From the mouth of babes

My daughter and I always have daily discussions when I pick her up from school. The other day we were stopped at a red light and she says, “Mom, look at that woman’s HUGE belly.” I asked her to repeat what she said hoping I had misheard her, but no, I had heard what she said loud and clear.

Explaining to a four year old that it’s not nice to say things that will hurt people’s feelings isn’t as easy as it sounds. Just last week she told me how gross my belly looks and that she doesn’t like it. Well, kid, you’re the one that made it that way so tough cookies. I found out later that she isn’t so grossed out by my loose skin as she is by all the lines (AKA stretch marks.) The first time she said something about my stomach I just walked off. It’s the part of my body that I struggle with the most because there’s just nothing I can do to change it-(not the lines-the looseness.) My husband was the one to give her the talk this time, but kids are just so honest. At least at this age.

While we sat at that red light and looked at the woman who was on a walk with who I assume was her husband, I explained to my daughter that some people are just bigger than others. Some people make different choices when eating and not everyone exercises regularly. I continued to share that the woman was on a walk so perhaps she’s working on getting healthier. 

How do you help your kids understand this concept? We aren't all on the same page when it comes to health and fitness and mostly that we are all different, but that's what makes us special? 

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Hot for Halloween

Are you tired of having to shop for the plus size halloween costumes? I sure was. The selection was limited, the sizes seemed so off-really? Plus size? I never felt like I looked like the heavier girls in the pictures. Looking back now I definitely needed the bigger sizes, but I think we never really see ourselves clearly. It's only in pictures that we see ourselves in with others eyes. 

When you look at the options available, they are getting smaller and smaller and I was getting bigger and bigger. I wasn't trying to look sexy. Wasn't Halloween the one time we were all on the same playing field dressing with grotesque make-up and ragged clothes? Halloween is no longer for zombies and monsters. It's time to bring out your inner sex goddess and, although, many woman embrace their size and curves, mine were more like rolls and not attractive at all. 

I'm thankful now that I can go into the Halloween season not worried about what I can wear. It's all about fun and feeling good about yourself. Join me in the last five weeks before Halloween and let's shape up so we can rock any outfit we choose! Comment here or send me a message! 

What are your plans for a costume this year?

PiYo Results and Review

PiYo is another Beachbody program that I have completed and I feel pretty darn good about the results. I had a few trips during this time and I will admit first thing that I was horrible with my eating. I'm an emotional eater and was going through a lot this summer, but I finished and I am happy with my results. Inches lost around the waist, perkier boobs, and Becky, look at that butt!! Yes, I said it. I'm proud of my progress back there! My booty has needed some major work since losing weight and PiYo has lifted it back up and given it some shape. It's still got a ways to go before I'll be completely satisfied, but I know with continued workouts, I'll get it to where I want it. 

During the 2 months with PiYo, I ate more than my share of cupcakes and chocolate. I was stressed from moving, helping my aunt move and a shoulder injury that happened earlier this year and wasn't getting any better. Fortunately, I got a steroid injection and so far, the pain has subsided. I'm an emotional eater and you can tell when I'm having good days and bad. I'm working on not giving into my emotions and feeding them with food. It's all mental for me. I'm in a good place right now and I'm committing to myself. 

The meal plan with PiYo is very open. It's very similar to the 21 Day Fix, just without the containers. You are given a certain amount of each food group to eat each day and a list of suggestions. There aren't really any recipes, so if you struggle with putting meals together, you'll definitely want to reach out to your coach and probably invest in the weekly meal planner with club membership from Team Beachbody. 

I really enjoy coming up with new ideas and am horrible at meal planning myself. The kitchen is my favorite part of the house though, so I'm good at winging it and flying by the seat of my pants. If this isn't your strong suit, I suggest trying club membership because you can use the meal planner and it will tell you exactly what to eat for every meal. Some people love that! 

The most important thing to remember when doing any workout is to do the best that you can do. Give it your all and you will see results, no matter what it is. 

When it comes to the workouts in PiYo, the first month is easy. The workouts are short and not too intense. Once you get into month two, your body will hurt. The workouts are closer to 45 minutes than 30 and they are going to make your muscles burn-no weights required! Get used to it! I suggest having some Results and Recovery ready for the days you do Drench, Sculpt and Buns. Wowo!! Chalene is not messing around. 

If you have any questions about this program, please let me know! I'm happy to help you decide if it's the program for you. 

Bridget

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5 Food Tips for Weight Loss

1. Start using My Fitness Pal. It's a free app that helps you really see what you're eating. Find me on there. I'm bemoore.

2. Look at portions-have you ever paid attention to what a serving size of cereal is? Pretty tiny.

3. Eat 5 times a day-doesn't have to be a full meal, but a snack is good to tide you over and not make you devour everything in sight once you realize you haven't eaten since breakfast and it's 6pm.

4. If you're drinking soda, stop-especially if it's diet.

5. Put down your utensils between bites. This will help you eat slower.

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The trouble with yoga pants

The illustrious camel toe*. It can plague us all. My question-why don’t the manufacturer’s put that little triangle patch of material at the front of the pants?? Instead, they make a nice little line sewing the legs together right where it is most unflattering for any woman. Plus, when you workout, that little thread running right up the middle of your crotch is in a most unpleasant area. If you move the wrong way… 

 Need I say more? 

*Camel toe: A vaginal wedgie most commonly caused by tight pants that work their way into the crevices of the vagina.

Back to Blogging

For those of you who don't know, Made to Motivate started after I decided to become a Beachbody coach. I started as a member of Team Boom with my coach, Patrick. After about a month or so, I decided to try Shakeology, and since Lee and I were in this together, I wanted the coaching discount. 

When I posted my first months results of Insanity on Facebook, I got an overwhelming response from friends and family that made me super motivated to continue and support those that wanted to start their weight loss journey. 

Once I got started, I decided to make my page: www.facebook.com/madetomotivate and start this blog. I began a group on Facebook that has grown to about 200 members and continues to grow daily. The page and blog have been kept up, but obviously the blog fell by the sidelines. After talking with a few of my fellow coaches, I've decided to bring it back and hopefully have some of my team join in from time to time with guest posts.

I hope to include motivational posts, healthy food choices, exercise tips and tricks and a good laugh every now and then. Want to see something in particular? Just leave a comment and I'll do my best. 

For now, have a great day and remember to push play. :) 

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Learning to Love the Foods you Hate

I grew up with two different people-my mother and then my aunt. For the first ten years I remember being forced to eat Brussels sprouts, squash, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage soup and other things that still gross me out today. I don't know if my mother didn't cook it correctly or like I've said all my life, "My taste buds weren't meant to eat them." Now that I'm older and know how to cook, I'm going to assume the former, but don't tell my mother.

When I was in fifth grade and moved in with my aunt, I knew she wasn't a fan of the kitchen. The only person that cooked in the house was me, but we never bought things you could cook. Our fridge was filled with pop and our pantry was filled with cookies and chips. If dinner was made, it was usually from a box-Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, Chicken Helper-you get the idea. I say if, because our normal "What's for dinner?" conversation was picking out what fast food joint we would be patronizing. Pizza delivery on Thursday nights (Must See TV) was a weekly tradition and usually popcorn on the weekends while watching movies-yes, as dinner.

Bad eating habits have followed me into adulthood, to say the least. I haven't bought boxed dinners in years because I enjoy being in the kitchen and using my culinary skills. I ditched most of the frozen food meals long ago as well since they are so full of sodium. Canned foods, frozen pizzas, and chips still find their way into my home and stomach, but not too often. 

One of my personal rules is not to diet. I have never seen anyone diet who has maintained their weight loss, so why should I suffer and not eat yummy foods? When I started doing Insanity, I checked out the meal plan so I could try my best to make healthier choices and get the amazing results I kept picturing in my head. However, I don't eat a majority of the items on the lists. I have either never had them, or have a bad memory of eating them. I thought I would try my best to follow it, but my husband didn't want to, so I just used MyFitnessPal to track my calories and keep track of what I was putting in my mouth. 

My Fitness Pal tracks your calories and goals. 

After Round 1 of Insanity, and my husband being disappointed in his results, (What do you expect when you eat thirty-eight  wings at Hooters because they have All You Can Eat?) he decided he wanted to follow the meal plan for our second round. Since I was happy with my first round results, I told him to use MyFitnessPal with me. He was very hesitant, but I thought that would be easier for him than the meal plan. To get him to agree, I told him I would start eating broccoli at least once a week. He loves it and I hardly cook it because I couldn't stand the smell. Well, I've eaten it twice now and didn't gag or throw up. Plus, it's not as bad as I remember. 

He's been using MyFitnessPal for a couple of weeks now and he's paying way more attention to what he puts in his mouth. He's seen positive results in the weight department as well. 

I am buying foods I've never tried, just hoping I can find healthier alternatives to the junk I've come to love. 

If you have any tricks of the trade, please share. I need to learn new ways to cook the foods I've always avoided. 

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