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Here’s a totally sweet deal…especially since swimsuit season is just around the corner!
I love watching Biggest Loser and have found it to be such an inspiring show. I’ve heard great things about the Biggest Loser Club and how helpful it is if you’re looking to lose weight and get in shape!
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I love numbers! I’m a a math nerd! And most of the time, that’s a good thing! Sometimes though…not so much. It seems like the last 10 years I’ve obsessed about one number… the number on the scale. How far I have til I get to the number. How close I am to the number. Sometimes I hide from the number, but the number is always there….and whether or not I know what that number is, it still dictates a lot of my life.
This year I’ve decided to includes some numbers in my goals. This year I’ve made a goal to lose at least 55 pounds (or around a pound a week). I’ve also committed to 14,600 minutes of exercise this year. I’ve committed to run 3 half marathons. And I joined Weight Watchers again. They’re all about the numbers…fat grams, protein, fiber, carbs. They want to know all of those. They want to know Points Plus, Activities Points and more. Plus there are all the healthy nutritional needs….8 glasses of water, 1 multivitamin, 4-5 servings fruits & veggies.
With all that being said, the number I want to most focus on is the scale. I’ve decided that each Friday, I will “weigh-in” {pun intended” with my highs, lows, and some of my numbers.
This week, I managed to lose 2.8 pounds. I also worked out 420 minutes!
I probably would have lost more weight if it weren’t for the junk food I consumed. I also don’t think I ate enough this week. I need to take time each night to plan out my meals for the next day.
My super ambitious short term goal is to lose 30 pounds by March. I know that for me to get there, I need to only drink water and the occasional unsweetened tea as well as milk. I know that my diet needs to have a LOT LESS processed foods. I need to eat more fruit. Hit the gym more. Make sure I have enough fiber.
If you’re a numbers nerd like me (or if you’re goal is to eat better, exercise more, or “get in shape”), I’ve got a great giveaway for you.
Here is a number that may surprise you! According to the 2010 Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, only five percent of Americans get the three full recommended daily servings of whole grains. But getting your whole grains in every day isn’t as difficult as you think. Every Big G cereal contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving, with more than 20 General Mills cereals delivering 16 grams or more. (At least 48 grams of whole grain are recommended daily.)
Big G cereals are America’s number one source of whole grain at breakfast, providing America with more whole grain at breakfast than any other breakfast food from any other manufacturer. And Big G cereals have the brands and flavor your family will love, including Cheerios®, Lucky Charms®, Cinnamon Toast Crunch®, Honey Nut Cheerios®, Fiber One® and Total®. If you’d like more tips, additional information about the benefits of Whole Grain and how Big G cereals can be a convenient and tasty way to incorporate more whole grain into your day, visit www.WholeGrainNation.com.
Want to Win? One lucky reader of Simplified Saving will win a prize pack from General Mills which will include a VIP coupon for one Big G cereal, a cereal on-the-go bowl, lunch bag, walking enthusiast kit and a digital jump rope.
Ways to Enter:
The Fine Print: If you already subscribe, like, or follow me, that counts as well! Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Comments that just say “I want to win” or “Thanks for the giveaway” will be disqualified! This contest will end on January 21st at 8pm Eastern Time. This giveaway is limited to US residents only 18 years old and above. Winner will be chosen at random by And The Winner Is.
Disclosure: General Mills provided me with the free product, information, and prize packs through MyBlogSpark.
This post is linked to Losing It!
Tanga Magazines is offering a one year subscription to Weight Watchers Magazine for only $2.99. Use the code WEIGHT during checkout to get this low price. Weight Watchers Magazine is full of inspirational stories, great weight loss tips, and it usually contains some great coupons. If getting in shape is one of your New Year’s Resolutions, you’ll definitely want to check out this deal!
Tanga often changes their prices throughout the day. If you see that the price is no longer $2.99, check back later.
{Thanks Common Sense with Money}
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I love Weight Watchers magazine. It’s a terrific source of inspirational weight loss stories, tips, recipes, and good coupons. Right now, Tanga is offering a 1 year subscription for only $2.99 when you enter code WEIGHT at checkout. The price will not drop will not drop until you enter the coupon code. Weight Watchers magazine is $14.95 per year on Amazon, so this is an awesome deal!
I’m not sure how long this deal will last, so hurry and snag it before it’s gone!
Click here to snag this deal!
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I’ve written quite a bit this year about my quest to get fit and lose weight, but I’ve never really talked about some of the issues that go hand-in-hand with weight loss (or weight gain)…one of which is stretch marks. To be quite honest, it’s probably because my stretch marks don’t bother me very much.
When my daughter told me earlier this year that she wanted me to buy her something to remove stretch marks, I told her that she didn’t need stretch mark cream and she was perfect just the way she was…and she is! She continued to tell me that she felt self-conscious every time the subject of stretch marks came up with her friends…and apparently it’s come up quite a few times.
When I was offered the chance to review StriaFade, I didn’t think much about it initially because my stretch marks don’t bother me, but I realized this was exactly what my daughter was looking for. She was elated to have the opportunity to try StriaFade. Watch this video to hear her thoughts on StriaFade.
Here are a few more tidbits on the benefits of StriaFade:
StriaFade was formulated to both prevent and remove the appearance of existing stretch marks. The reason StriaFade is so effective is because it combines all the ingredients used in the most popular creams into one bottle. Comparing StriaFade to other top creams, such as Mederma, StriVectin, TriLastin, and Tummy Honey, you can see that StriaFade combines all of the ingredients in their formulas into one product.
Mederma – Onion Bulb Extract
StriVectin – Peptides
TriLastin – Marine Collagen
Tummy Honey – Shea Butter
StriaFade – Peptides, Onion Bulb Extract, Shea Butter, Antarcticine, Skinmimics, Retinol Molecular Film, Marine Collagen
If you’d like to know what others are saying about StriaFade, check out their Success Stories page.
StriaFade is currently on sale for only $59 a bottle and they offer a 30 day money back guarantee!
Head on over to the StriaFade website to purchase a bottle for yourself or to get more details!
Disclosure: This product was provided by StriaFade in conjunction with Mama Buzz. All thoughts and opinions expressed were my own and those of my daughter. No other compensation was received.
Over the last year, I’ve lost 65 pounds. I’m not quite at my goal yet, but I will get there. I’ve had lots of people ask me what I’ve done to lose the weight and my answer is always eat healthy and exercise. It’s not glamorous, but it works. If you’re looking for a great workout that won’t break the bank, check out these 10 frugal workouts. Most of the workouts below are under $20 and some are FREE! Hope you enjoy!
This is my favorite! She kicks your butt in less than 30 minutes! Amazing!
{$15-$25}I love Ultimate Bootcamp, but then again I’ve enjoyed every Billy Blanks workout.
{$15-$20}I reviewed this a few weeks ago and it has some killer ab moves!
The Couch Potato to 5K will take couch potatoes and turn them into 5k runners in less than 10 weeks. Sounds impossible, but it actually works. During my very first run, I thought I’d die. Now I’m amazed at how long I can run for. Best of all…this workout is free!
{$10-$15}This is a great option for beginners! It’s also a great way to build up your endurance!
{$10-$25}Turbo Jam Rocks! Every Beachbody program I’ve tried has been well done!
This is not a full body workout, but the training program will improve your ability to do situps.
Did you know that push ups are one of the best exercises you can do? They are great for your arms, shoulders, and core!
Bike riding is a great low impact workout! The weather is cooling off and fall is a perfect time to get your bike out!
Grab a friend or family member and go for a walk. If they’re not available, that’s OK. I love to take long walks while listening to audio books. It makes the time fly by.
I love to dance and you’d be amazed at the workout you can get just by moving! Put on your favorite music and dance around your house!
Also, keep an eye out for workout gear and DVDs at garage sales and thrift stores. I bought the whole Power 90 DVD collection for $5 at a garage sale!
This post will be linked to Top Ten Tuesday.
If you want to lose weight and get in shape, but aren’t sure about joining a gym, here’s a great offer: Free 7 day VIP membership to Gold’s Gym! I love working out at the gym and you might find you enjoy it too!
Join the Atkins community to recieve a free Atkins quick start guide as well as 3 free Atkins Bars.
Thanks Seriously Free Stuff!
Last year I vowed I would lose weight…and not just a little. I had at least 90 pounds to lose. I’m happy to report that I’ve lost 65 of those pounds, but I’m definitely not to my goal yet! Over the past 4 months I’ve worked out more than I ever have at any point in my life and I am convinced that it has made all the difference in my weight loss! As a busy mom, going to the gym isn’t always realistic, so I’ve been searching for videos that will kick my butt at home!
I absolutely love Lindsay Brin’s Shed 5 Fast DVD. Lindsay uses the 3/3 interval method for the most effective fat burning workout – 3 minutes of toning using multiple muscle groups to boost metabolism, and 3 minutes of martial arts/kickboxing to melt fat in exercises that are simple and effective. It’s really easy to follow this workout. You’ll do lots of kicking and punching (it’s a great stress reliever) and lots of toning as well! Plus, this workout will definitely work your core (one of my areas that could use some help!)
If you’re wondering about Lindsay’s qualifications…you can rest assured. She’s more than qualified! With a C.P.T. & B.S.E. Exercise Science, she is a fitness and nutrition expert and she’s a former NFL cheerleader. For nearly fifteen years, she’s been helping women achieve healthier bodies and minds. She has starred, choreographed and designed 13 fitness DVDs for weight loss. Five of her DVDs are designed specifically for prenatal and postnatal moms (she’s even chronicled her journey to get back in shape after each baby!) Her programs are renowned for their simple, fast results. She’s also extremely approachable and you can interact with her on Facebook or on Twitter!
You can purchase Shed 5 Fast from Mom’s Into Fitness for $15.99. Lindsay has graciously offered to give 20% off to readers of Simplified Saving. (She knows we love a good deal!) Use code DVD20 when ordering!
This year has been flying by! I had grand intentions of posting monthly updates on my New Year’s Resolution progress, but that obviously hasn’t happened! Since we’re almost halfway through the year, I thought I’d give you an update on where I am this year! Since I originally linked my New Year’s Resolutions to Top Ten Tuesday over at OhAmanda, I thought it was only fitting that I link my update!
1. Lose weight (average at least one pound/week for the year)
So far this year, I’ve lost 45 pounds! I’ve worked my tail off, but it’s been totally worth it!
2. Exercise at least 10,950 minutes
So far this year, I’ve exercised 5,490 minutes! That’s over 91 hours! I’m pretty sure there’s a direct correlation between the time spent exercising and the weight loss!
3. Stick to our budget…every single month!
I am horrified and ashamed to tell you that we haven’t been doing a great job of sticking to our budget. Although we haven’t been overspending, we haven’t really been tracking like we should and we haven’t sat down for a “budget update” in months! {hanging head in shame}
4. Track all of our income and spending.
This ties directly in to the above resolution! We definitely need to get back on track with our budget meetings and tracking our spending!
5. Read through the entire Bible.
I made it through the entire Bible, however I didn’t make it in 90 days as planned. It took closer to 150. I’ll be starting the Bible in 90 Days again on July 5th. Feel free to join me!
6. Take a trip with the kids to Disney World or Disney Land.
In February, our family headed to Disney World for the Disney Social Media Moms Conference! It was an absolutely amazing trip! I can’t say enough good things about Disney! I wish we could visit Disney every month!!!
7. Post at least 5 times/week on my blog.
Although there are a couple of weeks where I missed the mark on this one, for the most part, I’ve posted at least 5 times each week!
8. Try 2 new recipes per month.
I’ve tried at least 1 new recipe each month, but I’ve been in a terrible rut with our busy schedule! Hopefully this will improve over the next few months!
9. Read 1 book or listen to 1 audiobook each week.
I’ve made it through 17 books this year (so I’m a little behind schedule), but I’ve been much more consistent lately with the audio books, so that’s definitely helped.
10. Take a creative writing or public speaking class.
I didn’t sign up for a formal class, but I did join Toastmasters. I’ve been amazed at how much my public speaking has improved. My husband, my mom, and my dad all joined as well and it’s been so fun to do this with them!
So there you have it! Overall, I’m pretty happy about what I’ve accomplished so far this year!
I’d love to hear how are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions! Leave me a comment! If you’ve blown it, it’s not too late to get back on track or start over with new goals!
I apologize for not posting on Friday, but we made a commitment to our Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner trainers that we wouldn’t jump on the scale until Monday night. I have been eating really differently this past week. I feel like I’ve eaten a ton of food, but our trainers have insisted that we’ll need to eat a good amount of calories with the exercise we’re doing.
The obviously know what they’re talking about since I lost over 5 pounds. I think it was 5.2 or 5.4, but I’m not really sure because I was so excited that all the info left my head. (It also doesn’t help that I was nervous that I was being weighed on camera and that these on-camera weigh-ins will be shown on TV!
We also started a weight loss competition at work last week and we weigh in on the shipping scale. Hopefully this will provide me with a little added incentive to lose!
I will chime in on Friday with how I’m doing, but I won’t know what I’ve lost again til Monday night. When it comes to the last week, I’ll make an exception and weigh in on Friday.
I’m now at a grand total of 13 pounds ( or 5.24 %) lost since I joined the Losing It Challenge and I’m down 16 pounds (or 6.37%) total for the year!
I’m also planning on eating more stir fry this week, so if you have a great healthy stir fry recipe, I’d love to hear it!
This post is linked to Losing It (Not Just Our Sanity) on Giving Up On Perfect!
I apologize for the lack of posts yesterday. We had our first workout for Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner yesterday morning at 6 am and by the time I got home from work, ran a few errands, took my daughters to softball practice, did some grocery shopping, and picked my daughters up from softball, I was too exhausted to do more than one post! Hopefully, my body will soon adapt to the early mornings and my arms won’t feel like they’re about to fall off! (It really makes it hard to type when your arms feel like they weigh a million pounds!)
Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers!
So this post is a little late since I wasn’t feeling well the past few days! The good news is I’m down 5 pounds! I’m so excited to finally have a big loss! I’ve been better with my eating this week (although still not great), but I think the things that has made the biggest difference is consistent exercise over the course of a few weeks. I think my muscles have finally adapted and I’m not feeling nearly as sore. I’m still horribly out of shape, but I’m working on it!
The really good news is that today is the official first day of the Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner competition. At some point this afternoon, I will put on my weigh-in attire of shorts and a sports bra (thankfully we can wear one of those long, tank top style sports bras) and get on the scale for my first weigh in. I’m totally excited, but also nervous. I’m looking forward to the accountability, the new friendships, the extra motivation, the education…and of course, the competition. There’s nothing like a little competition to help motivate! Over the next 3 months I will be sharing my thoughts, feeling, and experiences with this competition. I know it’s not what Simplified Saving is usually about (and there will still be plenty of deals, tips, and tricks on here), but for me, I need the extra accountability. Feel free to skip through these updates if they bore you! 
And if you have suggestions, tips, or encouragement, I’d love to hear from you!
And speaking of encouragement, make sure you visit Giving Up On Perfect to encourage Mary and the rest of the girls who are Losing It!
As a mom who has struggled with my weight for what seems like FOREVER, I worry about the habits I will pass on to my children. I have been working hard to make better decisions and to help our family establish healthy habits. One of the things that I have found to be most difficult is incorporating exercise into our daily lives. I’ve looked for ways to make exercise fun and to get our family into better shape. This is what I have found works for us.
1. Set a common goal. Our family goal is to be able to jog for 30 minutes consecutively. We’re not even close to that yet, but we are working toward it.
2. Develop a reasonable plan to reach that goal. We are using the Couch to 5K program, also known as C25K. It starts slow and gradually builds from there.
3. Incorporate “play” into your routine. Spend an evening at the tennis courts or basketball courts. Play wiffle ball. Decide to go to the gym as a family. We went to the gym as a family last night and it was quite fun.
4. Come up with a bad weather plan. It’s hard to stick to any plan when it’s nasty and cold and rainy outside. Decide ahead of time what you will do if it’s cold, rainy, etc. Maybe for your family, you want to set a “temperature” limit. We’ll be outside unless it’s colder than 32 degree or whatever it is that works for you.
5. Make it fun! Take a family walk or jog to a local park and let the kids play when you get there. Go for a long bike ride and stop for frozen yogurt on the way home.
6. Sprinkle some water in the mix. With summer approaching, community’s will start opening up their outdoor pools. This is a great way to get exercise in. Don’t have access to a pool? That’s OK. Have a water balloon fight. Get out the squirt guns and chase each other around the yard. Turn on the hose and run through the sprinkler. Your options are plentiful!
I’m always looking for new ideas! What do you do to incorporate fitness into your family routine?
This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.
Last week I received some really exciting news…I’ve been chosen as a contestant in Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner competition.
You have no idea how thrilled I was to hear this news. I feel like I’ve been fighting an uphill battle to lose all this weight. There were 25 contestants chosen to participate and we will meet 3 mornings a week from 6am to 7am (this is so early I think I may die) with a trainer. We will also have nutrition classes and a weekly group exercise class as well. I’m hoping this will help me to put the habits in place I need to be successful with losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.
I really feel like this comes at the perfect time since this week, I managed to gain weight. I’m not quite sure how that happened. I’ve been eating pretty decently and I exercised 5 days. I drank plenty of water and I didn’t drink any soda…yet I still gained a pound! Hopefully that pound and more will come back off next week and I will have some impressive losses in the weeks to come.
I have my orientation meeting and weigh-in for FWSW (Fort Wayne’s Smallest Winner) on Sunday, March 28th and we start our first workout on March 30th, but hopefully I’ll be able to lose a few pounds before the contest even starts!
Losing weight is hard work, so make sure you encourage the other girls who are Losing It over at Giving Up on Perfect!
