Sensa!

I was at the gym today and while I was knocking out some cardio, a commercial for Sensa came on. I couldn't help but laugh. Are there REALLY people out there that think if you sprinkle some "magic" onto your food (any kind of food) that you will lose weight? I mean seriously people, please be a little smarter than that.

My Dad said something to me when I was in my early 20's and it has stuck with me... "you didn't put your weight on overnight, so you aren't going to get it off overnight." It takes time people. It takes sticking to a good well balance diet (don't go on a diet, change your lifestyle) and it takes getting about 30 minutes of activity into your life. Your activity doesn't have to be going to the gym, you can walk outside, play with your kids, just do something that doesn't involve your butt being glued to the couch. If the TV is a problem in your house, try our method. Our house rule is, no TV until after 7! From the time we get home until 7, that is family time to play, cook, clean, walk, live our own lives instead of watching other people on TV live theirs!

Please don't fall for stupid gimmicks like Sensa, instead fall for healthy choices that WILL make you a better you!



Moving is a workout

I haven't been to the gym in a few days but that doesn't mean I have been getting my workout in. Moving has been kicking my butt. My arms and legs are so sore from moving a 3 bedroom house and an apartment into our new house... With a 3 year old!

The excuse I hate the most is, I can't afford a gym membership or I don't have time for the gym... People you don't need a gym to lose weight! 1st and foremost, weight loss starts in the kitchen. When you eat clean and change your lifestyle you will lose! Just ask my friends Mandy and Zach who have lost a total of 30 pounds eating off a menu I helped them make!

Back to the gym... You don't need one! Your house and outside is full of activities waiting for you to use them! You have stairs? Walk em, run em, do calf lifts, push ups... The possibilities are endless! Oh do you have a kitchen chair? Use it for dips, step ups, push-ups! My newest favorite workout, towel workouts... Google them! Stop making excuses and start changing your life! You can do it!

BIG NEWS!!!

Since I have last blogged, a lot of things have happened... I have been swamped at work, hence why I haven't blogged in a while. Here is a list of the things that have happened...

1. Casey finally got a new job where I work!!

2. We started using bountiful baskets - umm if you don't know what this is, go look it up. I loved my 1st basket so much that we signed up for week 2 and I am anxious to pick it up on Saturday. We tried leeks for the 1st time and Casey and I both love them. (www.bountifulbaskets.org)

3. We found a new house and picked up the keys!!! Time to get moving (that is a workout all by itself and then add in a 3 year old, the workout becomes doubled).

4. I have lost another 2 pounds... Holla! Can't wait until our monthly weigh in with pictures coming up on March 7th.

5. OH... CASEY PROPOSED!!!! Yep you read that right... WE ARE ENGAGED!!!!! I have prayed and prayed for this man my entire life and he is finally here and we are finally getting married. I am ever so excited. He is my everything (next to Caleb of course) and mine and Caleb's lives are SO much better with him being a part of everything!! To read mine and Casey's love story you can visit our wedding website at: http://lassiterflowers.ourwedding.com/

We are getting married on Saturday March 1st, 2014. We each picked a day that fell on a 2nd or 4th weekend, because we couldn't get married without making sure we have Caleb that day! I picked October 15th, 2013 and he picked March 1st, 2014. We did a coin flip and he won, plus the venue I wanted was already booked for my date so, March 1st, 2014 it is then. That means I have a year to lose this 20-30 pounds I have gained since knee surgery plus tone up a lot. I want to look killer in my wedding dress. I want to be the BEST possible me that I can be mentally and physically for Casey... he deserves it. Plus I want him to be able to pick me up and carry me across the threshold, he can pick me up now but I feel like I am breaking his back.

Our engagements are right around the corner (April 7th) so that means I have a month and a few days to really whip it into shape and fit into my dress I plan on wearing. Since my ring, I have been making sure I am sticking to my meal plan 110%, I have made it to the gym daily and even tried to get a night workout in (time permitting). Help keep me motivated, send me words of encouragement, ask me to help you out (that motivates me), send me old pictures of myself or even sexy wedding dresses... Operation: Wedding Dress has started!!!

(My new shirt - except it will be dark gray with yellow writing... my wedding colors)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RufflesWithLove?ref=seller_info

TBL Recap

Last night's TBL was so good! 1st and foremost, I love love love the jump suits the contestants had to wear while running in the ice rink. I kind of want one and by kind I mean I do! So cute. I am very very proud of Danni for beating everyone to win the prizes and then to have a HUGE heart and give them away to the other players. Such a sweet girl she is!

The challenge of desserts would have been BAD for me. I am a SWEET eater... speaking of sweets my Mom sent Caleb chocolate for Valentine's Day and I ended up eating 3 chocolate covered Oreos last night. Ugh! I had to bring the rest to work so that I wouldn't eat it. I am a huge chocolate fan. Okay, back to the challenge... I think since everyone was all in one room together with the lights off, I would have pulled a Danni and probably started working out instead of eating. Now, if the lights were on and I was in there alone, man that would have been a different story. EVERYTHING would have been gone... off my table, plus some. I need to listen to one of those tapes at bedtime telling me how bad sugary treats are for me!

The workouts were as always, amazing! I say I wish I could workout with one of the trainers for 1 day but I know I would probably end up crying, throwing up and/or passing out. I love how through a workout the contestants have break through... if you think that is all scripted for TV, think again. I have had that happen to me a couple of times, just ask Lo. I remember one day we didn't workout at all, instead I ended up crying and pouring my heart out to her about my fears of letting everyone around me down. About how I feel like I have to be 110% perfect and on top of everything or I will disappoint everyone. It was so nice to actually be able to admit that to someone and have that weight taken off my shoulders. I am sure each of you are holding on to something that is holding you back... get that baggage out in the open and free yourself from the burden of carrying it around with you.

The weigh in was intense. If you cant tell, I am team Danni... having to sit there and watch her stress about falling below that yellow line was crazy. I hated that Mike had to leave but super happy it wasn't Danni. We all know when she falls below that line, she is out of there! I think she has a GREAT chance to win it all.

As always, TBL has left me wanting more and wishing it was next Monday so I could see the next episode already! I hope each of you have a wonderful week and remember that weight loss isn't all about the gym... its about the food you do and do not eat and its about the baggage you carry around with you!

Woke up with pride!

I have to say, a weekend of no cheating leaves you with a LOT of pride come Monday morning. I was 98% perfect this weekend, the 2% slack was a diet coke I had yesterday (go ahead and yell at me Jamie, lol). Even though I had my diet coke, I still made sure I drank ALL of my water plus some more. The scale really wasn't my friend over the weekend but it was okay this morning but my pants fit a lot better  because I was not bloated from all the junk I usually eat over the weekend.

This weekend I not only stayed on track with my eating, but I also had the privilege of helping my friend, Mandy, start a new lifestyle change for her and her family. Mandy reached out to me the other day about wanting to lose about 100 pounds and asking me where to start. I sat down right then and there and made her out a menu for the next 4 weeks, along with grocery list to go with each week. I decided that Casey I would be using the same menu and grocery list too. Yesterday I met Mandy up at our local Wal-Mart and we went to town on buying her meals. I showed her how to compare brands and that even if some boxes say "NO FAT" doesn't mean its the best for you. For example, some fiber bars we were looking at said "EVEN MORE PROTEIN"... well, 1. We are looking for fiber bars, we already have our protein in check. and 2. When we checked the back, the fiber bars we bought had more protein in them AND less sodium! People, don't forget to look at the nutritional value column... its there to benefit you! After we checked out she thanked me and said that if I hadn't of been there she probably would have had a lot more JUNK in her basket. Its all about being held accountable. Do you have an accountability partner?

All in all, I feel great going into this week. I am going to conquer everything thrown at me... even stupid Valentine's Day! Cheating is NOT worth my tears when I weigh myself. I will lose this weight I gained form my knee surgery... I will!



The weekend is upon us

Weekends are my weakness. I always go into them thinking I am going to do good and then by 4 p.m. Friday (when I get off) I am bound for disaster! Why you might ask? Well, just because! I guess I feel like I worked so hard the past 5 days what is 2 days of relaxing going to do? I will tell you what it does... it totally erases all my hard work from the previous week. It is so much easier to gain weight then it is to lose it. I am bound and determine to stop this cycle once and for all...

This weekend has already started (sorta) for me. Today my group (all of us girls anyways, the boys are out of town) celebrated Kristy's birthday at Pappadeauxs (a local sea food restaurant). Sea food is a great choice if you are trying to pick healthy, UNLESS you hate sea food... which I do! The only thing they really had was fried crap from the kids menu or a huge pasta dish. Even the salads had fish in them... YUCK! I ended up being a pain (kinda) and built my own salad off an existing one on the menu. I chose a chopped salad with grilled chicken, avocado, eggs, bacon bits, no cheese and no dressing. I left satisfied and proud of my decision.

Our fridge is stocked with groceries and I am armed with a menu and grocery list for next week. I will probably go ahead and go grocery shopping tonight since I have no plans and Casey is at work. We will not eat out once this weekend, I promise you this! We have plans to attend a cheer competition for my niece, but we will be taking our snacks with us. We also have plans to watch my nieces and take them out for Valentine's Day and guess what... we will be eating at home and taking snacks with us where ever we go.

This weekend will NOT get the best of me... I promise myself this!

1 month progress reports

January 7th Casey and I decided to wake up from the winter hibernation we had been in since after my Christmas party in early December. We took pictures of ourselves (front, back, right side and left side) and decided that every 7th of the month we will re-take the photos. Today is the 7th so today is our 1st monthly progress report for 2013.

This past month, I think we did fairly average. I would probably give us a 80 on our report card... I was shooting for 100, but aren't we all?! We had some slip ups on weekends, those seem to be our downfalls. Then there was the stupid flu that kicked my booty... All in all though, we both can tell a difference in our appetites, in our pictures, in our clothes and on the scale! We are armed with a full monthly menu for this next month (even for on the weekends) and we plan to make month 2 even better than month 1.

Casey

He lost a total of 5 pounds this month!!! His goal for March 7th is to lose 8 pounds.

His thoughts while looking at his photos were:

1. He could tell a difference in his stomach from the side view, it doesn't hang over his pants as much.

2. His waist has gone down  

3. His shoulders and back have gone down

4. He struggled at the start of the month on eating fewer calories but now his body has adjusted and he is getting full off what I pack him every day.

5. After binge eating on the weekend, hitting up the gym is HARD and he doesn't want to have to keep restarting so the weekends are going to have to stop being "bad" for us.

6. Oh my gosh, I have a bald spot and its getting worse... why didn't you tell me?! (HA HA)

 



Jordan

I lost a total of 5.6 pounds this month and my goal is to lose 8 pounds by March 7th.

My thoughts on my photos this morning were:

1. I really like my green sports bra better than the white one.

2. I kind of miss my long hair

3. Man my right boob is bigger than my left... ugh!

4. Oh wow, look at my stomach from my side views, you can really tell a difference

5. I can kind of tell a difference in the width of my back, man I need to work on those side boobs/back fat

6. One day my thighs will not touch... one day!

7. Weekends are going to WAY more strict this month, you got that Casey?!

8. I think I might go buy more colorful sport bras! Ha ha

 

We both still have a LOT of progress to go but it is a start! Oh and month 2, we have partnered up with a couple that we are friends with and shared our monthly menu and workout plans with them. They have agreed to a fun little competition... I love to compete! You are going down Mandy and Zach (on the scale that is, lol)



Its been a while...

Its been awhile since I have last blogged because I had the stupid flu! It was NO fun at all and I don't wish that on anyone.... okay maybe on my worst enemy but that is it! Ha!

I started feeling better over the weekend but did not feel up to grocery shopping. Casey did not offer to head up to Albertson's either... so we ate fast food almost all of last week and the weekend. I finally was strong enough to put my foot down Sunday night and put a stop to the madness! Monday I was armed with a grocery list and a weekly menu. Good news is that we are now back on track (with food and our workouts)! Man I hate being sick!

Our meal plan this week:
Breakfast - 2 Eggs with a piece of oatmeal toast
Snack - Fiber Bar
Lunch - Turkey Wrap with Veggie chips
Snack - Orange
Dinner - Grilled salsa chicken, brown rice and black beans
Snack - Protein Powder

I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy, remember to take your vitamins! I just started taking 2 vitamin c and 1 One A Day vitamins. I plan on staying healthy, because when I am healthy, my cute little family stays on track and if we are ever going to reach our goals... we need to stay on track!!!