2016

Wow. January 1st of 2016 is in four days!  I'm so excited and sad to say goodbye to 2015.  It was a good year. 

I traveled to Los Angeles, Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., and Trinidad & Tobago.

I made some very BIG and important  decisions about my personal life.

And I kind of started a company.

So going in to 2016 I've set myself up for a successful year by determining to keep things simple.  I have six, simple, goals that mean a lot to me.

Here they are:

PERSONAL
❤ I spend 2016 discovering my ancestry and visiting my country of origin by NOV 2016 (And I visit Los Angeles for my birthday in April.)
❤ I move to New Orleans, LA by DEC 2016

CAREER:
❤ I own & operate a small business by MAR 2016
❤ I have a Pilates certification by AUG 2016

HEALTH:
❤ I complete a century ride or half-marathon by SEPT 2016
❤ I read 12 books by JAN 2017

These goals mean that I'm up to something in life.  They show that I am trusting God and the talent he's given me.  It means that I have something big to look to when things get dark.

For me, keeping things simple means living in "the zone".  I do it with my wardrobe, so I decided, why not with my life?  These simple goals help decision making a cinch.  It's like, touch your savings for a scoop of expensive artisan ice cream?  Or move to New Orleans? #DUH.  And that really happens.  I have an allowance every week.. If I want even a scoop of ice cream, and I've spent all my " fun money" on concert tickets, I will grab $10 for a damn beer.  It's so wack!  lol

So with these six tasks in mind, the next step is making a map and getting in to action.  I'll talk about that over the next few weeks here on the blog.

I am looking forward to learning everyone's goals!  Share them in the comments.

Happy new year, folks!

Melissa T.

Follow me at MelissaBillions on every outlet that you think that I can think of. I there anything that you want to see on the blog that you didn't in 2015?  What do you want me to continue in to 2016?  Let me know!

XOXO

BETTER BODY: F**K THAT *Kendrick Lamar voice*

B-DAY WKND w/ my sis :)

When people find out that I've lost 30 lbs, they always ask me how I did it and when I think about it, one of the main keys to my success was my DIET (and sleeping).

Changing the way that I was eating changed my mind and my body.  I was clear, light, happy, shedding weight, and I really felt quite mature because I was making healthy choices left & right.

The catch is, however, that I never really made a crazy big change beside cutting out fast food/restaurant food and making sure I ate less from packages and more from my own skillets.

The other day I was walking down the street and had wanted to satisfy my craving for late-night style tacos and dropped into a random joint to grab some super unhealthy handheld munchies.  NOT a good idea.  I honestly don't feel bad about eating it, but my body definitely rejected them LOUD & CLEAR!  haha

I definitely don't eat as clean as I used to when I began my journey, but I definitely still do 75-80% healthier choices (even if it's food from 7-Eleven).  I was so surprised by the physical reaction that I just knew that eating clean is pretty much my only choice at this point.  It's definitely something that I want to keep up, but for a second I was becoming a little anal, and it really scared me, so I backed off in a major way.

I don't want to set a rule for my diet, but if I had to, the idea would be to eat clean 80-90% of the time and eat really really dirty (in a good/quality way) about 10-15% of the time.  I was headed down the road towards vegan, but it wasn't really founded an anything sturdy, so at this point--with all of the understanding of clean eating that I have--I imagine that I will be eating vegan/veggie/pesky (that's my way of saying PESCETARIAN) most of the time.  I think I'm mostly afraid of never eating pork bacon, hamburgers, and steak again.  (Not in a negative way but in a...I REALLY LIKE BACON, HAMBURGERS, AND STEAK, kinda way.)

I also don't think I'll be going vegan because I wanna be prepared for whatever is in store for our nation and world.  Part of the reason that I train and the reason I eat well (and want to keep beef, chicken, & pork in my diet) is because I'm afraid of being in some DOOM situation where it's 2059 and we HAVE to eat fake cow meat by government ordinance.  I just want my stomach to be ready for that... AND SO I'll practice with real beef & pork now!

lol

The beef, pork & chicken intake will not be high at all, but when I want it (or if it's the only option) then I will have it!  And I will try to make it at home vs ordering it.  SIMPLE!

My way of achieving this lifestyle is:

• buy salmon/fish once a week
• buy spinach for eating & smoothies once a week
• trying new recipes OFTEN ... not once a week, I can't commit to that
• make a staple shopping list over the next few months for my "no brainer" dishes
• eat 3 homemade meals a day for 4-6 days per week (If I eat out, it has to be a light and big salad for at least 6 out of those 9 potential meals.)

I have always envisioned myself as a veggie/veganesque girl, but I also think it's important to make sure I'm doing it the healthy way.  I have SO many vegetarian friends who only eat packaged food and that's just so backwards to me!  Eating clean is where it's at and it's possible and affordable enough for ANYBODY to do.  I'm still going to have the cravings, I'll just have to develop a little discipline to make sure I just cook those meals myself and not spend the $3-$50 dollars on them at places outside of my home.

Manifesto from the book In Defense of Food #reminder

So goodbye, JUNK FOOD!  Chips, pop/soda, and multiple fast-food stops, that snuck back into my life.  You're banished!  I love you & I'll visit from time-to-time at Super Bowl parties, but you gotta go and I gotta stay true to the happy, healthy, thug in me. 

If you are on some kind of fitness/diet journey.  It REALLY suggest that you read the book IN DEFENSE OF FOOD:  An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan.  I really helped me to change my mind about my thoughts on food w/o really trying.  VERY good book.  VERY good notes.  ENJOY!

Much Love!

Melissa B. :)
xox