Jenn's Favorite Things......

 Oprah has a "Favorite Things" list, so I figured I could as well! No you are not getting a car or a Humpback Whale..........

So I told myself I would give it a month of taking my thyroid pills and getting used to them first before trying anything crazy to help me loose weight. The month is up and I have some exciting things that I have been doing. 

First, I want to thank Instagram (even though my husband might say otherwise since I have been on there so much) for letting me stalk, follow and “research” some awesome ideas during that month hiatus. I have found so much inspiration through that site, along with Pinterest! (if you want to follow me   and the people I follow click on the links on the side)  She might not know it, but my friend Gigi’s advice all those years ago still resonates with me today and when I do my meal planning I think of her, because she gave me great food advise and told me that planning was the best thing to keep me in check. She also have me YUNS of work out advice that I will be implementing as well. The best part about her is that she is also a beauty blogger (besides the best hair/makeup/clothes stylist in the world) ! Read her Beauty blog HERE and her professional website HERE!

Secondly, here are some of the staple items I am using right now to help me lose weight, get in shape and stay on track!

•        I got myself one of these bad boys!

 I LOVE my 6 Pack Bag!! Do you see how much stuff fits in there??? I am trying to figure out how I can use this as a purse as well lol, so I am not lugging so much around to work. You can get your very own HERE! Look for coupon codes like on Retailmenot.com, because I found one there for 15% off, which saves you pretty much the shipping. 

•      Yes I take all of these pills a day!

   The breakdown will be from top left to bottom right….

•     Folic Acid –So many beniefits some are Muscular degeneration, helps prevent cervical cancer         and heart disease, helps with anemia, muscle pain, sleep problems etc.
•     Spirulina - (which is in a bag because it smells like fish pond water)- too many to list, google it lol 
•     CLA- some benefits are reduction of body fat, stomach fat loss, cancer, obesity, Increase                metabolic rate, especially helps people who are HypoThyroid
•     Calcium - I was low so I am taking more
•     More CLA
•     Gum….. for hunger lol
•     5000 iu’s of Vitamin D- so important for everything

•      Here is a sample of my meal planning!

 Its pretty simple for now, because I am working on the basics of eating clean.  Lean protein,  veggies and a carb 3 times a day. I also eat a QuestBar for breakfast! This is something else Gigi advised me on. I HATE breakfast and need to eat something to start my day, so I eat half of one in the morning and then have been eating the other half after working out. Seems to be doing pretty well! They are so good, especially in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

• Joined the GYM!
•       So I have a new JOB!!!! Yay! I am going to be so much happier now, because not only is it 5 min from work, but the people are nice and the employee benefits are awesome.  They give you a stipend of 60$ a month on a gym membership! Awesome, Right? So Rob and I signed up at MountainSide Fitness and really the only out of pocket we will have is the kids drop off, which is peanuts. It has been so nice going to the gym and having ZERO excuse to workout. I forgot how good it feels just to at least do 30 min or cardio without a two year old running around like crazy!

• WATER!

      I HATE water, or having to drink it I should say. However, I have decided I have no other choice since it is part of losing weight and flushing out your system. I have a water retention problem that is pretty bad, and I know that ironically drinking more water helps get rid of the excess bloat. Yuck! But I will do it! That’s all I have to say about that! In the picture are two of my favorite things: Jillian Michaels and an electric Espresso Machine! I mean who DOESN’t have one!

       That is it for now! I am working on another post that has to do with skin care (the moms might like this one.... or anyone that is losing a lot of weight)

       x.o.x.o jenn

Last part of the crazy 2 weeks!

1. 5k
2. Trip

3. Sickness

4. Weight loss!

So as I sit here eating some form of cookie dough blast 2.0 ice cream, I have some exciting news. No I am not one of the 1000 people that seem to be pregnant, so get rid of that idea right now! My news is way better, for me at least! Over the past month or during all of January I have lost 10 pounds! 10 pounds! Super exciting!

No crash dieting or diet pills, just good old fashion eating better, working out and trying to be healthier. I really want to loose like 80 more, yeah I know 80lbs sounds huge, but I would also me happy with 50 or 60! I think I might keep a little ticker on the side to keep myself accountable. 

Something I am going to change a little, is my commitment to MyFitness Pal. I really need to get better about tracking my food, because so many times I wake up thinking “why has the scale not moved? I didn’t eat anything today that was bad or crazy?!” I have to remember that even “healthy” eating has calories. I have to remind myself it is al relative. To be honest I have been eating a lot of ice cream lately with rob at night and that totally has to stop. Yikes! Also, when I get enough courage I will post my starting weight, current and goal weight. I mean no one reads this thing anyway, but I am still a little hesitant.

That treadmill is also calling my name, but I really have been to weak and sick to use it. =(  I am going to try this weekend! I have a lot of things going on this weekend, so I hope I can get that done.

Alright guys have a good night!

Crazy last two weeks! Part 1

Hey everyone, sorry I have been MIA. However, I have much to go over! I am going to have to split these post up, because it is just too much to go over! So here comes number one!
1. 5k
2. Trip
3. Sickness
4. Weight loss!

So! I am so super proud of myself because I finished a 5K! A FREAKING 5K! Almost everyone that i talked to about the 5K said things like "you can walk it right?” or “Really, you think you can do it?”  Which is totally understandable since the last time I had to run a long distance was in HS and had to run the mile, or when one of my best friends Gigi (follow her blog! she is an AMAZING Stylist)made me freaking do run/walk sets to lose weight. What I am mostly proud of is that I set myself a goal and said I would do it no matter what. It was my thing and no one was going to tell me otherwise. I asked Gigi if she wanted to do it with me and her reply was “fuck no!” which is hilarious, because if you saw her you would wonder why not, especially since she is in AMAZING shape! Frick! Then I TOLD my husband that he HAD to do it with me. Like he really had a choice?!
I started training by running a little here and there and mostly walking on my treadmill to get my stamina up, since my number one priority was to first walk more than for 5 min. Then I got an awesome gift from my in-laws: The Forerunner 210 with heart-rate monitor! LOVE THIS THING! I track everything on Daily Mile, which you can see all the way at the bottom of this Blog and follow me!

The most amazing part about the 5K is that on the day of the COLOR RUN, it was pouring, and I mean like dumping on us, without avail. It was the worst. Rob looked and me and said are you sure you want to do this? I said “Shit Yes! I signed up for it, paid for it your parents donated towards it and I made it MY GOAL!” It was not easy, but I did it and it was the best experience of my life! I was so proud for not giving up and quitting, when so many people did. The extra 20 pounds of wet clothes totally did not help, and that I was freezing didn’t really bother me.

I am so happy for all the people in my life that texted me and FB’d me, telling me how proud they were of me that I finished. Thank you so much to my Husband who totally did not want to run on that rainy day and still did it, whilst voluntarily wearing bright neon socks so that “he could match me”.

Our Gear!

My next 5K is the Retro Run! Its March 2^nd in downtown Scottsdale, Lena will be joining me in the stroller this time!

After! 

What a long week it's been!

I am not going to lie, I have been so freaking bummed! (There has been so much going on at work, but I don't want to jinx it) I have been working out so hard, and watching what I was eating and nothing moved on the scale! And I mean NOTHING! Actually I gained weight, and it was so depressing. I noticed that I felt swollen and felt puffy and it was getting worse and worse. I could not even bend my fingers, that's how swollen I was. So I was thinking that I must be retaining so much water (even though I have not eaten salty foods), I still have these pills that are for my head (which is a whole other story) which are strong diuretics. So I took a full days worth, and seriously I dropped 6 pounds of water in one day! 6 freaking pounds!!!! That is just ridiculous ! I know it was that because I have kept it off, and I know I have problems with water retention. It's so frustrating.
I am so lucky to have friends in my life that seem to really care about what I am doing and are keeping me motivated. They are telling me that I am inspiring them to work out and eat better. I had a great conversation with a mom last night about how I feed Lena and that I am pretty strict about her sugar habits, and it was so refreshing to have someone totally get it! She even gave me a great alternative with potty training "treats" that I can use instead of jelly beans! She said to use chocolate covered sunflower seeds, which is a great alternative! I am totally going to get those for Lena!
I have had this post about child obesity that I have been contemplating if I should post it or not, and I think I will. I mean I care about what kids are eating, and honestly to each their own, but the post is just how I feel about how I currently and will continue to feed Lena.

In closing, thanks to all the people who read this and with whom I have talked over the last week, that have supported me!

We made Blueberry Muffins from scratch!