minus 70 (yes, seventy) pounds!!!

That's still shocking to see, write, hear, and say!!!

70 pounds is two cat litter tubs from Costco

After kind of just easily losing the range from 60-65 pounds...I had to work at getting to that -70 pounds! While I didn't change anything about my diet I did amp up my workout routine as my shoulder surgery draws nearer...and I think I kept adding muscle (which weights more). At least, that is what I am believing.

I feel very lucky that I have PCOS and I have been able to lose 70 pounds. I know many of my cysters aren't as lucky!

-70 pounds in 80 weeks!!!

left: September 2011

right: May 2013

I don't quite know what my trick's have been. I've cut back on carbs, portions, and sitting on the couch. I've increased exercise, greens/fruits/veggies, and my knowledge.

I have really learned how to set myself up for success in many areas of my life...

working out...finding what you love.
I found my one true exercise love - barre3. There is almost nothing I love more than barre3. It calms me and my ADHD brain down, it tones & shapes my PCOS body, and it lengthens and strengthens my osteoarthritis back & toes. Even with all my idiosyncrasies it is the perfect fit and that, is what I love most. Anyone can do this. I did this when I weighed 220 pounds! My father in law has done barre3! Anyone with anything is welcome and fitted at barre3. I also walk...a LOT! Just at work I walk about 3 or 4 miles a day and I know that thanks to my FitBit and I try to walk 2 - 4 times a week but sometimes this dreary PNW weather gets the best of me.

eating better...knowing how & what to eat.
This has been the other major change I have made. Before being diagnosed with PCOS I was so unaware of the food I was eating. I was treating myself badly by eating way too much of everything I ate. I considered a can of green beans enough veggies. I have learned a lot about what portions truly are and how much of each type of food is recommended. A lot of what I have learned I got from participating in the barre3 28 to Great Challenge. It's core values are that of any nutritionist, portions!! Check in out and give it a whirl. I have that chart from the link taped to my fridge as a daily reminder.

believing in myself...I am beautiful like me.
This was a harder one to come by and something I will be working on for the rest of my life. Being over weight isn't an easy thing to be and I truly didn't love myself in so many ways. I still struggle with ideas/ideals about how my body looks but it's slowly getting easier. Now...my brain wants to go to the "well, you can't gain it all back because you'll be a failure" model and I honestly don't think I'll ever go back to where I was.

setting myself up for success...an organizing life is an easier life.
The night before the next day is a pretty busy time around here. We are usually setting out our workout clothes for the next day, making a plan while grocery shopping, or making lunches. You can follow my lunches feed on Instagram {username anniebelle316}. I like to plan when my "treats" will be and focus on them instead of thinking I need a treat every day. I also don't always save treats for just special occasions. Sometimes getting through the workday, the workout, the craziness of life - that's enough.

18 months later...

 

Fingers crossed {that this isn't the end but yet the continuation}...

getting ready for the week...

This year I've been bringing my lunch every day...well, I've always brought my lunch but now I'm bringing healthier foods in them! This sure does involved a lot of prepping!! Here is how I go about prepping my food!!

It really starts with menu planning, which I'm getting better at. But I have finally found one weekly menu/list that I like! I'm on week 3 of using it - which is a definite plus! I like this plan type because I can write what I need for specific meals, as well as what I need for the rest of the house. My little orange sticky note is things that over the week, I realized that we needed. I just added them to this week's list! It's simple, clean, and has enough space to write!

meal plan from life in yellow

 

After menu planning, comes the shopping. I used to not mind grocery shopping when all I was picking out was the same old boxed foods every week. It's now a little more work! The last few months I've been stocking up at WinCo with any canned/dry goods like pasta, rice, beans, butter. Basically anything that isn't a fruit, veggie, or meat. I buy those things at New Seasons. Our grocery budget has increased because we are buying GREAT food but our waistlines are shrinking...so I suppose in the end it is worth it :) I need to be better about going to two stores {for the savings} but sometimes I just don't want to!

 

After I get home from shopping is when my old ways need to take heed to my new/not yet implemented ways. Now that I have planning & shopping managed {for the most part} I want to focus on my pantry and my fridge. That's going to be my goal for the month of January. Organize it!!! My husband works 3/4 of the weekends in January...maybe I should tell him of my plans!

 

Though tonight...I started some of my prepping for the newest round of the barre3 28 to great challenge! A big proponent of the challenge food portion is salads and veggies! Last time I did the barre3 challenges I just wasn't prepared. I was just learning about food, whole food, I was so overwhelmed. This time, I planned out how I wanted the food prep to look. It took about an hour to clean, cut, and store all the veggies but it will be worth it this week when all I have to do is reach into the fridge and get whatever toppings I want for my salad! This week and next weekend my goal is to tackle finding more veggies recipes!

 

veggies for salads and snacks!

 

croutons {for the hubs}, hard boiled eggs, Roma tomatoes, black olives, avocado, grape tomatoes, sweet peppers, green onions, salsa crock pot chicken, craisins {for the hubs}, pecans, celery, red onion, carrots, cauliflower. Added later -artichoke hearts.

 

Here's our fridge...very full!!!

 

Top. Condiments, liquids.

Middle. Salad supplies, lunch for tomorrow, barre3 bars, yogurt for hubs, eggs.

Middle Drawer. Cheeses for hubs.

Bottom shelf. Lettuces.

Left bottom drawer. Raw meats.

Right bottom drawer. Extra veggies.

 

Super pumped to start this challenge with so many other people doing it too! It really helps me considering I am SUCH a "village" person. I'm hoping this will really instill good eating habits, shopping habits, and prepping habits.

 

Fingers crossed {that this first week goes amazing}...

a bit on barre3...

It's not secret I LOVE barre3. Last week I got a fun little email...

:) Since I'm a countdown queen I actually knew this day was coming but I just love a company who prides itself in customer relations. I actually didn't start going continuously until April 23rd, 2012 {but who's counting}?!?! But, in this last year, my life has been changed so much by this place...words can barely describe it. As of today...I've actually taken 60 classes since April. Happy dance!

I'm also excited to be taking part, again, in the barre3 28 to Great challenge. This time though, I won't be a tester, I'll be participating with so many other wonderful people. I know now, that my back can't handle 6 days a week of barre3 so I've planned out some modifications. This time though, Jason is on board with the eating portion of the challenge, which will make it actually happen!

I'm excited to see what this challenge will bring. I have 2.5 pounds {as of this morning} to go to hit -60!!!

Oh, and one more {DELICIOUS} thing...

barre3 bar

 

The barre3 bar is so delicious. It is a grain free, sugar free energy bar that really tastes like a dessert. I used green grape raisins instead of raisins or gogi berries. I also added a 1/4 tsp of vanilla...but I don't think it'll need it next time {as in, today, when I make them again}.

Fingers crossed...

this week i've fallen...

 

...off every bandwagon I've been on for the past {almost} year. And I can't seem to get back on.

I can see when it started. As weird as it is, it was right around the time of the barre3 challenge. I was worried about this before I went in, that this would happen. It was too much info and trying to change too much at once. I've gotten here, to where I am now, by taking it slow and making small, conscious decisions. And I tried to change that and now I am just off.

Like, I've been sneaking spoon fulls of brown sugar - off. Eating Chex cereal dry, out of the box, by the handfuls. Last night I had baked peaches with ice cream AND popcorn. UG.

When I signed up for the challenge I figured it was just about exercising and a bit more mybarre3. Well, it was A LOT about food. Food is my nemesis. It is my weakness. It is my devil. My brain does not do well with being told "what to eat". Now, I have to say...this isn't wasn't the plan was intended to do and I know that...but this is how MY brain took it. It went into OVERDRIVE and I made lists and bought all this stuff I'd never even heard of. And then I froze. I stopped. I stopped paying attention to myself. I stopped exercising. I stopped doing my mybarre3 workouts. I stopped caring - I guess.

 

This weekend I haven't really been tempted to give up, but I have temporarily given up on myself. I hope this is my breakthrough. I feel like utter shit right now. I know the decisions I have made the past few days are going to show up on that scale. And then I think I am going to feel worse.

 

So...my new plan is to get back on my old plan. Back to doing what I had been doing to lose 49.2 pounds in 40something weeks. I'm going to try to make each of the recipies for the mybarre3 challenge in the month of October. I'm going to keep their guide and start learning more about reading labels. I'm going to invest in more whole foods than I have already been doing.

 

 

I am going to let this setback week stregthen me.

 

***1 hour later***

When I am at home I STRUGGLE to make myself exercise. I find everything else in the world to do - except exercise. It's not even working out at home - it's working out by myself. There is a VERY good reason I pay people a crazy amount of money to make me workout. I am totally a "village" type of person. I need people to know what I am doing, I need attention, I need to feel like I am in a place where people are watching me so I better do my best.

That's one of the reasons I fell off the wagon. I tried to workout at home. I knew it wasn't going to work, it never has. I even posted on Facebook that it wasn't working... And that's how you know something is real...if it's on Facebook ;-)

At this stage in my weight loss/change/game I NEED my trainer, I need my barre3 studio, I need my newest place {FloresFitness} and their TRX classes. While I don't need/want to spend a lot {really, a LOT} on it, I HAVE to. It's just how I am and I need to accept that. Maybe someday it will change but for now - I need my people!!!

Back to classes I go. Wallet in hand.

Fingers crossed.

 

day three ~ b3 challenge

Day three started off with a 10 minute routine - again, before the shower. After the routine, and again, before the shower I stepped on the scale and saw...

 

I almost jumped for joy but I realized I was standing on glass ;-)

My original goal {that, one year ago, I NEVER thought I'd make} was 170 pounds and I think it is safe to say I am almost there!!! Though, since I made this goal it has 'changed' to 160. So 10.8 pounds to go :) Hopefully by Christmas-ish. For my 'milestone' present I have decided to get myself something called a FitBit. It's like a pedometer on steroids...more on it later!!!

For the second part of the mybarre3 challenge we needed to workout {brisk walk, jog, hike} for 30 minutes. I knew I needed to get myself to the gym. I wouldn't have put in an awesome effort if I'd gone home. I really do need to be around others!! I went to the gym and did 10 minutes on the stair stepper at Level 5, ran/walked for 20 minutes. It would say it was about 40 run/60 walk. I walked at speed 3.4 and ran at speed 4.3!!!! I felt like I could have gone longer but I wanted to make sure that I saved my back because it has definitely been tight this week!!!

This new life of mine is pretty sweet. I think the weight loss, in a way, makes up for all that time we spent trying to get pregnant. It makes it tolerable.

Fingers crossed.

day two ~ b3 challenge

Day Two ~ my first day of working out at home. And now I know there is a reason I pay good money to have other people make me workout. I SUCK at working out on my own. It look me over an hour to do the 30 minute one because I kept getting distracted or I was trying to cook dinner. Why I thought I could exercise and cook is beyond me!! It is really nice to have the "secret Facebook group" to check in with. Very motivational

day two ~ 10 min. turbo twist before shower {with a cat watcher that is probably currently plotting my demise}

a challenge dinner. chicken, asparagus, sun dried tomatoes, onion, garlic {didn't do the mushrooms}. I added pasta with some olive oil and garlic drizzled on it.

It will be interesting to see how my body does with doing barre3 6 days in a row!!

day one ~ b3 challenge

I was chosen to participate in the barre3 ~ 28 to Great Challenge and it's so amazingly cool!!! It is 28 days of mybarre3 {the online classes} workouts, food tips, and a "secret Facebook group" where we all support each other!!! Today was the first day...and I can tell I will be sore!

Today we were supposed to a 40 minute mybarre3 video...BUT...one of my favorite instructors was teaching that afternoon and she only teaches in the afternoons once or twice a month so I chose to go to a class instead :-)

Here goes nothing!!!

Fingers crossed {that I can make it through the whole 28 days}!!!