Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Stronger

Hey friends!

It's been a great week.  Many interesting challenges have crept up and whacked me in the face.  I, however, persevered.  Let me share my successes with you.

1) I lost 10.5 pounds in the 3 days with the cleanse.  Typically you regain a few after a loss like that.  I did and then lost again.  I'm 10.5 pounds down and its staying down.  Only 49.5 left!!!

2) I ate out 3 times in the last week!!!  Made great choices.  Friday night found a local restaurant has grilled chicken breast and sweet potato!  Next day ate before leaving the house and only ordered grilled chicken strips at Chik-fil-a.  Then Sunday ordered fried chicken and removed the skin/crust and ate that and veggies.  Proving once again that I can be on the run and still lose.  Good thing as I am traveling next week!

3) I've been a cleaning and organizing machine! My house has begun transforming into a home.  We moved in 6 weeks ago, and for 3 of those weeks I had travel while my hubby's job has kept him crazy busy.  Finally starting to put the "me" stamp on my place.  Love my wall colors and excited to see it all come together. We may even get a Christmas tree this weekend!!!

4) I have followed my workout plan to a T.  Let me tell you...this Turbo Fire is NO JOKE.  It has been really tough but fun at the same time.  One day I was scheduled to do a stretching workout for 40 mins.  I was like, stretching for 40 mins?  It ended up being like a pilates/yoga and my body really needed it.  I loooooved it and felt 100% better after it!

5) A very sweet friend delivered fresh chocolate pie after the Christmas parade we missed last week due to my little one being sick (again!).  I didn't eat any!

I'm trying to get enough rest which is easy since we bought an awesome new bed (seriously the BEST thing I ever bought!) and overall feeling much much better than I was just two weeks ago.

Doesn't hurt that my jeans aren't cutting off circulation either...lol

I'm getting stronger - and think that I haven't only gotten back up, I'll be staying up, thank you very much. Feels too good and the accountability of my 90 day challenge team is keeping that thought in the back of my mind...hmmm...do I want to confess this on our Facebook page?

Also, let me give a HUGE shout out to Nathan Trenteseaux, the owner of Underground Fitness Resolution and an awesome fitness and nutrition coach/consultant.  You can visit his website here and check him out.  He's an awesome, helpful, knowledgeable trainer.  If you live in the Gainesville/Alachua area you should totally check out his place and get in his training.  I would if I lived closer! For now I'm pummeling him with questions and information and I am learning a ton.  He also says "yo" alot which you  know I'm all about.  What!!!???!!! Holla!

Hope you all are having a GREAT and SUCCESSFUL week! 

Clara

Thursday, December 6, 2012

We Lose Our Way...We Get Back Up Again!

Welcome back to my Blog. Well, welcome ME back to my blog.  I haven't been here in awhile.  If you've been looking for me and wondered if I was still alive, I am.

Not in the best health of my life, but alive.  Really, my own fault.  I lost my way! 

I have spent some serious time over the last month or two looking over the past year and analyzing what went wrong, and why I lost my way and gained weight back. For reference sake, I must admit I gained 40 pounds back of the 100 I had lost.  Oh how I have dreaded putting that information out there.  But it is my reality and I'm facing it head on.

I really think when I hit the 100 pound down mark, I no longer felt "fat" and I eased up on things.  At first just on my eating...slowly I began easing up on my activity and exercise too.  I was still doing stuff, but not doing it as well or as diligently as I was doing before.

My *biggest* realization has been this:

No matter how "fit" I get, I will HAVE to CONTINUE my healthy lifestyle in order to maintain that fitness.

Can we just take a moment and let that sink in?

It seems logical.  I've posted many times about Mud Mountain...and how I slide a little bit and somehow end up in a pile at the bottom of it.

I also talk about falling off the wagon.  The wagon dragged me along for awhile.  That was me trying to keep a grasp but not living how I needed to live.

Eventually, with the stress of the move, etc., I just simply let go.  And the waggon became a memory.  And my clothes stopped fitting me.  And I cursed myself for giving away all of my bigger clothes as soon as I grew out of a size.

Though that might have been a blessing in disguise as the reality of not being able to wear anything cute hit me square in the face recently.  I was forced to buy a pair of size 14 jeans.  Remember...in March I was sporting size 10s.  Sigh.

I also realized I spent alot of time trying to encourage others.  Which I definitely want to do and plan to, in a more limited way.  I need to spend my time focused completely on my own journey.  And make it all about me again.  So my blog will take on that kind of slant, when I do make time to blog again. Not sure how that will fit into my new schedule.

I began looking for a plan to get me back to where I needed to be.  I've always wanted to try the Turbo Fire workout videos (from beachbody) but never wanted to pay over $100 for them...then they went half off a few weeks ago.  I jumped on it and ordered it.  A beachbody coach I've followed for awhile on Facebook was also starting a little facebook group for a 90 day challenge starting 12/2.  I signed up.  One other facet of the whole thing is drinking a Shakeology shake per day.  Shakeology is pretty expensive but no more than other shake programs out there.  I love that its all natural and decided, what the heck, I'll give it a month.  It won't be a meal replacement for me, but a good healthy snack. This girl likes her real food.

I'm also planning on easing my running back up again.  Two shorter runs during the week (one speedwork, the other just 3-4 miles).  Then one longer run on the weekend. I'd like to get back into half training. But one thing at a time here.  I'm not going to overwhelm myself.

I started the program this week with a 3 day cleanse.  It was very calorie restrictive so I didn't exercise.  I drank 3 shakes a day, a few pieces of fruit and had a salad with chicken or steak for dinner.  I lost 10 pounds.

Of course most of that 10 pounds is water weight. BUT.  It does mean at this point now I've only gained 30 back. That makes me happy.

Now I'm back to eating real food again.  The goal?  Mainly the way I ate before, but I'm tweaking a little bit.  Mostly veggies and some fruit, lean protein like chicken, steak or fish and lots of water.  I'm not giving up carbs completely but I am seeking out alternatives.

Clean eating folks.  That's whats up.

Will keep you all posted on how I'm doing! I truly hope to drop around 30 pounds in this challenge, then continue kicking the gears up until I reach my goal weight of 165.

Thanks for reading and for hanging in there with me.  Please forgive me if you feel I have failed you.  I truly feel I've mainly failed myself. 

But when we lose our way, we get back up again!

Enjoy this song from Toby Mac.  Get Back Up AGAIN!

Hugs,
Clara

You turned away when I looked you in the eye,

And hesitated when I asked if you were alright,
Seems like you're fighting for you life,
But why? oh why?
Wide awake in the middle of your nightmare,
You saw it comin' but it hit you outta no where,
And theres always scars
When you fall back far

We lose our way,
We get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again,
One day you will shine again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever,

Lose our way,
We get back up again,
So get up, get up,
You gonna shine again,
Never too late to get back up again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever

[May be knocked down but not out forever]
You're rolled out at the dawning of the day
Heart racin' as you made you little get away,
It feels like you've been runnin' all your life
But, why? Oh why?

So you've pulled away from the love that wou'd've been there,
You start believin' that your situation's unfair
But there's always scars,
When you fall back far
We lose our way,
We get back up again
Never too late to get back up again,
One day, you gonna shine again,
You may be knocked down but not out forever,

Lose our way, we get back up again,
So get up, get up
You gonna shine again
It's never too late, to get back up again
You may be knocked down, but not out forever,
May be knocked down, but not out forever!

This is love callin', love callin', out to the broken,
This is love callin'.
This is love callin', love callin', out to the broken
This is love callin'.
This is love callin', love callin',
I am so broken
This is love callin' love callin

Lose our way, [way way way ay ay ay]
We get back up, [get back up again]
It's never too late [late late late ate ate ate]
You may be knocked down but not out forever!

Lose our way,
We get back up again,
So get up get up
You gonna shine again
Never too late to get back up again
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever,
This is love [lose our way] callin' love callin' [get back up again]