Do you remember me?

Again, another very long time in between posts…I wonder if I will ever get into the habit of writing regularly. I guess it depends how many out there are actually reading? I haven’t posted not because I don’t have anything to write but in fact have just had no time. Being back at work full time, a very busy toddler, and trying to keep up with the house and everything else that life entails is not an easy feat!

August and September are a very busy time at my work. I would get to work, look up and it was lunch, have lunch then look up and it was time to go home. The days went by very fast, which to be honest, I love when that happens. But on the flip side to that it also made it very tiring.

I will give you a few updates about life but first I will start with my weight loss since it is after all the reason for my blog. I did end up reaching my weight loss goal to hit 190lbs. I did not do it in the time frame that I gave myself since I had some unexpected things deter me slightly, but the important part is I did reach it! I was very pleased with myself when I stepped on the scale to see that I had hit that goal. My hard work and day to day efforts have been paying off. 

Sometimes it feels like my weight loss is going very slow but if I stop to look back at how much I have accomplished in the last 19 months it is actually quite amazing. Since having Rylee I have lost 86 pounds (that number DOES include baby + fluid) and that would average a loss of 4.5 pounds a month. If you also take into consideration that I had a very hard time losing weight while breastfeeding and didn’t start to really be able to take it off until I started weaning Rylee then that is actually quite impressive (in my opinion anyways).

I think that so many times people want it to come off very fast, and get quickly discouraged if it doesn’t. They try fad diets and cleanses that don’t work, or work for the very short term before they put the weight back on. If you want to look at the simple solution you need to eat healthy and exercise. I do believe that you can use some products in conjunction with healthy eating and exercise but bottom line it boils down to those two things. I have been there and tried many things. I got tired of the yo-yo dieting and finally just admitted to what I didn’t want to hear. It was going to take work (lots of work), dedication, and commitment, but in the end IT IS worth it. I don’t lose 5 pounds a week as I know that is not realistic, but when I do lose 5 pounds, it stays off. Long term. I make daily changes that are attainable and I feel great about them. I still eat unhealthy food often but I incorporate it into my daily food and I move on. I don’t stress about it or feel guilty over it. I enjoy every bite, and if something is not good I throw it away! I don’t finish it just because I feel I have to!

Now that being said, it took me a long time to get here. It took me a long time to learn my body and how it works. But I have also not binged on food because I haven’t been depriving myself of anything. I eat very healthy most of the time but still make room for pizza, cake, and chocolate because let’s be honest I don’t want to live without those things (and you shouldn’t either). 

I look back at where I was this time last year and I can see how far I have come! Where were you this time last year? Have you made the progress you wanted to make? Okay let me rephrase that, are you making the progress that is realistic for you to make? Not everyone has weight to lose; you may have other goals you are working towards but have you made the progress that is realistic? If not, sit down and really evaluate why. If this is important to you, you will do what it takes to get it done. If they result of reaching your goal is not worth the effort you need to put in the you will forever be spinning your tires on wet ground.

My next goal is a small one (last time was 10 pounds). This time my goal is to get to 185. I am not setting a deadline for myself because I know that this is a daily process and I am going to keep plugging away at it, one small change at a time. I don’t know yet what my reward will be for it but I am going to think of something good (maybe along the lines of some new make up). 5 pounds off is a lot to celebrate – it really is the small things!

A few other updates happening in the McNamara house: 

We are currently fully renovating our upstairs bathroom! I mean a complete gut. I can’t wait to be able to have a nice bath in my brand new soaker tub! 

Before demo

Mostly demo'd

When we bought our house in 2013 we knew that eventually the kitchen and the bathroom would need to be renovated since they were both really outdated. We had the roof replaced right when we moved in and we also did the downstairs bathroom as well by putting in a heated floor, new vanity, and new toilet along with a fresh coat of paint. Last year we did a major kitchen reno by painting the cupboards and adding hardware, putting up a backsplash, tearing down a wall, new countertop, new island, new ceiling fan, and of course a fresh coat of paint. So in terms of indoor renovations the bathroom is the last major renovation we have to complete. Of course there are little things as there always is in a house but all of the big things will be done.

Next year we will try to focus a bit on the backyard. We are hoping to be able to refinish our main deck and the pool deck, as well as put in a new pool liner. I know that the jobs will never be finished but I feel quite pleased that in terms of large jobs we should be done (knock on wood that we don’t have some disaster!).  Well for now anyways, until a few years down the road we decide we want to change things haha. I plan on doing a garden again next year but will do things a bit differently than this year. My first year with a garden was definitely a successful one.

If you read our camping review you may have noted that we enjoy camping, quite a bit actually. I prefer camping in a tent over a trailer although there are definitely perks to a trailer! Sean and I knew that our current tent would not be big enough next year so at the end of the season clearance we bought a new tent that is really big (I mean REALLY big). We set it up to make sure it worked but we did not take a picture, so next year I will take a picture and show you the new beauty!

This weekend we had our first toddler flu experience. Poor Rylee was really sick on Saturday night but I was very thankful that it wasn’t a work night! I am glad to have that experience over and now I know what to expect next time. It is SO heartbreaking as a parent to see your child going through that. You just want to take it from them and be the one going through it. It was really hard to watch because she is just so little – but that being said she fully bounced back the very next day and was fine so I am glad that is over!


Christmas is coming up quickly (yes I am totally one of those people) and my gift idea list is getting really good. I have a lot of people figured out what I am going to get them which makes the holidays a lot less stressful for me being the planner that I am. 

Exercise and motivation

If you had told me a month ago that I would be going to the gym at 6 o'clock in the morning I would've said "you're crazy". But as I'm adjusting to my new schedule with work and household duties, that's exactly what I found myself doing. I had planned on doing home workouts in the evening once my daughter went to bed but that was just too hard to get motivated to do. I found myself easily making excuses and reasoning with myself as to why it could wait until tomorrow. I also found myself really really missing the gym. I love the facility that I go to and I was really missing having all that equipment available to me for my workout. 

So since I can't always go in the evening I decided that when I couldn't go in the evening I was going to go in early morning since I was awake anyways. This is taking a little bit of extra planning on my part and I've had to set out all of my clothes the night before. 

The gym that I go to is a smaller gym, so you would think that you would end up waiting longer for machines and stuff but you totally don't. Not to mention The staff knows every single one of their members by name instead of just by looking at the screen when I check in to see who I am and then saying oh hi Kelly have a good workout. 

The past few mornings there have been the same people at the gym when I get there but for the most part there's only two or three of us. On Wednesday for most of my work out I had the gym to myself. I have actually really enjoy doing my workout in the morning. It's a great way to start your day! Plus it helps to get you in a good mind set. 

           

This is a safety device for when you are working out alone. It is connected to emergency services!

At work, I have been taking 8 flights of stairs three times a day (which I thought would get easier but hasn't yet.) as well as doing some fitness classes at lunch on the off days of the gym. My mom and I have been getting out for some walks too now that the weather is nicer. 

It has been really great pushing my body this week. And I will really enjoy some rest time this weekend. I love the slate stiffness that I get in my body when I know I've worked hard!

If you had asked me 7 years ago if I would be working out this hard and taking care of my body and my health I would have smirked and commented something like "I wish". I was way too self consious to remotely wear shorts, I lived in sweats and sweaters hiding from the world. 

As I reread that last sentance I realize that it isnt even living! The things I've being able to do that I never would have been able to do before it's incredible. 

So if you're reading this and overweight and don't know where to begin, or if you have tried and failed numerous times, or if you keep starting and stopping, or you keep saying I'll start Monday you need to take a look at what is holding you back. What excuses are you using? 

Put 1 foot in front of the other and start small. One small change is all it takes. Follow that with another small change and another small change and your whole life will be revamped. I would be lying to you if I said it was easy but if we look at all of the great things in life none of them are easy. I can for sure without a doubt 100% tell you it is worth it. It is worth feeling empowered. It is worth it to be able to keep up with your kids. It is worth it to hit your goal weight and buy new clothes in a much smaller size than you ever thought you'd be ever wearing. 

So keep pushing through and don't ever give up. When you fall get up again. When you don't want to do it anymore keep going. When you're too tired and just want 10 more minutes of sleep kick your butt out of bed and get to the gym! 

Start your healthier new you today, what small change are you going to make??

Top of the morning to ya...

This weather has been so nice this past few weeks. They are calling for rain all weekend but we will see what we get! This is my first weekend in a bit that I do not have anything planned - well a few things, but for the most part it is just taking it easy.

I started my new sleep routine on Monday of this week and so far it's actually been really challenging. Like anything it will take a while until I notice a difference but for now I will keep sticking to it. I have been spending 9-10pm doing relaxing things, like reading, visualization, etc. then being in bed by 10 with lights out. I have been having a hard time staying awake until 10. I am waking up at 6:30, but also having trouble with that too, I have been rolling out of bed at 6:50am and leaving myself very little time to get ready for work. It will be interesting on the weekend to see what happens with waking up at 6:30. Hopefully it will give me a chance to get more stuff done.

Tomorrow is June 1st which means that my May HBL challenge will be "officially" over, although I still plan on continuing to follow it. I have not been able to drink the tea because it has been so hot but I have been drinking a lot more water than normal it try to keep cool.

That brings us to June's challenge. My goal is to lose 8 pounds this month. I have been doing really well with my eating and I have been slowly increasing my exercise to help me get back to where I was and then hopefully better than that. I have been doing activity every day. I am looking forward to next week because it is very open so I plan on getting lots of activity in. Sean is back on days next week so I am going to try to find some activities for us to do together. We both like playing tennis (and we both equally suck) so hopefully we will be able to get some of that in as well as some hiking and who knows what else. I switched gyms so now I can workout with my sister, and some other friends so hopefully that will give me some more company to keep things interesting at the gym. If not, I will always rely on my trusty ipod to keep me company!

Tara and I are going to start really planning our NYC trip this weekend. We know the dates we want to go, and we know we want to do one day shopping, two days site seeing, but that is about it. My reward for losing the 8 pounds will be extra shopping money to spend on me. If I don't lose the 8 pounds then I will just be window shopping, which will not be near as fun. We plan on getting a lot of exercise while we are there by doing lots of walking and possibly even renting bikes! It is bound to be a great time!

Overall my summer is shaping up quite nicely since I have a lot of things to look forward to between, NYC, camping, BC, and more! My calendar is filling up with lots of fun and healthy activities! The thought of summer gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Fresh fruit and veggies, the smell of BBQ's, crispy salad, warm skin and a slight breeze, chasing after the soccer ball, swimming, driving with the windows down and music up, and so much more. Other than the humidity, what is not to love about summer?

HBL challenge update...

I am half way done my HBL challenge today. I have been taking my vitamins every day 3 times a day, having my shakes and my tea as promised - but I have not been doing so well in the evening regarding my food intake.

That being said I am still not noticing any difference in my energy or body. My back is feeling much better but that is because of my physio exercises. I am still feeling extremely lethargic and tired all of the time. I still feel really sluggish too. My joints aren't feeling any better and my over all health is not feeling much better too. The only thing that gives me an energy boost is the LiftOff - which is still my favourite product.

When I started taking HBL the first time I did notice a difference but not one that was massively impressive. I did try the La Bamba diet but did not succeed at that (see post about my attempts).

My doctor has made a referral for me to go see a sleep doctor but I am going to see what I can try to figure out what I can do for myself first (the first apppointment isn't until the end of Aug and that is a LONG time away when I am practically falling asleep at my desk).

I'm not going to lie I was really hoping for better results in my energy with my HBL product challenge, but I will continue as planned and stick it out to see the end results.

I am trying to summon up the energy to go back to the gym too - right now it takes all my energy to finish the stuff around the house and then haul myself to bed. Right now I am so tired that my eyes are watering heavily and it looks as if I am crying.

Tonight Sean and I are going to go to the movies, which we haven't done in a really long time, so hopefully that will be relaxing (even though I am kind wishing we could just stay home and sleep, I know that won't help me). Wednesday night I am babysitting, so weather permitting I will go for a walk with Sammy, Thursday night is soccer practice, and I am planning on the gym for Friday. Working back into it slowly of course.

I think when I get home I will take a shower, shave my legs, and get into comfy clothes for the movie.