Onto week 3 of weight loss!

A little frustrated because I haven't lost much weight - 2 pounds! However my legs do feel somewhat firmer. I'm giving it a month to see what my results are before I think about changing things up. So far I have been doing a combination of Savannah runs along with Chancellor hill walks. Also started a 30 day squat challenge with the girls at work :) See below:

Also been using a protein supplement called Synthrax Matrix 5.0. I love the taste! 23 grams of protein in 110 calories - no bad. I will post pics at my next weigh in on April 28th. 

Starting weight - 165

Current weight - 163

Hopefully I can lose 5 pounds in the next two weeks! Want to get into the 150's by May *crossing fingers*

April 1st! Back into exercise mode!

So I've decided to get back in shape. Over last two years or so I put on 30 pounds! Yes you heard me right. I was an avid exerciser back in 2011 until I started my MBA. Everything went to hell in hand basket since then. Though I've managed to get some exercise in, in between I've been really laxing and eating to my heart's content over the last 6 months or so. Since I've completed studying and earned a new position at work I really have no excuse! I'll aim to post progress photos every 2 weeks.

Stats: April 01, 2013

Current Weight: 165
Goal Weight: 135
Height: 5'7

Bust: 38"
Waist: 34" WHAT??!!
Hips: 44"
Thighs: 25"
Arms: 12"

Modus Operandi?

Exercise:

1. Savannah laps twice a week
2. Chancellor once a week
3. Kettle bell dvd's using my 15 and 30 pound weights.
4. Jillian Michael's dvd's - she always kicks butt!

Eating:

1. Incorporating more protein into my diet and cutting down on the carbs
2. More vegetables
3. More water and green/oolong tea

Other:

1. Blogging my progress

So let's get to it. Posting a pics of me at my current weight and we'll move on from there :) Feel free to comment/send me your ideas/tips.

Last Night in Jamaica - Sushi and Drinks.

Once again, Craig has been the perfect chaperon and took me out in Kingston on my last night here. I'm home now and I already miss Jamaica, it was really a great vacation and it taught me a lot about myself and being open to experiences.

Anyway moving along, we went to two places. The first was East Japanese for Sushi. I've been told it's one of the best sushi places in Jamaica and more info can be found here. The atmosphere was nice, you can choose to either dine outside or inside (however on a warm night like Friday night I would suggest indoor dining). There is a sushi bar inside as well as a formal dining area and on each table there is a "mat" with instructions as to how best enjoy your sushi rolls. I thought this was quite amusing as I have been to a few sushi places in Trinidad and haven't seen such a mat.

We dined on a traditional Philadelphia roll, a spicy Philadelphia roll and a Dragon Fire roll, all were fantastic but cream cheese is my weakness, so the Philly rolls win hands down.

For drinks I had my favourite Mudslide, which though a bit on the sweet side was good. Craig opted for a blended fruit punch (which I have had previously and is really good, Jamaica has the best variety of juices I have ever come across!)

After enjoying the sushi, which was actually pretty tasty and filling, we headed over to Devon house (which is another must visit when you go to Jamaica) to one of its many shops called the Grogge Shoppe for drinks. The Grogge Shoppe has both an outdoor terrace and indoor area. The outdoor atmosphere there at night is amazing and very intimate whether you're with someone special or just hanging out with some friends. I had my beloved baileys and I took just one picture because at this point I hadn't charged my camera since the Mystic Mountain/Dunn's River Falls adventure the previous weekend. I hope this one picture captures how intimate the outdoor setting is.

In all I had a great last night in Jamaica. I wish my stay had been longer, its funny how 11 days flies when you are having fun. I hope to visit sometime again in the future and take more pictures to add to my memories of the island.

Mystic Mountain and Dunn's River Falls - Jamaica 2011

This year I decided to visit Jamaica again for my vacation. I've been here two times previously and enjoyed each trip, however due to time constraints on my previous visits I was not able to go to as many places as I would have liked. I also never had a camera to take out any shots lol. Anyway I decided to make use of my blog and post a few pictures from places I visited while here. Hopefully I can really work on making my blog into a beauty/make-up/travel blog now that I have a digital camera.

These photos were taken at Mystic Mountain which is in Ocho Rios and features a sky explorer that takes you up to the resort (700 feet above sea level) where there is a pool, restaurant and souvenir shops. Its quite beautiful and the view as you go up the lift is breathtaking. There is also a zipline and bobsled ride down, however I am not THAT adventurous.

These shots were taken overlooking the bay at Ocho Rios

Some more pics as we go up the sky explorer. That's me in the brown T-shirt, my mom and my friend Craig and those are his feet, not mine as well as some people on their way down while we were on our way up.

The restaurant at the top has a selection of food to choose from, however regretfully I didn't take pics of the food or the menu lol. However I do have some pictures of the restaurant as well as a view of the pool from the restaurant window.

Later on we went to Dunn's River Falls and Park which was also quite nice.

How cool is this tree? It must be ages old!

I must say it was one long day, but I really enjoyed myself and was able to take out quite a few pictures. I have to thank Craig though who drove the 2 hour drive from Kingston to Ocho Rios after my cousin palmed me off on him. :) I'm loving Jamaica, though its just as hot as Trinidad but at least its not as humid. I'm glad I chose to come back for vacation... for more reasons than one :)

On Love...

Recently I've been wondering.. what is it I find so appealing about being in love? At some point we are all in love, in need of love, longing for love, thinking about love, hating love, wishing for love, out of love... No offense to love or anything but I find it a catch 22.

It's like bi-polar disorder where there can be these intense highs and lows. Well for me at least. But what is it that keeps us coming back for more? Maybe it's the high we feel when in love... something that no amount of drinking, drugs or any other vice can really duplicate...it's extremely exotic and intoxicating.. but how is it when love ends? It's like that hang over that you think will never go away.. or the withdrawal when you've gotten addicted to drugs.. but this feeling last much longer and digs deeper than any hangover or withdrawal.

Love sometimes makes you willing to put up with someone's flaws. And if you have self esteem issues it can complicate those. You may think (consciously or sub-consciously) that if this person you're in love with treats you negatively, it's probably that you're the one with the problem. Because you've put them on this pedestal, you think it must be you and if you were worthy they would treat you as such.. cuz they're perfect, right? Wrong! I've noticed (from my experience as well as others) that if you don't know self-worth, being in love with or loving the wrong person can really do a number on your mental health.

People will always say you need to be a complete person before you decide to be with someone else. Two complete persons, not two halves - so when one leaves you're in pieces. Well I have thought and thought about that... how is it that many of us feel so put together before we get involved with someone, but when they leave, we fall apart anyway?

Were we wrong in our self-analysis? I think now more than ever, you never really know yourself 'til you've been in and out of love. It really shows you more about yourself than most other life experiences ever will. Loving people has given me a view of myself from many different angles .. and not all of it has been pretty. It's also made me better in someways and broken in others. Would I trade my experience in love for anything? Honestly, maybe some of the broken bits but generally no.

There is this quote from a recent Britney Spears interview where she actually spoke about her bi-polar disorder. In some ways I think it relates to love:

"It's weird like you can see the cruelest part of the world, the cruelest part...but then on the other side you see the most beautiful part ....do you know? It's like you go from one extreme to the next....and they're both worth it cause you wouldn't see the other without the other one. But that cruel part is damn cruel and you'll never forget it. But that heaven....is heaven. And it's like....I've been to both places."

We all need love... some of us have it now, some are still searching and some swear they will live without it. Right now I'm just sick of it and the toll that it takes, but like they say.. this too shall pass..