My Diet & Fitness Program: 30 & Fit!

I apologize for the length of this post...it's going to be a long one:

Last month I decided I wanted to be in the best shape of my life. I've decided this many many many.....oh so many times before, but this time I finally stuck to it.

I'm 30, and the mother of twins and a little girl. Obviously motherhood brings some major changes to your body, especially when you carry 7.3lb and 6.15lb twins to term! (Oh how miserable I was!)

The first time I decided I was going to change my eating and fitness habits was last year (2012) when I tried out the Dukan Diet.

I started out at 135 (I'm 5'5 and a half), and I ended up at 128. I didn't do any exercising at all the first time I did the diet. The second time around (my weight had gone back up to 130), I added in 20-30 minutes on my elliptical every day and quickly went from 130 to 118. I was pretty excited about that!

The winter came and went with bad eating and no exercise, and on June 4th 2013, I stepped on the scale and it read 125. I decided I wanted to get in shape and hit a goal weight of 115 (Still healthy for my height and frame). I also decided that the number on the scale didn't matter as much as the inches lost and the changes I wanted to see in the mirror. This is how I went from 125 to 115, healthy and fit, and still working towards my goals:

I crave sugar and carbs like no one's business, and my blood sugar also dips way low throughout the day. I'm one of those types of people who need to eat or they get physically sick (angry, lightheaded, nauseous and dizzy). I can always tell when my blood sugar drops. Because of this, I wanted to find something that would help level out my blood sugar, be safe to take, natural and would give me energy without the jitters.

After searching high and low, looking at shakes and supplements (most containing soy, artificial sweeteners and other ingredients I personally wanted to stay away from), I found Plexus Slim. I was contacted by Plexus Slim Ambassador Holly Boze (such a sweet and helpful fellow mommy) and she sent me the Plexus Slim/Accelerator Combo.

Plexus Slim is the all-natural way to lose weight and inches by burning fat, not muscle. Plexus Slim also helps keep blood sugar, cholesterol and lipids at healthy levels. In addition, Slim helps reduce binge eating and increases your willpower over food. 

You pour it into a bottle of water, shake it up and drink it 30 minutes before a meal. I did this first thing in the morning before I ate breakfast. I then took one Accelerator pill after I ate breakfast.

The taste reminds me of Crystal Light and I really enjoy my "pink drink" in the am and late afternoons.

Here are the features and benefits of Plexus Slim drink mix:

• Safe and effective weight control
• Helps regulate blood sugars
• Helps maintain healthy blood pressure
• Promotes beneficial cholesterol and lipid levels
• Proven ingredients—including Alpha Lipoic Acid, Chlorogenic Acid, Garcinia Cambogia—that address all areas of weight loss
• No caffeine
• No stimulants
• No meal replacements
• No shakes
• Fast and easy
• Saves you time
• A simple solution combined with water to help you succeed

Here are the features and benefits of the Accelerator pill:

• Boosts weight loss safely and effectively
• Proven ingredients—dark chocolate, green tea, and natural caffeine—to boost metabolism, suppress appetite and accelerate weight loss
• Increases energy
• Suppresses appetite
• Speeds up weight loss in fat and inches
• Synergistic benefits help increase the effectiveness of Plexus Slim
• Convenient and easy to use
• Great 3-day and 7-day packs to sample the products 

I no longer have to rely on my morning coffee to function anymore. It also contains Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin B6 which I love!

I'm usually pretty skeptical when it comes to weight loss products, but I can say with 100% confidence that Plexus Slim works! I combined using Plexus Slim/Accelerator Combo with a low carb diet, 20-30 minutes on the elliptical at least 3 days a week and I also do an arm and leg workout that I'll talk about below.

 Here is a photo of my calendar for day to day weights while using Plexus Slim

Click on photo to enlarge

As you can see I started out at 125 lbs and very quickly shed the pounds as the days came and went.
I meant to take a photo of all my weights but only took a few. Just so you believe that I did lose the weight, here are a few photos of my scale and my scale at my parents house when I went to PA at the end of the month:

So I apologize about the photo qualities and also my need for a pedicure, but you get the picture. ;)
I dropped from 125 to 115 in less than 3 weeks time! I haven't been 115 since I was in high school!

Thanks to Plexus Slim I no longer have those carb cravings, I feel satisfied with smaller portions, I'm not hungry all the time, have lots of energy, and those low blood sugar dips are a thing of the past. 

I've been asked to sell many many products that I review for my blog, but this is the first time I actually contacted Holly and said "SIGN ME UP!!!" That's how much I believe in this product.

For my arm workout I've been doing Tracey Campoli's Perfect Arms Workout:

 I do this workout every other day, and in 3 weeks I was able to see a big change in my arms. This is a killer arm workout that you can do in the comfort of your own home and you're sure to see results!

For my legs I've been doing Brazil Butt Lift High & Tight.

This has helped sculpt my thighs, especially my inner thighs, which is an area I really wanted to work on.

 I do on days that I don't do arms (every other day).

So that's how I went from 125lbs to 115lbs in less than 3 weeks time.

Now I know no short term program will last forever, so I have made the decision to make this routine my new lifestyle. A low carb, high protein diet is easy for me to follow (thanks to the help from Plexus Slim), the workouts (arms, legs and 20-30 minutes on my elliptical) are convenient for my busy life and I'm enjoying being 30 and fit.

I don't concentrate on my abs much due to my umbilical hernia that I had repaired last year, but I haven't needed to since my other workouts all engage my core. I've lost the inches there as well.

Also, remember to drink lots of water!

If you have any questions for me at all, please feel free to comment below or message me on Facebook any time. I'm happy to help. 

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, nutritionist or personal trainer, so please consult your doctor before starting any diet/exercise program. What works for me might not work exactly the same for you (although I certainly hope it does). I've given my honest opinions above and hope if anything this will inspire you to make a goal to be in the best shape of your life.  

UPDATE 5/1/2014

 It's been 10 months since I last updated about my routine so I wanted to tell you all now what I'm doing:

• I am still using the Plexus Slim pink drink, and I now take 2 of the X Factor multivitamins with my Plexus Slim (I use 8-10oz of water) first thing in the mornings.

• I eat a low carb breakfast (usually egg whites and vegetables of some sort) and I have my coffee with all natural Stevia as my sweetener.

• For lunch I usually eat a salad with turkey and hard boiled eggs mixed in the tomatoes and cheese and low carb dressing. Sometimes I have eggs of some kind, sometimes fish. 

• Mid afternoon snack is usually a rice cake with a cocoa nut spread on top. So good!

• Then at nap time, after I've started Grace on her homeschool work, I hop on my elliptical on a fat burning program for 30 minutes. Don't go for speed, but for harder resistance (burns more fat).

• After my workout I mix a chocolate Plexus 96 protein shake with 8 oz. of unsweetened almond milk and drink that. It's soooo good and has 15 grams of protein in it and only 2 carbs (sweetened with Stevia).

• Dinner is also low carb/high protein, usually chicken or meat of some sort with veggies. There are so many low carb/high protein recipes online. 

• Monday, Wednesday and Friday I do the following arm workout with 2-3 lb. free weights. Don't use 5 lb weights...it's too much.

• Monday and Friday I do Tracey Campoli's Perfect Arms Workout (it's also posted above, but I'll post it below again) 

• On Wednesday I do this workout called Ten Minutes To Tone, using my 5 lb weights and my 2-3 lb weights:

• Tuesday and Thursdays I do butt/leg exercises and I have really liked this video (excuse her "mildly pornographic" thumbnail, I promise she doesn't even wear that in the video lol)

• After my night workouts, I immediately eat 1-2 hard boiled egg whites for the protein. Eat it right away.

• For a late night snack, sometimes I eat another rice cake with nut butter on it, or I eat green pepper sticks with ranch dressing, or maybe a cheese stick, or salad, or hard boiled egg white or anything I can find that's low carb :)

• I then take 2 Probio5 probiotics before bed.

• Sundays are usually cheat days for me and I usually eat what I want within reason...just don't go overboard. That's pretty much it. I don't do anything for my abs since I have Diastasis Recti and am unable to perform conventional exercises. I have done this Post Natal Rehab (for Diastasis Rectus) a few times and like these ab exercises.

• I've found I've gained the abdominal definition from my elliptical and also from holding my core tight while performing my arm and leg exercises. 

There you have it. If I've missed anything or you have any other questions, please feel free to comment below or message me on Facebook

Just remember ladies....YOU CAN DO THIS! It's doesn't take much time and with a little bit of effort, you can be in the best shape of your life!


Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, nutritionist or personal trainer, so please consult your doctor before starting any diet/exercise program. What works for me might not work exactly the same for you (although I certainly hope it does). I've given my honest opinions above and hope if anything this will inspire you to make a goal to be in the best shape of your life.