Embrace

I came across this website for a documentary while reading this post on CleanandDelicious.com.  I read her post and then immediately went over to the website to watch the video.  It hit home.

I struggle with confidence and self esteem.  I guess digging REALLY deep I can say that I always have. In high school and unfortunately as young as junior high I turned to drugs for a sense of belonging in a group of people and to make me fun or fit in...  Luckily I got out of that crowd of people by my senior year of high school and before it ever became a real problem.

And then I think a lot of people get hit with the shock that who you were in high school doesn't matter in the real world anyway. That sense of belonging I had in my tiny town didn't matter when I graduated and moved away.

Then after high school I put on weight. At the time I thought it was the worst thing!  But now looking back- I think it was just me growing into my body.  I finally started to get hips and a butt. Now those are things I try to embrace.  Back then, I didn't love it.

Then of course started the ridiculous dieting cycle that I think most women go through.  The ups and downs and calorie restricting then putting the weight back on when I realized I can't maintain that forever.  I am just now realizing and accepting these patterns.

I have a huge problem with comparison.  I always have.  If only I could have her hair or her thighs.  That's what usually ends up bringing me down.  I think I mentioned before that I unfollowed a ton of people on Instagram recently because of this problem.

All of this is huge for me.  I have never admitted any of this out loud or even to myself until recently.  So I am working on it.  I am working on accepting me.  I am working on not turning to other people for my acceptance.  I am working on loving my body the way it is and working hard to become strong healthy and not just skinny.

I love the concept of this documentary and I think its something that women need to watch.  I hope they make it.  Its something we all need to see!!!

You can watch the video here.
You can contribute to the campaign here


XO,
Heather

Intuitive Eating: My Thoughts

Now that you have a little backstory about what brought me to this book I want to talk about the book.

Here are the basic principles of the book:

source

The most informative section for me was the "reject the diet mentality" section.  It basically says the reason diets do not work is because we tell ourselves foods are good and bad.  We eat the good foods and stay away from the bad.  Then when the temptation gets too great we give into the "bad foods."  This causes us to feel bad about ourselves, like we are failures, which then causes us to binge.  The binge usually leads to more "bad" eating.  Then on Monday we vow to do better.

It also talks about the last supper mentality.  I know I've been guilty of this.  Sundays we stuff our face with everything because we are starting a new diet Monday.

It basically says to put weightloss on the back burner.  Your goal for eating this way should not be to lose weight.  It may happen. But it may not.  You should fall into your natural weight.  Your natural weight is what you maintain without trying.  

Another one of my favorite principles is "Exercise- feel the difference."  I like this because it says to find something you enjoy doing and do it.  Don't use exercise as a form of punishment.  Don't use exercise to burn X amount of calories because you were "bad" during the day.  I am VERY guilty of this.  I have 2 heart rate monitors and a fitbit.  I had been wearing one or the other or both all the time.  I wanted to see how many calories I burned to compare that to my eating in My Fitness Pal.  This is not the right way to look at exercise.

About two weeks ago when I started to try to change my thinking I decided to give those devices a rest.  I decided not to use them for a while.  I also decided instead of following a schedule for my workouts every day I would do what I wanted that day.  If I want to rest I will.  If I want to run instead of lift I will switch my days.  If I want to do yoga I will.  I am trying to change my thoughts about exercise. I used to enjoy running.  I did it almost every day because it was fun for me.  Exercise stopped being fun when it became about burning calories. I want it to be fun again.  For the past 2 weeks I have listened to my body every day to see what I wanted to do for movement that day.  This has felt so much better than telling myself well its back/bicep day so you better suck it up and do it whether you feel like it or not...

There is also a section on raising an intuitive eating child/ teenager.  I skipped that part.

The books has way more to offer.  These are just some of the chapters that stood out to me.

I think this book is great tool to start to see food, nutrition, and health from a different perspective.  Its the opposite of what we read every day in magazine, see on Instagram and social media, etc...  I have been trying to follow these principles daily, and I can say- I feel so much more free.  I haven't beat myself up about my eating habits since starting this.  I have overeaten a couple of times.  That is because at the time I let myself get too hungry before I ate again.  I would highly recommend it to anyone because it is just refreshing to see it all from a different view.

You can buy it here on Amazon.  Let me know if you read this book or have read it before and what you think!!

XO
Heather

I also wanted to include this AWESOME blogpost that I read yesterday about why this blogger stopped counting calories.  I honestly felt like I could've written it myself.  : 

Intuitive Eating: The Backstory

source

I figure I should start with the backstory of what brought me to this book.  I picked up this book last week on my way home from work after stalking Paige's blog, facebook, and instagram for suggestions on learning how to eat... I have been in a bit of a funk lately.  I feel like I have been on some type of diet for the past 2 years or so when I know I don't need to be.  At the time I did have some weight to lose and wasn't happy with my body.  I wasn't healthy.  I ate a lot of junk food and randomly did some kind of "work out" every once in a while.  That's when I found Tone It Up and running.  I lost the weight  and I enjoyed it all at the time.  But it sort of started a vicious cycle for me that I haven't quite learned how to recover from.  

But I honestly don't know how to eat.  This is a big thing for me to admit b/c I feel like amongst my friends and co-workers and family I am the go-to person for advice on healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle.  See, on the outside it may look like I have my shit together. I really don't. I mean, who does?!

My weight has fluctuated so much (according to the scale) for the past couple of years.  The crazy thing is that 1 year ago today I actually weighed 10 lbs more than right now but I wear the same size.  Its because I started lifting weights in November. So I know its MOSTLY muscle gain and some fat.  I let that scale # dictate my feelings about myself.  I know better. I don't know why I let it bother me.  Then it causes me to think I need to diet.  When in all reality I don't need to diet. I need to learn how to eat.- how to eat to fuel my body and maintain my weight.  I have no clue how to do that.

A few weeks ago this would be a typical day/ week for me:
Monday-Friday I would meal plan and bring my food to work every day.  Never eating out with co-workers or deviating from the plan.  I would eat at 7, 10, 12, 2, 5, and 7... Every day... Those exact times.  Regardless of whether I was hungry or starving I would eat at those times.  Because someone told me this is the way to eat.  Then if something unusual happened- like someone brought donuts- I would have 1, then another, then another... (True Story- this happened a few weeks ago).  I think its because I would tell myself "You can't have the donut. It is bad for you.  It is processed.  You are going to Mexico in a month."  But then after about 2 hours of telling myself that I would give in.  Then after having one I would get the f*ck it mentality b/c I already screwed up. So I would eat until I felt sick.
The weekends were a different story.  Because I was "good" all week I would splurge on the weekends.  Except I would splurge at every single meal.  We will eat out every meal Friday afternoon- Sunday night.  Add in some drinking with friends and I screwed up everything I did during the week.  So because I felt so bad about myself Sunday night I would vow to do better Monday and the cycle would start again.  I am positive I am not alone in this.

I had a realization a couple of weeks ago.  I honestly don't even remember  how it came about.  Maybe I looked at a picture of myself or something.  But at that moment I said to myself, "You look great. WTF is wrong with you?  You don't need to diet.  You need to learn how to eat."  So that is what I am on a quest to do... Learn how to properly eat and accept/love my body.

I went through and unfollowed a ton of people on Instagram.  I had to stop looking at everyone's pics of their abs in the morning.  I don't want to be a bikini competitor therefore I don't need to look to those people for inspiration or advice.  Its not practical.

Tone It Up was great in helping me initially lose the weight.  But now I need to learn how I can eat for the rest of my life.  Something that is easily sustainable.  Something that will make life easier and bring me joy and not stress.

So that is where I am right now.  Learning to listen to my body.  Stop dieting.  Stop restricting.  Learning to love to exercise again instead of doing it for calories burned.  Learning to love myself.  Learning to love my body.  Its a struggle.  Just yesterday I found myself looking at old pictures of myself thinking I needed to go on a diet before our trip to Mexico in 4 weeks b/c the scale says I'm 10lbs heavier than last year.

Next I'm going to do a book review/ overview of some of my thoughts on the book!

Have you ever tried Intuitive Eating?  Do you diet all the time?  Are you going through something similar?

XO,
Heather

A Journal

This is probably at least the 3rd time I have stopped blogging for a long period of time and restarted. I think it is because I don't know where I want to go with it. I need to stop trying to have a focus or a destination and just let it be.  I think that is something I struggle with in all aspects of my life.

So what inspired me to get started again this time?  Last night I had a realization- I don't feel balanced.     I am very successful at my job.  I have a successful position in my company.  I have amazing friends.  I am healthy and physically fit.  I am happy most of the time.  I have a great family.  Some things I feel like I don't have or can't find is creativity and fulfillment....  

Maybe I am looking at this all wrong.  I guess the term creativity is sort of relative.  I guess creativity can show up in many different forms.  I love the idea of doing creative things and making things. I'm  just not really good at it.  And that is where I struggle.  I'm not a good writer.  I definitely can't sing, or draw, or really make stuff.  I'm not very crafty.  I feel like I am lacking creativity altogether... Not just an outlet but the creative gene or something.

As far as fulfillment goes- I want to help people.  I want to find my purpose.  I have felt like it usually had something to do with helping people lose weight or get fit. {But honestly- I think that has caused more harm than good in my life.  More on that in another post.}  I don't know how to find my purpose.

Last night I googled "How to channel creative energy."  It brought me to a few articles about balancing your chakras.  This is something I never really looked into. But now I'm extremely intrigued. 

source

I'm thinking I need to focus on balancing the 2nd Chakra.  Hell I probably need to balance all of them.  For now this is what I am focusing on.    I found this info:

2nd chakra:

Balanced: Vibrant physical and emotional health, feeling of well being, laugh easily and often, healthy sexual and creative outlets

Unbalanced: Emotionally instable or numb, fear of change, sexual dysfunction, depression, anorexia, alcohol or drug abuse

Stepping up to the 2nd Chakra, it’s time to move out of the survival mode of the 1st Chakra’s focus on your basic physical needs and start having fun feeling sensual and sexy, and engaging your creative self. The 2nd Chakra attends to your desire for interpersonal relationships and invites others into your life to share your passions, sexuality, and creativity.

The 2nd Chakra level primarily focuses on emotional and sexual energies. Balanced emotions promote a sense of self-worth that allows one to accept all the good, including abundance and prosperity, into his or her life. And balanced sexual energy generates romance and healthy sexual relationships. The craving to create something physical, outside of oneself, develops at this level, and drawing, painting, writing, and music are excellent outlets for this desire.

A balanced 2nd Chakra leads to feelings of wellness, plenty, pleasure, and joy. You can see this exemplified by those who are fully connected and attuned to their physical and emotional centers. They are comfortable with their bodies and their emotions. Sexual and non-sexual relationships are healthy, and they are based on trust and mutual respect. There is a passion for life that is expressed in everything they do.

Imbalances in the 2nd Chakra are characterized by “living in your head,” being out of touch with what your body is telling you, and denying yourself pleasure. Anorexia, bulimia, drug and alcohol abuse, and other addictions are attempts to nurture oneself in this kind of emotionally disconnected or detached state. Sexual dysfunctions are also directly related to imbalances in the 2nd Chakra.

An overactive 2nd Chakra can result in lustful, arrogant, or conceited behavior, and an aggressive desire to control others; whereas an underdeveloped 2nd Chakra can manifest as distrust, resentment, fear, apathy, pessimism, and anti-social conduct. It can also show up as continually worrying about what others think and always following the crowd.

The 2nd Chakra is a very important building block in the Chakramid structure. As such, it is perfectly positioned and proportioned right above the root Chakra, which is the foundation or base of the Chakramid. Emotional awareness and connectedness will become more and more important as you ascend up the Chakramid, because emotions are the magnifying glass through which you will examine, study, evaluate (and ultimately communicate with) all of your Chakras.

So I am hoping this blog will help me let out some of that energy I feel like is built up.  I have no focus for the blog. Maybe people will read it. Maybe not.  I just need a place to be me.  I need a bigger sense of fulfillment.  Maybe this will give it to me.  Maybe not.  Maybe it will be a place that inspires me to do something else that will give me a sense of fulfillment in my life.  The title is "Diary of a Simple Life."  So that's what this will be- a diary... a journal of some sort... 

XO

Heather

21 Day Fix Results and Final Review

Well I did it!!  I finished the 21 Day Fix & was very pleased with my results.  Here were my final stats:

Starting 2/17:

Weight 134

Body fat: 20.7%

waist 25"

Hips 36"

Left thigh 21"

Right thigh 22"

3/10

Weight: 125.2

Body fat: 19.5%

Wait 24.5"

Hips 35.5"

Left Thigh 21"

Right 21.3"

I'm really not good with measuring.  I feel like I didn't measure in the same spots for my legs... 

I am extremely happy with my after pics.  I didn't have a lot to lose and my biggest goal was to get my body fat under 20% and I did that. I accomplished my goal!  I am blown away.  Everyone in my test group had crazy results.  Some lost as much as 15 pounds.  Some lost no pounds but a ton of inches and gained so much energy.  There are so  many different ways to measure your success.  I look at pictures and my body fat to measure my success.  

Final thoughts on the program:

-I didn't love the workouts enough to continue them after the program.  They were good- don't get me wrong.  Simple classic workout moves that are effective.  I just like going to the gym, running or doing T25 more.   

- The best part of this program is the meal system.  It opened my eyes to my eating habits and how my body responds to different foods.  I honestly felt so disappointed for so long b/c I felt like I was doing all that I could with my eating to see results.  I was lying to myself. I definitely wasn't. I was eating the right foods MOST of the time.  But the wrong portions and too much of one thing and not enough of the other.

- I ended with the 3 Day Quick Fix.  It is a SIMPLE BASIC 3 day program Autumn uses to get ready for a bikini competition.  No fruit, no dairy, VERY few carbs, lots of protein and veggies.  I learned my body responds really well to that. 

- The program is not gimmicky.  It is basic workout moves and basic fundamental nutrition.  I am actually following the program still to maintain my weight.  It takes the guesswork out of everything for me. Its just easier.  It can also work with any dietary needs.  I am using this with my knowledge from the Tone It Up Plan together.

-The knowledge I gained from this program was worth so much more than what I spent on it.

Here are some before and after pics.  

The program has actually sold out twice now because it's just such a great program for the price. Beach body really never disappoints. But this program is extra special because it focuses so much on nutrition.

I would love to help you reach your goals and get bikini ready! 

Xo, 

Heather

21 Day Fix Week 2 Review

Sorry for the lack of posts!  Things have been crazy busy at work lately.  Then when I get home I've been doing double workouts and I haven't had a ton of free time to blog!

I wanted to give a review of my week 2 on the 21 Day Fix.

Week 2 was definitely easier that week 1.  I feel like my body is adjusting a little more to the smaller portions.  I didn't have to go out to eat any. So that helped.  Even though you totally can eat out (there is a restaurant guide).  I just prefer not to.  I really like to know what is in my food.  Its hard to tell that when you go out.

All week I pretty much ate the same things.  Shakeology for breakfast, greek yogurt and fruit for snack, salad with some kind of protein and quinoa or a turkey sandwich on Ezekial pita, hummus with a pita (if not for lunch) and then a lean protein and veggie for dinner.

This weekend posed a whole new threat for me- Mardi Gras...  My husband actually loves it way more than I do. I tend to get stressed out with all the crowds around.  But he invited his sister, brother in law, and 2 kids down to go to the Endymion parade on Saturday.  So I knew I had to go.  My biggest problem was going to be what the hell to bring to eat?! And of course... not drinking... lol...

We actually went out to the parade route Friday night and set out our stuff to secure a good spot.

Then Saturday morning my husband went back to check on everything.  I had breakfast of eggs, oatmeal, and fruit for breakfast first.  
While he did that I got in a Dirty 30 Workout from the 21 day fix.  I was so proud of myself.  I reasoned with myself for a good hour about why I didn't have to do it. I was going to be walking a lot, I had not missed a work out yet, I deserved it, etc... Finally I sucked it up and just did it! I was so happy I did.

Then I had a snack of apple & almond butter.  Then started to get ready.  Around 12:30 I ate my lunch. I had baked chicken, brown rice, and green peas.  I was upset with myself because I didn't notice until afterwards that I measured the peas in the wrong container... OOPS!  Oh well, could've been worse.

I knew that I would need 2 meals while we were out.  We were leaving around 1, but the parade didn't start until 4:00, and lasted about 3 hours.  I decided to pack a ton of water, a packet of shakeology, and a meal of a pita; turkey; hummus; bell peppers.  I figured all of those things were easy to eat.  My husband brought beer, Reese's eggs, and beef jerky... ha!

The day went fine.  I was a little hungry. But around 3:00 I ate my turkey and bell peppers and dipped my pita in the hummus.  It was easy to eat and delish!  I ended up having 1 Reese's egg (I couldn't help myself) and a few pieces of beef jerky.  I did open a beer then after a few sips realized it was stupid so I gave it away... I had to keep my focus on my goals!!!!  I ended up not even having the shakeology until when got home around 8.  The parade was over around 7:15 and we had to pack up and walk back to the car.  Plus, I wasn't super hungry.

The parade was fun! I was proud of myself.  Our niece and nephew had a great time at their first Mardi Gras, and I was so glad we went!

I weighed in Monday morning.  I was only down 1 pound from the last week- which I think makes 4lbs total. I was down to 127.8.  But the big exciting news is that my body fat % is at 19.8!!!!!  I'm so excited.  I reached my goal already!  I also took some 2 week progress pictures, and I was very pleased with them!!!  I'm down a few inches too in different places but I don't have the numbers in front of me.

So far I am extremely impressed with this program.  Its simple, easy to follow, and teaches the average person (that may know nothing about clean eating & fitness) what to eat.  If you are interested in the 21 Day Fix let me know.  I have accountability groups starting all month long.  

-Heather

21 Day Fix Week 1 Recap

So I know I sort of dropped off with my daily recaps. But I felt like it would be boring and a little silly to keep telling you I eat the same 2 days worth of meals for 7 days...  I basically alternated 2 days worth of meal all work week.  Its cheaper and simpler for me to do that.  Plus, if I find 2 sets of things I like it doesn't bother me at all.

I loved the workouts all week. My favorite part is that there is a different one for each day of the week. So if you don't like one- you only have to do it two more times!  But I actually liked them all.  Each workout is a 30 minute interval training type workout.  1 minute work, 30 seconds rest. next exercise, then repeat those 2. Then move on to another set- 4 times total.
Here's the schedule:
Monday- total body cardio- loved this one. really hard!
Tuesday- upper fix- i need heavier weights for this
Wednesday- lower fix- this was very challenging b/c my legs were sore from my leg day at the gym monday
Thursday- Pilates- really enjoyed this. it was a nice active recovery type day
Friday- cardio fix- skipped to run
Saturday- Dirty 30- LOVED!!!! circuit style weight training
Sunday- yoga- very well needed and deserved

Along with that schedule I also worked out with my husband at the gym twice. I did Monday legs and Thursday back and biceps. I skipped my other workouts with him because I was really tired.

My workout for the program was cardio for Friday afternoon.  But I had a phenomenal day Friday, it was gorgeous outside, and I get off early.  So I decided to go for my first run in MONTHS!!!  OMG! It felt AMAZING!  I had that euphoric runners' high afterwards where I felt like I could conquer the world .

And Friday was a good mail day!!

Body Combat, Shakeology Sampler Packets; Kiki La Rue Tailored to Perfection Pants

Saturday morning I woke up feeling great! I wanted to weigh myself since it was day 6... I was just really excited.  I did re-measure myself yet though. Here are my stats:
Starting weight 2/17- 132.6lbs.                  2/22- 129 lbs.
Starting Body fat % 2/17- 20.7%               2/22- 20.4%

I was ecstatic.  My ultimate goal is to get my body fat % to 19.5!  I'm almost there.  This is the first time I have seen my numbers drop in SUCH a long time.  So because of that I did my Dirty 30 workout, had  my strawberry shakeology mixed with water (to DIE for),  and went to the mall for a little treat :)

Shiseido moistuirzer (free with my  points), Formula X nail polish, GlamGlow mask; Hourglass ambient blush

Saturday night we had a surprise Bday dinner planned for a friend of my husband.  I knew this would be a struggle for me because I am very much a social eater and drinker.  I like to participate in the festivities like everyone else.  And we were going to a really good seafood place.  I had stalked the menu ahead of time but still couldn't figure out what to eat.  The dinner wasn't until 7.  I had all my normal meals for the day except a yellow container of carbs.  I was saving that for a glass of red wine- that is allowed on the program 3 times a week.  I had 1 red container (protein) 2 greens (veggies) and 1 yellow (carbs) left.  I had my apple & almond butter around 5:30.  We ended up not eating until about 9.  I was starving to death by then.  Everyone ordered an appetizer.  I just wanted to eat something. So I asked for a salad- no dressing- bring vinegar on the side.  When my salad came so did fried pickles, charbroiled oysters (my favorite), and fried mushrooms for everyone else.  I will be honest.  I had about 3 pickles, 1 mushroom, and 1 oyster.  I couldn't help it.  I also had 2 glasses of wine... lol oops.  I vowed not to eat a yellow the next day too.  I order a 6oz filet with steamed broccoli.  It was really good.  I'm sure it was cooked in butter. But hey, whatcha gonna do?  My husband order boiled crawfish and I ate 2 of his.  I went home feeling a little disappointed, but still felt ok about my choices.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling really crappy...  My stomach hurt, I was dehydrated, My fingers were swollen from the salt.  Immediately I got up and started drinking water and had my shakeology for the day.  My meals went like this:
M1: Chocolate Shakeology with Water
M2: 2 poached eggs over spinach, sprouts, and cilantro on an ezekial pita with goat cheese

TO DIE FOR!!!

M3: ground turkey over veggies
M4: apple & sunflower seeds
M5: baked chicken and steamed brussel sprouts

We were so lazy all day. I barely left the bed. I watched about 8 hours worth of The Following- oops... We finished the first season on netflix. I love that show!

I also decided I would make one of the approved treats that you can swap a yellow container out for up to 3 times a week.  It was a healthy cookie recipe.  I made them expecting to just keep them on the counter until i wanted one this week.  Bad idea.  I had about 5 of them.  Oops... Lol... Whatever it could've been worse.  My husband ate McDonalds next to me and I didn't even have a fry.  That is huge!  Fries are my fave.

I was so lazy I didn't even feel like doing my yoga video.  Finally around 8:30 that night I got out of bed long enough to do that for 30 minutes.  I'm so glad I did.  It felt amazing.

I worked really hard all week.  I'm proud of myself for completing my first week.  I had a couple slip-ups but hey that's ok!  My body is adjusting to the smaller portions already.  I really enjoyed the workouts all week too.  I really think this program is a game changer b/c nutrition is the worst part for so many people.  Hell, me included... I struggle with it a lot.  My scale hasn't moved in months despite being in the gym some times 6 days a week.

Week 1 done- 2 more to go!!

21 Day Fix- Day 2 Recap

Woohoo I'm currently on Day 3 of the 21 Day Fix (I'm doing my recaps the next day)!

Tuesday- Day 2 was more difficult for me than day 1.  I will be honest- i was pretty hungry. But I worked out twice on Monday- pretty hard too... Working my legs and doing cardio. So I think my appetite was just revved up from that.  

This program is great because it is helping me to see I am already eating the right things but WAY too much of it. Y'all... I have a big appetite.  I'm hungry a lot. And I use that as an excuse to overeat- even on healthy foods.  This is helping me to see how much to eat.  I like that because I need it and struggle with it.  

I woke up at 5:30 and did my Upper Fix workout.  I liked it. But because I am used to heavier lifting it wasn't challenging enough for me since I only have 5 lbs weights... I completely forgot until after that i had a resistance band!  It would definitely be a good workout with challenging weights.  Its normal every day exercises that I do in the gym already. So I liked that!  My abs are actually pretty sore today from the planks- I'm assuming.  

My meals:

7:30 on my way to work I had my Chocolate Shakeology with water.

9:30- cottage cheese with berries 

12:00- stir fry veggies with tofu

2:30- apple w/ 1 tsp almond butter

5:00- whole wheat tortilla with hummus and bell peppers

8:00- grilled halibut with asparagus

Around 3:30 I got hungry.  I had some wasabi peas in my desk. I grabbed the bag and took a few out.  Then once I started eating them I couldn't stop. Before long I had eaten almost half the bag. I finally just threw them away.  Snacky foods like that are my weakness. I will eat them while I work and not even notice how many.  But I was able to recognize my weakness and remove it. So that's good.  

For the most part I am staying satisfied. I am eating every 2 hours. I don't give myself long enough to get super hungry.  

I did skip my chest and tricep workout with my husband last night. I didn't feel guilty about it because I did the Upper Body WO yesterday morning.  I am actually dreading the Lower Body fix after work today because I am REALLY sore today. 

Happy Hump Day everyone! 

21 Day Fix- Day 1 Recap

Ok so I'm going to be totally honest here... This weekend was BAD!  I ate really really bad... I stuffed myself with junk every day this weekend. My weekend went like this:

Friday (Valentine's day)- had spaghetti dinner planned for us (our tradition). It was gross... For whatever reason I didn't like it so I felt unsatisfied.  I went to Walgreens and bought a small bag of Sweet and Spicy Doritos; 2 lb bag of Twizzlers; a giant Slim Jim... I know, gross, right?  Well guess what... I ate all but a small amount of the Twizzlers. I went to bed feeling sick to my stomach.

Saturday was a new day.  We planned on a leg workout but kept putting it off all day.  I went shopping a little that morning then the husband wanted brunch.  So we went to this awesome brunch spot, Russell's, by the Lake.  I got chicken and waffles... I ate every bite.  We headed to our first parade of the year- Krewe du Vieux.  Its sort of an adult parade... It pokes fun of a lot of popular themes.  My favorite was probably The Big Bong Theory... We drank, of course.. And ate.. at this awesome local spot called Mimi's.  The have small plates.  We shared 2 beef empanadas and a very small steak- just enough food. But this was early- around 5:00.  So naturally after the parade and plenty of drinking we were hungry again at 9:00. So we ate sushi... Then went to bed.

Sunday for lunch we had Mexican. I then had 1/2 of Cadbury Eggs and a few Reese's eggs.  I ended my night with a cauliflower crust pizza that fell apart...

Guys... This was bad.  I don't normally eat like this. I have literally felt like shit all weekend. Not because of guilt- because YOLO, right? (ha) But because my stomach is killing me.... Anyway... I guess you live and learn, right?

Moving on...

Yesterday was the first day of my 21 Day Fix.. Thank God!!! I definitely need a detox. My plan was to get up early and do the cardio workout from the program then do legs after work. I overslept...

Here was an overview of my meals for the day:

 7:00 am: Shakeology mixed with water
10:00- greek yogurt with strawberries and blueberries
12:30- spinach, quinoa, grape tomatoes, and tuna salad
2:30- apple with peanut butter
5:00- whole wheat tortilla with hummus and bell peppers
5:30- cardio workout
6:30- Legs Workout at the gym
8:00- flank steak with asparagus

I felt pretty good all day... I had to squeeze in 2 workouts after work- which was not ideal. I typically don't like to do anything on the same day as legs... But its only 21 days!
I wasn't really hungry most of the day- except when it was time to eat again. I'm concerned I may not be getting enough calories though if I am doing heavy-lifting... That's my only concern. But I am going to trust this system and this process! I made a commitment to myself to do so!

This about sums up how surprised I was that the Cardio Fix was as hard as it was!!!  It was tough.  My legs felt really exhausted after- which meant I couldn't push as much at the gym.
At the gym we did- 4 sets of squats (85lbs); 3 sets of deadlifts (75lbs); 3 supersets of curls and extensions.

I was exhausted at the end of the day.  I fell asleep around 9:30 last night after watching the Following on Netflix. Anyone watch it? We're obsessed right now!
I feel better already today with just 1 day of eating normal again!  Now... Only 20 to go... Its difficult with King Cake everywhere haunting me though.

Have a great day!!

21 Day Fix: What's Included

Some of you may have seen all of the buzz going around about Beach Body's new program- the 21 Day Fix.  It sold out in the first 2 days after its launch!  Crazy! I think its because the plan is very affordable and the challenge pack is an awesome deal!
What it is: a fitness and nutrition program that focuses on 30 minute effective workouts daily and perfectly portioned balanced meals! Sounds easy, right?!

So here's the specifics of the plan:
The base kit includes:

• 7 portion-controlled color-coded containers for each food group
• 6 workouts
• a bonus Plyo workout when ordered through your Coach
• start here guide
• 3 day fix (a fast track 3 day plan)
• 21 day fix eating guide

Challenge Pack- This is a PHENOMENAL deal
Includes:

• all of the above plus a shakeology cup and a 30 day supply of shakeology 

Mine arrived early last week. I immediately opened it up to read through the guide and take a look at the containers.  The guide is very easy to follow and simply laid out.

Here are the containers:
red- protein
purple- fruit
green- veggies
yellow- grains and starches
blue- cheese, hummus, avocado, nuts
orange- seeds

I'm super excited to get going with this program Monday!  I have a group of people all starting at the same time and doing it together. I think that is what I am most excited about!

Anyone else doing this program?

My Favorite Shakeology Recipe

Happy Friday!!!  Today I wanted to share my favorite shakeology recipe. I have been having this for breakfast each morning this week.  It keeps me full for a good 3 hours or more. I try to eat every 2-3 hours anyway. But I'm definitely not that hungry by the 3 hour mark.  So I am able to have something small- instead of feeling like I need to eat lunch already at 10:30!!  

Ingredients:

1 Scoop Chocolate Shakeology

1 Cup of Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1 Small Container of cottage cheese

4 ice cubes

Here is the nutritional info:

 Don't be turned off by the cottage cheese.  You can't taste it. It gives it a creamy taste.  It adds 10 grams more of protein. So its definitely worth it!!!  Let me know if anyone tries it! Its good stuff!

30 Day Push Project

Amazon.com

I read about Chalene Johnson's 30 Day Push Book and Challenge through my Beach Body Team.  I've really been interested in personal development lately.  I feel like its something everyone can benefit from. With all the negative self-image and negative self-talk I've been dealing with for the past month or so I think its a great time to start this.

The 30 Day Challenge is free.  You can sign up here and follow along with me!  She teaches how to manage your time, become more successful, create to-do lists, set and achieve goals, etc...  Each morning for 30 days you get an email with a short video to watch and an assignment for the day.  It takes roughly 10 minutes.  So that's easy right?!  Everyone has 10 minutes.

I started the program yesterday- on the 3rd. I'm excited for this!  I've read great things about this program! I would love an accountability partner in this!!

**I started my day today with my first day of T25... OMG! I'm in pretty good shape. It killed me!  25 minutes of high intensity constant movement was tough.  I burned a little over 210 calories.  I think that's awesome for 25 minutes.

Here I Am Again...

Well here I am again... Trying my hand at this whole blogging thing!
I feel like I really need a place to document my journey, my frustrations, my accomplishments, etc... Just to write...
I would say this will be a lifestyle blog with a focus on health living because that is such a huge part of my life and something so important to me.
I think this is a good place to introduce myself and give a little background as to where I am now, and why I feel the need to vent a little these days.

I have always been a skinny person.  When I was a child I was scrawny... But I was a very picky eater.  I ate Campbell's soup and cereal.  That is pretty much it.  I don't think I broke 100lbs until high school, maybe... But even in high school I ate whatever I wanted. I was a cheerleader. I was active. I never paid attention to what I ate. But at the same time- I was picky and I didn't really eat a lot.  So it didn't really matter. I probably weight 110 or so at the most during high school.  But I did have curves by that time.  I started getting more shapely legs, hips, and a butt- in a good way!
My (now) husband and I met my junior year in high school.  After graduation we moved in together away from our family.  This was the first time I ever had to think about what to eat.  I was a waitress at Hooter's. (Don't judge- great money- and very innocent).  I ate there constantly.  We ate a lot of boxed food. I didn't know what I was doing. I think I did know how to cook tilapia on the George Foreman. But I'm pretty sure I never made it.  Eventually I gained about 30 lbs and because I didn't feel comfortable in that skimpy outfit anymore- I quit my job.

Realizing we didn't really know what we were doing living alone- at 18 and 21 years old- we moved back home.  I had to look for another part time job.  Oddly enough, at the first time in my life when I was uncomfortable with my body, I found one at a locally owned medical weight loss clinic.  The job description matched me perfectly- bubbly, happy, customer- oriented...  They focused on calorie counting coupled with a prescribed weight loss drug (think Phentermine).  I gave orientations to new patients where I taught them about portion control and counting calories, fat, and carbs... We counceled them and encouraged them to come in for their weekly weigh-ins.  We never taught them how awful all of those 100 calorie packs are.  As a matter of fact- we told people to eat them!  "Its a great snack!" Most people were there for the drugs.  I eventually started taking them.  They worked!  I didn't want to eat. I could eat a tiny side salad from Wendy's and be full for the whole day.  Knowing what I know now- that makes me sick.  I lost most of the weight I put on strictly by eating 1000 calories a day and taking Phentermine.  At this point I would still have considered myself a picky eater though.

Throughout college my palette started to change. I started trying new foods. I wanted to eat out a lot.  That quickly became something we did for fun.  Oh geez then add in the partying and drinking we did too! I would gain weight, get on Phentermine, lose weight, gain weight, do it again... I did that for 4 years. I never worked out though... I never even thought about it. I always just counted my calories.

We got engaged in December 2008.  In 2009- I graduated college in May, started my first FT job in June, closed on my first home in July, and got married in October.  I can't remember at what point I started gaining weight again. But I did. I'm pretty sure I tried the Phentermine a few more times. But never stuck with it. On a side note- what that does to your body is crazy. It makes you not want to eat. And it literally made me a crazy woman!  I was an emotional roller coaster! I bought my wedding dress some time in January of 2009. I got it altered to fit me probably a month or so before the wedding. On my wedding day- I couldn't zip it. I had gained weight in that short period of time.  Luckily, the dress had a V in the back and you couldn't see that it wasn't fully zipped.  I think at this point I was back up to 138 lbs or so...

I think at some point my husband and I started working out together at a local Snap fitness. But I don't remember when this was.  I still heavily relied on reducing my calorie intake significantly to even see any weight loss results.  In March of 2012 my friend Heidi asked me to run a 5K with her. I couldn't run. I couldn't run for a half a mile. I did it though.  After that race I decided I was going to be a runner.  With the sudden interest in blogs and social media- I became very interested in health and fitness.

I am on the far right

I started running several times a week. I even talked my friends into running 5k's with me. Some time in August someone told me about the term "clean eating."  I cut out all sugar, white pasta, white anything, junk food, etc... I lost about 3 lbs doing that. Then I found the Tone It Up girls, bought their nutrition plan, and followed their plan and workout advice while training for my first half marathon to complete in February 2013.  During this time I lost about 18 lbs total.  I went from 138 to 120 (at the lowest point).  I felt damn good about myself.  For the first time in a really long time- I felt super confident.  I ran 13.6 miles, everyone wanted to know what I was doing, how did I lose the weight, people came to me for advice, etc...

around 120lbs

And then we moved... to New Orleans.... Home of the best freaking food on earth... I kept running. But the weight has been slowly creeping back up on me since we moved in April 2013.  We love to eat out. I threw a lot of my clean eating principles out of the window.  We joined a gym..  I got extremely burnt out on running.  I got bored with it. I starting lifting weights in October 2013.  But because my nutrition was not on point- I've just been putting fat on top of muscle.  I got burnt out on cardio.

Now, I am aware that at no point was I ever fat or overweight... But I am talking about being at a point where I feel good in my clothes and hell, good naked in front of my husband.  I am not there today.  I have been very down on myself about it lately too.  The fact that I let my hard work go to waste really pisses me off. It wasn't easy for me to lose 18lbs because I am not overweight.  I worked really hard.  I woke up at 5am 6 days a week to run or do a TIU workout... Something... I am just looking for that spark again.  Some days I miss running. But then again- I can't quite find the excitement in that anymore.

So here I am today.  130 lbs currently... I am focusing on my body fat %.  If my scale at home is correct I am at 21%  BF.  My goal is to get under 20%.  I've been tagging along with my husband at the gym for the past week.  He is helping me to lift heavier weights.  But he is a tax accountant and soon enough he will be working late nights so I will be on my own. 

Eating is really my weakness. And since my weight lifting started I am even hungrier. I really love good food. And here in New Orleans there is so much of it. I really struggle with finding a balance between enjoying myself, not going overboard, & not feeling guilty. 

I am starting Beach Body's newest program, the 21 Day Fix, on February 17th.  If anyone is interested in joining me in my journey- just let me know! This focuses on portion control- which I desperately need. I am hoping it will teach me to notice when I have had enough. I have been known to eat until I literally feel sick. 

I am hoping this will help me to shed some body fat so that when my husband gets out of tax season I will be in better shape to see some progress from weight lifting.  I have also ordered T25 and Shakeology to help me reach my goals.  Until the 21 day fix starts I plan on doing T25 a few times in the morning during the week and lifting weights with him at the gym in the afternoons 4 days a week.

I plan on documenting my progress here and on Instagram  So feel free to follow along.  I am excited about this!!

*Sorry for the long post. I just feel like I needed a starting point to all of this!

*disclaimer- I feel like I need to say this again- at no point have I considered myself overweight. These are just my goals, my journey, and the things I struggle with.