180 to 360: The (un)Transformation Story

I have thought about writing this post for weeks.  And I struggled and still am struggling getting words to form sentences that will make sense to anyone who is not in my head.  But, It is important that I tell you about my 360* transformation.

In 2012, I made lifestyle changes to lose weight and improve my health.  I weighed 208 pounds.  I worked hard to slowly improve the lifestyle of me and then my family.  I got down to 147 pounds.  I had made a complete 180* transformation with my health and lifestyle.  I was very strategic in making one lifestyle change at a time.  I would work on it for a couple of weeks and incorporate or layer in something else.

Today, I weigh 181 pounds.  Seriously, what the fudge happened?  How did I get back to where I almost started?  (Now, you are questioning my street cred.  Trust me, I have been, too.)

I noticed my scale creeping up.  My clothes weren't fitting anymore.  Seriously, what the fudge happened?  The answer isn't profound.  I don't have an underlying physical health issue causing me to gain weight.  I stopped meal planning and prepping.  I stopped exercising.  I stopped feeling like I had control over my life.  Yes, I know that I do not need to control every single detail of my life. 

The pictures above you thing should be swapped, but they are in chronological order.  The one on the left is 2 years ago...and the one on the right about 3 weeks ago.



 



 Well, let's recap what happened since I hit my goal weight (150#): my marriage came to an end, I had to adjust to single parenting/co-parenting, I gave up my gym membership,  I moved, I started a new job, my divorce was finalized, and I ran into financial issues.  This all caused me to lose focus on my health, physically and mentally.

OK, so I had a lot going on...but that is no excuse.  And, I am very ashamed of myself, because I have always truly had the control my food, drink, and exercise.  You may think I am being hard on myself, but I am not.  I am not, because I am the one to blame for this transformation.  Just like I was responsible for losing 61 pounds.  No one told me what to eat or not eat and what exercises to do when I was losing weight.  That was all me.  No one forced me to stop meal planning and prepping or exercising.  Again, all me. 

About a year ago, I was talking to a friend about how I was gaining late.  She was quick to blame a friend who I had been hanging out with.  We would go out for a bite to eat and drinks about once a week. He never forced me to order fries or cocktails.  That was what I ordered. 

 



Recently, we were talking about it again.  She was quick to say that I am gaining because of my new love.  He has very little to do with the weight I have gained in the past two months.  If anything, he is encouraging and supportive of a healthy lifestyle, because that is his goal too.

So, what am I going to do to turn another 180*?  I am going to take back control.  First, the girls (my daughters) are going to have to suck up and eat what I make for meals.  We need to dial in the convenience foods (going out to eat and kiddie foods).  I need to plan and prep healthful meals for my family and me.  I need to exercise daily.  I have the tools through Beachbody to do this - support, encouragement, and health programs.  Just as I am a coach to others, I have a coach and a network of awesome coaches to help me.

Baked chicken, baby potatoes, and green beans

I was intrigued by this recipe that kept showing up in my newsfeed on Facebook.  I was intrigued because it looked simple and healthy.  As a single mother, two of the most important things regarding mealtime for my daughters and I are that it is simple and healthy.  I would say the most important would be that the kids like it and don't complain.

I did not save, share, bookmark, or pin this recipe.  But, I did remember that it was chicken, potatoes, and green beans in a baking dish.  If I couldn't find it on the interwebs, I couldn't be that hard to try to figure it out.  I trusted my very knowledgeable friend, Google, to point me in the right direction.  Google did not steer me wrong.  I found the recipe in a millisecond.  The original recipe asked for a stick of butter and a few other ingredients that I did not have on hand.  I had to make a few modifications.  Also, I just enough to feed the kiddos and me plus enough for lunch.

What you need:

• Oven
• 9x13 Baking Dish
• Olive Oil Spray
• Olive Oil
• Chicken Breasts (I used 3)
• Washed and Quartered Baby Red Potatoes
• Frozen Green Beans
• Italian Seasoning
• Mozzarella Cheese (optional)
• Foil

What you should or could  do:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.
2. Spray baking dish with olive oil.
3. Place chicken in middle of baking dish.
4. Assemble potatoes and green beans on either side of the chicken.
5. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
6. Sprinkle cheese on chicken breasts (optional).
7. Cover top of baking dish with aluminum foil.
8. Place in preheated oven.
9. Wait for about an hour.  Check Facebook, read my blog, work out, or help your kids with their homework.
10. Remove from oven.
11. Remove foil.
12. Serve on plates.
13. Enjoy!

21 Day Fix 2/3rds review

I am 2/3 of the way through the 21 Day Fix. I have not followed the program to a T, and have seen some results. This has done two things for me:


It lets me know that the changes this are sustainable. Maintenance will not be a problem, because I know there will be times in my life that I will want/need to indulge in temptation.


Motivates me for round 2! What motivates you to keep going, like seeing progress!?


Here are some of my overall thoughts on the program:


I have tried various ways of meal planning in my past. I didn't stick with those. Or found ways to end up at ____ restaurant or fast food joint. But, seriously sitting down and planning out and prepping the food my family and I are going to eat for the week is actually a time and money saver. Yes, it takes a few hours out of my Sunday afternoon, but come Thursday when my brain is mush and making another decision is about as difficult as brain surgery, it is so very nice to not have to think about or decide what to come up with for dinner. And, I have saved some cash, because we/I did not dine out.


My energy levels are up. The reasoning behind the color coded containers is to make sure you are getting all the vital vitamins, minerals, and macro-nutrients you need to sustain your health and put you on track to lose weight. I noticed that when I eat food that is not “fix approved” I feel slow,sluggish, bloated, or overall gross. Eating according to the food plan, I feel vibrant.


I am also enjoying a better quality of sleep. Even on nights where I don't get the amount of sleep I would like, I still wake up feeling rested.


With the girls activities, it is still easy to fit in exercise. Each day, there is a 30 minute work out. Really, it is 40 with the time it takes me to change in to my work out clothes, and drive to the gym and check the kids into daycare walk out into the living room, push play, and get my work out on. I can tell my body is firming up too! My jeans are fitting better.

I personally, am going to take a week "off" before I start round two!  Let me know if you are interested in joining me on my adventure!

Quick Intro

I think there comes a time in everybody's life where they think, “How the _____ did I get here?” It is particularly disheartening when you think you have been doing everything right or when you know the hand you were dealt was stacked against you the whole time. I have asked myself the “How the ____” question a lot through out my life. And, there are instances where I know in my heart that I did everything “right”. There are also instances where I was put into a tough situations. In either case, I could have handled it in a way that (in the long run) I would not have been proud of myself, but it would have been easier to say or do something potentially damaging.

Rough patches seem to be a common theme in my life: from my birth to my current situation. It is not always easy to stay positive or even want to continue working/moving forward with my head up. I find ways to push through my negative experiences, even when it feels like I am digging closer to rock bottom rather than climbing out. There have been times where I have felt all alone in whatever I was dealing with, and other times where I felt I had a huge army of support. In many of these situations, I believe that I cannot possibly be the only one who is dealing with this. There has to be someone else out there in a similar boat. Or maybe, if I am pioneering this problem, someone can learn from me or know that he/she is not alone.

One night a few months ago, I spontaneously asked a friend to meet me for dinner. He is a single dad having primary physical custody of two sons. I am a single mom of two daughters (my ex-husband and I have joint custody). Our kids were being kids, and we were talking about the struggles and stigmas of being divorced, single parenting, working full-time, etc. We manage to interject humor through out the conversation. We got on the subject of winning the lottery. My reply was something to the extent of I would buy a house (still in my community), travel during the summers, work part-time. He on the other hand, said that he would find away to give and work for the less fortunate. It was so touching, and says a lot about this man's character. 

When we got home, I got the girls and myself to bed, and continued to think about what he said. I felt sort of selfish in my response of only doing for my daughters and myself. I thought about the struggles and injustices we discussed earlier in the night. I thought about how far I had come in my journey, and the times I felt discouraged. In the times of discouragement, I couldn't find the resources I needed to get me through. I had this friend and a few others point me in a few directions, but it took a lot of work for me to unearth the tools and resources I needed to get me on the path I wanted to be on. In that moment, I knew I had to do something. Something to help people who can relate to my story.