Oh my God.

All my classes have been conspiring against me for the past two weeks. Insanity! I can't tell you how happy I am that everything is done! I've really missed blogging and I'm so glad to be back. Since I haven't gone by my daily blogging formula for a while, this is mostly going to be an update/random post. So what's been going on while I've been going?

First of all, my dad's birthday was awesome! We had a ridiculously unhealthy weekend- we ordered from On the Border and had sooo much Mexican food! Haha. We didn't make it to go see The Lion King in 3D, but I heard that it's out for an extra week! We just might go this weekend.

I also finished Game of Thrones. I'm on to the second book in the series, A Clash of Kings. It's definitely official now, I'm obsessed with this series. If you still aren't reading them, you seriously need to start! The only thing I don't like about this book is that there's lots of new POVs from other characters, and I have a hard enough time keeping up with the main ones!

Oh, this is the best news from my break- my mom has been doing exceptionally well! So well in fact that her doctor said it would be okay if she went back to work next week! For those who don't know, my mom is a tutor for kids after school and I help her out twice a week. It's SO fun and fulfilling, so I can't wait. The amount of students, hours, and days she works are all going to be scaled back for the moment, but that's ultimately less stress for the both of us, which is good.

Hmm, what else? Oh yeah! It's finally fall, which is my absolute favorite time of year! The weather is changing, Halloween (an opportunity to watch tons of horror movies!) is just around the corner, and so is my birthday! Everything about this season is fabulous. I might cave in and make some chocolate spice cupcakes for the occasion. :) Anyway, that's about it. I'm so glad to be back to blogging. <3 Later lovelies.

Jessica

Just checking in to let you know I haven't forgotten about this place! Today is the last day of crazy stressedoutness (yes I just made up a word), so I will be back at it tomorrow. :)

Later, lovelies.

Jessica

EDIT: Er, did I say I would be back today? Let's make that Thursday. Just when I thought I had a little break from school work, more was added! :( I miss blogging! Here's hoping I'll be able to again soon.

Sorry blog world,

School is getting to the point where it's becoming frantic! I have a test to study for, a 2 1/2 hour lab to finish online, and some design tutorials to finish all before Wednesday. I need to take a small break from blogging, at least for today. Don't worry, I'll be back soon enough. Don't have too much fun while I'm gone. :)

Later lovelies,

Jessica

Is it just me, or has this week gone by really slowly? I've been wishing it was Friday since Monday. I feel like Garfield! haha. So what's on the menu for this week's Thumbs Up Thursday? The Lion King in 3D! Since I saw the preview while seeing Glee 3D with Frances (here), I've been so excited! The Lion King is really special to me. It's the first movie I saw in theaters. My dad took me and we almost left early because I was scared of how loud the sound was, but he talked me into staying. We both ended up loving it! Since Saturday is my dad's birthday, it'd be kind of neat if we went to see it together again! If I can't get him to go, I'll try to drag my mom to go with me. It should be tons of fun!

Best. Movie. Opening. Ever!!

Happy Hump Day!

It's time for today's weight loss tip, and it's one I participate in regularly! What about you? Have you been drinking enough water?

If you haven't, start increasing the amount you drink every day. Something as simple as drinking two glasses (16 oz) before every meal could really benefit you. How? It's described as "preloading".  You're filling your stomach before you even start to eat, which makes you fuller faster and will help you not to overeat. Still not convinced? A 3 month study backs this claim up- After three months, the participants who drank water had lost an average of about 15.5 pounds, compared with just 11 pounds in the control group (link).


Another factor to consider- when you do drink water, make sure it's icy cold! When you drink ice water, your body uses energy (calories) to raise the liquid’s temperature to body temperature. Granted, it's only about 8 calories a glass, but it's better than nothing! While I reach for juice sometimes, most of the time I'm craving water. It's a super easy way to burn calories and lose weight. Try it out soon!

I got a new trance CD about two weeks ago, and it's become a problem because of how much I love it! It's called Digitally Enhanced Volume 4 by Will Holland and is kind of a mash up of a bunch of songs from different artists. I am not lying when I say that every song is AMAZING! It's definitely a struggle to pick a favorite today since it changes all the time. But I think the standout today is Flashback.

I hope you like it! :)

Also, I'm really glad all my favorite TV shows are coming back this month. Glee starts next week, and another favorite, Parenthood, starts tonight. I have been thinking about it all day! It's a great show with such a talented cast. You definitely don't have to be a parent to understand and enjoy this show. Since it's the third season, you need to do some catching up if you haven't been watching but even so, it's pretty easy to follow. Give it a try! I would stay and blog longer, but after not having an ounce of homework so far in the semester, every teacher decided to give me some this week. I need to get ahead so I won't be overwhelmed!

Later lovelies.

Jessica

So it's a little later than I usually post, but no worries, I'm here! Today's theme is Motivation Monday! There's only about a billion reasons I want to lose weight and be healthy, so this is a good place to list them all. A huge reason is to look amazing in better clothing! It's kind of a shallow reason, I know. But my standard daily attire has been jeans + tshirt since forever. I love the combo and I'm comfortable in it, but sometimes I feel like wearing a tank top, skirt, shorts, or dress once in a while. At the moment, I'm not really confident in myself enough to wear those things at school, etc. But I will in the near future! :)

Earlier today I was thinking about my weight loss goal. Sixty pounds is super intimidating! I think I'm going to make it less stressful for myself and for right now, just shoot for 30 pounds by May (and graduation!). That's eight months away, and I think it's manageable! Who knows, I might even lose more than 30 by then. But that's my new goal, and when I get to it, I'll start focusing on the next 30 pounds. I want to lose 60 altogether by my birthday next year (November 12), so that gives me a year and two months exactly to start my journey! Wish me luck!

Later lovelies,

Jessica

Today's theme has to do with my favorite things! I can tell I'm gonna have the most fun with this topic. :) This particular thing has been my favorite since the beginning of the summer. What is it, you ask? Only the best fantasy television series this year- Game of Thrones! Around May when the TV show ended its first series, it was inescapable. I saw coverage of it everywhere, raving about how amazing it was. ONTD, the gossip blog that I frequent 24/7, posted about it constantly, and each post about it got a minimum of 500 comments. I decided to see what the big deal was about. Side note- this is exactly how I got completely and utterly obsessed with Lost, but that's a story for another Thursday. So I got ahold of the entire season (not so legally, I'll admit...) and immediately understood what the big deal was.

This show is fantastic! I've never been one to get into stories dealing with fantasy/medieval themes, but this one really held my attention from start to finish. I mean, there are dragons, seasons that last for years at a time, even zombies! Not to mention, a very handsome man named Khal Drogo. I started reading the first book immediately after finishing the show. It follows Season 1 almost identically, but does it in a way that's still detailed and attention-grabbing. I'm only about 150 pages from finishing, and I can't wait to start on the second book! Even if you think you don't like fantasy books, GO GET IT! You can also watch the TV show first to see how you feel about it. A bit of a disclaimer- it can get pretty raunchy. Like, uncomfortably so at times. But since I had the show on my computer, I could simply fast forward until it was over. :) Anyway, check this series out. It's well worth it!


P.S.- I think it would be really cool to grow up and be a Khaleesi.

I've decided that I'm gonna blog every M-Th (and maybe Fridays if the mood strikes me) and have theme posts for every day. I think it'll help me post more regularly and have fun while doing it. :) So yesterday was Trance Track Tuesday, and today is Weight Loss Tip Wednesday. Every Wednesday I'll post a weight loss tip to help myself and others out there. My topic for today is one that I just cannot seem to get right: getting more sleep at night!

Right after I graduated high school, I got a summer job at my dad's tire plant. It was really hard work and I had lots of weird hours. I mostly worked from 11p-7a though. It messed up my schedule pretty bad, and I don't think I ever recovered! Since then, I always stay up until at least 1 or 2 am, even when I have to get up at 7:45 or 8, like I do for school now. I'm either on Facebook, ONTD, watching TV, etc. It's almost like I'm putting off going to bed every night. I have this weird feeling that I'm going to miss something important by going to bed early.  To be honest, it's making my mornings miserable! It's a struggle to get up in the mornings and more often than not, I start off my day in a bad mood because of it.


It just so happened that I recently saw an article about how not getting enough sleep at night can actually make you gain weight! [link] It works like this:  Cortisol, a stress hormone, increases because of lack of sleep. The increased level makes us feel like we're hungry when we're not, making us eat more. Growth hormones can also decrease, making it harder to lose fat.  Most importantly, it's hard to have energy to do anything at all when you're tired 24/7! To be honest, I'm fighting the urge to take a nap right now! I think my "school year resolution" will be to go to bed by 11:30 every night. Wish me luck! Those of you out there who have trouble making yourself go to bed, just try it for a day or two! It's not worth be grumpy every morning and having low energy. A bit of a side note, but I'm also starting aerobics classes at the community center near me next week. I'm excited to be up and moving! I want to lose at least 50-60 pounds by my next birthday. It seems intimidating, but I'm optimistic. :)


Finally, I thought I'd end on a good note- my mom is coming HOME tomorrow! I am so, so happy! I was glad that she was getting better in rehab, but I missed having her home with us. Everyone's thoughts and prayers really got my dad and I through this whole thing. I'm so mad my dad won't let me miss classes tomorrow to see her get in and everything, but my last class is over at 12:15, which isn't too bad. I hope they go by fast!

Later, lovelies.

Jessica

So about 3 years ago, my family got Dish Network. The thing I love most about it is the hundreds of music channels that come with the package. I got into a lot of different genres that I'd never been interested in before just by changing channels on my remote. But the genre that became my favorite above all others is trance. I still love pop music, and rap and r&b, etc. But trance has definitely gone to the top of my list! I can't see it moving any time soon, either.

So what is trance? It's kind of like a sub-genre of techno and electronic music, but in my opinion, is much more calmer and relaxing. There's lots of sub-genres in trance itself, too. Vocal trance and Uplifting trance are favorites for me. The songs are usually 5-10 minutes long, which seems like a lot, but honestly, they go by really fast. Whenever I'm stressed or upset, more often than not, I'll turn to a trance song to cheer me up. I even use some songs to help me fall asleep! That's why I'll post a different trance song every Tuesday. Maybe I'll convert a few readers out there! :) Without further ado, here is one of the most relaxing songs from this genre that I like. It's called Things That Happen by Will Holland. I just discovered him not too long ago, but I love what I've been hearing! Hopefully you will too. :)

Later, lovelies.

Jessica

It is a known fact that I am horrible at continuing anything. I have another blog that I've all but abandoned. Twitters that have been left in the dust. I barely update my Facebook! But I knew that starting and keeping up with this blog was going to be very important.

You can see why in my profile information to the right. On August 18th of this year, my mom had a stroke. It was caused by a number of things: high blood pressure, stress, not eating right, not exercising. Before her stroke, my parents and I ate in pretty much the worst way possible. We ate fast food a number of times a week. When we ate at home, a lot of the time it was frozen and processed foods. If we cooked from scratch, you can bet it had a lot of fat, sodium, or calories in it. Our doctors told us we should be focusing on losing weight and eating better. It was definitely better said than done.

We incorporated more fruits and veggies, but we still turned to our regular way of eating most of the time. But after my mom's stroke, we realized it wasn't just a doctor's order. We were playing with the quality of our lives. Luckily my mom is doing okay and is in rehab getting better. Hopefully she can come home this week! But my dad and I have been planning out ways we can change out lifestyles, especially when it comes to my mom. We have to cut back a lot of sodium and fat from out diets, for one. My dad is apprehensive about how his eating experience is going to change. He thinks all our food is going to be bland from here on out. I think that doesn't have to be true, and I made this blog to help me make that point.

With The Accidental Nutritionist, I hope to help other people out there who are having trouble losing weight or changing their diets. Believe me, I'm going through the same thing. It's incredibly hard to change something you've gotten used to for years (in our case). But I know I have to put in hard work to get great results. It's not going to be easy, but I really think it'll be worth it in the long run for all of us. So that's my introduction post. Check back daily to see what other things are going on around here (I promise it won't be health stuff 24/7)!

Later, lovelies.

Jessica