Turkey Foot

I guess if you're not from this part of Kentucky, you're probably wondering what a turkey foot is and why it's my title... It's actually a place about 5 miles from my house and it happens to be the best place ever to walk. It's also where we spent our evening, today!

[picture overload, ahead]

Miley enjoyed the ride very much.

Where I walked...

As I walked around the roads, I could look down and see Chad & Ava playing in the water =)

Miley became a nature girl and drank from the creek!

Ava walked with me for a few minutes...

I also used this awesome app "Everybody Walks" that tracked the length of my walk, time, and calories burned.
For the record, it really didn't take me THAT long to walk the 1.1 miles but I didn't hit the "Stop" button all of the times I had to stop and yell at Ava or for each time Miley had to stop and mark her territory 13 times. I'm in love with nature walking now, though - that's for sure!

Guess what?

This girl is going on vacation!

Where?

Fort Walton Beach, Florida!

Chad, Ava, & I have never done a vacation this big together. The last time we went to Tennessee together was about 4 years ago so this is a pretty big deal!

Guess what else? I'm still fat. Obviously... since I have about 150 pounds to lose... I'm no where near beach ready - but I'm not going to turn down a vacation because of that. Besides, I'm a work in progress and I'm okay with that!

I'm still on a mission to lose at least 10-15 pounds within the next 24 days. 10 pounds would be reasonable so I'm okay if that's as much as I lose... I'm doing it the healthy way, with some help from Billy Blanks.

Who is Billy Blanks?

The Tae Bo master... who makes me sweat down my butt crack =) 

After about 25 minutes of old skool Tae Bo-in'

I've also started this!

I'm hoping to tone my legs as much as possible so I can at least wear one of those skirted granny bathing suits without feeling completely embarrassed. Yeah right... lol

Have a good week!

Our Evening Walk

So after our (less than a mile) walk, Miley's butt was dragging and I was pretty sure she was going to pass out so I had to pack her back to the house! 

In other news, my scale isnt moving. I've basically lost this first 20ish pounds without exercise. Although Ava & I walk most evenings, I really wouldn't consider this strenuous exercise... not gonna lie, I hardly sweat during that time. Soooo, now that I'm plateaued at this weight, I'm finally motivated to get off my butt and get the rest of this weight OFF by committing 100%.

I'd love to keep typing away and catching up since I've been MIA on the blog - but I took some sleeping meds a while ago in order to avoid insomnia tonight so I think it's time to go.

Have a happy FRIDAY! 

Weekend Recap

Another busy weekend with beautiful weather & lots of laundry =)

What better way to recap, than pictures?

Bitty Twins & Ava buckled in and ready to go!

Look how CHUBBY Jace has gotten! He's one month old today =)

We did a little painting...

I hate mules... but they're so photogenic =)

Ashley & I decided to go to Fazoli's on Sunday before we got groceries... seriously, can anyone go to Fazoli's and not get one of their cookies? I can't.

I chose this Tuscan Pizza Flatbread off of Fazoli's light menu... it was under 500 calories (not counting my 2 breadsticks and big cookie) and it was really good!

OH! I also got my very first spray tan at Sun Tan City. Needless to say, I'm HOOKED. My hands may have a few little spots that aren't perfect but I've really missed being tan. Love it!

That's all I've got. It's Monday and I'm SO tired today... Adios.

Saturday Randoms!

This is going to be another one of those quick & random blog posts, recapping the last few days!

 

 As I said earlier this week, I finished the 10 day cleanse and have moved on to using the MNS Advocare products to finish up the 24 day challenge.

Along with the MNS Advocare products, I also get to have this delicious meal replacement shake. I'm not even trying to promote Advocare when I say how amazing this shake is. Not sure about all of the other flavors but Chocolate Mocha is GREAT! Definitely going to be purchasing this as one of the products I continue to use after the challenge is over!

A picture of scrumptious chocolate donuts surely doesn't belong on this blog but this is an example of what my husband brings into the house as I'm trying to eat better. Supportive? NO!

So I've lost a total of 20 pounds now since starting this weight loss journey back in March. I'm so happy and proud of myself, for once! I've finally started to notice that my clothes fit just a tad bit different and I've worn a few dresses that had been in my closet for over 6 months because they had gotten too tight. It's such a good feeling... but you know what I'm MOST excited to fit back into?

  My beautiful wedding set! 

I haven't been able to wear it in way over a year and I miss it being on my finger so bad. I know that a wedding set is really just a material possession, but to me it signifies my marriage - that means so much to me. Chad & I decided to get married when we found out I was pregnant so there was never an official proposal which makes me kind of sad if I dwell on it... and we had been married a full year before we even purchased these rings but I know it made Chad feel good to be able to put those on my finger... and maybe that makes these rings that much more special to me.

 (and yes, I did have an original white gold wedding band but when I was pregnant and gained weight, Chad insisted I wear my wedding ring on my pinky finger since it no longer fit my ring finger... and I lost it!)

I try those rings on at least once a week to see if they're any closer to fitting. I remember my weight when I wore them last so I know it will still be a while before they'll slide on down.

I hope everyone has a great weekend =)

The results are in...

I've just finished up the Advocare cleanse, which is days 1-10 of the challenge. The full challenge is 24 day so I'm only about half way through, but I thought I would go ahead and post my results thus far.

As I've said before, being organized and planning ahead has been KEY to doing good! 

During my 10 days, I lost a total of 7.5 pounds! I couldn't be any happier with those numbers, guys! I know that it seems nearly impossible and unhealthy to lose that amount of weight in a short period of time but you have to remember that this isn't just pounds of fat coming off. This is a CLEANSE so anything that may have been built up inside of you, comes out... (insert grossed out face emoji) but seriously its definitely a "gentle" cleanse. No moments of panic trying to rush to a bathroom!

I would say that during the 10 days so far, I followed the Advocare guidelines as close as possible, which would probably come out to about 90-95%. 

I know this is short and sweet but I have about 5 minutes before I have to leave for work and didn't want to leave anyone hanging, waiting for my results.

Also, I've started the second part of the cleanse and just had my first Chocolate Mocha meal replacement shake. OMG I'm seriously in love. You can't taste one healthy thing in it =)

Have a great Friday!

Food for thought.

I've had so many questions from people about AdvoCare & I love sharing the little bit of information I know about it thus far!

Along with the questions, I try to make a point to mention the fact that this isn't just a "fad diet" that you do for the 24 days of the challenge and then continue eating cheeseburgers and fried chicken.

Common sense tells you that when you put good, nutritious food in your body, your health will improve.

AdvoCare is just a beginning for me. Not a diet. I needed to learn how to plan my meals and make wiser food choices and Advocare requires me to do that. I don't ever plan on going back to my old ways of eating fried foods that were full of preservatives and fat. A cheat meal every now and then is fine... but not a month or year of cheat meals. My body is in the shape it is currently because of those bad choices!

When my 24 day challenge ends, I plan to continue eating exactly the way I have during the challenge.

And I'll leave you with something a little less serious...

Breakfast for Dinner

Yes, another clean recipe! Full of nutrients, not fat =)

You'll need:
Turkey breakfast sausage

Eggs or eggwhites (or both!)

I also added spinach & onions but those are optional.

I had some eggs and egg whites that were about to go bad so I used them both.

The turkey fries up exactly the same as regular sausage - minus the grease!

It looks pretty disgusting at this point...

 

And VOILA! Delish & CLEAN!
Added some whole grain toast with Parkay spray butter on the side.

I topped mine of with a little Frank's hot sauce for a little spice!

Happy Weekend!

It's finally Saturday! Had to work this morning but I spent the rest of my day snuggling this little guy...

Advocare is still going great! Planning has been the KEY to staying on track for me. This morning I packed my breakfast, snack, & lunch for the day because I had to work this morning... and I love planning ahead like this. If I hadn't been prepared, I would have easily slipped up and gone off track. As I said before, I NEED this type of organization in my life to do good. That's one of the best things about this program... as I'm doing it, I'm learning so that I can continue with eating this way after the challenge is over.

And I'll leave you with some adorable pictures of cuddly little Jace...

I love this picture. Mainly because my hair is doing a fantastic job of covering my 10 pound double chin!

LOOK how squishy!

4 Ingredient Clean Spaghetti

After last nights FAIL of a dinner, I wanted to try to redeem myself in the kitchen tonight. Quick, easy, and only a few ingredients = my kind of supper! 

You'll need:

Italian style ground turkey

Whole grain (not whole wheat) spaghetti noodles

Organic pasta sauce

Spinach leafs (optional)

That's it! throw your ingredients together the way you would normally fix spaghetti and you're done. You end up with a really delicious meal and it's 100% CLEAN!

No preservatives

No fillers

No unnecessary fats

Everything is good for you!

 

  

I portioned this out for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow for Chad & I. When I say this was good, I really mean it was GOOD. I could have easily overate on this stuff... it's just spaghetti! The only difference between this spaghetti and your average spaghetti is the lack of nutrients in the others!

Advocare Day 3

Okay, I promise this isn't another step by step post about my day but just a few things I wanted to share...

Ava brought a cowtale home from school...

I LOVE cowtales. She opened it, took one bite, and laid it on the arm of the chair I was sitting in. So guess what happened? Nothing. I looked at it, lusted over it for one second and reminded myself that it was a big no-no. Yay!

I finally tried an Advocare Slam - their version of a 5 hour energy (minus all the bad ingredients). It was really tasty and perked me up quick! LoL!

I decided I wanted to get crafty for supper and do something with the Quinoa.

I used the above ingredients and ended up with this...

Not gonna lie... it wasn't wonderful. I ate it - I even had seconds, but I don't think I'll be making this specific meal anytime soon. Maybe I used too much Quinoa or too much pasta sauce? Not sure but don't try this at home =) I expected it to be more like pasta, less like rice but it was complete opposite. I will find a good recipe and make something better, promise!

Day 3 has been just as successful as days 1 & 2. I'm still loving these products and I'm amazed at how good I continue to feel as I keep eating better. I haven't even craved DQ's chicken strip basket once!

The sun is about to set and I have a little 6 year old full of energy so we're heading outside to burn some calories and enjoy the weather.

Happy Hump Day!

What a feeling!

Can I just talk about how good I'm feeling?

I haven't had coffee in over a week. 

I haven't had pop in over a week. 

I haven't had a caffeine head ache at all!

I have energy! 

And not the kind of jittery, in a frenzy kind of energy either. Just normal, feel good, get through the day without feeling sluggish energy.

The fact that I'm planning my meals and preparing them ahead of time makes me feel so good about what I'm doing. I make sure I know what I'll be eating the night before. I make a schedule for each day of what I'm eating at what time of the day. I'm the type of person who NEEDS this type of organization in their life.

 I'm sleeping like a ROCK... aside from when I have to get up to pee (since I'm drinking a gallon of water every day. No, seriously.) I'm getting in the bed well before midnight and I'm waking up 45 minutes earlier than usual... yet I feel wonderful - all thanks to Advocare and the good food choices it requires me to make!

AdvoCare Day 2

I'm going to go ahead and apologize to anyone who couldn't care less about my AdvoCare challenge because I'm pretty sure that's all my mind will be on for the next... 22 days =) 

 I had my yummy Mango Strawberry Spark this morning as I got ready for work... and don't you love my cute shaker I found at Family Dollar? I do!

I decided to have a smaller breakfast this morning.

Fiber drink, oatmeal, 1 banana

Snack 1 - Cutie patooties & almonds (very filling!)

 Today I got stuck with the horrible 10am lunch hour. How awful, right?

So when I came home at 10, I fixed a chicken salad (chicken, light miracle whip, onions, pickles) on whole grain bread and stuck it in a ziploc bag to take back to work with me along with some pineapples on the side. The problem is that I'm really not supposed to eat while I'm working but Advocare doesn't care! Advocare says eat every 3 hours... so I shall obey =)

Snack - Banana & Grape Spark which tastes just like grape kool-aid!

Dinner - no picture... Ava had ballet tonight so we were in the car at dinner time. I took the rest of the chicken salad I had for lunch along with some carrots and hummus.

Also, I got some fun mail today! I got my distributor kit from Advocare with a bunch of their Slam energy drinks and some new Spark flavors!

I really hope I'm not boring everyone with all of this because it is so wonderful! I can't even say that enough...  I'm not going to do any results until the end of the 24 days but can I just say that the scales are already moving!