March to April Progress

This weekend was April 1st and time to update my progress pictures. I am so happy at my progress for this month, I know I had a few slip ups but I still came out on top.

Overall Weight Loss: 4.6 pounds

Overall Inches Loss: 2.25 inches

I am hoping that by next month I will have dropped another 4-5 pounds and hopefully more inches so that I might fit into a smaller pants size.

Love,

Jamie Lynn

Weekend in Review

Last week was a crazy week! I had training away from the class for 3 days and then Science Night in the middle of the week, so by Friday I was tired. I am so glad that I meal prep as it helps prevent me from having slip ups during stressful times, because the Lord knows this would have been the week for it. Sitting in trainings makes me want to snack the whole time and when I get stressed sometimes I want to sleep versus working out, but I went to the gym everyday that I had planned to.

Protein Muffins from Poppy's Baking with the Bear and Coffee

After I got off of work on Friday, Mountain Man took me to pick out my Easter dress at C.C. Belle, they were doing a pay it forward promotion where if you purchased a dress for Easter there then they will donate one to someone. We came home after that and made our traditional Friday Pizzas. We have really gotten to where we like Naan bread for the base. I then added a Garlic and Herb Spreadable Cheese (like Laughing Cow) as the sauce, topped it with my Buffalo Chicken I made in the crockpot and sprinkled cheese on top. I thought it was one of my best pizzas, even the Mountain Man tried it and really like it.

Saturday, we got up and packed some snacks to head out to Dollywood.

We had a gift card to Little River Trading Company that we needed to use and a doughnut place on the top 50 that is located in Maryville that we needed to knock off the list. So we headed towards Maryville and picked up a couple of doughnuts from Richie Kremes Do-Nuts. Their traditional glazed was the one on the list so we each got one of those to try, they were good but my heart still belongs to Sweet Smuckers when it comes to a traditional glazed doughnut. If you are ever in the area, please try them as they are sweet as can be and the doughnuts are good, they were selling out quick. After, doughnuts we stopped to use the gift card, it might be a little store but it is packed with all sorts of outdoor goods and a friendly staff. We looked around forever as they had a sale going on too.

Richie Kreme's Traditional Glazed

After, that we headed through Townsend into Pigeon Forge. It probably the most beautiful way to enter the area because you have the gorgeous, almost untouched mountains as the backdrop of your ride. We went straight to a packed Dollywood. We thought about turning around, but decided to go ahead and see what shows I wanted to and then we could leave. We grabbed a crepe, watched a few shows, and then left the park to do some quick shopping at the outlet mall. And after that is where I messed up with my macros. We went to Burgerfi to grab a late lunch and I went in without a plan. I knew we would split a burger and assumed we would split fries, which I had macros for. But the hubby wanted a Cry + Fry, which is like 1100 calories and I did not realize it until after the fact. Oh well, I sucked it up and moved on.

CEO Burger and Cry + Fry from Burgerfi

I have been too successful lately with weight loss and my workouts to let that bother me like it used to. So Sunday morning I was back at it with a healthy breakfast and hit my macros because it was a new day.

Love,

Jamie Lynn 

Motivation Monday: Half Marthon

EEK! I just registered for the Rock N' Roll Half Marathon! Let me tell you when I went to purchase it from Groupon (It is cheaper on Groupon vs. anywhere right now) and then register it hit me what I was doing!



I have been running.. long runs on Sundays, short runs once a week, deadmills when I can, and a short 2-3 mile run after completing my Saturday Body Sculpting Class. But let me tell you that by registering for that race, it hit me... That date is only 5 weeks away. You only have 5 weeks to finish your training and then rest! While I have been training, I have not been intense at it or my eating like I need to.

A run on a warm winter day.

So my motivation this Monday is to make sure that I am training to the best of my ability and make sure that I am fueling my body properly. I know that my training will be better if I am staying well hydrated, eating in a healthy manner, and stretching like I need to. Let me tell you, sometimes I am TOO LAZY to do my stretches like I need to and I HAVE to make it a priority. I am just know getting up to the 7 mile mark and with the weather outside I am so excited that my runs can be outside versus on a treadmill. While I am nervous, I am so excited and ready to kick my training in the butt and show myself what I can accomplish.

Some muscle growth between January 1st to this week

What is your motivation for this week? What is going to help you to stay focused and show this week who the strong one is?

Love,

Jamie Lynn 

Meal Prep and What I Buy

The weekend is coming to a close, unfortunately we lost a dear friend and we have spent most of our time this weekend with his family who we adore and consider family. As I wrap up the weekend I will be meal prepping and then going for my long run. Yesterday, I went grocery shopping for staples in our house and thought I would share where I shop and some of my staples.


Aldi's is one of my favorite stores to shop because I can save lots of money there and they do have organic options.

- Fresh Fruit
- Fresh Vegetables (I do check them because sometimes they can be towards the end of their life)
- Spreadable Cheese Wedges: Garlic or Pepper Jack (Like Laughing Cow)
- Cheese: Shredded, blocks, and string (If it is on sale somewhere then it can be cheaper at that store)
- Naan Bread (Love these for Pizza Fridays!)
- Caramel Corn Cakes (Great with Peanut Butter)
- Ranch packets
- Flavored Water with no sweetners (Like La Croix)
- Flatbread Wraps (Similar to Flat Out Bread)
- Eggs (We prefer cage-free, but I can only get those when I can get to Kroger because they are more economical)
- Fit & Active Bread (Just found this and it has great macros! 16C/0.5F/5P)
- Canned Goods (I honestly do not purchase a lot of canned goods, but needed these to try Poppy's Mexican Crockpot Chicken.)

Things not listed:
- Pretzel Thins
- Never Any! Turkey Sausage
- Greek Yogurt
- Organic Salsa
- Seasonal Items like their Seafood Ravioli or some of their yogurt flavors



Wal-Mart is not my favorite place to go, but sometimes I can only find things there so I suck it up!

- Flatout Bread Foldits (Love these for burgers or breakfast sandwiches.)
- Low Carb Tortillas
- Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt (I love all their flavors, but was craving some coffee and caramel.)
- Pico De Gallo
- Salsa Verde (I put this on my egg bowls every morning.)
- Greek Yogurt (I plan on trying this as a sour cream for our fajitas and for my lunches this week.)


I meal plan and prep so that I am successful throughout the week. It removes frustrations for me and makes it so much easier as I run from work to the gym and home everyday. I planned the following for this week...

Meal Plan for this week:
Breakfast: Egg Bowls
Lunch: Buffalo Chicken from Well Plated loaded on top of roasted potatoes with ranch nonfat greek yogurt and roasted broccoli (I did 30 grams butter, 30 ml of hot sauce, 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 T garlic power, and 1/2 teaspoon with paprika)
Dinners:
- Fajitas from Skinnytaste
- Stuffed Meatballs
- Naan Pizza
- Cajun Ranch Turkey Burgers

I have a recipe for the Cajun Ranch Turkey Burgers, but I  am still working on recipes for the meatballs and I will do a link to both of those soon.

Love,

 

Jamie Lynn 

 



The Real World

I am so totally dating myself by the title of this post. Yes, I watched the MTV show and I to this day do not know how that was "The Real World". In my real world, things do tend to be a little crazy and not really as I want them planned. Take for instance my Spring Break daytrip, we got around early and grabbed doughnuts and a cinnamon roll from Sweet Smuckers Doughnuts.

Sweet Smucker's Cinnamon Roll and Weigel's Organic Nicaraguan Coffee

Sweet Smucker's Glazed Doughnut

Luckily, I packed my beanie, scarf, and winter coat because it was cold and getting colder.

Lake Junaluska

Despite the cold, we still had so much fun going into North Carolina. We walked around looking at the shops in Slyva and eating some good things.

Lulu's Burger and Fries

Lulu's Morsel's, one of the best things I have ever eaten!

Baxley's Chocolates

We actually left early because the snow was starting to fall more, and we did not want to get stuck up in those mountains.

Truth is that the night before this I ate half a candy bar that did not fit my macros, then I ate all that yummy food while loosely tracking macros. Then the next day I loosely tracked again when I enjoyed some homemade candy that we got at Yoders.

Homemade Peanut Butter Cup from Yoder's

Friday though I got back on track and ate correctly, because I have goals. I would like to drop about 5 more pounds before my half marathon that I am training for right now. So I sucked it up for Saturday's date eating tuna and drinking a protein shake, because I wanted Babula's and Coolato Gelato. I went and did arms, ran two miles, and did my core exercises. I felt so bloated after my three days of not being focused, but I told myself to get over because it was self-induced.

Weekly Gym Selfie

Ready for my date with my cute hubby.

Babula's Tacos: Chicken, Carne, and Carnita (my favorite)
Got happy that it was ready, and started eating before I took a picture.

When we get to the movie theater I notice that the times were different on my phone versus what the theater was saying. I decided while hubby was waiting in long line for entrance to Beauty and the the Beast that I would go ask to see if something was wrong.

YES! YES! This girl got tickets at the wrong theater. Facepalm! We could not make it to the correct theater in time and they were sold out for the time we wanted. So I went home with no Coolato Gelato and not having watched Beauty and the Beast. My wonderful hubby took me to Redbox were we rented movies instead and he did not make one single comment about me deleting the gelato out and replacing it with a WHOLE PINT of Red Velvet Halo Top. He knew better because I was upset that I had messed up. But that is life, it is full of mess ups. You mess up your macros or diet and you get back on track. You have snow on your Spring Break, you suck it up and look at how beautiful the mountains looks with snow on them! You get tickets at the wrong theater, you laugh it off and go rent movies and buy Halo Top with the money you save. That is the real world!

Why Macros?

I get asked constantly, "Why Macros?" and "What are Macros?"

Let's start with what are macros...

Macro based diets are sometimes called flexible dieting of iifym (If it fit your macros) Macros is short for macronutrients. Macronutrients are fats, proteins, and carbs. Macronutrients are found in all foods and are essentially what every human needs to survive. I am no expert, but let me do a quick break down for you...

Fats are needed to support cell growth and our nervous system. They help maintain your skin and organs. Fats also give your body energy. Every gram of fat is 9 calories.

Carbohydrates are used by our body to create glucose which is needed to give us energy. Carbs also help our muscles because if we do not eat carbs our body will use our muscles as an energy source. Every gram of carbs equals 4 calories.

Protein is needed to repair body cells because they are the building block of our life. Every gram of protein is 4 calories.

So in short counting Macros is just counting these three nutrients and they add up to a caloric number, but you mainly focus on counting your macronutrient numbers. Many people believe that counting macros vs. just calories is better because it is providing you with the amount of macronutrients that your body really needs to be optimal. I believe this, because often times when we are "cutting" (trying to lose weight) we go low-fat, no carb, or heavy fruits and vegetables not really eating protein. But every body needs a different combination of these based on several factors like goals and exercise.

There are tons of websites like this one and this one that will give you more information and Dr. Layne Norton is very insightful if you are wanting more information. Here is an interview Bodybuilding.com did with Dr. Norton that is very insightful. I promise if you go read the first question and answer in this interview you will have a light bulb moment. With a quick Google search you will find tons of websites that talk negative because you are not eating clean, clean eating is not sustainable for everyone because of the self-deprivation it sets up but you can eat clean or Paleo while still counting Macros.


So why Macros?

Picture from: fitness1pro.blogspot.li

I found before Macros that I was eating a lot of carbs from fruits and vegetables, lots of fats from nuts, and not enough protein. I was getting a little frustrated because I was trying to build some muscle, but I could not really gain it. I was eating 1500 calories and not losing weight. I would do a Whole30 and lose 10 pounds in a month, only to gain 5 of it back. I would be miserable because I would have to plan a Whole30 around "down months" when I would not be travelling for work or have any celebrations because those things would cause me to mess up.

I was over all of the stress and lack of progress which pushed me to make a change last April. After reading Skinnymeg's Blog for years and seeing that she was counting Macros I decided to follow suit and reached out to Poppy. I e-mailed Poppy about my concerns about hypothyroidism and dairy allergies. She was so sweet and encouraging telling me that those things would not prevent me from having success on this type of eating plan. So I took the plunge and submitted a form.

When I first got my numbers they added up to 1,565 calories total, but I felt so full when I ate my numbers perfectly. I really do not feel like it was the extra 65 calories, but all the extra protein that I was eating. I also felt freedom, I could and can eat whatever I want as longs as I have the fats, carbs, and protein for it. It was so freeing to go from self-deprivation to self-discipline. Instead of telling myself "no" I tell myself, " I may not have the macronutrients for that today, but I can have it tomorrow."


Let's talk the weight loss aspect of this. I have had a couple of messes up since I started last year, once during our summer trip and once when my birthday celebrations continued all the way into Christmas celebrations. But I have been closer than ever to my goal weight and I see the changes that my body is making.

The left picture is my beginning Macros picture and the right is at the end of the reverse,  beginning of a cut. There is only a 5 pound scale weight difference in that picture, but the progress that it demonstrates is huge! I have slimmed down and built muscle. I am so excited about where my body will go in the next few months and the fact that I am not only making a stronger body externally, but internally.

Love,

Jamie Lynn 

Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler

Happy Monday!

I am enjoying my last few days of eating all the food since my favorite girl just upped my macros! But that all ends this week when I go back into a cut. I doubt I will be fitting two doughnuts and steak into my cut numbers, but I am ready to slim down for summer. Regardless of whether I am cutting or reversing I can always fit today's recipe into my macros. Being a girl from the deep south that loves to celebrate Mardi Gras is a great reason to celebrate and eat. I want to share with you a recipe that is delicious whether you are celebrating Fat Tuesday with all the foods or if you are starting to slim down for summer.


Let me tell you about this Etouffee....

It is my favorite, I really am partial to this tweaked version from Strictly Paleoish. I found this recipe when I was Paleoing last year after a Whole30, I had been in a food rut and this took me out of it! I tweaked it because I am not only lazy, but now that I calculate macros I do not use the bacon grease. You can swap out the coconut and almond flour for regular flour and you can still use the bacon grease if you would like. The meats are your choice and mine vary based on what I need to hit my macros or budget. I like adding two meats each time and those vary between chicken, shrimp. crawfish, and sausage.

Paleo Etouffee (Macro-Friendly Style)
Serves 8

2 T (30ml)              Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil
3 cloves (10g)        Garlic Cloves
3 stalks (100g)       Celery
1/2 (100g)              Bell Pepper
1/2 (100g)              Onion
1 T (8g)                  Tapioca Flour*
2 T (18g)                Almond Flour*
2 T (20g)                Coconut Flour*
1 1/2 c (360 ml)      Chicken Broth
1/2 T -1 T               Garlic Powder
1/2 T                       Onion Powder
1/2 t                        Paprika
1/2 t                        Tabasco Sauce
2 or 3 pounds         Meat of your choice (I used Cajun Chicken Sausage by Johnsonville and cooked chicken breast)
                               Salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning to your taste
                               Cooked rice of your choice

* Could substitute these for 5 tablespoons of all purpose flour


1. Take your bell pepper, celery, onion, and garlic and put it in the food processor or Ninja and pulse it until you like the consistency. Do not skip out on these vegetables it is mandatory in Cajun cooking and is called the Trinity.

2. If you need to cook your chicken go ahead and cook it now with a little salt and pepper. 

3. Put the oil in a large heavy pot and get it warm on medium to low heat. Add the Trinity mixture and sauté them.

4. Mix the three flours together in a small bowl and add it the flour mixture to your pot and stir until it has a golden look to it. This can burn, so watch it carefully.

5. I like to add my spices at this point, only adding a little Cajun Seasoning since I can add more at the end.

6. Add the broth to your pot stirring vigorously, you can add it one cup at a time if you want a thicker etouffee. I like an etouffee that soaks into my rice, so I leave mine a little thinner.

7. Add the Tabasco Sauce and the meat at this point. I leave it on the stove on low for a couple of minutes to heat up the meat and let everything come together.

 8. Place over rice or rice or spaghetti squash and enjoy!

This day I added Cajun turkey sausage and shrimp.

 Let me know if you make this and what you think!

Love,

Jamie Lynn