Hard work eventually pays off ... right?

My challenge ends on Saturday, so I will post the final results on Sunday. It seems crazy that its been nearly 24 days. I weighed myself last Wednesday and haven't had a second to post the results. I weighed today and the scale hadn't changed. I'm feeling a little disappointed that I hadn't lost more. With that being said, last week I was sick (again!) seriously that needs to stop right flipping NOW! On Thursday when I started to feel much better I continued on at the gym. Really the only thing I quit doing was working out (but really who works out when they feel horrible?) That is why I was so disappointed that the scale stayed the same.

I weighed in at 147.2! I've hit the 30 pound mark for this blog! I am pretty excited. I can't believe overall I am 33 pounds lighter than when I started this journey. It feels so surreal that I was as big as I was. It feels crazy that I don't feel "lighter".... I know I look and feel healthier, but I thought I'd feel less baggage and lighter. Does that make sense? Probably not.

Anyways, my goal was to be at 145 at the end of the 24 Day Challenge. I am so close to getting there. It's hard. I keep telling myself that even though this is hard it will be rewarding. It's the working hard over and over and over again and the scale not wanting to cooperate that makes this journey so freaking tough!

Speaking of tough...my life just got busier!

I am now working full time.... why? Mainly because I am awesome and my boss doesn't want to hire a third MA. So besides the fact that I am feeling extremely overwhelmed I kinda feel like SuperMan. Hubby works out of state, which means I am a single, married woman, raising two kids, working full time, maid, taxi driver, and accountant all while trying to focus an hour and a half of time I don't feel like I have to better myself and be healthier for me, my kids and my husband. If I can do it ANYONE can do it. True story guys!
So if by chance you are to come to my house, don't mind the mess. If something in my crazy life gets forgotten about its gonna be the house. I have come to realize that I can't do it all. Maybe one day, but for now the house is where my attention is lacking. My OCD is actually telling me right now to get off this computer and pick up the toys....if you personally know me, you know how bad those toys are driving me crazy just laying on my floor, making the house look soooo dirty. I don't like messes and I am pretty uptight when it comes to my house..... hmmm maybe I'll hire a maid?

Thought this picture says it all. 

Make it happen! 

24 Day Challenge- Half way there!

Today is day 11 of the 24 day challenge. Cleanse phase is officially over and the Max phase begins.
Guys, let me just tell you that weight loss is not easy and is easily the hardest thing I have ever done! It's a mind game and I suck at those. ;) But really. It's all about feeding your body the right tools and getting back up when you fall.
With that being said- I'm proud to say I have RESULTS!
On day one of the challenge I weighed in at 154.2, my inches were Chest: 36 Waist: 33 Hips: 41 and Thighs: 22
Today is day 11 and I weighed in at 149.2, for a total of 5 lbs down. My inches were Chest: 34 Waist: 33 Hips: 38 Thighs: 19. An overall inch loss of 8 inches!

I feel good. I posted a little bit ago about still feeling negative towards myself after loosing some weight. I'm proud to say that some of those feelings are gone. I no longer have so much hatred for myself. I'm proud of what I am doing to better my life and my health. I'm surprised? maybe that I have actually stuck with this for so long... I just knew deep in my soul that if I continued to live and eat how I was that I would eventually lose everything that was important to me because of my attitude. 

I have amazing family support as well. Encouraging me to keep on keeping on and always giving me positive feedback. I also have an amazing bestie that also helps to remind me to continue to do better; pushing me at the gym, helping with my mentality and understands how I feel at times...okay actually she understands MOST of the time. 

I'm healthier than I think I've ever been. I can feel the difference. I can see the difference and it is so rewarding that I have come this far! 

No matter what it is your trying to accomplish; if you put forth the effort you can achieve it. 

Anger, Acceptance and finally action.

Recently I read a blog post by MamaLaughlin (super love her blog...it is real and I like real!) 
Early this week before I read her post I was feeling the same way....
Anger: 
After having my first child and gaining 30 pounds in two months, I couldn't believe what was happening to me.... I was so angry that I had gained weight and wasn't even sure how that had happened. I was so angry that I turned to food to comfort me and would think "oh well...what's done is done."
I had tried numerous attempts to lose weight but I'd slip one day and then I would say "well everything that I've worked for has gone out the window..... better luck next time" and continue on with the habits and comfort that I was so used to.
After having my son, I lost 19 pounds within the first two weeks. I thought to myself that I was never going to get to the weight that I was when I delivered him. Boy was I wrong! February 2013 I stepped on that scale and saw a big 180! Um hi....I didn't even weigh 180 when I delivered little Ledge!!
I thought and thought and thought a little more and once I realized that this weight gain was because of ME I knew that it was up to ME to make a change.
Yes I was still angry with "letting myself go" but I had come to terms with what I had done and finally accepted the damage.
Acceptance:
Once I accepted that this began with me and the end result would be because of me and my hard work, it made making the right choices slightly easier. I finally stopped being angry about my weight gain, accepted it with um slightly open arms? Ha maybe not, but anyways I had accepted what IIIII had done and knew what I had to do to change it.
Action:
I took control, I took baby steps (I am still taking baby steps) and I take it one day at a time. I used to slip up once a day and then get right back on track. Now that I have been working so diligently on this I rarely slip up. PROGRESS BABY!!
Yes, weight loss, eating the right foods and exercise is on my mind ALL THE TIME. Sounds exhausting? I find it motivational. Keeps me accountable. I always have the voice in the back of my head helping me push through those negative thoughts that creep up daily.
For me, AdvoCare has given me the tools (yes I already knew what they were) but the motivation and the added supplements that I knew my body was lacking to help push me along in my day to day journey. AdvoCare has pushed me to make healthy choices daily and to keep on keeping on.

So for those of you that struggle to lose the weight or are just needing something to give you that push, I feel like acceptance of where your at will help you decide to take positive action to make yourself, and your lifestyle much healthier. But that change needs to be YOUR desire, no one else can make this decision for you.

Here's something I've been dying to post...
Day 9 on the AdvoCare's 24 day challenge and I am down 4 pounds from my last weigh in. (Insert drumroll here please) This morning I weighed in at 150.8!!!!! Oh how close am I from breaking free of the 150's!?
I will post my day 11 results on Sunday before I start the Max Phase of the challenge.
Things just got real and I'm pretty much amazing! (not quite, but I feel amazing and it's kinda the same thing right?) :))
Motivation baby....motivation!

The Damn Weight Loss results (work challenge)

Today was the final weigh in for my work challenge.
I completed it!!
I am so proud of myself for actually completing something and working my butt off to accomplish something so hard, yet simple! I put forth every thing I had and more to get results.
I came in second in overall % of weight lost- it was really close and anyone could have taken it! (we all did well and I am proud of the girls I work with for encouraging me to keep going and for giving me the motivation to not give up!) 
I came in first in total inches lost with 6 inches gone forever! I honestly was shocked when about a month ago they told me that I had lost a total of 5 inches. I couldn't even believe I'd lost that much...crazy to think that it was a little over 3 weeks ago that we last measured, and here I am with another inch gone....
Today I weighed in at 154.2. I wanted really bad to be at 150....I know I was trying to hard to achieve something that is most likely not possible in one week. On the bright side, I lost weight from last week and that's what counts.
I didn't gain weight.
I'm gonna do my best NOT to gain weight.

Tomorrow I start the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge. I am SO ANXIOUS!! GAHH!!!
I want so badly to hit my goal weight and I am praying that I have great results with this challenge. I know I won't meet my goal, but I will be closer than I am now. (Gosh, look at me being positive and stuff....)

To date I have lost 26 pounds, and if I am remembering correctly (my backup didn't work when I updated my phone and so my measurements are long gone....literally) 7 inches (waist only).
Excited to see what the next 24 days has in store? I am!!

Update on the weight loss

Well folks, after more hard work and determination, I have hit another milestone in my weight loss journey! I actually weighed in yesterday at 156.4, blew my 157.8 goal right out the flipping window! Weighed this morning just to see how much weight I'd lost in a day's time (I have been working my big ol' booty off at the gym HARD) and guess what the scale said? 155!!!! Guys I freaked out with joy for just a slight minute. I'll come back to why in just a second....photo time!

A look at the beginning to where I am at currently. 

Front view. Looking much better! 

Side view

I was more impressed with the first ten pounds lost. Technically this is 11 pound difference but hey, (yes I love Duck Dynasty and use Si-lingo often), if you completely dodge the 10 pound goal and go straight for 11 pounds lost....who's complaining? Not me! 

Now back to why I only let myself get excited for just a minute. Before I started this blog I weighed in at a whopping 180 pounds. (That may not be huge to some people but for me, that is the biggest I have been and I didn't like what I looked like. So I am not trying to be offensive to anyone by saying if you weigh 180 pounds you are HUGE. What I am saying is when I weighed 180 I was HUGE). Anyways, I needed motivation so I started to blog about my journey when I weighed 177.8. My total weight loss as of today has been -25 pounds! Kind of a big deal right? I have 30 more pounds to go to hit my goal weight and believe me, I will get there!! 

So I'm seeing the number on the scale 155 and I jump for joy and than I think to myself "why is it that I feel the same that I did 25 pounds ago? Why do I look in the mirror and see this huge, overweight, unhappy person? Shouldn't I look at myself and notice a difference? Shouldn't I feel different?"

Why am I not feeling any different? Why do I still have these negative feelings toward myself? Guys, I am trying to sort all this out. I realize that being overweight may not be my issue exactly, it may only be a small part of the problem.  But for some reason I felt 25 pounds ago that if I could just lose weight that all would be well and I would be completely and utterly happy about myself and who I am. I have found this may not be entirely true. Has anyone else had these same feelings? How did you cope with them?

On a more positive note, I have noticed that I enjoy spending more time with the kids, I can keep up with them both and I am not getting tired as easily as before. I have also noticed that as a family we have been more happy.
(If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy). 

August 28th is the final weigh in for the Biggest Loser Contest that my work has been doing. As of this week I am in second place for percent of weight lost and I am in first place for inch loss!
I will update with the final results at that time.
On August 29th I will be starting AdvoCare's 24 Day Challenge. I will update more often with how I am doing throughout the challenge.  In a previous post I talked about how I love how Spark makes me feel. I just feel good. I don't feel overly energized, jittery, or a crash later. I just feel good. What's wrong with feeling good?

If anyone has some input on to why I am still having these negative feeling towards myself and what I can do to resolve these issues please don't hesitate to comment. I am needing some advice. Because I am pleased, thrilled actually, that I have lost a good chunk of weight, but hate that these feelings are still surfacing when I figured they would disappear with the weight.

I freaking did it!!!

Well folks I finally hit my 10 pound mark! It wasn't as easy as I assumed it would be. Actually it kicked my ass.....
I feel like the next 10 pounds will just fall off. I hope it does!
I have been doing things a bit different to help boost my weight loss journey.
I found out about some healthy weight loss supplements by a company called AdvoCare, and the only product I can take right now (because of the biggest loser challenge I'm doing at work) is Spark. I LOVE IT!!! It helps fill in the nutritional gap that most of us are missing and I honestly feel like it has increased my weight loss because of those added vitamins. It also gives me an increased mental focus. It is hard to explain but what I have been telling people is that I feel like everything is in HD after I drink it. I feel refreshed, motivated and energized. I'm not jittery, and there is no crash later!

Besides drinking this wonderful, delicious drink, I have also decided to give "clean eating" a try. I can honestly tell you that by eating clean I have felt so much better! I am not as hungry and feel more satisfied. and because I am eating clean I don't even get close to going over my weight watcher points! Which by the way decreased dramatically once I quit nursing! (stupid stupid stupid!)

The saying "What you eat in private shows in public" hit home for me and that is when I decided that if I want to feel and look AMAZING, SEXY, and skinny than I was going to have to put forth more of an effort to eat things that I could learn to love. So far so good.

And it has paid off! Just another reason why I am so excited that I have hit my 10 pound mark!

So are we ready for pictures????

Proof so y'all know I'm not lying ;)

Yucky...but it is still 10 pounds lighter than last time. 

I think my side view looks pretty good....

Front view comparison

Side view comparison

Looking at the comparison pictures is amazing!!! I am in shock!

Here is to another 10 pounds!!!!

Week 6- aka I kinda feel like a bad A

I about shat myself when I weighed in this morning- I did great all week except on Sunday I didn't track... So yeah, I was worried....
169.2 people!!!! -2.2 pounds from last week!!!
Do I feel amazing? Pretty much!
2 pounds shy of a 10 pound weight loss pic.
I'm starting to believe that I CAN do this! With a lot of dedication and jumping back on the wagon when I fall off.

On Monday I started couch to 5k.
It was hard.
Today it was easier.
Yes today was only week 1 day 2 but I feel good! It felt good!
I have shin splints that hurt like a biotch, but I'm gonna keep on keeping on!
I CAN DO THIS!

I am feeling so positive and this experience is exhilarating!
I will succeed!
I'm bringing sexy back!
G'nite all- here's to more amazing results!