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Will this day just end?

So my antibiotics still have not kicked in. I was up all last night if you saw my video. I still have not been to bed. Even after a shower. Every time I lay down and get up about 30 min later my throat is looking and feeling worse. I'm in extreme pain. Topping it off with  Mitchell's trampoline he got for his 4th birthday in august just broke and so I just broke down in tears. I'm down with today.

On the bright side I do have my family I can still hug. Make sure you hug your little ones today.

MIA & Update

 

 I didn't edit this video or do anything to it because I am very new at making videos. If you have any tips or tricks let me know.

Day 5 of Insanity

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I have been doing Insanity everyday but it took all the energy out of me. The first 3 days I was extremely sore. I wanted to cry when my husband rubbed my calves. The soreness isn't as bad today. The soreness is in my legs mostly.

I know your not suppose to weigh yourself everyday but I feel it helps me. By Saturday I lost 4 pounds and I lost another today. I know it's only water weight but it helps. I get excited when I see I've lost because it makes me keep going and when I don't or gain it helps because it makes me want to work harder.

The next week will be kind of difficult food wise. Not only is thanksgiving this week but my mom will be here for a week. I know I won't be eating all that healthy but I will still continue to work.

I will keep you posted on how things go.

~Amanda

Insanity Fitness Test

So I finally got up the courage to try the Insanity fitness test again. If you read my very first blog I had mentioned that I had rolled my ankle pretty bad. It has been about 8 weeks now and I haven't had anymore problems with it.

I finished the test injury free this time but that doesn't mean my body isn't going to be killing me tomorrow. I already took a shower and my muscles are still shaking. I normally workout in the morning because I find it easier for me on an empty stomach (not recommended for most people). I will maybe eat a banana before hand but nothing more than that. This time I did my workout around 5:30 pm. Big mistake for me.  The last I ate was around 1:30 pm but I still felt full, heavy, and sluggish.  Also, this is the first time I felt like I wanted to throw up after a workout. I believe it's because I did it later in the afternoon after I had been eating and drinking.

My favorite time to workout is  8 or 9 am but on Fridays that will be really difficult. I start babysitting at 7:30am on Fridays so if I want to get my workout in the morning I will have to wake up extremely early. I am a night owl and do not like to get up early. I will let you know how I feel tomorrow and how tomorrow's workout goes.

If you have any suggestions or comments leave them below. Let me know if you want to join me on my journey to get healthy.

Starting weight: 214.2

Results:
1~ 54
2~ 33
3~ 44
4~ 21
5~ 7
6~ 9
7~ 19 push ups on my knees (I had to modify)
8~ 30

(if you don't know what the number means: Each number represents an exercise move and how many reps I did in the minute.)

Mama's Red Beans and Rice Recipe

 Mama's Red Beans and Rice Recipe


This is one of the best "healthy" recipes! My husband is a picky eater but he loves it. The simmer time takes forever but well worth the wait. Hope you enjoy!

Minutes to Prepare: 5

Minutes to Cook: 70 min

Number of Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 pound smoked turkey sausage
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large onion, diced
1 yellow and red bell pepper, seeded and
diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced, green part
reserved for garnish
1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp fresh thyme, or pinch dried
Pinch of salt
1 tsp black pepper
Three 15-ounce cans of kidney beans,
drained and rinsed
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with
basil and garlic
1 bay leaf, whole
1 cup brown rice, uncooked

Directions

1. Slice the sausage links in half lengthwise and
then in half again. Cut crosswise to dice.
2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy
saucepan with lid. Once hot, add the onions,
bell pepper, garlic, and the white parts of the
green onion. Cook until the vegetables are soft,
about 5 minutes.
3. Add the sausage to the pan and cook just
until browned. Add the red pepper, oregano,
thyme, salt, and black pepper and stir to combine.
Then stir in the beans and tomatoes, and
add the bay leaf.
4. Add the rice, stir, and let cook for 1 minute to
coat the rice. Add 1½ cups of water. Bring to a
boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Cover
and continue to cook until the rice is tender,
about 1 hour or until the rice is cooked all the way. 

Before serving, remove the bay leaf and garnish 

with the sliced green onions. 

 

 

Nutritional Info

• Servings Per Recipe: 12
• Calories: 215.0
• Total Fat: 4.2 g
• Cholesterol: 5.8 mg
• Sodium: 145.2 mg
• Total Carbs: 36.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.7 g
• Protein: 8.6 g

Introduction

My family

Hi everyone. My name is Amanda and I am a 26 year old stay at home mom who babysits on the side for extra money. I have a son named Mitchell and he is 4 years old. My husband was in the Marines but he got out so that he could go to school and get a criminal justice degree. Currently he is a hard worker in a potash mine which has nothing to do with his schooling but the economy is not in the greatest of shape so we do what we can.

I wanted to create a blog based on things I am interested in. Most of it may be documenting my weight loss journey with some recipes added in but it won't strictly be about weight loss. I will also post some arts, crafts, beauty tips, updates on my family, and so on.  While I am a very busy mom I hope this will keep me accountable since I notice a lot of bloggers on here who are trying to lose weight say that the best motivation is the people on here.

Now for a little about my back story. I was born and raised in southern California. My mom was a very busy single mother of three. We all were involved in different sports and all went to different schools because of age gaps. This caused us to eat out A LOT. My mom worked very hard to make sure we had what we needed but time is one thing my mom didn't have between work, school and practice/games and usually there was no time to cook dinner. I was very active in school and sports.  If I wasn't playing softball it was cheer. So growing up I stayed pretty fit but in high school I had bad body issues. I wasn't fat but I made myself believe I was. 

Jr Year 2003

Hoodies were my best friend.  When I started college I was in the best shape. 

160lbs 2005

 I played softball at my college the first year.  I met my husband when he was in the Marine Corps and stopped playing softball shortly thereafter.  My weight got to 185 after that.

185lbs 2007

We got married and I got pregnant.  My final weight before I gave birth was 242.  I lost 40 pounds that first week.  I had extra fluid and my baby was 9.8 ounces so that helped a little.  Most of it came off because of stress and I had postpartum depression.  I got down to 185 when my son was about a month old. 

About 8 months here July 2008

1 week old August 2008

When he was 4 months old we moved to Louisiana so my husband could go to college there.  I then got extremely depressed because I had never lived away from my family and I was living with my in-laws.  Mind you, we still were newly-weds with a new baby.  I had to get on some medication for a little while but it helped and I was happier.  I started working out at home with DVD's and counting my calories. 

190lbs October 2009

I found a website that helped me a lot called Spark People.  I started running and in 2 months I lost 30 pounds the right way.  I was down to 155/160 lbs.

160 lbs Dec 2009

 I started training for a half marathon but injured my foot.  When I got hurt I could no long workout which led to me not eating right.  I started slowly putting the pounds on back on.  At that time we no longer were living with our in-laws and I didn't need medication anymore but stress was still there. 

A year later at 175 lbs Dec 2010

We were living off the GI Bill and VA disability because my husband was injured while in the service. Well the government decided to take away most of his disability and I could no longer stay in Louisiana with him.  I had to move back home to California with family while my husband continued school. More Stress meant more pounds.  When I'm stressed I turn to food (Mexican food). I'm sure most of you can relate.  I finally found a job in Louisiana after 6 months and was able to get back to my husband. 

Oct 2011 200lbs. I hide in pictures now. We didn't even take xmas pictures this year.

My husband graduated May 2012 and tried to get a job with law enforcement but some of the departments he wanted to get hired on with were no longer taking new officers.  A recruiter told him his best bet was to go to a small town and get hired then transfer to a bigger department.  That lead us to his home town.  They were hiring but it was May and the academy didn't start until January 2013. He needed a job to pay the bills because the GI Bill stopped when he graduated.  He applied and got hired at the mines here. The hours are decent and the pay is better.  He likes who he works with so I think he will be sticking to that for awhile.  We finally have our own place and money is good.  Just working to pay credit cards off from our move. Stress is down drastically and it's time to get this weight off.

This is me now. Oct 2012 at 215lb.

 It's not fair to me or my family that I am unhealthy.  I am very embarrassed by my weight and I should be.  I should not have let it go this far.  There is no excuse. 

I started to do Insanity about 6 weeks ago and rolled my ankle.  I got an MRI and they said I have a cyst in my foot.  For now, the doctor said we don't have to do anything because it doesn't bother me. My ankle is feeling good and I'm ready.  I am sorry this is long I just wanted everyone to know where I am starting from. I hope I am able to help people on my way.  It's hard reading or seeing people that are already skinny talking about losing weight.  Very few start the journey blogging or vlogging.  It normally happens when they reach their goal or are close to it.  I was going to start on YouTube but, as my husband pointed out, there are a lot of "haters" and negative people.  So here I am.  Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or  suggestions.