My BBM Journey: Day 85

Holy moly. Here we are, the last week of this challenge.

I actually took 3 days off last week, my hubby and I got an opportunity we haven’t had in forever, definitely not since my little guy was born 19 months ago. A whole weekend to ourselves, no kids, thanks to my awesome mom in law. She even kept my “adopted” daughter and they all had fun shopping and going to an all day Bible school and all that, happy sleep over at Meme’s house. What did me and hubs do? Absolutely nothing.

We had thought we might go on a long hike at Land Between the Lakes which is easier to do without little legs getting tired, but we ended up laying on the couch and watching back to back Netflix episodes the whole weekend while eating on carry out pizza. It was deliciously lazy, but after 2 days I have to say, I was ready for my babies and my routine, and definitely ready to get back into exercise. The inactivity was great for about 24 hours, then it got old.

Just before this micro staycation, however, I had worked my muscles almost to death and my back and obliques were so sore all weekend, like laying-on-the-couch-hurts-so-bad kind of sore. I had done the BBM workouts as well as subbed out my run for some paper plate exercises, which were killer on the core. I placed paper plates under my feet to make them able to glide over the carpet and then proceeded to do a HIIT type workout using mountain climber, squat thrust, and scissor slide plank motions. It took very little to get my heart rate up and let me know there were still muscles I didn’t know I had.

This week is crazy for me. My hubby has been doing a lot of work from home which throws my schedule off, but in addition to that I have been getting my girls ready to start school. My little girl is going to kindergarten and my sister is in high school but this is a new school for her. I never knew how many appointments and orientations and preliminary things went on before and how much a mom had to keep track of! That’s why I have gone 9 days since my last blog post. Sorry about that! I want you all to know I’m still going, still pushing, and I will be even more proud to have finished this challenge than I was when I finished the first one since I have hardly missed any days for this one and have doubled up the workouts almost every day. I’m really looking forward to repeating 2.0 and the Sunday Skinnys coming back and doing 3.0 in January. I will have a whole lot more on my plate with school starting and afternoon homework to help with and lunches to pack and my poor little guy is going to miss the girls terribly through the day I’m sure, but all that makes Bikini Body Mommy even more important to me. I will need all the motivation and support I can gather.

So, I plan to keep posting but also realize I may have gaps between posts at times. That’s why the subscribe button is awesome, if you enjoy following this blog you can make sure you see when I post new entries and keep from missing any posts. I’d really like to post school lunch ideas with pictures and the Fall activities we stay busy with. Everyone who reads and the comments I get really help me stay motivated, thank you all for taking the time to be part of my journey! 🙂

My crazy crew!

 

 

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What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 76

I thought in celebration of edging back on track with my nutrition I would share a yummy recipe I made the other day for lunch. 🙂

Summer Garden Orzo

1/2 of a 1 lb. box orzo pasta

1 large purple onion, diced

1 medium zuccini, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 1/2 cups halved grape tomatoes

1 1/2 – 2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 TBL olive oil

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. fresh minced basil

1tsp. fresh minced parsley

salt and pepper

 

In a large skillet heat oil. Add onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Add salt to help sweat the water out of the veggies. When the onions begin to appear translucent, add the zuccini, garlic powder, orzo, and enough chicken broth to just cover everything. Let it simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook just until orzo is almost done, about 5-7 minutes, then add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the orzo is firm, but no longer crunchy. You may need to add a little broth during this process. Be careful not to add too much at a time so the mixture won’t become soupy. Stir in the ricotta cheese, fresh herbs, and check for enough salt and pepper. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

 

Serves: 6

Calories per serving: approx. 220

Prep time: approx. 20 minutes

Cook time: approx. 15 minutes

Recipe cost: approx. $4.50

 

NOTES: In this particular picture, I had run out of grape tomatoes, so I used a can of diced tomatoes. I just added them when I added the orzo and reduced the broth by a little, using the juice from the canned tomatoes. This dish is so delicious and versatile, you could really add any veggie you like, fresh peas, broccoli florets, yellow squash, etc. It can easily be made vegetarian or vegan by using vegetable broth or tomato juice instead of chicken broth, and omitting the ricotta cheese, which I add for a little creaminess. This is quick and easy and my whole family loves it!

Let me know what you all think. 🙂

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 75

Today is another weigh in and remeasure day.

I knew I had slipped and not been bringing my best this past 15 days in the nutrition department, and I even missed quite a few work outs, so I wasn’t surprised to see a gain on the scale. I mean come on, I can work the hardest I’ve ever worked and see the scale inch upwards. I was however a little surprised to see my measurements had been maintained (except my hips, I gained a 1/4 inch on the hips, maybe that’s where the 2.4 lbs went) and I’d even improved on a couple.

 

That’s another 2.5 inches gone. I also added a region I will begin measuring since I have seen so much improvement there, I really should have been measuring my upper thighs all along, but better late than never, right?

 

So, I remain encouraged. I am focusing on my affirmation board several times a day and I actually feel even more energized, motivated, and happy about my goals.

Here’s to the next 15 days! I am going to push it so hard and finish this challenge STRONG! I have seen so much improvement in myself and I definitely plan to keep going. Hopefully Briana will announce a 3.0, but if not I am so motivated to just keep repeating the challenge and running and keeping the lifestyle going. I am going to look back at Christmas this year and see all the amazing change a year has brought. I’m so excited! I will probably continue to blog through this journey after the challenge is over because my journey is far from over. I have a long way to go before I reach my goals, so if you are looking for encouragement definitely stay tuned and make sure you subscribe to get each new post in your inbox. I really value all the support I have gotten from all of you reading this! Thank you for your comments and encouragement.

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 72

I feel like I have slipped a little, and not sure exactly at what point I started, but I am happy to say I have recognized it and tightened up today. For instance, my nutrition could be cleaner. I’ve eaten more meat and pasta and bread lately than I’m comfortable with, and most of that just can’t be helped in our current budget situation. It is what it is. (Which is still not awful, still pretty clean and almost no processed foods other than bread and pasta.) But I have slipped back into 3 big meals a day. I have also slacked on the BBM workouts, although for the most part I have gotten my runs in. My hydration has been good.

It’s definitely not my worst, but I know I can do better and try harder, so today I did my morning run, I spread my meals out into smaller portions and more frequent, I got my 1st liter of water in first thing with my run and continued to hydrate through the day, and most importantly, I did day 72 this afternoon. I could really identify with Briana’s video, my kids were right there with me too!

My step ups were not very high since I don’t own chairs, so I increased my weight by about 47 lbs. of almost 5 year old little girl. (She dressed herself)

 

Guess who likes to go under the bridge?

 

Both kids, actually

This is real life. There are struggles and pushing yourself and kids and set backs and come backs. There are days when you think to yourself, “Well, maybe this morning’s run was enough, maybe I can skip the workout.” Then after 30 minutes of that nagging voice telling you what you already know, you push through and just get it done. But then there are days like what my sister had, where your body tells you the run is going to have to do because you are just too genuinely exhausted and sore to do the workout today, and that is ok too. Listen to your body, but don’t make it an excuse.

Today was great in other ways too. We walked to our local Fred’s, almost 2 miles round trip, with the baby in the wagon and my little girl by my side, she walked the whole way and back, so proud of her! We bought some poster board and spent the morning creating positive affirmation boards to hang where we could see them every day, to remind us of our goals. Here is one corner of my affirmation board with just one of several important goals I’m focusing on. I know this is going to get some laughs, but I’m a huge believer in positive thinking, positive focus, and the law of attraction.

Laughing and smiling creates positive feelings and this picture with my face pasted on (at my hubby’s genius suggestion) not only helps me envision and focus on what I’m working toward, it makes me smile and creates a double positive energy.

As some of you know, I celebrated my 29th birthday yesterday.

My annual birthday picture taken yesterday. My sissy did my hair and makeup and I gladly said hello to the last year of my twenties.

My twenties have been pretty crappy. I’m a positive person by nature, but even I recognize I have gone through more crap than greatness this past decade. I gladly celebrated my last birthday in my twenties yesterday and am looking forward to my thirties. They are going to be awesome! I am making this last year count like a final rep of side planks at the end of a 20 minute BBM workout. I am getting it done, pushing it hard and setting myself up for ONLY success in the next phase of my life. I have a lot of goals I’m excited to reach, and I’m sure there are many new ones waiting to be discovered. I have a little space left on my affirmation board so I can add pictures and quotes and stay motivated and focused. This whole project was actually my little sister’s suggestion. I’m super proud of her!

It’s such a long story, but in short, she recognized the need for major change in her life early this year and asked if she could get a fresh start living with us. She was dealing with depression, negativity, bad relationships, fake friendships, and just a general severe downward spiral. And I want to stress, her progress is not me. It’s not because of me. I’m not some extraordinary human being that can magically fix things for people. Her progress was due to her own realization that she needed to change herself and make better choices, and the action she has been taking to become more positive and surround herself with better influences. I know some of you must be wondering about the story behind her being in all my recent adventures, so there you have it, a brief explanation. But mainly I just wanted to convey 1) That I’m incredibly proud of her, and 2) the importance of surrounding yourself with positive thoughts and focus. It will literally change your life. It has changed her’s, it has changed mine. Try it! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 🙂

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 66

I think when I started this challenge I hoped I would stick with it, but was nervous that I would fall off the wagon. Here we are though, day 66 and still rockin’ and rollin’! I saw the picture Briana posted this morning of her day 75 progress, the one where she is wearing the red dress. Whoot whoot! She looks great, doesn’t she? I am not there, but I saw that picture and I thought, “I’m going to be there. In fact, I’m getting closer every day!” Positive thinking, people, don’t under estimate the power of positive thoughts. Like wise, don’t under estimate the power of negative thoughts. Those will kill your dreams before they even have a chance to take flight.

I wanted to do a recipe post today, but alas, my cabinets are pretty bare and my meals are more budget friendly odds and ends than spectacular clean eating creations. I know my progress is a bit inhibited by budget restrictions, but I have come to terms with it and continue to do the best I can. Meals have been heavier on the pasta and bread than I would like, but I know my life goes in cycles and spurts, it won’t be like this forever. I refuse to focus on the negative, instead I am focusing on all the things that are good and positive.

I feel like I don’t have a whole lot to say today, but I hate to go days without checking in. I’m just keepin’ on keepin’ on, and really that’s what this whole thing is really about. It’s not just about the glamour of results or having daily epiphanies, it’s about the consistent grind, the daily getting up and getting it done.

Today’s motivational photo is a shout out to the amazing little girl that keeps us all laughing and active. She NEVER stops singing and dancing.

Happy Hump Day, everyone! Keep it smiling and positive!

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 64

Hey every one! Sorry, I really slacked off these posts last week, it was an insanely busy week. In fact, I didn’t even get my workouts in for like 3 days, to my shame. Then I ate an insane amount of bbq from my hubby’s new smoker and delicious country cooking sides that my mom in law brought over to go with the bbq. Total indulgence. However, I am ready to jump back in the game with renewed vigor and have just gotten my morning run in.

Today I want to talk about something I think a lot of us struggle with. I feel like this needs to be addressed and no better day than Motivational Monday.

That number on the scale. Today I’m going to address it from a different angle. You see, I am a tall and big boned girl, with a meaty physique. Even at my skinniest people would regularly guess me to be 20 lbs. lighter than I actually was. I was taught about the BMI index just like every other kid and told what was healthy and that being over weight and obese was not good. As a teenager I agonized over the scale, I was constantly trying to lose that last 5 pounds. Even when I would lose 2 or 3 there seemed to always be another 5 to lose. At 17 I was anorexic. I was 5 ft. 8 in. and had finally gotten down to 135 with 130 being my goal. “Oh, that’s normal weight for that height,” right? Well, my ribs and hip bones were showing pretty well, I was eating 1 bird size portion every other day, staying insanely active doing hard physical labor like rock hauling and hoeing in the garden (we lived on a farm) and my normal bodily functions were completely messed up. I had started having fainting spells for no reason at all. I was miserable. I realized I was messing myself up and had to change. That was the first step I took onto a long road that is my journey to true health, of mind as well as body. It has been very difficult.

Right now I am 5’8″ and 210ish pounds. I posted my most recent progress pics the other day on day 60, but for reference, here it is again.

According to the BMI index I have a BMI of 31.9, which is easily into the obese category. My goal weight of 170, which is 40 lbs smaller than the woman pictured above, mind you, is still in the over weight range according to the standard BMI calculator.

Now, I am not one to make excuses. There is this trend in our society now and you see it on Facebook a lot, people are fighting back against the “boney is beautiful” ideals that our society has held for the last few decades. And that’s awesome, that is a great thing! But somehow it is going completely the other way with “bigger is better” and “real women have curves”. There are several reasons I don’t care for these memes and statuses you see on social media sites. 1) Instead of belittling and alienating larger women and girls it is just belittling and alienating smaller or skinny women, quite a few of which are just naturally skinny, and somehow makes them feel inadequate about their lack of curves when that is as normal a body type as a curvy woman’s. And 2) it tends to promote and focus on body size rather than true health and well being. By all means, young girls and women should love their bodies. We should be happy and proud of ourselves, whether we are at our optimal weight or at the beginning of a weight loss journey and as large as we have ever been. We should not be defined by the scale or a cookie cutter BMI chart, we should love ourselves where we’re at. But we should always be striving to improve. Whether that is with weight, or exercise, or in our relationships, we should always recognize a need for improvements.  It really is a fine line between contentment and complacency.

I started my journey to self acceptance and loving the uniqueness of Me somewhere around 17 years old. Now I’m about to turn 29 and am so incredibly proud of how far I have come. I know I have plenty of room to improve but that doesn’t burden me anymore, it excites me. I look at it like an adventure, not a prison sentence. I made my weight loss goal based on the belief that if I had been 165 at my healthiest when I was 20, then surely I can reach 170 at some point, but if I reach a point where I feel I am at my physical best and I’m healthy and the scale says a higher number, I won’t be beating myself up. I will acknowledge that my 29 year old body has gone through much more than my 20 year old body, it has grown and birthed 3 children, it has fed those children into different stages of childhood, it has gained and lost weight multiple times, it has increased in muscle mass and loose skin and breast tissue. I look at myself today and see 15+ inches gone and about 5 or 6 pounds since Christmas almost 7 months ago. It has been hard getting here, but for the most part I am ok with the person I see in the mirror. I know she is improving daily and I am learning to be patient with her.

The scale really is just a number. Even your BMI is just a number. Your clothing size is just a number. How do you feel? Are you happy with where you are? Can you look in the mirror and be completely honest with yourself and say “I feel really good today. I look good in this shirt.” Or “These jeans feel comfortable.” If you are happy with yourself today, then don’t let society impose a number on you. And if you are not happy with yourself today, then get up and make a choice to change, take the first step, then you can be happy that you are making positive change and if you are patient with yourself you will be happy to see hard work paying off.

I am a 210 lb. beautiful mommy to 3 amazing kids. I have goals and dreams. I am working hard to achieve them. I’m excited about my journey. I am NOT obese. I am NOT ashamed of my weight. I am NOT ashamed to put on my bikini today even though I know I still have a long way to go before I reach my goal weight. I AM working hard to improve. I AM trying to be healthy rather than skinny. If you are larger than me you are beautiful. If you are much smaller than me you are also beautiful. I don’t compare myself to you, or you to someone else, because we are all unique and one of a kind and BEAUTIFUL. Embrace that today. Look in the mirror today and truly love the person you are with your achievements and flaws and room to improve. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

 

My BBM Journey: Day 60

Day 60, another weigh in and remeasure day.

Remember how I mentioned that I felt like I had a break through this past 15 days? Well, if my quiet and peacefully sleeping household wasn’t a factor, I would have done a Xena, Warrior Princess style war cry in jubilation! That scale dropped, FINALLY! Granted, only 1.2 lbs., but if you were me, watching the numbers steadily going up each remeasure day, you would be pretty darn excited too.

Pulling out the tape measure I found another 4.75 inches gone just since day 45. That brings my total inches lost to 15 inches! 15 inches in 60 days. Who wouldn’t be thrilled with that? Maybe my body is finally getting enough lean muscle mass to tip the scales – literally – the other way and I will steadily begin losing the pounds.

I also want to say I’m incredibly proud of my little sister, she is building healthy habits and working hard right by my side and she has lost 4.5 inches in the past 60 days too. (Not that she had anywhere near a need to lose, but young girls always think they do.) I know she feels healthier and I hope she is proud of her hard work and progress. Her age group freaks out at the scale numbers worse than mine, and I hope this sets her up with a healthier perspective to go forward in life. She has, like me, gained a few pounds since the challenge started, but she looks incredible and I’m sure she must feel it too.

So, since I must throw myself into an insanely busy day, I will close with a few pictures I took this morning (excuse the sleepy hair and face) and just say, keep going mommies! This is my second round of the challenge and I’m 60 days in and I’m only just now seeing consistent evidence in the hard numbers. Keep at it, don’t stop!!

 

 

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.

My BBM Journey: Day 59

A beautiful run this morning in the humidity. Even in the summer warmth, the morning is my favorite time of day, things are so fresh and bright. We had a little thunderstorm last night, so everything was especially clean and fresh. We ended up getting really busy last night and didn’t get our BBM work out done, but we did have a killer run in the morning, so it wasn’t a total loss. Still, I now feel compelled to do yesterday and today back to back this evening. If you don’t see any more blog posts it is because I followed through on this plan and died. 😉

I get to harvest my very first tomatoes and zuccini that I grew myself in the garden, either today or tomorrow. That’s exciting. Nothing like fresh produce! And that means I need to visit the farmer’s market really soon. Can’t wait!

We have a weigh in day tomorrow. (Yay.) I also have a jam packed day with a rigid schedule, so that will be fun and interesting. At least the weigh in and remeasure day falls before the holiday. Clarksville TN, which is the nearest “big” town, is having it’s fireworks show on the 3rd rather than the forth, we’re hoping to take the kids to see that. Knowing that day would be crazy busy, I did the 4th of July photos a few days early. (Yesterday.) Here’s my adorable crew.

 

Happy 4th of July a little early!

___________________________________________________________________________________

What is BBM?

Bikini Body Mommy, a movement led by Briana Christine, and you can find out more at http://www.bikinibodymommy.com

Did you miss my first post outlining my goals? Find it here.

My Newest Project: An Overview

Looking to find some inspiration on Pinterest? You can follow me there too.

To get my daily posts through the  90 day challenge in your inbox, hit the subscribe button at the top left of this page, right under my profile picture.

And finally, has this post delighted, inspired, or amused you? Feel free to share it with your friends.