1. 2012: Moving Forward


    This is the fourth and final post in a series where I check in on my 2012 goals.  The introductory post is found     here. 

    This week I’ve been checking in with myself and my progress towards making 2012 the “Year of Yes”.  I’ve had some ups and downs so far in the year, but I think that taking stock and evaluating myself has been helpful and insightful.  It’s helped me re-dedicate and re-focus my energies on my goals and the steps I need to take to reach them.  I’ve realized that I need some serious help in the self-love department, because I can’t seem to fix that on my own.  I’ve developed some better techniques for coping with the compulsion to binge eat.

    I’ve also fully come off of sugar - I started the detox on Sunday, felt like absolute crap Monday and Tuesday, and am now full of energy and ready to keep myself on track regarding carbs and sugars. Will be posting more about that next week.

    Seriously, I jumped up and down yesterday because I was so proud of myself post-workout (I did, at one point, imagine I was high-fiving myself):

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  2. Is Inertia Preventing Me from Moving Forward?

    This is the second post in a series where I check in on my 2012 goals.  The introductory post is found here. 

    Yesterday I talked about how I’ve been stalled at about 98 pounds lost, just short of hitting triple digits – a huge milestone.  My trainer has been telling me that it’s normal to plateau every 15 or so pounds now that I’m so close to my goal weight, but I think that, for me, it’s more of a mental game than anything else.

    Per dictionary.com, inertia is defined as “inertness, especially with regards to effort, motion, action, and the like; inactivity; sluggishness”.  This pretty much sums up where I’ve been since mid-February, when I recorded my last drop in weight.  Since then, I’ve been bouncing around between 93 – 98 pounds lost, never quite getting to the major milestone.  And I know what the problem is.  I wasn’t eating like I’m supposed to.  Occasional indulgences became a constant source of snacking by the handful.  I wasn’t sticking to the low-carb diet that I’d agreed to follow with my trainer.  I was being lazy an unfocused, so while I was still working out like a crazy person, I learned the cold, hard truth: you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

    Food v exercise

    Sad but true. 

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  3. I’m taking a few more days of break from the blog to really think about what I want in my life right now.  I want to come back refreshed and focused on losing the weight, eating right, and becoming more emotionally healthy. (source)

    I’m taking a few more days of break from the blog to really think about what I want in my life right now.  I want to come back refreshed and focused on losing the weight, eating right, and becoming more emotionally healthy.

    (source)

  4. Under the weather

    I’ve been under the weather for the last few days – after a month of bizarre weather patterns, last week finally did me in (3 inches of snow on Monday, 82 degrees and humid on Friday).  I stayed home from work Monday and Tuesday, and just felt icky in general.

    This was me:

    under the weather

    Monday evening, however, is one of my thrice-weekly personal training nights and I was reluctant to skip, even though I wasn’t at 100% (or even 50%, honestly).  But I sucked it up and went, which turned out to be kind of foolish.  I had a good workout but everything was so much more difficult than it would have been normally.  Kettlebell swings with a 25 pound weight aren’t really challenging anymore, but they had me huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf.  Supersetting those with plyo jumps left me nearly breathless.  And I could barely sprint on the spin bike because I was so weak.

    Lesson learned.  When I’m on the fence about working out for health reasons, not mental ones, it’s good to listen to that voice that tells me not to do it.  The workout left me so drained I was exhausted (on top of already being sick) and meant I had to miss another day of work.  Not cool.

    Do you work out when sick? When do you decide to either go in and carry on or call it off for the day?

    (image via google)

  5. Afternoon Inspiration: 3 Simple Rules (image via pinterest)

    Afternoon Inspiration: 3 Simple Rules

    (image via pinterest)

  6. Afternoon Inspiration: NO EXCUSES! (image via running somewhere)

    Afternoon Inspiration: NO EXCUSES!

    (image via running somewhere)

  7. Lent

    I’m not terribly religious and didn’t realize that it was Fat Tuesday until this morning.  However, as soon as I realized that tomorrow was Ash Wednesday, my brain did a weird thing – it immediately started thinking about what I would give up for Lent.  I think this was a Pavlov-style reaction from my Catholic-school upbringing (I went to Catholic school until college) where giving up something for Lent was practically a requirement.

    I haven’t given anything up for Lent in quite awhile but was thinking about it on my morning commute.  I’ve given up so much during the course of my weight loss that I’m not sure there’s much left to give up.  I don’t do dairy, I don’t do carbs, I don’t do junk food…the list goes on and on and on.  My diet is really pretty clean with only the occasional splurge for a slice or two of gourmet pizza (with a big helping of salad) or a skim latte.

    But then a little voice in the back of my head started whispering the words “dark chocolate almonds”.

    I confess, the one chocolate treat that I allow myself of a near-daily basis is dark chocolate almonds.  I love them.  They’re still moderately healthy for a daily treat, and I love them.  But I might love them TOO much.  What started as a fairly controlled daily handful (counted out to ensure portion size) has become reminiscent of previous bingeing habits.  I eat more than I bother to count in a day and I reach for them with increasing frequency, grabbing handfuls at a time.

    So this Lent, I’m giving up the mindless bingeing.  I’ve given up too much in general to completely give the chocolate almonds up entirely, but I am back to counting them out for the day and sticking to it.  I’m taking back control!

    What positive change are you making for Lent? Let me know!

  8. Afternoon Inspiration: Happy is healthy. (image via pinterest)

    Afternoon Inspiration: Happy is healthy.

    (image via pinterest)

  9. Weekends

    Weekends are so weird - I look forward to them all week at the office, dreaming of sleeping in, lounging around the house, and cooking delicious, elaborate meals while my dog snoozes peacefully in her dog bed.

    The reality is, naturally, completely different. There is no sleeping in with an impatient beagle who is used to her morning walk by 7AM. There is no lounging around the house until it is clean and tidy and the laundry is done (and it never seems to be done). And by the time I’ve done all that, there’s really no energy left for cooking an elaborate meal.

    Found via the FB page of BarkVA (where I adopted Dixie):

    This weekend I didn’t go for a long run due to the cold and snow (I can’t do more than about 3 miles on the treadmill so that was out), I didn’t get around to cleaning the bathroom, and I definitely didn’t cook much. I didn’t really stick to my eating schedule, either, which is something that happens too frequently for my liking.  I’m so disciplined during the week that by the time Friday night rolls around, I don’t have any decision-making power left in me!

    Maybe next weekend I’ll be better. 

  10. Afternoon Inspiration: Kicking Ass! (image via google) I need to take this with me into personal training tonight!

    Afternoon Inspiration: Kicking Ass!

    (image via google)

    I need to take this with me into personal training tonight!

About me

One girl's journey to lose 130 pounds and completely reclaim her life.