What are the People Around You Doing?

I think that one of the BIG things that helped me stay focused and dialed in to having the attitude of "I'm not stopping until I get to where I want to be" is the fact that I didn't once compare myself to what others were doing or how they were losing weight. I never questioned or wondered if their way was working faster or more efficiently. Or if they had discovered a way to lose weight without a lot of exercise, or maybe if I tried it their way for a short time, I would get to where I wanted to be faster. Nope, I never even had these types of things cross my mind. Why? Yes, my way may have been a bit slower, but for the the first time in all my attempts to lose the weight, I was not only successful, but it was starting to "stick" in my brain and become a way of life for me. Little by little, the change came and that is what kept me going. I didn't need anything else. I was happy just the way things were.

We all know people who are currently losing weight, working towards a better body, or just trying to get healthy. I think it's important to focus on YOU and let no one or anything distract you and deviate you from your course. That is what is going to get you to your goal. Focus....focus...focus!

In all reality, it's much like dealing with Satan/the Enemy when we let the distractions join in and outweigh our thinking. These distractions are nothing but trouble. Ever find your brain telling yourself you can't do it? To give up? To maybe do something easier that won't take as much effort? (But in the end you probably will have to start all over because that way didn't work, or it only brought you temporary joy.)  Satan's job is to tempt us, distract us, and make us question the things we are doing. What happens when we listen to him? Very simple...We aren't happy. Quite frankly we may even discover we are miserable because we chose to take an alternate route. We need to remember it's the Enemy's job is to make our lives miserable. To make you question what you are doing. To make you stop believing in yourself. Don't give him that satisfaction! Just keep going, doing what you know you should be doing and the weight WILL come off. I know I always say this but it's because my heart believes it so deeply. Slow and steady wins the race! The slower the better. I promise! I know I've mentioned it before,  but your brain and body need that time to make the adjustment and make it a change that will last forever.

So today my friends, press on. Focus only on YOU! Don't let anyone or anything tell you what they are doing is better and will work faster. Don't compare yourself with anyone at the gym or think you need to become someone you're not. If things are out of balance, fix them. If you haven't yet started, take that step. The most important thing to remember is that until you commit to doing this the right way, you will remain a prisoner in your own body. There a many healthy right ways to lose weight. Pick what works for you and be patient. Usually the right way takes more time, and that's okay. I promise you'll be much happier and a better YOU in the end. 

In Training....

I just finished week one of training for my 3rd half marathon coming up the end of June. My best friend and I have embarked on this adventure every spring since I hit my goal weight 2.5 years ago. It was that new goal I had set for myself after losing all the weight. Something else that I knew was hard and what seemed like impossible at the time. It was a stretch for me to even consider such a task but then again, so was losing 133 pounds.  I somehow seemed to conquer that one but was wanting something  to keep me focused and help me maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Now, you probably should know up front that just because I've run soon-to-be 3 half marathons does not mean I am a year-round runner. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I only have run each year consistently for the 3 months leading up to the race. Being a runner was never even in my thought process, let alone adopting the idea of being a full-time runner, so that's not the way I've chosen to go. You see, I've had such a love/hate relationship with running. Why? I'm not really sure to be honest. That is something I'm currently digging deep to find out. I love the way it makes me feel, I don't dislike every run, and often times in fact I look forward to the Saturday long runs. Also, when I see people running while I'm driving down the road, I long to be on a run. But then there are the moments when I get very worked up before a run. Not believing I can do it, dealing then with a wave of emotions that sends me into a spiral of thoughts. The agony over the idea of having to run that day torments me all day long. I have no idea why my brain plays these tricks on me because the fact of the matter is, I know I can do it.  I've done it twice before! 

Last week when Jacob, my trainer, and I were talking to the group of ladies that had just finished the Biggest Loser Challenge (click here), Jacob mentioned something that I didn't realize affected both him and me. He said, "To see these two half marathon shirts and 2 medals sitting here on this table is remarkable to me. The girl who worked hard, pressed on, and earned these medals, is the same girls that for weeks on end when asked to run to the stop sign at the end of the parking lot, would argue with me and tell me she couldn't. That is determination!" 

So, since last Saturday and hearing him say that, I've been  on a mission to figure out why the running thing has been so back and forth for me. And because I seem to like running more than not, I'm determined to win! I don't run for time. I don't run to beat a PR. I don't run to be the best in my age group. (Nope, I'm for sure not there.) For now I'm focusing on falling in love with something that has intrigued me for a long time. Something I never even dreamed would be a part of my lifestyle. Something that makes me feel like I am in control. Something that makes me feel like I'm on top of the world!

I love to run in the rain, so yesterday was the perfect ending to week one of training.

Enjoying Your Food!

One of the things I really worked on when I was on my journey to losing the weight is something I still try to implement.  I enjoy the food I'm eating. Sure, when you change your entire life around and start to eat to live and not live to eat, you might be eating some things that are new to you and or in some ways not all that enjoyable. (Considering most foods out there that make us fat are not the altogether taste good sweet treats.) The important thing for me when I took the step to becoming a better me was to eat and do nothing else. Okay, that sounds bad. No don't just eat, eat, eat, all day. But when it's time for a snack or a meal, I focused on my food. I would even process in my brain about the food I was eating and how it was going to help my body become stronger, more resilient, and healthy. I tried to avoid eating in front of the TV, computer, or anything else that would distract me. Otherwise I mentally wasn't processing that I was eating, so the need to feel like I should eat again sooner than later would arise. Often times, I would even try to justify my eating when I did it that way. Not good.

I really enjoy trying to savor the flavors of my food these days. I remember in the past, there were many times where I felt like I was inhaling my food. In so doing, I gained weight, not even caring about what was entering my mouth. It think that it's fair to say that can be a common thing with obese people. (As scary as it sounds, yes I was obese.) I try to have a large glass of water with me anytime I put food in my mouth. It helps. Again, I try to focus on eating slowly, drinking often during the snack/meal and like I said, tell myself about the good foods that are going into my body and what they will do for me. Now, don't get me wrong....I still eat naughty things and when I eat those things I have learned (I believe a lot of that learning has come from feeding my body and brain with good foods) that they are there for my enjoyment, not as a medication of sorts. I remind myself that I am bigger than the treat, and I am in charge of my body, not the food. I have told my brain that treats and I have become friends. In a good way. You see, I never deprived myself of them on my journey. Yep, I lost 133 pounds eating treats. Not every day, no. But I wanted to enjoy them occasionally and learn how to enjoy them in the proper way, mixed in with the good whole foods I was eating at other times during the day. Learning the balance is the trick. Our brains are trained to perk up when sweets, treats, grease, naughty foods are present. Why? Because that is society and that is what the majority of us have been exposed to. It's what's out there. It's whats most convenient. 

I'm a firm believer though, that if we focus on the good foods we are putting into our mouths and remind our brains often of what a difference they are making, we will naturally fall in love with eating healthy. I know it may sound odd to some, but it's worked for me. In fact I love to eat healthy now. I even order healthy on the menu when I easily could order something naughty for an evening. It comes natural to me. Almost like the roles have been reversed. (Always looking for healthy instead of always ordering what sounds good whether it's good for me or not.) I promise, the more you focus on your mealtime, slowing down, savoring the flavors in your food, and not being distracted, the more food will become your friend instead of your enemy. No, it's not easy, but I promise it's worth it!

One of my favorites! (Pulled Pork Salad)

Yep, and an occasional naughtiness

Sharing My Story 101

Saturday morning I had the chance to speak to a group of ladies who are just finishing up there own version of a "Biggest Loser" challenge. Believe it or not, it was the first time I really have spoke in that kind of setting. The crazy thing is, I don't know what made me say "Yes" when I was asked to do this as I am so not a public speaker and REALLY don't care to speak in front of groups of people. But guess what? I tried it. It's not so bad. Not only that, it blessed me to be able to do it.  I seem to share my story or at least bits and pieces of it to people all the time but to actually tell it how it was for me from start to finish turned out to be very special. (Yes, I only teared up a couple different times but I just couldn't help it.)  

In some ways there were some ladies in that room that I knew had to have felt the way I had in the beginning months of my journey. I could just tell. My heart hurt for them. This challenge had only been going on for a few months, and when you have a large amount of weight to lose, as did I, it's hard for others to tell you're even making progress in those first few months other than feeling better about how you are eating and physically feeling. Almost always, others haven't quite noticed the weight loss has started. 

One of the best parts about my morning was not only did I get to speak to these great women, but I got to bring my trainer Jacob with me! The one who inspired me, pushed me, and believed in me far before I ever even believed in myself. Love him!  It was great to hear him talk to these ladies about how they can accomplish just what I had done, even if that means following a different path to get there. "Just do it!" he says. 

I so badly when it was all over wanted to pull those few aside that I knew were struggling and are where I was to tell them they can SO DO THIS. In fact my heart wanted to do it for them but God reminded me I can't. This is one of those things they will have to overcome on their own and I get to help Him be the cheerleader. One day at a time. Each day getting closer to that goal. Yes!  

I'm grateful for my sunny Saturday morning yesterday. It was a chance for me to reflect on again, what I had been through and how far I've come. Not only that,  I could remind myself how much happier life is for me now compared to then. That in and of itself is worth helping  others want to make the change and get healthy. We can do anything as long as we believe we can.

Everyone Needs Strategies....What are yours?

One of the things that helped me lose 133 pounds and has helped me in my maintenance is to have a plan. I know that sounds like in some ways kind of a strange thing or can even be daunting thought, especially when maybe you don't even know what that plan needs to be.  I think in the beginning we all know what our initial plan is - to get healthy, maybe lose weight, feel better about ourselves, etc. Right? But I think sometimes just going with that and not having any strategies that are going to help us get there, will only set us up for failure. And if we fail at this attempt, it might be a while before we have the faith and/or confidence to try it again.

Some of the strategies I've used that have helped me be successful are as follows:

Planning my meals for the day

Exercising 4-5 times a week (preferably 5)

Tracking my progress

No excuses

Celebrating the small victories

Believing in myself

Just doing it and sticking with it! (even when the going gets tough)

For months I logged what I was eating on-line. (A notebooks works just as well.) For me it was like a game to see the total number of calories add up and to stay within the 14-1600 range I was aiming for, depending on the day. I know of people who make a little chart and have it handy. Whatever works for you. Something else I like to do is have a visual. (I'm such a visual learner.) I often times will put a little X or something on the calendar when I've gone to the gym so I can then see the days adding up. I remember when I first started my journey.  That was a huge motivator for me. If I went to the gym X amount of times during that month, I rewarded myself. (Not with food!)

Lately I've been re-evaluating my strategies and recommitting myself. I think doing this often is important. If something isn't working for you, switch it up and try another approach. The beauty to this whole process is there are several avenues to take. It's just finding the right one that works for you.

Everyone needs strategies in order to be successful.  You do. I do. We aren't expected to be experts at whatever strategies we chose to go with either. As long as we are getting up each day, putting one foot in front of the other, trying to make changes, and doing the best we can, the change WILL come. Just remember, it may take time. And what you put into something is what you'll get out of it. I promise the reward at the end is so worth it!

Here's my latest bowling strategy. Funny thing is....it totally worked!!

Even the Health Screener Questioned How I Lost the Weight!

So last week I went in to the hospital where my husband works to have a mini health screening of sorts to see if we could get our insurance premium lowered. When I got there, I filled out the paperwork and got out my I.D. to present it to the lady handling the paperwork, as well as the nurse standing nearby who was going to then check my weight, BMI, glucose level, etc. So when I presented them with my drivers license they had a hard time believing it was really me. (No, mine doesn't expire until 2014, so I just haven't bothered to get a new one.) This seems to happen almost every time I need to show it to someone and verify it's really me.

(I don't want to post my actual drivers license with personal information on it so Imagine something similar to this this.)

This started a whole conversation amongst us about how I took the weight off. The two of them work in the health profession, so I thought their reaction would be different when I explained I did it the right way (eating right and exercise). Instead, it was almost as if they were shocked I hadn't had any type of surgery, taken some sort of magic pill, or had something clinically done. It was hard to comprehend. The looks on their faces were almost a pasty "How can that be?" type look. Really?  Does that much of society really rely on gimmicks and other methods of treatment to sugar coat the problem? Oh brother!

Just a shout-out to all of you who are working so hard and being diligent and losing weight the right way. It may not come off the fastest and it definitely is not the easiest, but I promise it's the only way that will give you pure peace and pure happiness. It will give you self-confidence and have you believing in yourself in ways you never thought were possible. It's a way of life that even if I were starting all over again, I wouldn't want to do it any other way.

FYI: Mini Health Screen Results

Weight: 152 (Yep, I tend to be anywhere from 147-152 on any given day.)

Glucose: 74 (I have no idea if that was good or bad.)

BMI: 22 (I've been lower than that but I'll take it.)

Blood Pressure: 112/76

Yep....A+ on the test and a lower insurance premium in the coming year! Wahoo!

My Gym Attire!

Believe it or not this is what I ended up in at the gym tonight. Yep, SO true! (I should have taken the jacket off so you could have gotten the full effect with the bright green t-shirt that says, "Train hard, win easy." It was rather comical actually.

The truth of the matter is that I actually had a doctor's appointment and had brought my gym clothes (all but the socks) along, so I could head there on the way home. Needless to say, I didn't want to go without socks in my precious BSU Nikes, and going home to get them was out of the way, so I just made do. 

I'm sure I had more than a few people looking at me funny but it just goes to show, I don't need all the fancy, matching, "in style" latest fad to wear to the gym. I generally show up in black shorts and a t-shirt. Nothing fancy. And I guess now I can say..... STRIPED KNEE HIGHS. YEP, some days are like that. Remember?  When I'm there to change my body, nothing else matters. 

Learning to Eat Right is Like Learning to Read

Learning to eat for a healthy lifestyle is no different than learning how to read or ride a bicycle. I work at an elementary school, and it's very common for the children who are struggling and/or behind in school to also have more behavior and emotional problems. Do you blame them? They're frustrated, they don't understand, they've told themselves they can't, and when everyone around them is excelling, they begin to feel more and more deflated and bad things start to happen. The exact same thing happens with food and adults. How we chose to live our lives and the lifestyles we create for ourselves has everything to do with how educated we are about it.

Looking back on things, I'm embarrassed to say that I was TOTALLY uneducated for nearly 40 years! I had tried so many things over the years to try and lose weight and was very successful from time to time, maybe losing 35 or 40 pounds but only to quickly gain it back and be discouraged with the idea of starting from scratch once again. Over the course of my journey, the education came. Things started to make sense. Things started to click. I was seeing that I could do it, and from then on it became fun. I enjoyed it. I wanted to excel. I could see I was being successful.

When we don't take time to get the proper education and tools on board with what we are wanting for ourselves, often times things go bad. Maybe we have behavior problems just like the kids do? Maybe things just in general seem to spiral out of control? Maybe we begin to feel deflated and that we'll just never be quite good enough? It is so easy to fall into this pattern of thinking. Especially if the people around you are excelling.  

Much like little children learning to read, once they become more confident and fluent as they hear themselves sound things out and make sounds into real words they can understand, they get excited. They want to try more. They want to keep reading. They want to be successful! We with our bodies and eating are in the same boat. It really is no different. Some of us may feel totally uneducated in the moment and like we don't even know where to start but the truth of the matter is we just need to start small, piece things together, and before we know it, we'll be up and running...motivated, fluent, striving for that goal with the end in sight.

Putting Back on the Weight (Yep, it's true!)

I've spent this last week getting back into the swing of things after a long and busy month. It was a good week of eating and meal planning and a very sore week as far as the gym goes. (My inner thighs are still sore, and I did legs 3 days ago!) The one thing I was struggling with a bit though was the mental part of things. Wrapping my head around things again. Not that I have a desire to go crazy and head back to my old way of living. That's not it at all. Just the getting my brain back to the mind-set it has been in for so long now and telling myself that life happens.  A month off from the gym and my normal schedule was just part of some of the things that can happen in life when eating and exercise is a lifestyle, not a temporary fix. 

So, just as a little reminder of where I was when I started all of this and just how far I've come, I decided to head out for a little jaunt with my 15 year old daughter on my back. Yep, she weighs about exactly the amount of weight I have taken off (around 130).  You would never know it as she is tall and beautiful and all muscle, but it's true. Crazy thing is, I have no idea how I carried all that weight on my body all the time and for so many years. I had a hard enough time walking a short distance with her on my back! (And it was painful no less.)

Like I  said, it was a gentle reminder of what life used to be like for me compared to now. Sometimes I think when we get in a little rut or are coming off a bump in the road, maybe even a plateau, it's good for us to stop, look back a little, and remember just how far we've come. Even if it's only 5 pounds. Anyone tried packing a 5 lb bag of flour around for a day? You'd be surprised what a difference EVERY pound makes.

This type of lifestyle is not always easy when we've battled with the opposite for so long, but I will tell you that it is so worth every ounce of effort you put in to it. Even if that effort seems small. Over time, it ripens, swells, and does nothing but blossom and push you once again towards attaining the goal you have set for yourself - a healthier you!

Back in Action!

It feels so good to be back!  My life has seemed to have been a little out of whack for the past month. In some ways, I'm still in recovery mode as my body is trying to find normal sleep, clean food, and adequate exercise. (All of which you know can get thrown out the window when dealing with the illness and death of a loved one.  In my case, it was my dear mother-in-law.)

I want to thank my BFF Tammy, for taking good care of my blog for me while I was away. She really is at the top of what I call "The Best of the Best!" Not only is she my workout buddy, running partner, motivator, and just plain full of awesomeness, she has also been there for our family more times than I can count. All the more reason we like to think of her as family at our house. She too has a blog.  However it has nothing to do with health.  Instead it's all about first grade! Do you have little ones? Do you know of people with little ones? What about grandchildren? If so, it's the place to visit: Forever in First In fact, I read it all the time and learn things, and I'm an adult! I promise you won't be disappointed. She simply is the best teacher I know. Yep, I get to brag a bit. (Even got the district's teacher of the year award last year.)

Okay, on to me. On to life. Well, as you will notice by the picture below, I didn't have the best eating choices during the past few weeks. Okay, maybe I need to clarify. I probably didn't eat nearly enough, and when I did it wasn't something my body was used to eating. For the most part, I ate pretty decently. I didn't go as far as the ordering of THE CHEESEBURGER until the drive home from my mother-in-law's funeral. (To be honest, it tasted disgusting! If I wasn't so hungry I probably wouldn't have eaten it. I can't even remember the last time I had eaten a cheeseburger!)

I got home Sunday night, and it has felt so good to be eating the foods I'm used to having in my fridge. (And eating every couple hours no less.) It has also been nice to be back at the gym and feeling sore. A good sore. In some ways it's frustrating having been out of the loop for a month. It's easy to feel like I'm totally out of shape and discouraged, but then I just have to remind myself I've done this before. I've done WAY more in fact. Then I remind myself what I've posted several times on my blog. "One day at a time. Slow and steady wins the race."

I guess I share this with you just as another testimony that I am a real person. I struggle from time to time just like you. The key for me is to know that a couple years ago, I adopted a new lifestyle (not at diet) so when things get in the way, as we know they will from time to time, I just have to remind myself of my new lifestyle and that whatever I may be struggling with in the moment, is just for a short time. I know what I am capable of. All I have to do is to get back at it and do it!

Here's to healthy eating, restful nights, and sore muscles in the weeks to come......

Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Hi.  If you're looking for Paige, you won't find her here.  She's been helping her husband and family say goodbye to her dear mother-in-law who passed away on Monday.  I'm sure she would appreciate your prayers.  In the meantime, I'm watching over her blog while she's doing this very hard but important thing.  I promise to take really good care of it and all of her wonderful readers.  

My name's Tammy, and I'm Paige's numero uno best friend.  Unlike Paige, I have not done the amazing work of losing 133 pounds, but I was there when she lost each one.  If you've heard her story, seen her pictures, and wondered whether it's true, I can tell you that it is.  Some people look at her before and after pictures and think, "That's not even the same person."  Believe you me, it is.  Some people hear how she lost the weight and think, "Seriously?  I can't believe she lost all that weight simply be eating right and working out.  She must have took pills or had surgery or something."  Nope, she didn't.  She's the real deal.

I believe it was my Uncle Burt who coined the phrase "long obedience in the same direction."  He used the phrase at church, but it pretty much sums up Paige's story too.  When you look at her before pictures and then compare them to her after pictures, you're seeing long obedience in the same direction.  This thing called getting healthy is not about putting oneself on a diet.  A diet is something a person sees themselves doing for a short period of time.  It's not something that will sustain a person for a lifetime.  Paige doesn't believe in diets and neither does her best friend.  We do believe in long obedience in the same direction though.  If you're wanting to get healthy and lose weight, look past the diet and make a commitment to a life of taking care of yourself.  Long obedience in the same direction will get you where you want to go and keep you there.  It sure did for Paige.

Who Do You Hang Out With?

Did you know that the people you choose to hang out with will be what you become? It's true!

Now, this can be good or bad in all aspects of life but especially when it comes to eating right and living a healthy lifestyle. Have you ever had that family get-together where everyone gets to bring their favorite appetizer or side dish? Maybe it's one of those things where you're planning to splurge a little bit on this particular occasion? Or maybe you had intentions of eating very clean and sticking with only the healthy choices, but when you saw everyone else dishing up the bad, you thought why not?! I know I have been guilty of this.

It's very easy to mold ourselves into the people we hang around with. It's like teenagers and peer pressure. How much pestering will it take before you give in? How much negativity to the brain will it take? What about not seeing results and progress? All these things, if not carefully monitored, can lead to disaster.

On the flip side, what happens when we surround ourselves with those that our motivating to us. Who build us up. Who inspire you to make good choices. Who encourage us to be the best we can be. We want to become that person, right?
For me, being healthy has become a way of life. It's who I am these days. I'm not saying every day is perfect or even every week or even every month. I'm human. I have my moments. But overall I have made the choice (as everything we do is surrounded by choice) to live my life as healthy as I can. I want to live to see my children married and to experience and play with the grandchildren that will be brought into this world for me to enjoy. I so enjoy being active and able to do things I haven't done in the whole 40 years I've been alive.

I hope God sends each one of you daily reminders of how remarkable and special you are, and that for Him, you will have the desire and admiration to become the best YOU, you can become. The YOU that attracts others to want to be in your presence. I know what it's like to feel down in the dumps and unmotivated and sad about who I am but I also know what it's like to feel like I'm on top of the world and worth more than I ever could have imagined!

(Literally on top of the world with some of my favorite people!)

How Do You Talk to Yourself?

It's interesting how the body and mind work. When I look back on all the "then" moments and compare them to the "now" moments, there is such a HUGE difference. We really are what we tell ourselves......

I'm too fat.

I can't.

I need to go on a diet.

This is just how I was born.

It's too hard.

I'll never be small.

I like food too much.

I can't run.

I don't have time.

It's my metabolism.

I'm too tired.

I'm too old.

I don't enjoy exercise.

I can't give up sweets.

I'm unmotivated.

I'll start on Monday.

....and the list goes on. Any of this ever sound like words that have entertained your brain at one point or another?

The good news is.....we really can become what we tell ourselves.......

It makes me feel good to take care of myself.

I can do this.

I have energy.

I am happy.

I'm motivated.

I am a runner.

I can eat anything in moderation.

I'm healthy.

I'm small. (smaller)

I love to exercise.

I feel empowered.

I'm in control.

I can do hard things.

I am a winner!

Stress and Food...How Does it Affect YOU?

The fact of the matter is that it happens to all of us. It doesn't seem to matter how happy we are with our life, what routines we have created, how much we like our job or the people we choose to associate with. STRESS happens! Some stress can come in the form of little daily things. Things that add up or don't seem to be going right day after day causing stressors to go off in your brain. Other forms of stress can sometimes come when tragedy or life-changing events seem to fall into your once perfect path, causing the strong ground you thought you were standing on to feel as though it were shifting sand and as though the ground beneath your feet that had been feeling secure was now moving.

Stress and food are not a good combination. Why? Well, it doesn't take much for anyone to figure out that when you or maybe even somebody you love is under stress, food will cause you to do one of two things. Eat WAY too much and basically eat anything that sounds good or that you can get your hands on. In fact during these times you may even make a special secret trip to your favorite fast food restaurant looking for one of your favorite pleasures to smooth things over and make you feel better about your situation. If you are not a stress-eater than you are a non- eater when stress comes your way. Your stomach is often in knots or you just don't have an appetite. Most of your day is spent thinking about whatever stressful events are happening in your life so that you're not one bit hungry, and you forget to eat. One might think this option is not so bad if in fact you were already trying to lose some weight. Wrong. The worst thing you can do is let your body go into starvation mode by not feeding it enough. It will cause worse damage then a person headed to the fast food reasturant. It will shut down your metabolism, store anything you give it as fat, and cause your body, that is supposed to be operating as efficiently as a machine, to be very sluggish and non-responsive.

There really is no middle ground here. Often times you are either one or the other. The key is developing and coming up with some strategies to get you through these types of situations. We never know when these times will come and go, but if we can make a plan of action way ahead of time, it could save even more stress when we're then dealing with the poor eating or non-eating choices we have made. I know it's easier said than done and I'm the first to admit, I'm terrible at this. Like, horrible! I get stressed and my water intake stops. I'm terrible about remembering to eat when I'm supposed to, and then when I do, nothing really tastes very good. My body runs SO like clockwork that when my routine is suddenly thrown a curve ball, it often takes me several days and a swift kick to get me back in place. (Not recommended.)

I can honestly say, this last week was a struggle for me in this way. My Mother-in-Law is terminally ill, and all the emotions, stress, and just trying to carry on as a mom and wife were weighing heavy on me.  Yep, I forgot to eat. I forgot to drink. I only got to the gym twice. Knowing that I am up against a lot of the same emotions in the coming weeks, I've made a game plan. I will eat even if it means setting my alarm on my phone so I remember. I will drink my water because I will remember to fill it first thing in the morning. I will get to the gym as long as my family does not need me and situations allow, as sometimes during stressful times we have to learn to be flexible. All I know is that I don't want to create more stress for myself in the end by not doing what my body needs from me in the now. 

What's your game plan? How are you going to avoid the stress trap? 

Fuel Me For Food Not Fun.......

This is something I like to say to myself often. Don't get me wrong.  Food can be fun, but when our thoughts and choices get out of hand it can lead to some dangerous territory.

I love that I wake up each morning and plan and figure out what I am eating for the day. It's a highlight. It makes me feel empowered. It makes me feel like I am in charge of my body. That I have control of what it does. For many years I let food control me, but now I can honestly say, I control my food!

I know there were times in my life when trying to lose weight that I just cut out all treats, only ate rabbit like- food, and really focused on very little calories. Funny thing, that's not a lifestyle. Not only that, my day was never planned out so I wouldn't have anything to look forward to. I just knew that when I ate, it better not be much. That's how my brain worked.

By planning out my menu ahead of time and sticking to it, it allows me to build my menu around my lifestyle or what may be going on that day, and it allows me to pick things I enjoy eating, yet eat them in moderation. It didn't take long before this way of thinking and doing just became who I was. 

I think of it as a game of sorts. I add all sorts variety, pick things I look forward to snacking on, and occasionally even eat a meal that doesn't show up on the menu all that often. Some people say, "I could never do that. I would just eat everything in sight. I wouldn't know when to stop. I would lose hope. I would lose weight too slowly." Trust me, I've heard them all. The truth is, if a person with any type of weight problem or eating disorder can't adopt this way of thinking, the way they are trying to eat will never stick. It will never become a lifestyle but only a phase. 

I know it's not easy. I've been there. It's such an awesome feeling though, to be able to make choices, with all types of food, and still come out in the end being successful. I couldn't imagine my life now any other way. Remember, slow and steady wins the race.

Planning my food makes me enjoy it that much more...

Road Trip planning...love my strawberries!

Yep, I even order treats when I've planned for it. (And STILL lose weight!)