Dieting, dieting and always trying something new.

I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge on Monday.

I’m not expecting any sort of insane results, I just thought it seemed like an eas(ier) way to get back on track after sort of falling off the wagon these past couple years.

So far, it’s been the easiest cleanse I’ve ever done, mostly because I can still eat normal things, and my restrictions are basically that I can’t have bread. Complex carbs are allowed, so I can have oatmeal in my morning smoothie. As someone who basically lives off carbs, this makes all the difference in the world as far as my mood is concerned.

I like eating healthy, so that part hasn’t been too difficult. The directions do say to eat eight servings of fruits and vegetables during the cleanse phase, which I have yet to actually accomplish. It’s not that I don’t like them – that’s just a lot of food!

The supplements actually taste pretty good. The consistency of the fiber drink is a little weird, but it tastes okay if I make sure to drink it quickly. 

On day three, I’m feeling really good. The Spark is keeping my energy up – Im a coffee fiend so I was a little worried about that. Yesterday I  was feeling a little slow and had a headache in the evening, but feel much better this morning. 

My skin has yet to go crazy, so I’m crossing my fingers for that. I tend to drink a good amount of water as it is, so hopefully that will benefit me. 

I’ll try to keep tabs on how things go. It seems like an easy enough plan to follow – I even went to dinner last night and was able to order off the menu, which was nice.

Crossing my fingers!

Getting rid of the unimportant things and embracing the important.

I just deleted my social media accounts – well, the shortcuts on my phone at least.

I’m a worrier by nature. What does that mean exactly? It means if there is an issue or an event, I will immediately come up with every scenario that could possibly cause everything to veer off course and go terribly wrong.

It’s just what I do.

I am also obsessed with crime shows. As in, that’s basically all I watch.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, those two things don’t mix well. Oh, you’re giving me every instance where a freak accident could happen or a crazy person could be lurking? And I’m obsessively worrisome? Yeah, that seems like a bad idea to everyone.

So, everything reached a breaking point recently where I’ve just been freaking out basically every five seconds. Coupled with social media, and the news on social media, I’m getting a bit of an overload.

So, I’m taking a break because it’s actually impacting my quality of life. I think most of you guys know where to find me. I’ll be decompressing, writing and enjoying things and people that are present, here and positive.

Frosty23 (at) gee mail.com if you don’t have it already.

A new job, and lots of Backstreet Boys music.

Long time no see, blog.

 

I started a new job almost three weeks ago. I’ve been so tired getting in the hang of things that I just haven’t had the energy to write. I keep thinking about it and think, “No, what do I possibly have to say right now?”

 

Which is dumb. There is always something to be said.

 

When I started my first job in PR, several people said to me, “Make sure you have an outlet,” or “Write things for yourself, too.” But when writing pieces that are more technical, or have a single goal in mind (to get your product, person/company covered in the news), it’s easy to get sort of disillusioned. Something along the lines of, “Didn’t I get into this because I wanted to write? Am I doing anything besides saying the same thing several times over?”

 

I’ve currently moved on from the PR world – I’m gathering information for proposals to win work in a particular industry. It’s pretty important stuff, and incredibly tedious so far, but I am learning it comes with similar challenges. I got into the world of PR/marketing/communications because I wanted to communicate. It’s taking some effort to wrap my head around the fact I’m still doing that, even if I’m not using words.

 

Writing words has always been my comfort zone. It’s fairly easy for me – or actually, easy to change, so I can say exactly what I want and no one sees me tripping over my words, like I typically do when speaking. People make me nervous.

 

The cool thing is, I still get to communicate – even if on the surface it sometimes seems like I’m just pulling things together. Each piece and portion of my work and how it’s put together impacts the outcome of these bids. And that’s actually pretty neat. A little bit of pressure, but I like that. It means my work matters – an as much as I like to pretend that recognition has little effect on what I think of myself – I like to be acknowledged for my effort. Plus, there’s always a bright side, and it’s so very important to find it.

This is My Life on the Fourth of July…it Isn’t Much, but at Least it’s Mine

Though the day has ended for most, I’m still awake after an early evening nap of sorts. I can’t help but think of one of my favorite songs, “Fourth of July” by Stephen Kellogg.

You can see it here. http://youtu.be/wo_fj_lDO20

It makes me think of many things: life, troubles, self confidence, pain, endurance, heartbreak and the inevitable joy of overcoming those hardships.

It also makes me think of my best friend. Former best friend, I suppose. Not by choice. We were supposed to move to Boston. I moved home instead. She used to respond to texts, and then just stopped one day.

We were both ready to move when we decided to go. It was an escape plan – a way to run away. Then it fell through. We moved on. I’m happy, though nothing is how I planned it. I was in a bad place, mentally, back then. I didn’t think anyone cared about me nor cared if I left. I certainly didn’t care about staying. We bonded over that all-consuming need to leave, and the idea that no one cared if we did.

And then she left.

When best friends stop being best friends, it’s worse than an actual breakup. The thing about best friends is they know everything – the things you keep to yourself when dating, at least for awhile. They know all of it.

It’s been a few years now, and I still have a hard time letting it go. The fact that the person I befriended over our common need to find someone who cared, decided she didn’t.

But that’s life I guess. And mine is good. Some days, breathtakingly good. Today was one of those days, actually. But I still miss my friend.

Greek Yogurt Pancakes

I failed at low-carb. I did really well for four day, and realized I love carbs and hated having headaches. I was getting a headache a day and took an hour and a half nap each day while my body adjusted. It was awful.

So, I made these pancakes yesterday. They were so easy! My boyfriend even said he liked them better than regular pancakes – they taste more like creme fraiche.

Here’s the recipe:
1 egg (I use the brown, cage-free variety)
6 oz. Greek yogurt (also known as 3/4 C)
1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 Tbsp vanilla

Step 1:
Combine the egg and yogurt. Stir until as smooth as possible – just make sure to get rid of the lumps. Add the vanilla and mix.

Step 2:
Combine the baking soda and flour.

Step 3:

Combine baking soda mixture and yogurt mixture. Mix until well-blended and somewhat smooth. It will be pretty thick.

Step 4:
Heat a pan to medium heat. Wait until pancakes bubble (about two-three minutes) and turn. Cook two-three more minutes.

Step 5:
I topped mine with butter and local honey. Enjoy!