Get Your Head In the Game.

WT: 180 (-1 lb)
GL: 155

I had a decent day yesterday. I drank a ton of water, tracked my food and got in a pretty good workout. I don't feel like I put 100% into it... and I hate to quote High School Musical but... I need to get my head in the game. I have my menu written for the day so all I have to do is stick to it and I'll be on point. As for my workout, I'm excited to say I am going to a Zumba class tonight. Yay!

Its all about portion sizes today. Water, water, water...

My shoes are on, I'm gone!

The first step is the hardest... here we go...

WT: 181 (yikes) 
GL: 155

In the right frame of mind to start this week strong. Going for a run this morning and then cleaning house. That should keep me busy enough to keep my mind off of snacking.

water, water, water

Running shoes are on, I'm gone!

Directions for getting back up...

I'll be honest with you. I haven't posted in awhile because I haven't exactly stuck to the plan. I've eaten whatever I wanted. I took time off working out because I started working. I quit caring.

... and thanks to that mindset I have gained 4+ lbs, have terrible heartburn and am sluggish beyond belief. So, starting right now, THIS VERY SECOND, I am back to the grind.

So, after falling off the wagon, taking a tumble, getting run over by a couple of wagons behind me... I am going to stand up and dust myself off. This is something I have gotten very good at over the past 4 years. I know exactly what I need to do... what mindset I need to be in.. and what I need to do to get in that mindset. And as usual, the hardest part of it all is taking the first step.

What are those steps? Well, the first step (and hardest step) is admitting that you have been doing it all wrong. You have to realize that your body is not like everyone else. You cannot eat what you want and not gain a pound. You cannot ignore your body and miraculously look amazing. The body you want is the result of hard work and a strong will. Like I said, its the hardest step.

Once you take that step, and after this bout of heartburn I have right now I will have successfully taken that step, you move on to making 'the change'.  I know, it sounds scary, but in reality it is all a head game. In order to change my eating habits I have to be mentally ready. I have to have that mental picture of the goal I am heading for. The strong body that can run without stopping, that can fit into a size 8, and the body I can be proud of. What I am working towards is a masterpiece... a life long project.

So, now what? Well, like every other website will tell you... getting healthy is all about calories in vs. calories out. What does that mean? It means that in order for your body to burn fat and get healthy you need to be eating less calories then what your body is burning everyday. For me that is less then 1000 calories a day (please consult a doctor to find out what a healthy calorie intake would be for YOU to lose weight). Because of my health and past surgeries my body will not drop weight unless I am under 1000 cal. a day. That being said, I have to make sure that I get everything my body needs in those 1000 cals.  The best way for ME to do that is to eat clean! Veggies, fruit and protein. I will stay away from bread, pasta and rice. If I need carbs they will come from sweet potatoes, beans and corn.

With the food going in you have to make sure your drinking enough water to flush your body of the fat and toxin. I will be carrying around a gallon of water with me and drinking from it every hour on the hour.

Oh, and lets not forget the 'calories out' part. The best way to build up energy is to sweat! Tomorrow I will start with a good 30 minute workout/run and go up from there.

The first week of getting back on the wagon is the most important. You are going to get headaches (from sugar or caffeine withdrawals), you are gong to crave carbs, you are going to feel tired and slow.... but the important thing is to keep yourself strong in your mind. It is important to flush your body of all the crud. Get past the first week and you will be stronger for the second week. If you stumble, get up fast.

Goal:  155 lbs  

Day... uh... crap.

Yep, its been that kind of week. As you can probably tell by my lack of posts, I have been busy. My new job waitressing has me running around (literally) at all hours of the day. Today started my first night shift and it will hopefully stay that way from here on out. Day shifts are terrible. I hate leaving my kids all day....even though they are with the greatest Aunt and Uncle in the world. :)

So my diet has been on the back burner for the past week. Even though I did weigh in this morning and I was at 177... not bad. At least its hanging around and not climbing higher!

So, it is extremely late. I'm exhausted and already in bed. I will write again soon... I promise!!!

T.

Count Down to Perfection: Day 54 .... Everyone Falls

...........but not everyone gets back up again.

The problem with my new job is that I am going thru  a week of training before I start waiting on tables. I know, sounds like I'm whining... but you don't understand..... they buy us lunch.... not just A lunch....but seven 'dinners'... and we have to taste them all.

Now, I already know where I went wrong yesterday. I misunderstood the word 'taste' for 'inhale'.

When I got home yesterday my head hurt so bad I had to crawl under the covers and go to sleep.. at 4:30. I didn't get any studying done for work.. and this morning I feel bloated and still a little heavy headed. I am really hoping its not a bug.

So, today I will eat right. No carbs, good protein and as many veggies as I can eat. I am going to drink a ton of water (because we have a heat wave going on here and it is H-O-T) and make sure that at the end of today I can say and feel better about myself.

Shoes are on... I'm gone!!

Count Down to Perfection: Day 55... Learning to Say NO Again.

In order to lose the last 20/30 lbs I need to start eating right. Not that I'm eating terrible mind you. Just too many carbs. Bread, rice, pancakes and waffles...etc. Its time to get down to business. Today I will teach myself how to say  n...nnnnn.....nnnnnno......nnnnnnnooooooooooo. NO!!! 

There! That wasn't so hard now, was it? So, why can't I tell myself that. What am I afraid of? I'm not going to throw a temper tantrum like my kids. At least, I hope not!  I'm not going to starve to death... there is plenty of food in this house that I CAN eat instead. So why is it so hard to get back on track to drop weight? 

Granted, dropping weight means not being able to eat everything you want to. (Even though they say you should always allow yourself to eat whatever you want in smaller portions... that just doesn't work for me) So there is a little deprivation involved. But isn't it all worth it in the end? Aren't I giving it up for a good reason? 

Today will be carb free. Lets see how many times I can tell myself NO in one day!! 

On the workout side... I am rocking it!  Running every morning with my sister. Then some martial arts to strengthen up our core and legs! Gotta say, once I've got the food down... I'm gonna drop weight in no time!!! 

Shoes are on... I'm gone!! 

Count Down to Perfection: Day 56

I'm feeling good!!

I'm spotting a lot of things here in NC that I want to do... that I never had access to in the mountains of AZ.... like Zumba, kayaking, hiking, indoor triathlons, rock climbing, white water rafting... and the list goes on.

Once I'm able to save up a little money I will spice up my workouts by adding one of these in on the weekend!!

I'm back to work tomorrow, but I won't let that slow me down. :)

Running shoes are on.... I'm gone!

Count Down to Perfection: Day 58 ... Taking a step back.

If you have been on this journey for as long as I have (3 years for those of you wondering) you forget where you came from. You forget how uncomfortable you were in your clothes. How getting out of a chair was a form of exercise alone. How your breathing could be heard from the next room. .....

Today I was doing laundry. I picked up a t-shirt that I got the other day (super cute with dragonflies) and put it on a hanger. Then it hit me. It was a size medium. I wear a size medium. Not only that but, I am now in a size 10 pants. I wear a size medium shirt and a size 10 pant.....

Three years ago I was wearing a size XXL shirt (preferably maternity) and wearing squeezing into a size 20/22 pant (because I probably should have been wearing a 24)

Losing 50 lbs was a huge deal... but it doesn't actually hit me until I take a step back and look at the difference between now and then.  Seeing the change in the before and after makes me so happy I took that first step. It shows that all those hours of blood, sweat and tears was worth it. That instead of being an unhappy, unhealthy mom of two... I am now a happy, healthy and sexy mom of two.

I may have come a long way already, but I am determined to lose that last 20 lbs so that I can finish this journey and start a new one.

Tomorrow will be another run (its getting easier to breathe), kicks, abs and shoulders.

Count Down to Perfection: Day 59

 

Today is another day

Focus

Focus 

Focus

My workout this morning included a hilly run, 30 push ups, squat holds, ab knees and 'the twist'. 

Food will hold steady and water is already on to a good start. 

Its not too late to join me if you need a little challenge to get you going this summer. 60 Days goes by really fast!! 

Cookies For Breakfast

Have you ever woken up, walked to the kitchen, grabbed the first thing you saw and stuck it in your mouth? Ok, so its not the FIRST thing I see. We actually have a huge bowl of fruit sitting on the counter that you have to walk by just to get into the kitchen. No, for me, I'm actually LOOKING for something unhealthy to eat. It usually ends up being a cookie, piece of bread or anything sweet.

Its not every day that I do this (or I would have never lost a single pound) but it is every once in awhile. I just wake up craving something sweet. This morning it was a handful of trail mix with chocolate chips, caramel and cranberries. Yummy!

Right after eating this I turned the tv on. It was early in the morning so the only things on were paid commercials and reruns of Angel. Anyway, I landed on a BeachBody commercial. Watching before and after pictures, people sweating and working out. It is always motivating to see all those transformations... and it always gets me thinking.. 'Hey, I can do that'.

Then I look back at all the workouts I have done over the last 3 years. Tae Bo, Kick Boxing, Tae Kwon Do, P90X, Running, Swimming, Biking, Yoga, and now Crossfit.... and I'm STILL not there. I still don't have that 'after' picture I want.

Discourage: dishearten, dispirit, abash, afflict, alarm, appall, awe, beat down, bother, break one's heart, bully cast down, chill, confuse, cow, dampen, dash, daunt, deject, demoralize, deprecate, depress, dismay, disparage, distress, droop, frighten, intimidate, irk, overawe, prostrate, repress, scare, throw cold water on, trouble, try, unnerve, vex, weigh, beat, beat down, blue, caved in, come-apart, crestfallen, dashed, daunted, depressed, deterred, dismayed, dispirited, down, down in the mouth, downbeat, downcast, glum, done to pieces, in a funk, in blue funk, in the dumps, lost momentum, pessimistic, sad. 

How hard would it be to bite down, get serious and kick my own ass to lose the last 20 lbs??? 60 days... that's all I need. Anyone else up for the challenge??  If you are, all you have to do is let me know by commenting on this post and then write about it on your blog. TODAY is DAY 60... yes, we are going to do a count down. My goal for the end of the 60 days? 155 lbs. Reach your goal and I may send you a little something!! I have to go sweat off my breakfast now....

Getting back in the swing of things.

The aches and pains are still there this morning. I'm gonna have to try and walk normal today for my first day of work!  Luckily today is just a 4 hour orientation so I don't have to worry about carrying trays of food. I am looking forward to being a waitress again. Its a job that I love doing. There is something about meeting, greeting and serving people that gives me a rush. 

Food is getting better. I know that it takes me a couple of days... and sometimes weeks... to get back into the swing of things, but eventually it all comes together. 

I am SO excited for tonight. I found a Tae Kwon Do studio that is close by and they have invited me and my girls to come and take part in a class. I got my black belt in TKD when I was 16, so the idea of my girls getting involved in it excites me to no end. Tonight they will take the class to see if they will enjoy it.... and I'm hoping they do!!