Fit 4 Christmas Results & Link-up

It's hard to believe we have reached the end of the Fit 4 Christmas Challenge! This has been such an awesome experience for me. Not just because of losing weight and finding my motivation again, but because of all of you. The support you all have given each other has been so amazing... I just don't even have the words. Thank you all for joining in and making it such a great (almost) 2 months.

***Don't forget to submit your challenge results, including before/after pictures and starting/finishing weight to me. If you want a chance to win the awesome prize pack (handmade crochet item of your choosing, $15 Starbucks gift card, some of my favorite misc health/fitness items and a Target gift card donated by Heather) be sure to link up, post to the Facebook group or email me at tiffhult27 (at) gmail (dot) com by Sunday morning. I will announce the winner on Monday!

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I started this challenge back at a pretty unhappy place. Frustration over a very long plateau was getting the best of me and I had all but thrown in the towel. I weighed in November 1st back up 7.5 pounds at 175.6 from my lowest weight.

I weighed in this morning at 166.1.

Total lost in the challenge: 9.5 lbs
Total lost to date: 29.50 lbs

Did I meet my 162 goal for the challenge? No. But I lost during the holidays for the first time... ever. I broke a 5 month long plateau! I'm happy with the progress I've made.

Was I perfect along the way? Most definitely not. In fact, I have been unable to workout for the past two weeks. But I've managed to lose. A belt isn't even helping to keep my pants up. My rings are very close to having to go on a chain around my neck. Changes are happening and progress is being made again!

Left pictures were taken November 1st. The right were taken this morning.

 

And since I'm so close to that 30 lb loss mark, I wanted to compare just how far I've come. Again, I didn't take before pictures until I had already lost 10 pounds and was at 185. 

20 lb difference

185 lbs

That was me less than a year ago. I have a hard time looking at these pictures. I never saw that when I looked in the mirror. Clearly, I knew I was overweight and out of shape. But I had no idea how overweight I was and most importantly, how unhappy I was.

In the grand scheme of things, 30 pounds lost doesn't sound like a lot. But it is. Not just physically, but emotionally. It's taking longer to get to where I want to be than I expected, but I'm enjoying the journey and am so excited for what 2014 is going to bring.

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Alright ladies... start sharing those before and afters! I can't wait to see everyone's results!.

Reminder: Fit 4 Christmas

Hey everyone! Stopping into the blog real quick (I know, I know... I've been very MIA lately. That will improve once the holidays are over and "year-end" at work is finished) to remind you that tomorrow is results day for the Fit 4 Christmas Challenge!

If you want a chance to win the prize pack, (handmade crocheted item of your choosing, $15 Starbucks giftcard, some of my favorite fitness/health misc items and a $10 Target giftcard) be sure to submit your before and after pictures as well as before and after weigh-in before Sunday morning.

You can submit your results via tomorrow's link-up here on the blog, in the Facebook group or email direct to me at tiffhult27 (at) gmail (dot) com.

Winner will be announced on Monday. I can't wait to see everyone's results!!

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Fit 4 Christmas - Week 7 (FINAL WEEK)

We are now in the final week of Fit 4 Christmas! Does anyone else feel like we just started this little 'ol challenge?

Start of Challenge: 175.6

Week 1: 171.8

Week 2: 169.2

Week 3: 168.0

Week 4 & 5: 168.4

Week 6: 166.2

Total Challenge Loss: 9.4

Week 6 loss: 2.2

I started my weigh-loss journey at 195.5 pounds. Soooo close to hitting that 30 pound loss! This is the best weigh-in I've had in months. I have been stuck in plateau-ville since July. July. Unable to ever get past that 168. Today, I have finally done just that!

Thanksgiving, along with an illness that just doesn't want to fully go away, has made for a difficult couple weeks. The accountability of this challenge has helped me to keep trudging along. You all have been so incredible and motivating!

I know Christmas is only a week and a half away. I know that there are goodies, parties and even some stresses that make it difficult to stay on track. Especially in this coming week... As you go through this final week of Fit 4 Christmas, I want you to keep one very important thing in mind: progress pictures.

One week from today, you will be showing your before and after pictures to your blog followers, in the Facebook group or emailing them to me. I know you are going to want to be able to show as much progress as possible. I know that you are going to want to look and feel amazing when you are surrounded by family and friends over the holiday. No amount of goodies are worth that feeling. 

We're going out with a bang this week on the mini challenge. Leg day; every day! Add weights to the moves if you want a little extra. If you really want a challenge, try adding weights to your burpees! 

 

Aaaand in case you need even more motivation to make it through this week - a little reminder of what you could win!

Handmade item of your choosing. This is just a general selection of choices.

Some misc items of my favorite health & fitness things

A $15 Starbucks gift card

AND a $10 gift card donated by Heather. So sweet!

Pretty good deal for losing weight and getting healthy, right? Finish the challenge out strong!

Fit For Christmas - Week 6

Still in the -20's today. Still swamped as can be. So, short, sweet and to the point today. I have never in my life been so happy to see a Friday, by the way!

Weigh in: 168.4
Up .4 this week. I'm not beating myself up over this one. Life, in general, is a complete zoo right now and I will be happy if I can just keep maintaining. Of course, I'm still trying to lose and will be thrilled if it happens.

Week 6 Mini Challenge:

Let's burn off any extra calories from Thanksgiving and get ready for Christmas! The Challenge is almost over already, crazy!!!

Speaking of the end of the challenge, don't forget there is a prize at stake for the best results and before/after pictures! Which has grown! One of our awesome challenge participants has donated a $10 Target gift card. Thanks again, Heather! You are awesome!!

While not Fit for Christmas related, this is Christmas related. I'm taking up to 5 Christmas hat orders. If ordered today, guaranteed to have it to you by the end of next week. If you are interested, let me know while hat, size and your paypal email. $20 including shipping.

They're even cuter on! ;)

Fit 4 Christmas - Week 4

Let's just start with this: I have been a terrible blogger this week.

As much as I love this little 'ol blog of mine, sometimes other things are more important. As much as I love and need my workouts, sometimes other things are more important.

Last Friday, I woke up feeling "off". By the time I went to bed, I felt like death. I was put on antibiotics right away this time and they have helped tremendously, but there have been zero workouts. On top of being sick, again, work has been craaazzzy with no signs of letting up. I work in the construction industry, and we are getting into our busy time of year. Then, Wyatt has had a bad case of the "terrible twos" this week which doesn't mix well with a sick mama. It's been a challenge seven days and I am so relieved it's Friday (even if I do have to work tomorrow.)

I owe everyone participating in Fit 4 Christmas an apology. I have been absent in the blog, the Facebook group and IG this past week. As well as way behind on responding to emails. That doesn't mean I haven't been following all your inspiring posts! Not to mention, I planned to have Week 4 up before 8 this morning, but my work cell started going off at 5:20 this morning and is just now slowing down. Waahhh. That's what happens when it's -2° outside. If only I could move my desk closer to the fireplace....

Enough rambling. On to what everyone is really here for today:

Starting Weight: 175.6

Week 1: 171.8

Week 2: 169.2

Week 3: 168.0

Total Loss: -7.6

Week 3 Loss: -1.2

Finally back to my lowest weight! I went into the week completely planning to break past that dreaded number, but I'm not disappointed in the results. For as long as I can remember, I have struggle when I'm sick. I don't stress eat. I don't eat to comfort emotions. My main food struggle, is with physical pain. When I am sick or having a bad pain day, I tend to eat to comfort myself. It's been that way since I was a little girl. I have struggled and struggled to overcome this for a few years. This is the first time I have stayed on track with my food when I'm not well. It's such an accomplishment for me and I'm so proud of that 1 pound loss. Now, I'll be even more determined to stay on track next week so I can finally break past that 168!

On to week 4:

Push ups! These are going to kill me. Upper body strength is my weakness and something I am continually working on. Please keep in mind there are sooo many variations of the push-up. Ways to make it easier, or harder. Do whatever you need to do to challenge yourself.

You may need to go to your knees, or maybe a standard military push up is enough for you. If you can breeze right through military push ups, try lifting a foot off the floor, or do crow push ups. If that is too easy, try my favorite: scorpion push ups. It doesn't matter what level you're at as long as you are challenging yourself to be better.

Food challenge for this week: Plan your Thanksgiving dinner in advance. I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't scared about next week. We will be leaving next Wednesday to head out on an 8 hour drive to spend Thanksgiving at my dad's. I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the family this year! This helps, because I will know how things are prepared. However, my dad will be cooking the other days, and I'm horrible about munching in the car. I plan to go into the holiday completely prepared. 

Am I going to allow myself some pumpkin pie? You bet. But I have planned small portions and what foods I'm going to allow myself to splurge on and what I'm not. Go into the week with a plan in mind, and do your best to stick with it! 

Good luck with Week 4 everyone. I know you will all do great!

Fit 4 Christmas Challenge - Week 3

Two weeks down and you all continue to amaze me! A big part of weight loss success is accountability and support. Come share your progress over in the Facebook Group.

Starting Weight: 175.6

Week 1 Complete: 171.8

Week 2 Complete: 169.2

Total for the week: -2.6
Total for challenge: -6.4

This next week will be huge for me. If you have followed along with my journey at all these past few months, you know I've been stuck in a rut, fluctuating between 168-172. For months. This is the week I break that cycle!

Truth be told, I had something completely different for this week's mini challenge planned until I saw this...

And I laughed. Out loud. Far longer than it really warranted.

It really got me thinking... the mention of  a 10 pound gain probably isn't too much of an exaggeration for most Americans. It definitely isn't for me in years past. This year will be different - I'm positive of that.

In 2 weeks we are going to be surrounded by family and friends that we may not have seen in some time. I want us all to be in the best possible shape by then. This thought process brought me to scratch the original Week 3 for another time, and to up the challenge a bit this week. Who's with me?

 

Week 3 is a combination of weeks 1 & 2, with the added cardio bursts to make one super-set. This is more than a mini challenge, it's a mini workout. I want all of you (and myself) to burn as many calories as possible this week! I want you all to look and most importantly, feel amazing for the holiday. Break it up through the day if you need to. Make sure you go at your own pace, but try to really push yourself. 

Your reps for the squats, reverse crunch, bicycle crunch, and scissor abs will increase each day by 5. Cardio will remain at 1 minute increments (unless you want to increase that, then by all means.. do it.)

If you've done the first 2 week's mini challenges, these moves should all be pretty familiar aside from the squat jacks. If you are unsure of those, watch the video below: Blogger doesn't want to find the video, so you can watch it HERE.

The other side of the challenge, is to take this quiz and determine what body type you have. Everyone is made differently, and it's so hard to not compare yourself to other people. Knowing your body type will help give you better expectations as well as help you understand how your body loses/gains and why. 

Under the extra poundage, I fall into the mesomorph category

Keep up the great work everyone. I can't wait to see everyone's progress!

Have a great weekend!

Fit 4 Christmas Challenge - Week 2

What an awesome week 1! I feel on fire right now. I'm a 100% motivated and on track for the first time in such a long time. This is hugely, in part, to all of you joining me on this challenge. Thank you, all!

Your posts on IG and the Facebook Group have been so inspiring. You guys are killing it!

 Remember to keep using #fit4christmas on social media, and join the Challenge Facebook Group, if you haven't yet. Come share your week 1 progress with us today!

Results are in:

Starting Weight: 175.6
Week 1 Complete: 171.8

-3.8 pounds lost

I'm relieved the majority of the gain seems to be water weight and am ready to bust through that dreaded 168 in the next couple of weeks.

So, let's get right to it with the Week 2 Mini Challenge: ABS. I hate working abs, so I rarely do. Overall, your abs get attention in nearly every exercise you do, as long as you are using properly form. But, to set aside a certain amount of time for strictly abs? Blah - not my thing. Which is why I have such a love/hate relationship with this upcoming week already. I'm torturing myself (and all of you), but out of love. I cringe just thinking of next Thursday. As long as I won't have to laugh, bend, sit or get off the floor, I'm sure I'll make it through the week just fine.

The nutrition challenge is to try a new healthy recipe or food. If it's a success, I hope you share with us all!

Good luck with week 2 and keep up the awesome work!

Non-Scale Victories

It's been quite awhile since I've linked up for Non-Scale Victories. Quite frankly, there haven't been many NSV's to share for a good month and a half. That's a-changin', folks!

I have had an awesome week, health and fitness wise. I've got my mojo back and I'm runnin' with it. I'm a Wyoming girl (in case I haven't mentioned that enough). We have 2 seasons in Wyoming: Summer and Winter. Winter arrives the beginning of October and ends the middle of May. I went through all of October with one good pair of jeans and one pair ready to fall apart at the seams if I moved just wrong.

This called for an emergency jean shopping spree on my lunch break yesterday. I really dislike jean shopping, or shopping for clothes - period. I grew up with all brothers and boy cousins, fashion has just never been my thing. Anyways, unless I wanted to flash all my employees, I had to get it done.

I'M DOWN ANOTHER SIZE! I was over the moon excited. Currently, I'm sitting here in the smallest jeans I've had on in over three years. Silvers are the only jeans that fit me correctly, but they use the waist/inseam sizing. I have a goal to fit back into a 6, so I did grab a pair of other jeans to try on just to see where I'm at. I fit comfortably into a 10 right now. When I started this journey, I was in a very tight 14. Progress.

NSV #2: I'm back to working out consistently and feel like me again. Last night's workout was a quick (and difficult) 20 minute tabata routine I put together. I finished up with 95 squats to catch up on the week 1 mini challenge.

That's this week's Biggest Loser in the background. Let me tell ya, workout out with Jillian yelling at the contestants in the background is great motivation!

NSV #3:  Nutrition. I've been spot on! No splurges. Plenty of water. I haven't even been tempted to dip into Wyatt's left over Halloween candy.

NSV #4: I feel like I'm in a much better place about this journey, mentally, than I have ever been. My hiatus was a big eye opener for me. Not just in how going off the wagon affects my body and emotions, but in having realistic expectations. Before I got pregnant, I had lost around 50 pounds. It fell off easily at that time. But working out was my life. It consumed me. Exercise became an addiction, and not in a healthy way. Someday I will go further into that...

 I started this journey expecting the same results. Reality check, Tiffany. You're a single mother now. It's okay to miss a workout from time to time. It's okay if it takes a little longer to get back into those 6's. It's okay if there is some loose skin and stretch marks that weren't there before. Honestly, I feel accepting these things is the greatest Non-Scale Victory I could achieve at this point.

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If you are joining me in my Fit 4 Christmas Challenge, (if you haven't yet, it's never too late!) I have opened up a Facebook group so we can all offer support and share progress/struggles throughout the challenge. You can find the group HERE. Please post and encourage one another! People with a support system are much more successful...

Don't forget to check back tomorrow for Week 2's Mini Challenge!

Fit 4 Christmas Facebook Group!

I've opened a Fit 4 Christmas Facebook Group so we can all share workouts, recipes, progress etc... Come join in for added support! Fit 4 Christmas Facebook Group - HERE

Happy Hump Day, All!

Workout Wednesday - Tabata Workout

Tabata HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Aw, how I love you. Short, challenging and effective. Dr. Tabata discovered this type of interval training provides greater results than any other aerobic training. Originally, this type of training was used only for hard-core athletes. In the past couple of years, it's become more mainstream and fairly common. (In large part to the rise of Crossfit, I'm sure).

So, how does it work? You push yourself as hard as you can for 20 seconds then rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next exercise. The key to this is, you do as many reps as possible in that 20 seconds. Tabata is meant to leave you completely drained at the end. Once you finish a round, you can take a one minute rest before repeating, if needed.

Tabata is my go-to on busy days, such as tonight. This is on my schedule for tonight's workout:

 If the last set is not near impossible to get through, you aren't pushing yourself hard enough!

There are many interval training timer apps out there for free. I use the "Round and Workout Timer". You can customize the settings with number of rounds, time of exercise and time of rest.

An alarm will go off letting you know when it's time to rest and continue exercise. Love it!

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How is everyone doing on their week one mini challenge for #fit4christmas? Don't forget your squats! I ended up with some unexpected company last night, so I have to make up yesterday's today. Eeeek!

Don't forget to check back on Friday for Week 2's Mini Challenge!

Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail

You can make as many goal and wish lists as you'd like, but you will never accomplish them without a plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. I lost sight of this simple statement over the past month.

In the past I had all my meals planned. There was never any question as to what was for lunch or dinner. My kitchen was stocked with healthy options: easy peasy. Then, life got stressful and I made it even  more stressful by forgetting to plan ahead. When you get home from a 9-10 hour day at work and realize you didn't thaw the chicken for dinner, odds are you're going to go for whatever is quick and convenient. That's exactly what I'd been doing.

It reminds me of the "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" book. Please tell me you have read this book, otherwise you need to relive your childhood. Brad had never heard of it.. whaaat?! I digress...

If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk. If you are fueling your body properly, you're going to have a stronger desire to workout and vice versa. Right? I was stuck in this "eat like crap/feel like crap" viscous cycle.

Well, I'm breaking out of that. I've set my goals for Fit 4 Christmas, and am working on a plan to achieve them.

{ONE}

Stick to my workout plan. NO EXCUSES

I'm scheduling workouts 2 weeks at a time according to the weather man (which seems like a waste since he's usually wrong). I refuse to run in anything below 20°, thank you very much.

{TWO}

Meal plan. No fast food, no junk (well... until my small slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving, because that WILL happen)

{THREE}

I want to be back to my lowest (168) by Thanksgiving.

{FOUR}

162 by the close of the challenge. That means I will have to hit a 2 lb loss a week through December, which isn't always easy at this point in the game. But, it's not impossible by any means. I want a challenging goal for those last few weeks to keep me in check on Thanksgiving and with all the holiday treats.

{FIVE}

Push myself, but don't be too hard on myself either. Positive self talk. I struggle with this... I think we all do at times.

I hope you all have some goals in mind for the challenge. Get specific and really challenge yourself. You want to lose weight? Okay, how many pounds by December 20th? You want to lift more or run further? Then how much? What are you going to do to achieve these goals?

Fit 4 Christmas Challenge Kickoff - Week 1

Sorry for the late post... we had some crazy weather last night and the internet is not cooperating very well this morning...

The big day has arrived: Fit 4 Christmas Challenge kicks off today. I don't know about you guys, but my super terrifying weigh-in this morning has me so excited for this! Just think, come December 20th, you'll be on the road to an all new you. Probably the best Christmas present you could get, right? Don't forget to weigh-in and take your "before" pictures today. Measurements are optional, but I highly recommend them. Save today's info in a safe place and submit them all together with your "afters" at the close of the challenge.


{ONE}

An update on people participating: By rough estimate, I'd say we have 60-70 people that have let me know they are participating so far. So awesome! Anyone and everyone is welcome to join! Blogger, non-blogger... it doesn't matter It's never too late to get on board. If this is the first you've been here, welcome! You can find all the details, as well as what the prize pack has to offer HERE.

{TWO}

Feel free to steal the button to let people know you're participating, if you'd like.

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{THREE}

Don't forget to use hashtag #fit4christmas on all social media. We want to hear and see what you're doing to get fit for Christmas. Nothing motivates me more than seeing others working hard and eating right. The main focus of this challenge (other than to shed some pounds or tone up, whatever your goals may be) is to offer support to each other. Feel free to post to my Facebook page. You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter @thefittrainblog.

{FOUR}

I will be posting weekly "mini challenges" that you can choose to try out. Just a little extra motivation to get through week to week. If anyone has any suggestions for a weekly challenge, I've started a thread on my Facebook page. I'd love to hear what you think!

On to our Week 1 Mini Fitness Challenge:

Squats.

Squats burn more calories per rep than almost any other move, targeting many muscles all at once. They improve running, jumping and endurance. Did you know squats promote more muscle growth across the entire body than any other move? Basically... you can't go wrong with some extra squats in your life. (Who knew the word "squat" could be used so many times in a paragraph).

Make sure you use proper form! Knees over ankles. As you go into your squat, your butt should go back toward the wall and bend at your knees. If this move is difficult for you, just modify it a bit. Don't go as far into the squat. If it's too easy, add weight. Holding dumbbells in your hands will make it more difficult. If that's still easy, then double your reps. There's almost always a way to modify a move to make it more or less impact. 

Nutrition:

WATER water water. You should be drinking half your body weight in ounces. So, like the example above, a 160 lb person should be drinking 80 oz of water per day. Increased water consumption will aid your weight loss. Don't skip it!

I'll post the new mini-challenge every Friday!

{FIVE}

Stepping away from the challenge for some adorable little boy talk...

The women and children's clinic put on a really awesome trick-or-treat last night. You walk room to room and get candy at each door. The first several doors asked Wyatt if he'd seen any elk. Finally, Wyatt started walking up to people with candy and saying, "Ticky tweat. NO ELK!". He proceeded with that greeting for the rest of the night. Love this boy!

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Good luck on week one! I can't wait to keep in touch with everyone throughout the week and see what you're doing to get Fit 4 Christmas!!