May Goals & April Goals Reviewed

Where did April go? It feels like yesterday I was writing about Easter. I just wanted sunshine and warmer weather. Thankfully the sunshine is out and it is warmer. Unfortunately, I didn't do well this month with my goals.

April Goals:

• Loose 6+ pounds (putting me at 159 pounds) - I haven't lost any weight & hovered around 166.
• Workout 6x week - I worked out 6 days every week, but my first week back to work I got in approximately 4 workouts.
• Decrease 5K time (going to aim for under 41 minutes - 1:30 decrease) - I ran 40:56 yesterday (4/28/15). 
• Food Prep - I need to work on this with my new job. I also talked with my trainer & need to focus on my decreasing my carbs and fat while increasing my protein. 
• Win DietBet: April 1st - April 28th - NEGATIVE!

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It feels as if I have been focused solely on the weight loss and not my health lately. Thankfully, I have a great friend who is also my personal trainer that is always there to help me. She helped me to refocus during my last session with her. For my May goals I have decided to focus on my nutrition and my overall health. I want to focus on my food and pushing myself further with my workouts

May Goals:

• Continue to work on decreasing my 5K time (under 40 minutes)
• Plan my meals weekly (lunch, dinner, & snacks)
• Eat healthy & stay around macronutrients (carbs, fat, & protein) for 10+ days
• Push myself in strength training

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In May I decided not to focus on trying to loose a certain amount of weight. I want to focus on pushing myself with my strength workouts, continue to push myself running, and to really concentrate on my nutrition. Here is to a great May!

How did you do with your April goals? What goals do you have planned for May?

Time to Start Scheduling

When I was unemployed I would get a workout anytime I felt like it doing it. Generally I would try to get it in before lunch though. My first week back to work was last week and I did not do very well with my food or workouts. So this weekend I scheduled my workouts out for the week and have our food planned for the week. Here is my workout schedule:

Monday: Strength Training for 60 minutes or more
Tuesday: Walk / Run for 60 minutes or more
Wednesday: Workout with Lyndsey (personal trainer)
Thursday: Walk / Run for 60 minutes or more
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Strength Training for 60 minutes or more
Sunday: Walk / Run for 60 minutes or more

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I need to get my head on straight about healthy eating again. Here is what we have planned for dinner this week:

Monday: Grilled Cheese & Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff
Wednesday: Monday Leftovers
Thursday: Chicken Fajitas
Friday: Dinner with Friends
Saturday: One Pouch Dinner (we make ours a little differently since we don't like mushrooms)


Do you have your workouts scheduled this week? What are you eating this week? 

Food this week

This week I tried some new recipes and made one of my favorites so I thought I would share! :) Who doesn't love delicious, healthy, and easy recipes?

On Monday I started my new job so I made on of my favorite lunches, Sweet Potato and Quinoa Chili! It is delicious and made in a crockpot! Woot! After one of my workouts with Lyndsey one night she gave me a bowl to take home. I am so glad she shared a bowl with me! I love this!!!

I also made Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Muffins and Pumpkin Bars. I didn't get a picture of the Chocolate Pumpkin Protein Muffins, but they were a good snack after a workout. I babysat for Lyndsey one night and she made pumpkin bars for her girls and me. I forgot how amazing these were so I decided to make them for my Ava Anderson Party. I think they were a hit! 

For the Ava Anderson party I also decided to try to make the muffins Lyndsey made last weekend. These were a hit too! Who doesn't love the sweetness with that little tart? Yumm-o! For the party I had turkey sandwiches, chips, roasted red pepper hummus with carrots, pepppers, & pita chips, tortilla chips & salsa, fruit, pumpkin bars, and Raspberry Lemon Muffins. 

What new recipes have you tried lately? What are your favorites?

Weight Loss Roller Coaster

The past week has been a whirlwind for me. Last week I was busy spring cleaning my house, running errands, meeting with friends, getting some workout classes in with Lyndsey, and more. By Friday the house wasn't even half way done and I now understand why people don't spring clean or hire someone to do it. Ufda!

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Lately I have been having a hard time with my weight loss journey. One of my April goals was to win the DietBet and lose over 6 pounds. However, at this point I have not lost any weight. My food has not been perfect, but I didn't think it was horrible. Plus I have put in some good workouts. I know I will get to my next goal of 162 pounds and then into the 150's. It might not be in April, but it will be soon.

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I have been frustrated with the scale and the amount of calories myfitnesspal said I should be eating (1290). So I texted Lyndsey who talked me off the ledge! She told me to stop weighing myself since I can become a bit obsessive weighing myself throughout the day. I did weigh myself yesterday, but won't step on the scale for a few days. 

She also calculated my calories and said I should be eating around 1500 calories (not 1300). So I am aiming around 1400-1500 calories. I am following her advice right now and trying to just focus on my health and not my weight. Especially after trying on some of my work clothes and realizing they were too big didn't boost my spirits.

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On Monday, I started my new job! I am loving it so far. Everyone there is extremely nice. I definitely have a lot to learn. The person I am working with has been great! There is a long way to go, but I am looking forward to the journey (both work and weight loss).

What are your frustrations? Successes?

Food Staples

I have been spring cleaning since I go back to work Monday. It feels good that everything is clean and getting organized. However, I am over it. It is taking a lot longer than I anticipated it would. We'll see what I am able to get done over the weekend.

Anyways... There are some food staples I generally always have in my house. These are my go to items so I don't generally think to much when I have want a snack, dessert, or go to meal. Here are my food staples:

• Greek Yogurt
• Bananas 
• Granola Bars (Luna Chocolate Peppermint, Carrot Cake or Quest Bars)
• Dark Chocolate Chips
• Progresso Light Soup
• Sobe
• Mid's Pasta Sauce/Whole Wheat Pasta
• Spinach/Carrots - for side salads

I am loving greek yogurt. As I mentioned in a previous post I love the Dannon Fit & Light Greek Yogurts. However, I finally tried plain greek yogurt with honey, fresh fruit, and granola. It has been my go to snack lately. I love the sweetness of it and the crunch of the granola. Delicious! The honey makes all the difference to sweeten it up. 

I also love bananas! Bananas are great on their own; however, I make protein cookies, bananas dipped in melted dark chocolate, protein muffins, protein shakes with frozen bananas, and more. Now when I have a chocolate craving I eat bananas with dark chocolate chips or I melt the dark chocolate chips. Before I would have eaten a king size Snickers or a bag of candy. 

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I have been drinking SoBe Life Waters lately too. It helped me give up my extreme Diet Coke addiction. I don't drink them as often as I did since they are still not good for you and have artificial sweetener. They did help me kick my drinking Diet Coke. My favorites are the black & blue berry, acai raspberry, and yumberry pomegranate. 

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What are your food staples? 

Quinoa Pizza Bake

B and I both love pizza. We used to have it delivered a few times a week. Now it might be once a week if I am not feeling well or we are having a craving. It just depends. I could eat pizza everyday! 

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It isn't the healthiest though. To try and calm the cravings we will have a salad and Tortilla Pizza. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and top a whole wheat tortilla with whatever pizza toppings you want then bake in a cast iron for approximately 10 minutes. It just depends on how done you like it. B likes his with the cheese just melted and I like mine with the cheese golden brown. :)

Another good idea is Lyndsey's Quinoa Pizza Bake. After trying this a few weeks ago it has gone into the rotation. It is healthy, easy to make, and delicious. Plus it is like pizza! B said it definitely won't replace pizza, but is a good substitution. I make mine with bell peppers and Al Fresco Chicken Sausage. Delicious! 

Do you like pizza? What are your favorite toppings?

My Workouts This Week (4/6/15)

I have been unemployed since the last week in January. It was a surprise to me, but I do believe everything happens for a reason. While being unemployed I have reconnected with family and friends. My Mom and I were finally able to go and visit my step-sister for a week in Texas. I have also reconnected with a few of my friends I hadn't talked to in a while. It reminded me that a job is important, but I need to remember my family and friends.

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While unemployed I knew I wanted to focus on my weight loss and reading. Lyndsey (my personal trainer) had talked to me about the classes she teaches and I knew I wanted to try some of them. I knew I wanted to try her C.S.I. and TRX class. The Friday before Easter I was offered a job and I will start on April 20th. I am extremely excited about this new opportunity. So after Easter weekend I knew I wanted to try and go to as many classes as possible before going back to work. Her is what I did this week.

          MONDAY: 60 minutes one-on-one with Lyndsey
                             60 minutes tabata (I joined a class Lyndsey teaches Monday nights at her church)

          TUESDAY: 40 minute walk on treadmill

          WEDNESDAY: 45 minutes C.S.I. (Cycle Strength Intervals)
                                     45 minutes TRX

          THURSDAY: 45 minutes C.S.I. (Cycle Strength Intervals)

          FRIDAY: 68 minutes walk/run on treadmill


I am sore! Every step I take, every move I make! Spring break was this week so I was able to squeeze into her Wednesday night TRX class. I have been wanting to try it and was glad I was able to go this week. TRX suspension training uses your body weight and gravity to do common workout moves.Lyndsey has had me use TRX before for certain moves over the years, but I had never done a full workout with only the TRX. It was a good workout and I am happy I got to try it this week.

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My plan is to workout once this weekend, but I have not been feeling great today (Saturday). I am planning on getting a walk/run in tomorrow since I have only gotten one in this week. Plus my upper body is super sore. It was great to get all of the classes in and try some new things. I have definitely enjoyed the C.S.I. class and will hit up the class again next week before heading back to work. It is taught early Saturday so I may have to try and hit those up once in a blue moon once I am working. :)


What did you do this week? Did you try anything new?

20 Random Facts

I thought for my 20th post that I would give you 20 random facts about myself.

1. I have one tattoo on my lower back. It is two hearts connected. For my bachelorette party seven out of eight of us went and got tattoos. We did not plan this, but it was a great memory. My girls are amazing and it was one of the best nights of my life! :)
2. I hate mice! Scared to death of them. Not gonna lie. 
3. Pet peeves: I hate when people put empty containers/boxes back in the cupboard, fridge, etc. I also hate when people do not use their blinkers when turning. GROWL!
4. Nicknames: Stephie; Steph; PeeWee; Mag; Maggie
5. I have a crush on Hugh Jackman! ;) 
   
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6. I am not a morning person! 
7. I love Marvel movies! I have been hooked since I watched the first X-Men movie with B. 
8. I love the movie Grease! I wanted to be Sandy when I was younger.
9. I have been in three car "crashes." 
1. The first time I had to call the cops because I hit a cow yearling on my way home. Yup! You read that correctly!! I hit a cow! The cows used to get out all of the time down the road. I bumped the yearling in the butt just enough to leave a small dent in my car. I had to call the non-emergency line and they went to put me on hold to laugh and hung up.
2. I was T-boned by a semi. It was snowing and the roads were horrible so everyone was going pretty slow. I only suffered from whip lash. In the end I was shaken up pretty bad. 
3. Last year someone pulled out in front of me and I hit them. It was one of the only nice days that winter, but the gentleman didn't look both ways. 
10. I have three brothers, one sister, two step-sisters, and two sister-in-laws. 
11. One of my absolutely favorite books is BFG by Roald Dahl. 
    
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12. I love children, but do not plan on having any of my own. I borrow them all the time and have numerous friends children that call me "Aunt Steph." 
13. My Grandma was the best roommate ever!!! I lived with her the last few years in college. 
14. I have been dying my hair since I was a senior in high school (17 years old). 
15. I studied abroad for my Spanish minor twice. I went to Puerto Rico the first time for three weeks and Spain and Portugal the second time for three weeks. They were both amazing. 
16. I do not know how to swim. :( I can doggie paddle, but other than that I sink. I am tempted to try and get swim lessons. Is that weird? Adult swim lessons?
17. My favorite foods to indulge in are pepperoni pizza, cheeseburger, and sweets!
18. I love roses. My favorite are red roses, but any color works!
19. I love wine and martini's!
20. I would like to take a photography class and learn how to use all of the features on the camera B got me for Christmas.

Did you learn anything? Tell me a random fact about you in the comments!!

I love books!!!

I love to read! When I grew up I was always getting in trouble for reading under the covers with my flashlight. Since 2008 I have made a yearly goal to read 50 books. Fifty books in one year!

• 2008 - 32 books read
• 2009 - 34 books read
• 2010 - 40 books read
• 2011 - 44 books read
• 2012 - 28 books read
• 2013 - 31 books read
• 2014 - 28 books read
• 2015 - 14 books currently finished

I was so close in 2011 to reaching the goal. So I am trying again this year. Reaching my goal weight this year is my number one goal though. I have currently read 14 books this year and have been stuck on 15. It is a long book and it is very detailed. I am hoping to finish it this week. These are the books I have read in 2015 and am currently reading. :)

1. Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel
2. Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins
3. I'll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark
4. It's Not Him, It's You: Taking Charge of Your Love and Sex Life by Laura Berman
5. Guilty Wives by James Patterson & David Ellis
6. Unlucky 13 by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
7. 12th of Never by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
8. 11th Hour by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
9. The Guard by Kiera Cass
10. The Elite by Kiera Cass
11. Looking for Alaska by John Green
12. Don't Look Back by Jennifer Armentrout
13. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
14. Wonder by R. J. Palacio
15. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (currently reading)

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I do read self help books and have read the following books about either weight loos or trying to look at the brighter side of things.

• Kiss That Frog!: 12  Great Ways to Turn Negatives into Positives in you Life and Work by Brian Tracy & Christina Tracy Stein
• This is Why Your Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever): Eat More, Cheat More, Lose More - and Keep the Weight Off by Jackie Warner
• Weight Loss For People Who Feel Too Much: A 4-Step, 8-Week Plan to Finally Lose Weight, Manage Emotional Eating, and Find Your Fabulous Self by Colette Baron-Reid
• The Running Experiment: A Weekly Walk Away From the Sofa by Kristann Monaghan
• Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes
• Muscle Medicine: The Revolutionary Approach to Maintaining, Strengthening, and Repairing Your Muscles and Joints by Rob DeStefano

All of them have been educational. I have learned things from each of the weight loss or health books, but I didn't find any of them amazing. They were good and I have learned things from each of them. I would recommend Kiss That Frog! to everyone. It is a book that I might even re-read!

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Currently I am two book clubs; a breakfast book club and a wine book club. The Breakfast Book Club meets once a month for breakfast to discuss a book one of the members picked. I have been in this one for over seven years. My wine book club meets approximately 3-4 times a year to discuss a book and enjoy wine. I enjoy having new authors and books introduced to me. Plus who doesn't love breakfast and wine?!?!

What are you currently reading? Do you have a favorite self help book?

Sweet Temptations

B and I went to my in-laws for Easter and it was tough for me! My mother-in-law is an amazing cook and always has goodies around the house. I told B to give me the look if he caught me in the peanut M&M's since she always has those out. When we arrived we sat down in the living room and there were three bowls of candy. Two filled with jelly beans and one with those darn peanut M&M's.

I would have been good if I hadn't eaten the peanut M&M my father-in-law threw at me. Once I start eating them I cannot stop!! Next time I plan to throw it away. I ended up eating a couple handfuls of those and when went into the dining room to find a plate full of sugar cookies and scotcharoos. Sugar cookies are some of my favorite cookies. So I ate one (or three) of those!

For dinner I ordered sweet & sour chicken and of course I had to enjoy the fortune cookie. My fortune was good! We ended the night with a game of euchre, wine, and more sugar cookies. It is so hard for me to say no to sweets! Once I start I just keep going and going like the energizer bunny. 

When I woke up on Easter morning I immediately had my hand in the goodie jar. You think I would know better especially since breakfast was Mom's homemade caramel rolls. She generally only makes these during the holidays though so I enjoyed a few since we probably won't see them until Thanksgiving. 

After we decided to play a few more games of euchre before dinner. I tried to put the candy dish at the other end of the table, but somehow it ended up right next to me. Growl! I looked over saw a Milky Way and was done. I love Milky Way and Twix and started eating them like I'd never see them again. I tried thinking about my goal of getting in the 150's this month, but it wasn't working. When my husband got up to refill his water I made him grab me a piece of gum. Finally something helped!

Dinner was delicious! My mother-in-law and sister-in-law make homemade potato rolls, which the entire family loves! That is what B ate all weekend since he is not a sweets person. After dinner there was pie and more cookies. I ate my pie pretty quickly though and forgot to take a picture. It was a chocolate creme pie. Yummy! I love chocolate!

My mother-in-law tried to send us home with a goody bag, but we didn't let her. :) When we got home I immediately put my workout clothes on so I was ready for a workout and headed downstairs about 30 minutes after we got home. I had planned on doing my normal 5k walk/run, but since I was so naughty I did a 6k. 

I cannot handle having junk food around me. I don't make anything sweet or buy it. I am the only one that eats it and I cannot control myself around it. So anything that I know I have no control over is not allowed in the house. This means no sweets and no chips. I have no self control over these types of things and since my husband doesn't eat them I don't have them around. 

How do you avoid temptations? Do you have any secrets to help you not over indulge?

Happy Easter!

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Happy Easter! I hope you have a wonderful day with family and friends. 

Rewards

I love presents! Not going to lie. I love giving them to people and I enjoy receiving them. B doesn't help. He gives great gifts! I love finding something you know someone else will love or giving them something they wouldn't buy themselves.

So when I reach one of my goals I reward myself. I give myself a gift! If it is a difficult goal or there are a couple "big" goals than I may even let myself have more than one reward! I have treated myself to a pedicure, new shoes, new clothes, a massage, and more. My next goal is a pair of new shoes when I reach 162 pounds. I have been wanting a new pair of running/workout shoes and have a wish list on Zappos already. Less than 5 pounds!

In September I had a good friend of mine (& fashionista) take me shopping. It was the first time I had been shopping in years and it was a blast! Previously I bought all my clothes online because I hated shopping. I have a petite frame, but being in plus size clothing made shopping difficult. I would have to take two sizes of everything to see what fit me. Nothing fit me right and so I just bought items I knew would fit me correctly online. So it was a blast to basically buy a new wardrobe in my new & smaller size.

My reward list and my monthly goals are posted on a small motivation board so I see them every morning when I get ready. When I reach my goal weight I am going to have a spa day! Woot! The rewards at different milestones help me to concentrate on the little milestones. It is easier to focus on 10 pounds at a time than it is to than to focus on 80 pounds. 

Do you reward yourself? What kind of rewards?

April 2015 Goals

Here are my goals for April 2015! None of these are April Fools Day jokes either. I am always too scared to do those. Plus I am pretty gullible so I am generally the fool. :(


April Goals:

• Loose 6+ pounds (putting me at 159 pounds)
• Workout 6x week
• Decrease 5K time (going to aim for under 41 minutes - 1:30 decrease) 
• Food Prep
• Win DietBet: April 1st - April 28th

April 1st weight

I decided to sign up for a DietBet at the last possible moment to help push me out of the 160's. To win I will need to weigh 159.4 by April 28th. Good-bye 160's!

Right now I am working out 5 days a week, but I would like to try and get that up to 6 days a week. Increasing my workouts sometimes takes a few months, but I am going to do my best. Now that the weather is nice I would like to get outside and run. I personally like my treadmill, but now that I have increased my distance and running time I would like to enjoy the fresh air. 

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What goals did you make for April??