June 8, 2015 – Day 1 of my 10 day no sugar/no alcohol challenge!

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******BEFORE STARTING ANY DIET OR EXERCISE PROGRAM, ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR OR PERSONAL TRAINER!! I’M SERIOUS!!!!!!*******

If you read my Facebook page yesterday you know that my personal trainer has laid down the gauntlet. The challenge: To go the next 10 days avoiding all processed sugar and all alcohol. So why the challenge? To be honest, I’ve gained six pounds and now weigh 146lbs! My snacking, laziness, and lack of enthusiasm over the last few moths has finally caught up to me. The weight that took so long for me to lose came back with a vengeance. Six pounds may not sound like a lot, but it’s very upsetting and eye-opening to me. My trainer understands my goals, knows my limitations, and is aware of my struggles. So she challenged me! I fully accept the challenge. After all, I used to be a vegetarian. How hard can this be? Eeeessshhhh!

Now, the alcohol is going to be easy peasy to avoid. It’s the sugar that has me worried. I can eat fruits, veggies, lean meats, just a basic “clean” diet. But when you start to read labels it really hits you how much processed, added sugar we actually consume in a day. A ton!!!! When I sat down and went through what I usually eat during the day, a majority of my meals and snacks are all processed crap. Yuck! So, I’ve been spending a lot of time on the internet looking for alternatives for dressings, sauces, etc. Again, very eye-opening. I’m going grocery shopping tonight for the week and I’m fully prepared to be shocked and amazed. This is going to be interesting.

I started my morning a bit hungry. I enjoyed a banana before I left for work. Once at work,  I had my coffee with fat-free non-dairy creamer (no added sugar)  and headed down in the cafeteria. I looked around trying to decide what would be the safest thing for me to eat. Donuts, pastries, and French toast stared me in the face, but I’m determined to make the “no processed sugar” thing work. I chose two eggs over easy and a small glob of hash browns. It may not have been the smartest choice I could have made, but I wasn’t really as prepared as I should have been. But at least there was no processed sugar, just a bit more oil than what I would have liked. Oh, well. I have the rest of the day to make it right.

Lunch wasn’t really that challenging. I usually eat a salad of some sort for lunch so my only issue was what to put on it instead of the usual thick dressings I pour on. I thought about Dijon mustard but decided against it after looking up the nutritional value. There is .17gms of sugar in Dijon. That doesn’t sound like very much but, again, I’m determined to do this right.  A “clean” eating co-worker of mine suggested salsa instead of dressing. Splendid idea! No added sugar, it’s all natural, and gives an added zip. Unfortunately, there was no salsa to be found in the cafeteria. So instead, I settled with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Again, no added sugar. Hooray!

After work I went grocery shopping. Looking at the labels of the items I used to buy was shocking! SUGAR! IN EVERYTHING!!! I never really paid attention to the sugar content in the meal bars, juices, and frozen meals I was consuming. I know it seems like a no brainer, but we have been tricked into thinking that because something is packaged as “low-calorie” or “diet” means that it’s actually good for you. Guess what? IT’S NOT! So I made my mental notes and I picked out some gorgeous fruits and veggies, some lean chicken (pre-cut and packaged) and some all-natural condiments like almond butter and salsa. I’m set for the rest of the week!

It was actually quite nice shopping. Picking out fruits and veggies brought me back to my vegetarian days. It was like meeting an old friend. A bit melodramatic maybe, it’s just grocery shopping after all, but it felt natural and I enjoyed it. This challenge may not be as hard as I thought.

Liz

May 28, 2015

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Woke up this morning feeling pretty motivated!

It’s no secret that the last two months have been a bit challenging for me both physically and emotionally. The loss of two grandmother’s in one week, the loss of mental and physical motivation, kidney stones, muscle spasm/pinched nerve in my neck & back, and a recent bought with the plague have all triggered bad habits. OK, it was the flu, but it felt like the plague. Needless to say my various “issues” has cut into my gym time, quality of my workouts, and left me feeling a bit drained. Oh, and I gained a few pounds. BBBOOOO!!!!!! Now, I could have sat around and cried tales of woe and let that icky self-talk get to me…but I didn’t. Instead, I  have been using the physical aches, pains, sneezes and coughs as an opportunity to listen to my body for once and take note of what it needs. I want so badly to progress with my workouts that I sometimes put my physical well-being on the back burner. Isn’t that ironic? If something hurts, I try to push through it. If I’m exhausted, I force myself to run. So, instead of “pushing through the pain” I took it a bit easier or just avoided a particular workout for a day or so. If I was psychically tired, I rested or did a lower impact workout. The only time I avoided the gym all together was on the days where I may have been contagious. While I admire those hard-core gym frequenters that can hit the gym 7 days a week and run 15 miles while wearing a leg cast (slight exaggeration), I have to be honest with myself and stop trying to push myself further than necessary. I’m not the young spring chicken I once was and I’m not as physically strong as the others, but I aspire to be. I’m nowhere near where I would like to be weight wise or strength wise. But I’m not going to risk further injury or illness in order to achieve my fitness goals. I will get there.

As for the emotional struggles, I’m getting through them just fine. 🙂 Life moves forward and you either have to move with it or be left behind! I started to beat myself up a bit over gaining a few extra pounds. But, as I have said in the past, my inner pin-up has a way of reminding me where I am, where I have been, and where I can go. She ALWAYS knows what I need and when I need it! I was walking up the flights of stairs at work carrying my purse and my lunch bag. My lunch bag when full weighs about 10lbs. My purse weighs maybe 5lbs. As I was stomping up the stairs I was reminded by my inner pin-up that the extra weight of both of my bags is just below the weight I have lost. I suddenly felt really empowered. Instead of pouting over a few pounds, I was proud of how far I had come. It hit me that I used to carry that extra weight around because it was physically attached to me. NOW I carry it around voluntarily! How awesome is that?!?!?!

So to the few pounds, the illnesses and injuries, and dramas that have crept up on me the last few months, you will not break me!!! I will shed you and the other 20lbs left to lose and will do so looking ahead. You are merely challenges and tests. I will surpass the challenges and pass the tests. Just try to stop me! I DARE you!

Liz

April 17, 2015

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It’s been an eye-opening week. I’ve been tracking as much as possible and what I have found was a bit of a shock. Ok, I shouldn’t say “shock” because it really wasn’t. I think surprising is more like it. I found that foods that I usually consider “good for me” are actually costing me a lot of calories. It’s not that the foods I’m eating are unhealthy, it’s just when you add them up into your daily intake, it adds up pretty quick. For example, I have been snacking on Greek yogurt. I consider yogurt pretty healthy and I want the calcium. But, the yogurt I was eating was 200 calories! That’s a pretty high caloric snack! Another example is my caffeine intake. I LOVE my Keurig coffee maker! LOVE IT! The k-cups come in different, lovely flavors and I can’t seem to get enough of vanilla cappuccino or mocha. But at 80 calories per cup, is it worth it? As you all know, I’m also an emotional snacker. If I have a bad phone call from a customer (and being in auto claims the calls can get pretty bad) or just a rough day, I reach for something, anything, sweet. That’s not good.

Last week I also had a bout of kidney stones which made me re-think my water intake. Not fun.

So, I took a look at my daily caloric intake and thought about what I could whittle down, trade for, or just plain cut out of my diet. I switched the high calorie Greek yogurt with 80 calories Greek yogurt. I gave up my cappuccino and mocha for flavored coffees (5 calories per cup) and fat-free creamer (10 calories per TBSP). Reaching back to my former vegetarian lifestyle, I traded my sweet treats for bananas and strawberries or whatever fruit is in season. Now some of you may say “but fruit has a lot of sugar and calories!” Look, we need to get off of the “fruit is bad” craze that came around 10yrs ago. It is a dangerous and sad fad diet, and I think you all know which diet I’m talking about. Yes, fruit has sugar and calories. It also has tons of vitamins, minerals and fiber that YOUR BODY NEEDS!!! If I’m going to snack on something sweet, I would rather is be a gorgeous orange instead of a piece of candy.

And thanks to nature’s little reminder to me about the importance of water, I upped my H2O intake quite a bit. The only downside? I’m peeing a heck of a lot more. But I feel much better. 🙂

These may seem like “no brainer” changes, but sometimes we need to reflect and realize that we forget about their importance. We need to remind ourselves of things we already know. And sometimes, Mother Nature, will do the reminding for us.

 

Liz

March 26, 2015

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It’s been a while since my last post. I promised myself when I started this blog that I would be open and honest in my postings, regardless of whether what I put out there was good or bad. So, here goes nothing!

I haven’t been writing, tracking, or working out any where near to the amount I would like to. The reason? In all honesty, I started slacking in January and have been struggling to find my way back. I know the reason (or reasons) why. I have been lazy, tired, and STRESSED. I also suffered a devastating death in the family. Being and emotional eater, I have been snacking a lot, and not always on good things. It has become much easier to sit on the couch after work and “veg out” than to find the motivation to work out on a regular basis. Basically, I have slowly begun slipping into my old habits. The consequences? I have lost strength, stamina, muscle, and some self control. My weight loss has stalled. And worst of all, my self-esteem has gone down a bit. I started listening to friends tell me that because of my age (46), I will NEVER reach my goal weight or look like I want. These same friends told me it’s just too hard and my body is too old to have the expectations that I have. I started believing them. Then the negative self-talk creeped in. I started believing that too.

Now, some of you may be asking “why is she dumping all of this? Is she looking for sympathy?” My answer: absolutely NOT! Many people ask me where I get my confidence and drive. My answer is always the same: YOU, my readers and friends, are what gives me my confidence and drive! Every time someone tells me that I have inspired them to start eating healthier or start exercising, I get a boost of confidence! I feel good and want to help even more people. So, the reason I am laying myself so bare is to let each and every one of you know that I have been where you have. I understand how you feel. I know how difficult it is to get started and keep up the momentum. I totally get the bad days, weeks, or even months.

I’m spewing my guts to let you know that I’m not always confident or driven. I have bad days just like you do. I’m telling you all of this because I want you to know that it’s OK to feel the way you do. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE!! WE ARE HUMANS AND ARE ALOUD TO HAVE BAD MOMENTS!!!! We ALL have setbacks, but that’s all they are…setbacks. The best thing we can do is accept ourselves, let go of our hurts (both physically and emotionally) and move forward. Let’s use these minor setbacks as learning experiences.

I had a heart-to-heart with my trainer last night and spewed my guts to her. She understood my feelings, what I was going through, and gave me words of confidence… then she worked my ass off! Exactly what I needed! 🙂

So here is my promise to you: I promise that I will track my meals every day, I will exercise at least 4 days a week, and I will blog more and post on Facebook more. I want to hear YOUR stories as well! How are you doing? How are you coping with your bad days? Who or what is YOUR inspiration? Come on, ladies and gents, Let’s pick ourselves up by our training shoes and get back on our journey! I’ve got your back!

Love to you all!

Liz

January 28, 2015

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Word to the wise: Do NOT take a month off from exercise!!! As you all know I sort of took a month off from the gym back in December. Don’t ask why, I just did. OK, twist my arm! I took a month off because I had my photo shoot and got a bit lazy. Well, there was a week that I was actually sick, but the rest of the month was laziness. I’m regretting it now. Before my workout hiatus, I was up to running 2min straight, then fast paced walking for 3min during my 45-50min session. When I returned to the gym a few weeks ago I had lost so much strength and endurance, it was almost as if I had to start over. I struggled to reach 1min running. Slowly (the entire month of January) I’ve been working my way back to 2min and should probably hit that mark by the end of this week. My strength training suffered as well. I went from holding a plank for over a min, to struggling to hold a plank for 30 seconds and my overall endurance and strength has declined quite a bit. I WON’T BE MAKING THIS MISTAKE AGAIN!!! From now on I plan on keeping my workout schedule to 4-5 days a week. The days I can’t make it to the gym I will either workout at home or find an alternative to stay active whether it is I do some extra walking during my lunch breaks at works, or I try to workout at home.

I have also been upping my game by using some great tools to help keep me on track: myfitnesspal.com, my trainer Lauren, and my new Fitbit. My trainer talked me into the myfitnesspal.com app and it’s almost like facebook for fitness. You have “friends”, you track your food and activity on the app and your “friends” have access to it all (if you choose), and you can link it to your Fitbit app and your Facebook app. My trainer can monitor my meals and activity and help me adjust where needed. Just another great way to be held accountable for my calories and activity. I LOVE IT!! Now, the Fitbit is a whole new level of fun! I bought the Fitbit Charge HR last week and now I’m obsessed with it. It monitors my steps, calories burned, distance, floors climbed, AND my heart rate. The heart rate monitor does NOT require you to where the chest strap. You wear it higher up on your wrist and it monitors both your resting heart rate and your active heart rate. Fitbit even monitors my sleep patterns! CRAZY!!! I can link my Fitbit to other apps like Runkeeper, and as I mentioned earlier, myfitnesspal. Through the Fitbit app I can set goals I receive “badges” when the goals are reached. For example, when I reach 10,000 steps Fitbit vibrates. When I drink my 8 glasses of water, I get a badge on my app. The Fitbit is a fun tool that helps keep me motivated.

So, just to recap…DO NOT TAKE A MONTH OFF FROM BEING ACTIVE…EVER!!!! Just my 2 cents. 🙂

 

Liz

For info on the Fitbit, click here… http://www.fitbit.com

 

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December 31, 2014

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The last day of the year.

Most people start thinking about making their New Year’s Resolution. Personally, I decided long ago to stop setting New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Because they are a setup to fail! You see, New Year’s Resolutions are set with the expectation that we will not follow through and will give up within the first month of setting them. “This year I’m going to quite smoking!” “This year I’m going to build my savings account.” “This year I’m going to start going to the gym and lose 50lbs!” How many people do you know that have actually followed through with their resolutions? None in my world. And when those resolutions fall through, no one is surprised or disappointed. Again, we set goals that we either know we cannot attain (or have no real intention of reaching) or goals that we laugh at for “trying.” Sad.

So, since everyone expects to fail at their resolutions, there is really no point in setting one. BUT, if you are truly dedicated to making a real change in your life, start by NOT calling it a “New Years Resolution” and instead call it a “positive lifestyle change.” By changing something as simple as wording, I find that I’m personally more accountable to stick to my goals, instead of giving up at the first setback, shrugging my shoulders and saying “oh, well.”

Last year was the first time I stopped setting “resolutions” and actually made a lifestyle change. And guess what? I’ve stuck to it! Ok, so I have slipped here and there. I’m only human. But instead of saying to myself “well, I tried” I just got back on the horse and kept riding! Now this month has been a struggle for me. I’m not making excuses. I like holiday food and I get lazy around the holidays. But does that mean I have failed? H-E-double hockey sticks NO! In fact, it makes me stronger to acknowledge my weaknesses, embrace them, and move through them. I don’t like giving up, I don’t like failing, and I really don’t like excuses. So, back on the positive lifestyle change train and let’s get 2015 started!!!

 

Happy New Year!

Liz

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December 22, 2014

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Ugh! I’m struggling! December is such a hard month for me. Especially this one. “Why?” do you ask? Food, busy schedules, and plain laziness. I’m struggling right now just trying to keep my eating on track AND trying to get my butt to the gym! Last week I was in CA on an almost non-stop vacation. I stayed on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Gorgeous ship! Yes, it had a gym, BUT, any of the other guests (both hotel guests and regular guests) could easily have viewing access of the gym. It is a small room with partially frosted windows and it is located by the main staircase. So, I had a very busy week, not a lot of time for the ship gym, and really no desire to sweat out in front of the ship guests. Lame excuse? Perhaps. But I’m sticking to it!

Last Tuesday was my first time back in the gym in over a week. I thought I would start off slow and just do a run a the treadmill. I actually impressed myself and got up to 2min running 3 min walking for my entire 40min workout. Yay! But, I still haven’t been able to hit the gym as much as I normally do. I need to mentally get over that and just get in there when I can.

The other challenge I have with this time of year is all of the freely flowing holiday treats! I have them at work, folks are sending them to us, and they are on the menus when we go out to eat. My willpower fairy is working overtime right now and, to be honest, has lost the battle a couple of times. Again, I need to mentally move on and stop beating myself up for eating the occasional cookie or home-baked treat. Ggggrrrrr….why does winter have to be so yummy?!?!?

 

Liz

December 6, 2014

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Well, I made it through my 46th birthday. It was a little tough this year because I feel like I’m now past that “half-way” mark for age. At least I can say I’m physically in pretty good shape. Still moving forward with my goals in sight! I have lost 22lbs over the last year and a half and have another 20lbs to go before reaching my goal weight. It’s been a very slow process for me, but an educational one. I’m physically stronger than I have ever been in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of good changes in my figure. I may never get my 20yr old body back, but I have to say I’m looking and feeling pretty damn good! Happy birthday to me!

It’s also getting close to my 1yr mark with my personal trainer. She asked the other day if I was going to go it alone, or stay with her as my trainer. The answer is very obvious to me. Of course I’m going to stay with her!! When I first contemplated getting a trainer, there were a lot of things to consider. How committed was I really to exercising? Did I have time in my schedule for sessions? Was I going to wimp out at the first sign of heavy breathing? And the biggest question… could I afford it? Well, here it is a year later and I’m loving it!

People ask me about having a trainer and if it’s right for them. I simply ask them how far are they willing to go to get healthy? It is not a cheap investment, but IT IS an investment… in yourself! YES!! IT IS OK TO INVEST IN YOURSELF!!! You invest time, energy, and money. You are investing in your health and well-being. Our society is very focused on taking care of others, which is great. But what about taking care of ourselves? Many view investing in yourself as being selfish. I would like to argue that point. Taking care of yourself, physically and emotionally, is not selfish. By making and keeping yourself mentally and physically strong and healthy you are then able to be there to take care of others (family, friends, etc). If you are unwell, how are you going to help anyone else? We should not have to sacrifice our health and well-being in order to please others. You are the only “you” you’ve got. It’s OK to take care of YOU!!

With a personal trainer you have a guide, who really does care about YOUR well-being, standing next to you motivating you to push further than you ever thought possible. Their goal is to help you achieve YOUR goal. My trainer helps me stay on track and talks me through the days I struggle. In all honesty, if I had just joined the gym alone, I probably would not have gone as much as I do now… if at all. Having Lauren show me the proper techniques for exercising, lifting weights, using the machines, and running has kept me motivated. She pushes me to try harder and many times I surprise myself as to how far I can go, how much I can lift, and how long I can run. By having a trainer I feel I’m accountable for how often I go and how hard I train. I’m one of those folks that needs the extra push. Now, don’t get me wrong. A personal trainer is not for everyone. Again, it’s expensive and once you sign that contract you are stuck. But it truly does work for me.

Long story short (too late!), Yes, I will be keeping my trainer for as long as I possibly can! She is truly the best investment I have ever made in myself!

 

Liz

 

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November 26, 2014

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Aaahhhh, the day before the biggest food day of the year. Scary time of year for those of us that are trying to watch or lose weight. Temptation is EVERYWHERE!! Overindulgence is our holiday pastime. It’s almost expected that we put ourselves into food comas. Well, I haven’t done that for years, and here’s how…

Hubby and I live two states away from our families so we usually celebrate with just the two of us. We used to buy our Thanksgiving favorites and cook dinner for just the two of us, but we would end up with left-overs that would just go to waste. Even cooking for two we end up with too much food…and too much temptation.

Luckily, we have found a couple of restaurants in our area that serve a traditional dinner with “all the trimmings.” I enjoy going out much more than all of the cooking. Let’s be honest, I suck at cooking. Why spend all of the money and time making a carb-fillled, calorie/fat exploding dinner for just two people only for it to go to waste…and waist?!?! By going out to dinner I get all of my favorites already portioned out for me and I’m not tempted to go back for a second (and sometimes third) helping!

Pumpkin pie? Of course! One slice isn’t going to kill me. Again, it is already portioned out so I don’t have to worry about grabbing another piece. My kitchen stays clean, and nothing catches fire. Then I have the rest of my day to sit back and relax in front of a fire with my hubby.

 

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, darlings!!!

Liz

 

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November 11, 2014

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I have a confession to make: I SUCK AT TRACKING! Ok, that’s not really a confession because you folks already knew that. I have struggled to track my meals since my very first Weight Watchers meeting about 10 years ago. I guess my issue is having to actually sit down to try to figure out the caloric value or points value of every ingredient I stuff in my face. It’s a pain in the ass, to be quite honest. But, it’s also an eye opener. And not always a good one. If something has more calories that what I expected I either will eat it and throw the tracking out the window for the day, or I will make a different food choice and spend the rest of the day beating myself up for wanting it in the first place.

I know it’s important to write everything down to make one aware of what their daily caloric intake is, and adjust their meals or workouts accordingly. But I find that all this does it makes me feel guilty about what I eat. Or even worse; frightened of eating in general! I’ve had this discussion with my trainer. I shared my fear of NOT eating enough because I’m afraid that everything I eat is going to make me gain more weight. Now, I know this is not true. But if you have struggled with weight the same way I have (pretty much my entire life) you know what I’m talking about. I get on a roll with weight loss, then figure “one little piece of cake won’t hurt” only to step on the scale the next day and see that I’ve gained 1-2lbs! Suddenly, I scale back my meals for the day and eat a lot less than I should just to lose that 2lbs, and to make sure I don’t gain anymore. I basically punish myself for having a piece of cake even though I’m perfectly aware that one piece of cake DID NOT cause me to gain 2lbs overnight.

This type of thinking is not healthy or helpful with my weight loss journey. I’m fully aware that tracking is one of the best tools for attaining and maintaining a healthy weight. I just wish it wasn’t such a “buzz kill.” Again, I know many of you know where I’m coming from with this. But, statistics don’t lie. Tracking IS very beneficial for weight loss and weight maintenance. I just don’t like it. BUT, “it is what it is “so I need to change my attitude on tracking. I have to stop whining and accept this as my truth and part of my journey. Tracking is a bitch. But,  in the words of Vivien Vance “I’m gonna learn to love that bitch!”

 

Liz