Think Outside the Box

I've decided that you should NEVER settle for anything less than who we want to be! I've known so many people, including myself, who have embarked on a journey to lose weight and/or start an exercise routine and have heard them say, "If I could lose 20 pounds or if I could lose 40 pounds and maybe start to exercise on a regular basis, I'll be happy." (I like to use the word content because most of these people have much more work to do than just what was mentioned.) Don't settle for being content. Push yourself! Yes, it's hard! No, it's not always fun! But it isn't impossible. Why not go a little further as to say, "I want to be someone I never thought was possible" and then set out and do it! Why stop at 20 pounds, 40 pounds or when you get settled into a routine at the gym, especially if your real dreams lie so much further down the road. Why not dream big? Why not imagine yourself looking like you've never looked before? Why not tell yourself you can do something BIG exercise-wise that you thought was not even possible? Why not tell yourself you can do and be anything you dream of being? Personally, I think it's a great idea! The more we talk to ourselves and share with others about our goals and dreams, the more likely they are to be achieved. Here are a few of the things I thought were totally impossible in my own life and before I knew it, they had become a part of me and who I am today.

1. Losing the full 133 pounds. (I thought for sure in the beginning that was never going to happen!)

2. Reaching 19% body fat. (I know, seems almost like it couldn't be true but it really is!)

3. Wearing a size 6! (When I set out on this journey I was going to be thrilled if I made it into a size 10. A 6?! Seriously?! Wahoo! )

4. Training and running a half-marathon! (I had never run a day in my life prior to setting out on this goal!)

What are your dreams? It's okay to dream outside the box. Before you know it, you're the person living the dream and you'll be saying...."Dreams really do come true!"

 

San Diego - Summer 2009              First Half Marathon - June 2011

Being in the Spotlight! (With Bodybuilding.com)

Just recently I had someone contact me from Body Building.com. We spent some time exchanging conversations, and I was then asked if they could share my weight loss story with other Body Building.com employees. I was totally surprised by this invite, not to mention slightly nervous. Other than just the people in my life who know me and what I've embarked on, this was the first time I was invited to share my story and success on a more public level. Like be in the spot light in regards to me and body no less. It wasn't long before I had emailed off my story and things went from there. They've since contacted me a few times, and then one day I came home to this! 

A big box of goodies and treats! The best part was, I was clueless as to what each one of them was and what it was used for. I quickly contacted my new friends at Bodybuilding.com and they were able to guide me in the right direction of which supplement to use when and how they would benefit me in their own way. 

Maybe an experience like this really wouldn't mean much to someone else, but to me it was sure huge. It felt good. I was excited to see so many acknowledge and share the excitement with me and what I'd accomplished, and I loved  how they encouraged me to get out there and share my story. To not hide anymore. To be proud of what I've accomplished and to pay it forward to someone that may be struggling themselves. After all, that is what I want to do. Thank you Bodybuilding.com for being a bright spot on this journey and possibly birthing the idea of getting out there more and sharing what I've become! 

80% Nutrition - It's That Simple!

Did you know that it doesn't matter if you work out 7 days a week and feel like you're killing yourself to get healthy and take the weight off? Have you ever said to someone that the way you are is because other people in your family have a weight problem or that it's genetics because you've been fat your whole life? (I know I have.) It is true that genetics will play a role in your weight loss program, but it’s not the key. 80 percent of your weight loss program should be focused on what you put into your mouth - nutrition. Nutrition is far more responsible for creating your shape and your health than you ever could have imagined.

The healthy, beautiful body equation for lasting fat loss is 10 percent genetics, 10 percent training, and 80 percent nutrition. No, there isn’t a typo in that formula.  80 percent nutrition is correct, and it’s logical if you take a moment, step back, and really think about how nutrition affects your entire system.

This was a bit of a foreign concept to me in the beginning.  I'd always had the understanding that if you wanted to lose weight and get healthy, you needed to eat less and exercise more. I've learned that's not always the case. When I first started on this journey, Jacob told me that for the first 1-2 weeks we were only going to focus on what I was eating and he was not even worried about the exercise part of the puzzle. In fact, the gym was off-limits! Since when does a trainer tell you not to go to the gym? I realized after setting out to make this change, that in order for it to be a lifestyle and something that lasted forever, meaning lasting fat loss and 80% of it was that key component of nutrution, I needed to spend some time focusing just on that and how it would play a key role in my success. The good news is, I lost weight those first couple weeks - 11 pounds to be exact. 

It's amazing how much your thought process changes and the things you put in your mouth change when you're educated just on how the body works and what it likes and needs in order to run like you want it to. It's also been a great comfort along my journey to know that if there is a day when life gets away from me and I don't get that workout in that I was hoping for, as long as my nutrition is on track my body will maintain its progress. When I have those days I remind myself, "It's okay. 80% of this is nutrition Paige." And then I keep going in hopes that the next day will allow me to get back to my routine.

Here are some of the things I've worked on and have learned make a huge difference in my day:

1. Eat within the first hour of waking up in the morning, even if it's something small.  Your body's metabolism needs to get started for the day.

2. Eat every two to three hours throughout the day. (Eat smaller portions or I like to call them Mini Meals.)

3. Eat a small snack (protein) before heading to bed. This way your metabolism doesn't completely slow to a crawl in the night as you sleep. (I know, everybody says don't eat at night but don't panic. This was new to me too but it works!)

4. Enjoy your food! While eating fresh vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products might be close to 

a religion for some people, they may not be the only food products you want to consume while on earth. If you enjoy things like chocolate, cookies, or chips, there are ways to build those treats into a healthy eating plan without feeling like you've committed food sins. The 80-20 rule applies to eating, I believe. If you eat nutritionally dense foods 80 percent of the time, 20 percent of your diet can take a diversion to treats without significant negative consequences.

5. I always try to grocery shop on the outside perimeters of the store. That's where all the good food is. Stay away from the aisles as much as possible. They are full of processed foods that do nothing but haunt you.

**Just think, follow these few helpful hints and you'll have energy like this:

Yes, me playing on a trampoline! Something I never thought I'd be doing. The best part is...it was SO fun!

It's a Beautiful Thing! (More scary pictures)

You might recall a few posts back when I was describing my initial meeting with Jacob.  I was having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of describing what I might look like at my goal weight wandering around the beach in my bathing suit. If interested, click here to refresh your memory.  Recently while I was sifting through pictures, my own memory was refreshed as I came across these.  It ALL came flooding back.

Cancun, Mexico - 278 pounds

I mean, look at me? No wonder I couldn't picture myself any other way. I knew what I looked like in a bathing suit on a beach because I'd been there! I lived there and quite frankly must have been comfortable to some extent, because when I met with Jacob and was asked to describe myself at my goal weight of 145, I couldn't do it.  I couldn't picture myself any other way. The crazy thing is I knew it was bad, meaning my weight had gotten out of control, but I had no idea just how bad it was until I go back and look at some of these pictures. Doesn't that happen to a lot of us? Pictures tell all? Tears well up in my eyes just looking at them. It's heart breaking to me. With a family history of severe heart disease, as well as diabetes, I look at these pictures and see a girl whose life could have very well been shortened due to poor health and merely not taking care of herself. I couldn't imagine not being here to raise my family, see my grandkids, and enjoy as many years of earthly life as God sees fit.  How could I let my body get so out of hand? I mean to think I walked around like that? Eek!

Looking back now, I can see how being very overweight (even obese - that's what I was) and seeing pictures of yourself can not only be depressing, but it can really give you a sense of helplessness or thoughts of doubt. When you see yourself like that you start to question if losing weight is even possible. And when you're SO BIG and out of shape as I was, it makes it that much harder to even try to imagine. I mean, to lose enough weight to make a difference and get to where you want to be almost seems impossible. The thoughts start to come...If it seems so out of reach and would take forever, why even try?


The best part is, anybody can do this!  Once I started, it felt so right and pounds started to melt off.  No, it wasn't always easy, but it wasn't unreachable either. It's been over a year now that I've been at my goal, even considering obstacles (they'll come in future posts) that have been thrown at me and not allowed me to always be at the gym or to eat right. Regardless, I've been able to maintain what I've become and am finding so much joy playing in this new body that's half the size it used to be! Thank you Jacob Wilson for painting the picture of what I've become. I can see it now! It's a beautiful thing!

Church Camp - This past summer - 145 pounds!

Disclaimer:  Normally, you wouldn't find me in a pink bathing suit (I know...SHOCKER!)  but I didn't own a skinny people bathing suit at the time, wanted to play in the river with the kids, so my skinny friend Rachael let me borrow one of hers.

What Fuels Your Body?

I remember the first time Jacob and I talked about food. He informed me I'd been under-eating and over-excersising, thus being the reason my body probably hit a stopping point and decided to sit where it was at for so long. (The evil Platue. Oh, and I might mention that Pre-Jacob I was eating 1200 calories a day and working out 5 -6 days a week.) His next sentence included something along the lines of "I'm going to have you eating more and working out less." My first thought was, "Are you kidding? This is never going to work." It wasn't too long after that, that my body started cooperating and the pounds began to melt off. (He started having me eat 1500 calories a day and working out only 4 days a week.) I felt like I was eating ALL DAY LONG! (I was.) This is something that seemed so awkward, especially when trying to lose weight. Eat? And all day long?

Since then, I've learned that the right combinations of food and eating often keeps me going. Believe me, I still have my days when I don't eat enough or the right things and I end up paying for it later. The reality is that you need to think of your body as a car and what it will take to fuel you for the entire day. When you can grasp that concept, (And YES, it took me a while. I'm a stubborn slow learner.) it will make life so much easier. The choices we make on food will be easier as well as what we choose to do for excercise. We like the feeling our bodies get when we are fueled properly and we thrive to keep them in that "feel good" zone. (Way better than feeling blah and sluggish.)

SO, here are a few of MY favorite snacks - ( I do try for a protein and carb every time I eat.)
-Vanilla yogurt and low-fat granaola

-Cottage Cheese and grapes 

-Hard boiled egg and 1/2 an appple

-Chocolate milk and almonds (I REALLY didn't like this one at first, but it grew on me. Sorta.)

-Hummas and Sliced peppers

-Spinach Berry Smoothie - look here for the recipe

-1TBSP Peanut Butter and 1/2 whole wheat 100 calorie round

-Clif Z Bar

**Remember pick things YOU like. This is a lifestyle change not a diet. You want to pick things you can enjoy for quite some time. Like....forever!

Spinach Berry Smoothie! (My New favorite)

When I first started on this journey I often found myself making protein shakes. Today I tried adding bits and pieces of all my favorites and came up with a new tasty treat. The best part is that it's low in calories, has plenty of protein, and tastes super good.

1 cup vanilla soy slender (This stuff has no sugar, a nice amount of protein, and is like having a vanilla shake.)
1 cup frozen mixed berries (I prefer the tri-berry blend from Costco.)
2 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup cold water


Throw it all in the blender and mix well.

Yep, this is what I came home and made after a run today. Love it!

P.S.  It's even purple. Valentine treat anyone?T

Jacob - 101

I had been trying to lose weight for a while before Jacob and I crossed paths. I thought I'd been pretty successful actually, (losing 60 pounds on my own) until I had hit a plateau and the scale didn't budge for months. I honestly had thought I'd lost as much as my body could physically lose. I'd been very good about diligent exercise and healthy eating. Yet for months my body seemed to have settled into wanting to stay where it was at. 

My friend Tammy had been meeting with Jacob for a few months and asked if I'd be interested in meeting with him. Nope, not at all was pretty much my response from what I remember. There was no way I wanted to meet with a trainer. Part of it was that the fat that was left was my body and a part of who I was. I had done what I was capable of doing so why waste the money on something that wouldn't do me any good, and the other part of things was just the fear that came over me just thinking about it. Could I do what he'd want me to do? Does he even work with fat people? I mean Tammy was working with him and she's totally in shape. Maybe he's a skinny people trainer.  Has he even been heavy himself?  Does he know what it's like to move and try to workout with all this extra weight? Would he be nice about it? All these things haunted me for quite some time until FINALLY I agreed to sit down and meet with him. This was I day I never want to forget. Jacob contracts privately as a trainer so often times I would find myself meeting him at one of several gym locations depending on the day. This particular day was a Thursday afternoon and I met him at a gym in Meridian. We sat down and started to visit a little bit, and he asked me about my past, lifestyle, eating habits, and current exercise regimen. I had no problems sharing any of this information with him. He then asked me what my goals were. Goals? I just threw out ..."to be a size 10 and weigh 145 pounds." He just shook his head and said, "Okay, very doable." I was thinking at that moment "Yeah, right?" Then he said he wanted to do a little experiment on me. He got up, turned out the lights, sat back down and asked me to be very focused -  to close my eyes and join him in the moment. He told me to pretend I was on vacation with my husband somewhere on a sunny beach. I was at my goal weight and wandering around this beach in my bathing suit! Honestly, I burst out laughing when he said this, but he didn't think it was all that funny. He wanted me to really focus on what I saw and describe it to him. "What did your body look like?" he said. I responded with, "I don't know." "What about your arms? Are they toned? How about your legs? And what about your back?" I had such a hard time answering his questions and I felt myself getting quieter and quieter in the moment. "What do you see Paige?" "I don't know.  Maybe a smaller me." And it wasn't long after that that the tears began to fall. Jacob turned the lights back on and sat back down. He explained that he likes to do that type of a mental picture/test on his clients as it gives him a good idea of where they are mentally as far starting a program. I'll never forget what he said. "I see a girl who has been struggling with her weight for a long time. A girl that has almost given up hope that she can take any more weight off. A girl that is doubting herself and her ability to accomplish what she wants." He was exactly right, but how did he know this? For a minute I thought he was a total genius. I knew from that moment on that I could trust him. He proceeded to tell me that if I did EXACTLY what he said, that we together could accomplish my dreams. Those words stuck with me and I've found myself repeating them over and over as the months went on. "If you do EXACTLY what I say, I promise we will accomplish your dreams together." I also learned very quickly that Jacob was more than just a person who was going to help me get my body into tip top shape.  I knew from day one that he was a counselor too. I felt from that first moment in that room that he was passionate about his job and helping people change their lives. (He even got teary with me a time or two.)

I think it was within the very next day or so that I drug Steve along to meet Jacob and get the stamp of approval. He really liked him and was willing to jump on board and support me in whatever way he could to help me succeed.

Tammy was ever so thrilled when I told her that he had won me over and that I was going to begin working with him. She was so excited for me as this was someone she trusted and knowing how leery I was about letting people into my personal space to help, she was looking forward to sharing some of our workouts together with him. Speaking of which, I'll never forget that first workout with Jacob. We did it together. Tammy and I. It was a Saturday in March and we met Jacob at the gym. He had us in the spinning room doing a few warm-ups and it wasn't long before I was feeling the urge to throw-up. Yes, for real, just like the people on the Biggest Loser. It wasn't too much longer before Jacob pointed at the back door and said: "There's a bush!" I was thinking, "Seriously?!" Well, me and the bush became friends that day and I knew from that point on that if I wanted this bad enough it was going to take hard work, dedication, and perseverance. I was excited yet scared about the days and months ahead.

Jacob has become such a huge part of who I am, how I want to live my life and stay healthy. Best of all, he's also become my friend - someone I can talk to. He's someone I can share my highs and lows of this journey with, never doubting that he always believed in me 100%.

I don't care if you're struggling to make a lifestyle change and lose weight or are already in shape, everyone needs a Jacob Wilson!

Who's Your Support Team?

I wanted to introduce you to the people who played a key role in my transformation.

First and For most: God. This was a huge part of me becoming who I am today. (This will be a future post all in itself.) For years I'd always felt a sense that maybe God was disappointed in me for deliberately not taking care of my body like I knew I should. It was a temple, and for so long, I hadn't  worked at keeping this gift He'd given me a holy place. This journey has been a road of peace, healing, forgiveness, and learning just how much my Heavenly Father adores me. "Two people can do anything, as long as one of them is God."

Next: My amazing family. My wonderful husband has done more than just hold the house together.  He's helped get dinner on the table and push me to a place of true happiness. He truly is wonderful and I feel so blessed to be a healthier me now, as we've been able to explore and spend time together outdoors doing things I've always thought I couldn't do. I know in order to make something as huge as this was happen, it was not easy. Even though I found myself making my own huge sacrifices, so was my very own little family.  Whether it was the time I had to spend away from the home to be at the gym, to choosing family activities carefully to help with the financial part of things, to just merely speaking words of encouragement - these are thing I'll always remember. If ever there was a time (and believe me, there were many) that my heart was just not into going to the gym, I could count on my Blake to chime in and say, "You can do it Mom. I'm so proud of you!"

                                            

Meet Tammy. (Well, I call her Tam.) She's my best friend and truly one of a kind. She's been a HUGE part of this whole process. How many people out there can say that they have someone willing to live and believe in their goals as much as they do? I can! I can't tell you the countless hours we've spent together hitting the pavement, at the gym, sharing a training session, or just having her emotionally believing in me when I didn't think I had it in me to believe in myself. God sure was watching out for me when He sent her my way. If only everybody had a "Tammy" to experience, their life would be truly blessed. (Nope, sorry.  I'm not good at sharing.)

And last but not least, Jacob my trainer! He's truly an amazing person who does WAY more than just help you design a workout. (Don't worry, I have plans to tell you more about Jacob in future posts.)  I remember one of the first things I noticed about Jacob was that he truly cared about me, as he does with all his clients. He has a true gift for what he does and a very compassionate side that makes you feel as if you're the only thing that matters to him in that moment. There were many times when the gym was crowded with poeple, but he always made me a priority and it was just him and me attacking what needed to be done. It truly was a driving force and just what I was needing in order to be successful.

Everyone needs a support team. Doesn't matter if you're dealing with losing weight or some other major obstacle, goal, or challenge in your life. We all need to be encouraged. We all need to be loved. We all need to surround ourselves with the people who love us the most. Don't try to conquer the battle on your own. I've tried it. It doesn't work. It's okay to let people into your world to help. (I had to learn this.) Who is your support team? I promise in order to be successful, you need one! And the best part is, you'll be thinking what a blessing they are to you, but in reality you are also a huge blessing to them!