I'm a Cinch! Failure

It's time for me to come clean. I failed the Cinch! Five day fast forward the first night. I ate breakfast and lunch and I felt good! I was satisfied, wasn't hungry, felt "lighter" and had more energy. But by 4pm on Day 1, I was ravenous. I was so hungry that I was getting physically ill.

As instructed in the book, I ate another serving of yogurt, to try and make my hungry subside. But I think the psychological damage of being that hungry was already done. And I went on a MASSIVE binge. I couldn't get enough food!

So I'm a fast forward failure.

However, I am not giving up! Cinch! is not just the "cleanse" portion, and even in the book Cynthia explains that the 5 day 5 food fast forward plan is not for everyone. But you can still do the Cinch! primary program. And that's what I intend to do.

The Cinch! (Main) plan is based on 5 "puzzle pieces", that come together to create your meals. In the book, Cynthia provides the foods that fall into the 5 different categories and the proper serving sizes for the plan.

It seems like I'll need a lot less "willpower" to make it through the main portion of the plan.

As always, I'll keep you updated!

Mamavation Monday--When to work out.

To workout, or not to workout? That is the question. I think every mom on the planet has some part of their body that they are unhappy with and would like to change. The only problem, we know that in order to change it, we must get active and workout. Ugh! And who has time for that?!?

YOU DO! Schedule your time! That's what I have to do. It's the only way I'm able to guarentee that I get my workout in. My workout time is when my son is napping. I get an hour and a half to myself to get my sweat on.

When my son is napping is the best time for me. It may not be the best time for you. I like to workout in the mid-morning (that's his nap time). I've eaten breakfast. My food has had time to settle. The sun is out, well, most of the time. And usually, there's nothing on TV anyway, so my distractions are weeded out.

You know yourself better than anyone else, and you are the only one that knows what's best for you! I know that if I don't workout in the mid-morning during my son's naptime, that working out is just not going to happen that day. Sure, I might be able to take my son for a walk in the stroller, but my workout is not going to be anywhere near as intense as it would have been had I worked out by myself in the morning.

And who doesn't want to get maximum calorie incineration in minimum time!

What's funny, is I know these things. I know that I have to schedule my workout during my optimum time. But I haven't been as good as I could have been this past week. I didn't work as intensely as I should have and I ate some things that I know I shouldn't have. And I've maintained my weight this week. Which, is better than gaining but still unacceptible in my eyes.

And I can't preach finding your optimum workout time and scheduling it if I'm not doing it myself. So that is my goal for the coming week. Schedule my workouts, and when I'm doing them, DO THEM!

***This post was in response to the question:
What time of day works best for you to be active? How do you make sure you stick to those planned workouts?***

PB2 Peanut Butter--a Multitasking Miracle Worker

Last night I recived my first ever jars of PB2 Dried Peanut Butter. I've been wanting to try it forever, and I'm elated that I finally get to try it!

What it is:
PB2 is peanut butter powder. It's made by Bell Plantation. Basically, it's peanut butter with the oil wrung out of it, so it has 85% less fat than normal peanut butter, and only 45 calories in a 2 tablespoon serving! That equates to 1 Weight Watchers Points Plus value for all of my weight watchers friends! Awesome!

However, if you prefer "classic" peanut butter flavor and texture, Bell Plantation also sells oil to reconsitute the powder with as well. Then you can have "classic" peanut butter, but also be able to use the powder in different ways! 2 ways to use one product, is 2 thumbs up from me!

What to do with it:
On the package, it says to reconsistute 2T of the powder with 1T of water to turn it into a low fat peanut butter. And you do get peanut butter. It's not greasy like normal peanut butter, and tastes pretty good for 45 calories.
However, I've used it in several different ways already. I've put it in my oatmeal with some apple slices, making peanut butter apple oatmeal.
You can also put it in smoothies, I put it in my chocolate Weight Watchers smoothie to make it chocolate peanut butter flavored. You could also put it in your daily Shakeology (I recommened Chocolate), to make a Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor, it's a favorite of Coaches and Beachbody customers alike.
I also think it would be excellent to use as part of a breading for chicken, making a lower fat, lower cal, version of peanut chicken.
There are so many ways to use this product, I can't even count. So I must say, this product is definately worth the money.

Mamavation Monday- I win! I win!

This week has be riddled with setbacks and victories. The week started with the Superbowl. And I ate. I deserved a treat. So I had some Motzarella sticks and some pizza and some chicken wings. They were really good. However, my tummy didn't feel too good after eating them. So that was the end of that. I was mortified that I had consumed a derailing amount of calories though.

Monday, my son was sick. Hence not posting last week until Tuesday. And then this week, he successfully passed the torch to me! I had one horrific cold for the past 4 days, but I'm finally on the mend! Thank god too, because these little illnesses are feeling more and more severe as I get older!

All that said, as you can imagine. I didn't workout much this week. A little here, a little there. Breathing was quite taxing. But I lost 1.4 lbs this week taking me up to being down 11.6! AND I got my first weight watchers ribbon for a 10 lbs loss!

Next step, losing 10% and then 20 lbs! I can't wait!

'Twas the Week After Christmas--Mamavation Monday

'Twas the Week After Christmas, and all through my house every creature was stirring to burn off those holiday pounds.

Christmas was filled with pitfalls for me. I did well with the alcohol, which is what usually causes me to overeat. However, my major downfall this week was the food that was everywhere and my proximity to it.

My "game plan" usually involves serving myself, then putting the food away. I NEVER put food out on the table to let people serve themselves. I always leave the food in the kitchen, and then go out to the table to eat. When I don't have the food sitting in front of me, I'm less likely to keep helping myself to more.

But guess what--everywhere I went this weekend there were tables full of food. My in-laws, my dad's house, my mother's extended family. I felt like I just couldn't escape! I tried to utilize many of my other tactics like shrimp cocktail and drinking lots of water. But it just wasn't working.

All and all, I had a rough weekend. But I'm getting back on track today. I'm starting my "New Year's" workout plan early--today. I see no reason why I should wait another week to do something good for myself. And I'm making a better effort to eat healthfully. You won't find any food waiting for me on my dining room table!

Staying well, while being sick.

Being sick sucks. But inevitably, it happens. I managed to contract some sort of bug over the weekend. I had to work and go out in the massive snow we got here in Michigan--I blame that! LOL!

So I want to talk about how to stay well--or at least stay on track--while being sick. If you are anything like me, when you're sick (except when you're nauseous or throwing up) I will curl up on the couch and eat and eat in front of the tv. And comfort food is my favorite. I love a piping hot bowl of something ooey-gooey like mac and cheese. Because chicken soup is only appetizing for so long.

Some of my tips to distract myself from all of the ooey-gooeys that I love are:

Green Tea: It's hot, broth like, without being broth. And it's zero calories when sweetened with stevia. And you can get it in a ton of different flavors to liven up your taste buds.

Drink lots of water. Water fills you up and will prevent you from getting dehydrated. Particularly important if you are running a fever or having other "lovlies" like diarreha or vomiting.

Watch your portions and how you prepare things. You can still have your comfort food, just make sure you are using fiber filled noodles, and low fat styles of preparation. Instead of a block of velveeta, see if you can make mac and cheese with low fat cheese.

All told, I'm starting to feel better. I've been trying to evade creamy milk products like yogurt, milk and sour cream because they thicken mucus (I really hate that word by the way). But I don't have a problem with cheese.

But getting sick has made me learn my lesson: I should have worked out more these past couple weeks. Because exercise helps your immune system, and I don't get sick when I've been working out. Nothing like a little reminder from the almighty to get back on track!

Mamvation Monday-Chaining myself back on the wagon.

Pie. Brownies. Cookies. Chips. Dip. Crackers. Mashed Potatos. Rolls. The list goes on and on. This is my confession of the things I have put in my mouth in large unhealthy amounts this week.

I now know why people have such a hard time losing weight, or at least not putting any weight on over the holiday season. There is food EVERYWHERE! And for a food addict like myself, this is a really bad situation.

I thought I had everything all planned out. I planned how I was going to excute Thanksgiving. I planned what I would and wouldn't eat for Hanukkah. I'm planning for Christmas (yes, I do celebrate both). But, the problem that I'm finding is that I can't plan just for the holidays. The holiday food, lasts the entire holiday season. Which of course leads to all of those extra calories adding up. I know I don't have to eat this stuff, but it's just so hard not to. It's been tradition for years. And it makes me happy. And then I am sad because I ate it all. And then I eat to cheer myself up again. It's a vicious cycle.

So I'm trying something different this week. Instead of just counting calories, I busted out my old points slider and am going to try doing weight watchers again. Everytime, I have done it, I have lost a good 30lbs plus. I know if I can just stick to the plan for a week and see a decent loss, I will continue in my efforts.

I am also going to get back on the workout wagon this week. Now that my husband has taken up doing odd jobs and is hardly ever home, and my son has gone from 2 naps a day to 1. I'm having difficulty finding the time to workout. So my goal this week is to be more active. It's getting colder and snowier here in Michigan, so my Sketchers toning shoes have hit the closet, but now that I know that Earth Footwear makes boots for toning, I really need to figure out how to get my hands on a pair (If you would like to gift me a pair, here's the website: http://www.earthfootwear.com/ I really like the "Invent"-size 10 please :)). Earth's boots would make bundling up the baby and trudging through the snow a whole lot more comfy!

This weeks goal synopsis:
1. Loose at least 2 lbs with Weight Watchers.
2. Recommit to at least 30 mins of excercise a day.
3. Get some hot new Earth Footwear boots to make walking in the snow super cozy.

Mamavation Moday- Cutting Thanksgiving Calories

I'm getting back into the swing of things this week, after my stress fracture debackle. My foot feels better, so I'm going to start off light to make sure it really does feel as good as I think it does. :\

But my main concern this week is Thanksgiving. In years past, I have gorged myself on cake, pie, cream puffs (you can tell I love dessert), biscuits, green bean cassarole, you name it, I ate it. And, it was good. Really good. It's what lended to me being so large all of these years. But this year is going to be different. So I thought I'd share my game plan for the holiday eating season with you! With a little planning, I think we can all make this Thanksgiving a little skinnier! Enjoy!

1. Eat your veggies.
Load your plate with salad and a non creamy dressing. If you can, skip the cheese and the crutons.

2. What bread basket?
Pretend that the bread basket, or rolls, just don't exsist. EVEN if they are whole wheat. Just because they are whole wheat doesn't mean they aren't packing extra calories.

3. Lean Meat
When you are eating turkey, eat turkey breast. It contains fewer "bad fats" than the dark meat. And we all want to keep those arteries clean for a long healthy life!

4. Don't get stuffed on stuffing.
Stuffing is bread. Often times with lots of butter and fat to make it nice and squishy and fluffy. So if Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without stuffing, be very careful about how much you indulge in.

5. Eat your veggies, AGAIN!
You don't NEED to have green bean cassarole. Try steaming veggies like green beans or broccoli as a low cal alternative.

6. You say potato, I say califlower.
Try steaming califlower, pureeing it, and preparing it like mashed potatos instead of serving them. I just tryed this for the first time the other day, and I could barely tell a difference! You'll save a bunch of calories and carbs!

7. Delicious Dessert
Thanksgiving desserts are yummy. I myself love some pumpkin pie. But if you can't prepare a light version of your dessert, your dessert indulgence is all about portion control. Try having just a "sliver" of pie or cake. You'll satisfy your sweet tooth, without killing all of your hard work!

I hope you can use these tips! This is what I intend to do, I let you know how it works out for me.

However, if you end up indulging, make sure you make up for it. Get in a good workout with some Turbo or some TaeBo. And resume eating healthy asap, maybe with a lil' subway! Yum Yum!

Have a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Save Money On Baby Formula

I just thought I would share this with all of the new moms or soon to be moms out there. One of the things that has totally saved my life during this first year of baby care is "the formula check". I've been getting $5.00 off cans, bottles, whatever format you prefer of baby formula. Which is really nice, because if you don't know already, having a child is extremely expensive. And even more so if you don't qualify for government aid.

How to get the magical formula check-

Depending on what formula you decide to use, Similac has more offers than others. But you can get checks from multiple manufacturers.

Similac- Go to Similac.com and sign up for a Similac Strong Moms account. Fill out the info and soon you'll receive formula samples, and checks for formula.

Enfamil- Go to Enfamil.com and sign up for Enfamil Family Beginnings. You'll also receive samples of formula and checks. But you receive fewer than Similac.

Gerber (Formerly Nestle Good Start)- Go to Gerber.com and sign up to be a part of the Gerber Generation. You don't receive many formula checks, but they do send A TON of coupons for baby food, juice, etc. So this is still an excellent source of savings, particularly as your baby grows.

I personally think that it is worthwhile to sign up for all three. All babies are different and it's helpful to be able to save on different kinds of formula if you have to make many switches due to formula intolerance. That is what happened with my son, and it was very nice to continue saving.

My son needed to be formula fed, as my milk did not come in for several days and he lost a dramatic amount of weight. And once my milk did come in, it was inadequate. So for those of you that have difficulty breastfeeding, or just choose not to, I hope this information can be as big of a lifesaver for you as it is to me!