Instead of Focusing On Weight Gain

Hello! It's the rainy, tired Monday morning after a fun filled weekend with some of my favorite people. I enjoyed every minute of my weekend and look forward to doing it again soon :).

 So how did I survive this weekend?  Well, I got on the scale this morning and was UP1 pound.   Now..this is the point where I would normally utter a few expletives, get angry and turn around and have a Cinnabon for breakfast.  At this point I would normally be thinking, why am I busting my booty packing food, making snacks and working out like a maniac and still gaining weight.   This time though..i will not be doing that.  Instead, I will be using this 1 pound weight gain as a motivator.

Instead of focusing on the weight gain, I'm going to focus on what I did to show that weight gain.
1) I ate out more than I would normally have this weekend.  Eating out means sodium and preservatives that your body holds on to and it shows up on the scale.

2) I did not drink enough water this weekend which means I'm retaining water.  Contrary to popular belief, water retention actually comes as a result of not enough water.  If you don't drink enough, your body holds on the water you do have instead of letting it go.

Instead of focusing on the weight gain, I'm going to focus on some NSV's (non scale victories).
1) I see definition in my legs and when I lift my leg, I see that line that says..i do a lot of squats.
2) I took my Insanity Fit Test this morning and exceeded everything I did two weeks ago which means I'm getting stronger.
3) I see muscle tone in my arms and a bit in my stomach area.

Instead of focusing on my weight gain, I'll remember that this is ONLY week 2 and weight fluctuates on an hourly basis.
This is particularly hard for me because the last time I really focused on losing weight I was able to lose 27 lbs in 3 months.  That has become the barometer by which I judge all of my new weight loss efforts.  I need to remember that when I did that, I was 22, single with no children and 2-3 hours to work out every day.  I was also eating Spinach salads for dinner every night which is not sustainable nor particularly healthy.

Most importantly, Instead of focusing on my weight gain, I'll remember that this is NOT a diet, it is a lifestyle change and if this is going to be my lifestyle there will be weight gains, losses and plateaus that come with it.  

I Survived The Weekend

So, I don't know about you but my weekends begin on Thursday.  Unlike college days however, Thursday doesn't mean going to parties, it means that in my mind, it's the day that I can start eating whatever I want.

I don't know why it is that my mind thinks that calories don't count Thursday evenings to Sunday evenings, but it does; and that is something I knew that I would absolutely have to change in order to find my fit.

I am happy to say that this weekend I was able to (pretty much) conquer the weekend munchies.  How did I do it?

1) I treated the weekend as if it was a weekday - Every night I planned out my meals for the next day, prepared them just like I was going to work and logged them into www.myfitnesspal.com.

2) I researched - On Sunday I had brunch scheduled with a friend at The Cheesecake Factory (the most calorific of restaurants).  I consulted the Internet and found out that The Cheesecake Factory has a Skinnylicious menu!  All the items on that menu are under 500 calories.  I chose a couple of items and when I got to the restaurant, made a final decision and never even looked at the menu.  I also made sure that they did not deliver any of the bread to the table.

3) I worked out - The Insanity workout already dictates a Saturday workout..but I actually did the workout this week instead of sleeping in or watching Care Bears with my daughter.  The fact that I worked out I think actually made me a little bit more conscious of what I was putting into my mouth.

4) I indulged - I mean, it was the weekend after all and I know I will not be successful without a little indulgence.  I allowed myself one indulgence on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I actually indulged twice on Sunday but you know..it's all a learning process :).

So is it paying off..i would say so.  I'm down 2.6 pounds this week and I think I might see some muscle building.  I'm on my way and very excited to be taking on this journey.

Day 2 - Still In the Honeymoon Phase

So this was actually day 3 of my Insanity workout/eating plan and I felt really great.  The plan is intense but it's actually very easy if you plan ahead.  You eat 5 times a day with each meal being between 300 and 400 calories.

Last night I fixed all of my daytime meals and snacks and entered all of my meals into myfitnesspal.com. Although Insanity give you an idea of the calories in each meal, they..as i found out, are not accurate because it doesn't tell you exactly what to buy.

This morning I got up at 5:45, worked out and then had my post workout meal, packed my food for the day and got ready for work.

I'm still going strong and still liking everything, but we'll see how I feel on day 23 :).

I'm tracking my progress in pictures instead of tracking it on the scale (although I do want to see movement on the scale).  I am currently at my highest weight ever in life...almost as much as I weighed when I was PREGNANT so that scale has got to move!

Day 1....A Lifetime To Go!

I don't think anyone has ever looked at me and said...damn, that girl really needs to lose some weight, but I have said that about myself pretty much as long as I can remember.  I can remember being in high school, and taking diet pills in order to lose weight! That was about 40 pounds ago and now I look at those pictures and wish I could be that size again.

I have been trying to lose weight all my life and at some points (in my 20's) it was really very easy to do so.  As time has passed and I've had a child, it has become damn near impossible!  I've tried Weight Watchers, I've tried low carb, no carb, South Beach and every diet in between with varying amounts of success.  Lately though, I just can't seem to lose weight with these diets, I'll lose 3 lbs and gain 5 and it goes on like that every week.   I know the reason, it's because I just haven't been committed to them.  I don't want to be on a diet for the rest of my life..i want to change my diet to live the best life I can.

That is why..today and over the next year, I am committed to changing my lifestyle.  I already exercise and love exercising, but I will no longer use exercise as an excuse for me to eat whatever I want.  I am making a commitment to eat foods that are fuel for my body, mind and soul.

Over the next 60 days I'll be doing the Insanity workout and eating plan.  I've done the workout before but have never done the eating plan, because I was using the workouts as an excuse to eat whatever I want  :).  I'm hoping the eating plan will help me to understand eating for fuel and will give me some basic things that I can then start to build into my life. 

I'm writing this blog to share my journey with anyone that's interested and to give myself some accountability.  I hope that my journey will inspire others to start their own journey to whatever a better life means for them.