Dedication

KTtape for "IT band syndrome" wrap

I'm sorry, but I have to go on a little rant real quick. Lately something has really been bothering me. It's been happening for awhile, but for some reason, I just can't stand it anymore.

Ever since I started losing weight and working out, I've been asked by many, many people "How did you do it?" Not just in that way, but in many sometimes encouraging, sometimes annoying ways...

"OMG, what's your secret?"
"I wish I could lose weight like you!"
"I want to lose weight, tell me exactly what you did."
"Hey, I've really been wanting to lose weight, would you mind telling me what you did and what you ate?"

And the list goes on.

I appreciate the fact that people admire me for losing weight, but I don't appreciate disrespectful people that ask me for all my "secrets" and "tips" and when I go out of my way to explain it, they just say "thanks" and disregard all of my advice.
I can go on all day telling you exactly what I ate, and what exercises I did, and what apps I used, but the one thing I can't teach you is dedication. That is the number one thing you need to do to lose weight; be dedicated. If you're not in it for the long haul, it's never going to happen. You also need to be motivated and I can't tell you how to do that. I can't explain to you how I woke up every day and worked out hard, even if I really didn't want to. I can't tell you how I was able to stick to 1,200 calories a day and avoid bad foods even during events and holidays. I just can't.

This blog is not to anyone specific, but there has just been quite a few people lately that have asked for my help, and when I offer it, I get shot down. If you don't want to do it, don't ask for my help! I don't want to waste my time and energy on someone who doesn't really want to be healthy and get in shape. I'm tired of people's constant excuses. If I made an excuse every time I needed to workout, then I wouldn't be where I'm at today.

All I'm saying is if you want to lose weight... BE SERIOUS ABOUT IT. It's not just a side thing, it's not a phase, or a part time thing. It's a lifestyle. It's something you have to be thinking about all the time. Don't half ass it!

Rant over.

Anyways, it's April 28th and "No Alcohol April" is almost over! Time sure flew by. I'm not going to say it was easy, but it definitely wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. And I did end up going to a lot of events where there was temptation, but I never had a single drop. I even went to the bar a few times and only had water:-)

I'm pretty proud of myself and I'm not gonna lie, I think it has helped. Not only the fact that I haven't been consuming alcohol, but I haven't been drunk wanting to eat all that bad bar food, then I haven't been hungover wanting "hungover food" like Chinese or pizza. Not being hungover has helped because it hasn't interfered with any of my workouts, so I haven't skipped any days because of it.

Of course I look forward to drinking again, but I definitely think I am going to cut back and try to keep it a "social event" thing only. No unnecessary drinks. And when I do drink, I still need to NOT eat any bar food. And remember to drink tons of water!:-)

A new goal of mine that I've been doing very consistently is drinking lots of water. What I do is get a gallon of water at the beginning of the day and drink it throughout the day, finishing the whole thing by midnight! So far I've been pretty good at accomplishing that. I think it helps by making me feel nice and hydrated and also makes me feel kind of full, so I don't eat as much.

I've been eating very well EXCEPT for Thursday night haha. I had a little splurge day, which was a nice treat. Charlie and I went to a Caps game and got to sit in the "Acela Club" which is sooo nice and they have an unlimited buffet of LOTS of delicious food! I tried to be pretty healthy and got salad, vegetables, fish, etc. BUT, the dessert table was irresistible! I loooove sweets, so yeah, I went a little over board in that department! The game was really fun though, and I had a great time!

It's funny, I'm actually more excited for weighing myself in May than I am for drinking. I've noticed a big difference in how my clothes are fitting and I've had a lot of people tell me that I'm looking slimmer! So I'm really hoping the scale shows me something good!

Friday morning I did the National Fallen Firefighter bridge run. It starts around the National Harbor then you run across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the VA side, then run back. All together it was 4.41 miles (according to my RunKeeper app) and I finished in 36:30! I was super happy about my time. Out of all the people running, I was the 4th one to finish. Granted, it wasn't technically a race, but in my mind it was;-)

Sooo yeah, everything has been great, I'm feeling awesome, loving life and working hard. I couldn't be happier with how things are going. I don't wanna sit here and brag, but I love my life!:-)

Anyways, if I can, I'll update May 1st with my weigh in, but I work that day so I might not be able to. If I can't, I'll do it on the 2nd. I can't wait to see!

Check back for a (hopefully) epic weigh in!

Anna<3

Juicy, Juicy!

So, it's officially been 1 week since I started "No Alcohol April" and so far so good. I've encountered a few "temptations" here and there, but nothing that made me crave alcohol or anything like that. The hardest part has been trying to explain to people why I'm doing it. It's tough because I really don't have a great explanation. I'm doing it for a couple reasons. To challenge myself, to see if I feel better physically, to lose weight, and that's about it. It's not a bet or a dare, and it's not religious for sure, and I didn't have some kind of terrible experience that made me say "whoa, maybe I should take it easy for a few..." I'm just doing it because!

My version of the "Mean Green" juice

As you can see above, March was a VERY good month for me! I was diligent about working out every day I was off work. There were only 2 days I didn't, and I think they were legit excuses... The day after my birthday (hungover!) and the 27th. I got off work that morning and was super tired. I had planned on working out before getting the tattoo because I knew afterwards I wouldn't feel up to it, but I also had to work overtime that night at 11:00PM so I decided to nap before the appointment instead. I just ate really light that day to make up for it.

Mean Green!

Regardless of the fact that I worked out like a mad woman, and ate pretty well, my weight still hasn't gone down. It's quite depressing, but the fact that I can see my muscles getting bigger and my tone improving, still gives me hope. I'm starting to focus more and more on just eating healthy and getting strong. Before I was more into running and going long distances, which I still do enjoy, but now my knee is interfering with that. Now, I really love the challenge of weights. I like to push myself and see how heavy I can go. It's really cool to see the progress happening in front of your own eyes. I've gone from squatting 180lbs to 230lbs. Bench pressing 85lbs to 115lbs. Doing no pull ups to 3 pull ups... yes, that is an accomplishment, trust me! lol:-)

My eating habits are definitely starting to get back to where they used to be. I'm starting to eat more whole foods again and trying my best to log everything on myfitnesspal. As usual, my only hold up is work. It's the hardest part for me; to deny delicious food at work! As if the meals aren't enough, then I have the temptation of dessert. Random ice cream in the freezer, Oreos at the hospital, Eddie buying me candy lol. It's really tough! But that's why I try to counter it by eating really well on my days off. Still, I don't know if it's enough:-/

My mom gave me a juicer that she didn't want anymore so I gave it a try and it works great. I've been using it a lot! I like that you can get all those fruits and vegetables all at once, in just a cup or two. Pretty much anything you make with fruits in it turns out good, but the original "Mean Green" juice recipe? Not so tasty. I made it the other day. The ingredients are:

• 1 cucumber
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 apples
• 6-8 leaves kale (Australian tuscan cabbage)
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp ginger

The ginger is what makes it gross. Yuck. Maybe without it, it would be ok. At first I didn't have any cucumber or ginger so I substituted the cucumber with grapes and just left out the ginger and that tasted really good! I also prefer spinach over kale. Walmart has these huge bags of spinach and another one that is spinach, red and green chard, and baby bok choy. It tastes great mixed with other stuff!

I like to replace a meal or so with juice, but after my workouts I definitely still prefer a protein shake. Depending on how much time I have I like to use the blender and mix in a bunch of stuff. The ingredients in the picture above are:

Two scoops of vanilla protein powder (100 cals)
1 cup of vanilla almond milk (30 cals)
2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed w/ walnuts, brazil nuts almonds, and Q10 (95 cals)
1 tablespoon of chia seeds (55 cals)
1 banana (110 cals)
1 cup of sliced peaches in 100% juice (100 cals)
6 large strawberries (35 cals)
Total= 525 calories

Kind of high in calories but it has so much good stuff in it! And it makes 2 huge servings so you could just eat half and refrigerate the rest for another workout. Sometimes I'll just do the protein powder mixed with almond milk and mix it in my shaker. Also, the nice thing about my gym is that they have a cafe and they sell all types of protein shakes and they're yummy!

 If you haven't noticed, the weather outside has been AMAZING these past few days! So naturally I've been running. My stupid knee is starting to bother me again. Yesterday I got a knee brace from Dick's Sporting Goods and it seemed to help a little. I also got KT Tape which is kinesiology tape and supposedly helps with injuries and pains. I'm gonna try that next!

Now, time to go out and enjoy this beautiful weather. I'll update later!:-)

Anna

So Long, 24

Be forewarned, I'm starting this blog off on a negative note. Despite it being my "birthday weekend," I can't say it was the best weekend I've had. My actual birthday was great. I spent it with my family. We went out to eat at Old Line Bistro and then had my favorite dessert, flan, back at the house. It was very nice. Friday was spent shopping and prepping for what I had hoped would be a great party. Everything was great. The food was awesome, the flowers were beautiful, the cupcakes were cute. Everything we put together was wonderful. My sister and I put a lot of effort into my party for what turned out to be a very small crowd.

I can't blame anyone, and I'm trying not to let it get me down so much, but I can't help it. I guess you just can't take people's word anymore. Whether it be on facebook, through text, or to your face... people don't seem to mean what they say anymore. I just can't help but to feel a little disappointed.

We made the best of it though. We enjoyed all the delicious food and cupcakes and the TONS of wine we had. The vodka gummies that Charlie made were a hit. The cupcakes were delicious! I wish we didn't have any left because I'm having a real tough time not eating all of them!

We got pretty lucky and the weather was nice during the first part of the day. By the time people started showing up though, it was getting a bit chilly! And crazily, it snowed today! Not cool at all. It's spring! There should not be any snow. But my mom always likes to remind me that it did snow when I was born, so I suppose it's acceptable. I still don't like it.

After the party, we went out to Looney's. It was ok. It was nice to see another group of friends there. I surprisingly did not drink as much as I usually do on my birthday. I managed to remember everything and not throw up or have to be carried anywhere. So it was a success I'd say. But the next day I did feel terrible, and it made me decide something... Alcohol Free April. Yup, you heard me right. I decided that for the month of April I will not drink ANY alcohol. None whatsoever. It may be hard, but I need to challenge myself and I need to see what kind of difference it will make.

So far for March I have worked out on all my days off, EXCEPT Sunday. I was just way too hungover. But, I won't lie... I really needed a break. I was still sore from my personal training session with Ryan and my group workout with Lt. Bussing. Both were extremely tough! I was just overly lazy on Sunday and I ate terrible. With the leftover cheese, crackers, spanakopita, and cupcakes... it's hard to resist!

For my birthday, Caitlin got me Jillian Michael's new DVD "Hard Body" I just did it tonight and it's pretty good! Lots of variety and a ton of new moves. It was nice to not do the same things that she always does in her other videos. In one 45 minute video, I burned 599 calories. Not bad at all! After finishing the video it made me realize that I definitely need heavier weights. I only have 5lb dumb bells and they are not enough now!

So after that weekend of being fat and drunk, it's time to start over. I really hate this feeling. It's hard for me not to get super depressed when I'm feeling fat. It's like a downward spiral. I feel and look fat and it just makes me want to gorge on a ton of food and lay in bed and be sad. But, I try my best to stay positive and realize that it's not the end of the world. I just SO need to get out of this slump. It's like getting so close to the prize that you can ALMOST taste it, then snatched away! Over and over and over again. I just need to get over this bump and feel like I'm finally making some progress. We shall see!

I go back to work tomorrow after a nice 7 days off. I guess it's not so bad. Just wish I was going back to my engine day instead of the ambo! Oh well... Hopefully it's a good day!

I'll keep you all updated on how my Alcohol Free April starts! Thanks for checking in:-)

Anna

I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul.

Lately I've been trying my best to eat well. I may not be 100% perfect all the time, but I'm way better than I was a few months ago. I have a way harder time trying to eat right than I do with exercise. I can workout all day long, no problem, but eating right is so difficult for me.

I've been making lots of protein shakes recently. Finally putting that blender to good use! I actually bought a different brand and flavor of protein powder than I usually do and it's great for making shakes! It's vanilla flavor so I can mix it with pretty much any fruit and it tastes good. It's lower on calories (100 cals per 2 scoops) which in turn makes it less protein, but that's ok. I'm seeing how it works out. So far, so good!

I've been getting slightly frustrated, mostly with myself. I hate how good I can be outside of work, but then the second I walk into the firehouse it's like all my good habits go out the door. I eat pretty horrible at work. Granted, the meals are a lot healthier now, but when Eddie and I are on the ambulance, we just eat a ton of candy all day! I love candy. All types. Sweet, sugary, chocolatey CANDY!! It's my biggest weakness. I really, really need to work on my will power when I'm at work.

I've actually been cooking "real meals" lately. The other night I cooked tuna, brussel sprouts and butternut squash! So proud of myself. It was really delicious! I need to do it more often.

My workouts have been awesome! I actually ran a few times this past week. At the lake and at the trail with Chief. He's actually great at running with me, I was really surprised. He doesn't go too fast and he stays right by my side. I definitely feel safe running with him:-)

Whenever I go to the gym I've been doing lots of strength training. I'm starting to feel so much stronger and I can see it more, too! I notice my arms are getting much more defined. It's awesome! I want to be so strong. Not manly, but just STRONG. I want to be able to do things most girls can't do. I want to feel like nothing is impossible for me!

But, I also want to look good. I just want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and be happy with all aspects of my body. Right now, I look at myself and I just feel... meh. Obviously I feel so much better than I used to. I wonder how I was able to even stand looking at myself before. I guess I kind of just got used to it and settled with it. I tried to dress to hide the fat and thought I didn't look too bad. But now, looking at old pictures of myself makes me sick. It's a good reminder to NEVER let myself get that way again.

I'm just not 100% happy with my looks, and maybe I never will be, but I want to work towards that 100%! I'm at least happy that I don't look like a tub of lard anymore!:-)

So, today is the 1 year anniversary of starting the academy! I can't believe how fast it went by, which makes me wonder how fast the next 19+ years will go by?! I want to have the best time throughout my career. I want to always love my job and always be happy to come to work. That's my goal for now:-)

I have a few races coming up! In May I'm doing 3 races! Hero Rush and 2 Color Runs. I'm excited! I haven't done a race in so long. I need to find some more to sign up for. I had wanted to do a lot of races last year, but didn't really have the time with being in the academy and all. Now I have lots of time, so I gotta start signing up. I'd like to do another half marathon this year, and eventually a full!

Well, I need to go work out. I'm just trying to decide where. I dunno why it's always a tough choice between LifeTime and station 30. I mean, LifeTime is amazing, but sometimes I just like working out alone at station 30. It's much more quiet and usually no one else is there so I feel comfortable doing all types of work outs, even if I look stupid doing it lol:-)

Off I go. Hopefully I can have something more interesting to write about next time. Thanks for reading!

Anna

Marching On

March... my favorite month of the year! If you don't know why, you might wanna do some research. Besides the obvious, there's lots of other cool things about this month. It's going to be spring, that I love! Although there is some crazy talk going around about snow. Snow? Nooooo. I hate snow! And it better not ruin my plans. 

My mom's birthday, St. Patrick's Day, and a class reunion for our 1 year anniversary are just a few of the activities planned for March. I can't believe it's going to be 1 year already. Seems like just yesterday we were all so nervous for our first day of the academy. We didn't know each other, we were scared and excited. And now things are so different. We all have experienced so much already. Some of us are finished with our rookie books, some are still in the process. Speaking of rookie books, I finished mine last night! I'm so happy to be done with it! It's not that I'm going to stop learning, but it just feels great to have that weight off my shoulders. Now I can work on the stuff that really counts... the hands on stuff!

Looking at my February calendar, I'm feeling pretty pleased. I only missed 3 days of working out that weren't because of work. Although one of the days was because I did OT and ran out of time to work out. Besides that, I was pretty dedicated, and it has paid off. I'm noticing a difference and I did lose weight! Here's a quick weigh in:

Previous Weight - 157.2 (11/8)

Current Weight -  156.2 (2/20)

Weight Lost - 1 Pound

It's not much, and it sure did take forever to lose it, but it's something. I struggle so much more now, but I won't give up. I think the challenge of trying to get to my goal weight is what keeps me going. It gives me something to keep working towards. Even if I'm not at the weight I want, I do notice that my body is starting to look much more toned and more strong. That's what's most important to me now, anyways... getting strong! And one huge indicator that I'm actually getting stronger is the fact that I can do pull ups now! I did 5 the other day. I was so happy! This is the first time I've ever been able to do them. Hard work does pay off:-)

My eating habits at home have been great. The meals at work are fantastic now that Bobby is dieting. The other day we had granola for breakfast!! Shocking, I know! But I'm so happy about it. Now if me and Eddie could just stop buying so much junk food throughout the shift then I might be able to lose some weight!:-P

Ahhh... yes, me in a bathing suit! A little scary, but I'm a tad happy with how I look in it. I just really wanted to be able to buy a bathing suit from Victoria's Secret, so I finally did! I love the color. Tiffany blue. It's all the rage, or so it seems. It's even cuter in person because it has a kind of crochet look to it. I'm pretty happy with my purchase:-)

So I haven't written in awhile and I felt like I had so much to talk about, but now I'm not really in the writing mood. I'm feeling pretty tired, actually. Last night had to be one of the busiest shifts ever. I tried to go to bed at 10:30PM and woke up 8 times after first laying down!!! 5 of those 8 times were after midnight. And NONE of those calls were legit. All BS!

Anyways, March is off to a good start so far. I'm feeling great, I've worked hard, and accomplished some pretty good stuff. I'm happy, I'm healthy, and I'm working on reaching all my goals. I can't complain:-)

Well, time to watch some Walking Dead! I'll holla atcha later, blog!

Thanks for reading:-)

Anna

Passions

Some people have one, some people have a few, and maybe some people even have none. Me? I have a few passions. I guess some could be considered more like goals. But those two words are pretty similar, anyways.

Ever since boxing with my personal trainer at the gym I've wanted to do it again. I got myself a pair of little "fighting" gloves. They aren't really legit boxing gloves, but they have gel in them to cushion your hands. Although you can see it obviously doesn't protect everything.

Yesterday I went to 30 and punched the bag for a long time! I was loving it! It's such an awesome way to relieve stress and take out your frustrations. Not only that, but if the time ever comes for me to fight, I will feel much more prepared. Even if it is just against some drunk Looney's girl that gets on my nerves... :-) So yes, I believe fighting/boxing is a new passion of mine.

Working out in general is my passion. I love the feeling you get during and after a work out. Out of breath, heart pounding so hard you can hear it in your ears, sweat dripping down your face and into your mouth... it's a rush! And after you work so hard, you get that amazing feeling of accomplishment afterwards. And that's the best part; the end! Most people never get to know that feeling because they give up long before that point. They just dwell on the fact that "Hey, this is difficult, it's uncomfortable, I can't breathe!" and all those other crappy feelings you can experience while working out, but if you can just get past that, you will understand the feeling of accomplishment.

Other small passions/hobbies of mine include running, shooting, photography, tattoos, and drinking hahaha! That last one is a joke, but I definitely do it often enough for it to be considered a hobby. Definitely not an addiction though, contrary to popular belief of some people!

Speaking of drinking, I went out last night. But, I was the DD. I did have a few drinks, but not many. And I stuck true to my word... I did not eat a single bite of food at the bar! I feel really good about that. I was able to wake up at 8:00am and go to station 30 to do the 9am workout with Lt. Bussing and other PGFD peeps. It was a good workout and then I did some bag work after that as well!:-)

The scale has not been changing much, but I have noticed changes in myself. I am getting strong. I can really tell the difference in my workouts. I've been doing a lot of bench pressing and I'm starting to get really good at it. I want to be a really strong girl. I want to be able to do my job just as well, if not better than any guy. I don't want people to help me with lifting things or pulling lines just because I'm a girl. I don't need special treatment! And I hate how some people assume that. I find it kind of funny!

I was thinking the other day how I wish holidays didn't revolve around food. I find myself eating terrible on pretty much any and every holiday. Thursday was Valentine's Day and I CRUSHED some chocolates! I can't even tell you how many I ate. Most people know I'm a sucker for sweets. I really, really am, and I hate that. I have self control when it comes down to a lot of things, but sweets? Can't seem to say no to them! I just have to dig really deep in myself and find a way to resist these temptations.

So this past week I did the "Adjunct Instructor School" at the academy and it was great! It was a great opportunity to brush up on skills that I haven't used since the academy. I also finally got to use the door prop to practice forcible entry and that was fun! It was really tough. Bobby and I did it together. I felt like I was doing pretty good at first, then it started to get kind of challenging and I sorta felt like a failure. We did finally get it open, but I wish I had done better.

The following day at work, I felt so much better about myself when Bobby said to me "Do you know how proud I was of you yesterday? You did so much better than all of those people there!" It was soooo nice to hear that! Almost made me a little misty eyed! It's not that my Officer is mean to me or anything like that, it's just really, really nice to get praised for doing a good job!:-) So happy!

Well, I'm off to run some long overdue errands. Pedicure and eyebrows!!! I so need both! Maybe I'll throw in a manicure since my hands are BEAT. They're starting to look like man hands!:-O

I'll write again soon! Thanks for reading:-)

Anna

Learning To Be Proud

I couldn't possibly be in a better mood to write a blog as I am now. I'm on the couch, wearing my Snuggie, Chief is on the floor next to me, I'm drinking tea, and listening to Pandora. This is the definition of "lazy day" in my book. Except, it hasn't been all that lazy. I woke up at 6am to go down to the Academy and take a class called "NFPA 1403: Conducting Live Fire" so now I can officially start fires for people in training. Woop! Kinda cool. Next week I am taking the 2 day course "Adjunct Instructor School" so that I can do more hands on teaching with future recruits and what not!

The class I took this morning was pretty cool. My Officer took it with me so that was nice. It was also kind of cool that we got the same score! Haha;)

I like that quote up there a lot! I think it's so true! I can really relate to it, considering I feel so much stronger and accomplished now than I ever have in my life. It's pretty cool being able to do things you never thought were possible. Not even just physical things, but social things as well. Having a confidence boost can really improve a lot of aspects of your life!

After I finished writing my last blog, Charlie and I went over to Annapolis Mall and shopped around. I fought off the urge to make a very big purchase, and instead I ended up with this cool new tea maker! I went to the store Teavana and the guy showed me all this stuff and gave me a sample of some tea. It was so good, I had to get it! I definitely plan on going back there again.

My eating habits have been great since then. I've been counting my calories regularly and making great choices. I feel a lot better and the scale is already showing some improvement, which brings me to the title of this blog. Pride. Being proud. Something I struggle with. Not really with other people, but mainly with myself. I can't seem to ever feel that proud of my accomplishments so far. I try to, and I think I am somewhat, but I still get those days where I can only feel like I'm disappointed. I guess I get nervous of being "over confident" or "cocky" by showing pride in myself. But, I am very proud of a few people in my life!

Recently, Charlie decided to start doing "Couch to 5k" which my long time readers know about. It's the same program I did when I first started losing weight. It's a program, in app form, or online, that slowly gets you into running. You increase your time/distance every week till eventually you can do a 5k, or at least close to it. He's already on week 5! I'm extremely proud of him for finally committing to something and not only that, but enjoying it! At least, it seems that when we he talks about it to me. I'm really happy that he's being really dedicated to it. He runs every shift and then every morning when he gets off work. I don't even have the discipline to do that! But that's mostly because we get crushed on the ambulance at night, and Howard County is slow;) Hehe, sorry Charlie!

Now, the other people that I'm very proud of are the guys on my shift! I'm actually slightly shocked. Two shifts ago they started a weight loss competition between 32 and 21, including the Battalion Chief. I didn't join in because I'm really not able to lose weight competitively anymore, so it didn't feel worth it to me. But! It is working out in my favor so far! Last shift, my Officer cooked healthy meals for all 3 meals of the day. Anyone that knows Bobby or has eaten his food, knows that it's not the healthiest. Every meal had to include meat, potatoes, cheese, butter, and bread. I found it extremely difficult to eat smaller portions there because the food was so amazing. But last shift... wow! I'm really proud of Bobby for being able to change his ways and cook us some healthy stuff. Him and John Michael have already lost weight! I'm really excited for them and I so hope that they can keep this up! Especially because I'm loving it!

Pictured to the right is my hand after a boxing session. It doesn't really do it justice. My knuckles were all red and bruised looking, and between those two fingers was a red bruise looking thing. It was so worth it though. I had never for real "boxed" in my life, but I was at the gym and my trainer just asked me out of nowhere if I wanted to try, so I agreed! It was a blast. And such a good workout! I was so tired. I can't wait to try it out again.

The last thing I wanted to talk about was my new challenge to myself. I decided to give myself a challenge and see if I can follow through and keep a promise to myself. So here it is...

I, Anna LaGrave, promise NOT to eat ANY food whilst out drinking, be it Looneys or any other bar. The only exception will be when the occasion is specifically deemed "Dinner and drinks" in which case I may eat, but intend to make a healthy choice.
I shall continue this challenge until my birthday, March 21st. The consequences of my failure to follow the rules has yet to be determined.

Signed,
Anna LaGrave

There you have it. From here on out, no more drunk bar food, no pizza, no McDonalds, not even food when I get home from the bar. Nothing. I will, however, eat a good meal prior to going out to avoid the possibility of becoming highly intoxicated from having nothing to eat.

Ok, now I am starting to feel that a nap is in order until it's gym time! Have a happy Friday, everyone!

Anna