Work in progress

A lot of my followers have been asking me if I have a blog. I do! I am swamped with work and packing for my trip home to Minnesota and I leave Saturday. I promise to get to it next week. I'll have tons of downtime if I'm not sleeping, eating or working out that is! Be on the lookout for recipes, my workouts, tips that got started and I'm looking forward to writing up my story. Why I started my journey and what has kept me going. Be on the lookout. Until then... Have a great rest of 2012 and looking forward to seeing you all make great changes and strides in 2013 and being along for the ride. I love knowing I am your inspiration, motivation and will be here every step of the way!

Becky ❤

55 Healthiest Foods for Losing Weight …

http://allwomenstalk.com/healthy-foods-for-losing-weight-your-ultimate-healthy-food-grocery-list/

My Journey.. in pounds.

Some months will be better than others. It just matters that you are continuing in the right direction. Try not to pay as much attention to the scale as you are inches, how your pants fit and how you FEEL. As long as you continue to work at it, you will achieve your goal; even if it's not in the original time frame you thought it would. I thought I'd drop 80 lbs in 6 months. (We can see that hasn't happened) But as long as I keep pushing myself I should reach that goal at the end of this month which would mean 80 lbs in 10 months, and it's still an achievement I am very, very proud of!

Bring it on July!!!

Start making small changes. If you want any advice or tips message me and I'll try to get you started :)

End of 9 month photos!

65 Fast Ways to Lose Weight …

Snag even a couple of these ideas and try something new.

http://allwomenstalk.com/7-fastest-ways-to-lose-weight/

June 25-30 Meal Plan

We've gone clean! I've been eating "well" for months but in order to drop these last twenty stubborn lbs and get that six pack abs I want before I move to Texas I needed to step it up.

Out with the fruit, cut down the carbs and up the vegetables and protein!

I've had a few people on Facebook as me to post what I'm eating this week. Well here goes...

Breakfast- smoothie; which includes silk fruit & protein, ice cubs, 2 frozen strawberries, 5 blue berries and 1 tablespoon of cheesecake powder pudding.

After my workout - 10 oz of Silk Almond Milk and a scoop and a half of protein powder

Lunch- ground turkey burger, vegetables and a side salad

Snacks - zone perfect protein bar, 3 hard boiled eggs, almonds/nuts

Dinner - pesto seasoned chicken breast with mushrooms and a sweet potato.

I usually drink between 14-16 glasses of water a day, also.



I'll try to update my meal plans weekly for you. I'll miss my fruit this week, but maybe I'll get some back next week!

Hope you Enjoy!

Website for great recipes

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_diet_recipes

SO. MANY. OPTIONS!

Enjoy :)

TEN STEPS TO GREAT HEALTH BEFORE YOU START YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE

1~You will need to have 35 to 40 grams of fiber per day. Take two tablespoons of Psyllium (fiber) every night before bed with 8 oz. of water. Not only does it takes out toxins that can make you sick and that slow down your metabolism causing you to gain weight even if you eat healthy, it also keeps you regular. You should be pooping 2 to 3 times a day.

2~Multi-vitamans and supplements. There is no way to get enough nutrition just from the food we eat everyday. A good multi viteman, fish oil supplements etc are all very important to you over all health. We want you to take SHAKLEE supplements. They are the highest quality out there. We will help you get them.

3~Never, ever miss breakfast.  Your body jump starts itself in the morning for a long day that can be up to 14to 16 hours. You body burns up to 3000 calories just keeping your organs functioning.

4~Stop eating 3 hours before bedtime. You should eat 5 to 6 small meals a day.  Whatever meal you would eat cut that in half and eat the other half 2 -3 hours later. You will eat more food but it want slow your metabolism down.

5- Drink 12 to 16 glasses of water per day. This serves several goals.  It keeps you full longer so you don't crave food as often. It helps eliminate fat and toxins out of your body. It allows vitamins and nutrients  to deposit better through your body.

6~Eliminate simple sugars out of your diet. Pop, especially diet pop, beer, alcohol, bread, white potatoes, sweets, and high carb fatty foods.

7~Rest- you need 7 to 8 hours a night to allow your body to heal, change and produce the results you wish. If you don't get the rest, your body will not respond very well.

8~Do at least 40 mins of sustained cardio 4 to 5 times a week.  You want your heart rate to be between 140 and 160 bpm for a consistent 40 min and move up to 1 hour of cardio after 2 weeks. This will help you to lose 4 to 8 pounds a week.

9~ Medium to light weight program with high reps.(20 to 25)
Do 2 to 3 body parts each day, try to hit each twice a week with one day off every three days. (do nothing, but rest)

10~Eat the rainbow, lots of natural foods, red, green, yellow, orange, purple foods. Plan your meals out. Lots of chicken, turkey, fish etc. Avoid salt.

11~Canola spray, I can't believe it's not butter and Mrs. Dash should become your friends!

12~Think of this as a ONE MONTH commitment. Each month it'll change and we will look at different ideas. Take it one month at a time!!

A quick summary of my journey.

I'll write a more in depth one.. but I'm exhausted and need to hit the hay.

It took me a long time to finally get all the pieces to fall into place. I would start to try with getting your eating under control and then start the working out because it really is 70% your diet and 30% exercise. To lose weight you need to have a deficit to calories taken in vs. calories burned. Start by cutting out processed foods and fast food. Start by getting in your fruits, veggies, protein and cutting fats, sugars and starches.

To keep firm (which is what I have successfully done!) you need to lift just as many days a week as you do cardio. I spent 2.5 hours a day at the gym, I realize not everyone has that kind of time but I do right now and I'm trying to get it done as soon as I can. I have a personal trainer but when it comes to those last few reps when things are really burning, DON'T QUIT! Those are the ones that are your money makers! Start by making small goals. Reward yourself when you make goals. My trainer had a goal for me the last 8 days of April. if I dropped 8 lbs he'd buy me new running shoes... and I made it! It gave me a sense of pride. Make a "goal" board that shows you at your previous weight or goal weight and motivational sayings (i have some in my car, gym bag and bathroom mirror)

Try to make sure you have a support team. My trainer is a god sent. He is my #1 fan when everyone else had no idea why in the hell I was sacrificing everything (drinking, going out after work with friends) so that I was able to get the hours of sleep in that I needed and to rest up my sore muscles b/c I am sore literally 3/4 days a week. Challenge yourself and always try new things. I lift, do cross-fit, TRX, cardio drills and run. I have never ever ever been a runner. I started my mile (in tears mind you) last October and finished in 12:30. Now I am able to complete a mile quickly in 8 minutes! But we usually do 3-5 miles a day so it's closer to the 10/11 minute mark. Listen to your body, but know the different between physical pain and muscle pain. They are different and it's all in your mind.

50 lb Mark!

I finally hit my 50lb mark! The picture on the left was taken August 13th, 2011 up in St. Cloud at the quarries when I went cliff jumping with my siblings. It was 2 weeks before I left my husband. 9 months later (2nd picture is from May 13th, 2012) I am 50 lbs lighter, 4 pant sizes, and no cellulite! I feel confident for the first time in years. I'm happier than I have been in a long time and I don't even recognize the girl who is in the picture on the right. 

6 Month Progress Picture

Left October 2nd, 2011  Right- April 9th, 2012

250lbs                       215lbs

3.5 Month Progress Pictures

Left- October 2nd, 2011  Right- January 15th, 2012

250 lbs                 230lbs