No Scale!!

I have known for years that the number on the scale really doesn't matter. I am 5'2" 190lbs and based on these numbers have a BMI of 34.7

"Your BMI is 34.7, indicating your weight is in the Obese category for adults of your height." 

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/english_bmi_calculator/results_obese.html?pounds=190&inches=62

What this doesn't tell you is how much body fat I have? Or if I have any other medical conditions that are causing this or even how much I work out. 

Ladies the number on the scale is a lie. Sure it is a way to measure yourself but it is not who you are. You are so much more..

This is where I am at today and How I am going to change.

After a month of watching what I eat and having binge days and/or meals during that time, heck one week I got off track for 4-5 days, I have lost 6.4 pounds. On June 16 2014 I weighed in at 196.4 today July 24 2014 I weighed in at 190. It is depressing to work so hard and see so little results on that scale even though I know that is not the whole picture.

I feel better. My pants are not as tight and I can see a flatter stomach. I will get there but over the next six weeks I am taking part in a #SixWeeksScaleFreeChallenge. 

For six weeks I will not get back on that scale. 

I will keep a food journal like I have been doing but I will also be writing down my feelings when I eat or what triggered the binge. I am female, I know that I am hormonal and I times I am going to want to crave my emotions by eating... Ice Cream, Chocolate, Wine, Pizza, Wine you get the picture. Writing down my feelings or how I feel after a meal will help me to see what causes my relationship to food to be so bad.

I will work on me. Not only in the gym and in the kitchen, but my emotional and spiritual well being. I am going to following the Made to Crave Study and re-read this book. I am going to study the Bible Everyday and spend 2 minutes with God! #20minuteGodChallenge.

I am going to work on my planks, double-unders and pull-ups. I am setting physical goals for myself and push to get there.


I am going to get healthier without having a relationship and weekly date with the scale!!

Iron Tribe and Paleo Living

On February 24, 2014 I went to a Try the Tribe workout..... Run, Squats, Situps, Kettlebell swings, run... Say What!!!!!

I have been working out off and on for a past year or so at home, but really had no idea how out of shape I was! Yeah it was bad... but at the same time I Loved it! This is my type of workout. I work out better in a group when I have not only time to compete against but other people. Sure we may not being doing the same weights, but finishing last is not something I am good at. Well at least this is how I start off at Tribe.

In the first month of Tribe I  learned how to eat properly on the Paleo Lifestyle. Cutting out diary wasn't really that hard for me because I have been drinking almond milk for a few years now. I did however eat yogurt a good bit. After only 4 week at tribe I was down 6 inches even though my weight had stayed the same. I decided to add back in a few things, rice and tortillas. Bad idea. I learned quickly that my body did not like these things. As most people go after about 6 weeks I had started settling into my old ways. Ice cream, Yogurt, Stuff Crusted pizza from pizza hut you name it.. Oreos too!!

Well enough is enough. On the First of May I had a realization. Things had to change. It was time for me to totally commit. I was getting stronger at Tribe but my body weight was going no where. Food is my real enemy!! So for the last 4 days, going on 5 now I have really tighten in my food.. Here is what I have been eating.

I feel so much better!!!

This week in Tribe I hit a new PR for Back Squats 185# at a 3RM. 

I also ran for the first time more then 400m. 800m in 6:38mins

#whyitribe

Faith and the Single Mom 2013

“We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.” -2 Corinthians 5:7-9

As a single parent we have the responsibility for everything when it comes to our kids. Not only do we have to feed and clothe them, but we have to make sure they go to school, have a roof over their heads, take them where they have to be and make sure they are being raised with manners and with a moral compass. At the same time, we have to deal with our own rejection from our ex-spouse or lack thereof and figure how to support our child(ren), in the ways that they need it.

 When our jobs seem threatened or our finances are not in order we tend to totally panic. Will the child support show up on time? Will it even show up? Some single parents have an ex-spouse that pays their child support on time and is there still to help with the kid(s). For some of us though there may have never been an ex-spouse in the picture or they disappear without a trace. Sometimes it is for the good of the child(ren) and other times it is the ex-spouse being selfish, childish or just plain irresponsible.

Have you ever heard that God will not give us more than we can handle? This is not only a saying but it is found in the bible: 1 Corinthians 10: 13 “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” However we know that bad things happen to “good” people and sometimes it just makes no sense. Of course when it comes to faith we do not what is really going on with someone. They can say that they are a Christian, go to Church every time the doors are open, be active in their church and tithe but we really don’t know their heart. Only God does. He promises not to give us more than when we can handle when we are with him. Once we start drifting he may do things to bring us back.

In Sunday school this last Sunday we were studying the book of Mark like we have been doing most of this year. In the verse Mark 11:15-19 it talks about how the priest made things convenient for those that came to the temple to give their sacrifice during Passover. At the temple the prices were highly inflated and Jesus did not want his father’s house made of a den of robbers. We ventured off into the subject that if something like that was convenient was it really a sacrifice? Sure it cost them money they may not have but it was not something they cared for or would no longer have to feed their family. Convenience can make things a sin because it makes things others than God the priority in our lives.

Just like with our health and fitness we have to work consistently on our relationship with God. Just like we can’t wrap ourselves healthy or take a pill to fix our health problems, we can not attend church once a week and expect us to have a relationship with God and for him not to give us more than we can handle because we are not really in our faith with him. We are those hypocritical Christians that says we are Christians but we do whatever we want because we are saved and we can do what we want. Well we all know that this is not true. When things are going wrong in our lives we need to look at our relationship with God. Maybe he is bringing on the anxiety and stress so we will turn back to him. Maybe he is giving us insomnia so we will be brought to our knees before him.

Single Parenting and Baseball: How are they alike?

I am a baseball Mom! I have 2 boys that are all about some baseball. For us it is a year round sport. Did you even know that you can play baseball year round? Well you can. I have an 8 and 11 year old. Both boys play park ball and the older one plays travel baseball. This is our first year. And I say “Our” not “His” because someone has to take him to the practices and all the games. We also play Fall Park Baseball and Spring Baseball though the older one may not be able to play Park ball come spring due to Travel Baseball and games tournament schedules.

Here we are a little over two weeks in and we have had more practices then I can count on two hands and I am feeling exhausted. My older one is playing in the Major League and the little one is in Minor League. For my little one it is his first year in kid pitch baseball. After watching a few of his practices I got to think about how baseball at the many different levels is a lot like life and being a single parent.

When you are a kid all you want to do is be in the infield because that is where the most important and best players are. All the kids want to be the best. No one wants to play in the outfield. I mean really think about it. How many kids do you see ask the coach, “Hey Coach I want to be centerfield?” I know that is a song but it is not reality. It is the same for us Single Parents who were once married. I know that some people today are choosing not to find a spouse before having a baby but the norm is to get married and then have a baby. But then something happens and the marriage falls apart and all of a sudden we are in the outfield. We are Single Parents trying to get by. We lose our dreams, some income and sometimes our sanity it feels like. We want to be the infielders, part of the team and not stuck out there by ourselves. What most kids don’t realizes that as they move from Park Ball to Travel to High School and College, the outfield becomes one of the most important positions on the team. Yes you have to have a good pitcher and catcher but if you have an outfield that can’t catch a ball you are going to be in big trouble. So for us single parents we have to learn to enjoy being single parents while we are out there in the outfield. We should be focusing on ourselves and our kids before trying to get back into the infield, aka dating or marriage. If not we become lousy infielders and get moved right back out to the outfield. 

So how can we focus on ourselves? Our kids?

I have found that for me I need to focus on my faith and health to be the best mother I can be. When either of these start to slack off, I can tell a big difference. When I don’t pray and/or studying the bible regularly things seem to fall to pieces. When I eat junk and don’t exercise I feel sluggish and I get very irritable. When these two things are in check I am a better mother. Once I have it together I then need to focus on my kids. Now I am not saying ignore them until the others are taken care of, but I need to be consistently working on all three things. The kids have school and baseball. They need to be taught responsibility, good habits, be encouraged & guided to growth their faith and they need to be kids too. They need to have some fun. For my boys that means some time on the computers or xbox, playing wall-ball or shooting targets with their airsoft guns. Summers are spent hanging out with their friends in the pool or camping out in the many tree houses in the neighborhood.

Beachbody helps me be able to be there for my kids. I can get a great workout in at home and if the kids are feeling it that can work out with me too. It gives me the opportunity to own and work my own business from home and hopefully one day be able to  fire my boss (or at least go part time) and be able to spend more time with the kids.

You have to find what works for you and stick with it. If you are a single parent out there find other single parents you can talk to or hang out with that will not pressure you to date or marry again quickly. You cannot move back into the infield until you are ready. That might take a year or two and it may take until the kids are in college. Everyone is different. We have to take care of ourselves before we can take care of anyone else. 

Single Parents & Get Results Quick Schemes

I have been doing a lot of Personal Development here lately. Some of it has been reading a book by John Maxwell with my team of beachbody coaches and some has been on my own during the long drives I have taken for certification. You can listen to a book or two on a 12 hour drive.

So what have I learned from all of this? Something I knew but maybe needed driven home to me more by these great authors and motivators. There are NO, none, nada, Get Results Quick Programs out there to build wealth or lose weight or find your Prince Charming or Princess for you single dads out there.

As Single Parents we are strapped for time and sometimes strapped for cash. When we want something for ourselves or maybe even our kid(s) we want to in the least amount of time possible and for the least amount of money too.  How many companies are out there today that promise you that you can make $500 in the first month or week all by and/or using and promoting their products?  On the same note, how many companies are out there that say here take this pill, drink this drink or wrap your body to get toned sexy abs or booty without changing your lifestyle any and no exercise is required? You can see results in as little as 48 hours. I mean really folks, how gullible has our society become?  I don’t have to work hard, I can eat all the junk food I want and never get off the couch but I can make $500 a week and look like a model.

Well sorry to tell you the bad news but most of us know that this isn’t true. However there are a few of you out there that fall for every get results quick schemes that come along.

At this point you might be saying, “Hey aren’t you a Beachbody Coach? Don’t they sell a Shake that helps you to lose weight and exercise DVDs that say you can get results as in little as 25 minutes a day?”

I am an Independent Team Beachbody Coach.  Beachbody does have a shake, they do offer all kinds of exercise programs that vary in length, but no where do we say you don’t have to work for what you want. Being a Coach is a business. It gives me the opportunity to own my own business, set my own hours and make an unlimited amount of income based on the amount of effort that I put into the business. It allows me to help other people reach their fitness goals and it holds me accountable to mine even though I fall off track from time to time, I am always working for my goals.

I do get frustrated from time to time on all aspects of it. I am not losing weight quick enough, I am not making a ton of money after a year of being a coach, though I only really only started working my business in the middle of June. I see friends that have joined other network marketing companies moving up in ranks and from what they say making a good income. But what really bothers me is that some of these companies are the Get Results Quick Schemes that no one can sustain for a lifetime and to be honest how healthy are they? Would we have an Obesity epidemic in the United States if everyone could take a pill a day or wrap your body to really lose weight? Sure you may see results for a little while but once you stop whatever you are doing the weight will come right back on.

The only real way to earn a living or get healthy is to Work for it! You have to work hard at your job or business, eat clean and healthy and exercise in some fashion every day.

“The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard Work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price.” –Vince Lombardi

Day 17 2013 Ultimate Reset

Day 17 and Counting

I am feeling great!! That is all I have to say!

However I am so over Fruit! I can not wait until Day 22, Ultimate Reset ends on Day 21 and for breakfast on Day 22 I am having oatmeal with cinnamon, Honey (raw and unfiltered) with an apple! I so can’t wait

Lunch today was a little tricking. I had a 2.5 hours meeting at lunch that I had an option of a few things. Red Beans and rice, shrimp and grits, fish tacos or a salad with chicken. I got the red beans and rice with sweet potatoes fries. Okay they are fried I know I think. These looked baked.

I wasn’t hungry for my snack today!! WOOH!

Dinner was Fabulous! Butternut Squash, Apparagus, Green beans and Quinao! I will be having that again tomorrow!

I may not be losing a ton of weight with the Ultimate reset, results do vary, and I may not be following it 100% I am learning how to make healthy choices. I am trying new foods and learning that somethings I thought that I didn’t like I do.

Day 16 2013

Day 16 and more fruit    

Okay so I think week 3 of the reset is by far going to be the hardest. Why? Fruit every morning for breakfast!! Enough said there

Well today I woke feeling bloated and blah. I asked on the week 3 reseat facebook page and the advice was to have some Herbal Ginger Tea. I will be the first to say that it worked and didn’t taste all that bad.

Well Breakfast… Fruit with Honey. It isn’t too bad I just would like a change. Maybe some Oatmeal and nuts or something

Lunch. Well I had plans with a friend and we went to Jason’s deli. I had a Microgreen salad and Veggie soup. It was nice to have the soup because it is so cold outside!

After Lunch I was checking in with my dietbet.com group and saw that they now had a 6 month bet you could place. Well needless to say I am all in. You have to lose 10% of your body weight in 6 months! I am so in! But the only problem I want to be at my goal weight in 6 months. That is 49.5lb at the moment or 27% of my body weight. I finally found all the rules before I decided to join. This will keep me motivated.

I skipped the afternoon snack because I was not hungry and went home to dinner. Dinner was Curry Califlower, Kale and Quinoa. I was supposed to be rice but I had the Quinoa cooked already! I was a little worried about the Curry but honestly I couldn’t taste it.

I did cook some Banana Nut bread tonight and had just a taste to see if it was any good.

5 more days to go!