Then and Now

Tuesday marks 4 months since hubby and I embarked upon a commitment to bettering our health and our lives.  Time has flown so quickly.  I've been reflecting on various aspects of my life, and found myself thinking about the great changes that have taken place as a result of a few small changes we made back in March.

Then (3/2/2013):   I was carrying baby weight from two babies and about 6 weeks away from returning to work.   NONE of my pre-pregnancy clothes fit and I was already feeling sad about returning to work and leaving my precious babies in somebody else's care.   Once again I was having to confront the reality of not being able to be a stay at home Mom.

Before the 24-Day-Challenge

Now (6/30/2013):  Today life is very different.  I blew through my weight loss goal of getting to my pre-baby weight and am now rocking my high school weight; something I haven't seen on a scale since those long ago high school days when I was swimming 5 hours a day!   That's pretty awesome in my book, but not nearly as awesome as having the energy levels of high school me and feeling better than I ever have!

One other surprising aspect of the decision to get healthy was the resulting business that is exploding before my eyes.   Hubby and I decided to give it a go as the weight started melting off and began to intentionally share these fabulous products here and there that we'd been keeping to ourselves (shame on us!).   But as the physical transformation continued the interest began to grow and so did a business.   Now people are seeking me out to find out what I had done to get such great results in such a short period of time.   Along the way, I've discovered I have a heart for serving others in a way like I had never imagined.    And the biggest change is that my lifelong dream of being a stay at home Mom has been reawakened as not only a possibility but a soon to be reality.   So you're hearing it here first!   June 2014, I will be walking out of the classroom (something I love) to work from home and pour into my own babies (something I love even more).  

Today! Down 26 pounds and 5.5 inches!

So I close today's post with thank you!  Thank you to those of you who have been following this journey and for your continued support!  Thank you to God for blessing our healthy and the business and giving me the heart to serve others.   And thank you to Andrea for having a heart to help Kevin and I take the first steps to changing our lives in dramatic and exciting ways.

P.S.  Hubby is also rocking towards his health goals.  He's down 26 pounds but is shedding inches right before my eyes.   After trying many different ways to lose weight and watching him get frustrated over lack of progress, I am so happy to see him making permanent progress towards better health!    Not so bad on the eyes either!

The Results Are In (Day 24)

Post Challenge! (12 weeks post baby)

Well, it's final here......the end of the 24-Day-Challenge!  What an awesome journey this has been and thanks to everyone who has been following my blog and our journey!    So here are the final stats:

Abbey lost 7 pounds and between 1.5 and 2 inches all around!

Kevin lost 6 pounds and between 3/4 and 2.5 inches all around!

Not too bad for just 24 days!

We are both feeling better than ever with tons of energy!   New words are entering our vocabulary such as leaner and stronger.  It's such a nice change to be able to keep up with our two kiddos and to actually enjoy running around with our 2-year-old at the end of the day as much as the beginning of the day.

And for those of you wondering....BFF lost 6 pounds and between 1-2 inches all over!

For those of you who like numbers the stats for Kevin and I are below!

Abbey's Revised Measurements:
Weight:  158.8 lbs.
Chest:  38.5"
Waist:  31.5"
Hips:  37.5"
Thigh:  23"

Kevin's Revised Measurements:
Weight:  280.6 lbs.
Chest:  49.5"

Waist:  47.5"
Hips:  38.75"
Thigh:  27.25"


Want to get amazing results with your own 24-Day-Challenge, just Click Here!

Almost There (Day 22)

Wow!  It's the end of Day 22, already!    I've been tempted to jump on the scale or whip out the measuring tape just to see how far I've come.    I've never been so excited to check my weight.  In my experience the number doesn't seem to go down as often as it goes up.   And I can't remember the last time I lost inches.   So while I might be a little crazy, I'm actually looking forward to quantifying the success I've been feeling over the last several days.

To be perfectly honest, I don't even care what the numbers are.   The extra energy I feel, and the fact that my clothes not only fit better but are looser than before I was pregnant is enough success to keep me going for a lifetime.   But, numbers talk too, so I say bring on the quantification of this successful journey.

Stay tuned and get ready to celebrate.........

Remember When........ (Day 20)

11 Weeks Post Baby

Do you remember the last time you looked in the mirror and were truly happy with what you saw?    

I was pondering this idea this morning, as I put on my pre-pregnancy jeans again today and discovered that we have taken it beyond fitting and are moving into the land of "they're too big."  And as I did up the button, and fastened the now necessary belt, I took a look in the mirror and smiled as I reveled in liking what I saw.   I didn't care about the pounds or the inches that have been coming off in the last 20 days, because that feeling of being happy with what my body looks like in the clothes I own is priceless.

I'm not exactly where I want to be physically, but the progress I've made will keep me motivated and encouraged to keep going with this new lifestyle, especially as I prepare to go back to work in a few weeks. The investment I've made in me is paying off in a big way!


So do you remember the last time you looked in the mirror and were truly happy with what you saw? Do you want to?

Celebrating Successes Along the Way (Day 19)

Wow!  We are already at Day 19.   The days have flown by and the successes with teh challenge are starting to pile up.  I realized that I've spent a lot of this blog talking about my journey (and triumphs) on the challenge.   But I didn't start this challenge alone.   My hubby and best friend joined me on this journey and though they haven't been featured here, they are absolutely rocking their challenges too.  So today, I want to celebrate my challenge buddies for their successes, too!

Hubby came down the stairs yesterday with a big smile on his face because he had to pull his belt in a notch!   This is a new belt from his first challenge which reached the point where he had to start drilling new notches in it because he couldn't pull it in anymore.    Today, he was frustrated as he got dressed for work...........because his pants were too big!   I told him that was a good problem to have, and an exciting one on his journey.   In eight years of marriage, and trying multiple different diet or eating plans, I've never heard those words come out of his mouth.   Hooray Hubby!

My BFF and I got together for lunch yesterday.  Due to busy schedules, I hadn't seen her since we started the challenge, though our days have been filled with texting recipes and pictures of food on our plates.   We've also been texting our successes as we've noticed them.   To date, she'd been reporting a significant increase in energy, looser clothing, and most exciting for her was that other people were noticing her results as well! (Nothing beats a compliment when you've been working hard on yourself).   So when we got together for lunch yesterday, I was very excited to see just how awesome she was looking.  And if the number of times I watched her (and joined) her in hiking up the pants so they would stay up, I'd say we may have to schedule a shopping trip for some new clothes for our next get together.  Hooray BFF!

So with 5 days left in the challenge, we are all making sure we are staying super focused so that we can maximize our results, and getting ready to celebrate our success over the last 24 days.  And in looking forward to continuing this path of more energy and better health we are all preparing our maintenance plans to help us continue working towards our individual goals!

Mini Muffin Top (Day 17)

10.5 Weeks Post Baby

Last month, I felt brave enough to try on a pair of pre-pregnancy jeans.......and they buttoned up.   I was rocking a ridiculous muffin top, but was so blissfully happy that I could get into them I didn't really care.   A carefully chosen top covered most of the muffin top, and carrying my infant daughter took care of the rest.

Today, I put on the same jeans again (I haven't worn them since) and was stoked to discover that the jeans were not only noticeably looser but that my muffin top was significantly diminished.  Now it's a mini muffin top!  Sure, it's still there, but nothing like it once was.  But I don't think I'm doing to shabby 10.5 weeks after delivering my daughter.  After all, it took me 9 months to get that muffin top in the first place, and while it is a badge of honor from my pregnancy it has served its purpose and it's time for it to go and be replaced by the energy to keep up with my kiddos.

I can't wait for the day when the only muffin top I see is sitting right on top of a muffin I'm about to eat!

Want your own success story to share?  Click Here!

More on my Pants (Day 16)

Just a quick update......

Back on Day 9, I shared my excitement that my pre-pregnancy pants were fitting significantly better than they did before we started this challenge.   7 days later, they are even looser.   In fact, I may need to consider taking my belt in a notch to keep them up.  I have to say my favorite thing about the challenge is that if you follow the plan you will get noticeable results pretty quick, which is just what I (and many others I suppose) need to stay motivated and keep going.   I've never been this dedicated to eating healthy and exercising, but now that I am, I can't imagine going back to eating/living the way we did before we found Advocare.

Click Here for my Advocare Website