Breath of Fresh Air

Week after week, I usually come to the blog defeated by the stress at work or by the lack of exercise I was able to accomplish or by something that doesn't seem to work out for the good of my goals.

 

This week, I am ever so happy to say, has been a breath of fresh air. My work is improving and I have been able to workout everyday this week AND eat healthy! I feel so much better and energized throughout the day when I can workout and eat nutritious food! Within a month of this journey, I have lost 5  LBS and 3 INCHES off my body! Now, that may not seem like a lot to everyone, but to me, it means that the weight CAN come off which is the push I need to keep going. What is that popular saying "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." My single step is losing that first 5 pounds!

 

On another achievement note, my son is finally sleeping through the night!!!!! This is a HUGE deal for my me because since day one of  Mason's birth, he hasn't slept a night without mommy. He turned 6 months old Wednesday and I couldn't have been more exhausted! I love my kids but they don't sleep well! I was just about at my wits end after an hour and forty minutes of no sleep Monday followed by another unsuccessful Tuesday when magically he just decided to start sleeping through the night on Wednesday. No screaming, no crying- NOTHING. Just my sweet boy sleeping.I think I should also put credit where credit is due. My sister (Aunti Mo) is the one responsible for this rare occasion.

She laid him down and 10 minutes later....

Blissful sleep!!!

   

He woke up happy and rested!

 

 

 

 To end on a sweet sour note.........

 

As you all know I am in love a fan of chocolate and all things sweet. Well, I decided to get my Sandra Lee on ( Semi- Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee on Food Network). I have had a hankering for frozen yogurt for awhile now. So,I tried out this recipe I found on Pinterest:

 

 Photo courtesy of : pinporium.com

                                                
Ingredients:

• -Hershey's Cocoa-Unsweetened 2 tbsp.
• -Chobani Non-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt 6 oz
• -Stevia (zero calorie sweetner) 2-3 packets(to your taste)

Directions:

Mix and freeze for 45 minutes, then ENJOY!
                                       
Seems pretty simple and possibly healthfully delicious. I grabbed me a spoonful and ........FAIL! This frozen yogurt tasted like cold chocolate sour cream! It was quite literally the worst dessert I have ever made!!!! I am so sorry to whoever came up with the recipe but it was just terrible. My sister, who takes part in my healthful adventures, completely agreed!!
 So, as I failed to satisfy my sweet tooth with this recipe, I ask you- wWhat is a healthy dessert recipe you recommend? Until next time, happy fitnessing!!

Buying healthy

I just spent one and a half hours and $220.00 on groceries that will most like last my family of four adults and four children (one is still on formula) for about a week. That crazy! We go every other week to buy groceries and we aim to spend about $130 or so. But lately buying the healthier version of everything if at least $2.00 to $3.00 more than the not so healthy version. You see as a busy mom and worker bee of the world, my meals have to be time efficient and need to be packed full of the right ingredients to keep my energy up. Through my shopping this week,I discovered some wonderfully scrumptious chocolate candy that is much healthier and lower in calories then most candy.
Have you ever heard of Skinny Cow? They make delicious low calorie ice cream and treats. At the bottom of this post is the delectable chocolate that I just had to try. Its good and only
130 calories! It cost me 1.50 at Walgreens but if you are interested in spending a little less money on candy, click here and you will be on you're way to Skinny Cow coupons.

Besides grocery shopping this week, I have been struggling with working out this week due to a very difficult schedule. I've had to take my kiddos to the doctor twice, I had to sub for a class and do after school program on one day which puts me working at least 10 hours out of the day. I was able to workout yesterday and today. During my workouts recently, I have been craving a huge cheeseburger afterwards!!! Anyone feel the same?? So, I did some research and found out that the hour after you work out is the "golden hour" to eat. (learn more about the "Golden Hour here")Most experts suggest eating a protein and carbohydrate after your workout (ex. Peanut butter sandwich with yogurt and granola). So, to avoid wanting eating that huge cheeseburger, I am going to try the "golden hour" rule.  I'm hoping it will help because sometimes I give in to this cheeseburger craving and ruin my workout. Any little detail on this weight loss journey helps!

Update on weight loss:

According to the scale I have lost only 2 pounds since I have been doing this!!! only 2!!!! I have wanted to give up so much these past few days because of emotional stress and my busy life. Although I want to give up, I refuse too. I am going to finish this race. I want to reach my goal so I can be able to say this

 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith"—2 Tim. 4:7

Although some people may say this verse doesn't apply to me wanting to lose weight, I believe that scriptures are meant to be read by how God shows them to you. This scripture reminds me to keep fighting the fight no matter what. Not just to reach my goal in weight loss but my goal to be a good mother,wife,leader, and Christ follower.   I believe that God wants us to be the best we can be each and every day. Although he doesn't require us to be perfect and accepts us for who we are -Human- ,
I do think he wants us to try our hardest at everything we do. When I see my Christian friends still believing in an all powerful and mighty God and achieving things above and beyond what anyone expects them to do, I know this to be true.  I hope you have a healthy and blessed weekend! And remember to continue fighting the good fight!

No Prayer too Small

Do you ever think to yourself before you pray "This is silly God, I don't need to pray about such an insignificant thing?" The truth is I use to think this before a lightbulb in my head went off.

I haven't been succeeding very well in this journey to losing weight. I couldn't figure out why because I have been working out as much as I can, eating healthier and the pounds are not going away. Do I need to eat much less but then starve? Do I need to workout twice a day just to lose one pound a week? Wasn't it just last week that I could fit into my old jeans but the scale says I haven't lost any weight?? All these thoughts are going through my head and then it occurred to me that I pray about all the big stuff.. my family, my job, and the world. If I am to truly to follow God, he asks that we consult him even with the "little stuff." Proverbs 3:6 says in ALL your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. This verse says ALL YOUR WAYS submit so that's just what I'm going to do.

I'm going to submit my struggles with this weight loss journey to my God who can do the impossible. My hubby and I have decided to try Weight Watchers to help us get through this together. I've been feeling burned out trying to make all the healthy choices myself....it's exhausting and frankly, some days I would rather stuff my face with cake instead.We decided that starting next month, we would give Weight Watchers a go. So, if you've ever struggled with the same thoughts or feelings, just remember that If you submit, God says he will make our paths straight. Wouldn't you like the straight way instead of the one paved with disappointment curves and self loathing potholes? I know I would.

I'm not sure I have gotten the hang of this blogging thing yet but I think I shared my thoughts with you about how my journey has been going. I don't have any cool pictures for you or videos to help this week. I have a verse from the Bible and my own thoughts. I hope that is enough to help get you through.

 

Happy Cheesecake New Year!!

I hope everyone had a Happy and Fun  New Years! We had lots of fun hanging out with my parents and the kiddos( who knew family could be so fun !!) We all played Just Dance 4 and it was absolutely the funniest thing !!! at the bottom is a slight preview of the nights festivities(my parents!).
Every year we have a tradition of eating cheesecake and drinking sparkling cider on New Years Eve. This year was no different- EXCEPT the recipe that was used. As a sweets enthusiast, I decided not to fight away the urge to eat our family tradition but to work with it-- making a new healthier version of our holiday favorite! So, I went searching for a cheesecake recipe that was portion appropriate and pretty easy to make. I stumbled upon this recipe on Google. It was the fourth link down. Now, my picture (seen at the bottom) is by no means "food pretty" but these little cups of yumminess  were great and only 87 calories a serving!!!! I know your thinking ...but how do WE know its good???? Well, you can trust the food palettes of my family-all experienced cheesecake eaters. I asked for an honest opinion and they all seemed to like it!
The only recommendation I have is to use the good brand of vanilla wafers and only use one even if it doesn't cover the whole bottom of the cupcake liner!
As this year came to a close, I didn't so much care that I was just at home lounging around with the fam. I wasn't at a lavish party or some swanky hotel but I was with some of the most important people in my life. We may fuss and we may fight but in the end we are always there for each other. When it all comes down to it, all we really have in this world is the life God gives us. Remember to appreciate the ones he puts in your lives and know that family isn't just blood-related, it could be your best friend that you feel is your family. Whoever it may be, thank God for them and hug them tight every time you see them. I hope you enjoy this post and there is more healthy recipes to come!

Guilty by Holiday

This post will be short and sweet due to my lack of technology around my house these days. My phone decided to not charge anymore so I am currently using my husbands phone to post this. Yes, as you may have assumed I am beyond guilty of indulging during the holidays. Sweets are my weakness. I ate every single cookie or brownie that was placed in front of me. It wast like a whole plate but I definite could not resist the temptation of the chocolate! Despite my weakness for sweets, I did manage to workout everyday. I did get a chance to try on a pair of jeans I haven't wore in over a year and a half and they fit ! I am down two dress sizes but I know I MUST give up the sweets. I would happily show you all a picture but as I said low technology is preventing this. I will do my best to update you all. Until next time.. happy fitnessing!!

Honored with the Liebster Award

In honor of Christmas Eve and the gift of presents, I received a gift early this year from my good friend Kelcie Huffstickler. I'm sure most of you who read this blog have read her's also but just in case you haven't- check it out This Beautiful Inheritance (she blogs about life as a small town mommy and wife through the Christian lens- check it out!!).  I have been blessed to be friend with Kelcie for about 12 years now. I have to brag and say how blessed I am to have her in my life. She has been with me through some pretty hard times in my life. She brought that glimmer of light I needed in the darkness. I know God works through her daily! I love her!

I'm sure you're all wondering what I got for my gift!!....... I received  The Liebster Award. It is an award given by fellow bloggers to recognize the newest and coolest blogs. Needless to say, I was very honored to get this because my blog hadn't started yet. Now, there ARE some rules that go along with the award but if Kelcie doesn't mind.. I will bend them a tad-

After I received the award, I must do the following:

• The blog nominated must answer the 5 questions given by the person who nominated them.
• The blog nominated must tell 5 random facts about themselves.
• The blog nominated must then nominate 5 blogs (with less than 200 followers), and make sure to tell them you nominated them.
• Finally, you must ask the blogs you nominate to answer 5 questions of your own.

Here are the questions Kelcie asked the 5 bloggers:

1. Why do you blog? Why did you start and why do you continue?

Let's see... I blog because it gives me a place to put my thoughts and life out there in a way that can keep me accountable. I started because I wanted to lose this baby weight I gained when I was pregnant with my son Mason- who is almost 5 MONTHS OLD ALREADY!!!

2. What is your favorite post you've ever done? (provide a link!)

I don't have a favorite post yet but in case you missed my first post- check it out!

3. What's one thing we don't know about your family?

One thing no one knows about my family is sadly- we LOVE eating out! As a family( and I mean my husband,my kiddos and me) we don't go buy extravagant things or see a new movie every weekend. We indulge in eating out. I can't make it a week with a Juice It Up! or Starbucks coffee. Oh, how the world has modernized me! I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it but...hey it could be worse, right?!

4. What can readers look forward to on your blog? What's around the corner?
Readers can look forward to me expressing my happiness and frustrations through my journey to get fit. It will be a long hard road but at the end I hope readers will be encouraged ! I'd say just around the corner are new healthy recipes I'm looking forward to sharing with you all!

5. What's on your Christmas list??
Gosh!! My Christmas list is pretty simple. I would love a watch so I didn't have to carry my phone in my hand all the time. I would also love to go to Grinchmas at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Anyone who knows me, knows I love How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Here are 5 random facts about me:

• I like doing my own nails! It's cheaper and fun to take time for me every now and then!
• I'm double jointed and my husband makes fun of me for it but I think he secretly thinks its cool!
• I really couldn't tell you the last time I saw my natural hair color! Hey... I fully think God gifted people for a reason beyond me and if one is to give people a new look-I'm all for that! lol
• I have had surgery 7 times and I'm only 24!
• I wanted to be a dancer at one time but then quickly decided that my curves were just for looks..haha!

5 Blogs I am nominating(sort of!): I think I may have to bend the rules on this one! I am not familiar with many blogs these days because of my just recent move to the blog world but jere are some blogs I have just recently found and would like to encourage you to read :

1. My Freshly Brewed Life : A blog about a Woman of God. She has series of blogs based off different walks with God. (31 days of coffe talk with Jesus, etc. ) She also has healthy recipes and fun giveaways!
2. A Quiet Heart : I've only had time to over view this one but She is a mommy of two, a pastor's wife and she also home school her children which- yes I am thinking about doing someday- MAYBE!
3. Here's To A Healthier Me- I read her most recent post Excuses, Excuses, Excuses  and I was automatically inspired and this doesn't happen to me often! With that being said, she writes on her journey to getting healthy again and struggling with Crohn's disease.
4. Workout Mommy  She is a mommy of four boys and certified personal trainer. She is real about how much of a struggle it is to do anything but JUST KEEP THE KIDS ALIVE as a mom. She wants all to know that you can workout and be a mommy too! Because its worth it and I have to agree :)
5. Kayla K's Thrifty Ways  This blog is not about being healthy! Just letting you know now! lol. She currently teaches youth aged students and that kind of overlaps with my job. So, I'm interested. She is blogging on how to stay thrifty! Check it out for lots of good recipes,savings, and much more!
Here are my 5 questions to the other blogs if I were to ask them:

1. What is your favorite Christmas memory?
2. If you could travel to a foreign country or your favorite U.S. state, which would you choose and why?
3. How did you come up with your blog name?
4. Do you think your blog is unique?
5. If you met Oprah, what would you ask her?

Have a Merry Christmas everyone and be sure to spend it with the ones who mean the most to you. Remember who the season represents and that Jesus is the one true Savior!

What Get's Me Through.

There is sooo much I want to blog about since last Friday! Lives have been changed all around the country, even here in my corner of the world. My blog is suppose to be about my journey to get fit but I feel as though this is necessary to share.  Dec. 14th was the day 26 innocent lives were taken by a troubled young man and that many people in my school district that I work with were given notices of being laid off-To say that my heart was very heavy, was an understatement.

Through all of the gunshots and pink slips, one special lady{who recieved a pink slip herself) held it together. While people were comforting and patting her shoulder-Her response was "I know my God and I know he has a plan."  Oh! how we would all be better off if in those moments we could say that. Some days I fail miserably at doing this but some days it happens for me. This is what get's me through those moments. Seeing Jesus in disguise through my family and friends. They inspire me to do better and trust God more. I am so thankful for all of them.

I will finish up this post with a quick recap of my weekly food and fitness goals. If I am going to share my journey to getting fit, I think it is only fair for me to tell you my goals! My short term goal is to lose 30 lbs by May and eventually 50 lbs before the end of August. I realize it didn't take me just a few months to put it on so I am going to give myself roughly 9 months to get rid of my unfit self!

Each week I am aiming to lose about 1.5 to 2 lbs. I have a brilliant app on my Android phone that allots me a certain amount of calories based on how much I weigh It has a scanner on it so you can scan the package you're eating out of and it logs it for you!{What will they think of next!} All you have to do is enter the serving size. The handy app has an exercise log too! So, even though it logs it for you, you still have to actually get up and move.;) The app is called Lose It! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitnow.loseit&feature=search_result#?t=W10. {check it out here!} and the best part about it.... you guessed it... ITS FREE! 

For my workouts, I usually get about 20-40 minutes in of Just Dance 4. Although, it has been tougher the past two weeks to work out because I only get 1 hour to workout, get dressed for work and make lunch for my hubby! How do I do it!You Say! I know what has to be done if I want to fit in those certain pair of jeans that make me feel like a million bucks, and I get it done.

{so..no more of this!!}


If I can't fit in my dancing, I use another cool app on my phone called  Workout Trainer https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.skimble.workouts&hl=en {check it out here!] which allows you to pick what you want to do based off how much time you have,what body part you want to work and how hard you want to work.

I haven't weighed in this week to see if I have met my 1.5 to 2 lbs loss goal. Check back here next week to see if I have achieved those first 2 lbs gone!