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!
 
 

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.

Evaluate, refocus, and keep giving it your all! :)

I weighed in this morning. The scale says I gained 2 lbs since Wednesday. After rethinking all of my meals, I think the amount of starches and sodium could play a role. I don't "feel" like I gained weight this week, I honestly think it's water weight from the sodium and starches. On Wed, I weighed 227.2 (and no, I don't weigh myself daily). 

 

I didn't feel bad at all about the numbers on the scale. It wasn't the best, I admitt it, but I didn't let it get me down. Instead, I focused on the run I did the night before. Yes, I did my first EVER 30 minute run. I did intervals of sprinting, jogging, and power walking. I praised myself for accomplishing that, and also for the fact that when I went to brush my teeth I saw a little something in the mirror...

That's right: some collar bone definition!!! :) 

 

I'm really excited about the changes I'm seeing. I see definition in my arms and legs. The simple fact that I ran last night still has me on cloud nine!! :D 

This morning's breakfast: 2 veggie patties, 1/2 cup egg white with one whole egg and a kiwi. The red stuff is ketchup :/ moderation is key!

 

 

Today's lunch: I tried the Weight Water's chicken patties (4 oz each) with a lettuce bun, light cheese, and tomato slice. On the side I had a protein shake: 4 ice cubs, 1 whole banana, 1/2 a cup of organice fat free milk, and my metabolic drive banana protein powder! Yummy!!! :D 

 

 

 

For dinner I had a salad at my sister's house and literally a bite of my brother's homemade lasagna. I will NOT have starchy foods this week. I'm going to see if that makes a difference. It's all about learning about my body!

Progress picture! Today marks exactly 5 weeks since I decided to change my life! :) I can't wait to see what is to come!

 

 

After my circuit workout! :) Felt great!

Sluggish

What a long day! I woke up feeling great! I put on a t-shirt that I bought; knowing I couldn't fit just yet. It fit! YAY!!!! It was such a great feeling. :) 

Whoo hoo!!! :) 

I did a circuit workout for 30 min. I definately could have pushed more and gone a little harder but I did force myself to do 10 extra squats with weights and 10 extra lunges per leg for being kind of blahh. 

Tomorrow I WILL hike and act like it's my last chance workout. I can't get lazy. 

I did notice in the mirror this morning, I am starting to see my collar bones. Don't ask why I'm so excited, it's probably because I've never seen my collar bones hahaha. 

   I'm off to relax and just be a bum.