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!

Week 2

Hello beautiful women,

Last week was Week 1. We all were getting our feet wet with blogging. Hopefully took a few minutes to read about each other and get to know our support system. And now it's feeling a bit more normal, I hope.

I wanted to clear up the weigh in schedule. Sorry if I was not clear before. We weigh in monthly for money prizes. You should weigh weekly and log that so you know your own progress AND you can evaluate the work you did against the scale and set your goals appropriately on your blog each week. You must blog each week to win the Monthly goal.

I have been asked by 1 more woman to join and I told her yes but she will not be in the running for the money this month but can be for the final 2 months and the grand prize. In the end everybody else was given 1 extra week to win so I don't see a negative. I want to open the door to any that want it. We are working on getting her set up and I will forward her blog info out later today hopefully.

Now for your weekly challenge. We all got our feet wet last week and our challenge was to read blogs. This week I want you to log your food. With out this you REALLY don't know what's going in. You might be amazed that your salad has more calories than your pizza or the small dishes added up to way more then you thought through out the day. We also often undersize our calories by making our portions smaller than they are, thinking we are consuming less calories when in fact it's possibly double. Portion size, measuring, is a great way to understanding true portion sizes. We will likely have a challenge on that next week. This week start writing it down. If you don't want to use the computer, just write it on a piece of paper. The time it takes to write it down you may choose to skip that handful of chocolate covered pretzels. Once you make yourself accountable it's amazing what you might pass up. Personally I like to record on myfitnesspal.com (they have an app on all phones) and that will add up my calories, log my exercise against it to give me more calories for the day etc. You can also be my friend on there, skinneyanniemal.

This is the same challenge I am giving myself because I need to get better and consistent at it. When I do I am a much cleaner eater.

The other will be to run 5 miles 3-4 times this week and add in strength training. I'm not doing enough of that and I don't want to injure myself.

I lost 1.5lbs last week but had a bad weekend of socialized and a few too many drinks. So I may need to fix some damage I did. Oops!

I hope you are still pumped and excited. Don't forget to drop a few words of encouragement to your fellow women friends when reading their blogs. We support you!!

Good luck on week 2! I find myself very excited when new blogs are posted in my feed. I love hearing from you!

This is not only a challenge to lose but a challenge to heal

What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is 
what you do now. BUDDHA 

Just as I mentioned before I'm also in this competition to reach my own goals and will be blogging and working just like the rest of you amazing women. Blogging is one of the biggest pieces of this competition for several reasons.

1. It connects us to one another. You share your struggles and triumphs, we learn from them, support you and root for you.

2. It holds you accountable. One of the BIGGER reasons. Once you write it and share with your peers you are so much more likely to actually do it.

3. Defines your goals. You take the time out to see what did or didn't work for you, so you know where to improve, what to kick out completely and what to add in. This doesn't have to be the worst thing that has ever happened to you and you now live your life depressed that you can't make your goals, will always be unhappy with your body and lifestyle choices etc. Life is all about learning and I hope you will learn a lot about yourself and what feels good to you. I challenge everybody to find something that works and have fun with it. For my Mom and my aunt they LOVE their Visalus shakes and with out exercising they continue to slowly lose weight by substituting meals with shakes that don't get boring because they can have a different kind each time. Now they both plan to add in exercise and take the next step with some better eating choices on top of the shakes. Hopefully they find joy in that as well. We are here to help each other find their happy place with this journey. It took me several attempts and will likely be something I do all my life but I also enjoy it.

I also recommend doing your blog at the beginning of your week. Weigh in, write your blog. Set your goals, talk about the week prior. Get in a routine. Reward yourself and evaluate. Don't take hours to write but share with us what you can. We want to know! And if you set goals half way through your week (all but 3 have done this on week 1) then you aren't really giving yourself a chance to meet those goals and work towards something. You will get out of this what you put in. Make the commitment, make the choice and you will find the time and energy.

Now for my goals:

Long term:

• Lose at least 10lbs. Hike more. Be outside more. Feel good, feel healthy and radiate light. Be conscious of my thoughts (are my reactions to things positive or negative). Stay connected and committed to myself re: personal and professional goals. These are going to be some very BIG months in defining my future. I need all the focus and motivation I can muster up.

Short term: (how to reach my long term)

• Last week I started a new (healthier) morning routine. The first thing that goes in my body is now hot water, fresh lemon and a little cayenne pepper to jump start my digestion and metabolism. I now eliminate coffee and the unhealthy creamers. :)

• I'm looking to go as close to whole foods as I can. Nothing frozen or processed. Reading labels, making salads, blending my own fruits and veggies etc. Making sure I fill my day with nutrients, not garbage.  I have even substituted some vegan cheeses in my salads to reduce the dairy, the fat and the torture to the animal that I also consume in my body. I know what goes inside shows on the outside. :)

• Run! I have signed up for 3 races before summer. My first one is a half marathon in 2 months! I hope to improve my time with each run and have fun. Having the race as a goal motivates me, gives me a huge reward for my efforts and the race itself is full of such great energy and I miss it. Yesterday I ran 4 miles, today I will run 5. By next week I want to be able to run 6.

I also challenge everybody to find somebody you admire. Why do you admire them? Did you know it's because they have inside them something that you know deep down you have inside you, you just aren't quite tapping into it fully?  I started to travel because I admired a friend who traveled. I started to hike, camp and be adventurous because I briefly dated a boy who had such a full and happy life, I too wanted that for myself. I ran a marathon because my best friend ran marathons and I was so proud of her! I follow 2 women's healthy living blogs and they inspire me daily to do better for myself, the animals and the earth. I volunteered and decided to make a difference because of all the people who came into my old job inspired me and showed me that we ALL can make a difference. In fact, that is the purpose of life. You are deep down what you desire. You are worth it. You are biggest inspiration, your biggest fan and also your biggest foe. Where do you want to place your energy? When you find these things I think much of the rest will fall into place. I think we have all gotten to the weight we are at because we aren't tapping into our purpose, drowning pain, giving into false pleasure. This is not just a challenge to lose but a challenge to heal. Hand in hand this will be how you change for good.

What you are is what you have been. What you'll be is 
what you do now. BUDDHA 

Thank you for reading this far. I love you all and am excited for us all to transform and grow in some little way over the next few months. We all deserve it. xo

Annie

New start date - No more photos required

I have made an adjustment to a rule that was not received well and changed the start date in hopes to recruit others to join due to the new rule. 

Since there was a decent amount of discomfort regarding sending photos in to me (I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable or have them not join us because of the photos) I am making them optional but HIGHLY recommended. I recommend you take them even for yourself. We are visual beings and one of the best motivations and also victories is to see your before and after photos. Something I saw in my before photos is a big motivator for me, and I can only assume I won't be the only one. You may not even notice the changes until you see your photos, so do yourself a service that will benefit you later. This is also a motivator for others when they see the difference and want that for themselves, should you chose to share them. So, we are not only posting photos for ourselves but to help and motivate others so that they believe they too can do it, just like us! Again, photos are now optional but I hope that you all take them and let them motivate you and reward you for your hard work that is going into bettering yourself. You deserve it!

I have also changed the start date so that we can allow a couple more women to join and get prepared now that the new rule is in place. THE NEW WEIGH IN DATE WILL BE FRIDAY JANUARY 17th! You are REQUIRED to send a photo of the scale with an item I will email out to you on Thursday night. This is to make sure we are all collecting our weights at the same time, no early or late entries giving others an advantage. 

Please send your $35 via paypal/chase to annieaubrey@gmail.com. Checks can be sent to my address upon request. We have about 10 people and 7 prizes, great odds if you ask me! 

Please set up your blog, let me know if you need instructions.  My challenge to you on your first blog is to set your intent for this challenge with large and small goals. Large goals will be your overall results and your small will be how you attain it. Make goals for the first week that help you reach your large goals. Don't overdue it, it's your first week and we all need to be kind to ourselves. I also highly recommend you read this entry my friend recently posted about WEEK 1. He is an inspiration to me, a great writer and on the same journey as many of us and I think we can all relate and be inspired by him in some way. 

I'm so excited to have you all along for this journey. Once I have all your blog address's I will email them out to everybody so we can follow along and support each other through our triumphs and tribulations. 

If you have anybody that you know that you would like to share in this journey with you/us, please let them know they can contact me and I can get them set up. We have 2 extra days to get prepared! 

Good luck!!

Sending you my love, 

Annie

Weight Loss Competition - New year, new you!

RULES:

* This comp. is about changing lives!! NO diet pills (this includes prescription AND over the counter weight loss pills), supplements (you may take regular vitamins.. no metabolism boosters, fat burners etc...), colon cleanses, detox programs, pills, laxatives, diuretics, drug use of any kind, cosmetic and or weight loss surgical procedures, HCG dieting, EATING DISORDERS or anything that is not long term are allowed DURING this competition. (If you have had a weight loss surgical procedure more than 18 months ago you are welcome to compete!) 

* Each competitor is REQUIRED to blog AT LEAST 4 TIMES A MONTH with no longer than 10 days between entries on a blog set up specifically for weight loss. (Check out an example HERE) Competitors who miss a week in any given month will not be eligible for prizes that month. Competitors who miss are ineligible for 2 months or more will not be eligible for overall prizes. 

* Each competitor is encouraged to take front and side photos in the beginning and the end. And it's already great and motivating to others to see your progress. 

* Weigh in pictures need to include the date and whatever the household item is for the month and must be taken on a digital scale. 

* Weights MUST be received by 6:00 p.m. on the 17th of each month in order for competitors to qualify for prizes. 

* Prizes will be awarded based on percentage of weight loss. This makes us all equals on this journey. 

* Weight gain will not be calculated when determining your percentage for the month. This means if you gain 2 lbs one month and lose 10 the next, you will only be given credit for 8 lbs. 

* No EARLY weights will be accepted. 

*This competition is for WOMEN ONLY. 

DETAILS: 
* Buy in for the competition is $35 due at the beginning of the comp. Please email annieaubrey@gmail.com for info on how to send in your contribution. Paypal and chase can send direct to that email. 

* Competition will run January 17th 2014 through April 17th, 2014. 

* Weigh in's will be on the 17th of each month. Weights are due by 10:00 p.m. PST to annieaubrey@gmail.com. 

* 1st and 2nd place monthly prizes will be awarded each month for the competitor with the highest percentage of weight lost. 

* In order to keep the competition intimate and easy to organize NO MORE THAN 26 people will be permitted to enter the competition. Currently we are less than 10. 

* A large prize for the overall winner will be awarded at the end of the competition based on percentage of weight loss. 

* Amounts of prizes will depend on the number of competitors.

* At the beginning of the comp competitors will need to send in their HEIGHTS with their starting weights.. 

ALL CONTRIBUTIONS WILL GO TO WINNERS POT!