Trashy

As I looked at my list of things which complicate my life, I noticed a very defined theme. Paper. Paper bills, junk mail, piles of paper, receipts, policies, paystubs, statements, canceled checks, gift cards, coupons, investment information, the list keeps going. I feel like I am swimming in paper. Yesterday I worked on the beginning phase in sorting through the mounds of stuff in our office. One large box became "items to sort through." I was able to throw away a lot and cleared a full filing cabinet drawer for education related materials. Although I know there is a ton more to do, I felt really good about yesterday. It already looks much better. Then, this morning I got the perfect email about trashing papers: 

http://newsgeni.us/out.php?title=When_to_Trash_Old_Papers 

Check it out. I am going to use this as a guide while sorting through the giant box today.

Make it Simple

Elaine St. James has written 3 awesome books about simplifying life. I have read the first one called "Simplify your Life" and I am currently reading the second one called "Living the Simple Life." I recommend both of these if you are trying to create a more simple living environment. And although my innerness seems to be pretty simple, I am looking forward to reading the third book. In "Living the Simple Life"  St. James recommends making a list of the things that complicate your life. All day, I have been mentally doing this. It seems like it clarifies problems and by identifying them, it makes it easier to also identify solutions. Here goes...

Junk mail, piles of paper, spare change, folding clothes, bills, mail, sentimental items, grocery shopping, dust, feeling pulled in too many directions, negative energy, too many books, hobby supplies, art supplies, gift wrapping supplies, bill deadlines, printers not working, broken things, no room for my shoes, old paper records, fabric stains, recyclables, car issues, medical insurance, issues with family members, PCs.

This list is sure to grow, and as it does, so will my solutions.

Frosting Lust

I think that the majority of the time I do a pretty damn good job eating healthy or at least close to that. I have tried to cut down on sugar in recent years and the last few months have seen me eating many bags full of spinach (which I call spinach pillows) from Costco. I seem to have some sort of mental block when it comes to chocolate cupcakes with butter cream frosting. It is like all sense of will power goes out the window. 

For the 4th of July my mom bought a giant cupcake cake and had tons of leftovers- guess who ended up with them in her freezer? ding ding ding! winner winner chicken dinner! (in my case cupcake dinner, but whatever).  So tonight, when I got home from being a busy little bee, I took one of the tupperwares out of the freezer and set it on the counter to defrost the 4 little cuties. I spent my evening working and watching t.v. thinking to myself, "you can always put them back in the freezer."

Right.

Two cupcakes later, I am sprawled out on the couch feeling like a bloated pig. And still lusting after the bit of frosting that I left at the edge of the plate. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! I am definitely weighing myself in the morning. Maybe my week of no appetite while I was sick will help to balance it out.

Coming soon:

A clean house

A healthy body

Some physical activity

Organized files.

Living the Skinny Life

Losing weight is just one way for me to get closer to living what I call "the skinny life." This is my own version of living in a green, healthy, minimalistic way-life gone streamlined. It seems to be an ongoing process. At this moment, life feels cluttered and weighted down. I have implemented a "good will" box and I am working hard to weed through my life and put more and more things into that box. Once everyday life becomes more streamlined and skinnier, it will be easier to focus on fulfilling my own dreams and goals. 

OK, so far all summer I have just been "trying" to get through paper work and clothes and books and eat healthy. As of yet, I have not set goals to get there. The more specific the better. And I think any time things are put in writing I definitely listen to them more. 

Although I am still focused on losing weight and eating healthy, Focus #1 will be reducing the clutter (of course if I lose a few pounds in the meantime, all the better).

I recently read the book 10-Minute Clutter Control by Skye Alexander. I am going to be incorporating a lot of the ideas in this book into my home makeover. Stay tuned for more on my new and improved "skinny life."

Souplantation

I ate at Souplantation tonight and left feeling pretty ok about the situation. This was much better than the bloated, I-need-to-vomit sensation that I usually leave there with. Why is it though that entering Souplantation always makes me forget how many calories are in ranch dressing? Is it necessary to fill individual cups of it to dip pizza and pasta in? I would never normally do this at home. Maybe I should just not be allowed to eat out. I CAN make good choices and I WILL.

Daily food intake:

grilled cheese sandwich

1/2 tuna sandwich

Souplantation (aka food bonanza)

Rock Bottom

This past weekend we went to Vegas. I love Vegas, but this was the first ever trip where I truly felt like the "fat friend." I also felt like the girl in the ugly clothes and the poor girl, but that is beside the point. I know in my brain that I am not fat. I am a little chubby. And to be totally honest, most people would never know this (until I put on a bathing suit in Vegas). Today though, I stepped on that dreaded scale and the numbers I saw scared me. Lets call those numbers "X" (an idea hatched by my brilliant friend Chu). So, these scary numbers made me realize that it really is time to hit hard and get serious about losing the extra meat. When I graduated high school, I weighed 95 pound. I will admit that was extremely unhealthy, but at age 29 my weight has gradually crept up and up and up. This weekend was a total eye-opener. I have have hit rock bottom multiple times though, so I thought if I blogged about my eating and my situations, it may hold me more accountable. Putting this in print will make it more "real" instead of just saying I would like to lose weight. I really want to get healthy, get toned, and lose weight the healthy way. My goal....To lose between 14-17 pounds.I know I am not fat, but I also know I would feel so much better about myself and my body if I lost this weight. So please help me out and keep me accountable. Thanks magical blog world.

Well, since I am going to go hard core here, I may as well treat myself to some 10pm pancakes :). They are whole wheat.