My Fitness Journey Continues

Well, it has been about a year since I first posted about my journey to a happier, healthier me. And you guys, I have to give myself a pat on the back! It has been so rewarding to see my hard work pay-off. I have a lot of thoughts that I am going to try and organize, so if I don't make sense, or jump all over the place, I apologize.

 

breakfast this morning-egg whites+sauteed spinach and mushrooms+salsa

 

 

So, after I started posting about my health goals last year, I had more and more stress piled upon me. Unfortunately, my goals were put on the back burner while I just tried to survive with regular life. After we moved back to Utah however, I was ready to get back into it. I joined the gym that my mom goes to, and I have been a regular ever since. I had a goal to lose 30 pounds by my 30th birthday (which, I will admit, was a lofty goal for me, as my body seems to enjoy hanging on to every ounce it possibly can), and although I didn't hit my goal, I am super proud of myself anyway. My birthday is tomorrow, and I have lost 26 pounds in 8 months. I would like to lose about 20 more, give or take. I will re-evaluate as I get closer to my ultimate goal, and see how I look and feel. I really don't care about my actual weight, I just want to look and feel good. I am hoping to accomplish this by June, as that will be mine and Andy's 11 year anniversery, and I would love to have come full circle from the time we were married, had 5 kids, and are now at a new phase in our life where we are raising kids and done having babies. It would be the ultimate reward to hit the weight I was when we were first  married :)

 

I have a few thoughts about the whole weight loss thing. First of all, I have read that people have to hit "rock-bottom" before they are willing to change. That was definitely true for me. I eat pretty healthy (veggies, fruit, lean protein, whole grain, etc), and I have always had a fairly active lifestyle. However, I feel I have always been addicted to sugar. I love treats, candy, and stuff like that. I know it's impossible to out-excerise an unhealthy diet, and for me, sugar is my kryptonite. It seems like I gain a pound every time I eat a cookie. I'm not sure if this is due to my health problems, or if my metabolism has just slowed down, but either way, I definitely can't eat like I used to. But, I have found that that is okay. I decided to try and do no sugar for a month (if you know me at all, this was a HUGE challenge for me) and I made it 25 days. I was really proud of myself! I feel like I finally had control over myself, and I really got over my cravings for unhealthy food. I feel like I am in a better place healthwise, and I feel like it will be easier from here on out.

 

Now, about hitting "rock-bottom"... last year when I started my long journey, I weighed as much as I did when I was 9 months pregnant with Baron. And I looked pregnant. And I looked terrible, and none of my clothes fit. It was then that I decided enough was enough. Since then, I have had to change my views about food. I have decided to look at food exactly for what it is. Fuel. That's all it is. It is fuel for my body. It is not meant to make me feel good, it is not meant to be a reward or something I think I deserve because I had a bad day. I do realize that food can be enjoyed and taste fabulous and yummy and wonderful. But, for this to work, I decided I couldn't really care about what I was eating, I just had to eat it because it was good for me and it would help me lose weight. I am not a "foodie" anyway, and while I like food, I don't put much thought into what I am eating other than how many calories it has. I know this would never work for some people, because some people are all about food and how good it tastes, and whatnot. This worked for me though.

 

Another thing that has worked for me is placing limits and sticking to them. This has come along with hitting "rock-bottom". I finally care enough to stick with my goals because I see the changes they bring. I used to set limits for myself (no eating after 7 PM, only eating 1 serving of carbs, etc) and I would always cheat. I don't know why though, because I was only cheating myself. But, I still would, nonetheless. So now, I stick to my limits and it has paid off. I have also continued using myfitnesspal.com and it helps me SO much. I really love that little app on my phone.

 

Of course, I have days where I just want to stuff my face with bread, but if I give in, I don't fall completely off the wagon and give up. I have had to learn that tomorrow is a new day, and that just because I messed up yesterday, I don't have to today. I have a fresh start every morning. And if I continue to stick with my goals, I will eventually make it.

 

One more thing that has helped is having short term goals. Then, my original goal doesn't seem so far away and like I am not accomplishing anything in the meantime. I am running a half marathon (my first) in April, along with my husband, my 2 brothers and my sister. I had this goal last year, but life got in the way, and I didn't accomplish it. I WILL do it this year, even though running is my nemesis. I will overcome it! I also have goal weights every few weeks that I try to hit. I don't get discouraged if i don't make it, I just keep trucking along, and realize the progress that I have made.

 

Lastly, like I mentioned, tomorrow is my 30th birthday (eek!! really? THIRTY?!) and I am going to let myself have some cake and go out to lunch and eat good food, and enjoy it. But, starting on Feb 6th, I am doing another month of no sugar. Who's with me?!

 

Thanks for reading along... this was super long, and if you made it to the end, you get a gold star :)