Just a Mom, HA!

The First Year of Healthy Living

The last week of the year has a lot of celebrations for our family – Christmas, my “healthy” brother’s birthday, New Year’s, our wedding anniversary, but this year I have a new one to celebrate.

A year ago my mom took this picture of me and Jay as we headed out for our anniversary date.

I saw this picture and my life changed.  I was trying to look so lovely that night, but in the picture all I could see were chubby cheeks, chubby arms, and a waist hidden by oversized, uh, well, you get the picture.

This picture made me want to cry, and I think that I did cry is some quiet, personal moments.  I vowed to go home from this vacation, weigh in, and start some kind of plan to lose weight.  When the post-holiday weigh in threw me well above the 200 mark, I knew serious action had to happen.

This picture changed my life.

I changed my life.

No trendy programs or gimmicks.  I just chose to be healthier – it was just that simple and now I’m 60 pounds lighter.  One year later, and this is my anniversary date picture:

Here’s to many more years of healthy living and skinny picture making!  Click HERE to read my weight loss success story – if I can do this, anyone can!

Results Update – the PLAN is going smoothly

Last week I posted a small PLAN for maintaining your weight through the holidays (or possibly even losing some).  My personal goal was to maintain in the low 150′s then reevaluate my goals in the New Year.

So far, so good! (You know I didn’t even eat one of those Wonder Bars that I made for caroling?)

I weighed in at 151.4 yesterday morning!  How are the rest of you Mommas doing?  There’s still time before the big feast day, so do you best and enjoy the time with your families!

PLAN to Maintain Your Weight Loss

So, we’ve been doing well.  We hoped over Halloween, we enjoyed Thanksgiving on the day of Thanksgiving, but now it’s Christmas season.

They have to call it Christmas SEASON because it lasts so long – church parties, work parties, friend parties, family parties, traveling, food gifts, oh, and then there’s the actual day of Christmas in there too.

Since goodies are bound to be in your line of site all month long, let’s talk about how to PLAN for maintaining your weight loss (or to even keep losing through the season).

1. PLAN to exercise.  Extra calories are out there, so plan to use them up with daily exercise.  I don’t mean stirring batter for resistance training, or walking the mall looking for that last gift, I mean real sweaty exercise that tests and pushes your body at least 6 times a week.  Too cold to go running?  Too many things to do?  No way – there’s always a little time and I have a couple of suggestions for you.
   1. My BFF Betty sent me this link for free online workouts from Exercise.TV.  They have lots of options for whatever you like best, and times that can fit just about anyone’s schedule.  http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/.
      If you want to be like Betty, here’s a workout that she’s doing right now that she claims kicks her butt in the literal sense: http://www.exercisetv.tv/workout-videos/cardio/kbc-kickbox-booty-and-core-3433
   2. I’ve mentioned before about my friend the Trainer Momma and want to direct people to her once again.  Her simple exercises can be done in any home and really push your limits.  She gives great tips on how to do each movement right and is a fun lady to read.  I do her wall push-ups, abs, and squats everyday while playing with Cee and they are GREAT!
2. PLAN your daily meals.  Treats are everywhere, so really plan when and how you eat.  My downfall in my heavy days was to have treats in plain view around the house.  Every time I’d walk past I’d snitch a handful of candy or a cookie and who knows how many calories I shoveled down without knowing.  Know everyday what you’ll eat for your meals and snacks and DON’T deviate from that line up.  Get the treats out of sight if you need to.  If you’re going to die without a sugar cookie, then make that a part of your plan, but don’t over do it.  If you know that tonight is one of your many dinner parties, then plan your day accordingly – no treats at home, only good foods (veggies, fruits, and very little processed foods), and then enjoy yourself that night.
3. PLAN to make but then GIVE your favorite treats.  Lots of us have traditional goodies this time of year.  Having one or two won’t hurt us too bad, but having 2 dozen will.  If your holiday centers on special treats, then do make them, but also GIVE them away.  Go caroling to friends and neighbors and leave those treats behind. Have your hubby take them to work to share. People will be amazed with your culinary skills and be excited for the surprise.  But what if your friends are up to the same tricks and bring you a bunch of food?  Click HERE to read my plan for gift food.

My goal is to maintain through the holidays and then reevaluate my overall health goals in the new year.  I currently weigh in at 152 and plan to stay in the low-150′s (to me that means not passing 154).  I’ll let you know how it goes.

A Triumphant Moment in Shopping

I did a little shopping this weekend.  A precious little.  I was hoping to find a killer outfit for Jay’s upcoming work Christmas Party bash.  There’s a rather snooty strip mall near where I live with a long string of higher-end clothing stores including an Ann Taylor.

If you know me, you’d know that the price tags in there would normally send me into a coma, but thanks to my Healthy Brother who loves to give Ann Taylor gift cards, I was trying my luck.

I found a shirt that I really enjoyed.  It made me feel like a spunky new character on a girly TV show.  This shirt to be exact:

Only the medium was too big.

A medium was too big at Ann Taylor!  Yippee!

I grabbed a small and it fit, I was working it.  I would have bought it too, except for a slight sleeve malfunction that made my unmentionables quite visable, and well, mentionable.

Darn the luck.

I left the store feeling blue, but also feeling proud of myself.  As I walked by the store fronts of the rich and slender, I realized that there wasn’t a single store among them where I couldn’t find something that would fit me.  Until I got to the Lane Bryant.

That’s the one store that would have nothing for me and yet at the beginning of this year I was thinking it was time to resign myself to only shopping there, that I was just a big girl and I’d have to just accept that.

I’m so glad I didn’t accept it.  I’m so glad that I made the changes to lose weight and be healthier.  I started this journey to be a better mom physically for Cee, but at this point the journey has been for me too.  I feel better – during the activities of the day and about myself in general.

60 pounds gone.  I can hardly believe it.

If I can do it, anyone can.

If you want to read more about how I lost the weight without diet plans or fad programs, click on the link for My Weight Loss Success Story under the Featured Articles section on the side bar.

Trying Silk Nog

I love egg nog. LOVE it.  In my college town they would start putting it out pre-Halloween with a witch on the front and I would buy it.

Every week.

Till New Years.

But I did get the light version, since the full-fat kind makes me yak.

Apparently, that isn’t very good for you.  But could I really make it through an entire holiday season without egg nog?

For those of you out there who are like me, I bit the bullet for us all – I bought Silk Nog (AKA Soy Nog).  My investigation went as follows:

It kinda looks like egg nog.

It smells like egg nog.

It tastes like egg nog – winner!

If you want to try this for yourself here are my notes:

1. Shake well!  I had a sip or two that just tasted like soy milk, but when shaken the flavor comes through and is almost a perfect match.
2. Don’t expect it to be the real thing – though the flavor is very close to real, the texture won’t fool anyone.  This has the thin texture of Silk and won’t be leaving a big Nog Stach on your upper lip.
3. Health benefits – less calories, fat, and sugar than even diet Egg Nog  – 90 cal, 2 g fat, 12 g sugar per half cup.
4. Dairy and egg free.
5. Has a “Like it or Money Back” Guarantee on the box.
6. It is a pleasant companion – just by looking the box over I found a delightful recipe for Nog French Toast, and learned that the origin of the term Egg Nog came from colonial revelers who added grog (rum) to their eggy drinks making for Egg Grog which eventually blended together into Egg Nog.

*I was not asked to do this review and have not been compensated for it.  I do it for you readers! : )