Monday, January 26, 2015

Week 3 Results

Well, it has been 21 days officially since I began this journey. I took a few days off last weekend, ashamedly, but I got right back on track after that. I know I missed my week 2 results, and the reasons for that are that it was a holiday weekend, I took a few days off and wasn't disciplined in my eating, we were staying at someone else's house, and I didn't weigh in on that Monday. So, I'm so sorry about that! But I am happy to report my week 3 results to you!

4 pounds lost
1 inch off the belly
1 inch off the chest

It might not sounds like much, and honestly, I wish it was more. But the truth of the matter is, I'm also building muscle as I burn fat, and muscle weighs more than fat. So just because the numbers don't reflect a huge weight loss so far, slow and steady wins the race! So, I'm happy. I'm coming up on my 5 pound reward, which is to treat myself to an espresso drink from Starbucks or Five80 (a local coffee shop) since I have free cards for both places. Money is tight right now, so I figured a free reward for my first 5 pound goal was a good idea! And of course I won't be going for a 400-500 calorie drink! Just something simple and low calorie, but definitely a treat for me! Good options at coffee shops include coffee, a latte with skim (almond, soy) milk and sugar free syrups, a cappuccino, or iced tea. Things along those lines. Stay away from the frappuccinos, mochas, and drinks with lots of added "sugar items." The calories add up quickly and you would be surprised how many calories they are! Just look up the caloric content if you don't believe me!
So, that's all for now! Stay tuned for next week's results! They will be posted here on my blog next Monday!


Friday, January 23, 2015

Egg Muffins


I am almost 21 days into my weight loss journey, and it takes 21 days to build a habit, so I think I'm doing pretty good! I came across this recipe for these egg muffins, and I altered it with a few things, and they tasted awesome! So awesome that I didn't want to share, and so I made a whole other batch of them so my family can enjoy them and I will still have some for myself for the next week or so!




Egg Muffins

12 eggs, whisked, with 4 yolks removed
veggies of your choice (about 1 cup) (I used onions and sweet pepper)
4 slices of turkey bacon
cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, garlic powder

1. Fry the turkey bacon in a pan, and then set it aside on a paper towel.

2. Sauté the veggies until soft, adding salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste, and then add the turkey bacon, torn into pieces, back in. Mix together.
3. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray, and then evenly divide the cooked veggies/turkey bacon between the muffin tins.
4. Put the whisked eggs in a pourable container and pour the eggs into each muffin tin, filling about 3/4 full.
5. Top with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese.
6. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until cooked through, and the tops look semi-golden brown.

You can store these in the fridge or freezer, and it would be best to double the recipe so you have some to freeze! The serving size is 2 egg muffins, especially if you are doing the 21 Day Fix containers! And that would count as 1 red, 1/2 green, and a small amount of blue (not even half!) Enjoy!
It's a horrible picture, I'm so sorry!

These are seriously so delicious, so easy to make, and takes the work out of the morning's hectic schedule! Breakfast already made! Cook some up today!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Healthy Meal Ideas

I know for me, I love food! And hence, I am in the position where I need to lose so much weight! So I have to have a plan that allows me to be creative in my cooking, find things I like and enjoy, and not limit the endless possibilities in the kitchen! The 21 Day Fix affords me just that! With all the options of clean food that I can eat on the plan, the possibilities really are endless. There is also a really fun 21 Day Fix Meal Swap Facebook group that gives me new ideas as well! But there are so many meals that I can make for my family and then just know how much of it I can have.
I am going to give you some examples of healthy breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks with links to the recipes or I will try to give you my recipe if I can! Here we go!

Favorite Breakfasts

Overnight raspberry museli
2 eggs with veggies, salsa, and cheese
waffle with yogurt, fruit, and honey
Fruit Smoothie
Shakeology (see below, under snacks)
Toast with peanut butter

Favorite Lunches
Can of tuna with celery and onions, pickle relish, salt and pepper. Either plain, with lettuce, on whole wheat crackers, or on one piece of toast as a sandwich and eat the rest plain.

Stir fry: chicken, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, peanuts, feta cheese, salsa verde. Served with or without a tortilla to wrap it in.

Whole wheat spaghetti noodles with pesto and feta cheese.



Vegetable stew (Giambotta): I will be making this soon! It is so yummy! Racheal Ray recipe!


Favorite Dinners
Sweet potato stir fry: sweet potatoes, turkey kielbasa, onions, sweet peppers, zucchini, and possibly some cheese on top! Recipe courtesy of a friend.

Thai Basil Chicken: Soooo yummy! Just sauté chicken and red peppers together, add fresh basil leaves, and you have a meal! Serve with rice and have as a bowl or in tortillas!

Meatloaf and homemade mashed potatoes

Fish tacos with pico de gallo and shredded cabbage on corn tortillas

Salmon (or tilapia, or any fish, really), quinoa, and sautéed veggies



Jerk Pork Tenderloin with spiced red potatoes and grilled pineapple
http://thetwistedonion.com/home/jerk-pork-tenderloin-with-spiced-red-potatoes-grilled-pineapple/

Favorite Snacks
veggies and hummus

cottage cheese with green grapes and cinnamon



Shakeology: One of my favorite recipes is Chocolate Shakeology with 2 tsp. peanut butter and 1/2 banana, I also add spinach and I don't even taste it! Strawberry Shakeology is actually my favorite, and I love it with orange juice or almond milk as the base, ice, spinach, and 1/2 banana! Yum!

apple (with or without peanut butter)

2 hard-boiled eggs with the yolks mixed with hummus, healthy devilled eggs!
peanuts, sunflower seeds

Well, I hope this gives you some yummy options for healthy meals and snacks! And I hope it shows you that you don't have to eat boring, bland food and deprive yourself of anything yummy! You can even eat carbs on the 21 Day Fix!!! In moderation, of course!

So, Happy "Dieting!" Message me if you would like to be a part of my next Fitness Challenge group where we post daily motivation, healthy recipes, fitness tips, and encouragement!!







Monday, January 12, 2015

First Week Results


Okay, so I completed my first week on my weight loss plan! To recap, I am doing the nutrition plan from the 21 Day Fix, and T25 for my workout plan for the next 10 weeks. I am also drinking Shakeology daily, which is a superfood meal replacement shake, and I usually have it in the afternoon so I can have extra energy to get through the sleepy afternoon time! I have about 50, yes 50 pounds to lose. I have lost weight before, but then lost focus and gained weight back. I am motivated this time and determined to lose this weight by the summer! Glad you are taking the time to follow me on this journey, and hopefully you will join me!
I will admit that I wasn't perfect this week. Shocking! But coming from a holiday season that was full of sugar and sweets, overindulging, baking, and no boundaries, last week was a huge success for me. I didn't even have any sugar until Thursday night when we had my mother-in-law's birthday party. I had some serious sugar withdrawal headaches this week, ya'll! But the nice thing with the Fix plan is that they allow for 3 treats a week, plus 3 treat drinks a week. They know that it just might not be doable to expect perfection and no "cheating" on a clean eating plan. So, it works!
The main day that was a struggle was Sunday. I am so used to just "taking off" on the weekends, and it's hard to continue that focus into the weekend, especially because there are usually special events. So that's really where I need to reign it in to continue seeing the best results.
So, without further ado, here are my first week results:

2 pounds lost!!

I know, I know, it isn't the Biggest Loser. It's not 5 or 10 pounds. But around 1-2 pounds a week is a healthy amount to lose each week, and I'm happy for a loss!!
Stay tuned for weekly updates and results, and as always, please contact me if you are interested in one of my Fitness Challenge groups that are run on Facebook! I would love to Coach you through your journey!
Also, I have a new page on Facebook called Steph's Healthy Journey and I would love for you to "Like" my page and click "Get Notifications" under that so that you see me in your news feed!

Have a great and healthy week!

Keep Going!!!

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Early Riser Mom?



Awhile back, I wrote about the Maximize Your Mornings Challenge over at Inspired to Action. It was basically a Challenge that I read about that challenged moms to get up before their kids in the morning to spend precious, quiet time with God, get some kind of workout in, and start to plan their day. There was some awesome accountability on Twitter, opportunities to study the same things in the morning, and just that mom camaraderie of being intentional together to make our health and relationship with God a priority. Over the years, I have gone back and forth between getting up early and sleeping in. But I must say, when I get up early, I have a head-start on my day, and when I sleep in, the day seems to run me.
With all my responsibilities these days, I really need to get up before my kids, spend quiet time with God (the key word being quiet), get my workout in, and know what I need to get done that day. It seems so simple, and yet the concept is so profound. I want this to be a new habit this year. To consistently get up early. Not just now and then. Not just 2-3 times per week. But that my norm would be to set that alarm for 5:20 or earlier, and be disciplined enough to get going. On the Maximize Your Mornings Challenge, they even encourage moms to not hit the snooze button. To be disciplined enough to just get out of bed when the alarm goes off. Is it possible?
I think being a stay-at-home mom affords me the opportunity for many freedoms in how to run my day. I am in charge. I am in charge of so many things. I am in charge of the house, finances, homeschooling my children, our CC community, my Beachbody business, the menu for the day (so essentially, the health of my family!), and so many more little things. It gets busy. I think when things get busy and overwhelming, the tendency can be to get lazy. To sleep in. To stay up late to "relax" but then struggle to get up in the morning. And these bad habits may be contributing to my "depression" and "anxiety" that have plagued me this last semester. I put quotes around these words to sort of label my feelings but not necessarily diagnose a super serious version of these things.
So, as a New Year's Resolution of sorts, I want to commit to getting up early. And in doing that, to put my relationship with God and my health as 2 of my first priorities in my day. I get up, spend time with God (usually doing my Bible Study that is over the book of Galatians) and then do my workout for the day. I seem to be more motivated to get up when I know I am not working out right away. I get to drink my coffee and pre-workout formula, and just relax in God's Word in the quiet of my house! That kind of motivates me to get up!!
The key to making this a reality is to plan the night before. If I don't lay out my pre-workout formula, coffee, Bible Study, workout clothes, tennis shoes, workout dvds, and water bottle the night before, then chances are I'm not going to get up at 5:20 and dig around for those things.
I have to plan. I have to plan to succeed. And THAT is what I plan to do.

How do you start your mornings?

Sunday, January 4, 2015

My Personal Weight Loss Challenge


Okay, this is a risky, scary, put it all out there blog post, and I'm excited and scared to post it!! A lot of you know that I'm a Beachbody Coach, but a lot of you may not know that I struggle with my own weight. I, like a lot of you, struggle with emotional eating, and it's been an emotional semester for me. I have had a lot going on, and have been the busiest that I've been in awhile, not to mention emotional struggles that have been through the roof. That has reflected in my weight, gulp, gain over the last semester especially. But I know that for my health, as an example to my children, as a leader and a health and fitness Coach, that it's time for a change. It's time for me to publicly commit myself to what I want to help others do - get healthy. I have the tools for success. I have the Challenge groups, the most amazing meal replacement shake, phenomenal workout programs from Beachbody trainers, and now it's time for me to put that all together for my own success story. I do best with a high level of accountability, and this is going to be it. This blog. You all.
 I am going to post weekly how I did, my results, and my weight loss. Maybe eventually I will feel comfortable posting before pictures and weight amount, but for now, we'll just stick to weight loss amounts. Yes, it's scary having this kind of public accountability, but it's what I need. I need to get healthy and treat my body the way it is meant to be treated. As the temple of God. I need to run the race in such a way that I take care of myself so I can be the best mom, wife, homeschooling mom, Coach, Director, friend, and most importantly, the daughter of the King.
So, who's with me? Does anyone want to commit themselves to this scary Challenge? Whether or not you want a Beachbody Challenge Pack and Facebook Challenge group or you just want to publicly declare that you, too want a change and are committed to putting it out there for accountability sake!! This is my big moment to commit. Are you there?

I am going to be doing the 21 Day Fix container system for my nutrition and T25 for my workouts. I plan to follow the T25 schedule for the next 10 weeks and then pick another program. I want to be more active, so if that means sneaking in a run, a Zumba class, playing at the park with my kids, or just adding in some extra squats or push-ups throughout the day, I want to strive for excellence!
What's your plan?

Thursday, January 1, 2015

New Year, New Me! New You?


I, for one, am so glad to have the holiday season over! I do love the holiday season, and everything that goes with it. But I'm also glad when it's done and ready to declutter my house of Christmas decorations, get back to our regular routines, and not have so much going on and things that need to be done in preparation for Christmas!
Our Christmas season was filled with lots of fun things, memories made, and time with those we love. We only have a few days before we go back to school, CC, Bible Study, and the regular swing of things. I'm savoring these last few days of vacation!
One thing I want to get in gear for is the classic weight loss plan that follows the holiday season! Yes, we all do it, and we all come up with plans, resolutions, join gyms, try it for a week, and then give up for the rest of the year. But what if there was a way to get all you need in a package that made sense, was easy to follow, and was proven to work??
I'm talking about the full Beachbody package. I'm a Beachbody Coach and we have amazing plans that work for people. Busy moms, hard-working people, people who need to lose weight, maintain weight, or need to start slowly for a large amount of weight to lose.
The way it works, is that we have all kinds of workout programs to choose from. P90X, Insanity, T25, PiYo, Insanity Max 30, and the list goes on!!!
But one of our most popular programs is called the 21 Day Fix, and it is on sale this month!!!!!!!! The 21 Day Fix Challenge Pack is on sale for the month of January and this is how it works:


Workout program: Comes with workouts for every day of the week, plus some extra workouts, all 30 minutes each.
(always a modifier with every workout)
Shakeology: Our superfood meal-replacement shake that tastes awesome, curbs cravings, and is proven to aid with weight loss (Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Greenberry, and Vegan flavors)
Fix Container system: Portion containers that teach you how to measure out your food daily, eat clean, and not count calories. It's genius!!
Challenge group: Daily accountability in a group of other people who are also going through their program, daily posts, and encouragement!
Me as your Coach: I am committed to following you through your program and being your cheerleader as you work hard, get results, and have questions along the way


So if you, like me, are ready to make a change is 2015, then let's chat!! Fill out my form, and I will get in contact with you so we can figure out which program is best for you, how you can capitalize on your time this year, and how you can feel better by making better choices that will change your life!!

Link to fill out my form: https://steph4given.wufoo.com/forms/z1vf6znx03uidy5/

I will be starting my next Challenge group on Monday, January 19. This is the day that can change it all for you. Time to start getting rid of all the holiday junk in your house! Change is around the corner!! I'm here for YOU!! Are you ready?