TurboFire Update

Wow....fall off the wagon why don't you Kari? Good thing the only wagon I fell off was the wagon of daily blogging.

Let me explain myself. My computer broke....well not so much my computer as my keyboard. A bunch of letters just stopped working one morning. I'm sure it has something to do with my little adorable children.

I was going strong with my workouts up until last week Wednesday. I had been feeling twinges in my left Achilles tendon which has, as of today, morphed into a full blown battle with tendonitis. FRUSTRATING. So I have been confined to core work and upper body strength training....which isn't the worst thing in the world I suppose.

So ya, any positive thoughts of ankle "healage"..would be greatly appreciated.

Williams out.

TurboFire Day 9

I love being in the fitness groove. It makes me more ambitious, happier, more focued...Oh yea, and I crushed my day 9 workout today too :)

Nutrition wise, it was a good day. I hit a phase in the afternoon where I was DYING for the Reese's bar Steven brought home. Instead I opted for Shakeology #2 of the day mixed with 2 Tbsp of PB powder. (Imagine angels singing) It was SO good and totally nixed my craving in the butt.


Breakfast: Mint Chocolate Shakeology (200cal)

Water Intake: 44 oz (it was a thirsty morning) (+25 cal for 1 vitamin C boost)

Am Snack (10 am): Clif Bar (230 Cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz (+25 cal for vitamin C boost)

Lunch (1:15pm): 2 EVOL Mini Shredded beef Burritos (360 cal), Broccoli, Carrots, & Peppers with a little olive oil and seasoning (50cal), Strawberry Melon Fuze (30cal)

Afternoon Snack (3pm): Peanut Butter Chocolate Shakeology (245cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz (+25 cal for v C booster)

Dinner (6:45pm): Turkey Burger & Stuffed Mini Bell Peppers (480 cal)

TurboFire Day 8

I have found my new favorite of the workouts thus far. Fire 45. LOVED it. It was only 10 minutes shorter that the Fire 55 EZ which was not so much my favorite, but the moves were more fun, in my opinion. Or maybe I am just getting so fit that this one already seemed better :)

My eating schedule was FINALLY back on track today. I also had the tastiest dinner I have had in a while. I wanted to go to Pita Pit for dinner, but luckily my husband intervened as the "voice of eating out reason" and that lead to me making one of the best dinners we have had in this house in a while. Lara walked out of her room and said, "Mommy...what is that tasty smell?!" If you have never had "Broccoli Slaw Spaghetti", I highly reccomend it for it's ease and tastiness.

Target: 1600 calories

Breakfast (7:30am): Chocolate Shakeology w/ 1 cup water, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 4 drops peppermint extract, & ice (200cal) <--FAVORITE recipe to date

Water Intake: 22oz

AM Snack (10:15am): 1 raw red pepper(35 cal), 3 oz baby carrots (35cal), Dipping sauce (2 Tbsp 0% Greek Yogurt with garlic powder & chili powder) (25 cal)

Lunch (1:00pm): 2 EVOL mini burritos (360 cal) 1 raw cucumber (45 cal)

Water Intake: 22oz

PM Snack (3pm): Clif Bar (230cal)

Water Intake: 22oz.

Water Intake: 22oz + Vitamin C booster (15 cal)

Dinner (6pm): OMG Chicken (211cal) & Brocoli Slaw "Spaghetti" (168cal)

Water  Intake: 22 oz

PM Snack (7:30pm): Air popped popcorn & 1 apple w/ peanut butter (250 cal)

Calorie Total: 1574
Water Intake: 110 oz

TurboFire Day 6 & 7

Given the time of year and the state of my life in general, weekends are CHAOS around here. That said, I still rocked my workouts. My diet was hit or miss this weekend. Nothing bad went in my mouth, it was just along the same "weird schedule and randomness" it has been the last few days. My constant has been my Shakeology breakfast. That is such a great start to my day and really does help curb cravings and get you through the day. I was a skeptic turned believer (but that is for another post).

I am starting a "30 Day Challenge Group" tomorrow with a great group of ladies. CAN'T WAIT to get started with that. I am hoping to get back to some really consistent, solid eating leading into...dun dun dun....THANKSGIVING. I am honestly not that intimidated by it, even though my mother-in-law is known for her ridiculous amounts of food she prepares. I can honestly say with the eating I have been doing and with adding Shakeology, my cravings for sweets are pretty much gone. We had a dinner at a church at my parents house in my home town tonight and Lara had a rice krispy bar. I took a pinch off of it...what a waste. It did NOTHING for me. I am pretty proud of that.

In the spirit of the beginning of my 30 day challenge and the fact that another week has come and gone, here are my stats:

Weight: 210 ( BOOM...see ya 3 more lbs)

Waist: 41"
Hips: 47.5"
Chest: 43" (increase...because my chest muscles are stronger and my boobs are perkier...right? :))
Thighs: 27.5"
Arms: 13.75"

All in all very proud of my progress. They say it takes 21 days to change a habit....21 days will be this Friday.

In conclusion I will post the ramblings I started about days 6 & 7.

Saturday:
Fire 30 & Stretch 10. Crushed. It is my 3rd time doing the workout and I finally found my "groove" so it is currently my favorite workout. It still has not stopped amazing me the amount of sweat that pours out of me in a mere 30 minutes.

Sunday:
Core 20 & Stretch 45...roasted. I can 100% honestly say I just finished the BEST ab work of my young life. Impressed Chalene...well done. Stretch 45 was also a nice change of pace. I also dig yoga. It was sort of strange to not be completely drenched in sweat after my workout today though. Sweat withdrawal....possibly.

TurboFire Day 5

Fear not, though as I type this, I am already into day 6, I have not fallen off the wagon of fitness. Yesterday was just a CRAZY day here. As I mentioned I own and operate a daycare out of home and all of the children were on crazy pills.

It was a stressful day, and my diet was sporadic again. I am hoping to get back to being diligent of fueling my body every 2-3 hours instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off.

Yesterday was Fire 55 EZ class. HOLY marathon Turbo batman! It was a LOOOOooooong session of TurboFire and I would be lying if I said I didn't struggle to hang the WHOLE time. But by next week at this time, when I am scheduled for that work out again, I will be better at it. Time and progress my friends.

That is all of my comments on Day 5. On to day 6.

TurboFire Day 4

Pre Naptime Report:
(grumpy face) Blech today. I woke up in an absolute funky mood...you know the kind of mood where you know the world would probably feel less of your wrath if you just went back to bed? Yea...that kind of day. I am going to pretend it is because I missed working out yesterday....because I am looking forward to naptime today to crush some Fire 30 and Stretch 10. Hopefully that will work some of this funk out. I am working on some Shakeology now...had some Green Vibrance earlier (because I was TOO cranky to even make myself a shake for breakfast)...I am hoping that pumping crazy amounts of nutrients into my brain will help.

Post Naptime Report:
Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus......Stretch 10 has saved my day! I spent the last 45 minutes with Chalene...very crabby at her for 92.3% of Fire 30. Then along came Stretch 10 and all the stress and grumpiness that was sitting in my left shoulder and left side of my neck disappeared. And "post workout shower" is one of my favorite feelings ever (aside from snuggles or sentimental moments with my kids and/or husband). This leads me to conclude that my body has officially become addicted to my endorphin schedule. :)



Proof of my sweat...fitness...NOT glamorous



Food wise, this was a WEIRD day for me. I don't even have any fun pictures of what I ate because 1) Gumpers McGrumpstein over here didn't want to deal with that this morning and 2) today was so random in my eating pattern. I try to stick to every 2-3 hours. Not today. I didn't eat anything between my 10am Shakeology and my 1pm workout and I could definitely feel that. I will try better to not make that mistake again. But yea...random day for nutrition. Go ahead and read about it if that floats your boat.

-Williams Out


Grumpy Breakfast (7:15am): Clif Bar (230cal), 22 oz Ice Water.

Grumpy Post Breakfast attempt at getting less grumpy: "Green Vibrance Cocktail" (105 cal)

Morning Snack (10am): Shakeology w/ instant coffee packet, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1 cup water, and a butt load of Cinnamon (200 cal of DELISCIOCITY)

Water Intake: 22 oz

Lunch/ Post Workout Snack (2pm): 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese (90cal), 1 raw Green Pepper (33 cal), 1 Grapefruit (82 cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz

Grab and Go "Dinner" (5pm): Shakeology w/ unsweetened coconut and 1/2 cup almond milk (260cal)

Actual Dinner (7pm): Turkey Burger (220cal), Reduced Sodium Cheese (60cal), Thin Bun (100 cal), 1 raw cucumber (45cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz

Daily Total: 1425
Water Intake Total: 88 oz

TuboFire Day 3

Today was my "Rest Day". To be honest, I was kind of bummed out about it. I JUST started the program, which I am loving, and now I have to take a WHOLE DAY of a break?! Are you joking?! Oh well, it made for a good day to get things done around the house.

I also got my Shakeology in the mail yesterday afternoon (which I couldn't wait to try to I whipped some up for dinner last night). It is a little ridiculous how tasty that stuff is. I made it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and cinnamon and it tasted JUST LIKE cake batter.

I digress. Here is my nutrition breakdown for the day. I have had one of those days where I feel that pit of hunger in my stomach. I am not positive where it is coming from, because it isn't a "feed me junk food" feeling...Steven even got out some chips and offered me some and that didn't sound too appealing. I opted for a "Green Vibrance, Green tea cocktail" instead.

Calorie Intake Goal: 1500

Breakfast (7:15am): Chocolate Shakeology blended with coffee and a splash of almond milk (NOT my favorite combo, thought I was going to love it...not so much..just sayin') (170cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz

AM Snack (10am): 1 grapefruit (82 cal), 1/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese.(45 cal), 1 raw green pepper (33 cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz

Lunch (12:30pm): Bell Pepper and Ham Scramble (295 cal), 1 slice Wheat Toast (100 cal ), 1 raw Cucumber (45cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz

PM Snack: Clif Bar (230 cal) and Green Tea w/ Stevia

Water Intake: 22 oz

Random: Green Vibrance, Green Tea, & Water (105 cal)

Dinner: Chicken Cacciatore (378 cal)

Calorie Total: 1483
Water Intake: 88 oz

TurboFire Day 2

HIIT 15 was on the ol' workout agenda for today. Can I take a minute and talk about how great it was to have my workout and deep stretching done in 25 minutes? I also LOVE HIIT (high intensity interval training). My bootay was adequately kicked in a short 15 minutes. The added bonus is that when you only have to go HARD for 30 seconds-1 minute, it is mentally deceiving and easily accomplished.

Here are some photos of what I put in my mouth today. It was a great day for me nutritionally. Air high fives all around. Breakdown to follow.

My daily calorie target is 1500 calories.

Breakfast (8am): Clif Bar (230 cal) & Green Vibrance w/ 8oz Green Tea & 14oz Water (105 cal)

Water intake: 22 oz.

AM Snack (10am): small apple (77cal) & 1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese (45cal)

Water intake: 22oz

Lunch (Noon): Turkey Burger w/ Reduced Sodium Cheese (290 cal), Raw Green Pepper Sticks (33 cal), & Sweet Potato Fries w/ grey poupon mustard (122 cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz w/ Lunch

PM Snack (2:20pm): 1 raw Cucumber (45 cal) & slice of Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel bread (80cal) with 3/4 Tbsp Almond Butter (56 cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz post workout

Dinner (5:30pm): Chocolate Shakeology w/ Cinnamon and unsweetened vanilla almond milk (200 cal) & Turkey sandwich with spinach and chipotle mayo ( 254 cal)

Water Intake: 22 oz

Calorie Total: 1537
Water Intake: 102oz

TurboFire Day 1

Look what came in the mail.....!!!!!

 

As you read last time, it actually came in the mail on Friday before we headed out of town. I had been itching to get home and dig in.

I logged my first workout at 11 this morning. Chalene kicked my butt and it was awesome. Picking up the moves got a little overwhelming at times, but as with anything, with time it can only get better.

For the sake of the cause, here are my "Day 1 Stats"

Weight: 213

Measurements
Arms: 14"
Waist: 42"
Hips: 48"
Legs: 28"

And now the sexy "Before Photos" (covers eyes and looks away)

 

 

I finished my workout this morning and came  back upstairs. Steven says to me "Dang, you are sweaty and gross looking. But that's awesome......Man, you are going to get fit working like that every day." Oh husband...you just wait.

As you can see, I am motivated like a 4 year old. STICKER CHART!

Just Checkin' In...

We are staying at my Dad's this weekend amidst a nice snow storm.. Today is a recovery day for me, workout wise.

Biggest news on the home front today, I weighed in at 213 this morning. That is 3 pounds folks. I feel super encouraged because the last 7 days has been SO doable in terms of my workout and nutrition.

Also...TurboFire came in the mail right before we were getting ready to leave yesterday. I have been pouring over the nutrition guide. Excited to get started with that on Monday.

I don't have any cool pictures or quips today...but yea...peace out 3 pounds. See ya never!

30 Day Shred - Workout 8

Boom. Roasted. Consider this my virtual sticker chart.

Thanks Jillian for making a workout DVD for me to get in the groove of doing. Sorry though, because it is boring. SO boring. I can't wait for  TurboFire to get here. The End.

Home Workout DVDs? Really?!

I know what some of you are thinking....Home Workout DVDs Kari? Seriously? Let me talk a little bit today about why the DVD route works for me.

I run a daycare program out of my home. I have two kids of my own. My husband works in the car business and has a ridiculous schedule.

My first solution to this was a YMCA membership. They have daycare at the Y. Zumba is at the Y. I LOVE Zumba. Problemo solved right? Well the daycare only runs during certain times of day. We had our Y membership back when I was working full time out of the house so getting from work, to daycare to get the kids, to the Y in time was NOT a schedule that worked for me. ESPECIALLY since I suffered from "wanting to spend my non working hours with my children" syndrome instead of wanting to take them from daycare to dropping them off at another daycare for an hour.

Second solution: Anytime Fitness Membership. We transferred our membership to Anytime. Because I can go....any time. Genius right? Steven could get home from work whenever...we could put the kids to bed...I could go to the gym. Great. However......1) I discovered going to the gym late at night sketches me out. 2) I was totally lost and overwhelmed by the gym 3) training session to get "un-lost and un-overwhelmed" are EXPENSIVO (Spanish for expensive). I have been active all my life, but never a gym rat. So the only thing I knew how to do was run on the treadmill. So I started Couch to 5k to get back into running (which is what I was doing back at 137lbs). But that just fizzled out as I battled bad shin splints (because I needed new running shoes badly and because I am a bit of a fatty now).

Third Solution: ditch the gym. Focus SOLELY on diet first. I hear that recommended frequently and heard it again when I joined weight watchers. I agree 110% that nutrition is the key. You can bust your ass in the gym ALL DAY LONG, but if you are going to go home and eat a whole pizza, the purpose is defeated. So I tried weight watchers, a juice fast, and a few other "clean eating programs" and didn't focus on working out at all. FAIL. I find that when I work out, it makes eating clean 150 times easier....for me...personally (that may not be the case for you, I get that).

I actually most recently considered going to my daughter's dance studio 3 nights a week for their Zumba class. But there again, it is only certain times a day it is offered and it would hinge completely on Steven being able to be home ON TIME.. which is a gamble. Then a good friend of mine posted a killer deal on Turbo Fire (which I have seen many infomercials about). 50% off...the cost of ONE session with a personal trainer at a gym. Turbo Fire is Zumba esque and I had actually been contemplating buying it for a LONG time. So it was like the skies had opened up, angels sang, and I ordered that baby.

Now I REFUSE to have ordered this and not use it. Steven and I ordered and were going to do P90X (made by the same company as TurboFire) right before I got pregnant with Liam. Needless to say that is still sitting on my DVD shelf. If you go to YouTube and search for 30 Day Shred, you can watch and work out to all 3 levels for free (shhhhhhhh.). So I decided, to get myself used to "pressing play every day", I would commit to doing that EVERY STINKING DAY until my TurboFire comes in the mail.

Bottom line...doing 30 Day Shred has given me a taste of how easy it is to find that 30-60 minutes within my day at home (as soon as the bambinos hit the pillow for nap) to bust out a hard workout at home. Anyone who thinks that because it is on a DVD, it is SUPER EASY...Ha. Ha ha ha. There are no excuses...none. What excuse do you have for me to not walk to my basement, push a button, and work. I haven't found one yet.

And what has been great about 30 Day Shred for me is that I have done it...every day...for 7 days, which is a big deal for me. While I am still in the beginning stages, I already feel stronger. There is a spot in the workout where you do push ups for 30 seconds. I couldn't make it through the first day. Today...I killed both 30 second sessions all the way through. If I can get that much stronger in 7 days...why the heck wouldn't I keep pressing play? I have found it more empowering than I can adequately express with words. The inner shin pain I had when I was running recently...I battled that again doing this workout with the cardio sections. BUT by today, I have officially battled through it. It works SO well into my schedule and gives me flexibility....we are headed to my Dad's this weekend for deer hunting and all I fully intend to get my workouts in. All I need is my little weights and a computer. And the super bonus of working out for me, which I mentioned above, is that when I work out (no matter what kind of work out), I eat well. So that has also equated to 7 days of great eating for me. When you are working hard, you don't want to screw it up by eating a Snickers bar.

Now I am just peeved I signed up for an 18 month membership at Anytime. Oh well, I will just go use their treadmills this winter to get back on the running path (because that is happening too :) )

How I Got Here

216. I wanted to curl up in a ball when I read that number on the scale. To even put that number out there in the universe makes me a little bit nauseated and embarrassed. Those who have known me most of my life have known me as this girl:

I was active, outgoing, and strong. At my most active I was 137lbs (though that was toooooooo skinny according to 95% of my friends and family) I was the girl that would look at people with weight issues and say "I don't understand how someone can get that big, I freak out when the scale goes up 4lbs".

Then I got pregnant with our daughter. Little did I know that is exactly the moment my weight struggle would begin. I weighed 198lbs when I gave birth to Lara.

After she arrived I was in new mom bliss, happy in my relationship and didn't pay much mind to my health or fitness. I got down to about 168 and stayed there. Steven and I got married a year later and I never felt that "I need to lose tons of weight for my wedding" feeling because I am lucky enough to have a man in my life who genuinely makes me feel loved, comfortable, and sexy NO MATTER WHAT.

Shortly after our wedding and Lara's 1st birthday we decided to try for baby Williams #2. Evidently all we had to do was utter the words "try for #2" because 3 short weeks later, we found out we were expecting Liam. I was much more nauseated and exhausted this time around and chasing after a rambunctious 18 month old + working a 40 hour a week job. When I got home from work, all I wanted to do was snuggle my daughter and husband, eat some McDonald's Cheeseburgers with just ketchup (gross I know, but it was the ONLY thing that sounded good to my queasy stomach). The day I went in to have Liam I weighed 219 lbs. When he was born he developed an infection and spent the first 10 days of his life in the NICU which was stressful and traumatic. Being back and forth to the hospital for feedings every 3 hours, plus additional pumping to build up my milk supply dropped my weight to 198 in a week.

I am sad to report Liam is 18 months old now and I am almost as heavy as the day I had him. Sad. Disgusting and sad.

I found myself going through the "today is the day" moments. I have "done" weight watchers, zumba, gym memberships, vegan eating, and a handful of other commitments to myself. But I always seemed to get stressed and exhausted and inevitably threw in the towel. I would read stories of women who struggled with weight all their lives, had their babies, and found the motivation in their children to get it together. I felt like a bad mom because I didn't find that inspiration in my children. I make it a point to give them the best of the best, but my wellness was spiraling down the toilet. I have been pregnant or breastfeeding for 4 years. That is exhausting. Not an excuse, but exhausting. 2 weeks ago, I would look in the mirror of see pictures of myself and just be embarrassed and disgusted. Bottom line....ew, gross, seriously Kari?

Now to the present. Liam stopped breastfeeding 3 1/2 weeks ago. I finally have my body back 100% to myself. I also incorporated Green Vibrance into my diet and that has helped my mood and outlook tremendously. I am gearing up for a 90 day session of Turbo Fire and while that is on its way to me I have been doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. For the FIRST TIME since my weight struggles began I feel Determined NOT TO FAIL. Steven even brought home Taco Bell the other night...and I didn't touch it. Progress people. It is incredible to me the level of determination I have found just in sticking to working in a workout during naptime every day for 7 days. I already feel happier and more empowered.

So I would like to invite you along on my journey back to fighting weight for myself and my family. Hopefully by putting this story "out in to the universe" I will be able to help someone else find that determination within themselves. Because I know I have never been weak. I just lost myself for a while.