Jamie Eason's LiveFit Recipes: Pumpkin Protein Bars

Pumpkin Protein Bars

It's that time of the year - PUMPKIN!!!!  I love the fall time and all of the yummy recipes that have pumpkin and spices.  These actually taste pretty good.  The recipe calls for Oat flour and I couldn't find any at 3 different stores.  So the first time I made them I used whole wheat flour.  It didn't taste bad with the whole wheat flour, but I think a different flour may improve the taste and consistency.  I think I'm going to experiment with different flours until I find the one I like the best.  I will update this post after each new batch I make.

My body progress

I decided about 2 1/2 months ago that I need to start taking better care of myself.  I trained for my first duathlon and set a finish time goal.  I came within a minute of my goal, so I was proud of myself.  After that, I tried to focus on my endurance for running since that was my weak point of my race.  During this time, I decided it wasn't enough for me to just be doing endurance training.  I really wasn't seeing the changes in my body that I wanted.  I really needed to be doing a program that included weight training.  After doing my research as to what might work best for me, I came across Jamie Eason's LiveFit 12 week program.  Unfortunately, I didn't really follow the meal plan during the first week, which I saw as unfair for the outcome of the program (see previous post).  So I purchased the foods I needed and began to follow the program correctly last week.  

As promised, I am posting my transformation pictures.  It is very difficult for me to even look at the before pictures, much less post them.  I realize my body could be in worse shape, but for me, I don't like what I see in the mirror, so it was bad enough for me to say "This is it!  It's time to focus on me!"  I could tell I was making improvements, but seeing the photos side by side really helped motivate me to continue.  I will continue to post weekly pictures with the previous week's pictures below to compare with.  

LiveFit Phase 1 Foods

Well, if you know me, you know I love to eat!  I was a little worried that I might be restricted in eating with this program.  Not the case!  I am actually having a hard time eating all of the food on the plan!  I have been on plenty of eating plans where you eat 6 times a day, so this is nothing new to me.  The amount of food isn't a crazy amount, but I love veggies and I can eat unlimited veggies.  The only thing I think might be a factor is during Phase 1 there is no cardio.  Since I am used to doing a fair amount of cardio, I guess I burned more calories everyday, so the food I ate was burned.  I am hoping this "no cardio" Phase 1 doesn't have a huge impact on my weight loss I have already achieved.  I'm pretty sure Jamie Eason knows what she's doing, so I am going to trust in the program.

Jamie Eason's LiveFit Program

Now that I have breastfed Addison to a little over a year, I'm back in school and she's in daycare part time, I decided it's time to start focusing on me again.  She has become independent and doesn't have to have me play with her all the time and the clingy days are just about gone.  I had a pretty good body pre-pregnancy and I really only went to the gym to do cardio every once in awhile.  I realize I am older now, but I would like to believe that if I apply myself at the gym, then I can actually look BETTER than I did pre-pregnancy.  I just finished training for my 1st duathlon and I finished at my goal time.  Ready for my next challenge, I have decided to work on my body as a whole.  I have been going to the gym more regularly and my diet isn't horrible, but it could be improved.

After doing quite a bit of research as to what my diet and fitness goals are, I decided Jamie Eason's LiveFit 12 week Program is what best fits me.  When I started Phase 1 three days ago, I still didn't follow the diet exactly.  This past weekend I got all of the proper foods and prepped my meals for the next few days.  This will make it easier for me to follow exactly what I should be eating. I don't think that was being fair to the program, so I'm going to start again on Monday, Sept. 24th.

I use the Daily Burn Tracker app on my iPhone to keep track of everything. I find it makes me more accountable and I pay more attention to what I'm putting in my body if I write it down. It also helps me know when I should have more water or food. I've noticed sometimes I get so busy with my daily activities that I forget to eat, which is a horrible thing to do. By tracking my nutrition I can easily see that it's time to eat again.

I will be posting pictures (before and progress) and measurements of how my body changes. As much as it pains me to look at my before photos and be reminded of how out of shape I was, I still think I should post them to show the progress of this program.  I realize I am not horribly out of shape, but I am a long way from the ideal body I had before. I try to keep it real and put everything in perspective. My body could be in worse shape.

I am not going on a diet, I am changing my habits and lifestyle to a healthier version.  I like to think of it as an upgrade.

Diaper Motorcycle Centerpiece

I made my 1st diaper cake last night.  I didn't want to do the typical cake style, so I looked around and found a super cute motorcycle.  I watched a tutorial video on YouTube and made mine along with the instructions.  It took less than 30 minutes and turned out great!  In order to make this, I used - 3 receiving blankets, 2 bibs, 2 baby wash cloths, 1 pair of baby socks, 1 stuffed animal, 1 bottle, 32 size 2 diapers, ribbon, double sided tape and rubber bands.  The only problem I had was that it didn't transport well using double sided tape.  From now on, I will make them either using a stronger tape or maybe safety pins.  Other than that, it looked fabulous and I have no other complaints.  I'll post my second attempt and see what works best.