Campaign 8: Building Character – 1 lb at a Time!

May 18, 2011 By 11 Comments

I can hardly believe this is my last post as a Mamavation Mom. After this I will be spreading my wings and continuing my journey with weight loss. My sights are set on a healthy weight I haven’t been at for years. Now I have the tools to do it!

Spring is a busy season around here. Planting has begun and everywhere I look there is potential growing. Right now I see the potential in myself. The seeds were planted with my hope and desire to lose weight. With Mamavation those seeds were germinated, tended and cared for. Now I am ready to bloom! With each pound I have lost I feel like I have gained strength, power and confidence. I love it!!

Mamavation bootcamp was the start I needed. I have to give a huge thank you to Alysa for her meal planning and nutritional help. Okay, to put it simply, she rocks! Good, simple food was what I needed. Well, that and in smaller portions, of course.  1450 calories and two snacks were easier to manage than I first thought.

April 6, 2011

So… are you ready for some changes?

Really?

First,  take a little walk down memory lane with me….

This week’s scale pic looks like this…

And for the whole package? Well, it is a bit smaller now.

And the stats stack up like this:

bust: 37.5 inches (-2.5 inches)

waist: 37 inches (-2.5 inches)

hips: 45. 5 inches (-4.5 inches)

thighs: 24 inches (-4 inches)

arms: 14 inches (+1 inch)

calf: 16 inches (-1 inch)

-14.5 inches total lost as a Mamavation Mom!!!

What is truly amazing is the disappearing “Mommy Belly”. My waist is more visible and I can see a difference between my hips, waist and bust. Woo-hoo! :) I still have more strength to add, but with Stephanie’s circuits I am sure I can do it.

So what is next for this Oregon Mom? Well, I will be training for my 5K, continuing on with weight training and keeping up with a regular exercise schedule. With the warmer air I hope to get all of us outside more to soak up the sunshine.

For every pound I lost, I more than made up for it in confidence and character. I know I am now stronger both physically and mentally. So, thanks everyone. I needed this bootcamp. I know that as my adapts to this schedule and these new changes I will slow down in my weight loss… but, every pound brings me closer to my goal. 1 lb at a time…

I can’t wait to see who the next Mamavation Moms will be. I am excited to cheer them on and see how they can transform their bodies along with their families. Mamavation can give you the tools to succeed, you just need to supply the hard work.

Big thanks to our sponsors, Earth Footwear,  EA SPORTS Active, Orville Redenbacher, and Chefs Requested. We appreciate your support! Also gotta give props to our coaching team, Pete Cohen,  Alysa Bajenaru, RD and Tracey Mallett. Thank you so much for supporting Mamavation!!!!! And thank you for supporting me!

Filed Under: Featured, Longterm, Mamavation Moms, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Over It: Weekly Check-in with @ninemoremonths

February 9, 2011 By 9 Comments

No, the title of this post is not meant to imply that I am over Mamavation. I am over being sick. Most of me is feeling much better, but this pesky cough is holding me back a little. Anytime I get a little too intense with my workout, I start a coughing fit. Sometimes it’s so bad I almost throw up from it! This is more annoying than anything. I couldn’t find any info on how many calories you burn while coughing, but I hope all these coughing fits will add up to something, because I am feeling a little down from not being able to workout to my full potential.

Something else will be changing for me this week. I’ve been emailing with Alysa, my dietitian, asked me how I felt about reducing my food intake a little. The reason being to keep me from hitting a plateau halfway through the campaign. Since my eating has been a little wonky from being sick (seriously did anything NOT get messed up while I was sick?!) I decided now was as good a time as any to change my eating plan. I know I won’t get used to it immediately, but hopefully I’ll be able to stay on track pretty well.

Something I’m really looking forward to is chatting with Pete Cohen over Skype. Over the past three weeks we haven’t been able to coordinate, and as a result we haven’t had any face to face chats yet. This is something I am a little embarrassed about. I am very very good at letting things slip away from me like that, but one thing I’m trying (albeit struggling) to do is to keep on top of things. I’ve been hearing about how the other moms are having great chats with Pete and how much it’s helping, and even though it’s my own fault I felt a little left out. I can’t wait to be able to implement his advice into my routine as well.

My treadmill is going to be fixed very very soon! In fact, I may already be running on it while you read this. We’re in week 4 and I’ve missed out by not being able to use my treadmill. But don’t you worry, I will be making up for it for sure. I am registered for a 5K along with a rather large group of ladies who are running it with me, so I have a lot of training to do!

Look at this beauty! The Sole F63.

So, I bet you’d like to know how much I’ve lost in the campaign so far. Well, you’ll have to watch the video to find out!

And as always, thank you to our sponsors: Earth Footwear, EA Sports Active, Chefs Requested, and last but definitely not least, Sears Fitness. You are all incredible for helping all of the Mamavation Moms in our journey to healthier living!

Filed Under: Featured, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Week 3: Checking in with @ninemoremonths

February 2, 2011 By 14 Comments

I actually had to re-do my video this morning, because for some reason last night I thought I would wake up and be all better, so I had all of these plans in my head. Well when I woke up I did not feel better at all. In fact, I felt a little worse. I don’t like when things are not in my control. This is why I don’t really like to partake in drinking with my friends, and why I hate being sick when I have so much to do. I like being in control of my mind and body, and I like when it does what I want it to do.

As I mentioned in my video, I still haven’t put my food plan together. I was starting to get a little tired of the same meals and snacks, so I spoke with Alysa last night and we attempted to find a way to change it up a little bit. She showed me that I could actually rearrange my exchanges if I wanted to. This is a little exciting for me because on my original plan there was no protein in my breakfast. I kind of missed that, so I’m excited to add some egg white scrambles to my breakfast menu. I was also given a break down of calories as well, so in meals where it’s harder to figure out the exchanges (such as soup) I can use the calorie count as a back-up system.

My treadmill wasn’t working when it arrived, but I’ve spoken with someone from Sole and we think we figured out what’s wrong with it. I just want to add that they have amazing customer service! First of all, I am not the easiest person to get a hold of sometimes, and being so sick, I’ve kind of been ignoring my phone. But they were persistent, and when I finally set up a time to actually talk, they called on time. I was given very clear directions over the phone on what to check and how to do it so I was pretty confident I wouldn’t mess anything up. Once my part gets here, a technician will come and fix my treadmill and we’ll be back in business.

My goals for this week are to concentrate on what I can control, such as my food intake. I don’t always eat the best things when I’m sick, but I know that by body needs good nutrients now more than ever. I also plan on hydrating. My first day being sick I struggled with drinking water. Now that my stomach is feeling better I’ll be drinking as much water as possible. I obviously can’t do any high intensity activities right now, but that doesn’t mean I can’t move around at all. I will concentrate on keep my body active however I can.

Thank you to our sponsors: Earth Footwear, EA Sports Active, Chefs Requested, and last but definitely not least, Sears Fitness. You are all incredible for helping all of the Mamavation Moms in our journey to healthier living!

Filed Under: Featured, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mamavation Week Two: @ninemoremonths

January 26, 2011 By 9 Comments

Week one is over! I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I became a Mamavation Mom. I knew it would be hard, obviously, but I thought it was going to be impossibly hard, and that I would be hating life for a while. (All in pursuit of the greater good, of course.) Don’t get me wrong, it is not easy at all, but after dragging myself through a workout, especially when I really didn’t want to work out, the feeling I had afterward was amazing. I may soon start to really like exercising.

Highlights of my first week:
-Lost 6 pounds!
-Went from obese to overweight. (Really exciting for me!)
-Got really comfortable with my meal plan.
-Got to meet the other LA mom, Kate.
-Doing a super hard workout with Kate and Leah.

I talked with Alysa and changed a few things for this week. Once my treadmill comes, (TOMORROW!) I will be adding a second workout to my day. I was trying to figure out the best time to add it, and I decided on doing it early, before the kids wake up. I think it will be a great way to get me going in the mornings, especially since my current routine is to try and sleep as long as possible until the kids finally make me get up. I’m not really a morning person…

So here’s the new updated meal plan:
(Workout)
Breakfast: 1 fruit, 2 starch, 2 fat
Snack: 1 fruit, 1 fat
Lunch: 1.5 starch, 1 beans/peas/lentils, 2 lean meat, 1 fat, 1 vegetable
(Workout)
Snack: 1 fruit, 1 starch
Dinner: 2 vegetables, 2 starch, 3 lean meat, 2 fat

I like this better because it will help me stop eating so late at night. Previously I would work out between 8:00pm and 9:00pm and then sit down, drink some water and eat my last snack. But also, working out so late at night would cause me to stay up later. Hopefully I can go to sleep earlier now. We’ll find out next week, I guess!

My workout schedule will be basically the same but with added treadmill exercise, which I haven’t received yet:
Sunday: Top Trainers
Monday: EA Sports Active 2
Tuesday: Top Trainers
Wednesday: Rest Day. (I play co-ed softball on Wednesday evenings, so I won’t exactly be resting.)
Thursday: Top Trainers
Friday: EA Sports Active 2
Saturday: Top Trainers

I’m looking forward to another great week, and I’m interested to see how well I do with fitting an extra exercise into my day. I might be grumpy for a few days, so bear with me if I am!

Thank you to the sponsors, Earth Footwear, EA Sports Active, Chefs Requested, and last but definitely not least, Sears Fitness for helping give me the tools I need to succeed. Thank you also to Alysa Bajenaru, RD, Tracy Mallett, and Pete Cohen for spending time out of their busy lives to support and guide all of the Mamavation Moms.

Filed Under: Featured, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mamavation Week 2 Check-in for @katecoleman77

January 25, 2011 By 6 Comments

So I gained three pounds since I applied to be a Mamavation mom.  I felt  like I have let everyone down until I talked to Alysa to find out if there was something about my diet that was keeping me from losing the weight.  We revisited the time I estimated that I sat on my booty during the day and I overestimated big time leaving me with a 1200 calorie a day diet.  My body was starving with that diet to the point my head was hurting and I would wake up hungry at 1 am only to go back to sleep and not givve into the hunger pangs except I would drink water until I felt full.  That was no fun for me.  This week has been a change especially since I am doing a whole new workout routine.  I am missing my workout buddies a lot but I told them after the tons of tweets and facebook private messages that I will be back at the end of the campaign and the party will start once again.

I was so excited to workout with Leah and Angela at J Raw fitness this past weekend! The workout was kickboxing with bags and wearing gloves.  I had never done it before and I can tell you its a workout! I had so much fun, I almost want to move up to the valley just to workout there! The people were so supportive and AMAZING!  Thank you to JRaw fitness for allowing us to come and workout with you! If I ever move up that way, I am totally taking classes at your gym!

So you want to see my diet plan changes?  Here is the new nutrition plan:

Breakfast: 1 fruit, 1 fat-free milk, 2 starch, 1 lean meat, 1 fat

Snack: 1 fruit, 1 fat
Lunch: 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 1 fat-free milk, 2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 fat
Snack: 1 vegetable, 1 fat
Dinner: 2 vegetables, 1 fruit, 1 fat-free milk, 1 starch, 3 lean meat, 1 fat
Snack: 1 fruit, 0.5 starch

B: 2/3 cup plain FF greek yogurt with 3/4 cup blackberries, 1 whole-wheat english muffin with 2 tsp. whipped butter and 1 poached egg

S: 1 small apple with 6 raw almonds
L: Sandwich: 2 pieces whole wheat bread, 2 oz turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard, side of 1 cup carrots, 1 serving fruit, 1 serving milk (2/3 cup yogurt or 2 cups almond milk)
S: 1 cup sugar snap peas with 8 black olives
D: 3 oz maya’s chicken, 1/2 cup roasted veggies, 1/3 cup brown rice, side salad with FF dressing, {side of milk or yogurt and fruit}
S: 1 small banana with 1.5 cups popcorn

B: 1 cup oatmeal with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter, 2 cups almond milk, 1 small banana

S: 1 orange with 10 peanuts
L: Pita sandwich: whole wheat pita with 2 oz turkey or ham, sliced cucumber, lettuce, 1 slice avocado, {side of 2/3 cup yogurt and 3/4 cup blueberries}
S: 1 cup baby carrots dipped in 1.5 tsp. almond butter
D: 3 oz pecan chicken, 1 cup roasted veggies, 1/4 cup bulgur, {side of milk or yogurt and fruit}
S: 1 small apple with 4 animal crackers
B: 2 4-inch pancakes with 1.25 cups strawberries (whole) and 2 tsp. whipped butter, 1 egg, 2 cups almond milk or 2/3 cup yogurt
S: 1 kiwi with 4 pecan halves
L: Burrito: 1 tortilla with 1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans, 1 cup roasted veggies, 1 slice avocado, {1 apple, 2 cups almond milk}
S: 1 cup sliced cucumber with 8 black olives
D: Steak, 1 cup sweet potato fries dipped in 2/3 cup greek yogurt, 1 cup roasted veggies, 1/2 cup fruit salad
S: 3/4 cup blueberries with 15-20 bakes pita chips
B: Oatmeal pancake with 1 cup smashed raspberries on top and 1 piece whole wheat toast with 2 tsp. whipped butter, 2 cups almond milk
S: 2 clementines with 16 pistachios
L: Sandwich: 2 pieces whole wheat bread, 2 oz turkey, lettuce, tomato, mustard, side of 1 cup carrots, 1 serving fruit, 1 serving milk (2/3 cup yogurt or 2 cups almond milk)
S: 1 cup celery with 1.5 tsp. peanut butter
D: Chicken fajita: 3 oz chicken in a tortilla with 1 cup sauteed onion and bell pepper and 1 oz of cheese OR 1 slice avocado, salsa,  {side of milk or yogurt and fruit}
S: 1 orange with 3/4 oz pretzels (80 calories worth)
B: 1 cup oatmeal with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter, 2 cups almond milk, 1 small banana
S: 1 small banana with 1 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds
L: Burrito: 1 tortilla with 1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans, 1 cup roasted veggies, 1 slice avocado, 1 apple, 2 cups almond milk
S: 1 cup raw veggies with 10 green olives
D: Salsa chicken: saute chopped up chicken in cumin and a little olive oil, when cooked through add 1 cup salsa to pan, let simmer 5 minutes, serve over 1/3 cup whole wheat pasta, {side of milk or yogurt and fruit}
S: 8 dried apricot halves with 3 graham cracker squares
B: English muffin sandwich: english muffin with 1 poached egg, 1 slice cheese and 1/2 grapefruit, 2 cups almond milk
S: 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce with 6 cashews
L: Wrap with flatbread, 2 oz meat, 1 cup spinach, 1 Tbsp. cream cheese, 1/2 cup fruit salad, 2/3 cup yogurt
S: 1 cup low-sodium V8 juice with 1 Tbsp. unsalted sunflower seeds
D: Grilled chicken salad with 15 baked chips {side of milk or yogurt and fruit}
S: 1 small pear with 5 whole wheat crackers
B: 1/2 bagel with 1 Tbsp. cream cheese, 2 scrambled egg whites, 1/2 grapefruit, 2 cups almond milk
S: 17 grapes with 4 walnut halves
L: Burrito: Leftover chicken in tortilla with 1/2 cup veg. refried beans, 1/2 cup cooked veggies, 1 oz cheese, 1 piece of fruit
S: 1 cup cucumber slices with 8 black olives
D: 3 oz baked pork chop with 1/3 cup brown rice, 1 cup steamed or roasted asparagus, {side of milk or yogurt and fruit}
S: 2 small plums with 1.5 cups popcorn
I do mix and match dinners and lunches based on what is on hand in the house meaning I eat what is on my plan but i may eat it on a different day.  I am finding that it helps when your meals are written down and stuck to my fridge, it is much easier to stick to it!  I have even taken a cooler bag with me just in case that I got tied up during my errands.
I did well on my steps this week too the highest I did was 17912 and the lowest this week was 10090.  I am feeling confident on the steps.
So my goals for the week are to lose at least one pound! I am working way too hard to not lose anything.  And to become comfortable with my meal plan to the point where I can make my own meal plan next week.

bust: 43’5 inches

hips: 44.5 inches

arms: 14.5 inches left 14 inches right

thigh: 26 inches on right and left

Waist: 39 inches

Stay tuned for next weeks check in!

Thank you to our sponsors Earth Footwear, Sears Fitness, EA SPORTS Active, and Chefs Requested. You are part of the REASON I’ve had such success.

Thank you also to Pete Cohen, Alysa Bajenaru, RD and Tracey Mallett for sharing your time and expertise!

Filed Under: Featured, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mamavation campaign 7 Meet @Katecoleman77

January 19, 2011 By 7 Comments

Ok So I am one of the lucky ladies that is a mamavation momma for the La Area :) .  YAY so happy!  My Name is Kate and I am from Irvine California and I am a mother of 4 kids which age from 12 down to age 2.  My oldest is Alex she is 12, then there is Aidan who is 6yrs old and has recently been diagnosed with Mild Autism spectrum disorder and on top of that he is short in stature meaning i have to give him shots every night before he goes to bed, then there are the twins Abbie and Maddie and they are 2 yrs old.  Add my husband Jason and my 4 cats to the mix and yea I am one busy momma!  So here is the pic of my starting weight for this campaign

This number is going DOWN!

I know that my issues with weight are my diet and planning meals out so with this campaign i am so excited to be getting help with how to go about doing these things.  Don’t get me wrong i am excited with all the workout tools too because I am a workout-aholic but all my hard work was going to waste since my weight was not changing.

So here is my meal plan that was given to my by @inspiredRD
Your exchanges for the day look like this:
Breakfast: 1 fruit, 2 starch, 1 fat
Snack: 1 vegetable, 1 fat
Lunch: 1 vegetable, 2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 fat
Snack: 1 fruit
Dinner: 2 vegetables, 2 starch, 3 lean meat, 2 fat
Snack: 1 fruit, 1 starch

B: Clif Bar + 1 fruit
S: 1 cup sugar snap peas with 1 string cheese
L: Sandwich: 2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 slices turkey breast, 1 slice cheese, mustard, 1 cup raw veggies (either on sandwich or on the side)
S: apple
D: Stir-fry: 3 oz chicken, 1 cup cooked veggies, 2/3 cup brown rice (use olive oil and low-sodium soy sauce and whatever seasonings you like)
S: 3 cups air-popped popcorn, 1 kiwi fruit

B: 2 Breakfast Cookies http://inspiredrd.com/2011/01/breakfast-cookies-1.html
S: 1 cup baby carrots with 6 almonds
L: Burrito: 1 tortilla with 1/2 cup refried beans (vegetarian style), 1/2 cup leftover cooked veggies, 1 slice avocado (can add salsa, it’s a freebie)
S: 2 Tbsp. dried berried
D: Salad with Grilled Chicken: salad greens, 3 oz chicken, 2 cups veggies, 1 Tbsp. dressing, whole grain roll with 1 tsp. butter
S: 1 serving whole wheat pretzels, 1 apple

B: Clif Bar + 1 fruit
S: 1 cup sliced cucumber with 2/3 cup LF greek yogurt
L: Wrap: flatbread or tortilla, 1 T. cream cheese, 1/2 cup raw spinach, 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers and grated carrots, 2 oz ham or turkey
S: 1 small raisin box
D: Steak (your filet) with 1 cup roasted veggies in olive oil, 1 cup bulgur
S: 3 whole wheat graham crackers (squares), 1 pear

B: 2 breakfast cookies
S: 1 cup V8 juice, 1 string cheese
L: Steak Salad: 1 cup veggies, salad greens, 2 oz steak, 1 oz cheese, salsa, 2 servings crispbread crackers or baked tortilla chips
S: 2 clementines
D: Taco Salad: 1 baked tortilla shell with salad greens, 1 cup raw veggies, salsa, 2 slices avocado, 3 oz ground turkey breast, 1 serving baked tortilla chips
S: 4 pieces melba toast, small banana

B: Clif Bar + 1 fruit
S: 1 cup celery with 1 Tbsp. peanut butter
L: Sandwich: whole wheat pita, 1/2 cup sliced cucumber, 1/2 cup romaine or spinach, 2 oz. turkey, 2 Tbsp. hummus
S: 1 pear
D: Make Your Own Pizza: 2 3-inch pieces, whole wheat crust, at least 1 cup veggies on top, 2 oz low-fat mozzarella, side salad w/1 Tbsp. dressing
S: 8 animal crackers, 1/2 cup applesauce

B: 2 breakfast cookies
S: 1 cup broccoli florets dipped in 2/3 cup LF greek yogurt
L: Peanut Butter Sandwich: 2 slices whole wheat bread, 1 Tbsp. natural peanut butter, 2 tsp. organic jelly, side of 1 cup baby carrots
S: small banana
D: Pecan Chicken: mix equal parts honey and mustard, brush onto raw chicken breast. In food processor mix bread crumbs and pecans. Dredge chicken in mixture then bake. Eat a 3 oz serving with 1/3 cup quinoa and a side salad with 1 Tbsp. dressing.
S: 15 baked pita chips, 17 grapes

B: Clif Bar + 1 fruit
S: 1 cup baby carrots dipped in 1 Tbsp. almond butter
L: Sandwich: 2 slices whole wheat bread, 2 oz. turkey breast, 1 Tbsp. avocado smeared on bread, sliced tomato, lettuce, mustard
S: orange
D: Maya’s chicken http://inspiredrd.com/2010/09/mayas-chicken.html with 1 cup steamed green beans and 2/3 cup brown rice.
S: 1 serving crispbread crackers, 1 cup raspberries

So that is the yummy food plan for this week.

measurements

bust: 43’5 inches

hips: 44.5 inches

arms: 14.5 inches

thigh: 26 inches

waist: 39.5 inches

Stay tuned for more !

And if you wanted to know what my steps count was for monday, here is a photo for your viewing pleasure

Thank you to our sponsors Earth Footwear, Sears Fitness, EA SPORTS Active, and Chefs Requested. You are part of the REASON I’ve had such success.

Thank you also to Pete Cohen,  Alysa Bajenaru, RD and Tracey Mallett for sharing your time and expertise!

Filed Under: Featured, Mamavation Moms, Videos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,