Four On The Fourth

Leg day yesterday... last minute decision to wake up at the a$$ crack of dawn to drive to Kansas and run a 4 mile race. Genius I tell you! Two and half hours of sleep? Really sore legs and glutes? Yep... I'm that crazy.

All four of us made a last minute decision before online registration closed at 7pm last night. It was a crap shoot because I still had to find a sitter last minute, since the hubs had to work. Luckily my Daddy stepped up and agreed to keep the kids overnight due to the early wake time for me. This was so last minute that once we arrived at one of the ladies houses, we had to determine who was actually driving because we hadn't even thought it out that far. LOL.

Definitely not a fabulous time by any means, but I had fun. My legs were so sore, and around mile 2 my left glute was screaming in pain. I finish and I was proud of that.

This lovely lady caught up to me after the race started and tapped me on the shoulder. Took me a second to realize who she was. Love see my motivating December Mama!

Next race... Moms Run This Town, Running Mad Virtual 5k. :D

Thursday Thoughts

How Do You Do It -- Part 1

First off, I have hid this blog for so long from so many of my friends, and I never realized how many of them are in the same boat as me. Why have I kept this part of my life hidden? Embarrassment? Denial? Not wanting to feel judged?

For longest time I have only let a select few group of friends in on my "secret blog." But as time is progressing I can see how I can use this as an opportunity to inspire others in their own journey's. To help them out by sharing what I've been through. Perhaps there's that missing piece of their own puzzle hidden among my picture strewn blog?

So, I will no longer hide this blog from the world. I have now added my blog link to my Instagram account in hopes others will find their way here.

So to kick off this series of "How Do You Do It" I want to start with a question from a close friend from high school:

I've got a couple of questions for you. My wife is trying to lose weight, but she isn't having any success with her diets. She has started a couch to 5k program, but has had no results in weight loss or any inches lost. Can you give me any ideas to help her out? What foods you make etc? You've done such a good job over the last year I figured you might have some pointers?

Absolutely!!! Food is the number one priority when it comes to losing weight. What you consume determines how your body is able to rid itself of fat. So the saying "You can't out exercise a bad diet." is 100% true.

Personally I started with Weight Watchers in March of 2012. I did great up until I took up Weight Lifting and didn't compensate for the excess calories I was burning, so I was under eating.

I am still with Weight Watchers but I don't follow their program 100% as they push fat free this and sugar free that... and it is NOT a healthy way to go (I've done the research and urge others to do so for themselves). But their system for tracking points versus calories is my lifeline. Counting calories has never been any good for me, but counting nutrition content seems to work for me.

I've found myself primarily clean eating (I'd say 90% of the time I eat clean...I still treat myself from time to time with non-clean treats). This means little to no processed (boxed/frozen/fast/cheap/commercially fried) foods and a LOT of fresh produce, vegetables, lean meats, red meats and healthy fats (butter, coconut oil, olive oil, raw milk).

I will say it's an evolution. If she tries to go all out in the beginning it may become so overwhelming she gives up. I know in the beginning I became very, very, very frustrated because I wasn't sure how to eat properly. It's definitely a learning process.

My process goes like this: bulk shop at Sam's once a month to get the meats, and veggies/produce that I will use that they carry. Then I shop weekly for produce and fruits as we run low.

With that said my grocery list usually contains these staple items (not all the same time):

Proteins
-Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
-93/7 Lean Ground Turkey
-90/10 Lean Ground Angus Beef
-Swai Filets
-Tilapia Filets
-Fresh Salmon
-Soy/Grain Free Farm Eggs (Local Farmer)
-Raw Cows Milk (Local Farmer)
-Black Beans
-Tuna in Water
-Ahi Tuna Filets
-Greek Yogurt
-Cheese Sticks
-Organic Whole Fat Yogurt
-Protein Powder (I use this when I'm in a pinch or for late night work outs so I can make it to breakfast the next morning. Optimum Gold Standard Whey and Optimum Gold Standard Casein)

Fibrous Veggies
-Organic Spinach
-Organic Spring Mix
-Romaine
-Broccoli
-Asparagus
-Bell Peppers
-Cauliflower
-Brussel Sprouts
-Green beans
-Squash
-Zucchini
-Cucumber
-Green Onion (Scallions)
-Baby Carrots
-Jicama

Complex/Starchy Carbohydrates
-Old-fashioned Oatmeal
-Whole Wheat Couscous
-Whole Wheat Orzo
-Quinoa
-Sweet potato
-Yam
-Whole Wheat Bread (I like Ezekiel bread -- Frozen Foods in the Health Section, but lately am more fond of Farm To Market 8 Grain Bread, locally made sold at Price Chopper)
-Brown Rice

Healthy Fat Options:
-Natural peanut butter or almond butter (only ingredient should read peanuts or almonds, there should be oil on top, low/no sodium). Personally I love Maranatha Organic Almond Butter, but I really have to watch myself or I can eat an entire jar in a couple of days...it's rather addictive.
-Olive oil
-Coconut Oil (Make sure it's high quality and from a reputable source. Personally I will only buy from Tropical Traditions online as it's made in small batches by small farmers and not chemically processed like most of what you find in stores) http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/virgin_coconut_oil.htm
-Grass Fed Butter (Such as Kerrygold, personally I make butter from the raw milk I purchase. It takes a whopping 20 minutes while the mixer does the work.)
-Almonds
-Walnuts
-Pistachios
-Avocado

Fruit:
-Apples
-Grapes
-Blueberries
-Raspberries
-Strawberries
-Pineapple
-Mango
-Peaches
-Plums
-Lemons (for water & fish)

Condiments:
-Balsamic Vinegar (Please, go visit Heavenly Olive Oils in Zona Rosa... best selection, highest quality and their products are not cut with soy oil like what you can buy in the grocery stores)
-Salsa
-Chili powder
-Mrs Dash (Salt free versions if you can)
-Mustard
-Cinnamon
-Local Raw Honey

Beverages
-Water
-Green Tea
-Herbal Teas


GMO HATER NOTE:

For the LOVE OF GOD, do NOT use Pam Non-stick cooking spray. There are so many chemical additives and GMO's.... BLECH!!!


Great Resources for Clean Eating:

http://muffin-topless.com/nutrition

http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/clean-eating/



I'm sorry for the length of this, but I have found that this is a subject I've grown very passionate about. By all means, should either of you have further questions please let me know. I'd be glad to help in any way I can!

Weigh In

Weigh in Day

06.25 = 212.0

07.02 = 210.4

-1.6 pounds

Total Loss to Date: 67.2 pounds

Today's first-thing-wake-up-naked weight:

After Saturday's two 5k's I found my best friend and loved on it a little ;)

My daughter busted me lovin' on the foam roller. LOL. I hate to admit I'm beginning to fall in love with him. He knows just how to stretch those sore muscles when I need it most, even if it's uncomfortable at times. In the end he always makes me feel better.

Transformation Tuesday

While looking through old hard drives for some photographs I happened to stumble upon a rare photograph of me at my heaviest. This was taken right after an 18 mile bike ride. Yes, even at my heaviest I still did it; uncomfortable, huffing, puffing, and completely in pain, I still did it.

When I put this picture next to the picture taken at Saturdays race, it's enough to make me cry. My how far I've come. I cannot believe I let myself get to such an unhealthy place, but I am forever grateful to those that have been apart of this transformation. I would not be where I'm at today if not for these wonderful folks.

I still have a ways to go, but I'm getting stronger with each passing day. I'm learning more and more about nutrition, my body and what I am truly capable of.

This motivator has so much meaning for me, but I'm posting it for a certain someone. She knows who she is, and she'll understand why I'm posting it, and why I am so proud of her!

The Glow Run 5k

There won't be any official results for this race, as it is like it's counterpart, The Color Run, a non-timed fun run. It's more about the atmosphere and fun of glowing the night away!

I carpooled with my racing buddy, Marisa, and her husband Brent. Once there, he decided he was going to actually run. My calves were tight, my hip was starting to ache and I knew I could not run this race. Of course Marisa, being competitive, ran it with him. I told her to go ahead and do it and I would meet up with another friend who I knew would be there and we would walk it. It was a blast with Kimberly, Amanda, Cheryl and Chris!

{BTW, the tutu's are NOT waist slimming friendly...lesson learned :P }

Me & Kimberly - Before

Just about to start!!!

Glow Tunnel

Almost to the Finish

I did it!!! Two 5k's in one day.

Firecracker Flight - Race Pics

Here are the pics from the official photographers :)

And the official results!!! I moved up one spot in my age group. :P

Firecracker Flight 5k

Pre Race Flat Mama

LOVE my new sox. They are a bit snug on the old thick calves, but they fit. That's more than can be said for any others I've tried at the local stores. And my headband sums up WHY I'M CRAZY ENOUGH to run TWO RACES in ONE DAY! I'm in it for the bling.

Pre Race

Post race with my bling.

Wha wha whaaaaaa

NOT my fastest time by any means. This course had some major hills that sucked big honkin' donkey balls. Secondly my lovely 3 year old decided this would be the PERFECT time to pass his germies to me and I woke up with a congested chest and said hills only compounded the breathing issues I had going on. I felt worthless this race. Also... this sucks so bad, at mile 1 I thought I hit the lap button, um no, I hit the stop button on the Garmin. Grrrrr. Who knows how long I went before I realized it as it ended up only showing 2.83 miles after the finish. :/ Thank goodness for timing chips!

Two hot messes!

So thankful for my running buddy, Marisa.

New Bling!!! Have to order a medal hanger soon. :)

I'm not going to say this race was fun, because I was miserable the entire time. The hills and lack of oxygen nearly killed me. I will say... I'll do it again because it's likely they'll change the location next year. ;) But Marisa & I have determined we will run this Annual Series of Holiday Runs until we can no longer run. Yay for running buddies!