What I'm Eating

I started week 2!  I'm actually quite proud of myself. I have been consistent and not even suffering for it!  Whenever I've done a "diet" in the past, I always felt like I was Suffering with a capital S. This has been much easier and I actually feel better than before. Go figure!

I think that's because of the combination of clean eating, strength training (no cardio yet) and taking my vitamins (need that B12). It seems to be working for me. 

Another BIG part of my success so far -if you can call 8 days success- is meal prep once a week. Yesterday I made all my breakfasts, snacks, and lunches for the week. 

Breakfast is 2 egg white muffins with spinach and chickpeas.  I got the recipe from the blog, Made with Love.  She also does them with tomatoes, but I haven't tried that yet.  I mixed 1 1/2 cups of liquid egg whites, a handful of chopped spinach and 1/2 can of chick peas and poured that mixture into a muffin pan.  Sprinkle with Mrs. Dash and then bake for 20 minutes on 350.

Morning snack is 2 homemade chocolate protein bars.  This recipe is from Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer website.  They're pretty good.  I'd like to try the peanut butter protein bar recipe next week.  I LOVE peanut butter.

Lunch is chicken breast, sweet potato and broccoli.  This was probably the easiest to make because I found the steamable bag of sweet potatoes in the produce section at the grocery store.  8 minutes in the microwave!  The broccoli was in a steamable bag and the chicken breast was baked in the oven for 30 minutes with a half a bottle of italian dressing.  Then I just divided it up into four individual ziploc containers and popped it in the fridge.

Afternoon snack is turkey meatballs. They are really yummy!  This recipe is also from Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer website.  They look a little nasty, but they are just the thing in the afternoon when I am craving something sweet.  These fill me up and I can make it until dinner.

Dinner is a little different and I hope that I can remain on track.  It's hard to eat this way when the rest of the family is eating their regular food.  My plan is to make what I can eat for the main dish, and then add in something for them.  So tonight we are having chili that I put in the crock pot this morning, and then I also made corn bread so that I won't have a mutiny on my hands.

The workout today was for Chest and Triceps.  My arms are really sore.  I hung up one of our winter coats and it felt like there were bricks in the pockets.  Oy!

THE WORKOUT

Chest/Triceps

•  Wide Push-up
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
  Standard or on knees
•  Dumbbell Bench Press
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Flat Bench Cable Fly
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Narrow Push-up
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
  Standard or on knees
•  Standing Dumbbell Triceps Extension
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Triceps Push-down
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest

2 days until I weigh in!  I'm hoping for 2 pounds.  Fingers crossed...

Five for Friday

   

Flex Friday!

I have a teeny tiny bicep bump!  Hopefully the fat will fade and the muscle will grow. 

I'm also thankful for finding Jaime Eason's LiveFitTrainer. It was leg day and I tried out some new machines at the gym. 

This thing looked very intimidating, but the training program had a video to watch to learn how to use it for squats. 

THE WORKOUT

Legs/Calves

•  Leg Press
  3 sets of 12 reps 
  1 min rest
•  Leg Extension
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Wide-Stance Barbell Squat
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Seated Leg Curl
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Standing Calf Raise
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Seated Calf Raise
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest

If you don't know how to do an exercise, then just click on the blue words and a pop-up window opens with a quick video.  It felt kinda cool to be using the "big boy machines."  

I started reading The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst. It's so great. The description says "Are you living with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule and aching with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul?"

Um, yes!  I'm looking forward to learning some strategies for setting priorities and my schedule.  I want to spend my time on things that are important to me, and honestly, Trivia Crack just isn't that important!

 We got 5-6 inches of snow on Monday and we ended up getting the whole week off!  Gotta love living in the south!

One thing that I want to make time for in my schedule is daily bible study. I was reading Psalm 23 and remembered how beautiful it is. 

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows. 

Surely your goodness and love will follow me

All the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Psalm 23: 5-6

There are only 28 days until Spring begins!!

Is it possible?

I have been taking a bunch of selfies today. I had been reading another blogger lament over her lack of "before" photos. So I took a few today. As I looked at this one I thought, "huh. Is it possible that I'm not as fat as I think I am?"

I mean, I have a wide rear, but the legs are pretty good. 

I think a lot of women have a negative self image. We think that we aren't skinny enough, or pretty enough or just generally not enough. Maybe it's time we started thinking I AM ENOUGH. Then if we start living each day from a place of enough, we can spend our time doing what we were put here to do. We can spend more time thinking about helping others or enjoying Gods creation. I waste so much time fretting over silly things. 

Like wearing a tank top to the gym. I don't wear tank tops to the gym because I think my arms are too big. 

That's me this morning trying to casually snap a selfie.  I'm glad that I wore my tank top so that I can compare my arms to this pic after a few weeks, but the funny thing is that I have capris on under those pants but was too embarrassed of my big rear end to take off my long pants. 

I'm going to continue this journey for myself and my daughter.  I want to be a good role model for her.
  Speaking of journeys, I am LOVING Jaime Eason's LiveFit Trainer.  The workouts leave me with pleasantly sore muscles and I get to eat often.  It's free and she is such a positive, encouraging person.

Workout Day 2

Back/Biceps

•  Wide-Grip Lat Pull-down
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  One-Arm Dumbbell Row
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Seated Cable Row
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min
•  Underhand Cable Pull-down
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Dumbbell Alternate Biceps Curl
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest
•  Standing Biceps Cable Curl
  3 sets of 12 reps
  1 min rest

 Printable Page   PDF Document

 Tomorrow is Flex Friday!

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. 

Proverbs 4:23

Live Fit Challenge!

I have been sick!  I got a vicious stomach bug at the end of January and then a miserable cold a week ago. Thankfully that's all done and now I'm back on track with my nutrition and exercise.

  I'm super excited to be doing Jaime Eason's Live Fit challenge. 

It is great for me. You get to eat every 2-3 hours and the exercise starts off easy. (Except for the push ups.)

The other cool thing is that it is free!  She gives you the workouts, the food and suggests some supplements, but not in a pushy way. 

This is the day 1 workout. Each day is different. 

The food prep day has been a real life saver for me. I've read about people who prep on Sunday, but I had never done it before. I believe that the food prep day will be the difference between success and quitting for me. It's so hard for me to stick to a plan if I'm at work and too tired to put effort into cooking. 

Jaime is awesome. So kind and inspiring. She is almost 40, has a child and has great arms and shoulders!  I just watched her on the TV show "mission makeover". She's the new co- host. The show is on lifetime but I watched the full episode online. No commercials!

I'm using her recipe for:

egg white muffins for breakfast, 

Chocolate protein bars for a snack, and

Turkey meatballs for afternoon snack.

Lunch is chicken breast, sweet potato and veggie. 

Dinner is fish, salad and veggie. 

I haven't tried a dessert yet, but may do that tonight.

And for the big reveal!  Here are my starting pictures!

Eek!  Goodbye muffin top. 

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 

Philippians 4:13

1st weigh in

I lost 3 pounds!  Which is kinda nuts because I did very little cardio, mostly I did lifting!  I'm enjoying this program. I was getting bored with so much cardio. It's great to do something new!

Burning the Ship

 The saying burn the ship struck a  cord with me today. it means to make a way so that you can't go back the way you came.   Or for me, to make a change and not go back to the way I was. 

I joined Lee Labrada's Lean Body Challenge. It's free and they give you a strength training program to follow.  There are prizes that you can win, but I'm not worried about that. I just want to feel better and get rid of these terrible mood swings. 

Here are the essay questions that I'm supposed to answer. 

What are your fitness goals at the beginning of the lean body challenge?

My goals are to fit in my jeans better, increase my muscle strength and lose 10 pounds. 

What made you decide to participate in the lean body challenge?

I needed to make a change and this seems like a good way to do it with the training guide and the motivational emails. I can't go back to the way I was yesterday. 

How do you feel the challenge will help you grow?

I'm hoping that it will help me increase my self-confidence and ease my depression. 

What do you want to accomplish by participating in the lean body challenge?

I want to finish without quitting. I NEED to finish. For me and for my family. 

How will you measure your success throughout the lean body challenge?

-weighing myself on a scale

-pant size

-waist measurement

Hot Minute!

Phew!  It's been a hot minute since I last wrote a post!  But since my only follower is my sweet sister-in-law, I guess that's no big deal!  LOL

To make a long story short--I read a great book, Potatoes, Not Prozac and another by the same author, The Sugar Addict's Total Recovery Program.

These books have changed the way I have thought about food and dieting.  My new plan for this blog is to write once a week about how I am doing as I move through the steps.

There are seven steps, and I am somewhere in the middle.  I am currently working on changing my "whites to browns."  That is what she calls changing your foods that are made with white flour to foods that are made with whole grains-complex carbs.

I have a feeling that this will be tricky at dinner time and afterwards.  Wish me luck!