Well, I'm back.

Until I just logged in here tonight I didn't realize how long it had been since my last post!  I doubt any of you were sitting at the edge of your seats just waiting for a post, but I am going to apologize for my lack of commitment anyways.  The past month has been quite a ride. When I left you last I had started the South Beach Diet, and it was going well.  It continued to go well until having to go down to my boyfriend's home town to help with his dads injury.  The first week went fine, and the second...well that's a whole other story!  It all adds up to a very stressful day and not enough will power to jump back on the wagon after the "bad meal."  The odd thing is, I got really sick after eating that meal and yet I kept eating junk.  Big shock, I continued to get sick, but did that stop me? Not at all.  After the 2 weeks in Southern Illinois, I headed up to the Twin Cities (MN.)  I told myself I would get back on track and yada yada yada.  Of course, I didn't.  I continued to make one bad choice after another, and got to the point where I didn't even care anymore...mind you, I was still getting sick every time!  Going to chalk that up to a HARD HEAD!!  Anyways, long story short my first "get-a-way" from home did not go well at all.  So as of today the diet has restarted.  The "diet" isn't that hard for me as long as I keep things simple and not stress out about menus and getting that odd item required.  Grocery shopping is something I do not like to do, so the less complicated the better.  So today has gone well, just have to find something other than eggs for breakfast that is still on plan.  During the first run of this diet it was eggs, eggs, and more eggs.  I might turn into a egg if I have another! Thursday we will be traveling back down to check on his dad in So. IL so I (we) will be tested yet again.  Honestly, I think it will just be a lot of chicken!  But if that's what it takes!  I don't think I can face another failure of that magnitude in this journey for awhile!  Anyways I would love to hear from you all!


One of my favorite quotes right now:

Know your limitations, then IGNORE them.

Time to hit the "RESET" button.

Oh Lord, where to even start!  I was doing decently well with all of this until the end of July.  I hate to say it, but this is pretty typical of me.  I am just going to warn you ahead of time that this blog post will most likely not be uplifting or inspirational at all.  My goal for this blog was always to be real and upfront with everything.  Honestly I was reading back from the start of this blog and as of right now I am feeling like I was delusional to think that I could actually be successful with all of this.  I hate feeling like that, and I hate giving up on myself.  But yet, I do it all the time.  I struggle constantly with motivation and staying positive still.  The gym was going well for maybe 2 weeks, if that.  My healthy eating lasted for maybe a month.  I just keep going back and forth with everything.  Right now I am attempting to have my own design business so I don't have a "job" to go to per say.  This has me feeling like I should spend every minute in the gym.  While I know that it isn't logical, it enters my mind constantly.  The funny thing is, even if I attempted that I know I would find some way to stop myself by at least day 3.  I find it really irritating to know all my faults that I have with dieting, and I know the way my mind works, but I can't figure out how to change that way of thinking and turn it into something good.  Just makes me want to pull my hair and scream!!  When I first started this blog I wanted to write a couple times of week, and I seem to have failed on that goal also.  I am just completely frustrated with everything.  I really miss training with a personal trainer.  But as of right now, that is just not feasible as they are a little expensive.  At some point I would like to try kick boxing or something like that...but I am kind of a chicken and would like to find someone to do it with me.  I haven't been back to the gym for awhile now and while that is depressing, I still can't manage to change it.  I always get into a cycle of not wanting to go to the gym (or not being able to motivate myself to get there), to be depressed that I didn't go, and then not being able to snap out of it and my whole day is shot.

My food choices haven't been the greatest either lately, I won't mention what was consumed.  The worst part of "falling off the wagon" is having to retrace your steps and lose the weight all over again.  I haven't weighed myself again since the last time, but I know I am not in the same place.  I am scared to get on the scale, for a couple of reasons.
1. I will be at the same weight that I was a couple of weeks ago.  Why is that bad?  Physically it wouldn't be, but mentally it screws me up.  In my mind I think, "well if I can eat all that and still stay the same whats the harm in eating it?"  But, we all know that my weight would not stay the same eating junk constantly.
2. My weight goes up.  Well for obvious reasons I get upset/depressed/frustrated, and I tend to deal with these emotions with food and laziness. Even though most nights I fall asleep thinking about what I need to do the next day to change all of this around.  Quite the vicious cycle if you ask me. 

I am always waiting for that "moment" that everyone talks about with weight loss. You know, when they saw a picture of themselves, or heard a picture, or couldn't participate in an event and everything just clicked in there head and BAM they lost all their weight.  Well, there have been plenty of things I didn't participate in, or felt really uncomfortable doing.  I listen to speakers all the time about weight loss, and motivation.  And Lord knows I have seen countless embarrassing pictures of myself that you would think give me that "ah ha!" moment.  For instance, I saw a picture of myself the other day and I instantly thought, "wow, I really do look obese."  I know I am obese by the "numbers and charts," but when you actually SEE yourself as obese and not just the "facts" I think it sinks in a little bit more.  So I thought that it was my turning point after that, well, I was wrong.  So I guess I am still searching for that moment.

As of right now I am trying to find the thing that is going to restart me, and keep me going until I can find my next source of motivation/strength. Say a prayer :)

P.S. Sorry this post was so doom and gloom, but I can't keep silent, it will drive me crazy!  Don't be shy, what's your story?

Calories & Books

Julie Hadden (former Biggest Loser contestant), wrote in her book "Fat Chance" to treat your calories as money.  For instance if you are on a 1200 calorie a day allowance, think of it as $1200 for food.  Is that candy bar or treat really worth 3 or $400?  Probably not.  This has helped me on multiple occasions!  I know I have read in multiple places that women are typically set on a 1200 calorie budget and men are at 1600.  This should be a minimum as your body still needs fuel to keep running!  You don't give your car extra fuel...because it won't fit!  Think of your body as a gas tank, if you give it more food than it can handle its going to bulge! 

I have ready many weight loss books by various different people, and I thought I would go over them again to be able to give everyone a pseudo review of them.  Remember I am no professional so it will definitely just be my opinion!  Would love to have everyone's input on their favorite, not so favorite books!

Learning To Live

Learning To Live by Beth Hart is the theme song for Losing It with Jillian Micheals.  I had never heard this song before I heard it on the show.  So I decided to actually pull it up and listen to the lyrics.  This song is able to apply to any life, no matter what is going on.  I watched the latest episode tonight, and it hit close to home for me.  The family featured had a 14 year old son that weighed 330lbs, wow.  It broke my heart, and then I heard how he was feeling about school and family, and my heart broke even more.  People can be mean, kids can be mean, family can be mean.  At one point his older brother was bragging that he was doing twice the work that his younger brother was doing. REALLY?!?!  Thankfully Jillian worked her magic and got to the bottom of a lot of the family issues and by the end of the show the boy was in a much better place.  I don't think that we all need for Jillian to come and beat us up.  I do think that we all need some one to call us out. Call us out on our excuses, weaknesses, or any wall we have put up.  Most people are afraid of failure, me included.  The way I have been looking at it now is, if you haven't failed, you haven't lived. The only time you have truly failed is when you stop trying.  Take a listen to this song, hope you enjoy it!