How's it going? Living and Active Week 1

As you know, I started a fitness challenge through Peak313.  So far so good!

Here was my plan from last week:  (I crossed off what I actually did)

M- Shoulders and Abs/ 30 min- eliptical
T- Off
W- Bikini Cardio from ToneItUp
TH- Clare's Crazy Cardio and Ab Routine- I actually ended up not working out that day.  Life got in the way!
F- Chest and Triceps/ 30 min Eliptical- my timing was all off and it ended up raining cats and dogs when I was supposed to go workout. This meant Karena and Katrina's HIIT the Beach 2 at home.  Still a good workout :)
SA- Back and Biceps/ 30 min Eliptical- I actually did my chest and triceps workout instead
SU- Leg Day/ Treadmill Tabata- This ended up being back and biceps from Saturday plus 20 minutes on the stair mill. Holy wow!  That thing is a killer!

Eating-

I've been logging all of my food onto MyFitnessPal.  This week, I want my focus to be on eating enough healthy veggies....less starches.  

Spiritual-  

Memorized Ecclesiasties 4:12....and quoted it all through my workouts.  I've also been keeping up with my daily bible study, which is so helpful and motivating :)

How was your week???

Living and Active!!

I am so excited!  And I'll tell you why....

I love love love Clare.  I found her website through Candace Cameron Bure's website, and immediately bookmarked it.  I read it all the time.  She is a wealth of knowledge regarding fitness and nutrition AND she lives out her faith through her ministry in fitness.  

She has started her 2nd Living and Active 5 week Challenge and I'm participating!!  I love a good challenge.  

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My plan for this week:

Exercise-  I've been cycling through Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer again.  I love those workouts and love the results I see when I'm weight training.  I plan to continue with those and up my cardio this week.  So my week will look something like this:

M- Shoulders and Abs/ 30 min- eliptical
T- Off
W- Bikini Cardio from ToneItUp
TH- Clare's Crazy Cardio and Ab Routine
F- Chest and Triceps/ 30 min Eliptical
SA- Back and Biceps/ 30 min Eliptical
SU- Leg Day/ Treadmill Tabata

Whew...I'm tired just thinking about it.  BUT, it must be done.  Non-negotiable.

Eating-  I've been keeping track of my calories on My Fitness Pal.  I plan to continue with that, staying in my recommended caloric range each day.  This is the hardest part for me, so I'm interested to see my results from really keeping track.

Spirital- I love that she included this aspect in the challenge. This is the most important part, to me!  My goal is to do my daily bible study each day and work on scripture memory (Soul Food).

Ok....there's the plan.  I'll check back in on Monday!!

Good morning from Day 1 of vacation!

Hello Bloggers!

It's Saturday morning and I'm laying in bed waiting for everyone to wake up. I figured I'd update you with my eating progress. We left yesterday after breakfast so I had to eat a few meals on the road:

M2/M4: a bag of Smartpop from the gas station. Did you know this bag has 2.5 servings? Something to watch out for when you're snacking. Portion control is key!




M3- We stopped at Subway and I got a salad with Turkey, veggies, and some sweet onion sauce. I also had some baked lays.



LSU! My alma mater :). If you squint, you can see it. Haha.




M4- rest of the Smartpop and some Oreos :(. Boo. I'm hoping to really curb my sugar cravings soon.

M5- The husband and I went to mcAlisters. I got a garden salad and 1/2 of a chicken salad sandwich.



I'll update later with Today's progress!


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On changing

I think I left off posting my meals while on vacation at the beach.  Oops!  I've set up a mini-challenge for myself.  I'm about to leave for Disney World (again) and I'm determined to eat healthy while there.  My goal is to post ALL of my meals online.  We normally get a meal plan while there, so I'll be eating at a wide range of restaurants.  Follow me on my journey!  I'll try to update this blog each day with my meals, but I'll probably post more on my Instagram account: @tamaratonesitup

My body is changing.  That's a good thing!  But here's what you need to know.  My weight has stayed right around the same range.  I think this is important to note.  I feel stronger, leaner, and I just feel better physically- no more sleepiness or icky feeling.  But my weight has barely changed.  My clothes are looser.  I can fit in smaller sizes.  But my weight has barely changed.  

Hear this loud and clear:  THAT NUMBER ON THE SCALE DOESN'T MEAN MUCH!  

Sure, it's an indicator of some things, but it's not a measure of health.  

Here's what I'm focusing on now:

1) My arms are looking great.  I'm really happy with their progress.
2) My legs are toning up.  This is probably the first time in my life that's ever happened!
3)  I don't feel the need to take a nap every day.  I still get sleepy some days, but I'm able to power through it.
4) I'm a morning person now!  I wake up at 6 and get going with a workout!
5)  I'm constantly asking myself how my digestion is doing....I think this is a better indicator of health than weight or even clothing size.
6)  I'm focusing more on doing the best things for my body and less on what I'm doing that's "wrong."

I think #6 is the biggest one for me.  I used to beat myself up because I'd have one bad meal.  Or I'd miss 1-2 days working out and feel like a loser.  Since I started eating cleaner, lifting some weights, and walking/eliptical at the Y, I don't worry about that stuff anymore.   

I guess, in a way, I'm looking at myself through a different lens.   Focusing on what I love vs. what I dislike.  Reminding myself that I am made for a purpose...fearfully and wonderfully made.  
I'm not sure if this is making any sense, but I want you to know that the moment I quit caring about the scale was probably the moment my life changed for the better.  I still weigh myself, but it doesn't control me...or depress me...or excite me.  It's just a number.  

Now my new size 8 jeans.....those excite me!  

Eating on vacation

It's been a while since I've updated my attempt at healthy living. I'm happy to report I've been doing well! The true test is yet to come, however. Family vacation is upon us and that is always so hard for me! Lots of cookies and chips and all the foods I love are all around me. But I've resolved to do my best...which is not eating ANY of that stuff.

Ok. Here's my meal rundown for today:

M1- apple and water
M2- skipped due to travel in car
M3- salad at subway. I thought it would be really hard for me to skip the bread, but it wasn't! My salad was delicious. I got turkey with spinach, veggies, and the sweet onion sauce. I'm not entirely sure if the sauce is TIU approved, but it was such a small amount that I didn't worry about it.
M4- homemade trail mix- organic dried cherries, organic banana chips, and walnuts.
M5- my mother-in-law's delicious lasagna (small piece), a small bit of bread, and lots of salad.

All in all (for vacation) I'd say it was a pretty good day!

AM workout- 1.5 mile run
PM workout- Yogify level 1 balance (this is a great app if you are interested in starting yoga!).

I'll be back with another update tomorrow!


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Bleh

Today ended on a not so high note. I found myself so hungry all day that I ended up eating any and everything!! Yikes! At one point I found myself sitting with a bag of Doritos just grazing. I don't even know how that happened! The good and the bad of the situation is that I feel terrible. Like so gross. I had gluten for the first time in a long time and it just makes me feel so yuck. Hopefully, I can stay honest and update regularly to keep me accountable!

BC- 2 mile walk
M1- fruit plate with bombshell spell and water
M2- Greek yogurt, carob chips, almonds, 1 tbsp of PB2.
M3- spaghetti squash with marinara.

Then it all fell apart. I went to the store to get supplies for my daughter's birthday party tomorrow (she's turning 1!!!). I ended up snacking all afternoon on Doritos THEN we had pizza for dinner. Not on the plan.

Ugh. It was actually an ok day to begin with! Oh well. On to tomorrow.


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7DSD-A Recap

I finished the 7DSD about a week ago.  Here are my results!

Pounds lost-2.8
Inches lost- 5.75

I broke through a plateau on the scale!!  That was really exciting for me.  I'm ready to see that number drop some more.

I'm happy with those results!  I'm excited to continue on this journey.  The most important thing I think I learned from this was how to effectively implement the TIU Plan into my life.  The 7DSD is essentially a very basic, strict version of what they want you to do.  It was a good way to get started, and get into the routine of eating certain types of foods at certain times.  PLUS, I got to know some great people in the TIU community!!

Now the real challenge begins.  My daughter's birthday party is this weekend!  I'm hoping I can stay on plan as much as possible, as it is a whole weekend of fun and tons of food....yikes!  

Hopefully, I will be better now about tracking my food on here, as well as my exercise!  I'll update later tonight with my food for the day :)

7DSD Day 5

Oops! I missed a day yesterday! It was pretty much the same as every other day except I had Jasons Deli for dinner.

Here's today's rundown:

M1- slim down scramble
M2- grapefruit with stevia
M3- went to a party and I had a little sandwich, a salad, and some fruit.
M4- carrots and hummus
M5- tilapia and asparagus

I won't say I'm enjoying the slim down as much as I'm learning from it. It's really hard because its very low on salt and seasoning, so that's hard for me. BUT. I have noticed weight just falls off when I cut back on salt. Yesterday, after I had Jasons Deli, I noticed how puffy I felt...and I'm pretty sure it was water retention. So that's something to learn from! I will write up my final thoughts on everything when I'm done on SUNDAY!!


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7DSD Day 3

Grrr. I can honestly say I did great with my eating today.

But all I wanted was a donut.

Okay. Enough wishful thinking.



M1- slim down scramble and bombshell spell
M2- 1/2 grapefruit and stevia
M3- salad with spinach, kale, carrots, mushrooms, and turkey
M4- protein smoothie
M5- grilled tilapia, quinoa, and asparagus



BCWO- I ran for 1.5 miles and Walked another half. I'm really enjoying these early morning workouts!
PMWO- arms day at the gym!

I do have to confess: I dropped another pound! Eeeeeeek! Today I saw a number I haven't seen since before I was pregnant. It's really motivating to see progress. It makes me feel like my hard work is finally paying off. I feel like I've been working so hard since February/March to no avail. I guess my body just needed time to adjust. So don't give up! Results take time!

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7DSD Day 2

Woop woop! Trucking right along with the slim down!


M1- protein pancake with agave and blueberries
M2- grapefruit with stevia
M3- another super food salad!
M4- protein shake
M5- leftover fish and broccoli

BCWO- 2 mile walk
PMWO- 30 minutes on the eliptical and St. Tropes workout! Loved that one. Lots of good core work.



On to tomorrow!

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Day One of the 7 Day Slim Down

Success!!!

Today, I had one of the best eating days I've had in about 2 weeks. Y'all don't know!

Anyway, I weighed in and took my measurements. I was surprised that my weight hadn't climbed up like I expected. So that was a good start to the day!

Ok, here's my daily journal:

AMWorkout- 30 minute walk around the 'hood.
M1- Bombshell spell, slim down scramble
M2- half a grapefruit with stevia
M3- superfood salad: 2 cups kale, beets, quinoa, carrots, celery, and goji berries. Topped with 1 tbsp. of balsamic
M4- protein smoothie (this was soooooo yummy!)
M5- I finally found a fish I like! Broccoli with lemon- rosemary cod.




Right now, I'm working on finishing up my water intake for the day and relaxing in the recliner :).

Happy Monday Kittens!



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This is so hard!

Ugh. I've eaten terribly. We went to a family reunion for the 4th of July and the weekend. Ice cream....hot dogs....chicken nuggets....French fries....

I'm trying to decide if I should give myself a pass, or not.

Either way, the 7 day slim down is calling my name! Starting tomorrow! Time to review my goals and plan for the week ahead :)


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Day 1

Well, I don't know what I was thinking starting this thing today.  I'm packing to go on a trip, and have a headache and woke up late, so none of my plans are working out!!  

Here's the rundown of eating so far:

M1- Cherry Pie Larabar

M2- skipped

M3- Meximelt, Crunchy Taco Supreme, and Dorito Locos Tacos...

M4- TBD

M5- TBD

Missed my morning workout

No time for an afternoon workout.

But my nutrition plan is all printed and ready for highlighting and tabbing!  That counts, right?

I'll update tomorrow....hopefully with better news.

Putting it all out there

Ok friends!  It's a new chapter.

Mark and I have been eating really well these past few weeks, but I felt like I needed to continue making some changes.  As an early birthday present (happy birthday to me!), we agreed that I could buy the Tone It Up nutrition plan!  Yippee!!  I've recommended their website on here a little bit.  I've been doing their workouts, and eating healthier, but I felt like I needed a little push.  Know what I mean?

Anyway, I downloaded The Plan this morning and let me tell you, I am excited!  I'm also a little nervous.  Is that normal?  Anyway, one of the things my "trainers" encourage people to do is to keep a daily journal to hold themselves accountable.  When I started this portion of my blog, I didn't really want to post here daily, but I don't want to go out and buy a new journal or start a whole new blog either.  So, my hope is that I can keep track of my meals, workouts, and progress on this page.  

I'll be kickstarting next week off with a 5 day plan to jump start my nutrition!  I'm a little scared...

Anyway, one thing Tone It Up is big on is visualization and goal setting.  We know how I love a good goal.  But they really encourage you to get specific with your short-term and long-term goals.  So, here goes.

Next Week Goals (starting tomorrow):
- Complete the 5DSD
- Meal plan for the upcoming week
- Meal prep on Sunday for the following week
- Plan all workouts and complete them as planned (account for different activities during the day)

Monthly Goals for July:
- Eat more veggies
-Stick to meal plan and food budget (one area I'm hoping this will help is my grocery budget!)
-Keep up with journaling progress and check-ins

3 Month Goals (to be reevaluated in October):
- Run 3 miles on a regular basis
- Keep track of weight lifting, for progress reasons
- cut down on eating out (limit to once a week.  This will require me to stick to our meal plan and budget)

6 Month Goals (to be reevaluated in January):
- loss of 15 pounds
- running regularly
-stretching regularly
-meal planning and meal prepping are part of my weekly/daily routine

Ok.  Those are all the goals I have for now.  Are you trying anything new?  What are your goals? They may not be associated with getting healthy, but we all have something we want to do.  

I think it's also important to know your limits.  For me, I can't plan more than one week ahead.  My long-term goals are more general...things I want to accomplish in the big picture.  So, each week, I'll have to think in terms of those goals and what I can do that week to meet them.

I'll close until tomorrow.  Wish me luck as I go grocery shopping and do my first official food prep!

***I am not an expert.  All health/medical questions should be directed to your health-care professional.  This is simply a record of my experience and what is working for me.****

Exciting times!

Today!  I saw a number on the scale I haven't seen in 2 years!!!!  That's so exciting!

I'm still trucking along with eating clean and working out.  I've modified my workout schedule to do weight training one day, cardio the next.  

I alternate my weight training days between legs and arms and just workout the entire muscle group on one day.  It's going well so far, and I don't feel like I'm spending my entire day working out.  That was the problem I was running in to a few weeks ago.  

I'm excited to finally see some progress on the scale!  I felt like, for a while there, I was working out and eating right, but not seeing any results other than losing inches- which is ok- but that eventually plateaus.

As far as eating goes, I've made a few changes there:

1) I've tried to cut out gluten as much as possible.  I did some reading on my thyroid issue, and read that gluten is one of the worst things you can eat if you have any sort of autoimmune disorder.  You can find lots of good info here and here on eating to manage autoimmune diseases.    I also bought the book Practial Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.  I wouldn't say I'm completely on the paleo train, but she has lots of good info about digestion, and how food affects your body.  She also has easy recipes.

2) I've really scaled back on my dairy.  I had cut back a few months ago, but that dairy is hard to give up.  I mean...no cheese???  That's so hard.  I do have milk occasionally if I eat corn flakes in the morning.  I think I can tolerate dairy pretty well, so having it every once in a while- and really making it every once in a while- has been ok. 

3)  I said goodbye to processed foods.  I even started making my own condiments.  Seriously, homemade mayo and ketchup are sooooo good.  I don't want to go back.

4) I said a mostly-goodbye to grains.  I still eat corn and corn flakes every now and then.    

5) I have really really tried to stick with this.  My husband is now on a healthy eating kick too, so this has made it a lot easier to make healthy choices.  It was hard at first, but it's gotten easier and easier as time has gone by.  I find myself wanting to make a healthier choice instead of giving in.  That's never happened before!

Putting all of this together, I'd say I've lost about 3-5 pounds that have stayed off.  I always teetered between a high number and a low number on the scale.  But now, I've moved past the low number and I haven't seen the high number in a few weeks!!  Persistence pays off, people!

Ok...I think that's all for now.  Do you have any questions???  I'd be happy to answer them!

*******Remember- I'm not a health professional.  If you have medical concerns, you should go talk with your doctor.  The information here is only what has worked for me.    

Inches lost

I'm seriously still debating over whether or not I want to do this....eeek!!!  I took my measurements last week...more eeekkkk!!!  I was not happy, but willing to accept my starting place.  

Last week (in inches):
Bust- 40
Waist- 37
Hips- 43
Right Arm- 13
Left Arm- 13
Right Leg- 24 
Left Leg-25


This week:

Bust- 38
Waist- 33
Hips- 42
Right arm- 12.5
Left arm- 12.25
Right leg- 23
Left leg- 23

Total inches lost: 11.25!  Holy cow!

My scale didn't budge one bit.  In fact, I think it says I weigh more.  I'm not quite ready to share my weight yet.

Anyway, this was truly the result of diet change.  Healthy, clean eating 90% of the time.  It's weird to see that kind of progress, and it not be on the scale.  BUT, I'll take it!

For reference, in case you are taking your own measurements:

-I measured in the same clothes I wore last week.
-I measured at the same time of day.
-I measured where I was the fullest in each part.  

You can google lots of good articles on how to take your measurements if you need more info.  

Good luck!

The Journey Begins...again...

Do you ever feel like you're constantly starting over?  I have come to a point in my life where I'm just tired of doing that.  I think living that way makes you feel like you don't have a life...which is not true.  I have been really convicted that life is in the here and now, not yesterday or tomorrow.   In order to meet my April goals, I've found a few resources that are helping me out so much right now.

1)  SheReadsTruth- This website offers daily devotional material for their current bible study.  If you have the YouVersion app on your iPhone, then you can access their devotional content right there and it will link you to the corresponding scripture!  I love it!  I'm catching up on the Ephesians bible study from waaaayyy back in October.  They always have something going on, and YouVersion always has access to it.  You can also participate in their online discussion forums for whatever day of the devo you are on.

2) Instagram-  I know this sounds weird, right!?  But I find so many good, clean, simple recipes on their.  I've started following several Instagrammers who are big on eating clean and working out.  This makes meal planning a lot easier, believe it or not!

3)  I mentioned ToneItUp in my last post.  I really like this website.  They have a new workout to do each day and they are so intense!  You can really feel the work.  They do offer a nutrition plan, but it seemed expensive to me.  One of the benefits of the website is that they have a community forum type thing.  I found that you can sign up and join there (for free) and get access to good recipes and sort of figure out how to eat from there.

As of right now, my plan is as follows:

1) Eat 5 small meals a day.  I'd normally say 5-6, but that 6th meal is really hard for me to get in. My meals consist of lots of protein, veggies, and usually one serving of a starch.
2) Workout daily- Right now, this looks like serious weight training at the gym.  Several years ago, I did a workout routine focused on weight training and I had really good results.  I'm not doing as much cardio as I normally do (which is weird), but building muscle burns more calories anyway!  Plus, I'm liking the way my arms are looking :)  On days I'm not doing weight training, I'm just walking.  That's easy and low-stress for me.  I really love walking and I do think it's the best cardio exercise as far as not wearing down your body or making you feel like you are going to die.  Plus, you can generally do it for longer than you could do another cardio exercise. I'm adding taking care of Penelope to my cardio routine because that girl has me going!
3) Sleep sleep sleep!! I am getting a good amount of sleep right now at night!  I had to reset my body clock because I was really used to taking naps during the day (leftover from the newborn baby days), but I can't really use that excuse anymore.  Plus, I was having insomnia at night, and that's not good for anyone.  Everything I've read says that sleep is one of the most important parts of your healthy living strategy.  So, if everything says that, it must be true, right???

There you have it!  I've decided to start tracking my meals on Instagram as an extra form of accountability.  So, if you need some easy meal ideas, stop on by!  My instagram account is linked on the main page of the blog :)  Keep in mind, I'm a lazy cook, so my meals will never be too involved.  If you want culinary gourmet...I'm not the gal for you.

How are your goals going?  Any progress?

Starting Out- April Goals

*****I am not a weightloss/healthy living expert or professional.  This is just my own personal journey.  Please contact your healthcaprofessional with any questions you may have.****

I have debated for a long time whether or not I wanted to blog about getting healthy and losing weight.  I think, a lot of times, it comes from vanity...people wanting others to know how good they are doing and to get pats on the back for that.  I also think that a large majority of weight loss/healthy living blogs come from a place of needing some sort of accountability.  And that's where this one is coming from.  For far too long, I have lived my life in short spurts of discipline.  Do you do that too?  I'll eat really well, work out regularly, do all the things I'm supposed to do for about 2 weeks, then I'm off the wagon and starting over. 

I'm so tired of starting over.   And that's where this journal comes in.  Hopefully, writing in it each day will help keep me on track 90% of the time (gotta give ourselves a break sometimes, right?).

To start it off, I decided to post some healthy living goals for the month of April:

1) Walk each morning.  Penny and I have started taking a jaunt around the neighborhood.  It's been really fun and I would like to keep that up.
2) Bible study each morning.  This is critical to making any sort of change in my life...in any area of my life.
3)  Eating Lean, Clean, and Green!  I discovered this website and that is their motto for eating.  So, lean clean, and green it is!!

I figure that's a good start to meeting some of the long term goals I have.  What are your goals for this month?  Any new things you are trying?