NYC TRIP! : by Morgan

Joline has been planning a NYC trip and she invited me. I haven't been to NYC for a couple years, as a matter of fact I celebrated my 28th birthday there with the X-BF. So I accepted the invite, and me and my friend Zuri  are planning a road trip from Atlanta to NYC. I'm really not too into the tourist scene, but the one thing that came to my find as soon as I started thinking NYC was THE WENDY WILLIAMS SHOW! I love absolutely love Wendy! She's fabulous and fierce and everything a woman should be! So not more than 5 minutes ago I submitted a request for tickets and I AM SO EXCITED! I can't wait to hear back, and get my tickets! I am super excited!

check out wendy at www.wendyshow.com

The Nalgene Bottle, My Hot New Gym Accessory : By Morgan

I got myself another treat today! I ordered a workout water bottle for me and my workout buddy from REI. This is a Nalgene brand bottle. You can purchase them on amazon, ebay, at the Nalgene website (just google nalgene) or where I got mine at REI. You can also find quite a few sites where you can buy nalgene bottles with PayPal. I ordered mine from REI only because I thought they were the cutest with the little tree silhouettes. I got a pink one for me and blue one for my workout buddy Zuri. I am very excited. I used to carry one all throughout  high school and college. These are the wide mouth variety which I love because they are easier to clean and because you can fit ice in them. They are very durable, will pretty much last through any trauma, plus they are BPA free. If you don't know what PBA is it's a chemical used to make plastic. There is PBA in the water bottles you buy your water in at the grocery store. PBA isn't extremely harmful but can be. It's outlawed in most developed countries, but is still used in the USA and heavily monitored by the food and drug administration. The reason why it's better to go PBA free is because whenever your water bottle gets hot it leeches this plastic chemical into your water and you consume it. So if you reuse a water bottle, which I used to do, your probably drinking chemical. If you've ever microwaved anything in plastic, your probably eating chemicals. After a while, in large enough does, over the course of a lifetime these chemicals can cause cancer. So get a PBA free water bottle, and buy a Brita Filter too. It's something little you could do for the environment that will make a big difference in the long run! Plus Nalgene bottles are a fashionable accessory. What do you think?

Nalgene bottle purchased at REI.com

Lane Bryant Bras are the Best! : by Morgan

I did some shopping today. I would consider myself a serious consumer. I take shopping seriously, it's an art I've mastered. I love to shop around to find exactly what I'm looking for, compare products, and when I find something I really like I stick with it. Shopping lately has been a treat for all my hard work in the gym. Today I received the Lane Bryant bras I ordered at www.lanebryant.com. I love Lane Bryant bras. I'm just starting to get into their clothes more, but I have been wearing their bras for 5+ years and can't say enough about them. They are the most comfortable and more flattering I have found for full figured girls HANDS-DOWN ANYWHERE! They come in all sizes and lots of pretty patterns. I love them! They seem kind of pricey at first sight, but they have really great deals all the time. I always buy bras when they have specials. They have buy one get one half all deals almost everyday, and on top of that they have special offers where you can take 30-50 % off your entire order. I shop smart and stock up whenever I can.

DISCLAIMER: In no way would I promote something I do not absolutely love, nor am I accepting any freebies or forms of payment for this product review.

The bras I received today! & I got the pink polka dot panties to match the bra!

Because I wear a bigger size, 46DD (or sometimes 46DDD), I generally order my bras online. There is a much better selection online. In-store they generally carry sizes 44 and under, 46 is harder to find. Lane Bryant bras come in different styles, balconette, plunge, t-shirt, full coverage ... it's really comes down to personal style. Quite honestly the balconette bras are to me the most comfortable and hold up the best. I really like these new sateen plunges because they come in size 46 and are sexy and good for lower cut tops. (in the photo above the navy and leopard bras are smooth plunge convertible bras, the pink polka dot is a cotton t-shirt bra and the white one is the ultimate sports bra.

DISCLAIMER: I do not claim to own these photos, they are property of Lane Brant @ www.lanebryant.com

HAPPY SHOPPING,

Week 3: Workout & Diet Progress : by Morgan

Today was a fun day. I have been working very late, going to bed sometime between 5-6 am and then waking up anywhere between 2-4 pm. Crazy, backwards schedule I know, but I am a night owl. I get very creative at night, which works well for me in my line of work. Today I went to the gym with my workout buddy Zuri. Our Bally guest/trial pass ran out today so we tried out another gym in midtown on Peachtree street called Colony Square. It's closer to my townhouse in Buckhead than Bally's and it's in a very central location, which I like. The equipment at Colony Square is really updated and works great. Bally's equipment was old (about 10 years old) and quite outdated (but it still gets the job done). Each piece of cardio equipment has a little tv on it at Colony Square, and another perk there is that they have a few pieced of cardio equipment that Bally's didn't even have. Overall colony Square seems to cater to a more grown, serious and professional crowd. Bally's is a little more relaxed and down to earth. So all-in-all both gyms have their perks and drawbacks and I still haven't decided which gym I want to commit to. I am going to find a Gold's Gym in the area and try that one out next.

The working out end of my weight loss journey is going well. I love to workout. It seems like something that I can stick to for the long haul. I feel good about doing it, so it makes me feel like I accomplished something each day I do it. I have been going regularly for almost three weeks now, I skip a day here and there when I need to, but I work out no less than 5 times a week. I'm really proud of myself. The diet part is where I have been falling short. I feel like when I diet I get anxiety. Something psychological happens when I tell myself I am dieting. I kinda freak out and it seems like all I do is think about food, which in turn makes me eat more, and also make me feel like I am going crazy. When I diet my life seems to start revolving around food. I think I actually eat less and healthier when I don't diet. It really sounds crazy, but as soon as my brain thinks the word diet I gain five pounds.

So I have not seen much weight loss results which sucks, because I'm busting my behind in the gym. I am considering going Atkins. Katelyn does Weight Watchers and Joline counts calories and eats low fat. I ordered the new Atkins book today so I am going to read it and consider it more before I make the commitment. Wow I just realized I can't commit to a gym or to a diet...maybe I'm just a commitment-phobe. But I guess a big part of this journey and learning more about yourself and better a better person because of it.

Bally Total Fitness Review: By Morgan

I decided that I need to really step it up for week three. When I started this weight loss journey at the beginning of January started by working out at home. It was a little hard to get fired up, but I had to start somewhere. From there I started working out at the gym in my apartment complex. They had minimal equipment, 2 treadmills and a couple circuit machines, but it was definitely a step up in intensity. Now I'm on week three, and since I'm doing so good working out I decided it's time to look for a gym. There are so many free passes out there I decided why not give them a try and really shop around for a gym.

So yesterday me and my workout partner Zuri went to Bally Total Fitness. You can print a free 7 day pass off the internet, and that's exactly what we did. We went to the one on Cobb Parkway in Smyrna Georgia right next to the Target. It's not too far from the Galleria Mall. It's a 15 min drive from my house in Buckhead and the closest Bally's to me.  We really like it so far. A personal trainer named Christina gave us a tour. She talked to us, gave us some great advice, and seemed to really care about our weight loss efforts. Bally's has a pool and a hot tub, a lot of ellipticals and treadmills, lots of circuit machines, and an indoor track. Yesterday Zuri and I did an hour on the eliptical trainer and it was killer, but really effective. We both burned between 600-700 calories and it felt really good to take our workout up a notch.

Monday we have an appointment with the personal trainer. Eeek I know, I'm a little nervous, but mostly I am excited for the challenge. I've never worked with a personal trainer and I can't wait to see what it's like. So wish me luck, I'm sure I'll be blogging about the experience soon.

WEEK 2: By Morgan

This another week has past, and my second weigh in has come and gone. It's the end of January now and this has truly been a month of changes for me. My lifestyle is entirely different than it was two weeks ago. I'm living single (the biggest adjustment of all), I'm eating healthier foods, I'm attempting to control my portions, I'm going to the gym and busting my butt almost everyday, plus a big one I didn't mention, I quit smoking! ALL THIS WITHIN TWO WEEKS! Needless to say, I'm still adjusting to all the changes.

My weight loss for the week was under a pound, not good. I did go to the gym regularly which is a great accomplishment, but the hard part for me was the eating right part. I love to eat, and I definitely cheated a few times this week. I has a king size Caramello (370 cal.) a King Size Snickers (550 cal.) and a Double Wopper Value Meal (1400 cal.). horrible I know, but true. No more cheating. Cheating is horrible because the only person you are cheating is yourself. I am going to make a huge effort to each better this week because I want to see results.

Another guilty pleasure of mine is Starbucks. My BF hated coffee. He acted like it was toxic, so when he was around I rarely drank coffee. Now with him gone and having quit smoking I have been drinking a lot of Starbucks. I catch using it as a smoking replacement. I keep telling myself every time I feel like eating or smoking "I need a Starbucks", and I really don't. This is just my addictive habit using Starbucks as a replacement. Starbucks is the only guilty pleasure I have in my life, so I don't know if I should cut it out of my life completely ... I'd like to know what you think.

STEP 1: Throw Everything Bad for You Out of Your Life! : By Morgan

This weight loss journey started on January 1, but I was slow moving. Usually I am amped up, always ready to take on a challenge, but relationship problems were holding me back. My boyfriend and I had been dating for three years off and on, and in August 2010 we moved in together. I knew immediately it wasn't going to work for me. It's crazy because most women would have loved to have a relationship like I had. He was faithful, he was domesticated, he was sexy, he was a chef, he was loving, the sex was great ... but it wasn't enough. It's very hard to explain, but it felt like I was living a lie. I tried for months to make it work, and it doing so I got more and more stressed with my situation. I tried kicking him out every month, but I always gave in and told him not to go, because even though I knew I didn't want to be with him I loved him deeply and felt like kicking him out would hurt him. Plus I didn't want to be alone. But it finally all came to an end. I expressed myself, I put my foot down, and we set a date for him to move out. I made myself stick with my decision. It sounds crazy but our last day together was the best day we had since we moved in together. I think we both felt relieved it was coming to an end. That was exactly a week ago. I still miss him a little, and I will always love him, but I couldn't be more proud of myself. I put me first. I will never settle for anything less that what I know I deserve.

So on the day my boyfriend moved out, exactly one week ago (01.15.11) I weighed in at 293.4 pounds (UHHH!) and today, one week later I weigh 290.8 pounds! So I lost about 2 pounds! Which is awesome. I am completely happy with 2 pounds. Did you know two pounds a week for a year is over 100 pounds? I had a rough week, a rough month actually, and I think I am doing amazing.

So in the spirit of throwing out everything in your life that is not good for you I decided to clean out my fridge! I threw away everything that would interfere with me losing weight and went grocery shopping. I filled my fridge with healthy food that my body will love and deserves to be fed. I couldn't be more excited about my fresh new start!

MY FRESH START : BY MORGAN