My girl friends and I are all (mostly) into the Bachelor and Bachelorette.  This Monday night is the premiere so we are having all of the girls over for a little potluck, I’m making my famous Mexican Lasagna.

Since it’s the season premiere and I wanted to make a little fun I thought I would come up with a little prize for the ladies on who could put together their best bracket for the season on who they think Emily will end up with.

I have a bracket for every week up until the actual winner of the show.  Along with a PDF of all of the Bachelor’s, along with their Name, Age, and Occupation.  They can begin filling it out any time during the night but all bracket’s must be filled out by the start of the first rose ceremony the night of the preview.  I will then send updates to all the girls via email every Tuesday to let them know who’s in the lead.

I’m not sure if you and any of your friends are into reality TV, or at least the Bachelorette, like my friends and I are, so if you would like to participate with your friends I have made my PDF’s available for you all! Feel free to share them and we can all update via Twitter how we’re all doing so if you fill it out, let me know in the comments!

Happy Rose Ceremonies!

Bachelorette Bracket

Bachelor Boys and Point Scale

*Feel free to share these on Facebook, Twitter, or on your blogs, just give credit where credit is due! 

So let’s see, my last post was on December 5. That’s almost four months since my last blog post… I haven’t gone that long without blogging since? Well, probably since I actually started blogging.  I’m kind of disappointed actually. Disappointed I didn’t stick with it or at least jump back into it much sooner.  You blog for a few years, building a relationship with your readers and with other bloggers, and then you just stop.  I know when I had the time to read all of my favorite blogs I would get so disappointed or curious when a blogger would just fall off the face of the planet.  Don’t they care about us readers?!  You know there is always something going on in their life that is due to the change in blogging and I think I have some what of a valid excuse.

In early December, Brad and I started researching on our latest business idea – we wanted to start a Photo Booth rental company.  They were becoming more and more popular it seemed and after another wedding with a photo booth we realized that was something we thought we would love to do.  We started researching building our own booth, where to purchase a booth, developing a business plan, and a few days before Christmas we had a loan in our pockets and a photo booth being sent to us within the week.

It was a lot of praying that we made the right decisions and scared of not knowing what to do next.  It was like a sudden heavy, stressful feeling with a “what now?!”  I instantly started developing our website and advertising our new business to all of our friends on Facebook and to anyone who wanted to listen. Brad and I were officially business owners.  My dream my whole life was now a reality. I was getting to start something from the ground up, and with my husband. I majored in Entrepreneurship and I was actually getting to put so many things I learned into practice!

Photopia Photo Lounge was born, and within our first week we had our first wedding booked. It was so exciting! Since then, the time I would usually put into blogging now was me responding to emails and advertising anywhere I could! Things were happening so fast and I was loving it! During that time in December, January, and even most of February my new “lifestyle changes” kind of got put on the back burner.  My frequent gym visits after work were not spent at my computer with Brad working on stuff for the new business and trying to eat healthy meals was now being replaced by quick fast food runs or going out to dinner so we could sit at the table only to work some more in the middle of restaurants.

As things finally started to develop a system I finally was able to start managing my time again with this new full time job on top of my already full time job and I realized I needed to get back into my weight loss journey.  I had only lost around 13 lbs before the holidays and I had so far to go, I couldn’t stop now.  In late February I started trying to get in a cooking habit again (which I’ve been doing great at) and I started doing workouts at home for when I can’t make it to the gym.  As of last week I finally hit my first 20 lb lost and I’m back on track and it feels good.  I’m starting to have a little bit more energy that has got me through all of this craziness we have committed too lately, I HAD to start making time for me.

Setting up at our first Bridal Expo

Business has been going really good and we are loving what we’re doing! We’ve met some great people and are having a great time at the weddings and parties we have done so far, we can only hope our success we’ve experience so far in such a short amount of time can only continue to grow.  We feel so blessed and have had so much support from our friends and family!

{Source: Photopia Photo Lounge}

I would like to thank some of you who I do stay in contact with and I get constant support and encouragement from your through Facebook, Twitter, and emails! It means so much to me! So there ya have it, that’s what my life has been committed to for the past couple of months and I’d love to say I will try to pop in much more frequently… I promise I will really try!

The lights, ooooo the fabulous lights! On Black Friday night Brad and I are already going through different neighborhoods that we know are the big “Christmas decoration” neighborhoods and scoping out all of the festiveness.  With our hot chocolate in hand and the Christmas music blaring we just love it! I love that I have a husband that loves it as much as I do, and doesn’t care if I want to decorate for Christmas on November 1 — which we didn’t. Every year I used to decorate earlier and earlier… in 201- the date to beat was November 13.  Unfortunately I didn’t beat my record this year as I thought I was hosting Thanksgiving at my house this year and thought some people would be peeved by my over Christmas decorating and already having the fall decor put back into the garage. But on Black Friday I pulled out the tree, hung up my wreath, and decorated the mantle!

Can we discuss some of the cheesiness that is holiday music?  No doubt there are the classics that everyone loves, and there are the ones that make me cryyyyy like a baby in my car – - mostly these two:

First there is that damn Josh Groban, who sang not only his version of I’ll Be Home for Christmas but he felt like he needed to make me bawl my eyes out by adding in sweet heartfelt messages from families of soldiers. You can always get me with the patriotic card.

Good ‘ol Christmas cheesiness at it’s finest. So what are some of your favorite things about the holidays… and those things that just drive you crazy? Any favorite songs or ones you can’t stand? On that note, yes I love “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”.

Total: -13.8 lbs. / -3.7%

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all get to have a fantastic holiday weekend and if you are taking on one of my favorite past times, Black Friday, then good luck! I’m really hoping I can take on this weekend with some good exercise and some good food — all in moderation!

This week I did pretty well – obviously I did something right since I dropped another 2.6.  I know I could keep doing better though which frustrates me because I feel there could be some frequent 5 pound weeks if I was making it happen.  But hell, if I can just change little by little then I’m happy.

One thing Brad and I did good with is we started sharing some meals more frequently, so I was really proud of him for that, mostly because he has never been a sharer. I only got in one gym night this week but I did do some dog walks, a night of Jillian Michaels, and a night doing Zumba.  So even though I didn’t make it to the gym I was still getting some activity in.  Even though I don’t see a change yet and I think it will be a while until I do, that’s okay.  I FEEL better and that’s what’s awesome.  Since I have so much to lose I just thought it would be a while until I felt really good but it’s amazing how I feel! 14 pounds is so far from the long term goal but I was telling Brad yesterday after we purchased a 15 pound bag of dog food for Dakota — THAT IS A LOT OF WEIGHT! Go carry that bag of dog food around the store for 20, hell even 5 minutes, and you would be pretty exhausted! That’s a lot of weight I’ve taken off of my joints and I’m so proud of that.

I thought I would mention my secret to Zumba for anyone that maybe has wanted to try it but hasn’t wanted to pay for the classes or doesn’t have it available in their area.  I don’t feel like I could get through an entire hour of a class so until I get more in shape I’m doing my ghetto DIY Zumba. I spent a good 45 minutes or so going through Zumba videos on You Tube – there are thousands.  Find some to songs you really like – I found that LMFAO and Black Eyed Peas had some of my favorites… and I hate to admit it – Party in the USA by Miley. I made a complete “playlist” of the You Tube videos and I plugged them in and had my own Zumba class right in my dining room.  I could share some links or you could hop on You Tube and easily find some great ones – most of the videos were around 4-5 minutes so I would do like 8 songs and it went by really fast and it’s a WORK OUT.

I kept forgetting to take my “before photos” but since there hasn’t been much change I finally got those done this week.  Seriously, I wanted to cry. They were so horrific to look at.  I did some in regular clothes and then ones in just undergarments — wow.  I want to make sure nobody ever has to see those. Yet at the same time, I really hope one day I’m proud to show them so people can see how far I’ve come.  Let’s see how I feel about it come week fifty-two.

The one thing I’m doing different this week is I’m going to lower my calories on My Fitness Pal.  I’m losing weight but they haven’t been adjusting my calories so I think it’s time for me to take off some of my calories and hopefully that will help me out.  I’m under my calories almost every day but this will just assure I stay there on the big day – like Thanksgiving. The day where the average American eats 4500 calories according to something I heard on the radio on Monday. THE AVERAGE. That means a good amount of Americans are probably pounding down 7000 calories. If I can stay away from the potatoes and bread I will have a successful Thanksgiving.

Have a great week everyone, and if you’d love to join in on the fun, find me on My Fitness Pal – my username is LaLaLewi!

This Week: -2.2 lbs. / -.61%

Total: -11.2 lbs. / -3.05%

Wow, where did this week go? Sorry this post is two days late but if we’re friends on Facebook or you follow me on Twitter you are usually pretty up to speed on how I’m doing.  My Fitness Pal is still working out fantastic for me and I’m meeting great people on there that have been such great motivators! I’m currently on day 18 — so only 12 more days until it’s a habit right?!

Some things I’ve really been noticing in just that 3% loss so far is I’m not in pain as much.  My back and knees tend to bother me a lot more and I haven’t been having that as much except my back a little after a lot of walking on the treadmill or something.  I’ve also been sleeping completely through the night where I used to wake up a lot more.  Maybe it’s the work outs I’ve been doing every night!

Since last week I brought in exercise because in Week 1 I didn’t do any exercise.  But by the morning weigh-in I had only been to the gym twice.  Since then I did Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred on Wednesday night and Zumba last night.  I’m trying to switch it up as much as I can now so I don’t get bored.  If I could do gym twice a week and Zumba and the 30 Day Shred 1-2 times a week I think that will be pretty great.

Even since Wednesday I had felt so good I couldn’t help it but weigh myself again and I may have dropped around another 2 pounds, we’ll have to see how it goes next Wednesday! I really think I can have a great week in Week 3, I’m feeling it! And I am vowing to myself to enjoy myself on Thanksgiving but not go overboard… maybe go on a walk with some fam after dinner.

Thanks again for all of the support on here, Twitter, Facebook, My Fitness Pal, and everywhere else — you all are such a blessing!

P.S. If we aren’t friends on My Fitness Pal and you are a member or would like to join (it’s free and amazing!), my username is LaLaLewi!

The kitchen remodel took wayyyyy longer then planned and definitely had it’s share of issues… But I love it! So just wanted to show a little before and after teaser and I will share more soon!

Total: -9 lbs. / -2.44%

That’s a pound a day! Although we started on November 1, we wanted our weigh-ins to be on Wednesday’s so we had a longer week then we typically will for our first week but I’m so proud!  The week went by great and I really didn’t feel too deprived of anything.  I even said no to cheesecake on Saturday night — SHOCKER.  I’m really proud of the hubby, he lost 11 lbs!

I realized by eating a sensible healthy lunch I can even go out and have a great dinner with Brad.  Yesterday we went to the Olive Garden for dinner.  We both made sure to look at the menus ahead of time, pick out what we wanted and logged them into our My Fitness Pal, and then didn’t even look at the menu at the restaurant.  It’s so easy to be tempted to get something else! I was shocked to see that the cheese ravioli with marinara, something I get frequently, was already one of the lower calorie dishes.  So I went with that agreeing I would eat exactly half and save the other half for lunch the next day.  Because it was cold last night I didn’t have a problem giving up their 350+ calorie salad for the 170 calorie, Zuppa Toscana soup which is delicious! Limiting the breadsticks was the hardest part, but we did it!

I can’t imagine how well I would have done if I added some more exercise in it.  I’m trying to move a little more, I’m so out of shape I just want to make sure I don’t hurt myself.  We did start doing the Biggest Loser Wii Video Game which actually is a GREAT work-out and as I slowly get back into shape I want to whip out the evil Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred — that woman knows how to kick your ass! I can’t wait to feel like I could make it a whole hour and then I’ll start getting my Zumba on!

I feel like if I could get through that while going to 2 potlucks, eating out a couple of times, and not getting in a ton of exercise then I can have a huge success at this! I’m so excited and I thank you all for the support!

Since day 1 I have been writing a number on my wrist.  I keep a pen next to my toothbrush so I remember to do it every morning.  I write the following number every day so I know how far I’ve gone on this journey.

Today. Day Number 7.

I can’t just make this another diet.  I have said this before but I have to do things that aren’t so extreme to make it stick. This has to be a lifestyle this time. And that’s my goal. Something that is FOREVER. So I’m taking it one day at a time, for the rest of my life.  So why do I feel like I have to write it on my wrist? I see this number all of the time. I look at it constantly throughout the day.  So it’s always on my mind, always a reminder of what I’m trying to achieve.  I feel it’s that little push of motivation I need and it feels good.

No, I don’t plan on eventually having 3,428 written on my wrist.  I have set goals that will switch it up to be that constant reminder.  The highest number that will ever be on my wrist is 365. I plan on switching it up at either one year, or when I lose 100 lbs. Whatever comes first.

I’ve always loved the infinity symbol and what it represents.  I was also always attracted to the idea of even getting a tattoo of it to represent love, or my faith, numerous things that can be everlasting.  But I thought how perfect this is to go with my new lifestyle change.  This is something I want to do for the rest of my life! So when I hit that 100 pound weight loss or if I’ve stuck with this journey for 1 year I will stop writing the number and Brad said he would get me this bracelet from Tiffany.

Although our first official weigh-in isn’t until this Wednesday I wanted to see how my progress was over the first six days…

Seven pounds baby!

It feels so good and I’m so proud of that seven! Brad lost a little over 10 and I couldn’t be happier for him! I’ll update you with my official weigh-in on Wednesday but that small victory made my whole weekend because we had a lot of parties (involving potlucks!) that we went to this past weekend and I worked really hard on making sure I made smart decisions and it showed!

No.

Where Would Wacky Waldo Wander?

No.

Okay so these five letter ‘W’ alliteration phrases are kinda tough. So I’m going to stop there, because they really are just pretty lame.  So you might be wondering what the ‘WWWWW’ stands for.

Wonderful Womack Wedding Weight-loss War!

What the?! So when my friend first got engaged we started calling it the “Wonderful Womack Wedding” — thati s her future last name, and no she’s not marrying this guy…

We start today, November 1, and the “weight-loss war” will end on May 31st.  It was a $25 buy-in and we check-in with our percentages lost every week.  The winner takes all… BUT if you gain weight you have to put in a dollar for any time you gain a lb.  That money will all go into the “Porker Pot” which the 2nd place will get all of that money! There’s nine of us in the competition so that’s $225 right there!

I know this isn’t the first time I’ve come to you saying I’m going to lose weight, but I’m hoping since my friend who is also the bride now works with me there will be tons of daily motivation not only at work, but then I have Brad at night — he’s part of the competition as well.  So I know I’ve cried the weight-loss wolf so many times but I hope you’ll take me back and stick around to encourage and motivate me — it’s what I always need most when hopping on the weight-loss train.  We turn in our weight-losses on Wednesdays (to stick with the W theme of course! LoL) so you should expect to hear from me most Wednesdays to hear how I’ve done.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds so I won’t be doing Weight Watchers this time. I do plan on using My Fitness Pal which is probably one of my favorite sites — their app that is synched with the site is fantastic and I have found that site to be great for tracking exercise, food, weight-loss, and motivation! Best free weight-loss plan in my opinion. I’ll be tracking things like my calorie, fat, sugar, etc. intake.  And for exercise I plan on visiting the gym a couple of times a week, doing some walking (Dakota’s favorite!), and taking Zumba classes.

The wedding is in June so I hope to be able to have a hot little bridesmaid dress in a size I haven’t been in for a long time!  There are a few goals I have that I’m excited about… first there is our annual Maui trip in February that I’d like to have a little bit of energy for.  The next is obviously the wedding in June so I should hopefully look even better by then.  Then in October is the “Run for Your Lives” 5K that I’m dying (pun intended) to participate in! A 5K where you are doing obstacles and running from Zombies to keep your health? Sounds like fun to me! That means it will be almost a year and the ultimate prize of all would be is if I feel like we are both healthy enough and at a time where we can start crossing the bridge of discussing starting a family — because ultimately I’m doing this for my health and to start a family.

The last time I did a weight-loss competition was at work and I actually won so I’m determined when money is involved! Have you ever done a weight-loss competition? What is one of your favorite weight-loss tips at the moment? I’ve been getting TONS of tips and ideas from Pinterest!

“Physical Challenge!”

People loved the costume and we actually won an award at one of the Halloween events we attended — the people all around our age loved it, older people just didn’t get it.  This year we went with one that everyone got and from the response we have had so far it seems like we had a hit!

Publisher’s Clearing House!

Winner, Winner… Chicken Dinner!

It was a lot of fun, and people loved it – the only problem was if we weren’t together and I wasn’t holding my check and he didn’t have the balloons (or people didn’t read his Prize Patrol badge LOL) I basically just looked like I was in my PJs and he was a creeper in the office.

We only had this one party on Saturday and we have some more events coming up this weekend so there will be more pix to come after next week! What is your Halloween plans this year? What are you going to be?