Just do it!

So before I get into talking about What you should “Just do” let me start with the nitty gritty here. This week I lost .04 for a total of -4.6 since applying. Of course I would love to loose weight an ass cheek at a time, but certain people (Leah and Mark) keep telling me this is the healhty way to do it. Blah blah blah. Just kidding. I know that in reality this is a life style change not a crash diet so I am happy with that. Below is the standard feet on the scale pic and weight chart for you.

scale

I seriously need a pedi-you all must be sick of my blue polish by now!

Date Weight Weekly Loss Total Loss
Application 227 -
2-WeekChallenge 229 _ +2.0
Start of Campaign 227.4 -1.6 +.04
April 19th 224.6 -2.8 -2.4
April 26th 223.00 -1.6 -4
May 5th 222.8 -.02 -4.2
May 12th 222.4 .04 -4.6

 

As I stated in my video I want a healhty family and since I run the show and I am the decisioin maker I decided we aren’t going to be the sit on your butt family, we are going to be active and healhty.  So for me what that meant eating as much organic food as possible. I started out slowly adding in a little at time (it gets easier as you go and less expensive then you think).  We are more active…I went out and bought myself a bike.  She is georgous but now the whole family has bikes and we can ride on the trails by our house.

BIke

Me and Miss J getting ready to ride

Me and Miss J getting ready to ride

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dylan playground

Master D at the park-No running laps just play

I don’t want you all to think that I am so crazy crunchy granola hippy who is making my kids go out and run laps around the backyard and come in for a snack of organic twigs and berries.  We eat normal food and have fun outside playing.   I just decided I want to do eveyrthing I can for my family to ensure that we live a happy and healhty life.  For me that means as a family we eat healthy good food (local if possible-summer in CT yeilds amazing food) and that we move together.  The reality is I don’t think my kids (or hell my husband) has any idea about my master plan.  Why…because I just do it.  I say we are going outside, we are eating this, or we are buying this.  There is no arguement because I run the show in my house…and I know you all do to.

We can just make those changes…slowly a little at a time and it will make a difference.  A big positive difference over time.

Look no twigs and berries here-Just yummy food

Look no twigs and berries here-Just yummy food

It’s All in the Family


We are now entering Week 5 of the 7 week Mamavation Mom Boot Camp. I cannot believe it really. The time has just flown by! During the time I have been engaged in the boot camp, you might say my family has been just as engaged! The workouts and diet changes are more than just a passing phase, but a lifestyle change. In order to be successful, everyone in the house will have to make some changes too. Really, it’s been a positive change here. We are eating better food, being more active, and just feeling better in general! Also, not spending money of junk food or fast food, has allowed us to spend more on fresh produce without feeling it in our wallets!
Since changing the way I eat I had to change the way I fed my family as well. So we’ve eliminated a lot of starchy meals, such as pasta with bread, or mac n cheese with bread, or meat, potatoes, and bread. Um do you see a pattern here? I ate a lot of veggies before this boot camp, but it was often just a part of a meal, not a major component. Now I am trying to make sure our meals include protein and fiber. In the past I might have made meatloaf for dinner, with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and biscuits. Guess what I ate? Mashed potatoes, broccoli, and a biscuit. Healthy huh?
In addition to changes in diet, I’ve been working out a lot more. At first it was frustrating. Trying to get in my workouts, while still taking care of my family and housework was a bit daunting. But once I found a time that worked, that was it. It is now part of my daily routine and oftentimes my kids will encourage me or even join in. So that part has been fantastic because it seems everyone is happy when mommy is happy! And when I work out, I am a happy mommy!
The most difficult part of this campaign is, not surprisingly, related to food. As you know, I have 5 kids. My husband works long hours, and has a bit of a commute. So I often felt like I didn’t have time to prepare meals when we were rushing off to an activity for the kids. In reality, I have time, I just haven’t done my homework and planned out our meals as much as I should. When I do plan meals, we eat good food. But when I fail to the kids often wound up eating something processed, or fast food. I often would just not eat. So I have been making a more concerted effort to think about what I will make each day. I’ve been shopping at a produce store instead of my beloved big box store. It feels weird, but at the same time not. I guess I didn’t realize how much crap I was buying until I stopped!
This last week I had not been measuring out my food as I should, and looking back I can see I was not hitting the target for calories each day, or exchanges. I am working on that now, and hopefully the scale will reflect that this coming week. Last week I had a 0.2 lb gain. I am still down 6.8 lbs since applying to be a Mamavation Mom. I am determined to reach my goals, and I truly feel that I will very soon, now that I am finally seeing for myself how important diet really is in my weight loss journey.
photo(4)

Making Changes to my Priorities

Before I get started today-I wanted to take a minute to wish Lindsay our other sister well. Sadly Lindsay can’t continue with us and I wanted to wish her well as she heals from her injury.

 

 

 

My stack of grading that I mentioned in my Vlog

My stack of grading that I mentioned in my Vlog

This week’s topic is to talk about our struggles we have encountered since becoming Mamavation Mom’s. Although this journey has been an amazing one-it has also been tough. For me my struggle has been with reordering my priorities. As I said in my video, my priority list would be
1. My family
2. My Work/Students
75. Me

When I was chosen it became clear that the above ranking system would not work with having all the workouts, creating proper food, and all the support meetings. I needed to reorganize the list to look something more like this
1. My family
2. Me
3. Work
4. Everything else

The only issue is by moving me up….it makes me feel….well uncomfortable. I feel like I am letting my students down because I am not working as hard for my job as I use to. I know in truth my student don’t notice the difference other than it takes me longer to get papers back, I know that my family doesn’t feel slighted by me putting myself higher on the priority scale. It is just hard to get rid of our old habits and make new ones. I just keep telling myself that I am going to be a better mother and teacher for getting my health in order.

So as far as this week goes, I only lost .02 and lets just say I may or may not have called my scale some very nasty words. Then with some encouragement from my Mentor Rebecca suggested that I measure myself. I did…and damn! I lost over five inches in three weeks. That sure as heck makes up for the small weight loss.

So here is my scale pic and my stats! Have a great week everyone.

Scale week 4

 

Date Weight Weekly Loss Total Loss Waist Chest Thigh Hips Arm Inches

Lost

Application 227 -   40 44 30 51 15  
2-Week

Challenge

229 _ +2.0 38.5 43.5 30 51 15 -2
Start of Campaign 227.4 -1.6 +.04 38 43 29.5 50 14.5 -5
April 19th 224.6 -2.8 -2.4            
April 26th 223.00 -1.6 -4          

 

 
May 5th 222.8 -.02 -4.2 35.25 41.5 28.25 50 14.5 10.5

 

 

Believe you can and you’re halfway there.


The title of this post is a great quote from Theodore Roosevelt. When I see it I think it fits nicely with where I am right now in this journey. Half the battle is trying. Half the battle is choosing to fight. So right now, we are halfway through this boot camp, and because I chose to apply and believe there was some slight sliver of a chance I might be chosen, I told myself I could do this. And look, I am doing it!!
This past week was my third week as a Mamavation Mom. I will tell you this week was hard. It was hard for a few reasons. I was sad to hear my friend and Mamavation Sista Lindsay had injured her back and was unable to continue the boot camp. Of course, I wish her well and I know she will continue to have success in her weight loss journey. The other reason this week was hard had more to do with my mental state. After a couple of weeks of pushing my body further and further into an uncomfortable territory it was ready to give up. I was exhausted. Each day I would get up and psych myself up to do my workout. I found that focusing solely on getting through that one workout was what allowed me to break past the exhaustion and the desire to give up. And as soon as the workout was done, I was good to go again. The other wonderful thing I was able to do to get past these moments of frustration was to talk with the other Mamavation Moms, past and present, about how I was feeling and what I was struggling with each day. Having someone as an accoutability partner when you are developing a new routine is a great way to set yourself up for success!
I have always heard that a habit is formed after repeating something for three weeks. I think that this is where I am right now. I am forming these new habits. I get up and do something right away. I might work out, I might run; but in any case I am burning calories before the sun is shining. Well maybe shortly thereafter! I am not skipping meals. I am thinking about what I am putting in my mouth. And please don’t let that statement fool you. When I say thinking about what I am putting in my mouth, I don’t mean obsessing over calories and that kind of thing. I mean being thoughtful about what my meal is composed of, and eating as closely to nature as I can. All of these things have been simple changes to make, little things. But put together, it has made a very large impact. I feel amazing and I am losing weight!
Speaking of loosing weight, I lost another pound this week. Bringing my total weight loss to 7 lbs since applying to be a Mamavation mom. I am just about halfway to my goal weight now. I was also very excited to note that since I got my scale after joining Mamavation in January I have lost 20.2 lbs!
photo(3)
And while this weight loss was thrilling, it was not my only victory this week. We had some non-scale victories as well. Starting right here:

Start Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Total Change
Weight 158.6 153.8 152.6 151.6
Bust 36 35
Waist 31 30
Hips 39 38
Arms R-11.75 L-12 R-11.0 L-11.0
Thigh R-20.5 L-19.5 R- 19 L- 17.75

So in 3 weeks I have lost 7 lbs and 7 inches!! I am pretty pleased with my results thus far and cannot wait to see how much further I can push my body in the coming weeks! Where would you like to be in three weeks? “Believe you can and you are halfway there.”

Eating More to Weigh Less-For Real!

 

 

Hello -it has been another exciting week around here at Mamavation. Although personally this week has been a bit rough now that I am back in the full swing of things at work and keeping up with all my resposnibilities of being a Mamavation Mom. Yet, despite the crazy feeling I am really loving that although the program is tough (it isn’t called boot camp for nothing) it is managable in real life.

Shockingly one of the most manageable pieces has been the food. Alyssa (find her on Twitter and Facebook) started out by giving us exchanges-Each food we eat equals a carb, protien, fat etc. We were assigned a certain amount of each at each meal and snack. Then this week to help us out she gave us a few meal plans to work with. This has helped emensly because I am always looking for new food options. The craziest thing about the whole food plan is how much good I eat and all of it-wait for this-is full fat. Like I am eating real peanut and almond butter, avocados, and healthy oils. Shocking right! Well there is a whole lot of scientific mumbo jumbo about why this works Let me tell, who cares. I am eating good food that I know is good for me and my body is loosing weight. Yeah! So before I get to the down and dirty of my totals for this week I thought I would include a sample menu for you to take a peak at-I have including a few food porn pictures for those of you into that stuff!

Breakfast: 6oz of Almond yogurt, 1/2 cup granola, 2 TB unsweetened coconut, and 1 cup strawberries

Breakfast

Lunch: 3oz Chicken breast, salad greens, four TB of Avocado, 1/2 cup black beans, and 1/2 tortilla with and apple not pictured

Lunch

Snack (not pictured because I am eating this as I type) 8 almonds with 10 baby carrots

Dinner-3oz pork loin chop, roasted fresh golden and regular beets, and grilled pineapple

Dinner

Night Snack-Small banana and 1TB of almond butter

Sounds and looks yummy right-Seriously I ate food like this all week and lost 1.4 pounds for a total of 4 since starting. I also apologize my phone was being cranky so I had to call up my weight post WI-hence no toes in this photo

 scale week two

Date Weight Weekly Loss Total Loss Waist Chest Thigh Hips Arm
Application 227 - 40 44 30 51 15
2-WeekChallenge 229 _ +2.0 38.5 43.5 30 51 15
Start of Campaign 227.4 -1.6 +.04 38 43 29.5 50 14.5
April 19th 224.6 -2.8 -2.4
April 26th 223.00 -1.6 -4

Hope you all have an amazing week and I am hoping my hard work pays off in another nice loss

Week 2- We like to Move It Move It

463178_10151593044733312_779983103_oSo This past week has been great. I have followed the diet plan given to me by Alysa and the workouts I received from Mr Bookieboo. Can I just say that this week has been eye opening? I am really starting to get a handle on the diet, but before I share anything about that with you I’d like to talk about the workouts.

You might be wondering what kind of grueling workout the Mamavation Moms go through each day. Are we running miles on end, repeating dozens of sets of squats, burpees, and lunges? Are we spending hours a day in the gym and neglecting our homes, children, and jobs? No! That would be totally unrealistic, and unreasonable as well. The point of the Mamavation campaign is to help moms everywhere lose weight and to share their new healthy habits with their families and friends. As ambassadors for Mamavation, it is our duty to show other moms that weight loss is not only attainable (in a healthy way), but attainable to anyone! These workouts that Mark has provided are a perfect example. All of the exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home, and the workout takes very little time. It is definitely a high intensity workout, but in a short amount of time. So there really are no excuses. Short on time, no problem, you only need about 20-30 minutes! No weights at home? Use water bottles! It really is very easy to incorporate a small amount of exercise into your daily routine. And in order to make a lifestyle change that will help you to permanently shed the pounds, it’s critical!

The plan calls for 6 workouts throughout the week, in addition to making sure you walk at least 10,000 steps each day. Three days we do a workout called Build It, and the other days we do Burn It. Build It is all about building lean muscle mass. Burn It does exactly what it sounds like it should, and leaves you dripping in sweat. The most amazing thing about these workouts is that they can be done anywhere and in a short amount of time. I found that for myself the best time of day to workout is definitely in the morning. It sets the mood for my entire day and I feel more accomplished. I get up at 5:15 am, get the kids ready for school, and usually by 7:20 am they are all off to school  and I’ve had a cup of coffee and I can either go for a run or workout. Then I have the rest of my day to do all the things I do as a mother of five busy kiddos!

Here is a sample of what the week one workouts looked like:

Burn It:

Burpees x 10

Alternating Lunge x 16

Squats x 10

Kick and Lunge x 10 on each side

30 second rest then you repeat this set 3 more times, but the reps increase a bit for sets 2 and then 3, and repeat these reps for set 4.

Build It:

Warm Up: Cross punches 5 sets of 10 right, 5 sets of 10 left

Push-ups x 10

Shoulder Press x 10

Triceps push-ups x 10

30 second rest then you repeat this set 2 more times, but the reps increase a bit for sets 2 and then 3.

It was definitely a good first week. If you recall last week I weighed in at 155 lbs. This week when I stepped on the scale I was down 1.2 lbs! That brings me to a total of 4.8 lbs down since applying to be a Mamavation Mom!

photo

And I painted my toenails, no more hideousness!

Results

Start

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Total Change

Weight

158.6

153.8

Bust

36

Waist

31

Hips

39

Arms

R-11.75 L-12

Thigh

R-20.5

L-19.5

Sweating courtesy of Mark

 

IMG_0508I can’t believe that week one is already over! It has been such a CRAZY week with lots of learning about good food and fitness! Speaking of fitness, my awesome personal trainer for the next 7 weeks, Mark, is totally kicking my booty! I sure am sweating, and sweating A LOT! Our first 3 weeks as Mamavation Mom’s consists of a combination of  cardio and  weight training that is alternated each day.  I really like how this is set up because I found in the past if I did cardio everyday I would get burned out pretty quickly.  This seems to keep my body guessing and I am loving it.

The Really cool thing about this campaign is that I do not have to leave my house to do it! No fancy gym need, which saves a ton of money. Plus, I was never motivated to get there. My gym is now my home, so there are NO excuses! No excuses AT ALL!  What I find interesting about working out at home is that my family joins in with me. My little guy will see me getting my shoes on and ask me, “Are you going to workout, Mommy? Can I do it too?” Heck yes, he can. This also motivates my little girl to get up from the t.v. and try it will us!

 

photo (5)My husband even got in on the action this week. He took one look at that days plan and said, “Oh, is too easy!”  Well, guess who was just as sweaty as me and complained today that he is sore and told me the workout is making him feel so hungry all the time. Yep. That’d be my husband.

My favorite exercise so far would have to be the weight lifting.  I always feel so strong when I finish that workout.  I also found that I had to up my weight this week for the dumbbell curls. I WAS using a 5 lb weight and upped that to a 10 lb weight. Still thinking I need to up it again. 5 lbs is fine for the other exercises so I guess my biceps are stronger than I thought! My least favorite exercise, BY FAR, are the burpees.  Good thing I have Mark’s voice in my ear telling me, “Guess what, the burpees just called and said they love you!” I may not like burpees but I keep hearing that I will love the results that I will get with them so I am going with that!

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love sleep and REALLY despise mornings, so you will never see me waking up early to workout. I NEED coffee before I can do anything in the mornings and I drink my coffee with breakfast.  I usually wait until my breakfast is settled and the baby is down for his morning nap to get my workout on. Then I get my eat on because as my husband says, “I am starving!”

 SO I know everyone has been waiting for the weight in, am I right?!

IMG_0518

Weight chart

A very special thank you to @MrBookieboo for making me sweat and being so encouraging during this process! I can’t wait for the big reveal in 7 weeks! 

Knowing the Truth…

gym2.23.13

Mamavation 5K

Mamavation 5K

Knowing, and applying, the truth will always make you free.

I always knew that proper food choices could yield amazing results, but I didn’t know all of the correct choices for my body. I knew that exercise could supercharge my weight loss, but I had no idea that I could be this strong. I knew that changing my life would be hard work, but I did not know that I could grow this much in such a short amount of time.

Nice socks, eh?

Nice socks, eh?

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6
Chest 40 38 37 36.5 36 35
Waist 35 36 35 34 32 32.5
Hips 44 43 42 42 40.5 39.5
Thighs 25 24 24 22 23 23
Arms 12 13 12 13 13.5 12

Here I am, after 6 weeks of Campaign 15, 35 pounds lighter. How did it happen? How did 6 weeks fly by so quickly? How did I manage  to eat so much food, but still SHED POUNDS? One word: surrender. Unless it applied to someone else, I always considered surrender to be a not so nice word. Okay, I’ll just say it: I thought it meant you were weak.  Only the weak surrender, right? Wrong. I didn’t know what I was talking about. I finally faced myself and realized that I did not have the knowledge or tools to turn my health and fitness around. Every single attempt to do so eventually failed. Perhaps it was time to trust, to let go, to…okay, I’ll say it – - surrender. I completely threw away what I thought I knew about fitness, food, and even friendship, and I gained more than I could ever imagine.

The Mamavation Mom Machine: Leah (@bookieboo) and Mark (@MrBookieboo) really know their stuff. Leah has been in the shoes of a wife and mom who desperately wants their weight under control.  She studied it. She tried it. She mastered it. Mark is the KING of pain. Don’t let the smile and soft voice fool you; he knows exactly how to bring the hurt. He is tough on your fat cells, but approachable and understanding.  I learned so much about what I could do, and then I did it. Alysa (@InspiredRD) provided insight into the types of food that I needed to eat, and was readily accessible for questions and tweaking. Shannon (@ShannonMSander) & Shelley (@Momma_Oz) are the glue that kept all of us organized and together.

When I applied for this Campaign, I was finally ready to tackle my weight. I signed into a community, and was greeted by a family. I became acquainted with fellow applicants, and survived the Campaign with 2 amazing sisters. The greatest gift of my Mamavation Mom journey was neither found in the awesome swag we received, nor even in the pounds lost. I am elated, baffled, and humbled to have 2 amazing women whom I can call my sisters.

My success on the scale, and my victories in the gym did not manifest from my own power or knowledge.  When I let go, and allowed myself to completely surrender to the process, I gained a new Jeanae. I am not just someone who reads labels or shops in the organic section of the market, but I am now the woman who researches heirloom seeds to plant in my own garden.  I am not the wife who just wishes she had time to work out.  I am now the woman who takes charge of the schedule, and makes the time to care for myself.  I am not someone who just reminisces about my last 10K, but I am someone who is pounding the pavement, and kicking butt like a professional.  I am a new Jeanae, and I know the truth about myself: I am strong. I am important to my family, and myself; therefore, I must make the time to take care of myself. I am fierce. Burpees do not scare me!  I can control the quality of the food that enters my kitchen. I can be a positive role model of health and fitness to my family and community. I am not alone. I know all of this to be true. This truth has set me free. I am free to be this Jeanae, and I like her a lot!

You Think You Know

But you really have no idea. Hey Mamavation another week has come and gone. I don’t know where the time has gone. We are already on week 6 of Campaign 15 which means we have one more to go. I know you are thinking oh no I will never see Jeanae (@jeanae) , Joanna (@way2gomom) again or me @RUtheMOMof again. Don’t you worry your pretty little heads we aren’t going anywhere.

This week it is all about what we have learned and what we thought we already knew. I have read so many books & magazines and watched so many shows that I thought I knew everything there is to know about working out and eating healthy. SURPRISE !!! I didn’t know squat and what I knew was all wrong. I always thought that you should eat less calories and limit your fruit intake because of the sugar. You should workout for a long period of time and exercise wasn’t made to be fun it was work. This campaign with the help of Alysa (@inspiredRD) , Mark (@MrBookieboo) & Leah (@bookieboo) showed me that I was dead wrong. Alysa gave us a book on what to eat on a Low Glycemic diet and it opened my eyes to all the great food choices we  have. Also, how less isn’t always more when it comes to eating right.

003

Food should have colors

002

anywhere anytime no EXCUSE

Mark gave us customized workout plans that if done right didn’t take hours to do but at the end of them had you sweating bucket loads. Leah well she should as that even though we are Moms and we all know what that means real life problems there is NO EXCUSE not to workout and take care of ourselves.

My Best Friends

 

Real life happens whether you want it to or not. The thing that surprised me the most is me being able to give up control of myself to complete strangers and believe that they knew what they were talking about. Once this happened and I saw the results it just showed me that it doesn’t mean you are weak or can’t do it. But be real if we all knew how to do this on our own we would all be in shape & healthy. I also learned that family isn’t just who you are born into but who has your back. In the process of losing weight I have gained 2 very special Sistas that has made this journey that much easier and better. All the Mamavation family because we have to include Mark :) is what makes this thing called Mamavation the best thing since apple pie a healthy version of course . Here is the results of believing , listening and doing.

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Lessons Learned as a Mamavation Mom

Wow, it’s week 6 of the campaign already! Where did the time go?! I’m so not ready for this to end, but I have definitely learned quite a bit as a Mamavation Mom! Check out my brief roundup here:

So my favorite things that I’ve learned so far (in no particular order), are the low glycemic diet, that I CAN do awesome levels of exercise (including running), and that I have some totally amazing Sistas from other Mistas! Here’s the low down – I have been wanting to learn about the low glycemic index before, but it seemed like a total mystifying thing to me. Thanks to Alysa (@inspiredrd), I think I actually kind of get it now! I’ve had some awesome weight loss, but the best part wasn’t the workouts (although those are awesome). To me, having Alysa to call when I get stuck, give me ideas when I need them, and to explain the exchange stuff was totally priceless. For me, that knowledge far outweighs any swag!

I applied to the campaign back in December, and the last week of the month was when I started the Couch 2 5k running program. I had started it before then, but without much success. This time, I totally rocked it. Until I had a breakthrough one day when I was able to run even farther and SMASH the wall in front of me. It was amazing. Ever since I’ve been totally a fan of running. Which is not something I ever expected to happen in my life! The endorphin rush is just amazing. Running isn’t for everyone, but it totally is for me! And, of course, being able to say that I can do 55 pushups (on toes) in a row with no break, well that kind of makes me feel like a badass!

big puffy heart love rebeccajeanae big puffy heart loveLast, but certainly not least, I learned more about the awesome support of my Sistas from other Mistas. Rebecca and Jeanae have been there with me from the start. We dealt with confusion, frustration, and everything in between together. We laughed, we cried, we became FAMILY. Can you imagine anything better? And, they totally don’t mind my weirdo sense of humor, which always helps! So yeah, mad props for this campaign and for Mamavation because I LOVE what I’ve received from the campaign, and the swag I didn’t even realize we were going to get was awesome, the other perks were why I really wanted to be in the campaign.

On to the details! This week I lost… 2.6 pounds! That brings me to a total loss of 28.4 pounds! HOLY CRAP!

way2gomom week 6 weigh in