Showcase of the week: Annie

Lucky me. I get to showcase myself :) Not all of these will be the same. I will share what you want me to share. Or you are welcome to showcase yourself too!

I feel like I have struggled with my weight since I was little. I have always had a belly and hated it. I'm 5'2 and only twice in my life feel that I have been skinny. I plan to share a secret with you later on but for now I will share my evolution to ME. Growing up our meals were centered around meat and potatoes, whole milk and a vegetable was an after thought. We had canned beans or corn almost every night. I LOVED ranch and cheese. I could go to town and absolutely would. These two are still big challenges for me. I have always over ate too. When I was in highschool and jr high I always played a sport or had P.E. After highschool I did nothing. I moved to SD at 21, my metabolism slowed, my partying grew (and so did late night food runs), I had fast food all the time and never worked out. I was tipping 150 and considered obese. I was too scared to join a gym, I wouldn't know what to do and was so out of shape I actually hated the actual act. I then moved to the bay a few years later and started working at Google. We had all the food you could eat and we did. We all put on weight. I was now making a little money and had an egg donation and made a little more money. So I booked a liposuction for my belly, arms and lower back. Oh boy was I happy that I was going to be cute again! And I was, for a minute. Because I did nothing to change my lifestyle the weight came back. And when it came back it came back weird (to me anyway). It was lumpy, uneven and my arms were the worst! She really did a bad job there and it was obvious to me that I had had surgery, this was not my body or a normal body. Finally after gaining it all back and not changing a thing I started a program at work, similar to weight watchers. Stanford was sending a doctor to our campus to take clients and help them lose weight on this new program. I met her weekly, recorded my food and did a reading assignment each week on food and my body. I started to lose a couple lbs a week. We would review my week and create a new goal for me. None of the previous weeks goals would end, I was required to only add to them. (I go easy on you ladies! haha) Then I started to see a personal trainer and go to work out classes offered at work (new goals from the program). Instead of spending the money on surgery to fix it, I went and invested in myself. I did pay for the program and the trainer but I don't think I could have changed my habits on my own, so it was so worth it. I needed a team effort in teaching me how to start a healthy life. I think it's the best investment we can make and some people never do. Those that do never regret it. I can promise you that. You only regret it if you paid for it and didn't do it.

It did sort of become an addiction. I loved the high of losing the weight but also felt that I gave up a personal life to do it because I could not go out to eat or drink because I would have to log it and I wouldn't lose weight. So once the program ended I slowly went back to my old ways. Started having fun with my friends, showing off my new body, eating and drinking a lot and gaining again. When I get down (breakups, self esteem etc) I party and eat, so I have yoyo'd for years and can look back at the time I've gained as painful times for me. I finally feel like I am sort of balanced in my life when it comes to food and activity. I made a friend in SF who loved to hike, travel and be active. We became best friends and each weekend was spent being active. We also brought wine and cheese, or went to eat and reward ourselves. This made it fun and I finally got to a point where I started to love the activity instead of doing it for results. I feel worse now when I don't. I like everything about the high's and energy I get when I'm active and eating well. I drank a couple days this weekend and really didn't enjoy the repercussions of it.  Drinking for me has to become a balance too. I can often get excited to be with friends and/or family and make it an occasion to keep getting another drink. I slowly am finding that balance. It will likely be a yoyo thing too. That's OK. I'm admitting it and working towards a good place and can be happy about that. I like making progress, I don't like the idea of cold turkey or change all at once. Its likely a set up for failure. I like to reach outside my comfort zone and take steps in the right direction. In the end, I get there and am proud of myself for it.

This last year while traveling abroad I went once again to get lipo (secret dropped. Boom!). All in the same areas on my body to fix the last one. I was busy eating and drinking around the world and not connected to a gym and not safe to do much on my own for the most part, so I gained weight (I ALWAYS do when I travel). I felt like if I was ever going to fix my 1st surgery it would be while I was gone and nobody would notice. I would have the down time and could keep it a secret. I did it all by myself in Budapest. They took lovely care of me and fixed many of the problem areas I had before that were not MY BODY. I've since gained weight back but I don't feel that I look as weird or bad. I will never do it again and wish I would have invested that money towards doing it the right way in the first place. You gain so much more by doing it for yourself then getting it fixed by a doctor. I would know, I've done them both. Money isn't something we all have but sometimes we can re-prioritize what we spend it on. I cut out a lot of spending by not going out and hiring a trainer instead. Even now I do the visalus shakes but I cut out a grocery bill or eating out (adds up quick!) for the meals I replace with my shakes. When I do it I lose weight. It's easy for the most part and I'm OK with investing in myself now. I buy something new to try each time I go to the store so I can always be learning about more foods. Making new comfort foods that I enjoy.

Thank you for reading my story. It's not over yet but I'm so much better than ever before!

Just before I left for Kenya, prob 10-15lbs heavier. I can see lumps in my arms and can see it in my face. Not close to my biggest but I can see progress. 

Also 10-15lbs heavier about a year ago. 

This last weekend. 10lbs more to go.

You mean everything to YOU!!

Happy Monday!!! It's a new week, a new start to challenge yourself! I didn't notice that I got any feed back on showcasing one of our fabulous ladies each week so this week I will do me. :) Next week will be Karen. We don't have too much time left to do 10 more of you, so a couple weeks I would like to do 2 women. Don't worry about my blog being public. I dropped a big secret in it because I feel safe that you are the ones reading. :)

First tho, I want to put in a weekly challenge. We have already had logging your food as a challenge but I REALLY want to make this a weekly challenge if you haven't done it yet. It's huge, so do it! You must know what your calorie intake is before you can start losing. Food is really the biggest factor in your diet. Now, for the real one. :) A few women have been open with their vulnerabilities, weakness's and struggles. I challenge everybody to be open and share if you have not yet. It's healing and once you let the cat out of the bag you can start working on the women behind it. We all have a different reason for being here. We are not all on the same boat and have had such different lives leading up to this point. But we are all here to support each other. Healing on the inside may just be as critical as the food part. Ever heard the term "Think Thin"? That you can't lose weight if you don't feel think you will ever be thin anyway? If you don't have confidence in yourself to actually lose weight then how will you? Sadly there is no easy fix. We are all carrying some baggage that weighs us down. Have you kept your promises to yourself so far? If you haven't, why not? Do you realize that breaking a promise to yourself is just as bad as somebody breaking one to you or you to them? Why do we not hold up a standard for our own self treatment? Make a promise to yourself this week and keep it. Realize that it's important for your self image, self treatment, self confidence etc. Forgive me if I'm wrong but I also see the women sharing more on here are making the most progress. Even if it's not with the pounds, it's with in themselves. Sometimes the pounds come 2nd. Free yourself from your baggage, share with us, be open. Allow yourself to let go and you might be surprised at what else you start to lose. Make a plan or a promise and keep it. You mean everything to YOU!

My goals for the week:

Start back on my Visalus shakes. I spent last week sampling other protein shakes and have not liked any of them. I've not tried all of them since not all the companies do sample packs but so far Visalus has a more complete package for high protien, fiber, low sugar and carbs and low calorie. Some have high's in all categories and also high in the calorie dept too. They all seem to be around the same price too, so the $50 a bag (free if you sign 3 people up) is comparable to the others.

Go grocery shopping today and make kale chips (Thanks Pamella for the recipe you shared on your blog!) and make my standard meals again.

Work out 3 times. I'm working 6 days in a row this week and finishing up a room in my house so I'm feeling like I can't do everything. I'm trying to join a gym with my roommate but we haven't found a time that we can get there. I really want to do classes because they REALLY help me have fun and make time. I get bored easy and have to mix it up. I'm bored with running already and not wanting to work out. So hopefully that will happen this week.

I don't have much time for much else but I think that those goals are good for this week. I have Friday off and depending on if I get my room done I would love to take myself on a hike. I often (often=always) wait for others to hike. I think a good thing for me is to hike alone if I can't find somebody else to go.

I will do a separate blog to showcase myself. I know you are excited that it's always all about me! haha 

New month - getting through the week

I've had such a hectic week that I haven't really been able to get ahead of myself and blog. I've spent what time I have trying to comment on everybody's blog (still a work in progress). I don't have the best internet at my house either. Right now I have had a large dog at the house that I'm babysitting. It's quite energetic and attention hungry. I had a birth on Sun/Mon that left me sleep deprived and catching up on so much. I've worked in a 3 mile run each day (mostly to get some energy out of that dog), not eating any bad meals but I can't get a grasp at what the scale is doing. I weighed in so much lower than expected for month end and gained 3 lbs in the day or so after. Maybe sleep makes a big difference.

The week is mostly done. I'm going to try to fit in a good hike on Saturday. A good work out tomorrow and give it a good go next week with more concrete goals.

I didn't do anything bad this week. Don't know what the scale is doing but I'll be patient and see where I stabilize soon.

Great job to the winners this month and for everybody who is reconnecting for the 2nd month. It's a work in progress with a goal that we can all support each other in. It's not just about the excess weight but about creating a positive healthy future. Each battle you conquer you should give yourself a little pat on the back. Reward yourself with a little celebration of some cheers and positive thoughts and praises (and maybe some infused fruity water or something yummy). The positive energy is what is going to keep you going and create new and positive habits. So don't forget to acknowledge the positive, purposefully bring in more positive chatter and kick the negative chatter to the curb with the rewards you receive.

I would love to feature one woman a week with a photo and her story so we can all get to know each other. If you are willing and would like to volunteer, please let me know. The bond between women is pretty amazing and there really are never too many good women to have on your side.  

Week 4 - power week

This is the beginning of our 4th and last week of the 1st month. Next Monday is weigh in for money time! As I mentioned week 3 is usually the hardest, your excitement has warn off, the weigh in still feels far away and you can always eat this, be lazy and make up for it next week..... Well, the next week is here! After a weigh in we are on a high again if we did good, almost won, won, OR we set a new mind set for the 2nd month to do a little better with the tools we have been given. For your 2nd month, your start weight is the weight posted in that weigh in, you compete against that new number. At the end of the 3rd month we have a prize for the overall amount of weight lost and a monthly winner. So even if you don't win any of the monthlys you could be the one who loses the most in the end. Slow and steady wins the race right? You never know!

Prize amounts:

Month 1, 2 & 3
1st $70
2nd $35

Grand Prize $100

Remember, in order to win any of the prizes you must have at least 4 blog posts, 1 from each week! A couple of you didn't blog last week and I'm sad you won't be in the running this month :( Don't let your mind chatter discourage you!

This is what the Universe emailed me this morning and I think we can all relate with our thoughts around weight loss:

"Annie, there are those who absolutely think all the right thoughts. Yet if they're not doing all they can, with what they've got, from where they are, then you can just guess what else they're probably thinking. And those other thoughts are busy at work, too. Tallyho,     The Universe" This week's challenge is to set a schedule. Write it down, PLAN IT. What are you eating? When are you exercising? Each week I schedule my exercise so that it's non-negotiable. I have planned it already. I already know I don't do well in the evenings. I don't want to work out once I'm ready to relax. I don't want to go back out in the dark... That's just me. So I have always scheduled my workouts during lunch or before I get home. I pack my work out clothes and take them with me. No going in the house to find something else to do! This may not fit your lifestyle but it's what I have to do. Find out what you have to do to make it happen and DO IT! Food is the other component here. Are you planning your meals or waiting until you are hungry and cooking what ever you like? And since you are hungry you are really in need of something good and big right?  If you plan your meals and snacks you will not feel this urge to run to the closet and decide between your nuts or your chips. Pack your lunch and you will likely skip the work lunch run to the fast food joint. When I worked out at lunch and made my lunch to eat at my desk I completely eliminated my buffet lunch socializing with co-workers. Which was so hard but so good for me. I felt better each day. I lost weight/maintained, worked better, had more energy and was happy at work which made people like me more. We all have some lifestyle changes to make and losing isn't everything. Next week we will start the week off with a challenge about grocery shopping and what your weakness's are. Last week I mentioned how I have been able to replace many of my bad meals with healthier options that satisfy my cravings. These weekly challenges don't end when the week is over. Keep pushing through. Keep them with you when you shop or plan meals. Make them your new style. My schedule this week: Monday: Daily Method Barr class - 12:15 Tuesday: Run 5 or 6 miles 11:30 Wednesday: Run 4 miles - 4pm Thursday: 45min kickboxing video Friday: Run 4 or 5 miles Sat: (day off of work) Hike, bike ride or something with my friends that is fun, yet social. Weather dependent. Sunday: Off (but since it's the last day before weigh in, I might switch my off day with another) I will make 2 shakes a day (or make them into pancakes). Dinners will be carb free. No alcohol except for Sat. Lunches will be my pita's or "Chicken" taco. I like a snack at night so I will eat cuties (any night) or home made popcorn (limit 2 nights). Last week I thought I lost .6lbs over my weekend in Tahoe but turns out it was the altitude changes that messed with me and the next day I was 138.6 again. I am still 138.6. I had a little too much to eat over the weekend and weekends are always going to be my weakness. This next weekend I will have to find a way to burn as much as I drink/consume :) I also did not get to work out as much as I had planned, life got crazy and then there was the rain. I ran in the rain over the weekend so it's doable but not my favorite. I hope to be at 137 for my weigh in next week, which will be a 2.8% loss and 4lbs for month 1! (to figure out percentage divide the amount lost/beginning weight. Mine was 4/141.1, 4 divided by 141.1 showed 0.02834. Move the decimal by to spots and that's the percentage.)

Please, don't give up! If you didn't blog, if you didn't lose weight, stay in the game! We want you here! Do you need a daily email boost from me? Tell me, I'll send one! I like to get mine from tut.com. They Universe sure does love me and loves to send me lovely messages every morning.

Hope to hear from EVERYBODY this week! xo

Week 3 - the "diet" we LOVE!

I tried to blog on Friday but it was a pretty nutty day and then I had a terrible head ache so the moment of downtime I had I laid down before heading to Tahoe for the weekend. I did run 7 miles that day and my headache got worse and worse through my run. I guess I was shaking my brain up too much. I am not in 7mile running shape either and my half marathon is in a month. We jumped into the training a little late and my friend got that terrible flu last week and is behind schedule herself. She tries to run before her 2 babies wake up in the morning and that's not always possible. So we are both feeling a bit worried about making this happen in a few weeks. So we'll see if we make it across that finish line.

Besides that I had an incredible tail end of my week fitness wise. I would run, then bike around town to run my errands and of course fit in some sit-ups and stretching. I was looking at 3-5hrs of activity each day! I did 2 kickboxing videos I found on YouTube, Ran a total of 19miles, Biked who knows how many and finished my weekend with a really hard snowshoeing hike up in Tahoe (the altitude kicks my butt). I was so sore from my kickboxing videos because I had not done a ton of cardio for my upper body in a long time. This is def going into my new routine. You can check out a 10min video if you want to see if you like it 

Diet was pretty good too. I went to breakfast one morning and that was the extent of my bad eating. I was happy that I made good choices the rest of the time I was gone this weekend (Besides some wine and beer).

I lost a lb from the week prior when I weighed in Friday and .6 more over the weekend! This week I work everyday and have evening orientations, volunteer mtgs and training for my new Doula apprenticeship. So it's not going to leave me a ton of time to work out but lucky for me I get a couple hours in the afternoon and will use that to work out. I will also pack my lunch and dinners (good thing these shakes come in handy for travel meals). I also bought spirulina (tsp added to shakes) and chlollera pills that I'm adding to my daily regiment. Getting in even more greens and vitamins that will help repair my muscles, detox and energize me.

I have a weekend away in the city with girl friends and we plan on drinking and eating out both nights..... That is going to be my biggest challenge this week but this group gets together very rarely so I'm going to enjoy it. Keep it light and not beat myself up about it. Hopefully the work I do this week won't matter this weekend.

Now, for the Group section:

I came across a video I wanted to share with you all. I've been trying to cut down on my processed food and this is even more proof of the benefits. 2 doctors took a camera into 2 stomachs of people eating the same meal: 1 meal is made of processed food, the other made of whole foods. You can see the colors, textures and time to digest is MUCH different when your body can naturally break down what you put inside. Your challenge the first week was to observe yourself and your food. 2nd week was to record your food. So you should have a pretty good idea at this point what you are eating. But it takes weeks and weeks to be able to eyeball your calories, fiber, protein etc. Knowledge is power and it's going to be your biggest muscle in beating the fat for good. We all evolve over time, I am constantly growing in my pallet. I highly encourage you to add something you don't usually eat: a vegetable that you never buy, substitute vegan cheese or "meat" to your salad/sandwich/tortilla, add a new recipe to try and add it to your weekly line up. We all have comfort foods and it's time to be comfortable with good foods so your comfort food isn't only the bad stuff. I get excited to try new healthy things and finding ways of turning my bad comfort foods into less bad and then even into good. It's all about trying and evolving. You deserve it. I LOVE mexican food and cheese. The last 2 weeks Robin and I have gone to this Raw (no cooking above 100 degrees) Vegan (no animal products) restaurant where they have all kinds of options that aren't only salads. Home made breads (no grains, no cooking), chips (no frying, all seeds), cheeses, sour creams, desserts and our heads just about explode! We LOVE everything and every single ingredient is good for us and has some benefit for our health. We are blown away at the creativity and flavors and I love that Sacramento is embracing this place so much. They do hundreds of home delivery meals every week! I've been doing vegan cheese melted in my vegan chicken tacos or added to my salads. I have no reason to worry about my calories, the grease etc and the "meat" is already cooked, so easy! This is something I would never have thought to try before and now I'm sharing it with people and everybody has loved it. We learn from each other. Share a recipe this week for others to try. I see many girls have even asked this week for some ideas from each other. Lets turn this into a FUN diet! Eat what you want, but substitute and educate yourself on what's really going in so the better choices are actually choices you ENJOY making!

2 recipes I've been obsessed with the last 2 weeks:

Chicken Tacos:
I don't have a trader joes all that close but I love their Serrano Chile salsa and their vegan chicken strips (they are spiced a little) so I make the trek.
Trader joes whole wheat middle eastern flat bread (like the gordita shell at taco bell. Thicker then a tortilla, larger than a taco shell. Use what ever you like or have. This just give me plenty of room to go big with just one)
daiya vegan mozzarella
Trader Joes "Chicken Strips"
Avocado
shredded cabbage (I buy it shredded, it goes in EVERYTHING! I <3 it!)
salsa

I heat the flat bread with some of the cheese on it. Heat the chicken strips. Add the chicken, salsa, avocado and cabbage to the flat bread and walla! You can make it into a burrito, taco etc. The flat bread has 110 calories and is probably the worst thing for me in that meal.

Veggie Pita:
Hummus (your choice)
Nutritional Yeast (another thing I LOVE! A whole protein, great cheesy, savory like flavor)
avocado
tomato/onion (whatever you like)
Whole wheat pita bread (@100 calories and the worst thing for me, again :)
cabbage
spinach
hot sauce
salt pepper
vegan cheese

Roll it up and enjoy! I even started to bake it a few mins at the end and OMG so yum!

Even if you aren't vegetarian or vegan these are still great and easy substitutes. You don't have to go through the trouble of cooking your chicken when these are premade and very similar these days. Beyond Meat and Trader Joes are my favorite substitutes so far. Daiya is my favorite vegan cheese because it melts and is gooey like regular cheese. I have not tried enough to tell you what other ones are better. From reviews this is the best unless it's homemade (cashews). I also love the Qorn products. Best "fried chicken" sandwich ever! My sister even started giving her kids grilled "cheese" and the chicken burritos and they loved it! I like to substitute where I can. My body enjoys it. My conscience enjoys it. The environment enjoys it. It's all a win! Message me if you want more info on some products you want to substitute. Pretty sure I've tried them all and I love meat so I can give you a pretty good comparison.

If you like soup: Google Dolly Parton Cabbage soup. It's basic, easy and you can pretty much add anything you want from there as far as veggies go. Having a cup of veggie soup each day is a VERY low calorie snack, tons of vitamins and helps so you eat less of your main course. Add avocado to top it and it sort of becomes a tortilla soup!

Hope you share one of your fav's and I'll try to make it and try it myself!