Jonathon wants me to stop....

Because, as you can see in this picture... the first thing to 'go' when I lose weight is my hiney :( it stinks that between the weight loss & the running my butt has all but disappeared, which to me, makes my belly look too big. I mean, your butt is suppose to be bigger than your belly, right?

So... I want to lose more & Fraz wants me to stop... hmm... not sure what I'll do. I think I'll have to think of a comprise. Like finding some butt lifting exercises??

What do you think?

Day 14 & almost there...

I've lost 15lbs,  look & feel good. However, now that's I've come this far... I'd really like to lose the full 20.... however... see next post

Double Trouble

Couldn't be happier or busier than when these two come to visit... just look at them... epitome of adorable!!!

Btw, Aunt BB always serves dessert when they visit & I was shocked & thrilled to find out Angel food cake is fat free & has protein!! Seriously?? I don't know how or why.. but, I'm not going to question the magic!!

Double up the kids~Double up the fun

During this double up/double down round 2, I have the honor of a visit w/ my niece, Peyton Grace (aged 1 &1/2 & crazy/fun) and my nephew, Sully Bumpkins (aged 3 1/2 & the sweetest boy you've ever met). I am excited to have them here during the hardcore round 2, b/c as was the case when my girls were toddlers, I get more exercise when they are around. Sully loves doing "fun-runs" and Peyton... well, you have to chase her around to keep her out of trouble. She also loves dancing & singing just like my Madi.

I'm telling you all of this, one.. just to share my joy & two, to apologize in advance if I go MIA on here for a few days. I may not have the time to tell you everything I'm doing during the next few days for the challenge. However, know that I will be keeping up with my challenge and then some.

Happy Hump Day to All.. I will be in touch as much as possible. Wish me luck =)

My variety/modifications

First and foremost, I want to address some of the things that Killed me during my double up/double down stage last time and modify them so this round of hardcore can be a little more enjoyable (therefore more lasting in the long run). During my last hardcore days, I completely cut out sugar from my diet. Now, I don't add sugar to a lot of things, however, I need sugar in my coffee. I know better than to mess w/ all those chemicals in sugar substitutes that just create a world of their own problems (#1 they trick your brain to make you think you're constantly hungry-not good for someone on a diet!! #2 they personally always give me a headache). The bottom line, is that I will probably have a more productive day in general if I just add a little sugar to my coffee and actually enjoy it aka.. finish it!!

I also, tried to completely cut candy out of my diet & I found that during my long runs/walks, I became very hungry & that hunger lasted all day! This round of doubling up my workout, I'm going to allow myself a few pieces of candy only during my walks/runs to keep my blood sugar normal. Now, this is a personal choice and may seem silly to some of you. However, I have low blood sugar naturally so keeping my blood sugar at a normal level when I'm doing abnormal levels of exercise is very important. I urge you to check your blood sugar and blood pressure as well, because many times one of these two factors are exactly what may be holding you back from eating and exercising like you want.

Now, for the variety portion... realizing that my sisters diet included vitamin packets that have caffeine, I decided to add my Emergen-C packets to unsweetened ice tea. I was pleasantly surprised when this crazy idea turned out to be delicious and just as power packed as her Spark drinks at a small fraction of the price. I'm also adding a protein shake to supplement my lunch during the next 3 days. And, last but not least, I'm adding a large variety of exercises to my workout. I'll be doing a zumba/dance video w/ my daughters every night. I'll also be adding 30 minutes of biking (either outside or on the exercise bike depending on the weather). And, I have a few extra weight lifting exercises to add to my morning and evening routines.

I know all of this seems like a lot, but remember .. it's only going to be another 3 days of all this hardcore stuff and after that I'll figure out what is working best, what's not working and what I have time to do everyday in the long run. I've already lost 10lbs & I'm excited to drop the next 10. Once my goal of 15 to 20 is met, sustaining my weight will be the long term goal and that is a whole lot easier to do than lose!!

Wish me luck =)

Happy Monday

Well, I didn't get up at 4am as I planned but I made up for the lost time by hustling at 6am as soon as Jonathon brought me coffee. In the past 3 hours, I've ran a quick mile, showered, started the laundry, started the chicken broth for dinner tonight, got Briley down for her morning nap, and then mopped the kitchen floor. I read somewhere once, that cleaning the floors is symbolic for cleaning the foundation of your home.. therefore it is a great way to start your day.. by cleaning the foundation of your home, you are cleansing the foundation of your day/life. I'm not sure the truth to this new-age symbolism. However, on the days when I remember to start my day by either mopping, sweeping or vacuuming some part of my home or deck, I do seem to continue with a more productive day. I am sure there are many rationalizations for this coincidence, but in reality... it is whatever you make it to be.

I know cleaning is not a favorite past-time for many people (myself included) However, when I do clean, I try to make the best of it. If it is a day where my energy is already high & I'd rather be anyplace than barefoot in the kitchen with a mop in my hand, then I say a simple meditation in my head. I say, "I'm cleaning the foundation of the kitchen so that the rest of the day, this kitchen can be blessed by organization, healthy meals and a happy family" OR if it is a day when my energy is low and I'm dragging around the mop with puffy eyes, then I put some 90's music on pandora.. crank it up high & turn my mopping into an exercise all on it's own. It's amazing how you can turn any cleaning project into a fun dancing workout. I may look crazy whilst mopping and singing "baby got back" but who cares?? By the end of chore, I'm scratching it off my To-Do list with a smile on my face and energy to tackle the next item.

Well, it's 9am & I have a few errands to run. I, also, have come up with some great additions to the challenge that I can't wait to share, but I don't have time right now. I just wanted to stop by and say, HI & Happy Monday. I hope your Monday is off to an energetic start & you rested well over the weekend during the "add variety" step... because after we add some variety to our diet and exercise & develop some personal goals to add as well.. .we will be Doubling everything back up in the next step!! Yup, that's right.. another "hardcore" 3 days is on it's way... I hope you're ready!! I know I am =)

Step 4~ Add Variety

Beginning day 10, having lost TEN pounds feels amazing!! I'm also relieved that the hardcore days are temporarily done. For step 4, I'm going back to my baseline of exercise & figuring out how to add variety to my diet, exercise plan & because I have so much extra energy...even my life!

I've decided to add a cleaning project and writing assignment to everyday as well as my exercises. I have a lot of work to do & now finally feel as though I have the energy to handle everything.

So, I hope that the next 3 days are full of creativity and I come up with some new exciting, delicious & energetic ideas to add to this already amazing challenge!

Wish me luck ;)

7lbs in 7days.. not too shabby??

I was purposefully staying away from the scale in the beginning of this diet because i knew it wasn't a quick/change everything at once kind of diet. It has been a slow and gradual process. So, you can imagine my surprise last night when I was 7lbs lighter than I was 7 days ago and I only did the 'hard-core' stuff that day?? That was an awesome confidence booster and just what I needed to get through these next two rainy days of hardcore training.

Step 3- Double up/Double down

The idea of this step is simple.. double up the good & reduce the bad. Yeah, that means whatever exercises you've been doing for the past 3 days, is now DOUBLED!

So, today... I ran 2 miles this morning, followed by 40 sit-up/crunch combos, 60 kickbacks, 20 squats, 40 jumping jacks & 20 minutes of yoga & that was just my morning routine (roughly 45 minutes total) that doesn't include my afternoon walk & the evening exercises that I do with Madi.

I, also, drank my coffee and tea without sugar & increased my intake of emergen-C & chia squeeze to 2 packs a day. I reduced smoking cigarettes by half my norm & even skipped my afternoon nap with Briley to double my walking time.

This step is hardcore! However, don't worry... like every step in this challenge, it only lasts 3 days! After these 3 hardcore days, we will return to our baseline, analyze our progress & work on adding variety to our diet & exercise plan.

If I have to be honest, in my sleepy haze of morning with no sugar in my coffee... I was not looking forward to 'double up/double down'... I accidentally bumped into the scale while making breakfast & decided to weigh myself early, out of curiosity. I was so excited to see the scale read 139.4!!! I didn't expect to lose any real weight until after step 3, so to see that I've already dropped 5lbs in 6 days was all the motivation I needed to get to work!!

I have to admit ... I feel wonderful today! All this exercise & eating healthy has left me with so much energy!!! The most important difference between this diet & most is that it's created by me, for me. I spent time analyzing my habits, patterns & routines. I created a baseline of exercise that I was comfortable with and slowly increased that baseline. Now, I'm pushing through my comfort zone & reducing the bad & increasing the good.

I'm so proud of myself! I know it's only 0.6 under140lbs .. but it's been way too long since I've seen a 3 after that 1 on the scale! Usually, it's between 145&150 & I know this is just the beginning!! I can't wait to see the final results of all this hard work at the end of the challenge.

Stay tuned... ;)

Grill master!!!

Grilled salmon, red, green & yellow peppers & eggplant. Who says you can't make nutritious food delicious???

Kumquat

If you can look past the crazy name.. this mini orange (that you eat in entirety..yes, Rhine & all) is bittersweet & full of vitamins!! This Challenge has turned me into a grocery store snob. I looked everywhere for these sour energy packed fruits...

I'm sure you can imagine the look on the produce guys face when I asked him for kumquat!! I had to thoroughly explain that I wasn't joking and it was, indeed, a real fruit. Anyway, I finally found them at Wegmans. Hopefully, you find them closer to home than me! I live in wv now & had to do most of my grocery shopping in md to get all the 'good supplements' for my Challenge because, although the customer service in my area is amazingly wonderful: the new age, healthy stuff is limited. Luckily, I live only 20 minutes from Everything else important!

One last side note/warning: Do not let your children (or yourself) try this fruit in the car on the way home from the store. They 1) need to be thoroughly washed to get that chemically fertilizer taste off & 2) need to be left on the counter in the fruit bowl for a few hours b/c they are a little intense when cold & most importantly 3) for little kids, they need to be cut in half because they are super juicy. If you try to bite into them without the entire thing in your mouth, you will violently splash anyone within a 5ft radius with citrus juice... oh, that reminds me.. I've got to go clean my windshield... ;) ok, enjoy!!

Day 6 & My Baseline Summary

Well, I'm going to enjoy the last day of my baseline and as predicted, it has actually become quite easy by this 3rd day. I'm a tab-bit nervous about the next Step, but also really excited because it is the Step where everything gets very serious!! Please remember this is MY baseline and I was already very active to begin with and still was not losing the extra pounds I wanted so my baseline will be different than yours. That's what's so unique about my challenge. You are the creator and you determine what you can handle and then I will help push us forward from there. So, please.. when you're creating your baseline... be easy on yourself & make it realistic b/c it's getting ready to really crank up over the next few days/steps & please be honest about your 'bad' habits as well or we can't do anything to change them. Don't worry, there are NO-NO's in my challenge because I don't believe in cutting anything out of your diet completely. However, if you know certain foods, drinks or habits are your downfall... then let's work on getting them decreased to a level of moderation and not a daily bad habit.

My baseline - My day 6

THE GOOD

Supplements
~1 vitamin C packet/drink mix
~ 1 Chia Seeds Squeeze,
~ B-12
~ H.S.N. Vitamin
~ Probiotic

Exercise
~Morning Run (1mile/10-12minutes)
~Morning (20 sit-ups, 10 crunches, 30 kick backs, 10 lunges, 20 jumping jacks)
~Afternoon Walk (3miles/60minutes)
~Evening (20 sit-ups, 10 crunches, 30 kick backs, 10 lunges, 20 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups)
~Before bed (10 minutes of relaxing yoga)

THE BAD

1 soda with dinner
Candy while I'm running or walking
Afternoon nap (1 hour)
Tea & Coffee w/ sugar

Another awesome 'supplement'

Great alternative to chips!

Turn leftover rice into deliciousness!!

The finished product

Is there anything that smells better than sauteed onions??

Tilapia atop peppers topped with bacon

Step 2- Create Baseline

Over the course of days 4,5, &6 of the diet we're going to create a baseline of workout routine. Basically, on your own.. find out what exercises you'd like you complete everyday (walk, jog or run or better a small combo of all 3 throughout the day) How many sit-ups, push-ups, squats, etc are you willing to do every morning and every night? I urge you be careful with this baseline and make sure it is just that.. the base!! Because, the next step is going to be to double that baseline. So, after you have established your baseline.. make sure you are sticking to the routine every single one of those 3 days.

Along with the exercise baseline, we will also be eating better over these 3 days. Hopefully your fridge and cabinets are filled with the healthy choices from step 1. Make sure you are following the basic rules of the diet (eat w/i 30 minutes of waking and eat small meals every 2 hours to keep your metabolism going strong) If you have not seen that fast/quick weight loss as of yet.. worry not .. (diets that provide quick 5lb drops in the first few days usually have you gain back double as soon as the diet is complete). We will be weighing ourselves at the beginning of each step and from step 1 to step 2, I've lost 3 lbs. The real work & loss will be coming up in step 3.. the "double up/double down" challenge. So, enjoy the next three days of creating your comfort zone because I'm getting ready to bust right through it!!

Step 1-Take inventory

Over the course of the first 3 days of this diet, I took inventory of the current way I have been eating, sleeping and working out. I wrote down everything, I cleaned my fridge and I shopped for groceries and supplements of a higher caliber.. some of which I've showed you already, but if the diet is a success, I will certainly share in more detail. The most important part of this step is to thoroughly find out what you've already been doing (both good and bad). In a super small nut shell, I've explained this step below.


Taking Inventory

Losing weight is a simple enough equation, right? If you want to lose weight, you eat less and move more. Using this common sense, I'm going to challenge you to not only do just that, but do it in a way that lasts forever. There is no point in doing a 'crash diet' to simply go back to your normal routines and gain back double the weight a month later. So, with this challenge.. you will take 7 steps (3 days each) slowly and carefully making improvements to YOUR own personal plan. If you follow along each step openly and honestly, I promise you will learn & improve along the way. You will not 'lose 5lbs in the first week'. However, you will determine your own personal goals and steadily and surely meet those goals by the end of the 21 days.

The first step is taking inventory.
This includes 4 simple questions. What/How do you currently eat?? What supplements do you use? How/When do you exercise?? What are your downfalls/known bad habits that hold you back??

My inventory (again in a super small nut shell) is written below.

1. Food~ I had the realization that I LOVE to cook and I love food in general. I'm Italian and my sense of worth as a mother and wife comes, so greatly, from preparing my family a dinner that they enjoy, each and every night. So, I'm determined to find a way to continue cooking delicious meals for my family, but turning them into healthy options. 

2. Supplements~ As I've stated before, my little sister is doing the Advocare 24 day challenge & when I found out that it costs 199 dollars, I was floored!! I am determined to find supplements that are pretty much the same (the vitamins, shakes, etc) but at a much lower cost and more accessible to everyone. What I used prior to the challenge?? Chewy vitamins... lost of them.. all day, everyday... obviously, I need to do some research and determine the benefit/risk of candy vitamins as opposed to pills or drink mixes. 

3. Exercise~ Well, this is the one category that I'm not ashamed to discuss, because I think of myself as a pretty active person. I run, almost everyday & if not, at least take a walk of some sort. So, why then am I still so unsatisfied with the shape of my body? My legs are fabulous, strong and muscular. However, my belly is ... well, a mom belly & everywhere else is just ... loose, I guess is the word?? I'd like to start incorporating a variety of exercises to my every day routine along with the improvement to my actual diet. 

4. Bad Habits~ Soda, candy, napping, candy, candy and more candy!! Seriously, I have a consuming candy addiction!! If I didn't run everyday, I'd probably be 300lbs!! I know I need to cut back on my candy intake, but I don't believe in giving anything up for good, especially something that you love?? Truth?? You won't stick to a diet that completely excludes anything that you love. So, there are No No's in this diet.. yes, I repeat.. I believe everything in moderation is acceptable and in fact, even necessary for a well-balanced diet. Any diet that excludes an entire food group is especially BAD news!!! However, that's an entirely different chapter. My bad habits are candy, soda and a long daily nap.. I hope to slowly and successfully wean myself from needing all 3 everyday.

Work in progress

Because my diet is created for me, by me.. it is a work in progress. I've decided to change it from a 24 day diet to a 21 day diet, so it'll be an even 3 weeks & I can divide the days evenly and being a huge math dork.. I need to be able to divide. I've divided this diet into a 7 step program, each step is 3 days long. I figure.. anyone can get anything done in 3 days, right?

Play with your kids!!

Exercising doesn't have to be technical, done at gym or cause you great deals of stress to be successful. As a matter of fact, my favorite form of exercise has always been simple... play with your kids. This is why I was my thinnest when my girls were babies and toddlers. Babies make excellent weights!! Besides, how hard is it to have fun while you are watching your kids laugh?? Not hard at all.. Seeing my children light up has always brought a smile to my face, so when they were young.. I played & played.. just to make them laugh and in turn, had rock arm arm muscles, great abs. However, as they have gotten older, they've become more independent. They began to entertain themselves and in turn, I became lazy.

Well, during this challenge.. I am challenging myself to one of my old favorites.. I am going to play with my kids more! Yesterday, I took a "fun run" with my girls (whom are now 11 & 13 and usually too cool to hang with Mom). We raced, we walked and most fun.. we talked!! At the park, instead of sitting on the bench looking and the never-changing newsfeed of facebook, I actually got on the swings & dared to swing higher and higher with the girls focusing on my ab muscles with each swing. The most fun that we had, however, was when we got home.. I actually jumped on the trampoline. There is no faster way to feel like a kid again then to play like one, if possible with one!!

So, to all my fellow mother's out there, on this very gorgeous and warm Mother's Day weekend.. I urge you to play with your kids!! They will love your for it and you will love your post-play body =)

The supplements

The added 'supplements' I've found to add to my daily diet are delicious & super cheap! I found both at Costco & both around 10 for the entire months supply. The top one is Chia seeds in a squeeze format. Now, the texture of chia seeds isn't the best but they are a amazing super food. I love them in this version because I can quickly swallow then down in three big sips & not taste the seeds at all, just the yummy after flavor of great juice.

The bottom picture is my 'energy' drink. What's great about this mix is that you can mix it with only 2 ounces of water (like a shot glass sized amount of water) stir & as soon as it's done fizzing, take it like a shot. It tastes sour, like the old fashioned chewable vitamin c's (which I love) & follow it up with a big glass of water. There is so much vitamin c & all the vitamin b's that you get an instant charge of energy that doesn't drop you on your head a few hours later!!

So, those are my supplemental supplements.. total cost, under 25 for the months supply & so far, working great!!

Day 1... let's get real!!

Hey, at least it doesn't say 145 today. On some molecular level, 144.6 is better than 145, right? Ok, not really. Well, now you know why (aside from simply beating my sister), I must do this diet! I am so tired of seeing the scale read between 145 & later at night closer to 150. I don't feel like 145. I've been 120 since high school, well into my 30's.. I was always 120ish. But, for some reason... ok, I know the reasons... since I stopped working and became a full-time mom, the scale has crept up and up & it has to stop! Better yet, I'd like to reverse what my sedentary life has done to me. Wait, I can exude more confidence than that.. I Will reverse the scale!!

I'm going to lose this weight the simple, old fashioned way..no fad diets, no expensive supplements, just good old...eat less/move more. Ok, so that sounds really easy &I know, for most of us.. it never works out that way. So, I've developed a plan of action that even the laziest of us (mmm me) can stick to & find success.

I hope you follow along find success for yourself as well. Today, day one.. the rule is simple.. actually this is the rule of everyday of this diet. Today, I have to eat better & move more than I did yesterday.. simple, right? Well, considering yesterday was my sort of 'fat Wednesday' pre diet day. Including candy bars& fast food & no exercise..yes, today should be easy.

Wish me luck ;)

24 day challenge for me by ME

Ok, so the name is obviously still a work in progress considering that no one would be interested in reading, trying and definitely not buying a diet plan named "20 day challenge for me by me" However, the general idea is this.. My sister, Michelle is getting ready to start a diet plan by Advocare called the "Advocare 24 day challenge". The basic idea of the program is the similar to most.. a special diet and exercise. The only difference is that with this program, you have to buy nutritional supplements (vitamins and powdered shake mixes).

I considered purchasing and eventually selling these products to go along with my own personal training program. However, these products are similar to what is offered over the counter and significantly more expensive. So, I've decided that while she tests these products on her 24 day challenge, I will be the control group. I want to go on a 24 day challenge and develop my own diet, exercise routines & store bought supplements. I'm going head to head with my sister (which is always fun and exciting) and with advocare.

If, at the end of this journey, I've succeeded at my personal goal (to lose 15 pounds and generally tone up all the lose ends) without advocare then I will write & publish my plan to share with everyone on a professional level as part of my training program. Those potential clients that have the luxury of living close to me will, of course, get the full personal training package complete with bi-weekly exercise sessions and unlimited text/email support for the coaching aspect. However, for those who wish to follow my plan from elsewhere in the world, I will ideally have the basic outline of program ready to go by the end of these 20 days.
 Win-Win, no??

At the other end of the spectrum and a the very unlikely event that my sister actually beats me in this challenge, then I will admit the advocare supplements are worth the extra buck & sell them with complete confidence to my clients. I wouldn't be able to sell anything any other way, honestly.

So, tomorrow is the day!! The day will bring the beginning of hard work and dedication. I am glad to be competing with my sister, I can think of no better adversary. Good luck, Michelle... Good luck, Advocare... It's ON!!!