End of week one Round 2

So I officially completed the first week of round 2.  Overall I did fairly well.  I wasn't as prepared as I would have liked to be so my goal this week is to be more prepared and prepped ahead of time, so far so good for that one.  I had a serious migraine this weekend so I didn't eat much and what I did eat I will admit wasn't the best.  I did manage to do the workouts each day which is much better than I did last time.  My measurements were pretty good this week and I am very happy with them.  I was also able to fit into shorts that I hadn't been able to wear for two years and that felt amazing.


Here are my results after week one:

	Starting	End of week 1
Chest	44	42.5
R Arm	16.5	16.5
L Arm	16.5	16.5
Waist	46.5	46
Hips	51.5	50
R Thigh	26	24.5
L Thigh	26	24.5
Weight	253.5	251

Round two of the 21 day fix

My results on the first round were better than I could have ever hoped for both physically and mentally.  I am now going to start another round as I need to get back on track.  I was able to maintain my weight while not on the program so that tells me that I have learned a lot from the program about food and my body.  I will update with new measurements after the first week is done.  So far I am on Day 3 and feel amazing.


Here are my starting measurements:

	Starting
Chest	44
R Arm	16.5
L Am	16.5
Waist	46.5
Hips	51.5
R Thigh	26
L Thigh	26
Weight	253.5

21 day fix week 3 and final totals

Alright so I just completed the 21 day fix.  This has by far been one of the best things I have ever done.  I cannot believe how quick it went, how easy it was for me to adjust, and how much fun I had doing it.  I highly recommend this program to everyone, whether you need to lose weight or just want to get healthier, this is the program to do. 


Week Two:
Weight: 258
Hips: 50
Waist: 48
Chest: 45
Right Arm: 17
Left Arm: 17
Right Thigh: 27.25
Left Thigh: 27.25

Week Three results:
Weight: 257
Waist: 45.5
Hips: 49.5
Chest: 45
Right Thigh: 27
Left Thigh: 27
Right Arm: 16
Left Arm: 16.5

As you can see I lost some more inches, not a whole lot more weight though, which is okay with me because I know that weight will fall off eventually.  I did forget to measure my chest this am so I will have to update with that result tomorrow.  Mentally I have been feeling amazing and so much more confident.  I can wear clothes that I couldnt fit into this time last year and it feels amazing.

Final Results after 21 Days.

Total Weight lost: 6.5lbs
Total Waist lost: 8.5 inches
Total Hips lost: 2 inches
Total Chest lost: 2 inches
Total R thigh lost: 3 inches
Total L thigh lost: 4 inches
Total R arm lost: 1 inch
Total L arm lost: .5 inchest

Total inches lost: 21 inches

I cannot reiterate what an amazing journey this has been and what a difference I see in myself. I have learned so much about myself, food, health, and fitness. I will be continuing this journey for the rest of my life. If you would like to join me please let me know. I will be becoming a coach in July when I get back from Cancun. I encourage you all to take this time and think it through and get yourself ready.

The 21 day Fix Week 2

Well I made it through week 2 on the 21 day fix.  This week I was more committed to the workouts than I was previously.  I followed my meal plan, but didn't quite get all the food in each day as sometimes it was just too much.  Are we ready for week 2 stats?

Week One:

Physical

Weight: 262.5
Hips: 51
Waist: 53.5
Chest: 46.5
Right Arm: 17
Left Arm: 17
Right Thigh: 30
Left Thigh: 31

Mental

I am so happy, I have a ton of energy (even got out in the garden and weeded the whole thing), I have a hard time sitting still on the couch now, and feel like I am able to keep up with my son more as well. 

Week Two:

Weight: 258
Hips: 50
Waist: 48
Chest: 45
Right Arm: 17
Left Arm: 17
Right Thigh: 27.25
Left Thigh: 27.25

Mental

I feel unstoppable and more motivated than I have ever been.  I love this program and Autumn keeps me motivated.  When I think of cheating or an tempted I can hear her voice in my head, "when you cheat the only person you are cheating is yourself."

I think this week was a huge physical week for me.  I can tell that I have committed more to the workouts and it hurts so good! For anyone looking to start getting your life on a healthier track I definitely recommend this program.

the 21 day fix week 1

So as most of you know and for those who don't I started the 21 day fix with Shakeology challenge about a week ago.  I was really nervous to start this as I have been so out of shape for so long I didn't think I could do the workouts.  I was also afraid of the food.  That's right I was afraid to eat healthy.  I know that sounds silly, but I didn't know that I was doing and walking in the dark is always a scary trek.  However I decided to take the leap and do the challenge.

So here we are a week later and I am still alive.  I have survived the first week and in my opinion the hardest week.  Making these changes and adjustments to my lifestyle has been far from easy.  I can honestly say this has been the best thing I have ever done.  It took me a  long time to make this change because I had to wait until I was ready and I had to make sure I was doing it for myself and my son, as doing it for anyone was never works, it's not the same kind of motivation.

There are temptations all around me, but one thing that I have learned over this past week is that they are all mental.  I don't crave the back foods or the fast food, it is a mental state.  My body and my mind are so much happier with this new lifestyle that I have chosen.

My Starting Stats:

Ground Zero:

Physical

Weight: 263.5
Hips: 51.5
Waist: 54
Chest: 47
Right Arm: 17
Left Arm: 17
Right Thigh: 30
Left Thigh: 31

Mental

I was depressed, no energy, no motivation, 100% lazy

Week One:

Physical

Weight: 262.5
Hips: 51
Waist: 53.5
Chest: 46.5
Right Arm: 17
Left Arm: 17
Right Thigh: 30
Left Thigh: 31

Mental

I am so happy, I have a ton of energy (even got out in the garden and weeded the whole thing), I have a hard time sitting still on the couch now, and feel like I am able to keep up with my son more as well. 

Physically week one may not have been huge, but I am happy with the mental aspect if it.  I feel so determined and with each milestone completed I feel so much more confident.  I have learned so much about food and how to prepare it over the past week and am so happy that I have to motivation to do the workouts now.  These are things that will stay with me for a lifetime and I am so happy I decided to take this leap.

checking in

So I has intended to update my blog once a week, clearly that is not happening.  Life has been a little hectic lately with schedule changes at work, meaning more money in daycare and less coming in (losing 10% shift differential), I have also been coaching my sons soccer team, and he has started baseball as well.  Needless to say we have been extremely busy. 
Currently I have continued with my healthier eating, I have been using milk in my coffee instead of creamer, I have also cut down on the amount of coffee I drink.  It used to be 1-2 cups a day and now it's more like 3-4 cups a week.  I have stocked my house with fruit and whenever i get a sweet tooth i much on fruit instead of junk.
I have started taking truvision to try it out, so far i have lost three pounds after three days and I was able to fit into a pair of shorts for the first time in two years.
This has been a long process, but I am starting to see results and I am so happy with myself.  I have more energy, more self confidence, and a better attitude.  I want to thank you all for coming on this journey with me!  Don't worry it is far from over.  I am still looking for healthy recipe ideas so if you have any please let me know! :)

Getting Caught up in Life

Over the past few days I have come to the realization that I am one of those people that gets caught up in life very easily.  This effects me in so many ways.  It effects my health because I am "too" busy to think about what I am eating and drinking, this effects me financially as I tend to just spend money on things and stuff that is not needed, and it effects my mental well being because I tend to stress out over every little scheduling issue that I have and will sit here and rework it over and over until I am completely stressed out and it is all I can think about.
With all of that being said I am setting some goals for myself:

• each day I will take at least 10 minutes to myself and clear my mind
• I will try to not worry about things that I have no control over
• I will start becoming more conscious of my spending habits
• I will pay off both of my credit cards
• I will pay off the last collections items that I have
• I will pay of my medical bill

I believe that with these goals I can succeed in a healthier lifestyle and change for the better.  I have been working really hard on changing to healthier eating habits, becoming more active, and working on my mental and financial health.  These goals will serve as stepping stones along my path.

Cyber Bullying

So I unfortunately had a bad experience yesterday.  Here is some of the back story so you can understand better.  I was with my ex for 2.25 years, we had a wonderful family, no kids together but he stepped up into a father role with my son.  We didn't always get along and had different views on many things, but I think this only made us stronger as a couple.  In September 2014 my ex started talking with another girl that he met through a mutual friend.  At this point in our relationship we had been having some issues and neither of us were happy.  I was struggling with my inner demons and not on my meds and he was struggling with communication and wouldn't speak with me about what was going on.  Either way he decided that he wanted to be with her and give up on our relationship.  I was upset but cant say I didn't see it coming.  I allowed him to continue to live at my house for two weeks after while he packed and waited for his new place to be ready.  We have remained friends since, talking occasionally mostly just the "hi how ya doing?".  I wished him nothing but the best and hoped he had found happiness.   I asked how she, Jurnee, was doing after her knee surgery, gave her well wishes, and hoped her to have a speedy recovery.  I tried really hard to have peace between the three of us as I did not want any additional stress nor did I want to lose my best friend (my ex).  She turned jealous and started accusing me of things that I did not do nor even thought of or would ever do.  It got to the point that the only way him and I could talk as friends was in secret, which felt like an awful thing to do.  We hadn't talked much over the past few weeks other than me letting him know I went through boxes and found more of his crap and he can come get it whenever.
Yesterday I received a friend request from a girl, who's name I will leave out of this.  I recognized her name and text  Michael to see if he knew her.  He replied yes he did and I asked then if she was friends with Jurnee, he replied yes she was.  I asked him why his gf's friends were requesting to add me and he said he would talk to her.  I then post a post on MY FB stating that I thought it was funny that they were trying to be my friends on FB to stalk me.  A few hours later I get a nasty message from the same girl who tried to add me.  Mind you I have never spoken to this girl or Jurnee or met them.  She basically called my a bunch of names including Fat and Bitch.  This is not behavior I would expect out of a respectable you women, but rather a bratty teenager.  As far as I know these girls are 20 and 21 years old.
Needless to say it was really upsetting to get a nasty message from someone I do not know.  Cyber bullying has become a huge issue in the last 10 years as technology is more accessible than ever.  Being a recipient of the bullying more than just this recent episode I can tell you it has such a negative side effect.  People tend to be much more cruel when talking from behind their computers.  So I am wanting to do something to raise the awareness of the side effects of not just cyber bullying, but bullying all together.  I want to make a change in this world and start making it beautiful.  My son is 5 years old and I don't want him to grow up in the world as I see it today.  I am asking all of you to take a stand with me.  Post a selfie on all of your social media accounts, facebook, twitter, instagram, four square, tumblr, snap chat, etc. with a sign saying stating that you are standing up against the bullying and why it is important to you.  I will be completing this challenge myself either tonight or tomorrow.  I ask that you invite all of your friends to accept this challenge as well.  Together we can make a change and make this world a beautiful place.

Back from my Hiatus

With the end of football season it was a tough struggle for me.  I definitely lost the battle with the unhealthy foods.  On a good note I have restarted the healthy food plan.  I made spaghetti Squash the other night instead of using spaghettie noodles and put cut up mini sweet peppers in my sauce.  It was so yummy and way more healthy than regular spaghetti.  I have been eating pita chips and hummus instead of chips and dip.  I ordered a cheaper fitbit, its made by sketchers and does all the same things as the fitbit just less expensive.  I will be able to track my sleep cycle as well.
I constantly struggle with sleep.  I wake up every one to two hours almost every night.  I sleep with the tv off so I know its not that, my phone is on the same level as me however it is not close to my head so I don't think it is that either.   I am hoping that this device will help me get to the bottom of my sleep issues.
On a better note my stess levels have been down and I am feeling really happy lately.  I am starting to have a positive outlook on life and know that I have so much to be thankful for.  Again if you know of any yummy and healthy recipes please feel free to share.

weight update

so I weighed myself recently and I am down to 266 lbs.  So It has taken me a month in a half to do it, but I have lost 8lbs and will be losing more.  It has been a slow process and I have yet to incorporate any exercise routine.  However, I plan to start walking here shortly.  The weather should hopefully start warming up a little and I will be outside cleaning up the yard and going for walks.  The most important thing about this entire journey is that I teach my son how to live a healthy life as he grows up.
Mentally I have been doing alright.  I have done really well with remembering to take my meds every evening.  I have noticed some impulsive shopping/spending and some irritability though.  I have been digging into my self to try and figure out the root.  I think it is coming down to not sleeping well at night (I wake up every coupld of hours), and the fact that there is a lot going on right now schedule wise and I am feeling like everything is going way too fast.

I am still looking for some quick healthy meal ideas so please feel free to comment with some great recipes.

Getting my body healthy too

So I have made some progress, although the weight loss isn't as drastic as I would like it to be, I have lost some inches.  I went shopping the other day because I found out my favorite store, Debs, is going out of business.  I was able to buy a pair of work pants one size smaller and a pair of jeans 2 sizes smaller.  Albeit the jeans are a little snug, but they fit and hopefully they won't be snug for long.  I have also scheduled a dentist appt, first one in almost 10 years, and an eye Dr appt as I cant see very well far away. 
I have also challenged myself to try new things.  For anyone who knows me you know this is a big deal as I do not like trying new foods.  This week I tried Hummus and it was amazing.  I absolutely loved it and will not be trying to make my own at home almost completely from scratch.  I recently started eating tuna fish again as well, which for a couple of years I couldn't even stand the smell.  I will admit I do have to have a lot of mayonnaise, but each time I make it I try to have a smaller amount of Mayo added in.
I have discovered organic sugar and avocado oil at Costco so those two are on my list to purchase and try next.  I am trying to move away from using vegetable oil at all if I can.  Right now I use a lot of EVOO, but I am not a huge fan of the taste.  Anyone have any other healthy alternatives for cooking oils?
Recently I have been on an emotional roller coaster.  Mostly just things with the ex and his new girlfriend.  Sounds like fun eh? Anyways, I have really had to watch my depression and bipolar due to these added stresses.  I have cut the communication down to a bare minimum and have blocked them from most social media.  I also have to remind myself that no matter what she says or accuses me of  I know who I am and what I stand for and that is all that matters.  I will not let anyone bring me down.

Its more than just weight loss

Happy New Year!  Hope everyone had a great new year and got to celebrate it with loved ones and friends.  I personally had a blast at the Casino with my family.  It is the first time that we have all been able to go out together as adults.  Anyway, I also rang in the new year sick.  I got the nasty crud going around and it developed into a sinus infection and an ear infection.  I ended up missing 1.5 days of work and spent 4 days in bed.
So when I started this blog I had the mindset of weight being the only key to my happiness.  I have pondered on this thought for a couple of weeks now and realize that is not the only key to health and happiness.  I want to be healthy and happy in all aspects of my life.  These would include my mental illness, my physical appearance, my emotional health, and my monetary health.  Being a single mom I feel like I am constantly stressing about money.  I want to be able to allow my son to do everything and I also want to enjoy fun things.  We have a trip planned to Cancun, Mexico this upcoming summer.  I cannot wait, but am super stressed about the money.  I know I will be paying mostly with my taxes, but I also want to pay off my trailer with my taxes as well.  There is where I will start my lists.  I write lists like they are going out of style. Shoot sometimes I write lists for my lists; it really does get out of hand.  However, I have found it is a great stress reliever for me and it also helps me physically see my issue and prioritize.
I am sure that most of you who are reading this know me, but hopefully this blog will get to some people who don't.  Either way I am hoping by opening up about my mental illnesses that I can help someone out there and maybe multiple people.  In 2009, shortly after my son was born, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, anxiety, and depression.  I went and saw a therapist for probably 2 years off and on after that and was on medication.  I felt like therapy was the best thing to ever happen to me.  I felt to free when I walked in that room.  I could talk and talk for days.  I felt the more I talked, the more I learned about myself, the more I grew to like myself. 
I have made some poor decisions in my life and have viewed myself as a bad person after those poor choices.  I grew to hate the person I had become, which just fed the depression monster living inside me.  Therapy helped me see all the good things that I have done in my life and all the adversities that I have overcome, no matter how big or small.  If you have never been to therapy I strongly recommend it.  Whether you think you need it or not it is a great cleansing for your soul.  It is not just for those of us with "problems" each and every person can get something out of it.  So that is my challenge to you, if you have not gone to therapy go find one and just do at least one session, what have you got to lose?