February Goals.

So this weeks challenge by the Sisterhood was to talk about and set goals for the month of February because as we all should know, (or we're learning), smaller goals are easier to achieve rather than huge end goals with nothing in between!

For the month of February:

• I have entered into the dietbet the Sisterhood is putting on this month.  (lose 4% of my weight and I get a chunk of cash!)
• I want to hit 180 by the end of the month
• I will be doing weekly pictures of my weigh ins instead of just mentally remembering what each week has been.

For weekly goals:

• I will be doing cardio most of the month.  (I will do more toning and crossfit stuff after I lose a bit more)
• I will attempt at least 2 5+ mile bike rides a week. (Currently I'm only biking to class one day a week.)
• Each workout will be no less than 40 mins long!  Gotta get the heart rate up and then burn that fat!!!

I've been doing a ton of research on nutrition because I've been having different reactions in my body based on what I'm doing.  This is a new thing for me.  I always thought you work out, and all the tips and snacks and protein stuff applied to everything.  This is not so!  The recovery from riding a bike is much different than when you run, or use an elliptical.  I haven't been eating the proper foods and it's screwing with my sleep schedule.  So I'm going to keep up the research and try to smarten up a bit.

I'm starting February out at 189 as of this morning and here's a good luck to all the teams out there still in the 8 week challenge!!!

Weigh in #4

Well I must say, I was disappointed with the number on the scale this morning.  And then I pondered.  Thinking of this last month hasn't been terribly motivating regarding pounds lost.  I lost 4 pounds the first week and then gained it all back the next.  Weigh in 3 I had gained ANOTHER 2 pounds so I was over my starting weight!  So when looking at that, I realized I lost 6 pounds this week to put me at 190 just like week 1.  Here's for another month and some more shedding of pounds!  Hope everyone is having a great hump day!!!

Time to go bike to class :)

**Just got back from class :) 55 mins total for just under 8 miles.  I'm ready for a nap....**

Dreaded Tuesdays.

I've come to dread Tuesdays over Mondays!  There's something wrong with that!!  Tuesday night is the night I lay in bed and ponder if my scale weight will be the same as last week.  Tomorrow is week #4 weigh-in and I have to say I'm still worried.  I'm hopeful for some weight loss this time around, but I'm scared that it's not going to be a large number.  I've been eating super healthy and working out longer each day!  But then again, it's only been a month.  Patience is a hard lesson if you want the weight to stay off.

On another note, I'm struggling to get my blogs out onto the internet.  Does anyone have ANY suggestions?  I've been reading tips and from what I've read, I'm doing everything on those lists.  I mostly want my recipe blog out there, but either one would be great to have some feedback and a larger audience.

Slowly but Surely.

I don't think I've actually lost any inches around any body part, but I look in the mirror and just feel skinnier because of the effort I'm putting in.  :)  That's a change worth while.

Bad Days.

Words many can use on a bad day.

Holy Busy!!!

It has been an eventful week!  And apparently I forgot to blog about it all!  Here goes!

For starters, I got to name the new set of hair bands from Active Accesories!!! I feel totally special!  (silly I know, but I thought my name was epic!

And I am getting a free set because they picked my name :)

I also took advantage of their Sunday deal of the buy one get one free for the accessory pouches!

I've been watching old seasons of the Biggest Loser for extra motivation while I build up a better habit of working out.  Yesterday I spent a whole hour on my elliptical!!!  I was drenched in sweat and totally proud of my determination!

Today was a looooooooooooong day.  Our internet has been wonky and mostly not working all day so I decided to spend the day in the kitchen :)  My favorite place only second to my bed!

(last night I used all the veggies in my fridge that were about to go!)  Made an AWESOME Kung Pao Chicken :)

 I squeezed 6 dozen lemons from my in-law's lemon tree!  We're freezing them into lemon ice cubes to add to drinks.

 I then cut up 3lbs of London Broil (found it on sale WOOOOOOOOOOOOO) for beef jerky!!!

I then started some dark chocolate truffles covered in white chocolate!  With a few almond covered ones after I ran out of white chocolate.

While those were setting, I whipped up a batch of dough for pitas!  (my favorite choice for lunch ever!!!!!!!!!!!!) I'm gonna grill up some chicken and veggies for dinner to put in them tomorrow!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND then I made fresh pasta for some lasagna rolls for dinner :)  Leftover dough will be dried into fettuccini noodles.

Can't wait to get off my feet and enjoy the rest of my night now that our internet is back up and running :)

Hope everyone has a great week and good luck!!!!!!!

Before Picture.

The dreaded before picture. The one you never want to remember.  I don't think I'm "fat" per se but I'm definitely big, a lot bigger than I used to be. So for purposes of a reminder, and to show off my progress:

Starting Weight Jan 1st: 194lbs

leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegs and Weigh In 3.

So I did it.  8 miles total on my bike to and from class! :)  Man my legs are feelin' it!!! And according to my fitness tracker, I burned almost 700 calories!  I needed that after this morning's weigh in.

I've gained 2 pounds since last weigh in and I have to say I'm not feeling great about it.  I know there are a ton of reasons and I may not have pushed my hardest, but I was hoping that my huge caloric nutrition cut and change to healthy food would at least help kick a few pounds... But alas I'm up to 196 from my starting weight of 194.

Times like these call for even more motivation and help and determination.  That's why I jumped on the biking to class thing.  It's going to be sooooooooooo painful to bike again tomorrow to class but it's gotta happen because it's a necessity to get to class and it ensures that I don't slack on working out.  I know it's a month to month change that matters, but this week to week stuff is gettin' the Chunky Monkeys down.  Time for another shot this week!

This is what I want again! (maybe a few more ripped muscles, but I miss this body)

Last Chance.

While I see many people are not fans of the Biggest Loser these days, I have to say I'm loving it.  This season is my first time ever seeing it and it's an eyeopener after working with Jillian's 30 Day Shred.  I get half the stuff she says now!  Anywho!  Now that I have hulu+ I'm going back to some of the older seasons and watching when I am feeling down and unmotivated!  I just watched the first episode of season 6 and I managed to do my own last chance workout while watching!  I busted out another 47 mins on my elliptical!  That's saying something!  My brain told my body it was time for more I guess.

Now to my issue.  I've been experiencing numbness in 3 of my toes when I am working on my elliptical.  I'm not sure if it's an issue with my leg/foot or if it's because I'm using a mini elliptical and it's causing me to run funny.

Either way, it's preventing me from doing a longer, harder workout because of the pain and uncomfortable feeling.  Here's hoping it goes away after more time.

Rough week.

It seems that day by day, the motivation seems to wane for the Chunky Monkeys.  I'm doing my best to motivate myself and my partner but life keeps throwing punches and hitting both of us in soft spots.  Last couple of days I've been feeling under the weather in one way or another.  I had to pull myself out of bed at 7 this morning for a test in Biology and I had every intent of going back to bed as soon as I got home.  I was really feeling yucky.  Instead, I found the motivation somewhere to clean my kitchen (hasn't been cleaned in 2 days and considering how small, that's saying something), I did 30 mins on my elliptical machine, and I made my lunch instead of just resorting to a can of soup (the healthy yummy kind, but still lazy soup).

 It's been reorganized since these pics, but still tiny tiny!

The Sisterhood put up a motivational post today to help remind us what we're working towards.  I really can't express how needed it was and how nice it is to hear.  We need to stick to it no matter the road bumps we hit!

Tomorrow is weigh in day and to be honest I'm a little worried, but I know that I'm working towards a goal and I haven't given up yet.  That's all that I can ask of myself.

Tomorrow is also my first attempt at biking to class.  4 miles is a little scary, but I have to get to class somehow and what better way than going for some exercise in the process?  I can't wait for biking to become my daily habit.  Running is for some people, but I have bad knees.  I want biking to be my goal, my love, my choice.  Here's hoping!  And good luck to everyone for the weigh in tomorrow!!!

Food Break on the Diet.

Oh my goodness I blew my healthy eating for a night!  I've been doin' good with my workouts and my meals but I was craving some good ol' Mexican food!  Who can blame me?!?! not me.  My tummy's happy and I ended up eating half of it so it wasn't a terrible crack in my nutrition!

Chipotle Beef Chimis with my bean dip!

I'm gonna have to do a few extra jumping jacks, but hey, if you can't enjoy fried food every once in a while..... what's the point of living???

Hope everyone's weekend is going great!  I'll be in the process of merging my blogs here pretty soon so I can stop linking different links!  I'm kind of excited to join the ranks of "real" bloggers!  Wish me luck!

Busy Bee.

I have been slacking on my motivational postings! Eek!  It's been a super busy week with school and homework.

I've been slacking just a tad.... But I've still been working out every day this week.  I've been doing at least 30 mins on my mini elliptical every day.  It's not Jillian, but man it still breaks a good sweat!  It's also my favorite way to watch netflix :)

I've been doing great with my daily calories all week!  I'm a tad worried that my headaches and upset stomach are from a drastic nutritional change.  It's a learning process with my body I guess.

Today was grocery shopping day!  Half our groceries were veggies!  So awesome! I'm excited about all the food in my fridge!!! yay!  Hope everyone else is out there workin' off the pounds and eatin' real healthy!

Change.

Gotta keep your head up and get goin'!

Focusing Anger.

Today has been a wonky Monday for me.  I worked out as soon as I got up which never happens.  I did 35 mins on an elliptical!  Yay! :)  I had chicken noodle soup for lunch and we're doing a best of both worlds alfredo for dinner.  (I didn't get the message about it being meatless Monday!)

After my workout I discovered that my internet wasn't working on my desktop.  After TONS of troubleshooting, I've discovered that I need to buy a new part for my computer.  The big issue with that is I attend school online!  Eek!  I've been pretty grumpy about it all day long.  Which brings me to my daily lesson that I'm thankful for.

When I'm upset, sad, or angry in any way, I tend to clean things.  This is not new news to me.  But today I took full advantage of my grumpies over my computer.  I did a bunch of my homework for the week while I did 6 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen twice, straightened up the WHOLE house, and just for fun I left the bathrooms for my boyfriend. :)  While for most mothers out there this doesn't seem a lot, I am not a mother.  I am a neat freak for the most part but it's rare that I do everything all in one sit down!

I'm still pretty grumpy even after all that cleaning, but at least I have a clean house to look at for the rest of the week!

Hope everyone has a great week and let's get our exercise on!!!

It's Friday! Almost There!

So I recently took the leap and subscribed to hulu plus just so I could watch The Biggest Loser like everyone else in the country.  I must confess, I've NEVER seen an episode before.  This season started out heart wrenching but the inspiration is literally dripping from the screen.  It's going to be interesting to see how the show changes me as a person.

I must confess, I stopped doing the Fab Abs because 4-5 days a week I do the 30 day shred and man does Jillian work those abs.  It got to the point where I couldn't even hold myself up for more than 15 seconds from the awful tearing feeling of muscles not getting enough protein to help repair and get them stronger.  But that being said, I'm proud that I'm sticking to the 30 day shred no matter how tough it is for me every day.

My New Balance shoes finally came in the mail today!  I'm stooooooooked!  Now I have the proper footwear to run and other workouts that require tennis shoes!

Tomorrow I'm taking my bike out to see how long it will take me to bike to school 3 days a week starting next week.  It's 3.9 miles and I'm hoping to shoot for 20-25 mins.  We shall see but the biking isn't an option, I can't afford a parking permit. :)  Just more motivation right??

The week is almost over and I hope everyone is striving to do their personal best, pushing themselves hard, and stickin' to it!  Mindset is the only thing holding you back, not your body. :)

Mmmmm Bacon

Earn it!

January 11, 2014: Dear Me

**Insert AFTER picture here**

Dear Me,

Well, it's 2014.  Another year has gone too quickly.  There have been tears, laughs, memories, and tons of pics!  I am so proud of what we've become and how we've changed.

I can't believe we stuck with our workouts and lost those 45 looming pounds!  It was tough in the beginning but week after week, it became habit and even more surprising it became fun!  After we lost those pounds, I'm super glad we moved on to get toned!  Hello closet of skinny clothes!

My food blog is totally blooming with tooooooooons of new recipes!  (some super healthy, some not so much)  I am glad that people have started to view it even more!  Cooking has really blown up in the kitchen and our knowledge of different techniques have blown up this year in preparation for Le Cordon Bleu!  (Which we just got accepted to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I can't believe that we're finally done with ASU.   We finally achieved that bachelor's degree.  Took 7 years, but it's done and worth it.  And the whole family is proud of you, not just me!!! 

As for vacations, trips, fun times, and everything else.  First off, Vegas in March will stay in my brain, but man....  Happy birthday to Liz!  Glad we got the body all worked out to show off that summer on the beach in Cali while Zach and I were visiting David and Nessa!

It's been tough, there have been more tears than necessary (but hey, those endorphins help sometimes).  It's all been worth it.  Our favorite saying to live by:  No Regrets.  After another year, it still holds true and we just learn from our experiences.  We made it!  2014!

Me.

Weigh in #1

It's a glorious wednesday morning (almost afternoon) and I've just posted my groups weigh in for week 1 in our weight loss challenge.  *drumroll*  We are down 8.8 pounds as of this morning!  *jumps up and down*  If that number isn't motivation to keep going, I don't know what is!  I'm just super proud of our dedication and attempts at being better every day.  :)

Now on to my random thoughts for the day :)

Do you think an orange is a negative calorie food because of the effort it takes to peel it? :) (i know that's not really it, but it gets me every time)  I LOVE oranges but they're kind of like working out.  You have to decide if they're worth the effort.  I say this because I am super picky about no rind on my slices so it takes me like 30 mins just to peel one, but man are they soooooooo good after that!

 

Let's get some more healthy stuff in our diets shall we?!

Hope everyone's hump day is great and productive!  And good job to everyone for making it to weigh in #1!!!!

Salsa Lover.

I am definitely one of those Americans that just loooooooooooves their ranch, but I have been blessed with the love of salsa even more.  It's my favorite topping on all kinds of foods.  I'm currently eating a turkey salad with a touch of parmesan cheese and 2 different salsas on top!  One is my Black Bean Salsa and the other is a new one I've made (the recipe isn't up because it needs some tweaking) but man is the second one hot!  So not only am I eating a salad, but I'm getting all kinds of veggies on top without having to cut extra stuff up!!!  (I tend to put all my effort into dinner so I get lazy with lunch)

I just had my first day of class and then came straight home to put dinner in the crockpot too!  I'm trying a new recipe for shredded beef that will have a different flavor than my normal recipe.  I'm going to make enchiladas out of it tonight and wonton tacos with the leftovers tomorrow! Yum!

Now to let lunch settle so I can break out that 30 day shred and my fab abs!  Hope everyone's still stayin' strong!!!

Snack Attack!

My kitten wants to eat healthy too!

Sure is Monday!

Monday.  The most dreaded day of the week.  Everyone's tired from the weekend, not geared up for work, and just feeling an overall laziness.

I had a bunch of errands to get done today so I had lunch at Chipotle.  I ended up saving 2/3 of the bowl and had it for dinner.  I know it's not the healthiest of options, but I'm still under my calories for the day and I got a good healthy portion of veggies from the lettuce and salsa!

My body is grumbling at me for taking sunday off and then jumping back into my 30 day shred, but by wednesday I should be feeling so much stronger.  I still have to knock out my fab abs before bed, but I've for sure earned my dollar for the day!

Motivation comes in all shapes and sizes.  It's hard to see where it comes from sometimes but just know that it's there.  As is support.  We're nearing the date most people give up on their goals and resolutions and I urge everyone to just keep going, push forward, and know you can do it!

Bad days? It's gonna be ok!

Saturday's a Bust.

Well, yesterday was kind of a negative feeling day to me so I didn't post but I did dance to workout and I did my fab abs!  Today is a new day and that's all I need to remember.

I've already noticed a huuuuuuuge difference in my eating habits.  Not just about being healthy but about portions too!  I ate less than half my dinner last night and I was full!!!  I put the rest in the fridge for lunch today.

I hope everyone has a great sunday!!!   I'm just checkin' in and I'll post more substantially after I workout and make some dinner. :)

Today at a Glance.

I broke out my new Kinect games and did a 30 min fitness workout on Dance Central 3.  They have pre-set playlists or you can create your own.  Since it was my first time playing it, I picked a "Steady" list of songs.  I was feeling a bit brave so I did it on a medium difficulty.  Eek!  It was a ton of fun and I burned about 300 calories doing it!  I made sure I did my fab abs today too.  Since the 1st, I've burned 1528 calories!

Now it's friday afternoon and I can relax and smell dinner in the crockpot.  I'm making a chicken tortilla soup!  If it turns out awesome, I'll share the recipe!  (each serving is under 200 calories minus cheese and chips)

A thought to all those who stumble on my blog from the Sisterhood Challenge, I'm trying to follow at least 5 people's blogs on top of my partners just for some added support!  I hope some of you follow me too! :)

Setting my Detailed Goals.

For my weight loss challenge, we were asked to get down and dirty with our goals for the challenge as well as the year.  It took a few days and a post-it note or two for me to get my thoughts together about it.  So here goes.

Overall Goal:
There are many ways to look at how much weight we lose.  Some people set how many pounds to lose, some go with inches, and some are just happy to lose what they can.  I have an overall goal of losing 45 pounds, but my actual goal is to fit in all my clothes again.  I've been holding on to my entire dressy wardrobe in the hopes that I wouldn't have to buy new clothes just because I got fat.  In regards to the 8 week challenge, I'm hoping to lose at LEAST 20 pounds by the end if not more!

How I'm going to do this:
1. I have (as mentioned in previous blogs) started doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred again.  I am shooting for 3-4 days a week with this workout.  (I hurt head to toe and I've only done it twice!  I'm doing something right!)  Another butt kicker is Banish Fat Boost Metabolism!

2. I just bought my dream tennis shoes yesterday and they should be here by next week.  They weigh less than 3 pounds combined (soooo light like you're not wearing anything) and they are super supportive and comfy.  Shoewear is terribly important when working out on a normal basis. (New Balance 610)

3. I have been keeping up with the Fab Abs January calendar.  It's going to be a struggle, but I will always do one each day!
4. This semester for school I'm actually attending one of my five classes.  (the other four are online)  The campus is 3.9 miles one way and I plan on biking to and from class 3 days a week. (mostly because parking permits are outrageous!) This will be on TOP of my daily workouts. (this is my Trek 820)

5. I am a very big supporter of the Kinect for Xbox 360.  If you don't have one, save up for one!  The games are very active and there are a TON of games that encourage working out or are actually workout games!  My favorites: Dance Central 1, 2, and 3, Zumba Fitness, and Just Dance 4 (It literally just came like 3 mins ago through UPS so I haven't tried it yet, but I've seen it played on the Wii).  Games I'd like to save up for: Nike+ Kinect Training.  These games get you up and active and all the dancing games have workout modes.  They tend to burn more calories than circuit training workouts!!

6. I want to do the couch to 5k program at some point this year.  I think I might start it up right after the 8 week challenge because the weather will be warming up a bit and I'd like to really run not do it on a treadmill, but there is a treadmill version for those who don't want to really run!

7. And last but not least, nutrition.  I'm not picking a diet where you go no carbs, or no sugar, or no this or no that.  I am keeping track of calories consumed.  My daily goal is about 1550 calories but there's room to play with that number.  My biggest changes in my diet are protein and fruits and veggies.  I'm trying to increase my protein intake to help heal those muscles faster.  I'm not a big fruit person so I'm trying to have more veggies incorporated into my meals.  It helps that I am home almost 24/7 so I'm always cooking for myself and my boyfriend.  Another downfall is snacking.  I don't like to snack but I know it's used to curb hunger and help you eat less during normal meals.  I'm gonna try to snack more than normal.

It all looks like a ton but when you put one foot in front of the other, and think one bite at a time, it's less daunting and easier for you to focus and reach your goals!

Starting to get Easier.

While it's only day 3 for the challenge, I've been working out for 5 days now.  I just finished my D2W1 in the 30 day shred and I can already feel the difference in my body.  It still hurts, I still huff and puff, but instead of quitting 2 reps early, I'm able to finish each exercise!  This is a very positive feeling and helps me want to continue this habit!

Lunch today was totally my favorite part of the day so far!  I am a picky eater.  If any of you happen to take a look at my food blog you'll notice there's mostly only chicken and beef recipes.  And to be honest, I LOVE chicken.  I eat it 6 times a week give or take!  I didn't feel like having soup today so I made my first lettuce wrap ever.  (not that it's fancy or anything, just decided to skip the tortillas today!)

 

Fiesta Chicken Wrap with a Crystal Light (sugar free) Peach Mango Green Tea 

(Did I mention that this whole meal came out to248 calories, 14g carbs, 6g fat, and 34! yes 34g protein!)

 

I'll probably put these up soon on Scary's Kitchen just because everyone should try them!  I love to keep a batch of my black bean salsa on hand to put on just about anything!

Hope everyone else is doing well with their challenge!  Keep up the hard work!!!

A different point of view can make all the difference.

Getting Ready for Healthy.

I've read time and time again that eating healthy isn't usually terribly expensive when you're used to having the right stuff around the house.  This may be true after a month or so of stocking up on the good stuff!  But when you're trying week by week to add more fruits n veggies and less crap, it tends to be a tad pricey.

I just got the ingredients for no-cook breakfast oatmeal and I can't wait to make a few and try them tomorrow morning!  They are super low in calories and packed with nutrients and protein!  I'm also going to make those protein banana bites floating around pinterest.  The filling is greek yogurt, peanut butter, and a smashed banana sandwiched between two slices of banana!  Great for after a vigorous workout!

I feel when working out it's important to not get bored or tiresome with what you're doing so I plan on mixing things up every day.  Today I did D1W1 for the 30 day shred with Jillian Michaels.  I must say, I've started this a handful of times but never stuck with it because I lost interest or motivation in working out.  Here's to attempt #2875 :)  I also did my day two of Fab-Abs and it's already kickin' my butt!

I haven't come up with my super detailed goal sets for the Challenge yet but those will come soon!

The Goal.

The dreaded resolution, that goal that you strive for and usually end up never sticking with it....  Well here's mine.

I have a set number of pounds I'm trying to lose and I'm rewarding myself $1 for every time I work out.  I'm shooting for working out in some way all 7 days of the week.  *deep breath*  Here goes nothin!

January 1st. The Day of so Many Dreams.

It's started again!  My third attempt at keeping up with a blog O.o  This one is going to be the best attempt yet!  It's 2013 and I've turned a page in my life.  I have put on quite a few pounds over the last several years and this is my year.  I'm making a change and it feels good.  I'll actually be keeping two blogs on two different sites but it's the same information.  (this way people don't have to be a member of Sparkpeople.com to read and comment!)  BUT I strongly recommend their site if you're looking to get fit, eat healthier, or just to set some goals!  I hope everyone had a great new year's day and here goes!

Well, it's nearing the end of the day and I have met almost all my goals so far.  The day started off a tad rough from last night's celebration, but honestly, who wakes up on new years feeling dandy?  (if you didn't do anything and slept through it, you don't count!)  I took my sweet time recouping and finally felt well enough to get my workout started!  I joined an 8 week challenge through The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  I'm partnered up with a buddy and we're supposed to motivate each other to work out, eat healthy, etc.  On top of the challenge, they put out a monthly calendar that's fun and bright!  I urge everyone to take a look!

Today I chose to use my mini elliptical and did 25 mins on it for a nice cardio blast.  If any of you are like me (I live in a very small apartment) then you should all have one of these!  It's very inexpensive, easy to assemble, and takes up almost no room!  Hope everyone else had a productive new years :)