Saturday Struggle builds Sunday Success

Thanks to my buddy, Tommy, for the fresh chicken eggs.

Last night's dinner would have blown your mind much like it did mine had you seen the spread that my sweetheart had for me when I arrived home after work. He always texts me about 4ish on Saturday and Sunday afternoons to ask what I would like for dinner. Tonight...I was craving "breakfast for dinner" so he accommodated my request and then some. Turkey sausage, whole wheat bread, eggs, and a few fried potatoes on the side. Nothing less than amazing!

If you haven't tried the Honeysuckle White Breakfast Sausage....YOU MUST! It is juicy and tasty all the same as the "real stuff"...as my hubby puts it. The Nature's Own Whole Wheat bread is quite tasty as well plus (2 slices for 110 calories) is a deal. Tonight was a nice treat and I proudly logged my eats in My Fitness Pal even though I exceeded my calorie limit a little today.
Gotta live a little!

Yesterday seemed to be a struggle for me. I seemed more hungry than usual. I think it was partly due to not drinking enough water consistently throughout the day and finding myself sitting more which left lots more time to think about food. 

But...it's behind me now :) 

Today is my final (Day 14) on the MNS E strips (vitamins). The "E" stands for "energy". Tomorrow will start my first day on the MNS C strips which is the appetite "control" formula. I have committed to trying each of the Advocare Formulas (3, E, and C) before I settle on any one formula. Trying each of them will give me a good idea of how they make me feel so perhaps I can share first-hand experience with my friends/acquaintances that have an interest in adding them to their daily routine. So far, the "E" formulation has given me a little more "jittery belly" if I wait more than about 15 minutes after taking my morning regimen before I eat/drink breakfast. Otherwise, I feel about the same as I did with the "3" formulation that I began as part of my 24 Day Challenge on Day 11 (Feb 25th). STINKIN' AMAZING energy and controlled appetite about sums them up!

Remembering this is key!

Well, today is another workday so nothing really all that amazing to share about the upcoming day's events. However, I am pretty excited that I have 2 more "wake ups" after today and then I am off for a few days with my girls on Spring Break. Wednesday through Friday of this week will be spent getting organized in our bonus room. That room needs some real attention! One corner is my "home office" space while another corner has a hodge podge of crafts stacked (including my scrap booking supplies). Then..some how we have a sectional sofa and various other furniture plus some workout equipment (including an elliptical, exercise balls, hand weights, etc.) tucked in every empty square inch of the remaining floor space. Oh...almost forgot to mention...another corner houses my hubby's guitars and amps. You just thought I was kidding about "needing some real attention" and "getting organized". HeHe!

Well, guess I should go for now...hope each and every one of you have an amazing Sunday.

Just a little taste of goodness for your day:

Bringing home the bacon

I find myself so frustrated on Saturday and Sunday mornings when I can't start the morning out with some exercise! Reporting to work at 0700 with a 45 minute drive to get there...I would need to get up at 4am to get in a decent workout. Well, that would be just fine except I love to stay up later and enjoy some family time with my sweetie and kids on Friday night since being away from home on Saturday and Sunday for 14 hours doesn't allow very much socializing for me and them otherwise. Perhaps I should find a way to simply crawl out of bed and into my workout clothes rather than spending 20-30 minutes waking up as I stumble around the house half asleep in search of some Spark. Speaking of Spark...I just didn't realize how good it made me feel until I left it off for a couple of days (just as a test). Coffee and hot tea just don't fill that void!

These are just a few of the flavors that I enjoy first thing in the morning.

So, today is a workday and there won't be very much to share other than...I am pooped by the end of it. I just keep seeing that carrot dangling ahead of me...buying my baby girl (now 15 years) a car by her 16th B-Day in December. Working weekends are not too bad when it consists of just Sundays. Adding these Saturdays are a great test of my determination. On the bright side, I love the work I do in nursing so the hardest part is just being away from my family more. Due to my professional limitations and obligations to maintain my patient's privacy, I can't share pics or stories about my weekend adventures in my blog but I can tell you that I didn't know loving on people could make my heart so full until I met the little fella that I care for now. :)

I do want to share a couple of links that have really caught my attention recently.
1. Forks over Knives...documentary on Netflix...worth your time to watch. He has a Facebook page and a website as well.
2. Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead...checkout the documentary on Netflix and "Like" it on Facebook so his posts will show up in your news feed. Crazy awesome results from juicing!
3. Juicing Vegetables..."Like" it on Facebook. Great motivational pics and ideas for juicing and eating healthier
4. www.beyonddiet.com...great recipes on Facebook as well as a good website to check out

If you have any interest in juicing after you check out those documentaries, then I encourage you to think about the $34 Black and Decker Juicer at Walmart. We have used it tons in the last 2-3 weeks and love it thus far. Easy to clean and spits out good juice every time :)


http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FBlack-Decker-Fruit-and-Vegetable-Juice-Extractor%2F15034494&h=PAQELcWW5

Just a little taste of goodness for you today:

Veggie Tales

Yesterday's lunch (Jerk Chicken Leftovers) ended up being postponed until today thanks to a dear co-worker's tasty treats. Her mother-in-law cooks a mean Korean meal, and I was oh-so thankful for their leftovers. Japchae (glass noodles), kimchi (fermented cabbage and radish with green onions and red pepper paste), Yaki Mondu eggrolls, and beef and chicken bulgogi. Of course, I had to get Denetra to spell all of these items since I can't even pronounce them much less spell them correctly. I can attest that this lunch was one of finest I have had in quite some time! Of course, one of my other co-workers wanted to bait a hook with the glass noodles...describing them as good bait to catch a large-mouth bass :)

Well, my sweetheart is back to his favorite "vegetating" again. He threw some carrots and kale together last night for a nice veggie base. After tossing in a few kiwi, about half a lime, and a couple of Granny Smith apples in the mix, we enjoyed our before dinner cocktail. Thinking I may look online for good juicing recipe book. I am sure Pinterest has a long list of pretty good ones, too. Any suggestions?

Just another recommendation for the veggie lover or even someone trying new ways to enjoy the same old choices...

We slice up zucchini or yellow squash and place on a foil lined pan. Cutting them into about 1 inch slices allows for them to cook evenly but not get mushy on the inside before the outside is soft enough to enjoy. Brush the tops with a light coating of butter or spray butter if you prefer. We use the real stuff in small proportions. Then, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and bake at 350* for about 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!

I went ahead and registered me, the hubby, and the girls for a 5K on May 11, 2013. The Strawberry Stride is going to be our first 5K this year. Back in January 2013, I committed to completing 13 in 13..Meaning, 13 races in 2013. Considering the late start due to my weekend work schedule, I have my work cut out for me if I am going to manage 13 races in 7 months. 

The next race on our radar will be the Andrews Cadillac Firecracker 5K on July 4th. This race will commemorate 3 years of completing 5Ks together for me and my sweetheart. We started this journey of 5Ks back on July 4, 2011. I will be sure to post the pictures from 2011, 2012 and then 2013 since I enjoy seeing how we have tried to get better with age...like fine wine or aged cheese...or perhaps more like compost. :) hehehe. Either way, we are working hard to improve the future. With warmer weather just around the corner, we are ready to get this year's memory making opportunities on the calendar.

Meanwhile, I will continue to work up a sweat on the elliptical on the cool mornings until I can get back out on the pavement. Unfortunately, didn't make it to the elliptical this morning prior to jumping into the workday from home. Guessing I better get there sometime this afternoon...

Just a little goodness for your day:

The Real Challenge

Thinking about workouts and how to get started seems like the toughest part of getting my groove on. Once I am up and dressed, the toughest part is behind me. My most successful attack plan is to get up and moving before the brain figures out it has lost before making it into that snuggle stage of sleep. That golden hour seems to be at about 5am. If I am still laying in the bed at 5:15 am then the day will start at 6 am for me instead. Operation Snooze! The "working woman/man" secret to success is to get up and on that treadmill/elliptical or the Yoga mat long before the rest of the world has even gotten up for their early morning pee :) I challenge each of you to try it a few mornings in a row and see how it changes the tempo of your day. Early morning exercise accomplishes 2 specific things for me: (1) Jump starts my metabolism and gives me more energy throughout the day (2) It's done! I don't have to think about exercise the rest of the day.





Kept my elliptical time a little shorter this AM since I wanted to add in crunches on the big ball, strength training with my kettle bell and stretches. A total of 40 minutes well spent!

Now...the rest of the day can be focused on just making good food choices. Hence, this is why I shared the picture at the beginning. Once you master the early morning exercise, the workout part is truly easy. Then, nourishing that prepared body with the right foods is the primary challenge that you have on your plate that day. I won't try to pretend that I make the best food choices but I can say that it seems to be easier when I prepare the night before. That being said, my lunch is typically packed and waiting in the fridge for me to grab 'n go the next morning. Today...leftovers are on the menu. Eating the remainder of the Jerk Chicken that I cooked in the Crock pot on Monday and another Greek salad.  I tossed in a pear and orange for those snack times between breakfast and dinner. Last but definitely not least, I added my Oikos Non-Fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt mixed with about 1/4 cup French Vanilla Almond Granola. LOVE this treat in the afternoon just before leaving work! It seems to satisfy any remaining hunger pangs and hold me well until dinner time. Loaded with PROTEIN and yummy til the last bite. I admit...I have tried licking the container but seem to get more on my nose and chin than on my tongue :)

Tonight will definitely be a night to simply relax before the Friday rolling into the weekend. Grilled porkchops and zucchini (thanks to my sweetheart) are on the menu. Might just have to throw in some brown rice since I haven't had any in quite a while. I have been trying to incorporate quinoa and couscous here recently for a change up since they are loaded with protein but I am trying to love whole grain options as well as brown rice instead of the white stuff as well :)

Just in case anyone is interested in tracking their eats, check out myfitnesspal.com and find me at dragonfly248. I love the accountability and enjoy sharing ideas for good food choices. Keep in mind, I am not one to model yourself after...just a resource for options while you are trying to "figure out fit." I have made my diary public so that you just have to ask for my "friendship" and there you have it...my skeletons in my closet...hehehe

Here is a little taste of goodness for your day:

We all have to start some where!

Weigh Day Wednesday

Just had to giggle as I looked over in the corner this morning only to realize that my priorities have surely changed in the last month. Left to right: You have the juicer for my "juice freak" of a husband followed by my younger daughter's (Katie) Whey protein. The PB2 is a family favorite that we add to shakes, mix with H2O for apple dip, etc. You can find this online or at some of the more trendy stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (I believe). The Ninja blender is a MUST for those spinach smoothies that I have fallen deeply in love with over the past month or so. The Magic Bullett makes a great personal protein shake on-the-go in the morning. The super-sized Spark container is loaded with Fruit Punch flavored goodness since that is one of our favorite flavors in the house these days. We (Dannah and I) have become portion-size conscious...so the scales are a MUST for me since my idea of 3 oz. is very skewed from years of "lack of portion control". Then, last but definitely not least...the Chocolate Mocha Meal Replacement Shakes...my breakfast every day! I mean...who doesn't love chocolate first thing in the morning..hehehe.

I probably should point out that the MNS Max E packs are part of my daily regimen for these 14 days. I started them after I completed the first 24 Day Challenge (as of  March 11) and have been impressed overall. Now, does it give me MORE energy than the MNS 3? Not convinced of that...because I LOVE THE MNS 3 since it seemed to dig me out of that gutter that I was in back in February. Guess you could say that I am partial to the one that saved me from drowning...hehehe.  However, I made my decision to try each of the MNS options so that I could give fair feedback and recommendations to my friends, etc on the products. So far...no complaints with the "E" line except I wish I could take just a few more pills before lunch time each day...hehehe. Just kidding...had to throw that in for a few laughs. Of course, the MNS 3 doesn't play around either when it comes to pill count..see below :)

Weigh Day Wednesday results are in :



Yes! Yes! Another 1.2 pounds down since last Friday :)

For those of you that don't follow me on Facebook's Fluffy and Figuring Out Fit...here is a snapshot of my craziness for you to giggle at today. My sweetheart was serenading me yesterday morning with "The sun will come out tomorrow..." from Annie. Think my hair reminds him of a little red head? I followed up with "I'll love ya' tomorrow" as I drove away.

Just a little goodness for your day:

From Jamaica to Greece

As promised, I am sharing my dinner pic from last eve. The Jerk Chicken was simply amazing!

I took about 10 chicken thighs and cut as much fat off of them as possible. Rubbed the jerk seasoning (Walkerswood Traditional Jamaican Jerk Seasoning...found it at World Market last week) on each of them and tossed them into the CrockPot with about 1/3 cup water to coat the bottom of the crock. I cooked on High for about 1 hour and then Low for about 7 more hours; you could cook on low for 8-9 hours and be fine as well. 

There you have it...a little taste of something wonderful placed on a bed of tri-colored couscous with a side salad of spinach, red onion, black olives, cucumber, and feta cheese. I drizzled a tiny bit of Kraft Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette dressing on top of the salad to top it off. You are probably thinking..."Why the Greek-like salad with the Jamaican jerk chicken?"  I am thinking..."Why not?!" These little salads are bursting with flavor, and I tend to get stuck on something that tastes this good for a while. :) Fact: couscous is high in protein (8 gm per serving) and low in fat (1 gm per serving) but ALSO high in calories.1/3 cooked couscous = 210 calories. That's a big OUCH! As I am plugging that into My Fitness Pal...my fingers were quivering and my gut just sank as I saw it in black and white! But...I did pretty well overall today as the final figures rolled in on the total calories. Trying to keep my limit to about 1350 per day.

Mornings are about choices....I prefer Spark since Coconut Mocha doesn't change my day for the better!

Tuesdays are always a nice reminder that I have survived the weekend and made it through Manic Monday. Seems like Tuesday through Friday all blend together and then Friday rolls around without fail. Perhaps this is what happens when you are too busy to think about much of anything except work. This week is destined to be a bit busy but I am committing to exercising most mornings so that I can proudly say that I have logged at least 15 miles on the elliptical from Sunday to Saturday. Thinking back to last Summer and Fall, it was nothing for me to log 25-30 miles a week in the great outdoors but that included 3-5 miles on the weekday mornings plus 6-8 miles on Saturday mornings. I am such a wimpy girl that needs the weather to be "permitting"...meaning at least 50 degrees if possible :) The winter months drove me indoors to the couch but the Spring is just around the corner. Last year (about this time), I was training for the Country Music 1/2 Marathon so I was pounding the pavement as I trained in the snow (January/February) and rain (March) only to run the race on a nice, breezy day (April). Nevertheless, being in TN means that I am destined to get back on the pavement within the next couple of weeks....thank goodness for seasons.


Reminiscing the April Race Day 2012

 Today, I managed to snuggle rather than find my way to the elliptical. Fail! I have a GNO planned with an old co-worker at Chuy's tonight so I probably should have burned a few extra calories. The food is always yummy, and catching up with her will surely be great. Have a great day to all! Tomorrow is Weigh Day Wednesday...hoping for a little tilt of the scales in my favor :) It's not been a full week since my last weigh in but I think it will be a good day since Wednesdays seem to break the week in half.

A little bit of goodness for your day:

Back to Blogging

I made it back to the blogging world! Hip, hip, hooray!!

After a long hiatus and more pounds to lose since I last posted (July 14, 2012), I am re-committed to this accountability of documenting my success and many struggles on Fluffy and Figuring Out Fit.

I haven't been a total slacker given that I did continue the hit or miss post on my Facebook page (Fluffy and Figuring Out Fit) through part of the Fall last year but seemed to just lay low while I gained momentum into that gutter. I have to giggle in reading my occasional post as I seem to have had several "fresh starts" over the course of those 3-4 months. However, I really kicked it up a notch as of February 15, 2013...the beginning of the new and improved ME. Just a little recap, I began some rather reckless (rebellious) behavior around Halloween 2012 and let myself spiral into a gutter both physically and mentally through the Winter. Approximately 15 pounds heavier on the scale and nearly buried alive emotionally, I managed to find the strength to extend my arm above the current that was towing me under. An old HS friend of mine, Joy, reached out to me and tossed me a rescue line called Advocare. 

Since I started the 24 Day Challenge on February 15th, my life has truly never been this amazing. I have been able to share my new found energy with my family and friends over the last 30+ days both through my actions, my physical changes, and my knowledge of the supplements that Advocare has to offer. I am weighing in at 190 lbs as of last Friday from the 200.4 about a month ago. By eating "cleaner" and following the Advocare recommendations while using the products, I have made quick progress. I don't remember the last time I documented a 10+ pound loss in 30 days. My immediate goals are to leave this last 40-50 lbs behind me for good and to continue to share my positive experiences with others in hopes of redirecting someone else's life like Joy has done for me. She and her team have served as an anchor in the sea of success for me. A big whopping thanks to Joy and Summer for the unconditional support that they have shown to me through their compassion in helping others find a healthy means of survival. Ok...I know...it's starting to sound more like a girl crush with all of my bragging on them...but it's just the facts :)! Now...on to TODAY's voyage.

Started this morning on the elliptical at 0530! Yes, it is my only day off for the next 8 days, and I really wanted to sleep in on this rainy day. BUT (even more importantly) I really wanted to spend some quality time with my workout partner (aka...daughter). So...we had to knock out our exercise before she got showered/dressed  for school. I jumped on the elliptical and managed to sweat and pant through 30 minutes. However, my newest record of 3.1 miles in 27:15 was set this morning. She hula hooped for 35 minutes straight while working with hand weights. Jeez a meez, that is harder than it looks for sure. I have trouble keeping it up for 35 seconds much less 35 minutes. She is definitely a beast with coordination. Oh,to be 16 again. Who am I kidding?! I wasn't like that at 16!! In fact, I am and was less coordinated than all three of my kids! Thankfully I didn't pass along those genes...hehehe.

Well, since I am up and ready for the day, might as well get busy. Today's agenda: Cleaning house, washing clothes, and grocery shopping. Planning to throw some Jerk Chicken in the Crockpot to simmer all day. I will be sure to share a pic in tomorrow's post because as I freely admit...I am addicted to good food!

Thanks to this blog and the faithful (or even occasional) readers, I am destined to be held accountable to someone besides myself which seems to work the best for me. If you subscribe to getting my posts emailed to you, I can honestly say...I will try to end each post with a bit of encouragement for your day ahead since everyone needs a little taste of goodness each day. Today's little taste of goodness: