Let's take a walk back in time

Let’s look back at myself, circa 4/16/2008:




What do I want this week/month in terms of weight loss?

I want to lose, no specific amount, just a loss. – Wow, I had a goal, eh?



What will it take to get this?

Follow program as much as possible (Core)

Watch portion sizes

Pay attention to my Comfort Zone

Rid house of trigger foods

Don’t buy trigger foods

Don’t eat trigger foods in the office

Drink more water

Eat more of the 8 GHG (Good Health Guidelines)

Track as much as I can

Be active as often as I can (cleaning house should do) – Seriously, that’s all I could do then!



Am I willing to do this?

I don’t want to but I don’t want to feel the way I do any longer. I am so unhappy with myself and refuse to allow myself to feel this way any longer. I want to be able to eat the yummy foods that I have been eating lately, but they are not helping me feel yummy about me. So, YES, I am! – Um, yeah. I wasn’t. I kept gaining after this and didn’t start until October 2009. Besides, no good goal or commitment can come from statements such as I am so unhappy with myself and I still want to eat the yummy foods that are making me fat!



What clothes/size do I feel comfortable in? (Simple Abundance question)

Honestly, my goal weight size, which is a 10 (mostly). I feel comfortable when my Gap size 12 jeans are baggy on my butt. These are ripped and I can’t wear them now, but I am keeping them as my goal pants. I like baggy clothes and I want those be in smaller sizes than I am wearing now. I also want to feel good in form fitting clothes.



I feel comfortable in the spring/summer clothes I have. I refuse to buy any more clothes for this year. I do not have the finances and refuse to do it. – Yeah, you guessed it. I bought bigger clothes.



What am I willing to do this week?

Follow Core Plan

Get activity pts via cleaning – Ha! This one makes me laugh every time I see it.

Drink more water

Eat more of the GHG

Not eat trigger foods at work – I still did!

Not buy any trigger foods

Throw away Jelly Belly’s at home



Progress Not Perfection



It’s Never Completely Bleak



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Now, fast forward a couple years to today! Here are some answers to a few of these questions:



Am I willing to do this?



Hell yes! I have committed to losing weight, in a healthy manner and not rushing the process. I now know the things I need to learn in my head to help it stay off this time. Things I didn’t work on before, I know I need to tackle on the way down this time. I have dreams that I am working to make reality, and losing weight and achieving physical and mental health are part of that. I will be a derby girl, and I want to get in shape for that, and for my health and happiness.



What clothes/size do I feel comfortable in? (Simple Abundance question)



I feel good where I am now, but I still want to be able to wear my size 10 Gap jeans again. If I don’t lose another pound, I am happy with who I am at this moment in time.



What will it take to get this?



Drinking water

Exercise (5-6 times per week and varied activity; treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine, weights, yoga, punch-boxing, stability ball, biking, walking)

Eating Gluten Free – and a balanced menu

Being vocal about my needs and goals

Putting myself first (it’s not selfish when it ensures I will be around for my loved ones longer)



It may never be completely bleak, but who wants that as their motto for life? Not this girl!



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I get these weekday emails from an online service, www.tut.com, Notes from the Universe. Today’s message really spoke to me. “xxx, you're the only person who knows what's right for you. The only one. And if you already know what this is, commit to it. If you don't, commit to nothing.”  Only you know,

The Universe



I know what I want. I know what it will take to get it. I am already doing the steps needed, and I want to continue. The foundation is set, the frame is up, the walls are taking shape, now I just need to decorate!



I hope the calendar inspired you last week. I looked at the entry for last Sunday, “stress relief”. I actually had to sit and think what was stressing me in my life. I couldn’t think of anything. Sure, I don’t want to be single all the time, but I am not stressed about that. Sure, I wish my bank account balance was higher and more secure, but I am not stressed about it. I always seem to have enough for what I need. Sure, I wish I could find a home for my foster doggy, but he is making my life beautiful while he is with me, so I am not stressed.



See how well he helps me exercise!  I had 10-15 pounds on my core for an extra workout, and for every crunch (sometimes sit ups) completed on my stability ball, I got a kiss on the nose.  He's such a good personal trainer!

It felt good to not feel any stress. I still got up early to go to the gym. I finally used the Lat Pull machine. I started at 25 pounds. Wasn’t enough. So, I tried 50. Wow, did that feel good! It was a challenge, but I did 15 reps. I am committing to using more of the weight machines and really working on muscle strength and composition! You have my word.



Tomorrow is weigh-in. I will post again later this week. I leave you with a recipe to use up the last of some of the summer veggies. Sadly, it is almost the end of many growing seasons! But, the yummy squashes and apples are coming! And the cool weather veggies will be coming back around.



Cucumber and Black Bean Salad



6 servings

2 points each



2 large or 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved, quartered and chopped

½ bunch cilantro, chopped fine

3 large or 5 small to medium ears corn, cut off cob

1 can black beans (14.5 ozs), drained and rinsed

¼ - 1/3 C fresh squeezed lime juice

Cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

(You can also add in some chopped bell peppers)



Combine and let sit for a little while. Yummy! (you can add some olive or canola oil to this if you like)

Have a great week and remember, Sprout something (seeds or seeds of change)!

Motivation...to exercise!?!

This post is long overdue. Please accept my apologies.




So, it is August 9th. We are in the dog days of summer. Forecast calls for 90’s all week, most likely no matter where you live. The heat is on! I love Glenn Fry. : ) How is your weight loss journey? Is it hot and sweaty like the temps on the mercury? Or is it cool and closed off like the air conditioned house you live in? If it’s cool and closed off, it’s time to get it cranked up as the mercury rises! Last time we discussed change. Today, let’s discuss motivation and exercise. And just to be fun, let’s talk about them together!



Not motivated to exercise? How many times have we said that we just can’t find the drive or desire to work out? If we had a nickel for each time, we’d all be rich! We could afford the surgeries to get us the body we don’t want to work to get. How sad is that? I bet most of us have thought about plastic surgery as a viable option to working out and sweating our way down in inches and pounds. Okay, maybe I’m the only one. Motivation is hard to achieve in the weight loss journey, let alone in developing an exercise regime. When we think of all we need to do to be healthy and at our goal weights, we get overwhelmed. We need to: eat less, exercise more, drink plenty of water, take a daily vitamin, eat enough fruits and veggies, get in enough fiber, get in our healthy oils (fats), watch our protein consumption, cut back on salt…the list goes on and on and on. And for many of us, this is a huge shift in our psyche and daily lives. You have had some time to digest the change discussion of last month. You know that change is constant and that we all go through it. You know it can be hard, and bruising, but that you are better for going through it! So, how can knowing this help you muster motivation?



Here is a link I re-discovered with weight loss motivation ideas: http://www.weight-loss-motivation-program.com/weight-loss-motivation-tips1.html



Now, on to exercise motivation. What keeps you from working out? What is it you don’t like about it? What will it take for you to do it regularly?



Here is an article with 7 good tips on exercise motivation. You even get a couple bonus tips. http://top7business.com/?id=460



Here is a great article on starting a regime: http://zenhabits.net/4-simple-steps-to-start-the-exercise-habit/



And the follow-up to this article: http://zenhabits.net/31-ways-to-motivate-yourself-to-exercise/


While your motivation to exercise may be weak and puny right now, it can grow into a mighty and strong aspect of your daily life. And the good news, so will you be mighty and strong. Set small goals for yourself, but keep an overall big goal in mind. Post your goals where you will see them every day. Maybe post a goal a week on your bathroom mirror or closet door. One great tip I heard a while back is to put goals on the inside of kitchen cabinets. Maybe post a special and truly meaningful quote on the cabinet that keeps all the junk that tempts you the most. You will think twice about eating it, I promise! Track your progress like the above article references. Seeing your number go down and having written proof is a huge motivator. Seeing your exercise minutes go up is a huge motivator to keep going. If you can only do 5 minutes the first time, by the 10th, you will be to 15 or even more or more.


Last Tuesday, I went to my gym. I did the ‘mill and I did some intervals with some jogging. The treadmills were noisy, so I didn’t do much jogging. I was mortified at first because the noise meant I was so heavy. But, I switched mills and the other was noisy too. I realized that the front plastic covers were loose and just jostling too much. I know it wasn’t me. I tried the rowing machine next on a recommendation from a message board friend. The exercise physiologist helped me get started. By 5 minutes, I was done. It was so much work. I kept going. He walked by around 9 mins and 30 secs. I asked him if 10 minutes was good the first time and he nodded. I asked myself, what would Maiden Do? She’s the derby girl that loaned me her skates so I could attempt tryouts, and a huge motivation for me in my journey to becoming a derby girl. That question gave me the answer. I kept going. I finished at 20 minutes! I was so proud of myself.



You never know what you are capable of doing. To some, 20 minutes on the rowing machine may not seem like much. But, for my first time, it was like climbing Everest. Okay, maybe that comparison is slightly exaggerated, but you get the point.



We all have to tap into our inner reserves of strength, power, and confidence. We have to find the person we have always been capable of becoming. We have to try, or we will always fail. To try is to succeed. Which do you want, failure or success?