A Break.

This week I took a much needed break from the scale and the gym.

I did make it to the gym on Monday and had a pretty decent workout, but it just felt so forced. I keep seeking out that feeling I felt last summer when I was working out just about everyday and felt so amazing about it! I could see my body changing and my attitude was so much better about everything in general.

Now I sigh when putting on my workout clothes. I loathe sweating and I seek out support on facebook just to make it to the gym. Last week I left my Monday night Zumba class early because I was too tired and Tuesday I didn't go to the gym because it was raining outside.

Really?! When have a left the weather dictate when I exercise? This is just very frustrating to me because I once was so determinated and motivated.

I want that feeling back.. 

2011 Goal *Updatex3*

I realized I haven't updated my 2011 goals for April. Let's see how I'm doing..

1. Lose at least 1 pound a week until I meet my goal weight of 150lbs. *ha..we all know how this is going..I'm still at a standstill that I've been at since October* 
2. Try to cook more and get more creative with meal plans. *I haven't been the best about this..Jordan has been working second shift so it's just me at home at night so I usually just make a sandwich or heat up any kind of leftovers*
3. Stay on Synthroid all year long. *Oh yes I'm back on top of this goal. I'm back on 100mg of Synthroid everyday and trying hard to keep my levels regulated.*
4. Run another 5k. *I'm thinking about running the Mother's Day 5k, but May seems like it's going to be so busy. I am still scheduled to run the 10k with my Dad on June 4th*
5. Get more creative with my blog. *umm..I hope so. I still need to get someone to design a layout for me, etc.* 
6. Save $12k in 2011 (that's $1000 a month and totally do-able if we stick to it!) *We are still right on track for April..we did have a car repair we used some $$ out of savings for and Jordan's summer classes are coming up and not sure if he'll get any financial aid or if we'll be paying out of pocket. I mentioned before that we'll be purchasing a new car within the next month or so!*
7. Find another company to work for that I feel happier with. (I WILL have a job change in 2011 one way or another!) *Probably not going to happen unless my company starts laying people off again (for the 3rd time) I have job security and got a raise at the first of the year that I can't complain too much about.*
8. Spend more time with my niece and nephew. *Goal totally met..these kids are my best buds and we do something together every weekend. I love being with them because it gets me excited to have my own little family some day*
9. Grow my Scentsy business *Scentsy is going well..in May all of my sales are going to benefit a friend of a friend who was just diagnosed with Lymphoma cancer. Please contact me if you'd like to order in the month on May to support her! Thanks!*
10. Organize my scrapbooking stuff and finally finish my wedding scrapbook! *Ha..goal not met in the slightest!* 

Arms Update {week#3}

It's Monday..

& that means it's time for an arms update! You can see where I started here, Week #1 here and Week #2 here.

This is Week #3:

left arm

Right arm

I don't see a whole lot of difference from last week which is disappointing. I am noticing A LOT of shiveled up skin closer to my arm pit area. I guess that's what 50lbs lost is, but I'm still going to tone that up as much as possible. I am seeing a difference in the bulge by my elbow, but still have a long way to go.

I did, however, find a pretty disturbing picture off an old memory card. I believe this picture was taken last summer. I think I took this because I was going to do an arms series similar to this on my blog, but was too embarrassed to post this picture:

Yikes! That puts things into perspective as to where I started, where I'm at now and where I wanted to be!

All hail the might Shake Weight!

Weigh in 4-22-11

Sorry I'm looking so sloppy today! It's been pretty rainy and dreary so I had a lazy Friday afternoon. No makeup, yoga pants and oversized shirt it is! Oh, and I just realized that my shirt is see through?! Sorry!

So I'm down-.2oz. Pretty lame-o, huh?

Sigh.

Well, I think I'm going to take a week off from the scale. It is driving me absolutely crazy seeing the same number day after day. It won't even budge!

And to be honest..I am beginning to feel more comfortable in my own skin. This is a wonderful feeling, but I know I still have weight to lose. I'm not giving up, but I don't know what else I can do. Any suggestions for this plateau that I've been on since..ohh..October?!?!

I will continue at it though..be stricter with my diet and get more running in this week.

I have big plans for this summer so I've got to get the healthiest possible! 

Confessions

A lot of my favorite bloggers are spilling it..I will too!

• We are going to be buying a new car in the next month or 2. It is soo hard to find the perfect car, right milage, at the right price with the right interest rate! and I'm very inpatient so that doesn't help either :(
• I have a mild obsession with TTC blogs and TTC Vlogs on youtube. eek!!
• Is it just me or did April go by entirely way too fast?
• I've lost my husband to World of Warcraft. Last night I told him goodnight and asked him if he'd come to bed with me (he's a night owl and I'm usually asleep by 10pm) and he said "sorry babe, I'm in battle!" really?!?!
• A coworker told me today that I'm looking good and asked how much weight I've lost. I proudly told her 52lbs but that I still have about 30lbs or so to go to be in a normal bmi. She looked at me like I had lost my mind.
• Garage Sale season is in full force! Maybe one of these days I will post all my goodies I've found. I love a deal.
• I'm planning on having an awesome 2 hour workout tonight! Who's with me?!

Welp, that's all I've got! See you tomorrow after my weigh in!

Extreme Couponing: Former Fat Bride style

I feel like my 1st time "extreme couponing" went well..and I learned so much:

1. Just because you have a coupon doesn't mean you have to use it!

2. There's not many "healthy" options while couponing..

3. It takes so much time and planning!

4. It's addicting!

I've been getting some emails asking me what I eat and what kind of groceries I buy. I've mentioned before that my husband and I only grocery shop once per pay period (once every 2weeks) and set a budget around $175-200 per trip. I'm hoping that by couponing we can reduce this cost so we can continue to save, save, save.

First, I went to Walgreens and Dillons (Kroger):

Total spent= $18.74

Saved approx $10.00 in coupons

Nivea=FREE, Head&Shoulder BOGO $4.99, Degree=.97 Fiber one cereal=1.80something

Here's Walmart (it took us 2 hours to grocery shop!):

Total spent= $94.07

Saved approx $20 in coupons

I definitely think prices at Walmart are MUCH better than Dillons even though they double coupons up to a $1.00. I'm no Extreme Couponer like those crazies on TLC: Extreme Couponing, but if I could save a dollar or two I'll take it :)

Arms Update {week#2}

SO..I missed doing the Shake Weight 3 times this week. Whoops, my bad.

I have gotten other workouts in where I've incorporated arm weights and of course I'm still training for my 10k. So, it's all good.

You can read about where I started and Week #1 here

Here's Week 2:

&

I see slight improvement, but then again I am my own critic.

I will keep working at it because I really, realllllly want to wear this size 14 sleeveless dress to a wedding I'm attending June 11th without a cardigan or any type of coverup!

I did wear a short sleeved shirt to work today=very self conscience..something I will just have to keep working on!

A nice spray tan would be nice too after seeing these pictures!

Weigh in 4-15-11

Well, Friends, I am up +.4oz this week. Not cool, but hey, I know I wasn't perfect with my calories (1410 allowed daily) so I probably deserved the gain..plus, it's TOM so that doesn't help either :( I think 3 days this week I went over my allowed calories on MyFitnessPal so will work harder with my food choices this week.

 I guess the cotton candy at the circus last night probably wasn't the best choice :-/

It was yummy though :)

And I had a great time with my niece, nephew, Mom and husband.

Ariauna, Elias, me, Mom on the trolley ride (I think my mom and I look a LOT alike here!)

yaaay the circus!

Friday night=date night at the circus....lol!

Have a great rest of the weekend :o)

Wish me luck couponing...I will be back Sunday night to tell you how it went eek!

Getting my face back

Silly title, huh?

I'm serious though..I'm finally getting my face back! When I weighed 240 pounds I always felt bloated. I looked like all I ate was fried food and sodium {which I probably did!} My  face was always "puffy" and I broke out alllll the time even when it wasn't that time of the month. I also felt like I needed to pack on the makeup to feel pretty. Here's proof:

Really? How much makeup was I wearing?!

It is painful looking at that picture because I remember how it felt to look in the mirror and really be unhappy with how I looked. I even got to the point where I didn't want to smile showing my teeth because it made my face look wider. Isn't that just sad? I didn't want to smile because my face looked too big.

I remember when I lost my 1st ten pounds that's the first thing people would say.."Allie your face has gone down!" Down? Really, what does that even mean?!

Oh well, whatever it means I'm just glad to have my face back!

Before I cut my hair..

I'll be back tomorrow with my weigh in :o)

The Fight

I figured I would touch base on how my training for my 10k is going.

It's going.

...

Two Sundays ago was BAD. I mean bad, bad, bad. I knew from the moment I woke up it wasn't going to be a good run. I didn't want to drive to the park where I meet my dad, I didn't want to put IcyHot on my shins, I didn't want to stretch...

I didn't want to run!

But I did..well, kind of. We started off and of course I kept telling myself "just keep running, Allie.." but it was more of a shuffle than a run or a jog. I was barely picking up my feet. We got past the bridge and there's a hill. I usually walk up said hill and then take back off when there's flat land again. I didn't even want to WALK up that hill. I was done in my head. My dad could obviously tell I was struggling and told me to turn around and he'd meet back up with me. Immediately alligator tears are rolling off my cheeks the whole walk back to my car. I started thinking "poor me".. how I still have at least 40lbs to go, how I just want to eat a pizza, how I want to magically be able to run this 10k and make my dad proud of me and darn it, I just want to fit comfortably in some size 10 jeans! Poor, poor fat me.

I didn't run once that next week.

Until Thursday last week I decided I needed to run again. Then I ran some more.

I guess my point is:

This isn't easy.

When I say "this" I mean weight loss in general. It really, really isn't. I battle myself everyday to eat the right things, drink enough water, track my food. Deep down I think this will always be a fight for me.

I want to be healthy.

I want to have children.

I want to wear cute clothes.

I want to run a 10k with my dad.

And I will keep fighting!

Arms Update

So, I was feeling good about the Shake Weight..I've done it every.single.day since last week. Sometimes when I'm doing the DVD I'll glance at my arms and see definition and really like what I see! Then the DVD is over and my arms just hang again :( I know it will take longer than one week though. Today's my week 1 update..here is where I started. 

So, obviously not much of a difference?

BUT..on Saturday I did wear a short sleeved shirt and my younger sister told me I was looking really slim. That was nice. I was pretty much self conscience in a short sleeved shirt though :( Wish I could get over that :( I will continue on with the Shake Weight though. I like the DVD..it's seriously only 6min, you can feel the burn and the girl in the video is likeable and easy to follow!

Todat after work I met with my Dad and we went on a run. We ran about 3.5 miles.

Here's my post 5k "glow":

Have a wonderful week :o)

Weigh in 4-8-11

Sorry for the bad pic! My husband hates taking my pics because I'm so picky!

Anywhoo-

I lost -2.6 this week! whoohoo..lowest number on the scale I've seen!

This week I ran 3 times and have done the shake weight every night. I'm still tracking on MyFitnessPal daily and everything seems to be working in my favor..just need to stick to it daily. I have a "problem" telling myself "Oh I deserve that mini Blizzard from Dairy Queen! I just ran 3 miles!" Umm NO Allie it doesn't work that way!

I'll be back Monday on an arms update!

See ya!

What I'm Loving Wednesday:

Hello! Happy Mid-Week!

Here's what I'm loving:

1. Shake Weight:

I'm workin on my arms and I can def feel it; even on day 2!

2. TLC's show: Extreme Couponing.

 One word=Amazing

3. Smart One Cookie Dough Sundae

Curbs my sweet tooth for only 170 calories!

4. My Dad

He is the best, seriously. Helps me stay on track with my running, motivates and helps me overcome any discouraging thoughts.

5. Nights out with my niece Ariauna

We went to dinner and a movie on Saturday night. Where else does a 4 year old want to eat on a Saturday night? McDonalds. I digress. We went to see Rango..I do not recomment; I was about bored to tears!

and finally..

6. Covergirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation

It is soooo soft and pretty much flawless! It doesn't make my skin oily and is long-lasting. And, Taylor Swift looks gorg in the ad!

Enjoy the rest of the week! I'll be back Friday with my weigh in :o)

My biggest Insecurity

I have a little...BIG...Problem:

My ARMS!

We all have insecurities, right? Mine are def my arms..I can't even wear a short sleeved shirt without wanting to wear a cardigan or a hooded jacket. Now that Spring/Summer is coming I want to feel more confident with my arms. I have a lot of loose skin from my 50lbs lost, but I'm hoping to to get toned up. Enter:

The Shake Weight!

I think I can manage 6min a day!

I will update every Monday on how my arms are lookin. Hopefully I will be able to wear this sleeveless dress I bought to wear to a wedding June 11th..without a coverup..

Here's where I'm at 4/4/11:

{Don't mind how stupid I look; it is REALLY hard to take these kind of pics!}

Left arm

Right arm

Not pretty. Here's to the Shake Weight and adding some weights into my regular workouts!

And here is the WORST ARM pic of me everrr..my lovely mother in law caught this on camera as I was tossing my bouquet.

{That is my boss in the background; her husband was our DJ..weird ha}

Love,

Former Fat Bride

April

It's April!

Before I get into my goals for April, let's talk about March.

March was not a good month in the weight loss department. I lost -1.2 for the month of March when my goal was -6lbs total. Something is wrong there. I was unmotivated and going through the motions half-heartedly. New shoes couldn't even bring me out of my 'funk.' I didn't even blog this week about week 4 of Running with Dad because I was so ashamed in how my training is going. I am worried that I won't be able to run the 10k on June 4th. Sigh.

But..it's April now, right?

I am going to dedicate April to LOSING WEIGHT..

That's what this journey is about, right?? I love NSVs, but I want to see the scale keep lowering. I have big plans for this summer (which I will keep you updated on ;) so I neeeed to be the healthiest I can be.

***

Last night, Jordan and I went to Genghi's Mangolian Grille. I normally do not like this type of cuisine, but I love how it's all meat and vegetables and you make it yourself so you control your portion sizes. Here's my bowl:

Steak-Chicken-Green Pepper-Red Pepper-Onion-Brocoli and 2 totillas

I was stuffed! But it was delicious and a great night with my love.

Friday nights=date nights <3

Have a great weekend..

April=Losing Weight!