So NOW what do you do?

I threw down the challenge to lose ten pounds about two weeks ago, right?  I've been drinking water, watching what I eat, working out, and guess what!!  No weight loss in two weeks. None. I've been consistently keeping my caloric intake around 1500-1600 calories, working out, drinking water, and there were no results.

"But Tami, you've been trying so hard!" Yes, but I haven't been hitting it as hard as I could. I haven't eliminated all of my "bad foods" from my eating plan; I haven't drank 80+ ounces of water today. I'm pretty happy with my workout frequency,  but I can see now that I haven't been giving it the fore-thought or attention it needs, either. I've been going through the motions, and it was evident on the scale this morning.  My focus has not been where it needs to be. 

I am not surprised by this at all, actually.  There are so many things you can do halfheartedly and skate by, but weight loss isn't one of them, and I know that!  I know I can't eat sweets right now, and I've done it anyway. I know where I need to keep my heart rate, and I've been blowing right past my fat-burn zone into conditioning mode.  I know I need at least 80 ounces of water a day to keep myself well hydrated, and I've been settling for 50-60.  I know this stuff like the back of my hand. And yet, I didn't give it everything I had.  It's time to shift out of neutral and into drive.  No more coasting, no more letting time pass me by. No more self-defeating...  It's time to engage. 

Tonight, instead of running for 30 minutes (which jacks my heart rate up outside of my fat-burn zone), I ran 1.5 miles and went to the exercise bike and pulled 4.5 miles in. 
#1- I kept my heart rate in the fat burn zone.
#2- I switched up my routine.
#3- I chose the bike for max calorie burn for my time. (out of the treadmill, elliptical, and bike, the bike is a better choice for max calorie burn.)
#4- I increased my workout time slightly. 
#5- I still got my "fix" for running and conditioning. Win/win!


If this was you, what would you do?  If you are continuing to do the same thing over and over again and getting no results, are you going to stick with the same routine and hope that maybe NEXT time it will work?  How much more time will you waste on that which isn't working for you? 

You're worth it; you deserve it; you want it, now GO GET IT!!

One Day at a Time

Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

The quote above was my signature line on my email account for a long time.  I absolutely love it because it reminds me to not stand in my own way.  It reminds me not to be lazy or complacent with my goals. I don't want to be "good enough."  I don't want to be average or normal.  I don't want to skate by or settle because it was easier.  I don't want my days to be tolerated or my life to be lived without effort's evidence popping out on my forehead.  I want to show up at Heaven's gates with sweat dripping, muscles burning, gasping for air, and give St. Peter a knuckle bump as he screams, "Tami, that WAS AWESOME!!!" 

I want to work toward my goals with such an intensity that it is almost intoxicating to be around me. I want to help motivate people the way others have motivated me. I don't feel I was put on this journey by accident; I believe I was placed on this path with the idea that #1- I would not only succeed but excel, and #2- to share my experiences with others and offer strength and hope when needed.  I cannot tell you how awesome it feels to think God thinks I'm that cool.  :) 

For me, it's all about the mind-set.  It's all about making a commitment to myself for better days ahead.  If I say to you, "Well, I'll try to babysit your kids Friday night."  That's not a commitment.  That's not yes or no, therefore that is not plan-worthy.  That's tentative.   As I said on Facebook tonight, (yeah, I'm 'one of those people' lol) "I've found most of my battles are fought on my own land. To say "I'm going to try" leaves me open to fail. "I am losing weight; I am quitting a nasty habit (smoking)." As ye speak so shall it be. I'm standing firm on my commitments ...'Do or do not; there is no try.' "


I encourage you to write ten things you wish/hope for right now.  Big or little- "silly" or serious.
"I wish for financial security."
"I hope to lose ten pounds."

Then look at your list again and reword it.

"I wish for financial security." Change that to "I am working toward financial security."
"I hope to lose ten pounds." Change that to "I am working on losing ten pounds."

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN, 

and the wisdom to know the difference.

How do you get to be 84 years old?  One day at a time, my friends.  Because let's face it; no matter what you do in the next 24 hours, those 24 hours are still going to pass.  It's up to you to determine how you're going to experience them.  Be bold; be courageous today.  Let's rock!

Discipline Easy? Ha!

I don't have a lot of self-discipline by nature. I don't! I trick myself into doing what I want to do.  Have you ever heard of the ego, the super ego, and the id?  (Freud's explanation of the three parts of our psyche. Look it up; it's interesting.)  Well I tend to be stuck in id mode...instant gratification, impatient, something-shiny-syndrome at its finest. Why wait when the future begins RIGHT NOW? Let's go, let's go, let's go!  I'm the kind of gal you want on your team when you need results ASAP. As for the how or the details? Leave that to someone else...I'm your action girl.  Bring it on.  I get these ideas and WHOO HOO, I'm off and running. I don't know how I'm going to accomplish all of this in one 24-hour span of time, but who cares, HA-HA!  I've had my coffee, and I'm on a mission. And then comes the enacting of said plan.  Ooooh.  So there has to be some...planning involved? Ew. Boring! Yawn! Blech.  Total soul killer...the word "plan."

So, back to the discipline...I have to literally bribe myself sometimes and even TRICK myself.  Tonight, I was at the gym. I'd already done 3 miles on the bike in 10 minutes for my warm up, and I was determined to run for 30 minutes straight.  So I'm plugging right along, and that little voice in my head crept in... "You already did 3 miles on the bike, and you've run for 12 minutes. Back off, girl! You did good! Now just slow down and coast."  Instantly, I felt like I couldn't breathe, my side was hurting, I felt that "need" to stop and (as I saw it) fail.  About that time, one of the young ladies I coached on my ball team a few years ago rounded the corner at the gym.  So, I asked her to go get me a towel.  I covered the monitor of my treadmill so I couldn't see how far or long I had been running.  Once I removed that from my immediate sight, I was able to put my focus back on my breathing and finished the 30 minutes. 

Here's another trick I use when I'm working out and feel like 'I can't go another minute.'  I find a really fun song on my MP3 player and turn my attention to that.  Before I know it, I've ran another 5 minutes without stopping. So, then, I find another song... There are nights when I would rather be watching ants cross the street than working out, and I might spend my entire workout dragging my butt through kicking and screaming.  Other nights, I can't keep up with myself!  It's the nights that are difficult that you need to make sure you have your tools to keep you moving. And that takes discipline.

Lastly, I have been known to Facebook or text friends while working out on a machine.  Just hearing other people say "Good job, I'm proud of you! Keep it up! Way to go!" kick-starts me and helps me dig deeper when I'm not in the mood. 

So, I have the same demons to face as you.  I have cravings, I have down days, I have pity parties... and I also know what it takes for me to win at this game.  I've already won; I'm in overtime, now, baby, going for the kill!  And you!!  You are bigger, better, and stronger than you ever imagined already.  Dig deep in yourself and find that sass.  You'll be amazed at what one sincere grin and positive statement in the mirror will do for you.  Go ahead...try it.  Walk up to the mirror, give yourself a good sassy grin, and say, "Man, I'm hot!"  And feel free to giggle.  I do- every time!  :)

Staying Motivated

I don't have much time, here, but one question I get asked all the time is how I stay so motivated.  It's very easy. I don't ever want to feel the way I did physically when my "start" pictures were snapped, and I don't ever want to feel the shock and disgust with myself when I actually SAW myself as I was in those pictures.  Physically, I hurt all over! My back hurt, my hips hurt, my knees hurt, my feet hurt.... over 100 extra pounds on a 5'4" frame is not a good thing, y'all!  So, when I started this thing, it had nothing to do with vanity. It was strictly a rescue mission from a life lived with pain. When I saw the pictures, it all snapped together.  "That's WHY I hurt all the time."  Since I am a big weenie and hate being in pain, I was almost relieved because I knew there was something I could do to alleviate my discomfort.  So I got busy. 

Staying motivated:  #1-the key is taking this thing one day at a time. 
Divide your journey into small increments.  Give yourself "easily" attainable goals.  If 10 pounds is to much to comprehend, then go with 5 first.
Build up some confidence in yourself!  If you're like I was, you lost the ability to trust and believe in yourself a long time ago. 
DO NOT WEIGH EVERY DAY.  Once a week, y'all...once a week!  I weigh every Wednesday morning. 
Find someone to share this journey with you. Many of you are using me right now, and I am truly honored and humbled by that!  I'm more than happy to hold your hand and walk beside you! And know that no subject or question is off limits.  Like I've said before- been there/done that; so don't feel bad if you have to call and sob because you had a binge fest or after all of your work, the scale didn't budge.  Progress is our goal.  And even if you're weight doesn't shift in the next week or two, know that you are making excellet progress in your lifestyle. 

As for me, today??  I'm wearing my goal jeans. Size 12 baby!  And now?  Oh the places we'll go!  LET'S ROLL!!

Day Two: We're on a Roll!

It takes 21 days to make a habit.  We're on day two already!  Isn't this exciting?  This was a tougher day for me than most, but I did a really good job.  I have a lot of stressors coming at me all at once right now, and I caught myself being bombarded with cravings today.  I wanted to eat like there was no tomorrow, binge like every cookie was made just for me, and salivate until I embarrassed myself.  Yeah, it was like that today.  But, I did a good job. I drank water and chewed gum, and when I discovered I truly was hungry, I had a light afternoon snack. I bet not even ten minutes had passed, though, and here came more cravings.  Sometimes they are so INTENSE!  So, I did some deep breathing and tried to get to the root of what was making me want to eat.  I was angry and frustrated by something I couldn't figure out at work- both are big triggers for my emotional eating.

It's so important to encompass your "why" factor in with your eating plan and exercise program.  Sometimes I catch myself floating in the kitchen looking for something to eat and have no idea why I'm in there.  So I ask myself some questions: when was the last time I ate? If it's been 3-4 hours, then yeah, I'm probably hungry.  If it was an hour earlier?  I might need to drink some water or take a look at myself. Am I lonely? Angry? Sleepy? Those are my three biggest triggers. What are yours? When you find yourself heading for your comfort food, what need/emotion are you trying to soothe or escape? Give this some thought. Maybe journal about it a little so you'll be prepared the next time your trigger gets flipped.

Today, I ate almost 1600 calories and burned almost 500 between mowing the yard and vacuuming the house.  Tomorrow, I hope to get in a  real workout. I ran Monday night and HOLY CRAP are my quads sore. Whew!  The last two nights have been devoted to yard work, which, by the way, STILL COUNTS as activity.  (Anyone who thinks their heart rate doesn't get up there when they push-mow a big yard is out of their mind. LOL)  I am very proud of myself for updating my daily plate, drinking my water, getting some exercise, updating my blog, and being kind to myself.  Oh, and I'm also day two- smoke free! :)

I'm so proud of you for all you've done! I have heard some awesome feedback from many of you, and it's truly amazing the power people have when the decision to make life improvements is made and acted upon.  Hang with me, OK?  The next 8-9 days are going to be tougher and trickier.  But I promise you, for me, it's been worth every battle.  You can do this!

Your mission tomorrow:  Try to get your heart rate up for 20 minutes.  Get it in the "fat-burning" or "calorie burning" zone. If you are unfamiliar with the different target zones during workouts, let me know and I'll go over it.  Basically it's like this.  If you aren't getting your heart rate up high enough, your workouts will merely be for the sake of maintaining your current weight.  If your heart rate is too high, you will go into "conditioning mode" which is more for athletes who train for marathons or play sports for hours on end.  They're building muscle and endurance.  We need that middle ground.  (My target heart rate is 148-150 for at least 30-45 minutes.)


So tomorrow when you get up or get home from work, go straight to your room and get dressed to the shoes.  If dinner has to be delayed by 30 minutes, so be it.  Do something nice for yourself!

Calories and Food Choices

I know I told y'all not to make big changes all at once, but I feel it's important to share with you that I'm actually working two journeys right now simultaneously and for good reason.  I made the commitment to drop ten pounds yesterday, and at the same time, I have quit smoking.  (Feel free to cheer. Yay!)  I need to do these at the same time, though, because I am SCARED TO DEATH of gaining weight when I quit.  The last time I quit, I gained 30 pounds, and I will not tolerate that!  So, there.  Now that's off my chest and we can move on. 

OK- so baby steps.  Today was day one: Did anyone get overwhelmed?  If so, think about why.  Did you try to make too many changes in one day? Are you feeling deprived in your eating plan? (To all of you newbies...I do NOT say the "D" word... To many, Diet= punishment, but we are in control; therefore, we have an eating plan.) Did you put too much pressure on yourself?  If so, here's some GREAT news! A new day starts in about one hour.  So "forgetaboutit."  Start fresh with a new day.  If you are satisfied with how your day went, AWESOME JOB!  I'm proud of you! :-) 

Am I the only one who finds examining my eating plan similar to dissecting a crime scene?  When I find a new food I really enjoy and want to incorporate into my eating plan, I love to look it up...just that moment of anticipation, "Oh is this going to be good or bad?"  I enjoy gaining more knowledge and insight to how to properly fuel my body and get more "bang for my buck".  Imagine how excited I was to find a sandwich at Picklemans that didn't blow my diet!  (Grilled Mozarella Cheese on Wheat= 351 calories. Sometimes I add turkey which kicks it up to a little over 400.)   For someone like me who enjoys going out to eat, I can tell you now: Do your homework!  If you know you're going to Ruby Tuesdays for dinner tonight, Google "Ruby Tuesdays calorie count" or go to their website and look over the nutritional value in advance. Then you don't have to fly by the seat of your pants, you'll know what the smart choices are and be a little more relaxed.

Become familiar with your eating plan.  Today, my meals were similar to yesterday, but I increased my caloric intake and came in just a hair below 1400 calories. I burned approximately 441 calories while mowing tonight, and after looking at my percentages on The Daily Plate, I really need to start focusing more on the sodium levels in foods.  This is the second day in a row I've blown WAY over the top of the recommended daily allowance.(Oh, speaking of which... for those of you who don't like to cook or don't have time and like to supplement with frozen dinners, a word of caution... they may be low in calories, but keep your eyes on the sodium levels.  It's astounding.)

If you like your 3:00 chocolaty goodness, and if it will make you feel like less of a human if you can't have it, then I encourage you to look them up. For example: 4 Baby Ruth Mini's is only 200 calories. SCORE!! So only eat two! If you like ice cream, take a look at the fudge bars that are only 100 calories per bar.  Still feeling like you have to eat celery and raisins for the next 12 weeks?  :)  I'm telling ya, a little research, a lot of attention, and the willingness to act is a powerful thing. If you are the kind of person that can limit yourself, then build that 100-200 calorie treat into your meal plan. 

One more hint for you "fully leaded soda drinkers".  Don't forget to count the calories in your beverages.  If you drink 3 cans of Coke a day, you just lost 420 calories out of your goal.  Mountain Dew drinkers: one 20 ounce bottle is 290 calories. Beware the hidden calories in your diet!

OK, CSI Agents! Let's see what kind of shocking evidence we can unfold and look for alternative choices.  I hope you found your water bottle and tennis shoes today. For those of you who journal, this might be a good time to write a few reasons why you want to begin this journey again.  If you forget what you're fighting for, the battle has already been lost.  

Back in the Saddle, Again!

I have gone back and forth on whether or not I wanted to keep going on my weight loss journey after reaching my goal weight.  Down 60 pounds, I feel pretty darn good in many ways right now!  I conquered an obstacle I'd been trying to beat for 15 years.  That is an amazing feeling. But, alas, I am eyeballing the extra cushion around my waist and hips pretty hard-core these days.  I threw down a challenge today and already have several folks who are willing to take off ten pounds with me.  You don't have to do what I'm doing; find something that works for you!  This works for me.  (Please keep in mind that I have been my own lab rat for nearly 15 years. I have tried everything under the stars... Weight Watchers, Atkins Diet, South Beach, no sweets, low/no fat, crash diets, fad diets, liquid diets, videos, magazines, (I didn't eat those...thought about it a few times, though.).  Dexatrim, Green Tea something, "kill your appetite/boost your metabolism"... do you get the picture yet?   I tried it ALL. And I failed.)

I didn't really get wholeheartedly on board with this until this afternoon.  I was just about to go fishing for my afternoon snack...even BORROWED a dollar from my co-worker until I could break my $5 and it hit me all at once. Maybe it was a nudge; I don't know.  But the next thing I know, I gave him back his dollar, emailed my workout buddy and told her I wanted to go down ten more pounds. She responded immediately and said she's in.  I published a quick blog update set my sights for the mission at hand.

Since half of my day had been shot to hell with less than impressive decisions, I decided to begin where I was, then, and take it from there.  I drank more water, I didn't go to the vending machine for an afternoon snack.   One of my co-workers gave me a piece of gum, and I chugged a few ounces of water to help ward off the sugar craving I was having. And, it worked! 

When I got home tonight, I raced to my bedroom and donned my uniform and dressed to the shoes. (My uniform consists of my workout clothes for any new followers.  Getting dressed to the shoes mean you're 100% ready to workout...including your shoes.)  My workout buddy had my kids at the park and gave me the green light to go run for a while.

I haven't lied to you before, so I'm not going to start now.  It was hard!  It was hot, I was tired, and I am not in nearly the kind of shape I used to be in.  I had all of those old, familiar voices in my head telling me, "You can't do this. It's been too long. You need to build up your endurance. It's too hot. Give up, Tami. No one else will know you didn't run."  One thing's for sure. You have to face and dismiss these voices, because there "ain't no outrunning them."  So I started firing back with my positive self-speak. "Not only CAN I do this, I AM doing this. I am running, and I feel good about it. I matter."  I ran for 30 minutes and got two miles in. 

I recommend a website called Livestrong.com, "The Daily Plate". It is free and has a place to track your water intake, calories in and exercise.  It is very, very helpful.  After I entered in my food choices for the day, I discovered my total caloric intake was actually less than it should have been. (I shoot for 1400-1500 calories a day when I'm in weight-loss mode and 1600-1800 when I'm maintaining.)  I only ate about 1200 calories today, and that's too low for me.I will have to keep a better eye on that tomorrow.

I feel I should give you the top ways you can fail at this based on my experience:
1. Make too many changes too quickly.--No life-overhauls today, please.  Baby steps!
2. Take on an entirely different eating habit. (As in trade in pork chops for tofu.)--If you don't know what to buy, how to fix it, what it tastes like, or if you'll eat it, then it shouldn't be on your menu. (Except for maybe hummus...that stuff is the bomb.)
3. Look at the overall picture, meaning, the total number of pounds you "need" to lose.--  No one can lose 70 pounds in a week. So don't even focus on that big scary number. Baby steps. One-to-two pounds a week..max.
4.  Lose weight rapidly. --If you want to continue to yo-yo, drop 5-7 pounds in a week. Sure, it will make you smile, and it will also return. Proven fact.
5. Say "I can't." -- No one 'has time' for this. It's either something important enough for you to prioritize, or it's not. 

Today: I drank almost 64 ounces of water, ate approximately 1200 calories (boo), burned 318 while running, and did not cave to an emotionally-charge crave-fest. :)   I learned to make a smarter choice in lunch meats, keep a closer eye on my calories in, and had a small victory against the meanies in my head. Now that I look at this, I had a FANTASTIC DAY! :)

One meal, one decision, one day at a time.  You can do this!!  Cheers!

Who's with me??

I'm going down another ten pounds. Who's with me?

Here's what we're going to do:
*Increase our water intake to 64 ounces per day.
*Work out 4 times a week
* Cut calories (Need to know what to shoot for? Go to http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm), monitor portion control, and eat to the sigh.
*Break the habit of emotional/comfort eating. (Chew gum or drink water when the afternoon munchies attack)

Remember, the first week is going to be the easiest and the toughest at the same time for different reasons. It will be easy because you're all jacked up and super stoked about attacking the monster again. But it will be VERY TOUGH to hold your feet to the fire! Change sucks sometimes! :)  Find a workout buddy or someone to lean on when you're in the midst of a craving.  Pick someone you can be real with and who will be gracious yet firm to the goals you set with each other. 

Ten pounds- we "got" this in the BAG!!  Where are your shoes?  Dust off your water bottle, and load up the MP3 player.  We have some sweating to do!