Session 3, Week 4: Chillaxin' in Paradise

Sitting on our condo's lanai in Kauai, I'm in heaven.

I'm just steps from the ocean where a family of turtles splashes around.

Week 3: Running for Sienna

Body Backers past and present showing their support for a great project.

Last weekend my family and I had the opportunity to be part of something really special.

Some of my amazing Body Back friends invited us to participate in a 5K at Mission Bay to raise money for Sienna's Play Garden. The Rancho Penasquitos playground revitalization project was started by the family of a little girl named Sienna who passed away unexpectedly in 2012 at just 16 months.

It was heart-warming to see the more than 500 people who came to show their support for the family.

Before the race started, a woman stood up to address the crowd and I heard someone whisper, "Is that the mom?"

Session 3, Week 2 + What Not to Do Between Body Back Sessions

I owe my great results from Session 2 to our instructor Ashley!

By the second-to-last week of my last Body Back session, I was within a pound of my goal weight!

So I put all of my focus into the eating plan and workouts. I kept thinking, "I don't need that <insert bad food choice here>. I just have a few more days."

I passed up desserts, avoided alcohol, planned my meals and snacks, drank my water, worked out hard. And I did it! I surpassed my goal and realized amazing overall results. I was so excited and proud!

And then I went nuts...

Whose Body Is This?

We did it! We officially survived another session of Body Back! But, I think there's been a mix up! I didn't get my body back! I got someone elses!

After another 8 weeks of intense, 5:30 a.m. workouts and disciplined, clean eating, I have some surprising results to share!

I wasn't sure how this second session would go - it's one thing to do this for eight weeks and see results, but it's another thing to keep the momentum going...

15 Weeks and Counting: My Body Back Journey So Far

 

Wish this baby was on the food plan... :)

Can't believe I'm almost done with my second 8-week session of BodyBack!

Tuesday after next is our final assessment where we'll see how far we've come. That means I have just eight days left to give it my all.

After a super encouraging email from our Body Back leader, Ashley, I have a renewed commitment to do my very best during this last week. In fact, it came just in time to help me plan NOT to have mimosas at a family brunch today - a big deal for me, since I LOVE a good mimosa ... or several ... :)

For those who aren't familiar with BodyBack, it's a workout program with a meal plan and food journal designed for moms who want to get back in shape after having kids. We meet for workouts twice a week and are encouraged to workout on our own for a total of six days, with one rest day.

"To get what you've never had..."

It's Been a While - Let's Catch Up!

 

 

Wow! I can't believe it's been over a year since I last posted... A LOT has happened. Most importantly was the birth of our beautiful baby Coen in August - he's 11 months now!

Vegan Zucchini Lasagna with Tofu Ricotta

Life has been crazy these past few months. In case you haven't heard the news yet - I'm pregnant! I'm now at 31 weeks, so almost 8 months. I can't believe how fast it is going by. I feel lucky to be feeling great, still full of energy and still sleeping well. Yahoo!

My blog posts have been few and far between since I started this crazy journey. At first I didn't feel good, so I stopped cooking as much and had a hard time sticking to my new vegan lifestyle. I started craving comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, pizza, ice cream (and any other dessert I could get my hands on) - and I wanted the real thing - no vegan substitutes.

So I went for it. I also started eating eggs as an easy way to get more protein. So, I guess I can say, I'm eating more as a vegetarian than a vegan these days. Although I do try to keep the dairy to a minimum. And as I started feeling better, I started cooking more, which makes it easier to get the protein and nutrients I need without resorting to too many animal products.

Gettin' Crafty and Snazin' Up the Living Room

Picture this: when I moved in with Pat about seven years ago, he had a crazy-patterned Ikea futon for a couch and an old blue lazyboy loveseat. I added my green plaid loveseat and 70s gold arm chair to the mix, making for quite the eclectic livingroom ensemble.

We eventually got some coordinating furniture covers, which helped a little, but they never quite fit right or stayed on.

So, a few months ago, we finally invested in new furniture! We picked out a beautiful livingroom set in chocolate brown microfiber. We got a couch, a loveseat and two arm chairs - and they all match! It makes me feel like such a grown up to have nice matching furniture!

The only catch was the super-ugly throw pillows that came with them. They almost matched the crazy-patterned futon's throw pillows which we kept because they're so comfy. Add to that the few other funky pillows we'd collected over the years and our livingroom was still kind of a mess.