155 lbs!!!

So we are 3 months into "back on the wagon after Oktoberfest" and I am happy to report that I am currently 155 lbs!!  That was my 2nd tier goal weight (after the original 160 goal)!!

I am also a SIZE 6!! WHAT?!?  I have been buying/wearing the same dress pant brand from Macy's throughout this journey so I feel that I can really compare apples to apples.  I started as a Size 14...had a Size 10 in the closet that I had leftover.  Had to buy a Size 8 when I hit 160 and NOW...SIZE 6 and they aren't tight even!

I could not be more amazed and proud of the success we are seeing.  I don't feel like we are being too extreme with working out or eating bean sprouts, but it is totally working.  We have gone a bit more extreme to get Mark's Cholesterol level down before his 4 month re-check with the doctor, but still manageable.

For any that care...here is our routine & some of our Food Plan:

Workout at 6am on Monday, Wednesday & Friday

• 15-20 minutes on the Eliptical - keeping strides/min at about 140-150
• 20 minutes of abs & leg moves - we like exercises that have funny names...
• Crunchy Frog
• Twisty Mountain Climbers
• Wood Choppers
• Russian Twists
• Sumo Lunges
• Downward Dog Abs
• Bird Dogs
• Then we walk around the track until we have to go get ready for work.

Food wise...        

To Lower Cholesterol:

Eat Oatmeal, Beans & Lentils – Add in Chia Seeds – for boost of Omega 3 and Fiber

·         Take Red Yeast Rice supplement

·         Eat Walnuts, Almonds & Flaxseeds

·         Eat whey protein – add to smoothies with fruit for breakfast?

·         Add Apple Cider Vinegar to water – 2 tbsp per day

·         Cut down on:

o   Red Meat

o   Fatty meats (sausage, etc.)

o   Dairy Products

§  Butter

§  Cheese

§  Milk/cream

§  Egg Yolks – only egg whites!

o   Alcohol

Ideal Shopping List

Coffee

Ground Turkey

Ground Chicken

Chicken

Sausage

Bacon

Pizza crust

Noodles or Pasta

Tortillas

Pita/Pita Chips

Tortillas

Falafel

Shredded Cheese

Sour Cream

Cottage Cheese

Eggs

Half & Half

Parmesan Cheese

Pesto

Hummus

Olives

Pickles

Sauerkraut

Beets

Salsa

Tomato Sauce

Canned Tomatoes

Chicken Broth

Black Beans

Pinto Beans

Chickpeas

Brown Rice

Quinoa

Oats

Peanut Butter

Cashews

Lemon Juice

Avocado

Corn

Tomato

Onion

Mushrooms

Lettuce

Cucumber

Red Pepper

Green Pepper

Jalapenos

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Carrots

Celery

Zucchini

Butternut Squash

Sweet Potatoes

Day 5 of Cleanse

So we are at the half way mark (no pun intended), so we weighed in this morning to find out how good we are doing on the the Advocare 10 Day Cleanse.

I lost 2.2 lbs!!  NICE - back below 160 now!

Mark lost 2.9 lbs - WOO HOO!  That is pretty amazing for such a short time.

I am feeling pretty bloated and am not "cleansing" at all.  I am pretty miserable in fact.  I am drinking TONS of water and following all the directions.  I googled this "issue" and it seems that other have experienced this as well so hopefully it will resolve here shortly.

Mark feels and looks great...bastard!

Now to tackle the weekend!!!

Advocare 10 day Cleanse - Ready to Go!!

The fridge is stocked, instructions have been memorized, and the Becknell Team is ready to start our second 10 Day Advocare Cleanse!

After Wurstfest, we really need to get back to normal and on track with healthy eating and living.  I gained about 6.5 pounds on our vacation - NOT GOOD!  We ate mostly beer, red meat and deep fried things.

So we are starting today (11/16/15) to fix the food issue at least.  We plan to re-join a gym starting in December (when they have good deals!) to get our muscles & cardio back in shape too.

Kris Starting Weight = 162
Kris Goal Weight = 155
Mark Starting Weight = 233.5
Mark Goal Weight = 210

We can do it!!!  We have the tools!

SCONIES!!!!

A cross between Scones and a brownie - retaining all of the biscuit-y goodness of a scone but with a slightly softer texture like a brownie - SCONIES!!!

Below is the original recipe for the actual scones – slightly dryer & more biscuit like in texture.  Also delicious as written.

To make the sconies – I added a little more sour cream (about ¾ cup total) and did not include the Cream of Tartar (because I didn’t have any.)  I baked them for about 16 minutes for the lower end of the time also – so they were doughier.  I also obviously cut them into squares instead of 8 wedges like traditional scone shape.

Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Scones

For the Scones:

1/2 cup sour cream

1 large egg

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter

For the Cinnamon/Sugar Topping:

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

For the Spiced Glaze:

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and egg; refrigerate until needed.

In a separate small bowl, make the cinnamon/sugar topping be stirring together the sugar and cinnamon; set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined about five 1-second pulses. Add butter and toss with a fork to cover in flour mixture. Pulse until mixture looks like coarse cornmeal flecked with pea-sized bits of butter, about 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl.

Add sour cream mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together. Shape into an 8-inch circle. Sprinkle with cinnamon topping. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the dough into 8 wedges.

Place wedges on prepared baking sheet and bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

While the scones are cooling, make the spiced glaze. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix until you achieve a thick icing. Drizzle over scones and serve.

ONE YEAR WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE:

Mark & I started on our weight loss journey on May 9th, 2014.

Our Starting weight was 

Mark: 228.3 

Kris: 180.6

We weighed in yesterday morning May 8th, 2015 at -

Mark:  215 - total 1 year loss of 13.3 lbs!!!  YEAH!

Kris;  159.3 - total 1 year loss of 21.3 lbs!! YEAH!!

We both win...but really I won :)  Go me!!

Weight Loss Update - April 1st, 2015

So it is April Fool's Day, but I am not joking - I am a size 8!!  I don't remember being a size 8 even in college.  I have been a size 10 since I got out of diapers, I think!

BUT look - I went shopping, bought SKINNY jeans and they are a size 8!!  Look how happy I am!!

Current weight is 157 lbs and counting.  My new goal is 155 (why not?) and to stay in these Skinny Jeans.

We are also "training" for a week long backpacking trip on the Art Loeb Trail in the Carolinas.  It is a 38 mile hike in fairly rough terrain, so my legs and heart need to be up to the task.

Gotta have motivation...besides being skinny!

Happy April folks!

Losing it!!

After being snowed in for a week, eating almost everything in the house and not working out ONCE since Friday 2/13 - I decided to weigh in.  I thought for SURE that I would have gained a bunch of weight.

The truth - I lost 3.1 lbs!!  WHAT??  It apparently had been 14 days since I weighed in last, but I lost 3.1 lbs!  I am now 157.8 - WHAT??  (my goal weight was 160 and I was just looking to maintain while helping Mark to keep losing.)

I am going to go with the theory that freezing your butt off helps you to lose weight - shivering is an exercise, right?

Today's Measurements as well:

Leg - 22.5" still

Hips - 36.5" - WOW!!!!  1.5 inches!!!  That is super cool

Waist - 29" - Another whole 1 inch!!!!  Yipee!

Boobs - 34" still

Arm - 12.25" - I am going to chalk that up to more muscles :)

Last Measurements:

Leg - 22.5" 

Hips - 38" 

Waist - 30" 

Boobs - 34" 

Arm - 12" 

WOW!