These daily workouts are really putting me into a permanent fitness mindset!
I find myself marching in place and doing high-knees when I’m waiting for the microwave or cooking something on the stove.
And every time I get something out of a low cupboard or drawer, I do a squat or a lunge.
Watch out everybody! Hold onto your hats! We’re creating a healthy lifestyle over here at the Vaughn household!
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Hubby says to me, “I like how we’ve gotten into the routine of working out in the mornings without even having to think about it.”
Me too!
Whenever we used be like “Are we working out today?” or “Do you feel like working out?” it would never happen because we dragged our feet and talked ourselves out of it.
Now, getting our workout in, is as natural and painless as brushing our teeth every day!
We ARE capable of change! And when you start seeing results, it’s even easier to keep rocking this new healthy lifestyle...
We eat “real” food at the Vaughn house while losing weight!
You’ve heard it before: This isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle. That’s why I still eat the food I love during this journey. Because I can’t imagine a life without pasta and Mexican food and breaded shrimp.
Moderation is key, along with meal-prepping out our portion sizes to keep our calorie count under 1500 per day.
Here are some of my favorite dinners under 500 calories...
Crispy Fish Fillet 130
1/2 Sweet Potato 60
Fiesta Blend Veggies 60
Total: 250
Orange Chicken 235
White Rice 170
Steamed Stir-Fry Veggies 40
Total: 445
Cheese Tortellini in Alfredo Sauce 410
Steamed Broccoli, Carrots & Water Chestnuts 30
Total: 440
Parmesan Shrimp 200
Normandy Veggies 40
Yellow Potato 110
Total: 350
Tostadas: 375
Chicken Enchiladas 400
Tortilla Chips 70
Total: 470
🥦🌮🍝🧀🥔
On Wednesday, when I posted about pretzels, it reminded me of Sex and the City when Carrie started to write a column about her sock drawer.
They can’t all be winners, folks! 🤪
I’m just here posting every day to hold myself accountable so I don’t shove too much food into my gob and as motivation to move my body.
😊 Btw, I’m 6 weeks in and I’ve gone down 2 sizes... #pattingmyselfontheback
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You are the one in control of what you eat and how much exercise you do. Don't place blame on others and don't expect anyone else to take responsibility for the choices you make.
Take control of your body. Yes, there are times when you feel out of control, but there are things you can do to be in charge of your weight loss.
Carve out time to work out. Get up early and move your body. Replace time that you'd normally be on social media with a workout. Don't eat junk food that you know is bad for you. Take control!
There’s very little we have control of in our lives and I’m so glad I didn’t wait another day to take control of my weight!
5 weeks into this journey and the clothes that were too tight to wear last summer are already baggy on me.
Take control of your body and you just might be surprised at the results...
I think I’ll stick with the pretzel twists because it’s a heck of a lot easier to count out 17 for 110 calories than it is to count out 53 sticks!
🤪🥨
I’ve been entering all my calories for the day into @myfitnesspal ahead of time in the morning and it’s been working out a lot better.
We usually have our meals planned out and/or prepped already, so it’s nice to see how many calories I will have left over for snacks throughout the day.
5 1/2 weeks in and I still haven’t gone over 1500 calories in a day!
Sometimes it takes a little while to figure out what works best for you and get into a good rhythm of things...
I really like how many variations/modifications there are in the standing yoga I’ve been doing every day.
For a beginner like me, it’s nice to be able to bend my knees while touching the floor without feeling like I’m doing the pose wrong because I can’t straighten them (yet!)
Eventually I’ll be able to do more, be more flexible, have more balance, but for now I’m doing the best this still out-of-shape body can do.
I’m not even feeling frustrated by my limitations because at least I’m trying.
I like the challenge of it and I like knowing there are still more advanced poses to work up to.
I’m still wobbly and shaky in my balance, but I already noticed how far I’ve come in the last month.
Imagine all the things I’ll be able to do if I keep moving forward and don’t give up...
In my 1500 calorie meal plan, I have plenty of room for snacks...
Right now some of my favorite low-calorie snacks are:
🍎 Gala Apple 100
🍿Popcorn 60
🍓🍌Strawberries and 1/2 Banana 85
🥨 Pretzel Twists 110
🍊 Grapefruit Slices 80
🥜 Trail Mix 130
Then again, I guess you can make any food low-calorie depending on how little you eat of it 😋
I just might turn this 30-day standing yoga challenge into 60 days I like it so much!
After 35 days, it’s become a part of my daily routine like brushing my teeth and I honestly can’t imagine not doing it.
It still challenges me and I still look forward to doing it day after day.
I think I created a healthy habit, you guys!
When I paint my nails, I don't think about how I'm going to have to paint all ten nails and then go back over them all and paint all ten again with a second coat. I just start painting them without over-thinking it.
That's the same approach you have to have with weight loss and exercise. You have to take one meal, one workout at a time. You can't focus on the fact that you have lots of stubborn weight to lose and/or a half hour of grueling cardio to get through.
Getting too far ahead of yourself will only discourage you during this long process.
It's the same with how approach writing a book. I don't think about the 75,000 words I need to write, I just start writing the first word, then the first sentence, then the first page. The rest will come later.
If you only look at the big picture, and focus too much on the end goal, it's too damn daunting. Don't put that kind of unnecessary pressure on yourself. Focus on one moment at a time and the years will take care of themselves.
Five weeks in and I’m still going strong!
I haven’t missed a day of standing yoga and I haven’t gone over 1500 calories per day.
Consistency is key and the weight will come off...
I know the road is long, but I’m so glad that I’m already a few strong miles into my weight loss journey rather than just making that first shaky step.
I’m in this for the long haul, that’s for sure. The food choices I’m making aren’t a diet but a lifestyle.
I will get to the end of this road by staying strong, putting in the work and remembering all the reasons I’m doing this.
This morning, hubby called me The Incredible Shrinking Woman and it was AWESOME to hear!
All of my clothes are baggy and I’m definitely losing inches as well as pounds.
It’s a good thing my shorts have drawstrings or else they’d be falling off during my workout!
🩳
So, the scale confirmed my suspicions... I’m definitely on the right track!
SW: 212.6
CW: 201.4
All it takes is not slacking on my workouts and not going over on my calories. Combining those two things is the not-so-mysterious secret to losing weight. Oh, that and my stubborn determination and incredible willpower! 😆
I sure am ready to get into the 100’s! Very soon...
Giving myself a big pat on the back for sticking to my meal plan and continuing to work out and do standing yoga every single day.
Over 30 days in and I’m still going strong!
I think it must be because I want this more than I want anything else. I want to get into my skinny jeans, I want to go on a photo shoot with my new and improved body, I want to feel stronger and healthier and comfortable in my own skin...
I want all those things more than I want junk food or cake. I’ve eaten enough junk in my life. I already know what it tastes like and I can go without it without it being the end of the world.
I want this and I’m not going to let anything (especially myself) get in the way!
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Your excuses don't matter, that is.
I'm great at justifying my actions and I could make excuses for myself all day long. "I don't feel like it," "I'm on my period," "I didn't get enough sleep last night," "I don't have time"...the list goes on and on.
But I'm not going to do that this time around. I'm not going to keep making excuses for why I can't get the weight off.
It doesn't matter that I'm sick/tired/sleepy/ busy. There will always be some excuse trying to stand in the way of my goals and I'm going to do my part and stop making excuses, once and for all.
This time around I’ve been having a completely different mentality about working out.
I just do it. I don’t overthink it. I don’t complain about it. I don’t put it off to do later (and then eventually don’t do it at all).
It’s a part of my daily routine now. Because I’m done fighting it. Because I want it to be a healthy, pleasant part of my day that leaves me feeling good.
During these last 30 days, I’ve proven that I can work out during my period and after both vaccine shots, so that right there eliminates any future excuses.
When you make something a priority in your life, the excuses don’t matter anymore...
I used to eat to get to the next meal, eat to get to dessert, eat so I could start snacking, eat so I could eat some more...
Now, I eat to nourish my body. I’m eating healthy foods full of nutrients, fruit and veggies full of vitamins, grains high in iron, chicken and fish full of protein.
I’m taking the time to thoroughly chew my food and truly eating to live, not living to eat.
It’s amazing (and sad) that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to start taking care of your body and giving it what it needs to thrive.
🥦🍎🥕🍊
I’ve gone 4 whole weeks without taking a rest day!
It’s one of the things I’ve done differently this time around because I know me. Once I take a break from working out, one day turns into two, into three, and so on. I know that once I stop something, it’s really difficult to get back into it. I need that momentum to keep me going on the right track.
Since I’ve been doing cardio every single day, I’ve been treating it like all the other things I do on a daily basis. I don’t go a day without brushing my teeth or showering, so why can’t I move my body a little bit every single day?
It makes me feel good and strong and I actually look forward to getting a sweat on when I wake up in the morning.
Tomorrow is weigh-day and I’m excited to take some progress photos of this strong/powerful/capable body I’ve been working so hard on...
At the end of the week, we’re doing our monthly weigh-in and taking progress photos, so I’m extra motivated to work out hard and not go over on my calories.
No matter what the scale ends up showing, my clothes are starting to get baggy and that’s all the proof I need to tell me I’m on the right track...
I’m three weeks into my 30 day yoga challenge and I’m absolutely loving it!
Now that I’ve gotten into the routine of doing it every day, I can’t imagine ever NOT doing it!
My favorite YouTube video right now is @yogawithbird’s 15 Minute Yoga for Strength and I definitely feel like I’m getting stronger.
Standing yoga is more challenging than I first thought it would be and my legs shake when I do the balancing poses, but it feels so good to notice how much progress I’m making from day one.
Someday I’ll work my way down to the floor, but for now I’m happiest in Warrior 2...
(My cat just couldn’t stand the thought of being left out of the video, so she joined in 😽)
🐈
This weekend I stayed under 1200 calories a day and did 20 minutes of yoga and 30 minutes of HIIT both days.
Skinny jeans, here I come!
🏃🏻♀️
Being a romance author, I'd like to think that I have a pretty good imagination.
But, never in a million years would I have imagined that my hubby of 24 years would jump 110% into my weight loss plan this time and work out with me every single day.
He's been the one person in my life who has loved me unconditionally and it means the world to me to have him right there with me, encouraging me and pushing me further than I could go by myself.
When you love someone with all your heart, their actions can say "I love you" just as loudly as their lips.
I’m so proud of all the progress we’re making together!
We are now 25 days into this new life of eating healthy and working out and I’ve never been so excited about the future!
I just had to go and mention that my appetite had disappeared 😠
Boy oh boy did it return with a vengeance yesterday!
I had a tough day because I was so dang hungry (it was the real kind of hungry and not just the boredom kind) and hit my 1500 calorie limit by 4:30 p.m. with only 30 to spare.
So, I’m happy and proud and elated to report that I stayed rock star strong and didn’t eat a single thing in all that time before bedtime. (Turns out my stubbornness has its uses after all 😊)
I’m determined to do just as good today because I’m working too hard to get this weight off to slip up and eat food that I don’t really need.
MY WILLPOWER IS STRONGER THAN MY HUNGER!!!
I’m putting in the work!
I completed my longest and toughest workout yet and had to take a quick selfie to document all that hard-earned sweat...
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It’s so nice to go to bed at night and feel good about the healthy food choices I made during the day and know that I did everything in my power to lose weight.
And in the morning I look forward to getting up and getting my workout in and getting one day closer to my goals.
This is the best I’ve felt about my body in a long, long time because I’m actually putting the effort in and not just wishing I did.
Even though I’m on a 1500 calorie meal plan, I seem to be having a hard time getting up over 1200. I don’t know where my appetite has gone (no complaints!)
My typical day of eating looks something like this:I’ve got a little ways to go yet, but I am so looking forward to saying adios to my Just My Size wardrobe...
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You don't have to go from being a couch potato to suddenly becoming a runner. And you don't have to completely change every aspect of your diet and cut out all the things that you enjoy.
Make small changes here and there to show yourself that it's doable. Do a ten minute workout for beginners and just move your body. Add more vegetables into your meals, swap out candy for fruit. Whatever you do, it's more than you did yesterday.
Try to think of getting healthy not as taking things away that you love, but adding things that are good for you!
Making small improvements is what it’s all about. Before you know it, all those little changes will become habit.
As long as you try to do better than yesterday, the sky is the limit!
I’m pretty much living in my workout clothes now.
I started putting them on right away when I wake up so that there’d be one less excuse not to workout and it’s working!
I actually enjoy working out now and can’t imagine going back to the old, lazy me.
Almost 3 weeks in and I’m still going strong...
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I’ve decided not to weigh myself every week.
I’m doing everything differently this time around and sometimes the scale doesn’t reflect the hard work I put in and just ends up discouraging me.
So, I’m not going to give it the power to derail me. Because I have the control to do that. This is my weight loss program and I don’t have to include the things that have caused me anguish in the past.
Maybe I’ll weigh once a month to make sure I’m on the right track, but if working out and eating less doesn’t do the trick, then I don’t know how seeing a number on a scale is going to help!