Let’s Get Healthy…and let’s look DARLING when doing it! ;)

So if you’ve been reading the blog for awhile, you know that EVERY YEAR I gain 15-20 pounds.  And EVERY YEAR I lose the 15-2o pounds.  Is it stupid?  Yes.  Mind-boggling?  Yes.  INSANE, even?  HECK YES.  But it’s just what I do.  I know (believe me I know) that I should just eat better and exercise regularly so I never gain that much weight each and every year.  And every year, after I lose the weight, I vow that I’m not going to gain it back.  But every year I do.  Sigh.  (Sidenote: When I was pregnant with Carter I only gained 17 pounds….and I typically do that in a regular year WHEN I’M NOT GROWING A TINY HUMAN!)

So, last year I took y’all on the weight loss journey with me by writing about my exercise and food choices during that time.  I’ve had several requests this year for a link to that journey, but I had taken it off the blog, so I just e-mailed it directly to those people.  I thought others might want to read about it as well, so you will be able to read through it at the bottom of today’s post if you are interested!

But before you get to see what I did last year, I thought we could take a minute to talk about active wear with Nordstrom.  It was about a year and a half ago that they first asked me to talk about active wear, and that was the first time IN MY WHOLE LIFE I had ever even thought about purchasing cute work out gear.  Before that, I would always just wear college tees and running shorts.  But I purchased some Zella gear for that first post, and I’ve been hooked ever since.  Their LIVE IN LEGGINGS are life changing.  And ladies, I know I tend to have a flair for the dramatic.  But I’m not being dramatic.  You are going to love these leggings.  Readers even tell me that they now prefer their Zella gear to Lululemon.  Which is apparently A BIG DEAL.  Not that I would know.

Here I am in my newest Zella gear.  I have tons of different Zella pieces, but this is the first time I went with a kind of over-sized shirt.  And I loved it!

similar Nike sports bra / another sports bra option with incredible reviews / zella side tie top / zella live-in crop leggings / similar Nike Free shoes / Kate Spade mini studs

These mini studs are PERFECT to wear when working out and going to the pool.  I wear them other times as well (a lot!), but I only reach for studs when in work out gear or a swim suit.  Any other earrings besides a stud makes me feel silly.

I wanted to give you a shot of the back as well.  I’m wearing a medium in this tee (so I sized up).  It fits very generously and I love that it covers my backside.  I sometimes still have on my active wear during the day when running errands or picking Carter up from school, so I prefer for the hiney to be covered.  #yourewelcomeeverybody  If you want the sizing to be a little more fitted (the medium does fall off of my shoulder every so often, but I actually don’t mind the flash dance look), I would recommend sticking with your regular size.  Also, If you see the picture of the top on Nordstrom’s site, you’ll see how it’s also made to tie on one side if you wish.

Here’s a close up of the pants.  I’m wearing a small, so they are true to size.  The reviews online seem to be a bit mixed on these particular pants, but I love them just as much as I do all of my other Zella pants, and that’s a lot! The fit is perfection, they stay up during a work-out, and the color and the pattern are both so much fun!

I know it might sound crazy, but when I know I get to put on some cute gear, it helps get me motivated to get dressed to work out…and just getting dressed is more than 1/2 the battle!  Plus, when you start looking more fit and trim in the work out gear, there’s more motivation right there!  Just click on what you are interested in:

 

I had Chris take a couple of pics before I ran to the grocery store so you could see how I look when running around town in this outfit.  I just threw on my sunglasses and cross body (this one is from the same maker without the basket weave and headed out!

When I got back, Chris and Carter were playing some soccer in the front yard, so I hopped in for some fun too. I looked like a complete dweeb in the action shots Chris took, so none of those made it to the blog today.  Maybe I’ll do a blooper reel soon!

Since this pic was taken, Carter has lost ANOTHER tooth.  That makes 3 top teeth in 2 weeks!

And one more look at the pants.  Don’t they make you want to get up and work out?!?  😉  And my shoes are last year’s version of THIS shoe.

Nordstrom has several active wear and yoga lines that they carry, but my love for Zella runs deep!  Here are some other favorite Zella pieces.

 

And here are some pieces from some of their other lines.  Thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post!

 

So we’re almost to my journey from last year…but THIS SALE is too good to not talk about right now.   If you are one of those that likes to get your shopping done early…use these new markdowns on KENDRA SCOTT items and mark Mother’s Day off your list! And think about how THRILLED your child’s teacher would be to get a Kendra Scott piece for an end of the year teacher gift!  23 items are 33-50% OFF (WITH FREE SHIPPING!), and here are just a few!  Click HERE for everything included in the sale.

dani earrings (abalone now sold out, but teal still available) / corley earrings / station necklace / dylan necklace / bracelet

And finally…..as promised, the rest of this post is my weight loss journey from last year!  The text and pics that are included are simply cut and pasted from my posts last year.  Because of how it was written then, Week 1 is actually found at the bottom of the post.  So, scroll down and then read up if you want to see the progression.

LAST YEAR’S GET HEALTHY JOURNEY

I’m not recommending that anybody do what I’m doing.  I’m just going to be reporting what I am doing and what is working for me.  I’m not an expert, and I know this.  If I was an expert, I’m sure I wouldn’t find myself in this predicament of having to drop 20ish pounds every single year in the spring now would I?!?!  🙂  I’m just doing what works for me, and I’m going to share what I do with y’all!  Let’s get to my results!

WEEK 11 UPDATE!

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS for 11 WEEKS =  20.4 pounds!!!!!  WooHooooo!
I CRACKED 20 POUNDS!!!!!!!!  Somebody hand me a taco to celebrate!  Just Kidding.  Kind of. 😉
As you can see from my weekly totals….slow and steady is what it was all about for me.  Just think, if you start a GET HEALTHY journey today, you could be down at least 15 pounds or so by June…just in time for summer!

Week 11 Weight Loss:  1.8 pounds
Week 10 Weight Loss:  2.0 pounds
Week 9 Weight Loss: .4 pounds (Remember my goal was just to maintain this week!)
Week 8 Weight Loss:  1.8 pounds
Week 7 Weight Loss:  1.4 pounds
Week 6 Weight Loss:  1.4 pounds
Week 5 Weight Loss:  2.2 pounds
Week 4 Weight Loss:   2.8 pounds
Week 3 Weight Loss:  2.2 pounds
Week 2 Weight Loss:  2.4 pounds
Week 1 Weight Loss:  2.0 pounds

I continue to exercise 6/7 days a week with my neighbor Heather.  And at least 4/6 days we do two 25 minute workout dvds back to back.

For food, I have a couple of new things to report for this week.  I found another Bolthouse dressing that I LOVE!  It’s perfect for taco salads!!!!

I also started cooking butternut squash in the microwave this week.  I would cut the squash in half, scoop out the insides, and lay it down on a plate (flesh side down) in just a little bit of water.  After popping it in the microwave for about 10 minutes, it’s easy to scoop out and quite delicious.

A couple of days for lunch I had a bowl of the butternut squash with a side salad with one of my Bolthouse dressings!

As for the future, I’m not really trying to lose any additional weight, but I wouldn’t be terribly upset if I lost another couple of pounds….you know…for a little wiggle room.  🙂

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WEEK 10 UPDATE!

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS for 10 WEEKS =  18.6 pounds!!!!!!
WoooooooooooooooooooooHooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
And just to be clear…..MAMA IS HAVING A TACO TODAY!
WAIT.  I’M HAVING 2 TACOS AND A DR. PEPPER FOR LUNCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And then I’ll eat a super healthy dinner!  🙂
Week 10 Weight Loss:  2.0 pounds            Nothing new to report food wise.

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WEEK 9 RESULTS:
Ooops.  I accidentally erased Week 9 when updating Week 10.  Sorry!
Here’s an example of one of my dinners this week:  tilapia, roasted squash and zucchini, roasted sweet potato.
I literally cooked all 3 parts of this meal in different containers in the same oven.  All at 400 degrees.  For the fish, I sprayed olive oil Pam on a cookie sheet as well as on top of the fish.  I then sprinkled a little bit of salt and a lot of lemon pepper all over the fish.  I put the sweet potatoes on a metal pan, and I put the squash and zucchini in a pyrex.  I sprayed both the containers and the veggies with the Pam.  I sprinkled garlic powder and salt on the s and z and Kosher salt on the sweet potatoes.  YUM.  And look how fancy I am eating off of my Chinet.  #i’msofancy

And I know I told you about the new (at least new to me) Bolthouse salad dressing that a reader told me about a couple of weeks ago.  I talked about getting the Blue Cheese first and how much I love it!

Here’s what I got this week.  And it’s DELISH.

Delicious AND good for you?  Sign me up.

I’m also still drinking 1 pink lemonade SPARK a day and loving it!
Chris is drinking it too, but he found out the hard way that he should drink it at night!  If he does, he has too much energy and has a difficult time falling asleep.  I always drink it in the morning, and I never have issues….it just gives me a little extra nudge to be focused and productive!  Click HERE for the SPARK.

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WEEK 8:

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS = 16.2 pounds as of this morning!!!!  YAY!

Week 8 Weight Loss: 1.8  pounds

More of the same with food and exercise this week, but I’m particularly proud of my weight loss this week because we went to the ranch and I still did a great job of eating healthier (and I still worked out Friday morning before we left and Sunday evening after we got home)!

The one new food item I have to share with you is this salad dressing.  It’s made my Bolthouse Farms, and OH MY YUMMY.  A reader told me about it (I forgot who….but THANK YOU!), and it is DELICIOUS!  It’s a salad dressing made with Greek yogurt!
Here’s the information:
Serving Size:  2TBSP / Calories = 40 / Total Fat = 3 grams
Total Cargohydrate = 2 grams
WOW!!!!!!!!

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WEEK 7:

Okay, so before I share my results from Week 7, let me give you a little background. Heather and I were maniacs this week. We did two work-outs 6/7 days, and we did the Gamma
work-out several times.
As far as food goes, when eating healthy, I was eating VERY healthy.  Low calorie, low carb, high protein. HOWEVER.  I cheated twice this week.

I ate Big Shucks again (think fried catfish and french fries), and I ate Taco Bueno.  So I HARD CORE cheated.  This information needs to be taken into account when looking at my weight loss for the week!

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS = 14.4 pounds as of this morning!!!!  YAY!

Week 7 Weight Loss:  1.4 pounds
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WEEK 6:

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS = 13 pounds as of this morning

Week 6 Weight Loss:  1.4 pounds
This week was a slow weight loss week, even though I was super dedicated to exercise and ate super healthy all week!  BOO!  I think that some weeks are just going to be slower than others.  I’m going to try to not get discouraged and just keep on keepin’ on!  I hope to see better results next week!

Not much new to report on food.  Same old, same old.  I’m mostly continuing to eat a big salad for lunch, but when I was in a time crunch this week, I did add two new frozen entrees to my lunch rotation (instead of the salad) and I really liked both of them!

I do feel the need to pat myself on the back for a minute.  I have only “cheated” one time this entire 6 weeks.

It was actually week 5, and this is what I had:
Shrimp cocktail and fried catfish and french fries AND THE BEST TARTAR SAUCE THIS SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI.  AND THE OTHER SIDE TOO. And…just fyi, I’m having it next week too.  A girl has got to live.

But, I’ve said no to SERIOUS temptation three times now.
I’ve been to Mi Cocina twice with girlfriends, and both times I got an appetizer portion of ceviche (shrimp, avocado, mango, cilantro, purple onion, and lime juice).  It’s delicious, but let’s be real, it’s not soaked in sour cream sauce or queso.  It also needs to be about 7x bigger than it actually is to fill me up.  🙂

I also sat right beside my hubby and kid the other night while they ate pizza from Brother’s.  I ate roasted chicken ,a salad, and 1/2 a sweet potato.  GO. ME.

As far as the exercise goes,  my neighbor Heather and I are ANIMALS.  ANIMALS I TELL YA!  #highfiveheather

We are soooo flipping dedicated and continue to do two T-25s most days.  And we are making it a point to do the Gamma Cardio (the one where I think one or both of my lungs are going to collapse) 3 x per week.

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WEEK 5:

TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS =  11.6 as of this morning
*And I would again like to state, that I have NO DOUBT that I’m gaining muscle, so it actually feels to me like more than 11.6 pounds! 🙂

Week 5 Weight Loss:  2.2 pounds

WEEK 5 FOOD
Well, it seems that I’m horrible at remembering to take pictures of my food.  I’m eating a lot of the same stuff over and over, but I’m always a creature of habit when I’m trying to lose weight, and I tend to stick to foods I’ve had success with in the past.  Taco Salad is a GO TO for me that I eat probably twice a week.  Sometimes I eat it with fajita chicken, sometimes I eat it with taco meat, and sometimes I don’t have any meat and only have black beans in it.  I’ve also started adding several spoonfuls of fire roasted canned corn!  Yum!  The rest of my salad consists of mixed greens, tomatoes, 1/2 a small avocado, purple onion, cilantro and a small handful of tortilla strips.
For dressing I use a small amount of  Low Fat Wish Bone Italian Dressing, several shakes of red wine vinegar, and several spoonfuls of my low fat sour cream and salsa mixture.  I’m telling you, it’s heavenly.

I ate this for lunch one day.  I needed some carbs and the chewy pot stickers and rice hit the spot! And BONUS, only 280 calories!

We went to grab burgers for Chris’s moms birthday (only a month late) at Fuddrucker’s.  But I didn’t have a burger. Or fries. Or Cheese Sauce.  OH THE WILL POWER. Somebody give me a freaking gold star or something!  😉
Instead I had their Napa salad (hold the blue cheese), and I brought my own dressing.  It had romaine, grilled chicken, dried cranberries, and grapes!  It was actually really good!  I mean, it wasn’t fries dipped in cheese, but it was still good.  🙂

Looks like I ate a lot of salads this week. This is my Caribbean chicken salad I make at home: lettuce, teriyaki chicken (recipe below on week 1), mandarin oranges, pineapple, avocado, dried cranberries, and low fat honey mustard dressing

Twice this week we ate grilled teriyaki chicken (again, recipe below on week 1), squash and zucchini (we cook it in a foil packet on the grill just tossed in a little bit of the low fat italian dressing, salt, and garlic powder), and 1/2 a baked sweet potato (cut up in chunks and cooked at 400 degrees for like 30 minutes).

I’ve also become a big fan of protein shakes.  Big. Huge.  My shakes include:  1 Greek Yogurt (100 calories) I use a different flavor each time, 1/2 a cup of almond milk, 1 scoop of protein powder, and like a cup of frozen (slightly defrosted fruit).  My favorite frozen fruits for the shake are cherries and mangoes.

Other meals I ate this week (but forgot to photograph):
shrimp fajitas with corn tortillas and a side of black beans, turkey sandwich, pork tenderloin (with sweet potatoes and green beans).

WEEK 5 EXERCISE

Heather (my neighbor) is still working out everyday with me, and I’m so grateful for her support!
I’m really loving T-25 and the results it’s giving me.  You can find the T-25 DVDs HERE.  We are working out 5 days per week (sometimes 6), and most days we try to do to work-outs back to back.  Usually a toning video of some sort, and then an aerobic video.  On the days we only have time for 1 work-out, we do Gamma speed.
And every time we do it, I think one or both of my lungs might collapse.  Still, I’m getting better!
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WEEK 4:

TOTAL Weight Loss = 9.4 as of this morning!!!!!!!!

Week 4 Weight Loss 2.8 pounds!!!!  WooHoo!!!!!!

Okay, so my week 4 update is kind of lame.  I did not take pictures of food this week because I didn’t have any new foods to share!  I’ll do better this coming week!  Heather and I continue to do T-25 consistently 6 days per week…and we do 2 in a row at least 3 days a week.

The weight is coming off slower than it used too (THANKS A LOT MOTHER NATURE!), but it’s still coming off, and I know if I keep at it I will eventually reach my goal!  I officially started this journey on January 17th making better food choices, and I started working out January 20th.  So, February 17th is actually the official 1 month mark, and I’m really hoping I’ll be at an even 10 pounds by then!

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WEEK 3:
Week 3 Weight Loss:  2.2 pounds

TOTAL Weight Loss = 6.6 THIS WAS A BIG WEEK FOR ME!

Even though I “only” lost 2.2 pounds this week, my clothes are definitely starting to feel different, and making the healthy choices at each meal is also starting to become easier for me!  I’m used to losing more like 3 pounds a week (when I’ve done this in year’s past), but I feel confident that this time I’m building muscle (which I never did before).  I feel like I’ve hit my groove and I’m really happy about where I am right now.  

First and foremost, I don’t have to unbutton my pants the second I walk in the door. Oh, and I don’t feel like I’m going to sprain a wrist when I’m fastening my bra. So there’s that. #winning

WEEK 3 EXERCISE:
My next door neighbor Heather continues to  help and motivate me during this journey!  To keep things easy and not waste a lot of time, we’ve been using her T-25 DVDs and just working out at home.  THANK YOU HEATHER!!!!!
Sunday we did 2 T-25s:  Beta Upper Body and Gamma Speed 3.0

Monday we did 2 T-25s:  Beta Rip’t and Beta Core Cardio
We skipped Tuesday for a myriad of reasons.
Wednesday we did 2 T-25s: Beta Upper Body and Beta Speed 2.0
Thursday we did 1 T-25: Gamma Speed 3.0 (And I’m pretty sure I almost died.)
And we are scheduled to do 2 today (Friday):   Alpha Total Body and Beta Speed 2.0
Y’all.  I’m getting soooooooooooo much better at doing these work-outs.  My endurance has really increased, and for the first time in my life I’m not just losing weight, I’m actually TONING!  WooooooHooooooo!
2 1/2 weeks in and I’m a big believer in the program.  My body is definitely changing.  You can find the T-25 DVDs HERE.  The genius behind these work outs is that they are only 25 minutes long.  The program combines cardio with strength training (which is great!), and I’m liking the convenience of it all for sure.  Heather and I have been doing 2 a day many days just because we wanted fast results, but I’m sure at one point we’ll start doing just 1 a day in the future.

Oh, I almost forgot….I’m also going up and down my stairs during the day.  I do it in sets of 5, and I try to get 4 sets in each day. It may sound like not a lot, but by the time I get back to the bottom of the stairs the 5th time in a set, I’m definitely breathing heavy and my heart rate is elevated.

WEEK 3 FOOD:
I’m not going to share with you every single meal I ate, but I am going to share some of my favorites from the week.
Again, I have only been drinking water.

Chris was out of town over the weekend, and this was my dinner one night.
The Lean Cuisine taquitos I talked about in week 1 with my light sour cream and salsa mixture.  I also had a salad with Ken’s Lite Creamy Caesar dressing (maybe my favorite light dressing ever).  My salad had mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, purple onion, grilled corn leftover from the previous night’s dinner, and 1/2 of a small avocado.

One day I came home in the afternoon and thought I might eat a decorative throw pillow.  Instead, I fixed myself a variety of healthy snacks on one of Carter’s divided plates (portion control ya’ll!). Fresh Blueberries, some of my favorite Hummus (also talked about Week 1), some fresh veggies, and about 3/4 of a cup of Trader Joe’s white cheddar puffs.  And that pink drink is my Pink Lemonade SPARK!

Here’s what the white cheddar puffs look like in case you want to buy them!  They are DELISH!
Serving Size 2.5 cups / 130 calories / 5 grams of fat / 20g carbohydrates
I consider these a treat, but OH MY WORD I love them!

I’ve also been drinking shakes in the afternoon as a snack. They always have a serving of Greek Yogurt in them (100 calories), with about a 1/2 a cup of frozen mangos, some water to make it easier to mix, and some ice to make it super cold and frothy.  My favorite combo is the black cherry  yogurt with the frozen mangos.
I’ve also put some protein powder and chia seeds in it from my neighbor’s house a couple of times.  Now I just need to order my own! Here I am one afternoon in a rare moment of solitude drinking my shake (yum!) and watching my absolute favorite tv show Fixer Upper!

My parents came over one night, and we ordered chinese food!  I absolutely adore cashew chicken, but my local Chinese place has a “healthy combo” option. It has shrimp, chicken, broccoli, baby corn, cabbage, and water chestnuts.  And the brown sauce comes on the side as well as the steamed rice. I ate what was delivered for dinner 1 night and lunch the next day, and I only ate a small portion of the rice each time.  Yummy.

I eat side salads a lot with dinner, but when I’m eating a salad as a meal, I always have some sort of protein on it.  This is my fajita chicken salad. It has a small diced up piece of fajita chicken that we grilled, tomatoes, left over corn, some canned black beans, purple onions, and 1/2 a small avocado.  I’m using the Ken’s dressing mentioned above and the tortilla strips I mentioned on week 1.

WEEK 3 Advocare Update
I’m still drinking SPARK 1 x a day, and I’m a big believer in it too!  After drinking a SPARK, I truly feel like I have more energy and better focus!  I love this stuff!  (I hear that lots of people call it Mommy Juice!)  🙂 Click HERE for the SPARK (you would be ordering it from my neighbor)!

• Available in Watermelon, Mango Strawberry, Pink Lemonade, Mandarin Orange, Fruit Punch, Grape, Citrus and Cherry
• Offered in pouches and canisters
• Sharpens mental focus*
• Fast acting and long-lasting energy*
• Contains 21 vitamins, minerals and nutrients designed to synergistically provide a healthy, balanced source of energy*
• Just 15 calories per serving

Again, I don’t know much about the science behind this, but I’m sure my neighbor Shara (who I get the SPARK through) can answer your questions!   Her e-mail for questions or orders is  sharadavis13@gmail.com   I just know that I really do feel a boost of energy without a crash!

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WEEK 2:
TOTAL Weight Loss = 4.4 pounds
Week 2 Weight Loss:  2.4 pounds
Week 1 Weight Loss:  2.0 pounds
I’ll be honest.  I’m a little disappointed.  I had lost 4.8 pounds total earlier in the week, and I stepped on the scale this morning and had gained .4 back.  BOO!  I haven’t cheated at all AND I haven’t skipped a day or our work-out plan, so it’s frustrating.  But I’m definitely just going to keep on keeping on!!!  IT WILL HAPPEN!!!

WEEK 2 EXERCISE:
My next door neighbor Heather continues to  helping and motivate me during this journey!
To keep things easy and not waste a lot of time, we’ve been using her T-25 DVDs and just working out at home.  THANK YOU HEATHER!!!!!

Monday we did one T-25 work out and ran a quick loop around our neighborhood (1/3 of a mile).
Tuesday we did one T-25 work-out and ran a quick loop around our neighborhood (1/3 of  a mile).
Wednesday we did one T-25 work-out and ran  2 quick loops (7/8 of a mile).
Thursday we did 1 1/2 T-25 work outs.
And we are scheduled to do 2 this afternoon (Friday).
The way T-25 works,  we are going to do 6 workouts per week.  On a normal week we will do 1 workout on Monday-Thursday, do 2 work-outs on Friday, and then take the weekend off.
You can find the T-25 DVDs HERE.

WEEK 2 FOOD:
I’m not going to share with you every single meal I ate, but I am going to share some of my favorites from the week.
Again, I have only been drinking water.

Here’s an example of 1 of my dinners this week.
The Lean Cusine Fajita Style Chicken Springrolls (you can see the package in the Week 1 update), with a salad  and Ken’s LITE Creamy Caesar!  Yum!  My salad was mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, purple onion, 1/2 and avocado, several spoon fulls of leftover grilled corn, and a couple of TBSP of the tortilla strip salad toppers I talked about last week.

The pink colored dip in the blue bowl is a definite favorite of mine and has been for years! It’s simply light sour cream mixed with Pace Picante Sauce.  That’s it.  And I LOVE it.  I eat it with the taquitos, but I also eat it with Nut Thins.  I just eat these instead of tortilla chips, and I’m good to go!

I forgot to take a picture, but I roasted sweet potatoes two different times this week.  I sprayed Pam on a cooking sheet, cubed the potatoes, placed them on the sheet and sprayed them again with Pam.  Then I placed a TINY bit of Olive Oil on the potatoes and mixed them up and sprinkled some Kosher salt on them. I roasted them on about 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.  And we are going to be making THESE grilled shrimp tacos next week!
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WEEK 1:

Week 1 Weight Loss = 2.6 pounds
WooHoo!  I’ll take it!

Week 1 actually started for me on Sunday (so this has been a 6 day “week”).
I started eating healthy and ONLY DRINKING WATER on Sunday. I didn’t start exercising until Tuesday.

WEEK 1 EXERCISE:
I’ve been super lucky to have my next door neighbor Heather helping me during this journey.
To keep things easy and not waste a lot of time, we’ve been using her T-25 DVDs and just working out at home.  THANK YOU HEATHER!!!!!
Tuesday we did one T-25 work-out.
Wednesday we did one T-25 work-out.
Thursday we did two T-25 work-outs!
And we are scheduled to do 2 today (Friday).
The way T-25 works,  we are going to do 6 workouts per week.  On a normal week we will do 1 workout on Monday-Thursday, do 2 work-outs on Friday, and then take the weekend off.
You can find the T-25 DVDs HERE.
You go HARD (like sitting down on a toilet without screaming is extremely challenging for me right now) for 25 minutes, but then you’re done for the day!
Heather has been the one choosing what work-outs we do each day.  She’s been saying things “alpha”, “beta”, and “core”, and I’ve just been nodding my head.  :)I’m CRAZY sore, but I’m happy with what we’ve been doing.  My heart rate has stayed up (it’s almost beaten right out of my chest every day), and I like how the dvds mix things up!

It combines cardio with strength training (which is great!), and I’m liking the convenience of it all for sure.  Here’s to hoping this program will help transform my body!

WEEK 1 FOOD:
I’m not going to share with you every single meal I ate, but I am going to share some of my favorites from the week.
Again, I have only been drinking water.

Here are 3 of my favorite things that are easy to pick up at the grocery store.
*
I use the Flatout pizza crust (only 120 calories and 1 gram of fat) to make single serve pizzas with a little bit of pizza sauce, low-fat mozzarella, turkey pepperoni, and purple onions.
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The Lean Cuisine Fajita Style Chicken Spring Rolls taste just like a taquito!  They are really tasty! You can cook them in the microwave, but I’ve only cooked them in the oven. 1 box contains 2 servings (1 serving is 3 taquitos), and they really are great!  Chris even loves them!  1 serving has only 200 calories and 3 grams of fat. The taquitos are filled with white meat chicken, corn, black beans, bell peppers, and onions.Seriously good.  I eat them with a low fat sour cream and a small side salad.
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This hummus is my new favorite!
I used to eat the Sabra hummus, but I think this is quite a bit more tasty, and it has less fat and calories.  2 TBSP has 50 calories and 2.5 grams of fat.
I dip all sorts of veggies into (red peppers are probably my favorites).

Here’s an example of one of my lunches:  Veggies and a couple of tablespoons of the hummus – a sandwich with turkey, cucumbers, and a Laughing Cow low flat swiss cheese instead of mayo.

For dinner we’ve been eating lean grilled meats with different veggies.  Both Chris and I look forward to eating THIS chicken the most.  It’s so simple.  The ingredients are pictured below, and you can click HERE for the recipe.

We always grill extra, because I like eating the leftovers on salads for lunch during the week. My salad here has mixed greens, fresh strawberries, canned pineapple, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, and a very small amount of the tortilla strips for crunch.  And I use fat free honey mustard dressing. YUM!

So that’s it for today.  Let’s all GET HEALTHY together!  And let’s look DARLING while doing it!  😉

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