Graphics for Motivation

Daily 10k Challenge. I do well during the week, but then don't quiet make it on the weekends. I definitely need to work on this. I want to see those stars all across one week!

Also, this is where I'm at  in losing weight again this time. Very happy with the progress I've made in the last few weeks!

Weekend Warrior

Just needing to toot my own horn for this weekend's accomplishments:

1) Went out to dinner with Chris on Friday and kept the amount/type of food in check, and had some sake in moderation.
2) Went on a longer walk than needed on Saturday to get groceries and protein powder. Ate well all day without feeling like I was depriving myself, and that included two (measured 6oz) of wine. Taking the time to measure while pouring is WAY better than pouring and hoping you are guessing the amount right.
3) Got on the scale this morning and was down .4lbs. Makes me feel like I can enjoy my weekends and still lose weight. Something that I have struggled with in the past. I feel like on weekends I usually undo all the good that I did that week.
4) Went to Chris' coworkers baby's first birthday today. It was a BBQ in a park with all the usual culprits, chips, cupcakes, soda, etc. But I stayed away from the chips (didn't.even.have.one!) Stuck to a burger with fruit as a side, and water. Also said "no" to some awesome looking cupcakes!

All and all, I am pretty proud of my eating this weekend!

Head in the Game

For the past two to three weeks I've been thinking "I'd like to lose weight, I'm eating healthy, etc." Except my head wasn't fully in the game. I still ate poorly on the weekend and drank more alcohol than I should have on a few nights. And I told myself "But you're walking to work, you're bringing your lunch from home", and while that is all well and good, if you are just going to undo what good you did during the week on the weekend, you're just spinning your wheels.

This weekend something clicked and I know I didn't want to go around 'fake trying' to lose weight. Last night I picked up good groceries and have been eating on point this week and it's showing.

I woke up today with a nearly two pound weight loss. It's seeing the numbers go down that is a huge motivator for me. For someone who isn't that great at math and really likes to see things visually, right now the number on the scale is the only thing that matters since visual changes are still a little ways off.

Here is to two more pounds gone!

Total:

Three Years Later

And here we are, three years later from the last post on here.

And three years later, I am back at square one as many of us trying to lose weight have become accustomed to. It isn't a good feeling. But it is a familiar one. And one point I don't want to start from again.

Finding and keeping inspiration is a hard thing to do. Many milestones can jumpstart the want to lose weight, a birthday, a new year, a new relationship, etc. And in the past three years, all of these have happened, in some cases more than once.

Most recent inspirations have been my littlest sister losing 33 lbs, my uncles passing, and the hope that someday (in the next year or so) I might be taking engagement photos (very wishful thinking, but not out of the of question haha). My boyfriend and I have a lot of trips planned for this coming year, and I'd really like to be able to look at the photos from them and be happy with the way I look. I'd also like to not have to use the seat belt extender on the planes we take to get there.

For the past three weeks I feel like I've found the motivation to get back into the swing of the gym and eating healthy. And it's been good in some parts, and not in others. Good parts being that for the past two weeks I've been walking the mile to work every day. I've been eating ok, but logging everything I eat in myfitnesspal. Logging even the extra alcoholic drinks, mini cupcakes, and pieces of pizza. The bad parts, the extra alcoholic drinks, mini cupcakes, and pieces of pizza! haha Not only slipping on self control, but also not going to the gym. I keep saying, I need to make small sustainable changes. Which is true, and walking to work daily has now just become a thing that I do. But I want going to the gym to be part of that too. I don't want to be too hard on myself because walking to work wasn't something that I'd ever considered and now it's a great addition to my day. I also log in myfitnesspal everyday for every meal. I need to acknowledge the small changes, and make sure that I can keep them up.

That's all for now, but I would like to keep updating weekly if not more!

Welcome back healthy self!

Moving

I've decided to move my weightloss journey blog to www.workingoutandworkingit.tumblr.com It is an easier format to use and update quickly. Feel free to follow me there!

Four Weeks

 When thinking about losing weight and getting healthy its hard to take things in stride.

How I feel

I need to stop thinking like the above, and start being more realistic like the below.

How I need to think

I just placed 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks into my iPhone calendar to see if things fall along these lines.

Next week I am to attend a family reunion at Lake Almanor and last summer had vowed to feel comfortable with my progress to wear a bikini at the lake. Life happened, and I am not going to make that goal. We have reunions every two-three years and I hope that I can can keep my promise to be able to wear a bikini next reunion!

Cleaning House

For those of you who read my blog and am in the same position as I am needing/wanting to lose 50-100 pounds you can relate to the following. Someone looking to lose 10 pounds might not grasp the daunting, immense, and long haul that we are in for. Sometimes I think that it's comparable to walking into a house in which someone has been hording their entire life. For people looking to lose 10 pounds, it's like asking them to straighten up and clean a desk in the house. It looks a little hard, but it's just one small place and won't take too long. Looking to lose 50-100 pounds is like looking at the house filled with junk and unwanted things and knowing that you have to clean it all. You look at the house knowing that you have to clean it all and you want it done now because you don't like the way it looks or the way it makes you feel. But like most big tasks sometimes you don't know where to start and feel very overwhelmed. So what do you do when faced with a huge task? Sometimes you put it off, sometimes you do clean the metaphorical desk and feel good about that but then look at the rest of the house (your body) and think that it's just too much.

When I first started my blog I was in a very good place to start cleaning up that house. I was unemployed and receiving unemployment benefits. I had nothing else to do so why not tackle the house and get it clean! I did a very good job cleaning house and was very happy with the results. As time went on I used all the unemployment money and had to get a job, which then turned into two jobs. I started to let things pile up in my house. Leaving things here and there. Things would come up and people would come to Sacramento to visit, and the balloons and streamers (food and beer) were allowed to pile up in my house (my hips, thighs, and ass) without feeling the need to clean up. And you don't notice that things are sliding back to where you once were because you leave stuff around little by little. Sometimes you feel the need to clean and go to the gym or eat healthy for awhile but then you look at the house and think that you have so much cleaning to do. As much as people tell you that you should clean or that they will help you. It is something that you need to be motivated to clean on your own.

After letting my house get almost as cluttered and dirty as I had when I started this journey I have new resolve to get back to cleaning and stay committed to it. I feel like I have a two story house to clean, but am looking just to clean off that desk to begin with, then move to the dining room table, and so on tackling portions at a time to not get overwhelmed but keep my eye on the whole house and make sure to follow through with cleaning it all. Although I can have my little group of maid cheerleaders helping me to stay motivated to clean, I need to be the one to make the hard choices, make it to the gym, and keep myself motivated. I have rolled up my sleeves and pulled all my cleaning tricks out of my bag and am ready to do work!

(And that is your metaphor for the day, haha)