9/10/21

Why am I posting a photo of cheese and crackers?

Because this is actually a huge milestone for me. 5 months ago I would have eaten the whole sleeve of crackers and at least 2 pieces of cheese. (I cringe to even think about how many calories that added up to!)

Today, I flexed my self-control muscles and had this sensible 170 calorie snack that left me satisfied and not at all feeling guilty.

There have been many small victories during this #weightlossjourney and most of them don’t have anything to do with the scale.

I am the one driving this bus and although there are a lot of bumps in the road, I am strong enough to grip the steering wheel with all my might and get to my destination! HONK! HONK! 😂

🧀🚌🧀

9/9/21

Another kettlebell workout complete following along with @chichigonzales on YouTube!

It’s nice that he includes a warm-up and cool-down in his videos…

9/8/21

A very colorful lunch today…

We get 6 portions out of this ravioli, which makes a nice meal prep for the rest of the week.

Plus, it’s under 500 calories!

9/7/21

How it started vs. how it’s going…

The photo on top has never seen the light of day. It’s the first (and only) time I wore a tank top out in public. It was 112 degrees out and we wanted to see the osprey nest in the parking lot of the Shasta Dam Visitor Center.

I’m sharing it now because, 40 lbs lost later, I’m finally not ashamed anymore.

I’ve been working so hard these past 5 months and my body is changing and shrinking and I’m comfortable in my own skin for the first time in a long time.

I still have a little ways to go before I get to my goal weight, but I’m so glad I started making changes when I did!

9/6/21

 #foodfail

We don’t have many of them at the Vaughn household, but this was definitely one of them.

We put chicken breast in the slow cooker with Caribbean Jerk marinade and it turned out so freakin’ spicy that we couldn’t even eat it.

It’s something I’ve always wanted to try and was pretty disappointed.

I guess that’s the risk you take when you try something new…

9/5/21

Post-workout selfie with my workout/writing partner (@sweetcalicodreams)!

“We” did a @teambodyproject cardio workout from YouTube and then some arms with 5 lb weights…

9/4/21

Slow cooker chicken enchiladas (@themagicalslowcooker) are one of my favorite “indulgent” meals.

We get 6 good-sized portions out of this (400 calories) and usually pair it with tortilla chips (140 cal).

As long as you keep your portions sensible and don’t go over on your calories for the day, you don’t have to survive on kale and quinoa (I have yet to try either) in order to lose weight!

9/3/21

I hung up my full-length mirror again!

A few years ago, I’d put it away because I was tired of walking by and seeing myself in it every day.

Now, 42 lbs lost later, I am ready to embrace my reflection and see my progress staring back at me every single day!

9/2/21

✔️Weekly yoga complete!

This is a 15 Minute Standing Yoga Flow from @yogawithuliana’s YouTube channel…

Standing yoga might look easy, but it’s a lot more challenging than you think!

September 2021 ~ Monthly Goals

All right, September, here we go!

Here are my goals for the month…

~ Ever since I upped my water intake, the pounds have started to come off a little easier, so I’m going to keep drinking at least 64oz per day.

~ The 1500 calorie meal plan I’ve been on these past 4 1/2 months has been working out great.

~ I’d like to work on my posture and try to stop the bad habit of hunching over all the time.

~ I’ve been working on writing several different books at the same time (sometimes my brain just works like that) and it would be really nice if I could switch my focus onto just one and finish it already!

~ Last month I got carried away and challenged myself to do a pilates and a kettlebell workout and it didn’t end up happening, so this month I’m going to pick just one to complete. I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep doing weekly kettlebell or switch to something else.

~ Getting into the 170’s would be awesome! At my last monthly weigh-in 2 weeks ago, I was only 5.4 lbs away from the 170’s and that seems like a totally doable goal for this month.

~ Doing standing yoga every single day (for 2 months straight) ended up hurting my knees, but I’d still like to work it into my weekly routine and not abandoned it altogether.

~ I just want to keep up this good momentum during the month of September. I have roughly 30 more pounds to lose, which means I’m already halfway to my goal!

Hopefully September will be another productive month in the weight loss department…