Looking For a Connection...

Hello all you friendly folks! 

I don't mean to sound terribly positive but today is a good day. A fantastic day even!

Today I said no to pizza
Today I woke up at 5:30am and went to teach a cycle class - that's 410 calories GONE! 
Today I ate completely gluten free
Today I decided to log my progress on MyFitnessPal again (Thanks to a friend who has been working hard since Christmas and has lost 30 POUNDS!!! - Thanks AG!)

SO now, I'd like to challenge you smart phone users to DOWNLOAD THE APP!

It's free - so I'm not asking you to sign your life away. 

Q: What's so great about it?
A: MyFitnessPal lets you set a goal and track your calories in and out every day at a pace that will help you to reach your goals! You can log everything you eat, scan barcodes, search items...it's SUPER helpful, and it's free. 

Q: What if I don't have TIME for that kind of thing - it sounds like a lot of work!
A: You're right. To log every day would mean that you would spend probably 5-20 minutes (depending on your proficiency) logging what you eat. But I would argue that without actually taking the time to at least write down what you eat for a whole week (snacks and cheat days included) - you probably don't know how much you are REALLY eating. 

It's so easy to casually mow down on empty calories - in your drinks, in those little snacks or candies that you idly chew on while you're working, even hidden in what you might consider a "healthy" meal. 

Q: Anything else cool about MyFitnessPal?
A: YEAH! We can be friends and keep each other in check!

Seriously - Add me up abecker25 is my username. I'd love to see you on there, and hear from you! I know you're reading, I see my pageviews increase. So make the connection. Try something new. Even just send me a Facebook message to let me know you're reading! 

Have a fantastic day friends. Tomorrow is a brand new day and EVERYTHING counts, let's clear the slate together :)

This is where I stand - All the juicy details

I am totally fine (not even always begrudgingly) with plugging away at a reasonable weight loss and lifestyle change. Every day I think about what I’m eating, make good decisions, look for opportunities to be active and participate in fitness related activities…I work HARD at moving at an achievable pace and making it stick.

But I’ll be damned if every other radio ad and every other conversation, and every other flashy billboard I drive by doesn’t try to convince me that there is a faster, and easier, a BETTER way to do weight loss.

I’m firmly NOT a believer in those quick, “Dr. approved,” NEW craze diets: The pills, the soups, the shakes, the SUPER fruits, the quick cleanses and the HUGE drain on your wallet that leaves your belly empty and your heart broken.  I don’t believe that we have been living in the dark about health and wellness, and we’ve suddenly stumbled upon something simple we NEVER THOUGHT OF BEFORE!!!!WHEN they work – and many do – they have the same kind of longevity that you put into starting them…SHORT TERM! It’s bologna, and believing in the bologna only perpetuates the problem, inflates the market, creates demand and fosters even more junk that pours out of the mouths of semi-professionals who have an internet degree in bullshit.  

Do you know what works?

Eating clean: Lots of veggies, fruits, lean proteins, and moderate carbs, cut back on those sugary, white, junky foods (think half of what you eat right now – make it reasonable)
Eating enough: Eating complex carbohydrates with every meal to sustain you, eating small healthy snacks throughout the day to avoid the big binge, eating enough of the things that are good for you so that you’re satisfied…and regularly indulging in things that are bad for you (IN MODERATION) so that you don’t feel like you’re missing out.
Being Active: MORE active than you are right now. Don’t work out – try 30 minutes of walking 3x a week…I guarantee that if you do SOMETHING more than you are doing right now and maintain consistency you WILL see a change. If you do NOTHING – you will see NOTHING.  I know you’re busy. Make it work – Walk, jog, gather some friends, do it while the baby sleeps – just do it. You will never regret that extra 30 minutes of activity (no matter how tired you are), you will always regret not doing it.
Being Smart: Don’t be charmed by the masses of people around you who will try to convince you that you are doing it wrong. It is SLOW GOING, but it is SO worth it, and it is YOU who are doing the work.

IT IS YOUR SUCCESS!!!! – Not the success of Jenny, or Bernstein or African Mangoes…

IT TAKES TIME!!! – Don’t be discouraged. Progress can take up to 4 weeks before YOU notice, 12 weeks before anyone else notices.

We’re in it together. Take it from me, there truly is strength in numbers. I need you, you need me. Health and Fitness are too important to do in a vacuum. This is your life. How do you want to live it?

But he kneads me!!

Hey guys and gals, 

I had a great day today! Didn't totally take a nosedive on the healthy eating, had a couple of opportunities to work out (both of which I took...), and even got a bit of a nap this morning. Whaaaa???? When does this happen? (It happens when nothing else gets done, that's when. My laundry is piling up and my house is a mess. If it weren't for Eduardo's superior morning productivity, we would be living in squalor). 

So today I'm posting my foods. Out in the open, no lies, no hiding anything. Just posting. 

As I was drafting this post whilst sitting on my couch, my baby cat (Gimli, or Zazzles - depending on which stage of life you met him at), climbed up - as is his typical practice - to cuddle in his very special way. He finds the softest, squishiest part of you and starts kneading until he dozes off. The little jerk doesn't realize it, but he's in the business of tearing down the old self esteem. Abs of steel you ask? "No," Gimli replies. "These abs are really soft and squishy!" On the other hand, at least he loves me for who I am...squish and all ;)

GIMLI NOMS!!!!!!

Alright, enough banter already - Here's the old sin list (note that I don't count veggies or fruits as calories - those are too good to count): 

Breakfast: 
1 Glutino English Muffin 160 Calories
2 slices Pillers Breakfast ham 60 calories
TOTAL: 220 calories

Lunch: 
1 Glutino English Muffin (pretending to be a hamburger bun) 160 Calories
Home made Chicken Burger 180 calories (approximately)
1 Medium Potato Baked with 2 tsp. Olive Oil 220 Calories (approximately)
TOTAL: 560 calories

Snack #1: 
Rice Crispy Square (courtesy of Norris Bakery and my co-worker Beth!) A GAZILLION CALORIES 

Snack #2/first supper: 
1 cup cherries (FREE!!!)
6 Mary's Crackers 70 Calories
Sliced Cheddar Cheese 150 Calories
TOTAL: 220 calories

Pre-Run Snack: 
1 banana (FREE!!!)

Post-Run Snack/second supper: 
1 small can of sweet chili tuna 160 Calories
1 1/2 cups romaine lettuce (FREE!!!)
TOTAL: 160 Calories

1 Super Frosty Ice Cream Bar - Chapmans 170 Calories

TOTAL for the day: 1330 Calories (not counting the huge number of calories that were likely in that delicious rice crispy square)

Workouts: 
6:40am - Group Power Class (1 hour - Barbell class)
8:00pm - 3km run (30 minutes = 1 zombie mission)

BAM!

The Zombies are coming! The Zombies are Coming!!

So, I FINALLY completed my Friday goal...a quick 30 minute run around the track at Kaufman, while being chased by a zombie hoard of 70!!!! Zombie's Run for Android is my current favourite running motivator.

It should also be noted that SOMEone tempted me at the grocery store with a Nacho night some time this week and I said NO! I then told him (we will call "him" Eduardo) in a similar conversation, that he need not feel inspired by my healthy living, to eat healthier or get in shape because if he was fitter quicker than me I'd just fall into a deep depression and give up on life. 

Now.....ZOMBIES!!!

This Ain't Pretty

Alright folks - What you've ALL been waiting for....the photos. 

I'll start with a confession, we love confessions right? 

I didn't complete any of my goals for today. I'm lousy, I'm lame and I'm a little self loathing. No run - by the time I got home around 9 I had just finished off two cesars and half a gluten free pizza...Did  I want to run? no. Did I do all of this intentionally? Maybe.
Tomorrow is another day. 

Here's the real juicy stuff though. Pictures.

I need a bit of motivation and no one hates before an after pictures right? Now - I am no size zero - and I'm pretty okay with it. I am also not the same sized girl as when I modeled that hot little number...enough with the nervous banter Alicia, ON with it!

Here's the worst of the worst - This was really not my best: 

And then we move on to better days - the best of the best. Clearly I took more pictures of myself in these days - there are more of them :) 

Pretty drunk here - and pretty proud. I'd like to get back here or surpass this...can I do it? I know I can...but WILL I? 

Day 2...for the sake of argument

You should know that nothing groundbreaking happened today...
I didn't run a marathon...
I didn't eat only lean proteins, vegetables and grains...
I didn't have any self awareness breakthroughs...

It was a regular day, a busy day even. A day much like many others. 

This is part of the problem I think. 

I remember the first time I started this whole "wellness journey" I was obsessed. Consumed even. 

At this point in my life I'm thinking - "I can't possibly maintain the level of obsession that I stuck to last time around and still be a sane and whole individual." Not to mention the implications of job and responsibilities. 

What I did do today: 
-Didn't eat any wheat products (more on that for another day, but this is big right now)
-Taught Group Power and then did Yoga :)
-Made lunch for tomorrow - so that I don't eat out...even though it's Friday 

Goal for tomorrow: 
-Run (3, 5, 10k...I don't care - just need to do it)
-Remember everything I need to do (I completely bailed on a lovely young lady tonight unintentionally - I need to get in control of my own schedule. Maybe it's time to migrate back to Blackberry?)

So at the end of day 2 (another day two in a long string of day 2's that seem to pile up along the way) I still have a gut, I still don't fit into my favourite jeans, and I'm still here - doing what I can. 

And so it begins...again

Alright world - here I am again.

Returning to the blogging world with hesitation...Blogging with a goal...Getting fit, loosing those extra few lbs, "cutting" the fat, all that junk.

A big part of me would like to tell you not to read these posts - Your reading may be reflected in accountability, in possibly unwanted feedback and most definitely in a kind of vulnerability that I am probably unwilling to participate in...but here I am. 

Let me tell you a story:

The year leading up to my 25th birthday I weighed around 250 pounds and I was a miserable crap eating, lying around kind of mess. I had a great personality, and I had haunting memories of 8th grade gym class that gave me anxiety around any kind of physical activity. 

I was unhappy and I knew it - So I turned my life around, I met some really supportive friends, I started USING my gym membership, I started eating like I cared about myself, and after not too terribly long the weight started coming off. I lost 70 pounds that year. For once in my life I wasn't the chubby girl. I loved it.

I turned 29 this year. I'm generally happy with life - I won't go into too much gushy details (cuz that's lame), but life is good.  However something else has changed, I've started to struggle again with my weight.People are funny. They say things like, "It's because you're happy," or "you must be really comfortable with Cliff, that's all," or "You don't look like you've gained any weight." Then again, those honest strangers say things like, "Oh my gosh you're pregnant!" ...(3 times in 3 months...)

So It's time. Again. I know it's a life long journey. I know it never ends. 

I'm here to share the journey with you. Ups, downs and everything in between. 

To start us off, here is an honest look at what "getting into shape" usually looks like :)