Who is that lady?

It's me! Ok, so maybe not full blown abs, but hey pretty nice for having 3 kids huh? I am long overdue in posting this photo. We never were able to finish our final 2 weeks. But I continue to work out and am now running... yes for real... I am down to my pre-baby weight. Lost a total of 12-13 lbs. We will be starting up P90x again in January.

Here I am!! Week 9 and 10

Ok so it has been 2 weeks since my last update. I am sure everyone missed mt update. It has been a struggle the past 2 weeks. Nate has been studying for boards...enough said. Anyway, we still did our workouts. I had too push Nate through this past week. we have decided to go on our maintenance plan for the next 2 weeks and then finish up after boards. The P90x is tough the entire way through, I was not prepared for that. I thought I would get fit and be able to enjoy and breeze through the workouts....NOT TRUE. And though I am more fit now, working out 1 to 1 1/2 hours everyday is just tough. It really takes up a lot of time and energy.

So where does that leave me? For the next two weeks I am eating healthy and working out at least 3 times a week. Doing a strength video and probably 2 cardio videos. Sounds good to me! Nate will do the same and pour over the books until Sept 30!!

Oh yeah my grocery bill last week racked up $120. I laughed at the checkout because I had just come to grips with the $150. Anyway, it was a nice surprise!!

Results: NONE of my shorts and pants fit me anymore. Seriously, I need new ones because I have no booty anymore. I told Nate that I need to eat more so my pants will fit :) I had the chance to drink a soda the other night and I still chose not to. It has been 3 months since my last sip and it sort of scares me at this point. I no longer crave it, and yet having one is so so tempting. I LOVE the results of this program. I have never looked or felt better. I just have to remind myself that all the hard work is what has gotten me these results!

Pasta is calling my name - Week 8

Just completed week 8 of P90x. I can hear the carbs calling my name as we enter the final stage of the program. The athletes diet....CARBS!!!!!!!!!! Yay for pasta!! Ok as far as this past week. It was a rest week so we went back to some of the oldie but goodie workouts we did the first month. And they still kicked my butt. I mean....Core Synergistics is just horrible. Not as bad as Plyo. But still! I made it through and am gearing up for the next 5 weeks. I really can't think of much more to say other than I worked out and I worked out hard. I ate how I was supposed to, maybe closer to the 1800 calorie diet than the 2400 calorie diet or somewhere in between.

So my new and improved grocery list with less meat and more carbs landed me at $158. Ha ha. So, there you have it. Regardless of what I do, it is just my magic number. I want to shave off $20-$30. I really do. I only get the essentials, even for the kids no chips not that many snacks, no junk AT ALL. But I guess that is why it is so high. I buy lots of fruit and that is pricey. I enjoy how every week I am surprised that I can't meet my goal of $130. And every week I rant and rave about why it is so high. I will just resign myself to the fact that it costs roughly $600 to feed a family of 5 healthy food for an entire month every meal of the day every day of the week ( including diapers and cleaners). Ok there, I'm done!

Results:
I lost another 2 pounds!!! In case you are curious as I know you are I was at 151 when we started and today when I stepped on the scale I was 145! That is 6 pounds, and below my pre Kaden weight. I was way too skinny before I had Addison and so 137 doesn't seem possible. I am happy with that. Only now my jeans don't fit. I guess that means new clothes right! My back is still painful, not all the time...but just annoying. Great week!

I almost forgot- week 7

This has been such a crazy week getting ready for school to start and all that I almost forgot to blog about the past week!! Anyway, pretty uneventful week. I am starting to get a little lax on my meal plan. Don't get me wrong, we are still following the portion plan only breakfast has become a pick your own type of thing. We have gotten into the groove of knowing we get 1 carb at every meal and breakfast is usually a carb, dairy, fruit and protein power in there somewhere. That could be a bowl of oatmeal, bagel, pancakes, kashi cereal or protein shake. Lunch is boiling down to turkey sandwiches, carrots, and a V8 (for Nate, I hate the stuff). OR leftovers. It is nice, kinda feels like we eat this way all the time. I guess it is sinking in!

Grocery shipping was great, $150. There is that number again! I switched to some frozen veggies because of the variety and they are cheaper sometimes. Cut out Salmon and do Tilapia instead, for the same reason, cheaper. Ummmm...yeah that's about it.

Oh yeah, I went to McDonalds for the first time in over 2 months. Addison had to get another shot for school and he chose to have McDonalds be his treat. I researched the nutritional info before I went and was able to eat a grilled chicken sandwich and a small berry smoothy. It was filling and I enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed knowing I was full and I was meeting my 600 calorie, 12 grams of fat limit. And I snagged 2 of Kaden's fries, and they were good. But I didn't crave anymore than that, self control is tough. The kids ate their entire happy meal, which they never used to do. I think we all appreciated the special trip a whole lot more than we usually did.

Results, I lost another 1-2 pounds. Honestly I think because I am just not eating as much, I am lucky to get my snacks in, and my portions are smaller then what I am supposed to be getting. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe not. I am not looking to bulk up like the Hulk so, a leaner me would be great!

Half Way There - Week 6

This week went pretty well. I fell back into not wanting to workout. One of the workouts I was dragging until about 30 minutes in, then I felt great! I don't know why, my energy was zapped this week. I was soooo looking forward to my day off yesterday. So what did I do....I went grocery shopping with Addison the hyperactive energizer bunny. He was jumping all around the store running into people, getting run over and so on. I am so much better able to handle his antics when he is by himself. Otherwise he drags his siblings into the mix and things get ugly...fast. Although he did get hugged by the creepy oversized HEB grocery bag, named Buddy I think. I thought he did ok with it, cause most of the other kids just screamed :) Anyway I spent $160. Seems like no matter what I do, there I am! On the menu for this week : Kung Pao chicken / Chicken in Shells / Shrimp Pompodoro / Hamburgers / Baked Tilapia / King Ranch Chicken. YUM!!! I also have to once again mention that grilled Pork Tenderloin with rub is by far the BEST way yo eat pork. TRY IT NOW! TRY IT NOW! 5- 4 -3 -2 Try it now! ( a little tribute to THE OFFICE)

Boys start school next week and I am nervous. But I think it will give me more time during the day to have some peace and rejuvenate for my workouts!

Results: I've got muscle! I see some new indentations in my abs and my legs are like rocks! I bought a pair of new hot workout shorts because my other ones are now too big! I'm still 3 pounds down. I know you are thinking...3 lbs...lame. But really I was not overweight, just out of shape. SO give me a break! He he. Also, the lunches the past two weeks have been so easy to prepare, we just do a turkey sandwich with some veggies or a wrap...easy peasy.

Finally! Week 5

Yeah! Week 5 is done~ I broke through my wall and now I'm back. This week reminded me of week 1 because I switched to the classic mode with a few new workouts, plyometrics being the mother of all hated workouts. It was insaine!!! I hurt so bad I was begging, yes begging for Yoga X. It was a nice break to get to the Yoga X workout on Thursday. It is so funny that I would say that because it used to be Yoga X that I dreaded, now it is what I look forward to :)

So, I know you are interested in my grocery bill for this week......$150. Not to shabby, Glad not to be back up closer to the $200 mark. Yay! I still bought a ton of meat, but I think I am figuring out how to try to do it for less. My main problem is I can only shop at HEB or Walmart. Both are close to the same prices, but on any given week one is cheaper than the other. I need to buy the large 4 lb pork tenderloins at Walmart and split them in half. Freeze for 2 meals. I grilled one this week with a great rub and it was oh so yummy. Took a little over an hour on the grill. SUPER AMAZING! I have had people ask me what my kids eat. And they get a well balanced meal. They just eat what we eat with no portion requirements. They are not by any means on a low carb diet. But I do not make them special meals. If I make fish, they eat fish (or try it anyway) plus veggies and rice or noodles. Low carb lasagna with bread, or chili with crackers and cheese. I never keep the carbs from them, or fat for that matter. It gets a little tricky when I make them popcorn, but can't eat any myself. A true test of my will power.

Onto Results:
Holding firm to my 3 pound weight loss. I also pulled out a really old pair of shorts that were about 2 sizes too small and I could zip them up. Still a tad bit too tight, but I couldn't even pull them up before. I have lots more energy this week, I mean...LOTS! Yay for carbs! My parents were so inspired by my results they are going to do the P90X as well. So it looks like we will have a few more beach body babes!

Week 4 - Just have to keep going!

I seem to have hit a little bit of a brick wall this week. It was supposed to be a "rest" week, whatever that means, because we still workout everyday. No strength training this week, just cardio and Yoga. Anyway, it was still hard. I was a little down this week thinking things are never going to get easier with this workout stuff. I didn't have the motivation to work out...at all. I still did it, but what really gets to me is that at times I feel imprisoned by having to work out every day. Example: I went to a fabulous dinner with the Auxillary and then had to leave at a decent time so I could get home to work out. I don't feel free to go out nights because I have to work out. Yoga takes an hour and a half to complete, it is very hard to go into a workout knowing you will be in pain for an hour and a half. So, I don't mean to be down, I think I am just hitting a brick wall and I have to push through it. It isn't forever that I will be working out everyday. When this is done I am going to go down to every other day.

The nice thing is that I got a treat and wen't to Cheesecake Factory this week. Not to eat, but I did have some appitizer and a bit of cheesecake. It was yummy and a nice escape. YUM! I am a little bit more relaxed with the meal plan now. I think I am just getting into a groove. I spent $170 on groceries this week. BLAH! Man I just keep hitting these numbers. You are all probably wonder what the heck I buy. Well, whole grain things just cost so much more as do low fat cheese, whole grain pasta, whole grain bagels, and so on. They don't ever seem to be on sale either. I did still buy all the nuts Nate and my kids seem to scarf down in a week. The thing is I bought little to no meat, since I did that last week. Just depressing, I am certainly NOT in budget yet. What to do...I have to think about a better strategy. To give myself a little credit I did purchase more because my parents are coming this week, YAY! Also, we don't eat out AT ALL. So, this is every meal every day for 5 people. It just seems pricey to me.

OK OK...so onto results: I put on a pair of pants that I alsmost gave to Goodwill because they were too small...and they FIT!! So, yay for losing inches! I can tell a difference in my body shape. I was able to have a turkey wrap this week and it was so so so good! Even with the whole grain tortilla, I loved it! If you ever dislike whole grain breads or pasta, go without carbs for 4 weeks and then try it. You will LOVE IT...he he.

Week 3 - Here we go again

So this week felt a bit like week 1. I am not as sore, but it seems I have run out of steam. I am exhausted!!! Not only that but my grocery trip racked up $199 today. I guess I ran out of a lot of the things I bought that first trip and now I am having to stock up again. I literally bought probably 2-3 canned goods in that trip, the rest is meat, fresh veggies(lots), nuts, meat, protein bars( yes I even attempted my own and they were gross), cheese, meat, whole grain tortillas, meat. Did I mention that I had to buy meat?Anyway, I told Nate some of the extras are just going to have to go. I know he loves the nuts for a snack and artichoke hearts on his salad. But that stuff really adds up. I used coupons today for what I could. But lets face it, they don't issue manufacturers coupons for lettuce and apples. Oh yeah, I also had to get the super mega toilet paper package. As much as I want to keep the budget down, buying in bulk just makes sense. I am confident I will not have to buy much meat next week, as #1 we are moving on to stage 2, lower protein, a little bit more carbs....YEAH! #2 I just bought a ton today. I buy large amounts of chicken, pork, turkey and freeze it in meal sized portions. Oh yeah, a note for any and all people turning to ground turkey. YOU MUST GET THE WHITE MEAT 93/7 Ground Turkey. The 85/15 ground turkey has even more fat than a lean ground beef. Ha, yeah I even bought a turkey sausage without looking and it packed a whopping 17g of fat per serving!!! Higher than the regular pork sausage!!! Anyway, just cause it says turkey doesn't mean it's the best. Like I said, I am learning...

Ummmmmmmmm....the workouts kicked my butt. My knee was on the mend until Yoga X and that tore it up again. The next day was legs and that killed it completely. Now I am back to icing it and resting. It doesn't help that I did all the yard work yesterday as well.

My addiction to soda has tempted me more this week then the previous two. I realized I associate it with cleaning, grocery shopping, and many other things. It was sort of my motivation to dig into house cleaning, like a little reward. I get soda and everyone else gets a clean house, booya! Now what do I get....a big glass of water...yippy...I mean Pepsi you were there for me. You thanked me for all of my hard work by being so sweet and gave me a pep to my walk. I even thought about trying a diet soda, ewww, but I think that is even worse. The problem is the sugar, artificial sweeter high that my body gets, then I crash and need calories. I think it is the same deal for both regular and diet sodas, both are probably no good so why get started on something that is bad for me again.

Results:
My calves are starting to get defined. I think I actually lost like 2 pounds. I am super duper hungry most of the time, so I must be burning the calories. So I think my clothes fit differently, so that is good. I did some crazy Yoga stuff I couldn't do before. Grilled shrimp marinaded in light Italian dressing is AWESOME! I learned that I like baked Tilapia with some parmesean cheese on it better than grilled Tilapia.

Week 2 - If it isn't one thing It's another.

Well this week has gone great, minimal soreness with more energy. But I seemed to have replaced that with tendonitis in my left knee. It hurts pretty much all the time, so much that I wear a knee brace to work out. It pains me to think that after all my hard work I will have to take a break and nurse my knee back to health...blah! If it isn't one thing it's always another.

On a better note, gorcery shopping landed me at $130 this week. We are getting closer!! I have even more new recipes and last weeks new ones were so delicious I even forgot I was on a diet! Well...almost...except the crazy amount of meat I am still eating. The good news is that I was able to eat out for lunch one day, had some delicious low carb foods, water and was completely satisfied. I am starting to be able to look at fast food places /fried foods and not want to eat them. I know how horrible they are and how bad bad bad they are for my body. It really helps that every meal is planned out a week in advance, no spur of the moment decisions to grab a quick bite. You have NO IDEA HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS! I can also just filter a food through my low carb/low calorie criteria and know if the answer is Yes or No, black and white.
Will I drink a soda again, or eat a Cheeseburger...you bet. Will I do it every week, NOPE.

So now who am I? That crazy health nut who scolds others for bad food choices. No! I am reinventing myself to practice what I preach. As we roll past a McDonalds, without fail I hear Kaden pipe up from the back seat "McDonalds is a treat just like Chuck-E-Cheese, because it's not good for our bodies." (or mommy's pocket book) Yes Kaden! That's right. Fun to do every once and a while but not every day. So, now I have to live that. Soda is not good for my body. Fun every once and a while but not everyday.( I am still working on this craving, 2 weeks clean and sober :) I realize it is my job to teach my kids what food is good for our bodies, and that it is yummy. And every once and a while we get a treat. I am a work in progress...

Results:
Kaden ate the low carb lasagna this week as well as broccoli, he actually ate it! They love turkey bacon too.
I have lost no weight, but Nate says my shoulders are better defined as well as my abs.
I can do these scissor things I couldn't do last week. And I no longer dread the workouts, and seem to get through them easier!
Fruit never tasted so good. I guess that is the lack of sugar from the soda my body usually gets.

Whah?

Nani (Her nickname, a weird morph from Juliana to Juli-nana to nana and now nani ) loves markers, pencils, crayons...anything that makes a big mess. Here she is in her glory after finding a black marker the boys left out. And if you call her name she turns and looks at you like this..and says "Whah?"

Week 1 - GIMME SOME PASTA!!

Ok so, all I want right now is a big bowl of pasta, any kind...but no meat please. I have eaten so much meat this week, I even despise eating steak (which is one of my favorites). Of course this should come as no surprise considering taking carbs almost completely out of my diet and doubling the protein. Good news is that in a week or two I get to put them back in!! So overall, I feel good. I have been sore everyday, the workouts kick my butt and I sweat more than I have in my life. I have gone an entire week without soda, I do miss it at times. But I know drinking it will set me back, I need to change that sugar intake anyway. On to new and better things!

A few days I was so sore could barely get up the steps, but I made it! So, this is day 7 a rest day...YAY! No workouts today so I went grocery shopping for this week. I decided to make my own menu to cut down on costs, a few where we can take leftovers for lunch. It was a grueling process to make the menu and count the calories, but I am proud of the end result. The food this past week was really good a few dud recipes, but for the most part pretty delicious. I have cooked dishes with ingredients I have never tried before, and that was super cool. I also have a few "keeper" sauces and recipes to add to my healthy list. I have to admit the cooking got a bit overwhelming at times, hence the revamp for week #2. My grocery bill was $160 including diapers/cleaning supplies and "family food" the kids can eat (they eat more than I do). So P90x food probably ran at around $100. Not too BAD... Still not where I want it to be, I need to be closer to $120 for the week. Those protein bars are pricey!

Results: I can fit into some pants that were too tight last week, but have not lost any weight. I can tell my legs are firming up and my "muffin top" (aka lovehandles) is getting smaller. A few days I felt drained of energy, but things have picked up. It is at those moments that I want to go out and get a soda, but I am glad to say I have had the will power to fight my urges and instead grab a glass of water. Mostly my legs kill me all the time everything else is decently sore.

The best thing of all is that Nate and I have had time to spend together, seeing each others succeses and...well... fall-on-the-floor failures. Those are the things that bring a couple together and for that I am truly thankful. Now we get to be Beachbody Babes together too!!

Starting the P90x!

Nate and I have decided to embark on our journey with the P90x fitness program. Yes, I want to be a ripped mama!! Ok mainly I want to do this with Nate and to gain more confidence in myself, my physical abilities and to become a healthier and more active family.

So this is the first day. I have spend the past 2 weeks going over the meal plan and menu. I decided to give the menu they outlined a chance and stick with their meals 100% for the first week. I was hesitant because the recipes call for many ingredients, some are expensive. My first grocery trip cost $260 for all of the food. Some will last for 2 weeks and probably $80 of it were spices, cooking wines/vinegars and so on. Probably one time purchases for the 90 days. I have to admit that I need to do more research on less expensive fish and substitutes for some of the pricier veggies. I purchased herb plants to save some money. For the most part the plan looks good, and yummy. The main reason I want to try all of the recipes is because I want a good understanding of how to cook healthy, and eventually how to do it on a budget. Since this is not a weight loss program, there is SOOOO much food, I have yet to finish a meal. First 2 weeks is Fat Shredder, low low carb and high protein.

They also have a portion control plan where I can make my own meals/recipes as I choose as long as I portion out proteins/carbs/fat/veg... to what I am allowed during my day. I may go this direction to save some money if the meals get to out of control expensive.

Today I cooked the Red Pepper Soup to go with dinner and there is enough for this week and next, so I froze the portion for next week. Tonight is Salmon/wild rice/asparagus. I also have to make the shrimp stir-fry for lunch tomorrow so Nate can take it with him. LOTS of cooking, but I don't mind because I like it! Plus, the Shrimp stir-fry can be a future dinner menu item if we like it.

We did our fitness test yesterday and I broke a sweat doing that, so tonight I think I am going to die during the workout!! My muscles are sore from yesterday...

Stay tuned for more updates!!

Livin' in the Southwest!!

It has been a long great while since I have updated here. Now that I am so far away from family I should get back on the horse and start capturing these moments by blogging.

Right now I am waiting for the water heater to warm by shower water up. One more thing we need to fix on our LONG list of to-dos for this house. The pilot light seems to only go out when it is my turn to take a shower, go figure.

The past month has truly been a whirlwind. The movers came to to get our things May 10th, Followed by Nate's graduation from Medical School on the 15th...that included a trip to Kirksville. I loved to see Nate graduate, I am so proud of him. Really, he is truly amazing and totally smart.

Although, it took all of about 1 minute to realize that I truly do not miss that place. So many hard memories, so many I have worked through, and yet it hits me like a brick to go back. As we roll into the town the first word that pop out are..."Now what do we do, well I have to go to Walmart." HA!

One of the other highlights of that trip was seeing my good friend Tasheena, it seems that the emotion of being back in the 'ville all came forward when I finally got to hug her after 2 years. I never realized just how much I missed our friendship. She is a real life saver, a tride and true friend and I cherish the journey we shared together through 2 of the hardest years of my life. Thanks girl!

On the 17th of May we closed on our house in Normal, Il and headed up to the frozen tundra of Sheboygen, WI to spend a week visiting Nate's side of the family. We were officially homeless, with only an "estimated" closing date...which ended up being the worst nightmare of a closing experience we have ever had. We took 3 days and drove down to San Antonio fully expecting to close Friday the 28th. To make a long and stressful story short we were hung out to dry for another week by the bank. Spent the days hotel hopping not knowing if today will be the day we close...or NOT. We "unofficially" closed on Thursday June 3rd. Kaden got to spend the day before, his birthday, being toted all over San Antonio finally to end up at a Chuck-E-Cheese all hot and sweaty. Happy Birthday little dude, let me have a big scary mouse bring you a cake!

Even though we did not "officially" even own the house on Thursday....we moved in!! Technically we should not have because it was owned by the bank. So until Friday morning we "untechnically" owned the house. Main reason for moving in early, the movers were scheduled to arrive early Friday morning with all of our belongings. There was NO WAY I was going to reschedule that, it could push it back weeks!

YAY!!! Our long and tiring homeless experience was OVER!! I did not care that the air conditioning didn't work, I was living out of a cooler, and had no place to wash my clothes...I WAS FINALLY HOME!! Yes, the air was fixed, the washer and dryer arrived, as did my fridge a week later.

What a journey!