The Gluttony Gut...

I will formally welcome myself back from the brief hiatus I took from the blog! For those of you who do not know, I took some ‘time-off’ from blogging so that I could get married-I guess I need to now update my tag line so I am no longer ‘freshly engaged’ but rather a ‘newlywed’ of 24 days and counting! J

I will post many pictures soon since they have been requested by many, but in the meantime I want to discuss the food related activities that surrounded the BIG DAY!

As someone who consistently battles the bulge and tries to keep that little (big is probably a better term) devil at bay, a wedding and honeymoon (especially when it is your OWN) is a time when one just has to let go and enjoy every second of their time…and that included indulging in anything and everything I wanted-more wedding cake? Yes please! Left over catering food? Sign me up! Carbs-galore in Punta Cana on our honeymoon? Is that even a question!?!?!

In an effort for full disclosure, I was SOOO EXCITED to not think or worry about anything I would be eating for a couple of weeks and was determined to just ‘live it up!’ (This I will discuss in a later post because it made me realize that I may be a bit too strict with myself on a daily basis because it caused me to be way too excited to go rough with my eating for a couple weeks...haha)

Now I certainly lived it up, about 10 lbs worth to be exact! Before you have a heart attack at the craziness that I allowed to happen let me tell you one thing…within 2 days of being home I was already down 5lbs!!…I’ll assume it’s water weight from traveling, or changes in diets, etc. - either way my actual post-wedding/honeymoon gain was about 5 lbs….and I’ll take it for what I allowed myself enjoyed!

In a future blog post I also want to discuss traveling internationally while trying to keep the bulge at bay, but for now I will just touch on it briefly. In a country where you are not supposed to eat a ton of fruit, meat, or raw vegetables due to what they feed/fertilize it with, what seems to essentially be left is carbs-and lots of them. As a self-admitted carb-a-holic, you will not hear me complain one bit, but within a couple of days of being away I started to feel gross-all I freaken wanted was a salad! My body craved something from my ‘normal’ day to day eating habits, and craved it more than Adam and Eve wanted to eat that gosh darn apple! I ordered a salad but within a couple of bites knew I shouldn't be eating it...carbs it was!

With this being said, I know my body inside and out and I KNEW the number wasn’t going to be good when I got back (insert my gluttony gut here). However, I accepted it and enjoyed myself in spite of it because I knew I would be back on track once I returned…now I’m climbing back on the healthy wagon and it certainly is a slippery, tall, ladder.

I find my mind/body craving those high sugar -high carb foods, and I find myself trying to rein it in. Imagine trying to pull the reins back on an out of control horse-you know you have the power to do it and can do it, but it doesn't make the horse not want to go crazy any less. I know I control what goes in my mouth and how much of it goes in there but that doesn't make my mind/body not want them any less right now.

From experience however, I know this feeling will go away-my body needs time to adjust back to what it is used to eating, and in a couple of weeks I’ll be back to that no problem. In the meantime, will power is always stronger than any craving and remembering that will get me through these pesky couple of pounds that need to go away…

How do you all handle times when you are fighting the uphill battle of the bulge? When you have set backs, how do you continue the determination to forge forward?

Until next time…NOT ONLY keeping the bulge at bay but getting some of the extra bulge to vacate the premises ;)

Here Comes the Sun! (Doo Doo Doo Doo)

Since today is June 1st, and in New England it feels like summer has truly begun (yes-calm down, I am aware it doesn't ‘officially’ start for another 3 weeks), I wanted to share some of the transitions that not only the amazing mother nature herself does, but also the transitions that occur in weight maintenance/loss this time of year. No, I’m not referring to the transition into the hardcore jealously some of us might get from skinny people prancing around on the beach in virtual dental floss (me… jealous?…never…); rather, I am referring to the transitions in our diets, lifestyles, and exercises that take place this time of year.

This is the PERFECT time for transformation and to mix things up a bit. This is MY season- it’s warm enough to be outside, but cool enough not to die! And honestly, I’m hell bent on using this weather to the fullest before we’re back to carving pumpkins and picking out Christmas trees!

I love kayaking, hiking, playing volleyball, white water rafting, swimming, gardening, playing Frisbee, etc. These are activities that I have always loved but have not always been able to comfortably do. Think about it, why don’t you try strapping on an additional 110 pounds and going on a hike or trying to garden?…Not the most enjoyable of activities…

Showing Off My (lackluster) Volleyball Skills at my Best Friend's Jack & Jill!

To exemplify this rational, allow me to explain. This time of year I go from a winter/spring DVD work-out type of girl (though I must admit, the DVD’s have a bit of dust on them lately from minimal usage) to being outdoorsy again! This literally feels like a breath of fresh air!

One activity that my fiancé and I have taken on this summer is a 20’ x 20’ garden plot in a local community area. And let me tell you, planting a 400 sq foot garden without one piece of god-damn machinery is more of a work out than ANY DVD could provide [ Just ask my fiancé, my temper and bitchy mood by the end of the day I’m sure was quite a joy to be around ;) ]

Our Lovely Garden-I Promise it's Bigger in Person :)

Besides finding different forms of exercise, there are also foods that literally taste better this time of year. The day before yesterday I made my first summer pasta salad of the season…and boyyyy was it yummmmy! I used regular elbows (would have used wheat elbows if I had them), barely any light mayo, a can of light tuna, peas, celery, and onion (would have used cucumber if we had them as well). I bulk it up on the veggies so it is very hearty and healthy. Also, the less mayo you use the more you can actually taste the natural flavors of the veggies and pasta-and it's good! This is one of my favorite summer dinners ever, and if I had a grill in our little apartment to grill up some healthy ‘burgs or ‘dogs I may have been in heaven!

Any who, this season is about getting to finally do the activities or eat the foods that some of us (especially born and bred New Englanders) don’t get to experience half of the year. Push yourself to do more activities with exercise hidden in them (the anti-gerbil like treadmill type of exercise-my favorite!), eat more locally grown produce from farmer’s markets, grow a garden, try new recipes, and for gosh sake-soak up the sunshine (with sunscreen though please-leathery skin is not cute no matter what size you are!) And if nothing else, remember what the Beatles say: “Here comes the sun (doo doo doo doo), here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right!”

What are some of your favorite activities to do this time of year? What are some of your favorite summer recipes/foods?

And for all you Beatles fans...here's a little 1972 live performance of 'Here Comes the Sun'

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay!

Fluffy Fears and Rusty Revelations...

Ignore the visual you all might be given in about two seconds….I was taking a shower the other day (I warned you...) and had a mini revelation -I am who I am. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But for anyone who has battled the bulge this is the most complicated, devilish statement that one attempts to absorb…EVER!

Allow me to explain further. I am who I am. Five little words that speak more volumes than the Library of Congress could even hold. We have strived to lose the weight, and are succeeding in maintaining that loss…but where do we draw the line? When is enough-enough? When is “only 5 lbs more” actually TOO much to lose? Where is the red light, the stop sign, the huge freaken brick wall that signifies the end of the weight loss road with a flashing orange sign saying ‘Maintenance This Way -->’?

As we all know, weight loss maintenance is 95% a mental game (maybe 94.6% but who needs exact stats anyways) and learning to cope with these issues is the main piece to the maintenance puzzle. However, beyond the games, it’s about accepting that enough is enough; I am who I am. I am healthy, and that is enough.

Yes, I am getting married in 141 days (but who’s counting) and I would like to be “5 lbs down” but, I am who I am. If I stay the weight I am right now forever, I will be happy. This weight is not a struggle, it’s not a fight, it is simply who I am. Maintaining weight is about being at a weight that is manageable. It’s about being at a place where you can balance a slice of cake with more veggies the next day. It’s about balancing your favorite physical activities one day with ‘vegging’ out on the couch another.

What maintaining weight is NOT about is counting every calorie going in your mouth and depriving yourself of the foods that you love. It’s NOT about crying because you can’t work out one day and consequently feel like you’re a healthy failure. And, it’s NOT about stepping on the scale every day to assess your weight loss successes and failures. We are healthy, we are who we are.

While taking that shower a few days ago (again, ignore the visual), I realized that if I can live life the way I do right now and can be the weight I am right now forever-I will be happy with that! As I washed my hair, I envisioned myself 20 years from now, the same size I am today-and I am more than happy with that. Yes, I waiver in this feeling and certainly fear that the fluff will come back; but a half-assed rusty revelation of future success and accepting myself just the way I am now is better than no revelation at all. I am who I am!

We are happy, we are healthy, and we all have flaws; but we are who we are-be happy, accepting, and content with just that! 

When was your ‘I am who I am’ revelation? Hopefully not everyone’s was in the shower like mine was-this isn't that kind of blog ;) haha

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay!

The Post Fluff-Flab...

There are many actions in life that have side effects which we have been warned like the plague about. Whether true or not, we have been told: don't swim until 30 minutes after eating to avoid a stomachache, don’t be naughty or Santa won’t bring you gifts, even, don’t drink too many margaritas or you’ll be praying to the porcelain gods rather than dancing the night away with your friends -not that I have experience with that one or anything…. ;)

Anyway, we either do or don’t do certain activities many times due to that activity’s side effects. With weight loss, people tend to believe that health, happiness, and strength are the only side effects to weight loss; but this is an epic LIE! Yes, these are fabulous side effects and are most certainly worth venturing down the journey of weight loss for, but there are also silent side effects to weight loss. These silent side effects come in the lovely form of loose skin (or just loose flub/fat remaining), stretch marks, and mental games that last forever! I have many times discussed the mental games that go along with weight issues, since frankly; they make up most of the problem that we find ourselves coping with. However, there are the physical reminders of loose skin/flub and residual stretch marks that stay with us forever as well…pleasant thought, no?

Now, I believe in 100% transparency in this blog! BUT, showing you my vaguely loose ‘flub’ and stretch marks from a stomach blown up with 110 more L-Bs then where I am today, is neither a sight I care to show, nor is it one you likely want to be blinded by haha. However, I’m one of the lucky ones. I lost my weight slowly, and consistently, so my body has adjusted quite well (...perfectly-hell no), but other people aren’t as lucky. Some suffer with drastic amounts of loose skin or parts of their body where the 'flub' just won't disappear.

With that being said, what inspired me to write about this topic was the picture below. I saw this picture a couple of weeks ago, and ever since then I have wanted to create this post. The picture below has been shared on Facebook by many women who have had children and are showing pride for their stretch marks from having been pregnant. It got me thinking about my own stretch marks—that don't exist from anything prideful like having a baby, but rather exist from the demise of being extraordinarily overweight…

I suppose if you look at the situation candidly, I earned my stripes too-with each pizza I consumed (yes, whole pizza-not just slices here people), each ice cream cone I licked, each hamburger I ate, and every mile I didn’t walk, every hike I didn’t take, and every river I didn’t kayak down. In reflecting on this, it can bring a thought of sadness that I allowed my body to get to that state. A state where my skin had to stretch beyond what it was humanly designed for just to be able to accommodate my extra weight.

I look at the above picture as a way for mothers to take ownership of the physical side effects that remain from a beautiful experience...

...and we weight loss conquerors should do the same!

As much as  I want tight arms, fit legs, and a stomach flat enough to bounce a quarter off of as if it were a soldier’s bunk, this may not realistically be in the cards for me (please excuse the toddler-like internal tantrum I’m having at this thought). Behind that loose skin and those tiger stripes used to be fat-and a lot of it. Today, I choose to take pride in my little bit of loose skin because that skin is no longer maxed out like a balloon about to burst from too much helium. Today, I choose to take pride in my tiger stripes! Though they’re certainly not pretty, they are battle wounds from a war that I have been winning for years now (can’t say I have won the war because the battle of the bulge never truly ends).

I am a Tiger (insert seductive, pouncing like-rawwwwwwr here) and though I am ultimately responsible for my stripes, I take ownership of them and am PROUD to take ownership of the healthy tigress I am today! I earned who I am today, and after all, you can't be a fierce tigress without stripes, right?!?

Love yourself, and surround yourself with people that love you exactly the way you are-tiger stripes and all!

What are other unknown side affects you have found to be difficult since losing weight? How do you choose to handle them?

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay!

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall...Who’s the Fattest of Them All?!?

Why the Queen in ‘Snow White’ never asked this question instead, I may never know, but it is a sentiment that anyone struggling with their weight has coped with. The mirror can either be your best friend or your starkest enemy (personally, my mirror was my BFF last Thursday, and has been a bit of a b%@!h to me this week). Now I know that many of you who have never struggled with your weight do not understand this concept, but the mirror mine-as-well be as dreaded as the (dun, dun, dun) SCALE!

Allow me to explain…while maintaining or losing weight, one is very in tune with their body. Almost every time I step on the scale I know exactly what it is going to say. If I’m feeling and looking a bit heavier-the number is up, and when I’m thinking I’m the skinniest girl next to Barbie [excuse the obvious exaggeration ;) ] -the number tends to be lower. The knowledge of my body accompanied with my fair weathered friend, the mirror, seems to always dictate what I am going to see on the scale. When you think about it, it really isn’t rocket science after all…

However, there is a much more complicated mirror that exists out there-other people! No, I am not referring to what other people think about your weight loss. Rather, if you have lost a good amount of weight it is hard to place your body in relation to friends, family, or hell, even public in general! You tend to always think that you are one of the ‘bigger and fluffier’ people in the room, but in actuality, you probably aren't  anymore…

I find this ‘mirror’ of trying to figure out how big you are in comparison to others very difficult. Now, once again, those of you who have never had to lose weight probably are thinking-why does it matter what your body is like in comparison to others, you should love who you are and how far you’ve come? In actuality this ‘hippie’, ‘granola’, and ‘zen’ like sappiness is true, but if you had a point in your life where you were always conscious of being one of the biggest (if not the biggest) person in the room…then you would understand the need to try to figure out what size your body is in comparison to others now that your extra LBS have been served their eviction notice!

Trying to find where you belong is a form of self-assurance and is a way to seek a bit of inner affirmation that your hard work really is paying off! People who were once heavy always have a feeling that we could lose ‘a few more lbs,’ but in reality (reality in weight loss…never heard of it haha) that may not be the case. Why is it that most people who have always been a size 8 are more content and comfortable with being a size 8 than someone who has fought to be a size 8? Shouldn't I as a fairly newcomer to a size 8 be able to comfortably enjoy it as much as the person with size 8 seniority? Finding this comfort is much easier said than done…I am still trying to find comfort in my size 8 jeans...and my size 8 life.

We always want to be able to say, “I’m finally as skinny as [insert name of your skinny, beautiful, popular friend here] is…”, but somehow, we are never actually able to admit that we ARE as skinny as she is when we get there! I may borrow a pair of jeans from my friend and have them fit perfectly but I will still think she is skinnier than me. It is the dreaded mirror of weight loss that does this to me! I try to battle this by reflecting on my accomplishments often, staying on track (makes you feel better about your body) and trying to think about my new size rationally among my friends (rationality-another thing that doesn't exist in weight loss haha). Some days this works, and some days it doesn't, but overall the goal is to find genuine comfort in my new size and my new 'place' among my loved ones... 

It is very clear that the real mirror we fight is our heads… With this said however, I vow that one day I will concur both the mirror on the wall and the one in my head; either that, or I’ll break that god damned mirror and have 7 years of back luck…who wants that?

How do you all cope with finding your place within the ‘mirror’ of friends/family who have always been smaller than you, but are now around the same size?

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay!

PS-Here is a website where you enter your height, weight, pant/shirt size, and body type to see other people who meet the same profile…it is a great tool to mentally place your body in relation to others! http://www.mybodygallery.com/photos-8959-body-shape.htm

Maintenance: The One Celebration That Doesn’t Include A Meal Selection…

Today is a classic day where I’m hopping back onto the ‘Healthy Wagon’ after enjoying the ‘fruits’ of my sister’s wedding (I swear, I did eat some fruit), while not regretting one crumb or calorie I happily consumed. However, enjoying a wedding to the fullest is an example of where the mental game that exists with maintenance will likely rears its ugly head (and, for me, its head is in the shape of a large platter of cheese, crackers, and any kind of hors d'oeuvre followed by a good ole helping of guilt!).

Maintenance has a tendency to be a bit of a roller coaster for many people. For example, I went from weighing the least I have ever weighed, 149.8 lbs, (and buying the smallest sized dress I’ve ever bought) to eating to my heart’s content in just one week! The highs and lows from this can be tough to deal with, however, the key to maintenance is to always get back on track, no matter what!

If this means that you have to freeze all the left overs that your generous family sends home with you so that you will only have them accessible for when guests come over-then do it! (Insert my stuffed freezer full of leftover pastries from what seemed like a bakery shop's full week worth of sales just for my sister’s post wedding brunch). 

My Sister's Post-Wedding Brunch: Pastry Heaven!...(now deep in my freezer)

Do what you need to do to get back on track-freeze the food, throw it out, have your loved ones hide it from you, or even give it to your skinniest friends so that they can ‘fluffen’ up a bit haha-you must do what is right for you in order to get yourself back on track.

Depriving yourself during moments like a wedding where it (hopefully-haha) only happens once in your loved one’s life isn’t true maintenance (and I was so happy to see that a few of you commented on previous posts with this sentiment as well!).

You can’t get mad at yourself for allowing yourself to enjoy these moments! Yes, it may be frustrating that food is the centerpiece to every celebration that practically exists-but don’t allow it to surround the biggest celebration of all-your weight loss! Take moments to remember how far you’ve come and that a few meals, or even few days of just enjoying life and the treats that come along with it, (like the three day affair I just had with pastries, cheese, and buffets) won’t cause you to gain the weight back...

Here are two pictures that I took to show myself how far I’ve come-these serve as a reminder that a few unhealthy, or even ‘normal’ meals, will not send me back to that-I'm a new person now, and that old 260 LB-er is gone forever! This is the one constant celebration that doesn't come with a meal selection or congratulatory dessert!

The dress shown was my prom dress from senior year in high school in 2005. It was a size 22…the dress I bought for my sister's rehearsal dinner is a size 6! 

(Note, this dress is actually a wedding dress-they didn't have any prom dresses in my size so I actually had to buy a wedding dress...you never forget unsettling moments like these...)

As long as you don’t allow your few days of indulgence to turn into a few weeks-you will continue to maintain. Celebrate the accomplishments you have had in your weight loss-celebrating these will help you get back on track and will remind you that you are far from the person you used to be!

During maintenance you have to loosen up a bit, and enjoy a freaken slice of cake once in a while! One slice of cake won’t make you fluffy again, however, the entire cake in a whole other story...

What do you do to remind yourselves of how far you have come, and that you are allowed to enjoy treats sometimes?

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay...

Maneuvering through Motivations…

Everything in life is made easier with motivations…why else would a pot of gold be at the end of that gosh darn rainbow, right? Everyone knows that weight loss should be its own reward, but wouldn’t it be nicer if there was a pot of gold (and, no, I’m not referring to gold chocolate coins) when you reached and maintained goal weight?

Staying motivated constantly is a very hard thing to do in any aspect of life, especially when it comes to your weight. One can constantly remind themselves that being healthy is a gift that is immeasurable in any other form, however, add years upon years of losing weight or maintaining weight loss to the picture, and those original motivation factors may begin to wane.

What keeps people motivated is different for everyone. For example, I am getting married in September and I want to ensure that I am the skinniest I have ever been on that day (shocker right! Like I’m the only bride-to-be that has salivated over this pipe-dream!  haha). This is a great motivating factor to stay healthy between now and then, but what about after I’m married? I am the type of person that always needs a goal to work towards. Yes, health is the ultimate goal, but fitting into a size 4 wouldn’t hurt either!

There was one key moment I remember during my weight loss. When I was in the 211-217 lb range (a tough range for me to conquer), I remember thinking, ‘if I get to 180 I will look like a bombshell and I’ll start maintaining!’ However, of course, when I finally got to 180 I didn’t look at all like what I thought I was going to. Now I’m around 150 and am just beginning to look the way I thought I was going to at 180 (and no, I am not calling myself a bombshell by any means haha). I still want to lose a couple more L-B’s, but the visual thought of what I wanted to look like motivated me through the difficult times, the hard times, and frankly, the times that were more frustrating than squeezing into a pair of spanx that are two sizes too small!

However, now that I’ve been solidified in the maintaining stage for over two years, I find myself still having to find motivation in the craziest places to keep this voyage trucking along. For example, every time I notice that a part of my body looks ‘skinny’ it is a great motivating factor to, even if for only one day, keep me on track and eating healthy (adversely, noticing this has occasionally dragged me to the dark side where I have Satan saying-see, you’re healthy-have a cupcake…or four…). Either way, noticing these accomplishments have generally been the small daily motivators that keep me driving on the veggie and fruit highway without taking the exit to ‘Sugar Land’ (sometimes the car takes the exit itself, I swear it’s not my fault!).

As stated above, a wedding in September (and oh ya, being in three weddings before that!) is an easy and obvious motivator; but I wonder what motivator will keep me propelling forward 25 years from now…maybe that pot of gold that I’m sure will appear on my doorstep when I turn 50 and am still in a healthy weight range?!?

What motivates you to maintain or lose today, tomorrow, and ten years from now?

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay…

Too Tired, Too Busy, Too Stressed, Too Sick…

I don’t know about you, but sometimes working out can be quite a drag. Therefore, some of us tend to find any excuse in the book to avoid working out-I’m… too busy…too tired…too stressed…too sick... (sometimes too sick is true though-I worked out last Thursday and have been sounding and feeling like a leathery old smoker with all the hacking and coughing ever since-pleasant thought, no?)

I am the type of person that loves physical activities that have working out hiding in them. For example, kayaking, hiking, snow-shoeing, swimming, volleyball, etc. These activities have the dreaded word 'workout' camouflaged within them. There is nothing more that I HATE than having to act like a gerbil by running on a machine that never allows you to actually GET ANYWHERE! But the activities listed previously have always been part of my routine and will be forever-I love them! However, they aren't activities that can easily be done daily. As you will see, my daily workout regimens have evolved more than even Darwin could imagine…allow me to explain….

• I used to run at least a 5k four times a week (outside only of course-no treadmills for me!). However, due to my height (about 5'10'') my knees are not strong enough for me to continue being a ‘runner.’ I did love running (especially formal road races), but one knee surgery later and a pending second on the horizon, has forced me to find alternate ways to exercise.
• The gym…oh god, the gym. I have had memberships to over four different gyms and have gone on and off to each of them at different times over about a 4 to 5 year period. However, I can now freely admit (and let me tell you it took a lot of self-reflection to be able to admit this to myself...) I HATE the gym! It is the whole additional ‘work’ part of working out that I don’t like. Having to make it a job to grab my water bottle, iPod, towel, head phones, keys, and wallet; then actually DRIVE all the way to the gym. Hell, I hate the commute to work and they PAY me to be there-I definitely am not going to like a ‘commute’ to the place where I PAY them to allow me to use their gerbil wheels. This is not fun for me and is too much ‘extra work’ to add to the physical work that I want and need to get.
• Yoga by video. I have never tried yoga in a studio before because I’m too nervous to go to a class and look like an idiot, or have the room silent and I am the one that will suddenly fart or something (probably a ridiculous fear but, hey-it is what it is haha) Yoga by video was not my thing...but I am open to other forms of yoga-I feel like I would like them-eventually I will try them...someday ;)
• Nothing. For the first few months of my first ‘adult’ job, I would do hikes or walks on the weekends; but certainly nothing on a regular, daily, basis. To add insult to injury, I sit at a desk all day-five days a week and it caused me to be too tired (insert excuse here) to want to drag my ass to the gym to swim or pretend I am a proverbial rodent running on a wheel. I am very strict on my eating so I wasn’t really gaining weight, but I was getting (and continue to get) headaches from sitting alllllll dayyyyy lonnnnnnnnnng. My doctor told me frankly that I have to get up and move around more during the day. This led me to find the workout that I LOVE….
• I LOVE WORK OUT VIDEOS!! I am currently doing the ‘Supreme 90 Day’ Workout (only $10 from Bed Bath & Beyond-who would of thought?!?). But I do it at a healthy pace for me. This means I try to do it 4 or 5 days a week, however I have NOT been that successful lately because I'm sick...I know, it's an excuse...but I'm feeling a bit better today and am planning on starting back up tomorrow!
  
        These videos work for me because I am ‘home’ up until the second I start, and can go do the dishes or eat dinner the second I am done. Essentially, there is no ‘extra commute’ to work out via video, thank god!
  I have only been doing work out videos for a couple of months now, but I do have to say that I thoroughly enjoy them. I feel like I am getting a personal trainer for free! I should note however, this works for me because I am very regimented and a self-motivator [most of the time… ;) ] When the guy in the video says “only you cheat yourself...work harder, who wants this healthy body more?!?” I sometimes literally say out loud-I WANT IT MORE!!!

Working out is about finding the right thing that will work for you. There are millions of ways to get some good physical activity incorporated into your day. However, there is not one perfect solution for everyone. What one person hates, another person loves. And if you are like me, someone who did not grow up as an athletic individual, it may take you awhile to find what works best for you and your lifestyle (note: this workout may change as your life changes as well). I don’t always have a great workout, and if I miss a work out (or five), I just try to get back on board.

It's the same as eating poorly for a few days then having to start to eat healthy again. As hard as it may be to start back up, for maintenance it is necessary. It's hard, even excruciatingly hard sometimes for me to get back to working out regularly; but at the end of the day-I am accountable to no one but myself.
Only I know whether I am doing my best or not, and trust me, I WANT IT MORE!

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay…

Tantalizing Triggers

Imagine… You’re on a desert island and you can only have one food for the rest of your life (as if you’ve never heard this scenario before…), what would that enchanting treat be? Chances are, whatever you chose to solely eat for the rest of your days is not only one of your favorite foods, but it is also probably one of your trigger foods! For me, cheese and crackers (HANDS DOWN) is what I would have all day, every day, if I could!

Many of you may be saying, “Why are cheese and crackers bad? They aren’t an unhealthy thing to eat if you eat small amounts of it;” this I concede is true. However for me, because it is one of my favorites, it is also a ‘trigger’ food for me. This means, generally speaking, eating small amounts of them MAY NOT be that possible…

For those who are not familiar with the term, trigger foods are foods that once you have some-you not only start eating more and more of them, they also trigger you to eat more and more of anything and EVERYTHING else in sight! To (not so proudly) exemplify this scenario, I will share with you a little occurrence from this past weekend. My sister was having her Bridal Shower (she is getting married in March, I am getting married in September), and I was assisting my mom in setting everything up. One of my jobs was to put the crackers on a beautiful platter. As I was delicately arranging them I was popping a cracker here, a cracker there, into my exceptionally happy mouth! It was after those crackers that I started to have ‘samples’ of all the other appetizers. I did rein it in and didn’t go too crazy later on (I filled up on tons of fruit salad to avoid eating copious amounts of chicken piccata) but the crackers did trigger my little taste buds to want to try a smidgen of everything.

Though I would like to blame the crackers for being my kryptonite and sending me into a tornado-like frenzy of sampling; I cannot blame those helpless bagel crisps (seriously though, how good are Bagel Crisps?!?)! One has to recognize that trigger foods relate directly self-control. With cheese and crackers, sometimes my self-control is on point and I can have one or two,  be totally satisfied, and not go back for more. Other times however, they ignite a fire in me to chomp, chomp, CHOMP (PS-I was curious to see how Encarta Dictionary would define chomp…and I love their definition chomp- verb, to take big bites of food and chew steadily, noisily, and with obvious satisfaction-love it!)!

There is a healthy balance between depriving yourself entirely of these scrumptious delights and indulging until you have to unbutton your pants (don’t lie, you all have done it). I struggle with this balance every time I am faced with a platter of cheese and crackers. Consciously being aware of the foods I don’t have control over is one step forward-but gaining control of them, and more importantly myself, is a goal I have not yet mastered. I am human, and hope that the next time I’m faced with arranging those devilish crispy bites of splendor on a plate, I will know if I have the control to just have two or three, or know if I need to take a step back because I won’t be able to control myself.

Maintaining weight is about having your mind and body in sync. Some days you will succeed, some days you will fail. But we have to learn from those past failures to make better decisions in the future. If we don’t learn from our mistakes, we will be 260lbs again laying on the couch having an entire block of cheese and box of crackers while waiting for dinner to be ready!

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay…

Weight Loss Throughout The Years...

I decided recently that if I am sharing this journey of weight loss with everyone, then I need to be entirely transparent and show what the evolution of weight loss (and maintaining) actually looks like. I have always despised showing these pictures to anyone (including myself), but I feel as though it is important for everyone to see them so that they can fully comprehend what a life changing transformation weight loss can be.

When someone is maintaining or trying to loose weight, people can see every set back, every 'Yo-Yo', and every diet hiccup they may have in their photos (and Facebook makes this even more evident these days)! Someone who loses weight remembers exactly how much they weighed, and how they truly felt about their body, health, and life when they look at themselves in each, and every, picture...

Senior Year of High School and Senior Year of College

Early in High School & The Day I Received My Master's Degree

Red and Black Outfits...One From Then and Two From Now

Weight loss can change not only how you physically look but can (and usually does) change who you are through and through! In the slideshow below, you will see the evolution of weight loss in picture form rather than merely just the timeline I stated in my first post. I believe an important factor of maintaining is occasionally reflecting on where you came from and how your weight loss has potentially changed every aspect of your life. I like to keep a few 'fluffy' pictures of myself handy so I can always keep myself inspired on the journey that I have forged down...one of health, happiness, and (most of the time) positivity. Seeing how much I have accomplished helps me to maintain my loss...

Until next time, keeping the bulge at bay! :)