RANDOM RAMBLE #2!

...ABOUT WHITE LIES.

I have nothing against you, white lies.
But... why do you have to have a snowball effect, huh?
What did the people who mentioned you ever do to you?
Why must we cover our tracks when you are supposedly so "little"?
And somehow, you always turn into something else!

See, that's my problem with Little White Lies.
I cannot judge you for telling them but in my experience people tell White Lies when they don't even have to, and then those lies turn into something bigger!

You can argue (as will I) that some white lies are okay...
Like telling your boyfriend that his eating habits don't really annoy you (...but if he pick up his spoon with his whole hand as if it was the world's biggest spoon to carry a tiny amount of soup that will just get SSslllLLLUUUURRRRRRRPPP into his mouth, you will shove down that spoon so far.....up........   .......!).
Or telling your beautiful girlfriend with the tiny self esteem issue about her waistline that those skinny jeans look AAAMMMMMAAZIng (because you know that they really do look amazing, even if she doesn't.... and you also don't want to spend another 20 minutes in her room while she raids her closet... ahem... not me...)

But these are tinyyyy! They are! Eventually you and your boyfriend will have such a connection that you will be able to tell him that his eating habits are annoying (I'll leave the sugarcoating to you...) and your girlfriend will eventually come home and change into pajamas while those skinny jeans just go back to the wash.

The problem is when you tell a little white lie to not bring up unpleasantness into play, or when it could really hurt someone, or because you want to avoid the unavoidable. Because who wants to really start a conversation like this:

Me: Hi! How are you?
You: Well, I'm actually not well. I think we need to talk....

Chances are, you are already sweating bullets. So for the most part people will say "I'm good...Not much. You?"


..... No.

Because even though you've just saved yourself days or even weeks of a very uncomfortable talk, that lie will grow and grow and grow into your own little customized gremlin (don't lie to the gremlin after midnight!)



Point: Tell the truth! Don't let days pass you by not telling people how you really feel. Think of all the wonderful closeness you will achieve with that certain someone because you talked about it in the first place, instead of letting it snowball and bursting out a gazillion pounds of white fluffy lies all over them (although that would be nice... I miss fluffy snow)



....Anyone make it to the bottom of the page?

Yayy! Pat yourself on the shoulder <3

Short Ramble #1:
I hate it when people say "I don't watch the news or read the paper..they're full of lies and the government don't want us to know the whole truth... and the media sucks...and the reporters are conformists... blah blah blah" It's always better to be somewhat informed than not informed at all...
I often find that these people are the ones that are most needy in some heavy duty knowledge.... juuuuust saying

Last October I competed in the Sunnyside Idol and didn't even get to the top 10 :( However! I love to sing. So when I saw Tom (the karaoke guy for these competitions) and he told me I should audition again I was already planning the songs I would sing. I had to play it smart and see what I had done the last audition that didn't let me go to Finals. So for my first audition I sand At Last by the beautiful Etta James. Done and done! First round was over and I had made it to the Semi-Finals. This was the part that would prove difficult because I know that I have the most horrible stage presence. I completely get lost in the songs (which sadly no one knows in my generation, or it feels that way because HOWWWW do you NOT know Etta James???!) So I picked something more popular: Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats. I know it's a complete sellout in my part because I don't even listen to Carrie Underwood (no offence Underwood fans!) but her voice is beautiful and that song is crazy angry and powerful. So I learned it the day of the Semi-Finals and totally butchered the chorus (because everyone knows I didn't mention anything about a Louisville Slugger...). I still won :) Because it's a fun song and everyone likes it when you can belt out notes (WITH A REASON!! i hate when people belt out notes all over the place... we get it! We hear you roar! hehe)  So I made it to the Finals.

Finals are on me and I was so nervous. But I was surrounded by good people and even though I know I didn't do my best (I sang Mariah Carey's Hero) I still won :)

Good vibes <3

Master Cleanse: After Results

So it's nice to know a couple of people have followed my Master Cleanse posts. Two of the most frequently asked questions are"Does it work?" or "Have I managed to keep the weight off?" - Short answer YES! and YES!

Long answer: Since I started the Master Cleanse I weighted in at 138lbs and looked like this:

 After 2 1/2 weeks of the Master Cleanse I weighted in at 123lbs and looked like this:

Today I weight 120lbs and look like this:

 My measurements went from: (in inches)
Waist:34.5
Arms:10.5
Bust:36
Hips:36
Thighs: 19.5

To this:
Waist: 31
Arms:9.5
Bust:35
Hips:35.5
Thighs: 17.5

Which is awesome! Because my skinny jeans (size 26) are no longer my skinny jeans. They are now my regular size. New skinny jeans are size 23. It's super nice to know I don't have to throw out/give away my beautiful purple jeans. They are awesome :)

But it hasn't been all Peaches and Cream (that sounds so good now!!). A big misconception about the Cleanse is that it will make you loose weight fast (fact), without much effort (ehh...), and you will be able to just BE skinny as soon as you finish the cleanse(SUPER FALSE!!). Like any super fast weight loss programs, the Master Cleanse is more a jump-start to a healthier lifestyle. Even Stanley Burroughs states in his book that this is a gateway for meat-eaters into Vegetarianism. So keeping track of your food intake, making good healthy choices, and exercising on a regular basis are what keep the weight off... and then some.

I keep my cal intake set to 800 (on myfitnesspal.com) and you may think that's a crazy number, but in reality I end up eating between 1000-1200 cals a day. Seeing 800 is what keeps me on track and motivated to work off at least 200 cals on any given day that I eat 1000 cals. By the end of the day my net calorie intake should be between 800-1000. And that's about 45 minutes of running! Not that crazy anymore.

The food I eat is no longer Taco Bell (although on some weekends I allow myself to eat a 300 calorie burrito), but mostly fruits and vegetables. Here's an example of my meal on a regular day.

Breakfast: 
2 packets of Quaker Instant Oatmeal (260 calories and soooo filling!)
2 Tablespoons of my favorite French Vanilla creamer (70)
Lunch:
Cheese (About 1oz is 100 cals)
Apple (80)
2 Plums (70)
Green Tea (0!)
Banana (105)
Slice of bread (90)
Dinner: (I am Chilean so I eat traditional Chilean dinner, which is like a 2nd breakfast)
2 Slices of Toast (180)
Butter (35)
Ham (35)
Muenster Cheese (100)
1/4 of tomato (20)
Tea (0!!)

TOTAL CALORIE INTAKE-> 1,145
So I have to work off about 345 calories to be back at a net intake of 800.
And looking at that menu may seem like I spend a lot of time being hungry but fruits, vegetables and oatmeal make a big part of my day. They are filled with vitamins, nutrients, and fiber that are natural for my body to use. Not the fiber that comes in powders or whatnot. I almost never feel hungry, but when I do I don't refuse to eat a snack. My favorites are cucumber slices, apples, plums, strawberries, cherries, and grapes. Yogurt can be in the mix too but some of them are tricky because they take out a lot of calories and put in a whole lotta chemicals that your body doesn't use, hence few calories that your body DOES use. I usually go for a 1/2 cup of Greek strained yogurt (about 75 cals) topped with honey or fruits or a teaspoon of granola. Make it Yummy!
          

Overall, I'm pretty much happy with the way that I look and feel after shedding 18lbs. I don't have to spend money on brand new (bigger) clothes :D

Really?!

"Love is the spirit of giving with out expecting anything in return". Anonymous

Is that what it is? Because I love. I love deeply and sometimes irrationally. And I have a spirit in it that I cannot even begin to explain. But to not expect that in return would not make me happy and would kill my spirit and I would not love. Because WHAT is love without being loved? How dysfunctional would a relationship be if nothing is expected from the other. Maybe (most likely) I will never ask my 8 year boyfriend to do a single thing for me, but he knows that I expect him to love me and respect me and be as irrational as I am. 

Because all these 8 years with Chris have taught me that there are things to expect from the other person and that is how love is built. When your expectations are met by a person in all levels then you become happier and more connected to that one person.  When there are expectations that are not met, I've noticed that I become doubtful of my relationship. Since Chris is my first boyfriend (and I am his) there have been so many lessons to learn; we didn't have the experience of messing up relationships with other people. We have just learned and moved on and become a very strong unit. 

He knows what makes me happy and I know what makes him happy and we expect to be happy. Forever. When things change and our expectations are changed we will have to communicate in order to travel down the same path but just in a different vehicle.  

Obviously I understand this quote in a more shallow way, like me getting him a little present (which I love to do for all friends) without expecting him (or friends) to get me anything in return. But not for deep and irrational and passionate love to be shared with one person.

I don't buy this quote at all. It's like "The early bird get's the worm" .... well that's nice but not for the worm. 

Ze End!!

I'm done!!!! I'll be honest and say that I totally cheated this year. What the hell? I've done this detox 4 years in a row with no problem, but this year food has just found itself in my fingers and into my mouth.

So instead of restarting for the third (or fourth?) time I'm just giving my body a break. I already lost 13 pounds since July 1st, haven't had coffee in about 3 weeks, and I feel energized and like I've given my body a reset. Even with the cheating I feel like I gotten some good results.

So today I started the day with the Saline Wash in the morning, and from 9AM-2PM I had the last bit of my left-over Lemonade. For lunch I had lettuce, tomatoes, one fourth of an apple, and a flour tortilla (had to get that carb!!). I still had so much energy because it's just the good sleep, no need for coffee, and beautiful sun giving me positive outlooks on my eating habits. Then I even went to yoga!

I've always loved yoga and pilates. So I'm going everyday to either Yoga or Pilates or a run around my neighborhood for 5 miles. Today I went to Yoga to the People for an hour of Power Vinyasa, which led to some heavy duty sweating. It was gross and awesome at the same time :)

Dinner was pretty yummy too. I had a small sandwich with 1 1/2 slice of ham, 1 slice of muenster cheese, and lots of lettuce followed by really hot Green Tea.  Bringing my total calorie intake to: 939!! Which is a little of low side but I didn't have a normal breakfast.

So far so good...

I weighed in today at 123.5

That is about 9 lbs lost since I started to become very health conscious, so I guess my "mess ups" couldn't have done too much damage.

The experience with the Master Cleanse has been amazing though. I haven;t had coffee in about 2 weeks, I am so clean inside and I can feel the difference in my energy level. After 3 days of being in the Master Cleanse you will experience your bowel movements as something resembling pee more than poo. There is literally nothing inside you to excrete, except for liquid and a yellowish mucus thing that the website says is normal.

5 More days to go :D