Thank you!!!

 I have gotten some really amazing and encouraging emails this week. It just makes me so proud that I am encouraging and inspiring others. It is always on the days that I am needing motivation that the Lord lays it on someone's heart to reach out to me...so thank you!

 When I started this blog it was really just to hold myself accountable and to give me an outlet to write. I wanted somewhere that I could be completely honest and open about what it is REALLY like to lose weight, and struggle with food addiction and exercise.

I started coaching because I wanted to help people achieve their health goals and to again share my story. People need to see and hear that it can and has been done. And they don't need to just see and hear it in magazines that promise 30 lbs of weight loss in 20 days and on the biggest loser. (Which by the way is one of my favorite shows, but as I have said before it is not feasible in real life...nobody has the ability to workout 6 hours a day....and if they do they shouldn't need the biggest loser)

I just wanted to take a post to say thank you to everyone who reads this blog or follows me on facebook. It is amazing that I have the ability to affect change in peoples' lives. It is amazing that people turn to me when they have questions about diet and exercise. I am still learning, still growing, and still figuring out where I fit in the fitness business. Thank you to all of you who have given me feedback over the last year, and who have helped me along the way!

I sincerely hope that this business takes off and I am able to help people all over the country achieve their goals....because we all know how to lose weight but sometimes we need someone to hold our hand and kick out butt. IF you do not have a health coach let me be that person for you!!! If you are not following the facebook page please do! I post daily (usually more than once a day) about my workouts and what's going on personally in my fitness journey! https://www.facebook.com/pages/Majors-Motivation/167362933372655

This has only just begun!!! Stay tuned for the launch of www.majorsmotivation.com very soon!!!!

 

Sorry Jim Gaffigan....we are NEVER done becoming the best versions of ourselves!! We will never stop learning and working to be better stewards of our bodies! The Lord has sent each of us to earth with a purpose and I am set on fulfilling mine!

Ain't Nobody Got Time For THAT!

I have heard it over and over, and there was a time in my life that I had said it over and over..."Eating healthy is too expensive".

If I only knew then what I know now!! You see when you are buying things like frozen dinners with limited calories, 100 calorie packs, organic whole wheat boxed meals, extra lean ground beef, etc yes eating healthy can be extremely expensive (and not so healthy). But when you learn to eat REAL food, whole food, more veggie based meals it can be very affordable. We have to quit buying diet food!! It is full of fake sugar and nonsense chemicals that are more harmful that beneficial and they do nothing to help you break your addiction to sugar and processed carbs!

As I have mentioned in the past Justin and I use the Dave Ramsey cash envelope system (for more info on that check out www.daveramsey.com) and when we were in college we didn't budget at all and never had any money. We would buy things like hamburger helper and ramen noodles because it was cheap and easy, and we were exhausted between school, work, and parenting Bethany. So what happened when we sacrificed quality for quantity? The weight crept up, and before I knew it my sweet husband was almost 300 lbs and I was back up in the mid 200s.

The difference now? We budget 100 a week to feed our family of 4. We are able to purchase everything we need with this amount. Our diet is plant based and we use a lot of organic frozen veggies which our grocery store often has on sale. We use a ton of beans which are super cheap if you buy them dry (or even in a can) I would love to say that I am one of those super dedicated couponers who saves 1000s of dollars every day at every store, but lets be honest... "Ain't Nobody Got Time For THAT!" And most of those coupons are for food like substances not real food that is actually beneficial for your health.

But some of you are thinking that Aint nobody got time to prep and cook veggies and whole grains. Aint nobody got time to pack a lunch when I can grab a $5 foot long or dollar menu delight. Well if you aint got time for that then you are living on borrowed time anyway. Besides it takes me about 20 min (45 if I'm doing rice) to cook dinner every night and then the leftovers are packed for Justin's lunch the next day and most of the time mine too!

The name of the game in grocery shopping is READING labels!! If you are going to be successful with changing the look of your body on the outside you MUST know what you are putting on the inside. I have a rule that if I cant pronounce an ingredient I avoid it.

Sure it can be irritating to have to throw a cup of oats into the blender to make oat flour but does it really take up that much time? I mean honestly...we live in an age of technology its not like you are grinding it by hand with a rock.

So how do you keep it affordable? Buy what you can dry and frozen. Buy whole grains like Quinoa and steel cut oats in bulk. Check the newspaper for what is on sale that week and base your meals around that. HAVE A PLAN!!! You must know what you are going to eat for dinner and lunch every day!!!! Seriously!

So how do you keep it from taking FOREVER? Use 1 day a week to prep all of your veggies and proteins (if you are eating meat) for the week. This is something that I don't do, because I have my meals that I make regularly down to a science. You can also use your crockpot to do a ton of delish soups that are BTV.

 Here is a photo of my grocery trip on Saturday. I spent $199.04. Aside from our meal necessities and kids' lunch stuff, I bought a few toiletries ($15), toilet paper ($12), paper towel ($4), an ahi tuna steak to take to a party ($8), and baby wipes ($4).

 

If you are needing some more resources check out http://plantbasedonabudget.com/ and http://theultimatedanielfast.com

 

Help Them Help You!!

Anyone ever heard of the freshman 15, what about the newlywed's ever so common 'happy fat', the mommy pudge, or the empty nester's extra fluff. These are things that go hand in hand with crucial changes in a persons life. You see when the support system around you isn't 100% on board it can be extremely difficult to have lasting success and stay motivated. Sometimes they do it intentionally but I would say that 95% of the time they don't even realize they are doing it.

I have several friends who are currently going through this, and that is what has spawned this blog. I got a text today, a call yesterday, and had a talk at bible study not long ago all venting and needing some feed back on what to do when family members and friends have a hard time with your new healthy lifestyle.

As you all know, Justin and I have been fortunate enough to have each other to lean on during the last half of my weight loss journey, but it hasn't always been that way for me. Don't get me wrong having a spouse to hold you accountable and keep you on target makes eating right and exercising so much easier, but like I said it hasn't always been that way. My history of attempting life change started and failed a long time before I met my sweet husband.

How many of you know a couple who struggle with this exact situation: "He just doesn't understand what I am going through, he can eat what ever he wants and not gain an ounce"

Or the friends that say "Oh come on you can have that piece of cake, you deserve it! You've been working so hard."

Or the husband that is so sweet to fix (or buy) dinner while you are running the kids to their practices but you come home to enchiladas with extra cheese and a cheesecake for dessert. He brought you this because he knows they're your favorite and you are seething mad because you cannot eat them.

You see they are trying to make you happy, trying to be kind and supportive, and trying to love you but what they don't realize is that they are tempting you and causing you to take 1 step forward and 2 steps back. I am not going to lie to you this is a tough situation. You love these people and they love you! That is why this conflict is so tough. The best way to handle it is to address it straight up.

When you decide what eating plan and exercise routine works for you, let them know exactly what your plan is. Ask them to hold you accountable, or take it a step further and ask them to join you. Let them know the best thing they can do to support you is not to tempt you, and to encourage you to stay on plan.

1 Corinthians 8:13 says "Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."

If they are eating your favorite thing in the world (for me that would be carrot cake) and you know that just one bite of that can send you into a downward spiral of junk eating and a backslide for the record books, let them know that. Just simply ask them not to bring it around you. You would never offer an alcoholic a glass of the Merlot they used to call their favorite would you? Or someone trying to quit smoking a puff on your cigarette? No that's just cruel. The same is said for someone who is trying to break a cycle of bad eating.

My father is a recovering alcoholic. He tells me all the time that if he ever had to restrict his eating he would go crazy. This coming from a man who quit drinking cold turkey 5.5 years ago and never looked back. Junk food addiction is real, and we should be able to talk to each other about it.

Have a real conversation with them, let them know exactly what you need for them to support you. Once you are strong in your will it wont be as hard to turn down tasty treats, and once you are at a place that it wont cause a back slide or binge you will be able to have small quantities of those treats!

I know it may sound nice on paper and you are thinking yeah whatever Ryan, you can say that all you want but you don't know how they will react. Well, no I don't know them, but if they really love you they will want you to be happy, and if you're not happy with the way you feel in your current state they will help you get to that happy place, you just have to be straight with them and hold strong to your convictions!

photo credit:www.myrecipes.com -uniquehealthandwellness.com 

New side by side!

I finally took a few miniutes to make a new before and after side by side! I will post another post soon, but just wanted to get it on here!

Also if you are not currently following our Facebook page please come visit!
https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Majors-Motivation/167362933372655

Better Than Vegan Dinner Party

Justin and I are constantly getting asked how we have achieved and maintained successful weight loss.  The actual equation for weight loss is simple, eat less and exercise more. However there are literally thousands of diet plans, eating guidelines, diet programs that come with a diet, book stores have aisles dedicated to only weight loss and weight loss cookbooks. You can't turn on the tv, open a magazine, get on Facebook or twitter or even fox news with out hearing about the latest trend in weight loss.

Justin and I chose an approach that many would see as extreme, but it has really worked very well for us. I could talk about plant based eating for hours, I love to educate friends and family about our lifestyle because not only have we had great successes with watching the number on the scale drop, we just feel better!

Justin and I are blessed with amazing friends who are willing to try new things, so we hosted our first dinner party since moving to VA, and we served all Better Than Vegan food.

What is BTV, you ask? Oh I am glad you did! Justin and I coined the term when we first began the Daniel Fast in January 2012. The Daniel Fast is a 21 day partial fast where you eliminate all meat, dairy, added sugar, white flour, yeast, and any chemical from your diet. You essentially eat only fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, nuts, and water to drink. This is meant to take your focus off of food and place that focus on the Lord and using your body in service to Him. It is meant to take that idol of food out of your life, and allow you to worship only Him.

In the first few days of the fast it isn't all smiles and happy feelings, in fact it is terrible. As you go cold turkey eliminating all of the processed junk and chemicals from your diet your body literally goes through a detox, and you are like a drug addict during detox...it isn't pretty. Justin coined the term Worse Than Vegan, because at least vegans can eat bread.

But just as alcoholics come out of the detox feeling better than ever and loving their new addiction free life, so did we. We began to feel lighter, in control, closer to each other, and most importantly closer to the Lord. We were able to take the control back from the food that had reigned over us for so many years. After the 21 day Daniel Fast was over, we decided to keep going. So Worse Than Vegan became Better Than Vegan. And not only does BTV encompass the diet we choose, it also gives us the freedom to eat other things in small quantities every once in a while. So you're thinking oh, they never eat meat I couldn't do that I love steak too much...so do we! So every once in a while, about 3 times a year, Justin and I will go out to dinner and eat a steak. But it is no ordinary steak, oh no.....it is only the best of the steaks because we are not going to waste our night out and our time of abstinence from red meat on any old steak. It teaches you to really appreciate it when you splurge. We also have added back in a few things like shakeologey (which is very close to being BTV), honey, coffee, red wine, beer, and the occasional margarita! The difference between the way we treated the things we have added back in now is that it is in small quantities.

 So onto the story of the party! Justin's friend at work, Dani, has been wanting to add in more plant based foods into her diet, but she didn't know where to begin in preparing them. We had been talking with her for months about trying to come down and hang out on a weekend and we would cook for her. Well life in VA is insane and everyone is always very busy so it had taken us forever to get that day planned. Finally we both had a Saturday that would work, and we decided to have everyone over that we had wanted to have come over for months! So the BTV dinner party was born.

I absolutely love being a hostess! It was so much fun to watch everyone mingle and meet and new friendships being made right in my family room! We had several friends from church with their kids, my friends Ashley and Jeff from the gym and their 3 handsome sons, and Dani and her boyfriend! It was a blast!

We had red and white wine, some beers from the local brewery, and here is the menu:

Major's homemade salsa, guacamole, corn cilantro salsa, cowboy caviar, and a hummus I buy at Costco with tortilla chips, cracklesnacks (veggie crackers that rock), and pop chips to dip for appatizers.

Then we had oven roasted asparagus, grilled veggie kabobs, amazing grilled portabello caps, and quinoa with tomatoes and green chilies.

I made a fruit salad, and Justin was going to grill pineapple for dessert but we were all so full from the main course we forgot to put it out!

We also had about 10 kids at the house so we served them hot dogs (yes all beef) and they had an ice cream bar for dessert where they got to choose the toppings.

All and all everyone liked the food, and had a great time! I am already excited to plan the next dinner party. Justin says it needs to be a bring your own meat party to off set this one....we shall see!

Thank you to all of our friends for coming and having an open mind about the food!

Oh and check out my fun outfit I wore to the party....My mom got me this outfit for Christmas! I love it!

 

 

Happy New Year!!!

I cannot believe it is January 2nd! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time passes by as an adult. Maybe it's after you have kids, not sure, but I do know that it was just January 2012 and now here we are a year later! I would like to celebrate a year of blogging as Major's Motivation!! While I haven't blogged as much as I would have liked this year, I am setting one of my goals for 2013 to work on the blog at least a couple times a month!

I started off 2012 with a hangover and tight jeans, and I am happy to say that 2013 did not begin that way! I started off 2013 with a clear mind, a bowl of oatmeal, and cardio & weight lifting with my husband!

This entry I would like to discuss goal setting with you. It seems that everyone and their dog, mother, aunt, and pet hamster are setting new years resolutions and posting them on Facebook and twitter! Don't get me wrong I am all for putting those goals out there for the world to see...that's what started this blog! But I have an issue with the new years resolution.

I understand that a new year starts and symbolizes new beginnings for people. But why do we have to wait until Jan 1? And why the resolution... I will resolve to make an entire 180 in every aspect of my life on January 1st and by January 7th you're over it! Believe me I have made this mistake year after year. I would vow to get on a budget, eat right, exercise, read my bible, spend time really talking to my husband, and then I would wake up a week later over drawn in my checking account with a bad diet, right back where I started....so in the Major house we do not make new years resolutions.

 Justin and I set weekly and monthly goals. Most of the time they are the same, a family goal, a goal for our marriage, a goal for Major's Motivation, and a fitness goal. Sometimes they repeat and a lot of the time the have to do with prayer, reading my bible, amount of workouts, and they ALWAYS have a deadline.

That is the problem with the resolution....it is too broad! We will find a way to cheat ourselves out of achieving the life change we desire on January first because there is no timeframe to hold us accountable! To set good goals you need to be SMART!  Setting SMART goals is something I learned years ago and started applying, this is also something I teach my clients to do, and encourage them to continue with weekly. Paul J Meyer talks about SMART goals in his book, Attitude is Everything.

photo from http://dreamchoosers.com/s-m-a-r-t-goals


So I encourage you all to take a few days to reflect on your 2012 resolutions...what happened? Maybe they really stuck, maybe you achieved that complete 180...but if you're like the majority of those people who take up all the elliptical machines and parking spots at the gym the first 2 weeks of January and then disappear never to be seen again (until next January), you need a little help setting those goals.

Then spend some time in prayer, find out what God is leading you to, his plans may be way better than your plans!

And finally find someone to really hold you accountable. My husband is that person for me. I am that person for my health coaching clients. Find someone who is knowledgeable and that you can trust. And it usually helps if that person has walked through your struggle....if you need help with weight loss find someone who has been there and done that. If it is financial accountability find someone who has achieved financial freedom (I recommend the Dave Ramsey program, we are no where near finished with it but it has done wonders for our bank account and marriage!). If it is reconnecting with your spouse, talk to a family counselor or trusted friend who will positively encourage you.

No matter what your struggle may be, there is someone out there who has walked through it. When I was obese I used to wonder why I couldn't just be skinny like the other girls. I would ask God to give me a different metabolism, a different body type. But now as I look back on those years as the chubby kid, the obese teen, and morbidly obese young adult I know that I had to walk through that so I could come out victorious and teach others that there is a better way!



Check out www.beachbodycoach.com/ryanmajor for more info on workouts and shakeology!

Make the change!

People ask me pretty much everyday how I did it. How did you lose the weight? How do you eat so strictly? Why can't I lose the weight? How do you find time to get to the gym everyday?

It comes down to being ready to make the change. Being ready to make a complete 180 degree change from eating poorly and not exercising to eating REAL, healthy, food and getting off your duff and doing the work. I looked for an easy way out for 10 years...it does not exist! Truly losing weight is a matter of burning more calories than you are consuming and working your body so it can convert fat to muscle.

So there it is! You MUST be ready to make the change. No person, company, or diet plan can do it for you. Sure you can do it half assed and lose a few lbs and a couple inches but trust me when I say it will not be lasting. This is not something that you do for a season, it is a lifestyle. I have been working out at the same gym pretty much every week day for over a year. What I have found is that at the time I go, I see the same faces everyday. The same people are there, their kids are in kids club everyday. Our gym has amazing people working in their child care. Madison has been going since she was 5 months old, and she loves those girls! Bethany can't wait to go to see her friends on the evenings we go to the gym. Sure a few new people come and go with the seasons (esp the new year...that is entertaining to see all of the new years resolution members come in hard core for a week, hurt themselves, and take a break until next January) but for the most part the members stay the same.

So it is about a commitment. Not to a gym or eating plan or health coach but to yourself. Do you need an eating plan? Absolutely! Do you need a gym? It's either that or one of the amazing team beachbody workouts you can purchase here: http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/ryanmajor
If you are interested in health coaching shoot me an email! I can get you in touch with someone in your area who can provide amazing services!

My husband and I have made this 180. and we are still working out daily and eating real food. Do we treat ourselves? Yes!! Do we believe in loving ourselves? YES!! It's not about restriction, its about taking care of our bodies so we can be good stewards of our blessings!

Oh so long ago....

My 19th Birthday

I have been going through old photos all morning today. I was kind of shocked looking through all of these pictures again. You know how it is when you have your picture taken...you only keep the ones you think you look good in.. I am posting some of them here to remind myself how much better I feel now, and while I have always felt that I was pretty, I am so much happier being healthy and fit. I also want you all to know that no matter how little or how much weight you want or need to lose, you can do it!

Leading an NYCHA meeting, Mississippi 2004

March 2005

2005

Summer 2005, after a Kenny Chesney Concert...looks like my life revolved around food!

Plucking a banjo in an antique store....

And just for good measure...Here is one of me from last month! I have lost about 10lbs since this photo!

Hello, is anyone out there?

I have missed blogging this month so much! It has been very strange to miss out on sharing my experiences with y'all. Really there isn't much of an excuse other than being crazy busy. We got back from our beach trip today, and it was really nice to get away.

I was able to get a good workout in at the hotel gym, and we walked a ton around all of the sights of VA beach. We were able to say no to a timeshare presentation, and didn't totally ruin our progress with our diets, although we did stray from being totally vegan. We ate some tuna, and Justin had a lovely piece of salmon last night. All and all we did great.

M day is tomorrow. I am not anticipating a huge number of lbs lost this month. As much as that stinks, I hit a HUGE mile stone...A SIZE 6!!!!!Never in my life have I worn a size 6. I remember buying womens' size 16 in junior high, if that tells you anything about my size progression. Here is a photo of the girls and I on our balcony, me wearing my size 6 pants from Ann Taylor!

 Another huge milestone was wearing a bikini this weekend. I wore one on my honeymoon and to spring break junior year of college, but was very self conscious on those trips. This time I wasn't! So exciting.

Justin and I were just talking over dinner about vacation and food. I was telling him that I felt kind of guilty for eating things that weren't on our plan this weekend. He said he didn't feel guilty because we should never deprive ourselves. We should never say, "I Can't" rather we should look at it like I can eat whatever I want, but I choose to make smart food choices.

Such a great mindset to have, I wish I had totally rewired my thinking the way he has, but after 15 years or so of dieting I will take some reprogramming.

Another awesome thing that happened this month, aside from the beach trip and Justin & Bethany's birthdays was the launch of Major's Motivation! Not the blog, but the health coaching side of it! I was asked to speak at a women's event and share my story, I used this as my springboard to launching my health coaching business.

As you all know the Major's are a continuous progress and we strive to never stop moving forward. This business is all about helping become the best version of themselves by reaching 1 small goal at a time. For more info or to become a Major's Motivation client please send me an email at majorsmotivation@gmail.com

Using Major's Motivation to help people reclaim their health and take charge of their bodies from the inside out is so important to Justin and I. Check back tomorrow for M-day April results!!

Here we are enjoying our first vacation as a family of 4. My husband is so adorable, and doesn't he look 10 years younger after ditching those pesky 80lbs?

Adding Years To My Life...

Please enjoy this guest post from my Husband, the one and only JUSTIN MAJOR!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm proud to be a "logical" person. I weigh every situation with as much information as I can before I make a decision. Any kind of statistics and research that I can point to always helps solidify my opinions and actions, that being said...

Ryan had gotten on my case about going to the doctor last year and after quite a bit of prodding I decided to go ahead and make an appointment, although I told her exactly what the doctor was going to tell me, "Overweight, High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol." So on 8/9/11, I weighed in at the doctor's office at 296lbs (I know I didn't look it, but I definitely felt it) and my LDL was in the 140s. My doctor said I was in the extremely obese column, which of course feels great to hear, and is kind of annoying because you want to be like,"Really? is that why it feels like I am carrying around a small middle schooler all day, I had no idea?"

So I scheduled to see the doc again two months later and on that visit I had dropped down to 285lbs, at that point all I had done was try and cut portion sizes and limit what I ate after 7:00PM. So fast forward to the new year and our adventure in the Daniel Fast began and kept going... and going... and going...

Before I reveal today's numbers I want to share my findings for why we all should eat a whole lot healthier. So about Adding Years to My Life:

According to the National Center for Health Statistics:

• The risk of an early death goes up as weight increases. The NIH found even a 10- to 20-pound weight gain can increases the threat of premature death, especially in adults between the ages of 30 and 64. People with a BMI index higher than 30 had a 50 percent to 100 percent greater risk of early mortality.
• The National Institute of Health says obesity is believed to significantly reduce life expectancy, particularly among younger adults. The most desirable BMI associated with the greatest longevity is 23 to 25 for whites and 23 to 30 for blacks.
• According to the NIH, the maximum years of life lost (YLL) for white people in their 20s with a seriously high BMI of 45 was 13 for men and eight for women.

So as I was sitting there I was thinking about Ryan and the girls and how I can control being at birthday parties, college graduations, walking the girls down the aisle, birth of a grandchild, birth of a great grandchild, 50th wedding anniversary, grandkids college graduations... the list continues and fills with memories and experiences that I get to have because of some simple changes I decided to make in my life. When I started to think of my diet in that sense, it made it a lot easier to choose healthy over "happy".

The "happy" we focus on is the right now mentality we all have. The U.S. is an amazing country for many reasons, but from the food aspect we astound most anyone visiting from a foreign country just because of how many food options we have. But it is time we all really look at our choices in the proper light.

When faced with the question, "Is that double cheeseburger more important than meeting your grandkids?" What is your answer?

"Would you never drink soda again if it meant getting to dance with your spouse on your 50th wedding anniversary?" What is your answer?

They are hard questions and an even harder answers because it requires us to show our true selfish nature that desires the now. I realize that the good Lord could take me from this earth any day he likes, but I am determined for it to be no doing of mine. It can be a train wreck, plane crash, natural causes, but I have vowed to do everything in my power to ensure that it won't be because I have let my arteries clog with all the fat of the "happy" food choices I made over my lifetime.

Lastly for all those people who are wondering where to go from here... The Better than Vegan (copyright pending) diet definitely isn't for everyone, but it is a place to start over and reset your system so you can truly start anew on this journey of being that man or woman that we are all called to be.

So as I give you these numbers, understand that I work a desk job all day and still really haven't added any scheduled gym time. The one thing Ryan and I have added which ends up being more fun than anything is doing little workouts during commercial breaks of our shows, The right now attitude has us fast forwarding through commercials whenever we can, but now we use that time to do something that makes up for the other 40 minutes we are watching our shows.

Today at the doctor I weighed in (fully clothed) at 252lbs and my LDL is at 76. Statistics say with that weight loss and cholesterol change I have added upwards of 3-4 years to my life and possibly more depending on the study. Start thinking about it in that light and trust me it makes everything so much easier.

Justin

Valentine's day 2011 (Ryan is 9 months pregnant with Madison)

Feb 19, 2012