I bought a SMALL!

I know I already posted something today but I am really excited to share this too!
Yesterday, I was out shopping with my family and I found a skirt that I really liked. The last time I went shopping for myself I was still grabbing XL sizes, maybe L if I hadn't eaten yet. But I thought I would take a chance and buy a Medium, hoping it would fit. I was pretty excited about it, so when I got home I tried it on right away. It was TOO BIG! I was so happy!!!! We had to go back to the store later that night and exchange it for a size SMALL! It has been SOOOO long since I have even considered buying that size!

Another small victory! Pun intended ;)

fitness convo with a friend.

One of my friends recently wrote me on facebook.
 I am hoping that the advice I gave her will help someone else too!
Here is our conversation:

RACHEL!  Hello, beautiful! Long time no talk!

I know this is super random, but I have a question for you.

First off, I've been following your "road to 120" blog/lifestyle. Seriously, you have always been beautiful, but it's been honestly amazing to see the transformation that's taken place over these past months. Not only can I physically see that you shed pounds, but even your smile is more radiant. It's like I can see how happy this transformation has made you - on the inside and the outside!

Anyways, with that being said, I have a question. I feel like such a dork for asking this, but I'm doing it anyways.

The truth is, I've gained a good amount of weight since I came up to college. Sure, it's distributed really well, and I'm pro at hiding it for the most part, but still, I'm tired of HAVING to hide it. Not only that, but I want to be fit. It's not about losing the weight so much as it is about being healthy and feeling good about myself.

Last year at the beginning of the year I lost about 10 pounds because I was working out with a friend. Then I got in a car accident, got busy with school & graduating, and let it all go by the waste side. Now it's a new year (I've gained that extra 10 back .. and more!) and I really want to get back on the bandwagon. (ironically my goal weight is 120 as well!)

Ok, enough with story time. My real question is more so just asking for advice. What works? What doesn't? How have you kept yourself motivated and how do you make time to work out? I know you're incredibly busy so how does it fit in your schedule? Also, what about meals? I have an apartment so I cook for myself (ok, not much of a cook, I more boil pasta and microwave unhealthy stuff....) so I have the freedom to eat whatever I'd like ... however I'm on a tight tight budget so I need to keep it cheap if possible. What are some suggestions that you have?

Sorry, I know this is super random, but I thought you could give me some good tips. My roommates and friends tell me I'm fine, but it's more of a personal thing than anything else. Like I want to feel good about myself and my body. I'm sure that's something you can relate to and that's why I wanted to ask for our advice 

Thanks for even reading this rambling mess. Hahha. Hope you're doing well. You're family is beautiful and I'm so happy for you!  

Thanks again

Here is my reply:

• Oh my gosh, this message makes me so happy  I am so glad that you have been reading my blog. This whole blogging thing has been an amazing experience! I've never realized how great social support can be.

  I totally understand how much weight can determine our moods and attitudes. You totally don't have to explain! Sometimes you just need to feel good about yourself!

  To be honest, a lot of my motivation comes from my family. When you're married, theres someone else that can see your body without the benefits of slimming clothes. And when you have a baby, you get this overwhelming feeling of setting a good example for your little one. BUT....ultimately I really felt that I needed to prove to myself that I can reach my goal. Simply put, I just wanted to feel good about myself! The hardest part is getting started but once you start to see results, you get addicted to seeing progress!

  Advice:

  1. Find accountability. This is one of the main reasons I started my blog. I wanted encouragement and to hold myself accountable to people reading my story. Some people can just journal or use food logs etc, but just find what works for you!

  2. Keep the diet as steady as possible that way a few skipped trips to the gym won't kill you! I've been trying to follow the 17 day diet as close as possible (although that doesn't always happen). It is not as restricting as other diets I've tried and has given me great results! If you want to try it, I can give you the guidelines 

  3. I actually find a lot of motivation from the scale. I'm sort of obsessed with it. I like seeing the numbers go down and it drills it into my head that I don't want to un-do my hard work!

  4. I am super busy with the baby! and it is really hard to work out but I try and make short trips to the gym in our apartment complex. Just 30 minutes on the treadmill makes a big difference and, like I said, if your diet is on point then don't beat yourself up if you're exhausted and stay in for the night!

  5. I totally get the cooking budget deal! Try to buy meat in bulk because it's the most expensive (find someone with a costco card that you can pay back for a ton of chicken lol) and if you're eating a lot of produce and cut out fast food then it really isn't so bad!

  I hope all of this helps! If you need more info or have more questions just write me! 

  
  

  
  

  Hope that this will help everyone. Thank you for you love and encouragement friends!

Goodbye 160s!

As you all know, I have been working hard to get below the 160 mark. I have had the hardest time! But this morning...victory is mine!!!!! Weighing in at 159.0! I am so happy to finally be done with the 160s! I haven't been in the 150s for years!!!! (Sorry for all the exclamation marks but I am just so excited!!!!!!!!)

Yesterday I didn't cheat on my diet at all and I'm pretty sure that is what did the trick. I was also able to get a little more rest which I'm told helps out with weight loss.

My next goal is to get to 155 because that is the shopping spree goal that my hubby set for me a while back. Only 4 pounds!

Thank you for sharing in my small victories :) Your encouragement means a lot to me!

Trader Joe's is my best friend.

Here are some of the things I've been making on my 17 day diet: totally yummy!

Breakfast time!
Trader joes has amazing low-fat chocolate yogurt. Put some in a bowl with a handful of sliced almonds and 3-4 diced strawberries. It is a great alternative for other sweet tooth cravings!

Lunch time!
Fill a bowl with dark leafy spinach. Throw some boneless chicken tenders in a skillet with low-fat Italian dressing. Use some of those almonds and strawberries from breakfast to throw in your salad and top with a yummy raspberry vinaigrette! Yum!
*sorry there is no picture of this. It looked so good and I ate it all up before I remembered to take a picture :)

Dinner time!
Buy the Asian stir fry mix at trader joes and a bag of sea food stir fry. Dump them both in a large skillet with a an Asian stir fry sauce and enjoy all that protein and veggie nutrition! Super easy!

17 days: accelerate!

I have definitely hit a wall in my weight loss. It has been a week with no signs of improvement! I was trying to reach my goal without sticking to any particular diet but after hitting this plateau... 17 day diet, here I come! I was loosely following this diet before I got pregnant and shortly after Malachi was born. Each time I used the guidelines, I was successful. Why did I ever stop? Duh Rachel! After re-reading the text, I saw that you can lose 10-12 pounds in the first 17 days! Sounds good to me!

The thing that I love about this diet is that you are allowed servings of fruit! It is balanced and easy to follow. If you are interested in this diet or want to learn more about it, check out this website:

http://www.the17daydiet.com

I will keep everyone posted on my progress! Fingers crossed! Time to get through this plateau!

Retail Motivation

I have been working hard the last few days to break through my 165 wall on the scale and head into the 150s! The other morning I was sharing my fight against these numbers with Ernie. In the midst of our conversation I was also able to joyfully declare that I have shrunk out of all my jeans! This means leggings will be my garment of choice for a bit of time. After hearing me babble on for a little while, I could see that his wheels were working."how about this: if you're able to make it to 155 by the end of the month I will give you some money to go on a shopping trip." Music to my ears!!! Instead of rewarding myself with a cheat meal, I will just push on and buy smaller clothes as my treat! It really has helped me get into the gym :) I let my mind wander with thoughts of cute jeans as I run!

concerning jessica alba's abs.

Last week, my sister came over to my apartment to visit malachi. In the midst of discussion, she asked me if i plan on letting Malachi drink soda. Ernie and I have recently cut out most of the soda from our diets so I said that I don't want it to be a habit and I plan on keeping it from him as long as possible. she replies that I can do what jessica alba does with her kids- give them juice with sparkling water and call it soda!

The other day we were all gathered around my parent's dining room table eating a carb-a-licious meal with diet pepsi cans all around (a definite cheat meal on my part). i had mentioned the conversation i had with emily about jessica alba's soda solution for kids. my dad, who keeps up with daily celebrity gossip on yahoo news, chimes in with how AMAZING Jessica Alba looks in a bikini even after having kids. I quickly try to end the conversation there as Jessica Alba is Ernie's all-time celebrity crush and I didn't really want him to have a reason to look up pictures of her in her skimpy post-partum bikini. My efforts failed and this conversation about Jessica Alba went on for quite some time. My dad made a comment about how you could "bounce a quarter off those abs". To which my mom and I banter back that a quarter could bounce off of our abs too, it would just look more like something bouncing off "the blob" at fat camp.

The next day, my "jealous girlfriend" persona came out and decided to look at the pictures for myself. She really did look amazing! In her interview she attributes her physical success to eating organic, drinking lots of water and completely cutting out high-sugar, processed foods.

Later that night, I find myself thinking about her comment. "Of course! Your personal trainer, chef and upcoming role as a stripper (classy) have nothing to do with your amazing body. Let's just all buy eight dollar apples that become rotten the moment they make it to the refrigerator- THAT's the secret!" I was obviously still thinking with my "jealous girlfriend" thinking cap. After my sarcastic rant I had a second thought: I'm sure that having a seemingly unlimited bank account aids in wonderful fitness tools but when it comes down to it- motivation is motivation. Who's to say that I wouldn't be one of the yo-yo dieters of Hollywood? Maybe I would be in the Oprah, Janet Jackson, Kirstie Alley crew. Whether we like it or not, these people ARE motivated! They take their jobs seriously. In fact, we should be grateful that such people find themselves in Hollywood instead of infiltrating our work fields and showing all of us up with their drive to success and money.

The point that I concluded with is that having a nice body has to be taken seriously, choices have to be made, your lifestyle has to change. thanks for the motivation Jess! ;)

this is so embarrassing.

Well part of the reason I wanted to write a blog about my weight loss journey is so that I can feel accountable to the people reading it. So here is the truth: my weight has been going up and down all week long. I have been active but a little too indulgent in the eating department. This morning happens to be an "up" morning on the scale so I resolved to take some action.

Although I have lost 35 pounds since the birth of my son, I don't want my progress to stop! This HAS to be the year that I hit my goal weight! I have decided to post a picture of the truth, how my body looks today, in hopes of coupling this picture with a "new hot body" picture months from now. I have totally dreaded doing this, hence the reason I avoided pictures of me at nearly 200 pounds. I know that this picture is more like a "mid-progress" picture but I thought it might motivate me and possibly encourage others. I totally feel like the people on The Biggest Loser who have to weigh in the first day on campus, but I'm hoping it'll have the same results- to get me on track to lose a lot of weight. Here we go! Ahhhh!

Hiking & brownies

Yesterday was my dad's 51st birthday! In an effort to throw in some fun family exercise, I suggested that we go on a family hike up mount rubidoux. It was nice to visit and chat! I started to feel happy about embracing an active lifestyle. My buns are actually sore today! I can't say that the birthday dinner was super healthy but the hike cancelled the extra calories and I'm ok with that! I'm finding that balance is important!

treadmill wars: the joys of a gym workout

We recently moved into an apartment complex that has a small gym. Inside there are two treadmills. This often times denies the luxury of the third treadmill buffer, leaving no other choice but to run side by side with another apartment gym rat.

Every time I walk up to the glass door, I secretly hope that I will have the place to myself. Last night I was not so lucky. Two high school boys were finishing their lifting routine as I entered. Obviously uncomfortable with sharing the confined space, they both left.

So I'm running (*speed walking at a slight incline), when a grey-hooded man enters and takes up the treadmill next to mine. As he begins his workout I immediately feel intimidated at his initial incline choice. Is this guy training to hike Everest or what? I increase my speed. Soon I hear his footsteps pounding on the spinning belt at double the speed of mine. I shoot a quick glance to see a 6.0 speed. I begin to run but am sure to show more control than this amateur, landing as softly as possible with each step. We keep this up for some time before he moves to the elliptical. Yes! I stayed on for a few more minutes to have the last laugh.

I'm pretty sure I made up this friendly competition in my head but it totally works! The joys of being in the gym!

surprise, surprise

So it turns out that I am joining the rest of America with a resolution to lose weight for the New Year!

Although I have not been faithful in documenting my weight loss journey for the end of 2012, I have made some progress! I now weigh 165 and have successfully said goodbye to the 170s! So I'm on my way!

My plan for the new year is to lose weight but also to write about my journey and to share any type of success I might have...tips and whatnot.

I wish I could begin the new year with a helpful hint for weight loss success. here is my alternative experience:

This morning I was up before the sun at 4:45am. I was beyond proud of myself. I took the puppy outside to go poddy. I had my florescent nike running shoes on and was about to head out the door to the gym. I grabbed the keys to lock my baby and hubby safely inside the apartment. Of course, all of our keys look exactly the same (especially at 5am). Turns out, I grabbed the wrong set of keys. One step over the threshold and I hear a whining from the bedroom. Surprise, surprise Malachi was awake and wanted a little snack.
So much for a trip to the gym!

I climbed into bed and Ernie says, "guess we'll keep your workout time in the evening."