Scale or Measuring Tape

So how do you judge your weight loss success?

A scale, a measuring tape, what the mirror shows, how your clothes fit......

The scale is the worst way you can judge your success.  I'll admit I'm a slave to my scale.  It's a problem my therapist that helped me battle my eating disorder worked on me with the entire time I saw him.  Although I still use my scale I don't just go by that number.  If I did I would be in trouble.  My weight has actually gone up since I have been working on more muscle toning and less fat burning.  My inches have gone down though and my clothes are looser.  I also can see my hips slimming in the mirror.  

Muscle weighs more than fat but takes up less space in your body.  That's why your weight can be higher but you can be in a smaller size.

My advice to everyone is to take your measurements when you begin a workout program.  Measure again every 30 days.  Get something in your closet that doesn't fit.  Every week try it on and see how it's fitting.  If your like me and still want to weigh....pick one day a week and weigh that same day every week first thing in the morning.  

If your looking for a slimming workout for your lower body, you can check out the workout I am currently doing here www.teambeachbody.com/amyfreemon and search for Slimi n Six!  It is an awesome lower body slimming workout!

Long Week but Several Recipes

I swear now that it's summer break I'm busier then when school is in.  Between craft days and pool time and play dates there is never any free time.

At least I made time to workout and try new recipes!

Up first....breakfast:

Not really a recipe persay but simple and oh so yummy!

2 eggs scrambled, a tomato sliced and some avocado!  Healthy and good!  Can't get better than that!

Lunch time!

Egg salad in whole wheat pita made with avocado rather than mayo and fruit mix of oranges, mango and peaches.

1 hard boiled egg and 1 extra hard boiled egg white and 1/2 of a 100 cal pack of guacamole.  Mix together and serve in a half of a whole wheat pita.

Dinner!

Salad with peaches, strawberries, oranges and 1/2 cup cold quinoa on spring mix.  I also added some olives for a healthy fat and used a vinaigrette salad dressing.

Stuffed portabella's 

Clean portabella's and scrap out insides.  Save stems for filling.

Filling #1 chopped stems, 1 laughing cow light Swiss cheese, garlic to taste and chopped squash (or zucchini).  Mix together and fill one portabella and top with Parmesan cheese.

Filling #2 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (I bowl a batch with several servings ahead of time to use for different meals during the week) and top with Parmesan cheese.

I cooked these for 20 min at 450.  But watch them as portabella's vary in size and some will cook faster.

 

What to do when injury strikes

So I often get asked what do I do when I'm injured.  The answer is listen your to body and rest your injury.  Some exercises can be done around the injury (like an arm or shoulder injury).  Others.....like a leg or serious back injury need to be rested completely.  Always take it slow and listen to your own body.  

Well I deal with this a lot myself.  During my cancer treatment 10 1/2 years ago I was involved in a head on collision that messed up my back pretty bad.  I wasn't working out at the time due to cancer treatment and being sick and weak all the time.  But once I finished treatment and got stronger I wanted to workout again.  What I found out....that back injury from the car wreck will never completely go away.  It will flare up here and there and hurt me bad when I least expect it.

Well right now is one of those times.  A little over a week ago my back started to give me fits.  And now it's full blown hurting.  So I'm making some changes to my workout to accommodate my injury.  I definetly don't want to aggreviate it more.

So bring on a round of Slim in Six!  It's my go to workout for pageant prep and focuses more on the lower body and is low impact.

It's a three step workout program. 

 The first round breaks you in to doing the workouts.  It's around 35 minutes and you do it daily until you are comfortable with the workouts.  Usually 4-6 days or week 1.

 The second round has more workouts and is a little bit longer.  Around 45 minutes and you do them daily for weeks 2 and 3 (or longer if needed)

 The third round is the toughest and longest at 1 hour.  You finish out the last 3 weeks doing this program daily.

You will definetly see a lower body slimming with this workout!  

I would love to have you follow the Slim in Six program with me.  You can get your own copy here www.teambeachbody.com/amyfreemon

PIYO is here!

Brand new workout from Beachbody launched today!  

It's a combination of yoga and Pilates!  Low impact, high intensity and hardcore results!

This program was created by Chalean Johnson, the creator of Turbo Jam (my all time favorite workout program), Turbo Fire and Chalean Extreeme!  

And since it was just launched today it's at a special price!   Now through then end of July the challenge pack (with one month of Shakeology included) is on sale for $140!  That's like getting the program for only $10!

As always this program comes with a 30 day money back guarantee!

Order quick incase it sells out like 21 Day Fix did it's first week!

You can order here www.teambeachbody.com/amyfreemon 

Juicing! I'm Trying It!

So I've heard a lot about juicing and how good it is for your body!

As a breast cancer survivor I like to do everything I can to help my body be it's own lean mean fighting machine!

So as you know I've been adding greens to my shakes lately.  Well today I made my first juice!  

It wasn't too bad.  Texture is thicker than I was expecting and will take some time to get adjusted too.

I used my vitamix instead of a juicer.  I wanted all the pulp to still be in my drink so I wouldn't lose the fiber.  I was shocked by how filling it was.  I was expecting to be starving within 30 minutes.  But to my surprise I wasn't hungry for 4 hours.

3 cabbage leaves

1/2 cup oranges

1/2 frozen banana

2 baby carrots

1/2 cup of water

I'm excited to be trying juicing!  But don't worry I still had my Shakeology for lunch!   Please feel free to add your own favorite juices in bathe comments!  I would love to try them!

More Broccoli in another Shake and Healthy Cheesecake stuffed Strawberries!

I was so impressed that I couldn't taste the brocolli yesterday that I did it again today!

Starwberry Peach Shakeology!

1 pack strawberry Shakeology, 1/2 cup frozen peaches, 10 oz water and some frozen broccoli purée.  I added a little bit more today that yesterday and still didn't taste it!  This I believe is my favorite shake to date!

I also had a side of cheesecake filled strawberries.  Yummy!

I took out a little bit of the insides of some strawberries and filled them with Laughing Cow cinnamon spread!  It is so good!  Cheesecake heaven!

This was 21 Day Fix approved!  1 red, 1 purple, 1/2 green and 1/2 blue

Brocolli in a Shakeology

So yesterday I put spinach in my shake and today........brocolli!

Vanilla Shakeology, 8-10 oz water, 1/2 cup of apples, cinnamon and a little bit of brocolli.  I started small.  I wasn't sure what the brocolli would do to the taste.

No taste change!  Love it!

21 Day Fix breakdown: 1 red, 1/2 purple and 1/4 green!

Round 2 on 21 Day Fix

So I started round 2 today!  

I did make some new recipes and they rocked!

Pumpkin Pie Shakeology with spinach mixed in!

Van Shakeology, 10 oz water, 1/2 cup pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice to taste, 1/2 frozen banana and 1 cup of spinach.  It turned it green but it was so good!

Breakdown for 21 Day Fix: 1 red, 1 green and 1 1/2 purple for the banana and 1/2 apple I ate

Dinner I tried quinoa pasta mixed with zucchini noodles that I made with my new veggie spiraler thingy.  I put a little bit of sauce on top and had a salad too.  Texture of the quinoa pasta is different from regular pasta but I liked it.  And with the zucchini noodles added in it made the pasta grow in portion size.  Very filling!

21 Day Fix breakdown: 1 yellow and 3 green

Not sure what new recipe I will try tomorrow.  Off to Pinterest to research and play!

I've Been MIA

Sorry I haven't posted in a week.  I've been having computer and iPad issues.  But all is resolved now.

I didn't get my last week of 21 Day fixed completed the way I wanted too so I'm starting new this week.

I finished with an 8 pound loss for the 2 weeks I completed!  I want to add to that number this round!

I'm taking today to plan out some new meals but I will also be repeating some of the same ones as before.  So I won't document every single day of eating this go around, but I will put up any new meals I try.

Here's to another nice drop in pounds on 21 Day Fix!

If you want to try your own 21 Day Fix go here www.teambeachbody.com/amyfreemon