21 Day Fix: Round 2 Complete!

So I finished round two of 21 Day Fix nutrition. I did pretty well most of the time, not much in the way of cheat meals, etc, but on Saturday and Sunday I didn't use my containers. We had a crazy time, very traumatic with the death of my daughter's guinea pig. My meals were spread out way too far. But I still tried to estimate what I was eating, and even though I had some diet soda and chose to use my carbs Saturday for a frozen yogurt, I didn't do too badly. I'm pretty sure I stayed in my calorie range even though I had less veggies than I should have over the weekend. And with the exception of my son's birthday a week ago today and the overindulgence of chocolate cake, I'm fairly certain I stayed within calorie range all three weeks.

Anyway, if you've been following my journey I ended the first round of three weeks with 190. Then I went back up two pounds the next day, and it was another week or after until I saw 190 more regularly. I've been doing PiYo instead of the Fix workouts, and I'm really loving it! I decided not to take pictures until next Monday since PiYo is a two month schedule and you take pics every month. But I did measure today, and lost another half inch around my waist, one and a half inches off my chest, and about a half inch on my hips. My body is much tighter and stronger. I'm two workouts behind due to a couple of things, so I'll try to make them up this week if I can. I'm still tired and could use another rest day, so today will be only one workout.

I woke up this morning to this:

Considering the gaining muscle and losing some inches, I'm really happy with a one and a half pound loss on the scale. Feels like the snowball has started going down the hill and is slowly gaining momentum! I am aiming to reach my goal of 150, but the number doesn't matter. Whatever number leaves me healthy and fit is what number I want to be! 

I'm still going to use Fix containers, but I don't know that I'll actually do full rounds of three weeks since I'm following PiYo. I'll probably just do the Fix program for food during the rest of my PiYo schedule. 

So, that's where I am right now! I love how my life has changed in six weeks. Losing inches and gaining health. I'm excited to be starting another weekly workout program with the women at church, using my AFAA certification for the reason I got it. 

Next Monday I'm taking pictures to celebrate one month of PiYo! I can already tell there's going to be a good-sized difference! 

Solid Proof (Pun Intended) that Muscle is Indeed Denser than Fat

I've been measuring every now and then, and I still haven't lost much in inches in these last 5 1/2 weeks. That's why I'm taking pictures, because my body is a rebel--it doesn't want to follow the "rules" of weight loss. I'm losing fat in places I don't measure, and though I can see big changes, I'm still only between 6-7 pounds down on the scale at this point.This is why I look for NSVs, or Non-Scale Victories, because that helps keep me going and chases discouragement away most days. So, on that note--

You GUYS. I'm so excited today! Monday I shared about a dress I could wear that I never could before. Well, I have another victory to share today. I got into a couple bags of clothes I'd almost given away because I'd put on weight and thought I'd never get back into them. In April of last year, just before my husband lost his job, I was losing weight and bought some clothes from a friend. Among these clothes was a dress that was really tight around my midsection at the time, but it was cute, so I bought it anyway and figured I could wear a jacket over it. 

At the time I purchased it I was right at my lowest weight. I weighed 5-6 pounds less than I do right now. Yet I could barely squeeze into it, had to hold my breath to even get it zipped. Fast forward to today and this picture I took in my bathroom. (Sorry for the selfies, but that's really all I can do right now.) 

IT FITS! And I can breathe in it both standing up and sitting down! And I can wear a shirt underneath it without that extra bit of fabric cutting off my circulation! 

So, see? You can't rely on just the scale or the measurements. And muscle does not weigh more than fat (a pound is a pound no matter what you're measuring), but muscle is more dense. It takes up less space than fat.  This is kind of gross-looking (it's fake, by the way), but it illustrates what's going on inside your body when you are doing strength training. 

So if you're feeling like the process of getting fit will take forever, or the scale isn't moving, or the measuring tape doesn't seem to reflect the changes you're feeling in your body, hang in there! Embrace every positive change, and document them! Because when you're having a bad day, you can look back and see how far you've come. Then that gives you courage and the confidence to push through another workout, to choose another healthy meal. 

Thanks for sharing in my NSV today. I'd love to hear about any you are experiencing!

Nearly Two Weeks Into PiYo--21 Day Fix Round Two Week Three

Quick update, as it's my eldest son's birthday and a full day!

I discovered that my wrists are a lot better doing PiYo on a carpet, even with a mat. I haven't noticed much weight loss, though I finally hit 189 two days in a row! That is very exciting!

I learned a new term this week: NSV. That means Non-Scale Victories. I have had a few of those last week.

1) A dress I bought last year that was always too tight fits me well enough to wear now. I would post a picture, but I forgot to take one. :)

2) Another dress that fit me very well at five pounds fewer than I am now is almost too big in my upper body. PiYo and the 21 Day Fix workouts changed my dimensions a lot in just five weeks. The funny thing is that I'm only seven pounds down, almost nothing inch-wise depending on how I measure, but the proof is in how my clothes fit. I am gaining muscle and losing fat from different places than usual.

3) My husband remarked on how nice my skin feels. All these extra veggies and almost no sugar or white flour products are making a large difference in my skin.

4) I'm seeing hints of collarbone now. James noticed too.


Funny story: A few days ago I was getting a little frustrated because the scale isn't budging much. I know that my body builds muscle quickly, takes change slowly, etc, but it is frustrating that at 190 pounds my body is acting like someone's usually does about 10 pounds from their goal weight--trading muscle for fat and staying the same weight.

Around that time, my husband looked at me and said, "I think you're at the point when the people on the Biggest Loser start not losing as much weight each week, but they begin looking really good." He knows me so well. That might not sound like a huge compliment to most, but it was the exact thing I needed to hear. He told me I look overall a lot more toned and tighter. That comment pushed me to get two workouts done in one day since I'd had to take a day off for sore wrists. :) It also helped me get through that slump.

One more week of Fix eating, then I haven't decided whether I'll take pics then to update or wait a week to do a one month of PiYo since it's a two month program. I was supposed to do two workouts on Saturday to catch up, but I only got one in. So my two month program might extend to a couple of days, since I'm not sure I can quite catch up.

Today is a cheat day, and I really tried to stay at my calorie level. I did pretty well until it came to chocolate birthday cake, and overdid that. But it's something I rarely do now, and one night of cake isn't going to undo all my hard work. We went to the aquatic park as a family tonight, and I'm headed downstairs to do PiYo Buns before I go to bed.

The thing that I keep reminding myself that this is a lifestyle. I will eat things at times or have cheat meals or even days. But I approach them differently now, really evaluating if I want to eat what is there or just planning to because it's accepted. I'm glad to see that my thinking is changing some, though I admit to feeling some panic at the fact I'm sure I went over calories today. But dealing with that process will help me, too. I'm just so excited to get to uncharted territory, meaning fitness levels I haven't seen in myself for over 15 years. I will get there!

Week One of PiYo--Complete!

I finished the round of 21 Day Fix with a bang over a week ago. As you may remember, down six pounds. Well, that was my lowest point weight-wise. The next day I went up a couple, and after that, a couple more. But it's not because I went off my nutrition--nope. I went into my second round right away. I had a "cheat meal" I'd planned for Monday with some frozen lasagna I'd set aside (bad idea, thought it had minimal cheese, cottage cheese, and sauce, it also had white noodles. I also learned that my body hates white noodles now), but I stuck with it pretty closely.

Nope, the reason I gained was because I hit mid-hormonal cycle. At that time, I gain four pounds. Then I lose some of that, then gain it back until the end of my cycle is over. So for me, especially when I'm gaining muscle, I really can't look at that scale. I'm focusing on increasing my strength until the balance tips and I have enough muscle that the scale will start going down. I'm at about 192 in the mornings right now, but I've been avoiding weighing. I also have lost more fat around my abdomen, but it's difficult to measure. 

Also, instead of doing the Fix workouts for this round, I started with the new Beachbody program I'd been waiting months for--PiYo. I'd done a couple live classes a year ago with a great instructor, and loved the huge changes I noticed in only two classes. They just came out with the home program, and I couldn't wait to start. 

(Again, I don't sell the products and am not affiliated with Beachbody in any way.) I love Chalene as an instructor. She is very clear in her directions and very precise. The first few workouts weren't really tough--until I learned the moves better and pushed myself harder. But that was something I planned, to take it easy for the first few days because my body needed a few days without anything strenuous. 

I've found continuing on with the 21 Day Fix nutrition very doable. I'm now on my second week of my second round, and am really loving all the variety. Thanks to my parents feeding us healthily when I was young, I've always loved healthy food, and this gives me the excuse I need to cook the things that no one else in our family likes except my daughter (though they do like lots of healthy stuff, but not squash or collards or mushrooms). Here's an example from today's lunch:

Tempeh with shredded cauliflower, collards, onions, peppers, and Mrs. Dash, with brown rice and cannellini beans flavored with onion and garlic powder, stewed tomatoes, and some enchilada sauce. (For those of you Fixing it was 2 1/2 green and 1 red for the stir fry, and 1 yellow for the rice and beans. There wasn't enough tomatoes or sauce in the rice and beans to count.) I like to cook things like collards and have them on hand to add to whatever I want, or eat them plain. I use a little veggie broth to flavor them.

Here's what I noticed from my first week of PiYo:

Pluses:

• I'm much stronger through my shoulders
• Planks are easier
• It stretches me as I work so I have less pain in my right hip
• My shorts got looser
• My abdomen has gotten softer and squishier and I can tell there's less of it, no matter what the measuring tape says
• I feel much stronger overall 
• My skin looks different. Softer and smoother, a bit more . . . glowy? Especially on my stomach and through my torso. It's weird, but kind of cool. I attribute that to the food I'm eating
• Thighs are getting really solid

Minuses:

• My pectoral muscle pull got aggravated, but it does that with anything I do now. I have to be conscious of it, so it's not the program's fault
• My wrists hurt. I've been trying to change my positioning a bit to take pressure off of them, but when nearly all the 43 pounds you have to lose are hanging around your middle, it's going to put pressure on the hands. I'm just being aware of them, and if I need to take a day or two off, I will. They'll get stronger.
• There's a muscle strain in the side of my forearm. I'm massaging that and I think it will be okay after a while. Most of this is because I'm 35. Getting fit felt easier when I was in my 20's. 

Way more pluses than minuses. Is it easy? No, but I love it and plan to keep going.

So, I've known for a long time how the scale doesn't always reflect what you're doing. Too many people use only the scale as a way to judge their lifestyle changes, then get discouraged and give up. If I don't notice any more changes after pictures at the end of this round, I'll do some re-evaluating. But until then, I'm going to trust the process. My body was pretty beaten up after years of not being taken care of, so it all won't happen overnight. Even though I am measuring pretty much the same, I can feel more muscle and less fat, so eventually the levels of each will tip the opposite direction. 

Is this easy? In some ways, yes, in some, no. But I'm sticking with it. Quitting is not an option.

21 Day Fix: Round One Results!

In the words of Niecy Nash, "It's Reveal Day! Uh!" (If you don't know who that is, watch a few early episodes of Clean House. You'll thank me.)

I did Beachbody's 21 Day Fix for 21 days. I followed the nutrition plan pretty closely overall. I am not doing Shakeology (their meal replacement shake). The first few days I had an extra serving of protein or vegetables, because I was so hungry. Then a cheat day on the 4th, but other than that I was pretty careful.

The first week I was up 2 pounds for a few days because of muscle soreness. I ended the week with a 2.5 lb loss. 

The second week I went down a calorie level because I was only 18 calories above that level, and most advice when you're that close is to go down a level. That week was my monthly hormonal week, so I didn't expect a loss during that week, but by the end of the week I should have been less once my body's water levels balanced again. I was actually up a pound.

So I added up the calories of the food I was eating, and realized that I was barely hitting the bottom of my target level, which I think was slowing my loss. If you eat too few calories your body can go in starvation mode, where it hangs on to the fat for emergency purposes. So I bumped back up to the next level and started losing again. 

My results aren't huge, but they're noticeable. First of all, I went from 196.6 to 190.4 pounds for a loss of 6.2 pounds. That averages out to 2 pounds per week, which is a healthy rate to lose weight.

My results for these last 3 weeks might be considered not enough of a victory for some people. After all, lots of people lose a good deal of weight if they're close to 200 lbs. If they don't lose a lot of weight, they lose inches. However, I lost about 1 inch on my waist and 1 inch on my hips, but gained 1/4 inch on each arm. My chest and thighs stayed the same. My net inch loss is 1 1/2 total inches, not much. But as you will see in a moment, there is a difference in how I look. I know I gained a good deal of muscle. I was able to go up in weights to using 8 lb dumbbells for my heavy weights. I wore a dress over the weekend that I couldn't even zip up and breathe in a few weeks ago. So I'm losing fat, just not yet in many of those specific places I'm measuring. 

Do I wish I had bigger (ha, smaller) results? Sure? Am I depressed about it? No way! Changes are still happening inside my body. The focus is on getting healthy, and I'll show you why it's so important to not just rely on the scale or your tape measure, even! I'm pretty stoked about my results. They show improvement! 

Here's a list of the positive things I noticed happening over these last three weeks:

• Softer skin
• Increased strength 
• Dropped a dress size
• Felt blood sugars lowering
• Less squishy/jiggly back
• Calf definition came back
• Muscle definition in my thighs
• Increased arm muscle by a lot
• Firmer, smaller bum 

Negatives? Really none. I did pull a couple old injuries, but that's my fault for not listening to my body closely enough. I have more pain in my hip/back, but that is due to my physical challenges (read my fitness journey above to learn more about that), and I'm taking a few days of yoga and stretching to help that.

I love the flexibility of the program. I did all the workouts with the exception of two. The last week you have the option of doubling up on the workouts. I did an extra Pilates workout, but missed Cardio Fix on Friday because I felt like I was fighting an illness. I was exhausted to the bone, and I've learned that when I feel like that it's not smart to push through. I end up regretting it. So I rested instead, did Dirty 30 on Saturday, then danced for a couple of hours at a wedding reception. Yeah, I got my cardio in. The only other workout I missed was Yoga Fix for the last time, but I stretched out well in a friend's pool on Thursday, so not too bad.

Here are my before and after shots! I had to wear different shorts in the after, so please excuse the paint on them. :D

Not a huge difference yet, but I can totally feel that there's less in my midsection. 

So, what next? Well, I'm sticking with the Fix nutrition. I'm planning to start PiYo this week, and once I feel more stretched out I'll start another round of Fix workouts or just add some to PiYo. I am really excited about this program! I think once I get even more muscle that my fat levels will drop faster.

I'll take a new set of before pictures tonight or tomorrow to start the new round! If you're doing the Fix or you are on your own health journey, please share! There is power and strength in support!

Pumpkin Oat Pudding

I've been working on this for a while. See, I love oatmeal, but I have to be careful with how much I have at once since I have diabetes. I also love pumpkin pie, but I also love the crust too much. When I want the flavor of pumpkin pie, I eat this! Since there's more pumpkin than oatmeal, it's more of a pumpkin pudding thickened with oats. I love the texture the oats give to it. 

What you need (some not pictured): 

• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick oats) 
• Teensy pinch salt (optional, but it brings out flavor)
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (make sure it's not filling--just plain, no other additives)
• Cinnamon (and ginger, cloves, nutmeg, if you like them--I do)
• Vanilla extract (Use the real stuff if you have it, and make sure your bottle is well-loved like mine obviously is)
• Sweetener such as honey, maple syrup, or agave (I use stevia drops) 

Presenting the main cast

Turn burner on to medium high. Add water and oats. Add teensy pinch of salt, if using. When it starts to bubble, stir, turn heat down to simmer, and cook for several minutes, stirring often. This is twice as much water as you need to cook the oats, but they will soak it up. It's a good ratio for the finished pudding, but you can play with your pumpkin/water amounts if you want.

When everything starts thickening, add coconut milk. Make sure to wipe the inside of the measuring container with your finger to get out every last drop. Note I didn't say it had to make it into the pot. Sorry about the messy stove. I already got pumpkin on it somehow.

Stir, and let cook a minute or two more. Then add the pumpkin.

Stir again. (I'm noticing a theme here.) 

Then add your spices. Some people are cinnamon people. I'm one of them. I use around a whole tsp in my pudding. If you're not a cinnamon purist, add nutmeg, ginger, cloves, mace, cumin--strike the cumin. Unless you are really weird. But that's okay, I'll still love you. ("Smells like cumin." A bajillionty points to whomever gets that vague reference.)

After your delicious spices are added and your mouth is watering like crazy, add a spash of vanilla, then stir in the sweetener of your choice. I like to use flavored stevia drops.

Warning: this makes a really big bowlful. I like really big bowlfuls of pudding, but if you don't, share with someone. I like being selfish. Also, if I have skipped my snack and worked out or something, or I just feel the need for a humongous breakfast, I can serve it with something else. Like this. Sauteed mushrooms and onions with eggs and Southwestern Mrs. Dash. It was very tasty. And yes, I did serve myself breakfast in bed. (Actually, it was the nicest surface to take the picture on at the time.) If you are vegan you can do scrambled water-packed tofu with the veggies, which would also be amazing.

21 Day Fix equivalents: Pudding--1 Yellow, 1 Blue, 1 Green 

                                    Eggs (or tofu if you do that instead) and Veggies--1 Green, 1 Red

Recipe: Fruit Soft-Serve

Sometimes you just want something sweet, ice cold, and creamy. Well, this is super easy. It comes out really smooth if you use a Vitamix.

For enough to halfway fill a quart Mason jar (my favorite size glass for shakes of any kind!), all you need is the following: 

2 cups frozen fruit. (I used 1 cup strawberries and 1 cup mango chunks.)

1/4 cup coconut milk (The kind in a can that has all the creamy stuff in it. This actually came out with a bit of an oily feel to me since I haven't been using oil. I've gotten less used to that mouth-feel. So next time I'd probably only use 2 tablespoons.)

Water to blend. I only go about halfway up the fruit, less if not using ice. 

Ice if you want it more icy and like a shake.

Then blend it all up! If you want it sweeter, use a little stevia, or a touch of raw honey or some agave. Or whatever floats your battleship. Your battleship in your war on unhealthy food! Bahahaha! Okay, forgive me. I'm listening to my four-year-old screaming in his bed about going to bed, and it's 10:40 pm. 

21 Day Fix counts: 2 Purple, 1 Blue

I know what you're thinking. Yes, it was tasty.