The Results

I know this is looong overdue, but I wanted to post my end results from the Y Be Fit program I completed at BYU. I also ended the "30-day" challenge from YoungNHealthy at that point too. So really that 30-day thing turned more into a four month thing, but I'm not complaining. I SAW RESULTS! They were fantastic. I FEEL fantastic. I started this journey weighing in at my highest of 148 lb. and ended it at 133 lb. Ta-freaking-da! I lost a total of 15 pounds over the course of four months and I feel AWESOME! I am so proud of how far I've come but can tell you it did not come easy. It was probably the hardest thing I've had to do, so far in my life. The most amazing thing though, I still enjoyed life. I ate the occasional brownie, cookie and ice cream cone. Heck, there were even weekends when I went plum crazy with grilled meats, potato salads and key lime pie! It was awesome and sometimes, well deserved but really I've learned to scale back those items (remember, it's a lifestyle change...) and not eat them all the time.

Overall, I think working out for an hour+, 5x a week and changing my eating habits (cutting back on sweets- sort-of, smaller portion sizes and counting calories) helped me loose the weight. Obviously I won't be working out 5x a week-- every single week for the rest of my life but I've started to incorporate those healthy practices I've learned into my daily routines and I think that's what it's all about. Forming habits. Like loosing the hamburger buns and wrapping my turkey patty in lettuce instead, or using light mayo instead of regular and substituting applesauce for vegetable oil in my zucchini bread. Little things, go a long way.

Results:

Body Fat Percentage

Before                             After

30.4%                             26.2%

Moderate High                Fair

Body Mass Index

Before               After

23.7                   21.6

Acceptable        Acceptable

Abdominal Circumference

Before              After

31 in                 27.5 in

Low Risk         Low Risk

Waist to Hip Ratio

Before                        After

.80                             .72

Moderate Risk           Desirable 

Strength:

Bench Press/Weight Ratio:

Before             After

.56                   .63

Poor                 Average

Leg Press/Weight Ratio

Before                       After

2.01                           3.17

Excellent                   Excellent

Sit-and-Reach

Before                     After

20.5 in                     23 in

Excellent                 Excellent

Estimate Max VO2

Before                               After

43.1/ml/kg/min.                47.7/ml/kg/min.

Very good                          Excellent

The ones highlighted in red are what I'm most stoked about! The VO2 test, if you're unfamiliar, means that my body is utilizing it's oxygen better and my heart is pumping slower because it's not working as hard. This makes me so happy!!

Well, this all ended July 17th so these last few weeks I've been on "sort-of" a hiatus... and by "sort-of" I mean like hello two happy pounds later... but I'm am back on track! I really want to reach my END GOAL, so I'm going to seriously buckle down this next month and reach it. Like, for reals. It's happening. So here we go again! This journey is never ending... 

Thanks for all the love, btw. It's been the nicest :)

///xoxo

**And sorry no pics.. my phone decided to DIE this morning. RIP whitey (not to be confused with the truck). 

The Final Week

This is it!

 Today finally marks the last week of my Y Be Fit program and reaching my ideal weight goal  (fingers crossed).  I am three freaking pounds away. Ahahshgh! I just want them off. But I really can't blame anyone but myself since I was the one who ate the Granny's Almond Joy milkshake and the Red Baron's Caramel Cashew milkshake in Star Valley. (Ya don't feel at all guilty for that one) So here I am, three days away and running toward the finish line. But looking back I can honestly say I feel accomplished. I won't be giving up anytime soon but I know I have come so far from where I've started. I'm nervous but excited to post before and after pics on Wednesday. All I'm praying for is a noticeable comparison, oh please!

Recently we took a trip to Star Valley to visit Derek's family and hometown and to show our friends Tom and Jenny around. We also booked a scenic river rafting trip in Jackson, which was so much fun minus the hale that belted us right before AND after the ride. But it was worth it! We hung out with old friends, made tin foil dinners, roasted s'mores, played games and really just relaxed. A much needed getaway.

Before the trip we spent the 4th with my family in Orem. We went to our ward's patriotic breakfast and ceremony at the crack of dawn after a long night of backyard camping and bbq'ing with friends from the ward. We had a blast. Later that day we grilled at my Uncle's house and I made red, white and blue layered rice krispies. Delish and so simple. We swam, layed out in the sun and celebrated my grandma's eighty-something birthday. It was perfect. Afterwards, we marched up to BYU and watched the Stadium of Fire. Carly was forgettable and Kelly did amazing as expected. We loved singing to her songs and her finale "What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger" was icing on the cake. Great performance all around!

So that's a little recap of lately. Derek has started slowly working on refinishing a room down in our basement and I am still working and getting ready for football season. This will be my fifth week of 5am workouts and I intend to finish it strong! I might even continue to do it after the challenge ends just because I actually like it now. I feel much more productive with my days and I end up burning more calories through out the day when I do. It's great- again I would recommend it if you can.

Here's to the next two days! Let's hope I hit my ideal weight goal by Wednesday...it's so CLOSE I CAN TASTE IT!

///xoxoxo

Starting Summer Right

Summer time is here! And we are blazing into the sun with full glory.  Derek and I have been staying busy this week. He's officially done with his lawn care job as of yesterday and could not have planned for a more perfect time. 103F today AND tomorrow! Thank goodness he doesn't have to work out in that heat...

Speaking of working out.. I just completed my third week in a row of working out at 5am! Don't be fooled... I don't work out everyday at 5am, just M, W, F. Tuesday/Thursdays I work out after work to give me a little rest. Sleeping in now till 6:45am is a treat! It's fun, I actually really enjoy it. Gives me time to relax after work, hang out with friends and still get things done around the house. But by 9pm I'm usually beat! I've realized my body's still adjusting and will eventually get used to being thinner and eating less, once things have evened out. It's a process. But I would definitely recommend a morning work out or two, if you have time (and for that matter, the motivation). I even heard that you burn 20% more fat when you work out in the morning before eating. Granted that's hear-say but it's worked for me so far!

So now our summer has officially started! Last year we felt like we got jipped since D and I were living in two separate states and trying to make it work. It sucked. So this summer we are taking advantage of every weekend. Here are a few pics of life, lately.

 Yesterday on my lunch break, I walked over to the Museum of Art and enjoyed some of their displays. They were actually pretty neat.

Marshmallow experiment. Done over 1,000x by this lady.

We rode bikes 2x this week. Once to Munchies and once to Shaved Ice. Worth it.

I seriously love these fools.

My babes. At Summerfest in Orem after the fireworks.

 

Just a quick update. I'm down 2 more pounds and only have 2 more to go! I weighed in after my workout this morning and was only 1.6 pounds over my ideal so I'm pretty freakin' stoked. My body is tired but I feel SO dedicated to getting this done, it's ridiculous. I'm so close and won't stop until I'm at my ideal consistently. The tricky part coming up... maintaining. Any tips for staying in the zone?

This last pic was taken Monday after realizing my shade shirt didn't show my love handles and any other extra "love" that it used too. My work pants hardly fit anymore and many of my other cloths are feeling very baggy. I love it. Great new excuse for some new outfits, right babe? ;) 

And just a plug, I LOVE this cereal. It tastes so good and has 10grams of protein! For only 3/4 cup its 120 cals and it keeps me feeling full for several hours after. Definitely worth a try.

Vanilla Almond is my second favorite. I switch between these two regularly. Though it doesn't have has much protein, its only 110 cals for 3/4 cup and I like the taste of it. It's a nice mix up. What's your favorite cereal?

///xoxoxo

Finding Joy..in this Journey

I was going to title this post "Finding Joy.... in my Greek Vanilla Yogurt" since that's exactly what I'm eating right now and ohhh baby it is sooo good...but I think I've got a broader perspective to take on this subject. So here it goes.

Finding "joy" in the journey. What is joy? I'm not going to quote you some Webster's dictionary definition because a. I don't have one and b. I prefer to share my own thoughts since hey, it's my blog. To me, joy is peace. Contentment. Pure elation. Happiness without words to explain. When I feel joy, I feel love for my sweet husband, friends, family members and most especially, my Savior. He is the greatest source of joy in my life and I know that my pure happiness, all my small and insignificant moments of bliss, come from what He has given me. To me, that is joy.

Lately I've been struggling to find "joy" in this routine I've been living. It's been hard. This game of having to watch what I eat, count my calories and work out work out work out, is making me crazy! I never used to be like this. I used to eat whatever, whenever and work out maybe three times a week at a moderate pace. But that is also how I gained 15 pounds and hated what my body looked like every time I stood in front of the mirror. So I've made some changes. I've officially lost 10 pounds and at my lowest, I am four pounds away from my ULTIMATE weight goal. Seriously, that's nuts. I still can't believe its real, until now when I look into the mirror my work pants are loose and baggy and make no attempt to make my backside look bueno. But hey, I can deal.

So you're probably wondering WHY have I not been feeling all the joy in the world since I've lost weight? Well, to them you the truth, I think it's because I still feel guilt. I feel soooo guilty whenever I eat a sweet treat or go out and eat something completely on the naughty menu. But I'm working on it. Take for example yesterday. We had a fabulous summer party at our friend's house with cupcakes, cookies, peanut butter bars, coconut cake and more! It was sweet treat heaven! So what did I do? I tried a little bit of each of course! Ok, maybe not of everything... but at least more than my three max limit! So as we all sat in the backyard together, underneath the shady tree, with the cool breeze blowing and the warm summer sun on our skins, I just thought to myself.... "give it a rest." In that moment, I felt JOY. I was happy! I had great friends in my company, a loving husband at my side and a Kneader's cream-filled fruit tart in my mouth. Life couldn't have been better. I didn't feel guilty because I chose not to. I've realized that in this whole weight loose journey there will be ups and downs (literally) and some wins and loses. During the week, I am generally spot on with my diet and do my best to walk awayyy from the mint brownies but on the weekends, I think it's okay to let my hair down and eat a cookie or two and not hyperventilate about it afterwards. I have found joy in this journey by learning how to relax and enjoy the simple moments life brings. Life is good, we should enjoy as much of it as possible, sweet treats (occasionally) included!

So here's to patience in the everyday routine of life, love in our relationships and finding joy in the journey. It is possible! Sometimes we just need to slow down, eat a fruit tart and make it to the next day.

And if you haven't seen this yet, watch it. It will change your life.

//xoxox

Technically Day 28

What up guys :)

Today is technically day 28 of my 30 day challenge, so how do I feel? Awesome! I'm so glad I started this thing. It has completely changed my way of eating and how I view food. I now have go-to meals when I'm starved but can't think of anything to make. That has helped the most especially on nights when I come home from a long day of work and an 1.5 hr workout. I've never pushed myself so hard to stay dedicated to a program like this. I'm pretty proud!

Yesterday I made a HUGE break-through with my weight. After my morning work-out I weighed in at my first ideal weight goal before starting the Y Be Fit program! (I later changed it to 5 pounds less, really trying to push myself). I know it was a post-workout weight, so the numbers might flux a little but I broke through that level and finally saw THOSE numbers while I WAS ON THE SCALE. Huge moment. I almost cried. I never thought I would be able to loose weight without completely starving myself and rejecting every sweet treat that came my way. But I haven't. I've had sweet treats, felt full and have had energy to get through the day. Granted this way has taken me probably longer than most to loose the weight, but hey it's sixes. I'm not going anywhere and I will continue to live and eat healthier now with these routines and goals in place.

I am 5-6 whopping pounds away from my real IDEAL weight and I couldn't be happier! I'm on track to loose two pounds every week for the next few weeks until I eventually finish the Y Be Fit program July 17th. That is my deadline. Yikes. It's so close but I know I can do it! So when I say "technically day 28" it's because I will be continuing the program "technically"until mid July. That way I can wrap up everything together and see how all my goals turned out. I'm anxious but excited to see my end tests results and will post before and afters once that time comes. But for now, I'm going to just keep plugging along!

Yesterday I met with my coach again and had a real heart-to-heart about cutting back on sweets. I feel like I do "okay" when it comes to resiting my cravings but I know I can do better. So this week, one of my goals is to limit my sweet intake to only TWO kinds total. Which is going to be TOTALLY ridiculous because this weekend we are 1. celebrating my brother-in-law's birthday (I'm bringing BYU ice cream), 2. going up to the canyon for a family picnic Saturday afternoon (I'm bringing BYU brownies and Coconut Macaroons...uhghghghuhg my favorite), 3. going to Orem Fest complete with carnival rides, fair booths, parades, etc. (funnel cake anyone?) 4. spending Father's Day again in the canyon having a winnie roast and S'mores. Someone just put me out of my misery now.

In looking over my options and preparing now, (yes I know I'm a freak planner), I think I'm going with a dish of BYU ice cream and a fire roasted S'more. Sound like a good plan? What would you do!?

So there's my weekend mapped out. The challenge isn't over and life keeps moving on. But hey, I'm okay with that. Maybe I don't want the challenge to ever be over. I've made it this far and can't image going back to my highest weight again. I think I would die. Being vocal about this whole process has helped me so much more than I thought it would. I feel responsible to my one maybe two, faithful readers out there who in my mind are secretly waving pom-poms, jumping around and shouting cheers of encouragement at the top of their lungs, motivating me to keep going. So thanks, faithful readers. Your cheers mean more to me than you know.

///xoxo

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I told you I had a craving ;)

Yesterday I had another busy filled day. I did another 5 AM workout, worked my eight hours, chatted with my Y Be Fit coach and met my hubby at the Provo Temple for a session. It was fabulous. Definitely a much needed trip for both of us and we were glad to finally find time to go. It truly is the most important place in the world. For more info about LDS Temples, look here.

We got home around 8 pm and Derek was great about grilling up some burgers right away (turkey burger for me). We were starving! So while he was doing that, all I could think about was getting my ingredients ready for these bad boys.

Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.

But they totally weren't bad! I was so excited to find a recipe without flour, oil, eggs or any added sugar. I found the recipe on Pinterest and only made one alteration since we only had pecans on hand for the nuts. Still great. Find the recipe here. 

Derek even loved them! Shocker. He's really been great with my "healthy kick" and trying everything I make at least once. Love him.My co-worker also gave them a 3.7 out of 5 stars, if that means anything to you. But they were the perfect fill for my sweet tooth craving that I was having yesterday. Chocolate, peanut butter AND coconut?! HEAVEN to ME!

So try them out! Only 99 cal for 1 cookie, how can you beat that!?

Also new update:

I got some sweet new threads for running! 

Hallelujah to shorts that won't ride and a tank that breaths. 

A perfect combo.

 

Gorgeous temple grounds and my first time there. 

 

 

///xoxo 

Curb the Craving

Oh hey.

Lately I've been craving random sweet treats like no other. I think it's because I know I can't have them... I hate that. They hit me the hardest after lunch (so I pop a stick of gum instead), on the weekends (Saturday night ice cream cone, anyone?) and Sunday night after our family dinner (hence the lemon bar breakdown). What is the deal! I never used to think we needed to have a sweet treat after meals but every since I met a certain someone, it has almost become in breaded in me. Growing up we had the occasional sweet treat, my mom's attempt at chocolate chip cookies, or her perfectly soft cinnamon rolls (last night were chocolate topped peanut bars) but it wasn't like an every night occurrence. Then college hit and it all went down hill.

I don't what it is about having six single ladies living all together under the same roof, boy-crazy and wide awake until 3 AM but that combination is NOT good. I definitely gained that freshmen 15 and maintained that weight for a looooongg time. Pretty much up until recently when I started getting serious about loosing. So here I am, missing my sweet heavenly piece of key lime pie, peanut butter m&m's and double-stuffed oreos, wishing I could just stuffed my face full of them and not even care about a single calorie. UGHGHgghhhh darn those sugar cravings!!

So if you care, at this point in the game I am day-dreaming about....

Chocolate Drizzled Chocolate Macroons (from BYU, seriously so bomb! And you can order them from Food-To-Go anytime!) 

Peanut Butter M&M's (that are currently sitting in my candy jar that I bought on our way home from Memorial Day weekend...must resist)

Lemon Bars (made over the weekend, delish and refreshing and only two left....hhmmm)

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Fudge Frosted Brownies (again, from BYU)

Raspberry Cheesecake cookie from Subway 

(I pass by them everyday getting my lunch and I think maybe, just maybe, one day I'll order one...)

Geesh! What is this?! I feel like I have a brain of an 8-month pregnant women! This is not normal but I think I've figured out WHY I have all these cravings.... it's because I TALK ABOUT FOOD EVERYDAY!!!! A majority of my job consists of talking about mint and fudge frosted brownies, lemon and 7-layer bars, chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, snickerdoodle and double chocolate cookies, eclairs, cream filled puff pastries, butter and sugar and shortening OH MY!

So really, can you blame? This is really just helping me vent, once again and get it out there so that you know, I'm human. And totally vulnerable just like the next girl for anything covered in cocoa.

Do not think I'm a perfect angel during this 30-day challenge, weekends I usually slip in something sweet but throughout the week.... it's a no no and that's the hardest part. Saying "no" to the offer has definitely gotten easier but I think it will always be a challenge since I'm consistently surrounded by it.....well here's to another stick of peppermint gum and making it through the next two hours.

////xoxoxo

My heaven on earth.