Healthy Eating

I wanted to dedicate this post to my new and improved diet and the app on my iPhone that helps me keep on track. It is honestly unbelievable to me that just by changing your diet you can feel 100 times better and it makes me sad I haven't started sooner. I started approximately a month ago. I cut out more than 50% of my bread intake, 100% of fast food, 90% of night snacking (AND SWEETS!), and started eating A LOT more fresh fruits and veggies. Portion control obviously helps, too! I posted a picture of my after work out snack for today. Like I said, portion control is important and really helps. 1 medium sliced granny smith apple, 10 pretzel crisps by Snack Factory (100 Cal.), and a spoonful of all natural peanut butter. Sounds lame but it was so delish. It took everything in me to not just shove it all down my throat.

I also have this app on my phone and it's actually kind of awesome. It's so awesome, even my friend Rachel uses it too. I don't pay for apps. I feel like the phone itself is already hundreds of dollars, why do I need to pay $5 for a weight loss app? It is called "Lose It!" and it's by FitNow under health & fitness. You can track your daily calorie intake, daily exercise, and (my favorite) your goals! You can set up your very own realistic goal based off your height, weight, and your daily calorie intake. My goal weight is 115 pounds, to lose about 1 1/2 pounds per week, all by taking in at least 909 calories a day. Sounds a tad bit far fetched but as long as you work out enough each day, your cals drop like flies. One of my other favorite features on this app is that it makes it easy for you to keep track of what you eat. It gives you the option to scan a barcode of product, restaurant foods, brand name foods, and even your own recipes! How crazy is that? So you don't have to worry and take the time out to input all of the nutrition facts... It's already all on there!

I'm done for the day! More this weekend!

Much love,
JTS

How Did Things Get So Bad?

It has been months since the last time I have updated. You can pretty much say I have been out of my mind busy. Things have been way out of hand (and when I mean things, I mean everything). Friends, family, work, school, which in other words equals stress, stress, and more stress...

Recently, my so called "best friend" chose his girlfriend over me. In my opinion, any girlfriend/boyfriend that makes their significant other choice between them and their friends should be shot. OK, maybe not shot, but definitely dumped. The reason she made him chose was because clearly I was a threat and I don't mess around. This girl decided to be sneaky while he was away at boot camp and I was the only one that had the balls to snitch. No one likes a snitch but I thought we were best friends. If the shoe was on the other foot, I'd hope he'd do the same. But unfortunately, I was on the losing end and I lost a friend. I guess we all live and learn but one thing is for certain, two is for sure, that in the VERY end, I will be the one who won and standing there laughing! Once he gets home from school in May, you all can guarantee those frauds will be put on blast.

Next on my list, work. Last I left off was I got a hostess job at a brewery. Starting after Spring break I am going to look for another job. The people there are unfriendly and the job in general is just... Awful. Did I mention the people there are awful, too? It took them about a month to actually put me on the schedule after I was completed training. You would think that they would put a new employee on the schedule if they were THAT eager to work. I need money! I'm not playin! This week is my first week actually on the schedule. How ridiculous is that?

School is just as bad. I've learn that for the past year, all of the classes I have been taking for my accounting major are not transferable. You can only imagine how stressed out I am. So in other words, all of my money and time have gone to waste (or at least most of it). This up coming week I am applying to colleges in SC (College of Charleston being one of them) and getting a move on so I can get the hell out of here by the Fall. The latest, Spring of 2014.

Luckily, some good comes with the bad and for the past month I have been ACTUALLY dieting and exercising. And yes, it is for real this time (last time lasted like 48 hours). So far I am down 5lbs! I am going for an entire new me. I can't wait for you all to see. I am aiming for 120lbs (started at 138lbs) and on my birthday (April 3rd), I am dying my hair and getting a tan. Doesn't sound like a big deal but for me... It is. I haven't done anything different with myself for years!

With some good comes bad, but then more bad. I have been breaking out like you wouldn't believe and about 3 weeks ago, I got my hair cut and lets just say it looks like a 2 year old took a pair of clippers to my head while I was sleeping. My skin literally feels like it has been crawling because of all the stress. My skin reminds me and looks like a 14 year old teenager going through some major puberty. So I have decided to do some product reviews for my first entry back in the blog game. First one being, ProActiv the 3 Step System! Today is my first day back on the system so this is just based off of my experience. TOP 5 Q:
WHERE CAN I BUY IT? I am pretty sure you can call or order off their website. I know they also have boutiques now that they are more popular.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? It depends on what kind of system you get. If you purchase the original 3 step formula it runs about $30. But if you need the extra strength formula (which I probably will try) runs around $50. Also along with the 3 step program you usually receive their refining mask, dark spot corrector, OR spot treatment as a "free gift." So you get quite a lot for the price.
HOW DO I USE IT? This is the tricky part. I used ProActiv when I was in middle school and it worked for me off and on (which is why I am so skeptical about starting it up again). BUT after reading reviews on ProActiv's site, I read that it really makes a difference on how you follow the 3 step system. First, using the "Renewing Cleanser", you gently wash your face like you would with any other cleanser with luke-warm water, rinse completely off, and pat dry. And when I say completely off, I MEAN COMPLETELY OFF, because it will bleach your towels. Next, use the "Revitalizing Toner" with a cotton ball or pad and swipe it evenly over your entire face. Next using the "Repairing Treatment Moisturizer," spread and rub in to entire face evenly like a normal lotion.
HOW'D YA HEAR ABOUT IT? Like I said, I had heard about it when I was in middle school and all of my friends were using it. It worked off and on as a teenager, so now that I am more grown up that's why I am going to give it another try.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? WHY? Based off of my experience in middle school as a teenager, I wouldn't suggest this product because it was not very reliable. Some weeks it would work extremely well, other weeks it would make my skin worse. But who knows, this is why I am trying it again. It might work better this time! I will keep every one posted.

Next and last product is Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD. TOP 5 Q:
WHERE CAN I BUY IT? I'm pretty sure you can buy it at any Best Buy or video store. Where you can buy DVDs, I am pretty sure you can find this! I found my DVD at Target.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? This is the best part... It only costs around $10!
HOW DO I USE IT? It is a work out DVD. There are 3 levels of intensity and you progressively every week increase your intensity. I was on level 1 for about 2 1/2 weeks because I was that out of shape but by the end of week 2 I was able to complete the entire workout with out a break. Oh and did I mention the workout is only 25 minutes? Only piece of advice is that you will not see results unless you do the work out almost every day.
HOW'D YA HEAR ABOUT IT? Funny enough, my mom introduced it to me about a year or two ago and I never had the stamina or the discipline to do it every day.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? WHY? OH MY GOD, yes. I hate working out but this video motivates me to get up every day and do it because it is only 25 minutes long. Also, I have been keeping up with it and already I have seen extreme results. Go Jillian Michaels!

Much love,
JTS

End Of Break Surprise

Guess what everyone? I finally got a job! I'm back in the restaurant biz. Unfortunately my school schedule really conflicted with my hopes for landing a nice office job. My spring schedule consists of school Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM. I applied online for a hostess/server position at Iron Hill Brewery the beginning of last week and... They called me on Sunday! I went in for my first interview yesterday and everything went really well (clearly). They asked me questions like "how do you handle difficult customers?" and "why did you apply to Iron Hill?" and... (I'm sorry I lost my train of thought, I am watching Strange Wilderness... It is actually kind of hilarious). I met both the "host manager" (who seemed normal) and the assistant manager (also normal), too. They wanted me to come back this morning at 10:30 to talk with the over all supervisor. So pretty much a 2nd interview? She was really nice and she said she really liked me because of how bubbly and sweet I was (little does she know...) but she offered me the job! I'm gonna be swamped this semester with school and work. They want to make me the "head" host so that means I am gonna be there for like 30 plus hours a week... But at 10 bucks an hour! So dope! I go back for my first day of training on Sunday at noon. I also start school on the 23rd! Everything is happening so fast!

That's all I really have for today but I am excited to be finally posting OOTDs and hopefully more product reviews now that I am gonna have money... And my car is all done being fixed!

Wish me LUCK!

Much love,
JTS

2012 Recap

MONTH BY MONTH RECAP OF TWENTY TWELVE

I want to see if I could do this... This should be funny (PS I am that bored because I am sick -__-).

January 2012: I got caught talking to 2 guys at once. One being my favorite hook up Andy and my boyfriend at the time, Nick (luckily, both forgave me). But I ended up going to a place with Nick while Andy was there. Talk about awkward. New Years Eve I was deathly sick so I couldn't go hang with my friends but a few days after NYE, I left PA with my friend Emily (at the time) to help her move to Florida. It was fun! We went to all of the parks and I helped her get all of her stuff ready for move in day.
February 2012: I had a ton of fun visiting my friend (at the time) Alli at WCU and almost got an underage. Funny story. I haven't drank that much in all of my live in a single hour. After the party, we came back to her dorm hall and I immediately ran to the community bathroom to throw up... The RA caught me getting sick and called the cops on me. Luckily, by the time the police guy arrived, I was dead asleep in my friend's roommate's bed. He woke me up and I convinced him that the reason I was getting sick in the bathroom was because I had diabetes and the only thing I had eaten that night was a donut. Later that February, I went and visited my "boyfriend" Nick at his school in Virginia. Borderline, one of the shittest experiences. His "frat" was a bunch of hicks. I ended up missing my bus later that weekend because he was too lazy to wake up. I was not happy with him...
March 2012: My friend Emily at the time came home from Florida and we celebrated her birthday around spring break. Eric and his friend Andy came over my house one night and slept over. My mom made a scene (PS we were all drunk, especially Emily) and came in to my room as I was hooking up with Andy to tell me she thought there was a raccoon in her closet. Apparently it was making a lot of noise.
April 2012: I experienced my 19th birthday. I did nothing.
May 2012: I failed school. Really badly. My GPA was like a 1.5... But after I failed school, I went to Florida to visit my friend Emily. We went to Discovery Cove and pet dolphins and swam with sting rays. We also went to Orlando to go clubbin and she almost got me killed (part of the reason why we are no longer friends). Long story but long story short, we went, she got drugged, lost everything, had no ride home, stranded. The end.
June and July 2012: Constant partying and going to the shore with my friends. I also went to the zoo and it was hot as shit (NEVER doing that again). Oh and I also got sun poisoning, on my face, twice...
August 2012: I got my lip pierced and it was awesome (at the time). I went and got wrecked at the Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa Under the Influence Tour concert and ended up hooking up with my good old friend Andy... Again. Next day, I took my "boyfriend" Nick (you can tell he wasn't really my boyfriend when I keep hooking up with other guys and putting "quotations") to the Phillies game. It was fun. After that, the weekend rolled around and I went back to the shore... I hooked up with another kid Alex, Nick found out, Nick stopped talking to me. THEN school started.
September 2012: I started my blog about EVERYTHING. My sister experienced her 14th birthday. We did nothing. I went to the Phillies game with my good friend Cristina and her friend Cait. I became extra good friends with the Jews and Eric... And who can forget about my best friend, Adam!
October 2012: I was bat girl and a nerd for Halloween and I forgot to mention this when it actually happened but I almost got pregnant. ALMOST! With Eric... So I guess you could say this is when we started "hooking up." Oh and I almost forgot to bring up the fact that I lost my job at Tabora the bakery.
November 2012: Thanksgiving was... Ok. I got a job at American Eagle. Disaster. There were some deaths.
December 2012: I got a 3.2 GPA after I took my impossible finals. My best friend left for the air force and I completely 100% parted ways with my old friend Emily (cause she's a bitch). I started birth control. I realized that Eric and I will never be anything at all so that's why I hooked up with his friend Andy again. I had one of the best Christmases. I quit the worst job ever. And most importantly, I learned to appreciate everything for what it is. Don't take things for granted especially your friends and fam.

Much love,
JTS