Weigh-In Wednesday

So it seems like the past 8 weeks in this contest have flown by. Most of the time my weight was up one week, down the next, then back up again. Well I am proud to say that for the second week in a row I am down...2.5lbs!!! 

Don't know why it's crooked....hmmmm

YAY! 

6.5lbs in 2 weeks

Thank You Paleo!!! 

I am still not 100% Paleo and honestly don't know that I will ever be but I am happy with 80/20 right now. There are times where I think it would be easier and take less brain power-I don't have much of this anways- to just go back to eating what the whole family eats but I know that if I do I will never reach my goal.

Speaking of goals...I really haven't set one.

This is a big NO NO because you should always set a goal and reach for it! Maybe that's why it has taken me 8 weeks to get things right. 

GOAL

To be 130lb by May

13lbs To Lose

9 weeks To Do It

I CAN DO THIS!!! 

I am working on the 12 week workout plan. As I was looking through it there are some weight workouts that use gym equipment so I am trying to find different workouts to substitute that still workout the same muscles and can be done at home. 

If you are interested in starting this with me email me at sweetsouthernmel@gmail.com

I would love to have before pics of you but you do not have to include your face and your before measurements. I also will not use your name if you would prefer not. I think having a place where our "Before" is will give some motivation to get you but in gear! 

Start date is March 4th

So walk RUN to your room, take those pics and measurements and get them to me by Sunday!! 

I would love to have you all take this journey with me!! 

(Here is the Jamie Easons 12 week workout journey, keep in mind I'm trying to see if I can get this to where you can do it at home)

I think this is a great reminder for us all!! 

HAPPY HUMP DAY!! Now get your hump on...and click here to read my post on how many calories you can burn in the process! 

~MEL

I'm Shrinking

Well my first week of Paleo is over.

Thus far I'm happy with the results although last Thursday I about had a break down.

When I do something, normally I do it 100% so when trying to make the switch to Paleo in my diet I cut everything out, cold turkey and Thursday, it caught up with me.

The biggest problem I have had is figuring out what I can eat. I was starving on Thursday but it just seemed like everything I though of I couldn't have! I was highly frustrated. So this is what I decided.

One day a week is going to be my "Non-Paleo" day. This meaning I will eat what I want...within reason. This way I'm not so deprived that I become frustrated to the point of throwing in the towel.

I guess my frustration also came from the fact that I had been at work for 4 days. On the weekends it is easy, alittle easier to spend more time in the kitchen preparing my yummy Paleo meals. Monday-Thursday I just don't have that type of time. At least not if I wanna have extra time with my babies. On Sunday I had prepared food for the week but was out by Wednesday and with Wednesdays being my MOST busy day of the week I didn't even think about food for Thursday. This wasn't smart and I paid for it on Thursday.

Time to make some cookies while the pizza is cooking! I think they ate more dough though!

Friday was my N-P day. I had one of my BFF's two children at the house all night so we had a "Family Fun Movie Night" which always involves Pizza, Cookies and Popcorn. You see why I chose to have one night of freedom??



I only got to try one of the recipes I wanted to but my weekend of was a whirlwind of babysitting, donation drop offs, taking a bed apart, taking some fun pictures that I will post as soon as they are released ;), snotty noses, loading and moving my granny(well helping as much as possible), company every night and the hubs being gone for most of it. Not by exact choice but everything seemed to fall on the same dern weekend.

Whew but it was here and gone.

I need a nap.

The one I did try both the hubs and I liked. It was these crab cakes. They were good but would have been great if I had of done two things different.
1- Buy fresh shrimp, not frozen, the frozen makes it too liquefied
2- I really need to learn how to fry stuff without burning it...I'm a burner :/

The end result was very good though and I will be making these in the future!

I took my measurements this morning and was beyond thrilled with what I seen!!

Here they are:
Arms 11 1/2
Thighs 23 3/4
Belly 31...that's a 3in LOSS!!!!
Hips 40 1/2

I LOST EVERYWHERE....I AM SHRINKING!! YAY!!

This is what motivates me. Not only a lb loss but inches lost too!

WEEKEND REVIEW:

Movie Time on Friday Night!

The things that I love, a picture make for me that says "I Love You Mel, Yes I Do" 

Coloring a picture for our sponsor brother in Africa, David!! 

ARE WE READY??? She insisted on sitting on the potty TWICE!! Nothing happened but
this is a start! 

Happy Monday Ya'll

~MEL~

Weigh-In Wednesday

I can say that I am happy to be reporting a weight LOSS this week!!

Yay! If you read Monday or even Tuesdays post then you will see that I started the Paleo diet. I am not 100% Paleo but I would say around 80% but I am happy with that for right now.

If you are new to this blog, welcome. Also this is a weekly post I do tracking my journey. Also I am in an "Office Biggest Loser" contest so this tracks my journey through that as well.

Last week I weighed in at 150. Having gained everything back plus 1lb on my cruise that I had lost I was very upset with myself but still I was lacking motivation. Well thanks to my BFF&E she has gotten me back on track and I have my eyes set on the prize. Bikini season with no self criticism.

I CAN DO IT!!!

I think I might even be the weekly winner...just waiting to finish tallying up the weight loss percentages!

Along this journey of life my goal is to have a heart like Christ. God has used me in many ways to bring him so much glory and I am so grateful that He will entrust in me what he does. Even when I fail, he picks me up and tells me to keep going for his glory. Well if I'm going to have a heart like Christ then my body is His temple. He is entrusting in me this body and longs for me to take care of it...something I have not been doing. So not only do I long for no self criticism but I also long for my body to be a healthy temple where God lives in my heart.

Thank you Melissa for that reminder. ;)

I hope you have started following me on Instagram- @sweetsouthernmel  I am posting some (hoping to remember more often than not) of my Paleo meals so that I will be held a little more accountable to you all!

For the upcoming weekend the plans are to try a few new paleo recipes, hang out with my other BFF who will be visiting from WV, keep all the kiddos overnight so her and her hubs can get some "alone" time...don't we all need that? I am also working on some stuff for Zawadi! This ministry has just took hold of my heart and I plan on doing a post on how so many others have been helping and letting their love reach all the way around the world!!

Two things I am considering:

1) Gotta buy new running shoes...any recommendations??

2) Thinking about doing the 10day Advocare Cleanse. Not really wanting to do the whole Advocare thing but just the cleanse...what do you think, any advice or opinions??

Thanks Ya'll!!

~Mel

NOM NOM Paleo

Well the toughest thing for me during this transition is remembering what I can and can't eat...and then following it.

I've said it many times before, I L.O.V.E. food. It is instant gratification for me yet like most things that are instant it leaves me feeling bloated, yucky and just plain blah.

I am a meat, taters and bread girl. Seriously, if I could live off of steak and rolls I would.  The good news is I can have all the lean meat I want. Taters and bread ummmm not so much. The hubs and I buy a half a cow every year. I am spoiled to the deliciousness of fresh meat and when we went through a period of about 3 months waiting on the price of the cow to drop I felt so deprived. All it took was 3 months for us to realize that we would pay the higher price because the meat was 1000x better then that crap you buy in a store.

I do NOT like to cook. Baking I love, cooking not so much. So these fancy roasted duck with blah blah blah blah blah sauce does not appeal to me at all. After about 6 ingredients you've lost me, I've moved on.

SHE GONE

Oh how I can't wait for that show to come back on...9 days!

This weekend I found two recipes that sounded appealing and I had most of the ingredients already at home. For me they were both winners. The hubs was okay with both of them and he would eat them if I make them. Laniebug will eat anything...I mean anything, Kinley won't eat anything...nothing so this did not surprise me much.

The first was this delicious Salmon recipe. I made the homemade salad dressing and it was very yummy ad provided about half a mason jars worth so I will be able to use that for lunch this week. The Candied pecans would have been even more delicious had I not burnt them...the recipe says to be careful they burn easy...she wasn't kidding!!

The hubs like our original marinade for salmon better than this but the original recipe includes brown sugar and soy sauce...not on my list of things I can eat. The great thing is, in the future I can make both without too much extra effort.


After dinner that night I doubled this recipe for Meatballs and put about 8 in the crockpot for dinner on Sunday. I baked 8 more for my lunch for the week and the rest went into the freezer for when I need a quick meal.

I did not make my own sauce because as a couponer I have about 60 (not exaggerating) jars of Ragu. As much as I wanna do this diet I will not extend our grocery budget to make way for stuff that I already have an abundance of at home.

This is where I won't become 100% Paleo. I work full time, have two precious kiddos and have some mission work I am involved with...I just don't always have the time either to make my own stuff.

Hoping to try a couple more recipes this weekend. I'm most looking forward to the crab cakes so I'll let you know how those go next week!

~Mel

PALE-Oh Here I Go

Well she finally did it. She has been slowly chizling away at me for a few months now...even when she didn't realize she was.

This weekend I broke, I am tired of feeling tired.

I'm tired of feeling fat.

I went on vacation and took with me my summer clothes from last year...they didn't fit.

Yep I got on the ship and the only pants I could wear were the jean capris(that were big last yeat but now fit a little too snug) and my cotton gouchos. Every single pair of shorts I took I couldn't even get buttoned.

I was mad, furious that I had let myself do this yet again. I complain about gaining weight to my husband and he was so sweet but let's face it. I couldn't get the dang shorts buttoned, I had gained, I'm right back to where I was before. There is no denying that.

Counting calories doesn't work for me.

Counting fat or carbs doesn't work.

Eating what I want but cutting portions doesn't work.

Am I ever going to find something that works? I hope so.

So on friday I broke and I let her bring me lunch...with total intent of hating it but wth, I'll give it a try!

My lunch consisted of Dark Chocolate Almond Milk. Sweet Potato, Spaghetti Squash, ground Venison, garlic salt, avacodo and tomatoes.

It was delectible!

I was still unsure about this whole Paleo thing though...cutting out all dairy? I'm a huge milk and yogurt LOVER How was I going to do this?

I sat down started going through recipes picked out a few that sounded good an that I had most of the ingredients already and this weekend I Paleo'd it up at my house.

Now I am not no where near 100% seeing as how I ate two small yeast rolls sat and sunday but I am slowly getting there. As of now I have cut out all dairy...I even had fresh local honey and almond milk in my coffee this morning...This crap is getting real up in here when I change up my coffee!

Now onto the scary part. I want to share with you all myself. I'm not perfect nor have I ever claimed to be. I am an extremely critical person of myself. Not so much with others but oh horrible with myself but I also love my bikinis and so in saying that I even wore a whole piece almost the entire vacation because of my insecurities.

This blog has been a great place for me to really just be myself and grow as a christian while sharing my struggles and praises with you all. I have received some judgement from it but I guess when you put yourself out there you should expect it at some point.

This next part though is very difficult for me. It is opening myself up to a whole new line of judgement.

Honestly it scares the life out of me just thinking about it but I need to do it. For myself and for you. To hold myself accountable and to show you that I struggle just the same as some of you.

I do ask though that you would keep all negative comments to yourself and if you are going to come to this sight to be judgmental please do not return. This is me being vunerable...don't make me regret it please.


My measurements for the beginning of my Paleo Journey is: (these might get altered bc I forgot my paper)
Arms- 18 3/4
Belly- 35
Hips- 42
Thigh- 24


BEFORE

So there you have it. It is me...def not at my best but hoping to overcome and make my body into a temple to be used to serve God's purpose. He gave me this gift of life so who am I to trash it with terrible food and lack of exercise?

I will start posting some of the recipes I am trying out as well and let you know what I think about them! You can also follow me on Instagram @sweetsouthernmel where I will be picturing most of my food!

Happy Monday!

~Mel

HAPPY L.O.V.E. DAY

Happy Valentines Day Ya'll!!

I awoke to roses, a new coffee mug and yummy cheesecake...oh how he knows the way to my heart!

I have a small gift for him but like most mornings I was running behind and this morning he actually got out of bed on time which left me no time to set it out...such is my life, atleast I had it prior to today. 

I think next year I am going to have us celebrate V-Day on Feb 15th. This way we can both shop at 50% off the next day. 

Who knows maybe even turn it into a game of who can get the other the "best" cheap Valentines day present!

My perfect morning reminders, I love my babies and my new mug but most of all I love my Savior! 

Now onto some good information I came across yesterday! As you know I am in the "Biggest Loser" competition at my office and each week I send out an email for tips/tricks for the week. Being that it was Valentines Day I thought these were most appropriate!

* You burn 68calories per hour of KISSING

* You burn 8cal/hour for undressing...have fun taking them clothes off:)

* You burn 80cal/hr for "Giving" a massage

* You burn 144cal for every HALF-HOUR of Sex

Are you ready for this one??

* You burn 100cal for every Half-Hour of Oral Sex...hmmmmm

* You burn 103 cal/hr for some "romantic" dancing

* You burn 238cal/hr for a Make-Out Session

Now there's some FUN ways to burn some calories so get to it ladies...use your imagination and burn some extra calories this weekend!! 

I hope you day is filled with love and happiness! 

~Mel

*For more information on these tips visit Womans Day too see all the little details! 

Wed's Weigh In & V-Day Prep

Good afternoon!

The morning didn't start off so great since it was weigh in day but I also was prepared for the worst. I just spent 6 days on an all you can eat boat and apparently those midnight slices if pizza decided to come home with me...on my rear.

I gained 5lb while gone...wah wah wah, now it's time to change.

I ran last night and did this little challenge.

Well attempted it but only made it to the second set of crunches.

I will get there.







I also decided to try something new for lunch and decided on this. Only 240cal and I found it to be really tasty!

Kinley and I worked on him Valentines and did his cubbies lesson. Love spending time with him like this.








I can't believe tomorrow is Valentines Day. As I prepare for a date night on Friday night I am praying for the fire between the hubs and I to stay ignited.



I'm currently reading "Love & Respect: The love she most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs" by Dr Emerson Eggerichs

This book is an excellent reminder of how to connect with each other and survive the downs and go to bed each night with a little more love in your heart.

Looking forward to dinner with the love of my life Friday night. Trying to decide on some dinner conversation though aside from the kids.

When you go out with your spouse what do you talk about? How do you keep the conversation fresh? Anything fun you do while at dinner? Any games?


I'm leaving you with this totally romantic shot of the hubs and I...He makes my heart melt time and time again! Thank you God for giving him to me! 

~Mel

Bahama Babies

~Hello All~

I am back, refreshed, rejuvenated, relaxed and ready to go! All the while 10lb heavier...ok so maybe not that much but I haven't dared the scales yet to see. I'll wait til tomorrow to see what that number is. I want to keep this relaxed feeling a bit longer.

The cruise was absolutely phenomenal. The kids were fantastic, even my lil schedule bug was able to stay up longer before nap and bed time which made it a lot easier on this momma and dadda.

Kinley was so super excited to be getting on the "BIG Boat" and repeatedly told me he didn't want to ever leave. That is as long as mommy and daddy stayed with him. He's going through this attachment stage and I'm not sure what to make of it yet. I have always encourage him to stay other places because he needs to be comfortable without us and there are times that we (the hubs and I) need to remember who we are. Not just mom and dad. When everyone except Lanie and I arrived home Kinley kept crying saying he missed me...I was flying home the next morning so I'm not sure what was going on.

However the next day arrives, momma is home and what does he want to do? Go work out with daddy...of course! Oh well, deep down that boy is a momma's boy and he always will be.

Here's a little photo roll through our vacation. Ahhh I could look back at these pictures everyday.

 I never want to forget the memories we created!

A little fun in our cousins pool the weekend before the cruise

I love these two people and hope that my marriage will be as successful as theirs

He is totally a mommas boy!

Lil' Miss Independent enjoying the white sandy beach

Ahhhh My favorite view!

<3

Having some major fun with my kiddos and my new camera!

We did some Straw Market shopping but by this point everyone just wanted to be back on the boat

Love Ocean Adventure for the kids! Kinley looked forward to going there every night, this was Pirate night obviously

 

 Once again my independent little girl wanted to be like everyone else and wouldn't drink from her sippy at dinner so she got water in a wine glass

One of my favorite pictures of the week! She is a daddy's girl for sure

After we got off the boat on friday we decided to spend the day going out to Hermit Crab Island on my cousins boat and we got some wonderful pictures and a little more fun family time! 

I loved watching him run and play with his cousins

The Dolphins decided to feed right in front of us! They were amazing to watch

Yes he loves me so much he agreed to take a cheesy romantic picture with me

<3

<3 SUNSET<3

Oh and FYI....I can't control my eyebrow and if I could control my face, my face would be really tired at the end of the day! HAHA If you don't know what I'm talking about then you are missing out of some pretty funny stuff!

Happy Valentines Day Week Ya'll!!

~Mel