Limitless Ramblings

I haven't updated in a long time!!!! Sorry about that.... But I guess it's just because there's really nothing to report. The diet is going really well, and it's not even hard for me to eat right now. As long as I stick to the abs power foods, I'll be fine.

Since I'm entering week three, it's time to start implementing exercise into the regiment. I've been doing a little here or there but, starting tomorrow, it's going to be strict and every day. My jeans are already getting baggy... I can't wait until the exercise takes hold!!! I'll keep you all updated as to how that's going.

A lot of people are asking when I'm going to weigh. The answer is: probably not at all.

My diet focuses on building muscle to help burn fat every day. The foods I consume are full of protein and omega 3s... My workout plan involves more strength training than cardio. Long story short: I'm building muscle and losing fat. However, since muscle weighs more than fat, my actual weight won't change much. Constant work with little to no scale improvement would only discourage me, even if I know I'm doing great. So, I figure, if the pants are falling off, it's working.

That being said, I will probably weigh in January just to see where I stand... Though I'm tempted to wait till February, just cuz thanksgiving and Christmas are so dangerus food wise. Lol.

But, it's Going well!!!! And I can only hope it goes even better once the workouts start. :)

ROHIRRIM! TO THE KING!!!!

I recently read an article about the top ten best summer movie moments, and was delighted to see that the entrance of Bones in the new Star Trek movie was number one. I read through the list and found I agreed with most of the choices, especially the honorable mention. This summer's movies were better than most of the movies we've had in a long time, and all of them had memorable moments that I absolutely loved. And that got me thinking, what are my favorite movie moments of all time? I began to write them down and found out that I have quite a few... so this is going to be broken into parts so as not to overwhelm you, and not to drive me crazy.

These are in no particular order, though the first one I know is one of my favorites. So sit back and enjoy

Lauren's Favorite Movie Scenes (Part 1)



Scene: "The Claw"
Movie: Toy Story, 1995
Starring: Tom Hanks & Tim Allen

I absolutely love this scene for so many reasons... but the reason I go to it first is because I've seen a LOT of movies, and this scene has still stuck with me.

I think I love it because it's a real turning point in the movie. Up to this point, the movie was basically about getting back to Andy. But, this scene turns Woody and Buzz's journey home into a life and death situation when they are won by Sid.

More so than that, I loved the aliens. They were very much like Buzz, unaware they were toys. Instead, they thought they lived in a world ruled by an all mighty claw that chose who stayed and who left. If the claw chose you, it was a great honor. There was always just something fantastical about that, and this scene has always stuck with me.



Scene: "I Can Fix That"
Movie: Star Trek 2009
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana


I love this whole movie, but this scene in particular is my favorite. It ranges from the moment Bones gives Jim the "bovarian mud flea" vaccination, to the moment Jim runs onto the bridge. That entire course of events made me fall in love with the movie, because it was so reminiscent of the original series. In those moments, I really felt like I was watching Kirk and Bones, not so much Chris Pine as Kirk and Karl Urban as Bones.

I love it also because it's a very overlooked scene. The saving of the Enterprise is attributed to Kirk, but in reality, it was Bones' actions that saved the ship (in all fairness, credit should also go to Sulu and Chekov for the part they played).



Scene: "Ice Cold Rita"
Movie: Flushed Away 2006
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Ian McKellen

I don't remember much of this movie, but I remember this scene. The song was so ingenious!!! I find myself singing it often, and whenever I need a pick me up, I can just remember the line "Poor, poor Roddy, flushed down his own potty." Gets me smiling every time.

And it's Hugh Jackman singing! Doesn't get much better than that!



Scene: "Do you know the Jacksons?"
Movie: The Price of Milk, 2000
Starring: Danielle Cormack & Karl Urban

If I'm being biased, I'll say that Karl Urban's best role was Leonard McCoy in the most recent Star Trek movie.

If I'm being honest, I'll say it's Rob from the Price of Milk, the role that got him cast as Eomer in The Two Towers. This movie is amazing, and I'm not just saying that because Karl Urban is in it. It is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time, and I recommend everyone see it. It frustrated me in a Pride and Prejudice sort of way, but was easier to swallow, because it was manipulation that kept the two main characters apart, not unjustifiable pride.

I picked this scene because, in my opinion, Urban far outshines Cormack in this movie (though Cormack does a phenomenal job), and this is one of the only scenes in which they are equally matched. Urban plays Rob, a character that is extremely nice and never yells. So, when Lucinda (Cormack) sells his cows, he gets so angry and yells so much that his voice disappears. What follows is a series of scenes in which he tries to speak, but only utters a bunch of squeaks and whispers. When he leaves Lucinda, she tracks him down and finds him living in a friends barn, steeped in depression and refusing to take care of himself. She then begins to take care of him in secret, and he begins to think the imaginary "Jacksons" are the reason behind his good fortune. The scene is full of love, comedy, and a sweetness that I've found I absolutely adore.



Scene: Famous Last Words
Movie: Thir13en Ghosts, 2001
Starring: Tony Shalhoub, Matthew Lillard, JR Bourne

Thir13en Ghosts is one of my favorite scary movies ever, and it happens to contain one of my favorite deaths in any scary movie.

I love this death for the soul purpose that the character totally had it coming. I won't say who the character was, but he was a total jerk. After making a crude remark to a scantily clad ghost, two glass doors are shut on him and he is sliced completely in half. It was so sudden that I screamed, but I cheered very soon after. It's been a while since I've seen the movie, and I can still see that scene clear as day.



Scene: The Plants are Ringing
Movie: The Ruins, 2008
Starring: Joe Anderson, Shawn Ashmore, Jena Malone

I wasn't originally going to see this movie (my friends and I joked every time we saw the trailer "Snakes in a Cave!" or "The Runs!") but ended up watching it at a scary movie night and loved it.

It contains one of the most amazing twists... one you kind of see coming but not quite. A group of hikers get stranded on the top of a structure, because the natives won't let them leave. Desperate and trying to get help, they lower themselves into the structure, lured by the sound of a ringing cell phone. They search for the cell phone, in hopes that they can call for help, only to find that the plants have lured them down there by mimicking the sound of a cell phone that had rung previously. It chilled me to my bone marrow to see the flower petals shaking and mimicking the sound of the cell phone. Creepy as all get out.

Evil plants. Take notes, M. Night.



Scene: "You Don't Have to Prove It"
Movie: Homeward Bound, 1993
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Ameche

Homeward Bound was watched constantly when I was a child, as well as it's sequel. But this scene is my favorite, because it's full of my favorite insults. This one sticks with me, because I still say it now and then.

Bulldog Chance is trying to get food at the wedding and can't, so he asks Siamese Cat Sassy for help. Sassy tells him that he can get food by pretending he doesn't want food. Chance replies that that's stupid, to which Sassy says she'll prove it. Chance's response?

"Oh, you don't have to prove it. I believe you're stupid." I've always loved that line, and even now, it still makes me laugh.



Scene: "Rohirrim! To the King!"
Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, 2002
Starring: Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom

This one should actually be ranked right after The Claw one. Helm's Deep is, in my opinion, one of the most amazing battles ever to grace the big screen. Peter Jackson did a great job capturing the hopelessness, honor, pride, and strength of the Edorians that sought refuge from the horde of Uruk-hai behind the walls of Helm's Deep. While this entire battle, from start to finish, is a favorite scene in the movie, one particular part near the end of the battle brings me to tears every time I see it.

As Helm's Deep begins to fall, Aragorn convinces King Theoden to ride out with him, to meet the Uruk-hai and defend his people while he still has breath. They do so, knowing they will most certainly die. But, as they fight their way through the horde, the White Wizard appears to the west as the sun rises. "Theoden King stands alone," he says.

"Not alone," Eomer replies as he steps out from behind the wizard. He then raises his spear and cries out, "Rohirrim!" Hundreds of riders come up behind him, and he bellows "TO THE KING!" The Rohirrim then tears down the shelf, toward unbeatable odds, to assist their king and people. When I originally read the book, I honestly did not see Gandalf and Erkanbrand coming to Theoden's aid, and when they did I cried. A bright spark of hope in a hopeless situation. In the movie, it had been changed so that Eomer was coming to the King's aid, and it was so sudden and again, unexpected, that I squealed in the theater! The mixture of Aragorn's strength (I love the words he and Theoden exchange before riding out), followed by Eomer's loyalty (When he stepped out and said "Not alone" it awoke such a great pride in me, as well as a feeling of triumph and a relief for those in the wall that I cheered loudly, despite my feelings toward Urban at that point), and mixed with Howard Shore's score brought me to tears again.



Scene: Sealed Cans
Movie: Ghost Ship, 2002
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Julianna Margulies, Emily Browning

Steve Beck does it again with Ghost Ship. I enjoy this movie almost as much as Thir13en Ghosts, but the scene in this one that freaked me out the most was the sealed food scene.

The salvage crew takes a break and sits to eat some food... the food is sealed in cans, so they don't really think about it. However, a few bites in, they realize that the food has suddenly become infested with maggots.

That scene made my skin crawl, seeing as I have a fear of the eyeless wriggling things. I was extremely paranoid about what I ate for a long time, and I still won't eat anything within a few days of the expiration date. I'm also extremely paranoid when using flour, or any other powder, for fear the creatures are hiding in there, waiting for me to cook and eat them. *shudders* It was just one of those scenes where you know it's a movie, but you still can't help but be paranoid.



Scene: Ending
Movie: Reservoir Dogs, 1992
Starring: Tom Roth, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Steven Buscemi, and Quentin Tarantino

There are a number of movies that really get me in the ending... a number of them will be listed in future variations of this blog... but Reservoir Dogs is going to take the cake for this one.

This is one of my favorite Tarantino films, mainly because the ending is so epic. The entire movie, I remember asking myself, "how are they gonna get out of this? How are they gonna get out of this?" And the ending just kind of hits you, to where you can only say... "oh, that's how."

Reservoir Dogs, in it's entirety, is a masterpiece, but the ending has every thing and epic piece of cinema needs, and I'm certain that - had I not enjoyed the movie - I would still own it because of how it ends.

Even if you lived till the end of time, I would still beg God for a few more days.

Thinking of you with every light I turn on.

I'll miss you, but look forward to the day when I get to see you again.

If you didn't know before today, I'm sure now you know how much you were loved.

RIP Kameron Marcel Huddleston. You lived hard, and you went home.

Rohirrim, to the King. See you when I get there.

I'm still kind of running around tonight... just got back from a fun evening with friends!

My first day of protein rich, muscle building meals went fantastically! You Must Be Nuts oatmeal for breakfast, Roll With It wrap for lunch, PB Power Apples for a snack, and Chili con Turkey for dinner - which was SO worth the wait! It was absolutely delicious, and I'm so glad I have some left over! :)

Last night's work out set went well as well... tried a number of abs exercises, including the Bridge, which pretty much killed me.

But today I was able to be around massive amounts of sweets, with little to no desire to partake! Weee! And I had great energy! I think my dog is a fan of this new "diet" as well, because he's been very well behaved since I started it. :)

Also, I had the chance to talk to people about the Abs Diet... and it was quite funny. "It doesn't focus on losing weight, it focuses on building muscle." I was amazed at how much of the program I had remembered, and it seemed like a number of people were impressed. :)

All in all, it was a moderate to good day.

As a few of you know, one of my favorite modern day movies is "The Happening" by M. Night Shyamalamadingdong and starring Mark Wahlberg and Zoey Deschanel.

If you haven't seen the movie, let me sum it up for you. When hordes of people start killing themselves, mousy teacher Elliot (Wahlberg) is forced to take his girlfriend (Deschanel) and flee the big city in hopes of avoiding the biological chemical causing everyone harm.

Sounds pretty epic... until you watch it, and 5 minutes into the movie, the cause is revealed: Plants have decided they've had it with humans. In every human, there is a "switch" that basically tells them to stop doing something, because it's going to hurt them. It's like the fight or flight instinct... and the plants start releasing a chemical that keeps the switch from flipping. Basically, people begin killing themselves because their brains can't tell them that they're going to hurt themselves.

Now, a few of you may be asking yourselves, "Why did Lauren decide to take such a random turn from her normally diet related blogs?"

And the answer is, I didn't. I brought this up for a reason. By a show of hands, how many people have seen this commercial?



Chances are, if you've watched network television in the past year, you've seen this - or another variation of it - at least once. And if you're like me, you bought it. I became significantly less aware of how much HFCS was in what I ate... that, however, was a bad move on my part.

Now, I'm not going to come out and say the commercial flat up lies. It doesn't. HFCS DOES have the same calories as sugar, and in moderation, it's alright... but what the commercial doesn't tell you about is the "The Happening" effect it has on your body.

The problem with HFCS is that it is loaded with calories, but because HFCS is man made and not natural, the body doesn't recognize those calories, and thus, can't break them down or use them for energy. So, where sugar would contribute calories to your energy supply, HFCS goes straight to storing all those calories as fat. Big bummer. And that's not the only thing it does.

Remember earlier in this post when I explained why people in that movie were killing themselves? HFCS does that very thing.

No - I don't mean it makes you kill yourself... though, if we want to be general, that wouldn't be too far from the truth. Because your body can't recognize the calories in HFCS, it also can't recognize that you're consuming calories. The HFCS basically bypasses the switch in your brain and stomach that says "I've eaten enough for now, I don't need to eat any more," and you can end up consuming up to twice as many calories than you're supposed to... without even knowing it. It's why people can down an entire 2 liter of Coke and still feel like they can put away more.

So... now, by a show of hands, how many people have seen THIS commercial?



Probably not as many... but honestly, I like that version better. I'm not trying to say that HFCS is completely bad for you and you should cut it out of your diet, I'm just saying, I'd rather have real sugar any day.

Now, let's hop over to Cordy and see what we've learned today... and so what we have learned applies to our lives today, and--I'm just kidding. BUT - that is what I learned today... and yesterday, I learned about Transfat and Saturated fat... and learned that my diet is actually fairly free of both of those! :D I'm glad, too, because I learned about how they make Trans fat and... well... I'm not a fan. XD Having said that... I cheated today. :) I had it all planned out, too, so I'm kind of glad I didn't destroy all my progress when I did.

Today's menu:

BREAKFAST: You Must Be Nuts! (Oatmeal mixed with blueberry yogurt and topped with walnuts. It was so much easier to eat it! No more snot!)

SNACK: Strawberry Field Marshall of the Riddermark (Smoothie recipe, but I altered the name a bit because I altered the ingredients: Strawberries, peanutbutter, vanilla whey powder, 1% milk, and low fat vanilla yogurt)

LUNCH: California Shrimp Salad (this was my cheat meal... but it wasn't too bad. Grilled shrimp, avocado chunks, avocado dressing, spinach, romaine, tomatoes, and olives) Strawberry Lemonade to drink.

SNACK: More smoothie. :D

DINNER: Easy Cheesy. (Roast Beef, red peppers, green peppers, onions, salsa, and reduced fat sharp cheddar on a whole wheat hot dog bun)

My original plan for dinner was Chili Con Turkey, but I forgot to thaw the turkey, so that didn't happen. BUT - the Easy Cheesy was delicious, and I have enough left over for Sunday night. :D Not to mention, Roast Beef is my favorite meat ever. I love that stuff... and the peppers were delectable. It's easily the best tasting thing I've made yet. And... um... PROPS TO ME FOR TEACHING MYSELF HOW TO CUT VEGGIES! WEEEE!

Also... something I learned: It's really easy to say no to cakes and cookies and stuff, when yogurts and fruits taste so much better! :)

I plan on doing some crunches and stuff tonight before bed... and tomorrow will be my first ALL DAY ABS DIET DAY. Nothing but food from the book. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to cleaning my room... hmm...

Next week, I totally intend to go to the gym every day. My friend Aly and I were joking that we've said that for 2 weeks now, but it needs to start happening. Get some muscle built up, get some protein and what not in my diet, and start losing this belly! RAWR!

ROHIRRIM! TO THE KING!

Shh... I'm up passed my bed time. Don't tell.

Today was a solid step in the right direction. I'm continuing to push through my book, but today a really nice thing happened... I chased the kids around.

Normally I'll play with them on the floor, get out some of the tools and bang around, or play with the cars or what not... but I never really had the energy to actually chase them around... and today I did. After I let my breakfast take root (plain oatmeal, nothing in it... honestly, it was like eating a bowl of snot. It was so hard to choke down... I was talking myself through each bite. totally trying a recipe tomorrow, that was just... *shudders*), I chased the kids around as "Ticklesaurus" for a good half hour. I loved it! And I love all I'm learning with this new meal plan.

Especially the part about why other diets don't normally work. What I've learned is, too many diets focus on restricting your body from food, which will work in the short term, but eventually your body will start storing fat, for fear it will need it later. Then, once the diet is stopped because you've lost the amount of weight you wish to lose, you start to gain it back. Quickly, and often times more than what you started with. So, any diet that promises to help you "lose weight and keep it off" that doesn't focus on a healthier lifestyle? Yeah, it won't work in the long term.

I'M TALKING TO YOU, NUTRISYSTEM! Stop with your commercials about your stupid chick who pretends she can play football. I've seen her on the real househusbands of orange county, she CANNOT play football.

I've also learned a lot of awesome things about protein... most of which I already knew (the body takes twice as much energy to break down protein as it does carbs or anything else, protein makes you fuller faster), but it was great to see it in print, and to learn exactly WHY those things happen. And the book triggers specifics to the people who are using it... which is awesome. I'm actually excited about it, too! I found a chili recipe I can't WAIT to try! :)

SO! "stats"

Breakfast - Oatmeal and water.
Lunch - chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, corn. 100 cal Nesquik chocolate milk. (Lots of protein in that, believe it or not. And, it's the only meal I don't eat according to the book, but it's still fairly good.)
Snack - PB Power Apples (OH. MY. JEANA. Who would have thought that Peanut Butter with just a dash of cinnamon could taste SO GOOD? The smell alone is enough to intoxicate!)
Dinner - Chicken Little Italy (This was delicious. Chicken breast, sprinkled with italian bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, sauteed in olive oil, topped with marinara and served with garlic spinach. YUM)

The apples will become a part of my life. No doubt about it. It was SO good. And the dinner was far more successful than the one last night. Tomorrow I'm trying a new oatmeal recipe that involves yogurt and walnuts... and I'm also going to add a smoothie to my plan that will push me to 5 (count them FIVE) meals a day. Here's hoping this works out... still excited about that chili recipe! Ha!

Once I get the hang of this, I'm hoping the whole family will start cooking the meals and what not, so I don't have to buy completely separate groceries... lol.

But I'm feeling very good about this. I loved the energy I had today, and I love how I didn't feel like a total slug in the morning. AND I slept well... take that, belly! I will defeat you yet!

Rohirrim! To the King!

I have a theory:
I think I was detoxing... or going through withdrawal. Both have similar effects... but I've looked back on my past week of horrible...ness, and that's what it seems like. (I apologize if the following details seem a bit to take in)

I got myself in a healthier lifestyle... but not as healthy as it could have been. I was still eating dinner at 9pm or later. I wasn't eating breakfast, and I certainly wasn't consuming 3 meals a day. I haven't consumed 3 meals a day for a long time. Then I went camping, and I had cookies. And my body missed them, and my body craved them, and my body talked me into eating more. And my willpower sucks, and I missed cookies, too, so I gave in. And I gave in. And I gave in. And I ate cookies and chips and starches until I just could eat any more.. and then I had pizza on the way home and I got home and I ate unhealthier and unhealthier for an entire week. Grease, fat, salt, sugar, white carbs, they were all like a drug and my body gave me one command regarding them: feed me, fill me, kill the hunger. And I did. And then I realized, oh crap, I need to weigh in. And I did. And I was disappointed, and I pulled a full 180 and went right back to healthy food.

Your body does a funny thing when you start denying what it's been gorging on for a week. It rebels. It fights back. It screams and it yells and desires and it is denied and it becomes furious. It begins to get revenge. Every morning, I was on the verge of throwing up. Every day I was tired and had no energy. And every. single. minute. I was hungry. And I denied my body food when it was hungry, because I was angry that it was rebelling. And it rebelled because it was angry that I was denying it food. Vicious. Circle.

Monday, I awoke with a stronger than ever need to throw up, and a knee the size of a grapefruit. I was tired, even though I had gotten 8 hours of sleep. I had no energy. I don't remember what I ate, but I know I did. Not lunch, but definitely breakfast. And I had dinner. I remember that. I ate a brownie because the next day was going to be the beginning of no sweets month, and I wanted to splurge a tiny bit before I had to swear them off for a month. I went to bed feeling, despite my knee, pretty good.

Tuesday I woke up, still with the urge to vomit, but less than the day before. I got ready, and went to work. I ate breakfast - apple cinnamon oatmeal - and I was full and I felt good. I was on my feet all day, forcing my feet to have energy I didn't have. I had lunch. Again, I was full and I felt good. I was tired, but I was full, and I had eaten 2 meals. Dinner was a given - I was finally going to eat 3 meals. I bought 2 books and then went grocery shopping and bought some stuff to cook with. I was gonna make a power food rich, ab friendly dinner, and I was going to make it early and I was gonna go to bed early.

1 of those things happened. When I got home, my head was pounding like crazy. I took an Aleve and lied down, thinking I'd rest a bit until the medication kicked in. It never did, however, and the headache grew steadily stronger. I got a warm damp wash clothe and laid in on my head, something usually worked with headaches. The headache grew stronger, however, and my body turned cold. I bundled up in my Mexico blanket, no longer able to get out of bed, and waited for the cold to go away. I checked my head, no fever. Then I started to shake... violent shiver-like shakes. And I was cold. And my head hurt. And eventually, I'm pretty sure I passed out.

I woke up at 4 am, with the headache still lingering, so I took some more Aleve and hung out until about 6:30, when I decided I would no longer be getting back to sleep and decided to get ready for work. I sat in the shower, let the water massage my head a bit, and when I got out I realized the need to vomit was extremely minimal. And I was well rested. And my headache was beginning to disintegrate. I got to work and had more energy than I've had all week. I ate breakfast again, and I was full and I felt good. And I played with the kids and I finished my book (the best thing to come out of all of this - I've been reading like CRAZY). I had lunch and I was full and I felt good. I got home, took a short nap, cleaned the kitchen, and made dinner out of my new cookbook. And I ate, and I am full, and I feel good.

And I'm beginning to get more encouraged. And part of that, I owe to the cook book I bought. It comes with an accompanying ab work out book... fairly pricey but so far VERY worth it. And, I've learned three things today alone:

1. Denying your body food when it's hungry only teaches your body to store fat.
   This may be common knowledge for most people, but I didn't know it. I was always told that not eating at all would make you gain weight before it made you lose it, but I was not informed that not eating when your stomach told you you were hungry made the body store fat, for fear it was going to starve. It then saves the fat, just in case the hunger strike continues... because diets ask you to eat less, you know the hunger strike isn't going to continue, but your body doesn't, and it continues to store fat. 3 meals a day, here I come. (The goal is actually 6 a day, but I need to take baby steps. I've greatly increased my protein intake, and I'm full a lot... lol)
2. I don't enjoy cooking with peanut oil.
   I've never cooked with peanut oil till today, and honestly, I hope I don't have to do it too often in the future. It stinks when you cook it, and I don't like the taste it adds to the food. I'm not a huge fan of peanuts (though I'll eat peanut butter till I'm blue in the face - LOVE THAT STUFF!), and it just made the chicken taste really peanutty. Bleck.
   
3. I love the smell of olive oil.
   I do. How delicious does olive oil smell when being heated? The answer is VERY delicious. It was strange... I decided to prep tomorrow's dinner so the chicken didn't go bad, and had to cook it in olive oil. It was the most pleasant experience I've had in a long time. Just the simple smell of warmed Olive Oil. It was so nice. It took me back to when I was a child, when my dad made fried chicken. He used to make it a lot, and I loved the smell of the oil right as he put the chicken in... that's what the olive oil smelled like. I'm not sure what it was about it, but it made me... happy. Sounds so lame, but it's just one of those rare things that get taken for granted. The smell of olive oil. Childhood memories. It was nice.

This new cookbook is nice, too. I think it'll be easier to eat when I have recipes for food right in front of me. When I don't have to count calories on the ingredients, because it's laid out in front of me. I just make one of the recipes and I'm good as gold. It's also teaching me a lot. My favorite part was when it compared losing lbs to war. "An army marches on it's stomach. To win the battle against your belly, you have to control your food." It also breaks down everything in fun ways, while telling you why you shouldn't eat certain things and what foods typically have them hidden in them. and it subscribes to the five whites. Which is.. bomb, to say the least.

So... today marks the first day of 3 meals I've had in a long time. It also marks the first time in a long time I've eaten dinner before 9 pm. I ate at 6... which is pretty awesome. I think I'll go to bed at 9 tonight. :)

It's my hope that, with eating better and earlier, and going to bed earlier, my morning can start earlier, and I'll have an easier time getting used to this whole new thing I've got going. My body likes routine, I've learned that. And once I've got something set in stone, it'll be easier for me to follow it. So here's to new beginnings, and good results... hopefully.

I think my problem was, I went into this battle unprepared and outnumbered. There was more junk food floating around then there was healthy food, and I was trying to not consume any junk. It pushed me to deny myself food, causing my body to store fat, and ultimately doing more damage than good. But, on the morning of the third day, I looked to the sun and my back up was there. :)

ROHIRRIM! TO THE KING!