T.I.M.E.... AND PERFECT EATING!!

After having 3 children, there was a time where I was convinced I needed to have surgery to fix certain body parts.  But my tune has changed.  As your body begins to minimize you will begin to shrink all over.  Unfortunately, there is no such thing as spot reducing.  This means you can't look at your upper right thigh and say.... I would really really like to drop a few inches right there, and suddenly it evaporates.  It would be nice though.  As we work hard in the gym, the muscle will come... your fat will begin to burn away, and you will begin to minimize all over.  In some places it will happen right away.  Many times it's in the places you are not as concerned about.  This is very normal.  JUST STAY ON TRACK!  Often times we do not give ourselves credit for how far we have come, and want that beach bod after working for a few months on and off.  As you get closer and closer to your goal the importance of your food will make or break you. 

Each one of us wants something different in our weight loss journey.  I was sitting at lunch with a few ladies a week ago and I was telling them about my story, and showed my before picture.  I told them my starting pants size.  One lady said, "If I could just get there, I would be happy!"  Perhaps that is as far as you can wrap your head around and don't think smaller is physically possible.  But I'm telling you that it is possible.  HOWEVER, IT IS POSSIBLE-- ALL IN TIME.... AND IN GREAT EATING!! 

When you turn on the TV and watch the infomercials with the crazy before and after pictures you will see the fine print at the bottom of the page.  It says, results may vary AND that eating played a MAJOR role. 

You must be spot on with your eating and be prepared for the results/loss to not come immediately.  We have stubborn fat that has been there for perhaps a long time.  It will leave... BUT NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT!  So who is going to be stronger???  You.... or YOUR FAT???   I remember beginning my journey with determination, and stepping on the scale for almost a month and not seeing a single drop on the pounds side.  I felt defeated, but hung on only because my support group was there cheering me on and telling me I could do it.  I remember climbing the stair mill and tears rolling down my face because I didn't think I could ever drop weight.  At this time it is very easy to give up.  It is very easy to grab that cookie or french fry, or loaf of bread especially when you feel so defeated.  But I'm telling you that it will come, but it will take a fight!!  Your body thinks you are going to give up.....because let's admit it, you have quit before, BUT NOT THIS TIME!!!

I found this quote and fell in LOVE:

"IF YOU ARE TIRED OF STARTING OVER, THEN STOP GIVING UP!!!"

When I help people get on track and they begin to feel pumped about the goal ahead they usually say to me, "Ok, I can do this! I'm going to TRY to be eat well.".... My response is, "You are not going to TRY, you are going to DO it!!"  Life is not going to slow down.  Obstacles are not going away.  Holidays with meals are always around the corner, a vacation may suddenly arise, someone may get sick, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING!  You must push through those times.  There are NO EXCUSES if you want to lose weight... NONE!  Eating well for a few days, or even a week, will not change you.  It must be done for an extended period of time.  It must be done without mess ups.  Every time you give up, the fat just holds on tighter. 

Don't look at the scale over and over again.  Track your inches monthly.  Cut out the bad carbs completely.  Start with a great breakfast that will start your day on the right track with fuel that will energize you.  NO DESSERT.  Make sure you always have a healthy snack handy.  WATCH THAT CARB COUNT!!  Nobody likes to write down what they eat, but until you do you won't realize how much you are consuming (Fat, Carbs, Fiber, Calories).  Minimize your dinner portions and allow your food to digest before you go to bed. 

 Do not allow yourself excuses why you messed up, YOU ARE NOT BEING FAIR TO YOURSELF!!

PERFECT EATING WILL ALLOW YOU THE CONFIDENCE

TO DROP THAT SWIMSUIT COVER UP

 AND FLEX YOUR  MUSCLES

 FOR THE WHOLE OCEAN TO 'SEA'!!!!

Changing Size

In order to change the size you are now, you MUST change the size of your portions.  Over eating is one of the main causes people's waistlines begin to grow.  We eat far too much, and far too much of the the wrong things.  The size of our stomachs are about the size of our clenched fist.  Go ahead, clench it up and look at it.  That's not very big.  I'd venture to say your portion size is bigger than that??? When we over eat regularly- we stretch out our stomachs and train our bodies to think we need that much food at a sitting.  We have confused ourselves that the time to get up from the table is when we have the feeling of being uncomfortable, and not just satisfied. 

When I speak of portions, I am not merely referring to the amount of fries, cheeseburgers, and oreos.  I am talking about ANYTHING YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH!  Just because it's a "healthy salad" does not mean you eat the size of  a horse trough.  Initially, re-training your body to eat smaller portions can be hard.  Eating will need to be done more frequently this way because your body will burn through the food in your system faster.  This will also help to speed up your metabolism in return.  When we eat such large portions the food sits in our stomachs and our metabolisms have to work overtime to work through it all and process where that energy needs to go.  This is why when we get up from the table after a large meal and feel so tired, it's because our body is putting all of it's focus on metabolising your food. 

Moderation and Balance are keys to MAINTAINING a healthy eating lifestyle.  I saw this online earlier this week and I loved the comparisons to portion control.  Think about this, or should i say 'CHEW ON THIS':

Portion Size Control:

Cheese/Dairy- Size of a matchbox
Pasta- Size of an ice cream scoop
Butter- Size of Postage Stamp
Pancake- Size of a CD
Potato- Size of a Mouse (for your computer)
Fish- Size of Checkbook
Salad Dressing- Size of 1 oz Shot Glass
Meat- Size of IPod Classic
Brown Rice- Size of Baseball
Peanut Butter- Size of Golf Ball
Beans- Size of Light Bulb
Dark Chocolate- Size of Dental Floss Pack
Slice of Cake/ Brownie/ or Cookie- Size of one Post-It Note
Veggies- Size of Two Fist Sizes
Ice Cream- Size of Half a Baseball
Popcorn/ Trail Mix- Size of ONE handful
Chips- 10-12

I think that helps put things in perspective.  Non of us eat healthy ALL the time.  From time to time it's okay to allow yourself some potato chips or ice cream.  However- if we use the chart above you will never get out of control with your intake.  Because even though it's your free day, it does not mean the calories you consume will be 'FREE OF CHARGE'.... to burn one peanut m&m you will need to walk the length of a football field... AND THAT'S JUST ONE! 

BY CHANGING THE SIZE OF YOUR PORTIONS, YOU ARE CHANGING THE SIZE OF YOUR WAISTLINE.

TODAY IS A NEW DAY!!!

DO IT FOR EVERY TIME YOU CRIED OVER YOUR BODY

DO IT FOR EVERY TIME YOU DIDN'T LIKE WHAT YOU SAW IN THE MIRROR

DO IT FOR THE FIT BODY AND DOUBLE-TAKES

DO IT FOR YOURSELF... THE CONFIDENCE WILL COME!!!

"CHILDREN DO NOT OVER EAT.  IT IS SOMETHING WE TEACH THEM TO DO.  BE A GOOD EXAMPLE AND HELP CREATE HEALTHY EATING HABITS THEY CAN CARRY INTO ADULTHOOD."

Drinking Water, Water, and more WATER

Drinking water is one of the main keys to your success, and most people do not drink nearly enough.  It has multiple purposes, and perhaps the more you understand it's vital role the more you will push the fluid.  The water we consume helps keep our liver and kidneys clean.  The cleaner we keep these organs the better they function for you.  Our liver helps convert the fat in our bodies into energy.  Our kidneys help to remove wastes from our blood and act as a filter to our urinary tract.  Our kidneys also help keep our blood pressure regulated.  WOW!!!  Talk about IMPORTANT!!!  (study out and reserch these amazing organs, they do so much!)

So how much water should we be drinking??  If you open books they will say 8/ 8oz glasses a day, but I am going to push the envelope a little bit further.  THAT IS THE MINIMUM ONE SHOULD DRINK IN A DAY!  A GALLON is key to long lasting health and weight loss.  I have heard it all:

1. But water is boring.
2. It doesn't taste very good.
3. It makes me go to the bathroom too much.

There isn't another way around it-- we must have water, and even though you may be functioning right now on little water, it will take it's toll on you down the road. 

We must take care of our bodies now so we may have quality of life later!!

Don't worry folks, I'm not going to leave you without help.  Now that I've made such a big deal about water, it would probably help if I gave some tips and pointers about how to go about drinking THAT MUCH in a day. 

I like to do it in the form of water bottles.  33-36 oz water bottles, to be exact.  It would look pretty funny if u rolled into the grocery store carrying your gallon jug of water for the day and sat it in that front part for babies!!  So, unless you spend most of your time at a gym (where it is pretty common to see folks with a jug) break it up into smaller increments.  You can use any kind of water bottle.  Sometimes I just refill a big bottle (33-36 oz) I picked up at the convenience store.  Sometimes I use cute decorated water bottles... it really doesn't matter.  I try to have 4 of them filled and put in the fridge the night before for convenience.  If it's hot outside you can freeze one or two and let them thaw and drink them later in the day.  (note: don't freeze all of them)

It's important if you are trying to push more fluids that you begin drinking water immediately when you first wake up.  Most people are not thirsty when they wake up... DRINK ANYWAYS!!!  Have a bottle sitting by your bed if you need to and start ASAP!  Don't just sip, or it's going to be a long day of drinking water.  Really really get that water in your body.  We want to set up for success! Try to have 1 1/2 of those big bottles finished before you leave the house in the morning.  You will find that the more you drink first thing, the more thirsty you are.  On days I don't get to my water right away in the morning, the less thirsty I am through the day.

Another idea is to reward yourself.  If you really like to drink other things, then tell yourself you can have a glass of that AFTER you have consumed your gallon of water for the day. 

You may find that you are visiting the restroom more frequently than normal.  This is not a bad thing!  You are cleansing your organs.  You are helping the waste/fat out of your body.  You are promoting a better life down the road. 

YOU CAN DO IT.... START TODAY!!! 1 GALLON... SO START CHUGGING!!!

*You think drinking 1 gallon of water a day is crazy???  Nah, take it from me... I let my children put underwear on their heads and run around pretending to be WWE entertainment-- So I MUST know what I am talking about!!!! =)

Have a great day everyone!!