Give Yourself a Chance...i said to myself!

I have not really been giving myself a chance to be successful at losing weight!
I eat most of the time well however i do have my moments where i CHEAT!
 Usually i am cheating with snacks that i am eating.
 Instead of having one granola bar, i will have two.
Instead of just eating my prepared lunch, i will munch on other food around the office.
Or i just overeat because i am just greedy!
All of this tells me that i am not giving myself a chance to actually lose weight.

Therefore, this weekend i said to myself, "self...give yourself a chance!"
This is definitely going to be my new mantra.
I am going to give myself a chance...

a) to be healthy
b) to be strong
c) to have the body that i want
d) to be light on my feet
e) to be able to run 30-minutes at 5.5miles again because i can
f) to wear a bikini next year and feel sexy
g) to get my body ready for mommy-hood
h) to feel good in mind, body and spirit
i) to become a better business partner with the hubster

I am going to give myself a chance once a day for the rest of the month.
I am going to treat myself good every single day. And hopefully everything will fall into place.

To keep myself accountable, i will be writing my meals down on a white board and keeping track of my workout schedule on a calendar.  All in the hopes of giving myself a chance to succeed at being healthy.
You would think it's easy but the mind is such a powerful thing which i need to get some control over!

Taking Care of My Body..

Last night i had an epiphany as i was going to bed.  But let's rewind before my epiphany!

My husband and i went to a picnic with my father-in-law and some other friends and family.  At a picnic, there is always food.  Lots of ribs, bbq chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, fruit, salad, green beans, chips, and drinks.  As you can see, there was a lot of food.  And since i have been going without meat during the week, i am allowing myself to eat meat during the weekend.  Going without meat was nearly impossible so quickly so i am doing it gradually. 

As my story goes on, i had some bbq chicken, salad and green beans and a pepsi to start.  Then of course, i decided i was still hungry and went for some hot dog in the most delicious bun i had ever tasted.  It was soft and gooey and just melted in your mouth also.  After that, i wanted to taste some of the ribs so i went for some.  With a side  of hamburger bun.  Of course, why not, a Rib Hamburger! That was delicious!
My husband on the other hand did not want another plate because he was FULL! The concept of being FULL did not even cross my mind (maybe briefly) but the idea of tasting everything that was delicious over took me and i continued to eat. After the picnic, of course i was full and uncomfortable.



Fast forward six or seven hours later.  We are at home, watching a movie and the husband is munching on some tostitos.  Mind you, i just had a McCafe fruit shake so i should be fine.  But the knowledge that the tostitos are delicious lures me into eating some.  My husband, ever the loving husband he is, gives me a look but doesn't say anything. 

After i ate to my satisfaction, i felt disgusted!  My body did not feel good because i was way too full! And it just felt uncomfortable.  Of course, i had a mini nervous breakdown infront of my hubby who comforted me and said he will be more supportive and not eat snacks that would entice me.  But that's not the point, is it? I am a grown ass woman, i should be able to know when i am full.

This weight loss thing begins in the mind and nowhere else! If i am not strong in mind, i will not be strong in my decision making about food and eating!

So just after my prayers and before i drifted off to sleep, it hit me.  How can my body take care of me if i am not taking care of it? How can my body be strong and lean when all i feed it is junk and fat? 

It really all does start with Self-Love, the fact that i love myself enough to want to take care of my body!  This week's challenge is: before i eat anything to ask myself, "is this taking care of my body?"

Have you had any epiphanies recently about weight loss?

Going Without Meat

How many of you have gone without meat?

Not to become a vegetarian but to go out without meat for a month just to see how things will go for me physically.  I wonder how my body will react without any beef or chicken.  I have always been a meat eater, always a meat eater.  I have never gone without any kind of meat for an extended amount of time.  Therefore, i wonder how my body will react?

Since meats are so high in calories, perhaps not eating meat for an extended amount of time may be good for me physically.  It can also make it harder for me to lose weight.  Therefore, not eating meat will help in my weight loss, right?

Proteins of course come from meats like chicken, however there are many other ways to receive protein, through plant based foods.  Therefore, i should be able to go without meat for a short amount of time without any difficulties.  After all, it is good for my body.

How about my fellow bloggers...have you gone without meat and did you find it healthier?

Motivation...

Today, i needed some motivation in my life.  Therefore, i wanted to share some quotes for weight loss that motivates me on a daily basis to go on.  Hope you enjoy!

Mark TwainHabit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.

Julius Erving
If you don't do what's best for your body, you're the one who comes up on the short end.
 
Jim Eason.
If you want to look young and thin, hang around old fat people.

Unknown Author
Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can.
 
Vince Lombardi
It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get up.
 
Milton Garland
My advice is to go into something and stay with it until you like it. You can't like it until you obtain expertise in that work. And once you are an expert, it's a pleasure.

Winston Churchill
Never, never, never, never give up.
 
Eleanor Roosevelt.
No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.
 
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.
 
Horace
Rule your mind or it will rule you.

Losing Weight Fearlessly!

Is there fear in losing the fat? I believe there is.  In my individual case, i am still trying to figure out what it would mean if i lost the thirty pounds and became a healthier me.  Aside from thinking that perhaps i don't deserve to be healthy and fit--the fear which prevents me from making healthy decisions.  I know the positives of losing the fat--i will have a healthy pregnancy in the future and just be healthier overall.  Furthermore, i will not have to worry about illnesses such as diabetes and others. 

I came across this article by Steve Pavlina and this statement resonated with me: Unlike fear of failure and fear of rejection, fear of success can be far more insidious because it’s almost always unconscious. But it’s not fear of success itself that is the problem but rather fear of the side effects of success, many of which may be genuinely unwanted.

Could it be that i have a fear of success? What would it mean for me if i lost all of my thirty pounds?  Am i fearful that i would need to maintain the weight loss and continue to be healthy and fit? Unconsciously have i decided--Why bother since i may be unable to maintain it?  Do i feel as if i don't deserve to be fit?  Knowing that i may have fear of success gives me something to focus on. I need to change my attitude about weight loss and being successful at it consciously.   

The thing with fear is that i can overcome it.  Steve Pavlina says this about fear:  Asking, “What will happen if I succeed?” can solve this problem because it focuses your conscious attention on those fears. Fear has a tendency to shrink under direct examination, making it easier for you to take action.  This helps me to think that i have control over my actions and choices.  I can look at the fear in the eye and stand up against it and help to shrink until it disappears.

I do not have to focus on the fears but at the successes which are before me that i can achieve fearlessly.  I challenge you today to focus on what fears stand in your way as you attempt to meet your fitness goals.  I challenge you, as i do myself, to focus on all the successes that will come with hard work and dedication and kick the fear out the gym and fridge door!