buff mama monday w.9, an off week

{check out my weight loss goals/rewards here}

Soooo this week wasn't the greatest. I didn't gain any weight! But I also didn't lose any. Womp womp woooooommmpp.

A big part of my issue is I look at food in a social aspect. I can eat well all day long when I am at home with JC. I even do alright when Charles comes home for lunch and after work. But god forbid my family come into town. All hell breaks lose. McDonald's, pizza, Taco Bell. All of these were consumed without regard for calories, fat content or greasiness. And a whole lot of it. When I'm hanging out with people, eating food becomes something fun and I always find an excuse to eat WAY too much. That is definitely a habit that I need to break.

Oh and I didn't go to the gym for four days in a row. Sad face.

It sounds so stupid, but I really have felt like crap the last couple days. I'm cranky and have zero energy. When I eat crap and don't workout, I feel horrible. I guess that's a good thing.

All that being said, I'm really really happy that I didn't gain any weight. But I really need to get my focus back, especially if I'm trying to get to my ten pound weight goal before we go to Vegas. So I'm back on my "plan" and I'm going to try to go the gym with no more than a two day gap in between visits.

buff mama monday w.8, half way to my first goal!

{check out my weight loss goals/rewards here}

I'm halfway to my first goal! I am so excited to be here today because I was really really worried about today's weigh in. I only made it to the gym twice this past week (who thought it was a good idea to close the gym at 8 on the weekends?) so I was nervous. But I made a more conscious effort to monitor what I was eating and I think that's what made the difference.

Again, I am not undertaking any kind of "regimented" diet, just monitoring my calories. We went out for dinner the other night and instead of getting the chicken club, which is what I usually get, I got a tri-tip sandwich. Now, I don't know about you but a chicken club sounds like it would have less calories than tri-tip but when you put bacon and avocado on top on a chicken breast, it tends to up the calorie content. I ended up saving about 300 calories just by getting the tri-tip, which was equally as delicious. JC helped out by knocking over our sweet potato fries that we were sharing so I only ended up eating about 1/4 of them.

Now that we are for sure going to Vegas (YAY!) next month, I have a huge incentive to reach my first goal. I'm trying to be realistic though so I don't get my hopes up too much but it would be awesome to lose five more pounds in the next 17 days. I've really got to make sure I get to the gym at least three times in the next couple weeks (more if I can!) and pay attention to the calories. Eat only until I'm full. Especially when it's something that I know isn't good for me (hello ice cream and brownie for dessert last night.

It's completely against how I normally operate, but I've been thinking about adding a "dietary suppplement" (fancy words for diet pills) to my diet and exercise plan. I'm the kind of person who avoids taking an ibuprofen at all costs. I'm definitely a "mind over matter" kind of thinker. But, that being said, I'm willing to try giving myself a boost in the weight loss department. Because I am secretly obsessed with the Kardashians (please, stop pointing and laughing at me) I have been checking out the QuickTrim line of products. Anybody tried these out? Or any other diet pill for that matter? Did they help or just make you feel like you were going to simultaneously have a heart attack and poo your pants? I'd love to hear some feedback. Thanks in advance!

{Linking up with The Crafty Nest}

buff mama monday w.7, staying motivated

{check out my weight loss goals/rewards here}

I decided to write this post about how I stay motivated to lose weight before I weighed myself this morning. Then I got on the scale and realized that the number didn't change. But I realize the topic is still poignant because it is hard to stay motivated when the weight loss is slow. I'm actually really positive about this today because I sneaked on the scale a couple days ago hoping to see a lower number. You can imagine how mad I was when I realized that I had GAINED weight. This, of course, was right after I came home from the gym so you can imagine how irritating that was. But, I know I need to stay focused and stay on track, so I'm still going to share how I try to do that.

1. Find what works for you. This really has to do with working out but it also works with dieting. For me, going to the gym works very well. It gives me a chance to have some real mommy time where I can clear my mind. There is every kind of machine that you can think of so I have a lot of options to try out if I get bored doing one particular thing. We have a treadmill at home but every time I get on it, I'm always worried about making too much noise and waking up JC. Plus, it's in my bedroom so inevitably I end up looking around the room and all I can think about is all the things I need to do in there. I end up feeling like I wasted my time. Luckily, my gym is really close so it only takes me about five minutes to drive there. Charles and I alternate bath nights with JC so I try to go on the nights that Charles puts JC to bed. The gym is really quiet at this time.

But you have to find what works for you. If having a treadmill and weights at your house will motivate you to work out, do it. You don't need to spend a ton of money to exercise. Try just going on a daily stroll with your tot in the stroller. I know a lot of moms feel like they don't have time to go to the gym; if you bring the gym to you, you can't really use that excuse. Exercise DVD's are great options too, especially if you can't stand the monotany of the treadmill. I'm really thinking about getting a little set of free weights for my house so I can do some arm workouts throughout the day so I can focus on my lower body when I go to the gym.

2. Set small goals and reward yourself for reaching them. I have an overall weight loss goal of thirty pounds. But a bigger number like that can seem daunting and make you feel like it is unattainable. I'm trying to think of my weight loss in ten pound increments to make it seem more manageable. I also have rewards that I REALLY want set up for every ten pound increment that I make it to. I so badly want all of the rewards that I have set for myself that I think about that while I think "Am I really hungry? Or just bored?"

3. Have a time frame in mind. My upcoming wedding is my major motivation for my weight loss. While it is still eight months away, I know I will need to start looking for a dress a lot sooner than that. I also have my birthday coming up in almost exactly one month. Kind of randomly, we might be going to Las Vegas! I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to lose at least ten pounds by then so that has been a big motivating influence for me lately.

I hope I helped someone get a little more motivated to stick with their goals and not give up! Now go do some push ups.

{Linking up with The Crafty Nest}

buff mama tuesday w.6, it's working!

{check out my weight loss goals & rewards here}

Posting this a day late, err. But the stats are from yesterday so it's all good.

It's amazing how good I feel after working out regularly for the last couple of weeks. I'm SO close to getting past my five pound fluctuation. Once I get past that point, I will be really pumped. But I really do have so much more energy, I'm sleeping better and I'm just in an overall better mood.

I didn't do that great with the eating this week though. I may or may not have participated in a fifty chicken mcnugget eating foodfest. Amongst three people. It was not pretty. There also might have been two large orders of fries involved. I have really been trying to cut out fast food (not on purpose, but because I don't want to JC to eat it so I can't have it around him) so eating those nuggets was no bueno for the digestive system. Is that TMI? Well, it's the truth. I still skipped meals but it really is because I get so busy sometimes in the morning I just don't have time. Plus when I'm running around, I don't feel hungry. It's not until I put JC down for his nap and I sit down is when I first realize that it is now 1 o'clock and I'll I've had is coffee. I really need to make a more conscious effort to eat breakfast.

It's been cool having my brother here because he's gone to the gym with me a few times now and we play around on all the machines without being self-conscious. So I feel way more comfortable around all the muscle-bound, weight-belt-wearing dudes. Yeah I'm using the five-pound dumb bells and the ab machine is only set to 30 pounds but I'm doing it!

I know that working on my diet is key this week. If I can get a good diet and a good exercise regime working together, I can get maximum weight loss. Hopefully more than a pound a week.

{Linking up with The Crafty Nest}

buff mama monday w.5, getting it done

{check out previous weeks here}

So this week, I'm not going to whine or complain about how hard it is for me to work out or whatever else. Because this week, I managed to go to the gym FOUR times! Including a new class this morning.

Now, I am a little disappointed because I did only lose one pound this week. But they say healthy weight loss is about two pounds a week and I really haven't modified my diet much, just added physical activity. And they also say that muscle weighs more than fat, right? I'll take that. At least I didn't gain any weight.

Charles and I alternate nights for who does JC's bedtime routine. On Charles's nights, I say goodnight to JC before I leave because he's already asleep by the time I come back and I head out to the gym. It has really been working out well for me. The only downside is that I discovered that my gym closes at eight on Saturday and Sunday. So that kind of through me off but it gave me the perfect excuse to get up early today and try out a new class. It was a cardio/step/sculpt combination class that was a lot of work but it felt good. The instructor was pulling some complicated step moves but I tried my best to keep up.

The next step for me is to really try and work on my diet. I don't think I want to go on any kind of regimented diet but I'm just going to try and keep track of my calorie intake throughout the day. I also have a bad habit of skipping meals just to binge out at lunch or dinner and probably end up eating more calories than if I had just eaten breakfast or a snack. So my goal for this week is to not skip any meals, eat when I'm hungry but don't overeat. And drink a lot of water. I know it sounds like common sense but I will really have to work at this.

Also I'm thinking about getting a new scale. Ours was the cheapest one at Target when I bought it five years ago. Got any recommendations?

{Linking up with The Crafty Nest}

buff mama monday w.4, setbacks

{check out my rewards/goals here}

Soooooo this week hasn't been the greatest for me in more ways than one. I only made it to the gym once. And only for about forty minutes. I was there for about an hour and half but most of that was spent trying to ease JC into the "kid's club". Heh, that didn't go over very well.

I hate to use JC as an excuse for anything but, as I'm sure is true for other mamas, being his primary caretaker is "my job" and it doesn't last from 9 to 5. I don't get a lunch break. I don't get vacation or sick days. I don't get weekends off. For the most part, where ever I go, he goes. Joining the gym seemed to be the perfect solution because I wouldn't have to use precious nap time to work out. I could take him with me to the gym and drop him off at their day care center while I got my cardio on. Except that JC hasn't really been watched by very many people besides Charles or myself. And if someone else does watch him, it's usually at our house so he's in a familiar environment. And he's going through his separation anxiety phase. So, needless to say, he isn't really down with hanging out in this kid's club. He pretty much cried the whole forty minutes that I was working out.

I know the more he goes, he'll probably get used to it and it will be easier. But it's really hard to concentrate on working out when I'm worried that JC is causing havoc in the kid's area. And it's already hard enough to plan the time to get to the gym without having to add an additional twenty minutes of "get JC acquainted to the kid's area" time.

Plus, the main reason why I joined the gym was because I want to take some of their classes but the times don't always work out best with our schedule. I have a treadmill at home so I feel silly dragging JC to the gym just so I can go on the treadmill there. I'm willing to give the gym a little bit more of a chance but I'm not so sure that it's going to be what's best for our family. I might just have to suck it up and plan better so I can work working out into nap times, after JC goes to bed or before he wakes up in the morning. Maybe when it stops being almost 100 degrees outside, we can go for jogs together. And bring Tsunami along too; she needs to lose a little weight too.

So ultimately, I did lose two pounds with week but I'm not getting really psyched about it until I get past the five pound mark because I have a five pound fluctuation that I go through.

Any other mama's have a workout system that works for them? Do you try to include your little one(s) or do you try to work it in during nap times?

I'll leave you with an arm workout video that I found the other day on Six Sister's Stuff. I ended up subscribing to this girl's videos because she has some awesome workouts and does a lot of reviews of workout classes and DVD's.



{linking up with The Crafty Nest}

buff mama monday w.3, goals

I'm feeling good about this week because I actually went to the gym yesterday! And it kicked my ass. No joke. I did a cycling class for the first time and I really was not prepared for the beating that I got. Could they make those bicycle seats less comfortable? I mean, I knew that I wasn't going to be sitting on a memory foam mattress but come on. Luckily, I actually don't feel as bad today as I thought I would. In fact, I think I might try to go to the gym again today. How un-convincing did that sentence sound? I think I might try? Hmm. I really want to though! Just not for a cycling class today.

I've decided to set up a (what I hope to be) realistic weight loss goal for myself to achieve by the wedding. Thirty pounds. Would I like to lose more than this? Yes. But I feel like this is what is realistic for me now especially with a deadline looming less than nine months away. Even still, it does seem a little daunting. But to help me reach this goal, I took a page out of Jenni's idea book and decided to give myself rewards for each ten pound mark that I reach. This, I hope, will motivate me to push myself harder.




I've been wanting to get my eyelashes permed for a while now. I have the most stick straight eyelashes ever. They are long but they won't hold a curl at all. This is actually something I wanted to do as a Mother's Day gift but I just haven't gotten around to making an appointment and getting it done. I've also been drooling over dresses at Ruche and Modbe so I'd love to be able to get one of them as a gift to myself at the twenty pound mark. Since thirty pounds is the BIG goal, I thought I'd put the biggest (and probably most expensive) reward for last. I've been itching to get a new tattoo for a little bit now. I'm not set on exactly what I want yet or where I would want to put it but I have some time to decide.

Goals this week include going to the gym at least three times and continuing to watch what I eat. No set diet yet, just trying to really think about what and when I'm eating. Good luck to the other "buff mama's" out there!


{linking up with The Crafty Nest}

buff mama monday (or tuesday), w.2

This post being a little late kinda goes hand in hand with my motivation this past week. It hasn't been so great. BUT, that is different now. I'm really ready. We went today and are now officially signed up for our new gym! I'm really excited to try the different classes that they have available. Although, I am a little scared of the cycling class now after our tour guide told me that I'll probably only want to do the first ten or fifteen minutes of the class my first few times. Is cycling class really that intense? 

Either way, I'm super excited for our new gym. They even have a kid's center so I can drop JC off while I work out. Unfortunately, the price of the center isn't included in the gym membership (LAME!) but it's reasonable. We let JC check it out today while we looked around. Since I stay home with him, he hasn't ever been in a "daycare" environment. I made sure I told him I was leaving because I didn't want to sneak out. When we left, he didn't even seem to notice though. But I guess once he realized we weren't there, he started crying. When we came to pick him up, one of the ladies was holding him and you could tell that he had been crying. But they said that he wasn't upset for that long. It's so hard to let someone else watch him when it's always me everyday. But it's time to extend the umbilical cord a little bit. Mama needs to get her cardio on. 

I fully plan on having a more motivating plan next week. My goal is to go to the gym at least three times this week so wish me luck!

{Linking up with The Crafty Nest}

buff mama monday w.1, let's do this

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

For a split second, maybe you thought that was a picture of me. That would be awesome.

I'll tell you what's not awesome. I'm no where NEAR that level of feeling comfortable walking around in a bikini. I don't even want to see myself in a bikini; I wouldn't want to put anyone else through that misery.

If you remember my post about the goals that I set for the rest of the year, "making healthy choices" is one of them. Notice that I didn't say "lose weight" or "drop dress sizes". It was my way of making my goal seem more doable. But it also makes me less motivated to "lose weight" or "drop dress sizes".

When I saw that Vanessa over at The Crafty Nest (one of my blogger inspirations) is starting up a weekly "buff mama" link up, I had to join. I need more motivation than what I've got now. I know I don't like how I look. I know I have a wedding coming up in (eek!) nine months. I know that I feel tired and sluggish all the time. But those reasons have not been enough for me to get off my butt.

Source: None via Melissa on Pinterest

I know that I will probably never be as skinny as Katy Perry or look as amazing as Kim Kardashian looks in a bikini, but I definitely want to try. I can't expect for that to happen without putting in any effort.

As of yet, I'm not set on my exercise/diet plans. I've tried just hitting the treadmill at home during nap time, but I lost steam after a couple of weeks. I started doing C25K and it was ok, just kinda boring. I'm thinking about joining a gym. I have a friend who goes pretty relig so I would have a workout buddy. Stroller Strides has a LivingSocial deal right now too. I really just don't like exercising so I get bored easily. And I always feel like I have 102958210 more things that I need to be doing instead.

Let me know if you've tried anything that has worked for you. Preferably something that can be disguised as "fun". Link up with Vanessa too so we can all track each other's progress! Maybe in a few months, we'll look like Beyonce. Maybe.

Source: cityrag.com via Melissa on Pinterest