How Am I Going To Make It?!

All of a sudden, the week has become hectic.  I'm trying to find a daycare for my son, I'm trying to pay bills and balance my budget.  I've got play dates and school to worry about, and it's taking a toll on me!  I am so unmotivated today.  I feel like working out is on the back of my list.  I feel like it could be possible for me to skip working out all together!  This is the first time I've gotten into this mindset since starting my workout over two weeks ago.

There are always going to be times where I feel like this, but it's up to me to make it work.  It's up to me to stay committed and accountable.  And I'm confident I can do this, I just have to shut out all the crap going on around me.  This makes me wonder...

HOW AM I GOING TO DO IT?!  I plan on going back to work next month.  Not only that, but I plan on attending school.  I plan on working full-time, attending school, and working out every day?!  OMG, what have I gotten myself into?!  Just thinking about it makes me a little sick.  I have so many other obligations, what am I going to do so that I make sure I work out and follow my new eating habits continuously?

Well, it all comes back to my motivation.  Why am I doing this?  What's the purpose?  How do I keep myself on the right path?  I've got to look deep within to find those answers.  I'll update you when I figure something out.

Food/Supplement Idea of The Week

Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Breast, Asparagus, and Ricotta Noodles

So, I decided that I needed to go all out so you guys could see something yummy and good for you!  I went to the store and started searching for fresh foods.  Non-fat foods, low sodium foods, etc.  So in my trip I came up with a concoction.  As you can see above, I cheated a little by putting cheese on my noodles, but it's non-fat cheese! lol.

*Disclaimer* I did not measure the caloric intake of this, but did an estimate on my phone application.  I also spent a very low amount on these items, so that you can see that it is easy and cheap to make healthy food! :)

Here's how I cooked my food:

• Chicken Breast: 
• Rinsed it off and placed it in a baking sheet.  Added fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper.  Baked it in the oven for 20 minutes. (or until cooked)
• Asparagus:
• First I boiled it for about 5 minutes.  Then I placed olive oil and minced garlic into a pan and sauteed them in the garlic for about 3 minutes.
• Noodles:
• I boiled it according to the box.  After draining, I placed them back in the pot with olive oil, garlic, pepper, low-fat Italian dressing and balsamic vinegar.  After I cooked it I sprinkled some cheese on top.

This meal took me approximately 40 minutes total to prepare and cook.  It was good and healthy!  I can not wait to make some more things like this. :)

Two Weeks Down: What Am I Doing?!

So Sunday was weigh in... and still the same WEIGHT!  You don't even understand how PO'd I was.  But, I continue to tell myself that my body is adjusting to the muscle mass I am building.  I did save a pair of pants from 5 years ago, a Juniors size 13.  Because I was so upset, and I did not see the change on the scale, I decided to try on those pants.  Low and behold, they fit me! (A little big I must say).  In 2008, I was in a size 18 and the size 18 fit me really snug.  Right before I got pregnant with my third son in 2009 I was a size 16.  Now, I am a (misses) size 14 or smaller!  I was so ecstatic yesterday.  That goes to show that something good is happening here!  I do feel smaller.  I am able to hold my stomach in better.  My clothes are all big (a shopping spree needs to come sometime soon! lol). 

I have looked online at the results of the p90x and I have come to the conclusion that most everyone gains weight within the first week, and doesn't lose significant weight until the third cycle.  So I am keeping my faith in the p90x and hoping that my hard work will pay off!

Yesterday was day 15, chest and back.  It took me a long time to get motivated.  I seriously wanted to skip out on the workout, but I found the motivation somewhere and pushed play!  I tried really hard, and pushed myself to the limit.  By about 40 minutes in I was feeling nauseous, like I was going to vomit, but I kept pushing myself.  I actually did REAL push-ups yesterday! Yes!  A year ago I would have never even attempted a push-up.  I am completely proud of myself for this.  I know that I am getting stronger and building muscle, because now I can hang with my workout partner! lol.  Oh, and I absolutely LOVE the female on this video.  She is awesome, and I want to have her mind set by the end of the 90 days.

I am super excited to finish this week, because next week it changes up to a totally different schedule, and I get to measure myself and take photos again!  WOOT WOOT!  Wish me luck guys, and I hope you are doing well with your journey.

Food/Supplement Idea of The Week

Now, you know from reading my posts, that I am slowly transitioning into a new diet. You can't just go from eating out three times a week to vegetables for dinner right?! Well I can't, haha... those of you who have are awesome! I am a firm believer though that those crash diets don't work. I believe that if you just take out EVERYTHING you know and love to eat, it won't work in the long run. My mom was on Lindora for approximately 6 months. That diet was ridiculous and very unhealthy, in my opinion! I'm going to give you a little bit of my educated information on healthy eating. YOU NEED CARBS! Yes, I said it. Those low carb diets are not only unhealthy, but studies have shown that those who were on low carb diets end up going back to their old eating habits and gain all of their weight back, plus more. The important thing is to maintain a balance in your diet. This is how you should balance your caloric intake:

Carbohydrates: 45%
Fat: 20%
Protein: 35%

I also believe that you should be allowed a cheat day or days in the beginning. I have a cheat day! I make my cheat day Sunday. I choose that day because it's the day I know I will be hanging out with family and not wanting to think about my caloric intake. This is wonderful for me. I still don't binge eat, but I don't worry so much about my carbs, fat, or calories. This keeps me happy, and keeps me on point the rest of the 7 days out of the week. I don't get super bad cravings for things and I can maintain my diet. Do you have any diet or supplement ideas?

Week 2: Weigh in and Motivation

Sunday was weigh in! You would think all those days I worked my ass off I would get some damn results, but... no. Still the same weight! I could not believe my eyes! But then I had to stop and think about something. I am gaining lean muscle, and it's true that muscle weighs more than fat, so I didn't freak out. Then, my workout partner and boyfriend weighed himself and he lost a whopping 6lbs! 6lbs in 7 days?! Come on man, that was really depressing. So I thought back on how things went: Did I eat too poorly? Did I take in too many calories? Did I binge eat? Did I push myself hard enough? And all of my answers passed with flying colors. I know that I'm doing my best, so why nothing? Well B (my workout partner) told me, you look slimmer. Your back is smaller, your belly has less rolls, it's working! So I looked in the mirror and lo and behold, it was true! Now I've been doing some research online, reading stories, watching videos, and most have said that the first week, people usually gain weight! So the measurements are what are more accurate. I've been getting suggestions to measure myself, and I know I've said before that I would, so finally today I did! According to Beach Body, you should measure your arms, chest, waist, hips, and legs. So I did. Now, I am pretty sure I dropped a little bit in measurement since last week, so this may not be super accurate, but it's as accurate as it's going to get. Here are my measurements:

Arms:
Left: 12" Right: 12"
Chest: 42.5"
Waist: 41"
Hips: 44"
Legs:
Left: 25" Right: 26"

I am hoping I can drop my waist approximately 2 inches by the end of the ninety days... better yet, let's set that as my goal. My goal is to lose 2 inches by the end of the ninety day program. I hope I lose more, but I am setting a reasonable goal for myself. After all, it took me five years to grow that much, so I'm not going to expect a miracle in 90 days. And, that brings me to my next topic.

Motivation. What motivates you? Is it an extrinsic or intrinsic motivator? Is the motivator constant or does it change daily? Does the motivator give you ENOUGH motivation? I have tons of motivators, but my main motivator is living a long and healthy life. I want to be able to run around with my kids when they are playing or are in sports. I don't want to embarrass them when they are older and have an unhealthy, fat, mom. I want to be able to watch them grow and go through the transitions of graduation, college, marriage, babies, etc. I want to be able to do things for myself when I get older and not depend on a wheel chair, or a walker, or my children! I want to be able to travel and be independent until the day I die. Every day that I wake up tired and beat up emotionally, I remind myself of my ultimate goal. See, I believe our problem is that we think about the here and now; well this tastes good, and you only live ONCE! Well, it's only one burger, etc. etc. Well, when you get blood test results that says you have high cholesterol, hypertension, and/or diabetes, you will be wondering how?! And it's because you didn't think about your future, you thought about the here and now. I really hope things are going well for you all, and I hope you learn from my journey. Please share yours!

Day 4, 5, & 6: Yoga, Legs & Back, Kenpo

It seemed like days 4-6 were a lot easier for me! Yoga was 1.5 hours long, but it seemed like I went through it really easy. Don't get me wrong I could not do a few of the moves, but I got through it! I had to split it up again into two workouts, yes, because I had to feed my son in between! I loved yoga, but I must say that Plyo was harder, more challenging and still my favorite! Legs and back were awesome! I am naturally stronger in my legs and back, so it came easy for me. Kenpo was fun on Saturday. Some of the moves were a little confusing but I just kept going! I know I probably looked retarded, but that's the wonderful thing about P90X, you do it at home, so nobody's watching you! I used to go to the gym, and I hated being surrounded by ALREADY fit men and women. It was extremely discouraging. I have to say that I felt so great after each workout, instead of dying like I was the first three days! I actually felt like I was not pushing myself enough or like the workouts weren't pushing me hard enough the last 3 days. I have to say that I was very motivated to wake up every day and workout! It wasn't like, oh no I hate working out! Or I hate this part! Each part was very motivating, easy to adjust to and challenging. Each workout has been exciting and challenging. After doing each day, the only workout I dislike doing is ab ripper x, and why? Because I suck at it, lol! Other than that, things are good! I am happy that week one is complete! I look forward to what each week is going to bring!

Me Then and Now

Here is a video of my progress so far:



I hope you enjoy!  What does your progress look like? Need help creating a video? Shoot me an e-mail!