Release

Weekly Update:  I titled this blog "Release" because that is what the second phase of my 21 day full body cleanse is called.   I am loving all the food so far.  Last week prepared my body, this week is releasing toxins and next week is restoring my body.    This week I am down 1.2lbs for a new total of 70.8lbs, but more importantly I FEEL great.

For Mother's Day we went to Boston College where I went to undergrad school.   My husband took a photo of my son and I and I could't help myself from admiring my neckline.  I decided I needed to compare to a 'before' photo and found this one from last July (just before I decided to try out the 21 Day Fix).   I tried to get the proportions the same so it's a 1:1 comparison (I lined up my chest and face and left arm).     This made my Mother's Day that much brighter.

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

Here is another visual I wanted to see how many inches I've lost and what it looks like.  This is total motivation to keep on plugging away one day at a time.  This change didn't happen over night, but it happened consistently with small & easy changes each day.

More about me or to order any products I mention in my blog and have me as your Free Coach, Mentor and Top Supporter:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

I requested a picnic lunch so I could bring my planned out meals.  I usually would have been able to eat out and follow the 21 Day Fix clean eating guidelines, but I want to stay true to the Ultimate Reset since it's a more regimented cleanse with predetermined meals.   After our picnic we went for a walk and I got an herbal tea.

Then we got home and had yet another picnic!

This post I'm including a significant amount of photos with my son as a reminder of my WHY.  I have several WHYs, but my biggest is my ability to be the mom and role model I want to be for my son. I am finally back to feeling like 'me' again and want my son to know the real me, not the one who dodged cameras and was frustrated and miserable and unable to move comfortably.

Here we are in our Mommy & Me Pilates classes.  Another reason for my WHY - I love that I can teach classes to other moms and get in a workout while also showing our children how to enjoy fitness.

And of course my "non negotiable me time" at home as well. Usually I reserve my at home workouts for nap time or after my son is in bed, but this week he decided it was time to transition to the toddler bed by escaping his crib several times and bed time has been 'rocky'. I figured if I can teach classes with him around, why not try a video at home.  It was a success!

Here is the food news for the day - my husband and I prepped on Friday night and watched some Netflix. I like to call it 'prep night date night' since we get to talk and prep at the same time.    Lots of yummy foods were prepared!

Here are all my meals from the this week for the 21 Day Ultimate Body Reset. I am loving it, and more importantly loving all the food!

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

More about me or to order any products I mention: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: FitandBalancedMom@gmail.com

Little Black Dress

Weekly Update:  This week I am down 3.6lbs for a new total of  74.4lbs!!  I had a handful of challenges, a bachelorette party, wedding and bridal shower three days in a row.  They were all great events but also had a high potential for challenging eating. I did the best with my options and overall am very impressed with myself.   I think part of my motivation was that I was able to fit into clothes that months ago I almost got rid of because I had given up on ever losing weight.

I titled this "little black dress" because I was finally able to fit back into my favorite little black dress!  With the weekend of events, I decided to take a trip through my old clothing and see what fit and to my surprise all the dresses I picked out fit!    This is such a wonderful feeling.  I wore this 'little black dress' to the bachelorette party.

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

And then this polka dot dress I wore to the wedding. I haven't worn it in years.  What a fantastic 'non scale' weekend. I think I was like 25 the last time I wore it actually.   

In light of my little black dress, here are some more photos taken in black clothing.  I was getting ready to workout earlier this week and realized I was wearing a very similar outfit to the one I took after my first week on the  21 Day Fix.  I just had to take a comparison photo.   One thing to note - the photos on the left were a week into my new fitness and nutrition plan.  I was sore  and tired and at times overwhelmed but I did not give up. I took those photos after the first week and saw no visible difference, but I still pushed through (and continue to push through) one day at a time, and it's been paying off!   I actually stopped taking photos after the 'Week 1' shot because I didn't want to discourage myself.   I am proud that I continued along, and I want to remind you that even if you don't SEE a change right away, focus on how you feel and the fact that you will eventually see one if you are consistently putting in the effort.

The biggest thing I notice here is that I finally have a neck again!

This is apparently the week of the progress photo, this week also ended a 6 month "Diet Bet" I had done online.  The concept is you can 'bet' that you will lose a percentage of your weight in a given period of time.   In November, I joined a 6 month event that challenged you to lose 10% of your weight.  I figured because I was planning on losing weight anyway, I might as well make some money on it.  The first photo I was 201lbs so my goal was about 20lbs.  I am happy to report that I've lost over 35lbs in the past 6 months which not only FEELS great, but it also earned me over $300 to spend on new (smaller) clothes.

Another fun thing I'm doing this week is a 7 Day Water Challenge with some of the women in my private fitness page.   This is an awesome group because it gets you drinking water throughout the day in a fun way.  Whenever I do this people generally report back that their headaches are gone, their lips are no longer dry and more importantly they feel so much better after a week of being properly hydrated!  If anyone ever wants in on a group, request to join my private support group and I'd be happy to add you!

More about me or to order any products I mention in my blog and have me as your Free Coach, Mentor and Top Supporter:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Here's this week's Ultimate Reset foods!  They sort of look the same because I went with the 'Quick Reset' for the final week due to a busier schedule and the need to simplify my prep time.

Thursday

Friday

Saturday (some of the food not pictured, I was at a wedding and did the best with what my options were) 

Sunday 

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

More about me or to order any products I mention: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: FitandBalancedMom@gmail.com

A New Decade

Weekly Update:  I am down 5.2lbs  for a total of 69.4lbs.  Last week I had a bit of a gain, but I wasn't surprised because I had gone out to dinner the night before.   I took last week to remind myself that a gain doesn't define my journey.  This week I am proud of staying on track despite a blip in my weight last week. And I am officially in the 160s!!

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

More about me or to order any products I mention in my blog and have me as your Free Coach, Mentor and Top Supporter:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

I also decided this past weekend to try on a dress that over the summer was one of the few things that fit, as I got closer and closer to my breaking point this dress actually even became tight and eventually I couldn't zip it.    Taking this photo was a great reminder of just how much my body has changed in the past 10 months.

In addition to my body changing, my strength has changed too.  The photo below is from an event I attended this past weekend called "Super Saturday". This event I look forward to every 3 months and it's a Beachbody specific event that really reinforces why I love coaching so much.   It's a gathering where all the CT coaches, and guests of coaches get together and learn about the importance of coaching, hear success stories and finish with an hour long workout.   My friend Alicia and I are shown below after the "Cize" workout.  Cize is sort of like Zumba but unlike Zumba I actually liked it!  I have two left feet, so I was excited about liking a dance program.  Plus it's with Shaun T and he's my favorite trainer.

This is the group of wonderful men and women of all shapes, sizes and physical abilities.  The energy at this event always leaves me so charged.

In food news...

I had a bit of a stomach bug for a day last week so in order to get in some protein in an easily digestible way I decided to mix some chia seeds with water.   So yummy!

We also brought out our dehydrator this week.  I tend to use the dehydrator more in the summer months for some reason - mainly for herbs from my herb garden and fruits.   My favorite is dehydrated watermelon!

Sunday was prep day - look at these amazing fruits and veggies ready to be prepared!

Mixed berry salad

Red peppers and hummus (love this as a snack)

Cucumber salad with dill (balsamic lemon dressing not shown)

Coconut stir fry (coconut oil, veggies, turmeric)

More about me or to order any products I mention: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: FitandBalancedMom@gmail.com

Sunny Days

Weekly Update: This week I am down 1.6lbs for a total of 65.8lbs.  My week was a little more relaxed foodwise, but j stuck to my daily Shakeology and 30 minute workouts and it paid off!   

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

More about me or to order any products I mention in my blog and have me as your Free Coach, Mentor and Top Supporter:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

This week was full of fitness which was fun and I actually had a fun little shock after going hiking with a friend for 2 hours. We did something called "Letter Boxing" and went for a 2 hour/3 mile hike.  It was a blast, but it was actually a fun surprise within a few hours after to realize that I used some new muscles that I hadn't used in a while!  Hiking is by far one of my favorite activities, and it's been over 3 years since I've been able to do it.  I am looking forward to a summer FULL of hikes big and small.

One of my favorite things from this week was driving by an 70 year old man on my way to run some errands.  He was moving at an incredibly slow pace, with a cane and a strong limp.   He was clearly going for a walk, but at at pace that was no more than half a mile an hour.   On my way back from my errands, I saw the same man just a few blocks down the road still walking.   This was a huge reminder to me that it's never too late.  I love this quote because it really explains what I saw and reinforces that it's never too late to start our journey for the first, fifth or hundredth time. As long as we are breathing, we can start a new beginning.

Another SUPER exciting event this week was getting to workout 'live' with Shaun T (the creator of T25, Hip Hop Abs, Insanity, Insanity Max 30, Insanity Asylum and Rockin' Body).   The workout was amazing, the energy was amazing. There were 1,000 of us all working out and Shaun was such a great instructor, but my favorite part was the 'after' part when he did a Q&A and I really got to learn more about him and the people he has inspired.    I even got to ask a question! I was so nervous, but I did it.

Here I am with my close friend Katie post-workout waiting to hear Shaun in the Q&A.

And I actually remembered to get a photo of me working out!!!

I've been taking and sharing a lot of these before and after photos recently. I love that I am 'finding' some before photos that I forgot I have taken.  I love the facial expressions too - the shift is just amazing.

And, like I said, this was a week of fitness!! I FINALLY have been remembering to have people capture me in action.  Here I am doing a plank in my Mommy & Me Pilates class.

We also kicked off our Couch to 5K program as well this past week - we have a phenomenal group of moms and babies who braved a 35 degree rain storm for our first group run!

More about me or to order any products I mention:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: FitandBalancedMom@gmail.com 

Loving Life

Weekly Update:  I am thrilled this week.  If you recall, my goal last week at the all inclusive resort was to 'maintain' my weight.  This week's weigh in represents two week's worth (including vacation) and I am down 3.8lbs for a new total of 63.8lbs!  More exciting, is I'm weighing in at 172.8lbs which means I'm so close to my month end goal of hitting the 160s!  

If you enjoy my blog, I'd love to have you in my private (women only) Facebook Group dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FitandHealthyPrivateGroup/ 

Top vacation tips:

🔹 Stay Hydrated

🔹 Get in your protein - as a vegetarian I learned I needed to snag a few hardboiled eggs at breakfast to have in the room for mid-day

🔹 Get moving! Walk around and check out the new location

🔹 Take food photos - this kept me honest!

More about me or to order any products I mention in my blog and have me as your Free Coach, Mentor and Top Supporter:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

I have been doing some personal development recently, and being on vacation meant I got to fit in some extra reading which I loved!   I read "Go Giver" and am halfway through "The Slight Edge".  These books are amazing and really are making me think about how I can be a better person.   I found this quote and it sort of sums up "Go Giver" - really just putting out positivity and finding genuine ways to help others will bring you happiness and success.  I am working on doing this daily and I have to say, at minimum it's making me feel amazing!   "The Slight Edge" is great too and it really focuses on how doing SMALL things consistently will help you over time - I keep relating it to my weight loss journey.  Success is the sum of small habits consistently repeated and then one day you realize how successful the sum of those small things is! 

I came home from Mexico to a few great packages, and one of them was this amazingly comfortable hooded sweatshirt that Beachbody sent me in recognition of my work to help end the trend of obesity. I love everything the company stands for, the more I learn about it, the more I love it.   This shirt is just a small reminder of how much they truly appreciate all of the coaches as well.  And to top it off, the amazing people I have been able to serve and connect with as a coach brings me to tears.

This is another great quote I found this week and it really rings home.  In the past, I used to have a 'final goal' and once I got there would go off the wagon.  I'm learning in my 100lb weight loss journey to enjoy the fitness and not focus on some 'end goal' because once I get to that 'goal' I don't want to stop caring about my health and fitness, I want it to be my way of life.

Back from vacation I made a quick grocery trip, but what is cool is that before I left I actually froze a ton of foods in preparation for coming home and not wanting to cook.  I was able to get by with minimal groceries as a result!

Here is one of my favorite foods - quinoa stuffed peppers.  The foods I am making since I started the 21 Day Fix back in July really make my mouth water!

Another super easy one is this cold quinoa, veggie and olive oil salad.  Super easy and I always have the ingredients on hand!

Then of course there is the cauliflower pizza. I have posted this before, but I never tire of it. It's just SO good and packed full of protein even though there's no meat in it!

More about me or to order any products I mention:  http://www.beachbodycoach.com/chapmaki

Business Website: http://www.fitandbalancedmom.com/

Contact: FitandBalancedMom@gmail.com