17 Day Diet

Ok. Here we go bitches. I placed my order for The 17 Day Diet and it should be here tomorrow. I know 3 people that have lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time on it. Suuuper exciting stuff guys. I told Chase last night that he is going to follow the diet with me whether he wants to or not! I mean let's be real here. I can't be the only one with a naughty body ;) haha I told him that no matter whet he has to help me and stick to the diet. I'm going to have the frame of mind that junk food doesn't exist and I'm NOT going to stray. This time it's gonna be different. It feels good to have a support system.

Choices

I've been doing so good with my food choices this week! I'm so proud of myself :) I'm trying to think of the food I eat as a CHOICE instead of a diet. I'm obviously not good on diets, but I'm doing really well making good choices. I have chosen not to drink Pepsi and guess what? I'm still alive. I'm choosing to eat lots of fruit and it has pretty much cured my sweet tooth. I like thinking that I am CHOOSING to be healthy!! Now I need to find the motivation to dust off my treadmill and get to work!

I'm baaaaaack bitches

I have been in a major funk! I need to snap out of this shit and get back with it. I don't have a good plan other than to lose 75 pounds! I have good days and bad days. Enough is enough! Must come up with a game plan that I can stick to. The only reason I am still motivated is because my best friend Stephanie is helping to keep me on track and I try to stay accountable to her. I ordered weight watchers stuff and bought a treadmill...to be continued.

Story of my life

Week 3

Yesterday marked the beginning of week 3.  I'm still only down 3 lbs but I guess it's better than being up 3 lbs!  I am still struggling with the low carb diet so I've been trying to think of other ways to make this work. My bestie has been helping me brainstorm meal ideas and I'm really digging the variety I have now. My new fave is hamburger patties with pepper bacon and cheddar cheese...YUM. I'm hoping to be able to report a weight loss this next week. No, let me rephrase that. I WILL be reporting a weight loss this next week :)

Struggling...

I'm having an issue.  Meat is seriously grossing me out.  At first it was chicken, and now it's beef too.  Just the smell of it makes me want to barf.  I'm not sure what to do since my diet has consisted of mostly meat!  I mean should I start counting calories?  Go sugar free?  Keep trying to be low carb?  Until I figure out my next move I'm sticking with low carb since that is what is working for me.  I'm eating my typical breakfast of veggies and I have a chicken breast in the crockpot for lunch.  I'm crossing my fingers I won't gag!!

Day 5!

Well, I've made it 5 days without sugar and hardly any carbs. This is a feat that is easier said than done! I am happy to report that I weighed in this morning and am down 3 lbs! That is super motivating because I know if I step it up a notch I'll have even better results for next week! Skinny jeans, here I come!!

Day 4

After a little diet mishap yesterday, I am BACK with a vengeance.  I am determined to get shit done. My diet has been flawless today and I plan on keeping it that way for however long it takes.  I know that there will be more days when I am completely exhausted, I definitely need more than 4 hours of sleep and with a teething baby that is a hard task to accomplish sometimes.  I am mentally prepared to be able to go get a coffee and not let it derail my diet.  I am even considering drinking black coffee (GASP).  Ya gotta do what you gotta do, amiright?

Low Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu

YOU GUYS.  I feel like a chef!  I'm trying to get creative with my low carb meals so I don't get tired of making the same thing over and over and over.  Well, last night I really outdid myself!  We LOVE chicken cordon bleu so I just knew there had to be an easy low carb way to make it.  I brainstormed and the recipe I came up with was delicious!

Low Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
1 packet of chicken gravy mixed with 1 cup of water
1 pack of ham lunch meat cut into squares
6-8 slices of swiss cheese cut into squares
Garlic salt
Onion powder

Place the chicken in the crockpot, cover with the gravy, season with the garlic salt and onion powder.  Bake on high for 3 hours, then add the ham and swiss cheese.  Bake for an additional 2 hours stirring occasionally.  I shredded the chicken and boy was it DELICIOUS!! 

Day 3

Well guys, I've made it 3 days without cheating except for today!  My only f#ck up was that I HAD to have a coffee this morning.  HAD TO.  The hubs got called out at 3am because one of the ditches was plugged up and flooding a road.  Right as I was falling asleep Hayden woke up for the day.  FML!  I've eaten great today though so I'm not too worried about it, and I'm not a fan of sugar free lattes so I don't think I'll have the urge to buy another one anytime soon.  If he gets called out again tonight though, I will need a caffeine drip tomorrow for sure.  Why can't it be Friday?!  I'm not super excited for the weekend though, Chase has to work Saturday AND Sunday.  We don't have anything else going on so at least I can sloth around in my sweats and maybe even convince Gentry to lay down with me when Hayden is napping.  Fingers crossed.  Hunting opens next weekend so I don't see myself relaxing ever again.  EVER.  I know, pity party, table of one.  WHATEVS.  I need to relax!  Work has been so crazy busy, the new school year is for suresies kicking my ass plus I'm still trying to get used to getting up at 5 to be out the door by 6:35 to get Gentry to the bus stop.  WAAAAAH.  Ok, I'm done now.  No more complaining.  For today at least ;)

Color Run

One of the goals I've had for quite a while is to do a 5k.  I'm not in good shape, AT ALL, but dammit it's one of my goals to get in good enough shape to go for a jog and not die.  Hell, I'd like to go for a long walk and not feel like I have emphysema!  I have a few friends who recently did the Color Run in Portland this past weekend and it looks FUN.  It is definitely one of my goals for next summer!  Check it out, doesn't it look awesome?! http://thecolorrun.com/about/

October 1st

I've been waiting for this day for so long!  My best friend Stephanie and I have been planning to start our big huge diet today for 7 months!  She just had a baby a week ago so we had to wait until today to start :)  Yes, I could have done it on my own but I have tried (and failed) to diet on my own numerous times and it is so much easier for me when I have a diet buddy.  A support system, so to speak.  I am SO ready for this.  My brother has also been a great support system, he asks me what I'm having for lunch, dinner, etc and tells me NO CARBS!  LOL!  I'm so lucky to have him <3  Starting TODAY I am carb free which also translates to sugar free.  Who knew sugar = carbs?  Not I.  I am confident I can stick with it, and I have learned not to stray one bit from my diet because that is when I sabotage myself.  I am trying to drill it in my head that I'm not giving up my favorite foods forever, I'm just giving them up for now.  Once I lose my weight I know it will be a struggle to not go out and eat until I burst.  I will have to learn to eat things in moderation and I'll have to learn to maintain my weight. I'm totally mentally prepared for this.  HERE WE GOOOOO!!

Weirdness

I am craving pasta. Just pasta, no sauce. Maybe with a little butter on it. OMG I could kill for a big bowl right now. Isn't that weird? I mean, I love pasta but I hadn't craved anything bad before I fell off the wagon last weekend. I just knew cupcakes were the devil. I didn't cave and ate chicken and salsa at lunch but I can't stop thinking about how delicious pasta is. UGH! Chicken is getting OLD. I literally started gagging when I was eating lunch. What am I going to do?! I've got a good 2-3 months of this diet left if I continue losing 1lb/day. If my weight loss slows down, who knows how long I'll have to do this for. I can't wait for Friday to roll around. Payday = grocery shopping...definitely getting some ham and ground beef so I can have some variety!  I'm praying to stay strong. My willpower needs a boost right now.  I'm off to look at pictures of skinny bitches, that should help!

4 in 4

YOU GUYS.  I weighed myself on Friday.  I was home with a sick baby and going a little crazy and hopped on the scale.  I was down 4 pounds in 4 days!  CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??  My diet is working!!  That was all the motivation I needed to get through the day :)  I fell off the wagon a little teensy bit after that and may or may not have had a few cupcakes to celebrate my babies first birthday.  All in all I could have done a hell of a lot worse.  I'm not proud I fell off the wagon but I am still super motivated to keep going and shed this weight.  I haven't weighed myself since then.  I'm really trying not to obsess about the number on the scale even though it is my ultimate goal to get that number way down.  I think for now I just need to focus on every bite that I'm putting in my mouth.

Day 4!

I'm still doing FABULOUS dahlings.  I'm not gonna lie though, the novelty is wearing off.  I feel bored with my current food options and currently the thought of eating ham and cream cheese ONE. MORE. TIME. makes me wanna vom dot com.  I am confident I can make it though, I just gotta figure out some other things to eat.  Chicken is getting pretty old too, not gonna lie.  Good thing I wanna be skinny way more than I love food.  I still haven't cheated.  I don't even have the urge.  Nothing really sounds good, I don't know if it's the diet working or that I've changed my mentality of food. Whatever the cause, I'm not complaining. 

Mmmm

Shredded chicken, salsa and avocado. My new fave!!

Day 3 and...

I'm loving it!  I'm doing so well with this diet.  I have only been tempted to cheat once and that was yesterday when I was super tired, but I didn't give in.  I am so proud of myself!!  I made a healthy chicken dish last night (low carb of course!) and Gentry wanted some pasta to go along with it.  Pasta is my #2 weakness.  I LOVE PASTA.  I wasn't even tempted to eat any of it!  I'm so proud of myself!!! :D  I think I'm off to a great start with this diet.  I haven't experienced the "carb flu" that I've read about, and after Day 3 you're supposed to feel great.  I hope I will have some (LOTS of) extra energy so I can stop relying on Spark and energy drinks.  I stopped by the store on my way to work this morning and picked up some ham and cream cheese.  It's not biscuits and gravy, but it'll do.  I think the extra protein I'm eating is helping to control my appetite and cravings.  I also put some chicken in the crock pot this morning so I can have shredded chicken and salsa for lunch.  I love salsa SO MUCH, I can eat it 24/7.  I am planning on shredding and freezing a bunch of chicken this weekend so I won't ever be unprepared for lunch again :)  On another note, I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for this weekend.  It's Hayden's 1st Birthday!  WOOHOOOO!  That means cupcakes galore.  Cupcakes are another weakness of mine, I loves them.  I haven't really been craving sweets, but when I do I satisfy my sweet tooth with sugar free jello or sugar free Popsicles.  I know that I can resist the temptation.  I've got this.  I constantly remind myself that this is how I'm going to RAPIDLY lose weight.  AAAHHHHH!  I'm so excited!!

Struggling...

I'm struggling guys.  BAD.  I need coffee, Pepsi, anything to get me going!  I'm so tired and I don't know why.  I blame Aunt Flow, she's such a bitch!  Why does she always show up when I start a new diet?  I guess her showing up is better than the alternative, YIKES!!  I'm going to make sure Chase brews a nice pot of coffee in the morning so I don't leave the house empty handed.  I've never drank black coffee before but I'm gonna give it a whirl.  I'm also going to make sure I'm prepared for breakfast and lunch!  I ended up going to Taco Bell for lunch.  Don't talk shit.  I did my research.  A crunchy taco has 12 carbs, it could have been worse.  Much worse!  I'm still under my 50g/day goal so I am confident I will be fine.  I have it in my head that the less carbs I eat, the faster I will lose weight, so I don't plan on doing that often (or ever again!) but it's nice to know I have a fast food option if I need it.  So far I'm staying strong and not giving into the temptation of caffeine.  I have a diet rootbeer and an FRS healthy energy drink.  The FRS drink is trippin me out.  It is like neon yellow and kinda milky.  It smells like vitamins too...I wish it was fizzy, I think that would make it more tolerable.  Pretty sure I won't be drinking one of these bad boys again!  Desperate times call for desperate measures though. 

Day 2

Day 2 and I'm feelin GOOD.  I didn't cheat at all yesterday!  NOT AT ALL.  The only time I struggled was last night after the kids went to bed and I was watching TV.  I don't know if it was boredom that hit or that I just wanted to eat out of habit.  I really really REALLY wanted oatmeal cookies (this is super random considering I hardly ever bake!) but I satisfied my sweet tooth with a sugar free Popsicle.  Or two.  I'm hungry this morning, I didn't think out my breakfast very well and didn't pick up any lunch meat at Safeway on my way to work.  Must do better tomorrow!  Thankfully I don't have any food in my desk so I'm not tempted to stray from my diet.  I weighed myself this morning purely out of curiosity and I'm down 2 pounds since yesterday.  Is that even possible?  Surely my scale must be off.  I sure hope not though!!  Hehe, I would definitely be ok with losing 2 lbs per day ;)

Carb free lunch

Shredded chicken with homemade salsa. Yummmmm :)

Day 1

I have been low carb for a little over 3 hours now.  HAHA.  I'm surviving though!  I would be carb free if I had checked the carb content of my Spark :/  It has 11g/serving so I haven't completely sabotaged myself though.  I'm shooting to consume 50g of carbs/day or lower.  This is going to be challenging but all I can think of is "RAPIDLY losing weight".  RAPID weight loss seems so amazing.  I'm so excited.  I could have results by the end of the month.  I could be significantly thinner by Thanksgiving.  I could have a HOT bod by Christmas!  Do you know what this does to my diet confidence?  I feel as though I have a will power I didn't know existed.  I know I sound ridiculous right now since it's the first morning of my diet but please understand that I feel differently about this!  I didn't sleep a wink last night (seriously, didn't doze off AT ALL) so my go-to remedy would be a nice big fat mocha with an extra shot to get me going.  I resisted that temptation and went for the Spark instead.  Also, it's really hard to come up with carb free breakfast alternatives since I'm allergic to eggs.  Oatmeal has carbs.  Cereal obviously has carbs.  Bagels are out.  My beloved jelly donuts are out.  Fruit is out due to the natural sugar content.  What am I to do?  I got frustrated grocery shopping yesterday so I gave up and thought I'd wing it this morning.  Not the best thinking on my part because I get lazy if I don't have a meal planned out and just get whatever sounds good.  I went to Safeway and got ham lunch meat.  I know it sounds weird, it's not your typical breakfast!  It feels weird to eat plain ol' ham for breakfast but I have visions of a bikini bod and dammit nothing is going to get in the way of making that vision a reality!!

2 Things.

I've learned 2 things today.
1. By going low carb, a lady lost 35 pounds in 30 days! This is totally inspiring to me.
2. Vodka has ZERO carbs.  I'M SOLD!!

Low Carb? Hmm...

I'm playing with the idea of a low carb diet.  I have heard countless stories of people doing Atkins and losing weight then gaining it all back.  I truly believe that once I have lost my weight I will be so happy that I will continue to work hard to maintain my weight loss. I'm researching the best/easiest way to have a successful low carb diet and am going to go grocery shopping and come up with a meal plan this weekend.  I'm excited to start this journey!  I'll keep you posted with my SUCCESS!!

My Fitness Pal?

My best friend Stephanie has been telling me I need to use My Fitness Pal!  I signed up a couple years ago and never really used it.  I promised her I would give it another shot after I got settled back into my routine after Vegas (not hardly sleeping for 4 nights takes a toll on you!).  Anyhoo, I've been looking at it this morning and I really like it!! I tracked my breakfast and it was an eye opening experience since my breakfast alone was nearly half of my daily calorie allowance. OOPS. I have a million things I need/want to do (i.e.: read The Gabriel Method, start juicing, plan all my meals, freeze 100 cal cupcakes for when sweet cravings hit, exercise, blah blah blah) and I don't know where to start so I've decided to just start here and try to add things in the mix as I get more time. I know that I NEED to lose weight and I WANT to lose weight too. UGH!! Why is this so hard for me? I'm trying so hard to stay positive. Here's the link to my profile on My Fitness Pal if you want to follow my progress! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/hurstmonkey

Round 2

Hi guys! I'm baaaack. Summer has been crazy for me, it's constantly been one thing after another! I only have 2 more big things happening this summer (Gentry starts school next Tuesday and Hayden turns one on Sept. 16th!) so I've decided it's time to get back on the wagon with this diet shit. I returned from Las Vegas yesterday and I didn't eat or drink nearly enough! ;)  The food and drinks were so good there but SO expensive! Too expensive for my cheap ass.

I don't really have a plan or a direction I want to go this time around, but I KNOW I need to find something that works for me! Seeing all those skinny bitches in Vegas was more than enough inspiration to get my fat ass back on track!

Progress?

We're back from a wonderful week at the beach!  I pulled every muscle in my right quad going up and down to the beach, it was STEEP.  I thought I did some serious damage to my knee because it was super swollen and would pop every time I moved it!  I'm all healed up though and even went to the gym this morning!  I really feel like not stressing over every single thing I put in my mouth is making a difference.  In a way, I feel free.  Before when we would get a fruit tart at work (google them, DELISH) or go to a birthday party I would ALWAYS have a pity party because I wanted to eat the sweets!  I would eventually give in and totally overdo it to the point that I would feel sick about it.  Now I just think nah, I'm not hungry, I'll pass, knowing in the back of my head that if I want something sweet later I can have it.  I did weigh myself when we got home from the beach just to see if this way of thinking was completely sabotaging everything I'm trying to do and I'm so proud to say that I'm down 2 pounds.  2 pounds, and it doesn't even feel like I had to work for it!  I am so happy right now, not stressing over my diet is giving me more energy to focus on other things, like exercising!  It's way too hot to take the kids out walking right now, it's been in the 100's since Sunday, but I'm making more of an effort to get down on the floor and crawl around and play with them.  It feels good, they make me so happy <3

Tired.

Hi guys! Long time no post. I'm not gonna lie, I'm super frustrated with my progress (or lack there of).  I dropped all sugar for a week and lost .4 pounds. POINT FOUR! What the fuck?! I am so tired of focusing on the number on the scale. The one time I had successfully lost weight before, I didn't own a scale. I don't want to give up but when I am trying super hard and lose under a half pound it is SO frustrating and I have the urge to go to Taco Bell, Starbucks and get a big fat Pepsi. I think to get my head in the right place again I need to focus on eating right, exercising and NOT obsessing by the number on the scale. For now I'm going to stay away from the scale and judge my progress based on how my clothes fit. I also have found that if I have a good week and lose 2 or 3 pounds, I feel like I deserve a reward, which is usually food. Tomorrow we leave for the beach and I'm not going to stress about my diet while I'm there. I'm actually not going to stress about anything! When we return home, I'm going to make a big effort to get to the gym at least 3x per week, eat healthy and focus on ME. 

Sugar is the mother f#ckin devil!

I've been doing a lot of thinking about how I can get past the plateau I seem to have hit and how I can gain some momentum with my weight loss.  I know that sugar is bad.  I really do know this!  I guess I thought that I could still eat/drink it in moderation and be OK.  For the most part, this is true but looking at my food journal I feel that I'm still consuming too much of it.  Today I made the bold decision to give up sugar, starting NOW.  I have done this in the past and lost a ton of weight.  I'm not sure exactly how much because I didn't own a scale then.  I do know that this is the next step I need to take in my weight loss journey though.  Goodbye Pepsi, frozen yogurt, mochas and chocolate.  Mama will miss you!  We are heading to the beach on July 2nd and it is my goal to have NO sugar until then.  I truly hope that I will feel so good without the stupid stuff that I will never look back.  I bought some sugar free chocolate covered caramels, they're not delicious by any means but they have to satisfy my cravings until I am over my addiction.  Here we go...

Week 5 Results

I'm down 1.4 lbs this week!  It could have been better but I'll take it!  It feels like I'm starting to hit a plateau so I feel like I need to add some exercise into my routine.  I haven't made it to the gym recently, my insomnia is such a bitch and I just can't peel myself out of bed at 4:45 when I could try and sleep till 6.  Excuses, excuses.  I know.  Since the weather is warming up, I want to go on walks with the girls.  Next week is going to be crazy, Gentry has dress rehearsal and 2 performances for Sleeping Beauty.  I am going to continue to focus on my diet and exercise if I can.

Stats:
Weight lost before starting this mission: 33 lbs (so what if 19 of it was baby weight, it counts!)
Week 1: -2.2 lbs
Week 2: -2 lbs
Week 3: +2.2 lbs
Week 4: -.4 lbs
Week 5: -1.4 lbs
Total on this mission: -3.8 lbs
Total since giving birth to Hayden: -36.8 lbs
Pounds to go to my first goal of being back at my wedding weight: 14.2

Week 5

Hellurrrrr.  I'm back from my crazy week/weekend.  I'm not even exaggerating a little bit.  It was cray guys.  Cray.  Anyhoo, I did terrible with my diet this weekend.  Not gonna lie.  I weighed myself this morning and I'm down .4 pounds from the last time I weighed in.  Only 4.5 lbs away from my goal of losing 5 lbs.  HA!  I was lacking motivation and quite frankly I didn't have the time necessary to think about what I was eating.  I drank a shit load of Pepsi too :(  I woke up yesterday feeling motivated.  I wanted to head to the gym but Gentry started crying and begged me to stay home.  How do you say no to that?  :(  I was very active around the house this weekend though so I don't feel too guilty about staying home.  I have been making great choices with my meals today, and I feel like now that the majority of the craziness this month is behind us I can focus on me again.  I received the book I ordered, and so far I'm loving it.  What this guy is saying just clicks for me, it makes total sense.  I highly recommend buying it!  I have also been learning more and more about juicing and I really want to give it a try.  I'm going to try and get a juicer this weekend (Friday = hubby's payday...WOOT) and get started on that.  I'm feeling motivated again and it feels GOOD.  I am happy that I didn't gain too much weight during all this craziness, but I'm disappointed that I got sidetracked and lost my motivation.  Lesson learned.  Now for the stats...

Stats:
Weight lost before starting this mission: 33 lbs (so what if 19 of it was baby weight, it counts!)
Week 1: -2.2 lbs
Week 2: -2 lbs
Week 3: +2.2 lbs
Week 4: -.4 lbs
Total on this mission: -2.4 lbs
Total since giving birth to Hayden: -35.4 lbs
Pounds to go to my first goal of being back at my wedding weight: 15.6

My goals for this week are to stay motivated and not stray from my diet.  I need to stay on course to make up for the 2 bad weeks I've had.  I'm also going to get back to the gym.  I want to go at least 3 times this week.  That will be challenging since my husband is on call but I NEED to make it happen!    

Weight Loss Jars

This is probably one of my favorite crafts that I've seen on Pinterest!  I made these jars for my bestie Stephanie and I and it is so fun to move marbles to the Pounds LOST!! side.  Not so much when you have a bad week and have to move some to the other side :/

If anyone is interested in buying a set or wants to know what I used to make them, either leave a comment or shoot me an email at mandahurst@gmail.com.

Umm...

Pretty sure I would if I could ever do more than 20 minutes of Zumba straight!

Oh Discipline, Where Art Thou?

Why is it so hard for me to be disciplined?!  It took all my willpower to not buy a donut this morning.  A chocolate creme filled donut just sounded SO GOOD.  I resisted the temptation even though I didn't want to.  I know I'm never going to get anywhere if I keep giving into myself.  I keep pinning to my "Thinspiration" board on Pinterest when I'm feeling weak and this one in particular spoke to me.

WORD.

Amen.

Week 4 Goals

Ok y'all, I'm back on the wagon!  I'm still trying to light that fire and get super motivated again but I'm making better choices today.  My goal for the week is to lose 4-5 pounds to make up for the terrible eating I did last week.  We are busy every night this week so I won't be able to squeeze in much exercise but I will focus on eating right.  Losing 5 pounds doesn't sound like much but after seeing this picture, I'm even more motivated!  Check out what 20 pounds of fat looks like!  I WILL get there this month. 

P.S.  I found this on Pinterest so I'm not sure who the photo credit should go to.

Week 3 Wrap Up

Welp, I suck.  I did awful this week, I don't have any excuses either!  I got lazy and it shows...This week I gained 2.2 lbs.  TWO POUNDS GUYS.  WTF!  I've learned a few valuable lessons.  Straying from my diet for even one day isn't worth it.  Also?  Pepsi is the devil.  It's my gateway drug.  (Sidenote: I can't imagine having an actual drug addiction, I feel SO BAD for people that struggle with that! I seriously can't imagine the torture they must go through daily!)  I grocery shopped last night and stocked up on healthy snacks and lots of Crystal Light.  I'm back bitches.  I also didn't track a damn thing in my journal this week, I'm sure that impacted my poor choices too.  We have LOTS going on this weekend but I'm going to focus on not having any Pepsi, mochas or fast food this weekend.  I'm going to make my crock pot taco chicken tonight so I can just make a quick taco when I get hungry and won't be tempted to eat out. 

Stats:
Weight lost before starting this mission: 33 lbs (so what if 19 of it was baby weight, it counts!)
Week 1: -2.2 lbs
Week 2: -2 lbs
Week 3: +2.2 lbs
Total on this mission: -2 lbs
Total since giving birth to Hayden: -35 lbs
Pounds to go to my first goal of being back at my wedding weight: 16


No pictures this week, we were running late and it was a CRAZY morning!  I'll post pics next Friday when I'm DOWN a few pounds.  Gotta hit it hard this next week to make up for this 2.2 lb weight gain.  I would love to lose at least 4 pounds this next week. 

Off the wagon

Man, what a fucking week!  I swear, if it's not one thing it's another.  I had every intention of doing great with my diet this week but have failed miserably.  I have been doing well without having Pepsi but I got a mocha yesterday afternoon because I was literally falling asleep at my desk.  Now that I think about it, a can of Pepsi would have been fewer calories :/  But, if I got a can of Pepsi I'd be back where I started at the beginning of the week fighting my Pepsi addiction.  I also ordered pizza for dinner last night because I didn't have time to cook.  I can literally come up with every excuse in the book as to why cheating on my diet is OK.  I am so exhausted mentally and physically that I just don't have the willpower right now.  We literally have something going on everyday in June, it is by far the busiest time of the year for us.  I am going to force myself to make time for ME and my diet, even if it's getting up early to prep my meals for the day.  I'm going to take a step back from exercising and focus all of my energy on my diet.  I am proud to say that Gentry and I did 8 minutes of Zumba last night before we needed a break.  SCORE. 

I'm so nervous to weigh in tomorrow!  I hope I didn't gain anything and just stayed the same :(  THIS is why I should stick to my diet and not cheat!!

EEEKS!

I was browsing through the pics on my cell phone and found this little gem.  My fatness isn't something I'm proud of, I am however very proud of the babies I have had who gave me my hot little (HUGE?) mom bod ;)  This was the day before I gave birth to Hayden.  This picture showcases the heaviest I've ever been, and will ever be again. You can tell how swollen I was just by seeing the bottom part of my face and my sausage fingers! Yay for water retention! I'm happy I have this picture to show where I started on this journey, as embarrassing as it might be!

Hungry Bitch!

Do you ever have those days when you're just plain hungry?  I woke up starving and I seem to have an insatiable appetite today.  I'm not sure what to do about it because my oatmeal and Ritz Toasted Chips aren't holding me over!  I brought a can of soup from home since I won't have time to eat on my lunch break today and I don't think it's going to do the trick.  I've been trying to fill up on water and nothing seems to be helping!  AAAHHHHH!  I know for sure I won't be tempted to eat out because I don't have the time to do so.  I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.  Mind over matter, right?  Or in this case, mind over growling stomach!

Typical Me

This weekend was a rough one for me!  I am not used to my husband working on the weekends so it stressed me out a lot.  Probably a little too much.  I had a couple things happen that threw me for an emotional loop, I need to grow a thicker skin and not care what people think.

I did fairly well with my meals this weekend, choosing my food wisely isn't as much of a challenge as it was in the beginning.  I did screw up and ordered breakfast yesterday morning though.  I didn't have any energy to cook and felt like I was in survival mode!  I didn't do terrible though, I ordered one biscuit with gravy when I really wanted four, haha.  The thing I did awful with was Pepsi!  Typical me!  Pepsi is my drug, is there rehab for it? :(  I kept making my Crystal Light but it just wasn't doing it.  I convinced myself I needed Pepsi to help me stay awake since my kids refused to nap and I didn't have a break at all.  I'm feeling slightly refreshed after a somewhat good night's sleep.  I knocked myself out with Nyquil :)

Now time to focus on the new week at hand.  I'm not going to let a few setbacks from the weekend derail me.  I am OBESSED with Hungry for Change.  I watched the video a couple months ago and it is life changing.  One of the guys I related with the most on the video is Jon Gabriel.  He has a book out that I ordered from Amazon.  His story is AMAZING.  Please, please, please read about him!

Goals for Week 3:
 - NO MORE PEPSI.  For reals this time.  This makes me want to cry, not gonna lie.
 - NO eating out. I don't want the one time that I screwed up to turn into a habit.
 - Get lots of sleep!  Be in bed by 10 every night.

Weekend Goals

Hmm, lets see.  What are some reasonable goals for Memorial Day weekend?  My hubby is working ALL weekend so I will have to fight the temptation to go out to eat!  I'm planning to head out grocery shopping tonight so I have some healthy options for this weekend.  My mom's birthday is tomorrow so we'll be attending her birthday BBQ.  My goal is to eat a BBQ'd chicken breast, have a tiny bit of pasta salad and just say no to cake.  Since we don't really have any other plans, I think it will be easy to stick to these goals.  I'm feeling better each day, it's getting easier to make smart choices.  Exercising is still a struggle for me though.  Now that I've finished The Hunger Games series (OMG Mockingjay was cray) and almost all of my shows are over for the season, I am going to make a much better effort to be active.  No more excuses.  I have LOTS of yard work to do this weekend, that counts as exercise, right?  :)

Week 2 Stats

This week I lost 2 pounds!  WOOOOT.

Stats:
Weight lost before starting this mission: 33 lbs (so what if 19 of it was baby weight, it counts!)
Week 1: -2.2 lbs
Week 2: -2 lbs
Total on this mission: -4.2 lbs
Total since giving birth to Hayden: -37.2 lbs!
Pounds to go to my first goal of being back at my wedding weight: 14

Here are my Week 2 pics!

Amen

Am I right, or am I right?!  Haha, this is so true.

P.S.  I found this on Pinterest so I'm not sure who the photo credit should go to.

YES!

YOU GUYS!  LOOK WHAT FITS!  I haven't been able to squeeze into my wedding rings since I found out I was pregnant with Hayden in January of 2011!  They're still tight and on the verge of cutting off my circulation but I got them on!  SUCCESS.

Zumba

Zumba's fun y'all!  Gentry and I did about half of a video last night and man did I work up a sweat.  I don't know if we spent more time exercising or laughing, but it was fun and I can't wait to do it again.  My legs and shoulders are a tad bit sore today so I must have done something right, tonight I'm aiming to finish a whole video.  It's nice to do something fun to exercise with my daughter (not that she needs to exercise, she's a skinny mini) and she WANTS to do it, which is something I'm certainly not going to discourage!  I did great tracking all of my intake yesterday, and I'm excited to continue logging things in my journal.  I'm feeling good about this week, I just KNOW I'm gonna rock it <3

I'm Back Bitches

After a little pep talk from my brother and a very sweet email from a friend, my motivation is back.  It's amazing how a few sweet words of encouragement can do so much.  I am so happy I pre-planned my breakfast and lunch for today so I wasn't tempted to eat out and get off track!  Writing everything down has been really good for me too, and I realized something.  I drink A LOT of Crystal Light* guys.  I'm on my 5th bottle of the day!  It's going to be a busy night for me, my hubby is on call, I have to brave Walmart with 2 kids in tow (SHOOT ME NOW), go home and cook dinner, clean up, bath time for the kiddos and ZUMBAAAA my little heart out!  Gentry has been begging me to let her try Zumba with me.  I hope she likes it, then she'll make me do it on a regular basis, haha!

*I HATE water (who hates water, right?) so the only way I can force myself to drink it is by adding Crystal Light.  At this point in my life I'm not concerned with the possible effects of artificial sweeteners, I'm concerned with kicking my Pepsi habit and becoming healthier all around.  And losing oh, I don't know, a million pounds?

Week 2 Goals

Well kids, I'm starting to lose my motivation!  I don't know why, but I know that I can't give up.  I don't want to give up.  Why does this always happen to me?  I haven't really been depriving myself of anything, I think it might be because I'm tired and worn out, thus I don't want to think about things and I kinda don't care.  I'm going to break this cycle.  I bought a journal yesterday, I'm going to write down everything I consume.  I need to be able to see on paper what I'm consuming so I will know where I need to cut back. 

Goals for Week 2:
1.  Keep a journal of EVERYTHING I consume.
2.  Keep a journal of the time spent exercising.
3.  Focus on eating healthy, well balanced meals.
4.  Don't eat out.
5.  Go to the gym at least twice this week.

Cheers to Week 2, I'm gonna rock this shit!

Weekend Goals

My husband is going to be golfing for the majority of the weekend so that leaves me at home with the kiddos.  Usually this is an easy out for me, it's SO much easier to pack up the kids and run through a drive thru than it is to try and cook a healthy meal with a baby on my hip and a 5 year old wrapped around my leg.  I am going to stop coming up with every excuse in the book to eat out.  My main goal for the weekend is to get to the grocery store ASAP so I actually have food to cook all weekend, haha!  I'm also going to try my Zumba dvd's.  If anyone feels a slight earthquake on the hill, it's just me.  Sorry 'bout that. 

Week 1 Results...dun dun DUUUUUN

Well folks, I made it a week.  I surely didn't eat perfectly, but I am still motivated and didn't revert back to most of my old habits.  I made it to the gym twice this week, I couldn't drag myself out of bed this morning.  The baby was up twice last night and mama needed her sleep!  I'm usually pretty dead by the time Friday rolls around, must work on that.  Now time for the stats.

Week 1 weigh in results: -2.2 lbs!  WOWZA.  How motivating is that to see?  I am certainly determined to kick it up a notch to see a bigger weight loss next week!

Here are my weekly pics.  I know I can't expect to SEE overnight results, but I am hoping to see myself shrinking over the next few months.  Also, knowing that I have to post a picture on Friday helps me to make better choices during the week and not stray too far from my diet.

Sweeeeets

I've been craving sweets like no other!  I was at Safeway looking for something low calorie to hold me over and I stumbled upon these little gems.

These are God's gift to me.  They are mini ice cream bars, they melt in your mouth and OH EM GEE they are SO GOOD!  They are super sweet so they definitely satisfy my sweet tooth and they are only 150 calories!  My brain tells me that I should be trying to steer clear of sweets, but I am trying so hard not to set myself up for failure.  I am definitely willing to sacrifice 150 calories for one of these puppies.

Word.

I wish I would have thought about this before I splurged on a candy bar last night.  I don't know why I always revert back to my old ways.  I'm not even going to keep candy or unhealthy treats in the house anymore!  I definitely need to work on self control, but I'm feeling guilty for splurging so that's a good sign right? 

Goals for the Week

Week of May 14th:

1. NO PEPSI (WAAAAAH)
2. No fast food except for Subway on Friday night! I'll make smart choices there though. Swearsies.
3. Drink a bazillion gallons of water per day, or at least more water than I usually drink :)
4. Hit the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
5. Workout at home Tuesday and Thursday.
6. Think about every ounce of food I put in my mouth.
7. Don't eat on impulse.  If something looks good, do I really  need it?  Is the setback worth it?
8. Cook only lean meals with lots of veggies.
9. Be in bed by 10pm every night.
10. Stay focused.  You got this.

This is the most focused I've ever been on a diet.  I think the blog is helping!  YAY!  I'm finding myself thinking about what I'm eating whereas before, I would eat half a box of crackers before I even realized what I was doing.  Sure, I am not eating perfectly, but I know from past experiences that if I cut all the bad stuff out of my diet I won't last.  I won't have a chance at being successful because I'll go on a binge and eat all the things I have deprived myself of.  So far so good, I feel like I'm on the right track here.   

Happy Mother's Day!

I am so blessed that God chose me to be the mama of these precious girls.  I love them with all my heart!

My parents took us to lunch at a Mexican restaurant (our plans to go to a buffet at the casino failed after finding out there was a 2 hour wait) and we had the best time!  My big splurge of the day was a kiwi margarita...YUM.  For lunch I had the chicken enchiladas suizas, I know I could have made a better choice but I made a conscious effort to listen to  my body and stop eating when I was full.  I was starving when we got there, I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, and was ready for a feast.  I ate about half of my enchiladas and had most of my rice and beans left over.  High five for me! 

Migraines SUCK.

Well, my weekend has sucked so far.  I started getting a migraine Friday evening, all day I had been fighting it.  I took a Maxalt (prescription migraine pill) and headed to bed.  I woke up Saturday morning and my head was POUNDING.  I took a muscle relaxer and some Dayquil (I figured that something would work!) and it didn't let up at all.  I ended up taking another Maxalt, a couple more muscle relaxers and a few Excedrin.  Finally around 11pm I started feeling better.  My migraine is still lingering but I'm starting to function now.  My plans to go grocery shopping were thrown out the window and all I wanted to do was send my hubby to Taco Bell for some good comfort food.  It seriously took all the willpower I had not to give into my fast food cravings.  Seeing that I haven't grocery shopped in a few weeks and our cupboards are filled with baby food and Spaghetti O's (thanks mom!) I was left scrounging for food all day.  I ended up making some Spanish rice and eating a Totino's pizza.  Definitely not diet food but surely better than the chicken nachos bell grande I wanted so bad.  I don't know why, but when I'm sick I have no willpower and my diet goes to shit.  My diet also tends to go to shit on the weekends.  I have to work hard on this guys.  It's such a nice reward to eat out all weekend.  Why do I feel the need to "reward" myself for  making it through the crazy work week?!  Maybe I'm just lazy.  Maybe I have no willpower.  Maybe I'm addicted to fast food.  Maybe all of the above are true.  It's so much easier to relax on the weekends without having to cook or think about planning meals.  I had a lot of time to reflect on this today.  I laid in bed and on the couch for the majority of the day trying to kick this migraine.  Thank God it's Mother's Day weekend so I didn't feel too guilty about it.  Speaking of Mother's Day, I asked my 5 year old what she was going to get me  and she said "Probably a baby monkey."  I said "Oh Gentry, you know the way to your mama's heart!"  She said "I have to go ask daddy if he'll drive me to the zoo tomorrow so I can buy you one."  LMAO!  She is too damn cute!  I had big plans for the weekend.  Saturday we were going to clean the house, put away laundry and plant our flowers.  I was going to try Zumba for the first time too.  Friday I decided on a whim to drop my gym membership since I NEVER go.  Like ever.  I only pay $33 a month for it so I have kept it with the intent of getting back into it but I don't make time to go.  I can come up with every excuse in the book to not to.  Usually, I'm too tired.  4:30 a.m. comes way too fast.  Sleep is good guys.  I refuse to go to the gym after work or in the evenings.  I only get a few hours of good quality time with my girls and I'm not going to take away from that.  Family first, no if's and's or but's about it.  So, yesterday Gentry and I went to the gym to cancel it and the guy asked me why I wanted to drop it.  I said I don't have time to come in.  His response?  You know we're open 24/7 right?  Umm ya...I obviously knew that, but it stung when he said it.  I guess I had an epiphany about how lazy I am.  Anyways, I left there with 6 months of free tanning and my membership still active.  I'm such a pushover!  But in my defense, it is $40 a month for unlimited tanning so they're basically paying me $8 a month to keep my membership, right?  ;)  I decided then and there to make a better effort to get to the gym.  I'm going to try and go Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 5am.  Gentry will be done with school the first week of June and she will be done with ballet towards the end of June.  I can handle a few more weeks of this crazy busy schedule and hopefully get into a routine again.  I enjoy working out at home, but I might as well use the membership I'm paying for.  Plus, I have to go there to tan anyways ;)    

Here We Go

OMGGGGGG YOU GUYS.  I can't believe I'm posting these pictures.  I had my husband take "before" pics of me this morning so I can see myself losing weight on this journey.  I look lurvely.  My hair and makeup aren't done, but who cares, I'm not here to look purdy!  So, here we go.  Today was my first official weigh in on this mission.  I had a great idea what I would weigh since I weighed myself yesterday (I'm down .2 pounds, BOOYAH!), but I just had to get the official number today since I am going to weigh in on Fridays.  It still shocks me that I weigh this much.  I always wake up in the mornings hoping to have shed at least 30 pounds overnight.  That's never happened...RUDE.  So, here we go, the before pics.  I'm not going to post my weight because hello, I'm a lady.  Who does that anyways?  I will say that I want to lose a minimum of 40 pounds though.

Taking Control

Taking control.  It sounds easy, right?  I've been struggling with my weight since I turned 20, and it has gone nowhere but up.  In the past 7 years I have gotten married, and had 2 children.  On May 5th I turned 30.  I'm tired of being fat and feeling frumpy.  I want my husband to be proud of me, I want my kids to adore me.  I want to be me.  The old skinny me.  I have a lot of food related demons that I have to overcome and I'm starting to realize what they are.  I constantly sabotage every diet I am on and I'm tired of it.  I know it's going to be hard, but it's also going to be worth it.  My first goal is to get down to my wedding weight.  I have 18 pounds to go.  Being pregnant with my 2nd child, I got to my highest weight ever.  I have since shed 33 pounds.  I am fortunate that I don't gain a ton of weight when pregnant.  With my first child, I gained 19 pounds and my second, I gained 26.  I am on the right path, I just have to keep it up and stay motivated.  I feel that writing this blog will hold me accountable, even if no one reads it!  I will stay accountable to myself, and that is my main struggle.  I am addicted to Pepsi.  No joke.  I used to go days just drinking Pepsi, no water, no juice, no nothing, just Pepsi.  I have realized how bad that is for you, and I now limit myself to 1 Pepsi at most per day.  If I do have one, it's usually with breakfast, it's like my coffee.  I know it's awful but I'm struggling to give up that one soda!  I like to eat.  I like food.  I like being full.  I am going to work on giving up processed sugar, fast food, soda and learn portion control.  I have tried Weight Watchers, I have tried counting calories, I have tried Atkins, the South Beach Diet and many, many others.  I'm not ashamed to say that I have even tried diet pills.  I have come to realize that there is no miracle pill or diet that will work for me, just plain old eating right and exercise.  I am ready.  I'm taking control.