Girls.....??

Wondering where my girls are?!!!! Was WOW a successful one?

I just got back from my lunch time workout on the stairs... success! Did about 25 minutes... workout included running, walking calf raises, squats and lunges. Really hoping to get some ab and arm workout later, fingers crossed.

Last night I organized a ton of laundry, picked up around the entire house, re-did beds and cleaned the kitchen so no workout time at all. But I was moving constant for about 3-4 hours (not exaggerating) so at least I can say I was active! Ate well yesterday and so far today. Last night's dinner and today's lunch was lemon/caper chicken breast and fresh veggies. For a treat last night I had about a 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream with fresh raspberries on top. On the scale this morning, I was down a pound from earlier this week so I am happy about that!

This morning's breakfast was a smoothy made with lowfat plain yogurt, a shot of milk and a handful of fresh blueberries, raspberries and half a banana. I have leftover for tomorrow morning too!

Snack today was some fresh veggies with yogurt dip. (plain yogurt with dip mix) Not the exact taste of sour cream but not bad! Have to sacrifice a bit.

Dinner tonight is probably going to be salmon with lemon/capers and some kind of vegetable. Really trying to stay away from the carbs, especially in the evenings. I will have a piece of toast here and there for breakfast but for the most part, that is it. I have definitely been steering clear of pasta and rice too. Next week I will cheat one day because we are going to dinner at Buca di Beppo for my mom's vacation eve Europe trip! I will eat extra light the night before and the day of tho!

Hope you ladies are having a successful week!

It's a meal by meal battle...

Ok this is gonna have to be a quickie because I'm at work and pretty busy.

Yesterday's meals:

Breakfast - Oatmeal

Lunch - Santa Fe Chicken wrap with corn, lettuce, avocado & cheese & iced tea. I did have a couple fries and since it was Kayla's birthday I did take one bite of her brownie & ice cream but just one.

Dinner - Turkey sandwich on wheat bread from Subway & an Iced Tea

Drinks - 2 Bud Light Limes (what can I say? They go good when you're jacuzzi-ing it up!)

I have to say that my biggest battle was dinner. I didn't have time to go to the gym after work because I had to stay late and by the time I got off I was STARVING. I decided just to pick something up and I REALLY REALLY wanted a cheeseburger but I forced myself to drive to Subway for a sandwich instead. It was another struggle today for breakfast because I so just wanted to drive though McDonalds for an Egg McMuffin but I was good and just came to work instead and made oatmeal. I was discussing with Rhoni how it really is a meal by meal battle for me, but for the most part I've had victories. I just have to remember to take it one meal at a time and not get down on myself if I slip up a bit because there's always the next battle to win!

Keep up the good work girls! (I think) we're doing WOW tonight and I always look forward to that! Working out while hanging out is always more fun!

Frustrated

Ok, I didn't write down my food consumption this last weekend but I wasn't very good. Friday night I had a bean and cheese burrito, Saturday I was fairly good and Sunday... well, you were there. Not good at all BUT it was my cheat day so I knew I wasn't going to be good. Lots of yummy food and those neverending chips from SMFCO. AND the DELICIOUS chocolate cake my BFF made for me. No way was I turning it down and boy was it worth it. So yesterday I started off good.
Morning;
coffee, banana, oatmeal bar
Lunch:
chicken salad
Dinner:
leftover tri tip with wheat pasta, tomatoes and spinach.
Snack: lots of chips and salsa
Desert: Leftover cake
Unfortunately I haven't worked out since last week. The little one had a fever Thursday, Friday and Saturday so I didn't get much time to myself especially since the hubby was not really there to help out AND we got hardly any sleep. Yesterday the baby was super clingy but we did go out for a little walk but that was all the exercise I had. It's so frustrating not to be able to work out when you want to. Just like we chatted about on facebook yesterday, there just aren't enough hours in the day. My free time isn't until 8pm and there is always something else that needs to be done. Today I haven't been good eating either.
I haven't given up but I've come to realize that in this point in time, making time to work out is not always going to happen. Maybe when the baby is a little older and I don't have to constantly watch him like a hawk, I'll be able to squeeze in more exercise but for now, it's rough. I know you girls can relate and it makes me feel better. However, there is no excuse for my bad eating. I haven't weighed myself or checked my measurements but I need to soon. Anyway, I'm so proud of you girls and your accomplishments thus far. I hope soon I will have some good results to make you girls proud!

Not better, not worse so I'll take it!

My weekend was a blast! I knew since we had a couple things on the agenda that I would not be a perfect dieter/exerciser the whole weekend so I designated Sunday as my cheat day and I enjoyed it for sure!!!

Friday & Saturday, I was on track with my consumption choices... Great food choices -baby and daddy even had Baskin Robbins and I declined :) I didn't get in the exercise I should have but we went to the outlets in Tulare on Saturday and walked around for a couple hours so that counts right?!

Sunday was FUN :) Food, drinks and great friends. Like I said, Sunday was my cheat day and I cheated- but completely enjoyed it. I didn't feel guilty about it because I ate well and exercised as much as I could during the other 6 days of the week.

Yesterday I didn't exercise at all- My arm and leg (1) were sore from bowling! Random... But I ate really well.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, coffee
Snack: blueberries
lunch: steak salad/veggies
no snack
dinner: lemon/garlic tilapia & steamed veggies

So after writing this, it has become extremely apparent to me that I am not always going to have complete control over the activity level I would like to with the little one. It's impossible for me right now. BUT, I do have complete control over what I am eating. I feel good overall with the choices I have made last week with one cheat day, and so far this week too. The scale was the same this morning as I ended last week... not better but not worse so I'll take it.

Lunch time stairs/power workout today! And hoping to get some ab work in tonight so wish me luck!!

Good luck ladies!!! We are in this together...You continue to inspire me, so thank you for that :)

Week 3 of Phase 2 & going strong

What a fun weekend.... Not to bad on the eating tip got some exersice and hung out with friends and family.

So Sat. we did not end up going to SB after all but cruised from mall to mall to mall =) A lot of walking around for sure. Sunday bowling with friends was for sure soooo much fun! A lot of laughes and silly times. I have to pat myself on the back I stuck to my water and protien bar. In the morning before we left I made wheat pancakes with lite sugar suryp... YUMMM
After bowling we headed to SB where my sister had chips (my weakness) and dip. So I munched on a few of those, lots of water then we had a tri-tip and sweet potatoes!!!

YESTERDAY was a great day. Well couldn't get up in the AM to do my cardio work out but I had a plan.
Menu for Monday:
Breakfast - Oatmeal with a tad of sugar, coffee
**snack - protien bar
Lunch - Shirmp salad compliments of SMFCO pick up dipped the dressing so not to much
Dinner - Lean Grilled Hamburger w/ lowfat cheese no bun, salad w/ a little ranch dressing no croutons
Then I went for a 3.4 mile run, felt so good to get out and it was perfect weather. Hard to leave at first being that my little one was being soooooo darn cute practicing her hula hoop! FYI we will be bringing that this weekend!! =)
With help from Rod giving Aliyah a bath and getting her ready for bed, I was able to get in a video work out for chest, shoulders, & triceps. then to top off my night I finished with the AB RIPPER!!! Felt so good at the end of the night!!!!

Report for this morning: weighed in 2lbs less then last week!!! Plan for today is to follow the nutrition guide and do plyometrics tonight!

Very excited of my progress thus far! So pumped that I have you girls to do this with!!! woo hooo VEGAS BABY!!!!

May weigh & measure day @ the gym

Ok ladies! Today was my first weigh & measure day at the gym since starting our "Get Skinny" blog.

I'm not even going to list my food from this weekend though. Partially because I lost track and partially because it wasn't the best. 2 BBQ's in one weekend is a bit much but I need to follow my mom's lead and bring my own food next time! I will say that I was able to get a bit of exercising in on Sat by doing laps in my dad's pool. And I was racing my cousins so it was a tough work out.

I made a new start today and did much better with one exception.

Breakfast - Large black coffee & a slice of leftover pepperoni pizza (that was the one exception)

Lunch - Wrap with chicken, veggies & rice. This time instead of the fries I asked for a side salad and dipped my fork in the dressing rather than pouring it over the salad.

After work I went to the gym to face my weight and measurements. Weight was first and sadly I went up 0.25 lbs. But they said that it was probably just normal body fluctuation and since I'm flippin sore from swimming laps on Sat & bowling yesterday I'm chalking it up to water retention in my sore muscles. The GOOD news is that the measurements went much better. In all the areas they measured I either stayed the same or went down. My thighs were the top loss with 2 inches per thigh! All in all I lost a total of 6.75 inches all around! Yay me!

So while I know I haven't been eating my best or exercising as much as I could be, I have made enough of a change in my eating/exercising for there to be a difference. And I just know that the more I exercise and the more I make better food choices the more I'll lose.

I haven't eaten dinner yet but we're having shredded chicken sandwiches w/BBQ sauce. I know the sauce has sugar but it's fat free so I'm allowing it.

My results today have proven to me that with even harder work, the payoff will be even greater. I'm excited to see how things come out next month! Thanks for the great motivation ladies! Vegas here I come! =)

SATURDAY is always a fun day!!!

Ok ladies.... so we all know the tru test begins today!

This weekend is off to a great start! Last night we went for sushi and it was sooo yummy, jin's roll ans salmon sashimi were on my menu. Then cruised around the outlets and almost stopped for cookies, then yogurt, but luckly I was still full from dinner. =)

So this mornig is off to a great start, just went on a 3.11 mile run in great time too 30.19 mins. My miles are getting fast and so that means burning more calories!!!

We are off to a day of shopping in TO and then to sunny SB to hang out with my sis and Q!! oh, and my great bro in law =)!!! '
Love you ladies you can do it, just stay focused this weekend and have a good time. See you all tomorrow!!!! MUAH

Finally Friday!

The scale was a pound lighter than yesterday's weigh in but I am at exactly the same place I was last week at this time! A little annoyed about that but this just means I need to work a little harder! Foodwise I feel that overall, I have been doing pretty well but in order to make progress, I need to up my activity which is what I have been trying to do but it's really hard with the little one and being home alone with her in the evenings for the most part. Tonight is a great opportunity for me to take advantage of a good workout- so that is my plan!

I will cheat this weekend on the diet I am sure, but my goal is to be conscious of the portions that I eat. That is really what kills it for me so I need to work on that! A habit I am going to try and get into is having a glass of water before I have a meal that is probably not along the lines of best food choices! That way I can attempt to minimize damage :) while still enjoying myself.

Have a wonderful weekend ladies!!

Busy week

TGIF! It has been one hectic week for me. I didn't get to post anything yesterday cause I was so busy here at work. Wednesday was not a good day for me in regards to eating and exercising (did not workout). I did ok with breakfast and lunch but then I had a piece of cake at the work shower. I didn't feel too bad cause it was carrot cake and I didn't really eat all the frosting but it was good and it had carrots! hahaha So I go home and cook up some ravioli for the baby and I. They were a good size so I had about 4 with a little olive oil and parmesean cheese. I was totally fine but then my hubby had to make a late run to McDonalds for the boys and the doubled the order on accident. He came home with 2 20 piece nuggets, fries and an extra double cheeseburger (my fav). I gave in and ate nuggets and a few fries. UGHHH darn you McDonalds!! Yesterday was so much better. I had a banana and a non-fat cafe mocha with no whip (along with my usual coffee) for breakfast, an oatmeal bar, lunch was a turkey sandwich (cheese, lettuce and mustard only). I don't think I had any snacks so I was pretty hungry when I got home. I grazed on some goldfish crackers and then we ate a healthy dinner - grilled tilapia and rice pilaf AND I exercised too! It felt good. Usually I wear pants to work out in but yesterday I wore shorts and noticed that I had a little more definition in my legs. (Lots of squats and plies - not sure how you spell that). I still have a long way to go in the toning department but I do see little changes here and there. I think I will go weigh myself right now too (my lovely friend has a scale in her cubicle)... OK, no change in weight up or down and I'm happy with that. whew!
Now it's time to face the weekend. I expect to stick to my diet tonight cause we don't have any plans but Saturday and Sunday are BBQ days. I want to enjoy myself but I will TRY to make smart decisions and hope to get some exercise in too. I might be brave and try the harder video for Slim in 6!!!

9 Habits that Will Shrink Your Middle

1. Calm down. Too much stress can contribute to a potbelly. Stress increases levels of cortisol, a hormone that seems to direct fat to our middle, says Jacob Seidell, PhD, of the National Institute of Public Health in Bilthoven, Netherlands. To keep levels low, try this 5- to 10-minute stress reducer: Find a quiet, comfortable place to sit. Next, take several slow, deep breaths to help clear your mind. Continue breathing deeply and repeat the word one to yourself as you exhale. (If you get distracted, just bring your focus back to the word one.) Practice this for 5 to 10 minutes once or twice a day.

2. Skip the alcohol for a week or so. That glass of wine with dinner may be part of the reason your jeans are too tight. Alcohol also tends to raise cortisol levels, sending fat to your belly, Seidell says.

3. Stop smoking. “It keeps me thin,” proclaim many smokers. But the truth is that smokers tend to have more abdominal fat than nonsmokers, says Seidell. (The stress hormone cortisol seems to be the culprit here too.) "When people stop smoking, the amount of abdominal fat actually decreases," he says.

4. Eat more fiber. Not only is fiber great for overall weight loss (it fills you up so you don't eat as much), but it also prevents constipation, which can cause your tummy to bulge, says Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, a gastroenterologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore. To stay regular, aim for 22 to 25 g of fiber a day by eating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables

5. Drink up. For premenstrual bloating, drink lots and lots of water. This will actually help flush away bloating, not make it worse.

6. Keep bones strong. Osteoporosis can lead to fractured bones in your spine, causing you to slump. That shortens your abdominal cavity, giving your belly no place to go but out, says Willibald Nagler, MD, physiatrist in chief emeritus at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Be sure to get 1,000 mg of calcium every day from the foods you eat and/or from supplements.

7. Get your heart rate up. All the ab exercises in the world won't do a thing unless you get rid of the fat hiding your abdominal muscles. The best way is to do aerobic exercise for 45 to 60 minutes, 5 times a week.

8. Tuck your tummy. Imagine there's a magnet pulling your belly button back toward your spine. Practice the tuck until it becomes comfortable, and soon it will come naturally--like breathing. Do it every chance you get.

9. Get a bonus ab workout. Stand as much as possible when doing weight-lifting exercises. That way your abs work too. “They help to balance and stabilize your body,” says Tammy Strunk, an Emmaus, PA, fitness instructor. Concentrate on keeping your abs tight and maintaining good posture, but don't hold your breath.

Trying....

Thursday! Trying to stay motivated as the week approaches an end! Yesterday eating was pretty good overall, except for a very strange curve ball for dinner. I had some grilled salmon then didn't have time to make any sides or anything then later on I had some chocolate cake (no frosting though! Calorie-wise it was fine but strange indeed. I got in about a 20 minute workout- was hoping to do more but the husband did not come home afterall as planned.

My goal is to try and get some type of workout in as many days a week as I can. Since I have been having some rough nights with the little one ALL WEEK, I am pround to have the energy and motivation to do anything! Last night was power squats, push ups, some arm work with the arm bands and then some one legged squats. Oh and I did some jumping jacks too :) I felt so dumb doing them but you know what, they get that heart working and that is the point.

Right now I am eating my veggie loaded salad for lunch (will have some grilled salmon in a bit) and I am off to hit the stairs for a little bit of cardio and toning! The scale was neither nice nor mean this morning, but nonetheless, it feels really good to have sore muscles and be eating right.

Stay motivated Vegas Babes!

End of the 1st week

So sadly WOW didn't happen with the girls today. =( But I'm proud of the success of my eating so that's something to cheer about!

Breakfast - Small black coffee & a slice of whole wheat toast with a thin layer of light cream cheese.

Lunch - Leftover whole wheat pasta w/ grilled chicken (no sauce) from last night

Dinner - Chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat bread with light mayo.

SO here's to a (mostly) successful week one. Looking forward to week 2 with all you lovely ladies!

XOXO
L

Weekly Goals

Hello Girls!

As our new week begins keep in mind how far you've already come. Making a conscious decision to be healthy and get (and stay) in shape is half the battle. You all now know the hard work and dedication is takes to make the right decisions; whether its picking the healthier of two evils (fast food restaurants) or staying up later/getting up earlier in order to fit in some sort of exercise. We will continue to be healthy together.

Week two is here and we need to keep making progress. Let's continue to stay on track and motivate each other.

Remember to set your goals for the week!

XOXOXO
A Vegas Babe

Mrs.M's Weekly Goals

As our first week of working out and WOW comes to an end I'm happy that I've done pretty well. I haven't gained any weight and I've worked out OR did some type of exercise 4 days out of the week.

My goals for week 2:

*Continue to make healthy food choices
*Maintain or lose weight
*Exercise 5 days out of the week (this may include a work out video, walk, lifting weights, or cleaning my WHOLE house)

I will be giving myself Saturday OFF to celebrate my two year wedding anniversary!! :)

Out and About with NO Eating Out

I was running some errands in Valencia today and I hadn't had brekfast before I left. Yes, I know "brekfast is the most important meal of the day" however, I wanted to be out of the house as early as possible. The bad part was, not only did I not have breakfast but I already knew where I wanted to go for lunch! After I was done with most of the errands and only had one more place to stop (again....Khols) I went to where I thought a San Sai was and unfortunately my memory was wrong and it wasn't there. Hot and hungry, I went to Khols and ended up coming straight home. I had a tuna sandwich with TWO servings of reduced fat wheat thins. Yay me!

HumpDay!

Happy Hump Day ladies!

Yesterday was pretty good:

Coffee/creamer
Breakfast: Plain yogurt w/ fresh blueberries and banana
Snack: Almonds
Lunch: Homemade veggie soup/grilled fish/cardboard chicken from the night before :)
Snack: Grapes
Dinner: 2 crunchy tacos from Taco Bell* (dinner on the go- Kohl's outing!)

*Note about the tacos: 170 calories each- 16 grams of protein total. Not bad AT ALL! Of course I wanted like 2 more but didn't do it :)

I did my lunch time stair workout- 20 minutes, including lunges. Heart was POUNDING and my legs were a bit wobbly afterwards! That means I made the most of my time.

I was running around yesterday evening but managed to squeeze in 3 sets of (40 each) of biclycle situps, 3 sets of push ups and a couple sets of power squats! (jump up, full squat down). I would have liked to have gotten in a longer workout but felt pretty good since I got a well rounded workout including my lunch time activity. (cardio, legs, abs, arms)

The scale showed about a pound lighter than yesterday but I am exactly where I was last week so technically no pound progress made but that is OK.

Israel is home tonight so I am hoping to get into the garage gym and hit some weights in addition to some cardio. Not sure what is on the dinner menu tonight but it's gotta be healthy!

Back in Action

I did it! I worked out last night!! And, I did the 2nd video of my Slim in 6 (not the shorter one). I was dreading popping that DVD in at 9pm last night but once I started moving, I already felt so much better.
So, eating was another pretty good day. I was frosting my sugar cookies so I did have a few broken pieces but not a whole cookie.
Breakfast: Oatmeal and banana
Lunch: Chiken enchilada soup (from Vons, small cup and I don't know what the nutrition info is)
Snack: Snap Peas, oatmeal bar, yogurt
Dinner: Ham sandwich with pepperjack cheese, mustard and lettuce and a handful of BAKED doritos
Snack: pieces of cheese (Colby's), broken sugar cookies

So today is my first WOW and I'm looking forward to trying Zumba. I've heard about it and it sounds like fun. And it was so cute last night. When Colby and I got home, Scott was in the living room doing the P90X and Colby stood right beside him and started jumping around. It was so cute! I definitely want him to be an active kid and I'm glad Scott and I are trying to be more active ourselves so that we set a good example for our boys.

Hope you all have a great day! xoxoox

Keeping it real

Ok ladies! I'm trying to stick to this writing my meals but sometimes it just sucks to have to list them and admit when I make bad choices. Guess I shouldn't make them then huh? =)
But here it goes:

Breakfast - a handful of peanuts & raisins. I realize I need to have something more substantial but until I get to the store...the peanuts will have to do it.

Lunch - A wrap with grilled chicken, bell peppers, broccoli & rice. It came with fries and I'll admit I had a couple but did not eat them all and I'm proud of that. It also came with a fruit cup which I had later as my snack but I was also bad and had a couple Red Vines as well. UGH! I am so not a sweets person but when it's in front of me it's hard to turn down!

Dinner - Whole wheat penne pasta with grilled chicken and Cajun spices (no sauce) & a salad with non-fat raspberry balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Dessert - 1 snack pack of sugar free chocolate pudding.

And that's it! Not too bad if you ask me. I had a few bad moments but for the most part it was a fairly good day. I took the dog for 2 walks again today but I was running late for work (what else is new) so the morning walk was much shorter than the evening walk.

Looking forward to WOW tomorrow!

Nothing Exciting

There hasn't been anything too exciting recently. I did pretty well over the weekend except kind of broke down on Sunday. Mr.M got home Saturday night (exciting!) and that led to a semi bad Sunday (eating wise). We woke up and lounged around for most of the morning. Time flew by and it was luchtime (we didn't even have breakfast!). We had a couple of errands to run in Valencia so we went and had a sushi lunch. It was so good! I'm claiming lunch a success because I didn't have a LARGE Asahi like I ALWAYS do...I just had water. By the time we were hungry again, it was around 7:30pm and Mr.M wanted TACO BELL! Ugh...I said I would eat cereal but that didn't fly with him so I splurged and got two beef tacos fresco style (no cheese, added pico de gallo). I didn't some walking but no exercising :(

Monday went very well with eating. Mr.M is on board with the new "healthy eating habits me" and that is going to help greatly. For brekfast I had one egg and two egg whites on a slice of whole wheat bread. Lunch was a simple 1/2 tuna sandwich and a single serving of reduced fat wheat thins and dinner was a salad. Once again I didn't exercise AT ALL. No walking, no work out dvd, no exercise tv show, no nada! I definitely need to change that. I'm chalking it up to bad weather. Gloomy weather just puts me in a lazy mood! It better get hot and soon quick! ;)

Staying Strong

Yesterday, eating was really good:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with beans
Snack: 110 cal yogurt w/half a banana
Lunch: Salad w/ light balsamic dressing
Snack: 90 cal instant soup
Dinner: Baked chicken breast (that was about as dry as a freakin' paper plate) & home made veggie soup

Didn't work out last night :( Made dinner, got our stuff ready for today, did the baby's bath then my shower.... She had a rough night on Sunday night and she stayed up until about 9:30 last night so by the time she was out, I had dozed off too and I was completely exhausted. I have my stuff for my lunch workout today though! And I am still sore from my Sunday workout so that is nice... I like the soreness, I know it means the workouts are effective right?!

The scale this morning was the same as yesterday but that is OK. (I have been annoyingly weighing myself every day but personally, I think it pushes me to be more conscious.) Like Ang, for me it is not as much about the weight (even though I want to lose some), it is more about my appearance and that means inches baby! Even though fat doesn't necessarily weigh a lot, it definiately takes up space!

WOW for me too- but I will be at the sattelite location! LOL!!

Good and Bad

It's hard to confess something that you really don't want to. Today, I must tell my girls that I did NOT exercise last night. I just didn't have it in me after playing with Colby, making dinner, making cookies, cleaning... I know they are all excuses. I really should have just done the 27 minute video but I didn't it. I got in bed and watched The Biggest Loser!! This is the first season I've watched and it's so awesome to see how far the contestants have come. Very inspiring!! So I really am going to exercise tonight, NO EXCUSES.
I do have to say that I at least ate good yesterday!!
Morning: Coffee (with creamer), half a banana and oatmeal
Snack : Snap peas
Lunch: Salad
Snack: Granola Bar and two blue M&Ms
Dinner: Turkey Burger with pepper jack cheese
Snack: pieces of broken sugar cookies (I couldn't resist)

Not sure what I'm doing for dinner. I have to frost all the sugar cookies and don't really feel like cooking on top of that. I kinda want to have special K night and maybe Scott and the boys will settle for waffles. They love breakfast for dinner!!! That will give me time to work out too. It's all about time management.

Food Tip: We had turkey burgers last week too and instead of buying regular hamburger buns, I bought buns that were super thin. Only 100 cals each and they had a decent amount of fiber. I've purchased that Sara Lee Sandwich thins before but I can't remember the brand of the kind we had last night. I'll let you know but it's a good option for sandwiches and hamburgers. The turkey burgers were fast and easy. I just season the already prepared pattys with salt and pepper and grilled them in my grill pan with some PAM.

Tomorrow I hope to post that I actually worked out today. That is my goal at least :)

Keeping it going!!!

What a weekend of being up and down!!! =) Well not to bad to be honest! Friday was great... Rod and I took Jay and 3 of his friends to Magic Mountain where I thought I was going to fall off the deep in....funnel cake, carmel apples, candy, soda, nachos.... COME ON all my favorite things.... Ok I could do w/o the funnel cake but LOVE everything else. And I thought since we were going to be entertaining young boys we would be all over all that food. BUT we did great, we bought all you can eat passes (they were cheaper then dropping crazy amounts of $$) and Rod and I both had Grilled chicken, some salad, and some chili beans.... NOT to bad for MM status. Then later I did have a soda and some jelly bellys =) but hey it wasn't to bad.

SOOOO SAT, woke up early and went for a 3.3 mile run/walk with Leah, it was really nice to get up and get it out of the way! Had a lot of fruit and could resist some of the coolwhip spice dip I made for the tupperware party! Bought LITE coolwhip, did anyone notice??? =) Later not to bad just had a taco salad and didn't eat any of the taco shell part!!!

Sunday was good too!!! Made pancakes in the morning according to the nutrition guide we could have REGULAR pancakes.... BUT I decided to double the recipe and did 1/2 wheat flr and 1/2 white flr, then used brown sugar instead of granulated sugar... THE KIDS and ROD loved them!!!! I was impressed how good they were. The rest of the day we did really good too..

SO this weeks begins and it's off to a great start. Today is my weigh in day at home, and I am well on track for my goal, I didn't go up or down I stayed the same weight which is fine for my goal since I am more focussed on the inches!!! LADIES we are on for Wed. right, ZUMBIA at the Morales household!!! Can't wait to see you all!!!

A new day, a new start

Ok. So today was a new start. I didn't end up getting to the gym this morning but since I am dog sitting I took the dog I'm looking after on two walks. One this morning and another this afternoon. Until my co-worker gets back I don't know if I'll be able to make it to the gym because of having to check on the dog before and after work, but at least I'll get some walking in. Plus I'm looking forward to WOW this Wed.

Ok so meals for the day.

Breakfast - A fiber one bar and some peanuts. The peanuts were really a morning snack but I'm just gonna count it as part of my breakfast.

Lunch - Turkey sandwich from Subway on wheat bread & unsweetened iced tea.

Dinner - My mum made tacos with ground turkey and brown rice & a diet coke. I normally don't drink much coke but there wasn't any cold water. LOL

So I'm considering this day a success. I ate and was able to get full but didn't eat anything that was too bad for me. And I got a little bit of exercise in. Not as much as I was planning on but some is always better than none! =)

Hope all you ladies had a good day too!

Weekend Report

If you read Lisa's blog post, you pretty much have an idea about what my weekend was like! MAJOR success on one level- LOTS of fun, but not a huge success on the diet level. BUT, what I can say is that I was honestly good for 6 days out of the week, one day is nothing to beat myself up over. Had a healthy dinner on Friday night, had a healthy breakfast on Saturday morning but could have definitely done better on Saturday afternoon and evening. Yesterday and last night were good though. AND, I forced myself to work out last night. I got in about a 30 minute workout... hit the weights in the home (garage) gym while my bulldogs looked at me like I was crazy- did some legs, arms, situps and then what has become my workout staple, lunges and squats. It took EVERYTHING in me to get going since Ariana and Israel were nice and cozy in bed by 9:00 pm and let's face it, I was tired and would have much rather gone to bed... but I told myself I had no choice, that it wasn't an option. I got our stuff ready for today, then fit my workout in and jumped in the shower and was in bed by 10:30.

Even though I didn't feel wonderful about the majority of my Saturday consumption choices, I was proud of myself for ending off the weekend with a heart pumping workout even when I felt completely unmotivated.... it feels good to have dug down deep to trigger my motivation when I really didn't want to! I used to be "that girl" who would always have workout motivation, so I am trying to dig in and get her back out! I feel like my workout last night helped me start off my week with the right mindset so here I go :) Won't you please come along with me!

Fresh new start

Back to work after a long fun weekend. I did not think about my diet one bit though but that is not a surprise. But, I can say I ate and drank everything that sounded good to me so I am starting off fresh today not craving anything. :)
We went to the grocery store last night. I wasn't prepared with ideas of healthy meals to make for the week so I was stuck as far as what to bring for lunch this week or dinner ideas. I have been bringing salads for lunch but have been so burned out on them. Luckily they are so versatile so I changed the ingredients up a bit. This week it's grilled chicken (already prepared and cut in strips), carrots, cucumbers, tomato, and feta cheese. So far I've only had coffee but I'm about to grub a banana and some oatmeal later. It's going to be a busy week at work and home but I really need to focus on getting a work out in. I'm starting my Slim in 6 today and need to at least do the shorter video. The temptation for the night? Not eating any sugar cookies that I'm making for a work shower on Wednesday. It's always something I tell ya.
Good luck to you girls! I have to say catching up on all the blogs was a great way to start the day. I'm motivated to do good today!!!

A new start?

Ok...so here it is Sunday night and after reading the posts from you lovely ladies I'm sad. I didn't do as good as I know I could have this weekend. OF course it could have always been worse but still.

I went up to Rhoni's this weekend for the fab Paramore concert and we got it started right. We had a game plan to get up early and go for a walk but with my lazy arse sleeping in til it was too hot to go, we ended up having to scrap that idea. For breakfast we had some bagel thins and fruit with a cup of black coffee (how I like it). Lunch wasn't the worst. I got a chicken wrap but the onion rings didn't help (although they only gave like 5 so how bad could it have been?)...neither did the bloody mary...lol. On a side note...the bloody marys were fab and only $3!
Anyway we did do some shopping and I suppose that was our exercise for the day (and believe me, between walking the mall and trying on clothes I sweat more than I did with the P90X! LOL)

We didn't have time for dinner but did manage to throw back a quick vodka cran before the concert and then 3 vodka tonics AT the concert. LOL. This is just terrible! We were so counting on the hot dog vendors so that we could SHARE a hot dog after the concert but they were no where to be seen. So with hours since our last meal and a good amount of alcohol in us...we ended up with some late night chicken nugget happy meals (well Rhonda's was a nugget happy meal...mine mysteriously only had 3 nuggets with a surprise 3 chicken STRIPS...I'm convinced the workers were high when they put our meals together).

This morning I just had a cup of black coffee and then lost track of time. I didn't end up eating until almost 5pm this evening. I was not in the mood to wait for food so I grabbed TB. UGH!

So obviously this weekend did not go as well as it could have and therefore I'm calling this weekend a wash....BUT...I'm motivated to start again tomorrow.

I can't beat myself up for my choices but I CAN learn from them and move on. Tomorrow is a new day and I'm going to start it off right by going to the gym before work! I have to and WILL get back on track. Plus my weigh in day at the gym is only a week away and I refuse to accept a gain! Yikes!

The Weekend

It's Saturday! I'm happy to report that I'm going strong. I didn't do any exercise on Friday although I ate healthy. I went to a Mexican restaurant and ONLY had 3 chips!! How did I do that and who am I??? I ate 1/2 of a (homemade) turkey sandwich and a banana on the drive to the restaurant. A whole basket of tortilla chips sat in front of me and I stood my ground! Since I did well with my eating (cheerios for breakfast and sandwich for lunch), I treated myself to a 360 calorie 22oz. Negro Modelo...I figured I owed myself. Dinner was another sandwich...not that exciting but since my husband has been gone, I don't have to cook!

Saturday morning B, my mom and I woke up bright and early to participate in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies in Simi Valley. We walked 3 miles!! :) After the walk I had a small granola bar and 1/4 of a grilled chicken and black bean burrito. I'm so proud of myself! I was SO hungry AND the food was free but after a lot of water and taking my time eating, I wasn't even hungry after that. Too much goodness for you? Well this is where I start to break down...I went to a Tupperware party after the walk, there were so many goodies all laid out in front of me...croissants, cheese, chocolate covered strawberries, ham, turkey, graham crackers, veggies, and ice cream. I ended up having about a 1/2 cup of (homemade) strawberry ice cream (it has to be better for you than store bought right?), carrots (no ranch), a hand full (or two) of olives, a bit of ham and turkey (no croissant for me!), and about 4 chocolate covered strawberries. I could have done SO MUCH MORE damage so I'm claiming this one a success! ha...because I can! ;)

All in all I think I've done quite well. Sunday will be my day of rest but still on the health kick. Mr.M comes home tonight so we'll see how this healthy eating will go once I'm really having to cook a full dinner.

17 Reasons

Not only are we going to look and feel much better, we are getting these added benefits as well!

http://health.yahoo.com/featured/109/17-ways-exercise-sends-health-soaring/

Right on Track

I'm so happy to report that since Wednesday I've lost 2 pounds! I know its probably water weight or perhaps change in clothing but nonetheless, the scale shows a loss ;) My abs are feeling so sore from WOW and I like it!

As the weekend approaches...and practically here, I find myself already wanting a "reward" for my good progress. We'll see how it goes but as some of my partners have stated, I think the real test will be how we do on the weekends. Weekends are always fun, busy, and laid back especially now that the weather is nice...I sense TONS of drinking, BBQs and bad (but good) food! Weekends=the real test. Good luck girls, may the force be with you! :)

FRIDAY FUN DAY but still staying on track!!!

Ok... Now that I have figured out how to post here I am!!!

This is sooo exciting and so motivating I am so pumped we are all in this together. We are going to be the SEXIEST B!@TCHES out there!!!! =)

So, where to start... first and foremost I need to confess, I didn't get to work out last night or this morning... =( BOOO I suck. BUT I did stay on track with the Nutrition Guide and didn't verre off track.

We are heading to Magic Mountain tonight but still going to eat good! Bought the boys all you can eat passes and Rod and I will figure something out! =)

I went and bought the REEBOK Tone Up shoes last night so hopefully I will be a little sore in the BOOTY and hamstrings tomorrow!=)

So for this morning my breakfast was 2 wheat waffles no butter a tad bit up LITE-low sugar syrup, 1/2 banana and 8 oz of Milk. on the menu for LUNCH is a chicken wheat pita, with cucumbers, tomatos, and feta cheese!!! SNACKS are my recovery drink and a LUNA protien bar!!!! Oh and of course lots and lots of water....

On the agenda for work out tomorrow is a run at least 3-4 miles at 630AM then getting ready for my BIG tupperware parety. =) lolo WHERE we will have good healthy food to eat.. But still yummy I promise. Have a great FRIDAY my ladies!!!

The weekend is almost here....

The weekend usually tends to be my downfall but I am going to make an attempt to still do some type of workout each day along with making sensible food choices! I weighed in this morning at 1.4 lbs lighter than I started out this week and I need to not ruin my progress! This past month I haven't gained any weight but I definitely stopped losing so I have been stuck!

Last night I grabbed an order of PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps for dinner (ate about half of it) and then after the little boss went to sleep, I popped the P90X Ab Ripper in the DVD player and knocked it out. Well, it almost knocked me out actually :)

I think that a lot of us will get bored of trying to eat perfectly REAL QUICK so we need to just focus on portion control. Like Lisa when you said you had that muffin for breakfast, you only ate half- that is the right idea!!! I think long term, we can realistically stick to choices like that. I think if we are going to be successful at this lifestyle change, it is necessary not to deprive ourselves when we want something, but there definitely needs to be a clear distinction between not depriving ourselves and over indulging. Here is an example, I LOVE chocolate chip cookies! I can eat 5-6 (or more!) one sitting!! I think the key is to have one when I want it, then STOP. Easier said than done, I know :) But in the end, I won't feel deprived since I got to enjoy one but I also won't feel guilty about over indulging either.

The weekends will probably be the true test for us all, but I know we can do it!! Stay strong ladies!

Thurs Food Diary

Ok so here goes. I can say that today was definitely not my best day but it was definitely not my worst either. It's still the beginning and I know that I really need to make better choices with my food but I also know that with time I'll start to see where I'm messing up and will learn what I need to eliminate from my diet. I know we have the nutrition guides to follow and will be using it as a guideline but I also know what works for me and my body and so I'm starting off with what worked for me last time. I'm going to be more conscious of what I eat but I'm mostly focusing on eating less right now. That is MY start. So that being said...here is my food intake for the day:

Breakfast - 1/2 bacon egg & cheese biscuit & a large coffee. I know that the biscuit wasn't the best but at least it was only half.

Lunch - SMFCO...lol. Tuna on fire with rice and wontons. Yes I could have done without the wontons I know but it is what it is.

Dinner - The smallest tuna melt you will ever see in your life with light mayo and fat free cheese on top of whole wheat bagel thins.

And the worst part of my day...2 Pyramids with orange. I'm NOT a big drinker anymore but I will admit I like to have a beer or 2 once a week.

Ugh...after actually listing it I see that it isn't the best start but again...it's not the worst. Whew! Actually writing it out really makes you accountable for what you eat! I know it will only get better though!

Semi Great Success

My semi great success of Thursday May 13th started with a SMALL bowl of Rice Krispies...and I mean it was SMALL. So small that whoever left the amount in the box could have totally just poured it all into their bowl...but they saved it and I ate it.

B and I had some errands to run in Moorpark. We had to go to Target and Michael's, both which are in the same shopping center. I'm very proud to report that B and I found the farthest parking spot in front of Target and walked to all the other stores. This is something I'd NEVER do in the past. I've drive up and down just to find the closest parking space available AND drive to the other stores! I had a veggie sandwich on wheat from Subway for lunch...but I had a 12"! I know, I know, I probably could have stuck with 6" but I figured if it was a veggie it was (kinda) okay to do.

For dinner I had two bean burritos (from home). My parents had to go grocery shopping so it was bean burritos or pizza, in which I made a household decision to make the beans. Mashed pinto beans without and fat added and two flour tortillas (not so good I know). Oh! that reminds me...at around 3:30pm I was craving sourdough toast SLATHERED with butter and a smidgen of preserves. I "called in" for support and didn't go for the toast but went in for a medium sized bowl of cheerios. Throughout the day I drank water. Another goal for me is to only drink water from now on...and the occasional "drink."

After dinner B, my Mom and I went for a walk. I'm not sure how long it was but I'll be driving the same route today to find out ;) All in all I was pretty happy with the choices I made today...ugh...I mean yesterday.

Lunch Time workout!

On Tuesdays and Thursdays during my lunch break, I am planning on hitting the stairway! That's right, stairway :) There are a set of stairs right next to my office that lead down to the basement and I need to make good use of them! Today I did 20 minutes of activity consisting of running/walking the stairs, squats and calf raises. I definitely felt the burn and felt my heart pumping! Aiming for some arm and ab work tonight, and a healthy dinner of course :)

Let's do this ladies!

Even though I am quite a ways away (distance wise) from my "get skinny with us" sisters, I am really excited to stay connected with them in our common goal to get (and stay) fit this summer! I love that we all have adopted the same approach to weight loss and healthy eating as "it's a lifestyle". Our goal is to make long term changes for the better to our habits, not just for the next couple months or so. Being able to share the same approach/views with this group is going to help provide the necessary support and motivation we all need for success! We never said it was going to be easy, but we are in this together and it is going to be a great journey!

Like I mentioned above, I am too far to attend WOW, but just knowing that the girls were getting together to work out motivated me to get up and get moving after putting my 1 year old daughter to sleep last night! It was about 9:00 pm and I had actually dozed off while rocking my little one to sleep and was extremely lazy to say the least, but I thought to myself, I need to get up and fit in a work out, even if it isn't anything extremely intense. I was watching American Idol but got moving. I was only able to get in about a 20 minunte workout since I still had to get the baby's bag packed for her day along with my things ready for the following workday but managed to get in some push ups, situps, a bit of cardio along with some squats and lunges. I had eaten a healthy dinner so I marked off my night as a successful one on the track to get fit!

My last week to splurge....

So I didn't get to meet up with the ladies for WOW. So bummed. I decided this was my last week of freedom as it is my Birthday week (I guess since it's technically on Sunday).
Yesterday my team at work had a Potluck for me. Let me just say it was a cheese theme. Everything had lots of cheese in it and it was sooo yummy. I LOVE cheese!!! Then, we had a super delicious lemon cake!!! How could I say no to my own Birthday cake?? And tomorrow, my Husband is taking me to the Wine and Food Festival at California Adventure. I know I will be consuming lots of calories there. Ahhhh, I'm so ready to be "good" again but it's hard when there are so many temptations around me at this time. I did really good with the Slim in 6 videos for about two weeks straight but then got off course when I was planning my Son's 1st Birthday party. Now that is all behind me and next week will be a fresh new start. I plan to start my Slim in 6 videos again (working out 6 days a week) and also meeting the girls for WOW. I also plan to start walking on my breaks here at work.
I'm also still trying to decide what my goal should be. For me, having a baby was the best diet. I know it sounds weird but I actually weigh less now than before I got pregant with Colby!!! So, I think I will be happy with losing about 5 lbs but I really want to tone up. We all have our "problem areas" that we don't like about our bodies and I have plenty of them. My arms, my back (fat) and my legs (and I'm short so that's like my whole body). And maintaining this weight is also a goal. I recently stopped breastfeeding and I know that helped to contribute to my weight loss.
I've started diets, exercise programs, and "being good" countless times over the years but I have to say this time feels different because of the group of ladies I have motivating me. I love them all and I have faith that each of us will make our individual goals. Love you Ladies! Watch out Vegas!!! xoxoxo

P90X

Woo Hoo! WOW started off with a bang! I have to say that the P90X is hardcore! The ab workout kicked my arse and although I was "beginner" status it still felt good to do something and still feel the burn! And I know the more we do this the better I'll get. Ang you were a freakin' ROCKSTAR and Laura you are WAY more in shape than you give yourself credit for...you kicked butt!

I have to say that while I am very determined to lose the weight & get in shape and be healthy I learned my lesson...NO GYM right before P90X! LOL

Working out together is not only motivating but fun. We get to hang out and gossip and laugh while getting in shape! I'm so excited to be starting this with you ladies!

Can't wait til next week and I'm totally looking forward to being the hottest chicks to ever hit Vegas!

XOXO
L

WOW!: Work Out Wednesday

I'm SO excited to announce the beginning of the "It's a Lifestyle: Get Skinny with Us" blog! We will have 5 wonderful, motivating, and HOT women contributors who will chronicle their journey through getting healthy and ultimately...skinny (or vice-versa)

Today not only is the beginning of our blogging days but also the beginning of WOW!: Work Out Wednesday. Lisa and Myself met at Angela's house to do some P90X. It was a great work out. We began working on arms and back and ended the night with abs...it.was.tough. We got through it and felt really good after. Lisa had even gone to the gym prior to our work out at Angela's. Kudos LEESE!

We are working together towards one goal. One personal goal that has been determined by us and no one else. We will be here to voice our struggles, our triumphs, and hopefully motivate any readers we may attract.

Here's to getting healthy...and skinny! :)

[Let it be known that we ALL will be going on vacation to SIN CITY in which we are aiming to be the hottest women around! (psh...no sweat)]