Day 2 Recap

THANK GOD IT'S THE WEEKEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you tell it's my first week back to work? Oh my goodness. Tired is literally the understatement of the century as to how I feel right now. I work 60 hours this week! The kids were already at each other's throats so I was a VERY busy school counselor this week.

I actually am glad I started the Reset along with work starting, because I'm already sleeping and feeling better. Although I do get up like a pregnant women to pee every few hours in the middle of the night.

Day 2 went better for Jeff and pretty much the same for me. Jeff said he is having an easier time, but did end up having the optional snack because he felt really hungry. We're both missing chocolate and popcorn/movie night, but it's not that bad. We both have said we need to look at food as fuel and not so much as entertainment.

Plain yogurt, steel cut oatmeal and blueberries sweetened with pure maple syrup

Greek Salad

Black beans and rice, corn tortilla, and mashed avocado with pico de gallo

Getting Ready for The Reset/Day 1

 **my posts are always going to be one day behind so I can reflect on the previous day

It's here!!!!!!

We were supposed to start the Reset on Wednesday. I had lunch pre-made, supplements ready to go, and reminder cards made for Jeff. Then someone realized he wasn't going to be able to drink for 3 weeks so he had a little too much and was hungover the next morning. So we had to push it back a day. I'd rather start when he's feeling well. And if you're wondering- no I wasn't mad at him. I don't sweat the small stuff.

Someone doesn't feel well ;)

She kicked her sister out and took over as soon as the blanket came out

Anyway- I had to scramble to plan for something to eat since our fridge has nothing in it but Reset food. Thank goodness for EVOL bowls in the freezer! 

It currently looks like this (ignore the LaCroix- can't have that for 3 whole weeks!) 

I weighed in at 226.8. Yikes! I gained so much weight this past week from all of the crap I ate. Work got crazy so I would barely eat breakfast or lunch and then stuff my face at night. Thank God for the Reset starting so I can get my shit together. 

Prepped salads for lunch

So day 1 went extremely well! I loved all of the food and I wasn't hungry at all. I even drank my whole gallon of water.  It was funny because Jeff said he hated the salad for lunch but I thought it was the best thing ever! We have complete opposite tastes. 

Day 1 Breakfast

Day 1 Lunch

Day 1 Dinner

Drinking my gallon of water (ignore my terrible sideburns-I had a botched laser hair removal treatment haha)

I love that the program tells you exactly what to eat! It makes it SO easy!! Stay tuned for day 2 recap!

So Much Excitement!!

I am on cloud 9 right now! I will be starting the Beachbody Ultimate Reset on Wednesday!! And even better news- Jeff is doing it with me this time!!!

The reason I'm so excited for this is because I got to do the Reset last year and had AMAZING results on it! It is what ulimately started my clean eating journey. It trained my body to eat sensible portions and taught me a new appreciation of healthy food. It got me intune with my body and I can't begin to describe how amazing I felt on it. I also lost 11 pounds!

It's a 21 day program so it requires a lot of dicipline, but it is SO worth it! Last time I did it I did it on my own. Jeff continued with his normal eating so I was preparing two dinners every night (my choice- I didn't want him to have to start cooking just because I was doing the Reset) and had to watch him eat pizza, ice cream, and all sorts of junk. I'm not going to lie, it made it a lot harder some days. I also really wanted him to do the Reset with me, but I knew he wasn't ready. This time around when I mentioned I wanted to do it again he was on board to join me. I'm beyond excited to see him succeed at it! He has never liked vegetables much (it's vegan diet for 2 of the weeks) and loves to drink beer and energy drinks so I am so excited to see if he will learn to love the food or if it's going to be tough for him.

If anyone would like to join us feel free! I'll be honest- it's pretty pricey. The kit is $50 off right now, but is still almost $200. It comes with supplements you take everyday and also the meal plan and online support. The program tells you exactly what to eat for every meal, which I actually really liked. I think it's totally worth it to do the program!

I will be blogging about it for the next 3 weeks and my experience with it. My Beachbody coach asked me to coach as well, so I signed up to be one. I honestly don't care if people buy things from me or not, but I want to support others in their journey to health and fitness.

On another note I went back to work last week (I'm a school counselor for those of who are new here). Going from not working to working 8+ hours a day has been exhausting! Next week we have meetings every day after school so I will leave the house at 6:30 am and then get home at 6:30pm. Pray for me :) I'll adjust though, I'm excited to have a schedule again. Summer spoiled me!


** those of you who read my last post, I completely failed at doing Turbofire consistantly so I will be starting over!

It's Turbo Time!!

*Bonus point if someone can name the movie from the title*

I've started some new things this week! First off, I really thought about where I can show improvement on my fitness journey.

1. I need to do more cardio
2. I need more structure in my workout schedule
3. I need to increase my intensity
4. I need some motivation :)

So to help with these needs I started TurboFire today and...I LOVE it! I could feel the intensity in the workout and it was fun. Those two things are my winning combo. I hate videos where you don't feel the challenge or the ones that are boring.


I also have begun to meal plan again because I go back to work tomorrow. I'm sad summer is over, but truthfully I need some routine in my life. I just wish I didn't work 50 hours a week...but what can you do.

Another change I made is that I bought a calorie tracker for workouts and finally started using the fitbit flex I bought months ago. So far it's really helping me! I'm still waiting for the calorie tracker to arrive.

I also joined a few challenge groups for extra motivation.

Here is what I have planned for the rest of the week.

Tuesday- Wake up at 5:30 am and do TurboFire
                Breakfast- Flax waffle and fruit
                Lunch- Evol Bowl
                Dinner- Clean taco salad

Wednesday- Breakfast- Greek yogurt with figs and pecans
                     Lunch- Spicy Chicken Spaghetti Squash
                     Dinner- Salmon with mango-avocado salsa and quinoa stuffed zucchini
                     5:00pm- workout with trainer (arms day). Scheduled rest day with TurboFire

Thursday- Wakeup 7:30 and do TurboFire (we work 11-7pm do to open house)
                  Breakfast- eggs, turkey bacon, fruit
                  Lunch- Southwestern Salad
                  Dinner- Crockpot Clean Chili (will post recipe- it's delicious!)

Friday- Wake up 5:30 and do Turbofire
             Breakfast- Flax waffle and fruit
             Lunch- Leftover chili
             Dinner- Cajun Stuffed Chicken (will also post recipe)

I have nothing planned for the weekend yet (except turbofire). Writing this down makes me feel more accountable and I also have a place to look if I forget the plan.

I took my initial measurements today:

Weight- 224.2
Bodyfat- 38.2 %
Hips- 47.5 inches
Waist- 26.5 inches
Thighs- 29.5 inches (bigger than my waist??)
Arms- 15.5 inches
Chest- 42 inches

I will measure again in 4 weeks. TurboFire is a 20 week program! I plan to take measurements every month. On top of the program, which is mostly cardio, I work with my trainer on weights 3x per week. I will eventually do a hybrid of Les Mills Pump (bodypump) and TurboFire. Then when I get super crazy I'm adding in Brazil Buttlift.

That's the plan and I'm sticking to it :)

Monday Goal Link-Up

I haven't done this in a while! I'm linking up with Jess from Operation Skinny Jeans for weekly goals. I've had the worst day ever (okay not really, but it's up there with the worst one) so I'm trying to stay positive and be productive instead of drowning my sorrows with chocolate milkshakes.

Anyway...

GOALS

1. Go to the gym M-F. (I can already check Monday off ) :)

2. Begin Beachbody Regiment. I ordered Brazil Butt Lift and Turbofire and plan to do both of the programs.

Our carpet is shredding for some reason so ignore the messy background

I passed the pencil test so that's good! You hold the pencil where your thighs meet your booty and if the pencil stays you've got some lifting to do haha. I laughed way too hard through this test. 

Confession: I order Beachbody workouts and have never completed one! I have Les Mills Pump,

Insanity, P90X, Slim in 6, and now Brazil Butt lift and Turbofire. My long term goal is to complete all of them before my wedding in June. 

3. Eat clean 90% of the time and limit my sugar intake daily. 

4. Have a positive attitude and don't comfort myself with food despite my stressful news. 

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all have a fantastic week! 

New Foods I'm Trying

I get bored very easily. I'm not one of those people who can eat the same things over and over again and they never grow old. One of the things I've been trying to do on my journey is to eat new foods I normally wouldn't have. Here are some of my favorites:

Figs

 

I love figs now! I have been seriously craving something sweet for breakfast lately so I mix 1 cup of Greek yogurt, 1 tbsp raw organic honey, 4 large figs chopped, and 1 tbsp halved pecans.
Soooo yummy and healthy!

not the prettiest picture, but it's delicious!

Arugula






I love caprese salads, but I wanted to switch things up from my usual one. I heard about how healthy arugula is and switched my salad base from spinach to arugula since I eat so much spinach already. It's really good and gives the salad a great flavor.

To make the salad combine arugula, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

Collard Greens

For some reason they have always scared me, but then I had to try them once and fell in love. I make coconut collard greens all the time now and they are beyond delicious!

6 large collard leafs-chopped

1/4 yellow onion- chopped

1/2 cup organic coconut milk (from a can) (not the light one, don't be scared of the healthy fats!!)

1 tbsp olive oil

In a large skillet saute onion in olive oil until translucent (about 10 minutes)

Add in greens and coconut milk, stir and keep sauteing for another 10-15 minutes or until greens are tender

Enjoy!

I'm obsessed with these tomatoes as well! This was a savory snack yesterday. A ton of tomatoes and leftover coconut collard greens from dinner the night before. 

Beets

I forgot to take a picture, but all I did was chop them into big chunks, toss in olive oil, Himalayan salt, and pepper, and roasted them for 40 minutes at 425 degrees. 

I'm a HUGE fan of beets now. Jeff even likes them. 

La Croix Sparkling Water

I have seriously been craving soda again and this water hits the spot and is all natural. I like the coconut, orange, and lemon flavors so far! Oh and it's 25 cents a can! 

I'd love to hear what everyone else is trying! 

Clean Crockpot Salsa Chicken

I've always loved salsa chicken. It's the easiest recipe and it's soooo good! The traditional recipe calls for chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, cream of chicken or mushroom soup, a taco seasoning packet, sour cream and optional add ins (beans, corn, peppers...) and I ate it served over Knorr's Rice Sides Mexican Rice.

This was a go to recipe for me when I was simply tracking calories. Now that I'm eating clean I decided to modify the recipe. The new one tastes even better than the old one!

Salsa Chicken- Clean Version

2 chicken breasts
1 jar clean salsa (no preservatives or chemicals)- I like Green Mountain Gringo Salsa
1 container of pacific cream of mushroom or chicken soup
2 tbsp (or more to taste) homemade taco seasoning (recipe in this post)
2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
Optional add ins (corn, blackbeans, peppers...)

Directions

1. Place chicken, salsa, taco seasoning, and soup in crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours (crockpots vary)
2. Once chicken is cooked shred with a fork (right in the crockpot)
3. Once shredded mix in greek yogurt and any addins you like (I just do corn) and cook additional half hour

Eat plain or over rice. I eat it with Seeds of Change Rice. Soooo good! This recipe makes leftovers :)

Lunch the next day :)

I'm also cleared to workout again! I signed up for a new gym and have a trainer twice a week to teach me new routines. It feels great to be back at it!

Coming Clean

So I've sat down to write this post many times, but have chickened out. I'm not sure if anyone reads my little blog, but if they do I certainly don't want to have anyone judge me for personal choices I make.

I don't know if you remember, but when we left off I weighed 212 pounds.

This is what I weighed this morning.

I also haven't worked out since the end of June. 

Why you may ask? Have you totally just given up? Are you just being lazy?

Truth is (insert eyeroll because now when I hear that phrase I think about that stupid thing on facebook where people have to "like" your status and then someone tells something true...dumb) that I got cosmetic surgery at the end of June. I had breast augmentation.
There are several decisions for this.
1. I have never even been able to fill out an A cup bra
2. I've wanted them forever
3. The timing was finally right
4. I may be able to work on my weight, but there wasn't much I could do about this part of my body to change it.

I don't know why I feel the need to justify my choice, but I'm finally putting it out there.
I instantly gained weight after surgery and while I thought it would just drop off it hasn't budged. My doctor said that's normal and it may take a few months, but it's still mentally REALLY hard for me to gain that much so fast.

If anyone has questions about the surgery please feel free to ask me! I'm being open because it's pretty much pointless for me to hide it (plus I finally told my parents when I came back to Iowa) and I'm actually really happy to offer advice if anyone is thinking about it.

I know some people think plastic surgery is wrong and God made you the way you are. I completely respect everyone's opinion, but in the end it's my body and I did what I wanted with it. I'm beyond happy with my decision and don't regret it at all.

I'm glad I finally wrote about it. I feel better already :)

I'm back!

Can I just apologize (again) for failing miserably at blogging? Being home in Iowa for 2 weeks left me very little time to blog. I had a wonderful time, but my sleep schedule, eating, exercising, and blogging suffered quite a bit. 

We just got back and I'm excited to continue on my healthy journey. While we were in Iowa we bounced from city to city daily and often ate out. I didn't exercise once. Yikes.

However the two weeks were worth it! I got to see my family and friends and that is worth everything to me. You may notice I don't often take pictures and post them on my blog. Honestly this is for two reasons: 

1. I am VERY self-conscious about my weight 

2. I rarely go out with friends here in NC. I'm usually working or doing homework. 

I was very happy to finally take some pics! I even managed to not be super self-conscious and pulled my camera out frequently. Here are some highlights from my trip:

One of my best friends Lindsey and I

Shameless selfie before my friend Ashley's wedding

We're next babe! Love his fake smile :)

Hanging out at cocktail hour

Ashley is the most gorgeous bride ever!

My cousin Tanya and I bridesmaid dress shopping for my wedding
(we didn't pick a dress- can't please 8 girls, yes I have 8 bridesmaids)

My sweet future niece Aubrey wanted to try on a dress too

My friend Jenny and I. My friends actually made me try on a wedding dress. Hello weight loss inspiration!

I bought this for the 22 hour trip home. Can't wait to try some of the recipes and share!

One really exciting thing happened while I was gone. I graduated from East Carolina University with my Masters in Counseling!!!! No more homework EVER again!!! Can you tell I'm excited?? 

My friend Kayla and I are signing up for a new gym and she's going to be my workout buddy every morning bright and early. Can't wait to get back on track!