Happy New Year!!!
~Jenn and Susan

Hot Tip Tuesday: Taking control of the grocery bill

by Susan

Morning~ Jenn is enjoying some time with her family this week so I am writing for our Hot Tip Tuesday. It has been a busy couple of weeks and I haven't had much time to post to Fat Bottom Mamas. I pray everyone had a great Christmas. We did and I am pretty sure Jenn and her family did also; they celebrated their first Christmas with Elli. Those of you who know our stories of infertility know that this is a big dream come true.

On to the "hot tip".... As much as I do NOT like to grocery shop, I LOVE saving money on my grocery bill. Call me crazy but there a little bit of a rush when you go to the grocery store and save almost as much as you spend. I don't have a lot of time to run from store to store so it is important for me to get my list of groceries and plan out my attack. There are some great blogs you can find in your area that help you find great deals and meal plans that can cost as little as $5 for a family of four. I start on Thursday, I write out each day of the week and decide on what will be on the menu. I generally plan eight meals to have an additional option. Once my menu is in place I will list out everything that I need to complete the meals and then I head to the cupboards. Going to my cupboards after writing out my list is a big help; most of the time I will fine a few ingredients that I already have (money saved). I go to the same grocery store every week so I know how the aisles are set up and make my list to follow that floor plan. Once I get to the store I stay on track with the list. I can tell you from experience that if I do not stay to the list my groceries cost a lot more money. On a side note I don't usually go to the store until after bed time for my girls. Being able to get through the store quickly also eliminates additional spending.

Taking the time to walk through these steps has proven to save us money. I don't purchase a lot of "junk food" for the simple fact that as I am writing out my list I am more conscious of what I am writing down and not just grabbing for things of the shelves. I also use the same notebook every week. When I am stuck and cannot think of what to cook for the week I will look back through and pull something from previous weeks.

Just as Jenn has posted before get a plan and stick to it. It really does work.

Hot Tip Tuesday: Go to the Source

by Jenn
Everybody has those days. You know...Fat Days. I hate them. Despite last week's loss, I've had a few "fat days" in a row now. I just don't feel on top of my game, I kinda want to give up and (even worse) I just feel gross and ugly in both body and spirit. Unfortunately, my response to a FD is usually not a positive one.

Instead of FDs helping me to refocus and get motivated I usually respond to a FD by falling apart, getting overwhelmed and/or becoming an apathetic mushball. My mind becomes and minefield of condemnation, self-pity and defeat which leads to careless living. I hate it, hate it, hate it. I often find myself a living example of Paul's talk in Romans 7 (do what you don't want to do, don't do what you want to do) until I come to a point like Paul did and cry out "O unhappy and pitiable...I am! Who will release me from this body...?".

Thankfully, Paul writes the answer to his own question, "O thank God! [He Will!] through Jesus Christ our Lord..." If you are a follower of Christ, you have everything you need to keep going, to overcome, to get off the hamster wheel of bad thinking and choices. You have Jesus and His ressurection power (Eph. 1:19-20) living inside of you. We no longer have to yeild to sin and lesser living. We can live under grace (Rom 6:13-14).

Here's this week's hot tip: When you find yourself having one of those days or when you keep doing the opposite of what you'd like to do, GO TO THE SOURCE, JESUS. Grab your Bible, a pen, a journal (or laptop for all of you techy peeps) and begin to pour the truth into your brain and heart rather than walking through the minefield of lies in your own head. (If you don't know where to start try Romans, John or Ephesians.)

I did this exact thing this morning and walked away renewed, ready to tackle another day of food tracking, exercise, housecleaning and Christmas prep. We can do this through Jesus!

Question of the day: What is something you do to keep motivated?

Getting ready for the new year

by Susan


WooHoo to Jenn on her two pound weight lost!! I know she has been working hard and it is awesome to see results.

I wanted to fill you in on something Jenn and I have been working on for the New Year. The 20/10 Challenge. We would like to challenge our readers and ourselves to losing 20lbs in the first six months of 2010 and 10lbs. in the last six months. This is an obtainable goal, it works out to be less than one pound a week for the first part of the year. WE can do this. We are also opening up "Weigh-In Wednesdays" for all of you to check in and post comments on how you are progressing towards your goal.


We will be posting more information regarding the challenge in the next couple of weeks. If you would like to join us please email weightbgone1@gmail.com and put "20/10" in the subject line. Also make sure you are listed as one of the blogs followers.

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?