Day #45: Cheese-Bally"ness" & a Weigh In :)

Hey there kiddos!

Well if you'll remember last week when I weighed in I saw a no loss/no gain which I was pretty stoked about being that my monthly visitor was in town, so this morning I was a bit anxious to see what good ol' Mr. Scale would have to say...

He said Happy Valentines Day- 319!!! That's a 6lb loss!!! I'm kind of counting it as a 3lb loss for last week and 3lbs from this week since I worked out like crazy last week and only once this week (eh-snow) but whatev- I'll take it! That means that so far I have lost 33lbs :) What a great Valentines Day Present!

I think this is rock solid proof that you just can't trust the scale ALL of the time. I mean last week I worked out 5x's and ate well and saw no loss, this week I only worked out once but still ate well and saw a 6lbs loss. Crazy crazy crazy scale.

Well I'm keepin' it short and sweet b/c Sunday's are my busiest days of the week, but before I go I just wanted to share a dorky/cheese-ball moment that happened the other day that I hope despite it's cheesiness you might find somewhat inspirational! Unless you've been hiding under a rock (or perhaps haven't turned on a radio in the last 2 years) then you've probably heard Miley Cyrus' song "The Climb;" well I had heard and sang a long with this song many times but when I heard it come on the radio the other day it was the first time I had heard it since embarking on my weight loss journey and the song just took on a whole new meaning- and I think it actually think the lyrics work pretty well with this past weeks topics of the things that knock us down on our journey to health- haha alright I'm cheezin' myself out now! If you could use a little extra inspiration today, take a listen :)

Day #44: 4 Pitiful Pitfalls: When Life Throws a Curve Ball

Hey loves!

I just wanted to quickly mention something about the I AM WORTH MORE CHALLENGE- while it's totally cool to just skip your own weigh in day (meaning we don't have to all skip the same day) I did think it would be cool if we all posted our post it note covered scales on the same day! Soooo the official day to post the pic of your scale will be MONDAY, FEB 22ND! I can't wait- it will be an empowering moment fo sho.

Alright, on to the 4th installment of what I have deemed the 4 Pitiful Pitfalls: the hurdles that everyone encounters and must overcome in the quest to lose weight for the long term. The 4th Pitiful Pitfall that causes many to give up on their goals is: When Life Throws you a Curve Ball and things get Shaken Up.

If you've been on your journey for at least a month you can't deny that there is definitely a schedule and regiment that plays a part in making you successful. We've all heard the phrase and experienced it's truth: "If fail to plan you're planning to fail." Changing your life takes hard-work and determination and when we finally experience that day when it feels like it isn't becoming AS hard and you may just be getting into a groove with healthy eating and excercise it really is a great feeling; I mean obviously we want to break old habits and make new ones- which requires some sort of consistency.

BUT... then life happens. It would be great if once we found our "groove" if life would just let us do our thing but we all know that isn't realistic. On my 2 previous attempts at losing weight life threw me some curve balls and interrupted the flow that I had gotten myself in and I just gave up because I felt like ... the stars were aligned against me or something! Doesn't this happen to all of us? You've been loving the gym and working out like a beast and then money gets tight and you have to cancel the membership and workout at home and you just feel like giving up. You and your friend have been working out together and holding each other accountable to make it to the gym every morning and then she decides she can't make it anymore and you find yourself slowly slipping away from the gym to. You and your family are selling your home and it just feels like your life is in dissaray with boxes everywhere and you wonder if maybe you should just wait until things "settle down" a bit more until you can give this your full attention. Um... WAKE UP CALL: Things will never settle down and they will always be changing. You can't hang your healthiness hat on some fixed situation because then as soon as that situation gets shifted everything will fall apart.

We have got to learn to adjust our healthy lifestyles within the ever changing context of life. Again, when you've decided that failure is not an option you have no other choice then to react to life's curve balls with a re-evaluation of where you are what you CAN do and then DO IT.

Think about Tricia over at Endurance Isn't Only Physical; this girl has lost over 100lbs and has become this running fanatic training for some pretty amazing races when all of a sudden- boom- she gets a fracture and is can't run for 6 weeks. Now some of us would become SO upset after all of the hardwork we had put in and just give up and eat out of revenge or dissapointment. NOT TRICIA- she took the hand that was given to her and looked at the positivel- while she may not be able to run she found out she could work on weight training something that she had been neglecting. She had a choice whether to just throw in the towl or re-evaluate where she was, looked at what she COULD do, and is doing it.

This week I was completely snowed in and hadn't made it to the gym even once. I was so mad about this and there was a voice in my head saying..." look at you, this is just a start to a downward spiral, blah blah blah". My situation changed, I went from being able to work out 5x's a week to being house bound- but I took it as an opportunity to rest and as soon as I was able to hit the gym for the whole week (last night) my butt was there!

Don't allow this Pitiful Pitfall of life changing to cause you to throw in the towl! When life throws you a curve ball catch it and throw it right back. Failure CANNOT be an option.

Peace and Love!

Day #43: Are YOU up for a Challenge?

Morning lovelies!



This is going to be a quick post b/c I would rather have those of you who haven't gotten a chance to read yesterday's post which talks about the I AM WORTH MORE Challenge that starts next week! Again, if you're up for the challenge then comment on that post and feel free to use the I AM WORTH MORE scale pic as well!



Tomorrow I will be finishing up the 4 Pitiful Pitalls that cause people to give up on their journey and that we all must learn to overcome in order to be successful, which is: When the unexpected happens and life throws you a curve ball.



I now leave you with this: I have had a bag of spinach in my freezer for a while and I figured that since it has been a bit since I've made anything new and yummy that I might as well put the spinach to use! Introducing my version of the Hungry Girl Spinach Dip!

Since I've never actually made spinach anything and I knew that this would be a lite version of this yummy favorite, I was a little nervous about how it would turn out- well... AMAZING is a pretty fair description as to how it turned out!



Here's the "how to":

- 10oz Spinach

- 1/2 cup of light mayo

- 4oz light cream cheese

- 4 tbls of reduced fat parmesan cheese

- 1oz skim or soy milk

- 1tbls minced garlic

- 1/4 cup of non fat sour cream

- 4oz chopped water chestnuts

and viola!



It was just so dang good that I knew I wanted it for dinner but would have felt way too guilty just shoving it into my mouth so... I made a spinach and tomato flat bread pizza!

Peace out lovelies!

Day #42: I AM WORTH MORE.

On to the 3rd installment of the 4 Pitiful Pitalls that people encounter and must overcome to be successful in losing weight and becoming healthy: Impatience and Disapointment with Results.

You don't have to look through too many blogs to find someone who is somewhat stupified and dismayed at their weekly weigh in b/c they excercised all week, ate flawlessly and according to plan, and yet the scale shows little to no change and possibly even a gain! Shoot- you wouldn't have to go any farther than my own blog to find that! A couple of weeks ago I couldn't wait to get on the scale- I had joined the gym that week, worked out 5x's, ate SO well, and what did I see? That I had GAINED 4lbs! Immediately all of the happy feelings and thoughts that I had been having about the changes that I was making just went right down the toilet as if those good choices and sacrificies that I had made all week never even happened because the scale didn't reflect it.

Now we all know that there are a # of reasons that I could have gained 4lbs that week and none of them were that I had gained 4lbs of fat, who knows- it could have been that I had eaten too much sodium, that I was retaining water weight, gaining muscle, blah blah blah. But here is the truth- the scale doesn't lie. It can't. The scale will ALWAYS tell you 100% of the time what it is supposed to tell you- how much you weigh. The scale cannot tell you however what is going on in your body (like the above possible instances I just listed), it cannot tell you how many inches you are losing, how much stronger you are becoming, or even what you will weigh the next day- it is just your weight at one second in your life.

I know that it is easy to feel frusterated with how long it takes to lose weight and become healthy- there are days when I think that 2lbs a week is just too slow! But then I sit back and remember that it has taken me 23 years to put all of the weight on and if it takes me 1 year or 1 1/2 years to take it off then it is worth it to be able to live the 65+ years that I have left here on Earth healthy.

Am I saying that I think we should just say "to heck with the scale" and never look at it again? Um NO! The scale is a great at what it does- tell us how much we weigh- and clearly since one of my goals is to lose weight it is necessary. But it CANNOT, I repeat CANNOT be the SOLE indicator of if we are succeeding or failing on this journey.

But let's be realistic, if we are going to put in the effort that it takes to lose weight, we want to know if we are succeeding or not- that is totally reasonable and I believe necessary if we are going to be able to be successful in the long run. So... what are some other ways that are just as indicating, if not more, of how we are really doing:

- Losing Inches: This is by far the most accurate way to tell if your body is changing. I measure myself 1 time a month.

- How do your clothes fit? Maybe buy a shirt or pair of jeans from Goodwill in a size that you would like to be in in a few months and try them on periodically.

- How do you feel? I have gained a ton of energy since I began getting healthy 3 months ago- I really didn't even realize it though until I stopped and thought about it.

- Set small (non scale related goals) that you can meet each month. Need some ideas? Check out my February goals to the right.

- Progress Pics: Obviously it is awesome to see a physical change.

- Personal Evaluation: I have enjoyed doing a comparison between the way I used to eat to the way I eat now, how I used to handle cravings and how I do now, etc.

Now, I'm not stupid- I know that it is easier said than done when it comes to not allowing the scale to have such a powerful effect on how we feel and I for one have not completely arrived at that place- but I am going to. It is completely assanine for me (or you) to allow all of the empowerment that I feel from working out and making amazing choices to diminish in an instant b/c of a #!

So here is what I propose- and I would love for as many of you who would like to join me on this 1 Week challenge to as well- introducing: the I AM WORTH MORE CHALLENGE!

This challenge is to promote and remind you that while the scale is a tool that can be used on this journey- it does not define your success NOR does it define you! I PROMISE that if you can't love yourself for who you are as person at the weight you are at now, nothing will change when you reach your goal weight- YOU ARE WORTH MORE than what you weigh!

Wanna take the I AM WORTH MORE Challenge? Here's what you'll need to do:

1- Get post it notes.

2- Every day that you do something to take a step toward your goal, write it on the post it note. Some examples might be: I didn't get cheese on my sandwhich, I chose to park at the furthest spot in the parking lot to get in some extra walking, I skipped Starbucks, I worked out today, I ate a healthy breakfast, I read blogs that I know encourage and inspire me. Write down ANYTHING that constitutes a successful decision that shows the change you are making.

3- At the end of each day take the post it notes that you have written your successful steps on and stick them on your scale.

4- At the end of the week (on whatever day you weigh in) your scale should (hopefully!) be completely covered with the good things that you have done for yourself and have gotten you closer to reaching your goal and you shouldn't be able to see the # on the scale at all. You will completely skip your weigh in that week.

5- Post a pic of your scale covered in post it notes to celebrate with the rest of us all of the REAL accomplishments that you made.

When you are standing on the scale looking down you will be looking at all of the decisions that you made this week that should either make you feel proud or let you know that you aren't working hard enough- let it be THOSE decisions- not some # that fluctuates like the dickens, be what allows you to step off the scale with pride.

If you would like to join me in this challenge, just leave a comment letting me know and feel free to either post the I AM WORTH MORE scale pic on your profile if you'de like to.

I'll be starting this challenge on Monday (being that I weigh in on Sundays) and I can't wait to see all that I'll learn this week and to take back the power and "say so" I've allowed the scale to have in determining how I feel about my success.

Who's with me?

***Wondering when to weigh in? There is not 1 specific week or weigh in day that you have to do it. The idea is to miss a full weeks weigh in so whatever that looks like for you is fine. If you want to do it right with me, then I'll be weighing in this Sunday and then skipping my next weigh in (the following Sunday). Hopefully this isn't too confusing! :) ***

Day #41 Continued: A Great Way to End the Day!

So guess what I found outside my door tonight when I got home from work?
A box of AMAZINGNESS from the even MORE AMAZING TJ!
As I mentioned a few days ago I won the giveaway TJ was having and seriously- what a freaking awesome one to win! Check out my loot!
I always love trying new stuff and especially when it is from my favorite place ever Trader Joe's!

Check it out yo!
Thanks TJ- I'll enjoy every last scrumptious goodie- PROMISE! :)

Day #41: 4 Pitiful Pitfalls- Screw the Wagon!

Today I'd like to discuss the 2nd of what I have deemed the 4 Pitiful Pitfalls that cause most people to give up on their goals to lose weight and get fit: The All or Nothing Mentality.

I used to think that people with "perfectionist" personalities were the primary sufferers from this mentality but I am now coming to believe that it is a bit more wide spread. This one Pitfall alone was enough reason to cause me to fail at my 2 prior attempts at losing weight. When I failed before it wasn't because I didn't have enough motivation or the right tools, or even because I didn't want it as much as I want it now- it was because I would inevitably make 1 "bad decision" and then believe that I had completely ruined everything so I would just give up and eat what I wanted the rest of the day- and then if this happened on a Friday it would only make sense to wait till Monday to start again...blah blah blah and the cycle would continue. And this time around, the time I have been successful and will achieve my goal of losing 100lbs in a year, this lovely way of thinking has try to rear it's ugly head many times.

I believe this is because for the most part we really do view our decision to change not as the only new reality of who we are but rather just a kick that we are on and the only thing keeping us on the kick is the good decisions that we make and the moment we give in it is proof that we never have really changed in the first place. We really do live with the "fall off the wagon mentality." But who says we are on a wagon? And why the heck would we pick that metaphor for something that is a lifelong journey and process?

Get rid of that freaking wagon- burn it in your mind. Wagons are for children and horses and hayrides, not for developing a new way of life!

When I say this I am being as serious as I can: I have removed the option of failure for myself on this journey. I'm not saying that as a motivational statement but as a fact. I don't care if for some crazy reason I make a choice one day that I totally wish I could take back- I will not allow 1 bad choice to turn into living another year of my life as an obese person. Failure CANNOT be an option on this journey b/c if it is than sooner or later you will choose it becasue it is easier and this journey is sure to get extremely hard at times.

Again- screw the "wagon." The moment you make a bad decision- own it as just that- a decision, not a mistake- a mistake is something you do on accident. Understand why you did it and make plans so that you don't do it again, then MOVE ON! Do not allow this one Pitiful Pitfall to keep you fat and unhealthy- no one else is expecting perfection so break that expectation and walk in the freedom of being human but also being strong.

We all have overcome the "all or nothing" mentality at one point in our lives- we probably just never really thought about it. Did any of you come walking out of your mother's womb? Uh... I hope not! lol No, at one point we all had a "goal" whether we knew it or not- of wanting to walk.

What if say, in your first 50 attempts at walking when you would fall you had just given up and said, "Nope, I keep falling- it's just too hard." Or what if you had just gotten discouraged because your crawling stage seemed so much longer than everyone else's? I know it's not a flawless analogy but it just shows that if we have never been able to do anything in our lives with complete perfection we shouldn't expect any different in this journey.

So the next time you go to that office party and have those chicken wings you weren't planning on eating, don't just throw the town in and figure that you've blown it so you might as well drink 2 cans of Pepsi- no! own your decision, understand why it happened, plan for the future, and MOVE ON!

Again, hope this helps someone- I know I need to hear it AND I BY NO MEANS and perfect w/ this either- and I don't expect I'll ever be! Perfection really isn't the point anyways- growth is.

Now blow up that dang wagon and keep on crawlin!

Day #40: 4 Pitiful Pitfalls- Stressed?

Last week while reading Foodie's blog, I tried to answer for myself a question that she posed in her post which was: How do you handle stress?

Truthfully as I sat there trying to answer that question I really couldn't come up with an answer for how I handle stress other than that I ... well ... handle it. It's not that my life isn't stressful, oh no no no, it is but the only answer I could come up with is that when I'm feeling completely pushed to my limits stressed I usually just need some alone time where I can recharge and sort things through in my mind.

Ehhh... I was only partially right. This weekend I definitely found out what my true answer to the question of what I do when I'm stressed is: I want to eat carbs.

Seriously, yesterday I hit that level where I was stressed to my max w/ issues with my roomates and this god-forsaken snow and there was a moment around 9:30am where I just felt almost desperate to eat something. It was 9:30! I had just eaten breakfast about 2 hours before and I my snack was at least an hour away and when I truly sat down and asked myself why it was that I felt this urgent need to eat it was because I was freaking stressed out and anxious.

I would not (and still don't) classify myself as an emotional eater- I don't go on binges, nor do I even have the desire to- and this was the first time in the past 3 months that I've felt like my mood was trying to take control over and tear down the decision that I have made for myself to no longer eat like crap. No worries, I didn't give in- there is no going back for me in this.

But it got me thinking- it seems like there are 4 things that are usually contributing factors that lead to people giving up on losing weight and becoming healthy; I call them the 4 Pitiful Pitfalls :)

1- Stress from Other Aspects of Life.
2- An "All or Nothing" Attitude.
3- Impatience and disappointment with results.
4- Life Throwing Curve Balls that Force Us to Re-adjust.

I believe that these 4 things are something we are all going to have to come to terms w/ at some point in our journeys or plain and simple- we won't make it. Take a personal inventory and ask yourself if you've fallen prey to any of these pitfalls during your journey. I call them Pitiful Pitfalls because none of these 4 circumstances can actually stop us from losing weight in reality- they are just pitiful things that trip us up and give us the opportunity to demonstrate the determination that we either have or don't have in regards changing our lives.

For the next 3 days I'm going to address the remaining 3 of these Pitiful Pitfalls so that we can go the distance this year and achieve every goal that we have set for ourselves. We know that these things are real and that they really do cause people to fall down and never get back up again- I can think of at least 3 bloggers that started their journey (and blogs) at the same time I did and now are nowhere to be found; it's sad- b/c on around December 29th of 2010 or so they will re-emerge making yet another New Year's resolution to lose weight. And I just can't live like that anymore- I don't want to live like that.

So on the days that you have just hit your limit and you are feeling stressed to the max- don't turn to food; realize that it is nothing but a pitiful pitfall that is knocking you back 100 steps and isn't really helping you de-stress anyways. Instead, find ways that help you to destress that won't completely sabotage you and leave you more stressed in the long run! Think about how you will feel after making that bad food decision and ask yourself if that will really change the stressful situation at all?

Some de-stressing suggestions:
- Take a Nap
- Take a Breather (even if it's just going into the bathroom, closing your eyes, and counting to ten).
- Get outside for some fresh air.
- Work out (I never work out harder than when I am mad- take it out on Mr. T!)
- Gain perspective; a lot of times we get so caught up and focused on these problems that we don't realize just how small and truly insignificant they are. Take a moment to zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
- Talk w/ a friend- sometimes we just need someone to validate our feelings and reasons for being stressed. This is exactly what I did yesterday- I was so stressed and instead of going home and inhaling food like I wanted to do I met a friend for dinner at Panera, ate a 400 cal dinner, shared my frusterations, and left feeling like I could handle the stressful situations.

Don't allow the decisions or craziness or ignorance of someone else to take control over the decisions that you make for yourself- you hold the power to change, don't give it away to someone who doesn't give a rip.

Hope these tips/thoughts help someone- I want this December 31st, 2010 to be not only one of the best days of my life but of yours as well!

Peace and Love!