My Runniversary

Another Healthy Lifestyle and Runniversary!

In honor of my journey.. I like to look back and see the consistency and dedication to making myself a priority in the craziness of life.

In May of 2012 I decided that enough was enough, but it took me a month to get in the right mind frame for a complete lifestyle overhaul. I consider the Tuesday after Memorial Day to be my anniversary of a healthy life!

May 29 2012

• Weight.. over 170 maybe 180... 
• Clothing Size: 14/16 pants, large/xlarge shirt
• 1.96 miles at a 14:17 pace.

May 27 2013

• Weight:  145
• Clothing Size: 6/8 pants, medium shirt
• 4.69 miles at 11:06 pace.

May 24 2014

• Weight: 143
• Clothing Size: 6 pants, medium shirt 
• 4.3 miles at 10:46.

May 25 2015

• Weight: 140
• Clothing Size: 6 pants, medium shirt
• 4.5 miles at a 9:50 pace. 

May 28-31 2016

• Weight: 137
• Clothing Size: 4-6 pants, small shirt
• Saturday: 9 miles at an 11:05 easy pace
• Sunday:  11 miles on the bike and 30 minutes of heavy weight training
• Tuesday: 3.14 miles at a 10:07 pace

I have to remind myself is that the difference between last year's pace and this year's pace is negligible due to the humidity and that I am stronger and leaner than I have ever been. Even when I was "skinnier" (in high school and college) I was starving myself and had little muscle tone.

My goals for this year? I'd like to lose another 10 pounds and I'd like to run a 25 minute 5k. I guess the question is, do I want it bad enough?

A Successful Lifestyle for Busy People

I've come a long way. We've established that. 

While I wish I had tried Isagenix a couple of years ago when I first started considering it and I first started losing weight, I don't begrudge my journey. I have learned so much about health and wellness.

And it's a journey that I will continue tomorrow and into the future.

Why? Because I feel better. And specifically, I feel better using Isagenix products than when I don't. I have more energy, stamina and less aches and pains.

I haven't made a big deal about Isagenix to my friends because I feel like I haven't been committed enough to be a good role model.

But I realized today while talking to one of my friends, that it is my real crazy busy life story that allows others to consider the possibility that they could have a successful weight loss journey.

Cause here is the deal. Since January, I have changed my eating habits a little, but I still have fast food and donuts a couple of times a week. I haven't changed my workout schedule and I haven't given up my nightly glass of wine.

But here is what I have done.

I have a glass of Ionix Supreme first thing in the morning. (It's kind of like green tea..) I take my Natural Accelerator pill. (I don't know what this pill does, but it doesn't make me shaky or feel like I'm on caffeine.)

Those things I do every morning.

Then about 4 mornings a weeks a week I have a shake. I make my shake with a scoop of IsaGreens, a banana and sometimes a teaspoon of peanut butter. I drink this on the way to school and during my first period class. I also take my vitamins during this time.

Then I eat a healthy lunch (well 3 out of 5 days and a couple of times a week I remember to take my 2nd Natural Accelerator pill).  

I eat a pretty healthy dinner as Doug is a great cook and we eat at home most of the time due to his and Maddie's food restrictions. Then I have my evening glass of wine and a 100 calorie dessert.  I top it all off with my nightly dose of IsaFlush and a glass of water.

And that is why I haven't made a big deal about what I am doing, cause I don't feel like I am working hard enough at it to brag.

But here are my results so far.

Since I started Isagenix on January 11th I have lost 11.5 pounds and 28 inches with 3-4 inches off each thigh, my abdomen and my hips! I have even lost .5 off my neck. Crazy huh.

Did you read that? 11.5 pounds lost and -28 inches off my 5'3" frame. Wow.

So yes, I love Isagenix and would love to share my journey with you.  

You can go to my website and check it out for yourself. They have a money back guarantee. Credit Cards work great. :)

It was hard to "bite the bullet" and sign up as an "associate with auto-ship." Really hard. But looking back just these few weeks, I am so thankful that I did it. I think you would be to. 

And just in case you need a reminder.. both of these are me.

Edited to add that I do rock the Cleanse. I haven't done one every week, but I have done one most weeks and one two day. I feel like this is my strong point!

I stepped on the scale with WET HAIR. What was I thinking?

I stepped on the scale with WET HAIR!!

Anyone who has obsessed over their weight knows that WET HAIR increases the scale by at least a 1/2 pound (especially if you have lots of thick hair like I do!). 

And that 1/2 pound can be the difference in a good day and a bad day.

But I stepped on the scale with wet hair after a swim workout.. which meant no sweat pounds lost (another no-no for scale crazed peeps) and I had LOST a 1/2 pound. 

And  that's when it hit me. I've changed. Yes, I've lost a lot of weight over the last few years. But my mind and my metabolism have finally changed.

Every single day, I feel stronger and better than I have ever felt. Okay, maybe not ever felt, but at least have felt in the last 25 years.

Why? Because I am eating.

I am eating real food. Often.

When I feel hunger, I eat. Which means, I'm not hangry.

I'm taking a ton of vitamins and am eating superfoods.

I feel great and I'm still losing inches and pounds.

Yeah. I'm still shaking my head.

It's hard to break a cycle that was created in early teen years. As a sophomore in high school, I would make a slimfast shake and make it last for two meals by drinking 1/2 for breakfast and freezing the rest and eating it super slow for lunch. Then I would do a two hour workout after school and then be lightheaded and dizzy for dinner. No wonder.

I had major body image problems.

This food deprivation killed my metabolism and wrecked my psyche.  This cycle of deprivation and binge eating went on for years and years. 

But today, I feel like I am finally finding out who I am meant to be and just how strong and fit I can be as well.

I think part of this transformation of my mind comes in the form of peanut butter. :) 

Really. 

Cause for the first time in my adult life, peanut butter isn't taboo. 

My go to morning breakfast after a workout is a Isagenix Creamy Dutch Chocolate Shake with a scoop of Isagenix Greens (powdered superfood), a banana and a scoop of peanut butter. It's amazing.

Here is a picture of the ingredients, along with my morning vitamin pack and my morning drink of Ionix Supreme.

Look at this. That is one thick and rich this shake!

And there isn't any reason to make this last all day. I drink it first thing and then even have a mid-morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack! 

Yep, that's crazy talk. Eating regularly scheduled meals without guilt.

I also really love that Isagenix makes chocolate candy! Let's be honest, I'm going to eat candy anyway. And candy is becoming less of a crave because it's not off limits anymore.

And even when I eat candy from the convenience store, donuts for breakfast or any number of non-healthy choices, I'm not beating myself up about it anymore.

I feel a freedom and peace of mind that I don't remember ever having with or about food.

And that is priceless.

I so desperately want my friends to experience this freedom. But it's not cheap. And their journey is not my journey.

So, I'm just going to say this.

I'm here. I'd love to answer your questions.

The products are guaranteed. There is no commitment. 

If you are interested, check out my website.  

http://emilymclemore.isagenix.com/ 

If you aren't interested, I promise to not become that person you avoid in person or block on facebook.

Isagenix products have taken over my kitchen counter, have become a regular part of my lifestyle and I wouldn't have it any other way!

A side benefit (and drawback) of healthy eating!

Yesterday Maddie had a visit to her Rhumeatologist then we went and visited a friend in the hospital. 

Then we went to lunch.

So many choices in the big city.

So many healthy choices. So many bad choices.

We ate at In and Out.

Yeah.

It was yummy! But left me feeling a little greasy and queasy.  

So we shopped it off! :) 

I was looking for a new outfit for an important meeting. I didn't find what I was looking for.. BUT, I had to try on SMALL dresses!! WOOOHOOO!! (That was super fun!)

We got home and for dinner I ate the leftover Lobster Mac-n-Cheese that Doug and I made at a couple's cooking class. I hated for it to go to waste!! I ate lots of healthy veggies with the pasta, but oh my....

I was hurting by bedtime and this morning.

With Eat to Live's lifestyle, you don't eat dairy or fat. Well, you can guess what made the mac-n-cheese so yummy. Yeah, lots of dairy and fat.

Ugh! I feel bloated and bleh.

So this morning I got up, had a great workout (even though I wanted to throw up at times!) and decided to enjoy a detox day!

It's back to fruits and veggies for me!

First up a green smoothie. So good. 

A photo posted by emilymclemore (@faithhopeandart) on Jul 21, 2015 at 5:59am PDT

Learning to be Brave

I've never considered myself to be a scaredy-cat. 

Sure, I don't like scary movies, cause with my active imagination it doesn't take much to put myself in the movie in my head and then there is no sleep for me!

But I've never been afraid of a challenge, be it physical or mental.

But something about my body image makes me a self-conscious and ready to hide.  And for the majority of my life, I have felt this way. Even as a high school student and a physically fit and active college theatre major! I've had highs, were I felt good and was willing to wear something more revealing, but for the majority of my life, I have felt the need to cover and hide.

I am learning to overcome that. I am learning to be brave. to risk ridicule and scorn.

I am learning that my daughters need me to show that I am confident in who I am. That I am brave and willing to try new things. That I am happy in the skin God gave me.

So I did something CRAZY this week.

I wore a two piece swimsuit to the community pool. 

It was hard. I struggled mentally the entire time. But my little girls were so fun. When I walked out with the two piece on, Lexi said "oh mama, you look great!" and Kylie was so excited and jabbered on about my swimsuit.  So I did it.

Here we are at the pool. It was just a Kylie and me day.

So... ta da.

Here I am.

In a two piece no less.

I have to say, when I look at this picture, I feel proud. 

I can see every workout and every struggle in those arms and in the smaller waistline. 

It's not easy.

And in case you or I forgot... 

 Wow.

And I'm not finished. I am a work in progress.

Eat to Live, My 6 week recap and the OFFICIAL RESULTS

My 6 week Eat to Live trial run is complete. It should have been complete last Monday, but since I basically took the week of Maddie's birthday off, I added a week to the complete the full six week challenge.

And here are the official results.

I lost 10.5 pounds 

(based on today's weigh-in... which is 1.5 pounds up from Wednesday.. Wednesdays are my light days.. so really, we could say that I lost 12 pounds.)

But the eye-popping changes are:

• Waist -4 inches
• Hips -3 inches
• Chest - 2 inches
• Right Thigh -6.25 inches
• Left Thigh -6 inches
• Right Bicep -1.25 inches
• Left Bicep -1.25 inches
• Shoulder -.75 inch
• Right Calf -1.5 inches
• Left Calf -2 inches

That's a total of 28 inches GoNe since April 6th.

AMAZING!!

Did you read that? 

I LOST TWENTY-EIGHT INCHES in 6 weeks.

Even better, I feel great and am committed to this lifestyle! 

Want to learn more about Eat to Live? Check out Dr. Furhman's website.

My 3 year Run-iversary!

On May 5, 2012 I decided to take control of my life. I was overweight, out of shape and tired.

These pictures are all the proof we need. (Sadly, I had to go steal them off a friend's facebook page as during this time, I didn't take pictures willingly... Thanks Hailey!)

 

I remember being excited about deciding to do something for me. As a teenager I loved running. I never ran on a team, but I ran for myself and really enjoyed it.  I knew at this point in my life, I had to do something for myself that would benefit my health.

So I bought new clothes and shoes for exercise and went out and jogged 1.7 miles at a 15:44 pace. My running skirt I thought was so cute on the rack was so tight that every time I stopped to walk I had to pull the shorts part down. At the end of the jog, the inside of my thighs was severely chafed. 

I went out a couple of more times in May and jogged, but I didn't change my eating habits. I was overwhelmed with how badly I had let myself go and just couldn't imagine that I could change
my world right at the end of the school year.

So I decided that Memorial Day would be THE DAY!

And it was.

On May 28,2012 I joined Weight Watchers.

On May 29th I ran/jogged 1.9 miles at a 14:15 pace. 

I continued to eat fairly healthy and stayed within my Weight Watchers points each week. The activity points were incredibly motivating to me and I worked hard.

By mid-June I had lost ten pounds and was exercising consistently. I even worked out while at my scrapbook retreat and jogged 2 miles at a 13:48 pace. 

And that was just the start.

By December 2012 I was down 35 pounds and I was feeling great!

At that point, I stopped worrying about the food so much and just enjoyed running.

Memorial Day 2013: I ran 4.69 miles at 11:09 pace

Here I am with Doug the first week of June 2013.

Memorial Day 2014: I ran 4.33 miles at a 10:46 pace

Here I am with Doug celebrating my 40th birthday.

Memorial Day 2015: I ran 4.57 miles at a 9:50 pace.

And here I am on day 26 of my 30 day handstand challenge. Wearing the workout skirt from 2012.. yes, that same skirt that was so tight that my skin was rubbed raw. Now I only wear it when I need a reminder of how far I have come as it is so loose that I have to pull it up every few minutes! LOVE!

I can't wait to see where I will be in 2016. With my new focus on Eat to Live, I predict another minute off my pace! :)

What? These pants are tooo big!!

When I started this journey, I knew that I wanted to feel better, but I really wasn't expecting to LOOK different, or to lose enough weight and inches that my clothes would be too big.

But here I am..

Here is my week 5 midweek report.

I am 4 pounds from weighing what I weighed when I went to the doctor for my first OB visit with Maddie, SIXTEEN YEARS AGO! 

Yeah. 

And, my size 6 pants are HUGE on me. 

I never imagined that I would need a smaller size than 6, so over the last year I have restocked my wardrobe a few pieces at a time.  All of my pants are too big now.  Time to buy size 4. 

WHAT? 

That is CRAZY talk.

Anyone want to go shopping? :)

I'm not even dreading swimsuit season this year!

Eating REAL food

I've had a lot of people in the last few weeks ask me about what I am eating...the easy answer is that I am eating REAL food! 

Nothing processed.

Lots and lots of fresh food.

(okay... a little processed as I look at the picture below and see the non-dairy creamer in my coffee... )

So here is what I had this morning for breakfast after a 4 mile incredibly humid/sticky run!

I had a bowl of steel cut oats, some fresh fruit, a glass of water and a cup of coffee.

Side note: I use the Hungry Girl  oatmeal philosophy.. My huge bowl of oatmeal is 1/3 cup steel cut oats, 1 cup water and 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk. You cook it just like normal, just longer. Instead of a small bowl, you end up with a huge bowl! And yes, that is a little butter (less than a pat.. but it is the real thing) and a teaspoon of brown sugar.

When I cut up fruit for breakfast, I go ahead and cut up some for lunch.

Lunch is a salad. It's a big salad, but fits in the take along (quart size?) tub.

I have 1/2 and 1/2 spinach and mixed greens first. Then a handful of coleslaw mixture (no sauce on it!) some edamame, yellow bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, carrots and avocado. 

I have a small container of balsamic vinaigrette to put on the salad, if I feel like it. I don't use dressing very often, but sometimes I do.

I will also eat my cup of beans with lunch. I often put the beans in the salad.

And that's lunch. 

What I really like is that for whatever reason, eating this crunchy salad takes time and work.  You have to CHEW the food and since it's work it takes my entire lunch time.  When I ate processed junk for lunch, it would only take a few minutes and then I snacked and often ate more than I intended cause I didn't have anything else to do!

Another thing is that I am NOT counting calories, nor am I worried about the fat in the avocado! Since I'm doing my best to eat a pound of raw veggies, a pound of cooked veggies, a cup of beans and three fruits everyday, there just really isn't any need to worry about calories or fat. I like avocado and I like nuts, so I'm eating them and enjoying them!

In addition to the "approved" Eat to Live foods, I also have my serving or so of non-dairy creamer. I have the equivalent of about a cup and a half of coffee every day and then at night I have a glass of white wine. 

For dinner, I eat my cooked vegetables and often more beans and sometimes some fish or a little chicken. Eat to Live allows for 12 ounces of lean meat/fish a week, and really that is more than enough for me.  

Another question I am asking myself, and others have asked..

Will I be able to continue this lifestyle past the 6 weeks that I committed to? I'm planning on it. I may let up on the very limited meat part, but I don't know, I'm not really missing the meats.  I'll probably add back a little dairy, but I've never been a big milk fan. I do however like cheese dip!

All in all,  I feel better than I have in years and in case I haven't said it lately.. I am SLEEPING better than I have ever slept!!

No Spanx here baby!

My Eat to Live Update.. Week 4

Mother's Day 2015

That's all me. No Spanx, no girdle, no nothing extra to keep me tucked in.

This past week I've not eaten my best.. we had birthday cake and teacher appreciation lunches, I've coughed and coughed so I haven't been able to work out like I wanted.. but even in the midst of all that, I've worked hard to eat my raw veggies, my cooked veggies, my beans and my fruit.

And I've lost at least another pound.

I feel better than I have in like forever.  

I was going to call this week a do-over week. Till I put that dress on! 

Yeah, I'm excited.

My 30 day Handstand Challenge!

As part of my challenge to get stronger, I've decided to focus on 30 days of handstands. I am going to document my efforts.  (you are welcome.)

Day 1. At home at the end of a long day. But I did it.

Day 2. In my classroom, for my high school students!

Day 3: Saturday morning, after a 6 mile run. I don't know if you can see, but I am straight up here. NOT leaning on the wall. I held it like this for at least a second or two! :)  Progress. Slow. and. Steady.

I can't wait to see what I can do after 30 days. My goal is that I will be able to stand for a minute.

Eat to Live: Day 23 Update.. so long 18.75 INCHES!

I really like my mid-week measurements.  They keep me motivated.

So here is my Day 23 update!

Down another pound for a total of 10 pounds.

Down another inch in the waist

Down another inch around each thigh

Down 1/2 inch in hips.

Down an inch on chest.

Down 1 3/4 inch on shoulders.

Down 3/4 inch on left bicep.

Down 1 1/4 inch on right bicep.

CRAZY! Huh!

That makes for a total of 18.75 INCHES GoNe!!!!!

And here I am this morning. A little over 3 weeks ago, this was a fitted shirt.

And for those of you who might wonder how a diet that is made up of 98% plant based,  2% meat, no dairy, no fried, and no sugar has affected my fitness.. well..

Today I ran a 10:12 warm up mile, an 8:27 mile, a 9:10 third mile and a 9:47 cool down mile. 

Not bad!

Can't wait to see what next week brings.

Spaghetti Squash. So simple. So delish.

I've always been a big fan of pasta! I LOVE pasta! So this new healthy living stuff has forced me out of my comfort zone and into a new world of vegetables.

One of my favorite things about my Eat to Live journey is that I am enjoying eating. I'm not feeling guilty about my food choices and that I am truly enjoying the flavors and textures of REAL FOOD!

This last week I made Spaghetti Squash. I've tried it before and it wasn't a hit.. but I think it was because I was trying to eat it with pasta, not in place of pasta! 

So here is what I did..

Take the squash and wash it and cut it in half. Place on a baking sheet flesh side down and bake at 450 degrees for about 35 minutes.

Take the squash out of the oven and let cool until you can handle holding the squash in place. I didn't wait very long as I was hungry!

Using a fork, start scraping the flesh of the squash. It immediately starts pulling apart into "noodles."

This is just half of the squash! It makes a lot of "spaghetti."

 And here is the bowl with both halves of squash noodles pulled.

And here is a picture of my dinner. Roasted veggies (yes, squash two ways for dinner), green beans, and spaghetti squash with a plain tomato jarred sauce.  It was yummy!

With the leftovers, I poured the remaining sauce over the top of the squash, sprinkled less than a 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese on top of the sauce and then finished the dish with a generous sprinkling of Italian seasoning. I put it in the oven, with the lid on the casserole dish,  at 300 degrees for 45 minutes. I wish I had taken a picture of it. It looked awesome. It tasted even better!

Homemade Hummus and Roasted Chickpeas

In keeping with Eat to Live and trying to add a little bean variety to my day, I decided to make my own hummus and roasted chickpeas to add to my salads.

I bought a one pound bag of dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans). I soaked the peas for 12 hours and then put them in the crockpot for almost 24 hours. I didn't intend to cook them that long, but I started them before I went to bed and in the morning they were still hard, so I kept them on low and went to work. By the time I got home from work and had a chance to deal with them it was probably 20 hours in the crockpot!

Anyway.. I took them out of the crockpot and placed about a third of them on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels and dried them off.

Then I drizzled some Hot Chili Sesame Oil on them.. just enough to coat, but not too much.

And into the oven at 400 degrees for about 30+ minutes. I wanted them crunchy and toasted.

I ate some by the handful. They were really good straight from the oven hot and crunchy with an occasional kick of spice! I have also used them in my salads all week. I wanted them crunchier, but given how long they were in the crockpot, it is a wonder they were edible!

With the remaining beans I made hummus. 

I placed the beans in my big blender with a little of their cooking liquid and added chopped garlic, Hot Chili Sesame Oil, lemon and some salt.

And pureed for a long time.  I added a little more of the cooking liquid as I blended the beans.

Done! It's yummy and I know exactly what is in it!

Next time I'm going to not cook the beans so long to see if I can get them a little crunchier for my "topping."

And here is my salad with my homemade hummus! No dressing required!

Eat to Live. Day 17 Update... you are not going to believe it

I sound like an infomercial. 

Too bad I'm not being paid for my results!!

Day 17 of Eat to Live.

Here I am this morning.

(Sidenote: I'd like to go on record for saying that I don't have toothpaste on my chin. 

That's a weird spot in the picture? No clue, but I don't really have two white spots on my face... just sayin.)

Okay for the results....so far!

Day 17: 

Pounds lost: 9!!!!! 

Yes, that is NINE pounds in 17 days!! 

Inches lost: 10.5!!!

Yes, that is 10.5 inches from my thighs, waist and hips..

I'm not even keeping up with the inches from other areas right now!

And my size 6 pants are too big. 

Oh my gravy. I am pumped.

I'm telling you, this veggie, fruit and bean lifestyle works. It is easier and easier to pass up the breads, dairy and fried foods. And I'm not even giving up everything.. I have my coffee (with non-dairy peppermint mocha creamer) every morning and a glass of white wine most evenings.

I truly can't get over how my body has responded to cutting out all of the junk. I eat fresh fruits and veggies for meals (raw and cooked). I eat a little meat, some fish, at least one good serving of any variety of bean every day and occasionally I have a cookie or something like that. 

In fact, we ate at Cotton Patch the other night. I had the Heart Healthy Salmon and Veggies. I ate one piece of cornbread with dinner and it was like eating a donut it was so sweet! Oh how my taste buds have changed.

Don't know how this will continue to play out, but right now, I AM ON FIRE! :)