Losing Weight: No Excuses!

Remember the DietBet, I told you about?

It's been 5 days since the weigh in at Tony Luke's and I've been really inspired by some of the other blogger's posts about how challenging it can be to lose weight. Just like SingleCityMom and MommaBrown I've been thinking a lot about weight loss. It is not easy. No matter how awesome life is, there are always things that come along that are perfect excuses not to stay on a diet.

Like now... It's literally freezing outside and our furnace broke, which means we have no heat or hot water. The pipes were partially frozen this morning. And, replacing the furnace is a huge unexpected expense. Plus, I have a cold that won't go away, which isn't making things any easier. Those are good excuses for comfort food, right?

Times like this make it tough to stick to a diet. You have moments where you say to yourself 'I'm stressed and I deserve this insert name of favorite junk food here.' People always use stress or emotions as an excuse to eat high calorie comfort food. But, I'm focusing on the big picture.

In the grand scheme of things, a broken furnace is merely a minor inconvenience. I have amazing friends and family who have come to the rescue with electric heaters, meals and hot showers. And, I made a commitment to the DietBet. I challenged myself to lose 4% of my weight in 4 weeks. A lot of people know about this commitment and I don't want to make excuses for failing, whether it be stress, sickness, or anything else.

It's easy to get stressed and throw the diet out the window. But, it's not going to happen. This is it! 

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Disclaimer: This is not a paid post, but I hope to win a portion of our DietBet pot which DietBet contributed money to.

Getting Back to Basics With Weight Loss

You know I've been on a mission to lose some weight, right? Well, this week, I'm extremely proud of the progress I've made. The funny thing is, the numbers on the scale didn't even change. I'm still down about 15 pounds and moving in the right direction!
A few hours after I wrote about Losing Baby Weight Via The K.I.S.S. Method , I saw a Facebook update from Jillian Michaels that was completely in-line with my thoughts that day.
Continue Reading: Back To Basics: Walking The Weight Off
 

Together Counts

When I see my sons' passion for sports, it makes me come alive. My 6-year is constantly surprising me with his athletic accomplishments and my 4-year old seems to be following in his footsteps. Today, my 4-year old tried on his brand new white baseball pants and we practiced throwing the baseball back and forth to each other.  At one point, I looked at him and said, "You haven't even had your first game yet, and you already have grass stains all over your pants."  He looked up at me and firmly said "That's what baseball is all about."  He was 100% right.

If you've been reading my recent posts about my DietBet weight loss competition, then you know I'm on a mission for more active and healthy living.  When I learned about the Together Counts program, it was exactly in line with the ongoing goals I have for my family.

The principle behind Together Counts is Energy Balance, which means balancing the calories we consume with the calories we burn.  It’s a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together more than 195 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, restaurants, sporting goods and insurance companies, trade associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and professional sports organizations. Their goal is to get more families eating and getting active together, with a message of moderation.

Together Counts is holding a sweepstakes on their Facebook page to celebrate their first anniversary. Prizes include gift cards, George Foreman Grills and a membership to Anytime Fitness. You can also find Together Counts on Twitter and Pinterest.

Everyone is also invited to a Twitter Party, on 4/3 from 8-9 PM EST, to celebrate Child Nutrition Month. Prizes include $50 same-as-cash gift cards. For more information and to RSVP, visit http://resourcefulmommy.com/8856/together-counts-twitter-party/

Join in the fun!

Read my full disclosure policy here. This post may contain an affiliate link

The Early Bird Gets the Worm When It Comes to Exercise

Are you an early bird or a night owl? 

I'm definitely a night owl, but I think that might need to change. Why? Well, I was having dinner with a friend who recently lost 26 pounds and she commented that waking up early to exercise has become her new routine. I keep hearing from friends, that they must exercise in the morning, otherwise, they will begin work and daily chores and never find time to do it.

It completely makes sense. Our days are jammed packed from start to finish with a never ending to-do list.  It's easy to make excuses. But, I really want to stick with my weight loss motto, "No excuses" and start implementing a work out routine.

The Couch to 5k Program (C25K) is highly recommended. Although I have worked out a lot in the past, I have never been a runner. A couple of days ago, I joined a friend on day 3 of her C25K workout and it was actually pretty fun. I felt good at the end of the workout and curious to know if I could do the whole program.

At this point, I'm not 100% sure that running is my thing. However, one thing I know for sure it that everything is more fun when you have a friend to partner up with. That's why I decided to do another DietBet game this month. I've lost another pound, but I feel like I really need to step it up a notch in order to meet my 4% goal. So, as I ponder setting the alarm extra early to exercise, let me leave you with this article which also examines the question "When is the best time to do your workout?" Cardio Exercise – Best Time To Do Cardio Workouts For Weight Loss.

When you you exercise most often?  Where do you find the inspiration to stick with it? Do you get your kids involved in your workouts?

 This post may contain an affiliate link.  Read my full disclosure policy here. 

Hooray! I exceeded my DietBet goals

When 8 other women and I started a DietBet 4 weeks ago, I never would have guessed we'd lose a whopping 94 pounds in 4 weeks! That is so much weight, it completely boggles my mind! But, even though I'm completely amazed at our achievement, I am not surprised.

As soon as I starting reading about DietBet, I had a gut feeling that it would work for me. When I was 13 years old, I started Jenny Craig. With a combination of diet and exercise, I lost over 50 pounds. In 2002, I was the skinniest I've ever been. Then, after two pregnancies, lack of sleep, and change in routine, I gained the weight back.

Just like so many other people out there, I've started countless diet and exercise routines over the past few years, but never stuck to it.  For me, having the 4 week deadline, a strict goal and the support from my friends with DietBet made a world of difference to me. I feel more confident, disciplined and determined to meet my goal, but I know I can't stop here. I need to keep doing this to help stay focused and be held accountable.

So, I am over-the-moon that I exceeded my goal of losing 4% of my body weight by losing over 10 pounds in the last 4 weeks, and today I'm starting a new Dietbet today with some members of my family. Brandi from One Great Mom is also starting her own DietBet and she's inviting everyone to join in here.

I already posted this cool new promo by DietBet on my deals page, but if you want to start a game of your own, they will put up to $25 into your pot if you follow these steps:

1. Start a new game at www.DietBet.com

2. Set the weight goal, bet amount, and get four or more friends to play with you.

3. Use DietBet to hold the pot and they will spot your stake up to $25 when you use the promo code: F73HQI. If everyone bets $25 via PayPal or credit card, they will cover your $25 bet. If everyone bets $20 via PayPal or credit card, they will cover your $20 bet. etc.*

If you have any questions about DietBet, just send me a message here.

Check out Tony Luke Jr on Twitter too.

*Note: Offer expires on July 31, 2012 and must meet all of the requirements above.

A special thanks to: Harmonic Mama, www.delcodealdiva.com, www.theturnipfarmer.com, www.thatsmykindofparty.com, agrandelife.net, thesinglecitymom.wordpress.com, jamessproject.com and www.realmommedia.com for Diet-betting with me!

 The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.

Only One Week Left on Our DietBet

I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous about the final DietBet weigh in next week, but, I've already lost 6 pounds and I am still absolutely determined to meet my goal.

All along, my motto has been "No Excuses," and, I feel like this past month has really tested me.  I'm finally feeling good after weeks of fighting a terrible cold that kept getting worse and worse until it just FINALLY got better. February also brought other stressful moments like a broken furnace in 20 degree weather and my little guy developing pneumonia. Then, last week, I got the news that a friend lost her battle with cancer.

This has been a tough month.

But, if I can make it through a month like this and still lose weight, it really means I have no excuses for the months ahead (which I hope will be less stressful). There will always be bumps in the road. However, constantly making up excuses for not being able to lose weight doesn't really accomplish anything. Does it?

Over the past 3 weeks, it's been really nice to have the private DietBet forum for our group so that we can all support each other and keep each other posted on our progress. Tweeting and facebook messages are always good, but having DietBet's forum allows us to be completely honest with each other and vent (when necessary.) There are also graphs (like the one shown above) that show our weight loss individually and compared to the group which is extremely motivating.

Using DietBet creates a really nice dynamic, because we're competing with the group, but ultimately it's up to the individual to stay on track. And, since we all have a chance at winning a portion of the pot, I truly want to see the other girls meet their goals too.  Right now, our group has lost a total of 50 pounds.  Isn't that amazing?!

Want to start your own game? They have a new promo where they will put $25 into your pot if you follow these steps:

1. Start a game with DietBet (You must use this link)
2. Set the weight and goal and bet amount.
3. Get four or more friends to play with you.
4. Use DietBet to hold the pot and we'll spot your stake up to $25.

Please check out these great bloggers whoare all doing this DietBet with me:

Jen @ Harmonic Mama,  Violet @ thesinglecitymom.wordpress.com,

Kelly @ www.delcodealdiva.com, Kelly @ www.theturnipfarmer.com,

Mary @ jamessproject.com, Steph @ agrandelife.net

Joey @ www.realmommedia.com, and Meredith @ www.thatsmykindofparty.com

Disclaimer:  I hope to win a portion of our DietBet pot which DietBet contributed money to.You can check out my full disclosure here.

Our DietBet: We're Half Way There!

Collectively, we've already lost about 30 pounds. I think that's pretty darn impressive!

The last 2 weeks have gone by so fast. I still have about 4 more pounds to lose, but I want to lose a couple extra pounds on top of that just to have a safety net. Remember we are playing for money here, and I really don't like losing.

There are 9 women who have come together for this DietBet to support each other and challenge each other. And, we're doing exactly that! It's incredibly motivating knowing that we have a set date (almost 2 weeks from now) when we will meet up again, get on the scale and face the truth.

We've also been chatting in our private DietBet forum that you get when you sign up for a DietBet.  In the forum I was reminiscing about my honeymoon. Once upon a time, I was thin enough to wear a string bikini, and I still wasn't happy with my body. I don't even have one photo of myself it that bikini because I was so self-conscious. What the heck was I thinking??!! I would love to be that size again. But, looking back on those moments remind me that it's so important to be appreciative of what I have now.

Health.

Family.

Friends.

All of the little things that make life special.

Those are the things that really matter.

Have you also been trying to lose weight?  Do you think you could get your friends and family together for a DietBet?

Disclaimer:  I hope to win a portion of our DietBet pot which DietBet contributed money to.You can read my full disclosure here.

What is DietBet?

Want to find out about DietBet's new promotion where they'll put up to $25 in your pot? Just scroll to the end of this post

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Today, is a big day for me! It's the first day of my 4-week DietBet with a group of Philadelphia area mom bloggers. I'm no stranger to diets, but don't think I've ever been as excited as I am now to start one. I'm playing with a great group of women, I can win some money and lose weight. Yes!

I've been very successful with weight loss in the past, but the past few (post-baby) years, I've been in a rut. But, I really think DietBet is going to work for me.  Let me tell you a little bit about why I love the concept of DietBet.

1) In DietBet, everyone can win! I've done weight loss competitions with friends before there was only 1 winner. At first I thought that was this was the best way to do a diet challenge like this. But, then you get players doing cleanses or juice fasts and they lose an extreme amount of weight in a short amount of time. This is not my style of dieting, and it can be discouraging to see someone like that walk away with the prize money when you were doing everything "right", still lost weight, but didn't win. Losing weight is good, but winning is always nice too!

2) DietBet encourages healthy weight loss. The amount of weight each player has to lose (4% or 8 pounds) are stipulated by the game's organizer. In our DietBet game, we decided to each aim for 4% weight loss. This will make it fair for everyone, no matter if you only need to lose 10 pounds or 50 pounds. And, no one should be tempted to try any crazy dieting methods, because 4% weight loss in 4 weeks seems like a very realistic goal. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

3) It's perfect for budget-minded moms like me. The amount of money each player has to bet is decided by the organizer of each individual game. Every player puts money in the pot at and whoever reaches their goal weight by the final weigh-in wins the pot. If more than one player reaches their goal, they split the pot evenly. This is perfect for women like me who already know how to lose weight, and just need extra motivation to do it. Some people like doing those weight lose programs where you pay to be weighed in every week, but that can add up fast. Setting up a DietBet with your friends is FREE.  They only take a 5% fee per player if you use their services to collect the bets with PayPal or credit card. If you collect the bets yourself, there's no charge at all!

So, today is the big day - the diet begins! Last night, we all met at Tony Luke's in Philadelphia to have dinner and get weighed-in. Tony Luke lost 131 pounds in the past 11 months and he was happy to chat with us about weight loss while we were all eating the best cheese steaks! He is so inspiring and looks awesome. There are 9 bloggers participating in my DietBet challenge. We each put in $25 and then, the generous folks at DietBet put in an additional $1,000 for our game. I'll be chatting about this daily on Twitter and mix it into some of my blog post as well, but be sure to come back next Wednesday for an official update!

Want to start your own game?

DietBet will put up to $25 into your pot if you follow these steps:

1. Start a new game at www.DietBet.com

2. Set the weight goal, bet amount, and get four or more friends to play with you.

3. Use DietBet to hold the pot and they will spot your stake up to $25 when you use the promo code: F73HQI. If everyone bets $25 via PayPal or credit card, they will cover your $25 bet. If everyone bets $20 via PayPal or credit card, they will cover your $20 bet. etc.*

If you have any questions about DietBet, just send me a message here.

Check out Tony Luke Jr on Twitter too.

*Note: Offer expires on July 31, 2012 and must meet all of the requirements above.

Disclaimer: Consult with your doctor or qualified nutritionist before engaging in a Dietbet. Dietbets are intended to provide fun, enhanced motivation for people to engage in safe, healthy lifestyle changes. There are risks to playing which the Competitor bears. Do not engage in a Dietbet where you cannot safely lose the required weight in the required time, or when you cannot afford to lose the money that you Bet. DietBet, Inc. does not permit use of its services for dietbetting in jurisdictions where such contests are illegal. I am professionally affiliated with DietBet, please see my full disclosure here.

Getting Kids to Eat Healthy

 

For so many people, the start of a new year is a time to begin fresh and make resolutions. But, now that I'm a mom of 2 kids in school, back-to-school time is almost like the start of my new year.

With one child in Preschool and another in Kindergarten, I have a little bit of time where I can refocus and get organized. Isn't it amazing how even 4 hours a week when your child is in preschool can feel like such a special gift. 4 whole hours! What's a mom to do with herself? Work and household tasks take up a huge chunk of time, but getting my entire family eating healthier is also a huge priority.

Here are some things that work for us, and might work for you too:

1) A friend of mine gave me this tip about baking cauliflower. If you cut it up and toss it with a little olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and bake it on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes the kids love it! Ever since I started making cauliflower this way, it has become one of my kid's favorite vegetables. I think because it's not green, they don't even think about vegetables while they're eating it.

2) Giving kids the chance to grown their own vegetables, herbs or even go apple picking at an orchard is a fun way for them to learn about natural eating. We've been growing carrots and herbs which my kids love to pick. If you don't have a lot of space or don't think you have a green thumb, start with herbs (like basil and oregano) and go from there.It's an easy way to add flavor without lots of extra calories and you'll be surprised at how easy it is.

3) Dip, Dip, Dip! It's such an easy way to get kids eating raw veggies. I always make my kids their own little plate of veggies and dip in the late afternoon or before dinner if they're asking for a snack. Their favorite dips are hummus and ranch dressing, but sometimes I make my own yogurt dip as a healthier alternative.

Sometimes, I think my 5 year old son eats more than my husband and I. But, luckily, my kids are so active that they are able to maintain healthy weights very easily. Now, if only it would be that easy for me!

 

Share how you get your kids to eat healthy food below for a chance to win a $500 Mom’s Getaway Spa Day from BlogFrog!

Want to exchange more healthy snacks ideas, money saving tips and back to school shopping advice with other moms? Visit the Horizon® Healthy Families Back to School Community!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon. The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the Horizon Organic brand.

 

Melt that Muffintop Monday: Free Excercise at Home

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It's heating up around here, and I've already enjoyed a few days at the pool and beach with my family.  But... I'm not so excited to be flaunting my not-so-perfect body in a bathing suit.  Youtube to the rescue!  Did you know Youtube can help you shape up?

I've been to many Zumba® classes in the past, and I loved it.  I found a couple of experienced, easy to follow instructors, who knew how to make it fun.  I was also going to classes with friends which always made it a blast.  But, the gym closed down and, since then, I've been in a rut. Finally, my sister told me about this amazing dance aerobic instructor, Larissa, who post her routines on Youtube. 

I almost like working out with YouTube better because I can do it at home whenever I want.  If my boys want to play in the back yard, I can even bring my laptop outside since my neighbors aren't too close.  I don't have to waste time/gas driving to the gym. And, sometimes, my 3 year old even tries to excercise with me (as long as he's not trying to hang off my leg, we're usually okay.) 

I've made a playlist of really fun work outs that I plan on doing throughout the summer. Just hit 'play' and the routines run continuously. I always make the video full screen, so it's easy to see & follow.  In total, the videos add up to 46 minutes which is almost as long as the full classes that I was going to.

The best part is: it doesn't matter if I can dance like Beyonce or have as much rhythm as Big Bird. When I'm exercising in my own house, I can dance as crazy as I want, because nobody is watching!  

Let me know if you try it.  I'd love to know what you think.

Find some of my favorite linky parties here.

Making Time for Mommy... Easy Ideas for Mommy 'Me-time'

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Hey, all you Mommies out there...Yes... YOU!

Please, don't forget to take time out for yourself.  As a first-time Mom to a newborn, I remember leaving my son for a few hours and it was the hardest thing in the world. The thought of a date night with my husband or a girls night out wasn't appealing at all, because it meant I would have to leave my precious little baby.  Maybe I was *a little* over-protective, but I know I'm not the only woman who has gone through this.

In 5 years, it's amazing how things have changed.  I still love my precious babies (both now pre-school age).  And, there are times when I still miss them like crazy if I'm out without them.  But, I can definitely appreciate a few hours of me-time. 

Here are some of my favorite ways to re-energize and relax:

* If you've never done a Zumba class, you have to try one.  Go with at least one friend, because it is so much more enjoyable when you have a pal to sweat & smile with.  Zumba is so much fun that you don't even realize you're getting exercise.  I learned that every Zumba teacher has their own unique style and music selection.  So, if you go to one class and don't like the instructor, give it another chance with different instructor.

*Three words: Girls Night Out!  Before I was married with children, a G.N.O. usually meant drinking with my girl friends at a friend's apartment, taking a taxi to the bars, then more drinking and dancing until the bars kicked us out.   Those were nights to remember ; )  Now... my friends and I sneak out during a weeknight, possibly have a drink, and share some appetizers at a local restaurant.  It's quite a change from a pre-kid G.N.O., but it still makes me happy, and I don't have to deal with a wicked hangover.  It's cheap and cheerful female bonding!

* Grab the stroller and go on a walk with a friend or neighbor.  When the weather is nice, take advantage of it and get outside.  You might be thinking "How is this me-time when I'm with the kids?" But, here's my reasoning: 1) A walk gives you a chance to listen to the birds, enjoy the views, and breathe the fresh air. These are things you might often overlook while getting caught up in chores and changing diapers. 2)  You're pounding the pavement and strengthening your body.  It's empowering to know you are literally taking steps to be healthier and look better. 3) While you're walking, you can talk with your friend.  Your baby might have fallen asleep in the stroller or older kids may be completely mesmerized with their surroundings.  It ca be a unique chance to have an adult conversation without getting interrupted.

No matter who you are, or where you live - Mommy me-time is a must!  If you have any other ideas for Mommy me-time, I'd love to hear them.