Tasty Tuesday: My Favorite, Super Easy, Clean Eating/Paleo Chicken Dish

Clean Eating/Paleo Chicken Dish

Watch my "how to video" and meet my scattered "before" self!

Let me know what you'd like to see on my vlog!

Any questions?

Recipes?

How To?

Exercises?

Do you want to see me ATTEMPT something??  

Ask Away!

Day #11: ASStastic Workout (oh, and some abs and legs, too)

Tonight is my Lower Body Workout Day

I am definitely a *Pear Shape*... or a mesomorph (& endomorph??) body type.  I tend to be muscular, and I gain muscle easily, but at this age, I am definitely far too good at gaining fat as well.  At any rate, when it comes to working out, I definitely want to build my upper body.  My lower body is definitely holding onto plenty of weight, but even now, a lot of it is muscle.

When I was at my most fit, my legs were thick.  There wasn't a lot of fat, but they were big.  Even at my lowest body fat, my calves were still 15 inches and too big to fit into pretty much any boots (and I love boots!).

Anyway, when I go to build muscle, most of my focus is going to be on my arms, shoulders, abs and back.  My legs can wait... or at least take it easy.  The one area of my lower body that I do want to work on?

That right, ladies, the ass.

Source: skinnyms.com via Byn on Pinterest

I can't tell you how much this shocks me.  Growing up, I always had ample ass--age.  I was called bubble butt throughout my childhood, and through my twenties, I still had the ass.  Even in my thirties.  Somewhere in my 40's, it left me.  Did I not appreciate it enough?  I don't know.  I always assumed it would be there.  One day I flipped to the side in Zumba and caught my reflection in the mirror and thought, "WOW!  These shorts actually make my ass look flat!"

Over the next couple of weeks, I started to take notice... my ass was GONE!

So, now that I'm been getting back in the swing of things, working on my goals, I definitely want my ass back!  As a matter of fact, the other day I was perusing my "Fitness Inspiration" board on Pinterest, and my 14 year old said, "Why are there so many butts on your page?"

Because that is where my lower body focus is going to be.  My husband isn't into boobs.  He isn't one to start drooling or getting that glazed over look when a woman with big boobs bounces by with a plunging neckline (even if its ME), but he certainly likes a nice back view.  This isn't the only reason I want my ass back, but I have to say, it might lend a little extra motivation for me.

All this to say, LOOK AT THIS AWESOME, or should I say ASS-SOME (hahaha) WORKOUT I FOUND!!!

That's right, ladies and gents, tonight, I'm going to work on my back view.  I'll let you know how hard it is to sit and stand tomorrow :)  Have a great workout!

Source: thehautebunny.wordpress.com via Byn on Pinterest

Tasty Tuesday! Lasagna, Meaty or Vegetarian

**If you're trying to lose weight, this is a CHEAT/Free Day meal.  I don't eat grains (or dairy except Greek yogurt & cottage cheese)... this was requested by a friend and my family before I officially went off of grains:)  Enjoy in moderation!!!

**For my own cheat/free meal, I replace the pasta with thinly sliced zucchini and less cheese for a yummy dish to soothe your "lasagna" cravings!  I keep away from wheat, even on cheat days because my body doesn't like wheat at all... bloating, uncomfortable feelings, insomnia & weight gain is not worth it to me!

My husband, the food critic of the house who LOVES food and makes cooking a rewarding endeavor!

How I Make Lasagna:  The Video

I joked with my friends that this should be called "Cooking with Cleavage" because of this dress.  When I bought this dress, I had NO cleavage... as I gained and gained weight, the dress was one of the only (stretchy) things that fit me other than workout clothes.  I am ready to retire this thing and never see it again... or maybe hang it on my wall as a reminder of how I don't want to be.

Here is another version of my Meat/Vegetarian Lasagna Variations with a little bit more in the way of a recipe (since in this one, I just used marinara sauce that I had already made)

I have two more videos ready to edit and upload... 

So, let me know what recipe you'd like to see OR any questions that you have that I could answer in a Q&A video!

Rewards for Reaching Goals

How do you reward yourself for reaching weight loss/fitness goals?

In the past when I've set goals, I always had trouble with rewards.

I don't want to reward with new clothes, because I plan on continuing to shrink!

I don't want to reward with food because I'm trying to get out of the mindset that food=reward.

So, I've decided to set some short term goals, and make a list of things that I would like to reward myself with.

GOALS By the end of January:

• 90 second plank
• 10 push--ups
• 30 minutes on elliptical HIIT without dying :)
• 35% body fat (I'm at 40% right now and OUCH, does that hurt!!!  I'm not sure how attainable this is, in 2 1/2 weeks but I need to start somewhere!)

Reward:  Hair Cut!  (I haven't had a professional hair cut since... my 40th birthday a year and a half ago!  I always cut it myself, but right now it looks crappy)

Future Reward Ideas:
Take a burlesque fitness class
Take a pole dance fitness class
Buy a new workout dvd/set (T-Tapp is one I really want, Insanity, etc.)

I got my new body fat analyzer today. At his request, I got my 17 year old son's results and said, "Well, that's pretty good..."

"For a GIRL"

He just laughed, but as I was walking back to the living room when he yelled out, "Wait! A HOT girl?"

Lol.