If I Can Do It, You Can Do It

I will be honest, my motivation for working out the last few weeks has been Josh's final homecoming next weekend.  I just keep imagining his face when he sees me.  And that's all I need to keep going, even on the hard days.

A few people have asked what I'm doing to lose weight, so I thought I'd share a little about what my days look like and how I'm shedding pounds & inches.

I start my day with Shakeology, which is a vitamin and mineral drink, full of awesome nutrients.  I drink mine with almond milk, bananas, strawberries & peanut butter. (Sometimes I also throw spinach in there!) I use my in-laws Vitamix and throw some ice in there, and it's like starting my day with a chocolate milk shake.  I love it.

I drink the Shakeology shake instead of breakfast or a morning snack.  It keeps me full until lunch.  Shakeology is expensive, $4 a day if you average it out.  But by not buying coffee, creamer, or any breakfast food for myself, I feel that the cost is absorbed into my grocery budget.  Plus, losing this weight has been priceless to me.  So I say it's worth every penny.

In addition to drinking Shakeology, I eat healthy. That's it.  No secret.  I usually have a huge lunch meat sandwich for lunch, and a healthy dinner, like tacos or chicken & rice.

I think a lot of my success can also be attributed to giving up soda & coffee (which was making me have anxiety anyway) and giving up candy.  I dropped the soda & coffee slowly over the course of two weeks, first dropping my morning cup of joe, and later dropping my afternoon soda.  After getting those two eliminated, I gave up candy.

Giving up the candy was honestly harder than the coffee and soda combined.  

I still miss it.

But I don't miss the sixteen pounds I've lost!

Current stats:

Starting Weight: 200lbs.

Current Weight: 184lbs.

16lbs Lost!!!

I am down 6 and a half inches around my waist, and over 3 inches in my hips.

In addition to changing my eating habits and adding Shakeology I've been working out.  I started with Piyo, which came with my Shakeology, but the time commitment was too great for a mom with four kids and no husband currently.  So I switched a Leslie Sansone walking workout video that's only 15 minutes.  I work out every morning, Monday-Friday and try to get in a long walk on the weekends. 

My goal in starting this 60 Day Workout Challenge with my friend Kelly was to start something I could maintain in the long term.  This short workout is something I can keep up with and will continue long after our Challenge is over.  The Shakeology and healthy eating is also doable long term. 

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In addition to working out & eating right, I've been doing things to make my body more beautiful in preparation for Josh's homecoming.

For instance, I've been using a dry body brush to get my skin soft & smooth.  It took a while for me to get used to using it as it's kind of rough, but the back of my arms feel amazing!

I've also been using self tanner to get some nice color.  I love the Jergens Natural Glow for slow tan over time on my legs (just be careful of ankles & knees!) and I love the Neutrogena Build-A-Tan for a quick one-time tan on my whole body.

I've also been whitening my teeth (for only $20 at Rite Aid!) and my kids love when I wear the blue strips and talk funny for a half hour each morning.

I've also been using this John Frieda "Go Blonder" spray after the shower & before I blow dry.  It gives me a sun-kissed color that I love.

For Mother's Day that amazing husband of mine ordered the FitBit Alta I've been dreaming of since starting this workout challenge.  It should get here Monday and I can't wait to see if it helps me get in more exercise.  I'm also anxious to track my sleep and see if there's anything I can do to improve there.

I have a little less than a month left before the challenge ends.  I'd love to drop nine more pounds and be at 175lbs. From there I'm sure I'll set another goal, as I'd really love to get around 160lbs and maintain from there.

I feel like if I can do this, if I can lose weight and get healthier while solo parenting these four kids, anyone can do it.  You just start.  Take a deep breath, know you can do this and make small changes until slowly they add up to big change.

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