Jumping back on the bandwagon!

Well, I did it. I graduated with my BSW in May! The follow Monday I started my "big girl" job utilizing my degree!! :) I am now the Director of Social Services for a skilled nursing facility. I LOVE my job and I love all of the new faces, the new experiences and knowledge that I have gained so far! Its funny, before my practicum, I never would have guessed this is where I would be in life! I am happy I took chances and tried something new.

With this wonderful job, came a large work load and lots of over time hours. I took over when both the director and assistant left the company so I have been on my own. Like I said I love what I a doing so the extra hours don't bother me. :) The problem is....with all of my life changes that have happened since May; finals, graduation and a new job....I have been hardly staying afloat energy wise and just feeling exhausted. Things are really starting to slow down and I am trying to get into a routine so I can not continue to make excuses when It comes to meal preps and workouts... 

Yeah.....I've been slipping...I've been feeling a little burnt out along with being exhausted....It happens and thats ok, but I have to know when to jump back on the bandwagon and knock it off! I am hiring a new assistant within the next week and with that my over time hours will be less and less so I will have ZERO excuses!! 

Yup. I said it!!! ZERO!!

I have not stopped my meal preps, I just have let myself have a few more cheat meals during the week than I am comfortable with. I am maintaining not losing and that is  not the goal here!

Did I mention the cheese nips and ice cream that I have had way too much of over the past few weeks...? Yup. I know, I know.....

In 2 weeks I am going to start another very strict 24 day challenge! Just like my first, 1 year ago this month!! Cutting out ALL of the crap and getting back to serious work out schedule 5 days a week instead of 2 or 3 days a week!

I can do this, I will reach my goal! 

The wedding is only 4 months away after all!!! Ahhhhhhh!!!

Here is one of our engagement pictures we had done a month ago! :)

Taking these pictures just reminds me how far I have to go still in this journey...I love our pictures, my boys look great and I am so excited to have some great pictures of us all together!! However, I hate seeing myself and I hate thinking...is this what I really look like? Time to get going and keep losing!!!!

Jumping back on the bandwagon! Who is with me?

When you feel like quitting...

When you feel like quitting...think about why you started!

Because I wanted to be myself again.
Because I wanted to learn how to eat healthy.
Because I wanted to feel confident and comfortable in my own skin.
Because...who wants to feel heavy? Not me....But I did.
Because I didn't want to feel trapped.
Because I didn't want to be limited to what I could do or feel like I was being held back in any way!
Because I was having daily headaches and health problems more and more as I got older. (Due to the foods I was consuming)

Why allow yourself to feel any of those things when you can make simple choices to change it all?

For me, having this weight on me was not ME. This isn't what I knew or what I was used to..I still have a lot to lose, but in those pictures I was almost 200lbs.

Between 2009 and 2010 I've lost 60lbs since. Gained back 45lbs, lost 20, gained it back...so on and so on..

LOVE those yo-yo-diets! Sure, you can find an easy way out, but you better believe its going to be easy to put it back on too!

When I feel like quitting, I think about being almost 200lbs and the types of foods I ate.. I think about how much I have learned since then...Even if I don't get down to a size zero (AND THAT IS NOT A GOAL OF MINE! HA) I know how to live a healthy lifestyle. I know how to give my future children healthy choices one day too.

Today, I can't believe I ever thought it as ok to eat fast foods all week, every week. Don't have time to cook? Order a pizza...Didn't pack a lunch? Grab some fast food. Skipped breakfast? I'll grab something at QT.

YUCK!....

Here is what that will do to you after you....
It only took me a year to gain those 60lbs...scary, huh?

Those are my senior pictures....And the last two are ME a year later! Yup...hiding behind everybody and everything! ha

I was living on my own, eating more fast food and I was out of high school, so I wasn't dancing anymore.
Yikes.

My journey with AdvoCare from July to now! I am still going!!!

I stopped my yo-yo diets and got busy doing it right---It has been a journey, but a fun one at that! I'm so happy I made the lifestyle change! I feel great, I have energy and confidence again and I know this is something that will last a lifetime..No more crazy diets...no more crazy weight gain or weight loss.. I know how to keep this in check! :)


Karah

Whats on your grocery list?

Yesterday, after a work out that about killed my body, I hit the grocery store like I do every Sunday.

Sundays at my house mean laundry, homework, workout, grocery store and meal preps! Sundays are busy, but I get a lot done and I love it! :)

While I was at the store, I was in the spices isle looking for something Ms. Dash! A mother, who had her son who was probably 4 years old in her buggy was right next to me. The  little boy saw everything in my cart and was asking him mom, whats that? What are those? BANANAS! haha. Mom explained to him that I had a pineapple, spaghetti squash, peppers, etc. in my cart. I was kind of blown away that the child did not know what some of the foods were like a pineapple to even a watermelon...squash I understand, peppers, maybe....

I have also had a number of people ask me what I buy, how much I spend at the store a month and how can I afford to buy fresh clean foods versus prepackaged and processed foods?

I actually only spend about $300 a month on  food and house holds things like tp, paper towels, cleaning products and those things we have to buy once every couple months or so...I don't know if that is a lot or a little..but for me its a lot less than it was in the past when I wasn't eating clean.

UNLESS...Andrew adds a bunch of junk food to the list for some reason and every now and then he will do that. I won't buy it all, but I will buy a few things.

I also pack Andrews lunches and he will buy fast food once a week (because he wants to, I'd rather pack another lunch for him..) and I don't eat fast food...ever..really..I think I have maybe once in the past 6 months. That alone, saves us a lot of money.

So what do I buy...?

Once a week I buy:

-various fruits..

Bananas

berries either strawberries or blue berries

pineapple 

-veggies..

peppers

squash

zucchini 

sweet potatoes

tomato

onion

Once a month I add on things like..

Chicken

fish

turkey meat

eggs

lettuce

mushrooms

nut butter

oats

beans

almonds/mixed nuts

low sodium broths

 

For Andrew I also buy, these things maybe once a month but I rarely eat any of it..

granola bars

milk

cheese

cereals

lemonade mix

canned soups

bread

tortillas

pasta noodles

pasta sauces

I'm sure I missed a couple of things.

OH and I can't forget Bailey-

He eats his dog food and carrots! which I buy maybe once every 2 months.

I also buy spices and things like mustard, salsa, and things for the house every few months as well.

I will add on thing here and there for recipes, but typically, this grocery list will cover everything I need to cook. I just may buy an extra pepper or some veggies for a recipe.

 I skip those middle isle, unless there is something I had to grab for Andrew! I try to buy the least amount of processed foods and If It is something processed, it needs to be as close to clean as possible! :)

I feel better eating this way and couldn't imagine going back.

What do you buy? Sit down and look at your grocery list...Are these things that you should be consuming on a daily or weekly basis?

I am getting closer and closer to my goals, I can't wait for summer! For once in my life, my stomach isn't the area that I want to hide in my swim suites! Its my legs this year...More leg work outs here I come!!!! yahhh!!

 

7 weeks of working it!

This is NOW the 7th week of me CONSISTENTLY working out 5/6 times a week! Not just a couple sit ups here and there but seriously committing and getting my butt kicked! :)

In these past 7 weeks I am now DOWN 8.5 inches in my hips, legs and arms all together AND another 4 lbs on the scale! :) Right now I am only really concerned with the inches and I am tracking that more than anything.

This might not seem like a big deal to YOU, BUT this girl HATES working out and I never stick with it for more than a couple weeks at a time. I can honestly say, I look forward to my workouts and the harder the better! I'm not afraid of a little body sculpting either! In fact, I look forward to it!

Who am I and where did the old Karah go? Idk and idc because I love this new obsession! I feel great!

HEY- dropping the inches isn't bad either! ;)

Speaking of obsessions...I bought a POLAR FT4 and I'm loving it. Its nice to see my progress after my work outs and track my heart rate during workouts.

I have also been obsessed with meal preps! I am setting aside a couple hours every Sunday evening after my jazzercise body sculpting class to prep ALL of my meals for the week. I am measuring out my protein, carbs, fats and fruits! I am making sure I have enough of the clean healthy foods I need to eat right and to make good choices during the week!

Here are some of the things going into my food preps!

I honestly have not been measuring or stepping on the scale lately. I truly don't know where I am at right now. But I know that my clothes fit looser and I feel great! I can see my body changing too! I am building muscle and I am loving it!


NOW....If we could just get RID of the crappy valentines crap laying around my house I would be doing even better!!!

Karah

Hello World!!!

HELLO JAZZERCISE WORLD!!!! How have I gone 24 years without you? 

So, I HATE HATE HATE HATE (I could go on) HATE HATE (okay you get it) working out. I love feeling like worked my butt off, but I don't like how boring it would be to get there. I don't like getting up early, going to a gym full of people I don't know and counting down the minutes until I got enough time on the treadmill to feel productive enough to go home. Blahhh

So, what did I do? I begged for a treadmil and couple weights for Christmas a few years ago. I GOT ONE! Andrew surprised me and I convinsed myself that I enjoyed that SO MUCH MORE than going to a stupid  gym. ha. Well, I would get my booty on the treadmil religoiusly for....3 weeks at a time every few months and then I was over it.

AND REPEAT....over it.

AND REPEAT......over it. So on and so on for a few years.

blah.blah.blah.

Well..I wasn't losing weight (nor was I eating right), I was gaining weight. Clearly this was not working for me. ha.

So...20lbs heavier, I found AdvoCare (yea, you've heard this story already, I wont go there!!) and I started eating better and losing weight. YAY! BUT, I did not start working out. 

I just hadn't made that commitment yet. Yup, I still despised the gym and the treadmill.

Once we got engaged (right before the holidays of course!!!) I knew I needed to get seriously serious about this health thing! For serious guys! :) I have to pour myself into a very form fitting beautiful wedding dress in October! AND I will be the center of attention for a whole day. 

Awesome. Not.

So...here we go. I set new goals and Im going to make this happen! I am now on a mission and when I get something in my head I am obsessed until I reach my goal!!

I looked into a few things and found Jazzercise through my AdvoCare coach who is an instructor! I tried it, it loved it and now Im addicted! 

Were going on 3 weeks and I go religiously 6 days a week! I would go 7 days a week but Andrew really gets on me about giving my body a break because I can be a FUN SUPER CRABBY BIATCH when I am exhausted! :) 

Let me just tell ya, Jazzercise makes me exhausted! It feels great and its so much fun, but it kicks my butt! :)

Since I have started working out after new years and then adding in Jazzercise I am dropping inches like crazy! Its a wonderful feeling and I am hooked!

 Which is how I have gotten from here to here in a matter of months now!

I'm not where I want to be just yet, but I am getting there!!!

June 2013

Jan. 2014

Jan. 2014

So, I wanted to share a little bit about what I am doing, what AdvoCare products I am using and foods I'm eating eating to help my friends who are doing the AdvoCare challenge too!

I upped my protein intake each meal from 4oz to 5/6oz. 3x's a day.

Upped my veggie intake. Unlimited and at each meal. ALSO my night time snack.

Cut my carb intake in half. I will do 40z of carbs at breakfast and lunch only.

I cut my sugar intake as well-I will do 4oz of fruit 2x's a day. Fruit at my first two snacks of the day.

I had to increase my healthy fats because I really wasn't doing enough. (Surprised? Me too) 2oz. of healthy fats 2xs a day. So I do this with my fruit/snacks.

NO carbs at dinner and NO fruit after dinner. :)

The only things I allow myself to have after dinner are veggies and or proteins! 

Can't forget my gallon of water each day too!

NOW for AdvoCare!!!! What am I taking?? MY FAVORITES!

meal replacement shakes, chocolate mocha being my favorite right now! You can find this here as well as the product information. I will do one for breakfast a couple times a week as well as half a shake before a work out as a snack! :)

Catalyst! I LOVE this stuff!! Its like liposuction in a bottle!!!!! You can find it here along with the product information. I take 3, 9xs a day! Most only take 3, 2xs a day. Did I mention how much i LOVE this stuff?? Its great for maintaining/repairing muscle during work outs!

MNSMAX3! Its another must have! I use these 3 combined (plus spark) and I feel so wonderful!! You can find it here along with the product information.

OH! Can't forget my spark! You can also find it here! I have been in love with the fruit punch flavor lately!!

I've also added in some OmegaPlex and ThermoPlus each day! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT ALL! :)

I'm feeling great and can't wait to see where I am at in another month! Its been pretty neat to see my hips, legs, arms and everything else shrinking away since I started jazzercise!!!!

Karah

What I learned in 2013!

So its is a new year, there will be many new things to come over the next 12 months! I have been reading SO MANY Facebook posts about what 2013 meant to so many people and my post was about what 2014 will bring...So...2013....

When looking back over the past year 2012 and 2013 seemed to have blurred together. I have to go back and really look at time to see just have much things have changed and how much time has passed!

2012 kinda sucked--a lot, mainly for one reason, but I wont go there...So 2013 was something for me to really look forward to and I'm happy to say It was wonderful and awful all at the same time!

In 2013, I learned....

I learned how to truly compromise, how to make somebody happy while making myself happy at the same time.
I learned how much work a relationship truly can be and that I am happy to do the work for the people I love.
While I had already learned the importance of exercise in 2012, but couldn't figure out why I wasn't getting into better shape-in 2013 I learned that what you eat is even more important than how you treat your body in the gym.
I learned that my mother had cancer. Again.
I learned that I really really really hate cancer! Even though her surgery went well and all was removed, I also learned that my sister and I have a higher risk of getting colon cancer now as well. Which led me to eating clean!
I learned how to eat clean! I've learned that I love it!
I learned about AdvoCare and the wonderful products!!!
I learned that when you eat like crap, you will feel like crap! I also learned that I don't want to eat like crap or feel like crap anymore. I want to be healthier! I want the people I care about to also be healthier!
After my moms cancer diagnosis, I also learned that I have an odd way of dealing with things-I like to hide away in my home, by myself.
Again, I learned the importance of eating clean.
I learned how awesome I am at being a social work student and how much I truly love my classes!!
I learned that I can do anything I put my mind to-even college!
I learned that I can set goals, work my butt off and do things on my own.
I learned that my spontaneous side is actually sometimes a good thing and causes me to take risks-good risks that help me attain my goals.
I learned that I might be very different from my mother and sister and that's okay.
I learned that I can't and don't care to please everybody.
I learned a new found joy in working with elderly.
I learned how to slow down, listen and advocate for my elderly clients. They need me.
I learned to step off the scale and trust my body. Go with how I feel, not what the number says!
I learned that the man I love, loves me-every part of me, even the things I don't love about me.
I learned that he had been putting a lot of planning into proposing to me for a long time and I said yes!

I learned that a lot can happen in one year!

The cancer sucks, the 4.0gpa rocked, my love for being a social worker is great, being engaged to the man of my dreams is even better, losing weight and being a healthier me is awesome!

2014 is only going to get better and I can't wait! Graduating college, our wedding and so much more! Ahhh!


Karah
.

299 Days Until I Say I Do!!!

Since my last post, I have finished my second 24 day challenge, dropped a few more lbs, GOT ENGAGED, had Thanksgiving, gained a couple lbs back (wahhhhhh!), finished my LAST fall semester of college (1 semester left before graduation!!!!) and had Christmas!

Did I mention that I got ENGAGED!?!?

With all the engagement excitement and the holidays my last 24 day challenge, which came to an end about the time that Andrew popped the question was a bust...I felt amazing after the cleanse, as always but I gained back the 2 of the 4lbs I lost during the challenge after all the yummy holiday food!

While eating all of that crap was fun and tasty in the moment, it is so not worth it. By last week I was really seeing the bloat that came with it, the 2lbs I put on and that yucky sluggish feeling....I wasn't going to start back on my AdvoCare products until after new years, (aside from my carbease and spark that I used to get me through the holidays) but I really missed them!! Yesterday I focused on eating clean, no cheats and getting my body back in gear. I stuck with veggies, fruit and my proteins for the day...I am already feeling better!

Today I got up, took my spark, MNS and got in a great work out! I have 15lbs left to go (now that I gained 2lbs back) until I reach my goal weight and 299 days until my wedding!!! Like the last two New Years resolutions, I am going to meet my New Years resolution for 2014 to lose weight and be healthier! 2014 is going to be a great year, I am getting closer and closer to where I want to be health wise!!!!

I also wanted to share a book that my Mom found and gave me for Christmas!

I have spent the last couple of weeks (it was an early Christmas gift) reading, marking and loving this book! Dolvett talks about eating clean and how to use foods to fuel your body in the right way! Some of these things I have learned from changing my eating habits with AdvoCare, through my awesome AdvoCare adviser, Tina and also through my good friend, Lauren. But this book would be very helpful for somebody who wants to learn how to eat clean and what to eat!

Not only doe the book teach you how to eat clean, but it also teaches you what to eat on cheat days to help you continue to lose, has awesome meal plans that come with WEEKLY grocery lists already planned out for you (this is my favorite part-I don't have to meal plan for the 21 days that I follow this!!!!), daily 48minute work outs that you can do at home, a place to log your daily work outs, a place to log your progress, a chapter on staying motivated and even a section on the maintenance phase for when you reach your goals!

I have already started back on my last 14 days of the 24day challenge, added back in my morning work outs (I stopped working out at Thanksgiving-ooops!), increasing and tracking my water in-take, but I am SO excited to start this 3-1-2-1 challenge along with my AdvoCare products!!!! I am EVEN MORE EXCITED to have my work outs, meals and shopping list laid out for me in this book! All I have to do is flip to that chapter and the day (21 day challenge!) and follow what is planned for me on that day! All of the hard work is already done for me!

I really think I will see results that I have been craving with these meal plans, work outs and of course my AdvoCare!!!! Hopefully all before my first dress fitting!!! I can't wait to get that dress back on!! I would probably wear it around the house while Andrew is at work if I had it! ha


Okay....I gotta get off of here! I have an order to place with AdvoCare-I need to stock up on my favorites and I have two pups on the couch who are ready to snuggle and a kitchen to organize before my Christmas break is over!