Meal Plan and a Realization!

This weekend I fully realized how much weight I have lost so far..

Obviously,I know I've lost a lot of weight (110lbs and counting to be exact), I know that my pants are smaller from 18/20 to 6/8, I feel the changes in my life, I'm healthier and happier.

For some reason I didn't really ever think or realize how much 110lbs is, how far I have come.

I was helping my friend fill the kid's sandbox up, and we had gotten 4, 50lb bags of sand from the store. As I was carrying them (one at a time), as I was struggling a little bit I realized how much harder it would have been a year ago, I was a little over 200lbs at that point, not eating healthy yet, definitely not working out as much as I do now.

That was almost 50lbs ago.

Then it clicked in my head.. I've lost 2 of those 50lb sand bags PLUS 10lbs!!

HOLY CRAP!

Those were so heavy, and to think a year ago I was walking around with just one of those sandbags and I thought I was doing okay, I really can't believe how I was living my day to day life 3 years ago when I was at my heaviest.

It made me realize how awful I was treating my body. It hurt just carrying one of those sand bags, imagine all the pressure and stress that was on my body before. It's just crazy to me!

I recommend everyone finding something that is equal weight to what they have lost... even if its only 5lbs. What have you lost? A bag of oranges? a sandbag? Let me know!

Now on to the meal plan...

I mentioned last week that I am going to do a May Food Challenge through a blog that I follow, read more about it here.

Here is my weekly meal plan:

Closet Re-Do

I mentioned in a post the other day that I helped my friend Julie re-do her front closet. First off I must say that she was the creative brains behind this project, I was just there to help/for support.

The Before! (we forgot to take a picture of it with all of her stuff in it, basically before it just had a rod with all the coats)

 

First Julie and I used painters tape to make a large square. Then we got to painting! Instead of buying a large can of paint Julie bought a sample size from Lowes. It was more than enough.

 

 

KBeaner and I painted the shelf

Then Julie added the hooks and these awesome lights that are motion activated LED lights!

Then we added the cube shelves and baskets which you can get at Target.

 

Julie's closet is so pretty now! It is the first thing you see when you walk into their house, and I always stand there a little bit admiring our work!!

Weigh-In and a May food challenge

Hey all! I maintained this week, still 153lbs not going to complain about that! I'm in my second week of Brazil Butt Lift the flat solution. This week I've been busy, my best friend is back from her 6 week trip to Germany so KBeaner and I have been busy catching up with her and her daughter. We helped her transform one of her closets! It came out beautiful! Check back later this week for a post about that.



KBeaner and I painting the shelf for the closet

Now on to the May Food Challenge... a blogger that I follow seecevolve,  posted on her facebook page I Beat Obesity an Food Challenge for the month of May. You should really check it out for more details. Each week will have different challenges, the first week the challenge is to plan out healthy meals and snacks for the week. Once I finish my list I will be posting mine on here.

I am excited to do this challenge, I have a feeling it will help me stay on track and will keep me motivated. I hope you follow her so that you can join the challenge as well!

Weigh-In Wednesday!

It's weigh-in day! Today I maintained, I'm 153lbs still. I figured I would be staying the same this week, since the past 2 weeks I had lost. I am completely happy with this!

As you know I finished my 4 weeks of Brazil Butt Lift, I lost a total of 5.25 inches, went from a size 8 to a size 6!! If you want to see more detailed results, check out this post. I decided that I'm going to continue with Brazil Butt Lift, I'm now doing the 4 week plan to lift and shape!

I have also been wanting to start running for a long time. I have never really been a runner, in high school I played lacrosse and did cheer leading, whenever it was time to run laps, I dreaded it. I was always the last one back. I always felt like I was dying, I was out of shape and it was so embarrassing!

Well now that I am healthier I have decided, I am going to do it! I am going to become a runner! On Sunday I started Couch to 5k. If you're not familiar with it, 3 days a week you do about 30 minutes of walk/jogging. The first week you run 60 seconds and then walk 90 seconds, continuing the pattern until you get to 20 minutes. Yesterday was my second day of week 1, I walked/jogged over 1.2 miles in 30 minutes! It was a huge accomplishment for myself, I can't wait to see myself getting stronger and faster!!

Sugar Addict 2

 

If you read my Sugar Addict post you know that I am addicted to sugar. I haven't had more than 12 g of sugar per serving of food (not including fruits and vegetables) since April 2012. It's not as hard to say no now, but it was VERY hard in the first few days and weeks. Here are some tips that helped me get through those hard times.

Stay Away From Sugary Foods- This is a  tough one. Not everyone is lucky enough to be able to remove all the tempting foods from their house. I started limit sugar right around Easter. At the time it felt like a stupid idea, why take away sugar during the best candy season?!? I wasn't able to get away from all the candy, but when I got home from those few days visiting family, I was able to get rid of the candy and overly sugary foods at my house.

Throw it Out- Now I'm very cheap, part of me did not want to just throw away perfectly "good" food. I had to keep reminding myself that this food isn't "good" for me, if I ate that bag of jelly beans I would be pushed back even further from my goal of limiting sugar and losing weight. That was a very hard day throwing out those jelly beans, but I am so thankful that I did! If you're still feeling like you don't want to throw away money, just remind yourself most sugary foods are really cheap, but medical bills are not cheap! Eating that bag of candy just brings you closer to all those nasty diseases that are complications of obesity. Now let me just clarify that eating in moderation is fine, its great, if you're one of those amazing people that can have a handful of MandMs and stop at that, then you're probably not addicted to sugar, and I'm jealous of your willpower! I'm talking to people like me who would eat the whole bag and want some more, and would have more.

Add More Fruits and Veggies- They'll fill you up and satisfy some of your cravings.

Drink More Water- That way you'll know if you're actually hungry and not dehydrated. Plus it fills you up.

Just Say NO!- yeah, super cliche, but it really does help. It is okay to say "No" to someone if they offer you food that has too much sugar. I know it's hard, you don't want to make anyone feel bad, but you have to remember how bad it will make you feel eating it.

Stay Away From the Fake Stuff- for now. At first having a fake sugary dessert made me want to have more desserts, and not just the fake kind. Sugar substitutes aren't the healthiest thing in the world, but I feel like in moderation they are alright. I am trying to steer away from them now, but I don't think that there is anything wrong with having some Splenda once in awhile.

Distract Yourself- If you're having a horrible craving find something else to do, go for a walk, workout, play a game, do a craft anything to keep yourself busy and distracted. Tell yourself if in 20 minutes I still want that, then I can have it, but usually you won't want it, or you'll say "let me try 20 more minutes before I have it!"

Remember How Far You've Come- Even if "how far you've come" is only a few hours, remember how hard it was to start, imagine having to start over. Will you even be able to start over? If you do give in to a craving, and can start over you will have to start from the very beginning again! Is that what you want? That's not what I wanted, and I had conversations in my head like that a lot when I was first limiting sugar. Heck, I even have those now. Sometimes I want to quit, but look how far I've come, how hard I have worked and how incredibly better I feel!

I hope that these tips help you!!

Oh and a disclaimer again I'm not a doctor, this is just what has worked for me!

Results- Brazil Butt Lift

I just finished doing the Brazil Butt Lift 4 week Combination Plan. Technically it was 5 weeks for me. I had to take about a week off because I was sick. You can read my first post about Brazil Butt Lift here.

I had a lot of fun doing these workouts, they were hard, but definitely tons of fun! Some of the videos like Cardio Axe and Bum Bum have a ton of dancing and shaking your booty... how can you not have fun doing that?

Now to the results...

My measurements...
Chest 35.5 from 36inches
Waist 31 from 33 inches
Hips (widest part) 39.5 from 40 inches
Thighs 22.5 from 24 inches
Arms 11.75 from 12.5 inches

That is a total loss of 5.25 inches!! I'm pumped about that! I also went from a size 8 jeans to a size 6!! My weight fluctuated I started at 156lbs, then since I thought I was working out so much that I got a free pass from eating well I gained 3lbs. Once I realized exercising does not give you a free pass on eating well I was able to go from 159lbs down to 153lbs!!

 

I am planning on continuing using The Brazil Butt Lift DVDs. I think I am going to change up the 4 week plan though, my options are "Too Flat or Square", "Pear Shape", "Too Big" or "Combination". I think that I am going to do "Too Flat or Square" because to be honest I wouldn't mind having a little more oomph in my behind! haha.

 

Has anyone else done Brazil Butt Lift? What were your results?

110lbs down!!

It's weigh in Wednesday!! I lost another 2lbs!! Making me 153lbs!!!! I've lost 110lbs in a little over 3 years! I just can't believe it!

Another thing I can't believe...I'm wearing size 6 skinny jeans!! We were dropping off clothes at Good Will and I figured well while I'm here I might as well see if there are some size 6 jeans around that I could buy so I would have a "goal" outfit to keep trying on to see if it fits. All of the "goal clothes" that I have fit already (woohoo), so I needed something else. Well I saw a pair of size 6 skinny jeans from Express that were only $6.99... how could I say no? I didn't try them on there, brought them home and put them in the laundry. Later that evening when they came out of the dryer I thought why the heck not, let me try them on.

In my head, I was sure they wouldn't fit, I was sure they wouldn't go past my thighs, and that my calves would look like cankles! I've never felt like I could pull of skinny jeans.

To my surprise.. THEY FIT! And most importantly they looked good!

Ever since I was a teenager I wanted to be a size 6, I'd always try to lose weight.. (it usually didn't work that well because I was doing it for the wrong reasons) I'd say, my goal is to be a size 6! To be honest I never thought I'd make it to this point, if you asked me a year ago when I first started Weight Watchers what size I wanted to be, I would have told you a size 12, maybe if I was lucky a size 10. I am in shock that I am wearing a size 6 and that I weigh 153lbs!

I hope that this motivates you, whether you are just starting out, or if you haven't even started yet. Anyone can do this, it is a lot of hard work, it is not going to be easy all of the time, but if you put your mind to it, and want to get healthier, it will happen! Don't get discouraged on those weeks where you have a slip up and over eat or the weeks that you gain, you can do it, you just have to persevere  and keep going!



 

At the lake after a nice walk

KBeaner enjoying her Free ice cream cone! I did not have one! NSV!!

Sugar addict..

I've been debating and debating publishing this post...but I think that it might help others so here it goes..




I’m addicted to sugar, and junk foods (I’ve been told before that you can’t technically be addicted to sugar or junk food but to me that’s how I look at it). I can’t have just one bite or just one cookie; nope I want the whole thing. I am getting a lot better since starting weight watchers, it has helped me learn again how to eat in moderation and actually follow the serving guide. (Just so you know I'm not a registered dietitian or have a medical degree, this is just what has worked for me)


In April of 2012, I cut back my sugar to 12g of sugar per serving. (Just to note I do not count the sugars on fruits and vegetables). The first few days were hell, I'm not even exaggerating, it was awful. At this point I wasn't on Weight Watchers yet and I was eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, then to just stop cold turkey...it was awful!
Also to add to this struggle it was Easter, my favorite candy holiday! KBeaner and my nieces and nephews would offer me some of their chocolate or jelly beans (OMG JELLY BEANS... my favorite candy in the whole wide world, if I had a bag of the Sweet Tart Jelly Beans or the Starburst Jelly Beans I could eat the whole bag by myself in a matter of days, honestly I could have eaten it all in one day but I didn't want to look bad), I had to say "no thanks" and I usually had to walk out of the room. Some of the times I wanted to cry. I just wanted some so bad! Now looking back
 
Thankfully I was at my parent's house, it was actually my Mom who inspired me to limit sugar, she hasn't had any, and I mean not even sugar free cakes or sweets since November of 2010. My mom is such an inspiration (although she doesn't think she is), she doesn't have more than 12 g of sugar per serving and she won't even have "fake sugar" desserts. My mom will even bake still for our family and friends, without having even a small bite or lick of the food. Now that is dedication, and inspiration to me!

I don't usually feel like I'm missing out on anything. I still have healthier versions of sweet treats but I always make sure that they are less than 12g sugar per serving, and I only eat a serving of them. During the holidays I made a low sugar version of Monkey Bread, I thought it was really delicious, and I didn't feel like crap after eating them. Also I made Skinny Cinnamon Buns they are low in points and low in sugar, they satisfied my craving for Cinnamon Buns after seeing a ton of ads for the Pillsbury kind. Honestly I like mine a lot better, again they were low in points, low in sugar and I don't feel gross after eating one. The key word there is one, before I would have had three or four and felt so sick, and guilty about eating those.

It’s been a year that I haven’t had more than 12 grams of sugar per serving, not going to lie, it’s been hard but it is so worth it! I am a happier person overall, it might be partly to do with my weight loss, but I probably wouldn’t have lost as much weight as I have had if I had not limited sugar. My skin is much clearer (even though it’s still not perfectly clear, it’s much better than it had been).I have more energy. I don’t get the sugar high and then come crashing down an hour later, just to need more sugar. I hope that this has motivated you to limit sugar, or to just look at how and what you're eating. Maybe even break the cycle!

 

Finally "normal/healthy" weight!!!

I am FREAKING OUT!! In the best way possible of course!! I finally beat my 156lbs hump... I am now 155 lbs!!!

Which means.... I'm finally in the "normal/healthy" weight range for my height!! Personally I've felt like I was normal for awhile, since I believe the average size of an American woman is 14. Most of the times I've felt healthy too since I do workout. It's just a great feeling now that when I go to the doctor I will be considered healthy!!

I remember way back last year when my Doctor told me to be considered normal/healthy weight I had  to be 155, I felt like that would never ever happen. Now a little less than a year later it has happened!

I feel so much stronger as well! I completed the week 2 of Brazil Butt Lift and started week 3, and I can notice myself being able to do more of the moves, and add weights. It's an amazing feeling to know that I put my mind to something and I am completing it, and following through!!

Not every weigh in day is this exciting and joyous, but all the struggles have made today even sweeter. I have to remember this feeling, when I'm tempted to over eat, or to not workout.

 

Here are a couple pictures of Easter...

we went for a nice long family walk

KBeaner using her Purple Bubbles the Easter Bunny brought her. PS they stain!!

Hope you all have a great day!!