New meal plan fun

As far as meal planning goes, I hate it. I actually love to cook, but with 3 little kids always needing something from me, it is just so tedious planning the menu and following through on it. 

A groupon came out of 5dinners1hour.com and I decided to give it a go. The gist is, you pick 5 meals from their various menu types (skinny, Paleo, Classic, etc). They give you a shopping list and directions for (a) how to put the meals together ahead of time and (b) how to cook the meal the day of. Finding meals that will be accepted by my kids and husband, while still meeting my healthy needs, is always interesting no matter what, but I do my best. This week I only made 3, and I let my oldest son pick one meal, my husband pick one meal and then I picked the third. I figure there will probably be dud meals along the way, but I love trying new things and (hopefully) finding new things my kids will eat.

Our menu this week, courtesy of my fun new chalk board I got for the kitchen:

Most of the stuff used to make the 3 dinners:

Literally 20 minutes later they are ready to go. The coconut chicken gets baked in the oven, while the other 2 meals are going in the slow cooker.

I'm hoping this goes well this week!

New breakfast recipe!

I am forever on a quest for protein packed pancakes for the morning that I just gotta have a pancake. These are delicious! One packet vanilla MRS (meal replacement shake), 6 T liquid egg whites, 1 tsp baking powder and a handful of blueberries. Topped it off with some sugar free syrup. 34 grams of protein in these bad boys!

Well hello again.

As always, I am undecided on keeping up with a blog. Too much work- ha! I do have a new before and after picture though, so I will at least so that. 

Beginning of my journey to now. I was I think 212 in that picture (my highest pregnancy Weight was 235, but this is 5 months later, after I lost the initial stuff).

Currently I am around 155 (depending on the day). 

My first Half Marathon!!

I am not sure I have words to describe this feeling. I literally never in a million years, thought I would ever run a 1/2 marathon. It was always something other people did. Surely someone like me could not run for 13.1 miles. Surely not.

Last Spring I started the Couch to 5k plan, yet again. If I had to guess, I'd say this was the 4th time I had restarted it in the last 5 years. A few times before I had actually completed it, only to quit as soon as the first 5k was finished. I repeatedly told myself and others that running just wasn't for me. Some people are just built for running and some are not.  I am not completely sure what lit the fire under my ass this time, all I know is I was determined not to quit. 

 After signing up for the Disney Princess half marathon, I got a training plan going and just got to it. The path was riddled with issues. Problem after problem arose. Pain in my knee/leg/hip brought me to an orthopedic doctor and PT.  PT was close to impossible when you are a stay at home mom to 3 young kids. I went when I could, which admittedly wasn't often. Shortly after overcoming that, I was diagnosed with kidney stones. Not fun people. Passing a stone is horrific, the surgery to remove the 6 or 7 remaining stones left me with a stent that was also horrific. Eventually though, I got better. I went into Christmas vacation thinking well there is no way I will run a half marathon in February. I set out for my first run in weeks and managed the 4 miles my new training plan required. And then, I just kept going. 

Two runs during the week, and one long run on the weekend, gradually increasing the mileage. That's all it took. Nice slow pace, and even that eventually got a bit faster. As I did longer runs, my shorter runs got a bit quicker. As I lost more weight, even my long runs picked up speed. In another post I will tell you about the amazing supplements I added to my routine, they have made a world of difference in both my pace and endurance. 

I didn't really set a goal, but in my mind I wanted to be between 2:45-3:00 for my finish time. Somehow I blew that out of the water!

This week I got an email with my official results, and I have to stay, I did way better than I ever expected. 

This whole journey has been so amazing. I accomplished something that I never in a million years thought I would. It means so much to me that I followed through on this. And no, I'm not giving up running now either. This is just beginning. ;-)

Chipotle!

Proving to myself that I CAN eat out, enjoy a meal, and have it still fit my plan. Today's lunch, Chipotle. I just love that place.

Here's what I got:

Salad with lettuce, 1/2 serving brown cilantro lime rice, fajita vegetables (asked for extra), chicken, and mild salsa. I got the guac on the side and only used 1/2 of the serving cup. No salad dressing- the salsa and guacamole were enough to make it taste good. Best of all, I am completely satisfied and not so full I feel sick. I love being able to eat and with no guilt. 

Before and After face shot!

Came across the picture on the left the other day.  It's funny, when it's me and my day to day, I simply don't think I look that different--until I look at pictures!  (your daily reminder to always take progress pics!!)

On the left I am about 3 weeks post-partum after my third baby.  I weigh about 55 lbs or so more in that picture than I do in the one on the right, taken this past weekend.

Crazy!

Another short cut meal prep!

I love to cook, really I do. With 3 little boys though, well, cooking is not always easy to get done. I found these ready made grilled chicken breasts in the freezer section and they have saved my lunches lately.  All you have to do is microwave them.  I either throw one in a whole grain sandwich thin or wrap, or cut up on top of some spring mix salad. Very easy.

Throw a side of veggies and hummus with it, and it's my favorite lunch!

Another workout!

Man, I'm starting to think HIIT may be my jam.  It is nice to bump that metabolism up while not having to run for an hour.  Wednesday I ran almost 4 miles, so yesterday was technically a non-run day.  I decided to do my HIIT on the treadmill, so I did end up running, and it was fun!  I think I am going to try continuing my 3 runs a week and then do 2-3 days of HIIT followed by weight training.  

Yesterday on the treadmill I did:

5 minute warm up walk (on 4.0)

1:00 run (should be hard and something you can only do for a minute.  I am a slow runner, so I tried 6.5 first, 6.6 second time and then finally landed on 6.7 as the rest of my sprints)

2:00 walk on 4.0

Repeat 10 times.
The beauty of HIIT is shorter workouts.  I think shooting for 20 minutes is good, but I was having fun so I kept going.  For kicks I ran my last minute sprint at a 7.0- I just wanted to see if I could do it.  And I could.  ;-)

Next did weights, with absolutely zero plan going in.  Sometimes that ends in disaster, but yesterday I think it went pretty well.  I'm taking my sore body today as a good sign anyway.

Low Row (pully)   (27.5 lbs) 3 sets of 12 reps
Lat pull down (pully) (27.5 lbs) 3 sets of 12 reps
Body weight low squats     3 sets of 15
Back row with barbell  (40 lb bar)  3 sets of 12
3 40 second planks
modified (on knees) push ups    3 sets of 10

Lots and lots of stretching.

That ended up being over an hour workout after stretching.  I don't usually have quite that much time, but I got to the gym an hour earlier than usual so I wasn't chasing the clock trying to get the little one home for nap.

Workout share!

I have been running a lot, obviously, in preparation for my very first 1/2 marathon.

Did I really just say that?! I still cannot believe this is happening.  It is a week and a half away and I still can't fathom that *I* am about to run a 1/2 marathon.  That is 13.1 miles for those keeping track. 

I run 3 days a week most weeks, and every week have good intentions to do other exercise on a few more days of the week.  And lately, man have those plans gotten interrupted.  Sick kids mostly, that's a common hold up in the life of a mom. 

Anyway, yesterday I actually made it to the gym and it wasn't a run day. I had a loose plan in my head, but mostly I made it up as I went along, and it turned out to be a pretty kick ass workout, so I thought I'd share.  

I started off by doing 20 minutes on a spin bike.  I wanted to try an HIIT (high intensity interval training workout), so it looked like this:

5 minute warm up

15 second all out sprint

45 second recovery

Times 12

Cool down for a few minutes.

That's it.  

I wanted to get some upper body weights in.  I know lower body weights would be great for runners, but this close to race day I didn't want to make my legs sore or anything.  Right before leaving for the gym, a friend posted this video on her Facebook page and I knew I wanted to try it.  

(when you see my weights, keep in mind I haven't lifted in a while, so I didn't want to go too heavy or anything crazy.)

Chest press with just bar (45lbs)

3 sets of 12

The shoulder moves in this video:

awesome shoulders

I only used a 20 lb bar and did 3 sets of 10. My shoulders were burning though.

Biceps curls

30 lb bar, 3 sets of 12

Tricep skull crushers

20 lb bar, 3 sets of 12

Then I moved down to the stretching area, did 

3 30 second planks and some bridges, stretched myself out and done.  

Loved it.  Hopefully after next week I can get into some lifting again.  It really reminded me how much I just love it.

Meal prep tip!

I love to eat brown rice as a healthy carb addition to my meals. What I don't love is making a pot of brown rice every time I want it. My husband is half Asian, so fat chance he'll eat anything but his white sticky rice.  So, brown rice short cut for Lynn it is!

I make a big pot of brown rice in the rice cooker. Nice, because I can get it all in there, hit cook, and then deal with it later when I have time. 

When I'm ready, I scoop it out in 1/2 cup serving sizes and put into ziplock bags.

I close the bags, squeeze all the air out of them, and smush down flat. After flattened, I put all those bags into one giant freezer bag, close it up, and label it. 

Then I pop that sucked into the freezer. When I want a serving of brown rice with my meal, I simply take out one bag, microwave, and enjoy. Delicious every time!

My Running essentials!

I mean, besides the obvious running shoes, I never leave home without my music, my Garmin GPS watch, and water. These things really make my heart sing. 

Sometimes it happens.

Ever find yourself eating your way through the day and suddenly you are diving face first into a bag of m&m's??

No?  Just me?

I have problems with binges. It took me pretty much my whole life to figure this out, but I tend to derail and derail hard when I start to sneak into things. Yesterday was day 2 stuck at home with a 2 and 1 year old, but with stomach bugs. We couldn't go anywhere, I was bored, tired and well, m&m's happened.

Unlike my usual M.O., I actually make a conscience decision to eat more after the first handful. I looked up serving size in My Fitness Pal, I counted out the m&m's, I tracked them and moved on. I didn't eat the whole bag and I didn't start eating other shit just because I had already messed up. 

That my friends, is what I call a success. 

Advocare 24 day challenge- Results!

I am thrilled with my results of the 24 day challenged!  I broke through my dreaded plateau, lost some inches, and the day after it ended, I bought a pair of jeans a size smaller!  That right there I will call a win.

Pounds lost-- 5.5

Total inches lost-- 8

This is another example of why I think taking progress pictures is so important.  5 1/2 pounds doesn't really sound like that much, but when I can look at myself and see a noticeable difference, it is encouraging.  

I started the challenge a complete skeptic, I admit.  I finished it with a changed opinion.  Do I think I could have busted my plateau and started losing again without it? Yes, I actually do.  But to be able to accomplish this in 24 days really just kind of got me going and gave me a much needed confidence boost.  

So did I sign up to do more? Yes, I did.  I decided to continue the MNS daily, along with several other products.  I'm in a good place, may as well keep going!

Advocare 24 Day Challenge- part 2, The food

If I had started to blog at the very beginning of this journey, I'd be able to give better descriptors of my foods each day. I didn't though, so instead you get my daily pictures.

Let it be known, in case it's not obvious, i was not 100% on plan every day. And that is ok. What I have found, over years of fighting this battle, is you need flexibility, no matter what your plan is. So do I eat a protein bar or a shake when I want it? Yes. I did try to save complete treat/cheats for after the challenge, because I did want to honor the commitment that I made, but I did not have wine of brownies or real indulgences like that. 

Ok, so this next day gets fuzzy. I got very sick the afternoon after my run. I thought I needed more carbs, so I pretty much kept eating. Didn't help. You'll see in the next few days I didn't track so well. 

Max Phase- part 1, The Supplements

After the cleanse is over, the last 14 days of the 24 day challenge is called Max Phase. Essentially it is continued clean eating, with supplements. It is recommended you drink their Meal Replace Shake for breakfast, and then pretty much the rest is the same as far as food goes.

As for supplements, my day looks like this: (anything in italics is an optional add-on supplement, not something included in the challenge)

Go here to read more about MNS-C  (I took the appetite control kind, though there are 3 different ones to choose from)

Read more about Catalyst

Before breakfast:

Spark, MNS color packet, 3 catalyst

Breakfast:

MNS shake and  thermoplus

Mid-morning- snack

Before lunch:

MNS color packet, 3 Catalyst

Lunch:

With lunch, the 2 white MNS packets

Mid-afternoon:

Snack and usually a Spark

Dinner: 

With dinner, 2 omegaplex

More about Omegaplex

Bedtime: 

3 Catalyst 

Run!

Like a turtle!  But by damn, RUN!

Last year, probably around March, I decided to give the old couch to 5K yet another go.  And hindsight is 20/20 folks, but I wish I had kept track of my progress.  When I started I struggled to finish a 1 minute run.  3 minutes felt like an eternity.  And the day I turned on my training plan to see that I had to run 20 minutes, consecutively, I may have thrown up a little in my mouth.  I have never been a runner.  I have started this program at least 5 times.  I have completed it once or twice, always to quit running again after finishing a 5K.

This time was different.  I felt a fire people.  It lit up under me and I decided to keep going.  Why continue to tell the world and myself that running just isn't in me? Running just wasn't something I could accomplish?  I was over 200 freaking pounds and I was doing it, and dammit, I wanted to get better.  The day I decided to stop quitting was the day I decided I am worth it. I can do it.  I will do it.  

And then the crazy took over and I signed up for a half-marathon. Ha! I still don't know what got into me, but it is coming up soon.  This month I will run a half marathon.  It is unthinkable really.  

On Christmas morning 2014, I woke up and ran 3 miles.  It was actually a rather difficult 3 miles.  It was 3 miles full of doubt.  I had been injured, gone through PT, gotten the flu, suffered from kidney stones and stent placements and pain in the months prior.  I was feeling defeated. I didn't want to run.  I wanted to quit. 

I wanted to quit.

I wanted to quit.  But I didn't.  I ran.  I told myself I would do it. And I did.

And the funny thing about not quitting?  You actually really do get better.  You get more stamina, more endurance and yes, more fire under your ass.

Until this happened:

I found I love running solo.  In the event I need a companion, I have one readily available.

My first half marathon is in 17 days.  It's no longer IF I finish one, it is WHEN I finish one.  Because I actually now believe it is possible.

Advocare 24 day challenge- The Cleanse

So, I hit a plateau.  I was struggling with the same 3-4 pounds over and over for a month.  Also, Christmas hit, and as much as I told myself I wouldn't go overboard, I just kind of did. Christmas cookies are my thang, ya'll.  I bake them for the neighbors.  I bake them for family. I eat them and eat them and eat them.

I digress.  My good friend got into Advocare a few months ago. Her and her husband were quite successful in losing weight and they signed up to sell the product.   I had completed Couch to 5K, and signed my ass up for a real, live, 1/2 marathon (more on this later).  My friend introduced me to a few of their Performance Elite products, and I honestly fell in love with them.  But as far as the weight loss stuff goes, I had just kind of ignored it all.  I was plugging away at weight loss on my own, through healthy, clean eating (with the occasional treat meal/day/weekend) and exercise.  Surely these supplements are meant for someone who can't do it on their own. Right?  So, I ignored.

Then the plateau.  I felt stuck, I felt frustrated, my eating started to slide. I texted my friend and said ok, yes. I will try it.  And thus, here I am.  Smack dab in the middle of an Advocare 24 Day Challenge.  And so happy I decided to go for it.

Go here to read more about the 24 Day Challenge

This challenge starts off with a 10-day cleanse.  The cleanse is basically really clean eating, and some supplements.  I am writing this about a week after the fact, so don't have pictures of everything, but let's do this day by day, shall we.

Days 1-3

First thing in morning: Drink Spark (energy drink)  Take (optional) Catalyst.

Wait 30 minutes.

Drink Fiber drink, extra water, and eat breakfast (or drink the optional Meal Replacement Shake)

Morning Snack: fat and fruit

Lunch: protein, vegetable, complex carb

Afternoon snack: fat and fruit (optional: drink another Spark and take Catalyst)

Dinner: Protein, Vegetables, Complex Carb (if needed).  Take OmegaPlex.

Bedtime: Take Herbal Cleanse caplets (optional: Take more Catalyst)

Here is my Day 1-3 in food:

Days 4-7

Pretty much all the same as above with these exceptions:

NO Fiber drink (cause for celebration for many)

Take ProBiotic Restore Ultra in the morning with your Spark.

Here is my food in pictures:

Days 8-10

Add that Fiber drink back in!  Keep taking ProBiotic.

No more Herbal Cleanse caplets before bed.

Summary of my 10 day cleanse.  

Overall, I felt good.  I was a little worried about cutting out my morning coffee.  I knew I was replacing it with the caffeine in Spark, but it is just routine for me to drink a cup of coffee every morning.  I ended up doing just fine without it.  I had plenty of energy throughout the day, I was able to keep up with my workouts.  

My eating was really not very different from how I was already eating.  In fact, nearly identical actually.  So that part was good.  I am not sure if this is why, but I never felt like I had any magical cleanse happen.  I'm not sure what I was expecting (probably more pooping if I'm being honest, because let's face it, isn't that what you think of when you hear the word cleanse?).  

I was kind of hungry a few days.  And as you can see in the pictures, while I didn't go overboard and never felt like I was necessarily cheating, I did eat things that were not on the official approved list (namely: protein drinks and that delicious Kind bar).  I did my best and I think overall, I ate clean.  I didn't break any of their major rules.

My results in numbers:

Pounds lost- 2.5

Inches lost- 0

I am excited to get started with the next 

14 days.  I am told this is where the magic happens.  

So.  I'll let ya know. ;-)