One of the first things I changed about my lifestyle when I started trying to lose weight was increasing my water intake. “They” say you need to drink half your body weight in oz of water every day. So, if you weight 150 lbs, you’re supposed to drink 75 oz of water a day. If you weigh 200 lbs, you’re supposed to drink 100 oz of water a day. If you weigh 250 lbs, you’re supposed to drink 125 oz of water a day. (Some products like pre-workout suggest your drink at least 125 oz of water a day no matter what your weight, in order for their product to be effective. If you take any supplements, please make sure to check the container for information like this in order to achieve the maximum effect.)
In the beginning, I absolutely could not hit my goal. I could drink maybe 80 oz of water a day, and I was constantly bloated and rushing to the bathroom. But within a week, I was drinking 128 oz of water a day (four of my 32 oz water bottles filled up to the top). The bloating went away and I my bladder started cooperating so I wasn’t rushing to the restroom out of nowhere every 45 minutes. 
BUT I SAID ALL THAT to say this. Since the beginning, I wake up super thirsty. I wake up and the first thing I think about is WATER. This is truly a brand new experience for me because I have never craved water before. Water has never ever been my drink of choice, so for me to crave water is a really weird thing. Sometimes, like this morning, I even wake up feeling nauseous (normally this happens after a cheat meal) and water helps SO much. Still, I’m not sure why I crave it in the mornings.
Over time, I’ve noticed that I am less thirsty during my workout, so where I used to drink 32 oz or more at the gym now I drink between 16 and 24. And when I leave the gym, I switched to low-calorie Gatorade where I used to drink a protein supplement. I get home and I’m in bed within an hour, and I’m really bad about drinking water during that hour, I assume because by that time I’ve already met my water goal for the day.
If you are like me and wake up craving water, I highly encourage you to drink a bottle (the bigger the better) while you’re getting ready or commuting to work. Not only does it start your metabolism early in the day, but also, you’ve got nothing on your stomach when you first wake up. This is beneficial because you can drink a TON of water! I have a 32 oz water bottle that I leave in the fridge overnight and drink on the way to work in the morning. I drink 32 oz before I even start my day! That’s more then ¼ of my suggested intake!
I really encourage everyone to drink as much water as they can, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. As your body gets used to the water, you will notice your skin becoming more clear and less oily, as well as more regular bowel movements. There are a ton of other benefits that you can find if you search online, but those were the things I noticed right away.
Has anyone else experienced morning thirst like this? Let me know in the comments or shoot me an email [email protected].

Friday, May 22nd was just another day for me. I went to work, I ate a doughnut on break, I joked around with my boss, and I went to the gym after work. I was on the phone with my Dad as I pulled into the parking lot, and I remember telling him “I’ll call you back in about 30 minutes. I’m going to do my mile and maybe a few minutes on the stair master.” 
I entered the gym, which was deserted because it was early on a Friday afternoon. There were some nice women in the locker room, we chatted as I changed clothes. I walked out to the floor and as I climbed on the treadmill, the song “Mama’s Broken Heart” by Miranda Lambert played in my head. I don’t know why, but I turned that song on repeat instead of shuffling through my workout playlist like I normally do. 
I began running, and the first time I looked down I had already run .1 mile. I was impressed with myself. Normally I was already feeling the burn. I kept running, for some reason I didn’t feel the need to stop for water at .25 mile as I normally do. The running continued, I was making myself take a drink at .5 mile when I got this crazy idea… “Maybe I can run more than one mile today.” I considered it briefly. I was still new to my daily mile runs, and most of the time I had to focus all my energy on not dying. I had never tried to run more than a mile at a time, and I hadn’t yet even started working on increasing my speed.
Nonetheless, I couldn’t ignore the facts. My stamina was significantly heightened, as well as my endurance. I wasn’t gasping for breath or praying the distance meter would move faster. Even still, the idea that I could possibly push myself for more than a mile was astounding. I mentally made a resolution to myself – Just do what you can. Don’t kill yourself. Do what your body will let you do.
From that point on, I was limitless. I focused on my footing, I kept tabs on my breathing. I payed extra attention to my left knee and hip, which both give me trouble from time to time. Before I knew it, a mile had passed. A mile and a half. Two miles. Two and a half miles. Three miles. At three miles it sank in – I ACTUALLY JUST RAN THREE MILES! I was ecstatic. A few happy tears ran down my face as I pushed even harder. I was fiercely sweating, something I normally don’t do. I could see the perspiration soaking through the fabric across my chest. I knew I was going to have to quit soon, and I decided 4 miles would be my stopping point for the day. I increased my speed as I prepared to run my last mile. The gym was filling up, and everyone who checked in looked at me. I was running my ass off, sweating like a maniac, and I felt great. 
I stopped my treadmill at 4 miles, with a time of 57 minutes and 30 seconds. I ran the first three miles at the speed 4.2, and the last mile at 4.3. I finished my run and I felt like I was on top of the world. I had a certain pep in my step as I walked back to the locker room. I gathered my stuff and left, I immediately called my Dad and said “You’re never gonna believe this, but I just ran four miles.” I only had time to call him and my Aunt Lila before the nausea hit me.
I actually had to pull into a McDonalds on the way home because I thought I was going to vomit. My spit was flowing out from my mouth like water. I was weak, dizzy. It passed and I drove the rest of the way home. My sister came outside to help me carry my bags in, because I didn’t know if I would physically be able. I made my way to the bathroom and crouched by the toilet, but wasn’t nauseous anymore. I picked up my things and went into the living room to greet everyone, which was when the next wave of nausea hit me. I ran to the restroom and barely pulled the lid up before I started projectile vomiting. Luckily I was still on a mostly liquid diet, so I wasn’t too labored.
Feeling better, I went into the living room and decided to make dinner. As it cooked, I started feeling worse and worse. I drank water while I could, knowing that I desperately needed to rehydrate. By the time the food was ready, I could barely hold my head up. I literally forced myself to eat, one bite at a time. Each bite I forced made me nauseous and was a struggle to get down. I made it through my bowel and a half hour later I was back to myself. 
In retrospect, I do not regret running four miles. I do regret not immediately rehydrating myself, and not eating more throughout the day to fuel my run. I have decided not to try to run four miles every single day. Once a month, maybe. For now, I will stick to a two-mile run daily and focus on improving my time for two miles.
I didn’t know when I walked into the gym Friday that I’d be running four miles. Never in my life did I think I’d be able to run two, let alone three. Four? It never even crossed my mind. I can’t tell you why I had so much energy that day, or why my breathing was controlled from the start or what made me power through and actually complete a nonstop four mile run. All I can tell you is that it was worth it. I shattered a goal I never even knew I had. Sure I was sick that night, of course I was sore the next day. But it was completely worth every single step. 

As I've said in some of my previous posts, I struggled with my weight for most of my life. I was never unhappy enough to develop an eating disorder or consider a surgery to correct my weight, but I definitely struggled with my size. I struggled with other things too - my teeth, my hair, my athletic ability. All of my insecurities weighed on me as a teenager and into adulthood.

One day I woke up and decided that I didn't want to have these things weighing me down anymore. I didn't want these physical imperfections to have control over the way I felt about myself. So I changed. Just like that. Somewhere in the cosmos, a switch flipped and all of a suddent I had the courage to make changes in my life.
Change is obviously a process; it's not something that just happns overnight. Slowly and surely I'm making changes that make me happy. I'm on a weight loss journey, which is making me smaller and more athletic. I recently got braces on my teeth to straighten them, and I'm in the process of growing out my hair. For the next year or so, I'll be "under construction". But every single day I'm getting closer to being the person I truely want to be.
I want to encourage you all to search for that same courage within yourself. Whether you are unsatisfied with your mental state, your physical appearance, or your relationship status, you are the only person who can motivate yourself to make changes for the better. Invest in youself, invest in your happiness. You will thank yourself later.

Let me clarify a little on my last post.
It is okay to make an excuse if that excuse will get you out of an activity that is inconvenient or will bring you long-term unhappiness or discomfort.
It is never okay to make an excuse to exempt yourself from something that will have a positive effect on you.
When I began my fitness journey, all I had were excuses. “I don’t have time” was my favorite, because I worked 60 hours or more a week. It was easy to justify skipping a workout by saying “It’s going to hurt” or “I don’t want to mess up my hair” or “I want to go straight home and go to sleep”. I was only hurting myself with these excuses. I knew what I needed to do, and I used every excuse in the book not to do it.
Today, I have trouble distinguishing between real legitimate excuses and the excuses I make to avoid pushing myself. For example, at my work out on Saturday, I avoided going on the stair machine because “It will make my knee hurt”. I had to take a step back and decide if this was an excuse I was making to stay in my comfort zone, or if it would actually cause me physical pain. I took a chance, and it turned out to be just another of my useless excuses. I did 15 flights (I think – don’t hold me to that) before I tapped out. I did not experience any serious physical pain other than the burn I love so much, and I will definitely be returning to that machine today.

How many times have you caught yourself talking your way out of plans? I know I do it all the time. When faced with an outing with friends or a night of dancing, I find myself making up excuses like “I really don’t want to go out until after my hair appointment next week” or “I don’t want to be seen with this huge zit on my face” or my favorite “I’ll be too tired the next day and won’t feel like doing anything”. All of those excuses are valid points and might cause any reasonable person to ditch their Friday night plans in favor of Netflix or a hot bath, but what a lot of people don’t realize is how destructive these thoughts truly are.
When you start allowing a thought of what might be control what will be, you are contributing to your own self destruction.
For example: The excuse “I’ll be too tired the next day and won’t feel like doing anything”. You don’t know that for sure. Your group of friends might end up leaving early and you could end up going to bed at a usual time. Or maybe you will stay out late and lose a few hours of sleep. During that time you will be surrounded by people you enjoy being around, and the memories you make in that night will last much longer than the tiredness you feel the next morning.
Another example: “I really don’t want to go out until after my hair appointment next week”. How do you know there is every going to be a hair appointment next week? Things happen, and even cosmetologists call in sick every now and again. What if you don’t end up going to your hair appointment for two weeks? Not only have you missed a chance to see your friends, but you’ve passed up the chance to make valuable new memories and maybe even meet some new friends. And plus, all of these people have probably already seen you with roots extending an inch from your scalp – why should this particular time be forbidden? 
I had potential plans on Saturday night, and found myself using the excuse “I don’t want anyone to see my braces”. While I was waiting to find out the rest of the details, I decided that my excuse was really really stupid. What, am I just going to avoid public outings for the next year? What kind of sense does that make? My plans ended up falling through, but I decided that I wouldn’t allow my appearance to hold me back from life any more. There are so many things that can hold you back if you let them: your height, your weight, bra size, shoe size, financial situation, etc. Do not allow yourself to be restricted by things that most people won’t notice or care about. 

Happy Friday, everyone!
Yesterday I took the day off of work to go to the dentist and have a cleaning and my initial orthodontic consultation. As a child, I was recommended for orthodontic treatment but for whatever reason, my parents decided not to go through with it. I spoke with my orthodontist about what I wanted to fix about my smile and told him that my deadline for any potential work would be the summer of 2016. Before I knew it I was filling out paperwork and to my surprise, they fit me in! I got my braces bonded onto my teeth yesterday. I was at the dentist literally all day, so I didn’t have a chance to have breakfast or lunch. When I got home, my teeth were starting to hurt so I had some noodles. I ate them and prepared myself some macaroni and cheese to eat today at work. Unfortunately, everything I’ve heard about braces is correct. It hurts SO BAD. Once I fell asleep, I woke up about every hour (according to my FitBit). At the time I just remember waking up with my mouth wide open, so I would take a sip of water and close my mouth and go back to bed. By 2:00 this morning, the pressure of closing my lips on top of my braces caused me such pain that I couldn’t go back to sleep. Luckily I make my own hours. I stayed in bed for a while scrolling through social media and finally decided to just get up. I was up getting ready for work by 2:45. I threw some Tylenol and Excedrin in my backpack along with 2 of my Fiber muffins and headed out the door. I drank cold water on the way to work which helped sooth my teeth some. I remember wondering if I should stop by McDonalds and buy a hash brown so I could have something on my stomach besides Tylenol. I decided against it and tried to eat my muffins when I got to work. Using a fork, I picked off small pieces and put them on my tongue, attempting to soften them and swallow them without chewing. I’m sure I looked hilarious doing that. It took me about 30 minutes to eat a muffin that way, and I ended up giving the other muffin away. In the middle of the morning, I heated up my macaroni and cheese and had a sudden wave of nausea come over me as I tried to eat it. My boss said that was probably a side effect of the pain, which makes sense because it couldn’t have been something I ate. By lunch time I was irritable. My boss bought me a chocolate milkshake from Whataburger which I half-drank and half-ate with a spoon. I made sure to swish it around in my mouth. I didn’t think it would help that much, but the difference was day and night. I had decreased sensitivity and irritability, and increased energy and tolerance for the pain. It’s been about 2 hours since I ate, and my mouth is becoming increasingly sore and sensitive like it was before lunch. I’m going to try to eat some soup tonight or maybe mashed potatoes.
As I said in my last post, LIFE HAPPENS. To everyone. I had no idea I would be getting braces just a few days after that post. I’m going to try to take my own advice and forgive myself for going off my diet for the next week or so. I’m going to try to moderate what I eat, although I’m limited in my options, and only eat small servings of things I wouldn’t otherwise indulge in. I’m going to try to keep going to the gym and having some sort of physical activity every day, which I can already tell is going to be difficult. Not only am I eating poor quality foods which aren’t giving me the natural energy I normally have, but I’m also in a fair amount of physical pain that I can’t really control. Like happens, and you just have to stay positive. I know I’m on my way to a better smile and a healthier lifestyle, and for now, that’s enough to keep me going.

I don’t know about you, but I look forward to eating. Every meal is 15-30 minutes of pure heaven where I’m clocked out from life and all that matters is me and my fork. With that in mind, I only prepare food that I can be excited about eating! After my struggles with consistent and sustainable dieting in the past, I live by the concept of “eat more good stuff and less bad stuff”. Dieting is a balancing act inside your head. I don’t believe you can eat 100% good stuff and be truely satisfied, and I know from experience that eating 100% bad stuff will leave you bloated, sick, and unhappy. I had my work cut out for me when I started my diet, because growing up “vegetables” meant either canned green beans or buttered corn. As a child, I had never been exposed to healthy foods except for the few times when my Uncle David came to town and gave me grammar lessons at the dinner table over a steaming plate of asparagus and artichokes (which I still hate, sorry Uncle David). 
When I started my diet, I knew I needed to prepare nutritious meals that would not only fill me up, but also discourage my long-standing affair with drive-through restaurants. With visions of Pinterest meals dancing in my head, I drove to Starbucks with a notepad, a pen, and a 100% charge on my iPhone. I got to work, Frappuccino in hand, scrolling through various sights writing down ONLY the things that actually looked appetizing to me. When I got done, I looked at my list and was shocked. It was foods I already liked eating, but prepared in a healthy way! I made my way to HEB late that night to ensure I would be one of the only people in the store and could take my sweet time looking at the labels on the food I was considering. It took me several hours, but I made what I thought were healthy selections and went home to prepare the meals for my first week on my diet.
Starting out, I prepared a lot of steamed vegetables and granola bars. Not joking. That’s what I saw heathy people eating, so that’s what I prepped. However, I realized that as the week went on and I grew tired of the bland meals in my lunch box, I was more vulnerable to cheating and ultimately falling off the diet wagon for good. I noticed my body craving carbs, sugar, and meat on a daily basis, even when my belly was full from a recent meal. I know that when pregnant women crave weird things, it’s because their body is lacking a mineral found in that food. So with that concept in mind, I altered my very strict diet to include food I’m eating today, like whole wheat tortillas, high fiber blueberry muffins and sourdough pretzels. 
Imagine a smoker whose been smoking for years. They are without a doubt addicted to the nicotine in their cigarettes. Now imagine that person stopping cold turkey. The nicotine cravings would be horrible (which is why most people start smoking and never stop). New studies support the idea that a body can become addicted to refined sugars and caffeine just like it can become addicted to the nicotine in cigarettes. My body was taking in between 3000 and 5000 calories a day, most of that being carbs and sugars. To try to stop that intake cold turkey and go to fruits and vegetables wasn’t healthy for my body and it was downright destructive to my mindset. Looking back, I realized I could not have made a better executive decision. For me, the choice was easy. It was a choice between eating vegetables and granola bars and inevitably cheating several times a week, or making meals I enjoyed with a healthy serving of carbs and lean meats.
This won’t be my diet forever. I’m slowly adjusting my carb and sugar intake, such as a smoker might adjust their cigarette consumption when trying to quit. My mother always taught me to listen to my body – and that principle has truly shaped the way I diet today. My body tells me it needs carbs, I give it carbs. My body tells me it needs caffeine, I give it caffeine. And since I have started allowing my body small, healthy portions of carbs and caffeine, my cravings for fast food and processed drinks have decreased almost to the point where I don’t have any at all (maybe one a week).
Allowing my body to have healthy amounts of carbs has played a monumental role in my weight loss. I truly cannot hype this enough. I no longer cheat during the week and when I go out to restaurants on the weekends, it’s second nature for me to choose a healthy option whereas before I might have overindulged and ordered the worst thing on the menu without a second thought. Dieting does not have to be a death sentence to you happiness. I guess sometimes you CAN have your cake and eat it, too. 

This weekend was one for the books. As I mentioned in my previous post, weekends are hard for me. I struggle a lot with the temptation of unhealthy foods and the lack of structure which dictates my workout schedule. However, this weekend was different. I allowed myself a cheat meal Saturday night and another on Sunday morning. I also managed to make it to the gym on Saturday night, and Sunday I took a long walk in the afternoon. My hard work and dedication payed off this morning, when I weighed in and saw that I didn’t weigh more than I did last week. This came as a huge shock to me because normally I gain at least 2 pounds back over the weekend.
It would have been very easy for me to deviate from my diet this weekend. I had to be at work at 4am Saturday morning, and when I left at 10 I could have easily swung through the Starbucks near my work. But I decided against it. Saturday afternoon I went to my nephew’s birthday party. I indulged in the snacks, but only allowed myself 1 slice of cake. When dinner time came, I had no problem indulging in the pit burgers on white bread and potato chips (I can’t even remember the last time I had white bread). Sunday morning I let myself have whatever I wanted for breakfast with my family at Denny’s, but didn’t go to Starbucks at the outlet mall or indulge in a milkshake from Whataburger like my grandmother. I didn’t eat another meal Sunday – just spearmint tea before bed.
It would have been equally easy for me to skip physical activity this weekend. By the time we got home from the birthday party on Saturday, I was exhausted having been up since 2:30 that morning and wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with my sister and watch Netflix until we fell asleep. But instead we changed clothes, took off our makeup, and went to the gym (where I broke my personal leg press record). Sunday I was mildly active throughout the day because we went to the outlet mall and grocery shopping. So I could have easily justified taking a bubble bath instead of going on a walk. But instead I threw on my sneakers and hit the road, puppy dog in tow. I added an extra 3,000 steps to my daily total and 31 active minutes. 
It just goes to show that by being dedicated to a healthy lifestyle, you can achieve your goals. No one stood over my shoulder and counted the chips I put into my mouth to make sure I didn’t overeat. No one lectured me when I got home and told me I had better get to the gym. I am completely in control of my own health. By keeping myself focused on my health goals over the weekend, I was able to make the choices that brought me so much happiness this morning when I stepped on the scale.

Working on shoulders this weekend. Photo taken by my sister Emry.

When I first began my weight loss journey back in February, I was completely lost. I had no idea how to go about dieting, exercising, or working out. I turned to social media and began following several accounts on Instagram for inspiration. I am going to list my favorite accounts below. 

Personal Inspiration:
@sheridan.kimble
Mother and wife, Sheridan lives in West Texas. She gained a significant amount of weight while pregnant with her daughter (also featured on her account). Her daughter is now more than a year old, and Sheridan is in amazing shape. Sheridan works at Complete Nutrition as a Nutrition Consultant, so she always has very helpful suggestions and recommendations. 
@moveslike_kesha
Madi works as a bartender at several places in the Houston area. She loves her boyfriend and her fur baby. She isn't working to lose weight like most of the accounts I follow, she is working to make her body more fit and toned (and doing a great job).

Instagram Inspiration:
@fighting2getfit - 136k followers
Official Instagram account of Ashley Jeske. Ashley is down 74 pounds. She posts lots of non-scale victories, side by side transformation photos, and frequently replies to comments you might leave on her page. She is one of the first people I started following and I love her account so much that I'm actually subscribed to her posts (which means I get a notification when she posts a new picture). She is super active on Instagram and posts at least once a day, but normally multiple times a day.
@weightlosswithannamarie - 37.6k followers
Annamarie Rivera has lost 185 pounds naturally. She posts a lot of selfies and motivational quotes. Thanks to her I've discovered Trimino water, which is flavored water infused with protein with zero sugar, zero carbs, and zero caffeine (I ordered my 4-pack sampler last week and will do an in depth review when I've had a chance to try all the flavors). She was featured in Women's Health Magazine for her amazing natural weight loss. Take a look at her web site and article in Women's Health here!
@roxi_fitness - 22.3k followers
Roxi has lost 113 pounds in 11 months, without surgery or products. She posts tons of side by side comparison photos, in addition to her healthy meals and their calorie counts. This is a great account for anyone and everyone to follow. She was also featured in Women's Health Magazine, read the article here. 
@itsmiamotivated - 2558 followers
I follow Mia because our stories are so similar. In some ways, I relate to her more than anyone else I follow. She posts tons of side by side comparisons, healthy meals, selfies, and non-scale victories. She is almost to her goal weight, and has lost a whopping total of 82.5 pounds so far! 

I’m very blessed to have a job I love, that just so happens to make it easier for me to lose weight. I am on my feet all day, overseeing jobs and monitoring the actions of other employees. I work long shifts, which not only increases the amount of physical activity I do throughout the day, but it also enables me to take short breaks which I use to eat.
My typical day looks like this. Wake up at 4:45, leave the house at 5:15. Drink a cold bottle of water on my way to work, and clock in at 6:00. I normally drink 32 oz of water between 6:00 and 9:00. At 9:00 I eat my breakfast, which is normally 2 high-fiber muffins or a Special K Protein Shake. Between 9:00 and noon I normally down another 32 oz of water. At noon I eat my biggest meal of the day, always. No matter what I have prepped to eat for the week, I always eat the meal that takes up the most room in my lunch box at noon. Between noon and 2:00 I drink about 16 oz of water, and at 2:00 I have my snack. My favorite snack is either cubed cheese and gluten free pretzel sticks, or 2 hardboiled eggs. Between 2:00 and 3:30 I drink another 16 oz of water. I normally go to the gym right after I leave work, putting me there around 3:45 of 4:00. I drink at least another 32 oz of water while I’m at the gym, sometimes more. When I leave the gym I either drink my protein shake or a small Gatorade, depending on what I did in the gym that day. I normally get home between 5 and 6, shower, and go to bed shortly after.
**disclaimer: I really really really like sleeping**
So that’s my daily routine. Water all day long, as much as I can drink. 3 small meals, and 1 workout. Any given day I take between 5,000 steps (just a light work day) to 15,000 steps (heavy workload and cardio after work).
My biggest challenge on a daily basis is drinking water. I hate water. But water is ESSENTIAL to weight loss. My smallest challenge on a daily basis is cheating. When I’m at work, I only have the food I brought with me that day. I don’t keep snacks in my filing cabinet and I don’t keep candy on my desk. Cheating is literally the last thing on my mind.
On the weekend, though… That’s a totally different story. They might as well slap a sign on my forehead that says “Caution: Struggle bus coming through” because I struggle with everything. I struggle to get exercise, because I normally have plans all weekend long and my gym is 25 miles from my house. I struggle with the temptation of food, because it’s all around me. I struggle to get enough sleep, because somehow my weekends are busier than my weekdays (really don’t know how that happened because I love sleeping). I struggle with water intake, because I’m normally running around a shopping mall or getting my nails done. Weekends are really hard for me. I try to choose healthy options at restaurants. I try to eat smaller portions of home cooked meals. I go for a walk around the block if I can fit it in. But weekends aren’t typically good for me.
Yet somehow, through the cheat-induced weekends with little to no exercise and little to no water, I’ve still managed to lose almost 30 pounds in less than three months. I credit my success largely to the strict schedule that I maintain throughout the week. I give my body the nutrients and calories it needs to keep going – no more. I don’t indulge. I eat small, prepared meals throughout the day. I track my calories eaten vs. calories burned with the apps Lose It! and Fitbit. And I try to get a workout in at the very least three out of the five days of the week. I sleep as much as I can, but at the very least I get 7 hours a night.

I'm not saying life doesn't happen, because that would be a lie. If I have to come to work at 4:00am, I still eat my breakfast at 9:00. If I have to stay late, I will have a shorter gym session and not as much sleep. If I have a headache, I might down a Coke Zero. If I have a bad day, I might go out to eat with a friend. Life happens. And the main difference between my current weight loss journey and journeys I've taken in the past, is that NO MATTER WHAT I get back on my schedule the very next day. So I broke down and went to McDonalds. Okay! I'll just try not to do that tomorrow. So I was craving Starbucks and went and got myself a Venti Caramel Frappuccino with no whipped cream. Cool! Don't do that again for a while. Forgiveness is important. I forgive myself for cheating the same way I forgave myself for being fat. I accept it, and try every single day to change it.