Whether You Think You Can, Or You Think You Can't....YOU'RE RIGHT.

Hey friends!

Week 1 of T25 Beta is complete!  I was a little apprehensive about stepping it up a notch as T25 Alpha  phase was challenging in and of itself for me!  So heck, taking it up a notch?  Then I wondered, how would this work?  I'm drenched in sweat immediately following these workouts.  How can Shaun T. really fit in more in the same 25 minute time frame.

Uh...He did!

It started off SUPER fast paced.  I was like, hey, where's my warmup yo?  It was tough! But super fun.  This week we got to incorporate weights a few times which was awesome, I LOVE lifting!  I had taken my 8lb weights in my suitcase and they were horribly light so I decided to go heavier next time I did it. 

In fact, this morning I did the Rip'T circuit with my 15lb weights and then went for a run, even though today is technically a rest day.  I didn't feel I needed a rest day though tomorrow I'll just stretch and play softball.  While I was watching the video and exercising along, I noticed that one of the beefy guys was using 12lb weights!!!???  What the heck, Scott (I think that's his name), get with it!  My arms are way flabbier and SMALLER than yours!?  I felt...beastly.  (in a good way).  And strong. 

So I was expecting after a good almost 4lb weight loss last week that I would not see much of a drop this week since I have settled back into Whole 30 eating.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am down to 182.4!  I lost another 1.8lbs this week. 

This may not seem like much to you all but let me recap my week a bit for you.

Directly after church Sunday morning I rushed home and cooked pork steak, rutabega and brussel sprouts salad.  I also cooked chili and put in the crock pot for my family.  Packed my bags and hit the road around 3pm on Sunday afternoon.  Had to be in a coastal SC town EARLY Monday morning so I stayed the night in Charleston.

About 3/4 of the way to Charleston I was pondering my brown pants I had brought with me.  My FAVE pants right now are Nine West slacks.  I have brown and black.  Both a size 14, both completely hanging off of me.  BUT I don't want to buy 12s as I'm literally almost in a 10.  So as I was pondering, I looked in my rearview and realized something was missing that I needed for the week...MY CLOTHES!!!  Oh NO!

I called my husband and asked him to tell me he put them in my trunk instead of leaving them hung on the bedroom door.  No...he said.  You didn't tell me you needed me to get them.

I've been traveling off and on for 7-8 years.  He ALWAYS gets my clothes from the staging area and loads them.  Today we both just forgot.

He asked me if I could turn around.  There was no way. It would have put me at Charleston late enough to make the trip there the day before wasteful if it was to save me time the next morning.  I would just have to go shopping!

Now those that know me know this is not a bad thing.  Where some women may have to spend $300 to replace 4 workday outfits, I was determined to do it with less than $60.  And I did. 

Back in 2010, this happened to me once.  I had alot less income than I do now (thank you Lord for my career!) so I stuck with consignment and Cato's clearance that week.

Well this week, I was armed with a Kohl's 30% off coupon.  Design on a Dime is what I called my little facebook series in 2010 when I did this.  I posted a picture each day of my deals and outfits.  It was too fun.

I checked into the hotel and ate a quick salad at Panera, then went shopping.  I got dirty looks from the sales floor people when they saw how many items were in my buggy.  Listen,  I have ONE SHOT to get everything I need for the next 4 days people, it means I'm going to try on EVERYTHING that might fit dang it!

And so I did.  I found some great dresses, etc.  A few items I didn't need for that week but were really useful.  I want to do something fun on here today, I'm going to post side by side my Design on a Dime outfits.  When I originally posted my predicament on Facebook, a friend reminded me that if she remembered correctly, it should be much easier to find clothes now...I forgot that this initially happened just after I got my cast taken off from my ankle sprain/avulsion fracture (you'll see my brace in some of the pics).  I was amazed at how much I've changed and how much easier it was to find items now that I'm not plus sized. 

2010 - Pants Goodwill - $4.00. Shirt borrowed from Mom, pants Size 16 or 18.  2013 - Dress - originally $66.00, I paid $18.48! Size Medium.

2010 - Gray pants already in my suitcase (probably Cato's?).  Shirt, consignment $4.75. Pants size 18, shirt 2x.                 2013 - Dress originally $54...I paid $15.40!  Size Medium.

2010 - skirt size 16, $6.00; sweater, size 2x, $17.99 at Catos.  2013 - actually had this in my suitcase, but tunic Kohl's size L, $9.00.  Belt Nine West, originally $39.99, I paid $7 at TJ Maxx!

2010 - Skirt, size 16, $9.99, top, size XL, $4.00, Jacket, size 16, $21.99 (Cato's).  2013 - Pants, originally $40, I paid $5.40 (size 12) and shirt I had with me, also Kohl's, $12.00.

I'd say I did pretty well this time around! I love dresses because they are so easy, plus my dress size won't change too much more dramatically as I near the end of my journey as much as my pant size still will (lol).  It felt good to shop and leave with exactly what I needed!

This whole thing made me want to start a whole additional blog just for my shopping deals.  My mom taught me to shop well, being the only girl out of 4 kids made it where my clothes HAD to be on clearance since I couldn't do "hand me downs."  I learned from a young age how to calculate deals in my head.  I ONLY buy clearance and almost always have addition % off (especially for Kohl's) though I will buy straight clearance at other places, and love it when there is an additional % off (like Belk's does, etc.).  I can usually score pretty well with regular clearance at Ross, TJ Maxx and Marshalls and even their regularly priced items are much less expensive than mall retail.

Alas, I don't have time for another blog or Facebook page right now.  Maybe one day?  For now I'll share that this was a FUN week!  Oh, and maybe I should share my food too, huh?

Here's a recap of my meals for the week:

Day 7 food! Breakfast (after a fasted T25 workout - Lower focus) omelet with just eggs and diced sauteed chicken sausage. Wasn't feeling like veggies - I give myself a hall pass on veggies at breakfast about once a week. Lunch was chicken salad from yesterday on lettuce topped with pecans, a hard boiled egg and raw carrots. Dinner was a grass fed beef burger topped with a fried egg, mustard and served with steamed broccoli topped with my almond/coconut mixture and a half avocado. Enjoyed some canteloupe too, but forgot to take a picture of that. Also had some yummy Kombucha - my last one! Going to have to get some while in SC this week for work. Kombucha is GREAT - it's a fermented tea with fruit juice flavoring it - and the fermentation makes it fizzy and super yummy. Also helps with digestion.

Day 8 food! Breakfast was 2 fried eggs with half an avocado and my snap peas with coconut and almonds. Lunch was pork loin and rutabaga with a side of Brussels sprouts and apples in raspberry balsamic vinegar. Dinner salad at Panera from the hidden menu, Mediterranean chicken with extra chicken, pecans, bacon, egg, lemon juice and olive oil. So so yum!

Day 9! Traveling so breakfast was not as complete as I was hoping, had to get out of town super early and didn't plan very well. So, 2 hard boiled eggs (so thankful I brought my own - the hotel didn't have them!). Lunch was beautiful salmon on a bed of spinach with a side of roasted veggies. I think there was some kind of oil on the plate that is probably not W30 so I didn't eat alot of the spinach. Salmon was wonderful. Dinner was some rotisserie chicken with a salad from Fresh Market - and a yummy kombucha to drink! Planning some mango coconut hot tea in a little while to unwind.

Day 10! Breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs, sausage and fruit. Going to hit my veggies at breakfast HARD when I get home! Missing them. . Lunch was steak and salmon (split each with a coworker) and sautéed veggies. Dinner an awesome salad from fresh market with rotisserie chicken, strawberries, carrots, and my toasted coconut and almond mixture and avocado with olive oil. So good! Ate some watermelon and honeydew before I took the pic. Enjoyed my new fave kombucha flavor, hibiscus ginger grapefruit.

Day 11! Didn't get a picture of the breakfast as it happened in phases. 2 hard boiled eggs and some fruit. No other good options at the hotel so I had some pecans. For lunch I shared a sushi roll wrapped in cucumber! Minus the cream cheese. Enjoyed a burger topped with bacon and a fried egg and a side of sautéed zucchini. So good! New fave restaurant in Georgetown. Dinner is old faithful Panera, hidden menu Mediterranean chicken salad with added pecans and strawberries, and I added avocado. Olive oil and lemon juice for dressing. And a green apple.

Day 12! Breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs, half an avocado and a banana. Lunch was a spring mix salad with applegate turkey and pepperoni and olive oil. Snack was an apple. Dinner was scrambled eggs, natural bacon and zucchini fritters (was a pinterest recipe - didn't turn out as yummy as I'd hoped but was worth a try!).

Day 13! Breakfast was 2 fried eggs with my snap peas in toasted coconut and almonds and half an avocado. Lunch was chicken salad and pecans with carrots on lettuce. Dinner I had eaten some of before the photo -oops! It was grilled pork chop, sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts salad. We had dinner guests and it was so nice enjoying the company and the awesome food with no concern about tomorrow's weigh in! I just skipped the cake they brought and did the dishes instead

If you "like" my Facebook Page (Changing my Blueprint) you can see these meals being posted at the end of each day. 

The lowest I've been since the year 2000 is 182.2.  I never got below that weight since I began this journey in 2009.  So my STRETCH goal for the end of the month is 179.8.  It is 2.6lbs from here, and I know it will be tough to reach that this week given I am traveling again, but if I really tighten my nutrition, pack my veggies for breakfast and PLAN for success, I might just do it! Haven't seen the 170s since HIGH SCHOOL!!!! (class of 1997).

There you have it!  My quote in the title is my mantra for this week. Whether you think you can, or you think you can't you're right.

The only thing standing between you and your goals right now.... IS YOU!  Do something.  You got this.

Clara