Tribulation or Celebration

This evening I had a revelation!

I have been upset since injuring my back a couple weeks ago and had to take a huge step back in my workout routine and also increased my stress eating (regrettably). My weight loss challenge at the Y ends in a little over a week and I have about 6 more pounds to lose. I've been beating myself up over it for awhile and then had a light bulb moment today.

Here I am trying to not lose my $50 and to make my goal weight when I have SOO many more important things that I could be celebrating! I have never been in this good of shape, I feel great (other than a few aches and pains), I fit into clothes that I never imagined wearing. I went from XL to S and 14 to 4, so why am I still struggling to embrace my success? Why do I have to keep pushing myself to the next level?

I believe it's completely based on fear. I am terrified that if I don't continue to reach for the next goal that I will revert to prior habits and slowly, but surely, gain every ounce back and return to every unhealthy habit. How can I get past this overwhelming trepidation? 

The answer has been calling to me for the past two weeks.... giving it to God. In the past two weeks I have been to Mass several times and read scripture with my fifth graders as well as some on my own. I always listen for meaning and heard several times words of fasting and having inner strength. I still hold strong that those words were for me but today I also reflected and realized that He's been trying to tell me to give all my worries up to Him. Not an easy task, but I've decided that I need to try my best and allow myself to revel in this success knowing that I have been on this path long enough that I have created habits that will not be easily broken. 

I will keep my goal weight but will not stress about trying to get there in the next week. This month and a half has been rough, unforeseen circumstances that were out of my control. I have learned that this journey is not a sprint, it's a marathon and I am in it for the long haul. I will NOT stress about possibly/ probably failing this weight loss challenge but, instead, will be grateful that it allowed me to take another step into my future of a healthier lifestyle.

For now, I give my worries to God and will enjoy the weekend with my beautiful, healthy family! 

When's the last time you were actually hungry?

When's the last time you had actual hunger pains?

I feel that many of us tell ourselves that we are hungry because we are creatures of habit. We wake up and are set on auto pilot. Most of us eat our meals at fairly consistent times, which is definitely not a bad thing. Most of us snack during the day as well to keep hunger at bay. My question, does our hunger need to stay at bay?

I understand the idea of not allowing yourself to get famished and thus binge but, a member at a recent weight watchers meeting said something that really struck me. She mentioned that after starting weight watchers she was reminded what it felt like to be hungry. She didn't mean it in a negative way but in the sense that she had constantly been feeding herself prior. It was very profound to me as I am doing a fast/ cleanse currently (for the second time- see my post in August), and I DO know what it feels like to be hungry. This made me think about how, in the past, I don't know if I could count the number of times I ate because I was really hungry AND only ate to feed the hunger with nutritious foods. 

Our bodies were not meant to be garbage disposals, what we eat is meant to provide us with fuel and nutrition to help us and not reward ourselves. Another great thought, we eat to live not live to eat. We need to be aware of our body, the signals it gives and work on our will power muscles. I think it's okay to be hungry sometimes, to feel the signal our body is meant to give us to tell us it's time to refuel. Allowing that hunger and then resisting the urge to overfill with copious amounts of unhealthy foods will force that will power muscle to thrive. 

Take the challenge but plan ahead. Know that you are going to wait to be hungry but have a healthy snack waiting (portioned out) and absolutely no junk food nearby. I am finishing up this three day fast/ cleanse and know that when I did it a few months ago, I decided to reward myself (like a dog) with treats the next day and the next day after that... Not this time, this time I have learned from the past three days that it's okay to feel hunger, I do feel satisfied by refueling with vegetables and fruits, I enjoy green tea and unsweetened iced tea, I need to drink WAY more water, and I found a awesome new salad that I love!

Have a blessed week!

Plan of Action

I'm pretty sure my givadamn is broke. Between severe back pain, the medicine I am taking to counter the pain, and the inability to get a quality workout I have thrown myself an epic pity party including 5 pounds of chocolate, well, not really... but it feels like it since I did gain that much over the past few days. What really torks me off is that it's all my own fault. I am the one that hurt my back and then, instead of altering my diet to counter my decreasing workout schedule, I upped my chocolate. Arg... I am so angry and I have 3 weeks until the end of my weight loss challenge group. I really need to amp up my efforts, like an elite athlete training for the Olympics or something.

Sorry, had to vent. I feel a little better, just need to get my back in tip top shape and then I can start working out a little smarter. I know that my pain is from bad sleep in combination with moving a heavy desk and sitting on the floor playing with a cute little two year old for hours last weekend.

My three week plan of attack:

Step One: Follow a 3 Day Refresh
Step Two: Load up on fruits & veggies (at least 7 servings a day)
Step Three: Drastically decrease dairy & carb intake
Step Four: Increase my water intake to 12 cups a day or more
Step Five: Workout every day but only as much as the body & time allow (no overdoing anything but at least walking some everyday).
Step Six: Get at least 7 hours of sleep per night
Step Seven: 30 minutes of Yoga three times
Step Eight: Refrain from drinking all pop and alcoholic beverages
Step Nine: Submit a blog post twice a week to hold myself accountable and encourage all others on this journey.

I know that's a lot of steps but I feel very optimistic about it. If you need encouragement or advice please feel free to comment below, facebook message me, or email (katidid04@hotmail.com).

Be Part of the 8%

I have been teaching different aerobic classes once a week for the past month and have noticed a disheartening trend, less and less of the new faces are attending class. After teaching class last night I decided to look up the statistics on how long new year's resolutions typically hold out. The numbers are not too bad to start with 75% making it through the first week of their resolutions, 64% through the first month, and 46% past 6 months. However, the percentage that are successful at achieving their resolution is a staggering 8%. (Statistic Brain)

Contrary to many sources which claim that it takes a mere 21 days to create a new habit, other research has shown that it can ranch from 18 - 254 days. A more realistic average is about 66 days. What does this mean? It means DON'T LOSE FAITH!!! Maybe you worked your butt off the first week and slowly returned to your pre-resolution habits? Or you pushed yourself and made it all the way through a program or a cleanse and feel that you "earned" a reward day that turned into a few days and then a couple weeks, etc. If this sounds like something you are doing, STOP, re-evaluate, believe in yourself, and move forward without dwelling on past mistakes.

What are other ways can you ensure a spot in the elite 8% success rate? Today a friend shared a blog that, in my opinion, hit the nail right on the head. It's title "The brutally honest 6 reasons you are still overfat" tells it all. Although it has some vulgar language, the message holds true. A couple of the points really struck a cord with me. Knowing whether someone is going to be successful based on if they own up to their failures or if they blame everything on others. I've been there, done that and completely understand that if you can't accept that you are in charge of your decisions and can say NO you will not succeed. You CAN say no to treats at work and you CAN pre plan for busy days to ensure you aren't going through the drive through for a quick, unhealthy meal. Stop blaming others and circumstances, pull up your big girl panties and take control!

The author, Coach Taylor, also talks about how the definition of a treat has become so skewed. When I was growing up we had homemade meals around the dinner table and had fast food only a handful of times per year. Now a days, fast food has become a main stay in many households because of busy schedules. Pop, candy, chips, etc. also used to be a special treat that we had for special occasions such as Halloween, Valentine's Day, Fourth of July, etc. and not something that was a staple in everyone's pantry. I'm not pointing fingers because I'd be throwing rocks at glass houses. This article was such an eye opener for me that I hope others will see it as a motivator to either stay the course of improving their lifestyles in healthy ways or they will begin their journey to healthy living. 

Remember, YOU are in charge of your success, don't make excuses! Be resolved to continue your transformation into a healthier you and be part of that 8%.

Struggling to listen to my body

I have been training hard and eating well but apparently too much so. I was so very proud of myself last week Monday when I weighed in for my newest challenge group at the Y. I was down nearly 6 pounds and only 7 pounds from my goal. I am very sad to report that not only did I allow myself to over celebrate my son's birthday week and a visit to my parent's house. It wouldn't have been so bad but I have been babying my right bicep tendinitis from overuse and then, while running on Friday, I suddenly had a very painful lower left abdominal muscle. It hurts when I run, jog, climb stairs, twist, etc. 

Everything I have read says that I have over exercised or used improper form. I had signs; my bicep tendon started hurting a few weeks prior, my side has been hurting on and off when I've been running, however, I never felt that I was overextending myself. In fact, other than the few tender spots, my energy level has gone up and I've felt so much better.

This leaves me in a very uncomfortable position, in unfamiliar territory. I want to train, to run, to weight lift. I have taken a break for the last couple days but my side is still very tender and I know I need to re evaluate how I am going to face this week. Because of the damage I did with my diet over the past couple days, I know that being overly careful with my diet will not be enough. I also know that I need to teach on Wednesday. Keeping this in mind, my goal is to find a way to exercise safely this week. I have to find a way to not cause anymore damage but to burn some extra calories.

Those readers that were hoping for some cooking updates, no worries! Although I have gotten side tracked with my little injury pity party, I will be adding in my cooking adventures soon. :)

Striving to be "normal"

Many opportunities have arisen this past week. I will elaborate more when things are more concrete but I will say that it has motivated me to push myself a little harder. I am going to start a separate page on my blog dedicated to my new ambition, healthy cooking. As my friends and family know, I am not a cook. I can cook and do on occasion, however, I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful husband that enjoys cooking. My goal is to start researching healthy recipes with less processed food and to blog about my experiences and recipes... the ups and downs. My goals are to not only continue to fuel my own body with healthy foods but also my family's.

The upcoming changes involve me being more of a role model and helping others reach their health goals. In this sense, I'm grateful for this week and my four pound weight loss. I was looking up the BMI to see how close I am to my goal and realized that the range for my height is 111 lbs. through 150 lbs. I'll be honest, I cannot articulate how excited I am to be considered in the "normal" range. It's a little defeating to think that my ultimate goal of 140 lbs (which is sooo very close) is not actually in the middle of that spectrum. I know, I know... I should be happy and elated and I've worked so hard and I have muscle.. yada yada yada... I just think of others that are struggling and how long it has taken me to get here... I guess my real question is, how many people are actually in the normal BMI range?!?

I know that my senior year of high school I went on a crazy dumb diet and lost a bunch of weight super unhealthily and was in my BMI range. I also see some naturally thin people that I know are within the range... but realistically, I think many people are in the overweight range. According to Everyday Health over SIXTY percent of American adults are considered overweight or obese. What an eye opener! I also read an article by the CDC and have to say, although it is frustrating to realize that I am close, I need to push a little further to know I'm well within my normal & healthy weight range. The CDC mentions that adults that are overweight or obese are at an increased risk for the following:

• Hypertension
• Dyslipidemia (for example, high LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides)
• Type 2 diabetes
• Coronary heart disease
• Stroke
• Gallbladder disease
• Osteoarthritis
• Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
• Some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon)
• 
  

SCARY!! But the silver lining is that weight is something that we can overcome and control/ maintain unlike other causes of diseases (i.e. genetics). Healthy life style changes are extremely difficult since it is very much mind over matter, but it can be done! Those of you struggling or just starting out, you do NOT have to do it alone. There are many tools, groups, people that range from free to very expensive that can help in your journey.

Like I've mentioned many times before, prayer, Weight Watchers, the YMCA, my fitbit, and myfitnesspal.com have all helped me. Later this week I'll compile a list of others that may be able to help those of us seeking assistance!

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. everyone!

Struggle and Success

Happy Saturday!

This week was full of high stress and ended with elated joy. The great tundra of South Dakota, in which I call home, was more arctic feeling than normal. The below zero temps and return to school meant indoor recesses and the feeling of cabin fever. Despite the harsh conditions, I stuck to my guns and recorded every bite that I ate on my weight watcher's app and on myfitnesspal.com. I worked out every day and was even blessed enough to teach my first cycling/tabata class.

Yesterday I was very frustrated as I stepped on the scale and it revealed I had gained weight despite all of my efforts. Many negative thoughts crossed my mind; Should I give up?  Are all my efforts in vein? Have I reached a point in which I cannot lose anymore? Why try so hard if nothing is going to change? Is it worth it?  Does anyone even care or read this anymore? Should they? Needless to say I am constantly looking at the worst case scenario and need to work staying positive.

I also struggled emotionally this week due to our family's four year battle to sell our home in Aberdeen. We are so close to selling it to a lady that has been renting but keep running into snags. When it comes down to it, we will have lost a considerable amount of money but we are getting closer to having a huge weight lifted off our shoulders.

My hard work did, however, pay off. This week was definitely a lesson in patience and perseverance. I did finally make my lifetime membership status at Weight Watchers and cannot express the relief and elation I feel. I also think of my year long journey to a healthier me and the four year journey toward selling our house and know that it's God's doing. He has shown that only through tribulation can you experience joy and comfort in overcoming obstacles.

To those of you working hard for a goal, weight loss or otherwise, remember that there are no quick fixes and that success is journey not a destination.

WW Lifetime Member

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