T minus 4 days

I know it's not a good idea to "start" a weight loss plan on a specific day, it's better to just do it. However, there is a holiday weekend coming up, we have family coming into town, and to be perfectly honest I don't want to start out on a bad foot. SO, I have decided to hold off until the 2nd. I am not going to be using a scale much throughout this process so I will be mostly relying on how my clothes fit. I have made my menu for the next week, which I am really going to make an effort to post because it forces me to be prepared. Okay, here's week one:


             Breakfast                         Lunch                   Dinner      
M- eggs/Ezekiel toast             Veggie sand.         Chick. sands      
Tu- Smoothie                  Cilantro/lime shrimp   Chick sausage/pasta 
W- Cottage ch/fruit                Turkey rollups              Tacos                
Th-eggs/Ezekiel toast            Veggie sand.          Pear/sage pork chops   
Fr- smoothie                            Turkey sand.            Philly peppers      
Sa- Breakfast casserole      Chicken/apple sal.            Leftovers     
Sun- No plan!

I would love some feedback on my first weeks menu. Since I don't believe in cheat days Sunday will still be eating under my designated guidelines, but I don't have a plan, per say. Just whatever we feel like making. Also, I will be having 3 snacks a day, typically nuts, string cheese, veggies, fruit, almond butter, etc.

Phase one: The first 90 days

My first weight loss goal is to lose 50 pounds. 50 pounds in 90 days. I've found some amazing resources on Pinterest that have given me some great ideas, so if you are thinking about starting to eat clean, definitely check these sites out. Here is a breakdown of my plan:

Eating: I am planning to eat clean but because I am an experienced "dieter", I am also realistic. And eating 100% clean all the time isn't realistic. Why? Because life happens, kids want treats once in a while, there are birthdays and holidays throughout the year, and by telling myself that something is off limits I am sending a message to my brain that I should have it even more because I'm not suppose to. Therefore, I refuse to put myself in that situation. Nothing is off limits, but I should clarify that I am limiting sugar and white flour to very rarely.

Exercise: I will be doing Insanity for 60 days (6 days a week), and also walking 3-4 days a week. After a round of insanity, I will start Zumba for a month along with walking until the end of my first 90 days.

Start Date: September 1st though December 1st, 2013.

Check these out! Some awesome tips and motivation.
Wendy's Daily Dose...
Eating Clean on a College Budget
He and She, Eat Clean

Prepping and Planning

I have spent the last week making my meal plans and grocery list for the next two weeks. Thankfully my husband is on board with my "clean eating" plan. I understand that we will not be able to eat clean 100% of the time, and I am okay with that. But, I feel that even if we can dedicate ourselves 80% of the time, we will be making progress. I am hoping to cut down our grocery bill. But I'm not sure how successful I will be. Right now, I spend between $500-$600 a month on groceries. The higher amount includes toiletries, cleaners, and diapers. So if I could even reduce that by $75-$100 a month I would be happy. We function off one income, so saving every penny we can will always help us out. I am going to post my first weeks grocery list for our first week of eating clean. My fourteen year old will be heading back to school and we have decided to send her with lunches instead of her eating the schools lunch. She was constantly complaining last year that they didn't give her enough food and she would come home hungry. I feel so much better with her eating food I send her with instead of the nasty processed lunches they provide.

Although my primary goal is to eat healthy, losing weight is my second goal. So I will also be updating weight loss updates as well. I'm excited to share recipes I have in mind and my progress along the way!

It's time

Today wasn't an ordinary day. Today it occurred to me that I must make a change. My life is passing me by one short day at a time. I watched Extreme Makeover: Weight loss tonight and the girl, Ashley, who was chosen to be on the show was much like me. She knew what she had to do. She didn't want to do it because she understood how much hard work and dedicating she was facing. She lost a baby because of her weight struggles, as I did. And she blamed herself, as I did. Her journey struck a chord with me and her struggles reminded me of how I struggle. Everyday is an opportunity to do something better than the day before. I wake up everyday with good intentions, but intentions are just thoughts not being put into motion. I watched her transform. I watched her struggles and her setbacks and while she was making progress I could see myself in her. It's funny because as an obese person I want to lose weight and be healthy so bad. I want to wake up every morning feeling good about myself, but instead I stay in my house hiding behind the walls and neglecting to make a change. I've officially hit rock bottom today. I found out a few hours ago that a girl that I was good friends with in middle school took her own life yesterday. I have many memories of her and the trouble we got into. The summers we would spend hanging out in her rec room. And it hit me that life is too fucking short to wake up everyday wondering the what ifs and the should haves. I  refuse to wait another day to neglect myself, my health, my kids. I'm sick of being the fat mom, the obese wife who hides behind excuses for not attending my husbands work functions. So, I am writing this post to officially say...it's time.

Eat clean dad-gummit!

So, there it is. My plan to change my own habits (note: I said my own, not anyone else's), because that's all I can do. I will do my best to eat only clean/organic foods and exercise.

The only thing I plan on cutting out completely is white flour and sugar. Everything else will be in moderation. I would love to hear about some clean eating blogs and success stories for motivation, so please feel free to post them in the comments. I am going to start a recipe tab as soon as I make or find recipes I want to try. I will post before pictures as soon as I gain enough courage along with my stats.