Drop a Pants Size by February 2013

Well, it has been months since I blogged.  I have missed it!  Honestly, it is not easy to find the time to blog, work and take care of a large family.  One of my goals is to blog more.  One of the main reasons for doing this is because I need to.  I need a place that I can keep myself accountable.  Let me back up.  The last few months I have gotten away from healthy eating and living.  I haven't been exercising as much and my eating has been less than desirable.  Especially the last month I have gone WAY over board.  This isn't about what I have done though.  That is the past.  In order to move forward, you must learn from the past but not dwell in it.  I have spent much of my life living and dwelling in the past and I am hear to say, that does not get you very far.

So here we are at the cusp of a new year.  We are seeing ad everywhere asking what are we going to do different in 2013?  What are your goals?  I know I have been making goals for too many years to count and I don't follow through to the fullest.  Not this time.  I don't want to blink my eyes and a whole year has past and I haven't made one of the most important changes.  That change is my relationship with food.  Suffice to say, it is a rocky one!  I am ready to make a change in my lifestyle.  I am ready to break the negative cycle.  The negative cycle of eating well, binging, feeling bad, binging more and then doing that all over again. 

I can't do this alone, I need help and support.  Will you do this with me?  Are you ready to make a change too?  Are you wanting to lose weight, feel better, or all of the above?  Let's do this together! 

Starting Jan. 7th I will be starting a 30 day weight loss challenge.  Let us take 30 days and SERIOUSLY change how we are eating.  This challenge group will be on Facebook.

Here are the rules:

1.  You must drink at least 8 glasses a water a day.  Water is a great way to cleanse your body and keep you hydrated. 

2.  You must have a Facebook account.  We will be using it to support each other daily.

3.  Shakeology is required.  If you are not familiar with Shakeology, it is an amazing meal replacement from Beachbody (the makers of P90X). 

4.The first 3 days of the challenge we will swap one meal for Shakeology. 

5.The next 3 days of the weight loss challenge we will take the sugar out of our diet, no candy, cookies, soda's (even diet) and no foods with added sugar.  You would be surprised how much sugar is lurking in the foods we eat.

6.  Day 4 we will limit are carb intake.  Carbs especially from white flours (pasta, bread, etc), contributes to weight gain and/or not being able to lose weight.  We should be getting our carbs from veggies, fruits, or nuts. 

I think this is a great place to start for now!  We have time to go get our kitchens ready to start this, i.e. get all the holiday cakes and cookies out. 

I know this might sound like a lot but, we can take one piece at a time together.  I really want to see how I will feel after 30 days.  I have started challenges like this in the past and I have never given my full 100%.    Sugar and carbs are my Achilles heel. I start to feel better from not eating them for a few days and then I think I can go back and just have a little.  That never happens.  No matter how many lies I tell myself, I always go back in full force. 

I just don't want to lose weight for vanity reasons.  I want to take care of my body better and my mind.  You see, I suffer from anxiety disorder and I am finding the more sugar and carbs I have, the worse it is.  The more I eat healthy and stay away from the sugar and carbs, the better I feel.  It sounds so simple right, but so hard to do! 

Let us do this together.  I have limited spaces, so please let me know as soon as possible if you are in!

Are You Addicted to Sugar?

If  you are like me, you love sugar! It doesn't matter in what form it comes, you want it.  Donuts, cookies, muffins, chocolate, ice cream, coffee creamer, straight up, you want it.  I know my sugar addiction must have started at an early age.  There was always some sort of sweets around the house and when I would visit my grandparents they always had some sort of boxed or homemade treat waiting for me and I loved it. 
When my friends and I used to go out to diners when I was in high school, I would literally eat sugar packets (I know that sounds gross to some of you but, I bet not all of you).  Sugar has always been there for me.  If I feel down or mad or happy, it is ALWAYS the right occasion to have some sort of sugar-filled delight. 
The question I have been asking myself recently is, "at what cost?"  I have been reading a lot lately that you can be addicted to sugar, that sugar addiction can be as powerful as an addiction to alcohol  or narcotics...what?!?!  When I first read this, I was like, "yeah, right".  I can quit anytime...or can I?  Case in point, there were cookies in the kitchen today at work and they were my favorite, chocolate chip.  This was a perfect time to test my theory that I could quit at anytime.  Any guesses what I did?  Well, 5 cookies later...I guess I can't quit at any time.  So, what do I do, how do I break this physical/mental/emotional tie to sugar.  Well, first here is a list of five symptoms of possibly being addicted to sugar I found at http://technorati.com/lifestyle/article/five-symptoms-that-youre-addicted-to/:

1. You Crave Sugar Despite Being Full

If you are generally well nourished and have just finished a fulfilling meal, and still find yourself craving sugar, then that is a clear sign of something unnatural.

2. You Feel Guilty Afterwards, But Do it Again Soon

It is common to get a guilty conscience after an unplanned "cheat meal". If this happens to you, but you still find yourself doing it again soon, then you may have a problem.

3. You Have Tried to Quit Multiple Times

Perhaps you've realized that all the sugar you're eating may be hindering your weight loss efforts. Now you try to quit eating sugar, but still find yourself reaching for a treat several days later. Perhaps this has happened repeatedly and you're constantly angry at yourself for the lack of willpower.

4. You Make up Excuses About Why You Should Cheat

The way a craving feels is like your brain is arguing with itself, trying to sell you some excuse as to why it would be a good idea to indulge, despite having made a decision not to.

5. You Can't Quit Despite Physical Problems

Perhaps you've got bad breath, acne or your teeth are getting damaged. You may even be severely overweight and diabetic. You know these serious physical problems are caused by your unhealthy lifestyle and still you just can not quit, no matter what.

After I read this list I realized that I could answer yes to all 5.  Ugh! The one that got me the most is the fact that I have been trying to lose weight but, when it came down to it, I couldn't give up sugar for more than 3 days without going back to it.  So what is a girl or guy to do to quit this habit that sabotages or health and or efforts at weight loss?

1.  You need to be committed.  Just like with anything, if you are not committed to something, you will not succeed.
 
2.  Write down all the reasons why you want to quit sugar, i.e. health, weight loss, energy, etc.  Go back to that list when you are especially feeling tempted.

3.  Find something to fill that "sugar void".  We use sugar as a reward in so many situations.  Instead of "rewarding" yourself with a cookie or ice cream, do something good for yourself.  Take a walk, get a mani/pedi, read, find something to do that isn't food related!

4.  You need to quit for at least 3 weeks.  You can't quit for a couple of days and then think that you can have "just a little bite".  That, "little bite" will snowball into days or weeks of eating sugar on a daily basis.  3 weeks should give your body time to adjust to not having sugar and after that 3 weeks, you will feel so much better, you won't want to go back. 

5.  If you are able, do something like The Ultimate Reset, this will restore your body and help you get rid of unhealthy cravings.  There is so many other benefits as well, you can lose weight and have more energy and who couldn't use more energy!

6. Drink plenty of water!!!  That can't be emphasized more!

7.  Eat protein at every meal; it is digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates and will leave you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. You will therefore be more likely to resist the urge to eat dessert every night after dinner.

8. If you are considering having that donut, walk away for 15 minutes and drink some water.  In 15 minutes your craving should subside.

I know that this sounds like a lot.  If you take it one day at a time (sometimes, one minute at a time) you can do this and reap the benefits!

I am starting a nutrition challenge on facebook next week. The challenge will last for 6 weeks.  One of the requirements is kicking the sugar habit.  Will you join me?  Email me at aclow75@gmail.com and lets do this together!

If I Can Do It, So Can You!

Week 3 of P90X is coming to a close.  I have Friday and Saturday left before recovery week starts.  I wish I could say I have been eating well this week but, I have made a few questionable choices.  It is amazing how one bad meal, leads to another, and another, and another.  I am not happy with myself right now.  I want to say that I am not "beating  myself" up over it but, that is not true.  That not so small voice in my head is saying "why bother, you aren't going to lose any weight anyway".  Be quiet!!!  That voice is so annoying but, it does hold one point.  I am not going to lose weight if I don't combine my hard work exercising with eating right.  When I say eating right, I mean not going back for more birthday cake at 10 at night.  I am eating better but, I still struggle with going to food to "comfort" me.  I am still learning how to overcome the cravings that I do have.  BUT I CAN DO THIS, even if I don't feel like it can happen, it will, it has to. 

WE CAN ALL DO THIS.  Despite the voices that tell me I can't, I have continued to move forward.  Let me tell you, it is not easy, especially when you are doing Ab Ripper X and you have kids running around you or asking you questions.  It is very hard to answer questions and stay focused on trying to get through Ab Ripper!  The only time of day that I can work out is when all 5 kids are awake.  I know it sounds crazy to even attempt but, if I want to do it, this is when it needs to get done.  For the most part the kids will leave me alone but, when it starts to go downhill, it goes downhill fast! 

On the positive side, my kids are being exposed to Mark and I taking better care of ourselves. When I was a kid, I never had that exposure.  In fact, I was always the kids lagging behind in the back while we had to run around the football field in gym class.  Exercise and me where never friends.  The best part for me is when they exercise with us.  It makes all the other distractions worthwhile.

I tell you this because I want you to believe you can do it.  No matter what your schedule is like, how many kids you have, whatever other "excuse" you may have, if you want to get take better care of yourself, so you can enjoy your life more fully, you will find away to do it.  There are days when I just feel like I don't have the energy to get through it but, somehow I do.  Does get go smoothly all the time, no.  Sometimes it is so bumpy I am surprised I get anything out of it at all.  What I get out of it is the confidence and power to do it again tomorrow.  I show myself that I can work through obstacles to achieve my goals.  Am I to all my goals yet?  No.  That is ok.  Fitness, like anything in life is a journey.  Sometimes the journey is smooth and sometimes you hit big potholes!  We just need to climb out of those holes and keep going. 

So let's keep going together, shall we?  If you want to go on this journey with me, contact me at aclow75@gmail.com. 

I am putting together a nutrition challenge group on facebook that I would love to have you aboard for. 

In this group we will list daily how we are eating and what kind of exercise we are doing. 

I also ask that in this group that you drink Shakeology once a day.  If you are not familiar with it, it is an AMAZING drink made my Beachbody.  It is a meal replacement drink that tastes to good to be healthy!  Check out the link above and it will give you all info you need about it.  It will really help in curbing your cravings and help to lose weight.

I will be getting the group read on FB to start this challenge on July 29th.  The challenge will last for 6 weeks.  Let's see what you can accomplish!

As Tony Horton would say from P90X, "Do your best and forget the rest"!