Week 4 round-up and week 5 goals and Po

I have hit a wall.

The weather effects me this time of year, lack of sunshine, gloomy days and the cold. It makes me want to do 2 things...lay on the couch under a big blanket and sleep or lay in my bed and sleep. The thing is that eating healthy and even exercise do not improve this, only sunshine. I have been regimental about my vitamin D everyday and trying to get whatever light I can but it is what it is.

This week I stuck to my eating guns and threw in exercise when I could, mostly running, and abs everyday. There was one morning when I was ravenous and literally only had time for a doughnut (of which I was getting my oldest for his last junk hoorah) it tasted awful and felt even worse in my mouth haha. The thought of a doughnut now makes me want to hurl. Otherwise it was all paleo with some random cheeses and grainfoods (not gluten)

All in all I wasn't too disappointed, I am still losing inches. I have even received a couple of compliments this week which you know is always inspiring.

This week's stats

• weight -1
• waist -.5
• bust - .75 (they just keep shrinking!)
• hips -.5

So I only lost a pound but the inches keep going down. I am more concerned with that than anything. Which leads me to what I've learned this week.

• Inches really to mean more than pounds
• Gluten is evil & I am a cavewoman
• Feeling good about yourself feels good
• It is time to step things up...

So for starters...Inches really do mean more than pounds. My scale is...inching. I get on it barely moves, it would be really easy to get frustrated if I wasn't taking weekly pictures and my jeans weren't literally falling off of me. I get why people say ditch the scale, and it is a great idea...but I am a numbers girl and while it is silly because these numbers aren't really meaning much I still want to see them. 

I love being Paleo. I feel better, I have more energy and I swear my fibroid is shrinking. I also have almost no congestion, as in that swamp thick crud in the back of your throat. I did however get a harsh dash of it after eating the doughnut and I know it was either the dairy element or the gluten. Either way I won't be turning to either any time soon for nourishment. I am also going to veer my kids toward a more paleo life. They won't be 100% because of school snacks and such but at home we will be all about it. Did I mention Mr. Minus keeps losing weight...frustrating. I have also started to crave protein over carbs when hungry. It used to be if I was starving I would go straight for sugar, now I am like man do I have some chicken or leftover beef! I am a cavewoman haha. But, as I have said before, do what works for you. I may sound like a Paleo advocate (ok I am) but if you found a way of eating that works for you stick with it and own it. I have become a cavewoman you become what you need to suceed. 

I feel good about myself, I took that journey last year but it doesn't mean there aren't times when I am getting dressed and I have to run through 10 outfits until I convince myself people can't see my excess weight. Last night however I had a plan for what to wear on my date night with Mr. Minus...and I wore it. I actually had out 2 outfits and an alternative in mind, just in case. I didn't need any backups...first one on was the one a wore. It was dress I got for my birthday that I was wearing a lot but every time I wore it someone commented on me being pregnant...ugh. This time there was none of that not only did it look great but I felt amazing & better yet our date didn't start out stressful from my being unhappy with my ensemble and we were early to our reservations because I wasn't changing every 5 minutes. So feeling good about yourself in a different way is amazing!

Last Learned thing...It is time to amp things up. I have lost 7 pounds and a pants size. I have tone muscles, I feel them and I feel stronger but I still have a lot of fat covering them. I could continue this way eeking my way to 46 lbs lost but I am not an eeking type person. I like to think I am like a juggernaut get me started and I just gain momentum. So without further adieu here are next week's goals. 

Week 5 goals

• amp up couch to 5k training
• go strict paleo watching portion sizes hidden carbs, drink water!
• finish my very much neglected Jillian Michaels program
• Get sunshine...

So my plan is this. For starters I have been training for a 5k but a friend of mine is doing the Derby miniMarathon and I have signed on to be part of her team (ironically it is YUM...seller of junk foods). They have a great program which really impressed me. I really want to start running our spring miniMarathon again so bad but didn't commit it to my 2012 goals because it is hard to find 30 min to run much less 2 hours. Things are typically easier with a friend so I might just make it happen captain. We may walk more than run but it will still be a fun and I think I talked her into wearing funky running knee socks with me :D 

I am already pretty paleo, but there are still some foods I am eating mainly for convenience that fall along the nonpaleo and more clean options. They are gluten free but not grain free. I am 86ing these from this point on. Things like corn tortillas, polenta etc. I also plan to start adding more high antioxidant foods into my paleo plan. Berries and greens, lots of greens are in my future. This is awesome though because I love greens. Morning, noon, and night...bring it on. I also need to drink more water. Over the years I have dropped my water habit, you could say I am a recovering wateraholic. I just find that even when I am thirsty I tend to ignore it because I am busy or in the middle of something, then like a food craving, it passes. To make sure I get at least a good gallon of water in a day I am filling a pitcher and placing in my fridge every night before I go to bed so I will have ice cold water all day and a way to measure it, I always lose count even when marking it in my journal. I also want to add that this was my first date night since going paleo. It was easy. They had a bacon wrapped shrimp appetizer and I got a steak with asparagus & brussels sprouts. I did have wine but one glass and drank lots of water. Finished with coffee instead of dessert...eating out paleo...nailed it!

I have got to finish my 30 day shred. I have been exploring other options for strength training like p90x, crossfit and even kick boxing but none of these will happen until I finish what I started. I really want to take kick boxing where my son takes Tae kwan do so if I finish my last 2 weeks of shred I should be good to start that. I have my athletic itch again and I need to scratch it. The 30 day shred has helped me gain back a lot of strength I lost being inactive for the last 5 years. I want to finish so I am at a good starting point to get crazy haha. 

Getting sunshine will be easy if the sun is out. I do plan on going outside and standing in the sun for a good 20 min at least on the day there is sun. I have also made a point to open all windows in the house when the sun is out. I typically leave them closed because it keeps the house warmer but I would rather have the light and have to put on a sweater then keep these winter blahs. I almost went to the tanning bed the other day just trying to get rid of this crappy feeling. 

So here is this week's picture. Not much change honestly and my lack of big belly is started to make me see the other areas needing attention...like fat! I don't want to be a skinny fat person, I want to be a skinny fit person. Muscles are sexy. 

Before I end this post I have to talk about my new friend Po. Po is the panda from Kung fu panda. My kids loved the movie and love the show. I like Po. He is a great character (played by the ever awesome Jack Black) but he is also a loyal friend and fierce fighter on the show. He also uses my new favorite word...awesomeness!! He is a bit lazy and eats too much but he also shows that no matter how hard the situation is you have to do the work, there are no short cuts and if you want to be the dragon warrior you have to work at it. We all should strive to be the dragon warrior...

Week End Check in - week 3...love handles

This post is coming to you after long and lengthy mental battles...fighting over posting it. I really didn't want to post anything. This week was awful. I didn't work out but one day and in general I was super lazy. But since this blog is about accountability I get to write the bad right alongside the good. Let's get to it!!

So last weeks goals...

• Jillian Michaels Level 2 alternating with couch to 5k (3 days running, 4 days strength)
• Go 100% gluten free
• Clean, purge and organize Master Bedroom

What can I say. I went gluten free and partially cleaned out my bedroom. The exercising didn't quite happen. So why not. Let's skip to the what I learned and come back to the whyfors (as my little hobbits call it)

What I learned. 

• Saying things in a blog post will totally jinx you
• Eating really is 70% of the battle
• My Husband rocks and doesn't at the same time. 
• How bad I really want it...sans hormones. 

Okay so let's start with the first one. If you recall I mentioned not having much PMS but some fatigue...yeah should have kept my mouth shut. It came back with a vengeance. I was exhausted, unmotivated and ate way too much dark chocolate. On top of this my daughter who is 2.5 is refusing to go to bed or sleep at night unless I lay with her. So either I spend 2 hours battling with her or I go to bed at 8. Since I was so tired I chose option 2. So I didn't get a lot of sleep this week which I will attribute to my successful stats. 

Week Stats

Weight - 3 marbles!! 6 total. 

bust - .75

waist - .25

hips  no change 

While I lost weight I don't think my measurements changed much for two reasons, I wasn't toning with Jillian and I took the measurements the day my monthly bill showed up. I could wait a couple of days (after bloating goes down) and retake them but where is the fun in that, I will just have a bigger drop next week and it will motivate me this week. 

Back to the other things I learned. Eating really is 70% of the battle. I used to be of the thought that oh I can eat this or that and just exercise it off. This comes from really not restricting my eating...well all of my life and not putting on much weight for it. If I did creep up a few pounds I could go run a couple of times and it would be gone. I am not that person anymore. Having two kids and turning 30 changed that. I am going to be that person again because maintaining muscle turns you into a fat burning machine. So while I didn't workout at all and completely failed there I stuck to my guns of eating paleo except the one day I ate some serious dark chocolate. It was low sugar chocolate but I ate a lot of it.

So why my husband rocks and doesn't. He rocks because the other morning he was hugging me calling me skinny because he could feel where I had lost weight and was trying to pinch and there was nothing there...this is at my high waist where I always lose weight first. Nonetheless it rocked!! Why he doesn't rock...he has lost 9lbs by proxy...see eating is 70% of the battle...

The last thing I learned was that this time I really have changed and am ready. In the past I would have completely thrown in the towel and chowed on Hooters fried shrimp and all other types of non paleo unhealthy foods. This time the cravings (exception chocolate) just weren't there. It was easy to maintain the paleo-ish eating I had going on. I did have some tests of will power and really just said to myself "is it really worth it". I forgave myself for not working out, I can pick back up next week but I wasn't going to allow myself to completely throw in the towel just to "start all over" again later. I have played that game before and I always lose.

This week's photos.

 This weeks picture

 Comparison week one & current week. 

I love that I am starting to look less pregnant everyday. I have a dress I love so much but every single time I wear it someone makes a comment about me being pregnant. Ugh. It isn't their fault, I am the one with the beer gut! or well left over baby gut. I don't really feel like I am losing a lot in my thighs, they are always the last to go. I will say however that I am going to have to buy a belt. I don't have any jeans that will stay up right now. A belt is cheaper than buying all new jeans. I have smaller jeans, you know it we all hang onto our smaller jeans, I am just too afraid to get them out. I have one pair of skinny jeans I bought after I had my son and I would rock them out...I haven't been able to get back in to them since my daughter. The level of their awesomeness is enough to motivate me every day haha. Soon I am getting those puppies out!

I am working on next weeks goals and will have them up in the next day or so. I would love to hear about how any of you are doing and hiccups or challenges. I have received some feed back from friends and would love to know what is going on in your world!!

Also come follow my on Twitter @supermomsteurer  and follow my pinterest boards...feed my addiction!!

Week End Check in - Week 2

Well I had planned on posting a book review next and BAM my week ended. So without further adieu...

I should start this post out with this weeks pics & measurements (spoiler alert...they rock) but I really want to start with talking about this week.

So last week I had 4 goals

• Wake early & complete JM  level 1 workout each morning
• Add 3 days of 30 min walk on treadmill per week
• Stick with cooler 1 plan of clean eating this week
• Read 30 min each night

Of these goals I...well I read almost every night ;) Out of 7 days I did workout 4, doing Jillian Michaels. My treadmill...well not so much. I tell you this because for one the purpose of this blog is accountability. I come here and truly confess. Second reason is because even though I kept falling off of the exercise wagon I stuck to my diet wagon. So while I had a day where I felt lazy or tired and didn't do 20 minutes of exercise...instead of beating myself up over it I forgave myself & I let it go. I ate right and planned to hit tomorrow with gusto, which I did. 

I am like most people, I am an all or nothing girl. I want perfection and when I don't see it happening I tend to just throw in the towel. It is not a right or healthy way of living. I have learned over the years (and after having kids) that it doesn't have to be that way. Most areas of my life I have been able to adjust however when it has come to my weight loss goals I couldn't seem to shake it. "Welp had a rotten lunch, I guess I will keep eating bad for the next 6 months" "well missed 2 days of working, I will just stay here on the couch" I vowed to myself to not be this way in 2012. It is extremely detrimental to your goal. Do you think the olympic athlete settles for that silver medal...I mean that is second place in all of the whole world. Hell no! The next day they are already training and talking to their coaches about how to win in 4 years. So why do we do it and think it is perfectly fine to throw in the towel after one hiccup?

I love this...

It is so true...

So all of that being said what I learned this week. 

• It won't kill me if I miss a workout I just have to keep going the next day. 
• Sometimes reasons are just reasons not excuses (i.e. kids not sleeping, pms)
• A treat really is a treat and not a cheat if you keep portions small. 
• Determination yields results...period. 

My Weekly Stats are:

• Weight  - 2lbs
• Waist - 2inches
• bust - 1 inch
• hips -.25 inch

Not bad for a week with some hiccups. 

Here are this weeks photos. 

weeks 2 & 3 down 2 lbs 

I also wanted to show this. 

The difference in week 1 & 3

Before I end this post I wanted to talk about one of the things I learned. **warning motivation coming** haha. I hope anyway.I want to address the point of sometimes reasons are just reasons. This week brought us the full moon. My kids don't sleep for at least 3 nights around the full moon. This also marked the week before I get my monthly bill. My biggest symptom of PMS is fatigue. These are facts. My kids kept my husband and I up allnight for 3 nights, my 2 yr old still isn't going to sleep before 10pm. If I don't get a good night's sleep I can't get up at 5:50 to work out...even moreso if PMS is factoring in. So if I sleep in an hour and don't work out in the morning chances are it isn't happening. I only woke up early one day this whole week and it was yesterday and I worked out first thing, the other days I just had to work it in. The thing to remember is that a reason is a reason until you allow it to be an excuse. So sure I had the reason why I didn't get up early everyday but I didn't make it an excuse to completely drop all of my efforts. Don't give that reason any more power than it should have. Say "okay I skipped my workout today but I will get back to it tomorrow" then get back to it. Don't throw in the towel completely. You read everywhere that it is 70% diet 30% exercise & things like abs are made in the gym & revealed in the kitchen. This is totally true so if you do skip a day of exercise make sure you tighten up whatever our plan is and eat right. 

So what if your slip up or lacking area is your diet for the week. Well this happened to me one day, actually yesterday. I got stuck having to take my kids to the dentist at 1pm after picking them up from preschool at noon. We weren't going to have time to sit and eat, it was going to be an eat and run moment. We stopped by Chikfila because it is on the way and easy to eat in the car. I was totally famished. I had got up did my Jillian Michaels and then had a peanut butter/banana protein smoothie and then my day took off. I didn't get my morning snack in so when 12:30 hit and it was lunch time I ended up ordering nuggets & fries. I had convinced myself that there was nothing paleo to eat there since everything has a bread product, but failed to talk myself into a wrap that while it isn't paleo it is clean (sans dressing & with fruit). I didn't make a good choice I was entirely too hungry and my primal instincts of eating glucose and fat had kicked in. Now mind you after I had my nuggets and fries (actually only ate half of  them because I wanted protein more than, crazy I know) I was able to think straight and realized I should have ordered the new grilled nugget kids meal with fruit. Did I wallow in that? No. Did I take the rest of the day and eat junk? No. I actually made a really good Paleo Chili for dinner to make up for it. 

I didn't beat myself up or come home and force an hour workout on the treadmill. I recognized it, made a mental note of what to do next time, forgave myself and moved on. If you really want it, it is there. It is in you, you just have to find it. The Will and determination. I know you can do it because if I, Jaime Queen of Excuses, can do it, so can you. 

I will be posting my next weeks goals tomorrow and then the book review. 

Week End Check in and Baggy Jeans

So here I am at the end of week one. Wow it went fast. Here is a summary of my first week.

Things I learned:

• When you fall off of the wagon don't give it a second thought, brush off the dust and jump back on with more vigor than before
• Scraping your fitness journal is FUN 
• You can do too much i.e. trying to start a couch to 5k and 30 day shred...too much too soon
• I have to do my 30 day shred in the morning or it isn't happening 
• I am truly determined to get the old me back

Weekly stats:

• Weight -1 pound
• -1/2 inch off of bust, waist & hips
• only missed one day of exercise
• average calories 1500-ish

So there was one day I didn't workout at all, it just slipped through my fingers. I had my workout clothes on all day long and I just couldn't make it happen. I didn't linger on this or beat myself up. I got up the next morning and pounded it out with twice as much effort. I just dusted myself off. I find that lingering on negativity and mentally giving a beat down is actually detrimental to my goals. Instead I told myself the will was there but the time wasn't, that this was a reason to make sure I get up early and workout first thing and that it was my first week and I was trying to go from 0 to 60. I didn't miss another workout all week. 

Workout schedule week one:

• day 1 - JM 30 day shred, day 1 couch to 5k
• day 2 - JM 30 day shred
• day 3 - JM 30 day shred
• day 4 - none 
• day 5 - JM 30 day shred
• day 6 - 36 min hard treadmill workout 
• day 7 - JM 30 day shred

^^ I'll take it ;)

I am super excited about my measurements. Sure most of the time people loose 5-10lbs their first week but I wasn't super strict about my eating (threw in some red light foods here and there) & I am weight training essentially everyday so I wasn't surprised. Also before I started Jillian's 30 day shred I did research and if you google 30 day shred before & after pictures...wow. Most people say they didn't lost much weight but their transformations were amazing. I need that first big jump of change to motivate me so this was where I wanted to start. Also how can I get mad at my scale when I am wearing jeans that are actually baggy in places like my booty and waist. 

All in all I think I had an amazing first week. It went by fast and was really painless. I love fitness and being healthy it is actually pretty easy for me but I can also get in my head and talk myself out of it. This week lots of prayer and ignoring the lazy voice in my head paid off. I feel amazing, sort of refreshed like cobwebs have been removed from my brain. I have more energy and am constantly in a good mood. 

I hope your week went as great as mine!


next post - week two goals and some interesting pictures