Pictures, shows, and apologies - edited

Oh, Nobody....how I have neglected you. I am really sorry. To be honest life has been difficult. Obviously I am getting through it with the help of my loving boyfriend. Well, him and my diet. I live for myfitnesspal at this point. I have also gotten my sister, my boyfriend and soon one of my friends to join as well. On top of that I have started to be the go to person for diet and exercise advice! Much different from "what's a good type of cake?" sort of stuff...(by the way the answer would be red velvet with a light cream cheese icing....hehehe) However, I am guessing that you will be wanting some updates. Well the good news is I have some pictures (taken today) the bad news is that the physical numbers won't be up until tomorrow night (hopefully).

So, how about we do the pictures...I go to bed and we talk again tomorrow hmm?

 So? What do you think? Looking better? I think so! I'm pretty happy...weighed myself last week and I have lost at LEAST 25lbs since I started this journey, I also have some toning done. Yup - I am getting there!

You know what? I can talk for a bit longer? How about you? How have you been? Watch any good shows lately? I have! Even though I haven't watched much new stuff for some shows in the past few days, but I have definately found lots of stuff. My boyfriend and I discovered Game of Thrones - why wasn't I watching this sooner?! We burned through Season one and caught up on season two in TWO DAYS! Is that considered addiction? Yes, I believe that it is. Oh well.

 We have also been watching Justified and another Timothy Olyphant show (can't remember the name, all that I know is that he is a god (and I hate westerns haha). I also got into watching Once Upon a Time, I'm behind on this though :( I love the storyline, but some episodes I find are very dry...

Now, finally I have also been watching SMASH. I was a little scared to begin this show, I wasn't sure what I thought of it, however I have been listening to the soundtrack religiously and want nothing more than for that musical to be real (and to be a part of it lol) If you Marilyn fans haven't seen it, honestly give it a try. If only for all of the songs based on her life. I have a few favourites right now:

Mr and Mrs Smith - a love song between Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio (obviously before they divorced lol) - but honestly I want this song in my life and on my phone forever!
Lexington and 52nd Street: Marilyn fans should know that address. I'll give you a minute to think about it...got it yet? Well, if you don't you should know that is the corner where the infamous subway breeze (white dress) scene was filmed for Some Like It Hot. It is basically another side to DiMaggio's story regarding Marilyn's panty showing scene (in a non-going-to-go-beat-my-wife sort of way, but instead more of a "that's it, I've been defeated, I give up" sort of way.) It's really touching.
Finally (for now)  Let Me Be Your Star - is this song not self-explanatory? This is Marilyn's song. Every word of it screams her. Even the beginning: Fade in on a girl/With a hunger for fame/and a face/and a name to remember/the past fades away/because as of this day/Norma Jeane's gone/ She's moving on. *Sighs*

So...I may start doing movie reviews or something...been watching so many lately. Some of them over and over again *cough*TrueRomance*cough*

However, it is 1:30 am and I have a doctors appointment in roughly twelve hours. It's time for this little bird to go to bed.

Goodnight, Nobody. I will try to not neglect you so much.

xoxo
Dinah

*EDIT!! Seriously, no one called me on the movie name? The movie wasn't actually Some Like it Hot, it was a scene from The Seven Year Itch. Pfft, way to call me on my mistakes people!!

W

Just so you know...

Good afternoon Nobody. I am sorry that it has taken this long to write you, but a lot has happened and I have been unable to update you.

I have no measurements this week. I didn't do them as I have been spending the past week dealing with family issues, health issues and my FAVOURITE the police. Oh yes. I didn't get to tell you this yet! On March 1st I went to my apartment to collect my reward for getting down as much as I did last month. I had decided to splurge on myself and get a new haircut and colour. I love it, it's short, strawberry blonde and very retro. This is not the bad part though. While I was having my hair washed, someone walked over to the stylist's station and stole my 500$ cell phone. Obviously I am not a happy camper, especially since I am pretty sure I know who it was, and on top of that, after it was realized what had happened the Salon promised that I would have the perpetrator soon, as they have cameras and would look at them tomorrow (which turned out is not true - yes they have a camera, but they have to wait till the end of THIS week to check it - so nice of them to get my hopes up, isn't it?) Then, after we left (my sister, my boyfriend and I) were heading to a farewell get together for a work friend (moving to ENGLAND - so lucky!) - my boyfriends phone started to vibrate. The little jerks who stole my phone were texting everyone in my call list. They were going through my pictures and harassing me. I even tried to offer them money to get it back. Nothing worked. I had the phone company suspend my phone - now I am waiting for the video tapes and the police to take action (hopefully by Friday).

So. That was just one thing that went wrong last week. Do you still need more reasons as to why I didn't have time to do measurements? Good. So my faithful Nobody, you will simply be getting new measurements on the 11th or 12th next week. I am making a point to remember it. Although, next week is going to be busy too, so it is going to be a short update and I am sorry. One of my oldest friends is back from Japan that week and I haven't seen her in over a year. Then I have (more) doctors appointments and lots of other stuff I get to deal with. JOY!

Now. Through all of the business of the bad things, there was a small ray of light coming through. Our cat is having kittens. She looks to be between 4-6 weeks along. We are very excited and nervous. It looks as though our family is going to be getting bigger. I don't mind though, this is something to be happy about, and in life you need to have these moments to make this whole thing worth while.

Well, I should get back to work now, I shall chat with/at you later Nobody.

xoxo
Dinah

NEWS!!

Oh my wonderful and faithful Nobody, how are you doing today? I am wonderful. Floating on cloud number nine actually. My boyfriend just took my measurement and I surpassed my goal for the month! That's right. I gave myself a goal of 1-1 1/2 inches. From January 29th  I have lost a total of 2.125 inches, bringing my grand total from the 8th of January up to 3.75 inches. Pretty good if you ask me.

I have joined My Fitness Pal, and loving every moment of it! I have even been allowing myself small things like cookies. I bake a batch, have one or two and then distribute them amongst my friends and family. Means that I get to bake and do what I love, and everyone else gets to enjoy the cookies :)

Sorry, this entry isn't going to be very big, basically just an update. I am just going to start putting up smaller updates when I have something worth updating now. So hopefully there will be no more rants!

Alright Nobody, you know the drill. Red is the original size measured on January 8th, green is my goal size, yellow is my present size and now blue will be the difference


Bust A: 44.5 n/a  41 3/8 3.125 inches
Bust B: 37 37.17 34 7/8 2.125 inches
Waist: 34.75 24.05 31  3.75 inches
Hips: 42 33.63 38 1/2 3.5 inches

So you can see why I would be happy right now. So Thursday I will be getting my reward! So I shall post an update on that when it is all said and done!

Well...that is all I am going to do then. Now for some inspiration!

Ciao.

 

Lateness...bad habit

Sorry, this whole being late thing is getting worse. I actually have two measurements to update you with. Sorry. This past little chunk of the month has been really busy and tedious to get through and to be honest when I finally have an hour to myself the last thing I seem to want to do is sit here and write to Nobody. Oh well. Lets get right into it.

First off, why haven't I been updating you when I DO have free time? Well...between work, the gym and family I only seem to get enough time to eat and sleep and SOMETIMES get an hour to myself. What do I do with that hour? Well, you remember that Kobo reader I told you about? Well, the first book I found and put on it I have not been able to tear myself away from for very long. Think of it as furthering my education towards my goal. That's right. I managed to find a copy of a Marilyn Monroe Biography! This one is The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli.

So far it has completely enraptured me with her complicated childhood and her quick thrust into adulthood. Serioulsy, when I am done I may have to do a full review because right now I am only 35% though the book - and I don't want to bore you all with the blow by blow accounts of her life that I find so interesting. So if you don't hear from me, it is because I am with her, haha.

Alright. I'm not going to fill you in on all of the boring and tediousness that is my life, so I will just get it all out of the way and say that life is long and complicated and I'd feel much better if people would respond to my freaking phone calls! Okay. Now that we have that out of the way. On with the measurements! I will have to add yet another colour to represent last weeks (sorry). I also regret to say that I had (for a time) succumb to stress eating and therefore my measurements went up. I am also having my most wonderful time of the month right now (seriously if mother nature was really a woman then men would get this, not us!) so as most women know, this also affects measurements. So here we go!

** Red is the original size measured on January 8th, green is my goal size, aqua is last weeks size, yellow is my present size and now blue will be the difference


Bust A: 44.5 n/a 41 6/8 41 6/8  2.75 inches
Bust B: 37 37.17 35 7/8 35 1/2 1.5 inches
Waist: 34.75 24.05  33 32 1/2  2.25 inches
Hips: 42 33.63 39 6/8 39 1/8 2.875 inches


Alright. So. My first reactions? Well I'm surprised and happy, but at the same time I am incredibly disappointed in myself. I could be doing much better if I had more self-control. I will be working on that this week. I have also joined M.F.P (My Fitness Pal - google that shit) I have joined the millions who count calories, and I am freaking anal about it! I have made sure to add even the smallest thing to it just to make sure that it is telling me everything that I need to know. What have I learned? I work out a lot and I do not get enough protein! So, we'll have to work on that.

It's crunch time now though. I have one week to lose at the very least 1/8 of an inch - although I am shooting for a full 1/4. Then I get my reward! Even booked the appointment so now I have to work even harder, otherwise I will have to cancel it and feel like a failure. How's THAT for self-motivation!? So do you want to know what it is? TOO BAD! mwahahahaha. This is something that I am going to reveal if I get to it. If not - the number goes up and the goal gets transferred to next month.

Now, if you shall excuse me, I am going to lose myself in the written word on the life of Miss Marilyn and wait for my boyfriend to finish work for our gym date.

Until we speak again

-Dinah
xox

See, sexy woman can cook!

Sorry

I suck. No updates lately. I have still been keeping track of my measurements. Just a lot of stuff going on. Will put up a new post tomorrow after work. Sorry Nobody...life has gotten busy and I usually fight to have the time to sleep...especially since when I have free time all that I want to do is read!! (Damn new Kobo!!)

More tomorrow I swear!

-Dinah
xoxo

Love that smile :)

Here's a freebee!

To Quote the White Rabbit...

I'm late! I'm Late! For a very important date! No time to say "Hello"- Goodbye! I'm late, I'M Late! I'M LATE!

Good afternoon, Nobody. That's right. I haven't seen anyone really reading my blog at all, however that will not stop me. Instead I shall begin every blog addressed to "Nobody". Alright, so I'm late. Again. Sunday has now shifted to Thursday in my day planner. I could give you a thousand reasons why I am late posting. The long story involves doctors, work, and my brother "temporarily" moving in. The short story; Life sucks.


Alright. So it has been a very busy and long week, and it is not nearly over so I will just jump right into it. I did remember to take my measurements on Sunday, so it's not like I gave myself a few extra days to shed. Heck I don't think I shed much at all to be honest. In fact, I am adding a new category to my charts. From here on out I will also be posting the difference in size. We'll see how this goes. So. As always, red is the original size measured on January 8th, green is my goal size, yellow is my present size and now blue will be the difference. By now you should know where I take my measurements as well...let us begin!


Bust A: 44.5 n/a 41.75 2.75 inches
Bust B: 37 37.17 35.125  1.875 inches
Waist: 34.75 24.05  32.875  1.875 inches
Hips: 42 33.63 40 2 inches


Alright. So...my breasts have gotten smaller. Actually happy about that. I have been able to wear button up shirts again (yes, I am excited about this!) Other than that I think that I am hitting a plateau in being able to notice a difference. Oh well. When one stops being able to see it, one must amp it up! Which leads me into goals. Now, since this week is almost over I am not going to start out with "this week I will" Instead I am going to just tell you some changes I am going to be making to my eating and exercising.


The other night I went down to the gym and found it LOCKED (*gasp*) I was not happy, so I stomped up the stairs to my apartment and felt very defeated. However, instead of sitting on my butt and feeling sorry for myself, I grabbed my laptop and took it to the spare room, along with a water bottle, and an exercise mat I had laying around. Now, I stumbled upon her after some research through a fitness page I am on through FB. Now, I am pretty sure that I am going to be addicted. It's hard to explain how awesome this woman is so I'll just post her page and hopes that someone (that means you Nobody) checks it out.


 http://www.blogilates.com

The exercises are referred to as "Pop Pilates" Now, I know that doing pilates is actually AGAINST my goals, however she has these print outs of exercises, either do one page 4 times, or find 3 other pages to go with it. After a lot of filtering through the abundance of pages (keeping my goals and my abilities in mind) I have found four that I am going to start doing as of tonight. I will still be doing my running in the morning, then probably finish up my day with these as I find them somewhat relaxing. I'm thinking I'll do them for 14 days and see how it goes.  


On top of that, my next goal is to cut back - WAY back on my snacking. I am hoping to go out and get a workout/food journal tomorrow or Saturday, because I always feel obligated to write down even the smallest thing. Hopefully seeing all of it will help me get things under control.


I've also figured out an awesome motivation for myself (apart from the obvious, "yay I have an awesome body" thing) but I will share that next time ;) 

Until next time!

Wishing and Hoping

Alright, so apparently I lied and I am posting something else tonight...you can't blame me.

So what is this post about? Well, as retro and baking are some of my first loves, reading is something that isn't even love for me anymore. It's a need, a craving. Something that I cannot go a day without doing, and when the timing is right I can plow through a book a day. 

So you can imagine my excitement when my boyfriend's mother just gave me a Kobo. No reason except that she had two and knows that I like to read. Now I am waiting (not so patiently) for my boyfriend to set it up. However even though I am excited to enter the virtual book world, I have a growing list of books which I refuse to buy electronically. I want to feel the crispness of the pages between my fingers and gaze upon glossy photos and endless words.

What are these books you ask? What could I possibly want in a tangible form rather than have neatly tucked into an e-reader? Why biographies and retro-goodness of course! 

So here is my list of books to purchase (in physical form) - who know's you may be interested!

• Fragments : by Marilyn Monroe (from Amazon.com " Fragments is an unprecedented collection of written artifacts—notes to herself, letters, even poems—in Marilyn’s own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos")
• The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe : by J. Randy Taraborrelli
• Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn : by Pamela Keogh ( A fun and fabulous guide to modern-retro sophistication, celebrating two iconic American women who define timeless style.)
• Tough Without a Gun: The Life and Extraordinary Afterlife of Humphrey Bogart : by Stefan Kanfer
• The Big Sleep : by Raymond Chandler
• Guys and Dolls : Damon Runyon
• By Myself and Then Some : by Lauren Bacall (gee, can you tell why I want this one?)

For now that is it on my book list, please if you know any others I should be looking for then tell me!

Sunday is coming on Monday Today

I know, I'm a day late. Sorry. Last week was ridiculously hectic and I just couldn't manage to get sitting down. As it is my boyfriend ended up taking my measurements, writing them down then the two of us shuffled off to bed.  This coming week isn't going to be any easier either. This week is my boyfriend's mothers birthday and apparently I am making the cake (I didn't even think that I would be invited haha) so yes, making that cake, made mini cakes for yesterday for my dad's birthday...ugh. So much cake batter has been flung around my kitchen it is ridiculous.

But anyways, now I am at work, waiting for my boyfriends shift to be done so that he and I can go home and hopefully make it to the gym for a short run (wasn't able to do it this morning sadly) so...I have a bunch of posts made up that I will be doing at a later date, I neither have the copies with me or feel like boring you with another longer than hell post. So instead lets get right down to business then we can all enjoy some pretty pictures? M'Kay? Once again my measurements are done for this week. I will list the original in red, my goal in green and my present in yellow (think like stop light, yellow isn't quite as good as green, but at least it is not a red!)


So without further ado, here it is:
Bust A: (chest)44 1/2inch. n/a 41 7/8 inch
Bust B: (band)37 inch 38.17 inch. 35 inch
Waist: 34 3/4 inch. 24.05 inch. 33 1/8 inch
Hips:  42 inch. 37.97 inch.  40 inch.


Thoughts? Well, I'm pretty happy with my progress so far, I am almost thinking that I COULD shoot for Marilyn's actual measurements, but even the adjusted 24 inches seems to be pretty far away at the moment, so I guess that we will just have to see what happens!

I am actually pretty happy that I am losing quite a bit of my bust (chest) - I've always been larger there and it is much harder to not only exercise, but shop and even sleep! So I will happily say goodbye to a cup size. Just imaging myself being able to buy pretty bra's and things makes me all giddy!

This weeks goal:
- up my running time (currently at 30-35 minutes a day)
- cut back on processed food (no matter what the fat content is!)
- start sitting straighter (need to improve my posture!)

Well I promised pretty pictures so without further ado...

Monroe and Bacall <3

Of Arms, Music and Blood Oranges

Good evening! I honestly meant to do a mid week post this week - even had one typed at work. Honestly I did! You see, the thing is that I work shift work in an office, so there is little time to dabble in non-work related things, and worse yet my shifts change from mornings, evenings and weekends all in one week. So I am really sorry if this post isn't very long, but today was my 7th day in a row at work - worse yet, on the weekend we work 19hours in 2 days. I know that you people don't really want to hear about my job so I will simply say that it sucks and leave it at that!

And on with the updates!

I have realized that I haven't really been saying much regarding my work out or eating habits. This week I have been going to the gym as often as possible. When I couldn't make it my full 40-45 minutes in the morning, I did 25 in the morning and 20 at night. Works for me! I was pretty happy with how I have been doing in the gym this week - I went 6 out of 7 days (GO ME!) and even managed to get up early enough to always do at least 20 minutes before work. My boyfriend also came down a few nights in a row to keep me company and teach me some new arm workouts. I am really glad that he did this too because my arms used to be something that I was always proud of when I used to be a server. So I have 2 new workouts to replace my good ol' shoulder press. So now, my basic work out consists of 30-40 minutes of running/jogging/speedwalking(on an incline) on the treadmill, followed my 21s* (with 10lb weights) and the butterfly* with 10lb weights, then a good 5-10 minutes of stretching and yoga.

Plain, simple and effective so far!


While down at the gym I try to keep myself motivated with music, sometimes something with a strong beat, and sometimes I just need the lyrics to push my further. The last few times I have been listening to my boyfriend's music, which consists primarily of 90s rock and grunge bands,(Bush -is rating very high on my list of music to memorize!) and then some Canadian bands I never would have discovered otherwise, and would forever regret not hearing, seriously! Go onto youtube and search "Hollerado", then after you also become addicted  to their music, switch over to "The Weakerthans" - the ultimate Canadian band in my opinion!

When I had my blackberry (may it rest in peace, lesson learned phone+toilet=very sad blogger) I listened a lot of random stuff, some 80s hair bands (forever my rock band crush will be Def Leppard - why do they have to be so beautiful?) and then some new stuff that I honestly pretend to snipe at until I am alone (Katy Perry - the entire teenage dream album). Also the Suckerpunch soundtrack, the album had such a steady lyrical tone of "I will get through this" that is just pushes you to endure all of the pain that you are putting yourself through for the light at the end of the tunnel. Emily Browning sings a couple of songs on that album, and I do not understand why she has not done more music! Asleep is literally my lullaby when my boyfriend is out of town, her pixies cover of Where Is My Mind (with Yoav) was a breathtaking rendition and I love using it for my stretching! Of course my favourite is her cover of Sweet Dreams. I remember listening to the Eurythmics with my dad and my brother growing up, and hearing a fresh take on it, when I had been sitting in the theatre and the opening credits came up, that song had me immediately enthralled in their world.

Alright...enough about the music.

Couscous!

Food has been getting easier for me lately, finally went grocery shopping and bought low/no fat products I enjoyed and have been paying close attention to their portions. I even have my boyfriend eating couscous now! - Not full of vegetables like I do but at least it's something different. I try to make a point to eat one meal of raw fruits and veggies a day though, which isn't as hard as I thought. If I take the time to slice and chop everything into bite sized portions, somehow it makes me fuller, please if someone knows why that is do share! So you may be looking at the title of this post and thinking one of two things a) what the hell? or b) ooh, so she discovered those! That's right I have discovered Blood Oranges. Where have these been all of my life, it feels like a new present every time I open it! Is it going to be pink? Is it going to be red? Oh my poor life lacks excitement...

Blood Oranges!

So I guess it's about that time huh? Well I feel like I should tell you at this point, there will be no pictures. Nope, as meantioned above my blackberry has died a sad death and I need a new phone/camera for pictures. Also, I have decided that I will be taking pictures every month instead of every week. Even though I may be able to read a difference in size on a measuring tape I doubt the miniscule amounts will show in a picture. So there. No picture. You are saved!

Alright, so here it is. Drumroll please! Once again my measurements are done for this week. I will list the original in red, my goal in green and my present in yellow (think like stop light, yellow isn't quite as good as green, but at least it is not a red!)

So without further ado, here it is:
Bust A: (chest)44 1/2inch. n/a 42 1/2 inch.
Bust B: (band)37 inch 38.17 inch. 36 1/2 inch
Waist: 34 3/4 inch. 24.05 inch. 33 5/8 inch
Hips:  42 inch. 37.97 inch.  41 inch.


Alright...not bad. Apparently I am losing weight pretty randomly haha. Well, I expected my first week to be pretty good, getting rid of water weight and all. This time around I was probably eating more than I usually do, which I will now be keeping closer track of! My goal for this week is to cut as far back as possible on white starches and dairy. Apart from my yogurt in the morning of course, but I don't need to have cheese (never been a big fan anyways) I am also going to start doing some of my yoga in the sauna (home grown hot yoga!)


Alright, well. I actually do have some things to do so I shall leave you with some Marilyn inspiration!

Week 2 - results!

Good Evening!

As promised, this is my Sunday post! Hopefully I can start doing more random updates, however I feel like it I did that I would start using this blog for just ranting, and I do not want to do that. This blog is about a goal, a lifestyle and a love for all things classic and beautiful. That is what it is and that is what it will remain!

So! First thing is first. I love my boyfriend, he and I decided to spend our day off (and my day off of working out as well) with a nice drive to a flea market and an antique store. With lots of issues with his GPS (I swear, gas companies create these things, they had us going in circles for an hour). We finally got there though, with about 2 hours to look around. We bought our typical fare of comic books and browsed through the many different and interesting items they had, then I looked up on the walls to the many posters and paintings and saw a huge poster of our wonderful Miss Monroe, at first this was what caught my eye, however as I walked closer I saw a smaller poster about two spots over from it. At this time I will admit that I let out a girlish squeal of delight, there on the wall was an advertisement for 'How to Marry a Millionaire' (a movie starring Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and of course Marilyn Monroe) I have been trying to find the movie for months now, with no luck at all, but I never thought that I would find something like this. It was a reprint, yes, from 1998. Still. How cool is that!? Of course I was trying to hmm and haw over whether or not I could buy it, especially with rent and bills due soon. I didn't have time to decide though, my boyfriend saw me looking at it and simply plucked it off of the wall and took it to the cash. So I am now a proud owner of my very own 'How to Marry a Millionaire' poster. It's not full size, simple and printed on cardstock, but I love it. I can't wait to put it up on the wall some where!

Held by my boyfriend :)

Don't worry, my boyfriend got something too, an actual advertisement for Pepsi Cola, I do not know what year it is from, but by the clothes in the picture I would say 50s-60s. It boasts about how "Modern living calls for Light refreshment" I love it, very classy. Nothing like those advertisements from the 90's with Spice Girls and Brittany Spears flashing their mid-drifts. (Don't get me wrong, I was a child in the 90's and loved all of those commercials.) Now however, I have a deep appreciation for the old advertisements, before a brand could flat out call out another brand, where your advertisements were pictures of people and places where I just go "I wish I could have been there". I am sure that is different for everyone though. I guess it is because those are from a time period in which I would have be overjoyed to live in.

So... How's everybody doing? Okay. Honestly, I have had my boyfriend take pictures for my "before" with my blackberry (still no camera but I wasn't going to delay it again) and I not only hate how it looks, I don't even want to post them. However the more that I think about it the more that I realize that I will need something to drive me to continue my good work (if I do say so myself) - and if anything is going to do it, it is going to be that I do not want to look like that anymore! So...I guess that I have to do this huh, I mean. I did say that I would, and I don't want to be deemed a liar after only three posts. So, I shall remind the people (or person or what have you) reading this, that lude or cruel comments are not wanted or tolerated here. This is something that I am trying to do properly and I do not need someone saying "you should starve yourself, fatty" - or anything like that. Remember what mommy always said children, if you don't have anything nice to say then shut your traps. Okay, maybe mommy didn't say it quite like that, but it gets the message across just as well.

Alright, now that all of that mess is done. My measurements are done for this week. I will list the original in red, my goal in green and my present in yellow (think like stop light, yellow isn't quite as good as green, but at least it is not a red!)

So without further ado, here it is:
Bust A: (chest)44 1/2inch. n/a 43 3/4
Bust B: (band)37 inch 38.17 inch. 37 3/4 inch. 
Waist: 34 3/4 inch. 24.05 inch. 34 inch.
Hips:  42 inch. 37.97 inch. 41 1/4 
 
Now, you may be wondering how the heck I managed to increase my band size, and I wondered the same thing...until my boyfriend pointed out that I took the measurement myself last week and may have taken in somewhere different, or moved before I saw it, so I will not worry about it. Especially since it looks like I lost a whole 3/4 of an inch off of everything in just ONE WEEK! Go me! At this rate, I might actually be somewhere near my goal before my birthday. That would be a great birthday present to myself. In fact, I hope that happens, I would have to find a classically cut dress for my birthday and go for a night on the town, don't you think? So even if I am bummed about the pictures, I have to admit that seeing the number go lower made me smile a big dopey smile.

So on with what else I did to make myself better this week, something else classic? Hmm. Well I have been getting the urge to bake a lot - which is okay because I never really crave eating what I bake, just making it is enough for me. So tonight I went over to my mums and made dinner for she, my sister, my boyfriend and I. I also made her a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and cleaned her microwave (I'm a good daughter...*insert head pats here*) Then I helped her shape her eyebrows which was fun, and funny since I kept having to tell her not to frown when it hurt, which would make her laugh a bit and I would have to tell her not to smile. All in all it's been a good day. Of course it's not over. It's already 1030 and I still have dishes to do and I promised my boyfriend I would bake him some cookies as well, which is alright because I think he deserves them for being amazing with me! 

I am normally pretty good about keeping my emotions in check, but this week I have been a big ball of emotions. So last night I made yet another rule for myself every week. One night a week, whichever one signifies the end of my week. I will grab a book, some music and have a nice long bubble bath. No boyfriend, no cats, just me, my music and the characters from one of my books. Right now I am re-reading (for the four-thousandth time) Nora Roberts Sisters Trilogy. I won't try to explain them because I never do them justice, but honestly pick one up. If you like powerful woman, the paranormal, romance, fate and justice (and perhaps some tasteful smut :P) you will love these books. This first is always my favourite, I think that it is because I relate to the main character so much. She is a timid blonde woman who has run away from a terrible marriage and is trying to make something out of herself that her husband cannot taint. Ironically this "something" is that she runs a cafe and bakes a mean cookie! Totally like me! Alright, maybe not completely. I can relate to elements that her character went through, but I don't think anyone has had to go to the lengths that she did to get out of them.

Alright, I just wrote a huge paragraph about my past and erased it. As cliche as it may sound, I want to forget my past and just live for today. I won't forget where I came from, but I don't need to shout it out. That's all I am going to say on that.

What else can I share...OH! I finally had some time to kill and got to fiddle with my hair and makeup a bit. This is something that I love doing, but I rarely find the time, but when I do I go all out! So I went out and bought a bunch of hair stuff with some christmas money I had left over (setting solution, perming rods and a styling brush among other things). Well this weekend was our annual "January birthdays party" (there's a lot within a week of eachother so we do one big bash) Want to see what I did? Do ya?! Well even if you do not, I am still going to show you so nyah! (That's me sticking out my tongue haha)

Not bad if I do say so myself!

I was going for the Lauren Bacall in "To Have and Have Not" - That's right. I was pulling a Slim! Well, at least the hair. The makeup is almost always Marilyn with a twist haha.

Well I am running out of things to say, I guess I should say that I am happy that I am seeing some results and can't wait to see what happens with this week. Especially since I have begun to drink a LOT of green tea (I think that I am up to 4 cups a day?) I no longer put milk or sugar in any type of tea, and I tried to have a chocolate the other night and after one bite felt sick to my stomach. Guess that will make it easier to not eat it! Also I have been able to run more consistently on the treadmill with fewer walking breaks, so maybe this week I can am it up and start running for a longer time (right now I do half an hour). In fact I am saying that now. This week, I will do 40 minutes. I will still break it up between walking and running, but who knows an extra ten minutes today, maybe one day I'll be amping it up to an hour! One can dream.

Well, as always here is the Marilyn inspiration of the day! I love this picture, it has been my background on and off for nearly 5 years. With this I shall shuffle off to the kitchen to do my chores and bake my cookies!

Good night!

Measurements, Goals and Realizations

Good evening...er....morning?

As promised I have taken my measurements and have them for you! Thanks to the help of my wonderful boyfriend, as I discovered that it is quite difficult to take your own measurements. So without further ado here are my measurements as they stand, now I know that some people out there measure differently so I will explain how I did my measurements before I give you the numbers. Also, those with crude, obnoxious or offensive comments, keep them to yourself, they are not wanted here.
 

Bust measurements I will have 2 - one will be taken from the point on my breast that comes out the furthest around to my back - therefore this number will be including my actual breasts (which will affect the number) and the second will be the measurement of where my bra basically goes. I am taking both out of curiosity however the measurements I have for Marilyn Monroe is only the one for the band - but that is fine. I'll deal with it and keep track of my bust for any shrinking.

Waist measure measurements will be taken from just above my belly button and around my back - basically from the smallest point in my waist, which is where my natural curve is.

Hip measurements will be taken from my pelvic bone around to my buttocks. (that one is fairly simple).

So without further delaying, my current measurements are as follows:

Bust: a: 44 1/2 inches. b: 37 inches
Waist: 34 3/4 inches
Hips: 42 inches

All of that being said, I never realized how large my frame was until I finally heard these numbers, and let me tell you honestly that I was not happy. However this is the starting point, and with determination and self control, these numbers can only get better. Now that all of that is out of the way, you may realize that I have not added a picture, this is for a couple of reasons, the main one being that my camera is not available at the moment, so I will have to add the picture(s) at a later point preferably this week. If not then there will definitely be some added by next week.

I just realized that I never actually stated what my end goal would be. As I mentioned in the previous post, I have a larger frame in general compared to the late Marilyn Monroe, also I am a good three inches taller than her 5 5 1/2 frame so I will need to scale these measurements to fit my frame. This being said, Marilyn Monroe's measurements, scaled to my height are as follows:

Bust: (only band size) 38.17 inches

Waist: 24.05 inches

Hips: 37.97 inches

Wow. Weird to see it like that eh? Well, I did my calculations over and over but that is what I found so that is what I am going with. However I have said it once and I will say it again, that waist measurement looks like a doozy to me so I will be using my judgment to decided at what point I am hourglass and at what point I look sickly.

So, let's see what we're up against shall we? What exactly am I hoping to lose - is this even plausible? Well I guess we will find out.

Bust: For my bust size I am presently sitting at 37 inches. My scaled Marilyn size came out as 38.17 (or just 38) inches. Well, isn't that interesting? I don't need to lose anything. In fact I am safe gaining some. I wouldn't have thought that would happen. Oh well, as my band size is basically my actual rib cage, I wouldn't really be able to lose much off of that really, so I guess that is good news.

Waist: My waist size is sitting at 34 3/4 inches at the moment. My scaled Marilyn size figures out to be 24 1/2 inches. Well...as I said, doozy. If I can actually get to this measurement I will be losing nearly 10 inches off of my waist. This is why I have said that I will be using my best judgment. As much as I would like to acquire this figure, I am not going to end up in the hospital because of it!

Hips: My hip size is sitting at 42 inches at the moment. Whereas my scaled Marilyn size is going to be 37.97 or roughly 39 inches. Again, that doesn't look so bad. I will only be required to lose roughly 4 inches off of my hips, this one I am going to have to focus majorly on toning my legs and bottock to make sure that I don't lose more than necessary. Which leads me to my next subject.


How exactly will I be reaching this goal of mine? I know that in the previous post I have put lists of my rules and regulations, but what am I doing to achieve this goal? Well I will tell you. I have stopped drinking pop, now this is not to say that I will not drink pop at all, but I want to go at least a full 2 weeks before I have another glass. I am already half way there, so this should be fine. The only reason I say that I will not my cutting it out completely because a) when I do drink I use a mix and b) you will be hard pressed to find any sort of healthy alternative at a restaurant or movie theatre that doesn't either cost three times as much, or taste like dirt (or worse). Now, alternatively, I will no longer drink pop at work or at home just because I don't want water. Instead I will be drinking more tea, and if I absolutely must have something sweet, I have made sure to stock up on juice and lemons. Problem solved. Along with the pop vs water, I have started finding healthy foods that even my boyfriend will eat, which is good, and I have made sure that vegetables always out portion everything else on my plate (not saying that I increase all of my portions though - I keep it to a normal (suggested) portion, or less if I don't think that I could eat it. I have also taken to eating raw fruit for breakfast, which gives me tons of energy and also takes me longer to chew therefore giving my body tons of time to register that I am full. I have also cut back on dairy, mainly because I am realizing that I am back at my highschool woe of too much dairy (and MSG for that matter) give me stomach pain that results in me not moving for hours and wanting to die. So there is more or less what you need to know about my eating as of now, if anything new comes up I'll be sure to let you know!

As for exercise, I have been exercising for a little while now, but I haven't really been able to build up a proper schedule because my job sucks and gives me shifts that result in little to no time to go to the gym. None of that matters though as I have figured out what will need to be done. Originally I was doing the 100 workout which is as follows (with my changes)

100 jumping jacks (with 5lb weights in each hand)

90 crunches (done on machine with 90-110 lbs of weight)

80 squats (straight down arms in front until knees create 90 degree angle)

70 leg lifts (rotating between laying on right side, left side and back)

60 jumping jacks (with 5lb weights in each hand)

50 crunches (done on machine with 90-110 lbs of weight)

40 squats (straight down arms in front until knees create 90 degree angle)

30 leg lifts (rotating between laying on right side, left side and back)

20 jumping jacks (with 5lb weights in each hand) 

10 minutes of hard biking (supposed to be running, but after all of those jumping jacks I wouldn't trust the treadmill with my life.

Honestly I would recommend this workout to anyone who wanted a consistent and hard workout that your body never quite adjusts to, however with research I discovered that doing crunches would actually be bad for developing any sort of hourglass figure. You see, one of the tell-tale signs of an hourglass figure is have a small waist, what most people don't realize is that by doing abdominal exercises you are actually hindering any sort of hourglass figure you would be developing thanks to these types of workouts strengthening your core and in the end squaring off your abdomen. So sure, if you want to look like any belly-baring female popstar of the 90's, go right ahead, but if you want to get that pin-up look, instead keep with cardio, anything from running or biking to dancing. Also be sure to tone your upper and lower body with weight training, the only thing your core should ever experience is twisting movements, anything else, forget about it.

So what is my new work out then? Well, as of a week ago I have been going to the gym and jumping right onto the treadmill for at least 20 minutes - more if I have time. Then grabbing some weights and doing all of those all to often ignored arm workouts. Just remember that sometimes it is good to forget about all of those "new fangled" machines and just use some old fashioned dumbbells. I always do sets of three and do flys, shoulder presses and curls, usually with a simple 10-20lb weight. Sounds easy right? Well as long as it makes you sweat, it will help.

I am also lucky enough to have a sauna in my building as well so again, if I have time, I reward myself with 5-10 minutes in there.

Alright, I think that you are all up to date...and I should probably get to sleep to make sure that I get up on time tomorrow, girl's gotta work ;)

Goodnight/Good Morning for now!

(oh and here's my Monroe inspiration for the day...)