The Secret's In The Telling

Okay, it's time to let the cat out of the bag. Much like my bestie Amy divulged a secret food affair, it's my turn. Only my husband really truly knows the extent of my habit. It's bad.

Cereal.

Go ahead and laugh, but you don't understand. I'm not talking an addiction to Raisin Bran or Special K.... oh no. It's full-blown, sugary and bad for you, designed for kids cereal. And I eat it by the BOWLFUL.

Malt-O-Meal is my brand of choice. Because of the cost, and of course it's actually very good tasting! At Dollar Tree, I can get a 10-12oz bag for only $1. Now, according to the package, a serving is only 3/4cup. 

HAH!!

You have no idea. MY bowls are at least 2 1/2-3c worth. And sometimes I go back for a second bowl.

My breakfasts, instead of being full of protein and lean fats, are instead filled with sugar, calories, and VERY LITTLE PROTEIN. Which is probably why I feel like SHIT after eating even 1 bowl.

2/3c of Chocolate Marshmallow Mateys = 120 calories (of just cereal, not counting milk)
2 1/2c would then equal.... 360 calories (and 4.5g of FAT!!) and only 4g of protein.


If I take the same approach and eat say, a bowl of Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal....
1 packet makes about 1 1/4c of oatmeal. and is only 160 calories (but 2g of fat) (BUT 4g of protein)
But, with oatmeal I usually add a whole banana into it.... or a few strawberries..... or even more whole grain oatmeal. AND I DON'T feel like shit afterwards.


Where's the logic? Is sugar addiction a real thing? I'm not going to say yes, because then it would give me an excuse. The excuse I use? Convenience. Yup. I'd rather take 45 seconds to pour a bowl of cereal and milk and be hungry 45 minutes later than to wait 2 minutes while the microwave cooks OR even 1 minute for the water kettle to boil water and have BETTER food.

 Oh yes... I just went there.

So, the first step to overcome addiction is to admit you are powerless over it, right? When I go into Dollar Tree for something (pens, etc)... I ALWAYS find myself coming out with a bag of cereal. More like 2-4 bags actually... depends on how the stock levels at home are.

I have 1 unopened bag and 1 half bag left in my pantry. Believe it or not, that will last me.... MAYBE through Sunday. Oh yes; the bags that say they have 6-9 servings in them are LIARS. Well... when you're ME anyway.

As stupid as this sounds, I'm going to finish those bags before Monday starts. And then I'm done. I can't feel like a bloated sugar-filled alien in the morning. It messes me up. Not to mention my digestive system is angry all the time because it doesn't get good food. I'm hungry an hour later and what does that accomplish?? Nothing.

I am going to start waking up 10 minutes earlier and MAKE myself breakfast. I made french toast the other day with eggs and I enjoyed it! AND I wasn't hungry right away! I know how to cook breakfast.... I just need to get my jabba-ass up and into the kitchen!

So there you have it. I'm ending my affair with cereal. Sure, there will be a day I may feel lazy and want a bowl.... but if I don't keep any in the house, I'm more likely to actually COOK myself something. And that's the plan. No more buying bags at Dollar Tree. 

......Sigh..... I'm going to miss my cereal. :-(

A Challenge Has Appeared!

So, brushing over the news online, I found myself face to face with THIS STORY.

It's about a woman who made the commitment to work out for 100 days and record, in ten-second videos, her changes.

But the changes weren't just physical. They were. It was amazing.

But what's more is the psychological changes that are happening. She's struggling. But it's beautiful. She's beautiful for doing it.

I'm sure there are tears, and struggles, and a bunch of self-hate; because that's what happens. You dig through the shit to get to the shiny stuff.

So, I researched. And found the website that she went to and joined. (It's free!)

GiveIt100.Com

So starting January 20th, I'm going to Give It 100 Days. I am challenging myself to strengthen my core. Because I have muscle strength. But I can't hold a plank for more than 20 seconds. I can't do a push-up, or a sit-up, or balance myself with a simple yoga pose.

One hundred days from January 20th will be my 27th Birthday. I'm hoping to hold a plank for at least 2 minutes!

I will be documenting my challenges through the GiveIt100 Website, but I will also post a blog about it every 25 or so days. But I encourage you to try something you're interested in for 100 days.

Give it 100..... It might just change your life.

Just Can't Wait To Get On The Road Again....

Well. It's 2014. For ten whole days, it has been a new year. What have I been doing for ten whole days?

-Working
-Dealing with a very minor hairline fracture on my left index finger
   ..... Don't worry, I only need a splint for two weeks, and it's mostly just bruising. I'm fine.
-Watching my husband bust his ass for us.
-Walking, zumba, riding my bike, etc. (Yay!)
-Watching Supernatural and Dr. Who
-Learning more stuff at work.
-Starting the Spring semester at school!

So, at least I haven't been sitting on my ass! Yay!

Well, my BFF Amy and I have a new challenge! We had our fun at Morrow Mountain State Park, toasted marshmallows, watched some stars... it was great! It was also a FANTASTIC challenge!! And so we wanted to do it again. So, we are "leaving" our families once more to venture on a Supernatural-themed adventure!

Where are we going?

Our first stop is Crowley's Ridge State Park in Arkansas!

It was a secondary addition to our route, and I added it in

because my favorite King of Hell is in the name!

Our final destination is also in Arkansas.... Devil's Den State Park!

Look at that pathway! Also makes me wonder what type of monsters

our dear boys would hunt down in these trees!

My distance from my house to Crowley's Ridge is 849 miles.

From Crowley's Ridge to Devil's Den is 215 miles.

My total distance goal is 1064 miles.

From Jan 1st to October 31st is 304 days.

So, I must walk 3.5 miles per day to hit my goal!

Amy and I decided that the holidays were so hectic that trying to finish a walking challenge in November and December was nearly impossible. So, our goal date will be Halloween! Also, I think there might be a mini-challenge for November and December in the books for us..... but I have yet to bring that up to her yet! :-)

So, keeping with our original terms, only half of our daily distance goals will be allowed to come from "normal" "every day" walking. The other half must come from some sort of fitness. Walking, dancing, shoveling snow (obviously that will not be happening in sunny Florida!), you get the idea.

But, what's different is now we are only going to blog once per month. Amy said hers will be at the beginning of each month, and I think I may follow suit. So, we'll have our blogs up by the 5th of each month!

Happy Hunting Amy!! <3