Author Archives:
Whole Lotta Veggies….and May Challenges
A bunch of people have asked how Whole 30 is going and how I’m doing….a few have assumed my silence means I failed. LOL. I’m happy to say I did not fail! I did cheat a bit – but I did not fail. I lost 16 pounds in 30 days – which is pretty phenomenal!
Overall it was pretty amazing. I had no idea how few veggies I was eating….or how much processed crap I was eating! I also didn’t realize how often I turned to carbs for cravings, bad days or boredom. Carbs are my consolation blanket. I can’t say I’m completely over my cravings for cupcakes – but I can say I will never go back to a gluten filled diet. Ever!
I focused on the healthiest options possible every day – and I found ways to make veggies work for my life. I don’t have time in the morning to roast vegetables and pack lunch. Hell most nights I end up working later than I should and packing lunch becomes a “shoulda done” before bed (a post for another day). So instead I go to Whole Foods Saturday or Sunday and I roast veggies for the week then bag them up individually. Yes, I do realize tupperware would be more ecologically friendly – but I end up not washing it, forgetting it at work or in my car and wasting money. Plastic bags, for the win!
Some of the veggies I simply cannot live without: raw peppers with olive tapende or just plain -YUM! Spaghetti squash with pesto – oh em gee – SO good! Seriously, an awesome substitute for pasta. No it doesn’t *taste* like pasta – it tastes like squash – but it LOOKS just like pasta! Perfect. Oh and of course, cauliflower- especially purple (which they had at Whole Foods and was all the rage this week in my lunch). Love cauliflower!
So how did I cheat? I had dairy – both cheese (yum) and half and half in my coffee. Oh and I had coffee. I’m sorry, I can’t live in a world without coffee. I know the book tells you that’s crap – but it’s not. The caffeine withdrawals were awful. I couldn’t function one day because I was in the midst of carb flu and without coffee. If anyone decides to do this experiment – make sure you’re not traveling….or in back to back meetings. 
I will also add that detoxing off a processed food laden diet is horrible, I was nauseous, I was dizzy, my thoughts were jumbled but I also was weak. I got muscle cramps places I never get cramps when exercising – and I was sleeping horribly.
Most importantly - I don’t WANT to give up coffee. I have one Venti iced coffee with cream daily. That’s it. I’m not drinking it all day long and I’m not willing to live without it. Some things are worth fighting for! 
So what will my May challenge be? More of the same, with a twist. May I’m back to traveling – Phoenix, LA, Dallas and maybe a local trip down to CT. I need to be ON m game. No gluten. Lots of veggies, lots of lean protein, fruits. Oh and lots of moving.
Thankfully I have a little challenge to keep me motivated! Stef Sweeney is hosting a Bikini Buddy Challenge (thank god no ACTUAL bikinis are required – I’m a LONG way from there) and I signed up with my girl Layne. We are team Cantaloop Cuties – inspired by our favorite 90′s song ever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwBjhBL9G6U
The rules are super simple:
1) Pair up with a buddy.
2) Arrange a time to meet with me (before/after class, etc) to get your beginning measurements taken.
3) Pay $10 each – $5 registration fee; $5 to go into the Winners Pot.
4) For the next 6 weeks, get your booty into gear!! Stay on top of your working out/being active, eating healthy, drinking water, etc.
5) At the end of the 6 weeks, measurements will be taken again. The team with the most inches/body fat lost WINS ALL THE MONEY FROM THE WINNERS POT!!!!
The Whole Truth ~ Week 1 recap!
Week one of Whole 30 is in the books! It was rough, I can’t lie. I’ll highlight the finer points in bullet points, because I love a bullet point!
*The first three days I was convinced I was going to die. Let’s just say I grossly underestimated how much processed food I was eating. My stomach didn’t take well to fresh foods and veggies. By day 4 I definitely felt like my system “got it” and it was easier. Upping my water intake helped. Taking it easy on the exercise front helped too.
*Long term I can live without gluten. I feel better when I don’t have it and the “missing it” is truly mind over matter. Lettuce wraps taste better and crunchier to me than regular sandwiches. Pretty sure I had lettuce wraps 4 times this week. So good! (note to self: snap pictures next time).
*Long term I cannot live without ice cream. I miss it. My favorite ice cream stand (Kimball’s in Carlise) opened for the season and their ice cream is just to die for – so fresh and tasty. I will definitely incorporate this back in next month – as a treat for occasions!
*When you focus on whole, natural foods you really notice the flavor. I love artichoke hearts marinated in buffalo sauce but I was drowning them in blue cheese before. Now I have them with orange peppers and spinach, no dressing – delicious! One of my best combos was Saturday night. I tried to emulate a salad I had at Craft in LA - hearts of palm, roasted red peppers, avocado and roasted chicken(I added this, it wasn’t in the original) with a squeeze of lime juice. Incredibly tasty and filling! I wish I could have an avocado tree in Boston – that’s how much I love avo!
*Whole 30 talks a lot about curing disease through food. I can’t say for sure any of my ailments are cured but my skin seems less dry, my plantar fasciitis seems to be under control (stretching helps too!) and I have more energy. Can’t wait to see how I feel in the next few weeks!
*Prepping is KEY. I think anytime I’ve failed at weight-loss in the past can be attributed to lack of planning. Saturday we grocery shopped (Whole Foods for fruits/veggies, Market Basket + BJ’s for everything else). Sunday I prepped. Roasted, washed, cut, bagged and planned for the week. In the fridge I have ingredients for chicken Thai lettuce wraps (enough for 3 lunches), enough roasted cauliflower and broccoli for the week (lunch or dinner), grilled chicken breasts, sliced peppers for dipping in guacamole, strawberries hulled and popped in the freezer for smoothies and sliced salad ingredients ready for a protein. Fruits (er veggies) of my labor:
*Whole truth – I cheated. I love Starbucks iced coffee. LOVE. With cream + 1 sugar. I tried coconut milk, I tried almond milk, I tried black – I can’t do it. I need to conquer this – but if it’s the worst, I’m pretty proud of myself!
*Best part? I noticed my sugar craving are waning. Tonight I wanted sweet. I needed sweet. I did not resort to chocolate or ice cream – instead I opted for some fresh fruit – kiwi, raspberries and blueberries. It hit the spot!
My best friend Julie is trying it starting tomorrow. I can’t wait to compare notes with her. Anyone else just start it? Email me, I’d love to hear about your experiences! sparklyandslimming@gmail.com
I’m all prepped for week two and ready to get some exercise back into my life. Lots of cardio this week and hopefully a strength training class or two are on the docket.
Looking forward I’m trying to figure out how I can keep this up when I travel. I think it will require finding a hotel with a fridge and doing some grocery shopping – which I’m certainly not opposed to doing – it’s just not always an option depending where I’m staying. I’m thinking I’ll have to get creative!
Whole 30 ~ 4/8 – 5/8
I have been chatting away about life and love over at my new nook on the interwebz – but I decided to pop back here for a chat about my new nutrition focus. Tomorrow I am launching into 30 days of “Whole 30″ – you can read all the details here. Here are the basics:
What is the Whole30®?
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you?
Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day-to-day life, and your long-term health. The most important reason to keep reading?
This will change your life.
I just finished “It Starts with Food” and I feel like I need to try it. I need a life change!
So what can I eat?
* Lots of fruits
*Lots of veggies
* Lean proteins
* NO eat sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy or processed junk (also known as most of my current diet)
Sounds crazy eh? I’m excited. It’s the butt-kicking I need.
Now, I know dairy is not bad for you – but the program cuts it out and I think I can live without it for a month. Maybe. (No cheese? Bah…maybe not)
What made me try this? Straight from the book and the website:
Here comes the tough love. This is for those of you who are considering taking on this life-changing month, but aren’t sure you can actually pull it off, cheat free, for a full 30 days. This is for the people who have tried this before, but who “slipped” or “fell off the wagon” or “just HAD to eat (fill in food here) because of this (fill in event here).” This is for you.
It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your “struggles”. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.
—-
I need some tough love! I need some butt-kicking.
This is my fruit bowl right now (usually empty):
Had I not just bagged up all my veggies I would have snapped a picture of those too!
Breakfast is going to be challenging – I love oatmeal. Love it. No oats. No dairy (cottage cheese, yogurt) so I decided to go with a fruit smoothie made with a bit of coconut almond milk and this:
Hopefully it’s tasty – we’ll see tomorrow!
I’m already going to call it – not having my iced coffee with cream and sugar is going to be the hardest. I love me some Starbucks! Send me some willpower friends, I’m going to need it.
I’m going to snap a before picture before work – we’ll see if you guys notice a difference in 30 days!
Shifting Focus, New Blog!
It’s been a month since I’ve posted. I’ve had a million things to say, but none of them felt right for this blog. I went on a great vacation, I did some soul-searching, I figured out some key elements from my life that need to be incorporated somewhere but none of those things fit neatly into the category of Sparkly and Slimming. I love this blog and it has served me well in the last 2.5 years. I’ve lost weight, gained friends and truly had an outlet to vent/celebrate all things related to weight-loss.
But, I’m starting to think I need something else. I still have things to say, I am still pursuing weight-loss goals – but I don’t always want to talk about that. Right now for example I REALLY want to talk about happiness, the pursuit of happiness and how I think I can make myself more happy in the next year after reading this fantastic novel “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin.
So, I am shifting focus away and starting a new blog – a She Is Sparkling blog if you will – one where I can blog about anything and everything without limiting myself to one or two topics. I’ll probably bounce between them eventually but for now you’ll find all my non-weight related banter over there.
Link to my first post: http://sheissparkling.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/new-blog-new-projects-new-goals-hello/
Presence.
Sometimes you have a realization half way through the week so you jot down a quick note and come back to it. This week for me was just insane and on Wednesday I realized my digital diet (life without Facebook) was allowing me to be more present in my life. I wasn’t “multi-tasking” during a meal with my family. I wasn’t spending hours in front of the TV or computer only half paying attention because my nose was buried in my phone. Nope, I was actually PRESENT in my life. Woah! So I have this epiphany then I forget all about blogging it over the weekend and then my pal Jess posts this #presence2013 and I laughed out loud. Talk about reading my mind!
I’ve mentioned a dozen times or more how bad I am at living in the moment and not letting my mind wander. I am perpetually replaying past mistakes (and wishing I could change the outcome) or fantasizing about my future (and worrying I won’t live up to my own expectations). It’s exhausting and it robs me of my present joy. I don’t appreciate the moment I’m in because I’m thinking 10 frames ahead or behind. This last week I have been focusing more on conversations (and realizing how much of what people are saying isn’t registering in my brain because of all the other junk clogging my brain!). It’s such a waste to meet a friend for coffee or call someone to say hi and then spend the entire time together looking at your cell phone. If someone said “Hey, wanna go sit at Starbucks and ignore each other?” you’d laugh right? Exactly. So why are you doing it on a daily basis? (food for thought friends).
Giving up Facebook made me realize how much of my life is spent “snipping” moments to fit into my online life. Have you ever done that? Have you ever stopped and thought how you would phrase something on Facebook? Gag. What has social media done to our society when we think in status updates!? This morning in barre method with Erica I was focused on my movements (and pushing past points when I would normally stop – like during triceps!). I was focusing on the music and syncing my movements to it. I was focused on her counting (because she does this cool thing during reps where she counts “8…7……………4…3….2…1″ and you have to really FOCUS to make sure you’re in sync with her). It’s a great brain switch! I left really sore and really proud of myself for being in the moment and ya what the first thing I thought was? Oh man I should post this on FB and tag her! BAH! My brain is literally conditioned to thinking about sharing things. I have 5 more weeks to retrain my brain. I hope I succeed!
There have been quite a few deaths in the last week that have touched folks in my life. It makes you realize how short life is and how much the little things truly do not matter. Like Facebook. Or Twitter. Or reality TV. Enjoy life. Be present with the people around you and cherish the moments you have with them – even the little ones.
Lent: Abstaining from Addictions!
I can’t believe how early Lent is this year! Thanks to the power of the blog I know that last year it was on Feb 20th and the year before was March 7th. Sheesh! It’s only Feb 13th! Soon we’ll be celebrating Christmas and Lent together!
Joking aside, this year I think I’m in a good place with eating. I love desserts (no secret there) but I’m not indulging every night and just last week in NYC I only had dessert ONCE and I only had about 4 bites and decided that was sufficient. Holy progress! Speaking of NYC, the trip overall was a success. Sadly I lost my FitBit one night after only having it a week, but the fine folks at FitBit are replacing it. Woo! The bummer is I have to use my phone as a pedometer until then and honestly, it lies like a rug. LOL.
Texas has been postponed for me, in part due to Nemo – thanks so much for 30 inches of snow, I was just thinking “Man I miss winter” (said no one ever). BTW this graphic cracked me up:
LOL!
So, this week I am home, getting steps in, balancing long days at the office with healthy meals and of course taking as many barre classes as I can swing! Love me some barre n9ne. Then I realize I need to figure out what I’m over-indulging in and can give up for Lent. Sweets wasn’t making the cut this year (it wouldn’t be a challenge), I’m never giving up coffee again (love it too much, can’t function without it), I don’t drink soda, I barely go out for lunch anymore (at one time a Lent from lunch dates would have suited my wallet and my waist well), what am I in need to a detox from? Ha. Facebook. It’s true. I am literally addicted to Facebook and honestly, 9 times out of 10 that I visit I conclude everyone in my life is having more fun than me, is more successful and generally happier. It’s a bummer. Now, I am a happy person – I love my life. But, social media has a knack for making you feel inadequate doesn’t it?
You are seeing the best of everyone’s life in one continuous feed while you sit in your pajamas feeling like a slug (despite the fact that you did get 10,000 steps today, you did get a workout in and you are well within your “number” of calories!). It’s disheartening! It remind me of this:
HA. Yes, Steve Furtick you nailed it. And as my friend Tiana pointed out, Facebook is the ULTIMATE highlight reel, complete with an edit button.
So, I’m going to resist the urge to post mundane things about my life or cute picture of me working out or nonsense I think of during the day or motivational quotes. I’m going to quit Facebook for 6 weeks (even Sundays). I barely tweet so I guess I’ll keep Twitter (but don’t expect brilliance to be posted there, I usually forget I have it. LOL). I like taking photos with Instagram so I’m keeping that, but I won’t publish to the book of faces. My handle on both is sheissparkling if you feel compelled to check up on me!
I’m most sad about not checking in barre n9ne (spoken like a true addict). I love seeing all the friends I’ve made from Danvers and Andover commenting about classes they’re taking or how hard Jess/Jolene/Amy/Erica/Stef/Steph/Tanya is as an instructor! I took to Google to found out how other people fared when giving up Facebook and I found this article very interesting and this one funny as hell. Sounds like I am going to be challenged! Heck, maybe I’ll blog more (something I secretly vowed to do this year).
While doing this “Facebook detox” I’d really like to reconnect with friends through avenues like email, IM or *gasp* phone! It’s amazing how much social media has taken over my interaction with others (and sad!). From now until March 30th here are the things I will not be telling you about via FB: I’m going to LA for work, then to take Mom on vacation again (yay fake life!). I’m hiking to the Hollywood sign. I’m going to eat some fabulous food and see fabulous friends. My BFF is running her first half marathon. I’m super excited (and proud) of her! Mmm yup those are the major ones! So do me a favor and please don’t get engaged, married, divorced, have a baby, switch jobs or move to Abu Dabi without emailing me, k?
So, what are YOU giving up for Lent? Oh and before I forget and because I love a Lent funny, here’s a Rick Astley meme. LOL!
Epic February Travel Commences!
I am embarking on a month of epic work travel, starting tomorrow. In the morning I am heading to NYC for 4 days for client visits, then I’m home for 3 days and doing a tour of Texas next week (Dallas, Houston, Austin in 3 days!). Lastly I am spending a week in LA for work followed by a lovely week of vacation with Mom. There’s no way I could stay on my number and continue losing weight without some serious planning!
For NYC I am driving (with my new manager and a coworker) because we have to stop in Stamford to see clients. I have snacks packed, I picked the hotel (because of their healthy restaurant menu!) and I scoped lunch and dinner menus for all my meetings and veto’d one place I know I could never be healthy in. It’s important to be honest with yourself. I know I have a weakness for dessert – going someplace with world-famous dessert is not a good idea for me right now! I also have armed myself with the mentality that I DO NOT get to eat like I am on vacation. I will choose grilled proteins, salads/steamed veggies (or grilled or braised – some healthy cooked veggie!) and minimal salt. I get really bloated when I travel (think Michelin Man) because I have a weakness for all things bacon / salty delicious. Gotta be careful about this! As for exercise I have balls and bands packed so I can do an improv’ barre n9ne style workout and I have my sneakers and my FitBit. 10,000 steps should be a breeze.
For Texas I am meeting my sales manager and a coworker in Dallas then driving to Houston then driving to Austin and flying home from Austin. That’s 440 miles total in a car. Whew! I picked restaurant options near my site visits and I planned which snacks I can fly with and which I can pick up en route. I am going to be “that guy” about restaurants – looking up menus, veto-ing things that don’t offer healthy choices etc. I don’t have control over the hotels, but my sales manager has excellent taste, I know he will stay someplace classy that offers me a gym (which I will need for stretching after spending 4 hours in the car!) and nice restaurants for healthy breakfasts. Again I will have some fitness essentials – Zumba DVDs, iPod and sneakers. 10,000 steps will be cake!
How crazy is this!??!
After Texas I am home, sweet home for 12.5 days (in which I have 9 barre classes – yay!), then I head to LA for a week of business, followed by a week of pleasure. Mom asked if we could have “fake life” again in LA and I was happy to oblige! So I will meet clients, do some future planning with them and drive my butt off then I will pick up Mom at LAX and spend a week relaxing and enjoying being a tourist in my favorite city! I can’t wait. LA is the one place I know I can eat healthy ~ and exercise. The hotel has a healthy menu and a gym – WITH A BARRE! I’m worried about this trip the least. Oh and during this trip I get to hike to the Hollywood sign!! So excited for that.
The keys to rocking this epic month will be:
#Planning, planning, planning – which I’m good at. I love to plan!
#Staying “in the moment” and NOT getting swept into “I’m traveling and can eat anything I want” mode
#Moving. Zumba, gym, walking – being active will not only keep my weight down, but it will also help with the bloating AND maybe even let me come into March 1 size smaller!
#Remembering the goals I have (especially the clothing ones) and keeping those in the forefront of my mind before making decisions!
I’m sure I’ll blog between now and then – but wish me luck on rocking this epic month!!
31 ….
Normally birthdays are an area of complete trepidation for me. While I love to celebrate and reflect on my year, I just hate the thoughts of being older and not being “where I should be at this age”. Sometimes being successful in life (great job, wonderful family and friends) seems to pale in comparison to the fact that I am single and don’t yet have a family of my own. My mom always told me to appreciate the age I am now because I can never go back. Well some days I wish I could go back and relive being 11 or 13 or 21 just to realize how far I’ve come and how lucky I am! I was joking with her that 31 and single isn’t dreamy and she retorted with “Neither is 60 and married with 2 kids some days! Wanna trade?“.
I’m always someone who has a hard time measuring my own progress. I live in this body, I don’t always see it change because it happens so gradually. Recently a few people in my life made comments about not seeing my progress – or not thinking I looked any different. Well, I present you with a picture from my 29th birthday (January 30th 2011) pulled straight from my blog:
29th Birthday
And a picture from today:
I see HUGE differences – but not just in my hair (ditching those bangs was key) or my weight but in my smile. I’m HAPPY. Actually, legitimately happy. And that is priceless my friends! So maybe you’re not seeing me progress fast enough, but trust me – I am exactly where I should be right now (even if I don’t always see it).
I vowed to take more full-body pictures. Here is one from May 29th (posted as part of this post):
May 28th, 2012
And one from today before TFFR (toned, fit, firm and ready):
My legs are finally getting slimmer – woo! I love being pear-shaped but sometimes it is frustrating to see changes everyplace but where you want to see it! I also suck at taking selfies, need to work on that!
Today on my second day of being 31 and loving it, I am going to renew my vows to myself. I will continue to focus on being stronger and slimmer through activities I enjoy like barre n9ne, Zumba etc. I will choose whole, natural foods over processed junk and most importantly I will continue to believe. Believe I can accomplish my goals (like running a 5k!) and believe that everything (including being 31 and single) happens for a reason.
Jolene got me into these awesome Striking Truth manifestos – this was on from last week that really resonated with me:
In the end only the promises I make to myself will really matter anyways! Oh and yesterday’s was pretty great too! I am seeking love, fulfillment and happiness. Those things are seeking me too.
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?
I watch a lot of weight-loss shows. Despite knowing how unrealistic it is I still watch Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover etc. religiously. I’m a sucker for transformation stories. I’m a sucker for watching people change their lives. However, there is an alarming trend amongst weight loss success stories that I am fucking sick of – and I need to rant about!
92% of people who go on one of these weight-loss shows and lose weight go home and become…..a PERSONAL TRAINER! You can get certified online (no lie) in just a few hours. It infuriates me. Not just because losing weight doesn’t make you an expert in weight loss but because they have learned unrealistic habits – things like cutting everything but vegetables from you diet to dropping 11 pounds in 5 days by working out 9 hours a day. That is NOT real life. I’ve ranted about this before. Now set that aside and I will share what really grinds my gears about this….
Every time I hear a past contestant say they are pursuing a job as a trainer (or worse - a motivation speaker – gag!) I think to myself -
What did you want to be when you were little? What’s your PASSION? What dreams did you have before you gave up on yourself? What did you want to be when you were little? What are your passions? Now….why aren’t you pursuing those dreams??
I understand that once you’ve changed your life you want to share that with everyone and their Mom – but to me it seems like a cop out. Anyone who becomes obese has more going on inside them than just a love for food. I was a workaholic, overachiever who wanted to be perfect in any capacity she could – since she had failed at having a perfect body. I’m mostly over that now. I schedule workouts and usually stick to the schedule. I don’t turn to food for comfort from stress. I’ve made awesome strides; all while succeeding at a job I really enjoy doing. I didn’t give up on my career just because I was fat.
I also understand that some people were lost before they lost weight (no pun intended) or before they found the exercise that changed their lives. So, I don’t consider Zumba instructors or people who pursue their new-found passion for healthy cooking to be in this boat. It’s the personal trainer / motivational speaker schtick that kills me.
I took to Facebook to rant about this last night and my friend Sandy had a great point I wanted to share: You know why? Because these people lost weight in a way that makes health and fitness their entire 24/7 lives. They never learned how to fit it into a normal life. Therefore, if they have a job where they’re not working out at least 8 hours a day, they are gonna pack the poundage back on SO QUICK.
YUP – exactly. I have learned how to lose SLOW (unbelievably slow) and I’ve gained and lost again. I’m human. Humans fuck up. Humans have lives outside of weight-loss and counting calories and tracking calories burned. Humans are not machines. My brother used to tell me that dreams are what separated us from the animals (pretty sure it’s a move quote I’m hacking) and he’s right. So, what are you dreaming about? What can you not wait to do once you’ve conquered a hurdle like excess weight? I can’t wait to live a more active life than I have now. I can’t wait to have a family of my own so I can pass on healthy habits to my kids and I will do that while maintaining a career I’ve had since I was 21 in a field I am passionate about!
#readysetgoals (Make it happen!)
I’m all over the place today ~ so I think a bullet-point list of updates is in order!
* When I want something I obsess over it, I play the scenario out 92 ways to Sunday and honestly I take some of the fun out of the journey. I did that with weight loss. I talked about it (incessantly), I blogged about it, I bought tools to help (then I obsessed over those). Finally last week I had an epiphany. Stop talking and just DO. So I’m doing it! What does this mean? 5 things:
1. Eating intuitively. Choosing smart foods and not obsessing about them in My Fitness Pal. Reminder: food is fuel, treat it that way!
2. Move my butt as much as possible. Zumba. barre. cardio. Get workouts in. Don’t stress about it. Don’t freak out if you don’t have your FitBit or didn’t check in (it still counts, even if no one sees it, LOL).
3. Get some sleep! I’m terrible at having a regular bedtime and I notice the effects of 4-5 hours of sleep on my appetite and my weight-loss.
4. If you need a cookie, absolutely NEED a cookie – buy a real cookie from a bakery and savor the hell out of it. Deprivation is not the key to success!
5. If you’re feeling sluggish – seek out fruit or veggies, NOT coffee. (This is so much tougher to retrain my brain to do than it sounds!).
*I’m loving the goal jar. Just loving! This week I pulled 2 – no online shopping (harder than it sounds!) and early bedtime. I was texting a friend last night and he actually said “6 mins to bed time”. It’s both annoying and endearing when the people in your life hold your accountable for your goals!
*I’m obsessed with the hashtag #readysetgoals and the pictures folks post about making their goals happen. I also realized I have a lot of dreams – but without a plan and a deadline they stay dreams. I want to hike to the Hollywood sign. I want to buy cute LuLulemon workout clothes. I want to surf. These things are all dreams. Without putting some measurable steps and dates around them I will never achieve them!
*I am retiring two pairs of jeans from the rotation – woo! This led to cleaning out the hamper of too-small-clothes. I was excited to discover 3 pairs of jeans from 2005 now fit – YAY! I was more excited to find a pair of jeans I’ve owned forever (and loved forever but never worn) are really close to fitting!! YAY! Last January they didn’t get past my knees. I put them on the back burner, in October they got to my thighs but not past and now they are dangerously close to buttoning. WOO HOO! I cannot wait o rock them. There is something so satisfying about wearing something you had to earn!
*Sometimes I feel like the little engine that could. I chug and chug and eventually I do make it a little further up the mountain (and feel accomplished!). This past week I’ve been participating in a barre n9ne challenge to post 1 pose from class every day on Instagram. Around day 3 I looked at my picture and thought “WOW – I see a difference!”. It doesn’t happen often so when I recognize it, I get excited!
This is me doing my best impression of a Tanya kick – LOL!
