Weigh In # 2 - VIDEO UPDATE

Well, now that the new video is up, I can officially unveil the current leader board stats of this past Sunday's competition weigh-in!

Current Competition Leader Board

Thank you so much to all of my subscribers on my YouTube Channel and those of you who take the time to follow and read my blog.  You're all seriously amazing and I love you all!  Thank you all for the support!!! I couldn't do this without you!

xoxo Pretty T

I. Feel. Awful.

Could this be my Kryptonite?

So in spite of the fact that earlier this evening I posted this little fan-dango, things have changed.

I wasn't going to write this, but like I promised, no matter what, good or bad, I'm going to keep this whole process as real as possible, and what is real right now is I FEEL HORRIBLE.

I made my earlier post after having a pretty serious "cheat day".  I'm almost embarrassed to admit what we did, but at the time it just seemed like it was all in good fun.  We also started eating at like 2pm, so the fact that we were stretching out eating over the course of the entire day made it somehow seem less "bad" for us... not sure of that logic now that I'm saying it out loud....

We ordered a whole party-platter triple dipper from Chili's, along with a rack of ribs with french fries.  We ate it over the course of two football games (gotta love Sundays).  It didn't all get eaten, and honestly, it was after eating only that when I made this previous post.  I was being honest then.  I didn't feel bad, guilty, anything like that. We had food left over so I was proud of myself for not feeling the need to give in to my "clean the plate" syndrome.  I was fine.

I was fine until we decided to add dessert to the mix.  I know that I am to blame for what I did.  I should have just said no.  I was already full, why did I feel the need to add dessert?!  I was just going to get a small bag of peanut m&m's because even though at the time I wasn't craving sweets (should have just listened to myself here), I knew my boyfriend wanted dessert and he wouldn't have let himself get what he wanted if I didn't have something too.  So a small bag of peanut m&m's was going to be my way of getting dessert without going overboard.... until I hit the ice cream aisle.

Long story short, instead of going home with a dessert that would have been 278 calories, I left with a pint of regret costing me 1120 calories!!!  Now I'm full to the point of discomfort and in such emotional distress that I got out of bed to write this, because yes, it's midnight and I'm laying in bed feeling fat, bloated, uncomfortable, and pumped full of guilt and regret.  I'm remembering how much I hate this feeling.

Maybe this is a good thing.  Maybe I needed this reminder of just how horrible I feel when I eat like this.  My body feels like it's disgusted with me.  Funny thing is... I didn't even enjoy it the way I thought I would.  It was tasty, but could I have eaten a fraction of it and still felt satisfied with that? YES.  I need to learn to listen to myself... really listen to myself.

I'm going to go lay back in bed now.  I'm so full and uncomfortable that I can't even fall asleep :(  I really feel like crying right now.  I hate feeling like this!  I hope that next time I go to indulge in the desires of a compulsive over eater that I go back and read this and listen to my own advice. 

It's not worth it.

xoxo Pretty T

2nd COMPETITION WEIGH-IN !

Today was the 2nd weigh-in of our "Biggest Loser" competition!  I am so blown away at how much weight I have lost so far!  Honestly, I'm not even sure how or why the weight seems to be falling off so easily right now, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts!!!  I'm not revealing my weight and percent lost until the new video on my YouTube Channel, but, as always, here is a preview of this week's leader board!

That being said... today was 25 days straight of eating clean, and we finally decided to let ourselves have a "cheat day".  So I hope by Thursday my weight is still at least the same as it was today during the weigh-in hahaha!  I feel so bloated after consuming such a sodium-packed food fiesta!  I feel good though.  I didn't feel guilty after eating it and I stopped myself from finishing up the food just "because it was there". So, yay :)

Thank you so  much to those of you who follow me on Project Pretty and take the time to read and comment on this blog.  I don't have words to express how much it means to me :)  Much love!

xoxo Pretty T

Fig Newtons Minis? Yes Please!

Only 4 WW Points Plus!

I was shopping in the grocery store last week and stumbled across these little treasures! Fig Newtons Minis! I instinctively took out my WW Points Plus calculator to figure out how many points I was looking at before I got too excited.

4.... hmmm...

Four points is a bit much (for me) to spend on such an empty snack.  By empty I mean that it has no real nutritional value, just tasty calories.  So, having the crazy cookie craving that I was having at the time, I decided to whip out my iPhone and "ask Google" what people thought about these intriguing little packets of yum.

I didn't have to search too far before I stumbled across someone's review of them, and they seemed to think it was worth buying, so into my cart they went!

Fig Newtons Minis

Let me tell you, I was not disappointed!  In fact I thought they were so tasty that I decided to write about it just in case there is another person out there standing in the cookie aisle with their phone out trying to find out of people think these treats are worth buying!

Like I mentioned, they are 4 WW Points Plus, and you get about 8 - 9 cookies in the bag.  They taste just like regular fig newtons, just bite sized!

Now I want to compare these delicious little treats to this next product that I almost got swindled by!

 Meet Newtons Fruit Thins.  I saw these advertised on TV and thought, "Oooh! The goodness of Fig Newtons without the calories! Maybe I can actually enjoy these!"  BEEEEEP WRONG!

I was so excited too, it was kind of sad haha.  I whipped out the calculator, entered the data, "Oh great! Only 4 points!" .... until I saw the serving size!

THREE COOKIES

Yeah, there is no way that it is worth 4 of my daily points to chow down three measly little cookies! And they're not even the real deal! They're the "thinned down" version of an awesome cookie!

So if you're interested in any of these snacks, go for the Fig Newtons Minis all day long!  Definitely worth a try!

xoxo Pretty T

COMPETITION UPDATE!

Competition Stats

Today I finally get to share the awesome success I've had so far in both my weight-loss, and the new competition!  I've lost 14 pounds since the last video and I feel incredible!  I feel so much more focused and motivated!  Now I can safely unveil the complete stats of the competition!  My boyfriend is hot on my trail!  I know I'm in first place right now, but the beginning isn't what matter, it's who makes it to the end that counts!  I'm famous for losing weight fast in the beginning and then plateauing, so I'm definitely not letting this temporary lead get to my head!

Thank you SO much for all of your support!  Your messages, comments, feedback, advice, it's all appreciated more than I can express!  I have the best viewers on the planet!

xoxo Pretty T

Battles of a Food Addict

Dark Chocolate Yogurt Covered DEVILS!

Sometimes it's difficult to explain food addiction.  Normally when a person hears the word "addiction" their brains automatically drift to thoughts of drugs or alcohol, but food addiction is very real.  I am a food addict and a compulsive over-eater.  When I start any new healthy lifestyle change and try to stop those habits, I go through horrible withdrawal (which is why I turn into a demon for about a week). And while I will always get "cravings" which I can usually deal with, sometimes it gets a bit stronger than that... and sometimes if I'm in a weak state of mind, it can go horribly horribly wrong very easily, and very quickly.

I faced one of those very moments today, and  I am more than happy to be able to say that I conquered it!  Fellow food addicts know exactly what I'm talking about, but for those of you who don't, let me try and paint you a picture of the excruciating battles that can take place in the mind of a food addict.

My first wrong move was grocery shopping on an empty stomach. NEVER DO THAT!  So I'm going up and down the aisles, sticking to my list, and I hit the frozen food aisle.  Going by the Lean Cuisines, steamed veggie bags, uh oh.... we hit the ice cream!  So even though I know I can't eat any of what I'm looking at, I start looking at it (second mistake: NEVER stop to look at check out food that you know you shouldn't eat).  I'm letting cravings start to unfold, I'm looking at all my favorite flavors, I'm thinking about how I could just buy one right now and eat it and no one would have to know.  I wouldn't have to tell anyone, it could just be my secret.  Then I stop and think no, I shouldn't do that. So do I walk away? Nope, not yet! Then I gravitate towards the small "single serving" ice cream cups.  This is much better, I can eat these, then I don't have to feel that guilty about it.... finally something kicked in and I thought "Get out of here!".  I storm down the rest of the aisle keeping my eyes straight ahead.

I literally stopped at the end of the aisle to take a deep breath.  I actually thought, "Wow, that almost went bad..."  I continue shopping.  While walking to the produce department I spot the candy aisle.  I think about buying a large bag of Peanut Butter M&M's... I keep walking.  I spot the cookie aisle. I keep myself in check thinking, "You do not need anything in that aisle"... keep walking... I made it to the produce. "I'm safe!" I thought...

Now you would think that being surrounded by fresh fruits and vegetables that I'd be safe.  I felt safe, until I spotted them.  Dark Chocolate Yogurt Covered Raisins. I stop to imagine how amazing it would be to buy a big bag, go home, sit on the couch, and eat the whole thing all by myself.... QUICK RUN!  I booked it to the checkout.  There is one lane open and a loooong line. And what is that line right in front of?!  Bakery fresh red velvet cake with cream cheese icing!  My head was spinning at that point!  Thankfully, a cashier snuck up behind me and told me she could take me at another register.  SAVED!

So needless to say, what should have been a routine trip to a grocery store turned into a full on battle between the angel on my right shoulder and the devil on my left.  That is the sort of thing that food addicts have to deal with.  I'm just happy that today I came out on top! 

PrettyT 1: Food Addiction: 0

xoxo Pretty T

First Competition Weigh-In!

I am so excited!  Although, I'm also a tad bit frustrated because I am only going to partially share this excitement with you today!  First, let me give you the run-down of the competition...

There are 7 contestants, including me.  We each put in $50 to the prize pool, so there will be $350 prize money at the end.  The contest runs from September 1st - December 31st.  We are weighing in every two weeks, but because Sept. 1st was on a Thursday, our first weigh-in wasn't after a full two weeks, it was a week and a half (11 days exactly).  From now on, all weigh-ins are going to be on Sundays.

Now the reason this causes a small skew with my videos is that I can't make videos on weekends, so my videos will continue to be made every 2 Thursdays (my only real "free" day during this semester at school).  So, what that means is that I'm not going to tell you my weight until my next video on this coming Thursday, but I am going to show you the leader-board (edited for the sake of this blog).  Soooo.... here we go!

Stay tuned to find out how I did in the first weigh-in!

As you can tell, everyone did really well!  I know that this competition is going to be a bit more tight than the last one because the people involved are all motivated... especially since at the end of this competition we will all be wanting to look our best on our week long Caribbean cruise!

So on this Thursday, when I post a new video on My YouTube Channel, I will reveal the full results of the first weigh-in, as well as my current weight as of that day!  I'll also be trying on those new "goal jeans"! I'm so excited to see if they fit any better!!!

Stay motivated everyone!
xoxo Pretty T

Sweet Peanut Butter Banana-ness!

Heaven on a Plate

Alright, after eating this delicious sandwich, I just had to come share it with all of you because I know I'm not the only person out here who has an overactive sweet tooth who loves peanut butter!!!  This sandwich is awesome because not only does it taste incredible, but it bangs out the sweet tooth with a hammer and it's only 7 WW points plus!

7 WW Points Plus Lunch

Here's the Breakdown

• 2 Slices Light Bread = 3 points
• 2 tbsp Peanut Butter - I use Peter Pan Whipped 1/3 less sugar = 4 points
• 1 Medium Banana = 0 points
• I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Butter Spray = 0 points
• Cinnamon & Spenda Mixture = 0 points

It's super simple to make.  First make yourself a regular peanut butter and banana sandwich, then spray either side with the butter spray and grill it in a pan, like you would a grilled cheese sandwich.  When it's done, sprinkle some cinnamon and Splenda on the outside and BOOM!

It's so good!  I like to pair it with another fruit and make that a nice and super filling lunch!  It keeps you so full!  You can also do the same sort of thing with Nutella if you want to change it up.  Or sometimes I'll spread peanut butter on one slice and Nutella on the other and kind of mesh them together... depends on what I'm in the mood for!

So try it out everyone!  You will NOT be disappointed!

xoxo Pretty T

20.45 miles?! Ain't No Thang!

Well, luckily for me I woke up in a much better mood than yesterday!  My muscles were achy from the gym yesterday, but it was one of those good feeling aches; the ones that make you feel like you really accomplished something :)  Maybe that's what helped boost my mood.

Bike Path along the water.

Today my boyfriend suggested we go biking.  Where I live, we have an incredible bike path that runs about 25 miles.  If we get on it from our house, we have a nice ride to the end and back and it's about 10 miles each way.  My boyfriend actually uses the bike path to commute to work!  I think he's nuts, but he loves it!

So anyway, it was a gorgeous day for a bike ride!  It was a little muggy out, and really windy, so it was a bit more difficult today for me than it usually is (that and my quads were already sore!).  So by the end of the ride I had gone 20.45 miles in 1 hour 48 minutes and burned over 1200 calories!!!  It really is a beautiful ride, so even though it takes a bit out of ya, it doesn't feel like boring, grueling exercise :)

My legs felt like dead stems by the end of the trip, but man did I feel awesome!  It would have been more awesome if I could have ended my physical activity there and took a rest, but we also decided to close our pool today... so the work continued!  After scooping leaves out of the pool from the hurricane, and scrubbing the pool clean, my arms were almost as tired as my legs!  I feel a bit beat now, but on the plus side, I was literally active all day long! Not too shabby!

I just wanted to say thanks for the couple of comments on my blog yesterday.  Just knowing that you guys were there for me helped get me through my tough day I was having!  You guys are the best!  Now, it's time for some much earned relaxation!!!

xoxo Pretty T

Frustration Setting In!

So today I had that inevitable meeting with my good old friend "frustration".  Day 3: The "almost halfway there" point, it rears it's ugly head and hits me head on!

Circuit Training Room

Today was my first day back to the gym since...well, I couldn't even tell ya, but at least a couple of weeks.  I decided that since I was still feeling sluggish that I would hit the elliptical instead of running.  I did 45 minutes on the elliptical machine on random hill mode on level 17.  Like ten minutes in, I already felt like it was too much.  It felt so hard! I mean level 17 hills aren't by any means easy, but never has it felt that difficult before.... but the first day back is the hardest, right?

Leg Extender AKA The Devil!

After my torturous cardio, I scampered into the circuit training room to hit the weight machines.  There are 10 different weight machines in the circuit training room so you can get a full body workout.  It's pretty awesome, that is, until I hit this machine!  The leg extension machine is the devil! 

I've always seen like those weight-loss "makeover" type shows where people are working out so intensely that they throw up all over the place.  I never really understood what that was like until Mr. Leg Extension waltzed into my life! No, no, no, I've never gotten sick at the gym or anything, but this machine legit makes me feel sick!  It's so strange! When I'm done with my set I have to sit forward and curl into a ball because I swear I feel like I'm two seconds away from decorating myself with my morning's breakfast! 

Is there a machine that makes any of you feel like this?!  It's literally the only machine that ever makes me feel like this!

So anyway, my frustration came on hard right after the gym, after a hard workout, I wanted to grab a salad... but it seemed like all the salads I wanted were 15-26 WW points!  I was so frustrated!  I was like OK, well if I eat the salad I'll only have 7 points left for dinner... grrrrr!  I know when you go from eating your face off to sticking to healthy eating it's hard in the beginning, and this was officially my first hard day for me.  Luckily, my boyfriend is amazing so he went to the store and got chicken and salad bags and I'm sitting on the deck writing this now while he's grilling the chicken up for our own home made salads that are way less WW points!  He's the best :)

I'm starting to love having a place to vent!  Thanks for reading!

xoxo Pretty T

Day 2

Today was surprisingly easy for me.  I think it had to do with the fact that I was all over the place today running errands and never really had a chance to even think about eating.  I actually had to force myself to stop and take a time-out so I could make myself have some lunch.

Pesto Chicken Alfredo with veggies and cherry awesomeness

OK, so I know some of you are super opposed to the idea of frozen meals, but these are totally a life saver for me sometimes.... especially when I'm craving pasta!  Forced portion control!  I actually don't eat these that often at all, but today, the sound of pesto chicken alfredo just sounded great (plus I get those awesome sweet little cherry thingies)!

The only thing that's really getting at me is that I didn't exercise today.  I woke up just feeling beat.  I wanted to go biking, but then I had so many errands to run that the thought of biking before hand made me feel even more exhausted.  I didn't worry too much about it then because I figured I'd be hitting the gym when my boyfriend got home... well turns out he was beat too.  I tried to get him to go for a walk with me, but he was just not up for it.  I even got desperate enough to ask my mother to go walking with me, but she had biked earlier and was a little sore.  I wish it wasn't dark out :(

So tomorrow morning I am going to the gym for the first time since before I left for my cruise.  It should be interesting :)  I'm definitely hitting the weights but I haven't decided on what cardio I should do quite yet.  Running? Arc Trainer? Elliptical?  I guess I'll figure it out when I get there! Wish me luck!

xoxo Pretty T

NEW COMPETITION!

Well today marks the official start of the new Weight-Loss Competition (awesome name of the competition still pending haha)!  I still can't believe my weight has climbed so high in such a short amount of time.  Most of the summer I floated along at around 210lbs.  Maybe I had too many vacations.

So I'm starting this competition at 230.2 pounds.  Even writing the number it doesn't feel real.  I'm still waiting to get the starting numbers in from my brother and his girlfriend.  They work third shift so they should be waking up any time now!

The competition is going to run from today until December 31st, the day before our big family cruise!  I'm going to have some serious hurdles trying to lose weight through the holiday season, but I really really want to be out of the 200's before my cruise!  I have never set a goal like this before, so I'm a little nervous, but I also know that it is a realistic goal and I have every means to be able to reach it!

Thank you so, so, so much for all of your support!!!  I've literally proven that without you, I just can't do it alone!  I love you guys!

xoxo Pretty T