Q&A Time

I posted a while back on That Picture is what you really look like if there was anything that you wanted to know or just hear my opinions on. So after forever and a day I have finally sat down and gotten my A's together.

Q~How has your family adjusted to this new lifestyle?

A~They have been pretty supportive. For the most part I have only changed small things for them but I am trying to make overall better decisions for the girls. The girls see me making better choices and the great results from those choices and they are really interested in how and what I am doing. They go to the gym with me and see me work hard and also see me prep my foods on Sunday. This is about more than getting "fit" or healthy, this is about me teaching my girls to be the best they can be to serve God. Whether that is in the choices they make with food, fitness, emotional or spiritual. I am the one that God has appointed to lead, guide and direct them in this life and I am taking that job to a new level. 

Q~What is your typical menu look like?

A~I have posted a few different places about this you can read here and here. You can also follow me here to see my daily food diary. Username:jamieplayer 

Here is another useful tool that I have utilized from Little b's Blog. This grocery list gives you a great idea of how and what to buy to eat clean. 

Q~What does your playlist look like for workout's?

A~I have been kind of bored with my playlist so I have asked friends for new music ideas but haven't found much new music that I like. So here are some of the songs that I burn to on a regular basis.. :) I hit shuffle and I am good to go with any of these songs. 

Call Me Maybe-Carly Rae Jepsen

Country Girl-Gwyneth Paltrow

Country Strong-Luke Bryan

Dont you wanna stay-Jason Aldean

Dynamite-Taio Cruz

Footloose-Kenny Loggins

Forget you-Glee Version

Free To Be Me-Francesca Battistelli

Her Man-Gary Allan

Home-Blake Shelton

Honey Bee-Blake Shelton

Joey-Sugarland

I am a Good Girl-Christina Aquilera

If I Die Young-The Band Perry

It Just Comes Natural-George Strait

Low-Flo Rida

Mean-Taylor Swift

Need You Now-Lady A

Party in the USA-Miley Cyrus

Rockstar-Rihanna

Sexy and I Know It-LMFAO

Show Me How You Burlesque-Christina Aquilera

Someone Like You-Adele

Strawberry Wine-Deana Carter

Stronger-Mandisa

The Beautiful People-Christina Aquilera

The Climb-Miley Cyrus

The One-Gary Allan

What Makes You Beautiful-One Direction

Do you have any Q's for me? What's on your playlist? How has your family adjusted to your new lifestyle?

Jamie

My ABC's & 123's

Please excuse my temporary lapse in sanity over the last week as I believe a crazy, uncontrolled, hormonal monster took over me.

I feel almost 100% better today and I am ready to kick butt and take names later! You get the point right??

Plan A-Counting Calories & LOTS of cardio worked great but needed a change.
Plan B-LiveFit trainer worked great also but was way to restrictive and demanding for my lifestyle at this point in the game.

Good thing I still have 24 options left!

Plan C-Balanced CLEAN eating while still tracking my food with MFP along with 3 days of Turbo Fire at home and 2 days of heavy weight training in the gym. I am going to take the information that I got from the LiveFit Trainer and create a balanced weight program that will hit each muscle group. 


With the LiveFit trainer you are focusing on one or two muscle groups a day and there are several different workouts for each day. I am going to take the workouts for each muscle group that are the most beneficial overall and have 2 days of weight training with them. Once I get this tweaked a little more I will share it with you guys also. 


I wont go into the details of what I have ate the last 7 days but just know that it wasn't pretty. What did I gain from you might ask, well let me tell you.

1. Oily face and dry, rough skin
2. Breakouts
3. Tummy aches
4. Bloating
5. Fatigue
6. Overall felling of YUCK!
7. The Scale-I have no idea what this damage is and I will not be back on the scale for at least 2 weeks.

All of these things are really not worth the food that I ate. I know that I felt good when eating clean and I am going back to it! If it aint broke don't fix it!

Anyone else fall off the wagon and having trouble dragging yourself back on it? What encourages you to keep going?

Jamie

Loosing It...

I may or may not be having a meltdown. Let me rewind a few days to get the whole picture. Thursday night Maycey asked if we could get a frozen yogurt on the way home from the gym and I decided we would since I haven't had one in 6-8 weeks. Friday was my birthday, I ate great and went to the gym like any other day. Oh yeah, except Sarah and I took the kids to IHOP at 9:30 for a little late night excursion. I had the Simple Fit meal but did add a little syrup to my pancakes. Saturday started off good and then went down hill from there. I was fine with it though because I have really done good and I made the choice to have unclean foods for lunch and the best Starbucks drink ever for an afternoon pick me up while shopping. I'm not sure exactly when it happened but I just took a downward turn mentally later that night. I picked up a few things from Walmart on the way home at 9:30 and decided I was also going to have a theater box of raisinets. Really, a whole box! Jon comes in the bathroom while I am soaking in the bath enjoying my raisinets and questions me about them. I then tell him they are mine and I was gonna eat them all because I wanted to. Really? Who was this person that had invaded my mind? Then after I get in bed and we put on a movie I decide that I am going to eat the m&m's that are in the cabinet. I finally passed out (probably from a sugar coma) around 1:15 thankfully, otherwise I may have went and looked for more candy. Sunday was a new day and I was going to get control of things. NOT....well half not anyways. I wanted coffee on the way to church and I didn't have anything besides sweet-n-low or sugar to sweeten it with so I choose the sugar since the other makes me bloat so bad. We dropped Jon and Maycey off after church and went straight to the grocery store for the weekly list. You may not have noticed but there was no food mentioned up until this point yet and now I am starving. I am able to withstand the hunger until we get to the checkout and then I have Maddy run and get me a Luna bar (that was ate in like 3.5 seconds). The rest of the day was pretty relaxing and I made myself a banana cream protein shake to enjoy while I watched a movie. I knew I was short on patience and I was irritable so I decided to head to the gym and take some of it out on the treadmill. This was great but I still didn't feel back to myself or like I had control. I will spare you the details on my meltdown yesterday morning at my husband because MY hair didn't look good and on the incident with my pre-teen last night. After putting it all together it dawned on me that most of it is PMS and I have a really big opportunity this week that has me on edge. My family may be ready to ship me off to the crazy farm before it is over.

How will I make it through this week? With lots of prayer and because I know this too shall pass. My God is big and he already has this all worked out. So when I start to stress or worry I have to remind myself that its already decided and I will not be this emotional in a few days.

I did weights on Friday but skipped Saturday and Sunday lifting. I did do 30 mins of cardio on Sunday and I enjoyed it. I haven't decided if I am going to lift tonight or just take a few days off and just do cardio. After putting all of this down here I am thinking it may also be my body telling me it needs a break. The is not a sprint and I don't have a deadline so its not going to kill me if I back off a little bit.

Thoughts, opinions, advice on how my last few days has been??

Jamie

I'm still the same me

Over the last 6 months I have learned a lot about myself and the way I look at things. Some of this learning was a lot a little painful but I knew that it had to be done.

I heard this quote once and it has really stuck with me, "When the fear of staying the same is greater than the fear of changing, your ready to change."

To some people I may have changed on the outside but I am still me on the inside. I have actually become a better person on the inside because I am happy within myself. When you get to a point in your life when your unhappy all the time its time to take a look at your self. There wasn't a secret way that I did it, I just ask God daily to give me the strength to be the woman that He intended for me to be. Every day is a struggle for me but I know that I have the strength of the Lord to walk in front of me on this journey.

I have had people that I call friends back off from our friendship because of the changes that I have been making. Its hurtful when I see this happening but I know that I can only try to show them love no matter what. I have tried really hard not to talk my lifestyle to death with others that are not interested and I have never judged any person because of their weight. I was just thinking that if all my friends were blind they wouldn't even know that I have lost weight and would treat me the same as before I started this lifestyle. Just think about that for a bit.

I guess the whole point I am trying to make here is that just because someone is changing or different on the outside doesn't mean they are not the same person on the inside. I am still the same girl I was 6 months ago, just a better, healthier and happier version.

The old saying of "Don't judge a book by its cover" comes to mind and it couldn't be truer. I still have a lot of the same problems that most people have, I am just better equipped to deal with them than I was before.

Have you dealt with anything like this in your life? How did you handle it?

Jamie

Phase 1 Review

I completed Phase 1 of the Livefit Trainer that I told you guys about here and I loved it!

Nutrition-The biggest key to success is preparation and I cant say this enough. If I would not have had all of my foods readily available it would have been really hard. I generally take a few hours on Sunday afternoon and get everything cooked and portioned out for the week. I keep clean food in the fridge at work and home to keep me on track. When we went on vacation, I packed 4 days worth of food that I had pre-made for myself. On the few occasions we went out to eat, I requested my food to be grilled dry and me veggies steamed. I drank LOTS of water and green tea daily. I also took my vitamins & supplements daily. I would say my eating was 98% clean and what wasn't was sugar free products. This has made me so much more aware of what is going in my body as well as how much CRAP is in our food. I am constantly amazed when I read the packages now days and I have tried really hard to make the switch for my family where I can as well.

Fitness-I am now a beast, ok not really but I can pretend. I am lifting 15-30lbs more than I was at the beginning. I was able to bust out 3 sets of 10 assisted pull ups yesterday for Phase 2 day 1 and let me tell you that has NEVER happened. I couldn't even do those in high school. I feel so comfortable back in the free weight section now and the guys don't really bother me. They kind of work around me actually. I have had a few ladies approach and ask what plan I am following and ask for advice on how to do certain machines. I actually have a little bump in my biceps and my butt has lifted. My thighs are more solid now than ever and my calves, well they rock. I think they look like man calves but Jon & Sarah keep telling me they are great and will be a great asset when I lean down. Well see about that though.

With all of that said my overall loss for Phase 1 is as follows:

-17.1 inches, -1.6lbs & -3% body fat

This was with 4 weeks of heavy lifting, clean eating and NO CARDIO!

On to Phase 2 now and I am adding back in cardio so the fat should be melting away now.

Jamie

Package Pen Pal Reveal & June PPP

Before we talk about next months PPP let me share with you what I received from my awesome PPP Terri in May!

This is the coolest water bottle ever and I can always use more Bath & Body!
The snacks were the bomb diggity!! The Planters nuts were my favorite and I think I could eat my weight in them. :)   The card was my favorite part overall though and it even made me cry.

Thanks a million Terri, you are such an encouragement to me and give me strength even when you don't know it.


Ok, so for those of you that are interested in taking part of PPP for the month of June this is for you!

Its time to start thinking about the June Package Pen Pals-PPP. If you are interested in joining please email me at faithmomma.jp@gmail.com with the information requested below. If you are new and wondering what the heck I am talking about you can read about how PPP got started here. I have connected with many of you through my facebook page and it has been great. I would love for more of us to get connected and help each other out. Please let me know by June 4th if you would like to participate so that I can get every ones information together and pair everyone up. 

When I get all the info back, you will receive your PPP pairing via email. I will send you some info that I have gathered from your PPP but you are welcome to contact your PPP for any additional info you may want or need.

You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. No later than the last day of the month, you will need to post about the goodies you received from your PPP and be sure to add a link back to your PPP (blog or facebook).

The boxes should be filled with a variety of items ($15 limit). Such as fun healthy items(snacks, dressings, spreads, desserts, oats, chips, what ever you come up) that you have found and enjoyed,  local food items, bath products, books, candles, trinkets, homemade items, etc. This should be something that will encourage your PPP to continue on her healthy lifestyle and to also be a treat for her. I am sure I am not the only one that wants things to be just for me on occasion. It would be great if you could also have a handwritten note, card, scripture or recipe included in the package. Be creative with this and have fun with it!

Each PPP is responsible for shipping the items in the best possible way. Flat rate boxes may be a great way to go depending on what you are sending.

This is the information that I would like to get from each of you to share with your PPP and give them an idea of your likes and interests.

Full name & mailing address

Email address

Your blog or facebook name/address

What plan are you following in your healthy lifestyle?

Favorite type of food

Allergies or food limitations

Favorite store

Favorite item to collect

Tea or Coffee-flavor or no flavor

Favorite book

Favorite author

Favorite scripture verse

"God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." 2 Corinthians 9:8

Jamie

Getting Directions for the Journey

Its 9:30, workout, dinner and baths are done so I am now sitting down to some quiet time with my blog. I have so many things that I feel like God is working on for and with me. Some of them I am ready to share and others I am keeping to myself for now. So here goes.
I know God has a plan for me and he is preparing me every day for that plan. For me it is hard to be patient because I want to know now what He wants for me. I have an idea of what He wants for me its just the getting there that kills me. I may be totally wrong in my thoughts for where he is leading me because it has happened before. But I know that looking back over the last 2 years I have been through some really hard situations and struggles but He has brought me through all of them and I am able to look back and say "I can see what you were doing all along". Does that make sense? I have said several times on my blog that I know I would not be exactly where I am today if one of the stones in my path would have been missing or different.

I have been on this journey to a healthy me for a little over 5 months now and these are the kinds of things I have been hearing a lot lately.

How are you able to do that? How can you stay so disciplined? Dont you want to eat real food? Are you going to be able to keep up with this diet as a lifestyle? Doesnt it get boring? I have never seen someone as dedicated as you. What keeps you motivated? How did you find the courage to post on your blog and start a facebook page? I dont know how you can workout every day like you do.

At first I was kind of embarassed by these questions and statements until I realized if I am changing and people are noticing then maybe thats a good thing. I have always been the kind of person to want to help others and fix there problems for them. I want you to be the best possible and if I am able to help with that then I am 100% committed. Sometimes I bite off more than I can chew with this character trait but it is so rewarding in the end. I say all of that to say this, what if God wants me to help others live a healthy lifestyle? Im not talking about being a personal trainer or nutrionalist but more of a coach or a partner. It seems kind of like a long shot but the more I keep praying about it and asking God to reveal to me what it is He has for me I keep coming back to this in some form or fashion.

I was your typical american wife, mother, daughter, employee and friend with all the same responsibilites as most women. I had gotten to a point in my life where I was so unhappy the only thing that I craved and turned to was food. Which is what most Americans do and why the obesity rate is so high. I just wanted to be happy and food did that. No matter where or with who I could be happy with food. I know how hard it is to make good choices. I know how tempting parties, fellowship meetings, dinners out with friends or family can be. Its an addiction. I 100% believe this and I 100% believe that no matter what you think you are capable of over coming, God is capable of giving you what you need most to conquer ANY addiction. If you dont believe me, feel free to message me and I will give you story after story about how God has freed me from the bondage of so many things in my life.

To answer the questions and statements that I have been getting so much of lately, its God, its always God. 6 months ago I would have laughed in your face if you would have told me that I would have self control, discipline, drive or the desire to be healthy like I have today. I am constantly getting reminders of why I made the decision to become a healthy me and I love the affirmation that shows. I dont know exactly what He wants from me but I know that I am willing and so does He so he is using me.

I may not fit into your box. I may not be ministering to others the way you would, but I am ministering to others in the way God has shown me. God uses all kinds of things to get our attention and make us listen. I dont really know what it was for me besides looking in the mirror and realizing I wasnt who God asked me to be.

For now, I will keep doing what I am doing and see where it leads me. It may be in a totally opposite direction from where I think but at least I may be able to help others out along the way.

I have a few other things in my life that we are really praying about and asking God for wisdom and direction on, so if you will pray that we are open to His answers.

"I may not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future."

Jamie

3 Weeks In

I am on Day 16 of the LiveFit trainer and I am loving it. It has given me such an empowering feeling overall. I look at myself in the mirror on occasion when I am lifting and I tell that girl "you can do this, you are doing this for a greater cause". I know this may seem silly but it is what gets me through those last few reps when I just know that my arms or legs are ready to give up on me. Before I started this program I had originally planned on doing it when I got closer to my goal weight. Because I mean a 'big girl" doesnt need to lift weights to tone, she needs to do cardio to burn fat. Boy was I wrong! It is amazing the difference you feel in your body when lifting. If I could encourage you to do it for even 30 days I know you would love it just as much.

The nutrition part of this plan is simple. Its basiclly clean eating with lots of protein, veggies and starch. This means no processed, fried, fast, or packaged food. I know that sounds hard but its really not. I am able to prep all of my meals on Sunday and they are ready for me to eat anytime I am hungry so I never get hungry.I eat 6x a day and I as get further in the trainer my body is letting me know really quick when and if I need to eat more.

3 weeks in and I am loving it. Well see how much I love it by the end of week 12.

It has been alot of trial and error and asking questions from others that have finished or are doing the trainer now. I have been apart of an awesome facebook group that has been amazing for support and information. If you are interested in finding out more about the trainer feel free to let me know and if I dont know the answer I will find out for you.

Jamie

Day 2...

OOOPSY. This never got published on 5/2/12.....Today was actually pretty easy. I was able to balance my meals out a little better and the workout tonight was almost 100% doable. I had to raise the post on the cable curls because I was so weak from all the other sets. Hopefully will be stronger by the next round.
It's late. I'm tired and I still have to get us all packed tomorrow after work for our little trip. I'm just hoping I can squeeze by the gym for my day 3 w/o before we head out tomorrow night.

Night yall!

Jamie

Scattered Thoughts

I have really been thinking, praying and just listening to what God has to say about things. I want to share them with you guys but I really want to sit down and do some note taking to get it all together in a readable form. I have put my faith in God when it mattered the most in the past and the outcomes were exactly what I needed. I am patiently waiting for all the doors to open and take me where He wants me.

I am still progressing nicely with the LiveFit trainer, today is day 15 and I am really enjoying this program and the challenge that is presents to me. I have realized I have huge calves and I really hope they tone down some but I have very little upper body strength. However, it is getting a little stronger each week.

Without giving away details (b/c next week is week 4 and I plan on doing measurements then) I can tell you that I feel thinner, less bloated and have more energy. People are starting to notice my changes and its really nice. I would never judge someone for their size and I hope that others aren't judging me negatively for the changes that I have made. I just want to be healthy and if I can influence others to do the same then I am gonna keep on doing what I am doing.

Last week just flew by in the blink of an eye. I was so busy that I barely realized it and by the end of the day and after my workout I was falling into bed. This week may not be much better because we have a Kindergartner graduating and field day with her class on Friday. Lots of mommy duties to fulfill this week and a wedding to coordinate this weekend.

Please be praying for me in regards to some changes I am praying about in my life as well as the direction God is taking me and the doors to open for them to happen.

Until I can think straight long enough to do a real blog again!

Jamie 

Just a little bit stronger

I've been a bad Blogger girl this week. Well not horrible but not great, I haven't gotten to post daily and I am so behind on reading I could spend hours just catching up with all of you. I feel like I know you all and can relate to you when I get into your blogs. That's on my agenda though so don't worry!

Today is day 10!!! Can you believe it?? I feel good about my progress and I am finally getting to where I am hungry more so the eating is getting easier except for meal 5. I never seem to be hungry when I get dinner done for everyone and then end up with a protein shake of some sort. I have found a new recipe for pancakes and I am loving them. I am trying a new version tomorrow and I will post the recipes tomorrow if I get time.

Today was legs and I am so excited that I pushed myself and added 15lbs to each workout except squats and I was dying when they rolled around because I had to do them out of order.

The best thing is the guys are not staring at me like I am lost anymore but actually make room for me. Girls-1 Boys-0 (hehe) I am loving the new strength that I am feeling. I am a little bloaty feeling towards the end of the day but I think that will pass.

I'm gonna try and post a picture tomorrow but since Photobucket took off the collage option I haven't been able to find a collage maker that works for me. :(

Hope yall had an awesome day and made your fat cry!!

Jamie

Look at me go!!

My arms hurt to lower myself in the bath tonight, my arms hurt when I shaved my legs, my arms hurt holding my phone to type this...yes I am working hard!
I almost feel like I am not doing enough while I'm there and I want to push myself harder and jump ahead BUT I can't do that because I know this is the right way and I want to be succesful and accomplish what I set out to do.
My food was good today except I over did it on my fruit this morning. I don't know what I was thinking but the rest of the day went well and I finally caught my second wind after lunch and my 20 minute power nap. Looking forward to another successful day tomorrow.
See you in the big girl section of the gym!
Jamie

Ouchie!!

I'm exhausted from our 8 hour drive in today, the trip to Walmart when we got home and the little bit of food prep I did tonight. However, I still made myself go to the gym and get my day 4 workout in so I can start week 2 tomorrow.

It was shoulder/abs day today, my triceps and delts are killing me and I only did 5lb db! :(  I swear I must be the weakest 190lb woman ever! Whatever though, I gotta start some where, right? Oh yeah and my abs are gonna be burning something fierce tomorrow.

I will give you guys an overview of my whole week tomorrow but tonight, I'm going to bed!

Nighty night, don't let the bed bugs bite.

Jamie

Sorry Yall...

Were on a little vacation to see family this week so I haven't posted. I worked out legs on Wednesday night before we left and it was awesome!! I love doing legs!

There isn't a gym within 45 mins of where we are so I am going to do my 4th workout on Sunday night when we get home. I have stayed on track with my food the whole time we've been here! I even got a coffee today from Starbucks with soy milk. We went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant and I had an omlette with tomatoes, guacamole, black beans and 2 corn tortillas. Not perfect but I was super happy with my choice considering the alternative.

Well return to our regularly scheduled posting after vacation! ;)

Jamie

Short & Sweet

Day 1 was easy hard. The food wasn't as hard for me since I have been making my way to clean eating over the last few weeks. I actually had to make myself keep eating and was unable to eat all of meal 3. I also subed meal 5 for a cottage cheese protein shake but should have done an egg white omlette instead.

I liked the weights tonight except the pushups. I just can't bust those out and never have been able to so I think that's going to be a priorty for me this month. I'm not sure if I was on the low end # wise with the dumb bells but it burned and that's when I know its making changes. Looking forward to day 2 now that I know a little more of what to expect and what I still need to tweak to fit my needs.

Night yall!

Jamie

Monday Weigh In~Week 17

Here are this weeks stats:  

4/23-4/30

SW: 220 (12/12/11)

CW: 191 (-2 lbs)--Saturday was 189.8 so I am considering my April goal met!

Calories burned from exercise: 1940

Miles ran/jogged/walked/biked: 7.45

Avg Calories per day: 1090

100-120oz water daily 

This week was good and not really much to talk about that I haven't already said. If you read this post then you know that I was planning to start the Jamie Eason Live Fit trainer tomorrow. After spending 4 hours yesterday prepping all my food for this week I decided to go ahead and start it today! So far I have learned that I don't like raw zuchinni and that I need to add salsa to my egg scramble. This is why I decided to go ahead with it today so I can work out the kinks in my plan and have it all nailed down tomorrow. I am a little nervous about the weight training tonight but I am also really excited!! 


For the next 12 weeks my Monday weigh in will be different than the last 17 weeks (I know right, can you believe it has been that long?!). I wont be weighing but I will check in and let you guys know how things are going. I will weigh at the end of each phase and post my updated measurements with it. As scary as this is I am going to post my starting measurements (maybe this will keep me from back sliding, lol) since this is about me being honest with myself as well as all of you. 


Height: 5'5
Weight: 191  
Bodyfat: 31 (estimated)
Neck: 13   
Shoulders: 42.5  
Arms: L:13 R:13   
Wrist: L:6 R:6   
Chest: 40   
Waist: 36   
Hips: 43   
Thighs: L:27 R:27  
Knees: L:15 R:16   
Calves: L:15 R:15  
Ankles: L:9 R:9
These #'s are 4 months and 30lbs after I started on my journey to a new and healthy me. If you have something rude to say, please keep it to your self. Thanks! 


We will be doing some traveling this week so I am already looking for gyms where we will be while we are away and I have my food prepped for the next 7 days already. There is no excuse for failure this week unless I take my focus off of God and place it on unimportant things. 


For now I plan on doing a daily post just giving an overview of how each day goes and any other interesting info I might come across. I think I may try and combine it all on one page later on but for now I think this will work. 

This is how my week went, how was yours? Did you have a weight loss or maybe a NSV?  

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13

Jamie

Its gonna be hard, but worth it!

I am the kind of person that will stick with something for as long as it is working for me. While I have been counting calories and loosing since January I feel like it is time for me to change up my routine and get out of my box. The program that I am about to commit to is a 12 week trainer that is designed to increase muscle while shedding body fat. What does this mean for my workouts? Weights, weights and more weights with limited to no cardio for 12 weeks. This program will ultimately help me reduce my body fat and replace it with healthy muscles. I know you may be picturing a big bulky woman in your head but that is not where I am looking to go with my fitness. I want to be a healthy, toned and strong woman and this is just the next stone in my path.

This program requires dedication & discipline. There are people that do it and only give 75% or 85% and see some results. The approach I am taking is that if I am going to train hard and give myself to the program for 12 weeks then I want to see the maximum results and you can only get that from giving it 110%! I am not saying I will be able to finish this program because it does get really hard but I am surely going to give it my best!

Jamie Eason's Live Fit Trainer

May 1, 2012 will be my start day and that will take me through July 31, 2012. Which happens to be the day that I will be picking my girls up from a month long visit with their dad. I wonder how shocked they will be to see me after I complete the program?!? They already think that I am doing an amazing job and just last night I got a high five for my 29lbs so far. This just gives me even more motivation than I had before.

I am still working on finalizing my workouts and menu but if you are interested in joining me I would be more than happy to share my plans with any of you. I think the hardest part of any plan is the preparation and planning. Essentially I would be giving you the tools you just have to use them. The second hardest part of the journey is accountability so I have joined a facebook group that is full of others who have completed it or are on the trainer now. I am also planning on keeping a daily journal through out the trainer so that we can all look back at it and use my experiences for reference later on. I haven't quite decided if I will blog daily or create a new tab for the trainer so I am playing around with it for now.

Here is the menu that I will be starting this program with if you are interested.

Phase 1 Menu Plan Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Meal 1 Veggie Egg Wrap Spinach Omlette Egg scramble 5ew, mix veggies & 5ew, spinach & 5ew, mix veggies & 8:30 2 corn tortillas or 3/4c kashi cereal 3/4c brown rice or  1 pita bread 1serve whole oatmeal Meal 2 2 mini meatloafs 3 oz lean meat & 1 protein shake veggies 3 rice cakes veggies 10:30 veggies Meal 3 6oz lean meat 6 oz lean meat 6 oz lean meat 1c ww pasta 1 lc ww tortilla 4-6oz sweet potato 12:30 veggies veggies veggies Meal 4 4 oz lean meat & 4 oz lean meat & Protein bar 4 squares 2/3 c brown rice protein bar 2 squares veggies 2:30-3:30 veggies veggies Meal 5 6 oz lean meat &  6 oz lean meat 6 oz lean meat 3/4 c brown rice 1 c ww pasta 1 lc ww tortilla 5:30-6:30 veggies & salad veggies & salad veggies & salad Meal 6 5-6ew frozen treats 5-6ew frozen treats 5-6ew frozen treats veggies veggies veggies Bed Time

Package Pen Pal Reveal & May PPP

Before we talk about next months PPP let me share with you what I received from my awesome PPP's Stephanie in March and Sharlie in April!

March-Love having the bag to carry my snacks in every day
and the wall hanger is perfect for my family photos!

April-3 of the best and most practical gifts!!

Ok, so for those of you that are interested in taking part of PPP for the month of May this is for you!

Its time to start thinking about the May Package Pen Pals-PPP. If you are interested in joining please leave a comment here and then email me at faithmomma.jp@gmail.com with the information requested below. 

If you are new and wondering what the heck I am talking about you can read about how PPP got started here. I have connected with many of you through my facebook page and it has been great. I would love for more of us to get connected and help each other out. Please let me know by May 2 if you would like to participate so that I can get every ones information together and pair everyone up. 

When I get all the info back, you will receive your PPP pairing via email. I will send you some info that I have gathered from your PPP but you are welcome to contact your PPP for any additional info you may want or need.

You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. No later than the last day of the month, you will need to post about the goodies you received from your PPP and be sure to add a link back to your PPP (blog or facebook).

The boxes should be filled with a variety of items ($15 limit). Such as fun healthy items(snacks, dressings, spreads, desserts, oats, chips, what ever you come up) that you have found and enjoyed,  local food items, bath products, books, candles, trinkets, homemade items, etc. This should be something that will encourage your PPP to continue on her healthy lifestyle and to also be a treat for her. I am sure I am not the only one that wants things to be just for me on occasion. It would be great if you could also have a handwritten note, card, scripture or recipe included in the package. Be creative with this and have fun with it!

Each PPP is responsible for shipping the items in the best possible way. Flat rate boxes may be a great way to go depending on what you are sending.

This is the information that I would like to get from each of you to share with your PPP and give them an idea of your likes and interests.

Full name & mailing address

Email address

Your blog or facebook name/address

What plan are you following in your healthy lifestyle?

Favorite type of food

Allergies or food limitations

Favorite store

Favorite item to collect

Tea or Coffee-flavor or no flavor

Favorite book

Favorite author

Favorite scripture verse

"God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." 2 Corinthians 9:8

Jamie

Monday Weigh In~Week 16

Here are this weeks stats:  

4/16-4/22

SW: 220 (12/12/11)

CW: 193 (-.4 lbs)

Calories burned from exercise: 2452

Miles ran/jogged/walked/biked: 14.95

Avg Calories per day: 1208

100-120oz water daily 

HMMM! If you look at last weeks #'s and this weeks #'s you can obviously see that this was a better #'s week. So why is the number down?? Well, I have a few theories but I am not sure which one if any are to blame. I know I didn't get enough water in this weekend so that's the biggest problem. Then I laid out yesterday for a little to long and I am burned today so I think there is some water retention going on there. I also haven't been very "regular" the last few's days so I am guessing I need to call the doctor and see about getting some more samples of the medicine he gave me for it. 


I am pretty tired today and lacking the energy or motivation to do much. I am a little bummed with this weigh in since I really want to make my goal of 30lbs in 4 months by 4/30/212. On the other side I am happy that I lost and didn't have a gain. I got an awesome cook book from my secret prayer partner at church and I will be making 5 recipes from it this week. Hungry Girl Cookbook


I got in 5 workouts this week and I tried HIIT training on Saturday. Its a little crazy and intense but I really enjoyed it. I made a little video so you could see how I did it (don't laugh at me though). HIIT Training


Mini goal for last week: 3 miles on the elliptical at least twice.~3.03 & 2 miles x2 on the elliptical, I am happy with that. 

Mini goal for this week: 3 HIIT sessions this week.

NSV this week: 

• I am just really proud of myself overall this week.   

This is how my week went, how was yours? Did you have a weight loss or maybe a NSV?  

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13

Jamie

Just my opinions!

This week has flown by and as usual I am asking myself where the time has gone. I have already logged 13.45 miles for this week and I have only done weights once. I plan on getting in 2 more weight workouts this weekend though. I bought some new videos this week for super cheap and I am stoked to give them a try. These two plus a yoga and a pilates, which I am excited to try since I have never done either and always wanted to!

In my last post I talked about the sugar I have been getting from fruit and that I was fine with the amount I was getting since it was natural. After thinking about it, I was curious just how many grams of sugar I was getting a day and I was astonished when I started watching it on MFP. Needless to say I have cut back on my fruit *tear* and I am working on replacing it with other filling foods. So last night I picked up a bag of carrots, celery, fresh asparagus and this.

I have to say that it is a little on the strong side of the garlic taste (even for me being a garlic lover) but it did make the carrots a little easier to eat. I am planning on making pizza with it tonight and I am really hoping that it turns out good. They also have a roasted red pepper flavor that I think I might like even better so its up next to try out. 

I bought a few new items to try this week and wanted to share with you guys as well. 

The Joseph's pitas were a little dry but for only 60 calories and whole wheat they weren't to bad overall. They were better as a taco then as a wrap but I think that was because the tacos were a lot moister. The Oikos Greek yogurt was delicious but after my new findings about sugar this week it wont be a daily item but more of a treat. I tried the tea with a little bit of my Natural Bliss sweet creamer and was not a fan, I will be trying it again plain and see if its better. I also think I might try it as iced tea for a refreshing summertime tea. 

Now on to the best thing I have had this week! You think those are brownies don't you? Well there not but they were yummy! Chocolate Protein Bars! I was really surprised at how moist they were and what an awesome late night snack to satisfy that hunger craving and sweet tooth. I plan on making some lemon bars this weekend and cant wait! Have you ever tried these? If so what did you think? 

I got home from work yesterday to a clean (11 year old standards) house and the sweetest note from my oldest daughter. I'm not really sure how much of this is true since we are at the hormonal pre-teen stage but I will take it! 

She even made me a little snack with a boiled egg wrapped in a cupcake holder and a few of my favorite crackers!

Have a great weekend and let me know if you have any new recipes I should try out this weekend?

Jamie

P.S. I was inspired to give my blog a makeover after seeing my friend Jaime's and I am really loving the new look!! What do you think? 

On any given day

Some of my friends have asked me to just tell them what they need to eat everyday in order to see progress as this is the hard part for them. So, I thought it would be a good idea to share my typical menu with all of you. I would love to hear about your menu and see what great ideas you have that I could possibly incorporate into my menu so feel free to share them with us here!

Please remember that I am not a dietitian or nutritional expert so this is based off of my own experience and what I have found that works for me. My current goal is 1200 gross calories per day, but this has varied between 1200-1500 over the last 4 months. I do realize that I am eating more fruit than needed but this is what is working for me and I am NEVER hungry. This is what my menu looks like on most days with a variation of a few add ons when I feel the need for something more. If you would like to see an actual daily review of my foods you are welcome to take a look at my food diary on myfitnesspal.com (jamieplayer).

Meal 1 (8:15ish)
4 egg whites, boiled
     or
Whole wheat thin bagel with Laughing Cow cream cheese
Coffee with french vanilla creamer **A MUST FOR ME**

Meal 2 (10:30ish)
2 cups fruit (melon, strawberries, mango, kiwi)
     or
12 oz smoothie (spinach, berries, peaches, almond milk, vanilla protein powder, stevia, cinnamon)

Meal 3 (12:30 or 1:00)
4-6oz lean meat (Crockpot chicken most days)
1-2 cups veggies (usually roasted cauliflower or green beans)

Meal 4 (2:00-3:00)
1 cup fruit (melon, strawberries, mango, kiwi)
Coffee with french vanilla creamer
     or
12 oz smoothie (spinach, berries, peaches, almond milk, vanilla protein powder, stevia, cinnamon)

Meal 5 (5:30-6:30)
4-6oz lean meat (Crockpot Chicken, Lean Ground Beef Tacos, Turkey Meatloaf Muffins )
*I will make this into a taco/wrap when I get bored*
1-2 cups veggies (usually roasted cauliflower or green beans)

Meal 6 (9:30, after workout)
12 oz Protein shake made with Gatorade
1 cup Dannon Light N Fit Yogurt with a little granola & flaxseed
    or
1 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter

***1 GALLON OF WATER A DAY***
I also take the following vitamins daily: multi-vitamin, fish oil-x3, garlic, super b complex-x2 & biotin.

The main thing I have tried to incorporate is less processed foods and unnatural sugars. Fruit has a lot of natural sugars but I really enjoy having it so I just don't let it bother me. I have cut back on almost all snack bar type foods (unless in a pinch) and almost all frozen meals (unless in a pinch). I have even tried to cut back on  the amount of yogurt I eat because of the amount of sugar in it. I do not & will not (already tried it) cut out my garlic salt with parsley, but I try not to overdo on other products containing salt because I know I have a heavy hand when using my garlic salt.

So you see, a lot of it for me is about balance and portions. I usually meet a friend for lunch at Subway at least once a week and we usually go out to lunch on Sundays twice a month. I try every day to eat as clean as possible but I am not perfect so I substitute when I can and cut back when I need to.

ALL OF THIS FOOD IS PREPARED ON SUNDAY FOR ME TO HAVE READILY AVAILABLE AT ANY TIME DURING THE WEEK. THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BIGGEST KEYS TO CONTINUED SUCCESS!

If you want any of my recipes let me know and I will be more than happy to share them with you!

I have found a lot of good meal ideas and menu planning tips from the following sites as well (even though I don't plan on being a fitness model). The ideas and teachings found here are very valuable and can be added in to any healthy lifestyle.

Natalie Hodson

Fat Burner Menu Help

Busy Mom Gets Fit

Jamie

Body Transformation Plan!!!

So as most of you probably read in my weigh in post today I tried a few different things in my routine this last week. I would have to say that they have definitely paid off! If you are interested you can read more about these changes and how to incorporate all or just some of them to your daily plan. Even if you cant commit to all of them, I would suggest trying out at least 1 at a time. What do you have to lose, besides more fat? If you have been with me for very long you know that I don't like to change up my routine because it messes with my head. I have to say though I am ecstatic about making these changes. I am even ok with not doing a ton of cardio like I have been for the last 4 months.

Fat Loss Body Transformation Plan


Jamie

Monday Weigh In~Week 15

Here are this weeks stats:  

4/9-4/15

SW: 220 (12/12/11)

CW: 193.4 (-3 lbs)

Calories burned from exercise: 2542

Miles ran/jogged/walked/biked: 9.91

Avg Calories per day: 1339

100-120oz water daily 

WOOOOOHOOOOO!!!! I am really excited about this weeks #'s but not just because I am down 3lbs. It is a total reflection of my week and how when I put God first He does great things with and through me! You all saw how busy my schedule was this week and if this doesn't testify to how He provides a way, I don't know what does. I got in 6 workouts, 5 at the gym & 3 long ones with weights, finished our taxes, got my house in some sort of order, got most of the laundry done, 2 doctors appointments, 3 round trips to Garland, watched a movie, laid out and read a book, prepped all my food for this week and had dinner with an awesome group of  ladies.  The best part was that I wasn't tired or exhausted at any point during the week. I did however have an unwanted visit from TOM and I am hoping this doesn't throw me out of whack much this week. 


I have mentioned before about how I wanted to talk with a lady at the gym but just couldn't get the courage to do so. Well Friday night as I was doing some floor exercises I finally got the courage to say something to a younger girl that was trying out a machine for the first time. I just gave her a little bit of advice on how to do it. We spent the next 30 mins doing reps of different weights back in the "guy section" of the gym. It was an awesome feeling to be able to encourage these young ladies to better themselves and to have them be interested in hearing what I had to say. Then on Saturday as I got to the gym I saw a lady that was about my age and I kept thinking to myself "you should ask her to do weights with you when yall finish your cardio." Well after my first few reps of legs I decided to go ahead and ask her. We ended up doing a full round of weights and talking about life, kids, work & our healthy lifestyle's. She has worked really hard and lost 40lbs since November by eating right and working out faithfully. Her story isn't the same as mine but we have so many factors that are the same. Its so nice to know that I am not alone and I am not the only one with these issues. 


I don't know what God has in store for me or how He wants to use me but I am open to finding out and letting Him lay the stones beneath my feet to get me there. Are you? 


The changes that I made this week were as follows:

• Cut back on sugars
• 20 mins of cardio and 30-40 mins of weights, compared to my usual 60 mins of cardio.
• Cleaner eating, cut out most processed foods and added more lean meat, veggies & fruits.
• Made sure to get in at least 100oz of water a day.

Mini goal for last week:   Renewed desire to serve the Lord through my Journey.  ~~DONE!

Mini goal for this week: 3 miles on the elliptical at least twice. 

NSV this week: 

• Elliptical 3x (2 miles x 2 & 1 mile), I couldn't do more than 5 mins a few months ago.   
• Was reminded of how well things work out when I put God first. 

This is how my week went, how was yours? Did you have a weight loss or maybe a NSV?  

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13

Jamie