Discouragement. It's a real thing...

So… hey.  I’ve gone MIA for a while and I really have no excuse, tbh. Life has gotten in the way and my health and my blog have gone on the back burner. Discouragement sucks. So… lets re-cap.

I will NOT hit my #30by30 goal this year. I think I may have hit it… the other way around.  Which is disappointing. And #31by31 isn’t really that motivational… since I’ll have OVER a year to accomplish it… I’ll turn 30 on the 26^th of this month. I doubt we’ll be celebrating, so there’s not much to look forward to since I won’t be hitting that goal. My high school bestie was here last week for a couple of days, which was present enough since its such a long way from her home.  My local bestie is moving the day of my birthday, so I’ll probably be packing a u-haul and crying most of the day.  Age is just a number, and it’s never really bothered me, so it’s not like I’m dreading it or anything. My mom usually forgets my birthday, so I won’t hold my breath for that, and my honey has been thinking real hard… but since I don’t have many friends, it’s pretty tough to do much. I’m just happy to reach one more milestone in my life since there are so many people who don’t get that chance.

I’ve taken a hiatus from working out, eating right, and all things healthy.  It just happened. Family reunions and camping, holidays, and work just didn’t keep me motivated. I KNOW what I have to do, but doing it is a whole other thing. I get discouraged very easily and while I know nothing can change until I absolutely make the change, something’s gotta give.  I stepped on the scale for the  first time in… well, forever… and my number is the highest its ever been. Ugh. I’m so disgusted with myself. But mentally, I’m just not there. 

So how do I get there? What do you do to “get motivated” and stay that way? I don’t want to be fat. But I also don’t want to starve.  I love food.  It’s my addiction.  I hate being sweaty. Working out is hard. But I know it has to be done to do anything about the way I look and feel. Why are we always so consumed with an easy fix? Why don’t want we ever want to work hard for stuff like that? I’ll be completely honest.  I’m always looking for the next best thing to help me in my weight loss journey. I’m not above trying drinks, shakes, pills… you name it, I’ve probably done it.  And it works for me for a while.  It’s like I need it to give me a shove and to make me think, “I can do this…” I know, I know… hard work, determination, and accountability are the only things that are going to work. Blah, blah… I just want it to be easy dammit. Why can’t it be easier?

                Maybe I’m just lazy.  I work hard at everything else in my life, so why not at trying to lose weight and be healthy? I hate the way I look, that I’m the largest person in my WHOLE family… so how am I not determined? And I can’t expect anyone else to hold me accountable if I can’t even hold myself accountable? What do you do to stay on track (or get back on track)? What has helped you the most to really get to it? What is the biggest thing that was your turning point? 

Random Facts about Cupcake

Hey y'all!

I came to the realization that people read this blog.  I even found out Wednesday night that PEOPLE I KNOW read this blog. (Hi y'all!) WOW.  I know you don't have to, but you do. I can't see who you are but to know that people actually come here, actually read it, and actually see what I have to say... It's an eye opener!

I use this space as my outlet.  For everything.  Not only do I use it for weight loss accountability, but to also talk about my life. Its my journal so to speak. Thank you for reading and tolerating me. Thank you for not blasting me if I drive you crazy, thank you for your support and positivity.

For those of you that I don't actually know, haven't met, or may be new in my life, I thought I'd do a post about random fact about me that you may or may not know. I love to know new things about new people, and it occurred to me, you may want to know too. So, here goes!

1. I am a mom to two wonderful little boys.

Ayden (8) 

and Remington (7).

2. I date the most wonderful man (Darrell)  I've ever met and I wouldn't trade him for anything.
This man brought me back from some darkness that I can't even explain.  He helped me walk away from relationships that I didn't need and has brought so much joy to my life. I love you honey.

3. I am an only child, the youngest child, and the oldest child... which also makes me an only child.
My mom and dad split when I was very young.  I was their only child, and was treated as so until they each found another partner. My dad, Tracey, married Kathy and she had two daughters already.  Dondi and Stephanie. Both are 2-4 years older than me.  My mother, Connie, married Ron shortly thereafter and he had a son, Brian who is about 3 years younger than me.  They then had Todd (17) and Desaree (16). I also have a "brother", Brent,  who's not really my brother, but IS Brain's half brother, but that has been raised in the family our whole lives.  He's 9 months older than me. It's a big-ol screwed up family, but it's mine. :)

4. I have 4 nephews, 1 niece and one on the way.
My oldest sister has Adam Bill, JR.

My next older sister has David & Justin

My "brother" Brent has a son and a daughter, with one on the way. I love ALL these crazy kiddos. Every last one of them.

5. I made the hardest decision of my life back in March. My oldest son went to live with his dad, Zack in Colorado. We don't know for how long. We don't know how any of this will turn out.  I know I miss him, but as his mother, I have to do what is best for him and his brother and it's not about me. You can read more about that, here.

6. I'm THAT mom.
Remington plays baseball.

We play at least twice a week and I've made all but one game this year I think.  He's a slugger, he's a third baseman, and he loves the game.  Until something doesn't go his way.  Then he's huffy. I'm the mom that is always cheering, always letting the kids know where the "play" is, and I'll be the first one to tell that coach to pull my kid and put him in the outfield if he's not playing his part. I will ride your ass to perform better, and it's not just cause you're my kid. It's because it's YOUR team.  YOU have to help THEM win. It's not just about you.  They count on you as much as you do them and you should always give 100% plus more. I'm not afraid to call you out... or anyone else for that fact.  I'm a baseball mom. I've grown up on or around the field for 20 years and it looks like I've got at least 10 more.

6. I plan parties
I LOVE to have an event to plan for.  I start months in advance.I decorate weeks in advance (if I can) and I try to use local businesses to make things work, as much as I can. I've done mostly birthday parties, but I've also planned 3 weddings (all mine, lol), a graduation party, and love details of other peoples events.

7. I met Darrell, THROUGH my ex-husband.
AWKWARD! Yeah, tell me about it.  They worked together, we met though their job. We all hung out. And then my relationship ended.  Its so hard to tell the story without being judged, and I honestly avoid that question as much as possible. Darrell was my support group during my divorce, and NO, it's not like that. He even told me to go back a time or two.  He tried to be a much of a middle man as he could.  We were TRULY friends before we became boyfriend/girlfriend. I wouldn't change it if I had to though. :)

8. I'm EXTREMELY modest.
So modest that it bothers me to talk about being modest. I don't do naked, I don't talk about naked, I don't like to talk about sex, I don't even like TV sexual encounters. It all makes me SO uncomfortable. My face turns bright red and you can automatically tell that I'm no longer at ease.  I don't even like to do naked in the comfort of my very own home... by myself, let alone in front of Darrell. I'm hoping that as I come more comfortable in my own skin, that I become more comfortable around him and myself. One day. Baby steps.  Putting my weigh-in and progress pictures on here is one step... my spray tan parties are the next. LOL

9. I'm a licensed Cosmetologist.
I took cosmetology school while I was a junior and senior in high school, missed my baccalaureate to test my state boards, and received my certification letter in the mail, the same day as my high school graduation. :) I don't "do" hair and nails in a shop.  I do haircuts in my kitchen, I paint my own toes, but I go get my hair did... I get a new set of nails... I don't take care of my face. lol. All those things I learned... they're in the back of my head. I just don't always do it myself.

10. My bestest-best friend lives in Austin.
Meagan has three beautiful little boys and an amazingly smart hubby and we DO NOT get to see each other often enough. We became friends when I asked her if her name was MAY-gan or MEG-en.  BIG difference. I needed to know. We've been together (pretty much) ever since. I was her MOH in her wedding she was there for the birth of my children. She loves me and I love her. She is the one that knows ME. And still loves me for it. We know secrets, we don't always like the same things (Dr. Who?), but we always come back to each other.  We both visit her moms house when she's in town, sleep in the same bed, drink, laugh and stay up entirely too late. And you ought to hear the gossip. LOL She gives the best hugs and the best gifts. She's my Meagan. I couldn't exist without her.
10a. My other Bestie- Suzan, I just found out is moving away from me next month. :( More on that subject later. Love you lady.

Well, there you have it... 10 random fact about this Heavy Cupcake.  I hope you learned something new. I hope you come back.  And if you ever want to know more... Just ask. :)

Weigh in Wednesday... *sigh*

I don’t even want to talk about it… but yet, here I am.

I haven’t done a Weigh in Wednesday since Vegas I think.

I. Am. Ashamed.

Not only that I haven’t written a Wednesday post (let alone any other posts), but that I’ve let my readers down.

More importantly, I’ve let myself down... ESPECIALLY with this number.

The number today brought me to tears. I do not like it, not one bit. And the thing is, it’s no one’s fault but my own.  I’ve known that I’ve been on a downward spiral since Vegas. (in April) I’ve thought about correcting it, and Darrell has even mentioned correcting it, but I’ve always got an excuse. I’ve always got a reason. Or, I wait until “tomorrow”. 

I hate that word. For real.

So… last night, while I was laying in bed, watching tv, eating a bucket of ice cream (I kid you not), I made a PayPal payment to Marta with Four Fit Sisters to join her June 2^nd Sugar Detox. I’ve GOT to get this under control and MAYBE if I’ve now forked out money to help me, just MAYBE I’ll do it. God I hope so.  

No one can do this for me, but me.  “It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.” Isn’t that what Mama Laughlin says all the time? I wanna look like her, btw. (have you seen her photo shoot?!?)

I also wanna look fierce and confident like Val over at Fab Chick Gets Fit and buy new clothes, in color, like Alicia over at Brew Mama.

To have before and afters (durings) like Aubrey Leigh at ALG, Uninterrupted.

And have the determination of Jasmine at Fleurty & Fit. And I wanna run. Just. Like. Candra. At Camo & Lipstick.

I look up to each one of the ladies, more than they will ever know.  I want their drive, I want their willingness, I want their meal plans! These ladies inspire me more and more each day and I can only hope to inspire people the way they do.

#30by30 may or may not happen. I have 25 pounds to lose by July 26^th.

Will it happen? I hope so.

Can it happen. Yes

Who can make it happen? ME?

Weigh in Wednesday

It's hump day again, and I'm back at it and feeling much better than last week.  THANK YOU to everyone that felt my pain and left words of encouragement, or that emailed and checked in on me.  I appreciate it all.  Seriously.  I've realized now, more than ever, that I DO have people supporting me, even thought they're people I don't see every day! THANK YOU!

So here's this week's number...

Sorry it's blurry... I only took one shot and was in a hurry. Also, I did NOT weigh in this Sunday for the challenge with Adie. I forgot all about it that morning, and by the time the birthday party was over (more on that later), I had had such a bad week, I knew my weight would be WAY off. So, here's today.

I have to give a shout out to my honey on here today.  He apologized for what he commented, and that took a lot.  I know he didn't mean it the way I took it, but apparently, when you're in a position like I am, every little thing can discourage you. He's a joker, and that's how his comments were meant. We're good.  I'm better, he's better.  I'm getting this ball rolling again.

I had two amazing ladies contact me yesterday to help me as well... I've learned so much over the past 24 hours and am so grateful to them for helping to pick me back up! Thanks to them, I'm now switched over to My Fitness Pal... Yeah, I know, I know. I'm behind on the times.  But, I've used LoseIt for so long, it was hard to make the change. But... it's done. Look me up if you want to "friend" me... NickoleM123

Speaking of names... Should I change my MFP to HeavyCupcake? Or my IG? or should I just get a second account? It's all so confusing! But, my concern is that I wonder if I put my IG as Heavy Cupcake if people will get tired of seeing me and my boys... ALONG with my healthy stuff too, of course. Thoughts?

Anyway... short post for now.  Know that I AM doing better eating this week and again, am grateful for each and every one of my supporters.  Chime in, say hello! I'd love to get to know you better!

Hi there, hey there, ho there... Lots of links in this post!

I'm (obviously) a little behind on this weeks posts. Please forgive me.  I'm sure most of you will if you know whats been going on, but still, please.

So lets get down to it!
Monday started my 30 day challenge with Adie of Four Fit Sisters. So far, so good.  I'm loving the daily "homework" she posts to our facebook group, although, I'm not as impressed that I'm in a group of mostly repeaters... I feel like I'm asking stupid questions pretty often, and don't feel like other people are "participating" as much since they've already asked most of the questions they're going to.  Oh well.

Our first assignment was to figure out our average RMR (mines 1844). You can do that here... This number tells you how many calories your body should burn just sitting around. Not doing anything additional.  You should try to eat at or just under that number of calories per day.  Uh... hello! That's about 400 MORE calories than I've been eating for the past two months! So, I've adjusted my calorie intake on my LoseIt App around 1725. I just couldn't make the dive to over 1800... Just couldn't.

Our second assignment was to take pics and measurments of ourselves. Now, I had just done that on the fourth for the month, but I went ahead and did it on Sunday as well. Here they are:

 

 

Hey Look! I got new clothes to take pics in! Not really, I was just tired of those grey pants... they made my ass look terrible.  And that cheapo bra was driving me crazy!

Anyway, I posted mine on the facebook group page.  I'm pretty sure she said we were supposed to... but I'm the only one that did it. :-/ It's there... No take backs now!  Anyway, we're supposed to cut out wheat and dairy for the first two weeks.  So far, so good I think. I'll know more in two weeks! I don't feel any different as of yet, but I tried not to consume wheat anyway just because its usually in bread and so high in calories/carbs.  And the only dairy I really eat was shredded cheese on my eggs and salads... I do kinda miss that.

So... after two days of being in the group, this was my weight for weigh in Wednesday... I'm not sure if it's actually due to the group or he lack of wheat/dairy or just a better day for me.

And of course, since it's a weigh in, I've linked up with Heather and Ashlee

And Nina here...

(Sorry it's a day late guys!)

Back to the 30 day challenge group, Another assignment we had was to fill this out.  

This page was so emotional for me, given the circumstances I've been in the past couple of weeks.  After dropping my son off at the airport on Sunday, this hit home so much more than on just a weight loss level. Each one of these answers both pertain to me losing weight, as well as things I need to work on for myself emotionally. Ugh. Talk about a tough day.  And I'm super glad that it wasn't Monday's homework.  Cause I was a wreck that day.  I didn't make it to work, I laid in bed a cried.  I'm at work today, I'm trying my damdest to make sure each assignment is done and that I put on a (semi) happy face.

Two of the ladies that most inspired me to jump in to Adie's group challenge are hosting a linkup today for healthier foods.   Alicia at Brew Mama

 and Candra at Camo & Lipstick

.Since so many of us are on diets of "clean eating", "gluten free", "low carb" etc, I think this linkup will be SO beneficial to so many.  Even if not all of the recipes appeal to you, ONE of them will.  I'm so excited for this and have already been scouring the recipes for myself! Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe to add this week, but you can have a gander over here...

Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully I can whip out another post tomorrow. Thanks for the understanding on the late posts, and hopefully, you'll stick around. Happy Thursday folks! 

Tuesday... a happier post

Hi y'all! Sorry about yesterdays Debbie-downer post, but I needed to get it out, and Facebook doesn't allow that many words, or pictures. ;-)

It's Tuesday, and a new day. I'm not bawling... yet. And am seriously trying not to today.  I had a great talk with Ayden's teacher this morning, and am so glad I have her as a friend.  We've been blessed with some of the best teachers in my kids lives, and Ms. Ramsey is one of them.

I mentioned yesterday that I've signed up with Adie of Four Fit Sisters, (yes, those are two separate links) for a 30 day challenge/accountability group. We got our first welcome letter last night, and assigned to a Facebook Group this morning.  It's called the Spring Slim Down group and it starts up Monday, the 17th.  After flying my boy off on Sunday, I'm going to need all the help and motivation I can get for the first week, I'm sure.

Anyway, she'll send out information on better foods to eat, things to cut out of our regular diet, hopefully some meal planning help and she's all about accountability.  We've already got homework of taking measurements and pictures for the start of the challenge! Now, if you've read my blog already, then you know that I just did photos for the beginning of the month, but because this is a new challenge I'm doing, and because I want to really see just how much this helps, I will be doing new photos, weight and measurements on Sunday. I may move my weigh in day around a bit, just so I'm not weighing too much during the week.  I'm a firm believer that if you weigh daily, it can bring you down. So.. Sunday night or Monday morning I'll have a new post up for you, with my starting... well.. everything.  I'll be changing my "before photo" outfit up a bit, as I want to see all of what it helps... BEWARE! lol

So today... and the rest of this week, I feel like I need to be doing some prep work.  Recipe searches, grocery lists, meal planning.  I need to not fail y'all. I NEED this to work. With Ayden leaving, I almost feel like I know I'll fail if I don't have someone pushing me. I'm an emotional eater. I don't want to pack on 15 pounds of crap just because my son is gone for 9 weeks.  I have vacation coming up. I need to drop 5-10 before it gets here. (especially if I want to have any money to spend at Tiffany's like I told y'all about) I have another little boy that I need to be healthy for... and for Ayden for when he comes home. I NEED this, so badly.

Anyone have any gluten free, dairy free recipes they want to send my way? Or healthy make-ahead snacks?

March Madness... in my world

Hey there and Happy March! I wanted to put in writing what my goals are fort his month. Maybe, just maybe, if I do that then I'll be more accountable?

I'm currently (as of weight in Wednesday on 2/26) down 9.6 pounds since January 2nd.  February has been terrible for me and I'm basically a month behind weight loss wise.  The scale literally hasn't moved. I still have so much further to go, but know that it's the little things I need to look forward to, rather than long term. So... Here it is.

March Goals:

Weight loss of 8 pounds. (that's averaging 2 pounds a week)

4 flights of stairs a day (currently doing a minimum of 3 each day)

Work out at least 30 mins a day, 4 times a week. (I'm setting a realistic number here)

Complete #MarchYogaWithJoJo (Challenge Yoga pose a day)

Meal prep and actually eat what you cook (this is the hardest for me at dinner time)

March includes birthday prep for my son's birthday on April 3rd and it also includes Spring break for my boys.  They'll be off for a week, and my oldest is going to his Dad's in Colorado. I'll be able to take a week off of cooking dinner since they probably won't be here, so that might save my diet.  HOWEVER, St. Patrick's day also falls during that week, and that may or may not mean that a Pub Crawl is in play... 

While discussing meal prep- Do any of you have any ideas about calories and what your bodies need? I know what my Loseit App suggests,  and what my FitBit app says, but I'm not so sure it's what I actually need. I've been trying to stay at or under for two months now. This week, I've gone over, but I did it on purpose. Not just because I had too many cheat meals. I decided to up my calories this week and see what kind of a difference it makes with my metabolism.

I know that there are several factors to take into consideration when figuring out how many calories you should consume.  And I have done the research, but I guess I just don't understand it?  I have an 8-5 job that basically consists of me sitting at a desk that whole time, so I know that I am not near as active as I should be.  However, I have recently made the conscience decision to climb the stairs at work (up to an apartment) any time I leave my desk to go to the bathroom (or kitchen). That ups my active time, and if  I stick with my March goals, I'll be able to add much more active time too.  What bothers me, is that the yoga video I do doesn't keep my FitBit active enough to count as very active minutes. (You can read my review of the FitBit Force here) I can input the activity, but again, I really have no exact way of knowing what I'm burning or how my heart rate is. Looks like I'll have to make a secondary investment into a heart rate monitor/calorie counter for that.

Resolution Revolution Goodies and Review!

I realized that I didn't talk about the Resolution Revolution goodies that came in this month!

Mio Fit, a cookie dough Quest Bar, PB2, Skinny Cow snacks, and KT Tape... and a Brady Band that isn't pictured because I swiped it up immediately and put it on!

I've been using Mio for quite some time. I also like the off brands, and the Hawaiian punch and Kool Aid brands. All yummy, all calorie free, all help me get my water down the hatch!

The Cookie Dough Quest Bar was amazing.  I ate it as it, but have heard that warming them makes them even yummier! I liked it so well, that I sent my honey out to GNC in the next town over, to get me one of several different flavors for me to try.  So far I've had the cookie dough, the cinnamon roll, cookies and cream, strawberry cheesecake, and apple pie.  The cinnamon roll is take it or leave it.  I'll probably leave it, after I eat the other one that Darrell got me in my Valentines basket. As I said, the cookie dough is really good, the cookies and cream was yummy (uncooked), and the strawberry cheesecake was very yummy treat for my 3:00 sugar craving. The apple pie though? OMG. I'll take a case. Like, now.

I've eaten the Skinny Cow brand snacks before and these were darn yummy too, just as all the others have been.  Think of this one as a 100 Grand candy bar.  Just like it, only cut up in pieces.  Worth the buy.

I had purchased PB2 the week before this came in and I was totally stoked at how much it actually tastes like real peanut butter.  I've purchased another jar of it and gave this sample to a friend of mine that has been looking for a PB alternative.  I also purchased the chocolate version of the PB2 hoping it tasted more like Nutella, but alas, it does not.  It's still yummy, and I HAD been looking for a way to bump up the chocolate flavor in my protein shake, so this works well.  Overall, the PB2 is a must buy for me again.  I really do like it and it helps me with my protein shakes.

As for the KT tape, I haven't used it yet. I haven't done much to think about using it, so I'm just holding on to it for a while.

And this brings me to the Brady Band! Whoot! I've been eyeballing these for months, and never could ring myself to purchase one.  Thanks to Jess, I've got one now! Please go check this wonderful company out.  Brady Bands was named after an amazing little boy named Brayden who lost his life to brain cancer in 2012. We are passionate about helping to find a cure for childhood cancer, the number one killer of children under 16 in the U.S.. At least 10% of every sale will be donated to childhood cancer research.

February's Resolution Revolution box didn't disappoint and I'm already looking forward to March's. This group has been so beneficial to me the past couple months. I can ask questions, talk about my frustrations and get the great support that any woman on a weight loss mission need! Jess has one an amazing job setting up this group and with the monthly boxes! Go check her blog out and read about her journey as well!

AND!! TODAY is her one year blogging anniversary! Enter her giveaway on her blog for $70 cash! She's lost 70lbs to date, so that's where the number came from. Check it out!

Weigh in Wednesday

Well here it is folks... 

The same as last week. :-/ this number is a little frustrating since I did so well this week food wise, and also started my yoga back. My goal was to keep on losing about 1-2# a week, so that I can drop another 18# by vacation. But I don't really see that happening. Oh well. 

I did manage to get my exercise in this morning for the #stopandgivemethirty IG challenge this month.

As you can see, I've planned my month out already.  I'm doing flights of stairs M-F (cause I only have stairs at work) and increasing my one flight a day, until I hit 10. We're going to Vegas in April, and there are LOTS OF STAIRS.  I want to be in much better shape than years past, so that I don't get worn out and have to stop for breath.  

I'm also doing yoga daily.  As you can see, I'm alternating between the two DVD's I have every day, just so I don't get too relaxed in the one.  The Target video I have has 5 different videos on it, and while I only do one of the five, the others require blocks or straps and I don't have any of those... yet. 

The goal for the challenge is to get in at least 30 minutes of activity a day, for 30 days.  There are two additional days built in to the challenge for those of us that just can't get to it one day, or quite frankly, just don't want to. Wish me luck! 

I also want to wish my little sister a Very Happy Sweet 16th Birthday today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DES!!

And this is my face today... I've ran off and forgot to put contacts in or grab my glasses... So while I can see the computer screen, I can't see very far from my face... DANGGIT

Anyway, linking up with Ashley and Heather once again this week... 

Everyone have a great week and try to make it count! 

Weigh in Wednesday!

I'm a little behind on blogging lately (shame) but I'm back with my Weigh in Wednesdays with the following fellow bloggers.

Hope Nina likes up today, or I'm sending you for nothing! LOL

Make sure you stop by their blogs and give them some love for offering one more accountability step!

So, here's the weight for the week

While I know any loss is a great loss, one pound is a little discouraging.  HOWEVER, I do understand that I had a cheat meal just yesterday for lunch. (Beef Taco salad, with chips and *gasp!* cheese dip) AND I'm still not active.  Please SOMEONE motivate me! I've had a lot on my plate the past couple of weeks.

Kids and all the world that surrounds them, work has been crazy, The whole Jury duty thing and not knowing whether or not I'll be at work the next day, appearing for Jury duty that they cancelled and just expected you to know about, and, I'm in the process of selling my beloved Jeep. *sadface*

I love her.  But she's just not practical I suppose. I bought her a year and a half ago to go hunting and to go to the lake in.  But now, the kids go with me, so there isn't any room for my hunting stuff.  And since Darrell has moved in , I don't even have the passenger seat to put stuff in either. So... I'm buying a DIFFERENT Jeep Wrangler! :-D It will be an Unlimited, which means it has four doors (NO MORE LIFTING THE HEAVY KIDS!!) and will have cargo area! It also still has the removable top and doors, and will still be four wheel drive, so it will still be good for the lake and hunting.  WIN/WIN in my book!

I also have a Non Scale Victory today: I don't have as big of a muffin top today in these jeans! WIN!!

Hopefully I'll be able to do another post this week.  Stuff is just crazy right now!

www.theninashow.com

Weigh In Wednesday!

Linking up once again with Ash & Heather.
And now with Nina!

 It's Weigh in Wednesday again and today, I've found myself wondering why I do this. I know I need the accountability, and that in itself should be enough- but still, why?

Why have I put myself out there for all the word to see (even though no one actually reads it unless I do a linkup with a group that has already been put together) and why have I put my "big number" out there for all of you to gasp at? It's a huge number.  To me.  It's several huge numbers.  That I promised myself that I would NEVER see, 7 years ago.  And yet, here it is. And it's been around for way too long. Here she be...

I've lost 3.6 lbs since last Wednesday, and a total of 6.4 lbs since starting on January 2nd.

That's a good loss for two and a half weeks.  And my LoseIt! App is set to suggest calorie intake for a 2# a week loss (suggested healthy loss)... so I guess I'm doing better than suggested.  I still have a long way to go and still need to get back in to a regular exercise routine.

What motivates you to weigh in every week and post a weight that you're ashamed of? What motivates you to exercise? What makes you accountable for the workout? SOMEONE needs to call me every morning and tell me to get my ASS OUT OF BED!

Happy Wednesday all! Hope you enjoy this midweek hump!

Weigh In Wednesday- 2014!!

It's that time of week again, and while I know it's actually Thursday, I'm weighing in.

*Dang Holidays*

Today starts a new year for me and I'm ready to make a change for the good.  Here's what I'm doing:

I've started back on my Zeal for Life regiment starting today. Wild Berry Zeal Wellness first thing of a morning for my vitamins and energy (better than coffee!) Then a protein shake made of the Zeal Vanilla Protein Powder, a 1/4 cup frozen blueberries, 1/4 frozen strawberries, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup unsweetened Almond Milk and some ice. YUMMY! This concoction )along with the morning Wellness drink) give me about 330 calories to start the day.

They also have a supplement called "Burn". It says it a "blend of thermogenic fat burners, a natural carb blocker and appetite suppressant. Taken before each meal these powerful ingredients will accelerate your metabolism to burn more calories, reduce your hunger and block the absorption of the carbohydrates that you do eat... " Now, I'm not condoning the use of "supplements" but the rest of the program is very healthy... Wellness is JUST vitamins and minerals that you need, Protein Powder is all natural and stuff that everyone is doing to assist in their healthy lifestyles.  I personally love the program and am excited to get back on it.

I've also signed up for the Resolution Revolution with Jess over at The Girl Who Thought Too Much.

It's a great group of ladies that all want to be healthier for themselves and have an awesome list of goals.  We've got a Facebook group to ask questions, set goals and to make ourselves accountable. She's sending us member shirts, some samples and some great info throughout the month of January. We've already gotten our first motivation email with workouts and recipes, and she's a great inspiration through her own testimony.  You can check out her weight loss journey HERE.

I'm also doing the Jillian Michaels DVD Challenge with several wonderful blogging/IG ladies.  Its 30 days of Jillian (Eek!) on IG and a prize of $150.00 is up for grabs to the favorite loser! It starts today and runs through Feb 2nd and I'm determined to at least DO the challenge.  Winning would be a plus, but its about principal.  Check out the blogs or IG for Holly, Jennifer, Kim, or Melanie for more info if you're interested. Workouts start tonight, and I've purchased the 30 Day Shred and her Yoga Video to help me. I'll also probably do some of my other Yoga video as well, mostly because I love yoga and I figure I'll hate Jillian's yoga. lol My user name on IG is NickoleM123 if you wanna be friends and do the challenge together... Come keep up with me!

I did a shit ton of food prep for the week last night.  Baked Chicken, steamed green beans, steamed carrots, steamed broccoli, and brown rice.

10 meals, all around 175-250 calories. I'm putting my daily caloric intake around 1500, as recommended by my LoseIt App that I have on my phone. I love this app for keeping up with everything from food to exercise. NickoleM123 is my user name on there... Friend me! You input your weight, goal weight, height and age and it calculates your calories based on how you want to lose the weight.  2# per week being the maximum, because that is a healthy rate to lose it. I love looking into my fridge and seeing these meals all tucked away. I also boiled some eggs, and got fresh veggies cleaned and cut for snacks as well.

I'm telling y'all it's a new year and a new me. :) Here's to 2014 and everyone achieving their goals!