Another Picture

I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago, but I have been uber busy with my business.

So here it is, and I will post another one asap with the new differance. The changes are suttle, but I can see more tone in my arms, stomach and my hiney is lifting. lol I don't have as much fat around my chin, face and neck and I can see my cheek bones more these days. :)

Rachel

Induction Flu

My mom has been a hardcore atkins dieter for the last few years and it does very well for her. She feels better. She had been talking to me for the last few years about my sugar and carb intake. Knowing that much of anything is not healthy, I didn't realize just how many problems the sugar was causing me.

In the atkins diet there is the "Induction Phase". During this time your body has to adjust and go through with withdrawl from the bad negative foods you've been putting into your body.

One of my biggest things to get away from is sugar. I have a big sweet tooth, primarily around that time of the month and my appetite goes wild! Caffine is another thing I have to say no to because of my heart condition, that's SO HARD!

Carbs, eh.... they are in so many things, but the big ones is bread and pasta and where as I enjoy those things, I can live without them.

So when I started back on my pathway last week after a solid month of one illness after another, I decided I was doing it all.

I am not going to be successful in changing my lifestyle if I do not learn to say no to the sweet tooth. I love to bake especially for my children, but you know it's so hard for me not to touch it and am I teaching them unhealthy habbits?

So I gave it up. Not the baking, the sugar. I think a treat sometimes is fine, but it should be a left a treat and not an every day thing.

So I have been 9 days without sugar,bread, pasta, etc. Drinking lots of water and down to one diet soda a day.

The last three days I have been an absolute blah!

I talked to my mom about and asked her if it was normal after cutting back on sugar and all of that jazz to feel tired and foggy.

she said, " yep, what you're experiencing is induction flu".

Basically, just like drugs or alcohol, when you get away from it, your body withdrawls and you feel like crap until it's all of your system! I remember going through that in rehab a few years ago and it sucked bad. lol I felt like I had the flu.

So, for the last three days I have felt absolute fatigue, and brain fog. I just want to take a nap and snack on a cookie. lol Yes, the cookie sounded perfect, like a real pick me upper.

NO! I didn't do it, and I haven't and won't. I am going to work this out of my system and get through it like a trooper.

I want to change my eating habbits and not have cravings for sweets and carbs all of the time. That's what tricks me out on my diet everytime. I will lose real good and then the cravings hit and I cave and BOOM! There I am two steps forward and one step back.

It could take me a life time to get my weight off at that rate. No way! I am refusing to let it kick me.

It's hard and I'm tired, but I know it will pass!!

Used to, a few days into no sugar and the onset of the blah's, and I'd give up. But I am seeing the scales move nicely and my pants falling off, I WANT to get through it this time and not go backwards again.

Another Loss!!

So it's time for another weigh in right? Sometimes I really look forward to it and sometimes I dread it.

You know how it feels when you did great all week and you know you're gonna see a loss because the pants getting baggy and you can see and feel the differance? But on the flip side those scales don't always show a full and accurate discription of what is really going on.

So, let me begin with the new jeans I bought a couple of weeks ago. Remember the first new pair of jeans I had bought in five years? when I tried them on, they fit, they were snug but my belly rolled over the top a little. I really should have taken a picture but I hate pictures of my role, right? lol

Well, it's two weeks later, been watching and counting my calorie and exercising, rotating my week with yoga, turbo jam and kicked it up with tae bo this week. I put those jeans on yesterday and OMG! I can pull them on and pull them off without unzipping and unbuttoning them!! ROCK ON!!

Dreadfully I stepped on the scales. I know how it goes, because the scales sometimes won't move... lol

But, this time they did!! YAY I stepped up and WOW! 149.5!!

Ok, three exciting things happened here for me.
1. I lost 7 lbs!!

2. My new jeans are falling off!!

3.I got over my plateu!

I always , always, always, get stuck at 152 lbs. It frustrates me really bad!

So, I am going to keep going. I have entered a new ten lbs zone. I beat the 50's on the scale, and now I am focusing on the 40's!!

I can tell already since I started that it's easier to breath and yoga is getting easier to do because I can bend down farther without my fat role getting in the way.

Also, the more pumped up workouts I enjoy, tae bo and turbo jam is getting easier to breath through and my stamina is increasing! That's so great.

I can't wait til it's gone. I want to have it all history by summer, but I want to keep working out so I keep it off but continue to make a lean beautiful body.



GO RACHEL!!!

30 minutes a day is not enough?

Last night before bed I was watching the local news and they said "New studies are saying that 30 minutes of exercise a day is considered no longer enough to lose weight and keep it off! Now fitness experts are saying to successfully lose weight and keep it off perminantly you need 50 minutes of exercise a day!"

This may be true, I dunno, I plan to look into it deeper. Damnit! I want to know if I am doing enough or if I am even scimming the surface. It bugged me because they didn't offer any recourse. what is the deal with the news and all of the media offering very little recourse???? WTH? UGH! I know one thing, I can do 50 minutes a day easily with just Turbo Jam and my Walking or Yoga and Walking, but for crying out loud.... if this 50 minutes a day thing is fact, it irritates me with these 10 minute work outs and 20 minute works out they advertise all over TV!

Make up your mind! GEEZ!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

This is just delicious! Courtesy of Splenda!

1 cup water
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1 dash salt (optional)

Apple Pie Topping:
2 teaspoons SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend
1 tablespoon chopped apple
1 dash apple pie spice

Stovetop Directions: Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in oats and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat 5 minutes

Microwave Directions: Combine water, oats, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with heavy-duty plastic wrap; fold back a small edge to allow steam to escape. Microwave on HIGH 2 1/2 to 3 minutes; stir well

Top oatmeal with SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, chopped apple and spice.

serving size is one recipe.

calories: 200 , Fat: 3g Fiber: 5g Total CarbsL 37g Protien: 7g Sodium: 400mg , Cholesterol: 0r

Laughing my Butt off

ok, I think I have actually burned a few extra calories laughing SOOOOO hard at a couple of things I have found via the internet for weight loss. This stuff is great and I hope you'll get as big of a kick out of it as I have.

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw this one:


You're kidding me right? LOL!!! Surely no one believes this stuff.

or how about the slimming lip gloss? Fuze Slenderize lip gloss promises to help shed pounds. By infusing chromium and L-carnitine into the gloss. WHAT!? lol Skinny Lips! Plump Lips... what the??? ha

or how about Bath & Body Works Instant Aromatherapy Crave Relief claims that rolling on their fragrant grapefruit and sweet fennel essential oils will stave off hunger. First of all, I work with natural and synthetic essential oils and fragrance oils in my business ( www.soaps-n-suds.com ) every day and trust me, this is hog wash. LOL!! People are willing to say anything to get people to buy their stuff.

The vicous cycle of fad diets

What are fad diets anyway? How can you tell you're looking at one.

I think I've posted about this before actually, complaining of the countless ads I have seen littered all over myspace and various websites I frequent, showing before and after pictures and proclaiming fast weight loss of amazing amounts, like 20 lbs in two weeks or 30 lbs in a month.

But ya know what, there are other fad diets out there, excluding "magic pills" that show great weight loss and make us say "heck yeah I wanna lose weight on that plan".

Before I start my opinionate bashing and execising my freedom of speech on how I feel these diet plan sales people are exploiting those of us who really want to get our weight off via our pocket books, I am going to relist my check list of things to look for in spotting a fad diet. I do this to remind myself periodically not to fall for the hog wash I see floating around that makes it seem easier.

1. general rule of thumb, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

2. If it promises weight loss with out changing your eating and exercise habbits....

3. if it promises large amounts and fast weight loss in a short time period ( 20 lbs in two weeks etc..)

4. buying meal plans or prepackaged foods....

5. Focuses on just a certian amounts of foods, excluding certian foods or groups and doesn't focus on a healthy balanced diet.

Ok, so, I've voiced my opinion on the magic pills and annoying fake diet blogs floating around advertising free samples of acai berry and green tea. Those really piss me off!

But this is what is urking me lately. It's the beginning of the year, everyone has done their new years resolutions. I'm laying back for the evening, relaxing with my family and watching television and guess what commercial I see? Jenny Craig....

I saw this commercial this evening, and of course with me wanting to get my weight off real bad, any diet plan or weight loss commercial is going to grab my attention. I see these people sporting their new look with before and after pictures and I did it with Jenny! It bothered me because I thought " what are these people going to do AFTER they lose their weight and they aren't eating their preplanned meals anymore? Their whole menu is set out for them. They eat what is on the plan, and it's all pre portioned and through the months they are eating this and losing weight, are they learning how to cook better, portion better and continue on a healthy eating lifestyle?

Like many other diets, slim fast, dexatrim, cabbage soup etc. If you aren't learning to cook leaner, make healthier choices and better portions, you're going to gain it back eventually. from my personal experience, you don't keep weight off if you don't make perminant changes in lifestyle, and I just don't see how these prepackaged meal plan diets are teaching anyone how to change their life style and eating habbits PERMINANTLY! It seems to me, it's another scam to dip into our pockets, by weighing on our emotional desires to lose weight, knowing full well that most of us would do damned near anything to get it off!!

It upsets me!!

I am not saying Jenny Craig is bad, or some of the other prepacked food diets. But I think it should fall into the catagory of fad diets and should be done with caution. Not so much because they are unsafe like magic pills, but because it doesn't seem to be a perminant fix to a life long problem. what happens when the weight is lost and you go back to eating your own prepared foods and the weight comes back? You go back to the prepacked meals to do it all over again?

Why would I want to do that? I want to get my weight off once and keep it off. I don't want to struggle like this over and over, or every few years. I want to learn how to exercise and eat properly and change my habbits so I never get here again!!!

And I certianly don't want diet scammers to feed on my emotional desire to look and feel better about myself to the point that they are getting richer by the day.

What I want

I vision myself in my old clothes. Back about five years ago I worea size 4 jeans, and a size XS in everything else. I loved the way I felt and looked. I was truly happy with myself. I had more energy, I enjoyed shopping for clothes and dolling up.

after I gained my weight, all of the things I loved and enjoyed became feelings of dread and disappointment.

I have been following Chalene Johnson's blog, and I love looking at the before and after pictures of real people who decide to take their weight and health under control and take the turbo jam challenge. They look so great and they are so lean.

The before pictures you can tell they aren't real thrilled with how they look or feel but the after photos they are all smiles and happy with their success. I can do that too! I want that too!

So far, I'm doing well with it. I wish I hadn't gotten ill and got knocked off of my work out schedule, but it doesn't matter now..... I can keep going now that I am feeling better.

I want to wear thos camo jeans I have never worn! I want to buy a whole new wardrobe and love getting dressed in the morning rather than feeling depressed and settling for loose pajamas or sweats and saving that new pair of jeans for visits to town.

I've done well with my eating this week and have worked out every other day , I will do more next week once my strength is up again. This week I have had a four pound loss. Yep, I lost another pound. I know I was retaining some fluid, so I know I've lost some water weight, but that's great too!

I am just so excited to be starting again and continue working towards my goal.

I think, therefore I am, if I believe I Will achieve!!

Another Review

Periodically I like to review differant work out videos and diet plans, see how they work for me, and what my over all opinion is. Note it's my opinion only.

Here is a list of what I currently do and support:

Healthy eating choices and exercise.
Turbo Jam work out by Chalene Johnson - Really pumps it up and makes it fun with cool music and a fun work out full of kicks, punches and pumps, and completely targets your core, butt, legs, arms....well you're whole body! Love this work out over all I've tried! I also love the eating plan and menu ideas including with Turbo Jam, because it's real food, and healthy suggestions. Real sound advice, the best I have seen yet.

Denise Austins Belly Blasting workout - 10 - 10 minute works out to focus on your core, using crunches, yoga moves, resistance and more. I love this one over the crunchless abs because it has it all on one video and to me seems to be more effective.

Yoga for Weight Loss - Fantastic and easy to follow, has various alterations according to your current fitness level and flexability. Very calming and easy to follow. I love this work out for a quiet easy going day. Believe it or not, it did get my heart rate up without areobics, just enough to break a little sweat but so easy to breath and talk through.

Sweaten to the oldies by Richard Simmons - an old school work out that I watched my mom do and I started doing as a teenager, but totally love because it's fun, effective and low impact for those who are very over weight and need a start but high impact is still to much and for those with health issues who need a slower start to build up strength. Love Richard Simmons.

Weight Watchers - You can't lose weight by exercise alone, you also have to count your calories and watch what you eat. The easiest way to count your calories while cutting back on fat and carbs is Weight Watchers. The easy point system and point counter helps you easily determine the value of each food and make healthier choices. According to your height, weight and age determines how many points you need a day to safely lose weight. Most effective with proper exercise.

I do not support:

Crunchless abs souper slim- I do love the work out, but the quick slimming menu I felt left me hungry and snooping for a snack. it is based off of a soup based diet for about a week or two, where you can virtually eat however much you want of it due to it being based off of vegetables, but we need protien to fill full and satisfied. Not to mention it caused gas. lol

The Cabbage soup Diet - Alone, it sucks. You can lose some weight, but alot of it's water, and what fat you burn can be gained back so easily once you start eating solid foods because you're not learning to portion your meals out and it's just way to few calories in a day. Now, adding the cabbage soup and veggie soups to your meal is great for a filler.

Dexatrim - Like many other over the counter appetite suppresants and energy boosters, they are loaded with caffine, ginseng, green tea, all of which are stimulants and can cause tacticardia. They should be used in moderation and after consultation with your doctor, but if you're a heart patient like me, they should be avoided. If you're very over weight or a health risk and need help, speak to your doctor and see he if recommends a temporary perscription.

Even perscription medications for weight loss should be used with caution and under the supervision of your doctor, not used for vanity pounds or a perminant method of keeping weight off, should be used in conjunction with proper eating habbits and exercise and only if you're a health risk and it's suggested by your doctor.

Eat well and prosper!

Often times people think ( including me ), that in order to lose weight you have to practically starve yourself. Depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy will make you thin.

i can't stress the importance of moderation in all things we consume.

I have said it before but will repeat it, because it's soooo important to remember, if you cut back to much you will force yourself into starvation mode. That slows your metabolism down, and you can even gain weight. So it may seem like you barely eat, but you're still getting thicker.

Cut your calories to a healthy amount according to what your doc. suggests but exercise.

At first it may seem like it's not working, and you may even gain ( muscle, water etc.) but if you stick with your exercising and healthy eating you will see an improvment. WONT ALL HAPPEN IN ONE WEEK FOLKS!

It can take your body a month, two or three to adjust, but stick with it.

1. Eat a high protien breakfast!

2. Snacks r good. small healthy snacks, low calorie.

3. Eat a good healthy lunch.

4. small dinner before 6 pm.

Drink lots of water. Watch your diet soda in take.

exercise!! Your body will not change or look better unless you move it, work it and build it. Like it or not, it must be done and you'll feel better and look better so it will be worth it!

Never stop eating!

Talking to your doctor

Before starting any weight loss regimen and diet change you should talk to your doctor.

Together your doctor can tell you what is best for you by examining your health issues, risks, BMI, height, age and what would be more beneficial to you individually.

I am a heart patient, so for the last three years I've been real concerned about my weight, wanting to get it off but scared of causing damage to my heart with the wrong kind of exercise.

I went to see my doctor for a semi annual check up. I was on beta blockers to regulate my heart rate and my blood pressure and everything was normal. It was a decent visit except he noted that the "snap" my heart makes was louder that time. Most likely from the stress of me being sick and..... me being overweight.

So, I sat and talked with him for about 45 minutes on what my plans are for losing the weight and getting it under control and keeping it off perminantly. My concerns were the Turbo Jam,Tae bo and just exercise levels in general being to much for my conidtion.

The answer was, the more you exercise starting at a lower level and working your way up as you gain strength, the healthier and stronger your heart will be. Do the turbo jam, do tae bo, walk , walk , walk and later when you can jog and run.

I also asked him about my green tea suppliments and the gallon green tea I was consuming a day. remember I thought I was doing so well with it and had found a very healthy antioxidant... blah blah blah.... He said, NO, that has WAYYYY to much caffine. UGH. So, green tea is out for me, because caffine is restricted from my diet due to my heart condition.

And about meal times and breakfast....

He said, " always eat breakfast, it gets your metabolism going, and have your heavier meals for breakfast or lunch and a light dinner before 6 pm.

So I've been doing good by him.

he informed me 30 minutes of walking on my treadmill a day is what he wanted, at least 4 times a week. five minutes of warm up, 20 minutes fast walking or jogging and 5 minutes cool down. Lots of water, and the turbo jam, yoga, and dance are all fine, as long as I keep my heart rate between 130 - 140!


As for what he said about over the counter diet aides..... most are not FDA approved with means they most likely are bogus or unsafe. Many of them like dexatrim cause tacticaria ( something I already have)..... and you really should talk to your doctor before you ever take anything over the counter.

I have kept his advice in mind the last couple of years and taken to use towards my advantage since I began my weight loss and healthy eating endeavors.

REALLY COOL NEWS!!

It has been five years since I bought myself any new clothes. Since my divorce, I spend any extra money I have on my kids and making sure they are pimped out in good clothes and shoes, and well, I manage. My favorite around the house attire is comfy pajamas, and when I am working out hardcore, I sport around the house in my gym clothes. lol

I have this pair of Camo Jeans I bought 5 years ago and I couldn't fit in them. I hadn't realized that I had gained enough weight that I had gone up a size or two. I had just gotten out of the hospital and spent alot of time in baggie pj's. I have those jeans, the tag still attached hanging in my closet. I want to wear them so bad!

I know it's going to be a little bit before I can get into them because I still have some weight to lose. about 32 lbs left to go before I can wear them.

However, the other day I went shopping for Monkey. She is two now and really growing fast and it was time to get her a new size in clothing. while I was at the store I noticed they had Jeans on sale.

I pondered for a moment... " should I?".... I know I had lost about ten pounds and I wondered how much it made a differance in my clothing size. I am still in a size medium, but my old jeans were lose and getting baggy and my jammies are getting baggy to. So I knew I had to have at least dropped half a size.

I grabbed a pair of jeans and ran to the dressing room. I crossed my fingers and tried them and OMG! They fit perfectly.

I went from a size 12 to a size 9/10!!!

SO, I am excited to say I have dropped about 10 lbs, dropped 2.5 jeans sizes and bought my first NEW pair of jeans in five years!

What's cooler than that, is that was three weeks ago. I started exercising again this week, and I have lost 3 more pounds. I tried the jeans on this morning and they are lose!! YES!!!!!

Yes! Rachel is still kickin'!

Wow! It's been well over a month since I updated. Let me start off with where I have been. SICK! I hate the winter months, there is every kind of cold and flu floating around and since december I have been fighting one thing after another.

In just a month of not getting my exercise in I am having to start over rebuilding my strength levels. It's irritating and I am frustrated. Good thing is, I continued to consider my diet and eating habbits and didn't gain anything I had lost, so I maintained.

Point being is in order to lose weight successfully we need a combination of healthy eating and plenty of movement. Let's face it, sitting around and not moving isn't burning calories!

I am hoping my health will take an improvment soon. I am eating grape fruit, oranges, taking vitamin C, but also drinking LOTS of water.

I feel like I have a month lost on my weight loss efforts, but no one can control what illness they catch right? lol

Thank you to my followers and comments left. I apologize for being a stranger this last month.

Now on to the good news. I lost three pounds this week!! YAY!

Since I have spent alot of time resting and laying around, my muscles have gotten tight again and I have fallen out of shape. So I began this week with a modified yoga session. WOW! That felt so good. I was able to relax and destress while I stretched and focused on breathing and inner peace. It was nice and a good way to get me ready to start kicking butt with my favorite Turbo Jam. I wish they had live classes here, I would totally be there!!!

The next day, I rested cause guess what, I caught ANOTHER COLD! But I got on the treadmill the day after. I walked 30 minutes and have done that all week. I am strengthening my body and getting ready to kick it full throatle. I feel alot better than I did , and drinking all of the water has made me pee like sea biscut, but it's flushing my system, helping me stay feeling satisfied.

This afternoon, I plan to get back on my Turbo Jam plan. I got the calander and diet menu and I am going to give it a work out, see if I can do the ten lbs and ten days. YEAH! I just love doing the videos, because they are fun, never boring, I can feel it working my muscles...Good stuff.

I'd say it's almost time for a new picture to compare the differance... I hope to take some in the next week.

Breakfast! The most important meal of the day!

Never skip breakfast! I know you think by eating less you will lose weight, but not eating enough or often enough will slow your metabolism to keep you from staving ( aka starvation mode) and make you maintane and even gain weight to compensate.

You need to jump start your metabolism, get it moving and if you choose good filling foods in proper proportions, you will stay filled and satisfied longer. :) Eating good for you snacks during the day will keep your metabolism moving also.

Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast, particularly a breakfast containing eggs eat less later in the day and have fewer cravings.Most likely due to the high content of protien. If you're concerned about the high cholestrol of eggs, eat them in reasonable qauntities and team them up with oatmeal, another filling meal great for breakfast!!!

My Typical Weekly breakfast: ( Notice I eat ALOT of protien, and I rarely feel the urge to snack)

Monday 1 poached egg , 2 slices lean bacon , 1/2 cup oatmeal sweetened with slenda brown sugar sweetener and 1/4 tsp. maple flavoring.

Tuesday 4 oz Steak, 1 egg ( This breakfast keeps me filled most of the day!)

Wednesday 1 egg, 2 slices lean bacon, 1/2 cup No Fat Vanilla yogurt with 1/2 cup mixed berries.

Thursday Weight Watchers Candian Bacon and Egg w/ cheese breakfast sandwich ( only 4 pts!)

And then I repeat whatever I want from the above menu. Ocassionally I like a breakfast burrito..., I use Carb Chopper Tortillas, only 1 pt per tortilla compared to 7 pts for the typical tortilla. I add 1/4 cup of grated cheese to i serving of Egg beaters, Fresh Mushrooms and seasoned to taste with usually salt and pepper a little garlic. Very good. ;)

The idea is to eat foods that are satisfying, low in calorie, low in fat, low in carbohydrates in the beginning and high in protien. As you loose wieght and gain muscle, it you can eat a little more.

General rule of thumb for working out about 45 minutes a day is you can eat anouther .... about 200 calories or so depending on your activity level and your current weight. The less you weigh the less calories.

So, plan your breakfast tomorrow, and notice if you feel full.

My Oatmeal recipe:

1 cup of prepared plain oatmeal
Splenda Brown Sugar to Taste
Imitation Maple flavor to taste..

Leave out the butter, I know it's hard, but you really won't miss it with the splenda and maple flavoring. ;)

Shout to my readers!

I just want to give a shout out to my readers who have been following me from the beginning of this journey I am on. Some are posted followers , others I already know from other places in myspace and in my real life.

Thank you for your support and don't be shy to drop a line on my blog and send some words of encouragement this way as well, it really helps me.

I hope to be posted new pictures in a week or two. I want to really get to Jammin' more of this weight off, I'm at a little stand still with christmas and guess what....I broke my toe yesterday!

I was so upset about that. So I will have to go very easy until I am certian it will be fine for me to work out safely without causing injury. I am so disappointed.

But, what happens if you get an injury? Can you still lose weight? Yes of course! You have all kinds of body parts that move just fine, and the object is to move them. It might slow your efforts down until you heal, but don't give up. Keep moving your arms, do your leg exercises sitting in a chair if you have to... continue to tone and use weights, and above all.... continue watching your eating habbits. Being imobile makes it easier to get bored and depressed and we want to eat. Don't give in to the munchy monster.

Well, Lets see how it goes for me this week. I am able to walk, and I don't believe it's a full fledged break its more of a facture. Its bruised badly and it hurts equally. lol How did I do this you say? ha.... I was sitting on the edge of my bed dusting nic-nacs and I had a heavy thick glassed skull ash tray sitting there, and when I stood up it bounced off the bed and landed right on the joint of my big toe. OUCH! I wanted to cry. First thing i thought was, " OH CRAP! How am I going to get my exercise in?"
Well, by hook or by crook, I will do it one way or another. AND I AM DYING TO GET INTO MY CAMO JEANS......

Healthy eating for the week

Ok guys, here is a good tip that will really help you out. It takes effort, but that's what this is all about....the fat will not fall off of our butts as much as I wish that could happen. There ARE NO MAGIC PILLS....so, it's doing it the healthy way and the right way for us.

To make sure you stay on track this week. Go through your cabinets.... get rid of all of the crap that you don't need. I am talking twinkies, white bread, candy, marshmellows, jelly all of the stuff you know is going to taunt you and you shouldn't have. All of the stuff we're trying to get away from. How can we say no to it if it's in there screaming at us to eat it?

I have NO junk food in my house. I grew up with out junk food.... and I don't need it now.

NOW.... time to go shopping.

1. Eat first. Eat a good choice of food. Don't shop on an empty stomach ever!

2. Make a menu for the week of what you plan to eat. Making good choices. That means plan out seven breakfasts, lunches dinners and healthy snacks! Don't forget to pick up your whey protien from the pharmacy or the healthy food store. You're exercising and need your protien!

3. Make your menu up with lots of fruits, veggies, lean meats, low fat and no fat dairy, whole grain bread, wheat pasta if YOU MUST have pasta. Don't forget your green tea or regular tea. Get rid of the sugar and buy splenda, and try to only have 1 diet soda ( 12 oz can.) a day or less if you can.

4. when you shop take note of the nutritional facts on the back and see what a serving size is verses how many calories it has. Is it worth the small portion for the grand count of calories and fat?

Sarah Lee's delightful whole grain bread is an excellent choice. Low in calories, low in fat, and high in protien from the grains, and very moist.

Non fat yogurt for your protien shakes and eating a 1/2 a cup for a snack with some berries.... yummy snack!

Boneless, skinless lean chicken breast, New York style steak 4 oz. the best in low fat steak, great choice.

Fish, very healthy, but bake it don't fry it! Low fat also.

try to steer clear of pasta for now... k?

So shop from your menu. Have your menu written up and on your fridge so you know what to eat tomorrow. Prepare only what is on the menu....

Exercise ALL week. Weigh once at the beginning and once at the end, and see what happens.

What was the hardest part?

What was the hardest part for me to begin my weight loss efforts? Sighs..... getting off my arse and exercising. Man I wanted to. I planned on it every day, and then I just didn't do it and was right back at saying I'll do it tomorrow.

Then I realized good intentions isn't enough it takes good efforts and SOOOOO, I MADE myself get up and do it.

Wow! It was fun, I thought.....I wanted to do it again. The next morning I was so excited to get up and workout again....

The next couple of days proved me to be sore from being out of shape, but I didn't care, I want my body to look better, I want my health to be better... I WANT TO FIT IN THOSE CAMO JEANS!!! So I kept going.

The soreness gradually faded. I noticed I had more energy, I felt better.... I was more limber from the yoga and pilates.... OOOOO... this could only get better with time.

And then, the differance in my jean. they are getting baggy and loose!!! ROCK ON!

Now, I really want to keep going. even though I gained a pound over the holidays, the jeans are still loose and will keep getting looser!!!

Over the holiday hump and away we go......

Ok, so the hardest part is over right? The holidays have come and gone, well the ones we tend to over eat on the most right?

Thanksgiving, Christmas. I honestly think Christmas is worse because there are so many people who give cookies and pies for gifts. I know I am the worlds worst ever for doing that! But this year, Santa would be proud of me, I gave sugar free pies. ;)

So....I dreadfully stepped on the scales yesterday to see what the damage was... and YAY me, I only gained 1 lb. ONE POUND! ROCK ON! I know, how crazy is that to be happy about a gain right? But consider it this way, I am seeing this as a little success story, because usually over the holidays we gain what, 10 lbs? Well that one pound plus another will come off this week with me busting my butt and watching my diet. I don't have any left overs lingering around here taunting me. I sent them off with other people. I gave all the cookies away for gifts and mom made sugar free carb free pumpkin cream cheese muffins for our gift. So I mostly gained from all of the stuffing I "stuffed" myself with...

I didn't restrict myself from what I love about the holidays and I didn't go so over board that I gained a ton. I gained a little, but that may also be water retention, my period is coming up soon. So I am happy that I did ok and it's not so much of a gain that I feel like all of my efforts were wasted.

I am taking the tree down this week so I can get back to my turbo jam. I have the entire set now with the gloves and meal plan. I read over it and ya know what was cool.... they have a simular recipe for protien shakes/smoothies like me. My ingredients are slightly differant, BUT.... simular, and I thought that was awesome, I am definately on the right track.

Welcome to my new readers, we're in this together. ;)

Xflowsion

Here is a new video collection I am wanting to add to my weekly work out sessions. I am still 100% loving turbo jam and I like doing it most of the time, but once or twice a week I like to do something differant so I don't get bored and don't get stuck at a plateu.

Xflowsion looks like alot of fun also, and includes cardio, muscle toning and flexability.

www.xflowsion.com

Off the Subject, it's just moi!

Just Me, being goofy with the camera. I am soooo looking forward to seeing my cheekies again, and I don't mean the big ones at the top of my legs..... lol



Kissy! Kissy!



And Moi!