Sweatin' it at Home

After my little incident on Monday, I'm a little freaked out to go to the gym.  I know I shouldn't be.  I've gone there for quite a while and never had a problem before.  I carry benadryl.  I'm obviously capable of driving myself to the ER if a situation arises.  But I'm still freaked out.  So I'm working out at home for a few days until I get the courage up to hit the gym again.  And maybe tell the nice workers at the desk that I had a terrible allergic reaction.  And to start being the crazy machine cleaning lady by super wiping down the equipment before I use it.  I might invest in my own wipes....

Anyway.  I worked out at home yesterday.  Usually I'm terrible at actually doing this.  I start a 30 day challenge and then I give up.  But we're trying it again.  And I found a workout that's supposed to be as good as 30 Day Shred.  I can tell you I definitely liked it better.  I suck at videos because I want to watch my shows while I workout and I can't do that if I'm watching Jillian Michaels.  And then my desire to watch Gilmore Girls or the Mindy Project wins out over my desire to work out.

First I do the No-Excuse (Gymless) Workout.  You may've seen a picture I put on Instagram yesterday.  I seriously loved this workout so much.  Jumping jacks are growing on me.  And I actually felt like I got a good workout.  I was definitely glad I was doing it at home alone because well, jumping jacks are not pretty.  There's definite jiggling.  But that's the point, to decrease the jiggling, right.  I also walked up and down my driveway 5 times, it was about half a mile.  I would've done longer but it was crazy cold yesterday and I couldn't feel my face.

No link, sorry guys.  The link on Pinterest took me to shoes on Amazon...  Maybe it's a sign I should be buying shoes.  If you know the original link, let me know!

So, for my 30 day challenge, I'm combining two.  Maybe I'm trying to be an over achiever...  So I do this workout:

(source)

Combined with this one.

 

(source)

Well actually just the situps and lunges from the second one combined with everything from the first one.  And I do the same number of calf raises as I do leg lifts.  And I do the ab leg lifts and leg lifts on my side, you know, for inner thigh toning.

What are you guys up to?  Anybody else temporarily scared of the gym?  Or doing any great home workouts?

Hives

I thought I had the food allergy thing pretty well under control.  I've become a champion grocery shopper.  I read labels like it's going out of style.  I ask about allergens at restaurants.  I mean I am good.  And I do other stuff to stay healthy -- I drink tons of water, I exercise, I take vitamins.  So I'm trying to do everything right.

I headed off to the gym to run yesterday after work.  Apparently I'm going to become a runner.  Insane.  Well, I'm not sure my body is with me on running.  Last Monday I ran and the next day I was donkey kicked by the flu or something like it.  Hideous.  But yesterday I got right back up on that horse.  I ran.  Well I ran/walked.  Had a nice little warm up then ran for 45 seconds and walked for a minute and 15 seconds alternating for about 25 minutes.  Then I just walked the last 15 minutes.

When I got off the treadmill I noticed my lips felt kind of funny.  But I'd put on kind of tingly chapstick before heading into the gym and my mouth was dry from mouth breathing (hot, I know) so I didn't think much about it.  When I got in the car to head home I pulled down my visor mirror to check out my face a little.  I had hives on both sides of my lips.  And on my eyelids.  And the more I thought about it, the more I thought my throat felt a little iffy.  I'm always sure that I'm not really sick so I popped a Benadryl and headed to the gas station to fill up my car.  I felt progressively worse while I was pumping gas so I just filled it up about halfway and called my sister.  I was hoping she could convince me that it was okay to drive home and I just needed to relax for a bit.

Um, no.  She told me to quit driving around and go to urgent care or the ER.  I called a family friend who lives close and she came and met me at the ER.  And then my mother-in-law came.  And then the friend's husband came.  And then my husband got there...  I had quite the party in my little room.  But it was nice to feel so many people worried about me.

Anyway, it was definitely an allergic reaction to something.  What exactly, they weren't sure.  They pumped me full of steroids and it helped almost immediately.  I was fine within an hour of being admitted.  I got a prescription for prednisone to get me back to normal.  Cross your fingers it doesn't undo all the weight I've lost.  Because now I'm at an official 25 pounds.  Cue dancing and confetti.

All I can really think that might have caused it is touching the treadmill.  I'm allergic to soy, peanuts, and sesame seeds.  A little hives are kind of normal for me.  But nothing like this.  So my theory is that someone had peanuts right before they used the treadmill.  Didn't wash their hands.  Didn't wipe down the treadmill.  Then I touched it and of course rubbed my face because there was sweat from the running and then the hives happened.  That's just a theory of course.  So, now I'm going to become the crazy cleaning lady at the gym, wiping down my machine super thoroughly.  And I'm a little paranoid so I'm working out from home today.

Diet Bet #2

If you follow me on Instagram (hi Amy!), then you know what's going on.  You may remember back in...  August (I had to go look it up) that I did a Diet Bet.  It was hosted by Roo over at NeonFresh, she is the absolute sweetest.  If you're not reading her blog yet, well why not?  Start now!  Anyway, she hosted a Diet Bet.  You put $30 in the pot and try to lose 4% of your body weight in a month.  It's a pretty good motivator.  If you succeed you get a portion of the pot back, the amount depends on how successful your fellow diet betters were.  I did not succeed.  Big frowny face!  I was very close though!  Close enough that it kept me motivated.  And when Roo started an end of year push diet bet, I knew I was in! 

So, just for fun, let's see where I was when I started my first Diet Bet way back in August.

 

Let's just say it's hard to take a decent picture of yourself in the mirror...  Also, lighting in front of my full length mirror is not the best.

 

A month later (I had my husband take my picture this time and told him not to look at the scale)
About 8 pounds lighter

 

And yesterday.  Starting Diet Bet #2.   Almost 25 pounds less than where I started.

If When I complete this next 28 days, I'll be back down to almost what I weighed when we got married.  And there will be some serious dancing.  I mean hot dog!  So, I'm still refusing to call any of this a diet.  I'm choosing to eat healthier, and guess what, I even want to eat healthier now.  Junk just doesn't sound good anymore.  I'm working out, almost every day, and actually looking forward to it.  Also, I'm loving shopping my own closet, pulling out super cute clothes that haven't fit in ages.  Now I'm really glad I hung on to them.

I know, it's crazy to keep working to lose weight over the holidays.  I think it's the perfect time, makes it easier to say no to all those delicious/fattening treats.  I'm actually not making any treats this year.  Crazy!  Sorry family!  Anyway, if you want to join me (it'll be fun, I promise) go ahead and click here.  I get nothing from you joining other than another friendly supporting face.

 

5K Fun

I did my first 5K on Sunday.  My mom came up and we did it together.  She usually does the Turkey Trot close to our hometown with one of my sisters.  But that sister lives out of state now and won't make it back.  So I set out to find a 5K to do around Thanksgiving.

We did the Gobbler Grind in Overland Park.  My sister did it with us long distance.  We called her when we started and periodically throughout.  So that was pretty fun.  What was not fun though?  The weather.  The first time I checked the weather for Sunday it was supposed to be in the 30s with a chance of precipitation.  Like snow and rain.  I was out.  I will be cold but not wet and cold.  Well, then I checked it the next day and the weather said in the low 50s.  Perfect.  So we paid our $35 each and signed up.  The closer we got, the colder the forecast got.  When we left my house Sunday morning it was a brisk 13 degrees.  Um, that's too cold for anything.

But my mom and I are tough (or stupid??) so we persevered.  It started late so we headed back to the car for a few minutes to warm up.  Or at least not freeze our toes off.  We headed back to the starting line with about 2 minutes left before we started.  So there wasn't too much standing around.  As soon as we started I wished I had gone to the bathroom one more time.  Being cold made me need to pee.  But I made it.  And we finished.  Not fast, but we got it done.  And we walked, we are not runners (even though I'm tossing around the idea of running a half marathon with my sister...) especially not in the cold. 

 

That time is a little off because we started at the back of the pack.  So, I felt pretty good about it.  It was honestly the fastest I've ever done that distance.  And we weren't dead last so I felt good about that.

And my sister sent me a Starbucks gift card so we could go out for a post 5K hot beverage to thaw out our poor frozen selves.  Yum!

 

What did you guys do this weekend?  Whatever it was, I hope it involved staying warm and cozy!  I still am fighting the urge to put up my tree.  I picked up some new lights yesterday but am coming down with a cold so that was as far as I got.

Twenty

This post is brought to you by the exercise bike, treadmill, and a jug of water.  And very little chocolate.

So, I stepped on the scale this morning and I have officially lost 20 pounds!!!!  I'd been stuck at 17 for the longest time.  And I was so frustrated.  I'd been eating super healthy and working out usually at least 6 days a week.  Well this week I didn't work out Monday or Tuesday because we were processing deer.  I got back on the treadmill on Wednesday and I had a serious break through.  And then I biked the fastest 10 miles I'd ever done yesterday.  I felt absolutely great.

Then weighing in this morning just topped it all off.  I shouldn't brag, but I am just so darn proud of myself.  I keep feeling like 20 pounds isn't that much, but when I think about it I know it is.  And I know I should be proud because I've worked really hard.  I still have a long way to go but I feel like I can do it.

I have on jeans today that were way too small this time last year and they're hanging off my butt.  I need to go shop my skinny closet again.  It's just a great feeling.  I have a laundry basket full of clothes to get rid of.  I mean it's just the best.

I have so much more energy.  I actually look forward to eating the healthy food I pack for lunch and breakfast.  I crave water.  I miss it when I don't go to the gym, I never thought I'd say it, but I really like working out.  Like a lot.

So that explains my lack of DIY and crafty projects.  I've been too busy going to the gym to get my craft on.  I'm hoping to whip up a drop cloth table cloth this weekend in preparation for Thanksgiving.  What are you guys up to?  Let me live vicariously through your holiday crafts!

Because You're Worth It

I love the blogging community.  I have come across so many talented, thoughtful people that have inspired me.  One of those is Roo over at NeonFresh.  She seems like just the sweetest girl and has some seriously adorable kiddos.  If you're not reading her blog, you should be.  Go there now.  I can wait.....

So, the other day she blogged about Regina George-ing yourself as a mom.  Well, I'm not a mom.  I have a dog but in my world that doesn't count.  So, at first I thought:  great post but it doesn't really apply to me.  Oh, but it does.

If you've been around even half a minute, you know I'm trying to lose weight.  Have been for years.  Ug.  And I totally say things to myself I would never say to a friend and a friend would never say to me.  I know it's my defense mechanism.  If I make the self-deprecating comment about my weight, if I beat them to the punch, people won't say anything about it.

Except when it backfires...  And then it sticks in your mind forever.  Once upon a time I was a camp counselor.  We were doing staff training and I was out at the climbing/rappelling tower doing some kind of training.  I was working with a guy I had been friends with for a while.  I made some off-handed comment about being the "fat kid" or something like that.  And he made a comment back about my weight.  That's when I punched him.  The only person I have ever hit.  Then I told him to, um, f* off.  And I stormed off.  It was halfway through the summer before I went back to talking to him or going out for beers after work with him.  I was mad.  I was hurt.  I could say those things but other people could not.

 

Thinking I am really fat...  Turns out I wasn't.  Also oddly edited to block out kids faces and the name of the camp...

So, if I was so mad that my friend had made that kind of comment to me, why do I feel okay doing it to myself?  I shouldn't.  As a school counselor I spend my days telling girls that they are good enough.  That they are fine just the way they are.  And yet, I myself am telling myself I'm fat and not good enough.

But how do I stop?  I guess I have to start believing what I tell these girls.  I am good enough.  So what if I'm not perfect.  I'm working really hard.  I've ended (hopefully) the days of sitting on my butt after work, watching TV and eating junk food.  I feel great about working out.  I feel great when I make healthy food choices.

And sometimes I think back to high school.  I know, why would I do that?  But, even back then I thought I was fat.  I was always trying to lose weight.  I remember buying my prom dress my junior year and thinking, if only I was 10 pounds lighter I would look so much better.

 

Prom my senior year.  I would love the be the size I was back then, back when I started thinking I was fat.  Also, my dates face is blurred out in case he grows up to be president one day.

I told myself I was fat for so long that it became almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.  I just kept gaining weight.  I would sort of aimlessly try to lose weight but never really have much success.  I'd lose a few pounds but then celebrate by going out for Chinese.  Counter-productive.  But then 30 hit.  And something clicked.  When my husband and I have kids I want to have the energy to play with them like crazy.  I want to go to the lake with my in-laws and not feel ashamed of how I look.  I want to feel good in my skin.

 

I used to like this dress until I saw this picture.  I think this was my wake up call.

The negative self-talk hasn't stopped.  But it's getting better.  Since my 30th birthday I've lost around 17 pounds.  It doesn't feel like a lot.  When people compliment me that I've lost weight and look good, it's still hard for me to believe them because I know I still have a long ways to go.  But every day that I hit the gym on my way home from work I feel so proud of myself and I know that I'm making progress.  And that maybe it's not about being skinny, that it's about being healthy and feeling good.  The other day I biked 15 miles, the longest I'd ever done.  And I felt so crazy proud of myself.  And I didn't feel like that fat girl who felt bad for herself, I felt like I had just kicked serious ass.

So I just keep telling myself what I remind my high school girls, "You are good enough.  You are worth it.  You are perfect just the way you are."  And then I remind myself to not tack on, you'd be better though if you lost more weight.  And it's going to take all the courage I have to throw all this out there.  But, I am good enough and I am worth being healthy for.  Healthy is what matters.  So, I'm just going to keep telling myself that I'm worth it and if I say it long enough, it's going to happen.  And I will quit being so hard on myself.  Because, I'm worth that too.

30 Day Fitness Challenge

So here's the deal guys, regular Work it Wednesdays are gone I think.  They're boring.  I just tell you how many miles I've biked.  Who cares.  But I started a 30 Day Fitness Challenge on Monday and I thought I'd share it with you.  It starts out pretty easy and I think it's totally doable.  I shared it with my facebook friends on Monday and a few of them were in.  So I think it's going to be fun to keep each other accountable.

Side note, I'm also signed up to do a 5K with one of my friends right before Thanksgiving.  Eek!  We already agreed we're not really going to do much running.  She's usually a runner but has pretty bad shin splints and is out for a while.  So it will be walking and talking.  And then hopefully something warm and cozy to eat afterwards.  I've never done a 5K but I'm thinking it will be nice to have a goal to work toward.

Okay, so my 30 Day Fitness Challenge.  I found it on Pinterest a while back.  There's no link to anywhere really, but here's a link to the image.  If you know where it really came from, let me know!  I altered it a little because it didn't totally make sense to me.  And I set it up on a calendar so that it started on a Monday and was easier for me to track.  Since I started two days ago, I will totally be done before Thanksgiving so that's another good goal to have in the back of my mind.  And there are no jumping jacks.  I hate jumping jacks. 

 

Not too bad, right?  Well, the end looks rough but since it's working up to it, I think it's totally doable.  The great thing, the first couple of days have only taken a few minutes.  Like I turn on a show I've recorded and am done before the second commercial break.  Perfect!  That leaves time for folding laundry.  Which I desperately need to do...  Anybody have a laundry genie?  

So, who else is in?  I promise it will be fun.  Or at least we'll have something to show for our month.  And if you're like me, you're going to be watching TV anyway.  I just printed my calendar off on a small piece of paper and it's on my coffee table.  Except I'm traveling for work this weekend so I'll just tuck it in a book and do my challenge for the day from my hotel room.

Work it Wednesday, er Thursday

Sometimes it's really hard to be a counselor.  Yes, sometimes the job is taxing.  But that's not what I mean.  I totally get inside my head and analyze myself and I can't get out.  And it's hard.  Let me explain.

Tuesday I had a meeting after work so I was late getting to the gym.  But I still went.  I only biked 5 miles, but they were seriously the fastest five miles of my life.  I did it in 19 minutes.  Yup, I'm pretty bad ass.  I stopped after my 5 miles.  I told myself I would do more when I got home.  I did not.  Instead I ate two pieces of leftover pizza.  They weren't that good.  And then I ate two honey butter biscuits.  Also, not that good.  And then I felt terrible about it the rest of the night.  And the next morning.

I feel great and I make some progress and then I do something like that and just feel like it's a huge set back.  I tried to start reading some weightloss blogs because I thought it might be some good motivation.  It wasn't.  I just ended up feeling worse about myself.  And my lack of progress.  So, I've decided something.  Work it Wednesdays are not going to be about weight loss but about being healthy and active.  And they may disappear all together.  I just feel stuck.  Maybe it's because I seem to be stuck at one number and it's hard to see progress.  I know I've gotten healthier.  The majority of the time I eat well and feel really good.  My energy is so much better.  And I am absolutely loving going to the gym.  I never thought I would say that.  But I do.  I look forward to it.  So I know I just have to keep pushing through and I'll get past this, just for right now, it's hard.

And all this craziness inside my head is not something I would usually talk about but I had to get it out somewhere.  So, sorry about that.  Now, back to your regularly scheduled (pushed back a day...) Work it Wednesday.

Bike  61 miles
Walk 1/2 mile

Pretty much all I've been doing is biking.  I need to switch it up and add some other things in.  I just love the bike so much.  The goal is to add some a home workout each day.  I'd like to say I'm going to do it in the morning but getting up at 5am is so hard.  But I bet if I could get in the habit it would be just like going to the gym in the afternoon.  And I need to do the treadmill also.  It just doesn't burn as many calories so it seems like a waste to me.  I know it's not, but it feels that way.

And that amount of walking is hilarious.  Absolutely hilarious.  I'm going to have a better relationship with the treadmill though.  I'm still determined to knock out a 5k.

How do you guys stay motivated with eating healthy and exercising?  Sometimes I totally bribe myself.  And I use myFitnessPal.  I do wish it would cheer or something when you hit your 64 oz of water, even though I generally hit a gallon.  I still feel like cheering when I finish that last glass.

Work it Wednesday

Hey, Work it Wednesday is actually happening on a Wednesday.  I'm going to go ahead and give myself a gold star.  So, for the sake of transparency, this has been a terrible working out week.  Two days I didn't work out at all.  Like nothing.  And on those two days I ate everything I wanted to.  A BLT pizza (yes, it's as delicious as it sounds), Mediterranean food, steak...  Man, it was all so good.  And since my Diet Bet is over, my motivation has gone down somewhat.  I'm still trying though.  And I"m trying to make myself stick with it.

 
So, here's the break down for the week:
I biked 38.12 miles.  Up 6.35 miles from last week.  I've been trying to bike 9 miles a day.  There were obviously a couple of days I did way less and a couple days I did nothing.
I walked 3.5 miles.  Down 3.11 miles.  Blah.  I hate the treadmill.  And I figure biking extra miles makes up for the lack of treadmill time.
And I've done 30 Day Shred exactly once in the past week.  Fail.

This morning I was running too late to pack my gym bag.  I really need to get better at packing it before I go to bed.  So I'm going to have to make myself workout at home.  I should be able to.  I have a bike.  I have an elliptical.  I have workout videos and weights.  The problem is sitting down when I get home.  I can't do it.  If I do, nothing else gets done.

But, here's to a better report next week.  I'm going on a mini-vacation this weekend so it's going to be tough.  I'm going to make myself exercise some before I go fishing with my husband.  And I'm going to try to make healthier choices when we go out to eat.  The wine....  I make no promises on that.  It counts as a fruit though, right?

So, how do you guys stay motivated?  Any tips for not hating the treadmill?  

Work it Wednesday (on a Monday)

Remember a long time ago when I used to do Work it Wednesday?  Okay, probably not.  It was barely a thing.  I did it like twice.  So I'm not sure it counts for anything.  But, I'm bringing it back.  That way my little DIY-crafty-home improvey-foodie blog doesn't turn into a fitness blog.  Because believe me, I am no fitness expert.  But I do think it's fun to share my little journey.  So it's getting added to the mix.  We'll see if it sticks this time around.  I might even try to come up with an actual blogging schedule and blog about certain things on certain days.  Wild, I know.  We'll see though.  For now, today is Work it Wednesday, even though it's really Monday.

My DietBet is almost over.  I'm pretty sure I'm not going to win.  Unless the ole fat decides to go ahead and cooperate, with 2 more pounds magically melting off.  The annoying thing is, I had it totally won like two weeks ago.  Then Labor Day happened and I chowed on leftover Labor Day party food for a whole week.  And of course it wasn't healthy.  So I porked back on a lot of the weight I had lost.  I've re-lost 5 of the pounds in the past week which I realize is really good, but it's still frustrating. 

Even if I didn't win, I'm super glad I did the DietBet.  It was a great kick start.  I feel so much healthier.  I don't really see any change in the mirror, but I feel better.  And I know I'm making healthy choices that will pay off in the long run.

So, just for funsies, here's a breakdown of my workouts for the past week:

• I biked 31.77 miles.  Holy cow!  That's way more than I expected.  I usually try to do at least 3 miles a day.  Yesterday I knocked it out of the park and did 8 but wimped out and only walked 1/2 a mile.  I had a Chiefs game to get home and watch.
• I walked 6.61 miles.  Not very good but I didn't go to the gym on Tuesday because I wasn't feeling well, so I just biked 6 miles at home.  And then yesterday was only half a mile.  I think this week will be better.
• I did 30 Day Shred six out of seven days.  I failed on that yesterday, but I think the 8 mile bike ride kinda sorta compensates.  Maybe?  Or maybe that's just making excuses.  But once again, football took priority.

What do you guys do to stay healthy?  How do you stay motivated?  I totally bribe myself!  I'm buying myself a new nail polish since I worked out everyday last week.  And for every ten pounds I lose, I reward myself.  Not with food, with fitness stuff or clothes or something.  Anybody else need bribery to stay motivated?

Sweatin' It

The bulletin board is up!  I'm in love.  I want to sit and stare at it all day. 

It's hanging on the wall in our spare bedroom.  No matter what angle I took the picture at, I got a glare from the mirror. Just pretend it's not there.

And my pretty bulletin board up close.  Some inspirational quotes.  My workout calendar.  I write down my workout everyday.  And my weigh in.  Ug, the weigh in.  It's getting better and I am feeling better.  I've been working my butt off.

Yesterday I may have overdone it a tiny bit though.  I had a DJ Tanner moment this morning.  You know that episode where DJ decides she's fat and tries to lose weight super fast.  She eats nothing but like a popsicle and then collapses when she's exercising.  I didn't collapse.  Nothing nearly that dramatic.  However, apparently I didn't have enough calories for how much I worked out yesterday and I woke up super dizzy.  Meaning now I'm home laying on the couch.  Eating and healthy and working out only slightly less vigorously while watching Magic Mike. 

And I bought new weights.  I started 30 Day Shred again and um, my five pound weights are kicking my butt.  I can't get through a whole set without wanting to cry.  I may have given up halfway through the video and grabbed two vegetable cans.  Yup, total wimp.  Hopefully the three pound weights will be better.

So, aside from using My Fitness Pal, I'm also using this cute little notebook to track everything in.  It definitely helps me stay accountable, it's a lot harder to eat crap when you actually have to write it down.  I'm also trying to drink a gallon of water a day.  That pretty much means I pee all the time.  Like an embarrassing amount.  But, I totally feel fuller.  And I do feel a lot better when I'm just drinking straight water.  Well, today it's with frozen raspberries in it.  Yum!  A little extra flavor and no added calories or artificial sweeteners.

 

Fitness notebook!

So, what do you guys do to stay on track with  being healthy?  Other than locking up the Twinkies.  And now the exercise bike is calling my name.

Mug Muffins

Okay, I know, it's Friday evening.  If you're like me, all you can think about is getting home from work, sprawling across the couch and enjoying a cold beverage.  Maybe a margarita, or a beer, or maybe a lemonade.  But, come tomorrow morning you're going to need breakfast.  Or I will anyway, if I don't eat breakfast I am not a happy camper.  So, I'm here to share a healthy breakfast with you.

I know you're supposed to have protein for breakfast.  But if I just have protein and nothing else, guess what, still grumpy.  I need some carbs with my protein to be completely happy.  I pinned a recipe the other day that I've adapted a bit and I'm going to share it with you.

Mug Muffins
Ingredients
1/4 cup oats, I like steel cut
1 egg (or eggbeaters for a lighter option)
Handful of fruit, I like raspberries
A splash of Skim Milk
1 T brown sugar (you could use Splenda or some other artificial sweetener or even honey)
Directions
Grab a mug, dump all the ingredients in a mug.  Mix 'em up.  Throw the mug in the microwave for about a minute and a half (more or less depending on your microwave, that's just how long it takes in mine).  Let it cool a bit and enjoy.  It should slide out of the mug pretty nicely if you want to put it on a plate.  But why would you want to get something else dirty, you can totally just eat it out of the mug.
Nutrition Information (via MyFitnessPal)
Calories:  313
Carbs:  49
Fat:  8
Protein:  13
Sodium:  77
Sugar:  17

Yes, it does have quite a bit of sugar.  You could totally make that lower by subbing out an artificial sweetener.  I personally prefer to use the calories for real sugar than use artificial sweetener, just a personal preference.  You could also use eggbeaters for lower calories.  All in all, not terrible for you.  And look at all that protein!

What about you guys?  Are you a breakfast person?  I love breakfast!  I wish my husband was as much of a breakfast person as I am.  Any Go To delicious breakfasts at your house?  Will you make me pancakes sometime?  I refuse because I hate the lingering smell.

Keepin' it Real

I had a blog post planned for today. A couple different ones that were actually home related.  But, in the spirit of being transparent and you guys keeping me accountable in my endeavor to get healthier I'm going to talk about the weekend.

It was a massive failure in the quest for healthiness. I ate a ton of unhealthy food. Consumed a variety of rum, tequila, and wine. And was absolutely lazy. I haven't worked out since Thursday. I wore a maxi skirt and a fitted shirt to work and I'm showing off a serious food baby. It's super gross. And I feel gross.

I was planning to continue that failure this morning with a stop at Sonic for a breakfast burrito and a cherry limeade.  But thanks to some sweet blog comments from a good friend, I was reminded I need to stay accountable to myself. I probably should have read them before not getting up to work out. Then I might have actually gotten my morning workout done.

But, I'm back on track. I am going to be successful. One little set back is not going to ruin the journey. Because I am worth the effort.  So, here's to a healthy day.  I hope you guys had a restful Labor Day weekend. I'll be back tomorrow with a post about some ridiculous yard work we got done.

Small Changes = Big Change

So, I'm checking in with my healthy lifestyle change progress.  And excuse that awkward sentence.  It will get better from here, I promise!

Last week I lost around 12 pounds.  I know that is a crazy lot for one week.  I think it was the combination of the cleanse and working out every single day.  My body was probably in shock.  Lots of veggies!  What is this?  I imagine that's what my body was saying. And I'm really enjoying exercising.  I try to change and hop on my exercise bike as soon as I get home from work that way I don't have an excuse.

This week the cleanse is over and it's just straight up healthy eating.  I'm trying to keep up with the loads of fruits and veggies.  With lean protein.  And not too many processed foods.  I felt so much better last week with all the healthy food.  I hadn't realized how truly gross I was feeling when I ate crappy.

I didn't eat great over the weekend because we were at my parents house celebrating my birthday.  I was so much more conscious of what I was eating though and still tried to load up on veggies instead of other sides. 

Also, I'm adding a morning workout this week.  This morning I got up and rode my exercise bike for about 20 minutes.  I thought it was going to suck because a) I got up at 5am and I hate mornings and b) because I didn't want to turn on the TV since it was so early and wake up my hubby and my crazy dog.  But I grabbed the ipad, caught up on Facebook, Pinterest, and some blogs.  It went by crazy fast.  And then I did my little morning workout circuit.  Man, my legs were burning.  The plan is to hit the treadmill for a couple miles of walking after work and then pop in Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred when I get home.

I know this sounds maybe like a lot of working out.  I'm trying to make big changes though.  And I know the time I eat the worst is right after work.  So my thought is that if I am invested in working out, I won't want to undo my hard work by eating junk food.  So far it's working super well.

When I logged into My Fitness Pal earlier, it read that my age was 30.  That was the first time I had actually seen the 30.  Oh boy.  It's good so far.  More on that later this week.  How was your weekend?  I hope you guys are doing some amazing house projects because I am not.  This week it's going to be cleaning to get ready for the big 30th birthday bash this weekend.

Not a Diet

I am refusing to call this whole process a diet.  I don't want to just change my habits for a while.  I want my habits to become a healthier lifestyle.  So, we're going to call it a lifestyle change. 

Mug Brownies will no longer be an acceptable daily choice.  Eating chips and dip out of the bag on the couch are no longer an option.  Laying on the couch watching TV after work and doing nothing else, those days are gone.

I'm making a change.  I've spent too long being overweight and unhappy with that.  Remember how I said this is going to be my year?  Well, it is.  And I want you guys to keep me accountable.  I know there will be days that are not great.  But I need to keep one bad day from turning into a month of bad days.

To keep it real, here's my Day One picture for the Diet Bet.  Let the losing begin!

Yup, it's a weird awkward angle.  The only full length mirror in our house.  And our bed is very close to it.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to add a morning work out.  It's pretty short.  Which is good, I'm not a morning person.  I'm in a fully committed relationship with my Sleep Number bed.  Oh it's so comfy.  So so comfy.  But I'm going to have make myself get up earlier.  I can do it!

So, here's the workout.  Of course I had to make a pretty version to stick up on my wall.  You know, pretty things motivate me.

And the plan is to break my workout into smaller pieces.  I know that I don't have the motivation at this point to spend a solid hour at the gym.  I tried that for a while and the whole time I was on the treadmill I was grumpy and watching the clock.  So, the new plan is:  mini morning workout, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, and 15-20 minutes on my exercise bike.

I've got this guys and I'm so excited.  Today I'm on the vegetable day of my cleanse.  Let me tell you, veggies for breakfast are not my favorite.  But I just drink water for quite a while in the morning until I'm brave enough to start eating my veggies.  Roasted broccoli and cauliflower is my favorite.  So delicious!  I toss the veggies with just a little olive oil and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.  Pop them in the oven at 400 for about 20 minutes.  It comes out tasting like magic, not at all like broccoli.  I like broccoli anyway, but my broccoli hating husband will even eat it that way.

I've also been thinking about clean eating lately.  I'm not sure I can 100% jump on board.  There's just some things I'm not sure I'm committed to giving up.  So I'm still rolling the idea around.  What do you guys think?  Anybody else on the clean eating thing?  Or any other healthy eating plan that works well for you?

If you want, you can follow along in the fun on Instagram.  I'm going to try my hand at this whole Instagram thing, in the past, I've been a complete failure.  But, maybe this will be one more way to keep me accountable.

This is 30

I'm not thirty yet.  But I will be in less than a week.  Sheesh.  But, I've decided that instead of dreading turning thirty, I'm going to make it my year.  I am going to show 30 who's boss.  It's going to be a great year.

Similar to New Year's resolutions but better, I'm going to make turning 30 resolutions.

This is going to be a year of self-improvement.  And I couldn't be more excited.  I'm going to put my exercise bike to good use.  It's going to quit just taking up space in my living room.  And I'm going to get back to my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  I loved it when I was doing it, I just got out of the habit.  The habit is coming back though.

And I'm going to develop better eating habits.  Tomorrow I'm starting a cleanse.  I actually found it on Pinterest (of course), I repinned it from my sweet friend Geesha over at The Gray Door on 1871.  I did it back before we went on vacation.  I lost about twelve pounds and kept most of it off.  And I think it's a great way to kick off my better habits.  Interested, here it is.
Day One:  Fruits.  Lots and lots of fruit.
Day Two:  Veggies.  And a potato.
Day Three:  Fruit and veggies.  No potato.
Day Four:  Milk and bananas.  As many as 8 servings of each.
Day Five:  Poultry and tomatoes.  I also eat eggs for breakfast on this day.  The thought of turkey or chicken for breakfast grosses me out.
Day Six:  Poultry and veggies.
Day Seven:  Magic Soup.  Except the magic soup is so gross that I would rather not eat anything at all.  So I just eat more veggies because the soup is made up of veggies.

So I plan on doing this for sure for a week, maybe two.  We'll see how it goes.  The first day is really hard because I felt so hungry the whole time.  Staying busy is the key.  But it's really not bad.  And I think it's going to be a good start to healthier habits.

This year on the blog I may be switching it up some.  There will still of course be DIY, organization, and general craftiness.  But I'm going to be throwing in some health and fitness stuff.  And just some general life improvement.  I want to feel better about myself.  And I'm going to.  Thirty is the year.

Oh, and I'm joining the Diet Bet with Neon Fresh.  That kind of started this whole thing.  That and looking in the mirror and knowing that what I see in my head is definitely not what I see in the mirror.  So, the deal with Diet Bet is, you kick in $30 and if you lost 4% of your body weight in 28 days, you win part of the pot.  So, you know, a good incentive to stick with it.  I will also be using MyFitnessPal to track my calories.

So get ready for lots of pictures of my dinner plate.  And maybe my exercise bike.  Or me wearing a headband.  It's going to be a great year.