8 Week Challenge

Hey all! I'm doing an 8 week weight loss challenge!

I found out there is a big paranormal convention happening in September. There are big named paranormal authors, and even one of the stars from a favorite paranormal reality show of mine (on the Syfy channel) is going to be there. There is going to be a paranormal investigation, a mixer with the guests of honor, and other stuff. So I figured it would be fun to go. I am big into the paranormal. I do paranormal research, I've been writing a book about the paranormal, I've done paranormal investigations, so I figure it would be fun to go to. And since it's on the way home... why not?

Low and behold, I have to be out of town in September, and the convention starts the day I'm headed home... and it's actually along the way. So I bought tickets and am going to make a stop over at the convention. I figured that gave me a good opportunity to challenge myself to get over this plateau I've hit. I really want to lose some weight before the convention cause I would like to buy a new outfit for the guest of honor mixer.

My goal is to lose at least 2 lbs a week in 8 weeks which would be 16lbs. I'd love to lose more than that... but I figured with the ups and downs I've had in the last few months... 2 lbs a week would be a realistic goal, and if I do better one week, great.

I started off strong. I walked 1.3 miles today (would have been more but for the heat) and the rest of the day I did a lot of walking around the house, stopping only to practice my guitar lesson for the week. So I'm off to a strong start. If you are looking to kick start your diet... join me on the 8 week challenge. Post your updates here or on my youtube channel and let me know how you're doing!

Anyway... I've been getting a lot of private messages about doing another Walking Dead video. I have a lot of the same questions from fellow fans, especially those who only watch the series and have questions about the comic... so, since I'm sitting here watching a Walking Dead Marathon... I've decided I'll go ahead and do another video. The next video will be discussing the Characters. similarities and differences between the comic and TV series.

Around the 14th of July I'll be uploading an update for the first week of my 8 week challenge.

Mackinac Island Trip

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http://facebook.com/ParanormalAndrea

Hey Guys! Wow I had a great time on Mackinac Island! It's so beautiful there. This was the second time I've been there and I still haven't seen it all. There is just so much to see. It really has something for everyone.

If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life... then this is the place to go. No motorized vehicles of any kind except snow mobiles in winter, and emergency vehicles like ambulances. The main mode of transportation is bicycle, foot or horse. Imagine waking up in the morning to the sound of birds chirping, and the clip clop of horses hooves. No honking, no revving of engines, no squealing of tires, no car alarms accidentally going off. the loudest sound is the tink tink of  bicycle bells.

If you love nature, you would love the island. Flowers of every kind and color decorate the Victorian style homes along the boardwalk, lilacs in bloom between May and June... the lilac festival held the 2nd week of June. Bunnies come out early morning and allow you to get close enough to watch them play in the dew sparkling grass. There are so many places to sit and view the crystal clear blue Lake Huron, a beautiful view of the sun setting behind the Mackinac Bridge, the moon shimmering in the water on a clear night.

If you love visiting places of history, this is also the place for you. Mackinac Island was originally sacred land to the Native American people indigenous to the area. When their loved ones would pass away, they would be sent to the island for burial. It is where the "Great Spirit" lived. As the island was built up by explorers who settled there... many remains were unearthed during construction, and reburied in a place where they wouldn't be disturbed. Even in modern times, most recently, this last winter - remains were unearthed during renovations. Even today the people of Mackinac, with a great respect for the island's history, will bury the remains in an undisturbed place, send the remains to Native American Elders for proper burial, or to the state of Michigan's government for them to properly handle the precious remains.

The island was home to a missionary who built Mission House to house and teach Native American children. He also founded Mission church, and thus the southeast end of the island became known as Mission Point. It was next home to a well known evangelist. He used the area as a religious retreat center, which only lasted 2 years. It next became a college, which only lasted 4 years. Not long enough for most people get get a degree.

Eventually it became a resort. It's important to note, the main lodge is made of tresses that weigh 9 tons each... in the shape of a giant tepee. The reason this is notable, legend has it that there was a Native American prophecy that said "Some day, a great tepee will be erected in the east, under which all nations will come together to learn about peace."

And they do. While there, I've met people from Jamaica, Cuba, England, Japan, China, Korea, Finland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, and one said he and his wife were from Italy. When on the island, everyone are friends. They talk, they smile, they laugh together. I've never heard an unkind word while there. Everyone is ready to greet you with a smile. The people who work there are amazingly nice and helpful.

If you're into movies... Visit Mackinac Island, take a horse by the Grand Hotel, visit the Mission Point Resort Theater... walk by the Orpheum theater, get some fudge from Murdick's Fudge shop... then watch "A Moment in Time"... the 1980 movie with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour.

Speaking of Fudge... there are so many shops downtown where you can buy clothes, gifts, souvenirs, rent bikes, and of course fudge. I bought a shoe, completely made of chocolate. All handmade from the chocolate itself to the shape of the shoe. It was solid chocolate. I cracked a few corners off the night I bought it and it just melted in your mouth. it was the most delicious, pure chocolate I've ever eaten. When leaving the island, my mom was in charge of the shoe and suitcases. I was in charge of the dogs and stroller. My mom put the suitcase on the sidewalk, the shoe in a small box tied to the top... it was top heavy because of that and fell... right in horse pee. Shoe had to go bye bye. *sniff* I was going to share that with my brother and his family who were coming to visit when we got home. saved me calories I guess. lol

and of course, for those who like a thrill, there are many haunts. From the scary Orpheum theater which is now a haunted house... to real life haunts. go to Mission Point Resort and visit "Haunts of Mackinac". get tickets for the various tours. One tour takes you on a tour of the whole downtown telling you about all the ghosts that still roam the various taverns and bed and breakfasts, and what they do to scare and tease guests. One tour takes you just around the Mission Point resort where the ghost history flourishes. Mission house, where many children died from illnesses they didn't have the medical advancements to cure, can still be heard the sound of children's feet running through the halls despite no children living there. The straights lodge is haunted by a heart broken man dubbed "Harvey" who committed suicide after being rejected by his girlfriend, on the cliff behind what was once his college dorm. he still haunts the lodge as well as the theater. The theater has many ghosts, Harvey and a little girl named Lucy being the most famous.

You can also buy tickets to investigate the theater. A paranormal investigation. because I'm doing research for the book, the owner of Haunts of Mackinac set me up with a free investigation. So many things happened that night. being touched, being told to get out, the light stick incident that no matter what theories I tried, I could not replicate or explain the incident... If you do not believe in ghosts, you will leave an investigation believing.

So definitely visit Mackinac Island. It is a great time! I got a lot of exercise, lost a little weight, the dogs were quite famous (which I explain in the video so watch the video.) you won't regret going. It is quite expensive... I have to save up an entire year to go... but it's worth it in the end. (Click on images to enlarge)

SUNBURN! WAAA

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I've been really busy.

Dojo is doing really well on his medication and new diet. (Knock on wood). He hasn't had any bile vomiting, his poops have never been normal. this is the first time he's had normal poops... he's feisty and energetic, his eyes are crystal clear... God willing, he'll continue to improve. so far so good. My other dog is doing great too. She's a total momma dog. She was so sad and stressed when he was sick, so when he's healthy, she's a happy baby girl. She loves her little brother.

Things are good here too. I am taking guitar lessons, just learned my first 6 notes, and my first song that implements 5 of the first 6 notes I learned. I got a really nice guitar from Japan. Pretty guitar, great sound. I'm really enjoying the guitar.

I lost the weight I gained during those 2 weeks I had to leave town to take care of my pup, plus I lost an extra pound. So I'm not where I expected to be had I not gained that weight back... but at least I'm back on the right track.

I had a rummage sale to make a few extra bucks. got rid of a lot of stuff I really didn't need, and made some $$ for my vacation which is really cool. but I got REALLY sunburned.

I had close to a 3rd degree burn on my shoulders, and eventually I needed to get a prescription medicated salve from my doctor which has seemed to help.

But talk about pain. Wow. It was overcast the first day of the rummage so I didn't expect to get burned so I didn't use SPF... and got burned. The next day I wised up and used SPF I found in my bathroom... but it turns out SPF does have an expiration, and it was basically useless. So I got burned worse. (Word to the wise, change your SPF every year.)

I'm finally starting to go from purple to red to tan. I think in the next day or two the burn should finally be completely gone (fingers crossed).

Anyhoo

Things are good and God willing, they'll keep going that way. thanks for all your prayers and messages of well wishes. I really do appreciate it. I'll talk to ya'all soon.

One More Progress Photo... This one is cool

So, today I accidentally wore the same outfit I wore in my "before" photo. I was getting ready to go to Church, and this was the outfit I ended up wearing, and I didn't really think about it till I looked in the mirror and was like, "This is cute, why haven't I worn this more often?" That's when I realized, this was the "before" outfit, and I haven't worn it in a long time because when I saw the before photo, I noticed how it extenuated my "bigness".

Now it fits a lot nicer. I can pull it down passed my tush and my stomach, it's looser in the tummy, and the sleeves aren't tight around my bicep anymore. It's not a huge difference, but there is a noticeable difference. Here it is...

 

So what do you think? Notice a difference? (Click the photo to see it full size)

New Progress photo

So, it's that time again, to take a progress photo to show ya'all how I'm doing.

As of this photo, I am 21 pounds down! yay!

I am starting to see a difference. for one, I'm starting to get an actual figure instead of just being one round blob. LOL

I've kind of plateaued again... however that is mostly because I've started walking. 45 to 60 minutes a day, with my dogs, on an uneven terrain. (uphill, downhill, with a stroller), so it's not just walking. It's controlling the dogs and a stroller while walking up and down hill. (Why a stroller?)

 

It's just easier than carrying them when they get tired. LOL

Anyway... so I've been getting a little bit of muscle going on. I think this is going to be one of those situations where I'm going to see a little plateau as I develop muscle, then I'm going to drop a lot of weight in a very short amount of time once my body starts to get use to this new way of getting some exercise.

So things are going really good for me. I just bought myself a sundress and a new shirt (A SIZE SMALLER THAN I NORMALLY WEAR...) and get this... THEY ARE STILL A BIT BIG ON ME! WOO!

My ankle has been bugging me pretty bad... but considering I have a tear in my ankle, I don't expect that to go away without surgery. I can tell with the swelling and pinching that the cast isn't helping. But I'm not letting that get in the way of getting healthy. I have to keep pushing on, stick to my diet, and get whatever kind of exercise I can. 

Anyway, that's the update. I will be doing a vlog soon. Just haven't had the time yet. been busy with my brother and his family visiting, doctor appointments, dealing with a sinus infection, volunteering at church, getting my nails done all perty like, my mom's birthday, shopping for my oldest brother's up coming birthday, going to the casino (where I won $300), going on walks every day... so busy busy busy.

What a week.

So if everyone watched my previous vlog, ya'all know I ended up going to see my surgeon and found out I have torn tendons in my ankle that is the source of my pain. So my doctor opted to try a fiberglass cast for 6 weeks to see if that would help me heal up without having to have surgery. If it doesn't heal with the cast, I'll end up having surgery. Which would suck. I don't do surgery very well. The first time I had surgery I panicked when it was time to get the anesthetic... the second surgery I panicked because while watching TV in the prep room, I was watching a Dr. Phil or some talk show about people who had surgery that were seemingly under, but were really awake and felt everything being done to them and couldn't let the doctor know.

So I want to avoid surgery. lol

Things were going good. I got home, rested up, then the next day weighed myself with the cast on. Didn't know how much extra weight the cast put on me... 1 pound, 2.5 pounds, a few ounces... so I just went with whatever weight it said at that moment and went from there.

I kept to my diet. Haven't fallen off it yet. Still eating my lean cuisines and fruits and veggies and such. Despite the cast I was trying to get out and walk on occasion. It's been in the 70's here, sunny, the snow is almost all melted away and the green grass is starting to peek through, so I like to take my dogs on short walks through out the day to get some fresh air and exercise. They're slower walks obviously, but at least I get out there and am moving around every so often.

Weighed myself and in 1.5 wks since getting the cast on, lost 3.5 pounds. Not bad. So things were going good, until yesterday. (Friday)

I went to church... being a good little Catholic girl I go stations of the cross every Friday in Lent with my mom, then my mom and I go out for a fish fry. Everything was normal until half way through the stations. My cast was starting to feel kind of tight. It was an odd, all of a sudden feeling. When I was walking out of church to the car... it was REALLY tight. Weird. So when my mom and I got to the restaurant I noticed my toes were getting numb and turning kind of white. So after we were done eating, it was off to the emergency room.

I had to have the cast cut off.

When it was loosened, after a while, the feeling and color came back to my toes. Turns out, my ankle was pretty swollen. Obviously, with little room in the cast, it had no room to swell. So there were issues. Since my doctor is in another state, and the E.R. doc wasn't sure what he wanted to do, he was going to put the cast back on, and hold it together with an ace bandage (or as I like to call it, Doctor's duct tape) and give me crutches until I can see my surgeon.

That would have sucked. For one thing, crutches aren't easy, and for another thing... you either have to get up a LOT of steps or a few steps, but the only way to get into my house involves steps. Not fun when you have crutches. So the E.R. doc called the after hour doctor who works with my ortho surgeon, and he recommended this boot cast. Thankfully the E.R. had a few available.

I actually like this better than the cast.

1. It's more comfortable. This boot cast is padded and soft, and has inflatable/deflatable "airbags" for more comfort and security. With the cast I had two toes hanging over the cast, and the other three squished inside the cast, my foot was always cold because my toes were exposed. (Before it warmed up).

2. The airbags are nice. It makes my ankle feel snug and less wiggly. In the cast there was enough room in the ankle that it moved around quite a bit when I walked, which is why I think I had such an issue with swelling.

3. It's adjustable and removable. This is HUGE. If my ankle starts to swell, I can loosen it... I can remove it to take proper showers without worrying about getting the cast wet, I can wear a sock so my foot doesn't get sweaty and stinky, and I can take a proper weight without the cast on. Best of all, if I have an itch I just can't get at, I can take the cast off and scratch instead of trying to use a ruler. lol

So comfort and convenience wise, it's definitely better. that being said, minus taking showers (and maybe weighing myself in the morning) I have to act like this cast is not removable and wear it all day, all night, really at all times except for showers. Because I don't want to have surgery and I want this to work, I'm going to be a good little patient...

And do as the doctor tells me. I'm going to keep this cast on. At least I know the next 5 weeks will be more tolerable than if I were still in a fiberglass cast.

So anyway. that's the update. things are going good, weight is going the right way, and minus a little E.R. visit... I'm doing good. Talk to you all later. Will continue to let you know how things go! (PS, Happy St. Patty's day!)

Dee on the Road

Quick Update

Hey all. Just a quick update. I'm currently 252lbs which means I'm just a hop, skip and a jump from 250 which is -20lbs!! I'm actually hoping with all the work I've been doing yesterday and today, I'll make that milestone tomorrow or be pretty darn close to it.

The picture above is me at my starting weight, and 15 pounds later. It's not a huge difference, but you can see the difference starting. when I hit my -20 pound mark, I will post another comparison photo.

I've been really busy... so I didn't have time to post a good video. Both of my big brothers and their families were visiting, so I had both of my 2 year old nephews and both of my 6mo old nieces visiting. (its funny... both of my brothers and their wives had sons first a few months apart, and daughters second, one month apart.) they're soooo cute and I had so much fun playing with them. So it was nice to have them here.

I'm going to be working on a new video, but it will probably be a few days before I can edit it and post it. Hopefully by then I can let you all know I've exceeded - 20 lbs and am on my way to -25. Really excited about my progress!

I did a LOT of working out today. There was a massive snowstorm, and I had to do a lot of shoveling. My mom shoveled last snow and she was in a lot of pain afterwards, so I took the initiative and decided to shovel the deck off today. I didn't realize the snow was knee deep... so I'm in a LOT of pain... my ankle is swollen to the size of a basketball and I almost had an asthma attack, but I worked up a really good sweat despite how cold it was outside so it was a good workout. I got myself 10 exercise points from weight watchers for shoveling snow by hand for just under an hour. (I feel It should have been more, but I'll take the 10pts.) lol

I've also been following Dr. Oz's advice. (I've been watching his show and have learned some good tips.) He has some butt fat burning exercises I've been trying, and he says to drink a cup of 2% milk at night. 2% milk helps you build muscle and fight fat while you sleep. I'm also going to be buying some Pu-erh tea as he recommends. 2 cups in the morning helps burn fat. And Tava tea (a green tea that is a mix of Pu-erh, Oolong and Sencha). I plan on drinking two or three cups a day.

So all in all, things are pretty good. I'm looking forward to getting passed the -20 lbs mark and get the new video up and running.

Anyhoo... check out my previous blogs... I'm going to try to blog about the biggest loser again when I have a chance. And... okay. yeah. talk to ya'all later.

New Vlog, Norditrack Review

Okay guys, so I FINALLY posted a new vlog!YAY!

Click Here

You'll see that I got to meet Barry Weiss from the hit show "Storage Wars" on A&E

It was a LOT of fun. Barry is just like he seems on the show. Funny, fun, and an all around nice guy. If you haven't watched the show you really should.

And while Dave is not exactly my fave on the show by any means... the eye rolling is just having fun with the guy. I can't hate on him too much because he does work with St. Jude's Children's Hospital which is a charity I also try to donate to whenever possible. So while Dave can be a jackass on the show, I can't be too mean to him. lol

Okay. So if you guys are looking for a tredmill, I'll give you a review of mine.

I have the Nordictrack x7I. It has a 40% incline and a 6% decline. That gives you a wide range of up and down hill walking. So, if you like the burn of climbing the side of a mountain, or if you like the ease of jogging downhill... this would definitely be a good treadmill for you.

On the handles it has a heart monitoring system to help you keep your heart rate in check, a fan to keep cool as you're sweating those calories away, and preset workouts with the option of creating your own.

It also comes with a built in iFit Live feature. with ifit live you can download pre-made maps that will occasionally show you the view of a landmark you would be passing if you were actually walking that route in real life... it also simulates the terrain of the area. If the area goes up hill, your treadmill's incline will increase to match what the terrain is like in real life.

Or you can train for a race and then select a race to compete with other iFit Live users across the country.

There are several different views to use when you are on your treadmill. There is the map view, a timer, a screen that tells you the time, the distance, your pace, total calories burned, there's a screen that shows elevation of the terrain you're walking... so there are a lot of view choices.

If you are training, you can choose from Elizabeth Hasselbeck (best known as co-host of ABC's "The View") or Jillian Michaels (Best known for her time as a trainer on "the Biggest Loser"). When I bought the machine in 2010, Jillian Michaels was the only trainer available. There are preset workouts where their voices will motivate you, give you tips, and talk you through your workouts, like having a personal trainer right in your house.

There are different levels of workouts as well. for those of us who are just getting started, to the most athletic trainer. That is why you need to look over your workouts before you save them. I made the mistake of saving a workout that looked fun, without noticing it was 3 miles long, at a running speed. Same with making your own maps, make sure you turn down the level of difficulty if you are looking for a leisurely stroll.

If you don't see a map you like, you can go to http://ifitlive.com and create your own map. Now, in the video I do mention that the one thing I don't like is that unlike the preset maps, you don't get the pictures along the route.  I like the photos because it takes your mind off the workout and gives you a little distraction like "Oh look at that garden. Cool".

My biggest complaint was that, since buying this machine in 2010, they started using Google Earth which gives you street views of the area you are mapping out, so I kept thinking it would be nice if they could use that interface so you could use a street view and see where you're walking instead of just seeing the map view.

However, it turns out that this is something that can be done. You log into your ifitlive account on your laptop or smartphone, and see the street view from those devices as you do your workout. there is a place where you can rest your laptop if you choose to do the street view.

I am not sure how to do this, and right now it seems there is a glitch on iFit Live and the website is not playing nice with the treadmill. They don't seem to be communicating with each other, so I'll have to wait to figure it out until after the issue has been taken care of. Once I figure out how the street view works, I will let you all know in my next video and blog post.

--UPDATED REVIEW--

I was able to figure out how to get the street view on my laptop while waking the mapped out area... and I have to say... it's pretty awesome! Lol Check out the video by clicking HERE.

--END OF UPDATE--

That does bring me to another point... since iFit live is an internet related system... if your internet is down, or their system is glitching, you will have issues with ifit live connection. Not to fear though, you can still do non-iFit live workouts by clicking one of the preset terrains on your machine, or make your own workout.

So in essence, I would recommend this treadmill to anyone looking for an incline trainer. again, it's a Nordictrack x7i and it runs about $1,799.00

So anyhoo.

That's it for now.

just to fill you all in: I started at 270 and I'm currently 257.8

Recipe for your Diet

Hey all... still trying to find the time to do a video blog... but until I get that chance I wanted to let you know I am officially in the 250s! 258.0 to be exact! Really excited about that. I've been hovering in the 260's or 270's for the longest time.

I also found a really great treat for dieters that is very low calorie for those watching their calories, extremely low fat for those watching their fat, and very low points for those watching their weight watchers points.

Fresh Banana and Raspberry Smoothie

1 c of Milk

1 fresh banana

1/2 cup of fresh raspberries

1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon

1 tablespoon sugar/splenda

5 ice cubes

Okay... that's the basics. From there you have to play with it a bit.

With the milk, it depends on your diet what kind you use. (skim, 1%, 2%, whole with vitamin D, or a Milk replacement such as soy for those who are lactose intolerant) For my purposes, I use 1% since it's only 3 points for 1 cup.

With the banana and raspberries, it will depend on personal taste. I personally use all of a banana and less than half a cup of raspberries. Some want the raspberries to be the stronger flavor so they'll use half of a banana and half a cup of raspberries or more. So again, it depends on taste.

Cinnamon is very healthy. In a small teaspoon of cinnamon there is, calcium, iron, over a gram of fiber, and vitamins C, and K, as well as a small amount of non-fiber carbohydrates. Cinnamon has been used for digestive issues such as indigestion, gas and bloating, stomach upset, and diarrhea. It also has proven health benefits for those suffering from type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.

Cinnamon can be quite over bearing and is quite strong in flavor, and in higher doses (over 1/2) can cause a few annoyances. Skin irritations, and stomach irritations for those who have a bad digestive system, irritable bowel syndrome or ulcers. Cinnamon also has some antibiotic values, so if you are on doctor Rx'ed antibiotics, please let him/her know you use Cinnamon in your smoothies. So I always recommend 1/2 teaspoon max per smoothie.) In small amounts it does have good health benefits, but because of food allergies, I want you all to be aware of everything.

Now with the sugar, that's up to you. pure fruit smoothies can be a bit bland and some really feel like they need a hint of sugar. For weight watchers - powdered sugar, sugar substitutes, and maple sugar are 0 points. White sugar is 1 point per table spoon. I don't recommend more than 1 tablespoon of any sweetener whether it's sugar or a sugar substitute.

Ice cubes not only make the smoothie nice and cold, but it will make it thicker if you like thicker smoothies. I usually use 5 ice cubes.

Blend it up really good... (Yes you'll need a blender) and there you have a really tasty smoothie.

Making it the way I make it: (1 c 1% milk, 1 banana, less than 1/2 c raspberries, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 5 ice cubes)

For fat watchers... 1 smoothie has 3 grams of fat

For calorie waters... 1 smoothie has 348 calories

For weight watchers... 1 smoothie is about 3 to 4 points.

Sorry I haven't Blogged or Vlogged

It has been a while since I have vlogged/blogged.  I have been so busy. My brother and his family were in town for 5 days. My 2 year old nephew is very attached to me and keeps me extremely busy demanding 100% of my time when he visits. lol (and I love every minute of it. He's such a cutie) and I love to spend time with my 5 mo old baby niece. She learned how to roll around so she NEVER sits still. Even when I'm holding her she insists on bouncing. I've never seen a baby her age move that much. Lol. It's cute tho, she's a smiler. Even when she's cranky and starting to cry, if you look right into her eyes, she has to laugh even if she doesn't want to. LOL

Because of the company, I did a lot of putting things in this drawer, putting things in that drawer, taking this stuff downstairs, leaving this stuff upstairs... and things got lost. Lol. I'm trying to find my video camera and the computer cords that go with it. ha.

Then I got to meet Barry Weiss from Storage Wars (on A&E)! It was so AWESOME!!! I'll have to vlog about that next chance I get. He is as awesome in person as he seems on the show. I was really disappointed in the picture with him though. The person who took the photo for me got it from an odd angle, and it looks like my hair is eating his face up. LOL. The photographer worked for either Barry or the Casino where he was appearing at. What sucked is that she usually took more than one photo for other people to make sure they had at least one good photo... but she only took one for me and I didn't want to bother her to take another. Had I known it was going to be so bad I would have asked. But oh well, it was still fun and I'll vlog about it.

Diet wise, things are still going good. I'm still 10lbs down. I'm not eating as good as I should be. (I'm not eating bad... no junk food, no fast food, nothing like that) Its more than I missed meals here and there and didn't eat all of my points or eat as much as I should have. Whenever there is company over, I find it harder to eat a full meal.

Anyway... that's the update... I promise I will try to get a vlog up soon.

New Vlog - Big Surprise for me

Wow... Just Wow...(New Vlog, Click Here)


Starting: 270

Week 1:  266.1

Week 2:  265.2

Week 3:  261.6

Week 2 Weigh In and PMS Rant. LOL

So it has been one heck of a few days. It all started with Friday the 13th. Go fig. It would have to be that day. Lol.

First, I knew I had my 2 week weigh in on the 14th... it was time to see if I made my 2 week goal of -5lbs. But I was starting to feel PMS-y. Yay, it's that time of the month! so that sucked big time. I wasn't 100% sure it would be wise to weigh myself, cause when I PMS, I get bloated and retain water. So that wasn't fun.

Then for those who have been following my Vlogs: http://www.youtube.com/user/HappDeeNess

You know I'm on weight watchers. And weight watchers works on the points system. They take your age, weight, height and sex and use all of that to determine how many points you should eat a day. The number of points is based on how much fiber, fat, protein and carbs you need to take in on a daily basis for a healthy and successful weight loss plan. You need to eat all of your points, or as close to as possible. They even give you weekly allowance points for if you need to eat, but it would put you over your daily points... you can borrow from the weekly allowance.

My points is 41 points a day. Usually I do pretty well... I have never hit my 41 points... but I usually do about 30 to 35... so I'm just a little shy of my 41 point goal.

Well, On Friday the 13th... I only ate... and I didn't even realize it until just now... but I only at 13 points. (weird huh?) I had breakfast, then the day got away from me, and by the time I realized I missed lunch and dinner, I was on my way to a singing competition I entered... and the only thing on the way was fast food, and I didn't want to fall back into that habit again... so I'm glad I didn't eat a burger just because I had the points... but its not good that I skipped all those meals and didn't even snack. 

With 41 points, I never miss a meal, I even snack. I do it healthier now that I'm more conscious of what is in the food I'm eating, but I never deprive myself. So it was not the best thing that I missed all those meals.

Then there was the competition. There were 5 places available in the finals... and only 9 people auditioning in this first preliminary round (there is one more next month). Considering 4 of the contestants, I knew I had a good chance to make it in unless there was a fix in or something. Lol

Well, first when I got there... I had chosen a song, and 2 back up songs in case that song wasn't available that I had been practicing for ages. Turns out I needed to sing 3 songs which was like: Cool, cause I have 3 picked. When I looked through the book... they didn't have any of the songs. I was surprised, because I've been to some really small karaoke clubs and even they have 2 of the 3 songs I chose... so I had to find 3 more songs, songs I knew, but obviously didn't have a chance to practice or prepare myself.

There were some really bad singers, some mediocre singers, but there were 2 who were fairly good. There was one girl I thought I did about as good as, she had a pretty voice, one song was great, one song was mediocre, one song could have been good had she pushed herself a little more. But she has a really nice voice. But then there was one kid. Young guy, couldn't be more than 21, 22yrs old.  He was Freaking AMAZING. AMAZING. he was EVERYTHING the judges were looking for. He had perfect pitch, he had a great tone to his voice, he had great stage presence, he basically should be on American Idol, not some rinky dink competition in some no where town. I was ready to pack it up because I knew this kid would go far.

But I did my best and gave it my all despite the set back, and I did make it to the finals... but I don't really want to go to the finals now. My mom wants me to go, but... well, here's what made me uncomfortable.

First off, the competition isn't over. There is still the finals, and that's where you get placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd. usually in the preliminaries, if you know you have 5 people moving on... you just say, "Here are the finalists in no particular order." At this competition, they decided to rate you 1st through 5th place. I'm like what the hell? Whose stupid idea was THAT? The competition isn't even over, so why are you going to place the finalists? They still have another chance at the finals... I mean, think of 4th and 5th place... there are only 3 top spots in the finals. What a psych out is coming in 4th or 5th during the preliminaries? The judges are going to be the same... and they obviously liked three other singers better. how are you going to impress the SAME judges more when you've already given 110%?  

So placing finalists as 1st - 5th before the finals was the DUMBEST idea I've ever heard, EVER.

Then there was the actual judging. This one guy who had a really nice voice got 5th place. I got 4th place, and I could see that because I wasn't on my A game since I had to pick 3 songs I wasn't prepared to sing. The other girl with a nice voice got 3rd... then when they announced 2nd there was a collective WTF coming from the audience.

The guy who had the AMAZING should have a record deal NOW voice... came in 2nd. No one could believe it. Not a single person. I couldn't imagine who was 1st, because he was the best of the best, and there was no one else left who even rivaled the guy in 5th place. 

When they announced 1st... there was another collective WTF. It was this guy who sang a bunch of oldies songs. They were fun Karaoke songs... but vocally he was nothing special. If anything, he was 5th place worthy since there were 5 spots and 4 of the 9 contestants were just not that good. He was a nice enough guy... but being nice and picking fun songs didn't make him a good singer. He was okay, definitely not the worst of the night, but not okay enough to beat out that kid who had the kind of voice that would get him on American Idol! I mean, WTF!?

Even someone who knows the guy who is friendly with him did a WTF when she realized the kid didn't get 1st. She even said, that guy's voice was 5th place worthy at best. I'm sure he's a nice guy, and he'd probably be fun at a Karaoke bar... but 1st place? Definitely not compared to that kid. That kid was freaking amazing.

Well here's the thing. From the moment he walked in... The DJs hosting the event ran up to talk to him, and seemed to cater to him. They brought a book to his table with an entry form, talked to him while he filled it out, and took the form back. They didn't even say 2 words to us other contestants let alone run the stuff to us.

Then I saw the guy holding up a note... I thought I saw one of the DJ's take it, but I thought, Eh he's probably just changing songs. But, it was still odd, like they knew each other. the DJs weren't the judges, so you wouldn't have thought anything of it, until they mentioned that their MOM was one of the judges.

So it just seems odd that they seem friendlier to this guy than anyone else, and he takes 1st despite not having that great of a voice. I dunno. Maybe they heard something no one else did, cause I like I said, everyone was shocked that amazing kid came in 2nd to this guy.

So now I'm like, if this amazing singer can't even beat a mediocre one (at best)... what chance do I have of placing when I placed 4th to a singer that didn't even deserve to place other than the fact they needed to send off 5 people. Which again... brings me back to the whole, why the hell did they even do places when there is still another round of competition anyway? 

So I really don't know if I want to even go to the finals. My mom wants me to go... she told me to look what they had and pick songs I know they'll have so I can work on it... and just go and have fun... but what fun is it when you feel like you're wasting your time because if that amazing singer didn't get placed fairly, what chance to I have as 4th place!? GAH

So it just doesn't seem to be run all that well and I wonder if the finals would just be a big waste of my time. But I don't know. Maybe I'm just PMSing and I should just go and try my best. I just don't know.

Then of course I had to sing at Church on Sunday... I'm Catholic, so I volunteer as a reader and singer. unfortunately, the singers don't get rehearsals unless they're in the choir, and I don't have the time to join the Choir with everything else I do... so usually I just look up the songs online and practice that way. I've never had issues till this weekend.

There was a psalm I had never seen before... and I couldn't find it online. ANYWHERE. I was freaking out because I'm like... um... what am I going to do? The Psalm comes between the first and second readings... and I have to sing the verses alone in front of everyone. I can't hide behind the whole congregation or the priest singing, it's just me. So I'm like, crap crap crap. So I spent till 4am trying to find this psalm online. Never had success. So I woke up Sunday morning, only to realize, it was 11:30am. Mass was almost over!!! My mom told me she realized I was stressing out and thought there would be no harm in letting me miss. Other cantors miss all the time, and for all the times I've filled in for them... I've earned one free day. So now I feel guilty for missing church.

Then Monday came... and It's MLK day, so according to the internet, there was a special going on at a local casino. $20 free play. So I get up early to beat the crowds only to find out the special is random... not everyone gets the free play. So I'm like, seriously? we're going to play it this way now? Crap. My mom didn't get it either... and what sucked for her, she didn't get her senior special either because they suspended Senior day for this MLK day special. 

I'm SOOOOOOO lucky I came $45ahead... so at least I don't feel too bad.

Then, on top of PMS, an ankle that seems to be getting gradually worse, and PMS hunger cravings... I have a nasty nasty nasty toothache. I called a dentist, but they couldn't get me in till February 20th! despite the extreme pain I said I was in, and worry that I had an abscess, (which is dangerous), they said the best they could was put me on a list for in case someone cancels. Luckily I found another dentist to get me in on Thursday as an emergency. (thank God)

Then of course I broke my nail... (acrylic) I fell and chipped it and part of the acrylic broke, so when I get my nails filled and painted, I'll also have to pay for a fix. GAH. And my dingle dangle fell out. My nail tech put on this cute little bling bling charm on my pinky nail. It got snagged on my sweater, and when I gently tried to get it loose, it fell off. *Sigh*

BUT OH MY GOD... what a few days it has been!

Anyway. Despite PMS bloating, I decided to weigh myself on Saturday... taking into consideration that I'm retaining a little PMS water weight.

Starting: 270lbs

Week 1: 266.1

Week 2: 265.2 (maybe less due to PMS)

So basically... I'm -5 lbs! WOO I made my first 2 week goal! I'm very proud of myself.

I've set a new 2 week goal for 3lbs. That's 1.5 lbs a week which I think is doable.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

End of Week 1

Dee here again!

Well, I'm well on my way! I started my weight loss journey on 1/1/12 and it is now 1/7/12... so I made it through week one! woo!

I started my journey at 270lbs even... and I set myself an initial 2 week goal for -5lbs. I decided to weigh myself at the end of week 1, just to make sure I'm on the right track. I figured if I lost about 2lbs I should be on the right track, if I didn't lose or if I gained, then I know I have to figure out what is going on.

So...

Current Weight : 266.1

-4 lbs! woo!

1 pound to go to meet my -5lb goal

Here's my latest Vlogs

Vlog #6

Vlog #7

Welcome to My Diet Journal

Hi, My name is Dee, and welcome to my blog: The pursuit of Happ_Dee_Ness. (Get it? Pursuit of Happiness only with my name thrown in there...) well I thought it was cute. lol

So I'm on a weight loss Goal to lose 120lbs. I have been vlogging about it... below are the vlogs in order so you can catch up on my story.

Vlog 1

Vlog 2

Vlog 3

Vlog 4

Vlog 5

So basically, I'm on a weight loss journey to lose 120 to get down to 150lbs which would be my ideal weight for my body type. Where I am now, I'm at high risk for diabetes which is prevalent in my family... and after the car accident I explain about in my 2nd vlog... I'm also damaging my already injured body because of all the excess weight I'm carrying.

So I'm trying to lose weight for my health, and being healthier would definitely make me a happier and more confident person.

Please follow me on my journey. I need all the help I can get.

Starting Weight: 270lbs

(Age: 35)

(Height: 5'7)