Transformation Thursday - #8

Well, I had a post all ready to publish this morning once I stepped on the scale.  It was all written out, just waiting for those final numbers.  I was going to tell you about my new bike trainer.  Exciting, I know.  Then last night the husband helped me get down my "Tote of Inspiration".

This tote has sat on the top shelf of my closet since we moved in to our house over 8 years ago.  It's full of my favorite jeans (and a few tops) from when I was thinner.  Once upon a time, I had a fabulous wardrobe filled with name brand jeans.  And as I started to get bigger I would put my "skinny jeans" away in this tub, hoping I would see them again some day.  But as the years passed, the idea that I would ever fit in to any of these pants started to fade.  You see, I didn't always refer to this plastic tub as my "Tote of Inspiration".  It didn't always inspire me, often it mocked me from up there on the top shelf.  A reminder of what I once was and probably would never be again.  That is, until last night.

Last night I asked my husband to get this tote down for me.  Recently, I've been able to fit in to size 12 jeans and still have a little wiggle room, so I know size 10's aren't too far off - YIPEE!!  I knew that I had some 10's in my tote so I wanted to get them out now and have them ready.  All of the pants you see on top of the tote are my size 9/10's.  There are some really cute jeans up there.  I got really excited as I started to reminisce about these pants.  I know is sounds silly, but these jeans bring back memories.  I was a size 10 when I married my husband over 8 years ago.  I was a size 10 when we moved in to this house.  It's been over 8 years since I've seen these jeans.  And something in me said, "Try them on."  I tried to resist the urge because I didn't want to be discouraged.  Too many times I've tried on pants only to have them not fit, it's an awful feeling.  But that little voice kept nagging me, and so....I tried them on.

Guess what?

Some of them fit!

Some were snug, but I could get them up over my hips - miracle!  Some I could button, others I could not.  And a couple fit like a dream!  A size 10!  It literally brought tears to my eyes.  I was so elated and my husband was sitting there sharing my joy with me as I tried on pair after pair to see how close I was to fitting in to them.  At first I had told him, "Don't look.  I don't want you to see what I look like if I can't fit in to them."  But as I tried them on I couldn't help but say aloud, "Look!!  Look at these pants!  Do you remember I wore these to that car show in South Haven that we took the Fairlane to?"  And, "Oh my gosh, LOOK!  Remember I use to wear these all the time!  There's a picture of me painting our bedroom in these jeans!"  His smile was just as big as mine and such an encouragement.

So these jeans are staying out and waiting for me.  Inspiring me to stay on my healthy path and keep making wise choices with my eating and exercise.  This week has been a great week!  In addition to this non-scale victory, I've also done great with my fitness goals.  I managed to exercise 5 days this week.  I'm shooting for 60 minutes, 5 days a week, which I didn't do this week, but I'm okay with that.  Every little bit counts!  Every little bit I try gets me one step closer to my goal.  My efforts really paid off this week in big ways, and I'm so excited!  Here are my numbers...

Calories Burned: 2,739 (goal of 1,830 per week)

Exercise Minutes: 276 minutes (goal of 300 minutes per week)

Pounds Lost This Week: 2.0

New Weight: 158.6

Total Pounds Lost: 33.4

Scale Victory!!  I broke the 150's!!  It's been so long since I've seen a number in the 150's.  I feel incredible!  My ultimate weight loss goal seems so much more attainable from here.  Only 23.6 pounds to go!  

See you next week friends.  Remember to make healthy choices!  Even the smallest choices can add up to have a big impact on your overall health.

Transformation Thursday - #7

Hiya folks!  Yes, I'm still alive.  Yes, I'm still trying like heck to shed these pounds.  I blogged a couple weeks ago that I had lost my motivation train somewhere along the way, but I'm happy to say that I think I found it this week!  Here's what's been happenin'...

I turned 28 this week.  Woohoo!  I'm older.......yay?  Sure, why not?  I'm determined to make 28 a super fantastic year, and I'm off to a great start!  Well, aside from that demonic migraine that hit me a couple days ago.  28 is gonna be my year, man!  I'm finally going to hit my ultimate weight loss goal, I just KNOW it!  Dream big! - it's been a huge motivator thinking about what I want the next year to look like.  Do I want to waste another year wishing I was healthier and more fit?  Or do I want to concur this mountain early so I can spend the rest of my 20's feeling totally fabulous?  Umm, yes, number two please!

Another big deal in my little world has been this (perhaps silly) little county fair contest coming up called the Young Homemaker Contest.  I just sent in my entry this afternoon and boy am I nervous!  I had to type out answers to some questions like "What does the word "Homemaker" mean to you?" and "If you had 30 minutes of extra time a day, how would you spend it?" and "What types of unique things do you do with your family?".  Ahh!  So anyway, I gathered my thoughts, typed out my answer, and it's in the postman's hands now.  If....IF I get through the initial round of entries, and IF I get through the interview portion, and IF I make it to the top 4, then I'll have to stand on a stage in front of the fairgrounds with the other 3 contestants when they crown this year's Young Homemaker.  I know, maybe it's a little cheesy, but darn it, it's something a gal like me can aspire to!  And, be still my heart, IF I win....I'll have to ride in a float at the fair parade.  So you better believe I don't want to stand up on that stage looking all flabby!  The last thing I want to worry about while I'm up there is if my muffin top is noticeable in my dress.  Another big motivator for me, the slight chance that I'll have to stand in front of 50 people or ride in a float.  Yikes!

This week, those two ideas have propelled me to stick to my weekly exercise goal.  I did indulge in a few treats this week - it's my birthday for Pete's sake!  But I tried to keep it under control and balance out my meals so I wasn't eating junk all week long.  I weighed myself last week and I was bummed to see the scale had crept up to 165.  I had been down in the 162 range the last time I blogged about my transformation.  Boo.  But I'm back in the game and feelin' feisty now so watch out!  These upcoming Transformation Thursday posts are gonna rock!

Without further ado, here are my digits for this week:

Calories Burned: 3,035 (goal of 1,520 per week)

Exercise Minutes: 325 minutes (goal of 250 minutes per week)

Pounds Lost This Week: 4.4

New Weight: 160.6

Total Pounds Lost: 31.4

Woo flippin' hoo!  Check out those numbers!  Yeah, I blew myself away when I added up those calories burned and exercise minutes.  Based on how I was moving and eating this week, I figured my numbers would be high and I'm totally pleased with that.  Hard work pays off!!  There's the proof!  Realistically, next week won't be this great.  Not every week can be.  But I'm going to keep moving and that means with each day I'm going to be closer to my goal. Only 25.6 pounds to go until I reach my ultimate weight loss goal.  I got this!

See ya next week!

Etsy Shop: Christmas in July Sale!

We are experiencing some chilly temps in Michigan this week, very unseasonal for July.  I, for one, don't mind because I don't really care for summer all that much.  I know, I know.  But I love to bake, and I'd rather bake with my windows open and chilly air blowing through the house than have to close the windows and crank up the a/c.

Well, these chilly temps have me dreaming of fall and the holidays so I've decided to have a Christmas in July sale in my Etsy shop!  Hurry over to my Etsy shop and use the coupon code JULY2014 to save 25% off anything in my shop!  The code is valid through July 31st, but don't wait to snag up a one of kind creation.  It's never too early to start your Christmas shopping!

There are lots of fab, sassy aprons for mamas...

And even little mamas!

There's a few knitting project bags, and also a really fun and gorgeous half apron still left in the shop.  So scoot on over to etsy.com/shop/mamamadewaffles and be sure to use the coupon code JULY2014 to save 25% on everything in the shop!

I'm Still Here!

The past couple of weeks have been rough.  I'm not sure what happened, but somewhere along the way I lost focus.  And it's been really, really hard to find it again.

I thought I had my eating under control.  Maybe I got cocky.  And I was exercising regularly, so when I did go off track a little bit it didn't seem like the end of the world.  We had a weekend when I knew it was going to be difficult to find healthy food because we were going to be away from home a lot.  I knew it was going to be challenging, but I thought, "I just feel like taking some time off from this whole diet and exercise routine."  Big mistake.

I've said to myself all along that I've come too far to go back to where I was.  I've worked too hard to lose almost 30 pounds to throw it all away.  I know these things, and that still did not stop me from making some really, really bad food choices.  And once I started, it became so hard to stop.  I was feeding my body junk - high calorie, high fat food, with hardly any nutritional value.  I was going right back to my old eating patterns of just eating for taste gratification, and I was seeing that old habits die hard.  I was also falling for that lie that if I've already ruined my diet for today I might as well continue to eat junk for the rest of the day and start again tomorrow.  My inner fat chick is still there, I'm sad to say.

None of this really took me by surprise.  I like food.  I love to cook and bake.  I have a hard time saying no to a burger and fries.  Oh, did I mention it's my birthday month and Red Robin gave me a birthday burger AND a free desert?!  Yeah, right there's probably when I took a flying leap off the wagon.  What shocked me was when I tried to go for a bike ride about 10 days in to my binge-fest and yawned through the whole thing.  I kid you not, at mile 5 I contemplated calling my husband to come pick me up because my energy had totally bottomed out.  I was so exhausted - I wasn't sleeping well at all.  I was tired and wide awake at all the wrong times.  I was pumping my body full of junk instead of fueling it with good, healthy, wholesome food.  And my body was beginning to protest!  It surprised me because I've spent the last few months feeling alive and full of energy.  I spend the day with a 2 year old and a 5 year old, and I've still had the energy to fit in a workout after they're in bed.  But all the sudden, I felt like a slug.

I'd like to think that was my wake-up call, but it really wasn't.  I knew things had gotten bad, but for some reason I couldn't find the motivation to make a change and recommit to healthy living.  The scale was scaring me - I gained almost 5 pounds in two weeks.  I work my butt off in the hopes of losing 2 pounds a week (on a good week), and somehow my eating and non-exercising landed me a 5 pound gain that fast.  I was incredibly disappointed in myself, embarrassed, and sad.  The jean shorts that I had just purchased a couple weeks before were feeling snug, so I reached for my size 16 capris and THAT was my moment.  I slipped them on, and they almost fell right back off.  I walked in to the livingroom and showed my husband the big gaps around the waist.  He said they looked really sloppy, even if I was just running to the grocery store.  HA!  But that was what I needed.  The realization that this was how far I had come.  These capris were once snug on me and I refused to buy a bigger size, so I squeezed myself in to them.  And if I didn't wake up and get back on track, I was destined to be wearing them again!  Umm, excuse me for a sec, but hell no!  I refuse to go back there!

So how many times have I recommitted myself to eating healthy and exercising?  Well, every day.  That has to be the answer.  I have goals to achieve.  I have a life to live, and I want to enjoy it, not spend it worrying about how my body looks and feels.  I realized the other day that I've been overweight for almost 10 years now.  I have not been my ideal weight since I was 18 years old.  I've spent the last 10 years of my life uncomfortable with my body.  10 years feeling exhausted and out of shape.  That's too long.  I don't want to waste any more of my life feeling this way.  I don't have time to be exhausted.  And I need to invest in my body NOW so I still have one to live with in the future.

Each morning when I wake up, I have to start by making a conscious commitment to myself to live healthy.  And I'm taking it one choice at a time.  I've got a few days under my belt now, and I'm starting to see the scale go back down slowly.  It sure goes on a lot easier than it comes off!

Anyway, thanks for hanging in there with me.  Thanks to the friends and family that continue to provide encouragement.  I hope to be back next week with Transformation Thursday.  Until then, make healthy choices friends!

Best Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

We're having a rare 68 degree summer day here in Michigan.  I make it no secret that summer is not my favorite season.  I'd much rather enjoy the crisp autumn air and be able to feel the cool breeze blowing through my house as I bake up a storm.  So on these days when Michigan does what it does best, weird weather, I put on some comfy clothes, open the windows wide, and bake all day!

I received a request to bake some cookies for next week - as if I need an excuse!  I decided to get out my very best peanut butter cookie recipe.  My cookie tin is bare too, so some of these cookies will be staying home and some will hop in to the freezer until they are needed next week.  Have you ever frozen cookies?  I haven't, but I'm told they'll taste just fine when they're thawed out next week.  I can tell you that fresh from the oven, these cookies are the bomb!

This cookie is an adaptation on a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com (original can be found here).  With a little tweaking, I do declare this recipe is perfect!

The cookies are lightly browned on the bottoms, and soft through the center.  And absolutely loaded with peanut butter flavor!  These cookies stayed soft in my cookie tin for days..........well, I can tell you they stayed soft for at least two days, but beyond that I can't say because my family devoured them in that time. :)

My kiddos enjoyed them with a mug of milk, and my daughter announced they were the best peanut butter cookies ever!  And there's oats in them too - that means they're healthy right?  Of course!  Have two!  If you're experiencing unseasonably chilly weather, or you just want to scarf down some of the best cookies ever, give these a try!

Best Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup extra crunchy peanut butter (I used Jif)

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 (10 oz.) package peanut butter chips (I used Reece's)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, and peanut butter.  Add eggs one at a time, and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir in oats.  Stir flour and oats mixture in to the butter and sugar mixture; stir until combined and batter is evenly mixed.

4. Add peanut butter chips and stir until combined.

5. Use a medium cookie scoop or drop by the rounded teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until bottoms of the cookies are just browned but tops are still soft.  Cool on pans for 2 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool thoroughly.