Competitive Momming

When the competition heats up, so do my super-mom skills.  Yep, you heard me right.  Nothing gets my mom-juice flowing like a good ol' "I can do better than you."

People, my house is cleaner.  I get up earlier and wake my kids with a smile rather than a yawn.  I respond more quickly to my kids' calls.  I play more.  I'm a better version of me.  Why?  All because someone said, "I can do better than you."

Little Lou, my friends.

She's the culprit.

Oh, it might be my fault, but I'm telling you, she's the motivation.

On Saturday, she got her very own GeoPalz pedometer.

(Don't worry, you'll hear more about that in a couple weeks.)  I told her I thought it'd be fun if we had a daily contest to see who can walk the most steps.  She had questions: what's our goal, what do we win, how is it even FAIR if I'm at school all day, and more.  And then she said it.  "I can do better than you, Mommy."

And, ummm, yeah.  She HAS done better.  3 out of the last 4 days, she's done better.  Yesterday, she devoured me.  Chewed me up and spit me out.  I even went for a walk while she was at Girl Scouts!  Today, though?  She Will. Not. Win!  Before noon?  10,000 steps.  I'm cool with her winning some days-maybe even most days, because she's six and if she doesn't win...a lot...she'll get frustrated and give up.  Where would my motivation be then?!?

But it doesn't even stop there.  I told my family about the challenge.  My mom was on board right away, to my surprise, asking if she could get a pedometer and join!  My sister, Jennifer, from Life with my BOYS, jumped on the walking wagon as well, and bought a pedometer this morning!  Even her hubby is joining in!  Bugsy wants a GeoPalz pedometer as well, but we'll have to scrimp and save to fit it into the budget.  I'm not sure yet how that will work.

Guys, Little Lou has a pedometer, and because she has a pedometer, I have walked over 13,000 steps today.  Little Lou has a pedometer, and because she has a pedometer, my mom, sister, and brother-in-law are joining us in a race to take the most steps.  Little Lou has a pedometer, and because she has a pedometer, my whole family is taking literal steps toward improving our health!

(Oh, and the travelling trophy is going to be AWESOME!)

What? 42? For real?

Four months ago today I set off on a new adventure, a life-changing journey.  Four months ago today I began to follow the LeanGreenMama blueprint.  I joined the LeanGreenMama 6 Week Weightloss Bootcamp.  I decided it was MY time.  I decided I needed to finally make the commitment to do it for ME.  And I agreed that, for at least 6 weeks, I'd share my journey with all of you!

And it's been 4 months.

And I'm still sharing with you.

Which means I must be doing SOMETHING right, right?

I want to remind you (and me!) of where I started.  For those of you who don't know me, I'll quickly share a little background.  I'm mama of 3 kids, ages 6, 4, and 19 months (yes, already)!  There have been losses of children, losses of jobs, (maybe a little loss of sanity?), medical diagnoses, 9 surgeries in 4 years, 5 houses in 7 years (and we've lived in this one for over 5)...a lot of stress.  This mama is a stress eater, and she had the hips...thighs...belly...booty...to prove it!  Here, let me show you:

Yep, that's me in all my chunky glory.  I'll admit it to you now, I was "obese."  Eeek.  See that belly?  Ugh.  Not a pretty picture!  But I followed the LeanGreenMama blueprint and started dropping pounds!  Just changing my eating made a HUGE difference!

Then I started adding in exercise.  I increased my "workouts" to WiiFit step on a 4" step, 30 minutes a day 3 times a week.  And then I added in Zumba classes 1-2 times a week.  And then I found FitBit.  This handy little tracker was like a pedometer on steroids!  Amazing little device that made me want to move more!  It tracks steps, miles, sleep...you can use online tools to track your calorie intake and exercise.  This is a great tool for anyone who is interested in being healthy!

Pounds started falling off.  They took inches along with them!  Pounds and inches just plunking down all around me!  I promise some days I could feel them disappearing.

And today?  Today, my friends, I am 4 months into a lifetime of change.  4 months into a lifestyle change that has already made a huge difference in the way I think and feel.  4 months into forever.  What has 4 months earned me?

4 months has earned me a THREE size reduction in pants size!  (Girly pants are funny.  I was a 16 then, and I'm a 10 now!  That's 3 sizes.  Go figure.)  It's earned me the need for a new blender because my blades are dull and not blending anymore.  It's also earned me the need for a new food processor, because the little 3 cup cheapo just doesn't cut it!

4 months has earned me a 25.5 inch reduction in my overall body size!  That's just measuring my chest, waist, hips, and thighs!  I wish I had measured my arms.  I know there's a difference.

4 months has earned me a firm spot in the "healthy weight range!"  That's right.  I am now .2 pounds below the very top of the healthy weight range for my height!  (Maybe that's not so "firm" but hooray!)

So, again, here I am, 191.8 pounds:

And here I am today, 149.8 pounds:

Friends, 4 months has earned me a 42 pound loss!  Forty two pounds!

I have LeanGreenMama and FitBit, in huge part, to thank for that huge change!  Thank you so much, both of you, for all the help and support you've provided along the way!  I can't wait to be able to tell you I've reached my goal (14.8 pounds to goal!) or that I've surpassed that goal and set a new one!

You've got LeanGreenMama and FitBit to thank as well.  You knew it was coming, didn't you?  That's right!  It's giveaway time!

LeanGreenMama has agreed, VERY generously, to give EVERY ONE of my readers a 42% discount on her LeanGreenMama 6 Week Weightloss Bootcamp in celebration of my 42 pound loss!!  If you've been thinking about joining, now is the BEST time to do it!  It'll be a while before you see another deal like this!  You'll need to follow THIS LINK and enter the coupon code THISNTHAT (all caps).  Hurry, though!  You only have through Tuesday, Oct 11, to take advantage of this amazing offer!

FitBit has agreed to send one of my super lucky readers one of the brand new FitBit Ultra trackers!  The FitBit Ultra was JUST released on Monday, so you'll be one of the very first to try it!  It's just like the original FitBit, only with a ton of new features!  You'll love it!  (I'll be reviewing it next week.  What I can say so far is that it is AWESOME!!)

We're going to make this a quick giveaway, because I think 42 pounds in 4 months is pretty quick.  We're going to run this thing for 4 days, in honor of the 4 months of hard work.  And we're going to make it an easy giveaway, because I think 42 pounds in 4 months has been pretty easy.  We're going to rafflecopter it, and we're going to have just 2 entry options.  Are you up for that?

Enjoy, my friends!  I'll update you again on November 8th!

Fitness Gear: Fitbit Review and Giveaway

CLOSED

On June 1, 2011 I officially jumped on board a lifestyle-changing mission toward weight loss and fitness.  I gathered my "gear," switched my brain over to "motivated," went to the grocery and bought all the necessary "healthy" foods, and got started!  Following the LeanGreenMama bootcamp blueprint, the pounds started FLYING off.  After a few weeks, though, the weight loss sort of began to taper off.  It was still coming off, of course, but much more slowly than at the very beginning.  Desperate to pick up the pace, I began searching for the perfect pedometer to help motivate me to take more steps each day and slowly boost the calories I was burning.

After tons of searching, online review reading, store browsing, and finally giving up, I stumbled across a review for the Fitbit fitness tracker!

The Scoop

Fitbit is a California based company "dedicated to helping people lead healthier, more active lives."  Their monitor looked amazing!  They claimed to be able to track your calorie intake, your calories burned, your steps, the distance you walk...even your SLEEP patterns!  Fitbit agreed that their monitor would be a great addition to my weight loss and fitness process, and they agreed to send me one of their monitors.

The Good

The size.  The Fitbit monitor is small.  In fact, it's so small you don't even notice it when you're wearing it!  The monitor itself is about 2 inches long, but only about half an inch thick.  I love how small it is compared to other pedometers I've tried!

The website.  When you purchase a Fitbit monitor, you automatically receive the basic website membership at no additional cost.  The website has tabs to log your food (so it can track your caloric intake), your activities (so it can accurately track your calories burned) and a weight tracker!  There's also a Fitbit community where you can log in and talk to a mentor or just generally chit-chat.  You can view today's progress or go into "historical" mode and see results from any date you choose.  There are charts and graphs of all the activities you've done today!  The whole website is really amazing and has so much to offer.

The durability.  Granted I've only had the Fitbit for a couple weeks, but so far it's holding up really well!  I was a little concerned that it would snap in half, but so far it's held up and still looks brand new.  I'm pretty careful with it, though.

The versatility.  Mostly, here, I'm talking about the ways you can clip it on.  The Fitbit comes with a holster that you can slide it into to hook it onto thicker clothes.  You can slip the monitor itself directly to thinner clothes.  Fitbit says many women will clip it directly to their bra.  I personally clip it to the waistband of my underwear.  No matter where on your torso you decide to clip your Fitbit tracker, it will work just as well!

The motivation.  The Fitbit monitor does a great job of tracking my steps each day, and I try to increase my steps.  It tells me how many calories I should burn each day (2394) and how many I have burned (so far today? 1007).  It tells me how many hours I've been lightly active, fairly active, very active, or sedentary.  (Today the pie graph isn't pretty.)  Each day I strive to do better than the day before.  On the first day I just went about my "normal" day to see how many steps I took.  The results were scary...only about 3500 steps!  Eeep!  Since then, I've strived to increase that number each day.  I've had as many as 12,000 steps in a day, but am currently striving to hit at least 7000.  I know I SHOULD be aiming for 10,000, but that's a huge leap that I'm working up to!  As I said, it's helping to keep me motivated!

The sleep tracker.  This, my friends, is one of my favorite parts.  I guess I can't say for sure how accurate it is, but what I can tell you is that on days when it says I didn't sleep well/much, I am tired and draggy all day.  On days (like yesterday) when I have a good night's sleep and get at least several uninterrupted hours, I'm much more perky.  The Fitbit comes with a wristband.  The idea is that you will strap the band to your non-dominant wrist (I don't know why) and slide the monitor into it.  I tried it for a few nights, but since have been leaving it on the waistband of my underwear and I think I'm getting a more accurate measurement (for me anyway).

The Bad

The wrist strap.  I think it's uncomfortable.  It makes my wrist sweat.  The velcro scratches my arm.  The Fitbit tracker doesn't always stay in the wrist strap.  I don't use the strap.

The holster.  I don't use it either.  In fact, it sits on my bathroom counter.  I don't mind it if I clip it onto my pocket, but I'm afraid the monitor will fall out, so I turn it so the monitor is into my pocket.  I figure if I'm going to have it in my pocket anyway, there isn't a lot of point to even using the clip!  I tried hooking the holster to my waistband but the edges are "sharp" and it's not comfortable.

The sync.  The Fitbit is supposed to wirelessly sync automatically to its base every 15 minutes, as long as you're within 15 feet of the base.  I think 15 minutes is a long time, especially if you are near it right at the beginning of that 15 minutes but miss the time.  In that case, you either have to wait or you have to put the Fitbit onto the base and force it to sync.  It's not a huge deal, but it IS annoying, especially first thing in the morning, to have to wait.

The customer service.  Every question I've asked has been answered.  The trouble is, ever question's taken about 48 hours to answer.  When I have a question, I expect it to be answered quickly, particularly if I ask during business hours.  The answers I've received have been VERY helpful.  The just haven't been quick.

The Outcome

I love the Fitbit fitness tracker!  There are some things that I don't love, but they're not really monitor issues, they're more peripheral issues.  The tracker itself and the website that accompanies the tracker are great!  I think the monitor would be a fantastic asset to anyone who is trying to lose weight or become more physically fit.  If you purchase a Fitbit monitor, you won't regret it!

The Giveaway

Are you trying to lose weight, get fit, or know someone who is?  Do you love having the newest cool gadgets?  Are you curious to see how well you're sleeping?  You'll want to jump on this giveaway!  ONE of my US readers a Fitbit monitor of your very own!  (Retail value $99.95)

US only.  Contest will end and a winner will be drawn Monday, August 15, 2001 at 11:59am EST. 

How to Enter:

*Leave a separate comment for each entry*

*Leave your email address with each entry*

(Mandatory)  Follow My This N That Life with Google Friend Connect.

Like Fitbit on Facebook.

Visit the Fitbit website and tell me something you've learned.

Tell me why you deserve to win a Fitbit tracker.

Like My This N That Life on Facebook.

Subscribe to My This N That Life via email.

Follow My This N That Life on twitter.

Comment on any ONE non-giveaway post and tell me where you commented!  (Must be a new comment.)

I received this products at no cost to me in order to facilitate a review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.