This is Halloween!

57. Have a Halloween Party!

I gave Sophia and her little friends a 

Halloween party this year to celebrate!!

Definitely a big help to pinterest!

 "BOO-WLING"

This game was such a hit! The kids loved it!

 Wrap Mommy like a Mummy!

That was also a fun game that the kids enjoyed. 

I did, too!

 

I also bought little pumpkins for the kids to color and take home.

On the road again...

56. Get my Driver's License.

 I am so happy that I finally got my license back! 

It took me two tries to pass.

But I did it!

Glad to be on the road again.........legally.

Now maybe I'll get my motorcycle license, because I eventually want to learn how to drive a sports bike! :)

Words to live by.

"Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period. "

125.

17. Weigh 125lbs or less.

I am very happy to announce that I reached my ideal weight: 125.

I lost a total of 52 pounds. 42 of those pounds were lost from June 2012.
I went from a size 12/13 to a size 5! 

And boy, does it show. I feel like a completely new person! I am still having a hard time processing the number on the scale. It feels so surreal, simply because I have been battling with weight since as long as I can remember. I am so used to feeling fat. 

Me, at 177 pounds, roughly. July 2011.

The Progress....

(First 10 pounds lost!)

(34 pounds lighter)
See the difference!

Final Goal Reached: 125!
(This picture was taken 10/11/12)

"The Secret"

I have been getting a lot of emails asking what I am doing that is making me lose weight. I am glad that I have become somewhat of an inspiration to some of you. I've been there. Losing weight doesn't have to be hard. Honestly, if I can do it, you can, too! It just really takes the right mind set.
Even though I was on the "Bouari Diet," and I know that there aren't many clinics (YET) across the country. I will share what I eat pretty much on a daily basis.  I can tell you that I do NOT eat any dairy, carbs, processed foods,  cookies and cake.



Breakfast:
I have two whole eggs cooked with olive oil cooking spray, topped with salsa and a piece of fruit like a plum, apple, grapefruit or an orange.

I keep certain fruits limited like bananas, grapes, watermelon, kiwi, pineapple because these fruits have high sugar and glycemic indexes.

A healthier option would be to use egg whites instead of whole eggs. But honestly, I do not like them. LOL.

OR
I will have a cup of almond milk, organic and unsweetened, with a piece of fruit.

Snacks (2-3 snacks per day):
A serving of a fruit: Apple, Apricot, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Mango, Orange, Peach, Pear, Plums, Pommelo, Raspberries, Strawberries or Tangerine.

OR

A serving of vegetable (salad): Very limited on carrots and starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn and peas. Broccoli, Green Beans, any kind of lettuce and herb, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers (all colors), asparagus, okra, tomatoes.

Lunch/ Dinner: 

For lunch and dinner, I usually either have chicken, shrimp or top sirloin with green veggies like broccoli or green beans. However, the portion size of your meat should be no more than a deck of cards. With chicken breast, I just season the heck out of it and bake it. Since we don't have a grill, I pan cook my top sirloin with olive oil and I add onions and mushrooms seasoned with Italian seasoning and red pepper. Delicious.

Oh, and I only drink WATER. WATER. WATER. Lots of it.  Sometimes, since I am OFF the diet, I will indulge in a diet coke if we go out to eat. I do like that "carbonation" every now and then. But I only have 1 glass. I do not refill the cup with soda,  I refill it with water instead. You can have BLACK coffee with stevia....but luckily I am not a coffee fan. You can also have Vitamin Water Zero and Crystal Light Pure.

And that's it! LOL. That's my big secret. The Bouari diet includes products that makes it much easier to wean off carbs and other sugary products. If you can slowly wean yourself off of carbs, the pounds will drop! And you really don't need dairy in your diet. You get plenty of nutrition from lean meats, fruits and veggies.

Now I can understand that what worked for ME, may not work for YOU. But I can tell you that this DOES work. I have tried pretty much everything and this one was the only one that produced any kind of result. I lost weight on weight watchers, but I gained it back plus more.

If you have any other questions, comment away! :)

The Alchemy of Love and Lust

34. Read a book from cover to cover.

I generally read books that are informative. I really don't like to read fiction novels. I usually find myself bored once I am in the first few chapters. I don't feel like my mind is stimulated enough. I will read books on topics that interest me, like Economics, Politics, Sex and so forth.

I have read from cover to cover:

"The Alchemy of Love and Lust" by Theresa L. Crenshaw, M.D.

This book talks about how our sex hormones influence our relationships. It may be too "sciency" for some people but I actually found this book quite interesting. Some may not realize how much our hormones dictate our daily lives.

This book also answers the question: Why do men have nipples?

Apparently, a man's nipple is quite sensitive and can be compared to the sensitivity of a woman's clitoris. It is not for decoration, but for sexual stimulation!

Have you ever wondered why you feel so safe and wonderful when someone you love holds you close? It's like nothing can harm you. It's the best feeling in the world, really. You want to get away from reality? This is a good way to do it!

Oxytocin is a very interesting hormone and perhaps is that one hormone that will make you step over the line of love and lust. Touch is a very powerful resource that we have as humans and we should take advantage. Touching is good for our well being. We can't live without it.
When we touch, our endorphins rise. So does our level of oxytocin--the bonding hormone. Oxytocin bonds and attaches us to those we love and causes us to love those it bonds to.It is also deeply involved with parenting behaviors, and causes contractions of the uterus during labor and childbirth! On the negative side, it makes us forgetful and diminishes our capacity to think clear.

 The more we touch someone, the more likely we will be bonded and attached to them. It creates a bonding pattern that if persisted, will get stronger and stronger over time. And suddenly, that guy that was supposed to be a one night stand, you suddenly find yourself falling in love with him. (True story!)
If you are fighting with your loved one, it may be hard, but just hug them for a few moments. And you may notice that the anger between you two will dissolve.

Did you know that Prozac is prescribed to prevent premature ejaculation?

And that's just a general glimpse of what this book has to offer! It may answer even answer some questions that you have when it comes to relationships. It sure did with me!