A Hearty Dose of Motivation!

I've been slacking at my blog posts.  I've had such great motivation outside of the internet world that I forget to share with you!  So let me share!

My last post I said that I was changing things up and oh boy, has it helped!  I've gone back to eating dinner before the gym.  I haven't necessarily been eating more though.  My calorie intake changes from day to day.  I try to stay right around 1100 calories but sometimes jump to 1300 too.  I'm pretty safe between those numbers I believe... and the scales shows it too!

In the past week I've dropped 3 pounds.  I took my measurements two weeks ago, Monday too.  I decided to take them again this past Monday and to my surprise, I had lost a total of 4 inches!  I'm incredibly proud of myself.  Seeing the numbers gives such great motivation.

James and I have been trying to go to the gym every day.  That doesn't always work but on average we're getting there at least 4 times a week.  4 days out of 7 isn't too shabby.  The past couple weeks I did strictly cardio.  30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 on the treadmill.  I'd go probably an average of 4-5 miles in the hour at the gym.

This week I've switched back to doing weights with James and holy crap!  I feel it!  I love feeling my muscles though.  It shows me that I'm actually doing something!  On top of the weights that we've been doing, we've also been throwing in some cardio time.  Usually about 30 minutes.  I stick to the elliptical for my cardio now.  I try to keep my pace up too.  Around a 6 or so for as long as I can manage.  I feel I'm getting stronger and have more endurance.  I did a mile in just over 9 minutes the past two days.  Not to shabby for someone who started this weight loss journey just over 2 months ago (not to mention having a starting weight of 190...).

Wow!  I think that's the first time I've admitted my weight in my blog!  (I will post my measurements in the near future too).  A starting weight of 190.  Today I'm weighing in at 177.    For those of you that don't like math, that's 13 pounds lost!  Yeah, 13 pounds in a 2 and a half month time frame may not seem that great but I will take what I can get!  I'm proud of every pound I've lost and I will continue working hard to see more results! 

 

 I have been ashamed of the number on the scale for so long.  It feels FANTASTIC to finally be in control of that number and to see the number continue to decrease.  I'm not saying that I'm totally confident again because I can assure you, I'm a ways from feeling completely confident about myself but I'm definitely getting there.  When I'm at the gym I find myself thinking about what others think of me.  In my head it's one of two way.  They either think "what is this fatty doing here... she look ridiculous... she isn't doing anything right..." or "good for her.... it's nice to see that she's working on her... more people should be like her..."  I would hope that people choose the latter of the two!  I know that I will always praise those that are overweight for being at the gym!

Here's my challenge for you... If you want to feel better and grow your confidence and belief in yourself... GET OFF THE COUCH AND GO TO THE GYM (or go for a run outside)!  One things that's great to always remember...

Success!!

I've slacked a bit at getting a post up in the past week or so.  I have no reason as to why.  I just haven't.  Shame on me.  Ha!  Despite my lack of blogging in the past week, I had a really good week!  I dropped 2 more pounds.  :)  Totally stoked to finally be headed in the right direction!  I'm now at a total of 10 pounds down.

This is spot on!  Remembering the goal at hand is motivation!

I have noticed a bit more of how my body works, or so I think.  The first month of eating better and working out seemed to be slow going.  It felt like it took my body that time to "warm up", so to speak.  After the first month I feel like I'm noticing more on the scale and finally seeing a difference in how my clothes are fitting.

With my latest successes I've been very motivated to keep up the hard work.  I've been pushing myself at the gym, mostly doing cardio.  I will go about 2.5 miles on the elliptical and then another 2.5 on either the treadmill or stationary bike.  All done within an hour time frame.  It might not seem like much to some but I'm building up my stamina and endurance.  I hope to be able to move from 5 miles in an hour to 8 soon.  Then possibly 10.  We'll see how that goes though.  

I have found a great source of inspiration.  I stumbled across THIS BLOG yesterday, courtesy of Pinterest.  I find this woman to be such a motivator.  I can totally relate to her journey in losing weight and I respect her for her genuine HARD work in losing weight the right way.  I'm pushed to try harder to see more results after reading through her blog.

While reading through the blog, I read and saw first hand results from the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.  After gaining a quick found respect for this blogger, I immediately decided that I wanted to try the 30 Day Shred too.   I text James and asked if he would get it for me.  Being the loving and supportive fiance that he is, he had it for me by the time I got home from work.

After a good hour workout at the gym, I went home to start day 1 of my 30 Day Shred.  I've done Insanity before so I thought this would be cake.  Let me just say that the Jillian kicks your ass!  I thought I sweat it out pretty good at the gym.  I was wrong.  By the time I was done with what I thought was a measly 20 minute workout, I was covered in sweat.  I had sweat dripping from my face just as I did when I did Insanity.

Day 2 will be tonight.  I'm shooting for 5 days of 30 Day Shred a week.  I hope to get some killer results.  I will also be taking some before pictures tonight as well as all of my measurements.  I WILL post those here too.  I've hesitated to do so because of how embarrassed I am by how heavy I have gotten.  No more hiding.  I think that posting the cold hard truths here will help hold me more accountable.

I'm more determined than ever right now to drop some more weight.  I really believe that it's possible for me to drop 10 more pounds (maybe even more) by the end of the month.  20 pounds in 2 1/2 months isn't too shabby in my opinion.  I could possibly even get closer to my original 30 pound goal than I thought!

Sugar vs. Cocaine - Suprisingly Similar!

If you're anything like me, your mentality is "drugs are bad".  I don't even like to be around those who choose to do drugs.  Why would you want to put such fowl things into your body?

In a casual conversation with a friend a couple of weeks ago, I was informed that sugar is just as addictive (if not more so) than cocaine.  I quite possibly think my jaw hit the floor.  I always knew that sugars were bad for you, just never to this extent.  I, of course, did some follow up research and everything that I can find confirms the truth of this statement. 

I have been such an anti-drug "freak" only to come to find out I've been feeding my body what is typically a drug in so many like ways to cocaine.  The difference is, society believes this to be OK.  The US is considered one of the most obese countries but nothing is being done to change that.  They make refined sugars so cheap and easily accessible.  It's no wonder so many people think there's nothing wrong with this slow kind of poison.

Let me take a second to share some key points on the effects of sugar.  I'm sure I haven't even listed everything here.  Just a few that I came across while researching. 

* Sugars don't have fibers, vitamins, proteins or minerals... only empty calories.
* Just one teaspoon can causes a metabolic imbalance. 
* Sugar can decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean)
* Sugar feeds cancer
* Sugar increases cholesterol
* Sugar can weaken eyesight
* Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity
* Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
* Sugar causes food allergies
* Sugar contributes to diabetes
* Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
* Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
* Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
* Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness
* Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against infectious diseases
* Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of bacteria that cause yeast infections
* Sugar contributes to osteoporosis
* Sugars can cause withdrawals, cravings and binging. 
* Sugars can rot teeth and cause gum disease

 Now I'd like to do a comparison with the effects of cocaine.  Take a look at how similar some of these are!  Again, I'm sure there are plenty of other side effects that aren't mentioned here.

* Increasing sense of energy and alertness
* Extremely elevated mood
* Feeling of supremacy

* Irritability

* Paranoia

* Restlessness

* Anxiety

* A cocaine high last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours

* Increases heart rate and blood pressure

* Constricts blood vessels in the brain

* Can cause ulcers

* Possible kidney failure

* Depression and anxiety

* Fatigue

* Difficulty concentrating

* Increased craving for cocaine after extended use

It's hard to believe that something that we have been told is so bad for us has very similar side effects to ingesting sugar!  I've shared this with a few friends, one of which told me of a study that she had read about.  In this study scientists took cocaine and sugar and gave it to rats.  It was said that 90% of the time the rats would go back to the sugars.  Could sugar really be that much more addicting!?

After having this information overload dumped on me,  I started paying more attention to what my body was telling me. Superbowl Sunday is what helped me see sugar in a whole new light.  Let me share my experience.

I think for most normal, red blooded American's, the Superbowl is a chance to chow down on scrumptious food, diet or not.  I was no exception.  I had started my healthy journey a few weeks prior and had made some good progress.  One day wasn't going to make it or break it in my mind.  

I made what may have been my most favorite fudge brownies with semi-sweet chocolate chips, topped in a delicious caramel frosting.  Needless to say, I ate way more than I know I should have.  Sinfully indulging in these brownies took me down a sugar paved road that I don't think I'll ever forget.  Here's why...

After Superbowl Sunday was a thing of the past, I jumped right back on the healthy bandwagon.  Breakfast and lunch as usual.  Come home from work and make dinner.  Almost immediately following dinner the intense sugar craving kicked in.  I was hankering for a sugar fix in a bad way.  Sadly, there were some brownies still left.  "Just a sliver won't hurt."  The next day the same thing happened.  And then the next day too!  Damn you brownies! 

The brownies were finally gone BUT the sugar cravings weren't.  Thank goodness the sweets were finally out of the house.  The cravings continued for the next couple of days and then miraculously vanished.  Sugar out of my system = no more cravings for sweets. 

I've been naughty this week, not too naughty but naughty enough.  I have been having coffee with creamer in the mornings.  A total weakness of mine.  Come next week though, I'm kicking the coffee and creamer.  Not only will I be kicking the coffee and creamer, but also anything that contains refined sugars.  I'm very curious to see the difference it makes in 2 areas: 1. the amount of weight I can lose next week (with the support of a healthy diet and exercise) and 2. to see the sweet cravings vanish!

Motivation Monday!

I am beginning to think and realize that the slumps that I keep hitting are going to be a continual thing.  Maybe my mindset in thinking that everything should go flawlessly has been why I haven't been horribly successful at being healthy before.  Who knows.  What I do know is that I sure am motivated to get my butt in gear this week!

I have also realized that attitude has a lot to do with it.  When I get discouraged with the number on the scale or I let the negative things at work get in my head I have noticed a total drop in my commitment to the things I want to change.  I have decided that I need to start some meditation or some breathing exercises to help me clear my mind.  I have been told that this really helps.  We will see how it works for me.

I came across a workout program that I want to try for the next couple of week, courtesy of my friend Katie and Pinterest.  It can be found it HERE.  I will continue eating like I have been... monitoring my intake and counting calories.  If all goes well I could lose up to 12 pounds and 22 inches.  I'm not counting on anything as dramatic as that though.  I will be happy to see the number on the scale drop even 4 to 5 pounds and have a noticeable difference in the way my pants fit.  I will most definitely be taking my measurements tonight!

I'm ready to take on the week and see some results!  I hope everyone has a great week!

Getting Frustrated

As of today I haven't lost any more weight.  I'm growing a bit frustrated.  I feel that my diet has been pretty spot on and I've been going to the gym at least 3 times a week.  There's gotta be something slightly off.  I just need to figure out what it is.  In the mean time.  I'm trying to keep a positive outlook on things and keep motivated!

I got my BodyMedia armband last week too.  I am super excited to have it.  Its really nice to see how everything stacks up throughout the day.  I have discovered that I sleep pretty horribly though.  I'm sure this could be a contributor to my lack of energy and frustrations.  On average I'm only getting about 5 1/2 hours of sleep a night.  I always thought I slept a lot better than that!  Crazy!  I'm gonna give it another week before I sit and really analyze the data that it's collected.  I'm sure it can give me some insight to what I need to do!

I have been really enjoying the weight lifting that I've been doing at the gym the past couple weeks.  I have noticed my muscles improving.  The pain will all pay off in the end!  I'm so glad I've got James to help show me the ropes.  I don't feel as silly with him there.

Despite all of the frustrations this week, I do know this... I'm going to keep my head up and push through the frustrations.  I WILL lose the weight I don't want to carry around anymore!  I will keep a positive outlook on this and I will conquer!

Motivated!

I'm feeling great this morning.  The number on the scale has been agreeing with me this past week.  There's nothing like actually seeing the numbers go down to give you some much needed motivation!

Start your success with the LIVESTRONG.COM calorie counter.

I finally go to the store and bought my favorite multivitamin last week.  Maybe it's in my head, but I think they help me out a ton.  If nothing else, I'm at least taking a multivitamin.  :)  I'm personally a huge fan of the GNC vitamins for women.  I personally take the Women's Ultra Mega Energy & Metabolism.  Before I miscarried, I also took their prenatal vitamins.  Both were great.  

I'm rather excited for this week.  I've decided to follow James around the gym so I can utilize my time there better.  He know what to do to work each muscle group a lot better than I do.  He's worked out in the past and has done really well.  I still feel like a fish out of water when using the equipment.  I know my muscles are going to be super sore but I'm totally looking forward to it.  I know that building muscle is an important part of weight loss.  This picture shows the different in volume of fat vs. muscle.  I want more muscle than fat!

I'm also exicted for this week because I will be getting an armband from Body Media .  I have done my research and I believe this may end up being the best aid in my weight loss.  I'm getting the Link Armband, which is Bluetooth enabled.

The armband will track everything day in, day out (that includes sleep patterns).  It will then link directly to my iPhone via an app and upload all of my information there.  I will be able to view the data and make what tweaks are needed to my daily routines.  The only thing I will have to do is enter my meals.  I'm super stoked to try this out.  It says that those who have used Body Media have had 3 times more success in weight loss. 

A few other things that are helping encourage me along...

IF THIS ISN'T MOTIVATING, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!

 

SOOOO TRUE!!

I AM STRONG!!

For anyone else out there trying to lose weight, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!  It might not be easy right now but it will all pay off in the end!  Something that I keep reminding myself, THIS ISN'T A DIET!  IT'S A LIFE CHANGE!  You have to realize that you aren't going to go the rest of your life without eating a piece of cake or having a bowl of ice cream.  It's all about moderation.  The sacrifices you're making now are blessing in disguise.  :)

Checking in

This week I'm feeling a little frustrated with my progress.  I just have to keep reminding myself that even though I'm not seeing any result, I'm making a difference.  I came across this the other day and I just have to keep reminding myself...

The number on the scale hasn't changed since my last post.  I have been sticking to healthy eating (less the "cheat" day I had on Sunday... a Buffalo Wild Wings opened here last week and we just couldn't resist).  I have been going to the gym at least every other day.  I not only am doing cardio.  I am also lifting weights.  Maybe the number on the scale hasn't changed because I'm actually putting on some muscle?  I think I'll go with that option so I don't get so frustrated and just want to give up all hope.  ;)

I think this is a good reminder...

Muscle takes up much less space than fat.  Muscle also helps burn more fat.  I'll take more muscle fat any day of the week!  I won't lie though, it's hard work!  My body is sore.  Since I haven't really done anything too horribly active in the past while, it is taking me a few day to get my muscles back to not sore, only to do it all over again.  It's a good kind of hurt though.  I know that I'm doing something and that something good will come of all the pain.

 

I love this!  It is exactly what I have been thinking.  I have hated the way that I look but I'm the only one to blame.  No more excuse, just hard work!  My weight isn't going to hold me back anymore!