Field Trips and Weigh-in Wednesday

Good news on the Weigh-in this morning.  I lost a pound since last Wednesday, which officially puts me back to the lowest I’ve been since the start of the year.  I know it’s kinda pathetic that it has taken me about three weeks to get back down to this, but I am headed in the right direction, I’ve been making (mostly) wise choices, and I’ve given myself the freedom to cheat enough that I don’t feel deprived.

It could be worse considering we had Bennett’s birthday dinner this week.  I made a cake, which I thought wasn’t going to be enough, and have indulged on it three times.  Oh well, it’s gone now so I can rest a little easier knowing that I’ve rid the house of excess sugar and didn’t let it go to waste.  Super Jaime saved the day again!

I did get back on the workout wagon this week though (I hadn’t done any type of workout since the 5K on March 23rd).  I ran Saturday and Sunday and spent as much time playing outside as possible.  I busted out Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred at 4:00 am Monday morning and then hit the driveway for some sprinting, which I alternated with walking laps.

I was definitely sore after Monday’s workout, so I didn’t get in a workout Tuesday morning, but did some major walking on B’s field trip to the zoo.  I’m not sure exactly how far I walked, but I know I laid down for a nap around 2:30 and didn’t get up until almost 7:00.  What’s sad is that my 4 year old never even  fell asleep.  You’d think I feed him Energizer batteries!

Here are a few pictures to show you some of our field trip fun:

Hanging out just before we went in

Playing with the monkeys while mom grabbed some coffee

Petting the Watching others pet the stingrays

Enjoying an Icee after lunch

Doesn’t that look like a fun way to burn some calories?  Can’t wait for our next trip to the zoo!

What fun thing do you do to burn calories?

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

1 Easy Way to Try a New Trend + Weigh-in Wednesday

Whoaaaa! Is it Wednesday already? Spring break is flying by and I haven’t been doing a very good job of staying on my routine. Today’s post is going to be a complete and total hodgepodge of stuff. Please excuse my randomness.

What do you want to hear first? The good or the bad? Ok, good idea. Let’s get the bad out of the way and then I’ll perk us all back up before I’m done.

I’m linking up with Erin and Alex for Weigh-in Wednesday to tell you all about the hideous behavior I have exhibited over the past few days. I started last week with a bang (three work week workouts and a 5K on Saturday, which I promise I’ll be posting about over the next few days). When the 5K was over, I felt like I was starving and sleepy, which I set out to cure. I have done nothing but those two things since (or so it feels like).

I’m guessing I’ve really been needing to catch-up on my sleep because during this spring break I have gone to bed earlier than most work nights and slept about 4 hours longer each morning (not to mention the cat naps that have worked their way in).

Also, I have been doing some major gluttonous eating. You know the typical alternating between cheese and chocolate. I have really been wanting cheese (mozzarella sticks, easy cheese, queso at the Mexican restaurant). I know, disgusting, huh? I was in one of those “well I already screwed up, so let’s keep the ball rolling” kind of moods.

I seriously debated not even weighing-in this morning, but that wouldn’t be very truthful with myself or you lovely readers. The scale told me exactly what I expected it to this morning. I was up 2 1/2 pounds from last week. Not happy about it, but you reap what you sow, and I knew what I was doing the whole time.  Ok, so that’s over and it’s time to get back on track.

Remarkably, I was still in a good mood and have been much more active today, aka cleaning the house. That definitely makes me feel better. Even though I hate cleaning, I do love a clean house. I’ve even gone so far as to weed out some old clothes from my drawers so the clothes that do fit and aren’t falling apart have an ample amount of room. If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen a couple of items this morning that have needed to go for a while.

Now for a couple more mood boosters…

Bennett’s team had their second practice last night, and even though it was sooooo cold, it is adorable to watch those little guys play.

Yes, I was that idiot last night and, no, I was not ashamed:)

I have already told you guys how much of a cheapskate I am, and in order for me to jump on a new trend, such as the fabulous mint color that seems so popular this spring, I have to try it out on me in a way that isn’t going to break the bank.

I grabbed this great new color for about $2.99 at the grocery store on the way home from ball practice. Please ignore my old lady hands and poor polish skills and pay close attention to this pretty color. It has totally pulled me into the mint trend and got me into the mood for spring, which is here but enjoying torturing us with these cold temps.

Who could forget the awesome giveaway that I’m participating in. If you haven’t entered for your chance to win already, get your rear in gear! What are you waiting for? I would LOVE for one of my fabulous readers to win the $200 Piperlime gift card.

And last, but certainly not least, I see that I am at 99 blog followers! Come on folks! If the giveaway isn’t enough to make you want to follow my blog, think about the joy and happiness you will bring this small town girl (who flubbed her weigh-in this week) by being the 100th follower.

Have a great Wednesday and let’s chill with the snow dances already! Bring on the sunshine Mother Nature!

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

It’s OK

It’s Thirsty Thursday people…and by thirsty, I mean for water because I just ate some super hot salsa on my salad and my mouth is on fire.  I know you were expecting me to tell you about the wonderful cocktail I’ll be having tonight.  I would love to go home and knock a few back, but it’s not gonna happen because I rrreeeaaalllyyy want to be down a pound or so when I weigh-in next Wednesday, I have a 5K this Saturday, and I have a cake to bake and decorate tonight after I get off work.

I’m really excited to participate in a new link-up I found last night.  I started reading a couple of the other link-uppers’ blogs this morning and have already found three blogs that I HAD to start following.

It’s ok…

If it snows tonight so that I don’t have to come to work the day before my spring break starts.

If I gained a pound over the last week because it should have been more and it’s gotten me more motivated.

If I wear my hair up more days than not.  These curls have a mind of their own.

If I don’t run the whole 5K this weekend as long as I try my best.

If my truck is in dire need of a cleaning.  My son can still fit in the car seat so at least we saved some room for that.

If Chris and Bennett broke the glass on the coffee table last night.  It was an accident that I got over as soon as I realized that it was a new craft project waiting to happen.  I’m just glad they weren’t hurt.

If I’ve decided in my old age that it doesn’t matter if I do what it takes to keep everybody happy.

If I don’t throw a huge birthday party for Bennett for his 4th birthday.  Momma needs some rest during spring break and planning parties does not make that happen.

If I remind my students that spring break is only hours away every 30 minutes tomorrow.  I need to hear it more than them, but it will make them happy too.

Hope you’re Thirsty Thursday has been ok too.

Got any great ideas for my table?

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

 

Snow Weight Loss This Week

Howdy folks!  It’s Wednesday and I’m linking up with Erin and Alex again for Weigh-in Wednesday.

Unfortunately, this has not been the best week for me.  I was really worried about this week’s weigh-in because the outlook was not good on Monday.  By Tuesday, I was down a little and by this morning I was down to only a 1/2 pound up from last Wednesday.  Sounds sad, I know, but I’m not sad.  I was expecting to be up about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds, so I can deal with this.  I ate really poorly on top of not being able to workout.

Fortunately, I have done a good job of getting back on track since Monday.  I have been watching my intake more closely and I’ve gone running every morning before work.  Hopefully, I will be back on track for bikini weather by next Wednesday.

Asking what’s up with the title?  Well, as a teacher, I have been dying for a snow day all winter.  We have had no such luck.  Saturday is my first official day of spring break and my 5K and the forecast is predicting snow on Friday.  Really?!?  My hope is that the snow will come on in tonight or Thursday and my spring break will kick off early.  In a perfect world, the snow would then melt Friday afternoon and the sun would be shining by 7:00 Saturday morning.

Everybody please do a snow dance for us T-county teachers and then stop abruptly once you see that our schools are closed Friday morning.

Hope you guys are having a great week.  We’re halfway to Friday!

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

 

Right Tunes at the Right Time

I’ve been feeling a little defeated because I’m battling one heck of a chest cold, which has pretty much brought my workouts to a standstill since last week.  I tried to run Friday night, but was only able to manage a slow jog for about 1/4 mile before I decided to turn around and go back home.  It just hurt too bad.

After a couple days rest, I was able to run about two of my three miles without stopping.  This made me feel better because I have a 5K this weekend for colon cancer.  If you’re in the Memphis area and haven’t signed up for the Get Your Rear in Gear 5K yet, you better hurry.  The last day to preregister is Wednesday, March 20th.  If you don’t already have a team, join me on “Bad Case of the Runs”.  I’m running in honor of my mom and I’m determined to run the whole thing.

Today started out kinda rough as far as the running went.  I put on the jacket I usually run in only to realize it was still damp from yesterday’s run.  I stepped out the door to 36 degrees of pure cold and wind.  When I got going, my fingers were frozen and my legs were numb, but by the time I got to my second mile, I was warmed up enough to feel comfortable (as long as my hands were tucked in my sleeves).

Pandora played a lot of music that kept me trucking on, but this one made me think of many of the reasons I’m running in the first place.

You know I like my chicken fried

A cold beer on a Friday night

A pair of jeans that fit just right

And the radio up

I heard this song by the Zac Brown Band this morning while running in pitch black.  It fit me just right.  I love good food, a beer on Friday, Saturday, holidays, bad days, and good days, I want my jeans to fit just right and I love to get in the zone while jamming out to some good tunes.

I was able to bust out about 3 1/2 miles and ran right around 3.1 just to show myself that I’ll be able to hang on Saturday.  I felt great after that and started my work day out with a bang.

Now I’m about to go home, grab some dinner, and maybe dive into a second run for the day or maybe a trip to the gym (I do have to weigh-in tomorrow).

I’m always looking for a new song to add to my playlist. What songs do you hear during a workout that help get you going?

Three days until my spring break officially begins.  Happy Tuesday y’all!

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

The Power of Planning + Wednesday Weigh-in

I know it’s Wednesday, but I guess my mind and body are craving Friday because this morning when I put Bennett on the bus I told his driver and assistant to have a good weekend.  Guess I jumped the gun a little…bummer!

I’m linking up with Erin and Alex for my weigh-in again this week and I must say that this week was much more successful than last week, which surprised the heck out of me. I was happy with losing that 1/2 pound last week, but that’s not really going to get me where I want to be in time for shorts and bikinis.  It definitely kicked me back into gear.

This has been a challenging week.  Why?  Because I wasn’t prepared.

I didn’t go to the grocery store because I had a small amount of many ingredients and I was trying to use them up.  So, my ingredients were a little random and very scarce.  I didn’t have any “healthy snacks” which ended up being the thing that harmed me in the long run.

I would dig through the refrigerator looking for ingredients to throw into a smoothie that wouldn’t push me over my sugar and calorie count for the day.  Instead of eating fruits, veges, soy crisps, and protein bars as a snack, I dove into the boys’ chips and trail mix.  Since I was eating a decent breakfast and lunch, I was starving by the time I got home.  I didn’t have any meals planned out so getting dinner going took so long that I couldn’t wait.  I really felt like I was not going to have good results this week, but  I was happy to see a 2 1/2 pound loss when I got on the scale this morning.  That brings me to a grand total of 12 1/2 pounds since the end of January!

Source

Even though my results for the week were great, I still think I need to come up with a plan to keep the bad choices from this week from happening again.

Source

My Plan for a Plan:

1.  Check the weekly ads and any coupons I have for deals that I want to grab up each week.  Check the grocery store on days when foods are marked down to Manager’s Special (found a great piece of salmon last night for about $3.00).

2.  Make a menu for the week so that I have an idea of what meals I’m prepared to cook.  Plan for the nights that I KNOW I won’t want to cook (late nights at work or days that I have to go in early).

3.  Make sure to have snacks at work so that I’m not tempted to eat something that’s less than healthy.

4.  Have any meats that I’ll be cooking thawed to cut down on prep time.

5.  Have a general idea what nights/mornings I will be working out.  Always shoot for 4  and hope to get in more.

Hopefully, if I follow these steps, I’ll have a better chance of being successful.

Have you ever failed at something because you weren’t prepared?  Do you plan anything to help with your diet success?

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

 

Wanting Wardrobe Changes + Weigh-in Wednesday

It’s that time again folks! Weigh-in Wednesday…and time to make some wardrobe changes.

I’m linking up with Erin and Alex again to share this week’s results.  Head on over to see some other ladies’ results.

I have been pretty good this week.  I haven’t been super strict on myself, but when I do give in, I’ve handled the freedom with some restraint.  I’m not gonna lie.  I have had a couple of rough moments, but then again I’ve stayed strong at times when I was ready to cave.  After work Monday, I had to run to the grocery store to grab some cake ingredients and by the time I made it out, I didn’t feel like cooking.  I ran to KFC to grab the boys some chicken, slaw, and macaroni and, instead of just ordering the same for myself, I ordered a grilled breast.  I went home, made some spinach for my side, and saved half the breast for lunch the next day.  Pretty good, huh?  Well, then I commenced to attacking Chris’s trail mix.  It was not so pretty.

I have not been to the gym in over a week, but I have continued to run outside and I’ve been doing Jillian’s 30 Day Shred.  I am attempting to rise to the challenge of doing 30DS for 30 days in row.  Lora and Kimmy have put this one out there for everybody on Instagram and I am trying to rise to the occasion.  I already flaked out on Monday, but since I started on Saturday, I figured I could count it as flaking on day 3 instead of 2.  It just sounds a little less weak that way.  Thankfully, Lora told me to get off my rump and get to work.  I didn’t listen that night, but it did encourage me to move on to level 2 the next morning.  Level 2 was horrible and fantastic all at the same time.  Tough stuff!!!

I was pleased with my weigh-in this morning.  I was down another pound and a half from last Wednesday.  That makes a total of 9 1/2 pounds since the end of January!

I posted a picture on IG this morning since I was in a pretty good mood after the weigh-in. I didn’t get a chance to workout this morning, but I had been up since 2:30 working on a cake for someone’s 21st birthday.  You can tell by the hideous hair onmy head.  If your not following me already, find me @jaimebyram.  There’s no telling what I might get into.

Now for the wardrobe change…

It’s not what you’re probably thinking.  Of course, I would love to tell you I’m ready to run out and grab a whole new set of clothes because the pounds I’ve lost have left my clothes too big, but that’s just not the case. I am just now really getting comfortable in my clothes again.  I still have at least four more clothing sizes stocked up in my closet.

The wardrobe change I’m ready for is the switch from fall/winter to spring/summer.  Our weather was gorgeous Saturday and has since moved on to cold, dreary, and depressing.

I’m ready to go from this…

To this…

And from this…

To this…

Are you ready for a wardrobe change?  What is the item you’re ready to wear the most?

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

 

Emotional Rollercoaster + Wednesday Weigh-in

Hang on tight! I’m about to take you for a ride on today’s emotional rollercoaster.

Down:  My alarm went off at 4:00 am.

Up:  I only pushed snooze one time before I decided to get my lazy tail out of bed.

Down: My nose started bleeding during my run because it was so freaking cold outside.

Up:  I finished my mile in a pretty quick time even though Klyde stopped to do the doo twice.

Down:  Jillian taught me that I absolutely hate lunges, and even though I can run for 30 minutes straight, she can make me want to give up after 2 minutes of cardio.

Up:  I finished Jillian’s 30 Day Dead Shred for the day.

Down:  My legs are so sore I had to touch the edge of the toilet seat with the heel of my hand to ease myself down.

Up:  It’s because I’m (literally) working my tail off.

Down:  It’s Wednesday and I realized that the major amount of popcorn and homemade peach cobbler I ate Sunday reversed a lot of the exercise I had done all week.

Up:  I still lost one pound.

Down:  I have been working out for a little over a month and I am just back to where I started two years ago.

Stole this from Erin.  Loved it!  Hope she doesn’t mind:)

Up:  I’m down 8 pounds since the end of January and I feel super motivated to keep going!

What kind of ups and downs have you had this week?

I’m linking up with Erin and Alex for Wednesday Weigh-in.  Go check them out.

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

Using What You’ve Got

Hey everybody! I stuck to my goal and got up this morning for a run. I didn’t quite make it at 4, but I was on the move by about 4:20. I knew this was the best idea when Pandora decided to blast me with “We Will Rock You” and “Takin’ Care of Business” right off the bat.  Nothing like a few good tunes to get your workout in gear. Now for the topic of today’s post…

Many times, when I get started on one of my many ventures that end up fizzling out, I will look around to find the tools that I need to get the job done.  This always seems to cost money that I would rather not spend (I’ve told you I’m a cheap skate).  The same is true with dieting.  There are all kinds of fancy gadgets, diets, and foods that are supposed to help speed up the process and make the job more efficient.  Sometimes we just need to look around and use what we’ve got on hand.

Yesterday I alluded to a new breakfast food that I had decided to try.  I had seen the recipes all over Pinterest before, but had never put any of them into action.  I found a delicious sounding recipe for Dark Chocolate Overnight Oats.  I always thought overnight oats meant that you cooked it in the crock pot all night.  When I went to the article, I realized this wasn’t the case at all.  Making overnight oats means preparing the oats, liquid, and any other ingredient at night and then covering it and leaving it in the fridge until morning.  You never even cook the oats.  I started to search around for the benefits to eating your oats this way.  There are many including a lot of talk about cooking out nutrients and how soaking your oats breaks down a coating on the outside of them.

This sounded pretty good, but I wasn’t sure I’d be too keen on the idea of basically eating cold oatmeal.  I wanted to try it, but didn’t want to go out and buy some fancy oats that I may end up wanting to toss since I wouldn’t normally have the time to cook them.  I decided to see what ingredients I could pull together from my fridge and cabinets.  I used the following ingredients in my first attempt:

Ignore the huge jar.  This was way too big, but I didn’t feel like going to the attic to grab a smaller one.  The quick oats turned out pretty good, but I think it would be better with another kind of oat because it would still have a little more bite to it.  It wasn’t overly sweet, but that’s alright because I’m trying to eliminate some of the sugar from my diet.  I decided to try it again this morning and add a few more strawberries.  It was even better.  Tomorrow I will be adding some blueberries or bananas I think.  The calorie count on this concoction was very low.  I ate it this morning around 6:15 and didn’t start feeling hungry until around 10:30.  I’d say it had some pretty good staying power.

Speaking of using things you have on hand, I wanted to show you all something that Chris and I work very hard to have on hand.  I didn’t join in on Holly’s link up last week, but here is a perfect chance for me to show you what’s in my fridge freezer and cabinets.

Chris’s parents always had a large garden so naturally he wanted to have a garden once we got older.  Our garden started out fairly small the first year or so, but quickly grew to about 1/2-3/4 of an acre.  This may not be large to you, but it is a lot to keep up with in my eyes.  Since I’m a teacher, it works out perfectly that I can help out in the garden during my time without school.  Chris does most of the real labor, but I do a lot of the canning and blanching so that our veges will last through the year.  I don’t remember exact counts on all of our vegetables, but one that sticks out in my mind is the 607 ears of corn that we harvested last summer.  I spent about 5 hours total cutting the corn off 398 ears of corn for whole kernel and cream style.  We vacuum sealed the rest and froze it for corn on the cob.  Most of the food has been cooked to the point that it’s ready to eat.  All we have to do is thaw it and heat it.  It makes life much easier during the times of the year when the sun is setting so much earlier.  I took a picture of one of the cabinets of jars and one of the freezers filled with quart sized bags of veges.  Remember: this is what’s left from LAST summer’s harvest.  We still have several months to go and we will obviously have plenty to last us.

It’s not easy.  Poor Chris definitely hears me complain a lot, but when it’s all said and done, I’m very happy to have this stockpile during the fall and winter.

How have you used something you have on hand instead of running out to buy something to get the job done?

Thanks for reading,

Jaime

My Fitness Pals + Weigh-in Wednesday

Hey there people!  It’s Wednesday and you know that means.  Weigh Day!  This could be a good or a bad thing, so it’s a little scary, but it is always something to look forward to since it reminds me of how hard I’ve worked that week or not.  I’m linking up with Erin and Alex to share my results of this week’s weigh-in.  When you finish checking out my results, head on over to see some of the other awesome results.

We all know that it’s easier to accomplish your fitness goals with a little love and support.  As far as support is concerned, my motto is “the more, the merrier”.  This week I decided to fill you in on some of My Fitness Pals that are aiding me in my goal for perfection a healthy lifestyle.

Up first is my hubby.  I’ve told you that we’re brutally honest with each other.  No, he is not on the health wagon with me, but he does support me and will tell me things that I don’t even think I want to hear.  Even if I don’t want to hear things like “Is that cookie on your diet?”, I know that it helps me during my weak moments.  He’s not mean about it, but he knows that I want to hear it, even if I grumble and get a little rude about it at that moment when I am about to overindulge.

Next up is you guys.  It helps me a lot knowing that I’m going to be posting this info for millions a couple of people to read.  I’m working hard and I like to hear encouragement from others, whether it be in real life or on the web.

I’ve also been searching for some yummy alternatives to the fattening things that I was consuming prior to the start of my journey.  I have tried to cut out many things that I love such as breads, potatoes, pastas, and sweets.  It’s also important that I find foods that can fit comfortably into my schedule.  I don’t have time to slave away in the kitchen for hours every day.  My friend Melissa told me about a protein bar that she found with a small amount of sugar and a calorie count that wouldn’t break through my daily limit.  I also discovered this delicious almond butter that I love to eat with an apple.  It isn’t that bad for you and helps cure my craving for sugar.

I have tried to change up my salad toppings so that I don’t get bored of the combos.  Today I’m eating a salad with crab meat, parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette.  I love the combination of the sweet crab with the tangy dressing.

We are trying to cook more and eat out less.  One tool that I’m using for this is my trusty crock pot.  I always struggled with crock pot recipes that asked me to cook things for 6-8 hours because I am gone from the house fro longer periods than that each day.  My friend Angela helped me with this obstacle by giving me an awesome crock pot with a timer for my birthday.  I can set the time and temp and when it’s done, it goes into warming mode for several more hours.

The title of my post is inspired by my next tool.  My Fitness Pal is an app that I’ve talked about a couple of other times.  I have been using it faithfully to log my food and exercise.  It does a great job of helping me get a visual of what I am taking in and putting out.

It has lots of tools to help you see the breakdown of your daily and weekly totals and your weight loss progress.  I know some of you may be thinking I’m eating nothing, but I forgot to finish logging last Monday, and when you log your exercise, it subtracts it from your calorie intake.

The last fitness pal that I wanted to mention is Klyde, my dog.  He is my buddy.  He is a workout partner that is almost always up for a run.  He will get up early with me or stay out late with me.  I say “almost” because he pooped out on me yesterday morning about 1/4 of a mile into my third mile.  He never complains and he doesn’t mind my awful singing voice.

I worked very hard this week to stay on track and even managed a two-a-day workout yesterday.  Since last Wednesday, I am officially down 2 more pounds!  I am super excited about this and can’t wait to continue the journey.  Klyde was even so proud of me that he gave me a five.

Thanks for reading,

Jaime