So, what in the world is HOOPING?

My ex-neighbor BFF (Ms. New Booty) has recently started hula hooping for fitness and thought that I would thoroughly enjoy an exercise change of pace.  So I got a hoop from Kelly for my birthday and I've been practicing every day since.  I am getting better - I can feel that I am - but I am having a really hard time keeping the darn thing on my waist.  Is it because I am no skinny minnie?  Is my hoop too small?  It's a 42" Hoopnotica Travelhoop so I can add another segment to it if I need to.

My problem with not being good at something is that I lose the drive to TRY.  I know, I know practice makes perfect and I have been practicing.  I just don't know how many more good solid drops my toes and ankles can handle.  Not to mention my poor bruised sides.  YEOWCH!

I do love how hooping makes me feel though.  It gets my heart pumping and my hips swinging.  Almost like going dancing.  I will keep it up, but I am completely teaching myself how to feel the hoop and do it.  I've never been able to hula hoop - even as a little girl.

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Xilo Gum and Birthday Greatness

Well I did it, I survived my birthday weekend with a smile on my face and a total loss of 23.8 pounds so far!  My weekend was full of awesome, including but not limited to: a MUCH needed mani/pedi, a massage (my first in over 6 years), a nice long nap, Chris Porter at the Improv, the first birthday party of my best friends son, hot tubbing, filet mignon, a Bar Mitzvah and LOTS of family time. Whew...I am pooped!  Almost feel like I need another day off to get caught up on laundry sleep.  *yawn*

On to bigger and better things!  I got an early birthday present from HCG Diet.com with some awesome goodies to try out thanks to my friend Kelly Olexa and her company FitFluential.  Kelly put me in contact with the awesome team at HCGDiet.com and they hooked me up with some Xilo Gum and Chocolate Triumph Slim to try out.

The Xilo gum is FANTASTIC and exactly what I have been looking for to help me get through the desire to snack.  It has a very good flavor and doesn't taste any different than any other regular gum.  I definitely didn't feel like I was eating "diet" gum which was great.  I will definitely be continuing to chew on this gum to keep my cravings at bay.

Stay tuned for my full review of the Triumph Slim.  This weekend was wonky with my eating, so I'm not sure how it effects the scale for me yet.  HOWEVER, I do know that it is YUMMY and made no birthday cake easy as pie.  I mixed in 4 frozen strawberries, some water and a scoop of the powder - used my Magic Bullet and made HCG heaven in a cup.  YUM!

I hope everyone is enjoying their last few weekends of summer - soak it up peeps, Christmas is right around the corner!

Peace ☮

Hallelujah!

After a rough couple days only losing .4 and .2 I woke up this morning and FINALLY had a significant loss. 2 pounds - bringing me down 21.8 total pounds lost and I could not be more excited!  On top of that, I did my measurements this morning and have lost 23.25 inches (I measure my bust, waist, hips, thighs, calves, upper arms and neck).  I think I figured out what I was doing wrong with my puny losses...I wasn't eating enough protein.  I ate an extra serving of protein yesterday to test my theory and WOW - could it be that I was right?  I am going to eat extra protein today and see what tomorrow brings...so excited to continue on my HCG adventure.  With results like these, who wouldn't be?

My birthday is tomorrow and I will be 31 years old.  This will be my first birthday without cake or a special indulgent meal.  Instead, I am going to use my birthday money from my grandma to get a massage in the morning and to take Carmen with me to get pedicures.  It's so hard for me to spend money on myself, but I DESERVE THIS.  I am 31 years old, so I have earned the right to spoil myself once a year - so that's what I'm going to do.  Really looking forward to my birthday this year and celebrating at the Improv with some friends too.  Although I am kind of apprehensive about the 2 item minimum and the tasty morsels they provide while making you laugh.  I guess this is all part of re-learning how to eat for fuel, not for fun/boredom/pleasure/sadness.  I know I can do it because I can do ANYTHING!

It's Football Season....FINALLY!

Around the Rutkowski house, our favorite season of the year is FOOTBALL SEASON. We love watching gridiron games...pee wee, high school, college, arena, NFL - We love it all! Which is why my husband and I are so ridiculously excited that our little guy Cole is playing tackle football this year for the Prairie Ridge Junior Wolves. It's his first year and it's a LOT to learn, but I'm super excited for his games.

Watching him practice with his team tonight got me thinking about how much I despised playing sports in school. Maybe it's because I've never been very coordinated or maybe it's because I stop having fun (and caring) when I realize I'm not very good at something. Either way, I am by no means "athletic" or "graceful." I'm very glad that Cole seems to have gotten the athletic gene from my husband. The joy on his face when he puts on those pads and helmet is inspirational. Such unabashed childhood joy. It really is heartwarming.

Speaking of heartwarming (not really, I just needed a trasition into my next thought), this morning I had a tender, heartwarming moment with the bathroom scale. 19 POUNDS DOWN! Yeah buddy - I was ecstatic when I saw that! Plus, I will hopefully be getting some Xilo Gum and Triumph Slim HCG Approved Meal Replacement powder from HCGDiet.com to help fuel my HCG journey. I'm excited to try the meal replacement shakes because eating fish and chicken is getting kinda old and I don't seem to lose as well with beef.  Stay tuned to see my reviews on these products. I can't wait!

Here's a picture of my little football player in the meantime:

What keeps YOU motivated?

The thought of the day is motivation and I am wondering....how do YOU stay motivated to be healthy and eat right? Is it a specific goal in the future? Is it a picture from your past? Is it blogs of other, like-minded fitness people?

For me, motivation is a very personal topic. If you know me, you know that I have never been a small or petite. I've been big my whole life and not just overweight big, I'm 6' tall and big boned too. I'm pretty sure my bones, skin and guts weigh at least 160. You see, my whole family is made up of (mostly) large, hardworking, Midwestern German/Welch/Russian people. We work hard, play hard and LOVE our food. Thin people in my family have to constantly fight their genes in order to be thin. It is an uphill struggle that I was ok with not fighting (the key word here is "WAS").

I enjoy going to the gym and getting my sweat on. Freeing my endorphins is a fantastic feeling, but when weight loss is my ultimate goal and I find myself working out a ton and not losing anymore, I lose ALL motivation. See, my motivation comes from RESULTS. Maybe it's because I am part of the "Instant Gratification" generation, but I almost get a high when I step on the scale and see the number steadily going down. I was OVERJOYED last night when I took my measurements, 12.25 inches lost so far on this crazy HCG journey and I could not be happier with the results.

So, back to my question... What are YOU motivated by? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Swai...Oh my my!

Oh em gee. Swai is so good! *drool*

3.5oz of this beautiful, light, flaky, HCG friendly white fish cooked in lemon juice and water with garlic, fresh basil & Roma tomato is UNDER 100 CALORIES! Yeah I said it before, and I will say it again...this fish is BOMB!

Here, have some food porn:

I think I can? NO, I KNOW I can!

Woke up yesterday morning with a .2 pound GAIN from too much steak and homemade kale chips.  I thought kale was on the HCG diet protocol, but - I was wrong.  No worries, minor setback and back on track yesterday.  Getting back on track was EXACTLY what I needed to do.  Woke up this morning with a 2 pound loss, which brings my total up to 14.8 pounds.  So close to 15 I can smell it (not literally, but you know what I mean).

The thing I love most about this whole HCG adventure that I'm on is learning how to be creative while cooking healthy food.  Since my options are extremely limited, I am excited to re-learn how to cook things.  For example:  I had Swai fish last night and pre-HCG I would have battered and fried the juicy, flaky white fish fillet.  Instead I squeezed 1/2 a lemon in a small frying pan, added some chopped garlic and 3 fresh basil leaves and cooked it to delicious perfection.  Delicious, super healthy and SO EASY!

Speaking of easy...got a minute?  I could REALLY use your help with something.  I have entered the Sweaty Bands Hot Looks contest and I need your vote to win 6 amazing Sweaty Bands.  You can vote once a day per email address and a want to win so bad.  Please vote for me and tell your friends too!

Peace