New Year’s Goals

This morning I started thinking what my new year’s resolutions would be.  Yes, really.  I know it’s a bit early to even start thinking about it, but why not get a head start – not just thinking about it, but actually doing it?  That way there’s not as much pressure, and by that time, I’ve already got my groove going!

So here are some of my goals:

• Now that I’ve just about reached my goal weight, (I’ve lost over 55 lbs) I want to get really toned.  In February my hubby and I are going on our first Vegas trip (kinda sad, I know, but better late than never!  Then next Christmas we’ll be at at Disney World with my siblings and their families, so I definitely want to look smashingly fantastic :)
• Make & try 3 to 4 new recipes a month.  I really want to get back into doing things I love, and cooking is one of them.  I want to think of myself as a healthier Julia Child cook.  I know it can be tempting to cook with loads of butter, but I want to live a healthier lifestyle so that my family can live longer.

For now I think I’ll have my hands full.  I don’t want to overwhelm myself with standards that seem impossible to meet.  So this next week, I'm going to start on my goals!

Last night’s dream

I don’t know why I have weird dreams.  I mean really weird dreams.  Once I dreamt of polar bears and penguins.

Anyway, last night was one of those weird dreams of all time.  Even my hubby, Miguel, said it was quite the weird dream.

Disclaimer: I enjoy listening to Justin Timberlake’s music. I’m not one of those crazy fans that would do anything to see him.  I do think he’s cute.  End of story.  Anyhow, read on :)

In last night’s dream, I, along with two other girls, Amanda and Debbie, were walking along the center of the aisle at church.  The church service had already begun, and somehow we were all a part of the service.  All three of us were pregnant.  This was Debbie’s second pregnancy and mine and Amanda’s first.  Debbie and I were the only ones that were married.  I knew my husband was around somewhere, but I wasn’t sure where and I looked for him as I walked down the aisle.

The next thing I know church had ended and I’m about to climb into an old style car (perhaps a Rolls Royce).   I see Justin Timberlake and a crowd of people along the fence.  They didn’t seem phased by who he was.  We’d dated quite a long time and decided to mutually end the relationship.  It just wasn’t going to work out.  He was there, watching me get into the car.  I caught him staring at me and all of a sudden, feelings that had died as soon as the relationship ended arose again.  I longed to run to him and desperately wanted to be with him.  I wanted to hold him.  But because I was pregnant (and about ready to pop), I couldn’t quite run to him.   So I just stood there, alongside of the car.  I longingly stared at him back.  He yelled, “I’m still in love with you”.  I thought to myself, “I can’t do this.  I love my husband”.  All of a sudden, I turn back towards the car and slowly put my left foot in.  Justin began running madly towards me.  He jumped onto the other side of the fence and continued running furiously.  Finally, he reaches the car and said in an hastily voice, “I love you”.  He holds and picks up my hand, gets me out of the car and says, “I’ve never stopped loving you”.  He then proceeds to give me a long, passionate kiss.  My body simply melted.  I’d forgotten how great of a kisser he was and how I felt when I was with him.  I had to pull back.  “I can’t do this,” I said.  “I’m about to have a baby with Miguel and I love him.  I’m sorry”.  I began to get back into the car and closed the door.  I told the driver to start driving.  As we left, tears began rolling down my face.  Part of me still loved Justin, but I was about to have my complete family with Miguel.  It’s what I’d always wanted and my dreams were finally coming true.

The next thing I know I’m lying in a hospital operating room and the entire cast of Grey’s Anatomy surrounded my bed.  Not only was there a glass viewing room (like in the real show), but the entire room was surrounded by glass and the entire room was surrounded by doctors.  The room was so full I assumed the entire hospital was there.  I look to my right and Dr. Bailey is there.  “Why are all of these doctors here and looking at me?”  No answer.  All of a sudden I was in labor (without any pain) and I was giving birth to a little girl.  During and after the dream I remembered how I felt after I’d given birth and I’d never been more happy in my entire life.  I was in love with my brand new baby girl.

As I gave birth to my daughter, the doctors took the baby away and wouldn’t let me see her.  I could hear her crying and I began to cry because I was so happy.  I said to Dr. Bailey, “I want to see her, I want to hold my baby!”  She looked at me like I was crazy.  All of a sudden I heard all of the machines furiously sound off.  I knew something wasn’t right.  I shrieked to Dr. Bailey, “What’s wrong with me?”  “Where’s my baby?”  I look to my left.  “Is something wrong with me?”  No answer.  The machines seemed to indicate that they were all flat lining.  I felt alone.  No Miguel.  No Justin.  Just a room filled with what felt like hundreds of doctors.

Then I woke up.  Reality set in.  My heart was racing pretty fast.  As I continued lying down my eyes were wide open and huge.  I thought to myself, “where’s my baby?  Then I remembered it was just a dream.  I calmed myself down.  It was only a dream.  I look over to my left and I see Miguel peacefully sleeping.  It was just a dream.  I continued to take a few deeps breaths.

After I calmed myself down for a few moments I looked over to my right at the clock to see what time it was.  7:20 a.m.  I quickly turned over and went back to sleep.  Dreaming time had ended.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

Although it was kind of unfortunate that we spent Thanksgiving alone, it was nice to have a quiet one.  We did, however, celebrate Thanksgiving with some friends two weeks ago.  I really wanted to gather all of our friends in town and spend some time together, as I knew that each of us would go our separate ways for the holiday.  I made my first turkey (I’ll post pics up as soon as I find the connector from the camera to the computer) and it turned out well!…except that  I couldn’t find the giblets and I put a little too much flour in the turkey bag, but hey, it was the moistest turkey I’ve ever made! :)  I did make some pies (pumpkin – that didn’t turn out well) and apple pie (I really liked how it turned out!).  I also made stuffing and gravy (from the packet, as I didn’t have any time to make real gravy with real turkey leftovers.  Maybe next year! :)  I popped the cranberry sauce out of the can (I love the flavor compared to real cranberries – unless somebody can prove me otherwise.

All in all our pre-Thanksgiving meal went well.  We played Rock Band with our friends, made a Starbucks run and chatted a while.  It was a great Thanksgiving!  On the actual Thanksgiving Day  I felt it was a lot of cooking/work for just two people, so we ate out at Hometown Buffet.

I’m so thankful for safety, friends, family, and especially my hubby.  Even though we’ve had a rough year I’m so thankful that he’s a part of my life.

Identity crisis – when does it stop?

Reading a blog a few weeks, I began to ask myself – who am I, really?  Growing up Latina in an Anglo world…I feel like I’m stuck in the middle and am not quite sure where I belong.  I want to believe that I’m embracing my Latin heritage (through cooking).  I feel like I can travel anywhere through cooking.  However, growing up in a strict household, I feel like I missed out on many things.

In a typical Latino household, you’re surrounded by family all of the time.  Birthday parties, quinceaneras, dances, loud music.  In my own household, we occasionally went and saw family (mainly my mom’s side) whenever we convinced my dad to take us.  We listened to classical music (I actually enjoy it very much).  We're a subdued family.

My dad is quite the introvert and homebody.  Anywhere and everywhere we went, everything we did, we did it as a family.  This can be both good and bad.  The unfortunate thing, for my mom, was that she didn’t know how to drive.  So when I had a school event (like the tennis team), my dad would drive me everywhere.  Even after I got my driver’s license, I never got to drive somewhere by myself.  It wasn’t until I got to college and got my first car, that I was able to drive alone.

Browsing through TV channels a few weeks ago, my attention was caught by a show on CNN called Latino in America.  What does it mean to be a Latino?  How much will Latinos influence our country?  How much has America improved and been influenced by all of the things that Latinos do, that other Americans don’t?

Growing up I never had sleepovers. I didn’t want to bring any of my friends home; I wasn’t allowed to talk on the phone (well not quite…my dad would listen on the other line and then ask afterward what I was talking about with my friends, thus leading telling my friends not to call home).  I simply didn’t want to talk to my dad about what I felt were personal conversations between my friends and I, especially when they were going through a breakup or something of sorts.

Looking back at my childhood, I feel like I was held back and missed out on something, perhaps a real look at my culture.  My dad is one of those people that doesn’t want to be a typical Latino family.  I kind of have that same outlook he does.  He wants to be proud of where he’s come from and what his family has grown up to be, what they’ve accomplished.  Who doesn’t?  But I want to do it in a manner that one can still proud of all of those things, accomplish something, still be proud of one’s heritage and not be ashamed.

Even now I roll my eyes at Latinos who are “stereotypical” Latinos.  (by the way, I really am trying to change my outlook on that).  But why?  It would almost seem as if I were the puzzle piece that didn’t belong.  Many typical Latinas are pregnant or have gotten pregnant while in their teens.  Many Latinas (if not most) dress provocatively and have major attitudes.  Many are dark skinned.  Most have a Spanish accent.  Me?  Light skinned, no Spanish accent, definitely not pregnant (or have been), not much of an attitude.  Is it a personality thing?  Sometimes I feel like I haven’t quite come out of my shell, although I’m pushing myself more on that.  On one hand I think, did their parents not teach them enough values?  Don’t those kids have enough common sense to not do stupid things?  One comment about a story in Latinos in America was that a mom, whose daughter got pregnant as a teenager, said, ‘What will the family say? What will the neighbors say?”  Why does it matter what other people say?  My dad worried about that ALL of the time.  What will people at church say?  Is it a cultural thing to worry about what other people will say about you and your family?  Why does it matter?   I think it might have to do a little bit about putting on a good image (things aren’t as they seem).  Why does image seem like everything?   Why are we putting on this image?

At what point does the identity crisis stop? I’m not just talking about Latinos anymore.  There’s teenage identity, midlife crisis.  Can menopause be considered as some sort of crisis?  How do you know when it’s stopped?  How can you cope and deal with it effectively as you’re going through this crisis?

Sometimes I still feel like I’m struggling against my own culture, still trying to find where I fit in.  I haven’t quite found the answers to my own questions, but I hope I find some answers soon.

An unforgettable week…and yet plenty to be thankful for

Stressed out, frustrated, afraid…these feelings this past week lead to stress eating for the first time in my life.  Never have I ever done this and I don’t know why I’ve resorted to this method of relieving stress.

On Friday, in the wee hours of the morning (probably around 1:30 a.m. or so), someone broke into our home while we were asleep.  Yes, asleep.  The side paneling that attaches to the door was busted and the door itself was halfway open.  A light was on.  And we didn’t hear any of it.

Normally I get up around 6 a.m., to get ready for work, but this time, my hubby and I were getting ready to go out of town for the weekend for a family event (there was a party for his grandma’s 90th birthday).  I planned to go into work early and leave early, to get into SF in time for our flight.  On Friday morning, I struggled a bit to get out of bed (as I’m not a morning person).  Right before I came out of the bedroom at 5:30 a.m., I noticed the light was on in the living room through the bottom of the bedroom door.  I thought to myself, did he leave the light on again? He sometimes has a tendency to do that (very rarely though).  However, as I came out of the bedroom, I saw that the door was slightly open and there was wood on the floor, the main light was on.  I immediately yelled out to my husband, “Get up, somebody broke into our apartment!”  I’ve never seen him get up so fast.  While he snapped up from sleeping and came into the living room, so many thoughts ran through my head.  Is anything missing?  Why did they turn the light on?  Did they see the travel itinerary?  I’m sure they saw the suitcase…are they going to come back in case they saw the itinerary, potentially knowing we were going to be out of town?  I quickly checked my purse (as my wallet was wide open – it was hard to miss) to see if anything had been taken.  Everything was still there.  My cell phone was on the couch as I had left it.  The laptop was still on the floor.  Everything seemed in place as I’d left it the night before.

We paged the apartment management and immediately called the police.  The police officer took a look at our apartment asked a few questions, asked for our IDs, took a look at our door and the wood spread out on the floor and wrote some things down on his writing pad.  In the meantime, I thought, “Aren’t you going to take pictures? Call for backup?  Take some fingerprints?  Try to find the people that did this to us?  This is a crime scene!!  You’re supposed to do all this high-level stuff!!  That’s all you’re going to do…write on your silly pad and take a few notes?  This is our home!!  Something horrible could have happened to us….we could have been tortured, even KILLED!!”  The officer told us he thought this incident could have been one of a mistaken identity…wrong apartment?  We’ve lived at our place for almost two years, we don’t have any enemies, that we know of.  We sure don’t plan on making any.  We’re homebodies and rarely talk to our neighbors.  What do you mean mistaken identity?

After thanking the officer for his time and doing his cop duties, he left around 6:30 a.m.  I immediately tried to get ready for work as fast as I could.  As I got dressed,  I thought to myself, shouldn’t the officer have done more?  Why didn’t the intruders take anything?  Why did they turn the light on?  Why did they leave the light on?? 

After speaking to our neighbors later that day, we found out that the dog began barking around the time the intruders were making noise on our door and maybe one or two of the neighbors were awake downstairs.  After the dog began barking, they initially saw one shadow pass by downstairs.  Then two more later on.  We’ve come to the conclusion that the neighbor’s dog might have scared them away and prevented them from taking anything.  That, and our guardian angels were protecting us that night.

We’re still a bit shook up from that day.  We haven’t fully slept well and I’m still in panic mode when I wake up in the morning;  but we are thoroughly thankful that nothing was stolen and that we are safe.  We’re so lucky to have reliable friends that take care of us and watch our back.  Likewise, we’d do anything for our friends.

So this special and unique Thanksgiving week we’re thankful for safety, a place we can call home and each other.  I cannot express in words how thankful I am to have my hubby.  I feel much safer when he’s around and he’s there to comfort me, especially in times like these.

Video of the Week: El Perro y el Gato||SpanglishBaby

I saw this on a post and thought it was the coolest thing. Whenever I have kids, I'll definitely bring them up bilingual. Resources like this video make learning Spanish mucho mejor! (aka, much better)

Video of the Week: El Perro y el Gato||SpanglishBaby

Weight loss update

So far I’m at 52.5 pounds lost!  Yay!!  Only about 8 more pounds till goal!  So far, this is the skinniest I’ve ever been.  It feels so weird, but yet so empowering.  Cheers to a new and healthy lifestyle! :)

Freedom at last!

So here I am, writing my first blog with my new computer.  So how does it feel?  Excellent and fantastic!!  Now I feel I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.  Not that I didn’t do that before (for the most part), but now I can spend hours on the computer at home without having the hubby ‘wait’ on me to get off the computer.  I can now re-start my Friday ritual – listening to Spa Radio on Pandora while browsing the internet or reading a good book, or taking a bubble bath while listening to spa music and taking some much needed ME time. :)

The computer may not be the color I wanted, but it’s MY very own computer.  Oh how have I missed thee, laptop!!  I had the biggest smile on my face coming out of the store, knowing I’d just made a great investment.  We shall spend many happy years together, I just know it. :)  Hooray for new toys!

Can't wait for my new toy

Being computerless, SUCKS.

I can't blog, catch up with people, browse, check e-mail, read up on what's happening around the world or listen to Pandora.

A while back, my hubby and I agreed that he would let me use his laptop if I let him use my desktop computer, so that he'd have two computers. I like the freedom and mobility of the laptops better. But a few months ago, probably about five months ago or more (I've lost count), the laptop started smelling (as if it were burning) and all of a sudden it started smoking! I quickly closed the computer off and thought I would let it cool down, after I imeediately took out the battery - apparently not long enough. So I went ahead and tried turning the computer on again and the screen would not turn on. I could see lights on (signs that the computer was on), but nothing was happening. At that moment I decided that the computer was no more, especially after the smell and smoke. I was very sad to part with my dear computer.

So after that incident, I've been trying to find something to fill its void. I've been staying at the gym a little longer and coming home late (too late at times) and have been exhausted, too tired to even check e-mail on my desktop. Sometimes I would read, other times watching tv (mainly Food Network or watching NCIS re-runs, lots of re-runs); but it's still not the same. I've missed blogging.

So hopefully, within the next month, I'll have the opportunity to get another laptop. Ahh, my relaxation time will come back to me once more. :)

On a completely random and different note, as of last week, I have lost a total of 45pounds. It feels SO good! I'm getting closer to goal, just have to focus 1 lb at a time.

Just keep walking, just keep walking

Over the Memorial Day weekend I made it to my second 10% of weight loss. Yay me! I was so shocked when I made it because I didn't think I would make it until a few weeks later, but hey, I'll take it!

Now, I just need to lose a little bit more weight to reach my goal to being at a healthy weight. I'm two pounds short of losing a total of 40 pounds! I can't believe that I've made it this far. Some weeks (like this one), I've overeaten, and I still struggle to find my balance of feeling full vs this food is so good I need to keep eating vs I want something sweet/salty and I'm not quite sure what food that is yet so I'll keep eating until I've found it. I haven't struggled too much with the last one, but at times it HAS been a challenge.

Other weeks it's been no problem staying on program. A few weeks I've overworked my body and I've somehow 'gained' weight, but the following week I've lost some of it. Sometimes losing weight is SUCH hard work. I'm pretty sure some days it's been easy to put it on, too.

I've been overweight most of my life and have come to the conclusion that the time is NOW to get into a healthy lifestyle. Some of the tools are simply learning what a portion is and sticking to that portion, in addition of listening to my body when it's telling me that it's full. Life's a balance.

I'm confident that I can reach my goal by September of this year. I just have to remember what my goals are and keep those in mind when I'm struggling. AND keep exercising.

I'm VERY proud of myself at the fact that I've been exercising and have stuck with it. I've stepped up my workout so much so that three weeks agi I decided to join a gym three weeks ago. Since then, I have gone four to five times a week. It also helps that I have a great husband and friends/family who have been encouraging me along the way and help keep me honest and accountable.

I think that accountability is one of the key things to losing or maintaining weight. Be honest with yourself. The only person you're cheating is yourself. And in the cases where you cheat yourself and tell others you "haven't" eaten that cookie or you tell yourself that your piece of chocolate cake doesn't have as many calories as you think it has, think again. Those little lies are the ones that are going to prevent you from being healthy. To do those things once in a while, OK, it happens, we all slip up. But to do those things often is a recipe for disaster.

Just keep walking (or in the case of Finding Nemo, just keep swimming). Just keep doing what you do that inspires you and keeps you motivated and focused. Little by little, you'll get there. Reaching goal will be one of the most amazing accomplishments. I keep telling myself it will be worth it.

Instant pancakes?

Photo courtesy of http://bakingbites.com/

Pancakes in a can?

Yes, it's a real product. Check out the blog at http://bakingbites.com/ for all the info! I'd be interested to try it when I find it, just to kill my curiosity. I'm sure these would sell BIG in colleges!

The new short mini bus?

Check this out:


I thought, seriously? It's the new short mini-bus with extra doors! If you were to shrink a school bus, this is what it'd look like.

What do you think?

Not On My Watch

First comes love, then comes marriage, and then the baby in its carriage.

And to answer your question - no, I'm not pregnant.

Nor do I wish to be at this moment.

We have some college friends and know couples that have recently gotten married (or have been married just as long as we have), and BAM!, a few months later, a year later, two years later, they're pregnant. My thought is, what's the rush? I'm going on two years of marriage pretty soon, and I'm pefectly comfortable with my happy, simple, relatively uncomplicated life.

OK, if it's an accident, it happens, you should have at least been a little more careful. It happens. On the other hand, there are couples who REALLY want kids right away. For others, time's-a-ticking. Me? I'll wait a few more years until my life feels a little more stable and secure. Let's just say that when the economy gets a little better, I'll think about it some more. If not by then, then perhaps in about four years from now. Don't quote me on that.

It's not that I hate kids. I just don't want them right now. Maybe it was because of my years of being a summer camp counselor that frustrated me and stressed me out at times. Yes, a little scarred for life. It's no easy task, that's for sure. Maybe I just don't FULLY like kids yet. I like the idea of having them SOMEDAY. And it's not like when I see baby pictures or when I pass by little kids clothes, I don't have my "aww, look how cute!" moment, because trust me, I've had those moments. But then the thought just passes me by instantly as I walk past the kids section and it's as if I'd never had that thought. Maybe it's a good thing.

I don't mind kids - I don't think. I really enjoy playing with my nieces and tickling them like crazy and having a great time - for a few hours. But I think at times I'm thinking of it as a babysitter-type idea. They're OK for a few hours. But a few days (perhaps) or weeks? Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need that kind of drama quite yet.

I'm fairly certain my parents wouldn't mind having another grandchild - there's already three granddaughters in the family; two with hazel eyes, one brown. Maybe my kids will have green eyes (as my husband's family is pretty dominantly a green-eyed family); my family, more of a hazel, brown-eyed family.

And it's not like we're not being cautious, because we are. We're definitely using precautions. But getting pregnant? Not on my watch. I'll get pregnant when the time feels right, when my husband and I feel like we're ready to venture onto this new challenge, when I'm comfortable enough with being a mom and waiting to being called mommy by my child.

But when I do get pregnant, I really want a girl. :)

Where's my personal chef?

Recently I came across a new site - Foodporndaily.com. I feel naughty just looking at these photos. But I'm pretty sure I just genuinely love looking at this site.

Today I began looking at these photos and the food looks so delicious. (Start and stop drooling...periodically)

Then I thought, where's MY own personal chef? I love watching Food Network shows like Giada at Home, Ask Aida and others. Sometimes I just want to sit back and have that delicious food ready for me when I get home from work. No need to think about what's for dinner. No need to worry about having to clean up dishes before cooking dinner or cleaning up afterwords. Days like today, where I'm just exhausted - from doing nothing - even though my day job keeps me busy and focused. Today I'm just incredibly exhausted. I think I'm coming down with something - I've been coughing a lot more than usual throughout the day. Just completely drained.

On the other hand, I'm kinda like, God, what I wouldn't give to learn how to do incredible stuff like that. I mean, yeah, I can cook, but sometimes the laziness gets the better of me. In order to REALLY cook, I have to be inspired. Too bad that hasn't happened for a while. It just may be that I have to get the house in order. In the meantime, I'll just look at all this food porn and dream :)

Disgruntled chicken

I have a confession to make.

I hate cooking chicken. I hate it even more when it takes 2 1/2 hours to cook. Last night I attempted to cook chicken in a pan. For some reason I thought it would take about 20 minutes. Not so true. I'd seared the chicken on medium heat, then occasionally set it to medium-high heat. Twenty minutes later I took it off thinking it'd be done. Not even remotely close. Still pink, still "semi-alive". I then decided to put it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Still not fully cooked.

As I put the chicken in yet again in the oven, I thought to myself, how long does chicken take to cook? How freaking long does it take?! By the time I began cooking the chicken it was about 6:00 p.m. Finally, after much frustration, hunger, and feeling like I was going to pass out because I hadn't eaten yet (even though I had been snacking in between to keep myself sustained), the moment finally came when it was done. An hour and a half later.

It tasted like perfection. How ironic. My husband even thought it tasted pretty good. Winner winner, chicken dinner. With rice. Just another day in the kitchen.

Good In Bed

A few days ago I read an article aloud to my husband from my favorite magazine, Real Simple. In it is the amusing story of a woman, Julie Rottenberg, who loves to sleep. And I don't mean sleeping in until 10 or 11 a.m.

As she puts it, "I am a superhuman sleeper." When I told my husband that she describes her sleeping habit as a passion, an obsession and can even be a talent, he laughed and nodded completely in agreement. The author can sleep until one, two, and even until three in the afternoon for stretches of 12 to 15 hours. As someone who thinks that sleeping in is around 10 or 11 a.m., I didn't think it was possible to sleep until three in the afternoon. Not until I met my husband.

Some days, on the weekends, I'd get so frustrated because he'd "sleep the day away" as I'd put it - luckily he doesn't do this all the time. Some days I let him sleep in. I've discovered that we each have our own levels of grumpiness when we don't get our beauty sleep.

After I finished reading the article, I found myself partially agreeing with the author when she wrote the following paragraph:

"So when I find myself lying in bed on a beautiful, sunny Saturday morning, plagued with the feeling that I should get up and embrace the day, I do not. Instead, I abandon all guilt and shame, put on my sleep mask, roll over, commit to sleeping, and continue sleeping until I can sleep no longer. I firmly believe that only then, in the deepest of sleep, can true progress begin."

So here's to sleep that builds enough confidence to conquer the day and replenishes the body and soul; and to lazy Sundays spent in pajamas :)

Check out the article Good in Bed by Julie Rottenberg in February's issue of Real Simple.

Living to live - and The Biggest Loser

I know it's been a little while...

For the first time, I watched Season 6 of The Biggest Loser, when it initially aired on TV a few months ago. I was amazed with the outcomes and strengths that the individuals had, both good and bad.

So now, as part of my Tuesday night routine, I continue watching The Biggest Loser. Last week I told my husband that I was amazed at what our society has become. I know there are the extremes, anorexically skinny and morbidly obese. I know that sometimes it can be easy to lose track of oneself and one day look in the mirrow and not recognize who or what you've become. The unfortunate part of the obesity problem is that for some people it's gotten to be a matter of life or death.

Last week, the show introduced a 19-year-old man who was over 420 pounds. He didn't know whether he was going to be able to live to be 25 or 30 years old. As a 25-year-old young woman, I was shocked to hear that a young person like that might not make it to live to be 30 years old. It's scary alone to think that I'll be hitting the 30s range soon.

In September of last year I challenged myself to lose 10% of my body weight. Now that I've achieved that, I'm challenging myself to lose another 10%. I've found that I have more energy and stamina; and most importantly, I feel great! :) And one of the exciting things about my challenge is that I can now fit into my old clothes again! Yeah!