Motivated Monday - Not Exactly as Planned

Welcome to Monday... yeah, I know I post this on Sundays with the intention of everyone seeing it on Monday...

Last week was the first of our unofficial Mamavation Grad challenge. We did the same workouts as the Mamavation Moms, kept food journals and supported our teammates and the group in general. It really was a crazy ride!

For starters I hit the ground Monday night running. Sadly, I missed the twitter party, but did catch Tina and Rachel's announcements. (Congrats ladies!!) Monday was the day to begin our challenge but I was traveling by car from Eastern Oregon. I tried my best to make good choices as we ate while traveling and I couldn't get to my workout till late. Somehow I dragged myself though.

The week was great. I snapped some pics to highlight what I was eating. I have been eating really well - healthy, fresh, delicious and colorful:

I did not sacrifice on flavor or feeling full... not one little bit!

Near the end of the week I started to get derailed... first on Thursday my husband and I got our first real babysitter (not grandparents) and went to a local winery. I rarely drink so this was a real treat and splurge for me. They also distilled spirits and I fell in love with the Lemoncello. Though, the butterscotch was also lovely. 

Friday was my daughter's birthday and I was very busy getting ready for that. Special meals to make, a cake to decorate and lots of reading to and cuddles with my little 3-year old. As the day wore on I was not feeling well, but nothing gets in the way of a toddler's big day!

Saturday I was in the urgent care waiting room wasting half my day. Ugh. As I waited I walked the parking lot. I do hate those cold, quiet waiting rooms. Sent home with antibiotics and an order to sleep and drink lots of water I knew it was time to respect my body.

So there you have it. Monday I will officially go back on track with my exercising. Today I will swim and walk, but head to sleep as early as I possibly can. I will only be successful if I respect and listen to my body's needs. Right now it is healing.

Now, the week was not a loss. In fact, as I stepped on the scale I saw my initial hard work had really paid off:

That is a loss of 3.8 lbs!!!

I attribute it to my daily walks, watching what I am eating and pushing my body farther than usual. It payed off to stretch outside my comfort zone.

Last week my goal was to lose 25lbs total during the campaign, but I have decided to aim for getting down to 175lbs. So I would need to lose 33.6lbs. 

GOAL: 175lbs  - Current 208.6lbs  = 33.6lbs to lose

        9/2                Current 204.8lbs = 29.9 lbs to lose

I have already pinned several new ideas and inspiration for this week's meals. I love salads, but need to keep them mixed up so I don't get bored. This week I will be using more chicken and probably writing up my baked veggie egg rolls pictured above.

For exercise I will be resuming my daily walks and trying to get more yoga in before bedtime. I have a candle light yoga DVD that helps me to get an amazing night of sleep. Sleep and giving my body time to repair after all the abuse is so important for my weight loss journey.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

*Disclaimer - This post is sponsored by Dole and hosted by Mamavation – a community dedicated to obesity prevention & weight loss for women and I’m writing this to be entered into a giveaway. All opinions and experiences are my own.