Lose With Ashley My Journey to Get Fit & Healthy

So after a few weeks of effort I am ready to start blogging about getting healthy here. Hopefully I will inspire someone or hopefully you will at least find it interesting.

After I had my baby in September, I was so exhausted I started making bad food choices. I felt like I never had time to make 'good' food so I just grabbed whatever was easy to eat, namely cookies and brownies.

So I wasn't totally surprised when I couldn't lose the last 10 lbs I had gained during my pregnancy. So I decided to take a look at what I was doing and starting making baby steps to fix bad choices I was making. So far I would say it has been successful, and I am just praying that I can keep it up.

My Journey So Far:

Before                                           After

Start Date: January 25th. So it has been about 6 weeks.

 Total Weight Lost: 14 lbs! Yes I am excited!

  First Weight Loss Goal: 20 lbs by April 11th

What I am Doing Right: 

• Consuming less calories - I know this is a no brainer, but I am trying to keep it around 2,000 - 2,200 and trying to stay hydrated enough to keep nursing my 6 month old.
• Wearing a Pedometer - Working on getting in 7,000 steps a day (which so far has been very challenging)
• Changing My Attitude - My attitude about about adapting a healthier lifestyle is that I am trying to remember that God wants me to love myself (you remember... like my neighbor). So I am trying to do that by caring enough to put the cookies down and remembering that we are commanded to glorify Him with our bodies and with what we eat and drink. I know that this viewpoint won't work for everybody, but this is what is going to keep me focused.
• Keeping Healthier Snacks on Hand -  There is not a lot of great produce to be found around here, but I am managing to get by with some things I love from the freezer section and some lower calorie indulgences. (I do love my chocolate)
• Weighing Myself Everyday - For me it helps me know that I am doing this one thing consistently as I try to develop some new habits and it helps me see how I am doing on a  daily basis

What I am Still Working On:

• Drinking Water - I made the investment and bought a cup with a screw on lid and straw so I could have a glass of water while I am taking care of my kids, but I am still sometimes getting only 4 glasses a day.
• Physical Activity - Since I started I have only worked out maybe 5 times, would love to get up to 4 times a week.
• Calorie Tracking -  I intend to journal my food on Sparkpeople.com every day, but as busy as I am this has also been challenging.
• The List goes on - There are a ton of areas in my life that need work, but I am trying to focus on a few ares at a time, and then once I get those under control I will move on to some other areas of concern.

Coming Up:

 Lose With Ashley Series!

I am going to start this as a new series, since I feel like I am just spilling over with ideas and things I want to say about being healthy. So I will be blogging fun tips and facts and things that are helping me. I will also be talking about all the low calorie foods that I tried and will never eat again, foods I loved, recipes I have tried, my favorite workouts and exercises, getting fit on a budget, staying motivated... and of course my continuing progress.

Who knows maybe in the (very distant) future, this topic could have it's own blog, but for now all things go on my Save With Ashley Blog, even when I am losing.

Hope you all are doing well, and thanks for reading. 

~Ashley