Back from the cruise

We did a good job enjoying our food and drinks on the cruise we earned our celebrity 10.. :/ despite my effort of working out 3x and walking our butts off all over the Mediterranean! 

Ugh well that's just motivation to get back to it! Lol

I want to get back in shape before starting to try for baby #3 I know it's much easier to lose weight before so I am pretty motivated. 

I was hoping my weight was mostly water.. But it's been a week.. Haha still here. 

Back to PIYO and spin I go! 

Final weigh in before our cruise

We did our final weigh in the day we left for our cruise. Amanda was 6 lbs away from her 40# goal. Dan was 3 lbs away from his 50# goal. 

We both rewarded ourselves with new clothes shoes & and swimwear for the trip. 

You would have thought we would have taken pictures.. Nope totally forgot! But we got plenty of us on our trip. 

Thanks again for all the encouragement from friends and family and neighbors for helping us get to our goals! 

32 lbs down 8 to go!

Yea I am super excited! This past weekend we went shopping for new clothes because wearing clothes that are too big is just depressing. Every week seems to get harder to get to our goals. In the beginning I said I wanted to lose 40 pounds. I am seriously 8 lbs away in 7 months!! That does sound like a lot but in reality it sucked a lot in the process due to plateaus and constant battle with eating the right food and the right amount. Lol But the great part is I have continued to lose weight and still allowed myself to have fun and let loose here and there. So that's awesome I guess. 

 Yes I'm terrible at "selfies" yes my bathroom mirror is fifthy! 

Diet: I am having trouble with this one still. I need to crack down on carbs and portions and weeknight drinking lol.. But that is life man.. Ugh I also think I need to start eating eggs for breakfast this is something I never do.. Maybe some real protein will help. 

Exercise: I have fallen in love with PIYO which is a class I take at the gym that is a mix of Pilates and yoga. 2x a week. I am also continuing to take spin with Dan 1-2x a week. And outside of that I am running 1-2x a week and doing crossfit training 3x a week. 

Crossfit 6 week workout printables:

http://www.kristendukephotography.com/workout-checklist-free-printable/

I am now more motivated than ever because I need to fit into 2 dresses I ordered for our cruise that are one size too small. I didn't do this on purpose but actually by mistake. But one dress size.. That is doable I think. It's really 1 inch around hips and waist. 

But my real motivation is this: my before pictures.. 

7 months later: 

Last month: 

Goals: 

35 lbs lost: get hair and nails done. 

40# : Go on a cruise, wear a bikini, wear clothes that fit, and have the energy to have a great vacation! 

Thanks again for all the continued support and positive encouragement from friends family and neighbors!! 

Special thanks to my neighbor Becky for keeping me on my toes and getting me up at the crack of dawn to exercise. 

Finally thanks to my hubby who is 100% in this with me and who is doing so awesome as well! I am proud of us both for not giving up and saying it is what it is. Nope we will be better, if not for ourselves, for our kids. 

29 pounds GONE! 11 to go!

Fa real! When I stepped on the wii fit scale to weigh in this past week I was so excited! Had I not endulged so much this month on booze and yummy food at pour.. I would have made it to the 30 lbs.. But you know what? That is that hardest part about trying to lose weight. Going all out and never giving yourself a break you most likely would lose it much faster, but in return you have to pass on so many of life's joys and if your not doing what makes you happy then that makes no sence, as soon as you get to a happy weight and you start to endulge again your going to be in trouble. For me it's just finding that balance. ... I haven't found it yet. But I'm going to keep trying. Sure it's discouraging when it's slow going but honestly at least I'm happy and sane.. 

Diet: just trying to focus on eating smaller portions, not over eating. I am doing a Juice Plus complete shake after exercising in the morning. A turkey wrap & veggies& dip for lunch. Dinner something low carb

Exercise: I have been running with my neighbor Becky, 2-3 times a week for 2-4 miles each day. I have a bunch of infit credits about to expire so I am trying to get to the gym this week for some cardio classes. But what I really need to to us start focusing on my arms & lower abs they are stubborn lol blah.. 

Hoping to get Dan to spinning class at least once this month. :) He has also been doing good I think up to 40# lost!  

Thanks for all the encouragement from friends! 

Progress: this months pictures: 

Still not bikini ready.. Lol 

Last months pictures: 

23 lbs down 17 to go!

Yay I got out of my plateau! I am still chugging along on this weight loss/ better me journey. I have noticed since the weather has gotten nicer it is so hard to go to the gym I would much rather be outside. So I get there when I can for spin class. I am still trying to walk/ run at least once a week. I am also doing my Pilates wii game and one other during the day when the kids are napping. 

Diet wise I am still trying to do one shake a day and as much fruits and veggies I can for snacks and meals. I need to get better at meal planning so I stop running out of food and start getting drive thru food! Ugh! Lol 

Well I am going to update my goals again: 

30# loss: getting a tattoo

40# loss: $250 new clothes! 

I really need to stay motivated so I know I really have been wanting a new tattoo so I think that will help push me. 

Here's my progress 

This month: 

20lbs down halfway to my goal!!

Made it to my 20 lb goal, so I bought a swim suit. I was going to get a new wii game but it's finally starting to get warm out so I figured I would rather go for a run or bike ride instead of staying inside. This swim suit I did purposely buy a bit in the small side to further push me. It seems to fit now but I will be so much more confident once I drop some more arm & leg weight . 

Diet: This month I honestly stopped tracking my intake on myfitnesspal and it totally showed. I did horrible with eating and cravings . I do realize that by tracking what you eat you are more aware of how much you eat regardless of  if your tracking your calories or not. So I ended up sneaking more junk and not even realize how much daily. Blah! I am going to try harder next month at this.. I'm drinking more green tea/ ginger/ dandelion root tea. In place of coffee and stuff. And try to get three of my Nalgene bottles of water a day. 

Exercise: I feel like I did pretty well at keeping up with exercising. I only ran 2x although. But I did go to 2 classes a week and on off days I tried to do my wii fit for 30 mins. I have also got into spinning class and I am hoping to try to get to that 2x a week. It's such a great workout! 

I have also been doing a plank and push-up challenge so far so good. Working up to build those core and arm muscles. The kids enjoy "working out" with me too. :)

Me and cade doing wii Zumba.

Progress: 

Last months pictures: 

Not much progress this month as far as measurements go except in my upper thighs, that's still better than gaining it somewhere so ok in my book woop! 

I feel like I need to get back to walking or running in the mornings to keep me in check for the rest of the day. That seemed to work well. If only I could get my lazy butt out of bed in time to do it.. :/ Maybe once the weather is nicer I will be able to bring the kids on a walk or run to the park. 

Hubby has continued to lose weight as well by just watching what he eats. I hope he comes back to Gym Fredrickson soon! I miss my c25k buddy. 

18 down 22 to go!! Almost halfway there!

What? That seems so crazy to me that I actually lost 18 lbs! Just last week I was whining to Dan that I am still wearing the same freakin pair if pants yet i've lost almost 20 lbs! Life is unfair sometimes! I mean don't get me wrong those were some very well deserved pounds I was happy to say goodbye to. But I am really looking forward to wearing new pants ... Maybe next month. 

So what have I been doing? 

Diet:

 I am going to be real honest. I stick to my. 1450 caloric daily intake strictly for weeks and noticed that I wasn't gaining or losing any weight. So I had a few cheats days last week and boom my metabolism got a wake up call apparently and decided to start doing some work and boom I lost 2.5 lbs.. So this is a learning process. But seriously why does it have to be that difficult??? 

Exercise: 

Well I love Zumba but some of the instructors songs are really starting bother me and I wish she would move on to more sambas and Latin dances.. :/ I have been going once a week. I have also been going to turbo kick and boy that us a fun and challenging workout! Tonight I tried butts and guts again and all my muscles are still shaken, I think that's a good thing but man that class sure makes me feel weak! I guess that's more reason to keep going back.. Another new thing I am doing is MWF I am doing 45 mins in the morning on the wii fit yoga and strength training. I really love how it tells you how your doing but I am already getting bored with it at the same time.. I am looking into getting a new game to try. 

Goals:

After 5 lbs lost: Get my nails done. 

After 10 lbs lost: Treat myself to a day at The Float Tank!

After 15 lbs lost: Buy a new workout outfit

After 20 lbs lost: Treat myself to a massage!

After 30 lbs lost: New Haircolor & Cut!

After 40 lbs lost: $200 spree for new clothes

Well I got new shoes and done new workout clothes. I actually got a massage while I was at the float tank. So I will need to assign a new 20 lb goal.. Maybe it will be to buy that new wii workout game !! 

Here are this months pictures: 

Last months: 

12 lbs down 28 to go!!

Well I finally made it to my 2nd goal of 10 lbs off. I tell ya those were some tough pounds to lose. But once I lost them it seemed to happen overnight and then a couple more too! 

So what have I been doing? 

Diet:

 I have been just trying to keep to my 1600 a day and eating at least all my daily amount of fiber. I am still trying to do 1 green smoothie a day usually for lunch. 

Exercise: 

We switched from running at night to going first thing in the morning, that seems to be helping and getting it out of the way in the morning is great for stressful days- no more excuses were too tired by night! I had been going to Zumba 2x a week as well and some other random classes here and there. Until lol I pulled a ligament in my abdomen :/ so I had to take a week off. Then we all got sick and I got a terrible fever - and sweat out 2 lbs. 

New month I am starting a new program for diet and exercise: 

I read the digest diet book and thought I would give it a try. 3 things that drew me to this diet was: 1) it encourages 1 glass of red wine a night at dinner, 2) dark chocolate :) and 3) it focuses on MUFAS & PUFAS eating healthy fats to lose fat.. And it's 21 days long and comes with all the recipes and shopping lists. 

Today was day 1: I am on the "fast release" stage you drink 2 shakes a healthy size snack and then soup for dinner. You do this for 4 days along with 45 mins of walking in the morning, and 3 -(1 min) energizers sporadically throughout the day. 

So far I am liking it and look forward to stage 2! 

Here is a refresher of my weight loss goals & rewards; 

Goals:

After 5 lbs lost: Get my nails done. 

After 10 lbs lost: Treat myself to a day at The Float Tank!

After 15 lbs lost: Buy a new workout outfit

After 20 lbs lost: Treat myself to a massage!

After 30 lbs lost: New Haircolor & Cut!

After 40 lbs lost: $200 spree for new clothes

Looks like I should be making my float tank appt and only 3 lbs short of a new workout outfit! Woop! 

This months pictures:

Last months pictures: 

Update on hubby's weight loss progress: he has lost 25# and is doing amazing, I am very proud of us both! :) 

Thanks everyone for cheering us on! 

7 lbs down 33 to go!!

Yay we survived one month to a healthier us! 

Exercise: 

We have continued our 3x a week C25K work out together. It has been getting easier gradually. I am happy to say I survived week 4 and that is 3x running 5,4,& 3 minutes at a time lol 

I have also been doing very well at taking 1-2 Zumba classes a week. I love Zumba so that's not hard. 

Diet: 

I have officially finished my 30 green smoothie challenge and I honestly loved it. Yes, there were days when my concotion did not turn out well but overall  it was good. I especially liked it because I really hate eating salad and this was a good substitute for getting those greens in. So I will continue to make some weekly. 

I gave up the detox water after a week mainly bc it took up too much space in the fridge. I just started adding lemon juice to my water tumbler at every refill. 

I started drinking green tea in place of coffee (most days) and hope to start drinking matcha green tea soon! 

I am still juicing here and there and I also am trying out dr oz's vegetable broth drink with lunch or in between lunch and dinner. 

My progress: So excited after 1 month I have lost 7 lbs and 2 inches around my waist .5" around my arms and .5" around my thighs!! Woop! 

I missed my goal reward at -5 lost so I will go all out at the float tank once I lose my 10 lbs hopefully before my birthday in a week! 

Hubs Progress: he lost 10 lbs in a month and idk measurements I doubt he measures himself lol. 

This months photos: 

 Last months photos: 

What totally has helped me keep motivated on days when I feel like things are just not happening fast enough is encouragement from my mom, and freiends who are on myfitnesspal and my new group fitness buddie! I really appreciate them doing this with me and I can't wait till we can all celebrate our healthier selfs! Keep up the great work ladies!