Pinterest is my nemesis!

Before I started my weight loss journey I was an avid user of Pinterest. I would go on that site several times a day to find different dessert recipes. I would tell myself that I was just going to go look at the recipes, but as soon as I would start looking, I would start craving sweets. After 5 minutes of sifting through recipes I would just have to make one. Off to the store I would immediately go to get all of the stuff I needed to make some yummy cake or cookie. This happened more times than I would like to admit. Once I started on my journey to lose weight, I stopped looking at Pinterest. I knew that was a trigger for me and at that point in my life I couldn't go and just look. A lot of people also post recipes on Facebook. I have stopped clicking on the links and just keep scrolling. My husband even unsubscribed from all of the unhealthy food blogs he followed. He realized that was one of his triggers and knew he had to change to get different results that he had in the past. Oddly enough, I don't miss Pinterest. I have found different things in my life that make me happy so I no longer have to find happiness with baking. 

(I know Pinterest has a lot of other things on it besides unhealthy recipes. That is just never how I used it. )

Shopping for running gear

One thing is a fact, you cannot comfortably run without the right equipment. For a girl with large breasts, one of the things you must have is a good running bra. I could run barefoot as long as I have on a comfy bra that makes the girls not jiggle. After Dawn watched me run for the first time, she knew we had to go shopping. We went to Feet Fleet in Lawrenceville to get everything I needed. We found a bra that would hold everything in. Oh my gosh, what a difference that makes. We also got some new running shoes that feel like butter on my feet and some compression sleeves. My calves always hurt after running and these sleeves have made them feel so much better. Now that I have the right stuff (yes, that is a New Kids on the Block reference) I can be much, much happier while running. 

Buy the bra I wear to run here. If you are interested in the shoes I wear, click here. 

Zumba!!!

Zumba is my favorite way to exercise! Dawn had never been to a Zumba class before. Luckily for us, my friends Sandee and Kirsten with Fusion Fitness Events just happen to be having a Zumba party! I had just had my wheelbarrow accident and I was a little nervous to go. Since Dawn had no idea what she was getting into, she too was a little nervous. We put on our superhero outfits and headed out to the party. We got there and immediately started shaking our groove things. We were two songs in when Dawn looked at me and said, "I LOVE Zumba. I'm going to be an instructor one day!". We had way too much fun. We stayed for about an hour and then I had to get home. My leg was hurting and it was time to go to bed. I'm glad I got to introduce Dawn to Zumba and some of my wonderful friends that were there. It's great that there are so many different types of exercise out there so everyone can find JOY while working out. My JOY definitely comes from Zumba. 

Fondue Party

One of our favorite restaurants is The Melting Pot. I love all of the different dipping sauces, my daughter likes the chicken, my husband enjoys seafood and of course, we all love the chocolate. It's a little pricey and I'm sure there are a lot of calories in the cheese and chocolate fondue. My daughter had been begging to go to The Melting Pot so we decided we would find a way to replicate that at home. We invited Dawn over for a fun night of food and friendship at the Queen household. We have a Nuwave cooktop and fondue set so it was very easy to cook. My hubby made a citrus Mojito broth for us to cook our food in. We had chicken, lobster, steak, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. We did not have any chocolate or cheese, but it was still a fun night! 

If you want to purchase a Nuwave cooktop and cookware set, click here.

 

Green Smoothie Popsicle

I rarely ever put greens in anything, especially not a popsicle, but Dawn convinced me it would be good. Oh my goodness was she right! Those green popsicles were amazing. What a great treat to come home to after a long run. We used a Zoku popsicle maker to make them. My daughter really enjoys making popsicles now. We also make a carrot/mango one! Click below for the recipe for the popsicles or to buy a Zoku. 

Dawn's Green Smoothie Popsicle Recipe

Buy the Zoku Popsicle Maker from Amazon Here

Hair on Fleek!

One of the major life changes that I went through on the show had to do with my hair. I have very fine, stick straight hair. It did not hold up well when we were filming for 12 hours a day. Thank goodness Dawn came to the rescue! She brought me the Bombshell rod curling iron made by Sultra. This was truly life changing. My hair could be fixed in about 10 minutes and as a bonus, the curls actually held up during filming. I think it makes my hair look fuller and healthier. A life without this curling rod is not a life worth living! It is amazing and truly worth the money. Dawn did so much for me, but this was at the top of my list. 

By the way, I'm not 100% sure what "Hair on Fleek" means, but I think it's good so I'm going with it. 

Buy your Sultra Bombshell curling rod HERE



Callie's karate party

Callie's karate studio threw a great "candy" party! I was so very nervous to go. I have a real thing for chocolate. I mean, I LOVE all chocolate. I knew it was going to be hard to turn it down. I took grapes and water. It felt a little odd to be eating grapes, but I was starving. In the end, I was so proud of myself for not eating any candy. I felt like I conquered temptation. Chocolate did not defeat me that day! 

I also want to say a big "Thank You" to Callie's karate studio, Tonchu Martial Arts in Dacula, Georgia for letting us film there and all of my sweet friends for coming to the party. 

Pizza for Dinner

We love pizza for dinner in our house. It's one of our favorites. I didn't want to give up pizza, so Dawn and Kevin came to the rescue. We use a sprouted grain pizza crust, organic pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil. Cook in the oven at 550 degrees for about 5 minutes. It will definitely cure your pizza craving and it is only about 125 calories per slice. I call this a win-win! 

Wheelbarrow Incident

On last week's episode I got in a fight with a wheelbarrow, and it won! It didn't look that bad on TV, but in reality it hurt!! Let me tell you what really happened. Shaun was yelling at me to "dig deeper". If you don't know, I am a HUGE Shaun T. fan. I mean, I love this man. So whatever he tells me to do, I do. Since he was telling me to go, I started moving faster. My wheelbarrow was empty and I was moving really, really fast until I hit a divot. The wheelbarrow flipped up and there I went, flying over it. The handlebars hit both of my thighs, something cut my shin, there was blood and I was down for the count. It was really freaking me out because I broke my leg two years ago and I was so scared that I had broke it again. Luckily the Medic checked me out and other than some bruises and a cut, I was fine. I do still have a nice scar, but that will be a great way to remember the reality show I was on when I am older!

Body Love

On last week's episode of "My Diet Is Better Than Yours", Dawn had me draw a picture of how I saw myself. It was so easy to think of negative things to say about myself. Too many chins, no self-control, no will-power, are you pregnant?... all of these things came to mind very quickly. I am learning from Dawn that you must love yourself where you are at, not where you want to be or where you will be tomorrow, but where you are at right now. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn, but I am working on it daily. I hope that you will try some body love today. It really does work and it is amazing when you can actually say that you like yourself. 

Before Pictures

I am so embarrassed to post the "before" pics of myself, but I'm going to do it anyway. I feel like you have to embrace where you started to really appreciate how far you have come. These pictures was taken the day I was selected to be on the show. I remember how I did not want to take them, but it had to be done. Looking at them now is a real motivator to make sure I never go back to being this person ever again.