So I'm blogging on my lunch break - I never do this, but I have a plan to be in bed by 9pm tonight. I've gone to bed at 10pm or later the past 3 nights which has made it harder to wake up and work out and even harder to get to work on time. It throws everything off. SO. Tonight is 9pm. I don't care if the dog is still awake. I won't be.
I'm 60% done with this jumpstart plan!!!
Day 3 is going well! Just finished my amazing spinach salad. I love love love it. It will likely become a staple. I'm feeling really good. Rode 10 miles on my exercise bike this morning while watching last night's Biggest Loser on hulu.com (no cable). I just love that show, it is so inspiring. Those women are making me see myself in the future where they are - and I totally see how attainable my goals are.
I debated on whether or not to post this, but today I'm down another 2 pounds - got on the scale just to see, not officially weigh in and I was surprised though I thought I noticed a slight difference in my waistline. The reason I debated is this - *results not typical.* I don't want any of my blog followers to stop what they are doing if they are seeing success to do this. Because it is a short term metabolism boost and should only be reserved for plateaus. I have not lost 4 pounds in a week since my first week in August 2009 when I began this journey. And who knows how the week will shake out - I may gain again by the end of the week. So, please pay attention to this disclaimer - this is not something that everyone even should do. But I am glad to say it seems to be working for me and the purpose was to jump start my weight loss again. I needed a recharge!
While it is working for me, the hard work actually begins when this ends. I can gain every bit of it back if I go on a free-for-all come Saturday and beyond. But I am aware of this and planning on NOT letting that happen. And I'm encouraged that I should hit 90 pounds down very soon (I'm at 195.6 so just .6 away!) and I'm that much closer to 100 pounds lost!
Man, I can't wait to write that blog post...the 100 pound party.
When I started this journey it was soooo far away I couldn't even imagine the feeling. Now I have butterflies just thinking about how it will happen and trying to decide how we will celebrate. This year. Maybe even in the next few months. WOW!!!
So there it is - an update, a disclaimer and a hopeful prophecy.
See you on Day 4!
~Clara
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Day 2 Jumpstart...
I made it through Day 2! Yeah!
It wasn't terribly hard today. Experienced a bit of nausea but that could very well be related to the week and the moon if you know what I mean. Overall I feel good and I managed to avoid eating ANY ice cream at the ice cream social we had at work this afternoon for employee appreciation week.
I had a good run this morning, had limited time due to getting out later than normal but it was good nonetheless. I drank half of my banana smoothie before going out and the other half when I got back. Perfection!
One variance today was that I added a tablespoon of light ranch dressing to my wrap at dinner. It was a nice addition, but I could easily just add salsa and be fine.
Another slight variance is I was dying for something sweet tonight after dinner. I made the family raspberry/peach/banana smoothies and I had half a cup of one. (like literally half a cup). I'm sure that won't kill me...
It sure was challenging making yummy spaghetti for my family and not eating any - so while their noodles cooked I ate my wrap. We all kind of ate all over the place tonight and it worked out ok so I didn't have to watch anyone eat the yummy spaghetti. :) I'm not crazy over spaghetti, but just like any mentality, when you "can't" have it man, you want it that much more! No matter what it actually is. I have found myself craving strange things that I never really wanted but as SOON as I said "I can't have that" there was a spotlight on it and it began speaking to me.
This is the reason that dieting doesn't work. I'm not averse to doing a cleanse like this one...because it only lasts 5 days! I could never do something like this long term. But I have a specific purpose and reason in mind. And after this week my healthy eating lifestyle will feel so much freer than this eating plan this week.
I have scaled down my exercise just a tad as well. I can tell I have a little less energy than I had (again may have to do with the moon) and given my calories are around 1200 I just can't burn 4000 this week. I am shooting for 3000 though.
I don't plan on any kind of crazy eating free for all come Saturday. I plan to ease back into my eating plan, up my calories again by a few hundred, and then up my activity again as well.
So I am 40% done with this challenge and I feel really good.
Oh - and the best part? This morning I was down 2 pounds from last Tuesday. I'm sure some of that is water weight since I only had 1 day going on the jumpstart plan, so I'm encouraged that the rest of this week will yield good results.
195 here I come!
~Clara
It wasn't terribly hard today. Experienced a bit of nausea but that could very well be related to the week and the moon if you know what I mean. Overall I feel good and I managed to avoid eating ANY ice cream at the ice cream social we had at work this afternoon for employee appreciation week.
I had a good run this morning, had limited time due to getting out later than normal but it was good nonetheless. I drank half of my banana smoothie before going out and the other half when I got back. Perfection!
One variance today was that I added a tablespoon of light ranch dressing to my wrap at dinner. It was a nice addition, but I could easily just add salsa and be fine.
Another slight variance is I was dying for something sweet tonight after dinner. I made the family raspberry/peach/banana smoothies and I had half a cup of one. (like literally half a cup). I'm sure that won't kill me...
It sure was challenging making yummy spaghetti for my family and not eating any - so while their noodles cooked I ate my wrap. We all kind of ate all over the place tonight and it worked out ok so I didn't have to watch anyone eat the yummy spaghetti. :) I'm not crazy over spaghetti, but just like any mentality, when you "can't" have it man, you want it that much more! No matter what it actually is. I have found myself craving strange things that I never really wanted but as SOON as I said "I can't have that" there was a spotlight on it and it began speaking to me.
This is the reason that dieting doesn't work. I'm not averse to doing a cleanse like this one...because it only lasts 5 days! I could never do something like this long term. But I have a specific purpose and reason in mind. And after this week my healthy eating lifestyle will feel so much freer than this eating plan this week.
I have scaled down my exercise just a tad as well. I can tell I have a little less energy than I had (again may have to do with the moon) and given my calories are around 1200 I just can't burn 4000 this week. I am shooting for 3000 though.
I don't plan on any kind of crazy eating free for all come Saturday. I plan to ease back into my eating plan, up my calories again by a few hundred, and then up my activity again as well.
So I am 40% done with this challenge and I feel really good.
Oh - and the best part? This morning I was down 2 pounds from last Tuesday. I'm sure some of that is water weight since I only had 1 day going on the jumpstart plan, so I'm encouraged that the rest of this week will yield good results.
195 here I come!
~Clara
Monday, May 16, 2011
Day 1 Jumpstart...And We're OFF!
So today I began my 5 day Jumpstart...I'm calling it that, it isn't actually named that. I think the name is 5 day healthy cleanse that I found in my Health magazine. Anyway, I'm hoping it will jump start my metabolism that has been slow as molasses this past few months. Getting me on my way to losing this last pesky 30 pounds.
It's funny to say that my "last 30 pounds" is pesky when that is more than alot of people want to lose. But given I've lost about 85, I'd say 30 can qualify as pesky at this point.
My day started with probably the best smoothie I've ever tasted - and I'm not just trying to be Miss Positivity here - it was divine. And HUGE. I plan to drink half of tomorrow's before going out for my run.
Lunch was also scrumptious. The goat cheese and pecans really complimented my spinach salad and the homemade pomegranate dressing is definitely a keeper! I was very satisfied. (missing the polenta croutons they want you to make - might add those later in the week if I can find polenta!)
Snack was also really good - the plain greek yogurt mixed with rolled oats and honey (the recipe called for a few teaspoons of honey, but I put about 2 tablespoons - it needed it!).
Finally, dinner was a black bean and chicken whole wheat wrap with tomatoes and brown rice. I needed avocado but didn't have time to get to the store - will try to do that tomorrow on my lunch break. I stuffed the wrap with spinach. It would have tasted better with some light sour cream and salsa but I'm out of both so I went with it plain. It tasted really really good. Maybe because I was starving by then!
I drank 3 water bottles (24 oz each) full of the green tea (no sweetener or sugar). I actually like the taste - remember I drink plain water all the time (drank about 3 bottles full of that too - also 24 oz each). I think my eyeballs are floating officially with 144 oz of liquid but that definitely helps with the flushing effect.
I was really hoping I would not bonk during Zumba tonight but a little concerned since my eating was different. Not only did I not bonk, I felt great. And can't wait to get up and run in the morning! And have another one of those awesome banana smoothies. I'm already thinking about what other kind of smoothie I can make once I'm done with this cleanse.
So I'm 20% done! I feel cleaner already. HA! Really, I feel good and am excited to see how this week plays out.
More tomorrow!
~Clara
It's funny to say that my "last 30 pounds" is pesky when that is more than alot of people want to lose. But given I've lost about 85, I'd say 30 can qualify as pesky at this point.
My day started with probably the best smoothie I've ever tasted - and I'm not just trying to be Miss Positivity here - it was divine. And HUGE. I plan to drink half of tomorrow's before going out for my run.
Lunch was also scrumptious. The goat cheese and pecans really complimented my spinach salad and the homemade pomegranate dressing is definitely a keeper! I was very satisfied. (missing the polenta croutons they want you to make - might add those later in the week if I can find polenta!)
Snack was also really good - the plain greek yogurt mixed with rolled oats and honey (the recipe called for a few teaspoons of honey, but I put about 2 tablespoons - it needed it!).
Finally, dinner was a black bean and chicken whole wheat wrap with tomatoes and brown rice. I needed avocado but didn't have time to get to the store - will try to do that tomorrow on my lunch break. I stuffed the wrap with spinach. It would have tasted better with some light sour cream and salsa but I'm out of both so I went with it plain. It tasted really really good. Maybe because I was starving by then!
I drank 3 water bottles (24 oz each) full of the green tea (no sweetener or sugar). I actually like the taste - remember I drink plain water all the time (drank about 3 bottles full of that too - also 24 oz each). I think my eyeballs are floating officially with 144 oz of liquid but that definitely helps with the flushing effect.
I was really hoping I would not bonk during Zumba tonight but a little concerned since my eating was different. Not only did I not bonk, I felt great. And can't wait to get up and run in the morning! And have another one of those awesome banana smoothies. I'm already thinking about what other kind of smoothie I can make once I'm done with this cleanse.
So I'm 20% done! I feel cleaner already. HA! Really, I feel good and am excited to see how this week plays out.
More tomorrow!
~Clara
Sunday, May 15, 2011
5 Day Jumpstart
May is halfway through and wow, it truly feels like it has flown by. I've been at my new job for 6 weeks...and I have lost less than 4 pounds in two months.
SO. Time to change something up. Time to do something drastic.
Not starve myself or take laxatives drastic.
Not cut out all happy foods drastic.
I'm goal oriented. Not crazy. :)
So instead I'm going to do a 5-day food cleanse. It should help flush my system of the impurities I've probably built up growing a bit lax with my eating over the past few months. And it should jump start my metabolism into the right direction. Operative term being *should.*
***Note*** I did do a different kind of cleanse with "all natural vitamins" last year that almost ended with me in the ER. It was going well and you're supposed to increase the dosage as you go along, but the day I took 6 pills I think my body was already empty. Talk about PAIN. Never again for me...
Anyway, back to it...
I found the cleanse in my monthly issue of Health magazine. I searched their website and could not find it completely spelled out to put a link here, so I'll give you the main components of it below. If it works well I'll republish it with exact measurements and recipes.
Breakfast: Banana Smoothie (1 banana, milk and ice blended together).
Lunch: Spinach salad with goat cheese, pecans and pomegranate dressing (pomegranate juice, olive oil and dijon mustard)
Snack: plain Greek yogurt with rolled oats and honey.
Dinner: black bean, chicken and avocado whole grain wrap with brown rice, tomatoes and shredded carrot.
Drink: 2 quarts of green tea each day (adding sliced lemon, lime and orange). I plan to drink this along with my normal water intake.
The funny thing is I would eat any of these things independently (and love the salad dressing recipe btw). So this isn't going to be too terribly tough for me this week. I'm sure by Friday I will be "over it" but I do tend to eat the same things at least for breakfasts, lunches and snacks. It is dinner time that will be hard.
I've already figured out what Stephen and Elizabeth will eat for dinner this week. I'm making spaghetti one night (already have the sauce frozen), that should last them two nights, then there are leftover grilled hotdogs (all beef) from tonight, and Stephen will make hamburgers for them another night, as well as breakfast for dinner on that last night.
So I spent some time this afternoon preparing my meals for the week except the banana smoothie. I plan to make that fresh every morning - but I had to buy a blender today as I did not own one! (I know - gasp!). I'm excited about being able to make smoothies and hope to continue that trend with summer approaching.
Back to my prep - we grilled the chicken, diced it, and I cooked the brown rice (2 batches because I burned the first batch in the microwave - not sure how, because I am following the instructions - its crazy!), drained the black beans and diced tomatoes, then combined it all with the recommended seasonings. Also got my salads together for 4 of the 5 days. Tuesday I have a lunch date but fortunately I picked the restaurant this time and it has a salad VERY similar to the one I will be eating each day. Then I put together my greek yogurt combo and am just hoping I don't rush off to work and forget my lunch one day.
I'm preparing to get picked on tomorrow when I don't order lunch out (we have a day long meeting once a month and have lunch catered in) but I don't care.
Reminds me of one of Dave Ramsey's mottos - "Live like no one else so you can live like no one else."
My healthy lifestyle has had to be different from everyone else. Mainly because many people eat unhealthily - and not necessarily on purpose, they just might not know better.
And I haven't allowed that to derail me up to this point.
I can do just about anything for 5 days. So while this might have me a little grumpy, I'm hoping to see the jump start on my weight loss that I'd like. I weighed in at 199.6 the other day, a few pounds up from my low of 196.4. I'd like to get down to 195 with this cleanse, which happens to be taking place the week I normally lose a chunk anyway. SO, that should be attainable.
We'll see! I'll be checking in to let you know how I'm doing. I will probably need to be blogging every day this week to keep myself from my marshmallows and dark chocolate.
I am excited!!!!! Can you tell???
Talk to you soon.
~Clara
SO. Time to change something up. Time to do something drastic.
Not starve myself or take laxatives drastic.
Not cut out all happy foods drastic.
I'm goal oriented. Not crazy. :)
So instead I'm going to do a 5-day food cleanse. It should help flush my system of the impurities I've probably built up growing a bit lax with my eating over the past few months. And it should jump start my metabolism into the right direction. Operative term being *should.*
***Note*** I did do a different kind of cleanse with "all natural vitamins" last year that almost ended with me in the ER. It was going well and you're supposed to increase the dosage as you go along, but the day I took 6 pills I think my body was already empty. Talk about PAIN. Never again for me...
Anyway, back to it...
I found the cleanse in my monthly issue of Health magazine. I searched their website and could not find it completely spelled out to put a link here, so I'll give you the main components of it below. If it works well I'll republish it with exact measurements and recipes.
Breakfast: Banana Smoothie (1 banana, milk and ice blended together).
Lunch: Spinach salad with goat cheese, pecans and pomegranate dressing (pomegranate juice, olive oil and dijon mustard)
Snack: plain Greek yogurt with rolled oats and honey.
Dinner: black bean, chicken and avocado whole grain wrap with brown rice, tomatoes and shredded carrot.
Drink: 2 quarts of green tea each day (adding sliced lemon, lime and orange). I plan to drink this along with my normal water intake.
The funny thing is I would eat any of these things independently (and love the salad dressing recipe btw). So this isn't going to be too terribly tough for me this week. I'm sure by Friday I will be "over it" but I do tend to eat the same things at least for breakfasts, lunches and snacks. It is dinner time that will be hard.
I've already figured out what Stephen and Elizabeth will eat for dinner this week. I'm making spaghetti one night (already have the sauce frozen), that should last them two nights, then there are leftover grilled hotdogs (all beef) from tonight, and Stephen will make hamburgers for them another night, as well as breakfast for dinner on that last night.
So I spent some time this afternoon preparing my meals for the week except the banana smoothie. I plan to make that fresh every morning - but I had to buy a blender today as I did not own one! (I know - gasp!). I'm excited about being able to make smoothies and hope to continue that trend with summer approaching.
Back to my prep - we grilled the chicken, diced it, and I cooked the brown rice (2 batches because I burned the first batch in the microwave - not sure how, because I am following the instructions - its crazy!), drained the black beans and diced tomatoes, then combined it all with the recommended seasonings. Also got my salads together for 4 of the 5 days. Tuesday I have a lunch date but fortunately I picked the restaurant this time and it has a salad VERY similar to the one I will be eating each day. Then I put together my greek yogurt combo and am just hoping I don't rush off to work and forget my lunch one day.
I'm preparing to get picked on tomorrow when I don't order lunch out (we have a day long meeting once a month and have lunch catered in) but I don't care.
Reminds me of one of Dave Ramsey's mottos - "Live like no one else so you can live like no one else."
My healthy lifestyle has had to be different from everyone else. Mainly because many people eat unhealthily - and not necessarily on purpose, they just might not know better.
And I haven't allowed that to derail me up to this point.
I can do just about anything for 5 days. So while this might have me a little grumpy, I'm hoping to see the jump start on my weight loss that I'd like. I weighed in at 199.6 the other day, a few pounds up from my low of 196.4. I'd like to get down to 195 with this cleanse, which happens to be taking place the week I normally lose a chunk anyway. SO, that should be attainable.
We'll see! I'll be checking in to let you know how I'm doing. I will probably need to be blogging every day this week to keep myself from my marshmallows and dark chocolate.
I am excited!!!!! Can you tell???
Talk to you soon.
~Clara
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Re-Calibrate That
Just like a car, every now and then our minds and outlooks need a tune up. Things need to be calibrated, adjusted, and sometimes even repaired or replaced.
If I hadn't been making these adjustments or repairs along the way I would never have made it this far.
It's like over time, your mind (engine) gets clogged up and cloudy. Unable to function the same way it has been throughout your journey. Slowly becoming out of touch with what keeps you running. I've come to realize that I need regular maintenance in order to continue losing weight successfully.
And so here I am again.
In the shop.
Had a few days of travel for work and in several situations had extremely limited food choices. This resulted in a torrid but brief affair with white flour, cookies and a milkshake. I can't blame the milkshake on the travel. But I have found one bad choice usually leads to another, then another, then another.
Same with good choices. One good choice leads to another, then another, then another.
So today I'm getting a tune up on my food choices and recalibrating my food rules. Here are the main rules that have made me successful:
1) Only eat whole grains. No white bread, pasta or anything made with white bleached flour. I way prefer wheat anyway.
2) Only eat desserts you love. No dessert unless I really really want to try it...and then it needs to be a small serving. No reason to try all these new and different cakes, cookies, etc., that I know I won't really enjoy.
3) Make each calorie count. Eat foods that will be used for fuel - with my crazy workout schedule I need that fuel to make it through. Empty calories do nothing for my body or my workouts. Before I eat it, ask myself, will this help or hinder me?
4) Eat mindfully. It's so easy to just eat mindlessly. Eating should be a conscious effort...and just as conscious a decision.
5) Limited or NO processed foods. Avoid foods that have ingredients that I can't pronounce without assistance. Enough said...
6) Be picky! It is completely OK to be picky about food. Not "I'll only eat bacon" picky but I am not going to waste calories on foods I don't like or aren't good for me. I'm going to turn my nose up at greasy food, white bread, processed food and desserts I don't love. If I offend someone...oh well. It's not about them. THIS...this is about me. If they love me they will understand. Right? Right.
So there it is - routine maintenance on my food mindset. I feel like I've cleaned the slate. Publishing it seems to help me make it happen when I need a tune up.
Here's to moving in the right direction once again. Refreshed. Rejuvenated. Unstoppable.
I am once again a force to be reckoned with.
I dare you white flour. Just try me.
~Clara
If I hadn't been making these adjustments or repairs along the way I would never have made it this far.
It's like over time, your mind (engine) gets clogged up and cloudy. Unable to function the same way it has been throughout your journey. Slowly becoming out of touch with what keeps you running. I've come to realize that I need regular maintenance in order to continue losing weight successfully.
And so here I am again.
In the shop.
Had a few days of travel for work and in several situations had extremely limited food choices. This resulted in a torrid but brief affair with white flour, cookies and a milkshake. I can't blame the milkshake on the travel. But I have found one bad choice usually leads to another, then another, then another.
Same with good choices. One good choice leads to another, then another, then another.
So today I'm getting a tune up on my food choices and recalibrating my food rules. Here are the main rules that have made me successful:
1) Only eat whole grains. No white bread, pasta or anything made with white bleached flour. I way prefer wheat anyway.
2) Only eat desserts you love. No dessert unless I really really want to try it...and then it needs to be a small serving. No reason to try all these new and different cakes, cookies, etc., that I know I won't really enjoy.
3) Make each calorie count. Eat foods that will be used for fuel - with my crazy workout schedule I need that fuel to make it through. Empty calories do nothing for my body or my workouts. Before I eat it, ask myself, will this help or hinder me?
4) Eat mindfully. It's so easy to just eat mindlessly. Eating should be a conscious effort...and just as conscious a decision.
5) Limited or NO processed foods. Avoid foods that have ingredients that I can't pronounce without assistance. Enough said...
6) Be picky! It is completely OK to be picky about food. Not "I'll only eat bacon" picky but I am not going to waste calories on foods I don't like or aren't good for me. I'm going to turn my nose up at greasy food, white bread, processed food and desserts I don't love. If I offend someone...oh well. It's not about them. THIS...this is about me. If they love me they will understand. Right? Right.
So there it is - routine maintenance on my food mindset. I feel like I've cleaned the slate. Publishing it seems to help me make it happen when I need a tune up.
Here's to moving in the right direction once again. Refreshed. Rejuvenated. Unstoppable.
I am once again a force to be reckoned with.
I dare you white flour. Just try me.
~Clara
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Simple Logic = Desired Results
So this past week I have sort of lost my mojo. "What???" you exclaim. How is this possible?
I'll tell you how. LIFE! LACK OF PLANNING! LACK OF CONFIDENCE! LACK OF MOJO! {yes, I'm yelling, but in a 'frustrated at myself' way, not at you, ok? ok}
And it is incredible to me that even 20 months and almost 90 pounds lost into my journey to better health I struggle just like anyone else. It's not at all that I think I'm above it. I've pondered this for awhile this week. And thinking through this really taught me something.
There is no end to this race. There really isn't a finish line. I mean, there are major celebrations along the way. Like the first 20 pounds...then 50 pounds down, then reaching Onederland once again...but even when I hit 100 pounds down {soon, ahem} I still won't have "arrived."
Even when I hit my goal weight of 160 (exactly 37 pounds from here) I still will not have "arrived."
And I am learning to be OK with that.
Because I didn't become the girl in the purple shirt overnight. {see my before picture below} And it was continuous unhealthy behavior that got me there.
So the only thing that will KEEP me from ever being that girl again is continuous healthy behavior.
Wow, I kill me with all of this logic.
But why is it so hard, when really it sounds so simple? Chew on that calorie-free logic.
I, we, everyone - we must stop over-complicating healthy choices. At the end of the day it is about making the best choices to achieve your goals.
If you are at a red light and turning left will get you to your destination about 2 miles sooner, why in the world do you turn right?
When shopping for a specific recipe, would you purposely choose the wrong ingredient?
If you need a black sweater for your teal glitter dress, what would possess you to purchase a bright orange and purple polka-dotted one?
My point in this rant is to show you, and remind ME that it is all about making the choices that will lead you to your goals, every day. It is the every day small choices that make huge changes in your health in the long run.
The choice to exercise. The choice to eat healthy most of the time. The choice to NOT get seconds at the church dinner. The choice to drink water. The choice to get enough sleep.
Plain and SIMPLE.
Now I'm off to do my food reporting on SparkPeople for the day to see what I have left for dinner. And I'm going to make the choices that will allow me to finish in range. Then I'm going to be sure my menu plan and lunch plan is ready for the week. And then I'm going to document the exercise/calories I plan to burn each day in my phone with annoying reminders. Mapping it all out.
And I'm going to make the best choices I can this week.
The ones that will lead me TO my goal and not AWAY from it.
Because that girl in the purple shirt, left side of this picture, was not happy with herself. She became physically nauseated when she saw this picture for the first time. As you can see I've changed a great deal on the outside...but I've also changed on the inside too. I never want to be her again. And I don't plan to.
Who's with me?
~Clara
PS - new goal to be at 100 pounds lost (13 pounds from now) by June 15th. This is a stretch for me but I'm giving it a try!
I'll tell you how. LIFE! LACK OF PLANNING! LACK OF CONFIDENCE! LACK OF MOJO! {yes, I'm yelling, but in a 'frustrated at myself' way, not at you, ok? ok}
And it is incredible to me that even 20 months and almost 90 pounds lost into my journey to better health I struggle just like anyone else. It's not at all that I think I'm above it. I've pondered this for awhile this week. And thinking through this really taught me something.
There is no end to this race. There really isn't a finish line. I mean, there are major celebrations along the way. Like the first 20 pounds...then 50 pounds down, then reaching Onederland once again...but even when I hit 100 pounds down {soon, ahem} I still won't have "arrived."
Even when I hit my goal weight of 160 (exactly 37 pounds from here) I still will not have "arrived."
And I am learning to be OK with that.
Because I didn't become the girl in the purple shirt overnight. {see my before picture below} And it was continuous unhealthy behavior that got me there.
So the only thing that will KEEP me from ever being that girl again is continuous healthy behavior.
Wow, I kill me with all of this logic.
But why is it so hard, when really it sounds so simple? Chew on that calorie-free logic.
I, we, everyone - we must stop over-complicating healthy choices. At the end of the day it is about making the best choices to achieve your goals.
If you are at a red light and turning left will get you to your destination about 2 miles sooner, why in the world do you turn right?
When shopping for a specific recipe, would you purposely choose the wrong ingredient?
If you need a black sweater for your teal glitter dress, what would possess you to purchase a bright orange and purple polka-dotted one?
My point in this rant is to show you, and remind ME that it is all about making the choices that will lead you to your goals, every day. It is the every day small choices that make huge changes in your health in the long run.
The choice to exercise. The choice to eat healthy most of the time. The choice to NOT get seconds at the church dinner. The choice to drink water. The choice to get enough sleep.
Plain and SIMPLE.
Now I'm off to do my food reporting on SparkPeople for the day to see what I have left for dinner. And I'm going to make the choices that will allow me to finish in range. Then I'm going to be sure my menu plan and lunch plan is ready for the week. And then I'm going to document the exercise/calories I plan to burn each day in my phone with annoying reminders. Mapping it all out.
And I'm going to make the best choices I can this week.
The ones that will lead me TO my goal and not AWAY from it.
Because that girl in the purple shirt, left side of this picture, was not happy with herself. She became physically nauseated when she saw this picture for the first time. As you can see I've changed a great deal on the outside...but I've also changed on the inside too. I never want to be her again. And I don't plan to.
Who's with me?
~Clara
PS - new goal to be at 100 pounds lost (13 pounds from now) by June 15th. This is a stretch for me but I'm giving it a try!
Monday, April 25, 2011
O Happy Day!
So last night I noticed something.
I've really been focusing on my arms lately, as they seem to be holding about 10 of the 30 pounds I have left to lose. I've worked on them alot and hoped. Stared at them in the mirror. Wished the pounds could just disappear overnight.
And I can tell there is some progress being made but nothing really convinced me until....
I found my armpits again.
I know that sounds really weird, even funny. But I looked in the mirror when I had my hands on my hips and realized - GASP - I have an armpit again! It's not like I didn't have underarms when I was 285 pounds. But I did not have an actual PIT I had fat stored there. Meaning a concave almost hole under my arm. I could probably hide money in there now! (ew but you catch my drift).
No, I won't post a picture of that, you will just have to believe me.
But its these little things that really make this journey worth the effort.
I've hit somewhat of a plateau at 89 pounds down. I know the root of the issue; my eating needs to be reigned in a little bit. I stay within my range...but my range is so broad I know I don't need to eat the max every night.
As I get smaller it is harder to stay on task. My exercise isn't lacking...but I definitely find myself eating treats more than I should. I'm blaming some of that on having given up chocolate for 6 weeks. So, I ate other weird things in its place. Now that I have my daily dose of dark chocolate back, and I'm over the 24 hour love-binge-fest, I'm ready to get back on plan.
Just in case any of you think I've completely figured it all out, please know I am still constantly tweaking. Tweaking my eating, my food choices, my exercise and activity. Tweaking my mindset to help me stay on track.
I just recently added Tae Bo back in once a week. I also bought a recumbent exercise bike and I'm LOVING adding that in (as are my legs!). I have a new Wednesday night tradition of riding 10 miles while watching the Biggest Loser.
I think variety is what keeps me interested.
I also fit into a dress this weekend that I bought last October and could not zip up past - you guessed it - my armpits (well really chest but we're going with my newfound armpits, ok?) It was awesome on Easter to wear a beautiful dress that I had hoped would fit by Easter but hadn't planned on it for sure. :) Gotta love that.
So I'll leave you with this picture of the last minute super lucky Easter dress.
Know what I see in this picture? PROGRESS!
~Clara
I've really been focusing on my arms lately, as they seem to be holding about 10 of the 30 pounds I have left to lose. I've worked on them alot and hoped. Stared at them in the mirror. Wished the pounds could just disappear overnight.
And I can tell there is some progress being made but nothing really convinced me until....
I found my armpits again.
I know that sounds really weird, even funny. But I looked in the mirror when I had my hands on my hips and realized - GASP - I have an armpit again! It's not like I didn't have underarms when I was 285 pounds. But I did not have an actual PIT I had fat stored there. Meaning a concave almost hole under my arm. I could probably hide money in there now! (ew but you catch my drift).
No, I won't post a picture of that, you will just have to believe me.
But its these little things that really make this journey worth the effort.
I've hit somewhat of a plateau at 89 pounds down. I know the root of the issue; my eating needs to be reigned in a little bit. I stay within my range...but my range is so broad I know I don't need to eat the max every night.
As I get smaller it is harder to stay on task. My exercise isn't lacking...but I definitely find myself eating treats more than I should. I'm blaming some of that on having given up chocolate for 6 weeks. So, I ate other weird things in its place. Now that I have my daily dose of dark chocolate back, and I'm over the 24 hour love-binge-fest, I'm ready to get back on plan.
Just in case any of you think I've completely figured it all out, please know I am still constantly tweaking. Tweaking my eating, my food choices, my exercise and activity. Tweaking my mindset to help me stay on track.
I just recently added Tae Bo back in once a week. I also bought a recumbent exercise bike and I'm LOVING adding that in (as are my legs!). I have a new Wednesday night tradition of riding 10 miles while watching the Biggest Loser.
I think variety is what keeps me interested.
I also fit into a dress this weekend that I bought last October and could not zip up past - you guessed it - my armpits (well really chest but we're going with my newfound armpits, ok?) It was awesome on Easter to wear a beautiful dress that I had hoped would fit by Easter but hadn't planned on it for sure. :) Gotta love that.
So I'll leave you with this picture of the last minute super lucky Easter dress.
Know what I see in this picture? PROGRESS!
~Clara
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