2 Week Results -

Hey Hey, it's results day!!!

I had a couple days that really were hard for me!  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday really killed me.  Sunday was GREAT until my little ones asked to make a Sunday treat.  How can I say no to these faces?

Yesterday was actually pretty good but I did eat some candy and had a couple swallows of soda which I haven't had in MONTHS!

Anyway,  my results for the 2nd week weren't as big but still awesome!

My waist I lost another inch! Hips, half an inch, my legs and arms kind of stayed the same. To celebrate my success I got me a couple new outfits!  Here is one of them!  I was always scared to rock the leggings, but I am loving them!  I have another outfit that is super awesome too!

Weight - 208 (Down 1.8 lbs)

Waist - 43 (1 inch)

Hips - 50.5 (1/2 inch)

Legs and Arms stayed the same!

Perfection -

I am here to say - not every day is perfect!  I use to think that once I lost all the weight I need to lose, that would be it!  As I have been going through this for the last 3 years, I know that is not how it will work.

I had a SUPER busy day today.  It was suppose to be this super relaxing day of nothing because my husband had 3 of my kids but I chose to make it busy, get out of the house, and run all day long! I finally got my shake in and T25 around 10:00 PM thanks to my husband.  He literally dragged me from my bed to downstairs to get it done. It's been a rough few days of no sleep because of my little baby and I thought I could just "do it tomorrow"!  No excuses when it's just 25 minutes!

I had a few successes and fails today, which is where the title comes in.  There are days where I am strong.  Nothing tempts me.  I am unbeatable.  But then there are days like today where life just happens the way it does and you just have to say "it's ok!"

My major success was not eating a plethora of cookies that were on a plate right in front of my nose.  Normally when I had that at my disposal, I would have eaten two or three!  Today I skipped the cookie and went for lunch meat, no bread, no mayo, half slice of cheese, and carrots.  It was SO hard, but I felt SO strong afterwards!  There was also a bunch of soda but I went for water.  If things are free, I usually will just say eh, why not.  Today I skipped the free goodies and went for the free healthy goodies!

This afternoon is when I fell a little though.  We took the kids to the movies and had some starbursts and tootsie rolls.  I probably had 4 tootsies and 8 starbursts while watching the movie.  We also had pizza for dinner and I had 2 slices.  I still consider that a small success because I wanted more.  Normally I would eat 3 or 4 slices.

I am slowly realizing that this will be a life long battle I will have.  It use to be discouraging to me, now it is motivating.  I choose to win this battle.  I feel that before I came to earth, I chose this battle.  With the knowledge we had then, the perfect knowledge, I knew that I would be able to handle this challenge, and win.

Recently I heard a story of a completely disabled girl, who will never be married or have children, and she had such a positive attitude.  She knew that she had chosen to live that challenge and that she would have what she wanted and more in the life to come.  I choose to take on that attitude today.  I too choose to win this battle that God has given me.  Instead of looking at it as a burden and "why me?", I will now look at it as "why not me!" I know it seems petty considering some challenges friends, family, and strangers all over the world face, but this is my challenge, and I choose to win it!

First Week Results! ~ And Emotional Eating

I am so excited to post my results after week 1!!!
I meant to post Sunday or even yesterday, but life sure does get the best of you!

 I am down 2.6 lbs, 2 inches off my waist (I measured 3 times to make sure!), 1 1/4 inches off my hips, 1 inch off each thigh, and my arms pretty much stayed the same! 

I truly didn't know if it was going to work but by the end of the week I was noticing my pants not staying up like I like them too, so I knew something was happening! 

I have started LOVING the shakes!  I know I have posted how I have more energy, less cravings, etc. Those things are still happening!  I thought once I got use to the shakes it would get less and less but it hasn't!  I didn't drink a shake on Sunday and I tell you what, it was the worst day, EVER! There was a lot of emotional eating going on (more on that below) and I gave in to a lot of Easter m&m's and more.  

I started week 2 of T25 with my husband.  We both noticed how we are already a lot stronger or more focused.  We were able to complete more of the workout without modifying.  That is HUGE for me because there is A LOT of jumping involved!

I am so glad I took the plunge and bought the shakeology and T25!  My next goal after T25 is getting 21-day Fix.  Looks amazing and I have heard amazing things from it!

Now, on to emotional eating!  

It's very hard to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger, isn't it? These are some great guidelines to help us differentiate between the two!

I think we all have times when we eat emotionally.  Food is a comfort.  At least for me it has grown to be.  It doesn't matter if it is healthy food or junk food but it is a comfort of some sort.  On Sunday there was a lot of stress in my life.  Kids were crazy, I was grouchy, baby was sad, husband was cranky, you know those days, we all have them.  I hate it when they land on Sundays because Sundays are usually my best days where I reflect to try harder the next week.  I guess I still did that by the end of the day but there was a lot of crap eating before I stopped myself.  

A friend posted this on facebook this morning and I knew I had a topic to write about.  I need your help on how you overcome emotional eating?  How do you battle it?  What are some solutions you have found work for you?

Disgusting -

Last night as I was doing day 3 of T25, there was a lot of jumping involved.  Normally I wear tight pants, like biker shorts, but capri's.  Last night I decided to wear basketball shorts and boy was that a BAD decision!  I could LITERALLY hear my lower abdominal fat slap against my legs and lower abs.  It made me want to vomit.  What have I done to myself?  Why did I let it get this far?  Why is losing weight so hard for me?  Why is it so hard to stay on track, eat healthy, and do it all?

I know that we are sent to Earth to learn and grow.  Sometimes I wish I were born with the genes to be skinny without thinking about it.  To be what the world thinks is beautiful.  I wish that Satan didn't have so much hold on the hearts of men (and women) to make us feel ugly, fat, stupid, etc.  It makes me so irritated when I look at myself in the mirror and think "ewww, yuck, disgusting, ugly, fat, etc." because then IMMEDIATELY after I think - that's not true.  I hate that he can get to me like that!!!

I want more than anything to overcome this obstacle of weight!  I want to be FREE of the hold it has on me.  I also want to always love the body I have!  I am grateful for the body I have.  That I am able to have children.  Four beautiful children in fact!  I am so grateful for that!  I hope that I can teach my daughters to love themselves, no matter what, but I can only do that, if I show the same respect to myself!

Once upon a time . . .

Once upon a time a beautiful girl (me!) got pregnant with our fourth little one!  It turned out to be a BEAUTIFUL little girl.  She is pretty amazing!

Thanks Marissa Vargason Photography

Then, one day, this new momma decided it was time to get off her butt and do something.  She couldn't wait a year or more to get back into gear. She thought about it, and thought about it, but the gym just wasn't in the schedule of this sweet little angel.  

Many dear friends had shown her different plans.  Isagenix, Take Shape for life, beachbody, etc. Some seemed like great plans but man alive, she could not afford an extra $300-$400/month just for her food. 

Then  she remembered dear friend telling thisher about beachbody and shakeology for a while now, but she was always reluctant to try it. Shakes rarely taste good.  It seemed like a cheat to her, and she wanted to do it all on her own!

She decided to try all the samples she had been given over a weeks time and see where it went.  At first they were AWFUL!  She had to gag them down.  Forcefully swallow them.  And she wanted to die.  There was no way she was buying this stuff!  

But then she realized something.  She had so much more energy.  No craving for warm chocolate chip cookies, brownies, or candy occupying her brain at all hours of the night.  It was amazing.  If she could feel like this, she could deal with the nasty taste for a while!  And to top it off, in that week, without added exercise, she lost 3 POUNDS!!!

After thinking about it for another 2 weeks, she couldn't wait any longer.  She worked so hard on her own those two weeks.  She watched what she ate, stayed under calories, worked out nearly every day but lost nothing.  She was bummed.  

She decided to talk to her Prince, Mr. Major Frugal.  She just knew he would say no again.  He had so much faith in her winning this obesity thing on her own, he knew she could do it.  But She boy was she surprised when he said yes.  Granted there was a lot of analyzing, laying out all the different options, cost effectiveness, etc. but in the end, Prince Frugal agreed to let her try.

And so begins my story.  Among all the analyzing, laying out all the different options, cost effectiveness, and different strategies, I decided to become a coach.  I have always wanted to help other people achieve fitness and health goals.  I fell in love with working out a few years ago, and I can't stop!  We purchased the Focus T-25 challenge pack.  It is a 10 week program and it is HARD!  I completed the first workout last night.  I thought Jillian was hard, but woah man!  This is a total different ball game!

Please join me as I document this journey.  I am happy to say I purchased the vanilla shakeology and actually like it now.  I think it took getting a lot of the sugar out of my body.  I just wasn't use to something like a smoothie, not tasting like a shake or a jamba juice smoothie!

I hope to update a few times a week, with weigh-ins on Sundays!  Here's to losing 70-80 pounds!

My starting info is -

Weight: 212 lbs

Hips: 52 1/2 inches

Waist: 47 inches

Chest: 39 1/2 inches

Left Arm: 15 inches

Left Leg: 28 inches

I'm back with a recipe!

Bloggers, I don't know how you do it!  Between waking up at 4:30 AM to workout, my photography business, my kids, my family, and my husband, I rarely find the time to sit and write up a post!

It is so HARD for me to make sure I post a few times a week!  I hope to post at least once a week but even that doesn't happen sometimes!

I was hoping this blog would help me stay motivated and on track.  It has for the most part.  I don't get many comments but man I love seeing the number of page views go up! It makes me think of things to work on so I can talk about them and tell you how those things went!

I was also hoping I would start seeing results, but I haven't.  Not how I want to anyway.  The scale still varies between 206 and 208.  I got really close to 205 but then girl time came and I was back up to 208.  That's usually how it goes.  I get down to 206 then that monthly friend comes around and BAM I am back up to 208 and then I start over!

Today when I weighed myself, I found myself at 208.  I am going to TRY not weighing myself for 2 weeks instead of 1, and then gradually work up to 3 and 4 week periods.  I am trying to keep the mind frame of "It's not about the weight, it's about being healthy".  I know this is true, but it is SO hard to implement in life! 

 I do have to say a few things I am ECSTATIC about are - I have a line in my biceps!  It makes me so happy to see that line every time I am working them and makes me want to increase the intensity and get some FAB arms!  I also have a line in my calf's when they are flexed and it's beautiful!  

Those are the things I hold onto when the number doesn't change.  The fact that I am looking GREAT!  Today I also noticed and I am starting to see some ab lines!  60 minute ab workout in kickboxing is starting to pay off.  I just gotta remember to pull those abs in tight!

As for the recipe - this is my go to recipe when we want muffins.  I came across this muffin on Spark People and I LOVE it.  I hope it's as healthy as it seems.  When we I am craving a little extra sweetness, I mix up 1 tsp of cinnamon with 2 tsp of sugar and then melt 2 T of butter.  I dip the muffins in the butter and then the cinnamon sugar mixture and it tastes like doughnuts - almost!

Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins (from SparkRecipes)

1 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 egg whites
1 cup whole wheat flour ( I usually use white because I don't have wheat on hand)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. granulated sugar
Nuts or raisins (optional)

1. Soak the oats in milk for approximately 1 hour. (I usually skip this step if using quick oats, not whole oats)

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Combine the oat mixture with applesauce and egg whites, and mix until combined.

4. In a separate bowl whisk together dry ingredients.

5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add nuts or raisins, if desired. **Do not over mix the batter or the muffins will be tough!**

6. Spoon batter into 12 prepared muffin cups. Combine cinnamon and sugar and top each muffin with some of the mixture.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until done.

600 calorie burn in kickboxing today!

Sometimes it's ok!

It's been over a week since I posted.  I've just felt off for the last little bit, but today I woke up feeling GREAT with renewed strength to continue on this journey of mine!

I made a goal on March 15th that by June 15th I wanted to lose 25lbs.  3 months, totally doable!  I think that is what started me off not feeling great. For the last 1 1/2 years I have never had a goal in mind.  I've wanted to lose weight, but mostly I wanted to be more active.  I finally had gotten sick of not losing weight and was determined to hit 175.  My husband has NEVER known me at less that 185. 

This goal changed me though. It changed the way I looked at everything.  I became obsessed.  I started weighing myself every chance I got.  I started freaking out about what I was eating, and I started feeling like a failure.

It's funny to me, that before my goal even started, I began to give up and feel like a failure! Why did setting a goal make me feel like a failure?  Pretty sure it has something to do with a man named Satan and emotions of never giving or being enough.  He likes to get at me that way. He knows my weaknesses and he likes to pry them open with a crow bar and then pour salt into my wounds.

Wednesday and Thursday were such blah days, they were the salt in my wounds!  I didn't want to do anything.  I woke up with a migraine on Wednesday. I ate way too many crappy things.  I just didn't care.  I was burnt out.  Normally I feel bad about taking days off at the gym, but not this time, because sometimes it's ok to take a break.  It's ok to step back and take a look at what is going on in your life and what needs to really change.  It's ok to get the rest your body needs so when you do get up and decide to workout, you can kick trash at that workout and have the best workout yet.  It will leave you SORE and your muscles on fire, but it is totally worth it!  I love the active lifestyle I have now.  I love the desire I have for getting out and getting a good burn in for the day.  It makes me a happier person!

I want to keep my goal of 175lbs but if it doesn't happen, no harm done.  I can't continue obsessing over losing weight.  I need to remember that it's ok to get tired, it's ok to take a break, and sometimes it's ok to eat like crap, as long as I get back up and feel better and keep trying!

Today, when my alarm went off, I climbed back in bed, expecting to do the same thing, sleep in and have a blah day. I didn't really want to get up and go to the gym at 4:30 AM.  Lucky for me, I had only hit snooze on my alarm and it went off 5 minutes later.  I got up, said a prayer that today would be a good day, and I kicked butt at the gym.  I feel sore already.  I learned a new move that will knock the socks off of love handles I am pretty sure!  I started my day off right, here's to hoping I can start the weekend off right!