Because of #MBF....

I mooned my dad in the ocean on vacation.

When I was rushing around packing for a VERY last minute invite to a house my parents were renting in Florida, I had concerns that my bikini might fit me different from my actual (planned) family vacation 3 weeks before. But anytime a wave hit, I had to hold on to my bottoms. Eek!!

I mean, your bikini bottoms being too big is not a terrible problem to have...

It is 3 weeks between these pictures.

The week we got home from FL in July, I committed to #MBF with my online group that I run & the day I finished it, I left (again, on a whim) to stay with my parents.

I feel damn good, too!
But this is a “new” different kind of good.

And it is not about the scale.
That changed 1 pound between these 2 pics.
If I relied on that alone on this journey, I would be screwed.

It is a new found confidence because I am…
✨lifting heavier
✨gaining core strength
✨challenging myself on a whole new level
✨losing body fat that would NOT budge before
✨seeing changes in my body that are new to me…

All w/ my workouts at home that were 35 min & under.
And of course, superfoods daily + tightening the leash on my nutrition without depriving myself of LIFE.
Ya know, dinner out, drinks, dessert. Balance.

Here is the thing - 35 minutes is DOABLE.
Especially w/ life being ALL over for many of us right now.

We are all just busy moms/dads trying to work, “teach” our kids & keep our heads above water…

We are all in this together.

In order to show up as the parent I need to be for my kids right now, I can’t lose focus on ME FIRST.
Yep. You read that right. It is ok & actually a must to make time for yourself.
To workout.
To make SIMPLE healthy meals.
To pick up a good book or listen to a podcast to get yo’ mind right.

If you are running on E, mama, you MUST fill your own tank back up so you can keep driving the crazy train we are on!

In my group, we focus on ALL of that while keeping you accountable to your goals.

I am enrolling NOW for my 9/7 virtual group! I will be doing another round of #MBF W/ YOU.
Message me STAT if you are interested! I don’t do this often but I am actually going to offer a special gift to the first 5 people to sign up for allowing me to be your coach on this journey. 💕

(See below for more info on #MBF OR fill out this form so we can chat about you, your goals and the requirements for the group!)

Now you may be asking…what is #MBF?

It is quite possibly one of the best workout programs I have done yet. Click this link to watch a video and learn more. You can even try the sample workout before committing!

PS -If you want to see a story other than mine, Nicole is absolutely amazing! Watch here.

Staying On Track

I am no stranger to the portion controlled container system. Actually, I have been using it since March 2015 and I pretty much know my portions like the back of my hand now BUT when I am really focusing and honed in on reaching specific goals, I track...EVERYTHING.  This is the first time I have ever stuck to a way of eating, it is amazing what this system truly does. It taught me a lifestyle and changed our eating habits for the better. 

The first thing I do is meal plan using a spreadsheet my husband created for me. All I have to do is fill in the amount of containers from each food group I am allowed each day, it can vary based on the program or if I am trying to lose or maintain. Then add my meals and boom, it does the math for me. 

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This is an an example from over a year ago when I started my journey with 21 Day Fix but I still use this spreadsheet to this day.

Once I have my meal figured out, I make my grocery list and get to work. First I shop, then I prep. Prepping has changed for me over the past year and a half. And it is definitely something that looks different for everyone based on their needs, goals, schedule, etc.  When we first started this journey, we prepped EVERYTHING for the entire week. Roasted veggies, meats, etc. And not just lunches but a lot of our dinners too.   Now that we have figured out our groove and what works best for us, I only plan and prep for about 3-4 days at a time.  I have learned that if I plan for Saturday on Monday, that sometimes what I want on Saturday isn't what I had planned then I would end up going out to eat or splurging...so breaking up my week helps me to stay on track. 

I also don't do a bunch of veggies in advance anymore. We typically each have one salad a day in our house that makes up for the bulk of our greens and then we have another veggie with our other main meal. 

Also, since I am home, I have been cooking a lot of our dinners fresh versus prepping them. I don't do this every night, it varies depending on our schedule or what I have sitting in the freezer ready to heat and eat.

For example, Aaron traveled this week so I made sure to prep enough that I wouldn't have to do a ton of cooking each night for dinner.  Especially since we had something on the calendar every night this week. I knew I would need food ready to go or I would end up feeding the kids (and possibly myself) crap from a drive-thru. Instead, we all had healthy meals each night, even Mason ate what I ate, except his protein usually ended up in a whole grain quesadilla but that it not something you will hear me complain about! Yep...he is like the Gump of Quesadillas, "turkey meatball quesadilla, taco meat quesadilla, turkey chili quesadilla..." But he is eating what I am eating and that my friends is a WIN!

During the week, I also keep track of what I eat each day.  There are a lot of ways to do this and I switch between methods but I think my most favorite is the new tally sheet I am using.  I print it off, stick it in a sheet protector and mark off my containers as I eat them.  Then at night, I wipe it off and start again the next day. 

There are Fix apps, even a tally sheet where you can print and keep track of 7 days at a time but I got tired of printing all of that paper so this new method is definitely an ink and paper saver which makes me happy! Not only that, but when I take the time EACH DAY to track what I am eating, I eat WAY better.  There is a reason trainers or nutritionists tell people to keep a food journal.  It is important to track what we put into our mouths each day, even if it is a bite of the kids food. It makes us more aware of our eating habits, the mindful and not so mindful ones. 
 

If you want a copy of this tally sheet or want help getting set up with a program that can help you learn healthier eating habits, comment below! 

Hammer & Chisel, Round 2, Week 1

I had these high intentions of blogging about my 60 day Hammer & Chisel journey DAILY...but let's be real, ain't nobody got time for that....

So I have changed my goal to WEEKLY. I mean, I can handle that, right?

Here was my week 1 Meal Plan:

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Week 1 before Chi trip.

I did it! I made it through ONE entire week without my kids food, without Girl Scout Cookies AND no wine! Phew. We even threw in a random travel day and I am proud of my choices. I edited my original meal plan (above) to fit in the one thing I knew I couldn't do without if we were going to Chi, deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati's....now, usually I would also say a chocolate cake shake from Portillo's but I knew there was no chance of working that into my meal plan, so I put on my big girl panties, had a mental talk with myself & dealt with my mouth watering each time we passed a Portillo's....and yes, it seems like there is one on every corner in the burbs of Chi.  

Anyways, when life hands you a curveball, you roll with it and I think I handled it pretty well with my modified plan! 

Struggles: I can tell you that while I may have not touched my kids food, not drank wine or had ice cream, it wasn't easy. This is proving to be challenging for me mentally, but I have to stop and remind myself that I want results more than I want a thin mint or a glass of wine...although both sound really good right now. :) 

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Week 1 with modified meal plan for our random one night trip to Chi! 

I mean, here is a glance at the food I GET TO eat. It is amazing. People seem to think you have to starve yourself to get results. This is far from true! 

Most of these recipes are on my blog...they are totally worth making too! Especially the meatballs and the buffalo chicken pizza (or wraps). 

Workouts: Even with a travel day, we didn't miss a workout. Honestly, this isn't my problem area. I have gotten myself into the habit of getting up...well, setting my alarm for 5am and getting in a early morning workout.  I know that if I get up and get it done early that I can get in my shower and a little bit of work before the kids are up, it just helps jumpstart my day.  And, I can tell you that if I wait until later in the day, I am REALLY good at making up excuses as to why I don't have time to get it done.  Or, I don't push my hardest if I do workout late in the day. Saturday was an exception to the rule for me though, we got home around 8pm at night from our 4.5 hour drive, I was determined to not miss a day, so I drank my Energize and got it done! 

I also decided to up the anti this time around, I am not just using Energize and Recover, I am also using our Hydrate and Recharge.  You guys, I am in love with our Performance Line. I seriously look forward to using it each day to enhance my workout, improve my recovery and in turn, improve my results because I can push myself harder! 

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Round 1

Round 1 Results....I figured there is no better place to share these results than here, that way I can look back and see how far I've come once I finish round 2! Right!? And I guess, I will share Aaron's too, even though he drank way more beer than me, didn't even plan his meals and still managed to get abs! #men

Down 4 inches, the most being in my thighs, which you will NOT hear me complain about. I can also see a difference in the pictures from day 1 to day 60 in my stomach! 

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"Damn Daniel...." I'm just saying, look at those abs.

But what you can't see in pictures is the strength I gained, the confidence that I am capable of doing a program that I was originally scared to do!  I also need to get a shot on my calves for you all to, not going to lie, I am a little proud of how good they look. :) 

Now for the kicker, I went out and bought a TWO PIECE for my before (good-bye)/after pictures this round. Yep, you read that right. I have not purchased one of those since the summer before I got pregnant with Mason....does that mean I am ready to wear one to the pool, no...but that does mean I am growing more and more comfortable in my own skin each day and that is one of my biggest goals on my journey to a healthier me. <3

Stay tuned for more! 

A lifestyle change...not a diet.

So, it is January 5th, that means all the go getters are 5 days into their resolutions! Me? Nah, I am just over here continuing on my journey! No need for a fitness resolution when it is part of your daily lifestyle! And you know what? I WOULD NOT have said that to you that last year because that is when I made the resolution to make health and fitness a CONSTANT in my life, not just a "season" for like the 10th time. 

But this time, the crazy thing is that It worked. I said last year was the year I was going to take control of my health. No more yo-yo diets, no more shakes filled with ingredients I couldn't pronounce and I did it. Now let me backtrack a bit and say, I had already tried Shakeology for a couple of months and at one point decided I was going to go back to my "other" shakes. That lasted a whole week before I realized I couldn't stand the taste of everything artificial in them, not to mention they didn't make me feel good like Shakeology did so I quickly reordered my Shakeology and even signed up for a discount (which led me to coaching)! Anyways, I digress....

So it was last winter that I decided if I was serious, I was going to go all out and try 21 Day Fix, even though the thought of it scared the ever living shit out of me. I mean, I love pizza, chinese, chocolate and wine...and I liked eating as much as I wanted without limits! How would I survive?  

Well, I am still here, so it worked, right? 

That was the amazing thing about the 21 Day Fix, it didn't really limit me on what I could eat or drink for that matter (yes, wine included), it taught me how to eat a balanced diet in the proper portions to see results and even maintain when I was ready. Now I make amazing chinese food and pizza at home that I actually prefer over most restaurants or fast food unless it is a cheat day, then I splurge. 

So what is the 21 Day Fix? 

• It is 21-day program that comes with simple portion control and a meal plan guide. If the food fits in the color coded portion control containers, you can eat it. 
• 30-minute workouts that anyone can do (there is a modifier if you are new to fitness or find some moves challenging). 
•  It provides simple and fast weight loss—no weighing food or counting calories, carbs, or points.
• You could lose up to 15lb in 21 days! Amazing right? Now keep in mind, everyone is different, so results vary. 

Simple enough, right? Yes. I will tell you from experience though, week 1 is always the hardest but after that, it is smooth sailing! 

This has become my lifestyle. Actually not just mine, but my husband too. Even if we are not doing a strict round of 21 Day Fix, we still meal plan with our container brackets in mind.  It has become something I love to live by and it helps me stay on track.  I know that when I eat the right foods in the right portion, I feel better. I am not sluggish from crap food. I am not miserable from overeating.  It just becomes a feeling you crave.  Now don't get me wrong, we have our fair share of cheats, we are foodies! We love to eat! But we have realized that we don't NEED them as much as we treated ourselves in the past.  We have also realized that sometimes those foods we used to love just aren't as good anymore. And I am ok with that! 

Now I am not going to bash other products or programs because, to each their own, right? But I have tried many different things and none of them worked. None of them stayed with me like this has which is why I talk about it ALL the time! I love to pay it forward. 

Shakeology is the final piece of the puzzle. I have a whole page on Shakeology, so feel free to hop on over there to read more but I really believe in what it does for people and that it is truly a necessity, not only to help you reach your goals but it is great for you EVERY DAMN DAY!   

Since I started drinking it, it has reduce my cravings. For example, I used to drink soda DAILY. Now I haven't had one in over a year.  It gives me energy throughout my day and I sleep like a baby at night. Well, like a baby who actually sleeps and doesn't wake up. If I get a cold from the kiddos, the duration is MUCH shorter.  Not only does it provide you with the nutrients your body needs, it helps you lead a healthier life and a healthier life can lead to weight loss! 

I am a mom of two and it is a quick and convenient way to get complete nutrition in the morning when we are running around trying to get everyone ready and it gives me the energy I need to keep up with my toddler when she is home with me! 

Plus it is one less meal a day I have to worry about planning and cooking yet it provides me all of the nutrients I need and more! Also, if you don't like eating fruits and vegetables then this is a great way to get all the benefits without having to actually eat them.  Oh and did I tell you that it is proven to help lower cholesterol too! 

But I think the MAIN thing that is so important is it helps heal the gut. And ALL things start in the gut, so if the gut isn't in optimal shape then that can impact a lot of things, including the amount of nutrients you absorb, it can even impact your serotonin levels. Imagine if you are eating all these healthy foods but your body isn't even absorbing the nutrients because your gut is all out of whack...you would lack energy, maybe even be nutrient deficient and it would be a waste of all those good foods going into your body! 

A lot of benefits, right? It is like your multivitamin, probiotic and more combined into one drink that tastes like a milkshake...I am not kidding either. I look forward to bed at night because I know I get my milkshake the next morning! Who doesn't want to wake up and have a "treat" for breakfast! 

The pictures below are a few from my transformation. I have done both 21 Day Fix and most recently, 21 Day Fix Extreme (last set of pictures).  The extreme is more intense workouts and a stricter meal plan (no chocolate or wine).

Questions on 21 Day Fix and Shakeology? Head over to "Contact Me" under "About Me" and shoot me a message, I would love to chat and help you see if this is the program for you!