My Current Meal plan: 21 Day Fix, Level 1

Meal planning can be overwhelming if it's something new to you, so I wanted to share an overview of mine to give you some tips on where to start.  I follow the 21 Day Fix meal plan and am on the 1st calorie level. I prep and portion out all my veggies and meats on Sundays so during the week, my meals are just grab and go.  It's so much easier to stick with if you're prepared ahead of time!!

Here's how I portion out my containers:

(Plus the 2 tsps of fat that aren't listed-I have those after my evening workout.)

Here's a sample day of my meal plan:

1. For breakfast I have 2 hard boiled eggs, a piece of fruit (orange, apple or small banana), a piece of toast with jelly and peach mango green tea.

2. For my morning snack, I have veggies (carrots or sweet peppers) dipped in Hummus.

3. For lunch, I have a meat (Mostly turkey) with veggies and sauce (ketchup or dressing).

4. For my 1st afternoon snack, I have a small banana.  I have these daily to help me keep cramps and charlie horses at bay.  If I don't have one a day, my legs and feet seem to cramp up.

5. My 2dn afternoon snack is Shakeology....I flip flop on which flavor i like best, but right now I'm going with Chocolate.

6. For dinner, I have a meat (Turkey), mixed veggies and a carb (Sweet potatoes, rice or toast). 

7. After my evening workout, I have 2 tsps of Peanut Butter to kick my nightly craving for sweets.

If you'd like to know more about my meal plan, add me on Facebook and shoot me a message, i'll be glad to share. :-)  ~Kendra~

My Weight Loss Journey-It's a Process

Since my weight loss journey started I've lost over 60lbs. I did it by simply stuck to clean eating and exercising regularly using Beachbody programs like P90X, The 21 Day Fix, PiYo along with a little zumba, running and other varieties of exercise. Overall I wanted to change my lifestyle to make sure this change would become a permanent one....not just a fad or phase.  I've was overweight for as long as I can remember....back as far as 5th grade.

Oddly enough, there was no big moment, huge breakthrough or horrible event, that made me FINALLY make the decision to do something about my weight.  In March of 2011, I simply decided...I'm doing this....I'm going to start exercising and tracking everything I eat so that's just what I did.   For me personally, the main thing that prompted my desire to change my life was my feeling of insecurities and my yearning for something more out of life. I wanted so badly to break out of my shell and be the me that I knew God called me to be...so in 2011 I took the steps that have helped me to change my lifestyle.

Looking at a photos of myself when I was at my heaviest weight oddly helped motivate me. This has continued throughout my journey as I can now compare old pictures to updated pics side by side and see just how far I've come....it def keeps me motivated to keep putting in the hard work!  Having a before picture and continuing to take progress pics of yourself along the way can really allow you to see exactly how much you've changed....it's motivating, empowering and just makes you feel proud of yourself.  

Another thing that has really helped me is having a group of like-minded ladies to lose weight with. We keep each other accountable, share meal plans and ideas, encourage each other, and push each other to achieve our goals.  If being part of a group like this sounds like something that would motivated you, we'd love to have you join in our private Facebook health and fitness challenge group.  CLICK HERE to get all signed up OR you can add me on Facebook and shoot me a message. ;-)

REMEMBER this is a journey and a process, it’s going to take time and that's ok. Focus on being healthy instead of just on the scale. You may not see results right away, but if you keep working everyday those results will surely come in time.  If I can do it, I KNOW you can too!!!  :-D  ~Kendra~

PiYo Final Results

I am so excited to say that today I officially completed PiYo....60 days of workouts.  No, I wasn't perfect....I didn't always eat clean or rock every workout, but I stuck with it and completed the program. :-)  This is the longest Beachbody program I've finished so far and this helped me believe in myself more....believe that I can stick with something and see it through.  I know if I could do this YOU can too!!

So let's take it back to where I started on August 10, 2014:

I had a back injury and wasn't able to workout for about 2 months.  During that time, my eating went down hill and I lost focus.  Once I got cleared by my Chiropractor to exercise again, I decided to go with PiYo since it's love impact and easy on the back. 

The workouts were fun, challenging and really helped my back feel better:

Now on to the results....drum roll please (haha)

Checkout the side by side with Day 1 and today, Day 60:

I can't believe how much of a difference I can tell.  And I'll let you in on a little secret, I follower the modifier the entire way.  Also, the last two weeks I did double workouts, which consisted of PiYo and Slim in 6.

Have you thought about trying PiYo?  Connect with me on Facebook and I'll be glad to chat with you about it!! :-D  ~Kendra~

One Week Can Make A Difference

So as I mentioned, I started doing doubles workouts and checkout the difference from before double workouts and at the end of 1 full week of 2-A-Days:

If you thought you couldn't see changes in a short time or if you need to see results quickly, try adding 2-a-days into your routine.  I was getting a little discouraged and needed to see results to stay motivated, so the extra time and effort were worth it...because they pushed me forward.  What keeps you motivated?  ~Kendra~

Don't play the comparison game!

When I started my journey, of course I have those compliments from people where they appreciated my progress and I really took that in. When alone, I would take time out to look at old pictures and compare them to my progress pics.  Of course, there was a difference, but....I would always think things like

"I know I've lost  60 pounds, but I don't have abs."

“I can use 15 pound dumbbells now, but ook at what that girl does."

“My arms are getting toned, but I still have all this flabby arms when I wave."

“My thighs are smaller, but I still don't feel cute in shorts."

I added specific negative conditions to my observations.  My self-love was mixed full of self-doubt and comparison.  

 I was never truly good enough for my own standards. What I looked like and the progress I made was never enough and that made it hard to be happy with who I was.  BUT after lots of reflection, long talks with encouraging friends and of course, prayer, I was able to see that I am my own BIGGEST critic

I was the biggest obstacle getting in the way of my success: not emotional eating, not missed workouts or lack of motivation. It took a long time before I learned how to love myself UNCONDITIONALLY.

If you have or are struggle with having unconditional love for yourself, try making these promises to YOU and recommitting to them daily;

• I promise to compliment myself every single day, no strings attached.  (Keeping a positivity or blessing journal really helps me!)

• I promise to be specific and sincere with the compliments, because saying “you’re pretty” just isn’t going to get the job done!

• I promise to hold myself accountable to my goals and dreams just as I would to friends or family, because I’m just as important!

~Kendra~

Feel like quitting?

We all know there are times when quit something is actually a good thing whether it's a bad habit, a negative relationship, or even a job that doesn't align with your goals. In those instances, quitting can be a HUGE step in a positive direction! 

BUT (and this is a big but, by the way lol) quitting is NOT always a good option!  When deciding whether to not to quit something, start by looking back at why you started.  Was it to make a positive change in your lie?  Was it to work towards an ultimate goal you'd set?  Is it a required stepping stone to reach those goals? 

Taking the time to reflect, review and analyze can really open your eyes and help make the 'quitting decision' much easier. This moment of reflection can be the turning point where you made the choice to strive onward despite obstacles or the day you move past negative energy in pursuit of God's calling for your life.  Make the moment count! :-) 

Your ARE worth putting in the hard work needed to reach those goals. WHY did you start, and what will quitting accomplish? Think about those questions when the road gets rocky and your will to keep going wears thin.  Your 'WHY' needs to be soo strong and so important to YOU that is can push you out of that hole and get you moving forward.   

Take time today to think about your WHY and really DIG DEEP so that it's something that will motivate you to push on throughout your journey!  ~Kendra~

2-A-Day Workouts....Say What??!!

So last Sunday I was hanging out around the house and decided to get two workouts in.  I felt so great after that I decided to make it a thing... Since I'm already up at 5am to feed the pups and keep them occupied while they mosey around the backyard ((with me just waiting for the to FINALLY potty!)). Why not take advantage of that time instead of sitting in the porch swing like a bump on a log. haha

So that's exactly what I did this week.....double workouts everyday minus Thursday (My PiYo rest day).    Check out a few of my workouts.....

Honestly, I have this weird motivation that randomly kicks in....like how I originally lost over 60 lbs. People always ask "What happened that made you change?" I always so no....I literally just woke up one day said enough is enough and I'm doing this.  Then I simply started tracking my food in a journal, working out to random Zumba workouts on YouTube and on until I reached my goal.  There was no BIG ah-ha moment, no horrible experience that made me finally decide to do what needed to be done.  I just decided and stuck with it....

And I guess that's what I did with 2-a-day workouts too.  I have big goals (actually tiny, toned ab sized goals hahaha) and sitting on my bum isn't gonna help me get there.....so HERE GOES!!