Discipline

10 days in on my food plan with HCG Activator and I've lost only 4lbs. The vodka was probably not my best idea but, I have to admit  this is more difficult to do than in the past. I'm sure its because I worked so hard at losing 80 lbs that It's really hard to get back on the wagon and handle restriction. I have a stubborn 15 lbs that needs to come off and its a slow process.  Fighting the aging process is no walk in the park either. To be totally honest I'm 98 % with the plan.  I'm not eating bad stuff but maybe a mouthful of peanut butter here or an extra tomato there or a bite of sauce on a piece of chicken which was probably more chicken that I was suppose to have. I know this program works, I just have to be honest with myself.

Argh

I had a great week on my plan then the weekend came around.I figured I can do this and enjoy a cocktail. I made sure that my food was all set and ready to eat. Sleeping in on the weekends makes it tough to eat on time when you wake up late when it's snack time.
My problem is thought I could have a couple cocktails. I stayed with vodka, mixed with tonic and lemon. Drank lots of water as well. NO bad food, no sugar or etc.
Sunday came around and I gained one pound. I was like ok I got away with it I did have 2 pieces of bacon too. I was making breakfast for dinner and it just happened.

Then when Monday morning came around I weighted in at 3 pounds more. Making my net loss only 2 pounds for the week. Drat.. Maybe it was the bacon?

I'm mildly discouraged at this point, but I'm back on track and I will keep my weight loss positive and drink lots of water.
Tomorrow is another day.

Plan for Success

I just came back from a week long conference for work. Very enjoyable, great food, friends and business. They had a expo of samples and expos are a weaknesses for me. I'm one of those people that if its free, I take if and figure out what to do with it later. Its like Christmas watching my kids (and husband) riffle through it. I brought back a lot of food goodies for quick snacks

See what I'm talking about? Lots of little things that are great for lunches and snacking but not so good when I'm on a food plan.
Now, I do have pretty good discipline and have learned to make good decisions but, every now and then you just get a hankering for something and you have to learn to walk away. Over the last couple of years I did gain a little weight back. I used my work conference as a way of getting it all out of my system. I now can put all my energy on the next 6 weeks and focus. My goal is to lose 20 pounds! I planned, plotted  for 3 weeks and today is my first day on my HCG Activator program. My first order of business is to hide all this booty so it doesn't find my booty. Second order is to hit the grocery store for all the food on the plan to avoid deviation.

And the rest goes something like this.
1. Start my journal
2. Record my weight and measurements (pictures of needed)
3. Add in moderate exercise. I'm on a low calorie plan which means I don't want to beat myself up.
4. Begin my accountability: My blog and facebook. The trick is to NOT to keep it a secret. Let your friends and family help you. They only want the best for you.
Follow my on the ups and downs of what it takes to lose weight and all the dirty details. I know it's not going to a piece of cake, (ok, bad pun) but, I do know that if I don't plan I will  fail.

Kitchen Cupboard

My timeline is written in my kitchen for all the world to see, in Chalk. I plan to cross off each day. This is my accountability, What's yours?

Summer Loving

You have to love summer with all the wonderful choices of vegetables and fruits that are around. I bought a commercial Juice press at a yard sale and have not been able to put it away. I'm buying fruits to, squeeze smash, peel and muddle. 

I recently learned how to make a Shrub. Have you ever sipped a shrub? Not a bush, but a fruit syrup, preserved with vinegar and mixed with water or alcohol to make a tangy, refreshing beverage. An old-fashioned favorite, shrubs have steadily made a comeback, especially on cocktail menus, but they aren't solely the province of mixologists. Making a shrub syrup at home is a fun way to preserve and play with seasonal fruit,  In addition to drinks, you can use the brightly flavored syrup in salad dressings, as a glaze for meats, or add a splash to homemade jam.
The word "shrub" is derived from the Arabic sharbah, which means "a drink." "Sherbet" and "syrup" also come from this Arabic root. Although drinking vinegars aren't so common today, they have a long history stretching back to the Babylonians, who added date vinegar to water to make it safe to drink, and the Romans, who mixed vinegar and water to make a beverage called posca.  

How delightful that we can have all these combinations of fruit and freshness in nice seasons. Forget the sugar chemical shit storms of diet sodas and enjoy some fresh fruit.

This is how to live large.

Time to take the comforter off.

This winter was hard, or at least it really felt like it. It finally appears to be spring now and I'm ready to cast aside the tights boots and dark sweaters. As I look at all my colorful spring clothes I begin to wonder.... will I fit into them? Panic sets in.  I dove in and pulled stuff out like it was sale rack. I tossed clothes on the bed to re-antiquate myself with my wardrobe. Better outcome than I thought. I did fit into most everything but, I felt like I had a coat on.

Let me better explain. I got the clothes on but I didn't feel quite right. Muffin top here, pound cake there. Yup, I had added a layer all over from the winter and my stuff was uncomfortable.  Now, I have to tell my body WINTER IS gone and its time to put together an action plan. I need to shed the comforter skin suit that I gained over the winter so I can wear my swimsuit.

I decided to do a round of HCG Activator this month to get kick start my spring/summer plan. Ive done it before and shed 62 lbs, I can do this again to take off a mediocre 15. My food plan is all prepped out for the week, I have everything prepared, my alarms are ready, water bottles filled. I have a wonderful support group of friends and family to lean on. You know, for the those days that you just can't make it without that cookie.

I have my pals at The Institution that for sure will make sure I'm getting my sweat on. So, you see I have NO excuse as to why I can't be successful with my success plan.

I got this!

New Years Resolution

I vowed that I was never going to make a New Years resolution. Feels like it's a set up for failure to me. So many people say they are going to eat healthy, move more etc.  But, its a trap and its hard to stick to it especially when it's 10 below zero and the last thing you want to do is go outside. Plus,he healthy foods you need are not available or a poor quality from some 3rd world country filled with pesticides. Get my point?

I lost my 80 lbs with better planning and better weather. I'm the kind of gal that always has to have challenges or projects to keep me moving or I get bored. Never stop moving and learning, plenty of time for sleep when your dead right?

I decided to learn Italian. Why not? it's a romance language and after all my husband is Italian and has lots of family in Italy. I have always found the country beautiful and intriguing and I hope to visit one day.

I vowed to do a little bit of work in it each day to keep myself going. First, I visited the local library for some world traveling in books and got my hands on some Language audio CD, to listen to on my commute to work. My kids think I'm nuts but they are stuck with it.

Then I downloaded as many free apps I could find and I visited the local library to get me started and I found an adult language class in my community  to take advantage of.. Even my dear husband has been supportive and bought me some books and we are attempting to learn it together. For Valentines Day he even made me a little Italian gift basket. He is so sweet to think like that.

Now, my schedule is already tight so between my food prepping fresh foods and my workouts at The Institution, I can do this.

Read All About it. DIETS SUCK

It's finally here. It's here?I've been sworn to secrecy until now. As my readers know my whole blog has been about up hill battles that I faced trying to lose weight and keep it off for good. The good, the bad and the ugly. Well, its paid off. My friend Stephen Adele explains it all and much more in this book called Diets Suck. Look closely, my picture is the smallest picture on the bottom but it's there. I'm pretty proud of Chapter Fourteen Week Five. Autographs anyone?? Little more about the book...

ABOUT THE BOOK:

In Diets Suck! (www.DietsSuckBook.com), we share an incredibly powerful, page-turning story, written narratively as a parable, based on seven very real, truly inspiring weight-loss transformation stories (losing from 50 to 113 lbs, and keeping it off for years). Inside each story, a valuable life-changing “Lesson” is delivered. As Audrey (the main character) soon learns, as those before her already have, the Seven Lessons are relatively simple, yet remarkably powerful, and if followed, will transform your body and help you regain your health and life.

Insanity Class

I took an Insanity class last night after work and Jennifer (the instructor) says "it's okay if you take things at your own pace, Insanity is tough and you might are not expected to keep up. Well, every time a attempted to slow down, Jennifer jumped next to me pushing me harder.I'M SO CONFUSED/!!

No. really Jennifer- thanks for pushing me to my limits, I'm glad you did. I'll be able to flex my calf muscles sooner or later.

The Institution Face Book Page

It's Finally Here!

How's it going so far? Feel like you're not getting results? Don't feel alone, we've all been there with the bad days, and unmotivated moments.When I was on my journey I always looked for information on fitness, healthy foods and nutritious ways to stay motivated and most of all way to stay positive. Sometimes you just want to throw in the towel, but you can't. Don't give up.

I worked with Stephen Adele on this book to share my transformation story and I'm so proud. My goal is to help others that are going through what I did. This book is packed with great advice and many success stories to keep you charged and motivated.

Meet The Author- Stephen Adele

Keep it up, you CAN make a difference.

Buy the Book

It's warmer on Mars than in Michigan

I don't feel like I'm in Michigan anymore. It's -30 wind chill, my boys are on their 3 snow day, my car won't start, and we are buried under about 14 inches of snow and its too cold to go out and romp around.
So with that, what does one do with your time when you want to be nothing by lazy. Because its so cold all I want to eat is cook comfort food and keep the oven on. But, alas I'm holding pretty good on making sure I don't eat everything in the fridge. I prepped some healthy options in the house for me to eat as I'm spend time in the kitchen. I always make sure to eat first. The real trick when you are bored is to not exceed portions by snacking. If you're lazy, you need less food. I am also on my low calorie with HCG Activator right now so I have to mindful of how many calories I am eating and I need to add with I add exercise.

I have to admit that I have not worked out in the last couple days since we are not allowed to be out on the roads unless its necessary. In order to counteract, I am really limiting what I put into my mouth by drinking water and staying focused. I have a goal and I don't like to fail.

I finally dragged myself to the The Institution and boy, am I glad I did. I took a PiYo Strength class- It's a combination of yoga and strength training. You'll be amazed how much you sweat doing yoga poses and feeling your body stretch, feeling taller and straighter. It was a tricky few days but I still managed to lose 3 lbs in the wake of it all. Keep it up

Setting up a plan for 2014

I have some pretty good things happening at the end of this month and I am on a mission.

Thanks to The Institution I have definitely been moving. With all the different options in classes no way can I get bored. They have been kinda slow because of the holiday but its been a bonus for me as I get the individualized attention. Maybe that's why I can hardly walk today.....Thanks Paul and Jennifer. Anyway, it's getting my year started off right.They offer personalized training and nutritional support. And, the best part is they make you feel like family. Check it out. http://institutionfitness.com/ They much more than what I can explain here.

I would like shave off 10 to 12 lbs while I'm working out to get that cutting edge feel. So I'm doing a double whammy with workouts and food plan.I decided to jump back on a round of hCG Activator for this month and see if I can rock this out. I lost a  over 60lbs with this eating program and I feel good about using it again. You know, if you ever want to see me in action I'm a success coach for this product on FaceBook.  https://www.facebook.com/HCGactivator Meet the whole community and see for yourself how this works.

Its 2014 Give it all you got!

First work out of 2014

A couple close friends of mine are Beachbody coaches and they opened a fitness club in my area called the The Institution. Since my boot camp was over I needed something to replace it.  They had a grand opening recently and I had the opportunity to try it out a couple days ago.

I signed up for more classes and my first workout of 2014 at 10 am. I was already tired and sore from the workout 2 days prior but I had to go. I even bought an outfit, so I had NO excuse to not go and I would look good while doing it.

My plan was to get up 2 hours before class so I could sip my coffee and stretch out. I thought that if I don't get up early to do some stretching I would get hurt in class. I'm not a morning exercise person, my coordination sucks and enviably I get hurt.
Well, I overslept and my husband Tom rolls over taps me on the shoulder and tells me to get up.( Love you too, honey.) I crawled out of bed, made some coffee and wondered if I should take the time to brush my teeth. Yes, I brushed my teeth.
It was only 10 degrees so any warm up I did was long gone as I jumped in my car to head to class.  All I could think of was how my muscles already hurt, how in the world was I going to last an hour workout?

I totally surprised myself, the workout was exactly what I needed. My muscles responded accordingly and I was energized. So, the word is, if your workout was a little tough, work through it and it will get better and you will feel amazing. Check out the link if you live in my area. http://institutionfitness.com/