The Fitting Room

When I first started losing weight, I hated fitting rooms. Like, with a passion hated them! I would usually leave crying and head to get fast food... you know, because fast food fixes all your problems! Ha! 

After I lost weight, I started to loving fitting rooms. I would find clothes I loved and everything would usually fit. I felt like I could conquer the world... Sometimes I would even go shopping and not try it on because I just knew it would fit. Or I would buy stuff online... it was AWESOME!!!

Then I got pregnant. It was different this time around. They actually had maternity clothes that I liked. Funny how much fashion has changed in 6 years. I had plenty of maternity clothes and the only issue I ever had was that I was too tall... hello 5'10! 

Now here I am... postpartum trying to lose my weight (again, yuck) and about to go on a beach family vacation and I have NO shorts that fit me. Heck I even had to buy a new bathing suit. All of my maternity clothes fit too baggy and weird. All of my regular clothes are too small. I am living in maxi dresses, a few yoga pants and tanks. I really wanted 1 or 2 pair of shorts for the beach but I don't want to spend tons of money since I plan on being in my regular shorts next summer. Off to the store I went. 

The fitting rooms were the worst. I found stuff I thought looked like it would fit and it didn't. I wanted to cry. I had to go get a bigger size and it wasn't pretty. I finally found some shorts (1 pair) that I didn't absolutely HATE... so I decided to buy them and leave before I had a melt down. #IMissMyWaist

Even though the fitting room experience sucked yesterday, I realized something awesome. The old way of thinking, the thoughts of leaving and getting fast food, was gone. Instead, I was more determined to eat clean, stay on track with the 21 Day Fix and focus on losing weight. Changing the way you think is a huge part of weight loss and it was awesome to realize that my thoughts have changed even though I am back up in weight. It was a good feeling. 

So this morning, I pulled out my new shorts and laid them out in the room as a reminder of how strong I am (mentally) and to remind me that my next shopping trip and my next fitting room experience will be better because I am not giving up on myself to lose weight! 

Caleb!!!

Caleb Scott

Every summer Caleb goes to his Dad's house for the month of July. It is always very hard on me (and on him) and I miss him like crazy. This year instead of going for the whole month, he only went for 2 weeks... which is still a long  time! However, this year it was a perfect amount of time to allow me to get a handle on life with a baby and get rid of my crazy hormones that made me snap at every little thing Caleb did before he left. Absence makes the heart grow fonder for sure!! 

I just wanted to take a minute and blog about him and how much I just love this kid. He is so funny, smart, witty, sweet, loving, and the list could go on and on. I love being his momma!!

Now here we are, he is back at home and we are enjoying the last few days of summer. He starts school in 3 weeks... KINDER!!! He missed the cut off for school by 20 days last year so that means he will be one of the oldest kids in his class. I am so excited for him to start school and to hopefully be room mom (#KraftyKaren)!! I cant wait to walk him to school and pick him up in the afternoons. I cant wait to hear how his day goes and about all his new friends. I cant wait for school functions to start happening so we can attend with pride. The only thing I am not looking forward to...homework! 

A few of you have asked how he has been liking being a big brother... and I have to admit, Caleb has been adjusting to big brother life just perfectly. He loves Dax so much and is always there for him when he starts crying. Last night I was working on figuring out the Sit & Stand stroller and Dax was bawling (like a baby,,, haha) and I was getting more and more frustrated. That is when Caleb stepped up and started to play with Dax and try to get him to settle down. He is such a great big brother!! 

I guess I need to stopping blogging about him and start working on his Batman 6th birthday party like I told him I would do. He keeps coming in here asking "Have you found any cool Batman decorations on Amazon?" Oops!!! 

HE IS ABOUT TO BE 6!!!!!!!

Results - Round 1 of the 21 Day Fix

I am sure many of you out there are just like me. You do a workout program for a couple days, heck a couple of minutes, and you want instant results. Don't lie, you know what I am talking about.  Getting back into shape after having a baby can be tough and defeating. I am flabby in so many places, I am not losing as quickly as I want, none of my clothes fit... maternity or regular clothes, AND I have a newborn I am taking care of 24/7 who interrupts my sleep, my workouts, my eating... everything! 

This 1st round, I really thought I would lose more than I did but I didn't and I have come to terms with that. I lost a total of exactly 6 pounds in 3 weeks. Which is very healthy... but I am always left wanting more! (Haha) I didn't take body measurements so I am not sure how many inches I lost, all I have is my pictures to show (below). Next round I will take measurements for sure. Actually I am taking them as soon as I finish this blog.

Non-Scale Victories:

I started off low impact and took it up a notch every day

I went from using no weights week 1, 3 lb weights week 2, to 5 lb weights week 3 (going out to buy 8 lb weights today)

I feel more confident

I have more energy

I have been doing nightly walks 3-4 times a week

I stayed on track all 21 days with my eating, didn't cheat once!

Ready for my pictures? Now, remember to be NICE!!! I just had a baby 7 weeks ago and I carry all my extra weight in my stomach (always have and probably always will). At the start of this, I was not sure I was going to share my before photos because I was so ashamed of them... but I figured if they can help one person start their journey, why not share them! PLUS, this is real life... I just had a baby! Not everyone can pop back into shape 4 weeks after gaining 50+ pounds and popping a kid out. I have never been one of those people, I have always had to work hard for it... and these pictures are a part of my working hard. 

I decided to pull my pants below my "Kangaroo Pouch" because you are able to really see a difference that way. In this photo, I can tell a difference in my upper stomach and my lower part of the stomach (the part that sticks out the most) is getting flatter. Also where my back is under my sports bra, it doesn't fold over as much. 

For this side, I did a pants up and pants below to show the comparison. The blue sports bra is the before and the black is the now. 

My front and back views, I cant tell a difference really at all... but I know there is one because my clothes aren't AS tight as they were when I started 3 weeks ago. Plus my smile, I am a lot happier now than I was when I first started. 

I cant wait to see my results on August 23 after I finish another round of the 21 Day Fix! 

21 Day Fix - Round 1 (almost the end)

When I was pregnant I decided that after Dax turned 1 month, I would start getting back into shape. After having Caleb, I waited to start my journey until he was around 9 months old and this time I want to be back at my goal weight by 9 months. 

As many of you know, I started the 21 Day Fix Monday July 13, 2015 and my end date is tomorrow! I wanted to just blog about my experience and why I chose this program... check back Monday for my before and now pictures (I would say after, but I am not done yet)!

Why I chose the 21 Day Fix?

I am going back to work part time starting September 8th (it is coming way to quickly) and that is after taking 6 weeks of FLMA off at work... unpaid leave. In order to make ends meet financially, we had to cut back on a few things here and there. One of those things being our gym membership. Which in my eyes it is okay because the gym daycare doesn't even take babies until they are around 6 months old, so whats the point? The 21 Day Fix allows me to workout in the comfort of my own home. I have never been an at home workout type of girl before but I am slowly learning to love it. I take 30 minutes for myself in the middle of taking care of the house and caring for the boys. It even allows Caleb to join in and workout with me if he wants to. 

Another reason I chose this program is because of the eating plan it comes with. The book and containers are a life saver. I do not like counting calories one bit and the containers allow me to eat healthy and not worry about the counting or logging for that matter. I sit down with the book every weekend and make out a menu for the upcoming week. I do cook some stuff in bulk, but since I am currently a stay at home mom (at least for a couple more weeks) I make most of my stuff when needed. The only downside to the containers, I wish I had more than one set. I usually wash them when I wash bottles because I use them so often. 

The last reason I chose this program is because it had a deadline and it was a quick one at that. I plan on doing another few rounds of the Fix before moving on to something else. But for starting back out, I needed something that I knew I could accomplish... 21 days really isnt that long when you think about it. Three weeks and you are done! I promised myself not to cheat on my meal plan or my workouts for the 21 days and I am proud to say I stayed true to my promise... even when I have wanted to cheat! We plan on having ONE cheat meal tomorrow night to celebrate finishing the first round (and Caleb coming home from his Dad's) and the Monday I am starting another round and another 3 weeks of no cheating. 

I will admit this next round will be a bit more challenging for me because I am going on vacation to the beach and there will be more temptations. I plan on taking my DVDs and containers with me. The room will have a small kitchen and I will be able to stock up on healthy foods for most of my meals. The other meals we eat out for, I will try to chose the healthiest thing off the menu with a little treat here and there, since I am on vacation. Then my 30th birthday is right around the corner, actually the 20th day of the fix to be exact. I am sure August will be full of temptations and tons of food (and CAKE) so I am going to plan ahead and be prepared... 

If you haven't tried the 21 Day Fix yet, you should... It is a wonderful program for people who like the simplicity of meal planning and for those who do not have a gym membership. 

Remember to check back Monday for my before and now pictures... 

I am pretty proud!!