12 week challenge. Week 1.

SW: 199 lbs
GW: 195 lbs
CW: 196 lbs


So im a pound off from my goal weight which means that i'll just have to try harder next week! More zumba, more weights, more stair master!


Overall i'd like to get down to 165. If I continue to lose 3 lbs per week this goal will be obtained during this 12 week challenge!

My first Influenster box!(Crest 3D white professional effects whitestrips)

So I know that I normally post things about health and weight, but beauty comes with all that!

A few months ago I came across influenster. It is a company that you can sign up for, take surveys, then if they think you qualify for a box they will send you a box full of beauty samples. ON ONE CONDITION: You must spread the word about your opinions of the contents of the box. I signed up and took surveys but never heard anything back until about a month ago when they emailed me about a teeth whitening product! If you have me on facebook or know me in real life you know I live off coffee and tea. LIVE, I cant go without it. (Im just painting a picture of how off white my teeth are for you!) Soon after I took a survey they emailed me saying I qualified and would be recieveing the box within the next 2 weeks.  Sure enough within two weeks I had my box with these bad boys in them:

Before I go into my review I would just like to add that I have never used a teeth whitening product before.

DAY 1: So excited! I put them on and the first thing I notice is that they are REALLY secure! once they are on they wont move. You do have to keep them on so find something to keep you occuppied for the next two hours! After I take them off I saw a HUGE difference, probably 3 shades whiter. I went on about my day...about 3-5 hours later I started to feel a sharp pain in a few of my teeth. I took a pain reliever and went to bed. The pain went away but the sensitivity of my teeth was bad for about a week.

So after this I decided to wait atleast a week before I decided to try it again.

Day 2: This time I decided I would take a alieve before and a sleeping pill so I would fall right to sleep after I took them off. Half way through the night I woke up from the pain...and then again...and then again. I had taken the max dosage of Alieve and put on Oragel and nothing can keep the pain away. Its been over 24 hours and I still hurt.


Verdict: Works but is VERY painful. Beauty is pain! I dont know if I will be able to continue the use of this product.

Remember if you're not whitening, you're yellowing!


Update: I have continued to use this product every few days and it is amazing. If you can handle the pain!

Where to go from here?

Now that the competition is over, I've been wondering what to do with myself. Not that im content with my weight,but it is hard to motivate myself. I found out last week that I made it as a finalist in the GGChallenge. Im extremely happy, a big thanks to everyone that helped me get to where i currently am!

Im the type of person that needs something to look forward to, and a size 6 jeans isnt enough. So in order to motivate myself I have made new goals. In August of this year I will be auditioning for the Austin Toros Dancers/ Capital city dancers. Ive been dancing since I was little,but I feel like my weight as always held me back from going foward with my dream.

I havent lost much weight since the end of the competition, maybe 4 pounds if that! If my caculations are correct, I only need to lose 3 pounds a week to reach my goal. This will put me at a little under 160, which for my body frame and type is REALLY small. It all starts with my HIGH protien diet, lets see how it goes!

I scream, You scream, We all scream for ice cream!

When I started eating better there were things that were easy to give up, and then there were things that weren't, like ice cream. So when it comes to recipes, I like them to be...simple,easy, and less than 5 ingredients! A few months ago when I joined pinterest I found this banana ice cream recipe. Are you ready for it?!

You will need:

Bananas (However many you want, I use 2-3 and it will last me 3 days.)

Food processor (You may be able to use a blender,but I use a food processor that I bought from walmart for $2.00.)

Take the bananas and cut them into small pieces, probably about 2 inches. Put the bananas in the food processor and blend them into a creamy mixture. It going to look weird at first. Just scoop it into a container and freeze it for a few hours. Voila!

*Sometimes ill add Peanut Butter,strawberries,or a little bit of cocoa powder. Experiment to see what you like! I will make some later and post a picture.

Now that my 12 week competition has ended I have completely new goals. Normally im zumbing hours and hours with a ton of other cardio. Im going to start focusing more on lifting weights and toning. Im not quitting cardio, just cutting back to 5 classes a week. Just like every other woman in the world I want a flat stomach. Here I come abs!

Some tips of my own and some that ive gathered.

I guess i'll start with an update! I know in my previous post I said I was weighing in on Friday,well I lied!

As of 4/11/2012 I weigh 202. Not quite where I wanted it to be,but I will get there! I am so happy to be where I am now, the first thing I did was call my stepmom(who always keeps me motivated and realistic),my dad,and my mom.


So these are some of the tips that I use and I thought maybe they could help someone else:

1.) Chew gum. If you mouth is full you wont think about food.
2.) Drink water in a liter water bottle. They say to drink 64 oz. a day which is almost 2 liters of water. I keep mine in a liter water bottle so that after 2 I know I can stop. To me its almost like tricking your mind. 8 glasses seems like more than 2 liters,right? I also HATE tap water, so I use the Bobble water bottle(like $12 at JCpennys) which purifies the water for you.
3.) As soon as you get home from the grocery store pre-package all your snacks. Yes, it can take awhile but it keeps you from eating bigger portions!
4.) If you choose to buy sweets...leave them in the car. This way you have to get up off the couch and walk to go get them.
5.) Speaking of car, keep snacks in you car. (I always fail to do this!) If you have snacks in the car there is no excuse to eat fast food.
6.)Think outside of a normal exercise routine. I started really losing my weight when I started my zumba classes. They change every month so your body is always doing something different.
7.) Brush your teeth more! No one wants to eat after you brush your teeth, so I use this as a way to keep myself from over snacking.
8.) Always be realistic. No one can lose 50 pounds in a month. Set small goals and once you get close to one,start over. More importantly, NEVER stop!
9.) Smaller dishes. Using smaller dishes makes you feel like you ate more.
10.) Find out what motivates you. I hung up a pair of jeans for the longest time, now I can wear them.


When I started blogging a few days ago I made a promise that I would be open and honest about my entire weight loss, but do you know how scary it is to tell someone how much you weigh? And im telling anyone that wants to read my blog. HERE goes nothing!

                                              This is my before and after measurements!

You are stronger than excuses.

As of 3/31/2012 I weighed in at 207. So far that hasn't changed!

I weigh in again on Friday and I'm hoping to hit 200, or even better 199. For as long as I can remember Ive been in the 200s.

I'm still having trouble seeing myself as a smaller person. I still drape clothes over my body and hope no one sees all my rolls, when in reality, I don't have rolls anymore. This Sunday ill be going shopping for the first time in almost a year, yes I still wear my size 16/18 jeans when I have too! I'm hoping that getting up and putting on a size 12/14 will help make me realize im not the girl I was. I feel more insecure now that im smaller than when I was bigger, maybe because im a lot harder on myself? Or maybe because im not where I want to be yet?

I went for a "run" around the lake yesterday, I'm not sure if you could even call it that? Half way through my ankle started to hurt!(I hurt it in zumba class a few weeks ago.) It was my first exercise outside and in Texas. If you've never lived here, its hot all the time,even in the winter! I was sweating up a storm, makes me appreciate my gym membership more, however the scenery of guys was great! Lake,Guys,Sweat? I think it evens out!

All in all, I probably only got 4 miles in yesterday. SOOOO, ill be taking 2 zumba classes today with an hour workout in between and an hour after. When you're determined, you don't make excuses. "You are stronger than excuses". If ive learned anything out of this entire weight loss process, its that with hard work your dream is obtainable.

You have a question? I have an answer!

Im starting a blog because I want to share my struggle and triumphs with everyone who is going through the same thing or maybe encourage someone to do the same. In my first blog ive decided to answer some of the common questions that people ask me and go into detail on somethings.

How did you lose the weight so fast? If we are being technical, I didnt lose it fast. Ive being working out and eating right for a year, give or take. At first i lost maybe 20 lbs, and then gained most of it back. My starting weight was 250 lbs, over the summer I got down to 226. At the beginning of my 12 week competition I weighed in at 234(?), and I weighed in at 207 at my last weigh in. To answer this question in a nutshell, I worked my butt off and ate right.

What do you eat? Have you ever heard of the expression "If it taste good, spit it out?", the first 2 weeks of changing your eating habits is going to be like that, you're going to feel like anything you want to eat you cant, over time you find that this isnt true. Sodas were my easiest thing to cut out, I only drink water,tea(yes, sweet tea!), and coffee. I like to drink coffee because it supresses my appetite. I eat a ton of fruits and veggies, everything fresh. Rarely do I eat bread or pasta, I consider that my free meal. Also, stay away processed foods!

What do you do when you workout? My typical workouts are: 2-3 miles of walking/running, 1 hour of zumba, 2-3 miles, Legs(lots of lunges and squats), Abs, 2-3 more miles. I like to break up my cardio because its so boring. Dont think that you have to run to lose weight because you dont! I couldnt run for even 30 seconds when I first started,dont be discouraged. Walking will work just fine.

What motivates you? At first it was everyone who didnt believe in me, haters gon' hate. Now I do it for me and for everyone that encourages me. I want to help and motivate other people. If I can do it, you can do it!

What was your original goal? Uhhh, anything under 250? My first goal was to be under 200, and a size 12/14. Now that im 207(as of 3/31/2012)lbs and a comfortable size 14, why not keep pushing? My life goals are completely different now. In the future i'd like to do something in fitness and nutrition, and I feel like I need to be in really good shape, now my goal is 150-160 and VERY toned.

How did you get into working out? I literally woke up one day completely disgusted with myself. That next week my boss introduced me to a guy named Todd Bui(my trainer), he completely changed my life. At first it wasnt easy, i kept thinking "who the hell likes to run everyday?"...and now i cant imagine my life without the gym. When I have a rest day I just lay on the couch thinking about what everyone else is doing at the gym, somewhere throughout that day I find my way to the gym, even if its just to run 1 mile.

 Now that my 12 weeks is over I want to thank everyone who helped me: Amber Phillips, who worked out with me on several occasions and encouraged me when I feel the lowest. Megan D, who made my giggle in zumba. Todd for weighing me every week, even when he didnt want too. My parents for pushing me. Everyone who takes time out of their day just to tell me not to give up, you guys always seem to turn my frown upside down.