Back to the Basics

It happens every time. We get comfortable. Lazy. Lose momentum and lack motivation. I lost 50 pounds...yes, I said FIFTY! (That's about the weight of my 5 year old son.) While I realize that is a huge accomplishment, I also realize its not enough.

When I was hit that big milestone, I'd look at myself in the mirror and think wow- I look great! For 3 kids, and being just 6 months postpartum, I look better than great! Then everything settled into its new place. Yeah, not looking so great anymore. I mean, I know I don't look like an elephant, but I can do much better.

So this morning I decided to set goals in smaller intervals that are easier to reach. First goal is to get to 148lbs.. That's easy enough, and will put me a measly 10 pounds from the goal weight. Losing 5 pounds is easy peasy...so I give myself 2 weeks to get there. Chances are, I will hit that in less than 2 weeks, so that will be a nice bonus!

Then I will be in the home stretch. 10 pounds until goal weight. As I settle into my new figure, I realize that I may need to lose more on top of that and definitely work on toning some trouble spots. But, if I hit 138, I will have accomplished my goal. To be back to prepregnancy weight!

I'm posting this because I lacked motivation in the last couple of months. I don't want to be comfortable! I want to count my calories, burn some fat, and look forward to my morning weigh-ins! Its the basic fundamentals of weight loss. If you are reading this, chances are you've battled a weight loss at some point in your life too. Will you help me to reach my goal? Please?

Today's Weight: 153.2 lbs.

50 pounds lost

I hit the first major milestone!! 50 pounds lost!!! 16 pounds to go til my goal weight...

Today's Weight: 154.4

Is there an app for that?

I recently learned the answer to that question 99% of the time is YES!

About a week ago I gave into the world of smartphones and got the iPhone 4s...what a great purchase! Not only can I check Facebook, email, twitter, search the web, manage my banking, and update my blog... but I have a food diary and weight loss management software at my fingertips! The app is called MyFitnessPal and it's incredible! I'm still working on a way to integrate the app to this blog so you all can see how I am really doing! I programmed my goal weight at 138 pounds. I'm shooting for 2 pounds a week lost so that in 10 weeks I will be there!

Today's Weight: 158.6 lbs.

Motivation

Its coming up on 5 months since I had baby #3 and I am closing in on 50 pounds lost...not too shabby if I don't say so myself. It's time for me to get that motivation back to lose the last 20 pounds. Any suggestions?

February 20: 158.6 lbs.

10 Pounds Down

Don't worry...I didn't fall off the wagon again. Life has just been crazy busy. The kids, Dan and I have all been sick for going on 2 weeks. The baby has been to the Dr. twice and a third time if you count today's 4 month old checkup.

I've been eating well and limiting my sweets and snacks. Now that I've about kicked this cold, I am ready to start my Zumba again. It's pretty much impossible for me to do cardio when I have sinus trouble. On a fun note, Calvin (my 4 month old) started eating solid foods. He hasn't met a food he doesn't like. While still not too sure about avocado, he is a big fan of sweet potatoes, apples, and pears. Tomorrow we might try avocado again and if it's a no-go maybe kale.

It was a great feeling to hit 10 pounds lost this week! My work has paid off and I am excited to continue on my journey to pre-pregnancy weight. My next big goal is 155. That is 5 more pounds. I'd like to see it in 2 weeks or less. After that, a measly 17 pounds more and I will have hit my target weight! It doesn't seem so far out of reach now!

DAY THIRTY-EIGHT: 160.0 lbs.

No more 'mom jeans'

You and I both know these aren't cute.

photo courtesy kohls.com

They are the jeans I have been rocking for the last 4 months....until now! I can't tell you how good it feels to pass these size 14M jeans along to another post-partum friend....never to be seen again! I've never been happier to slip into a pair of size 12 American Eagle jeans! Next stop on my weight loss train...the 150's and a size 10! I'm starting to build up momentum again and it feels so good.

DAY THIRTY-TWO: 162.0 lbs. 

This is when I knew I was fat

Over 2 years ago, I decided it was time to lose weight. I dug up an excerpt from an old blog post from January 2010:

"So I decided one day that it was time to lose weight. I wasn't "fat" - so I told myself. Then I calculated my BMI - guess who was in the red, overweight category? Yep - that was me. My weight was shocking. Okay, I'm gonna brave it...are you ready...sure about that? I'm, 5'6". I tipped the scales at 163.4. Ew. Not bad for a married mother of 2 right? Uhhhh - no! Glad that our wonderful society made me believe I wasn't fat. I was. If you are that height and you weigh that much, you are fat too. Sorry to break it to ya."

I've been waiting to hit this weight for a month now...and I finally did! Just in time to round out January. I have a  long road ahead of me seeing as how I just hit the weight that made me realize two years ago I needed to drop some serious pounds. I have the momentum and confidence to keep it going now!

DAY THIRTY-ONE: 163.4 lbs.

Waiting for tomorrow...

I am excited to step on the scale tomorrow. If the number reads what I think it will, you will see why...

DAY THIRTY: 163.6 lbs.

Meal Planning

2 years ago I bought the Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start book. It is full of 1,500 calorie daily meal plans and tons of exercise tips and workouts. I was so gung-ho at that time that I lost over 20 pounds! My husband lost close to 30! I have been asking myself lately why I don't have that drive and motivation this time around. I still have the same job, live in the same place, and live is generally about the same. A dog and a baby have been added since then, but everything else is relatively the same. So what is it? I'm open to anyone's ideas/suggestions...

My goal for today is to go through my old meal plans and come up with some for this upcoming week. If all goes as planned, I will post them throughout the week...and let you all know if I stuck to them! Wish me luck!

DAY TWENTY-NINE: 163.6 lbs.

I was embarrassed

You might be wondering why I haven't posted for the last week... I was embarrassed. I didn't exercise and my eating habits weren't great. I stayed off the scale and kept telling myself, "I will do better tomorrow." Tomorrow came and went - several times - and I didn't do better. Today, I decided it was time to get back to the commitment I made to myself a month ago. Thankfully, this week off didn't take a toll on my weight.

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN: 164.4

Back to the Grindstone

Man, it's hard to blog every day. That was quite a commitment I made to myself - and had a hard time keeping. The last week has been so busy I have rushed out of the house every morning and forgot to weigh myself. By the time I step on the scale after work, I have tacked on about a pound and a half throughout the day (sometimes as much as 2 or 3 pounds)! I will make sure to remember tomorrow to get back on track.

I didn't do so great this week with my eating habits, however I did manage to Zumba most days. (Don't tell anyone but my husband Zumba'd with me - 2 nights in a row!!!) It is so much fun to exercise with someone else. Tell me, do any of you workout with your significant other?

I am such a bad blogger...

...but at least I am good at weight loss! Here is an update on the last three days....

DAY FOURTEEN: 165.4 lbs.

DAY FIFTEEN: 165.6 lbs. 

DAY SIXTEEN: 164.6 lbs.

Kickin' Butt!

DAY THIRTEEN: 165.4 lbs.

I really want to hit 165.0 or less tomorrow! 5 pounds in 2 weeks is less than I expected, but slow and steady usually wins the race! Tonight I decided to mix it up and Zumba in heels....now THAT was a workout!

I forgot to weigh myself this morning!

I just realized when I sat down to post that I was in a rush this morning and totally forgot! YIKES! I will update  you all tomorrow!

DAY TWELVE: UNKNOWN!

CATS

Apparently 30 of you came checking up on me yesterday and found no post. Sorry! My husband took me to see CATS - the broadway show. I've wanted to see it my whole life and we scored 2nd row orchestra seats! It was at the San Diego Civic Theatre and we had a great time. Was a little disappointed at the costumes, but the show itself was wonderful. One more thing I can cross off my bucket list.

I've been keeping up with my calorie counting and Zumba. Took tonight off from exercise to turn in for the night early.

To catch up with yesterday and today's weigh-ins:

DAY TEN: 166.0 (again)

DAY ELEVEN: 165.8

Thanks for reading - I will make sure to catch you up to speed with everything tomorrow.

I am NOT Kim Kardashian

Oh, you didn't know that?

Has anyone purchased shoes from the Kardashian Kollection at Sears? I look like a towering giant in my new 5" platform pumps. I will be honest...I could barely walk in them at first. It's bad, but I cannot remember the last time I wore heels. By the end of the evening, though, I started to break them in after walking up and down the hallway while holding my 3 1/2 month old, Calvin. I think he liked the view from up there - or the ridiculous clanking noise platform pumps make.

Image source Sears.com

I'll admit it, I've slipped on my feminism over the last 3 or 4 years. Hair in a ponytail and sneakers has been a perfectly acceptable 'work uniform' for me. I'm ready for a change. I think it is important to us as women to not only carry ourselves well, but to show we care about our physical appearance. Just because we are married, mothers, busy, etc. doesn't mean we have to look the stereotypical part. So here's to my new 5" heels and a slimmer physique!

DAY NINE: 166.0 lbs.
(no change from yesterday despite my over the top mexican lunch!)

You know you worked out hard when...

1.) You are still sweating AFTER your shower.
2.) You are already sore only 30 minutes after finishing your workout.
3.) You decided to dedicate a blog post to the workout you just finished!

DAY EIGHT: 166.0 lbs.

HOLY TOTAL BODY WORKOUT! I'm curious - how many of you Zumba? My sisters (both instructors) introduced me to Zumba about two years ago and it is now my favorite way to exercise! It is basically a latin-inspired, booty shaking, salsa-til-your-hips-burn kind of workout. It's great. You can get DVD sets that include workouts such as 20-minute express, flat & sexy abs, sculpt & tone, and many others. I usually opt for the 20 minute fast paced workouts on weekdays, and the longer 50-60 minute workouts on the weekends.

Why did I work out so hard you ask? I went out to a favorite local Mexican restaurant for lunch today (thanks, Tia!) and let's just say I had one too many tortilla chips. (The taco, beef tamale, and rice & beans didn't help either.) I'm not sure how many calories I took in today, but I know it was over my usual 1200-1400. =(

Well, if I can manage to move from where I am sitting, I am going to get the kids' lunches packed and clothes laid out for school. Wish me luck - I may be immobile when I wake up tomorrow.

Here is a convenient and fun recipe idea for anyone with kids, or anyone like me that likes to have a meal in a mug! I will be making it for breakfast tomorrow along with 2 slices of turkey bacon. (Saw it in Rachael Ray's magazine this month and remembered that my mom used to make this for us growing up!)

Quick & Easy Micro-Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp fat-free milk
2 Tbsp shredded cheese (optional)
Olive oil spray
Salt & Pepper


1. Spray the inside of a coffee mug with olive oil spray.
2. Put eggs and milk in cup and beat with a fork.
3. Season with salt & pepper.
4. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. (Note - put a saucer under the mug in the microwave. Chances are, it will spill over a bit.)
5. Take out, give a good stir, and microwave for about another minute, or until eggs are cooked.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and enjoy!

My kids absolutely love when I make this. There's just something about an individual portion of food that kids (and adults) like. If you are making this for your children, I suggest you let the eggs cool off for 3-4 minutes before serving. The eggs are extremely hot right when they come out of the microwave!

Yardwork = Burned Calories

DAY SEVEN: 166.4 lbs.


At my height/weight, I burn 195 calories per hour raking my lawn! It took a little over an hour by the time I cleaned up all the toys, swept the patios, cleaned the lawn chairs, and raked the entire yard. Nice to know the two cups of coffee with fat free Coffeemate were burned off all while making the yard look nicer!


Today was another good day. I Zumba'd early in the day so it packed an extra punch with my late morning burst of energy. (Dancing along with Beto to cuban salsa at 9pm every night is much less enthusiastic.)


Tonight's snack is a glass of Merlot with some freshly baked kale chips drizzled with EVOO and himalayan pink salt. If you've never had kale chips, you are totally missing out. They are simple to make, light and crispy, and packed with antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and K. A full cup of kale has about 35 calories so this is a wonderful guilt-free snack!


Baked Kale Chips
Recipe by Maria 

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of kale
• 1-2 Tbsp Olive oil (I've tried olive oil spray and it doesn't work as well)
• Salt

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie tray with aluminum foil.
2. Wash kale thoroughly and dry in salad spinner. (If you do not have a salad spinner, pat dry with paper towels instead.) Tear leaves off of the thick stems. Tear into potato chip size pieces. 
3. Drizzle olive oil on foil lined pan. Toss kale in olive oil.
4. Spread out in a single layer.
5. Lightly sprinkle with salt. (You don't need much. You can always add more after they cook.)
6. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges start to brown. I like to give them a good toss about 7 or 8 minutes in.
7. Note: Watch them carefully the first time you bake them.  They burn very easily!
8. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes - then enjoy!

Make sure to come back and post a comment if you try the recipe!

Chocolate Drizzled Caramel Corn

Well today turned out to be the day from hell.

I had to rearrange some office furniture this morning and in the process, my computer was knocked over. The fall damaged my hard drive so bad all my data was lost. FML I spent the entire day working in webmail on another computer while creating a backup of month old data to load onto a new computer for myself.

Later in the morning, I remembered that one of our customers shipped us a holiday tin from The Popcorn Factory packed with high-calorie, sugary goodies that no one had eaten yet. Seeing as I only had a banana and a mug of coffee for breakfast, I figured ah, what the hell? It was SO WORTH IT. I limited myself to about half the bag and it ended up being somewhere in the ballpark of 250-300 calories. I am re-learning that little indulgences here & there (if kept under control) will not ruin a weight loss plan.

I had a small bowl of split pea soup for lunch and a salad for dinner. Even with my complusive popcorn eating (lol) I managed to stay around 1200 calories today. Aside from all of that, my weight on the scale this morning continued the pattern of dropping lower this week.

DAY SIX: 166.6 lbs.

Dance Party

DAY FIVE: 166.8

When I came home from work today, Dan had on the music channels - you know - up in the 500's. Nevaeh was dripping sweat from all her dancing...so I decided to join her. We found the 90's station... O M G. Haven't had that much fun since prom! The fact that I knew the lyrics to every song made it so much more fun. Let me tell you - dancing around to 90's music with your kids (while holding a baby) does a body good! I decided to skip my Zumba tonight and watch Grey's Anatomy at 9 instead. I think I burned more calories dancing than I would in the 20-minute basic Zumba dvd anyways.

Had a great dinner tonight. It's amazing how many vegetables the 4 of us consumed. I roasted 3 zucchinis, 2 eggplants, 2 portobellos, asparagas, broccoli, and cauliflower. Along with it a pound of pasta and a jar of cacciatore simmer sauce (Fresh & Easy brand).

Rounding out today at 1200 calories and feeling good!

We love going to the beach!

DAY FOUR: 167.2 lbs

Just got home from an awesome evening in Oceanside. We walked the pier (about 1/3 mile each way) and stopped at Ruby's Diner for dinner. My favorite thing there is their Greek Burger and fries - but I had the Mediterranean Salad with Grilled Chicken instead. It was nice to get a little dose of the beach, even though we weren't there long. The weather in SoCal has been incredible this week - high 70s/80s every day!

Nothing too exciting to write about today. Even though it's late, (already 8:20pm). and I still have to give all 3 kids baths, pack lunches, do Nev's homework with her, set out clothes for school, Zumba, and take a shower myself...I am excited about another day of weight loss. Today was a pretty big plunge - 1.4 lbs less than yesterday...so I am not really expecting anything groundbreaking on the scale tomorrow.

I'll check in tomorrow to let you all know the progress!

Gaining some momentum...

DAY THREE: 168.6 lbs

I love how when I start eating right and exercising, the weight just starts to fall off! Last night, I think I did enough squats with Calvin to skip my Zumba. It's something about dropping quickly with him in my arms til I hear that baby laugh that gets me every time! I have literally done it so much in the last week - my inner thighs are permanently sore! =D

I made a delicious split pea soup in my new cast iron dutch oven last night. Loaded with veggies, lean ham, and split peas - it was a hearty meal for not a lot of calories. I had leftovers for dinner tonight and tossed in about 1/4 cup canned corn to give it some more texture.

My only guilty pleasure today was a 30 calorie coffee-flavored Nips candy. It was a nice late afternoon treat!

Today is a lower calorie day than planned - rounding out at about 1150 calories. I might just have a little bowl of air popped popcorn tonight with the kids as a treat!

Can't wait to let everyone know my digits on the scale tomorrow!

I love when the number drops!

Day Two: 169.8 lbs

YES! YES! and YESSSS! I love seeing progress on the scale. This morning for breakfast, I am looking forward to a cup of half calf or two, and a favorite recipe from the Biggest Loser Cookbook: Banana Nut Oats

Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested:

From the Biggest Loser 30-day Jumpstart Cookbook

Ingredients

1 very ripe banana, mashed 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups nonfat milk 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1 Tbsp chopped walnuts

Directions

Mash the banana with the vanilla extract and set aside. Combine the milk and salt in a medium saucepan and heat until almost boiling. Add the oats and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until creamy. Stir in the banana mixture. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for about 5 minutes. Divide the oatmeal between bowls and sprinkle with walnuts.

Number of Servings: 4

This blog is not a New Year's Resolution...

I repeat: THIS BLOG IS NOT A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION! If it was, I'd fail. No one ever sticks to their resolution - I'd put money on it that I wouldn't either. Yep. I'd bet against myself.

So here is the deal. If you are reading this, I am sure you know me somehow. You know that I am a mom to 3 kids. 3 wonderful, fun, energetic, ripped my belly and hips to shreds, great kids. I don't want to be a blogger. I really don't think my life is that interesting and you probably wouldn't either.

This blog is for me. For me and my health. For me and my motivation. For me and me alone. I am making that clear because if I ever come off as being selfish here, I am. The whole idea behind this was to keep me motivated to lose weight and stay fit.

I can't promise daily posts - I did mention I have 3 kids - but I will post as often as I am able. I am going to journal my way through 30, 35, maybe more pounds lost. I am asking each and every one of you to help be my support group. If I don't post for a couple days, call me out on it. I probably fell off the wagon and indulged myself or skipped my workouts.

So here goes.

DAY 1: 170.0 lbs

EEK! I am 5'6" and should not weigh 170 pounds. A little over 3 months ago, I gave birth via C-Section to my third (and final) baby. The day I went into the hospital I weighed 204 pounds. (I know, I know...) As you can see, I've lost 34 pounds in 3 months. I exclusively breastfeed so the calories that expends is a major contributor.

Today, I ate pretty healthfully. I didn't plan ahead so I really had to stop and think before I put something in my mouth. My dirty little secret today was 2 small chocolate-caramel cups after dinner. 200 calories total. I should have only had one. I kept it under 1,400 calories today total which is perfect for my metabolism. After dinner settled, I did my workout - Zumba, of course - and am feeling good.

Here is hoping to see the 160's on the scale in the morning!!