My First 5K!

I participated in my very first 5k this Saturday! As I have said before, I am not a runner and never have been, so the fact that I even ran part of the 5k is an accomplishment for me! There was a huge winding hill at the end that I had to walk, so that slowed me down a bit, and I walked a few other times too between running. But still I finished in 48 minutes so when you think about it, that's like a 16 minute mile - pretty good for me I think!

I had been feeling sick for days before the race so I was super nervous about being too sick to even do it, but I still ran the 5k and accomplished something! Plus since it was a run/walk, I didn't come in last since there were walkers behind me! :) I also discovered that I am a slow walker (thanks to my midgety legs) because the parts I did walk, some of the walkers started passing me! So I basically had to run to stay ahead of the walkers, lol. I guess it's a good incentive to run instead of walk!

My roommate & I staying warm in the car before the race - It was about 46 degrees that morning!

I was lucky #1 for the race! (Too bad I didn't finish first, lol)

Maybe I will do another race in the future and run the entire thing... But for now, I am proud to be able to say that I participated in a 5k and lived to tell about it!

Atkins Adventure - Day 6, Keeping On

It's Day 6 of Induction, and I'm not gonna lie - a few days ago I was about to give up. Yes, just a couple days after starting the Atkins Nutritional Approach, I was ready to give up! The problem was, I wasn't eating enough foundation vegetables and drinking enough water so my stomach started hurting and cramping up. I posted a question on the Atkins community forum on the Atkins website, and got answers from different members right away helping me out and giving me suggestions! I feel a lot better now and am VERY motivated to stick with this program!

I wasn't sure if it would work at all, but I am already down 4 pounds! Of course some of that is water weight and the Atkins info said that you might have rapid weight loss on the two weeks of induction but not to expect that when you go into the other phases and introduce more carbs into your diet. So I don't want to have too high of hopes or lose weight too fast because I want to be able to maintain this weight loss once I reach my goal weight; But I already feel like I have more energy and more confidence, plus I am actually eating healthier than before since I'm getting more veggies so it's worth it either way. I even had two people ask me if I had lost weight on Saturday!

Saturday's dinner - Sirloin Steaks, Broccoli, Sugarfree Jello & Whipped Cream

Tonight's dinner - double burgers!

SupplementSource.ca/SlimBody Review

SupplementSource.ca is a Canada-based company that provides customers with all of their supplement needs fast and at the best possible prices. SupplementSource.ca offers everything from weight loss products, muscle-building supplements, immunity boosting products, nutritional bars and shakes, to even weight loss accessories like clothing. They basically have anything you could imagine. From Jillian Michaels supplements to Sportlab Milky Whey protein powder, SupplementSource.ca has you covered! They ship anywhere in the US and Canada at the lowest prices, guaranteed.

I picked out SlimBody 100% All-Natural Fat Burner for women, because it not only is natural but is clinically proven to enhance weight loss and improve mood and energy. We all know dieting can make us tired and cranky, so I wanted to try SlimBody when I started my Atkins Adventure so that I wouldn't have the fatigue and bad moods! SlimBody combines the fat-burning powers of green tea, white tea and oolong tea for a sustained increase in fat burning all day long. It is the first and only weight loss product to use a patented strain of Organic Pumpkin Seed extract and Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Camino Coca for their mood-elevating properties. SlimBody also contains a dose of Valerian Root, which has a calming and relaxing effect because of its ability to interact with specific receptors in the brain.

What I like most about Slim Body is that its caffeine source is 100% all-natural coffee bean extract rather than synthetic caffeine which can cause energy levels to crash later. I also love that all the ingredients are natural and ingredients that I can pronounce and recognize. There is nothing synthetic or harmful in this product, so I feel good using it. It even comes with a workout-in-a-pocket guide for a simple workout.

SupplementSource.ca also sent me sample packs of Ripped Freak Hybrid Fat Burner and Silver Bullet 1500. I have been taking SlimBody for over a week now and really feel like it's helping keep my energy levels up. On days where I for some reason forgot to take it, I could tell a difference by how tired I was. I will keep using SlimBody on my weight loss journey and hopefully have good weight loss results when my bottle of 98 caplets is gone!

You can purchase SlimBody supplements online at SupplementSource.ca for $39.95! Thanks SupplementSource!

Disclaimer: I was given SlimBody free of charge for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own experiences with the product. Individual results may vary. No other compensation was given.

Happy Friday

Happy Friday everyone!

I have a question for you: What are you doing to get healthy right now? 

• Atkins, Weight Watchers, portion control?
• Walking, running, gym membership?
• What are your best diet or workout tips? What works for you?

5QF Questions for Friday, September 10th:

1. Do you feel guilty spending money on yourself? YES! (Good old Lutheran guilt!)

2. How well do you know your neighbors? Well enough that I know their names & dog's names, and that they'd help me if I needed it.

3. What age are you looking forward to being?
Seriously? I'm past the point of wanting to grow up! Now I want to be young again! 
4. Do you get excited when the mail comes? Why?Of course! I love to find freebies, samples, products for reviews & giveaway prizes I've won...!

5. What is your earliest childhood memory?3 years old when I threw up alphabet soup and could see noodle letters, lol 

Atkins Adventure - Day 4, Grocery Deals

Last night I stopped at Cub Foods to use some great coupons that I received in the mail from their weekly coupon book (These books should be available in stores and are valid from 9/10 to 9/25, and you can view them online at www.cubfoods.com along with the weekly ad coupons.)

Here is what I got for my Atkins adventure:
B1G1 Fresh Express Spinach - 2 bags of spinach for $2.49
B1G1 Nature Vine Sweetened Cherry Tomatoes - 2 bunches tomatoes for $3.49
B1G1 Simeks Meatballs - 2 bags frozen meatballs for $9.69
B1G1 Premium Angus Beef Boneless Sirloin Grill Steak - 2 packages steaks for $6.09
$3 off Arctic Shores cooked, peeled & deveined frozen shrimp - 3 bags for under $15 ($4.99 each)

I also got a rotisserie chicken for the first time ever (they always smell so good in the deli area!) It was only $6.48 plus there was a $1 off coupon attached to it, so I got a hot rotisserie chicken for $5.48.  I will tell you, for me - someone who hates cooking meat - rotisserie chickens might just be my God-send! I ate it for dinner last night - not the whole thing, but plenty of it! It was very good plus I have leftovers too, all for under six bucks! I also enjoyed sugar free Jello with whipped cream last night, and I literally said "Mmm Mmm Good!" (Oh wait, that's Campbell's soups slogan!)

Anyway, so far so good, I THINK. I don't feel like I have lost anything yet but I will wait until my Wednesday weigh-in to find out. But I will tell you one thing, if I gain any poundage in these first 2 weeks of induction, I will throw in the towel and find something new! I guess I am paranoid about gaining because I am eating so much meat and protein and I'm not used to that. But we will see!! This weekend will be hard since I am going to a party where there will be lots of temptations. I am used to eating junk on the weekends and no alcohol is allowed in induction. But I will resist because if I'm going to do this, I want to do it right!

Life Is Good Blog Award!

Leigh over at CoastalCouponer has awarded my blog the "Life is Good" award! My very first blog award - I am so excited! Life really IS good and this award makes it even better! Check out Coastal Couponer's great posts about couponing and saving money. Thanks Leigh for this award!

The Life is Good Award: To accept the award you must link back and thank the person who gave you the Life is Good award. Answer the 10 questions and pass it along to 6 other blogs :)

1) If you blog anonymously are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?
I started out anonymously but decided that I'd rather show my true self on my blogs, warts and all (Just kidding, I don't have warts!)

2) Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side.
I'm kind of a pushover and have a hard time standing up for myself. I give in too easily, which doesn't work out in my favor most of the time.

3) What do you see when you really look at yourself in the mirror?
Myself, warts and all (Seriously, I don't have warts!)

4) What is your favorite summer cold drink?
Ice cold water with Crystal Light Pure Essentials grape mix

5) When you take time for yourself, what do you do?
Blog, coupon, take my dog for a walk, or take a nap

6) Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?
Find the love of my life, start a family, have babies, be a stay-at-home mom, maybe start a day care, run a marathon or a half-marathon

7) When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever , the shy person, or always ditching?
Overachiever for sure. I was valedictorian!

8) If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment of your life what would you see?
The day I became free from an abusive husband, this past spring.

9) Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?
Like I said, warts and all! (haha not sure why I keep saying that tonight)

10) If you had the choice to sit down and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?
Talk. Apparently I have a lot to say!

Now the award needs to be passed on to 6 people, and contact them :)

Here are my choices in no particular order:
Fabulous N Free
Finding My Life in Faith
Pocket Full of Pink
Mass Hole Mommy
Let's Just Give It Away
Healthy Home Blog

Biggest Loser Fall 2010 Edition has begun!

My co-worker started a Biggest Loser competition with about 10 people, and I joined in the "fun". The winner will get $150 dollars and the 2nd place winner will get $50. The winners are determined by percentage of weight lost.

No turning back now, I am doing this for real this time! By Dec. 1st when the competition ends, I hope to be a whole new me! But I won't stop there. I want to be an Ultimate Loser and get rid of this weight for good! We will weigh in every Wednesday and report our weight to the moderator of the competition, so I will be letting you all know my progress -- You will be helping me by holding me accountable!

On another note, if you are a new follower, please let me know so I can check out your blog and follow you back! Happy Wednesday! I feel great knowing that I am doing something good for myself :)