2.0 Round 2 Done and Beginning the Mini Challenge (With Pics)

I know, long time no write. Sorry. I started prioritizing sleep, which meant sacrificing precious time in the early morning that I was awake and alone. My computer doubles as my son’s educational morning cartoons and my afternoon while he’s napping is spent doing other things besides typing on the computer, so blog time has become scarce. However, I’m still (surprisingly to myself) here, still fairly motivated, and while I missed quite a few days toward the end of 2.0 Round 2, I am proud to say I finished! I long ago stopped taking measurements as my pregnancy makes any data skewed, but I am 16 weeks pregnant and my weight has been maintained up to this point. I am still fluctuating between 2 pounds lower and my starting weight for this challenge.

I had minimal morning sickness, in fact you could barely call it sickness, just a few food aversions, and mostly I was just very fatigued and needed extra sleep. I have continued to eat very clean, except for the first trimester mac n cheese cravings, and have continued to make hydration a priority.

I have renewed my resolve to complete the current 4 week mini challenge and directly following this post plan to work on day 2. I’m very motivated by my great results this far. These include not just maintaining my weight, but feeling energy, strength, and NO LOWER BACK PAIN for the first time in pregnancy. I am excited to stay fit during the treacherous Holiday season and super excited for the release of 3.0 in January. I have already been finding the need to heavily modify a lot of the routines, but this hasn’t been hard. I mostly just sub out certain moves for ones that are more belly friendly or take a few more rests. Mostly I just listen to my body, but I’m still finding an immense amount of support by doing the challenges in real-time with everyone else in the community and checking into the Facebook page daily. I can’t believe I’m approaching the half way point of my pregnancy and still feeling this motivated on a daily basis.

Here are my most recent pictures, taken this morning. 🙂

 

2.0 Round 2 Day 61: Coping With Real Life

I have been completely absent this past week and have not exercised all week either. My father in law has been in bad health for a while but at the beginning of this year he suffered several bad strokes that left him incapable of living on his own and was moved to nursing home care. 11 months later on November 3rd his suffering ended as he passed peacefully and quietly to the other side. We had been able to stay with him, by his side for several days and say good bye, and the kids were able to be there for a short while. He had long since lost his ability to speak and had become mostly comatose those last few days and before that for several months he had not been very cognitive, but on the last 2 days of his life he was able to come back a little. The old dad was there more than it had been in a long time. He recognized my husband, his only child, and myself and was even able to whisper a few words. My husband decided to bring the kids to see him since he was doing so miraculously well. He recognized the kids when they came in and something that took all the effort he had, he smiled at them. Only a few hours before his death, having not been able to do more than faintly move his fingers to squeeze our hand and mouth a few short words without sound, the very last person he smiled at was my little girl.

His grandkids have always been his joy. I know he was sad that his bad health prevented a lot of things, including doing different things with his grandchildren, but he loved them so much. It makes perfect sense that he would manage a smile for them on his last day on earth. We all treasure that moment, such a beautiful parting gift from someone you love, knowing they gave all they had left. I’m crying a little as I’m remembering it just now. He will be so missed.

So with all that’s gone on this week I was unable to do more than run back and forth between the nursing home and where the kids were staying with their Meme and then all the funeral arrangements and trips back to our home an hour away to get needed items. It has been exhausting. I did take my measurements this morning and predictably I have gained inches in my waist and love handles where my belly is growing but all my other measurements are either the same or down, and my weight is the same as day 45. So I’m confident that my habits that have been formed over this year of work have kept me in good stead. And I continue to be a little sick at the thought of junk food. Halloween candy has been no problem, in fact all those cakes and desserts at that down home country meal after the funeral were not even tempting at all, which you have to know a Pleasant Grove Baptist Church funeral pot luck. They are insanely full of delicious things that are not BBMC meal plan approved, including a vast array of delicious desserts. I have to be the only pregnant lady who doesn’t want to gobble chocolate and ice cream. I won’t complain though.

I plan to get back on track next week as my hubby returns to work and life carries on with that illusion of normalcy that comes after you lose someone you love. It can never be the same, but life marches forward. I have mountains of laundry to do and a week’s worth of house work on top of an already messy house. Looks like I’ll be staying busy.

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2.0 round 2 Day 51: Reaching a Goal Early and the Revelation That Came With It

I want to begin by saying that part of my lack of blogging lately has been fatigue, but part of it, I have to admit, comes from a little place inside that says “Come on, who cares about your journey? Who wants to hear the same old redundant stuff?”

I was reminded however, by our amazing coach through her Sunday Skinny this past weekend, that this blog isn’t just an interesting read or a way to connect or a documentation of my journey for everyone else. This blog is my journey, to keep me motivated, to help me look back when needed and remember how far I’ve come and set goals for how far I want to go. I may feel very irrelevant at times, very invisible in the big scheme of things, but my journey matters. Each post matters. If only one person sees one post and connects to one sentence and finds the will to begin or pick up or be inspired, that matters! Even if that person is myself.

If these posts are a bit redundant at times, that is good! That means I’m staying consistent and working every day.

That being said, I had a little break through this past week I’d like to share. You see, if you have followed my journey at all, you know what a monster the scale has been for me. I mean, just a beast of an ogre. I have worked my butt off for 10 months, adjusted my diet, my hydration, done the bikini body mommy challenge workouts and then turned around and run a 14 minute mile, daily. I have stepped on the scale and instead of seeing no change and being discouraged, I got pissed and worked harder. I have lost almost 30 inches in the last 10 months, but I have hovered in the same 7 – 8 pound zone the whole time. I have lost a little faith at times and wondered if I was not working hard enough, or being as honest as I needed to be. I have soul searched every day to make sure I am bringing my all to every aspect of every day. For the most part I feel like I have. Definitely my loss of inches has shown that I have.

Now, in my family, I’m the very last person to spend money on myself. I have been wearing the one and only pair of jeans this whole 10 months that I have, save for the “goal” pair I kept to see how my progress has been going. Needless to say, I am long over due for some clothes, especially as my belly has kind of popped out of control in the past week. I determined from day one of finding out I was pregnant again that I wasn’t letting myself be the frumpy preggo chic again, not for a 4th time. I’m spending time on myself exercising and eating right, I am going to spend money on myself, no excuses, and dress my body in clothes that fit and give me a feeling of confidence, no matter what the number on the tag says.

I have been wearing this one pair of size 14 jeans for months now, and they have been getting looser and looser, but they weren’t falling off of me, and since the scale wasn’t moving I was really dreading any clothes shopping. I kept telling myself I would buy clothes when the scale finally moved. And then my belly popped out and I realized I was going to have to do something. Thankfully those jeans had gotten loose enough to accommodate the insanity that is this early baby bump, but they were at their limit within a week. So off to the store I went this past weekend, a slight feeling of dread at the thought of those horrid full length dressing room mirrors and trying clothes on. I usually hate it because nothing ever fits right. Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find I didn’t look as terrible as I remembered in those usually awful mirrors and I had very little trouble finding a few pieces right away that looked fabulous. In fact, I was floored to find out I had dropped into a size 12 and could even barely squeeze into a 10. A 10!! I haven’t been able to pull a 10 over my thighs for years! I still had trouble doing so, but up they came even if it took a lot of  effort. I realized that even pregnant, my typical lumps and trouble spots were greatly diminished or gone completely. I left the store feeling exuberated and thinking I really should shop for clothes more often. All this time, even losing all the inches, my mind was still programmed to let the number on the scale affect me to the point that I had no idea that I had dropped a full jean size. It was quite a revelation to me.

Another thing I did that left me feeling a little giddy was buy a pair of leggings for the first time in my life. I know, right? How have I survived the world of skinny jeans and leggings? Well, maybe that’s another reason I hate shopping, all you see everywhere are models and mannequins rocking skinny legs, and even at my thinnest, I’ll never have skinny legs, but these workouts have improved and toned my legs in a way they have not been since before I got married, and I am confident enough to rock out some leggings this season. I’m sure I could improve a lot, but I’m claiming this little victory. In fact, my biggest disappointment upon finding out I was pregnant was that I had been working at a major goal, to drop a pant size by Christmas. I thought I’d have to toss that out the window, completely not realizing I had already achieved that goal and won that victory.

Why do we doubt ourselves? Why do we let society’s ideals and standards mess with our heads? If there is one thing I’m wanting to convey through all this it is don’t doubt the power you hold to change into the person you want to be. Don’t let anything make you feel incapable. You ARE the most powerful force of change in your own life. No obstacle is greater than your will to succeed. No negative vibe is more powerful than your own positive thoughts and actions.

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2.0 Round 2 Day 45: Progress (In Spite of the Early Bump)

I’m going to admit right off the bat that I have been far too exhausted to do many of my “normal” chores, let alone blog very much. Today is day 45 of this challenge, and also happens to be my 9 weeks pregnant mark exactly. From here my energy is supposed to return, so we’ll see. I have missed quite a few workouts (so much for getting every single one this challenge) and have done an incredible (for me) amount of sleeping. I’m that person who normally gets maybe 5 or 6 hours of sleep at night, sometimes less if the little guy is extra kicky, and runs like that for about 3 weeks or a month before taking a short nap one day, which amps me up for another few weeks. I actually perform really well with sleep deprivation, I get oober focused and tackle even difficult tasks. So you can imagine that my normal nightly sleep as well as 2-3 hours of napping each day is A LOT of sleep for me. It also has my house looking shabby since that’s usually when I get some things done, when I don’t have my little guy under feet. But hey, the first trimester is only a short period, right? I make up for it next trimester.

That being said, I have tried to keep up with at least 5 workouts each week. Little man was sick with a fever and just wanted to be held for days this past week, so during that time my butt was pretty much glued to the couch. As for nutrition? Bleh. Nothing sounds good. Something finally sounds yummy and I quickly prepare it only to find that by the time I’m done cooking it no longer seems remotely edible. Except for mac n cheese. I know, I know, so NOT what I should be eating. At least it is home made with real cheese and the other day I made it with sauteed portobello mushrooms and spinach, you know, for the extra iron. I actually made that for breakfast. I felt kind of silly and like that cliche pregnant woman with her pickles and ice cream, but hey, that mac n cheese was the bomb. I’ve also been gravitating toward acidic things, tomato sauce, salsa, etc. Other than mac n cheese I can usually stomach scrambled eggs with a little cheddar and covered in salsa, or a breakfast burrito. This is kind of strange to me since my last pregnancy with my son was so bad, the sight of anything acidic would about make me hurl.

Thankfully I don’t really get morning sickness. I mean I get slightly queasy and food doesn’t generally sound good, but even with my son, who made me the sickest for the longest, I have yet to throw up with any pregnancy. My heart truly goes out to all the women who complain about hanging over the toilet for the first 3 months, that just seems terrible.

So, considering all this, and the fact that even though I usually don’t start showing till 12 – 13 weeks but a bump appeared over this past week at only 8 weeks, I was pretty surprised to find my weight has dropped and my measurements are either the same or better, even in my mid section. Take that mac n cheese craving!!

 

So, since day 1 of this second round of 2.0 I am down 1.4 lbs. and a total of 11.75 inches. I’m really motivated and excited to make this the fittest pregnancy yet. My original goal this year was to burst into my 30s looking and feeling fabulous and while I will have just delivered my 4th baby just a few months before my 30th birthday, I still hope to make that a reality. Of course, it’s usually that 3rd trimester complacency that gets me, so all the more reason to stay consistent and keep at this.

 

 

 

Day 1 of this second round of 2.0 and today, day 45

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2.0 Round 2 Day 33: First Trimester Fatigue and Listening To Your Body

Well, it happened. Yesterday I just couldn’t find the get up and go to do the workout. I didn’t do it first thing in the morning because I knew I had to walk to the bank and the store and was trying to conserve my energy. It was just a very draining day, which I guess I had coming to me because the first 2 days this week were filled with productivity and energy and rainbows and unicorns. And then Wednesday I felt the tired creeping in,and by yesterday I could barely crawl out of bed and found myself back in for a long nap. Needless to say I will be glad when this stage of pregnancy is past. I am a morning person and I like to get stuff done and stay busy. Sleeping so  much just makes me feel incredibly lazy, which I know I need it a little extra these days, but it still makes me feel lazy.

The kids have also been sick, which I guess it’s good that it’s Fall break, at least my girl doesn’t have to miss school, but I’ve been up more through the nights checking on them and treating fevers and losing sleep. So yeah, not trying to make excuses,but this is my life right now and I’m trying to listen to my body and not over do it. I am highly sensitive to stress while pregnant, my body has physically manifested everything from dramatic weight loss to strange skin rashes even as my mind is telling me everything is ok, so I have learned to ignore feelings of laziness and just get the extra sleep. I stay healthier. In fact, I tell new moms all the time who are over tired but still wanting to workout and get their bodies back, if you have to choose between a workout or getting some sleep for those first 6 months, take the sleep. Your body heals and repairs when you are sleeping and all the workouts in the world will not help if your body is over stressed and still healing, in fact it can actually do the opposite, retain fat due to the stress. So of course this rule also applies to growing another human being inside you.

All that being said, I plan to do today’s workout as usual, but where I have doubled up before to make up missed days, I think the best thing is going to be just do the days I can and if one gets missed, so be it. I doubled up the other day and had to end up skipping several exercises. It was a bit much. Since my hubby Is out on the road all week and the only day I really get the car for grocery shopping and such is Saturday, I believe I will just be striving for 5 days a week instead of six. I run around enough on Saturday it can at least count as a half workout. So there you have it, in the spirit of honesty and accountability. I am just figuring this out as I go, keep that in mind, and every one is different. The key is knowing yourself and knowing when to push and when you have hit your limit.

Hey, on another note, I finally drank the smart phone Koolaide. (I know, I know, I’m super late to this game.) So, you can follow me on Instagram if you like, @natasiachampion85. That is the main reason I switched to a smart phone, having a camera handy for all the everyday moments. My DSLR isn’t exactly the most handy thing for when the kids are being candid or when I’m out and about. So, if you are into that, feel free to follow me there. 🙂

 

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2.0 Round 2 Day 30: Progress

Day 30. 🙂

I have to say, right now I just feel bloated and “thick”. That is about the only way to describe early pregnancy. Gone is that lightness and feeling of progress, it has been replaced with a slowed down digestive system and fatigue and just kind of a presence in your body undetected by the naked eye. I will feel better when I start to show a little because at least then I can see the evidence of what I feel.

All that being said, my measurements have improved despite my little womb squatter.

 

 

That is a net loss of 5.75 inches this past 15 days, and a total of 7.5 inches this challenge. This is probably the last measure day where my results will even be comparable to my past measurements, I don’t believe there will be much change on the tape measure or scale from this point except going up. Never the less, I will continue to work as hard as my body will reasonably let me. Obviously I’ll be extra sensitive to cues on when to slow down.

I hadn’t really planned on sharing another picture until my day 90 progress, but I thought it would be fun to have my belly progress pictures through this challenge and the next (yes, at this point I totally am still intending to continue with 3.0 too, again, modified as needed.) So here is my day 30 progress picture.

 

I have seen the most improvement in my hips and back this round. Just take a look at progress from the beginning of 2.0 round 1 and my 30 day picture from this round.

 

Hard to believe I am considered “obese” with a BMI index of 32. That’s as of a week ago at my proof of pregnancy appointment. Don’t be discouraged by numbers, ladies. They are just numbers. How you look and feel speaks so much more truth than the silly numbers. And keep in mind that the scale has actually gone up from the picture on the left above until now, the picture on the right. In fact, I have really lost all faith in the scale, it never reflects how I feel.

I think it is important to note, not just for you guys, but to remind myself, this isn’t just 30 days of progress, this is 10 months of progress, this is 20 + inches and many drops of sweat and a completely healthier and happier and stronger me. This is a woman who is going into her fourth pregnancy with the confidence and determination to work out daily where with 3 pregnancies before she barely had the get up and go to walk regularly. I am beginning my pregnancy, for the first time ever, with some semblance of core strength and a back that doesn’t hurt and strong arms and legs that haven’t been this toned since before my first child was born. I’m definitely eating and drinking healthier than I ever have, not just during pregnancy, but ever. Sure, I’ve had moments over the years where I ate healthy here and there, but this is the longest I have been consistent and definitely the most I’ve ever focused on hydration. I have this bikini body mommy program and Brianna’s realness and motivation to thank for that. I feel so empowered, especially where pregnancy is concerned, so even though this baby is our big surprise, I feel completely ready physically to nurture this life and give it the very best space to grow.

Keep going, even if you don’t see the results you were hoping for. Just keep going, you won’t be sorry, I promise.

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2.0 Round 2 Day 29: Regaining the Queendom

I got up this morning at 4:45 as usual, even though it’s the first day of Fall Break. I like to stay on schedule and this week I have big plans to be really productive. My hubby had been working from home since July, and while I LOVED having him around, it greatly interfered with my daily schedule. Now that he is out on the road a lot and I have my queendom back, I want to get back to my list making and organized house keeping and meal planning and healthy grocery list making. (Turns out men like steak and potatoes much more than zuccini boats and salad, at least my man does.) Hopefully I will have more recipe posts coming your way soon, I have seen some delicious spaghetti squash meal ideas and sweet potato and butternut squash yummies I want to try.

Tomorrow is also the day 30 check in. I’m still excited, despite my pregnancy news. I still feel there has been change. I certainly have generally more energy at this stage in pregnancy than all my past experiences, I mean, I still hit that exhaustion wall by about 2 pm and need a nap, but the rest of the time I’m energetic and feel great. My focus from this point is going to be on my nutrition rather than the scale and the tape measure, I really need to eat smaller more frequent portions, that is the place I struggle the most, but I find the very best results when I stick to that.

I’m proud to say I have not yet missed a day on this challenge. It was a great moment this morning when my man wrapped his arms around me to give me a big hug and looked at me and said out of the blue, “You know, you feel much more slender when I hug you, I can tell when I wrap my arms around you.” It was like medicine to my soul! Especially since I have felt so poochy lately and keep thinking about the impending moment not far in the future when I will need to don maternity gear. It’s the little things, people. I just don’t want my crazy hard work for the last 10 months to be for nothing, and honestly, lately, I have felt just a touch discouraged at the prospect of losing momentum with another pregnancy. Still 2 steps forward and five steps back is still closer to my goal than 10 steps back. Keep going, ladies, life is not as stubborn as you are, you are going to make it sooner or later.

I shall see you all tomorrow for the check in!

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2.0 Round 2 Day 27: Oh Baby!

Well, I know it has been a while, sorry for the lack of posts. Sometimes I’m just incredibly busy, and sometimes I just feel like my posts are a bit redundant, you know, there’s only so many pictures to post of me and little man getting our workout on each week without it becoming mundane. Things are pretty routine here.

Wait, did I say they’re routine? What I meant was up until this past Monday they HAVE BEEN pretty routine.

Wait for it…… wait for it…….. YES! That is a fourth pumpkin and yes, it says “Baby 2015” on it.

Pregnant. Talk about life getting in the way! But in a good way. 🙂 We were very surprised, to say the least, but babies are a blessing in our book, so only happiness over here.

I never thought I’d be a mom to 4, but then I never thought I would lose my first child and in so many ways that changed everything, including our family size and how we planned it. I had always thought 2 was the perfect number, but after we had Faith, it didn’t seem right to stop there even though she was our second. So I surpassed my first expectation and became mom of 3. And now, even though it’s only 3 living children, I will always be mom to 4.

So, how does this affect my bikini body mommy routine, my blogging through the challenge, etc.? Well, it doesn’t, for now anyway. Since a healthy diet and regular exercise are recommended for low risk pregnancies, and since I have been working at this every day for almost 10 months and my body is used to this level of physical activity, I plan to keep going, listening to my body, modifying as needed, staying healthy, staying hydrated, and hope to have the healthiest, strongest, most stress reduced pregnancy yet.

Baby’s estimated debut is May 27, 2015, which puts me 6-7 weeks along. There is still time for morning sickness to set in, but I had only mild nausea with my other babies, so I am not surprised to find I feel great at this point other than that early pregnancy fatigue and needing a daily nap like you need to pee. Fight it all you want, it’s gonna happen.

I plan to keep blogging, keep doing the weigh ins and check ins. Obviously my measurements and weight will be going up, but I am really striving to gain at a healthy rate and not go into the excessive. Physically, mentally, emotionally, I have never been at a healthier point during any of my other pregnancies, certainly not with nutrition and hydration, so I’m excited to see how staying fit through pregnancy impacts me in a positive way. Any of you moms out there wondering how these workouts fit into a pregnant daily scenario? Now is the time to hit the subscribe button and follow along with my journey as it heads down this new path. I’m committed. I found out Monday about our new addition and have been doing the BBMC workouts every day as well as walking to run errands most days as well, pulling my little guy in the wagon. In fact, it was probably a comical sight, seeing all the pumpkins yesterday loaded into the wagon along with my little guy and my trusty 32 oz. big cup of water, walking the mile back from Fred’s, my girl skipping along beside me after school.

I’m looking forward to the good, the bad, and the awkward that pregnancy brings. I’m keeping up my positive energy forcefield. My goals are still in sight, some of them are just going to take a little longer to achieve and new ones are on the horizon. I’m excited!

2.0 Round 2 Day 17: On Sitting Down and Other Challenges

Oh my goodness. I have been doing these workouts for almost 9 months straight now and this week has me painfully sitting down once again. Anyone wanting to lift and firm their butt just needs to repeat this week over and over. I have seen some comments on the bikini Body Mommy Facebook page, one lady said something about the light nature of the workouts and how she was doing 2 challenges at the same time, and I just thought, “Well, either she is super woman or doing this completely wrong, or maybe I’m just a hopeless case, because there isn’t a workout that I don’t pour sweat and want to pass out by the end of it.” I definitely wouldn’t call these light in any capacity. Now, I have seen great improvement over the 9 months, most moves I was modifying I can now do the full version and where I had to stop and rest during a minute of mountain climbers, now I can power through. My reps are increasing in the given time, generally speaking. So that’s the key, pushing yourself 110%. I am very self motivated and competitive and my favorite competitor is myself, so these workouts are just perfect for my personality.

In addition to these workouts I have been doing a lot of walking. My hubby recently started traveling for work, which requires our only (for now) vehicle, so if I need to grab something at the store or run to the bank or mail something I fire up my walking legs and break out the red wagon for little man and off we go. These places are within a couple miles of our house and this glorious fall weather has been beautiful, so we don’t mind the extra exercise.

 

 

My life is pretty redundant right now, get my girl off to school, workout, do house work, help with homework, and before I know it, sweet bed time. Oh, in case you are wondering, my sister is still with us. She is taking classes to pursue her GED so she can graduate in a timely fashion and move on to cosmetology school, which has been her goal for a very long time and she is awesome at hair and make up already. She also has a full time job now, busting her butt through the night at the only 24 hour diner in the area. We are incredibly proud of her, she has taken a life that is less than rosey and is really striving to make something better for her future. She is determined to save for a car so she can be all set to go to school sometime this spring.

Her story is so long and detailed I could not go into it and I feel it would be her’s to tell, but she has had so much to deal with in her life, so much to over come and stand up against and she is living proof that you can do and be anything you want, you just have to have enough determination and  hard work. She is my inspiration today.

 

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

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What is Bikini Body Mommy?

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2.0 Round 2 Day 15: Weigh In Day #1

It has been a crazy morning for me, I forgot to call the school on Friday to make arrangements for my daughter to be picked up on the bus this morning and we ended up having to walk the mile to school. She’s a pretty healthy and active little girl, a mile is nothing to her, but my stride is really long, so poor thing, she just about jogged the whole way there, but I’m proud of her, she didn’t complain, and even waved away the rest I offered. Anyway, with that and other things, I’ve kind of been running behind today, but I still found a moment to do my measurements.

I feel a bit bloated and am about “due” for that time of the month, so there wasn’t as much change as I felt there would be, BUT I am thrilled to announce that even with that, I have lost 1 lb. and 1.75 inches this past 15 days. If you have been following my journey, you know any time the scale goes down, even a pound, that is a big deal for me. So I’m encouraged and ready to make the most of my next 15 days.

As I said, I’m behind, so I will wrap this up and just say Happy Monday everyone, let’s make the week awesome!