…because I know I have been lacking severely!
I guess that’s one of the many differences between the ‘old’ Jess and new Jess, haha. MUCH less of a desire and/or tendency to “sit” during the day! Don’t get me wrong, my days are spent with plenty of time in the chair during school time with my eldest here at home 4 days a week, working for TGF full time, and editing photos, especially during my busy season, but I guess that doesn’t leave very much time for blogging, haha!
Well, I’m still here…still losing, a little more gradually now than I’d like, but I made it through my first holiday-Thanksgiving- with what I *hope* to be flying colors. I didn’t count carbs, but I didn’t go back for seconds either 
I noticed this week that my ankles are a little more swollen than usual and I think it’s due to a higher salt content in the food these past two days and from not drinking anywhere near as much water as I normally try to.
I may gain a lb. by the end of this week, but I’m working out a ton this week to try to balance things out, in fact, I just finished a really good workout before I sat down here with a peanut butter shake (still going strong w/ a shake a day using Body by Vi!) to update you all:
1.) Life is CRAZY. busy. wonderful.
2.) I am down 82 lbs. to date.
3.) It’s a funny thing about being down THAT much and still knowing there is SO much to go. I think that sometimes people hear/see me say this and expect to see a ‘thin’ person. In fact, I actually had a person tell me that “it really didn’t look like I had lost that much.” Um, thanks! haha! I know this to be true though-I can see why this person thought that. Now, would I have SAID that to someone? Um, probably not, BUT-here’s the thing:
When you are dealing with having to lose as much I do/did, it can be discouraging. I’m sharing this for ANYONE that has a journey ahead of them similar to mine 30 lbs. lost on a skinny person makes them look waify, where as 30 lbs. on someone like me didn’t even make a dent. In fact, being down 82 lbs. I am FINALLY noticing a change in myself. My husband, who sees me everyday, probably started to notice around 50. It’s definitely hard to imagine at times that you have a body with that much ‘junk’ in it, isn’t it?
DON’T get discouraged. You can totally do it. Wanna know how I know? Because I had ZERO willpower. For a person as headstrong as I was, it was actually a mix of lack of willpower mixed with a little “I don’t care”, or “I’ll deal with it later.”. Then a routine trip to the dr. and a # said out loud to me when I got on the scale. WAKE. UP. CALL.
Anyway, here I am. I’m doing it. I’m sweating. I’m sore some days. I’m the girl who goes to Panera BREAD-gosh, I love bread-and orders a salad 
I’m saying no to sugar. and you know what? It’s ok. I look better. I FEEL better. I feel AWESOME, actually The thing is, it’s totally worth it in the end like everyone says it is…and it’s not even close to the end of the ‘loss’ part before maintenance will come into play. It’s ALREADY worth it.
Here is a picture of me taken 10/21/12. Over a month ago so I’ve lost a bit more since then but I’d say I was about 75 lbs down here. I was serving at church as a greeter that morning at early service and had been out the night before with fellow dance mom friends so I look tired and I don’t care for this photo AT ALL, BUT, I am sharing it to show progress because I know that if I didn’t have people telling me I could do it, I wouldn’t have come this far. It’s important that my friends who are joining or who HAVE already joined me on this journey to see that you CAN do it. I’m here for anyone who needs the encouragement and I know I need it too-some days more than others
Here’s one more of my BFF and I at the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2 premiere last week. She is one of my BIGGEST fans and supporters during this journey and is always saying that you can see a lot of difference not just in my body but in my face and I am finally starting to agree with her. (and yeah, I ate a little popcorn, in case you were wondering
3.) I know I am regretfully behind posting some more recipes and I’ve gotten a few ‘nudges’ about it and hope to update SOON
4.) I. Am. Thankful. SO. VERY. THANKFUL.
xoxo,
jess
I. am. thankful.
Well, hey there!
Another 2 weeks gone by and I’m sorry I haven’t posted. Lots going on here and time seems to be moving at a pace more rapid than usual. Well, it did anyway.
I have a LOT to share and will begin a 5-part blog series on my “5 Focus points” next week. I hope you’ll all stay tuned!
Right now…it’s time to “hit the ground running” with NEW kicks and a NEW report/weigh in. Here’s the truth on Tuesday: I am down 8.2 lbs this week!!! HOLY CRAPOLA! I will say, I really amped up the working out this week. To date, I had been working out 3 times a week, MAYBE 4. This past week I worked out 6 days and well, I think we all know that sweat’s the ticket! My Body by Vi shakes are still keeping me super-energized and ready to tackle more regular exercise and I am so grateful to my friend Melissa for getting me started with them! (for more info, see my sidebar
This makes my “running” total 62 lbs. to date.
…and here are my new ‘kicks’. My good friend Elizabeth told me to run… not walk (no pun intended) to TJ Maxx because we have both been walking and working out and we were both kind of unhappy with our sneakers. Mine were very narrow and although they fit well length wise, I was getting some heel aches and if I wore them too long, felt like my feet were in a vice. Ouch! My Dad has been a runner for years and only wears New Balance. They came highly recommended by a few people, actually…and they are PINK:
Cute AND functional. And they weigh maybe a quarter of what my Nike’s did. SO breathable and flexible. I LOVE them!
Speaking of hitting the ground RUNNING… I’m also excited to bring you another little piece of news. I’m currently ‘running’ out of the gate to promote my BRAND new business… I am a new consultant for RODAN AND FIELDS Dermatologists and couldn’t be more excited to tell you more about it.
I always joke around about this, although there is more truth than I’d like to admit… that the only ‘downside’ to my weight loss is that one day, while doing my makeup in the little hand mirror I use…I realized. Whoa. Those lines were NOT there before! A few of my friends want to tell me that this is age, but I’m not buyin’ it. Haha! Well, regardless of whether it’s tuning 36, losing that ‘cute’ little cheek fat, or a combination of both, the lines needed to GO.
A friend told me about Rodan and Fields and I remember her purchasing it to help with sun damage/spots. I have to say that in less than 2 months time her skin looks SO different- the spots have really lightened up, some no longer even noticeable. I was sold…and soon after I began talking to a consultant, I quickly knew there was more to it than just good skin care.
Does the product do what it says it does? YES Already noticing a difference and excited about that. Moreover, there is REAL opportunity here and I am really loving reaching out to other women and attempting to provide the same opportunity! For example’s sake, there’s a really popular skin care company famous for cars the same color as their compacts (we’ll leave it at that . Did you that there are 750,000 consultants in the US? That’s awesome for them, but doesn’t really provide any real opportunity for people unless they get pretty lucky.
How is Rodan and Fields different?
I am part of a team of less than 15,000 US wide, backed by PRACTICING Dermatologists who have created the line- the same doctors who brought us Proactiv before they sold it to Guthy-Renker (infomercial giants) and became a multi-million dollar industry.
These doctors are still in private practice in San Francisco and have on-staff nurses who are available to call and inquire about the product any time. And yep…there’s a 60 day money back guarantee…but did you know we have less than a 1% return rate? That’s amazing…because the PRODUCT is amazing.
and think. Only 15,000 of us. In the ENTIRE country. And several of those are in Nashville, making my market the hardest to tap into, LOL! Just THINK of the $ to be made in areas where hardly anyone knows us yet! All the sudden, those stories about AMAZING opportunity showcasing the stay-at-home mom who is now making double to triple digit income per month doesn’t seem SO unattainable. Yes, I have to work at this, but I want to be one of those women. I want to provide for my family, retire my husband, and secure my childrens’ college funds. And yep… it’s a big dream. But it’s MY dream, and YOU can help make my dream AND your dreams a reality by working together as business partners. What do you say?!
If you’d like to inquire about GREAT skin care that does what it says it does, click HERE.
If you’d like to inquire more about what I do and how it can change your LIFE, click HERE.
Thank you SO much for staying with me if you’re still here. GREAT things are happening and I wouldn’t have so much to write about if it weren’t for your support. Have a fabulous Tuesday, everyone!
xoxo.
Hey, everyone!
I’m back with another Truth Tuesday (finally!)…. Man, oh, man. One would think that I’d have had enough time for a tiny little blog post or recipe this past month…it makes me sad that the last time I posted was the 12th of August!
Well, I guess it just goes to show you that I’m doing much less sitting at a desk these days, huh? LOL. That being said, I still managed to be up 1.4 lbs this week. This is the most gain I’ve experienced since I started my journey and I am feeling MUCHO ticked off but convicted just the same because I did NOT exercise enough this week. You really just GOTTA sweat to lose. Son of a…. (lol.)
So, even though this is the case, I am still very proud to report that so far I’m down 53 lbs total since I began my journey on May 14, 2012. Still nothing to shake a stick at, right? So I’ll be amping up the exercise this week and hopefully will have better news to report next Tuesday!
Thanks for being patient with me…I have some FUN posts coming up-a new crock pot recipe, some other exciting announcements, etc…I may be moving at a turtle’s pace here on the blog but I am enjoying a much more active lifestyle here at home and we have been on. the. go!
Thanks for reading and for your support- I have the most wonderful friends!
xoxo.
Hey, everyone!
I’m back with a real lemon of a post…literally
I wanted to share a quick post about one of the most important parts of my every day journey and that is the amount of water I have been drinking since I’ve changed my lifestyle. Beyond that, I’ve been drinking water with LOTS of lemon. I’m talking 1/4-1/2 a lemon per 24 oz. tumbler, which I can squeeze out a few refills for as well.
One of the things I’ve struggled with for the better part of my adult life, especially since having babies, is having some serious CANKLES. Yes. Yuck. I don’t like talking about it, but it’s true and anyone who knows me has seen them at one point or another, LOL.
When I decreased my sodium intake drastically upon starting my lifestyle change in May, I was so excited to notice an almost IMMEDIATE shrinkage of these said cankles..so much so that you could actually see a TAN LINE-omg. so embarrassing, but I’m sharing this w/ you because you need to know how HUGELY powerful the little yellow lemon is!
I drink anywhere between 8-12 glasses (*8oz servings, usually 3 at a time in a 24oz tumbler w/ little ice) a day. So, fast forward to a few weeks ago. I was out of town. It was extremely humid (great environment for swelling), the kids were going back to school and I was totally swamped. My water intake didn’t really go down too much, but I was out of lemons. I go to the store. I’m frazzled. Crap. Forgot the lemons. This went on so I was about a week w/ NO lemons…and guess what? I had terrible ankle swelling and well, although I lost a pound that week, it wasn’t so stellar compared to the weight loss I had been experiencing.
Two days ago, I grocery shopped and brought home a nice big bag o’ lemons…and GUESS what?! The swelling after two days has gone down. Drastically. Again. Need more information as to why?
Here’s a little compilation of facts I’ve been researching the past few weeks:
LEMON is a NATURAL DIURETIC:
Lemons increase the rate of urination in the body, which helps purify it, because toxins are released at a faster rate which also helps keep your urinary tract healthy. In addition, lemon is high in potassium, which not only helps with brain/nerve function, but helps regulate your body’s electrolytes. Potassium is also important in lowering blood pressure, which is often another reason for those pesky cankles. See where i’m getting with this? It’s ALL good- it comes full circle
LEMON BALANCES YOUR BODY’s PH:
This also keeps your urinary tract healthy, reduces infection, and lowers the acidity in your body. Now wait. WHAT? LOWERS it? Yes, lemons are full of acid. Citric acid. However, once ingested and metabolized, it doesn’t add to the body’s acidity.
LEMON MAY ASSIST w/ WEIGHT LOSS:
Besides the fact that you’ll retain less water (this is reflected when on the scale!), lemon also is high in pectin fiber, which has been said to curb hunger and assist with weight loss.
LEMON is GOOD for DIGESTION:
Lemon juice helps flush out unwanted materials out of the body while encouraging your liver to produce bile, an acid required for digestion. It can also reduce heartburn. Wait, WHAT? Something so acidic actually REDUCES heartburn? I know, I couldn’t believe it either, but it’s said to be true!
LEMON BOOSTS the IMMUNE SYSTEM:
High in Vitamin C, this is great for fending off all sorts of ailments. Don’t want to drink it in water? Have it in hot tea!
LEMON IS GREAT for the COMPLEXION:
As an added bonus, Vitamin C is great for clear skin and a clear MIND. Did you know that Vitamin C is one of the first things depleted when your mind and body become stressed? And stress leads to all kinds of bad stuff, including BREAKOUTS. Seriously, lemon is your friend.
Now, I will say that while lemon freshens breath, you’ll want to be sure to combat any possible erosion to your tooth enamel with a high-flouride toothpaste or rinse. That’s a small downside, but seriously, did you KNOW that lemons were THAT good for you?!
Now go… drink something…and PUCKER UP, buttercups!
xoxo.
Hey, guys!
I had some time this morning while I’m waiting to take the kids to dance so I thought I’d sneak in another SUPER easy and yummy recipe for Parmesan-crusted chicken tenders and Zucchini so good it’ll knock your socks off!
I wanted to take a minute to tell you guys, too, that my really good friend JEN SHULTS has launched her own cooking blog as well so definitely head on over because I always want to try EVERYTHING she makes!
I LOVE baked, breaded chicken and so do the kids…but the low-carb lifestyle makes me extra cautious on what I’m adding to my chicken. So, here’s a SUPER quick and easy way to make chicken tenders and your kids will LOVE them!
yeah, you need:
1 bag frozen chicken tenders (you can cook these STRAIGHT from frozen and they are amazingly good and retain lots of moisture so they’re really tender, too!)
1/4 C breadcrumbs
3/4 C grated parmesan (or a parm/romano blend)
2 Eggs
garlic, pepper, 1-2 TSP oregano, 1 TBSP Olive oil (I eyeball the g&p, so use your judgment
yeah, you cook:
You’re going to want to whisk the egg, garlic, pepper, oregano, and olive oil in a bowl big enough to dip the tenders. Mix the bread crumb and parmesan on a separate plate.
Dip each tender into the egg mixture:
Then, coat with parmesan/bread crumb coating:
Cook according to directions on the bag of chicken and VOILA! Perfectly breaded and seasoned tenders. You’ll fight over the last one!
As a side dish, I LOVE making my “Zucchini a la Carraba”, named after one of my favorite Italian restaurants. Their zucchini is OUT OF THIS WORLD and I’m thinking you’ll love this.
yeah, you need:
2-3 medium Zucchinis
1 can diced tomato (14.5 oz)
Garlic powder (I’m going to say 1-2 tsp but I like a LOT
Dash pepper
2 TBSP Olive Oil
Grated parmesan or parm/romano blend
Parsley (just a few dashes-you can tweak as necessary
yeah, you cook:
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil. Stir in sliced Zucchini, garlic, pepper, and parsley and sautee for about 5- minutes until you see the Zucchini turning semi-clear and also you should see some browning w/ the olive oil.
SLIGHTLY drain can of tomatoes (I use the NO ADDED SALT kind) and add to zucchini. Cook until tender.
Top w/ parmesan and serve! YUMMMM.
yeah, it’s healthy!
Ok, so are you ready for some stats? (taken from MyFitnessPal.com)
1 serving of chicken tenders (3-4 tenders!) is 393 calories, 11 carbs, only 7g fat and a whopping 64g protein!
And the Zucc’s? Never fear This dish serves 6, and a single serving is only:
75 calories, 7 carbs, only 5g fat and 2g protein.
ENJOY!
*in perspective* Did you know that adding ONE slice of bread to this meal DOUBLES the carbs? Actually, more than doubles. There are 19 g carbs in this entire meal and about 20-22 in ONE slice of bread. Sad, but true, LOL
Ugh! WHERE has July gone?! Seriously?
I am sorry, you guys! I meant to be back MUCH sooner with another post or two of recipes and another Truth Tuesday. I am making it my goal to be ON TIME this coming Tuesday for my weigh-in and update, but just know I’m doing well as my first 90 day Body by Vi challenges comes to a close. I cannot wait to share!
Today I have a quick and easy recipe to really help SQUASH the carbs that would be consumed in regular spaghetti. Now, i don’t know about you, but even on my “days off” I am a little wary to ever go back to regular pasta. The amount of carbs for 2 oz. of pasta are astonishing and well, I just am not ready to go back to that yet, if ever.
I was REALLY missing pasta though. SO much so that one time I made a pasta dish for myself and followed the “2 oz” rule which is,with regular spaghetti noodles, less than the circumference of a DIME. This is not such a big portion for “little” ol’ me, LOL. A friend told me about SPAGHETTI SQUASH (thanks again, Kate!) and I was eager to try…
yeah, you need:
1 medium size spaghetti squash
1 jar pasta sauce
1 lb ground beef and seasonings to taste (whatever you would like. I usually throw in a little garlic, pepper, oregano and parsley).
yeah, you cook:
The only real “prep time” you’ll need is about 40 minutes to cook the squash. You do this by slicing it in half the LONG way, scraping out the seeds/pulp, then baking FACE DOWN on a cookie sheet at 375 for about 40-50 minutes.
You can brown up the beef and then add the sauce in the last 10-15 or so while the squash is cooking. Once cooked, turn your oven up to 400 and take out the squash for now.
Then, you simply take the tines of a fork and start scraping the insides of the squash after you take it out and voila! Spaghetti “noodles”.
Add your favorite sauce, and throw back into the oven with some shredded mozzarella and/or parmesan on top and bake for about 5-10 minutes just to brown the cheese. You’re golden!
Serve right in the shell and EAT up…
yeah, it’s healthy:
Compared to a whopping 47 carbs in 2 oz of pasta? An entire half of the spaghetti squash is about 45 calories and 10 carbs, netting 8 g. carbs when you subtract 2g of fiber. Adding the sauce increases the calories by 234 and 11 carbs, but that is a total of 19 net carbs. That is LESS than HALF of a 2 oz serving of pasta for close to 8 oz. of delicious spaghetti squash. AND it’s filling. SOLD! :)
…oh man.
Sorry guys! I know, I have all these awesome recipes, food pics, and more coming your way but I have been busier than I can believe this week! Whew! I was out of town for my family reunion this week and was a little concerned that I might gain or at the very least, not lose. I’m dealing w/ some pretty swollen ankles from not drinking enough water and being in the car for 16 hours round trip, but I still lost another pound from last week, which I realize I didn’t post, LOL! That would make the total for these past two weeks another 7 lbs down and a total of 37 lbs lost so far! I can’t believe it! I really can’t. I have SO much more to go but I’m so happy.
Minor set back this week and I’d appreciate some prayers and positive thoughts- I hurt my hip somehow. Not really sure how, but yesterday when I got up I was in excruciating pain and my tolerance is pretty high. I actually cried tears walking from the bed to the bathroom yesterday morning- it was awful. I don’t remember actually ‘feeling’ like anything pulled or hurt while working out last time but it’s really stiff today and sore still. Not good for this girl who’s on the go and who needs to keep losing so please send me some good ju- ju <3 Thanks!
The HIGHLIGHT of my day today was ordering my planner from Erin Condren.com. I got the “Favorite things” one and I got to personalize it with all of my favorite things. I cannot WAIT until it comes and since I’m the matron of honor at my sister’s wedding, am going to have all the kids activities starting soon (school starts WEDNESDAY!), and HOPEFULLY more photo bookings (yay!), I’m gonna use the heck out of it, too. Excited!
My big goal is to keep things simple even when things get hectic. Life is DELICIOUSLY simple if you try your best to make it that way, right? I came across this little bit ‘o wisdom and it really resonated with me. It really makes a difference when you start living this way!
Well, that’s about it for now…remind me to “Keep it simple, silly” when I get a little overwhelmed these next few weeks w/ the new routine, haha I hope to be back with a recipe or two REALLY soon- thanks so much for hanging with me!
xoxo….Jess
