Just a quick one...

So here I am (all weekend) thinking "as long as I stay in my calorie range, I can eat whatever!"

No.

I was very active this weekend, I stayed within my calorie range every day... and guess what?

I weigh 5 POUNDS more this morning than I did yesterday morning!

How is that even possible??

My only explanation is that my junk food finally caught up with me.

S'mores, potato salad, kettle corn, waffle fries... no more.

Checking in!

It's time to get ready for another week so I just wanted to check in with a few updates!

1. I love My Fitness Pal! I've used similar apps before but for some reason, I'm preferring MFP. It's so easy to log my meals and snacks throughout the day and see progress.

2. I've been so active this week... Patting myself on the back for this one. My goal was to exercise 5 times per week and I've done that.

3. My scale had not moved in over a month, other than those 2 pounds I gained back from vacation... It's finally going down. Those 2 pounds are gone plus 2 more!

4. Like my new living room accessory? (Not that stuffed animal!) I've been wanting an exercise bike for a while & I'm so glad I got it! I did 10 miles yesterday and burned a LOT of calories... All while catching up on my HGTV shows =)

5. I follow so many blogs and people on Instagram that are on their own weight loss journeys. It seems like they're all runners. I've been super intrigued by the thought of doing 5ks and starting to run... But at the same time I'm super discouraged because I'm letting my weight hold me back from actually running. I know I'm staying active and doing other exercises that I see results from so for now, I'm putting the idea of becoming a runner on the back burner... And that's okay!

I think that covers everything. Hope everyone has a great week!

My climb.

If you live in my area, you know what it means when some says "the v-school hill". 

It's just a road with a steep incline leading to our vocational school... It also happens to be a killer to walk.

I have really been wanting to try to walk up it and my friend Ashleigh finally talked me into it. This evening was my first attempt.

OH

MY

GOSH

I'm completely out of shape but whoa, that hill was a doozy. I didn't even try to count the number of times I had to stop and catch my breath / shake the numbness out of my legs / momentarily recover from shin splints. 

It was awful, horrible, embarrassing... All while Ashleigh hardly broke a sweat!!

Buuut, I can't wait to do it again!

Slow Motion

For the last month or so I've been in complete slow motion as far as my diet goes. Eating healthy has been hit or miss most weeks, which means I've made no progress. 

I really dread stepping on the scale in the morning.

When I finished my Avocare challenge back in April, I felt sort of lost without having a plan to follow. This resorted in me just 'winging' my day to day eating... and then my plans to walk 5 days a week eventually became me having to force myself to walk 4 or 3 or even 2 days a week.

I ordered my 10 day cleanse last week. Ashleigh & I had our 'last hoo-rah' meal tonight by consuming way to many calories... then we did our grocery shopping for the week. I just love my grocery shopping buddy =)

I'm prepared.

So tomorrow morning I'm stepping on the scale, having my Advocare fiber drink, swallowing some big pills and starting the 10 day cleanse again. I'm very excited to do it over and get back on track.

By the way, I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app so I'm going to give that a try, too!

Stay tuned for some updates on how things are going!

Where's my panic button?

Last weekend I downloaded a KY State Parks app on my phone and made a list of all of the places I wanted my family to explore this summer. First up on the list was Natural Bridge. It's only an hour or so away from home and I'd always heard great things about going. 

I was so excited, folks! Chad & I woke up early Saturday morning, had a lovely homegrown & organic breakfast then headed toward Slade, KY to set out on the dusty trail to Natural Bridge.

I'd researched. I'd looked at trail maps. I Googled. I felt prepared.

I've made progress but let me be the first to say I'm far from being in shape... therefore I KNEW I wanted to take the sky lift UP the mountain and hike back down. Simple enough, right? Eh, no.

 On the way up the mountain, on the sky lift. Peachy!

One of the many beautiful views we seen Saturday - at the top of the sky lift.

Chad looking towards the bridge - which was nearly covered in greenery.

Since this blog is all about my weight loss journey, I guess I have to tell you that once I seen what's in the above picture - named "Fat Man's Squeeze" - I turned around and said I would rather take any other route back down the mountain. I KNEW I couldn't fit through this.. and I did not want to embarrass myself by trying to do so in front of a group of people. Wellllll.... turns out this was my only option. It was a moment of panic. I didn't get stuck - I actually had plenty of room but halfway through this, I looked at Chad waiting for me on the other side and almost had a panic attack. If I had given it much thought, I would've probably started crying at that point... but I kept moving.

The view from underneath the bridge was so beautiful.

Can I just say I've never been so HAPPY to see stairs in my life?!

Now that I'm home, I can look back and say that I really enjoyed the hike. It was sooo hard. My legs have felt like they're cramping every time I walk since Saturday. BUT I'm so proud that I did it. Coming down that mountain was hard. I couldn't imagine hiking up... but eventually I want to try it. 

One thing that I constantly kept thinking during the trip was how my weight has never been as big of a burden on me than it was that day. I felt handicapped by it. I never want to feel like that again - let alone a life of it.

Our Family Vacation

Just so you know, Chad & I will celebrate our 7 year anniversary next month. In those 7 years we have not traveled any further than Tennessee or Ohio. We were LONG overdue for a good vacation!

We chose the Fort Walton / Destin area of Florida. Not really sure why... It was just the first place I thought of so I booked a room and off we went!

 I took this picture about an hour into our trip... it was about a solid 10 hour drive!

 We checked into our room late that night around midnight (1am home time). The next morning I was woke up by this little goggle face - ready to hit the beach!

 

 Ava's little toes meeting the ocean water for the first time =)

 First family beach photo!

 My sweet husband wrote this in the sand.

 So glad I snapped this picture at the perfect time. The waves, Ava & Chad running, the color of the sky, the birds flying... perfect!

 Here we are at The Gulfarium, waiting for the Sea Lion show. That place was beyond wonderful!
 

 We ate frozen yogurt... almost everyday!

Ava rode go-karts for the first time... and loved them! Pretty sure she's going to be a thrill seeker like her Daddy... she sure doesn't get that from me!

 Ava took this picture of Chad & I acting silly!

MORE frozen yogurt...

 Love this picture.

 We ate at a place called Gilligan's and had some awesome food with an awesome view.

 Sand, seashell, & salt water. Oh, how I miss it!

 And then we had to say goodbye until next year...

 ...but of course I brought 5 pounds of sand home with us in a ziploc bag =)

It was perfect.

Confessions & Goals

Confessions

1. I haven't blogged in nearly a month! Between vacation, work, and eating like a cow - I've found very little motivation to blog.

2. Before yesterday, I hadn't walked a single mile in over 2 weeks.

3. I've paid absolutely no attention to what I put in my mouth lately. Fries, POP, ice cream, fried chicken. No lie, it's been horrible.

4. I had a S'mores frozen hot chocolate & a chicken strip basket from DQ yesterday for lunch. That's about 1600+ calories in just one meal!

Goals

1. Spend more time outside. Ava loves for me to be outside with her but sometimes I'm seriously just too lazy to move by the time I get home from work and do dinner. No excuses this month!

2. 8 miles per week. Maybe this is a small number for you 5K'ers but for me, this is a number I'm comfortable with without setting myself up for failure.

3. Keep my calories under control! No more chicken strip baskets this month!!!!

4. I would LOVE to get over this plateau I've been stuck at for a month and drop another 10 pounds this month.

And now, some pictures from my 2 mile walk yesterday...

The little miss stopped next to me as I tried to catch my breath after jogging 2 feet (lol!) and told me we were not stopping until we finished TWO miles! Ok!

 Sweatin'

I may or may not have laid flat on the concrete after trying to jog...

And last but not least, my two little motivators that keep me moving!

Later this week, I'll be blogging about our awesome vacation in Fort Walton/Destin FL!

Evening Adventures

First off, let me say that my husband tried to take me hiking through logging country this evening... I had my new tennis shoes on and it was a swamp. I stomped back to the truck and refused to go on his wonderful nature walk he had planned!
(Yes, I acted like a drama queen for once)

On to the next stop, the reservoir that's less than one mile from my house (where I've lived for nearly 7 years) yet I had never been to this place. It's beautiful and so secluded.

No need in wasting space with a buncha words... on to the photos =)

Blurry but sweet. When did she become a big girl?! Seriously =(

Miley loved letting the wind blow through her lovely locks of hair!

See?

Got in a good leg workout by climbing this monstrous hill... loved every second of it.

Ta-Da! The reservoir!
I couldn't believe it was so beautiful and I had never seen it.

I'm becoming a nature lover.
I can't believe that either.

Seen a tiny little snake on my walk... the picture obviously makes it look bigger but it's really not. I thought about stomping it's head because I kinda thought it was a copperhead or something... but I had those new tennis shoes on =)

I love how this app encourages me and tells me good job =)

Me & my handsome feller


It's almost FRIDAY folks, have a good one!

Perfection.

It doesn't exist, okay?

Sometimes a girl needs some chocolate.

Sometimes a girl needs a break from her exercise routine.

Sometimes a girl needs a roll at O'Charleys.

Okay?

The scale is still going to move. The world is still going to turn. And you're not going to gain all 25 pounds back by eating one piece of birthday cake. 

Okay?

If I never allowed myself to enjoy things that everyone else seems to be ABLE to enjoy, I would get sooo mad and give up. That's my personality - maybe it's not everyone's.

I'm done =)

The Nitty Gritty

Vacation is less than 3 weeks away.

My bathing suit came in the mail yesterday.

I'm surprisingly happy with the top part of it.

The bottom... One word: balloon.

I look like a helium inflated black balloon.

BUT

I keep telling myself that I've made so much progress.

This is true.

What if I hadn't lost that 25ish pounds already?

How much more horrible would I be feeling about myself?

I've learned one thing for sure... I can't look at myself during this process and think negative thoughts. Big no no.

That turns into me feeling horrible, hateful, and wanting to eat the house down.

That's where this has all gone down hill in the past.

The weight isn't going to fall off over night... Maybe not even over the course of a year! But regardless, I'm having to constantly remind myself that I'm a work in progress... Especially when I'm standing in the mirror, looking at myself in my bathing suit, wanting to crawl in a hole and never come out.

Easy Fajitas!

I'm all about a good mexican dish I can fix at home... but if it involves steak - count me out! I've accepted the fact that I'm no good at fixing steaks. Chad literally asks me NOT to fix steaks.

BUT

I have a feeling my fate with steaks is changin'.

(not even going to take credit for this idea - thanks mom)

Quick, easy, & semi-homeade.

Yes, yes, & yes.

LIFE SAVERS!!!

Slice up some peppers, throw in the steak (just to heat it up), add a little seasoning & olive oil.

That's it!

Husband is gonna looooooove this =)