Down another pound! 😀

Yippee! 186 today! Almost down 10 lbs from that crazy 10 lbs weight gain in July. Fewee. Then only 5 more pounds until I reach 181 which will be my lowest weight in like 3 years. Goals! (I was 182 earlier this year but honestly I'm way less fluffy then I was at that point!) 

And here I was upset all week because the scale wasting moving. I *seriously* need to stop weighing everyday!!! Anyways... After doing more research I am feeling great about IF!!! I did make some more changes pretty much right away after my first post a week and a half ago. I decided to not do Keto. I know you guys I KNOW im all over the place. I just started sticking with flexible dieting (I'm super flexible lol...I am focusing on reaching protein goal and staying under my calories. I've been right around 1600-1800 calories depending on how hard I work out). AND doing IF and bam. Results are coming. I can see my shoulders and quads are coming along nicely :) yay! Ditching body pump was a good move for me. Even though I do miss it!! This was today. Still have a super long way to go but I'll take what I can get! Happy Friday! 

Down 4 Lbs!

Happy to weigh in yesterday and be at 187.8! Yay! Then I was so good yesterday and totally expected another loss today even if small but nothing. But seriously I HAVE to stop weighing every day. Some days weight won't come off some days they will. I notice that when I have a tough workout like yesterday (kickboxing and weights) I won't lose. I think it's water retention even though I drank 90 oz yesterday. When my muscles are sore I am a little puffy. Hope that's normal 😁 

This morning I am going to the gym just to walk on the treadmill and do Yoga. So hard for me not to do an intense work out but I've been reading doing those everyday is not effective. I LOVE kickboxing so I choose to do it. I am also gonna try Zumba on Friday 😁💃🏼

After reading Staci's (Skinny on Staci..sorry I can't link I am on my phone!) post last week on intermitted fasting I decided to add it to my routine. I did this the month before I got married and lost 16 lbs. 

so far so good. I think it helps and I feel better letting my body have 14 hours to digest foods and rest! IF is when you don't eat for 14 hours straight and eat in a 10 hour window. So I am going to do 4:30pm-6:30am fast a couple days and days we eat together as a family and Davey doesn't have school 8pm-10am.

I am on the hunt for a perfect camera bag! I don't want to spend a fortune yet my current one that I love (Jo Totes) is too small. I ordered a full Frame camera finally EEEKKK! A Nikon D750 I saved and did NOT buy ON CREDIT🙌🏼 (that's huge for me!). So that w my five lenses and my now back up camera my beloved bag is too small.The  larger one I want from Jo Totes is sold out :( I'm so busy next month w shoots I'm so thankful but need a new bag ASAP. I have big dreams and prayers for 2016 as well. God answered specific prayers he really does! 

Which reminds me to PRAY for wisdom and strength to lose weight! Praying for a specific number on Friday for weigh in. Will keep you all posted xo 

The Weight Loss Diaries

First of all...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Late, I know I'm sorry. The days leading up to Christmas were crazy busy with fellowships, outings, parties, church, ministry, SHOPPING...and more! You know how it is. :) 

New Years is quickly approaching and I'm planning and preparing to get FIT and finally reach my goal weight in 2014!!! 

Even though I lost 80lbs before getting pregnant w boy 4...I'm nervous. I know I can do it. But I've gotten lazy. And comfortable.  Dangerous place to be. You know... Like the, "I look in the mirror and just don't care" type of attitude? DANGER. 

So what am I going to do about it? 

PRAY. 

And TRY. I'm not going to expect perfection. I'm exclusively breastfeeding and my body holds fat like it's going out of style when I'm nursing. But I'm gonna try. I'm gonna start running again, maybe even sign up for another half marathon, and I'm gonna work on getting stronger. 

I got a Wii Fit {Merry Christmas to me}. Can't wait to use that too! I've been working on a meal plan with calorie counts that I will be sharing soon! 

Also...I've added a tab under weight loss up there ^^ called "The Weight Loss Diaries". I'll be updating my progress weekly of course with weigh ins and periodic progress photos. EXCITING! Right? Gulp. 

I'll be posting again soon with more details. Another goal is I WILL be posting at least 3 times a week. I need accountability! Not just in weight loss but homemaking, wifing (is that a word?) and mothering. 

"Mama, you're kinda like Santa because you're..you're.." 

"I'm what???!! Big?" 

Boy 1 gulps. "I didn't say it. You did." 

If that ain't motivation.. Than what is?! 

#letsdoThis 

Kinda embarrassing....

I recently made a FB page {Please like it if you have FB!!} for my blog.  I didn't do it for a long time because it's kinda embarrassing.. ya know? I mean, letting the whole world know how big I got....and admitting that I've had to lose so much weight...it's not easy. BUT....I have greatly benefited from other people's stories and I am thankful for that.

My Mom is on her way here to visit...yay! She is watching the boys for us while my husband and I go to our church couples retreat. So exciting, and sad at the same time...I've never left Reece overnight.  He is still breastfeeding and wakes up at night usually....Kinda nervous for my Mama LOL.

I know we need to get away though, and it will be great. As usual I'm scared to eat out so I don't get sick.  I will have to be reallllly careful to not eat any gluten! I'm excited to get dolled up and have a date with my handsome husband. Sometimes I think, I can't believe he loves me... ;)

Here's my day in food yesterday:
Breakfast- since I was sick yesterday morning I wanted something easy on the tummy...1/4 c rice chex and 1 cup rice krispy cereal, milk and 1/3 a banana.  I shared with Reece.

Lunch- Ham and cheese sandwich on Udi's gluten free bread, with a delish green smoothie {frozen organic peaches, lots of organic spinach, milk, kefir, coconut oil, and half a banana.}

Dinner- it was Shane's birthday so we had pizza {Cody, Davey and I ate gluten free pizza and Reece and Shane had organic pizza}.  Then I made a gluten free chocolate cake, which was pretty good...a little more like brownie consistency. 

I felt sick again this morning, but not as bad. I've decided that sugar {on Shane's cake} is attributing to my pain...I believe I have SIBO. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.  I have a lot of clues that point to that....but that's a whole nother post. ;)

I'll try to post tomorrow. Thank you a million for reading. And for any comments!!! {Staci:) } xo

I resolve to FINISH

January 1, 2010 was my very first blog post. Wow! Three years has flown by. It's been a wonderful, happy, trial some 3 years.
Since then we've: Lost a baby, had a baby. Gained a ministry job, lost a ministry job. Gained new friends, lost a friend to a car accident. Paid off our van, made a new nest egg.
I've LOST 66 lbs, gained some back. Lost some & gained some again. Now losing those annoying few pounds & more!
I was sick, then I got better. I had surgery while pregnant! I've adjusted to being the mommy to three boys and I love it.

I've ran 2 Half marathons (one of which I finished LAST because it was a torturous 14.5 miles of steep, narrow trails!) Completed 3 triathlons, and one 26.1 mi Bike the Coast. I got certified to teach cycle, and completed a few 5ks & 10ks.

I'm very proud of myself. I'm not where I want be, but I'm not where I was. Thank you Jesus.
With God's help, and my determination, I WILL reach my goal weight this year!

I've learned SO much these last few years. Through sickness of my own I've learned about nutrition and health and I'm so thankful.

You'll all be sad to know that after 23 months if no aunt flow (10 while pregnant, 13 while nursing!) she just returned. Yay! Not. I stepped on the scale this morning. To see a 4lb gain! What the hoots?! On top of the 5 I had gained back already. No bueno. It's going down. Big time.

I haven't posted progress pics in a while. The ones of me in all black are from march(ish) 2012 (4 months post partum) to this week. Others are from Christmas time 2009- Christmastime 2012.

Love, The Curvy Housewife

Maniac

You know how my husband calls me a maniac because I get on these manias? Yeah well that's where I've been all week.
Once I realize something is a great idea and I'm passionate about it... it consumes me until I feel like I have control over it. This happens with losing weight & racing.
Right now it's my photography. Something clicked a couple weeks ago and I realized...I want to focus on newborn and baby photography! I LOVE everything babies, birth, and bellies. You know this about me.
So.....I've spent all week making a "studio" in my house, buying cheap props, making cheap props, doing a photo shoot, then downloading free trial of Photoshop and totally frying my brain trying to figure it out. This photo took me a good few hours.....


All while still managing a household and keeping 3 kids alive. Fewww.

The Lord is REALLY blessing. I have already had one paying photo shoot the above baby girl :)
I have one tomorrow and two in Morgan Hill this weekend (my sister in law had her baby! We are going to see her and I am doing her photos on Friday for free of course). I am charging very cheap right now, I need to build my portfolio. There is still so much to do: change my website from weddings to babies (I will still do weddings but that will be later). Get a logo, and most importantly O R G A N I Z E.

Since my mind has been so busy, I have not put losing weight as a priority this week. Honestly I don't even want to eat I am so busy, so I through whatever is fast together. I need to be organized! A time to edit, a time to clean, a time to play with my boys, a time to cook and prepare healthy food and a time to exercise! This I am working on...

Weigh In, well I was the same as last week. Which is ok I guess, at least I didn't gain. Next week.....weight loss is TOP priority. I am going to make good decisions while out of town this weekend...I WILL.

Love, The Curvy Housewife

Amazing Reactions.

It's good to be home. We went to Morgan Hill for a few days.

I have been receiving amazing reactions about my progress! Sunday we were at our church here in Lancaster, and people were acting like they haven't seen me in months! "Wow! Look at you! You've lost so much weight! What are you doing?" I honestly don't like a lot of attention, even though it's so nice to know you can see my progress, it felt really strange.

My favorite comment I got was, "So if I go run 10 miles like you I'll look as good as you?" Ha! It was really cute, especially since it came from a grandpa ;)

Then we surprised my in-laws Monday night because Davey was told he wouldn't have work this week. And the Lord worked it out perfect, we ended up selling our last puppy to a family in Morgan Hill so that gave us a good reason to go. [God is so good].

My husbands family kept commenting on how much weight I had lost and how skinny I looked. I was really surprised because I don't feel much thiner and I don't weigh much less than I did in November. Maybe inches? It was so cute.. both my brother in laws told me I looked skinny. When we first got there my husbands youngest brother said, "Whoa! You look so skinny. Your throat is skinny." Nice, that's exactly where I want to look really skinny. [wink]. Then my husbands other brother said, " Adrienne, your getting really skinny again." Many friends at church in Morgan Hill, my Mom and really everyone I saw noticed. It was amazing. I kept wondering... why now after a year and a half and 55 pounds do people notice? I don't know.. but I'm so glad my work is paying off.

I am not even going to talk about how bad I ate this week though. I feel yuck, and do NOT want to face the scale tomorrow. I am terrified of seeing 190's again. But I will weigh and take my consequences. I did work out twice while away. A 5 mile bike ride with my sister in law and mother in law, than a 3 mile run with the husband.

Let's talk about the interesting stuff now. I have been looking on Craigslist for a house to rent in Morgan Hill because Davey works far away during the week and I am here with no family. I have good friends, and a fantastic church family. But I would love to be close to my Mom and in-laws and really ALL of our family. But here's the thing. We have a perfect size adorable house here with a huge back yard and a garage for $950 a month. Morgan Hill: $950 is a 300 sqft studio. Really. So it's been a huge challenge to find something. I found a teeny..tiny...microscopic size house in Morgan Hill for $1,100.
When I say teeny tiny... I mean it. 800 sq ft. Two bedroom. No living room. [Seriously]. 5 cupboards in the kitchen. No dishwasher. Washer dryer hook up is outside, no garage. And I don't remember seeing a linen closet.
I would have to get rid of half of our stuff. Maybe more. We would also have to struggle to find a place to store our baby things, Christmas stuff, bikes, jogger, ect.

The good things: it's super cute, in the country (sort of), right next to a beautiful bike path, has a yard with a orange tree, surrounded by green fields, it's cozy, we can have our dogs! (this is also hard to find a place ok with), she said the landlord would probably be okay with me painting the interior, and it's the cheapest house for rent in Morgan Hill, yet it's well maintained and clean. It's so small I couldn't lose the boys in it. And less places for a bad guy to hide. [But Davey says less places for us to hide from a bad guy. Hmm.] It's on a big piece of green land with 3 other homes just like it on it (ours would be the smallest).
We applied for it. We may not even get it. We pray God will work everything out. We want HIS will.
Davey really wants me to look in Los Banos for a house. I told him I will not live in a city that's name is translated "The Bathrooms" in English. But I'll be a submissive wife and look into it. Truth is we could rent a good size home there or in Hollister for a reasonable price. We would be further away from town than I'd like... but you count your costs.

Here is the house in Morgan Hill.



I also am thinking.. can I leave my gym?? I have the BEST 24 Hour Fitness. The Y in Morgan Hill has 2 cycle classes a week.. and no, they are not hiring for more teachers. I asked. It would be a big challenge to my training. I love our home here, I love my church, and I love my gym!

What would you do?? Please tell me. Move to a tiny home close to family, or stay where you are? Or move to The Bathrooms?

Love, The Curvy Housewife