foreverHoping

Today I don’t know why, but I felt like I was eating all day! It’s ridiculous. Written down, it doesn’t seem like much, but I just felt like I was constantly taking “a bite of this”, a “quick taste of that” while I was in the kitchen, and I know that that kind of behavior is what ruins diets.

Today I Ate:
Brunch: 8 silver dollar pancakes (about 3 inches), 2 pats of butter, and 4 tablespoons of syrup, 3 oz of unsweetened ice tea. (It felt like a ridiculous amount at the time… I was stuffed!)
Snack: 6 frozen grapes, 11 almonds
Dinner: 1 bar of Oats and Honey, 1 medium sized croissant

My Total for the day was 1009 calories, though I took some bites here and there when my sister was making dinner, so I think it might be more than that. Today felt like a huge craving day. I ate the croissant on a craving, the pancakes on a craving… But I don’t regret eating them. I chose the healthy alternative to bad foods I could have been eating at the time (my friends were eating fries and mozzarella sticks when I ate my dinner, hehe)

Today I went swimming leisurely for about an hour and a half, and I did 50 crunches… Then I walked to my school and back, which is 15 minutes one way, half an hour for both ways. I was by myself, so it was brisk. I live about a mile from my school. Barely a mile I believe. It may not be much, but I could have always asked my dad for a ride, so I am adding small things to my everyday life to get more active.

Keep it up guys! We’re all doing great.

xoxo, H.

So, though this goal is not done, I got a great reward for my money saving! Thanks to the over 1000 dollars I had saved, I bought myself an apple computer! It’s a shiny new laptop, a reminder of how hard I worked…

I have gotten quite a few babysitting jobs, thanks to some helpful peoples tips (thanks!) on how to advertise and get the job done right; and I am so happy with the gorgeousness of my laptop… hehe, sorry.

Right now, I accomplished one of my mini-goals, opening a bank account! I opened a savings account with Wachovia banks, and though I don’t get a debit card like I wanted, I do get to save my money! Yay!

xoxo, H

In the past year or so, I have become completely addicted to shopping! My parents are complaining constantly about driving me to the mall, and lately, they have completely stopped… But I would still want more clothes!

I figure, it’s summer, and the style for summer is loose, flowey clothing, rather than skin tight, so I would love to grab some fabric and try out a sun dress or something! Nothing complicated, but clothing that is tailored to fit me, by me!

I would completely love to do this, but I figure the first step is actually learning how to design and sew clothes, which would be hard, but I have the entire World Wide Web to learn, and an entire summer of potential experience ahead to me! What could go wrong?

xoxo, H.

I know that as a teenager, taking daily vitamins are particularly important, but I am not really sure which ones to take.
I know that Fish Oil and Multi-vitamins are some of the big ones that people take.

I found quite a few vitamins in my cabinet though… some looked promising:
- Vitamin b-12 500 dietary supplement
- Omega-3 Fish Oil tablets
- Calcium/Magnesium Citrate (good for bone health, as there is a history of osteoporosis in my family)
- Daily Multiple USP essential nutrients

Does any one know if any of these would be potentially dangerous to the health of a 13 year old? If any one else has any other suggestions for vitamins I should take, please tell me! Thanks guys!

xoxo, H.

This is just a little inspiration for those of us who are feeling blue, like this will never happen… It will! Just wait!

I have always wanted to do this, speak fluent italian, that is. It is a beautiful language, and a more gorgeous country. I take a school class in italian, but it’s summer right now, and two years into the course, I can’t really speak fluently yet. 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week should be enough, right?

In about a year, I would love to go to italy with my friend and her family, as they go every year and sometimes bring a friend of hers. That would be amazing if I was completely fluent in the language, and knew the culture, as to not look like an idiot.

xoxo, H.

I have always wanted to plant a garden… gardens are beautiful places that, though they require work, can be a relaxing outlet for peoples lives.

I have a plot of land in my back yard that is dedicated for gardening, and I have always spoke of clearing out the weeds and planting something beautiful. Now is the opportunity I need to get this done!

I have made a list of things I need to do in order for this garden to be a success.
1. clear out the weeds and gunk
2. establish boundaries to my garden… (where the actual planting will take place)
– I have to remember to leave a place for my dad’s compost.
3. Pick what plants or vegetables I want in the garden and purchase them
4. Last but not least. Plant them!

During the summer I know that they will require tons of water and attention, but I think I can do it. Does anyone have any tips for a first time gardener… I’m not really sure what I am doing, hehe.

Well. I will get back to you later on how this goal is going!

xoxo, H.

Today I did go to the mall like I had said, and I am writing this entry from my New MacBook! Let me tell you, it is so much easier writing an entry when the keyboard actually functions properly! However, I am having some trouble with mypyramid.gov on this computer, so I used my old one to track my day.

Today I Ate:
B: two egg whites and a peach
L: 10 grapes and 11 almonds
S: a stalk of celery and an entire pretzel time pretzel (half at the mall, and the other half at home)
D: A cup of tortellini with 1/4 of a cup of sauce

My Total for the day is 862 calories. I also did 50 crunches today, but not much else. Today was not a good day for exercising. Tomorrow though, I will make up for it. I am sure I can… I would like to go down to my pool and do a few laps in the pool. As I have probably said, it is so much more effective than just working out, hehe. Tomorrow is a new day!

xoxo, H.

As I am walking, I am constantly being reminded to “Stand UP straight!”, so I would very much like to actually do this. I want to have good posture just be a habit for me. I have heard that after a while, good posture simply becomes an easy thing, something subconscious. Posture makes one seem more confident, thinner, and taller. A person should always have good posture, so that is what I want.
xoxo,H.

Today, I plan to eat this:
B: two egg whites and a peach
L: eleven almonds and 10 grapes
D: a cup of spaghetti and 1/8 a cup of tomato sauce, and a cup of skim milk.

The total would be about 481 calories.

Unfortunately, I am heading off to the mall, and I know that I wont be able to resist the call of Pretzel Time pretzels… so.. I could skip dinner, with the exception of the milk, and eat half a pretzel, which would be 160 calories. My total for the day would then be 435 calories instead. But which one would be more healthy? Most likely the pasta, but I do love the pretzels. Ugghhh. I need self control!

xoxo, H.

I bought some crystal lite packets while at the store, thank god! I am going to add them to water, as I have noticed I have completely put this goal on hold. My water consumption was almost down to ZERO!

Today I have already drank one bottle of water with a Crystal Lite packet, so I am moving on to the next. How many bottles do I need to drink a day? Does anyone know the recommended amount?

Ever since I was younger and saw “The Notebook”, I have wanted to do this. I remember saying to my friend, “I want to do that, I want to kiss in a storm like that!”

How romantic, really! First, however, I need to find a guy to kiss!!!

xoxo, H.

Today I refrained, so much. I went to the store with my friend. I was walking in the store, and I didn’t buy anything, again, though I desperately wanted to. Today I baked a cake with my friends, so I had my indulgence today be a piece and a half of that.

Today I ate:
B: Two egg whites, and twelve blueberries, and a cup of Diet Peach Ice Tea (no calories) (total of: 44 calories)
L: 3/4 of a powerbar, and half a slice of pizza, and diet lime green tea snapple (total of: 254 calories)
D: 11 dry roasted, unsalted almonds, a cup of Diet Peach Ice Tea (total of 85 calories)
Dessert: ( I really need to stop eating dessert, but it’s my indulgence… Tomorrow I WILL NOT!!) A piece and a half (1/12 and 1/24 of a cake) of devil’s food cake. (total of:405 calories)

Today was a total of 788 calories, and though I was under my goal, I am not happy with my constant indulgences… need to cut back on those…

Today I went for a hugeeee bike ride. We biked for at least 3 miles. My legs ached afterward. We went on the area of town with HUGE hills. It was ridiculous, but I am proud of how much exercise I got in… go me! I was the only one amongst my friends who was not huffing and puffing.. I felt good!! Today I also did 50 crunches to work on my abs, and I did the Seventeen workout today.

Tomorrow I am going to wake up early and go swimming in the pool. I want to do a couple laps to get to see how I am doing in terms of being in the water. I have heard that water workouts are much more effective than regulars. Also, tomorrow, I am getting a new Mac Laptop!!! Excitementttt!

I’ll write again tomorrow on my new computer!

xoxo, H.

I have lost some weight, and I am noticing an improvement in my stomach. It seems flatter to me, but I still feel like I have to suck in, though not as much. I want to be at the point where I am completely comfortable with my body. It doesn’t matter if I am stick thin, but I just want to feel like I can be in my bathing suit without being self conscious. That would be the biggest reward for all of the work I am doing.

xoxo, H.

Right now, I am filing my nails and trimming my cuticles so I can have a strong, even starting point for my new nails!

I’m going to go out and get some nail strengthener so they remain strong.

xoxo, H.

It may be summer now, but I still want to get my sleeping habits in check. You do so much more when you wake up earlier. I set my alarm for about 8 every day, and sleep right through it! It’s ridiculous. From now on, I am going to sleep earlier, and figuring how to wake up with my alarm!!!

xoxo, H.

Losing weight is a big goal of mine, and I have the dieting thing down, but I need to get back in shape! I used to be able to run a mile without huffing and puffing. Now I feel like… soft, like someone could beat me up….. Is that right? :-) I want to get back in shape for Sports in the fall, but that means exercising. I want to exercise at least 3 times a week, so I feel good about myself.

The local gym in my area only lets people in if you are 16, but I could easily pass for 16… it doesn’t hurt to try. I’ll go down there tomorrow, with my parents, and check it out.
I’ll let you know how that goes!

xoxo, H.

What an awful way to top off a great week! Last night I went to a Fourth Of July party at my friends country club, there was free food, and amazing fireworks. I think I ate myself about 1000 calories worth of food, no joke. I can remember clearly everything I ate
-1 chicken finger
-about six french fries
- a helping of mac and cheese (it was similar to stouffers)
- two mozzerella and tomato appetizer things
- an incredibly thin slice of lemon meranque pie
-two biscuits, reminded me of the KFC kind,
- a sour-dough piece of bread
- two pieces of pine-apple
-12 grapes

UGH!!!! DO you see that! That’s the amount of food that I have eaten in all three days prior! I was completely repulsed with myself after I was finished eating. I wasn’t even hungry!

Yesterday, I didn’t even manage to do the activities I wanted! The Fourth Of July Party started at about 4 and went to ten. All I did all night was eat! I didn’t get to do my routines, and instead I ate!

I slept over my friends house, and the next morning, well, this morning, we had breakfast… gah. Her mom made “mini-pancakes”, they were small, only about an inch in diameter, but I had 8, and they were cooked in butter! I also had about 50 calories worth of syrup, and 110 calories worth of milk. I ate, also, 10 blueberries.
My breakfast alone comes out to be about 265 calories!

However, for lunch, I remembered my high-calories before, so I ate 8 grapes, a 40 calories “Smooshed-fruit tube”, and a peach. I also took a few bites of a piece of a sour-dough boule, but the entire meal for lunch came out to be 116 calories, which isn’t awful.

After that, I went off to my club, hoping to get in some laps, but it turns out we were having our own Fourth of July party. I tried to ignore the food, but all my friends were there. They greeted me and offered me a plate. I refrained myself, however. I only ate 10 curly fries, 1/4 of a cup of ice cream, 6 1-inch cubes of Honey-dew, and an extra small slice of pound cake. I really had to contain myself… you should have seen the food that my friends were piling onto their plates! Things that I knew HAD to be at least 1000 calories each. I felt kind of proud of myself, though I did indulge a bit with the ice cream.

Afterwards, a group of us went to the movies. I only ate a small bag of popcorn and a water, and told them to hold the butter. Go me!

But however… today was a bad day. For the second day in a row, I went over my goal. Yesterday I made an exception because I went to a party, but today I should have been more careful. I seem to have fallen off of the wagon a bit, and I really shouldn’t have. My total for today was 944 calories, and though it is only 44 over my goal of 900, it still tells me that today and yesterday I lacked in self control.

Today I noticed a change in how I felt too. I have been feeling great all week, but since I indulged in fatty foods yesterday, I felt sluggish all day today. I know what these awful foods do to me, and I need to avoid them.

I’m hoping tomorrow will be better. Sorry for the super long entry guys… I am feeling really guilty for indulging so much.

xoxo, H.

So far, I have been doing really well. I stepped on the scale when I woke up, and I was rewarded for my good behavior with a three pound loss! I went from 107.5 to 103.5 in a week! I am right where I wanted to be in terms of my diet! Yay!

I am about finished eating for the day, I had an early dinner. But I am certainly not done working out! Today I WANT to do the Seventeen Workout, go on the elliptical for twenty minutes (mile and a quarter), and possibly go for a walk/run with my dog; get some fresh air. I’m hoping that writing it down here will force me to follow through with it and do those things! Hehe.

Today I Ate:
B: one egg white and a green apple (89 Calories)
S: An organic “smooshed fruit” tube (they’re really good, and only 40 calories!)
L: a piece of italian bread and 12 grapes (123 calories)
D: half a slice of pizza (82 calories)
Dessert: 1/4 of a cup of “Heaven” (Emack & Bolio’s; a vanilla ice cream with marshmellows and white chocolate mixed in; about 110 calories)

Total for the DaY: 444 calories.
I just guessed for the Ice Cream.I know, I shouldn’t be eating dessert, but I reallllllyyy moderated myself! I wasn’t really sure for the calories, so I took the calories in a serving (1/2 a cup) of vanilla ice cream, halved that, and added some calories for the white chocolate and marshmallows.

Today I went food shopping with my dad. We went to North Shore foods, and got some really good vegetables and fruits and organic goodies for me to eat… yum! Does anyone know how many calories are in an almond or dried cranberry?

Also, I got some energy bars. They’re not really energy bars so much as protein and “food” bars. They’re 110 calories, but they keep you going like a meal.

Today was an overall good day! I hope everyone else had a good day too! Keep going guys, were doing great!

xoxo, H.

Okay, so today was another good day. I stuck, (kind of) to the basic template of yesterday’s eating habits. I had basically the same breakfast and lunch as yesterday.
B: two egg whites (34 calories), a clementine (43 calories)
L: 12 grapes (41 calories), piece of italian bread (82 calories)
S: Clementine (43 calories), smoothie (5 strawberries, half a banana; 74 calories)
D: Diet Ice Tea/Lemonade Snapple (10 calories), grilled chicken ceasar salad wrap (300 calories?)

My estimated total for the day is about 627 calories. I say estimated because MyPyramid Tracker does not contain a grilled chicken salad wrap. I don’t really know how many calories that is, so I just guessed 300, its better to guess high and to have a lower amount of calories than you thought.

Today I exercised quite a bit, as well. I never did go for that run with my dog, but I ran a mile and a quarter on my elliptical (burned 237 calories), and then I did the Seventeen workout. It was really effective today, I felt the tightness in all my muscles… That could either be really good or really bad :-). I also went biking with my friend, but we barely put out any effort, so I don’t think I burned anything major.

I was really proud of something I did today. My friend and I went to the store, because she had to buy a crap-load of candy for her golf camp. I was walking through the aisles with her, and looking at all of my favorite candies, and thinking how if I could just eat one it wouldn’t hurt. But I didn’t get anything… not even one piece! I was so proud of myself when I walked out of the store empty handed… GO me! My self-control really surprised me.

I’m off to sleep… soon. I’m so tired, I don’t really know why. I’ll write again tomorrow! I think I might be working out with my sis!

xoxo, H.