First Goal Reached!

Hello ladies!

I'd like to start off by saying I reached my FIRST mini goal this week. I told myself I wanted to lose 22 lbs by my 22nd birthday and I did. Several days early I might add :)

I lost 3.6 lbs this week, for a total loss of 22 lbs and a net loss of 19 lbs.

I've never lost more than 5-10 lbs at a time in my life. Ever. My diets have usually ended after a week or two because they're just too strict. Through Mamavation, I haven't gone on a "diet"...I've completely changed the way I eat for good. What I eat now will still be what I eat after I reach my final goal weight. It's yummy, has gotten me in touch with my inner Rachel Ray, and is so good for me.

Every other time I've dieted, I haven't wanted to tell anyone...because of my imminent failure. Reaching this first girl has made me realize that even though some weeks I might gain weight or maintain, I can still get right back into the swing of things. I want to shout from the rooftops about my success and my changes in a very dramatic fashion. I want my life to be a musical about weight loss. Someone call the Disney channel.

Another high for me this week: You know how some people (family, close friends) will tell you that you look skinnier out of the goodness of their hearts? Like you really might not look skinnier, but they want you to keep going and to help motivate you so they tell you anyway? This has made me doubt every positive comment from the people closest to me. Do I REALLY look skinnier, or are they just saying that? Well...a co-worker of mine that had been on leave for several weeks (actually, she went on leave right about the same time I started Mamavation, and just came back this week) came up to me, grabbed all the loose fabric on my pants (someone call HR) and told me I looked like I'd lost a lot of weight. Angels from the heavens started to sing. I can trust that I look smaller...because this person didn't even know I was attempting to. She even went so far as to ask me how I was doing it, what I was eating, what I did for exercise, etc. I used to be embarrassed when people asked if I'd lost weight because that would be admitting that I was fat and needed to lose weight. Not this time. I was PROUD and EXCITED to share my success with her.

Moving right along...congrat to Rita Ann on SOTW! She's always hopping about Twitter encouraging others and sharing her own ups and downs. She totally deserves this!

Also, Katy Bowman from Aligned and Well is sponsoring this week's blogging carnival. I'm so glad to see that someone has created DVDs specifically designed to help with areas that might causes us pain or discomfort. I'm really interested in the Knees and Hips DVD, since I've already had two knee surgeries.

I hope all the women who went to BOB this weekend had a blast, and I'm still totally jealous that I couldn't go because New Orleans is only my favorite city ever.

Until next week!

Mamavation Monday 7/19

Sigh.

I really didn't want to write this post this week. It's the first time I've gained since starting Mamavation, and it totally sucks. Ok, it doesn't TOTALLY suck, because it's not like I worked out and ate great and gained anyway. Sure, I ate well a few times, but I ate not so well a few times too. I also didn't work out. Not once. I was totally lazy this past week and really just didn't feel like doing anything. I wasn't even on Twitter that often. My Google Reader has gone into hibernation. The only thing that was active this week was my scale - 3.5 lbs worth of active in the upward direction. Doesn't my scale know I'd rather be lied to?! Geez, scale. We. Are. Done.

So, after a long list of things I DIDN'T do this week, let's move on to things I did do. I took a mental vacation. I relaxed with my friends and family, and even reconnected with some people whom I love dearly, but hadn't seen in a while. I tried to not stress about too many things, which was great. Unfortunately my diet and physical activity level relaxed a little too much as well.

I'm not going to get too down about this, because like I said - at least I know what caused my gain. At least I'm not moving backwards for no good reason. That would be very tragic and disheartening. I didn't slip because I was in some sort of depressed/anxious state like I've dealt with in the past. I slipped because I was RELAXING and HAVING FUN. I'm not ok with the gain, but I can be happy that at least I had a good time and I wasn't glued to the couch eating my emotions.

So what I really need to start doing this week is everything. Eating well. Exercising. Tweeting. Blog reading. Tweeting and blog reading especially...because some days y'all are the only thing that keeps me going.

So since I haven't contributed anything else to the Sistahood this week, here's a nice Cajun recipe for all the ladies going to BOB (jealous)! This is a GREAT spin on a traditional burger that I came up with on the spot.

Eat this burger with a Chiquita Banana on the side, because they're awesome and sponsor the Mamavation Sistahood.


Cajun Turkey Burger

Ingredients:
4 oz Ground Turkey
0.5 oz Shredded Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Medium-sized Green Pepper
3 or 4 Slices Vidalia Onion
Creole Seasoning

Mix the ground turkey, mozzarella, 1/4 of the green pepper (chopped into small pieces), 1/2 of the amount of onion (also chopped into small pieces), and creole seasoning to taste in a bowl. Form a turkey-burger patty. Place on pre-warmed grill (I used my George Foreman), close lid, and let cook for 4-5 minutes. If you're using an outdoor grill, flip halfway through.

Take the rest of the onion and green pepper, left in strips, and sautee in a pan with some non-stick cooking spray until caramelized (it took mine about the same time as the burger did to cook - convenient!). You can also sprinkle some creole seasoning on these if you want to.

Serve on a whole wheat sandwich thin (I toasted mine for just a bit on the George Foreman) with any "burger toppings" you like, along with the caramelized onions and peppers. Mine was deliciously simple with just some baby spinach leaves and mayonnaise. Disclaimer: If you're a lover of ketchup on your burger, it's been my experience that ketchup and cajun food do NOT mix well. Seriously, don't do it. It'll end up over-salted and just gross. Also, remember you don't have to add cheese, since cheese was already mixed in with the turkey meat.

Mamavation Monday 7/12

Hello ladies!

This week's post will be a short one. I had an interesting weekend in which some personal things were dealt with, and didn't have much time for twitter, blogging, weighing in, or worrying about what went into my mouth. Everything's fine now (I hope)...so I'm ready to start a new week!

I maintained my weight this week, which I'm totally fine with considering I didn't weigh last week until Wednesday night...so it's only been about 4 since I last weighed. I'm still holding strong at 237. If you didn't see my tweets - that means I officially have less than 100 lbs to lose to reach me goal weight! Yay me!

Also, I'm hosting a Seventh Generation Giveaway on this blog. Please check it out and enter to win a boat load of Seventh Generation products!

Make sure you join us tomorrow night for the Twitter party announcing the two new Mamavation Moms! Good luck to all the finalists!

Seventh Generation Review + GIVEAWAY!

Hello my lovely blog readers! I'm proud to (finally) bring you my Seventh Generation review and GIVEAWAY!

First of all, I'd like to apologize for how long it has taken me to post this, but Seventh Generation sent me SO MANY goodies (and I was so far behind on cleaning...) that it took me a while to use all of them.

I contacted Seventh Generation with a prayer that they would be willing to sponsor a review for me to post. Honestly, I was expecting to wait a while for a response, and then MAYBE a small, travel-sized bottle of something. I would have been perfectly happy with that. Instead, this is what I got:


Disinfecting Multi-Surface
Disinfecting Bathroom
Disinfecting Wipes - 35 ct.
Laundry Detergent – F&C 32 oz
Liquid Fabric Softener – F&C 40 oz
Dish liquid
All- Purpose Cleaner
Auto-Dish Pacs
Glass Cleaner
Natural Paper Towels
Seventh Gen Recycled Bag

Ummm...HOLLA!

Another unexpected (yet fabulous) addition: @The_Megster got back to me the very next day. Call me old-fashioned, but I think that is a wonderful demonstration of customer service, and it proves how much Seventh Generation really cares about their customers. I would buy their products for that reason alone.

Except I have oh so many other reasons.

First of all (as most of you probably know) their products are totally environmentally friendly. Taken directly from their website (since they say it much more elegantly than I ever could):

"The company derives its name from the Great Law of the Iroquois that states, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Every time you use a Seventh Generation product you are making a difference by saving natural resources, reducing pollution, keeping toxic chemicals out of the environment and making the world a safer place for this and the next seven generations."

Sweetness. I love having products in my house that probably won't send my dog to the Puppy ER...ummm, because she likes to chew. It's also nice to be able to wipe down the kitchen counter without being weary of setting food on it again.

Other than the fabulosity that Seventh Generation does for the environment, their products work well. I'm talking really, really well. Just as good (better, in some cases) as all of those toxic cleaners.

Better, you wonder? Yes. Better. I used to use a name brand kitchen spray cleaner religiously. Then I used Seventh Generation's Disinfecting Multi-Surface cleaner. I'm telling you, this stuff cleaned off things you would think would take hours to scrub off in seconds. Homemade dough caked to the counter? No problem. Spaghetti sauce splattered onto the stove? Just a spray and two or three scrubs with a sponge, and it was spotless. I also think their Dish Liquid works better than the name brand stuff. If you've ever tried to scrub dried cheese off of a ceramic plate, you know what I'm talking about. It also doesn't have some obnoxious, synthetic lemon scent that mixes with three day old taco remnants that sends your gagging impulse into overdrive. Not that any of this has ever happened to me or anything. Because I wash all of my dishes immediately after use. And my kitchen counters are always 100% spotless. I don't even spill things when I cook....ahem.

Their paper towels are amazingness too; not only because they're made from 100% recycled materials, but because they're DURABLE. I swear, you could probably rinse, ring-out, and reuse those things many, many times.

I like the reusable bag too. Is it different from the other bags I own? Only if those aren't made from recycled materials. I really enjoy the fact that it doesn't have a store name branded across it (just Seventh Generation's), so I can walk into any store guilt-free and not feeling like some undercover spy...only not so much undercover.

Overall, I'm pretty astonished at how well these products clean. I can't say they ALL work better than toxic competitors, but a lot of them do. The rest work JUST AS WELL. And they don't release fumes that send you spiraling into some fainting/vomiting/light headed death-fest. Their products are definitely worth any extra money they cost...plus their are always coupons on their website.

So here's the GIVEAWAY (w00t w00t!!):

Receive the same package Seventh Generation sent me, which includes:

Disinfecting Multi-Surface
Disinfecting Bathroom
Disinfecting Wipes - 35 ct.
Laundry Detergent – F&C 32 oz
Liquid Fabric Softener – F&C 40 oz
Dish liquid
All- Purpose Cleaner
Auto-Dish Pacs
Glass Cleaner
Natural Paper Towels
Seventh Gen Recycled Bag

To enter: Go to Seventh Generation's website website, and come back here and let me know what product you would love to try the most. If you already use their products, which one do you like best?

Extra Entries:
1. Follow @SeventhGen on Twitter (1 Entry)
2. Follow me @CJinKY on Twitter (1 Entry)
3. Sign up for Seventh Generation's newsletter on their website (1 Entry)
4. Publicly follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (2 Entries)
5. Subscribe to my blog via RSS feed (2 Entries)
6. Tweet this out: "GIVEAWAY by @SeventhGen and @CJinKY!! Win a Seventh Generation Starter Kit. Ends 7/17 http://bit.ly/9z08Xx" (Unlimited Entries!)

Remember to come back and comment for EACH ENTRY. Comment multiple times for multiple entries (2 extra entries=2 comments). Winner will be chosen by random.org on 7/17/2010 at 9pm EST

Mamavation Monday...errr, Wednesday

Hello ladies! Sorry my post is late this week. I was super busy with family activities this past weekend. I know, while you were pining for me I was off swimming and setting off fireworks. I regret nothing.

Except, I do regret what I ate. In hindsight, it wasn't THAT bad. It could have definitely been better.

Anyway, I did finally weight in today...so after 9 days, I've lost 4.5 lbs! See...a little indulgence never hurt anyone (seriosuly, I mean a LITTLE).

If you're keeping track, that puts me at 237.5 with a total loss of 18.5 lbs in 8 (and a half?) weeks. YES!! I'm pretty on track for my 22lbs by my 22nd birthday (July 30) challenge.

I think that although I indulged a little this weekend, kicking up my workouts definitely helped. And so did the heat, probably. I swear I sweated that entire 4.5 lbs out during my run on Tuesday. I also had to wrestle with my 60 lb dog while bathing her...because this dog LOVES any type of water except bath water. Of course. I'm not kidding about the wrestling either. My dad and I had to tag team holding/bathing her. If it had been another person instead of a blog, well...it probably wouldn't be appropriate to post it on my blog.

Also, congrats to the Top 6 chosen as Mamavation finalists! You ALL deserve this! Remember to go and vote every 24 hours!