LOSING WEIGHT and other dilemas

I just wanted to let you guys know how my battle with food and weight is going... I'm trying just as hard as the next person to lose some inches. Bikini season is right around the corner people.

Some cool things I've learned about losing weight:
-If you multiply your ideal weight by 10, that is the number of calories you should have per day.
-If you want to lose a pound of fat per week, reduce your usual daily caloric intake by 500
-One pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. (so if you want to lose an lb a day, aim to burn 3,500 calories a day.)
-Your daily caloric intake shouldn't go below 1200.
-To stay at their current weight, most women need around 2000 calories per day.

So, my ideal weight is 120, so I'm aiming at 1200 calories per day.
So, I've been keeping pretty close to that but boy, is it hard. Even a cup of tea with a tbsp of sugar and some milk can be 70 calories! It just really adds up - we have to pay really careful attention of what we put into our kissers.
Companies are also very tricky and say something is "low fat" of "healthy diet" something something, but if you look at the calories, they are astronomical! A nice cup of yogurt, fruit and granola can be 500 calories!! They add in sodium and extra sugar which sky rockets the calories. The trick is to find healthy food that is good for you, but also low calories. It's hard. For example, a trail mix of assorted nuts, dried fruit, and maybe some dark chocolate, all very very healthy, can be like 500 calories for a handful. See my earlier post "Food Stuffs" for foods that are nutritious yet low-calorie.

Here is what I eat on an average day. Sometimes its more, sometimes less.

Morning
1 packet Quaker Oats plain oatmeal (100 cals)
Sliced strawberries and blueberries on top (20 cals)
Cup of coffee (60 cals)


Lunch
1 hummus wrap
   includes:
         Whole wheat wrap (150 cals)
         Sliced tomato (15 cals)
         Sliced cucumber (10 cals)
         2 tbsp hummus (70 cals)
or
1 Mexican wrap:
   includes:
           Whole wheat wrap
            Salsa
            Sliced tomato
            Beans
            Avocado
            Lemon juice

Dinner
1 hummus wrap
Tea (50 cals)

Snacks
Mango (135 cals)
Apple (80 cals)



So, not too bad. It sounds like no food at all, but it really is the best way to go. The foods are really healthy and natural, so I feel energized and great throughout the day. It's filling, so I don't have (too many) cravings. But most of all, I am getting in the habit of eating well, which is a life skill and will really help me down the road as I get older. (Although right now I'm using it for the sole purpose of losing weight. Which is ok! Whatever gets me there!)


Next step: exercise...


-Summer

Dream Car

Yea, so I'm old fashioned... but imagine how much of a party your life would be of you owned a '66 tbird convertible..... an enormous party.

-Summer

Jesus H. Christ Vermont...

Yesterday:

Today:

 WTF



-Summer

Another crappy week ahead... I wish it would stay sunny and beautiful forever... it lifts my spirits. I think I'm living in the wrong state.

-Summer

I would just like to take a second and appreciate this wonderful show called Avatar: The Last Airbender. This animated series was recently was made into a motion picture which sucked major balls but I want to reassure everyone that this is a very well-done, beautiful, exciting show. It definitely is geared more towards young audiences but the reason I love it is because the animation of the Chinese landscapes and cultures is very beautiful, and something you don't see much in animated kids shows. The characters also have some very real life emotions and develop like real human beings throughout the series. And of course, it has some sweet action and battle scenes.
My little brother and I started watching it on tv but they only played it randomly, so we just got all three seasons on dvd and it was definitely much better to watch it chronologically.
And apparently (as I posted earlier) a sequel to the show is being made, about the Avatar after Aang, a water tribe girl. I'm probably more excited than I should be.
So here are some pics of the show:

-Summer

Me and my girl
BA's foreva

-Summer

Jewelry for your eyeball??!???


-Summer

MONEY

Another trip to the city market... and another $60 out the gd window. It's not FAIR those of us who those to live a healthy lifestyle are punished by high food prices. The injustices in this world, i'm telling you.

Beautiful Chicas

So although the male form was valued more beautiful above the females in ancient Greek times, nowadays it's the female form. And although no, my friends, I am not a homosexual I do think the female figure is considerably more beautiful than a males. So here is a collection of beautiful women who I dream of being!!!

Cheryl Burke - curves!

Lake Bell - strong features

Jackie - glam

Eyes and freckles!

Anouk Amiee from La Dolce Vita...  a classic beauty.

Anita Eckberg from La Dolce Vita as well... the body.

Brooke - strong features.

Genevive Cortez from Wildfire! Dark latina features.

Jessica Alba

Kate Bosworth - multicolored eyes!

The little girl from the last scene in la dolce vita, just so striking.

And of course, the original.... Marilyn. Cannot get anymore glamorous than Marilyn.

 Kelly Brook - what curves

 Brigitte Bardot, first of all a great picture!

 Julie Christie

 I love Lauren Hill.

Carly Simon! I think the women form the 70's are some of the most beautiful.

-Summer

Ho. Ly. SHIIIIIIITTTTTTT

Another Avatar series??!!??! I'm hyperventilating

"The Legend of Korra takes place 70 years after the end of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' and follows the adventures of the Avatar after Aang, who is a passionate, rebellious, and fearless teenage girl from the Southern Water Tribe named Korra.

Korra's quest eventually leads her to Republic City, the epicenter in the world of Avatar. A metropolis powered by steampunk-type technology, the city is inhabited by people from all the nations. Korra finds Republic City suffers from rampant crime and is also dealing with an anti-bender revolt. Korra is tutored by Aang's song, Tenzin, in the ways of airbending. Set for debut in late 2011."

I hope these creators know that this show is going to make my entire life. The original Avatar: The Last Airbender is truly a work of genius. Props bros!!

-Summer

The one that started it all...

Impression, Sunrise By Monet. Started the Impressionism movement. Pure perfection.

-Summer

Dreams

I'd love to have a glamourous life like Ivanka Trump. I have such expensive tastes it's funny. It's sad that a lot of the truly beautiful things on this earth take money to do or see.
People say I look like her..... almost there??!!?

-Summer

Food Stuffs

So after a lot of research into diets and healthy foods, this is the conclusion I've come to. Diets can work, and give quick results, but they are only temporary, and can put you through unnecessary "agony" and unhappiness. What you gotta do is change your eating lifestyle. It is a gradual process and takes motivation, but is so rewarding and give you amazing results - for the rest of your life. Simply start to eat healthy, natural, organic, FRESH foods, as unprocessed as you can find. Basically tons of fruits and veggies (remember there are endless possibilities of foods to make with just fruits and veggies) nuts, whole grains, etc. I'll give you guys a look a what I eat and maybe that'll give you some ideas:

Carrots
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Avocados
Spinach and dark green/red lettuce
Mangos
Purple grapes
Oranges
Apples
Strawberries
Blueberries
Hummus (I put this on everything)
Pesto
Low-fat feta cheese
Whole grain tortilla wraps
Peanut butter
Greek yogurt (Chobani is the best I've found)
Multibran cereal (I eat Nature's Path Flax Plus, add some skim milk and sliced strawberries and it's delicious.)
Trail mix - almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, raisins, and dark chocolate chips (keep a bag, handy for snacks when you're on the run, it's easy and gives you energy.)
Salmon (when I can, usually baked)
Lentil Soup
Eggs.


Most importantly, drink lots of water. It flushes out your system daily, gives your cells lots of water, and just keeps you healthy and feeling good. I keep my nalgene with me where ever I go and take swigs out of it when I'm bored or in class or wherever. You should drink 2 nalgenes a day.

Oh, and TEA!! I drink tea like crasy town, I've heard that green tea can be helpful for losing weight, but I've never been partial to it. I just like me some english breakfast, earl grey, or chamomile, with milk and a dash of sugar. I don't know if it's good for you or anything, but it calms me down and gives me some extra water!


I learned this in class, and bear with me, I'm going somewhere with this:
So the earliest humans were hunter gatherers. They travelled around seasonally, the men hunting small animals, birds, rabbits, and also some scavenging from already killed game (contrary to popular belief, we didn't hunt large game until much later, starting with the neandertals and Homo erectus and early Homo sapiens), and the women gathering edible plants, nuts and berries. They got a lot of exercise everyday and spent most of their time looking for food, yet their life was not brutish, savage and extremely rough, like many believe. Physical anthropologists can look at these early human bones and tell that out of all the human species, these guys were the healthiest. Regular exercise, and most of all natural unprocessed food directly from the earth.
Around 12,000 bce the most recent ice age ended and the grain wheat started to grow and prosper on the hills of the middle east. These hunter gatherers who lived in the area realized this grain could be domesticated and grown in plots, and they would have a reliable source of food right their outside their window. So they abandoned their traveling hunter/gatherer lifestyle and settled down, built houses, and started modern agricultural civilization.
So these physical anthropologists compared the bones of the old hunter gatherers and the bones of these new agricultural society citizens, and noticed that the agriculturals were less healthy. Why? Because they started to rely solely on wheat for their food, and started processing it and making it less and less natural with every process. Edible greens, fresh meat and other natural foods left their diet, along with the healthy lifestyle that would never again show up in human history.

So thats why we're fat!!!

So overall, it's proven that natural unprocessed are the best for humans, along with regular exercise. And there you have it, the reason for what I eat. History rules!!!!

-Summer

Just had an interview for the Pottery Program next year... too bad the guy was an asshole, but it seems fresh. I love throwing, it's one of my favorite things to do. I'm big on glazing and finishing. Raku is wonderful.

Here are a couple pieces I like:

Raku!

-Summer

More Rainy Day Musings

My art history teacher gave us this pretty intense speech today. He said, you are here at college because of your own choices. You don't have to be here. No one is looking out for you, making you go to class, like in high school. Here, people could care less if you get bad grades. there are plenty of others that could replace you in a second. And it was such a slap in the face, because people have been helping me through my life every single step of the way, a constant guidance. I guess thats why college is so hard for me. I'm on my own for the first time, and I am being forced to acknowledge all my problems and faults, and deal with them. Learn how to get by with what you've got. And it's not a walk in the park, it takes a lot of strength and confidence.

Growing up is hard.

-Summer

Rainy Day Thoughts

I don't know what i'm doing here. I'm not happy, I have no motivation... I'm a good enough person, why can't something great fall into my lap and save me? Some message, gift from God? I've prayed to him many times but never a response. Never a sign he's even listening. My dad always says, if you want something, you have to make it happen yourself, no one else is looking out for you but you. Which is true, i know, but i don't want to accept it. Why can't my life be a happy fairytale? Why not? Maybe my continual quest for "happiness" and the "ideal simple life" when one can "find inner peace" is complete bs and what life is really about is trying work up the motivation to change your life. Which never happens because we all like that feeling of hopelessness you know? We love dreaming about the greener grass on the other side of the fence. Or at least I do, you know, that probably my entire problem. Jesus H. Christ I need some kind of therapist or something.

...or a knight in shining armor?


-Summer

My favorite place on the planet.

-Summer

-Summer

Beauty Products - Products That Make You Beautiful

This stuff smells great and moisturizes your face, leaving it smooth, silky and healthy. (Great for dry winter skin, like mine)

An amazing oil-free moisturizing face cream, can be used with the Burts Bees above or by itself! Amazing overall.

*Miracle liquid*
You can basically splash tea tree oil on any skin related problem and it will magically disappear. I pat it on my face at night, it gets rid of bacteria and everything bad. Leaves my skin fresh and tingly!

I basically just use this because it smells like heavenly pillows.

I use a version of this, although my cocoa butter bar is shaped into a sun! I rub it on my hands and anywhere I have dry skin. The greatest scent on the planet.

Makeup gets a bad wrap because people think girls put on makeup to cover their true selves and want to look like someone else. But in reality, when used correctly, it can be a great tool. Some people just look better with a little makeup. Like myself, for example! The trick is to use really healthy, natural, organic stuff like this, so you aren't putting toxins directly into your bloodstream.

My favorite shampoo, smells great and leaves my hear luxurious and moisturized but still with volume. Used in conjunction with...

I run this through the ends of my hair after showers. Detangles and makes my hair SO SOFT. Guys tell me it's one of the things they like best about me, my hair! So take my word for it, this stuff works.




It's funny that I preach about living the simple life then have a post like this... haha thats really the story of my life, what goes on in my head. Can't make up my mind! But maybe theres a way those two ways of life can coexist...


-Summer