The Best Life Diet

So, I started "The Best Life Diet" (BLD) yesterday. I have been (re)reading the book the past couple of days and it's exactly what I've been needing! I originally bought the book and journal in Dec 2007. I guess I just wasn't ready for it then. B/c now I have notes and hi-lites everywhere! :)

Anyways, went Thursday and got my blood work done. Here are the results:

A1C: 5.6
A1C (fasting): 90
Total Chol: 169
Tri: 262
HDL: 34
LDL: 101

This marks the beginning! Are you ready? I know I sure am...I'm ready to make the changes I need to, to make this happen! Once and for all!!! And one thing Bob Greene prides himself on is this program goes slow. You have to make changes one step at a time so they STICK!!! Ya know?

Gotta move more! Instead of doing aerobic exercise, I counted my steps. Well *I* didn't count my steps but my handy dandy pedometer did! I'm so glad I found it while cleaning out the junk drawer earlier this week. :) And instead of throwing it away, I put it in a box for the garage sale. Once I read that Bob recommends tracking steps, I got it out and started using it. :) I will continue to do this and start adding more walking when called for (during the program). My total steps yesterday was 4100 and that is just a normal day; didn't get outta the house much, no cleaning or laundry, etc.

So, I am excited to see some changes and to make them permanent! I have my goals set for 2013 and I'm ready to knock them outta the park. How about you? Got your goals written out and posted where you can see them daily (maybe even a few times a day)??? If you need help, let me know; I'm here for you! :)

Have a great weekend! Please leave a comment and/or share...It's THE best compliment you could give me!

One Step Forward, Three Steps Back

I found this on Pinterest a little bit ago and it spoke VOLUMES to me!!!

I have been struggling with myself the past few days. I let myself eat what I wanted at Jason's Christmas party Friday night and then it has been not-so-good ever since. I don't let myself go wild every day but I haven't planned my nutrition for the day, etc. and I feel like a failure. However, I had a friend of mine tell me that stepping back is a learning process. You know that saying, one step forward three steps back?! Well that's how I've been feeling.

On a plus note, I have realized that I work much better (all the way around) when I work off of a plan. I have been using Evernote for almost a month now and I am really liking it. I still have a lot to learn about it but what I have been using so far, I like. Do you use it? If not, what do you use for your to do list? I will sit down, after Ethan is in bed, and I will type up my list for the next day. Same place every night, same time of night. :) It works! Then I sync it so it's on my phone as well and that way I have it with me wherever I go.

I've Been Terrible

I keep forgetting to post...Ugh! Anyways, are you reading this to even KNOW I'm missing days this week? ;) (Will do better next week!)

TOTALLY past my bedtime! G'nite!

Total Tuesday

Oops...Forgot to finish this and post it. So here it is...A day late. Better than never, right?

Who had a totally good Tuesday?!?!

I made a to do list the night before and worked throughout the day to get everything checked off! I did very well. And Tuesday night was the 2nd night, in a row, of putting Ethan to bed by 8. Very proud of us for this!

What is one thing that you are working on???

Make It Happen Monday

Oh boy, did I ever take this title by storm! I set some pretty good goals for the day and I accomplished the majority of them! I'm super stoked! During the day, with help from a friend of mine, I came up with another one...Have Ethan in bed by 8p. Well, lo and behold, we did it! He was in bed by 8!!! Gosh, this feels too good to be true...So refreshing. Jason and I are sitting here and I don't think we know what to do with ourselves. NOW, to keep this up! It will be my goal ALL week...I will let you know next Monday whether we made it happen or not! ;) P.S. Do you have any recommendations on nighttime routines for four year olds?

I am changing up my bedtime also. That's been pretty hard for me. My ultimate goal would be to get up by 7 and start my workout right away. Well, that won't happen if I don't go to bed earlier at night. Right? This 1a or 2a crap isn't cutting it! So, a friend of mine suggested that I cut it down in increments. So, instead of saying I'll be in bed by 10 (too early), I am going to be in bed by 11:30 with lights out at midnight and I'll keep this up for a week, reevaluate and make it earlier if I think it's time. This SHOULD work!!! :)

I also sat down and wrote out a bunch of stuff I want to do, see, accomplish throughout 2013! I'm excited! I can't wait!!! :)

Please feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you made happen today!!! Brag about it...GO!

Scale?...What Scale?!

Today is a short one for ya...

Jason hid the scale! ;)

I asked him to so I'm not weighing every.single.day! I'm tired of losing and gaining the same 5 pounds every day (or so). You with me???

WHY?!

Okay, so this is why I don't like it when Jason goes grocery shopping. He came home with Fruity Pebbles and Little Debbie's white Christmas tree cakes! UGH! So, what did I do? I immediately opened the box of cupcakes and ate two right away. There was only 5 in a box...for $1.00. So we put one on the counter for Ethan and then Jason took the last two and hid them b/c they are for him. Ethan forgot about his and I ate it. So I hate three cupcakes in like 30 minutes! UGH! Anyways, so that led to more cravings. I covered up my going into Wal-Mart for their cookies w/yummy icing by saying that I wanted some of their chicken. It worked. I went in, got some chicken, and the cookies. After I ate the chicken, I ate two cookies. Felt a little sick to my stomach afterwards and I don't wonder why, that's for sure. But I what I do wonder is WHY did I do this? If you can help me figure it out, I would be SOO happy. I hate when I do this. :(

Ever read "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst? Well, they have a study that I have been talking all year about doing. One of my friends recently told me that she was going to do it with another friend but they haven't yet. I'm excited b/c I am going to buy the material I need on December 28th. Then, mark my words, I will start this study in January. Gotta check out the info first before I set the start date and how often we meet.

Got any ideas on what I can have on hand, in our house, when the sweets craving kicks in? Thanks!

Your friend,
Melissa

Oh yes!...P.S. I held a plank for ONE MINUTE!!! :)

Chocolate Brownie Bites

(Makes about 12 servings, 1 square each)

½ cup natural smooth almond butter
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
¼ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
3 Tbsp. chopped almonds, walnuts or sunflower seeds (just choose 1)

1. Combine the following in a medium bowl:

Shakeology

 Oats

Banana

Almond butter

Nuts

 

2. Stir.

3. Shape mixture into the bottom of a square pan

4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

5. Cut into 1 inch squares (makes about 12 squares).

6. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container if not serving immediately.

Nutritional Information (per serving):
Calories: 101
Carbs: 8g
Protein: 5g
Fat: 6g
Sodium: 45mg

How long has it been for you?

I'm BAAAAAACCCCCCCK! How many of you are excited about that statement? Well, I never really went away, I just stopped blogging. Which is something I don't think I should've stopped. I enjoy it so much and I think I could've learned a lot through the past 8 months. WOW! Did you realize it's been 8 months since I last blogged? I didn't. Time sure does fly, doesn't it?

Anyways, I am just starting this back up. I am in the process of thinking of some fun things to do and write about. Stay tuned! :)

In the meantime, check out this recipe I just found and will make soon! :)

Garlic Roasted Veggies w/Lentils

First Monday of a New Month

I took it and ran with it!  I wrote out my goals for the month last night.  Jason and I juiced for the second time today; tried a new recipe and we ALL liked it.  The only bad thing?...It contains THREE oranges per serving!  And neither one of us likes to peel 'em!!!  So, onto the NEXT recipe!  We'll eventually find one that works for us!  He prefers carrots & orange juice and I just wanna puke when I taste it!  He made me try it TWO times yesterday!  And let me tell you, the second time wasn't any better than the first!!!  ;)

So, I just heard something that is pretty profound...Tell me if you agree or not.  "You are only a thought away from changing your life."  You can't get any deeper than that or truer!  Right?  But that made me think of..."You are only one workout away from a good mood."  Right???

Speaking of workouts!...I did the first day of the CLX/TF Hybrid and I LOVE it!!!  I do believe, however, that I am going to be SUPER sore tomorrow (or the next day; b/c I have what they call DOMS...Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness; mine usually shows up on the 2nd day) so I am pretty positive that I'm going to be buying Rest & Recovery on Thursday (for those of you that don't know, Thursday is  Beachbody payday).  And then I was thinking that the workouts are pretty intense, so I'm gonna need Energy & Endurance.  Any thoughts on that?  I don't really know if I wanna take both or either.

Okay, it's bedtime...Until tomorrow!!!

Another Week Bites the Dust

Good morning all!!! How was your week? Mine was GREAT!!! I had a wonderful week, I can't believe another one has come and gone and that we'll be starting a new month in a couple of days. I dislike how fast time goes by...BUT I take every day as it comes and I make the most of it. How about you?

This weekend is busy & full already; Ethan has soccer "camp" tomorrow at 4 and then I have two softball games on Sunday (not sure what times yet though). I'm excited; it will be my first time playing ball since, I think, 5th grade!!! And that, my dear friends, was a LONG time ago! :)

I need to work on eating closer to my calorie goal range. There are times when I am just sooooo stinkin hungry! But I've been watching a lot of the documentaries on Netflix and reading more about eating natural, cloer-to-the-ground foods. I've already started getting rid of processed crap out of my diet. I do, however, have a confession to make...I had McDonalds yesterday (first time in many months) and I can tell you that I did not feel better after I ate it...I actually felt like the nutritional things I ate earlier that day were being zapped out of me. And I remembered exactly WHY I gave up fast food to begin with! :)

Have a great weekend all!!!

Friday Fun Day

So I took Ethan to daycare for the afternoon...What a nice break. I got so much done!!! A little break makes me appreciate him so much more as well. Then Jason and I went out to the movies and saw "21 Jump Street" and I ate WAYYYYY too much candy and popcorn and drank pop! As we were driving away from the movie theater I told him that we need to bring our own, healthy stuff next time. What kind of things do you take to the movie theaters (if anything at all).

I was messing around with some photos tonight. Here's one! :)

I am so glad to have decided to make a change and not let anything get in my way...Granted, I've fumbled BUT I've always gotten back up and pushed on!!! You can too! :)

Do You Ever Feel?

Do you ever feel like there is not enough time in a day to finish everything you set out to do or that you want to get done? UGH! That is how I am feeling right now. I have books I wanna read, work I have to get done, Biggest Loser I'd like to watch, blogs to write ;), and relaxing to do!!! I MUST work on my to-do list the way that Chalene says to. I have her CarSmart that I listen to (both in the house and in the car) and I signed up to complete the 30 Day PUSH Challenge (today should be day 22, I'm on day 9). I KNOW that when I put these principles into place, my life will be much more put together and I will feel like I get A LOT done instead of NOTHING!


Ate at Freddy's today for lunch...I knew better. I even had a fleeting thought of going to Subway while the rest of the gang got Freddy's but Freddy's fries won out in the end! And b/c of going to that place today, I went over my calorie allotment by 1,359 calories! WHAT?!?!? Yeah, I can't believe it! Eye opening really. I haven't eaten fast food in a LONG time and now I remember why!!! MFP says that if I keep eating this way, I will have gained 9 lbs in 5 weeks. NO THANK YOU!!! I have goals to meet! And going out to eat at fast food restaurants not only drive me further from my goals but they leave my body craving nutrients!!!


How was your day?? Leave a comment! :D

Should Be Sleeping

Why aren't I? B/c I'm not tired...I am super excited about starting LC1 tomorrow, although I am sure that is not the reason I am still awake. Who knows? I have so much going on in my mind. So many things to do tomorrow but I HAVE to make sure I spend time with my little blessing. I told him we could set up his sandbox tomorrow. He's really happy about that and I wouldn't want to disappoint him. This weekend really opened my eyes to a lot of things...We went to the Extraordinary Women's Conference in Tulsa. It was fantastic! And I will never forget when Lisa TerKeurst said to not forget that your blessings are blessings!!! So easily forgetable at times, isn't it??? Well, every time I get impatient with Ethan or mad at him, I remember that HE is a blessing! It helps...It really does!!!


Jason and I tried to have a baby for four years!!!! FOUR YEARS!!! Granted, it was off and on for those four years but still...We prayed...We shoulda bought stock in pregnancy tests. I can't even tell you how many times I was disappointed by the negative sign on those tests; many nights I would cry; many times I would wonder if we were gonna be parents. Then one day in November of 2007, I was at work, and just thinking about things and God revealed me that he will give us the desire of our hearts but we have to do OUR part also. We smoked, ate whatever we wanted, didn't work out; we weren't healthy!!! So, we decided to quit smoking, start working out, and eating right but if this didn't work then we would go see a doctor. I set my quit date for 26Nov07 and never looked back! I KNEW I would get pregnant if I did MY part. And then Jason quit in Dec 07 (I can't remember the exact date). I signed up with a trainer at the beginning of January 08 and we cleaned up our eating (sort of), we were making healthier choices. And a couple weeks into 2008, I started not feeling well every night around the same time and I looked at Jason (on a Wednesday) and told him that something's not right, so we went and bought a pregnancy test that evening, I took it about 10:00p (11:00p for family in MI) and when I went to look at it, I saw one very bold pink line (like usual; negative) AND a very, very, very, VERY faint second pink line! I WAS PREGNANT!!! I just KNEW it! But Jason told me not to get my hopes up (b/c I had always done so in the past and he hated seeing the disappointment on my face and hearing it in my voice) but I couldn't help it! I told him that there can't be a false positive...That all the others time I had taken a pregnancy test there had NEVER been a second line, EVER!!! I called everyone I knew that night...I didn't care WHAT time it was... I was so extremely excited! I knew that some people chose to wait that first trimester out before they told anyone but not me. I told any and everyone I came into contact with! :) And on September 22, 2008, we had our beautiful baby boy!!!

Anyways, all that to say that we were blessed and any child is a blessing! And I just have to remember that when he's getting on my last nerve!!! :D


Now I think I can finally go to sleep; g'nite all!!!

Do you think I need to change up the titles or no?...It kind of helps keep me organized but I can switch it up!!! :)

Today was a little off but I did get a lot accomplished! Woke up, started a load of towels, folded the load that has been sitting on the chair for over a week! Emptied the dish washer, loaded it, made Ethan breakfast and me a shakeo!

Ate:
egg & toast
3 lil pkgs of fruit snacks
1/2 of a sassy shrimp roll
1 EFL sloppy joe
pb&j sammy
taste of tomorrow's night dinner (made it tonight b/c I had the meat out anyways!)

I went to two different stores and there was CANDY everywhere...I almost grabbed some; looked at the back of it and saw how much sugar was in it and decided against it. B/c my goal for the week is to stop eating refined sugar sweet treats! I feel very proud of myself for just passing it by! I feel stronger and empowered! I know I can do this and push past the desire!!! Is there anything you're working on giving up?

All in all, a good day! No more fruit snacks! There are only 2 more pkgs left and there will be no more bought for this house! What do you give your kids for healthy snacks?

OH!...We went to a karate place for Ethan today...He wasn't having it; Master Nickolas said we can come back next Tuesday and try it again; we won't have to pay until Ethan actually participates in class!!! Wish us luck! :)

I think that's all for now...I NEED to be better productive with my time!

Day 44 - Rest

Good evening!!!

 

Today was a scheduled REST day and I took FULL advantage of it!!!  How about you?  What did you do today?  I did fairly well on eating today until hubby came home with CHOCOLATES!!!...I took a tiny bite out of 6 pieces (to try them) and ate 2 full pieces (it was a box of 8 pieces)! Not TOO bad, right?

 

Okay, so today's goals were:

1. Find pic of Bridesmaids dress & print it out! SUCCESS! :) Well, we need ink so I didn't print it out but I did find a pic of one to use for now (until Rach finds the one she wants us to wear).

2. Find pic of a CUTE outfit for Rach's rehearsal dinner & print it out! SUCCESS! :) Didn't print out.
3. Print out some pics of Vegas & Disney (for board). Found pics but didn't print out; SUCCESS! :)
4. Finish watching webinar that I started on Friday! No; but I did watch a different webinar and listened to a conference call...Would this be considered SUCCESS? I think so!
5. Blog! SUCCESS! :)

 

Tomorrow's goals are:

1. Get up at 0800, be to VA by 0830 (pray for no line)!

2. Get blood drawn, eat Pumpkin Spice Protein Bars on way home!

3. Work out at 1000 (if on track with time; if not, then just do it when you get home from VA).

4. Eat all meals at home.

5. Figure out what's for dinner (NOTE TO SELF: Work on menu for week for dinners!).

6. Do dishes (UGH!).

7. Do ONE load of laundry: wash, dry, fold, put away.

8. Blog.

9. Be in bed by 1100 (at the latest).

10. Work off of Biz To-Do List as well.

 

Tomorrow's meal plan is going to be a little off b/c I have to go give fasting blood work; I'm already hungry just thinking about it!  So, Ethan and I will get up, get ready, go to the VA, I'll give blood, and then we'll snack on a couple pumpkin spice protein bars on the way home!!!  THEN...

 

Tomorrow's meal plan is:

0900 Pumpkin Spice Protein Bars, 2

1000 WORKOUT; 1 glass water

1100 My Reese's PB Cup Shakeology :); 2 glasses of water

1300 turkey meatloaf muffins in w/ketchup; 2 glasses of water

1500 8 strawberries, 1 large banana, 1 scoop of Jillian Michaels' Vanilla Cream Shake Whey Protein in 8 oz water

1800 Something with Chicken!

2000 Pumpkin Spice Protein Bars, 2

Not a lot happening over here...Decided I am going to do what needs to be done in order to pay (what I owe to) Financial Aid so I can finish my FOUR classes and be done for a little while.  Throwing the idea around of going for my Masters in Nutrition with a specialty (or whatever it's called) in Diabetes.  Something I am growing more and more passionate about b/c of my parents.  I WISH I could help my Dad and answer his questions or address his concerns when he comes to me...It KILLS me to not be able to take away what's going on in his body!!!  UGH!!!  But, anyways, I HAVE to finish my BS in Exercise Science first and then I'll put more thought and prayer into the next step!


Have SERIOUSLY got to get to bed before 1A every night!  Man!!!  There is just always SOMEthing to do, right?  Gonna make it a point to work off my To-Do List tomorrow and maybe put something else together as well.

Amen to this!  This is what keeps me going...EVERY DAY!!!...My WHY!  What is yours?


G'nite!

Day 43 CLX - PC1

Good evening!

I am getting it together...Slowly but surely! :) I made turkey meatloaf muffins, pumpkin spice protein bars, and attempted tuna salad (didn't turn out).

Okay, so today's goals were:

1. Get up at 0700. No.

2. Do PC1. SUCCESS! :)

3. Call Doc & make an appt. No; it was after 5p before I remembered to do this.

4. Finish yesterday's to do list. I completed 3 out of 6 things! So I consider this a SUCCESS!!! :)

5. Wash, dry, fold, put away laundry! I did 2 loads (Ethan's clothes & towels) so, again, SUCCESS! :)

Tomorrow's goals are:
1. Find pic of Bridesmaids dress & print it out!
2. Find pic of a CUTE outfit for Rach's rehearsal dinner & print it out!
3. Print out some pics of Vegas & Disney (for board).
4. Finish watching webinar that I started on Friday!
5. Blog!

Tomorrow's meal plan is:

0800 Shakeology

1000 banana/strawberry & whey protein

1200 turkey meatloaf muffins in tortilla w/ketchup :)

1400 yogurt & 2 string cheese

1700 meatballs

1900 2 pumpkin spice protein bars & tea

I did Push Circuit 1 this morning and I am starting to get sore right now. :) And that's a good thing!!! G'nite!

Day 42 CLX - Rest

Oh Melissa Melissa Melissa! Why don't you ever learn?! I didn't write out my list last night for today and I was kicking myself this morning about it! I was getting so frustrated as I tried to write out my meal plan. UGH! We had bible study at 1015, church service at 1130, a bday party at 2, and then Jason wanted to go to the Outlet Mall today!!! MAN! Busy...And I wanted to make sure I had more lean protein today b/c I was STARVING all day yesterday! I did not work out today even though I wanted to do PC3 b/c I didn't do it earlier this week. Oh well, the rest will be good for my knee. Gotta add call doc to my to do list. I have a calendar that I made for drinking my Shakeology and completing my workout for the day and I mark the day off when it's done...This is my favorite part of my day!!! I look forward to crossing the days off...Do you guys have anything like this? And do you look forward to it as much as I do? :)

I have mentioned before but I'm gonna mention it again b/c it's something I strive for every day...I have a Brita pitcher and fill up to 10 cups every night (for the next morning). I have been doing great getting this done but I think I'm gonna start adding it to my daily to do list b/c there are a few days that I haven't reached this goal. How much water do you strive to drink a day?

Watched the Grammys tonight and I'm really glad I did. I don't normally remember to watch these shows but I enjoy this one!

Okay, so tomorrow's goals are:

1. Get up at 0700.

2. Do PC1.

3. Call Doc & make an appt.

4. Finish yesterday's to do list.

5. Wash, dry, fold, put away laundry!

Tomorrow's meal plan is:

0800 Shakeology

1000 yogurt/2 string cheese

1200 tuna salad on bread

1400 pumpkin protein bars

1600 3 pretzel rods & whey protein

1800 chicken parmesan (BL Family ckbk)

Okay, I'm really tired. Going to bed now. G'nite!!! :)

Day 41 CLX - BI

Hello Hello Hello! No, I did not drop off the face of the earth! I am back!!! I don't really know why I stopped blogging here and vlog but I did. I am, however, back and rearing to go! :) How have you been?

I have been plugging away at ChaLEAN Extreme and am LOVING it!!! I actually went today and bought heavier weights; DEFINITELY need it during the Push phase (which is what I'm in right now). I am now a smaller version of myself and I feel great! I didn't change much of my eating during the last six weeks but I have today!!! And I am going to from now on!!! I want bigger and better changes than what I've experienced during the Burn phase...And the only way to do that is to eat cleaner. Do you subscribe to the Clean Eating magazine? I do and I love it!

Below my right knee has been hurting pretty bad for the past few days, esp when I go from sitting down to standing up. I think I'm going to make doctor's appt Monday morning and see what he says. It's not just sore...it's PAIN!

Since I did not work out Wednesday or Thursday, I have to workout tomorrow. So I will be getting up at 0830 in order to get it done in time, drink my Shakeology, shower, and be to church by 1000 to take Ethan to the childcare, and up to our Bible Study by 1015! Busy day tomorrow! I will stick to my food plan. I will blog every day (maybe every other day). :)

I went grocery shopping today!!! Something I haven't done in awhile...We were just going to get a few things here and there. Not anymore...I have a plan and we're going to stick to it. I had to tell Jason like 10 times today that I am not going to eat out! He kept on it all afternoon! He finally took Ethan to Panda Express (Yuck!) while I went to get us yummy food (to eat at home). But PLEASE remind me to NEVER grocery shop at WalMart again!

And this had NOTHING to do with the storm coming to town...They had ONE lane open! Are you kidding me??? RIDICULOUS!

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend!

Day 12 CLX - BC2

I had a very tough day, mentally! I kept beating myself up about almost everything. And I think that it was all b/c I didn't work out this MORNING!!! I don't like waiting til the evening b/c too many excuses start to come out. BUT I did it anyway. It was 8:30 tonight but I did it! :) And boy, was a sweating up a storm. Even the butt of my pants had sweat on them! Now THAT's a good workout! :)

I was going to write some more stuff but my back is hurting and I am just going to go to bed now.

I am also working on getting tumblr going but I'm not getting it yet. Anyone else use it? I am going to use it specifically for the blog part of it. But idk...I may just stay here.

Til tomorrow...

Day 9 CLX - Rest

Hey Hey Hey!!! I decided to take the day as a rest day b/c I didn't get up before Ethan did and I didn't want to deal with it! AND I am feeling worn out! SO...I will do BC1 tomorrow. :)

Today was a little difficult! I didn't have a ShakeO and was craving all sweets under the sun...Yesterday I did not have ONE single craving whatsoever! SOOOOO...My solemn vow is to have a ShakeO once a day!!! :)

Today's goals were:

1. Get up before Ethan does. NOPE

2. Do BC1. NOPE

3. Take care of clothes on dryer. SUCCESS!!!

4. Go to Lowes for tiles. NOPE; decided the one I have will work just fine! :)

5. Start keeping track of food. NOPE

Man, what a crappy day for goals! HA!

Tomorrow's goals are:

1. Get up @ 0700!!! (AND I MEAN IT!)

2. Do BC1. (It's already in the DVD player and socks & shoes are by the recliner.)

3. Drink ShakeO, take shower, and go to the library so E can play (today was rough; we didn't get out; I've learned my lesson!).

4. Tag magazines to recycle (outside of library).

5. During nap time, make phone calls that are needed.

6. Unload dishes.

7. Load and wash dishes - PM.

8. Be in bed by 1030 (at the LATEST!).

Is anyone reading these?

Day 8 CLX - Burn It Off!

Hello! What a GREAT day today!!! Started it off with a workout, then a ShakeO shake, shower, got ready, went to library w/Ethan for storytime w/a friend and her daughter. We were there for about two hours; the kids had a blast and Ethan must of worn himself OUT b/c it took me no effort at all to get him down for a nap. I think I'm going to do this more often! :) Although, I have been throwing around the idea of no naps but rest time and then just an earlier bedtime. Not sure yet...What are your thoughts?

Today's goals were:

1. Get up at 0600. No, forgot to change this; J told me last nite that he didn't want to get up early (he was the only reason I was going to get up so early).

2. Do Burn It Off and Recharge. SUCCESS; completed Burn It Off!

3. Be to the library by 0945 for storytime at 1000! :) Was a little late but I consider this a SUCCESS! :)

4. Empty dishwasher - AM. SUCCESS!

5. Load dishwasher - throughout day. SUCCESS!

6. Take care of clothes on dryer. No, will do this tomorrow.

7. Answer Qs and comments in 30-Day Challenge. SUCCESS!

Tomorrow's goals are:

1. Get up before Ethan does.

2. Do BC1.

3. Take care of clothes on dryer.

4. Go to Lowes for tiles.

5. Start keeping track of food.

Today's workout was a little hectic. First of all, I had to wait for Ethan to get dressed so he could "work out" with me. HA! Then he lost interest after a few minutes, whined about everything (b/c I wasn't paying attention to him), and then kept getting underfoot. OH! And at one time he turned the DVD player off before I could stop him. I was furious!!! I only had 5 minutes left!!!!!! I did, however, turn it back on, fast forward to the part I was on, and finished it like a CHAMP! :) And tomorrow, I am going to get up before he does and get my workout in! :) Wish me luck! :)

Okay, just plugging away at life. How are you doing???

Til tomorrow...

Day 7 CLX Burn Circuit 3 (BC3)

Let me start by saying...WOW! What a workout this morning! I love it though. I am feeling so much stronger already and it's only the end of week ONE; it's unreal. I can't wait to see how much stronger I become by the end of the 90 days!!! And I can't wait to see how much fat has melted off my body AND how my muscles are defined! :) Today, we had our second Shakeology shake and today we put 1 cup of milk (instead of water), one banana, and 1 tbsp natural pb in it...And OMGosh! It was sooooooo good! I'm going to continue making it that way. And let me tell you, it curbs my chocolate craving AND is super filling! It's perfect! :)

After church today, we took Ethan on a tour of Fire Station 3 in MWC and the guys turned on the lights and sirens of the fire truck for him! It was awesome. I got some pretty good pictures as well. This has been something I have been wanting to do for a long time now and I am so happy that I can check it off my list! :) Ethan had a blast and I'm very thankful to the firefighters and their generosity!

Isn't this such a cute picture? This one and the one below are my favorites!

Such a little cutie, if I do say so myself!

Shoot! I was going to write something but I have completely forgotten. Watch me remember as soon as I get into bed for the night. Hmmmmm...

Okay, so Goals for Tomorrow are:

1. Get up at 0600.

2. Do Burn It Off and Recharge.

3. Be to the library by 0945 for storytime at 1000! :)

4. Empty dishwasher - AM.

5. Load dishwasher - throughout day.

6. Take care of clothes on dryer.

7. Answer Qs and comments in 30-Day Challenge.

That's all for now. I'm sure there will be stuff added as the day goes on; always is. As of right now, I have another headache but I'm going to take some Excedrin, go to bed, read a little bit of "Eat That Frog," and hopefully fall right to sleep!

I am excited about life! And what it has to offer! :)

Til tomorrow...

Day 4CLX

Hello.

I had a rough late afternoon/evening yesterday...I ended up getting a super bad headache and slept til 9 o'clock last night. We didn't get up for our workout yesterday morning at 0600 and we were gonna do it after hubby got home from work but, needless to say, I was in bed! Anyways, I just picked back up with the workouts and Sunday will not be a rest day for me b/c I'm just pushing them all back a day (this week).

Anyways, today was a better day except now I'm super sore. Today's workout was HARD!!! She calls it a "Burn Circuit" for a reason!!!

Yesterday's goals were:
1. Get up 0600. NO.
2. Complete CLX Burn Circuit 2. NO.
3. Drink 80 oz water. SUCCESS
4. Finish collage. NO.
5. Finish watching GSR webinar. SUCCESS
6. Go through convo w/Leslie & copy & paste links. SUCCESS
7. Engage in convo w/Jen. SUCCESS

Today's goals were:
1. Get up at 0600. NO.
2. Do CLX Burn Circuit 2. SUCCESS
3. Empty dish washer - AM. SUCCESS
4. Load & wash - PM. SUCCESS
5. Start working on meal plan. SUCCESS
6. Finish collage. NO.
7. Drink 80 oz water. SUCCESS; even went over that!
8. Listen to cd (mail). SUCCESS
9. Go to MOPS event @ 0900. NO.
10. Do 1 load of laundry. SUCCESS.

See, it's not entirely about fitness. It's about things we need to get done. It's about being accountable to ourselves. Another thing I thought about yesterday was making sure the dish washer was empty and loading it throughout the day and right before we go to bed, turn it on, and then empty it in the morning. It makes life so much easier and the kitchen looks SOOOO much better. Why didn't I think to do this sooner? I love it! Now check back with me in about a month and make sure I am still doing this. Okay??

So, I am not putting "Get up at 0600" as a goal any longer b/c it simply isn't going to happen! So, I will get up when Ethan wakes me up (unless I wake up sooner) and get ready and do my workout (sometimes he works out with me). It's great!!!

Tomorrow's goals are:
1. Do Burn Intervals & Ab Burner (kinda scared about this).
2. Empty dish washer - AM.
3. Load & wash - PM.
4. Go to $ store, post office, library.
5. Drink 80 oz water.
6. Put Christmas decorations away.
7. Do 1 load of laundry.
8. Work on collage.
9. Blog.
10. Take magazines to recycle bin (in library parking lot).

Got some books from the library today. Can't wait to read them all. Starting with Chalene Johnson's "Push." :)

I'm sure there are things that I haven't touched on but I'm working on it. Sometimes I blog right before I go to bed so I just post pretty simple stuff and log off.

Til tomorrow...

Day 2 CLX

Awesome, awesome day!!!...I got all of my daily goals done! It was a rest day from CLX and I took full advantage of it! :) I am sore but it's a GOOD sore! Ever experience that? Ready for Burn 2 of CLX tomorrow! One thing I also want to get in order is our office; it needs to be decluttered VERY bad!!! I took a picture of it today; kind of a before photo, if you will!

Got my work cut out for me, don't I? I know I will feel so much better once this is done. I think I'm gonna get rid of the futon (we don't use it) and sell the computer desk (we don't need such a big thing). As you can see they both fester clutter!!! Wouldn't you agree?

Today's goals were:
1. Drink 80 oz water! SUCCESS!!! :)
2. Take pic of office. SUCCESS!!! :)
3. Work some more on collage. SUCCESS!!! :)

4. Work on the GSR wkbk. SUCCESS!!! :)

Tomorrow's goals are:

1. Get up at 0600.

2. Complete CLX Burn 2.

3. Drink 80 oz water.

4. Finish collage.

5. Finish watching GSR Webinar.

6. Go through convo w/Leslie and copy links (she's given me) into a Word doc, for future reference.

7. Engage in convo w/Jen.

I REALLY need to work on my eating! It's not all that clean! OH! One HUGE success for today (and one that didn't take all that much work) was that I didn't drink ANY Root Beer! SOOOO proud of myself...I had a little bit of an addiction lately! Gonna break that and drink water ALL the time (instead). Yay me!!! :)

Til tomorrow...

Day 1 CLX

AWESOME workout!!!...I am so stinkin proud of us! We were supposed to work out this morning but that turned into the afternoon and then that turned into a 9 o'clock workout! CRAZY! But I made SURE we did it! And I feel amazing about it! I am so ready to see results! I can not wait to see this fat replaced with lean, gorgeous muscle!

Now, about the eating part of this, NOT.SO.GOOD today...We need to go grocery shopping. I'm sure once I get some healthy snacks in this house and get rid of the remains of Christmas (sweet) treats, it will be a lot better! Hubby wants me to make pb rice krispie treats for his work tomorrow "for the last time." Uh huh! I told him I'll make them during lunch tomorrow b/c I don't want them in the house that long...He'll come home for lunch and take them back to work with him...FOR.THE.LAST.TIME!

I printed off the ChaLEAN Extreme Body Makeover Calendar and the Workout Log tonight. I am crossing the days off the calendar as we pass them! And ONLY if we worked out that day! :) You can find them on the beachbody website under Get Fit and then Workout Sheets.

We need to buy some heavier weights b/c right now, 12s are as high as we have...I would LOVE the SelectTech dumbbells but they are a little out of our price range right now. Maybe in a few months! As for now, I think we're gonna have to go to WalMart soon and get some 15s and 20s!!! :)

Started making a collage and I'm going to put it above the tv while we are working out! It sure was a tough workout tonight but I know it's gonna result in a wonderful, healthy, beautiful body!!! :)

Again, please follow me at the following websites:
www.facebook.com/meldf3
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www.beachbodycoach.com/meldf3
www.myshakeology.com/meldf3

Til tomorrow...

Operation Meltaway Commences

Jason and I completed our ChaLEAN Extreme Fit Test tonight, took our before pics, starting weight and measurements.  I have already added my weight and measurements to my profile on teambeachbody.com.  If you would like to keep up with me, I will have that profile, FB page, Twitter page, this blog, and video blog.  I will be logging my workouts in WOWY on teambeachbody.com.

Results of Fit Test:
pushups: 7 (on knees); Jason said I need to go down further so technically this number would be ZERO then!
crunches: 0; there was NO WAY I was getting up to a 45-degree angle!!!
squats: 20
forearm plank: 32 seconds; I feel I coulda gone longer, don't know why I didn't.
overhead shoulder press: 12 reps with 5 lb weight
biceps curl: 12 reps with 5 lb weight; I could of used 8 lbs
sit & reach: 6 inches :)

Here I am doing the sit & reach...Ick!

Can't wait to take another picture 90 days from now!

I am so excited about this!  I'm SOO ready to get things together and become organized and become lighter (weight)!!!  We are planning a trip to Vegas in June and I plan on being AT LEAST 50 lbs lighter by then!!!  :)

I am going to work on my goals tomorrow but so far, I've got:
I will drink 80 oz of water every day.
I will workout according to the ChaLEAN Extreme for 90 days.

Til tomorrow...

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