Banana strawberry shakeology shake

shakeolgoy (what I was using in the video)
Beachbody (the creators of shakeology and p90x)

My motivational speech to you

I just wanted to add that sometimes I tell people "You're not ready to lose weight, that's why it's not working." Here's why I say this. You HAVE to go into this like a warrior. This is going to be hard. The more you start to try knowing you're going to back out of it, the harder it is for you to try the next time. But YOU CAN DO THIS! Change your mindset. Start believing in yourself. Stop saying no and start saying now.

Shakeology (What I take)
Beachbody (P90x, Insanity, TurboFire, TurboJam, supplements)

I've lost that loving feeling

whoa that looovin feeling
I've lost that loving feeling
Now it's gone, gone, gone, whoooaaah

Ok enough with the Righteous Brothers.
I had a co-worker that used to sing that to me daily when I would get upset at them. Then I'd giggle and we'd be friends again. I wish all relationships were that simple

ANYWAYS

I was in a workout funk. I love zumba. I love love love love love to dance. But I've gotten so used to it that I've had a hard time getting my heart rate up.
So I tried Turbo Jam. Sucked.
I tried kickboxing. Loved it but time wise it didn't work.
I wanted to try turbo kick but yet again time wise didn't work.
I tried 24set... HURKIES SUCK!
I tried kick butt boot camp... it kicked my butt.
So I lost my motivation to even go to the gym. I kept up with my running but even that I'm getting blah about. Why? Because after I would run, I would always have a dance class. When I got to that class there would always be at least one person to say "GUUUUUUURL, I saw you runnin. You're doing great." or "Omg skinny mini!" And that would be the person that I danced next to... because they're awesome for motivating someone. I would run hard and then dancing was like desert. And I loved it. My routine was awesome.
But they tell you that every now and then you need to throw your routine up a little so you can "confuse" your body into getting its heart rate up again. It's supposed to help you plow through a plateau wall and stuff.
Can I be honest with you? That's a load of crap to be top priority on your list.
Yes, we're here to lose weight. Yes we're here to be healthier. BUT WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO HATE IT.
I lost focus on the most important aspect of working out--- HAVING FUN.
No my heart rate wasn't up at 160. But was it up past 120? Yep! The great thing is I love my routine.
But should I just go back to my regular routine and let my heart rate stay low all the time? No. Every now and then I need to throw something in the loop. Try something new. Give things a try. But I don't have to give up everything I love. Just one day of it. And the great thing is maybe I'll find something I like as much or more than dancing.
But for now I'm still burning calories and I'm not giving up because it sucks. I'm sticking to it because I love it.
Burning calories is still burning calories. That means I'm still losing weight no matter what I do. It just might take a little longer doing the things I love.
Does any of this make sense? Read my head! It knows what it's talking about. It's just never able to come out of my fingers and onto the keyboard.

Today's shake: Banana and chocolate shakeology
Today's workout: 11 min mile, zumba, and strength training

Don't put yourself off

It's 2:45 in the morning. It's my night off of work and I should be sleeping right now. Why am I not? Today is carreer day at the boys school and I have to wash clothes for it. Not only do I have to wash my own clothes, but I promised the boys I would find nice outfits for them to wear today. I didn't buy outfits for them like I had told them I would. I put it off until last minute and unfortunately had my day fall in pieces behind me yesterday. They didn't seem to care when I said I would wash some of their nicer clothes and we'd save the money for some new summer clothes. Then I promised my husband I would round up some clothes before I went to bed. Did I? Nope. Instead played "Words with Friends" on my phone until I followed my husband to bed and forgot about the clothes. Luckily, I woke up for one of my usual "I drank wayyyy too much water yesterday" bathroom trips and realized what I had forgotten to do. So now I'm going to have to keep myself awake for a few hours while these clothes wash.
Yes I know, you're thinking But I'm not done there

Since I have an hour before I can put "Sunday's best" (cargo pants and button up shirts for them, pants that are now too big on me and granny shirt for me) into the dryer, I wanted to blog about putting yourself off.
"Procrastinators UNITE!... tomorrow" is one of my favorite phrases. (me at 305 wearing that shirt) But procrastination rarely ever benefits anyone. In fact it's almost like a form of self abuse. We always end up having to make up for it in the end. Didn't clean- have to rush to do it at the end of the day when we should be relaxing.
Didn't clean till right before a guest comes over- we end up looking like we just cleaned last minute and they slip and fall on your wet kitchen floor.
Didn't get a letter out- let someone down
Didn't pay a bill- get a late fee
Didn't go to bed on time- zombie for the rest of the next day
I think the only time it pays off is when you absolutely have to have an item and it goes on sale last minute. But with my luck I always miss the sale by a day because I put it off.
Have you ever thought about procrastination and your body? How many times have you told yourself: "I'm going to do this workout video sometime this week." "I'm going to get my shopping done today so I'm not calling in for fast food tomorrow." "I'm going to sign up for the gym." "I'm going to get that blood test my doctor asked me to get."
Why are we not doing this stuff? We should be happy to take care of ourselves. Maybe you have mom-itis like me and somehow think there's never enough time in the day. But isn't it amazing that we always have time for our favorite show or the drive to the restaurant that took longer than actually cooking a meal or a long phone call with a friend where we walked around the house in circles but never thought "Hey maybe I should clean a little or prep some fruit while I talk."
The simple fact of the matter is taking care of ourselves takes time away from the fun stuff or it just seems like more work to do on top of everything else we have. But it doesn't have to be that way.
#1 Don't schedule workouts you probably wouldn't have fun doing at all. Try things like Zumba, Kickboxing, walking with your friends, things that make you excited to get out.
#2 Don't schedule this stuff for days you're already crunched for time. 10-30 minutes of exercise is all you really need each day.
#3 Plan meals that require very little of you. I love my crock pot. I know that makes me sound old but my crockpot is my friend. I toss everything into the pot, turn it on, go to bed, get the kids from school, find a yetti, come home and dinner is ready. Maybe I'll need to cook a little rice but if you're not willing to cook rice you need to stop being so lazy.
#4 Make your meals ahead of time. You've just gone shopping. Your dishes are clean. You already have to make one meal. Why not keep your prep stuff out, make two meals, and that way the next nights dinner just needs to be popped into the oven. When making lunches for the kids, make 3 sandwiches instead of one and leave two in the fridge.
#5 Remember the longer you put off losing weight the longer it will be before you can join a nudist camp and truly be free without feeling ashamed.
#6 Don't set a caloried burned goal you know you won't hit. Aim for your usual and reset your calorie ranges AS YOU LOSE THE CALORIES.
#7 You should never put off blood tests or follow-ups with your doctor or seeing your cardiologist. Yes, these take time and they suck. But who knows if something shows up that could change how you have to lose this weight or if something shows up that shows why you're gaining weight. It would suck to die because you didn't have an hour or two hours just once a month to know what's going on with your body.
#8 Trampolines are exercise, the hammock beside it is not. They're both fun. Let one be your exercise and one be your reward... yes I am talking to myself here.

There's a world of opportunity out there and sitting around waiting for it to fall in your lap just isn't going to happen. This is your life. Take control of it.
Excuse me but I have to put clothes in the dryer now and go to bed.
Procrastinators unite... and kick each other in the butt for being idiots.
Love you guys! Have a great day!

top 10's!!!

Sparkpeople
Shakeology (what I take to keep me happy)
Beachbody (p90x, Insanity, TurboFire, Supplenents, Shakeology)

The simple math of losing weight

Most doctors and trainers will tell you that losing weight is a take in less calories than you burn simple equation. Is it really? Ughhmmmmits... ughhh no. That's pretty much of telling you "I don't have a year to explain this." Here's where you insert Avril Lavighowever you spell her name wailing off on someone being complicated. It's your body. Complicated is what it does best. It took a God to create it. You didn't think it was just going to have a button for losing weight did you?

But there's tons of websites that want to help you out.

Sparkpeople- This website is almost like myspace but not all annoying and filled with emo teenagers. You get your own page to show people who you are. There are groups you can post in but enough groups that you can find one with any interest you have. I'm sure if you're a hot toe picker you could even find a group for that. BUT HERE'S THE BEST PART. They ask you for your info: Height, weight, age, sex (gender, not how frequent, although that will help you lose weight). Then they ask you how active you are, even going into detail of how many calories you burn each week on average. A window will pop-up asking how fast you want to lose this weight or how many pounds per week you want to lose. Then they pull all that info together and tell you your range of how many cal/carbs/fat/proteins you can have in a day. On your welcome page will be 3 tabs on the side that say nutrition tracker, fitness tracker, weight tracker. Nutrition tracker helps you count your calories and tells you how much you have in each range left per day. Fitness tracker helps you track how many calories you burn each day so you can see how many you have left until you hit your goal for the week. Less calories burned means you need to eat less, more calories means you need to eat more. Weight tracker tracks your weight. AWESOME SITE! I love it. I've been on it since the beginning of my weight loss and it's been one of the best support systems I've ever had.

Livestrong- I've never been to this site but I know it's a lot like sparkpeople.

I know there are more like these two but I didn't really want to get into that today.
What I did want to get into is: You can do the calorie range data tracker thing yourself.
What do you need to know?
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate- the amount of calories you burn by staying in bed all day)
Your activity level
How much weight you want to lose each week.
There you go. Go lose weight now.








I'm just kidding. But that's why the easy answer is "take in less calories than you burn."

How do you find your BMR
You can go to this page
or  (Make sure you find the answers to the equations in the parentheses first before adding or subtracting)
If you're a female: take 655+ (4.3 x your weight in lbs) + (4.7 x your height in inches) - (4.7 x your age in years) Answer is your BMR
If you're male: 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )= BMR

Now take your workout level and use the Harris Benedict Formula 
-If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
-If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
-If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
-If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
-If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

This now gives you your calorie intake per day if you want to MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT.
To see how to lose the weight you need to do the last step.

A pound of fat is about 3500 calories. Multiply how much you want to lose by 3500 and that is your calorie deficit for the week. This is how many calories you need to average LESS a day to lose the weight. WARNING, do not let your deficit be more than 1000 calories a day. This could cause your metabolism to shut down and go into starvation mode. Your metabolism will reduce by up to 50% of your bmr so you could end up gaining weight AND really hurt your body (organ damage if you do this for a long period of time) at the same time.

Lets use me for example.

My BMR= 655+ (4.3 x 247) + (4.7 x 70) - (4.7 x 27)
                655+ 1062 + 329 - 127= 1919
                So 1919 is my BMR
I'm a moderately active person so
                1919 x 1.55= 2974 (calories I need daily to maintain my weight)
I want to lose 2.5 lbs a week
                3500 x 2.5= 8750...
Did you really think I was going to continue with that? Pshhh no. I would have over a 1000 calorie deficit a day to maintain that. That's why 2 lbs a week IS THE HEALTHY weight loss choice when it comes just to doing the calorie counting thing.
SO lets say I want to lose 2 lbs a week. That's 3500 x 2= 7000 calories. I can do that because it's not over 1000 calories deficit a day.
              3500 x 2= 7000
(its per day so) 7000/7= 1000
             1000 calories a day is how much I need to take off my Harris Benedict Formula
             2974= 1919 yummy calories a day and I can still lose 2 lbs a week. WOOT WOOT!

Does this system always work? Uhhh no :( Sorry
Why?
-Gender
-Race
-Proteins, fats, carbs
-Are you eating healthy calories? (Skip the "Tradition" song and start singing "NUTRITION!")
-How you were fed as a kid
-If you were a lazy butt as a kid
-Medication
-Traumas
-How long have you been trying to lose weight
-Have you changed your activity level
-You are not everyone else so your body will be a little different from everyone else. GET OVER IT.

You could lose 2 lbs a week. You could lose more. You could lose less. But in most cases this system works FOR YOUR BENEFIT. Very few gain weight off of it.

Now did you really want to have to sit in your doctors office on a paper blanket or sit at a machine someone sweat all day on to hear all of that?
You're welcome.
And now I take a bow and walk off.

But before I go (I post these to save up for school so I can do this become a nutritionist for a living)

Shakeology (has completely helped with my weight loss journey)
Beachbody (P90X, Insanity, TurboFire, Shakeology, Supplements)



                

Can I be honest with you about TurboJam?

Quite a few people have sent me messages asking how turboJam is. Can I be honest with you here? It's my blog so I'm assuming you say yes.
I didn't like it.
I didn't hate it but it really wasn't for me. I'm still going to do the 3 next weeks of it though.
Remember I'm 27 when I state all this so generation gaps may change your views on what I say BUT AFTER WEEK ONE OF IT my thoughts are
#1 The music sucked. There were 2 workouts that I was actually excited about the music, but out of 6 workouts that really isn't all that great.
#2 I couldn't get my heart rate past 120 with the exception of cardio dance party and 20 minute workout. Ab Jam got it up past 120 but that was only 10 min of it.
#3 The studio set-up was annoying me. I thought I should be watching an 80s workout video. And yes that makes me picky but if I can't focus I can't focus. I have to be in the moment.
#4 The workouts were very repetitive. If it's on the same workout, yes, show me the same thing. If it's across 6 different videos show me something new. Throw me for a loop in the first 15 minutes.

But there were things that I did like about this workout
#1 One of the songs was "Mama's gonna knock you out" You have to like a workout that brings that song in there.
#2 ChaLean gives great advice on isolating abs and proper form. All instructors should take more time doing this.
#3 If this is the beginning to someones fitness journey it's perfect. It is very repetitive and if you're not at the point of craving adrenaline it's a great pace.
#4 They show an easier way for people to do the same things if they need a breather or have medical limits.
#5 I giggled through some of it. I thought ChaLean and her team were great motivators. They add in their personal stories and some funny moments at the end of the videos so you're more invested in who you see on tv and want to do more with them.

I like the workout videos for at home because there's days I just need to fit in a 20 min or 40 min workout and don't want to pack the kids into the car, don't have a car, or don't feel like driving somewhere.

I know some of you will disagree with me on this. I just really don't feel like lieing to my blogger friends. You've been here for me and while is sell this, if it sucks, I want to let you know before you spend 60$ on it. It didn't suck, it just wasn't for me.

And if you have no clue what I'm talking about, sorry, I probably should have showed you this first: TurboJam video

I'm off to go do the 15 min workout now. I'll be posting up my weekly stats tomorrow. 

TurboJam ab sculp/ losing the belly fat

Click here to check out turboJam
Click here to check out TurboFire
Click here to check out Shakeology (what has absolutely changed my life and increased my weight loss results)
There are a bunch of diets out there stating "lose the belly weight fast". I'm going to be honest with you, you can't tell your body where to pull the weight from.
When losing weight your body pulls energy from all fat storage areas. That means it pulls a little from here, a little from there. Why does it mostly pull off the chest for women? Because we're tender hearted. No I'm not saying we're emotional and mothering... well we are, but that's not what I mean by tenderhearted. What I mean is our hearts can't take the same amount of pressure that a man's heart can. We don't carry enough muscle mass for it. We don't have the bone density for it. As much as us women hate to say it, we are much more fragile. What area CAN take extra stress? Our midsections. We're baby makers. Until you hit menopause, this is the area of you that your body is going to protect at all times. That means it's going to store extra energy, heat, and "padding" there. Our legs are made for the muscle tone, not our upper body. So where does our weight get pulled off of first?
#1 Our chest. Bye bye boobies. But no worries! You will most likely only lose a cup size unless you're in the double letters. You lose chest inches under the breast just like you do in the chest so by being less broad, you will actually gain cup size in some cases.
#2 Your calves. The reason your calves bulk up is to carry our extra weight. This puts too much pressure on the arteries in our legs though so as soon as the body doesn't need that extra strength you can say bye to the cankles.
#3 Your face. Yes your tummy may be slowly shrinking but your face will lose years, not just inches.
What you can do is tone an area. You will build muscle in that area that will make those fat deposits look less "sloppy." For women who have had children and you're not seeing any results in toning, you may have diastasis recti. This is where the main abdominal muscles separate. In most cases, crunches and strength training in the main ab area will fix this. If you've left it for years it may require surgery. This is a simple question for your doctor. At worst it will leave you with a little pooch belly that is easily hidden once you've lost the weight.
When toning the abs here are some simple tricks
#1 Pull the pelvis in. Whether standing or laying down, pull it in. When laying down for crunches, it should look like the bottom of your butt is afraid to touch the floor. When standing up, it should look like your shoulders and back are flat on the wall and your butt is tilted in. This isolates the abs for you for a better burn.
#2 Don't give up as soon as you feel a burn. If your muscles do not feel like they're about to shred apart, this burn is actually a good thing. It pulls toxins out of those muscles and makes them ready to tone and shape.
#3 Use good posture. This helps you use your abs at all times which means you're shaping while working, laying down, or even watching tv.
#4 Reduce your stress level. Cortisal is the hormone created when someone is stressed out. This pulls fat to the stomach and makes it harder to burn.
#5 Stop buying as seen on tv things that say they make you lose inches in the tummy and not the chest. The best they can do is help you tone. If you lose a pant size it's generally because your body is at the point where you were going to lose in the butt or tummy with regular cardio or strength training anyways.

Turbo Jam dance Party 1/ Heart rate

Heart rate is not just how fast your blood pumps. Heart rate is the speed at which you are burning energy. Why do large people who do very little get tired so easily? Because being out of shape has raised their heart rate. It's the same as why you can workout out at a fast pace for 20 min and have the same fatigue as when you walk 4 miles.
You can find your resting heart rate by laying down and counting your pulse for 10 seconds. Multiply that by 6 and that is your resting heart rate. The average person has a HR of 60-80. The lower the number, the more fit your heart is. The higher the number, the more stress your heart has to pump blood. The only time your heart should be stressed is when you are physically active. If it stays up around 90 you may want to see a doctor. When I first started my weight loss at 305 lbs my resting HR was 87. Now (247) its 71.
To find your maximum HR (what you shouldn't pass) take 220 and subtract your age.
When doing cardio or large muscle group strength training your heart rate should be at 65 to 85% of your maximum HR. That formula is: (220-age)x .65 and (220-age)x .85...
For example me:
220-27= 193 (max heart rate)
193 x .65= 125.5 (minimum cardio)
193 x. 85= 164 (maximum cardio)
A lot of people say theres a fat burn heart rate, a muscle buiding heart rate, and a cardio heart rate. Here's the thing- the ammount of calories difference that goes straight to burning fat is so minimal that here's the best solution- JUST KEEP YOUR HEART RATE UP!
When it comes to wanting to build stamina and keep your metabolism burning harder for longer you can do interval training. That means you take your HR up to your max cardio for about 5 min, drop it to minimum HR for 2 min, raise, drop, raise, drop. If you're just starting out JUST KEEP YOUR HEART RATE UP. If you enjoy dancing, don't worry about intervals. That's not the right exercise for building stamina. A mixed class that does dance then weights is great for interval because weights don't really build up HR. Both classes are also great for keeping your metabolism going for longer because either way it's a raised HR for at least 20 minutes.
The first 30 min of your workout is when you get the most results so it's best if you do a short warm up (about 5 min) then go into your cardio.
If you have any questions, please email me at forgivenscreenprints@yahoo.com or leave me a message on here.

For some great workouts click here

TurboJam Toning/ Strength Training

Why is strength training so important?
When I was younger I was told that if you burn fat and then do strength training, that fat turns into muscle. Because of that I was always scared of strength training, thinking I would bulk up. But fat can't actually turn into muscle and muscle can't actually turn into fat. Tada! Biology mythbusting for us! They're made up completely different. So should we still strength train? Ummm yah! Why? Muscle burns calories. In fact, one pound of muscle burns up to 50 extra calories a day. That may not seem like much. Think about how much muscle you have already though... tacking onto that could actually be the difference of losing 1 lb a week to 2 lbs a week. Strength training also builds better bone density which means less chances of Osteoporosis and stronger muscle joints which means less of a chance of injury during cardio. Most trainers will tell you that you need to train to the point of muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue is where you have worked the muscle to the point of "Oh holy crap I can't move it again". I don't fully understand it. In fact many doctors say it doesn't make a difference. I don't understand the ADP, metabolites, glycogen stuff (yet) but from what I'm reading it sounds like you should train to that point to build up resistance, purge the muscle of toxins, stimulate the metabolism, and open the muscle up to protein absorption. But because all of our bodies are different, if you're going to train to the point of muscle fatigue you really need to be working with your doctor AND (NOT OR) a trainer to keep you from really hurting yourself. Nothing makes weight loss harder than being stuck on your butt for a few weeks because you tore something. I usually start light (2 lb weights) when training a new muscle because I need to WORK UP to my limits, not work down from them. When you feel the acid burn, its ok, its just cleaning out the muscle and starting fatigue. When you feel you can't push again, you're at fatigue and need to take it down a notch. When it hurts like all holy crapola STOP. Your body doesn't lie to you. When something feels like its about to break, it probably is. I didn't listen to my body last summer and ended up with pelvic tendonitis... not fun.
You should try to do strength training at least twice a week with at least one day in between the same muscle group. Never train the same muscle two days in a row. Turbo Jam was great for the new toner. If you need a push, I don't see this one being your strength area.

You can buy turboJam and other beachbody products and workouts here

Turbo Jam day 2/ GO BANANA!

BTW I was wrong, TurboJam is 60$ which includes the weighted gloves and a diet plan.
Beachbody (P90X, TurboJam/Fire, Insanity)


One of my favorite people told me she eats a banana almost daily because of something that happened in college. There was a girl in her dorm that was anorexic. She died. My friend was told that the girl died from the lack of the amount of potassium you would find in ONE BANANA.

Mmmmmmm bananas! My favorite fruit. I used to sit with banana chips and finish a bag in seconds before I realized how many calories were in them. That was the day I yelled at banana chips. The average banana (7 inches) is 109 calories and 28 carbs. For some of us that's a ton of calories... compared to other fruit. But lets be realistic here. I don't think there's one person out there who hasn't bought a bag of "100 calorie right bites". The only reason people freak about a banana being about 100 calories and don't freak about those being around 100 is because cookies are not supposed to be bad for you. Cookies are naughty! They're a treat! Blah blah blah!!! BANANAS ARE A TREAT WITH BENEFITS! Excuse my behavioral language here but a tiny bag of cookies is a date with a peck on the cheek at the end of it and A BANANA is a date with a hottie that's actually fun and a full flat out hot and heavy makeout session at the end. Who actually gets full off of the right bites? They're just a bunch of wasted calories. I'm not even going to talk about the tons of carbs they have.
Let me tell you a little bit about your makeout session with bananas here.
-Carbs that break down straight into energy
-Five times as much Vitamin A (eye health) and iron (blood health) and three times as much phosphorus (cell health) as an apple.
-One banana will give you enough energy for a half hour workout with no crash at the end. Ditch the coffee.
-Potassium (oxygen to brain, helps manage water in body, and regulates heart beat)
- Tryptophan- the same element you find in turkey that calms and destresses you
-Natural laxative. Just enough banana will help regulate you. Too much can constipate you though. While it has the same fiber that is used in laxatives it's still a binding food (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast are used to stop diarreah.)
-B6- Reduces PMS pains and regulates mood
-Brain power! I know my mind likes to shut off sometimes. Banana time!
-Hungover? Eat a banana. It replenishes nutrients and calms your tummy.
-Helps quit smoking
-Pregnant? Bananas regulate blood glucose levels and ease morning sickness (which never showed up in the mornings for me... just the rest of the day)
-Neutralize acidity- If you get heartburn or have ulcers this is why your body naturally craves bananas
And then when you're done eating it take the peel and rub it on your mosquito bites to stop itching, rub it on warts to get them to go away and stop the bacterial growth, then throw it in your lawn for fertilizer. TADA!
I take a banana with my shakeology all the time. I LOVES IT! 140 calories for the shake, 109 calories in my banana- 249 calorie meal that will make me an unstoppable force.
Keep your right bites- me and banana have some warrior training to do.

Banana info pulled from "14 banana health benefits"
This was the FIRST website that came up when I googled benefits of bananas. OWN YOUR NUTRITION. You really are what you eat. BE HEALTHY! Take 10 mintues a day to research a new food. If it's good for you, add it to your grocery list. If it's bad for you FORGETABOUTIT! You don't need food that harm your body! You wouldn't invite someone abusive into your house. Don't invite abusive foods into your body.

Shakeology (What I use)

First day of Turbo Jam

I've decided to start a 2 month program of Turbo Jam. It is a cardio/strength training program by Beachbody that has ChaLean show you propper form for toned results.

I started the program this morning and it came off as almost too easy. I could feel the work in my abs. I could feel the work in my legs. But I think I expected more sweat from a 15 minute program. I'm not going to give up on it the first day. Tomorrows program is 25 minutes and the other 4 are 40 minutes long. I'm thinking the "Learn and Burn" is something I'll only be doing on days I don't have much time or energy. I did have a ton of fun with it. I enjoyed how she breaks down the right posture so you can get the best results.
One tip I wanted to share that I loved was: When doing an upright ab exercise, stand and squat like you're pressed up against the wall. Keep your shoulders to the wall but pull your pelvis foreward away from the wall. That is crunch form while moving :)

Each week on Monday I will post up where my stats are. I took a few pictures of me in a sports bra and shorts to show beginning to end but after thinking about it, I don't think I want pictures like that of me up on the internet. Tomrrow I will put on some tighter fitting clothes and let you all see my start there. BUT FOR NOW:
Weight 250
Waist 48
Hips 51
Thigh 28
Upper arm 17

For more products by Beachbody go to
Beachbody (fitness programs, gear, and supplements)
Shakeology (a nutritional supplement that is saving my life)

I APOLOGIZE I APOLOGIZE I APOLOGIZE

I suck. I know. I'm supposed to be here for support and I haven't been.
What's been going on?
1. I went back to sparkpeople and got re-invested into that. I push that people give this site a try because IT SUPPORTS YOU FULLY! It's free. There's no damage in trying. I got invested in reading blogs and keeping up with groups and ran out of time to do my full blogs on here.
2. I've also been going to the gym at least an hour and a half a day. With the exception of Sundays I am a gym addict. I crave that adrenaline rush I get after a good workout.
3. I am now a beachbody coach. I started taking shakeology to be proof for a few coaches that it works. It worked enough that I decided to stay on it and become a coach to get the discount on it.
Any new results?
YAH
1. I'm down to 250 lbs WOOT WOOT! I've now lost 55 lbs. Can you believe that? Oh I'm so excited!
2. I'm now a size 18. I started as a size 24. The first few sizes dropped like crazy but getting down to a 16 is going to be a little hard since I had diastasis recti (stomach muscles detached during pregnancy) and never did anything about it. And no, unless insurance will cover it, this lady will never get a tummy tuck. PENNY PINCHERS UNITE!
3. I'm no longer binging. Every now and then I have a eating fest but not like I used to. Before it was because I felt I had to eat to make myself happy. Now it's because I'm being human. It only happens once a month and I don't feel ashamed afterward. I do, however, kick myself in the butt the next time I step on the scale ;p
4. I've come out of my shell. I'm talking to more people. I'm hanging out with people outside of gym classes and work. I've got real life friends instead of just online gaming friends. People I don't know who see me all the time have literally RAN to catch up to me and tell me how proud of me they are and ask how I've done it. It's become a daily ego boost. I said my plan was to inspire 10000 lbs of weight loss. I will never know when I've hit that mark but I can tell you I will. THANK YOU GOD!
5. I feel like my husband can be proud of me. Josh has never been ashamed to have me as a wife. Even when I'm a butt to strangers or when I don't get things done on time he's always loved me. But I never felt like he SHOULD have been proud of me. I finally feel like he has some bragging rights about me. I feel like he can say "Yah, she's actually succeeding at something." If that's the one thing I get out of this, I'm perfectly ok with it.

Why did I choose sparkpeople?
It's free... Ummm I can't push enough that this is free support. It's like a non-annoying myspace for people who want to be fit. You get your own personal page. There's a support group for everything. My favorite of the groups is the "Done Being the Fat Girl" group. We can talk about anything and everything. There's groups for tv shows, depression, video games, sports, anything you like or have in life, there's a group for. And they always start you off with a group based on your age and your location so you can find people to work out with or people who understand your generation. AND it helps you track your food with suggestions on how to lose up to 2.5 lbs a week. So it sets you up with a successful program. I dare you to try it. Sparkpeople

Why did I go back to the gym?
I've found that I'm more committed to working out if I have people to look forward to. I started with the zumba classes in Southlake. I was excited to be part of the group. Then I found out 24hour fitness does unlimited classes at any of their gyms plus weights plus machines plus a lap pool for less than I was paying for 8 classes a month at the private zumba classes. Now I take zumba or a dance class almost every day of the week. I'm also taking kickboxing, boxing, bodypump (freeweights), and other Xclasses. I'm still running outside but for my 5k training I'm hitting the treadmill to get my stamina up. Yes, I know, I said I hated treadmills. I do. I really do. But free daycare while I give my all to running.... yah I guess I could use the treadmill. I love running with my kids. I still do it at least 2 times a month, but they're not as dedicated to it as I am. This way they can play with other kids their age while I get an hour with just adults. If you want to give it a try 24hour does free 7 day passes. YOU DID NOT HEAR THIS FROM ME but the 24 hour fitness gyms are not linked when it comes to the 7 day passes. Use up one at one gym, get anther pass at another gym the next week. They cycle every 6 months. Again, you did not hear that from me.

Why shakeology?
Excuse my little advertisement here but this video really sold it for me.

The first time I tried HALF a shake I had been *coughconstipatedcough* for about a week. I had been staying away from red meats and when I finally had a ton of it in one sitting it did it's thing of plugging me up. I took the shake at a party and literally had to excuse myself an hour after having half of it because there was a rumble in my tummy that only meant get to the bathroom and get to it now. I thought maybe I was allergic to it but no, it was just working. It's a prebiotic, a probiotic (both are digestion aids meaning you get more nutrition out of your food and an easier "passing" of the waste. It levels out my hormones which means Hulk Laura does not show her ugly face as much. I used to be angry about everything. I would snap at the kids all the time. Now I'm much more level headed. The extra energy I get from it boosts my workout. Running is so much easier and I don't feel like I need to collapse on the couch when I get home after working out. I'm sleeping better every night. And it raises my HDL and lowers my LDL which means the world to me since heart disease runs in my family.  Even my migrains are backing off. I just feel soooooo much better. It's amazing what good nutrition can do for you. If you don't want to give shakes a try please please please take a daily vitamin. It's so important for good health. You can't get the right nutrition just from food anymore. We don't grow food like they used to 40 years ago. Mass production means fertilizing instead of rotating which means less nutrients and minerals pulled from the ground. Now I'm a coach for the shakes because I get a major discount on them and I love spreading news about this because it's helped me so much. If you have questions on it let me know.

That all being said I'm happy to be back into a blogging mood. You'll be seeing a ton more videos and blogs from me. I'll try to talk about nutrition for the most part. If there's anything you guys want me to research or try out please let me know. Soon I'll be getting either turboFire or p90x because I get my discount. I'm excited to see the results from that.

Key Links
Sparkpeople
Beachbody (p90x, turbofire, revabs, hiphopjam, protein and vitamin supplements)
Shakeology (The shakes I've been taking.)
My tumblr