Too Much of a Good Thing...?

My good friend, Kate, mentioned the other day that she's trying to get to the healthiest version of herself and she's doing it NOW. To do that, she did a "makeover" of her kitchen and got rid of any "bad list" foods...of which she didn't have much to toss. Yay! So...why is she not dropping the unwanted last few pounds? Her answer...I eat too much...even if it is all good stuff.

Hmm....that got me to thinking...could it be that we can actually over eat and not be able to lose weight when ALL we eat is fresh produce, lean protein, good carbs and the right types of fiber, fat, etc. ???
I think she's onto something here...something I am probably struggling with myself. Compared to most Americans, I eat an extremely healthy diet. However, I have this subconscious desire to feel "full" before I leave the table. Even though one of my favorite motto's is "Eat before you're hungry and quit before you're full"...I'm often a hypocrite and don't even heed my own very wise advise. :(
There's just something about eating 4 helpings of steamed veggies that doesn't give me near the guilt that eating 4 helpings of french fries would. And rightly so. Still...veggies or fries...they both contain calories. And we all know, too many calories equal weight gain.

Now coming from a girl who used to try desperately to stay "skinny" by eating Twizzlers and a diet Coke for lunch...I can't say enough about how important I think WHERE your calories come from makes a HUGE difference in your health...because believe me..the calories from the veggies are INSANELY different than the ones from the fries....but still...too many is too many. And too many = no weight loss.

Well...that's something to chew on! I'm in the process of cutting back on some other "good things" in my life right now (like Beachbody coaching and Facebook to name a couple)...why not cut back a bit on the (good) foods that I'm eating, leave the table a little less-than full, and see if those pesky 10 pounds find their way OFF my body! :)

Now...if only I'll actually do it....ugh.

Checking in!

Well..........first of all, let me get the most important business out of the way.......HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! One of my favorite "holiday's" because I love LOVE. :) I love God's love the most....and wow, how very thankful I am that HE first loved me!! Plus, I have so many wonderful people in my life that I super-dooper love!! I show that love and appreciation every day...but today is my chance to do something even more special! (which I love!) :)

I'll be starting out the day making heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes for the kids and hubby!
Next it's off to my TurboKick class where we are doing a THROWBACK TO THE 80's today! I can't believe I'm really doing this...but yes, I am wearing a full body leotard to class!!! OMG! I had envisioned looking funky and adorable...instead it looks REEE DICK YOU LUSS! oh well....it will make people smile and laugh..and I'm ALL about that...so bring it on! :)

The rest of the afternoon will be spent running back and forth between my children's schools trying to pull off Valentine Party's in 2 places at one time! Both of the parties are from 2-3 and I'm homeroom mom for them both...so, I'm going to do my best to split myself evenly. Yikes!

After that...hubby is in charge! I'm hoping he's got some sort of date up his sleeve...but if not, I will probably just cook dinner and watch Biggest Loser...which isn't all that bad considering that is one of my favorite things to do! :) I hope you have a GREAT day and feel lots of LOVE! It drives me nuts at how many people protest against Valentines Day claiming "I don't need a special day to tell me to love on my family, I can do it any and every day."
Well SURE YOU CAN...but do you? No love haters better cross ME today! I will smear kisses all over them, smother them with hugs and DROWN them in my love! ha ha ha

Okay but for real...about P90X2....(because the only reason I thought to post today is because of your question sweetpea!)....we are not doing it "as planned" but we are still doing it. Since I teach weight-lifting 2-3 times a week, we are doing the workouts a little different but still doing them and loving them! The latest one PAP Upper left me extremely sore and now I'm using a lot of the moves in my classes so I can spread the fun amongst all my students. :) bwah ha ha ha! (insert evil laugh)

Recipes are still great...cooking several a week. Matt did tell me to take a break for a week because he was tired of trying something new EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT...so last week I made all the (fattening) comfort foods he loves like lasagna and chocolate cake and chicken pot pie. I felt like a blimp by Saturday. Could NOT WAIT to get back to my P90X2 nutrition guide!!! I've also been using some of the recipes from Chalene's PUSH book and LOVING them as well!

So...that's what's new with me! How about you? :)

Where are we now? P90X2

Hey there! Thinking posting everyday is a bit much.......thought maybe a post or two at the beginning of each new phase will suffice. :)
We are about to start Phase 2 in the next week...the STRENGTH phase! Looking forward to checking out the new workouts!
The food has still been going great! The only recipe we didn't love was the Easy Jerk Chicken and that's only because it was HOTTTTTTTT!!!!! Oh my! 2 TBS. of Red Ground Cayenne Pepper was TOO much! Next time, I'll use about 1 tsp. instead!

I'm excited to be adding a new fitness class to my schedule this week. Starting on Tuesday, I will begin instructing a Low-Impact Circuit class right after my TurboKick class. It will be a great class for beginner's, older adults or for anyone who is nursing a knee, foot or ankle injury. I am very excited about this! I think this may be the missing link to the success I've been hoping for in our town. There needed to be an in-between class to get people conditioned for the high-impact cardio classes I do. :)

My Push Book reading is going AMAZING! I had to put it on hold for about a week while I took the time to purchase and set up a new phone. My Blackberry just wasn't going to cut it ...and coincidently, I set it down on the counter where I was thawing some shrimp and it got wet and quit working. So...Android is the new thing for me. :) I'm using Taskos to set up my To-Do lists and loving it. Today I did Day 16 and WOW! It was SO eye opening! I had no IDEA.....(you'll just have to get the book to see what I'm talking about! :)

If you hadn't heard, my daughter and I are going on a 2 week long mission trip to Panama this summer. We have been busy doing any kind of fundraiser we can think of to raise the money for our trip. It is quite expensive as we will be there for 15 days and will require a flight to Miami as well as international flights! God has been providing the money as we need it...and we are nearly half way to the $6,000 that we need to raise. Yay! If any of you want to contribute, we would be SO GRATEFUL!

Okay, that's it for now! Love you all! Hope you're off to a great start to achieving and living out your goals!

P90X2-Day 4-8

Hey guys! Sorry it's been a couple of days without a post...but we were out of town bringing in the new year and celebrating Christmas with Matt's family so I didn't have access to a computer.
Never fear though...we have still been BRINGING IT with our workouts! :)
Thursday was Total Body and WOW!!! I have NEVER in my LIFE been so sore from any workout EVER! As a matter of fact, I am typing this on Tuesday morning and I am still not fully recovered! In the Total Body workout (which definitely lives up to its name), you do 4-direction pull ups. One "direction" is wide grip. Well, apparently I've never really pushed myself there before because I was sore in a place and way that I've never experienced. I couldn't even bear to sleep on my side for 2 nights because I hurt so bad! I was forced to take some anti-inflammatory just to be able to function! Seriously! No matter....I can't wait to do it again! Ha ha (the sign of a true workout addict!)
Friday was YOGA! I was determined that I WAS going to do it despite my complete dislike of the original P90X yoga. As promised, the workout is nearly 30 minutes shorter than the original...but STILL....looong! However, I powered through it in the floor of our hotel room! Hooray!
Saturday was supposed to be Balance & Power but we had family gatherings and parties all day long and could not get to it.
Sunday was rest and recovery, and again, we opted for "rest" since we were out of town and had lots of lunches and family celebrations to go to.
In order to get back on schedule , we decided we will skip our "rest" day this Wednesday...so yesterday we did the Balance & Power workout. It didn't seem "that hard"....but later on in the evening, we were feeling it.
The food continues to be delicious and interesting. It's a little bit "fearful" to me to make all these new things that I'm not sure how to cook and what they are going to turn out like, but so far, nothing has been yucky. I've decided to try every recipe in the book and make notes next to it how we liked it. :)

We are waiting one more week (until day 14) to weigh in.....just to give our bodies a chance to catch up and really register the changes we've been making. I'm optimistic! :)

Today will be my first day back to teaching fitness classes (and doing P90X2). I hope I can teach a killer TurboKick workout this morning AND be able to have energy left over for P90X2 Core tonight!

P90X2-Day 3

Ahhhh....Rest or Recovery Day! Already? It seems too soon to be having a day "off"....but I did take full advantage. I honestly did want to do the Recovery DVD....BUT....instead I showered and went to the mall with my mom to make all of our Christmas returns/exchanges and then I hurried home to cook dinner for a family who just had a new baby and THEN cooked our healthy P90X2 dinner.
Dinner was a HIT again! Tonight we had a Mandarin Spinach Salad with Lemon-Basil Broiled Salmon. YUM! Best salmon I've ever cooked at home....and that salad was amazing!
We each ate TWO CUPS of fresh baby spinach leaves topped with mandarin oranges, walnuts, avocado slices, red onion and a homemade mandarin vinaigrette dressing (recipe in the nutrition guide).
Matt couldn't take the "no weight lifting"...and did the P90X Shoulders & Arms DVD while I was cooking dinner. :) Since his primary goal is to NOT LOSE WEIGHT and BULK UP (opposite of my goal!! ha ha) He wants to add in some additional weight-lifting.

Tomorrows workout is called Total Body along with the new Ab Ripper. I can't wait. I have NO IDEA what "Total Body" means, but I'm sure it'll be good! :)

By the way, I am LOVING this new book PUSH by Chalene Johnson! I can't believe how much clearer and more focused I feel after just 3 days now that I know exactly what my goals and priorities are and I've written out my "Top Priority Statement". Since I love it so much, I'll share it with you. This is very personal to me...and was the result of lots of brainstorming and question-answering in the first chapters of this book.

"My number one priority is to build myself up with Bible and prayer so that I can be the best wife possible for Matt and so that I can do my best to teach my children how to have a passionate personal relationship with Christ and to be grateful and respectful people. I will weigh all pursuits against this goal and decline any activity that doesn't lead me to it. I desire that God, my husband and my children know that they are more important to me than any personal pursuit."

P90X2-Day 2

PLYOCIDE!!!!!!
That is the name of today's workout! Just the name of it sounds like we were gonna die! :) Actually, it wasn't tooooo horrible. It was tough...maybe comparable to an Insanity workout sort of. Anyway, no matter...we DID IT! Shaky and sweaty and starving....we finished up that grueling 55 minutes and then went downstairs to cook our super amazingly delicious dinner! It was Bruschetta Chicken with Roasted Veggie Pasta. WOW! I've never cooked with so many fresh herbs! That bruschetta was omg! And the roasted veggies...wow! Even Brooklyn (our picky eater 10 year old) had seconds! That may be one of the best home-made meals we've ever had!! The bad news is that it took nearly an hour to cook due to all the chopping of veggies and herbs.

Anyway, all is well so far! Tomorrow is "Rest or Recovery" day...

One thing about this version of P90X that is a LOT different than the original...there is NO weight lifting in Phase 1 (first month). I know Matt is NOT going to like that ONE BIT. :( We may have to make a few slight adjustments. :)
Phase 1 is called "foundation"
Phase 2 is called "Strength"
Phase 3 is called "Performance"

Is anyone else out there doing it? I'd love to hear what others think of it compared to the original P90X. :)

P90X2-Day 1

Well hello there! Long time no see, eh? Yah, I know. See my previous post for an explanation! :)

Aaaaanywayyyyy.....as you can tell from the title ....we are doing P90X-2!!!!! So excited and ready to BRING IT again in these intense workouts with my hubby! I won't lie, it's a bit intimidating committing to this for 90 days knowing that I also am teaching fitness classes every day IN ADDITION to my P90X2 workouts, but....I'm reminded that I've done it before (back in 2008) and I can do it again. :) Basically I'm doing the "doubles" version right!?!

I don't like to do things "normal"....as a matter of fact, being normal, average and like everyone else is really YUCKY to me....so rather than start on January 1st, like most normal people would....we decided we would start Dec. 26th. An odd date to pick for sure....but for us, it is the perfect date, because 90 days from Dec. 26th is March 28th, which is our 14th wedding anniversary!! :) What better gift can we give to one another?? Cool right?

Today's workout was "Core" and wowee! I had no idea there were so many exercises you could do with the stability ball that I had never heard of or seen before! 55 minutes of core-tightening, ab sculpting craziness! Even the warm up and cooldown/stretch used the ball. One thing we don't have that they use is a foam roller. I'm not sure if I want to bother investing in them or not. I've heard people say wonderful things about them....but...ahhh more money! Blah! I don't even know how much they cost actually. Anyone ever bought one or used one?

The eating plan is going to be interesting. It's been a long time since I've shopped for some of these crazy ingredients. I guess it's not really all that "wild"...its just a lot different than what we are used to. I bet 80% of my shopping list were items in the produce section! TONS of veggies, greenage and herbs! Last night after our first workout, I made a big green salad and baked a 4 oz. salmon filet for us to put on it. I had mine with light strawberry vinegarette dressing (YUM!) Later in the evening, we were both REALLY hungry again, so I had 3 stalks of celery with 1 T. of natural Peanut Butter and a small greek yogurt cup.

Have any of you ever tried PB2? Supposedly it's this powdered peanut butter that you can order online and it's supposed to be way less calories and really yummy in recipes. I think I may try to order some today....!?!

In addition to starting P90X2, I have also begun reading Chalene Johnson's new book called "Push" and I'm very excited to start getting my life and goals more organized! I've only done Day 1 so far and I am feeling very optimistic. I will keep you updated on how it goes!

Well, that's it for today folks! Leave me a comment if you're reading. If I don't get any comments on this, then I'll know not to bother with blogging anymore. :)

Hope you all had a great Christmas and are looking forward to a blessed and healthy 2012!
Love, Jen

Sometimes Life gets in the Way...

I'm writing this today because it seems to be a big issue with many people. Life. It just gets in the way of our exercise program sometimes, doesn't it?? I know it has in my own experience. MOST of the time when we don't get a workout in...we are just making excuses. But there have been times in my life when I wanted to work out more than anything...but just could NOT fit it into my day (or even week).
So as much as I promote and encourage DAILY physical exercise and following a program to help hold you accountable, I promise, I do understand that it sometimes just isn't possible.

When that happens are you doomed to stop progress and start gaining back weight?
NO. You. Are. Not!

This is where "what you're made of" starts to become really obvious. If you really want it bad enough (being healthy and fit) then you WILL find a way to not let your eating get out of control during these periods of life when we are so busy. Even when you're too busy to do your P90X, Insanity, TurboFire or whatever workout, you almost POSITIVELY aren't too busy to take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the back of the parking lot, get in the floor and do 30 push ups or go for a brisk 15 minute walk. You also don't have to start eating all sloppy and lazy either. As a matter of fact, when your workouts decrease, that is when you should be even more diligent to stick to healthy, nourishing foods. It doesn't take any longer to chop up some fresh veggies and fruits and eat them than it does to run through the drive-thru at McDonalds. It just takes a little preparation and planning. But it is do-able.

One of the worst mistakes I've made (and struggle with) is the whole "falling off the boat" mentality. You know how it goes...you mess up...maybe miss your workout and eat a cupcake and then you find yourself saying "well, I've already screwed this day up, I might as well go ahead and just have this pizza and pop for dinner and a big brownie fudge sundae for dessert and watch TV tonight and I'll just get "back on the boat" on Monday.
You ever been there?

DETERMINE that won't be you ever again. I mean...really when you think about it and look at it (while you're not in the middle of it) doesn't it sound totally STUPID. Making MORE MISTAKES because you made a little mistake does NOT equal smart. It equals STUPID. (talking to myself just as much as anyone).

So, in conclusion, what I'm trying to say is this, I get it when life gets in the way and it comes at you with the force of a semi-truck and knocks you off of your planned program. But don't just throw your hands up in the air and say, "oh well..I'm off the course by an inch, I might as well just move over a whole mile and get back on that old (fat and lazy) road I'm so comfortable with and used to. NO! Just fit in some activity when and where you can, choose healthy foods, get your sleep and get back to THE PLAN the very minute that life lets up a bit.

I'm rooting for you! I'm here to help you! :)

Nah, you don't have to eat the right stuff...

.....UNLESS YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF LOSING WEIGHT and being supremely healthy!
Weighed in on Saturday...2 more pounds GONE! I know I shouldn't be THIS SUPRISED, but I really am. I can NOT believe eating the right things really makes THIS big of a difference. I mean..I KNEW it mattered....but this much??? wow!

I haven't been "dieting". I haven't been starving myself and going around hungry all the time. All I've been doing is eating DIFFERENT things. I'm still eating all. the. time. and still going out to eat and even having a few little splurges...but I'm losing weight at the rate of 2 pounds per week, all because of the different decisions on food I've been making.

We did Olive Garden again yesterday...and again, I had salad with NO dressing, no breadsticks and I ordered a light entree (670 calories total) and halfed it with Matt. I figure I consumed about 500 calories total while I was there including the 2 Andes mints I ate at the end. I felt great (while everyone else was heavy and stuffed) and I didn't have any guilt. SUPER COOL.

I hope you will just try it...see what happens!

15 days of Eating Clean

So...I've made it to Day 15 of this 20 day challenge! I am still feeling the best I've EVER felt! Not one single time in the last 2 weeks have I been full, bloated or lethargic! WOW!

I did flub up last night though. (hanging head...) Here is my excuse: 2 ladies at my church had babies this past week. I offered to take them both dinner but since my schedule is SO INSANELY BUSY right now, I decided to buy pizza for their families and just bake them fresh, homemade chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies. Long story short, I bought the same for my family and left a few cookies at home for us...and I ended up eating 2 slices of pizza and a cookie last night. Even though I know that isn't THAT HUGE of a deal...because quite frankly that is about HALF of my normal 4 pieces and 2 (or more) cookies....STILL that is NOT what I wanted to do during this challenge and I'm bummed that I gave in. However, even after that, I wasn't stuffed or heavy feeling and I at least stopped before I let myself get too carried away, so I am not going to count that as a loss, but more like a little stumble. :)

Since I started this on a Saturday and I weighed in last Saturday...I will weigh in again tomorrow and see where I am. I am excited about finishing out this thing (next Thur. Sept 1) and I'll let you know the final results!! There is no doubt that I have learned an important lesson through this!! If you were doing it with me, I hope you have too! :)

Menu for this week:

A few people have asked me to post my menu for the week and while I know it is boring reading...if it helps even one person...then it's worth posting! :) I know I have a sort of weird schedule and eating habits...but this is what I do and what I will consume this week.

Monday:
Breakfast: 1 small biscuit, 1 egg white, 1 turkey sausage link, coffee
Snack: Shakeology with 1/2 banana and 1 T. Peanut Butter (at 11:00)
Lunch: Green salad with 6 oz. of albacore tuna and 1 T. strawberry vinagerette (at 2:00)
Snack: 10 mini rice cakes with hummus and 1/2 an apple (at 4:30)
Dinner: Shakeology again (on Mondays I have Shakeology for dinner because I have a fitness class from 6:30-7:30 and I can't eat anything heavy before or after. Shakeology is perfect.)

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Non-instant whole grain oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts and Truvia, coffee.
Snack: Apple and string cheese.
Lunch: Shakeology.
Snack: Banana and 1 rice cake with PB.
Dinner: Baked flounder with Orzo, grilled asparagus and salad
Dessert: Fruit

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Veggie omelet, 1 turkey sausage link, 1 whole wheat toast w/ spray butter, coffee
Snack: mini rice cakes with hummus
Lunch: Shakeology with PB.
Snack: Apple and 10 almonds
Dinner: Grilled shrimp, baked sweet potato, green beans, salad
Dessert: 1/2 c. plain non-fat greek yogurt with blueberries

Thursday:
Breakfast: Open faced egg white sandwich. (egg white, 1/2 slice low-fat cheddar, turkey bacon on 1 slice whole wheat toast.
Snack: Apple and low-fat string cheese
Lunch: Shakeology
Snack: Green salad with strawberry vinagerette and left over grilled shrimp.
Dinner: Grilled pork chops, seasoned brown rice, broccoli and salad.
Dessert: 1/2 c. plain non-fat greek yogurt with blueberries

Friday:
Breakfast: Non-instant whole grain oatmeal with blueberries, walnuts and Truvia, coffee.
Snack: Granola bar and apple.
Lunch: Shakeology
Snack: Raw veggies and hummus
Dinner: Going to a Gala Ball...and will eat and drink whatever is served! :)

I will also do the following workouts this week:
Monday: Intense Interval Class, 1 hour
Tuesday: Bootcamp Insanity, TurboKick practice, 2 hours
Wednesday: Weightlifting class, TurboKick practice, 2 hours
Thursday: Bootcamp Insanity, TurboKick practice, 2 hours
Friday: TurboFire, 1 hour
Saturday: Intense Interval, 1 hour

The 100% Guaranteed way to lose weight

That is a bold title, yes? Yes! I am confident though.

This is why: For the past 7 days (today is Day 8) I have been eating nothing but lean meats, fresh veggies and good carbs. I've cut WAY back on any fats (very little to no dressings, sauces, etc.) and I've also cut my carb consumption in about half. The biggest change, by far, for me has been not having dessert.

My "normal" is to have dessert at LEAST once a day. :( I know...it's naughty. But it's probably one of my favorite things in the whole world and as hard as I work, I "feel like I should have a treat." {side note: that is the stupidest, most ironic thing I say and I hear people say ALL THE TIME. When you work so hard to eat right and exercise daily...don't TREAT yourself by eating crap. DUMB DUMB DUMB. A small little indulgence occasionally is fine...but don't look at it like a reward. Reward yourself with a smaller size item of clothing or a pedicure or an hour to yourself to read a good book or something. Anyway..okay back to where I was...} The problem is I don't have dessert once in a while..I have a treat once or twice a DAY. I've always known this is what is most likely holding me back and keeping me from losing the weight. Guess I was right. The good news is I have discovered that this new amazing way I feel tastes better than cupcakes and pies and cookies.

ANYWAY...I said of all of that to say...that in just ONE WEEK of completely changing the way I eat...I've dropped 2.6 pounds! I knew I felt lighter...but I really was surprised to see that big of a drop. What a shame that I've been tormented for so long trying to get rid of this weight when all along ...this is all it would have taken! And ohmyheavens...I feel AMAZING!

So...do you want to know what prompted this whole eating clean thing and why I've been able to stay SO MOTIVATED??? This may or may not be a great reason and it may not help you at all, I don't know...but one day about 2 weeks ago, I put on a cute outfit and even though it looked fine from the front, when I turned around there were 2 big floppy love handles hanging over the sides of my britches. It was so disgusting that I took a picture of it and texted it to my coach Demi. I asked her WHAT could I do to get rid of it? Her answer? "EAT CLEAN 100% OF THE TIME!" So simple, yet...something I hadn't done since my first round of P90X (when I lost 17 pounds and got muscular for the first time in my life). I decided right then and there that I KNEW she was 100% right...and that until I was ready to commit to that....I would never have a lean body like hers. So...every time this week when I was tempted to flub up, I saw that image of that text from her to me with those words and I considered what I was about to do. I was about to sacrifice 100% for 90%...and I already know what results that gives. So...I stuck to my guns (with the exception of Tuesday night and the stupid fried pickles. :-(

More of the story:
For years I've been struggling to lose these last 10-15 pounds. Because I'm not overweight or unhealthy, it seems extra difficult because honestly I'm not THAT unhappy with myself. Still, my personality is one that wants to achieve and back in 2004 when I first started this journey, I made the goal of getting to 125 pounds, thus for the first time since my 16th birthday, making my drivers license honest again. :)
Even though this whole thing started because I wanted to LOOK better...the way that I am feeling now is like a drug. I'm addicted. I never want to feel bloated, heavy and stuffed again.

Looking good is just the "icing on the top" now. Feeling this way is my motivation. :)

For an example of what I've been eating:
Breakfast : 1/2 of a whole wheat english muffin with egg white, 1/2 slice low-fat cheddar and 1 slice turkey bacon. (eaten like an open faced sandwich)
Snack: Apple and 10 almonds
Lunch: Shakeology and small salad (no dressing-just a little salt and pepper)
Snack: Celery with natural peanut butter
Dinner: Lean Roast with steamed cauliflower, salad and 1/2 ear of corn.
"Dessert": 1/2 c. greek plain yogurt with strawberries.

The Shakeology is a MUST! It is keeping my digestion working like clock-work. :)

Eating Clean: 6 days and counting!!

I am so happy to say that I am STILL eating clean and lovin' every minute of it! :) I do have one confession to make: On Tuesday night I had dinner at Texas Roadhouse with some family and THEY ordered fried pickles and I had a few. :( I shouldn't have, but no one was eating them (no one else liked them!!) and I couldn't STAND to see them all just get thrown away! I didn't go overboard at all. I probably ate 10...being honest. There were probably 50 in the basket...so I definitely exhibited restraint. :) BUT...I didn't have the warm rolls they bring out and I ordered Sirloin Steak and Veggie Kabobs. I had them switch out the rice that comes with it for fresh veggies and a baked sweet potato with NO toppings of any kind. I drank water. It was DELICIOUS and a great time and I'm so impressed and encouraged that I can still eat out with my friends and family and not have to leave feeling like I need to be wheeled out in a wheelchair! Even after I eat a large meal like that, I still feel great because I didn't overload on fried, greasy food (no fries!!) and no heavy carbs. It's GREAT! One thing I can DEFINITELY COMPLAIN about though is how much healthy entrees COST! Oh my goodness!!! The grilled salmon (which is what I really wanted) was $5 more than the sirloin kabobs!! :( When we went to the Olive Garden last week, my baked fish was $15. I usually spend around $7/ plate when we go out...so this is a bit hard to swallow...but oh well, I guess that's just the way it is. Can't really do anything about that. :(

I have to admit, if it wasn't for my daily Shakeology (which I've been mixing with 1 TBSP of peanut butter and it is AMAZING!) I don't know if I would be handeling the "no sweets" part so well. But that shake made with the PB is so creamy and big and sweet and delicious that it is completely satisfying my sweet tooth! -Or maybe the sweet tooth is going away already!?!? I don't know but I'm loving this way of eating and I just can't believe I don't do it all the time. (or haven't as of yet). Chips and crackers and cookies and french fries and nachos are NOT THAT GOOD. They taste good for a few seconds while they're on your tongue but the misery that accompanies them for hours and days later is so not worth it. For almost a week now, I've been feeling energetic, light, thin, fresh and healthy and just really vibrant. I pray I will NEVER go back to those old ways. For those of you who said you were going to do this with me...how's it going? Are you feeling great too?

"Before" 20 Day Challenge-Front

Don't know why these pics are so small!?! Maybe becuase I took them with my phone. Anyway, this is my "Front" before picture. Let's see what happens in 20 days!

"before" 20 day challenge pic

I don't know why this picture is so small...but this is my "before" side view picture for the 20 day challenge. Taken on Sat. Aug 13, 2011.

20 Day Clean Eating Challenge

If you are my friend on FB, you probably saw my post about this on Saturday. Since my hubby and I have a special 13th anniversary vacation coming up soon to Cancun, Mexico, we have decided to do a 20-day "challenge" to see if we can get the "ripped" bodies we really want to have while we are there. For me, that means being able to put on a bathing suit and feel totally confident in it (not just while standing....but while sitting and bending over too! ha ha) You ladies know what I'm talking about!!
For Matt, that means taking his shirt off and and feeling good about the way his chest, back, arms and abs look. No more love handles!!
I am SO excited about this because for once, I am attempting something that I believe is do-able and realistic. Trying to cut out sweets entirely or lose 20 pounds is just too "big" for me...but deciding to "eat clean" for 20 days is something I can handle.
And so far...it's been going AWESOME!
I took before pictures and my before weight Saturday morning and if I can figure out how to get them off my phone, I will post them. My starting weight is 136. I don't have a goal...I just want to see whats the best I can do in these 20 days.

What "Eating Clean" means to me:
1. No junk food (chips, cookies, soda, fried foods, etc.)
2. No fast food (burgers and fries, etc.)
3. No Sweets (cakes, pies, ice cream, brownies, cookies)
**EXCLUSION: is yogurt and fruit. I definitely have a serious sweet tooth and I am not banning yogurt or fruit from the "sweets" category. :)

In addition to this, I am committing to working out 6 days a week. (which isn't hard because I do that already). Sunday's are my rest day and sometimes I end up doing Turbo on Sunday just because I love it so much I can't stand to not do it! ha ha

So, I'm thrilled that so many have decided to join me! Keep checking back for regular updates and please leave a comment on how you are doing!!

Pictures...:(

Okay so it's been a realllly long time since I've posted any new pictures to my blog. And it is NOT because I don't want to! I do, I do! I just have the worlds WEIRDEST computer. It works perfectly fine about 98% of the time...but for some reason, for the past couple of years, it won't let me click on certain things. I mean...I can click on it..but it doesn't "take" or work. One of those things is the "add image" button on my blog. I can click it 100 times and nothing happens. But if I scoot over just one icon to the "add video" icon...it works fine. (I just don't know how to make a video).
And ALL of my pictures are downloaded to this computer (and not my laptop).......but.........if I can email myself my pictures and upload them to my laptop THEN I could probably post some new ones on here. But see how much work that would be?? and seriously, I don't know when I'll ever find time for that. BLAH! Okay, that was 2 whole paragraphs of boring reading and me whining. What I really wanted to say was I'm going to try to post some new pictures soon! Goodness knows I've got at least a years worth I want to share with you!

I heart Diamond!

Many of you know I am a coach for Beachbody...but what you probably DON'T know...is that it is one of the most rewarding things I've ever done and YOU can be a part of it! Whether you allow me to be YOUR free coach or you join me as a COACH YOURSELF on my team ....I want you to be a part of my amazing journey...all the way up to DIAMOND. I know you have no idea what I'm talking about right? Well...speaking in terms of do$$ar signs...Diamond is where the big bucks start rolling in...but that has never been my top priority (although I ain't gonna lie...it certainly makes my love for shopping less guilt-filled!)
BUT...Speaking in terms of HELPING PEOPLE which is where my heart is and why I'm so passionate about this...it means that I will have accumulated a fantastic team of coaches to work with me AND have a large amount of people that have signed up to let me help them!
The reason I am talking about this today is because I WANT YOU! If you've been reading my blog for very long, you obviously have a passion for health and fitness, you probably workout regularly, try to eat healthy and I've never met a person who doesn't want more money. You've either done a Beachbody workout program or you're thinking about doing one. Unless you aren't into helping others succeed, YOU are a perfect candidate for becoming a coach!
And if you've EVER thought about it, even for just a second, I'll tell you why RIGHT NOW is the time to do it. Because I just started my engine and my foot is on the gas. I have an AMAZING leader right in front of me that is leading the way and all I have to do is follow. You don't want to be left behind. If you get in this caravan with us, we will clear the path for you and guaranteed success is right down the road that we're traveling. PLEASE come for the ride!

Cheat with a BANG!

Okay, so I feel ashamed just POSTING this recipe on this blog because this is SO FAR from Michi's Ladder or P90X food....it's gotta be a sin.........BUT...........we all know we have cheat days every now and again and IF you're gonna cheat, you want it to be something that is VERY WORTH IT right?
Well...here you go.
That is the ONLY reason I share this recipe. For a special cheat day. Do not...I repeat DO NOT make this recipe more than once every 4 months. Understood? :) oh and don't hog it...share some with your family! :)

Bang Bang Shrimp from Bonefish Grill manager

1 bag of Baby Greens or Spring Mix

16-18 Medium Shrimp, cleaned & put aside

Spicy Sauce:

1/2 C mayo

4 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce (Sambal)

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp rice vinegar

Mix well & set aside

1 beaten egg

1 C milk

Mix well & put in shallow bowl

3/4 C flour

1/2 C Panko crumbs

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 ground sage

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried basil

Mix well & put in a shallow bowl

Dip Shrimp in breading mix, then in egg/milk mix & back in breading mix....

Put on a tray & refrigerate for 20 min.....

Heat 6-10 Cup's of Oil...Fry shrimp a few at a time until golden.....Drain on paper towels.When all shrimp are fried, put them in a large bowl.....Spoon 1/4 to 1/3 of the sauce on shrimp & toss to coat....

Stack on baby greens.....I put the extra sauce on the side...

______________________________________________________________________

Okay.......that's the recipe. Now, let me tell you some changes I made. First of all, I couldn't find that exact chili garlic sauce...so I just bought a brand called 'Roland' which was next to the oriental foods in the grocery store. (Walmart didn't carry ANY kind of it..so I had to go to Reasors)

Also, I didn't have the ground sage and I didn't want to pay $3.19 to buy some just to use 1/2 of a tsp so I just didn't use any. I also didn't have onion powder...but I did have onion flakes....so I substituted that.

The shrimp I bought were raw, peeled, tail off and came 50 to a bag. I was able to bread ALL 50 of them with the mixtures from above!!! And...I only used that one bowl of sauce mix for all 50 (which means they were VERY lightly coated in sauce).

Other than that, I stuck to the recipe. It was a little time consuming--dipping each individual shrimp into the flour mixture, then the egg, then the flour....but it really was THAT GOOD that I will do it again sometime (probably if we are having company or something).

Time Out/Bootcamp Insanity

Hey guys! :) It's 9:39 pm and I'm up at my computer late because I am trying to get some work done for the doctors office. Of course, after about 15 minutes of typing, my mind started drifting and I was thinking about how I'd like to blog right now. So..here I am. Since I don't have a lot of time, I'm going to just let my thoughts spill out onto my keyboard and what you're reading is the result. :)
So, last week was tough. I had some crazy moments where I was trying to do stuff like drink my soup through a straw so I can type while I "eat", tie my shoes while driving down the road, etc. I realized that I am doing TOO MUCH all. the. time. If I wasn't doing at LEAST 2 things at once, I felt like I was being unproductive. All these classes and coaching and typing and ballgames and cooking and cleaning and emails..it was all just more than I could take. Finally after surveying everyone in my life, I turned to GOD about it (again!) He clearly spoke the same message to me through about 6 different sources...and I knew what I needed to do.
#1: Put top priority on spending QUALITY time with God every day. I realized that I spend time with God about like how I spend time with my kids. They're always there. I can hear them in the back ground. I see evidence of what they've done/where they've been..but RARELY do I actually stop what I'm doing and give them undivided attention. Rarely do I actually LISTEN to them, LOOK at them or BE WITH them. It's the same with God. He's always there and I'm aware of His presence. I listen to praise and worship all day long and put on Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer or Andrew Wommack every time I wash dishes, fold laundry, put on my make up, etc. I am constantly in contact with my Father...throwing up quick prayers left and right all throughout the day. And while that is all VERY GOOD...there still HAS to be a chunk of time where I stop everything else and give HIM my undivided attention. This is the first thing I'm setting out to change!
#2: Lessening the Load. I've decided to cancel my Friday night fitness class. It was a hard decision because I LOVE those girls and they are SO DEDICATED....but I realized that by teaching a class on Friday evening and then again first thing Saturday morning was really making any kind of weekend plans very difficult as well as not giving my body ample time to rest between extreme workouts. Even though that is only 1 class a week less, I really anticipate this taking some pressure off my week.
Also under the same thought....I am also putting my Beachbody coaching career in a "time out". I am still coaching and am fully available to my customers present and future...BUT...I am not going to put forth as much effort in recruiting new customers or coaches for a while. It's such a great opportunity, but I'm not much of a salesman and I don't want to be either. If people see my success, read my testimony and want to coach under me or buy a program that I've done--AWESOME! I would LOVE to be their coach. But as for going out and practically begging people to try Shakeology or order TurboFire....I'm just not gonna do it. I'm here for ya when you need me.

I'm excited about my upcoming 14 week Bootcamp that starts Tues. May 31st. Not only do I have an AMAZING set of routines already lined up...BUT...I am excited about what great shape I and all the other ladies are going to be in when this summer is over!! Also, I am taking a nice long break at the end of it and hopefully going on a vacation!! WOOHOO!

Insanity is in the books for my summer workouts and I'm stoked! I've been working out 6 days a week since February 8th and I think my body is in tip-top shape and TOTALLY ready to take on Insanity again. Then if I survive, maybe I'll look into the Asylum this fall....eeek!

We took the cover off the pool today! The water was really clear and after taking a sample into the pool place, it looks like we'll be ready to swim by this (Memorial Day) weekend!

Friday night Brooklyn and I are hosting a big sleepover for 6 of her girlfriends! We are doing a Secret Keeper Girl date about Friendship and there are going to be some FUN games and crafts going on! Yippee! I love being the mom I always dreamt I would be! :)

This weekend we noticed that my new Navigator was looking QUITE lopsided. It turns out that the air suspension sensor went out and apparently the left side of the car was WAY jacked up (like 14 inches) higher than the right side!!! What a funny looking ride that was!! Thankfully we got it fixed today and were only (HA!) out $180. It would have been $492 but we have a warranty and that covered a lot of it.

Well....that is about all I had going on in my head right now and I really need to get back to work so that I can get done and then get to bed. Thanks for reading my rambling! Love y'all and happy sweating! :)

I'm happy and I know it! (((clapping hands)))

THANK YOU for affirming the fact that I am NOT a depressed person! I knew that...but I just wanted to be sure "my face surely shows it" too, ya know!?!
Anyway, I sincerely appreciate all your kind words and I am going to be more aware of how much I complain because honestly, I LOVE my life and if I'm complaining, I shouldn't be. I am blessed beyond measure. God has given me over and above all that I could think or ask and I know He's not done!!! THAT is something worth smiling about! :)

I know that people think they should THANK ME for encouragement and coaching...but I am honestly so grateful and thankful for each one of you! Without people to come to my classes, it wouldn't matter how terrific an instructor I am. Without people to coach, I couldn't BE a coach. Each one of you enriches my life and I never want to take you for granted!

Do you feel the love? :) You should!!! :)
And just for extra measure: :) :-) :0) :P :o) :~)

Gotta get it off my chest and FB isn't the place...

Okay...this is BUGGING the CRUD out of me and while I run the risk of sounding like I'm whining again...I've decided to do it anyway. I mean..this IS my blog where I can say whatever I want, right? :)
So...today someone made a comment about me that is realllllly bothering me. I mean....MAJORLY. I know she didn't mean it in a bad way (or at least I don't think she did) and I'm sure she has no idea what a big deal to me it was. Here's the deal:

At class today I mentioned that I came in feeling a bit discouraged and exhausted...BUT...now, AFTER the great workout we just did...that I felt totally encouraged and great and energetic!!!
But.......before I got the "BUT" part out...she said "Jennifer, you are ALWAYS down and discouraged."

It took me by such surprise that I hesitated in the middle of my sentence and then said the rest to try to prove my point in WHY I even said it in the first place (which is that exercise is such a great way to turn lethargy into energy).

Of course, as the devil would have us to do...and as our brains like to do...I have (seemingly) forgotten all the thousands of wonderful comments and great things people have said about me and I'm magnifying this one comment way more than I should be. I just keep thinking, "REALLY????? Seriously? OMG! Do I come across that way??-as a down and discouraged, sad and depressed person?"
SURELY not! How could that be possible when I am really SO SO SO SO HAPPY!?
I mean, sure...I'm human, I have my days of feeling a bit whah-whah every month. What woman doesn't?
(bunny trail here)
I remember when Matt and I first got engaged. We went to marriage counseling and we had to fill out a questionairre. One of the questions was "What is one personality trait that you despise?" Without a second thought, I wrote down "laziness".
If I were to take that quiz again today I would add the word "defeat".
Everybody gets discouraged sometimes.......but I HATE to see people walk around with their heads hung in defeat. Unless you're not a Christian. If you're not a believer.....then I completely understand why you'd feel that way. BUT ...if you know Jesus as your savior..then you NEVER EVER have an excuse to feel defeated. JESUS defeated the devil. He won the battle for you and while He didn't promise us a perfect life (in fact, He specifically said IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLES) ......BUT...the next part of that verse says BUT TAKE HEART!!! FOR I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD!!!

Okay so back to what I was talking about....I hate the idea that ANYONE would ever see me that way. How disappointing!
I'm trying to figure out if it's just that one person and the vast majority of everyone else who knows me would disagree...or if I live in a unrealistic bubble and I don't see myself clearly. Maybe I shouldn't be so open and honest about when I'm having a tough day.?!!?.
Argh...I just need to get away from people and electronics and spend some QUALITY time with God. Just me and God and quiet. Yes...that would be HEAVENLY! :)

Inferno Plan--give myself a C-

Wow....so we started the 5-day Inferno Plan (through the TurboFire program) on Monday. We went out Sunday and bought all the groceries and were TOTALLY prepared. I even read through my TurboTracker and was all ready to write down every thing that entered my mouth.
We started out "on fire" Monday...did great. Enjoyed the food, wrote it all down, resisted temptation. Hooray!

Tuesday-Enjoyed the recipes VERY much and was following the plan perfectly until we had to be at the baseball/softball fields all evening (5-9 pm) and I caved and ate a pickle or 2 and a tootsie-roll pop. (not that awful right!?!?)

Wednesday-Still loving the food on the plan...but feeling very unsatisfied. Starting to feel the fire we had on Monday start to fizzle. :( Even though we're eating everything on the plan, I'm popping jelly beans from the Easter candy bowl every time I pass by. :( I stopped writing in my TurboTracker. It's too depressing to write down all those jelly beans.

Thursday-Man! The food on this thing is delicious and lots of things we've never tried...but I'm really feeling weak with my resolve to finish this thing. I not only ate all my scheduled food but I also had RiceWorks chips with my lunch (instead of salad) and a small bowl of Blue-Bell Cookies-N-Cream icecream at lunch. Then, after dinner I ate a bowl of brown beans and rice (1/2 c. with 4 tortilla chips) and then an apple with PB. Ugh. I went to bed feeling stuffed. DARN!

Friday-It's a new day...and the last one THANK GOODNESS! :) So far I've stuck to "the plan" and I really hope to finish this thing out on a good note so I'm putting a dishtowel over the jelly beans. :) Out of sight-out of mind I hope.
I'm bummed out that I didn't do it more closely as it was outlined......BUT........I'm still TOTALLY acknowledging the fact that I ate MUCH healthier and more conscientious this week than I have been. I also have managed to keep my 6 pounds from the cleanse off...even though I haven't lost anymore. So overall, I'm happy! I think I will try to do this once a month. The food is SO GOOD! If I get some time, I'll post the recipes for you all!

I spoke (whined) too soon! :)

Well...I'm eating my whiny words! PRAISE THE LORD!
Last night's class was great (had 4 people plus me and Matt) and this morning I had 6 besides myself! AWESOME!
Tomorrow's class is forcasted to be really good too! (I know of at least 6 people who said they'd be there!) YAY!
I'm really sorry for that cry-baby post I did yesterday. Sometimes even us "toughgirls" have a weak moment! :)
A HUGE THANK YOU to my dear friend Kirsty who sent me the most wonderful comment to that post this morning. I asked her permission to post it here because she had SUCH wisdom that I just couldn't keep it all to myself! Here it is:

Jen,
That comment someone made is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. They must have some serious body image issues to say something so rude and ignorant. We all have different bodies and God made us all the way HE wanted us. We need to take care of the Temple (body) :) he gave us and feed it the right stuff and exercise it to keep it strong for His service but that's it, man! He doesn't call us to be ripped and have a 0% body fat. We know when we are healthy and living in God's will in that area or we are letting foods and vanity issues have control over us. It's all about having balance and the state of your heart in the matter, girl.

I have learned over the last 2 years that God has given me a passion for working out. I love it when I do it and I need it to keep me happy and sane. I do myself and my God a disservice when I make working out a means to an end. Like, for me personally (and it may or may not be this way for you) I know feel convicted when I make my workout about looking good. I try every time I workout to make it about making my body stronger and leaner to be healthier and more comfortable in my skin, because then I can be more useful as a believer.

Things really started to make sense to me when I figured this out.

About the people not coming to your class, don't stress. Just do your thing, be your sweet, bubbly self and let your passion for what you do be the honey that attracts people. Also, maybe start offering some packages, like 3 classes a week for $10 or something. Having a once a week or month $$ transaction would lessen the focus on the cost. Or you could have packages with certain amounts of classes and the more you buy, the cheaper it gets per class. You're still making good $$ that way in my opinion.

We most definitely struggle with a lot of the same insecurities and I know how you feel! You cannot let the enemy steal your joy over stuff like this. Keep conquering temptation over sweets and unhealthy foods and keep working out but remember to keep in mind what you have now. You are one gorgeous (thin!!) girl with curves and a super cute smile! Some people are super tiny with rock hard stomachs and have other body issues that they can't control or even think about changing. You have a naturally beautiful body and a gorgeous soul so rock it out and be thankful! :)

We all need a little encouragement every now and then but that doesn't mean it's easy to hear or easy to put into practice. You're awesome and you have lead me to places (and pant sizes) I never thought I'd go. I hope this helps you even a fraction of how you've helped me!! :)

♥

Kirsty

***Also thank you to Kate and Rene who are so loyal to always comment on my posts and who always have great advice too! I love you girls! :)

Shakeology Cleanse: Final Results and Inferno Plan begins!

Well, I got up Saturday morning and before I dove head-first into that strawberry cake sitting in my fridge (ha ha), I got on the scale one last time to see what my final results were from doing the Shakeology 3-Day Cleanse. In all, I lost 6 pounds. I felt as light as air-popped popcorn and actually had a good amount of energy for having not eaten a real meal since Tuesday.
For those of you wanting to know the dirty details: I only pooped TWICE in the whole 3 days. That is a bit crazy to me. I mean...if I was getting "cleansed"...where did all the build-up go? How did it leave my body? I have to be honest, I am one of the few weird people who actually hoped I'd be stuck on the pot all day long. I mean..then I would have PROOF. Anyway...nevertheless, I'm Very happy with my results; Very happy I did the cleanse and I Very recommend it to anyone who needs a jump-start on weight loss or needs to de-clutter your intestines. :)

Now onto the "next great thing"....Today Matt and I started the 5-day Inferno Plan from the TurboFire nutrition guide. Basically it's a 5 day eating plan that is supposed to help you lose weight before you start the regular nutrition guide. We went grocery shopping yesterday for TWO FULL HOURS just to get the foods for this week M-F and ended up leaving without quinoa or alfalfa sprouts since I couldn't locate them ANYWHERE. I guess I'll just substitute brown rice for the quinoa and lettuce for the sprouts...!!??!!
I'm really not worried about doing everything 100% PERFECTLY. As long as we stick to it about 95%...I'm happy. :)

Currently my weight is at 134 and as you all know...my goal is 125. But...I like a comment someone left me on FB this past week that said "forget the #'s on the scale...pick a pair of pants you want to fit into and then aim for that".........and so I did. :) I have a really cute pair of Nike camo capris that I LOVE. They are a size small (4-6) and they've NEVER fit me comfortably. I actually wore them Saturday night and I was miserable. I had to unbutton them in order to breathe while sitting down. :( So...besides getting to 125, that is what I'm shooting for--to be able to wear these pants AND SIT IN THEM! :) I'll let you know when (not if) it happens!

In other news...can I vent a little bit?
If you don't want to hear me whine like a big baby...you can stop reading now.
okay, you've been warned!
WHAT is the DEAL with people? Everywhere I look there are overweight and obese people and yet, I'm LUCKY if I can get 5 people to show up to a fitness class these days. I know there are many factors that play into how many people come: such as time of the year, time of the class, day of the week, sport schedules, financial restraints, time constraints, etc. BUT REALLY? In my WHOLE TOWN......only 3-5 people?
I'm asking myself..."am I charging too much?" "am I a lousy instructor?" "are the classes to hard/easy?" "is everyone bored with it already?" "did I pick bad times of the day?" "do people want different types of classes?" "have I offended someone with my choice of music?"
I know with any new business, everything isn't always perfect. But this is confusing. I mean...people who started out coming strong and were super-motivated have just drifted away and actually seem to AVOID me now. Look, I am NOT JUST "Cross Training Fitness"...I am also Jennifer Jones, friend. :(
When I first started numbers were in the 3-5 people per class range...then they jumped up to 7-10 on average and things were going GREAT. Then suddenly without warning...back down to 3-5 IF I'M LUCKY. ?????????? I'm not giving up or quitting...but I just wish I knew what people wanted.
Many of the people who've stopped coming are the very ones who've poured their heart out to me about how BADLY they want to lose weight. So why have they stopped coming?

Then you've got me...falling back into the bad habit of comparing myself to fitness models thinking I will never look like that but feeling like I need to. A comment someone made about me one time that has really bothered me (for about a year now) was: "When I saw you were the instructor, I thought this class can't be very hard."
That particular day I was subbing a class for another instructor who looks like she belongs on the cover of Fitness Magazine. She's physically perfect and when people see her they worry about how CRAZY HARD the workout is going to be. So ....when people see me...I guess they think it's gonna be fairly easy because I am at least 20 pounds heavier than that girl and not NEARLY as ripped. :(
Blahhhhh..I am having a big whine fest, huh? See...a while back I created a separate blog JUST for this reason. A blog that NO ONE had access to so I could pour my heart out (no matter how goofed up it was) and no one would judge me. But then I decided that was dumb because then I was posting all the "negative stuff" on that blog and only the "positive stuff" on this blog...so I deleted it and now you guys are stuck hearing all this garbage. Sorry!

Anyway, tomorrow is a new day! :) I'm pretty sure the majority of this post didn't make much sense and probably didn't flow at all...but I just typed as the thoughts entered my head and now I am going to say "publish post" because I've gotta get up from here and get back to my housework!
Thank you so much to all my loyal readers! I really do love you all!

Hot Nacho

It's the morning of the 3rd day. I'm hungry. I want substance. However, this is the longest I've ever made it doing something like a fast or cleanse and I can't quit now! The end is SO NEAR! :)
I actually ran out of Shakeology with my last shake yesterday and was sort of fretting about what to do..and then I remembered that my mom has some samples that I gave her that she never did use, so I'm stealing them back from her and finishing out this thing. Which is why I'm SO HUNGRY right now. I'm not going over to her house to get the goods until after I take the kids to school, which means I have another hour to wait. I need to go make my green tea so I can at least have SOMETHING in my tummy.
I got on the scale this morning and it's down another 2 pounds! (5 total so far!) That's pretty amazing. If I lose even just ONE more pound, I will be down to the lowest weight I've seen in the past year. What's even more exciting is knowing that when I get done with this thing, I'm not going back to eating like Miss Piggy...but that I have a PLAN already. I am doing the TurboFire 5 day Inferno plan and planning out all our meals from the P90X, Insanity and TurboFire Nutrition Guides. Not only will that ensure that I don't gain...but I should be able to continue to lose and finally reach that elusive goal weight that I've been aiming at for nearly 7 years now.
But, to address the title of this post, I should admit that last night, after my 3rd shake-which I drank AT the ball field, I bought Brooklyn some cheese nachos. She asked me to hold them for her while she went to the bathroom. In a moment of impulse, I grabbed up the cheesiest chip and shoved it into my mouth. Blah. It wasn't NEARLY as yummy as it looked. Hooray! I'm actually kind of glad I did it...because if I hadn't, I would have been sitting there-mouth watering as I watched her eat them thinking about how I was missing out. Instead, I tasted and saw that they weren't even CLOSE to good enough for me to blow this for, and I was totally fine the rest of the time.
Of course...if it HAD been reallllly good...who knows what might have happened!?!?! :-/
Anyhow, I have to leave you with a cute story that also pertains to the title of this post.
When Grant was about 2, my uncle bought him a truck that had several buttons on it. If you pushed the red one right on the top, it played "Cotton Eyed Joe". We had that truck and listened to that song for probably a YEAR before I over-heard him singing "where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from HOT NACHO". HA HA HA He wasn't being funny either..he seriously thought those were the lyrics. Now anytime we hear that song, we all sing it that way. It's much more fun than cotton eyed joe anyway. :) Try it.

Still cleansing....

Man, it seems like it's been days since I typed that last post! It's been a long day I guess...and it's not even close to over. Grant has his 1st baseball game tonight starting at 7:45 and ending at 9:15 and it's in another town about 25 minutes from here! That is RIDICULOUS to have 1st graders out playing ball that late! He'll have to have a bath when he gets home, jammies, teeth brushed, story, prayer...by the time he gets to sleep it'll be 2 full hours past his bedtime. :(
Anyway, I feel victorious to say that I'm still hanging in there with the cleanse. I got scarily close to ditching it about an hour ago. The kids were snacking, I heated up dinner for Matt, caught a glimpse of the huge strawberry birthday cake sitting in the fridge. I took one tiny bite (a crumb really) of Brooklyn's pizza and then figuratively smacked myself in the head and said WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?! :)
So, I made up my dinner salad which consisted of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, sliced almonds and light raspberry vinagarette dressing and practically inhaled it. I haven't had my 3rd shake of the day because I'm trying to wait until around 7:30 to drink it. Since I know we'll be out late and I always get the munchies-especially if we're at the ball field-I thought I better hold off. I'm pretty relieved that I still have a "meal" coming to me. I did eat my whole banana earlier (1/2 in my shake and 1/2 plain) and I had an apple mid-morning with a few almonds. I'm eating a little more than I probably should...BUT...I'm also working out much harder and more than I should too...so I think it'll even out.
I'll tell ya...one thing they don't tell you about this cleanse is that you'll be in the bathroom ALL THE TIME. Not to poop...no, I haven't even pooped once yet...but to PEE! Seriously, between 3 shakes, 2 cups of green tea and 2 LITERS of water..I pee at least every 30 minutes!! I feel like I have a straw in my mouth about 80% of the time!
Anyway, in all, I'm really glad I'm doing this. I feel lighter and flatter already. I also feel a sense of accomplishment. The fact that I am ignoring that cake in the fridge is nearly a miracle. If you know me...I capital L. O. V. E. dessert and especially cold, moist, iced cake. OMG! But...I haven't even as much as TOUCHED it. Woot Woot!
Tomorrow will be a challenge, I expect because I will be home all day long (more tempting for me to eat) and then I have a fitness class to teach at 4:30 pm. Nevertheless, I know I can do it and I WILL do it. Beginning Saturday, it's back to P90X food/eating. No more cheesy enchiladas with chips and queso, lasagna with garlic bread and puff pastry strawberry crap. :) I'm ready to feel better by eating better. If you watch that video that I posted, you'll see what I mean...but something I just recently learned is that our bodies crave proper nutrition. When they don't get it, we eat and eat and eat trying to satisfy that need. When we eat the correct foods (or Shakeology) that persistent urge to eat all the time leaves. Our body gets what it's longing for and it's content. That makes perfect sense to me. I am excited about putting the constant struggle of wanting but restraining behind me. If I don't crave all that junk, I won't have to refrain from it all the time. Sure, I'll still have cheats every now and again...but not every day like I've gotten (back) into the habit of doing. I'm excited about the future........ are you? :)

Staring at the wall...

Do you ever have the kind of day where you are really quiet and reflective and could just sit and stare at a blank wall for hours?
I've been feeling like this for about 24 hours now. Its kind of nice because for once I'm not moving around like the energizer bunny at all times...however, it's NOT good when you have lots of things that NEED to be done. I feel like I am being rebellious against my own self right now. For the past 30 minutes I've been sitting in my office, drinking my hot green tea and staring at the little dots of sunlight that are popping through the blinds on my window. I've had facebook on the screen of my computer but have only been about 1/2way into it.
I really need to get up and get moving. I have to get the kids to school in 30 minutes, I have a fitness class to teach right after that and the house is a WRECK...and I'm still sitting here in my nightgown and slippers.
Bahh...wish I could just ditch it all for one day. I love my life...but a day off sounds magical.
Anyway, back to reality...so I wanted to mention on here that I am doing a 3 day Shakeology Cleanse. Today is Day 2. I was supposed to have 3 shakes yesterday, but somehow, I only managed to get 2 down. VERY CRAZY because I was really freaking out that 3 shakes wasn't going to be NEARLY enough to satisfy me all day, BUT, I had such a crazy busy day yesterday that I actually didn't have time to make my middle of the day one....so I ended up just skipping it. I did have an apple mid-day and a few almonds mid-morning. I also had my evening salad with 4 oz. of tuna on top. I love it that this cleanse allows you to still eat with it. You get 2 pieces of fruit a day (optional) and a salad with 4 oz. of protien and very light or no dressing each evening...in addition to the 3 Shakeology shakes a day (and 2 cups of green tea).
Anyway, the scale shows I am down 3 full pounds since yesterday morning. I'm sure some of that is just water weight. I did do a pretty intense workout yesterday morning though so hopefully some of it is real weight. Tomorrow will really tell me and then the final result will be when I weigh on Saturday morning. Of course, I'm not doing this just to lose weight. Sure..dropping some pounds will be great...but I'm trying to get my body jump-started back to clean eating as well as clean pipes. :) I also ordered myself a TurboTracker so that I can start journaling my food intake/exercise output for a little while. I need to hold myself accountable. This is what worked for me back in the beginning and I know it will work for me now too, especially since I spent $15 on this notebook!!
Anyway, I'm sure you guys probably aren't interested in all that and I should seriously get up and get going. I will hopefully be back here again very soon! :) Happy Thursday Peeps!

You need to watch this!

If you wonder what's the big deal about this Shakeology stuff...just watch this. It won't take long.

Facebook Withdrawls?!?!

Happy Easter!
If you're a friend of mine on FB, you might have seen my post this past week that said I am committing to staying OFF of facebook on Sunday's from here on out. I figure one day a week I can give my family and God my FULL undivided attention and it's very doubtful that I am going to miss out on anything. Heck, I went a whole month without getting on facebook just a couple of months ago, so surely I can abstain one day a week, right?
But surprisingly (to me)...I'm itching to get on and check it. GRANTED...there are a few reasons why. For instance...I posted something on there for sale yesterday and I'd love to know if anyone is responding to that. Also, we had family pictures taken last week and I posted a couple of them yesterday and I'd like to see if anyone has commented on them. Besides the fact that it is Easter and people are probably posting wonderful happy statuses and pictures of their little ones in their Easter dresses and suits.
BUT...I refuse to go back on my word. So...here I am, in blog land instead, and I'm plenty happy. However, if I were going to post a status or two, they would've read something like this:

How is it that we hid 155 plastic eggs for the kids INSIDE our house and can only find 152 of them? We've looked for hours...and apparently 3 have gone AWOL.

I can't believe I will be married to a THIRTY FIVE YEAR OLD in 2 days. WOW! We aren't teenagers anymore, I guess. Happy Birthday on Tuesday Matthew Paul Jones! I love you!

Instead of giving the kids Easter baskets this year, we bought them each a gift. Brooklyn got the game Clue and Grant got a Pogo-stick. Best presents we've bought them in a long time. :)

I looked through the Power 90 nutrition guide this morning. Later: Went to my mom and dad's for Easter lunch and ate like it was The Last Supper. :(

My 15 year HS reunion is in exactly 2 months and 1 week. In those 9 weeks, I DEEPLY DESIRE to lose 12 pounds and FINALLY reach my goal weight, thus making my drivers license true again! :)

Participation in my fitness classes has dropped scarily low over the past 2 weeks. I'm not sure if people are losing interest or they've all achieved their goals already (yah right.) What is going on?


Okay...that's all the status updates I would post if I was on FB. I feel better getting them off my chest! ha ha Wow, now would anyone really have benefited from reading all that? NO. I am so goofy. I'm getting off here. Time to go play some Clue with my girlie-o!