What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 26

Well, here I am, a month into my own challenge and I am UP to 181.6  ~ugh~

Its ok though. I have done a lot of work on my mental state the past month and I am pretty sure that I can turn this train around and start going in the right direction. How, you ask? Well, for starters, there will not be any temptation in the house. When it comes to fighting temptations I fail, miserably. I will also stick to 3 meals a day. I know, everyone recommends 5 meals a day... but for me it just doesn't work. Its just too much food in front of me all day long. I tend to overindulge. If I stick to 3 healthy meals a day, then I can keep myself honest and on track.

I worked out this morning... did you know that cable out here has an On Demand Exercise channel?? It was great. I did a 26 min kick boxing workout and a 26 min lower body workout. I'm gonna take total advantage of this~

Today will be the hardest. My body will be going through a detox. No sugar, no carbs, no dairy. I have a gallon of water by my side to drink and if I feel the urge to snack I can have a cup of tea to fill me up. I already unpacked my juicer and had a carrot, celery and cucumber drink. Yummy!

Well, it is time for me to get off the computer and get my day going.  I'm going to keep a positive mindset and just focus on today. :)

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 25

So we are finally moved into our new place (and have internet! Yay!). I can tell you right now that it will be a great place for me to get in shape. Why? Because it has stairs. 16, to be exact. I know because I started counting after the 5th time that I forgot something upstairs that I needed downstairs. I need to start running again just to be able to survive my house.

So, it is a quarter of the way thru my 100 day challenge... what have I learned? That I can be really hard headed   That I know exactly what I need to do , just need to get the mindset to do it. (and I think I'm getting close)  That I should be the new Capt. Morgan model... because lets face it, I look good doing 'the pose'.... which reminds me. Starting tomorrow I am back to taking my daily morning pics.

Now that I am in my own home it will be much easier to control my food. I have a living room big enough for me to workout in (check back for some DVD workout reviews!) and school is back in session, so I have a schedule to stick to again. All of this equals the perfect setting to achieve maximum weight loss. So lets get started. Tomorrow morning we will see the weight (expect a gain, I'll be honest) and a picture. From here on out I am ready to start seeing results... no more fooling around.
 

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 23

Today is moving day. I was sweating from head to toe. At one point I felt like I was soaked to the bone... only to look down and see that I was. The humidity out here does some crazy things... but the biggest one is the way it makes you sweat. Once I started, I couldnt stop. 

Tomorrow is another day of moving, so I am leaving you with a picture of me with no makeup on after a long day of moving. Its a terrible picture, but its me at my rawest.  

I can't wait to be done with this and get settled down in our house. 

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 22

When its all said and done... our life consist of one day. We are what we are today... not tomorrow, not yesterday. Today is your life.  Sure, everyday we have lived, and will live, affects us. But in reality today is the only day we have any control over. We are always told to live our lives to the fullest but I think we sometimes take advantage of tomorrow. 

"I'll start tomorrow"  "Ill call her tomorrow" "I can do it tomorrow"

Being able to take control of your life, you have to be able to give up tomorrow and do it today. The big question is this. Will you take today and make it a day of eating right, working out and feeling better? Or will you take today and indulge in fatty food... sit in front of the tv.... feel tired and depressed? How do you want to feel tonight when you go lay down in your bed?

 I want to feel proud of myself... I want to feel strong... I want to know that I did the best I could. 

Today was not one of those. At least, not yet. 

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 21

It was 'Adventure Day' today... as is every Wednesday... and I took the kids fishing. Not much of a workout, but the morning was beautiful. Just being able to sit down and breathe the early morning air felt good.

I am having a hard day today... food wise, mentally and physically. It has been one of those days where physically I don't feel good, mentally I am tired and not in the right mindset and food has just followed. I feel a little like this is never going to happen for me. The war I am waging with my addiction to food is just overwhelming sometimes.

I know many of you look to me for motivation... but sometimes, even I, have nothing. Today I am watching tv, packing my things and getting ready for our move this weekend. I am trying to ignore the kitchen all together.

Until tomorrow....

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 20

So, yesterday went well. Lots of water, tea and veggies. It was easier then I remember. When I felt like snacking I grabbed a cup of tea. I ate a TON of veggies... especially in my famous veggie soup for lunch! 

One bag frozen stir fry veggies

One cup chicken broth

Add onions and garlic

Cook until hot

Pour into a blender with some seasonings and blend!

This is a huge serving (I'll only eat half of it and put the rest in the fridge for a snack or dinner later!)

The color is never pretty... but the taste is Ah-May-Zing!!! Plus, it is super good for you and VERY filling. Best of all, you can change it everyday. Use different veggies... like squash or bell peppers. The more you experiment, the more flavors you will find.

I forgot how much I love doing this!! I'm ready for another day. :)

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 19

Sometimes you have to look into the past to find what you did wrong.... or right. I was laying in bed this morning thinking how hard it is to lose weight. How unfair that I can't eat what I want and stay skinny. I even questioned how badly I want to be skinny. I mean, maybe I was meant to be chubby.

Ok, so who am I kidding. Why would I want to go back to being unhappy, depressed, uncomfortable and just plain miserable?  There is a reason I started this, now going on 4 years, journey. I want to be happy, healthy and comfortable in my clothes. This may take some time, but in the end it really is worth it.

I have already proved that losing 50 lbs can bring about new adventures. Like running (and finishing!) a half marathon. So what will the last 20-30 lbs bring me?

Ok, so back to the beginning. What was I doing and eating when I was dropping weight and feeling so good about it? How did I get on that track? Where do I get back on?

Protein shakes and vegetables. Water and tea. Three meals a day and a thirty minute run every morning. Vitamins and NO SUGAR.

From what I can remember, once I got started I felt really good. I dropped weight fast and felt, mentally, fantastic.

I'm gonna give that plan a try today.... see how I feel. :)

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 18

Do you ever find yourself eating like there was no tomorrow? Like the food in your kitchen was going to all go bad within the hour if you didn't eat it all NOW?

There is part of me that goes into survival mode every afternoon. I feel like I need to eat, eat, eat. Thankfully I have been able to recognize this behavior. The past couple of days I have done a number of 'drive by's in the kitchen. You know, where you go through opening every cabinet, door and drawer trying to find something that will quench your hunger. Back in the day it took a couple or 10 tries before finding the right food to quench that hunger. I'd start with some crackers, then some peanut butter, maybe a piece of cheese or two, a sandwich, a pickle and then FINALLY figured out that one piece of cake was what I needed. Get the idea?

Lately I have been able to talk myself into a cup of tea or a glass of water whenever these little drive by's happen. I tell myself  "I only have (x amount of time) before dinner" and then fill my belly with water. So far it has saved me from a 600 calorie snack every afternoon. On top of that, with all the water in my belly, I've been eating a lot less at dinner time.

Notice I haven't posted my weight on here lately... well, I have not stepped on the scale. Trust me, its KILLING me not knowing where I stand... but I want to see how these next two weeks of focusing on food do before I start looking at numbers again. *sigh*

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 17

Sorry for the late posts, but life has been interesting. Two months ago we moved across the country.. .today we finally found a place of our own! Here it is... two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs.... bathroom, kitchen, living room and dining room downstairs! 

Just to remind you of what I look like, here is me driving home after signing the lease. We move in next weekend!! (I dont look very happy here, but I was pretty thrilled!)

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 16

Today I bought a book called Skinny Bitchin' by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.  Its somewhat of a daily diary... with a little bit of daily directions. For example, tomorrows directions (page 1):

What have you failed at in the past that you now regret? Or what task, project, or goal are you avoiding because its challenging? Today, start taking it on. And this time, don't be such a pussy when things get tough. 


"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford. 


Does this sum me up right now or what!??!  I think I'm gonna like this book. :)

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 15

Losing weight is a battle for everyone. Whether you are just trying to lose 10 lbs or 110 lbs, its not easy.  I wanted to give myself a little push by starting this 100 day challenge.  First, it gave me a timeline. Not something I recommend doing if you are just starting out. Giving yourself a deadline to lose weight can either push you to do better.... or completely backfire on you and then you are in a worse place (mentally) then when you started.  I have been on this roller coaster for 3 years now. I've lost 50 lbs and have stalled out. I need the push to get momentum again.

Second, the challenge is helping me gain insight on my habits. Facing yourself in this battle is the hardest reality of losing weight. When you have an addiction to food... as I do... you have to find the reason behind it all. I don't have an addiction 'just because'.  I wasn't wired this way at birth. Something happened to me that flipped a switch in my head and caused me to turn to food for comfort.

I know what that event was... and as much as I would love to share it with you, some things just need to be kept off the world wide web. Just know that I know what that was.... and in all honesty, it was more then one event.

The trick now is to figure out how to flip that switch again. I've done it before, only to hit a wall and knock it over again. So now it is a battle of will. A mental fight to get my mind back into the shape that it was. Its not something that can be done in one day.... but it can be done day to day. As long as I admit to myself every day that I know what my problem is... then I can face it and work on it every day until eventually it will just be habit.

Sometimes the problem on the outside starts with the problem on the inside. Looking back on the last two weeks I have been worried about the outside a little too much. Lets focus on the inside for the next two weeks and see if the weight drops a little faster.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 14

179 lbs

Woke the girls up at O'dark 30 to go bike riding in the local park and then a healthy breakfast picnic by the lake! It was a beautiful morning to take a deep breath and just enjoy each other.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 13

Will be back tomorrow with your regular schedule pictures. Today just started out bad and my head is not in the right mindset to blog. Thanks for understanding.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 12

178.4 lbs (-2.6 lbs)

I love it when bone and muscle starts showing... cheek bones, collar bones and arms!! Yay

I have Zumba tonight with my sister!! Until then I will be cleaning house and loading up on water. :)

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 11

  "What's the point of all of this if you’re not going to let it change you?" -  a quote from the movie To Save A Life.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 10

I know, I know, I'm late on my pictures... but I had to wait until I got home from going to the Farmers Market where I bought some amazing fruit. Blueberries, peaches and blackberries. Is it bad that, besides the peaches, the only thing I can think of making with the berries are cobblers and pies??? Bad, right? I did enjoy a fresh peach on the way home. Juicy!! 

Of course, I couldn't come home without something for the kids. A wooden plane for them to paint later on today. 

No picture of me today... and no weight ( for the first time in weeks, I forgot to step on the scale this morning. Maybe a good thing????) 

Get out there and enjoy your day. Have an adventure. 

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 9

Just for Fat Daddy... the Captain Morgan Leg Up picture!! This was taken last night after my Tae Kwon Do class. I was pretty sweaty... but you should have seen me BEFORE the 20 min drive home in air conditioning!

I loved the class and am looking forward to going every Tues and Thurs. On top of that I will be doing the Zumba class on Mondays and trail hikes with the kids on Wednesday mornings. I guess I will take Friday, Saturday and Sunday as my rest days. :)  Unless I can find another class to fill them in!!

Today's weight is 180. I'm starting to think my food isn't as good as I think it is. Time to re-evaluate what I'm eating. Too many carbs? Not enough protein??

One thing is for sure... MORE WATER.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 8

180.0 

Who I'm doing this for.... 

Keeping my head up and my stomach empty... except for 100% natural food. Today is a rest day from the elliptical, but if I can get myself going today I will be doing Tae Kwon Do tonight. I will get a sweaty picture of that up for you tomorrow!!

A little something from my fav blogger in the world... who just happened to hit her goal weight recently!!.. This hit home with me.. I am SO the perfectionist.

I think a lot of people with weight issues do suffer from trying to be perfect - and then give up when they 'fail' - when they are not perfect. (Personally, I don't believe you ever 'fail' at weight loss or anything else until you stop trying. Stumbling isn't failing. A bad choice isn't failing. Staying down and not trying to get out of that place IS failing.) 

I don't know if it's because I was more mature when I started this last time in 2006, but I realized somewhere along my journey that I had 2 options:

1. I could follow my natural desire to be "perfect" and then be upset all the time because it's impossible, and potentially give up on my weight loss efforts (again) or just being extremely disappointed in myself for not living up to being "perfect" enough.
2. I could allow myself to be "human" - i.e. not perfect. Accept that I can not and will not be perfect - and allow myself to stumble; as long as I accept this is forever and I promise myself I will never give up.

As you probably figured out, I went with option 2. 

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 7

I know, your wondering where my picture is... well, I'm behind the camera today. At 6:30 this morning I decided it was time to start enjoying the nature around us. I woke up the girls and my sister and I took them for a nature hike in one of the beautiful plantation parks in the area. We walked a mile... in an hour (give me a break, we had a 5 yr old and a 6 yr old with us... we couldn't exactly speed walk) and enjoyed the scenery around us. 

Face it, this is your life. You can either sit on your couch, stay on the treadmill, or get out there and live it. Part of living a 'healthy lifestyle' is enjoying the world around you. This weekend I am looking into taking the kayak tour around the local lakes!! 

Today's weight.. 179. 

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 6

I went to Zumba for the first time last night. It was a blast. I walked out of there dripping sweat and completely exhausted. On top of the dancing, the room was extremely hot and humid... kind of like a hot yoga class, only, different. LOL

So, today is a rest day... but it may not turn out that way. I was invited to join a Tae Kwon Do class for free (since I got my black belt when I was 16). The classes are on Tuesday and Thursday nights.. (my two rest days) but I'm thinking this may be perfect. If Hubby gets home from work in time for me to go, then I will be sweatin' it up again tonight!

My weight today... 180.0 again. Yep, frustrating, but I know I am on the right track. I feel good and I'm sticking to it. As for the picture... I don't normally tuck in my shirts, but I thought it gave you a better idea of what was going on... and my head is chopped off because its a bad hair day!

So, today's goal is to stick to healthy food choices, drink TONS  of water and stay positive.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 5

180.0

Here is your first lesson in weighing yourself  EVERY day. You WILL see a gain every now and then. Its natural. Your body fluctuates a lot, which is why you will get a more accurate weight if you just stick to doing it once a week on the same day. Because I cannot mentally handle waiting a week to step on the scale, I have learned not to panic too much when I see a small gain. In fact, it helps me to focus a little harder that day.

I had an 'ok' day yesterday with food. Not the best, but its the beginning of my journey of 100 days, so I expect a couple of small set backs in the beginning. I am feeling strong now and feel like , mentally, I could finish this strong.

But... lets just focus on today.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 4

179.0 (-1.8 lbs)
Rest Day
Strict low cal day

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 3

179.0 lbs

Added 22 sit ups and 22 push ups. A little more motivation? I'm adding 1 sit up and 1 push up every day. Thats right, by November I will be doing 100 sit ups and 100 push ups. I am changing my workout schedule around though. I will be working out M, W, F with rest days in between. On my rest days I am keeping to a strict low calorie diet. Don't worry, you'll still get a daily pic and weight.

Today's workout was cut in half because, in all honesty, I just could not get into it. I pushed to 21 minutes and then jumped off. Sometimes boredom kicks in and I have to do something else. So, I cleaned. Hey! Cleaning house burns calories too! Tomorrow is a rest day....

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 2

Today's weight is 179.0 ( -1.8 lbs) It feels good to see that 7 again, even if is it just barely. I worked out this morning on the elliptical for 40 minutes, I even took a picture, but the one thing to remember when taking pictures is make sure there is a memory card in your camera! I had to go back and take my workout pics again (notice me hiding my apple behind my back!).

I want to thank everyone for their comments. It is great to have supporters. I have to say that 100 days is a long time... but honestly, if I'm going to be doing anything for 100 days, I want it to be something that will make my life better. If you want to join me in doing this please leave a comment so we can all support you! Better yet, if you have a sweaty pic you want to share send it to me and I will post them on Saturdays!!

I have to say that posting unflattering pics of me on the Internet is a little unnerving, but it is definitely motivating. I want to prove to you, just as much as I want to prove to myself, that I can turn this body into a healthy and lean one by working out and eating right.

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... DAY 1

180.8 lbs

What Can You Do In 100 Days?? ... My journey in pictures!

If you have been watching TNT at all this month you will recognize this question. What can YOU do in 100 Days? Well, I've decided to make it my personal challenge.... and in order to prove that I am taking this personally, I will be taking a daily picture. Hopefully, with a lot of work and dedication, the 'after' picture will be that of me hitting my goal weight of 155 lbs.

So, tomorrow is Day 1 of 100.... Follow me on a journey of 100 days in pictures...

I can see clearly now....

A pair of new glasses may have been what I needed to see things a little clearer... and to kick my butt into gear. I want my clothes to fit right again, and not pinch and pull at me because they are too tight. I want the flat belly back. So, once again, I am committing myself to eating right and exercising.

I'm ready to drop 10 lbs in the month of August. 170... here I come!!

I know, dejavu, but if you don't keep getting up and starting over again you will never succeed. This may be the 500th time I 'committed' myself... but maybe, just maybe, there won't be 501

Reviews: Fit N' Fresh

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a represtentative from Americas Nutrition. I am skeptical of websites like these because they usually only offer an array of diet pills, diet shakes and quick fixes. This website impressed me. Although they do carry the usual 'quick fixes', they also carry some pretty impressive 'healthy living' products. One of my favorites was this little thing:

It comes with a scale, a measuring copy and a handy little chopping block. Out of the box it looks a little like this:

It is a great helper for those that have a hard time figuring out their portion sizes. The green scale is awesome for weighing your proteins and the measuring cup on the side is great for figuring out just how much vegetables, rice or pasta you will be having. All in all, it is the number one tool needed for portion control!

Along with the Prep center, I tried out two of their Nectar shakes. I can't say they were my favorite. The cherry flavor was absolutely disgusting... but the Nectar sweet chocolate, well, it was ok.

So go take a look at what this website has to offer. Americas Nutrition.



*although the company did give me these products to test out, the opinions are all my own*