See the Change!

This last month has been a great one in terms of fitness. I finished the last phase, the Lean phase, of ChaLEAN Extreme and am excited to see the results of the program!
In the last month I have lost: 2 1/2 lbs and 1 1/4 in. I would have preferred these numbers be larger but that's what I get for my excessive "cheat" meals on the weekends.

I have lost 14.5 pounds in the last 3 months of CE and 7 1/4 inches total.
For the next two weeks I will be focusing on recovering my body with a stretch routine and some cardio, before I start P90X.

I am continuing to count and track every calorie I consume and limiting myself to 1600 calories per day but making sure that I keep my body fueled every 2-3 hours so that it can continue building muscle. I still have 26.5 pounds to go in order to meet my goal weight, and just 10.5 pounds to my pre-pregnancy weight just 4 months after little Thane was born. I have to remind myself each day of the progress I have made to motivate myself to keep moving forward; it's easy to get derailed and burned out but after seeing the progress so far, and completing an entire program, I have renewed motivation and I hope that each of you have the motivation to keep moving toward your goals, rather they are fitness goals, or any other area of life!

Pushhhh!

This month has been challenging but worth it. I completed the Push phase of ChaLEAN Extreme and have lost 4.5 lbs this month; despite the Easter set back! I am very proud to report that I have lost a total of 47.5 lbs since Thane was born in January, and have just 12.5 lbs back to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight (leaving 28.5 lbs total to reach my goal weight!) I have had a rough time with my "diet" this month craving chocolate and Dr. Pepper more than ever! I am so grateful for the support system I have in all my friends, thank God for Facebook :)

Not Too Shabby!

We were so blessed to have the company of my grandparents and two cousins from Denver this week; we had a great time each evening and treasure every moment with them! Spending time with the family took priority over my exercise routine this week and I'm disappointed to say that I only got two workouts in all week (worth the time with the grandparents though:) I am encouraged to say that after all that yummy food and little exercise I was still able to lose 1 pound this week. I am going to repeat my intended workout schedule next week to ensure I get the most out of this exercise program. I am also going to add protein shakes to my diet next week; I've never been able to get shakes down before but I have found a tasty one from Vollara (contact me if you're interested:) that I AM going to use! As we go in to this holiday weekend, remember you don't have to deprive yourself but moderation is your best friend!

May the Lord richly bless you as you celebrate the life and Resurrection of His Son!

MORE Calories??

When you’re trying to lose weight your focus is on cutting food out, right? Well if you’re like me and you make an intense workout part of your daily routine and you’re not losing weight- you may need MORE calories! This was a foreign idea to me but when my Beachbody fitness coach suggested I up my calories from 1200 to at least 1600 a day I did not hesitate to eat more food! So, the change I made last week was to eat a healthy snack every 2 ½ - 3 hours (fat free yogurt, low fat string cheese, high protein Kashi bars) and kept my daily total to around 1600 calories; I surprisingly lost a whole 2 pounds last week, something I have had a hard time accomplishing the last few weeks! So, my suggestion to you is track every calorie you consume, make sure it’s good fuel for your body, and enough fuel for your body. (Sorry about the late post, this week’s post is just a few days away!)

Keep On Keeping On!

At what point do you want to give up? What keeps you motivated not to? For me, I used to want to give up if I hadn't lost my goal weight for ONE week, but I've learned (what everyone has been telling me!) it does take time! My goal is still to be at my ideal weight by the end of June, but my priority is to be the healthiest me I can be and that means not losing the weight as aggressively as I would probably like. I only lost 1/2 a pound this week and I'm surprisingly not discouraged! I am loving the Push phase of ChaLEAN Extreme and can't wait to see how far I've come at the end of the four weeks. I have lost 46 pounds to date and have 30 more to go to my "ideal" weight; but just 16 pounds to reach my pre-pregnancy weight (same with both pregnancies).

Last week I was feeling inspired (or maybe inspiring) and I created a Facebook group "Fit For Life" to encourage everyone I love to be fit for themselves! Take the time for YOU! This is your year to get healthy!!

Burn, Baby, Burn!

The past month has had its ups and downs but it sure ended on a high note! I managed to lose 2 1/2 pounds this week, the hard work paid off!! I did not update you the last couple weeks but rest assured I was working hard... the last four weeks I have completed the Burn phase of ChaLEAN Extreme which enabled me to lose a total of 4 inches and 4 pounds in 4 weeks (yes, all those 4s are a coincidence!)

Before ChaLEAN After Burn Phase

Big Effort Little Reward