Level 2...

Holy shitballs!!

I just finished my first day of Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred.
It is effin' nuts!!!
Can I get an Amen?!?

I guess it's all good though! After 10 days at Level 1 I was starting to get bored.
So I welcome the punch in the gut from my new friend, Level 2!

Happy 3-Day Weekend!

Thick Thursday

I weighed in this morning at 179!
While yes, I am happy about this, I must clarify it was 179.8...so not too far off from 180.
I feel like I'm at a plateau.
I'm working out like a champ and eating pretty darn clean and drinking beaucoup amounts of water.
So I'm thinking perhaps I'm not eating enough??

Using My Fitness Pal...
I mentioned before that I allot myself 1200 calories a day.
I usually get about 600 extra calories from my workouts.
So I can eat up to 1800 calories.
I usually eat about 1300 calories.

Thoughts on this?? Am I not eating enough??

Arms:      14
Chest:      39
Waist:     40 {1 inch loss}
Hips:    41 1/2
Thighs:     25 {1/2 inch loss}

I've actually felt thinner this week...especially in my waist.
I tried on a couple of size 12 jeans that I wore last fall/this past winter that gave me an unsightly muffin top.
Well, this time around...the muffin isn't pouring out of the top!
So, I was quite pleased about that.

I've completed 10 days on level 1 of the 30 Day Shred and I'm enjoying it so far.
Today is my exercise day off, so I'll pick up on Level 2 tomorrow...we'll see how that goes...

Peace out, biznatches!

On to the next one

The weekend I've been waiting for has now come and gone.
I had a blast hanging out with the girls!
And Luke Bryan was AMAZING!!!!!!!!

All of us at the beginning of the concert

Waiting for Luke Bryan

Smooching Luke! :)

Looking pretty good for the end of the night!

Felt so good to be back with my baby!

And back to our morning run this morning!

This concert was my first goal marker...
I was striving to be 170 in time for the concert.
I made it to 180.
So, my next goal marker is September 22nd.
My sweet little man's 1st birthday!!! :)
My pre-pregnancy weight (well, I was newly pregnant at this weigh-in...9 weeks along) was 172.
So, I want to be 172 on Royce's 1st birthday!!
That's 8 pounds in 4 weeks.
I really WANT to reach this goal!
Not to mention my cousin's wedding is the next weekend and homegirl has a dress to fit in!

Here's to working hard!

Thick Thursday

So, the only thing different about me from last week is 1/2 an inch in my thighs!

Weighing in, again, at 180.

Arms:      14"
Chest:      39"
Waist:      41"
Hps:      41 1/2"
Thighs:  25 1/2"

I leave for the beach for the Luke Bryam/Jason Aldean concert tomorrow!!
My initial goal was to be 170 by this time.
...a slightly unrealistic goal. I was hoping to lose 20 pounds in 6 weeks. In my weight loss experiences before, losing the first 20 pounds was like nothing. Well, sadly, my 29-year-old body may be a bit slower this go 'round!

So my new goal was to be in the 170's by the time the concert came.
I'm 180 today. Perhaps the scale will say 179.9 tomorrow?!?!?
Hey, that would be IN TIME for the concert! :)

I've been doing the C25K (Couch To 5K) program and I do that 6 days a week.
I started Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred last Thrsday and have completed 5 days worth.
I've occasionally been walking at night and sometimes I've even turn that walk into a run.
I'm drinking WELL over 100 ounces of water a day.
I'm using My Fitness Pal and logging all my food and my exercise.
...I have it set up to eat 1200 calories a day. But I gain an extra 500-800 calories with my workouts. So I typically eat anywhere from 1200-1500 calories.
And I am eating very healthy.

So, I guess I don't completely understand why my progress is as slow as it is.
Older age=slower metabolism?
Is there such a thing as working out too much?
Do I need to give my body more "down time"? (like more than my 1 day off from exercise)
Do I need to eat more? (someone told me you're supposed to stay within 100 calories, food to exercise ratio....is there truth to this?)
Any insight?
...what worked or didn't work for YOU?

I'm determined to get this weight off! 
It may take longer than I want it to, but as long as it's coming off...

To recap:
In 6 weeks, I've lost 10 pounds and a total, overall of 10 1/2 inches!

And as a reward, I get to lust after Luke Bryan in those tight jeans!

Truth

I love this....

Just thought this was good for all of us to keep in mind.

So I'll just leave you with that!

The day after Day 1

Yep!
I completed Day 1 of the 30 Day Shred yesterday.

I felt pretty good about it while doing it.
I felt like "Yeah, this isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I can totally handle this!"
Now, don't get me wrong, towards the end I was out of breath and had to take a few breaks, but all in all, I felt good about getting through it.

And then I woke up this morning!
And I realized my body hates me!
My thighs and shoulders in particular hurt the most.

So, while I'm silently cursing Jillian Michaels, I also realize that "pain" means I worked it out!

So, I'm pushing through!
Day 2 coming up!

Thick Thursday

I write today, totally stoked! :)

Weighed in this morning at 180!

For those of you following along...
That's a 10-pound loss since I started. (about 5 weeks ago)
A 4-pound loss since last Thursday.
But I went up a pound over the weekend.
So that's a 5-pound loss since Monday.
And I'm now only a pound away from my new goal of weighing in the 170's for the concert next week!

Clear as mud, right?!?

This week's picture, I'm rocking my workout gear because today also marks the start of the 30 Day Shred.

Arms:     14
Chest:     39
Waist:    41 {1/2" lost}
Hips:   41 1/2 {1/2" lost}
Thighs:   26

So, these are my starting specs for the start of my 30DS

I got back to running this morning after a week hiatus and it felt oh so good!
I was nervous though, because out of nowhere, yesterday my knee started really hurting me.
Sleeping last night was miserable!
I wasn't sure how running on it would be. It hurt some, but I made it through!
I desperately want to start the 30 Day Shred today, but I also don't want to overdo it on the knee.
I've taken Aleve and icing it as we "speak".

...till next time...

179.9??

So, I'm super stoked that the Luke Bryan/Jason Aldean concert is NEXT FRIDAY!!!!!

Not so stoked that there is no way in hell I'll be reaching my goal of 170 by then!
(unless the good Lord above performs lypo on me whilst I sleep. But considering I referenced "hell" in the above statement, I'm strongly doubting an emergency lypo miracle.)

So, now, my new goal is to be in the 170's by next Thursday's "Thick Thursday" weigh-in.
Yep! 179.9 will even count!

Now, if you're paying attention,
Last ThickThursday I weighed in at 184.
After the weekend away, I weighed in at 185.
But I'm feeling good about a loss this week, so we'll see what my sweet little scale says tomorrow!
(perhaps if I talk ever-so-politely about that bitch she'll tell me a number I want to hear!)

I've taken about a week hiatus from any working out whatsoever, so tomorrow I start back on the C25K...I'll pick up at Week 3 Day 1.
And Jillian Michaels will be whipping my tail into shape with the 30 Day Shred.

Strangely, I'm SUPER excited to go all hardcore-like into this exercise regimen!

But then again... talk to me after tomorrow! :)

Fun, Family, Full!

After being MIA for the past couple days, I'm back and ready to share how wonderful my weekend was.

For anyone that knows me, you know that the desire to move back to my hometown of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania is at the top of my list -but probably not going to happen anytime soon. :(  So, in the meantime, I just live for the long weekend trips we can make up there.
-which is just what we did this past weekend!

I didn't run or work out the whole time we were there (Thursday-Sunday) and my eating habits weren't as great and healthy as I have been doing, BUT, I am pleased to report that I only gained a pound.
I was at 185 this morning when I weighed.

I just wanted to share with y'all how awesome my weekend was with my family!
First of all, we (my husband, son and I) stayed at my mom's with my sister, her husband and their newborn! (my 1-month-old niece, Claire!!) Not to mention, my brother, his wife and their daughter (my 21-month-old niece, Camdyn) came over quite a bit. So we all spent loads of time together!
Then, on Saturday, we celebrated my Pap's 80th birthday (as well as a few other birthdays and some graduations!) It was the first time in I don't know how long that ALL the "Beaver" grandchildren were there...in other words, the whole entire family (except for like 1or 2 people) were there! It was AMAZING!!
Then, on Sunday, we stopped by to see my dad and spend some time with him!
And then went on to hang out with my mom's side of the family for the day. Where, again, all but a few people were there!

This weekend couldn't make me any happier!
Check it out...

all 12 of the Beaver grandchildren with Grandma and Pap

all the "Beaver" Great Grandchildren to date

the whole fam damily!!!

the "Dalby" Great Grandchildren with Great Granddad and Nana

my mom with her grand babies!

my sweet and amazing little family!

me with my guys!

Hope your weekend was as great as mine!!

C25K 30DS WTH?!?!?

Ok, so I'm over my piss poor mood today!

The better mood is also helped by 3 sweet cousins all together!
My nieces are both here at my mom's and Royce and Camdyn are currently happily playing together.
(Don't worry, I'll share some pics later!)

I didn't run yesterday cos I felt like death.
And it's raining this morning, so I didn't go this morning.
I know....I could've gone in the rain.
My mom could have watched Royce so I could've gone out by myself.

But I chose laziness.
It's hard cos when I come to Pennsylvania, I feel like it's a "vacation".
So all usually goes out the window.

Exhibit A: Not running this morning

Exhibit B: Eating 8 Chicken Wings for dinner last night and of course, dipping them in ranch dressing.
Now, I did very well the rest of the day. I only went over 220 calories on my daily goal of 1200. Which is not too bad considering the highly nutritious wings and ranch!

You have my word that I will either run or take a nice stroll at some point today!

And I don't think I told y'all that I was dong the C25K.
I've been using this for the past 2 weeks. I'm currently on Week 3 Day 1.

Annnnd,  my sister-in-law (shout out, Tiffany!!) gave me her copy of the 30 Day Shred so my Granddad can illegally make a copy for me.
So, when I get home I'll become a "shred head"

I've heard so much about both the C25K and 30DS so I'm excited to get my work out on and see my results!

Thick Thursday

Well, I am just a beaming ray of sunshine!

Consider yourself warned.

We traveled up to my hometown in Pennsylvania last night for a long weekend visit.
Royce can sometimes not be the best car seat rider, so we have to time our trips around when our little angel will sleep. It's about a 5 hour trip and he slept 3 hours (9:30pm-12:30am) and he did well the 2 hours prior to that when he was awake.

Now let's get to the shit storm...
At one of the stops, I went to the bathroom only to realize it looked as though I was starting my period. Great! I didn't pack any of those necessities (ever since I got our beloved Miss Dot/Aunt Flow back after pregnancy and thereafter - aka, a blissful, non-nuisance 15 months of my life - it's never been "on time" and actually comes like every 40-45 days...maybe. Thus the reason I didn't pack  shit in regards to the lovely that is that nasty punctuation point.)
We got to my moms at 12:30 am. Royce wakes up. We unload the car and unpack a few things. About 1am, I decide it's a good time to get Royce back to sleep... with no success until 3am.
In the bed, with me.
Shoot me.
Fast forward about 4 restless hours and we're back up at the usual 7am.
Shoot me again.

My period has indeed started and in full force with nothing but a panty liner on.
(and cramps like a bitch!)

But alas, it is Thick Thursday indeed.
I come to you with absolutely no inches lost. (Blaming it on the bloat)
One thing I did like was using my mom's scale!
It's the dial-type one (As opposed to our electronic one. You know, the one that's probably the most accurate to the doctor's scale...so you don't get a huge surprise when you have to go to the doctor's!)
So my mom's read 180.
WOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But that's why I weighed myself at our house yesterday morning.
(Yes, it was not a Monday or Thursday, but I did it to get a more accurate account of my weight. I did it for y'all. So get off my nuts! - I wanna smack my husband when he says this. But I have to admit, it felt good to use it just now!)

Anyway, I weighed in yesterday morning at 184.
(Womp, womp, womp.)
That's a pound lost.
But for the weekend, I'm going with the 180 on my mom's scale! :)

I'm not terribly disappointed. I'm just cranky. And in total period mood.
So, I'm punishing you.
No Thick Thursday pic...because I just don't feel like getting ready!

Cake Weekend

I can sum up this past weekend in one word.
C A K E
Ah, hell, I can't forget Ice Cream.

I can sum up this past weekend in one four words.
CAKE AND ICE CREAM.

And by "weekend" I mean, Thursday - Sunday.

Thursday, we had a play date at "Reese's house".
(Translation: Reese is the 10 month old, but she runs the house, so it's clearly hers! You know, kinda like how Royce lets me live at HIS house!)

BABIES!!

 

 Ok, so this pic is actually from the play date in June. This bad mommy brought her camera but didn't take any pics at this most recent play date.
The cool thing about all these babies....they were all born in September 2011 (well, except for the toddler in the back!) September 7th, 16th (2 born on this day), 19th and 22nd!
Anyway, all the mommies brought delicious items to eat. (I took hummus and carrots and pretzels...I was trying to behave!) While there was no cake or ice cream here, I did manage to steer off my healthy eating. But didn't do as poorly as I normally would!

Thursday night we headed on over to my work's Company Picnic where healthy eating was, again, not an option.
(However, not too too shabby on my part! I totally practiced portion control!)
This is where the ice cream started!
I got a scoop and shared it with my little man.
(And my little guy doesn't play around! If I stop feeding it to him to take a bite myself, he gets MAD! So he really helps me in not indulging too much myself. But then he loads up on the sugar!)

Friday was pretty good. We were invited to go hang out with my in-laws and their friends who occasionally get together to drink wine and eat yummy finger foods. We had some stuff to get done, so we never ventured out that way...and probably a good thing, cos I would have wanted some wine and that would have made my fingers pick up a little too many cheese and crackers! :)
My little man and I DID indulge in some Greek fat free frozen yogurt. They come in 3 little 100 calorie containers. So, we sat on the kitchen floor and shared one of the deliciously refreshing frozen treat!

Saturday, we had yet another play date at my sister-in-law's house with another mother and her son. (Uriah...who is also a September 2011 baby. Born on the 13th.)
Yes, it was a cold December down here! ;)

Uriah and Royce

A very spontaneous decision was made to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday Saturday night.
And guess what that meant....those 4 ugly words!

I actually offered to cut the cake and dish out the ice cream for everyone. I figured it kept me away from being able to sit down and eat it.
Once everyone was served, I did cut a tiny, TINY piece.
(Seriously, it was possibly almost 2 inches long and not even an inch thick...super self control on my part!)
AND....I jumped on the trampoline prior to the cake, so they totally canceled each other out! :)

me and my little man on the trampoline!

And now Sunday.
We were invited to my friend's son's 1st birthday party. (not a September baby!)
There was an array of delicious foods!
I sampled a few (portion control!)
AND, of course...shared cake and ice cream with my little man.

The birthday boy, Carson enjoying his cake. Kinda how i look after eating cake!

So, all in all, I feel I did pretty well given all the food situations thrown my way!

Since it's Monday, I was allowed to step on the scale this morning.
185 and holding...which means I didn't lose....BUT I DIDN'T GAIN!! :)

And this coming weekend is not looking good eating-wise either!
We're headed to Pennsylvania Wednesday night and have 2 separate family functions on Saturday and Sunday. Which WILL include delicious food and most likely....CAKE AND ICE CREAM!

Skinny-fied Recipes

I mentioned before that I love making recipes skinny! Or I like any already skinny recipes!
It makes me feel powerful.
I make that yummy, delicious, fattening food my bitch!

So, I just want to share a few with you!

Spaghetti Squash:
You ever seen one of these suckers?!?

Yep, that's it!

There are different ways I've heard about cooking these. The only way I've done it is by first cutting this in half, the long-way. (And trust me, this is no easy task!) Once cut, place in a pan, cut side down. Pour 1/4 inch of water into the pan and Bake at 375 for about 35 minutes. After it bakes, let the squash cool down some, then remove the seeds from the middle and throw away. Then shred the inside of the squash with a fork. It will break apart into a noodle-like concoction, like this:

**another way I've only read about preparing this is to puncture the whole squash (uncut) with a fork. Bake in the oven at 375 for an hour. Let cool, cut, de-seed and shred with fork. (no water in pan)**

I then make my own rendition of spaghetti sauce. I start out with the Wal-Mart brand (Great Value) of the "No Salt Added" Tomato Sauce. Not a whole lotta taste there, but that's why i season it with Morton's Lite Salt and Garlic Powder. If I have tomatoes, onions, or mushrooms, I'll add those to the sauce. I also cook up some ground chicken or ground turkey and use that as my meat. The biggest thing I splurge on is any parmesan cheese I might sprinkle on top! All this is about 185 calories for about 1 cup worth of the squash noodles, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and 4 oz of the ground chicken! LOVE!!!!

Squash and Pimento Bake:

This recipe is one I got off of a bag of frozen Pictsweet Sliced Yellow Squash. But since we started our own garden this summer, I just use our crookneck squash we've grown. The recipe calls for 1 package of the frozen squash which is a 1 lb bag. I just cut up our home-grown squash till my heart's content! I've also fudged (mmmm, fudge!!) the recipe some to how I make it!

1 lb sliced squash (give or take!)

1/2 C Fat Free sour cream

1 tsp diced pimentos (i put in way more than 1 teaspoon. and i drained and rinsed them to help cut down the sodium.)

1 tsp herb and garlic seasoning (i just used garlic powder till my heart's content!

Pour squash in a saucepan and cover with water. Place, uncovered saucepan on stove top and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes (or until squash is desired consistency for you...I like to make sure mine are cooked to really soft). Drain. 

In a bowl, combine cooked squash, sour cream, pimentos and seasoning. Place in a greased 8x8 casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

** I also added some fat free shredded cheese on top of mixture once in the casserole dish prior to baking.**

I'd GUESTimate this is about 85 calories for a 1 cup serving.

And last, but most definitely and certainly NOT the least...

Skinny Greek Yogurt Chicken:

I stole this one off of Pinterest

I'll let the creator do the explaining.
Check out the recipe here!!

This is seriously so delicious. And again, I'd GUESTimate that total calories for one Chicken Breast would be 185 calories. The parmesan cheese is probably the "worst" of all the ingredients (but OH-SO-NECESSARY!!)

Hope you enjoy these little gems!!
Happy baking!

Fit Camp

Yes, I said FIT...not Fat Camp.
While a nice little jaunt in Fat Camp might serve me well...

I told you there is now a Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp group on Facebook.
Lots of great ladies have joined and are sharing their successes, plateaus, exercise ideas, and beyond!

And now...a challenge has been issued!
The event started August 1st and the challenge is for all that joined to lose as much weight in 60 days.
There are opportunities to post pics and updates along the way.
And, at the end of the 60 days, we are all supposed to record our total wight loss.
All 570 ladies weight loss amounts will be added together to see how much we all lost combined!

Check it out here!!
And, hey, maybe YOU should join!

And this challenge fits in perfectly with my September Shenanigans that I want to be a thinner me for! :)

Thick Thursday

2 must be my lucky number! :)
I'm down 2 pounds and 2 inches overall!

Weighed in this morning at 185!

Arms:   14" {loss of 1/2"}
Chest:   39"
Waist: 41 1/2" {loss of 1"}
Hips:    42" {loss of 1/2"}
Thighs: 26"

No bitching this week!
* and the crowd roars*


I'm actually quite pleased with these results.
Did I want to drop the pounds by leaps and bounds?
YES!!
But I'm embracing the fact that a loss is a loss!

I currently am in love with eating healthy! And by that, I mean, I enjoy taking normally fattening recipes/meals and slimming them down with healthier ingredients!

When my mom was here, we made dinner every night. (not a normal phenomenon in our house. My poor hubby usually has to grab/make whatever he gets his hands on cos I usually make "boring" foods...in his opinion!) By not caving in to the not-as-healthy options for them, I tweaked some things to have the (relatively) same meal just in a healthier version for myself. And, I introduced my mom to some meals she would probably never have eaten in her lifetime!
Perhaps, I will post some of those recipes in the next day or so! :)

I'm also thoroughly enjoying getting back into running!
There is a 5K I'm thinking about doing in September.
The only thing holding me back is that I'm not quite sure if we'll be going up to Pittsburgh the same weekend as the 5K here for my brother-in-law's 30th birthday.
The race is to benefit to local twin 4-year-old girls who have been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
I love a 5K.
But I love when it's to benefit a worthy cause even more!

One more thing...I went into the office yesterday to get some work done and i took one of those vain pics of myself in the mirror (I HATE THOSE PICS ON FACEBOOK!!!!!!!) cos I was digging my outfit and felt good about myself.
It's kinda blurry (which shows I'm not one of those girls that post mirror pic after mirro pic of themselves!!) but I was wearing a purple "mini" skirt from Victoria's Secret Pink shop and the top is from Forever 21 like 2 years ago.
Just humor me! :)

Giving that sass!

Happy Day!

Everybody needs their mama!

My mom has been visiting for the past 5 days.
(She lives in Pennsylvania, where I'm from. So that's about 5 hours from where I live now.)

She's a teacher so summer allows her to linger longer on her visits down yonder!
And it was wonderful!!

Royce loved playing with her.
They have this secret code where she screams and shakes her head.
And Royce, in return squeals and shakes his whole body!
It's the cutest thing! :)

She weeded in front of our house! (Best mother award?? I think so!!)

She bought me a brand spanking new jogging stroller!

She joined Royce and I on our morning jaunts!

She washed the dishes and vacuumed the living room!

She was here for me just to talk to!

She was basically a complete joy to have around!!

Here are some pics from her stay with us!

UGH!! Weeding...and in the hot summer sun!

New jogging stroller

That's mom holding Royce, but I just had to share this picture for the shirt! Royce's Uncle Kellen and Aunt Tiffany got it for him. That"s Waldo on the side of the shirt and it says "Dude, I'm right here!" Hysterical!

Two of my faves...mom and Royce!