So, I've been battling some self-esteem issues the past day or so... and there's a song I've been listening to on repeat that I'm trying to use to motivate me. I'm posting the lyrics here, hoping it can inspire anyone else who struggles with their self-esteem too:
Katy Perry-Firework
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in
Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through
Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em goin "Oh, oh, oh!"
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
-Austin
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
AAAH Its December Already!!!
Where did the time go?!?!? Here I am, now 2/9 of the way to officially being a DOCTOR, with the hardest semester of physical therapy school behind me! I can't believe I'm already this far... I also can't believe I've been able to lose weight with how stressed I've been this semester! Seriously, how was I able to balance weight loss and studying? Those are both extremely difficult things to do! And I did them! I am a bit impressed with myself, to say the least!
BUT, I haven't lost all the 12 pounds yet! I'm at 9.4 pounds lost as of tonight. However, this week, I suffered a minor ankle sprain, and had exams, so I wasn't able to work out until tonight. And believe me, it felt GOOD! I'm so glad that I'm done with this semester so that I can have more time to work out!
AND, I'm heading home soon... my mom has promised to get me a gym membership, and I have NO REASON not to spend a few hours at the gym every day... I have nothing else to do! My goal is to look gooood by the time I come back to start my 3rd semester in January. Plus, my family, for our Christmas gift, instead of buying each other a bunch of stuff that we will probably never use or wear, has decided to go on a family vacation to Atlantis in the Bahamas for a few days after Christmas. I'm super excited! But it also means that I have to be really diligent about losing these last few pounds and meeting my goal! And I believe I can do it!
Because I've been slacking on giving you guys recipes, and because I posted on Facebook yesterday about this amazing healthy-ish chicken parmesan that I made, I've decided to post it on here too! I apologize that its a little non-descript, but thats one of the cool things about cooking, is that you can adjust the ingredients to your liking! Bon Appetit!
Chicken Parmesan
I take a regular boneless skinless chicken breast, dredge it in a combo of milk and butter (like a tablespoon and a half of butter and 3 tablespoons of milk, I guess?), and then coat it with a breading made from panko breadcrumbs (probably 1/2 cup, but add more if you need to), 2 teaspoons of flour, some garlic salt, and some parmesan cheese. Mix that all up, and then dredge your chicken in it. Bake the chicken in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes.
Then, for my marinara sauce, I actually take some Pomi Strained Tomatoes, put about 1/2 to 3/4 cup in a pot, add some garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste, and just warm it up and stir it every now and then. I like making my own better, because I can make it to taste... I know its not a traditional marinara, but its healthy and it works great for pasta too.
Then, when the timer has buzzed, I took 1/4 cup or so (maybe a bit less) of shredded mozzarella and put it on top, and put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes. Take it out, and enjoy!!
Current weight: 193.2 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 9.4 lbs.
-Austin
BUT, I haven't lost all the 12 pounds yet! I'm at 9.4 pounds lost as of tonight. However, this week, I suffered a minor ankle sprain, and had exams, so I wasn't able to work out until tonight. And believe me, it felt GOOD! I'm so glad that I'm done with this semester so that I can have more time to work out!
AND, I'm heading home soon... my mom has promised to get me a gym membership, and I have NO REASON not to spend a few hours at the gym every day... I have nothing else to do! My goal is to look gooood by the time I come back to start my 3rd semester in January. Plus, my family, for our Christmas gift, instead of buying each other a bunch of stuff that we will probably never use or wear, has decided to go on a family vacation to Atlantis in the Bahamas for a few days after Christmas. I'm super excited! But it also means that I have to be really diligent about losing these last few pounds and meeting my goal! And I believe I can do it!
Because I've been slacking on giving you guys recipes, and because I posted on Facebook yesterday about this amazing healthy-ish chicken parmesan that I made, I've decided to post it on here too! I apologize that its a little non-descript, but thats one of the cool things about cooking, is that you can adjust the ingredients to your liking! Bon Appetit!
Chicken Parmesan
I take a regular boneless skinless chicken breast, dredge it in a combo of milk and butter (like a tablespoon and a half of butter and 3 tablespoons of milk, I guess?), and then coat it with a breading made from panko breadcrumbs (probably 1/2 cup, but add more if you need to), 2 teaspoons of flour, some garlic salt, and some parmesan cheese. Mix that all up, and then dredge your chicken in it. Bake the chicken in the oven at 350 for 35 minutes.
Then, for my marinara sauce, I actually take some Pomi Strained Tomatoes, put about 1/2 to 3/4 cup in a pot, add some garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste, and just warm it up and stir it every now and then. I like making my own better, because I can make it to taste... I know its not a traditional marinara, but its healthy and it works great for pasta too.
Then, when the timer has buzzed, I took 1/4 cup or so (maybe a bit less) of shredded mozzarella and put it on top, and put it back in the oven for 5 more minutes. Take it out, and enjoy!!
Current weight: 193.2 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 9.4 lbs.
-Austin
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The 8th pound of Christmas!! No recipe yet though :(
Hello again!! I was just reminded by my lovely friend Krista that I stink at updating this, and because I'm trying to procrastinate doing my homework, I decided to update!
So, as you can see, I've lost another pound... well, really, its 1.4 pounds! And recently, its been a bit more! I finally am sure that I'm not gonna add a ton of weight when I tend to binge eat, and that this weight loss is for real! I'm really gonna have to hit the gym hard though, and really watch what I'm eating, if I want to lose the 4 lbs I have left before Christmas!
Because... one of my favorite holidays is coming up! The most gluttonous holiday of all, Thanksgiving! My Thanksgiving morning this year will start off with a 5k run on the beach (usually I do the 1 mile, but hey, why not step it up?), then coming home and lounging around watching the Macy's Day Parade, and then going and laying out by the pool before dinner. A tough life, right? Dinner will include lots of turkey skin (my favorite part), turkey, Brittany's and my famous mashed potatoes, noodles, green beans, spaghetti squash, Betsy's famous cinnamon rolls, and everything covered in gravy. Go big or go home! Then I'll have to really work it all off during finals week, which is ok, because I'm buying myself a new pair of running shoes next week with my tax refund checks! Thanks, US government!
You guys should also know that, in the process of becoming a brand new person, I dyed my hair BROWN! I've NEVER had brown hair, but I decided to do it... I guess my hair is naturally brown (who knew? i was always out in the sun so it was always lightened). And these past few days have been the first days I've finally been used to it! I had been feeling like I was wearing a wig, that it wasn't me... but I think it makes me look a lot older and prettier :) its always good to do something crazy!
Ok, well, I'm deciding its time for bed. Get to sleep in an hour tomorrow, too! Hurray!
Current weight: 194.2 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 8.4 lbs.
Goodnight everyone!
-Austin
So, as you can see, I've lost another pound... well, really, its 1.4 pounds! And recently, its been a bit more! I finally am sure that I'm not gonna add a ton of weight when I tend to binge eat, and that this weight loss is for real! I'm really gonna have to hit the gym hard though, and really watch what I'm eating, if I want to lose the 4 lbs I have left before Christmas!
Because... one of my favorite holidays is coming up! The most gluttonous holiday of all, Thanksgiving! My Thanksgiving morning this year will start off with a 5k run on the beach (usually I do the 1 mile, but hey, why not step it up?), then coming home and lounging around watching the Macy's Day Parade, and then going and laying out by the pool before dinner. A tough life, right? Dinner will include lots of turkey skin (my favorite part), turkey, Brittany's and my famous mashed potatoes, noodles, green beans, spaghetti squash, Betsy's famous cinnamon rolls, and everything covered in gravy. Go big or go home! Then I'll have to really work it all off during finals week, which is ok, because I'm buying myself a new pair of running shoes next week with my tax refund checks! Thanks, US government!
You guys should also know that, in the process of becoming a brand new person, I dyed my hair BROWN! I've NEVER had brown hair, but I decided to do it... I guess my hair is naturally brown (who knew? i was always out in the sun so it was always lightened). And these past few days have been the first days I've finally been used to it! I had been feeling like I was wearing a wig, that it wasn't me... but I think it makes me look a lot older and prettier :) its always good to do something crazy!
Ok, well, I'm deciding its time for bed. Get to sleep in an hour tomorrow, too! Hurray!
Current weight: 194.2 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 8.4 lbs.
Goodnight everyone!
-Austin
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
New Update... Not so happy...
I am the worst blogger ever. I am so so so so so so sorry that I haven't been updating this on time. Recently, we've started having class from 8-5 (with a 1 hour break for lunch) on Wednesdays, so by the time I would get around to updating this, I'm just exhausted and usually forget about it. However, Wednesdays are also Storm Chasers nights on TLC (I think? Discovery maybe?), and if you know anything about me, you know I'm a complete weather nerd, and so I need to stay up until at least 10 to watch that.
So, this is not such a happy entry, as the title says. Hopped on the scale tonight, and it says I've only lost 4 pounds total. Now, this is a bit of a shock to me, because the past few days I've been down to like 193.8, or at the highest 196, so 198 was pretty shocking to see. I'm pretty sure it was because I had Chipotle tonight, and because I haven't had time to work out the past 2 days. But NO EXCUSES! I cannot keep "treating myself" to unhealthy food after I've had a tough/long day, or saying I don't have time to exercise (well today, I really haven't had time... I've had 5 free minutes all day, seriously). But I need to be stricter with myself, because really, you only get out of it what you put into it, and thats why I need to up my effort.
However, I'm posting some recipes tonight mainly because A) I have lost this weight, and this is just post-yummyness weight that is in my stomach right now, and B) Because people are begging me for recipes. So tonight, I'm gonna post this Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells recipe that one of my favorite people in the world, Laura Roxberry Euler, shared with me (and she got it from Giada, so its gotta be good!). Laura was the Honors College Advisor at College of Charleston, and she was such a great mentor to me during my time there. She also has a blog in which she shares recipes and news about her adorable son Stafford, which you can find here: www.storybookreality.blogs
Sorry, too lazy to copy-paste everything, plus, it gets her views on her blog!
I promise, y'all, I am going to step up my effort and lose this weight! I don't want to let you guys down!
Weight tonight: 198.4
Total weight loss to date: 4.2 lbs (BUT IT HAS BEEN MORE AT TIMES!)
-Austin
So, this is not such a happy entry, as the title says. Hopped on the scale tonight, and it says I've only lost 4 pounds total. Now, this is a bit of a shock to me, because the past few days I've been down to like 193.8, or at the highest 196, so 198 was pretty shocking to see. I'm pretty sure it was because I had Chipotle tonight, and because I haven't had time to work out the past 2 days. But NO EXCUSES! I cannot keep "treating myself" to unhealthy food after I've had a tough/long day, or saying I don't have time to exercise (well today, I really haven't had time... I've had 5 free minutes all day, seriously). But I need to be stricter with myself, because really, you only get out of it what you put into it, and thats why I need to up my effort.
However, I'm posting some recipes tonight mainly because A) I have lost this weight, and this is just post-yummyness weight that is in my stomach right now, and B) Because people are begging me for recipes. So tonight, I'm gonna post this Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells recipe that one of my favorite people in the world, Laura Roxberry Euler, shared with me (and she got it from Giada, so its gotta be good!). Laura was the Honors College Advisor at College of Charleston, and she was such a great mentor to me during my time there. She also has a blog in which she shares recipes and news about her adorable son Stafford, which you can find here: www.storybookreality.blogs
Sorry, too lazy to copy-paste everything, plus, it gets her views on her blog!
I promise, y'all, I am going to step up my effort and lose this weight! I don't want to let you guys down!
Weight tonight: 198.4
Total weight loss to date: 4.2 lbs (BUT IT HAS BEEN MORE AT TIMES!)
-Austin
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Quick update... the 7th pound of Christmas!!!
I'm so sorry I haven't updated this recently. A huge physiology test has been taking up all of my time, and I had it today and did well, but I am EXHAUSTED. A well deserved long weekend is upon me, and I am greatly looking forward to spending it with my family, friends, and dogs :)
So, here's a quick update on the weight loss. I thought I hadn't lost any this week, but I hopped on the scale tonight and sure enough, I'm another pound lighter! This is crazy!
Current weight: 195.6
Weight loss to date (4 weeks): 7.0 POUNDS!
I owe you guys like a billion recipes. In 2 weeks, when midterms are over and I have time in my life again, I'll do a bunch of cooking one week and give you guys some new stuff. I'm really really sorry I haven't been keeping up with it!
Well, I hope all of you guys have a great weekend. And I want you all to know that, even once I lose all 12 pounds, I'm not stopping until I'm happy with how I look. Especially now that its coming off faster than I planned! Not a bad thing, but I have to be sure I keep it off!
-Austin
So, here's a quick update on the weight loss. I thought I hadn't lost any this week, but I hopped on the scale tonight and sure enough, I'm another pound lighter! This is crazy!
Current weight: 195.6
Weight loss to date (4 weeks): 7.0 POUNDS!
I owe you guys like a billion recipes. In 2 weeks, when midterms are over and I have time in my life again, I'll do a bunch of cooking one week and give you guys some new stuff. I'm really really sorry I haven't been keeping up with it!
Well, I hope all of you guys have a great weekend. And I want you all to know that, even once I lose all 12 pounds, I'm not stopping until I'm happy with how I look. Especially now that its coming off faster than I planned! Not a bad thing, but I have to be sure I keep it off!
-Austin
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Drumroll please!!!!! On the 4th, 5th, and 6th days of Christmas!
Yeah, you heard it! I've lost 6 pounds! Not sure if tonight's weight is a fluke, but I'll take it! Its really weird too... I ate really really unhealthy today... Starbucks pumpkin latte (non-fat, but with whipped cream) and a low-fat raspberry muffin for breakfast, and 2 pieces of pizza for lunch (with a Weight Watchers meal for dinner... ok, I was good at that part), AND didn't work out, and lost another 2 pounds today!
This whole weight loss thing is becoming slightly addictive. The more weight I lose and the better I look (more later) and the better my clothes fit, the more weight I want to lose! I'm not gonna take it to an unhealthy level (don't worry, I like food too much to do that), but it really is driving me to lose more!
So, I went retail therapy shopping today after having a rough day, and was able to fit into a size 10 dress, and a medium dress at another store! Granted, they were stretchy, but the last time I wore a size 10 in dresses was back in high school! So, this weight loss is really working! I can't wait to see people from back home and back in Charleston so they can see how great I'm starting to look!
I'll come up with recipes/tips/stuff this weekend, I promise! And believe me, I have a guilty conscience about everything, so if I don't, just yell at me! Also, I want to hear how your weight loss is going! If you know me personally, shoot me an email! I want to be there for you and help you out!
Current weight: 196.4 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 6.2 lbs.
Have a lovely Thursday, and weekend (because I probably won't update tomorrow... have to be studying for my physiology test next week!)
-Austin
This whole weight loss thing is becoming slightly addictive. The more weight I lose and the better I look (more later) and the better my clothes fit, the more weight I want to lose! I'm not gonna take it to an unhealthy level (don't worry, I like food too much to do that), but it really is driving me to lose more!
So, I went retail therapy shopping today after having a rough day, and was able to fit into a size 10 dress, and a medium dress at another store! Granted, they were stretchy, but the last time I wore a size 10 in dresses was back in high school! So, this weight loss is really working! I can't wait to see people from back home and back in Charleston so they can see how great I'm starting to look!
I'll come up with recipes/tips/stuff this weekend, I promise! And believe me, I have a guilty conscience about everything, so if I don't, just yell at me! Also, I want to hear how your weight loss is going! If you know me personally, shoot me an email! I want to be there for you and help you out!
Current weight: 196.4 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 6.2 lbs.
Have a lovely Thursday, and weekend (because I probably won't update tomorrow... have to be studying for my physiology test next week!)
-Austin
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Update
Well, I don't have much to update. I'm sorry I haven't updated much these past few days, but I've been enjoying my days without studying :) No tests until next Wednesday, so I have a few days where I don't have to hit the books. Its been nice being able to watch tv and sleep in. Its also been nice being able to work out again, because I've been missing it. There's nothing like a good workout to make me feel confident about myself. Plus, its fun to be able to see the results already!
I am frustrated, though, that the weight isn't coming off quicker. I know I set the "one pound a week" goal, but I just remember doing Weight Watchers when I was in high school and the weight just coming off like 2 pounds in a week. I for sure hit the plateau doing that, so hopefully by slowing down the weight loss, and allowing myself to splurge every now in then (I would die without Chipotle), I will be able to avoid the dreaded "plateau" that often comes with weight loss.
Current weight: 198.4 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 4.2 lbs.
Good luck this week, all those who are doing this with me! We can do this!
-Austin
I am frustrated, though, that the weight isn't coming off quicker. I know I set the "one pound a week" goal, but I just remember doing Weight Watchers when I was in high school and the weight just coming off like 2 pounds in a week. I for sure hit the plateau doing that, so hopefully by slowing down the weight loss, and allowing myself to splurge every now in then (I would die without Chipotle), I will be able to avoid the dreaded "plateau" that often comes with weight loss.
Current weight: 198.4 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 4.2 lbs.
Good luck this week, all those who are doing this with me! We can do this!
-Austin
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