Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!! The TASTES of Fall!!

Today is the first rainy, cold wet day we've had since fall's began and all I can say is "aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh". I LOVE it! It's dark and grey outside but still feels so warm and inviting because of all of the golden colors that are starting to appear everywhere you look. It's so beautiful and mysterious out there and makes you just want to cuddle up by the fire with a good book and savor every moment of it! I've got my house decorated for fall, the fireplace on, and a pumpkin spice candle lit in my kitchen. Is there any season more beautiful?

Well with fall comes all of the holidays that are right around the corner. With holidays comes all of the good, irresistible food that we all feel perfectly okay with eating because after all, "tis the season" right? RIGHT! It is the season. When it's cold outside it's only natural to want to make and eat warm, yummy food that not only warms the body, but the soul as well. It's comfort food and was in no way mistakenly named so. And I have always been one that loves to bake around the holidays and make all of the fun holiday treats right along with the rest of you.

I just want to say that in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with any of it. As a matter of fact, it's SO right! It's the time to be grateful that we all have warm houses and loving families to be with and that we are all so fortunate to have the good food to eat in the first place, let alone the good memories that come along with it. With all of that being said, there are plenty of ways to make it through the holiday season and to really enjoy it as well, without gaining holiday weight. It all comes down to portion control and movement. It's easy when it's cold outside to put off that workout routine and stay snuggled and warm underneath the blankets instead. It's also easy to hide some extra fat underneath the comfy sweatshirts and sweaters that we get to wear as well. But the thing that's NOT easy is when the holiday season is over and we have to look at ourselves again knowing that Spring is around the corner and we have to loose the weight that we packed on. That's the NOT fun part that we all dread. So here's my plan to still enjoy the holidays and all the warm, yummy treats that come along with it, but not the extra pounds:

1) KEEP JOGGING! Movement of any sort is SO important, especially in the months when we tend to move the least. I plan on always trying to be more active in my day to day routines and I'm going to get a little watch with a beeper on it that will go off each hour to remind me to get up and move around for a minute or two if I haven't already. (See previous post on Metabolism boosts).

2) PORTION CONTROL! There's nothing wrong with eating! It's the portions we eat that we have to pay attention to. Remember: Smaller portions lead to a smaller butt!!! It's not rocket science!

3) ONLY EAT WHEN HUNGRY! This means to wait until you're truly hungry to eat and plan meals accordingly. Also, if you do plan on having a dessert or a treat afterward, SAVE ROOM for it! Don't eat until your full and then try to squeeze in some dessert just because it sounds good. It's not even enjoyable, nor does it taste as good when you do that. So if I want dessert afterward, I'm going to stop eating before I feel satisfied to save the room for it.

4) DON'T EVER, EVER EAT UNTIL YOU ARE STUFFED! This is SO important not only to prevent weight gain but for your health as well. It's something I have practiced doing for a while now. You need to quit eating before you get to that stuffed, uncomfortable feeling. In order to be able to asses when that is, you need to SLOW down and enjoy the food. Put down your fork between bites, take sips of your water between bites and savor the food. Isn't that how it's supposed to be eaten anyhow?

I'm also going to try to continue to boost my metabolism in natural ways and I'm still going to do the Isagenix 9 day cleanse soon, probably this month, to give me a little energy boost as well. I'll keep you posted as to when and will blog about it of course. I also have a little experiement I'm going to try with Maci that I think might help to keep me motivated...More on that to come...

So get out there, enjoy all of the wonderful, fun things that come along with fall and the seasons and most importantly, HAVE FUN and take time to cherish the scents, the scenery and the TASTES! Ta ta for now. I'm off to bake some pumpkin bread...

A BREAKTHOUGH!!

Okay, so I had a bit of a breakdown the other night. Not to worry, I'm okay and everything is back on track. I got my chocolate fix, Aunt Flow never did visit (I know I should be relieved) and I apologized to Maci for the threats I made to her (see previous post). All in all, I feel really good today and am SO excited that I didn't let those negative voices get the best of me and kept up on my jogging at least.

Well this morning I woke up and mosied into the bathroom to brush my teeth as usual. I walked up to the bathroom sink and then literally stopped dead in my tracks. Was I seeing things or did my stomach look a little bit flatter and my waist a little bit more defined?! I couldn't even believe that it was noticeable enough to stop me dead in my tracks, espcially when I wasn't even looking for it! I just looked smaller in that area! I wasn't scheduled to weigh until this Friday but I was so excited that I thought, what the heck and took a deep breath and stepped onto the scale. Well I was disappointed briefly when the scale told me that I had only lost 1/2 pound since I last weighed (we have a digital one) but it didn't last because I know without a doubt that I have lost inches! Everyone always tells you when you start a work out program to not get too discouraged if the numbers on the scale don't go down right away because you're gaining muscle and bla bla bla... I already know that but either way, of course we all want to see the scale numbers going down! Well I'm still super excited now because I could see with my own eyes the inches going away and if it was noticeable enough for me to notice without even looking then all I can say is: "Can I get a WHOOP WHOOP?!"

Chocolate? YES PLEASE!!!

Jogged my mile. Got some of my spring cleaning list done. Other than that, I ate like a big, giant rhinoceros today and quite frankly could care less! I felt ravenous and out of control and like I can't get enough chocolate into my diet. PMS? WHO THE HAY KNOWS! I wish Aunt Flow would just visit so maybe I would at least know why it is that I want to eat nothing but Extreme Mouse Tracks ice cream with chocolate syrup on top of it and crumbled chocolate on top of that and then chase it down with a big, giant glass of chocolate milk!

So I go in to say hi to Maci tonight hoping maybe seeing her might snap me out of this funk and get me back on track for tomorrow. Yep, seeing her there all skinny in those size 5 jeans did help to refocus me...for about one minute. Then I got all irritated at her big, white face and told her that I may have drank a glass of chocolate milk but she could just go ahead and drink a big, fat glass of "shut the hell up" and if she had a problem with it, I wouldn't hesitate to put her back into pieces and box her back up where she came from. Hopefully tomorow will be a better day. I do plan on finding some green tea gum to chew on so we'll see if that helps at all.

Tips to Boost Your Metabolism TODAY!!

Okay, so I've been trying to research the best ways to boost metabolism and jump start my energy and bla bla bla and I was reading a magazine and they had some really good tips in there that I am definitely going to start trying tomorrow. Of course the very next page was titled "Cheesecake Bliss", but that's for another day... So here's ways to slim up without hours of exercise a day because who on earth has the time?! Shut up Maci, you don't have to burn anything...

1) EAT BREAKFAST! Now I have heard this works before but this is saying that the more satisfying the breakfast is, the faster your metabolism hits its peak and filling up in the a.m. helps to nix future cravings as well. Interesting... Apparently breakfast eaters weigh up to 50% less on average than those who eat little or nothing and are 4.5 times less likely to be obese compared to those who skip it. Good news eh?

2) COFFEE! It says that the caffeine in just one cup of coffee delivers a 16% metabolism boost and drinking two to three cups a day halts emotional eating because coffee drinkers are 34% less likely to feel blue! NICE! Starbucks, here I come!

3) WORK OUT IN THE AM. Of course any time is better then no time, but people who work out in the a.m. are 90% more likely to stick to it than those who work out later.

4) COTTAGE CHEESE. This is loaded with protein and research shows folks who consume the most protein (especially dairy) have the speediest metabolisms and store up to 61% less fat!

5) GREEN TEA GUM. Green tea helps zap calories 43% faster than usual so instead of drinking five cups of tea you can simply pop two pieces, three times a day of gum infused with green-tea extract.

6) STAND UP. There are unique enzymes in your leg muscles and standing up is all it takes to activate them. Scientist found that getting up and moving around your office or home once an hour for just a couple minutes may have the same metabolism-boosting power as sweating for 60 minutes at the gym! WHAT?! Hold on, I'll be right back, need to stand up...

7) SLEEP. Of course we've all heard get more sleep...Apparently we need at least seven hours a night. It said women who slept five hours a night or less gained more weight than those who slept at least seven. (BTW, apparently aspirin can cause insomnia so don't take it before bed).

And here are some ways it suggested to melt fat faster then we ever thought possible:

1) FOOD LOG. Writing everything down really keeps you aware and accountable. (Okay, I will start that tommorow like I said)..

2) HOP ON SCALE. If you dare (read Scalephobia post). Apparently every two to three days. A study proved folks who weighed in daily lose 100% more than those on the exact same diet who didn't. WOW! I don't dare do it daily again but I'm considering doing it maybe once a week..We'll see..(deep breath).

There were of course some more tips like drink lots of water, get carb smart, yaddy yaddy yadda. Stuff we've all heard a thousand time. I just wanted to share the ones that I was surprised and impressed by.

Jogged my mile today and I really think today was the easiest time yet for me. I think that means I'm just about ready to up my length. I'm also going to start my food log like I had planned because as talked about above, it's supposed to help but it's late and I can't even remember everything I ate today so I will begining that tomorrow. So good night, sleep tight, I really really hope my double chin shrinks tonight...

Snowball Effect

Well I started this blog two weeks ago yesterday. It was then that I was SO excited because of the motivation and little "spark" of something unexplainable that I had gotten from Maci. I am VERY happy to report that after two weeks of blogging, not only has my motivation NOT worn off, it has began to get stronger and stronger and I have gotten more determined then ever that I was right. THIS IS IT! Maci is going to be my secret weapon to weight loss once and for all!

Like I said before, it's not going to be a real quick thing because I'm not dieting. I'm making healthier choices throughout my day and I'm a RUNNER now too! Yes, I'm still only running one mile per day, but I've done it almost every single day since I got her and instead of getting bored like I usually do or start thinking "what's the point" and talk myself out of the entire thing, I'm getting MORE excited! I'm starting to notice a little bit of a difference in my jeans and I think my face may look just a little bit less chunky and has just a tad more definition! I will weigh again on October 2nd to see if I have lost any weight but for now, that is good enough for me.

I was a little bit frustrated last week because I was feeling SO bloated and puffy everywhere and thought for sure I was PMS-ing but being as I haven't had Aunt Flow visit in almost three years, I thought that was unlikely. I knew it was probably hormonal either way so I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. My legs (especially my thighs) have been a little sore but it's that sore feeling that I like to feel. The feeling that says, "you've been working out and big rewards are going to come out of it." Because I'm jogging a mile a day, I am now jogging 6-7 miles per week which is something I was not doing before and trust me, my body is taking notice! I also feel like I have a lot more energy then before and just kind of have that "get up and go" feeling more often! All in all, I feel as though I am on the right track.

I try to run every morning and one of the main reasons I've hardly missed a day is because it only takes me a total of 15 minutes to do the entire mile with a short warm up and cool down and I always can find 15 minutes in the morning to do it. I just do it without even thinking about it and before I know it I'm done and going on with my day and feeling great because of it!

Like I said in my first couple of posts, I really think the power of positive thinking is such an important part of anyone loosing weight. I am trying to stay focused and positive and whenever I start to feel myself getting down or discouraged I immediately stop and change my thoughts and start thinking positive instead. I think that is SO important. It also has helped me SO SO much to hear positive feedback and encouragement from people following me who have said that I have inspired them to work out or start eating better. I feel an obligation now to not only not let myself down, but I don't want to let anyone else down either. Knowing I have inspired even one person is enough for me to keep going. It's a snowball effect that started with that skinny bitch who is always here to remind me of how I want to look and who I have grown to really appreciate! Thanks Maci...One day those jeans will be mine!

The Little Lies We Tell Ourselves

Well, I did it. I faced my fear of the scale this morning. I woke up and just did it before I chickened out or got too worked up thinking about it. When I got up the courage and stepped onto it, all it said was "keep running! keep running! For the love of everything holy, KEEP RUNNING!!!" Was it as scary as I had anticipated? YES! I didn't know scales could even talk! It scared the hell out of me! No really, it wasn't that bad. I weighed EXACTLY what I weighed at my first prenatal visit when I first found out I was pregnant. That's ten pounds more then the last time that I was weighed at my 6 week post natal visit. So basically I have gained TEN pounds in two years without even noticing. Sure I noticed when my jeans were getting a little bit tighter and my fingers felt a little swollen. And I guess I even noticed when I saw myself in pictures and my double chin looked a little bit bigger and more prominent then before. But the bottom line is that I just kept telling myself it was the angle of the picture or the lighting or I was just bloated and bla bla bla. The little lies we tell ourselves to make us feel just a little bit better about the the flat out fact that we have just GAINED WEIGHT and don't want to face up to it are ridiculous! Don't kid yourselves people! Just fess up and start doing something about it already! Buy that full length mirror (yes, I already did) and get honest with yourself!

Well, as scary as it was for me to face, I did it and now I feel really good that I did. It's like buying the full lenght mirror the other day and really looking at myself in it once and for all I feel like I have a fresh start, I know exactly where I stand now and I can just go from here. I'm going to start weighing myself every two weeks and tracking my progress from here. One step at a time...

Well in the meantime, Robb is gone out of town for ten days. Even though I miss him when he leaves and it can sometimes get lonely, I'm actually a little bit excited because that's enough time to loose a few pounds before he gets home. Usually when he's not here it's easier for me to loose weight anyway because I don't have to even worry about what to make for dinner and if I just want to eat a bowl of cereal then I'm good. I usually always eat less when he's not around to cook for. So here's my plan:
I want to loose 3-5 pounds by September 28th. I also decided that while he's gone to stay busy and keep distracted so I don't get bored and want to snack, I'm going to try to get all of my Spring cleaning done as well. Yes, I said Spring cleaning. I really want to get the list that's been on my fridge since spring, done before fall so I'm going to set a goal to have it done before he gets back. That should keep me busy and moving. I'm also going to decorate for fall sometime this week because it's one of my favorite times of the year. I love too how the crispness in the air just makes you want to get out and move so why not take advantage of it? So here's to getting stuff done, loosing some weight and the beautiful fall days ahead!!

Tomorrow I Face my Fears...

Well, tomorrow is the day I've been dreading for two weeks. Well actually, for two years now. I said how I haven't stepped on the scale since my 6 week post natal visit, which when I think about it was almost exactly two years ago to the day because Toby's been two now for about six weeks...Hmmmm...that's weird. Anyhoo, tomorrow morning after peeing and before putting on one ounce of clothes, I'm going to do it. Step on the scale and see that big, fat number staring me in the face that I just don't even want to know. I start to feel almost light-headed and like I'm going to hyperventilate just thinking about it (scalephobia)...Not fun. Not fun at all but I know it's important to know where I stand and start tracking it. I'm just going to weigh once every two weeks. It's time to face my fears so I've got to do it. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!! I'll keep you posted on the terror!

I jogged my mile this morning. I almost didn't because Toby for some reason did not want me on the treadmill and kept crying for me to hold him but with much distraction I got him sidetracked long enough to get through it and made it the full mile. Whew! I've also the last two days upped my pace on one lap and it's taken almost 40 seconds off my mile. That means when I up the entire pace of the mile I'll be cutting off almost 2 1/2 minutes!

Today I ate a yogurt for breakfast with coffee and SUGAR FREE creamer. Lunch was a turkey sandwich and diet Pepsi and dinner was chicken tacos. I think I ate a couple little Sweedish Fish in there somewhere too and I had a twist cone on my way home from Springville. Not too bad... I wonder if I start to visualize the number on the scale that I want to see, if it will appear when I'm on it in the morning...We'll see...