Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Oh hey blog...

The 24 Day Challenge is over..and has been for a few days. The results are in!

I am down 6.25 inches overall! I'm happy with that. It doesn't seem like much, but it's better than nothing! I'm definitely not concentrating on how many pounds I've lost because my weight fluctuates drastically on the daily. I will wake up in the morning and weigh...and weigh again at night and there's sometimes a 4-5 pound difference. That's way too much fluctuating for me. So, I will just concentrate on the inches lost while keeping an eye on the pounds lost.

I'm not gonna lie...the past few days I've gone crazy with my eating. Like, almost completely back to the old way I was eating. That's probably the reason I'm not liking what the scale is saying...But all I've got to do is pick up the healthy eating at my next meal (yay for leftover fish tacos) and not let the past affect the future.

The products I've decided to continue taking are Catalyst, Omegaplex, and Spark. I will be starting a job next week that requires me to work six 12 hour shifts a week for about a month and a half, and instead of the usual coffee (with lots of creamer!) I would have in the morning to wake me up, I will be drinking Spark instead. I am hoping that I won't be too exhausted and will be able to get in some sort of exercise at least a few times a week. But I know in the past that hasn't worked out too well. I will keep taking the Catalyst to help keep up the muscle mass I have so I hopefully don't lose much or any at all if my exercising decreases. And of course the Omegaplex just to help overall health.

What I'm worried about most for this upcoming bump in the road (hello 72 hr work week!) is my eating. The job site has a cafeteria with awesome omelets and muffins. So good and easy to grab before work or on my way home - I'm not sure what shift I'll be working yet - but not so good for my waistline. I will definitely have to stay away from the cafeteria unless I'm getting a salad from the salad bar. Also there's a really good southern comfort food restaurant about 5 minutes from where I'll be staying. I've already told myself that I will NOT allow myself to have so many chicken salad sandwiches or veggie plates with creamed corn & fried okra like I did the last time I worked this job. I will try my daggum hardest to not eat out but once a week. Halloween will be happening during this time too...and the coworkers just love to bring in lots of candy and goodies for holidays and any day really. Stay.away.from.the.candy.

Since I've worked this job before, I know exactly what I'm up against. Therefore, I should be able to plan enough to get through this without losing control. I am going to pack my snacks (almonds, fruit, carrots, raisins, protein bars) and lunches (sandwich wraps, salads, rice cakes, fruit, greek yogurt) every day. I will eat breakfast every day. Dinners will hopefully be something light but filling.

I'll be staying with my uncle who has lost about 100 pounds in the past year or so...if that's not motivation I don't know what is! I can and will do this, successfully.

Off for a walk along the river with Carolina and the husband :)

Kelley

Friday, September 20, 2013

Fish Tacos a la the Moyers and a 24 Day Challenge Update

Soooooooo today is day 16 I think?! I've gotten so used to the daily supplements and changes in diet that it's finally becoming the norm, and each day just feels like another one, nothing special.

Things are still going well. Still feeling good, but I think both of us have hit a plateau. We're still about the same weight we were at on day 10, and I've read that a lot of people lose even more weight on the max phase than they did on the cleanse phase so I don't know what's up with that. Not gonna lie..we haven't been working out like we should. Ever since Scott got his wisdom teeth removed almost a month ago, he has had extreme pain due to a dry socket. Getting his heart rate up or blood pressure up or over exerting himself or whatever seems to cause it to flare up, so we've kind of put exercising on the back burner. We did go out the other day to do our Couch to 5k. I plan on us going out this evening and tomorrow morning to do it also because we may or may not be eating chicken wings for lunch tomorrow...anyways...

We live on a dead end street and in a funky kind of neighborhood that doesn't have great walking/jogging roads/paths/etc, and there's no trails close by. We've made due with what we have, and have tried different routes to get the most benefit on our walks/jogs. (I use the term jog loosely because I honestly think a geriatric patient with two hip replacements can walk faster than I can jog.) But hey, I'm working on it! That's all that matters right?! So back to our route. The neighborhood is kind of hilly, and there's one HUGE hill, okay it might not be THAT huge, but it's still pretty rough, and Scott decided to make this our reference point for progress. According to him, we will work on trying to improve the time it takes us to get from our driveway to the stop sign at the top of that mountain hill. I just want to poke him in the eye love him!

Now to the fun stuffs. FISH TACOS! My new found love. I've had fish tacos a few times in the past, and Scott had them for the first time in Puerto Rico on our honeymoon. We're both fans. I made them from a compilation of two recipes that can be found Here and Here. These were honestly as good as if not better than the ones I had on Sunday at a restaurant. You're welcome.

Fish Tacos with Peach Relish


Peach Relish: 
2 cups finely chopped peeled peach (app. 2 medium peaches)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)

Directions:
Chop peaches, red onion, cilantro. Combine all ingredients together in a bowl, and let stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Or make it ahead of time and throw it in the fridge until you need it like I did.

Fish Tacos:
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
4 tilapia fillets (or any other white fish)
1 tbsp olive oil 
8 small corn tortillas
1/2 avocado, chopped (optional)
sour cream (optional)
lettuce (optional)

Directions:
Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle seasoning mix on both sides of fish fillets. Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to skillet and cook 3 minutes on each side or until it's done to your likeness. Warm tortillas on both sides in an ungreased skillet until they start to brown a little bit. Divide fish among tortillas, top with whatever additional toppings you choose and peach relish. Enjoy!



Kelley


Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The 10 Day Cleanse is Over!!!

Hallelujah! The hard part of the 24 Day Challenge is now over. Okay, really, it wasn't all that bad. The worst thing about it was that darn fiber drink, and that got easier over time. Scott and I both feel so much better overall and are proud of ourselves for making it this far.

Here's the exciting part...the results!

I lost 6 pounds and 3 inches. 6 pounds is a good number, and I'm really happy with that. I'm not as happy with the inches though. Not sure what's up with that.

Scott lost 15 pounds and 13.5 inches. Both of those are GREAT numbers, and I am so happy for him.

We both had very good results. I would say my weight loss is about average, and Scott's is above average. I definitely feel we are on the right track finally.

What I'm loving:
-The energy I get from Spark.
-Meal replacement shakes - yum!
-The fact that I can eat healthy food and get the same satisfaction feeling I used to get from eating junk.
-I think I can see that my face is getting thinner.
-Finding new recipes to try, and loving pretty much all of them.
-That proud feeling I get when I don't give in to temptations.

What I'm not loving so much:
-Peeing every 20 minutes. But, I guess that's what happens when you drink a ton of water.
-All of my favorite pumpkin spiced products are coming out now...and I want them ALL!
-I love cooking, but I am so tired of doing dishes every single day.
-The fact that my digestive system is still stupid and can't make up it's mind. I figured I would become more "regular" by eating a healthy diet; while I think it has helped, I'm still not as "regular" as I'd like to be.

Successes:
-Weight loss, duh.
-Feeling better overall...a little more pep in my step.
-Overcoming difficult situations...for example: not having a snack while grocery shopping thus starving to death & getting some trail mix and a bottle water instead of the chips and candy bar I would have really liked to have and taking prepared food with me while I went out of town two weekends in a row so I would have cleanse friendly food to eat.
-We started back our exercise program last week.
-Made it through the cleanse with no huge slip ups.

Slip ups...mistakes...oopsies...NOT failures:
-We are now on day 13...well I'm on day 12, and Scott is on day 13. I ended up staying one more night at my parents' house this past weekend that I didn't prepare for. I didn't have enough food or supplements with me for that extra day so I took the day off from the challenge. My dad and I ate at Chick-fil-a. I had a grilled chicken sandwich and french fries. That was the first time I'd had white potatoes and something fried in almost two weeks. The fries tasted so good, but I could definitely tell that my palate had changed some because they just felt and tasted awfully greasy. So that was mistake #1. I could have had a side salad or fruit instead of fries.
-Mistake #2: I had Coke Zero instead of water. Talk about super sweet, like almost make your teeth hurt sweet. I definitely should have had water instead. And I could totally tell that I was extremely thirsty all day.
-Mistake #3...as I mentioned above I didn't have any prepared food with me, and I had to make the two hour drive back home a few hours after eating lunch. I had no snacks, no Sparks, nothing. I stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break and snack break before I headed out...and I headed out with a Dr. Pepper, Cheese Puffs, and a 3 Muskateer. Basically I just said to heck with it!!! Never again. If I make a mistake for one meal again, I will not let myself keep making mistakes the rest of the day. Starting over happens after that bad meal, not the next day.

Side note: I don't want to refer to my mistakes as failures because I'm not failing. I think failing is quitting, and I'm definitely not doing that. I did keep making bad decision after bad decision, but once I got home and our running around was taken care of, I made a good decision. Instead of choosing a restaurant to eat at that doesn't have many healthy options I chose to go to Ruby Tuesday which has quite a few healthy options on their menu.

Here's to the next couple of weeks!

Kelley







Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Advocare 24 Day Challenge: Days 4, 5, & 6

Good afternoon! I hope everyone is having a lovely day despite it being September 11. First I just want to say that I will never forget that dreadful day twelve years ago..where I was, who I was talking to, and the extreme sadness I felt. I am proud to be an American, and so grateful for those who put themselves in harm's way to save their fellow Americans that day and for those still doing the very same thing today. God Bless America!


Okay...so now an update on the past three days of the challenge. Rewinding...

Day 4: This past Sunday
Scott and I (okay...just I) were lazy Sunday and slept in. We missed church and even breakfast. I believe getting out of the routine we had going for 3 days kind of made things go off whack. This was the first day we did not have to drink the fiber drink (hallelujah!), and I honestly can't remember if we drank our Spark or took our catalyst. Moving on..we planned to go out to eat for lunch because the Panthers were playing but not showing on our cable, and we MUST watch the Panthers play. At least that's what the husband says. So, to prepare for this and not set ourselves up for failure, I looked up several menus of restaurants that were showing the game. We decided to go to a local place called Baumhower's. We knew we were going to be there for a while so we decided to order an appetizer first. Once we ordered our teriyaki grilled chicken fingers and water, we glued our eyes to the tv. Then...and then!...our waiter brought a basket of garlic cheese biscuits. What?! How could he?! Does he not know we're not allowed to eat that kind of stuff right now?! We honestly had no idea they brought biscuits or else we would have politely declined. But there they were. Four golden brown cheesy garlicy biscuits screaming "Eat me!". I stared at them while my bottom lip started poking out and then looked at the husband. He looked equally as sad. I quickly told him that I wasn't going to eat any. And then I told him that I hated to see them go to waste. And then I said okay I'll put one on my plate to act like I'm eating it. And then I said okay just one bite. And then I said but ohhh this is so good and ate half. And then I ate the other half. And not long after that I ate the other biscuit. And so did the husband. So much for making plans so we wouldn't fail! I felt bad for eating the biscuits, but honestly I only felt that way briefly because you know why? Nobody's perfect, and nobody's going to eat perfect all the time so I shouldn't expect myself to be perfect. My only two options were:
1. to just say forget it; I'm going to eat like crap the rest of the day because I just blew it and keep feeling bad about myself
or
2. to make a better choice for my lunch, pick myself up, keep on going, and feel good about my decision.
I chose the second option and had a grilled fish salad with no cheese or croutons and a fat free raspberry vinaigrette on the side and a side of wild rice. I continued to make good choices the rest of the day, and we had crock pot cilantro lime chicken with a baked sweet potato for supper.

I told myself that I was going to use this space as a way to be accountable and that starts with being honest to whoever reads this and more importantly to myself. When I make good decisions about food, I will write about them and be proud of myself. When I make bad decisions about food, I will still write about them, I won't beat myself up over them, and I will encourage myself to get up, wipe the dust off, and try again with the next meal.

Day 5
This day was relatively uneventful. We didn't have to drink the fiber drink again and while I can hardly get it down, I kind of miss it. I have definitely been hungrier in the mornings because of not getting full from the fiber drink like before. To fix that I am making sure I eat my snack when I start to get hungry so that I'm not totally starving by the time lunch rolls around. Our food for this day consisted of leftovers for every meal...peanut butter & banana baked oatmeal for breakfast, grilled chicken salad for me for lunch, almond crusted fish, rice, and broccoli for Scott for lunch, and crock pot cilantro lime chicken for supper. I made quinoa for the first, okay second, time with supper. The first time I ever tried quinoa was a store bought flavored kind. And it was nasty. Since then I've been too scared to try it again. I got brave last week when I was grocery shopping and bought plain quinoa to season up myself. I made my own recipe with help from two different recipes, and it actually turned out really good. It's definitely a nice change from rice and sweet potatoes.

Day 6
All of the supplements are still the same for today.

  • Spark, catalyst, and probiotic restore before breakfast
  • Omegaplex with breakfast
  • Spark and catalyst before lunch
  • Omegaplex with supper
  • Herbal cleanse before bed

I made baked apple cinnamon oatmeal for breakfast, and I think this is our favorite so far. Last night, I made two chicken breasts seasoned with McCormick's low sodium Montreal Chicken seasoning, left over quinoa, and garlicy broccoli to have for lunch. Note to self: don't ever make broccoli the same way again. I used some of that minced garlic in a jar, and I guess if you don't actually use it while you're cooking, it tastes horrible. I just steamed the broccoli, seasoned it with the garlic, salt, and pepper and holy moly...gross. Even Scott texted me and asked me what I put in it. Nine times out of ten if he is asking something like that it means he doesn't like it. There have only been a few occasions where he has not liked something I cooked, so I knew it must have been really bad. He's a sweetheart though and ate it anyways. I, on the other hand, threw it in the garbage. I redeemed myself with supper by making turkey meatloaves using a recipe from a Cooking Light cookbook (that I love!), baked sweet potatoes, and roasted green beans.

We also got a little goody in the mail, and it is yum!


Totally off subject, but I'm pretty sure I have the cutest puppy in the world.


Kelley

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Advocare 24 Day Challenge: Days 2 and 3

We have completed our first 3 days already! It has gone really well so far, and I don't think this is going to be as hard as I thought it would be. I really have a "negative nancy" attitude (something I really need to work on), but I always expect and plan for the worst. I love it when I prove myself wrong :) Here are my thoughts on the last two days.

Thoughts on the products:

  • The fiber drink is still awful. I still gag at least once while trying to drink it, but I have figured out that if I mix it with a lot more water than it calls for and a little bit of Spark, I can get it down a heck of a lot easier. Thankfully we get a four day break from it.
  • I love Spark. Our kit came with the fruit punch and mandarin orange flavors. The fruit punch is pretty good and tastes like red Kool-aid to me. The mandarin orange is okay. I'm not really a citrusy person, but still, it's not bad. I recently ordered a canister of the watermelon flavor because I've heard good things about it, and Scott loves watermelon. Hopefully it lives up to it's reputation. I love the Spark because it is a nice break from plain water, and it provides a little energy kick that helps me get off my butt and do things around the house that I usually wouldn't have the energy or motivation to do. It also doesn't make you crash like energy drinks can, and is a savior for those after lunch sleepies.
  • As for the Catalyst, Omegaplex, and herbal cleanse caplets, I really can't tell anything specific about what they're doing, but I'm sure they are doing what they're supposed to do because I am feeling like a better person already.


Thoughts on the "mental" aspects of the challenge:

  • Like I said above, this challenge isn't easy, but it's really not as hard as I thought it would be. I went to my parents' house for the weekend, and as soon as I walked in the door there was cereal, chocolate, and fruit snacks staring me in the face. I won't lie, I really really really wouldn't have minded a big ol' bowl of cereal, but I told myself to look at the bigger picture. Would I rather have the fleeting satisfaction from eating the cereal or the longstanding satisfaction from saying no? Of course I said no, and was really proud of myself. Like that Pinterest quote says, it really is the small things.
  • Since I have to eat breakfast and take supplements in the morning, I am much more motivated to wake up a lot earlier than I have been. This is a huge deal for me and another thing that I am proud of.
  • I believe that Scott and I have both been happier and in an overall better mood the past few days, and I love that we are doing this together as a team.
  • Losing weight is just as much a mental struggle as it is a physical struggle. You can never completely get away from outer influences, and that really sucks...but such is life. Ignoring, overcoming, and not giving in to those influences way outweighs the sucky parts of life though.


Thoughts on the physical aspects of the challenge:

  • The biggest change I've noticed is an increase in energy and a lack of sluggishness. I just really feel good overall. 
  • I feel like I have lost a lot of water weight. I don't feel bloated, and I don't have that "gross" feeling that is hard to describe but everyone knows what you're talking about. I've increased my water intake drastically, and obviously I'm peeing every 15 minutes. 
  • *Disclaimer: this may be a little TMI so stop reading now if you want* I'm usually not a "regular" person, and I can always tell when I've been eating a bunch of junk because I get even more irregular. So far the first day was regular, the second day was irregular, and the third day was regular. I'm not sure why this is, but my body just may be trying to adjust to the fiber and healthier eating. I'm hoping that as the challenge progresses, this issue evens itself out. 
  • The worst thing that has happened is that my face looks like I'm a teenager going through puberty. I normally have a decent complexion and only get a couple pimples here and there, but goodness gracious my face looks like a slice of pizza right now. I've been told that this is normal, and that it's just my body ridding itself of all the toxins and will start clearing up once the cleanse is over. 

Thoughts on the food:

  • Eating healthy really isn't so bad! Scott has enjoyed everything I've made so far, I only disliked the tuna salad I made, and I have discovered some new favorite recipes that will definitely be repeated.
  • I have branched out a little and discovered that I like hummus.
  • Coconut oil is my new best friend.
  • I found a new breed of apple (is that what you call it?) called an Envy apple, and it was advertised that it is a sweet apple and does not brown! I was a little skeptical of the no browning, but I was pleasantly surprised when it didn't brown after being cut and sitting out for a while. It really is a sweet apple, almost too sweet, but I sprinkled cinnamon on it, and that was really good. Almost like eating a dessert.
  • I love love love my Crock Pot. Shout out to the lady that bought it for us as a wedding present :)
  • My water consumption has increased significantly, and I am aiming for at least 100 ounces per day.


Here is a recipe of my favorite meal so far. I adapted it (and take no credit whatsoever) from an awesome blog that I have been following for a long time so it followed my no gluten and no dairy restrictions. Check out Gina's delicious and healthy recipes at Skinnytaste.

Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs 


Meatball Ingredients

20 oz ground turkey breast
1/2 cup old fashioned oats, ground
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 garlic clove, crushed (I used minced garlic in a jar)
1 tsp salt
pepper 

Sauce Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed (I used minced garlic in a jar)
28 oz can no salt added crushed tomatoes
14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt
pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, ground oatmeal, egg, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands and form into small meatballs, about 1.5 inches in diameter.

Pour crushed and diced tomatoes into the crock pot with bay leaf. Stir in garlic and oil. 

Drop meatballs into the sauce, put the lid on the crock pot, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste when finished, and top with fresh parsley.

I served these with roasted spaghetti squash.

Makes about 24 meatballs.

Let me know if you try this recipe!




Kelley

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Advocare 24 Day Challenge: Day 1


Well, today's the day folks. The day we begin our weight loss journey. The day we start a 24 day commitment to kick start new habits. The day we set our eye on the prize. The day we...okay that's enough.

Anywho...

The husband and I started the Advocare 24 Day Challenge this morning. This is not a "diet" unless you're my dad who says it sounds like a diet. I don't like referring to this challenge as a diet because I feel like diets limit you and deprive you of one food group or another. So, we are going to refer to this as a lifestyle change. Cheesy, I know. But here's why. One: because we are not deprived of any food group that is good for us and two: this lifestyle change will continue beyond the 24 days of this challenge. Obviously, we're not allowed to eat junk, but that's what made us gain weight in the first place. We are going to be strict with our eating during the challenge, but afterwards we will have the occasional "reward" meal or "cheat" meal as long as we stay on track 80-90% of the time. If we start to fall off the wagon, we'll cut out the "rewards" and be strict until we get back on track.

Honestly this is going to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. I didn't grow up learning how to eat healthy, so I'm definitely learning along the way. Sometimes life throws you curve balls, and your plans get messed up. Or somebody has a birthday, or there's a holiday meal thrown in somewhere. And don't get me started on all the food commercials on tv or Pinterest recipes!!! There's going to be bad influences everywhere we turn, and sometimes we're going to give in to them. Nobody's perfect, and I will never claim to be. What I do know is that I will try my hardest to succeed so that I will finally see the results I've wanted to see for a really long time. My goal will not be reached in the near future, and I'm okay with that. I know that this weight was not put on quickly but gradually over several years. One of my favorite sayings is "Rome wasn't built in a day". As long as I am continually seeing results, even if they're small, I will be satisfied. And here's a little Pinterest motivation to start the morning off.



Sidenote: This space is going to be used as a journal for myself so I can look back later to see what we did and how we did it, what worked and what didn't, and to refer to if we do the challenge again. I'm sharing it with friends and family as well so they can stay updated on our successes and maybe even get motivated themselves to do the same thing! And let's not forget the accountability factor. I feel like if I write about what I'm doing and SHARING it with others, I need to do my best and give it everything I've got. I will post successes and failures, the good and bad, and everything in between. So here we go.

Today's menu & products we took:
Upon waking: Fiber drink, Spark, & Catalyst
Breakfast: Omegaplex, baked pumpkin pie oatmeal, & scrambled eggs with extra egg whites
Snacks: berries and almonds & celery w/ natural peanut butter and raisins
Before lunch: Catalyst and Spark
Lunch: Southwest tuna salad over romaine lettuce and spinach
Dinner: Omegaplex, almond crusted tilapia, & roasted veggies
Before bed: Herbal cleanse packet

The baked pumpkin pie oatmeal was good and really easy to put together. I actually mixed it all up last night and stuck it in the fridge; then I baked it this morning before the husband went off to work. Easy and quick recipes are my friend so this will probably be made again. Here's the recipe!


Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I threw a little extra in there)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup Stevia* (it could have used a little more)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk**
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg - beaten
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
chopped walnuts - optional
cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Add oats, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder, and Stevia. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, add almond milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, egg, and applesauce. Mix well. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Fold in walnuts if using. Pour ingredients into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes*** or until set. 

*The original recipe called for packed brown sugar
**No dairy for me, but you can use whatever kind of milk you want
***Mine took about 27 minutes which might be because it sat in the fridge overnight
Sorry for being so long winded! Future posts shouldn't require so much brain vomit :)



Kelley

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Why I Started This Blog

Well, it's been a while since I've written a post. We've been a little bit busy lately which is a nice change. Sports are starting back up where Scott (the husband) works, so from now until next summer we will be busy busy busy with sporting events. Not that I'm complaining; I do love me some sports. 

So. Why did I decide to start this blog? Good question because so far I've not written a post about anything related to why I wanted to do this. Scott and I are trying wanting to lose weight. A.lot.of.weight. We have both tried several different weight loss avenues in the past and had some success, but nothing stuck with us. I read many many blogs about people who have or do use Advocare products and have had great results. I've read up on them, and decided that we should look into it more. I found out there is a 24 Day Challenge that helps kick start the weight loss process by doing a 10 day cleanse followed up by a 14 day fueling phase that is supposed to help your body achieve maximum results. There's of course a "diet", but it's not difficult to follow. I don't even want to view it as a diet but instead as a way to introduce us to a healthy eating lifestyle. The Advocare team that we are working with does not allow gluten or dairy for some parts of the challenge. This will probably be the hardest thing we will have to go through...we love our bread and cheese!!! I'm not gonna lie, I will be extremely ecstatic if we successfully complete it and have some sort of good results. 24 days seems like a long time, but I think we can do it. We ordered the challenge products a few weeks ago and will be starting the challenge Sept. 3. Wish us luck success!!! 

Our Advocare products ready to go! 


One of the main purposes for this blog is to be able to document our progress to keep ourselves accountable and to be able to share our progress and results with friends and family. We will be taking our measurements and weighing ourselves before we start and will only do so two other times during the challenge: after the 10 day cleanse and at the end. I think right now neither one of us are confident enough to share our weight with the world, but we will take pictures of the "before" and "after" to share with y'all. I will also share what some of our meals look like as well as some recipes for the really good stuff we come up with. Last but not least, we will be getting into a workout routine instead of the sporadic workouts we are doing right now. I will share what we do for our workouts and any progress we have with those. We are going to be doing the CouchTo5k app 3 days a week and going to the gym twice a week for weight training...before Scott goes to work. Help me!!! Carolina (our dog) and I decided to go out today in the 90 degree Alabama heat and repeat (for the third time) the first CouchTo5k workout. It.was.hard. I don't know if it's the heat, my lack of being in shape, or feeling like I'm getting a full body workout due to having my crazy dog on a leash, but it was hard to get through the full 30 minutes. 

Left top & bottom: Pre CouchTo5k 
Top right, bottom middle & bottom right: Post CouchTo5k #noshame #sweatglare


Moving on.

I'm the type of person that has to have physical motivators to get things done. For example, seeing the numbers dropping on the scale, checking everything off of a to do list, Pinterest inspirational quotes, or buying a pair of shorts that I can't wear yet and hanging them up as a reminder of why I'm doing this. I remember when I first started dating Scott (almost 5 years ago WHAT?!?) I bought myself some athletic shorts. They weren't that cute but were the only ones that fit. This is the time the Nike Tempo type shorts first came out, and I so badly wanted a pair of those. At the time my butt was just a little too big for them. Now my butt is way too big for them. Therefore, I will be using those too small shorts as one of my main motivators during this challenge and weight loss process. 

My motivation.



Happy Hump Day!
Kelley


Thursday, August 15, 2013

2 Months.

Today is our two month wedding anniversary!!! I figured I'd share a few of my favorite wedding pictures and 10 things I've learned in the past two months. 

1. Times goes by fast whether you want it to or not.
It's probably because we've traveled quite a bit in the past two months and only been home a few weeks here and there, but it really has blown by quickly. These two months have been a blur, a good one, but a blur nonetheless.
2. It's not all rainbows and butterflies.
Yes, marriage is wonderful, exciting, fun, and any other positive word you can think of, but not 100% of the time. It's also frightening, stressful, and confusing. There is no more "my money" and "his money"; it's our money. There's no more free room and board from mom and dad. There's a budget that needs to be figured out. There's a house that needs to be taken care of every single day...laundry, dishes, dusting, vacuuming, toilets to be cleaned, work schedules to plan around, bills to be paid, dinner menus to plan, etc. etc. etc. I've got to figure out how to live with a man. He's got to figure out how to live with me. We have to make big decisions on our own. We've got to figure out when to start planning a family -gasp-. If that' isn't scary, I don't know what is.


3. Laundry and dishes never stop needing to be done.
Referring back to #2. does.it.ever.end?! No. The answer to that is a big fat no.
4. Communication is important. 
He may think his day is boring and uneventful. I still want to hear about it. I may be upset about something and want to keep it to myself. He wants me to tell him what's wrong. Before marrying we lived in different cities and didn't see each other every day. Our communicating consisted of lots of text messages and random phone calls talking about nothing in particular. Now that we're married it seems our conversations are still the same. Having a real conversation with no distractions is something we try to work on every day.


5. Living with my husband is like living with a child.
I only have one sister. I only had to share a bathroom with one girl growing up. I never had to share a bedroom with anyone. I never had to pick up after anyone but myself. Being married I have to share a bathroom with an overgrown boy. 'Nuff said about that one. I have to share a bedroom with the same overgrown boy. I have to pick up after once again, said overgrown boy. It's a completely new experience and something I am continually having to learn about and navigate through. Talk about gaining patience too.
6. The husband's annoying habits have only multiplied, and they are going no where.
This goes back to #5. I will just list a few: he sprinkles when he tinkles only for me to step in it later, he leaves the toilet seat up for those nights I have to pee when I'm half asleep, he leaves his size 16 shoes in the middle of the floor for me to trip on, he leaves his dirty socks everywhere for me to have to hunt down to do laundry, and he leaves cabinet doors open for me to get aggravated about. I admit I'm a little nit picky about these things but c'mon!!! (Disclaimer: I know I have my own annoying habits too)


7. We are both addicted to technology and social media.
There's never a day where either of us doesn't have our nose stuck in some sort of technology whether it's the cell phone, lap top, iPad, Nook, or tv. We need to learn how to actually spend time together without being preoccupied. For example, I'm writing this blog post, and he's checking out football on the internet while we're both watching a movie.
8. I keep learning things about myself. 
I think I have learned more about myself in these last two months than I have in a really long time. It's hard to put in words, but I just know I have realized some things about myself, good and bad, that I hadn't paid attention to before.


9. He truly is my best friend and #1 supporter. 
I know without a doubt that I married my best friend, better half, true love, soul mate, whatever you want to call him. He is there for me physically and emotionally whenever I need him, and I know that he always will be. He pushes me, motivates me, encourages me, makes me laugh, and is by my side through everything; he's my rock and my happy place. He is my left hand man. (that's a reference to a Josh Turner song. Look it up; it's good)
10. I love him more and more every day. 
The day we said I do I thought I was on cloud nine. I thought that there was no way I could ever love somebody as much as I loved him that day. I was wrong. I love him more today than I did yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, annoying habits and all. I am proud to be his wife and proud to have his last name.


Here's to many many more months Mr. Moyer!!!

Photos courtesy of my awesome photographer Dona at A Digital Reflection.




     







     
                                                                              
                          



Friday, August 9, 2013

The Boys of Fall

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT TIME IT (almost) IS?!?!

Yep, it's 'bout time for probably the biggest thing in the south next to God and sweet tea...

FOOTBALL -insert happy dance here-

Now, I like me some baseball, and knock on wood, my team is doing pretty darn good right now. Go Braves! But, I looooooooove me some football. Being born and raised in the south it's pretty much a given that your Saturdays starting in August will consist of a few adult beverages, junk food, obnoxious opposing team fans, and the greatest sport ever invented.

In Alabama, pro football is no where near as popular as college football...that may or may not be due to that little school in Tuscaloosa that has won a championship or two in the past few years...but anywho, the hubs grew up in North Carolina for a while where he became a huuuuuuuuge Carolina Panthers fan. I never really followed pro football until I met him, so naturally I became a Panthers fan too. I mean their colors are so pretty, and number #59 is just plain pretty to look at. Hubs is participating in a fantasy league this year, and I've always been curious about them but have never done one. Then I stumbled across this:




I saw this and immediately thought..."hey that's cool. no way I'm doing it though because I'd totally suck." Then I told myself that if I didn't do it this time, when would I finally do one? Next year? Probably not. So why not now? I talked it over with the hubs and asked him how it works, what you do, etc. and he encouraged me to do it. So, here we are. I'm gonna do my first fantasy league!!! I'm kind of a little excited about this...now I've just got to come up with a creative team name and figure out my strategy :)

xoxo, Kelley

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

In a Funk

Y'all I am just in a funk lately, and this post is going to be a bunch of random thoughts going through my head right now. 

I think I'm beginning to go stir crazy since I'm not working right now and pretty much stay at home all day except for the occasional grocery store, Wal-Mart, or gym trips. I usually like going to the grocery store and just wandering the aisles looking at and touching all the food and random stuff I don't need (but thankfully don't buy most of the time). It's weird, but it's a stress reliever for me. However, I don't feel that way in any of the grocery stores here. No matter where I go I leave more stressed out, angry, aggravated, irritated, and every other negative word you can think of than when I went in. I am trying to come up with alternative places to go that will have everything I need in one stop and also be that source of stress relief I'm seeking, but none I've tried have really been any better than another. 

Looking for a job is stressful. I absolutely despise filling out job applications on the internet. What happened to good ole' paper applications you picked up at businesses?! I don't know why, but I would much rather my hand fall off from writing my information over and over again on paper than fill out applications online. I think it's also very impersonal. I may be shy, but I would at least like to say hello, introduce myself, and personally hand my application to a real person. It's also disappointing when you fill out app after app and don't hear anything back. Here I am sitting with a BS in chemistry and no job. Talk about feeling worthless and like a failure. Right now I really don't have much motivation to get out of bed before noon, and I think it's starting to wear me down. 

Living in a new city (much less, a college town) is also stressful. From needing to get directions to everywhere, to not knowing anybody (except my husband & a few of his coworkers), to having no idea what fun stuff there is to do, to constantly being surrounded by college students, to just plain not being in my comfort zone really sucks. There's no other way to put it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for my husband's job that brought us here, and I'm so glad he got a job back in Alabama, but it just doesn't feel like "home" yet. All of these things added together have made me become more of a homebody, and I don't feel like leaving the house most days. 

My days feel like that Groundhog's Day movie...I feel like I do the same things over and over, but at the same time I feel like I don't do anything at all. I wake up, check facebook and email, eat breakfast/lunch, do dishes, do laundry, pick up here and there, check facebook again, read my daily blogs, figure out what's for supper, check facebook again, work on some kind of craft project, etc etc etc. I don't see how stay at home moms stay sane! I need a little variety over here!

Now that I've probably bored you in all of my self-pity thoughts, here's how I plan to make these things better.

I'm going to keep searching for a better place to shop, figure out what time is the best time to shop. (i.e. when do the shelves get restocked? when are the least amount of people there?)and try to go in with a better attitude instead of beginning the shopping trip with a negative one. 

I will keep filling out those applications and pray! I know I won't get anywhere unless I put in the work to get there or without asking God for help! Remember that these things take time. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I've got to start somewhere. As far as getting up earlier, I need to start going to bed earlier for one. I also need to schedule as much as I can in the mornings so I have a reason to get up early. The hubs and I are also toying with the idea of doing our workouts in the morning once his work schedule starts to pick back up.

Scott and I are in the process of finding a church home. I'm banking on this to be one of the main places that I get to know people and make friends. I'm slowly learning my way around town, but need to venture out more on my own so I can learn more. I need to do more research of things to do around here (I think I've found a place to go in a couple weeks!) and find where the locals hang out...not the college kids! This place not feeling like home yet is probably normal, since I've been here full time for less than two months, but I'm praying that I get used to it and it becomes comfortable to me and finally starts to feel like home. 

Lastly, I need to make doable to-do lists. Instead of listing every single thing that needs to be done on my to-do list for let's say Tuesday...I need to only list what can be achieved in a single day. I think I'm one of those kinds of people that needs to set small goals instead of huge ones that seem like they can never be reached. I need to come up with a schedule that has me doing laundry on one day only if possible, bathroom cleaning on one day, vacuuming on one day, etc. That way I'm doing something different every day, and it makes time to add in fun stuff like a craft project, or a trip to Hobby Lobby or whatever cranks my tractor that day. Maybe I can make myself go for a walk outside instead of walking on the treadmill at the gym. This fix will need a little creativity, but I think it's manageable. 

&& just a little Pinterest quote to sum this post up

xoxo, Kelley

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Here Goes Nothing

What's up y'all?! 

First things first. Thanks for visiting my brand spankin new blog!!!


I'm really kind of excited about this because writing a blog is something I never thought I'd do, and I usually don't "put myself out there" like I'm doing right now. I credit all of the blogs that I read on a daily basis for giving me inspiration to do this. I hope you enjoy what you read, and maybe I can even be a little bit of inspiration to someone else. Comments would also be appreciated, friendly ones of course, even if it's friendly criticism! 

Okay so, here we go.

A little back story real quick: Scott, aka the hubs, like every other man, tends to not use directions when travelling in unknown territory...and I tend to call him out on it when we get a little lost. Trying to ease my mind in these situations, he tells me it'll be okay because we're just on a Moyer adventure; he's right every single time. It will be okay, and we will find our way. It just may take us a little longer than planned, we may take a few wrong turns somewhere, we may end up somewhere sketchy, and we might get a little frustrated! Such is life. So, I plan to use this space to tell the stories of our Moyer adventures as we navigate through our weight loss journey, marriage (we're newlyweds, holla!), and life in general.

What a better way to start my blog than with a recipe! We just finished eating a dinner of chicken enchiladas, refried beans, and homemade GUACAMOLE! If you had told me to try guacamole a year ago, I'd have thought you were crazy. I used to not eat avocado, tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, etc etc etc...but then I met Scott who introduced me to caramelized onions. It truly was love at first bite. From then on I've increasingly branched out to try new things, and have recently been on a guacamole kick. It's so expensive in the stores and usually not that good so I decided to make some myself. 


Guacamole
2 Hass avocados
1/4 cup purple onion, chopped 
1/8 cup tomato, chopped
1 tbsp green chiles, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 ear corn on the cob
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Cut avocados in half, scoop out the flesh, and put it in a food processor. (I used a chop/grind only mini processor). Chop or grind avocado until almost smooth, leaving some chunks. Scoop out all the avocado into a bowl. Add onion, tomato, green chiles, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well. Cover and put in fridge. Wrap the corn on the cob (still in the stalk) with a damp paper towel. Cook in microwave for 5 minutes. Heat olive oil in a skillet to medium high heat. Remove the corn stalk and silk, and put the corn in the skillet to "grill" it. Rotate corn until all sides have browned some. When browned, remove kernels and mix them into guacamole. 

Voila! 

&& that wraps up my very first blog post! let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from you!

xoxo, Kelley