Healthier me

As I continue on my road of change, I have really taken the summer to focus on a healthier me.  Back in October I set a goal to lose weight for my brother-in-laws wedding.  I made great progress, but didn't reach my goal weight. I did fit into the dress!  That was the beginning of my journey.  The wedding was in January and since then I have really been slacking.  One of the biggest obstacles for me is finding a system that works and then making the lifestyle change.  I love to eat, I love food.  It's a cultural thing.  Dieting just doesn't work for me.  After looking at my options and figuring out what has kept the weight off and made my body healthier, I have concluded... food and exercise.

Key Factors

With these two in mind, I went on a hunt.  I factored in my work schedule, the family schedule of daily events, my 2 year commitment of going back to school 1 night a week and the fact that I'm mom and dad 3 days a week.  This of course left me deflated and making excuses.  Once I got over the reality that is my life, I narrowed my thinking to 2 essential questions.  What workouts can I do that don't involve the gym or an hour?   What am I going to eat each day that I can easily apply once I'm back to work?  With the eating question I made an addition..."What are WE going to eat each day that I can easily apply once I'm back to work?"  I can't be making 4 different meals everyday, so it has to be food that we will all eat.

So what's the plan?

I will be using a little of this and a little of that and together have created a plan that works for me.  I like the ease of not stressing out about breakfast, so I am going to continue with my morning shakes from Herbalife.  My target calorie count for the day is 1200.  This is where things get messy for me.  I hate counting calories and tracking what I eat but the truth is I need something that tells me what I can eat each day and still hit that mark.  So I will be using the 21 day fix containers and their clean eating meal plan to jump start the healthy eating process.  21 day fix is used by the Beachbody/Shakeology program which is the not the same as Herbalife.  I'm not endorsing either, just picking what works for me.  To get my exercise in I will also be using the 21 day fix videos.  Main reason- 30 MINUTES a day!  The videos push you at your level.  It's better than just walking on the treadmill and it's cheaper than a gym membership.  Again this is what works for me.

Since I'm home for a few more weeks I am hoping that I can get in a groove that will easily transition into a back to school routine.  I have two young girls who don't sleep in so I start my day just as early in the summer as I do during the school year. The only way I can get a workout in will be first thing in the morning.  After work, running mom's taxi service, homework and dinner, I'm exhausted.  I'll need my evenings for school work and my own homework.

A peek at my routine

5:30am - 30 minute workout- pick a video

6:00am- Breakfast- Herbalife shake

6:05am- shower/get ready
 
6:30am- girls get up

7:00am- everyone out of the house

7:30am- Breakfast- fruit (don't have it in my shake)

10:45am- Snack

1:00pm- Lunch

3:00pm- Snack

5:00pm- Dinner
 
7:00pm- Snack

10:30pm- Bedtime

In order to reach my caloric intake and get all my "containers" in I have worked my daily snacks around my teaching time.  I have a lot of snack breaks verses the mini meals that some people do.  I drink water around my breaks as well, because 64 oz of water doesn't just wait until you get home from work. 

I prep all my food on Sundays and then get everything organized before I go to bed each night.  In the morning I just grab lunchboxes out of the fridge, toss in ice packs and leave.  To make things even easier for myself, I eat pretty much the same things when I am at work.  I stock my mini fridge on Mondays and usually don't have to bring anything else in.

Meal planning and prepping are KEY!  If I don't plan and prepare ahead of time, I won't stick to my routine and I will find myself cheating.