New Design!

Hi friends!!

Just stopping by to tell you to check out my new design. Isn't it awesome?!

Now I can't take credit for this gorgeous face lift that my blog received. Erin from Love, Fun & Football is the wonderful genius behind the beautiful design.  I hope you check out her blog and show her some love. And while you're exploring her blog I really hope you click over to her design site! Erin does more than just blog designs so keep her in mind for invites too!

Now I've got to get back to The Bachelorette. I'll see you soon! :)

Weigh In Wednesday: June 10

Height: 5'7.5''

SW: 224.4

May 29: 216.0 (+1.6)

June 5: 217.0 (+1.0)

Total Loss: 7.4

Woof! Since joining Weight Watchers this is my first time with two gains in a row. This is definitely not the direction I would like to be moving in.

I'll just be honest with you guys, I've still be slacking on tracking my food and really trying to meal plan for the week ahead. The Weight Watchers app reminds me to track but when I'm eating crap and a lot of it it's much easier to avoid tracking it. Tracking my food does it's job, it makes me think about what I'm eating and evaluate my choices. But when I'm off the program it's not fun to track that to have proof that I've messed up. But I know on days when I don't track or only track a meal or two that I went off the program and quit caring. I've been tracking the last few days even if my food choices haven't been the best, so we'll see where that gets me. Next week will be better once I actually have some good food to eat in my fridge.

Today I attended my second Body Pump class of the week. I've been going to Body Pump once a week for a while and have thought about adding a second class but never pulled the trigger on it. Without someone to go with it was always easier to not go to a second class because no one was expecting me. It's an excuse for sure, I'll admit it. And I'll even admit that the only reason I went twice this week is because I had people to go with me each time. The plan is for it to continue to be that way so I'm going to keep on this twice a week Pump regimen. And even if one of my Pump buddies can't I'm going to do my best to go it alone. No reason not to, right?

Group fitness classes seem to be my jam because since trying Pump for the first time I've been the most consistent than I've ever been with workouts. So even though I've slipped up on the monthly goals again this month one thing I want to do before the end of the month is try a RPM class. And I'm going to have to overcome my fear of trying new things alone because neither of my Pump buddies are interested in a cycling class. Wish me luck and that I survive the first one!

Until next time friends!

Short and Sweet

Real quick I want to check in because its been a while again.

I realized tonight that I have been blogging since 2009 (maybe even 2008)! No matter how many breaks I have taken from blogging I have never walked away from it completely. And now that I have a new blog design in the works I'm feeling excited about blogging once again! Be sure to check out Erin if you're looking for a new blog design, a button, or even invites! The girl does amazing work.

Now it's time to get down to business...weigh in business.

Height: 5'7.5''

SW: 224.4

May 15: 214.6

May 22: 214.4 (-.2) 10 pounds lost!

May 29: 216.0 (+1.6)

Total Loss: 8.4

That May 22nd weigh in was a big one for me. Over all of the years that I've been trying to lose weight I have never lost 10 pounds! It was exciting to be able to say that I had lost 10 pounds since I joined Weight Watchers. Even though I gained the next week I'm sure I will get back down to that 10 pounds lost mark again and move on to the next milestone.

Weigh In Wednesday: Results but still Struggling

Hi there! Welcome back to my little corner of the blogging world. I'm glad you're here. Why don't you grab a cup of coffee or whatever tickles you fancy and pull up a chair so we can chat a bit.

The last time I was here I shared with you the exciting news that I joined Weight Watchers. And not only that but I had already been seeing results! I'm still a Weight Watchers member but I am struggling a lot despite seeing results. During a slow morning at work the other week I was thinking about why this is because in the past I felt I was struggling because I wasn't seeing results (The struggle to keep on trying to make changes without any reward is real!). I discovered a few truths about why I struggle whether I'm following Weight Watchers or doing it on my own, seeing results or not.

The truth is... Weight Watchers or any plan to be healthier takes work. Woah! No way, really?! Yes, really. As much as I like to think I am organized and a planner I'm not like that 80% of the time. Weight Watchers takes some work to plan ahead for the week and even just the next day. What will I need to pick up at the store in order to have something to cook? What can I make ahead and have portioned out in containers waiting for me? What will I need to make right before eating? What am I going to pack for lunch tomorrow? When will I work out and what will I do? The questions just keep coming! And like I said, about 80% of the time I am not a planner who has all of these questions (and the countless others) answered by Sunday night so I am prepared for the week ahead. It's definitely something I need to work on.

The truth is... old habits die hard. (Side note: does anyone recognize that as a Justin Moore song featuring Miranda Lambert?) Drinking Mountain Dew and being a couch potato are probably the worst old habits that I have. I made it about a month without drinking any Mountain Dew but once I had one they started to slowly creep their way back into my daily habit. And now I'm back at square one because I've been having Mountain Dew pretty much daily and skipping the water. And being a couch potato has almost always been my thing and I have rarely if ever really truly broken that habit. Both are huge mental battles, to just not have a Dew or to just get up and go to the gym. Why are mental battles with ourselves like the hardest thing ever??

The truth is... being social requires more thinking than just what to wear and how I should do my hair. Weight Watchers doesn't give you a free pass if you want to go out for a night with your friends. But! It also doesn't restrict you from doing that if you want. Weekly points are my friend but they need to be used wisely which means I need to have a plan of what and how much I'm going to eat and drink on my night out. And maybe the hardest part is tightening things up the rest of the week and staying within my daily points. Easier to do for sure if you know ahead of time that you'll be going out but when those nights out surprise you it might change your beverage plan depending on what your points situation is looking like.

The truth is... I have a routine that is not in line with all that needs to be done to succeed. I hit the snooze button way too many times every morning. Hitting the snooze button leads to leaving for work at the last possible minute. Leaving at the last minute means I don't have time to pack the lunch I should have had ready the night before. And why didn't I have my lunch ready the night before? Because I was too "busy" watching TV. Yeaaaah. It's terrible and I know it.

Having said all of that the best part is none of these things are permanent. I can change each and every one of those things that I struggle with. And I'm going to. :)

Now I can share with you those results I mentioned!

Height: 5'7.5''

SW: 224.4

March 27: 216.8

April 3: 218.0 (+1.2)

April 10: 216.2 (-1.8)

April 17: No Weigh In

April 24: 215.2 (-1.0)

May 1: 215.2 (no change)

May 8: 216.8 (+1.6)

May 15: 214.6 (-2.2)

Total Loss: -9.8

A few ups and downs but as laid back as I've been about my eating and my lack of workouts it's to be expected. I'm proud of what I've accomplished so far and am looking forward to seeing what can happen when I'm more on my game.

Weigh In Wednesday: I Joined Weight Watchers!

I am excited to share some big news today. After a heart to heart talk with a friend that grew from her comment on my last Weigh In Wednesday post I decided enough was enough and I joined Weight Watchers. What did I have to lose? Absolutely nothing.

And it was the best decision I've made in regards to my weight loss. Before Weight Watchers I was trying to eat healthier on my own and it just wasn't working. Mountain Dew, Chinese takeout, and crap fast food dominated my diet and I excused it because it was "only once in a while". But let's be honest, it was more than that based on the weight gain I was seeing on the scale.

Weight Watchers has given me some rules and guidelines to structure my diet around. I can still treat myself and enjoy the foods I love that aren't actually good for you. But I'm encouraged to make better choices 90% of the time. Based on the success I've been seeing the last three weeks I think it's safe to say that rules and guidelines work for me.

Height: 5'7.5''

SW (March 11): 224.4

March 13: 220.0 (-4.4)

March 20: 218.6 (-1.4) 5 pounds lost!

March 27: 216.8 (-1.8)

Yes, you're reading that right, three losses in a row! It's strange really because every Friday morning I wake up and worry if I'll see a loss. I step on the scale and hope for the best. But it's not hope that's making those losses happen, it's dedication to the program. Since joining Weight Watchers I have been drinking 76-100oz of water a day, skipping the daily Mountain Dew, and making better food choices. I have been tracking every day religiously too. Guess this just goes to show that your diet matters a lot! I mentioned yesterday that I haven't been working out except for my Monday night Body Pump class so I'm not burning a ton of calories every week to see a loss on the scale.

I decided to change my weigh in day to Fridays so when linking up for Weigh In Wednesday I'll be sharing my weigh in from the Friday before. Next week I plan to have taken some pictures. I'd love to be able to participate in transformation Tuesday one day and have some awesome before and after pictures to show off.

April Goals & 4 Weeks Fit Challenge Results

I swear just yesterday it was March 2nd and now here we are saying goodbye to March and hello to April.

I set goals at the beginning of the month, one I can proudly check off and some I didn't do so well with. I'm excited to take a look at how I did and set some new goals for next month.

1. No soda at work & 64oz of water. I had a slow start but I think I KILLED this goal considering March 9th was the last day I had a Mountain Dew. I have only had diet soda when eating out and that was only twice this month. I have had 76-100oz of water a day every day! Yes, weekends included. I can't tell you how happy crushing this goal makes me!

2. Hit the gym 2x/week. I've kept up with my Monday night Body Pump class but I have been skipping the gym outside of that. No reason other than laziness. It is so much easier to come home and be a couch potato. Definitely something I need to focus my energy on changing now that I've mastered the no soda/drinking water thing.

3. Meal plan and prep Monday nights. Meh. Meal planning and prepping is tough when you feel like you have no idea what you're doing. I think this is something I would learn better by actually being with someone while they do their meal planning and prep. I struggle with knowing how much to buy and make because sometimes I easily get sick of eating the same thing repeatedly in one week and other times I'm all for it. Again, this is something I need to focus my energy on changing. More effort into trying rather than throwing my hands up and saying I don't know.

4. Blog 2x/week. Um yeah about that... Again I'm lazy and even though I can easily blog while being a couch potato I just didn't put the effort in to get this done. I thought a lot about blogging this month but I didn't actually execute.

1. Hit the gym 2x/week. I will not stop making this a goal until I meet it!

2. Reach my step goal 2 days/week. Lately I have been lucky if I meet my 5,000 steps/day goal just one day a week. This month I want to really work on moving more. If I go to the gym twice a week outside of Body Pump I will have little trouble with this goal.

3. Meal plan & prep. Failure to plan is planning to fail. So true! My diet is so much better if I have a plan. Not just once a week either. Knowing what I will be eating for breakfast before my head hits the pillow greatly increases my chances of eating breakfast.  And packing my lunch before going to bed is a huge help in ensuring that I take a lunch with me to work. Otherwise it is highly probable that I will run out the door without anything to eat. Not the smartest idea for anyone.

4. Be up and out of bed by 6am 3x/week. Bringing this goal back from February because I need to work on my morning routine in the worst way. More often than not I'm staying in bed way too long and then am forced to rush to get myself ready and out the door. And as I mentioned above, it's highly probable that I will run out the door without anything to eat. I also want to work on putting myself together better for work. I've been skimping on the makeup and hair routine to save time. Not that I think I have to wear makeup and have my hair perfect every day but it's nice to feel like I'm rocking it.

Come back tomorrow to see how I'm doing in the weight loss department. I'm super excited to share how I've been doing. (Hint: it's been going so well!)

I Confess...

It's Wednesday which means we're half way through the work week. Can I get a heck yeah?!

Wednesday also means hump day confessions with Melissa. So here we go, I confess...

...that I am addicted to cappuccino.  Until recently it was french vanilla but now I'm all about the English toffee. And yesterday morning I saw a vanilla bean flavor that I will have to try soon.

...that I am easily hooked on commercials. The Sprint commercial with the narwhals? Yeah, I sing that over and over. And some oldies but goodies, the Geico commercial where the pig pays his bill and then goes back to vacation mode and sings boots n pants and we can't forget the AT&T commercials with the kids sitting at a table with that one guy. My favorite was the island made out of candy and the little boy that asked, "What about the animals? What would they be made of?" I randomly bust out with commercial quotes. Drives my mom up the wall!

...(speaking of my mom) to being extremely jealous of her vacation. She's on her way to Myrtle Beach with a friend to visit another friend. The weather is actually shaping up here in Wisconsin so it's not the nice weather I'm so jealous of but what she gets to do while she's there. Drinking at beach bars when I'm at work and seeing pit crew practice at Stewart Haas. (Yes, I'm a NASCAR fan. :) )

...that I am LOVING the spring like temperatures we've been experiencing lately. It is so so nice to not need a jacket or the heated seats and to be able to open the sunroof in my car and windows in my apartment.

...I wrote this post on a post-it note at work yesterday.

...that I had a rough first week of March as far as my goals for the month go. Up until yesterday I was back on the Dew all day every day.  I skipped the gym last week outside of Body Pump Monday night. Once a week I'm "treating" myself to Chinese takeout when it should be more like a once a month treat. Meal planning was poor horrible which made my grocery shopping trip terrible and then my meal prep non-existent. And I only blogged once. But it's a new week so I'm working on turning things around.

...I've been skipping the scale and posting on Weigh In Wednesday because I feel like I'm repeating myself because I keep losing and gaining the same few pounds over and over again. I have thought about weighing myself less, like only once every two weeks or once a month, but I'm not sure if that would be a good idea for me. Sometimes I let the scale get me down, like today, and I know that's not a good thing. But I also think the accountability of having to step on the scale every Wednesday could help me make better choices. What are your thoughts on weighing in? And here's to turning things around going forward.

SW: 222

Feb. 4: 219.8

Today: 224.4

Change; +4.6
Overall Loss: +2.4