Weekly Weigh in #7 plus new workout gear

Hello again faithful readers!

I have been MIA for a while. The weather has been crazy, we've been busy, it's been nuts around here to say the least.

However, I wanted to give you an update on my journey.

Firstly, and this will be a little too much information but my monthly visitor arrived yesterday so today's results are not going to be too accurate.

So this morning I weight 157.4 which is pretty much the same as last week. However, I am really bloated from my visitor. I did weight myself on Wednesday before the visitor arrived and I weighted 156. So I know I have lost a little bit of weight.

This week went really well. I utilized all the snow and ice outside as my workout. I shoveled and shoveled and broke up ice and shoveled. In total I burned nearly 2000 calories total for the days I shoveled snow.

My eating was pretty good this week. I am still battling my sweet tooth and did really well until the pms cravings kicked in. I let myself have a little bit of what I wanted. I didn't over indulge, I didn't go crazy. I just didn't deprive myself of an oreo or two :)

I have another milestone for this week as well.

Today hubby and I went to Walmart on a whim and he noticed some workout clothing on sale.

Well, normally I am a size Large or a 12-14 BUT today (even being bloated) I was able to purchase size Medium or 8-10 in pants. 

I am still a size large in shirts because I have larger breasts and my size 12 jeans are loose.

I love this progress.

Now I want to share with you all the workout gear I have purchased over the past month or so. I will try to include where I purchased them and the price.

 First is an overview picture of everything I have (so far)

 First up, sports bras. I have larger breasts (38 D) so it has been a battle finding good supportive sports bras. So I did a little research and headed to my local outlet mall (Tanger in Jeffersonville for those close)

I went to the Hanes, Playtex store and found these (best thing is you can try them on!)

These are made by Champion. They are a Max Support bra. I got size xl. It is a racer back bra with a 3 clasp closure. I love this bra! The girls don't bounce around, it wicks the sweat away, doesn't give you pancake boob, and it's pretty. I think these bras were roughly $44.

 Next are my shoes. I also purchased these from the Tanger Outlets mall in Jeffersonville. I bought these from the Adidas store. They are the Adidas Supernova Sequence 6 shoe. I tend to over-pronate (tilt in) when I run/walk and these corrected that. They also corrected the way my foot struck the ground. These shoes are really comfortable and the coolest feature I think is they use Continental tire rubber on the bottoms. These shoes were $120

 Next are my hats. Both came from Walmart. Both were around $5 each. These just keep the sun out of my eyes and more importantly, my hair out of my face.

 Socks are very important. The colorful pair is from the same Adidas store I got my shoes (can't remember price) the white ones are from Walmart. The white ones are Danskin brand and were on clearance for $2. Both pairs are snug around my arch and both wick sweat away.

 These shorts are from Walmart. They are Danskin brand. I found them on clearance for $3. They are super comfy and the best they are a size smaller than what I used to wear :)

 These shorts are also from Walmart. They are also Danskin brand. They were $6.86. 

And finally, I picked up some running tights from Walmart. They are also Danskin brand and cost $12.96.

All of my clothing are athletic clothing and have the moisture wicking technology. I will try to remember to update on durability and performance.

Well friends that is all for today. I have to get dinner going for my hungry crowd.

I have tons of other news from pictures of all the snow and ice to my girl's Valentines dance. I will try to post about everything as soon as I can.

Thank you to all who read my blog.

Sending warm hugs to all who read this.

Be Blessed,

Erin

Happy Valentine's Day and Weigh in 6 official results

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Hello again my friends. The picture attached to this post is my Valentine's gift from my hubby.  I haven't had an actual wedding set for several years now so hubby got me one as a gift.  I absolutely love it. It has 55 natural diamonds 1/3 ct. It also has sapphires which is my hubby's birthstone and blue is my favorite color.  He did a good job.

Note for my weigh in results.  I did lose a pounds this week.  I'm at 157 pounds now.  I had a good strong week!  I ate well and I exercised daily.  I feel so much stronger mentally and physically.  I'm gonna do this!

Well I'm on my phone and it is hard to type.  Auto correct annoys me.

I hope all if you have a wonderful day.
Sending warm Valentine's wishes and big hugs to you all.

Be blessed
Erin

Get Healthy Challenge: Weeks 5 & 6

Hello again my friends. 

I am sorry I haven't updated in a couple weeks. We have been so busy here that I just plain forgot to post.

Week 5 was really hard for me. I was very emotional all week. My eating showed it!

I got to a point to where I felt that I was not making any progress. I still weighed in at 158 pounds at the end of week 5. Honestly, I expected to gain. I did okay on my diet. I had a couple days where I was over my calorie goals. I didn't work out the way I should. Shoot one day I ate over 900 calories over my daily goal. I had a complete breakdown. I felt so worthless, useless. Well I need to get into the WHOLE story. 

Honestly, I'm lazy and I'm a self-saboteur. There are few goals I've set that I have actually accomplished. Usually, I will do really good with any goal for a time and then I just quit. This goes for my college degree, keeping my house clean, well just many things. I start off with good intentions but then I just quit. Now I always have some sort of excuse to do so. Well, I started to be really down on myself. I felt so horrible about myself. I felt like I would never, ever reach my goals. Okay, I had a full on beat myself up, crying, pity party for myself. 

Well I took the weekend to regroup and then started Monday with clean slate. 

I found out a few things.

1. A bad day, week, month doesn't matter as long as you regroup and get back in the game.

2. I beat myself up way too much.

3. You can not better yourself until you think better of yourself.

4. I need structure.

Last Sunday night I sat down and made a few calendar pages of the workouts I was going to do. I was going to do couch to 5k training but on day 1 I found it was too hard to raise and lower the speed on my old treadmill so I abandoned that. So now on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will do some work on the treadmill and as soon as the sidewalks clear I'll take it outside. I will also do some exercises with dumbbells and my body weight.

On Tuesday and Thursday I will be doing Zumba.

Saturday I will do yoga.

Sunday will be my rest day.

I am still sticking to the dietary conditions outlined on my myfitnesspal profile.

Now for week 6. 

I have not weighed myself for a few days but I had lost a pound last time I weighed myself.

I have been sticking to my diet and my exercise.

I also bought a few things to help me.

First, I bought a good pair of running shoes. 

I also got a couple good sports bras.

I also purchased a watch that tells me how many steps I take, how many calories I burn, how many miles I've walked. It keeps track of my heart rate. It does it all.

Honestly, I feel like I'm on the right path again.

I really feel like I will be able to accomplish my goals this time.

I will not quit until I do. Even if it takes years.

Well, that is all for now. I may post an update tomorrow to say how much I have lost or gained.

My monthly will  be here soon so I don't know how accurate the scales will be as I always get really bloated during that time.

Sending many warm hugs your way.

Be Blessed

Erin

Spring. Oh Spring. When shall thou art appear?

Okay friends, I am in a little bit of a dorky mood today.

I logged onto blogger to take a look at a picture from  this post on Mrs. Teresa Kasner's blog. If you scroll a bit you will see a picture of a very cute crocheted bit. It is white and between the white were beautiful little crocheted flowers. I am sure I have worked out how to do the pattern so I wanted to take another look just to be sure.

Anyway, as I was scrolling through my reading list I noticed pictures of flower and foliage. 

Now that made me think about long for my garden so I thought I would update everyone on the plans for my garden this year.

At the end of last growing season we tore apart my garden beds. When we built them we could not use treated wood because of the leaching of chemicals into my veggies SO we used untreated wood. I did get a good 4-5 years out of those beds but the wood was practically falling apart so we had to tear it all up.

I have big plans for my new garden and luckily, this year, we will be able to move forward with those plans. 

Here is the plan.

First for my garden beds. Instead of using wood I will be using cinder blocks to hold all the dirt in my beds. I am so excited with this idea! I will be able to plant in the holes of the blocks AND in my garden beds. I will still have 3 beds that go down the side of my house. I will be using the mixture of vermiculite, peat moss, and compost as outlined in the book The All New Square Foot Gardening Book. This is the method I have been using to grow loads of veggies. I will also be revamping my trellis system by using conduit for the frames. I plan on using either mulch or rocks around my garden beds to cut down on mowing and finally I will take the kiddos to the hardware store and let them pick out a couple paint colors each to paint my new garden beds.

On top of that, my hubby will be building me a raised herb garden at the end of our back deck. That way I don't have to worry about my herbs being in pots and getting blown around by summer storms.

Finally, we have two whisky barrels that we will be putting miniature fruit trees in. I was thinking a dwarf lemon and a dwarf orange. I would also love to plant a couple of apple trees in my yard. I don't remember which company has them but there is a company that had dwarf apple trees that only get 5-6 feet tall. I would like to have a honey crisp and a gala apple tree.

Other than those I would love to have a couple blueberry bushes to go with my blackberry bushes AND maybe just maybe a grape vine or two. All in good time though.

Maybe I should make a deep bed to grow sweet corn...it's just a thought.

Anyway, we plan on getting all the things we need once we get our income taxes back which should be anytime now. I'm super excited and I cannot wait to share the results with all of you!

Many warm hugs from me to you

Be Blessed,

Erin

T

Getting Healthy/Weight loss: Week 4~ 1 month update.

Hello again my friends.

This month has been a roller coaster ride!

Especially for my hubby and my weight loss journey.

Hubby has pretty much quit on this journey. He hasn't been working out. I'm not sure about his eating since he has been working a lot. I know he hasn't been tracking his progress on my fitness pal. So I just dunno where he stands at the moment.

I have to tell you, in typical Erin style, I went hard the first week of this challenge. I lost 3 pounds. I was determined to reach my goals and I pushed myself.

Week 2. Well it sucked. My eating was all over the place. I worked out but not as much or with the ferocity I had been working out.

Week 3. Lets just say it didn't get any better. Week 3 was pms week. I always have horrible cramps. I always feel so weak and tired. I don't want to move during that week. Should I even tell you guys about the cravings? Anything sweet, fried, salty, you name it I craved it. AND yes I caved in and ate it. I did manage to do a few workouts that week. I did a little zumba and some treadmill work but that was it.

Week 4: My eating was better. I still didn't work out as much as I should have. However, this week saw a mile stone for me. I decided one night (i didn't really want to do anything but I did) to get on the treadmill. I started out at a slow 2.5 mph pace..just to warm up. Then I did 15 minutes at 3.0 mph. Then I did 15 minutes at 3.5 mph. Now usually 3.5 is my limit because if I go any faster I have to jog and I couldn't even jog for a full minute! However, I upped my speed to 4.0 mph and jogged for a whole 5 minutes!! I probably could have gone longer but I started crying at the realization that I was actually JOGGING! Then I slowed back down to 3.0 for another 15 minutes. THEN at the very end of my session I bumped that speed up to 6.5 mph. I jogged at that speed for a whole minute!! That speed is a 9 minute mile! How about that!!! Let me tell you I was on cloud 9! I also did some zumba this week.

Now for some results. Our "official" weigh in is tomorrow but I went ahead and weighed in this morning just so I can compare for my journal, my fitness pal, and this blog post.

On January 1st my weight was 163. Today my weight is 158. That is 5 pounds lost this month!

On January 1st my chest was 41.5 inches. Today it is 40.5 inches. One inch gone!

On January 1st my waist at it's smallest part (where you bend) was 34 inches. Today it is 33 inches. One inch gone!

On January 1st my waist around my belly button was 39 inches (yikes!). Today it is 37 inches. Two inches GONE!

On January 1st my hips were 42 inches. Today they are 40.5 inches. One and one half inches gone.

On January 1st my thighs were 25.5 inches. Today they were 24.5 inches.  One inch gone!

So I have lost 5 pounds and 7.5 inches gone from my body in ONE MONTH!

Now I can only imagine what those results would be if I had been as diligent in weeks 2, 3, and 4 as I was in week 1. I bet I would have lost twice as much.

My goal is to reach 130-135 pounds. I remember on my 26th birthday I weighed 125 pounds (size 7) and I felt my best. I felt confident and beautiful. I am not putting too much into what my goal is at the moment. I know I will begin the maintaining phase when I get my body where I envision it.

The things that really bother me are the way my belly pokes out in front, the little love handles I have, and the weird back fat. I want to tone up my arms and my thighs but honestly those are the only things I have in mind. My tummy is my biggest issue. Some days (before I started) I honestly looked like I was pregnant because of how my tummy poked out. That is my main goal. I want a flatter tummy.

So my goals for February is to be more diligent on my eating and on my workouts. I have to get myself into a rhythm. I would like to lose 8 pounds in February. However, I will be glad for any amount I lose. 

I also hope the cold weather breaks soon! I know if I can get outside and walk or work in the yard or even do a workout outside I will do better. I can't stand being cooped up in this house. It saps all my energy!

Well, I honestly can't think of anything else to write. If anyone out there has any suggestions for me please feel free to comment. 

Sending many warm hugs to you,

Be Blessed,

Erin

Couponing: 1/27/14 54% savings

Hello again my friends.

I just got all my groceries put away.

I love shopping. Especially when I can get a deal.

Today I went to two stores. I went to the Kroger in Washington Court House, which still doubles coupons who's value is 99 cents or less and I went to Community Market. 

The picture above is my 6 person dining room table FULL of the foods and other items I bought.

So let me jump right into the deets!

My total before coupons and my Kroger card was $234.34. After all my coupons I only paid $109.42. I saved 53% at Kroger.

At my local Community Markets my total before coupons was $17.03. After coupons I paid only $10.03.

Not too shabby huh?

Here is what I ended up getting at Kroger:

2 boneless chuck roasts. They were buy one get one free. So I got 5.5 pounds of roast for $17

Chicken was $1.99 per lb so I got 7 pounds of chicken and spent around $15

4 boxes of Cheerios ($0.49 each with coupon)

1 package baby carrots $1

2 lbs celery $1

1 lb broccoli $1

2 packages Sargento Shredded Cheese ($1.59 each with coupon)

8 Muller corner to corner yogurts ($0.50 each withcoupon)

2 packages Oscar Meyer Bologna ($1 each)

2 Gallons of milk ($2.69 each)

1- 10 lb bag potatoes ($3.49)

6 cans Campbell's Homestyle soup ($0.75 cents each with coupon)

8 pouches starkist tuna (($0.49 cents each with coupon)

4 Yakisoba noodles (FREE with coupon)

4 Del Monte Canned veggies ($0.69 each)

8 jars Ragu pasta sauces ($0.54 cents each with coupon)

2 packages hamburger buns ($1.50 each)

2 loaves bread ($1.50 each)

4 All detergents ($1.99 each with coupon)

4 Suave Deodorants ($0.57 each with coupon)

6 Boxes Kleenex Tissues ($0.66 each with coupon)

2- 12 double roll Cottonelle Toilet paper ($3.99 each with coupon)

2- 24 pack water ($2.89 each)

At Community Market I bought:

2 small packages hamburger meat ($3.50 each)

3 bags Birds eye frozen vegetables ($0.25 each after coupon)

8 bags Chex Mix ($0.50 cents each with coupon)

And there you have it! That is my complete list! Loads of good deals. Especially the tissues, toilet paper, and detergents. Those are all stock up prices. So are the frozen veggies.

As you can see I don't do "extreme" couponing. I just get what I need and if there is a good deal I will snag them as well. I didn't need the toilet paper or tissues but they were a good deal so I got some. 

I hope this helps some of you beginning "real world" couponers out there.

Sending Many hugs to you

Be Blessed,

Erin

Couponing: My real world approach to organization and grabbing those deals.

Hello again my friends.

I am posting a video, a list and a few pictures on how I coupon. 

I hope it all works.

Something I forgot to mention in my video is after I make my lists and gather my coupons they go into my little coupon organizer I bought at the dollar store. Each tab has a store name on it so the list and the coupons for that store goes in that little organizer and then I put my little organizer, my sales ads, my scissors, a calculator and pens and pencils in my coupon tote and take it all to the store with me.

Here is the inside of my organizer

The outside of my organizer.

As promised, here is a list of my coupon categories and sub categories.

The subcategories are on the index cards in my little folders. The main categories are in bold. The subcategories will have a dash in front of it.

Blank tabbed folder (for the I don't know where these go coupons)

Categories/Subcategories (my running list of my organization)

Free items

Grocery/Pharmacy

-Community Market

-Kroger

-Save a lot

-CVS

-Rite Aid

-Walgreens

Baking

-Baking chocolate

-Crusts

-Extracts

-Mixes/Frostings

-Oils & Sprays

-Sugars/Sugar subs

-Yeast/ flour

Bars/Cakes/Cookie

-bars

-cakes

-cookies

Bread

-bagels/English Muffins

-Buns

-Rolls

-Sandwich bread

-Tortillas

Breakfast

-cereal bars/poptarts

-frozen breakfast

-Oatmeal/hot cereal

-Pancake & syrup

Breakfast Cereal

Candy/Gum/Gummies

-candy

-gum

-gummies

Canned/Jarred Items

-fruit

-gravy

-meat

-canned milk

-pasta

-pasta sauce/tomatoes

-salsa/dips

-canned sauces

-vegetables/ beans

Coffee/Creamers/Hot Cocoa

-coffee

-creamer

-hot cocoa

-k cups

Condiments/Salad dressing

-ketchup/mustard/mayo

-peanut butter/jelly/ jam

-pickles/olives

-salad dressing & toppings

-sauces/marinades

-seasoning packets/Spices/vinegars

Dairy

-Butter

-cheeses

-dips/sour cream

-eggs

-half & half/ Whipping cream

-whipped toppings

diet

Drinks

-juice

-meal replacement

-milk/milk subs

-mixes

-soda

-tea

-water

-other

Dry/Boxed Goods

-beans

-dried fruits/veggies

-jerky

-pasta

-potatoes

-prepared meals

-rice

-side dishes

Fresh Meat/Produce

-meat

-produce

Frozen Food

-breads

-desserts

-dough

-fruits

-ice cream

-meats

-veggies

Frozen: Meals/Pizza

-meals

-pizza

Refrigerated

-dough

-meals/pasta

-sauces/preps

-sides

Salty Snacks

-chips/pretzels

-Crackers

-nuts

-popcorn

Soup

-soup

-broth

Yogurt/Pudding/Fruit cups

-yogurt

-fruit cups

-pudding

Store: Department

-dollar general

-Family Dollar

-Hobby Lobby

-Kohls

-Pictures

-Shopko

-Tanger Outlets

-Target

-Walmart

-other

Air fresheners

-candles

-set/plug-in

-Spray

Baby

Batteries

Beauty

-Beauty tools

-almay

-covergirl

-L'Oreal

-Maybelline

-Revlon

-Rimmel

-Wet n Wild

-lip moisturizer

Canning/Food Saver

Car

Cleaning

-cleaning tools

-all purpose

-bathroom

-floor

-glass

-kitchen

-lysol/disinfectant

-swiffer

-wood

Deodorant

-hers

-his

-unisex

Dish Washing

Eye care

-contacts

Face cleaners/moisturizers

-moisturizers

Feminine Hygiene

-pads

-pantiliners

-Tampons

-others

First Aid/ Pain relievers

-pain relievers

Hair Care

Hair Color

Home

-Bug Spray

-Light Bulbs

-Storage containers

-Throw away baking

-other

Laundry

Lotion/Powders

-powder

Meds

-Allergy

-cold

-cold sores

-Joints

-PMS/Menopause

-Sleep

-Tummy/Bowels

Misc

Nail Care

Office supplies

Oral Care

-Floss

-denture

-Mouthwash

-Toothbrushes

-toothpaste

Outdoors

-Bug repellents

-Lighters

-Sunscreen

-Other

Paper Products

-Paper plates/Utensils/ cups

-Paper towels/ Napkins

-Tissues

-Toilet paper

Pets-Cat

Pets-Dog

Reynolds/Ziploc

-foil/cling wrap/ wax paper/ parchment

-storage bags

-trash bags

Shaving

Soap

-body wash/bars

-hand soap

-hand sanitizer

Vitamins/Supplements

-Adults

-Kids

-Supplements

Restaurant

Paperwork (coupon policies)

Receipts

And there you have it. Those are all of my categories and sub-categories in my coupon tote.

I hope this helps someone out there.

All I can say is just start. Even if you just save a few dollars, that is a few dollars you wouldn't have otherwise. Those few dollars add up.

Until next time

Be blessed, 

Erin

PS: Here is a link to the mini file folders I used.
AND
Here is a link to the Coupon mom book.