Day 29, Week 5: It's just another "Manic Monday".

Monday was a busy day trying to make my puppy adjust. She is like a bundle of joy, even if she tries to get into everything...I don't blame her. I don't care how much trouble she is, because to me it's worth it to give her a home that she needs and deserves, BUT MAN, does she keep me busy. I'm taking her out, spending time trying to make sure she doesn't get into anything. Puppy proofing further than what I thought WAS puppy proof. But it's okay, because I know that she's a sweet dog, and her intentions aren't bad. However, I didn't get to exercise because I was too busy trying to keep her busy and happy and taking her outside and making sure she doesn't use the restroom inside, or even find something to get into that I thought she wouldn't get into/even be interested in. So, no pictures thanks to being too busy. I can barely write down things in my Food Journal because she gets annoyed that I'm not spending time with her...unless she's asleep. XD Onto my Food Journal though:

Day 29, Week 5
18.04.11. Monday

Morning weigh-in: 212.4 lbs. (I'm not bloated this week. I'm an FTM, so shut the fuck up.)

12:00 AM "Pick-me-up" @ home
♥ a pack (2 pop-tarts) of "Frosted Cherry" pop-tarts (400 calories)

2:00 PM Lunch @ SUBWAY
♥ a 6-inch "Veggie Delite" on 9-grain wheat, w/ 2 white American cheese triangles, a normal serving of mayo, and salt & pepper (about 380 calories)
♥ a 1 and 1/8 oz. bag of Bakede! LAYS Original (130 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 910

5:30 PM Dinner @ home
♥ Lean Cuisine "Simple Favorites" Chicken Fettucini (270 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 1,180

10:00 PM Snack @ home
♥ a pack (2) of "Frosted Cherry" pop-tarts (400 calories)

Calorie total: 1,580
Bedtime weigh-in: 213.2 lbs.

NOTES: I ate one of my 3 junk foods for the week but had no soda, and still managed to go slightly over-calorie today. I didn't exactly exercise, but more so played around and kept my puppy busy. I was just too busy with her to remember to exercise and by the time I did, it was too late to change that.

Day 28, Week 4: A pup named Oogie Boogie.

Today I got up pretty early, (as soon as Marguerite called), to go and meet the puppy we were interested in buying/giving a home to. We got up and basically threw on our clothes for an hour or so drive to a place I'd never even heard of. I hadn't really been up early for the past week, but I didn't care because I was so excited to meet this puppy. It was an incredibly long drive, but well worth it after I practically fell in love with her (the puppy). I signed a few papers, paid the woman a small fee for vaccines, and took the puppy home. Anyways, I was so absolutely happy to bring her home, I barely focused on eating as I was more focused on comforting my new puppy and helping her adjust. Onto my Food Journal:

Day 28, Week 4
17.04.11. Sunday

1:00 AM Snack @ home
♥ 1 "Ice Cream Sandwich" pop-tart (190 calories)

Morning weigh-in: 212.4 lbs.

10:00 AM "Pick-me-up" @ home
♥ 1 "Frosted Cherry" pop-tart (200 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 390

2:00 PM McDonald's
♥ 6 chicken nuggets (about 276 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 666 (HAHA!)

5:00 PM Dinner @ home
♥ Lean Cuisine "Simple Favorites" Classic Five Cheese Lasagna (350 calories)
♥ 1 bottle of SOBE "Energize" Green Tea (240 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 1,256

10:00 PM Snack @ home
♥ 2 Ice Cream Sandwich" pop-tarts (380 calories)

Calorie total: 1,646
Bedtime weigh-in: 216.0 lbs.

NOTES: None

An apology for a week of not posting! (Updates, questions for the readers, etc.)

So on Saturday night, my boyfriend's step-sister went into the hospital for problems related to smoking whilst on oxygen. For the past week, we have been between the hospital and home cleaning to make room for the newest member of our family. We decided to get a puppy about a week and a half ago, and have been preparing for the change in our lives to make room for a puppy who needed a home. The woman we had been communicating with was asking 40 dollars for puppies she had rescued from an Amish man who had been breeding a Catahoula and a Blue Heeler or Australian Cattle dog. She had rescued four, 2 males and 2 females if I remember correctly. The situation was heartbreaking to hear, but the man, being Amish, could not sell these dogs, and was starving them. The woman who we got her from, got her lumber from this man, and came to know about the dogs, and then found out something worse: he had been starving them hoping that they would die so he would not have to pay to raise them. So, at only 2 months old, the woman was forced to rescue the puppies, take them into her home, pay for vet visits, and find homes for them. She herself was a person who breeds pappillons amongst a couple other breeds of dogs, and paid for vaccinations and food until she could find homes for them. 4 months later a female and male had sold, leaving a 6 month old male and female to find homes. The male sold on Friday, and when we were able to drive (about an hour) to see them, we were inquiring about the female who was the last of her litter to go. We got there on Sunday she came out to meet us with a dog who had no name, but was incredibly shy. Within fifteen minutes, she was close to me, staring me in the eyes and had her front paws on my hips, staring up at me while standing on her hind legs. We decided to take her home with us, paid the woman the money for housing and vaccine (a measily $40.00 USD), and signed some papers to seal the deal. She was so incredibly scared since she hadn't been in a car since she was taken to the woman's farm, she even pooped on the seat! It was so sad but so cute. We named her Oogie,
and since she's been in her new home, I've been spending lots of time helping her adjust. She's incredibly sweet and didn't even bother anything while we were asleep even though she had access to everything, and didn't use the restroom inside even though she ate a bowl of food and drank two bowls of water before bedtime.

This is the photo that Joji took of her yesterday when we brought her home.

She hasn't really been a handful, the only problem being that she really can't handle car rides, but we have to get her able to handle car rides. Poor thing threw up today on the way over to the hospital so that mom could get blood work done. We took her to PetCo afterwards to get her another new toy, a clicker for training, and a couple cookie treats since she seems to like them more than the ones we first bought her. (They are peanut butter training treats, and are tiny and mushy...not sure if she cares for that.) We bought her a ham bone, two collars, a leash, a rubber bone squeaky toy (since it seems she's slightly teething still), and a tennis ball. We also are waiting on a name tag we bought online and a crate we also bought with the money Joji got back after that nasty dispute with that online gender therapist. So, after all that hard puppy-proofing work, my work isn't done, I'm taking her out constantly and giving her lots of love, whilst making sure she knows her boundaries (i.e. trying to chew on the computer cord). Speaking of which, did I mention she HATES baths? I'm not sure if it's the shower head or maybe she is claustrophobic? The shower is pretty closed in since it has shower doors...I'm not sure but it might be she's never had one because MAN did she struggle with me even trying to scrub her. But anyways, that's why I haven't been posting as much!

I just want to apologize to those avid readers. I really haven't meant to put my blog so on hold. I'm going to start posting everyday again. But now I have a couple questions for you, the readers:

Is anyone reading vegan/vegetarian or interested in being vegan/vegetarian while calorie counting, and if so, would you be interested in a "Meatless Monday" article?

Is anyone reading interested in reviews pertaining to trying frozen food entrees for weight loss, based on taste, in an article titled "Frozen Fridays"? Would you find it helpful for fixing food that is low-calorie in a timely manner because of a busy schedule?

Even still, I might do these regardless to opinions, but I just wanted to know if anyone would be interested in these types of things.

Alright, now I'm going to update my Food Journal posts. ♥!

Weekly Goal Assessment: End of Week 4/Beginning of Week 5

Due to a lack of willpower, I seemed to have failed a lot of my goals, mainly my junk food goal, my soda goal, and my calorie goal. I had 7 junk foods, 4 sodas, and exceeded my calorie goal 4 days this week. I did, however, assign specific days to exercise, but not times as I have different schedules almost every single day. My days for exercising are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as of right now. I have been Food Journaling for almost a month now, but dieting for about 3 weeks, and due to my lack of willpower this past week, I did not lose very much during this last week, even though I have been implementing exercise into my schedule during periods of time that I'm more likely to snack Though this is a set back, it is okay to make mistakes when learning nutrition and going through a major change in your diet whilst trying to lose a large amount of weight. I will use the same goals again this week, and put forth more effort to hold to my goals so that I can see results.

Goals for Week 5:

1. I will slowly reduce the amount of junk food (i.e. chips, candy, etc.) I eat by limiting myself to 3 junk foods of any size or kind (as long as they do not exceed my calorie intake goals) during this entire week, 2 junk foods for the entire following week, and 1 junk food for every week after until I lose the weight I need to.

2. I will keep track of my soda intake, allowing myself only 1 soda a week of any size as to not affect my calorie count.

3. I will opt to walk whenever possible.

4. I will continue to try to exercise on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

5. I will limit my calorie intake to 1,400 calories daily.

Day 27, Week 4: No pain, no gain...right?

XD Weird title, but I feel like it deserved it. Not much to say about my Saturday as it was HIGHLY uneventful. (We don't have friends who hang out very often, and those who do seem to tire of our company...so we're almost ALWAYS bored, and almost always not able to go anywhere, since my boyfriend's parents are always giving excuses as to why we can't go out, but they refuse to help him get his license, then get mad when we ask them to take us somewhere out of town...) It was a highly stressful day because dad was having chest pains, and then everyone got into a fight...so it just ended up getting worse and worse until finally we went out over to Starbucks and then went to PetCo to get our new puppy a collar and leash to make sure we were prepared for the following day. I guess I'm not MEANT to have a social life, or something...onto my Food Journal for the day:

Day 27, Week 4
16.04.11. Saturday

1:00 AM Snack
♥ 1 small bag of Doritos (240 calories)
♥ 2 "Frosted Cherry" pop-tarts (400 calories)
♥ 1 7.5 fl. oz. can of Coke or Coca-Cola (90 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 730

Morning weigh-in: 214.4 lbs.

♥ 7/8 of a bottle of "Fruit Punch" Powerade (175 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 905

5:00 PM Dinner @ home
♥ Lean Cuisine Steamer Garlic Chicken w/ vegetables in a parmesan sauce w/ noodles (270 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 1,175

8:30 PM Starbucks
♥ 1 venti white chocolate mocha iced coffee w/ nonfat milk and w/o whipped cream (460 calories)

Calorie total: 1,635
Bedtime weigh-in: 217.0 lbs.

NOTES: I failed my calorie goal today and most of the week and also failed my soda and junk food goals for the week. I must attempt them again in the upcoming week to succeed in those areas in order to lose weight in the long run by teaching myself healthier eating habits.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 Release!

So, I, like so many other children of the 90's, love Harry Potter. However, it took me until my 6th grade year to come around and read the very first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or Philosopher's Stone. I did not however read the rest of the books because I was one of those kids who didn't enjoy what everyone else found "trendy" or what everyone else was doing for that matter. I appreciated it for it's creative value, but refused to buy into it. I saw the first movie just because it was on TV one night, and wasn't all too impressed. I saw the second movie thanks to my brother's choices because I had given him the first book. Up until this year, however, I had not been a huge fan, though I had an appreciation for J.K. Rowling as a writer who was, for once, an original and creative individual. I started reading the books after my boyfriend and I decided to go buy the movie because we hadn't seen it in a while, and both got the itch to watch it, but didn't own a copy. We bought it, and then both decided to go and buy the second one the following night. In a week we had bought all 5 that were out, and then began buying the books through Goodwill's ebay store because we couldn't find any used copies at our local Goodwills. We both have been reading since then and in love with the series like we are little children having a small addiction to both.
But here's the dish: I don't feel like the recent movie did any justice to the series.
Is it just me? Because I'm really dying to know! I really have loved all the movies and love the books a bit more, and I haven't read the 7th book yet, but my boyfriend did. (I'm reading the entire series in order, but he's read the entire series already.) And when we watched the movie, he had to explain how much was left out. And even more so, I feel like the last movie lacked something. It was really empty, and hollow, and then my boyfriend said the scene with Harry and Hermoine dancing around in the tent didn't even happen in the book and he didn't understand it. I don't know...maybe the next movie will be better? I really hope so, because all the other movies, I watch over and over again...but this last one? I watched it the night of the release and I haven't picked it up since.

So, anyone up for driving to NE Ohio to go and see the last movie when it releases the night it releases? You can contact me at biernot.illiad@live.com for more info because we want to do a small party since it's the very last one with goodies and maybe some light drinking with Liquid Luck themed drinks and maybe Hogwart's House themed drinks too! Lemme know! If you're in OH or near a state boarder and a Harry Potter fan, you should send me an e-mail because I'd love to have some friends go with! Just remember that you'll have to buy your own ticket to the theater we're going to!

Day 26, Week 4: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 Release!

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt.1" released today, (Did I mention I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd?) and I got a bit carried away while snacking on the edge of my seat. Oh well though...sometimes things only come around once so you only get one chance to enjoy something to it's fullest. I set out certain snacks, knowing I would snack after the midnight release and once we got home. So, unfortunately, I kind of picked the wrong time to go on a reduction of junk food from my diet, huh? I sorta set myself up for failure. Oh well, onto my Food Journal for the day:

Day 26, Week 4
15.04.11. Friday

1:00 AM Watching "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt.1" & snacking @ home
♥ 1 7.5 fl. oz. can of Coke or Coca-Cola (90 calories)
♥ 2 packs of pop-tarts (760 calories)
♥ 1 bag of Orville Redenbacher's "Single Serve Movie Theater Butter" Popcorn (160 calories)
♥ 1 1 and 1/8 oz. bag of Baked! LAYS "Original" (130 calories)

Calorie subtotal: 1,120

Morning weigh-in: 214.2 lbs.

6:00 PM Dinner @ McDonald's
♥ "Premium Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich" (530 calories)
♥ a "medium" sized fry (380 calories)
♥ a packet of Honey Mustard sauce (70 calories)
♥ a medium Fruitopia "Strawberry Passion- Awareness" (240 calories)

Calorie total: 2,340
Bedtime weigh-in: 217.6 lbs.

NOTES: THIS is how junk food affects your calorie intake! THIS is why I am trying to cut junk food out from my consumption. It is incredibly bad for your calorie count, holds little nutritional value, and can be high in sodium, fat, and sugar. It's sort of the same with soda and sweets. Check the calorie content on a small 99 cent bag of chips, and it might shock you. Even the ones that contain half the calorie count by baking opposed to frying the chips can be hefty in calories, while not filling you up whatsoever.