Mamavation Monday--Progress

So this week was a bit of a roller coaster. I've been doing my best to complete the two week challenge. One night, I fell asleep on the couch before I could bust it out though....in short grad school is kicking my butt. I have a group project this week (during spring break-bleh) that is due the day we get back, and I have been crowned QUEEN. Wah, wah. wah......can you feel my enthusiasm (This is due largely in part to the fact that I am always crowned leader of every single group I've ever been in)? Group work in school, doesn't prepare you for real life group work. Really, it doesn't. 

Anywhoo, given my stressful state, my eating this week hasn't been the most stellar. I'm craving carbs like no other, and have been stricken by some marvelous GI virus/discomfort yadda ya. So in that regard I'm struggling.

On a positive note, I lost weight these past 2 weeks--I didn't weight last week, of 5.2 lbs. That brings a smile to my face. :) My husband even put his arms around me and asked if I was down a few. Score.

My goals for this coming week:

1. Make morning exercise part of my routine. Getting up earlier and getting it done so the likelihood that I'll pass out on the couch before I get it done is NONE.
2. I'm going to continue to stay on top of my water intake. I really can tell that I eat less the days that I am really tippin' it back.
3. Get back to eating healthy. These hormones aren't going to fix themselves, apparently!

Challenges:

1. Completing this group project. It's due Monday, so after that I'll have a few days to veg.
2. My son's 3rd birthday party is this weekend. Cake. Pizza. And Emotions.
3. Making sure I get the rest of the #2weekchallenge done!

I hope all of you ladies have a fabulous week! <3>

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?***

Will You Be My #DinnerDate?

On my twitter feed, I try very hard to tweet out a new or different dinner recipe for everyone to try on a daily basis. It so important when you are trying to lose weight to keep your meals fresh. If you don't, chances are you are going to fall off the wagon for one simple reason; YOU'RE BORED! So I thought I would share some of the different ways I keep my meals exciting.

Meat- Let's face it. Chicken every night is boring. Fish every night is boring too, as well as beef, pork, or whatever other protien source you are using. To switch it up, I focus on the marinade. I use Lawry's 30 Minute Marinades a lot. They have a HUGE variety of flavors, and they aren't too bad for you either. I can now eat chicken 7 days a week (if I want to) and not get bored. One night I'll have Lemon Pepper, the next Hawaiian, the night after that Szechuan BBQ, the list goes on!

Produce- Spice it up. I keep fruits and veggies tasting new by changing the way I prepare them. I steam, grill, boil, and bake most of the time. But I also season the fruits and veggies, I prefer to get spices freshly ground whenever I can (I have a local place that I like to buy from). Fruit I mainly use cinnamon or nutmeg, but for veggies, anything goes pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder, cumin, they are all good! But I do try to go light on the salt.

Whole Grains- I buy a couple different kinds of high fiber cereal and cycle through those. And for bread, to switch it up, I top it with different things. Low sugar or sugar free jam and PB2 peanut butter are two of my favs. But I also have been known to use spray butter on my toast.

Water- Water is one of the things I get most bored with. So I change it up by adding a lemon, lime, or orange slice or two for a citrus kick, A slice or two of cucumber to give a fresh cool taste, Green tea for some added antioxidants, or if I'm really craving some juice, I'll use some Crystal Light.

I hope these ideas help prevent you from becoming bored with eating healthy. Also if you would like to join in the dinner conversation, just use the hashtag #dinnerdate on Twitter to share what you are having for dinner! The hope is that it will encourage healthy eating and help us avoid dinner sabotage! Because for most people, dinner is often the largest meal of the day, let's make it healthy!

Mamavation Monday-- Where's My Motivation?

Well folks, my motivation is gone. I can't find it. I think I ate it with the paczkies last night. If you can help me find it, that would be wonderful, because I gained 0.2 lbs this week. And after a week of being stagnant on the scale, this is not a good sign.

Because I have to want to help myself, before I can actually receive help. I thought I'd share how I'm going to get back on track. It's something that I've fallen short of doing lately, about the time my motivation went missing, and is an excellent time management too as well. I haven't been getting much done without it either. Because it's no secret, being a mom is tough!

That excellent tool is my To-Do List. And I'm putting it back into effect today!

I learned how to make To-Do lists from Chalene Johnson when I took part in her 30 day challenge . And my life changed dramatically. I was able to see exactly what I needed to do! And knowing exactly what I needed to accomplish that day, gave me the push I needed to get things done.

Every time I was giving myself Twitter Butt, I referred back to my list, and found something that I could be doing instead. My to-do list is my little reminder to make sure I'm using my time effectivly. And of course reminds me of things when I'm suffering from the dreaded mommmy brain.

As a matter of fact, by writing this, I just checked off Mamavation Monday Post on my to-do list! Yahoo!

This post is sponsored by Earth Footwear and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway.

Sigh of Relief!

This week was a tough one. I was really bad, as shown by my last post. However, I burried my "bad week" last night. I had some healthy Jimmy John's for dinner--didn't get my favorite -- The Vito. But my NEW favorite, Tom Turkey. And I made a decision that tomorrow was the day that I was getting out of this rut.

For those of you that don't already know this. Sundays are my weigh in day at Weight Watchers. I weighed in this morning and didn't gain! I'm counting that as a success after last week! But it's definitely NOT an excuse to quit getting closer to my weight loss goals!

This Weight Watchers meeting also couldn't have come at a better time. I figured out that one of my main problems is that I'm bored with eating healthy. And that was the theme of this week. My leader gave us all kinds of ideas for new and different foods to change it up a bit. I remembered that I LOVE these veggie burgers that I get as Costco, so after my meeting I went and picked some up.

This past week and the coming weeks, I'm going to heed Leah's advice. She posted a Facebook post about lifting weights and how much easier it was to lose weight after she did. So I'm restarting ChaLEAN Extreme. AND I'm excited about it! Some of you might already know that she's my FAVORITE trainer EVER! And lifting weights is giving me an outlet for my stress, instead of eating my stress. (If you want to see what ChaLEAN Extreme is all about here's a video: http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/TurboGirl23?bctid=25219364001)

That said. I am officially back on the wagon. I'm taking the time tonight to go through my cookbooks and find some new healthy recipes. And update on the family: Aunt-doing okay, for as sick as she is. My cousin is in remission. My grandpa is home from the hospital. My grandma's shoulder is much "better" than originally thought, she'll heal just fine, and will just need physical therapy. And my good friend just had a traumatic brain injury, which is quite possibly the best case scenario for him and he's recovering well.

I look forward to seeing what the future holds for all of us! Thanks for all of the support Sistas!

Disappointed and It's Starting to Show.

On Valentine's Day I ate an entire small deep dish pizza. And that was bad news. Then a ton of horrific things happened the next day (familywise), all at once. Here's a breakdown.

It was my dad's birthday.
Grandpa ends up in the hospital with pneumonia.
Aunt starts getting 3 hr long chemo treatments for terminal lung cancer.
Cousin finds out she has Hepatitis A.
Found out one of my good friend's Humvee hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
Bad day don't you think. This time I didn't have the will power to fight the emotional eating.

But after that I got back on track. And I worked out. A LOT. To try and counter the binging I had embarked on.

So I weighed Sunday. And I gained .8lbs. I was pretty upset. I had been doing so well.

Then the next part of my life came crashing in. My grandma fell and shattered her shoulder. The woman who helped raise me and became my mother when my mother died. At 90, can only imagine what this can mean...my mind just keeps coming back to the bad. I'm praying prefusely that she comes out of this alright.

All that upset has led to a bad week this week. I've been trying so hard to get back on track, but I'm finding myself helpless when I have to pass a tray of cookies (I've even eaten an entire box of Tagalongs, I'm ashamed to say). I don't know what to do to re-find my motivation. HELP!

(Sorry this is so late, our internet died at home--we can just add that to the list)

'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 Monday!

Happy Monday! Though some of you don't find Monday so happy...I was having one of those days today. I got a migraine from the blistering sunlight pouring in through the window of my "office" this afternoon. I wanted to VOMIT. I had my workout scheduled for when I got home, but the entire drive back home I was dreading it.

As soon as I got home, I knew that if I didn't suck it up, I would wallow in how crappy I felt and would never get my workout in today. So I did. And I was victorious. I worked out WITH a migraine. I'm not going to lie, the first 10 minutes were hell. But I persevered. I just kept thinking about my successes. I weighed and measured this morning.

Let me first start by saying that I finished the first 30 days of the TurboFire program yesterday. I lost 10lbs and 5.25 inches, 2.5 of those inches were from my hips/mama pooch alone! So that was what I thought about until the workout endorphins took over the migraine pain.

This further proves to me that if you focus on the positive, you can beat the negative!

Getting my burn on--with the FIRE!

Last Monday, I committed. I am going to put all of my energy into getting back down to a healthy pre-baby weight (before I was lucky if I was putting in 50%). I gained almost 60 lbs while I was pregnant with my son. 40 of that sixty I had JUST lost before getting pregnant! Ugh! But like I said, I committed to a new and improved healthier lifestyle.

Since then, I have followed the TurboFire workout schedule to a T. And I have been doing my best to eat clean while keeping my calories in check. I've been using myfitnesspal.com to log all of my food, for me it is easier than writing it down and having to calculate everything out. AND thier database is HUGE!

And I must say all of my work has paid off! I am down 4.6 pounds this week! Ow Ow! But more importantly I feel phenomenal!

My little commital to my cause of loosing weight also inspired my husband to jump on the bandwagon with me. He has re-started P90X. Sometimes he gripes about how challenging it is and the pain he is in the next day. I also can be known the gripe about the burn I feel from TF. But he and I both know that that kind of "pain" is the best kind of pain.

Though losing weight and feeling better about ourselves is awesome, I think the best part is that we're in it together!