Friday!

So this week was one of getting myself back into the gym and boy did I feel it. Monday I did  squats  and today is Friday and I'm STILL feeling it. I'm also retaining fluid like no ones business. 

For those of you who have this same problem after working out hard, your body is telling you that more water is needed. I have been horrible at drinking enough lately. I run a photography business and chase 3 kids. Sometimes I just forget. 

Another thing I've learned too is rest is just as important as the workout. 

But don't confuse rest with a damaging binge diet on those days. 

Rest allows your muscles to rebuild and water keeps you hydrated, there for keeping the water retention down from a crazy peak. There will still be some but it'll be much more manageable. You'll also feel less tired and sluggish., which for me is big since  I've been struggling again recently with my thyroid. I'll probably be getting a n ultrasound on it in January or Febuary to monitor a spot on my thyroid that isn't going away. Oh! Another thing is keep an eye on breads and grains and hug e sodium or sugary items as they can trigger swell-hell, too.

So as Christmas is only  2 weeks away, the craziness is growing and everyone is scrambling. 

Keep up with your hydration and don't throw away all of this years hard work! Let's finish the year strong and charge right into 2015 with some fierce momentum!! 

I also have 3 months to get myself ready to Cosplay Cammy White from Street Fighter  for a comic convention coming here to Houston. Any of you  guys Cosplay? This will be my first time! 

Here's a progress photo of  Cammy so far..

 

And what she looks like..

So I'm not too far off! 

Squats and I will be BFF in order to get ready to portray her best! 

Anyhow, that's all for now! 

Xoxo

Meg

My current {rehab} program.

So last night I posted about my tummy tuck and how

 my trainer Joe has me on a rehab program for getting back in the gym after my surgery.

 Not going to say that anyone can't do this.. 

because if you're not regular at the gym and working out, 

this could be a great starter program for you too. 

I did this Monday, the Stairmaster for 20 mins on Tuesday, 

and Zumba for an hour last night.

My legs literally are screaming treason right now.

For some of y'all out there I challenge you to a gym session at my rehab program and tell me what you think. I have about 4 weeks doing this before I am allowed to jump up on equipment and weights. I my head I'm still where I was at over the summer lifting very heavy, but I realized very quickly this first week back that I am no where near that condition at the moment and that I'll have to work on it for awhile to rebuild.

I'll post progress in a few weeks once I get my next phase! :)

In the meantime, I'll post again tomorrow with more current events.

XOXO

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XOXO

3 months post!

So here we are.

3 months post.

It seems like it was yesterday that I had my surgery and time is flying by with the recovery.

I'm currently sitting at around 163-166 lbs 

and this week began my detox from all the junky foods. 

Ive been struggling to get to this point but today for lunch 

I had some pasta and it wrecked my entire system, 

leaving me lethargic and with an upset stomach. 

Grains and a thyroid disease don't go together so, 

hard lesson learned, I'm off of that stuff for awhile. 

Right after Zumba tonight. Not too swollen! :)

Here is my incision. It's pretty pink right now, and finally it seems that no more sutures are popping through. I had a few that flipped skin-side and split through, making little holes and I'd have to snip them and pull out as much as I could tolerate until the stitchings went back in and dissolved. 

Not a fun thing but it's pretty common.

Eventually over time this will fade into a flesh tone, but it'll probably take about a year, or two.

Remember my before photos?

1 week post baby #3 (and c-section #3, the 2nd is a few weeks before surgery this past summer)

Crazy how much you can change when you just keep pushing yourself.

Here is how my new belly button is looking.

I still have some teeny stretch marks below, but I don't mind them at all.

And the scaring is fading nicely and pulling in as my doctor had stated. 

Over all, I'm loving my new belly button.

This was what it looked like just before surgery.

All of my stretch marks above my belly button are now just under and very minimal.

They ended up removing 5 lbs of skin which I'm still trying to wrap my head around. 

Pretty crazy, huh?

I started my regular workouts this week, and to be honest I'm more sore in my legs from squatting 

(no weights yet, as I'm doing a rehab program for about a month. I'll share in a later post. It's still pretty kick ass. Anyone who's not working out might like it! )

Potty breaks have been.... torture LOL.

You know, leg day and sitting?

I also got some new specks this week. 

Working a photography business has damaged my eyes some since I literally sit for hours on the computer if I'm not exercising or chasing my kids. Just another step in the transformation!

I'm digging them right now. They have that pin-up vibe :)

Expect some pin-up photos soon, too.

It's been awhile since Ive done anything creative due to work being very hectic this year.

And since I'm finally in a good spot I can actually find some things to put together. 

For this post I was going to do a really nice fitness shoot in black and white, but I want to have a consistent month working out before I do that.. so probably for my 4 month. 

---

This is my starter back shot.

 I lost some tone in it from the summer, but eventually I'm going to build this up too. 

My entire body is going to transform, so stick with me on this new phase!

I'd actually love to have some of y'all send me your photos - start and current!

I love transformation stories and I think they are awesome in keeping everyone motivated! 

One thing I've learned since losing 70-75 lbs in the last year and a half is that anything is possible.

Yes, my surgery helped me with my skin, but it wasn't for weight loss.

I had a muscle repair from a massive hernia caused by pregnancy damages and big big babies, and a dramatic weight loss in a short amount of time. All I lost weight wise was the skin they removed.

Since this has been done, I know there is a process that has to happen first before results will show.

And it's not always a fast process.

So I have to stay focused and believe in myself with my workouts and stay true to my diet and adjust it accordingly in order for my new goals to appear.

Same thing applies to y'all out there reading.

You can transform too.

:)

---

So right now as I had mentioned, I'm back on my detox before we begin doing the advocare cleanse again starting January 2nd. I have 3 people under me at the moment, plus myself and my husband.

Cleaning up my diet before then will make it less challenging in the long run.

10 day Advocare Cleanse. Peaches and Creme.

Check it out here if you're interested in joining us! 

It's only 10 days and you'll feel really good.

My first round I lost 8 with a clean diet, which I'll share the guild lines in another post.

I hope to lose about 10-15 more pounds by April and add some more muscle.

 Believe it or not, I lost some muscle during my 3.5 month recovery and wasn't eating the greatest. 

I have some vices I was avoiding over the summer, but I got into a comfort zone at the visual changes that were made and I'm now having to pick up the bricks again and start rebuilding. 

I'm human and make mistakes, so now it's time to be responsible and fix them.

Out with the bad diet, and back to the good stuff.

Mentally I've been trying to get myself back into that mode of clean eating

 I was in over the summer and it's been a struggle. 

But I'm getting there. 

I have to.  

Currently my status are: 

3 months post

Neck: 13.5

Arms: 12

Pit: 34.5

Bust: 38 

Rib: 32

Waist: 30.5

Belly button: 37.5

Hip: 39

Thigh: 23.25

Calf: 14

Weight 165.6

Goal: 140-145

Also my body fat is at a 26.3

I had hoped it was closer to 23-24 post surgery but bad eating habits I'm sure have prevented that.

My goal for off season fitness competition mode is 18-21%

So I have some work to do.

I probably won't be competing next year, but in mid 2016. 

I have a lot of core rehab to do, as well as muscle building. 

And if I'm going to compete, I want a standing chance going in.

I also would like to run a 5k or do an obstacle course this year.

Something I've never done before.

Something I always felt I couldn't do before when I was heavier.

It was a huge mental block and looking back on it now, 

I wish I hadn't let that insecurity stop me.

2015 will be a whole new ball game for me.

(Nicole Wilkins - 4 time World Champ in figure!)

This is my goal to look like her one day!

My dream goal now is to have that athletic build. 

Before it was just to look good in clothes and have a flat belly.

And while yes, it has been so nice since the surgery that my muscle repair has been said and done, and the skin has been removed... I can still look over myself at the point and find new things I'd like to work on and improve. I love the look in the photo Nicole has.

The beauty and strength she has.

Her body is a status symbol of all the hard work she's poured in at the gym and every meal choice she's made. That right there is something I want to achieve.

Having said all of that, my journey is far from over.. in fact, I think I'll always be working towards something; Be it visual or a physical challenge.

Thank you again everyone who has been following me and 

I hope that I am helping inspire some of you out there. 

I have a whole new bout of stuff to bring in 2015 and I'm starting the year off full force.

In one of my next posts I'm having a guest post for me, my personal trainer and coach, Joe Gassler.

He's going to share my story from his perspective. 

I'm looking forward in seeing how much I've tortured, haha.. I mean, what all he's learned and gone through with me in the last year and a half.

That's all for now. 

Stay tuned.

Also! Follow me on FB

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and on IG

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XOXO

Feeling worthy.

I remember last year after I had our son (our 3rd bitty), and a few months after his birth I was still very over weight, trying to suck in the fat around my midsection that made me look 6 months pregnant still.
I always wanted to stay covered up and hidden.
I had reduced myself to a dark shell, built off of insecurity and doubt.
I felt unworthy of doing all the things in life I wanted to.
Too many people around fat shame and I was scared to death I'd be part of that.

So I hid and put off everything.
I cried alone at night.
The scales, measuring tapes, and clothes all were above and beyond anything I had ever imagined myself to be at 25 years old. Holy crap.

Not only that, but I wasn't 100% with my husband. My kids. Friends and family.
I  walked around feeling sorry for myself and ashamed of my appearance.
Why can't I bounce back like some of these other moms? I'd ask myself frequently.

If you've read my blog, you'll already know 19 months later I'm 75 lbs down, lost the weight, had my tummy tuck for a hernia repair and excess skin removal (it's not a weight loss surgery, it only removes stretched skin and fixes your muscles) I never expected to have a transformation story. Ever. After my first 2 kids, I pretty much looked the same.. maybe 10-15 lbs lost after.. but 185-190 was my base and I couldn't escape it. Before kids I was 165.

Something I've realized since I started my journey is that there are many many many women out there going through the same thing. Even guys with weight loss. It's a long, hard, and rough road to travel down, and even harder to u-turn and come back around from.
But it's do-able.

In the last year I've talked to tons of other women, and men, about where they are with their health.
Fitness, gym talk, and weight loss is part of my daily convos at some point.
I just want to say this to my readers, my friends, my family:

I know it's hard.
It's a pain the ass!
And it freakin' hurts too.
Your knees, your joints.
Every muscle ache.
Your cravings for all the bad shit you wanna eat. And maybe you do cave sometimes. Hell I do still.
Shin splints and headaches.
Friends, I feel it!
The struggle is so there and so real, and it feels so incredibly slow while you're trying to u-turn around from your starting point.
But you know what?
You can so effing do this!

Something inside me snapped at the end of last July.
A light maybe? It just sparked.
And suddenly after weeks of starting slow I saw progress.
I competed with myself.
Comparing myself to others wasn't good, because I'm not them.
I am me.
And I always will be.
So my future fit self as to compete with my current being.

You have to believe:

I can do this.
I'm going to finish this workout today.
I can eat this heathy _______ meal/snack and give this junk food for now. I can get through today.
I will drink water.
I will not smoke and do drugs that will harm my body.
I will get rest because my body needs it to heal and rebuild.

I had to do this day-by-day.
Make it a chore list, or a competition with yourself.
You MUST finish it daily. And then before you know it, it's Friday.
Weigh in, and measure, and take photos.
Do it again next week.
And again the following.
Make it your appointment with yourself.

Some weeks might have tons of progress, others might not.
But you keep pushing.

Think of this. 
You start to draw a photo.
When the pencil touches the paper, your whole sketch isn't done right from the get go.
Sometimes we mess up, and have to erase and start lines over again.
Some times we have to take our time to get tiny details right before we can move on to a different part of the drawing... but eventually you get to a point where your ideas are on paper, and they are recognizable and before long your drawing is an image that everyone can see what it is!

Go even further and you can color in your drawing.

Point being is.. it will not happen the second you start. But it adds up.


I had to do this.
I busted my ass for this.
Tracked every few days till it was routine.
Routine is so important.
I got excited to see progress.
And even if there wasn't any progress, then I knew I hadn't finished my work yet.
I had work to do again the next day, and then the next after that.
And when progress did show, even if it was 0.5 of an inch loss, or 0.5 of a pound gone, that kept me going.

Whoever you are reading this, if you are on a journey right now.
Don't stop.
Our lines might not be straight, and we might have to back track and erase a few things and start over, but your dream image in your head is happening, you just need to keep sketching(working on it!)

Any feeling of "I'm not worthy, I can't, I'm to big" will be washed away.
I felt like I wasn't worthy of doing all the things I loved because of my struggle in the beginning, but as progress happened, I started to feel good, and proud of what I was accomplishing.
You WILL feel powerful, and strong, and beautiful and SO worthy because of all the effort, and sweat, and tears, and just sheer will power to get up and push yourself past the limits.

If you're wondering if it's possible to lose 10, 20, 30, 40, 50+ lbs. IT. IS. POSSIBLE.

And you know, every moment you struggle in your workouts, sweating your ass off, pushing yourself  (at home, outside, at the gym, wherever you workout), and every sacrifice you make in the kitchen when you eat -- is so worth it!

And if anyone tries to poke fun of you, or detour you, or just bring negativity in your life during this, then you kick them out. Because you do NOT need that!

Your self worth, your confidence, and maybe even your happiness you're missing right now at the start of your journey (how I was feeling when I started) is there. You won't have to step outside of the box, you're going to shred that thing apart, and when you do, you're going to come out on the other side feeling amazing, and powerful because you'll know, you can do anything and that nothing is impossible, and that most of all, you are worthy of all the happiness in the world. <3

Early goals for 2015!

So can y'all believe that 2014 only has 31 days left?

Thanks Giving has come and gone and it was sooooooo good.

I ate my weight in meat.

I mean, stuffed.

Meat sweats aren't fun after. 

LOL

This week I'll be 11 weeks post tummy tuck and I have learned a few things since then.

I don't drink enough water, and that not only makes you feel tired and sluggish, but you will retain so much fluid by doing that it's not even funny.

Like 5+ lbs of water weight.

I actually in the past week put on almost 10 lbs from water retention, and in the last 48 hours I've managed to rehydrate and sweat or use the restroom to rid myself of all the extra fluids.

Sodium ( salt ) can make everything taste so good, but it's the devil when it comes to packing on water weight quickly. Carbs in excess..(breads, pastas, and rice) can absorb even more of that and retain, adding on the weight right after eating a big feast like at Thanksgiving, or going out at your favorite restaurant. 

We have one more holiday to cruise though before it's 2015 and I'm not sure I'm 100% ready mentally for that. I mean, this year has flown by SO fast!

So, talking to my husband who is also my part-time workout partner...

We both agreed that we were going to do an Advocare cleanse in the first of the year.

I've done these twice and they always make me feel pretty good at the end of the 10 days it lasts.

It removes all the gunk built up over time in your system and cleans you out... kinda like draino for a clogged sink pipe!

You function better and feel better too.

Our kids take gymnastics, as well as taekwondo and the schools have no affiliation with each other, but both use and support the Advocare products because they really work! 

I'm also going to order some more Spark because early mornings are sometimes hard for me after editing photos all night (I'm a photographer here in Houston) and I just need an extra kick without having the crash or jitters later. And spark tastes really good and comes in tons of flavors. I love the fruit punch. The pink lemonade is pretty tasty too. :)

Here is the link for the cleanse if any of you are wanting to join me and my husband a few other people who have already ordered ahead of time to do this in the beginning of the new year. 

Advocare 10 day cleanse.

And Spark!

Advocare Spark drink. 

The first time I did the cleanse, I lost 8 lbs at the 10 day marker, and I also learned how to eat properly after. All the toxins from crappy foods had flushed so I had a good, clean start. And it's gentle on your body.

Let me know if you're wanting to jump in! 

My goals right now are to get out of the 160-165 weight range and be at 150-155 ultimately.

Put some new muscle on and finish tightening in some of my trouble areas which are around my inner thigh, under arm, and love handle region.

I'll post NEW progress photos either tonight or tomorrow. 

Also, anyone on Instagram?

Follow me on there: Momma C's IG!

Have a blessed 1st day of December! 

xoxox