THE WORST SALADS!!!!!!

So after my bitching session last week, complaining about how I wanted to give up, I just said shut up Andrea... you've got this.. and moved on. So, back to bootcamp this morning, and boy was it a killer, if you don't know what burpee's are, you must learn, and you should try to do at least 10, and then maybe try 100 because we did WAY more then 100 today (the cards workout is not even a joke, it's a bitch, a big big ass kicking bitch).... Yeah, I'm badass I know. But the more burpees you do in a day, the more you can probably eat.. Brian burned over 1200 calories on this morning, which is how many calories I'm supposed to be eating in a day! Sheesh....

Anyways, I'm still waiting on weighing myself, I just really really REALLY don't want to. I just really don't. I like thinking I'm getting smaller, and then eventually in like 20 weeks ill get on the scale and say, wow yeah I'm so skinny now hahaha... Why can't scales just read "you've lost weight this week" or "you've gained weight this week, nice try, work harder next week" instead of telling you your actual weight? I need to invent that, someone write that down! 

We put up our christmas decorations Sunday and I realized a fun new way to track if I am getting smaller or not... it's called the, "Can we fit into a full size tupperware" method. Step 1) Get into a tupperware, preferably the standard storage bin size. Step 2) try to get in as small of a ball as possible. Step 3) have someone close it on you. Try this at the beginning of your weight loss, 8 weeks in and 16 weeks in, and see if there's any difference! WORKS LIKE A CHARM! HAHAHA. I'm almost there... take a look: 

 See, I'm almost there. HAHAHA. Come a few more weeks we will be able to close that container and I will feel like I've accomplished something! HAHAHAHA. So funny.

No but really. This is weird, I totally know. But I was walking into the bathroom this morning to change at work and I stopped and I looked in the mirror, and I said damn, I am swimming in this shirt, I'm actually looking smaller these days. (this is the weird part) I had HAD to document this for my own sake HAHA... I literally went back to my desk, grabbed my phone and snapped a pic. Because I was proud of myself. HAHA. I was actually feeling good for a minute. It felt nice to be swimming in my shirt. (still didn't feel awesome when we were doing jacks this morning my my flab was bouncing all over, but maybe soon that won't be a problem).

I've got 33 days till I have to be in front of my mom and my friends in a wedding dress, and I'm shit scared. I really really hate shopping, let alone shopping with people watching me. Honestly, and this might sound horrible, but you know when you go wedding dress shopping and you see these shows where the mom cries and is just like wow my daughter is so beautiful, I want my mom to be like that. She's already said that she's going to cry, but I want her to cry because I want her to say, damn, andrea is beautiful.. and I know, I know, I am beautiful no matter what size, but it would be awesome if I was beautiful because I was smaller than I am now.  I would feel more comfortable about the whole wedding dress experience if I was... blah... only a few more weeks, I can do it.. the other thing I'm scared about is finding a dress I really want to try, but not even being able to fit my left thigh in the thing.  Some dresses are just so small, and I'm just scared I won't fit into anything! All I want, is to be able to fit, and zip, into one dress, just one. That's all I ask wedding dress gods, let me fit into one! :)

Since I feel like I want to give something back to the people reading this blog, I read the other day about the 7 salads you should never EVER eat, and it's funny because you think you are eating something healthy, but it's SHIT. Read below, and watch out next time you're ordering a salad you think is good for you!!!!!!!!!

BY THE WAY, I started a facebook page so I could share more info and stuff on the page instead of doing it on my own personal page, so go ahead and like me if you want, if not, that's ok too, but I'll be sad. BAHAHAH https://www.facebook.com/fromthicktothin

7 SALADS YOU SHOULD NEVER EAT

7. #7: WORST BUFFALO-STYLE SALAD: Friendly’s Kickin’ Buffalo Chicken Salad
1,180 calories, 95 g fat (19 g saturated), 2,090 mg sodiumDon’t be fooled by the lettuce—it’s simply a foil for the hunks of deep-fried meat, oily wing sauce, cheese, and cream-based blue cheese dressing. This salad is, in fact, more damaging than the hot wings that inspired it. (It has 66 percent more calories than a full order of Applebee's wings!) Instead, opt for the tuna melt and salad combo, the sole menu option to keep both calories and sodium in check.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!
Half Tuna Supermelt and side salad with Italian dressing
450 calories, 25 g fat (5 g saturated), 1,190 mg sodium




6. #6: WORST TEX-MEX SALAD: Baja Fresh Steak Tostada Salad
1,230 calories, 63 g fat (17 g saturated, 2 g trans), 2,380 mg sodium
Props to Baja Fresh for introducing lower-calorie entrées like Bare Burritos and Baja Ensaladas, but that doesn’t excuse the more nefarious offerings like the 2,000-calorie nachos and this fat-drenched salad that comes served in a deep-fried tortilla receptacle. Don’t let the novelty suck you in. There’s still nothing better than the Original Baja Tacos paired with a side of fiber-rich beans.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!
Original Baja Steak Tacos (2) with Pinto Beans

632 calories, 17 g fat (4 g saturated), 972 mg sodium

5. #5: WORST CLASSIC SALAD: Outback Steakhouse Aussie Crispy Chicken Cobb Salad with Honey Mustard
1,288 calories, 98 g fat (32 g saturated, 2.2 g trans), 2,096 mg sodiumCobb might as well stand for “Corrupted by Oil, Bread & Bacon.” These iconic salads’ toppings include croutons, cheese, bacon, and an oft-fried protein, and they tend to be topped with heavier dressings. In the case of Outback, this salad contains more fat than 64 ounces—that’s four pounds—of the chain’s Victoria Filet. The Shrimp Caesar is the lightest salad on the menu, and it comes with 25 grams of lean protein.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!
Shrimp Caesar Salad
554 calories, 39 g fat (11 g saturated), 1,382 mg sodium

4. #4: WORST CRUSTED SALAD: Applebee’s Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad
1,360 calories, 80 g fat (17 g saturated, 1 g trans), 2,640 mg sodium
Nuts can be a great salad topping, but because they’re calorie-dense, they should be applied judiciously. Applebee’s does not adhere to this advice. With this salad, the chain adds both crushed nuts and sugar-coated pecans. In addition, it adds deep-fried chicken and fat-heavy bleu cheese dressing. The total damage is more than a full day’s recommended fat intake and 117 grams of carbohydrates. You’d have to be nuts to eat that.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!
Seasonal Berry & Spinach Salad (with chicken)
620 calories, 31 g fat (9 g saturated, 0.5 g trans), 1,610 mg sodium

3. #3: WORST “HEALTHY” SALAD: California Pizza Kitchen Moroccan Chicken Salad (full)
1,370 calories, 12 g saturated fat, 1,040 mg sodiumAt 116 grams, this salad has more carbohydrates than most of the pasta dishes on the menu. Then there’s the saturated fat. With the exception of the Sicilian or the Meat Cravers, you could eat half of any thin crust pizza on the menu and take in the same amount or less. Try the new Quinoa and Arugula Salad instead. Despite being a seed, quinoa supplies the same amino acids as meat, making it an excellent vegetarian source of protein.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!
Quinoa and Arugula Salad
607 calories, 5 g saturated fat, 872 mg sodium

2. #2: WORST SPINACH SALAD: IHOP Chicken & Spinach Salad
1,530 calories, 111 g fat (30 g saturated, 2 g trans), 2,400 mg sodium
This is the improved version. IHOP’s previous effort at this same salad had 1,600 calories. Call it progress? We don't either. Despite being 70 calories lighter, this plate still manages to fit in more calories than 5 McDonald’s Cheeseburgers, not to mention a day’s worth of sodium. And athough this salad is by far the worst of IHOP’s greens, the others are far from ideal: With the single exception of the Chicken Caesar Salad—ordered without chicken, that is—none of the chain’s dinner salads fall below 1,000 calories. You’d do better to play it safe and order off the Simple & Fit menu.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!
Simple & Fit Grilled Balsamic-Glazed Chicken (served with a salad)
440 calories, 22 g fat (3.5 g saturated), 940 mg sodium

1. #1: WORST SALAD IN AMERICA: Cheesecake Factory Santa Fe Chicken Salad
1,720 calories, 17 g saturated fat, 2,636 mg sodium
Tex-Mex salad iterations are rarely light, what with all the sour cream, guacamole, and creamy dressings. But wait—this salad can’t claim any of those usual culprits! The only two potentially troublesome toppings are cheese and tortilla strips, but how much damage could they possibly do? Well, based on these numbers—and the fact that their inclusion appears to be the main difference between the Santa Fe and the Skinnylicious salad below—a lot. Order accordingly.

EAT THIS INSTEAD!
Skinnylicious Spicy Chicken Salad
440 calories, 1 g saturated fat, 771 mg sodium

What I would tell my 12 year old self.

Lets first start out with this. I've been preaching in my blog about weight loss, and I use the word skinny all the time, but this morning I saw an Instagram from my college from Giuliva saying "being healthy and fit is so much more important than being skinny" and that's totally 100% true. All I want is to be healthy and in shape and along with that happening, drop some of these unwanted pounds. So, just so that you all know, I'm not trying to be Kendal Kardashian here (OMG have you SEEN how skinny she is. I mean girl eat a cheeseburger once and a while it won't kill you!) I just want to be at a healthy weight and in shape!

So, today... I wanted to give you guys an update on how much I lost so far, but I wasn't able to get to the gym yesterday to have Evie weigh me... yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.. really? Evie has to weigh you? Well, honestly, yes. The minute I look at the scale and see that dreaded number that I so very very much don't want to see, I get discouraged and want to quit. SO yeah, for now, until I've lost at LEAST 30-40 pounds, my eyes, will NOT be on a scale, and I will have to continue having Evie weigh me hahaha.... Childish, I know, but what are you going to do? I've come so far, I can't get discouraged now. So I will let you know maybe Monday whats been up - hopefully it's good! :) I want to know too!

Anyways... I've been thinking a lot on the train rides into work in the morning, and for some reason that whole idea of "What would you tell yourself if you could go back in time" came across my brain and I started thinking of some stuff as I go through this life style change that might have helped me not be as big as I am today...

Dear 12 year old Andrea......
A happy meal at McDonald's is not considered a "fully balanced meal" just because your burger has lettuce and onions on it and you're having orange hi-c doesn't mean you've hit all the food groups.

Don't stop playing basketball. The freshman 15 will hit, and you will regret not being on a collegiate sports team.

You might be bigger than all the other 12 year olds, but you are still beautiful and never forget that.

Watching the kids on saved by the bell or full house play outside on tv does not count as YOU playing outside.

That piece of candy you begged your parents to eat after each dinner WILL come back to haunt you when you are trying on prom dresses. You're hips WILL lie.

Just because you have a "double chin" doesn't mean you can't be in photos. You'll want to remember those days.

Less POG playing, more rollerblading.

Your dad WILL stop commenting on your weight. Well actually, scratch that, your 28 now and he still hasn't. :-P

No matter what you think about yourself, what you look like, how many friends you have, how many sleepovers you are invited to, or not invited to, you are a truly amazingly beautiful person and even though you aren't a size 0 at JCPennys, it doesn't matter because your life will be great and middle and high school are just a bump in the road and come college, your life will begin.

And lastly, stop eating Mario's pizza so much, yeah it's AH-MAZING but come your wedding day and after all the work you had to get to to fit into a size 8 dress, you will regret it :)

I wonder if the 12 year old me would bitch slap me and say GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF after I told her all this?!??

Happy Friday Friends!

Why isn't weight loss instant?!?

I don't know what's worse, sitting next to a women on the VRE who wore entirely WAY TOO MUCH perfume, or realizing all the hard work you are doing won't make you hit your goals overnight.

No really though, think hard, it's wayyyyy too much perfume haha.

Anyways, I had a moment of weakness yesterday... I was emailing with my mom and realized that D Day, aka, dress trying on day is only probably 7 weeks away and yeah, I know I'm making improvements but shit, sometimes I'm like, all this work and its not coming off fast enough. I know I know like I said before, this isn't a race it's a marathon and its going to take time so you have to be patient. My biggest fault is that my patience is basically at a big whopping 0. I have none, zip, zilch, zero. So waiting to drop more sizes so that I can actually try on the sample sizes they have at the store, sucks. To the point where I was even emailing my mom saying I really don't even want to go, because honestly, the tears in my eyes the day I try on those dresses are going to be those of sadness bc ill feel like I haven't lost enough weight, not years of excitement or happiness. I know I know that isn't the way I should feel but it's hard to always be positive about such a drastic goal.

I'm not even kidding this chicks perfume is giving me a headache haha breathing through my nose just isn't cutting it. Haha.

I sit here and I'm like I've been going to the gym for 11 weeks straight why am I not a size 8 yet hahaha. Yeah sure i went shopping this weekend and finally fit into normal sized clothes but thats not good enough yet. If it were only that easy. (Vanishing into a size 8 that is) I wish I had better will power, because when I think like that then I feel like i should eat my feelings, but thankfully I don't haha. I wish I could eat my feelings but I can't do that anymore. What I would do for a bacon egg and cheese right now haha.

I know ill never be a twig, I'm always going to be a bigger girl because these tree trunks for bones aren't getting any skinnier, but its so hard to always be positive about it. What I like about the gym is I always feel like I get positive reinforcement from them, and maybe that's why I love going there so much but at the same time we are all there for similar reasons and of course there isn't going to be negativity. If I could just go throughout my day with my gym friends by my side letting me know that every little things, gonna be alright.... (Sing it) then it would be much better haha but that's not realistic. And at the same time I shouldn't need people to life me up. I should be able to do it on my own, I should be able to be strong and not worry that I'm not dropping fast enough but easier said then done, right ?

At the end of all of this, after I walk down the aisle and realize I've hit all my goals I'm sure ill look back at this post and say hey, look, you did it... But for now, it's a daily struggle.

So, since I'm doing bootcamp here's a fun workout I found online, it's like bootcamp but we do 5 rounds and go for an hour, but even doing this 5 times a week for 20 minutes is better than nothing.

http://m.self.com/fitness/workouts/2012/02/insanity-workout-slideshow

Insanity Workout - Do each of these 6 moves for 1 minute without stopping between exercises. After you've completed 1 round, rest for 60 seconds, then go again. Perform the circuit 3 times (20 minutes & done!) 2 days in a row. Take a rest day & repeat.

And last but not least I'm all about these inspirational quotes now.

Have a great day!!!!!

8 weeks down, a lifetime to go....

Looks like I'm going to have to keep writing this blog people, because clearly, my job is FAR from over.

The big question is why...? Why??? BECAUSE. I DONT WANT TO LOOK LIKE THIS ANYMORE! (see right below)

Our 8 week CRANK class has now come to and end... and as I sit here and look back on when I started this whole thing, and not even just 8 weeks ago, but like from the beginning of this blog.. I look at the fact that I did 4 week cleanses, or I did a WEEK of working out, but today, I can say, I watched what I ate, and I worked out for 8 weeks straight. Besides playing sports in school, that's the longest I've gone, post college, that I have ever been in a gym, and I'm not stopping. What's Next? 8 weeks of bootcamp. So in 8 more weeks I'll be writing talking about how I made it thru 16 WEEKS of working out... and so on, and so on. I think a lot of it has to do with the people I work out with at RTB, and my friends who graciously sit here and read my horrible writing, and listen to me bitch and complain, but still send me those supportive text's, or facebooks, or emails.... It's YOU guys, and a little bit of dedication on my part, that has gotten me through the beginning (and I believe hardest) part of this journey.

The hardest part for me has always been getting over that 2 week hump - finding time to get to the gym, and finding a place where I'm happy and I feel comfortable.... but I've learned, if you want to meet your goals (and unfortunately, mine take a lot more work then most) you have to make it part of your life. Make it a priority, and make it one of those things you just have to do everyday... I used to just, eat, work, sleep, hangout... now, eat, sleep, work, WORKOUT... It obviously sucks... because I don't have the time that I used to have for my friends, or for Juan..... just last night he was telling me how he's happy for me, but he misses me, and misses that we don't hang out as much.. and that hurts. It's the hardest part of this whole thing... trying to better yourself, without hurting the ones you love. Especially for me I think, because i'm not just trying to lose the weight so that I'm healthy and skinny for everyday life.. but I'm newly engaged, and am trying to meet specific goals for my wedding, so it's like, one, I'm doing this for me, for our day, but two, it's hurting my relationship. Unfortunately, I can't force anyone to come workout with me, Juan and I from day 1 have had different ways of dropping pounds, and we are pretty much stuck to our ways.. .he does his thing, I do mine. Thats just the way the cookie crumbles my friends... and it sucks. It's not that he doesn't support me, that's not true in any way, it's just hard, and I understand that.

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

Last night I met with Brian (the owner of RTB) and we talked about diet and nutrition - and we are going to be taking it to a level that I haven't taken it before. Well, actually, I retract that... the "detox" I used to do, is a lot similar to what my diet will be from here on out, but I think it's going to be harder this time. I really learned what I should and should NOT be eating... because it's so hard for women's bodies to lose the weight, since we were built to have some chub and be baby makers, there are tons of things that we think are OK for our body, that really aren't. And last night, I learned a lot about it... And like Brian said, this isn't a "diet" this is changing your eating habits to give you a healthy life. And I believe that. I think the problem with a lot of these quick loss weight loss programs is that you do them for a year or so but you aren't training yourself how to eat healthy for life... you are training yourself how to be healthy for your immediate goals... I really have a much better sense now on what this banana is doing to my body instead of just, I'm going to eat it since it's a fruit. It's really pretty cool.

What does this mean though? It means again, less socializing, more working out and eating right. If I am going to achieve such radical goals in one year, this is what is going to have to happen... and hopefully my friends won't get pissed, and won't be upset with me, but instead, will go on a bike ride, or take a boot camp class with me... but see that I need to do this, I can't step off track by going to the bar one night and skipping the gym... that this is my life right now, and hopefully you will be there with me along the road... Does this sound selfish of me? Of course... but honestly, I've been a good friend, for a long time, and I was always the YES girl, YES I'll go drink, YES I'll party all night, YES I'll eat that whole cheese PIZZA ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! haha... But I can't do that anymore.. plain and simple... And stop making me trying to eat a whole cheese pizza when I'm drunk, I won't do it! HAHAHAHA..

This doesn't mean I'm going to be lame, shit ass boring, Andrea... I'm still planning on going on my trips, I'm still planning on going out and such - but I'm just changing some of the habits that I had in the past, to reach my goal in the future.

SO AFTER ALL THIS - AFTER 8 WEEKS - I know it might not sound huge to you guys, but I lost over 12 inches on my body - 4 1/2 in my bust, and 4 1/2 in my waist to point out the big ones... and 10 pounds! A normal, healthy weight loss is a pound a week, and yeah, that sounds like not a ton, but it's healthy weight off that I will keep off!

I couldn't be happier... (well, I could, not thinking about everything I'm about to give up as far as FOOD YUM YUM FOOOOOOOD) but, really... I say this again, I couldn't have done this without you guys... without the trainers at RTB, without Juan... and this is only the beginning!

I also think about the things I COULDN'T do in the past, and the things I want to do...

• I couldn't wear a north face jacket unless it was dudes, because a womens didn't fit me. 
• I couldn't wear sweet ass snowboarding gear bc again, the women's stuff didn't fit me... 
• I couldn't fit into a blazer because it wouldn't fit around my sides and button -- (my arms are still an issue, but I'm sure those will start shrinking soon as well) 
• I couldn't shop at awesome stores like GAP/AE/ATL without shopping online in their "Large Sizes"
• I couldn't fit into most XL Nike workout pants... 
• I couldn't even really fit comfortably in a plane seat...

All these things are now I CAN'S... we are getting there, slowly but surely... but I'm about to buy my first North Face winter jacket, and some new snowboarding gear that isn't MENS for this upcoming season... I love being able to say, finally... I can get this stuff... And eventually I will have all the problems skinny people have with shopping and such - more problems like - I can't find this in my color, or this might be too big, can I get a smaller size, or even, these are too small, can I get a larger size! Because up till now, I've ALWAYS BEEN THE LARGEST SIZE! haha

So, after all that, I leave you with this today... THANK YOU. If you are reading this, I have to THANK YOU... and because if I can finally do it... ANYONE can do it...

Well, I'll leave you this as well -
From our friends at Dashing Dish:

Carmel Apple Pie Protein Shake!!!!!! Yum.
Ingredients

1/2 cup	Fat free cottage cheese 1
1	Scoop vanilla protein powder 2
1/2 cup	Apple chopped fine, or 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 tsp	Caramel extract (or 2 tbs sugar free butterscotch pudding mix)
1/2 tsp	Apple or pumpkin pie spice
Dash	Cinnamon
5-10	Ice cubes (Depending on how thick you like it, use less for a thinner consistency)
1/2-1 cup	Water (Alter this according to desired consistency)
Optional:	1/2 tsp xanthan gum 3, 1/2 tsp butter extract

¹ Cottage cheese may sound strange, but TRUST me… this is what makes the ‘MILKSHAKE’ consistency! Also, if you are sensitive to dairy, you can use tofu to get the same consistency!

² I use Designer Whey Protein powder. (I WOULD SUBSTITUTE THIS WITH Vitol Egg White Protein Ice Cream Vanilla -- 12 oz (LINK HERE)) It has 100 calories per scoop. I buy the vanilla flavor because it’s a good base to add whatever flavors you want to make. It is also all natural. You can buy it from Kroger, GNC, Trader Joe’s, Amazon, or Netrition.com.

³ You can get xanthan gum from most grocery stores in the gluten free section! Just a pinch of it makes your shake so thick and creamy!

Nutrition Breakdown

1	Serving
213	Calories per Shake
0 g	Fat
16 g	Carbohydrate
2 g	Fiber
10 g	Sugar
36 g	Protein
5	WWP+*

WORDS TO LIVE BY:

Suck it up and Suck it In!

Happy Thursday folks! It's been a while, but man, have things changed. It's so funny to me how I have done a complete 180 since my whole workout kick began 7 weeks ago. 

First, HILARIOUS... Let me tell you, I often sit there and tell myself, SUCK IT UP ANDREA, but don't forget to suck it in. My whole ENTIRE life, I have sucked my gut in. You wouldn't believe how big I really am if I let my chub go. As I sit here writing this post, I'm letting my suck in, out, and it feels weird!!! I've just naturally sucked in for probably 20 years, that when I'm skinny enough to not have to suck in, it's going to be hilarious! Not sure why I got on this topic, but yeah... Anyways.

So, back to this whole 180 degree change thing. Before I started this whole workout/diet thing, all I ever wanted to do was go to work, come home, relax, watch TV, or hang out with friends.... now, all I want to do is GO TO THE GYM! I am pumped. The gym I go to is amazing, and the classes I take, are amazing, and even after 7 weeks, after every class, I can't move. I'm sore in places I didn't know had muscles, and its hard for me to wake up the next morning. I literally get depressed now if I don't go to the gym almost everyday. I think that's so funny. I go from party girl, Andrea, to workout girl, Andrea. As fun as it has been, it's also been a struggle. People are different towards me now, they get upset with me, they can't just be happy for me... and then there are some people, I'm not going to name names, but I'm going to vent, that mock me, tell me how great of a job I am doing, and then lie straight to my face about things.. STOP, you are so annoying. You are pissing me off. This is not a f'ing joke to me. I have NEVER been skinny, EVER, in my whole entire life, and you doing these things that you are doing, it's making me mad. It's the most annoying thing when you work so damn hard at something, and others just mock and lie. I'm not doing this to just drop a few pounds, I'm doing this so that for once in my life, when I walk in front of 300 people, I don't feel like a fat ass, I don't feel like everyone is looking at ME because I'm the fat kid in the room. I'm doing this to make sure that I'm around for a long time, when my kids are having kids, and my kids kids are having kids. So stop, don't lie to me. Stop making this a game or a joke. Because it's not for me. 

Wow, anyways, rant over... Again, Andrea... SUCK IT UP. Stop the bitching. But unfortunately, it's hard to feel good when others are making you feel angry or mad. My new gym friends are awesome. I never feel like I'm annoying them with my questions (well maybe I'm just annoying them with my facebook posts in our RtB groups, but I'm just so excited to see results and be part of this AMAZEBALLS family...), I always feel like they are pushing me to do my best, and it just makes me feel a MILLION times better. I've never been one for gyms, I always feel self conscious, I feel like the meat heads stare at the over weight chick and say, "yep, she def needs to be in here", it's just not my thing... and when I stepped out of our small group at Crank and stepped into a larger group in boot camp, I felt fine. I felt like no matter what I look like, I fit in. I even wore SLEEVELESS SHIRTS! Omg, for you that know me the closest, you know that me wearing sleeveless shirts is like UNHEARD of. hahahaha... But for real, yes, I like working out, but I think the bigger picture is that I like working out with the people I have been working out with, they make me feel good about myself, and cheer me on for trying to do what I'm doing.... I just love it... I thank them for that, they will never really truly understand how appreciative I am of all of them over there at RtB, you will be the reason that I walk down that aisle next fall looking amazing... 

So we only have 2 classes left of the 8 weeks of CRANK and I will finally find out how much I have lost over this process... Its hard to believe that 8 weeks have passed, and yeah, it might not show that I have dropped a ton but I feel amazing, and its getting me geared up for the next 8 weeks of intense bootcamp. I am happy about that. Hopefully, come December when I am trying on dresses, I will finally see all the results that I have been working so hard at trying to achieve.

OH by the way - I'm down to a L/XL top and a 14/16 bottom! Slowly but surely I am getting there.... (down from XXL and 18/20)

Alright, enough for now - but let me leave you with an awesome quote, and a recipe since I don't want you guys to listen to me bitch the whole time, I actually want you to get something out of this blog!!!!

RECIPE TIMEEEEE!!!  

I found this amazing recipe this morning on Dashing Dish - It's for Skinny, buffalo chicken bites!! I cannot WAIT to try these. 

1 cup	Chicken, cooked and shredded
1/4 cup	Hot sauce
1/2 cup	Mozzarella cheese, grated
4 oz	Fat free cream cheese, microwaved 30 seconds to soften
1/4 tsp	Garlic powder
1/4 tsp	Onion powder
24	Wonton wrappers
Optional:	Additional mozzarella cheese for topping Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet pan with foil or parchment paper (for easy clean up) and spray with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, hot sauce, mozzarella cheese, and seasoning.  Add the shredded chicken and stir until well combined. Begin filling the wonton wrappers by placing about a tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. You could use a little more or less, just try not to over-fill them, or the filling will ooze out the sides when you are baking them. To seal them shut, place your finger in the water…Then trace two of the corners with the water. Fold the wrapper in half to meet the two dry corners with the two wet corners. Press to seal the two sides together. (Note: the water acts like glue to seal the corners shut!) Continue filling until all of my wonton wrappers are filled. (Note: You may be able to fill even more than 24 wrappers depending on how much filling you use in each one!) When wonton wrappers are filled, give them a light spray with non-stick cooking spray and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese over the top of each one if desired. Lay buffalo chicken bites on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown. Enjoy with hot sauce, or light greek yogurt mixed with dry ranch seasoning!

My best friends wedding....

WELL, I know it's been a while since I've wrote, but I had a longggg weekend this weekend which did NOT include being on the computer! :)

I am very lucky to not only have an amazing cousin, but a best friend as well. My cousin Sarah got married this weekend, and it was probably one of the best weddings and weekends I've had! Sarah is such an amazing person, and Brendan, her new husband (and my amazing new cousin) couldn't be a better fit for her, or for our family! :) (he's also an amazing writer with his blog, doublecoverage.com thats been picked up by FOX sports. ((one day I'll be like him and thousands will be reading my amazingly lame stories on this blog HAHAHAA)). Anyways.... I couldn't have been happier to be a part of their day, weekend, and be a part of the rest of their lives together!

Going into this weekend I was kind of freaking out. If you ask Jenny at the gym, I was soooooo worried about the fact that this weekend I a) wasn't going to be working out, and b) wasn't going to be watching what I was eating or drinking. It's kind of hilarious, because in the past, I couldn't have given two shits about either of those things. I would have just been like... YESSSS let's get wasted, and who the hell works out? But now, I'm like really conscious about making sure that I'm putting the right things in my body and working out hard core. I think it's because I'm finally seeing results, and I know, I KNOW, finally, I can do this, and I love doing it. For example, (seeing results), this asshole, didn't think too much about my bridesmaids dress for the wedding. I probably got it back from the tailor 2- 2 1/2 weeks ago, maybe 3, and I'm sitting there, we are all getting dressed and Sam goes to zip me up and she's like, "Andrea, this is big", and I'm like shut up, this is perfect, (or at least it was when I tried it on a few weeks ago).... NOPE, that dress was huge. I didn't fill it out anymore. MY ta-ta's were FALLING OUT! So yeah, I mean, it was awesome, I was like, YESSSSS I'm dropping inches and lbs like I should, but we had a bigger problem, unless we got this under control, everyone at this wedding was going to see a show when I was cutting a rug out on the dance floor later that night, or worse, at CHURCH! Hahahahha... so I feel like we had a double edged sword here. On one hand, I was excited to be losing, but on the other, I looked like a mess HAHA. And I'm pretty sure, even if I ate a whole pizza hut pizza in that hour we had to kill, I still wasn't going to fill out my dress. HAHAHAHA... Thank god for Sarah's new sister-in-law, and our new cousin, Meghan, we found a solution, and I stuffed about a million safety pins into my purse just in case I popped a few with my amazing dance moves later that night. Crisis averted, phew. It was funny though, I remember running over to Meghan a few times that night with my arm up, safety pin in hand, saying PLEASE HELP... hahaha, I don't know how I would have gotten through that night without you, and for that, I thank you Meghan McKinnon~!!!!! XOXOX. But watching Sarah, walk down the aisle, so amazing in her GORGEOUS dress, and me not being able to fit in mine, just made me think, this is a marathon, not a sprint, and in a year, I am going to look just as amazing as her, and I couldn't be happier.

So, onto my 2nd worry of the weekend, my eating and drinking. Now, I have been doing pretty well. I am super strict during the week, only doing my shakes and a protein at lunch, and I'm fine, it's great. But what am I going to do when theres all of my favorite foods around, like bagels with cream cheese, and french fries, and mashed potatoes, and to top it all off, ALCOHOL! hahaha... I mean let's be real here... I'm not going to NOT drink this weekend. hahaha... Again, the funny thing is, before this whole diet, if I drank all day, if I mixed different types of alcohol, I felt like shit by like 9pm, like hungover shit, it was crazy too me. But now, I can drink all day, drink CHAMPS, BEERS, VODS AND WADS, anything, and I'm amazing... I drank so much this weekend (sorry gym people), but thankfully it was mostly Vods and Wads with a few beers, and probably a few bottles of champs HAHA... but man, I did NOT feel like shit at all... it was great, it honestly makes me want to workout and eat healthy all the time because it totally makes drinking that much better! hahahaha.... as far as eating went this weekend, I think I did ok. I still had a Isagenix shake a day, and instead of having 10 bagels while we were getting our hair done I only had 1, and over the weekend I kept the junk food to a minimum. Sarah and Brendan did an amazing thing and got a large group together and took us all to the Phillies/Braves game and had an open bar, and burgers and dogs, and I clearly had all of that, but other then that (oh, and the baked potato soup I made on Sunday, WOOOPS), I was actually pretty good.

Sarah is one of my biggest supporters, making sure I stick with it, listening to me complain, and reading this horrible blog, and I love her for that. I am so glad that this weekend went over so well, and it's Monday morning and I'm back on track. I was so worried that I would go back to the way things were after not being in the gym the whole weekend or eating perfect, but no, I'm fine, and cheating on your diet once and a while, isn't the end of the world.

(as I mentioned, I made baked potato soup last night, I didn't make it the super healthy way, so I will give you 2 recipes, one healthy, one, meh. hahaha

HEALTHY:

Baked Potato Soup from SkinnyTaste!
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 5 • Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 207.6 • Fat: 7.8 g • Carb: 22.5 g • Fiber: 2.4 g  • Protein: 11.9 g

• 2 russet potatoes, washed and dried
• 1 small head of cauliflower, stem removed cut into florets
• 1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups 1% reduced-fat milk
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 10 tbsp reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 6 tbsp chopped chives, divided
• 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (you can use turkey bacon if you prefer)

Pierce potatoes with a fork; microwave on high for 5 minutes turn over and microwave another 3 - 5 minutes, until tender. Or if you prefer to use your oven, bakeat 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes.

Meanwhile, steam cauliflower with water in a large covered pot until tender. Drain and return to pot. On medium heat, add chicken broth, milk, potatoes and bring to a boil. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Add sour cream, half the chives, salt and pepper and cook on low another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat. Ladle 1 cup soup into each bowl. Top each serving with 2 tbsp cheese, remaining chives, and bacon.


NOT SO HEALTHY BUT AMAZING:

• 4 baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) 
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces) 
• 6 cups 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese, divided 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream 
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
• 6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled 
• Cracked black pepper (optional)
• 
  
• Preparation
• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Pierce potatoes with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Peel potatoes; coarsely mash.
• Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place flour in a large Dutch oven; gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 8 minutes). Add mashed potatoes, 3/4 cup cheese, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat.
• Stir in sour cream and 1/2 cup onions. Cook over low heat 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 8 bowls. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons onions, and about 1 tablespoon bacon. Garnish with cracked pepper, if desired.

OK THATS IT FOR NOW, 

XOXOXOXOXOX  (me and my amazing family below!)

Gangnam Style... is my new favorite.

And to top it all off omg this VIDEO below of a wedding - Can we do this at our wedding?!?!?! PLEASE?!?!?!?! hahahaha - I'm going to get skinny AND have this song at my wedding!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2201998/Gangnam-style-Couple-create-hilarious-wedding-video-based-YouTubes-biggest-K-pop-hit.html?openGraphAuthor=%2Fhome%2Fsearch.html%3Fs%3D%26authornamef%3DEmma%2BReynolds&videoPlayerURL=http%3A%2F%2Fc.brightcove.com%2Fservices%2Fviewer%2Ffederated_f9%3FisVid%3D1%26isUI%3D1%26publisherID%3D1418450360%26playerID%3D72484359001%26domain%3Dembed%26videoId%3D&hasBCVideo=true&BCVideoID=1783230339001

I'm Engaged - AKA time to get SURRRIOUS!!!!!

Alright friends... as all of you know, a big event happened in my life a few weeks ago... Juan popped the question and we are now engaged!! YAYYYYYY... yay... so happy - so super happy for a number of reasons... 1) Because I get to marry my best friend 2) because I finally get to plan the wedding I've been planning on pinterest for years 3) did I mention I get to marry my best friend? 4) all the other sappy things that go along with the commitment of putting a ring on it... but you know the WORST thing about getting engaged??? I finally have to get my ass in gear, get serious, and finally put fruit back on the major food groups pyramid and take pizza OFF! BOOOOOO!

Let's face it. I have one seriously hot bridal party... and I don't want be the fat bride around all my super hot bridesmaids... I don't want to look like this: (where my arms are ummmmm 5 times the size of Jo's). hahaha

I want to look skinny and beautiful like THIS:

So MONDAY, (notice how I didn't say today) starts my journey to honestly, no excuses, being skinny. Can I just tell you, I have no excuses. I have 2 gym memberships, I just bought a living social for 40$ for a month of classes at LA Boxing, AND I have a wonderful trainer friend that is starting her bootcamp that she wants me to take... really, there are no excuses. 

But till Monday, I am going to enjoy myself and my pizza, and my fatty foods because not only am I going to commit myself to Juan for the rest of my life, I am going to commit myself to get skinny till my wedding (and keep it off till I die! hahaha). 

So wish me luck, and obviously, I will blogging all about it along the way.. the good, the bad, the ugly. 

But for now, read this awesome article on 6 foods that will keep you skinny - you will be surprised what foods are in there!!! 

XOXOX-
ANDREA