{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 9

Weight Loss this week: 1 lb

Total: 19 lbs

This week has been a great week for me! I've stuck to my diet despite eating out multiple times! I usually opted for chicken and veggies but when we tried out a new burger place for the first time I caved and got a burger. However, I got the low carb version! That was a good choice right? 

With nearly 20 pounds lost, I decided it was a good excuse to go shopping! I plan to lose at least 15 more pounds but I couldn't make it much longer in my old clothes! I was beginning to feel like I was going go work in my pajamas! 

Though I knew the scales showed I had lost weight I wasn't sure how that would reflect in my clothes. During my first trip to the dressing room I took two different sizes and ended up with smaller size!! I have gone down two sizes!!

I'm attending a wedding in May so seeing as I was super excited about my new dress size, I decided it was a good time to try on a dress that's appropriate for the upcoming occasion. My friend, Jade, and I had the best time trying on dresses!  This one was my favorite! What do you think? 

Recently I decided to start a 30 day squat challenge...I have no idea what I was thinking! I'm currently on day 3 and can barely walk! I also decided to try out Pure Barre this week because it only makes sense to start two new workouts in the same week, right? Pure Barre is intense to say the least. The movements were very different than I'm used to. Ouch! 

Overal, I am thrilled with my progress and can't wait to see what the future holds. 

 

{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 8

Weight Loss the past 2 Weeks: 4.4lbs
Total Weight Loss: 18 lbs

I didn't get to officially "weigh in" last week due to a spontaneous family trip to the beach. The trip to the beach, however, proved as an excellent test of my will power! Surrounded by people who indulged in yummy food quite frequently, I am proud to say that I managed to stay on track! I continued with my usual breakfast of eggs each morning. I didn't eat as frequently as I typically do but tried to squeeze in a few healthy snacks throughout the day. Each night we went out to dinner so I turned to my trusty Fitness Pal App and personal trainer brother to keep me on track. I made the following dinner choices, all of which were delicious!

Dinner choices:

Texas Roadhouse: 6oz sirloin, sauteed onions and a house salad with dressing on the side (No BREAD!)

Nakato Japanese Steakhouse: Hibachi chicken and veggies without the rice

Olive Garden: Half of the lunch portion Five cheese ziti

Is it possible to have dinner at the beach without an ice cream dessert? I don't know about your family but my family seems to think ice cream is a MUST after dinner out at the beach. Luckily, my in-laws love frozen yogurt so we enjoyed frozen yogurt after dinner each night. I chose a small cup of the fat free and no sugar added variety each night. At between 80-110 calories I was proud of my choices and happy to not feel deprived of a typical beach treat.

Upon arriving home, I am more motivated than ever to continue on my healthy eating plan. I feel like if I can survive a vacation while maintaining my diet then I most certainly can continue to do well at home.

This week I have discovered two new diet staples:

EAS Lean 15 Protein Powder I have started using this protein powder as my morning snack. It is honestly so good! It seriously tastes like a fudge pop. I'm definitely going to try freezing this and eating it as an ice cream.

PB 2 Powdered Peanut Butter This stuff is so weird but so good. It is peanut butter in powder form but has all the good protein of peanut butter without the fat and sugar of traditional peanut butter. This is the perfect compliment to apple slices.

I'm looking forward to another great week filled with healthy choices! 

{Weight Loss Wednesday} Week 6

Lost this week: 1lb

Total weight loss: 14lbs

Let me just say, this week was tough! I definitely strayed away from my diet on several occasions by both eating more and eating less than I should. Needless to say, I am pretty excited that I still managed to lose a pound! 

I was on Spring Break from school most of this week. I always do better at school because I pack my lunch and plan my meals ahead of time. At home, however, I don't. We went out to eat several times and I was surrounded by Easter candy in my house. I did manage to make good choices while eating out! 

On both Saturday and Sunday I had Easter celebrations with my family. I ate a "real" plate of food and dessert at both places. Though I didn't eat as much as I would have previously, I did eat more than I should have. It was delicious and absolutely worth it! 

I was back at work Monday and Tuesday and back on track! Brian wanted to eat at Mexican food on Monday so we headed to Monterry. I love this as an option for eating out because I can order the fajitas, which I love, and skip the tortillas which allows me to have a yummy low carb dinner! 

On Tuesday I wore pants that were super tight the last time I wore them and I am thrilled to report...that isn't the case anymore. 

My goal is to lose 20 more pounds but I am super excited about my progress so far! 

{Family Fun} Spring Break

Due to a large amount of snow days, our Spring Break was shortened this year. However, I had THE BEST time with my little family!

On Wednesday, Brain and I decided to take the kiddos to daycare so that we could finish up finding goodies for their Easter baskets and spend some time together. As parents, we have found that date nights turn into date days quite often. Either way, we cherish our time together as a couple. After a successful shopping day and a yummy lunch at Phoenix Asian Cuisine, I headed to my much anticipated hair appointment.

Wednesday morning I was certain that I was going to change the color of my hair and keep the length the same. However, once I arrived at the salon and talked to my hair stylist I decided to keep the color the same and cut off a great deal of the length...seven inches to be exact! I love how it turned out and the fact that my drying time was cut in half makes me love it even more! What do you think?

Unfortunately, Brian had to work on Thursday so the boys and I decided to make the most of our day together. I started my morning with the boys off with yummy Easter themed pancakes. The boys LOVED them!

Brian and I decided that Friday would be a family fun day at Burlington City Park. I knew that the park had a train and seeing as my boys are obsessed with trains, we knew this was the perfect day trip. I wasn't expecting there to be so many other attractions that the boys loved. There was a carousel, boat ride, car track, air plane ride and playground. The best part is that it is super affordable. We bought two books of 10 tickets and only spent $16! We had a blast and will definitely be going back!

Saturday morning we had an Easter Egg hunt at the church I grew up in. It's always neat to see my kids participating in events that I did as a child, though it also makes me feel super old!

Next, we headed to see a monster truck crush some cars at a local mechanic shop.

Saturday evening we celebrated Easter with Brian's parents. We had a delicious steak dinner followed by an egg hunt for the kiddos. Do you see how strong the boy genes are in this family???

Easter morning was filled with two excited little boys! They both loved the gifts the Easter Bunny left them and spent most of the morning playing with their new trains and reading their new books.

After getting ready, we headed to church to celebrate the true meaning of Easter! We tried to take a few pictures outside of church but trying to get a picture of two boys looking and smiling in the same direction is nearly impossible!

Following church we went to my grandmother's house to celebrate Easter with my mom's side of the family. We had a yummy lunch and a family Easter egg hunt.

As you can see, we had a busy few days and I am forever grateful for my time with my family! Now counting down the days for our next family fun time....

Pretty Tan Minus the Wrinkles ;)

While nursing Griffin I developed Melasma! If you aren't familiar with the annoying problem, it is basically just dark patches that pop up all over your face! Mine is above my lip and on my cheeks! The more sun I get the darker it gets. I have to wear sunscreen everyday to help keep it from darkening. I also used a prescription medicine for it.
I used to love laying out in the sun but now I view the sun as my enemy! I'd much rather be pale than look like I have a mustache! Thankfully, last year I discovered the world of self tanning! I can now be tan without the risk of sun damage, wrinkles, skin cancer, and worsening melasma! Yay! I have used two different tanning products, both of which I would recommend! 

Fake Bake Flawless

Sun Self Tanning Lotion Ultra Dark 

I don't use tanner in the winter but I recently started using it again.

This picture is immediately following the first application of the Sun brand tanner...keep in mind it darkens for 3 hours. 

Here is a picture of when I first purchased my Easter outfit and this morning...two days later! 

I LOVE the results! Self tanner takes some practice for sure! I still need more practice around my ankles and feet but overall I love it!

Before trying self tanner, I recommend watching a few YouTube videos on how to apply it correctly. You should shower, shave and exfoliate first! I apply the self tanner at night and go to bed wearing loose clothes. When I wake up I shower to rinse off the color guard and get ready as usual...just a few shades darker!

If you have a self tanner that you love please let me know! Happy tanning!