8 Week Challenge Wrap Up

Well, my 8 weeks is up. Do you remember my goal? I was going to get FIERCE. Do you remember me saying that? Yeah......I think it's going to take a lot longer than 8 weeks to get me there! :0)

In the past 8 weeks, I have dealt with PTA hell. I have dealt with basement hell. I have dealt with school hell {finals week is NOT fun!}. I have dealt with OCD hell. And last but not least, I have dealt with my own personal hell. Due to the continual burning from the flames of hell....my fierceness took a back seat. I did try to exercise, but didn't stick with it. Which is frustrating. I'm hoping that now that the basement is done I'll be able to get my Tae-Bo back on and whip myself back into shape.

I did lose a few pounds...which is fabulous! But, for the most part I let my sweet tooth win the battles. I have no will power. :0)

BUT! This challenge helped me in other ways. All was not a loss! :0) This challenge was to help us take care of ourselves. Not to just get better physically, but emotionally as well. As we get older, we tend to forget about our needs and take care of those around us. We forget we are still just as important as everyone else. We can sometimes lose ourselves as we dive into the nurturing of others.

The past 8 Weeks has been an eye opener for me. In this sense, I really took this challenge to heart. I wanted to be better. I wanted to FEEL better. After the first two weeks I realized that I knew what was wrong with me. It's been a rough six weeks since then. And honestly, it's going to take longer than this challenge for me to be better. Which is ok. 8 Weeks is a relatively short period of time to completely change. But, it can be a great start. Realizing what my own personal problems were is only the beginning. And honestly, it's kind of depressing knowing how long I've lived this way and I could have been happier all along. Don't get me wrong...I am a happy person. I have my moments, but I have a very happy life. I am blessed and I know it and I am grateful for it. But, I am seeing things a bit clearer now and I can see how much my life has been affected by this. It's a bit of a downer. BUT! Knowledge is power, right? I am pressing forward with a better perspective and a lot of help. :0)

So, do I count the challenge as a win or did I fail? I didn't get fierce physically. But, I'm on a better track of becoming fierce emotionally.....and I think that has to count for something right?

8 Week Challenge....3 Week Update

OK, so I am in Week 3 {is that right?} of my 8 week challenge. Go here to see what this is all about. For this week's mi-week check-in, Sassy tried something different. Here's what she had to say....

"What I'd like to know is what you intend to do for you during this 8-week challenge.

But this is what I have to say to you. You are only as good as you believe you are and believe you deserve. If you don't think you're worth taking care of, then you're going to project that image of yourself to others.
Be an inspiration for yourself, love yourself, give to yourself. If you start treating yourself as you treat others I bet you'll see a change in how you feel. "

Her point was that we all give to others. ALL THE TIME. Sometimes it feels like we forget about ourselves. I through spurts with this. Every now and again I need reminding that I'm not just good for helping with homework, fixing dinner, and taking care of the families needs {i.e. dishes, laundry, cleaning}. It can be overwhelming at times. But, am I setting the stage for this? Am I enabling myself and my family to expect this kind of thing? And who am I outside of being the momma?

We tend to let things that were once important to us fall by the wayside once we have children. Some things we let go of are ok to put aside. But we can't completely give up ourselves either. We are an important part of our family. We are THE MOMMA'S! hear us roar! :0) We need to give to ourselves as well. Perhaps we just set aside some time for ourselves, or we go out with our girlfriends once a month. Or, do we really GIVE to ourselves.....

Once Sassy reaches the halfway point in this challenge, she is going to treat herself to a massage. Which sounds fabulous!

The point of this challenge is NOT just to lose weight. It is a self-image challenge. How we view ourselves. What we can do to change our self-image. Whether it be to jump start a great eating plan or exercise regime, or to just work on US.

So, back to this week's mid-week check-in. What am I going to do for me during this challenge? And honestly, this question was really hard for me. I'm great at making sure my kids and hubby are taken care of. What's that you say? A friend in need? I'm on it! And though I do loves me some fab shoes every now and again, that's about all the "me time" that goes on around here. I do shower daily, but hair done? make-up done? not a chance most days. I figure why bother?

BUT! I think I'm going to bother. When I am D-O-N-E, done with this challenge...I am going out for a pedicure. Two words for you....acrylic....toes. I haven't had my toes done fancy since I was pregnant with Mackenzee. She's 2 1/2 now. Sigh. BUT! Those babies last FOREVER. {OK, not literally, but for a really long time} and they are super cute. I miss cute toes. :0(

So, there you have it ladies! In 5 1/2 weeks I'll have sassy toes. Maybe I'll post a picture...if you're lucky. :0)

Tips For the Food Junkie In You...

Just found this on my Yahoo! home page. And since I'm on my eight week challenge....I thought this might be handy. I'm adding in my thoughts on some of these too....

Here are five simple food swaps that can help you lose more than 10 pounds in the next six weeks.
1. Stick to one serving of cereal. For most people, a typical pour of breakfast cereal is equal to two servings. If you're trying to lose weight, trim calories by accurately measuring one serving into your bowl (usually that means ¾ - 1 cup, however, cereal serving sizes vary so you must regularly check the package labeling on your favorite brands and varieties).
For those who eat a daily bowl of breakfast cereal, follow my lead, and you'll save about 150 calories by cutting back on cereal and at least 50 calories in extra milk every morning. That's 8,400 calories saved and 2.5 pounds lost at the end of six weeks!

Watch your cereals too. Those that appear to be super healthy are heavy on the fat grams per serving. Regular granola has about 8 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving! When you're only allowed 50-60 grams of fat per day, that can add up. Low fat granola only has 3 grams of fat per serving and still tastes super yummy! The Blueberry Kashi cereal is a really good one too. Give those a try.
2. Skip your late night snack. We all feel the need to munch in the evening, and although a p.m. snack can be perfectly appropriate (diet-friendly p.m. snacks should not exceed 150 calories), for many people, the evening tends to be the time of day we blow it on calorie overload - comfort food central; ice cream, cookies, potato chips, popcorn and more!
On average, people gobble down way more than 250 calories after 8 p.m. Exercise some willpower and skip your nighttime snack altogether. Sip an herbal tea, floss/brush your teeth and close down the kitchen for the evening. You'll save at least 250 calories each day and after six weeks, you'll have cut 10,500 calories and dropped three whole pounds!
Evenings are the worst for me. I just want to munch on stuff. it's easy to just say to grab a sack of baby carrots, but that doesn't take care of my cravings AT ALL. And, as we have all learned about me, I have absolutely no will power. Try sucking on a lifesaver or jolly rancher. Yes, it's sugar, but not nearly as bad for you as the EXTRA BUTTER popcorn, or hot fudge sundae treats. If you need a chocolate fix, try a handful of tootise rolls.

3. Scratch the butter/margarine. Cut out a total of one tablespoon of regular butter or margarine from your toast, veggies, potatoes, dinner rolls, etc. each day. At 100 calories per tablespoon, you'll save 4,200 calories and drop over one pound in six weeks. What if you can't give up the butter or margarine? At least switch to a soft tub spread that says "reduced fat" and "trans-fat free" on the label - it's half the calories of the full fat versions, so you'll still drop over ½ pound.
I'm not a fan of margarine. It's SO not good for you. When I bake, I bake with butter. If I need to put butter on a piece of bread or on a pancake....I use the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" fat free spritzer. It's in a little squirt bottle. There is absolutely NO nutritional value to it, BUT that means there is no fat or calories involved either. No, it's not anywhere near as tasty as a slathering of butter, BUT at least you get something.

4. Lose the mayo and cheese on your sandwich Omit the slice of cheese and mayonnaise on your sandwich (use mustard instead - only five calories per teaspoon) and you'll save about 200 calories per sandwich. If you eat a sandwich a day, you'll end up saving 8,400 calories and find yourself 2.5 pounds lighter after just six weeks.
I eat a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich every day for lunch. Boring...I know. BUT! since mayo is bad for you and the fat free stuff doesn't taste very good, making it a warm sammy makes it possible to lose the mayo without sacrificing that good sammy flavor. I have done the cold sammy with mustard {that's how I take it at Subway}, but it's just not the same. Now, I don't know about you, but I can't get rid of my cheese. It's too good. BUT! They do make fat free sliced cheese. So, if I buy the 98% fat free sliced turkey and use 100% fat free cheese and put it on a 1.5 gram of fat bagel and spray it with my fat free butter.....it's a very low fat lunch indeed!

5. Delete the extras: It's amazing how much extra food we can munch on without realizing it - a grab of this/that off our kid's plate, an extra packet of ketchup or salad dressing, a bite of your co-worker's dessert... before you know it, you've consumed an extra 800 calories!
Be super mindful and delete the "extras" and you'll be able to trim a significant amount of calories off your weekly total. Also, pay attention to your beverages (alcohol included) - as well as what's going into your coffee and tea. By trimming 1000 extra calories off each week (about 150 per day), you'll save a total of 6000 calories and drop 1.75 pounds at the end of six weeks!
This is where I struggle. The "extras". I'm a muncher. I love sweets. I try to keep lots of bananas on hand so that if I get a craving for something sweet I can eat one of those. As far as condiments go...use ketchup instead of fry sauce. Salad dressing is BAD for you! Too much fat. Try Fat Free Catalina. It's good! I can't handle fat free Ranch. yuck!

Follow all five tips and you'll potentially lose more than 10 pounds at the end of six short weeks. Here's the math: 2.5 pounds + 3 pounds + 1 pound + 2.5 pounds + 1.75 pound = 10+ pounds lost!

It sounds easy right? I don't foresee me losing 10 pounds in the next six weeks. BUT! I'm not looking at my scale remember? I'm looking for less jiggle! I've got my exercising in for yesterday and today! I ate a naughty lunch, so that means less naughty dinner than what I had planned. But, when the hubby calls and wants to take you on a lunch date you can't say no right? :0)

How are the rest of you doing? I know there were a couple of you that wanted to participate. have you started yet? What are your goals?

8 Week Challenge....Are You Ready?

My blogging buddies, Sisters Sassy and Honey Bunch, have extended a challenge. It's an

8 week challenge. I am one week into this challenge. The idea is this: we all want a healthy body AND a healthy body image. We don't have to be stick figure supermodels to be healthy. {I honestly think those people are some of the most unhealthy people on the planet} So, you set some goals for yourself...and you give yourself 8 weeks to get going on it already! :0)

My goals were this:

I, Ashlee, am going to get FIERCE! Which means {dang it!} I'm going to have to start exercising and actually stick with it. Sigh. Don't I sound motivated? And...less sugar. BUT, everything in moderation. We all read on my blog what happens when I try to deprive myself of sugar. :0)

If you don't know what FIERCE means...let me tell you my definition. I'm not looking to lose oodles of weight. I know I need to drop some pounds, but I'm trying not to focus on that. I'd rather focus on replacing the ripples of fat with bulging muscles. {Ok, maybe not BULGING, but toned!} I don't want to jiggle anymore! Can I get an "amen" here?

Week 1 of this challenge went smashingly. I watched my calorie intake, exercised four days, and lost {Tah dah!} three pounds! I was very pleased with myself and was so excited with that number on the scale.

And then we had Girls Night. More specifically, DEATH BY CHOCOLATE Girls Night. It was fabulous and I exhibited absolutely NO self control. I ate chocolate. It was so yummy! I ate an almost fat free, low calorie dinner before I went in an attempt to fill my tummy so I wouldn't eat so much. It didn't really work. :0(

And then the hubby went away for the weekend to play in a golf tournament up in Boise {He took second by the way!} When the hubby's away, the wife....doesn't really cook. The kids would rather I just warm up some chicken nuggets or make some mac and cheese. Why bother cooking? So, we ate like crap AND we made chocolate chip cookies. Guess who ate most of them? Sigh. There's that lack of will power again.

I told myself that I was going to jump back on the bandwagon on Monday. I didn't. I didn't exercise and I didn't stay away from TOO MUCH sugar. I have gained back two of the three pounds I lost. I'm pretty much back where I started. Sigh.

And then, Sassy posts today about accountability. For our goals in this challenge. She sent out yet another challenge for us to post about this on our own blogs. What? Then I'll really have to try! Not that I wasn't trying before, but there are people that live around here and see me that read this blog. They'll be watching.....

Maybe that's just the motivation I need. :0) Thanks Sassy!

So, as I was writing this I realized that some of you have no clue what I even look like. :0) Wierd huh? So, I took some picture of myself so you'd know what I started at. These were taken by myself...so they aren't the nicest pictures...

This is me! I thought about getting all dolled up for you. Putting on make up and curling my hair. But that would be presenting a false image of myself. This is what I look like almost every single day. Hair NOT done, make-up NOT on. I'm a stay at home mom. My kids don't care if my hair is curled. :0)

And this is almost ALL of me. The daughter wanted in on the photo shoot. Gotta love the Cheeto face! :0) This is my usual attire. Jeans and a tshirt with my hair pulled back in a bun. Sexy huh? Isn't black supposed to be slimming?

So, since I'm baring myself to all of you....I figured I might as well pass along the challenge. What are your self image goals?

I'll keep you posted on my results. Hopefully there are some actual results to share. :0) At least there isn't a death by chocolate night in my near future.