From 21 to 25

Here we go!

So I changed the name of my blog, because now I'll be chronicling my journey with T25 instead of 21 Day Fix. After about a month off (fail - not completely true, until the rain started, and didn't stop for a week and a half, I had a really good jogging regimen going), I got T25!

I'm not strictly using my 21DF containers, but using them as a guideline - however, I'm focusing on a higher protein, lower carb diet right now. Or attempting to, anyway. If you've met me, you know I'm in love with carbs. I could live on bread and pasta. For real. So instead, I'm trying to live on yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. as my snacks vs my go-to of toast with peanut butter.

So. The fun part. I have never found any workout that made me sweat like this! It may only be 25 minutes, but holy crap. I struggled a bit with Cardio, but really enjoyed Speed 1.0 - I know it's only day 2, but I'm loving this program!

My goal for the next 8 weeks, other than that whole being healthy thing:
1. Fit into my cute summer clothes in time for ISTE (tech conference in Atlanta) at the end of June
2. Not be too embarrassed about myself and my body to even swim in my mom's pool.
3. Let's see... I have a 5K at about the half way point, so maybe a goal of 35 minutes for that? I would love to make a goal of under 30 or something, but knowing that my training has not been consistent in any way makes me feel like I should at least be realistic.
4. While I don't actually care that much about the weight (how weird is that for me?!) as long as my clothes fit, 10 pounds would be great, and 15 would make me ecstatic. I didn't lose much on 21DF, but that was only 3 weeks.

That's all I've got. Oh. Also, I feel like crap and I'm sucking at drinking water. The end.

Kitchen Tour - Post 21 Day Fix

I wanted to share some of the changes that have come about in my house since starting the 21 Day Fix! My cupboards and refrigerator have changed significantly!

This first picture, the cupboard, used to hold chips, cookies, and sugary cereal. Now it holds muffin mixes, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, and coconut oil! Real talk though, I handed the last of the chips to my husband this morning, and there are still a couple partial containers of sugary cereal on the top shelf - HOWEVER, the chips are from a LONG time ago (and I didn't eat them), and I used to go through 2 boxes of cereal in a month, and now we've gone through maybe half in 6 weeks!





 The next photo is my refrigerator! Now please don't judge the lack of cleaning, but if I'm honest with you, these drawers and shelves used to be full of shriveled, uneaten fruit, uncleaned out leftovers, pop, and juice. Real talk: the juice is in a different refrigerator, and the fridge is now pretty empty. HOWEVER, the juice is a MUCH healthier V8 (versus Koolaid), and flavored water. Almond milk is something I *NEVER* thought I would buy, and I had never tasted Greek Yogurt prior to this challenge. Now my drawer is over-stocked with half plain greek yogurt for me, and half flavored, regular yogurt for my kids. What you can't see is the drawer full of carrots, peppers, and spinach, and the shelves with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and protein shakes. There are also tons of lunchables. I'm not sure where those fall on the "healthy scale" exactly, but it's lots of meat, cheese, and crackers. I figure there are way worse things they could be eating. Especially when we choose a lunchable over something like McDonald's or KFC after gymnastics.

Next up is my freezer. Yesterday Rylee and I went grocery shopping and found veggie steamer bags on sale for .99 each! What used to hold frozen pizzas, ice cream, and frozen dinners, now holds lean proteins (chicken, turkey, pork), bags and bags of veggies, wheat bread, and frozen fruit! We bought 2 HUGE bags of grapes, portioned them out, and stuck them in the freezer as snacks. I LOVE frozen grapes, and she can't wait to try them!

 

We ended up with 13- 1 cup bags of frozen grapes for snacks for about $6. Real talk: the freezer in the garage is still full of frozen pizza and burritos, but those are primarily for my husband. He's not on quite the health kick that I am, and there are many nights where it's just him, or just him and 1-2 of the kids. We aren't completely off of convenience meals, HOWEVER, my menu for the next month consists of things like turkey tacos, pork loin and veggies, chicken breasts and veggies, veggies, veggies, and more veggies! So we are definitely taking a step in the right direction.

So that's a tour of my kitchen! I wish I had "before" pictures to compare to these after pictures, but I think you get the idea! 21 Day Fix isn't just a trendy program. For me (and my family), it has been a complete lifestyle change!

Round 2

Well, I'm off on round two, but I have not been as "hardcore" or strict about it as I was during the first round, and I can feel it. Since starting my second round on Monday I have had two days where I got 40oz of water or less. Monday, I took my first ever trip to A&W (and had my first drink of root beer!) - this resulted in eating a fast food chicken sandwich (not a super choice), and breaking down and eating cheese balls with ranch. After 5 hours of driving and 6 hours of training I was perfectly happy to have Subway for dinner. Needless to say, that was not 21 day approved! I also managed to skip my workout that day. Extra fail.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were much better. I followed the plan no problem, and I've even been doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred on top of most of my 21DF workouts.

But then it was Friday. Ohhhhh Friday, my old friend. We took the kids on a family field trip today to the state (Iowa) historical museum. The original plan also included the botanical center, but we spent our whole time at the museum! It's a GREAT (FREE) place to take kids, if you get the chance.

However, on the road, we needed to stop for lunch. This girl chose Zombie Burger. I don't have pictures of my meal, but let's just say the loaded Zombie fries are about as healthy as they sound, and my Trailer Trash burger (a cheeseburger topped with ranch, cheese balls, and fried pickles) was AMAZING. It was, like, ridiculously good. HOWEVER, as you can imagine, when you've been eating clean for a good amount of time (4 weeks) and then choose to put garbage in your stomach, it doesn't end well.

Easton climbing across the
table to eat my cupcake.

But I did not stop there! After the museum we stopped at Creme Cupcakes - as seen on Cupcake Wars - and got a dozen cupcakes to celebrate my daughter's birthday since she has practice next Friday and we won't be able to do a birthday dinner. So I also scarfed down (with the help of Easton) a lemon cupcake. Also amazing! But again... maybe not my best choice of the week.

So fast forward to me laying in bed with stomach cramps that I thought were going to kill me. At this point, my 5 year old offered to do my workout for me (he wanted to do Dirty 30 so he could lift weights). What a sweetheart, right? I thought so too, until he followed it up by telling his sister that I kinda looked fat, like I was going to have another baby. Thanks buddy. Awesome. We're going to need to have a talk about things you do and do not say to women.

When I finally did get around to my workouts tonight my daughter (age 7) did them with me! We did both Cardio Fix and 30 Day Shred Level 1. She was right there beside me and even sent me this text in the middle of workout number two!

A little support and motivation go a long way. I really appreciated both of them working with me today. Aaden's comment (yes, I know he didn't know any better) reminded me that I have a long way to go - I do not need to be sitting around eating junk like I did today (as amazingly delicious as it was - don't get me wrong. If you are in the mood for awesome burgers or cupcakes, I recommend both). Rylee's message was just what I needed.

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): I need to work as hard through round two as I did in round one. I obviously cannot expect results if I don't put in the work. Rylee's birthday party is tomorrow, and I am desperately wanting to try her cake (we went to a new baker this time). We'll see how I feel tomorrow. Maybe a small piece.

Success(es): I got in a lot of double workouts this week, and I pushed through some really rough, long days with my workouts. Even though I missed Monday, I managed to do great workouts on days when in the past I would have just curled up in bed. I also have been doing awesome on kicking that whole Diet Dew addiction! In 4 weeks I have had 3! A glass, a bottle, and a can. To me, that is a MAJOR WIN.

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Get my eating back on track. 
• Eat all my greens
• Do better on my water

End of Round 1!

Well, even though I spent a lot of time prepping and preparing my 3 Day Quick Fix, I sucked at it. I followed perfectly the first day, but then life and schedules got in the way and I sucked the next two days. It happens, and I still stuck to my colors on day 2, but today I splurged a little on treats before starting in on round 2 tomorrow.

Here are my overall thoughts on the program:

Favorite Parts:

• The containers! I love being able to pack my food in them, and they are super easy to follow.
• Shakeology was great. I'm glad I gave it a try. I'm going to finish up my bag and then do this next round without it and see how it goes, and if I think it's worth the investment of continuing to buy it. 
• Pilates!!!! And I'm even actually starting to love Plyo! I also enjoyed Cardio Fix
• My meal plan
• My challenge group! AWESOME group of people who are very supportive

Least Favorite Parts:

• You only get one set of containers with no option to order an extra set. My dog chewed on one of mine, and now I'm stuck.
• The warm-up is SUPER boring after about day.... 5. They could have switched it up a little bit. I'm also not sure it's the greatest warm up.
• Yoga. I replaced it with Plyo Fix each week. 
• The amount of money I had to spend on groceries because healthy food costs so much more than things like ramen!
• 3 Day Quick Fix - with my schedule I failed at it. There's not actually anything wrong with it, but I'm upset that I wasn't able to stick with it.

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): I binged tonight, but that's okay. I shouldn't reward myself with food, but it was kind of worth it. It was yummy. 

Success: Pushing through the entire 3 week program and not giving up!!!! There was a very real chance that I would quit half-way through, and I didn't! 

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Have the energy to start round 2 - I don't want to stall out because I've "been there, done that"
• Drink more water
• See if I can figure out how to be more budget-friendly with my groceries for this round

And finally, my results!

Anyone who knows me knows how hard it is for me to post this, especially the before pictures, but I wanted to share my results after the last 3 weeks. When I had my husband take my before pictures three weeks ago I cried when I put my photo collage together. When I put together these comparison pictures I was SO proud of myself, I'll take any judgment that might cross somebody's mind. I worked my butt off.

I was able to lose 4lb and 11in (most from chest, waist, and hips) in just 3 weeks. That is so crazy to me on paper, but much less crazy when I think about the sweat, planning, and healthy food I put into my body! I even bought a new swimsuit and I put it on and didn't feel bad about myself! That has never happened to me in March!

The end is near!

I'm gearing up for the 3 Day Quick Fix and getting a little nervous about it! Between struggling to find the right products in my area and not like fish and knowing my schedule is not super flexible for implementing 5-6 meals, I'm a little anxious.

That being said, I will make one last shopping trip tonight to get yams and coconut oil (still didn't find extra virgin), and I'll be on my way! I have been enjoying my food the last couple of days though! This was my lunch yesterday - I've been eating a LOT of turkey bacon! Because it feels like I'm cheating and it's delicious, but I'm not. I just cook a whole package and then portion it out into baggies and then I can grab what I need. I usually just eat it cold, it's still awesome. So that, and GREEK YOGURT are two of my 21 day fix staples! It's funny, my biggest "problem area" or "cravings" before would fall under the yellow category (carbs!!!!!) but reds are my favorite.

One of my biggest complaints about the program is that I didn't have the option to buy an extra set of containers. So now 3 weeks in my dog has chewed up my purple container (still functional, but annoying), so I'm out that, and I'm also finding that my Shakeo shaker is always in the dishwasher (like the rest of my containers. So I've really turned to Tupperware products to supplement this. It's been great because they are durable, good quality, life-time guarantee, and fun colors! So I've been using my T-ware GRAVY SHAKER to do my shake, and honestly I think it works BETTER than my Shakeo one. Then I pour it over ice into one of my mega glasses. I use these for water, too, because I only have to fill it 3x a day to get to my water intake goal.

Not pictured here is the little snack pack container that I use for reds - because I cook a lot of my reds in advance I run out of containers, but Tupperware make a little snack pack size that I have about 8 of, and they are exactly the size of a red. So I know people make an argument for buying it cheaper at Wal-Mart, but I'm a big fan of quality products, so I like T-ware. Someone in my challenge group also said that the omelette maker is awesome, as well. But I am not an egg fan. Another reason I am nervous about 3 Day Quick Fix. I don't like eggs, fish, OR oatmeal! I'm probably crazy for even trying it!

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): I'm still tired. I got my first workout in the morning, but I have another busy day, and I'm hoping to be able to push through. I did Plyo this morning instead of Total Body Cardio to mix it up. So I have Pilates left, which is one of my favorites, at least! I'm also getting a little bored with some of my foods (who can eat baby carrots EVERY SINGLE DAY???) and not getting as many greens in right now.

Success(es): I've got a plan for my busy day so I can fit everything in and get my meals prepped for this 3DQF, my challenge group is amazing, and I feel very supported. I'm seeing a little more weight-loss this week, which is motivating me, and I'm really hoping I don't see another jump up like I did the other day. There are forces working against me here, I swear! Oh! And yesterday I did Upper, Lower, AND Abs to make up for skipping my double on Tuesday. Win!

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Eat my fish.
• Eat all my greens
• Keep up the good work with my water - I've been doing better again!
• Push hard through the 3DQF

The FINAL week!

I'm entering my final week, and I definitely know I won't be seeing the results on the scale that I wanted to. Even though I didn't gain after the popcorn incident Sunday night, this morning I was up a POUND AND A HALF. Super. Not sure where that came from, so I'll be lucky if I see any loss on the scale. Here's to hoping that I continue to see the inches. It's still pretty frustrating to be working so hard and only see a pound.

Me trying to smile through the workout

This week started doubles, and at the end of the week I'll hit the 3 Day Quick Fix (although that will NOT be ideal while I'm on the road this weekend). The doubles are making me tired, and it's hard to find time, but I refuse to quit at this point. Tonight I tried to give myself an out again, and to skip my workouts, but I pushed through and did cardio. I didn't get the double in, but I will have time tomorrow to fit in upper, lower, and abs. Yesterday was Total Body Cardio:

My actual reaction...

 The diet part of this is getting easier and easier, although I was VERY tempted to have something delicious like a french dip sandwich today when my team went out to eat. But I knew that wasn't the best choice, nor did I have the right colors left for the day. My supper was delicious though - husband made chicken fried rice. So yummy!

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): I'm tired. I didn't get a double in. Oh, and I wrecked a wooden spoon in my blender and had to dump an ENTIRE shake. Kewl.

Success(es): I went so far as to text my coach and tell her I didn't really want to work out at all... thinking maybe I wouldn't, and I did still get in one of the two. I'll take it after a long day!

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Make up for skipping my double today
• See if I can get a little rest so I'm not so tired. Maybe I'll add an extra protein?

Week 2 Results and Movie Theater Popcorn

I took my kids to a movie tonight (The Lego Movie = awesome) and let myself have a snack (still stayed under my calorie goal for the day, even it if wasn't that healthy) since I'm gearing up for this final killer week of doubles and restrictive 3DQF. Holy cow did it make my stomach hurt! It's funny how quickly your body will reject that crap once you've built healthier habits. It was actually a really good lesson for me. It will definitely help in being able to resist future temptation - even though something used to be a favorite treat doesn't mean that I'll enjoy it much now, and might actually make me physically uncomfortable.

And for my week 2 results....

Weight: 145.8 (-2.2)
L Arm: 11 (Still -1)
R Arm: 11 (Still -1)
Waist: 31 (-2)
Hips: 34 (-1)
R Leg: 21 (0)
L Leg: 21 (0)
Chest: 30.5 (-2.5)
After 2 weeks I am down 2.2lb, 7.5in



Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): Because it was after my weigh-in I did allow myself the popcorn that I was craving. I still stayed under my calorie goal for the day, but it definitely didn't make me feel good. Also, finding extra virgin coconut oil. For some reason I am only finding refined regular so far. 

Success(es): I am fully prepared for the week, giving me optimal chances for success! Getting to workout with my sister 2 days this weekend!

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Keep drinking more water! I've been slipping again a lot lately. Struggling to even get to 72oz
• Get in at least 4 of the 6 doubles this week

Don't feel guilty!

One of the things that I really love about this program is that it helps teach you a lifestyle vs being a traditional diet. However, one of the things I keep hearing (from other participants and from my internal voice) is that they feel bad eating something that isn't purely a health food, or listed in the pages of the 21 Day Eating Plan. For goodness sake, the book includes allowances for things like potato chips and chocolate chips. No, you shouldn't have them every day, but as the guide says on page 8, "...life's too short not to indulge occasionally."

I've been having this internal conversation, so when people in my challenge group started discussing the "bad" things that they'd eaten, and some feeling guilty (although many felt proud that they were doing MUCH better than they would have in the past - and rightfully so!), these are the thoughts I shared:

I think we need to remember that part of the point of this program is that you can still indulge and not feel bad as long as we are practicing portion control. Unless you ate an entire ___________ (insert food here - cake, pan of brownies, bag of chips...), I don't think you have a reason to feel bad. Potato chips and chocolate chips are part of the plan. It's no that you can't have a piece of ___________ (insert food here), but have ONE slice/piece/portion, as part of a well-balanced week. The problem with "diets" is people constantly deny themselves and then binge.

Just something to think about for all of us as we keep working toward living a healthy life!

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Oh my gosh, this week has been so tough. Between being on the road early and late, and being stressed about work, I've been struggling a bit to stay focused, eat early enough in the day, workout, etc.

I had a few obstacles over comes and wins this week, though!

1. I had 2 days this week (Monday and Thursday) that I was on the road at 7am or earlier and home after 9pm. But I still got my work in both nights after I got back!

2. I packed my lunch for work yesterday, but the district I was working with provided lunch for us instead. So I was able to make a good choice based on my options (chef salad, low fat ranch). I still calculated out all my containers, and I even did the trick where you dip your fork in dressing and THEN stab the salad so that you don't eat nearly as much dressing as if you had poured it over the top. I ate just a tiny portion of my cup of dressing, but still had the added flavor rather than plain lettuce. The only bad part was that it was iceberg lettuce, so not the greatest there. I also ate the oranges I brought.

3. We ordered take-out from one of my favorite restaurants last night, but after my weird day I only had 2 colors left (and a spoon), and my favorite dishes at this place include things like deep-fried, breaded tenderloins, hashbrowns with cheese, potato skins with nacho cheese, cheeseburgers, etc. The food is amazing, but I really had to think about what I would/could order, and also had to resist all of my favorite foods. I ordered a unbreaded tenderloin and a baked potato. I split the baked potato with my mom, and then had a little butter and pepper. It was delicious, and fit right within my requirements for the day. This was the 2nd time this week I ate out and made a really healthy choice! A picture of my lunch out with a friend on Thursday:

4. Added Ab Fix to 2 workouts so far this week (Lower Body Fix and Cardio Fix). Hoping to get one more in.

I am still so frustrated with my inability to get my yellows in before 6pm. I'm also struggling to eat at a decent time on the nights I'm on a road. I've been packing my meals, but it's still tough.

Last night was a lot of fun because my sister came home, and she's doing the program, too. We did our Cardio Fix and Ab Fix and discussed how the meal plans were working for us both. It's really nice to have someone in it with you. And my step-sister just signed up, too!

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): I haven't meal planned for my weekend yet, so I've been avoiding grabbing breakfast so I don't set my day off on the wrong foot.

I'm taking my kids to a movie tonight, so I am going to have to avoid one of my FAVORITE foods - MOVIE THEATER POPCORN. I know that in light of my little rant above, I shouldn't be "avoiding" favorite foods, however, tomorrow is my check-in and I want to stay focused. Just because it's the weekend doesn't mean I can do whatever I want!

Success(es): Listed my successes above! Had lots this week, but since it's 9am I don't necessarily have any for the day - unless you count being up before 8am on a Saturday. But I don't know that that is really a success... It mostly makes me sad. ;)

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Keep drinking more water! I've been slipping again a little bit lately. 
• Go harder during my workout - need to remember to push myself as I get better at them
• Prep my lunches for the week so I can hit my last week hard! I'm planning to do the 3 Day Quick Fix

Starting Week 2!

Yesterday was a ROUGH day. I am not one to get up early, I take all the sleep I can get. So yesterday I was up at 5:30 and on the road by 7:00. After a 2 hour drive to work (with one of my FAVORITE people in the world), a 2 hour drive back, and then an hour drive to and from a 3.5 hour gymnastics practice (home at 9:30pm) in wind and sometimes near white-out conditions... I think you get the picture. I was tired.

So at 9:45 last night I forced myself to do my workout! My husband even gave me an out and agreed with me that I was not a horrible person if I didn't get it in (sweet guy) and I did it anyway! Win! I can feel myself getting stronger - I'm doing fewer and fewer of the modifications in the routines. I'm also gaining flexibility quickly. I could tell that after just a couple of days, but I can really tell now, a week in.

The key to this program working is definitely planning. People see my meal plan and think it's a lot of work, but to me it was pretty simple to set up, and I enjoy being organized. It's mindless, and something I can control, and easy, and that's not something I can say about many things in my life.

Rylee made me do conditioning on the beam with her tonight. Have you ever tried to do lunges on a balance beam? Then add step up into a kick. And a hop. First of all, new respect for those little girls. Second of all, I have to say this momma actually did pretty well! Then, even though today was Upper Fix, she also had me do arm and ab workouts on the beam. She is a great coach, very empathetic, but I struggled! I also whined. Rylee did not. She told me at gymnastics that's just not what they do. Oh, how much I love that girl!

Another exciting thing to note this week - my sister has joined our challenge group! I know I have a ton of awesome ladies in my challenge group who are totally supportive, but I'm so excited to have my sister! We have plans to work out together this weekend and I am so excited to have a partner. That will definitely help mix things up a little bit. 

Side note - I know it's hard to tell from this picture, but I just felt like my portion of pasta was HUGE tonight, even though I measured it in the container. Is anyone else feeling this way? It's whole wheat thin spaghetti

I am SO excited for my lunch tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): I'm STILL struggling to get my purples/yellows in before 6pm. Thoughts on this? I know it comes down to planning, but I can't cut these things out of my family's diet completely for dinner, because who knows what they eat the rest of the day - however, we just don't usually eat that early. I'm almost always done by 7:00. Maybe that's the best I can do for now. 

Success: Working out late Monday night even though I was exhausted (I know that wasn't today, but I think it needs to be mentioned anyway), 

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Go harder during my workout - need to remember to push myself as I get better at them
• Prep my lunches for the rest of the week so I don't get stuck

Yoga Schmoga... food choices and my weigh-in

Ugh. I tried the yoga. I really did. It just didn't do it for me. To be fair, I only got about 6 minutes in before I couldn't take it anymore. In addition to not being a fan, I don't know the names of any of the poses. So I was trying to do the moves and watch the screen (which didn't work) and it all just moved too fast. I felt dumb! This was by far my LEAST favorite workout, and I'm glad that even though today was supposed to be a light, recovery day, I did Plyo Fix instead. I am happy to report that I did not come nearly as close to dying this time as when I first did it a week ago! That's a win, for sure!

The other piece of today that really hit me was the lunch that I passed up. Most weekends we do Sunday dinner with my in-laws. It is a fabulous tradition and today we had some of my FAVORITE foods. But I ate my packed lunch of pork tenderloin, cottage cheese, and carrots. With an avocado & tortilla chips snack. I was really proud of that.

Seriously, there was a time when I could have had 1/2 that pan of potatoes by myself. But I started breaking down the portions - meatballs: 2 reds, part green (tomato sauce), part yellow (breading), scalloped corn I don't actually eat, but lots of yellows here! Then "my potatoes," lots, lots more yellows and blues (potatoes, cornflakes, cheese, cream), and green bean casserole (yellows, yellows, more yellows, blue, green). So it really made me think about it in a different way. As much as I love all this food, ONE of these with other healthy things - plain green beans or a baked potato would be a much better choice for me. So I've gained perspective, I guess, and eating my pork chop wasn't completely sad, as much as I wanted to take the potatoes into the truck and hide and eat them all. ;-)

7 Days Later...
Now on to the big topic of the day. My one week weigh in. Now let me preface this with: I lost 4.5in, which is wonderful, and I get that. But I was only down .2lb. That's the lowest amount of weight I've ever lost in one week while actually trying to lose weight. Pardon me for being crass, but I could pee and lose more than that. So it was very frustrating.

People say inches are more important, but here's my problem with inches.
1. I don't trust myself to actually measure accurately. I could have moved the tape measure just slightly or been in a different position (because obviously a week ago is a long time to remember!) and those inches that I "lost" are gone.
2. I didn't actually lose any inches in either of the areas that I'm most concerned about (hips and thighs).

So yeah. I'm having a rough day. It really got to me this morning, and my poor husband wasn't quite sure what to do with me, I don't think. But I packed up my meals just like I'm supposed to and am going to keep at it and trust the program.

I'm trying to get more variety in my meals this next week, and I have every intention of doing doubles and the 3 Day Quick Fix next week. I'm going to keep working hard and hopefully have a much happier post about my results next week.

Regardless of my end results though, the change I have already seen in my children and my family and how we eat and discuss food and exercise is worth every drop of sweat and every penny I've spent on groceries and this program.

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): Hated the yoga, and did not come anywhere close to seeing the results I was hoping for. 

Success(es): Pushing through, even though I am extremely frustrated. I also tried greek yogurt today, with a splash of raw honey and blueberries, and it was excellent!

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Find a place to fit in my workout - I'll be leaving the house at 7am and not getting home until after 9pm. I feel like my choices are either get up early (which I hate and am rarely able to do) or do it late (which might keep me awake half the night...). 
• Drink more water! I'm struggling with this again today.  

Amazing food, my story, and more!

I had the most AMAZING, you'd never believe I was on a diet, meal tonight! But more about that later!

I got to sleep in this morning, which was nice, but it sort of threw off my schedule. I went to my moms today to visit and ended up assembling her treadmill. This was definitely my upper body workout for today! Between tightening tough screws and lifting the base to get to the pieces

underneath, it definitely worked my arms! But I had a VERY cute helper, and I was glad to do it. It was kind of fun to build something, and it was a fun family activity (with some friends, too).

I ran to the grocery store after that and picked up some different groceries - I've been having trouble meeting my reds (about 50/50), so I picked up more cottage cheese, some greek yogurt (which I've never had), and some ricotta cheese. I would love to know exactly what people do with ricotta cheese. I only bought it because I knew it was on the red list. I don't actually know what people do with it, other than maybe put it in lasagna. Recipes or tips in the comments for both the ricotta and the plain greek yogurt are VERY welcome (and encouraged)!

Today was Dirty 30. A lot of people on the message boards liked this one, so I was excited, but I don't think it's one of my favorites. I know they are good for me, but I am not a fan of using weights. Oh well. I still worked hard. Tomorrow is yoga, but I'm considering throwing in Plyo Fix with it... We'll see how my schedule goes tomorrow!

So my meal. Wow. I saved up some of my categories, and I did cheat just the tiniest bit (I had 2 blues instead of 1 - but I didn't eat an orange to try and balance it out). Here it is, a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat, stuffed with turkey bacon, peppers, and avocado (the extra blue). It was absolutely amazing!!! I highly recommend it.

One of the things I really struggled with over the last several months was motivation. I had my baby in April, gave myself 2 weeks to relax, and then really started focusing on eating better. After two more weeks of that I started running and working out. I lost 20lb of baby weight, and had another 5-10 to go. I shed those too, but got a new job in the mean time that involved a lot of travel (flight and driving) and a lot more eating out than I'm used to. Since then I've bounced around in my weight between 145 and 155. This is not a good look on me. My clothes don't fit right and I don't feel good about myself. I wasn't making healthy choices and I was finding it much easier to just feel bad about myself than to actually do anything about it. I joined a gym in November and went for about a month, and then found it really hard again to get motivated and to make myself drive over there. 

This is where 21 Day Fix came in for me. My awesome friend Jody always tell me that anyone can do anything for _________ (insert period of time here). So I told myself, "anyone can do anything for 21 days." And here I am. I found my "thing". I found the thing that I was excited enough about to commit to, wholeheartedly. So now I'm on a fitness journey that I hope lasts much longer than 21 days, already having a positive impact on my whole family. 

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): Was not a huge fan of today's workout, didn't get my purples in before 6:00 (but I did get it before 7:00)

Success: DINNER, yesterday I made it to 138oz of water!!!!, going outside my comfort zone for the foods that I bought today - proud of myself for trying new things (greek yogurt, ricotta cheese, and I bought tilapia on Thursday - I don't eat fish) 

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Not let the weekend derail my progress
• Drink more water!

Burning calories: Blizzard style

Yesterday was another successful day, for the most part. I really enjoyed the Pilates workout, but I did add in the 10-minute ab fix. It turned out I really wouldn't have needed to do either, because with the blizzard we got I was feeling trapped, decided to shovel my driveway, and ended up doing an hour of scooping snow, burning AT LEAST 400 calories (according to MyFitnessPal) - though the snow was so wet and heavy I imagine it was actually more. Here's an "after" picture (didn't occur to me to take a before picture) - you can kind of tell the length and width of what I did. This was nowhere close to the whole driveway, but at least if there was an emergency I would be able to get out of my garage. I rewarded myself with one of the most delicious salads I have ever made! It was awesome! Spinach, sweet peppers, sunflower seeds, colby jack cheese, citrus vinaigrette, and lemon-pepper chicken. Seriously delicious - this will be on my menu again!

I've been spoiled the last few days with the weather (not because it was good), and I've been working from home all day. It's made it really easy to pause and get my workout in and plan my meals out. I'm anxious to see how I face the challenge of the weekends, but also to see how it goes once I get back into a hectic work week. I'm on the road Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday next week for pretty long distances. That being said, I'm taking full advantage of being at home today. I got my workout in early and enjoyed a new shake recipe - strawberry shakeo, 1/2 a banana, and spinach. It's a little hard to drink your shake when it looks like this.

Today was Cardio Fix - tough, but good. I am not a fan of using weights (which probably means I need to do it more), so I appreciated a day off from them!

One of the things I've most appreciated about this program is the awesome conversations it's sparking with my children about health and wellness. Exercise and fitness have become part of their daily vocabulary. They either workout with me or do their own thing - Aaden runs around the house, Rylee has gymnastics or works on her strength training at home. Aaden's goal is to be stronger so he can be faster. He's 5, so his whole world is about being fast/the fastest! Rylee's goal is to have the strength and balance she needs to accomplish moves at gymnastics because she wants to be on the "optional team" someday. I think these are both GREAT, age-appropriate goals for the kids. 

We are also having lots of conversations surrounding their meals. While they still make "kid choices" like asking for pizza and cookies, they are making an effort at each meal to eat from different food groups and make healthier choices. We go through their plate and talk about which food group each food is in, and what "color" each food is. With childhood obesity becoming an increasingly alarming concern, I'm excited that my own fitness journey isn't modeling a "crash diet" to my children - it's modeling healthy habits! And through it all, thanks to Erin, my BeachBody fitness coach and BFF, we have found a new love of almond milk - a VERY healthy alternative to dairy, and something we NEVER would have tried without her recommendation and this program.

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): Starting the weekend makes me a bit nervous, and STILL have a sore throat! 

Success: Modeling healthy behaviors and habits for my kids 

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Not let the weekend derail my progress
• Drink more water! I still haven't hit triple digits on any given day - although today is still young!

The joys of being a mom...

Ohhhhhh Aaden...

After Lower Body Fix

So yesterday I was working out and my 5-year-old sat in front of me eating the biggest, most delicious frosted sugar cookie (they are famous around here, and we only get them once a year - if that - for Valentine's Day). Okay, so there's that. Meanwhile, my 7-year-old gymnast daughter is doing all the moves with ease, while eating her cookie, of course.

Today I'm doing the modified version of one of the exercises (Lower Body Fix) because my quads are burning and I'm just working to stay moving. Aaden comes in and asks why I'm cheating and not doing the part with my arms like I'm supposed to. Nothing like making me feel guilty! However, I had no idea that I would sweat this much doing a leg workout. It was crazy - and definitely harder than I thought it was going to be. I have NO idea when I'll get my workout in tomorrow. We're in a blizzard warning, so my "hope" is that I'll be able to stay home and get it in. We'll see. Otherwise it's going to have to be at like 9:30 tomorrow night and that's not fun. You'll notice that at no point did it enter my head that maybe I could get up a little earlier and do my workout. No thanks! My sleep is WAY too precious!

Today's Lunch

I'm still not feeling well, but I'm pretty proud of myself for continuing to workout and eat right even though I feel like crap. And I didn't have any Diet Dew today (no headaches so far, either). Lunch today was kiwi and Kiwi-Strawberry Shakeology with almond milk: 1 red, 1 yellow, 2 purples.

I'm having a hard time getting all my containers in still, so I'm a little worried about my calorie intake. Even when I do eat them all I still don't hit 1200 calories in a day, plus the workout. I don't feel hungry at all, but my net calorie intake is somewhere around 600-700. I'm not sure that's entirely healthy? But I'm following the book pretty much to the letter, so I'm not sure what else I would do about it, this is the way it's designed.

I am already starting to think in terms of colors. Tonight I fed my kids in colors. Rylee got a blue, a green, a red, and a yellow. Aaden got 3 yellows, a green, 2 spoons, and whatever strawberry jam is. So what looked like a healthy PB&J on wheat, carrots, and almond milk didn't seem quite so healthy - pretty heavy on yellows. But - win on the kids asking for almond milk for dinner!

Today's Biggest: 
Challenge(s): Still not feeling well, but I think I'm on the mend. 

Success: Still worked out, even though I'm not feeling well, and the kids are seeing my healthy choices and making them for themselves (minus the leftover valentine's cookies). 

Tomorrow I will try to:

• Plan my meals in a way that make sense for my late night
• Drink more water! I'm not doing well enough with this yet. 

Terrible Two

Apparently life is out to get me on this challenge! It's day 2 and I'm facing one of my biggest challenges - trying to stick with something when I'm sick. For *years* I have been derailed from my routines and programs when I get sick. And just 2 days in, here it is. I've completely lost my voice and my throat is so dry!

Challenge #2 today: I failed on the Diet Dew front. Since I didn't feel well I couldn't deal with the caffeine withdrawal headaches AND the throat issues. That being said, I still only had 24oz vs the 2-3 liters I have most days. So I still call it a win.

Challenge #3: This one will be ongoing - we rarely eat dinner before 6:00, so making sure to have my yellows and purples done by 6:00 is going to take a lot more planning on my part. That'll be something to think about as I keep editing my menu/meal planning.

Success #1: I made sure I still got my workout in, even though I didn't fell well. Which is a MAJOR win!

Success #2: I'm actually not feeling quite so sore today! My calves are worst still, but manageable, and while I can still feel it in my butt and my abs, I'm feeling so much better about the workouts!

So overall, day 2 was rough, but I'm happy I stuck with it the best I could for today. Tomorrow is another day, and I can't wait to see what the Lower Body Fix has in store for me. I'm also finding that Mexican food is a really safe go-to on this diet.

Dinner: Turkey tacos (red), corn tortillas (yellow), cheese (blue), lime juice (free), taco sauce (free)

Tomorrow I will work on:

• Keeping my purple/yellow containers before 6pm
• Going harder in my workout (maybe it was because it was just arms, today was definitely not a "sweaty" workout kind of day).
• No Diet Mt Dew