Bye-Bye to Plus Size

It's been a glorious thing... I finally got out of plus size tops.  I think I am technically in plus-size pants (size 16ish) but as for the upper half, I am now firmly into an XL.  As you all know, or at least you would if you have read all my posts, I am in the middle of a full-declutter.  My closet has been over-run with tops/sweaters/sweatshirts of all different sizes and it was finally time to go through, try everything on, and declutter anything that I either didn't like OR that was too big.

This all started with the change in the weather... this past weekend was actually 'chilly'.  I quickly realized that I needed to figure out the 'bottom' half of me because I have been living in yoga capri's for the last month or so.  Thankfully, I kept all the jeans that I wore on the way up to the size I started this journey at (20/22).  The only size I didn't have in my collection was an 18.. which would be the size I expect to need... however...

These babies are a size 16!!!

Fine, they are a little tight and I have a slight muffin top when I wear them BUT, they do up and really, that is all that matters.  I figure another 5-10lbs and these will fit perfectly!!

On to the tops...

WHAT?!  I have very few things left in my closet now but that's okay... I am going to wait until my size levels off... likely will be a large... and then I will start to replenish my wardrobe.  Thankfully, a lot of the items that still fit are more fall/winter anyways so that totally works!

So excited to actually be out of the plus-sized tops.  It was one of my goals and one that I am most happy about achieving because it means that I can now shop at all the stores and buy the 'normal' looking clothes.  Have you ever tried to buy clothed from the plus-size section?!  UGH!

Lifestyle Update | Week 14 Update

Happy Fall!!  I am so excited that it is officially fall... last week was warmer than I liked but over the weekend, it cooled off and now, I am thrilled!  Candles burning, thriller books out and YES, I am ready!

Today was weigh-in day and I can't believe that I lost another 2lbs... usually the week of my period ends up with a lower than normal weight loss (I am backwards and lose more weight before I get my period and then less after it... not sure why!).  So that means that I have now lost a total of 35.5lbs!  WHAT?!?!  How friggin exciting is that?  I am less than 15lbs away from my next goal and totally on track for hitting it by Christmas (not that I am setting any official goal dates but hey, one can hope).

StepBet Update for the week:

Not much to report but did just want to check in and let y'all know that I made it through another week.  Got my two stretch days done on Monday and Tuesday and then legged out the active days on Wednesday thru Saturday.  Literally did NOTHING yesterday and loved it.  I actually decided that I wouldn't wear my Fitbit so that I wasn't thinking about how low my step count was and that seemed to make me feel better about taking a rest day!

WINS for the week:

1. Smaller sizes - WOOOOOOO!!  I cleaned out my closet and have a GIANT bag to donate full of plus sized clothes.  FULL!  I will have a separate blog post about this so stay tuned!
2. Fall TV - totally not weight loss related BUT, you guys... FALL TV is back!  I loooove watching TV (is that something to be proud of?) and most of my fall shows are once again back and I am loving it!  I don't generally watch them live because I am always watching baseball BUT, having something to toss on the boob-tube is always appreciated!

CHALLENGES for the week:

1. None!

I feel like this wasn't the best post but I really enjoy the weekly update, even as something to look back on so, for now anyways, I will keep em coming!  

Luna Bar | Recent Reviews

In my never ending quest to find the perfect protein bar, I happened to stumble across the Luna Bars, made by Clif, and YOU GUYS, not only are they so tasty, but they are cheap!!  The Luna Bars are made specifically with women in mind so there are more nutrients geared towards females but I am sure that men would totally enjoy them as well.  The price of these bars ranged from $1.25 to $1.79, depending on where you buy them... I like to look for the sales and snag as many as I can.  Sadly, here in Canada, we can only buy three of the flavours (at least that is all I have found) and the funny thing is, every bar is stamped with a 'Made in Canada' so WHAT THE HECK?  Made in Canada but I have to get a friend to send me them?  NOT FAIR LUNA BAR... NOT FAIR!

Thankfully, I have an amazing bestie, Kathleen, who was gracious enough to go shopping and snag me a whole bunch of flavours to try before I head to Amazon to grab an entire box.  I thought it might be fun to give you my thoughts on each bar as I eat them.. so this is the past week's thoughts.

First up, Chocolate Dipped Coconut.  You guys... this is basically a dieting gal's version of a Bounty Bar (or Mounds in the US, maybe??) and I absolutely LOOOOVE coconut and chocolate so this one is a major fave.  Will definitely be ordering this one in the future. (190 calories) 

Next up, Chocolate Cupcake.  I had high expectations for this one and sadly, it fell a little flat.  Sure, the chocolatey part was there but it was missing that 'cupcake' aspect.  Maybe it was the texture... cupcakes are usually moist and soft, whereas this was dense and hard so that may have been a little off-putting.  Either way, it was tasty but not a go-to. (190 calories)

Next up, Chocolate Peppermint Stick.  YUM!  If you like the Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks, this one is right up your alley.  Okay, no coffee flavour but the peppermint is nice and subtle and not too strong to make your mouth burn.  I really liked this one and can definitely see myself picking this one up again in the winter months. (190 calories)

Last up for this week, Blueberry Bliss.  WOW... I am shocked by how much this one blew my socks off.  There is not a lick of chocolate in it but I absolutely, 100% love this one.  So much so that I would say it's my favourite one thus far.  The blueberry taste was on point, there was a sweet drizzle of something delicious on top, oats and granola... HEAVEN.  A definite, DEFINITE must buy!! (190 calories)

I have tried all of the flavours that are available here in Canada (Lemon, Chocolate Walnut Brownie & S'Mores) and will review those once I pick them up again.  Hope these help if you are on the search for a new protein bar/snack!

Lifestyle Update | Week 13 Update

Happy Monday... no?  Too early?  I don't know about everyone else but I have started to look forward to Monday mornings because it's the start of a new week.  I get to see the progress that I have made and start the new week ready to conquer more goals!  Today was the weigh-in for week 13 (insane) and I am beyond excited to share that I lost another THREE POUNDS.  How does that even happen??  So my new weight loss total is 33.5lbs and I can honestly say that I feel the weight loss now... clothes feel better, my legs look thinner(ish) and I just feel more alive.

Yesterday (or today depending on how you look at it) also marked the end of the first official week of StepBet.  Yep, if you missed goals this lasts week you were eliminated from the challenge.  Happy to report that, not only did I kill my goals, but I did so with style and was able to sit on my behind ALL DAY yesterday and take a proper rest day.  Kinda loving the new Sunday rest day thing... I'm debating taking off the FitBit so I don't actually see how lazy I have been but one step at a time.

I've also found myself really enjoying reading again.  Not that I ever stopped reading but I was pretty much only reading at bedtime and was so tired that I would get through 3-4 pages and literally fall asleep while holding up my book.  I spent a good part of yesterday with my nose in my book (okay, iPad) and loved it.  It's so relaxing... maybe a couple of book reviews will pop up here and there because, hey, this blog is about what makes ME happy!

WINS for the week:

1. Family Dinner - we had a family dinner this weekend (roast beef, mashed potatoes, veggies, gravy... the whole nine yards) and WOAH, so good!  It was the first meal in 13 weeks that I didn't count my calories for because it would have been too hard to figure everything out.  So, I just ate a healthy portion of each dish and stopped eating when I was satisfied.  I think I nailed it!!!
2. StepBet - Already touched on it but I nailed my StepBet goals and am ready to kick butt again this week.  Also happy to see that 90 people have already dropped out so we are getting close to making MONEY!!  Whoop!

CHALLENGES for the week:

1. PMS - I have come to realize, three months into this journey, that the Thursday before my cycle begins is the worst day of the month for me.  I can't say there are any definite cravings but more the feeling of being 'unsatisfied'... wanting more of whatever.  Thankfully I haven't given into the feelings yet but I have definitely noticed the pattern... now that I am aware of it, I think it will be something I have to plan for.

Well, that marks the end of week 13 and now we move on to this week... back to baseball try-outs so the meals are a little tricky for the week but we will make it work.  Thankfully, this should mark the end of ball, for this year anyways, so we can officially be back to normal (for us!).

Lifestyle Challenge | Week 12 Update

Happy Monday... hope all you Football Widows made it through opening weekend.  My hubby is a 49ers fan and they start tonight so here's hoping the house is a happy one!

Today marks the official end of the first quarter of my new lifestyle... can you believe that it has been three months already?  I am shocked!  For my week 12 weigh-in, I am happy to report that I lost 1.5lbs for a new weight-loss total of 30.5lbs.  THIRTY POUNDS!!!

I just love getting new badges from FitBit... it really makes the journey so much more fun and rewarding.  Can you tell I am a competitive person?!  HAHAHA

Along with another month passing, it was also time to take some progress pictures.  I haven't shared them anywhere before because I was too self-conscious and it felt like such a personal thing BUT... it's time.  I am loving the changes that I see but because I don't have any new clothes (yet), most of the things I am wearing are too big so you can't really see any major changes.  The 'before' picture is actually already a month into this new lifestyle so I had already lost 13.5lbs and likely some bloat and maybe even a couple of inches but it still shows a dramatic difference between 4 weeks and 12 weeks.

WINS for the week:

1. StepBet - I did an entire blog post about joining StepBet but today is the official start of the elimination rounds and I am soooo excited to have some extra 'step' motivation.  I kicked the warm-up rounds butt so I am confident that I can kick the regular week's butt too.
2. Rest Day - I finally did it... I had a rest day!  No goals were met yesterday and it was planned that way.  I still went for a walk and did my normal daily things around the house but I also didn't stress the steps.  It was great... yes, slightly guily inducing, but well needed!  My plan is to take every Sunday, during StepBet, as a rest day to recover from the extra activity during the week.

CHALLENGES for the week:

1. Mid-Week Weigh-In - Stoooopid me decided to step on the scale mid-week and it showed a gain of 0.5lbs... so of course I stepped on it again the next day... same... and the next day... up a whole pound.  The way it affected my mood was insane!!  At the end of the week, I clearly lost weight so the moral of the story is STAY OFF THE DAMN SCALE!!!

Loving life right now... I know that as we near Thanksgiving, Halloween and the Holidays that there will be some new challenges but I find that every day I put under my belt is another day closer to conquering these old 'diet' demons!

Step Bet | Step Thru September

You guys... I joined a StepBet challenge!

Okay, now you are all probably asking yourselves, "what is a stepbet?" and looking at your screen with those crinkles across your forehead.

Well, because they are better at words than I am, here is how the app describes StepBet:

StepBet is a fitness game that motivates you to be more active.  In each StepBet game, players pay an initial "bet" and commit to meeting certain step goals during every week of the challenge.  If you meet your goals each week, you split the pot with the other winners. 

The cost (or 'bet') is $40USD per challenge and each of the challenges lasts 6 weeks (5 weeks of elimination and 1 week of warm-up).

When I signed up, the app linked with my FitBit and gave me a predetermined number of steps that I needed to reach based on my step history.  Four days a week, I need to walk 13,151 steps which is only a little over my normal average amount now and two days a week, I need to walk 16,840 steps.  Other than having one free day a week, if you miss your steps, you get eliminated from the challenge.

I am so excited to see how many steps I can do every day and while I know that those two days a week are going to be tough, I plan to knock them out first so I don't find myself walking my ass off at the end of each week.  Keep you fingers crossed and send me all your steppin' vibes!  I will post how my week went in my weekly updates.

Lifestyle Challenge | Week 11 Update

Whoops... I totally forgot to post because weigh-in day was a holiday and we got busy doing things.  Hey, life happens, right?!

Monday was the end of week 11 of my new lifestyle challenge and I am happy to report that I lost another TWO pounds this week.  Yep, that means I am now down a total of 29 pounds!!  HOLY CRAP!  I know that I say this almost every week but I am still shocked with the ease with which I have been able to stay on plan... at how the cravings for sweets and eating out are basically gone now.

My husband and I talk about eating out and how it would feel like such a waste of both money and calories.  We can now look back on our past habits and see how 'gross' we would feel after splurging (read binge) on a GIANT bag of candy.  I used to get a huge bag of Malteasers and about 2/3 into it would feel full and starting to feel gross... would I stop eating them?  Nope, I would finish the bag because I felt that leaving 1/3 of the bag would be a waste... as if the treat wouldn't be enough the next time I ate them.  Did you know that a huge bag of Malteasers is over 900 calories?  NINE HUNDRED?  #dead

How Awesome is the 10% reward?!!?

WINS for the week:

1. Emotional Eating - Yes, this is a win... because I didn't do it!  This past weekend I found myself in an emotional/family drama moment and am happy to say that I laced up the running shoes and headed out for a walk instead of eating my way through house and home.
2. Clothes Fitting - One of my biggest wins so far is being able to wear clothes that I hadn't been able to before.  Murray bought me a size XL women's fitted shirts for Christmas and I knew on site that it wouldn't even go over my head.  Well, this Sunday, I wore it out for breakfast and it was totally fine.  In fact, more people noticed my weight loss than ever before.  LOVED that feeling!

CHALLENGES for the week:

1. Emotions - It hasn't happened often, which is great, but I do have very strong emotions and being an emotional eater, I have had to re-direct my feelings.  As mentioned in my wins, I seem to be okay with doing the right thing BUT am always on watch.
2. Lazy Day - Over the last 11 weeks, I haven't missed my step goal once and am finding it really hard to take a 'rest day' or a 'lazy day'.  I don't know if it's because I am afraid of failure or afraid that it will send me into a tailspin, but I just can't seem to let myself have a day where I do absolutely nothing.

Still on track and still totally motivated to keep going.  I am not setting any goals with dates attached to it because I don't want to miss and feel like I failed but I am so excited about seeing how far I can go!!