Hot Tip Tuesday: Just do SOMETHING!

by Jenn
Go, Susan, Go! I'm so proud of her for popping in that video and doing it. Aren't her "little helpers" so cute you just want to squeeze 'em?!

If you haven't noticed, Susan and I are both very motivated by the Biggest Loser. While she was doing her Bob Harper DVD, I have been breaking in my new Jillian Michael's Wii game (early Christmas present for my hero husband). Let me tell you, there is no "game" about it. That little disc is WORK! After my first session I was sore for THREE DAYS from shoulders to toes! I loved every second of it, though. It's about time my muscles felt used again. If you have a Wii, I highly reccomend at least renting this workout. It's fun and interactive and it keeps track of your weight and fitness progress. It even has some built in resolution (accountability) features!

So here's my hot tip of the week: Just do SOMETHING...often.

I'm a fairly black and white person. Meaning, if it's not perfect or perfectly planned it's not good enough. (Fortunately, motherhood is helping me toss that misperception out the back door. ) I have always wanted to have this perfect workout plan starting on the perfect time of day with all the right circumstances (clean house, sleeping baby, perfect healthy breakfast, cute outfit...). This, however, is not the life I lead...EVER. So, because things weren't ideal, I never worked out. My desperation to be healthy (and my husband's encouragement to leave dirty dishes behind) is changing all of that.

The circumstances and schedules of our lives will never be perfect. If I want to be healthy and fit I just have to do SOMETHING as often as possible. For example, some days it's easy to get Elli up from her nap, fed, bundled into the stroller and on our way for a good long walk. Other days, however, she's crying because she's teething and there is no way I'm going to get her into her coat, let alone her stroller. (Other days it's 17 degrees outside, like today, and I'm not a big fan of frostbite.) So, at that point I have two options, I can either just scratch exercise for that day or I can figure out SOMETHING I can do inside.

Here are a few ideas that I've been trying out and/or planning lately:
Exercise game or video (LOVING this!)
Dancing with baby for 20 minutes to our fave music (it's more tiring than you think)
Do some serious hardcore cleaning at a fast pace (if you're not sweating and breathing hard it doesn't count)
Go mall walking (I've heard it's not just for old people...we'll see...)
Do exercises with baby as weight (arm lifts, leg raises, crunches and stretches
Plan an event with friends that involves exercise (We did a 1.5m walk looking at lights with Susan and her fam.)

I will be the first to admit I am not even close to faithfully following this tip, but I am making fast strides and I'm proud to announce I have results to prove it! Last week I lost TWO POUNDS!!! WOOOOHOOO! Finally I have some sort of victory!

Don't give up, ladies! You CAN make progress even during the holidays. If these FB Mamas can do it, so can you! Just remember the tips! Make a plan and do something! What are some "SOMETHINGS" you can do THIS week?

Stepping it up...

by Susan

Oh my goodness.... my hips, my thighs, my calves, oh yes and my shoulders.


After weighing in one pound shy of hitting my Thanksgiving goal of 5lbs. I decided I needed to step it up a notch to make sure I hit the 5lb. Christmas goal. I wanted to go for a walk this morning but decided it would be best not to take the girls out in the 25 degree weather. It is so cold in the Pacific Northwest today and when you add the wind to that, well it just wasn't very appealing. So I decided I would pull out one of many "I am buying this dvd because I am going to work out video" brushed the dust off of it and actually pressed play.


Well, let me tell ya everyone thinks that Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser is the mean one, well I beg to differ. Holy cow! I did a 20 minute work out with Bob Harper and well he was just a jerk. LOL The sad thing is I was hurting within the first 5 minutes. I am so out of shape. I did also have to pause the video because I had a couple of little helpers and could not pass on the opportunity to take pictures. Yes, it is super cold outside and Ryleigh insisted in wearing a sleevless shirt with shorts.

I'm already achy but it really did feel good to get up and move. I challenge you that if you haven't done some kind exercise today before you sit on the couch and settle in for the evening get up and move. You'll feel better and will be more motivated for tomorrow.

Hot Tip Tuesday: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail"

by Jenn

Well, I didn't make it. Nope. Thanksgiving came and went and I did not lose 5lbs. In fact, I gained 3 and lost 2, so I actually ended up a pound up. BOOOOO. (Insert all lame exuses, including sickness here.) Thankfully, during this little mini journey, I believe I have received a major wake up call and as a result I have begun a new adventure. I'm excited to share it with all of you, however, that is for another time.

In the meantime, what is one major lesson I have learned from my T-day failure? The same lesson my husband has tried to engrave into my brain since we married nearly 12 years ago. MAKE A PLAN!!! He loves the quote, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I have to admit, that cliche' gets REALLY annoying at times, BUT he's the one who has lost 110lbs all on his own...so he has some pretty hefty (no pun intended) leverage behind his beloved quote.

It's one thing to have a goal (aka 5lbs by Thanksgiving), but it's pointless if you don't create a do-able strategy and stick to it. If you're anything like me a goal can be easily swept to the side if you don't have a plan and a constant reminder of that plan in front of you.

So....although I 100% (plus some) failed my attempt at losing 5lbs by Turkey Time, I haven't given up! I'm still going to aim toward 5lbs by Christmas (yes, I know, there ARE parties to attend and temptations all around, but isn't there always?). This time, however, I HAVE A PLAN and I'm putting things and people around me to help me stick to it.

I'm not going to share my entire plan with you because I'm fully aware that everyone is very different in how they achieve their health and self-discipline goals. I will, however, leave you with one little bonus tip...

IF YOU BITE IT, YOU WRITE IT! If you've ever attended a Weight Watchers meeting or watched the Biggest Loser, you'll notice that one of the biggest points of strategy is to keep track of what you put in your mouth whether solid or liquid. I'm following this strategy by using an old (and quite blank) food journal I had from a previous season at WW. To remind me to use it (and so my husband can see it and keep me motivated) I placed it on top of my microwave with a pen. I'm at the microwave a lot prepping baby food and bottles, so this is the perfect place.

Pray for me! I could really use the momentum of a 5lb loss and I'd love to go in to Christmas feeling good about the choices I'm making.

Your Turn: What strategies do you use to keep yourself working toward the goal?

Weigh-In Wednesday: A confession of a "cokeaholic"

by Susan
I have a confession, I cheated. We were at our parent's homes this weekend and I drank a coke, ok maybe it was more like three or four. Oh the temptation. I haven't been keeping coke in the house which has made it easy to stay on track but I got to my mom's and there they were; shiny red cans all nice and chilled. My mom knows that is my drink of choice and she had "stalked up" for me.
Romans 7:15 (NKJ) Paul says: what I will to do, I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. That is how I have been feeling lately. it is so frustrating to know what I need to do but without any thinking I let the temptations over rule. The next month is going to be full of temptations; it is going to be my choice to continue the cycle or break out it.

I mentioned before that I have been trying to pick up my bible when I want something instead of going to the cupboard and staring at the possibilities. This has helped me when I am at home but it is difficult to do when I am at someones else's home even if it is my mom's. Today I was reading a post on my pastor's blog about memorizing God's word verbatim with references. After reading that I decided to adjust my weekly goals and start memorizing scripture to remind me that I can make good choices when I am not at home.

Here are my goals for the next week:

1. I am starting to read in Ecclesiastes and I am going to work on memorizing this scripture: ...A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the trusted stronghold. Prov. 21:22 For me the trusted strong hold is food.


2. We are spending a lot of time with our extended family the next couple of weeks and I want to make sure to have some time for just DJ and me.


3. Logging my food and working towards burning 500 more calories per day then I eat.

Next week I weight-in on the scale to see if I made the goal of 5lbs for Thanksgiving.


~Susan

Hot Tip Tuesday: GET RID OF IT! (aka Magic Fudge)

by Jenn
I know our postings have been a bit sparse, but all of your SAHMs understand...if it's not one thing it's another!

If you're looking for an update on my goal of 5lbs by Thanksgiving, there's good news and there's bad news...here it is...

This morning I decided to finally weigh myself. Unlike Susan, who is scale obsessed, I avoid the scale like a plague. Ignorance is bliss, right? Well, I was sick over the weekend and the only things that "sounded good" were nachos, fudge and Coke classic. Normally these things wouldn't even be in my house (HONEST, just ask my friends, our food selection is very boring and fairly healthy thanks to our lack of self-control) but we had just had a leaders retreat and all of the leftovers came to my house. SO...when sickness hit I was able to indulge my weaknesses, NOT GOOD. Needless to say, it was time to face the music and weigh in.

This first time I stepped on the scale I was shocked, it said I had LOST 12lbs!!! Perhaps this fudge was MAGIC FUDGE!!! How could this be? So I moved the scale to a different spot on the floor and weighed again...12lbs down, AGAIN!!! Could this be? Is fudge the next weight loss miracle drug?! Knowing the unlikeliness of this (but secretly hoping deep inside), I moved the scale one more time and all of the magic left...3lbs up. Boo. (ah well, it was nice while it lasted) That's definitely the BAD news.

Here's the GOOD news. Yesterday, while trying to regain my footing after being sick for three days, I couldn't stop thinking about that fudge just waiting for me with all of it's creamy goodness contrasted against it's crunchy nuttiness (ok, I'll stop). I found myself walking toward the freezer (I had put it there in an attempt to avoid it...and yes, I ate it frozen, don't judge) several times telling myself that I would just have "one more piece" and then be done with it. Well, friends, one more piece turned into SEVERAL more pieces. Finally I got a hold of myself and did the unthinkable...I THREW THE MAGIC FUDGE AWAY! That's right, the fudge that was delicious and comforting (and deadly) went into the garbage never to be seen again (well, at least until Christmas comes along with some new fudge).

So, here's my hot tip of the week: When you know you just can't handle yourself around a certain food item, GET RID OF IT! I knew the moment that fudge entered my house that it would be a problem. I couldn't, however, stand the thought of throwing it away. So, I put it in the freezer in the garage far away from my normal roaming patterns. Usually this would work for me, but we're talking about FUDGE, people, this is not the USUAL temptation! So (although a little too late) I finally did what my first instinct had told me to do and threw the lovely fudge away (in the OUTSIDE garbage-this was serious).

For all of you food-savers who can't stand the thought of "wasting" food, don't panic. There are other options to throwing food away. You can give it away to a skinny friend (sabotage?), you could share it the moment you received it (which is what I should have done at the retreat), or you could send it to work with your spouse. The method doesn't matter, but the principle does. If you know you can't handle a certain food item in your house GET RID OF IT! One moment of food waste is ok for the sake of the health of your waist.

Wednesday Weigh In ... on Thursday

by Susan

Man, I am exhausted. You would think being a stay at home mom I would have so much time on my hands. I wish. I was so disappointed that I didn't get my "Wednesday Weigh In" posted on Wednesday. I know it sounds a little lame but i have huge problem with constancy in my weigh loss and I really wanted to break that. I am really good about logging my meals, exercising and being healthy for maybe two or three days and then everything flies out the door. So I am a day late but I'm posting.
I read an article this week 10ways to cut 100 calories on the Everyday Health website. It states that if you can cut 100 calories per day it can result in a 10 pound weight loss. Guess what one of the tips was? go on a beverage alert! "Obvious drinks to avoid sodas"! The article goes on to attack my coffee creamer. Two of my most favorite things. I have to say that I have been told to cut out "my coke" and i will loose weight. I have done it before while trying to conceive and remained "caffeine free" for 9 months with my first baby. When i was pregnant with our second I found a loop hole. I could have 300mg of caffeine a day. So I went searching. I found out that 20 ounces of Coke only has 51mg of caffeine. As I am writing this I am embarrassed at how pathetic and addicted I sound. It is time; I'm going cold turkey.

Here are my goals for this week:

1. I am still working on finishing the Song of Songs series. I tried to finish it last week but it was longer than expected. I have also been reading in the book of Hosea.
2. Take Ryleigh on a date.
3. Log my food and NO COKE. I am also going to work toward Jenn's goal of 5lbs for Thanksgiving and 5lbs. for Christmas.
   

Here are the other tips for cutting 100 calories:

1. Make oil substitution


2. Go on a beverage alert


3. Change up the coffee


4. Modify the recipe


5. Portion control counts


6. Learn to say "no thanks"


7. Beware of condiments


8. Watch out for toppings, dressings, and dips


9. Make smart food substitution


10. Drink responsibly

Here's to a good week. ~ Susan

I'm Back and ready to jump!

by Jenn
I took an unintentional hiatus from blogging both here and there, but I'm back and ready to get this weight loss party started! I know what you're thinking, "She sounds too ridiculously peppy to be talking about dieting." Perhaps I do sound a little silly, but I can't help but get excited because I finally have a goal that is measurable, challenging and yet (with some serious hard work) still attainable. Are you ready to hear it? (drum roll please...)

My goal is to lose 5lbs BEFORE Thanksgiving and 5lbs more BEFORE Christmas!!! I know, I know, it's the holiday season and it's crazy to try to lose weight in November or December, but I have great logic behind why I chose this goal.

I have been overweight going on over 10 (yikes) years and there have always been "great" reasons to wait on losing weight. I was dealing with work, then I was dealing with infertility, then miscarriage, then infertility drugs, then work stress, then friendship stress, then IUI procedures then (finally) pregnancy, then a new baby, then a busy summer, then-oh wait-then is NOW. I've come to the conclusion that there is never a "good time" to lose weight. There is, however, always time to hate having a fat bottom, low energy and zero confidence. (Funny how that works, isn't it?)

So, here I am, jumping back in to weight loss with a head full of excuses on why this is bad timing, but a heart just as full of reasons why I must be who God wants me to be. (Besides, maybe working so hard to lose 5lbs will keep me from gaining during the holidays???)

Here's my game plan for this week: Exercise at least 4 times and write down what I eat.

Here's to 5lbs by Turkey Day...Geronimo!!!