Not Your Average Fat Kid

The Bearded Wonder and I got married on a sunny Saturday afternoon in September 2013. Barring a few minor hiccups, the day was pretty perfect. Per the (unfortunate) societal norms, people started asking questions like "So, next comes baby, right?" or "When are you guys going to start popping out kids?". 
Between me, you, and the Internet, I was a virgin when I got married so I was in ZERO rush to start having kids. I wanted to enjoy being married for awhile, hopefully travel, and just settle in to living with this person I'd never lived with before. 
It's funny to me now, looking back on those first few years. The Bearded Wonder had some job transitions which led to some tight finances. We got by (not without help), but I was in a constant state of fear that I'd get pregnant. We were just floating with the 2 of us, but adding a baby in the mix? Yikes. Definitely not the right time. I remember calling my best friend in a panic, "I'm craving hot…

I know it's been awhile, but here I am! I sort of broke up with the 21 Day Fix. In true Redhead fashion, I found ways to "cheat" while still staying on the plan. I hired a friend of mine who was sort of doing nutritional counseling. Basically I started tracking my food, eating super clean, focusing on the glycemic index, and on gut health.

Combined with my efforts starting in January, I've now lost around 46 pounds.




I know. I KNOW. I can't believe it. Until tonight when Timehop showed me a picture from 2 years ago, I didn't see the weight loss. I saw that my face looks thinner, but I didn't see everything else shrinking.

I can't believe I'm about to put this on the Internet, buuuut here goes:

So here are some things I've learned while losing weight:

1. I physically take up less space. Sounds like a "duh" statement, but if you don't notice you're shrinking, why would you know that you take up less space? I was at a nail salon …

IT. IS. FINISHED!
I know, I survived. I lived to tell the tale. You know guys, it's really not that bad. I had a headache last night (presumably from the lack of caffeine) and a brief headache this morning (which was quickly quelled by a black cup of iced coffee), but overall... It really wasn't that bad. In fact, I told the Bearded Wonder already that I'd totally do this again. I generally wasn't hungry unless I missed a snack time waited too long to eat. Everything was really filling.

Though funny story, the last 2 days, every time I drank my Vanilla Refresh shake, I tasted corn. So weird. This afternoon at lunch I was looking at the ingredient list, and what's the 3rd ingredient? MAIZE. It's apparently for protein.

Gross.

Don't get me wrong, I love corn. I have nothing against creamed corn. But my shake with fresh pineapple and coconut extract in it still tasting like corn? Not a fan. It was so weird.

As always, here's today's rundown:

8am: ~10 oz…

Day 2 is just about done. Suffice it to say... It was a bit more rough than day 1. I felt pretty good after yesterday so I figured today would be just as easy.

Eeeehhhhhhh..... 

Don't get me wrong- I was super chipper before I drank the Fiber Sweep this morning. See? I took a picture for you guys!

Here is today's lowdown:8am: ~10 oz. water9am: Cafe latte shakeo with 1/2 banana, cinnamon, 1.25 c. water, ice10am: Fiber Sweep11:30am: Green tea (I ended up sipping this over the next couple of hours just because of my schedule)12:30pm: Vanilla Fresh shake with vanilla extract, cinnamon, 1.25 c. water, and ice, 1/2 banana, spinach/strawberry/avocado salad with vinaigrette. (My shake was so gross today, you guys. So gross.)4:45pm: 1 c. veggie broth with chopped up herbs (I was desperate for food and made this really quick. More on that below)6pm: Vanilla Fresh shake blended with ice, 1.25 c. water, coconut extract (GOD ALMIGHTY WHY DID TODAY'S SHAKES TASTE LIKE CORN?!), coconut st…

Heeeyyyy friends. It's been awhile. :) We've been off The Fix for about a month now, and suffice it to say I have been in Hog Heaven.

Are you guys familiar with the phrase "Hog Heaven"? It's a very Southern term, and it looks something like this...


Yep. I saw it. I ate it. It's just that simple. OK if I'm totally honest, it wasn't that dramatic. I mean I still tried to not eat EVERYTHING I got my hands on, but overall I had little to no self-control. I think it was because I totally OD'd on brown rice and shredded chicken. I just couldn't do it anymore. The end of the last round of the Fix was really hard for me, because I stopped being able to eat the staples we'd come to rely on.

Enter the 3 Day Refresh. It was a safe but dramatic enough option for me to kick my butt in to gear. It's a bit drastic, but it's also only 3 days, and frankly- I need to undo some of my edible sins before the next round of the fix starting Monday.

SO! H…

As an almost life-long dieter, it was about time I had a setback in my newish fitness journey.
This blog has always been my glass box to stand in and be honest about my weight loss adventures, and today is especially painful as I admit a few things.

First, I haven't worked out in 56 weeks.
Second, I've gained 1.5 lbs this week since we're off the Fix right now and I've eaten with all kinds of reckless abandon.
I have legitimate excuses for some of the time I didn't work out- hubbies had the flu and I was taking care of him, I had a nasty cold, I threw my back out, I hurt my knee... But if I'm completely honest, there's still a solid 3 weeks where I didn'thaveexcuses. I just didn't work out. Sometimes I was busy, sometimes it was pure laziness. I'm not proud of it, and I can't go back and change it, but I can start again.
Which I did today!
I worked out today and it hurt. I felt weak, and winded, and completely lost some of the progress I'…