Still Running so I can Eat.

 True story. 

 

These carpis from Cozy Orange have become my absolute favorite running pants, they are exceptionally soft and feel like a second skin. They are a bit more expensive than I usually buy, but well worth it for no chaffing on my long runs. The shorts I wore on my half chaffed INSIDE my belly button - how does that even happen? I'm going to have to buy a pair of their long pants when it get's cold out, I'm thinking maybe these.

I'm still wearing my Newton Running Women's Gravity III and I have to say they are well worth the dolla bills, I've not had any foot or knee pain since I've started running in them.

 I had 16 miles on the books for Saturday, my longest run so far, I made sure I was well stocked in running fuel. I don't know how people run with nothing, the 3 hour pace group drinks water and black coffee - that's it! They also live on tilapia and veggies, I'm pretty sure I would fall over. I'll stick with my slowish pace group and eat #allthefoods.

The Advocare Gels are just freaking amazing, my stomach is one bad choice away from cramping after mile 12 and these never give me issue, plus I had a great run! Another girl I train with and I were kicked out of our pace group to the faster one, 4:40 - haha we kept running ahead of the group and I guess they don't like that :) Anyways the new group is perfect for us, they talk A LOT I never even turned on my headphones for the entire 3.5 hour run.  One of the guys in the group was telling us about his marathons and come to find out he STARTED running after he retired at 60 and was on his 3rd full at the age of 62, talk about inspiring! Amazing.

 Did I tell y'all before about my love of BCAA's? I've been taking them 3x a day to combat soreness and to keep my muscles from being run off.  One of my lovely friends sent me a Xtend Intra-Workout Catalyst drink to try while I workout so some days I drink that and only take catalyst once, protein powders usually have BCAA's in it too. Some people call it lipo in a body and I can see why, things are shaping up nicely - BUT it only is going to work if YOU DO THE WORK. It's to support your workouts not replace them like some magic potion in a bottle.

No way could I go run 16.4 miles and then play soccer the next day like a champ with out some help, y'all know I suck at stretching.

I'm still eating 2500 calories daily and some of you asked for a picture of what that looks like in a day, so I will be doing a post on a food 'day in the life' this week.

I also said I wasn't going to weigh myself, but I did this morning and I was down 1.2 pounds - 13 more pregnancy pounds to go. But for reals I have to focus on eating and endurance right now, not my weight.

Random thought I had while running - if I had a wish and could either have my prepregnancy weight back or my prepregnancy endurance - I would totally take the endurance! I was running a sub 2 half marathon before I got pregnant, I would gladly put that to good use right now. Ahhhh - one day again!

Do y'all have random crazy thoughts while you run? Like how much this shit sucks, then you finish and you're all, damn I am such a bad ass? Just me?

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Wait, I'm a petite?

Y'all. My life is forever changed, I accidentally tried on a pair of slacks at Ann Taylor Loft and they were petite - they fit perfectly!! I had NO CLUE I was petite, I thought 5'5 was pretty average, but guess not. Actually, maybe I'm only 5,4.5 come to thing of it - I guess I'm so used to rounding up I just really think I am 5'5.  I want to go buy all new pants now, seems kinda dumb, but honestly I had no clue I was buying the wrong kind all these years and just walking around on my hims for no reason. 

I actually went in trying to find a pair of navy slacks and they are forever sold out of my size, even online. Super annoying. I NEED navy pants in my life! 

Shirt VIA Pumpkin Butter Kids.

On my way home from running this one calls and says she NEEDS a haircut. I don't know where she get that from :) She's obsessed with Sweet and Sassy, I mean I get it, pink and glitter all over the place. She said she wanted her hair cut short, I was on the fence because ponytails are really easy, but half the time she pulls them out or they come undone and she looks a hot mess, so I let her do it. I'm so glad I did, she looks freaking adorable!! She has the perfect face for a bob.

She's really growing up so quickly lately, every day she seems more adult and it makes me sad. Then I remember how much more FUN she is, we can carry on longer conversations and jam out together in the car and I'm just so blessed that God sent her to me. I can't wait to see the woman she becomes - just not too soon. 

 I can still pick her up....barely. Heck if I play my cards right I'll still be picking her up when she's 12. #flexbreak

I just want to put something out there real quick - it was brought up on IG over the weekend and it's been bugging me so I wanted to just address it. 

Money. I don't really like to talk about money, it makes me uncomfortable, but I feel like I have to state my feelings on this because otherwise y'all would have no idea my thoughts on this, if you even care.  Someone brought up my sponsored posts and said she felt like my page was being taken over with ads and that she felt I was being less than sincere - that I shouldn't shill for whatever company throws me a bone. Now - I am not attacking this person so please don't try to stick up for me, but she's a regular reader whom I've known so this makes me wonder if more of you feel this way so that's why I'm addressing it. 

Yes I do sponsored posts, but I've literally done like maybe 5 - considering how often I post I'd say my ratio is pretty dang low. I also have done a lot off free things for people, like my challenges, I give advice to anyone who emails me, and I put up free info on my blog weekly. If you've never blogged then maybe you don't really get it, but it's a LOT of work. Like a lot. I have a family, a full time job, and hour commute each way, and all my sweat seshes. I do it mostly because I truly want to help people and if you are gonna hate on me for making a few bucks, then oh well. I really never post things I don't love already, in fact I've tried things I've never talked about because they just weren't for me.

I find most of my most favorite products through blogs, so that's why I love to share the things I like - wouldn't you want to buy on a recommendation and not just trail and error? Giveaways are for you guys, I would love to send all of you something free, but I can't so I give you the chance to win it. If you don't care for it then just click away - that easy. 

For some reason people get all huffy when they know you are making money from blogging, I get it somewhat because it seems like easy money, but it ain't easy.  Blogging takes effort and time, both of which I give, I give up things like watching TV after the kids are in bed so I can get on FB and answer questions and run challenges for YOU. Hopefully you are able to see this a mutually beneficial relationship.

 

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Pediasure Giveaway!

I have a fantastic giveaway for you guys today from Pediasure!  Last week I shared about our hectic mornings with two kids and getting ready for school, I was concerned Madison wasn't getting enough to eat before heading off for a long day of learning so we started giving her Pediasure Sidekicks. Everyone is loving it!

Pediasure offered to give one lucky reader a branded miniature refrigerator stocked with their products! We want to hear all about your kids Fridgeworthy moments over the summer, for us it was Madison swimming for the first time with out any floatation devices! I love how brave she is :)

 

The giveaway will be open for TWO weeks - good luck and I can't wait to hear your Fridgeworthy Moments!

a Rafflecopter giveaway   

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12 Week Challenge Results and Stories.

First off - I REALLY would like to thank all the sponsors for supporting my 12 Week Challenge group! Such generosity from all of you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please take a minute to do a little retail therapy. It's stress reducing and fun :)

1. Colly Wobbles Boutique - Y'all know I love me a good hat!

2. BooJay Knits - adorable unique handcrafted jewelry - knitted metal!

3. Brady Bands - my favorite nonslip workout headband plus it helps a great cause!

4. A Tad Monroe - some fun and funky jewelry - trunk shows every Tuesday at 8!

5. Sugar Love Boutique - one of my absolute favorite places to shop - I'm dying over that dress!!

6. Sweet Thoughts Boutique - so much monogrammed goodness!
7. Team Muzzy for the jump ropes! Cory Muzzy was one of seven soldiers from 18th Fires Brigade with the 82nd Airborne injured on February 21, 2014 in a training accident on Fort Bragg. He has sustained many life-changing injuries including amputations and blindness in both eyes. He and his wife Michelle plus their support system have a long, difficult road ahead of them. While the Army will assist with some cost there are others the family can use assistance with including quality of life improvements to their home. Cory's parents have graciously offered to move from New Mexico to North Carolina to assist with his care and transition once released from the hospital. Cory also has a 3 year old son who will need his travel expenses covered. This fund was created to help the family offset cost as needed for as long as possible. Any amount helps and don't forget prayers cost you nothing! You can donate here.
8. A MaryKay gift pack - who doesn't love to try new product!?!
9. A  L'BRI travel set. It will consist of travel sized bottles of our skin care trio as well as samples of our most popular products. I tried some of this out and it's really great, no funky smells and was smooth and creamy on my skin. Loved!

The Grand Prize winner is.................
Kadie  who lost 15.2% of her body weight!

I would like to thank the Academy, my lovely daughter for waking me up all hours of the night, insomnia for keeping me awake and encouraging me to do random middle of the night work outs, and again, my lovely daughter for having an intolerance to everything under the sun therefore limiting my diet to nuts, meat, and fruit/veggies. ::princess wave, princess wave:: But in all seriousness, thank you so much for hosting this Megan and all the fabulous Admins (looking at you, Brittany!). I was in such a slump after having my daughter and the weight just wasn't coming off. I learned SO much from all of you and have been inspired to keep going. Y'all rock and I really hope we'll keep challenging one another to kick some serious ass!

I thought I would share a few of the stories that have come from the group.

Jen.

After years of being a cardio bunny and being on the "chicken/broccoli" meal plan, I was ready for a change.  While I was successful with that for awhile, I just hit a brick wall.  I wasn't happy.  I wanted food.  Good food.  And chocolate.  And doughnuts.  And....well, you get the idea.  But more than that, I wanted to change my body not just be a smaller version of what I was before.  So about a month before the #smchallenge started, I changed up how I approached my workouts.  I started lifting and backed off cardio.  I didn't stop cardio altogether, but I started doing the Jamie Eason's LiveFit program along with 2-3 HIIT sessions per week.  I was making good progress, but my food wasn't where I wanted it to be.  

I had heard about IIFYM before, but didn't pay too much attention to it as I remember what my mother always told me - "If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is..."  Then Megan started to post about IIFYM and blogged about her progress.  She broke it down in simple terms that was easy to understand for me.  And about the same time, she started the #smchallenge.  I had my macros calculated, and I started IIFYM and the #smchallenge on June 30.  

I love challenge groups like this because they help keep you focused.  Plus, it is great to have a place to chat with like-minded women all wanting to improve upon themselves.  And Megan was great throughout by sprinkling in smaller challenges (booty challenge, running challenges, food tracking challenges, etc.) throughout to change things up and keep us focused throughout.  

So, it's been about three months.  I've lost shy of 13 lbs and several inches.  I'm lifting heavy.  And I'm integrating a little more cardio in to my weekly exercise schedule with running 2-3 times/week just so I don't lose what endurance I've built up.  I'm still tracking macros, and I'm still loving the process.  I love that I can truly eat what I want so long as I make it fit.  And if you think it sounds too good to be true, well, you're wrong.  It isn't.  IIFYM is a GAME CHANGER, people!  It has seriously changed my life and with each pound I lift, it is changing my body, too.

Allison.

 

Thank you so much for hosting this challenge. My goal going into the challenge was not necessarily to lose weight but more to hold myself accountable and stick to a plan for 12 weeks. During the challenge I lost 6.4 lbs (134.8 starting to 128.4 ending I'm 5ft7), but I gained so much in knowledge and confidence. I have attached my progress photos, beginning is on the left ending on the right. While I don't see drastic differences, excepting for my arms :), I am very happy with the changes I've made the last 12 weeks.

I started following IIFYM one week into the challenge and never looked back. Previous to this challenge, I was counting calories and doing primarily cardio or Jillian workouts from home. Since then, I have been relying on weight lifting and IIFYM. I feel so much more confident about my appearance and my self control as it relates to food. I have tried lots of different eating programs, but IIFYM works best for me. This allows me to indulge in moderation without feeling guilty. Before, I was so restrictive that when an opportunity presented itself, I would take it WAY TOO FAR! Now I eat sweets after dinner each night, and I am maintaining my weight. I can have rice and pasta and bread and not feel guilty about it! I don't think my before and after photos are earth shattering, but I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for introducing me to this lifestyle because I think I may have found something that is maintainable for the long term, which is what I really was looking for at the start of the challenge. Thank you for your continued inspiration!

Laura.

 I went from 196.8lbs to 178.4lbs (18.4lbs GONE!) and have had to buy new pants AND new bras! :) I started following IIFYM after the first couple weeks of the challenge "just to see what would happen" and the weight has been falling off! It's more protein than I ever imagined I would need, but not only is it working- my husband now wants me to help him figure out his macros! :) 

I went from attending exercise classes 2x a week at best to lifting 4x a week and running 1-1.5 miles before lifting as a "warm up" and jogging another half mile to cool down afterward. Last weekend I even decided on a whim to see if I could run a 5k and not only did I run 3.1 miles, but I did it 5 minutes faster than when I actually did c25k and TRAINED for it! #musclesFTW 

Thanks so much for heading up this challenge- it was just the kick in the pants I needed and there's no stopping me now! :)

Amanda.

My life has been full Of Yo YO dieting, losing and gaining the same 20lbs over and over again. Dec 2013 I was the heaviest Id ever been. So I decided to take a hold of it.  NO More YO-YO dieting, didn't want to lose just 20lbs, wanted to gain a HEALTHY life style. I found the 24 day Challenge from Advocare, and lost 20lbs, by the end of this I was inspired to lose more. I started to search on IG for others in the same boat as me to help me keep going and keep me motivated. I started this Challenge with you to change it up a little bit since I hit a minor Plateau in July, my goal was to lose another 20 by then end of the summer-Which It took  me until the end of September and I did!! I still have far to go- but I KNOW I can do it. I am trying to follow IIFYM, but I cant seem to just get it right. So for now I am just counting calories and TRYING to follow IIFYM as much as I can. I will be going on a Cruise in April and PLAN on being in a BIKINI by then!!!!! I  WILL do whatever it takes to get there :)IG || Manda_Nicole86

 Heather.

 

Hi there! My name is Heather! I lost six pounds during the twelve week challenge 

but I gained SO much more, muscles being most important. I also cut ELEVEN minutes 

off my original 5K time and I pushed passed a plateau. The best part of all, I 

exchanged numbers with a fellow challenger and now we are best accountability 

buddies. We check in every day to make sure our meals and workouts are on track 

and we lift each other up when we're struggling. Thank you, Megan, for putting 

this whole shebang together! 
 
I'm currently doing my own challenge to lose twenty-eight pounds by my 

twenty-eighth birthday. If you'd like to follow along, visit me at 

Liftwritelove.com or @liftwritelove on Instagram! 

Nikka.

I'm 25, an asthmatic, junk food-aholic, and getting married in may! I've always "tried" (not even gonna lie maybe gave 60%, but never changed my diet) to lose weight, I never had results I wanted and always stopped when I didn't see what I wanted, finally after hearing you say that you can't out train a bad diet I got it, I tracked my food and was able to eat A LOT and lose weight, I've always had a mental battle and never wanted to eat dieting, my answer was to just eat one meal a day (stupid I know!) And "I'm bound to lose something" But it never worked,  I could never get out of the 180s, I started this challenge as a way to push myself and i did! I accomplished alot, I've quit drinking pop for 3 months now, Monday I ran a 12:17 mile, I've started eating better..including breakfast!  I love the feeling of getting stronger, and have finally found the addiction of lifting weights. My fiance and i were in the gym last week working out, out of no where I decided to try to dead left and see how much I could do after not doing any since 2006 (my sophomore year in high school) and lifted 135 twice! I've learned to quit criticizing everything on my body and just do it.  I've learned a cheat day has to happen once and a while but isnt an excuse to 

Derail my hard work. I haven't lost as much as I'd hoped but I'm still moving forward! My next challenge is increasing my miles on the elliptical and to do blooms day in Spokane,wa next year! I'm hoping to be at 145 by January!  My starting weight was 172.6 at the beginning of this challenge, today I weighed in at 167.4. I lost 8.8 pounds which I'm not thrilled about it but I can see a huge change in my body! Thanks so much for this challenge and the push to do what I've needed to do for so long! 

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Calling all Weight Loss Fairies.

 

This is one of my Fabletics outfits and I'm still really loving it, I also got some carpi sweats that I want to wear on the daily as soon as I get home from work!  It was a chilly 60 out this morning for my run and I spray tanned last night so I had to shower it off this morning so I wasn't dripping brown all over my car afterwards. I had the bright idea to go ahead and wash my hair before I ran and it worked out brilliantly! I just threw it in a high bun and it was still damp enough to get a good blow dry from when I got home, I literally have like 20 minutes to get ready when I get home on Tuesdays and I'm forever running late, because fat cute baby. 

This kid loves to take selfies, he almost jumped out of my arms the other day trying to see himself in a mirror I was passing.

Today is weigh in day for my Diet Bet, I've been tracking my weight the last few days to see where I stood. If you follow me on Instagram then you know that I finally busted my way out of the scale plateau on Saturday morning! 

Last week I was going to raise my calories and macros up to make up for all the running I've been doing, at first I was going to start small, but then I just said eff it and added almost 500 extra calories A DAY.  Well it worked and I felt a lot more energetic too, I was feeling a bit sluggish which I kinda thought was just running burn out, but now I know it was just lack of carbs.

Sunday I ran my race so I didn't weigh, then Monday I weighed in at 167 and I was all 'Heck yeah I got this bet in the bag'!!

Not so much. I woke up this morning and didn't have time to take weigh in pics before I ran {cause I was showering remember} but I thought no biggie I'll wait until I get home. Get home and I start - 7 DAYS EARLY - and I'm at 169.8 and I need to be at 169.5

Now I know this is not a big deal, but COME ONE I just want to win one damn bet already! Why does my body hate me and why do I even still need to get this curse if I'm done having children?? I'm good with giving it up foreverrrrr. I still have 17 hours to weigh in so I'm going to pray that 2 pound bloat I get just goes away. Just throw me a bone weight loss fairies. Please. 

Then I'm going to stop weighing myself for a while, it's exhausting. 

I did finish out the 4 week Squat Challenge and it's helping the booooootay. Well, the hill running helps too :) I highly suggest you give it a go just for fun!

My 12 Week Challenge has come to an end - I will be wrapping it up tomorrow on the blog along with details of a another 4 week Challenge I may do.  See y'all then!

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Running = 2,000 Nachos.

Saturday before my race I decided to go get a nice long massage, I have a monthly membership with 18 credits because I can never make time to actually go.  The guy was all - hey I can stretch you too if you want and it was heaven. Felt amazing when I was done!

Even though I've been carb loading all week I wanted a nice non greasy carb filled dinner and this turkey baked potato was perfect. 

The race didn't start until 7:30 so I got to sleep in until 5:30 - LOL - what a life I have where I consider sleeping in 5:30 in the morning! I got there around 6:45 to miss any traffic and watch the hot air balloons fill up. I also got to meet some awesome ladies who I know through a Facebook running group, it was most of theirs first time running a half.

The weather was perfect for hot air ballooning and all the balloons got to take off, I only saw these being filled but saw them all floating over Plano around mile 4/5.

The temp was already in the 70's by the time we started and I started out pretty fast, which was probably my only redemption in this race.  It got hotter, and hotter, and hotter. I decided to bring my handheld water bottle filled with spark, but ended up finishing it by mile 4. I was already feeling tired and I knew right then and there that this was going to be a beast of a race for me.

I just could not find my groove, maybe because I was going too fast, or maybe it was the heat, or maybe I didn't drink enough water the day before, I don't know. At several points it was all I could do to get to the next water station, it was in the low 80's super sunny and not a breeze to be found. I did use my Advocare Rehydrate Gels and they helped a bit. Looking back on my paces It was really miles 10-13 that did me in, which is crazy because in every other race I've done those have been my fasted times!

 Thankfully I caught up with NerkyMeg around mile 10 so we could at least be in misery together :) I've never seen so many people walking in a race before, but it kinda made me feel better that it wasn't just me. Thank you to one of my lovely readers for this pic and for the cowbell cheering when I was about to die, it was nice to have SOMEONE cheering for me since Oliver wimped out on coming!

I also ran in to one of my favorite 5 am club ladies and you can't even tell how much misery we were feeling in this picture :) I finished in 2:27 which is my slowest time to date, but I'm just chalking this up to endurance training for my marathon in December. If I can do 13.1 in heat hopefully I can do 26.2 in the cold. After the race I had about 5 minutes to drink a bit of water and hobble to my car to drive to my soccer game. My team was playing at 11 and they were short on players so I agreed to go play. It. was. hot. I couldn't eat yet so I took another rehydrate gel - it kept me alive but by the time the game was over at 1 I was famished. After a nice long bath I decided I was going to eat something I never do because the calories are super high - nachos.

But first, beer. 

I didn't even look the calories up first I just chowed down, they are the Chipotle Chicken Nachos from Houlihans - delish!

My food diary from yesterday was sad, LOL>  I had a Pop-Tart for breakfast and an apple for a snack, those nachos were freaking 2000 calories!!! whaaaaaaaaaaaa???? We had lunch late so I finished out my day with some Fro - Yo. Not even close to the amount of calories I burned yesterday, but I'm just calling it a wash and getting back on track today.

You know it was a busy weekend when my trunk looks like this on a Monday morning, yikes. 

Twilight Sparkle spent her weekend squeezing the last few swimming days out of the pool with her BFF's {my Dad and Ollie}. 

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Family Photos and a Story.

Before Aiden was born my photographer, Amber Jane, suggested a 'grow with me package' to keep up with his first year and I'm so glad I did it!  I have a million pics of Madison so I wanted to be sure he never felt like second child :) While sharing a few of my favorites I thought I would also tell you a story of a typical night at my house and why Oliver and I occasionally fight.

I LOVE that Aiden is holding Madison's hand in this picture!

I pick up the kids from my Mother In Laws house after work and we have about a 45 minutes commute home - which can mean two things: crying or sleeping for both of them depending on the day. On this day they both fell asleep and one little tidbit about the 5 year old - she can wake up happy or she can wake up a bear, to put it nicely.  Real nicely.

I pull up in the driveway and contemplate who to carry in first, if I take Aiden he'll most likely wake up and cry while I go get Madison and by then she could wake up and start crying in the car because I left her, for 30 seconds. OR I can take her first and hope she'll be OK left on the bed while I get Aiden. Did I mention that she weighs like 55 pounds and Aiden's car seat is like 60 and I'm wearing heels and my feet hurt? In a perfect world she would just nicely wake up and skip inside while I get the baby, but like a said, a bear when she's tired. One day she literally whined and cried for 90 minutes and I almost lost my mind.

Anyways I get the kids inside, crying, whining, sweating, and all I wanna do is rip off my work clothes and put on some pj's. Oh and pee, I just wanna pee. Finally we are settled and ready to make dinner, I get Aiden going first so I can feed him while I make dinner, Madison runs off to put on her 7th outfit of the day and find her iPad so she can listen to her music. I'm prepping chicken and the oven in-between shoveling baby food in his mouth, so impatient when he's hungry! Madison comes back to the kitchen in a full on diva outfit, starts blaring music and dancing around. Not all my music is on her iPad so she starts begging me to download more, I told her after dinner I would, but in typical 5 year old style she continues to ask me EVERY 30 SECONDS. I hate repeating myself a 100 times, but it's like talking to a brick wall some days, suddenly she stops and declares she has to poop.

I told her to go and call me when she's done so I can 'check' to be sure it's clean {we've had irritation issues} this turns into a 5 minute debate because she's 'scared' to go alone, which is 5 year old BS for she just wants me to come with her. Finally the urge wins and she goes, I put Aiden's bumbo on the floor and go to help her, then run back to check the chicken and pick up a crying baby to comfort him. She comes back in the kitchen for 48 seconds before declaring she has to go....again. At this point I'm frazzled and annoyed, but I go when she calls me and when I step up to the toilet I feel something mushy between my toes.

 

I'm gonna scream, I literally just stepped in poo and WHY IS THERE POO ON THE FLOOR MADISON?? She's like I'm sorry it was an accident {story of her life} and I'm like - find me something to clean this off with and she's like Aiden's crying and I tell her THAT'S BECAUSE I'M CLEANING YOUR POO OFF MY FOOT.  She brings me wipes and I'm lecturing her on waiting too long to go.

It's a miracle dinner didn't burn, but it's ready and I fix her a plate while getting Aiden cleaned up and I hear something in the garage, my parents stopped by to say hi, thank the Lord! They start playing with the baby and I take the opportunity to make myself a plate and sit down, but before I can Madison has knocked my favorite wine glass off the table and busted it {she likes to drink her juice from it like a princess}. I'M SORRY IT WAS AN ACCIDENT {again, story of her life} so I spend the next few minutes looking for shards of pink glass on the floor and imagining myself stepping on one and not being able to run for a week. 

FINALLY I get to sit down and eat, Oliver walks out from his office. Did I mention that he's been home this entire time working? He walks over to the kitchen and say's 'where's her backpack?' and I say "It's still in the car' and he say's

'Of course you didn't even bother to bring it in'.

Dead. 

This is just a typical night in our house and hopefully Oliver decides to read my blog today cause he needs to thank his lucky stars I didn't throat punch him for that comment.

You never know how hard someones day was, so think before you speak.

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Damn Plateau

I knew it was going to hit - the plateau. Knowing it's going to happen doesn't make it any less frustrating, but I can't have the best of both worlds. Marathon training is not conducive to weight loss at least not on the scale.  I'm running 25-30 miles a week and lifting 3x a week at the gym, that's a lot of stress on my body. I'm not freaking quitter though so obviously I have a plan.

And progress pics to make myself realize that the scale is a lying whore.

I forgot how good running is for my legs, they are definitely getting firmer and the squat challenge is helping the boootay- well that and running all those damn hills. 

So I have 5 days left on my Diet Bet to lose .5 pound and I will for sure be super mad if I don't make it .... again. I can do this.

Here's the plan. I'm gonna eat more - hahhahahaha. Yep, I can't cut back on cardio right now so I'm going to have to up my carbs by 23g/day for a week -  moving my calories from 2116 to 2210. If nothing happens then I'm going to add more. I have been feeling just a tad sluggish this week and it may be from not enough carbs, so hopefully this will give me some extra energy.

This little fatty is worth all the work :) This kid ain't never seen a mirror he didn't like, just like his Mama!

My September I'm Pretty Fit box came with more protein packed goodies for me to try! The Uplift I just love love love, the About Time Protein drink was not great even though I loved the concept of it being premade and easy to travel. I actually kept it in my car in case I was in need and I was today because I forgot my shaker bottle this morning, I tried the chocolate and the flavor was just not good. The SK Energy I liked a lot, but Sunday I took one around 2:30 before my soccer game to give me a little push and I couldn't fall asleep until after midnight - sooooooo those are definitely made to take early in the day. I'll let y'all know when I try out the rest. That's why I like this box, I get to try different protein items without spending a lot on things I may not like - if you want to give one month a shot use code MEG10 for a discount. 

 I'm really going to try and change my mood today after my little run in with the scale. As much as I don't care about my weight I'm also working my ass off and even a .2 loss would be appreciated by that stupid thing.

No promises though.

 

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