Helpful Changes :)

So, I started this journey and my priority was to help myself. I would ask for help from friends if I needed it because I knew I was bettering myself by doing so. I asked Laura for help and I'm grateful she agreed. She lost her weight and wanted to inspire and help other women. 

I didn't know that I would be inspiring people along the way. I didn't know that my friends and family would come to me for advice or just tell me on a daily basis that they saw me workout so they did the workout I posted on Instagram. I'm amazed at the amount of support and encouragement throughout this journey. 

I want to clairfy, I still have a lot to learn. When it comes to nutrition, I know the basics. If I see or hear a term that I don't know what it means, I will research the heck out of it. I know what my body needs by now and I listen to it! As for workouts, I obviously know the importance of cardio--to shed pounds. But I'm also learning that lifting weights will help shed pounds as well! Lifting weights isn't going to make you huge and buff right away, it aids in the effort to loose weight while gaining muscle. 

Now the following are tips/hints/changes that either Laura introduced me to, or that I have found along the way. I do everything on the list and for the most part, I see the benefits. :) I am not a doctor nor a medical professional.

• Getting PLENTY of sleep. I'm a night owl and HATE mornings so this was one of the hardest. Trying to get at least 7-8 hours a night was the biggest struggle. Our bodies do so much while we are sleeping and it's important. I think of sleep as fuel for my workouts the next day. 
• Eat Breakfast. I am not a breakfast person, probably because I'm not a morning person. I would usually eat "breakfast" and it would be my lunch hour. Sometimes I would wake up at 8 am and not eat until 1 or 2 because I was busy at work and I didn't think I was hungry. This often lead to my lunch at 2 being a huge wrap or a hamburger or something equally bad. Now, eating within the first 30-60 minutes has increased my metabolism and makes me less cranky throughout the day.
• Drink water! I try to do a gallon a day. I have a water bottle with me at all times. It typically fits in my purse :) You don't have to drink a gallon a day. Typically, a lot of people when trying it for the first time feel very full and have to pee a lot, but that means your body is getting rid of toxins! 
• Vitamin B Complex. I have struggled with depression and anxiety since junior high. I'm a very emotional person and with stress, it gets worse. My anxiety can make sick and my depression turns me into the biggest dragon lady EVER! Laura introduced it to me (I quit taking anti depressants and mood stabilizers) and the vitamin b has helped so much! I have more energy in the morning. I really think it turned me into a morning person, Ha. I am able to handle stressful situations. My phases of being depressed don't last as long. I used to go through months, but now I haven't been depressed for longer than 10 days at a time. 
• Eat Clean. Eating clean means different things to different people. Don't let others tell you what clean it is. Of course, if you're eating Hamburger Helper with a soda, that isn't clean eating. To me I identify clean eating as: no processed foods, anything in a box I typically stay away from. Food that has been already cooked down and I have to re-cook...NO! Example: tv dinners. I eat more veggies and fruits than I ever have before. If it grows and comes from a tree or the ground, EAT IT! When it comes to carbs, I mad the personal decision to cut back A LOT. 6 months ago I would have pasta with every single meal as a side. Now, I'll have bread or pasta maybe once or twice a week. When it comes to bread and pasta whole wheat is the way to go. I have done a lot of research and have found that when people turn away carbs all together they tend to gain weight back later, faster. I want my body to have carbs ocassionally, especially depending on my workout schedule. 
• Plan Ahead. Some people can sit down and plan a whole month of meals out in a calendar. I can't. My budget for food varies on other bills, so I typically have anywhere from $130-200 every two weeks. Yes, that seems like a lot. Trust me the first few shopping trips, I was blown away at how much "clean eating" costs. But, if you buy produce at a good health food store, the food lasts longer. I get all my groceries at Costco. Buying in bulk does save some money. It's just myself in my household so if I need little things I will go to a different health food store. Don't go grocery shopping on a hungry stomach. Make a list and stick to it. I know where I need to go in the store before I go, so I don't run down every single aisle until I get to the produce. I go straight to the produce and then the coolers for my meat and other veggies. 
• Meals. There are a lot of different websites and charts you can find about portions. I know some people who literally weigh out every single thing they put in their mouth. Typically, a lot of them are also calorie counters. That's not me. I know that portions play a huge role in eating, you don't want to over eat. I eat 3 main meals with two snacks throughout the day. I try to eat every 2-3 hours. Small portions. I am never feeling hungry during the day (unless I have a hard workout right before dinner). 
• Counting Calories. Surprise, surprise. I don't count calories. I used to. I obsessed over it for almost a month. I used My Fitness Pal as an app and it is amazing. I would freak out if I went over or had too many carbs or didn't work out enough during my workouts. Counting literally caused me to quit. It was too much. Instead, I use the method's described above. However, if I'm eating out or am trying something for the first time, I will read the label (if provided) or search for it in My Fitness Pal. It's good to have knowledge about what's going in your body. I know a few people who count calories and it works for them, I think that's great, but I'm not one of them. 
• Workouts. Everyone has to start somewhere. We can't have progress pictures if we don't take the initiative and START! I started by hiking. Laura and I started with doing about a 20-30 minute hike a few times a week. It was about building endurance and using muscles that probably hadn't been used in MONTHS! Once we did that, we kicked it up a notch and hiked farther and for longer. After about a month and a half of hiking we started circuits. Circuits are my favorite! Helps with focusing on certain body parts or just getting a full over body workout. I also decided to start running a mile. I wanted to improve my time and really push myself. I'm still learning a lot about workouts and what my body needs and wants when it comes to exercise. I encourage YouTube! Jillian Michaels is a beast and she has some great workouts on there. 

• Weigh Ins. Some people don't even own a scale, that's great! I envy that, but I started at 242 lbs on April 6 (my highest weight being 253 in October 2012) and I know that I need to weigh in. I told myself I would weigh in every Saturday. Since then, I've done pretty well. Lately, I found myself getting obsessed with the numbers so I decided to take a 2 week break from it. I'm finding that I know I'm losing inches because old clothes are fitting finally or that something I wore two weeks ago is loose. It's a good feeling. Sometimes it's great to focus on the way we FEEL instead of how much weight we've lost. However, I think the scale helps keep me accountable! 

I know this is a lot of information to take it. I'm sorry it's so long and such a ramble, but these are some changes I've made and I'm seeing progress. 

Get out there and get moving! 

xoxo.

 

A Mental Shift Changed My Life

Here is a rant: I hate when people ask me what my "secret" is. Seriously? There is no secret. It's the same thing every single person who sees lasting results does! I don't use pills, mixes, or wraps. Honestly, the biggest and best thing that happened that can be praised for my results is a mental shift! 

I was talking to Laura before our first hike and I was completely honest as to why I wanted to lose weight. 

• Be confident
• Feel great in any piece of clothing
• Be a mom in the future
• Hike mountains & camp
• Run for cancer, not walk, but RUN 
• Inspire people

Talking to her, I knew none of those things would happen if I kept my life style and habits the same. So, from our first hike on, I let any embarrassment or reservations about self confidence aside and pushed to do what had to be done! Every small result kept me going and pushing until I reached my next one.

Now, I know that I post A LOT of pictures especially comparison pictures but yes, they keep me accountable. This is a journey that I want to document. I am gaining more than muscle and the fact that I'm losing weight. I'm gaining confidence, strength, and self esteem. 

Now here are some pictures and stories for the day! 

I cannot believe that I'm actually getting a waist line. I know I still have a long way to go, but I'm excited to see where I'll be at the end of the summer! 

L: October 31. R: Today. 

 For breakfast, I was in a hurry and ate: a string cheese, hard boiled egg, and part of a grapefruit. 

My allergies were a lot better today! 

For lunch I had a chicken salad and some broccoli. 

Afternoon snack: Apple, less than 2 tsp of natural peanut butter, a little drizzle of honey, and topped with granola with almonds. 

 I ran a mile before our actual workout. 

Our workout consisted of the following:

Each exercise Jillian demonstrates, we did 20 times X3. 
20 push ups X3
15 standing rows X3
20 squats X3
50 donkey kicks on each leg X3
20 scissors on each leg X3

For dinner: a couple pieces of deer backstrap, half of a tiliapia, lettuce, light cheese and just a drizzle of ranch, with corn. 

This is what it looks like when you're getting low on groceries. Can't wait to go shopping next week & stock up! :) Either way, I try to be as healthy as possible by not buying boxed items or processed foods. 

I'm so excited to see what this week has in store! I think I might limit to how much I post this week. If I feel the need to rant or ramble, I will, but I need to focus on my workouts and eating right. I would LOVE to have an extra 30-60 minutes a night to do nothing. Haha. But we shall see, I might end up blogging every night like usual. 

Well, I'm off to enjoy my night! 

Vacation Summary: The Good, the Bad, & Oh....the Memories...

Friday, May 31, I left Missoula at 6:00 p.m. and headed to Coeur d Alene. I got my Aunt Dawns house at 8 p.m. I spent the night there, visiting with her, my cousin, J.T, and Bob! The next morning, I woke up to plans to go workout with my Aunt Sue at the YMCA in Spokane Valley. 

By 9:15, my Aunt Sue (who has lost around 30ish pounds I believe) and I were at the YMCA to do a morning workout. It was AWESOME! I haven't been in an actual gym in some time, so it was different, but the two machines we worked on were great! We did about a hour workout and I definitely felt the burn! After our workout, my aunt made me a HEALTHY and delicious breakfast! It makes my heart so warm and happy knowing that I have such a great support group. 
My Aunt Sue is definitely looking FABULOUS!!!

After getting a shower and picking up my cousin, Jackie, I headed off to my cousin, Dakotah's graduation! I have to admit, I cried like a little baby. He was always this blonde haired little boy that I got annoyed with and then when he got older, he would scare me with snakes and bugs. In the Fall, he is off to U of I and he did FANTASTIC with all of his scholarships! Such a gifted student! 

Dakotah & I at his reception.

I think the BBQ food was a challenge, because I wanted to try EVERYTHING, but the options that my aunt angel had were great. :)

Later that night, I went to go visit my sister, Julie who I hadn't seen in FOREVER. I almost think it was around 9 or so months, maybe longer. I LOVED visiting with her and my brother in law, Merv. They both crack me up. Merv was so kind and made my chicken on the grill without BBQ sauce. I tried asparagus for the first time, it was good! I'm definitely going to have it more often. :) 

The next day, my middle sister, Christy graduated high school. Talk about emotional! I'm so proud of the person she's becoming. I know that she will do great at whatever comes her way! 

Me, Christy, & our momma at graduation.

The Diploma!!!!!

For the most part of the week, I volunteered in the morning at my old job, The Senior Meal Site. Working with my old boss, Lody again felt so great! She is a true friend and I was so glad I saw her every day! On Wed, I went to a picnic by the elementary school, the food was healthy. I was surprised to see that the buns they did have for hot dogs or hamburgers were whole wheat! 

Here are some workout photos! 

Christy and I hit the gym :)

My best mile has been 12:11, so this time I didn't beat it but I did change up the speed from 4.5, 6.0, & 7.5. It was a tough run and I felt in my legs and lungs after. Phew!

 

 

 

On the L: 253 in October and R: 217 :)

I did go out with friends a couple times and had a great time! Seeing my friends and especially my best friend, Alicia made me fall in love with "home" all over again!

Love her! :) 

So, yesterday I celebrated my neice's birthday and then made a late trip to Seeley Lake so I didn't work out. Today was my first workout back with my FAVORITE workout partner, Laura! I missed her and her family more than I thought I would. I'm so excited to continue this journey with her and work our butts off! :) 

I know this is a short and kind of "choppy" blog post, but my allergies are KILLING me and I'm exhausted. I went home from work and spent the day fighting my watery eyes, stuffy/running nose, sore throat, and foggy head! 

I think the hardest part of the trip was eating, definitely. I did my best and am proud because.......I LOST 5 LBS on vacation! :) I'm now 217! Hello -25 lbs since April 6! Whoo hoo! I have a couple ideas I thought of while I was on vacation that I will go into further tomorrow and later this week, but for now, I'm going to hopefully get some rest and be able to function tomorrow at work instead of wanting to cry and blow my nose on my paper work! 

XOXO.

Non Scale Victory!

Today was a great day! It seems like with the more work I put in, the more I see results and feel great because I know I'm doing what it takes to be healthy! 

This morning I was trying to find something to wear (it was a little dreary out again...). I remember about 4 weeks ago I found a size 14 pants from American Eagle in my closet that I bought in high school. I remember I couldn't get them over the tops of my thighs to even try to button them. Feeling brave, I decided I would try again to see what type of progress I've made.

 Now, I can see that my trouble area is definately my tummy region...it always has been, but let me tell ya...I felt so dang good, I didn't care. I was able to button the pants & WALK....I didn't care how big my stomach looked, I was wearing the dang pants! LOL

L: October R: Today

For lunch, I forgot it at home...AGAIN. I think I'm so tired at the end of the night I just don't want to do it. Haha. So, I ran into my bro & sis at the UC on campus and bought the healthiest thing possible. (Refused the wings and pizza and pizza hut!). I ordered a tuna melt (without mayo) topped with swiss cheese on wheat bread. Then I had a medium smoothy of non fat milk, banana, natural peanut butter. It was yummy. I felt full but not heavy! :) 

So, before tonight's workout Laura took a trip down memory lane! The fun part was also putting the pants on and able to pull a few inches away from my stomach! :D She and I wore the same size pants at our heaviest. Size 18. 

So for our workout we did the following:

20 football shuffles (rotating and leaning on each side)

20 elevated push ups

20 squats

15 dips off the coffee table

20 rows with elastic bands

Repeated 3X

Then we did the Jillian Michaels Standing Ab Workout!

Repeated 3X

 Then we went on a walk/hike/jog. We went up the mountain we usually hike. It was a nice cool down while still keep our heart rate going. Then on the way down we did a bit of jogging. My legs and butt were really feeling it so I was sooooo DONE by the time we reached Laura's house! Haha! 

Happy Happy Happy!

First off: I GOT THE JOB!!!!!! I applied for the position that I've been temping for, for almost a year. I started off as the work study at the Graduate School at the UM in 2011 and now I'm the official Admissions Coordinator at the Graduate School!!!! Whoo hoo!!! So excited! 

I feel secure in my future. I know that 6 months from now, I'll be at the same job. :) 

So, I want to say THANK YOU to every single person on Instagram who has added me on FB and asked to join Laura's group! It's amazing how supportive everyone is and how much people want to change! I can't believe some of you are asking me questions, I will do my best to answer them but I'm still learning so much already. My day was made when a follower on my IG tagged me in this photo. I never thought I could inspire someone...and I'm starting to become really humbled by everyone's comments!

 

 For dinner I had ground venison burger in lettuce with cheese and tomatoes. It was simple and delicious!! :)

So a new IG friend asked if I would post my workouts that I do with Laura so here is todays:

30 sec jumping jacks
15-20 static lunges with weights with 5 lbs bicep curl
50 donkey kicks (per leg...one leg at a time!)
30 second mountain climbers
15 second planks
30 seconds jog in place
 We did this 3 times and then followed it with this workout. We did each exercise in the video 3 times as well. 

 Jason, his brother Matt, Laura and myself did a great workout. :) 

I feel closer to my goals with every single workout. I feel great. I'm approaching my 2 month mark and I can't wait to see where I'll be in 4 months from now!
 
 

Another Mile. Another Workout. Another Great Day. Another Win.

So, I woke up this morning and made a yummy breakfast!

I made 2 eggs with spinach, lean turkey, and a sprinkle of cheese on top with a side of half a grapefruit! 

I then decided to check in with my friend, Tamara.(She has a blog too, so click here to follow it). She has lost I believe over 50 lbs and has recently made goals about beating her previous times for running a mile. I wanted to see what she did and didn't do when it came to running (since everyone knows I don't run). She gave me the following advice: listen to your body. So, after I ate and did some morning stretching because yesterday's workout and run did leave my body going "what the heck?" I decided to give the mile a try again. I wanted to beat my time but I was going to do it without looking at my Sports Tracker app because I simply wanted to see if I could do it a second day in a row. 

I started off really strong. I felt my speed was up and that I was breathing even better than the day before. I did the same route, so I knew when I needed to look at my app and this is what I saw:

In case you didn't notice, I beat my time by 26 seconds and increased my average speed by .2. My maximum speed was 6.6. Yesterday it was 6.0. When I saw the time and stopped the timer, I literally started crying. I started walking home with Jeremy Camp (christian music) in my ear buds while I just cried. I kept saying, "Thank You Lord. Thank You for my strength"For the first time in probably ever...I was proud of myself. I was ready to shout it to the moon and back! I did it! 

So after doing some laundry and visiting with Aislinn (always so nice to go hang out and see my crazy nieces) I went home and made lunch. Here is what I had:

 

Lean turkey, cheese, tomato, lettuce, a smidge of ranch, bean chips and a half of a grapefruit. 

After having lunch I decided to treat myself to a movie. The Hangover III. It was HILARIOUS! Go watch it! I was also proud of myself because I used to LOVE a huge dr. pepper and a bucket of popcorn, but today I took my own healthy snakes. Cheese stick and a nature valley peanut butter granola. yummy. 

Got pretty to go to a movie! 

After the movie, I went to Laura's to do a workout with her and Jason. They had already done a workout but were awesome enough to let me do mine at their house plus they did another circuit with me! :) I accomplished my planks again! A couple weeks ago I gave Laura the worst attitude because I felt like I wasn't strong enough but last night and tonight I did them!

After a long day of successes and spending time with awesome people, I'm tired! I have work tomorrow and then on Friday I will be heading to WA to spend time with my family. I won't have cell or internet access so expect a full on report when I get back! It will be challenge to eat clean around family and graduation parties but I have a gym back home and I'm excited to see what I can accomplish on my own at home for 5 days!!! 

Here is a pic I'm going to share with everyone. On the LEFT: 3 weeks ago. RIGHT: today! I see a difference! Loving results. Progress pics play a huge role in my motivation. The numbers of course do too and the way I feel but when I feel down, I look back at comparison pictures and it all proves to me WHY I'm doing it!

I challenged myself and I succeeded!

This morning I woke up and made a my oh so famous protein shake! :) Followed was 2 (not my usual 1) vitamin b complex pills. I typically take one but with my bad moods, depression, and being on my  monthly friend, Laura and I agreed I should up it to 2. :) 

I told myself last night I wanted to try out the new app I downloaded: Sports Tracker. So, I decided that I've never ran a full mile without stopping so I was going to see how long it would take me. I told myself to go as slow and steady as long as I didn't stop or walk. Here is my route and my time! 

 So, I'm not a runner and I have no idea what a good pace is, how long it should take to run a mile or the distance I should have ran in 12 minutes, but for my body and for still being over 200 lbs, I'm so damn proud of this. I'm proud because I didn't stop. I kept moving even if it was a shuffle...my feet didn't stop moving. And for me, that's win enough! Now, I will keep doing this every couple of days to see if my time gets better and to just mess around with the app, so be sure to watch me win those little battles too!! Hahaha. 

After a light snack (half a cup of left over protein shake and a cheese stick) I went to Aislinn's house to visit for a couple hours. I knew I had to stay on my eating schedule so I headed home and made some yummy tilapia with carrots, cucumbers, and broccoli.

 Then I cleaned my kitchen and hung out. My legs were bit sore after the run (next time I will be stretching a bit afterward). I decided to try out a modified recipe I saw a while ago on Spark Recipe. The recipe was for stuffed chicken breasts. They had a sauce to make, but I chose to make it a little more simple...plus sauces aren't my favorite. I took chicken breasts and stuffed them with spinach, a slice of lean turkey breast, and a pinch of cheese. I seasoned it with pepper and Mrs. Dash. Then on the side I had a small tomato and part of a cucumber. I had a lot of veggies in my lunch so I wanted to go light and not resort to pasta or rice. Check it out! I really liked the chicken! :) It was a tad dry, so I'm assuming that's why they had the sauce but I thought it was okay anyway.

 After dinner, I wanted to go try the U-Swirl place out here in Missoula. I have gone to a Fro-Yo before in Spokane and I remember that there was equal ratio between healthy and bad so I was expecting a lot of healthy options at U-Swirl. Now, I know that I'm not Einstein when it comes to nutrition and I still have a lot to learn but let me tell you something!!!! I freaked out standing in that store! 

1. I'm not confident ordering or eating food that I don't prepare. It's scary. 

2. There were TOO many choices. 

3. The ratio from healthy toppings to unhealthy was ridiculous!

Now, the place charges 44 cents per oz. So, at the end of the frozen yogurt bar, you weigh your item and you pay. So, of course the idea is to not load up on heavy toppings. The fruits that they did have were: kiwi, banana, strawberry. They had some nuts and trail mix and also some coconut shavings. Everything else was every type of m&m, candy bar, cheese cake bites, cookie dough chunks, etc etc. It was rediculous. I stood there with my frozen yogurt and didn't know what to do! The fruit would definately weigh it down and I wasn't willing to get ripped off with fruit but I also wanted a nice treat. So I put a little chocolate chips on the top and called it good. 

I do not feel bad at all about eating the yogurt as dessert. It hit the spot and I didn't feel like I went over board at all. I'm still scared to eat out and it did give me a bit of anxiety but I'm glad I made a smart choice today. Who knew this whole thing was so mental?! 

So, I chatted with Laura and we agreed to do a late night workout because she spent the day at her in-laws. When I was putting on deoderant, I noticed something I see every single day. My arm pits. If you remember from previous post, I have PCOS and an indicator/symptom was boils and sever damage under my armpits and the fact I didn't sweat under them for 4 years. So, becuase I've had so many people ask why I don't sweat under my arms and why I cover up my arms and don't lift my hands high....this is why:

The darkness is not hair or growing hair; it's damage. You can see the outline where I had blisters that literally bled and scabbed over. (Sorry if that's gross but it's true). So, when I'm on my period or have a cyst (hormonal imbalance) they get really red and burn. So, I just wanted to share that with everyone in the hopes that other women will take notice if their body is doing the same thing. Our bodies talk to us daily and it's so important to listen to them! 

 So, we did our workout for the night. Laura, Jason, and I KILLED it for a hour straight! We did the following: 

15 elevated pushups
15 rows (each arm)
15 static lunges with weights
15 squats with weights rising above the head
20ish slides??
40 donkey kicks (each leg)
30 second plank
15 second risen upward plank ??? ha
15 second plank

Repeated circuit 3 times. On the 3 rep we increased everything by 5. 

Then we did this video. Everything Jillian said to do we did and repeated it 3 times as well! (Laura, if I missed anything, let me know! Or if you could tell me the real name of the exercise that would be cool) Hahaha

This is what we looked like after! Minus Jason. We should force him to take pics with us next time haha. I'm glad he has been so active doing the circuits with us! :) It's nice to have a little group and to laugh about stuff. 

 So, it's after midnight and I need to get some rest so I can get up early and kill it with some clean eating and working out! I also need to get ready for my up and coming trip to Washington at the end of the week. :) Thanks so much for reading and supporting me! I'm almost at 2,000 views!! 

XOXO.