Good things are happening!

Clemenoodles cuddles ALWAYS boost my mood!

After a week or two of feeling pretty exhausted, stressed, unmotivated, and generally 'meh', some really great stuff happened these past few days which has really boosted my mood.

First, this:

"Thank you for submitting your petition to the General Petitions Committee.  Your petition has been read by the doctor at Campus Health who has seen all of the materials, has carefully weighed your specific circumstances, and has voted on your petition.
We are happy to inform you that your petition, requesting a complete retroactive withdrawal from Spring semester, 2012, has been approved."
 
Then I got a 98 % on a Roman literature test I was about 99% sure I got a C or B- on. Don't know how I pulled that one off but I'll take it.

Then I stopped by the fine arts graduation services offices and got my degree check to GRADUATE IN DECEMBER! Still a couple things I have to do for that but no problems popped up with the initial check so I should be good to go. Something felt so freaking satisfying about filling out a form with all my degree information and letting them know how to spell my full name to go on my diploma. gahh :)

And finally, I've lost 30 lbs in exactly 12 weeks and I'm feeling great about it! 10 more will put me about at what I was in high school, but I didn't really work out in high school so hopefully I will be much more toned at that weight now.

This quote has always seemed kind of dumb to me since everyone loses weight at different paces and there's no way of knowing what effect a certain amount of time and effort will have on your body...

 ...BUT, in the past week a couple people have asked me if I've lost weight or told me I look skinny which is really awesome to hear. I think anyone who has tried to lose weight knows how meaningful it is to have the hard work manifest itself on your body and to have other people take notice. Very rewarding.

So things are going really well right now, which is great because I was feeling really overworked and a bit down over the past couple weeks. I'm still a bit exhausted and stressed from work and school but knowing summer is just around the corner is a bit of a relief- and knowing that by the end of 2013 I'll have a degree and an even stronger, healthier body is enough to motivate me through the rest of the year!

Sorry for this rather braggy-bordering-on-gloaty blog post. I know sometimes it's looked down upon (especially in the land of the internet) to get really excited about yourself. But oh well, blogging and social media is narcissistic by nature :) and (because apparently I'm really feeling the inspirational quotes plastered all over the internet today):

 <3  

Weight Loss Update/Progress Pics

Hello Lovelies! I'm having a pretty relaxing day today... School, a bit of homework, a lot of internets, and later today I'll be rewatching a few 1970s films to study for my midterm tomorrow. Colton is headed off to Phoenix with a bunch of boys as soon as he gets out of work today for our friend Roland's bachelor party which means Clementine and I will be having the apartment to ourselves for the next 24 hours or so.

I wanted to pop in and write a quick blog about my weight loss progress! It might not be very interesting to you but health, nutrition, and fitness have become such a huge part of my life and thoughts over the past few months! This may sound odd but I really LOVE being aware of my calories, working out, and observing my weight as it changes because it all comes down to science... and I love that I can use science to help myself look and feel as good as can be!

I chose today to write because I'm just beginning a new cycle in my self designed workout schedule and so I snapped a couple pictures this morning to document my progress. When losing weight I've found it's so easy to not really notice the changes that are occurring because they happen so slowly. Having pictures to compare side by side really make the differences obvious...and they are a huge motivational boost to keep going!

Unfortunately I did not take any starting pictures in January when I first adjusted my diet, quit drinking, and started working out. All I have are some pictures from last September, when I briefly tried (and then forgot about) getting healthy. I'm actually 10-15 lbs lighter in the September pictures than I was in January, and only about 10 lbs lighter in the "during" pictures I took today than I was in September! So the pics don't really show my overall progress. I can still see a huge difference though, especially in the muscle tone of my belly.

Overall I've lost about 23 pounds in 9 weeks and I'm feeling great! I honestly think I look better now than I sometimes did at lower weights when I wasn't strength training. I definitely feel more confident :)

Sorry about the poor quality phone/underwear pics! Usually I would NEVER post pictures of myself like this because I have always been so self-conscious about the way I look... and scantily clad fat pictures? Um, NO. But now I look at the before pictures and just see the progress I have made, not the chubby bits I wish would disappear. Besides I've worn and definitely seen swimsuits that are more revealing. Although... I still feel pretty ballsy.

Have a healthy happy humpday!