#Mamavation Monday - Oops!

Tweet

Wow! The campaign is over! If you're stumbling upon this post and wondering, "what the heck is she talking about?!" I was one of nine Mamavation Graduates who just completed a 7 week bootcamp. In those 7 weeks I lost a total of 15.2 lbs! (Interested in becoming a Mamavation Mom? Check out www.Mamavation.com) If you didn't already hear, the campaign shall go on! In a more lax manner, some of us Mamavation Graduates will continue posting and weighing in weekly through the next Mamavation campaign! I instantly agreed when offered this chance because, hey, who doesn't need extra accountability during Christmas?! I have lost about 25 lbs since June of this year and am not trying to gain that all back pigging out on Christmas candies! I do want to apologize for my slacking this week in getting this post up (and the lacking scale pic) it's been a crazy few days car shopping (pulling my hair out here)! Tomorrow morning bright and early I shall snap a photo of my pedicure-needing feet on my scale and paste that bad boy in the bottom of this post.

#Mamavation Monday - Mamavation Mom Application

Tweet

I am officially applying to be a Mamavation Mom. I am so excited! I have been losing weight pretty consistently since May, but I feel I still need some direction. My nutrition is still a little "off", not much balance in my diet. I also need more direction with my fitness routines. I hope to become a finalist, and if I do, please take time to vote for me! If I don't make it as a Mamavation Mom, I will be participating in the Move it and Lose it challenge, all while cheering on all my sistas!!

Are you wondering what Mamavation is all about?? 

Check it out by clicking here!

 

Alas, Here is my video...

My starting weight for this campaign is, 

263.7 
which is down 2.2 lbs from last week, I have had Reactive Arthritis for the past couple weeks, and it has cause my joints to be inflamed and I have been retaining some water.

Don't forget about Mamavation TV tonight at 10pm EST/7pm PST! We will be joined by the one and only Pete Cohen, I am SO excited, he is awesome! Check out his new nutritional program!

I want to congratulate our Sista of the Week, Joanna, @way2gomom. She is so awesome and helps us in knowing what to eat and what to avoid!

Mamavation Monday - Doctor says...

Tweet

Hey Mamavation ladies! I am so excited this week, I hope that this post makes sense... (It's a longie!)

As most of you may recall, in July I was very sick with Colitis. I visited the ER and was told I most likely had Crohn's disease, which made me very nervous and worried. First, I was worried about living with Crohn's for the rest of my life. Some people do it and do it well, but I was very unsure and scared of the unknown. I was also worried that if I did have Crohn's, I would not be able to apply for the next Mamavation Campaign. The second thing I was worried about was the colonoscopy (You're gonna put that where?!?) that the ER doc told me I needed. And lastly, I was terrified of the medical bills. I have NO health insurance. Yes, mostly my fault. So, to ease my mind, and to get a definitive answer, I finally visited a Gastroenterologist on Thursday. Dr. Awesome walked in the room and told me he was 90% positive that I don't have Crohn's and I didn't need a colonoscopy! (HUGE sigh of relief!) My discomfort was caused my the antibiotic Augmentin, which wiped out all of my intestinal bacteria. C. Diff (Clostridium Difficile) moved in and infected my large intestines. Doc did say that this was possibly a blessing in disguise. Through my CT and lab work, we discovered that I have a slightly enlarged spleen, elevated levels of bad cholesterol, and elevated liver enzymes. I would have had NO idea any of these were out of whack had I not gotten sick! I told Dr. Awesome to be honest with me, and tell me how much my weight was a factor in these new problems. He said my obesity was completely to blame. So, he gave me some awesome pointers, one being stay away from antibiotics, they really aren't good for your digestive system. Next he told me to walk 6 days a week. Whew. I walk 3-4 days a week, so that is going to be a challenge. I SO need a treadmill! So I am ecstatic that my few problems can be righted with diet and exercise, and I plan to see a huge difference within six months.

Weight loss this week was non-existent, but I am not complaining. Leah told me when I joined the gym a few weeks ago that I would probably gain weight when I started strength training due to my muscles getting stronger! So this week, I am up 3 ounces. Looking forward to awesome results next week!

This week's sister of the week is,  Janice @fitcheerldr! Janice is an awesome sista, always there to give support and help keep us motivated. I recently reviewed (and am still reviewing) her new Walk and Tone mp3 Workout! You should check it out at her blog!

Sponsoring our blog carnival this week is our new Mamavation Campaign Nutritionist, Cynthia Pasquella and her SoCal Cleanse!

Thanks as always to Leah and all the other sistas who help keep us Sistas in check and keep us motivated! And one last shout out to @jennydecki and @ljenator, this was their last week as Mamavation Moms! We have laughed with them, cried with them, and learned a lot from them! They have inspired me and I can only hope that I can be as much of a positive influence as they have been to me!

Not familiar with Mamavation? Check out the about page! Even if you aren't interested stop by and check out the new site design premiering this weekend!

Mamavation Monday - Back on the wagon!

Tweet

(I am writing this Friday night, so if the timeline seems off, it is!)

I guess you could say I am back to normal! I haven't weighed myself officially, but I am going to work on getting back into my healthy eating and exercise routine for about a week, then see what the scale has to say. My last weight before I got sick was 275.8, so I am going by that to see how my weight next week compares. I am officially beginning exercise again tonight (Friday) as I go on a walk with my sister and dad. I am a little nervous as I have been out of a routine now for almost 3 weeks. And I still lack a little bit of energy.

My goals for this week are to journal what I eat, and begin adding exercise back into the mix. And I am still struggling with getting ALL of my water in. I really want to buy a Hydracoach water bottle to help me with this! Maybe I will be able to get one with my Scentsy commission!

I would like to thank my friends and family, and especially God for bringing me through this battle with Colitis. I am a very healthy person, so being sick for 3 weeks, really had me down in the dumps.

Wondering what Mamavation and the Sistahood is? Click the button below to go to Mamavation.com and check out all the support! I am so thankful I found this community of women!

Congrats to @RachelSteffen for being the Sister of the Week! You can read more about her here.

This week's Mamavation Sponsor is @Gruvesolution I am so interested in these little things! It's like a pedometer that let's you know when you are not being active enough! Awesome. I would love to have one! Click here to visit their website!

Mamavation Monday - My very first!

Tweet

I heard of Mamavation a few weeks ago when the application was open for Mamavation Campaign 5. I read about, was interested in it, but was too ashamed to put myself that far out there. I don't mind posting my weight, or a picture here and there when I am blogging about my weight, but to post a video, where you could see my double chin swinging in the breeze, hear my southern twang, and possibly see my face turn 5 shades of red... I couldn't do it. But then, on Tuesday last week, I watched a video, Roxy's video. She has the same fears as me! But here she was, "being true to herself" and her video application was so inspiring! Inspiring enough that I want to join the Mamavation Sistahood, and WILL be applying for Mamavation Campaign 6.

So, here is my very first Mamavation Monday Post! Many of you who read my blog probably already know my past struggles. Just for a quick recap: I have been overweight or obese for all of my late teen/early adult life. In 2007, I lost 50 lbs with a popular weight loss plan, then got pregnant in 2008 and gained it all back. I am was an emotional, stress eater. I have been working through a program called The Lord's Table which has taught me to run to God instead of the refrigerator when I am stressed. I began that program on May 27th and lost 11.4 lbs in the first month. I veered off track around the 4th of July, but quickly got back to work. My most recent weight was 275.8 and I am 5'7'', so that puts my BMI at 43.2 or Morbidly Obese.

I want to be in the Mamavation Sistahood, because while I am reaching and when I reach my goal, I feel like my story can help someone. I had a conversation with my husband on how there are so many people going around telling of how they used to be an alcoholic, or a drug addict, but you don't hear as many stories of someone who used to be a glutton. I want to share my story one day. I want to be healthy, that is my main goal, but my little sister is getting married in March of next year, so that leaves me little time to get into a cute bridesmaid dress!

So far the past week of following the Mamavation moms on Twitter and on the Mamavation website has really helped me get motivated! This is the kind of motivation, the partnership, that drives me. 

Please accept this post as my pledge to the Mamavation Sistahood!