The Trial and Error of Trying to be Fit

Something To Look Forward To, A Little Motivation.

2011-12-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I just don't care. I don't care that I live in leggings and over sized sweaters and that most of my clothes do not fit me. Then there are other times where I can not believe where I am physically. I am very consistent with my workouts, and for the most part look forward to them daily. I know the other side, the nutritional side is mostly an emotional thing for me, and I recently discovered my "not caring" was more of a "I can do what I want, weigh whatever and still be fabulous" kind of a statement. Going back to what my therapist told me, that I should not try to "rip off" the internal safety blanket, but remove it when I am ready, makes me think I am not fully ready. I am however ready sometimes, and believe that no matter my physical state, I am fabulous, and in no way was it a cause of anything that happened this year. That being said, I now have nothing to prove by "not caring".

I have been paying attention to what I am eating, not restricting at all, but really looking at my temptations and lack of self control around them. Right now it is the holidays and my work has an over abundance of sweets, not to mention the wheat thins and cheese its the Doctor sets out on a daily basis. This has been my biggest downfall, my meals are healthy, but my snacking is consistent, and bad. How do I overcome this and let myself be the person I love being?

This is my plan. I am going to bring more fruit and set it out so instead of grabbing a truffle, I will grab a few bites of apple. I am also going to put my phone and water in a different location to avoid going by the food throughout the day. Once I start good habits, at least in the past, I am able to keep them up and overcome my bad ones. Its just the initial hump. Also when you start seeing results, you are much more likely to keep up with good habits in general.

I am also going to start picking a few recipes from my low sodium or my clean eating cookbooks and making 3 dinners a week. This way I have something to look forward to, and I can choose something a little more savory than a salad for these cold winter days. I started drinking Shakeology and I must say, I really love it. It is much nicer to my digestion than Herbalife, and I am very full. I use almond milk instead of water or juice, and either put a banana or almond butter in it for lunch. It makes preparing my work lunches much easier and I really enjoy it so its been a big plus in my life.

Gaining Control, Losing My Inner Safety Blanket...

2011-11-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

My therapist helped me realize that my "binging" was a way of creating an inner "safety blanket" to comfort me, and that just like you wouldn't rip a child's safety blanket from them, I shouldn't try to rip mine off until I am ready. I definetely feel as though I no longer am in need of that kind of comfort or security. I have been using Fatsecret.com to track my daily caloric intake and this is helping me so much. I am also taking some of the advice from Chalene Johnson's list I posted a few posts ago. I usually stick to the same menu, I cook my meals once or twice a week so everything is prepared for me and ready to go. I am also very conscious of what the calorie amount is for things I am tempted to eat. If I look it up before I eat it I know if it is really worth it. I am also allowing myself "treat" days. I am not calling them "cheat days" because I am not cheating and I am not afraid to get caught. I work hard, I work out, and eat healthy and like to reward myself with a night or a couple of meals of guilt free pleasure. Last night my boyfriend took me out on a date and I thouroghly enjoyed my fish and chips, and a couple of cocktails. With this mindset I am finding it much easier to get back into my normal routine. In the last two weeks I have lost 6 pounds and am feeling very great about myself.

A Mantra.

2011-10-29T01:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes finding motivation is easy, keeping it alive is the challenge. I tend to find my motivation around 1:00am watching infomercials, or on my way out when I am unable put on a pair of jeans. For the past few days whenever I feel temptation kicking in I think to myself, do you really want that 300 extra calorie (drink, snack, cake, ect) or do you want to fit into your cute jeans again. Right away I evaluate my day and how eating whatever is in front of me is going to make me feel. After talking to a friend who is into fitness and health also, I have been able to look at my habits a little better and gain some control over my eating. The thing about eating "healthy" is that everyone knows how to eat healthy, its putting it to practice that is the challenge. Lately I have been reading so much on nutrition and diet my mind is on overload. I will eat "healthy" meals snacks and so forth, but also crappy unhealthy items. This is putting my caloric intake in the danger zone. My friend (Sarah) reminded me that if something has worked for you in the past and is easy for you, you should stick with it. My mind is so overfull of everything I read on eating that I end up eating everything. Now I am watching my caloric intake. If I really want a sweat snack I know that it will be subracted out of my allotted calories for the day, and this seems to give me some control.

I also started my second week of Insanity today. I absolutely love/hate this workout. I know that it is a workout to get your body into a shape it is meant to be in. I cannot stop gushing about my workouts that I find because I really do find them inspiring and challenging, and when faced with my own challenges, I can conquer the fitness one and feel amazing about myself.

And Now Work It Out

2011-10-11T23:36:00.000-07:00

One huge thing that you can do for yourself is move. Get up and get active. The benifets go way beyond how you look, although that is usually the motivator. Now I may not be the picture of a super fit person right now (at least 20lbs higher than my "normal wieght) but that can be accredited to the late night binging on cake, icecream, peanut butter, and so on. After battling some serious health issues and being almost completely bed ridden from Dec. 2010 to about April 2011, then having my husband leave me, and to top it off I am having a hell of a time finding consistant work. One may expect me to be drowning in sorrows (well this could be why I am late night binging) but mostly I feel good. One major reason is that I work out almost daily. I have been lucky enough to find a workout I love, Turbo Fire, and have been doing it for the last few months. I was seeing amazing results until my eating became out of control, but we know that I am working on that.

I am not a gym person, I have always loved workout videos, or running outside. I am going to start Insanity in the next couple of weeks, which I am extremely excited about. Just knowing that my workouts have helped me cope with some hardships this year has inspired me to pursue becoming a trainer. I am going to become a Beach Body Coach, and get my degree in Fitness and Health. I would love to help someone the way Chalene Johnson's has helped me. If you are looking for a great motivational workout you should definitely check this out http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/best_sellers/turbofire.do?t=matswapb1. Like previously stated, I was getting amazing results very fast, but I gave into a slight depression and began to binge like crazy.

Tip you hear and never do: Write it down!

2011-10-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when faced with tough decisions in life, I have had the advice to write down pro's and con's. My mom always tells me when I make a decision to write down the reasons I did, just so if I ever am in regret or question my decision I can be reminded of why it was I got to that point. I also used this tactic the first time I needed to loose those drinking pounds in my early 20's.

For the last few months I have been trying to get into this habit again, but for some reason I just haven't stuck with it. I always carry around a pad of paper and a pen, and I have Fat Secret Calorie Counter on my phone, but I still hide my head in layers of sweets and cheese. For the last few days, I have gone in with some sad attempts, but the attempts, as pitiful as they were, have made a slight difference. I am reading the labels of the foods I am eating, and calculating the serving sizes and how many calories I would be consuming. My goal for the next week is to write everything down, and if i am unable to acquire the nutritional information for something it will not be eaten. This is how I succeed last time, and I know with some real dedication I can take charge of this.

This isn't just about math, and how much you are eating, this is about taking responsibility for the choices you make. How can I complain about my spare tire if I am the one filling it up all of the time?

Error #1

2011-09-29T00:42:00.001-07:00

Keeping junk food in your kitchen. This always leads to me making a bad decision. Example: I have frozen cake in my freezer from a bridal shower (yes the cake is good enough to freeze), so tonight when my sweet tooth started acting up I knew exactly what to grab for. My goal for tomorrow is to remove all temptation from my house. The saying nothing tastes as good as fit feels holds so true (fit not thin). I cant think of any cake that tastes better than how I feel at my fittest. So why then do I succumb to temptation. Its like I forget what I am working toward. I go into an eating amnesia and then am filled with feelings of guilt and disgust as soon as I am finished devouring whatever is that I could lay my hands on.
Because I am not just trying to "be skinny", but to have a healthy life and view myself positively and be the best me I can I look for advice from those I find inspiring. Chalene Johnson, she is the amazing instructor of Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire, Turbo Kick, and one of the most inspirational women of health and fitness. She posted this on her blog ( http://www.chalenejohnson.com/blog/11-healthy-eating-habits-of-fit-people-265.html)

1.) Stick to the same menu

2.) Start your day with fuel

3.) Drink water

4.) Eat small and eat often

5.) Eat whole foods first

6.) Become a food expert

7.) Be a careful eater vs. a dieter

8.) Fill your home with healthy food

9.) The kitchen is closed

10.) Be a politely picky restaurant patron

11.) Find something other than food to cope with your feelings

Something to really think about before putting anything in your mouth...if you can remember to think before eating.

What and Why?

2011-09-26T01:29:00.000-07:00

Like most females, I am constantly struggling with the desire for a thin waistline and my desire to eat an entire cake (bag of chips, box of crackers, gallon of ice cream, ect) in one sitting. For most of my 20's I was able to maintain a healthy weight. I first dropped 25lbs by counting calories, and then learned how to maintain withing 5 lbs by trial and error. Stress from marriage and an intense school program became driving forces to a near daily Starbucks "treat" drink, and letting myself plump up 15lbs. This year intense health issues (along with side effects from medications) and my marriage ending has put me at the heaviest weight yet. Under medical advise that I have been choosing to ignore, I should be sticking to a low sodium diet with very limited alcohol consumption. It is easy for me to wake up 6lbs heavier after a night of drinking and french fries because of my health. I am now ready to feel good about my body again, regain some energy and treat this one body I have like the temple it is.

I have been reading the Eat Clean by Tosca Reno series and have decided that she is someone who inspires me and that her way of life encompasses everything I am looking for in a "step in the right direction". Eating clean will not only limit useless calories and bad fats, but I will be eating foods that are naturally not high in sodium. For the next three weeks however, I will be following the "6 Week Body Makeover" to shed some fast and serious pounds. My sister is getting married and do not want to cringe at wedding pictures on facebook just because I couldn't say no to icecream. I will try to post frequently about the things I am eating that work for me, my progress, and any trials, hiccups, and slips on my journey to being the best me.