MFP May! Jenny

Oh hello there loves...
I can't tell you how sorry I am that I haven't been more diligent in writing for this blog.

I've been having a lot of fun trying to juggle college, church, marriage and friends lately and to top it off, I've had some very personal and emotional realizations.

I'm going to share...and I will try to be to the point.

As many of you know, that real kicker for starting this lifestyle change was when my husband and I lost our baby in January to a miscarriage. I felt responsible and unprepared for all that came with that tragedy. I wanted to make changes that were in my control and I knew my health was one of them.

Since Courtney and I started this blog, we've had nearly 3 months of amazing challenges that have made us stronger, wiser and more aware. There hasn't been any mind blowing weight loss, but I think we've both seen how much happier and stronger these changes have made us.

As most of you know, Courtney and I are very connected to our faith, so with this change has come much prayer and faith. We've wanted to include God in our journey, since He is the creator of our bodies and the one who gifted them to us. I also added my prayers in regards to starting a family and when my husband and I should do that. We wanted to be ready and we wanted to know that God felt we were ready. I know my husband has prayed twice as hard about this and has just as much excitement and hopefulness as I do when it comes to starting a family.

If you've ever received a "no" answer to your prayers, you know that frustration that we've been experiencing the last few months. Someone wise once told me that God never says "no," but that it's always "not now" or "I have something better in mind." For us, we know that the silence isn't a bad thing, it's a patience thing.

OK, so here's the honest truth: I've wet my pillow night after night wondering why I'm not losing weight or why something so righteous wouldn't be given to me when I'm working so hard for it.
I've tried hard not to get frustrated or sad when I pray and I certainly don't want to be frustrated with God, who I know is loving and all knowing.

Then Mother's Day happened, and a strong of events before and after Mother's Day left me feeling a second wave of depression over the miscarriage.

I struggled with depression the worst after my Father died, and then again after we lost Indie. I thought working out and focusing on my goals had really helped to regulate me again, but when this recent depression hit, it was below the belt.

It's been very hard and very confusing and I still don't have a lot of answers that I wish I did, but there is one HUGE insight that I got lately.

I have chronic depression. I meet with a new therapist sometime next week to start a new treatment plan.

That's so hard to admit, since most of my life I'd classify myself as optimistic and happy. But that is still true. My nature, my spirit is happy and I'm very aware of my blessings and how much I have to live for. The problem is that I often lose control over my own emotions and tend to become disabled by my own sadness. It gives me insomnia, it makes me feel achey, tired and unmotivated and that just isn't me. So I'm coming to terms with it slowly and trying to rely on God to give me the humility and strength to get through this rough patch.

The beautiful part of this whole thing is that I started out thinking that I was fat and that I needed to gain some physical health in order to have children, when in reality I needed mental and emotional health.

I'm grateful for a loving God who saw my efforts, knows my heart and gave me the answer, even though it's hard to swallow.

I don't want to be a sad mommy, or pass on any of my depression to my children (which CAN happen), so I'm going to do all I can to deal with this and make myself the best future Mother I can be.

There is a lot to look forward to. I'm still optimistic about it all, and I know that I am so very blessed!

--

Now onto the logistics of this challenge:

This lovely chart is an honest representation of this last month for me. Some days are a little off, since I didn't finish the entry, and a few days are obviously unaccounted for, but for the most part, I stayed near my goal and I feel good about that.

I have NO CLUE why 5/3 is so high, but can't take it back now. I try really hard not to be too hard on myself about this stuff, I hope you are all trying that too. It does no good to beat yourself up endlessly about something you already did. Just change it.

When I was first dating Ed, he gave me some advice about life that I've always loved, "If you don't like it, change it." Simple. Powerful. True. It's applied in a lot of areas in my life, but especially in terms of our bodies!

Anyhow, I'm not sure what else to say about this challenge. I was doing so much better with MFP back in March and April, but that doesn't matter now ;)

Gotta keep going and keep tracking. It's a powerful tool!

I love you all. Never quit trying. My loving husband encourages me by telling me he's glad I haven't quit even when it's been hard.

I wish you all happiness and health!

xo Jenny

MFP May! Courtney

Soooooo... hi :) Yeah, it's been a while, but I've never really been a very consistent blogger, so I apologize profusely. I have been working super hard on our goal for this month, to log our food intake and exercise on MyFitnessPal, I just haven't been blogging about it! :( so sorry about that. Jenny and I both are going to update before the end of the month, and we're going to have a great new challenge for the month of June :) Team No Days Off! Summer doesn't mean we quit trying to eat healthy and get fit, no sir.

This past month was definitely a learning experience. I have noticed that I have more energy, more strength and more endurance. I've gotten back into stretching, and I'm looking into taking a Pilates class, because that's supposed to be really good for your core muscles, and that's where I need to focus so that I can protect my lower back (where I've had troubles in the past) in order to take up running. I also noticed that I'm a huge carb eater, at every single part of the day, hahaha. And I know my diet needs to be healthier if my workouts are to be more effective, so here's to more eating right and getting fit!

Recap of the first week is as follows:

So as you can tell, I'm pretty steady and consistent. Working out every week day and getting below my calories, then blowing up all my progress on the weekend :P Bad habit, but hopefully I can nip it in the bud before it gets too late. Though I know I have made progress in my eating habits over the past few months, I know it's no where near where I need to be. And fitting it all in with a schedule that includes a full time job and homework... that's also proven to be a little tricky. Something always has to suffer, there's no happy medium in the life of a college student. I either have no sleep, or no social life. I'll just have to do some praying to get my life back into balance again. But the rest of the month was pretty much the same. I went up and down, but I've been seriously watching and making note of where I need to change and improve. Which I love doing now! MFP isn't something I hate, it's something I look forward to, because I like to see what my options are as the day goes on, and where I can improve (I'm a freak like that).

An inspiring pic from our instagram account ;)

Also, I don't know if we've acknowledged this on the blog yet, but we now have an Instagram account! :)

>> @bestieswithbreasties13  ( or link here: http://instagram.com/bestieswithbreasties13 )

I was super excited about it because there are SOOOO many other healthy accounts to uplift and inspire and remind me about my goals. #fitgirls_inspire is what gave me the idea, and #transformationtuesday too. Now I just have this amazing desire to be successful this time with my weight loss, and I want to be able to inspire other people - I want to prove to myself that this is doable, and then I want to show other people that they can do it too! A bunch of healthy and happy people all around! :) so if you have an instagram account, go follow us right now! I've already been super impressed with how many people are now following us, we have over 60! :)

As for you and your own goals, keep up the good work! Even if you haven't made a difference on the scale yet, but eating right and making time to work out, you WILL make a different on your body, and you don't need a scale to measure that success :) keep up the great work everyone!!

<3 Courtney

MFP May! Week 1 - Jenny

http://edwardandjeni.blogspot.com/

For whatever reason, it was a long hard week last week that ended with a bit of a breakdown.
Please read my Mother's Day blog entry for details.

I just want to say that I know what Courtney and I are doing is inspired. She is so strong right now, when I am weak and I know I was the stronger of us in the beginning. That's just how it goes, but it's all meant to be.

So here's to a NEW week and some efforts to move forward and gain control again.

I love you all so much!

Stay healthy and happy!

-Jenny

MFP May! Week 1 - Courtney

Courtney:

So I don't know about the rest of you, but MFP + gym everyday = SUPER MOTIVATED COURTNEY. I'm not even doing that great a job at either one of them, but I've already noticed a change in my body. #1, I can control myself more. I haven't had fast food in like a month, except for when I go out with my family. #2, I have more mobility and energy in with my body. #3, I'm just happier! Things that would normally get me down are easily brushed off. I feel like I have more control because I'm treating my body better, and it's being grateful :)

Anyway, if we're being accountable, this is how my week has been so far with MFP:

          

Now would you look at that?! My days just kept getting better and better! :) I'm learning a lot about what I like and don't like, in the kitchen and in the gym. And guess what? I weighed myself this morning, AND I'VE LOST 1 POUND!! :D I know it's probably nothing, because I know my weight fluctuates all the time, and it's going to be going back and forth as I lose weight and gain muscle. I really should take my body measurements before there are too many changes, because I know that's how I'm really going to be able to measure my success, instead of by a scale. But I'm excited to see the changes :)

Another side note, I'm addicted to Zumba. I had done a few videos before, but I've never actually been to a class. And the one day I randomly got off work early, I had enough time to go to a Zumba class at my gym. Let me just tell you, I've never sweat that much in my life. I was using muscles I had forgotten that I had! But it was fantastic, and I'm addicted now. I went Thursday and Friday, and so now anytime my work schedule allows it, I'll be there. Not only is it a fantastic calorie burner, it's just fun! I get to shake my bum to fantastic Latin music?! Yes please! :)

Also, I've found a bunch of inspirational and motivational places on instagram, of all places. They post either healthy recipes, or "before and after" pictures, and it's great to have those daily reminders in my feed!

JUST DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO. Good luck to everyone with all your goals too! :)

<3 Courtney

MyFitnessPal MAY! Intro

Jenny:

Ok, so the name isn't exactly chosen, but I think you get the point so far.

For the new challenge in May, Courtney and I will be Meal Planning a little smarter, lowering portions and tracking all of our meals on MyFitnessPal.

Something I've heard a hundred times is "abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym" or the "80/20" rule about food effecting our weight more than working out.

Because working out has brought me great results, but no weight loss, I'm taking some of this to heart and deciding that I need to plan out when and how much I eat better.

I'm excited to get to work with this challenge and I will be posting my results right here each day.

Here's Monday, which was day 1 :)

I try to keep myself within 100 calories under or else I'm not eating ENOUGH calories. 1370 is what was assigned to me based on my age, weight, and how often I work out.

Obviously I try not to go over the calories either, but with exercise, I tend to always go over, like you see here. I want to get to the point where I'm not going over the allotted calories for eating, but still burning those calories working out. That way, the deficit is higher and I lose weight.

So here's to May! I'm excited and nervous, but I know it's gonna be good!

Love you all...
Be happy and healthy!

xoxo Jenny


Courtney:

Gotta make some changes in order to see results!

So I am in LOVE with this new challenge :) I wasn't at first, because I've counted calories before and I hated it, I though it was the most monotonous boring way to live EVER. Plus I like to eat whatever I want and not have to be accountable for it, but that's what got me here in the first place ;) so I downloaded the app on my iPhone, which I was never really impressed with before, though I did use it, since I rarely have my laptop on me these days. But Jenny told me the website is so much cooler - and it is! You can still track everything on your phone, but the website is much more user friendly. But since I've returned back to the gym, and I can see the calorie-in/calorie-out ratio, I know that I do need to watch more of what I eat. And this is a great way to do it!

As for my first day of the challenge and using the MyFitnessPal website, I'm actually surprised at how close I got to my calorie intake level for the day. I thought it was gonna be blown out of the water. But it's great to see what exactly I'm taking in, because they break everything down for you, and I now know that a majority of what I eat in a day is carbs, so that's what I need to cutback on, and replace it with other energizing foods. I know that this has probably had a great deal to do with why my weight has been so wonky. The scale has maintained a 10 pound range since we started these challenges, but it's never been consistent. Now that I'm paying more attention to the intake, and I'm more focused on the outgoing, I'm hoping there will be a consistent downhill motion on the scale. So not only am I accountable for WHAT I eat, but also HOW MUCH. Portion control is going to be a huge goal of mine this month. And I just keep thinking back to my mission and what I was doing there, and while I wasn't on a very strict diet, there was just a lot of movement every day. So I need to get back into the habit of doing that.

Another thing that I really love about this website is that you can also track your water intake! Which is great, because I know it's something that I've been needed to work on. Having grown up in Florida, I'm just naturally a fish, and water has always been my drink of choice. I rarely drink sodas, and I randomly enjoy a good lemonade, but seriously, I just always drink water. But when I lost my job, I also lost my water bottle (I'm assuming I left it there), so I stopped drinking water all the time. And I know that is really good for your body, and boosts your metabolism. But I finally got a new water bottle (come on, Courtney. It wasn't really that hard...) and it holds 32 oz, so I think it's safe to say if I'm repeatedly filling that thing up, I'm gonna have to pee all the time! :P But on the website, there is also a place for notes, which is where I'll keep my vitamin/illness records. They seriously thought of everything for this website! :)

So whatever goals you have this week or this month, I hope you stick to them! Kinda like Jenny said, she might not have seen the scale move, but she has noticed other great healthy attributes in her life, which has made the eating right and calorie burning parties at the gym all worth it :) So I hope that you all keep a positive attitude about your weight, your habits and your goals.  :) best of luck!

<3 Courtney

30 of 30 - Days 25-30

Courtney:
Monday - 1
Tuesday - 0
Wednesday - 1
Thursday - 1
Friday - 0
Saturday - 0
Total! - 14

So. 14 out of 30. Meh. I could have done better, MUCH better. But I learned a lot about myself over this challenge. What motivates me, and what doesn't. What I need to do so that I can eat healthy. Where my weaknesses lie and what I need to avoid. I think now that I got my gym membership back, I'm more excited about working out and moving my body, like Jenny has mentioned before. And I'm going to be much more serious about what I eat, because I've remembered how hard it is to work it off, and I'm seeing the math of calorie intake and calorie burning, and it's just not adding up. So I know where I need to work, and that's why I'm excited about our new challenge :) this motivational picture is one of my favorites because #1) I love fruit, but also #2) being fit/healthy AND losing weight are both important. That's what Jenny and I are aiming for! Healthy and happy bodies, which comes from eating right and treating our bodies right as well. And no matter how many months of challenges this takes, we will do it! :)

I know I wasn't all that involved or excited about this blog or the challenges in the beginning, but that's because my life had no direction or motivation, and I was having little success with anything. Then I found a job, I passed the math class that had been following me around since high school, and now I have some goals to work towards before the end of the year. Now that I have more control over my life, I know what I'm doing and where I'm going. And these goals are what's keeping me on track :) now I'm in this for real.

Besties with Breasties is back in action. Bring on the next challenge!! :)

PS - I'm pretty sure Jenny has this challenge in the bag, so just let me know what you would like for your prize, and I will get it in the mail ASAP! :) (I know you'd really just like to have ME show up on your doorstep and that would be prize enough, but you'll have to wait a little longer for that one ;)


Jenny:
25: 1
26: .5
27: 1
28: 1
29: 1
30: 0
TOTAL: 16

I also could have done a lot better this month, but I feel good that I made it over halfway. I also am proud of Courtney who was only two days short. That means we both made good progress in terms of moving at least twice as much as we did before.

I've learned a lot this month. Working out has become something I really enjoy and look forward to now. I've come to understand my body a bit more and appreciate all that it can do for me.

I think one of the most obvious and amazing things about consistently working out is how much it's curbed my depression.
I've lived with depression for years now, but it has times when it's stronger in my life. For example when Ed and I had the miscarriage in January, I felt some of those strong effects begin to manifest themselves.
After seeking professional help, I knew I had to be proactive and that's when I began this blog with Courtney.

It's been amazing to me that working out has kept me happy, strong and feeling accomplished, when nothing else has lately. I am grateful for the inspiration to do this, because it has already improved my life a lot.

I will talk about this more in our next post about the new challenge, but the scale still hasn't changed for me since February  I have a million thoughts as to why that might be, but ultimately, it could be a source of frustration and discouragement. Instead, with the help of Courtney, my husband and other good friends, I've seen that the changes have happened other places. My body does look better, I am stronger and more able now, and I feel better. More than that, these changes are becoming habits, and that's really what I wanted all along. Healthy habits.

So, here we are in May and we're gonna jump into another challenge. Read on for more of the wonderful adventures of health from the Besties with Breasties.

Love you all!
Stay healthy and happy!

-xoxo Jenny