Danielle’s Journey

So classes begin tomorrow and I am super excited!  I love school because it is like a sanctuary from real life for me.  I am a music major (a vocalist) and I want to one day be a music therapist, but that will come after the bachelor’s and master’s degrees.  O_O  However, I have always found music therapeutic and enjoyable on a personal level, learning everything about it just makes it even more fun.  However, that does not make it easy.  I am going to be in Music History II…scariest class (aside from college algebra)…ever created.  Cue the scary music…lol…but I am sure I can do well.  See as a music major I have to cram 22 credit hours into each semester in order to graduate like a normal human being.  However, I am taking only about 17 this semester to stay healthy.  I am choosing health over how long I have to be in school.  I am excited to also start integrating a normal workout into my days this semester!  ^_^

Thanks for being so real with me everyone…I know this blog is a little random…but I am just writing what I feel tonight!  I love you all because you are so real with me…I feel like I have known you all for years and that is a wonderful feeling!  Never lie to me, true friends stab you in the face…I appreciate that…I love it.  I need tough love and support and I have never found anything but that here!  Thank you ladies!!  WILDCATS FOREVER!!  VIVA LA VIDA!!  ^_^

Classes are starting up again this coming Tuesday for me and I am a little worried about how well I will do!  O_O  I am going to blog everyday and stay on track though I know there is at least one thing I can control and that is losing weight!  I WANT THIS!!  I want to be able to train my little brain to fit exercise into my “way too busy” schedule.  Sometimes I think the only reason I do not make time for the gym is because I “pretend” that I am too busy.  But really is there any such thing as being too busy for myself?  NOPE!  ^_^  I am really serious about making this a lifestyle change!  Look at me!  I have already lost seven pounds!!  GO ME!!  Sorry I needed to have a little party for myself.  LOL

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fit exercise into an already packed schedule?  How do you guys set aside time for working out??

…I hate “that time of the month”!  Sorry about my weird and motivation lacking blog yesterday!  I was just being a downer on everything but today I had a great day in the diet world and had my butt kicked at the gym.  I learned two things I am out of shape and was not utilizing my time the way I should be while working out!  Both of these things make me want to push myself as hard as I can in the future.  It is not easy finding time to workout while taking college classes and working part time on top of that but I decided today that I need to make time for myself.  I want to use that “me time” to really make my body the best that it can be.

One of my really good friends just had her first baby today and she had some complications because of her weight.  I don’t want to go through that when I decide to get married and have kids someday…I want to be healthy.  I think my eyes opened up a little bit, because I had never experienced something like this before.  No one close to me has ever had a baby or a complication because of weight.  Now I see…and it hit close to home.  No more being out of shape for me!

Also has anyone ever tried mixing Emergen-C powder into there water.  It is vitamin c which you can add to water…just wondering if it works?  Good luck everyone!

…my motivation has been lacking and there just really is not much else I can say.  I think it has just been a rough past couple of days.  I have not gained any weight…I just have this anxious, “I am not sure I can really do this thought”, creeping into the back of my skull.  Have any of you ever felt this way?  Am I alone?  I just don’t know what has been wrong with me the past couple of days.  I do not mean to seem like a downer…but I just need to get out of my funk…what should I do?  I trust your advice!

I have been able to stay with my diet and tomorrow I am meeting with a personal trainer who is going to help me work out a work out plan I can use while I am taking classes.  My goal is I would like to lose 20 pounds by April and another 20 by July.  I am not sure it will actually happen, but I would really like to try.  Sorry I have not been on for the past couple of days…it has just been a little rough.  I have missed you guys!

So far so good…another pound melted off today and I was thrilled because I was not sure if what I was doing to loose the weight was good or not.  Six pounds total down and I am very excited!!  ^_^  I have not had this kind of success in my life before and the coolest thing about it is I am doing it with a diet plan I created.  LOL  Not just a fad diet or exercise regimen (which I have tried many in the past) and it just feels good!  In fact I feel less bloated and tired and I had an epiphany yesterday when I realized I was full.  Not over-stuffed or uncomfortable, just full and I quit eating.  It has been so long since I realized what that felt like and I decided I never want to stop feeling it.

Thank you Wildcats!  Without all of you I would have probably already binged, quit and given up by now!  You ladies are amazing!  Every single one of you and you are all so very inspirational!!  ^_^  Also thank you to all of my non-wildcat buddies!  You guys are amazing too!

A quick update on my friend in ICU: She is doing much better and should be able to be transported to a physical therapy hospital in the next few days!  ^_^  We are all very excited!

Have a great new years everyone!  Be safe!

I was terrified going into the holiday season especially when it came to my diet.  I really wanted to splurge and I managed to lose a pound!  Me!  Me?  I could not believe my own self control and I am proud of myself for having it.  I have a new goal…I want to master the art of knowing when I am truly full and forcing myself to stop eating when I get to that point.  I truly believe it will make me feel better and more healthy.

It has been hard to exercise outdoors because of all the snow up here (nearly 20 inches).  But I have done so many circles of walking around my apartment I think I bore a hole in the floor.  LOL  :)  I also used the indoor stairs to get some cardio in.  I am starting the exercise slow because I have not done it in so long I need to train my body how to exercise again.

I had a good Christmas family and gift wise.  I gave many gifts and received what I had asked for, but I feel better giving then receiving.  My boyfriend and I had a short vacation which was nice and I got to see my family.  ^_^  However, it has also been difficult because a good friend of mine was involved in a major car accident the day before Christmas Eve and she ended up having a shattered pelvis and a ruptured stomach and large intestine.  She had to go into immediate surgery and spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day in the ICU.  She is only 18 years old and this has been difficult for her family, herself, and we her friends.  However, she is feeling a little bit better and is able to breath on her own as well as eat a few ice chips every once and a while.  It is going to be a very long road to recovery, however, I know she can do it.  Any prayers or thoughts would be great, though.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  ^_^  I am not sure how much I will be able to be here in the next couple of days, however, I really will try hard to get back here and blog!!  ^_^

Hello Buddies!!  I want to wish all of you a wonderful holiday and happy new year!  I am not sure how much I will be able to be on in next few days but I will try!  :)  I really will!  Good luck and God bless!!

Sorry for my absence the past couple of days everyone but it snowed enough up here in Portland in the last 36 hours we lost power!  O_O  I KNOW!  But it is really pretty!  See there is an upside to every situation.  I am staying with my boyfriend and his family this evening because I still have no power, but he and I walked down to a local library so I could send in my weight and losses for the week and check my inbox, etc.  I only have a short twenty minutes so I will have to keep this brief tonight.

Overall for the week I lost 2 pounds and kept it off all week!!  That is 4 pounds I have lost all together since I started on buddyslim!!  ^_^  I AM EXCITED!!  Whoot!!  I am also very grateful to all of the wonderful people in the Wildcat group!  I have found my home!!  THANK YOU LADIES!!!  And a special thank you to Miss Nancy for inspiring me from the beginning and asking me to join the group!  You rock girl!!  ^_^

I love watching the snow…I just don’t like driving in it!  EEK!  In fact I consider myself a great snow driver I just worry about all the people driving around me.  O_O

I walked today for an hour and a half and I worked for 3 and 1/2 hours.  Was on my feet the whole time.  I did not do any cardio today other then walking, however, that was more walking then I normally do.  I have felt better today as well.  However, my throat is still a little sore and my lymph nodes are soooo beyond swollen.  LOL  :eek:  BUT I will persevere!  I hope everyone else is feeling better and having a good week!!

I feel like I had an amazing day and hope I start feeling better soon because feeling under the weather is never a fun thing.  I am going to bed with every intention of not sleeping in too late tomorrow…lol…we shall see if that happens.  ^_^

I was not able to workout today like I had originally planned to, but that is because I woke up with a cold. I have asthma so it would have been a bit detrimental to my health and I would have become winded far too easily. However, I did go to work for 3 hours and was on my feet staying active the entire time. For a day like today I think that was enough exercise. I felt good after work, like I accomplished something healthy and worthwhile, which is always a good feeling. Overall, I was pleased with my day both on a diet level and exercise level.

I am going to get up early tomorrow morning and do a workout tape.  I can’t go for a walk because it is very, very cold outside and it is supposed to snow again tomorrow.  However, I have a treadmill in my apartment so I think I will walk for about an hour.  If my cold has subsided I will try and jog for a bit too.  I am excited about working out in the morning, I think it will be fun.  I have a friend who gave me some of her old workout dvd’s so I have tons of things to try everything from turbo jam to Jillian Micheals.  EXCITING!!

On the topic of exercise…could anyone give me some different things I could do at home that are at a beginning level besides my dvd’s and treadmill walking?  I thought about doing a push-up or sit-up challenge or both?  What is a good number to begin with?  I am a bit of a novice when it comes to adult exercise…any suggestions or words of advice would be wonderful!!  ^_^