Updates: Blog changes + design

Hi there! I hope you're having a great week and if you're not this video should put a smile on your face. Besides tomorrow is Friday! Woo Hoo!

I have a few updates to share. First I'm going to make some changes to the blog. I've haphazardly  dabbled with the design but since I'm working on my professional design portfolio I thought I would really spruce up my design. With that being said my blog name (for now) will be "ShopGirl gets Skinny" since I've always wanted a separate blog to document my weight loss journey. You will still be able to access it via erikabydesignblog.blogspot.com so there are no changes there. Just the header sign will be changing. I've taken a hiatus on my main blog ShopGirl Speaks but plan to get back into full swing once I get a handle on my schedule.

Speaking of schedule, my blog schedule here will be the following; Monday's will be Mediocre to Marvelous posts, 2 Tuesdays out of the month will be Tasty Tuesdays which will focus on low carb recipes. Wednesdays will rotate between Wordless and Weight Loss and Friday's will be Fashionable Fridays. I will post any major events that affect my journey on Tuesday's or Thursdays but they may be sprinkled into the main post themes as well.


Let me know if you're interested in seeing anything here, I'd love to hear your suggestions!

October 2013 Goals

I was checking my old posts and I found a draft for my October 2011 goals! Yikes! Well now that I am making progress my plan is to be more organized and track my progress. I mean that is the whole purpose of my blog.

So I didn't achieve my goal of being a size 14 like I planned for September. I'm moving that goal to next month. This month I'll have to crawl before I walk and that means acheiving a combination size of a J.Crew 16/18. If I stick to my plan I should be able to achieve that. This is the first time in my journey that I'm actually excited about setting goals. What are your goals for October?

Tasty Tuesday: Veggies on a budget

One big complaint with alot of people is that healthy food, specifically vegetables are more expensive than highly processed foods. That was my argument at least. Now that my meals are more low carb than they have been I find that I'm eating more veggies. I challenged myself by planning my meals based on the vegetables that are on sale. Taking this approach has made meal planning easy for me. If you know me you'll know I kinda hate meal planning, so I embrace anything that makes the process easier.



My process:

Thursday the sale flyer for my grocery store is delivered to my inbox and mailbox. I look for the vegetables that are on sale focusing ideally on BOGO veggies. That ensures that I can make at least two dishes with the sale vegetable. Last week I turned a high carb meal to a healthy low carb meal.

Next I determine what recipe I can prepare with that vegetable. If I don't have a particular recipe then I do a google search for low carb recipes that feature that vegetable. I focus on recipes that will contain ingredients I already have at the house.

Lastly I plan my grocery trip. We are doing Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover so we find ways to save. One way we save is on gas, so our shopping trip occurs on Sunday on the way back from church since it's on the way home. We actually pass 2 grocery stores on the way home so if there is something out of stock at store one we stop at store two and not have to go out of our way and waste any gas.

How do you save on healthy foods that are normally expensive?

Weight Loss Progress: September recap

Hey there! Since September is over I wanted to update you on my weight loss progress.

September I have to say was good. I lost 4 pounds almost 5 and I lost 3 inches. I focused more on eating low carb, specifically Atkins. My mindset was a bit stronger. I took more time to make better choices than last month. I'm not at my best though. I had days where I ate breads and a couple sugary drinks, plus I had fast food. I can say the days that I had fast food was due to poor planning. I think that is what it always boils down to.

I learned this month that planning is truly essential and that packing food for my day is crucial. Another setback I would say I had was consuming hydrogenated oils. I honestly didn't realize it until my teacher pointed it out. I learned that non-dairy creamer is just OIL partially hydrogenated oil. Yuck! I honestly never gave it a second thought. It wasn't intentional I just didn't think of it only because I normally don't have coffee. My school library is "generous" enough to provide coffee for sleep deprived students and there were several mornings that I helped myself to free coffee. Now that I'm informed I've put several packets of Yogi green tea and ginger tea in my purse. I can go to any drive thru and get a free cup of hot water.

I keep track of my progress on my iPad and I log my weight almost everyday. I log my inches once a month.

Just a quick background on my goal:
I plan to be a size 10 by Thanksgiving. Size 10 by J.Crew standards since they are my favorite clothing brand.

J.Crew size 10
Bust: 37.5"
Waist: 30"
Hips: 40"

My current measurements:
Bust: 48"
Waist: 42"
Hips: 45.5"

I didn't achieve a size 14 like I planned, but fortunately I'm not discouraged. It's my goal for October. How did you do in September? What are your goals for October? Leave your link below so I can check it out!

We're going to have an Outstanding October!!!

Fashionable Friday: French Hen

French Hen by shopgirlspeaks featuring aviator sunglasses

Last week I splurged on a piece of motivation, the French Hen sweater. I plan on wearing this cute sweater for Thanksgiving. At the moment I would pair it with a pair of Stubbs + Wootten Boom Pow velvet slippers, but I actually may pair it with some brown riding boots. Who knows I still got a bit of time to decide. I can't forget to pair it with my Longchamp Le Pliage tote if I go Black Friday shopping that night. I like keeping my outfits preppy and simple.

ONE MORE

One thing I struggle with is pushing myself when it comes to any challenge with my weight loss journey. Specifically, pushing a bit harder with my fitness regime. I've started to ride my bike because it doesn't put as much stress on my knees as running would. For the last 3 weeks or so I've been riding my bike around the entire neighborhood, that equates to 1.5 miles. I can do it in about 8 minutes at an average of 10 miles per hour. Not bad. Not enough though. Once I've completed a lap I pack it up and put the bike away. In theory I could bypass my house and go for another lap, but I don't. Pushing myself is one area I need to really work on.

Another situation happened today, I started doing Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 workout and when it got to the pushups I just gave up. Don't get me wrong I don't want the drill sargeant type trainer yelling in my face but I need to do something to push myself a bit more. I want to feel healthier, and be fit. I know at some point I have to push myself. Oh why is it so hard?

I thought to myself if I want this weight to be gone bad enough I will find a way to push myself. Yes I want this weight gone yesterday, so I promised myself one way to push myself is to do ONE MORE. Whatever ONE MORE means, it could be ONE MORE push up, rep, or lap. How bad could doing ONE MORE thing be? I know it would get me ONE MORE step closer to my goal.

How do you push yourself? What do you say to yourself to do ONE MORE?

Wordless Wednesday