Bridal Meltdown

When we started looking for vendors, I scoured the internet but mostly I was planning on relying o recommendations from friends. Turns out this wasn't as great a plan as it sounds. Although I was able to get some great recommendations, we kept thinking we could find a better price. We stayed diligent and were able to find great vendors at a fraction of the cost of what some others had paid. So the best advice I can give you is to keep looking until you find a great vendor at the right price. It may seem impossible but it's not! When it came to our photographer, I knew exactly who I wanted. This amazing photographer that is the sister-in-law of my Fiance's best man. I've had my heart set on them photographing my wedding since I met them and started following their page. I was warned that they were pricey, but when I inquired and found out just how pricey my mouth dropped. There was no way we could possibly afford them, their cheapest package started around $5,000. I ...

I was motivated, I was in a routine, I was eating right and hitting the gym, and then I stopped. What happened? I cut my thumb on my right hand which required me to get stitches - Ok, it sucked but did that mean I had to stop following my diet? No! Did I though? Of course. I was in pain and upset, and I used that as another excuse to stop eating right - really to eat whatever the hell I pleased (give me all the ice cream!!!). I also used it as an excuse not go get to the gym. When I first got hurt I was really upset that I couldn't go to my gym classes, especially my PunchHITT class which I loved. As I'm right handed, my finger was in a lot of pain even after the stitches were removed (you don't realize how much you use your thumb until something like this happens) so I still didn't go back. Then weeks and weeks went by and there I was not going to the gym, still not eating right. In four weeks I managed to completely ruin my routine. As time went on, my anxiety sta...

One of the biggest stresses of wedding planning has to be the Guest List. We're trying to keep costs down, and that means a low guest count. I'm trying to be ruthless and cut certain people, but every time I think about it, my anxiety kicks in. Just an FYI.... I started writing this post in the middle of going over my guest list to provide my sister with a list for my bridal shower. I am currently in my fiance's family's group text debating whether to invite his first cousin and his wife. Spoiler alert: they're most likely not going to be invited! Again, I'm trying to be ruthless. I may need lots of coaching, and go through a few panic attacks but I'm determined. Luckily I've had the support of some friends to get me through it. As one says "she's gonna give me a backbone." We want to keep our guest list around 100 - 120 max. Vin and I are both one of 6, that means our immediate family already makes up 25% of our guest list if we invite...

As of today, I am official down 10 pounds! It's been about three months since I started my weight loss journey. Some may say I'm moving slowly, but I heard that's the way to go if you want to keep it off. Honestly, if I kept to a strict diet and workout schedule I'd probably have lost more. But I'm not trying to be strict, I'm going for an overall lifestyle change. This way I'll not only lose the weight, but keep it off. I'm not going to be able to do that with some fad diet. So how did I get here? I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app. I put in my starting weight - 141 pounds at the time and my goal weight of 110 pounds and it calculated my calorie and nutrient goals for me. To calculate this goal it also asks your activity level, I chose lightly active as I have a desk job. It also asks how many pounds you'd like to lose a week, I selected 1. This gave me a daily calorie goal of 1,260. Carbs 158g / Fat 42g / Protein 63g. Do I track my calories ...

I went into wedding dress shopping with a completely open mind. I had no clue what I wanted, but I knew what I didn't like - mermaid dresses, gaudiness, wasn't too into a ballgown. I wanted something I could move in and something elegant. I may have previously looked at wedding dresses on Pinterest before I got engaged, but I didn't go searching for dresses after I got engaged. The main reason - I didn't want to fall in love with a dress online and be disappointed. When it came to picking out somewhere to go dress shopping, I decided to go to the same place my sister went to - Simplicity Boutique. She found her dream dress and had an overall great experience there. After about a month of waiting, the day finally arrived. I was nervous, excited, hopeful, but didn't really think I'd walk out of there purchasing a dress. I went shopping with my mom, sister, and soon to be mother-in-law. I wanted to keep the group small, as I didn't know what I wanted so I d...

I told my fiance pretty early on in our relationship, which type of engagement ring I would like - a 2 ct round solitaire. I hardly ever wear jewelry, especially never nice jewelry so I've always wanted an engagement ring that was really nice and would look big on my finger. It may sound bitchy, but it is what it is and I'm not ashamed. Throughout our years together, Vin would joke "Do you know how much that costs?!?" As time passed, the style of ring I liked was pretty much still the same but I was now more into different shapes like a pear or oval. He wasn't into it. As the years went on, I didn't care what ring I received. I even considered a non-diamond stone, but he would always say it had to be a diamond when I showed him these pictures. I just wanted to get married to Vin so badly that the ring no longer mattered, yet still I was not engaged. To say I was going crazy, is an understatement. When Vin finally proposed, I was shocked. I didn't actua...

When I decided to do The Greenprint Project* I knew it was going to be extremely difficult for me. Let's be honest here, my main reason behind doing this is to possibly win Beyonce concert tickets for life! It's just an added bonus that it'll help the planet and help me live a healthier lifestyle. There were a few different options for the Greenprint Project, which ranged from eating a plant-based breakfast every day to eating plant-based every single day. After weighing my options, I choose Meatless Mondays! This may seem simple to you, but to me it's no small feat. It's the third week and the first time I've successfully gone fully vegan. I didn't drink milk once these past three Mondays (which is a huge victory on it's own), but I did eat cheese for the first two weeks. I was really down on myself for not being able to remain completely plant based, so I decided to plan ahead for this week. Surprise, surprise, it actually worked. Everything didn...

When I joined the gym, I knew I wanted to take classes in the morning before work. I alternate going in to work at 7:30 or 8:30 every week, so on days when I'm due in at 8:30 I thought it would be more productive to to the gym before work. I attempted this once or twice, but I failed. Well it's my 8:30 - 5 week, so I decided to give it another try. I'm naturally a morning person, but I definitely need my 8 hours of sleep. (I'm the type of person that sets one alarm and jumps out of bed as soon as it goes off.) Despite this, I was unable to get up for the gym at 5:30 when I first tried so I gave up. This weekend I was going over the class schedule and I decided I wanted to give it another go. The spin class I wanted to take was at 6, so I decided to set my alarm for 5:30. My plan was to be out of the house by 5:40, so that I could get to the gym with time to spare to put my stuff in a locker and go to the bathroom (once or twice; you'll come to realize I have th...

Today I wasn't exactly up to going to the gym. I was, until something strange happened at the end of my work day that left me feeling upset and put me in a funk. But I did my best to put that aside and headed to the gym anyway. As I'm still feeling sore from the two classes I took yesterday, I decided to do a quick treadmill workout before meeting up with my friend for dinner. When I first got on the treadmill, I didn't have a plan in place. I walked for two minutes at a very slow pace to warm up. Then I upped the speed to do a slightly faster walk. While I was walking I started wondering to myself if I could manage to run on this thing, so at the five minute mark I decided to give it a go. I ran for a full minute then slowed down my speed back to a walking pace. I couldn't believe it, I actually wasn't winded and I considered running for a longer period of time. Not wanting to gas myself out, I decided walk for two minutes and then switch back to running. A...

I knew I weighed more than I wanted to and was a little overweight. But then I went to the doctors where I received a receipt with a warning about my BMI and the fact that I was overweight. It suggested I should start losing weight and even offered some tips. I was shocked and embarrassed. Even worse, I'm pretty positive that my fiance, then boyfriend, had definitely read it before me, because I hadn't looked at it right away. I can feel the blood rushing to my face now just thinking about it. I knew then that I had to do something, but did I? No of course not, like the procrastinator I am I pushed it off.  Then I got engaged... this is serious now, I must lose weight.  This bitch needs to move!  Currently I weigh 138 pounds. My goal is to lose 25 to 30 pounds by February 1, 2020 and then to maintain that weight until my wedding day on March 28, 2020.  I joined Crunch Fitness, and have already taken a few classes. I've also began to eat better. Since I've...

Here it is, my first blog post! For years I've thought about creating a blog, but never actually did it. So why start now? Well I'm getting married, I need to lose weight, and I want to keep my sanity throughout the whole process, so I thought a blog would be a great way to do this. I hope by sharing my journey it will help not only myself, but anyone reading that may also find themselves in the same position as I am.