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Health/Weight Loss

Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans 10K

February 4, 2015 by Amy Leave a Comment

Disclosure: I was selected as a Rock ‘n’ Blog ambassador for the Run Rock ‘n’ Roll race series. My race entry was comped, in exchange for social media & blogging. Please consult with a doctor before you start any type of workout program. I’m not a doctor…just some random blogger.  All opinions are 100% my own.

It’s been a while since I participated in a race. The last time was the Mardi Gras Mambo 10K, and I was still sort of recovering a bit from the half marathon a month before.

I found out around Christmas that I was accepted to be a blogger for the Rock ‘n’ Roll race series, and I told myself that even though I’m not trained for it, I just had to get the ball rolling again and do the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans 10K. I registered and told myself, as long as I finish the race, I would consider that to be a huge accomplishment. My sister also decided to do the race with me, so I wouldn’t be doing this alone. 🙂

I was pretty darn excited to get back in the swing of things. I was worried that I’d have to buy some new running clothes, due to the weight gain, but thankfully, I kept one pair of larger sized compression capris.

RnR NOLA

The day before the race, my sister and I headed to the expo. We didn’t have much time to spend there, since I had plans right after to visit family, but it was nice to be in that environment again. We passed by The Louisiana Marathon booth and noticed there was a long line for a game they had. For $1, you spin the wheel for a chance to win discounts or race swag. I thought, why not…I loved that race and worse comes to worst, I’m out a $1.

Imagine my surprise when I spun 50% off race registration! They told me that I was the first person to spin that for the day, AND in addition to the 50% off, they were giving away free “In Training” shirts to anyone who registered that weekend. So, after talking to myself and out loud a bit much, I signed up for the 2016 HALF MARATHON. Yep. I’m doing a half next year! (The same half I did in 2014…) Also, the icing on the cake was that my sister spun the same thing, too! So, we’re doing the half together!

RnR NOLA

The next day, I woke up at 4am, and drove down to meet my sister at my parents’ house, and we carpooled to the finish line parking. I purchased a premium parking pass, because I absolutely hate stressing about finding parking on race day. $20 well spent. Parking was a breeze! We also purchased shuttle passes that brought us straight to the starting line. That was very efficient as well. We probably waited 5 minutes (at the most) to board a bus!

With all the intensity of race day, I felt like the shuttle bus driver wanted to make everyone laugh a bit. “John Tucker Must Die” was on the bus TVs, and it was on the part where John Tucker climbed outside of the hotel to sneak in a girl’s room (but it ended up being the teacher’s room). I needed that laugh…

RnR NOLA

Once we got off the bus and I saw the starting line, I got those race day jitters. What if my legs couldn’t do it? What if I injured myself? All of these doubts…after a few minutes, I told myself that I did a half marathon a year ago. I can handle a 10K.

RnR NOLA

Before we knew it, the 10K started. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect..it was in the mid 40s, perfectly sunny and it was in New Orleans for crying out loud. I love New Orleans! I started by walking a good bit, just to warm my legs up and see how things felt. Just after mile one, however, my left heel started rubbing in my shoes. Surprisingly, jogging felt better than running on my feet, so I started slowly jogging around mile 2.

Around mile 4, I really started feeling pain in my right ankle and calf. I realized with my left heel issues, I was running more on the outside of my feet than usual (to avoid the blister pain), and I was probably putting more pressure on my right leg than my left, because of the pain in my left foot. While I always run in support shoes, with the way I was jogging, there was no way those shoes were going to help me out.

I told my sister to go ahead of me, because while we made pretty decent time in the first 3 miles, I didn’t want to hold her back. Also, in case I was reaching the point of being swept, I wanted her to finish, because she was still feeling great. I pretty much limp jogged/walked the last two miles. All I wanted to do was finish. I could see the cop car behind me a few blocks away, but thankfully, I didn’t get swept. I finished the race with 5 minutes to spare (on the course time limit).

RnR NOLA

Sadly, by the time I finished the race, they ran out of 10K medals, so I was given a half marathon medal and a Rock ‘n’ Roll medal. Last week, however, I got an email from Rock ‘n’ Roll that my medal will be mailed to be soon. YAY!

RnR NOLA

While I didn’t have a good race, I have to admit that the Rock ‘n’ Roll New Orleans 10K was a nice race. The course is nice and flat (watch out for potholes, though…it’s New Orleans, after all), and the spectators and volunteers were the best! They had some really funny signs, which helped me smile during those last couple of miles (which I really needed). Also, the bands along the way were awesome. I did the race without headphones and didn’t once miss them. 🙂 The finish line festival was really awesome as well. City Park is a great place to just chill out and rest after a race.

Next year, I’m hoping to do the half marathon, since I’ll be trained for one the month before anyway. I’d love to get the Louisiana Double Down medal, if they offer it next year! I have some big goals and dreams for 2016, but I know I can do it!

I can’t wait!

Filed Under: Giveaways/Reviews, Goals, Health/Weight Loss, Races

Gorton’s/SparkPeople Realistic Resolutions & A Giveaway

January 16, 2015 by Amy 15 Comments

Disclosure: I was provided with Gorton’s products, as well as the same items in the prize package, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Gorton’s is also providing the giveaway item. All opinions are 100% my own.

After the holidays, I finally faced the music and realized that I totally need to get back to basics. I started calorie counting again, and while the first few days were a bit of an adjustment, it’s good to finally see the number on the scale going down.

Realistic Resolutions

I’ve been looking for healthier meal options for my husband and I, since we are both calorie counting again, and Gorton’s Simply Bake and Grilled products are a great idea. These products are ridiculously simple to cook, and they already come seasoned for you, which is perfect for week night meals. Just throw them in the oven, make a quick side item or two, and dinner is figured out for you! It’s so great to have something like this in the freezer, because while I love to cook, sometimes a busy work day leaves me too drained to even want to cook a meal. Also, if you want to get creative with their products, Gorton’s has quite a few recipe ideas. Right now, there’s a printable coupon available from Gorton’s to try their products out.

In addition to eating better, I find that it’s great motivation to join challenges. The support of others who are going through the same thing as you is super motivating to keep going, at least for me. One of the challenges I’m doing this month is SparkPeople (in conjunction with Gorton’s) Realistic Resolutions. Joining the challenge gets you daily tips to make the average New Year’s resolution seem a lot more approachable for a healthy lifestyle.

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Filed Under: Giveaways/Reviews, Health/Weight Loss

Weight Loss Wednesdays: Rewards

October 29, 2014 by Amy 1 Comment

Week one has been….well, a struggle. I went to the dentist last week, and found out that three cavities ended up needing root canals (I have the worst excuse for tooth enamel ever…). After 8 hours of sitting in a dentist chair, I barely could chew. I probably could have made healthier choices, but there was a good bit of ice cream and cream-based soups involved in the healing process. I also didn’t work out…at all. 🙁 I’m finally getting to a point where I can chew, but my jaw is still sore if I have a meal that involves some serious chewing. 🙁

Anyway, this week will be better. I won’t have an excuse, and with the weather as gorgeous as it is right now, I think I’m going to try to run again this week! I know Friday (food-wise) will be a challenge, between an office party and of course, the temptations of the Trick-or-Treat candy bowl, but this will be my first big test of the holiday season. With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, I’m going to have to get my willpower going. 🙂

As you guys probably remember, I’m a big fan of weight loss rewards (that have nothing to do with food).

Weight Loss Rewards

I broke it up into 5% rewards this time, and to explain the first two rewards, I made a couple of purchases earlier this month. One of my favorite times of the year to purchase make-up is during the holiday season, so I purchased this blush set and this eyeshadow palette. Yeah, I’m a sucker for make-up…haha! They are both sitting pretty in their boxes on my bathroom counter right now, and I’ll open one of them for my 5% reward and the other for my 10% reward. 🙂

There’s not many clothing rewards on here, because when I was on a roll with weight loss, I had plenty of smaller sized clothes (between family and friends) that are sitting pretty in my closet. 🙂

Do y’all reward yourself when it comes to weight loss?

 

Filed Under: Goals, Health/Weight Loss

Weight Loss Wednesday: Honesty is the Best Policy

October 22, 2014 by Amy 12 Comments

I’ve done this before. 

I’m sure a few of you had suspicions since I wasn’t sharing as much on here/Twitter/Instagram about weight loss. And well, at my current weight, things are a bit out of control.

Before: 298.5
This Week: 284.1
————-
Total Loss: 14.4 lbs.

Yup.

October 2014

I have no excuses. None. I haven’t gone for a run in well over 7 months, and the gym? Heh…obviously not.

I have to look back on what went wrong. I stopped working out, I ate whatever I wanted in whatever portions I wanted, and most of all, I started to hate myself again.

I’ve always had self-image issues, and when I was losing weight, I was slowly becoming capable of being comfortable in my own skin.

70 lbs. down

Then, the weight gain started. My 16W jeans were tighter and tighter, and then I was like…well 18W isn’t bad. It’ll be temporary. Then, those got tight. I then purchased 20W jeans, and even those are a little snug right now. It’s just bad….for both me and my wallet (I donated most of my too big clothes because I swore I’d never be this size again…)

We have a cruise coming up in a couple of months, so I joined a Dietbet to sort of get things in control before I binge eat on the cruise ship. I also need to lose a bit of weight, so I don’t have to purchase a new swimsuit for this cruise. Yes, I’m larger than my largest swimsuit right now…

I guess the biggest take-away from this is that weight loss isn’t easy. Maintenance isn’t easy. It was so easy to go back to my old ways, and I miss my motivated self. I miss that sore post-gym feeling. I miss being in complete control of the foods I eat, no matter what I craved. I’m human, and well…I guess the only positive thing out of this is that I didn’t gain ALL of it back (almost did…) and that I’m back!

So, I’m here to hold myself accountable again. I’m going to start writing about my weight loss journey, and every Wednesday, you’ll get some sort of update from me. I’ll start posting my gym work-outs again (or video work-outs). I don’t want to say I’ll be back to 5x/week work-outs, but I will ease myself back into things. I’m also on MyFitnessPal (username niftyfoodie) to get back into calorie counting. 🙂

Filed Under: Health/Weight Loss

June Weight Loss Goals

June 3, 2014 by Amy 1 Comment

My husband and I will be going on a cruise again this winter, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! While I can usually avoid swimsuit season in the summer (yep, I do it pretty much every year…), I can’t avoid swimsuits on a cruise.

Last year, I won a giveaway on a blog for a gift card to Albion Fit. At the time, I was kicking booty and taking names at the whole weight loss thing, so I purchased their Icon Swimsuit in an XL (12-14). I have to be honest…I was afraid it was going to be too big by the time last year’s cruise came around. Well…I got a nice slice of humble pie when I didn’t lose a single pound last year, and because of that, my fun, new swimsuit sadly stayed home, while I wore an old swimsuit in the Caribbean.

This year, I’m not letting that happen. My goal is to fit in that swimsuit for the cruise and rock the heck out of it. I’m going to go back to the basics…baby steps. Every month, I’m going to make goals and Instagram my workouts like crazy, if y’all want to follow along. 🙂

Here’s my goals for the month of June…

JuneGoals

I ended up purchasing a Polar HRM, which was meant to be my 230 lb. reward (oops!). I was hoping it would be a motivation tool, and so far, it has been. So my goal this month is to burn 300 calories in my workouts 5x/week. I want to get back into a routine, and this goal should be attainable for me.

I’m also including a cheat day per week. It gives me something to look forward to, but I will still log it in MyFitnessPal. That goes hand in hand with my third goal, which is to log my meals/exercise in MyFitnessPal every day.

Lastly, I will be completing Fitfluential’s Squat challenge. Basically, the goal is to squat as many times as you can per day. I’m a weirdo, because I LOVE squats. If you want to join in on the challenge, here’s the details on Fitfluential’s blog. You can also enter for a change to win a Polar HRM on their page!

I’ll let you guys know how everything goes next month. What type of goals are you setting lately in your weight loss/fitness journeys?

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or any type of fitness/weight loss expert. Please consult with your doctor before starting any type of weight loss or fitness program. 

Filed Under: Goals, Health/Weight Loss

Goal Setting

April 16, 2014 by Amy 3 Comments

Weight loss this time around has been a lot tougher. I don’t know where my motivation went, but I’m having so much trouble getting back in the swing of things this year. I look back at my 70 lbs. lost pictures, and I can’t believe I thought I was FAT in those. I was on top of the world last April. Like Jack on Titanic hands in the air…ON.TOP.OF.THE.WORLD.

Randoms

Picture collage made by Fit For a Bride

Now, I feel like I’m fighting for every pound. Every single last pound. It’s hard…crazy hard, and that’s why I haven’t been writing much about it. I’m sort of ashamed, and I feel like I’m letting myself down every single day.

I also feel a small tinge of guilt on this blog. I feel like the weight gain lately is sort of letting you guys down. Every single one of you who wrote emails, comments, tweets…the encouragement was/is amazing, and I’m only 40 lbs. down now. It’s a bummer.

Untitled

Also, the 30 Day Shred thing? Sadly, today is day 1, instead of day 16.

However, it’s time for positive thinking…at least I’m on day 1, right? It’s something. And more positively, at least I’m catching myself 30 lbs. up, instead of gaining back all 70 lbs. That would have been a really tough pill for me to swallow.

So, here I am. It’s taking me a lot longer to get back to where I was, but I’m going to slowly chip away at it.

I decided to redo my rewards. I pretty much LOVED my rewards and looked forward to them like crazy. Since I took some steps back, I’m redoing them. Fresh start.

Weight Loss Rewards

So, here we go again. I have to admit that my first reward is already purchased. I bought this palette when it was on crazy sale at HSN, but when I got it, I thought that it would be fun to break this open when I saw a new weight decade for the first time in months. 🙂

How is everyone else’s weight loss journeys going? Are any of y’all also facing the fact that this is, indeed, a journey?

Filed Under: Goals, Health/Weight Loss

30 Day Shred (again)

April 1, 2014 by Amy Leave a Comment

As I’ve recently gotten back into calorie counting, one of the things that unfortunately took a back seat was my workout schedule. When I started my new job last month, I stopped with my lifting routine at the gym. Just a new routine…getting used to going home later…I just quit going to the gym, and seriously, that’s no excuse. While there’s nothing I can really do about slacking the past 4 weeks, it’s time to look forward!

I’m starting the Shred…again. 🙂 The last time I did Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred, I had amazing results.

30 Day Shred post

I mean…with those results, how can I not? I have 20 minutes to spare…I can’t make excuses anymore.

(And no, this isn’t April Fools. I mean, why would I joke about work-outs? That’s sort of lame.)

So, April is the month. 30 days. I can’t wait to see the results in May! Are any of y’all trying some new workouts to mix things up this spring?

 

Filed Under: Health/Weight Loss

Taffy Plus Size Activewear Review/Giveaway

March 24, 2014 by Amy 37 Comments

Disclaimer: This review/giveaway is sponsored by Taffy, in conjunction with Fit Approach/Sweat Pink. All opinions are my own.

Since I’ve gained some of my weight back, I’m gonna admit that I’m back in plus sizes. A 1X is my usual size, and while some of my XL clothes still fit, most of my closet isn’t being worn right now. It’s sort of depressing.

I know it’s just a tag, but eh…it’s still a tough pill to swallow. A while back, a good blogging friend sent me a link about reviewing this brand of plus size activewear: Taffy. Since some of my workout clothes are a bit snug right now, I went for it.

I was sent the Taffy Essential Jacket (in white) for review through Sweat Pink. Since it tends to still switch between cold and warm lately, this jacket is still getting some use! I mean, last week we had weather in the 30s and just Saturday when my husband and I were doing yard work, I couldn’t stop sweating…it was HOT. Anyway, for chilly afternoons/evenings, I like to wear a light jacket to say, go for a run, walk the dog or heck, just wear on the way to the gym!

Taffy review

 

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Filed Under: Giveaways/Reviews, Health/Weight Loss, Review

Weekly Weigh-In

February 11, 2014 by Amy 10 Comments

This week was the first full week that I was back on track. I’m admitting my weight for the first time since September, so yeah..it’s ugly. I needed to be completely honest with y’all about my weight. :-\ While I’m deeply ashamed of how much weight I’ve gained back since last April, it’s really really great to be back! I feel in control of things again, and while my loss wasn’t huge this week, I’m still proud of myself!

Starting Weight

Before: 298.5
—————–
Last Week: 260.4
This Week: 258.6

Weight Lost: 1.8 lbs.
Total Loss: 39.9 lbs.

Now, I know I probably should have lost a lot more considering it was week 1. However, I’m back into strength training, and the last time I started my strength training, I definitely didn’t lose much at first. I know I’m gaining muscle, because I was ridiculously sore last week. Like…couldn’t brush my hair, cough, laugh, take the stairs, etc. I know changes are happening, and I’m OK with the results being slow. 🙂

For now, I’m aiming for a 1-2 lb./week loss. If I keep on keeping on, I could potentially meet my goal weight by the end of the year. I’m super excited!

I made some new rewards for myself, since I bought myself or got gifted a few things on the rewards list already (oops…). The big rewards will happen once I hit 100 lbs. (hello designer purse)!

~ 50 lbs. (Pedicure)
~ 60 lbs. or 20% (Flowers for me)
~ 70 lbs. (New pair of jeans)
~ 80 lbs. (Mini make-up spree)
~ 90 lbs. (New bottle of perfume)
~ 100 lbs. or ONEDERLAND!! (New designer purse)
~ 110 lbs. (Some fun, sassy heels!)
~ 120 lbs. or GOAL (New pair of designer jeans)

I can’t tell y’all how excited I am about a pedicure! I definitely need one after half marathon/half marathon training, and after my 10K race this coming weekend! 🙂

How are your weight loss/health goals going so far this year?

Filed Under: Health/Weight Loss

2013’s Weight Loss Update

January 8, 2014 by Amy 9 Comments

I’ve thought a lot about this post, and wanted to be completely honest with you guys about 2013.

You may have noticed that my milestone posts have stopped, and I haven’t blogged much about weight loss since last summer.

My total weight loss for 2013 was:

0.0 pounds.

Yep. That’s right. I lost absolutely nothing in 2013, and as embarrassing as it is to admit it, I need to face it.

Let’s rewind back a bit. In the beginning of 2013, I lost 24 additional pounds (I was 1 lb. away from my next milestone post of 75 lbs.). I was doing SO great..I won a couple of DietBets, and I was feeling super fantastic. I had a few events happen after the DietBets were over, and usually I can bounce back after splurges, but this time, I sort of just stopped. I got a bit lazy in my calorie counting and slowly started gaining. I really only gained 7 or 8 lbs. at the time, until August. It wasn’t too bad…I knew I could get back on track, especially since I was working out fairly consistently to get ready for half marathon training.

Then our lives changed. The lightning/fire happened in our house, we had deaths (yes, plural…deaths) in the family and my emotional/binge eating habits came back.

I honestly didn’t care about calorie counting anymore. There were more important things to care about, and honestly, there was about a month there where I kept throwing the “what ifs” and would randomly just break down. I kept saying next week I’ll get back…next week. Well, obviously that never happened. Before we took our cruise in December, I went to try on swimsuits and the only one that fit was the swimsuit from 2012’s cruise. My two motivational suits couldn’t even get over my thighs… Then, I started to become more aware that my everyday clothes were ridiculously tight (when they used to be on the verge of being given away from being too loose). I’ve been so embarrassed by my gain that I have been wearing huge cardigans over everything to hide the bulge.

However, no more hiding. Here’s a picture to show everything (left April 2013, right January 2014).

2013

It’s a little hard to tell from the color of my sweater (and pardon the no make-up look…these are DietBet pictures), but yeah….

Now, while it hurts to have to take a huge step back, I know that I’m not perfect. I also know that we had a terrible, stressful year, and it’s time to dust off and go forward. 🙂

Here’s a bit of positive news, though. While I admit that while I didn’t show progress on the scale, I’m ridiculously excited that I was able to stick to my half marathon training through all of this. A year ago, 5K races were my challenge and in less than 2 weeks, I’ll be attempting to finish a 13.1 mile race. I won’t be able to make that “120 lbs. down” shirt that I so badly wanted to make and wear, but I’ve been training hard and I’m doing this race. I might not be as fast as I wanted to be, but as long as I end up with a medal and 13.1 on my car (heck yes…I’m CHEESY!), I will be super proud of myself.

This race is going to be my big kick-off into 2014, and I just know that 2014 is going to be fantastic! I have about 80 lbs. to go to my goal weight, and I firmly believe that it’s doable (it’s 1.5 lbs./week). However, if I just make it to Onederland, I will be a happy camper. 🙂 Seeing the 100s on the scale would be SO amazing. 🙂

Filed Under: Health/Weight Loss

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Image Credit: Leslie Pendleton Photography

 

Hey y’all!

Thanks so much for reading! I’m Amy, and I live in south Louisiana with my husband and our rescue dog. I enjoy sharing my love for cooking, baking, crafts & more! Follow my daily adventures on social media!

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