Progress Report!....

We all love some good before and after shots and Sara has some that do not disappoint! This girl is a champion. I am continually impressed by her perseverance and desire to reach her goals. I posted progress pics of her last week but I wanted to share these ones as well. The pants she has on fit her last winter before she started her weight loss journey. Obviously the girl needs to go shopping for new pants. And don't you just love the smile on her face!? She should be smiling, the girl is rocking her challenge. 

Thursday Sara is running in her first race. She totally has the jitters but I am so proud of her for not letting that stop her. Stories like hers inspire me and motivate me to keep working on my own goals. 

I asked Sara to share a few things that have helped her be successful on her 90 Day Challenge. I love hearing what is working for others and how they are overcoming obstacles and setbacks. 

Weight loss to date- 

I am on week 7 of my 90 day challenge and have lost 18.8 pounds so far. This makes my total weight loss 41 pounds since March. 

Favorite thing about the Challenge and why it's working for her-

I love the challenge because it is so simple!  Starting my day off with a shake motivates me to make better choices.  I love the energy I have.  I don’t feel as tired and I get so much more done in a day.  I love the way my shakes taste.  In fact, sometimes I crave a shake.  The protein helps me feel satisfied.  

Go to Snack List-

Some of my favorite snacks are apples, bananas, almonds, clean pumpkin bread, english muffin topped with egg beaters and salsa, and anything with peanut butter!

Favorite Way to Make Her Shake-

My favorite shake is my Vi mixed with almond milk and a tablespoon of PB2 mixed in my blender bottle.  It’s quick, easy, and I love the way it tastes! 

Best Advice She Has Received About Losing Weight and Getting in Shape-

The best advice I have received is that the only person I can compete with is myself!  Often times I think we tend to compare ourselves to others... how much they’ve lost.... how much they can they lift... how fast they can run... what size they wear.  You CANNOT do that!  You must only compare YOU with YOU... no one else!  This is not a competition with anyone but you. The goal is to be better than you used to be.  

Successes Beyond Weight Loss-

Something I love to do is teach dance classes to little ones.  Honestly, my weight has always made this a challenge for me.  It’s great being able to move around easier and do things I used to be able to do back when I was a dancer.  I can even do a cartwheel again! 

My biggest temptation is without a doubt pizza!! I LOVE pizza!  Once I start eating it, I CANNOT stop.  It’s nothing for me to eat 4 or 5 pieces!  I am trying really hard to realize that it’s ok to just have one or two pieces!  Now I also like to make healthier, lower calorie, flatbread pizzas at home (thanks to a friend’s suggestion), which helps feed my craving for pizza. 

Sara's Words of Wisdom-

One of my biggest struggles is not feeling good enough.  I have a lot of self-doubt.  Can I really do this?  Can I keep the weight off?  Can I really motivate others to become healthier, too?  I have already lost more weight than I thought was possible.  I think I feel surprised that I can actually do this.... and that I AM doing this!  I want to be healthier and I want to teach my family how to make healthy choices.  I want my kids to know how and why it’s important to eat healthy.  It’s definitely a process and sometimes I struggle with food choices. I can easily become overwhelmed in menu preparation or in the grocery store.  I still have a lot to learn.  I have to remind myself that this is not about 90 days.  This is about me (and my family) having a healthier lifestyle.  I can’t do it all at once but I must take baby steps.  And I’ll get there! A little change goes a long way!  When I’m having a hard day and I don’t want to work out or I just want to pig out, I have to remind myself that just for today I can suck it up and get to the gym..... or just for this meal, I WILL have portion control.  Each day I do the best I can and move on to the next.  Baby steps.... one day at a time.  You will never regret being healthier!

Thank you Sara! 

Does Sara's story speak to you? 

You will be seeing more progress pics of this girl because I know she is on a mission to crush her weight loss goals. 

www.meganrencher.bodybyvi.com

Body by Vi 90 Day Challenge

I want to take a minute to share with you what I have been doing to get back in shape after having my third baby. I don't want to get too lengthy with my rumblings so I will be doing this post in parts.

Part I- Why I personally took the Body by Vi 90 day challenge...

About six months ago I decided I needed to find something to help me get back in shape after having my third baby. I worked out through my whole pregnancy and was back at it when my baby boy was only two weeks old. Exercise is not hard for me to fit into my day. I love the way it makes me feel. I hate the way I feel when I don't exercise. I will make time for exercise pretty much no matter what.  But I am not as dedicated to eating healthy. Don't get me wrong, I do love eating clean healthy food and for the most part eat very nutritious food. But I also love treats. I love chocolate, cookies, brownies, ice cream...u get the idea. Once upon a time I was able to eat all the junk food I wanted and it didn't affect my body. If only I were that lucky still.

If I eat junk now it shows. My belly bloats and I feel sluggish.  That should be enough to convince me to not touch it right? I wish. I also struggle with feeling hungry when I am tired. Newborn babe and a two year old that doesn't ever sleep= very tired momma= sugar craving monster. So after struggling to find a way to control my cravings I was introduced to the Body by Vi 90 day challenge. At first I was skeptical. Why did I need to drink protein shakes to get in shape and lose my baby weight? I have a degree in exercise science, I like eating healthy and I love working out. I was strong enough all by myself...or so I kept telling myself. But it wasn't working and I was frustrated. I hated the way my body looked and felt and I beat myself up every time I over ate or shoved crappy food down my throat.  

Life with three kids was also proving to be challenging for me. I found myself leaning towards convenience foods for the kids and then I would end up eating their leftovers...bad mommy habit. 

I kept hearing more and more about the 90 day challenge. On top of hearing about it, everyone taking the challenge was having amazing results...people I personally knew. I wanted in on the fun and the results.

Just days into my first challenge I was convinced that the 90 day challenge was exactly what I needed. I was hooked. I felt better, had more energy, craved sugar less, and was losing weight. I was happy with how things were going.

Don't get me wrong, it wasnt effortless, it still took diligence and I had to plan and prep healthy foods and keep healthy snacks on hand. But the challenge kept me focused and the shakes made it so much easier to eat healthier. The best thing was I craved sugar less and preferred to eat healthy snacks. I was craving almonds, cottage cheese, veggies and egg whites. I still love treats but I am less likely to indulge myself on a frequent basis. The challenge has helped me realize some sacrifices are worth it. When I do fall off the wagon the challenge gives me motivation to jump right back on instead of giving up. I don't feel like I am on a diet. I enjoy the food I get to eat. It's a lifestyle change I can keep up. And one I want to keep up. 

I am currently in the middle of my second challenge and loving every minute of it. I still want to lose a few pounds but I am also focusing on building muscle. My body is making changes on the inside and the outside. Just today my husband told me I was turning into a sexy beast...I will happily accept that compliment and chalk it up to the challenge:) 

Okay tomorrow I will continue with part II- Why I promote the challenge to others. I am excited to share lots of personal testimonials with you. Daily I get messages on fb or text from other challengers sharing their successes. It's inspiring. I love helping others find joy in life by becoming the best self they can be.

You can check out the challenge here- www.meganrencher.bodybyvi.com

Greek Salad and Fitsby

We had a fun weekend celebrating Easter.  My sis in law came into town so the kids played and loved every minute of cousin time.  We have so much Easter candy hanging out at our house now though.  Pretty sure I will be sending it to work with the hubs or throwing it away.  I don't want it tempting me:)

Actually I am really excited to eat super healthy all week.  Here is a Salad I will be using for dinner one night.  A friend made it the other day when a few of the girls got together for lunch.  

Greek Inspired Salad-

We did it salad bar style -

Spinach

Quinoa 

(she used a mix of the regular and red kind)

Kalmata olives

Cherry tomatoes

Red Onions

Cucumbers

Feta Cheese

Tangy Garlic Lemon Dressing-

You will notice from my side notes that I need to go shopping:)

1/4 cup lemon juice, preferably fresh 

(I made it this weekend and just used bottled since it was what I had and it worked great)

1/2 tsp salt

ground pepper to taste

2 teaspoon Greek seasoning blend or Greek oregano 

(I used regular oregano but want to get the Greek seasoning next time I am at the store)

1 tsp Dijon or brown mustard 

(I actually used regular mustard cause that's what I had on hand)

2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed

1/4 cup olive oil (the original recipe calls for 3/4 cup)

The dressing is light yet super flavorful.  Add some grilled chicken to the mix and you will have yourself a delicious meal that even the hubby will like.  And obviously you can add whatever veggies or salad fixing your little heart desires. 

So I found an app on my phone called Fitsby.

Basically you join a group and motivate each other to workout at the gym.  You have to pay a wager to join the group but if you hit the goal the group has set you don't actually pay the money.  If you don't make the goal your money gets divided amongst those who did reach the goal.  It is kind of a fun idea.  I would love to do a group...if this interests you leave a comment. Oh and the group can be public or private.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

And just because I think he is sooooooo cute...

Happy Monday!