Sporadic's my middle name...

Hi y'all, it's me, your favorite sporadic blogger ☺ I had a few rough days since I last posted, but I'm back on track now and rockin' an rollin'. Last week was my daughters' birthday and the cake really threw a wrench in things. Plus I brought Oreos into the house...bad call!! I was okay for a couple days and walked away from them and then I decided to "just have one". Bahahaha! RIGHT!! Like that's gonna happen.
In the space of a few days my weight shot up from 146.8 to 156.2. Yeah, 9.4 lbs! Of course this was not all fat gain, but seriously, that's sooo not cool. And worse than that, I felt like crappola. So I buckled down on Friday and set out to undo the damage. Happy to report that today's weight is 147.2 which practically puts me back where I started. I can handle that.
The next couple days will be interesting as I'm going out of town with the kids. The basic plan is to stick to low carb "paleo-ish" since that's what makes me feel good and doesn't seem to send me to the dark side with my eating. I'll be packing alot of my go-to snacks so I'll have options, and I'm going to enjoy a visit with my parents.
Next week I'll be posting some new progress pictures. I ordered some clothes online and when I tried the stuff on, it all fit. I probably could've even ordered a size 4 in the jeans, the 6's fit just fine (woo-hoo).
An now, I'll leave you with this little nugget.....

Looking for a new book?

Once again I've got a book suggestion for you all. I'm actually working my way through this book for the second time. It's got a lot of great information in it and I want to make sure that I comprehend everything fully. I'm considering taking some notes as I read just so I have a quick reference. This book definitely appeals to my nerd side. If you are at all interested in the science behind how your body works in regards to fat, this is a must read! Even if you aren't interested in the science, you should read this. I learned so much while reading, it almost made my head spin... in a good way. It explained a lot of the things that I had noticed on my own weight loss journey. It also challenges many of the conventional schools of thought on weight loss. Gary Taubes uses science and studies to actually show the how and why and explains it in such a way that the layman can fully understand.
Bottom line, get your hands on a copy of this book! ☺
Has anyone else read this book yet?? Thoughts?

Perfect? Not me...

Current Weight:147.8
Previous Weight:149.4
Change: -1.6
Total loss on Paleo: 7 lbs (2.33 lb/wk average)

Sorry I didn't update y'all last week. We have alot going on right now and I didn't take the time to sit and write. I tried a couple times and just couldn't get my brain to engage. The past week with paleo was probably my hardest. I had a surprise visit from my monthly visitor. Since I'm still nursing my cycles are a bit out of whack. I had one day that stress and emotions got the better of me and I went off paleo and ate some candy corn, a grilled cheese sandwich and drank a beer. I ate it, it's done, moving on. I'm done feeling guilty if I eat something I "shouldn't". I think if I'm making good choices most of the time, I'm okay. Some days are better than others and I don't have to be perfect. Perfect is boring...
Now, on to the workouts. This will be my 3rd week doing the Mama Wants Her Body Back workouts. I like the series. I'm shooting for 4-5x a week (20 min total body + 10 min abs). Plus, I walk and occasionally run and am generally active. There are a few things I like about the Mama Wants workouts: 1) I don't feel like I'm killing myself and can't go on with rest of my day, 2) It's easy to fit into my day time-wise, 3) I'm seeing better muscle definition, 4) It's great for my core! Overall, thumbs up.
So, now you're all up to date. I'm looking forward to a great week. Hopefully you are too. Happy Monday peoples!

Paleo week 1 review

Last week's weight:154.8
This week's weight: 149.6
Weight change: -5.2

It took a few days to adjust my thinking, but after the initial adjustment phase into eating paleo, thing got easier. I didn't have to think so much. It also brought to light for me how much I was grazing. I'd grab a slice of cheese, a handful of goldfish or animal crackers while I was getting something for the kids. All those little calories add up though. It's almost like I thought if it wasn't on a plate or it wasn't on MY plate, it didn't count (silly I know).
I had two major things to deal with this week: 1) Family BBQ, 2) Date Night. Happy to report I handled both. I brought a yummy fruit salad and fresh toasted coconut to the BBQ plus chowed on the tritip and enjoyed myself. Date night was a little more difficult. It was a benefit dinner so I had to eat what was being served. Plus I had to get hubby to understand that I wasn't going to drink this time. Thankfully there was a big salad (which I ate with some lime juice, just how I like it) and green beans. The chicken had some sort of mushroom cream sauce but I picked one with the least amount of sauce and called it good. Sometimes you just gotta do the best with what you have available. Were these 2 meals perfect paleo? Nope. Am I okay with how I handled them and the foods I ate? Absolutley.
Since I've gotten the eating thing pretty dialed in, this week I'm moving on to exercise routine. I got a new toy this weekend.... my Mama Wants Her Body Back workout collection.
I'm a bit of a sucker for new exercise DVD's. This set appealed to me because it's designed for moms. I'll let you know what I think after week 1. I found the lecture DVD that's included to be
very appropriate and helpful.
Here's to a great week! Hope yours is fantastic too!

Bye-bye blankie...

Some things have been rattling around in my brain. I've been thinking and analyzing why I have a difficult time getting to goal, why the number on the scale has freaked me out in the past and sent me into binge/gain mode. What's my payoff? I firmly believe we don't do things or act certain ways without one. For me personally, it's partly about security. It's uncomfortable for me to be thin. Seriously. I have major insecurities and body image problems. When I lose weight people comment and complement and that makes me VERY uncomfortable. I've always had a large chest, from the time I started developing, and when I lose weight my waist gets smaller and the hour glass shape emerges. Men notice. Again, a huge source of discomfort. I can remember a few instances during my adolescence, getting looks or comments from guys and just feeling dirty. A friend of my brother's once sent me inappropriate letters, during church. Another time, some guys hung out their car windows as I was crossing the street and I was told that it was because of what I was wearing (which wasn't provocative btw). Negative attention was my fault (not the creepy guys').
So weight became an unconscious security blanket. The focus came off what I looked like. Then I'd reach a certain point, get fed up and lose weight. Till I got to about 160ish. Then the weight loss would stall or get very, very difficult because that's when I'd start getting my shape back. And then the weight would creep back. I binge. I take comfort in food. I soothe discomforts with it. This is my payoff. Security. But it's really not. It's just a way to hide.
Obviously this is just a piece of my puzzle, but it's a big piece for me. I don't want to regain the weight again and I need to look at the things I am doing to keep myself from getting to where I want to be. I need to make the choices that will get me the results I want. I want to feel confident and good about myself and how I look. I'm not saying I'm gorgeous or anything but I know I didn't fall out of the ugly tree either. I want to leave the security blanket behind, once and for all.
It's easier not to think of the underlying issues. It's easier to eat crap and not care. That's not what I want for myself though. I am consciously choosing to make the changes and do what's best for me, not just what's easy....
My request to you now is to dig deep and think of your own personal payoffs. Do some analyzing of your own. What's holding you back? You don't have to put it out there for world, but think about it.

30 days of paleo

Hi guys! So I've been a bit busy lately. Had to take the baby to the ER last week, she got a tummy bug which led to decrease in food/nursing which led to mild dehydration. Dealing with a sick child is never fun, but when they're small it's even worse. It took some IV fluids and a few days to perk her up, but her appetite has returned so we're back in business. My own food intake was kind of all over the place as I tend to overdo it when I'm tired, stressed or PMSing. I was all three at once...yay! NOT!!!
Anyway, this mornings' weight: 154.6. Not bad considering some of my poor choices lately. So, I'm brushing it off and moving on. I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I've been playing around with a "Paleo" type diet for a while but haven't fully committed. No time like the present though. I feel better when I eat this way so I've decided to go full Paleo for 30 days. Today is day 2 for me. If you're wondering, "What the heck's paleo???", I'll give you a nutshell... mostly lean proteins, fruit (in moderation), veggies, tubers & good fats (coconut, avocados, olive oil, nuts etc). No grains, dairy or legumes. The theory is based off how our Paleolithic ancestors ate. I don't have to weigh, measure or count calories. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. There's lots of info out there, if you want more just google "paleo diet" or "paleo solution".
Currently I'm reading Everyday Paleo by Sarah Fragoso.
If you're interested in paleo, this is a good source as it has lots of recipes. I'm really excited to try some of them. Be sure, if I find one I really like I'll definitely share ☺
So that's where I am. Still plugging along, focusing on eating well and being active...one day at a time.
I'm curious, have you heard of paleo? Tried it? Are you interested?

Shifting directions...

So, yeah, that 30 day Challenge I told you about....I'm redefining my personal parameters. Day 1 of the workout I realized that I couldn't hang. Last time through when I got to week 3 of Ripped I started noticing pain in my left hip flexor so I quit doing it to give my body time to heal. Unfortunately, it's not fully healed. As soon as I started doing some of the lunges and squats, the pain flared up. Not as bad as it was, but it's there. Grrrrr!
So, what's the alternative? Well, I decided that my personal challenge would be to exercise every day in September. Even if it's just power walking, I'm going to move every day. And, it has to actually be exercise...not just walking my kid to school in flip flops lol. I'll also be concentrating on body weight exercises like push ups, stretching things out with pilates and yoga and working with my dumbbells 3x a week.
As promised, I took an updated progress picture. I had to go with black and white this time to cover some of the lack of makeup and my major tan lines ☺
Food has been out of control for about a week so the scale is not my friend and it's causing me to go to a bad head space. I'm working on reigning it in. I've got to do some research on natural remedies to help regulate my hormones as I think this is a key component for me.
I think I've shared this before, but this weeks' motto is: "Do, or do not, there is no try"- Yoda
Have a great week peoples...