Relax and Prep for the Week

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Any fun new adventures? Mine was pretty low key but very nice and relaxing

I got to spend time with my family Saturday and then friends Saturday night. Sunday I finished my errands, prepared for the upcoming week, and relaxed a lot!I stayed with my Weight Watchers points for most of the week, but last night I did dip into my weeklies as I enjoyed some sweet potato chips.

For me, preparing for the week means meal prepping. I know that if I don't cook food ahead of time I will without a doubt eat the wrong foods and then feel very yucky! The last few weeks I have kept it pretty simple and the same, crockpot shredded chicken. I love it.

Crockpot shredded chicken...so easy to make!!

Shredded Chicken:
- Chicken breast:  I usually put in about 4 thick pieces.
- Chicken Broth:  My favorite is Pacific Brand. I just put a enough in the crockpot to cover the bottom and touch the sides of the chicken. You really don't need much, this just makes sure it doesn't dry out. 

Pacific Brand is super delicious!

- Spices that you like: I love Bragg Mix

I love Braggs. I also use this brand for my apple cider vinegar

Put everything in the crockpot. I set mine for 6.5 hours on high. It will also depend on how thick your chicken is and if you are putting in frozen or not. Yes I have forgotten to defrost and put them in frozen, they taste just as delicious!!

At my Weight Watchers meeting last week we talked about switching things up to make sure you don't get bored of the food you are eating, when you get bored you get off track. I couldn't agree more for myself!! So for this week, in addition to my shredded chicken I am also cooking up some 93% lean beef burgers. I found them at Target and love them! I cook them up in a skillet and usually mix with a salad or side veggies. 

Target find!  They were also on sale..score!!

Cooked on the skillet. Quick and easy to do

In addition, I picked up strawberries and bananas instead of my routine oranges. 

I'm looking forward to see how my week goes and my weigh-in Wednesday with me switching things up. 

Do you meal prep? If you do I would love to know what you are making. I'm always looking for new ideas.

Kids, Bikes, and Pepperoni Oh My!

Once again I failed to keep up with my posting. I promise I will get better. Some highlights from  last weekend...

I was off Friday so I got a nice long weekend. I will try and do that more often. It was nice to be away from the office for a little. Back to the fun...my weekend was truly a mix of relaxing and fun. Friday afternoon I had my nieces, all to myself. This was a first and won't be the last! I love spending time with those girls so much. They even put together a list of goodies I should keep at my place for the next time they come over. I'm really looking forward to more opportunities over the summer to have them and spend time with them. I did sleep good that night! 

My nieces, Ashley and Kaitlyn! 

Saturday morning I went bicycle riding with my dad. Now that may not seem like much to some, but this was my first time on a bike since I was 12! My very brave dad let me borrow his spare bike, he got it all set for me, and took me out around town. I was so very nervous. He was very patient! At first I was wobbly and couldn't go straight, but towards the end of the ride I was mostly stable and enjoying. I could still use some work on my turns and stopping quickly. The only reason we stopped was because my butt was killing me! It's now 2 days later and my butt is still sore lol! I had a blast, might invest in a better seat so I can ride with him more. It was also really fun switching up my workout.  

Thankfully my coworker lent me a helmet

My dad! He was so patient and calm with me

Saturday afternoon was spent relaxing at the pool and then my mom, sister, and nieces came for fun in the pool. I was glad I brought a packet of almonds because I was hungry! Saturday night was spent at a friend's house just chatting around the table with goodies and having fun. The rest of the weekend was mostly relaxing and some errands.

I can't believe it's already coming to an end and back to work tomorrow, but I'm glad I enjoyed every minute I could. As for eating...well did you know Weight Watcher's weekly points can go into the negative? They can. I didn't drink or eat enough during the day and at night it usually backfired. I ate my pantry and at my friend's house I overate pepperoni and kielbasi. Sure it was better than chips and pretzels and was at least low carb, but calories are calories. And I ate lots and lots of very portable almonds this weekend. 

I will find my summer rhythm with food and getting hydrated, since I can't undo the weekend goofiest just said oh well and moved on. I'm tired of beating myself up all the time if I am not perfect. 

Finally, last but not least, today I started my new Beachbody workout called Insanity Max 30. Let me tell you this workout is no joke!! None stop for 30 minutes. When you take a break that's when you "max out". My first cardio challenge workout and I maxed out at 12 minutes. That is now my time to beat. My goal is 5 lbs gone by July 4! There it is in writing. 

No joke this workout is crazy intense and so good!

 

I was a sweaty mess after my first Insanity Max 90 workout

 

 

 

Can you feel my determination!!! 

App Find and Weight Watchers Update

Last night was my weekly weigh-in and the scale and I are still speaking; I am down .2. Now I know some people think oh that's it, but when you are someone who has struggled so much with weight loss you see down .2 as a successful week. To me any week the scale doesn't go up is a successful week! Also, add in that I haven't been sleeping thanks to stress, allergies and sinus issues and add in not working out because I was afraid of my balance and the .2 loss means even more. Yay me!

A small loss is better than a small gain
I will take .2

Now more fun finds...

As an executive assistant/office manager I don't have a very active work life, meaning most of the time I'm behind my desk. I was watching my FitBit numbers one day and thought wow that's all I do in a day..I could do better. I realized once I get involved in my work I lose all track of time, so I found an app for my phone that actually reminds me to get up and move! It's free and called "Stand Up".

This is what the app looks like on an Iphone

You can program it to which days you want reminders and the length of time between reminders. I started with just weekdays, but then last week when I was lazy I turned it on to get me moving a little. I have it set to go off every 35 minutes. You can customize the reminder message that pops up, mine says "Get Moving!!!!!".

My settings
Very easy to set up!

This is what the message looks like
when it pops up on my lock screen

I have seen my FitBit numbers increase so much. I've also noticed I'm more productive at work from taking those quick breaks and moving my body. 

If you are like me and struggle to get your steps in I highly recommend checking out this app. Also, if you don't already have a FitBit or some form of tracker I recommend one of those too. Want to know more about FitBit, check out my previous post "Keep Moving The FitBit Way" It has made me so much more aware of my activity or lack of during the day. 

Catch Up and Next Week

Sunday night. The moment you realize the weekend is officially over and a new week starts. I spent most of the weekend relaxing and doing nothing. I didn't sleep that great last week so it was nice to just do a quick cleaning, some errands, and then sit down, watch tv, and take naps.

Abby was very happy about the relaxing and taking naps portion of the weekend
I love snuggling with her

I did go to my friends' house Saturday night for dinner and a movie. It's so nice having friends who respect my lifestyle choices and have even started their own health journey!! Although we all had a good laugh when I busted out my food scale. What not everyone travels with their food scale?? Ha. I love my friends who get me! They made chicken breast, veggies, and salad.  I did also bring my own dressing for the salad.They have both recently started following a low carb diet lifestyle. I am so proud of them and the healthy changes they are learning to incorporate into their daily lives.Jerry, was told he was pre-diabetic a couple of months ago and decided then it was time to change. We talked about different meals and things he could do and now his wife is also following the plan. It's really fun watching them do it as a couple and they are both losing weight and feeling healthier and better about themselves!!

Scale and dressing packed and ready to go.
Good thing my parents got me a beautiful big bag for my birthday.

Last week at my Weight Watchers meeting I was so excited because I lost the .8 I gained the week before and I took off an additional 1.2lbs! Woohoo! Although I admit at one point I went, ugh so much more to go and can I do it. Well yes I can I reminded myself! I'm following weight watchers, I am working out, and the support I have received from my friends makes me feel like the impossible can be accomplished. This time I am losing the weight the healthy way. I am making peace with eating and food choices. It may take longer to lose it but at least I know this time it will stay lost!!

Feeling good.
Beachbody workout at 5 am is how I start my day.

So as the weekend comes to an end I sit here and think what can I improve or do better next week...

Set the goals, write them down, and achieve them!

1) less nighttime snacking. Even though I may have points I believe nighttime snacking isn't great for my body's digestion

2) try and add in 1 or 2 days extra of cardio. Hoping the weather improves so I can get out walking again. I'm even hoping my dad will teach me how to bike ride! 

3) drink more water! 

4) speak kindly to myself and know that on days when maybe getting dressed because nothing fits right is a challenge I remind myself I am on the right path and to stay strong! Soon those clothes will fit better than ever. 

What are your healthy, either mentally or physically, for the upcoming week? 

Non Scale Victories

Sorry for the delayed update, but I got some major downtime last week and took it! When I could sit on the couch and do nothing I did just that, and enjoyed every second of it. Now that I'm done being lazy it's time for an update.

At my Weight Watchers weigh-in last week the scale went up .8. Now, I must say it was expected. The biggest reason being it was the time of the month most women's scales go up. Nothing I can do about that but go with it. I will admit that even though I was expecting the numbers to be up it was still disappointing to see. I was bummed. Went into an old way of thinking that I call panic mode. Should I change up, should I stop eating carbs, did I go off my paleo-type eating, should I not eat my weeklies, maybe Weight Watchers doesn't work....

Slow and steady wins the race. Weight Watchers is teaching me how to eat for life for success. 

Meeting time..and I'm so happy I stayed. I listened to the many victories of the week, instead of feeling bad because I didn't have a scale victory it was a reminder to me to trust the program. Stick with it. No need for panic mode. All these people telling their victory of the week stories, soon I will be one of them. Plus when I shared how bummed I felt, I received so much support and some new ideas from the group. One person suggested keeping nail polish by my couch in case I get the night time munchies. If my nails are wet, I can't eat. As the meeting went on my leader started talking about non-scale victories and it really got me thinking of my own personal victories of the week not related to the scale, but still victories. 

The scale can only tell you numbers

The biggest for me being for the first time in months and months I didn't binge, not even one night. I've said it before and admit it fully, I am an emotional eater. Last week I didn't eat my emotions. If I was going through something I wrote about it in my journal, went to bed when I was tired, calmed myself down with walking around my condo, admitted to how I was feeling and was honest with myself. Once I realized that success I cheered myself on repeating to myself I didn't binge!! Huge success in my book and just because the scale didn't show me numbers I wanted to see I still consider my last week a huge success and I'm so proud of myself! 

Saw this on huffingtonpost.com and it's the truth. I will stick with the original problem and deal with it!

Never forget your non scale victories!!!  I'm definitely hoping for some scale victories soon, but for now I will take my non scale victories and be happy with them. Please feel free to share your stories with me. I've recently started a Facebook page called Healthy Living with Cindy. Come join me and let's support each other. 

Weight Watchers Wednesday

Absolutely wonderful! Fabulous! Best decision ever! What am I talking about you ask?? The Weight Watchers meeting I attended Wednesday night. I loved it from the second I walked into the room. Everyone made me feel very welcomed and excited to be there. The leader, Val, met with the newbies before the meeting to go over the plan and tell us about herself. She lost 135 lbs with Weight Watchers. Very inspiring. When I told Val that I had tried Weight Watchers in the past, but gave up, she smiled and looked at me and said "welcome home". That is exactly how I felt.

Lots of fun new information provided at the meeting!

Just in case I had any doubt, that nights meeting was based on emotional eating! Yup I was definitely in the right place. I felt so comfortable with Val and the entire group that I spoke up and shared my most recent battles with emotional eating and jars of peanut butter. Not one person in that room looked at me like I was crazy or weak. They laughed with me as I rehashed my looking at the bottom of many empty jars stories, and went on to share their stories as well.

From the WeightWatchers.com website
After one meeting I can confirm all of this!

I'm so glad I decided to switch my membership to attend meetings. I can't wait to conquer the weekend of eating and go back next Wednesday night to see Val and all my new friends.

 I purchased these from the meeting. They collapse so small I keep them in my purse
Now I am always prepared!

21 Day Fix and Weight Watchers

Today I officially started my second round of 21 Day Fix, and I also restarted with Weight Watchers. I was originally planning on starting my second round of 21 2 weeks ago, but decided to take a week off and then one week turned into two. No good. I was starting to miss the baby muscles I had begun to see after the first round.

21 Day Fix Calendar..Bring it on!

The new program focuses on more than just the number on the scale

I got up a 5:00 a.m. this morning with determination and by 5:30 a.m. I was sweating and feeling really proud of myself. It amazing how much of a difference 2 weeks makes; exercises that I was actually upping weights on were now causing me to get out of breath quicker. Good thing I didn't let it go past 2 weeks.

This was after round 1 of 21 Day Fix...
Can't wait to see 2nd round results!

My decision to start Weight Watchers was a pretty easy one as well. I had success in the past, when I actually followed the program and my bestie Debbie is a lifer. I hear her stories and see her success and know it works. I love that Weight Watchers allows me a little freedom to eat regular food, have some fun, and more than anything it will keep me accountable for my eating actions. I am mentally in a great place right now which helps, I know life will have stressful moments but if I start to incorporate good habits now, I am hoping they will stick during the difficult times.

This week I have 2 eating out events, ugh, eating my own food is always easier because I can pick it and know it and control it, eating out brings a whole other set of challenges and that does even include is the food gluten free, rice free, potato free and lactose free....

Caution..Food I didn't make ahead!  Beware of unknown ingredients!

Tomorrow is the first event, a golf outing for work. No I don't play, but I do get to ride around in the golf course and take pictures. My day will start with my 21 Day Fix workout, "Upper Fix". Then off to the country club. I will eat my own breakfast before going, most likely a paleo shake with almond butter. Yum! Then later in the afternoon we stop for lunch at the halfway house, last year I got a turkey wrap with cheese...that will not work this year. No to wrap and no to cheese...hmmm. I could take the turkey off the wrap but how filing is that. Anyway...after golf there is a dinner reception, this is the hard one because there is sooo much delicious food. So my plan....try my best to make the best choices I can and most importantly TRACK everything I eat. That is the best I can do, maybe I will be hungry if I have small portions of good but not low point foods, but that is a chance I have to take. I am committed to making this program work for my life.

Yeah not happening this year... And that's not a lot of turkey to take off the wrap

The second eating out event is dinner with Debbie. The good news is, it's with Debbie, my lifetime WW bestie. We are going to Applebees so I will just check the menu before dinner and see the points. The WW app is super easy to use and look up points.

My bestie!!  And WW lifetimer

I am so excited to start seeing results from using both programs. I want my baby muscles back! I like them a lot and I wouldn't mind my size smaller pants fitting again :)

Stay tunes for more updates!

Don't Forget Your Pet's Health

My cats are my fur children. They rely on me to provide a good, happy, healthy home for them. That was the promise I made when I invited them into my life. Yes, at times it can be expensive and sure I would rather spend money on shoes than extremely high vet bills not covered under my health insurance, but they are my fur children and worth it. I have met many people who don't understand it, maybe people who think having pets is actually gross. Fur in the home, eww. Those people I will never understand. 

I love coming home from work and they greet me at the door

And they love to rub on my nice pants to work....silly girls

After some recent health issues with my one cat Chelsea I got to thinking...if I am eating better quality food why wouldn't I give the same good quality to my cats. So after MUCH trial and error, anyone with cats can relate to the food struggle, I found one they both agreed on. Until recently...

My cat Chelsea needed to have 4 teeth pulled! My poor fur baby. My poor wallet!  But it was for her health and happiness, I couldn't not have the procedure done. When I went to pick her up the vet informed me she could only eat wet food for a few weeks. WHAT?!?! My cats never liked wet food and now I have to switch both of them. No way am I going to stick Chelsea in a room alone without her sister for a few weeks just for food. So I went and picked up wet food.. The first day was okay, mostly because she was starving and ate everything. The second day they decided they did not like that food any more...back to the store I went. This went on for days. They would stand in the kitchen meowing and yelling at me because they were hungry and missed the dry food. About a week later I was having tea at my parent's house and was telling my mom what was going on. She said it's been about a week how about a very thin dry food easy to crunch on. Luckily my mom had gone through a food change recently and had some different foods for me to bring home and let them try.  

My girls

Mom and I also got to talking about my cats weight. I told her I noticed they both seemed to have put on weight. At first I thought it was just winter puff, but now I wasn't so sure. She asked me how many calories were in the food I was giving them. I was stumped. Calories in cat food?? I never thought about it. She explained she went through something similar with her cat Sammy and him putting on weight and needing to drop the lbs because it wasn't healthy for him. She said after doing research and looking around the best range for most cats is under 400 calories per cup. I looked up my cats food at the time and it was way into the 500 calorie range!! Well that explains a lot. It's just like with people, you eat too many calories you put on the fluff. We just don't look as cute with our fluff. 

My parent's cat Sammy...before losing weight

Sammy after losing weight...he even looks happier

Now started the journey of finding a new cat food that was healthy for them, fit my budget, and they would actually both eat. Petsmart to the rescue!! The best part about Petsmart is they allow you to return opened bags of food. My wallet loves them so much. I also have to thank Jay for being so patient with me as we stopped in before dinner one night so I could pick new food. I looked through bags and bags reading labels and rambling on about calories, taste, and price. I picked a few and brought them home. The results...Abby liked one but struggled to eat the pieces, Chelsea liked another but Abby did not, and the third they both ran away from. Back to PetSmart I went. I returned the other ones and picked up 4 new ones. I decided this time to try them out like a kitty buffet. I put a little of each in separate bowls and would see which bowl got eaten the quickest. So far it appears the Purina Naturals is in the lead...closely followed by Iams Proactive. They want no part of the Hills Science Diet. 

Current situation in my kitchen
I could be a satellite store for PetSmart

Current three foods the girls are taste testing. The middle is Purina, Iams in on the right, and The Hills is to the left

I am just happy they eating again and we are getting back on the path of healthy eating for them and me!! I learned a lot about my cat's health these last few months and I plan on learning more. Have to keep them happy and healthy!

Abby girl playing

Fluffy Chelsea taking in some sun while napping

Celebrating Me at 33

I had a wonderful weekend! This weekend was my birthday party. Yup I threw myself a birthday party. I decided back in February that it was time I had a party at my place. That is not just 1 big deal but 2. When I first moved into my place I had a little gathering a friends come over..what a disaster! They spent the night criticizing my new place because it needed updates, when they weren't doing that they were talking about cheating on spouses, death, and anything else you can think of that would make a person feel yucky. It was a horrible time. I finally told them to leave, because I couldn't take it any more. I spent the rest of the evening trying to Clorox everything because the negative vibes really bothered me and crying because it was such a horrible night. That was the last time I had a group of people in my home. And the other big deal is I have never thrown myself a birthday party and for as long as I can remember I had to share my parties with either my sister or her husband because our birthday's are all so close.  Nope this year I decided it was time to celebrate me. My invite even said "celebrating me at 33".

Party outfit! Jeans and a cute sparkly shirt.

I'm lucky to have lots of people I get to be stupid funny with!

It was the most wonderful party! All of my closest friends came to celebrate with me. A bunch of them had never even met each other. I was nervous, hoping everyone got along and had fun and they really did!  I made my favorite pulled pork (check out Pulled Pork Deliciousness), it was a hge hit!! Everyone brought something yummy too. I wish I had taken a picture it was a truly incredible spread of homemade hummus, guacamole, veggie trays, dips and more.  For dessert I wanted to do something creative so I had a cupcake bar. We also had poppems, fruit salad and a cookie cake all brought by friends.It was a delicious and filling time!!

I made almond flour cupcakes and regular for everyone to enjoy.
For toppings, I chopped up candies and had 2 types of frosting

I stood there at one point watching all of my friends laugh, eat, have fun, and share. My heart filled up. I must be doing something right to have all of these wonderful people in my life, who took time out of their busy lives to celebrate with me.

Selfie with my soul sister Debbie.
I love this special lady!

Each card making me smile

I also received Gerber Daisies.
Aren't the pretty and they make me believe
spring weather might actually show up soon. 

Nights like last night, help remind me that even though things are a little crazy in life right now, fun is necessary for the soul. I spent the entire day after feeling happy, calm, and relaxed inside.

The only casualty of the nigh was my kitchen floor.  Someone wore heels and must have been leaning or digging her heels in because I have dents in the floor. I suppose that is the risk you take when hosting a party, but don't worry it won't stop me from hosting another party!

Floor casualty
My poor kitchen floor!!

21 Day Fix...Round 1 Complete

21 days ago I started this new program. I said I can do this and I will do this. I remember the first workout I did, I thought why am I torturing myself again. Maybe being unhealthy isn't so bad. I'm not sure I can do this, but I pushed on. I was so sore the next day and yet I felt proud.

Me, after my first 21 Day Fix Cardio Workout
Someone please peel me off the floor

So 21 days later and here is my update...

I could show you my before and after measurements and weight, but I don't need to because the truth is nothing much changed...well...the things that changed can not be shown in numbers. Now before you go and say the program wasn't a success, let me be honest and say I don't blame the 21 Day Fix program at all. The program definitely did not tell me to binge eat on peanut butter at least once a week. The program definitely did not tell me to eat carrots like my life depended on it (yes, even carrots have limits to what should be consumed). I did all of that on my own. While I eat healthy foods, I tend to binge on those foods, making them not so healthy.

This is the most delicious peanut butter ever!!
But, until I get my peanut butter binge under control, not allowed in my home. 

Now for the positives.... while the numbers are the same, my strength has greatly improved!!  I can do push-ups, yes plural, more than one during a set. I have never ever been able to do a push-up. Now I can. I can do lunges and squats...I can up my weights for some exercises. I can do a few more crunches than I was able to when I first started. This gives me hope, so much hope.

Abby helping me workout
You've heard of downward dog...this is downward cat

LOOK!  Muscle!! They were not there 21 days ago.
I can't wait to see results after round 2!

The numbers may not have changed,
but I'm starting to feel better in my own skin

Besides the physical aspect, there is also the mental aspect. I am proud of myself for getting up at 5 am every morning to make sure I got my workout in. Even when the night before may have been a peanut butter binge night, I still got up and worked out. I didn't once say, I give up. I've also realized, even more, that the stress of my life is starting to take a toll on me. Since January it has been non-stop. My job is crazy right now. My cat needed dental surgery (scary as a kitty mom and expensive). I have bills that need to be paid. And I am still healing from all of last year. I realized I am a HUGE emotional eater, especially at night when I am sooo tired; I've noticed I tend to eat instead of think. I am hoping now that I realize consciously how bad it has gotten I can help myself a little better to prevent it.

Proud of myself for not giving up, even after binge nights.
Proud of the sweat on my face!

Big relief having her surgery over.
She had to have 4 teeth pulled, poor fluffy baby

I know life can get busy and out of control, but I also know right now I need to find my balance and happy place. So my plan is to make sure I don't over jam pack my weeks, especially after work. Some plans may just have to wait until another week. I need to spend more time relaxing, having fun, and playing with my cats. I am going to look for better ways to handle my nighttime eating, I picked up some new tea to try and that might help keep my mouth busy and my taste buds happy.

I love yogi teas!
They have such a good variety I want to try them all

As for 21 Day Fix...bring on round 2! I am so excited to start another round. I feel this time I am even more prepared mentally and psychically. Originally, I posted that I was going to follow their eating plan, but have ultimately decided to hold off and go back to tracking calories with MyFitnessPal. That is a system I know very well and I think it will allow me to track, be aware, but not overly worried about how many fruits I eat in a day. Some days I don' even want fruit, on the 21 Day Fix plan they have built-in allotments. If after Round 2 I don't see results, guess what I am going back for Round 3 and will try the eating plan their way.

Get ready myfitnesspal...I am back!

I've come to realize this isn't about perfection, this isn't about failure, this is about finding what works for the long term. This is about real life. This is about helping myself. This is about finding inner strength and never giving up on myself.

I need to find a good balance in life not just about work and health but that also includes.....

Relaxing with my kitties (sweet Abby face)

Having more fun!
Shark selfie with Jay!!

Stopping each day to take a minute, breathe, say thank you and
appreciate the beauty in the day

Not giving up is already a huge success in my book!!