Weighing-In on Wednesday!

 It is Weigh-In Wednesday again with Heather, Ash, Bailey, and Amy! And, thanks to my work-outs and the metabolism boosting diet I am happy to report a 3.6 pound loss this week! This means I have now lost 42 pounds since June 28, 2012. I cannot believe that in just over a year I have lost that much! I still have a long way to go but man what a motivator that number is right now!

I did write about the metabolism kick-start diet that is part of the Les Mills Combat nutrition guide on Monday. So far I am enjoying eating clean but I have so far to come before I am fully comfortable. I got Tosca Reno's book on Clean Eating with Families and am enjoying. It is getting me motivated to move James to clean eating as well. I mean, I wouldn't deny him cake on his birthday but it doesn't hurt to serve him less processed food and more healthy food. If he can grow up with a healthy diet maybe he won't ever have to struggle with weight! That is my hope! If any of you have suggestions on websites or books I should check out and read that would be great! I want this to be our new lifestyle but to do that I need some guidance and some new recipes! One thing I know that I will struggle with as we change our eating habits is allowing myself my cheat meal. When I commit to something I tend to go all in or all out and I can't do that here. I need to allow myself to have something that I love each week or I will start feeling deprived and will stop completely. That was one of the hardest parts of the kick-start week, I couldn't have anything other than what was laid out in the plan and by the end of the week I was feeling resentful of the diet and the food and that isn't a good feeling. It was ultimately worth it and I know that now but I have to give myself that leeway!

So my goals for last week went great! I didn't cheat one time during the kick-start, we did Combat as scheduled and I did Zumba on one of the rest days, and I didn't have pizza or cake at James party. I did have a bite of the leftover cake on Monday and just didn't really enjoy it so I threw the rest away!

Goals for this week:
1. Figure out some monthly goals for August
2. Continue with clean eating and combat
3. Find some new clean recipes to incorporate into our diet
4. Make sure to give myself my one cheat meal this week so I don't feel deprived.

That is it for me! Have a great week everyone! Also look for a new Tips and Tricks link-up next Tuesday!

Week One Re-Cap

Good morning all! I thought today would be a good one to talk about the metabolism jump-start diet I did as part of the Les Mills Combat 60 day challenge. When you buy Les Mills Combat it comes with a nutrition guide to help you with the 80% part of losing weight, which is diet. For the first week you are on a VERY strict diet (only 1200 calories for women and 1500 for men) you get four choices for each of your five meals each day (same four choices every day) and of course we only liked two or three for each meal so that meant a lot of repeats. 

Pros:

• I learned that the 1200 calories I had been giving myself even before this challenge is not enough for me while doing Combat at full force. 
• I learned that egg white scrambles are not gross like I thought they would be. After a week or two away from them I would happily put them back in my diet.
• I did lose a good amount of weight this past week but won't be posting it until Wednesday during my normal weigh-in.
• I found that I had WAY more willpower than I ever thought possible. Did it suck to make homemade pizza for 13 other people and watch them eat that and the cake I made while eating a steak salad (for the third time that week). Yes it did. Did I do it? YES I DID, and I was SO proud of both my husband and I  for sticking to this diet. If it had been any other week we would have just counted that as our weekly cheat meal and moved on but we worked so hard last week and we didn't want to un-do that with a day of bad food.
• I had been eating 3 meals and two snacks before this diet but discovered the joy of eating five actual meals during the day. You really are rarely hungry because you are always fueling your body.

Cons:

• It was really hard eating the same things day after day. Which is funny because I do a lot of that already but it was different when I didn't get to choose those same things!
• I was hungry by the end of the week. Like really hungry by Sunday morning so that made the last day hard. But, like I said above I also learned that I need to give my body more than I have been!

So, overall I would highly suggest following the nutrition guide if you decide to do a BeachBody program at some point. It is there for a reason and diet really is 80% of losing weight. We learned some great things about eating clean and also learned that we have a lot more to learn. SO looking forward to moving on to week two with some new food choices and a few more calories! Having a smoothie for breakfast this morning was a VERY happy moment!

We also, obviously, officially finished week one of Les Mills Combat Warrior 60 Day workouts! We had already been doing them but this was our first real week and I noticed a small change in both of us. We seemed to be pushing just a little bit harder and had just a little more enthusiasm. We just can't wait to see the changes that all of this is going to bring. I can tell you that I am already doing better push-ups than I had in the past! It felt good to see that difference in my strength already!

So week 2 here we come!

Linking up for Motivation Monday! And here is my motivation for this week! Love this kid more than I ever thought possible!

 

Wendy @ Daily Dose of Del Signore Veronica @ V Watts' Thoughts Morgan @ Fat to Fit Confessions Tiff @ The Fit Train Katie @ The Carb Monster Alisha @ Coily Locks

A little more about me!

So, I realized that I really haven’t shared much about me, outside of my weight loss journey, on this blog. Most of my personal stuff I will keep on my other blog but wanted to share a little with you all. I am making my other blog private so if you ever have a desire to see it and read it let me know!

I married my husband on the 4^th of July (because it is one my most favorite days of the year, I love fireworks) 7 years ago. When I married him I also became a step-mother. She was 3 at the time. We have struggled with our relationship over the years. When it is good it is phenomenal but when it is bad it is BAD, BAD, BAD. We are going through the bad right now. Luckily, I love that kid and will stick it through. When you marry a man with kids you aren’t just saying for better or worse to him you are saying it to his kid(s) as well.

Our Wedding Day

A few months after our wedding I found out I was pregnant. We were both so excited. Less than a week later, and a couple of days before my birthday, I had a miscarriage. I won’t go into details but needless to say it was devastating. Everyone assured us that surely we would get pregnant just as easily a second time and this time it would “stick”. Boy were they wrong. We tried for over a year with no success. Talked to my doctor and had an ultrasound done. After the ultrasound was a laparoscopy, and after that I was diagnosed with endometriosis. We continued trying with no success and ended up seeing an RE more than a year later. We tried a few cycles with him, again with no success and had another surgery to clear out the endometriosis and still nothing. Eventually we decided we were either going to have to do IVF, adopt, or move on with no children other than his daughter. We decided, after attending an information session that adoption was for us. During the adoption process we also lost another pregnancy.

We started the adoption process in January 2011, were approved in late April and told we would probably be waiting a year or two. Again, boy were they wrong. On August 31^st a friend approached me about a little boy that needed a home. That afternoon we were selected by the birth mother. We waited through the whole next day hearing nothing and freaking out. On Friday we heard from her agency that we needed to come and get him that weekend and were given her contact information. I talked to the birth mother for the first time that day and she insisted we needed to be there to get him the next day. So, we did. It was a whirlwind for sure! We had to buy clothes, diapers, a CAR SEAT that night and then got in the car the next day and got our son!

First picture we ever saw of James

Our lives were changed forever through the generosity of a woman who loved her child more than herself. James is absolutely the light of my life. He is the reason I was put on this planet and I would do anything for him. He has had some problems with his strength and growth but we are working through those and are SO lucky that he is such a happy kid and just goes with the flow! He has been in physical therapy since last October and has made great strides! We just know he will be walking any day!

Our Disneyland Vacation - July 2013

It is my secret hope (well I guess not so secret anymore) that if I can get in better shape and lose this weight that maybe someday we will get pregnant and give James a little brother or sister. I want so badly for him to have a sibling close to his age to grow up with but the cost of adoption will make that hard.

I have a BA in Political Science and a Graduate Certificate in Community and Regional Planning. I am not doing anything with either of them but my dream is to be a city planner. I would love to move somewhere that is big and growing (like the Denver area) and work with the planning department. But the reality is that where we live is our home and I love it here and this is where we will stay! Maybe someday I will get a planning job here!

So, there you go that is a little about me outside of this fitness journey! I am hoping to include some more personal posts here as time goes on so we can all get to know each other a little better!

Weigh-In Wednesday

Well, I missed Weigh-In Wednesday with Heather, Ash, Bailey, and Amy last week because I was in California enjoying taking my little man to Disneyland! But, as I mentioned Monday I did see a loss when I got back and when I weighed in this morning I was down even more! I lost a total of 4.2 pounds over the last two weeks putting me at 223.8! Can you believe that?!?! I can't wait to get into the teens!

Our vacation was awesome! James got to meet Mickey Mouse and it was probably the most precious moment ever! He kissed and hugged him several times! I also put on my swimsuit and went for a swim! It felt great to get in the pool again after all these years!

Does his smile not say it all!?!?

This was at the character breakfast! He loved having them all come up to the table and see him!

These are pictures of me from our vacation last year and then this year! What a difference!

On Monday I took my before pictures for the combat challenge. I can hardly wait to take them again at 30 days and then at 60. Maybe I will share them here one of these days! I just know I am going to be happy with the results and am already looking forward to my next program (we are thinking maybe insanity).

My goals from two weeks ago:

1. Get cardio in most days I am on vacation (this does not include walking in the park; this is on top of that). - I only missed one and half days!
2. Log my food in MFP every day to keep myself accountable for my food choices. - Every single day! I may have been late some days but it all got in there!
3. Enjoy my vacation and the time with my family! - I most certainly enjoyed my vacation! 

Goals for this week:

1. Stick with the metabolism boosting diet from the Combat guide through Sunday and then continue to eat clean and follow their suggested servings and calorie intake.
2. Continue following the Combat work-out schedule adding one day of some other kind of cardio to keep a six day a week work-out schedule.
3. Don't eat pizza and ice cream and cupcakes at James 2nd Birthday party on Saturday (is he really going to be 2?) but save one cupcake for Monday so I can have a reward for getting through this strict metabolism boosting week!

Vacation and a 60 Day Challenge

We got back from vacation late on Saturday night! We drove to Las Vegas and then on to Anaheim and then back in just over a week! It was a ton of fun and Little Man did great in the car considering he is just shy of 2! While I may not have always made the best food choices while we were away I did try to make better choices than I have in the past. And I came home weighing less than I did when I left. In fact I was down 1.2 pounds since July 10 (the last time I weighed in) so that felt great! I am hoping to be down a bit more by my official weigh in on Wednesday.

Today also marks the official first day of our 60 day Combat Challenge. I am excited to really be doing it! I got my weight and measurements this morning and will be taking my day one pictures this evening! We started the 7 day metabolism boosting diet that they suggest in the guide this morning and that was a strange switch up for me. Generally my breakfast is a smoothie with protein powder and today it was scrambled egg whites with corn and tomatoes and basil. It will take some getting used to for sure and it is only 7 days! After the 7 days we will be focusing on eating clean and following their food goals they lay out in the guide. It should be good and I am excited to do my 30 and 60 day check-ins and see a difference!

That is all I have for today! I am linking up for Motivation Monday. My motivation today is my 30 and 60 day weigh-ins and hopefully winning some money in the Beachbody Challenge! Also comparing my vacation photos from this year with last year and next year! Can't wait to see the changes!

Rewarding Myself

Well, I knew losing 6 pounds in two weeks was not a sustainable rate at which to lose weight. But, I am still in the 220’s and lost 1.4 pounds this week which puts me at 228! I had a less than stellar week with eating. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great either. I didn’t always make the best food choices, I didn’t eat enough calories every day, I just didn’t make all the right choices. The good thing is that I am learning from it and I am moving on!

Best news of the week? I met a whole bunch of my goals this last week! I am finally comfortable enough to wear tank tops so I got some! I am feeling better in pictures so I bought myself my very first dress in a very long time! And I am past the 20 pounds lost mark according to MFP so I  replenished my make-up with my very favorite brand that I haven’t bought in well over a year because of the cost. AND…it was on sale! Even better right?!?! OH, AND I tried on my swimsuit that I haven't fit into for probably two years and it fit me!!! Can't wait to take my little man to the pool next week! Here are some pictures!

Goals for last week:

1. Stayed in the 220’s and moved down!
2. Combat is awesome! I love it more every single day! Definitely taking it with me on vacation!
3. I didn’t really indulge on the 4^th it was the rest of the weekend that was a problem. And I didn’t overeat I just didn’t make great choices.
4. July goals are going well over all!

Goals for this week:

1. Get cardio in most days I am on vacation (this does not include walking in the park; this is on top of that).
2. Log my food in MFP every day to keep myself accountable for my food choices.
3. Enjoy my vacation and the time with my family! 

And of course I am linking up with Heather, Ash, Bailey, and Amy this week! I hope you all had a great week! I will probably miss next weeks weigh-in since we will be in Disneyland!

One Week Down

Well we finished up our first week of Les Mills Combat on Saturday and let me just tell you I LOVE this program. I would HIGHLY suggest it to anyone! If you haven't worked out in forever they do modified versions of each move and then you can work your way up to the crazy jump kicks (this is tied for my favorite move with the jumping knees!). I feel so awesome after every workout! I can't wait for July 22nd when we officially start with the diet and all (diet meaning a lower calorie planned out meal plan for the first week and then clean eating for the rest of the 60 days). I am excited (and nervous) to take my before pictures but I can hardly wait to take the after ones!

I am also SUPER excited to start eating clean. I have heard so many good things and I am just I am ready to go. I have a bunch of meal ideas already and we are trying out three of them this week! One is steak with a horseradish sauce and zucchini! Now I ask you, what about that sounds bad? Um, NOTHING! I really need to get on this diet. My eating the last couple of days has been lackluster at best and I am ready to get back on the wagon all the way and see some more changes!

Lastly, we leave SUPER early on Friday for our family vacation and won't be back until late the following Saturday. I am vowing to myself that I will not eat poorly on this vacation. Is it okay to splurge a little? Of course, but 90% of the time I want to be making good food choices. I also vow to workout every day (with the exception of the days we drive 10+ hours. I cannot get off this train I am on it is going too fast now and I can't wait to see the results at my final destination!

One last note, look for pictures on Wednesday of some of the new clothes I got this weekend since I had basically nothing to wear on vacation, including...MY NEW DRESS!!!!! I haven't bought a dress in YEARS and I am so excited to show it off!

Linking up for the first time today!

Why Hello There Stranger!

Not only is today Wednesday but it is also my Friday so that makes this Weigh-In Wednesday extra special! Yay, for long weekends! I am linking up with Heather, Ash, Bailey, and Amy for the weekly gathering of weight loss hopefuls!

As the title of my post implies I may have seen a long missing number this week! That's right I hit the 220's! I am SO excited! I know I still have a long way to go but man it feels good! That means I have lost more than 30 pounds since this time last year and I am .2 pounds away from my goal of 20 pounds since re-joining MFP (which also means a reward)! That is huge for me! So, my weigh-in for this week is 229.4. I am not far into the 220's for sure but it is my goal to just continue to go down and no longer see 230's on the scale. So, with that weight it means I am down another 3.2 pounds this week! I have to keep telling myself that at some point these big losses are going to taper off but right now I am enjoying them after weeks of slow to no downward movement.

Just finished Day 1 of Combat. You can't see it in this picture but we are super gross and sweaty!

My husband and I started Les Mills Combat on Monday and so far I am LOVING it! I feel so strong and confident while I am doing it and after. The next morning I wake up SORE but feeling great because I know I earned those aches and pains! When we did the Power HIIT last night at first I was thinking, "This is too easy" but by the end sweat was actually pouring off of me! I can't wait to share before and after pictures with you all as I progress through this program! I just know I am going to be successful!

Goals for last week went well:
1. Only did Zumba for the most part but worked my rear off at it!
2. Certainly started Combat and loving it!
3. We are starting to think more about what we are eating and getting ready to start real clean eating on July 22nd.
4. Sticking with the slightly higher calories and it still seems to be helping. May need to adjust again with starting Combat.
5. I did get my personal challenge for July and the Combat schedule on My Challenges page.

Goals for this week:
1. Stay in the 220's and keep moving down.
2. Keep up with Combat and keep pushing myself past what I think are my limits to find my real limits!
3. Do not use the 4th of July (also our anniversary) as an excuse to overeat and indulge.
4. Stick with the July goals I set for myself on Monday.

Here are some of my new motivation posts from Pinterest (feel free to follow me)

Source

Source

Source

Happy July!

It is so crazy to me that today is July 1st. The days just seem to fly by anymore and I for one would like them to slow down just a bit. James will be 2 this month...2! That is just not possible, is it? I digress, the point of this post is to share my goals for July with you all! This is a big month in our house, the 4th is our 7th wedding anniversary, we are going to Disneyland and Las Vegas on the 12th, James 2nd Birthday is the 27th.

And on top of all of that we are starting Les Mills Combat and could not be more excited. Today is our unofficial day 1 with the 22nd being our official start with the metabolism boosting diet and all! We watched the basics video this weekend and it got us even more pumped to get going! So, my personal challenge for the month of July as well as the Combat schedule are on My Challenges page! But on top of those I thought it would be good to have some goals for myself.

1. Get down to the 220's.
2. Get in cardio most of the days we are on vacation.
3. Start eating clean most of the time once we start Combat (allow one cheat meal each week).
4. Make healthy food choices during all of the events this month.
5. Continue to log my food on MFP (even during vacation).
6. Enjoy Combat and work out hard!

That is it for me! Have a lovely month!