Tuesday, May 31, 2011

back to basics

This week as I pondered over all the things going on in my life I began to notice a trend.  I don't know if it is just me but I tend to over think and over complicate things.  My weight loss is a perfect example.  At the beginning I was exercising and keeping myself accountable for what I ate.  I lost weight and I was happy and proud of it all.  As time went on I listened to podcasts, read books and watched shows about tons of weight loss crap hoping to gain more knowledge.  So me being the complicated person I am, I took a simple 1+1 equation and began adding tons of variables making it a complete mess.


I am not saying all the variables I tried adding aren't important.  At this point in my journey though I think I need to get back to the basics.  Its like I began focusing on the variables and not the actual task at hand.  I need to get back to remembering 1+1.  All this math reference is giving me a headache! :)

It is hard for me to say I have to start back back at the basics.  I have accomplished a lot in my weight loss so far but I feel I have forgotten some of the fundamentals that are the foundation.  I can say, I am not starting at square one and I am going to keep a positive outlook on it all.

 
So its time for me to stop sitting on the bench and spinning my wheels.  Tomorrow starts a new month June 1 and that is a new beginning.  The number on the scale is a fresh start it doesn't matter what I have accomplished or failed in the past.  There is going to be some changes I have to make and I can't do it all the same as I did before because my life is different than it was before.  I just have to keep it simple and put one foot in front of the other. 

"Its not over until you win!" Les Brown

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Make it a great day

My senior year of high school I took a psychology class and at the end of every class my teacher would say something like "make it a great day and do something positive". I struggled a lot in school with a negative self image and depression, to hear, make it a great day, seemed foreign to me back then. 

It is amazing to me looking back on my life and see the things I feel I could have changed.  The more I reflect on it though, the more I realize, those battles, struggles, and defeats are what has molded me into the person I am today.  There is always going to be those thing in our lives where we say "I could have done better" but we can't change what has been, we can only look forward to what will be.

Although it is still a struggle, I am starting to get my groove back.  I have had to revamp my schedule to allow time for all the things I enjoy. I am getting my eating and food back on track. 

At the finale of the last boot camp, my weigh in showed an 8 pound weight gain in 6 weeks.  I am not gonna lie, I was really upset.  I shed a few tears of frustration but my friends and boyfriend rallied around me and helped me look beyond my current circumstance and see my future potential.

Today, I chose to make it a great day. Each decision is a choice to do better than I did yesterday.  I chose to not focus on my weight or any numbers pertaining to my size.  The decisions I make today will be to make today more positive and not to try and make a more positive day in the future.  I will not allow the scale to determine my success or failure. It is my choice to chose success or failure no matter what the circumstance in front of me. 

So make it a great day and do something positive!!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Step by step

I have been working on staying on track and have found that I still have to constantly remind myself to keep going.  Quitting would be the easy thing to do at this point.  With each step forward though, I feel like I am gaining some confidence back. 

I went for a run in my new shoes last week and felt pretty good.  In my workouts I have been trying to step it up a bit and push myself to not stop during my exercises. When I went for my run last week there as another runner running the same route as me.  I felt a little disheartened when he passed me a second time going the same direction as me.  I had to remind myself though that I have all you guys motivating me. It doesn't matter that the other runner was twice as fast as me, all that matters is I had my butt outside and I was doing it.



So many times I compare my journey to the people around me.  This person lost more weight than me and that person is losing it faster than me.  But this is my journey and by comparing myself to what others have accomplished will only hurt me.  I can only compare myself to myself.  I know what I have accomplished and what I can do to improve.  I am fighting my way back into the race and running to make a difference. 


By the way, I have yet to get on the scale to check if I have gained or lost any weight.  It stresses me out a bit but I need to just focus on making healthy decisions and not let the scale determine my success in the decisions I make. 

Thanks everyone for your support, and motivation. I will not let you down, I promise!

P.S. I have had some inquiries about being able to get an e-mail showing when I update my blog.  I have found a way to do that so if you are interested there is a link on the left side of the page where you can enter your e-mail address.  There will be an e-mail sent to your inbox and once you confirm your e-mail you will receive a direct e-mail with my updated blog posts!  Feel free to share with anyone whom you think my story will help motivate and inspire.