Weigh-In Wednesday

I have loved Wednesdays in the past but now that Erin & Alex have started Weigh-In Wednesday, I'm really lovin' it!  But as I stepped on the scale last night, it read 'F' and that's it.  I tried again, still 'F'.  I thought okay, it needs a new battery.  I put in a new battery and still got nothing.  Needless to say, I will be getting a new scale today and will have to update my weigh-in later. 

One of my Operation Red Bikini goals was to fit in a size 10 shorts.  Well, I found some online at JCPenney that were on clearance and I ordered them.  I knew they weren't going to fit at all but I still tried them on just to see how far I really had to go.  To say they were tight is a huge understatement!  Half of my booty doesn't even fit not to mention the large muffin top on the sides!  But, I am determined to wear them this summer.  I may not make the May 31 deadline for ORB, but sometime this summer I will wear them! 

I really feel like a busted can of biscuits!

Later today, me and my little princess are headed to hang out with the boys for a few days.  Here's my little man & his calf, Rosie.  This is his first show and he's so excited and I'm excited for him.  His dad grew up showing for years.  I only showed my senior year of high school but loved every minute of it.   

I posted this on Instagram yesterday.  She did homework while I worked out at the gym. 

It would have been so easy to go on home after work, but I'm telling y'all I love going to the gym.  I WANT to go.  I don't have to make myself go.  I truly have never felt like this before and it's a great feeling.  Yesterday, I spent my lunch hour packing my boys up and didn't eat.  I snacked on some rice cakes and Greek yogurt in the early afternoon but that was it.  And let me tell you, that was proof that you need to fuel your body.  Especially before working out.  I barely made it through a mile and a half on the treadmill and I was so tired afterwards.  I didn't have that burst of energy that I usually do.  Lesson learned!

Hope y'all have a great Wednesday!  Only 2 more days 'til the weekend!

More Randomness

For some reason I had tons of trouble with my post yesterday.  The end of it wouldn't post or the picture of my cute swimsuit and it ended all weird.  To all my followers, I am so, so sorry if my post showed up numerous times in your feed because I kept editing and reposting it.  Not sure how all that works.  I've got to learn all the ins and outs of the blogosphere.  Or just pay someone to do it for me!

The end of yesterday's post really just said that starting tomorrow, I will be at the Dixie National Livestock Show and it had a cute picture of kids at a show with their calves all lined up in the arena.  I will be surrounded by tons of barn animals and their smells.  This also means tons of packing and planning for this mama!  Since I'm such a procrastinator, today will be a mad dash to finish packing stuff up so my boys can get on the road right after school today.  Me and my little drama queen will head up tomorrow for the first show.

My journey to shape up is going great.  I honestly can't believe I'm sticking with this.  The old Mandy would've thrown in the towel the weekend I had a major food issues.  My co-worker/gym partner quit on me yesterday.  She hated it.  I however, am sticking it out.  I actually enjoy going.  It's a satisfied feeling I get afterwards.  It's knowing that I'm doing this for ME.  It's the feeling of accomplishment.  I also haven't really minded eating right either.  Last night I made spaghetti and instead of ground beef, I used ground chicken.  I had no idea they even had ground chicken until I saw it in Kroger last week.  And it was cheaper than fatty hamburger meat and I saved calories - win, win!  I now snack on fruit instead of a little debbie.  I have a huge sweet tooth and I do eat sweets - in moderation.  I don't believe in completely depriving yourself.  I bought some low fat ice cream last weekend and as soon as I got home, I portioned it out so now there's no guessing about how much I eat and the temptation to overeat isn't there.  It's the little things that add up to make a big difference for me.  I know I've said this before, but I also gain HUGE motivation from the blogging world.  I never realized how much a stranger on the internet can inspire you so much.  Today, I'm channeling Leigh Ann and leaving you with some motivation/honesty/humor, whatever you call it!

Total Randomness

I'm super busy this week, but I wanted to keep blogging too so that I won't get out of the habit of it.  So, I'm doing a post pretty full of links and pictures and absolutely random things that's on my mind.  It's my blog, so that's totally okay, right? Ha!

A few weeks ago, I bought one of those plain full-size mirrors and stuck it on my closet door with those little sticky pads that come with it.  Well, the mirror must be too heavy for it because it has fell off enough that the frame around it has broke.  This is what I want to do with it.  Maybe I will get around to it in the next few weeks.

Right now, I am in love with prints and brighter colors and the --- look.  (What's the word - whimsical, eclectic, modern?)  I wish I had the time and money to completely re-decorate my house! And I need my outdoorsy, manly husband to go along with it!  (And I would need to consult with Meg.  Her house is so cute.  By myself, it would look like I threw up a bag of skittles!)

This is one of my most favorite places on earth!  I'm so glad it's only a few hours away but I wish I was going before May.  Hurry up end of school!

 

And speaking of the beach & summer time, I'm expecting this to arrive next week.  It's not my original ORB suit, but I got it for $20 and this one looks like it has a little more coverage/support.  This is a huge deal for me.  Not only do I have to lose a good bit of weight, I have to tone up, and I haven't worn a belly baring 2 piece since before I had tiger stripes kids. 

(Imagine a cute Coral/White striped 2 piece here.  I can't get the picture to paste.)

 

 

Weigh-In Wednesday

 I can't believe it's already Wednesday!  Being off work Monday really throws me for a loop.  Well, as surprised as I was, I did lose a little this week.  I am down .4.  Although, after my huge loss last week and crapfest this weekend I'm not really sure how I didn't gain. 

I got back on track with my eating yesterday but didn't make it to the gym.  I can't say I didn't have time, but being a part-time single parent, your kids kinda come first.  My little man is showing a calf at the Dixie National Rodeo next week.  So after work instead of going to the gym we had to make a trip to town for supplies.  That meant eating fast food for supper.  The whole way to town the kids were talking pizza but after stopping for gas we decided on Subway.  Thank goodness!  Pizza is one of my absolute favorite foods & the whole 45 minute drive I kept promising myself I could have just 1 slice.  Props to Subway because they have the calories for some of their items listed.  That made my choices so much easier.  If I can see how many calories are in something it always makes me think before eating it.  So I ended up with a turkey on wheat flatbread with veggies and no mayo.  And they had fat free Lay's.  I never even knew those existed!  Today, though, it's back to the gym.  I'm actually looking forward to it.  I have 2 weeks under my belt and the proof's in the pudding hard work!  Happy hump day!!

My 4 Day Weekend

I took off of work Friday and got a 4 day weekend since we were closed Monday.  It was 4 days of being out of a structured setting and access to food.  Yes, I ate.  I ate A LOT.  I have realized that I do much better when I'm at work.  I don't have full access to my fridge and pantry all day.  I have something to keep me busy.  I have a nice water cooler to get tons of nice, cool water.  I know it will take me time to break my old habits.  Friday there was Pizza, Sunday was Red Velvet Cake and Monday was french fries.  I went over 300-400 calories each day.  That's not great, but I'm okay with that.  But Saturday, oh Saturday was seriously a FATurday.  The kids wanted nachos and cinnamon twists so I made the mistake of stopping by Taco Bell on the way home from New Orleans.  I thought, well, it can't be that bad.  So I ordered what I normally would - a grilled stuffed beef burrito with nachos and a root beer.  Let me tell you, I had no idea how many calories were in that meal.  I thought it would be 700-800 maybe.  Well, total was 1,600 even!  The burrito itself was almost 900!  Just thinking about that now makes me sick.  Needless to say, I went over my calories for Saturday by 1,590.  Fail #1.  

I did go to the gym Friday before I picked the kids up at school.  But the other 3 days I didn't step foot in the door of the gym.  About the only 'exercise' I got was cleaning house.  Fail #2. 

This weeked made me realize just how much I need structure and planning.  I can't do this all on my own.  I need My Fitness Pal.  I can't guess at how many calories are in something.  I can't just wing it when it comes to eating out.  I know some people have a cheat day, but I think I will have to wait a while before I allow myself to have one.  It's not safe for me at this point in my journey.  I can tell a huge difference in how I feel today.  It's not a good feeling.  Of course, there's the guilt about wasting the last 4 days, but I also don't have as much energy.  I feel bloated and sluggish and just want to go back to bed.  I made a commitment to myself that this time would be different.  I wouldn't lose a few pounds and then think I got this and quit only to gain them back.  Today, it's back to clean eating and gym time.  Happy Tuesday everyone!

Weigh-In Wednesday



Today is Wednesday and that means Weigh-In Wednesday!  I'm starting to love Wednesdays!  My weight this week is 216.6!  I am down 7 pounds from last week!  Holla for a dolla weight loss! 

Mama needs a pedi!

Now, I know it's mostly water weight and there's no way I will do this again.  This has been the story of my yo-yo dieting - 1st week, do really good, lose a good 5 pounds, feel good about it all, think I can slack off a little because it's easy, 2nd week, gain back 4 pounds for a net loss of 1 pound, get mad because I think I worked my booty off and didn't eat anything good for 2 weeks for 1 pound and then pretty much give up.  However, now I feel equipped with enough knowledge, determination, whatever not to let that happen.  I have learned to look at this long term, where I hope to be in the next 3 months, 6 months, next year, etc.  I know there will be weeks that I don't lose or even gain, but that's all part of it.  I don't want to be so focused on the scale that I lose sight of the big picture - getting healthy & shaping my body.  And I'm sure I will lose motivation, but when I do, I hope to pick it right back up again.

So, how did I lose weight this week?  I'm tracking everything I eat in My Fitness Pal. And, my co-worker and I joined the gym!  We are keeping each other accountable.  It hasn't been hard and I'm really enjoying it.  That's my "Me Time".  I have so much more energy.  I just can't tell you how much I'm really liking this.  Also, with My Fitness Pal, there's no certain food I can or can't eat.  It's simply tracking calories.  There's no special food I have to buy or separate meals I have to cook just for me.  It's great because I have it on my phone and literally take it with me everywhere I go.  Easy peasy!

 

Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!!

Happy Tuesday!

How original of a title is that?!?!  My gym time yesterday went great.  I did a little more than a mile on the road to nowhere treadmill and some arm & leg things on a weight machine.  I have no idea what the proper names are!  Today, we have a very experienced gym goer coming to show us the ropes.  Looking forward to learning if I'm even doing those arm & leg things right!  My shoes were wonderful.  They are tighter in the heel/ankle area than my old shoes and I can tell that they help me walk better.  I'm anxious to build my time and really start running.

I don't know about the rest of the world, but it has been rainy, rainy here.  Saturday, the temperature was up to 83 and by Sunday night it had dropped to the 40's.  Really makes me want to stay indoors.  So glad I decided to join the gym.  I was really afraid it would be a waste of money, but so far I'm enjoying it.

Sorry for the boring-ness, nothing really exciting has been happening here and I want to blog often.  At least if I type something, that counts, right?  I've had probably 4 or 5 blogs over the last several years and they lasted about a week.  This time will be different! 

Have a great Tuesday!

Put down the cupcake, get on your feet & remember your goals!

Mama got some new shoes!

Well, we had a pretty uneventful weekend.  Saturday, the kids and I rode to New Orleans to see the hubby/their daddy.  It's a 2 1/2 hour drive from home so needless to say, we were gone all day and I had 3 meals of fast food.  I did manage to stay under my calories for the day and even had 58 left over.  Yesterday, I ended up going 40 calories over, so I guess it was a wash for the 2 days.

One thing that I'm so excited about is my new shoes.  On the way home, we stopped by Perfectly Fit in Hammond and I got fitted for shoes.  Over the past few weeks, I've noticed my feet rolling to the outside when I walk.  The tread on the bottom of my shoes are completely worn on the outside and almost new on the inside.  At first, I was a skeptic about the whole getting fitted for shoes thing.  I thought it was just an excuse to sell over priced shoes.  I was totally wrong!  I literally tried on about 10 pair of shoes and it was a little overwhelming.  I've never really spent more than $50 on a pair of tennis shoes, so this was a huge decision.  I narrowed it down to the Brooks Ghost and Mizuno Creation.  I went with the Mizunos because they felt like they had a little more support in the heel and didn't feel as wide in the toe area as the Brooks.  I'm excited to workout today and see if I can really feel the difference.

I'm also excited about Weigh-In Wednesday.  I'm such a creature of habit, that I weigh myself almost every day.  I know my weight fluctuates, but I've lost a few LBs already.  I'm anxious to see just how many.

Hope all 2 of my readers everyone has a great Monday! 

I workout!

Well, I finally but the bullet and joined the gym in town. I haven't worked out at all at home like I had planned. I'm basically a single mom during the week and most weekends and just never make the time for it. My coworker and I plan to go right after work and it's on the street a block down from the bank so we wont even have to go far. We went today for the first time and mainly walked a mile on the treadmill. We tried out a few of the weight machines but were really seeing how everything worked. Monday we are going to set up a plan and schedule to follow so we will know what we need to do on which day. I'm so excited about my journey to shape up this time. In the past, my motivation usually lasted a good week and was gone quickly after. I'm sure it's because I always wanted the fast and easy way out. The weight never seemed to fall off fast enough and I gave up. I've now realized that it will take time and more effort than just drinking a Slim Fast every day and walking every now and then. Another HUGE inspiration has been the amazing blogs I've found in just the last few weeks. It's funny really that I've read blog after blog for the better part of the last 4 years and just now found the ones that speak to me the most. Coincidence? I think not!!

Weigh-In Wednesday

I noticed several of the blogs I read daily were linking up for Weigh-In Wedensday with Erin & Alex and since I don't like to be left out, I figured I'd follow along.



I like to document everything with pictures.  It just makes it easier!

Double Chin/Turkey needs to go!!

Honestly had no idea my waist was that big!

Of course, these are all my Before pics.  My starting stats are:

Starting Clothing Size: Solid 16, most XL shirts, a few 2XL

Starting Weight: 223.6

Waist: 41.5"

Bust: 40.25"

Thigh: 25.75"

Arm: 14"

Well, now that I've aired my dirty laundry put this out there, I guess there's no turning back now.  It's on like Donkey Kong, Jack!

Source

Monday Madness

Well, today was the dreaded back to school after the holidays day.  The kids were ill, we were rushing & needless to say they were 1 minute late for school.  In all the morning madness, I did manage to grab a granola bar for breakfast and  pack my lunch - homemade vegetable soup.  I'm going to take baby steps and not think about my lifestyle change as a diet.  I have always failed at diets.  My baby steps for this week is to take my vitamins daily, reduce the amount of junk I eat and move more.  I was in such a hurry that I didn't even weigh in this morning, so I'm going to guess my starting weight is between 221-225.  That's what I weighed last week.  My ultimate goal of 165 is right at 60 pounds away and I'm hoping to be there by Thanksgiving, which is 325 days away.  I also want to take measurements and pictures to document my progress.  I only hope my motivation stays this strong!

Operation Red Bikini

So these 2 ladies come up with a challenge called Operation Red Bikini.  It's basically setting a goal and reaching that goal by May 31.  I've thought about my goal for several days.  My ultimate goal is to lose 60 pounds, but I'm not sure that's attainable in a few days short of 5 months.  At least not healthy anyway.  So my goal is to be able to wear a size 10 shorts.  I'm currently in a solid 16.  And I want to wear shorts, not bermuda shorts or capris like I usually do.  So, in order to achieve this goal, I must first, lose weight and then I need to tone these legs.  Squats and lunges, here I come!  For extra motivation, I'm going to go ahead and buy these and hang them on my closet door.  Of course I will also need to tone my arms so I can wear a cute tank top with my shorts.  Meal plans, grocery shopping & workout planning here I come!!