Last week was a crazy busy, yet wonderful week for me! My sweet 8 year old was baptized on Saturday and it was an absolutely beautiful day! However, the week leading up to that baptism was insane! I had a billion things to buy, a program to plan, a house to clean, food to buy/prepare and a baptism video to make!
When my oldest was baptized, I made him a “baptism video” full of pictures of him from birth to age 8 set to music. It was a TON of work (way more than I ever thought it would be!), but I’m really glad I made it. Since then, I’ve kept up the tradition! Sooooo, last week I was up late many nights (1:00-2:0o AM!) trying to get my son’s baptism video finished.
It doesn’t look like it would be that much work, but it is!! I’m so glad I got ‘er done though and I was happy to make it for him. In fact, my sweet son came up to me yesterday and said, “Mom, you know how you always say I’ll never know how much you love me?” I said, “Yes.” Then he said, “Well, when I watch my baptism video, I know.”
Oh my heart. That was the sweetest thing ever and made every late night worth it! Sooo, if any of y’all care to watch his (19+ minutes long!) video, I thought I’d share. Oh how I love this sweet little boy!
I also thought I’d share a few pics from his special day….
And, how cute is this??!?
They are best buddies! I completely spaced getting pictures of him with his grandparents and/or other family members who came, dang it! In my defense, my brain was fried.
It was such a wonderful day, but it’s sure hard for me to watch my cute kiddos growing up!
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Well, I’m still going strong with my healthy goals! I know I have a good thing goin’ because it doesn’t feel like a “diet” or a “challenge.” It just feels like a healthy lifestyle. In fact, I keep forgetting how long I’ve gone without treats! I’m not counting down the days, I’m just doin’ my thang. For the record, It’s been just over 6 weeks since I started my goals.
I’m loving the results I’m seeing and feeling! They are slow, but steady. I’ve now lost about 7 pounds and have 2 more to go until I hit my initial weight loss goal. Wahoo! Ya know, 6-7 pounds doesn’t sound like much….until you lose it! I’ve learned that every 5 pounds makes a significant difference!
I almost feel like my old self again. All of my clothes fit me the way they are supposed to fit now. It’s been awesome! I think I’m about 10 pounds away from my ultimate weight loss goal. We’ll see how it goes.
I’m loving the lifestyle I’m living right now because it’s very doable! I’m counting my Macros every day, but truthfully, I’m not hitting my macros on most days! However, the process of tracking them is keeping me consistent and committed! I’ve been trying to follow a 30% fat/30% carb/40% protein ratio, but most days my macros are all about 33% across the board. That’s still great for me because I’m getting in lots of protein AND still keeping my carbs and fat in check. I’ve done a great job at sticking within my calories (1400-1600ish) for the most part too.
I’m also loving my lifestyle right now because it’s real and practical! I’m not following a specific diet plan or making crazy recipes….I’m just eating simple, real food that I love. I’m also splurging from time to time. I still haven’t had any treats, but I’ve OD’ed on chips and cereal a few times.
In fact, I’ve been having serious issues with puffy Cheetos the past few days!!!
Folks, puffy Cheetos are dang good! I bought this giant Costco sized bag of them because we had a lot of people staying at our house last weekend. Now, they just continue to call my name from the pantry. However, I’ve still been tracking them in My Fitness Pal!! They make my macros out of whack, but I’m OWNING them! Ha ha.
I also balanced them out with a protein shake.
I’ve still been trying to have a protein shake every day. It’s been great. Lately I’ve been mixing 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk, 1 cup water, 1 scoop PEScience Gourmet Vanilla protein powder, a dash of stevia powder, a scoop of Amazing Grass Green Superfood, 2 big handfuls of Power Greens (spinach, kale, chard), a few drops of either vanilla, almond or rum extract and some ice! It’s been great.
I really try to pack my protein shakes full of tons of goodness! I usually don’t put a lot of fruit in my shakes because I’d rather eat my fruit and enjoy my carbs rather than just mix it up and drink it. I try to put things in my protein shakes that are hard for me to eat enough of…like protein and greens!
Anyway, my little splurges from time to time have actually helped me to stay on track! I’ve found that when I try to eat 100% perfectly, it just doesn’t last too long. I usually get frustrated and overwhelmed. My little splurges keep it real and keep me from going crazy.
HOWEVER, treats are a whole ‘nother story! I’ve kept them out of my diet for now because quite frankly, I can’t handle them. I’m really trying to get inside my head and figure out why I have such a strange addiction to them. It’s almost more of a mental addiction then a physical one. It’s deep. It’s actually been good for me to just stay away from them for a while. It helps me to look at my “issues” objectively and hopefully figure out a way that I can live peacefully with treats in my life. Ha ha.
I’ve also been following a realistic exercise plan right now. I’ve been running 2-3 times a week and trying to get a good weight training session in 2-3 times a week. I sometimes throw a little yoga in from time to time as well.
I’ve really been enjoying running lately. I’ve actually noticed a difference in my running since I’ve lost weight. It’s crazy to me what a difference 6-7 pounds make! Running just seems a little easier and my pace has been speeding up. Wahoo!
I’m trying really hard to keep my body injury free too!! I’m not training for any races right now, so I’ve just been trying to build a good solid running base. Right now I’ve been running around 4-4.5 miles each time. I plan to slowly work up to the 10k range and then keep it there for a bit. I went on a 4 mile run with the baby today and it was great.
This spring weather has made me so happy! LOVE IT! My baby loves to go on runs with me too! He gets sooo excited when I ask him if he wants to go on a run. He runs out to the garage with me and happily climbs into the jogger. He also keeps me on my toes! If I ever stop running for any reason, he starts fussin’ at me. It’s funny.
He almost always falls asleep on our runs, which I think is adorable…
Love that baby!
Well, I thought I’d share some progress pics with y’all! If you recall, I took some weird “before pics” several weeks ago. I just took pics of me in random clothes from my closet that didn’t fit the way I wanted them too.
I took the first pics on March 22nd. I intended to take some progress pics at the 1 month mark, but I never got around to it! So, I took some pics yesterday (May 2nd), which was the 6 week mark. I don’t know how well y’all will be able to see the progress in the pictures, but GUYS, I was floored by how much better all the clothes fit!!! It was very very rewarding.
First up is my random hoodie pictures. I have to say that this hoodie is weird. It’s very spandex-y, so it is fitted no matter how thin or not-thin I am! Consequently, I don’t think it shows the progress too well…
Here are the “before” pics…
And here are the pics I took yesterday…
It was quite a bit looser in my torso and arms.
K, next up are my skinny jeans. These jeans are also very spandex-y, so it’s hard to see the difference. I definitely like the way they fit me now better though!
Here are the before pics…
And here are the pics from yesterday…
Next in line is the spandex skirt! Again, it’s hard to see progress in spandex, BUT it did fit better! I still don’t think I’d wear it in public yet, but it’s coming!
Before pics…
Yesterday pics…
Next up are the tight capri jeans. I noticed a huge difference in these! When I tried them on 6 weeks ago, they were super tight (they don’t have any spandex in them.) When I tried them on yesterday, they were perfect…almost a little loose!
Before pics…
Progress pics…
Next, is my blue button down shirt. Six weeks ago, this shirt was so tight on me and I felt like I was busting out of it! I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on and it felt loose!
Before pics,
Yesterday pics…
And finally here’s my tiny t-shirt. I’ve decided this shirt is actually toddler sized. It’s just a teeny tiny t-shirt. I don’t even know if I’ll wear it once it fits right, but it’s a great shirt to use to see progress!
Before pics….
Yesterday pics…
The shirt is still itty bitty, BUT it’s looser and my muffin top is GONE! Sooo freaking awesome.
Seeing and feeling the progress in my body is worth all the hard work and every single sacrifice I’ve made. I really haven’t felt like I’m doing anything too extreme…I’m just being consistent.
I intend to keep on going too! We’ll see where it takes me. I figure if I’m feeding and exercising my body well….it will go to it’s happy place. I’ll take some more progress pics in another month or so too.
Well, it’s late and I need to hit the hay! I hope you all have a great night! xoxo
Wow!! You look great! You’re giving me motivation to lose that last 5 lbs (which always seems the hardest)! It really is incredible how 5lbs feels.
I started following you when I was pregnant with baby #7, so I’ve really enjoyed following along on your journey! Way to go!!!
Thank you so much Patti! Wow, baby #7 and you only have 5 pounds to lose!?? That’s incredible! Thanks so much for following me and my little blog! 🙂
You must be so proud of your sweet, newly-baptized son and all your kids!
Thanks for the real inspiration for looking and feeling healthy and great, and especially for your message coming across that how you feel is more important than how you look.
Although you are B E A U T F U L, Melanie!
Thanks so much Deborah! You are the sweetest!
Congratulations to your son. Baptismal services are such special times.
You look great lady! Macro counting looks like it works for you.
Thanks so much Char! I’m really loving the straight forward approach of macro counting. I’m not perfect at it, but it keeps me sorta kinda accountable!
HEY SEXY PANTS!! Your weight loss is PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!! You look amazing. Granted, you looked amazing “before” too but still, I am thrilled for you! TWO MORE POUNDS – woo woo! 😉
And your son is adorable! 🙂
Ha ha, thanks so much Gigi! Weight loss is so freaking slow, but I’m happy to finally see some sort of progress. Woot!!
You look fabulous, great job on such wonderful progress and your boys look fabulous all done up for church.
Thanks so so much Abby! I’m so happy to finally see a little bit of progress. Yay.
Can you give some examples of meals you eat? I’m new to macros and need help reducing carbs and increasing protein. You look great, btw!
Thanks so much Jamie! I’ve really been loving macro counting and I hope you love it too! I really should do a post about the meals I’ve been eating, but for now I’ll just share my favs with you….scrambled egg whites with ketchup, protein pancakes (recipe on my blog), oatmeal with protein powder (recipe on my blog), simple salads with chicken and veggies, rice cakes topped with a lite smear of Jif Whips peanut butter and cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt with cocoa and stevia mixed in and protein shakes. For dinners, I love to make pizzas on Flatouts, taco salad or a taco on a Flatout, grilled chicken, soups, omelets, spaghetti squash with hamburger and lots of leftovers!!!