I love food documentaries more than life itself. I think the first one I ever watched was Food, Inc. and I was hooked from the first 3 minutes of it. I've since come to watch pretty much every food documentary that Netflix has to offer and every time I walk away feeling a little more disgusted with the food industry. It's so amazing that our food (meat) isn't more regulated and that there are so many genetically modified plants. I won't get on my soapbox regarding GMOs today because you will all truly believe that I am bat shit crazy. Instead, I just wanted to say that I've been putting off Vegucated for a while. I'm pretty "granola" as it is and didn't want to push my sweet husband over the edge with more crunch in our lives. Cloth diapering almost did that to him... But he loves it now. Go figure. Then came the compost bin. And then the extra recycling bins. And now, after watching Vegucated, I somehow convinced him that we should try to go vegan for 3 days. Just 3 days. And if it isn't so bad, we'll discuss doing it more from there. I don't mind if he wants meat or dairy afterwards, but I'd like to see if we can handle it for just 3 days. We did a clean eating challenge over the summer for 10 days and it was amazing for us to cut out processed foods and see how much better we felt. We still eat clean most of the time. So... Tomorrow starts our vegan challenge. Luckily, I just bought 2 gallons of almond milk today (I use it in green monsters) and I am already eating raw for 2 meals per day, so supper is the only thing I'll really have to worry about for myself. The boys aren't big meat eaters anyway so I don't think it'll be a huge deal for them. We shall see and I will certainly keep you all updated! I'm sure I will post plenty of pictures on Instagram: skinnygirlwantsout.

In other news, I weighed in this morning for the biggest loser competition and I lost ELEVEN FREAKING POUNDS this week!! I have no idea how or why or anything but I did it!! It had to be the raw eating for the most part. Otherwise, I know that I weighed in the afternoon for the first weight and first thing in the morning (nothing to eat or drink before) and that made a difference. My weight flictuates a lot during the day anyway. I'm really freaking excited and feel like I stand a chance in this competition. I was really downplaying my success all day in my head and out loud, but my friend Jamie (who is amazing) finally said, "Look, Heather, you lost 11 pounds regardless. The scale doesn't lie and it isn't broken. Just accept it!" So I did. I was able to squash that sneaky negative self talk and I feel much better now. If I win the competition this week, you'll know about it because you'll probably hear my screams all over the world. :)

Vegan readers: leave me some recipes!!!

Until next time...
Heather
 
I'm going to be honest with you all here. Those of you that read this the most are some of my best friends and my mom (hi, Mom!), so I can be real with you all. I posted earlier about the Largest Loser contest that I signed up for on January 1st. The first weigh in was held on Tuesday, January 7th. I had some errands to run before the weigh in (including signing paperwork to begin my new job!!) so I used that as an excuse to eat like crap for breakfast. I had a coupon for a free bagel from Chick-Fil-A (my absolute favorite breakfast) so I used it for breakfast and skipped my daily green monster. Bad idea, I know, but I used the excuse that it was my "last meal" before the competition started. Ya know, because I will never have an opportunity to eat a bagel for breakfast ever again! If there was an eye-rolling smiley, it would go here.

Anyhow, so I had the bagel and then did my errands. I drank a ton of water that morning and went to weigh in around 1pm. I stepped on the scale to weigh in front of a guy that has probably been in shape his entire life and I felt like the most disgusting person in the world, although he was super nice and professional. I stepped on the scale and saw a number that was 14 pounds higher than I weighed that morning on the scale at home. Wow. I was devastated, to be completely honest. That number totally negated the hard work I'd done so far to lose 15 pounds last year. I was back at my highest weight ever, the same weight I was on the day that I went in to deliver Lawton, according to their scale. No bueno. I could've cried right there, but I somehow held it together until I got to the car. When I got in the car,
I surprisingly didn't cry. I didn't scream. I was just... Numb. I felt like everything I did before was just completely irrelevant and stupid. So what did I do? Cured myself with food, of course! Back to Chick-Fil-A I went. Emotional eating was back in full force! After over a week of clean eating and mostly raw food, that CFA was definitely not what my body wanted or needed and I was amazed at how quickly I reverted to old habits that I thought I could control. I felt like crap all day after that. No energy. No desire to do anything. I did make it to 10,000 steps that day but just barely. Of course I didn't eat well for supper either because, after all, "the day was ruined."
I got back on the wagon the next day and had a green monster for breakfast, although I slept super late because Lawton refused to sleep the night before so Adam took him while I got some uninterrupted sleep (because he's the best husband in the world!). I felt better after eating relatively well yesterday (but still not great). It's so weird how one bad day can impact so much. I still don't feel as great as I felt before I had the bad day, but I'm finding that it takes about 4 days to feel great after a bad day. So... The crappy food I ate on Tuesday will impact me until Friday. Wow. Worth it? No way. Oh, and I also woke up on Wednesday morning with two new pimples. Ugh. I am back on the wagon today for sure and eating clean and hitting my step goal today. One day at a time... That's all I can do.
I also got a call yesterday to start my new job earlier than expected. I'm really excited to start early but I have so much to do! I'm nervous about meal planning and staying healthy while being a working mom. Any tips are greatly appreciated! How do you all do it?! When I was running before and doing so well, I was working at the doctors office and was able to simply go downstairs and use the gym on my lunch break, which was so simple and easy! Now I'll have to go to the gym either before or after work at peak times (which is a huge obstacle to overcome in itself) rather than my normal 10am time when the gym is completely dead. This won't be easy but I'm up for the challenge!

I have a post planned about motivation that is coming soon (don't worry, I have it written out in my head... Sort of.). I won't forget about you all but I don't know how much extra time I'll have to update as often as I have been once I start working, but I promise to keep you updated!

Until next time....
 
I've officially been using the Amazing Grass Green Superfood powder for over a week and I could sing from the mountaintops about how happy I am with it! My face is clear for the first time in my entire life and I am completely amazed. I haven't had clear skin since I was a preteen, probably around 11 years old. I have tried everything to clear my skin. I've tried expensive washes and cleansing systems, antibiotics, topical prescription creams, and basically everything short of Accutane because I just wasn't comfortable with it at all and nothing has ever worked! I am also drinking green monsters or green juice every morning and getting a ton of Vitamin A in those (according to myfitnesspal, I'm taking in around 700% of my daily Vitamin A recommendations), which is probably also helping. I also take Cod Liver Oil and a daily multivitamin which have Vitamins A & D in them and even those havent helped. I'm going to say that eating raw, fresh produce and the Amazing Grass powder have been the main things to help my skin.

I also have tons of energy and have been consistently hitting my 10,000 steps per day goals every day since I started. I've been walking and running and playing basketball with J every day and it's been so wonderful!! I feel amazing for the first time in a really long time.  I think that this journey, to me, is more about focusing on health rather than the number on the scale.  As a relatively educated person when it comes to the food industry, I don't want to be a person that loads up on 100 calorie pre-packaged snacks and starves my way to a lower number on the scale.  I vow to listen to my body and give it what it needs rather than deprive myself. 

I've gotten three friends started with it just since I started a week ago.  I truly believe in this stuff!  And, no, I was not paid or compensated in any way to write this review.  These opinions are my own and were not prompted by anything other than my feelings toward the product.  Amazing Grass has no knowledge of this post or the contents [although, if they were to see it and send me some free product, I absolutely wouldn't complain]. 

I have a post coming soon about motivation and the new challenge I'm taking on!  

Until next time,
Heather
 
I posted a picture on Instagram this morning of my sweet youngest boy eating a homemade Larabar that I made (if you aren't following me on Instagram, head on over and make sure to follow me at skinnygirlwantsout!). They are absolutely delicious and so much cheaper than buying them in the store! I've made several different types and this one is my favorite. The boys love it, I love it, and it's super easy. What more could I ask for in a recipe?!

Here's how to create your own:
1/2 c pitted medjool dates
2 tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tbsp. chocolate chips
1/8 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. sea salt
Place all ingredients in food processor and process for 1-2 minutes until dates are coarsely chopped. Remove from processor, arrange into a "log", cut into 3 equal pieces. May be placed in wax paper or foil and frozen.
According to myfitnesspal (my BFF and favorite app), these come out to 124 calories and 3 grams of fat. Not bad at all for something that tastes a lot like a dessert or treat and they are filling!

I'm going to update tomorrow on the pros and cons of the Amazing Grass super green powder I've been using! Until next time, see you on the skinny side!

P.S. I totally forgot to take a picture of these bars before they disappeared from the cutting board! Maybe next time I'll be fast enough!
 
I have been really sucking at exercise lately... And by lately, I mean, forever. I have never enjoyed exercise. Ever. Not once in my whole life did I look forward to going for a run, or heading to the gym, or anything else. I don't even enjoy walking from my car to the store most of the time. It's never been anything I was taught to enjoy... Or even tolerate. So when I learned about the Fitbit, my world was turned upside down. Sure, I'd heard of pedometers and even owned a few that I flicked with my fingers a few times and watched the numbers change. Then it sat in a drawer, untouched until the next spring cleaning.

When I met my wonderful friend Brandi, an amazing mom, friend, and hell of a blogger, she told me about her Fitbit and I was in love with the idea. You can have friends on there?! And compete with them?! And it keeps track of your steps and activity?! Sign me up! I'm sold! I will walk seventy billion steps per day with that sort of motivation! I ordered it a few days later for a birthday present for myself and fell in love the moment it arrived... Then, I lost it. Yup, I lost it. I have no idea how or where, but it was gone. I emailed the fitbit team to find out if there was a way to track its location. I found out that there wasn't, but they offered to send me a new tracker for free to replace the one I lost! Best customer service ever! Only it took a few weeks to get to me and I allowed myself to get very lazy in that time. The holidays were beginning, I was looking for a job, I was beyond stressed. I just let myself fall to the wayside (as usual... There seems to be a pattern here!) and gave up on myself. I didn't have time, after all. Turns out, I DID have time. I just didn't have motivation. I'm back on the wagon now and my step goal for every day is 10,000 steps, which ends up being around 5 miles. I'm going to try to get 10k steps every day for one week and then I'll do it the next week, and the next week... Baby steps. I do so much better with small goals rather than long term goals. So, that being said, I've created some goals for myself for the month of January:
  • Lose 7 pounds
  • Complete the 30 Day Smoothie Challenge
  • Get 10k steps every day
  • One cheat MEAL (not day) per week
The Biggest Loser competition starts next Tuesday. Shit is about to get so beyond real up in here. In the meantime, you guys should check out a few of my favorite weight loss blogs by some of my best friends in the world (other than Brandi, who I mentioned above).
Karri is completely amazing in every single way!! I'm so honored to know her and she constantly inspires me to just keep going. Check out her blog as she gets healthy before venturing into the world of motherhood.
Alisha is such an awesome person. I am always in awe of her. She has lost 81 pounds and survived amazing trauma to come this far. She is truly a survivor.
Marcee is brand new to the world of healthy blogging, just like me, but she is such a natural, you'd never know it! She is hilarious, beautiful, successful, and such an inspiration to me.

Until next time...
Stay happy, stay healthy.  See you on the Skinny side.
 
I had a really great food day yesterday.... Until my sister called and said she was on her way with my new frenemy Evan Williams to celebrate the new year. I may or may not have enjoyed way too much liquor, BUT I did not go on a crazy eating binge during our fun, which is an amazing feat in itself!

I weighed in this morning and was 2.2 pounds lighter than I was at my last weigh in a few days ago. That puts me at 15.6 total pounds lost! I'm excited to restart my journey and finally get this weight off for good.

There is a weight loss competition in my town that starts next week, but sign ups are today. I'm excited to join in and hopefully I will bring home the big prize! I am so dedicated and ready to do this. Who's with me?? 2013 will be OUR year to win! 2012 was tough, with a lot of negatives. 2013 will be amazing for every single one of us.

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    Hey y'all!  My name is Heather.  I'm a 20-something mom to two boys and wife to an amazing husband.  I'm trying to lose the weight once and for all in 2013.  Will you join me?

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