Motivation has been returned!

As you can see by my title I am feeling GREAT!

Honestly last week I was feeling so crappy because I was eatting late at night and I'd wake up and would feel like vomiting. It was not a fun feeling! On Wednesday I decided to have a one week challenge of not eating past 8pm unless it was fruit. It was kind of difficult at first but I resisted! I think I only ate past 8pm twice :). I even went out of my way to make sure I had fruit available to snack on. I planned it out and in the end I was okay :)!

Tomorrow is my weigh in day and I'm hoping for a loss! I feel like my pants aren't AS tight as they were last week which is a very nice feeling!!

Anyways..

This should be a good week! Tonight is my band practice which I am looking forward to! Always fun to jam! After that is my TV lineup.. Parenthood, Ringer and then Storage Wars. Why does everyone make fun of me when they hear this? :P

Thursday night is Jersday with my bestest friend Jenn. Can't wait to just chill out and relax! Then the next day her and I are taking the day off work to do a shopping trip! I can't wait to go to Forever21! My favourite thing about this weight loss is that I don't have to shop in plus sized only stores! I can wear clothes from ANYWHERE!!!! :D ANNNNDDDD I need to get new jeans because my size 14's are getting too loose!!! *HAPPY DANCE HAPPY DANCE*

I know some people think *size 14.. thats huge!!* To me it feels wonderful.. I started out my weight loss journey where a size 18 was too tight! Now I'm fitting into some size 12's.. I did not see that happening :)

LOVE IT!

Pete's birthday is coming up on the weekend which should be nice! I think we're heading up to Kingston and then on Sunday I'm going to take him out for Thai food :)!

Should be a good week!

I'll post tomorrow about my weigh in and let you guys know about my new 30 day challenge that is coming up!!

Take care!

Stephie

Quote of the Week

Happy Saturday all!

Aaaaah the weekend is finally here!! Time to relax put my feet up and enjoy the company of the ones I love :) As usual today I will be sharing my quote of the week.. here it is!

If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you.
You may have a fresh start any moment you choose,
for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down.

-Mary Pickford

This quote kinda relates to how I've been feeling over the past few weeks. I honestly felt like I had failed myself and my followers. I made mistakes, I effed up.. I didn't eat that healthy and I majorly disappointed myself. I fell down.

It took me a few days to get back up.

Now I feel as though I have come TOO far and there is absolutely NO excuse to fail now! I WILL NOT allow myself to go back to the person I was.. I will NEVER allow myself to look so awful again! THIS is my fresh start! I have been good ALL week and I didn't let myself down! I stuck to my plan and I am so proud of myself for doing so.

Everyone makes mistakes! Its owning those mistakes that differentiates you from everyone else. A lot of people think "Oh I screwed up.. oh well" and don't do a single thing about it. I knew I screwed up and jumped back on the healthy wagon and I don't plan on slipping off again!

There is always the next day, next hour, next minute. You really can have a fresh start any moment that you choose! No one will do it for you.. it is something you HAVE to do yourself.

And with that said I am going to enjoy the rest of my weekend :) You should too!

Toodles

xo

Steph

I need motivation!

Hey all!

I'm sitting at the ear doctor waiting to go in so I figured I would update.

I didn't lose any weight this week...AGAIN. That's three weeks straight which is kind of upsetting but I have been kind of lazy and haven't been eating right. I think this week I'm going to try and do something different and not eat past 8pm unless it is fruit or veggies. I'm also not going to use any of my additional weight watchers points. I need to straighten up my act and put myself in the mindset that I CAN'T eat whatever I want whenever I want. Just because I'm counting the points doesn't make it okay. I've been pigging a lot late at night which is AWFUL. Makes me feel awful too :(

Anyone have any tips? Anything motivating to add? I really need it!

Anyways.. I'm on day 23 of my reading challenge and have been going strong! I'm already into my third book and am really enjoying it. I don't think I'll have any issues finishing up this series in the next week or so (2 more books). I'm so into it!!

Anyways.. Time to go!

Toodles

Steph

Happiness List

So I got this idea from a blog I follow.. to create a happiness list :)! As most of you know I am a very happy person so this list could be pretty long! Here goes...

The best thing that happened to me over the past year was finally getting together with Pete! Most of my friend know that I had liked him for a very, very long time so for me it was basically the best thing that could have ever happened! I've never been happier with anyone else in my ENTIRE life! Being with him feels so natural and right. He's like my best friend and my boyfriend all wrapped into one. He makes me soo happy!

My Parents :) - I've always had a good relationship with my parents (mainly in my adult years). I am especially close with my mom as we can talk about anything and everything :) It's great! She's one of my best friends.

Jenn- She is the one who makes me the happiest out of everything in this entire universe. She is the most incredible person I know and without her in my life I would be very unhappy. This September will be our 10 year friendiversary.. Yes .. we have a friendiversary. She understands me like no one else ever has and we can even have a full on conversation with just our eyes. We can sit on the couch for 3 hours straight and say 10 words and still have the greatest time ever. Without my best friend I would not be the person I am today. She is giving and she is smart and beautiful and is the most amazing person I've ever known. Thank you Jenn for being such an excellent friend and person :) The world is a better place because of you!

Ahhh, my Steelers. In General football makes me very happy. Every Sunday I sit on the couch like a lazy bum for hours and watch football. I love it. Watching my Steelers play is awesome.. I get so into it and scream at my TV with joy (and sometimes disappointment). Next year will be our year! We made it into the playoffs with 1/2 our team injured.. I am very impressed!

My beautiful dog Brady. whom I named after the best looking football player in the NFL. He makes me smile every day and when I'm sad and crying this guy snuggles up to me and it almost seems like he gets it. I love my boo!

Music in general makes me very happy. As you know I am part of a band and that is also a big part of my happiness. One thing I really love is Mashups. When you love two songs and they are mixed together it is rad!

Sunsets- They are just so gorgeous. This is my place in the winter :)

Yes I enjoy Jersday. To be honest I'm getting a bit sick of the show but every "Jersday" I get together with my bestie Jenn and we have dinner, watch our shows, do our nails, have girl chats and relax! My favourite day of the week!

When there is NOTHING else in the world that can make me smile.. THIS movie cheers me up.. It has worked so many times and I love it. I grew up watching this movie with my grandparents and now I know almost every word :)

"MAGGGGGGGNAAA!" I'll never forget the first time I had this drink lol. Saysha kept saying "MAGNA" in her awesome south african accent. Its hard for me to call it MagnERS now and when I get too drunk sometimes I call it Magna.. *SMH* This is a treat for me and it is so tasty!

Cofffffeeeeeee! No need to explain!!! I LOVE ME SOME COFFEEE!!

With that said.. There is my list for today! There are many things that make me happy but in reality.. I don't have all day to talk about them or enough room!

I must go.

Toodles!

Steph

Quote of the Week

Happy Saturday friends :)

Hope you all enjoyed this lovely cold and snowy weather we have been having. If you know me you know I LOVE IT!! Soon I will be able to snowmobile! ehehe

Anyways.. I wanted to make sure I shared this quote with you all

I will wear the scars of my decisions forever, but I will no longer let them shape who I am. The past has not defined me, destroyed me, deterred me, or defeated me. It has only strengthened me.

I'm not sure whos quote this is but I enjoy it. I have a lot of scars from my past. I've been treated like garbage by way too many people.. too many times. I was way too forgiving. I honestly believed I would never be happy again.. that no one could love me because I was worthless. I remember my ex telling me that I would never find someone like him again. WELL THANK GOD!!!!!

I am with the most amazing guy I've never met. Someone who can bring a full on smile to my face just by crossing my mind.

The past has not destroyed me.. even though I thought it would.

The past has not deterred me.. even though I thought it would.

I DID NOT let it defeat me.

In December of 2010 I wrote this after getting out of an abusive relationship:

He ruined me.. he ruined who I was.. I was a confident, happy person who never stopped smiling..and now .. I am the girl who hates her self.. who hates mirrors and is always disguising my emotions because I hurt so bad. Sure, I am always smiling but that's what I have to do to not have to explain why I'm so sad. There are few things that make me happy anymore.. FEW..

Today I feel incredible. I feel sexy.. I feel pretty.. I have never been happier in my entire life. I don't hurt. I smile all the time because I AM happy and I love telling everyone about WHY I am so happy :)

I am a new person. A stronger person. Though those scars are still with me they do not shape who I am today. Anybody who knows me knows that I am a different person. I walk with a different air of confidence. I smile for no reason at all! I am no longer unhappy with the way I look or with my life.

I am me. I am strong!

And I am not changing!

Keep smiling peeps and enjoy the weekend!

Steph

Quote of the Week

Hi all,

This quote of the week reminds me of the things people are saying to me about my blog. This quote relates to the inspiration that I have helped others achieve within themselves. I love this quote and now I am sharing it with you :)

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared- Buddha

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I believe being happy is one of the greatest things about life. That even in the darkest of days there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. That sharing your happiness with others and helping others to see the good in themselves is a beautiful thing. People think I'm wack because I smile ALL OF THE TIME (that isn't a lie... apparently I even smile in my sleep!!). Sharing a smile with a stranger can be a touching experience. There was one day I was feeling like shat.. I had just left my doctor's office after finding out I had mono. I was really, really upset. I walked out of the building and this man was walking towards me and just smiled and said "hello". I smiled and said hello back. It seriously brought me out of my funk. Made me feel good even though inside I felt very unhappy and sad. Share your happiness people! There is more than enough to go around!!

Enjoy your saturday!

Stephie

Day 10!

Hey all,

I'm on day 10 of my reading challenge and I have already finished one book and am onto the 2nd book in the series :) It's gotten pretty addicting.. :) I want to slap myself when I forget my book at home because I can't read over lunch :(.

What can ya do, eh?

Anyways.. things otherwise are going really well and I'm LOVING life! I seriously couldn't be better. I'm struggling a bit on the weight loss but I think a large part of that is me not working out. I'm going to start slowly incorporating activity into my routine over the weekend. I am seriously getting stir crazy and want to jump back onto the work out wagon badly! I downloaded this app on my phone called Nike Training. Its a free app on my iPhone and it tracks your workouts and even supplies your workouts for you! I haven't tried it yet but I'm looking forward to starting. I think I will try that out tomorrow morning. Let's see if I fall over or stride through it.. I will definitely let you know!

I've been hearing "you've lost more weight!!!" lately when the reality is that I havent.. at all. It's kind of upsetting but I know it's not REALLY my fault. I had a major set back with the mono and it came at a WOOOOONDERFUL time when I was soooooooo motivated!!

When I get down about it I just say to myself "Stephanie you're not going to gain 40 lbs over night.. you've come a long way and you're moving forward not backwards so snap the f**k out of it!!"

haahah

I'm a loser.

So on Tuesday we had another band practice. First of this year! With a few members on vacay it was a tiny turnout but we have 2 of our new coops joining which is awesome!!! Lots of talent coming out :) Have I mentioned how much I love my job??

Last night I hung out with my best friend, Jenn. She is truly an amazing person.. I love her sooo much! She makes me feel so comfortable and I can talk to her about ANYTHING .. even laughing hysterically about how the ultrasound technician had said in an asian (??) accent "ooooooh SOOO much gaaaaaas". Yes!! I had beans the night before.. but didn't really want to admit it. TMI?

Anyways.. it is time for me to go :)

Later!

Stephie

Who's that girl?

Hey guys!

One of my coworkers Georgina (pictured below) had suggested I post pictures from this years holiday party compared to last years holiday party. I thought that would be a great idea! Though the pictures don't look that drastic it still makes me feel great.. and I've lost about 8 lbs since the party! Whoot!!! :)

Here they are!

Holiday Party 2010

Me & Georgina

Still don't know what I was thinking with that lipstick *SMH*

Feeling a bit hungry.. maybe I will snack on this microphone!!

Deciding on the next song

Holiday Party 2011

Me talking to the band

Me and one of my closest work friends, Gus

Me and my man.. he LOVES getting pictures taken :)

Talking to my Primates

Bog Ferret!!!

Me :)

I really like showing you these pictures because it encourages me to do better.. soon these "after" pictures will be included in the before pictures! Sometimes I look at pictures of what I used to look like and I don't even recognize myself. I think to myself "How could I ever let myself get that bad?? How did I let this happen?" Change is a beautiful thing :) I feel so much better about myself and love it!!

I can't wait to see where this journey takes me!

Have a happy hump day!

Stephie

Quote of the week

I've decided to start something new :). Every week I am going to share a quote with my readers.

Here is the first one!

People spend a lifetime searching for happiness; looking for peace. They chase idle dreams, addictions, religions, even other people, hoping to fill the emptiness that plagues them. The irony is the only place they ever needed to search was within.

-Romana L. Anderson

Hope you all have an amazing weekend :)

xo

Stephie

Reading Challenge & Life

Hi all,

I'm on day 3 of my reading challenge and I've dug my nose into a new book :). I borrowed this book from my cousin and so far so good! I'm reading The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J smith.. it's very intriguing! I admit I watched a bit of the first and second season on TV but missed a lot and so far the book isn't really the same as the TV show but we shall see! I am about to go and continue reading (when I'm done writing of course) :)

So I wanted to update you on some things going on in my life. The weight loss is still going well! I gained 2 lbs over Christmas but lost 1.5 of it last week. I will work that off (and more) in no time :). Just gotta stick to it and believe in myself! Also, I was finally able to fit into a new size of pants!! Its amazing and I feel sooooooo good!!!!

Things otherwise are going really well. I've been spending a lot of time with Pete which is always fun! We've been watching the show The Wire which is sooo addicting. I LOVE IT!!! In about a month we've watched the first 4 season lol. Just one left! Can't wait!

I've also been spending a lot of time with my best friend Jenn. I don't know if I've mentioned but she's having a baby! I'm going to be an aunty!!! heheh She found out last week that she is going to be having a baby boy! I'm so happy for her and Brandin (her hubby). I went over last night and we had our Jersday which involves dinner (we went out for greek), watching Drop Dead Diva (highly recommend that to all you ladies!), and Jersey Shore!! Did anyone else want to bitch slap Snooki!? She acts so pathetic when she's drunk.. hasn't she learned her lesson yet?! UGH hahah

Anyways.. I'm gonna get to reading so I can go hang out with my baby <3

Adios!!

Stephie

Inspiration

Over the past few weeks I've had multiple people come to me and tell me that I have inspired them to change things in their lives. To do things differently, to set goals, to start a weight loss plan... many things! All because of me and this blog. Reading about me achieving my goals and accomplishments, my failures and my story has inspired them to change! These people tell me that I inspire them.. when really hearing this inspires ME. Hearing about that makes me want to push myself harder so that I can prove to them that these things can really be done!

I was seriously lost at this point in 2011. I didn't know what to do or how to change my unhappiness. I just constantly had negative thoughts running through my head "you're fat" "you're a bitch" "you're stupid" "you're boring" "you want to lose weight? Come talk to me when you have lost weight". Why? Because I constantly heard these things over and over and over and over again for almost FIVE YEARS!! It wasn't easy for me to change. It wasn't easy for me to convince myself that I could change. I knew I needed to see progress before my mind would pull a complete 180.

I had three quotes that I constantly referenced:

"The most important thing is to enjoy life- to be happy.. thats all that matters"- Audrey Hepburn

"Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same"- Francesca Reigler

& my personal favourite;

"I am only one but still I am one. I cannot do everything but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do"- Edward Everett Hale

Now I am here in 2012 and I could not be happier with my life. I've achieved so much! I've made an insane amount of changes and have amazing, positive people in my life. Why? Because I set my mind to change. I made myself happy by changing the negativity in my life. By pushing it far, far away from me!

I accomplished a lot over the last year and am finally happy with myself and my life. Can I do more things to improve? Of course! Can you? If you incorporate positivity in your life you will find a way. All you have to do is believe in yourself. If you truly believe you can accomplish something you will. You may have to give it everything you have and BELIEVE.. after you have done those two things it WILL be done.

Just believe in yourself.

Thanks for reading!

Steph

My 2nd 30 day Challenge

Growing up I LOVED reading. You'd always find me nose deep in a book. Usually those raunchy dirty books that old women read. I was 13 reading Harlequinn romance books and buying almost every single edition. I had boxes full in my basement (hmmm I wonder where those are?!). Anyone ever wonder where I get my dirty mind from? hahah. I mainly stuck to romance novels but later discovered my love for chic lit. I love books that make me burst out laughing and the best ones I have found so far would be the Shopaholic series. I own every single book from the series and cant wait for more. I highly recommend them!

I also grew up reading archie comics.. haha not really the same thing but I had over 100!

Anyways.. Now it's time for me to start a new 30 day challenge! Since I can't workout for awhile (because of the mono) I am going to try something new!

2nd Challenge

For the next 30 days I am going to read for a minimum of 30 minutes EVERY SINGLE DAY no matter what!

This one should be fairly easy.... It is something that I already love to do but struggle to find the time to enjoy. I'm hoping this will reignite my passion and allow me to have "me time" more often in the future.

First day is tomorrow. :)

I will let you know my plans for tomorrow and which books I have chosen to enjoy!

Also, I will not be posting every single day about reading as it won't be as exciting as posting about my weight loss. I will be posting more often about my every day life and the challenges I face and the achievements I have made :)

Thx for reading!

Steph