New Year...New Goals...Elizabeth Gets In Shape

Goal 1: Cook better / Eat better

Goal 2: Move More

Pregnancy Update and First Belly Pictures!

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant!  Baby Shack is the size of a large avocado now.  In three weeks we will have our anatomy scan and find out if we are having a boy or girl.  That will be a super fun day!  I am officially a few weeks into my second trimester but my first trimester symptoms have really hung around for a few extra weeks.  I still have days where I get tired and sleepy but I can tell I am finally pulling out of the first trimester fog.  When I was pregnant with Lena I didn't take very many belly pictures.  I didn't even look pregnant until I was in my third trimester.  My belly is finally popping a tiny bit now..barely...  Here are two pictures to compare:

6 weeks - 189 Pounds

16 weeks - 194 pounds

If not to compare my belly size I can at least use them to keep track of my weight.  With my last pregnancy I gained about 50-60 pounds (and I only made it to 36 weeks).  So far I have gained five pounds through the first sixteen weeks.  At my OB appointment a few weeks ago I got the okay to get back to exercise.  Hopefully I can make some wiser choices with my food and exercise this time around so I don't have to work so long and hard to lose my baby weight this time.

Change of Plans: I am my own trainer!

It has been 18 months since I first began working out at Fit Body Bootcamp regularly.  During that span I have lost 80 pounds!  (Last week I stopped by the high school where I used to teach two years ago and nobody recognized me.  I literally had to tell people that I worked with on a daily basis who I was. Crazy!)  Bootcamp has been instrumental in my continual weight loss and body composition change.  It has completely changed the way I exercise and think of exercise.  I, like most women, was a cardio junkie and rarely lifted any weights until I started bootcamp.  So you might be able to understand my panic and concern when my bootcamp membership expired at the end of October.  Financially it is not an option for us to renew my membership right now.  I went a full week without working out.  I felt guilty, worried about putting the pounds back on and losing muscle, and dreading lonely trips to the neighborhood gym..  Then a friend posted a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout on Facebook and it dawned on me that it was possible for me, after all I had learned at Fit Body Bootcamp, to be my own trainer for awhile.  

I printed out the workout, downloaded a HIIT timer app for my phone, and stepped out our front door for my first bootcamp workout sans trainer.  Dan joined me and Lena played in the park while we did our workout.  It went amazingly well!  Lena was even so intrigued that she came over and tried to do some of the exercises with us.  I was so inspired by that first workout that I did some research and developed a few more workouts based on the equipment that I have available to me and I ordered a few small items from Amazon.  Check out my equipment:

Resistance Bands - I had these already...time to put them to good use!

I got this $40 high speed jump rope on sale at Amazon for $5!

I ordered these furniture sliders instead of Valslide sliders.  They are great for working out on carpet inside the house.

Four Waxman furniture sliders cost around $10 while the Valslide workout sliders were two for $25.  

 Checkout this video that teaches you how to do some exercises with sliders:

I still need to get a kettle bell to add variety to my workouts.

My dad gave me an 8 pound medicine ball and I will save some money to buy a heavier one.

I am working on acquiring a pair of dumbells to add variety to my workouts.  I have access to some 8 pounders but I need some heavier ones.

One of the great things about bootcamp is that you can do many exercises with minimal or no equipment.  The video above has many of these "body weight" type of exercises to try.

Not being able to attend my regular Fit Body Bootcamp classes has been a huge bummer.  I miss my trainers who always push me, check my form, and introduce new exercises.  I miss the huge variety of equipment available to me.  I miss my fellow bootcampers, especially the 5 am crew, who pushed me and helped me find humor in a hard workout.   But there have been some great and unforseen side effects of being my own trainer:

1. Dan has started working out with me and he is a great partner.  I love that we can do this together.
2. Even though she is young, Lena gets to see us working out and I am beginning to be a good role model to her of staying physically active.
3. Neighbors and strangers have been asking about our workouts since we do them mostly in the park in front of our house.  Two moms in the neighborhood are going to try to join me in my workouts in the coming weeks.  
4. I don't have to drive anywhere to do these workouts which means I am more likely to do them and I can do them while I am staying home with Lena.  That makes my workout schedule much more flexible.
5. I have been able to help a few others get started with HIIT.  I love that I can "pay it forward" with all the great knowledge I have acquired during my time at Fit Body Bootcamp.
6. I have gained confidence that I am strong enough and knowledgeable enough to be my own trainer for now.  
7. Vacations have been a time of weakness for Dan and I as far as fitness goes.  We have gotten better over the last few trips being careful to stay active but these workouts are great because I can simple pack the sliders and one resistance band and have a whole army of exercises to do right in my hotel room!

Here are the workouts that I have created so far.  I modeled them after the HIIT workout that my friend posted on Facebook the other week.   I am not a professional so I can't vouch for their effectiveness or accuracy but I have tried them all out except the dumbbell workout and they make my body feel sore in the right way.  I am going to add 12 minutes of jump rope to the end of each workout starting this week and try to do one 3-5 mile run per week as well.  If you have any great HIIT workout tips or exercises for me to try let me know!  I still have much to learn!

You can do these workouts in two ways:

Way #1 – High Intensity Intervals

30 seconds per exercise with a 10 second rest in between / do 2-3 rounds

Way #2 – Tabata

For each exercise do 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest / repeat four times and then rest for 20 seconds while preparing to move on to the next exercise / do 1 round

Workout #1 (chair or bench)

1. Jumping Jacks -Total body 
2. Wall sit - Lower body 
3. Push-up - Upper body 
4. Bicycle crunch - Core 
5. Step-up onto chair - Total body 
6. Squat - Lower body 
7. Triceps dip on chair - Upper body 
8. Plank - Core 
9. High knees/running in place - Total body 
10. Lunge - Lower body 
11. Push-up and rotation - Upper body 
12. Side plank - Core

Workout #2 (resistance band)

1. Burpees -Total body 
2. Reverse Lunge - Lower body 
3. Lateral Raise with resistance band - Upper body 
4. Russian Twists - Core 
5. Mountain Climbers - Total body 
6. Jump Squat - Lower body 
7. Bicep Curls with resistance bands - Upper body 
8. Anti-rotation band - Core 
9. Star jumps - Total body 
10. Single Leg Hip Bridges - Lower body 
11. Tricep kick backs with band- Upper body 
12. Flutter kicks - Core

Workout #3­­ (sliders)

1. Slider jacks -Total body 
2. Side lunge with slider (right side) - Lower body 
3. Alligator Walk with sliders- Upper body 
4. Heel touch - Core 
5. Mountain Climber Sliders- Total body 
6. Side lunge with slider (left side) - Lower body 
7. Tricep push up - Upper body 
8. Slider ab roll - Core 
9. Knee tucks with sliders - Total body 
10. Leg curl with sliders - Lower body 
11. Spiderman Push ups with sliders - Upper body 
12. Pike abs with sliders - Core

Workout #4­­ (Dumbbells and Kettle bell)

1. Dumbbell or Kettle bell swings -Total body 
2. Sumo Squat ­­- Lower body 
3. Bent over row - Upper body 
4. Russian twists with dumbbell - Core 
5. Half Turkish get ups - Total body 
6. Squat with dumbbells - Lower body 
7. Renegade Rows - Upper body 
8. Triangle Press (right side) - Core 
9. Squat Thrusters - Total body 
10. Reverse Lunge with bicep curl - Lower body 
11. Half squat tricep press - Upper body 
12. Triangle Press (left side) - Core

Beginner Workout #1­­ (resistance bands / bench or stool / 1 heavy dumbbell)

1. Step onto chair -Total body 
2. Wall sit - Lower body 
3. Lateral raises with resistance band- Upper body 
4. Russian twists - Core 
5. High Knees (or march in place) - Total body 
6. Squats - Lower body 
7. Bicep Curls with resistance band - Upper body 
8. Anti-rotation band - Core 
9. Dumbbell swing - Total body 
10. Lunge ­­­- Lower body 
11. Tricep band pull- Upper body 
12. Hip bridges - Core

Long Beach Half Marathon 2013

The "Shack Mama" crosses the finish line again!

Long Beach Half Marathon 2013

Finish Time: 2:38

PR by 13 minutes!

My traditional post race victory pose!

On October 13th I competed in my second half marathon this year.  This time I raced in Long Beach and it was a beautiful day for a nice long run!  It was hands down the most scenic race I've ever done. It was incredible to run next to the Queen Mary, around a lighthouse, over the bay bridge while the fire boat did a water spout salute, run next to the ocean while the waves were crashing, and then down Ocean Blvd past historic buildings and palm tree lined streets.  It was a very well run race too!

An areal view of the start line.  You can see the Queen Mary in the background.

The Long Beach fire boat doing their water cannon salute.

 This time I raced with Team Mike who all run in honor of my sister in law's father who was a fire fighter who passed away two years ago from pancreatic cancer.  Several friends and members of my boot camp were there to run as well.  It was fun to see some familiar faces as I made my way through the 13.1 mile race.

Some of the Team Mike crew!

I decided to run this race just six weeks before race day so I didn't have much training time.  In fact I only ran twice to get ready for this race and mostly focused on putting on muscle through my boot camp workouts.  I wasn't sure how my body would handle such a long distance without adequate training but everything went surprisingly well!  The first six miles I ran a 9:30-10:30 pace which is pretty fast for me.  I felt really good and didn't hurt like I did in my last half marathon.  After mile 8 I began to get really hungry and lose steam.  That is where my lack of training caught up with me. I had the strength but not the endurance.  I came across several inspiring runners that kept me motivated and helped me push through to the end and my last mile I finished really strong.  I ended up finishing 13 minutes faster than my last half marathon and my body felt MUCH better than last time too.

Going strong at mile 7!

Crossing the finish line!

It was fun to have lots of cheerleaders in the race.  Dan also loaded my phone with lots of great songs to run to and I always run faster with good music in my ears.

My brother Sam who completed the LB Full Marathon in 2012

My sister in law Kristen who completed the LB Half Marathon in 2012 while 7.5 months pregnant and the Full Marathon in 2011 to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

Dan my ever faithful supporter.  He had the hardest job taking care of Lena while I ran.

My littlest cheerleaders: Lena and cousin Riley

The Long Beach Half Marathon was such a great race and I had such a strong run that I am pretty sure my running days are far from over.  I can't wait to race again!

I think she would jump into the water if she could.

"FISH!!! FISH!!!"

We had such a fun weekend as a family.  On Saturday we took Lena to the Long Beach Aquarium for the first time and she LOVED it!  She ran around yelling "Fish! Fish!" for the first 30 minutes and kept calling all the seals and sea lions "dog dogs".  Then we ate a nice lunch on the boardwalk and checked into our race hotel so we could have a relaxing evening and morning before the race.  Can't wait till next year!

It was a great race day but by the end Lena was "toast"!!!

Favorite Things: FOOD! How I lost six pounds in one week!

My overhauled bread bowl is now full of veggies for this week's recipes.

I am a total self professed foodie.  I love to eat, to bake, to savor lots of different flavors... I favor most cheese and baked goods.  Dan is also a foodie.  We encourage each other's foodie habits and spoil each other with our favorite foods.  I am one of those wives that shows her love through food.  I bake Dan treats, make yummy dinners, layout out spreads of our favorite cheese and accompaniments, I even bake homemade bread.  I am solely responsible for the baked goods addiction that many of Dan's co-workers have developed because I send baked goods to his office so often.  But this week things have begun to change....

I have come to the realization recently that when I bake really delicious but unhealthy treats and meals for my family (on a regular basis) I am not showing the right kind of love.  I have decided that I want my meals to say, "I am super delicious...I took time and thought to prepare...AND I will nourish your body and keep it working the proper way."  If I truly love my family I will take time to make them food that will keep them healthy, not send them to an early death.

Shopping for week 1 menu! (Plus a few extras like milk for Lena, Goldfish crackers for Lena, Spaghettios for Lena...etc.

I have wanted to change the way I cook for a long time but I put it off.  I didn't want to take the time to research recipes, restructure my pantry, and honestly I didn't want to give up making the baked goods that I love to make.  BUT...I didn't lose any weight from June until the end of September and I knew with my boot camp and triathlon training it wasn't because I wasn't exercising.  I knew that if I wanted to push through this weight loss plateau I was going to have to change the way I ate.

Crockpot meatballs and spaghetti squash.

Recently, I became acquainted with a food blogger online and in real life (I teacher her daughter piano lessons.) whose nutritional philosophy is: "It's time to change the way we eat.  It's time to cut out processed foods and to return to a diet filled with wholesome ingredients." I began following her blog www.realhealthyrecipes.com and her Facebook page (of the same name).  I was surprised by the variety of recipes she has posted and by how good they looked.  Still I was hesitant to try her recipes out because they called for some ingredients I hadn't tried before like blanched almond flour, coconut oil, coconut crystals, nutritional yeast, etc.  Then Diana, the food blogger, offered an 8-week menu planner with accompanying weekly shopping lists and I bought it and last week I began my 8-week boot camp towards a healthier lifestyle.  Here are my thoughts on my new food plan:

• I love shopping for all my meals in one shopping trip at the beginning of the week!
• I love not having to wonder what I should make for dinner every night.
• It is fun rating each meal on our menu so we can decide which ones we want to make again or tweak.
• It is surprisingly easy to make your own meals from fresh, non-processed food five nights a week.
• After not losing a pound all summer I lost six pounds in one week on this new meal plan.  
• Lena (my super picky eater) tried, ate, and liked,THREE new vegetables in one week.  Her favorite is cauliflower rice. (She has tons of variations of this rice that I can't wait to try!)
• I am a fan!

Most of the new ingredients were not that hard to find!  These were some good deals I found at Costco! (Coconut oil, coconut crystals, blue agave syrup)

Since I am such a fan of baked goods I love that Diana has tons of healthier cookie and dessert recipes for me to try.  My favorite so far is a blondie recipe that is awesome!  I am so glad that I have taken the plunge into learning healthier cooking techniques and some great new recipes.  I am certain that I will still eat cheese and have some of my old favorites occasionally but I LOVE that I have finally found a way to eat healthy food without getting bored and feeling deprived.  I will have to update once we get a few more weeks into our 8 week Real Healthy Menu.

Long Beach Tri 2013

Long Beach Triathlon 2013 Official Results

Finish Time 1:46:52

Swim- 21:45 T1- 4:01 Bike- 4352 T2- 1:51 Run- 35:25

Placed 9/17 Athenas and 516/610 overall

Just finished a .5 mile swim, 11 mile bike ride, and 3 mile run!

Today I finished my third Long Beach Sprint Triathlon and I raced to a personal record by 5 minutes!  After having been on a "no exercise" order for over two weeks I tried to make the most of the 10 days I had to prepare for the triathlon since I didn't sign up until I found out I wasn't pregnant.  I had to rely on muscle memory and was able to pack on some muscle and lose over a percent of body fat before the race.  Whenever Dan and I come to a difficult point in our infertility/adoption journey I react in one of two ways:  take a fabulous and exotic vacation or compete in a physically changing race.  It feels good to be able to do things that I generally wouldn't be able to do if I were pregnant.

Beautiful pre-race sunrise!

We arrived in Long Beach in the dark early morning hours and watched a beautiful sunrise as I headed out to the starting line.  Unlike last year's rough surf and thick fog, the ocean water was glassy and the skies were clear.  Dan was my cheer/support squad this year and did a great job motivating me and taking pictures.

Dan, my biggest fan!

The swim went well although I realized that I need to swim closer to the pylons.  Towards the end of the .5 mile swim I swam right into a huge kelp bed and totally freaked out.  The lifeguard on the surfboard next to me must have gotten a good laugh as I screamed "Eweee!  Gross!   Yuck!"  Given the better swim conditions I did finish the swim 3-4 minutes faster than last year.

Traditional pre-race warrior pose!

Right before the race start!

I raced in the Athena/Clydesdale division again this year which I love!  I would say that the majority of the competitors at this race were young in-shape people in their 20s.  It was fun to race with a huge variety of people who are just out there to set goals and accomplish them.  

I was able to improve my transition time from the swim to the bike by a whole minute which was something that I had focused on.  The run from the beach to the transition area through heavy sand is one of the more difficult parts of the triathlon.  

The bike portion of the race was my biggest improvement.  I completed it two minutes faster than last year.  Dan had taken me to work the hills in Chino Hills and I want to do some more hill work to improve my bike time even more next time.  

I did not complete any training runs or practice swims before this triathlon and I could tell.  I was in good physical condition because of my work in bootcamp but I lacked the endurance that I needed to improve my time in that area.  I did feel MUCH better physically than my 3 mile run in last year's triathlon and I probably could have pushed myself a little harder.  I competed 50 pounds lighter than what I weighed in last year's triathlon.  I wore the same trisuit - check out my comparison pics:

Long Beach Tri 2013 - 194 lbs

Long Beach Tri 2012 - 245 lbs

Miss Lena stayed with Grandma and Grandpa since she wasn't feeling too well with a cold.  When I got home from the race she loved wearing my new race medal.  I am excited that I was able to meet my goal to set a personal record today and to have a fun experience in the midst of a personal trial.  (I miscarried our little baby from our August transfer the day before the race.)  I am looking forward to being in Long Beach again next month to race the Long Beach Half Marathon.  Time to start putting some miles on my new Nike's!

Shift in Focus

It has been a little over 8 months since our third FET and while at first it was disappointing to decide to wait at least 6 months before our fourth FET I am glad we waited.  Truthfully I didn't feel ready when we did our third FET in November.  While I had made progress losing some of my baby weight I was still considerably heavier than I hoped to be at that point.  Since November I have lost 50 more pounds and am currently 20-25 pounds lighter than  when I got pregnant with Lena.

Part of me has really enjoyed the process of focusing on my physical health.  It feels good to set and achieve fitness goals.  I was able to complete a half marathon,  take a very active and fun family vacation where I hiked, zip lined, and swam in a two piece bathing suit without feeling self-conscious!  It is now time though to shift focus and I don't think it is going to be an easy transition for me.  I LOVE being a mom... but I also LOVE being active and adventurous.  I want to go camping, and train for my favorite race (the Long Beach Triathlon), and start my new job teaching 2nd grade homeschool without the stress of doctor visits and waiting for blood test results and getting a sore behind from shots.  I still find it hard to believe that the normal way most people conceive is to simply have sex for a few minutes. (Sorry if that was too crude!)  While I want so badly to have a sibling for Lena and to give her embryo brothers and sisters a chance at life I wouldn't be honest if I didn't also say that I am not looking forward to the process to make this happen.  I am so fortunate to remember that I have family and friends who support us so well: financially, with babysitting during doctor appointments, and also with prayer.

On another matter, if I am blessed with another pregnancy I am terrified of gaining back all the weight I have worked so hard to lose.  I will HAVE to find a way to be pregnant and healthy this time.  I don't know how to keep the weight off without proper exercise.  I don't know how to exercise properly and not constantly worry about a miscarriage.  I am glad that my new OB/GYN is a female who is so personable and has personally dealt with pregnancy and infant loss and also is into fitness.  She will be a great guide should I navigate the world of pregnancy again.

On occasion I am asked what our plans are if our next FET doesn't result in a pregnancy.  I really am not ready to think about that yet.  What we have decided is that we will keep on with our FETs until all seven of our remaining embryos have had a chance to grow.  That is about as far as we have decided at this point.

I called our fertility clinic a few weeks ago to let them know we are ready to begin an FET cycle.  Right now we are just waiting for my body to be ready and then our weekly 2.5 hour drives across town will begin.  I am trying to get excited about the possibility of being pregnant again but I am only 35 pounds away from my goal weight and it is hard to shift my focus from fitness to fertility.  I have a few more weeks to get my head right before we are deep into needles, ultrasounds, and hard discussions about embryos.  Pray for me friends!

"ONE-derland"!

It took me a few weeks longer than I had planned but I finally reached "One-derland" yesterday!  (One-derland for those who aren't familiar is what some people call getting to the point where your weight starts with the number 1.)  My total weight loss is now 79 pounds and I am down 97 pounds from the day I gave birth to Lena.  I texted this picture to Dan while he was at work and he brought me flowers to celebrate me reaching this fitness goal.

Been waiting to see that "1" for a LONG time!

On May 5th Dan and I both ran the OC Half Marathon.  I was so glad to have Dan's company during the race.  It made it extra special to accomplish this goal with him.  We had perfect running weather and the ocean and bay views were awesome!  My IT band was really hurting badly but I pushed through and finished strong.

Before the race waiting to take the shuttle to the starting line.

Dan rocking it during the race.

Elizabeth rockin it during the race.

After with smiles and our new race medals!

 The half marathon threw my body into a funk and I actually gained a few pounds the 9 days following the race.  I am back to my normal routine now and I am super excited to celebrate hitting below 200 pounds!  For a treat I ordered a new sexy bathing suit to wear on vacation this summer!  Here is my updated sequence of weight loss pics

March 2012 - 270 lbs

July 2012 - 262 lbs

Sept 2012 - 245 lbs

Feb 2013 - 220 lbs

May 2013 - 199 lbs

39 more pounds to go before I reach my final weight loss goal of 160 pounds!

A special shout out to my loving and supportive husband who chose to work overtime so we could pay for my boot camp classes which have been key in my weight loss and muscle building.  And also to Lena who is a constant physical reminder to me to be a good example in how I live.

John and Cara with Lena and I at the Let It Be Foundation Charity 5k run

A second special shout out to the owners of my book camp who sponsored me for almost two months when we couldn't afford it because they believed in me.

Love my BOB jogging stroller!

A third shout out to all my readers, friends, and family who encourage me constantly as I make this big life change.  (And to my brother and his wife for watching Lena while we ran our half marathon!)

Lastly, thanks to the Lord who has gifted me with a healthy body and the means and the willpower to take good care of it.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!"