My failures

Well I haven't been on here for a while.
Basically I have fell back into my bad eating habits and I was to embarrassed to write about it.
I felt like a complete hypocrite and failure.
I got to a comfortable spot and decided it wasn't that big of deal if I ate chips or cookies on a regular basis.
It's a struggle for me.
I think I have gained about 6 lbs back.
I am a complete believer that sugar is addicting.
And at the moment I am an addict.......again!
I have started drinking wine at least 3-4 nights a week.
This is the biggie!
Alcohol just makes everything spiral.
I tell myself it's ok to eat whatever I want after I've had a glass or two.
Then the next day I feel puffy and bloated, don't want to go to the gym, and if I'm lucky I don't have a headache!
It's better if I just stay away from it or at least limit it to once on the weekends!

So I need to get back on the fitness train.
I was happier and felt better about myself when I was eating healthy and working out regularly.
I have been thinking of doing the Advocare 24 day cleanse but man it's expensive. 
I even get a discount and I still think it's expensive.
But I heard from many people that it's worth it, so will see.
If your interested in it click on this Link to see details

I need to get back on a workout routine.
It's a simple fact with me that I obviously need a plan to stick to if I'm going to get my booty back on the workout train.

Well I want to say the holidays completely destroyed me and blame this all on them.
But the reality is they didn't.
This is all on me and I am taking complete responsibility for my actions and bad choices.
So time to get back on track and I have to do that one day at a time.

I'm not a failure I'm human just like everyone else but I need to own my choices!

Peace,
Shelby

Try to survive the holidays

The holiday season is in full swing in the house.
I will start off by apologizing now.
I have not been updated as often as I would like.
My kids have been sick, now I feel like pooh, and we have been crazy busy on top of that.
I haven't experienced crazy holidays in a while.
I have tons of packing to get done by Thursday day this week a because it's time for IOWA!!!!!
So I will post on this blog but it probably will be minimal till mid January and might not be so fitness related:)
Here's some fun pics from our community Christmas party last night.
The kiddos had a blast and so did I.
The hubby was outta town so he was there in spirit:)

We have my hubby's xmas party tonight.
I'm gonna look smokin hot.  LOL!
I'll post pics.  This will be the first time I've worn a dress in a while.
And the first time I've worn something other then yoga pants or sweat pants two nights in a row,whoa watch out!

I still haven't gotten a chance to check into gyms where I'm going to be.
I need to. Working out outside in December/January in Iowa usually isn't an option.
And I know if I don't I will feel like a fat blob by the time we leave.

I will say not drinking is not an option over this holiday.  I'm going to be living with family for 3 weeks straight.
Drinking maybe what gets me through it.
Don't get me wrong I love and have a blast with my kin but sometimes there is drama ( wait I lied it's more then sometimes).
But that's what the holidays are all about:)

So what are some tips to keep the holiday weight gain down?

1. Drink your dinner - raising your class up to your lips and putting it back down counts as an arm workout.  Make sure you alternate arms;)
2. Bring a small child with you so consistently chasing them around.  You won't have time to eat.
3.Only eat at buffets so your consistently getting up and down to get food.

LoL that's all I got for now:)
I know I'll have tons of stories and advice on how not to go completely insane over the holidays.

Keep calm and breath:)
Shelby

Weigh in Wednesday

I was completely dreading today.
Getting on the scale was the last thing I wanted to do after eating crap and drinking wine all weekend.
But I knew it had to be done so I sucked it up and jumped on.
And to my surprise

I'm not really sure how this happened.  I mean I guess I did eat crap for two days but Monday I started eating normal healthy again.
I guess something can be said for eating right.
Actually I think a lot can be said.
I've struggled to lose weight for the last 3 years.
I've gone to the gym at times pretty consistently even though it mainly consisted of running and the scale never budged.
I think ever since I changed my diet and eat mainly clean it has made a huge difference in everything.
There are definitely days when all I want to eat is crap but those are becoming fewer and farther in between.
I eat way less sugar then I used to and I think it makes me feel 100% better over all.
I'm not stupid in know that the holidays will be a struggle.
I think they are for everyone.
I would really just like to maintain and hopefully hoover around 150 by the end of the month.

One big thing for me is to not beat myself up when I eat something that's not good for me, when drink a little to much wine, or if I skip a workout.
I used to beat myself up all the time and it turned into feeling sorry for myself and I would just give up.
I've come to realize being a stay at home mom, or a mom in general, or I guess just life in general calls for doing things on the fly.
You have kids and most of the time they come first or something important pops up that you have to take care of and can't make it to the gym.
My daughter has a cold and a nasty cough right now and I can't take her to my gyms daycare.
Normally I would beat myself up over this but it is what it is and I can't change that.
I'll try to do some little things at home but if I don't have time then I don't.
I still focus on eating healthy and that tends to be enough if I need it to be.
Don't get me wrong I want to workout and I'm hoping she feels better soon so I can get in the gym.
I need to get my lift on but I'm just saying you gotta work with what you got.
Don't beat yourself up just do what you can do and when your doing it give it 110%
I need to remember that when I'm in Iowa for 3 weeks and finding a gym might not be that easy:)

Ok enough with me lecturing I hope you all have a great hump day.
I will post pics soon but with my daughter being sick I haven't had time.
One step closer to small goal number #2.  I'm giving myself a, YOU GO GIRL!  lol

Shelby

New Workout Strategy and New Hair

*New hair color*  

What cha think?  

It's growing on me.  

I feel like I need to get some self tanner for my face though

The darker hair makes me look pale.  

And a new shirt.  

Gosh I'm really horrible at taking selfies.  

You can tell I don't do it that often.

Thought I'd throw a pic of my yummy breakfast in here today.
I used left over veggies to spice up my eggs this morning.
They were delicious.
I need to mix that up to.
Plain eggs were getting BORING!
On a side note did you know asparagus makes your pee smell funny.
If you didn't know before you do know:) LOL

I found a new workout I've tried the last three days.  

I've had to modify it a bit but that's ok, it's whatever works for me right?

I got back on bodybuilding.com and decided to give their Rewired workout a whirl.  

It's more focused on burning fat and building muscle. 

The Erin Stern workout I was going to try seemed to focus more on building muscle and that's not what I need right now.  

Eventually it will be, but I want to burn some fat first. 

I might try to incorporate part of her workout into mine though because there was some stuff I really liked.

I've also increased my treadmill times this week.

As you all know, well if anyone reads this they would know that lately I have had a bad taste in my mouth for running:)

I had been doing basically 20 min on the treadmill 5-6 times a week.  

They were all mostly HITT workouts.  

This week I've been on the treadmill at least 30-40 min. per workout.

I'm going to keep that plan going and increase it to hopefully 45 min per workout when I have time.

Doing a 45 min treadmill workout plus weights makes for a long time at the gym.

I wouldn't really care but I can only put my daughter in the daycare there for two hours and I like to try to shower if I can before I leave.  

It just makes my life easier. 

So I'll have to play it by ear and see what I can work in and what I can't.

So hopefully I see some results from this new strategy for a couple weeks.  

I need to find a good ab workout to incorporate to.  

I'm not a fan of situps.  

I will lift arms and legs all day but situps, blahhh!!!! Not my fav!

Ok better get moving.
Have a good one!

~Shelby

Weigh in Wednesday

Well only an extra pound on that scale this morning. whoop whoop!
I can live with that.
I was scared it would be more like 5.
Now I only have about 2 weeks to get some more weight off before I leave.
What's a realistic goal for this month?
Do I shoot to lose 5lbs, 7lbs, 10lbs??????
Or do I just try not to gain any weight since it's the holiday season?
I'm going to be in Iowa for 3 weeks, 3 loooooong weeks.
That's 3 weeks of traveling back and forth between my family and my husbands family home towns.
There's will be lots of drinking and lots of food.
So I need a plan.
I need to check with the YMCA in our home towns because I think since were members here we can use their facilities in other cities either for a free or a discount.
That would make working out a lot easier!
Just another thing to add to my list of to do's before we go.

So I think I'm going to shoot for a 5lb weight loss this month.
That will put me at 150 going into the new year and I will be happy with that.
I know it's only 5lbs.
They lose more then 5lbs in a week on the biggest loser all the time.
But for some reason my weight is not coming off like it used to.
I must be getting old.  LOL
At least I'm trying to lose all this weight the healthy way and not starving myself.
For to many years I would just not eat and workout and it sucked but it worked.
But obviously it didn't work for the long haul.
Cause here we are again:)
Now I'm just ranting.
So 5lbs this month.
It's on, and if for some reason if I manage to lose more then 5 I will be in absolute heaven.

When I really think about it I'm sitting at a really comfortable weight for me.
Any time I have been between 150-155 I've just been comfortable.
I could just stop now and be content with how I look but I know more then likely the weight would creep back on.
I don't want to be comfortable.
I want to push my body as far as I can personally right now.
I want to be fit and strong.
So here we go.

Here's my measurements from my 4 week challenge.
Not to shabby if I say so myself.

Frist number is old measurement second is new 

Bicep

R-11 - 11

L-11 - 10.5

Hips(right around the hip bone)

38 - 36

Butt

43- 40.5

Thigh(10in. above the knee)

R-25 - 24

L-26 - 25

Calf

R-15 - 15

L-15 - 14.5

I lost a total of 7.5 inches. 

Can't disappointed about that at all!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Shelby

My Motivation

Got some new shades
What do you think?  I think I like! hee hee
It was in the 70's here yesterday.
I don't think I've ever lived any where where it was 70 degrees in December.
I'm really liking livin in NC!

Last night I made homemade playdough for the first time ever.
I was a little skeptical of how it was going to turn out.
I had to make it for my son's school.
It actually turned out really good.
It's the edible kind.  Here's the recipe incase anyone interested.


Edible Play-dough

Mix in a medium size pot
2 cups Flour
1 cups Salt
4tbs cream of tarter
2 cups water
3tsp food coloring
2tbs. oil
Cook on medium heat.  Stir for about 3-5 min.  A ball will for in the middle of the pot.  Remove ball onto a floured surface and knead it till it's the consistency you want.  I had to add a little extra flour to it.  Let cool completely and store in a air tight container.


I finally got into the gym yesterday.
It was way less of a struggle then I figured it would be.
I think I'm stuck.
I feel myself just going through the motions.
I need to change it up, a routine that will really burn the calories.
I feel like I may have been focusing on building a lot of muscle which is good but I think I need to burn more fat while I'm building muscle.
I've been doing a lot of internet searching and there's just sooooo much info and so many opinions.
Maybe I need to find a trainer once that will push me in the right direction.
Until I can find something solid I'll just keep doing what I'm doin and hopefully keep dropping pounds.
I was actually going to get on the scale this morning but completely forgot.
Guess you'll just have to wait till tomorrow to see the damage from Thanksgiving.
My clothes all still fit so that's a positive.
Maybe it won't be as bad as I'm fearing it will be:) HA!

If anyone has any advice I have open ears!
I love tips but no tricks:)

I hope everyone is getting back into their routines.
Get back in that gym!
Here's my motivation for Tuesday.
Love these little monsters!

Holiday Home Workout

Happy Monday!
Hope y'all had a grrrrrrreat weekend!
I sure did.
We celebrated my son's birthday on Saturday.
I made him a minion cake that turned out pretty awesome.

Who knew I was such a suzy homemaker? LOL
Yesterday we did a little Christmas shopping and bought a Christmas tree!  Whoop Whoop!
We left ours in Germany because it was a piece, so I had to buy a new one this year.
We got a small, skinny little thing that will do for now and that I can use as a second tree in the future.
After the holiday season is over, I plan on buying a humongously awesome tree on sale:)

Ok now to the workout stuff.

We're heading out for Thanksgiving so I need to have a workout plan in place.  I don't want to undo all the work I've done.
There is so much info out there on different at-home workouts.

I found a resistence band in our hall closet that I plan to put to use.
Not sure where it came from or how it got there but I was really happy to find it.
It will help with the workout routine while I'm on the road yo.

So here's what I have come up with.
When I read this, it sounds crazy but I think it will be a good plan.
I wanted to test it out this weekend but for some reason I didn't get to it.
So hopefully this afternoon or tomorrow I'll get the test run in and report back.
I'm really wondering how the rest periods will be.
Push through arrrrrgh!!!!!!!

5 min warm up(5 rounds)
-30 sec. jumping
-30 sec. standing toe taps on stairs

4 rounds
-stair jumps to top both feet (skip 1 or 2 steps your preference)
-resistance band squats with shoulder press 10-15
-wide stride sprint up stairs
-20sec rest

5 stair sprints

4 rounds
-elastic band good mornings 10-15
-criss cross rows 10-15
-100 toe taps in push up position on second stair (tap 10 first step alternating, tap 10 second step alternating)
30 sec. rest

5 sprints

4 rounds
-resistance band curls 10-15
-resistance band overhead tricep extention 10-15
-40 toe taps each foot, knee twists each leg in push up position on step.
30 sec. rest

5 stair sprints skipping one step

4 rounds
-Abs (wrap resistance band around door knob, hold band with resistance at waist and arms out; then twist away from door knob) 10-15 each side
-push ups 10-15
-3 sprints
30sec. rest

4 rounds
-resistance band donkey kicks on hands and knees 10-15
-side steps 10-15
-40 toe taps each foot, knee twits each leg in push up position on step.
30 sec. rest

5 sprints

Looks awesome, but we'll see.
Remember this week is results week.
I'll get pics and measurements done for Tuesday so stay tuned.
The last 4 weeks have been amazing.
I look and feel so much better and I got a ton of compliments at my son's party.
I gave myself a much-deserved pat on the back.

Shelby

Zucchini Lasagna

I found this awesome recipe for Zucchini lasagna that I couldn't wait to share!

I was VERY VERY skeptical at first.
Who on gods green earth eats a vegtables in place of a noodle?
And makes it for the first time on their husbands birthday?

Well, I guess I'm gonna.

Luckily it turned out amazing.

My husband loved it and so did my son!  

Win Win!  

I love my pasta so if I didn't think this was worth it I wouldn't share it with y'all. 

I give this one 5 big fat stars!

Here's original recpie I started with from Brokeandbougie's website. Thanks!!!  
I didn't follow it exact,  I made some modifications to fit me but for the most part it's the same.
I stink at pics so bare with me, food pics just aren't my thing.

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground turkey 
• 8 ounces reduced fat cottage cheese 
• 2-3 medium zucchinis mandolin
• 2 cups no-sugar added tomato sauce 
• 1/2 large white onion diced 
• 3/4 cup natural low sodium chicken broth 
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese 
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Cook turkey with chicken broth, Italian seasoning, onion and garlic till browned. 
Make sure most of the chicken broth is absorbed 
Grease a 9x13 baking dish  
Lay out the zucchini and make a solid layer in the pan. 
Top with one cup tomato sauce. 
Now make a layer with all turkey. 
Top the turkey with the cottage cheese, spreading it out as evenly as possible. 
Add rest of tomato sauce over turkey, cottage cheese mix.
Top with the rest of the zucchini making another solid layer.
Finally top with cheese.
Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and salt
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for an hour.


Take out of oven and devour!  

Enjoy,
Shelby

Progress Pics!

Can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already.

I am overly excited for it.  

This is our first Thanksgiving in 3 years that's in America. 

I can't wait to just lounge around all day with the Fam!   

We're heading to GA for it so it will be like a mini vacation. 

And I'm getting my hair done to. I can't wait!  

It's gonna be epic.  Lol!

Since I'm heading out of town I won't have a gym to get ripped in. 

Well maybe first I'll check and see if any of the Fam has any guest passes I can use at there gym. 

Oooooh That would be nice. 

But I need to come up with a routine I can do myself at home.  

There's so many tips and tricks out there it makes my head spin just thinking about it. 

But I'll do some research and post my Turkey Vacation workout on Monday incase anyone is interested. 

Now to the good part. PICS!!!!!!

Here's my progress pics since I started this whole thing.

Definitely good changes!  

Big changes!   

I can't wait to do my final 4 week measurements and pics on Tuesday. 

I've worked so hard. 

Now just have to make that final push. 

Happy Thursday!!!!!

Peace,

Shelby

Weigh in Wednesday

Well another week down and the number on the scale finally moved again:)

Finally under 155!  Yay!!!!

I don't remember the last time I've been under 155. 

I worked hard for that number!   

First goal hit, now on to 150!  

I'm dreaming of the day I'm in the 140's.  

It used to seem impossible but not any more!

I will have to say the hardest part of this whole thing is making sure I eat healthy. 

For the most part everything has been clean the last 3 weeks. 

I've maybe had two dinners per week that are not. 

If we get home late or a weekend night we might order out and  it might not be clean. 

Or pop a pizza in the oven. 

What can I say I'm a sucker for pizza:)

But at least I eat it in moderation now.  

I have cut out almost all sugars. 

I don't crave sweets anymore or feel the need to binge eat in the afternoon while my daughter is napping. 

If I feel like I need a little extra I have a cup of tea with honey and that usual does the trick. 

I'm no expert but I really think you need to find what works for you.  

What I do isn't gonna work for everyone else. 

The pounds are coming off slow and usually that would be to my detriment but this time I'm focused, I see new muscles everyday(results), and I'm ready for a change.  

I'll post some transformation pics tomorrow to compare.  

Have a great Wednesday,

Shelby

HITT

Brrrrrrrr it's cold here today. We busted out the winter coats

I want to say Thanks to my hubby for his awesome post yesterday. 

He's such a good writer and and loves me so much!
I'm lucky to have him in my life!

Ok back to it. 

I hit the gym this weekend pretty good this weekend.
Saturday I had a cardio day and ripped out 3 1/2 miles.
I turned the virtual runner on on the treadmill and it was fun.
I ran through the Swiss alps and through the Swiss city, Bern.
It was like I was back in Europe all over again.
It made running on the treadmill go so fast and the incline went up and down as you moved through the mountains which made for a great burn.
Sunday was arm/shoulder day(one of my favs)
Yesterday was Legs.
5 rounds of squats and I feel it today.
But it's such a good feeling!

I also did a HITT workout in the evening.
Ran a mile to warm up then did each of these sets twice for 5 min each total 20 min
20 secs on 40 secs off on a 5 incline 9.5 speed
30 secs on 30 secs off  on a 2 incline 9.5 speed.
Kicked my butt.
My butt literally hurt afterwards:)
Try it and see what you think.  

I'm really trying to blast some calories so I can start seeing all these muscles I'm working hard to get:)

On a different note we had a birthday we celebrated this weekend.
My son turned 5.
I can't believe I have a year old.
We did a small celebration on his birthday and we're having a big party this weekend.

We also got family pictures taken.
This will be the first family pics where I'm not preggers or just had a baby.
I'm so excited to see how they turned out.
It was super chilly but our photographer Rosa from Rosa Ashdown Photography did a great job with them.
This week I'm busy getting ready for the party. 

I'm attempting to make a piñata.  

I'm afraid one swipe at it will bust it wide open. 

Hopefully we will get through a couple kids before that.  

And I have a cake to make.  

We're doing a minion theme. It's so cute!

Stay tuned for my weigh in tomorrow.  

I'm pretty sure the scaled moved just not sure how much.  

And less then a week till the finale results of my 4 week challenge.  Hola!!!!!!!

Peace, 

Shelby

It's a choice

My husband decided to write a guest blog today.  
I feel so fancy having a guest blogger like I'm important or something. Hee hee
He sent this to me and it made my day.  
It's not about working out or losing weight.
It's about how much he appreciates what I do.  
He's such a good writer!
So here's to all those stay at home moms out there.
Hope you enjoy!


I find it hard to answer the question, “So what does your wife do?” It seems cliché and old-fashioned to say, “My wife is a homemaker” or “My wife works at home.” I don’t picture myself as a 2014 version of Don Draper, and Shelby definitely isn’t my Betty Draper. There’s another answer to that question, but it just sounds downright lazy, “No, my wife doesn’t work / doesn’t have a job.” The fact is: she works. Her job is regularly harder than mine. It requires careful planning, enormous amounts of patience and a nearly unlimited willingness to give of herself.   

The dad work-mom home arrangement might sound 1960s cliché. But in reality, it feels very modern. Shelby actually had three professional jobs before I had my first one. She was the main breadwinner for nearly seven years before our move to Germany more or less forced her into the homemaker role. We’ve been lucky (and maybe smart) enough to be able to craft a decent living off of one main paycheck. In a day-and-age when a family of four generally requires two cars, individual bedrooms, some outdoor space, tv, internet, fun money and everything else, that’s not an easy task.  Shelby working at home also saves us daycare costs, which we found out this year, would run about $2000/month for both kids full-time. Her “other” job would have to pay quite a bit to justify that cost. 

What’s more, we once had our son in full-time daycare. What we both came to realize is that neither of us saw him for 10 hours a day. If you include sleep hours, we actually saw and interacted with our son for about 3 hours a day during the work week. That felt less like a family and more like a collection of people living together. There was one point when we moved back to the U.S. when we contemplated Shelby going back to work, and I asked the question, “Are we sure that we want to be away from our kids for 10 hours a day?” The question wasn’t intended to make her stay home, even though that was one of the consequences of our decision. The question forced both of us to examine our priorities when it comes to our kids. That, I think, is the hallmark of a modern relationship. In the 1960s, custom dictated familial roles. In 2014, your priorities and values have a much greater influence over who does what in the family. 

So when I’m asked what my wife does, I answer, “She’s a mom.” She’s not even a homemaker, but for me that has more to do with keeping the house clean and the laundry done. Those are chores, and work—if you can manage it—shouldn’t be a chore. Being a mother is her profession at the moment. Will that change? I’m almost certain of it. That’s the modern piece; become who you want to be in the moment and find work over chores, no matter what custom or tradition say.

~a loving husband. 

 


Peace,

Shelby

 

What is happening to me?

Leg day was yesterday
Actually it was going to be my day off but son begged for me to take him to the gym so off we went.
I decided just to do some cardio but the gym was pretty empty (SWEET!) so I decided I might as well take advantage and get some lifting in.
Here's how I felt afterwards

But I feel great now!
I love leg day.
I wish I did legs more then twice a week.
Maybe eventually I will add and extra leg day in but right now I'm in a good routine and don't want to mess anything up.
I do want to add dead lifts to my workout but for some reason I am afraid of them.
I don't feel like I know how to do them right.
I just need to ask someone at the gym for help. I'm such a sissy, arrrgh maybe this week.

I noticed a weird change in myself this weekend.
I have been excited to workout.
I can't wait till the nursery opens so I can head to the gym to drop my kids off.
What is happening to me?
I have never been excited to workout.
When all I did was run it was a constant struggle.
I had days where I really enjoyed running and couldn't wait to go but it wasn't the way I feel about lifting.
It's fun, addicting, and I feel amazing when I done.

I love having a workout high!!!!!

With running you constantly have to add more mileage to get anything out it.
I remember when 6 miles was nothing for me, but I really remember is that gut retching feeling that if I didn't run 6 or more miles I wasn't getting anything out of my workout.
It's not that way with lifting.
Throw on some more weight and BAM your not gonna be able to walk the next day.
Like I've said before I'm so glad I decided to pick up a set of weights.  Definitely one of my better decisions in life!
And better late then never!
Here's how I feel about he gym now

Hope y'all have a great week!

Peace, 

Shelby