Crazy Week ahead

This week will be a crazy one for me, and I’m off to a rough start after a weekend full of birthday celebrations for friends and family (read: wine, pizza, cupcakes, and some fried food too!)

Now for this week….well Wednesday is my wedding anniversary! I’m not going to stress about what I “can or can’t” eat, I’m going to enjoy myself and the time I’m spending with my husband, and if that means a little indulging then so be it! Thursday I’m traveling to NYC for the day, then back for a work event Thursday night, then I’m off from work on Friday to have a nice long weekend with my husband. 

This throws a bit of a wrench into my regimen, but I’m not going to let it stop me from making the best decisions I can throughout the week.  One meal at a time, one day at a time, because life happens and that’s all we can do, right?  This is actually one of the reasons that I love the 21 day fix so much…it has taught me so much about how to eat the right foods and the right portions that I feel so much more confident about eating when I’m not in my element, when before I’d be stressed to the max about calories and eating out!  This is NOT a diet, it's a lifestyle!

I’ll be happy if I can come out of this week without a gain, so that’s my goal, just maintain and make smart choices!

What’s YOUR plan for this week?

21 Day fix, Round 2 RESULTS

Ahhh! It’s been way too long since my last post, I know, epic blog fail!

I hope you’ll forgive me when you see the awesomeness I’m about to present though…the results from my second round of the 21 day fix!

First, I’ll share my personal results, and if you can remember, I had a rough week 2 and actually gained weight, so I wasn’t expecting to see huge numbers this round, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Here’s my totals:

I lost 11.5 inches!!!

And the scale!? Down 8.2 pounds!!

Woot woot!

(I'm super excited about those baby abs starting to pop a bit, but I have a LOT of work to do still!)

I had admittedly gained a few pounds back the weekend before I started this round, but all together I’m down over 13 pounds after my second round, and I couldn't be more pleased with my results!

I made the mistake of taking a break for about 3 weeks in-between my 2 rounds, and definitely went a bit wild that last week, knowing that I’d be starting the new round soon, so this time around there will be NO BREAKS.  That’s right, I started a new round right away on Monday! After all, this is NOT a diet, it’s a lifestyle change!

I’m not following the workouts to a T since I’m trying to get in more running and PUMP workouts, but I’m following the eating plan still and I’m happy with the way this week has gone.

So now? The BIG numbers! I had quite a few women in my group this round that started on 3/31, and here are some of their results after 21 days:

Molly: -9 lbs

Dawn: -10.4 lbs

Kim: -5.5 lbs

Melissa: -6 lbs

Jenn: -9 lbs

Jen: -3 lbs

Lindsey: -6 lbs

Lisa: -5.5 lbs

There’s quite a big variable in those numbers, so I ask you to remember that everyone’s body is different, and everyone is at different stages in their journeys, some with more weight to lose than others.  I also want to point out that some people were drinking Shakeology as part of the plan, and some weren’t, and I do think that helps make the numbers higher!  There’s also the fact that some of these ladies lost KILLER inches in addition to their scale numbers, and their photos speak for themselves:

So…between the 9 of us, we lost 62.6 pounds in 3 weeks! I think that’s pretty incredible personally!

This program? It’s a game changer, no question about it!

If you've been stuck in a plateau, are brand new and don’t know where to start, at the end of your journey and need to figure out how to make this a lifestyle change…this program is for all of you!

I have another group that started on 4/7, and even though they’re not done yet (they finish on Monday), this is what a few of them had to say:

Katie:

This weekend (after Easter) I fell off the wagon. Hard core. No excuses, I made my choices and can't take them back. I was needing a little motivation today and I knew the scale wasn't going to give it to me… So, I did my measurements. I am shocked and very proud to share I have lost a total of 13.5 inches off my body in 2 short weeks!! This accomplishment is far greater than a scale number for me!

Stephanie:

I am blown away by the results I am seeing with the 21 day fix! I started out at 150.0 my goal weight has been 145 and I have been working for over year to break out of the 150's. I briefly saw 149 in December but haven't seen the 40's since. My body just seemed really content in the 50's. My starting weight was 220lbs and my goal was 145, I never actually thought I would ever get there just because I've never seen 1-4 anything on the scale in my adult life. Well this morning I am 3 lbs UNDER my goal weight. I'm so close to the 130's and that's something I never ever thought possible. I didn't even dream of being in the 130's because it was so far-fetched, but on this program I think it's totally attainable. The best thing is I haven't been hungry at all and I haven't been killing myself doing hours of cardio everyday like before. I've even had birthday cake and ice cream! I can't wait to take my measurements and after pics!

These results? This progress these women are seeing? These accomplishments? THIS is why I love being a Beachbody coach!!

If you want more information about the next 21 day fix accountability group I’m running, feel free to shoot me an email at babebeforebaby@gmail.com, I would love to work with you and help YOU reach your goals!!

Easter Challenge

So I was thinking: Easter is coming up on Sunday, and while I know that you can’t possibly out-exercise a bad diet, I thought I’d challenge you to keep your Easter Candy indulgences in check by making you WORK for every piece of candy you have! I’m not saying you can’t indulge, but you might pay for it in burpees!  So…here’s the challenge:

For every (1) piece of candy you eat, there is an associated exercise “penalty”.  I’ll be running this challenge on Instagram, so use hashtag #easterchallenge and tag @babebeforebaby so I can see how much candy you ate and how many exercises you had to do!

(1)    Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg (or PB cup) = 15 burpees

(1)    Peep= 5 push-ups

(1)    Chocolate egg (regardless of the filling)= 5 jumping jacks

(1)    Mini Bag of M & Ms (or a small handful)= 5 squats

(1)    Mini Bag of Jelly Beans (or a small handful)= 10 crunches

(1)    Hollow Milk Chocolate bunny = 10 front lunges, each leg

(1)    Misc: Any candy that’s not listed above: 30 seconds of wall sits for each piece

At the end of the day, holidays and special events that are focused on food will always be there, so you can’t always avoid those situations.  Find a  way to incorporate them into a healthy lifestyle and you’ll always come out stronger on the other side! Who’s ready to take on this challenge???

Sodium is the DEVIL

Good morning and Happy Monday!

So it's time for a little confessional….I was not exactly “on point” with my eating last week.

I traveled 2 separate days for work, making my pre-prepared meals useless since I was on the road.

I also was a bit more social this past weekend, which is something I certainly “suffer” from when the weather gets nicer like it did these past few days.

Let’s start with Friday: one of my closest friends and co-workers announced she was leaving the company.  We decided to go out for drinks after work to celebrate her new chapter (an mourn our losing her). 

I had wine. 

I had popcorn.

I had nachos.

And I don’t regret it, not even a little bit.

Because I wasn’t going to sit there and sip on water for 3 hours after work and starve myself (no, there were no other options by the way, it’s a bar, there’s no such thing as a finger food salad unfortunately).  I tried to be conscious of my portion sizes, but I was enjoying my friend’s company, and we won’t be able to do this together in just a few short weeks so I’m not going to tell her I can’t go have a drink right now because I’m trying to do the 21 day fix perfectly.

Then we move to Saturday.  And a special sleepover with my niece, who doesn’t get to do this very often.
I was totally 100% on point all day, and we went to Panera for dinner, so I ate a salad that was well within the guidelines of the eating plan (I did have some dressing though, I’m a rebel!), and then we stopped for some frozen yogurt to have while we watched “Frozen” together before bed.  Could I have skipped the frozen yogurt? Sure.  But I decided instead to just be conscious of my portion sizes and enjoy the time I was spending with my niece instead of fretting about what I was putting into my mouth.

Now comes Sunday, and we took my niece out to breakfast; I stuck to the plan and got a spinach and feta egg white omelet, cooked in pam, with one slice of dry wheat toast that I added a little Peanut Butter to, and skipped the homefries.

 Sunday’s weather was downright gorgeous, and we went downtown for the HUGE parade the state was throwing for the Huskies after both the Men and the Women’s team won the championships. 

What else do you do in warm, sunny weather but be outside with a nice cold beer?

So yes, I had a Coors light (just 1!) and after being on our feet ALL day and walking through the whole city, we stopped for dinner.

That meal was probably my biggest “cheat” because frankly I was starving and a salad just wasn’t going to cut it.  I chose a turkey wrap with avocado and mozzarella (no mayo), which wasn’t bad, but for my side I chose the sweet potato fries which in hindsight I probably shouldn’t have gotten (possibly my only real “regret” this past weekend).

I tracked everything I ate, stayed WELL within my calorie ranges each day, and was active with my workouts and other activity each day.

And you know what? The scale is up a ridiculous amount today.  The moral of the story? SODIUM IS THE DEVIL.

There’s a reason that eating at home is more beneficial to weight loss, and it’s not just the calorie and portion control, it’s that you can control the amount of sodium intake too.

I’m obviously bloated this morning, it’s my TOM this week, and I’m a little cranky at the scale number, but I’m not going to let it stop me from making this week awesome.  I will NOT let a little sodium ruin my day, and I WILL see a lower number on the scale in just a few days after the sodium levels in my body even out, so I’m not going to stress.  I’m going to keep on forging ahead, because life happens, and imperfection is ok, so long as you don’t let it derail you from your journey.

21 Day Fix: Week 1, Round 2 DONE

Just like the title says, I'm officially done with the first week of my second round of the 21 day fix. I'm happy to report I'm down 4 pounds and 4 inches in that 1 week!  Admittedly, I gained a bit back right before starting my second round, but I'm hoping to make some serious scale progress these next 2 weeks and get to an all time low on the scale, but we'll see! I'm also super stoked because my group of challengers this round is doing AMAZING! After one week, I've got one who's dropped 7 pounds! Two others have dropped 4 pounds, and yet another two have tightened their belts by a whole notch.
This program takes the guess-work out of weight loss, and for that I really love it.  No counting calories or carbs or elimination of entire food groups.  Just simple eating, 30 minute workouts, and serious scale results, what more can you ask for?

I have another challenge group starting on 4/21 (the day after Easter) and if you're interested in joining me, you have to place your order by midnight TONIGHT! Comment below or shoot me an email at babebeforebaby@gmail.com if you're interested, I can't wait to see what the next 2 weeks bring!!

Cutting the fat: April Goals and an IG Challenge

It’s a new month and it’s time for some new goals!

We all know the old saying:

April Showers bring May Flowers

Well here’s my version:

April (Sweat) Showers bring Summer Bodies!

It’s time to buckle down people, summer is just around the corner and if you don’t put the effort in now, you’ll find yourself suffering through another summer of hiding behind long pants and baggy clothes when you’d really love to be wearing short shorts or a bikini!

I mentioned on Friday that I purchased a body fat analyzer in an effort of focus on something other than the number on the scale.

I took my measurements and start weight on Monday since I’m starting another round of the 21 day fix, and after a little (OK a LOT of indulging) this past weekend, the scale was up as expected, but I was pretty surprised at how high my body fat actually was….I’ve never measured it before, but I thought I had a good amount of muscle, and it turns out I was pretty wrong.

An “average” body fat range for women is 25-31%:

 

Description	Women	Men
Essential fat	10–13%	2–5%
Athletes	14–20%	6–13%
Fitness	21–24%	14–17%
Average	25–31%	18–24%
Obese	32%+	25%+

My number was 29.2% (YIKES!) Now don’t get me wrong, that’s still within the “average” range…but I would love to be on the low end of that average, or even better, in the “Fitness” category.  I know these hand held analyzers can be pretty far off, but I figure if I measure under the same conditions each time it should at least show my progress.

I’m pretty new to this, so I have no concept of how long it will take me to drop body fat percentage, but my goal number is 24%, a 5% reduction from where I am now.

I’m on day 2 of the 21 day fix, so that will help in the nutrition category for sure, and I’m supposed to get PUMP in the mail today, so I’ll start adding a few of those workouts each week to work on building more lean muscle.

So my ultimate goal this April? SWEAT. 

I challenge you to do the same.  30 minutes of sweat inducing exercise, for the next 30 days. 

Anyone can put in 30 minutes of work each day, no excuses, right? I don’t care what the exercise is, just do it, and earn your shower each day.

Use #30for30 on IG, and tag me in your posts so I can keep up with your progress!

Let’s do this!