i have a hot sister, her name is lindsey

lindsey has perfect arms

yesterday yesterday we got together for lunch (veggie burgers and homeade sweet potatoe fries) and we began discussing our bodies (as always). lindsey expressed how awesome my legs look and how she wished she could have them

to which i responded that i would much rather have her arms. she laughed and explained all she does is do 12 pushups (morning and night)  while her legs are resting on her bathtub. i told her i walk e v e r y w h e r e.

she vowed to walk more and i already started my push ups this morning :)

so lately i've been trying to eat simple foods, no more then 5 or 6 ingrediants, no funky oils that sit in your body for years

breakfast: fruit, or oatmeal with sliced banana

lunch(s) are small and spaced throughout the day: naked smoothie, cashews and raisins (not salted), lara bar (apple pie rocks)

dinner: homeade chili (crushed tomatoes, different cans of beans and spices)

*drink tons of water and green tea

i know it sounds really boring and not filling at all, but once you get used to it you realize you dont need more food and you appreciate natural whole foods, rather then chemicals. i promise you wont be hungry all day. PLUS its good for digestion (easy pooping!) and you never feel bloated or disgusting, which is never good :)

my face is looking thinner, my skin/eyes/hair look brighter and my collar bones are popping. eeeee!!

evidence:

taken day after christmas

within the past week:i'm on the far right

so i learned this recipe while staying in London, apparently its all the rage there and i want to share it with all of you. it is delicious, filling, healthy and vegan, ie: guilt free :)

RATATOUILLE

ingrediants:

1 large onion-1 eggplant-1 zuichinni- 2 tomatoes- 2 peppers (i like to get orange or yellow because it makes the food look pretty)- a few cloves of garlic-  tsp of olive oil-some basil- salt and pepper- a bay leaf (if your feeling foodnetworkstarish)

instructions:

chop everything and throw into a saucepan with a little bit of olive oil (i like extra virgin) cook until onions are brownish.

my friends and i ate it with fresh baked bread from the bakery :)

good luck!!

don't you just love when the airline misplaces your luggage, which holds all your clothes (not to mention laptop) for the eight days you will be spending in a foreign, expensive city.

I DO, if i do stands for not even a little

::sigh::

however probably due to all the stressing about my luggage and ripping out ripping out my hair i managed to hit my goal weight!!

officially i am one-hundred thirty-three pounds..and counting :)

continue working on your goals fellow flabbers, easily slipping into your freshly bought, overpriced, skin tight new years dress is worth avoiding any decadent, soy cream filled, chocolaty tofu pie

i will update with pictures the moment my camera (also snuggled in one of my lost suitcases) is found. and in the meantime i will be sticking to my lots of vegetables, tons of walking and no fried food diet :D

good news

my dad just told me he got a ring for his girlfriend :D :D :D

even better news

now i have even more motivation to look svelte for the wedding, annnnd for the honeymoon i'll try and convince them to take me and the siblings along on

School just ended-THANK GAWD. Had it finished any later I'm certain I would have burnt the university down. The stress of it all encouraged me to monge everything in sight. Bad news.

However in the past few days I've revamped my motivation, and make the right choices (diet is such an ugly word). My (now toned) ass has been on the move; walking, ellipticalling, crunching (stomach, not food), and making out which burns quite a few errant calories (http://health.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1194640.cms).

I've made a list of my secrets that have been helping me not to shove my face, but rather slim down like a fit flaaber should :)

1) Do not EVER bring delicious food into your house. You dont need it, you really don't want it.

In my apartment I've made Clif Bars, Popcorn and Chocolate Soy Milk illegal .

2) Hang out with people you are attracted to. When a hawt boy is sitting on my couch the last thing on my mind is sucking down another plate of pasta, with sauteed broccoli and heaps of salt.

Example: Just last night I had a gentleman caller, with whom I watched 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' with. My dinner? 4 bites of chili and a handful of grapes, mmm<3

3) Move!!! Take your dog for a walk, pile on the layers and traipse through the snow. The longer you move, the less you think about food AND the more calories you extinguish.

4) Clean the house in slutty/sexy/trampy clothes. Crank up the iPod and prance around whilst washing dishes, vaccuming, making the bed. Its a work out and makes me feel better instantly.

My favorites: No Doubt-Bathwater, Killola- Wa Da We Da, The Beatles- Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da, Jason Mraz-Coyotes, Eve-Give It To You, All Time Low-Coffee Shop Soundtrack, Ashlee Simpson-LaLa, Lashes-Sometimes The Sun

5) Guzzle water; good for the skin, bowels, and keeps you full. Amen.

6) Book a trip to London.

I leave on the 29th and it's my motivation, not only to snag (snog?) a few Brits, but also to look back on the pictures and not think I was a complete cow.

Cheers!!

I had an embarrassing little mishap this morning. I wear a size 5 blue skinny jean that fits me perfectly, however I have an identical pair in black that mysteriously are much tighter, forever forcing me to suck in and squeeze throughout the day. Damn that shrinking black dye! Today was the last day I wear them until weight is lost. It was slightly crowded this morning on the subway, slightly as in everyone was nose to nose, breathing in each others breakfast. When the 68th street stop came and everyone stampeded out, I tripped and fell face first on the cold, wet, awful cement floor, exposing half my naked butt and my extra loveable love handles to the fellow subway goers. Mortified I shoved my way out of the underground, and raced to my Plagues and Humankind class. In lieu of paying attention I formed my plan, telling myself if I ever were to trip again, I want the crowds to applaud my bottom and not stomp all over me like a full price sweater-set on Black Friday.
    Beginning with food is a logical place to start. I am a vegan, which exes out animals and their products. This is a healthy start, yet certain foods have proven to be a dangerous weakness. I buy these lovely little Clif bars (just 250 calories!) which are perfect when I want something chocolate and gooey, however no one should eat them 4 times a day. The multiple trips to Whole Foods stops now! Another problem is I am entirely too heavy handed with olive oil, I drench my popcorn, pasta, and  potatoes in it, remembering all health magazine articles exclaiming how great it is for your skin!hair!LDL cholesterol levels! Going through a $12.89 bottle a week is a sign to take it easy and incorporate some kind of self control.

    As the weather begins to frost over, I’ve created my own recipe for chili to keep me warm. Just crushed tomatoes, beans and spices fills me up and is great for my body too; until I pile a 550 calorie bag of Frito chips on top. The combination is delectable but ludicrous in a diet. Until further notice I plan on eating my dinner sans corn chips and force myself to enjoy the un-processed pureness of it all.
    Even with all these well-intentioned eating plans, they wont do any good if your not burning it off, despite how little calories I shove in my mouth. As of now my only exercise comes from climbing up the 5 flights of stairs to my Brooklyn apartment, that and fighting my way through the sloth infested subways. I’ve never been a fan of workout videos or going to the gym; the video hosts are annoying and gym memberships are too expensive, especially when I only go for a week, after paying for six months. I prefer spending my time outside instead of boxed inside 4 walls anyway. Last week I had a free hour to kill, walked to Central Park, catching up with my sister on my cell phone. Out of nowhere I came across a living breathing, leash-less turkey; just two days before Thanksgiving. He was staring me down, sizing me up; I told my sister what was happening. “Tell him you’re not eating his family on Thursday!!” she shouted in my ear. Unsure how to react, I froze; after what seemed years he kind of sighed and walked away. Soon after i was exploring again, enjoying the trees and singing softly to my ipod. Long walks might be a nice addition to this this weight loss plan, and if I don’t have time to roam the park I’ll forgo the stress of the subway and walk a few blocks.

casey(left) and I, she's the sister who expected my death from random turkey

    An elliptical machine has been collecting dust in my living room for over 2 months. My roommate found it on her way home one day, and enlisted her boyfriend to help carry it to our apartment. Between the two of us we’ve used it maybe 7 times. Running just 20 minutes a day would help tone my body, especially my arms I’ve been hiding behind thick thermals and warm sweaters lately.
    This isn’t the most drastic weight loss plan anyone has ever created. But changing the size of your body isn’t something you should rush into. Starting slowly sets the foundation for everything and helps create lasting results; the last thing you want is to create unhealthy goals and end up sick. I’ve been there which resulted in gaining more weight then losing. So for now I’m off to a pretty good start, and when I get used to these changes I’ll add in some more, but for now I’m off to a pretty good start.

     Losing weight can be fun? Maybe? Ehh..I don’t think so.  Fun for me involves Chinese takeout, while sprawled on my soft green couch watching Seinfeld reruns with my roommate till we pass out. However, scrutinizing my ever expanding upper arms in an H&M dressing room illuminated in god awful fluorescent lighting is no fun either.
    There once was a time when I had no qualms about my body; I was skinny and happily devouring the contents of every refrigerator I came across without a second thought, or another pound. Life was good, spectacular actually; until I got my first period which presented me with breasts and hips of Beyonce proportions. No longer was I able to eat 5 bowls of mint chocolate chip ice cream without regretting it the following morning. I began to make up my own versions of exercise; violently "dancing" around my room till I sweated enough calories to make me think I would wake up in my old body again. Yet I’ve been arising to the same image I fell asleep worrying over for quite some time. Through it all I’ve grown to appreciate and accept my body; its just I have grandma arms, they never cease to wobble and shake when I command my dogs to “SIT!”; that and my poor stubby legs will forever need work, I’m not incredibly short, but my midget legs certainly are.

this is what i look like

    Wobbling grandmother arms.

I am on far right, sitting with my sisters and my ghastly thighs.

      Change is essential, and desperately needed as global warming progresses and the summer months get longer. For once I would like to clean my apartment in my Victoria Secret boy shorts and not want to burn my inner thighs off with every charred match I vacuum off the floor. 1,000 dollars is all the money I have saved since age 14, and I am prepared to bet every dime of it that I will lose 5 lbs by January 5th.  I’ve made myself these kinds of promises before (though not with money)and broken them so I’m adding insurance. If I fail the challenge, I vow to mail the check to my ex-boss, Theresa; a  blue cheese huffing, Hitler-aspiring, nasty old crone whom fired me 6 years ago because her favorite waitress didn’t like me. I’m slightly bitter.
    All kinds of ideas are swimming through my head as to how to lose the weight. Variety is essential, I get bored so easily I’ll have to be doing tons of different activities to keep me going. I am well aware I cannot revert to my prepubescent self, yet I’m sure I can improve my confidence and body in this small adventure of mine. It could be a little fun..maybe. Fingers crossed..