Mamavation Tuesday -- 1 Week Into the #2WeekChallenge

Life is super crazy right now, So here's just a little update. #2weekchallenge is going well. I've been doing the trying my best to stay within the nutritional parameters (I've tweeted most of my food), and I've been getting my workouts in. So I'm happy to report that this week I'm 169.4 lbs that's a loss of 1.6 lbs! From last week to this week! Yahoo!

Mamavation Monday--Let's Get This Challenge Started!

So the damage from Thanksgiving wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. I gained less than a pound, 0.8. I'm TOTALLY counting this as a victory after my
F-O-U-R desserts, multiple bread rolls, and multiple helpings.

This past week I've been on  oral steroids, so I'm really expecting a gain come Thursday (official weigh in day), but I've been extremely dilligent about what I've been eating, and I've been working out, even though I'm not really supposed to because of my ear. Oops. I've been careful though!

The next step of "Ear Drama 2011" is a trip to the ENT, to see about gettting my tonsils out. Joy! So that will be interesting.

As for today, I'm starting the #Mamavation #2WeekChallenge! Woot, Woot!

My starting weight is: 171.2
My waist measures: 37in
My hips measure: 42 in
My thighs measure: 24.5 in each

But now it's time for The Mamavation Question of the Week, Sponsored by Reflect It Apparel!

When it comes to holiday shopping, how do you make sure you stick to your budget ?

When it comes to sticking to my holiday budget, the first thing I do is have a list of who to buy for and what I intend on getting them, or what they want, and how much the items total. My goal is to complete my list while spending AT LEAST a $100 dollars LESS than what my original total was. My gifts never total more than $500, I REFUSE to spend more than that on gifts.

Then I start shopping early, pricing the items, and using the internet to find coupons and the best deals. I also haunt black friday ads online for weeks beforehand to make sure I'm getting the best deal. I also sign up for e-mails from the companies, and get notices in my inbox when the items I'm looking for go on sale, or a new coupon code is released. Typically, if it's not at least 50% off, or I don't have a coupon or coupon code, I won't buy it. I'll wait, go somewhere else, or if all else fails opt for a similar product, at a lower price.

That's my secret! What's yours?

This post is sponsored by Reflect It Apparel and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women

Mamavation Mon, oh Tuesday.

Last week I lost 1.6. At least I WAS down 1.6 the day before Thanksgiving. And on Thanksgiving I had a plan. A plan that worked until just about the time that the yummy deliciousness hit my mouth. And then I ate. The potatoes and bread that I was going to skip made their way in, followed by 4. Yes, FOUR. F-O-U-R, desserts. 

Thankfully, I managed to avoid eating a crap ton of leftovers, but the carb overload on Thanksgiving triggered a vicious monster inside of me. One that caused a deluge of horrific eating, up until today. Today, I am back counting calories and points, and eating better. So now that I'm back on the wagon, that's where I'm staying. Patiently waiting to find out just how many pounds I potentially gained from my eating bender. God do I hate having an eating disorder.

In the meantime, I'm joining the #2WeekChallenge!

Mamavation Monday-Being a Thanksgiving Loser

Well, this week went by quickly! But I've got somewhat good news. I lost 1.4 lbs this past week, not the whole 2.2lbs that I was hoping for. But I guess that's still a loss, it makes my total 23 lbs down since I joined Mamavation. And 8.2 since the beginging of October. This week, I've been training hard core for my 5k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day.  However, last night, I found out that I might be over-training. Oops.

Example: Saturday, I went from basically no running to a 45 minute run. Just got in my head and pushed it out. I ACHED the next day--still am actually. Then, I did TurboFire last night. And since I'm no longer living in an apartment worried about the people underneath me, I went BALLS OUT. For real. I jumped. I ski-three-kneed. I Air-Jacked. I Jack-Tucked. (I've never done these "intenser" moves, I always followed the modifier) Afterward, I coughed up a lung, and then wheezed for the rest of the night. Today, I'm raspy, but I'm going out running after work.

I think we need an episode of MamavationTV that talks about over training, it might be the kick in the pants I need to not torture myself. :) I just don't want to disappoint my brother--have him sign up to do it with me, and then run a half mile and walk the rest. Not cool.

The Mamavation Question of the Week, Sponsored by Eco-Foil.

What is your plan to avoid overindulging during holiday feasts?

This year, I actually have a plan, a two phase plan actually, which is better than I can say about years previous.

This year, my plan starts with the prep. I'm not going to be making the standard high sugar, high fat fare that I normally do. I've found new recipes that focus on healthy whole foods that I'm going to use instead. For Thanksgiving in particular, instead of canned cranberry sauce, I'm making orange cranberry relish, instead of green bean cassarole, we'll be serving steamed green beans, instead of sweet potato cassarole with marshmellows and butter, I'm making roasted sweet potatoes with cumin.


But just because I'm making healthier alternatives, I know that there's still not room to eat 10,000 lbs worth of roasted sweet potatoes! So I'm dividing my plate into sections. Half my plate is going to be devoted to non-starchy veggies, a quater of my plate to protien, and a quarter of my plate to a starch. Since, I'm not skipping the roasted sweet potatoes, I'm giving up my dinner roll. I'm also allowing myself a small dessert. I think I deserve it after running a 5k that morning. :)

I think the biggest part of my plan, I guess that truthfully means there's three parts, is that Thanksgiving Day, Is a DAY. It's not a week or a month. Same with Chirstimas, and New Year's. They are just one day, one day, to have food that you might not normally have, not an excuse to eat your way through the entire holiday season. I'm sending my leftovers home with others, and/or taking them to work the next day, and being mindful of the other things I will be consuming on the "regular" days of the year.

This post is sponsored by Eco-foil and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women“

Mamavation Monday--I was right.

Well. I was right. I did gain this past week. 2.2lbs to be exact. And I wanted to kick myself. So instead of kicking myself, I got right back on track. I've been really good this week, tracking what I'm eating to a Tee. I even got Chicken and Broccoli from the chinese place last night, instead of my usual Almond Chicken (Miracle in and of itself), and suprisingly I didn't miss the crispy greasiness of the latter. So hopefully, I'll be able to take those 2.2lbs off, just as quickly as I put them on. Only the scale will tell.

If you've been following my posts, you know that I haven't exactly been working out like I should. Between the baby and I passing illness back and forth, I've been hard pressed to get in a run, let alone anything else. And now I have a problem--kind of a big one.

I have my first 5k race, The Turkey Trot, on the 24th. I whole week and 2 days away. I'm running it with my brother-in-law while he's home from the Navy on leave. So god knows that he's not going to have trouble banging out 3.2 miles. But I, on the other hand, am lucky to make it through a mile without dying or throwing up. So here's hoping that I can pull this one out of my ass, because I'm not quite sure how I'm going to go from 0-3.2 in 9 days flat. Any suggestions?

Now it's time for...

The Mamavation Question of the Week, Sponsored by Omron.

What kind of activities have you done with a pedometer on?

Well, normally, I walk. Though, I'm not sure exactly how accurate my pedometer is; I have to clue how to measure my stride length. However, I have used my pedometer just for fun, to see how many steps I can rack up doing other fitness activities, but once again I worry how accurate it is, because aren't you just supposed to use it for walking? Won't you get residual bounce? Anyhoo...

Crazy things I have done with a pedometer on....

TurboJam and TurboFire, just to compare the difference :)

Run on the treadmill

Ride rollercosters all day at Cedar Point

Hula Hoop, it's kinda hard because the hoop hits the pedometer

Rollerblade/Rollerskate

Go Sledding

SkyDive (Okay, I haven't done that. But it sure would be fun!)

Can't wait to see all of the pedometer craziness from everyone else! Wishing you all a fabulous week!

This post is sponsored by Omron and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Image courtesy of freechristmaswallpapers.net

Ready or not, Christmas is coming! And FAST! And one of the most cherished traditions in our family is sending Christmas cards. If you send out cards as one of your time-honored traditions as well, it's time to think about getting them together so they get out in time, after all, there's only 41 days until Christmas! No, I don't know where the time has gone either. Last year, we bought our Christmas cards from TinyPrints, and they were a HUGE hit with our family. So this year, as a returning customer, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite designs, and I want you to help me choose! Leave a comment with your favorite, and help me choose our Christmas card design.

Favorite Design #1

Favorite Design #2

Favorite Design #3

Are you thinking about your 2011 holiday cards yet? Aren't these ones cute? Have fun choosing your own cards at Tiny Prints!


Tiny Prints provides simple, modern, and unique stationery from Christmas cards, New Years cards, party invitations, and address labels to thank you cards. Once the holidays have come and gone, Tiny Prints will still be here to fill your stationary needs with their exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers.  All year round, you’ll fine business cards,birth announcements and even custom wedding invitations. Come try the easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality for yourself. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch!


**This post is sponsored by Tiny Prints, though I am being compensated for this post, all opinions are my own**

Are You Fit 2 Fight?

The month of November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and throughout the month Better'n Eggs is raising awareness about Type 2 Diabetes and ways to counter act it.

I myself was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes after I gave birth to my son. I had developed gestational diabetes while I was pregnant with him, but had gained such a significant amount of weight that my body developed type 2 diabetes post-partum.

Since my diagnosis, I have lost weight and now am "diabetes free". One of the things that helps me to lose weight is increasing the amount of protein I eat, so I'm less hungry for carbs. An excellent way to do this is by adding Better'n Eggs or AllWhites to your diet.

But eggs, particularly egg substitutes, are boring right?!?! WRONG! There are so many excellent, tasty, and healthy recipes that incorporate Better'n Eggs. Some of my favorites are (click the link below for recipes):

Bacon Cheddar Mini Egg Cups

Mini Turkey Meatloves

And if you're looking for something sweet...

Blueberry Oat Muffins

Don't those recipes look delicious? And you can make them all with Better'n Eggs! AMAZING!

For more recipes and tips on fighting type 2 diabetes with Better'n Eggs don't miss the #betterneggs Twitter party with Bob Greene on 11/16 from 8-10pm EST. Visit http://bit.ly/sa9wmC for more information!

**This post was sponsored by Better'n Eggs as part of the the Fit2Fight Type 2 Campaign. Though I am compensated for this post, all opinions are my own**

Mamavation Tuesday--Preparing for failure.

This week I'm preparing for failure. I'm already late with my post because I was on vacation all weekend.

Last week I lost 1.2lbs (as of last Thurs--I weigh Thurs because that's when my WW meeting is and I want to be consistant), and the week before 2.8 or something like that--it was almost three. That's all I remember but this week I'm preparing to have gained back all that and then some. Not that I want to or anything.

Let me start by saying that my friend from Austrailia was in all last week--I haven't seen her in 9 years, since high school. I was good all week until her trip's conclusion when we had a girl's weekend out in the form of a trip to Chicago. My friend is skinny, gorgeous, and fabulous. She doesn't have to worry about a thing she sticks in her mouth. I do.

That said, here are the reasons I expect to gain this week.

Friday night
4:00pm Peanut Butter Pretzels and Grapes
7:00pm McDonald's Chicken Nuggets and Fries
11:30pm A glass of Chianti and what I thought would be a slice of pumpkin cheesecake at a resturant, turned out to be a six inch cake. I shared with my travelmates, yet still ended up eating 3/4 of it.

Saturday
9:00am HUGE Starbucks berries and yogurt and a tall pumpkin spice latte.
2:00pm Half panini and just a few chips with a red velet whoopie pie.
7:00pm Chicago style deep dish pizza (1 slice. I ended up eating the other 3 once I got home)

The only redeeming part about the trip is that I walked over 10 miles on Saturday, and have no idea about friday evening--my guess is 2 miles. Since I've mentally chalked this week up as a loss, I'm having MAJOR difficulty getting back on the wagon. I've made a promise to go out running tomorrow. And I'm hoping that that gets my ass back on the wagon. I've got my first 5k on the 24th and I have no idea how I'm going to do it, when I haven't ran for the past 3 weeks since I've either been sick, or the baby has.

I'm kind a little FML right now. How is everyone else doing? I need some inspiration!

Mamavation Monday--Still losing and loving it!

This past week I was a little disappointed. Since I started C25K the week before, and was super dilligent, I thought I'd be in for an enormous loss. I didn't have quite the loss I expected, but I still managed to lose 1.6 lbs. I was really hoping for 2lbs, but I'm happy with what I achived.

This coming week I'm really hoping for at least 1.2 lbs. I really want to have a loss of 5 lbs since I started "really trying" again. :) It might be hard, because I've been a little lazy with the C25K plan this week (week 2). In fact I haven't really worked out at all. It's been really rainy and dreery here in The Mitten and I just couldn't bring myself to get off the couch--though I have been REALLY GOOD about my eating habits.

But enough about me. It's time for.....

The Mamavation Question Of The Week, Sponsored by New Balance!

How would you brand your health and wellness lifestyle? How do you want others to know you in this area?

I would brand my health and wellness lifestyle as "Workin' It With Baby". My son goes EVERYWHERE with me, we have extenuating "work life" circumstances that rarely ever let me get a break, and at 18 months, he can sometimes be a hindrence to getting a work out in. Particularly, when he doesn't take a nap. So rather than waiting for an opportune window, I've decided that he is just part of my workout.

If I go running, I burn some extra calories by pushing him in the jogging stroller. If I'm doing yoga, he climbs all over me, after awhile it improves your balence. If I'm strength training, he's my 25 lb weight, and the best part is that he thinks it's a game and laughs the entire time. It brightens my day.


Overall, I want others to know me as a mom, who manages to do it all, including getting fit; And that it is possible to be fit and healthy after baby, you just have to make it work for you.

Best wishes for a wonderful week to all!

This post is sponsored by New Balance and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women

Mamavation Monday--Down Another Pound(ish)

I'm not usually one to brag about myself, or even speak highly about myself, but this week I'm really proud of myself.

I've lost another 1.2 lbs this past week.

I can't believe it!

I started working out again this past weekend, but after our move, our basement is still not quite in order. Oh, let's face it, it's still kind of a hell-hole. So my once avid Turboing has taken a backseat this round of weight-loss. That's why I decided to take my workout outside, and started running. Granted, it's starting to get a little chilly, but I'm going to adjust. I hope. Otherwise, I'll be driving across town to my dad's and hopping on the treadmill.

Either way, I downloaded this super cool app, the C25K app, or Couch to 5K. I love it! The first time out, I felt like I was going to die. But I finished and feel stronger every session I do. I put my phone in the cupholder of the jogging stroller (because being a mom means taking your child every where in my instance), and it you start walking for your warm up, and then the phone "dings" and then you run until it "dings" again. It really makes working on intervals easy. I always dreaded having to time myself following the couch to 5k plans in various fitness magazines, but this totally takes the dread out.

Image courtesy of buycheapshoesale.com



I also went and invested in some super new kicks to help my over-pronation. So I'm not dying of achy ankles everyday. Thanks to Running Fit, for fitting me, and showing me what shoes I needed--the FABULOUS Brooks Adrenaline. Aren't those shoes sexy? And they feel wonderful. It's such a change going from a being runner with the wrong shoes, to a runner with the right shoes. I love it.

Anyhoo, I think my goal is going to be to run the 5k in the Detroit Turkey Trot this Thanksgiving. That gives me a little over a month to train. I think that's do-able. Any tips?

Aright, enough jibber jabber about my elation over my new running regime...it's time for...

THE MAMAVATION QUESTION OF THE WEEK!

What parts of your body are you especially proud of right now? What makes you love them?

The parts of my body that I'm expecially proud of right now are my legs and my lungs. My legs always carry me around, and I've thought nothing of them, up until I started running this past week. They are the biggest muscle group in my body, incinerating the most calories during my run, and they are strong enough to carry my big, yet shrinking, behind around. I'm sorry that I've taken them for granted until now.

I'm also proud of my lungs. I smoked from age 13 to 22. I quit when I found out I was pregnant with my little man 28 months ago. I love that my lungs are resilliant. They have forgiven me for the damage that I did to them and they help me to catch my breath to power through the next mile.


"This post is sponsored by Grunt Style and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women. All of my praise for the C25K app, and Brooks Adrenaline GTS 11 is my own, and not associated with Gruntstyle."

Mamavation Monday-How to (or how not) eat out on a diet.

Well, at my WW meeting last week (Thursday) I was told that I lost 1 lb. This week, I maintained though. And I know exactly why.

A smorgesboard of fried food from Max and Ermas.

Let me start by saying that I can count on one hand, hell, half a hand, how many times my husband and I have been out to eat since we had our son almost 19 months ago. Once to Max and Erma's when our son was still small enough that he slept through most of the day (he was asleep in his carrier when we went), and once last thursday night. Yes, we do like our Max and Erma's.

Since we were out to eat, I knew I was going to have a "cheat day" (and what better day to do it--after weigh in), because I refuse to eat salad at a retaurant. I eat "rabbit food" all the time at home, I sure as hell am not going to go out and pay top dollar for it. So I eyeballed the Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwhich

Image courtesy of Max & Ermas

Because it looked like it was just about the healthiest thing on the menu. (There aren't any "healthy cheat symbols" on the menu as far as I could tell. And then I ordered. And this is what came out of my mouth:

Cheese Skewers- Deep Fried Mozzarella cheese cubes with Dijon mustard mayo sauce & marinara.

Tortilla Soup-Our secret recipe chicken cheese soup with a spicy kick, topped with cheddar, Monterey Jack & freshly made tortilla strips.

Crispy Chicken Tender Dinner-With seasoned fries and cole slaw. Served with BBQ sauce. (I got ranch.)

And I ate it. All. Well, 2 of 4 of the cheese skewers, and a cup of soup, not a bowl. But still. I used up all of my Points+ weekly points in one sitting, and about half my day! And then I got sick. REALLY sick. I started having gallbladder pain, and almost an instant bout of IBS. Yowza.

So it's no shock to me why I'm maintaining this week. BUT, the most important thing is that I got right back on track--which I'm pretty sure I've never, ever done. I'm just hoping that I'm back on track enough to at least put a microscopic dent in the scale come Thursday's weigh in. Wish me luck! And I apologize if I made you want to eat crappy food by posting those pics.

Good luck to all in this new campaign!

Mamavation Monday- I got my butt in gear. FINALLY!

Not only am I on time with my post this week, but I'm back on the weight loss wagon.

I dug out my Weight Watchers stuff, and started going to meetings again. And it's really helping. As of Wednesday, I'll be on plan for a week straight with no cheating! I've got my mojo back. So far, I've lost 1lb. But I'm focusing on the small victories. After eating crap for what seems like months on end, one week on plan is a big deal for me. And after weeks of gaining and gaining. 1 lb down is a big deal for me as well. I've just got to keep up the work. So, I'm going to be ever present in my goals, and start thinking about consequences before I put something in my mouth.

Looking forward to a good week, and wishing you all a good week too!

Mamavation Tuesday. AGAIN.

Well. I unpacked the scale this morning. Eeep. Moving and eating like I've been starving for the past 25 years of my life has apparently made me gain a CRAP TON of weight. Ugh. About 9lbs to be specific.

I'm praying that most of the weight is water weight. I'm coming off my monthly visitor, and am praying to God that the weight miraculously melts off this week. I'm in need of a miracle hardcore on this one.

The next step after unpacking the scale, will be to unpack my weight watchers materials. I need my points calculator, pedometer, and tracker really bad right now. I have to get back on track. And I have to do it now. Wish me luck--both on the weight loss, and on finding my weight loss materials burried in boxes.

Quicky Mamavation Monday--On a Tuesday.

Well, it's Tuesday. And I'm writing this post at work on my break. Why? Because I have no Internet. Or computer at the moment. Ugh.

This past weekend was The Big Move. Ya know, the one where DH, Lil Man, and I moved in with my mother in law. We're living out of boxes, and have yet to set up our computers.

Anyhoo, this week I didn't weigh. Why, because my scale is in a box that my husband packed somewhere. Hopefully, I'll be able to weigh next week and assess my progress.

In the mean time, I'm trying desperately to eat healthy--when most of my good eats are packed away. And I've started walking with the Lil Man in the stroller, since all of my workout gear is inevitably stuck in a box as well.

Can you tell I hate moving? Here's hoping were settled by next week. Wishing you a wonderful week of losses and without chaos!