Week two is complete!

I was so motivated last week and had great results then this week, life happened.  I was fighting off a cold {no exercise}, I worked late most nights {my husband made dinner}, and I started my period {no will power.}  I am happy to say that I lost 0.8 of a pound and that is really attributed to doing the small things and having the guilt of this challenge looming over my head.  I am much more motivated this week and a grocery trip is in order!  

Week 3 Challenge:  Setting a Target. 

My target this week is to focus on weights and toning my arms.  

My diet target is to eat at least one fresh produce at every meal.

My personal target is to go through my finances and target the areas we are recklessly spending money.  

So what is your target?  

   

Cilantro Lime Chicken

This recipe is a big hit at my house.  The freezer meal part is great, and the recipe is so easy that sometimes I just make it in the morning and put it in the slow cooker.  Here's the original recipe and the modified recipe that I make.  I am allergic to onions so I have to leave them out.  This can make my food a little bland so I add a lot more spices to make up for the flavor.  I also add an extra can of black beans. 

Original Cilantro Lime Chicken
1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin salt and pepper to taste


Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours, or HIGH for 4 hours. 


Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese).


Shal-friendly Cilantro Lime Chicken (things I have changed are in bold)
1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
1/4 cup lime juice
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
3 minced garlic cloves
2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon cumin 
1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste


Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Add 1/4 cup water to slow cooker then cook on LOW for 8 hours, or HIGH for 4 hours.  When finished cooking, pull out the large chicken pieces and shred.  Add back to slow cooker and mix in thoroughly.


We serve on top of cilantro lime (brown) rice.

Success at the Scale

I am proud to say my bottom is 2 inches smaller this week!  

I hope everyone was able to see some success on the scale and in their measurements.  

Please send me your numbers as soon as possible!  

Let this cute baby stuff his face for you! 

Week 2 Challenge: The Devil is in the Details

I am a broad strokes kind of gal.  This is just how I roll.  It is how I have four kids, work full time, go to school and not loose my sanity.  I generally don't sweat the small stuff until it becomes the big stuff.  I feel like I can accomplish a lot but at the same time (o.k. all the time) I feel like I am letting all my metaphorical balls drop.  So one of my new years resolutions is to be more diligent in my actions.  

The challenge for this week is to do focus on the details.  I propose that you do 5 things that seem small but will have a big impact on how you feel!  And of course since this is a health competition...

• Do 20 jumping jacks every time you use the restroom (and if you are drinking your water that will add up!)
• Drink 8 oz of water before each meal.  
• And no licks, tastes or bites while making or cleaning up from dinner.  I am the notorious mom who eats the last chicken nugget.       

Stephanie Signing In...

Hey Everyone!

I hope your holidays were a 

"HIT!"

Mine were.

And the hits just keep on coming.  Today was the first day of this challenge for me (got back from traveling late last night).  Holy smokes, I definitely gained over the holidays.

With all of my pregnancies I have gained at least 50 lbs.  I always have the goal to lose that weight by the time my baby turns 1...and have succeeded with my first 2.  This time I was right on track until July when I had to have a major abdominal surgery.  It was rough, I stopped working out and pretty much ate what I wanted.  I now have 30 lbs. to go to be to my pre-pregnancy weight, and my baby turned 1 almost 2 months ago.

I'm ready though.  I'm going to lose those 30, and then attack some more.  2014 is my year!  I'm feeling motivated (today) and really wanting to be healthy.  I also recently had a health screening that our insurance requires and found out my healthy cholesterol levels are too low...so now this is real to me, it's more than vanity and just wanting to look better.  It's all about being healthy for me, and for my sweet little boys, and my husband.

We are going to Florida Feb. 23, and my husband and I each have a goal to lose 15 lbs. by Disney.

Thanks so much for doing this!  Please hold me accountable!

And here are my "before" pictures...kind of happy my 5 year old couldn't seem to hold the phone still and that they are a bit blurry.

Sorry you all had to see that!  Yikes!

Kayla here! I have meant to post this all week! Finally I made my way here. Besides posting on here, I have started out the challenge strong! I have done my meal planning and prep, drinking a lot of water (and in turn a lot more trips to the bathroom! ) and going to bed early and getting plenty of rest! This challenge for me is just to get healthier and lose weight. It seems like there is always an excuse to not work out and is just so much easier for me to eat something on the go instead of preparing a meal. I am excited to be doing this with a few other ladies and continuing to get inspiration from you all!

Taking these pictures made me feel vulnerable (actually it was probably more like actually looking at the pictures and knowing I was going to posting them) I am ready to see changes!














 I don't have any certain big event but I just want to be able to look back in a few months and see new habits and new friends I've made along the way. I want to look back and see that I have made myself healthier in every aspect of my life and created healthy habits that will lead to years of hard work and success. I am lucky to have friends, family, and a boyfriend  to encourage me in these changes. I am a planner, and a list maker. These things my boyfriend learned pretty fast about me. He asked me this week to help him with some meal planning for his new crockpot I got him for Christmas. This meal planning turned into us meal planning, grocery lists, shopping, and organized his kitchen. (The bachelor life is funny, there were random things in those cabinets ladies!) 
It is fun to experience these things with the people in my life. If any of you have any great healthy recipes send them my way! I am excited to be doing this with you ladies and having the encouragement  and challenge!


Here is to another wonderful week and staying strong and making healthy choices!
-Kayla

Deciding to play for keeps...

Four days into the challenge I find myself wanting to shove my face full of powder donuts and excuse my not exercising by saying the kids are sick or I have school work.  Both of those things are true but I was able to watch three episodes of The Chase (my new favorite game show.)  So I am making the executive decision to play for money in the hopes it keeps me motivated.  Since there is a small number of participants, winner take all!  Remember it is not all about weight loss but more about changing your lifestyle.  So send me your initial weight and measurements by Wednesday.  

2 things I have learned so far (but already should know) ... It is soooo much better to eat a lot of healthy food than to not eat all day and have one piece of pizza and brownie!  The 2nd thing is I am super competitive in a weird way.  We had friends over for dinner on Thursday night and they were talking about running a half marathon in May.  Next thing I know I am yelling, "I'm in!"  Mind you I would be hard pressed to run a mile at this point.  But I have done it before and I can do it again, right?  Today I start training for a half marathon 5 months away!     

City of Trees half marathon- October 2011.
Feeling like such an amazing role model for my little girls!  

Shalimar Checking In--Before Pictures

Hi Ladies!  I am so glad we are doing this challenge!  I got married just a little over a month ago and have gained seven pounds since then.  On my 5'3" frame those seven pounds really show.  It was the combination of two major holidays celebrated with feasts, stressing about work, my undying love of sugar, and not planning healthy meals that really helped me pack the pounds so quickly.  But I wasn't at my goal weight before the wedding either.  I hopped on the scale on New Year's Day and saw that I needed to be 20 lbs lighter to be considered within a healthy weight range for my height.  And I'm going to do it!  One big motivating factor is my brother's wedding in July.  Shedding 20 lbs by July 4th means losing about three pounds a month...totally doable.  And I hope to do it much faster than that, say by March. :)

One of the most fun parts about being married is combining all out things.  I lucked out and Adam has a Wii fit.  I tested it out for the first time last night and I think it's going to be a great tool for keeping me motivated.  I mean, how can you not keep going when they shout little encouragements every 30 seconds???  I have also decided to commit to running a 10K sometime this spring.  If anyone in the TV area wants to join me please let me know.  I am not a great runner so don't be intimidated.

And lastly, here are my before pics that I had Adam take last night.  Let the healthy choices begin!

Today's Challenge is all about "Setting yourself up for Success."

This is a phrase that I learned while working at Starbucks in college.  It is the work that you do at the beginning of a day or shift that when done will help you to do what you set out to accomplish. It has always stuck with me and I have been known on occasion to say to Matt when being left with four kids "I have not been set up for success."  

Take your initial weight and measurements.  Take a "before" picture.  Plan your menu for the month.  Do some grocery shopping and stock up on healthy essentials. Plan your day to make time for working out.  Clean out your closet, or your whole house, whatever it is going to take to tackle 2014 with ease and don't forget to post on the blog!

I bought a giant calendar {and fancy pen} so meal planning will be a breeze.  I'm going to brave Walmart to do some shopping and do a deep clean of my house before I go back to work tomorrow.  I have 4 online prerequisite classes that I need to complete before January 20th.  I have completed 1 so far.  I am hoping to cross off two more before the weekend. 

Here is an article on how to fit a workout into your busy schedule; 20 ways to make exercise a lasting habit. 

Awkward...