One Month!

Wow everybody!

It's been one month today that I started on this journey. It went by fast and I can only hope that as my endurance builds and my metabolism speeds up, I'll be reflecting on a year in no time ;)

Goodbye June & Fatty Ice Cream!

This week, I was feeling rather guilty about my fitness. I overate a couple times over the weekend and then had hellacious cramps on Tuesday that did not permit me to go to the gym; however, it was great to learn that I had actually missed the gym. How about that?! I never thought I would feel that way. It's almost as if I felt guilty for bailing on a friend for cocktails and venting but in the gyms case: water and sweating. But, as I said before, if you stress yourself out too much it will prevent progress mentally as well as physically. And would you know, I STILL lost weight this week and made it underneath my personal scary zone of 200 lbs?! Can I get a woot, woot?! Month one results below:

One month breakdown:

Weight: 198.2

Percent pf Body Fat: 41.8%

BMI: 32.6

Weeks to Meet Goal: 64

Comparison to initial weigh-in:

Weight: -9.6 lbs

Percent of Body Fat: -2.5%

BMI: -1.6 points

Weeks to Meet Goal: -9 weeks

 I am under my personal obese level! And what's great is that I celebrated the RIGHT way! That's right, we didn't decide to go out for ice cream and burgers-I know it's so counter-intuitive, but you'd be amazed with how people reward themselves with junk food for losing weight. My workout pal suggested that we treat ourselves to something for reaching one month of committed workouts. Although I was somewhat hesitant because I feel like the reward is losing the weight, she helped me see the progress in my efforts and that the treat does not have to be something that is intended to keep long-term. Perfect! So we went to a Champion outlet and I got a purple top and bottom matching set. I'll tell you what........I felt like a million bucks going to the gym this morning. You know the feeling when your hair is perfect and you are wearing a power suit, ball gown, etc.? I felt the same exhilaration walking into the gym with this outfit on, sans make-up and awesome hair. Don't get me wrong, I still have a long journey to bringing sexy back, but I was amazed with how good I felt without being 'done up' in the 'normal' way. 

Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend everyone. I'll let you know how I did over the long weekend with some incredible food opportunities and pitfalls!

The top of my new gym outfit-smiles in abundance today!

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

How to Go to a Beer Fest and Not Gain 30 lbs

BUSTED! 

My darling husband finally had a day off of work (thank you US Marine Corps) so I decided that he needed a fun day...and what better way to have fun as a 24 year old than to have your wife take you to the Northern Virginia Brew Fest?! 

I know, I know, it sounds like a huge trap for those trying to get fit; however, I'm going to tell you how I managed to feel relatively good about myself and my decision this weekend.

5 how to's for a beer fest

1. Know that you are not going to get wasted. This should be a no brainer, but it's so easy to get carried away when the music is pumping and everyone else around you seems to be in a euphoric state of mind. 

2. Take the meaning of 'sampling' to heart and do just that. Our ticket came with 4 sampling vouchers. We purchased a few more and only 5 came my way. 9 samples sounds like a lot, right? Wrong. By the end of the long day, I had only consumed 4 total beers at approx. 408 calories. For some, this may seem like a bit, but for those that have been to a beer fest, this is barely anything of note (or compared to my husband's appetite for IPAs and other delicious micro brews). 

3. Do NOT eat the tempting carny food. This one is probably more difficult for most. The trick is to eat a healthy meal ahead of time (we had 6 in subs) and then bring healthy option snacks along to get you through the day. Smelling the sweet and salty smells of turkey legs, cheese fries, gyros, kettle corn, etc. can be so tempting-but each time we were near the stands, I popped in a few nibbles of trail mix and grapes. It was much easier to do than expected. 

4. Drink lots of water. It's hot outside and the crispy bite of a beer sounds refreshing. Opt to guzzle some water before getting your next sample. It may just keep you from wanting another. 

5. Don't stress the calories too much. Enjoying yourself releases endorphins into your system and that too, makes you more fit-mentally. Just know that you are going to work out and monitor consumption throughout the week and it will help encourage you to have a guilt-free day. Besides, getting out and about is much better than eating right and sinking into your couch all day.

Mug Shot

Love w/ all my bum,
CH

Thursday Weigh Day (mayday, mayday)

Welcome to week 3!

Many people say that it takes about 3 weeks to form a habit-for me, I am not quite at the habit level of making this a forever routine. I do think I am on the road to success though. Working out in this way is not 2nd nature to me and I recognize it will take a lot more time to habitualize this new lifestyle. In my younger years, I was extremely active in team sports. Although I am a HUGE advocate for getting your children involved in team sports, it might not translate well in adult life (i.e. take out the team, and you have a player who doesn't know how to workout or do physical activity alone). However, I will keep you posted on when it does feel like a 'no brainer' to enter the gym. I will also let you know when I don't feel embarrassed when on the elliptical and feel like passing out at level 2 intensity.

This week I had a personal triumph that I thought might be worth sharing. Last week, I spoke to the fact that even when I work out with someone it is ultimately me that can push myself or fail myself. I was tested this week by not only being tired and sore, but also alone 100% in 1/2 of my workouts. What I mean by this is that my gym going pal went on vacation, my husband was working in the evenings and I was accountable, in a new way, to myself. I never really thought about personal accountability in this way. Sure, we know that if we rob a bank, we are held accountable for our actions. But what about being accountable to myself in ways that result in accountability to others? By my being healthy and fit, I change the way my husband eats and, one day, the way I raise my children (i.e. sorry kids, no Mickey D's and coke) and make all parties more health conscientious. My personal goals become widespread goals of my immediate family and may even touch base with friends. I already have a few friends that want to go out to eat with me and are kind enough to ensure that there are yummy options for me that don't take 5 hours at the gym to burn off. I feel like it's possible that my friends, taking to effort to help meet my needs, might become more aware of the decisions they make when ordering food and therefore make healthier choices.

Making better choices for the long run: fries so delicious, tempting, cancer and diabetes provoking-go away! 

I know I have not yet touched base on the family and friends goals I have, but it will come soon enough. For now, I focus on making myself a fit person. This week's challenge just seemed like a foreshadowing of expressing my future goals and I am so far triumphant in making the right decisions for me even when no body else is looking.

So, down to the nitty gritty, the results of week 3 mayday:

Week 3 Results:

Weight: 200.2

Body fat %: 42.8

BMI: 32.9

Weeks til goal: 65 weeks

Comparison to Initial Weigh-In:

Weight loss:  7.6 lbs

Fat % loss: 1.5%

Weeks til goal: Dropped 10 weeks

I will definitely be happy to see me under the 200 scope. In my mind, 200 lbs officially means obese for a woman of my size and it will be a sweet victory to get under that threshold. I also CANNOT wait to be able to tell people "I've lost 20 pounds." For some reason, 20 pounds justifies to me a seriousness to get results and make a change for good. But I have a month to go for that one! I can allllllllllmoooooosssssttt tell people I've dropped 10 lbs. but it won't feel as sweet on the lips as 20 does. 

Happy week 3 to y'all! 

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

Another Week Down (or up if you prefer)!

Greetings Bum followers!

I think I am close to enough posts to finally go public. I implore you to share this blog with your friends, family, your facebook, etc. and invite people to 'follow' me (i.e. subscribe)! The more, the merrier!

As I go into week three I am realizing that this really is a journey for myself. There will always be people along the way to help me out and man, do I appreciate them. But when it comes to doing laps in the pool, running on a treadmill, and jogging in the community near my work, I can really only depend on myself to finish. Not only that, I'm the only one who knows if I am really pushing it to my full potential or being half-assed. It's really on me to motivate myself within the workout. And that, my friends, is tough. It's hard enough sometimes to physically make it to the gym, and quite another to go the extra mile within the workout. But no burning sensation means I'm not pushing it.

We all have seen my before pictures, dreadful as they are, but because I have this extra weight on my body I fear that my knees and ankles are more likely to get injured if I push it to the limit. With that said, I am trying to mix low and high impact workouts into the routine before I jump on the treadmill for an hour and push out a few miles. I'm really not liking doing this, but I think it's safer for me to lose a decent amount of weight before going crazy on that machine (aka my arch nemesis).

OK-so the results you've been waiting for:

Week 2 Results:

Weight: 202.2

Body fat %: 41.2

BMI: 33.2

Weeks til goal: 67

Comparison to Initial Weigh-In:

Weight loss:  5.6 lbs

Fat % loss: 3.09%

BMI: Dropped 1.0

Weeks til goal: Dropped 6 weeks

I've lost almost 6 lbs now. I know this really isn't a whole lot because anyone can do a quick diet, basically starve themselves, and lose 5 pounds in a week. BUT it's great for me because I lost it the right way AND that weight isn't coming back! Woohoo! I think I'll have a mini-victory party when I get under that ghastly 200 number. And I'll celebrate with a frozen banana wrapped with raspberry yogurt-DELISH!

I have to admit that I get anxious before each weight in. I am craving for Thursday to be here and yet scared to death when Thursday morning pops up and low and behold, I have to stand on that dreadful thing we know to be a scale. I like that I do not weigh myself everyday because I have created something to look forward to each week: scale and then reporting out to my followers on progress. I have everything to lose and yet so much more I will gain from doing this. I may be attempting to make my bum smaller, but that also coincides with making my heart bigger. I know what I need to do to make that bum of mine smaller, I think the real test will be how I make my heart bigger.

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

My Beliefs for a Fitness Lifestyle (and disbeliefs list too)

Here are my beliefs when it comes to achieving and maintaining fitness goals* for the long haul. I hope you enjoy, and dare I say, agree?!

I believe:

1. In exercise to lose and maintain weight
2. That eating right is always the answer
3. That you cannot deprive yourself of all your wants or else you'll go insane
4.  I believe it is only fair to complain about the struggle of weight when one is actually struggling to make a difference in their life (see justification in #5 of disbelief section)
5. That you will be misinterpreted as extreme in what you eat and how you change your lifestyle, so much to the point that people may 

• Be intimidated by you (possibly jealousy for having control over your decisions and making conscientious ones)
• Cut the friendship (although it's not a real friendship if your 'friends' can't understand why you prefer to eat homemade meals as opposed to going out)
• Judge you for doing what is right for Y-O-U. To naysayers of the positive change you want to see in your life, I say you thank them because you give us all motivation and drive to succeed. If you have felt this way about maintaining a healthy lifestyle-please comment and share your feelings...does it frustrate you? Motivate you? Make you return judgement? 

I do not believe:

1. Fad diets of any kind
2. Diets that make your pee smell (cabbage, anyone?)
3. Diets that allow you to eat whatever you want for dinner but make you eat their shakes, bars, etc. for breakfast and lunch
4. Any diet that will result in someone's or some company's profit via products sold (books, articles, dvds, tips & tricks excluded). I'm talking about "buy this shake/pill/bar and lose weight" edible products 
5. 'Should'ers-this type of person we have all encountered that ALWAYS drop the line(s)
• "I should eat better" 
• "I should start working out"
•  "I shouldn't have eaten that chocolate cake"
•  "I shouldn't have had seconds"                                                                                                

           all while stuffing more food into their mouth or sneakily returning to the scene of the crime when no one is looking and having "just one more nibble." My gut wrenching reaction has always been that this person should give a sh*t about themselves, stop b*tchin' and make a change. Furthermore, it's difficult for me to sympathize with someone overweight that talks like this when they are beyond the age of reason and aren't doing anything to change their present circumstances. In this case, misery does not need any company as I believe a camaraderie of being lazy is a very unhealthy relationship. It enables overweight acceptability among the companions even though all parties know and feel it's not okay. Basically, I believe it is only fair to complain about the struggle when one is actually battling to make a difference (see #4 in belief section).

Can you tell I don't believe in diets?! Here's the thing: diets are not the answer because the MOMENT you get off that diet, your body reverts back to what you were doing before...nothing. Inevitably, you will gain back all the weight you lost and also regain the self-depreciating attitude and insecurities about your image that you had that probably made you get on the diet in the first place. When you diet, you do not train your body for the long haul. In fact, the only things you do train is your psyche that this type of eating, and often cases starving, is okay and that you'll  be on this roller-coaster of ups and downs forever. This is not a healthy line of thought and definitely does not make one happy and fulfilled in life. If you don't get active then there's no point. Your muscles will deteriorate and everyday tasks like taking laundry up a flight of stairs will put you out of breath. Your chances of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, etc. increases exponentially. 

Don't get me wrong, I l-o-v-e food; however, I had to face the music after realizing that flights of stairs exhausted me, that I preferred to sit more than stand thanks to long hours at the office training me to stay at my desk, and eventually seeing that I could no longer take off my wedding ring for cleanings because it was too tight on my fingers. I use my hands a lot throughout the day-seeing my ring not look as spectacular as it should was a daily reminder that I needed to change.

Question: What's your reminder that you need to change? What did you or what do you still avoid to ignore that you are physically unfit? I know I mentioned before that I avoided mirrors but I am curious to see what others did to sneakily trick their mind and lie to themselves that everything was copacetic.  

Sidenote*: This is my personal opinion on the topic of weight loss for the long haul. My apologies in advance if anyone is offended. All I ask is that you reflect on whether you are offended because I personally attacked you, or that I may have made you upset because what I said may be true of your characteristics, or that you may be throwing money down the drain with diets that don't and won't work for the long run. My guess is that the offense comes from the latter reasons of the previous sentence. I am definitely not perfect and I do not believe that my method is the only and right way to lose weight and keep it off, nor am I this petite being that has made the change permanently in my life. I do, however, challenge those naysayers of my opinion to do their diets, 'should'ing, etc, and we will compare notes, waist lines and weight loss after 2 years and see where we stand. Let the games begin. Oooohraaah. 

Love w/ all my bum,

CH

One Week-Sneak a Peak

I'm down one week and would you know, it feels like it's been a month into this new routine! I am so far adjusting pretty well. My weakest moments are, naturally, at home in the late evening when I want to munch in front of the television and veg out. Fortunately, I've been doing exactly just that-VEGGING out. Carrots have been my friend this week. A few here and there help keep me feeling full. And I don't feel guilty eating them (and sharing some with Guinness, my pooch). 

So here are the results of one week of working out-it looks like I am on the right track so far!

Week 1 Results:

Weight: 205.0

Body fat %: 41.3

BMI: 33.7

Weeks til goal: 70 weeks

Comparison to Initial Weigh-In:

Weight loss: 2.8 lbs

Fat % loss: .89%

Weeks til goal: Dropped 3 weeks

Yay! Almost three pounds lost this week. That's healthy and honestly, better than expected. I guess I thought that it would take a few weeks to have any drop in weight. However, I am still MILES away from "feeling" skinnier. I must admit that my energy level feels much better than last week when I wasn't doing anything to help myself be healthy and fit. 

Once I get into a consistent routine for my workouts, I'll make sure to share the nitty-gritty details. At this point, I am not pushing it too hard so I don't get a strain or injury related to my workouts. Let's face it, there is more weight on my knees, feet, etc and it's going to take muscle strength and time before my body can handle a strenuous workout that's 110% hardcore. Know what I mean? 

I will share what I did this week: At work, instead of a smoke break, I walk 4 stories of stairs in my bldg 5 times. At lunch, I do an hour of low intensity cardio (walk a few miles, bike 10 miles, etc.). Then after work, I go to the gym and do more cardio and weight train every other day OR I do an hour long class that focuses on cardio (zumba, sh'bam, aqua fit). 

I am so happy that one week is down. It takes 90 days to get into a routine and I am that much closer to changing my life :)

Love with all my bum,

CH

Purging of the Snack Drawer

I thought it would be fun to share with you the 'before' and 'after' of my kitchen space! For me, making this commitment to change not only had to be with me working out, but changing the items that are around me throughout the day to tempt me into caving in. Have you ever noticed yourself eating something not because you're hungry and not even because your bored, but simply because it was there? Well, I have removed all possibilities of anything being there for me in any of the above cases.

Before

 We see that there is an abundance of sweet and salty arrangements. My largest temptation is the salty snacks. Jalapeño chips with spicy queso to dip in = to almost die for. But not only are these not good for me, but they also feed into the whole fixation of needing to insert hand in bag, grab handful, shove in mouth, chew...repeat. Say la vie once friends of mine.

AFTER

Welcome home fresh fruits, veggies, protein filled (thus hunger reducing) nuts. I mean, doesn't the brightness of the fruit look so delish? I tried the sugar free apple sauce and it wasn't my style but that doesn't mean my dog, Guinness, won't appreciate the healthy snack. 

I must admit that my husband will be awfully sad to discover that his jerky and chips are now being gorged by coworkers in my unhealthy trap of an office kitchen, but I think he'll be quite impressed to see these changes come into our home and give us energy to do more things around the house and basically put a permanent stop to the laziness pattern that often occurs in a comfy home.

Anyways, I'm off to the gym, so there's my little installment for the day...more to come very soon!

Love w/ all my bum,
CH

Goals or Ghouls?

This is going to be the worst post ever. Talk about revealing. But hey, if I get through this post, then it really does feel like anything is possible. With one day of working out complete-it was time for me to buy the scale of all scales. The one I purchased not only tells my weight, but also how much water weight I’m carrying, my BMI, percent of my weight that is bonafide fat to lose, how many weeks it will take me to reach my goal and what my daily caloric intake should be to reach that goal. Talk about putting it allllllll out there. Side note: I will not be an obsessive calorie counter or weigh-in person. I use these as guidelines and tools only to reach my fitness goals. Some people just get too carried away and end up holding on to stress weight because of it.

My new Health-o-Meter Scale

So here’s the breakdown:

Weight Day One: 207.8

Percent of Body Fat: 44.3%

BMI: 34.2

Water Weight: 40.6%

Caloric Intake Should Be: 2127 cal/day

Weeks to Meet Goal: 73

It’s easy to show that part because there’s a bunch of numbers. I think the calorie intake is pretty high but I am not one to literally count all my calories. However, the eye opener, or slap in the face, is seeing that almost HALF of my weight is fat. Therefore, in order to be healthy, I need to lose 44.3% of my weight. That would put me at 115.7 lbs. Now, we all know that I can’t be fat free or else I would die. So we need to bump that weight goal up a bit.  According to the BMI calculator, I am beyond obese too (see, I recognize fat-assedness when I see it in the mirror)! But here’s a helpful chart:

BMI Categories:

         Underweight = <18.5

         Normal weight = 18.5–24.9

         Overweight = 25–29.9

         Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

So now I need to determine my weight loss goal. I remember, in my athletic days, weighing the same as my high school best friend, Catie. We were both 121 lbs and super fit because we were forced to run miles a day, push ourselves to the point of vomiting, and were 16 years old. Not realistic when having a full time job, husband to look after and a pooch to smooch. When looking at my height, gender and age a healthy weight, according to handy internet sources, is 135 lbs. So there we have it.

Goals

Realistic (obtainable)

a.     135 lbs

b.      Noticeable rolls gone

c.       Bikini ready year round

d.      Heels don’t bend out from underneath me (don’t act like you don’t know about this!)

e.      Run a 10K

f.        Get a decent professional photo shoot for ‘After’ shots

g.       Size 7/8 pants (remember my bum will always be large!)

Vanity (less realistic, but hey, I want it so why not put it out there)

a.        125 lbs

b.      Thighs don’t touch when I am standing regularly (very tough as I have always had larger legs)

c.       To somehow manage to not lose my bra cup size J

d.      Run a marathon

e.      Size 5 pants

Mini-goals along the way

a.       To run a mile without slowing down

b.      To run a 5k, 8k, 10k

c.       …More mini’s to come…

Knowing that losing weight the safe way accounts for 2 lbs per week and I have 72 .8 lbs to lose, my scale is being pretty generous in giving me 73 weeks to lose or 1 year and 4 months or 511 days. However, if I manage to consistently lose 2 lbs per week, I will reach my fitness goal by 36.4 weeks. Either way, I have a LONG journey ahead of me.

And I now present you with the dreaded BEFORE pictures. I am going to show different body parts so that, as time goes by, we can do all the necessary analysis of my bringing sexy back. I will also take some pics of a couple outfits in the next few days that will obviously not fit me, but I am hoping that as I lose weight you’ll see the transformation of the outfit being too tight, then fit snuggly, just right, and then a little loose, and then me swimming in it. When I get to that point, I promise to literally swim in the clothing in my pool. And then I’ll record me burning the outfit-just to make it feel ‘right.’  And now here they are-you’ve hereby been forewarned.

GHOULS

Front:

comments: muffin top, thighs touching, large boobs, stretch marks, cellulite all over legs, cankles, barely a wrist, no knee definition

Back:

comments: rolls of back fat, no defined shoulders, back of arms have that chick'n wing going on from the Nutty Professor, no defined bum (we just know it's MUCH bigger than my heart)

Side (relaxed):

comments: beeeeeeeeeeeer belly, beginnings of a rooster chin

Face:

comments: very round, chubby cheeks, a few layers of chin

Wow-that was tough to see and even tough to face the reality that others will be viewing these embarrassing images. It's funny though, I definitely know they are wretched, but it's so easy to just avoid looking at yourself. Well, that can't be the case anymore. I also shed the makeup. There are no facades and walls to put up here. As promised, it's the brutal truth. Looking at these images, I'd say we'd all vote for my goals over my ghouls. Am I right?! 

Love with all my bum (and now you have seen how much it is I love you-literally),

CH

How I'll Attempt to Make My Bum Smaller

What I intend to do to try to make my bum smaller than my heart :)

1.       I intend to do cardio every day as well as weight train 3-4 times a week  (I usually try to do one of two things when I work out-drop 1,000 calories or make it to 3 miles…doesn’t matter if it’s running on a treadmill or walking an incline as I just have to make it to 3 miles each day and push myself harder. So what does that mean for work out time? Yes, the first few months I will spend lots of time at the gym, but as things get easier to do and my endurance is stronger, you’ll find that I’ll be able to get the same workout in less time).

2.       I intend to get into a workout routine. To get into an initial routine, I am joining TNT fitness classes at my gym because let’s face it, after having 2 years of an unused  gym membership I’m not really feeling the pain financially of not going. 

3.       Eating healthy to get on good path. I am giving myself a semi-structured and definitely flexible meal schedule. And no, it’s not from a diet book or anything like that. I know I need more veggies in my life and I know going out to eat and drinking beer often is not the answer. So I’m going to share the rough outline of what I’ll be eating. If you are following my schedule, you can definitely mix and match to something you know is good for you. The limitations of this menu is that you cannot go grab Krispy Kreme for breakfast, eat a heavy lunch, secretly snack until dinner,  and still think you are on the right path. I’m out to change my life and habits permanently-not rollercoaster diet. So really, this will be a large change to the way I am used to doing things. Anyways, here’s my rough menu:

Bum > Heart Menu

Breakfast options:

                -yogurt (I buy the large tub of vanilla yogurt and just get a small glop in a bowl)

                -yogurt w/ granola in it

                -handful of frozen grapes

                -a frozen banana (sliced)

                -frozen banana yogurt pops (banana with popsicle stick in it, then rolled in flavored yogurt, sprinkled with granola and frozen-DELICIOUS and great as a dessert as well)

Lunch:

1.      

              Sandwiches: depending on my mood, I heat some of these up in the microwave to make me feel more ‘full’ and I never use mayonnaise or mustard. I sometimes add light Italian dressing, but that’s it

A.      Bread types: spinach wraps, multi-grain, sandwich thins, bagels, bagel thins, lettuce wrap

B.      Turkey/sliced chicken (vary the meat by the seasoning the packages offer)

C.      Roast Beef

D.      Egg Salad (add turkey bacon for something super special)

E.       Lite chicken salad (still looking for a decent recipe)

F.       Sandwich toppings for Roast beef/turkey (I usually have at least 5 of these per sandwich)

-bell pepper

-red pepper

-alfalfa sprouts

-lettuce: spinach, romaine, iceburg

-pickles

-cucumber

-tomato

-1 slice cheese: pepperjack, provolone, mild cheddar

-avocado

-sliced olives

2.       Salads:

A.      Sweet strawberry/pear salad (spinach/romaine, blush vinaigrette,  gorgonzola sprinkles, cut up bosch pear or strawberries, shaved almonds/pecans)

B.      Italian Salad (Lettuce/Spinach, Italian dressing, black olives, little sprinkle of parmesan, bell pepper, purple onion (if you like)…add some turkey pepperoni if you need meat or leftover steak slices

C.      Skinny Cobb Salad (Spinach/lettuce, no dressing, grilled chicken, avocado, corn, bell pepper, blue cheese crumble or shredded low-fat cheddar)

D.      Buffalo Chicken Salad (Lettuce/spinach, grilled chicken, any toppings you desire, non-fat ranch, add a splash of buffalo sauce to the salad and mix it all up)

3.       Sides for lunch (if still feeling hungry):

           A.      Handful carrots and broccoli stems

           B.      Piece of fruit

           C.      Handful of nuts

Dinner:

1.       Gnocchi

A.      With pesto

B.      Tomato sauce

2.       Chicken

A.      Tacos

B.      Grilled or BBQ

C.      Baked w/ marinade & seasonings

D.      Asian Lettuce Wraps

E.       Brown rice bowls

F.       Fajitas

3.       Sandwiches (see lunch)

A.      Turkey meatball sub

4.       Salads (see lunch)

5.       Beef (see chicken options)

A.      Small marinated steaks/grilled

6.       Seafood:

                                    A.      Seared Ahi

                                    B.      Seared Scallops

                                    C.      Crab legs-no butter sauce, just seasoned well and juicy

                                    D.      Sushi

                                    E.       Shrimp 

1.       Fajitas

2.       Thai style w/ rice noodle

3.       BBQ

4.       Sautéed

Sides:

1.     Roasted sautéed red potatoes with garlic & rosemary

2.     Edamame

3.     Corn on the Cobb

4.     Green Beans

5.     Steamed Broccoli

6.     Beets

7.     Grilled veggie kabob

8.     Sautéed veggies (zucchini/squash) w/ garlic & rosemary

9.     Baked Sweet potato

10.  Steamed Cauliflower

11.  Couscous

12.  Rice

13.  Mashed potatoes

14.  Asparagus

15.  Artichoke


So that's it for now!


Love w/ all my bum,
CH

You Change Your Lifestyle When You Change Your Mind

Welcome to Heart > Bum! 


I'm going to jump right into it. I intend to change my lifestyle. That change starts with my fitness. I've been mentally preparing for this change for a month now and this is one avenue for me reaching my goals. This blog is for the once beautifully fit who let it slip away when adulthood kicked in and team sports & college went away. It's about bringing sexy back and I'll detail ALL the ups and downs, struggles, embarrassment, humor, etc. that it takes for me to change my lifestyle. I am accountable to myself, my husband, and YOU readers to succeed. If I inspire ONE person beyond myself to become more active than putting the spoon of Ben & Jerry's in/out of their mouth, then I have succeeded in more than one way. 


The honest to God truth:


I am a fat-ass (not a Pheonix, LOL). And no, not a fat-ass in the way where the 115 lb bombshell says that just because she is insecure and fishing for compliments and assurance. And definitely not in the way where I eat too much at one meal and merely feel like a fat ass for an hour. I am the confident fat ass. The one who is cognoscente of the fact that I once was a hottie and had sexy, established men cat calling me and find myself now cat calling the ice cream truck (that doesn't have the decency to play the classic ice cream truck songs, but rather la cucaracha and Christmas tunes). There is a sexy, sophisticated, & sometimes classy woman inside this rather squishy shell I have surrounded around me after two years of doing...you guessed it...nothing to maintain a great figure. I am the type of woman that hates running, loves team sports and cannot find the motivation to get to the gym. Now, once in the gym, that's a different story as I'll stay as long as I need to get a good work out. But actually getting there = woof. 


I have changed my mind from saying "oh well, it's okay, the people who really love me will love me at any size, etc." to "I want to be healthy, sexy, beautiful inside and out and I want this change to be permanent." I believe overall that these changes will make me a happier and better person all around. The next posts will detail my goals further as far as weight, size, etc. I'll be posting "before" pictures and will continue to update along the way. I'll try not to be disgusting forever ;)


So what will you find in this blog? My honesty. My personal opinions that will help me reach my lifestyle goals. I promise to make you laugh here and there and I definitely promise to let you know when I am human and fail instead of hide behind my computer screen and not post. 


Please comment often...good or bad. I'll use it for motivation either way. Thanks for the support and thanks for following. And we're off!


Love w/ all my bum,
CH