Skinny Jeans & a Healthy ME

Best Body Plan...

2012-02-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

Good morning y'all! I'll start off with my weight- 146.4. Not quite down a pound from last week, but I'll take it. I jinxed myself a bit last Monday when I reported that the scale hadn't gone up. Tuesday morning the scale had jumped up 2.6 lbs and there it sat for most of the week. The best way to sum it up... grrrrrrrrr. I should know better. Drinking and weight loss don't mix for me. However, it was an exception and not something I plan on doing on a regular basis. So, moving on. I can still report a loss, even if it's not a big one.
Last week was a good one for strength training. Not so much for running. I'm just having a difficult time figuring out when to fit it in. And, if I don't get to it in the morning, chances drop drastically as the day progresses. So I came up with an alternative plan.
For the next 4 weeks I'm going to concentrate on my body composition. That means strength training. I'm also going to be doing HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) twice a week and Ab work three times a week. Simple enough right? That's the point.
By chance, last week while standing in the checkout out line, I picked up a copy of Oxygen Magazine. I'd never seen it before but it looked good, so I ended up buying it. I'm not a huge magazine person, never have been. After reading it though, I ended up ordering a year's subscription. It's right up my alley. Lots of great exercises, recipes and fitness topics. While I'm not shooting for the ultra muscular, ultra lean look, I think the magazine will be a great tool. I can't wait for the next issue. I'll be using their Best Body Plan for the next 4 weeks.
Stay tuned, I'm going to be posting my "before" shots (as much as I cringe at the thought). I really want to see how much I can progress and change in 4 weeks. I'm preparing myself now that the scale may not move much over the next month. To be honest, I don't care as long as my body is changing. Thankfully I know my muscles usually respond nicely and tone up quickly. It's all about the results.
Here's to a great week! Clean eating, lots of veggies, whole foods and good exercise.... can't wait!

Quick update...

2012-02-06T08:40:00.001-08:00

Well, we're getting settled in the new place. The "to-do" list is still very long, but what what can you do but chip away at it? This morning's weight- 147.2. Feels good to be back in the 140's. To be honest, I expected to be up a little this morning since I did some drinking yesterday. I tried to be smart though and kept my food low carb and skipped dessert. I stuck the leftover desserts in the back of the fridge so I don't have them staring at me every time I open the door and the other dessert sitting on the counter is covered in foil. Out of sight, out of mind.
Anyway, that's the quick update. This week's goal is to get back to exercising. I'm going to take the kids for a run this afternoon and tomorrow I'll hit the weights. I'd like to run and lift weights at least 3 days (each) this week.
Moving forward....

Packing up the scale

2012-01-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Literally, I'm packing up the scale this morning. We're moving. I've been packing and sorting and getting rid of stuff for a while, but it's getting to crunch time. The scale has been dropping then going back up. Essentially, I'm maintaining my weight right now since I'm bouncing up and down within a 1 lb range. I could leave the scale out for a few more days, but to be honest it's not helping me to see the number "unchanged". It will probably do some good to ignore the number and just take care of the things I need to take care of. I'm concentrating on keeping things lower carb because I really don't want to gain during the move. My jeans are back to feeling comfortable and despite what the scale is telling me, I'm feeling good. I've been exercising (except for the couple days last week when I was sick) which I'm finding is almost essential to maintaining a positive outlook.
Anyway, hope everyone has a great week. Check ya later!

Goal Update

2012-01-15T12:40:00.000-08:00

So this was a good "on track" week for me meaning that I felt in control, ate mostly lower carb and didn't binge. There were a few stressful things that popped up, but I made it through without turning to food. I REALLY wanted to a few times but I resisted because I am sick and tired of doing this up/down thing with the scale. I got in a few good runs this week and some strength training. There's always room for improvement, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. This coming week I really want to concentrate on eating more vegetables. More often than not I reached for something un-veggie for a snack or meal. And guess what, I lose more when I eat more vegetables (IMAGINE THAT!??). This morning's weight- 153.6. Loss of 4.2 lbs. 10 more pounds to go to get back to my lowest weight. Obviously I didn't hit my previously set goal of 149 by today's date. I knew I wasn't going to though since I spent the first week of January almost completely out of control. I'm not trying to sweep it under the rug, but dwelling on it won't change anything. I'm doing better, I have a plan and here are the new weight goals:

Feb 1st- 149
Feb 15th- 145
Mar 1st- 141
Mar 15th- 137
Apr 1st- 134 goal

So here's to a great week! I'm going to plan my dinners for the upcoming week and then hit the grocery store.....

Edit: For those of you who read this post earlier and saw the picture with the quote- After a little research into WHERE the pic came from, I decided to take it down. I wasn't comfortable posting something from a girl who is 103 lbs and struggling with an eating disorder. My apologizes for not paying enough attention to details!!!

The TRUTH

2012-01-09T12:10:00.000-08:00

Soooo, ummmm, yeeaaahh, I've been very bad. I'm talking binges, carb overload, massive gains. I feel like crap & my jeans barely fit (the ones that were getting too big). I've drawn the line in the sand, and it stops today. I've set myself up for success by having good stuff in the house, and finally getting my head right. Today's weight- 157.8. Yup, 14.2 lbs up from my lowest weight. While I'm a little pissed at myself, that's unproductive. I went for a run this morning with the kids, that's productive. I have a healthy dinner planned, also productive.
I have to believe that eating the junk will send me off the rails. I can't keep lying to myself that "I can handle it" when it comes to some of my trigger foods. There are certain things that I just can't eat because it creates a cascade effect.
My previous weight goals are all screwed up now, so I'll have to sit down and create a new timeline. Stay tuned....
Here's to a great week!

The Cheesecake....

2011-12-27T19:32:00.000-08:00

Cheesecake, CHEESEcake, CHEESECAKE!! I hear it calling to me from the fridge. While it's tempting to go get a slice and nosh away, here I sit at the computer, blogging. Much more constructive, I do believe. Why do I want cheesecake (other than the obvious... because it's there)?? It's 7:30 pm and everyone else is asleep or at least tucked into bed. I'm slightly bored, hence the urge to eat, and hey, there's cheesecake and treats in the house lol. I really tried to get the stupid thing out of the house today but hubby says he wants to eat more of it. Bugger it...really?! You complained that it was dry, and you don't even really like cheesecake that much!
:SIGH:
Okay, yes, I'm being dramatic. But it's entertaining me.

Soooo, I think I've got enough control now to walk past the refrigerator to get my book. I may yell at the cheesecake on my way through, but the urge to eat it has mostly subsided...amazing how that works sometimes ☺
Goodnight all!

Stop the insanity....

2011-12-26T06:05:00.000-08:00

Hey there party people! Well, I survived Christmas. I'm a few pounds heavier, so I guess now the work begins again. As much as I want to dive into the leftover candy and cheesecake this morning, I won't. I've got to stop the insanity at some point, and this morning is as good a time as any. As long as I don't indulge first thing in the morning, I'm usually pretty good about staying away from the "treats" (until late afternoon rolls around). I'm still working on a plan for the pre-dinner time frame. I haven't quite figured it out yet, but I'm working on it. I'm thinking gum and hot tea may play an integral roll in my afternoons for a while....

I sat down this morning and set up a concrete timeline to get to my goal weight. Having a time frame is generally helpful for me, but I realized that I hadn't done one in a while. It's time to get back to basics and start using the tools that have helped me lose weight in the past. One of those things is setting mini goals, so here they are-

Mini Goal Weights:
Jan 15th- 149 lbs
Feb 1st- 145 lbs
Feb 15th- 141 lbs
Mar 1st- 137 lbs
Mar 15th- 134 lbs Final goal

I'm not 100% sure what my exact weight is today, and I really don't care. My jeans are fitting snug, and that's really all I need to know. The plan this week is to get back to basics....exercise, eat plenty of vegetables, protein & good fats and did I mention exercise? Gotta make use of the new workout clothes I got for Christmas!
Onward and upward...oh wait, onward and downward ☺ Happy Monday!
*UPDATE: I just got home from a run. Haven't been running much lately, but the mood struck me once I was out there. Ended up running 6 miles!

Forging on...

2011-12-03T05:29:00.000-08:00

Fighting, scratching, clawing, dragging. I'm not gonna lie, things have been tough lately. I could give you a list of ~~excuses~~ reasons, but the truth is, they really aren't important. I have allowed myself to justify poor eating and bingeing "because of....". Post-Thanksgiving was a bit of a nightmare food-wise. Over the past few days I've managed to break the cycle and turn things around, but some of the urges to "EAT< EAT< EAT" are still there. Thankfully I've realized (having done this a time or ten) that once I severely limit sugar and carbs, the voices in my head urging me on start getting quieter and easier to shush.
So where does that leave me? Well, I'm up a few pounds on the scale, but I'm okay with it. I've stopped the upward movement and started back down. Exercise has fallen off drastically so next week I'm really going to concentrate on making time to get my burn on.
Just keep pushing, moving forward and searching for the right path....

Pushing the Crazies away....

2011-11-21T05:13:00.000-08:00

Hi bloggy-world!! What's shakin'? Thought I'd pop in for a quick post and update. Things are going very well right now. I went off sugar and back to eating lower carb "paleo-ish" because that's when I feel my best. The change in my mood, energy level & cravings is so drastic that it seems silly to live and eat any other way. There will always be exceptions of course, like yesterday. We celebrated my daughters' first birthday so I licked the frosting, ate a cupcake, & drank some spiced cider....you get the picture. What I didn't do though was let the crazy in. You know, the little voice that says, "You've already had a little, so GO FOR IT, EAT EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!!". It occurred to me that just because I have the thought, doesn't mean I have to indulge in it (insightful, right? lol). I acknowledged the thoughts and then asked myself "Why??". I didn't really want to eat anything else but the compulsion was there because I had already "messed up". But here's the rub, I didn't mess up. I enjoyed myself, and today I'm going back to eating the things that make me feel good. Period.
This morning I'm staying off the scale. It's just a number. Obviously it's a great tool to track a downward (or upward) trend, but on a day to day basis it can drive you crazy if you don't keep it context. Yes, in general I weigh every day but mostly to track the trends. I know whether or not I'm doing the right thing with my food intake. Yesterday wasn't a stellar day so I'm going to have some water fluctuations. I know that already and seeing a higher number can just screw with my head and throw off my positive momentum.
I've also taken a similar approach to clothing sizes lately. Now that I'm doing more shopping for myself, it has become abundantly clear that there is no standard sizing (especially with pants). So now if it fits and looks good, I'm buying it. I could care less what the number on the tag says. I might wear a 2 or a 9 or anything in between. It's about feeling good in my own skin. Why should I let a number dictate that?? (Climbing down off my soapbox now).
For the next 3 days I'm going to concentrate on eating lots of veggies, good fats & protein. I'm going to enjoy Thanksgiving and then eat more veggies, good fat & protein. I'm going to be active, play, fit in a workout or two if I can swing it, and move forward...
Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!!

Pulling it together....

2011-11-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

As promised,(several times), here is an updated "progress" picture. Not much change from the last picture. I'm struggling to keep things together at the moment. I started Insanity again this morning in an attempt to snap myself back into the proper mindset. I've also decided to give myself a bit of an incentive. WHEN I finish the first 2 weeks I'm going to get a reward. I'm thinking a new outfit for Thanksgiving.... something along these lines.Or maybe like this....Obviously not these exact things, but I'm going to shoot for something that "feels" like these outfits.
Since I really want some new clothes and boots, this should be a great incentive. I've been coasting and letting myself get a bit out of control. Time to pull it together...again.

Snap shot...

2011-11-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

I promised you updated progress pictures in the last post. Well, you're getting something a little different. I decided that I needed to put up some others as well. This is a random sampling of how I've looked over the past few years. Some of the lows, some of the highs, some of the in-betweens. I need this reminder right now. I'm having a difficult time really seeing myself and what I look like. Looking at the pictures helps. It shows how far I've come.

A new progress picture is coming, I PROMISE... soon.

Sporadic's my middle name...

2011-10-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hi y'all, it's me, your favorite sporadic blogger ☺ I had a few rough days since I last posted, but I'm back on track now and rockin' an rollin'. Last week was my daughters' birthday and the cake really threw a wrench in things. Plus I brought Oreos into the house...bad call!! I was okay for a couple days and walked away from them and then I decided to "just have one". Bahahaha! RIGHT!! Like that's gonna happen.
In the space of a few days my weight shot up from 146.8 to 156.2. Yeah, 9.4 lbs! Of course this was not all fat gain, but seriously, that's sooo not cool. And worse than that, I felt like crappola. So I buckled down on Friday and set out to undo the damage. Happy to report that today's weight is 147.2 which practically puts me back where I started. I can handle that.
The next couple days will be interesting as I'm going out of town with the kids. The basic plan is to stick to low carb "paleo-ish" since that's what makes me feel good and doesn't seem to send me to the dark side with my eating. I'll be packing alot of my go-to snacks so I'll have options, and I'm going to enjoy a visit with my parents.
Next week I'll be posting some new progress pictures. I ordered some clothes online and when I tried the stuff on, it all fit. I probably could've even ordered a size 4 in the jeans, the 6's fit just fine (woo-hoo).
An now, I'll leave you with this little nugget.....

Looking for a new book?

2011-10-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Once again I've got a book suggestion for you all. I'm actually working my way through this book for the second time. It's got a lot of great information in it and I want to make sure that I comprehend everything fully. I'm considering taking some notes as I read just so I have a quick reference. This book definitely appeals to my nerd side. If you are at all interested in the science behind how your body works in regards to fat, this is a must read! Even if you aren't interested in the science, you should read this. I learned so much while reading, it almost made my head spin... in a good way. It explained a lot of the things that I had noticed on my own weight loss journey. It also challenges many of the conventional schools of thought on weight loss. Gary Taubes uses science and studies to actually show the how and why and explains it in such a way that the layman can fully understand.
Bottom line, get your hands on a copy of this book! ☺
Has anyone else read this book yet?? Thoughts?

Perfect? Not me...

2011-10-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

Current Weight:147.8
Previous Weight:149.4
Change: -1.6
Total loss on Paleo: 7 lbs (2.33 lb/wk average)

Sorry I didn't update y'all last week. We have alot going on right now and I didn't take the time to sit and write. I tried a couple times and just couldn't get my brain to engage. The past week with paleo was probably my hardest. I had a surprise visit from my monthly visitor. Since I'm still nursing my cycles are a bit out of whack. I had one day that stress and emotions got the better of me and I went off paleo and ate some candy corn, a grilled cheese sandwich and drank a beer. I ate it, it's done, moving on. I'm done feeling guilty if I eat something I "shouldn't". I think if I'm making good choices most of the time, I'm okay. Some days are better than others and I don't have to be perfect. Perfect is boring...
Now, on to the workouts. This will be my 3rd week doing the Mama Wants Her Body Back workouts. I like the series. I'm shooting for 4-5x a week (20 min total body + 10 min abs). Plus, I walk and occasionally run and am generally active. There are a few things I like about the Mama Wants workouts: 1) I don't feel like I'm killing myself and can't go on with rest of my day, 2) It's easy to fit into my day time-wise, 3) I'm seeing better muscle definition, 4) It's great for my core! Overall, thumbs up.
So, now you're all up to date. I'm looking forward to a great week. Hopefully you are too. Happy Monday peoples!

Paleo week 1 review

2011-09-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

Last week's weight:154.8
This week's weight: 149.6
Weight change: -5.2

It took a few days to adjust my thinking, but after the initial adjustment phase into eating paleo, thing got easier. I didn't have to think so much. It also brought to light for me how much I was grazing. I'd grab a slice of cheese, a handful of goldfish or animal crackers while I was getting something for the kids. All those little calories add up though. It's almost like I thought if it wasn't on a plate or it wasn't on MY plate, it didn't count (silly I know).
I had two major things to deal with this week: 1) Family BBQ, 2) Date Night. Happy to report I handled both. I brought a yummy fruit salad and fresh toasted coconut to the BBQ plus chowed on the tritip and enjoyed myself. Date night was a little more difficult. It was a benefit dinner so I had to eat what was being served. Plus I had to get hubby to understand that I wasn't going to drink this time. Thankfully there was a big salad (which I ate with some lime juice, just how I like it) and green beans. The chicken had some sort of mushroom cream sauce but I picked one with the least amount of sauce and called it good. Sometimes you just gotta do the best with what you have available. Were these 2 meals perfect paleo? Nope. Am I okay with how I handled them and the foods I ate? Absolutley.
Since I've gotten the eating thing pretty dialed in, this week I'm moving on to exercise routine. I got a new toy this weekend.... my Mama Wants Her Body Back workout collection.
I'm a bit of a sucker for new exercise DVD's. This set appealed to me because it's designed for moms. I'll let you know what I think after week 1. I found the lecture DVD that's included to be
very appropriate and helpful.
Here's to a great week! Hope yours is fantastic too!

Bye-bye blankie...

2011-09-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

Some things have been rattling around in my brain. I've been thinking and analyzing why I have a difficult time getting to goal, why the number on the scale has freaked me out in the past and sent me into binge/gain mode. What's my payoff? I firmly believe we don't do things or act certain ways without one. For me personally, it's partly about security. It's uncomfortable for me to be thin. Seriously. I have major insecurities and body image problems. When I lose weight people comment and complement and that makes me VERY uncomfortable. I've always had a large chest, from the time I started developing, and when I lose weight my waist gets smaller and the hour glass shape emerges. Men notice. Again, a huge source of discomfort. I can remember a few instances during my adolescence, getting looks or comments from guys and just feeling dirty. A friend of my brother's once sent me inappropriate letters, during church. Another time, some guys hung out their car windows as I was crossing the street and I was told that it was because of what I was wearing (which wasn't provocative btw). Negative attention was my fault (not the creepy guys').
So weight became an unconscious security blanket. The focus came off what I looked like. Then I'd reach a certain point, get fed up and lose weight. Till I got to about 160ish. Then the weight loss would stall or get very, very difficult because that's when I'd start getting my shape back. And then the weight would creep back. I binge. I take comfort in food. I soothe discomforts with it. This is my payoff. Security. But it's really not. It's just a way to hide.
Obviously this is just a piece of my puzzle, but it's a big piece for me. I don't want to regain the weight again and I need to look at the things I am doing to keep myself from getting to where I want to be. I need to make the choices that will get me the results I want. I want to feel confident and good about myself and how I look. I'm not saying I'm gorgeous or anything but I know I didn't fall out of the ugly tree either. I want to leave the security blanket behind, once and for all.
It's easier not to think of the underlying issues. It's easier to eat crap and not care. That's not what I want for myself though. I am consciously choosing to make the changes and do what's best for me, not just what's easy....
My request to you now is to dig deep and think of your own personal payoffs. Do some analyzing of your own. What's holding you back? You don't have to put it out there for world, but think about it.

30 days of paleo

2011-09-13T09:59:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! So I've been a bit busy lately. Had to take the baby to the ER last week, she got a tummy bug which led to decrease in food/nursing which led to mild dehydration. Dealing with a sick child is never fun, but when they're small it's even worse. It took some IV fluids and a few days to perk her up, but her appetite has returned so we're back in business. My own food intake was kind of all over the place as I tend to overdo it when I'm tired, stressed or PMSing. I was all three at once...yay! NOT!!!
Anyway, this mornings' weight: 154.6. Not bad considering some of my poor choices lately. So, I'm brushing it off and moving on. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I've been playing around with a "Paleo" type diet for a while but haven't fully committed. No time like the present though. I feel better when I eat this way so I've decided to go full Paleo for 30 days. Today is day 2 for me. If you're wondering, "What the heck's paleo???", I'll give you a nutshell... mostly lean proteins, fruit (in moderation), veggies, tubers & good fats (coconut, avocados, olive oil, nuts etc). No grains, dairy or legumes. The theory is based off how our Paleolithic ancestors ate. I don't have to weigh, measure or count calories. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. There's lots of info out there, if you want more just google "paleo diet" or "paleo solution".
Currently I'm reading Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso.
If you're interested in paleo, this is a good source as it has lots of recipes. I'm really excited to try some of them. Be sure, if I find one I really like I'll definitely share ☺
So that's where I am. Still plugging along, focusing on eating well and being active...one day at a time.
I'm curious, have you heard of paleo? Tried it? Are you interested?

Shifting directions...

2011-09-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

So, yeah, that 30 day Challenge I told you about....I'm redefining my personal parameters. Day 1 of the workout I realized that I couldn't hang. Last time through when I got to week 3 of Ripped I started noticing pain in my left hip flexor so I quit doing it to give my body time to heal. Unfortunately, it's not fully healed. As soon as I started doing some of the lunges and squats, the pain flared up. Not as bad as it was, but it's there. Grrrrr!
So, what's the alternative? Well, I decided that my personal challenge would be to exercise every day in September. Even if it's just power walking, I'm going to move every day. And, it has to actually be exercise...not just walking my kid to school in flip flops lol. I'll also be concentrating on body weight exercises like push ups, stretching things out with pilates and yoga and working with my dumbbells 3x a week.
As promised, I took an updated progress picture. I had to go with black and white this time to cover some of the lack of makeup and my major tan lines ☺
Food has been out of control for about a week so the scale is not my friend and it's causing me to go to a bad head space. I'm working on reigning it in. I've got to do some research on natural remedies to help regulate my hormones as I think this is a key component for me.
I think I've shared this before, but this weeks' motto is: "Do, or do not, there is no try"- Yoda
Have a great week peoples...

Join the 30 day Challenge!

2011-09-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

Maybe against better judgement I joined M from ...my magic bean... in her 30 day Challenge. Essentially it involves doing this...every day in the month of September. Yup, 30 days straight of Ripped. Oh boy. It's actually a good thing though, because I've been struggling to keep it together the last few days (food-wise) and having a fitness goal usually helps me focus. So, if you wanna join in feel free. Or, pick something else and do it for the next 30 days.
Really, it's not that hard to do anything for 30 days, it just takes commitment. So, I'm committing. "Before" pictures are coming. I've got a lot going today (it's my 3 yr old's birthday) but I promise to take them. Happy Friday!!

Remember me??

2011-08-26T06:45:00.000-07:00

GACK! I've been MIA for 3 weeks. Sorry guys! Things are actually going well, I've just been busy. The scale was stuck for a while but then I cleaned things up with my food and guess what?, it dropped (shocking, I know). This morning's weight: 153.6. So close to the official 50 lb mark that I can practically taste it. I know it's just a number, but it still feels like a major deal. What's even more important though is that I can wear my "skinny" jeans again. What a fabulous feeling! Another fabulous feeling...having to retire some of my other clothing items because they are just too big. Some are so loose it's slightly embarrassing. Time for a closet makeover I believe. And maybe, just maybe, some shopping.
Basically I'm just trying to live the best, healthiest life I can. I've been doing a lot of thinking and analyzing lately about what things are important. I've cut WAAAY back on my computer & TV time (partly to blame for the lack of blogging) and I'm trying to focus on being more active. While I love blogging, sometimes it takes alot of time for me to write a post. Rereading, correcting, rewriting, rereading again...you get the picture.
As soon as I hit the 50 lb mark I'll post a new picture plus I have some new fitness goals and running priorities I'll be sharing soon. I promise! But for now, I'm gonna keep moving forward....

Rise and shine!

2011-08-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

I've started a new morning routine. While I've tried this in the past without much luck, this seems to be sticking. Here's how it goes, the alarm rings at 5:25, I ~~stumble over to throw it against the wall~~ jump brightly out of bed with a smile on my face and head for the coffeemaker (thank goodness for automatic brewing). Having a bit of quiet time in the morning before the kids start waking up is so nice. I take my coffee and book outside and watch the sun come up. Right now I'm reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food. It's really good. If you're looking for a new book, I'd suggest checking this one out. Talk about a peaceful way to start the day. Doesn't get much better in my opinion.
I think that's the reason this is working for me, I'm enjoying it. While the first few minutes are rough, once I'm up and moving it's all good.
Next thing to work on is getting rid of the coffee. I've decided I'm going to start transitioning to green tea. I ♥ my coffee, but I'd like to be able to start my day without the jolt. We'll see how that goes.
School starts again next week so I'm working to get this down so I'm not running around like a crazy person trying to get out the door in the morning. I like calm mornings and this seems to be the first step...
What's your morning routine like? Do you take time to relax and wake up or are you running from the time your feet hit the floor?

The crown goes to...

2011-08-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

I've got a bit of the BLAHS today. Nothing really serious, just... ugh. It feels really hormonal like it's that TOM but since I haven't started cycling again because of nursing, it's tough to time this stuff out. The phantom period crap sucks....all the symptoms of TOM without the end result lol. ~~Not that I'm complaining...much.~~ Okay, yes, I'm complaining.
I should be happy, I got the scale down under 160 and it stayed. I ran 5 miles yesterday at a stellar pace. I signed up for a 10k race. All these things are good. I think this weekend's questionable choices are catching up to me. I didn't do horribly, but I did have a few extra treats "Because it's hubby's birthday". Break out the crown, the queen of excuses is making an appearance.
Again, I'm just gonna say....ugh. Maybe a good sweaty workout will help kick the funk. Since the baby just went down for a nap I think I'll seize the moment. Week 3 of Ripped in 30 HERE I COME!
Note to self- You're on a mission to be strong and lean...get your butt in gear mama! Pack up the excuses and go...

Try these!

2011-07-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

I love sharing yummy things with my readers. One of my new finds....Beanitos Chips.They're corn free, gluten free, have good fiber and fats (omega 3's) plus a whole list of other things.
My mother-in-law gave me a bag of the Cheddar Cheese Pinto and Flax to try (I know, I know, it doesn't sound that great). To my surprise by the 2nd chip, I was hooked. Then I was cruising the health food section at the grocery store and found out there were other flavors...and they were on sale 2/$4. So I grabbed the Black Bean Chipotle BBQ.....DE-lish!!!
One serving is 10 chips, and while that may not seem like a lot, it is satisfying....with 5 g of fiber.
I've been trying to "JERF" lately- "Just Eat Real Food", and while these aren't technically in that category, I can look at the ingredients and recognize what goes into making them. I would put these in the "good alternative" column especially when cravings hit for some other, worse options.

Darn Skippy!

2011-07-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

There's something about peanut butter. It flips a switch in my head, turns me into a uncontrolled, by-the-spoonful, maniac. Generally I don't keep it in the house for this reason. Plus, 2 of my 3 kids are allergic (and the baby isn't quite old enough to try so I don't know about her yet). If it's in the cupboard it can be a very bad thing for me. So why do we have 2 enormous Costco-size jars in the cupboard? Good question. Last time we bought it I donated 1 jar to the food bank just to get it out of the house! My husband doesn't get that it's like crack to me. A little jar of kryptonite staring at me when I open the cabinet. He likes the occasional pb&j sammy, I like to inhale it. I should've told him I'd get a small jar at the grocery store, instead of buying the "bargain" twin pack at Costco. But I thought "Surely I can control myself". Wrong. Lesson learned. I came to this realization yesterday as I was digging out a second tablespoon. Thankfully this process is teaching me that just because the urge is there, doesn't mean I have to indulge myself. I wanted more than just 2 tablespoons. I was able to recognize what was happening was a chemical brain response. I stepped away from the jar and was a happier girl for it. It wasn't easy, but I did it. Now I also know that the smell of pb can send me over the edge. Now I know to be careful. I knew I had an issue with Skippy, but I didn't really realize how big of an issue until yesterday.
The moral of the story.... recognize your triggers. I have others, but this is a big one. Being aware, instead of mindless, is also a big deal.
My weight is kind of stuck right now. It's time to go back in and tweak. This morning's weight- 160.0. Sunday morning it was at 162.0. Some of this "stuck" is from eating random things that aren't the best, having a few drinks, and a new strength training regime. I know I've lost some body fat (unfortunately that part of my scale is on the fritz and I need to figure out if it can be fixed), but that number is bugging me. I'd really like to see 150 something, and have it stay in the 150's. Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. I know. I keep telling myself to take a day or two off the scale, and I keep getting on anyway. Thankfully now that I understand water fluctuations, the number doesn't have the power it once held. My mood used to be dictated by the number. How I ate and behaved was often affected by that silly number. At this point, while I'm frustrated by the lack of movement on the scale, it doesn't send me into a downward spiral. It's more of a curious science experiment. What will happen today with the number? A much healthier approach. Since that's what the ultimate goal is... a healthier approach to life, I'm going with it. Strong and lean right?
How are you at recognizing your triggers? This has been a process for me. How do you deal with your responses??

Quick update

2011-07-22T07:34:00.000-07:00

Once again the scale is playing games with me. After seeing 158, the scale promptly jumped back to 160 and there it sits. While I know I just need to ignore it, it's still slightly irritating. It's like it's taunting me lol. I think sodium may be the culprit, so I'm really going to concentrate on whole foods today.
Other than the scales' head games, this week has been good. I've been running and getting my Ripped on. Fingers crossed the scale gives me some love...

Wedding recap...

2011-07-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all! Hope your weekend was fantastic. Mine was pretty hectic. The wedding we went to was beautiful. Besides some family drama that seems to be a requisite and a broken down car, the weekend was a success. Yesterday's weigh-in: 160.2. I was pleased with maintaining because my food choices weren't stellar (not horrible either though). I just tried to keep my portions in check. I ate some dessert, drank some beer and had a good time. This is real life for me.
After getting home I made a run to the grocery store and restocked the fruits and veggies. I had planned on a run but just didn't have it in me. Not an excuse, just reality.
Yesterday though was an on-point day. I got in 2 good workouts- Ripped in 30 and a 4 mile run. My eating was good and I really pushed the water because I knew some of my previous food choices had caused some retention. This mornings' weight- 158.6!!
With a number like that, I can't help but be motivated! It also helps that my size 10's are getting some room in them and the 8's are feeling pretty darn comfy. Non-scale victory!!
This week's goal is to complete 5 days of Ripped and get all my runs in. Also, keep the eating clean and controlled.
Now, I leave you with one of my favorite pictures from the wedding-
Here's to a good week!

Look at the lovely colors...

2011-07-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

As I was ~~mowing through~~ daintily eating my salad yesterday, I had to stop for a second and just admire how pretty it was. All the bright colors just popped, the yellows, greens, reds. So much good fuel for my body to work with. And it hit me...I need to eat a rainbow, every day. No not Skittles(though I do ♥ me some Skittles), but a rainbow of fruits and veggies. Not only does it look pretty, it makes you feel pretty too. So I'll be challenging myself on a daily basis to incorporate as many colorful fruits and vegetables as possible...cause you know what? It tastes good too!

Today's weight: 160.6- gotta ♥ water flux
Planned workout: Ripped in 30- wk 2

Do you eat a lot of colorful fruits and vegetables? What are your favorites?

Mmmm....fat!

2011-07-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

Weight today- 159.6!! I finally dropped into the 150's. How awesome is that? I've been trying a few things new this week and obviously they're working. As most of you know, I track my food using MyFitnessPal.com. I had noticed however that I lost more weight when I didn't track my food and winged it. So, the expirement was this....I would write down everything I eat through out the day and input it at the end (just to see where the numbers are). I eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm full and really try to choose the highest quality foods that will give me the biggest bang for my buck.
So far, so good. Because the reality is this....I DON'T WANT TO TRACK MY WHOLE LIFE. Obviously it's a fantastic tool, but I'm getting to the point where I need to be able to figure out how to eat so I won't put the weight back on after this is all done.
One trend I've noticed by doing this, I eat quite a bit of fat. The nice thing about that...I feel satisfied longer. Something to remember- Good dietary fats will not make you fat. Again I say- "Fat doesn't make you fat!!". Excess calories or "energy" from any source, be it fat or carbs or protein, will be converted into fat stores. Period. It took me a long time to understand that. While it seems simple enough as a concept, we've been bombarded for years with the idea that we need to have a low fat diet to lose weight. So we eat "low fat" processed foods loaded with carbs usually, and we're hungry (because it doesn't have good fats to trigger satiety) so we eat more, which gives us excess "energy" which our body turns into fat. (This is a very simplified example of the process, but I'm trying to make the point simple). I use carbs as an example because of all the groups, carbs are the easiest to overeat.
Anyway, the point is, eat more good fat. Slice up an avocado for your salad. Eat a handful of almonds. Use olive oil. You might be surprised how your body responds.
So tell me, do you eat a lot of good fats?? Was any of this news to you or am I preachin' to the choir?

Busy bee...

2011-07-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

Since I'm finding it motivating to post my daily weight/exercise updates I think I'll continue doing it...at least for a while. Hopefully it's not annoying. This morning's weight was 160.6. Down another 1.4 lbs. I'm a bit surprised actually because we went out to dinner last night which usually means some fluid retention. As a preventative measure I drank a bunch of water to counteract that possibility. On the exercise front, I did make it out for my 4 mile run yesterday. By the time hubby got home from the shooting range I didn't feel like going but I was already dressed so that was half the battle. I just had to make it out the door. I had contemplated changing into "regular" clothes a few times over the 4 hours he was gone but didn't because I KNEW if I did, the chance of me actually going for a run decreased dramatically. Even though it wasn't the best run, I got it done, and that's what counts sometimes.
This week is a busy one...hubby's brother is getting married out of town this coming weekend, my mom is coming for a visit midweek, one of my kiddos is sick, I've gotta pack for the wedding, haircuts etc., all on top of my normal stuff. I'm a little overwhelmed.
I plan on doing Ripped in 30- week 2 this morning for exercise. Hopefully that will help clear my head and help me be get through what needs to get done.
What are you doing for exercise today??

I did it!

2011-07-10T10:42:00.001-07:00

Official weight for the week...get ready, here it comes-162.0!!! Wa-hooooo! On top of hitting my goal (which I didn't think would happen) and making back to the 40 lbs lost mark, I feel fantastic!!!!!!!!! Seriously great. I have a ton of energy when I eat right....duh! This week I've been concentrating on eating good foods and incorporating more raw food as well. I haven't been perfect, but it's been solid. Good fats like those that are found in avocado, olive oil, nuts, and coconut milk are my friend. And, I made time to exercise. Today I've got to squeeze in a 4 mile run at some point, but it will happen because it's important (not only to my overall health, but mentally as well).
Wish I had time to write more, but I've got lots to do today. Busy week coming up. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
What are your goals for the coming week? I wanna hear...

Off to the Farmer's Market

2011-07-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Weight- 163.4. Nice little drop again this morning. Tomorrow is my "official" weigh-in and I'd really like to see 162. All the more reason to keep it clean today. Off to the Farmer's Market this morning to stock up on more fruits and veggies. Happy Saturday lovelies....

Doing better...

2011-07-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today's weight- 164.4. Down another pound this morning. Creeping closer to the "40 lbs lost" mark again.

"When you know better, you do better."
— Maya Angelou

Reading, listening to podcasts and generally finding out more about nutrition lately is changing my perspective on food. I need to do better. Not just for myself but for my children. Living a wholesome, healthy life is worth it!

Movement in the right direction....

2011-07-07T12:17:00.000-07:00

This mornings' weight- 165.4. Down another pound. How is it that the weight shoots up so gosh darn quick but going the other way it's like molasses? So not fair!!! Penalty I suppose for my own bad behavior.
I'm going to try and do more frequent updates as I get my butt back on track to the strong and lean me that I wanna be. I went for a run this morning and then went and mowed lawns. Exercise is covered. Now the hunger is in full swing so it's time to go feed myself....something with good lean protein and veggies I think.
Happy Thursday folks! How's your week going??

Puttin' on my game face...

2011-07-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well bugger it! I had a BAD few days. Period. Between stress, hormones, and a holiday, I managed to gain 11 lbs in the space of a few days. Seriously... 11 lbs. Yes, some of it's water weight, but not all. The scale at it's worst was reading 171.2. This morning it was down to 166.4. Progress...that's what counts. These types of things are going to happen. Holidays are inevitable as are some of my other triggers for overeating. While I'm disappointed, I have to keep moving forward.
Excuses won't get me to my goal. I went for a run last night....even though I had to wait till 9 pm because it was 104* yesterday. I did Ripped in 30 today....even though the kids made it difficult and I had to stop 3x to put on my "Mommy hat". Even though, even though, even though. Excuses are easy. I know what I have to do. Time to put my game face on and get it done....grrrrr. LOL
I have a wedding to attend in 10 days and while that's a motivator, getting to a place where I feel strong and lean is the ultimate goal. That's why "Strong and Lean" is the new catch phrase. All together now- "Strong and Lean, Strong and Lean, Strong and Lean!" Wooo!!!

You put the lime in the coconut....

2011-06-27T21:54:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago the hubs brought home some coconut water. To be perfectly honest I kinda shrugged my shoulders, stuck it in the fridge and said "whatever". He tasted it and didn't particularly care for it, and so there it's been sitting. Then I noticed some in the cold box at the register at the grocery store, next to the sodas and energy drinks. And then I heard mention about it on a podcast by Jillian Michaels. So, I thought, what the heck, let's look into this. Turns out, it's pretty good for you. I found this article on the topic.
I personally have to refuel quickly after a workout or my body won't make milk for my lil bambina, so the coconut water I'm finding is great to help me get back on a even keel and rehydrate properly. Of course, as with anything, don't go over board. I think it's great post-workout, but I wouldn't drink it all the time. It has calories, it has some sugar (natural sugars, but sugars just the same) but I think it has some merit as a whole which is why I'm sharing with you.
To be clear, this is coconut water...not coconut milk. There is a distinction. The water comes from the unripened green coconut and the milk comes from pressing the meat of a "ripe" brown coconut. The taste is a little different then you might expect. I ♥ it in a post-workout smoothie instead of almond milk though. Drinking it straight up is an acquired taste. I don't mind it straight, but it's not my all time favorite thing either.
I'm looking forward to using it when I start my longer training runs because I do think it will be beneficial. Drinking about 8 oz after my Ripped in 30 workout today was good too. All in all, a good find....thanks hubby ☺
Have you tried coconut water? Has this peaked your interest at all?

The newest news

2011-06-23T14:18:00.000-07:00

The time has come for me to start training again. I can comfortably run 3-4 miles and the only way I can keep myself consistent is to plan for a race. So, I found a local half marathon (that's 13.1 miles for those of you non-runners) in October and I'm making running a priority. I busted out my pocket calendar and set up my training schedule and mileage from now till the race on October 23rd. And now I've told all of you. I also ordered Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 DVD. It came in the mail today(I ordered it from eBay for $7 brand new) and I'm going to get started on that too. The fitness bug has definitely visited my house and bit me on the ass....probably because my muscles are becoming more defined and I love that "look". To say that I'm excited is probably an understatement.
Fitness and nutrition podcasts have also become a bit of an obsession lately and I have my iPod in half the day while I'm working around the house. The science and theory appeals to my nerdy side and I'm loving learning new things and listening to different perspectives. The "Paleo Diet" has peaked my interest and I'll be doing some research and sharing as I investigate. Anywho, that's all for now. Hope your week is going well...

Yummy in my tummy!

2011-06-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

Are you a snacker?? Me, I like to eat several small meals throughout the day. For that reason I've been searching for the healthiest foods to give me the most bang for my buck. My husband will tell you I'm becoming quite the hippie LOL.
Anyway, most of you know I ♥ beans. I wrote a whole post about it. Then I heard about something called roasted chickpeas. Intrigued? I was. So yesterday I made some. THEY ARE AWESOME!!!! The hubster tried them and said "These taste kinda like CornNuts". They're easy to make and are a quick healthy snack that gives you fiber, protein, carbohydrates and good fat. I ate some at lunch with an apple, string cheese and some veggies and hummus and I was FULL for a long time (and who doesn't want that).
Want the recipe so you can try it yourself? This is the one I used here at allrecipes.com. The only thing I did differently was cook them at a lower temp- 350*. I find that when roasting things (like almonds etc) that a lower temp over a longer period gives me a better result.
Hope you like them as much as I do....

Checking in...

2011-06-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, we're back from Disneyland. Had a blast! I allowed myself a little latitude with my eating but didn't go crazy. I ate some desserts etc that wouldn't normally be "allowed" with the mindset that it was a treat not something to be indulged in all the time. Since being home I've settled back into my "normal" without difficulty. I'm also happy to report that as of this morning I have officially lost 40 lbs! That's all for now. Gotta go pamper the hubs for Father's Day....

Jillian fever

2011-06-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

I hadn't planned on posting again till after I got home from Disneyland, but I had to share this. First, let me say, I'm a Jillian fan! About a week ago I found out that she does a pod cast. Yesterday I decided to check it out. I ♥ it!! Being home with the kids all day I often have the TV on as background, but this is so much better. She talks about a lot of different stuff from nutrition, exercise, emotional stuff....the list goes on. I suggest you check it out. It's free on Itunes. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Changing my perspective...

2011-06-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

Summer vacation time is upon us. Next week we're going to Disneyland. Between now and then I have lots to do, but I wanted to check in really quick. Things have been going well. I've been concentrating on making choices that I feel are sustainable going forward. I don't want to have to lose this weight again so I'm working on making sure this is a lifestyle I can maintain. All in all I'm feeling good about the direction I'm going. It used to be that if I blew my "diet" on a meal it would send me into a downward spiral and the rest of the day, the rest of the week, and maybe the next week, would be spent shoving my face or feeling guilty and trying to recover. Unproductive. I've decided to change my perspective slightly. A higher calorie meal is just that... a meal. Move on. Having a splurge on occasion is not going to add 10 lbs. Overeating for an extended period of time though will. Understanding that it takes 3500 extra calories to gain a "real" pound of fat helps me keep things in perspective. I'm also working on being more active than ever in everyday life. I walk places if it's feasible which saves on gas too. Example: I've got to go to the bank later...it's 2 miles away. Why not combine my errand and exercise into one?
While I still want to lose another 20lbs, I'm not as worried about getting there quickly. If I'm keeping my activity up and eating well I think my body will follow along.
Here's my newest progress picture (sorry, no makeup!). My size 10's are fitting comfortably again which is nice.
I'm looking forward to updating my weight after Disneyland. Till next week....

You LIE!!

2011-06-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm so irritated by the scale right now. Quite simply, it lies!! Even though I know it's water weight, seeing the scale creep up every day this week is flippin' discouraging! I've been eating pretty well, except a little higher than norm on the sodium and working out (sore muscles= water retention too). So basically, I'm doing it to myself. Add to that I haven't been as strict about getting in my 6-8 bottles of water. Time to buckle down, push the water, veggies & lean protein and get the number back where it "should" be.
On a nicer note, some of my "skinnier" clothes are starting to fit. I pulled out the tub this week and started trying things on, just to see. Another 10-20lbs and most everything should be wearable.
The mental disconnect has reared it's ugly head again though. I know in my head that I've lost 35 lbs, but I'm having a difficult time seeing it or feeling like it. I think it's time for some pictures. Visual aides tend to be helpful...
Anyway, that's all for now. Happy Friday blogosphere!

National Running Day

2011-06-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

'Nough said ☺

I've started June off with a bang...and a 4 mile run. I haven't run that far in a long time... probably a year. I also managed to do it at a 8:56/mi which is progress from the 10/mi I started out at post baby. It was one of those runs that felt AMAZING and I'm so glad I went! Happy National Running Day people!

a new month, new goals...

2011-05-31T07:32:00.000-07:00

Somehow it's May 31st and I haven't blogged all month. How did that happen?? Blogging used to be a priority. Lately I'll admit, not so much. I'm going to try and change that. I ran my first official 5k at the beginning of the month and didn't even share the results (29 min 24 sec for anyone interested). It used to be that I'd come home from a race and immediately sit down at the computer and write my race recap. To be honest, I miss that. Tomorrow starts a new month though and I'm going to strive to be a better blogger!
So, I had 2 main goals in May...."no-weigh May" and "Move my @$$" 90 miles. Both failed miserably. I think I made it 5 days without my scale. Pitiful. My mileage challenge went slightly better but I was not able to hit the total I was originally shooting for. But, now I have a jumping off point for other goals. My mileage goal for May was a bit unrealistic if I'm being perfectly honest. It did, however, get me moving more than I would have otherwise, so that's a positive thing. June's mileage goal- 65 miles. Doable I think. Slightly more than I did this month, but not anything super crazy.
Goal #2 for June: strength training 3x a week. I've been doing alot of thinking about what I want to look like, feel like, ultimate goals etc. I LIKE when my muscles are defined so I need to put some effort into building and toning them. Add to that, muscle burns more calories. More muscle= better body composition and less fat.
Ultimately it's not the number on the scale, it's how I look and feel that matters. However, I use the number to help motivate myself. I used to set a monthly weight goal for myself so I've decided that it might be beneficial do again. I'm within a few pounds of what used to be a "comfortable" weight for me and it's made me a little lazy. Now comes the time when I have to work harder to hit my goals...and I'm up for the challenge! June 30th goal weight- 157 lbs.

What about you? Do you have new goals for the month of June? Please share!!

Move that Tushy...

2011-05-01T14:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I set my goals for May. Today I've decided to commit to walking or running a minimum of 90 miles over the course of the month. And now I'd like to invite all of you to join me. Set your own mileage goal and leave me a comment. The more the merrier. Plus, it's motivating to tell others your goals...at least it is for me. Are ya in for "Move your A$$ May" ? I dare you...

Throwin' out the scale...

2011-04-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

It's happening again....I'm getting obsessive with the number on the scale. It's to the point where I'm getting on and weighing multiple times a day. Not healthy. Not to mention stupid. Like I'm going to lose 10 lbs between breakfast and dinner?? It's irrational and unhelpful. Sooo, I've decided to challenge myself in a couple ways. First, I'm declaring next month "No Weigh May". Next, I'm shifting my focus back to eating as clean as possible. No more junk, even if I can fit it into my calorie count for the day. I'll admit that lately I've been fudging here and there with the sweets, especially after Easter. Unfortunately that leads to more sugary stuff and usually bread slathered in butter then ice cream then...well, you get the picture. Snowball effect. Downward spiral. Weight gain.
Hopefully taking the scale out of the equation will be helpful. Lately seeing the number drop has been causing me to sabatoge my success. Especially as I get closer to the 30 lb mark and breaking into the 160's. I freak out and eat.
So, no scale and no junk in May. My next challenge is nailing down the exercise this month. I'm shooting for 5 days a week. Something. Anything. Even if it's just swinging my kettle bell for 10 minutes. I've got the stuff here at home to make this happen. Now, to implement and follow through. Focus. Eat good quality food when I'm hungry and quit when I'm full.
Now, I leave you with a couple pictures. To be honest, I was disappointed when I looked at my "now" picture this morning after taking it. Then I pulled up the "before" picture. Progress has been made. Sometimes it's hard to tell since I see myself everyday in the mirror. But now, I'm starting my day with a renewed sense of can do attitude because hey, look what I've done so far ☺

Have a great weekend!

Help me!!

2011-04-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a bad morning. I just keep eating. Time to put a stop to it. There is no way in hell I'm going to undo the hard work I've done. I'm gonna go brush my teeth, pop a piece of gum and get busy doing something else!

Hospitals and Stress...

2011-04-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

So we've been having a rough go of it lately in our house. Last Saturday (the 16th) my 2.5 yr old son had to be hospitalized. We were finally discharged on Tuesday afternoon after spending the better part of 4 days in the hospital. He has asthma and allergies and when he gets a virus it tends to go straight to his chest and often turns to pneumonia. Which happened. He had to be on oxygen for several days. Thankfully he is doing much better now but the whole experience was stressful to say the least.
On a brighter note I was able to maintain my weight during all this. I've been able to slide right back into my normal healthy eating and I'm feeling good about that end of things. The exercise part of things is where I'm struggling right now. I plan to focus my energy on that next week. One other thing to note- I've picked out my first (post baby) 5k. I'll be running it May 7th. More about that in another post.
So that's the update. Hope everyone has a great weekend....

Finding the sweet spot...

2011-04-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

Good morning lovelies! Did you miss me? Somehow the days and weeks have just been flying lately and I haven't been blogging. If you remember I was sick, the kids were sick, then hubby went on vacation. Totally threw me off my routine. Last week was a "normal" week though so I was working on getting everything back in order. And here I am. I've had a few successes (and a few bad days). I busted into the 170's which is an awesome feeling. My BMI no longer categorizes me as obese...now I am simply overweight lol (I really hate BMI because I think it's screwy, but I still look at the number as a bit of a guideline). I dropped 4% body fat this month and overall I've lost almost 10% which means I've lost 30 lbs of fat since starting this process. I'm very close to fitting into my size 10 jeans...I can get them on and buttoned but the spill-over effect is not pretty. Another 10 lbs or so and I think they'll fit.
I did have a few bad days though in the past couple weeks. Thankfully I'm learning to brush it off and get back on the right track immediately. It used to be that a bad day or two would morph into a bad week or two. Not so anymore. I LIKE eating healthy and being active so getting back to it is that much easier. This isn't something that I'm doing just to lose weight but it is an added perk.
That last point is an important one. The changes I'm making are sustainable. Not always easy, but doable long term. Otherwise, what's the point? I had to motivate myself out of my little funk last week. How? I bought myself a double jogging stroller. Something I've been wanting. Something that's going to make exercising with the kids easier. And I love it. I took a 6 mile walk yesterday and burned 750 calories! And I enjoyed it, I'm excited to take the kids on walks and get little bits of exercise wherever I can.
Something else I've learned the past few weeks- a tip for those of you hitting a wall or having a tough time losing right now, start tracking your sugar. I started tracking my intake on MyFitnessPal.com just for fun really. I was frustrated the first few days because I kept going over their suggested levels. So I quit tracking it. Then I figured I'd try again and give it a couple days and see what happened. Let me tell you people, the weight fell off for a couple days. Unfortunately I didn't think about the effect it would have on my milk supply...that dropped too :( So now I am aware of my sugar intake and searching for that sweet spot number that will allow me to drop weight easier but not compromise my ability to feed my child. Being aware is the first step though...
And now, I'm hearing the pitter-patter of little feet which is my signal that the day is starting. Have a great day peoples!!

Movin' right along...

2011-03-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

I'm so close to hitting my first "official" 20 lb mark. This week's weight- 182.8! Only .8 to go and I'm treating myself to a pedicure. It's keeping me motivated since the tootsies are in need of some major pampering. It also hit me today that I'm basically 1/3 of the way to my goal! Go me ☺
I'm still not back to 100% after being sick but things are improving every day. This week I'm focusing on pilates and walking for my exercise, at least till I'm feeling back in tip top shape. I walked the monkey to school yesterday and was reminded how much I enjoy that little bit of extra exercise. Hopefully the weather keeps cooperating and I can do it regularly. It also hit home that I need to start looking for a double stroller. While it works to put the baby in the carrier on my chest and push my 2 yr old in the stroller, it would be more comfortable just to push a stroller.
On another note, running is starting to call to me again. I miss running. Now the question is how do I fit it into my daily routine? I'm still working on that. But right now, I've got some bathrooms to clean and floors to mop...ta-ta! Have a healthy day!

Jinxed myself...

2011-03-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

I guess I spoke too soon when I said I seemed to be getting better. Yeah, the cold came ROARING back, worse than before. I lost my voice, got pink eye and have just generally felt terrible since Tuesday afternoon. Since swallowing hurts so bad my food intake has been much lower for the past few days which has led to nice drop on the scale...silver lining I suppose LOL.
Anyway, just wanted to check in. Next week hopefully I'll feel up to exercising again. After talking with my husband I've decided to do the first month of Insanity again. The second month's workouts (which I did Monday) are longer and tougher and I think too much while nursing. We'll see how it goes.
Happy Friday everyone!

Go AWAY sickies...

2011-03-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

We got hit with the sickies in our house this week. Thankfully I seem to be on the upswing. Unfortunately my weight seems to be stuck (most likely due to the fact that I've been eating whatever and not exercising). This past week was my recovery week for Insanity so that worked out pretty well. Tomorrow starts the 2nd (more intense) month...should be "fun". I'm a little scared LOL. I'll be working on bringing my eating back on track today so hopefully I'll see a little drop on the scale in the morning but I'm not holding my breath. Happy Sunday...

I.FEEL.GUILTY

2011-02-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

I apologize in advance if this post turns into a rambling piece. I've been thinking a lot lately and wanting to get the chance to sit down and write, I just can't seem to find the time. Going back and reading my past few posts I'm actually a little embarrassed by my writing. It just doesn't flow (at least to me). So apologizes...
Anyway, part of the reason my blogging has suffered is exactly the reason for this post...GUILT. I'm struggling with this feeling of failure because I'm not SuperMom. I want to be able to do everything and I can't. Yes, I know that's insane and I'm driving myself nuts trying. I'm potty training and nursing, trying to keep the house clean, doing laundry, paying bills, doing the shopping, tracking my food, exercising, trying to be a loving wife and mother....YIKES the list goes on! And I feel guilty. When I take the time to stop and eat and track my food. When I take the time to exercise. When I take the time to blog! Taking time to do things for myself is hard because I KNOW there are other things I could be doing. The list of things is never ending!

On the bright side, I am taking the time, even though I feel guilty. I know it's important to take care of me so I can take care of everything else. It just gets overwhelming sometimes. And yeah, more often than not, it looks like a bomb exploded in some part of my house.
Only thing, I know some of it could be handled with better time management. So next week I'm going to try and get my exercise done before taking my daughter to school and see if that helps free up some time to get more things done. Right now it feels like I'm just spinning my wheels in certain areas (like taming the explosions).
Fingers crossed that it works...toes too for that matter! I don't want to feel guilty about taking my time...

I knew it!

2011-02-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

I knew if I kept doing what I should, the scale would show me some L♥VE. And guess what? I was rewarded by a 4 lb drop from last Monday's weigh-in. YAY!
On the exercise front, Insanity workouts have entered their 4th week. My muscles are definitely getting more toned and I can push harder. Hubby is now thinking of joining in the "fun". I did miss Saturday's workout though because I just couldn't hang. The "Dig Deeper" mentality was completely missing- I started the DVD and was just too tired to go more than a couple minutes. I'm really trying to learn to listen to my body and my body told me I needed a break...3 weeks of working out 6 days a week caught up to me!
We took the kids to the Zoo yesterday and I am happy to report a NSV. I took healthy snacks (for everyone) and we avoided the snack bar completely. Another YAY!
Here's to a great week!

Haha...you aren't serious, are you??

2011-02-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

I feel like my body is laughing at me. At my attempt to lose weight. I know that in reality it's just holding at this weight since I lost so much last week, but it's still frustrating to be doing what I need to and the scale doesn't move. I'm going to stay the course though. I know if I do the scale will give me the results I'm looking for. This past week I know I was doing more "picking" than normal so the goal this week is to cut that out. It wasn't a lot but I know the calories add up.
Off to workout...got one kiddo at school, another napping and the other plugged into his morning "Go Diego, Go". Mommy's time is short...gotta hop to it!
This weeks' mantra- Stay the course!

The magical fruit...

2011-02-10T06:38:00.000-08:00

My newest obsession these days....beans! I love 'em! I love how I feel after eating them for lunch especially. They fill me up and keep me full and I have tons of energy. I've started making a big pot on Sundays and eating them about 4x a week for lunch. So freakin' good! (And good for you!)
Out of curiosity, I searched "health benefits of beans". I found this article toting 9 reasons why you should eat beans. One of the most interesting things I learned out of the article-

"The most popular theory of dieting and weight loss for decades has revolved around calories. Experts have loudly proclaimed that there is an immutable formula for calories in, calories out but, in fact, all calories are not the same because some calories require much more digestion than others. The harder your body has to work to digest those calories, the less of them will be absorbed. The difference between a spoonful of sugar and a spoonful of beans is startling. In fact, if you’d like to reduce your calorie “price” by 10%, add an extra 14 grams of fiber. This means that if you eat 2,000 calories per day, and add 28 grams of fiber to your meals, those calories will only “count” as 1600. Cool!"

I'm so IN! Who wouldn't want to have their body working harder for them? No brainer for me!

So tell me, are you a fan of beans? Have I given you "food for thought"?

Weigh-in and Super Bowl Wrap-up

2011-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

This weeks' official weight-192.2 (that's a 5.6 lb drop from last Monday). Yee-haw! I'm .2 lbs away from my first official 10 lb mark. Oh yeah, and I dropped 3% body fat in the last month! Next week I'm really hoping to be down into the 180's.
If you read my previous post about my worries about Super Bowl, you'll be happy to hear that I did great. I didn't feel out of control, I ate moderately and enjoyed myself! I indulged in 2 beers but had figured that into my plan before hand. The "goodies"- homemade oreo ice cream cake, and homemade mac 'n' cheese- I ate 1 bite of. They were tasty but a bite was enough. I filled up on raw veggies from the veggie tray and some chili. I also ate a half a hamburger patty. I didn't trust myself to have any of the spinach dip and sourdough. Seeing the loss on the scale definitely encourages me to keep on the right path!
I started week 2 of Insanity today. This is actually working great with my schedule right now since I can do it at home when at least one kid is sleeping.
Happy Monday blogosphere! This week's motto- DO SOMETHING! (The irony- I saw it on a Dorito bag LOL)

A little scared...

2011-02-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Super Bowl and poker...at my house. I've had a great week and I'm just a little worried about having junk around all day long. Usually I'm pretty good the day of an event, it's the days after when the leftovers get to me. I'm going to try and send stuff home with guests though. I'll let you know how it goes.
I know exercise helps keep me in the right mindset so I'll be back at Insanity first thing Monday. I'm very proud that I kept to the schedule and worked out 6 days this week. Today was the most difficult to get in the workout but I made it happen. Had to shoo the kids away a few times which broke the rhythm, but that's life.
I started out this week with the weight back up at 197.8. Depressing to say the least. This morning's weight was 193.6. Monday morning is my official weigh-in so I have even more incentive to be good. I think I'll change my middle name to "angel" tomorrow LOL. The nice thing about having a week of clean eating under my belt, the junk really doesn't taste as good and the cravings are way down. I'm optimistic about tomorrow since I'm starting to pinpoint triggers. No spinach dip and bread for me :)
Have a great Sunday everyone!

You should've seen his face...

2011-02-03T16:19:00.000-08:00

My husband tries to be supportive of my weight loss efforts for the most part. He grumbles from time to about the time I spend blogging or tracking my food, but he goes with it. Last night though when he realized I was going to make meatloaf using ground TURKEY, he gave me this horrified look. It was actually pretty hilarious. You see, Wednesday nights are usually "Eat Out" night, but I had the turkey already thawed in the fridge. Meatloaf is something my mom made pretty regularly, but not something I generally do. It sounded fantastic but I wanted to try making a healthier version with the turkey. I had to promise the hubby that if it was terrible we could still eat out. The verdict- it was yummy! I paired it with steamed green beans and mashed califlower and VOILA! A twist on a "traditional" meal with these stats: Calories- 291, Fat-9, Carbs-29, Protein-25, Fiber-9. Not bad if I do say so myself.
So I'm curious, do you have a recipe you've converted to be healthier? How'd it turn out? I'm looking for suggestions people! Weight loss shouldn't be about eating salads 24/7. I want to eat good healthy foods. My newest obsession is beans...more on that topic in a future post.
What's your favorite new thing I need to try?

Calculate the BURN...

2011-02-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

As you know, I've been tracking my calories using MyFitnessPal.com. I also track the calories I burn with exercise. MFP has handy shortcuts that allow you to use the "average" burned during specific exercises. While I think that's great, I'm also anal :) and want to track my actual numbers. So I found this handy little tool online. It allows you to input your heart rate etc.and gives you your calorie burn. Now I know you could do this with a heart rate monitor, but I'm cheap. So for any of you like me that don't want to spend the $, you can do it my way...

Not Just Crazy...INSANE!

2011-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

So, I've decided to bite the bullet and commit to Insanity's 60 day plan again. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little scared! It's been about a year since I last did it (maybe more). I know it's a kick butt workout though and that's what I need. Nothing like high intensity cardio intervals
to melt the fat and rev the metabolism...

Monday Weigh-in

2011-01-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

This morning's weight 195.2.... another 2.4 lbs down! I probably would have lost more but I had a short bad spell yesterday. I can't even really pin point what touched off the "Cookie Monster" but it happened. Anyway, I'm working on my menu for the week now, going shopping in a bit and then getting in my exercise when the kids take their nap after lunch (and also taking care of the many other chores around the house). Busy day!
NSV- the jeans I bought recently that were really snug are feeling more comfortable! (even after I washed AND dried them :P)
Motto for the week-Everybody gets knocked down...how quick are you gonna get up?

My food diary... an open book

2011-01-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

Happy to say my mood has improved. Hormonal swings are not alot of fun! In a few minutes I'm off to do a little kickboxing (one of my new favorite exercises) but I thought I'd share the link for anyone interested in checking out my food diary http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/campi_mama
I'll put the link in the sidebar too. I've been doing really well recording my foods and the results are showing on the scale. In the next few days I'll also be putting a new "before" pic back up (I HATED the other one).
Off to workout while the little bean is sleeping....

Monday Weigh-in...a little late

2011-01-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

It's been one of those weeks so far. I've been trying and trying to make the time to blog but it just hasn't happened. Good news- I lost 4.4 lbs last week! Awesome! The last few days I've been struggling though. It's hard to explain. I haven't been overeating (which is usually my "problem area"). My tummy is just not liking me right now. I don't know what the deal is! Hopefully it will straighten up cause it's not fun. I'm also struggling with feelings of inadequacy and thoughts that I'm just not good enough...at anything. While I know these negative thoughts and feelings aren't accurate, I'm having a hard time shaking it. Guess I just have to keep plugging along.
This week's motto-One step at a time....

I won't melt...

2011-01-12T13:22:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was definitely a test for me. I tend to make excuses. So yesterday when it got time to exercise and the clouds had rolled in and the rain started, I wanted to use it as an excuse. I had a couple choices- the treadmill, brave the rain or not exercise. I gotta say, I really don't like the treadmill especially if hubby is home to watch the kids. So, I laced up the kicks and out I went. I got around the corner and the skies opened up. While it wasn't the most pleasant thing, I just kept reminding myself that I wasn't going to melt! (Something my momma used to tell me and something I say to my own kiddos). And I didn't melt, though I think I may have melted some fat ☺
I'm so proud of myself! Here's what the radar looked like when I got home... My hysband thought I was crazy for taking a picture of the radar btw :) but I had to share.
I also got on the scale this morning (even though it's not my weigh-in day). The results are encouraging. Just got my South Beach book today too. I'm thinking I may give it a shot, I'll let you know after I do some reading. I'd love to hear input from anyone who has used the South Beach Diet...
Happy Wednesday friends! And remember- Eye on the prize baby!

Eye on the PRIZE

2011-01-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Today was weigh-in day. And I gained....just like I knew I would. You can't eat ice cream and chocolate cupcakes and not gain. Official weight this morning...202.0. Two pounds up. But it's okay, it didn't send me into a downward spiral for the rest of the day. I deserved to see that number on the scale.
Better news, the week is off to a solid start. Today was great. I kicked some butt on my workout and ate well all day long. Makes me wonder why I keep doing this to myself with the crappy eating. I LOVE how I feel when I eat good food! Don't you?
One thing I'm trying to do again this week is making lists. I sat down this weekend and planned my week...chores, workouts, dinners etc. Then I made a spreadsheet and posted it on the fridge. Gotta say, I ♥ my lists. There's no "What's for dinner?" or "What do I need to do today?" bs slowing me down. I even "scheduled" time to make next weeks' spreadsheet lol. Having 3 kids necessitates some more organization on my part I think (for those that don't know and love me, organizations not one of my strongest suits ☺). Baby steps people...baby steps!
My motto for the week: Eye on the prize baby! Eye on the prize...

Rollercoastin'

2011-01-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Okay, virtual screams aren't as satisfying as actual screams. I'm feeling off kilter, out of control and ready to shove anything and everything in my mouth. It's like PMS from hell that won't quit. My kids are driving me bonkers and even though I got 7 (straight) hours of sleep last night I still feel tired. I think part of it's the weather, it's cold, damp and overcast, and part of it's hormonal and part of it's EVERYTHING. Monday is weigh-in day and I know I've gained. Feeling like a ship without a rudder at this point. Crap...

Wanna be friends??

2011-01-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

So here's what my new scale looks like (for anyone that cares). I have to admit that it's pretty cool. It measures body fat %, water %, and of course weight. I found it on Overstock.com for $30.
Now on to business...I've decided to make Monday mornings my official weigh in. After a rough day yesterday I'm starting off the week at 200.0 (which kinda bums me out since I saw 198.2 on Friday morning). Body fat % readings were 54% (eww, right?). I'll be weighing once a week and taking body fat readings the first Monday of each month. I'm still trying to find the right combination of things to get the scale to drop but I know it'll happen. I did start using a new tool that I like and thought I'd share. It's similar to Sparkpeople.com (which I like too), but it adds a little "facebook" feel to it. It's called myfitnesspal.com . One of the things I like is that you can check out your friends food diaries and comment on their workouts etc. If you check it out and like it and want to be friends, please email me- the_skinnyjeans@yahoo.com. The more people I have helping hold me accountable, the better!

Piloxing and new stuff to come...

2010-12-29T20:00:00.000-08:00

The blogosphere is filled with post holiday confessions and pre-New Year resolutions. I'm pretty much in the same boat. I ate poorly & didn't exercise for most of the month of December. Monday morning though, I got up and worked out, forty minutes worth of workouts I found OnDemand and 2 miles of walking on the treadmill. Tuesday morning I did some pilates and another 2 miles. Nothing spectacular but I gotta start somewhere. I've been eating clean for 3 days. Starting off the day on the right foot with exercise isn't easy but it helps get me in the right mental place. I've already planned what workout is on the docket for tomorrow...piloxing. Seriously, that's what it's called. According to the description, it's a fusion of kickboxing and pilates. I'll let you know how that works. It's kinda fun looking through the 100+ options of free workout routines offered OnDemand (plus it gives me something to do in the wee hours of the morning when I'm up nursing the lil pumpkin).
Hubby goes back to work next week and then I can get my "real" routine started, which I can easily say I'm looking forward to. While I love the fact that he's been home to help me for the last 6 weeks, we're starting to get on each others nerves lol.
One other thing, I finally got around to ordering my new scale and it's supposed to be delivered tomorrow. On one hand I'm happy, on the other I'm scared. There is no cheating with a digital scale. I can't "accidently" adjust the dial like I could with my old one. At least it will keep honest.
Stay tuned, coming up I've got some new yummy snacks to share and and I'll review the scale too, just for fun...

Eating Willy-Nilly? Nope...not me

2010-12-18T05:17:00.000-08:00

It's working! I have no idea why I feel kinda shocked that eating well and tracking calories is working. Silly right? I've had a great week with my eating. Actually, I had a difficult time even hitting 1800 calories most days (while eating good foods). If I were eating crap it'd be no problem I'm sure :) Next week I'll be hopping on the tm in the morning to boost my fat burn. Hopefully I can still hit my 185 goal by Jan 1st. I'm not sure if it'll happen or not. Either way, if I do or don't, I'm on the right track. Monday morning I'll weigh and give you all an update...gives me more incentive to behave myself today. We have a family dinner out tonight and then an "after party" without the kids (except my new pumpkin...she gets to tag along with momma and daddy). I'm going to eat light this morning and adjust my calories for the 2 or 3 beers I plan on consuming this evening.
Hubby cracked me up yesterday by telling me that he was going to research how many calories I needed while breastfeeding. He told me I couldn't just eat "willy-nilly" and if I wanted to lose weight we'd switch to formula since Lia is the the most important. I had to explain that I'd done several days of research and figuring to come up with my current "plan" and that I can do both...lose weight and nurse. Last week and the week before I was all "willy-nilly" and my milk suffered. This week has been great... yay :) His response "Oh, okay, I didn't know you'd done that already." Ahhh, gotta love 'em!
For my own curiosity I'm going to get on the scale this morning. We reset the scale yesterday (I had it adjusted a couple pounds lighter. I know, I know... cheating!) Hopefully it'll motivate me not to overindulge. Next week I'm ordering a new digital scale that measures body fat and water, and keeps me honest. Merry Christmas to me LOL.
Anyway, that's all I've got for now. Have a great weekend everyone!

I AM a tortoise...

2010-12-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give everyone a quick update on how things are going. I'm having a difficult time finding the time to blog these days. My brain isn't quite functioning at full capacity lol. Right now I'm battling off the cold my 6 yr old brought home from school & dealing with a sick 2 yr old and keeping a newborn healthy(along with the everyday life of a mom and upcoming holidays). Last week was bad eating-wise. I cut back my calories too far for a couple days and my milk supply was starting to suffer...so I went the opposite direction with calories and overdid it. I also made the decision not to continue running again for a couple reasons: 1) It was very uncomfortable (and painful at times) with my chest being as large as it is right now, 2) After running I noticed a significant decrease in my milk. Running is just not the right exercise for me at this point. So I've decided that power walking is the way to go at first. I sat down this weekend and made a new daily schedule for myself (which I'll implement after the cold is gone and I feel better). I also did some research and figuring on how many calories I need to be consuming. The verdict...2050 with no exercise, 2300 with 3x/week exercise. These are my maintenance numbers. So I'm shooting for 1800-2200 a day and I'll be calorie cycling like I've done in the past. I also went back to using Sparkpeople.com to help me track my caloric intake. I need to do this slow and steady. I'll evaluate in a week if this is working and make adjustments as needed. Yesterday was on point with food and today has been good as well. Lia turns 1 month old tomorrow and I feel like I'm on the right track. Slow and steady wins the race...

Not so brilliant...

2010-12-07T13:23:00.001-08:00

Sunday morning I got up, ran 2 miles, did some chores and then decided I needed to go shopping. What did I need? A pair of jeans. Seriously, it's December and I'm running around in capris because I don't have any pants that fit. So off to the thrift store I went...cause I really don't want to pay $30+ for a pair of jeans that I'm not going to wear for very long (because I AM going to lose this extra weight). This was probably not the most brilliant plan I've ever had. Why you ask? It was a bit more of a "reality check" than I was prepared for. I ended up walking out with nothing, barely keeping it together. On the way home I was practically in tears a couple times. By the time I made it home I thought I had it together. Unfortunately, I didn't. I ended up standing in the kitchen just bawling. Part of it I'm sure was hormones and a little sleep deprivation (hey, 3 week old baby in the house). The other part was pure frustration, disgust and any other emotional upheaval you want to throw in there.
My poor husband. He's being so supportive. That's almost part of the problem. Hearing that he'll love me either way & that I didn't gain it overnight and won't lose it overnight...not really helpful when you're in angst. But I know he's trying. He's trying to help me and for that I'm grateful.
I've avoided blogging about the shopping trip for the past few days because I was wallowing... and eating. Like that's gonna do anything but make it worse. Time to pull it back together. Rome wasn't built in a day right? I need to accept the way my body looks right now and make the changes necessary to fix the things that are bothering me. The fact is, I've had 3 kids and gained large amounts of weight each time. But I lost it after the last two, I can do it again. I just need to give myself the time to do it though. And right now my priority is nursing by little pumpkin. I need to give myself the time to figure out the right formula so I don't lose my milk (I had a couple days of low supply due to not eating quite enough).
So I've made peace with the fact that my body looks the way it does right now and I'm going to go buy a pair of jeans that works for me. Hopefully I won't have to wear them for long! :)

December Goals...

2010-12-02T21:25:00.000-08:00

As promised I took a new "before" picture. It's posted in the sidebar. That's all I'm gonna say about that.
On a more pleasant note, I managed to run 2 miles today....woo! Go me. It was slow, but I did it. I'm working on getting my endurance back first. I know the speed will come with time.
I decided to take on a challenge for the month of December...running 26.1 miles.
It was time for some concrete goals and this one seemed doable. The plan is to go back to running 4 days a week (Sun, Tu, Th, Fri) but I'm going to keep the miles light...1-2 mi at first. I'm hoping by the end of the month I can run a 3 miler. Pilates or Yoga I'll be doing 3 days a week along with pushups (M,W,F). That's it for the fitness aspect for now. My weight goal is 185 by 1/1/11. I'm trying not to get obsessive and ease back into the "weight loss" mode so I don't make myself crazy. My main focus is going to be making good food choices and eating when I'm hungry, not just because something sounds good.
Here's to great December! For all of us...

Did you miss me?

2010-11-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

Hello again bloggy world! So yeah, it's been a while (insert sheepish smile here). To be perfectly honest, I hit a point in my pregnancy that I just gave up. I said "SCREW IT, I'll deal with it after this is done". So now the day of reckoning has come. Lia made her grand entrance via c-section 2 weeks ago on Nov 15th. She was 8 lbs 3 oz and 19.75" long (for any of you interested). And now, momma's ready to get down to business. I'll admit there were a few days of wallowing and regret over the amount of weight I let myself gain but it's over and done. Now I have to fix it...again. Thankfully I've done it before which gives me the confidence to do it again.
If you're curious, my final weight while pregnant...217 lbs. A little scary since I started out at 145 lbs. It's less than where I ended my first two pregnancies, but still, not good. This morning at two weeks post partum I weighed in at 195 lbs. So, that's where I'm at. I'll be posting new "before" pictures soon. Hopefully there are still a few of you out there who'll be reading and commenting.
I haven't really set any concrete goals yet. I'm working on that. I'm also nursing so I've got to be careful to get the right amount of calories...it's a fine line. I started exercising today but I'm starting out slow. Can't wait to get back to my former fitness level, it was a little humbling today. Carrying an extra 50 lbs really slows you down! Anyway, that's the update. Time to move forward...and watch the scale numbers drop!

Birds, Worms....you know

2010-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal. I'm really not a morning person. But I started thinking, if I want to get any type of exercise done before the piglets wake up in the morning, I gotta get up EARLY. You know, the early bird...blah, blah, blah. My husband has to get up at 3:15 a.m. for work (yucky huh?) so he has learned to be a morning person. Now I'm trying. I "slept in" till 4:15 this morning but yesterday I was up and at 'em at 3:45. It actually works really well. By the time my kids wake up between 6 and 6:30, Momma is ready to go. The exercise is done and I am ready to tackle my chores for the day. I'm going to test it out and see how it goes, but so far so good. Next week is probably going to throw me off a bit since I'm going to visit my parents for a couple days but I'll deal with that when it comes. I'm making the effort to stay fit. I really don't want to have to start at square one again after the baby. I am going to be recovering from a C-section and that's a big enough hurdle. I've picked out the first half marathon I want to do post-partum (I know, I'm crazy) ☺ It's at the end of March so that should give me time to get trained since that will make my little girl about 5 months old. We'll see. (I gotta have a plan and a goal or I go crazy!!!)
Anyway, here's to getting the biggest worm ☺

Back to it again...

2010-07-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

Once again I've been MIA for a while. I'm such a bad blogger sometimes. I've actually been trying to stay off the computer which means that the blogging suffers. I've also been busy. Family visiting and hey, it's summer! I missed my updated bump picture on the 1st too. I do have news to share though....the ultrasound was last week. It's a girl!! Looking at this picture, I feel like I've gotten as big as a house. I actually didn't gain any weight between the last 2 appointments, but then 4th of July hit. And things have been off eating wise for about 10 days. I have discovered, bread and I are a really bad combo. The sweets and fattening food cravings are back. *Scream and pull out hair*
I ate Sour cream and Cheddar Ruffles for breakfast this morning...why?? Because they were there! But then, I went to the local Farmer's Market....and look what I gotLook at all that yumminess! All for like $20. I didn't even stick all the fruit in the picture either. (P.S. the KettleCorn is not for me, but I HAVE to get it for the kids first thing. They are popcorn addicts). I figure a little isn't going to hurt them every once in a while.
Now, for me to get back on track with the eating. No more ice cream & bread 'n butter. Back to the whole foods, the yummy stuff that makes me feel good when I eat it...

General update...

2010-06-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

No, this is not my baby...I snagged the photo from the pregnancy web site I visit. I just love the shot! (This baby is 18 weeks as is my lil bean). Anyway, it's been a few days since I've checked in and I thought I would write a quick post. I just got back from a 2 mi run. I was tired tonight but forced myself out the door. The plan was to run 3 but at mile 1 I made the executive decision to turn and head for home. Round ligament pain had flared up (which is like a bad side stitch) and it hung on till I was almost home. Coupled with that, I wasn't sure my bladder would make it the whole way. The baby is sitting low and most of the run I felt like I might pee my pants...sorry if that's too much information for some of you. ☺
I still consider tonights' workout a successful one though. I got out and ran. Not sure how much longer I'll keep running though. At this point the baby is about 5.5" long and almost 6 oz. We'll see as the baby gets bigger. Plus, it's summer here in California!
Next week is going to be an interesting one. Some family is coming for a visit...not sure when they are getting here or when they are leaving (oy!). I've been doing pretty well eating clean. If I had to put a percentage on it I'd say 85-90% of the time. Boy can I tell though when I eat something that isn't exactly "appropriate". My body lets me know! It gives me more reason to eat well....

Boo-Yeah!

2010-06-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

So yeah, I kicked some running butt this morning! LOL. Kinda kidding, kinda not. I ran the same 5K that started things off for me last year. This was the first race I ran after my son was born, and the first I had run since I started losing weight after having him. If you want to read that post, you can here.Anyway, I had a blast today. The goal was to finish under 27 min. and my time was 26:37...3 min slower than my PR but 4:30 min faster than 1 yr ago. I ran strong, I placed 1st in my age group and I felt great. While I couldn't catch my "targets", I didn't let anyone pass me either. It made me chuckle when the guy that was hot on my heels told me after the race..."I was running like hell to try and catch you but it just wasn't happening!". I decided not to hurt his ego and mention I was 4.5 months pregnant :)
What a fabulous way to start the weekend. Hope everyone has a great one!

I'm so excited...

2010-06-15T21:20:00.001-07:00

First I want to say "Thanks" for all the nice comments on my bump picture. You guys are the greatest! For those of you wondering, I did iron out the details for childcare on Saturday morning so I will be running my 5K. I can't wait! This is kind of a meaningful race for me because it was the first 5k I ran last year after I started losing weight.
Food-wise I haven't tried anything really earth shattering lately so not much to share on that front. I did find out that I need to start my day off with a protein, like eggs. I was eating oatmeal and then NEEDING a snack mid-morning to make it till lunch. Protein holds me much better. I made turkey chili one night and that's been perfect as leftovers for lunch. I also made garlic/lemon hummus and add a little to my salads...can you say yummy? Anybody have ideas for tofu? I just cube it and heat/brown it up with a little red wine vinegar before tossing it in my salads. Any other suggestions?
Stay tuned...I have an interesting recipe waiting in the wings. Pictures and review to come soon!

Most boring post ever...

2010-06-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

Quickly checking in... I'm doing well, still eating high quality foods when I get hungry. Have had a mild desire for a soda last few days but I think that's mostly because it's sitting in the fridge staring at me every time I open the door. One "trick " I've heard is to mix sparkling water with pomegranate juice as a healthy alternative. I might try that.
Just got home from a 3 mile run and my muscles are feeling tight...think it's time to do some yoga and stretch out. Keep moving forward friends!

New Bump Picture

2010-06-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

I know I missed putting up a bump picture on the 1st of June. To be perfectly honest, I was pretty disgusted with myself and the weight I had gained in the month of May. And things weren't getting better. I was very out of control and I didn't want to have to memorialize my "failure". So here is a make up picture I took this morning... Little side note, I was pleasantly surprised when I got on the scale this morning. I'm back down to 165 lbs. Last week I about fell over when I got on the scale and saw 174. Let me be clear though, I am NOT trying to lose weight. I figure my body is just regulating after eliminating all the crap I was eating. But now I'm eating good food & I'm not hungry. And the best part, I don't feel disgusting after a meal either. I have energy and I'm back to running. These things are HUGE for me!
While I understand that a 20 lb weight gain at this point is pretty bad, I am back in control now. I still think my original goal to stay under 180 is doable, especially with the way I've turned things around. I'm feeling the baby move around more and more...which is always so much fun! My ultrasound is scheduled for July 2nd so hopefully baby cooperates and we'll know boy or girl soon. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Night & Day

2010-06-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

Can I get a Hallelujah? Seriously, I feel fan-freakin'-tastic right now. It's CRAZY how big...no, how huge...of a difference eating well has made. I have been on point with my food. Eating clean and saying "No Thanks" to the other stuff. Hubby bought a bunch of stuff- ice cream, soda, candy. Momma just made hummus and bought some almond butter ☺
And guess what, I went for a run tonight...like I used to, after the kids crashed. My headaches are gone so I'm not ready to collapse after I put the kids to bed. Yesterday I considered registering for a 5K race that's coming up on Saturday but I refrained. Tonight I ran 3 miles without a problem so I'm seriously considering it. If I can iron out the details for child care I think I will. It makes me excited just to think about it!

Fruits & Veggies & Flax seeds... Oh My!

2010-06-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Okay people, I think I'm back. Note I said "think". Kidding. I've had 2 solid days of decent eating, which has been unheard of in the past 2 months or so. It's time to make some major changes in my diet. One main reason, headaches. All the sudden not only do I feel like crap after all the crap I've been eating, I'm looking like crap and getting these headaches that make me feel like my head is going to explode. Not good. Reality check. I can't treat my body like a garbage disposal and expect to feel good. After 2 days eating cleaner, I feel better. Enough to keep me motivated that I am on the right track. So you want to know what I'm doing. It's really pretty simple. I'm doing as many whole foods as possible. I'm also ditching dairy & gluten. Good fats like nuts, avocado and flax seeds are in. So are lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein and legumes. There's more to it of course, but that's a nutshell.
The goal is to keep me from blowing up any more than I already have. Again I'm working on training myself to eat when I'm hungry...not shoveling food in just because. This is going to be a challenge, but one I feel able to conquer. I want to be healthy and strong. I want my kids healthy and strong. I want to have an "easy" recovery from my c-section in November. If hubby can't get on board 100% (even though this was his idea) it doesn't matter. I will do what I need to do. I will learn to say no again -"No honey, we don't need 10 candy bars". And yes to the good stuff "YES I love my treadmill!".
Stay tuned. As I come across awesome recipes I'll share. Healthy me is back in the game!

Things are tough sometimes...

2010-05-18T12:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted since May 1st...shame on me I suppose. Right now though, there is a lot going on in my life. Blogging has not been a priority and I'm okay with that. Things are most likely going to be sporadic for a while. My mother-in-law is very ill right now. I won't go into details because I don't feel this is the place...it is a personal thing that my family and I are going through. No offense to you faithful readers...
As I tend to be a stress eater, I've packed on a few more pounds than I'd like lately. I also haven't been exercising very much. Today I broke that cycle and got on the treadmill...yeah me. I also got a prenatal kettle bell workout (and 20 lb kettle bell), which is fun and a great workout. Speaking of which, I'm heading to do that now, while the monkey is still napping.
Keep moving forward my friends!

The bump picture...

2010-05-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Don't have much time this morning but I wanted to get this done while I was thinking about it. My weight this morning to start off the month was 155 lbs. That means I have gained a total of 10lbs at this point....not great, but considering that I gained it all by the 7th of April and have maintained since then, I okay with it. The goal now is to only gain about 2 lbs in May. I am definitely feeling more in control and making better choices. I ran 3 miles last night which felt awesome.
Anyway, as you can see in the picture, the belly is starting to poke out. I'm now entering the phase where I feel like I look fat, not pregnant. Normal stage ☺ Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Blog My Run Challenge

2010-04-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

First let me say thanks to my bloggy buddy Diane for inspiring me to join in her "Blog My Run" challenge. I couldn't resist cause hey, there's a prize...who wouldn't want to win a book and an old pair of her sneakers as a trophy? If you want to check it out, click here.
So here are some pictures from my run today...
Hope you enjoyed the virtual run with me. And please forgive the not so great pic of myself and my son with his goofy face. It was the best shot I could get ☺

Goodbye Mr. Yucky...I hope

2010-04-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

I had my first dr. appt on Tuesday and everything is looking great with the baby. I got to see the little monkey and "it" was sucking it's hand...too cute. The last few days have been better since I'm feeling more energetic and less "yuck". I really didn't realize how off I was feeling until I started feeling better. The doc was really supportive of me running and said to keep it up as long as I want. He did tell me not to take up horse jumping or downhill skiing though...totally burst my bubble since I had dreams of becoming the foremost horseback downhill ski jumping momma out there (a girl can dream right?) LOL.
Anyway...
While I haven't been weighing everyday, I am weighing every few days. I'm finding it helpful. Now I am going to concentrate on cutting out the refined carbs again since that seems to be all I'm eating lately and I need more protein! Meat is still not very appetizing so I'm working on ways to get more lean protein. And I'm going back to the eating when hungry, not just eating if something sounds good. Someone thought it was a great idea to buy the massive tub of cream cheese when we were at Costco...who me? Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Today I am committed to getting in a run. The weather is nice and I'm feeling it. Do you feel the spirit?? Get out there and do something too! Now, I'm going to make some eggs...protein ya know. Have a great day!!!

*P.S.- My run was AWESOME! Pics to be posted soon...

Hello old friend...

2010-04-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

I think I'm sounding like a broken record to those of you who are still reading. Unfortunately it's just the place that I'm at right now. This week has been bad for me exercise-wise. I could come up with excuses...rain, not feeling up for it (blah,blah,blah). I haven't been eating that great either. Not horrendously, but not really good either. The 10 lbs I put on at the beginning of the month is here to stay and I am not looking forward to the weight update on May 1st. Anyhow, I'm not feeling that great right now so I'm taking a break from the housework to sit at the computer. This morning I decided it's time to make friends with the scale again. Weighing every morning will be a visual reminder of where I am and that I can't let my weight get out of control during pregnancy. I'm thinking of the scale as a tool. While it's not fun to watch the number creep back up, it reminds me that every tick that goes up, must come back off after baby is born. And losing weight isn't easy! Why do I want to give myself more to have to work on?
Hope everyone has a great weekend...off to do more housework (awesome, huh?)

I'm a runner...that's my thing!

2010-04-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Last week was another tough week. Having my 5 yr old underfoot all week long during Spring Break threw me out of whack. The kids were at each other constantly it seemed and some unwelcome behaviors reared their ugly heads. Thankfully by the end of the week I got things back in sync and came to the realization that I NEED to run. So I started thinking. How do I make this work? By the time evening hits and I get the kids to bed, I'm exhausted (this used to be my "normal" workout time), also that's my time to spend with the hubs.
The solution is really pretty simple...I learn to run with the stroller. It may not be the ideal, but that's what's working for me right now. I ran 4.5 miles yesterday and felt AWESOME! I ran 3 miles today and felt the same. I went from training for and running a half marathon, to basically nothing. No wonder my moods have been all over the place! Add in some pregnancy hormones and some crappy food and you have a recipe for a 10 lb weight gain. Running makes me feel good, so running is what I'm going to do.
On the pregnancy front I feel good this week. I'm having some fairly strong food aversions...mostly cooked veggies. They make me VERY nauseous. Fresh veggies are fine though, as is fruit. The normal tiredness that comes with pregnancy in the beginning and end is continuing it's visit. I'm also experiencing heart palpitations from time to time randomly (which I've heard can be a sign of multiples...guess I'll find out next week if that's true). The jeans are starting to fit snugly and are getting a touch uncomfortable to sit in LOL. My stomach has also been replaced with a bottomless pit...and the struggle has become how to fill it with healthy stuff and not junk, since the junk sounds so good. Getting back into my running routine seems to be helping me make the better food choices though...I tell you, it makes me feel normal (as normal as I can be, that is).
Anyway, here's to a good week!

The Plan...

2010-04-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

So I think I have a game plan....finally. The whole exercising and being fit during pregnancy is uncharted territory for me since I gained 70 lbs the first time and 50 lbs the second. I've been struggling to find my happy place, figure out an exercise plan, and generally figure out how I am going to cope with 3 kids. Momma's going a bit nuts. JUST A LITTLE.
So, here's what I've decided is going to be the general plan for the exercise. Walking 30-35 miles a week [5 mi/day, 6 days a week] and 100 pushups and squats [5 sets of 20] 3x/week. While I really want to run still, it REAALLY bothers my husband. While I understand his concern, it's a little frustrating to have the same conversation over and over. So, I'll walk. And walk. And walk.
Anyway, just wanted to give an update. Here's to a good week.

Up & down...'round & 'round

2010-04-01T10:04:00.000-07:00

I know I've been missing from the blogosphere for a bit...sorry guys. My hormones (I guess) decided to take me for a ride. The roller coaster I've been on pretty much sucks. Blech. I'm still feeling "off" but I am really trying to pull it back together. Wallowing in this funk is not healthy and that is what I'm striving for most of all. So onward and upward.
Oh and just to share...I am terrified of gaining weight while pregnant right now. What's that doing to my mood? Not helping, that's for sure. It's definitely one of the cases where you're afraid of something so you're making it happen. I have been doing a very good impression of my old lifestyle...you know, the one that helped me get up to my highest weight. It's got to stop. I enjoy living and eating healthy. I don't enjoy living and eating crappy. Time to turn things around and get back on the healthy track. I've got a healthy lunch and dinner planned. The ice cream I ate for breakfast cannot be undone so we move on. I am definitely going running this evening and then tomorrow I do the same....
I'm going to start again with 21 days of healthy living (I made it 18 days before things started falling apart). I also think I am going to try and blog every day about it too.
Oh, and stay tuned later for the "belly" picture and weight update that I promised for the first of the month.

Half Marathon...

2010-03-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

I know you are all DYING to know how my race went yesterday...at least those of you who aren't friends with me on FB, you guys already know how it went ☺ Anyway, the half marathon was awesome. I felt great! I finished strong, blowing past a few people in the last mile and one guy right at the finish line. I couldn't help it, he started slowing down instead of kicking it in, what's a girl to do?
My official time was 1:52:59. My last half marathon- 2:24! That's a 32 minute improvement. I was 142nd overall out of 1500 and 32nd overall in the women. I also placed third in my age group, 40 seconds behind the 2nd place finisher. While a part of me wishes I had pushed harder, I am also aware that I am pregnant. A few things slowed me down along the way and I figure there's a reason. I ran with a side stitch for almost 3 miles and got a blister about halfway through (and these shoes are not new...over a 100 miles on them). I had so much fun. The hubby and some other family members were out cheering me on and that was soo great! Can't wait till next year...I'm totally doing this one again! And here I am, finishing strong....

Happy News...

2010-03-19T05:31:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to tell all of you the exciting news... Baby #3 is on it's way! While we weren't quite trying, we weren't doing much to prevent it either ☺ I am thrilled though, after taking a few days to adjust to the idea. What a wonderful blessing to say the least.
Obviously now the focus of my blog is going to shift slightly to maintaining my healthy lifestyle during this time. I hope all of you will continue to follow along. I'm am sooo happy that I've made the lifestyle changes that I have because I only think it will benefit me through these next months.
For those of you wondering, I plan on exercising and running or walking all along the way. My half marathon will probably be the last race though since it makes hubby a bit uncomfortable....but we shall see. As long as I'm still feeling great, I will keep running. Both previous pregnancies I gained wayyyy too much so I am excited for a healthy and fit one this time around...should make getting back into the size 6 jeans alot easier.
I've also decided that I will be posting a picture and weight on the first of every month...so stay tuned and watch the bump grow.

To grandmothers house we go...

2010-03-15T12:07:00.000-07:00

Or, I should say, we went. My kids and I took a spur-of-the-moment trip to visit my parents. While the trip wasn't quite as restful as I wanted, I did get to see my momma and dad and my grandparents as well (whom I haven't seen in about a year). My children got to spend time with their grandparents and great-grandparents so it was worth it! I was able to get in a quick run but the elevation change (and the very steep hills) really threw me...going from 50 ft elevation where I live to 3000 ft at my parents is a huge difference! I am very thankful that my parents are totally into living a healthier lifestyle though so the food was right on point. Today I have to make up the 8 mi run I missed yesterday, but otherwise I'm right on track exercise-wise too. And now my weight is back down to 145...yay. Hope everyone had a great weekend...

21 day Challenge

2010-03-09T07:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to push myself a little harder. I've been kinda cruising lately and I feel like I need to kick things up. So, I've decided that I'm going to ramp up the workouts and really concentrate on eating healthy for the next 3 weeks. I'm not giving myself a prize if I do this, I'm not adding any incentive. Generally when I do that I sabotage myself because I don't feel worthy of the prize at the end. So instead this is a "I dare you to do it" type thing for me. I tend to do better when I feel like I have to prove myself. Here's me, proving that I can eat well and exercise vigorously for the next 20 days (yesterday was day 1). Go me!
Side note- I'm sore from my workouts yesterday...and happy about it. It's been a while since I've been this sore and that means I made progress and shredded up some muscles, YAY!

Smacked back to reality...

2010-03-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

I definitely got the smack in the face I needed when I stepped on the scale yesterday. While I know that a few of the pounds I've collected are water weight from the TACO BELL I ate Friday night {gross, I know}, I also know what else I've consumed the past few days. It wasn't pretty. Add to that, I've been a slug. So much so that it's embarrassing. I finally got my act together though, I think. Went grocery shopping, straightened up the house, took the kids for a walk & spent some quality time with my husband.
I hate that I let things snowball out of control for a few days and as a result have a few extra pounds to work off AGAIN!! To be perfectly honest, I'm annoyed with myself and disappointed that I couldn't hold it together.
I did great till about 1:30 this morning. The youngest has been having some ups and downs with sleeping. We'll have a couple good days and then 1 or 2 bad nights. Last night was a bad night and I ended up snacking on stuff in the middle of the night {remember I went grocery shopping lol}.
Anyway, I got 3 hours of sleep last night. I'm waiting for the coffee to brew then I'm going to eat something in preparation for my 9 mile run this morning. Once I get that done I know I'll feel better...

Thinking of Tri-ing

2010-03-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of pondering lately about what to do after this next half marathon. I don't really have a desire to train for a marathon right now. I enjoy running but I feel like marathon training would take away from precious family time. Right now my long runs on Sunday mornings average about 1.5 hours and that's all the time I want to invest. Maybe as my children get a little older that may change, but right now, it is what it is. What I am thinking is to mix it up a little and train for a Sprint Triathalon (.5 mi swim, 12(ish) mi bike, 6(ish) mi run). I like a new challenge and I think this would give me some more variety in my workouts as well. Now I just need to work on some of the logistics...a swimming pool to train in and a bike.

So what do you think? Sound fun or crazy???

Free Stuff...YAY!

2010-03-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

Tricia over at "Endurance Isn't Only Physical" is hosting several giveaways right now. One is for running skirts and the other for some very cool socks. To check it out, click here. I love her blog and she has been super generous with giveaways lately ☺ Just wanted to share with everyone and give you a chance to win too!

Almond Blossom Run

2010-02-28T11:35:00.000-08:00

I truly enjoyed my 8K(5mi) fun run Sat. morning. Even though I wasn't able to get the proper rest the night before, I still performed decently. My finish time was 39:08 (7:42 mi). After some thought today, I think I need to start racing with my ipod. I train with it most of the time and it seems like I need that distraction and music to help me keep my pace up. Anyway, I finished 64th overall out of 336 runners and third in my age group. I looked up my prior time from this race 3 years ago and it was 44:24, so I shaved a good 5 minutes off my time. I remember being thrilled that I broke a 9 min mile on that race. Now I want to try and break a 7 min mile average on a 5K. Wouldn't that be cool? Got a little work to get there, but I think I can do it if I keep going hard.
Did my 12 mile run this morning and am feeling great now...17 miles in two days. I am on fire! Now, I need to go eat something or I will consume everything in sight later in the day. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

New Motivation

2010-02-25T08:49:00.000-08:00

Even though I said I wasn't going to go shopping till I hit goal, I did (kind of). I have 2 pairs of pants that I've been rotating through...a pair of jeans and a pair of jean capris. I have two other pairs of pants...one lime green and one light aqua. And that's it. All of them have enough room in them that I can pull them off without unbuttoning them. While that's not a bad thing, I REALLY needed some pants (that aren't workout wear)!!
Anyway, we ended up hitting a place called Plato's Closet. They are geared towards a younger crowd and the clothes are more current and stylish as opposed to Good Will that's just a mess of everything (not that I don't love Good Will, but you never know what you may find).
I ended up getting 2 pairs of jeans...YAY! At first I was bummed because both are size 8, then I went and looked at the fit description at GAP, and guess what....they're slim fit through the hip and thigh. That explains it. Not that it really matters, since they look good on me, but there was a little bit of a "I'm still NEED to lose" moment when trying them on. What I need to do is quit worrying about what the number says but it's a hard habit to break. And here's the thing, I would still like to lose a few more lbs, but that's not really the focus anymore. Living and eating well, exercising, those are the things I want to focus on. If I lose a few more pounds, great, if I don't, I'm okay with that too. When I first started this journey I set my goal at 145. That's where I am now. I readjusted the goal to 136 some time ago almost as a "let's see if I can get there" dare to myself. And maybe I can get there. The scale is moving down again this week after the 6 lb jump back up the scale from my out of control eating. We'll have to see what happens.
Now I'm finding it's actually really odd to have a pair of jeans that fit. Now the motivation is to make sure they keep fitting or getting looser. I don't have much wiggle room. If I start on the way back up the scale again I can't wear 'em long...that's pretty good motivation I think!

Holy Smokes, that was GOOD!

2010-02-23T09:25:00.000-08:00

My breakfast this morning was so delicious I had to share. I made baked apples...can you say YUMMY!! This post is especially for my sister. As I was chomping down I couldn't help but think of her.
If you like Apple Crisp, you should try this...
This quest for a healthy lifestyle is now becoming a fun adventure instead of the task of "being on a diet". It's amazing what a change in perspective can do! I am now thinking in a different way and it's very freeing. For instance, last night grilled cheese sandwiches were on the menu as per my daughters request. I was going to have a half sandwich but knew I wouldn't be satisfied. So, I had the soup (chicken noodle), a huge salad and a baked sweet potato. Perfect!
I have no idea what inspired me to do the apple thing this morning, but none of my normal go-to breakfasts options sounded good. The apple totally hit the spot on this overcast dreary day. It's definitely a good option for dessert as well.
If you are interested in calories, here's the breakdown-
Just the apple- 188 cal, 7.5 fat, 32 carbs, 1 protein, 4 fiber
Totals w/ 1/2c 2% cottage cheese- 290 cal, 10 fat, 36 carbs, 17 protein, 4 fiber
That's a calorie breakdown percentage-wise 21% protein, 33% fat, 46% carbs (recommended is 20%,30%,50%).
If you count WW points- apple 4 pts, w/cc 6 pts.

Want to try it yourself? Here's what you do-
Preheat oven to 350*
Using a melon baller, scoop out the core of your apple, don't go all the way through.
Mix 1/4 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, a pinch or so of raw oats (oatmeal), 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts, a dash of cinnamon & nutmeg
Add mixture to the hollow in your apple.
Place apple in a baking dish with 1/4-1/2" of water in the bottom
Bake till tender about 20-30 minutes

Enjoy, I sure did!!