement this year. We also talked, rather in-depthly, about the difference between ideas and actions, as well as comparisons. The conversation is still on my mind, so I want to share a bit with you!
You know that thing that you've always wanted to do, but never have? It's like the intentions have always been there, but you've never actually been intentional about it. Last year, for me, it was losing weight. I used to always think about swimsuit season and picture myself strutting in a yellow-polka dot bikini, rather than wrapped up in a towel on the beach, sprinting to the water when I took off the towel, in fear that someone might see me. I was never intentional about wearing the bikini though. And every year, swimsuit season would come around, and I would still be hiding in the towel.
Those years passed me by. I remember seeing this motivational quote that said something like, "tomorrow you'll wish you had started today." AND IT'S SO TRUE. The only regret that I have about living a healthier lifestyle is not starting sooner.
I'm supposed to go to the dentist on Friday. I've been told for about a year that if I didn't start flossing, I'd get gingivitis which sounds kind of bad, so I think that I should try to avoid it. But alas, the dentist appointment is two days away and I have flossed all of one time since my last appointment. So I probably have gingivitis, and the dentist is going to ask that horrid question, "how often do you floss?" I'll probably lie and say once a week, but she will see right through me and my gingivitis gums. Then I will get another lecture about taking care of my teeth, and I could tell the dentist that I don't have time, but the truth is, I'm just lazy at night.
So start doing that thing you've always wanted or needed to do, or you'll wake up, and it'll be 2017 and you'll have let another year pass with what to show for it? Gingivitis and cellulite. You can't lie to the dentist, and you can't lie in a swimsuit.
Now about comparisons. It's become increasingly easier to look through someone's social media and think that they have it all together and that they're so much better than you. But another quote AJ and I talked about recently is that comparison is the thief of joy. It's so absolutely true. AJ mentioned that people really only post their highlights in life, and that's all anyone sees. It can be very discouraging to see someone succeeding or getting what you want, while you have a rough patch.
Let me tell you this. My instagram and Facebook accounts probably make me appear like a really fit college kid with awesome friends, an exciting life, and a lot of motivation to be healthy and active. Well, all of those things are true on my best days. But what I don't ever post about are the bad days. Some people know this about me, but others don't. I struggle with severe anxiety. I'm not talking about just overthinking things. I mean the kind that is debilitating--where my body will go into convulsions because it is feeling too much for me to handle. The kind that has put me in the hospital for panic attacks, passing out, and experiencing derealization. The kind that has required me to miss class or miss events because I can't get my thoughts or heart racing under control. My anxiety got so bad this past semester that I was terrified to get out of bed for a while. I was having one to two panic attacks everyday, until finally I got the courage to see a doctor. I've been on medication for 2 and a half months now, and it has made all the difference.
The point of this is, don't compare your failures and successes to others. Yes, I've lost 50 pounds, but it doesn't mean that someone who lost 10 pounds is less successful. While I was losing weight, I was having horrible anxiety that not many people knew about. So my life may have looked fun and perfect, but it wasn't. It was a trying time and a struggle that I hope no one else has to go through.
The journey to make a change is unique to everyone. Remember that putting it off will only cause regret of the lost time later on, and comparing yourself to others will steal the joy from your personal experience. We all have our own battles!
I was talking with my friend AJ at Jupiter House the other night. We brought up how we didn't really have New Year's Resolutions, but we did have goals for improvement this year. We also talked, rather in-depthly, about the difference between ideas and actions, as well as comparisons. The conversation is still on my mind, so I want to share a bit with you!
You know that thing that you've always wanted to do, but never have? It's like the intentions have always been there, but you've never actually been intentional about it. Last year, for me, it was losing weight. I used to always think about swimsuit season and picture myself strutting in a yellow-polka dot bikini, rather than wrapped up in a towel on the beach, sprinting to the water when I took off the towel, in fear that someone might see me. I was never intentional about wearing the bikini though. And every year, swimsuit season would come around, and I would still be hiding in the towel.
Those years passed me by. I remember seeing this motivational quote that said something like, "tomorrow you'll wish you had started today." AND IT'S SO TRUE. The only regret that I have about living a healthier lifestyle is not starting sooner.
I'm supposed to go to the dentist on Friday. I've been told for about a year that if I didn't start flossing, I'd get gingivitis which sounds kind of bad, so I think that I should try to avoid it. But alas, the dentist appointment is two days away and I have flossed all of one time since my last appointment. So I probably have gingivitis, and the dentist is going to ask that horrid question, "how often do you floss?" I'll probably lie and say once a week, but she will see right through me and my gingivitis gums. Then I will get another lecture about taking care of my teeth, and I could tell the dentist that I don't have time, but the truth is, I'm just lazy at night.
So start doing that thing you've always wanted or needed to do, or you'll wake up, and it'll be 2017 and you'll have let another year pass with what to show for it? Gingivitis and cellulite. You can't lie to the dentist, and you can't lie in a swimsuit.
Now about comparisons. It's become increasingly easier to look through someone's social media and think that they have it all together and that they're so much better than you. But another quote AJ and I talked about recently is that comparison is the thief of joy. It's so absolutely true. AJ mentioned that people really only post their highlights in life, and that's all anyone sees. It can be very discouraging to see someone succeeding or getting what you want, while you have a rough patch.
Let me tell you this. My instagram and Facebook accounts probably make me appear like a really fit college kid with awesome friends, an exciting life, and a lot of motivation to be healthy and active. Well, all of those things are true on my best days. But what I don't ever post about are the bad days. Some people know this about me, but others don't. I struggle with severe anxiety. I'm not talking about just overthinking things. I mean the kind that is debilitating--where my body will go into convulsions because it is feeling too much for me to handle. The kind that has put me in the hospital for panic attacks, passing out, and experiencing derealization. The kind that has required me to miss class or miss events because I can't get my thoughts or heart racing under control. My anxiety got so bad this past semester that I was terrified to get out of bed for a while. I was having one to two panic attacks everyday, until finally I got the courage to see a doctor. I've been on medication for 2 and a half months now, and it has made all the difference.
The point of this is, don't compare your failures and successes to others. Yes, I've lost 50 pounds, but it doesn't mean that someone who lost 10 pounds is less successful. While I was losing weight, I was having horrible anxiety that not many people knew about. So my life may have looked fun and perfect, but it wasn't. It was a trying time and a struggle that I hope no one else has to go through.
The journey to make a change is unique to everyone. Remember that putting it off will only cause regret of the lost time later on, and comparing yourself to others will steal the joy from your personal experience. We all have our own battles!
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Steps to a Clean Slate
I've always been a big fan of clean slates. Something about starting over just feels so refreshing. As a kid, I loved getting new school supplies, with crisp pages in a spiral, pens full of ink, and crayons with pointy tips. By the middle of the year, the popular crayons were all flat and smeared, my pens were nowhere to be found, and my spiral contained bent pages with the binding barely holding up.
Now that I'm 19, I feel that way about my grades, organizational skills, and finances. During syllabus week, I have everything written and planned out. A 4.0 is always the goal! But then you sleep through one quiz and suddenly everything falls apart. I get behind and life gets busy and things slip my mind and I need to wash my sheets and I need to do the dishes but I have to study and use my bent up spiral that I shoved in the bottom of my bag because I was running late and I need to go to the grocery store but I don't have time so I grab something that may or may not be edible from the kitchen counter and then I check my grades and my bank account and the numbers for each are the same...do the math...that's not a good number to see in a checking account. It's exhausting. It leaves me longing for a clean slate.
So last year at about this time, I had thoughts in my head about losing weight. Going on a diet was the number 1 new year's resolution for 2015, after all. I didn't necessarily make it a new year's resolution, considering I was eating cheesecake at my sister's birthday dinner in the middle of January. But that dinner is the first time I ever said out loud to my parents, "I'm going to lose 30 pounds this semester." It was my resolution to go to the recreation center 3 times a week, so when I got back to school, I did just that. All of a sudden, my mindset was changing. I got tired of picturing this different life where I could be thinner and happier and healthier, and I realized only I had the power to make it happen. I needed a clean slate.
Sitting in my dorm room on January 27, 2015 with my hand in a box of cheerios, I made one of the biggest changes that I will probably ever do in my life. I went to the hallway, threw out the cheerios, and then proceeded to clean out my mini fridge and my cabinets of everything that I knew wasn't healthy. The only problem was, I had no idea what to do after that.
If losing weight is the number 1 new year's resolution of this day and time, why are so many people failing? I'm sure there are a billion theories out there, but I want to share mine. As someone who has failed at diets in the past, but successfully lost weight and kept it off later on, I can relate to you. In more ways than that. And I know what it takes to make real changes that will enhance your life more than you can imagine.
First things first. I was overweight pretty much all of my life. And for the friends and family who will try to sugarcoat my size, I'll clear the air. My BMI was well into the overweight range, and even more so during my senior year of high school, and the beginning of college. It affected so much, and that's not an exaggeration. It caused me to sit on the bench during basketball games. I could shoot about 90% from the 3-point line, and if you know basketball at all, that's pretty freaking awesome. But I didn't have the speed or the agility to keep up with the other girls. It disabled me from fitting into cute clothes. I always wanted to have a good sense of style, but none of it looked right on me, so I stuck to jeans and t-shirts almost every single day. It was the cause of any self-esteem issues I ever had. It lowered my confidence and made me stand out in pictures with my tiny friends. Before prom during my junior year, I tried losing weight. I would kill myself to eat celery, and I complained every single day. I would choke down deli meat and mope as my friends continued to eat the same old stuff and never seem to gain a pound. I managed to drop a significant amount of weight back then, but it was just a crash diet. I gained it all back plus some that summer. I headed into my senior year at the heaviest I would ever be.
Now I wonder, what made the Paleo diet different? How was I able to stay motivated? How did I succeed when so many have failed before, including myself? How have I kept every bit of the weight off? That's what I'm here to tell you. And I have decided to include a Bible verse with each point, so you might see that weight loss involves far more than just eating well. It requires focus, discipline, dependence, perseverance, and hope--all things that God can offer you through his word.
1. Quit using the phrase "going on a diet"
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
You're not going on a diet because diets have an end date. You no longer have an end date. When I started Paleo, people would ask me how long I was going to do it, and I would reply, forever. It seemed pretty crazy, but I knew if I gave it an end date, I would go back to eating like a regular American and gain everything back. You can't eat well for a specific amount of time and then throw in the towel. You will have not learned anything! The word diet is defined as "a selection of food", not "a fad that lasts 6 weeks." Your body does not belong to you, it belongs to God, and he calls us to treat our bodies as something special. When you realize how intricate and amazing the human body really is, understanding that God took the time to create you, why would you want to fill yourself with nothing of value? If you want to succeed you do not set an end date. Which bring us to number 2...
2. Set goals
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Write them down. If you go in with a clear plan, you have a better shot than if you were to go in blindsided, just like Proverbs tells us. I still have the spiral that I scribbled out in Starbucks one day. It said "152 by June" and an end weight of "140." And I also wrote out the goals it would take me to get there. Depending on what your goals are will decide what you will have to do to get there. My goals at that time were losing weight, so I knew diet was number one and cardio workouts were number two. If your goal is to gain muscle, it'll need to be different. If you want to lose weight but you hate working out, you'll have to adjust calorie intake. This might all sound confusing right now, but that's why we have number 3...
3. RESEARCH
Proverbs 10:17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
We have the world at our fingertips, and we use it for crap like watching 6 second videos of girls getting hit with shovels. And then people want to say they don't know how to be healthy. Guess what! Google is your best friend. There are a million people who have made their own websites, written their own blogs, and published books on weight-loss and healthy living. All you have to do is search for them. Stay away from anything that says "lose weight fast" or "how to have the perfect stomach in 3 weeks." Cling to things that say "clean eating" or "lifestyle changes." If you need help choosing the right diet for you, I suggest anything that seems difficult but doable. If it seems easy, it won't work. If it seems impossible, it won't work either. There's a happy medium. Though it might be an old school way to say it, Proverbs says to heed instruction as to not be led astray!
4. Take action
Matthew 5:30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Pick how you will eat! Whether it's a specific diet or just clean eating, you need to pick something solid that you can stick to. Remember, if you are already thin and looking to tone up, you'll need to be even stricter with your calorie intake. If you're extremely overweight, just a change in what you're eating will make a significant difference, and you won't have to count calories until later. BUT, It's not nearly enough to tell yourself or even other people that you're "on a diet." You have to actually begin. And that starts with getting rid of all the junk in your house. Clean out your fridge and pantry, but instead of throwing everything away, think about what you could donate to a food bank or to someone you know who is in need! Anything heavily processed, anything with an insane amount of sugar or sodium, white bread, soda, chips, cookies, whole milk...whatever your chosen diet does not allow, get it out. If it's there, you will eat it, I promise. You are just beginning, and you are not strong enough to say no when it's 11:00 pm and you have a sudden craving for goldfish. Consider the goldfish your right hand, like in Matthew. Is it causing you to stumble on your journey to reach your goals? Do yourself a favor now, and donate the goldfish to someone who is not dieting. It's less painful than cutting off your hand I bet.
5. Prioritize
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
This is so important that I have a separate blog post just about setting priorities. If you ever want anything in your life to work, you have to make it a priority. Priority is defined as "a thing that is regarded as more important than another." So you'll need to make this lifestyle change a top priority. For some, that means giving up naps or TV. For others it'll be going out to eat less. For me, I had to adjust time management completely because I "treasured" fitness.
5. Support
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
This is so so so important. If you are the only person in your household or in your life that is attempting to be healthy, it will be that much harder than it already is. You have to get support, whether that means getting the whole family on board, having a workout buddy, or starting a competition at work, support will be the only thing that gets you through when it gets too hard. And it will get hard, trust me. If I hadn't met Kat Hill, a fellow Paleo-person and now best friend of mine, I'm not sure if I could've stuck to eating so strictly through the low points of this past year. And I definitely would've never started CrossFit! Thanks for being my iron, Kat!
6. Don't give up
Romans 5:3-5 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame...
Please don't make excuses. Everyone and their dogs are busy. You are not too busy to put your health on the priority list. It's going to be so worth it. You have to get through the adversity to experience the beauty of accomplishment. It's more than just fitting into your old jeans. It's saving your life, improving your heart, and reducing your risk of all the terrible diseases out there. You have so many resources, including me. It is my passion to help people, specifically with the motivation to lose weight. I cannot help you lose weight, but I can help you get started and stay motivated, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it. WHICH IT IS!
I hope you'll join me at the start of 2016 to making this year count in every area! This is your chance for a clean slate, and I'm not just talking about a new crayon box. I am beginning a performance based diet to improve my skill level in the gym while remaining fit and lean! It's never too late to get started, whether you're trying to get rid of that Freshman 15 or shape up for your retirement cruise. Your health is important to not only me, but your families. Make it important to yourself!
Now that I'm 19, I feel that way about my grades, organizational skills, and finances. During syllabus week, I have everything written and planned out. A 4.0 is always the goal! But then you sleep through one quiz and suddenly everything falls apart. I get behind and life gets busy and things slip my mind and I need to wash my sheets and I need to do the dishes but I have to study and use my bent up spiral that I shoved in the bottom of my bag because I was running late and I need to go to the grocery store but I don't have time so I grab something that may or may not be edible from the kitchen counter and then I check my grades and my bank account and the numbers for each are the same...do the math...that's not a good number to see in a checking account. It's exhausting. It leaves me longing for a clean slate.
So last year at about this time, I had thoughts in my head about losing weight. Going on a diet was the number 1 new year's resolution for 2015, after all. I didn't necessarily make it a new year's resolution, considering I was eating cheesecake at my sister's birthday dinner in the middle of January. But that dinner is the first time I ever said out loud to my parents, "I'm going to lose 30 pounds this semester." It was my resolution to go to the recreation center 3 times a week, so when I got back to school, I did just that. All of a sudden, my mindset was changing. I got tired of picturing this different life where I could be thinner and happier and healthier, and I realized only I had the power to make it happen. I needed a clean slate.
Sitting in my dorm room on January 27, 2015 with my hand in a box of cheerios, I made one of the biggest changes that I will probably ever do in my life. I went to the hallway, threw out the cheerios, and then proceeded to clean out my mini fridge and my cabinets of everything that I knew wasn't healthy. The only problem was, I had no idea what to do after that.
If losing weight is the number 1 new year's resolution of this day and time, why are so many people failing? I'm sure there are a billion theories out there, but I want to share mine. As someone who has failed at diets in the past, but successfully lost weight and kept it off later on, I can relate to you. In more ways than that. And I know what it takes to make real changes that will enhance your life more than you can imagine.
First things first. I was overweight pretty much all of my life. And for the friends and family who will try to sugarcoat my size, I'll clear the air. My BMI was well into the overweight range, and even more so during my senior year of high school, and the beginning of college. It affected so much, and that's not an exaggeration. It caused me to sit on the bench during basketball games. I could shoot about 90% from the 3-point line, and if you know basketball at all, that's pretty freaking awesome. But I didn't have the speed or the agility to keep up with the other girls. It disabled me from fitting into cute clothes. I always wanted to have a good sense of style, but none of it looked right on me, so I stuck to jeans and t-shirts almost every single day. It was the cause of any self-esteem issues I ever had. It lowered my confidence and made me stand out in pictures with my tiny friends. Before prom during my junior year, I tried losing weight. I would kill myself to eat celery, and I complained every single day. I would choke down deli meat and mope as my friends continued to eat the same old stuff and never seem to gain a pound. I managed to drop a significant amount of weight back then, but it was just a crash diet. I gained it all back plus some that summer. I headed into my senior year at the heaviest I would ever be.
Now I wonder, what made the Paleo diet different? How was I able to stay motivated? How did I succeed when so many have failed before, including myself? How have I kept every bit of the weight off? That's what I'm here to tell you. And I have decided to include a Bible verse with each point, so you might see that weight loss involves far more than just eating well. It requires focus, discipline, dependence, perseverance, and hope--all things that God can offer you through his word.
1. Quit using the phrase "going on a diet"
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
You're not going on a diet because diets have an end date. You no longer have an end date. When I started Paleo, people would ask me how long I was going to do it, and I would reply, forever. It seemed pretty crazy, but I knew if I gave it an end date, I would go back to eating like a regular American and gain everything back. You can't eat well for a specific amount of time and then throw in the towel. You will have not learned anything! The word diet is defined as "a selection of food", not "a fad that lasts 6 weeks." Your body does not belong to you, it belongs to God, and he calls us to treat our bodies as something special. When you realize how intricate and amazing the human body really is, understanding that God took the time to create you, why would you want to fill yourself with nothing of value? If you want to succeed you do not set an end date. Which bring us to number 2...
2. Set goals
Proverbs 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Write them down. If you go in with a clear plan, you have a better shot than if you were to go in blindsided, just like Proverbs tells us. I still have the spiral that I scribbled out in Starbucks one day. It said "152 by June" and an end weight of "140." And I also wrote out the goals it would take me to get there. Depending on what your goals are will decide what you will have to do to get there. My goals at that time were losing weight, so I knew diet was number one and cardio workouts were number two. If your goal is to gain muscle, it'll need to be different. If you want to lose weight but you hate working out, you'll have to adjust calorie intake. This might all sound confusing right now, but that's why we have number 3...
3. RESEARCH
Proverbs 10:17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
We have the world at our fingertips, and we use it for crap like watching 6 second videos of girls getting hit with shovels. And then people want to say they don't know how to be healthy. Guess what! Google is your best friend. There are a million people who have made their own websites, written their own blogs, and published books on weight-loss and healthy living. All you have to do is search for them. Stay away from anything that says "lose weight fast" or "how to have the perfect stomach in 3 weeks." Cling to things that say "clean eating" or "lifestyle changes." If you need help choosing the right diet for you, I suggest anything that seems difficult but doable. If it seems easy, it won't work. If it seems impossible, it won't work either. There's a happy medium. Though it might be an old school way to say it, Proverbs says to heed instruction as to not be led astray!
4. Take action
Matthew 5:30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Pick how you will eat! Whether it's a specific diet or just clean eating, you need to pick something solid that you can stick to. Remember, if you are already thin and looking to tone up, you'll need to be even stricter with your calorie intake. If you're extremely overweight, just a change in what you're eating will make a significant difference, and you won't have to count calories until later. BUT, It's not nearly enough to tell yourself or even other people that you're "on a diet." You have to actually begin. And that starts with getting rid of all the junk in your house. Clean out your fridge and pantry, but instead of throwing everything away, think about what you could donate to a food bank or to someone you know who is in need! Anything heavily processed, anything with an insane amount of sugar or sodium, white bread, soda, chips, cookies, whole milk...whatever your chosen diet does not allow, get it out. If it's there, you will eat it, I promise. You are just beginning, and you are not strong enough to say no when it's 11:00 pm and you have a sudden craving for goldfish. Consider the goldfish your right hand, like in Matthew. Is it causing you to stumble on your journey to reach your goals? Do yourself a favor now, and donate the goldfish to someone who is not dieting. It's less painful than cutting off your hand I bet.
5. Prioritize
Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
This is so important that I have a separate blog post just about setting priorities. If you ever want anything in your life to work, you have to make it a priority. Priority is defined as "a thing that is regarded as more important than another." So you'll need to make this lifestyle change a top priority. For some, that means giving up naps or TV. For others it'll be going out to eat less. For me, I had to adjust time management completely because I "treasured" fitness.
5. Support
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
This is so so so important. If you are the only person in your household or in your life that is attempting to be healthy, it will be that much harder than it already is. You have to get support, whether that means getting the whole family on board, having a workout buddy, or starting a competition at work, support will be the only thing that gets you through when it gets too hard. And it will get hard, trust me. If I hadn't met Kat Hill, a fellow Paleo-person and now best friend of mine, I'm not sure if I could've stuck to eating so strictly through the low points of this past year. And I definitely would've never started CrossFit! Thanks for being my iron, Kat!
6. Don't give up
Romans 5:3-5 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame...
Please don't make excuses. Everyone and their dogs are busy. You are not too busy to put your health on the priority list. It's going to be so worth it. You have to get through the adversity to experience the beauty of accomplishment. It's more than just fitting into your old jeans. It's saving your life, improving your heart, and reducing your risk of all the terrible diseases out there. You have so many resources, including me. It is my passion to help people, specifically with the motivation to lose weight. I cannot help you lose weight, but I can help you get started and stay motivated, but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it. WHICH IT IS!
I hope you'll join me at the start of 2016 to making this year count in every area! This is your chance for a clean slate, and I'm not just talking about a new crayon box. I am beginning a performance based diet to improve my skill level in the gym while remaining fit and lean! It's never too late to get started, whether you're trying to get rid of that Freshman 15 or shape up for your retirement cruise. Your health is important to not only me, but your families. Make it important to yourself!
Monday, December 7, 2015
When's the Last Time I Washed These Sheets?
During the week before Thanksgiving, I realized how severe the sophomore slump really is. As I was heating up a half-pound of smoked ham in the microwave on a cool autumn evening, it hit me--I had been eating that ham for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for three days straight. It would be one thing if I had prepared some different side dishes to go with the ham. But I didn't. I just ate the ham by itself.
It got worse. I was lying in bed later that night, reflecting on the sad amount of ham I had eaten for three days, when I thought about the last time I had washed my sheets. For the sake of my reputation, I will not disclose the amount of time it had been since I washed my sheets, but just know that my mother would be appalled and the general public would avoid me at all costs. I could lie and tell you that the next day, I decided to address my lack of cleanliness and wash my sheets, but I didn't. They still haven't been washed. That's how lazy sophomore students are. Or maybe it's just me...
Just when I thought things had hit rock bottom, the college station police taught me otherwise. It was a brisk Tuesday morning. Thanksgiving break was in sight, classes had been going well, and aside from my all ham diet and sleeping in my dead skin cells every night, life was as bright as the sun peering through my front windshield as a drove to work. Then, I realized the bright lights were actually red and blue police lights coming from a motorcycle cop. I pulled over, expecting the cop to soon realize he had made a mistake (since I was going 35 in a 35). He came to my window, and I greeted him, ever so politely. The stern officer asked if I knew how fast I was going, to which I happily answered, 35 mph. He said yes. But then informed me that I was in a 20 mph school zone. Now I have nothing against the men and women in law enforcement. But I do have something against elementary schools that still have their school zones up when it is 9 o'clock in the morning. Like come on, if the kids aren't there by now, they aren't coming. I was given a citation for my recklessness, and then went on my way.
The college station police must have WANTED posters of my car because a few days later, I got a parking ticket outside of my second home: Starbucks. I'm a frequent customer at the Starbucks at NorthGate. I practically have reserved parking outside the building. I have been parking there almost every night since freshman year. Much to my dismay, when I left Starbucks on this particular night, I had a parking citation on my car. I thought surely it had been a mistake (just like the motorcycle officer pulling me over), but again, it was not. In the fine, fine, fine print on a sign that was hidden behind a massive sequoia tree, there was an indication that one could not park in that spot after 10 pm. And I had left at 10:15. I'm pretty sure they put up that sign at like 10:01.
Alas, the semester is coming to a close. It has been full of new learning experiences for me and despite the issues with ham and cops, I've had a ton of fun. Oh school is going pretty well too. It looks like I might pull off that 4.0 after all. And all it cost me was my personal hygiene :)
Unfortunately, eating well on the holidays is a joke. If you successfully stick to any sort of diet plan during these winter months, you are probably not human. It's been so hard to go back to eating well after the 607 types of casserole I had over Thanksgiving. And now Christmas is here....excuse me while I go hide under baggy clothes until January. Luckily, I'm still working out, so there is hope.
Merry Christmas everybody! I'm gonna go eat some ham.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
When Life Gives You Lemons, Eat Them Because Food is Expensive
Wow, I can't believe the last time I blogged was in August... I also can't believe that I thought I had a busy freshman year. Lol. I wish I could return to the days where I had time to breathe and laugh and wait in long lines for coffee. I had no idea what sophomore year had in store.
Being a committed person is really difficult when you commit yourself to like 11 different things. You think you're on top of your life, but then you realize you have to start picking and choosing priorities. Last year, I could drop netflix and naps, but this year, there is nothing left to cut out except actual priorities like grocery shopping, eating, taking showers, and keeping in touch with friends. It's actually impossible to work 16.5 hours, take 14 hours of school, be an assistant director for a Freshman Leadership Organization, go to Crossfit, meal prep, have friends, maintain personal hygiene, clean your house, study outside of school, AND sleep. So of course the first thing to go is personal hygiene, which is the main reason I've been sporting the 2 day old ponytail far too often this semester. It's bad when your mom calls to ask if you've been flossing and your response is "mom I don't even have time to go to the store and buy the floss, much less actually use it." Really though, there are days where I wake up at 7:15, leave for work, and do not return back to my house until midnight. No one wants to floss after all of that.
Keeping in touch with friends is another thing that has been slipping. Some days I don't answer my phone. In fact, I get so stressed sometimes that when my phone rings, I just throw it at the ground and walk away. I hope none of you take my rejection personally. I really love you all, but if I want time to shower, I can't talk on the phone.
The next thing is the grocery store. I tried this crazy thing called budgeting. It's when you allot a certain amount of money to particular categories with the idea that you'll follow it and never go over budget. I allotted myself like $100 a month for groceries. HA. I have yet to go into the grocery store and spend less than like $80 at a time. Razor blades are freaking $20 for a package of 4. Pretty soon I will be shaving my legs with scissors. And the worst part about buying the food is then you have to cook it. Which is like another hour sucked away from the day. And then after you cook it, it runs out. Then, you have to go back to the grocery store, spend another ridiculous amount of money on things that are literally keeping you alive which takes up another hour from the week. But don't forget College Station traffic. It takes 30 minutes to get anywhere in this town of 50,000 other college students that also need to grocery shop. So there's more time you have to consider. And most of that is just sitting in traffic, which burns through gas faster than the Apollo 13. I swear College Station is responsible for global warming.
Surprisingly, school has been going extremely well. I might be broke as a joke and smell rather rough on most days, but a 4.0 is looking like a possibility this semester. *knocks on wood*
Working at the writing center has brought me so much joy! It is awesome to enjoy showing up for your job and doing things that you're passionate about. I love my coworkers and bosses.
Being an assistant director for MSC FISH is definitely the most rewarding aspect of sophomore year. We got our freshmen in late September, and they are perfect. I love them so much and am so excited about the trips and service projects that the year has in store!
Now, you guys might be wondering how dieting and working out have been going. Well don't worry, I haven't thrown in the towel. I've been going to CrossFit Aggieland and met some cool folks there. I started a nutrition challenge with them and participated in that for 5 weeks. I managed to lose 5 more pounds, but the goal was really just to keep toning up. I still eat mostly Paleo, but I've started to eat grains again, in moderation. It's honestly just too difficult to always meal prep. Sometimes I need an English Muffin or a tortilla for a taco. The best part is, it hasn't killed me. It feels normal to eat grains now. For a while I was scared to sway from Paleo in the least. I eat normal things every now and then too. Today I had pancakes. They were fantastic. ALSO, I'm participating in my first CrossFit competition this weekend! If I don't get last place, I'll let y'all know how I do.
I have become a huge believer in the 90% to 10% ratio. It works for pretty much everything. I eat healthy 90% of the time, but 10% of the time, I eat whatever I want because I'm done with the hard part of losing weight. There's no need to miss out on the enjoyable foods in life due to an extremely strict diet. 90% of the time, I say yes. I say yes to hanging out with people and helping people and putting others first. But 10% of the time, I say no. I take time for myself, I take a nap, or I skip a class. Taking that 10% is what keeps me going!
I really am enjoying sophomore year, despite my complaints about busy life. It has taken some adjustment, but it's part of growing up. Heck, if I can lose 45 pounds in 6 months, I can conquer this sophomore slump.
P.S. I had to give up a shower to write this blog post.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Shaking the Sophomore Slump
I'm not sure why everyone always says, "Wow I can't believe it's already *insert month here*." I mean we literally say that every month. It should be pretty easy to believe considering we (mostly) all have eyes and a calendar. Nonetheless, I CANNOT BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY AUGUST. Seriously, in May when I moved home after finishing up freshman year, I looked ahead at the 3 months I would be spending back in Horse Country, Texas, away from so many of my Texas A&M friends, and I thought it would surely be an eternity until I returned to College Station. But, alas, this is my final week where most of my meals are paid for and made for me, where I haven't had to worry about an on campus parking ticket, where my laundry is magically done for me, and where my sweet little puppy is always there to greet me when I walk in the front door. Oh I guess I should mention my family too. Yeah, they're here as well. Hehe, love y'all.
As much as I am looking forward to being back in college station and starting up classes again, leaving home is more bittersweet than I was expecting. I've had the pleasure of working at Texas Woman's University all summer, seeing high school friends, attending my hometown church, and recently starting CrossFit. I'll definitely miss the lovely folks that have surrounded me for these brutally hot summer months.
As far as weight loss goes, it's pretty much done! Wow, it's strange to type those words. I reached my goal weight about a month or 2 ago. At first, I wasn't really sure what to do. Do I keep trying to get thinner? Does this mean I can eat more? I was just wandering around. When you cross a finish line after such a long race, it can bring a sense of lost purpose when it ends. At first, I did try to lose more. I convinced myself that I could drop 10 more pounds, but it was soon very apparent that my body had found its equilibrium and it would be unhealthy to get much farther below that. But I didn't want to throw in the towel and gain it all back.
Then I learned that there is this awesome thing called MAINTAINING. It means the hardest part is over. So that's what I've been doing the past few weeks. I still eat Paleo about 95% of the time. I love it, really. My body rejects heavily processed foods or a lot of dairy. Seriously, I had some beef enchiladas the other night, and I thought my digestive system would never be the same. But I do enjoy having a splurge every now and then! It's fun to eat dessert some nights or to have a few bites of random things like mashed potatoes or bread. I had my first sandwich for the first time in 6 months. That was an exciting day. It's still a rarity, but I definitely love living a healthy life and still satisfying cravings every couple of weeks or so.
Now some of you may have noticed I mentioned CrossFit (gasp). Yes it's true, I am now not only part of the A&M cult, but the CrossFit cult as well. I tried to avoid it as much as I could, but Kat Hill, who has done Paleo with me these past 6 months, finally dragged me to a class about 2.5 weeks ago, and despite the blood, sweat, and tears (no exaggeration), I fell in love. I started attending regularly at Sanctum CrossFit in Prosper! It's been such an awesome new experience for me, and I have learned more than I thought possible in this short amount of time. It will be sad to say goodbye to my new friends and coaches, but I look forward to checking out CrossFit in Aggieland.
I'm also excited to be in a kinesiology running class this semester! It will be so much more entertaining than sitting in a desk taking notes. I'll be a writing consultant at the University Writing Center, as well as an Assistant Director for the Memorial Student Center Freshmen in Service and Hosting. I cannot wait to meet my freshmen and pour into their lives like my assistant directors did for me during my first year!
Thank you so much for all of your support and for reading my little blog. It's been 7 months of of weight loss but so much growth as a person. I don't feel like the same girl I was when I began college a year ago. I guess what everyone told me would happen came true! I am beyond thrilled to be a sophomore at the greatest university on Earth at 43 pounds lighter, a little bit wiser, a whole lot happier, and with hair that is 8 inches shorter.
So I guess the Freshman Fifteen didn't get the best of me after all. Let's hope I can say the same for the Sophomore Slump! Stay tuned...
As much as I am looking forward to being back in college station and starting up classes again, leaving home is more bittersweet than I was expecting. I've had the pleasure of working at Texas Woman's University all summer, seeing high school friends, attending my hometown church, and recently starting CrossFit. I'll definitely miss the lovely folks that have surrounded me for these brutally hot summer months.
As far as weight loss goes, it's pretty much done! Wow, it's strange to type those words. I reached my goal weight about a month or 2 ago. At first, I wasn't really sure what to do. Do I keep trying to get thinner? Does this mean I can eat more? I was just wandering around. When you cross a finish line after such a long race, it can bring a sense of lost purpose when it ends. At first, I did try to lose more. I convinced myself that I could drop 10 more pounds, but it was soon very apparent that my body had found its equilibrium and it would be unhealthy to get much farther below that. But I didn't want to throw in the towel and gain it all back.
Then I learned that there is this awesome thing called MAINTAINING. It means the hardest part is over. So that's what I've been doing the past few weeks. I still eat Paleo about 95% of the time. I love it, really. My body rejects heavily processed foods or a lot of dairy. Seriously, I had some beef enchiladas the other night, and I thought my digestive system would never be the same. But I do enjoy having a splurge every now and then! It's fun to eat dessert some nights or to have a few bites of random things like mashed potatoes or bread. I had my first sandwich for the first time in 6 months. That was an exciting day. It's still a rarity, but I definitely love living a healthy life and still satisfying cravings every couple of weeks or so.
Now some of you may have noticed I mentioned CrossFit (gasp). Yes it's true, I am now not only part of the A&M cult, but the CrossFit cult as well. I tried to avoid it as much as I could, but Kat Hill, who has done Paleo with me these past 6 months, finally dragged me to a class about 2.5 weeks ago, and despite the blood, sweat, and tears (no exaggeration), I fell in love. I started attending regularly at Sanctum CrossFit in Prosper! It's been such an awesome new experience for me, and I have learned more than I thought possible in this short amount of time. It will be sad to say goodbye to my new friends and coaches, but I look forward to checking out CrossFit in Aggieland.
I'm also excited to be in a kinesiology running class this semester! It will be so much more entertaining than sitting in a desk taking notes. I'll be a writing consultant at the University Writing Center, as well as an Assistant Director for the Memorial Student Center Freshmen in Service and Hosting. I cannot wait to meet my freshmen and pour into their lives like my assistant directors did for me during my first year!
Thank you so much for all of your support and for reading my little blog. It's been 7 months of of weight loss but so much growth as a person. I don't feel like the same girl I was when I began college a year ago. I guess what everyone told me would happen came true! I am beyond thrilled to be a sophomore at the greatest university on Earth at 43 pounds lighter, a little bit wiser, a whole lot happier, and with hair that is 8 inches shorter.
So I guess the Freshman Fifteen didn't get the best of me after all. Let's hope I can say the same for the Sophomore Slump! Stay tuned...
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