Motivational Monday

Hi Yall! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are ready to tackle the week! We had a great arm workout this morning. I really challenged myself and finally curled 30lb dumbbells! For those of you that  already curl that weight or more, I commend you because after the 10th rep my face was red, my veins were bulging and my biceps burned like CRAZY... Speaking of challenges, from Thursday of last week till this morning I have been going low carb. That's 4 days of under 100g of clean carbs. Normally I can go about 2 days and Im over it but my coach asked me to push myself and so I did. The results speak for themselves ;-)

However today I'll be having that extra bowl of oatmeal fo' sho'! I've definitely earned it. 

For those that of you that can push yourself at the gym or with exercise in general and just aren't seeing results on the scale, try challenging yourself with a clean diet all week. I promise you it will open your eyes and SHOCK the scale. Feel free to email me if you need help, fromfat2figure@gmail.com

and remember........

Source

Have a fit day!!!!

Progress Pics

Happy Saturday to ya! Whew am I tired.... Today is another low carb day and I'm feeling it. First thing this morning we took some progress pics. I'm 16 weeks out and feeling very please with how things are coming along. I wish my shoulders were bigger but I'm sure as I continue to diet down they will become more pronounced. I've got a lonnggg way to go but I'm gettin' there!!!!! It't hard to tell from these pictures but My stomach is much flatter, shoulder's are coming along, leg's and back are also getting leaner. I am so EXCITED to see what the finished product will look like!!!

Orange Creamsicle Protein Drink

I found this online today and HAD to share it with you because it is so delicious!!!!

Orange Creamsicle Protein Drink

• 1 scoop of Vanilla Protein Powder
•  8 oz. water
• 1 packet Great Value Sugar Free Orange Drink Mix (from Wal-Mart)

1. Combine protein powder and 8 ounces of water, mix thoroughly.
2. Stir in the packet of Great Value Sugar Free Orange Drink Mix.
3. Add ice cubes and blend in a blender to create an orange Creamsicle taste.

Enjoy!

Inspirations

I want to talk with you all a little bit about inspirations. After our competition last year I had a hard time committing to blogging as much as I had been before. It seemed as though I was loosing my touch and falling back into some old habit's I really didn't want to blog about. My focus was lost because I didnt have anything I was working toward. Yes, I knew I wanted to do another competition but they were a year apart and I had a lot of down time. We had a vacation planned and well I really didn't need to get into shape for it. I dont know, I just lost my blogging desire. So for the new year my plan was to blog everyday or as much as possible. That has to turned out to be harder than I ever anticipated for the fact that I had no clear vision of the direction that I wanted the blog to go in. I mean you guys aren't coming here to read about finding great thrift store finds and that I had talapia and broccoli for dinner last night. BORING.

I started doing my research. I looked to blogs that I follow and asked myself some questions. 

1. Which blogs do I read on a daily basis and which ones do I just kind of skip over (we all kind of skip over some...)
2. What makes me want to read their blogs? Whats the draw?
3. What makes their blogs successful?
4. Do the blogs help me in my own journey?
5. Do I want my blog to be just like theirs or a mixture of what they are doing? or something all my own?

As I was doing my research and contemplating all these questions, J over at J's Everyday Fashion wrote a post called 10 New Blogger Mistakes (and how to avoid them). The #3 mistake was doing what everyone else was doing. I don't want my blog to be like everyone else because let's just say that everyone copied each others post and it was same pictures of food, the same format, the same everything. BORING. I love all the blogs I read for the simple fact that they are all different. Everyone "inspires" me in different ways and that's what I want to do. Inspire folks. I feel like last year when I started this blog, that's what my main focus was and somewhere after the competition I lost interest in all that inspires me.  

But don't worry I'm slowing coming back from the darkness and finding the light again.

Here are some of the people and blogs that inspire me and why:

My Husband- He's my #1 fan. Joshua inspires me everyday to be better than I was the day before. Isn't that what marriage is about? Making each other better. He always encourages me to work hard for my goals and do what makes me happy. When I complain that contest prep is hard and I'm tired, he tells me I was made for competing and that I'm doing something that most people wouldn't even try! Yup, he's right. And that's when I get my head out of the clouds and back in the game. Thanks Love Bug ;-) Keep pushing me!

Stacy at KarateNurse- Although I've never met Stacy in person, I read her blog everyday! Everyday I can step inside her world with Justin, Piper and Sara to see what's new. All of her post include pictures of her meals from the day before, good and bad ;-) She also gives a recap of what she did for the day, what's on her to do list for the current day and what new things are going on at her house. I just love it! It makes me feel like I know her. I love her honesty about her food choices and how's she feeling about them (or how they made her feel). She inspires me to blog everyday and stay consistent. Thanks Stacey! 

Tenecia at Boobs, Barbells & Broccoli- This girl cracks me up weekly! She is so funny and her post are anything but boring. Not to mention I've never seen a hotter librarian than this Mammacita! Caliente! Tenecia inspires me to find humor when life tries to bring you down. So keep me laughing T ;-) 

Keelie at REAL FAT- Keelie oozes inspiration. She journals her journey in weightloss everyday. She a wife, mother and real life person who fight's temptation everyday. I love reading her quotes and analogies like this post about making the bed. Right on Keelie! Keep posting your journey and giving me no reason to say I can't today!! 

So those are just a few of my own inspirations. I hope that I can do for you what they do for me everyday. If you have goals for the New Year or just want to find balance in life, keep checking back here, because I can promise you things are about to get a lot more stable, lol. 

Have a fit day!  

Keep it or Toss it...

I'm feeling pretty good today! Like loads of energy for some reason. So i'm taking advantage of this good fortune and cleaning up my loft. One of my goals for 2012 was to de-clutter our house and start decorating one room at a time. This month my goal was to clean out the loft of all the junk that I've been collecting through the years and doing nothing with.

BIG project to tackle but the piles are getting much smaller...

Mom, when do we take a break?

My organized chaos....

This space is just plain SCARY! So much to go through....

What I want to do is go through everything, keep all the things I really have a plan for and toss the rest. If I can't think of what to do with it, out it goes!

I need to get everything cleaned out by the 31st because February I start on remodeling our bathroom.... Thank's to Pinterest, it's going to be bea-u-ti-ful! 

Have a fit day!

Motivational Monday Part Deux

Motivational Monday

Hi Guys! I hope you all had a fan-tab-u-lous weekend! We had Joshua's Sister, Mom and Grannie visiting from TN in for the weekend which was fun! We did a little Thrift Store shopping which we always do when they visit. I found this great find. I'm a sucker for anything tea pot realated. Little dainty tea cups, cute tea sets, scones, tea cakes..... oh on and on. So I was super happy when I came across this "tea for one" pot and cup set. I only paid $3.50 for it & when I got home I looked up the markings online, to my surprise it was actually worth about  $30-$40. Pretty Awesome ;-) I really love thrift store shopping. Sometime's I walk out with some really great finds and then other times it's just junk.

On Saturday morning I blogged to you all that contest prep was hard and I was having a rough time. When you start a contest prep at first everything is so wonderful. Your losing weight, your getting off the sugar train, your workouts are fueled by your desire to win and then about 4 weeks in... it hit's you. The cravings start creeping in, on low carb days your tired and grouchy and all you wanna do is eat something NOT on your list but YOU CANT!

Monday & Friday of last week was bad for me. I had carbs with every meal, didn't eat on time and just felt like I could bite someones head off!! Then on Saturday morning when we went to workout I just didn't have it in me and the workout I planned to do (deck of cards) turned into a workout that I made up as I went. Sort of. I mean I had a plan put together but I didn't follow it to a T like a I normally do...

I guess what I'm getting to is that those days when your thinking "what have I gotten myself into" are going to happen when your dieting. No matter if it's for a contest or just to get back into shape. It sucks, no doubt about it, however you just have close your eyes, say a little prayer and PUSH through. And that's just what I did.

Saturday night when they had spaghetti I had Talapia. Sunday when we had lunch at Wendy's, I had a grilled chx breast and plain baked potato. Sunday night when they had chicken Alfredo, I had Talapia.

All those little victories that sucked at the time, all will pay off in the end. 

So if your struggling to stay on your diet or just don't have the motivation to get your butt moving at the gym think of all the goal's ahead of you and what it's going to feel like when you are at the finish line knowing you did EVERYTHING it took to get there.....

Source

WE CAN DO THIS!!!! 

Have a FIT day! 

18 Weeks Out

As of today we're 18 weeks out from Jr. USA. Yes WE..... meaning me, Joshua and you! This week I've had a tough week.. I've made Joshua's role as my husband quite difficult..... to say the least. I'll fill you in tomorrow on why this week sucked so bad but for now I gotta jet. We have company in town today so hopefully that will take my off why contest prep is hard......

Source

so very hard........

Have a fit day!!!! 

Taco Seasoning

Tuesday when my love bug was sick I made him some tacos (& I made them again for him last night but with my seasoning ;-). The smell from the taco seasoning was enough to make your mouth water. I'm a sucker for Mexican food! I mean come on, I could probably write a blog just about Mexican food (Taco Bell to be more specific) and how much I LOVE it. Although I can't even remember the last time I ate at a Taco Bell....

I wanted to make myself some of those yummy tacos but right now that's kinda tricky. I read the ingredients on the back of the taco mix package and barley recognized anything on the list. So I made my own......

Mine is a little bit HOT... and Joshua said it definitely cleared out his sinus.... so if anything it's a healthy alternative to a sinus flush.. ewww I know!

Homemade Hot & Spicy Taco Seasoning

3 tbsp paprika

3 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp corn starch

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

*you can add more spices like cumin, minced onion and salt but I just used what I had

Add 2 tbsp to a pound of ground lean turkey or hamburger meat with 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a slight boil and stir. Then simmer for a few mins till it's somewhat thick.

I plan on adding this seasoning to my ground turkey to put it on top of my salads. 

Bon Appetit! & Have a fit day!

Good Mornin' to ya! I hope you slept well. The past 2 months my sleep has been terrible! My right hand and arm have been going completely numb every night and wakes me up in pain. It feels awful! I Googled my symptom's and from what I can tell it's basically my muscles growing and maybe pressing on some nerves. Geezzz. 

Yesterday after that crappy cardio session I had, I needed a nap to replenish my energy. It definitely helped! My throat was also feeling a little better with the help of Sugar Free Luden's. There like candy!!! I think one of them is 5 calories compared to the non Sugar Free version which is 15 calories per. 

 This morning's workout was bi's and tri's. We did a workout that our coach has been doing with us and really get's the job done.

5 Sets/ 12 Reps of each Superset

Cable Push-downs superset with Barbell Curls

Preacher Curls superset with Skull Crushers

Cable EZ Bar Curl with Tri Ext

7 Sets/ 12 Reps of each with 30sec rest between

Dumbbell Alt Curl

Dumbbell Kickbacks

Post workout breakfast was again my plain egg whites with whole wheat tortilla shell and cup of Chi tea.

This afternoon around 3pm i'll head back to gym and to get in my 45 mins of cardio. Cardio for me is much better in the afternoon once I've gotten a few meals in me. Now I'm off to do some chores around the house!

Have a fit day!