Week One - 2017

Howdy! If you're reading this, you'll know I survived week one of changing some things in my life! I didn't hit all my goals, but I definitely made some changes that I think I can stick with! So let's get into it, shall we? I'm sure you're dying to hear all about it!

-- I DIDN'T DRINK POP ONCE THIS WHOLE WEEK! Dr. Pepper and I have broken up, but we still love each other very much and will always cherish our time together...

-- I worked out TWO times this week. Pretty lame that I didn't make it even three times, but hey, it's better than zero! Does it count that I cleaned non-stop for hours every day, though?

 -- When I went to a fast food joint, I didn't order the usual onion rings and pop with my burger. NOW THAT'S A BIG DEAL!!! Yay, me! Baby steps!

-- As far as eating no sugar, I did fairly well. I did have a cup of lemonade and one cookie on Saturday, but I decided to let myself have one small treat every Saturday to prevent binging during the week. I call it a win. I could have eaten SOOOO much more sugar than I did! Pretty good for the first week, I'd say!

-- Water. Holy crap. I'm drinking SO MUCH WATER. I'm barely even eating, it seems. Compared to how much I wanted to eat before, I feel like there's something wrong with me now because my appetite is gone! Carrying around a water bottle all the time is the best thing for me!

And now for the big reveal....

I LOST 5 POUNDS THIS WEEK! WOOOOO!

Now to celebrate, enjoy these funny memes about pop, Dr. Pepper, and drinking more water!

Until next week! Stay tuned! Hopefully I'll lose another few pounds!!

**Have any tips/tricks for me? Comment or message me on FB with your suggestions!**

New Year, New Baby, New Stress, New Weight

Well, TWO years have gone by since I started this blog. Life definitely got in the way and I apparently gave up? I ended up getting pregnant in October 2016 after 3.5 years of trying to get pregnant! We now have 3 beautiful girls! Our new daughter is named Hallie Pearl Clarke, she was born on June 21, 2017, and she's the cutest thing ever. 

So, let's just dive right back into it here and talk about weight. Ugh. 

First of all, I was overweight before I got pregnant with Hallie. Now that miss thang is born and no longer making me fat, I don't have any excuses. Everyone keeps telling me to be patient and accept the fact that I just had a baby 9 weeks ago. Pfftt. Do you think I'm listening to any of them? OF COURSE NOT! I'm too stubborn and hard on myself to throw myself a frickin' bone and relax a little. ;)

Now, I know I won't lose weight right away and that it won't simply melt off of me, but I'm really hoping I can look in the mirror soon and not sigh out of disappointment. Wow, what a depressing blog post so far, eh? I guess I'm just being brutally honest right now. Moving on...

So here's the plan:

- NO SUGAR (I have to allow myself a little cheat day here and there or I'll go insane and binge.)

- NO POP ( Holy crap, this one sucks so bad already! Dr. Pepper, my love, I miss youuuu!)

- EXERCISE 30 MINUTES A DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK (Right now that means a walk on the treadmill! Starting small!) 

As far as some goals:

- Finish NOT LAST in a 5K race on October 14th in Calgary

- Lose 10lbs by Sept 21 (That's the first day of Salt Lake Comic Con with my sister!) 

- Go to bed before midnight every night and be awake and moving and stay moving by 9am (Yes, I know 9am is late for some people, but I despise mornings!) 

Now for the fun part. The picture of the scale. DUN DUN DUNNNNNN. 

Well, tharrr she be. The big ol' number that makes me cringe. So I'm telling that 263.3 to go to hell and never come back. :) I do have "before" photos, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough to put them on the internet. (I actually fell into my husband's arms and sobbed like a baby when I saw the before photos he took of me.)

It's time to take control of my life again. I want to be happier and more active. I want to be free from endless negative thoughts about myself. I want to be proud of myself. 

Little by little, I can get there. This will probably take at least a year or two to lose the weight, but hopefully with help from friends and family, I'll be able to do it! 



**Are you trying to lose weight as well? Comment or message me on Facebook and tell me your story! We can help each other!** 

Week 4

Well, I missed out on my Monday post! I decided to make it a family day and I didn't really even get on the computer that day! Yesterday was again spent with my kids which was much needed!

GOOD NEWS: I CAN WALK AGAIN!

I won't be working out on my legs/feet any time soon, but at least I can move around freely!

The last week I didn't get any working out done at all. Yeah, I know I'm not really going anywhere with this right now, but I WILL!

One really good thing is that I've been working on my happiness which will result in more willingness to work out!

This week is gonna be my ABS WEEK. IT WILL HAPPEN!

I did succeed at drinking lots of water and I always love the benefits of that! I will be trying to drink even more this week!

So here are the goals for the rest of this week/month:

MY MONTHLY GOALS FOR JULY:

-NO FAST FOOD FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JULY

MY GOALS FOR WEEK 3:

-ARM WORK OUTS 3 TIMES THIS WEEK

-SIT UP/CORE WORKOUTS (ones that don't require me using my gimpy foot) 3 TIMES THIS WEEK 

-DRINK LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER

Sorry I'm not very motivational for anyone right now. But this just goes to show that life isn't a fairy tale. Things happen. Obstacles show up. Life happens. I'm still going to push through and get the results I want! 

Until next week, friends! 

WEEK 3

Holy. Crap.

This last week has been terrible.

I never knew how much I moved around until I couldn't do it anymore! Do you know how many times you need to move around the kitchen to bake a cake and making frosting for said cake? A LOT.

My ankle injury has been making me quite grumpy. I haven't been able to do anything like a normal human being. Lemme tell ya, bed rest would NEVER would out for me. I went nuts! I felt like a prisoner! I thought I was actually super lazy, but in fact, I cannot handle SITTING ALL DAY LONG while the house around me bursts into horribly, messy, crumb-filled garbage flames!

I may have had a mini explosion of emotional expression towards my husband during the last week over how messy the house was! I can't wait for my full mobility to be back!

On another note- my kids yell at me when I don't use my crutches and try to do too much around the house. I guess that means they love me, eh?

Well, about today, I went to the chiropractor. I was so nervous. The thought of him even touching my ankle made my chest feel tight and I wanted to cry.

He did his chiro-y magic on me and taped and wrapped me up. I didn't officially cry, but I did have my hands over my entire face the whole time while squealing and gasping into my hands as I fought back the tears. He probably thinks I'm the biggest wimp. Ha!

I sure hope it heals well and quickly!

I want to get back out there and run again!

I want to do PiYo!

I want to clean the house!

I want to do laundry!

SCUUUUUURCH.

WHAT?

I want to do LAUNDRY? Yeah, it's gotten to that point. I clearly need to get out of the house and get more fresh air!

As far as my goals for week 2- I totally failed. Like insanely. I ate food like it was going out of style. I downed 3/4 of my daughter's birthday cake and I didn't work out ONE BIT. I DID eat asparagus, though! I never eat veggies! Does it matter that it was swimming in butter? hehe. :)

Like I said, overall it was a crappy week. But hey. I'm human. It happens. Here's to week 3!

 MY MONTHLY GOALS FOR JULY:

-NO FAST FOOD FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JULY

MY GOALS FOR WEEK 3:

-ARM WORK OUTS 3 TIMES THIS WEEK

-SIT UP/CORE WORKOUTS (ones that don't require me using my gimpy foot) 3 TIMES THIS WEEK 

-DRINK LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER

Week 2: SPEED BUMP A MILE HIGH

*le sigh*

I'm just gonna go ahead and start with this picture so you can get an idea of how I'm feeling at the moment...

It would be super awesome and totally rad if I could be like, "Oh, yeah, so I was on a 10 mile run and sprained my ankle" or "I was doing an insanely difficult and advanced yoga pose and sprained my ankle" or maybe "I was working out in the gym doing some epic squats and sprained my ankle," 

BUT...

I was standing in the backyard on top of a folding chair. I was taking a photo of the backyard because we needed to submit a photo to a dog rescue for our dog adoption application. I stepped off the chair with my right foot only, the injured one, and put all my body weight on the one foot. When I stepped down, I felt/heard it snap/crack. My brain went into panic mode as soon as I heard/felt that. It's weird that I don't know if it was heard or felt, but it was there! The doctor said that was most likely the tendon. So, anyway, I fell to the ground, cried like a baby with my face in the grass. I immediately thought, "I'm alone. Josh is working and won't be home for 4 days. Crap. Who do I call?" 

Luckily, I have AWESOME friends who came to my rescue! Now, while I was lying there wanting to die, I had a few thoughts. "Oh, crap. I'm gonna get so fat. Now I can't run. Oh, crap. Now I have to eat even healthier to lose weight. Noooooooooo!" 

Katie, my sweet 3 year old who has a birthday TODAY was with me in the back yard. As I cried, she comforted me and said, "It's otay, mom. The spiders won't eat you, otay?" She clearly didn't know WHY I was crying. haha. She was my little companion. She came to the hospital with me in all her princess glory and held my hand as she walked next to the wheelchair I was in. Love this kid...

Don't judge my living room. We live there. lol

Well, I guess I'll be baking her birthday cake while sitting in a chair today! It also looks like I'll need to attempt to get a refund or sell my ticket for the next 5K race I was going to run in August. Grrrr...

Okay, so now onto the good news from the last week...

I TOTALLY CHANGED THE WAY I EAT!

AND. I. ATE. VEGETABLES.

Yes, you read that right. Vegetables. 

I have started eating a good breakfast every morning which is so new for me! I also ate mainly chicken breasts with veggies for lunch and dinner. I avoided sugar, fast food, and processed foods. It was so weird for me! 

Oh! Guess what I did? I packed the cooler with carrot sticks, oranges, grapes and strawberries and snacked on that while I was in town for 5 hours running errands. I did it! I didn't stop for fast food! 

I also went into the dollar store and for the first time in the history of the world...I didn't buy a candy bar.  

YAY ME! 

I didn't get to work out 3 days last week. I was so so so busy with my salon, but that was so awesome! It was great for my business! I did go to a 2 mile run on Friday night, though. At least I did something! Baby steps! 

As far as weighing myself, that won't be happening for a while! I can't put any pressure on my right foot without wanting to die, so.....We will just have to wait for that!

Alrighty! Here are my goals again...

MY MONTHLY GOALS FOR JULY:

-NO FAST FOOD FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JULY

MY GOALS FOR WEEK 2:

-ARM WORK OUTS 3 TIMES THIS WEEK

-SIT UP/CORE WORKOUTS (ones that don't require me using my gimpy foot) 3 TIMES THIS WEEK 

-NO PROCESSED SUGAR (minus Katie's birthday cake)

-EAT EVEN MORE VEGETABLES AND TRY NEW ONES

Well, that's all for this week! I'm gonna go drug myself and elevate my ankle! IT HURTS! 

God Speed, my friends....

WEEK ONE

GOOD MORNING!

Something odd happened today. Something unheard of. Something...healthy?

I got out of bed before my kids.

RIGHT?!

I didn't do anything other than weigh myself and get dressed, but that counts for something, right?

Today is the day. The new day. The first day of many likely-sucky days when I will try to eat better and exercise more and probably whine and complain the whole time. But at least I'm doing it, so there! Ha! I win. Okay, not really. But sometimes a lazy girl has to trick herself into thinking she's awesome and totally winning at life.

Alright. The agenda today..

So far--

-- Get dressed. Check.

-- Take my very vital pills that cause are known to cause significant weight gain. Check.

Later in the day--

-- Go to town and get *GULP* healthy food, such as lots of fruits and veggies. Ew.

-- Exercise. I'll either go for a run outside, get on the treadmill, or do PiYo. Oy.

-- Clean the house. Talk about a workout...and the worst kind.

-- I also may have two clients coming by today. Giving manicures and pedicures isn't exactly promoting a healthy lifestyle or weight loss, but it is definitely beneficial for my social/mental health. I don't frequently leave the house or socialize a ton. So, yay me!

Oh, I didn't even tell you guys about my new career! I recently deserted/abandoned/traumatized my family by moving to Idaho Falls, ID alone for 10 weeks to finish my schooling. Don't worry, therapy will have my kids right back to their somewhat normal selves in no time! I am now a licensed Nail Technician and opened up a cute little home salon in my house! If you want to check out what I do, here's my FB page!

www.facebook.com/liquidglamournailsalon


OKIE DOKIE--

So here's the big fat ugly number all of you have been waiting for, right? The dreaded scale. Here we go. Here it is. I'm gonna post the picture now. In just a second. One more. Ugh. OK.

Well, there she be. That horrible number that's OVER 200. You may remember that I mentioned I weighed this much when I had my baby. Yeah, I don't have a baby excuse this time. BUT. I know I can do it. I know I can get down to the 170s and get my life back. Oh, and are you enjoying all that dust on the top of the scale? I clearly haven't used this bad boy in a while!

I should probably post photos of my lumpy-chunky-jiggly body in all its glory, but I'm too lazy to do that right now. I already got dressed for the day and that was hard enough. HA. The struggle is real, my friends. Ooh, I know! I'll take photos when I change into my workout clothes later today. Bet ya can't wait for those photos, eh?

Okay, so for a recap:

MY MONTHLY GOALS FOR JULY:

-NO FAST FOOD FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JULY

-WORK OUT AT LEAST 3 TIMES EACH WEEK FOR AT LEAST 30 MINUTES

MY WEEKLY GOAL FOR WEEK ONE:

-RUN/WALK/JOG 6 MILES THIS WEEK 

Well, it's time to start my day. Wish me luck. If any of you fellow lazy-ites are feeling like today is NOT the day to start, GET OFF THE COUCH, COMPUTER CHAIR, OR BED! Join me! If I have to do this, so do you!

Chunky ladies (and gents,) UNITE!

God speed, my friends...

A Little About Me....

Hi. Carmen, here. I'm a wife and mother of two girls. I have stress up to my eyeballs and I kinda sorta totally eat my feelings...like all the time.

Now, when I say eat my feelings, we're talking big time. The kind of emotional eating that has you ending the night with a ginormous food baby gut on the couch while binge watching Netflix.

The kind when you wake up feeling like you downed a couple bottles of vodka only to walk into the living room and kitchen to find that it was actually just the entire contents of your pantry and fridge. Whew. Not an alcoholic. I'm good, right?

But, wait, doesn't that just make me a foodaholic instead?

Well, this is my form of drunkenness...Whipping up a bowl of brownie batter and eating 1/2 of it before it even makes it to the oven. Going to the dollar store and loading up on all my favorite candy bars and eating ALL of them in ONE NIGHT. Making homemade nacho cheese dip and shoving it in my face by dipping 3 giant mounds of bread in it. Destroying a gallon of chocolate ice cream on my own within a few days. You get the idea...I like food.

If I'm happy, I eat. If I'm sad, I eat. If I'm excited, I eat. If I'm celebrating, I eat. If I'm mourning, I eat. Okay, okay, I clearly like to eat. I think I'm painting a pretty clear picture here. 

Now what am I going to do about it? 

Well, here's where YOU come into play. I need help. I need to be accountable for all this abuse my poor body is receiving. And...

I. NEED. TO. LOSE. WEIGHT.

My fat pants? Yeah, those are now my "maybe some day I'll fit into those again" pants. It's THAT bad. We've gotten to THIS level. 

Last year I was in the 180s and now I'm around 210lbs. Yup. The AWESOME 200s. Aren't they the best? GRR. I'm 5'6 and I've always weighed more than I look, but this is just too much. I was 215 when I went into the hospital to have my last baby and now I'm that same weight again and not a baby in sight? NOT COOL. 

My ultimate goal would be to weigh around 150lbs, but REALISTICALLY speaking, I would like to be in the 170s. Believe it or not, when I'm 170lbs, I'm around a size 8 or 9 which is fantastic for me. I don't want to be a stick. I want to keep my curves, but right now I'm looking like a big lumpy sack of muffin top lard. So let's change that, yes? 

Here are my initial goals which will be starting on Monday, July 6, 2015--

- NO FAST FOOD FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

- Exercise (walk, run, yoga, etc) at least 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes

- Run at least ONE race per month. I've run races in April, May, and June so far. Hopefully I can find a July race, but if I can't, I'll pick up again in August. 

______________________________________________________________

So here's what I'm going to do.

Every MONDAY morning, I will take a photo of my scale and post it on the blog. I'll let you know how the previous week went and if I totally failed or kinda sorta succeeded. 

EVERY MONDAY- I will start a new challenge for that week. Examples are "do yoga 3 days this week" or "no processed food this week" or "no bread/carbs this week." 

I would love any words of advice or encouragement as I go along this journey. Feel free to comment or email me if you want to talk to me about it. 

It's time for a change. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired and fat. 

ARE YOU FEELING LIKE ME, TOO? Talk to me! We can help each other! 

LET'S DO THIS! 

SI, SE PUEDE!!!