Nothing like a good purge

One thing you'll never catch me on is an episode of "Hoarders." I am the furthest thing from a pack rat, and when I acquire a healthy amount of....crap, I do a purge and get rid of it. Today, I purged my clothes. I noticed that I was running out of room for new(er) clothes and accessories (and by that I mean shoes) and I figured it was damn near impossible because I have 7 drawers and a pretty big closet, how could I have run out of room for everything already? Well, it wasn't because I had accumulated too much stuff, it's because I had kept too much stuff. I have shirts that I wore in high school - do I wear them now? No. Why do I have them? Who the hell knows.

So I made it my life's mission today to get rid of anything I could - whether it was clothes, shoes, purses, random things like a shoe rack I don't use, scarves...anything I do not wear or want anymore was going. Let me give you a rundown of what's going on right this very moment: I currently have 4 piles - one is for the trash (I apparently have an affinity for wearing stuff with holes in it), one is for Goodwill (it's a pretty big pile), one is for keepers, and one is a goal pile. "Cassie, what's a goal pile?" Glad you asked.

The goal pile is for the clothes that I wore, at some point in my life, and don't anymore. Reasons could be that it doesn't fit, doesn't fit quite right, or shamefully, still has the the tags on it. This is starting to become quite a big pile. Ok, I have to have a rehab moment and admit to a problem- I am willing to admit that I am a "someday I'll wear that" shopper. Not all the time, but seeing the heaping pile of "someday I'll wear them" clothes, I'm starting to think it's a bigger problem than I originally thought. I have a huge issue with this. If you know me well, then you also know that as a shopper, I am a HUGE advocate of not buying something unless I can get many, many years out of it. If I'm gonna buy a kitchen table, I want to be able to have that kitchen table for 15 years. That's why I have a simple style and love black - it's always in (and slimming).

So naturally, my issue is that I have purchased these clothes, and for the majority of the pile, haven't even worn one time. It's starting to look like a gigantic waste of money, and that doesn't settle with me very well. What also doesn't settle with me very well, is the other part of the pile that consists of clothes I did wear at one time in my life, and don't (or can't) wear anymore. It's pretty f***ing sad, actually. They're nice clothes and are practically brand new. Aside from the fact that I spent money on these, I'm more disturbed by the fact that physically, I was able to wear them. For instance, I am clinging to a pair of old volleyball spandex (literally, in my top dresser drawer, haunting me) that I used to wear....in public. I mean, I used to run around in these things. I look at them now and I think "holy shit, I never knew how good I had it then." When I was in high school I thought I was enormous. Now, I was an athlete and was in pretty good shape, but sit me down at my lunch table and I was def the biggest girl there. When the 2010 version of Cassie looks at pictures of the 2002-2005 version of Cassie, I always think "why did I ever think I was that big, that was nothing." I would KILL to be that way now. Maybe it's a product of getting older and wiser (yes, I'm wiser) or maybe it's just seeing things how they really are but now, I would def apologize to my high school self for being so hard on her and shame my now self for not being hard enough.

Ok, getting back on track to the wardrobe - this pile of sad, lonely, barely worn clothes has given me a little affirmation of "I'm gonna fit into those f***ing clothes if it's the last thing I do." I'm no dummy, I know that I've been training since December and don't look all that different. I know that. I mean, I'm probably in better shape that I was in December and I know that I have muscle tone, but I don't have any outward proof that Bobby is a real person, who I know and pay to make me skinny, haha. So ya know, just gotta get back on the horse and stop letting things like working late and traveling to Illinois every weekend get in my way. And I am fully aware that my wedding is in just a little over 3 months (trust me, the nightmares are eminent) and ya know whether I'm 600 pounds or 100 pounds, I'll get married either way. As long as I can get through those church doors it'll happen. And I have faith that I will - they're double doors. :) Haha, seriously though I'm just being realistic, as creative as I am, I'm also very logical and practical and I just don't need to put that kind of pressure on myself while all of these other things are going on.

I just have to say, that planning a wedding is stressful. No matter how you approach the process, it is stressful. I have adopted the philosophy that I just want everything to be as simple as possible because it's already such an over-complicated day, that worrying about minute details, is pointless. Don't get me wrong, I totally get caught up in the favors and the gifts and the decorations, etc. I geek the f**k out over that stuff. I pick my battles about what to be particular on, but when it comes to making a decision, whatever is the easiest, is what I'm going with. And ya know what? Whether the centerpieces are wrapped in purple ribbon or not wrapped at all, everyone will still have a good time because we have good taste in music and like to drink. :)

I continued separating my clothes into the piles and here's what we got (don't mind the dog, he likes to lay around in clothes...even if they're still in the laundry basket).



Goal pile (not including all of the jeans)


Can you tell which one is the bagged up Goodwill stuff and the throw-away clothes? Yea, they're equally as big...and those are extra large lawn bags filled to the top. *sigh*.....


(the one on the left is the throw away)

The truth about where I've been...

My reasons for not blogging in nearly 3 months:

• I was in Ghana volunteering at an orphanage
• I've been in Chicago filming Transformers 3
  
• I was vacationing off the coast of Tahiti, bathing in tanning oil & sipping frozen daiquiris
• I also cured cancer

So, as you can see I've been really busy and far too occupied to blog. I mean, what? You think an action film can be done overnight? Psh, be realistic.

OK fine, here are my real reasons for not blogging:

• I got a new job and have kept really busy with it
  
• Wedding planning
  
• I painted my kitchen
• I went to 5 weddings
• Friends/family visited Kansas City
• We got a new vehicle
  
• I went to the Lake and got a pretty nasty sunburn

Insert trips to the gym sparingly and you've got a pretty good picture of the last 3 months of my life. Pretty lame compared to my above list. I like to think of the past few weeks as a gestational period for new material. :) But seriously, life got really busy and unfortunately blogging took a backseat - as did my health, kind of. I haven't been to the gym very much lately because random crap came up like work, or being a one-car family for a while, and it had to fall to the side for a bit. I hate to say it, but in my list of priorities, the gym isn't number one or two.

But, I'm getting married in a little over 3 months (110 days - thanks theknot.com) and I've got to get my ass in gear - both planning and physically. Things have slightly slowed and the first thing to come back is gym time (forget sanity) and frankly, I'm not sure how to come back from a 3 month hiatus on the blog so..this is all I got. But I'll keep you posted on my days back at the gym, I have a feeling they're going to be wonderful. :)

It has been a while though...and here's my last 3 months in a nutshell:

• Asking me if you're going to be invited to the wedding, in person, is very uncomfortable - why do people do this?
• A free, mechanical bull to small town girls is like a moth to a flame
• I went to 5 weddings and wore a new dress to only 1 of them
• Registering for wedding gifts is really overwhelming and Aaron and I both shut down after like, 30 minutes
• Sometimes I get elevator sick riding all the way up to the 15th floor to work
• Shopping for a new vehicle was definitely one of those turning points in our relationship. It was a battle, but we made it.
  
• I only ate wedding cake one time. The other was a wedding cupcake. There's a difference.
  
• I did the cupid shuffle 4 times
  
• I've mastered the art of packing light
• I managed to get a tan line from a Memorial Day baseball game that is still on my arm
• Cam ate 2 light bulbs and lived to tell about it
  
• Aaron fixed the lawn mower all by himself. He says it's the greatest accomplishment of his life.
• I've accumulated a decent collection of wine bottles (empty wine bottles..)
  
• We got a new kitchen table
  
• I saw McGruber
  
• The Real Housewives of New Jersey. 'Nuff said.
  

Exciting stuff, right? I know this blog post will probably be the most thrilling read of your summer. I should know, I lived it. But I'm back and ready to blog the bejesus out of this thing. Even if I get the offer to be in the new Scream movie, I'll turn it down. Just for you. :)

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Finally, a recipe! On a whim, I decided I wanted to bake some cookies. I was in the mood for something sweet so I decided I wanted to try my hand at some cookie baking, but I wanted to keep them healthy. Now...I will say...these are some pretty robust cookies. They aren't for the eater who loves a pre-cut, doughy, Nestle Tollhouse cookie (that's for you Purina employees). They are hearty and the texture reflects that. But they're healthy and accompanied by a scoop of frozen yogurt (as I ate them), they're pretty good. One reason I chose to try this recipe is because all the mixing can be done by hand (because I don't own an electric mixer...yet). Here's the recipe and some photos. *Forgive the poor quality of the photo, I had to use my phone.


Ingredients:
1 cup of packed brown sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sifted cake flour
2 tablespoons canola oil (I actually used sunflower oil, and they came out just fine)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or raisins)
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Move your oven rack to the middle and preheat it to 350 degrees.

Whisk the sugar, applesauce, egg white, oil, vanilla in a bowl until smooth and stir in the chocolate chips. *The original recipe called for raisins, but I had planned on bringing these to work and not everyone likes raisins, so I substituted chocolate instead. If I were making them for myself I would have used raisins. And if you don't have cake flour or don't want to buy it, you can substitute regular all purpose flour or even use rice flour if you want. *If you want to make them Gluten-free, then use gluten free flour.

Stir together the oats, cake flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet and mix together.

The batter will be rather thick, but that's to be expected. The recipe uses healthier alternatives for the wet ingredients so there's no "creaming process" of the butter, eggs and sugar like a lot of cookie recipes.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray it with cooking spray and drop the cookies onto the cookie sheet, 1-1/12 inches apart (a tablespoon's size of batter should do). Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the top. *I usually cook the first batch of any cookie the full amount of time, this way I can judge if I want to cut back on the time a little. And it cuts down on opening the oven so often to check them. I baked the rest of the batches about 12 minutes, to make them less cakey. The consistency of the cookie will be different, unlike that of most cookies, but they taste good.

Once they're done baking, take them out, cool on a wire rack, serve and enjoy!

Hope you liked the recipe, try them out if you like or make your own version of them! Happy eating!

Fact: Bears eat Beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

What a fun fact up there huh? I bet you really wanted to know that too. Or you're thinking "wtf is that about?" Well, if you're as big of a fan of The Office as I am, then you'd know that's where it came from (the American version, although the British version is outstanding also). It has relevance I promise, I didn't just throw a random quote in there. Although that could be fun...

I'm going to give a rundown of facts about myself, because apparently I'm that self absorbed or think that all of you care to know this information. I'll do my best to make these some "not-so-average facts." Honestly though, I just really wanted to talk about something other than shoulder presses at the gym or how much I hate cooked carrots. *Side note: I'm gonna put my foot down and say that cooked carrots might be one of the worst cooked vegetables ever invented. Challenge me.

FACT:
1. I hate snakes. They make me physically ill.

2. My favorite food is lasagna. I love it. More than Garfield.

3. I like to consider ice cream my Achilles's heal - no matter what hellthy mindset I'm in, offer me ice cream and I'll fold like a napkin.

4. For a very long time I thought that the Ethan Allen furniture store was named Ethe and Allen.

5. Also when I was younger I thought that the people working the drive-thru at McDonald's were actually inside the menu "box." I was always shocked at how they fit in there. Not a bright child.

6. I've never seen Dances with Wolves. (although...who has really?)

7. My favorite dessert is yellow cake with chocolate icing. Unless there's ice cream...then I'm forced to eat both.

8. At one time in my life I owned the single for TLC's "No Scrubs." Hey...it won a Grammy.

9. I was my grade school and area Knights of Columbus' spelling bee champion. Biggest trophy I've ever won.

10. For a grade school talent show, I performed a lip synced version of Ace of Base's "I Saw the Sign" with a fully equipped air band.

11. When I was in college, my drunk food of choice was often sugar free pudding cups.

12. I'm not a "middle piece of square pizza" kind of girl. I prefer the edges. Same goes for brownies. Or any food cut into rectangular shapes.

13. I make the world's best french fries. FACT.

14. I want to perfect the art of sugar cookie baking.

15. My favorite character on The Office is Stanley.

16. I have no desire to run a half marathon, full marathon, or anything with the word marathon in it.

17. I enjoy a good cardigan.

18. My confirmation name is Cecilia. Patron Saint of musicians and poets.

19. My favorite alcoholic drink is a gin and tonic. Just one of the many traits I inherited from my mother.

20. My least favorite meal growing up was round steak. *cue vomiting sounds into a trash can*

Now, wasn't that fun?! I'm sure it was. Soon I'll be trying to get some recipes up here and be on the lookout for a future post about some "best practices" when it comes to eating well.

BTW, I bought a dress a few months ago that I recently wore to a reception, and I had planned on wearing it to one this weekend also. Until I had this conversation with Aaron (I may have paraphrased a bit for brevity):

Aaron: "What dress are you wearing this weekend."
Cassie: "I was planning on wearing the one I just wore last weekend, why?"
Aaron: "I think you should wear a different dress."
Cassie: "Well then I'll have to buy one. What's wrong with the other one, does it look bad?"
Aaron: "No...I just think you're too skinny for it now, you should get something better."

God love him. :)

My Workout

I know it's been awhile since I've been on here, but although I've been a tad absent from here, I sure haven't been absent from the gym. I get into moods with the gym and right now I'm in the mood where I absolutely love going and I don't too tired. I mean, I work hard and I get sweaty (boy do I get sweaty...) but I'm not ready to fall over afterward like I used to. Bobby still kicks my ass training and I am ready to die after I workout with him, but this post is really about what I do to workout on the days I'm not training.

My workouts vary quite a bit. I don't like to do the same thing too much because I get bored and then the workouts feel really long. It also depends on my mood. Like when I'm feeling kind of lazy or just not feeling the whole workout thing, I usually just walk. BUT even when I walk I always walk at a pretty steep incline. I usually start the incline out at about 1 or 2 with the speed at 3.0 (minimum) to warm up - I'll do this for about 3 minutes. Then for the next few minutes or so I increase the speed and incline. I don't walk at a speed any faster than 3.4 (because eventually it becomes hard to keep up). But by the time I get to 10 minutes I'm walking at 3.4 speed at anywhere from a 7-10 incline. It's like walking up a very steep hill. And I'll do this for 15 or 20 minutes (but it depends on how I'm feeling that day). Then I might hop on the elliptical or stair master for 10 minutes and call it a day.

That's one way I'll get a workout in. If I'm feeling extra good then I'll run for 30 minutes (the whole 30 minutes -that gets kinda hard for me haha, I get winded!) But...if I'm feeling really spunky, then I'll do some interval training. Which, I have to say, is starting to become my favorite way to work out. My workouts go by so fast and I feel really good when I'm done. I'm not very attractive when I'm done haha, but I feel good!

So I start out on the treadmill for 15 minutes and I start with a warm-up. 3.0 -3.2 speed for 3-5 minutes, incline at 1-2. Sometimes I use the whole 5 minutes, especially if I'm reading a magazine b/c then the timer is covered up. So here's how the treadmill breaks down (just want to clarify for any of these workouts, I don't know if it's how their supposed to go, I just found what works for me and do that):

3-5 minute warm up, 1-2 incline
3 minutes 4.0-4.2 speed, 2.5 incline
2 minutes 4.5 speed, incline at 3
2 minutes 5.0 speed, incline at 2.5
2 minute 5.5 speed, incline at 3
1 minute 6.0 speed, incline at 2.0 (it gets really hard to get through this when the incline is really high)
1 minute 4.5 speed, incline 2.0
1 minute 4.0 speed, incline 0

So after that I hop on the bike for 10 minutes. Here's how it breaks down:

1 minute, level 5, 78-88 rpms (keep it between this range)
1 minute, level 6-8 (I do 7), 105-110 rpms
*alternate between this for the next 6 minutes. Once you're at 8 minutes, do 2 minutes at level 5 for 78-88 rpms

After the bike I get on the elliptical for 10 or 15 minutes. I don't really get into messing with the resistance on this too much, just because I never felt like it, haha. So I just set the resistance at 7 and sprint every other minute for 10 or 15 minutes.

Then I'm done! I'm pretty tired after all of that and but I still feel really good. I find that the interval type training does me pretty good because it keeps me on my toes. I won't always keep the treadmill, bike, elliptical order, I'll switch things up, alternate the times, etc. But I try and keep the speeds and stuff consistent.

So yea, there are my workouts! I only do this stuff on the days I'm not training so generally that's Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (sometimes Friday if I feel like going, but the gym closes kind of early). Training with Bobby only sometimes involves cardio so I try and make the most of the days where that's all I do.

Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather! If found a trail I want to start running outside but I'm not much for running on pavement so we'll see how that pans out. :)

On sabbatical

I haven't been to the gym in about a week. I know, I know. I've been on sabbatical ok? Learning new things, acquiring new skills...even though really the only thing I learned was that perhaps the look on John Locke's face when he got hit by Desmond's car was really his realization that he's aware of both time lines - past Locke and island Locke (that's some Lost theory for those of you not in the know). So that counts, right? Ughhhh fine, so it's been more like a hiatus. Regardless, I haven't been going. But, why?

Well, I was away this past weekend in Illinois doing some productive wedding planning, and then the week came and I suppose you could say I had some things come up, and so I was unable to go. That, and Aaron was going to be home later Wednesday and tonight so someone has to let poor Cam out of his crate. Oh and tomorrow, no that won't work either. We're taking some pictures Saturday and we need outfits! Hmm...to color coordinate, or not to color coordinate?....

But..I have trainings booked for next week and I refuse to let another span of time this long happen again. I love going to the gym, really I do. And any significant length of time away from it means bad things for my body and muscles - Bobby loves doing lunges, ergo, I love doing lunges. (bullshit theory, because I effing hate lunges). But the more time I'm away from my normal routine of shredding it at the gym, the harder it will be once I go back. And if I'm going to continue my new pattern of losing 6 pounds every two weeks, I better get my tushy back in gear.

Sidenote: For the past two weeks I have substituted my coffee drinking with green tea drinking. At first, I'll admit, I was a bit panicky. How will I get my day started? And what about the caffeine headaches? Ahhh the caffeine headaches!! So, why the switch? Well, my palette is not "refined" enough to drink straight black coffee. I think people who are able to do that don't have tastebuds. Because if they did, they'd know how awful it is. So when I drink coffee I add one or two hazelnut single serving creamers...they make the coffee delicious....and fattening. Those things are not good for you. And powder creamer I just think is so unnatural it freaks me out, so no thank you to that. But the green tea has been working out really well! I drink Yogi Tea's Green Tea Kombucha (caffeinated) and it's really good. It's got hints of spearmint and plum, it tastes so good in the morning time. And it's less caffeine than coffee - one tea bag is about 30mg of caffeine as opposed to the 90mg you get in a cup of coffee. So I may not ever go back to drinking coffee...but I do have a gift card to Starbucks that says otherwise.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've had a good day, and a bottle of white wine chilling in my fridge that I'm going to break out the fancy glasses for.

Farmers Markets

On Monday night I had training with Bobby and during the first portion of my workout - OUTSIDE- I was jump roping (not well I might add) and we got on the subject of the farmers market. And in the midst of jumping rope and doing squats I was reminded of one reason I enjoy the spring/summer.

I LOVE this time of year for this very reason. I adore farmers markets. Usually you can find me and Aaron there every Saturday morning around 8:30. I really enjoy going and use it as a grocery store substitute for produce in the spring/summer season. Why do I like it so much? Glad you asked!

- I'm one of those people who really enjoys going grocery shopping, so any chance to shop for food, I'm in. Plus, the chance to do so outside in some nice weather? Sign me up

- I like having the variety of options to choose from. Sure a lot of the stands sell the same stuff, but I can walk around and see what the best deal is or who has the best asparagus or cantaloupe. Then when I know which food I want, I can go get my three green bell peppers for $2.00, or $.50 cucumber. Also, (and this may sound geeky to you guys) it's giving me a chance to learn more about picking produce, good or bad. Sight, texture, smell - it's all in how you choose

- It helps us control portions and eliminate waste. We only buy what we need for the week and then when we need to restock, we go back. I buy produce at every stage of ripening so that the food lasts throughout the week and none is wasted due to going bad. And OK, to some it may seem like a hassle to keep going back, but, we wouldn't keep doing it if we didn't want to. So there

- The food is grown by local farmers and it's always nice to support local farms in your community

- Often, the prices are somewhat lower than grocery stores. It's always a benefit to save on food and keep your pockets full of money and less filled with a fat ass (ya know, 'cuz you're eating fruit and veggies) :)

- Not only can you get produce, but oh my gosh the flowers! They're so pretty! Every time I go it takes everything I have not to steal an orchid, but damn, they are gorgeous. Kinda pricey - but worth every penny in beauty. (purple or white orchids - in case anyone was feeling generous. haha)

- Other local food and shops in the area. I don't know about anywhere else, but the City Market in Kansas City (downtown) has some of the best local restaurants. Burrito Brothers, Carollo's Italian Deli (best. sandwiches.ever), and if you know me well enough then you know I have an affinity for asian cuisine and Hien Vuong - Vietnamese food, it's delicious! There's also some really cute shops and vendors that are down there selling interesting knick knacks (and I stress the word interesting).




- Oh! I can't believe I almost forgot this. It ties into the previous bullet point regarding vendors. There is one vendor Aaron and I go to every time we're at the market (if they're there). Please forgive me that I can't remember their name (some loyal customer I am right?) but they make really good handmade soap. It's a woman and her husband, just under a pop up shade tent, with their little set up of soaps and there's a lot of variety and they all smell really good! Personally, I generally like/prefer to use something like soap in this capacity. It's natural and not packaged in a plastic bottle. So if you're into it and you're ever at the farmers market there, check them out. I'll put it on here if I remember the name.

So yea, those are just some reasons why I enjoy partaking in the farmers market experience. If you want to check out your local farmers market then, great! If not and you're comfortable with getting your produce from the grocery store or some other alternative, then that's cool too. As long as you're buying and eating fruits and veggies, you won't hear me doggin' on you. Now, this...well....that's a whole blog entry in itself.

*Also, if you ever visit a market, bring bags with you. Normally they have plastic bags there to hand out, but it is way more environmentally friendly to bring your own bags - whether they're canvas grocery bags, backpacks, or other plastic bags you've saved up.

10 Things That Never Cease To Make Me Feel Like A Fat Ass

1. Bathing Suits (need I say more?)

2. Pull Ups - not the diaper, the physical exercise of lifting your own body weight. Never gonna happen.

3. Tank tops. Too much arm exposure for the tonally challenged.

4. Spatulas. They make it too easy to scrape up every last bit of food, leaving nothing in the bowl and me with a brownie batter mustache.

5. Really big sandwiches. It's impossible to cram the whole bite in my mouth, but I sure as hell try to.

6. Buffets. Doesn't matter where I'm at or what's on them. It's the magnitude of options and my ambitious endeavor to try them all.

7. Scales. DUH

8. The bottom of the chip bag. When the chips are all gone but there's still some crumbs crammed in the corner of the bag at the bottom. You know what you do to get them out. No shame.

9. Life jackets. (this is more so due to the struggle to snap it around the chest area, not so much the tummy).

10. Split rocks. Never have I feared for my life more.

Know what doesn't make me feel like a fat ass? A 3-pound loss last week! Boo ya!

The Art of Snacking

Chili Cheese Fritos. When it comes to junk food snacking items, these are definitely at the top. You can't go wrong. They're delicious, they're bite size, they come in that smaller bag so you don't feel so bad eating half of it - win, win.

What's that? They're not good for you? Impossible, think about the smaller bag!

If only that were true. As much as I enjoy a Chili Cheese Frito, a food that gets a C- on the nutrition grade can't be all that good for you. And if you're like me and have the metabolism of a slug, your ass can't afford to savor a handful of those puppies. So I've had to find alternative forms of snack food that are good for me.

Now, I don't think I've perfected the art of snacking, but I try damn hard to. I think I enjoy snacking more than actually eating a whole meal. I don't know why, I just do. For instance, I get hungry around 10:30 am everyday and so I have a snack. Usually it's some fruit, yogurt, or almonds, but lately I've been famished so I eat all three.

About 1 cup of organic vanilla yogurt
Blueberries or strawberries (no more than half a cup usually)
A few whole almonds - i have these on hand as a snack at my desk anyway so I throw them in for some texture

I look forward to this snack everyday, more so than I do lunch. And when I'm done with lunch, I wait in anticipation for my afternoon snack, and then after the gym I get another small one plus dinner. So many snacks! So many opportunities to eat! My inner fat girl is loving me.

So what do I snack on? Well, it kind of depends on my mood, but mainly it's fruit and/or nuts. I eat at least two apples everyday - that's pretty standard, sometimes I have them with peanut butter (it's so delicious). Sometimes I just eat a spoonful of peanut butter by itself, right off the spoon. I have the yogurt in the morning, usually an apple with lunch, and then either some almonds or the second apple later. But, I frequently run into the problem where after I eat an apple or something, I'm still hungry. I just ate, how can I be hungry? I'm not a nutritionist nor claim to have the knowledge they do, but I try and follow the philosophy to eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, it's pretty simple. But this is what I do and it seems to work just fine:

If I'm still hungry, I'll drink a glass of water to fill me up. Doesn't work? Try some tea - caffeine is known to suppress hunger. Still hungry? Eat in small doses, I don't go balls out and eat a whole lot of food, just eat a small amount of something I have a taste for and if I'm still hungry, eat a little more. Now, one might expect that if I eat well and follow good food philosophies that I would be a pretty trim individual. Not the case. Not yet anyway. I'm a work in progress, but I'll get there. I'm a human (duh), and I don't always make the best food choices, but I try. And lately, my efforts have stepped up because I have to order my wedding dress soon (insert panicky look here).

So, Chili Cheese Fritos, I hate to say it, but I'm going to have to take a leave of absence from you. I'll miss you greatly.

Ice cream, don't you worry, I will never leave you.

If you want some ideas and information about healthy snacking, visit the motherland of yummy, good for you snacks.

You want me to lift what?

For those of you who know me, then you're aware that I have a personal trainer. For those of you that don't know me, well - I have a personal trainer. His name is Bobby and we've been training together for a little over three months now, and when I told him about my new found desire to start blogging, he got worried that I was going to bash his name all over this thing. I assured him that would never happen, however, I do understand where his fear comes from.

I train with Bobby two days a week for one hour. Now, that doesn't seem like a lot (at least to me it doesn't) but trust me, it's plenty. I rotate my training workouts between my arms, legs and a combination of chest and back (my fav). Now....I'm not a bad client, but I can get a tad...whiney. It's usually just on legs days, but at the drop of a really hard exercise I get the somewhat high-pitched voice that says "Seriously?" This is what makes Bobby a good trainer - he looks at me and says "Yes. Go." And then I do. I go. He doesn't put up with my shrill girl voice, doesn't let me slack off, nor lets me barter for exercises. Ha ha. Often times I say, "I'll do 20 more of these, if I don't have to do anymore of those for the rest of the night." Never works, but I try my damnedest. I should justify that I do push myself during these sessions and I do all the exercises he tells me to at the quantities he demands. I'm just not always chipper about it.

Having a personal trainer has really made me love working out. Don't get me wrong, I still have to literally force myself to go to the gym, but when I get there I'm glad I showed up and I'm ready to go. Some people feel really guilty if they miss a workout, and it's not that I don't feel guilty, but, I feel like there's a void. It's almost as if my day isn't quite complete. I enjoy the feeling of being sore - it makes me feel like I really exhausted my muscles. And I really enjoy the tone they're getting. Just ask my family - I was a flexing machine over Easter. Now, going through the process of gaining sore & toned muscles feels like hell, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have fun while doing it.

Get some exercise! Either outside or at your local gym - just please wipe off the machine when you're done with it. Germs are nasty.

I have a confession...

Upon my return from the gym this evening I was feeling good. Got a good workout out in, got the blog somewhat up and running and I couldn't wait for Aaron to read the first entry. So I get home and read it to him, and upon its finish he walks over to the fridge and says, "So I guess I shouldn't have bought these?" And holds up a package of Nestle Chocolate Chip Ultimate Filled Cookies. Which is basically a chocolate chip cookie with a heart attack's size of chocolate fudge in the middle. Yea, I know. Let me give some background as to why Aaron would have bought these. Aaron works for Nestle Purina and at their work complex they have a company store. No, it's not just filled with dog food, it also holds any brand under the Nestle name. We're talking Wonka candy, Lean Cuisine, Nestle Tollhouse Cookies, etc. And they get it at a discount. So any regular Joe can bring home that package of cookies for about $4.50, but Aaron, $2.70. It's a definite perk when it comes to Lean Cuisine's and Cetaphil, but the candy and cookies are a downright sin. And I ate one. I know, I know! The devil joins me in hell and he's in the shape of a delicious cookie.

I should also confess that I'm getting married in November and while normally it's no reason to cause a confession, but this hellthy living thing makes the art of getting into a wedding dress a hell of a lot easier. So part of this lifestyle change is to lose some serious poundage in light of that event. I suppose that this is then, somewhat of my weight loss journal as well. I'll tell you what and how I'm doing and if you're lucky, I'll post some proof. Before and after style. Oh yea.

Perhaps I should also confess to Aaron that I plan on bringing him along on this journey, so he better put that cookie down. ;)

And so it begins..

It’s with a past weekend of feasting and a gut full of Easter candy that I finally get this bad boy going. Nothing like a (un)healthy amount of Reese’s Easter Eggs to jump start a blog on healthy living, and yet, here I am.

My name is Cassie and I am on a mission to live, eat and breathe a healthy lifestyle. The times, they are a changing and I with them. However, my mission isn’t new. You see, I’ve been trying diets all of my life, since the 6th grade to be exact. I remember my first one like it was yesterday. It was some grapefruit diet that caused you to drink grapefruit juice everyday and abandoned “white” foods. It was terrible. Have you ever tasted grapefruit juice? It’s disgusting. Since then, I probably tried a different diet every year, and each one more unsuccessful than the next. I’m what you would call a diet “sprinter.” I hit it hard the first few months and then I tire out and end up right back where I started. It’s cyclical. But I’m determined to be a cross-country dieter - stamina, patience and long distances.

By now you’re probably wondering, “why call it hellthy Cassie? Why use that extremely clever and witty play on words?”

Well my friends, healthy living isn’t easy. The beginnings of any hellthy movement are the hardest be it a week, a month, or several months. To me, you go through a certain personal “hell” on your journey to becoming a sound, health conscious individual. Over time, it gets easier and eventually just becomes part of how you live. But it isn’t without internal conflicts. My personal hell consists of constant ice cream cravings, lack of good running skills and a love of ketchup. But I get through it, one blueberry at a time.

So I write this to archive my journey through hell and hopefully come out a better person in the end. It’s my life, and I’m choosing to live it well - mind, body and soul.


*Eventually I’ll start putting recipes on here, so stay tuned for those!