This & That

I am sad to report that I did NOT reach the goal weight at the end of the month, something is definitely awry! I workout on a consistent basis, I breastfeed, I am active...UGHHH! My weight keeps fluctuating within those same 6 pounds! :(  NOTWITHSTANDING, I decided to measure myself since the number had my panties in a twist and I found that I lost 2.5 inches off my waist, 2 off my bust width, .5 off of each calf, 1 off both biceps and my fat ass thighs didn't budge. So, that brought me some solace! (I am uncertain of my initial hip measurements and if I did it right to begin with, so I have nothing to report there)

I tried this smoothie going around pinterest, "Monster or Shrek smoothie" (recipe found here: http://lindawagner.net/blog/2011/03/green-smoothie-for-weight-loss/) and I cannot vouch for it's weight loss claims, but it is DELICIOUS! Completely organic and yummm to the core! (Rather than use water, I did use Almond milk, which is a delight in itself!).

I haven't made my way through PUSH yet. I need to put more effort into completing that book so if nothing else, I gain some extra perspective into the goal setting/healthy lifestyle department. I have been cheating on PUSH with Iron House, by John Hart lol Awesome book! 

My husband has been home the past few weeks on leave and goes back to work this week! Naturally, our laptop took a shit and he has been hogging the desktop which is why I have not been updating regularly. 

If I haven't said this before, I need accountability somewhere for that extra push! So if you are reading this and feel you have advice or are looking for motivation or even just rooting for me, please feel free to leave comments so that I may use it to keep going strong! 

Distractions, Distractions

I almost made it two weeks not updating this blog, shame on me. I took a short family vacay to Disneyland Paris! <3 It was awesome and my kids really enjoyed themselves. Apparently, my walking around the giant parks each day made up for the fact that I had to eat out while there and I saw a 2 pound weight loss when I returned home! I was ecstatic, because I was certain I was going to see a gain! 

With that said, that was the motivation I needed to get back into the groove of things since being home. Workouts and diet efforts have been choppy to say the least. Between the vacation and having some money to spend (taxes), I haven't made it a priority and that sucks! I went to buy an elliptical and the one that was within my budget of the best quality was unavailable!!! Soooo, I am still stuck with home workouts for now. I did discover that with some magazine subscriptions on my Nook, interactive workouts are included!!! I am definitely one for constant change otherwise I will get bored. (I've probably mentioned that before) 

Today is Valentine's Day, so happy VDay to all you lovers out there! My husband has never been big on the holiday and honestly neither have I. So no report of a huge bouquet of flowers or nice jewelry...no, I brought the holiday up to mention how hard it is has been to stay away from the kids' overabundance of candy! lol Not to mention the aisles of Valentine's treats at every store. Outside of buying a bag of Milano cookies, I have been fairly good. I am not a sweet tooth to begin with but when it's in your face......'nuff said. 

I find it crucial to mention, since this is intended to be a weight loss blog, that over the past 6 months (pregnancy included, my son will be 6 months on the 23rd :)), I have cut out soda (and I was a HUGE soda addict), cut down fast food intake greatly and I breastfeed. With all of these things combined, I have not lost one pound (in relation to). I find that incredibly disheartening. Well, both disheartening and motivating because what that is telling me is that I am going to have to work my ass off in order to achieve the results I am seeking. In which case, anything worth having is worth working for! 

So back to my pinterest motivation, my two-a-day workouts from home until I get my elliptical machine, and my transition into naked eating. OH! I got a new stroller so as soon as the snow stops coming down and the temps start creeping up, Roman and I are off to the races! 

Conclusively, it is my intention here on out to update you all daily, or even myself if I am the only one reading what I am writing, to my day to day ins and outs of this weight loss journey. February 18th marks 30 days into this voyage, with a fluctuating 7 to 8 pound weight loss, I hope to come on here on the 18th and report at least an even 10! Wish me luck! Until next time...

Let's DO IT!

I am back from a couple day hiatus! A lot of things were going on and I never got around to updating the blog...but here I am! Let's see, I didn't workout for 2 days and I ate healthy probably 50% of the time! Not happy to report those things, but today is a new day and it is starting out great! 

I usually put off my workout until I send all my kids off to school and after my coffee break in the morning. Well today, while my 5 month old was still in bed calm and the older 4 were getting ready for school I decided there was no better time to do my workout so I did! And it felt great!! I didn't find myself trying to talk myself out of it, I feel energized for the day...I guess it must be true that early morning is the best time for a workout! 

On another note, I find that after nearly 3 weeks of consistent exercise, my weight is not dropping like I expect it to be. It is quite frustrating to see those fluctuating numbers. Therefore, I am now going to commit myself to 2 workouts a day. One in the morning, one at night. I figure if I split them up it will be easier mentally and physically! My night workout, (if I manage to not consume anything afterwards, makes for a long night of rest and extreme calorie burning...all while I SLEEP! How much better can it get?). 

So I know I said last time that I would disclose my magic number...but instead of putting it out there, I'll let you do the math. My UGW (ultimate goal weight) is 165 lbs. Maybe that sounds like a lot to some, but I know my body best and for me, that is a healthy weight. Hell, that is what I weighed BEFORE kids and for those of you who knew me, know I was tall and thin! ;) My number to lose started at 98 and I have lost 6. With that said, my goal is to lose 1.5-2 pounds per week here on out. With encouragement from you readers, willpower and strength I hope I can reach my goals! At that rate, I plan to reach my UGW by this time next year! 

12 months to lose 92 pounds at a rate of approx. 2 pounds a week! Wish me luck, send me your sentiments and if you're on this journey with me, LET'S DO IT! 

'Til tomorrow....

Emo Eats

I spent most of the day at the computer desk, dreading the workout. The day started out fine, I ate well...was pumped for activity then slowly but surely as time crept by I found myself trying to talk more and more out of exercising and more and more into eating. So I did. I ate. Nothing major that would sabotage any workout effort, but I ate...out of sheer boredom. Who does that??? That's right...a LOT of people do that. It has a coined term 'Emotional eating'...that is me, that is I. I eat when I am happy, I eat when I am sad, I eat when I am excited...celebratory eats, I do it ALL! 

The good thing about this? I am able to recognize it. I make a conscious effort to note why I am walking into the kitchen, every time. This is going to be a great tool. Every time I cross the kitchen entry, I ask myself why I am in there. If it is not valid, I turn around and walk out or grab a glass of water. It isn't easy and of course there are slip ups, but for the most part...I catch myself. I should put a postcard on the door that says, "Why are you walking in here?" I think I will. It may help save a few hundred calories here and there.

As I sit here, later than usual writing this...I am proud to say my arms are incredibly sore. Almost too sore to extend them to type this blog. And for that, I am proud! I talked myself out of the negative and into a workout. A good one. You never regret a workout, that is for certain. And this pain feels good. 

So, my day is complete. It wasn't a perfect day, but it was a decent day. My short term goal is to put my weight out there and do a weekly update. I find that my weight has been fluctuating and it pisses me off and makes me want to toss the scale off the balcony and go binge eat. But alas, I won't. If I put my weight out there and you all are counting on coming here and seeing a decline I think that will give me that extra push to work that much harder on my workouts or to not eat that appealing dish, thus creating a consistent deficit. (Don't hold me to this, it is not set in stone lol...this will take some cojones!) 

Tomorrow: Finally some 5-a-days, time management and my PUSH goals! 

Upcoming: My weight loss arsenal!

Slave name: Foodie!

Ok, so I skipped a day...hubby came home, what can I say? ;) 

I haven't been doing my 5-a-days, so I have nothing to report on that yet. I need to figure out an effective way to list everything that I have done/am doing, but I have yet to perfect the system. Any ideas would be welcomed! 

I said I would introduce you to PUSH. PUSH is a book by Chalene Johnson that I bought on my Nook a few weeks ago after reading the reviews ($11.39 for the Nook version). I think it is a GREAT place to begin your lifestyle transformation. It is a step-by-step approach to listing and conquering attainable goals, it includes links to printable worksheets and in my opinion is an incredibly motivating book! (I should note that I have not yet completed the book, as it is a 30 day effort). 

I should mention that in addition to laziness, which we covered in a previous blog, for awhile there I considered myself a "foodie". In doing so, I realized that I enslaved myself to that name, that description and therefore became one. I love food, I love trying new recipes and cooking but that is not WHO I am. If I put that label on myself I am committing myself to having this obsession with food when in reality, that has helped get me this place I am now. 

A great portion of my day revolves around food and the kitchen. I am a stay at home mother of 5, it comes with the territory. So I HAVE to have a close relationship with food, I need to get to a place where it is HEALTHY relationship. I have always looked at low fat recipes and cookbooks with the stink eye...they just don't seem appealing! I love my pastas, Mexican food, cheeses, 2% milk, etc etc. I loathe the chewiness of brown rice, the taste of whole wheat pasta and the thought of meat being bland. As time went on, the more research I did I realized that if I make this conversion to eating naked I can experiment with the different natural herbs and how they pair up with certain dishes. It becomes a matter of learning, of trial and error. I do that with fattening foods, why shouldn't I be able to do it with wholesome, healthy foods??? 

With that said, I created a new pinterest board, "Skinny Recipes". My previous "Recipe" board consists of mainly fattening casseroles and side by side comparison is astounding (calorie wise and visually). A friend introduced me to skinnytaste.com and I have pinned most of my "skinny recipes" from there. I will indeed venture out and find other sources but for now, this is my start. 

This transition will be a slow, grueling, steady one. Because of that, it will become one that sticks! It is almost like taking a class and never paying attention, always jotting down notes without absorbing the knowledge, cramming the night before the final, getting a decent grade and never retaining a thing from the entire course...just accepting the passing grade. Rather than take that journey again, I will absorb the knowledge, I will walk away from this knowing and understanding how to live and eat healthier. I definitely didn't pack on 100 extra pounds over night, I do not expect them to melt off my body in rapid fashion. 

I hope you continue to follow me on this journey and eventually I will get the balls to put my "magic number" out there (weight) and post the before pics...or progression pics, rather. Feel free to leave feedback! It is much anticipated, much welcomed and will help me tweak this to be more readable and relatable! 

Til tomorrow! :)

Blaaaahhhhh....

It has sooooooo been one of those days. Kids were out of school and fighting ALL day, I get a call first thing in the morning from one of the kids' teachers regarding their less than stellar grades, found out there was a delay in processing my tax return, husband is coming home tonight after being gone a few weeks so the day is dragging ass. Uggghhh!!! 

Anyhow, trying to stay positive but it's pretty rough let me tell you. When the kids are home it throws my schedule all off in terms of exercise. I got up and had a few peaceful moments to myself with my cup of coffee (An absolute MUST), made myself one of my typical breakfasts: 2 eggs with salsa and dry whole wheat toast. Thhhheeeennnn the kids wanted sausage and potatoes LOL So naturally, I took a bite here and there and probably ended up consuming an entire portion size. :( I haven't worked out yet, it is 5:42 pm, my husband will be home in a few hours and I feel drained! 

That's it, rather than sit here and dwell on all the negatives I am going to go over to trusty ol' pinterest and gather some motivation, make dinner, clean the dishes and while the kids are eating do my cardio. 

I know yesterday I said today I would introduce you to PUSH, but with the day I've had...it's not likely lol Perhaps if I get the kids off to bed on time and the hubby isn't home yet and everything is done, I'll bring my ass back here and lay it out. If not I'll catch you up tomorrow!   

<3

5-a-Days

Before I get into the introduction of the 5-a-days, I wanted to start listing what I have done workout-wise daily. So, we'll begin with that:

This morning after shipping my kids off to school, having my cup of coffee in front of the computer screen and making sure Roman (my 5 month old) was snugly asleep I broke out my gear; two 5 lb dumbbells,  one 10 lb dumbbell, resistance bands, jump rope, stability ball and yoga mat, I threw on my P90 dvd (phase 3-4) and realized I didn't feel like following it so I left it on the screen and began doing some of the moves, but my own time, my number of reps. I also kept open my pinterest tab and got a few workouts from there and this is what came of it:

• 50 rope jumps
• 25 squats
• 20 push-ups
• 20 chest presses on the yoga ball
• 20 swimmer's presses
• 20 military presses
• 20 open bicep curls
• 20 overhead presses
• 15 lat pulls
• 10 butt blasters (5 on each leg)
• 15 backflys
• 15 lawnmowers (each arm)
• 5 cobras (5 second hold, down for 2 seconds...times 5)

I repeated the free weight movements x2. (NOT the cobra, rope jumps, squats or push ups)

A few or a lot of these may seems foreign to you and if that is the case, do what I do and "Google it"! :)

I finished this up in about 35 minutes time. I intend on doing some form of cardio tonight before bed to get that extra calorie burn in while I sleep! 

So, onto the 5-a-days! As a mother of 5, I like for things to be simplified as much as possible. So I had the thought that in order to better my life daily, I would take 5 things that need improvement and work on those things daily. The five things I could come up with were:

1. Exercises (in addition to my "regular"workout, maybe 5 target areas?)
2. Household chores
3. Positive affirmations
4. Positive words/favors/kindness towards others
5. Servings of fresh fruits/vegetables (a hard one for me!)

My intention is to do 5 of each, daily. Tomorrow will be my first day and I will be sure to let you know all about it! 

Tomorrow's subject: PUSH!