All posts in category Events

Small Victories

I’m back!  It was a whirlwind of a trip, but it felt like the right amount of time, and we had so much fun spending time with family.

Hail to the conquering Graduate!

My Brother Tyler and his wife Master Angela (you’re suppose to call them Master after they receive their Master’s degree right? hehe)

Graduation day was 12 hours of craziness.  Here’s the short version: Left the house at 10 for a two hour drive to Logan, UT.  Baby threw up halfway through the drive.  Stopped at Target to get new outfit since I forgot to bring extra’s.  Got to Logan around 1:30 pm.  Sat through a THREE HOUR graduation, which they called Angela’s name about fifteen minutes in.  Tried to entertain the baby by walking around the school grounds for two hours.  Drove back to Salt Lake and ate at the Cheesecake factory (after not having ANY food for almost 9 hours).

Ate a few buffalo wings, some calamari, and then I ordered the herb crusted salmon salad.  Halfway through Dustin and I switched plates and I got to have some of his Bang Bang shrimp, which was AH-MAZING.

We got home exactly 12 hours from when we left that morning.  To say we were tired would be an understatement.

On Saturday we got to do some totally unnecessary shopping where I got these babies as an early birthday present:

I have been dying to try these shoes out for weight lifting because I think the statement about a lower center of gravity is really important for keeping good form when lifting heavy weights.

When I started working out I wore Asics because they felt like you were walking on a cloud.  Then I started having some pain on the top of my foot. I started wearing my Nike Free’s and the pain started to go away.  I’m hoping that with even less under my feet they will feel even better.  Here’s hoping!  I plan on taking a walk with them outside today and seeing how they feel.  I might even use my new Garmin just for funsies.

I didn’t eat terribly bad…..until the second half of Saturday.  I failed on no creamy dressing the second day.  We went to Brick Oven (a pizza and pasta restaurant).  They have famous green Ranch dressing and I just couldn’t get a vinaigrette after seeing it’s creamy goodness.  And then to top it off we went to Goodwood that night.

Yay, for blurry photo’s! And it was so cold that day that I had to wear my super awesome Statefarm sweatshirt.

Dustin and I decided that this meal put us over the tipping point.  I had the worst heartburn that night, and I haven’t experienced that feeling in a LONG time.  Then I got a HORRIBLE nights sleep when my child woke up and wouldn’t go back to sleep for 3 hours. I was ready to go home on Sunday, and so was my baby girl who slept for 2 1/2 hours on the way home:

I may or may not have taken the advice of my pediatrician and gave her 1/2 a teaspoon of Benadryl for the ride home, which BTW works wonders and I will NEVER travel without it. Yes, I am that mom.

Although it wasn’t an ideal healthy weekend I did have a few small victories.  I followed my restriction plan to a T on Friday, which is HUGE for me.  I also did a lot of walking.  I didn’t go nuts when I ate out and I stuck to my no soda which is usually the first rule out the window.

Now I am just working on detoxing from all of the meat I consumed.  My body is not use to eating like that anymore and so I’ve been doing a fast since 3:00pm yesterday and I will break it at dinner tonight.  I can feel a lot of the food just sitting in my stomach like a rock.  How many more times will I have to learn this lesson?

Back to the daily grind!  Happy Monday!

3 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on May 7, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Events, Family, Indulgence, Shopping, vacation

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on May 7, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/05/07/small-victories/

Trying Something Different…

Sweat it Out:
45 Minute Spin Class

Spin class has redeemed itself!  It could have been that I pushed myself today, or that I went with a friend, but whatever it was, I liked what I experienced!  I had a good sweat and now I am ready to get my day going!

Today is my fantabulous hubs’ BIRTHDAY!!!  It has become a tradition that whoever wishes Dustin Happy Birthday first gets sent a picture similar to this one:

I’m too lazy to download the one he sent out to our SIL, Millissa.  I think this is the 3rd year in a row that she has gotten the picture.  Maybe next year there will be a prize!?

We are all set for a fun filled day!  We have a babysitter coming tonight and we are going to paint the town red (does anyone even say that anymore?).

Confession:  I am going to have chicken for dinner tonight (gasp!).  I am 2 days away from completing the 21-day Vegan Kickstart Challenge and I feel that honesty is the best policy.  Dustin has requested that we use the Texas Roadhouse coupon that he got in his email, and it’s his birthday, so I let him pick!  I have already looked over their menu and have decided that I will get the grilled chicken breast with a sweet potato (not loaded, plain), and fresh vegetables.  My final decision (and reasoning behind it) will come on my final check in on Monday.

The theme is baby steps. I have learned so much through this last 3 weeks, but one of the biggest things I learned is that if I jump right in without testing the water first, I am more likely to fail. These last 3 weeks I have been testing the waters, and I’m excited to share my final thoughts with you all next week!

Some fun things from this week, just in case you missed them:

Tell me something that happened to you this last week!

4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on January 21, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Challenges, Diet, Dustin, Events, Family, Vegan

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on January 21, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/01/21/trying-something-different/

I Don’t Usually Like Weekends….

Sweat it Out:
Rollin on the River 5K Walk

I don’t usually like weekends.  It could be because while most people look at the weekend as family time, I usually spend it with Hanna, because my hub’s is a hard-working man who has had to work a LOT of weekends lately!  I do look at the extra money as a total blessing, and now that I stay home with our little munchkin we have been down an income and so the extra hours help out a LOT!

This weekend I was thankful to have the hub’s for 3 whole days!  I’m not going to lie, it has felt like a bit of a vacation, and I’ve veered off the straight and narrow eating plan for the last few days.  Dustin and I have made a promise to each other that we will have a healthy Sunday to start the week off right.  I feel like a junk gut, and I can tell a HUGE difference in my energy levels and how I feel all around.

Another fun thing that we got to participate in was the Rollin on the River 5k for the Mesa Developmental Services.  I enjoyed every minute of this event with Dustin.  My husband is competitive and even though pretty much nobody was there to win the walk, Dustin was trying to pass as many people as he could.  I think it’s just because he wanted to be first in line for the lunch that was provided.  We had a lot of fun walking and talking together, and we decided it was something that we should do together more often.  Side Note:  he has been complaining all day long about how stiff his muscles are from our workout yesterday!  I love that I made my hub’s work hard at the gym!

Here are a few pic’s from the event:

Hanna and I getting ready to do some walking!

Dustin showing some enthusiasm!

 

post-race, still smiling! Also, I got to walk in my new Old Navy activewear, which are SO comfortable! I can't wait to wear them to the gym on Monday!

 

This is my friend Kelly, who has been my workout buddy since I started doing "The New Rules of Lifting for Women". It is so fun to be able to have a friend to work out with even if it is only once a week!

We had so much fun at this event, it was great to be able to get involved and support a friend!

To top off our Saturday we got to attend our annual murder mystery party where we were all apart of the “Psycho Circus”.  I was the bearded Lady (who later revealed I was a man dressing like women), and Dustin was Sampson the “Strong Man”, complete with handle bar mustache.  I only got to wear my beard for a minute because the adhesive didn’t stick very well, but Dustin’s mustache was the bomb!  I wish I had gotten a picture (doh!).  My friend got some shots so hopefully I will be able to get a copy.  We had a fun group with 5 other couples and the acting was horrendous as always!

Now I have one last day to soak up all the time I can get with my hub’s before he has to head back to work for an undetermined amount of time.

What have you done this weekend?

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on October 15, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Dustin, Events

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 15, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/15/i-dont-usually-like-weekends/

Fire it Up for Fall: Week 3!

Weight Wars

Week 3!


The one thing I am loving about Fire it Up for Fall, is the people that I am making contact with, and looking for inpirational photo’s/quotes every week.  I am finding so many motivators, it is hard to narrow it down to one.  I love this saying because losing weight and feeling healthy is on my mind everyday.  Whether I’m successful at my day, or not, as long as I don’t give up, I will get there!
This weeks questions:
1. What have you done this week to help get you to your goals?  I feel like I have had about 3 days of total fail, but the one thing that stands out is my Friday workout.  I am stiffer than I have been in a while and I know that if I have more workouts like that I will reach my goals.
2. What did you do this week to make yourself feel fabulous?  I went on a much needed date with my husband for our 9th anniversary.  My hub’s has been working so hard lately that it is hard to have alone time, and he makes me feel fabulous
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  What are your goals?  Ambitions?  I know it may sound plain and traditional, but I see myself with more kids, having healthy pregnancies, and living an all around healthier life.  My goals are to lose the 120 pounds I set out to lose from the beginning, completing my first marathon, and hopefully beginning a program to get my personal training certificate.  I have some lofty goals I want to achieve!
4. Give us a tip or a fact.  About anything, what is something great that you think everyone should know?  ALWAYS EAT BREAKFAST!!!  The day’s that I do the best eating is when it has started out with a good breakfast.  It is truly the most important meal of the day, and starts your whole day off right.
5. Fun Question:  What was the most recent dream you remember?  The only dreams I remember are bad ones, so I will not scare you with the details of my last one.  I can always tell when I have a good one, I am in a good mood when I wake up.  I wish I could remember more details :(
After basically falling of the healthy eating wagon the last almost 4 days (seriously!?), I am ready (and need) to have a good week.  I am hoping that a lot of it is water retention and that I can shape back up by weigh in day.  If not, at least I will know why.
Happy Monday everyone!  Check back later for Friend Making Mondays!
4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on October 3, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in About Me, Challenges, Events, Fall, Fire It Up for Fall, Goals, Inspiration, Motivation

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on October 3, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/10/03/fire-it-up-for-fall-week-3/

Cheat Day Surprise!

Sweat it Out:
Elliptical 5 minute warm up
Weights 60 minutes

I’m not gonna lie, I took a much-needed day off from the gym yesterday which would have been a cardio workout. But don’t worry, I made up for it today by kicking my butt at the gym this morning.  Today was the last workout of Phase 2 of “The New Rules of Lifting for Women”.  I took my time and did 3 sets of every exercise to make sure that I am SORE tomorrow.  I also did my own version of a killer ab workout which included the following:

  • Prone Jack Knife 3 sets of 15
  • Reverse Crunch 3 sets of 10
  • Plank 3 60 second hold’s

I went from one ab exercise straight into the next, and by the end I was a pool of sweat and my abs were on fire!  I felt like this was one of the best weight sessions thus far. Here is what the rest of the workout looked like:

  • Deadlifts 3 sets of 10, 60 pounds
  • Bulgarian Split Squats 3 sets of 10, 25 pound plate
  • Reverse lat pulldown 3 sets of 10, 80 pounds
  • Reverse lunge of box with a front reach, 3 sets of 10, 16 pounds
  • Prone cuban snatch 3 sets of 10, 16 pounds
  • Ab circuit from above
Why did I have so much energy this morning, you ask?  Because a certain someone surprised me with getting off early from work so we could go out to dinner for our anniversary that was on Wednesday.  So it was a SURPRISE CHEAT DAY!
I think I will make my cheat day more like yesterday’s.  It was more of a Cheat Meal.  I ate and tracked all of my food and I was only at 600 calories and 17 points for the day.  It was a good thing too because we went to the FABULOUS Texas Roadhouse for steaks!  We started out our meal with a baby bloomin onion, and then I ordered a New york Strip, which was awesome!  I had the loaded baked potato, a side salad, and then Dustin and I shared a piece of cake and ice cream.
It was AMAZING.  Of course I ate myself into a food coma, and felt like crap the rest of the night.  But it was great fuel for this mornings workout!
After going through this last week eats, I think I found the culprit in my food.  CHEESE.  Which really sucks because I am pretty  much a big mouse.  So the next 6 day challenge will be to cut the cheese out, and see if it makes a difference.  I will also continue to track and post my eats at night. the challenge starts after my lunch because I ate a Subway with two triangles of cheese (woops).
What is a food that would be hard to give up?
What was your workout today?
3 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 30, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Cheat Day, Dustin, Events, Good Food, Indulgence, The New Rules of Lifting for Women, Working Out

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 30, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/09/30/cheat-day-surprise/

Happy Coincidences That Fall in Your Lap!

Sweat it Out:
45 Minutes Weights
45 Minutes Elliptical

In the past, it was very often that an exercise challenge just fell into my lap without even looking.  Did I take these opportunities to push myself?  No.  Since I have started the blog I have seen myself challenging myself more than I thought I would.  I have enjoyed putting myself out of my comfort zone and doing things that I wouldn’t normally do.

In October I have a chance to sign up for the Rollin on the River 5K, “A 5K ‘run, walk and roll’ event to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Mesa Developmental Services.  All Proceeds support children in Mesa County with disabilities and their families”.  The only time that I have run (cough, walk, cough) a 5K is when I worked for Pier 1 Imports.  They are one of the supporters of the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and so they paid for the employees to do “Race for the Cure”, back in 2005 (they currently don’t do it anymore, which is kind of sad).  Wow, I’m looking at my old race T-shirt and I can’t believe that was 6 years ago!

Anyway, I digress.  This opportunity was brought to my attention by a dear friend who has a child with Angelman Syndrome. Lucy Ann is such a sweet spirit and was even featured on the news for this events promotion.  Check out the video (it won’t let me post for some reason?), she is such an adorable little girl!  She is making learning strides with the help of Mesa Developmental Services. This is why it is important to keep these services open and running because there are so many people who need this support!

When the opportunity was presented to me that I could combine doing good, with doing good for my body, I jumped at it!  I am so excited to be apart of this event, and it will be my first 5K since starting to lose weight.  If you want to show support for a good program you can sign up here.

I love having so many fun things going on at once!  If you are a new reader (Hi!) here are the other challenges I am involved with right now:

“New Rules of Lifting for Women” Day 5, Phase 2, Workout A
 I cheated today and got on my scale.  I had to make sure that this 4 days of perfection was looking good.  I am putting in a LOT of effort and it is paying off in the numbers.  We’ll talk more about that tomorrow on my official weigh in day.
NROLFW is kicking my butt!  Today I increased most of the exercises to 3 sets of 10 instead of 2.  My legs are weaker than I thought and so I have toned down a couple of the exercises so that my form is on point AND so I don’t hurt anything.  There was no back pain today like there was on Friday, so today was a much better workout.
I think I unlocked some secret places in my lungs today.  I was breathing deeper and getting an amazing cardio workout at the same time!  I increased my resistance to a 10 for 10 minutes, and I felt the endorphins flowin’!  I love when you make small breakthroughs at the gym that help you progress and see results!
Here is what today’s workout looked like:
  • Front Squat/Push Press:  3 sets of 10 reps, 30 pound bar
  • Step-up:  I only did 3 lifts on the stepper, and used a 22 pound par for 3 sets of 10.  This was the exercise that I felt some pretty serious lower back pain with on Friday.  Making these modifications helped me to keep good form, but still feel the exercise.
  • Dumbbell One-point Row: 3 Sets of 10, 30 Pounds.  This exercise is really hard to balance on.  I also can’t get my body into a T shape like the demo.  I do the best I can.  Progress not perfection.
  • Static Lunge-rear Foot Elevated:  Used a 22 pound bar and it helped the form A LOT! 3 sets of 10
  • Push-up:  3 sets of 10. I’m seeing progress, but I don’t think I will see any major changes with this exercise until I see some more weight loss.
  • Plank: 2 Sets, 60 Seconds
  • Cable Horizontal Wood Chop: 2 sets of 10, 60 pounds.  This is my favorite exercise of this phase.  I can really feel it in my obliques, and that is a problem area for me, so I love to feel it get worked!
So far this has been a wonderful day for eating and exercise.  Come back later for day 4 of perfection results and I will also be incorporating What I Ate Wednesday in with it.
Has anyone signed up for a race recently?
Ever done a 5K, 10K, half, or full marathon?  What was the cause you were running for?
5 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 21, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Events, Goals, Health, Motivation, Power, The New Rules of Lifting for Women

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 21, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/09/21/happy-coincidences-that-fall-in-your-lap/

Friend Making Monday: Creating Change

Sweat it Out:
45 Minutes Weights
45 Minutes Elliptical

First off, I signed up for my second event at Golds Gym this morning……The Eight Week Challenge!  I let them take my weight, measurements, and a picture of me just in my sports bra (yikes)!  I have a pretty big advantage in this challenge considering that I have a lot of weight to lose and a lot of progress to make.  I think this is going to be a great motivator for the upcoming weeks!  Here is what today’s workout looked like:

  • Wide-grip deadlift from box: 60 Pounds
  • Bulgarian Split Squat: 25 Pound Plate
  • Underhand-grip lat pulldown: 80 Pounds
  • Reverse lunge from box w/forward reach: 10 Pounds
  • Dumbbell Prone Cuban Snatch: 10 Pounds
  • Prone Jack Knife: 2 sets of 15
  • Reverse Crunch: 2 sets of 10
  • Prone Cobra: 2 sets for 60 seconds
I’m thinking that I’m going to add one more set to each of these exercises.  I feel like I can’t add anymore weight, but I don’t feel like I’m working some of these movements.  I will try starting Wednesday and we’ll see how it pans out.
Friend Making Monday: Creating Change
I’m so glad that Kenlie at All the Weigh had a fun change for this weeks FMM.  One reason that I am excited about it is, like her, I too am doing the Weight Watchers program and Aug. 28th-October 15th they are doing the Lose For Good Challenge to help fight against hunger.  Each week at our weigh ins they ask us to donate non-perishable items in whatever quantity we choose.  So this week instead of having getting to know you questions and the regular FMM post, Kenlie has asked us to get involved with this program and to give whatever we can.  Weight Watchers will be donating up to 1 million dollars to the Lose for Good campaign.  To read more about this campaign you can go to  Kenlie’s site, or you can check out the details at the Weight Watchers website.
As I have mentioned in the past, my little family is on a tight food budget.  I plan on donating as many pounds as I lose through October 15th.  After this weeks weigh in I will donate canned goods in the amount of what I have lost.  I’m excited to be able to give back to my community and I hope that you will be able to join me!
Stay tuned!  Still one post left in the day (how do 3 posts a day bloggers do it!).  I am on my second day of perfection and it is looking great!  I won’t be posting this often everyday, but I didn’t want you all to get bored reading a LONG @ss post!
Do you do anything to benefit your community?
4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 19, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Events, Finances, Friend Making Monday, Goals, Measurements, Motivation, Rewards, The New Rules of Lifting for Women, Weight Watchers, Workout

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 19, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/09/19/friend-making-monday-creating-change/

Baby Showers & Perfection

Last night was rough.  We think our little munchkin is teething and she is not a happy camper.  I went to a baby shower at a Mexican restaurant last night and had originally planned on do a Saturday stats post when I got home, but I gabbed until 10 and when I got home I had a grumpy baby.  Still, it was a good time.

Knowing that I was going to out to dinner last night I tried to do a little research to see what would be best to order.  I ate as little as possible throughout the day just enough so I wasn’t ravenous by the time I went out.  I had 17 points to use by the time it was around 5pm and I was starting to waiver. I put out an APB on twitter to see what came back:

and this is what I got back:

That is my loving brother (who also revamped the header of my blog for me).  Not wanting to have a “slapfest” (How I Met Your Mother reference, anyone?)I stuck as close to my left over points and went a few over into my weekly points (which I almost never use).  I felt satisfied and didn’t overeat.  I actually counted how many tortilla chips & salsa I ate.  The chips and salsa is one of the main things that kills you at a Mexican restauraunt.  I asked for a box as soon as I had the chance, and before I was finished eating.  I tried to enjoy the company and conversation with my friends and not think about the food aspect of the night.  All in all, I feel like I did a really good job.

My only goal this week (besides the 5 for Fire it Up starting Monday) is 4 days of perfection.  I figure you can’t live a life of perfection, but you can do it in small doses.  Here is what this will entail:

  • Staying within my daily allotted points and NOT using my activity points I earn
  • Tracking all points on the WW etools
  • posting my stats nightly
  • drinking 4-32oz waters a day
  • remembering to take my vitamins and supplements EVERYDAY
So for the next 4 days you should expect to see 2 posts a day with how my eating went.  We will see if this makes a difference on the scale.
Here are yesterdays stats, including the baby shower eats:
Pre-workout & Breakfast
Lunch: the last of the chicken noodle soup
DinnerSnacks
Workout & Activity Points Earned
Daily Totals
Healthy Checks
So there you have it, not too shabby!
Did you do anything fun this weekend?
Do you fall for the chips and salsa at Mexican Restaurants?
I usually am too full after them to eat my meal!
5 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 18, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Daily Stats, Events, Goals, Good Food, Indulgence, Meal Planning, Power, Water, Weight Watchers

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 18, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/09/18/baby-showers-perfection/

Fire it Up!

Sweat it Out:
Elliptical 1 hour

What better way to gear up for the holiday’s than to start a couple of challenges for the fall!  I always work better if I have a goal to shoot for in my head and a group challenge is just what I need to keep my head straight!  I’ve decided to join in on a couple of events that will keep me focused and striving towards my ultimate weight loss goals.

Event #1:  The Golds Gym 8 Week Challenge!

Source

The challenge begins on Monday September 19th and goes for 8 weeks.  That’s right around Thanksgiving, just in time for Turkey and Pie!  To put your mind (and mine) at ease I plan on tracking all of the food I eat for Thanksgiving.  It will really put things in perspective.  The 1st place winner will receive a 2 night stay at the Wine Country Inn.  I don’t drink alcohol (wine), but a getaway (even if its close to home) would be fun for me and the hub’s.

Event #2: Fire Up For Fall!

This is a challenge put on by Weight Wars and created by Amy.  I got the information from Dom’s blog and she worded it so well I just pasted it here!

The premise is as follows:

  • You set yourself 5 or more goals to work towards over the 10 weeks of the challenge.
  • Every weekend you get an email Rebecca, it has some questions on it to post and answer on your blog on Monday.
  • Each week we also post a positive picture to lift everyone’s spirits and sum up the positive parts of our week.
  • Then you pop over to Weight Wars and link up at the bottom of my weekly post so everybody can meet you, and you can meet everyone else.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, I invite you to join me!  The challenge starts on Monday, September 19th so sign up now.

 

So now I have 2 fun upcoming events and new challenges.  We all know how much I love goals and so I am excited to get started!

What is a challenge that you will give yourself for Fall?

Don’t have one?  Get one started!

13 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 17, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Events, Goals, Health, Holiday, Motivation, Power, Rewards, Workout

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 17, 2011

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2011/09/17/fire-it-up/

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