When Enough is Enough!

Now is the time of year that everyone starts planning for their "New Year Resolution" and then anxiously awaits January 1 to start their resolution. I woke up this morning determined to not waste another day waiting for January 1 to roll around while I stuff my face with as much holiday junk as possible. I took too long of a sabbatical from my workout class and started back at the Body Flex class 2 days ago.

This morning I stepped back on the scale and was FRIGHTENED at the number I saw. When the number did not magically change the next time I stepped on the scale, I knew enough is enough.So I whipped out the My Fitness Pal app on my phone and started logging. 

Off to lift.

Get Swap Friendly

There is a trick to cutting out the food that is not a nutritious item. You have to learn to replace it with something that is. I had to cut way back on cheese. So when I want cheese on a salad or in a burrito, I use avocado instead. The key is to find something that will give your meal a similar texture. And I promise, you won't even miss what you skipped out on. Here are some of my cheats to prepare & eat healthier meals:

What are some of your favorite swaps?

BE THE BEST YOU.

Learning How to Eat

There are so many different ways people choose to eat to tailor to their mind's way of eating the most healthy way possible. I hear about paleo, gluten free, vegetarian, no carbs, no dairy, no grain, etc. etc. etc. The messages are overwhelming and quite frankly, get VERY annoying. I see it on Facebook, Pinterest, TV, and in the grocery store. 

The one piece of information that stays consistent through all of these ideas on what to eat is this: MEAL PREP. I have said it before and I say it again: Plan what you are going to eat a week in advance. Knowing what you are going to pack for lunch will eliminate the need to scrounge your office for food or spontaneously buy food from somewhere nearby (which is usually not a place that offers healthy & fresh snacks). 

Today I had a great lesson from the trainer at our gym. After a sweaty and intense spin class, I had to find out about her thoughts on meal planing. The very first thing she told me was to get the MyFitnessPal app if I hadn't already (which I have). We opened up my app and talked about the food I logged yesterday. Immediately she saw red flags with my choices. Here is what I learned:

I'm not eating enough. Not enough calories. Not enough fat. Not enough carbs. Not enough protein. All of the things I have always thought I had to limit as much as possible. But in fact, when I am working out as hard as I am, my body needs these things in my daily intake in order to keep myself fueled. Who would have thought I would go to spin class to burn the fat and walk out of class with the notion that I need to EAT MORE. I think I can get used to this new lifestyle.

BE THE BEST YOU.

Kicking Up the Cardio

After 3 solid weeks of attending the Body Flex class 3x/week, I felt like I needed to kick up my cardio. I was hoping I wouldn't have to because the Body Flex class alone exhausts me. But I have been measuring myself a lot and am not seeing the inches moving very fast. Although my strength has increased tremendously. I flex at my husband when he isn't looking.

Today starts my 3rd week in Spin class. It has been game-changing for me. The trainer that teaches my class is the main trainer at the YMCA and she is amazing. Her workouts change every class which keeps the sweat pouring out of me. What I have found helpful is I have started my own meal plan. I plan out every meal & every snack for the week depending on what class I am going to (or not going to). Packing my lunch has always been the sticking point for my snacking throughout the day. Now that I know what my snacks are going to be, I can make sure I space them out throughout the day so that I don't get too hungry at any given time. 

Weighed in today on the YMCA's scale. It's quite different than my digital scale at home. Because the gym scale is similar to my Dr's scale, I decided to start tracking my weight based on YMCA's scale. Very exciting....As of today, I am DOWN 15 pounds since early June!! I didn't believe it when I saw it but it definitely is encouraging to keep going! My husband informed me this morning that he is down 9 pounds just by cleaning up his diet a little. Imagine what he can do when he incorporates exercise! Great things are happening in our home. Working hard to really love the body I have. 

BE THE BEST YOU.

Count It

Happy belated 4th of July to you! The week prior to the 4th, I started to stress on the lack of plans that we had for the kids to enjoy the holiday. But as it worked out, we had a jammed packed day and it was fabulous. I didn't bother counting my calories but I know I did not splurge. I just chose to enjoy the family & friends rather than worry about the numbers. My plan was to hit the BodyFlex class this morning with my husband. But as we all know, life as a parent means that plans hardly ever turn out like you want them to. When we told our 3yo that we were going to the YMCA this morning, he had a melt down. At first, I was brushing it off like he would be ok. But he INSISTED that he didn't go to daycare. I couldn't get him to understand that it would only be for an hour and that it's good for mommy & daddy to have time to exercise. So we decided to ditch the gym and come up with a new plan. It was suddenly so clear to me that he just wanted some family time. It was genuine and sweet. So we took the kids fishing and then on to pick 17 pounds of delicious blueberries at our favorite family u-pick farm for blueberries. After a small rest from all of the fruit picking, I decided to get the back yard mowed. It was so hot out and I was sweating so bad! I realized I could count this as a partial workout. And it ended with a water fight with the kids & hubs which cooled me down. So it was a win all around today. I found a way to be active and be with my kids at the same time. I love it when it works out that way! 

2 week recap: down 3 pounds & 2" AND hubby is down 2 pounds just by cutting back on the usual food. We are feeling great and motivated! I decided to try out a serious meal plan - like down to planning my kids' lunches for school. I am hoping this cuts back on the morning stress and the nightly quick fix for dinners. I have done meal planning for dinner for a long time but I have never planned out all of the meals & snacks for the day. I would like to get to a place where I can go 2 weeks out with this method but I will start with 1 week this time and we will see how it goes. 

How do you plan to eat for the week? 

BE THE BEST YOU.

Be mindful of every decision

Like it was yesterday, I remember the day I attempted to count calories and decided that day that it was not worth my time. This was back before apps on the phone existed and I was using a pen & paper. But I held on to that notion ever since. The other day I download the MyFitnessPal app that I hear so much about. The first thing I noticed was the calorie counter. Oh no! I thought. This is NOT what I wanted. But I put all of my information in and decided to give it a shot. I am not on a mission to fall below my calorie goal everyday. But already I am realizing that this tool is far more than a calorie counter. I get a recap at the end of the day that shows me how I did with my nutrition across the board. How many carbs I had vs. my goal, how much protien vs. goal, etc. It is teaching me to understand what kinds of food I need to focus on. I have learned that my carbs & protein are about on par but I need to watch the cholesterol and fat in my foods. (I'm guessing the pizza I had last night shot these numbers up a bit) What makes this app a time saver is the barcode tool. Everything that I have scanned for nutrition facts has come up in this app. Gone are the days of Weight Watchers calculator entry for more than half of what I ate. Wonderful!

POWER LUNCH - Quinoa spinach salad

I think I already mentioned this but my hubs & I are doing another 24 Day Challenge in August once we return from the beautiful Oregon Coast with our friends. On the challenge, you take all of your body measurements at the beginning and at the end to see the total inches lost. Well this morning I decided to take my measurements to compare them to my total body inches when I completed the 24 Day Challenge last summer. Not only did I gain 25-30 pounds but I also gained 12.5" overall. When I look at individual measurements (hips, waist, leg, arm, shoulder, chest), it doesn't look like the inches are too different. In fact, it seems that my chest is where the biggest increase happened. Interesting. At least it wasn't in my waist. Seeing the inches gives me so much more motivation to keep pushing myself. I cannot handle the feeling of my clothes getting too small. I carry much more confidence in myself when I am comfortable in what I am wearing. I don't strive to have a big gap in my thighs and a stomach that shows my rib-cage. I strive to be comfortable and fit which is about 40 pounds more than the rib-cage appearance. 

Yesterday my hubs came with me to the Body Flex class. It was so fun to have him next to me as we start this journey of fitness together. We are stronger with each other. It's so much easier and fun when your partner is with you in your goals. I cannot wait to see where we are at in September. I can guarantee my motivation to continue to work towards my fitness goal will still be alive. 

BE THE BEST YOU.

Post this somewhere you will see it and read it every single day. Remember that a healthy lifestyle is not confined to food & exercise. A true healthy and well-balanced lifestyle also includes healthy relationships, healthy finances (or at least working towards it), healthy conscious. This isn't to say you are failing at life if you don't do every one of these 50 habits everyday, but it's a great reminder in life. 

BE THE BEST YOU.

It's go time

I may not be able to move tomorrow. And that would be a good thing. Today at the gym, I checked in to the Body Flex class. Lifting, dumbells, sweat, shakes and almost tears. It felt amazing! Muscles were shaking and cramping but I made it through. In about 3 weeks I will start another 24day challenge. I have committed to take one week at a time on scheduling out my workouts. I feel that if I don't add too much pressure on myself, I will stay motivated. Excited to feel the burn and watch the pounds melt away. 

PERFECT MOTIVATION - My Family

There's always an opportunity to try again

It's been LOUD in my head for months - yet it's taken me MONTHS to put things into action. Last summer I started using Advocare products in conjunction with clean eating and exercise to lose weight. I was doing great, feeling great, and then.....I got tired. The fall came around, the family birthday parties and holiday hosting came around, and before I knew it, I wasn't feeling as good as I remembered feeling in the summer. I knew I was slipping in too many baked goods but I was also keeping with my whole grains, lean meats, veggies & fruit. It just wasn't the same. I became very frustrated with my self and have been for the past 9 months. I avoided the scale, skipped the gym, and told myself that I was just too busy to workout. But when do you decide enough is enough? 

What I learned through this season: When they say "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change," they TRULY mean it. It really is not about exercise until you lose weight and then it's ok to get lazier and still eat well. I secretly hoped that I could continue to eat healthy but skip the gym and the weight would at least maintain. Well I'm here to tell you, it doesn't work that way.

{Here is where I get a little lot more personal}
From July 2013 to September 2013, I lost 15 pounds and was back to my pre-preggo weight. I still had a ways to go but I was definitely in a place where my body was shedding the weight & the inches. When I went to the doctor last week, I realized that I had gained 31 pounds since October {do the math: 3.875 per month = NOT OK}. YIKES! It hit me really hard. There had to be something other than the lack of exercise that caused that much weight gain. My doctor did some lab work on me and {thankfully} ruled out pre-diabetes and thyroid issues. So the weight gain does not appear to be medically related. Just lazy-related. uggh!! Doc asked me to start taking my Omega-3 & Calcium supplements again and to start exercising at least 45 min/day - 4 days/week. Pretty sure that is more than what I was doing last summer. 


All this to say: I truly believe in the power of {great} supplements and exercise for healthy weight loss. It's the only thing that worked and the only thing that made me feel good about myself. Weight Watchers did not compare! I am COMMITTED to getting back into Advocare's supplements and getting back into exercise. Today I went to a group exercise class at the YMCA during my lunch. And to help me stay committed, I've scheduled out the next 3 weeks of classes to take on my work calendar - because I look at that calendar all day, every day. What's my excuse now? 

I have a NEW number of pounds to lose and a new number of inches. These numbers are not based on what pant size I want to be or how I want my body to LOOK. They are based on where I need to be to get into the healthy BMI for my age. So, I have a long and hard road ahead of me but I am DETERMINED to be that woman who is a fighter and who is strong and who LOVES HERSELF & HER FAMILY ENOUGH TO CHANGE! 

Wish me luck. <3
And remember - 

BE THE BEST YOU.